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000-688-331-282-144
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US
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[
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] |
G01N35/00
| 2017-12-06T00:00:00 |
2017
|
[
"G01"
] |
inspection workcell
|
an inspection workcell includes an equipment rack for securing one or more part trays comprising inspection parts, one or more inspection stations for inspecting the inspection parts, and a robotic manipulator for transporting the one or more part trays from the equipment rack to the one or more inspection stations.
|
1. an inspection workcell, comprising: an equipment rack for securing one or more part trays comprising inspection parts; one or more inspection stations for inspecting the inspection parts; and a robotic manipulator for transporting the one or more part trays from the equipment rack to the one or more inspection stations; wherein each of the one or more part trays include a high-precision registration surface for mounting the inspection parts; and wherein the registration surface permits inspection of all surfaces of the inspection parts. 2. the inspection workcell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more inspection stations is securable in the equipment rack or a second equipment rack. 3. the inspection workcell of claim 2 , wherein six separate equipment racks are arranged in a hexagonal-shaped configuration around the robotic manipulator. 4. the inspection workcell of claim 2 , wherein a set of n separate equipment racks are arranged in an n-shaped configuration around the robotic manipulator. 5. the inspection workcell of claim 4 , wherein a second set of n separate equipment racks are arranged in a second n-shaped configuration around a second robotic manipulator, wherein at least one part tray of at least one equipment rack of the set of n separate equipment racks and the second set of n separate equipment racks is accessible by the robotic manipulator and the second robotic manipulator. 6. the inspection workcell of claim 5 , wherein at least one equipment rack is common to each of the first set of n separate equipment racks and the second set of n separate equipment racks. 7. the inspection workcell of claim 1 , wherein each of the part trays includes a coupler selectively receivable by the robotic manipulator. 8. the inspection workcell of claim 1 , wherein each of the part trays is encoded with a unique identifier. 9. the inspection workcell of claim 1 , wherein the registration surface includes uniformly spaced mounting holes. 10. the inspection workcell of claim 1 , wherein the one or more inspection stations comprises two or more inspection stations and at least one of the two or more inspection stations are different from each other. 11. the inspection workcell of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more inspection stations are identical. 12. an inspection workcell, comprising: a first equipment rack for securing one or more part trays comprising inspection parts; one or more inspection stations for inspecting the inspection parts; and a robotic manipulator for transporting the one or more part trays from the first equipment rack to the one or more inspection stations; wherein the one or more inspection stations is securable in the first equipment rack or in a second equipment rack; wherein each of the one or more part trays include a high-precision registration surface for mounting the inspection parts; and wherein the registration surface permits inspection of all surfaces of the inspection parts. 13. a method of inspecting a part comprising: securely mounting one or more inspection parts in a part tray; securing the part tray in an equipment rack; providing one or more inspection stations for inspecting the one or more inspection parts; and transporting, via a robotic manipulator, the part tray from the equipment rack to the one or more inspection stations; further comprising the step, after transporting, via a robotic manipulator, the part tray from the equipment rack to the one or more inspection stations, of arranging a set of n separate equipment racks in an n-shaped configuration around the robotic manipulator; and further comprises the step, after arranging a set of n separate equipment racks in an n-shaped configuration around the robotic manipulator, of arranging a second n-shaped configuration around a second robotic manipulator, wherein at least one part tray of at least one equipment rack of the set of n separate equipment racks and the second set of n separate equipment racks is accessible by the robotic manipulator and the second robotic manipulator. 14. the method of claim 13 , wherein the steps of securely mounting one or more inspection parts in a part tray and securing the part tray in an equipment rack are each performed manually. 15. the method of claim 13 further comprises the step, after transporting, via a robotic manipulator, the part tray from the equipment rack to the one or more inspection stations, of transporting, via a robotic manipulator, the part tray from the one or more inspection stations to the equipment rack. 16. the method of claim 13 , wherein at least one equipment rack is common to each of the first set of n separate equipment racks and the second set of n separate equipment racks.
|
cross-reference to related application this application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 62/595,399, filed dec. 6, 2017, entitled “additive manufacturing inspection workcell,” which is incorporated herein by reference. government interest statement this invention was made with government support under contract no. de-na0003525 awarded by the united states department of energy/national nuclear security administration. the u.s. government has certain rights in this invention. field of the invention the present invention relates to metrology and, in particular, to an automated inspection workcell that can be used to inspect parts. background of the invention pre-fabricated parts typically require different inspection steps to ensure compliance with design requirements. conventionally, such inspection steps are performed manually, such as with hand gauges and optical comparators, thereby increasing the opportunity for errors. furthermore, each inspection step may be conducted at different locations, requiring transportation of the parts between the different locations, significantly increasing delays and costs. summary of the invention the present invention is directed to a compact, scalable, and modular system and method to inspect parts. this automated inspection station workcell utilizes a robotic manipulator to transport pre-fabricated parts between inspection stations. to reduce part inspection times, e.g., from days to hours, an exemplary workcell utilizes a 6-dof (degree-of-freedom) robot manipulator centrally positioned on a hexagonal base or floor plate. six inspection stations are positioned adjacent to the hexagonal plate and surround the robot. this six-sided, or honeycomb configuration, allows human operators to deliver parts to an equipment rack and initiate automated inspections. using pre-programmed paths, the robot manipulator can quickly transport parts to high-fidelity laser scanners, hardness testers, and roughness testers to record inspection data for post-processing and part validation. in one embodiment, an inspection workcell includes an equipment rack for securing one or more part trays comprising inspection parts, one or more inspection stations for inspecting the inspection parts, and a robotic manipulator for transporting the one or more part trays from the equipment rack to the one or more inspection stations. in another embodiment, an inspection workcell includes a first equipment rack for securing one or more part trays including inspection parts, one or more inspection stations for inspecting the inspection parts, and a robotic manipulator for transporting the one or more part trays from the first equipment rack to the one or more inspection stations. the one or more inspection stations is securable in the first equipment rack or in a second equipment rack. in a further embodiment, method of inspecting a part includes securing one or more inspection parts in a part tray, securing the part tray in an equipment rack, providing one or more inspection stations for inspecting the one or more inspection parts, and transporting, via a robotic manipulator, the part tray from the equipment rack to the one or more inspection stations. other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is an upper perspective view of an exemplary inspection workcell, according to the present invention. fig. 2 is a reverse elevation view of the inspection workcell of fig. 1 , according to the present invention. fig. 3 is an upper perspective of an exemplary inspection workcell, according to the present invention. fig. 4 is a front perspective view of an exemplary inspection workcell, according to the present invention. fig. 5 is an enlarged, partial elevation view of an exemplary equipment rack, according to the present invention. fig. 6 is an enlarged, partial upper perspective view of secured part tray, according to the present invention. fig. 7 is an upper perspective view of an inspection part secured to an exemplary part tray, according to the present invention. fig. 8 is an upper perspective view of an exemplary arrangement of a part tray transported between inspection stations by a robot, according to the present invention. fig. 9a is a schematic illustration showing modular inspection stations, according to the present invention. fig. 9b is a schematic illustration showing expandability of the inspection workcell, according to the present invention. fig. 9c is a schematic illustration showing scalability of the inspection workcell, according to the present invention. fig. 9d is a schematic illustration showing parallelizability of the inspection workcell, according the present invention. wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to represent the same parts. detailed description of the invention the present invention is directed to a compact, scalable, and modular system to inspect parts, such as those fabricated with additive manufacturing technologies, also referred to as 3d printing. as shown in figs. 1, 2, and 3 , an exemplary inspection workcell 10 uses a hexagonal-shaped, or honeycomb configuration, to inspect pre-fabricated parts 14 . in other embodiments, as will be discussed in more detail below, other shapes or configurations may be utilized. the exemplary inspection workcell comprises a 6-dof robot manipulator 12 which is centrally mounted on a robot pedestal 16 of a hexagonal floor or base plate 18 to transport part trays 28 from an equipment rack 26 to an inspection station 24 , and between inspection stations 24 , returning the part trays 28 to equipment rack 26 . this robot-mounting arrangement allows different types of robots to be quickly installed/removed to meet varying payload and accuracy requirements. a wide range of manipulators (high speed, high accuracy, high payload, etc.) can be mounted on the robot pedestal 16 to meet specific inspection needs. for example, a high-precision robot or robot manipulator 12 , such as fabricated by staubli international ag, having a 10-pound payload can be mounted on the pedestal to provide ±0.001 inch repeatability within the robot's entire working volume, as shown in fig. 4 . returning to fig. 1 , up to six rectangular floor plates 20 , also referred to as “petals,” can be selectively secured, such as by bolting or pinning or other suitable manner, to a corresponding portion of the periphery of the hexagonal base plate 18 to surround the robot manipulator 12 and provide a reconfigurable and transportable inspection workcell 10 having a hexagonal-shaped configuration. one or more equipment racks 22 , such as low-cost commercially available 19-inch equipment racks, can be bolted to each floor plate 20 to secure an inspection station 24 to base plate 18 . a pair of inspection stations 24 are shown in fig. 3 , for example. in one embodiment, equipment rack 22 may be adapted to be directly secured, such as by bolting to base plate 18 , i.e., without requiring a floor plate 20 . in one embodiment, more than one inspection station 24 may be secured in equipment rack 22 . the equipment racks 22 are designed to be modular and transportable and can be sized to secure one or more inspection stations 24 that are suitable for an application. a large variety of inspection stations can be installed in the equipment racks to meet varying inspection needs. if a new automated inspection technology or application (3d scanning, hardness testing, or surface roughness, etc.) is required to meet current inspection requirements, an existing petal or floor plate 20 /equipment rack 22 can be quickly unbolted from the hexagonal base plate 18 and replaced with a floor plate 20 /equipment rack 22 having a different inspection station 24 . it is to be understood that any suitable inspection device, encompassing, for example, material, chemical, electrical or other properties capable of automated inspection that can be secured by a corresponding equipment rack of the present invention, is contemplated herein. in one embodiment, all inspection stations 24 may be the same. in one embodiment, all inspection stations may be different from each other. as further shown in fig. 1 , an equipment rack 26 secures one or more part trays 28 that secure one or more pre-fabricated part or parts 14 for inspection. fig. 5 shows an enlarged, partial elevation view of an exemplary equipment rack 26 securing several part trays 28 . fig. 6 shows an enlarged, partial upper perspective view of a secured part tray 28 in equipment rack 26 . equipment rack 26 includes a pair of facing c-shaped members 30 collectively defining a slot for receiving part tray 28 therein. as further shown in fig. 6 , resilient devices 32 are secured to surfaces of c-shaped members 30 to contact and apply a downward stabilizing/retention force to the corresponding facing surface of part tray 28 to secure part tray 28 in equipment rack 26 . as further shown in fig. 7 , part tray 28 includes a coupler 34 , actuated by pneumatics, electro-mechanical, hydro-mechanical or other suitable manner to be selectively received by robot manipulator 12 ( fig. 1 ). for reasons to be discussed in more detail below, in one embodiment, such as further shown in fig. 7 , part tray 28 may include a second coupler 34 positioned at an opposite end of part tray 28 , permitting part tray 28 to be accessed/manipulated or transfected to another robotic manipulator 12 positioned on the opposite side of the corresponding equipment rack ( fig. 9c ). depending upon the application, one or more part trays 28 may be secured side-by-side in equipment rack 26 , and a plurality of part trays 28 may be vertically secured in equipment rack 26 . in one embodiment, one or more equipment racks 26 may serve as an input or receiving or pre-inspection area to secure part trays 28 securing one or more pre-fabricated parts 14 that have not yet been inspected, and one or more remaining equipment racks may serve as an output or post-inspection area to secure part trays 28 securing one or more pre-fabricated parts 14 that have been inspected. in one embodiment, equipment racks 26 may serve as both an input or receiving or pre-inspection area to secure part trays 28 securing one or more pre-fabricated parts 14 , as well as an output or post-inspection area to secure part trays 28 securing one or more pre-fabricated parts 14 that have been inspected. in one embodiment, equipment rack 22 may secure both one or more part trays 28 , as well as one or more inspection stations 24 , such as shown in fig. 3 . similarly, as further shown in fig. 3 , in one embodiment, equipment rack 26 may secure both one or more part trays 28 , as well as one or more inspection stations 24 . for purposes herein, the term “secures,” “secured in,” “secured by,” and the like, are intended to mean that the components associated with inspection stations and part trays, including parts secured thereto, are positioned inside of the structural envelope of its corresponding equipment rack. for purposes herein, an “equipment rack” includes both open structures, as well as at least partially closed structures, such as cabinets, so long as parts can be installed/removed by robotic manipulators, as disclosed herein. as shown in figs. 1, 2 and 3 , one or more of the six petals or floor plates 20 can be configured with equipment rack 26 that secures manually-loaded part trays 28 . as shown in fig. 6 , each part tray 28 can be encoded with a unique identifier 36 , such as an 8-bit identifier, to support part identification and data collection. in one embodiment, each equipment rack 26 can accommodate up to 12 part trays 28 arranged in a vertical 2×6 matrix. different equipment racks can be installed to accommodate various-sized inspection parts 14 and arrangements of parts 14 . the part trays 28 can securely mount inspection parts 14 on high-precision registration surfaces 38 . in one embodiment, registration surface 38 includes uniformly spaced holes that can be used to support automated inspections. for example, ¼ inch threaded mounting holes 40 spaced on 1 inch centers can secure parts 14 with correspondingly sized threaded mechanical fasteners 42 to registration surface 38 in preparation of inspection of the parts 14 . as further shown in fig. 7 , a portion 44 of registration surface 38 may be optionally removed to provide an open-frame construction, permitting enhanced access for inspection of the parts 14 , such as permitting all surfaces of the parts 14 to be inspected. for purposes herein, the term “high-precision registration surface”, and the like, is intended to mean that features associated with the surface permit parts to be positioned with enhanced accuracy and repeatability suitable for a desired application requiring accuracy of ±0.001 inch or less. after the inspection parts 14 are securely mounted to part tray 28 , as shown in fig. 7 , they can be transported between selected inspection stations 24 by robot manipulator 12 . the high-precision part trays 28 provide a consistent registration surface to accurately locate each part 14 as they are delivered to different inspection stations 24 . in one embodiment, the registration surface is a precision-machined metal plate, such as aluminum, that permits parts to be precisely positioned for repeated part-scanning operations. furthermore, accurately mounting the inspection parts 14 on registration surfaces 38 prevents the need to remount parts 14 between inspections, which increases the inspection data accuracy, and provides consistency of the geometric dataset alignment between inspections. the exemplary six-sided or honeycomb configuration of the inspection workcell 10 of the present invention provides a compact and centralized inspection workcell 10 where a single robot manipulator 12 extracts parts 14 from equipment rack 26 and presents them to five or more inspection stations 24 , as partially shown in fig. 8 . this ‘material scientist in a box’ concept addresses a long-standing problem of gaining access to and scheduling inspection capabilities that may otherwise be remotely located. the workcell's compact, centralized co-location of multiple inspection stations 24 , in combination with a robotic manipulator 12 and equipment rack 26 securing parts that are secured on part trays 28 , permitting serially sequenced automatic inspections of parts 14 between the multiple inspection stations, provides the capability to reduce part inspection times from days to hours, or less, depending upon the total duration of inspection times. the workcell's hexagonal or honeycomb configuration, in addition to being modular, also provides system expandability and scalability to support increased inspection demands, as shown in figs. 9a-9d . for example, as shown in fig. 9a , due to the inspection stations 24 secured in equipment rack 22 being modular, the equipment racks 22 can be mounted vertically in equipment rack 22 , such as, for example, from one to four inspection stations 24 . it is to be appreciated that more than four inspection stations 24 may be secured in a single equipment rack 22 , depending upon the application. for example, as shown in fig. 9b , as a result of the hexagonal or honeycomb configuration, one to six different inspection stations 24 secured in separate equipment racks 22 can surround the central robot manipulator 12 , it being understood that part trays 28 (not shown in fig. 9b ) may also be secured in any/all of the equipment racks 22 . as shown in fig. 9c , the workcell is scalable, such that workcell 46 may be interconnected with adjacent workcells 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 to form a larger workcell 56 . placing workcells side-by-side, such as workcell 46 and 48 with a shared equipment rack 58 , increases inspection throughput by doubling the number of available robotic manipulators and inspection stations. as shown in fig. 9c , there are five available robotic manipulators, although more could be added. as shown in fig. 9d , the inspection stations 1 through 6 are parallelizable. that is, in one embodiment, each of the inspection stations may be the same, and can operate simultaneously. for purposes herein, the term “workcell” refers not only to a robot manipulator surrounded by and operably connected to one or more equipment racks securing part trays and one or more inspection stations, but is also intended to include one or more interconnected workcells sharing or having a common equipment rack in which one or more part trays are accessible by one or more robotic manipulators, forming a larger, single integrated workcell. the inspection workcell 10 , such as shown in fig. 1 , also supports automated data collection and storage. once an operator manually loads parts into a designated equipment rack and initiates the inspection process, automated inspection operations are started. coupler 34 ( fig. 6 ) allows robotic manipulator 12 to extract selected parts 14 from equipment rack 26 and deliver them to individual inspection stations 24 in equipment rack 22 . after each part 14 is inspected and returned to the equipment rack 26 , the inspection data can be stored on a local pc. inspection data can also be stored on individual part trays 28 , permitting the collected data to be co-located with the inspection part 14 at all times. after the entire inspection process is completed, the collected data can be electronically sent to the customer's site for post-processing and further analysis. while the exemplary configuration of inspection workcell primarily discussed is directed to a hexagonal or six-sided configuration, it is to be understood that other configurations may be used. for example, a three-sided configuration shown with fig. 3 may be used, in which the configuration has less than six sides, as a result of the absence of three equipment racks 22 , 26 from the hexagonal or six-sided configuration. in another embodiment, an inspection workcell may include a set of n equipment racks 22 , 26 arranged in an n-sided configuration around robotic manipulator 12 , where n is a positive integer. in another embodiment, a first set of n-sided equipment racks 22 , 26 is arranged in an n-sided configuration around robotic manipulator 12 , and a second set of n-sided equipment racks 22 , 26 is arranged in an n-sided configuration around a second robotic manipulator 12 , wherein at least one part tray 28 of at least one equipment rack 22 , 26 of the set of n separate equipment racks 22 , 26 and the second set of n separate equipment racks 22 , 26 is accessible by the robotic manipulator 12 and the second robotic manipulator 12 . in one embodiment, at least one equipment rack is common to each of the first set of n separate equipment racks and the second set of n separate equipment racks. the present invention has been described as an inspection workcell. it will be understood that the above description is merely illustrative of the applications of the principles of the present invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the claims viewed in light of the specification. other variants and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art.
|
001-054-705-240-267
|
US
|
[
"US",
"JP",
"WO",
"EP",
"BR",
"CN"
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A61B34/00,A61B18/08,A61B18/12,A61B34/10,A61B34/30,G16H10/60,G16H40/63,G16H40/40,A61B18/00,A61B18/14,G06F11/00,G16H40/60,H02H11/00,H04B7/00,A61B34/20,H04W4/80
| 2017-12-28T00:00:00 |
2017
|
[
"A61",
"G16",
"G06",
"H02",
"H04"
] |
wireless pairing of a surgical device with another device within a sterile surgical field based on the usage and situational awareness of devices
|
a surgical system includes a first surgical device comprising a control circuit. the control circuit is configured to be situationally aware of events occurring within the vicinity of the first surgical device according to data received from a database, a patient monitoring device, or a paired surgical device, or any combination of a database, patient monitoring device, or paired surgical device. the control circuit is configured to be wirelessly paired with a second surgical device according to usage of the first surgical device and the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware.
|
1 . a surgical system comprising: a first surgical device comprising a control circuit, the control circuit configured to: be situationally aware of events occurring within a vicinity of the first surgical device according to data received from a database, a patient monitoring device, or a paired surgical device, or any combination of the database, the patient monitoring device, or the paired surgical device; and wirelessly pair with a second surgical device according to a usage of the first surgical device and the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware, wherein the first surgical device is located within a sterile field and the second surgical device is located outside the sterile field when the first surgical device wirelessly pairs with the second surgical device. 2 . the surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware comprise a first user using the first surgical device and a second user using the second surgical device. 3 . the surgical system of claim 2 , wherein the events comprising the first user using the first surgical device comprise the first user grasping a handle of the first surgical device. 4 . the surgical system of claim 3 , wherein the events comprising the first user grasping a handle of the first surgical device comprise the first user grasping the handle of the first surgical device thereby allowing a transceiver in the handle of the first surgical device to communicate with an identifier worn by the first user and allowing, by the identifier, a communication between the first surgical device and a surgical hub. 5 . the surgical system of claim 2 , wherein the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware comprise a location of the first surgical device and a location of the second surgical device. 6 . the surgical system of claim 5 , wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the location of the second surgical device based on a wireless signal transmitted by the second surgical device to the first surgical device. 7 . the surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to simultaneously activate the first surgical device and the second surgical device each for a predetermined period of time when no tissue or patient is sensed. 8 . (canceled) 9 . the surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to wireless pair with a communication device. 10 . the surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware comprise a determination of a distance between the first surgical device and a tissue structure within a patient. 11 . a method comprising: being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of events occurring within a vicinity of the first surgical device according to data received from a database, a patient monitoring device, or a paired surgical device, or any combination of the database, the patient monitoring device, or the paired surgical device; and wirelessly pairing, by the control circuit, with a second surgical device according to a usage of the first surgical device and the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware, wherein wirelessly pairing, by the control circuit, with a second surgical device according to a usage of the first surgical device comprises wirelessly pairing, by the control circuit, with a second surgical device outside of a sterile field when the first surgical device is located within the sterile field. 12 . the method of claim 11 , wherein being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, comprise being situationally aware, by the control circuit within the first surgical device, of a first user using the first surgical device and a second user using the second surgical device. 13 . the method of claim 12 , wherein being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user using the first surgical device comprises being situationally aware, by the control circuit within the first surgical device, of the first user grasping a handle of the first surgical device. 14 . the method of claim 13 , further comprising allowing a transceiver in the handle of the first surgical device to communicate with an identifier worn by the first user and allowing, by the identifier, a communication between the first surgical device and a surgical hub. 15 . the method of claim 12 , wherein being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user using the first surgical device and a second user using the second surgical device, comprises being situationally aware, by the control circuit within the first surgical device, of a location of the first surgical device and a location of the second surgical device. 16 . the method of claim 15 , further comprising determining, by the control circuit, the location of the second surgical device based on a wireless signal transmitted by the second surgical device to the first surgical device. 17 . the method of claim 11 , further comprising activating, by the control circuit, the first surgical device and the second surgical device each for a predetermined period of time when no tissue or patient is sensed. 18 . (canceled) 19 . the method of claim 11 , further comprising wirelessly pairing of the control circuit with a communication device. 20 . the method of claim 11 , further comprises determining, by the control circuit, a distance between the first surgical device and a tissue structure within a patient.
|
cross-reference to related applications the present application claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 120 to u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,231, titled wireless pairing of a surgical device with another device within a sterile surgical field based on the usage and situational awareness of devices, filed on nov. 6, 2018, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201122, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,231 claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119(e) to u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,186, titled wireless pairing of a surgical device with another device within a sterile surgical field based on the usage and situational awareness of devices, filed on sep. 10, 2018, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,231 also claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119(e) to u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/692,747, titled smart activation of an energy device by another device, filed on jun. 30, 2018, to u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/692,748, titled smart energy architecture, filed on jun. 30, 2018, and to u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/692,768, titled smart energy devices, filed on jun. 30, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,231 also claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119(e) to u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/659,900, titled method of hub communication, filed on apr. 19, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,231 also claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119(e) to u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/650,898 filed on mar. 30, 2018, titled capacitive coupled return path pad with separable array elements, to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/650,887, titled surgical systems with optimized sensing capabilities, filed mar. 30, 2018, to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/650,882, titled smoke evacuation module for interactive surgical platform, filed mar. 30, 2018, and to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/650,877, titled surgical smoke evacuation sensing and controls, filed mar. 30, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,231 also claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119(e) to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/640,417, titled temperature control in ultrasonic device and control system therefor, filed mar. 8, 2018, and to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/640,415, titled estimating state of ultrasonic end effector and control system therefor, filed mar. 8, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,231 also claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119(e) to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,341, titled interactive surgical platform, filed dec. 28, 2017, to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,340, titled cloud-based medical analytics, filed dec. 28, 2017, and to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,339, titled robot assisted surgical platform, filed dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. background the present disclosure relates to various surgical systems. surgical procedures are typically performed in surgical operating theaters or rooms in a healthcare facility such as, for example, a hospital. a sterile field is typically created around the patient. the sterile field may include the scrubbed team members, who are properly attired, and all furniture and fixtures in the area. various surgical devices and systems are utilized in performance of a surgical procedure. summary an aspect of a surgical system my include a first surgical device having a control circuit configured to be situationally aware of events occurring within a vicinity of the first surgical device according to data received from a database, a patient monitoring device, or a paired surgical device, or any combination of the database, the patient monitoring device, or the paired surgical device, and wirelessly pair with a second surgical device according to a usage of the first surgical device and the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware. in one aspect of the surgical system, events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware include a first user using the first surgical device and a second user using the second surgical device. in one aspect of the surgical system, the events consisting of the first user using the first surgical device include the first user grasping a handle of the first surgical device. in one aspect of the surgical system, the events consisting of the first user grasping a handle of the first surgical device my include the first user grasping the handle of the first surgical device thereby allowing a transceiver in the handle of the first surgical device to communicate with an identifier worn by the first user and allowing, by the identifier, a communication between the first surgical device and a surgical hub. in one aspect of the surgical system, events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware may include a location of the first surgical device and a location of the second surgical device. in one aspect of the surgical system, the control circuit is configured to determine the location of the second surgical device based on a wireless signal transmitted by the second surgical device to the first surgical device. in one aspect of the surgical system, the control circuit is further configured to simultaneously activate the first surgical device and the second surgical device each for a predetermined period of time when no tissue or patient is sensed. in one aspect of the surgical system, the first surgical device is located within a sterile field and the second surgical device is located outside the sterile field when the first surgical device wirelessly pairs with the second surgical device. in one aspect of the surgical system, the control circuit is further configured to wireless pair with a communication device. in one aspect of the surgical system, events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware may include a determination of a distance between the first surgical device and a tissue structure within a patient. an aspect of a method may include being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of events occurring within a vicinity of a first surgical device according to data received from a database, a patient monitoring device, or a paired surgical device, or any combination of the database, the patient monitoring device, or the paired surgical device, and wirelessly pairing, by the control circuit, with a second surgical device according to a usage of the first surgical device and the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware. in one aspect of the method, being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, may include being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user using the first surgical device and a second user using the second surgical device. in one aspect of the method, being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user using the first surgical device may include being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user grasping a handle of the first surgical device. in one aspect, the method may further include allowing a transceiver in the handle of the first surgical device to communicate with an identifier worn by the first user and allowing, by the identifier, a communication between the first surgical device and a surgical hub. in one aspect of the method, being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user using the first surgical device and a second user using the second surgical device, may include being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a location of the first surgical device and a location of the second surgical device. in one aspect, the method may further include determining, by the control circuit, the location of the second surgical device based on a wireless signal transmitted by the second surgical device to the first surgical device. in one aspect, the method may further include activating, by the control circuit, the first surgical device and the second surgical device each for a predetermined period of time when no tissue or patient is sensed. in one aspect of the method, wirelessly pairing, by the control circuit, with a second surgical device according to a usage of the first surgical device may include wirelessly pairing, by the control circuit, with a second surgical device outside of a sterile field when the first surgical device is located within the sterile field. in one aspect, the method may further include wirelessly pairing of the control circuit with a communication device. in one aspect, the method may further include determining, by the control circuit, a distance between the first surgical device and a tissue structure within a patient. figures the various aspects described herein, both as to organization and methods of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows. fig. 1 is a block diagram of a computer-implemented interactive surgical system, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 2 is a surgical system being used to perform a surgical procedure in an operating room, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 3 is a surgical hub paired with a visualization system, a robotic system, and an intelligent instrument, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of a surgical hub enclosure, and of a combo generator module slidably receivable in a drawer of the surgical hub enclosure, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 5 is a perspective view of a combo generator module with bipolar, ultrasonic, and monopolar contacts and a smoke evacuation component, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 6 illustrates individual power bus attachments for a plurality of lateral docking ports of a lateral modular housing configured to receive a plurality of modules, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 7 illustrates a vertical modular housing configured to receive a plurality of modules, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 8 illustrates a surgical data network comprising a modular communication hub configured to connect modular devices located in one or more operating theaters of a healthcare facility, or any room in a healthcare facility specially equipped for surgical operations, to the cloud, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 9 illustrates a computer-implemented interactive surgical system, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 10 illustrates a surgical hub comprising a plurality of modules coupled to the modular control tower, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 11 illustrates one aspect of a universal serial bus (usb) network hub device, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 12 is a block diagram of a cloud computing system comprising a plurality of smart surgical instruments coupled to surgical hubs that may connect to the cloud component of the cloud computing system, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 13 is a functional module architecture of a cloud computing system, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 14 illustrates a diagram of a situationally aware surgical system, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 15 is a timeline depicting situational awareness of a surgical hub, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 16 is a diagram of a pairing of a personally owned wireless device with a surgical hub, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 17 is a diagram of a cartridge configured to wirelessly communicate with a surgical hub, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 17a depicts inductive power coupling between adjacent coils, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 18 is a block diagram of a resonant inductive wireless power system, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 19a is a diagram of a surgical hub detecting a room perimeter, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 19b is a diagram of a room perimeter including one or more jamming beacons, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 20 is a diagram of interaction between a user-worn identifier and a surgical instrument, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 21 is a diagram of a surgical system including a magnetic field generator for detecting the position and orientation of surgical devices relative thereto, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 22 is a diagram depicting a system for utilizing lidar to determine the positions of devices relative to a user-selected measurement site, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 23 is a diagram of a system for determining the relative position of devices via a dual-antenna receiver, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 24 is a graph depicting viable detected signal strength, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. description applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on nov. 6, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,224, titled surgical network, instrument, and cloud responses based on validation of received dataset and authentication of its source and integrity, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0205441;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,230, titled surgical system for presenting information interpreted from external data, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0200980;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,233, titled modification of surgical systems control programs based on machine learning, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201123;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,239, titled adjustment of device control programs based on stratified contextual data in addition to the data, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201124;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,243, titled surgical hub and modular device response adjustment based on situational awareness, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206542;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,248, titled detection and escalation of security responses of surgical instruments to increasing severity threats, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206216;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,251, titled interactive surgical system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201125;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,260, titled automated data scaling, alignment, and organizing based on predefined parameters within surgical networks, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206576;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,267, titled sensing the patient position and contact utilizing the mono-polar return pad electrode to provide situational awareness to a surgical network, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201128;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,249, titled powered surgical tool with predefined adjustable control algorithm for controlling end effector parameter, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201081;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,246, titled adjustments based on airborne particle properties, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0204201;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,256, titled adjustment of a surgical device function based on situational awareness, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201127;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,242, titled real-time analysis of comprehensive cost of all instrumentation used in surgery utilizing data fluidity to track instruments through stocking and in-house processes, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0206556;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,255, titled usage and technique analysis of surgeon/staff performance against a baseline to optimize device utilization and performance for both current and future procedures, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201126;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,269, titled image capturing of the areas outside the abdomen to improve placement and control of a surgical device in use, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201129;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,278, titled communication of data where a surgical network is using context of the data and requirements of a receiving system/user to influence inclusion or linkage of data and metadata to establish continuity, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201130;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,290, titled surgical network recommendations from real time analysis of procedure variables against a baseline highlighting differences from the optimal solution, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201102;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,232, titled control of a surgical system through a surgical barrier, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201158;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,227, titled surgical network determination of prioritization of communication, interaction, or processing based on system or device needs, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0207857;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,229, titled adjustment of staple height of at least one row of staples based on the sensed tissue thickness or force in closing, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0200996;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,234, titled stapling device with both compulsory and discretionary lockouts based on sensed parameters, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0200997;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,240, titled powered stapling device configured to adjust force, advancement speed, and overall stroke of cutting member based on sensed parameter of firing or clamping, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201034;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,235, titled variation of radio frequency and ultrasonic power level in cooperation with varying clamp arm pressure to achieve predefined heat flux or power applied to tissue, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201044; andu.s. patent application ser. no. 16/182,238, titled ultrasonic energy device which varies pressure applied by clamp arm to provide threshold control pressure at a cut progression location, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2019/0201080. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on sep. 10, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,183, titled a control for a surgical network or surgical network connected device that adjusts its function based on a sensed situation or usage;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,177, titled automated data scaling, alignment, and organizing based on predefined parameters within a surgical network before transmission;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,176, titled indirect command and control of a first operating room system through the use of a second operating room system within a sterile field where the second operating room system has primary and secondary operating modes;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,185, titled powered stapling device that is capable of adjusting force, advancement speed, and overall stroke of cutting member of the device based on sensed parameter of firing or clamping;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,184, titled powered surgical tool with a predefined adjustable control algorithm for controlling at least one end effector parameter and a means for limiting the adjustment;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,182, titled sensing the patient position and contact utilizing the mono polar return pad electrode to provide situational awareness to the hub;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,191, titled surgical network recommendations from real time analysis of procedure variables against a baseline highlighting differences from the optimal solution;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,195, titled ultrasonic energy device which varies pressure applied by clamp arm to provide threshold control pressure at a cut progression location; andu.s. provisional patent application no. 62/729,186, titled wireless pairing of a surgical device with another device within a sterile surgical field based on the usage and situational awareness of devices. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on aug. 28, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,214, titled estimating state of ultrasonic end effector and control system therefor;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,205, titled temperature control of ultrasonic end effector and control system therefor;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,233, titled radio frequency energy device for delivering combined electrical signals;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,208, titled controlling an ultrasonic surgical instrument according to tissue location;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,220, titled controlling activation of an ultrasonic surgical instrument according to the presence of tissue;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,232, titled determining tissue composition via an ultrasonic system;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,239, titled determining the state of an ultrasonic electromechanical system according to frequency shift;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,247, titled determining the state of an ultrasonic end effector;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,211, titled situational awareness of electrosurgical systems;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,226, titled mechanisms for controlling different electromechanical systems of an electrosurgical instrument;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,240, titled detection of end effector immersion in liquid;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,249, titled interruption of energy due to inadvertent capacitive coupling;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,256, titled increasing radio frequency to create pad-less monopolar loop;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,223, titled bipolar combination device that automatically adjusts pressure based on energy modality; andu.s. patent application ser. no. 16/115,238, titled activation of energy devices. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on aug. 23, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/721,995, titled controlling an ultrasonic surgical instrument according to tissue location;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/721,998, titled situational awareness of electrosurgical systems;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/721,999, titled interruption of energy due to inadvertent capacitive coupling;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/721,994, titled bipolar combination device that automatically adjusts pressure based on energy modality; andu.s. provisional patent application no. 62/721,996, titled radio frequency energy device for delivering combined electrical signals. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on jun. 30, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/692,747, titled smart activation of an energy device by another device;u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/692,748, titled smart energy architecture; andu.s. provisional patent application no. 62/692,768, titled smart energy devices. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on jun. 29, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,090, titled capacitive coupled return path pad with separable array elements;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,057, titled controlling a surgical instrument according to sensed closure parameters;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,067, titled systems for adjusting end effector parameters based on perioperative information;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,075, titled safety systems for smart powered surgical stapling;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,083, titled safety systems for smart powered surgical stapling;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,094, titled surgical systems for detecting end effector tissue distribution irregularities;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,138, titled systems for detecting proximity of surgical end effector to cancerous tissue;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,150, titled surgical instrument cartridge sensor assemblies;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,160, titled variable output cartridge sensor assembly;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,124, titled surgical instrument having a flexible electrode;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,132, titled surgical instrument having a flexible circuit;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,141, titled surgical instrument with a tissue marking assembly;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,162, titled surgical systems with prioritized data transmission capabilities;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,066, titled surgical evacuation sensing and motor control;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,096, titled surgical evacuation sensor arrangements;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,116, titled surgical evacuation flow paths;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,149, titled surgical evacuation sensing and generator control;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,180, titled surgical evacuation sensing and display;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,245, titled communication of smoke evacuation system parameters to hub or cloud in smoke evacuation module for interactive surgical platform;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,258, titled smoke evacuation system including a segmented control circuit for interactive surgical platform;u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,265, titled surgical evacuation system with a communication circuit for communication between a filter and a smoke evacuation device; andu.s. patent application ser. no. 16/024,273, titled dual in-series large and small droplet filters. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent applications, filed on jun. 28, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/691,228, titled a method of using reinforced flex circuits with multiple sensors with electrosurgical devices;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/691,227, titled controlling a surgical instrument according to sensed closure parameters;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/691,230, titled surgical instrument having a flexible electrode;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/691,219, titled surgical evacuation sensing and motor control;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/691,257, titled communication of smoke evacuation system parameters to hub or cloud in smoke evacuation module for interactive surgical platform;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/691,262, titled surgical evacuation system with a communication circuit for communication between a filter and a smoke evacuation device; andu.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/691,251, titled dual in-series large and small droplet filters. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent application, filed on apr. 19, 2018, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/659,900, titled method of hub communication. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent applications, filed on mar. 30, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/650,898 filed on mar. 30, 2018, titled capacitive coupled return path pad with separable array elements;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/650,887, titled surgical systems with optimized sensing capabilities;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/650,882, titled smoke evacuation module for interactive surgical platform; andu.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/650,877, titled surgical smoke evacuation sensing and controls. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications, filed on mar. 29, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,641, titled interactive surgical systems with encrypted communication capabilities;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,648, titled interactive surgical systems with condition handling of devices and data capabilities;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,656, titled surgical hub coordination of control and communication of operating room devices;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,666, titled spatial awareness of surgical hubs in operating rooms;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,670, titled cooperative utilization of data derived from secondary sources by intelligent surgical hubs;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,677, titled surgical hub control arrangements;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,632, titled data stripping method to interrogate patient records and create anonymized record;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,640, titled communication hub and storage device for storing parameters and status of a surgical device to be shared with cloud based analytics systems;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,645, titled self describing data packets generated at an issuing instrument;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,649, titled data pairing to interconnect a device measured parameter with an outcome;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,654, titled surgical hub situational awareness;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,663, titled surgical system distributed processing;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,668, titled aggregation and reporting of surgical hub data;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,671, titled surgical hub spatial awareness to determine devices in operating theater;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,686, titled display of alignment of staple cartridge to prior linear staple line;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,700, titled sterile field interactive control displays;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,629, titled computer implemented interactive surgical systems;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,704, titled use of laser light and red-green-blue coloration to determine properties of back scattered light;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,722, titled characterization of tissue irregularities through the use of mono-chromatic light refractivity;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,742, titled dual cmos array imaging;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,636, titled adaptive control program updates for surgical devices;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,653, titled adaptive control program updates for surgical hubs;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,660, titled cloud-based medical analytics for customization and recommendations to a user;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,679, titled cloud-based medical analytics for linking of local usage trends with the resource acquisition behaviors of larger data set;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,694, titled cloud-based medical analytics for medical facility segmented individualization of instrument function;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,634, titled cloud-based medical analytics for security and authentication trends and reactive measures;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,706, titled data handling and prioritization in a cloud analytics network;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,675, titled cloud interface for coupled surgical devices;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,627, titled drive arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,637, titled communication arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,642, titled controls for robot-assisted surgical platforms;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,676, titled automatic tool adjustments for robot-assisted surgical platforms;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,680, titled controllers for robot-assisted surgical platforms;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,683, titled cooperative surgical actions for robot-assisted surgical platforms;u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,690, titled display arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms; andu.s. patent application ser. no. 15/940,711, titled sensing arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent applications, filed on mar. 28, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,302, titled interactive surgical systems with encrypted communication capabilities;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,294, titled data stripping method to interrogate patient records and create anonymized record;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,300, titled surgical hub situational awareness;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,309, titled surgical hub spatial awareness to determine devices in operating theater;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,310, titled computer implemented interactive surgical systems;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,291, titled use of laser light and red-green-blue coloration to determine properties of back scattered light;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,296, titled adaptive control program updates for surgical devices;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,333, titled cloud-based medical analytics for customization and recommendations to a user;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,327, titled cloud-based medical analytics for security and authentication trends and reactive measures;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,315, titled data handling and prioritization in a cloud analytics network;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,313, titled cloud interface for coupled surgical devices;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,320, titled drive arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,307, titled automatic tool adjustments for robot-assisted surgical platforms; andu.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/649,323, titled sensing arrangements for robot-assisted surgical platforms. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent applications, filed on mar. 8, 2018, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/640,417, titled temperature control in ultrasonic device and control system therefor; andu.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/640,415, titled estimating state of ultrasonic end effector and control system therefor. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. provisional patent applications, filed on dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,341, titled interactive surgical platform;u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,340, titled cloud-based medical analytics; andu.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,339, titled robot assisted surgical platform. before explaining various aspects of surgical devices and generators in detail, it should be noted that the illustrative examples are not limited in application or use to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and description. the illustrative examples may be implemented or incorporated in other aspects, variations and modifications, and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. further, unless otherwise indicated, the terms and expressions employed herein have been chosen for the purpose of describing the illustrative examples for the convenience of the reader and are not for the purpose of limitation thereof. also, it will be appreciated that one or more of the following-described aspects, expressions of aspects, and/or examples, can be combined with any one or more of the other following-described aspects, expressions of aspects and/or examples. surgical hubs referring to fig. 1 , a computer-implemented interactive surgical system 100 includes one or more surgical systems 102 and a cloud-based system (e.g., the cloud 104 that may include a remote server 113 coupled to a storage device 105 ). each surgical system 102 includes at least one surgical hub 106 in communication with the cloud 104 that may include a remote server 113 . in one example, as illustrated in fig. 1 , the surgical system 102 includes a visualization system 108 , a robotic system 110 , and a handheld intelligent surgical instrument 112 , which are configured to communicate with one another and/or the hub 106 . in some aspects, a surgical system 102 may include an m number of hubs 106 , an n number of visualization systems 108 , an o number of robotic systems 110 , and a p number of handheld intelligent surgical instruments 112 , where m, n, o, and p are integers greater than or equal to one. in various aspects, the intelligent instruments 112 as described herein with reference to figs. 1-7 may be implemented as surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ). the intelligent instruments 112 (e.g. devices 1 a - 1 n ) such as the surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ) are configured to operate in a surgical data network 201 as described with reference to fig. 8 . fig. 2 depicts an example of a surgical system 102 being used to perform a surgical procedure on a patient who is lying down on an operating table 114 in a surgical operating room 116 . a robotic system 110 is used in the surgical procedure as a part of the surgical system 102 . the robotic system 110 includes a surgeon's console 118 , a patient side cart 120 (surgical robot), and a surgical robotic hub 122 . the patient side cart 120 can manipulate at least one removably coupled surgical tool 117 through a minimally invasive incision in the body of the patient while the surgeon views the surgical site through the surgeon's console 118 . an image of the surgical site can be obtained by a medical imaging device 124 , which can be manipulated by the patient side cart 120 to orient the imaging device 124 . the robotic hub 122 can be used to process the images of the surgical site for subsequent display to the surgeon through the surgeon's console 118 . other types of robotic systems can be readily adapted for use with the surgical system 102 . various examples of robotic systems and surgical tools that are suitable for use with the present disclosure are described in u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,339, titled robot assisted surgical platform, filed dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. various examples of cloud-based analytics that are performed by the cloud 104 , and are suitable for use with the present disclosure, are described in u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,340, titled cloud-based medical analytics, filed dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. in various aspects, the imaging device 124 includes at least one image sensor and one or more optical components. suitable image sensors include, but are not limited to, charge-coupled device (ccd) sensors and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (cmos) sensors. the optical components of the imaging device 124 may include one or more illumination sources and/or one or more lenses. the one or more illumination sources may be directed to illuminate portions of the surgical field. the one or more image sensors may receive light reflected or refracted from the surgical field, including light reflected or refracted from tissue and/or surgical instruments. the one or more illumination sources may be configured to radiate electromagnetic energy in the visible spectrum as well as the invisible spectrum. the visible spectrum, sometimes referred to as the optical spectrum or luminous spectrum, is that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to (i.e., can be detected by) the human eye and may be referred to as visible light or simply light. a typical human eye will respond to wavelengths in air that are from about 380 nm to about 750 nm. the invisible spectrum (i.e., the non-luminous spectrum) is that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that lies below and above the visible spectrum (i.e., wavelengths below about 380 nm and above about 750 nm). the invisible spectrum is not detectable by the human eye. wavelengths greater than about 750 nm are longer than the red visible spectrum, and they become invisible infrared (ir), microwave, and radio electromagnetic radiation. wavelengths less than about 380 nm are shorter than the violet spectrum, and they become invisible ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma ray electromagnetic radiation. in various aspects, the imaging device 124 is configured for use in a minimally invasive procedure. examples of imaging devices suitable for use with the present disclosure include, but not limited to, an arthroscope, angioscope, bronchoscope, choledochoscope, colonoscope, cytoscope, duodenoscope, enteroscope, esophagogastro-duodenoscope (gastroscope), endoscope, laryngoscope, nasopharyngo-neproscope, sigmoidoscope, thoracoscope, and ureteroscope. in one aspect, the imaging device employs multi-spectrum monitoring to discriminate topography and underlying structures. a multi-spectral image is one that captures image data within specific wavelength ranges across the electromagnetic spectrum. the wavelengths may be separated by filters or by the use of instruments that are sensitive to particular wavelengths, including light from frequencies beyond the visible light range, e.g., ir and ultraviolet. spectral imaging can allow extraction of additional information the human eye fails to capture with its receptors for red, green, and blue. the use of multi-spectral imaging is described in greater detail under the heading “advanced imaging acquisition module” in u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,341, titled interactive surgical platform, filed dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. multi-spectrum monitoring can be a useful tool in relocating a surgical field after a surgical task is completed to perform one or more of the previously described tests on the treated tissue. it is axiomatic that strict sterilization of the operating room and surgical equipment is required during any surgery. the strict hygiene and sterilization conditions required in a “surgical theater,” i.e., an operating or treatment room, necessitate the highest possible sterility of all medical devices and equipment. part of that sterilization process is the need to sterilize anything that comes in contact with the patient or penetrates the sterile field, including the imaging device 124 and its attachments and components. it will be appreciated that the sterile field may be considered a specified area, such as within a tray or on a sterile towel, that is considered free of microorganisms, or the sterile field may be considered an area, immediately around a patient, who has been prepared for a surgical procedure. the sterile field may include the scrubbed team members, who are properly attired, and all furniture and fixtures in the area. in various aspects, the visualization system 108 includes one or more imaging sensors, one or more image-processing units, one or more storage arrays, and one or more displays that are strategically arranged with respect to the sterile field, as illustrated in fig. 2 . in one aspect, the visualization system 108 includes an interface for hl7, pacs, and emr. various components of the visualization system 108 are described under the heading “advanced imaging acquisition module” in u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,341, titled interactive surgical platform, filed dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. as illustrated in fig. 2 , a primary display 119 is positioned in the sterile field to be visible to an operator at the operating table 114 . in addition, a visualization tower 111 is positioned outside the sterile field. the visualization tower 111 includes a first non-sterile display 107 and a second non-sterile display 109 , which face away from each other. the visualization system 108 , guided by the hub 106 , is configured to utilize the displays 107 , 109 , and 119 to coordinate information flow to operators inside and outside the sterile field. for example, the hub 106 may cause the visualization system 108 to display a snapshot of a surgical site, as recorded by an imaging device 124 , on a non-sterile display 107 or 109 , while maintaining a live feed of the surgical site on the primary display 119 . the snapshot on the non-sterile display 107 or 109 can permit a non-sterile operator to perform a diagnostic step relevant to the surgical procedure, for example. in one aspect, the hub 106 is also configured to route a diagnostic input or feedback entered by a non-sterile operator at the visualization tower 111 to the primary display 119 within the sterile field, where it can be viewed by a sterile operator at the operating table. in one example, the input can be in the form of a modification to the snapshot displayed on the non-sterile display 107 or 109 , which can be routed to the primary display 119 by the hub 106 . referring to fig. 2 , a surgical instrument 112 is being used in the surgical procedure as part of the surgical system 102 . the hub 106 is also configured to coordinate information flow to a display of the surgical instrument 112 . for example, coordinate information flow is further described in u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,341, titled interactive surgical platform, filed dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. a diagnostic input or feedback entered by a non-sterile operator at the visualization tower 111 can be routed by the hub 106 to the surgical instrument display 115 within the sterile field, where it can be viewed by the operator of the surgical instrument 112 . example surgical instruments that are suitable for use with the surgical system 102 are described under the heading “surgical instrument hardware” in u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,341, titled interactive surgical platform, filed dec. 28, 2017, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, for example. referring now to fig. 3 , a hub 106 is depicted in communication with a visualization system 108 , a robotic system 110 , and a handheld intelligent surgical instrument 112 . the hub 106 includes a hub display 135 , an imaging module 138 , a generator module 140 (which can include a monopolar generator 142 , a bipolar generator 144 , and/or an ultrasonic generator 143 ), a communication module 130 , a processor module 132 , and a storage array 134 . in certain aspects, as illustrated in fig. 3 , the hub 106 further includes a smoke evacuation module 126 , a suction/irrigation module 128 , and/or an or mapping module 133 . during a surgical procedure, energy application to tissue, for sealing and/or cutting, is generally associated with smoke evacuation, suction of excess fluid, and/or irrigation of the tissue. fluid, power, and/or data lines from different sources are often entangled during the surgical procedure. valuable time can be lost addressing this issue during a surgical procedure. detangling the lines may necessitate disconnecting the lines from their respective modules, which may require resetting the modules. the hub modular enclosure 136 offers a unified environment for managing the power, data, and fluid lines, which reduces the frequency of entanglement between such lines. aspects of the present disclosure present a surgical hub for use in a surgical procedure that involves energy application to tissue at a surgical site. the surgical hub includes a hub enclosure and a combo generator module slidably receivable in a docking station of the hub enclosure. the docking station includes data and power contacts. the combo generator module includes two or more of an ultrasonic energy generator component, a bipolar rf energy generator component, and a monopolar rf energy generator component that are housed in a single unit. in one aspect, the combo generator module also includes a smoke evacuation component, at least one energy delivery cable for connecting the combo generator module to a surgical instrument, at least one smoke evacuation component configured to evacuate smoke, fluid, and/or particulates generated by the application of therapeutic energy to the tissue, and a fluid line extending from the remote surgical site to the smoke evacuation component. in one aspect, the fluid line is a first fluid line and a second fluid line extends from the remote surgical site to a suction and irrigation module slidably received in the hub enclosure. in one aspect, the hub enclosure comprises a fluid interface. certain surgical procedures may require the application of more than one energy type to the tissue. one energy type may be more beneficial for cutting the tissue, while another different energy type may be more beneficial for sealing the tissue. for example, a bipolar generator can be used to seal the tissue while an ultrasonic generator can be used to cut the sealed tissue. aspects of the present disclosure present a solution where a hub modular enclosure 136 is configured to accommodate different generators, and facilitate an interactive communication therebetween. one of the advantages of the hub modular enclosure 136 is enabling the quick removal and/or replacement of various modules. aspects of the present disclosure present a modular surgical enclosure for use in a surgical procedure that involves energy application to tissue. the modular surgical enclosure includes a first energy-generator module, configured to generate a first energy for application to the tissue, and a first docking station comprising a first docking port that includes first data and power contacts, wherein the first energy-generator module is slidably movable into an electrical engagement with the power and data contacts and wherein the first energy-generator module is slidably movable out of the electrical engagement with the first power and data contacts, further to the above, the modular surgical enclosure also includes a second energy-generator module configured to generate a second energy, different than the first energy, for application to the tissue, and a second docking station comprising a second docking port that includes second data and power contacts, wherein the second energy-generator module is slidably movable into an electrical engagement with the power and data contacts, and wherein the second energy-generator module is slidably movable out of the electrical engagement with the second power and data contacts. in addition, the modular surgical enclosure also includes a communication bus between the first docking port and the second docking port, configured to facilitate communication between the first energy-generator module and the second energy-generator module. referring to figs. 3-7 , aspects of the present disclosure are presented for a hub modular enclosure 136 that allows the modular integration of a generator module 140 , a smoke evacuation module 126 , and a suction/irrigation module 128 . the hub modular enclosure 136 further facilitates interactive communication between the modules 140 , 126 , 128 . as illustrated in fig. 5 , the generator module 140 can be a generator module with integrated monopolar, bipolar, and ultrasonic components supported in a single housing unit 139 slidably insertable into the hub modular enclosure 136 . as illustrated in fig. 5 , the generator module 140 can be configured to connect to a monopolar device 146 , a bipolar device 147 , and an ultrasonic device 148 . alternatively, the generator module 140 may comprise a series of monopolar, bipolar, and/or ultrasonic generator modules that interact through the hub modular enclosure 136 . the hub modular enclosure 136 can be configured to facilitate the insertion of multiple generators and interactive communication between the generators docked into the hub modular enclosure 136 so that the generators would act as a single generator. in one aspect, the hub modular enclosure 136 comprises a modular power and communication backplane 149 with external and wireless communication headers to enable the removable attachment of the modules 140 , 126 , 128 and interactive communication therebetween. in one aspect, the hub modular enclosure 136 includes docking stations, or drawers, 151 , herein also referred to as drawers, which are configured to slidably receive the modules 140 , 126 , 128 . fig. 4 illustrates a partial perspective view of a surgical hub enclosure 136 , and a combo generator module 145 slidably receivable in a docking station 151 of the surgical hub enclosure 136 . a docking port 152 with power and data contacts on a rear side of the combo generator module 145 is configured to engage a corresponding docking port 150 with power and data contacts of a corresponding docking station 151 of the hub modular enclosure 136 as the combo generator module 145 is slid into position within the corresponding docking station 151 of the hub module enclosure 136 . in one aspect, the combo generator module 145 includes a bipolar, ultrasonic, and monopolar module and a smoke evacuation module integrated together into a single housing unit 139 , as illustrated in fig. 5 . in various aspects, the smoke evacuation module 126 includes a fluid line 154 that conveys captured/collected smoke and/or fluid away from a surgical site and to, for example, the smoke evacuation module 126 . vacuum suction originating from the smoke evacuation module 126 can draw the smoke into an opening of a utility conduit at the surgical site. the utility conduit, coupled to the fluid line, can be in the form of a flexible tube terminating at the smoke evacuation module 126 . the utility conduit and the fluid line define a fluid path extending toward the smoke evacuation module 126 that is received in the hub enclosure 136 . in various aspects, the suction/irrigation module 128 is coupled to a surgical tool comprising an aspiration fluid line and a suction fluid line. in one example, the aspiration and suction fluid lines are in the form of flexible tubes extending from the surgical site toward the suction/irrigation module 128 . one or more drive systems can be configured to cause irrigation and aspiration of fluids to and from the surgical site. in one aspect, the surgical tool includes a shaft having an end effector at a distal end thereof and at least one energy treatment associated with the end effector, an aspiration tube, and an irrigation tube. the aspiration tube can have an inlet port at a distal end thereof and the aspiration tube extends through the shaft. similarly, an irrigation tube can extend through the shaft and can have an inlet port in proximity to the energy deliver implement. the energy deliver implement is configured to deliver ultrasonic and/or rf energy to the surgical site and is coupled to the generator module 140 by a cable extending initially through the shaft. the irrigation tube can be in fluid communication with a fluid source, and the aspiration tube can be in fluid communication with a vacuum source. the fluid source and/or the vacuum source can be housed in the suction/irrigation module 128 . in one example, the fluid source and/or the vacuum source can be housed in the hub enclosure 136 separately from the suction/irrigation module 128 . in such example, a fluid interface can be configured to connect the suction/irrigation module 128 to the fluid source and/or the vacuum source. in one aspect, the modules 140 , 126 , 128 and/or their corresponding docking stations on the hub modular enclosure 136 may include alignment features that are configured to align the docking ports of the modules into engagement with their counterparts in the docking stations of the hub modular enclosure 136 . for example, as illustrated in fig. 4 , the combo generator module 145 includes side brackets 155 that are configured to slidably engage with corresponding brackets 156 of the corresponding docking station 151 of the hub modular enclosure 136 . the brackets cooperate to guide the docking port contacts of the combo generator module 145 into an electrical engagement with the docking port contacts of the hub modular enclosure 136 . in some aspects, the drawers 151 of the hub modular enclosure 136 are the same, or substantially the same size, and the modules are adjusted in size to be received in the drawers 151 . for example, the side brackets 155 and/or 156 can be larger or smaller depending on the size of the module. in other aspects, the drawers 151 are different in size and are each designed to accommodate a particular module. furthermore, the contacts of a particular module can be keyed for engagement with the contacts of a particular drawer to avoid inserting a module into a drawer with mismatching contacts. as illustrated in fig. 4 , the docking port 150 of one drawer 151 can be coupled to the docking port 150 of another drawer 151 through a communications link 157 to facilitate an interactive communication between the modules housed in the hub modular enclosure 136 . the docking ports 150 of the hub modular enclosure 136 may alternatively, or additionally, facilitate a wireless interactive communication between the modules housed in the hub modular enclosure 136 . any suitable wireless communication can be employed, such as for example air titan-bluetooth. fig. 6 illustrates individual power bus attachments for a plurality of lateral docking ports of a lateral modular housing 160 configured to receive a plurality of modules of a surgical hub 206 . the lateral modular housing 160 is configured to laterally receive and interconnect the modules 161 . the modules 161 are slidably inserted into docking stations 162 of lateral modular housing 160 , which includes a backplane for interconnecting the modules 161 . as illustrated in fig. 6 , the modules 161 are arranged laterally in the lateral modular housing 160 . alternatively, the modules 161 may be arranged vertically in a lateral modular housing. fig. 7 illustrates a vertical modular housing 164 configured to receive a plurality of modules 165 of the surgical hub 106 . the modules 165 are slidably inserted into docking stations, or drawers, 167 of vertical modular housing 164 , which includes a backplane for interconnecting the modules 165 . although the drawers 167 of the vertical modular housing 164 are arranged vertically, in certain instances, a vertical modular housing 164 may include drawers that are arranged laterally. furthermore, the modules 165 may interact with one another through the docking ports of the vertical modular housing 164 . in the example of fig. 7 , a display 177 is provided for displaying data relevant to the operation of the modules 165 . in addition, the vertical modular housing 164 includes a master module 178 housing a plurality of sub-modules that are slidably received in the master module 178 . in various aspects, the imaging module 138 comprises an integrated video processor and a modular light source and is adapted for use with various imaging devices. in one aspect, the imaging device is comprised of a modular housing that can be assembled with a light source module and a camera module. the housing can be a disposable housing. in at least one example, the disposable housing is removably coupled to a reusable controller, a light source module, and a camera module. the light source module and/or the camera module can be selectively chosen depending on the type of surgical procedure. in one aspect, the camera module comprises a ccd sensor. in another aspect, the camera module comprises a cmos sensor. in another aspect, the camera module is configured for scanned beam imaging. likewise, the light source module can be configured to deliver a white light or a different light, depending on the surgical procedure. during a surgical procedure, removing a surgical device from the surgical field and replacing it with another surgical device that includes a different camera or a different light source can be inefficient. temporarily losing sight of the surgical field may lead to undesirable consequences. the module imaging device of the present disclosure is configured to permit the replacement of a light source module or a camera module midstream during a surgical procedure, without having to remove the imaging device from the surgical field. in one aspect, the imaging device comprises a tubular housing that includes a plurality of channels. a first channel is configured to slidably receive the camera module, which can be configured for a snap-fit engagement with the first channel. a second channel is configured to slidably receive the light source module, which can be configured for a snap-fit engagement with the second channel. in another example, the camera module and/or the light source module can be rotated into a final position within their respective channels. a threaded engagement can be employed in lieu of the snap-fit engagement. in various examples, multiple imaging devices are placed at different positions in the surgical field to provide multiple views. the imaging module 138 can be configured to switch between the imaging devices to provide an optimal view. in various aspects, the imaging module 138 can be configured to integrate the images from the different imaging device. various image processors and imaging devices suitable for use with the present disclosure are described in u.s. pat. no. 7,995,045, titled combined sbi and conventional image processor, which issued on aug. 9, 2011, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. in addition, u.s. pat. no. 7,982,776, titled sbi motion artifact removal apparatus and method, which issued on jul. 19, 2011, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes various systems for removing motion artifacts from image data. such systems can be integrated with the imaging module 138 . furthermore, u.s. patent application publication no. 2011/0306840, titled controllable magnetic source to fixture intracorporeal apparatus, which published on dec. 15, 2011, and u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0243597, titled system for performing a minimally invasive surgical procedure, which published on aug. 28, 2014, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. fig. 8 illustrates a surgical data network 201 comprising a modular communication hub 203 configured to connect modular devices located in one or more operating theaters of a healthcare facility, or any room in a healthcare facility specially equipped for surgical operations, to a cloud-based system (e.g., the cloud 204 that may include a remote server 213 coupled to a storage device 205 ). in one aspect, the modular communication hub 203 comprises a network hub 207 and/or a network switch 209 in communication with a network router. the modular communication hub 203 also can be coupled to a local computer system 210 to provide local computer processing and data manipulation. the surgical data network 201 may be configured as passive, intelligent, or switching. a passive surgical data network serves as a conduit for the data, enabling it to go from one device (or segment) to another and to the cloud computing resources. an intelligent surgical data network includes additional features to enable the traffic passing through the surgical data network to be monitored and to configure each port in the network hub 207 or network switch 209 . an intelligent surgical data network may be referred to as a manageable hub or switch. a switching hub reads the destination address of each packet and then forwards the packet to the correct port. modular devices 1 a - 1 n located in the operating theater may be coupled to the modular communication hub 203 . the network hub 207 and/or the network switch 209 may be coupled to a network router 211 to connect the devices 1 a - 1 n to the cloud 204 or the local computer system 210 . data associated with the devices 1 a - 1 n may be transferred to cloud-based computers via the router for remote data processing and manipulation. data associated with the devices 1 a - 1 n may also be transferred to the local computer system 210 for local data processing and manipulation. modular devices 2 a - 2 m located in the same operating theater also may be coupled to a network switch 209 . the network switch 209 may be coupled to the network hub 207 and/or the network router 211 to connect to the devices 2 a - 2 m to the cloud 204 . data associated with the devices 2 a - 2 n may be transferred to the cloud 204 via the network router 211 for data processing and manipulation. data associated with the devices 2 a - 2 m may also be transferred to the local computer system 210 for local data processing and manipulation. it will be appreciated that the surgical data network 201 may be expanded by interconnecting multiple network hubs 207 and/or multiple network switches 209 with multiple network routers 211 . the modular communication hub 203 may be contained in a modular control tower configured to receive multiple devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m . the local computer system 210 also may be contained in a modular control tower. the modular communication hub 203 is connected to a display 212 to display images obtained by some of the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m , for example during surgical procedures. in various aspects, the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m may include, for example, various modules such as an imaging module 138 coupled to an endoscope, a generator module 140 coupled to an energy-based surgical device, a smoke evacuation module 126 , a suction/irrigation module 128 , a communication module 130 , a processor module 132 , a storage array 134 , a surgical device coupled to a display, and/or a non-contact sensor module, among other modular devices that may be connected to the modular communication hub 203 of the surgical data network 201 . in one aspect, the surgical data network 201 may comprise a combination of network hub(s), network switch(es), and network router(s) connecting the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m to the cloud. any one of or all of the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m coupled to the network hub or network switch may collect data in real time and transfer the data to cloud computers for data processing and manipulation. it will be appreciated that cloud computing relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle software applications. the word “cloud” may be used as a metaphor for “the internet,” although the term is not limited as such. accordingly, the term “cloud computing” may be used herein to refer to “a type of internet-based computing,” where different services—such as servers, storage, and applications—are delivered to the modular communication hub 203 and/or computer system 210 located in the surgical theater (e.g., a fixed, mobile, temporary, or field operating room or space) and to devices connected to the modular communication hub 203 and/or computer system 210 through the internet. the cloud infrastructure may be maintained by a cloud service provider. in this context, the cloud service provider may be the entity that coordinates the usage and control of the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m located in one or more operating theaters. the cloud computing services can perform a large number of calculations based on the data gathered by smart surgical instruments, robots, and other computerized devices located in the operating theater. the hub hardware enables multiple devices or connections to be connected to a computer that communicates with the cloud computing resources and storage. applying cloud computer data processing techniques on the data collected by the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m , the surgical data network provides improved surgical outcomes, reduced costs, and improved patient satisfaction. at least some of the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m may be employed to view tissue states to assess leaks or perfusion of sealed tissue after a tissue sealing and cutting procedure. at least some of the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m may be employed to identify pathology, such as the effects of diseases, using the cloud-based computing to examine data including images of samples of body tissue for diagnostic purposes. this includes localization and margin confirmation of tissue and phenotypes. at least some of the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m may be employed to identify anatomical structures of the body using a variety of sensors integrated with imaging devices and techniques such as overlaying images captured by multiple imaging devices. the data gathered by the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m , including image data, may be transferred to the cloud 204 or the local computer system 210 or both for data processing and manipulation including image processing and manipulation. the data may be analyzed to improve surgical procedure outcomes by determining if further treatment, such as the application of endoscopic intervention, emerging technologies, a targeted radiation, targeted intervention, and precise robotics to tissue-specific sites and conditions, may be pursued. such data analysis may further employ outcome analytics processing, and using standardized approaches may provide beneficial feedback to either confirm surgical treatments and the behavior of the surgeon or suggest modifications to surgical treatments and the behavior of the surgeon. in one implementation, the operating theater devices 1 a - 1 n may be connected to the modular communication hub 203 over a wired channel or a wireless channel depending on the configuration of the devices 1 a - 1 n to a network hub. the network hub 207 may be implemented, in one aspect, as a local network broadcast device that works on the physical layer of the open system interconnection (osi) model. the network hub provides connectivity to the devices 1 a - 1 n located in the same operating theater network. the network hub 207 collects data in the form of packets and sends them to the router in half duplex mode. the network hub 207 does not store any media access control/internet protocol (mac/ip) to transfer the device data. only one of the devices 1 a - 1 n can send data at a time through the network hub 207 . the network hub 207 has no routing tables or intelligence regarding where to send information and broadcasts all network data across each connection and to a remote server 213 ( fig. 9 ) over the cloud 204 . the network hub 207 can detect basic network errors such as collisions, but having all information broadcast to multiple ports can be a security risk and cause bottlenecks. in another implementation, the operating theater devices 2 a - 2 m may be connected to a network switch 209 over a wired channel or a wireless channel. the network switch 209 works in the data link layer of the osi model. the network switch 209 is a multicast device for connecting the devices 2 a - 2 m located in the same operating theater to the network. the network switch 209 sends data in the form of frames to the network router 211 and works in full duplex mode. multiple devices 2 a - 2 m can send data at the same time through the network switch 209 . the network switch 209 stores and uses mac addresses of the devices 2 a - 2 m to transfer data. the network hub 207 and/or the network switch 209 are coupled to the network router 211 for connection to the cloud 204 . the network router 211 works in the network layer of the osi model. the network router 211 creates a route for transmitting data packets received from the network hub 207 and/or network switch 211 to cloud-based computer resources for further processing and manipulation of the data collected by any one of or all the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m . the network router 211 may be employed to connect two or more different networks located in different locations, such as, for example, different operating theaters of the same healthcare facility or different networks located in different operating theaters of different healthcare facilities. the network router 211 sends data in the form of packets to the cloud 204 and works in full duplex mode. multiple devices can send data at the same time. the network router 211 uses ip addresses to transfer data. in one example, the network hub 207 may be implemented as a usb hub, which allows multiple usb devices to be connected to a host computer. the usb hub may expand a single usb port into several tiers so that there are more ports available to connect devices to the host system computer. the network hub 207 may include wired or wireless capabilities to receive information over a wired channel or a wireless channel. in one aspect, a wireless usb short-range, high-bandwidth wireless radio communication protocol may be employed for communication between the devices 1 a - 1 n and devices 2 a - 2 m located in the operating theater. in other examples, the operating theater devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m may communicate to the modular communication hub 203 via bluetooth wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short-wavelength uhf radio waves in the ism band from 2.4 to 2.485 ghz) from fixed and mobile devices and building personal area networks (pans). in other aspects, the operating theater devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m may communicate to the modular communication hub 203 via a number of wireless or wired communication standards or protocols, including but not limited to w-fi (ieee 802.11 family), wimax (ieee 802.16 family), ieee 802.20, long-term evolution (lte), and ev-do, hspa+, hsdpa+, hsupa+, edge, gsm, gprs, cdma, tdma, dect, and ethernet derivatives thereof, as well as any other wireless and wired protocols that are designated as 3g, 4g, 5g, and beyond. the computing module may include a plurality of communication modules. for instance, a first communication module may be dedicated to shorter-range wireless communications such as wi-fi and bluetooth, and a second communication module may be dedicated to longer-range wireless communications such as gps, edge, gprs, cdma, wimax, lte, ev-do, and others. the modular communication hub 203 may serve as a central connection for one or all of the operating theater devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m and handles a data type known as frames. frames carry the data generated by the devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m . when a frame is received by the modular communication hub 203 , it is amplified and transmitted to the network router 211 , which transfers the data to the cloud computing resources by using a number of wireless or wired communication standards or protocols, as described herein. the modular communication hub 203 can be used as a standalone device or be connected to compatible network hubs and network switches to form a larger network. the modular communication hub 203 is generally easy to install, configure, and maintain, making it a good option for networking the operating theater devices 1 a - 1 n / 2 a - 2 m. fig. 9 illustrates a computer-implemented interactive surgical system 200 . the computer-implemented interactive surgical system 200 is similar in many respects to the computer-implemented interactive surgical system 100 . for example, the computer-implemented interactive surgical system 200 includes one or more surgical systems 202 , which are similar in many respects to the surgical systems 102 . each surgical system 202 includes at least one surgical hub 206 in communication with a cloud 204 that may include a remote server 213 . in one aspect, the computer-implemented interactive surgical system 200 comprises a modular control tower 236 connected to multiple operating theater devices such as, for example, intelligent surgical instruments, robots, and other computerized devices located in the operating theater. as shown in fig. 10 , the modular control tower 236 comprises a modular communication hub 203 coupled to a computer system 210 . as illustrated in the example of fig. 9 , the modular control tower 236 is coupled to an imaging module 238 that is coupled to an endoscope 239 , a generator module 240 that is coupled to an energy device 241 , a smoke evacuator module 226 , a suction/irrigation module 228 , a communication module 230 , a processor module 232 , a storage array 234 , a smart device/instrument 235 optionally coupled to a display 237 , and a non-contact sensor module 242 . the operating theater devices are coupled to cloud computing resources and data storage via the modular control tower 236 . a robot hub 222 also may be connected to the modular control tower 236 and to the cloud computing resources. the devices/instruments 235 , visualization systems 208 , among others, may be coupled to the modular control tower 236 via wired or wireless communication standards or protocols, as described herein. the modular control tower 236 may be coupled to a hub display 215 (e.g., monitor, screen) to display and overlay images received from the imaging module, device/instrument display, and/or other visualization systems 208 . the hub display also may display data received from devices connected to the modular control tower in conjunction with images and overlaid images. fig. 10 illustrates a surgical hub 206 comprising a plurality of modules coupled to the modular control tower 236 . the modular control tower 236 comprises a modular communication hub 203 , e.g., a network connectivity device, and a computer system 210 to provide local processing, visualization, and imaging, for example. as shown in fig. 10 , the modular communication hub 203 may be connected in a tiered configuration to expand the number of modules (e.g., devices) that may be connected to the modular communication hub 203 and transfer data associated with the modules to the computer system 210 , cloud computing resources, or both. as shown in fig. 10 , each of the network hubs/switches in the modular communication hub 203 includes three downstream ports and one upstream port. the upstream network hub/switch is connected to a processor to provide a communication connection to the cloud computing resources and a local display 217 . communication to the cloud 204 may be made either through a wired or a wireless communication channel. the surgical hub 206 employs a non-contact sensor module 242 to measure the dimensions of the operating theater and generate a map of the surgical theater using either ultrasonic or laser-type non-contact measurement devices. an ultrasound-based non-contact sensor module scans the operating theater by transmitting a burst of ultrasound and receiving the echo when it bounces off the perimeter walls of an operating theater as described under the heading “surgical hub spatial awareness within an operating room” in u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/611,341, titled interactive surgical platform, filed dec. 28, 2017, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, in which the sensor module is configured to determine the size of the operating theater and to adjust bluetooth-pairing distance limits. a laser-based non-contact sensor module scans the operating theater by transmitting laser light pulses, receiving laser light pulses that bounce off the perimeter walls of the operating theater, and comparing the phase of the transmitted pulse to the received pulse to determine the size of the operating theater and to adjust bluetooth pairing distance limits, for example. the computer system 210 comprises a processor 244 and a network interface 245 . the processor 244 is coupled to a communication module 247 , storage 248 , memory 249 , non-volatile memory 250 , and input/output interface 251 via a system bus. the system bus can be any of several types of bus structure(s) including the memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus or external bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available bus architectures including, but not limited to, 9-bit bus, industrial standard architecture (isa), micro-charmel architecture (msa), extended isa (eisa), intelligent drive electronics (ide), vesa local bus (vlb), peripheral component interconnect (pci), usb, advanced graphics port (agp), personal computer memory card international association bus (pcmcia), small computer systems interface (scsi), or any other proprietary bus. the processor 244 may be any single-core or multicore processor such as those known under the trade name arm cortex by texas instruments. in one aspect, the processor may be an lm4f230h5qr arm cortex-m4f processor core, available from texas instruments, for example, comprising an on-chip memory of 256 kb single-cycle flash memory, or other non-volatile memory, up to 40 mhz, a prefetch buffer to improve performance above 40 mhz, a 32 kb single-cycle serial random access memory (sram), an internal read-only memory (rom) loaded with stellarisware® software, a 2 kb electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (eeprom), and/or one or more pulse width modulation (pwm) modules, one or more quadrature encoder inputs (qei) analogs, one or more 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (adcs) with 12 analog input channels, details of which are available for the product datasheet. in one aspect, the processor 244 may comprise a safety controller comprising two controller-based families such as tms570 and rm4x, known under the trade name hercules arm cortex r4, also by texas instruments. the safety controller may be configured specifically for iec 61508 and iso 26262 safety critical applications, among others, to provide advanced integrated safety features while delivering scalable performance, connectivity, and memory options. the system memory includes volatile memory and non-volatile memory. the basic input/output system (bios), containing the basic routines to transfer information between elements within the computer system, such as during start-up, is stored in non-volatile memory. for example, the non-volatile memory can include rom, programmable rom (prom), electrically programmable rom (eprom), eeprom, or flash memory. volatile memory includes random-access memory (ram), which acts as external cache memory. moreover, ram is available in many forms such as sram, dynamic ram (dram), synchronous dram (sdram), double data rate sdram (ddr sdram), enhanced sdram (esdram), synchlink dram (sldram), and direct rambus ram (drram). the computer system 210 also includes removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer storage media, such as for example disk storage. the disk storage includes, but is not limited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, jaz drive, zip drive, ls-60 drive, flash memory card, or memory stick. in addition, the disk storage can include storage media separately or in combination with other storage media including, but not limited to, an optical disc drive such as a compact disc rom device (cd-rom), compact disc recordable drive (cd-r drive), compact disc rewritable drive (cd-rw drive), or a digital versatile disc rom drive (dvd-rom). to facilitate the connection of the disk storage devices to the system bus, a removable or non-removable interface may be employed. it is to be appreciated that the computer system 210 includes software that acts as an intermediary between users and the basic computer resources described in a suitable operating environment. such software includes an operating system. the operating system, which can be stored on the disk storage, acts to control and allocate resources of the computer system. system applications take advantage of the management of resources by the operating system through program modules and program data stored either in the system memory or on the disk storage. it is to be appreciated that various components described herein can be implemented with various operating systems or combinations of operating systems. a user enters commands or information into the computer system 210 through input device(s) coupled to the i/o interface 251 . the input devices include, but are not limited to, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, stylus, touch pad, keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, tv tuner card, digital camera, digital video camera, web camera, and the like. these and other input devices connect to the processor through the system bus via interface port(s). the interface port(s) include, for example, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port, and a usb. the output device(s) use some of the same types of ports as input device(s). thus, for example, a usb port may be used to provide input to the computer system and to output information from the computer system to an output device. an output adapter is provided to illustrate that there are some output devices like monitors, displays, speakers, and printers, among other output devices that require special adapters. the output adapters include, by way of illustration and not limitation, video and sound cards that provide a means of connection between the output device and the system bus. it should be noted that other devices and/or systems of devices, such as remote computer(s), provide both input and output capabilities. the computer system 210 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as cloud computer(s), or local computers. the remote cloud computer(s) can be a personal computer, server, router, network pc, workstation, microprocessor-based appliance, peer device, or other common network node, and the like, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer system. for purposes of brevity, only a memory storage device is illustrated with the remote computer(s). the remote computer(s) is logically connected to the computer system through a network interface and then physically connected via a communication connection. the network interface encompasses communication networks such as local area networks (lans) and wide area networks (wans). lan technologies include fiber distributed data interface (fddi), copper distributed data interface (cddi), ethernet/ieee 802.3, token ring/ieee 802.5 and the like. wan technologies include, but are not limited to, point-to-point links, circuit-switching networks like integrated services digital networks (isdn) and variations thereon, packet-switching networks, and digital subscriber lines (dsl). in various aspects, the computer system 210 of fig. 10 , the imaging module 238 and/or visualization system 208 , and/or the processor module 232 of figs. 9-10 , may comprise an image processor, image-processing engine, media processor, or any specialized digital signal processor (dsp) used for the processing of digital images. the image processor may employ parallel computing with single instruction, multiple data (simd) or multiple instruction, multiple data (mimd) technologies to increase speed and efficiency. the digital image-processing engine can perform a range of tasks. the image processor may be a system on a chip with multicore processor architecture. the communication connection(s) refers to the hardware/software employed to connect the network interface to the bus. while the communication connection is shown for illustrative clarity inside the computer system, it can also be external to the computer system 210 . the hardware/software necessary for connection to the network interface includes, for illustrative purposes only, internal and external technologies such as modems, including regular telephone-grade modems, cable modems, and dsl modems, isdn adapters, and ethernet cards. in various aspects, the devices/instruments 235 described with reference to figs. 9-10 , may be implemented as surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ). accordingly, as surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ) are configured to interface with the modular control tower 236 and the surgical hub 206 . once connected to the surgical hub 206 as surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ) are configured to interface with the cloud 204 , the server 213 , other hub connected instruments, the hub display 215 , or the visualization system 209 , or combinations thereof. further, once connected to hub 206 , as surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ) may utilize the processing circuits available in the hub local computer system 210 . fig. 11 illustrates a functional block diagram of one aspect of a usb network hub 300 device, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. in the illustrated aspect, the usb network hub device 300 employs a tusb2036 integrated circuit hub by texas instruments. the usb network hub 300 is a cmos device that provides an upstream usb transceiver port 302 and up to three downstream usb transceiver ports 304 , 306 , 308 in compliance with the usb 2.0 specification. the upstream usb transceiver port 302 is a differential root data port comprising a differential data minus (dm0) input paired with a differential data plus (dp0) input. the three downstream usb transceiver ports 304 , 306 , 308 are differential data ports where each port includes differential data plus (dp1-dp3) outputs paired with differential data minus (dm1-dm3) outputs. the usb network hub 300 device is implemented with a digital state machine instead of a microcontroller, and no firmware programming is required. fully compliant usb transceivers are integrated into the circuit for the upstream usb transceiver port 302 and all downstream usb transceiver ports 304 , 306 , 308 . the downstream usb transceiver ports 304 , 306 , 308 support both full-speed and low-speed devices by automatically setting the slew rate according to the speed of the device attached to the ports. the usb network hub 300 device may be configured either in bus-powered or self-powered mode and includes a hub power logic 312 to manage power. the usb network hub 300 device includes a serial interface engine 310 (sie). the sie 310 is the front end of the usb network hub 300 hardware and handles most of the protocol described in chapter 8 of the usb specification. the sie 310 typically comprehends signaling up to the transaction level. the functions that it handles could include: packet recognition, transaction sequencing, sop, eop, reset, and resume signal detection/generation, clock/data separation, non-return-to-zero invert (nrzi) data encoding/decoding and bit-stuffing, crc generation and checking (token and data), packet id (pid) generation and checking/decoding, and/or serial-parallel/parallel-serial conversion. the 310 receives a clock input 314 and is coupled to a suspend/resume logic and frame timer 316 circuit and a hub repeater circuit 318 to control communication between the upstream usb transceiver port 302 and the downstream usb transceiver ports 304 , 306 , 308 through port logic circuits 320 , 322 , 324 . the sie 310 is coupled to a command decoder 326 via interface logic 328 to control commands from a serial eeprom via a serial eeprom interface 330 . in various aspects, the usb network hub 300 can connect 127 functions configured in up to six logical layers (tiers) to a single computer. further, the usb network hub 300 can connect to all peripherals using a standardized four-wire cable that provides both communication and power distribution. the power configurations are bus-powered and self-powered modes. the usb network hub 300 may be configured to support four modes of power management: a bus-powered hub, with either individual-port power management or ganged-port power management, and the self-powered hub, with either individual-port power management or ganged-port power management. in one aspect, using a usb cable, the usb network hub 300 , the upstream usb transceiver port 302 is plugged into a usb host controller, and the downstream usb transceiver ports 304 , 306 , 308 are exposed for connecting usb compatible devices, and so forth. additional details regarding the structure and function of the surgical hub and/or surgical hub networks can be found in u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/659,900, titled method of hub communication, filed apr. 19, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. cloud system hardware and functional modules fig. 12 is a block diagram of the computer-implemented interactive surgical system, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. in one aspect, the computer-implemented interactive surgical system is configured to monitor and analyze data related to the operation of various surgical systems that include surgical hubs, surgical instruments, robotic devices and operating theaters or healthcare facilities. the computer-implemented interactive surgical system comprises a cloud-based analytics system. although the cloud-based analytics system is described as a surgical system, it is not necessarily limited as such and could be a cloud-based medical system generally. as illustrated in fig. 12 , the cloud-based analytics system comprises a plurality of surgical instruments 7012 (may be the same or similar to instruments 112 ), a plurality of surgical hubs 7006 (may be the same or similar to hubs 106 ), and a surgical data network 7001 (may be the same or similar to network 201 ) to couple the surgical hubs 7006 to the cloud 7004 (may be the same or similar to cloud 204 ). each of the plurality of surgical hubs 7006 is communicatively coupled to one or more surgical instruments 7012 . the hubs 7006 are also communicatively coupled to the cloud 7004 of the computer-implemented interactive surgical system via the network 7001 . the cloud 7004 is a remote centralized source of hardware and software for storing, manipulating, and communicating data generated based on the operation of various surgical systems. as shown in fig. 12 , access to the cloud 7004 is achieved via the network 7001 , which may be the internet or some other suitable computer network. surgical hubs 7006 that are coupled to the cloud 7004 can be considered the client side of the cloud computing system (i.e., cloud-based analytics system). surgical instruments 7012 are paired with the surgical hubs 7006 for control and implementation of various surgical procedures or operations as described herein. in addition, surgical instruments 7012 may comprise transceivers for data transmission to and from their corresponding surgical hubs 7006 (which may also comprise transceivers). combinations of surgical instruments 7012 and corresponding hubs 7006 may indicate particular locations, such as operating theaters in healthcare facilities (e.g., hospitals), for providing medical operations. for example, the memory of a surgical hub 7006 may store location data. as shown in fig. 12 , the cloud 7004 comprises central servers 7013 (which may be same or similar to remote server 113 in fig. 1 and/or remote server 213 in fig. 9 ), hub application servers 7002 , data analytics modules 7034 , and an input/output (“i/o”) interface 7007 . the central servers 7013 of the cloud 7004 collectively administer the cloud computing system, which includes monitoring requests by client surgical hubs 7006 and managing the processing capacity of the cloud 7004 for executing the requests. each of the central servers 7013 comprises one or more processors 7008 coupled to suitable memory devices 7010 which can include volatile memory such as random-access memory (ram) and non-volatile memory such as magnetic storage devices. the memory devices 7010 may comprise machine executable instructions that when executed cause the processors 7008 to execute the data analytics modules 7034 for the cloud-based data analysis, operations, recommendations and other operations described below. moreover, the processors 7008 can execute the data analytics modules 7034 independently or in conjunction with hub applications independently executed by the hubs 7006 . the central servers 7013 also comprise aggregated medical data databases 2212 , which can reside in the memory 2210 . based on connections to various surgical hubs 7006 via the network 7001 , the cloud 7004 can aggregate data from specific data generated by various surgical instruments 7012 and their corresponding hubs 7006 . such aggregated data may be stored within the aggregated medical databases 7011 of the cloud 7004 . in particular, the cloud 7004 may advantageously perform data analysis and operations on the aggregated data to yield insights and/or perform functions that individual hubs 7006 could not achieve on their own. to this end, as shown in fig. 12 , the cloud 7004 and the surgical hubs 7006 are communicatively coupled to transmit and receive information. the i/o interface 7007 is connected to the plurality of surgical hubs 7006 via the network 7001 . in this way, the i/o interface 7007 can be configured to transfer information between the surgical hubs 7006 and the aggregated medical data databases 7011 . accordingly, the i/o interface 7007 may facilitate read/write operations of the cloud-based analytics system. such read/write operations may be executed in response to requests from hubs 7006 . these requests could be transmitted to the hubs 7006 through the hub applications. the i/o interface 7007 may include one or more high speed data ports, which may include universal serial bus (usb) ports, ieee 1394 ports, as well as w-fi and bluetooth i/o interfaces for connecting the cloud 7004 to hubs 7006 . the hub application servers 7002 of the cloud 7004 are configured to host and supply shared capabilities to software applications (e.g. hub applications) executed by surgical hubs 7006 . for example, the hub application servers 7002 may manage requests made by the hub applications through the hubs 7006 , control access to the aggregated medical data databases 7011 , and perform load balancing. the data analytics modules 7034 are described in further detail with reference to fig. 13 . the particular cloud computing system configuration described in the present disclosure is specifically designed to address various issues arising in the context of medical operations and procedures performed using medical devices, such as the surgical instruments 7012 , 112 . in particular, the surgical instruments 7012 may be digital surgical devices configured to interact with the cloud 7004 for implementing techniques to improve the performance of surgical operations. various surgical instruments 7012 and/or surgical hubs 7006 may comprise touch controlled user interfaces such that clinicians may control aspects of interaction between the surgical instruments 7012 and the cloud 7004 . other suitable user interfaces for control such as auditory controlled user interfaces can also be used. fig. 13 is a block diagram which illustrates the functional architecture of the computer-implemented interactive surgical system, in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. the cloud-based analytics system includes a plurality of data analytics modules 7034 that may be executed by the processors 7008 of the cloud 7004 for providing data analytic solutions to problems specifically arising in the medical field. as shown in fig. 13 , the functions of the cloud-based data analytics modules 7034 may be assisted via hub applications 7014 hosted by the hub application servers 7002 that may be accessed on surgical hubs 7006 . the cloud processors 7008 and hub applications 7014 may operate in conjunction to execute the data analytics modules 7034 . application program interfaces (apis) 7016 define the set of protocols and routines corresponding to the hub applications 7014 . additionally, the apis 7016 manage the storing and retrieval of data into and from the aggregated medical data databases 7011 for the operations of the applications 7014 . the caches 7018 also store data (e.g., temporarily) and are coupled to the apis 7016 for more efficient retrieval of data used by the applications 7014 . the data analytics modules 7034 in fig. 13 include modules for resource optimization 7020 , data collection and aggregation 7022 , authorization and security 7024 , control program updating 7026 , patient outcome analysis 7028 , recommendations 7030 , and data sorting and prioritization 7032 . other suitable data analytics modules could also be implemented by the cloud 7004 , according to some aspects. in one aspect, the data analytics modules are used for specific recommendations based on analyzing trends, outcomes, and other data. for example, the data collection and aggregation module 7022 could be used to generate self-describing data (e.g., metadata) including identification of notable features or configuration (e.g., trends), management of redundant data sets, and storage of the data in paired data sets which can be grouped by surgery but not necessarily keyed to actual surgical dates and surgeons. in particular, pair data sets generated from operations of surgical instruments 7012 can comprise applying a binary classification, e.g., a bleeding or a non-bleeding event. more generally, the binary classification may be characterized as either a desirable event (e.g., a successful surgical procedure) or an undesirable event (e.g., a misfired or misused surgical instrument 7012 ). the aggregated self-describing data may correspond to individual data received from various groups or subgroups of surgical hubs 7006 . accordingly, the data collection and aggregation module 7022 can generate aggregated metadata or other organized data based on raw data received from the surgical hubs 7006 . to this end, the processors 7008 can be operationally coupled to the hub applications 7014 and aggregated medical data databases 7011 for executing the data analytics modules 7034 . the data collection and aggregation module 7022 may store the aggregated organized data into the aggregated medical data databases 2212 . the resource optimization module 7020 can be configured to analyze this aggregated data to determine an optimal usage of resources for a particular or group of healthcare facilities. for example, the resource optimization module 7020 may determine an optimal order point of surgical stapling instruments 7012 for a group of healthcare facilities based on corresponding predicted demand of such instruments 7012 . the resource optimization module 7020 might also assess the resource usage or other operational configurations of various healthcare facilities to determine whether resource usage could be improved. similarly, the recommendations module 7030 can be configured to analyze aggregated organized data from the data collection and aggregation module 7022 to provide recommendations. for example, the recommendations module 7030 could recommend to healthcare facilities (e.g., medical service providers such as hospitals) that a particular surgical instrument 7012 should be upgraded to an improved version based on a higher than expected error rate, for example. additionally, the recommendations module 7030 and/or resource optimization module 7020 could recommend better supply chain parameters such as product reorder points and provide suggestions of different surgical instrument 7012 , uses thereof, or procedure steps to improve surgical outcomes. the healthcare facilities can receive such recommendations via corresponding surgical hubs 7006 . more specific recommendations regarding parameters or configurations of various surgical instruments 7012 can also be provided. hubs 7006 and/or surgical instruments 7012 each could also have display screens that display data or recommendations provided by the cloud 7004 . the patient outcome analysis module 7028 can analyze surgical outcomes associated with currently used operational parameters of surgical instruments 7012 . the patient outcome analysis module 7028 may also analyze and assess other potential operational parameters. in this connection, the recommendations module 7030 could recommend using these other potential operational parameters based on yielding better surgical outcomes, such as better sealing or less bleeding. for example, the recommendations module 7030 could transmit recommendations to a surgical hub 7006 regarding when to use a particular cartridge for a corresponding stapling surgical instrument 7012 . thus, the cloud-based analytics system, while controlling for common variables, may be configured to analyze the large collection of raw data and to provide centralized recommendations over multiple healthcare facilities (advantageously determined based on aggregated data). for example, the cloud-based analytics system could analyze, evaluate, and/or aggregate data based on type of medical practice, type of patient, number of patients, geographic similarity between medical providers, which medical providers/facilities use similar types of instruments, etc., in a way that no single healthcare facility alone would be able to analyze independently. the control program updating module 7026 could be configured to implement various surgical instrument 7012 recommendations when corresponding control programs are updated. for example, the patient outcome analysis module 7028 could identify correlations linking specific control parameters with successful (or unsuccessful) results. such correlations may be addressed when updated control programs are transmitted to surgical instruments 7012 via the control program updating module 7026 . updates to instruments 7012 that are transmitted via a corresponding hub 7006 may incorporate aggregated performance data that was gathered and analyzed by the data collection and aggregation module 7022 of the cloud 7004 . additionally, the patient outcome analysis module 7028 and recommendations module 7030 could identify improved methods of using instruments 7012 based on aggregated performance data. the cloud-based analytics system may include security features implemented by the cloud 7004 . these security features may be managed by the authorization and security module 7024 . each surgical hub 7006 can have associated unique credentials such as username, password, and other suitable security credentials. these credentials could be stored in the memory 7010 and be associated with a permitted cloud access level. for example, based on providing accurate credentials, a surgical hub 7006 may be granted access to communicate with the cloud to a predetermined extent (e.g., may only engage in transmitting or receiving certain defined types of information). to this end, the aggregated medical data databases 7011 of the cloud 7004 may comprise a database of authorized credentials for verifying the accuracy of provided credentials. different credentials may be associated with varying levels of permission for interaction with the cloud 7004 , such as a predetermined access level for receiving the data analytics generated by the cloud 7004 . furthermore, for security purposes, the cloud could maintain a database of hubs 7006 , instruments 7012 , and other devices that may comprise a “black list” of prohibited devices. in particular, a surgical hub 7006 listed on the black list may not be permitted to interact with the cloud, while surgical instruments 7012 listed on the black list may not have functional access to a corresponding hub 7006 and/or may be prevented from fully functioning when paired to its corresponding hub 7006 . additionally or alternatively, the cloud 7004 may flag instruments 7012 based on incompatibility or other specified criteria. in this manner, counterfeit medical devices and improper reuse of such devices throughout the cloud-based analytics system can be identified and addressed. the surgical instruments 7012 may use wireless transceivers to transmit wireless signals that may represent, for example, authorization credentials for access to corresponding hubs 7006 and the cloud 7004 . wired transceivers may also be used to transmit signals. such authorization credentials can be stored in the respective memory devices of the surgical instruments 7012 . the authorization and security module 7024 can determine whether the authorization credentials are accurate or counterfeit. the authorization and security module 7024 may also dynamically generate authorization credentials for enhanced security. the credentials could also be encrypted, such as by using hash based encryption. upon transmitting proper authorization, the surgical instruments 7012 may transmit a signal to the corresponding hubs 7006 and ultimately the cloud 7004 to indicate that the instruments 7012 are ready to obtain and transmit medical data. in response, the cloud 7004 may transition into a state enabled for receiving medical data for storage into the aggregated medical data databases 7011 . this data transmission readiness could be indicated by a light indicator on the instruments 7012 , for example. the cloud 7004 can also transmit signals to surgical instruments 7012 for updating their associated control programs. the cloud 7004 can transmit signals that are directed to a particular class of surgical instruments 7012 (e.g., electrosurgical instruments) so that software updates to control programs are only transmitted to the appropriate surgical instruments 7012 . moreover, the cloud 7004 could be used to implement system wide solutions to address local or global problems based on selective data transmission and authorization credentials. for example, if a group of surgical instruments 7012 are identified as having a common manufacturing defect, the cloud 7004 may change the authorization credentials corresponding to this group to implement an operational lockout of the group. the cloud-based analytics system may allow for monitoring multiple healthcare facilities (e.g., medical facilities like hospitals) to determine improved practices and recommend changes (via the recommendations module 2030 , for example) accordingly. thus, the processors 7008 of the cloud 7004 can analyze data associated with an individual healthcare facility to identify the facility and aggregate the data with other data associated with other healthcare facilities in a group. groups could be defined based on similar operating practices or geographical location, for example. in this way, the cloud 7004 may provide healthcare facility group wide analysis and recommendations. the cloud-based analytics system could also be used for enhanced situational awareness. for example, the processors 7008 may predictively model the effects of recommendations on the cost and effectiveness for a particular facility (relative to overall operations and/or various medical procedures). the cost and effectiveness associated with that particular facility can also be compared to a corresponding local region of other facilities or any other comparable facilities. the data sorting and prioritization module 7032 may prioritize and sort data based on criticality (e.g., the severity of a medical event associated with the data, unexpectedness, suspiciousness). this sorting and prioritization may be used in conjunction with the functions of the other data analytics modules 7034 described above to improve the cloud-based analytics and operations described herein. for example, the data sorting and prioritization module 7032 can assign a priority to the data analysis performed by the data collection and aggregation module 7022 and patient outcome analysis modules 7028 . different prioritization levels can result in particular responses from the cloud 7004 (corresponding to a level of urgency) such as escalation for an expedited response, special processing, exclusion from the aggregated medical data databases 7011 , or other suitable responses. moreover, if necessary, the cloud 7004 can transmit a request (e.g. a push message) through the hub application servers for additional data from corresponding surgical instruments 7012 . the push message can result in a notification displayed on the corresponding hubs 7006 for requesting supporting or additional data. this push message may be required in situations in which the cloud detects a significant irregularity or outlier and the cloud cannot determine the cause of the irregularity. the central servers 7013 may be programmed to trigger this push message in certain significant circumstances, such as when data is determined to be different from an expected value beyond a predetermined threshold or when it appears security has been comprised, for example. in various aspects, the surgical instrument(s) 7012 described above with reference to figs. 12 and 13 , may be implemented as surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ). accordingly, the surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ) are configured to interface with the surgical hub 7006 and the network 2001 , which is configured to interface with cloud 7004 . accordingly, the processing power provided by the central servers 7013 and the data analytics module 7034 are configured to process information (e.g., data and control) from the surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ). additional details regarding the cloud analysis system can be found in u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/659,900, titled method of hub communication, filed apr. 19, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. situational awareness although an “intelligent” device including control algorithms that respond to sensed data can be an improvement over a “dumb” device that operates without accounting for sensed data, some sensed data can be incomplete or inconclusive when considered in isolation, i.e., without the context of the type of surgical procedure being performed or the type of tissue that is being operated on. without knowing the procedural context (e.g., knowing the type of tissue being operated on or the type of procedure being performed), the control algorithm may control the modular device incorrectly or suboptimally given the particular context-free sensed data. for example, the optimal manner for a control algorithm to control a surgical instrument in response to a particular sensed parameter can vary according to the particular tissue type being operated on. this is due to the fact that different tissue types have different properties (e.g., resistance to tearing) and thus respond differently to actions taken by surgical instruments. therefore, it may be desirable for a surgical instrument to take different actions even when the same measurement for a particular parameter is sensed. as one specific example, the optimal manner in which to control a surgical stapling and cutting instrument in response to the instrument sensing an unexpectedly high force to close its end effector will vary depending upon whether the tissue type is susceptible or resistant to tearing. for tissues that are susceptible to tearing, such as lung tissue, the instrument's control algorithm would optimally ramp down the motor in response to an unexpectedly high force to close to avoid tearing the tissue. for tissues that are resistant to tearing, such as stomach tissue, the instrument's control algorithm would optimally ramp up the motor in response to an unexpectedly high force to close to ensure that the end effector is clamped properly on the tissue. without knowing whether lung or stomach tissue has been clamped, the control algorithm may make a suboptimal decision. one solution utilizes a surgical hub including a system that is configured to derive information about the surgical procedure being performed based on data received from various data sources and then control the paired modular devices accordingly. in other words, the surgical hub is configured to infer information about the surgical procedure from received data and then control the modular devices paired to the surgical hub based upon the inferred context of the surgical procedure. fig. 14 illustrates a diagram of a situationally aware surgical system 5100 , in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. in some exemplifications, the data sources 5126 include, for example, the modular devices 5102 (which can include sensors configured to detect parameters associated with the patient and/or the modular device itself), databases 5122 (e.g., an emr database containing patient records), and patient monitoring devices 5124 (e.g., a blood pressure (bp) monitor and an electrocardiography (ekg) monitor). a surgical hub 5104 , which may be similar to the hub 106 in many respects, can be configured to derive the contextual information pertaining to the surgical procedure from the data based upon, for example, the particular combination(s) of received data or the particular order in which the data is received from the data sources 5126 . the contextual information inferred from the received data can include, for example, the type of surgical procedure being performed, the particular step of the surgical procedure that the surgeon is performing, the type of tissue being operated on, or the body cavity that is the subject of the procedure. this ability by some aspects of the surgical hub 5104 to derive or infer information related to the surgical procedure from received data can be referred to as “situational awareness.” in one exemplification, the surgical hub 5104 can incorporate a situational awareness system, which is the hardware and/or programming associated with the surgical hub 5104 that derives contextual information pertaining to the surgical procedure from the received data. the situational awareness system of the surgical hub 5104 can be configured to derive the contextual information from the data received from the data sources 5126 in a variety of different ways. in one exemplification, the situational awareness system includes a pattern recognition system, or machine learning system (e.g., an artificial neural network), that has been trained on training data to correlate various inputs (e.g., data from databases 5122 , patient monitoring devices 5124 , and/or modular devices 5102 ) to corresponding contextual information regarding a surgical procedure. in other words, a machine learning system can be trained to accurately derive contextual information regarding a surgical procedure from the provided inputs. in another exemplification, the situational awareness system can include a lookup table storing pre-characterized contextual information regarding a surgical procedure in association with one or more inputs (or ranges of inputs) corresponding to the contextual information. in response to a query with one or more inputs, the lookup table can return the corresponding contextual information for the situational awareness system for controlling the modular devices 5102 . in one exemplification, the contextual information received by the situational awareness system of the surgical hub 5104 is associated with a particular control adjustment or set of control adjustments for one or more modular devices 5102 . in another exemplification, the situational awareness system includes a further machine learning system, lookup table, or other such system, which generates or retrieves one or more control adjustments for one or more modular devices 5102 when provided the contextual information as input. a surgical hub 5104 incorporating a situational awareness system provides a number of benefits for the surgical system 5100 . one benefit includes improving the interpretation of sensed and collected data, which would in turn improve the processing accuracy and/or the usage of the data during the course of a surgical procedure. to return to a previous example, a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could determine what type of tissue was being operated on; therefore, when an unexpectedly high force to close the surgical instrument's end effector is detected, the situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could correctly ramp up or ramp down the motor of the surgical instrument for the type of tissue. as another example, the type of tissue being operated can affect the adjustments that are made to the compression rate and load thresholds of a surgical stapling and cutting instrument for a particular tissue gap measurement. a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could infer whether a surgical procedure being performed is a thoracic or an abdominal procedure, allowing the surgical hub 5104 to determine whether the tissue clamped by an end effector of the surgical stapling and cutting instrument is lung (for a thoracic procedure) or stomach (for an abdominal procedure) tissue. the surgical hub 5104 could then adjust the compression rate and load thresholds of the surgical stapling and cutting instrument appropriately for the type of tissue. as yet another example, the type of body cavity being operated in during an insufflation procedure can affect the function of a smoke evacuator. a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could determine whether the surgical site is under pressure (by determining that the surgical procedure is utilizing insufflation) and determine the procedure type. as a procedure type is generally performed in a specific body cavity, the surgical hub 5104 could then control the motor rate of the smoke evacuator appropriately for the body cavity being operated in. thus, a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could provide a consistent amount of smoke evacuation for both thoracic and abdominal procedures. as yet another example, the type of procedure being performed can affect the optimal energy level for an ultrasonic surgical instrument or radio frequency (rf) electrosurgical instrument to operate at. arthroscopic procedures, for example, require higher energy levels because the end effector of the ultrasonic surgical instrument or rf electrosurgical instrument is immersed in fluid. a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could determine whether the surgical procedure is an arthroscopic procedure. the surgical hub 5104 could then adjust the rf power level or the ultrasonic amplitude of the generator (i.e., “energy level”) to compensate for the fluid filled environment. relatedly, the type of tissue being operated on can affect the optimal energy level for an ultrasonic surgical instrument or rf electrosurgical instrument to operate at. a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could determine what type of surgical procedure is being performed and then customize the energy level for the ultrasonic surgical instrument or rf electrosurgical instrument, respectively, according to the expected tissue profile for the surgical procedure. furthermore, a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 can be configured to adjust the energy level for the ultrasonic surgical instrument or rf electrosurgical instrument throughout the course of a surgical procedure, rather than just on a procedure-by-procedure basis. a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could determine what step of the surgical procedure is being performed or will subsequently be performed and then update the control algorithms for the generator and/or ultrasonic surgical instrument or rf electrosurgical instrument to set the energy level at a value appropriate for the expected tissue type according to the surgical procedure step. as yet another example, data can be drawn from additional data sources 5126 to improve the conclusions that the surgical hub 5104 draws from one data source 5126 . a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could augment data that it receives from the modular devices 5102 with contextual information that it has built up regarding the surgical procedure from other data sources 5126 . for example, a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 can be configured to determine whether hemostasis has occurred (i.e., whether bleeding at a surgical site has stopped) according to video or image data received from a medical imaging device. however, in some cases the video or image data can be inconclusive. therefore, in one exemplification, the surgical hub 5104 can be further configured to compare a physiologic measurement (e.g., blood pressure sensed by a bp monitor communicably connected to the surgical hub 5104 ) with the visual or image data of hemostasis (e.g., from a medical imaging device 124 ( fig. 2 ) communicably coupled to the surgical hub 5104 ) to make a determination on the integrity of the staple line or tissue weld. in other words, the situational awareness system of the surgical hub 5104 can consider the physiological measurement data to provide additional context in analyzing the visualization data. the additional context can be useful when the visualization data may be inconclusive or incomplete on its own. another benefit includes proactively and automatically controlling the paired modular devices 5102 according to the particular step of the surgical procedure that is being performed to reduce the number of times that medical personnel are required to interact with or control the surgical system 5100 during the course of a surgical procedure. for example, a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could proactively activate the generator to which an rf electrosurgical instrument is connected if it determines that a subsequent step of the procedure requires the use of the instrument. proactively activating the energy source allows the instrument to be ready for use a soon as the preceding step of the procedure is completed. as another example, a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could determine whether the current or subsequent step of the surgical procedure requires a different view or degree of magnification on the display according to the feature(s) at the surgical site that the surgeon is expected to need to view. the surgical hub 5104 could then proactively change the displayed view (supplied by, e.g., a medical imaging device for the visualization system 108 ) accordingly so that the display automatically adjusts throughout the surgical procedure. as yet another example, a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could determine which step of the surgical procedure is being performed or will subsequently be performed and whether particular data or comparisons between data will be required for that step of the surgical procedure. the surgical hub 5104 can be configured to automatically call up data screens based upon the step of the surgical procedure being performed, without waiting for the surgeon to ask for the particular information. another benefit includes checking for errors during the setup of the surgical procedure or during the course of the surgical procedure. for example, a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could determine whether the operating theater is setup properly or optimally for the surgical procedure to be performed. the surgical hub 5104 can be configured to determine the type of surgical procedure being performed, retrieve the corresponding checklists, product location, or setup needs (e.g., from a memory), and then compare the current operating theater layout to the standard layout for the type of surgical procedure that the surgical hub 5104 determines is being performed. in one exemplification, the surgical hub 5104 can be configured to compare the list of items for the procedure scanned by a suitable scanner, for example, and/or a list of devices paired with the surgical hub 5104 to a recommended or anticipated manifest of items and/or devices for the given surgical procedure. if there are any discontinuities between the lists, the surgical hub 5104 can be configured to provide an alert indicating that a particular modular device 5102 , patient monitoring device 5124 , and/or other surgical item is missing. in one exemplification, the surgical hub 5104 can be configured to determine the relative distance or position of the modular devices 5102 and patient monitoring devices 5124 via proximity sensors, for example. the surgical hub 5104 can compare the relative positions of the devices to a recommended or anticipated layout for the particular surgical procedure. if there are any discontinuities between the layouts, the surgical hub 5104 can be configured to provide an alert indicating that the current layout for the surgical procedure deviates from the recommended layout. as another example, a situationally aware surgical hub 5104 could determine whether the surgeon (or other medical personnel) was making an error or otherwise deviating from the expected course of action during the course of a surgical procedure. for example, the surgical hub 5104 can be configured to determine the type of surgical procedure being performed, retrieve the corresponding list of steps or order of equipment usage (e.g., from a memory), and then compare the steps being performed or the equipment being used during the course of the surgical procedure to the expected steps or equipment for the type of surgical procedure that the surgical hub 5104 determined is being performed. in one exemplification, the surgical hub 5104 can be configured to provide an alert indicating that an unexpected action is being performed or an unexpected device is being utilized at the particular step in the surgical procedure. overall, the situational awareness system for the surgical hub 5104 improves surgical procedure outcomes by adjusting the surgical instruments (and other modular devices 5102 ) for the particular context of each surgical procedure (such as adjusting to different tissue types) and validating actions during a surgical procedure. the situational awareness system also improves surgeons' efficiency in performing surgical procedures by automatically suggesting next steps, providing data, and adjusting displays and other modular devices 5102 in the surgical theater according to the specific context of the procedure. in one aspect, as described hereinbelow with reference to figs. 17-23 , the modular device 5102 is implemented as a surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ). accordingly, the modular device 5102 implemented as a surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ) are configured to operate as a data source 5126 and to interact with the database 5122 and patient monitoring devices 5124 . the modular device 5102 implemented as a surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ) are further configured to interact with the surgical hub 5104 to provide information (e.g., data and control) to the surgical hub 5104 and receive information (e.g., data and control) from the surgical hub 5104 . referring now to fig. 15 , a timeline 5200 depicting situational awareness of a hub, such as the surgical hub 106 or 206 ( figs. 1-11 ), for example, is depicted. the timeline 5200 is an illustrative surgical procedure and the contextual information that the surgical hub 106 , 206 can derive from the data received from the data sources at each step in the surgical procedure. the timeline 5200 depicts the typical steps that would be taken by the nurses, surgeons, and other medical personnel during the course of a lung segmentectomy procedure, beginning with setting up the operating theater and ending with transferring the patient to a post-operative recovery room. the situationally aware surgical hub 106 , 206 receives data from the data sources throughout the course of the surgical procedure, including data generated each time medical personnel utilize a modular device that is paired with the surgical hub 106 , 206 . the surgical hub 106 , 206 can receive this data from the paired modular devices and other data sources and continually derive inferences (i.e., contextual information) about the ongoing procedure as new data is received, such as which step of the procedure is being performed at any given time. the situational awareness system of the surgical hub 106 , 206 is able to, for example, record data pertaining to the procedure for generating reports, verify the steps being taken by the medical personnel, provide data or prompts (e.g., via a display screen) that may be pertinent for the particular procedural step, adjust modular devices based on the context (e.g., activate monitors, adjust the field of view (fov) of the medical imaging device, or change the energy level of an ultrasonic surgical instrument or rf electrosurgical instrument), and take any other such action described above. as the first step 5202 in this illustrative procedure, the hospital staff members retrieve the patient's emr from the hospital's emr database. based on select patient data in the emr, the surgical hub 106 , 206 determines that the procedure to be performed is a thoracic procedure. second step 5204 , the staff members scan the incoming medical supplies for the procedure. the surgical hub 106 , 206 cross-references the scanned supplies with a list of supplies that are utilized in various types of procedures and confirms that the mix of supplies corresponds to a thoracic procedure. further, the surgical hub 106 , 206 is also able to determine that the procedure is not a wedge procedure (because the incoming supplies either lack certain supplies that are necessary for a thoracic wedge procedure or do not otherwise correspond to a thoracic wedge procedure). third step 5206 , the medical personnel scan the patient band via a scanner that is communicably connected to the surgical hub 106 , 206 . the surgical hub 106 , 206 can then confirm the patient's identity based on the scanned data. fourth step 5208 , the medical staff turns on the auxiliary equipment. the auxiliary equipment being utilized can vary according to the type of surgical procedure and the techniques to be used by the surgeon, but in this illustrative case they include a smoke evacuator, insufflator, and medical imaging device. when activated, the auxiliary equipment that are modular devices can automatically pair with the surgical hub 106 , 206 that is located within a particular vicinity of the modular devices as part of their initialization process. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can then derive contextual information about the surgical procedure by detecting the types of modular devices that pair with it during this pre-operative or initialization phase. in this particular example, the surgical hub 106 , 206 determines that the surgical procedure is a vats procedure based on this particular combination of paired modular devices. based on the combination of the data from the patient's emr, the list of medical supplies to be used in the procedure, and the type of modular devices that connect to the hub, the surgical hub 106 , 206 can generally infer the specific procedure that the surgical team will be performing. once the surgical hub 106 , 206 knows what specific procedure is being performed, the surgical hub 106 , 206 can then retrieve the steps of that procedure from a memory or from the cloud and then cross-reference the data it subsequently receives from the connected data sources (e.g., modular devices and patient monitoring devices) to infer what step of the surgical procedure the surgical team is performing. fifth step 5210 , the staff members attach the ekg electrodes and other patient monitoring devices to the patient. the ekg electrodes and other patient monitoring devices are able to pair with the surgical hub 106 , 206 . as the surgical hub 106 , 206 begins receiving data from the patient monitoring devices, the surgical hub 106 , 206 thus confirms that the patient is in the operating theater. sixth step 5212 , the medical personnel induce anesthesia in the patient. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can infer that the patient is under anesthesia based on data from the modular devices and/or patient monitoring devices, including ekg data, blood pressure data, ventilator data, or combinations thereof, for example. upon completion of the sixth step 5212 , the pre-operative portion of the lung segmentectomy procedure is completed and the operative portion begins. seventh step 5214 , the patient's lung that is being operated on is collapsed (while ventilation is switched to the contralateral lung). the surgical hub 106 , 206 can infer from the ventilator data that the patient's lung has been collapsed, for example. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can infer that the operative portion of the procedure has commenced as it can compare the detection of the patient's lung collapsing to the expected steps of the procedure (which can be accessed or retrieved previously) and thereby determine that collapsing the lung is the first operative step in this particular procedure. eighth step 5216 , the medical imaging device (e.g., a scope) is inserted and video from the medical imaging device is initiated. the surgical hub 106 , 206 receives the medical imaging device data (i.e., video or image data) through its connection to the medical imaging device. upon receipt of the medical imaging device data, the surgical hub 106 , 206 can determine that the laparoscopic portion of the surgical procedure has commenced. further, the surgical hub 106 , 206 can determine that the particular procedure being performed is a segmentectomy, as opposed to a lobectomy (note that a wedge procedure has already been discounted by the surgical hub 106 , 206 based on data received at the second step 5204 of the procedure). the data from the medical imaging device 124 ( fig. 2 ) can be utilized to determine contextual information regarding the type of procedure being performed in a number of different ways, including by determining the angle at which the medical imaging device is oriented with respect to the visualization of the patient's anatomy, monitoring the number or medical imaging devices being utilized (i.e., that are activated and paired with the surgical hub 106 , 206 ), and monitoring the types of visualization devices utilized. for example, one technique for performing a vats lobectomy places the camera in the lower anterior corner of the patient's chest cavity above the diaphragm, whereas one technique for performing a vats segmentectomy places the camera in an anterior intercostal position relative to the segmental fissure. using pattern recognition or machine learning techniques, for example, the situational awareness system can be trained to recognize the positioning of the medical imaging device according to the visualization of the patient's anatomy. as another example, one technique for performing a vats lobectomy utilizes a single medical imaging device, whereas another technique for performing a vats segmentectomy utilizes multiple cameras. as yet another example, one technique for performing a vats segmentectomy utilizes an infrared light source (which can be communicably coupled to the surgical hub as part of the visualization system) to visualize the segmental fissure, which is not utilized in a vats lobectomy. by tracking any or all of this data from the medical imaging device, the surgical hub 106 , 206 can thereby determine the specific type of surgical procedure being performed and/or the technique being used for a particular type of surgical procedure. ninth step 5218 , the surgical team begins the dissection step of the procedure. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can infer that the surgeon is in the process of dissecting to mobilize the patient's lung because it receives data from the rf or ultrasonic generator indicating that an energy instrument is being fired. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can cross-reference the received data with the retrieved steps of the surgical procedure to determine that an energy instrument being fired at this point in the process (i.e., after the completion of the previously discussed steps of the procedure) corresponds to the dissection step. in certain instances, the energy instrument can be an energy tool mounted to a robotic arm of a robotic surgical system. tenth step 5220 , the surgical team proceeds to the ligation step of the procedure. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can infer that the surgeon is ligating arteries and veins because it receives data from the surgical stapling and cutting instrument indicating that the instrument is being fired. similarly to the prior step, the surgical hub 106 , 206 can derive this inference by cross-referencing the receipt of data from the surgical stapling and cutting instrument with the retrieved steps in the process. in certain instances, the surgical instrument can be a surgical tool mounted to a robotic arm of a robotic surgical system. eleventh step 5222 , the segmentectomy portion of the procedure is performed. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can infer that the surgeon is transecting the parenchyma based on data from the surgical stapling and cutting instrument, including data from its cartridge. the cartridge data can correspond to the size or type of staple being fired by the instrument, for example. as different types of staples are utilized for different types of tissues, the cartridge data can thus indicate the type of tissue being stapled and/or transected. in this case, the type of staple being fired is utilized for parenchyma (or other similar tissue types), which allows the surgical hub 106 , 206 to infer that the segmentectomy portion of the procedure is being performed. twelfth step 5224 , the node dissection step is then performed. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can infer that the surgical team is dissecting the node and performing a leak test based on data received from the generator indicating that an rf or ultrasonic instrument is being fired. for this particular procedure, an rf or ultrasonic instrument being utilized after parenchyma was transected corresponds to the node dissection step, which allows the surgical hub 106 , 206 to make this inference. it should be noted that surgeons regularly switch back and forth between surgical stapling/cutting instruments and surgical energy (i.e., rf or ultrasonic) instruments depending upon the particular step in the procedure because different instruments are better adapted for particular tasks. therefore, the particular sequence in which the stapling/cutting instruments and surgical energy instruments are used can indicate what step of the procedure the surgeon is performing. moreover, in certain instances, robotic tools can be utilized for one or more steps in a surgical procedure and/or handheld surgical instruments can be utilized for one or more steps in the surgical procedure. the surgeon(s) can alternate between robotic tools and handheld surgical instruments and/or can use the devices concurrently, for example. upon completion of the twelfth step 5224 , the incisions are closed up and the post-operative portion of the procedure begins. thirteenth step 5226 , the patient's anesthesia is reversed. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can infer that the patient is emerging from the anesthesia based on the ventilator data (i.e., the patient's breathing rate begins increasing), for example. lastly, the fourteenth step 5228 is that the medical personnel remove the various patient monitoring devices from the patient. the surgical hub 106 , 206 can thus infer that the patient is being transferred to a recovery room when the hub loses ekg, bp, and other data from the patient monitoring devices. as can be seen from the description of this illustrative procedure, the surgical hub 106 , 206 can determine or infer when each step of a given surgical procedure is taking place according to data received from the various data sources that are communicably coupled to the surgical hub 106 , 206 . in various aspects, the surgical instruments 200018 ( fig. 17 ), 200062 ( fig. 20 ), 200072 a,b ( fig. 21 ) 200088 and 200078 a,b ( fig. 23 ), surgical device 200078 a,b ( fig. 22 ), and visualization system 200086 ( fig. 23 ) are configured to operate in a situational awareness in a hub environment, such as the surgical hub 106 or 206 ( figs. 1-11 ), for example, as depicted by the timeline 5200 . situational awareness is further described in u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/659,900, titled method of hub communication, filed apr. 19, 2018, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. in certain instances, operation of a robotic surgical system, including the various robotic surgical systems disclosed herein, for example, can be controlled by the hub 106 , 206 based on its situational awareness and/or feedback from the components thereof and/or based on information from the cloud 104 . wireless hub interaction device-to-device intercommunication in various aspects, various techniques for pairing devices and rules defining device interactions are described herein. accordingly, wireless interactive pairing for surgical hub devices is described herein. in one aspect, wireless pairing of a surgical device with another device within the sterile surgical field is based on the usage and situational awareness of the devices. in one aspect, the situational awareness could include awareness of which user has control of which devices based on location devices on the user. in one aspect, the pairing between the devices could be based on simultaneous activation of the two devices for a predetermined amount of time when no tissue or patient is sensed by the active device. in another aspect, one device could be within the sterile field while the other device could be outside of the sterile field. pairing of personally owned wireless devices various techniques for pairing personally owned wireless devices are described herein. in one aspect, an encrypted key can be used to authenticate a smart phone, wearable, or other personally owned device is supplied to a given user. defining of the functions a personal device will request of the hub to do given certain input elements. in one aspect, porting the personally owned device into the system provides a link from the device to the surgical hub to run an internal function. for example, a device can be connected to a hub and the music from a library or playlist on the device to be ported into (i.e., streamed through) the hub's speakers. as another example, a phone or another such device can be connected to a hub and options for the device can be linked through the hub to allow the porting of calls through the hub monitors and speakers. in one application, an auto reply voice or text message can be sent to incoming calls or texts that states that the user is unavailable when the user's device is connected to the hub, unless, e.g., the call or text is from a select subset of numbers (e.g., from other physicians that may call to consult on cases). in another application, a contact list from a linked phone can be stored so that incoming calls to the surgeon's phone during surgery can be answered or ignored according to whether the incoming call is from a number on the contact list. in one aspect, a surgical hub can be configured to display functional imported data (e.g., data imported from a mobile device) on a secondary display due to the hub's awareness of the type of data and/or how common the use of the data is. in one aspect, the information can be displayed on a secondary display when the data is uploaded/imported to the surgical hub. in another aspect, an interactive menu can become actionable on the primary or in-use display when the data is uploaded/imported to the surgical hub when interaction is available. for example, when a call is received by a mobile device connected to a surgical hub, caller id information from the mobile device's contact list can pop up on selected monitors visible by surgeon and nurses. as another example, the caller id information could be displayed on secondary monitor that for displaying ancillary information, such as device settings, or a configurable computer tablet positioned in the sterile field that the surgeon could touch to answer if needed in order to avoid cluttering the main surgical screen with pop-ups. as another example, depending on the particular sensed user, the number of times that user utilizes the secondary device, and other parameters, the hub can be configured to flag the most commonly used and/or most appropriate option or menu according to the particular the interaction. in some aspects, the hub can be configured to display the option or menu on the user interface without interfering with the task at hand. fig. 16 depicts an example of a pairing of a personally owned wireless device 200002 with a surgical hub 200006 . the wireless device 200002 and the surgical hub 200006 may communicate with each other over a wireless link 200004 . as disclosed above, the surgical hub 200006 may display imported data received from the wireless device 200002 on one or more displays visible to the members of the surgical team. in one aspect, the surgical hub 200006 may cause the imported data to be displayed on a primary or in-use display monitor 200008 . in another aspect, the surgical hub 200006 may cause the imported data to be displayed on a secondary display monitor 200010 . smart cartridge communication with hub without going through the attached device various techniques for smart cartridge communication with the hub, without utilizing the instrument in which the cartridge is attached as a communication medium, are described herein. in various aspects, a cartridge can be configured such that there is a wired connection between the device and the cartridge and that physical contact is needed between the instrument and the cartridge is required to transfer power to the cartridge. in one such aspect, the cartridge can include a circuit for identification that includes a portion that requires both the sled of the instrument and at least one staple to make contact thereagainst for there to be continuity. if either of the sled or a staple is not contacting the circuit, the power transfer to the cartridge will not occur and the device will be locked out. in these aspects, the described circuit can be utilized to provide a secondary or backup method of locking out an instrument from being utilized with a spent cartridge. in various aspects, the cartridge can be configured to communicate with the hub, without requiring any power from the surgical instrument (e.g., a surgical stapler). in one such aspect, inserting the cartridge into device is configured to supply a momentary amount of power to the cartridge, which is then configured to communicate directly with hub without going through the device. in some aspects, the cartridge includes no battery or power source onboard. in some aspects, the small amount of power can be tapped off upon connection and during transmission, after which the power drain by the cartridge ceases. for example, fig. 17 is a diagram of a cartridge 200012 configured to wirelessly communicate with a surgical hub 200006 , in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. in one aspect, the communication may be accomplished by a wireless communication circuit 200028 imbedded in the cartridge 200012 . in this example, power is wirelessly transferred from the device to the cartridge through inductive coupling. in one aspect, a first wire transmission antenna coil 200014 is printed into the wall 200016 of a channel of the instrument 200018 . a second receiver coil 200020 may be printed on a mating surface of the cartridge 200012 . power may be transmitted from the transmission antenna coil 200014 to the receiver coil 200020 when the two coils are proximate to and overlap each other. in some aspects, power 200024 may be supplied to the instrument 200018 and conducted to the transmission coil 200014 via any suitable conductor, such as by a flexible circuit conductor 200026 . fig. 17a depicts the overlap 200022 of the transmission coil 200014 and the receiver coil 20020 . the transmission coil 200014 may receive power 200024 sourced to the instrument 200018 . the amount of overlap 200022 and degree of proximity between the transmission coil 200014 and the receiver coil 200020 may determine the amount of power received by the receiver coil 200020 . power in the receiver coil 200020 may be used to power the communication circuit 200028 . in such aspects, the close proximity and alignment of the transmission coil 200014 and the receiver coil 20020 may be achieved with lug features 200030 formed into the body of the cartridge 200012 . the lug features 200030 may be configured to align the cartridge 200012 within the channel of the instrument 200018 when the cartridge 200012 is inserted into the instrument 200018 . the lug features 200030 may be configured to align the cartridge within the channel of the instrument 200018 by mating with corresponding slot features 200032 fabricated in the channel. in some aspects, the cartridge and/or instrument further include resonating circuits to increase the efficiency of the power transfer therebetween. for example, fig. 18 is a block diagram of a resonant inductive wireless power system 200034 in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. the resonant inductive wireless power system 200034 can include, for example, a transmitter oscillator 200040 that receives power from a power source 200042 . the transmitter oscillator 200040 may supply ac current to a transmission coil 200044 . the resonant inductive wireless power system 200034 can also include, for example, a rectifier 200046 that may receive power from the a transmission coil 200044 via a receiver coil 200048 . the receiver coil 200048 may be coupled to the transmission coil 200044 through the magnetic (b) field generated by the transmission coil 200044 . in some aspects, the rectifier 200046 may convert the ac power received from the transmitter oscillator 200040 to dc power to source to a load 200050 . in one example, a load 200050 may include the communication circuit 200028 . the resonant inductive wireless power system 200034 may further include, for example, one or more resonance coils 200036 a,b made of copper wire for example, that resonate with their internal capacitance (indicated as capacitors 200038 a,b in phantom) at a resonant frequency (for example at 10 mhz). in some aspects, the resonance coils 200036 a,b may have matched impedances to optimize the power transmission from the transmitter oscillator 200040 to the rectifier 200046 . in another aspect, the cartridge 200012 may include a battery that may power the communication circuit 200028 when the cartridge 200012 is inserted into the instrument 200018 . in this aspect, the communication circuit 200028 may be powered regardless of the power status of the instrument 200018 . in another aspect, a sterile scanning pad can be configured to scan an instrument 200018 and/or a cartridge 200012 . in operation, the scanning pad can be present on a back table within the operating room (or) and a health care professional may scan the instrument 200018 or cartridge 200012 by placing the instrument 200018 or cartridge 200012 on the scanning pad. data from the instrument 200018 or cartridge 200012 may be provided to the hub when the instrument 200018 or cartridge 200012 is opened and placed on the scanning pad. in some aspects, the instrument 200018 or cartridge 200012 may be scanned, for example via radiofrequency (rf), to activate the instrument 200018 or cartridge 200012 and track it by the hub. in some further aspects, there may be a wired connection from the pad to the hub to supply power for scanning. detection of environment and setting a geo-fenced area various techniques for detecting an environment and establishing a geo-fence are described herein. fig. 19a is a diagram of a surgical hub detecting an area or room perimeter, for example the perimeter of an operating room (or) in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. in one aspect, a perimeter 200052 of a space detectable by a surgical hub 200006 can be defined by one or more freestanding beacons 200054 a - d with directional antennas. in one aspect, the beacons 200054 a - d can be placed at desired positions within a room in which the hub 200006 is or will be located. in one aspect, the perimeter 200052 delimited by the beacons 200054 a - d may form a boundary of a device detection space by the surgical hub 200006 . the beacons 200054 a - d can be used, for example, to define a zone that has a regular three-dimensional shape or an irregular three-dimensional shape. in some applications, as few as three beacons (generically, 200054 ) can be used to define a simple device detection perimeter, such as the interior of a square or rectangular room. in other aspects, more than three beacons 200054 a - d may be used to delimit a detection zone having an irregular shape, such as that depicted in fig. 19 . in some aspects, the beacons 200054 a - d may be active or passive. active beacons 200054 a - d may actively transmit information for receipt by the hub 200006 without requiring the hub 200006 to transmit any information to them. passive beacons 200054 a - d may be activated only on receipt of one or more transmissions from the hub 200006 . passive beacons 200054 a - d may then respond to an initiating query by the hub 200006 and transmit, in response to receiving the initiating query from the hub 200006 , a response signal. the signals transmitted by the beacons 200054 a - d may be of any suitable form including, without limitation, a wireless signal, an acoustic signal, or a light signal. the signals transmitted by the beacons 200054 a - d may include any suitable information, such as identification information, locational information, or any other information that the hub 200006 may use to determine the location of the beacons 200054 a - d and thus permit the hub 200006 to determine the perimeter 200052 . as disclosed above, the perimeter 200052 may define a detection zone in which the hub 200006 may scan for one or more surgical instruments or other devices. devices within the detection zone may be recognized by the hub 200006 as being potentially associated with a surgical procedure. it may be understood that in this aspect, devices located outside of the detection zone may not be recognized by the hub 200006 as being potentially associated with a surgical procedure. alternatively, the beacons can be utilized to define an excluded zone in which devices may not be recognized by the hub 200006 . in some aspects, the transmission angle of signals from the beacons 200054 a - d can be adjustable. starting at about 90 degrees, multiple beacons 200054 a - d could be placed on the floor or on walls around or to define the perimeter 200052 . in some aspects, the perimeter 200052 may form a surgical instrument detection zone. in some aspects, the detection angle of the beacons can be visually shown with light beam when setting up the beacon assembly. fig. 19b depicts some aspects of a geo-fence system that may further include a “jamming” beacon 200056 . in some aspects, a spatial region may be protected from receiving a transmission from the hub or devices within the spatial region may be shielded from receiving transmissions from the hub 200006 . for example, the “jamming” beacon 200056 may be placed at, near, or within a perimeter that interferes with the hub or a device signal to prevent devices within the excluded region defined by the jamming beacon(s) 200056 from connecting to the surgical hub. in various applications, a “jamming” beacon can be utilized to define a shielded zone, a sterile table, an instrument cabinet 200058 in the or, or a storage zone between or rooms, for example. it may be recognized that the use of a “jamming” beacon 200056 may operate differently than the use of beacons 200054 a - d to define an exclusion zone. for example, a “jamming” beacon 200056 may be associated with a movable instrument cabinet 200058 . the “jamming” function of the “jamming” beacon 200056 may prevent the hub 200006 from establishing communications with medical instruments stored in the instrument cabinet 200058 regardless of the location of the instrument cabinet 200058 . in some applications, positioning the beacons 200054 a - d along the borders of a room such as an operating room, may establish a controlled means of determining the real-world size and orientation of the or with respect to the hub 200006 . in still other applications, positioning the beacons 200054 a - d at the boundaries of the sterile field can designate disposable instruments that are opened and ready for use as compared to capital instruments or instruments that are available, but not yet opened. on-the-fly pairing between multiple controllers and controlled devices in one aspect, the hub and/or hub-connectable devices can be configured to wirelessly and interactively pair with each other. accordingly, multiple controllers and controlled devices can be configured to wirelessly, on-the-fly input pairing, without the need for any direct user control. for example, fig. 20 is a diagram of user and device pairing 200060 between a hub 200006 , a user-worn identifier 200066 , and a surgical instrument 200062 , in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. in the depicted aspect, an identifier 200066 can be worn or attached to the hand(s) of each user. the identifier 200066 may interact with a receiver 200064 that is attached to or integral with a surgical device 200062 . in one aspect, the receiver 200064 may be integrated within a handle of the surgical device 200062 . the identifier 200066 and the receiver 200064 can be configured to communication via near-field communication (nfc) or another such communication protocol. in operation, whenever a user picks up a device 200062 , the receiver 200064 of the device automatically pairs the device 200062 with the identifier 200066 . in response to the pairing between the receiver 200064 and the identifier 200066 , the hub 200006 recognizes the device 200062 permitting the hub 200006 to control and/or receive status data from the device 200062 . in some aspects, the hub 200006 may communicate with the device 200062 directly. in other aspects, the hub 200006 may communicate with the device 200062 via a communication link from the hub 200006 through the identifier 200066 to the device receiver 200064 . the nfc linkage allows communication of the surgical device 200062 with the identifier 200066 , which in turn communicates with the hub 200006 . in some aspects, the identifier 200066 may act as a communications relay 200068 between the hub 200006 and the surgical device 200062 , permitting identification and/or sensor information from the surgical device 200062 to be transmitted to the hub 200006 , and control data to be transmitted from the hub 200006 to control the surgical device 200062 . in some other aspects, the identifier 200066 may transmit information to either one or both of the hub 200006 and the surgical device 200062 . in some aspects, the information from the identifier 200066 may include an identification of the user. in some other aspects, the information from the identifier 200066 may include which hand is using the surgical device 200062 . in some additional aspects, the hub 200006 may also provide either one or both of the identifier 200066 and the surgical device 200062 with the appropriate identification information of each device to allow them to communicate with either directly or through the hub 200006 to coordinate activation of a control with activation of a device function. methods of interchanging of control paired instruments between two controllers in various aspects, control of instruments paired with surgical hubs can be interchangeably switched between different surgical hubs. initiation of the control change between the paired instruments and the surgical hubs can be controlled and/or indicated to users/other devices in different manners. in one aspect, a predefined sequence could be used to indicate by the user the release of a controlled device to the control device (e.g., the surgical hub) and/or associated devices (e.g., other devices connected to the surgical hub). designation of a new relationship between the control device and the controlled device can be controlled and/or indicated to users/other devices in different manners. in one aspect, once released or when not paired to a control system within the local network of the or, a series of steps could be used to link two system for the purposes of controlling one system with the other system. in an alternative aspect, the in-sterile field control and interaction device can be utilized to display all the paired links within the or and to redistribute them in a different order. identification and notification of a control change of a device, without used of a control device, can be effected in different manners. in one aspect, the illumination of a built-in display screen of a handheld device could be configured to change from a first color (e.g., blue or green) to a second color (e.g., red) and/or from a first state (e.g., solid color) to a second state (e.g., flashing) to indicate and notify the user in changes to the control state of the device. for example, the first color and/or first state can indicate control of the device (e.g., the device is paired with a surgical hub) and the second color and/or second state can indicate that there is no control device connected to the instrument. further, the illumination could be around the perimeter of the built-in display of the device. still further, the illumination could also be through light transmission plastic surrounding a control module. in an alternative aspect, the device could be outlined on the primary display and the color and/or state of the outline around the device (or a component of the device, such as a shaft of an instrument) can indicate its control state (i.e., pairing of the device with a control device or a lack thereof). in one aspect, control can be shared from more than one control device to a single controlled device. for example, the system could be used to either enable two wireless control devices to both control the same device simultaneously or to control multiple devices from a single control device. device position and orientation detection various techniques for detecting the position and orientation of devices are described herein. in one aspect, measurements with respect to a ground coordinate system or with respect to one another can be displayed. in such aspects, a display system can be configured to display user-selectable measurements of the position of the device with respect to the patient, the hub, or a device (e.g., a trocar). fig. 21 depicts an aspect of a surgical suite 200070 in which surgical instruments (for example, surgical instruments 200072 a,b ) are used as part of a surgical procedure. in one aspect, the display system could be configured to show the current location of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b with respect to a local coordinate system. in another aspect, the display system could be configured to calculate whether there is or will be interaction between the surgical instruments 200072 a,b . in one aspect, the display could switch from displaying the local coordinate measures to the interaction calculation as the surgical instruments 200072 a,b come closer in proximity to one another or to the tissue. the interaction calculation could be used to avoid inadvertent collisions between the surgical instruments 200072 a,b or to allow the user(s) to coordinate the motions of two surgical instruments 200072 a,b specifically to control the interaction between them. in one aspect, the display system is configured to display the true position of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b with respect to an outside established frame of reference. for example, triangulation beacons that interface with the hub can be positioned around the or to establish location and orientation of any devices within the or (see, for example, figs. 19a ,b). further, a beacon could be attached to each of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b to establish the location of each of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b with respect to each other, other devices, and/or other beacons. in one aspect, a trocar could be tagged with a beacon, which would allow the hub 200006 to identify which of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b is currently inserted into the trocar. the display system may display an identifier of a surgical instrument (for example surgical instruments 200072 a,b ) in insure that the surgical instrument and the trocar in which it is inserted is retained on the display. by determining the relative positions and/or orientation of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b with respect to each other or with respect to other instruments, the hub 200006 may provide angle, insertion depth, and relative orientation of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b and/or an end effector of each of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b for a member of the surgical team. in some aspects, the position and/or orientation of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b may be determined with respect to the patient, surgical site, or incision site for critical instrument positioning. as disclosed above, the surgical instruments 200072 a,b and/or other devices may include one or more beacons to assist in determining their relative position and/or orientation with respect to each other. such beacons could be based on rf, magnetics, or another energy waveform capable of penetrating tissue as well as air for sending and receiving triangulation signals. in some aspects, the hub 200006 may receive the triangulation signals emitted by the beacons. in some aspects, the triangulation signals may include identifier information permitting the hub 20006 to determine which beacon is associated with which triangulation signal. in some aspects, an elongated surgical instrument (such as surgical instruments 200072 a,b ) may have multiple beacons attached to a handle and a shaft so that the orientation of the instrument shaft with respect to the instrument handle may be determined by the hub 200006 as disclosed above, the location and/or orientation of a surgical instrument may be determined relative to a location and/or orientation of another surgical instrument or other surgical device. in another aspect, the location and/or orientation of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b may be determined with respect to one or more local references. in some aspects, the one or more local references may include one or more wireless or rf beacons disposed within the surgical suite in another aspect, a local reference may include a magnetic field generator 200074 on a stand within the or or mounted on a wall or ceiling. the magnetic field generator 200074 can be configured to create a predefined magnetic field within the room, as depicted in fig. 21 . further, each surgical instrument or medical device may include one or more built-in or attached sensors to detect the magnetic field (or rf field for the use with one or more rf beacons) and determine the device orientation with respect to the magnetic field (or rf field). each device (such as surgical instruments 200072 a,b ) can transmit the location and/or orientation information to the hub 200006 via a wired or a wireless communication system to allow the hub 200006 to track the position and orientation of the device. in one aspect, each of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b could include several sensors that would be able to detect their respective distances and orientations with respect to the predefined magnetic field. multiple sensors may be useful for surgical instruments that include an elongated shaft connected to a hand held unit. for example, magnetic sensors may be disposed with the hand held unit, half-way along a length of the elongated shaft, and at a distal end effector attached to the elongated shaft. the instrument could then report its location and orientation of the elongated shaft and end effector to a central procedural system (executed, e.g., by the hub 200006 ). the procedureal system could then calculate and track the use and disposition of all of the instruments within the or and display or highlight to the user on a visual display when interactions or special conditions exist. in another aspect, each of the surgical instruments 200072 a,b may define a coordinate system local to the instrument. in some aspects, the local coordinate systems may be determined with respect to one or more local references, such as a magnetic field generator 200074 . in another example, the local coordinate systems may be established with respect to a local ground such as a trocar port on the patient. the use of a local ground, in proximity to the the surgical instruments 200072 a,b , can establish a local coordinate system having increased spatial resolution compared to a coordinate system based on a distant beacon (such as the magnetic field generator 200074 ). such a finer resolution coordinate system may provide detailed information regarding the location and orientation of a surgical instrument passing through the trocar. further, trocar positions themselves can be used to aid in understanding of port placement and other operations to inform other systems, both intraoperatively as well as postoperatively, for training purposes. in one aspect, a first frame of reference is established with respect to a device (e.g., a scope) positioned inside the patient and a second frame of reference is established outside the patient with respect to a predefined position. further, the system can include a means for linking one frame of reference to the other to be able to establish instrument position to jaw position relative to the tissue. accordingly, the position and orientation of devices can be determined according to two separate, interrelated coordinate systems. in one aspect, a coupling sensor could be used to link an internal visualization image within a surgical site to the exterior visualization image of the surgical field in order to coordinate an end effector position of a surgical instrument with respect to patient tissues in the surgical field and an outside position and orientation of a handle of the surgical instrument. for example, the primary internal visualization system could be used to determine positions, distances, and velocities between aspects of the instruments and tissues of interest within the body. in one aspect, a primary internal visualization system may use a specialized frame capture imaging device. such a device may capture the image of the internal surgical site by using a beam of light that is bounced off an internal structure of the surgical site and any devices disposed therein. accordingly, the refraction of the beam of light by the tissue can be used to determine the distance between the internal tissue structure(s) and the device(s), rather then the reflectivity of the tissues. in one aspect, lidar may be used as the measurement method for this type of system. lidar measurements may use a pulsed laser to create a pattern and then the reflected pulses are measured. in some aspects, such a technique may be referred to as laser scanning. in various aspects, a cmos array multi laser light source used for advanced visualization may be employed for this technique. for example, fig. 22 depicts such a system 200076 for using lidar to determine the positions of surgical devices 200078 a,b relative to a user-selected measurement site 200080 , in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. as depicted in fig. 22 , the primary internal visualization system may permit a user of the surgical devices 200078 a,b to assess a distance 200082 between end effectors of the surgical devices 200078 a,b . in some aspects, a surgical hub may display the positions of the end effectors within the surgical site. in some additional aspects, the surgical hub may provide a warning, such as a visual indicator in a display, to warn the user of the surgical devices 200078 a,b if the surgical devices 200078 a,b are approaching or at a minimum collision distance between them. in another aspect, rf could be used to determine the locations of end-effectors within the abdomen cavity or within any internal surgical field. fig. 23 depicts such a system. radio frequency time-of-flight would be one measure of determining distance to smart devices. for example, a primary transmitter and receiver could be used on a scope or visualization system 200086 . in one aspect, the primary transmitter may include a first antenna 200084 a and the receiver may include a second antenna 200084 b . in another aspect, the first antenna 200084 a may be used as both a transmitting element and as a receiving element. similarly, the second antenna 200084 b may be used as both a transmitting element and as a receiving element. by incorporating the primary transmitter and receiver into an end of the visualization system 200086 , the receiver may measure a distance from the visualization system 200086 to a first target device with respect to the visualization focus, thereby allowing the user to measure from a frame of reference based on what the user can see. in one aspect, an antenna array 200083 associated with the scope or visualization system 200086 may be composed of the first antenna 200084 a and the second antenna 200084 b . in one aspect, one antenna (such as first antenna 200084 a ) of the antenna array 200083 can be configured to transmit a signal at one frequency while a second antenna (such as first antenna 200084 a ) of the antenna array 200083 can be configured to receive a signal transmitted back from a first target surgical instrument 200088 . as one example, the frequency of the signal transmitted by the antenna array 200083 may be about 13.56 mhz. in another example, the strength of the signal received by the first target surgical instrument 200088 may be about at about −36 dbm rssi. in some aspects, a return signal to the antenna array 200083 may be transmitted by the first target surgical instrument 200088 at a frequency that differs from the frequency of the signal transmitted by the antenna array 200083 . such a communication protocol is considered full duplex communication 200090 . separate transmission and reception frequencies may be used to prevent interference of the transmission signal by the reception signal (and vice versa). in addition, separate transmission and reception frequencies may permit the measurement of the round trip time of the signal to and from a first target surgical instrument 200088 . in some aspects, the round trip time of the signal to and from a first target surgical instrument 200088 may be used to calculate a distance of the first target surgical instrument 200088 from the antenna array 200083 . in another aspect, the distance of the first target surgical instrument 200088 from the antenna array 200083 to the first target surgical instrument 200088 may be calculated based on the power loss of a signal transmitted by the antenna array 200083 or by a response signal transmitted by the first target surgical instrument 200088 . geometric factors, such as the spread of the transmitted signal over distance, as well as the absorption loss due to the medium between the antenna array 200083 and the first target surgical instrument 200088 may permit such a distance measurement. in general, the distance between the antenna array 200083 and the first target surgical instrument 200088 is proportional to the ratio of the strength of the signal received by the first target surgical instrument 200088 to the strength of the originally transmitted signal by the antenna array 200083 . alternatively, the distance between the antenna array 200083 and the first target surgical instrument 200088 may be calculated from the ratio of the signal strength of the response signal received by the antenna array 200083 to the strength of the signal transmitted by the first target surgical instrument 200088 . in some examples of this technique, the signal transmitted by the first target surgical instrument 200088 may incode information regarding the signal strength of transmitted signal. accordingly, smart systems could determine relative position by receiving and then returning a signal. the receiving array could include a field-programmable gate array (fpga) and a microcontroller configured to handle the speed of measurements necessary from multiple instruments in real-time. in one aspect, the receiver antenna array 200083 could consist of two different antennas, for example first antenna 200084 a and second antenna 200084 b . the system could compare the differences of the signal received on the two antennas (first antenna 200084 a and second antenna 200084 b ) and triangulate the sources position in 3d space, as depicted in fig. 23 . fig. 23 is a diagram of a system for determining the relative position of devices via a dual-antenna array 200083 , in accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure. in the system depicted in fig. 23 , the dual-antenna array 200083 is disposed on a scope 200086 and receives either actively transmitted signals or passive signals from devices to determine the relative positions of the devices. in one aspect, the passive signal technique may include the full duplex communication system 200090 depicted with respect to first target surgical instrument 200088 . in another aspect, the active signal communication 200092 may involve a second target surgical instrument 200094 . the position of the devices can be determined form the detected signal strength, as shown in fig. 24 . fig. 24 depicts a graph 200110 of an example of the spatial resolution for determining the position of multiple target surgical instruments based on the detected signal strength. the abscissa represents a ratio of signal strength, in dbm, of a wireless communication between, for example, a target surgical instrument and a transceiver mounted on a reference device. the ordinate is the distance (for example in cm) that can be resolved based on the signal strength ratio. it can be observed in the graph 200110 that a difference between a maximum 200112 distance and a minimum distance 200114 may increase with increasing signal strength ratio. returning to fig. 23 , in another aspect, the end effectors of the instruments (for example second target surgical instrument 200094 ) could include one or more transmitters 200096 that are capable of continuously pinging a receiver of antenna array 200083 affixed to the visualization device 200086 . in some non-limiting examples, the transmitter 200096 may transmit a signal at a frequency between about 860 mhz to about 960 mhz. in some examples, the transmitted signal may have a signal strength of about −60 dbm. the one or more transmitters 200096 could transmit a unique id, as well as the expected intensity of the signal, so the receiver of antenna array 200083 could then calculate distance based on the received strength. in another aspect, the one or more transmitters 200096 may transmit signals to be received by multiple antennas (for example first antenna 200084 a and second antenna 200084 b of the antenna array 200083 ). the difference in the reception time or signal strength of the transmitted signal as determined by the first antenna 200084 a and the second antenna 200084 b may be used to triangulate the position of the one or more transmitters 200096 and thus the position of the end effector of second target surgical instrument 200094 . in another aspect, an rfid tag could be placed on or in an end effector of each target surgical instrument. the rfid tag could be activated by a signal transmitted by a transmission antenna. in some aspects, the transmission antenna may be part of an antenna array 200083 disposed on a surgical visualization device 200086 . in some aspects, each antenna of the antenna array 200083 (for example first antenna 200084 a and second antenna 200084 b ) may act as a separate transmitting antenna. alternatively, one of the antennae of the antenna array 200083 may be a transmission antenna and another of the antennae of the antenna array 200083 may be a reception antenna. accordingly, the strength of the transmitted signal received by an rfid tag could be used to determine distance of the rfid tag to the transmitter antenna. in another aspect, the power transmission intensity of the transmitted signal could be varied, allowing the wake-up process of the rfid tag to be used to determine the distance. the wake-up process of the rfid tag may be initiated by the receipt of a radio frequency signal having a power greater than a threshold power. it is recognized that the power of a transmitted signal is attenuated over distance. thus, an rfid tag disposed at a distance resulting in an attenuated received signal will not enter the wake-up process. however, an rfid tag disposed at a closer distance may receive the transmitted signal at sufficient power to initiate the wake-up process. in either of these examples, the transmitter antenna transmits a power signal for receipt by the passive rfid tag on the end effector. on receipt of a transmitted signal having sufficient power, the rfid tag may wake up and then transmits a return rf signal to be received by the receiver antenna. this return signal could include a unique identifier that the system could use to measure the distance from itself to multiple devices within the operating site. returning to fig. 23 , in another aspect, a separate scanning array laser could be used for solely detecting the distances 200098 between itself and structures within the body 200099 . the scanning laser array could be cycled out of sequence from the primary visualization system 200086 to prevent interaction of the light from the distance finder and light from the primary visualization means. alternatively, an energy means outside of the sensing capability of the primary visualization array could be utilized. if the main visualization device could detect near infrared to near ultraviolet emr, then a light/emr source that transmits well into the ultraviolet spectrum could be used for the scanning laser array. alternatively ultrasonic, microwave, or rf could be used to move completely into another energy spectrum area to prevent interference between the scanning array and the visualization device. for example, ultrasonic diffuse and retroreflective sensors could be used determine distance and size of an object within its range through a gas medium (e.g., senix or pepperl+fuchs ultrasonic sensors). as one example, the distance measurement 200098 between the primary visualization system 200086 and a specific structure within the body 200099 may be used along with measurements to determine the position of a first target surgical instrument 200088 to calculate a distance between the first target surgical instrument 200088 and the specific structure within the body 200099 . as another example, contact ultrasound sensors could be used to interrogate tissues, fluids, and so on for imaging means. as yet another example, a combination of these two sources could be used to determine the tissue locations and the instrument locations within the insufflation gases of the patient's abdomen. in another aspect, infrared id and tracking can be used via projected light and a camera observing the or. for example, at least two separate reflectors or one reflector with aspect in at least two planes could be used to determine a location and an orientation of a target surgical instrument with respect to a trocar and then with respect to the scope image inside the patient. examples various aspects of the subject matter described herein are set out in the following numbered examples: example 1. a surgical system comprising: a first surgical device comprising a control circuit, the control circuit configured to: be situationally aware of events occurring within a vicinity of the first surgical device according to data received from a database, a patient monitoring device, or a paired surgical device, or any combination of the database, the patient monitoring device, or the paired surgical device; andwirelessly pair with a second surgical device according to a usage of the first surgical device and the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware. example 2. the surgical system of example 1, wherein events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware comprise a first user using the first surgical device and a second user using the second surgical device. example 3. the surgical system of example 2, wherein the events comprising the first user using the first surgical device comprise the first user grasping a handle of the first surgical device. example 4. the surgical system of example 3, wherein the events comprising the first user grasping a handle of the first surgical device comprise the first user grasping the handle of the first surgical device thereby allowing a transceiver in the handle of the first surgical device to communicate with an identifier worn by the first user and allowing, by the identifier, a communication between the first surgical device and a surgical hub. example 5. the surgical system of any one or more of examples 2 through 4, wherein events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware comprise a location of the first surgical device and a location of the second surgical device. example 6. the surgical system of example 5, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the location of the second surgical device based on a wireless signal transmitted by the second surgical device to the first surgical device. example 7. the surgical system of any one or more of examples 1 through 6, wherein the control circuit is further configured to simultaneously activate the first surgical device and the second surgical device each for a predetermined period of time when no tissue or patient is sensed. example 8. the surgical system of any one or more of examples 1 through 7, wherein the first surgical device is located within a sterile field and the second surgical device is located outside the sterile field when the first surgical device wirelessly pairs with the second surgical device. example 9. the surgical system of any one or more of examples 1 through 8, wherein the control circuit is further configured to wireless pair with a communication device. example 10. the surgical system of any one or more of examples 1 through 9, wherein events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware comprise a determination of a distance between the first surgical device and a tissue structure within a patient. example 11. a method comprising: being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of events occurring within a vicinity of a first surgical device according to data received from a database, a patient monitoring device, or a paired surgical device, or any combination of the database, the patient monitoring device, or the paired surgical device; andwirelessly pairing, by the control circuit, with a second surgical device according to a usage of the first surgical device and the events of which the first surgical device is situationally aware. example 12. the method of example 11, wherein being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, comprise being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user using the first surgical device and a second user using the second surgical device. example 13. the method of example 12, wherein being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user using the first surgical device comprises being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user grasping a handle of the first surgical device. example 14. the method of example 13, further comprising allowing a transceiver in the handle of the first surgical device to communicate with an identifier worn by the first user and allowing, by the identifier, a communication between the first surgical device and a surgical hub. example 15. the method of any one or more of examples 12 through 14, wherein being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a first user using the first surgical device and a second user using the second surgical device, comprises being situationally aware, by a control circuit within a first surgical device, of a location of the first surgical device and a location of the second surgical device. example 16. the method of example 15, further comprising determining, by the control circuit, the location of the second surgical device based on a wireless signal transmitted by the second surgical device to the first surgical device. example 17. the method of any one or more of examples 11 through 16, further comprising activating, by the control circuit, the first surgical device and the second surgical device each for a predetermined period of time when no tissue or patient is sensed. example 18. the method of any one or more of examples 11 through 17, wherein wirelessly pairing, by the control circuit, with a second surgical device according to a usage of the first surgical device comprises wirelessly pairing, by the control circuit, with a second surgical device outside of a sterile field when the first surgical device is located within the sterile field. example 19. the method of any one or more of examples 11 through 18, further comprising wirelessly pairing of the control circuit with a communication device. example 20. the method of any one or more of examples 11 through 19, further comprises determining, by the control circuit, a distance between the first surgical device and a tissue structure within a patient. while several forms have been illustrated and described, it is not the intention of applicant to restrict or limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. numerous modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, combinations, and equivalents to those forms may be implemented and will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. moreover, the structure of each element associated with the described forms can be alternatively described as a means for providing the function performed by the element. also, where materials are disclosed for certain components, other materials may be used. it is therefore to be understood that the foregoing description and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, combinations, and variations as falling within the scope of the disclosed forms. the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, modifications, and equivalents. the foregoing detailed description has set forth various forms of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the forms disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. in addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as one or more program products in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative form of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution. instructions used to program logic to perform various disclosed aspects can be stored within a memory in the system, such as dynamic random access memory (dram), cache, flash memory, or other storage. furthermore, the instructions can be distributed via a network or by way of other computer readable media. thus a machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer), but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disc, read-only memory (cd-roms), and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (roms), random access memory (ram), erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (eeprom), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or a tangible, machine-readable storage used in the transmission of information over the internet via electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). accordingly, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes any type of tangible machine-readable medium suitable for storing or transmitting electronic instructions or information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). as used in any aspect herein, the term “control circuit” may refer to, for example, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry (e.g., a computer processor including one or more individual instruction processing cores, processing unit, processor, microcontroller, microcontroller unit, controller, digital signal processor (dsp), programmable logic device (pld), programmable logic array (pla), or field programmable gate array (fpga)), state machine circuitry, firmware that stores instructions executed by programmable circuitry, and any combination thereof. the control circuit may, collectively or individually, be embodied as circuitry that forms part of a larger system, for example, an integrated circuit (ic), an application-specific integrated circuit (asic), a system on-chip (soc), desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, servers, smart phones, etc. accordingly, as used herein “control circuit” includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of random access memory), and/or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch, or optical-electrical equipment). those having skill in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in an analog or digital fashion or some combination thereof. as used in any aspect herein, the term “logic” may refer to an app, software, firmware and/or circuitry configured to perform any of the aforementioned operations. software may be embodied as a software package, code, instructions, instruction sets and/or data recorded on non-transitory computer readable storage medium. firmware may be embodied as code, instructions or instruction sets and/or data that are hard-coded (e.g., nonvolatile) in memory devices. as used in any aspect herein, the terms “component,” “system,” “module” and the like can refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. as used in any aspect herein, an “algorithm” refers to a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result, where a “step” refers to a manipulation of physical quantities and/or logic states which may, though need not necessarily, take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. it is common usage to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. these and similar terms may be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities and/or states. a network may include a packet switched network. the communication devices may be capable of communicating with each other using a selected packet switched network communications protocol. one example communications protocol may include an ethernet communications protocol which may be capable permitting communication using a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (tcp/ip). the ethernet protocol may comply or be compatible with the ethernet standard published by the institute of electrical and electronics engineers (ieee) titled “ieee 802.3 standard”, published in december, 2008 and/or later versions of this standard. alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may be capable of communicating with each other using an x.25 communications protocol. the x.25 communications protocol may comply or be compatible with a standard promulgated by the international telecommunication union-telecommunication standardization sector (itu-t). alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may be capable of communicating with each other using a frame relay communications protocol. the frame relay communications protocol may comply or be compatible with a standard promulgated by consultative committee for international telegraph and telephone (ccitt) and/or the american national standards institute (ansi). alternatively or additionally, the transceivers may be capable of communicating with each other using an asynchronous transfer mode (atm) communications protocol. the atm communications protocol may comply or be compatible with an atm standard published by the atm forum titled “atm-mpls network interworking 2.0” published august 2001, and/or later versions of this standard. of course, different and/or after-developed connection-oriented network communication protocols are equally contemplated herein. unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the foregoing disclosure, it is appreciated that, throughout the foregoing disclosure, discussions using terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “displaying,” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. one or more components may be referred to herein as “configured to,” “configurable to,” “operable/operative to,” “adapted/adaptable,” “able to,” “conformable/conformed to,” etc. those skilled in the art will recognize that “configured to” can generally encompass active-state components and/or inactive-state components and/or standby-state components, unless context requires otherwise. the terms “proximal” and “distal” are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating the handle portion of the surgical instrument. the term “proximal” refers to the portion closest to the clinician and the term “distal” refers to the portion located away from the clinician. it will be further appreciated that, for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, “up”, and “down” may be used herein with respect to the drawings. however, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and/or absolute. those skilled in the art will recognize that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). it will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. for example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. however, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. in addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of a, b, and c, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of a, b, and c” would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone, b alone, c alone, a and b together, a and c together, b and c together, and/or a, b, and c together, etc.). in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of a, b, or c, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of a, b, or c” would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone, b alone, c alone, a and b together, a and c together, b and c together, and/or a, b, and c together, etc.). it will be further understood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms unless context dictates otherwise. for example, the phrase “a or b” will be typically understood to include the possibilities of “a” or “b” or “a and b.” with respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will appreciate that recited operations therein may generally be performed in any order. also, although various operational flow diagrams are presented in a sequence(s), it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in other orders than those which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently. examples of such alternate orderings may include overlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental, simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless context dictates otherwise. furthermore, terms like “responsive to,” “related to,” or other past-tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictates otherwise. it is worthy to note that any reference to “one aspect,” “an aspect,” “an exemplification,” “one exemplification,” and the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the aspect is included in at least one aspect. thus, appearances of the phrases “in one aspect,” “in an aspect,” “in an exemplification,” and “in one exemplification” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects. any patent application, patent, non-patent publication, or other disclosure material referred to in this specification and/or listed in any application data sheet is incorporated by reference herein, to the extent that the incorporated materials is not inconsistent herewith. as such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material. in summary, numerous benefits have been described which result from employing the concepts described herein. the foregoing description of the one or more forms has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. it is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise form disclosed. modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. the one or more forms were chosen and described in order to illustrate principles and practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the various forms and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. it is intended that the claims submitted herewith define the overall scope.
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001-276-161-394-965
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US
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[
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G06K9/00,G06V20/52,G06V40/20,G08B13/196,H04L29/08,G08B21/02,H04L67/12,H04L67/306
| 2017-04-14T00:00:00 |
2017
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inmate tracking system in a controlled environment
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a monitoring system and a method for operating the monitoring system in an inmate tracking system in a controlled environment is disclosed. the monitoring system receives video and audio data from devices located within the controlled environment and organizes the video and audio data within profiles that allow for searches of the video and audio to be performed. the monitoring system analyzes the video and audio data and generates the profiles to include identified objects associated with the video and audio data.
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what is claimed is: a method for tracking an inmate within a controlled environment, comprising: receiving, by a monitoring system, a video, wherein the video is provided by at least one video camera within the controlled environment; performing, by the monitoring system, a video analysis of the video, wherein the video analysis comprises: performing image recognition on the video; analyzing inmate identification information from the video based at least in part on the image recognition; determining a match between the analyzed inmate identification information and profile data associated with a plurality of inmate profiles; identifying, from the plurality of inmate profiles, an inmate profile associated with the inmate based at least in part on the match; determining a location of the video based at least in part on location information of the at least one video camera, wherein the location information indicates a physical location of the at least one video camera in a defined area within the controlled environment; and updating an inmate location history in the inmate profile by associating the inmate profile with the location of the video. the method of claim 1, wherein the determining the match comprises performing a comparison between the analyzed inmate identification information and the profile data, wherein the inmate identification information comprises a face. the method of claim 2, wherein the profile data comprises facial data associated with the inmate and the determining the match further comprises: performing facial recognition on the inmate identification information; receiving a result based on the facial recognition; and comparing the result with the facial data. the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether to send an alert based on at least one of the analyzed inmate identification information and the location of the video. the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a search request, wherein the search request includes at least one parameter associated with the inmate and wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of: a serial number associated with the inmate, a name of the inmate, and an identifying mark associated with the inmate; performing a search comparison between the at least one parameter and the profile data, wherein the search comparison comprises determining a search match between the at least one parameter and the profile data; and returning a search result based at least in part on the search comparison. the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the monitoring system, audio information, wherein the audio information is provided by the at least one video camera or a standalone microphone; and performing, by the monitoring system, an audio analysis of the audio information, wherein the audio analysis comprises: performing audio recognition on the audio information; and determining an identity of the inmate based at least in part on the audio recognition. the method of claim 1, wherein updating the inmate profile comprises: generating a video clip from the video, wherein the video clip includes the analyzed inmate identification information; and associating the video clip with the inmate profile. a monitoring system for tracking an inmate within a controlled environment, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to: establish a first connection with a video camera within the controlled environment; establish a second connection with an audio device within the controlled environment; receive video from the video camera through the first connection, wherein the video comprises first location information of the video camera; receive audio from the audio device within the controlled environment through the second connection, wherein the audio comprises second location information of the audio device; analyze the video and audio to retrieve inmate identification information from the video and audio; retrieve an inmate profile associated with the inmate based at least in part on performing a comparison between the retrieved inmate identification information and profile data stored in the inmate profile associated with the inmate, wherein the comparison comprises determining whether the retrieved inmate identification information in the video and audio matches the profile data; based at least in part on the comparison, update the inmate profile to include at least one of the first location information of the video or the second location information of the audio. 9. the monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the retrieved inmate identification information comprises a face. 10. the monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the profile data comprises facial data associated with the inmate and wherein the processor is further configured to: perform facial recognition on the retrieved inmate identification information; receive a result based on the facial recognition; and compare the result with the facial data. 11. the monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine whether to send an alert based on at least one of the retrieved inmate identification information and the first location information of the video. 12. the monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive a search request, wherein the search request includes at least one parameter associated with the inmate and wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of: a serial number associated with the inmate, a name of the inmate, and an identifying mark associated with the inmate; perform a search comparison between the at least one parameter and the profile data, wherein the search comparison comprises determining a match between the at least one parameter and the profile data; and return a search result based at least in part on the search comparison. the monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the profile data comprises at least one of facial data associated with the inmate, a serial number associated with the inmate, and a location history associated with the inmate. the monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: perform an audio analysis of the audio, wherein the audio analysis comprises: performing audio recognition on the audio; and determining the inmate profile based at least in part on the audio recognition. the monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate a video clip from the video, wherein the video clip includes the retrieved inmate identification information; and associate the video clip with the inmate profile. a method for tracking an inmate within a controlled environment, comprising: receiving, by a monitoring system, a search request, wherein the search request includes at least one parameter associated with the inmate; performing, by the monitoring system, a search comparison between the at least one parameter and profile data associated with at least one of an inmate profile and a location profile, wherein the search comparison comprises searching a profile data for at least one video that is tagged with the at least one parameter; identifying the at least one video based on determining a match between the at least one parameter and the profile data; based at least in part on the match, retrieving the at least one video from a video source, wherein the at least one video comprises metadata identifying the inmate and a location in the controlled environment; and returning a search result based at least in part on the search comparison, wherein the search result comprises the at least one video and the metadata. 17. the method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of: a serial number associated with the inmate, a name of the inmate, and an identifying mark associated with the inmate. 18. the method of claim 16, wherein the profile data includes archived videos received, by the monitoring system, from at least one camera located in the controlled environment. 19. the method of claim 16, wherein the video source comprises a database or a video camera. 20. the method of claim 16, wherein the search request is at least one of a real-time search request or an archived search request.
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inmate tracking system in a controlled environment background field [0001] this disclosure relates to tracking inmates within a controlled environment through the use of video and audio analysis including object identification and audio recognition. background [0002] in a controlled environment, such as a correctional facility or prison, keeping track of inmates and their behaviors is essential to maintaining the safety of the controlled environment and other inmates. prior art methods can be either tedious, requiring manual inspection and interaction by guards, or expensive, requiring specialized devices, such as wristbands, attached to each inmate (which itself may require a guard to manually scan each device). specialized devices may include radio-frequency chips to allow for easier tracking but such specialized devices require battery replacement or recharging. moreover, specialized devices require expensive infrastructure to support the tracking of the specialized devices through the controlled environment. brief description of the drawings/figures [0003] the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the embodiments. [0004] fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary inmate tracking system, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0005] fig. 2a illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of video cameras in a prison for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0006] fig. 2b illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of video cameras and standalone microphones in a prison for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0007] fig. 2c illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of standalone microphones in a prison for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0008] fig. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary monitoring system for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0009] fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary video camera for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0010] fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary inmate profile for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0011] fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary location profile for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0012] fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart diagram of an exemplary method for analyzing and indexing video for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0013] fig. 8 illustrates a flowchart diagram of an exemplary method for analyzing and indexing video and/or audio for use in the exemplary tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0014] fig. 9 illustrates a flowchart diagram of an exemplary method for processing search requests of video for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0015] fig. 10 illustrates a flowchart diagram of an exemplary method for analyzing video and detecting certain activity for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [0016] fig. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a general purpose computer that may be used to perform various aspects of the present disclosure. [0017] the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. in the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. additionally, the left most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. detailed description [0018] the following detailed description refers to accompanying drawings to illustrate exemplary embodiments consistent with the disclosure. references in the detailed description to "one exemplary embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," "an example exemplary embodiment," etc., indicate that the exemplary embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every exemplary embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same exemplary embodiment. further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an exemplary embodiment, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the relevant art(s) to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other exemplary embodiments whether or not explicitly described. [0019] the exemplary embodiments described herein are provided for illustrative purposes, and are not limiting. other exemplary embodiments are possible, and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. therefore, the detailed description is not meant to limit the disclosure. rather, the scope of the disclosure is defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. [0020] embodiments may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuits), firmware, software, or any combination thereof. embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. a machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). for example, a machine-readable medium may include read only memory (rom); random access memory (ram); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.), and others. further, firmware, software, routines, instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions. however, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions in fact result from computing devices, processors, controllers, or other devices executing the firmware, software, routines, instructions, etc. further, any of the implementation variations may be carried out by a general purpose computer, as described below. [0021] for purposes of this discussion, any reference to the term "module" shall be understood to include at least one of software, firmware, and hardware (such as one or more circuit, microchip, or device, or any combination thereof), and any combination thereof. in addition, it will be understood that each module may include one, or more than one, component within an actual device, and each component that forms a part of the described module may function either cooperatively or independently of any other component forming a part of the module. conversely, multiple modules described herein may represent a single component within an actual device. further, components within a module may be in a single device or distributed among multiple devices in a wired or wireless manner. [0022] the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the disclosure that others can, by applying knowledge of those skilled in relevant art(s), readily modify and/or customize for various applications such exemplary embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. therefore, such modifications are intended to be within the meaning and plurality of equivalents of the exemplary embodiments based upon the teaching and guidance presented herein. it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by those skilled in relevant art(s) in light of the teachings herein. exemplary inmate tracking system [0023] fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary inmate tracking system 100, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. in some embodiments, inmate tracking system 100 includes a controlled environment 101, such as a prison, a monitoring system 109, and a network 108 that provides communications between controlled environment 101 and monitoring system 109. in some embodiments, monitoring system 109 is co-located with controlled environment 101, such as in a designated room within controlled environment 101. in other embodiments, monitoring system 109 may be located remotely from controlled environment 101. network 108 may include any or all of a local-area network (lan), a wide- area network (wan), or the internet, depending on the location of monitoring system 109 in relation to controlled environment 101. for example, network 108 is implemented as a lan when monitoring system 109 is co-located with controlled environment 101. in another example, network 108 is implemented as a wan or the internet when monitoring system 109 is located at remotely from controlled environment 101. [0024] in some embodiments, inmate tracking system 100 also includes network 110 and workstations 111 and 112. although only two workstations are depicted in fig. 1 for simplicity, any number of workstations are within the scope of the disclosure. network 110 may include any or all of a local- area network (lan), a wide- area network (wan), or the internet, depending on the location of workstation 111 and/or workstation 112 in relation to monitoring system 109. for example, network 110 is implemented as a lan when workstation 111 and/or workstation 112 is co-located with monitoring system 109. in another example, network 110 is implemented as a wan or the internet when workstation 111 and/or workstation 112 is located remotely from monitoring system 109. workstations 111-112 provide authorized personnel access to inmate tracking features of monitoring system 109 which are discussed in additional detail herein. [0025] in some embodiments, controlled environment 101 includes video cameras 102a- 102c, an access point 103, mobile devices 104a-104b, digital video recorder 105, and standalone microphone 113. although only one access point, one digital video recorder, one standalone microphone, and three video cameras are depicted in fig. 1 for simplicity, any number of access points, digital video recorders, and video cameras are within the scope of the disclosure. similarly, although only two mobile devices are depicted in fig. 1 for simplicity, any number of mobile devices are within the scope of the disclosure. moreover, although only one monitoring system is depicted in fig. 1 for simplicity, any number of monitoring systems are within the scope of the disclosure. for example, a number of monitoring systems can be distributed throughout controlled environment 101 and can communicate with each other over a network, such as network 108. [0026] in some embodiments, video cameras 102a-102c are implemented throughout controlled environment 101. for example, one or more video cameras can be implemented in each room of controlled environment 101. video cameras 102a-102b can provide and receive information through access point 103 and video camera 102c can provide information through digital video recorder 105. access point 103 receives data from and provides data to network 108 through connection 106. digital video recorder 105 receives data from and provides data to network 108 through connection 107. in some embodiments, connections 106 and 107 are wired connections, such as using a usb or ethernet cable. in some embodiments, connections 106 and 107 are wireless connections, such as bluetooth™ or wi-fi. access point 103 can be implemented as any device that provides network access such as, but not limited to, a router, a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop device. digital video recorder 105 can be implemented as any device that records, processes, and stores video data received from video camera 102c. both access point 103 and digital video recorder 105 can provide video data received from video cameras 102a-102c to monitoring system 109 through network 108. [0027] in some embodiments, video cameras 102a-102c have wired and/or wireless communication capabilities. for example, video camera 102a communicates with network 108 through a wired connection, such as through a usb or ethernet cable, with access point 103. video camera 102b communicates with network 108 through a wireless connection, such as bluetooth™ or wi-fi, with access point 103 which relays information to and from video cameras 102 a and 102b. video camera 102c can communicate with network 108 through a wired connection, such as through a usb or a video/power cable that provides both video communication and power capabilities to video camera 102c. in some embodiments, video cameras can be connected to both access point 103 and digital video recorder 105. for example, video camera 102c has communication interfaces that enable connections to both access point 103 and digital video recorder 105. accordingly, video data from video camera 102c can be stored in digital video recorder 105 and transmitted through access point 103. [0028] in some embodiments, any or all of video cameras 102a-102c can have infrared capability through the implementation of a thermal sensor. in some embodiments, any or all of video cameras 102a-102c have "smart" capability and can pre-process video data prior to sending the video data to monitoring system 109. examples of pre-processing include but are not limited to performing preliminary object detection, image recognition, object tagging, behavior identification, and alert functionality. in such embodiments, the pre-processed information and the video data are transmitted to monitoring system 109. in some embodiments, in order to save bandwidth, only the pre-processed information is transmitted and the video data can be subsequently transmitted, such as at night when bandwidth usage of the system is lower. [0029] mobile devices 104a-104b are handheld devices and can be used by authorized personnel of controlled environment 101. in some embodiments, mobile devices 104a- 104b are provided by controlled environment 101 to its employees, such as prison guards, for use to interact with and receive alerts as part of inmate tracking system 100. for example, mobile devices 104a-104b are in communication with monitoring system 109 through network 108 and can receive messages and other information sent by monitoring system 109. mobile devices 104a-104b also are in communication with video cameras 102a-102c and can receive video streams and other information sent by video cameras 102a-102c. mobile devices 104a-104b can communicate with network 108 through access point 103 using a wireless connection such as bluetooth™ or wi-fi. mobile devices 104a-104b can also have cellular networking capability, such as 4g and/or long term evolution (lte), and can communicate with monitoring system 109 through a cellular network. [0030] in some embodiments, standalone microphone 113 can be implemented throughout controlled environment 101. for example, one or more standalone microphones can be implemented in each room of controlled environment 101. standalone microphone 113 can provide and receive audio information through access point 103 and/or digital video recorder 105. access point 103 receives data from and provides data to network 108 through connection 106. digital video recorder 105 receives data from and provides data to network 108 through connection 107. both access point 103 and digital video recorder 105 can provide audio data received from standalone microphone 113 to monitoring system 109 through network 108. in some embodiments, standalone microphone 113 has wired and/or wireless communication capabilities. for example, standalone microphone 113 communicates with network 108 through a wired connection, such as through a usb or ethernet cable, with access point 103 and may also communicate with network 108 through a wireless connection, such as bluetooth™ or wi-fi. [0031] fig. 2a illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of video cameras in a prison 200 for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. prison 200 represents an exemplary embodiment of controlled environment 101 of fig. 1. in some embodiments, prison 200 includes cell block 201, dining hall 202, video conference room 203, commissary 204, hallway 205, and exercise yard 206. while fig. 2 depicts prison 200 with these defined areas, other implementations, layouts, number of areas, and types of areas are within the scope of the disclosure. each defined area of prison 200 can be configured with a video camera for recording and transmitting video information for its area. for example, video camera 207a is installed in cell block 201, video camera 207b is installed in dining hall 202, video camera 207c is installed in hallway 205, video camera 207d is installed in video conference room 203, video camera 207e is installed in commissary 204, and video camera 207f is installed in exercise yard 206. fig. 2 merely depicts an exemplary configuration of video cameras. other configurations, such as increased number of cameras in each area and the placement of cameras in each area, are within the scope of the disclosure. in some embodiments, prison 200 also includes mobile device 208, access point 209, and digital video recorder 210 which represent an exemplary embodiments of mobile devices 104a-104b, access point 103, and digital video recorder 105 of fig. 1 respectively. although only one mobile device, one access point, and one digital video recorder are depicted in fig. 2 for simplicity, any number of mobile devices, access points, and digital video recorders within prison 200 are within the scope of the disclosure. in some embodiments, mobile device 208 can be implemented as, but not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet, or a handheld device. in some embodiments, prison 200 provides mobile device 208 to authorized personnel such as a guard. access point 209 provides network communication to devices such as video cameras 207d-207f and mobile device 208 in prison 200 including receiving and transmitting video data from video cameras 207c-f. digital video recorder 210 records and transmits video data from video cameras 207a-207c. network communication may include wireless connections, such as bluetooth™ or wi-fi connections, or a wired connection such as a usb cable and a ethernet cable. in prison 200, video cameras 207a-207f provide video data (and, in some embodiments, audio data) to monitoring system 109 for tracking the movements and determining locations of people, including inmates and guards, within prison 200. functions of monitoring system 109 with respect to video (and audio analysis) are discussed further with respect to fig. 3. [0033] fig. 2b illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of video cameras and standalone microphones in a prison 250 for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. prison 250 represents an exemplary embodiment of controlled environment 101 of fig. 1. in some embodiments, prison 250 has a similar implementation of devices as prison 200, discussed with respect to fig. 2a, but further includes standalone microphones 213 a- 213f. [0034] standalone microphones 213a-213f can be configured to detect and record sounds at various locations of prison 250. for example, in some embodiments, standalone microphones 213a-213f are positioned in each area of prison 250. other implementations, such as the number of standalone microphones, their positions with prison 250, and the layout of the prison 250 are within the scope of the invention. [0035] standalone microphones 213a-213f can record surrounding sounds proximate to their location and independently of video cameras 207a-207f. in some embodiments, standalone microphones 213a-213f are connected to access point 209 and/or digital video recorder 210. when connected to either access point 209 or digital video recorder 210, standalone microphones 213a-213f provide recorded audio data to monitoring system 109 over network 108 for further analysis. in prison 250, video cameras 207a- 207f and standalone microphones 213 a-f provide video data and audio data to monitoring system 109 for tracking the movements and determining locations of people, including inmates and guards, within prison 250. functions of monitoring system 109 with respect to video and audio analysis are discussed further with respect to fig. 3. [0036] when connected to access point 209, standalone microphones 213a-213f provide recorded audio data for storage in monitoring system 300, such as in database 336. when connected to digital video recorder 210, standalone microphones 213a-213f provide recorded audio data for storage in digital video recorder 210 for later retrieval by monitoring system 300. for example, monitoring system 300 can retrieve recorded audio data from digital video recorder 105 at a predetermined schedule such as on a specific day or days at a specific time or times. standalone microphones 213a-213f may further include automatic gain control (agc) for increasing the microphones ability to detect and record sounds in a variety of ambient noise locations. [0037] fig. 2c illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of standalone microphones in a prison 280 for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. other implementations, such as the number of standalone microphones, their positions with prison 250, and the layout of the prison 250 are within the scope of the invention. [0038] prison 280 represents an exemplary embodiment of controlled environment 101 of fig. 1. prison 280 has a similar layout as prison 200, discussed with respect to fig. 2a, but only includes standalone microphones 213a-213f. as discussed with respect to fig. 2b, standalone microphones 213a-213f may be connected to access point 209 and/or digital video recorder 210. in prison 290, standalone microphones 213 a-f provide audio data to monitoring system 109 for tracking the movements and determining locations of people, including inmates and guards, within prison 250. functions of monitoring system 109 with respect to audio analysis are discussed further with respect to monitoring system 300 in fig. 3. standalone microphones 213a-213f may further include automatic gain control (agc) for increasing the microphones ability to detect and record sounds in a variety of ambient noise locations. exemplary monitoring system [0039] fig. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a monitoring system 300 for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. in some embodiments, monitoring system 300 represents an exemplary embodiment of monitoring system 109 of fig. 1. monitoring system 300 includes but is not limited to processing subsystem 310, database 336, and one or more workstation(s) 338. processing subsystem 310 includes one or more processors, computers, or servers identified as subsystems and can be constructed as individual physical hardware devices, or as virtual devices, such as a virtual server. the number of processing subsystems can be scaled to match the number of simultaneous user connections desired to be supported by an inmate tracking system such as inmate tracking system 100 of fig. 1. processors of processing subsystem 310 control the operation of communication subsystem 312, authentication subsystem 314, video analysis subsystem 316, and audio analysis subsystem 340. [0040] in an embodiment, communication subsystem 312 controls the routing of video data between devices in prison 200 and monitoring system 300. further, communication subsystem 312 logs information related to the video data, including but not limited to timestamps, identification of inmates within the video data, identification of behavior within the video data, and stores the logs and video data as files. the files stored by communication subsystem 312 can be stored indefinitely for use by monitoring system 109 in monitoring and investigation of inmates in prison 200. in an embodiment, communication subsystem 312 is configured to receive video data from video cameras 102a-102c and communicate with mobile devices 104a-104b. [0041] authentication subsystem 314 collects and stores identity data of inmates within inmate tracking system 100. identity data includes but is not limited to at least one of a username and password data, challenge questions, challenge answers, biometric data, device data such as make and model of a communication device, and/or location data. biometric data includes one or more of a finger print, a hand print, a voice sample, an iris or retinal sample, a facial image of the user (2d or 3d), a gait identification, a hand geometry, a signature identification, an infrared camera identification, or any other biometric as deemed appropriate. authentication subsystem 314 is further configured to facilitate a secure communication between video cameras 207a-207f within prison 200 and monitoring system 300. [0042] in some embodiments, authentication subsystem 314 also includes identity data of authorized personnel of inmate tracking system 100 utilizing mobile devices 104a-104b. authentication subsystem 314 ensures that mobile devices 104a-104b are utilized by the correct personnel and allows mobile devices 104a-104b to log into inmate tracking system 100. once logged in, mobile devices 104a-104b can receive alerts from monitoring system 109, can receive video feeds from video cameras 102a-102c, and otherwise access tracking functionality provided by monitoring system 109. [0043] video analysis subsystem 316 further includes, but is not limited to, object identification module 318, inmate identification module 320, profile module 322, alert module 324, behavior analysis 326, gait analysis 328, search module 330, clip generator 332, graphical user interface (gui) module 334. although multiple modules are depicted in fig. 3, any number of modules for performing the features of video analysis subsystem 316 is within the scope of the disclosure. for example, video analysis subsystem 316 can include a single module for performing the features described herein. in some embodiments, video analysis subsystem 316 receives and processes video data received from video cameras in inmate tracking system 100. processing the video data can include, but is not limited to, identifying objects within the video data, performing image recognition of the data, performing requested searches of inmates or identifiers, performing predefined analysis routines on video data, and updating inmate profiles based on the analyzed video. objects are any identifiable item within video data and can include but are not limited to persons (e.g. inmates, guards), identifying marks (e.g., tattoos), physical objects (e.g., knives), and behaviors (e.g., fights) occurring within video data. [0044] in some embodiments, object identification module 318 processes video data by detecting objects within each frame of the video to differentiate between people and objects within the video data. object identification module 318 identifies object identification information within the video data. examples of object identification information include but are not limited to facial data and object data. object identification module 318 identifies facial data of people within the video data and transmits the identified facial data to inmate identification module 320 to identify the person or persons in the video. object data within a video can include identifying marks of inmates such as serial numbers located on the uniforms, tattoos, and scars, as well as detecting illegal or legal objects within the prison such as weapons or mobile devices. object identification module 318 transmits any object data, such as possible identifying marks to inmate identification module 320 to identify the person or persons in the video. video data also includes a camera identifier of the camera that captured the video. the camera identifier can be used by video analysis subsystem 316 to determine the location where the video was captured. [0045] object analysis performed by object identification module 318 can include retrieving images stored in database 336 and comparing object data from the video with the retrieved images. images in database 336 can include images of allowed and restricted objects that have been approved by administrators of the controlled environment. for example, images of allowed objects can include, but are not limited to, approved mobile devices. images of restricted objects can include, but are not limited to, contraband items such as mobile devices and weapons. [0046] in some embodiments, assigning specific objects to an inmate includes associating images of the specific objects to the inmate's profile (as discussed further with respect to fig. 5). accordingly, objects identified by object identification module 318 and inmates identified by inmate identification module 320 (discussed further below) can be cross- referenced with the inmate's profile to determine whether the held object is associated with the inmate, with another inmate, or is contraband. for example, monitoring system 300 receives a video that includes a clip of an inmate holding a mobile device. object identification module 318 can identify the mobile device and inmate identification module 320 can identify the inmate. either object identification module 318 or inmate identification module 320 can then determine, based on the inmate's profile whether the identified mobile device corresponds to the identified inmate. as further discussed below with respect to alert module 324, alerts can be conditioned on detection of contraband items or objects in possession by the wrong inmate. [0047] in some embodiments, inmate identification module 320 receives possible identifying information, such as facial data, serial numbers, tattoos, and scars, from object identification module 318. inmate identification module 320 attempts to match the received identifying information to stored identifying information. stored identifying information can be stored within inmate profiles in any database accessible to monitoring system 300 such as database 336. inmate profiles are described in more detail with regard to fig. 5. in some embodiments, inmate identification module 320 formats the identifying information so that it can be compared to the stored identifying information. facial data can include but is not limited to facial data points representing the characteristics of a person's face such as distances between eyes, nose, and mouth and shapes of the eyes, nose, mouth, jaw. facial data can also include a facial identifier created from, for example, a hash function, of the facial data points. [0048] inmate identification module 320 can send the formatted (if necessary) identifying information to profile module 322 which searches data in profiles stored in database 336. for example, upon receiving facial data, inmate identification module 320 can format the facial data into a format that can be compared with facial data stored in inmate profiles. for example, facial data stored in inmate and location profiles may include a different number of facial data points or store the facial data as a facial identifier. if the facial data from object identification module 318, inmate identification module 320 can convert the facial data into a facial identifier that can be used by profile module 322. profile module 322 performs the comparison between the facial data received from inmate identification module 320 and facial data stored in inmate and location profiles. profile module 322 can return a list of possible matches and a confidence score which indicates the similarity between the facial data of the video data and in the inmate and location profiles. [0049] inmate identification module 320 can also attempt to identify persons in video through other identifying marks such as identification placed on uniforms or body marks. for example, object identification module 318 can detect certain numbers or marks on a uniform and transmit these numbers to inmate identification module 320. inmate identification module 320 can determine the numbers and submits a request to profile module 322 to determine whether the determined numbers correspond to any inmate's serial number by searching inmate and location profiles for the determined numbers. similar search functionality applies for other identifying marks such as tattoos or scars. [0050] inmate identification module 320 can also maintain a count of and track inmates within a specific location over a defined time duration. for example, inmates can be required to walk past video camera 207b in dining hall 202 before being allowed to obtain their food. inmate identification module 320 can confirm the identity of each inmate before being allowed in line. in this manner, inmate identification module 320 can track the number of inmates in dining hall 202 and prevent inmates from doubling back in line in an attempt to obtain a second meal. the information from inmate identification module 320 is stored in appropriate inmate profiles based on the identified inmates in the video data and also is used by other modules in video analysis subsystem 316. for example, if inmate identification module 320 identifies that an inmate is attempting to enter the line in dining hall 202 a second time, alert module 324 (discussed further below) can send an appropriate alert message to authorized personnel based on the relevant alert rule. [0051] while previous discussion of inmate identification module 320 has been limited to identifying inmates, inmate identification module 320 can also identify employees of prison 200 such as the guards based on the same principles of facial recognition and object identification. [0052] profile module 322 also updates inmate and location profiles based on the identified information from inmate identification module 320. for example, if inmate identification module 320 identifies a certain inmate in a certain area of profile module 322, profile module 322 will update the inmate's profile to indicate the inmate's location history as well as the location profile to identify the inmate. the location history can include the name of the area, the time and date that the inmate was detected in the area, a screen shot of the inmate from the video, and/or a clip of the video in which the inmate was identified. [0053] in some embodiments, alert module 324 sends alerts to designated officials such as guards having mobile devices 104a-104b and/or workstations 111-112. alerts can be triggered based on rules established my administrators of controlled environment 101. for example, rules can specify sending alert messages based on conditions such as detecting a certain inmate in an unauthorized area of controlled environment 101, detecting restricted behavior by an inmate or inmates, detecting that a certain inmate is not present in a mandatory area, such as his cell, at a specific time, detecting that certain persons of different known gangs are in proximity to each other. alert module 324 can store the alert rules in memory internal to alert module 324 or external memory such as database 336. alert rules can be location-based rules (e.g., an inmate is not allowed in video conference room 203 or exercise yard and authorized personnel should be alerted when the inmate is detected in these locations), behavior-based rules (e.g., authorized personnel are to be alerted when behavior analysis 326 detects a potential fight), relationship-based rules (e.g., authorized personnel are to be alerted when an inmate is detected near another inmate), or object-based rules (e.g., detection of contraband, detection of objects held by the incorrect inmate). [0054] in some embodiments, behavior analysis 326 receives video data from object identification module 318 and, utilizing behavior algorithms, analyzes the video data to identify any behaviors in the video data. in some embodiments, behavior analysis 326 performs its analysis in real-time based on video streamed to monitoring system 300. real-time analysis of behavior in video can be linked to rules in alert module 324 and alert messages can be triggered based on behavior-based rules. behaviors include, but are not limited to, fights, suicide attempts, threats, and assaults. behavior algorithms can work with other modules of video analysis subsystem 316 to identify behaviors based on, for example, a predefined number of people within the video, the location in which the video was captured, the identified people within the video, and the types of movements occurring in the video. [0055] for example, inmate identification module 320 can detect a number of different people within a video, profile module 322 can identify the different people as being involved in different known gangs who have a history of hostile behavior, and behavior analysis 326 can determine that the different people are within a certain proximity of each other or are walking towards each other. behavior algorithms can utilize this information to determine that a fight is occurring or is imminent. as another example, behavior algorithms can detect a number of fast movements occurring in the video data of video camera 207b in dining hall 202. based on these factors, behavior algorithms can determine that a fight is occurring and sends the determination to alert module 324 for triggering the appropriate alert messages and to profile module 322 for updating profiles to indicate their involvement in the fight and the location where the fight is taking place. [0056] in some embodiments, gait analysis 328 attempts to identify persons based on the detected gait in video data. inmate identification module 320 can detect the gait or walking mechanics of a person in the video data and send this detected information to gait analysis 328. gait analysis 328 then compares the received detected information to stored gait information for each prisoner and employee of controlled environment 101. gait information of each inmate can be stored each inmate's inmate profile (e.g., 500 in fig. 5). gait information includes data points regarding the inmate's biomechanics while walking such as the positioning of the inmate's arms, legs, feet, head, and body. moreover, the stored gait information in the inmate profile can be continuously updated over time while the inmates are in prison. for example, gait analysis 328 can analyze each video of the inmate walking in prison captured by video cameras determine data points regarding the inmate's biomechanics while walking. gait analysis 328 can then update the inmate's profile based on the additional data points. such a feature accommodates changes to an inmate's gait such as from an injury. [0057] in some embodiments, search module 330 receives search requests from authorized personnel such as through workstation(s) 338 and/or mobile devices 104a- 104b. a search request can include the name of an inmate and/or employee, the names of multiple inmates and/or employees an identifying mark such as a tattoo, a specific location in prison 200 (e.g., cell block 201, dining hall 202, or hallway 205), a specific time window (e.g., a date and time period), and a specific event (e.g., a fight, video conferences). search requests may include a text entry such as typing an inmate's name through a browser or application on workstation(s) 338 and/or mobile devices 104a- 104b, an image such as a scanned photo or photo downloaded from an external mug shot database. for example, a search request can include the names or identifying information for two inmates and search module 330 searches stored video data for any video that includes the two inmates. [0058] in some embodiments, clip generator 332 processes video data into shorter video clips based on people identified in the video data and the type of behavior identified in the video data. the shorter video clips can then be stored in inmate profiles based on the identified inmates and/or in database 336. processing the video data into shorter video clips can reduce the storage needed to store the video data and can increase the speed for searching. for example, clip generator 332 can generate video clips of an certain inmate based on received video data and stores the generated video clips in the inmate's profile for easy access and retrieval. similarly, clip generator 332 can generate video for any behavior such as fights which allows authorized personnel to quickly search for all clips that include fights. [0059] in some embodiments, gui module 334 adds visual annotations to stored video data and generated video clips to aid authorized personnel during a search. gui module 334 receives identification information from inmate identification module 320 and adds visual annotations such as a tag placed adjacent to the identified inmate in the video data or clip. [0060] in some embodiments, processing subsystem 310 further includes an audio analysis subsystem 340 for processing audio data from video cameras 207a-f and/or standalone microphones 213 a-f. in some embodiments, audio analysis subsystem 340 includes voice recognition module 342 and ambient noise module 344. analysis of audio data can include voice recognition, performed by voice recognition module 342. for example, audio analysis subsystem 340 can parse audio data to detect voices within the audio data, generates an audio clip that includes the detected voice, and provides the generated audio clip to inmate identification module 320. in some embodiments, inmate identification module 320 can perform voice recognition through stored biometric information. for example, inmate identification module 320 can retrieve a voice sample from inmate profiles and compare the voice sample with the voices identified in the video data. inmate identification module 320 can then identify an inmate on the basis of this comparison. [0061] audio analysis can further include decibel detection, performed by ambient noise module 344. for example, video analysis subsystem 316 can detect the decibels of sound recorded in the video and perform voice recognition of voices in the video data. the decibels and voice recognition can be used by behavior analysis 326 as part of its determination as to the type of behavior in the video data (e.g., loud sounds can indicate a fight). [0062] audio data provided by standalone microphones 213 a-f further includes location information within a prison. location information of standalone microphones 213 a-f allows monitoring system 300 to correlate analysis of audio data with corresponding analysis of video data based on a specific location. location information of standalone microphones 213 further allows monitoring system 300 to tag audio data based on location and store the audio data in appropriate profiles for later retrieval. audio data further includes timestamp information to indicate the date and time of the audio data. [0063] in some embodiments, audio data can be used to supplement video analysis performed by video analysis subsystem 316. audio analysis subsystem 340 can perform audio analysis independently of video analysis and the results of the analysis by audio analysis subsystem 340 can be used to increase confidence and reduce false positives in the results of analysis by video analysis subsystem 316. for example, video analysis subsystem 316 can analyze video data (e.g., image recognition) to determine the identities of inmates within the video data. similarly, audio analysis subsystem 340 can analyze audio data (e.g., audio recognition) to also determine the identifies of inmates within the audio data. the results of the image recognition and audio recognition can be compared to increase or decrease confidence by reducing false positives in the results of the analysis. [0064] in some embodiments, audio analysis subsystem 340 can perform real-time monitoring and analysis of audio data provided by standalone microphones 213a-f. transmitting video data has greater bandwidth requirements than transmitting audio data because audio data is typically smaller in file size compared to video data. accordingly, some prisons may desire to rely primarily on audio data analysis to reduce strain on the prison's network infrastructure. accordingly, monitoring system 300 can implement tracking features through analysis of audio data. for example, audio analysis subsystem 340 performs location determination through audio recognition of audio data received from a microphone within standalone microphones 213a-213f to identify inmate or inmates within a certain area of a prison. audio analysis subsystem 340 can perform movement tracking by correlating identified inmates, the location information of standalone microphones 213 a-f, and timestamp information of the audio data to estimate the movement of inmates through different areas of the prison. [0065] database 336 includes any number of databases and/or servers, and stores and organizes data in a relational database. database 336 runs a database management system, such as mysql™, to provide an example. database 336 also includes organized data such that respective identity data, authentication data, jurisdictional requirements and rules, and settings that are indexed and linked to allow access to video data for each of the parties. database 336 can store analyzed audio data, unprocessed audio data, unprocessed video data, analyzed video, generated audio clips, generated video clips, inmate profiles, and any other information associated with inmate tracking system 100. database 336 also stores metadata associated with videos and audio. metadata of videos include inmates identified within the videos, locations of video cameras where the videos were recorded, and any other objects or identifying information identified within the videos as determined by video analysis subsystem 316 and audio analysis subsystem 340. [0066] workstation(s) 338 provides access to features of monitoring system 300. workstation(s) 338 includes applications that allow for authorized personnel to search for video data and/or clips based on search queries, view real-time video data, view stored video data, receive alert messages, and provide alert conditions for triggering the alert messages. exemplary video camera [0067] fig. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a video camera 400 for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. in some embodiments, video camera 400 represents an exemplary embodiment of video cameras 102a-102c of fig. 1. video camera 400 includes but is not limited to processor circuitry 410, imaging sensor 420, tracking circuitry 430, communication interfaces 440, and microphone 450. [0068] processor circuitry 410 includes one or more processors 411, circuitry, and/or logic configured to control the overall operation of video camera 400, including the operation of imaging sensor 420, tracking circuitry, communication interfaces 440, and microphone 450. processor circuitry 410 further includes memory 412 to store data and instructions. memory 412 may be any well-known volatile and/or non-volatile memory that is removable and/or non-removable. [0069] imaging sensor 420 depends on the type of video camera 400. in some embodiments, imaging sensor 420 can be implemented as a charge coupled device (ccd) or complementary metal oxide semiconductor) cmos sensor for video camera 400. in some embodiments, if video camera 400 is an infrared camera, imaging sensor 420 is implemented as a ccd sensor, a cmos sensor, or a specialized infrared sensitive image sensor. [0070] in some embodiments, video camera 400 includes tracking circuitry 430 that can perform certain inmate tracking features such as object detection and sending alerts. tracking circuitry 430 includes alert module 431 and tracking module 432. alert module 431 can be configured to transmit alerts based on certain conditions detected by tracking module 432. in some embodiments, video camera 400 lacks the processing capability of monitoring system 300 and therefore only performs certain real-time analysis of video data in tracking module 432. a function of tracking module 432 includes detecting the presence of a person or persons within video data. alert module 431 can include a rule that triggers an alert conditioned on the detection of any person within a restricted area during a specific time of day (e.g., hallway 205 at 3 :00 am). by having video camera 400 perform this preliminary analysis, alert messages can be transmitted more quickly to authorized personnel. [0071] in some embodiments, in order to save bandwidth over a network, tracking module 432 can condition the transmission of video data from video camera 400 to monitoring system 300 based on detected activity (e.g., detecting the movement of a person) in a video. for example, video camera 400 does not stream video data to monitoring system until tracking module 432 detects activity in the video. when the detected activity is detected, tracking module 432 can send a signal to processor circuitry 410 to transmit the video data from video camera 400 to monitoring system 300. in some embodiments, video camera 400 can buffer a predetermined amount of video in memory 412. video transmitted by processor circuitry 410 can include real-time time video as well as any video buffered by memory 412. moreover, tracking module 432 also detect when the activity has stopped (e.g., detecting that there has not been any movement) and can signal processor circuitry 410 to stop transmitting video data. [0072] in some embodiments, communication interfaces 440 includes wireless module 441 and/or wired interface 442. wireless module 441 enables video camera 400 to communicate with a network through a wireless connection such as such as bluetooth™ or wi-fi. wired interface 442 enables video camera 400 to communicate with a network through a wired connection, such as through a usb, ethernet cable, or video/power cables. [0073] in some embodiments, video camera 400 includes a microphone 450 which can be utilized to record sound data associated with recorded video data. audio data from video camera 400 can be analyzed by audio analysis subsystem 340 of monitoring system 300 as discussed above with respect to fig. 3. in some embodiments, microphone 450 can further include an automatic gain control module 451 which increases the ability of microphone 450 to detect audio activity in low ambient noise locations. exemplary profiles [0074] fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary inmate profile 500 for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. inmate profile 500 allows inmate profile system 100 store analyzed video data that enables search and retrieval features. inmate profile 500 allows information in video data to be organized and displayed to authorized personnel in a more efficient manner than simply searching through an entire video stream. inmate profile 500 enables inmate profile system 100 to store specific video data and associate the video data to terms or metadata that can be searched using, for example, workstation(s) 338. inmate profile 500 can be associated with each inmate in controlled environment 101. inmate profile 500 merely shows an exemplary embodiment for an exemplary inmate. it should be understood that inmate profiles are customized based on the specific information for each inmate. accordingly, inmate profiles can vary for each inmate. the discussion of the data in inmate profile 500 is merely to highlight an exemplary organization of an inmate's information. [0075] search requests of inmates that include search terms such as the inmate's name or identifying marks are compared with the information stored in inmate profile 500 in order to determine whether there is a match. a match can result in retrieving the associated video data such as one or more video clips that are associated with the search terms. [0076] data in inmate profile 500 can be updated automatically by profile module 322 of monitoring system 300 and/or manually by authorized personnel from workstation(s) 338. for example, profile module 322 can receive identification information regarding the inmate, a screen shot and clip of the inmate, and other data from modules in video analysis subsystem 316. profile module 322 updates inmate profiles based on this received data. additionally, authorized personnel may manually populate or update inmate profiles such as at the time of booking or when establishing alert rules for the specific inmate. in some embodiments, each inmate has a corresponding inmate profile stored in, for example, database 336 of monitoring system 300. [0077] exemplary inmate profile 500 identifies the name 501 of the inmate and includes additional fields and rules including but not limited to serial number field 502, identification field 503, allowed locations field 504, restrictions field 505, location history field 506, and relationship history field 507. other types of fields and rules associated with an inmate are within the scope of the invention. for example, inmate profile 500 can include associated object images of objects that have been assigned to the inmate. examples of objects include but are not limited to mobile devices that been provided for use by the inmate. inmate profile 500 can store information in database 336 in monitoring system 300 in any manner including as a plurality of fields in a table of a database, as a linked listed structure, or as an array. [0078] serial number field 502 is associated with data element 508 which holds the inmate's serial number. the serial number can be manually input by authorized personnel through workstation(s) 338. [0079] identification field 503 is associated with identification data element 509 which can hold any biometric information associated with the inmate such as facial identifier 509a, identifying marks 509b, gait mechanics 509c, and an audio identifier 509d. identification field 503 can be input and updated at any time. for example, facial identifier 509a can be generated from the inmate's mug shot when the inmate is booked into controlled environment 101. in some embodiments, facial identifier 509a is generated from facial data points extracted from an image or images of the inmate. in some embodiments, facial identifier 509a is the result of hashing or performing comparable processing to reduce the facial data points into a single unique identifier. in some embodiments, facial identifier 509a is represented as a number of separate facial number data points. facial identifier 509a can be used during an inmate identification process, as further discussed in fig. 7, as a basis of comparison with facial data points retrieved from video data. [0080] similarly, mark identifier(s) 509b that represent an inmate's marks such as tattoos or scars can be automatically input into inmate profile 500 through object identification of images taken of the inmate at booking. for example, as part of the booking process, images of the inmates identifying marks (and face, as discussed above) can be taken. these images are provided to the monitoring system 300 which can extract the necessary data points for storage in inmate profile 500 and which form the basis of comparison when searches are performed. for example, similar to generating the facial identifier 509a, monitoring system 300 can generate mark identifier(s) 509b based on mark data points extracted from the images. in some embodiments, mark identifier(s) 509b are the result of hashing or performing comparable processing to reduce the mark data points into a single unique identifier. in some embodiments, mark identifier(s) 509b are represented as a number of separate facial number data points. mark identified s) 509b can be used during an inmate identification process, as further discussed in fig. 7, as a basis of comparison with facial data points retrieved from video data. [0081] additionally or alternatively, mark identifier(s) 509b can include manually input information, such as through workstation(s) 338. manually input information can include textual descriptions of the mark, such as "orange phoenix tattoo." [0082] gait mechanics 509c can be based on recording the inmate's walking at the time of booking, converting the recording to a series of gait data points associated with the inmate's gait, and storing the data points as gait mechanics 509c as a basis of comparison when searches are performed. in some embodiments, gait mechanics 509c can be based on sampled video of the inmate walking in the prison and as capture by video cameras within the prison. in some embodiments, gait mechanics 509c can be updated based on sampled video. audio identifier 509d can be based on recording the inmate's voice and can be used as a basis of comparison for performing voice recognition by audio analysis subsystem 340 of monitoring system 300. audio identifier 509d can be updated over time while the inmate uses audio devices within the prison. for example, inmate's voice data can be updated by using audio recordings of the inmate's phone calls within the prison and that have been stored in a database, such as an inmate telephone system (its). [0083] monitoring system 300 may use additional video data to continuously update identification field 503 by retrieving additional imaging data points (e.g., facial information) of the inmate. similarly, monitoring system 300 may use additional audio data to continuously update identification field 503 by retrieving additional audio data points (e.g., voice information) of the inmate. for example, monitoring system 300 may be provided access to additional sources of the inmate's visual and audio information. additional sources can include but are not limited to real-time or stored inmate video visitation videos, crime scene videos, publically available videos (e.g., from the inmate's social media accounts), and recorded telephone calls made through the prison's telephone system. monitoring system 300 may then analyze the additional video and/or audio data, retrieve the inmate identification information from the additional video and/or audio data, and update the inmate's identifying information in identification field 503. [0084] allowed locations field 504 is associated with locations data element 510 which includes areas of controlled environment that the inmate is authorized to be located such as a first location 51 oa (e.g., the inmate's cell block) and a second location 510b (e.g., dining hall). allowed locations field 504 provides information to alert module 324 for generating alerts when appropriate. for example, authorized personnel can established location-based rules that the inmate is allowed in dining hall. alert module 324 can retrieve these allowed locations and determine whether to trigger alerts based on the rules and detected inmate information. [0085] restrictions field 505 is associated with restrictions data element 511 which includes any restricted locations, relationships, or behaviors associated with the inmate such as a restricted location 511 a (e.g., exercise yard) or a restricted relationship 51 ib (e.g., another inmate). restrictions field 505 provides information to alert module 324 for generating alerts when appropriate. for example, authorized personnel can established location-based rules that the inmate is restricted from being in the exercise yard or relationship-based rules for sending alerts when an inmate is near another inmate. alert module 324 can retrieve these restrictions and determine whether to trigger alerts based on the rules and detected inmate information. [0086] location history field 506 is associated with data element 512 which includes a history of the locations in controlled environment 101 in which the inmate has been detected such as a first detected location 512a and a second detected location 512b. first detected location 512a includes video information regarding the video in which the inmate is identified such as a date of the video clip, time duration of the video clip, location of the camera that detected the inmate, and is associated with audio/video data element 514. video information can be provided automatically by video analysis subsystem 316. audio/video data element 514 includes a screenshot 514a, video clip 514b, and audio clip 514c associated with the first detected location 512a. audio clip 514c is provided if available such as when video cameras 207a-f include microphones (such as microphone 450) or when prison includes standalone microphones (such as standalone microphones 213a-213f). in some embodiments, only video data is stored in audio/video data element 514. screenshot 514a and video clip 514b can be provided automatically by clip generator 332 of video analysis subsystem 316. audio clip 514c can be provided automatically by audio analysis subsystem 340 if the prison include microphones. audio/video data element 514 can store the actual files (e.g., the actual image, actual video clip file, or actual audio file) or can contain a pointer to the files stored in a separate location. [0087] similarly, second detected location 512b includes video information regarding a second video in which the inmate is identified and is associated with audio/video data element 515 that includes screenshot 515a, video clip 515b, and audio clip 515c of the identified inmate in the particular location. alert module 324 of video analysis subsystem 316 can utilize location history field 506 for generating alerts based on location-based rules. [0088] relationship history field 507 is associated with relationship data element 513 which includes a history of the relationships in controlled environment 101 based on the inmates or personnel of controlled environment 101 with whom the inmate has been proximally detected. relationship data element can include relationship entries such as a first detected relationship 513 a and a second detected relationship 513b. first detected relationship 513 a includes video information regarding the video in which the inmate is identified with another party such as a date of the video clip, time duration of the video clip, the name of the other party, a location of the camera that detected the relationship, and is associated with audio/video data element 516. video information can be provided automatically by video analysis subsystem 316 and audio data can be provided by microphone 450 or standalone microphones 213 a-f, if available. audio/video data element 516 includes a screenshot 516a and video clip 516b associated with the first detected relationship 513 a. screenshot 516a and video clip 516b can be provided automatically by clip generator 332 of video analysis subsystem 316. audio clip 516c can be provided automatically by audio analysis subsystem 340 if the prison include microphones. audio/video data element 516 can store the actual files (e.g., the actual image, actual video clip file, or actual audio file) or can contain a pointer to the files stored in a separate location. [0089] similarly, second detected relationship 513b includes video information regarding a second video in which the inmate is identified with another person and is associated with audio/video data element 517 that includes screenshot 517a,video clip 517b, and audio clip 517c of the identified inmate and the other person. alert module 324 of video analysis subsystem 316 can utilize relationship history field 507 for generating alerts based on relationship-based rules. [0090] as discussed above, inmate profile 500 is merely exemplary. the fields discussed above can be organized in a different manner, excluded from the profile, and additional information can be included in inmate profile 500. for example, inmate profile 500 can also include voice samples and other biometric information of the inmate. for example, as previously discussed, if video data includes sounds identified as voices, monitoring system 300 can compare the identified voices within the video data to voice samples stored in inmate profile 500. inmate profile 500 can also be updated to include video data that includes any voice information identified as being associated with the inmate. [0091] inmate profile 500 is intended to serve as a central repository for all information related to an inmate and to enable searches of video data to be performed based on the information stored in inmate profile 500. the information in inmate profile 500 generally is populated based on image recognition features of the inmate's face, marks, gait, and other identifying features of the inmate. the information in inmate profile 500 is intended to increase the efficiency of searches for the inmate's information and to retrieve associated video corresponding to the inmate and the search inquiries. [0092] in some embodiments, employees of the prison, such as guards also have corresponding profiles, such as guard profiles that have substantially similar data records as described above with respect to inmate profile 500. for example, employee profiles would also have facial data of the employee so that they can be identified in video data. such a feature would enable inmate tracking system to differentiate between employees of the prison and the inmates. [0093] fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary location profile 600 for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. in contrast to inmate profile 500, location profile 600 organizes analyzed video based on the specific location of controlled environment. similar to inmate profile 500, location profile 600 allows inmate profile system 100 store analyzed video data that enables search and retrieval features in a more efficient manner than simply searching through an entire video stream of a location. location profile 600 enables inmate profile system 100 to store specific video data and associate the video data to terms or metadata that can be searched using, for example, workstation(s) 338. location profile 600 organizes information for each inmate. other methods of organizing analyzed video data are within the scope of the disclosure which is not limited to inmate profile 500 and location profile 600. [0094] workstation(s) 338 can submit search requests that include search terms such as the inmate's name or identifying marks that are compared with the information stored in location profile 600 in order to determine whether there is a match. a match can result in retrieving the associated video data such as one or more video clips that are associated with the search terms. similar to inmate profile 500, data in location profile 600 can be updated automatically by profile module 322 of monitoring system 300 and/or manually by authorized personnel from workstation(s) 338. [0095] in some embodiments, exemplary location profile 600 identifies location 601 of the camera for which the video data has been captured. for example, location 601 can identify "exercise yard" as the location of the camera. exemplary location profile 600 can also include date / time period 602 of the video data is associated with data element 608 that provides the date and time period for which video data in location 601 has been captured. video data can be segmented into predetermined time periods to decrease the size of video data that is stored in database 336. for example, video data can be segmented into two hour blocks. [0096] identified inmates 603 in location profile 600 is associated with data element 609 that can list, for example, a first identified inmate 609a, a second identified inmate 609b, and a third identified inmate 609c, all three of which, include, for example, the name of the identified inmate, a timestamp in which the identified inmate appears within the video data, any behaviors associated with the inmate during the timestamp (e.g., fight), as well as a video clip spanning the timestamp in which the identified inmate appears. first identified inmate 609a, a second identified inmate 609b, and third identified inmate 609c also can be include additional information that can be extracted from video data including a screenshot of the identified inmate. video clips are generated by clip generator 332 of monitoring system 300. audio data, which can be provided by microphones if available, can also be linked to location profile 600 and can include an audio clip of the incident. audio clips can be generated by audio analysis subsystem 340 of monitoring system 300. location profile 600 can store the actual files (e.g., the actual image, actual video clip file, or actual audio file) or can contain a pointer to the files stored in a separate location. in exemplary data element 609, location profile 600 identifies inmates john e. and john f. as being involved in a fight. behaviors are identified based on behavior analysis module 326 in monitoring system 300. [0097] identified objects 604 in location profile 600 is associated with data element 610 that can list, for example, a first identified object 610a, a second identified object 610b, and a third identified object 6 ioc, all three of which, include, for example, the name of the identified object, a timestamp in which the identified object appears within the video data, any other data associated with the identified object (e.g., a serial number, an inmate associated with the object), as well as a video clip spanning the timestamp and/or screenshot in which the identified object appears, and/or an audio clip if available. [0098] identified behavior 605 in location profile 600 is associated with data element 611 that can list, for example, a first identified behavior that includes identification of the behavior (e.g., fight), a timestamp in which the identified behavior occurs within the video data, any identified inmates associated with the identified behavior, as well as a video clip spanning the timestamp and/or screenshot in which the identified behavior appears, and/or an audio clip if available. [0099] alerts 606 in location profile 600 is associated with data element 612 that can list, for example, any alerts and the alert conditions that triggered the alert message to be sent. authorized personnel can customize alerts based on selected parameters a behavior (e.g., fight). authorized personnel can also customize the information that is transmitted when the behavior is selected such as a timestamp in which the identified behavior occurs within the video data, any identified inmates associated with the identified behavior, as well as a video clip spanning the timestamp and/or screenshot in which the identified behavior appears, and/or an audio clip if available. [0100] unidentified log 607 in location profile 600 is associated with data element 613 that can list, for example, any unidentified information from video data and/or an audio clip if available. monitoring system 300 can place any objects from video data that does not meet a certain threshold in unidentified log 607. for example, data element 613 can list the possible candidates for an inmate that is identified in video data as well as the percentages that did not meet the threshold for identifying the inmate. through workstation(s) 338, authorized personnel can manually identify the inmate based on the list of candidates identified in data element 613. exemplary inmate tracking system operation [0101] exemplary usage of inmate tracking system 100 and monitoring system 300 in a controlled environment will be described with respect to figs. 7-10. the exemplary usage described in figs. 7-10 can be performed by processing logic that can comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g., instructions executing on a processing device), or a combination thereof. for illustrative purposes, figs. 7-10 are described with respect to figs. 1-6 but are not limited to these example embodiments. for example, figs. 7-10 are described with respect to monitoring system 300. [0102] fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart diagram of a method 700 for analyzing and indexing video for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. method 700 can be performed by processing logic that can comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g., instructions executing on a processing device), or a combination thereof. it is to be appreciated that additional steps, such as additional object recognition steps, may be performed. moreover, not all steps may be needed to perform the disclosure provided herein. further, some of the steps may be performed simultaneously, or in a different order than shown in fig. 7, as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. some steps can be combined and performed as a single step. method 700 can be performed by monitoring system 300 in real-time upon receiving video data, on stored video data at the request of authorized personnel, or on stored video data at predetermined times of the day. [0103] in 701, monitoring system 300 receives video from an external source such as real-time video streams from video cameras 102a-102c or archived video data from database 336. in 702, monitoring system 300 performs object detection of the received video. in some embodiments, object detection can be performed by object identification module 318 of monitoring system 300. monitoring system 300 also determines the camera location of the received video such as detecting the camera identifier in the video information associated with the received video. [0104] in 703, monitoring system 300 begins the objection identification process to identify all objects including persons within the video data. in some embodiments, object identification can be performed by inmate identification module 320 of monitoring system 300. in 704, in order to identify persons in the video data, monitoring system 300 determines whether any detected objects include facial data. in 705, if there is at least one object identified as facial data, the detected facial data is compared with facial data associated with inmate profiles. in some embodiments, 705 includes identifying employees of the controlled environment by, for example, searching employee profiles and comparing the facial data from the video with facial data associated with employee profiles. [0105] in 706, monitoring system 300 performs a logging function. if the monitoring system 300 identifies an inmate that matches the facial data, monitoring system 300 updates the inmate's profile with information of the video as described above with respect to inmate profile 500 in fig. 5. in some embodiments, monitoring system 300 may employ a threshold parameter during the facial recognition step in 705. for example, the facial recognition of 705 may compare a number of facial data points in the detected facial data with a number of facial data points from inmate profiles. monitoring system 300 may determine there is match when a certain percentage of the facial data points in the detected facial data meets a certain threshold of similarity with the facial data points within an inmate profile. if monitoring system 300 does not locate an inmate profile having facial data that matches the detected facial data from the video data, monitoring system 300 may still log the identification in a separate file, such as unidentified log 607, that can later be reviewed by authorized personnel. [0106] in 707, monitoring system 300 determines whether any additional objects in the video data have facial data that require performing facial recognition. if so, monitoring system 300 repeats facial recognition step in 705. if not, monitoring system 300 continues with identifying additional objects. in 708, in order to identify persons in the video data, monitoring system 300 determines whether any detected objects include serial numbers. in 708, in some embodiments, monitoring system 300 determines a list of candidate serial numbers detected in video. the list of candidate serial numbers can be determined based on analyzing a number of image data points in the video data and using another threshold parameter to identify potential numbers based on the analyzed image data points. monitoring system 300 may determine the candidate serial numbers when a certain percentage of the image data points meets a certain threshold for identifying the data points as numbers. [0107] in 709, if there is at least one object identified as a serial number or a number of candidate serial numbers, the detected serial number (or candidate numbers) is compared with serial numbers associated with inmate profiles. in 709, monitoring system 300 may also utilize the results of previous steps to increase the accuracy of matching the video data to an inmate. for example, monitoring system 300 can use the results of facial recognition in 705 in combination with the results of serial number matching in 709 to identify the inmate. that is, if the results of facial recognition in 705 and the results of serial number matching in 709 both identify the same inmate, the likelihood increases that the identification of the inmate is correct. [0108] in 710, monitoring system 300 performs a logging function. if the monitoring system 300 identifies an inmate that matches the detected serial number, monitoring system 300 updates the inmate's profile with information of the video as described above with respect to inmate profile 500 in fig. 5. if monitoring system 300 does not locate an inmate profile having serial numbers that matches the detected serial numbers from the video data, monitoring system 300 may still log the identification in a separate file, such as unidentified log 607, that can later be reviewed by authorized personnel. [0109] in 711, monitoring system 300 determines whether any additional objects in the video data have serial numbers that require serial number matching. if so, monitoring system 300 repeats the serial number matching step in 709. if not, monitoring system 300 continues with identifying additional objects. in 712, in order to identify persons in the video data, monitoring system 300 determines whether any detected objects include additional identifying marks such as tattoos or scars. in 713, if there is at least one object identified as am additional identifying mark, the detected identifying mark is compared with identifying marks associated with inmate profiles. [0110] in 713, monitoring system 300 may also utilize the results of previous steps to increase the accuracy of matching the video data to an inmate. for example, monitoring system 300 can use the results of facial recognition in 705 and the results of serial number matching in 709 in combination with mark matching in 713 to identify the inmate. that is, if the results of facial recognition in 705, the results of serial number matching in 709, and the results of mark matching in 713 identify the same inmate, the likelihood increases that the identification of the inmate is correct. [0111] in 714, monitoring system 300 performs a logging function. if the monitoring system 300 identifies an inmate that matches the detected mark, monitoring system 300 updates the inmate's profile with information of the video as described above with respect to inmate profile 500 in fig. 5. if monitoring system 300 does not locate an inmate profile having serial numbers that matches the detected serial numbers from the video data, monitoring system 300 may still log the identification in a separate file, such as unidentified log 607, that can later be reviewed by authorized personnel. in 715, monitoring system 300 determines whether any additional objects in the video data have marks that require mark matching. if so, monitoring system 300 repeats the mark matching step in 713. [0112] if not, in 716, any additional identification and recognition, such as identifying inmates based on gait analysis, can be performed. the number of identification and recognition steps can be configured by the administrator. reducing the number of steps increases the speed of the recognition process while increasing the number of steps increases the accuracy of the recognition process. for example, monitoring system 300 can reduce the number of false positives by analyzing an increase number of available data points including audio data (discussed further in fig. 8), video data, and gait information. in 717, monitoring system 300 performs a logging function based on if any additional information, such as identification of the inmate based on gait, is recognized within the video data. [0113] in 718, monitoring system 300 determines whether any alert conditions have been triggered. in some embodiments, alert module 324 performs the determination based on the identification of the inmate performed by inmate identification module 320. alert conditions include but are not limited to detecting an inmate in a specific location or detecting multiple inmates located near each other (e.g., within the same frame of the video). if alert module 324 determines that an alert condition is triggered based on the results of the previous steps, it sends an appropriate alert based on the parameters of the alert which include the people who are to receive the alert in 719. [0114] fig. 8 illustrates a flowchart diagram of a method for analyzing and indexing video and/or audio for use in the exemplary tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. method 800 can be performed by processing logic that can comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g., instructions executing on a processing device), or a combination thereof. it is to be appreciated that additional steps, such as additional object recognition steps, may be performed. moreover, not all steps may be needed to perform the disclosure provided herein. further, some of the steps may be performed simultaneously, or in a different order than shown in fig. 8, as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. some steps can be combined and performed as a single step. method 800 can be performed by monitoring system 300 in real-time upon receiving video data and/or audio data, on stored video data at the request of authorized personnel, or on stored video data at predetermined times of the day. [0115] in 801, monitoring system 300 receives video and/or audio data from an external source such as real-time video and audio data streams from video cameras 102a-102c, archived video and audio data from database 336, and/or real-time audio data streams from standalone microphones 213a-f. in 802, monitoring system 300 determines whether the received data includes only video data. if yes, monitoring system 300 proceeds to 702 of fig. 7 as discussed above. [0116] in 803, monitoring system 300 determines whether the received data includes video and audio data or just audio data. if both video and audio data, monitoring system 300 proceeds to 804. in 804, monitoring system 300 determines the location of video cameras 207a-f and/or standalone microphones 213 a-f associated with the received video and audio data. in 805, monitoring system 300 analyzes the video data. examples of analyzing video data are discussed with respect to 703-716 of fig. 7. in 806, monitoring system 300 next analyzes the audio data. analyzing audio data includes performing voice recognition and ambient sound detection as discussed above with respect to audio analysis subsystem 340 in fig. 3. in 807, monitoring system 300 utilizes the results of 805 and 806 to perform location detection and tracking features of the claimed disclosures. for example, monitoring system 300 can perform facial recognition of video data in 805 and audio recognition in 806 to determine the identify of an inmate within the received data. monitoring system 300 can then associate the identified inmate with the detected location of video camera and/or microphone that provided the data as determined in 804. based on the identified inmate and the associated location, monitoring system 300 may determine the location of a specific inmate. [0117] if just audio data, monitoring system 300 proceeds to 808. in 808, monitoring system 300 determines the location of standalone microphones 213a-f associated with the received audio data. in 809, monitoring system 300 next analyzes the audio data which includes performing voice recognition and ambient sound detection. in 810, audio analysis subsystem 340 of monitoring system 300 attempts to identify the inmate (or guards) associated with the analyzed audio data as discussed with respect to fig. 3. [0118] after performing video/audio analysis of 804-807 or audio analysis of 808-809, monitoring system 300 logs the results of the analysis in 811. for example, monitoring system 300 can update an inmate profile of an identified inmate with the video data, audio data, and the results of the analysis. in 812, monitoring system 300 determines whether any alert conditions have been triggered. in some embodiments, alert module 324 performs the determination based on the identification of the inmate performed by inmate identification module 320. alert conditions include but are not limited to detecting an inmate in a specific location or detecting multiple inmates located near each other (e.g., within the same frame of the video). if alert module 324 determines that an alert condition is triggered based on the results of the previous steps, it sends an appropriate alert based on the parameters of the alert which include the people who are to receive the alert in 813. [0119] fig. 9 illustrates a flowchart diagram of a method for processing search requests of video for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. method 900 can be performed by processing logic that can comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g., instructions executing on a processing device), or a combination thereof. it is to be appreciated that additional steps, such as additional object recognition steps, may be performed. moreover, not all steps may be needed to perform the disclosure provided herein. further, some of the steps may be performed simultaneously, or in a different order than shown in fig. 9, as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. some steps can be combined and performed as a single step. method 900 can be performed by monitoring system 300 in real-time upon receiving video data, on stored video data at the request of authorized personnel, or on stored video data at predetermined times of the day. [0120] in 901, monitoring system 300 receives a search request. the search request can be transmitted by authorized personnel of controlled environment 101 such as through any of mobile devices 104a-104b and workstations 111-112. for example, specialized video retrieval and search applications can be installed on mobile devices 104a-104b and workstations 111-112 that provide authorized personnel access to video data and inmate profiles stored in database 336 of monitoring system 300. the applications can be customized for the needs of controlled environment 101 and can allow for any number of search terms to be input and form the basis of searching video data. search requests may include, but are not limited to, searching for specific inmates by name, serial number, identifying marks, or a scanned image (e.g., a mug shot), searching for specific behaviors such as fights, and searching a specific time duration within a specific location of controlled environment 101. [0121] in 902, monitoring system 300 determines from the search request whether to search real-time or archived video data. for example, the search request may include a parameter that indicates the type of search to be performed. searching real-time or archived video data can be based on the type of search request. for example, searches of past incidents of behaviors such as fights would involve searching archived video data. similarly, searching a specific time duration with a specific location could also involves searching archived video data. for example, authorized personnel could want to confirm that an inmate was in the specific location (e.g., video conference room 203) at a designated time. this information can be cross-referenced with a schedule to confirm that the inmate was present in the specific location as expected. [0122] real-time searches of real-time video data could be utilized to determine the current location of an inmate. a real-time search would result in monitoring system 300 performing video analysis on video data as it is received from video cameras in the inmate tracking system 100 in 903. in 904, monitoring system 300 performs real-time object identification of the monitored real-time video data which involves identifying inmates, objects, and behaviors from the real-time video data. this involves comparing the search terms (e.g., inmate name) with any identified information with the real-time video data. if there is a match, monitoring system 300 can identify and save the video that includes the requested search terms. in some embodiments, saving the video can include generating a video clip from the real-time video data where the video clip that spans a timestamp in which the requested search terms appears within the real-time video data. in 908, monitoring system 300 can return the video to workstation(s) 338. [0123] searches of archived video data would result in searching archived video data in 906. information from archived video data may already have been indexed into inmate and/or location profiles. accordingly, searching archived video includes searching information or metadata of inmate and/or location profiles. in 907, any video such as video clips that match the search terms of the search request. in 908, monitoring system 300 can return the video to workstation(s) 338. [0124] fig. 10 illustrates a flowchart diagram of a method for analyzing video and detecting certain behaviors for use in the exemplary inmate tracking system of fig. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. method 1000 can be performed by processing logic that can comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g., instructions executing on a processing device), or a combination thereof. it is to be appreciated that additional steps, such as additional object recognition steps, may be performed. moreover, not all steps may be needed to perform the disclosure provided herein. further, some of the steps may be performed simultaneously, or in a different order than shown in fig. 10, as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. some steps can be combined and performed as a single step. method 1000 can be performed by monitoring system 300 in real-time upon receiving video data, on stored video data at the request of authorized personnel, or on stored video data at predetermined times of the day. [0125] in 1001, monitoring system 300 receives video from an external source such as real-time video streams from video cameras 102a-102c or archived video data from database 336. in 1002, monitoring system 300 detects any behavior in the received video. examples of behavior that are to be detected include fights, suicide attempts, and threatening behavior by inmates. in some embodiments, behavior detection can be initially performed by object identification module 318 of monitoring system 300. object identification module 318 can provide the video data to behavior analysis 326 for behavior identification. [0126] in 1003, behavior analysis 326 can include employ behavior algorithms for identifying the behaviors. for example, behavior analysis 326 can determine that an inmate has raised both of this arms above his head within his cell. the location of the inmate is determined by, for example, determining the location of the camera that provided the video feed. behavior analysis 326 would identify such an action as a suicide attempt (e.g., attempting to fashion a noose above the inmate's head). as another example, behavior analysis 326 can determine that a fight may be imminent or occurring based on a count of inmates identified within the video data. [0127] in 1004, monitoring system 300 can determine whether to send an alert based on the determined behavior. as previously discussed, authorized personnel can establish alert conditions that trigger alerts such as the detection of a suicide attempt or a fight. in 1005, monitoring system 300 sends the alert if alert conditions are met by the detected and identified behavior. in 1006, monitoring system 300 performs a logging function based on if any additional information, such as identification of the inmate based on gait, is recognized within the video data. exemplary computer implementation [0128] it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) that various elements and features of the present disclosure, as described herein, can be implemented in hardware using analog and/or digital circuits, in software, through the execution of computer instructions by one or more general purpose or special-purpose processors, or as a combination of hardware and software. [0129] the following description of a general purpose computer system is provided for the sake of completeness. embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware, or as a combination of software and hardware. consequently, embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in the environment of a computer system or other processing system. for example, the methods of figs. 7-9 can be implemented in the environment of one or more computer systems or other processing systems. an example of such a computer system 1100 is shown in fig. 11. one or more of the modules depicted in the previous figures can be at least partially implemented on one or more distinct computer systems 1100. [0130] computer system 1100 includes one or more processors, such as processor 1104. processor 1104 can be a special purpose or a general purpose digital signal processor. processor 1104 is connected to a communication infrastructure 1102 (for example, a bus or network). various software implementations are described in terms of this exemplary computer system. after reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure using other computer systems and/or computer architectures. [0131] computer system 1 100 also includes a main memory 1106, preferably random access memory (ram), and may also include a secondary memory 1108. secondary memory 1108 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 1110 and/or a removable storage drive 1112, representing a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, or the like. removable storage drive 1112 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit 1116 in a well-known manner. removable storage unit 1116 represents a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, or the like, which is read by and written to by removable storage drive 1112. as will be appreciated by persons skilled in the relevant art(s), removable storage unit 1116 includes a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data. [0132] in alternative implementations, secondary memory 1108 may include other similar means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system 1100. such means may include, for example, a removable storage unit 1118 and an interface 1114. examples of such means may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an eprom, or prom) and associated socket, a thumb drive and usb port, and other removable storage units 1118 and interfaces 1114 which allow software and data to be transferred from removable storage unit 1118 to computer system 1100. [0133] computer system 1100 may also include a communications interface 1120. communications interface 1120 allows software and data to be transferred between computer system 1100 and external devices. examples of communications interface 1120 may include a modem, a network interface (such as an ethernet card), a communications port, a pcmcia slot and card, etc. software and data transferred via communications interface 1120 are in the form of signals which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals capable of being received by communications interface 1120. these signals are provided to communications interface 1 120 via a communications path 1122. communications path 1122 carries signals and may be implemented using wire or cable, fiber optics, a phone line, a cellular phone link, an rf link and other communications channels. [0134] as used herein, the terms "computer program medium" and "computer readable medium" are used to generally refer to tangible storage media such as removable storage units 1116 and 1118 or a hard disk installed in hard disk drive 1110. these computer program products are means for providing software to computer system 1100. [0135] computer programs (also called computer control logic) are stored in main memory 1106 and/or secondary memory 1108. computer programs may also be received via communications interface 1120. such computer programs, when executed, enable the computer system 1 100 to implement the present disclosure as discussed herein. in particular, the computer programs, when executed, enable processor 1104 to implement the processes of the present disclosure, such as any of the methods described herein. accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of the computer system 1100. where the disclosure is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system 1100 using removable storage drive 1112, interface 1114, or communications interface 1120. [0136] in another embodiment, features of the disclosure are implemented primarily in hardware using, for example, hardware components such as application-specific integrated circuits (asics) and gate arrays. implementation of a hardware state machine so as to perform the functions described herein will also be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s). conclusion [0137] it is to be appreciated that the detailed description section, and not the abstract section, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. the abstract section may set forth one or more, but not all exemplary embodiments, and thus, is not intended to limit the disclosure and the appended claims in any way. [0138] the disclosure has been described above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. the boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. alternate boundaries may be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. [0139] it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. thus, the disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
|
003-163-097-230-211
|
US
|
[
"US",
"JP",
"KR"
] |
C23C16/00,H01L21/316,C23C16/40,H01L21/312,H01L21/205,H01L21/31
| 2005-11-16T00:00:00 |
2005
|
[
"C23",
"H01"
] |
method for the deposition of a film by cvd or ald
|
methods and apparatus for deposition of a film on a substrate in a reaction chamber by an atomic layer deposition (ald) or chemical vapor deposition (cvd) process include providing one or more reactants, and providing a volatile neutral coordinating ligand capable of coordinating at least one selected from the following: (i) one of the reactants; (ii) a reaction by-product formed during the deposition process. the neutral coordinating ligand thus improves volatility of either reactants and/or by-products, either in the gas phase or aiding in removal of species from reaction space surfaces. the neutral coordinating ligand is provided during the deposition process, either during or after reactant supply.
|
1. a method for improving deposition of a film on a substrate in a reaction chamber by a vapor deposition process in which two or more reactants are provided to the reaction chamber, wherein one of the reactants comprises a metal halide, the method comprising: providing a volatile neutral coordinating ligand selected from the group consisting of furan, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, thiophene, tetrahydrothiophene and derivatives thereof to the reaction chamber from a source separate from a reactant source; contacting the ligand with the metal halide; wherein the ligand is capable of coordinating to the metal halide, and wherein the vapor deposition process is an atomic layer deposition process. 2. the process of claim 1 , wherein the uniformity of the film is improved compared to a deposition process in which a neutral coordinating ligand is not provided. 3. a method for deposition of a film onto a substrate in a reaction chamber by atomic layer deposition (ald) comprising: multiple deposition cycles, each cycle comprising providing separated vapor phase pulses of a first and a second reactant to the reaction chamber in a sequential and alternating manner; the first and second reactants being mutually reactive, wherein one of the first and second reactants comprises a halide; and supplying a vapor phase neutral coordinating ligand to the reaction chamber from a source separate from a reactant source during the process of supplying one or more of the separated pulses of the first and second reactant, wherein the neutral coordinating ligand is capable of coordinating to either one or both of the reactants or to a reaction by-product formed by a reaction between the first and second reactants, and wherein the neutral coordinating ligand is not provided in every deposition cycle. 4. the method of claim 3 , wherein the neutral coordinating ligand is provided every 2 nd to 100 th deposition cycle. 5. the method of claim 4 , wherein the neutral coordinating ligand is provided every other deposition cycle. 6. the method of claim 3 wherein the neutral coordinating ligand comprises a carbon chain with at least one double or triple carbon-carbon bond. 7. the method of claim 6 wherein the ligand further comprises a heteroatom, and the hetero-atom and the carbon chain together form a ring structure. 8. the method of claim 7 wherein the ring comprises 5 or 6 atoms. 9. the method of claim 7 wherein the heteroatom comprises a lone pair of electrons. 10. the method of claim 7 wherein the heteroatom is selected from the group of o, s, p and n. 11. the method of claim 10 wherein the neutral coordinating ligand is selected from the group of furan (c 4 h 4 o), tetrahydrofuran (c 4 h 8 o), thiophene(c 4 h 4 s), c 4 h 4 p, tetrahydrothiophene (c 4 h 8 s), and pyridine (c 5 h 5 n). 12. the method of claim 6 wherein the carbon chain is an alkene comprising a double carbon-carbon bond. 13. the method of claim 12 wherein the alkene is selected from the group of ethene (c 2 h 4 ), propene (c 3 h 6 ), butene (c 4 h 8 ) and butadiene (c 4 h 6 ). 14. the method of claim 6 wherein the carbon chain is an alkyne comprising a triple carbon-carbon bond. 15. the method of claim 14 wherein the alkyne is selected from the group of acetylene (c 2 h 2 ), propyne (c 3 h 4 ) and butyne (c 4 c 6 ). 16. the method of claim 3 , wherein supplying the neutral coordinating ligand is performed during the pulse of the first reactant and pulse of the second reactant. 17. the method of claim 3 , wherein supplying the neutral coordinating ligand is performed between reactant pulses. 18. the method of claim 3 , wherein each deposition cycle further comprises providing at least a third reactant in pulses separated from the pulses of the first and second reactants. 19. a method for vapor deposition of a film, the method comprising: providing a vapor phase metal halide precursor to a reaction space, wherein the precursor provides at least one metal to be incorporated into the deposited film; providing a neutral coordinating ligand to the reaction space that increases volatility of the metal halide precursor from a source separate from a source of the at least one vapor-phase metal precursor, wherein the neutral coordinating ligand does not react with the vapor-phase metal halide precursor, wherein providing the neutral coordinating ligand comprises mixing the metal halide precursor with the neutral coordinating ligand upstream of the reaction space during deposition, and wherein the vapor deposition process comprises an atomic layer deposition process. 20. the method of claim 19 , wherein providing the neutral coordinating ligand comprises pulsing the neutral coordinating ligand after pulsing the metal precursor to aid purging the reaction space of the precursor. 21. the method of claim 1 , wherein the volatile neutral coordinating ligand provided to the reaction chamber is mixed with at least one of the two reactants. 22. the method of claim 19 , wherein the volatile neutral coordinating ligand comprises a carbon chain and a heteroatom with the hetero-atom and the carbon chain together forming a ring structure. 23. the method of claim 1 wherein providing a volatile neutral coordinating ligand does not result in a change in a minimum film thickness on the substrate in comparison to a film deposited where a neutral coordinating ligand is not provided.
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reference to related applications the present application claims priority to u.s. provisional application no. 60/737,732, filed nov. 16, 2005, which is incorporated by reference herein. field of the invention the invention relates to the field of film deposition process by chemical vapor deposition (cvd) and atomic layer deposition (ald). background of the invention in ald and cvd deposition processes, often reactants are used that have a very low vapor pressure. first of all this is a problem as it becomes difficult to transport the reactant into the reactor. furthermore, after the reactant exposure step it will be difficult to remove the reactant from the reaction chamber by purging of evacuation. slow purging of low vapor pressure reactants is particularly problematic for an ald process where repeated and alternating pulses of at least two reactants are used and where it is important that the reactants remain separated. exemplary processes are deposition processes for metal oxides which are going to be used as a high-k gate oxide material in mosfet structures. ald is a preferred technique to deposit films in a controllable manner by sequential and alternating pulses of at least two mutually reactive reactants. metal halides are suitable metal source chemicals for ald as they can easily be produced and are thermally stable and they tend to react strongly with water vapor at low temperatures. for hfo 2 , a frequently used high-k material, the best material properties are obtained with hfcl 4 +h 2 o as reactants, as compared to processes using other hf-containing source materials such as metal-organic hf compounds. the main drawback of many metal chlorides is their relatively low vapor pressure. usually source temperatures around 150-200° c. are required to create sufficient vapor pressure for transportation of the reactant from the source container to the reactor. even at these temperatures the vapor pressure is relatively low. this makes the reactor design very challenging and the removal of hfcl 4 by purging and/or evacuation difficult. the vapor pressure of molecules is affected by several different factors, such as: i) the molecular weight; ii) tendency to polymerization; and iii) intermolecular bonds. hfcl 4 has a particularly low vapor pressure, particularly when its molecular weight is compared to other precursors. the molecular weight of hfcl 4 is 320.5 g/mol and its vapor pressure is only 1 torr at 190° c. by way of comparison, the molecular weight of wf 6 is similar to that of hfcl 4 , 297.8 g/mol, but wf 6 has a much larger vapor pressure of 860 torr at 21° c. the reason is that hfcl 4 has a non-saturated coordination. hafnium is a relative large metal and thus most of its compounds have a high coordination number. the most usual coordination number for hf is eight [chemistry of the elements, greenwood, n. n.; earnshaw, a; © 1997 elsevier]. monomeric hfcl 4 would have a coordination number of four. this is too low for hafnium and thus it will tend to make coordination bonds to other hfcl 4 molecules so that the coordination sphere gets saturated. this results in a dramatic reduction in vapor pressure. it is possible that the vapor pressure of a reactant is high but nevertheless it has a non-saturated coordination. examples are molecules having a lone pair of electrons, such as h 2 o and nh 3 . these molecules also have a strong tendency to increase their coordination number and therefore they have a strong tendency to stick to the reactor walls. additionally, reaction by-products generated in the film deposition process might have a non-saturated coordination and corresponding tendency to stick to the reactor wall. consequently, in film deposition processes using vapor phase reactants with a non-saturated coordination, or generating reaction by-products with a non-saturated coordination there is a need for a method to prevent non-saturated molecules from forming coordinating bonds by sticking to the reactor walls or by forming bonds with other molecules of the same kind to increase their coordination number. summary of the invention in one aspect, the invention provides methods for improving deposition of a film on a substrate in a reaction chamber by a vapor phase deposition process, such as an atomic layer deposition (ald) or chemical vapor deposition (cvd) process, in which two or more reactants are provided to the reaction chamber. the methods preferably comprise providing a volatile neutral coordinating ligand capable of coordinating to at least one of (i) one of the reactants; and (ii) a reaction by-product formed during the deposition process. in some embodiments the reactivity enhancer improves deposition, compared to a deposition process in which a neutral coordinating ligand is not provided, by improving film uniformity, improving pulsing or purging efficiency and/or reducing particle levels in the films. the neural ligand preferably does not contaminate the growing film. in some embodiments, for example, cvd reactions in an ald process are reduced by the use of a neutral coordinating ligand, thus increasing uniformity. in some embodiments the neutral coordinating ligand is selected from the group consisting of furan, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, thiophene, tetrahydrothiophene and derivatives thereof. in other embodiments the neutral coordinating ligand is selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids, alkenes and alkynes. in another aspect of the invention, methods are provided for the deposition of a film on a substrate in a reaction chamber by atomic layer deposition (ald). the ald process preferably comprises a deposition cycle in which pulses of a first and second reactant are supplied to the reaction chamber in a sequential and alternating manner, the first and second reactants being mutually reactive. excess reactant and reaction by-products, if any, are removed between reactant pulses. the cycle is repeated to form a film of the desired thickness. a reactivity enhancing volatile neutral coordinating ligand is preferably supplied to the reactor during the supply of the first reactant and/or after the supply of a pulse of the first reactant but before the supply of the subsequent pulse of the second reactant. the ligand can coordinate to one of the reactants and/or to a reaction by-product formed by a reaction between the first and second reactants. the reactivity enhancer is preferably provided less than once per cycle. for example, the reactivity enhancer may be provided every 2 nd cycle to every 100 th cycle. in accordance with another aspect of the invention, a vapor deposition process comprises providing a metal precursor that provides at least one metal to be incorporated into the deposited film and a second chemical that increases the volatility of the metal precursor. preferably the second chemical comprises a neutral coordinating ligand. in accordance with another aspect of the invention, an apparatus configured for atomic layer deposition (ald) or chemical vapor deposition (cvd) is provided. the apparatus includes a source of neutral coordinating ligands connected to a reaction space of the apparatus, wherein the neutral coordinating ligands increase volatility of at least one precursor or by-product of the ald or cvd process to be performed in the reactor. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 shows the film thickness and uniformity of a prior art ald process. fig. 2 compares the film thickness and uniformity of an ald process with and without the use of thf as a neutral coordinating ligand. detailed description of the preferred embodiments in order to prevent a reactant molecule from forming coordination bonds to other heavy molecules, resulting in low volatility, the coordination sphere can also be saturated by neutral ligands. a neutral ligand is in general a molecule that is capable to bond to a central atom or ion, usually a metal, of another molecule through a coordination bond. the coordination bond is formed upon interaction between the ligand and the other molecule wherein the ligand serves as the donor and the other molecule as the acceptor of an electron pair shared in the complex formed. neutral ligands have been used in the synthesis of several compounds for making precursors more volatile. one well known example is cu(hfac)tmvs, marketed under the trademark cupraselect™ by air products. the problem with neutral coordinating ligands is that the bond strength to the central atom is usually much weaker than for ligands that are bonded with covalent or ionic bonds, and thus the thermal stability of the molecules is limited. this means that the life time of the compound with neutral coordinating ligands can be relatively short. the life time can further be reduced in the processing environment because the source container temperature is in most cases above room temperature. therefore, in a production environment, synthesized compounds having neutral coordinating ligands can often not be used. in the methods described herein, a neutral coordinating ligand from a separate source is provided in deposition process that uses a reactant having a non-saturated coordination sphere or that generates a by-product having a non-saturated coordination sphere. the neutral coordinating ligands are considered to be delivered to the reaction chamber or reaction space whether provided directly to the reaction chamber/space (in separate pulses or with a precursor) or whether mixed with a precursor upstream of the reaction chamber/space. the coordinating ligand will supersede the self-coordination among molecules of the reactant or by-product coordination to reactor space surfaces. as a result, the volatility of the reactant significantly increases. an advantage of the use of neutral coordinating ligands in an ald process is that “sticking” of a low-volatility reactant to the reaction chamber surfaces, which can result in cvd growth, is reduced, allowing better film uniformities, lower particle levels and shorter purging times. in one embodiment, a precursor and neutral coordinating ligands are “mixed” temporally and spatially close to, or within, the reaction space that houses one or more substrates. preferably, the point of mixing is less than 5 m, and more preferably less than 2 m from the reaction space. preferably, mixing takes place less than 60 seconds, and more preferably less than 10 seconds, before the mixture is introduced into the reaction space. it will be understood that “mixing” in this sense includes either gas phase mixing or being supplied to the same reaction space subsequent to a precursor pulse, in which case the “mixing” is often with adsorbed species on the reaction space surfaces. although the life time of “in-situ” formed compounds with neutral coordinating ligands remains limited, even a limited life time at process temperature of this compound is enough, because the residence time of the precursors in the deposition chamber is short. preferably, the life time of the compound is longer than the residence time in the reaction chamber and transport time (if any) from the point of mixing the precursor and source of neutral coordinating ligands, so that unreacted compound is purged away before the coordination bonds are broken. however, because the presence of an excess of ligands tends to stabilize the compound it is possible that the volatilization and transport occurs in several steps where coordination bonds are formed, broken and new coordination bonds are formed again. in this way, advantages are obtained even if the life-time of the first formed compound with neutral coordination ligands is shorter than the residence time of the gas in the reaction chamber. a typical residence time is in the range of 0.1 to 1 seconds. the typical temperatures for ald processing are in the range of 100° c. to 400° c. suitable neutral coordinating ligands should be volatile, non-reactive at the deposition temperature and have a high tendency to coordinate, i.e., comprising one or more lone pair of electrons. molecules comprising a chain of carbon bonds with at least one double or triple carbon-carbon bond are suitable. preferably, these molecules comprise a hetero-atom (in the examples, a non-carbon atom) having a lone pair of electrons and the carbon chain and hetero-atom form together a ring structure of 5 or 6 atoms. the lone pair of electrons has a high capability of forming coordination bonds. the incorporation in a ring makes the hetero-atom much more accessible than such a hetero-atom in the middle of a linear chain. suitable hetero-atoms are o, s, p and n. the presence of double carbon-carbon bonds in a ring structure results in the delocalization of electrons and in improvement of the thermal stability. in particular furan (c 4 h 4 o), tetrahydrofuran (thf, c 4 h 8 o), dioxane (c 4 h 8 o 2 ), thiophene (c 4 h 4 s), tetrahydrothiophene (c 4 h 8 s), c 4 h 4 p, pyridine (c 5 h 5 n) or derivatives of those are suitable ligands for this purpose. other possible ligands include triphenyl phosphine, tributylphosphine, tetramethylethanediamine (tmeda), and tetramethylpropanediamine (tmpda). in some embodiments the ligand is selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, thophene, tetrahdrothiophene and derivatives thereof. the structure of some of these materials is shown in table 1. table 1namecas numbervapor pressurefuran (c 4 h 4 o)110-00-9500 torr @ 20° c.tetrahydrofuran (thf)109-99-9140 torr @ 20° c.(c 4 h 8 o)thiophene (c 4 h 4 s)110-02-140 torr @ 13° c.thiofurantetrahydrothiophene (c 4 h 8 s)110-01-018 torr @ 25° c.pyridine (c 5 h 5 n)110-86-120 torr @ 25° c. thf (tetrahydrofuran, c 4 h 8 o) is very volatile (129 torr at 20° c.), and the oxygen's lone pair of electrons coordinate easily. furan (c 4 h 4 o) has a delocalized electron ring because of two double carbon-carbon bonds, which makes it thermally stable and also the oxygen's lone pair of electrons coordinates easily. in addition, the relatively small size makes coordination easier. in the examples shown in table 1, a hydrogen atom is attached to each carbon atom. alternatively, one or more hydrogen atoms can be replaced by alkyl groups such as methyl or ethyl groups or by alkoxy or amino groups. nevertheless, it is believed that it is advantageous to select ligands that are as small and simple as possible. larger ligands could also be used but those can have some problems in coordinating because of steric hindrance. however, in cases where there are several hetero-atoms in the coordinating ligands, it may reduce the effect of steric hindrance and thus those precursors could be utilized. crown ethers or epoxides, and corresponding compounds of those, where one or more or all oxygen atoms are replaced with sulphur, phosphorus and nitrogen, could also be used. general formula i for the ring structured or epoxy structured coordinating ligand with a hetero-atom is presented below: where, r 1 and r 2 can be independently selected from: linear or branched c 1 -c 20 alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups or hydrogen;halogenated alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups, wherein at least one hydrogen atom is replaced with fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine atom;alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups with substituted (hydrogen atom(s) replaced with) double-bonded o, s or n or triple-bonded n;alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups substituted with (one hydrogen atom replaced with) a substituent selected from the group of —nh 2 , —sh 2 , —oh; andx can be any hetero-atom independently selected from the group consisting of o, s, n and p. general formula ii for a ring structured (e.g., crown ethers and dioxane) coordinating ligand with more than one hetero-atom is presented below: where, n can be any number from 1 to 20; r 1 and r 2 can be independently selected fromlinear or branched c 1 -c 20 alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups or hydrogen;halogenated alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups, wherein at least one hydrogen atom is replaced with fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine atom;alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups with substituted double-bonded o, s or n or triple-bonded n;alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups with substituted (e.g., one hydrogen atom replaced with) a substituent selected from the group of —nh 2 , —sh 2 , —oh; andx can be any hetero-atom independently selected from the group consisting of o, s, n and p. in the example of hfo 2 deposition from hfcl 4 and h 2 o, the affinity of hafnium towards oxygen is greater than its affinity towards chlorine. therefore, when thf is used as coordinating ligand, the hf atom will have a preference to be coordinated by the o atoms of thf ligands instead of by cl atoms of neighboring hfcl 4 atoms. on the other hand, the bonds between hafnium and coordinating ligands such as thf are almost always weaker than the covalent or ionic bonds present in hafnium oxide, so the next water pulse in an ald process will remove all the coordinating ligands. an alternative group of neutral ligands are carboxylic acids, having a carbon atom with a double-bonded o and an oh group. examples are formic acid (cooh), acetic acid (ch 3 cooh) and propanoic acid (ch 3 ch 2 cooh). an alternative group of neutral ligands for coordination purposes are carbon chains with a double carbon-carbon bond (alkenes), such as ethene (c 2 h 4 ), propene (c 3 h 6 ), butene (c 4 h 8 ), and butadiene (c 4 h 6 ), or triple carbon-carbon bonds (alkynes or acetylenes), e.g., ethyne, (c 2 h 2 ), propyne (c 3 h 4 ), and butyne (c 4 h 6 ). an example is presented for the hfcl 4 -thf case. however, it will be understood that the principles taught herein will be beneficial for other metal and nonmetal precursors and other adducts also. examples of other metal precursors for which the invention can be beneficially used are fluorides, chlorides, bromides and iodides of ti, zr, hf, v, nb, ta, cr, mo, w, ru, co, rh, ir, ni, cu, pd, pt, al, ga, in, and ge. in some embodiments the precursor can comprise si. in preferred embodiments the deposition reactions utilize a metal precursor. preferably the metal precursor does not comprise silicon. however, the principles taught herein can also be beneficial for non-metal precursors, such as water and ammonia. although these precursors have a high volatility, due to a lone pair of electrons of the central atom, or the hydrogen bonding, these molecules are very “sticky,” i.e. they are difficult to purge out of the reaction chamber. the addition of a coordinating ligand will help in this case. the same neutral coordinating ligands can be used as those suggested above. in other cases a reaction by-product might be difficult to purge. an example is nh 4 cl, which is likely formed in processes using metal chlorides and nh 3 : ticl x ( s )+nh 3 ( g )→tinh x ( s )+hcl( g ) hcl( g )+nh 3 ( g )→hcl:nh 3 ( s ) in this case it is proposed to feed pyridine simultaneously with nh 3 so that the hcl formed will be coordinated by pyridine: hcl( g )+nc 5 h 5 ( g )→hcl:nc 5 h 5 ( g ) the vapor pressure for pyridine hydrochloride is 750 torr at 220° c., while the vapor pressure for ammonium chloride is 1 torr at 160° c. an alternative group of neutral ligands for coordination purposes are carbon chains with a double carbon-carbon bond (alkenes) such as ethene (c 2 h 4 ), propene (c 4 h 6 ) and butene (c 4 h 8 ), or triple carbon-carbon bonds (alkynes or acetylenes) such as ethyne, (c 2 h 2 ), propyne (c 3 h 4 ), and butyne (c 4 h 6 ). ring structured carbon chains, like benzene, cycloheptene or cyclopentadienyl, that have at least one double bond or delocalized electrons, can also be used. in an ald process the coordinating ligand can be fed to the reaction chambers in various ways. the coordinating ligand and the low volatility reactant can be fed to the reaction chamber simultaneously but from separate sources and via a separate flow paths. the coordinating ligand can also flow through the container of the low volatility reactant so that it functions as a carrier gas for the low volatility reactant. another possibility is to feed the coordinating ligand to the reaction chamber after the pulse of the low volatility reactant, and prior to feeding the directly subsequent pulse of the second reactant, to ensure an efficient purging of the reaction chamber. an ald process typically comprises multiple deposition cycles, where in each cycle two or more reactants are alternately and sequentially provided. in some embodiments, the coordinating ligand is not fed to reaction chamber in every cycle, but it can be fed from every 2 nd to every 100 th cycle, or even less frequently. it will be clear that also combinations of these ways are also possible. example an example of the invention is the deposition of hfo 2 from hfcl 4 and h 2 o, using thf as the neutral coordinating ligand. fig. 2 shows the film thickness and uniformity for a number of wafers processed sequentially in an f-200ald reactor, commercially available from asm international n.v. of bilthoven, the netherlands, at a process temperature of 300° c. according to the prior art, without the use of a neutral coordinating ligand. a reproducible thickness was achieved. the variation in film thickness over the wafer is however relatively large at a level of 5% (1 sigma). in fig. 3 , the effect of the use of thf as described herein is shown. the thf was fed into the reaction chamber both after the hfcl 4 pulse and after the water pulse. the uniformity is improved from about 6% to below 3% (1 sigma). the minimum thickness on the wafer is not affected by the use of thf. it is believed that by the use of thf a better purging efficiency is achieved, resulting in more complete removal of any hfcl 4 or h 2 o from the reactor before the next pulse enters. without thf, traces of hfcl 4 or h 2 o are left, giving rise to some cvd growth in localized areas, resulting in higher maximum thicknesses. from the unchanged minimum thickness it can be concluded that thf does not affect the film deposition process itself; it does not decompose and does not affect the film composition. it will be clear that the application of the principles described herein is not limited to ald processes with two reactants only but can also beneficially applied in ald processes employing three or more reactants. furthermore, the principles described herein can be applied to ald processes operated in single wafer reactors as well as in batch reactors. in vertical batch reactors, comprising a stack horizontally oriented and vertically spaced wafers in a vertically elongated reaction chamber, such as described in u.s. pat. no. 6,585,823 of applicant, the purging efficiency is rather low and the methods described herein can be beneficially applied. finally, it can also be practiced in cvd. in low pressure cvd (lpcvd) processes the residence time of the gases in the reaction chamber is similarly short as in ald. although the purging efficiency in cvd is much less critical than in ald, a neutral coordinating ligand can assist in transporting a low vapor pressure reactant into the reaction chamber. it will be appreciated that apparatuses in accordance with the teachings herein, whether ald, cvd, single-wafer or batch, preferably include a source of neutral coordinating ligands, as described herein, connected to the apparatus in such a fashion that mixture between a precursor for film deposition and the neutral coordinating ligands occurs either in proximity with the reaction space or within the reaction space. the tool is configured for dynamic “mixture” during processing (e.g., while flowing the precursor and neutral coordinating ligands to the reaction space or in separate neutral coordinating ligand pulses between precursor pulses as described above). when separate ligand pulses are employed, the “mixture” is with residual precursor or by-product, in the gas phase and/or on reaction space surfaces. the reaction space is commonly understood to include the reaction chamber itself, and those inlets and outlets in immediate communication therewith, such as in the case of an ald reactor, those surfaces subject to both or all ald precursors. ald reactors, of course, will include valves and control processors programmed or otherwise configured to allow alternating and exclusive pulses of precursors through the reaction space, typically with removal steps such as purging between precursor pulses. various modifications and alterations of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, and that the claims should be interpreted as broadly as the prior art allows.
|
003-820-614-890-574
|
EP
|
[
"EP",
"KR",
"TW",
"RU",
"MX",
"CN",
"WO",
"JP",
"CA",
"IL"
] |
A24F40/05,A24F40/10,A24F40/46,A24F40/485,A61M11/00,A61M11/04,A61M15/00,A61M15/06,B05B17/06,A24F40/40,A24F40/42,A61M16/00,B05B17/00,A24F40/50,A24F40/57
| 2015-11-02T00:00:00 |
2015
|
[
"A24",
"A61",
"B05"
] |
an aerosol-generating system comprising a vibratable element
|
an aerosol-generating system, a cartridge for an aerosol-generating system, an atomiser for an aerosol-generating system and a method of generating an aerosol using the aerosol-generating system, wherein the system comprises a liquid-storage portion comprising a housing for holding a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; heating means arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate; a vibratable element comprising a plurality of passages through which heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate passes to form an aerosol; and an actuator arranged to vibrate the vibratable element to generate the aerosol.
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an aerosol-generating system comprising: a liquid-storage portion (201) comprising a housing for holding a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; heating means arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the heating means comprising means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time, the means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time comprising: a liquid passageway in communication with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and at least one heater arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate within the liquid passageway; a vibratable element (301) comprising a plurality of passages (303) through which heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate passes to form an aerosol; and an actuator (302) arranged to vibrate the vibratable element (301) to generate the aerosol. an aerosol-generating system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating means is arranged on or within the housing of the liquid-storage portion (201). an aerosol-generating system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating means is arranged at the vibratable element (301). an aerosol-generating system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating means comprises the vibratable element (301). an aerosol-generating system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the aerosol-generating system further comprises a control system configured to operate the heating means to heat aerosol-forming substrate to a predetermined temperature. an aerosol-generating system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the vibratable element (301) comprises an inlet side (308) and an opposing outlet side (309), and wherein each passage of the plurality of passages (303) extends from the inlet side (308) to the outlet side (309). an aerosol-generating system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the actuator (302) is arranged to transmit vibrations to the vibratable element (301) to the inlet side (308) or the outlet side (309) of the vibratable element (301). an aerosol-generating system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the actuator (302) comprises a piezoelectric transducer. an aerosol-generating system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the liquid-storage portion (201) further comprises a carrier material within the housing for holding the aerosol-forming substrate. an aerosol-generating system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one heater comprises a coil (205) substantially surrounding at least a portion of a liquid passageway. an aerosol-generating system as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a liquid aerosol-forming substrate in the housing of the liquid-storage portion (201). an aerosol-generating system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the system further comprises a cartridge (200), wherein the cartridge (200) comprises the liquid-storage portion (201). an aerosol-generating system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the system is an electrically operated smoking system. a cartridge (200) for an aerosol-generating system, the cartridge (200) comprising: a liquid-storage portion (201) comprising a housing for holding a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; heating means arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate to a predetermined temperature, the heating means comprising means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time, the means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time comprising: a liquid passageway in communication with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and at least one heater arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate within the liquid passageway; and a vibratable element (301) comprising a plurality of passages (303) through which heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate passes to form an aerosol. an atomiser (300) for atomising a liquid aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol, the atomiser (300) comprising: heating means arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the heating means comprising means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time, the means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time comprising: a liquid passageway for communication with a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and at least one heater arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate within the liquid passageway; a vibratable element (301) comprising a plurality of passages (303) through which heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate passes to form an aerosol; and an actuator (302) arranged to vibrate the vibratable element (301) to generate the aerosol. a method of generating an aerosol, the method comprising: providing a liquid passageway for communication of liquid aerosol-forming substrate; providing at least one heater arranged to head liquid aerosol-forming substrate within the liquid passageway; heating liquid aerosol-forming substrate in the liquid passageway to a predetermined temperature; receiving liquid aerosol-forming substrate heated to the predetermined temperature at a vibratable element (301) having a plurality of passages (303); and vibrating the vibratable element (301) to move liquid aerosol-forming substrate through the passages (303) to form an aerosol.
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the present invention relates to aerosol-generating systems, cartridges for aerosol-generating systems and atomisers comprising a vibratable element for atomising a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the aerosol-generating system may be an electrically operated smoking system. one type of aerosol-generating system is an electrically operated smoking system. electrically operated smoking systems typically use a liquid aerosol-forming substrate which is atomised to form an aerosol. electrically operated smoking systems typically comprises a power supply, a liquid-storage portion for holding a supply of liquid aerosol-forming substrate and an atomiser. a common type of atomiser used in electronically operated smoking systems comprises a coil of heater wire wound around an elongate wick soaked in liquid aerosol-forming substrate. other known types of atomiser use ultrasonic vibrations, rather than heat, to atomise a liquid substrate. there are two main types of atomiser that use ultrasonic vibrations to atomise a liquid substrate, which are referred to herein as 'active' and 'passive' ultrasonic atomisers. 'passive' ultrasonic atomisers use an oscillating element to transmit vibrations to a liquid substrate. the vibrations generate pressure waves in the liquid substrate that push the substrate through a fine mesh or a narrow region to atomise the liquid. 'active' ultrasonic atomisers use a vibrating mesh through which a liquid substrate is drawn and atomised by the vibrations. examples of systems comprising atomisers which use vibrations to atomise a liquid substrate are described in: european patent application publication number ep 1005917 a1 , in the name of microflow engineering s.a.; international patent application publication number wo 2004/103478 a1 , in the name of collins et al.; and united states patent application publication number us 2012/0048266 a1 , in the name of alelov. ultrasonic atomisers may produce aerosols having a more consistent droplet size than atomisers that use heat to atomise a liquid substrate. ultrasonic atomisers may also generate aerosols having a lower temperature than atomisers that use heat to atomise a liquid substrate. however, a problem with most known ultrasonic atomisers is that they are not able to atomise highly viscous liquids. in addition, most known ultrasonic atomisers for use in electrically operated smoking systems may not generate an aerosol at a temperature that provides a user with a mouthfeel that is similar to that of the smoke from a conventional cigarette or cigar. it would be desirable to provide an aerosol-generating system that ameliorates these problems. it would be desirable to provide an aerosol-generating system that is capable of atomising a range of liquid aerosol-forming substrates, having a range of viscosities. it would also be desirable to provide an electrically operated smoking system having an improved atomiser. in a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol-generating system comprising a liquid-storage portion comprising a housing for holding a liquid aerosol-forming substrate and heating means arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the heating means comprises means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time, the means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time comprising: a liquid passageway in communication with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and at least one heater arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate within the liquid passageway the aerosol-generating system further comprises a vibratable element comprising a plurality of passages through which heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate may pass to form an aerosol, and an actuator arranged to vibrate the vibratable element to generate the aerosol. in use, a user may operate the system by operating a switch or by drawing on a mouthpiece of the system. the heating means may be activated, heating at least a portion of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the actuator may be activated, exciting vibrations in the vibratable element. the vibrations in the vibratable element may deform the vibratable element and the passages of the plurality of passages. heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be received by the vibratable element at an inlet side. the deformation of the passages may draw the received, heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate into the passages and may eject aerosol droplets of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from an opposing outlet side of the element, atomising the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the viscosity of a liquid aerosol-forming substrate may have a significant effect on the flow-rate of the liquid through the aerosol-generating system. reducing the viscosity of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may increase the flow-rate and increases the rate of atomisation. as used herein, the term 'rate of atomisation' describes the rate of generation of aerosol from the system. in other words, the 'rate of atomisation' is the difference between the initial mass of aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion and the remaining aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion divided by the atomisation time. the heating means may heat the liquid aerosol-forming substrate and reducing the viscosity of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. by heating the liquid aerosol-forming substrate before atomisation, the heating means may increase the rate of atomisation. heating the aerosol-forming substrate and reducing the viscosity of the aerosol-forming substrate before atomisation may also increase the reliability of the system. the heating means may heat the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to a consistent, predetermined temperature before atomisation. this enables atomisation of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a consistent viscosity, and may enable generation of an aerosol by the system at a consistent rate of atomisation. this may improve the user experience. the viscosity of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may have a significant effect on the droplet size of the aerosol generated by the system. therefore, heating the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to a consistent, predetermined temperature before atomisation may facilitate generation of an aerosol having a consistent distribution of droplet sizes. heating the liquid aerosol-substrate to a temperature above ambient temperature before atomisation may also reduce the sensitivity of the system to fluctuations in ambient temperature and provide a user with a consistent aerosol at each use. as used herein, the term 'droplet size' is used to mean the aerodynamic droplet size, which is the size of a spherical unit density droplet that settles with the same velocity as the droplet in question. several measures are used in the art to describe aerosol droplet size. these include mass median diameter (mmd) and mass median aerodynamic diameter (mmad). as used herein, the term 'mass median diameter (mmd)' is used to mean the diameter of a droplet such that half the mass of the aerosol is contained in small diameter droplets and half in large diameter droplets. as used herein, the term 'mass median aerodynamic diameter (mmad)' is used to mean the diameter of a sphere of unit density that has the same aerodynamic properties as a droplet of median mass from the aerosol. there are several methods of measuring droplet size that are well-known in the art, in particular using laser based light scattering devices and inertial impaction devices. laser diffraction devices do not typically detect aerodynamic droplet size. inertial impaction devices typically detect aerodynamic droplet size and allow the amount of liquid contained in the droplets to be calculated. example inertial impaction devices include the glass multistage liquid impinger, the anderson impactor, the high performance multistage liquid impinge and the twin stage impingers. the mass median aerodynamic diameter (mmad) of the droplets generated by the aerosol-generating system of the present invention may be between about 1 µm and about 10 µm, or the mmad may be between about 1 µm and about 5 µm. the mmad of the droplets may be equal to or less than 3 µm. the desired droplet size of the droplets generated by the aerosol-generating system of the present invention may be any mmad described above. the desired droplet size (mmad) may be equal to or less than 3 µm. the heating means may be any suitable heating means capable of heating a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the heating means may be an electrically operated heating means. the heating means may be a resistive heating means. the heating means may be arranged on or within the housing of the liquid-storage portion. this may improve heat transfer between the heating means and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the heating means may be arranged at the vibratable element. in particular, the heating means may be in a heat conductive relationship with the vibratable element. the heating means may be substantially flat to allow for straightforward manufacture. as used herein, the term 'substantially flat' means formed in a single plane and not wrapped around or otherwise confirmed to fit a curved or other non-planar shape. a flat heating means may be easily handled during manufacture and provide for a robust construction. the heating means may be of the type described in ep-b1-2493342 . for example, the heating means may comprise one or more electrically conductive tracks on an electrically insulating substrate. the electrically insulating substrate may comprise any suitable material, and may be a material that is able to tolerate high temperatures (in excess of 300°c) and rapid temperature changes. an example of a suitable material is a polyimide film, such as kapton®. the heating means comprises means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time. the means for heating a small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a time may include, for example, a liquid passageway in communication with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be forced into the liquid passageway by capillary force. the at least one heater may be arranged such that during use, only the small amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate within the liquid passageway, and not the liquid within the housing, is heated. the heating means may comprise a coil substantially surrounding at least a portion of a liquid passageway. the heating means may comprise inductive heating means. inductive heating means are described in more detail below, in relation to the cartridge. the heating means may comprise the vibratable element. this may reduce the number of component parts of the system and facilitate straightforward manufacture. this may ensure that the portion of liquid aerosol-forming substrate to be atomised (i.e. the portion received at the vibratable element) is at the desired temperature and viscosity at the time that it is atomised. this may also enable the heating means to operate at a lower temperature without reducing the temperature or the viscosity of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate being atomised. this is because the heating means may heat a portion of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, rather than all of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the housing. lowering the operating temperature of the heating means may reduce the power requirements of the system. the aerosol-generating system may further comprise a control system configured to operate the heating means to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate to a predetermined temperature. the predetermined temperature may be above ambient temperature. the predetermined temperature may be above room temperature. this may reduce the viscosity of the aerosol-forming substrate compared to the viscosity of the unheated aerosol-forming substrate. this may increase the rate of atomisation and may facilitate generation of an aerosol having desirable droplet sizes. this may reduce the sensitivity of the system to fluctuations in ambient temperature. the predetermined temperature may be below the vaporisation temperature of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the predetermined temperature may be between 20°c and 80°c, or between 30°c and 60°c or between 35°c and 45°c. the predetermined temperature may be between 20°c and 30°c, 30°c and 40°c, 40°c and 50°c, 50°c and 60°c, 60°c and 70°c or 70°c and 80°c. as used herein, the term ambient temperature' is used to mean the air temperature of the surrounding environment in which the aerosol-generating system is being used. ambient temperatures typically corresponds to a temperature between about 10°c and 35°c. as used herein, the term 'room temperature' is used to mean a standard ambient temperature and pressure, typically a temperature of about 25 °c and an absolute pressure of about 100 kpa (1 atm). the control system configured to operate the heating means may be separate of other control systems of the aerosol-generating system. the control system may be integral with other control system of the aerosol-generating system. the control system may comprise electric circuitry connected to the heating means and to an electrical power source. the electric circuitry may be configured to monitor the electrical resistance of the heating means and to control the supply of power to the heating means dependent on the electrical resistance of the heating means. the electric circuitry may comprise a microprocessor, which may be a programmable microprocessor. the electric circuitry may comprise further electronic components. the electric circuitry may be configured to regulate a supply of power to the heating means. power may be supplied to the heating means continuously following activation of the system or may be supplied intermittently, such as on a puff-by-puff basis. the power may be supplied to the heating means in the form of pulses of electrical current. the control system may comprise an ambient temperature sensor, to detect the ambient temperature. the control system may comprise a temperature sensor within the liquid storage portion, to detect the temperature of the liquid-aerosol-forming substrate held in the housing of the liquid storage portion. the one or more temperature sensors may be in communication with control electronics of the aerosol-generating system to enable the control electronics to maintain the temperature of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate at the predetermined temperature. the one or more temperature sensors may be a thermocouple. the heating means may be used to provide information relating to the temperature. temperature dependent resistive properties of the heating means may be known and used to determine the temperature of the at least one heater in a manner known to the skilled person. the vibratable element may be a thin sheet. as used herein, 'thin' denotes a body having a thickness that is substantially smaller than the other dimensions of the body, such as length, width or diameter. the vibratable element may have a thickness of between about 0.1 mm and about 4.0 mm. the vibratable element may have a longitudinal length or diameter of between about 3 mm and about 60 mm. as used herein, the term 'diameter' denotes the maximum dimension in the transverse direction of parts or portions of parts of the aerosol-generating system. the vibratable element may be any suitable shape. the vibratable element may be substantially circular or elliptical. the vibratable element may be substantially triangular or square or any regular or irregular shape. the vibratable element may be substantially flat. the vibratable element may be curved. the vibratable element may be dome shaped. the vibratable element may be a substantially square plate. the vibratable element may be a substantially circular or elliptical disc. the vibratable element may comprise a single piece of material. the vibratable element may comprise more than one piece of material. the vibratable element may be laminated. the vibratable element may comprise a metal or a metal alloy. the metal or metal alloy may be nickel, iron, titanium, copper or aluminium. the vibratable element may comprise a polymeric material. the vibratable element may comprise a ceramic material. the vibratable element may comprise a combination of materials. the vibratable element may comprise an inlet side and an opposing outlet side, and each passage of the plurality of passages may extend between the inlet side and the outlet side. the vibratable element may be reusable. the vibratable element may be disposable. the passages of the plurality of passages are open passages that extend through the thickness of the vibratable element. the passages have open ends at the opposing inlet and outlet sides of the vibratable element. the passages may be formed in the vibratable element by any suitable method. suitable known methods of forming the passages include electrolysis and high-speed laser drilling. the passages may have any suitable shape. the passages may have a substantially circular or elliptical cross-section. the passages may have a substantially triangular or square or an irregularly shaped cross-section. the passages may have a consistent diameter along their length. the passages may be substantially cylindrical. the passages may have a tapered shape with a width that narrows towards the outlet surface of the vibratable element. providing passages with a larger diameter at the inlet side (i.e. the side receiving the liquid aerosol-forming substrate) than at the outlet side may facilitate uptake of the liquid-aerosol-forming substrate by the passageways. this may increase the rate of atomisation of liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the diameter of the tapered passages may decrease continuously along the length of passages between the inlet and outlet sides. the diameter of the tapered passages may vary in one or more discrete step changes between the inlet and outlet sides. the tapered passages may be substantially frusto-conical, forming truncated cones. the tapered passages may be substantially truncated pyramids. the angle of taper may be constant along the length of the tapered passages. as used herein, the term 'angle of taper' is used to mean the angular deviation of the passage walls from the normal to the first or second surface of the vibratable element. the passages may have a diameter at the outlet side of the vibratable element of between about 1 micrometre (µm) and 150 micrometres (µm), or between about 1 µm and 50 µm, or between about 1.5 µm and 10 µm. this may facilitate generation of aerosols having desirable droplet sizes. the passages may have any suitable diameter at the outlet side of the vibratable element to generate droplets having a desired droplet size. the desired droplet size (mmad) may be equal to or less than 3 µm. the passages may give rise to capillary action, so that in use, liquid aerosol-forming substrate to be atomised is drawn into the passages, increasing the contact area between the vibratable element and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. where the heating means comprises the vibratable element, this may improve conductive heat transfer between the vibratable element and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the plurality of passages may form an array. the array of passages may have any suitable shape. for example, the passages may be arranged in a substantially circular array, a substantially elliptical array, a substantially square array or a substantially rectangular array. the passages may be regularly spaced across the array. the passages may be irregularly spaced across the array. the array of passages may extend across the entire vibratable element. the array of passages may extend over a portion of the vibratable element. the array of passages may extend over a central portion of the vibratable element. the array may cover an area of between about 10% and about 100% of the area of the vibratable element, or between about 20% and about 80%, or between about 30% and about 70%. the area of the array of passages may be less than or equal to 25 mm 2 . the array of passages may, for example, be rectangular and have dimensions of about 5 mm and about 2 mm. the array of passages may be substantially circular, having a diameter of between about 3 mm and about 60 mm. the plurality of passages may comprise between about 100 and 10000 passages, or between about 1000 and 7000 passages, or between about 3000 and 5000 passages. the actuator may be arranged at any suitable location with respect to the vibratable element. the actuator may be arranged to transmit vibrations to the vibratable element at the inlet side or the outlet side of the vibratable element. the actuator may be arranged to transmit vibrations to the vibratable element at the inlet side. the actuator may be arranged to transmit vibrations to the vibratable element at the outlet side. the actuator may be in direct contact with the vibratable element. the actuator may be secured to the vibratable element. the actuator may be secured to the vibratable element by pressure. the actuator may be bonded to the vibratable element. a transfer member may be provided between the actuator and the vibratable element to transfer vibrations from the actuator to the vibratable element. the actuator may be arranged to vibrate the vibratable element in any suitable direction. the actuator may be arranged to vibrate the vibratable element in a thickness direction. as used herein, 'thickness direction' means a direction substantially parallel to the thickness of the vibratable element. this may facilitate deformation in the vibratable element that encourages movement of liquid aerosol-forming substrate through the passages. the actuator may comprise one or more actuating elements. the one or more actuating elements may be any suitable shape. the one or more actuating elements may be substantially circular or elliptical. the one or more actuating elements may be substantially triangular, square or any regular or irregular shape. the one or more actuating elements may be annular. the one or more actuating elements may substantially circumscribe the plurality of passages of the vibratable element. by circumscribing the plurality of passages, the one or more actuating elements may not cover an open end of the passages. the one or more actuating elements may be substantially flat. the one or more actuating elements may have a thickness of between about 0.1 mm and 5.0 mm. the one or more actuating elements may be a substantially annular disc. the outer diameter of the annular disc may be between about 3 mm and about 60 mm and the inner diameter may be between about 2 mm and about 59 mm. the actuator may be any type of actuator for exciting vibrations in the vibratable element. the actuator may comprise a piezoelectric transducer. the piezoelectric transducer may provide actuator that is sufficiently small, lightweight and easy to control for use in a handheld aerosol-generating system. the piezoelectric transducer may comprise a monocrystalline material. the piezoelectric transducer may comprise quartz. the piezoelectric transducer may comprise a ceramic. the ceramic may comprise barium titanate (batio 3 ). the ceramic may comprise lead zirconate titanate (pzt). the ceramic may include doping materials such as ni, bi, la, nd or nb ions. the piezoelectric transducer may be polarised. the piezoelectric transducer may be unpolarised. the piezoelectric transducer may comprise both polarised and unpolarised piezoelectric materials. the aerosol-generating system may further comprise a control system configured to operate the actuator to excite vibrations in the vibratable element at a predetermined frequency. the predetermined frequency may be between about 20 khz and about 1500 khz, or between about 50 khz and about 1000 khz, or between about 100 khz and about 500 khz. this may provide a desired aerosol-output rate and a desired droplet size for a good user experience. the control system configured to operate the actuator may be separate of other control systems of the aerosol-generating system. the control system may be integral with other control system of the aerosol-generating system. the control system may comprise electric circuitry connected to the actuator and to an electrical power source. the electric circuitry may comprise a microprocessor, which may be a programmable microprocessor. the electric circuitry may comprise further electronic components. the electric circuitry may be configured to regulate a supply of power to the actuator. power may be supplied to the actuator continuously following activation of the system or may be supplied intermittently, such as on a puff-by-puff basis. the power may be supplied to the actuator in the form of pulses of electrical current. the liquid storage portion of the aerosol-generating system may comprise a housing that is substantially cylindrical, wherein an opening is at one end of the cylinder. the housing of the liquid storage portion may have a substantially circular cross section. the housing may be a rigid housing. as used herein, the term 'rigid housing' is used to mean a housing that is self-supporting. the rigid housing of the liquid-storage portion may provide mechanical support to the heating means. the liquid storage portion may further comprise a carrier material within the housing for holding the aerosol-forming substrate. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be adsorbed or otherwise loaded onto a carrier or support. the carrier material may be made from any suitable absorbent plug or body, for example, a foamed metal or plastics material, polypropylene, terylene, nylon fibres or ceramic. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be retained in the carrier material prior to use of the aerosol-generating system. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be released into the carrier material during use. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be released into the carrier material immediately prior to use. for example, the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be provided in a capsule. the shell of the capsule may melt upon heating by the heating means and releases the liquid aerosol-forming substrate into the carrier material. the capsule may optionally contain a solid in combination with the liquid. in one example, the liquid aerosol-forming substrate is held in capillary material. a capillary material is a material that actively conveys liquid from one end of the material to another. the capillary material may be advantageously oriented in the housing to convey liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the first side of the vibratable element. the capillary material may have a fibrous structure. the capillary material may have a spongy structure. the capillary material may comprise a bundle of capillaries. the capillary material may comprise a plurality of fibres. the capillary material may comprise a plurality of threads. the capillary material may comprise fine bore tubes. the capillary material may comprise a combination of fibres, threads and fine-bore tubes. the fibres, threads and fine-bore tubes may be generally aligned to convey liquid to the vibratable element. the capillary material may comprise sponge-like material. the capillary material may comprise foam-like material. the structure of the capillary material may form a plurality of small bores or tubes, through which the liquid can be transported by capillary action. the capillary material may comprise any suitable material or combination of materials. examples of suitable materials are a sponge or foam material, ceramic- or graphite-based materials in the form of fibres or sintered powders, foamed metal or plastics materials, a fibrous material, for example made of spun or extruded fibres, such as cellulose acetate, polyester, or bonded polyolefin, polyethylene, terylene or polypropylene fibres, nylon fibres or ceramic. the capillary material may have any suitable capillarity and porosity so as to be used with different liquid physical properties. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate has physical properties, including but not limited to viscosity, surface tension, density, thermal conductivity, boiling point and atom pressure, which allow the liquid to be transported through the capillary material by capillary action. the capillary material may be configured to convey the aerosol-forming substrate to the first surface of the vibratable element. the capillary material may extend into passages of the vibratable element. the carrier material may abut the vibratable element. the carrier material may abut the vibratable element at the inlet side. the capillary material may abut the vibratable element. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be transported by capillary action from the liquid storage portion to the vibratable element. by providing capillary material in abutment with the inlet side of the vibratable element, liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid-storage portion may be delivered to the vibratable element regardless of the orientation of the aerosol-generating system. the aerosol-generating system may comprise liquid aerosol-forming substrate in the housing of the liquid-storage portion. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate is a substrate capable of releasing volatile compounds that can form an aerosol. the volatile compounds may be released by moving the liquid aerosol-forming substrate through the passages of the vibratable element. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise nicotine. the nicotine containing liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be a nicotine salt matrix. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise plant-based material. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise tobacco. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a tobacco-containing material containing volatile tobacco flavour compounds, which are released from the aerosol-forming substrate upon heating. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise homogenised tobacco material. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a non-tobacco-containing material. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise homogenised plant-based material. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise at least one aerosol-former. an aerosol-former is any suitable known compound or mixture of compounds that, in use, facilitates formation of a dense and stable aerosol and that is substantially resistant to thermal degradation at the temperature of operation of the system. suitable aerosol-formers are well known in the art and include, but are not limited to: polyhydric alcohols, such as triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol and glycerine; esters of polyhydric alcohols, such as glycerol mono-, di- or triacetate; and aliphatic esters of mono-, di- or polycarboxylic acids, such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate. aerosol formers may be polyhydric alcohols or mixtures thereof, such as triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol and glycerine. the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise other additives and ingredients, such as flavourants. the aerosol-forming substrate may comprise nicotine and at least one aerosol former. the aerosol former may be glycerine. the aerosol-former may be propylene glycol. the aerosol former may comprise both glycerine and propylene glycol. the aerosol-forming substrate may have a nicotine concentration of between about 2% and about 10%. the aerosol-forming substrate may have a dynamic viscosity (µ) at a temperature of 20°c of between about 0.4 mpa.s (0.4 mpi, 0.4 cp) and about 1000 mpa.s (1000 mpi, 1000 cp), or between about 1 mpa.s and about 100 mpa.s, or about 1.5 mpa.s and about 10 mpa.s. the aerosol-generating system may comprise a power supply. the power supply may be a battery. the battery may be a lithium based battery, for example a lithium-cobalt, a lithium-iron-phosphate, a lithium titanate or a lithium-polymer battery. the battery may be a nickel-metal hydride battery or a nickel cadmium battery. the power supply may be another form of charge storage device such as a capacitor. the power supply may require recharging and be configured for many cycles of charge and discharge. the power supply may have a capacity that allows for the storage of enough energy for one or more smoking experiences; for example, the power supply may have sufficient capacity to allow for the continuous generation of aerosol for a period of around six minutes, corresponding to the typical time taken to smoke a conventional cigarette, or for a period that is a multiple of six minutes. in another example, the power supply may have sufficient capacity to allow for a predetermined number of puffs or discrete activations of the heating means and actuator. the aerosol-generating system may be portable. the aerosol-generating system may have a size comparable to a conventional cigar or cigarette. the aerosol-generating system may have a total length between about 30 mm and about 150 mm. the aerosol-generating system may have an external diameter between about 5 mm and about 30mm. the aerosol-generating system may comprise a housing. the housing may be elongate. the housing may comprise any suitable material or combination of materials. examples of suitable materials include metals, alloys, plastics or composite materials containing one or more of those materials, or thermoplastics that are suitable for food or pharmaceutical applications, for example polypropylene, polyetheretherketone (peek) and polyethylene. the material may be light and non-brittle. the housing may comprise a cavity for receiving the power supply. the housing may comprise a mouthpiece. the mouthpiece may comprise at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet. the mouthpiece may comprise more than one air inlet. one or more of the air inlets may reduce the temperature of the aerosol before it is delivered to a user and may reduce the concentration of the aerosol before it is delivered to a user. the aerosol-generating system may comprise an aerosol-generating device and a cartridge. the cartridge may comprise the liquid storage portion. the cartridge may comprise the liquid storage portion and at least a portion of the heating means. the cartridge may comprise the liquid storage portion and the heating means. the cartridge may comprise the liquid storage portion, the heating means, the vibratable element and the actuator. a cartridge for an aerosol-generating system may comprise a liquid storage portion comprising a housing for holding a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and heating means arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate to a predetermined temperature. according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge for an aerosol-generating system, the cartridge comprising a liquid storage portion comprising a housing for holding a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; heating means arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate to a predetermined temperature; a vibratable element comprising a plurality of passages through which heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate may pass to form an aerosol; and an actuator arranged to vibrate the vibratable element to generate the aerosol. the liquid storage portion, the heating means, the vibratable element and the actuator may comprise any features or be arranged in any configuration as described above in relation to the liquid storage portion, the heating means, the vibratable element and the actuator of the aerosol-generating system of the first aspect of the present invention. for example, the heating means may comprise the vibratable element. the heating means may be substantially as described above in relation to the first aspect of the present invention. the heating means may be inductive heating means, such that no electrical contacts are formed between the cartridge and the device. the device may comprise an inductor coil and a power supply configured to provide high frequency oscillating current to the inductor coil. the cartridge may comprise a susceptor element positioned to heat the aerosol-forming substrate. as used herein, a high frequency oscillating current means an oscillating current having a frequency of between 500 khz and 10 mhz. the predetermined temperature may be above ambient temperature. the predetermined temperature may be above room temperature. the predetermined temperature may be below the vaporisation temperature of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the predetermined temperature may be any suitable temperature for a vibratable element and actuator arrangement in accordance with the present invention to generate droplets having a desired droplet size. the desired droplet size (mmad) may be equal to or less than 3 µm. the predetermined temperature may be between 20°c and 80°c, or between 30°c and 60°c or between 35°c and 45°c. the predetermined temperature may be between 20°c and 30°c, 30°c and 40°c, 40°c and 50°c, 50°c and 60°c, 60°c and 70°c or 70°c and 80°c. the cartridge may be removably coupled to the aerosol-generating device. the cartridge may be removed from the aerosol-generating device when the aerosol-forming substrate has been consumed. the cartridge may be disposable. the cartridge may be reusable. the cartridge may be refillable with liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the cartridge may be replaceable in the aerosol-generating device. the aerosol-generating device may be reusable. the cartridge may be manufactured at low cost, in a reliable and repeatable fashion. as used herein, the term removably coupled' is used to mean that the cartridge and device can be coupled and uncoupled from one another without significantly damaging either the device or cartridge. the cartridge may have a simple design. the cartridge may have a housing within which an aerosol-forming substrate is held. the cartridge housing may be a rigid housing. as used herein 'rigid housing' means a housing that is self-supporting. the housing may comprise a material that is impermeable to liquid. the cartridge may comprise a lid. the lid may be peelable before coupling the cartridge to the aerosol-generating device. the lid may be piercable. the aerosol-generating device may comprise a cavity for receiving the cartridge. the aerosol-generating device may comprise a cavity for receiving the power supply. the aerosol-generating device may comprise the heating means. the aerosol-generating device may comprise at least a portion of the heating means. the aerosol-generating device may comprise the vibratable element. the aerosol-generating device may comprise the actuator. the aerosol-generating device may comprise one or more control systems of the aerosol-generating system. the aerosol-generating device may comprise the power supply. the power supply may be removably coupled to the aerosol-generating device. the aerosol-generating device may comprise a mouthpiece. the mouthpiece may comprise at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet. the mouthpiece may comprise more than one air inlet. the aerosol-generating device may comprise a piercing element for piercing the lid of the cartridge. the mouthpiece may comprise the piercing element. the mouthpiece may comprise at least one first conduit extending between the at least one air inlet and a distal end of the piercing element. the mouthpiece may comprise at least one second conduit extending between a distal end of the piercing element and the at least one air outlet. the mouthpiece may be arranged such that in use, when a user draws on the mouthpiece, air flows along an airflow pathway extending from the at least one air inlet, through the at least one first conduit, through a portion of the cartridge, through the at least one second conduit and exits the at least one outlet. this may improve airflow through the aerosol-generating device and enable the aerosol to be delivered to the user more easily. the aerosol-generating system may comprise a temperature sensor. the temperature sensor may be adjacent to the cavity for receiving the cartridge. the temperature sensor may be in communication with the control electronics to enable the control electronics to maintain the temperature of the heating means at the predetermined operating temperature. the temperature sensor may be a thermocouple, or alternatively the at least one heater may be used to provide information relating to the temperature. the temperature dependent resistive properties of the at least one heater may be known and used to determine the temperature of the at least one heater in a manner known to the skilled person. the aerosol-generating system may comprise a puff detector in communication with the control electronics. the puff detector may be configured to detect when a user draws on the mouthpiece. the control electronics may be configured to control power to the at least one heating element in dependence on the input from the puff detector. the aerosol-generating system may comprise a user input, such as a switch or button. this enables the user to turn the system on. the switch or button may activate the heating means. the switch or button may initiate the aerosol generation. the switch or button may prepare the control electronics to await input from the puff detector. in use, a user may insert a cartridge as described herein into the cavity of an aerosol-generating device as described herein. the user may attach the mouthpiece to the main body of the aerosol-generating device, which may pierce the cartridge with the piercing portion. the user may activate the device by pressing the button. the user may then draw on the mouthpiece, which draws air into the device through the one or more air inlets, the air then passes through over the vibratable element, entraining the atomised aerosol-forming substrate into the airflow, and exits the device through the air outlet in the mouthpiece to be inhaled by the user. the aerosol-generating system may be an electrically operated smoking system. the aerosol-generating system may be an electronic cigarette. the electrically operated smoking system may comprise liquid aerosol-forming substrates that, at ambient temperatures, are too viscous to be atomised by other ultrasonic atomisers. the heating means may reduce the viscosity of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate before atomisation. according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an atomiser for atomising a liquid aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol, the atomiser comprising: heating means arranged to heat liquid aerosol-forming substrate; a vibratable element comprising a plurality of passages through which heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate may pass to form an aerosol; and an actuator arranged to vibrate the vibratable element to generate the aerosol. the vibratable element and the heating means may comprise any features or be arranged in any configuration as described above in relation to the vibratable element and the heating means of the aerosol-generating system of the first aspect of the present invention. for example, the heating means may comprise the vibratable element. a kit of parts may be provided, comprising an aerosol-generating device, a cartridge and an atomiser, substantially as described above. an aerosol-generating system in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention may be provided by assembling the aerosol-generating device, the cartridge and the atomiser of the kit of parts. the components of the kit of parts may be removably connected. the components of the kit of parts may be interchangeable. components of the kit of parts may be disposable. components of the kit of parts may be reusable. according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of generating an aerosol, the method comprising: heating a liquid aerosol-forming substrate to a predetermined temperature; receiving liquid aerosol-forming substrate heated to the predetermined temperature at a vibratable element having a plurality of passages; and vibrating the vibratable element to pass liquid aerosol-forming substrate through the passages to form an aerosol. the method may be performed using an aerosol-generating system, a cartridge or an atomiser in accordance with other aspects of the present invention. the method has all of the advantages described in relation to the other aspects of the present invention. features of the vibratable element and variables, such as the predetermined temperature and frequency of oscillation of the vibratable element, may be the same as those described in relation to the other aspects of the present invention. features described in relation to one aspect of the invention may also be applicable to another aspect of the invention. the invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 shows a schematic illustration of a first embodiment of an aerosol-generating system according to the present invention; figure 2 shows a first embodiment of an atomiser for an aerosol-generating system according to the present invention; and figure 3 shows a second embodiment of an atomiser for an aerosol-generating system. figure 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of an aerosol-generating system according to the invention. figure 1 is schematic in nature. in particular, the components shown are not necessarily to scale either individually or relative to one another. the aerosol-generating system comprises an aerosol generating device 100, which is preferably reusable, in cooperation with a cartridge 200, which is preferably disposable. in figure 1 , the system is an electrically operated smoking system. the device 100 comprises a main body having a housing 101. the housing 101 is substantially circularly cylindrical and has a longitudinal length of about 100 mm and an external diameter of about 20 mm, comparable to a conventional cigar. in the device, there is provided an electric power supply in the form of battery 102 and control electronics 104. the main body housing 101 also defines a cavity 112 into which the cartridge 200 is received. the cartridge 200 (shown in schematic form in figure 1 ) comprises a rigid housing defining a liquid storage portion 201. the liquid storage portion 201 holds a liquid aerosol-forming substrate (not shown). the housing of the cartridge 200 is fluid impermeable but has an open end (not shown) that is coverable by a removable lid (not shown) when the cartridge is removed from the device 100. the lid may be removed from the cartridge 200 before insertion of the cartridge into the device. the cartridge 200 includes keying features (not shown) to ensure the cartridge 200 cannot be inserted into the device upside-down. the device 100 also includes a mouthpiece portion 120. the mouthpiece portion 120 is connected to the main body housing 101 by a hinged connection in this example but any kind of connection may be used, such as a snap fitting or a screw fitting. the mouthpiece portion 120 comprises a plurality of air inlets 122, an air outlet 124 and an aerosol forming chamber 125, and an atomiser 300 mounted therein (shown schematically in figure 1 ). air inlets 122 are defined between the mouthpiece portion 120 and the main body housing 101 of the device 100 when the mouthpiece portion is in a closed position, as shown in figure 1 . an air-flow route 127 is formed from the air inlets 122 to the air outlet 124 via the aerosol forming chamber 125 and the atomiser 300, as shown in figure 1 by the arrows. as shown in figure 2 , the atomiser 300 comprises a vibratable element 301 and actuator 302 housed inside an atomiser housing 304. atomiser housing 304 comprises a hollow cylindrical box, having an inlet opening 305 and an outlet opening 306 arranged in co-axial alignment at opposite sides of the housing 304. the housing 304 is removably connected to the mouthpiece 120 of the device 100 by a screw thread connection (not shown). a male screw thread (not shown) is provided at an outer surface of the atomiser housing 304, that is complimentary to a female screw thread (not shown) on an inner surface of the mouthpiece 120. atomiser 300 is removable from the mouthpiece portion 120 of the device for disposal or for cleaning. vibratable element 301 comprises a substantially circular aluminium disc, having a thickness of about 2 mm and a diameter of about 15 mm. a plurality of passages 303 extends from an inlet side 308 to an opposing outlet side 309 of the vibratable element. the plurality of passages form an array having a substantially circular shape. the substantially circular array has a diameter of about 7 mm, and is arranged substantially centrally in the element 301. the passages (not shown) have a substantially circular cross-section and are tapered from the inlet side 308 to the outlet side 309 of the vibratable element 301. the passages have a diameter at the inlet side of about 8 µm and a diameter at the outlet side of about 6 µm. the passages are typically formed by high-speed laser drilling. the plurality of passages is comprised of about 4000 passages arranged with equal spacing across the array. actuator 302 comprises a piezoelectric transducer. the piezoelectric transducer is a substantially circular annular disc of piezoelectric material, typically zirconate titanate (pzt). the piezoelectric transducer has a thickness of about 2 mm, an outer diameter of about 17 mm and an inner diameter of about 8 mm. as shown in figure 2 , the actuator 302 is in direct contact with the vibratable element 301, at the outlet side 309 of the vibratable element. the inner diameter of the piezoelectric transducer 302 circumscribes the array of passages 303 of the vibratable element 301, such that the open ends of the passages at the outlet side are not covered by the piezoelectric transducer 302. in other embodiments (not shown) it is envisaged that the piezoelectric transducer 302 may be in direct contact with the vibratable element 301 at the inlet side 308. the vibratable element 301 and piezoelectric transducer 302 are supported within the atomiser housing 304 by a pair of elastomeric o-rings 311, which allow the vibratable element 301 and the piezoelectric transducer 302 to vibrate within the housing 304. the vibratable element 301 and piezoelectric transducer 302 are held together by pressure from the opposing o-rings 311. however, in other embodiments (not shown) the vibratable element 301 and the piezoelectric transducer 302 may be bonded by any suitable means, such as an adhesive layer. the vibratable element 301 and the piezoelectric transducer 302 are arranged within the atomiser housing 304 such that the array of passages 303 is in coaxial alignment with the inlet and outlet openings 305, 306 of the housing 304. one or more spring pins 310 extend through an opening 312 in the atomiser housing 304 to provide electrical connection of the piezoelectric transducer 302 to the control electronics 104 and the battery 102 of the device 100. the one or more spring pins 310 are held in contact with the piezoelectric transducer 302 by pressure, rather than by a mechanical connection so that good electrical contact is maintained during vibration of the piezoelectric transducer 302. in use, when the atomiser 300 is removably connected to the mouthpiece portion 120 of the device 100 and the cartridge 200 is received in the cavity 112 of the device, an elongate capillary body (not shown in figure 1 ) extends from the liquid storage portion 201 of the cartridge 200 to the atomiser 300 to fluidly connect the cartridge 200 to the atomiser 300. as shown in figure 2 , the elongate capillary body 204 extends into the atomiser housing 304 and abuts the inlet side 308 of the vibratable element 301 at the array of passages 303. heating means is provided in the liquid storage portion in the form of a coil heater 205 surrounding the capillary body 204. note that the coil heater is only shown schematically in figure 2 . the coil heater 205 is connected to the electric circuitry 104 and battery 102 of the device 100 via connections (not shown), which may pass along the outside of the liquid storage portion 200, although this is not shown in figure 1 or figure 2 . in use, liquid aerosol-forming substrate (not shown) is conveyed by capillary action from the liquid storage portion 201 from the end of the capillary body 204 which extends into the liquid storage portion 201, past the heater coil 205, and to the other end of the capillary body 204, which extends into the atomiser housing 304 and abuts the vibratable element 301 at the inlet side 308 at the array of passages 303. when a user draws on the air outlet 124 of the mouthpiece portion 120, ambient air is drawn through air inlets 122. in the embodiment of figure 1 , a puff detection device 106 in the form of a microphone, is also provided as part of the control electronics 104. a small air flow is drawn through a sensor inlet 121 in the main body housing 101, past the microphone 106 and up into the mouthpiece portion 120. when a puff is detected by the electric circuitry 104, the electric circuitry 104 activates the heater coil 205 and the piezoelectric transducer 302. the battery 102 supplies electrical energy to the coil heater 205 to heat the capillary body 204 surrounded by the coil heater. the battery 102 further supplies electrical energy to the piezoelectric transducer 302, which vibrates, deforming in the thickness direction. the piezoelectric transducer 302 typically vibrates at approximately 150 khz. the piezoelectric transducer 302 transmits the vibrations to the vibratable element 301, which vibrates, also deforming in the thickness direction. an led 108 is also activated to indicate that the device is activated. the coil heater 205 heats the liquid aerosol-forming substrate being conveyed along the capillary body, past the coil heater 205, to a predetermined temperature of about 45°c. the vibrations in the vibratable element deform the plurality of passages 303, which draws heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the capillary body 204, through the plurality of passages 303 at the inlet side 308 of the vibratable element 301, and ejects atomised droplets of liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the passages at the outlet side 309 of the vibratable element 301, forming an aerosol. at the same time, the heated liquid being atomised is replaced by further liquid moving along the capillary body 204 by capillary action. (this is sometimes referred to as pumping action'). the aerosol droplets ejected from the vibratable element 301 mix with and are carried in the air flow 127 from the inlets 122 in the aerosol forming chamber 125, and are carried towards the air outlet 124 of the mouthpiece 120 for inhalation by the user. in the embodiment shown in figure 1 , the electric circuitry 104 is programmable, and can be used to manage the aerosol generating operation. another embodiment of an atomiser for use in the system of figure 1 , is shown in figure 3 . the atomiser 400 has a similar construction and size to the atomiser 300 shown in figure 2 . however, the atomiser 400 is provided with a washer 410 within the housing 404, on which the vibratable element 401 and the piezoelectric transducer 402 are supported. the washer 410 transmits vibrations from the piezoelectric element 402 to the vibratable element 401. in this embodiment, the vibratable element has a smaller diameter of about 12 mm. the actuator is not arranged over the vibratable element and, therefore, has a larger inner diameter of about 14 mm. the washer 410 is a substantially circular annular disc, having a thickness of about 2 mm, an outer diameter of about 17 mm and an inner diameter of about 10 mm. the vibratable element 401 and the piezoelectric transducer are bonded to one side of the washer 410 by an adhesive layer (not shown). the washer 410 is bonded to the vibratable element 401 at the inlet side 408. the piezoelectric transducer 402 substantially circumscribes the vibratable element 401. a pair of o-rings 411, similar to the pair of o-rings 311 of the atomiser 300 shown in figure 2 , supports the vibratable element 401, the piezoelectric transducer 402 and the washer 410 in the atomiser housing 404. in other embodiments (not shown) the vibratable element 401, the piezoelectric transducer 402 and the washer 410 may be arranged differently. the washer 410 may be bonded to the vibratable element 401 at the outlet side 409. the vibratable element 401 may be secured to the washer 410 at the opposite side to the piezoelectric transducer 402. the piezoelectric transducer is electrically connected to the control electronics 104 and the battery 102 of the device 100 by one or more spring pins 410 extending through one or more openings in the atomiser housing 404. in this embodiment, the vibratable element 401 is also electrically connected to the control electronics 104 and the battery 102 of the device 100, so that the vibratable element 401 may form a resistive heating element. as such, the heating means of the system comprises the vibratable element 401. electrical connection of the vibratable element 401 with the control electronics 104 and the battery 102 is achieved by one or more second spring pins 414 extending through one or more openings in the housing 404 of the atomiser 400. the one or more second spring pins 414 are held in contact with the vibratable element 401 by pressure, rather than by a mechanical connection so that a the electrical connection remains during vibration of the vibratable element 401. in this embodiment, a capillary body does not fluidly connect the atomiser 400 to the liquid storage portion 201 of the cartridge 200. instead, liquid aerosol-forming substrate (not shown) is free to flow from the liquid storage portion 201 of the cartridge 200 to the vibratable element 401 of the atomiser 400 via an inlet opening 405 in the atomiser housing 404. the housing 404 of the atomiser 400 further comprises piercing means 401, for piercing a lid of a cartridge (not shown) on insertion of a sealed cartridge into the device 100. the piercing element 407 is a substantially circularly cylindrical tube arranged to guide liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion (not shown) to the vibratable element 401. the piercing element 407 extends into the housing 404 from the inlet opening 405 to the inlet side of the vibratable element 401. the piercing element 407 extends out of the housing from the inlet opening 405 by about 6 mm. the distal end of the piercing element is angled to form a sharp point to facilitate piercing of a cartridge lid. in use, the atomiser 400 operates in a substantially similar manner to the atomiser 300 shown in figure 2 . however, power is supplied from the battery 102 to the vibratable element 401 for heating the vibratable element 401, and free flowing liquid aerosol-forming substrate (not shown) at the inlet side of the vibratable element 401 is heated by the vibratable element 401 to a predetermined temperature of about 45°c. heated liquid aerosol-forming substrate at the inlet side of the vibratable element 401 is drawn into the plurality of passages by the vibrations of the vibratable element 401, passes through the passages and is atomised substantially as described above and exits the atomiser 400 via the outlet opening 406 in the atomiser housing 404. in other embodiments (not shown), a plunger or other similar type of device may be provided at the end of the cartridge 200 opposite the opening, such that liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be moved into contact with the vibratable element, regardless of the orientation of the device. in other embodiments (not shown) the heating means may not comprise the vibratable element, but rather heating means may be provided at another location in or on the atomiser 400. for example, heating means may be provided in or on the atomiser housing 404, on or around the piercing element 407, on the washer 410 of the atomiser 400 or on the vibratable element 401. where the heating means is provided on the vibratable element 401, the vibratable element may be heated by the heating means to further facilitate heating of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. the heating means may be any suitable heating means, as described in more detail above. in other embodiments (not shown) the atomiser 300 may be removably connected to the main body housing 101 of the device 100. the atomiser 300 may be arranged in the cavity 112 for receiving the cartridge 200. the atomiser may be arranged at the distal end of the cavity 112, such that the cartridge 200 may be inserted and removed from the main body at the mouthpiece end. one or more air inlets 122 may be arranged distally of the vibratable element in the main body housing 101, and an airflow pathway may be provided between the air inlets 122, the atomiser 300 and the output 124 of the mouthpiece 120, such that when a user draws on the mouthpiece 120, air enters the main body housing 101 at the one or more air inlets 122, passes over the atomiser 300, entraining aerosol generated by the atomiser, and passes through the device 100 to the mouthpiece for inhalation by the user. in other embodiments (not shown) the cartridge may comprise the atomiser 300, including the vibratable element 301 and the piezoelectric transducer 302. contacts may be provided in the cartridge 200 and in the device 100 to connect the control electronics 104 and the battery 102 to the atomiser 300 in the cartridge 200. in other embodiments (not shown) the device 100 may include one or more secondary air inlets arranged to draw in additional ambient air to reduce the temperature of the aerosol entrained in the airflow and to dilute the aerosol before inhalation by the user. in other embodiments (not shown) the heating means may be inductive heating means, such that no electrical contacts are formed between the cartridge and the device. the cartridge may comprise a susceptor element positioned to heat the aerosol-forming substrate. the device may comprise an inductor coil and the control electronics 104 and power supply 102 may be configured to provide high frequency oscillating current to the inductor coil to induce current in the susceptor element. in other embodiments (not shown) the heating means may be provided in the cavity 112 of the device 100.
|
004-122-068-332-791
|
JP
|
[
"CN",
"US",
"KR",
"WO"
] |
H01L21/02,G06K19/07,G06K19/077,H01L21/336,H01L27/12,H01L29/786,H01L21/302,H01L21/44,H01L21/20,H01L21/8234,H01L27/08,H01L21/30,H01L21/46
| 2005-05-20T00:00:00 |
2005
|
[
"H01",
"G06"
] |
manufacturing method for semiconductor device
|
to provide a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device in which manufacturing cost can be reduced, and a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device with reduced manufacturing time and improved yield. a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device is provided, which includes the steps of forming a first layer containing a metal over a substrate, forming a second layer containing an inorganic material on the first layer, forming a third layer including a thin film transistor on the second layer, irradiating the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer with laser light to form an opening portion through at least the second layer and the third layer.
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1 . a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming a first layer containing a metal over a substrate; forming a second layer containing an inorganic material on the first layer; forming a third layer including a thin film transistor on the second layer; irradiating the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer with laser light to form an opening portion through at least the second layer and the third layer; and separating at least the third layer from the substrate. 2 . a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming a first layer containing a first inorganic material over a substrate; forming a second layer containing a metal on the first layer; forming a third layer containing a second inorganic material on the second layer; forming a fourth layer including a thin film transistor on the third layer; irradiating the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, and the fourth layer with laser light to form an opening portion through at least the third layer and the fourth layer; and separating at least the fourth layer from the substrate. 3 . the manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the third layer is separated from the substrate in the first layer. 4 . the manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the third layer is separated from the substrate at a boundary between the first layer and the second layer. 5 . the manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein tungsten or molybdenum is formed as the metal, an oxide of silicon or a nitride of silicon is formed as the inorganic material, and the thin film transistor and a conductive layer functioning as an antenna are formed as the third layer. 6 . the manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 2 , wherein the fourth layer is separated from the substrate in the second layer. 7 . the manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 2 , wherein the fourth layer is separated from the substrate at a boundary between the second layer and the third layer. 8 . the manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 2 , wherein a first oxide of silicon or a first nitride of silicon is formed as the first inorganic material, tungsten or molybdenum is formed as the metal, a second oxide of silicon or a second nitride of silicon is formed as the second inorganic material, and the thin film transistor and a conductive layer functioning as an antenna are formed as the fourth layer.
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technical field the present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device. background art in recent years, a semiconductor device which includes a thin film transistor provided over an insulating surface has been developed. in order to manufacture such a semiconductor device, there is a technique in which a release layer is formed over a substrate, a transistor is formed over the release layer, and the release layer is removed by using an etching agent such as halogen fluoride (for example, reference 1: japanese patent no. 3406727). disclosure of invention halogen fluoride used as an etching agent for removing a release layer, for example, chlorine trifluoride (clf 3 ), is expensive. accordingly, when such an etching agent is used, it is difficult to reduce manufacturing cost of a semiconductor device. in addition, a step of gradually removing a release layer with an etching agent requires several hours, which is one of the causes that produce low productivity of a semiconductor device. in view of such problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device with reduced manufacturing cost. it is another object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device with reduced manufacturing time and improved productivity. a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention includes the steps of forming a first layer over a substrate, forming a second layer so as to be in contact with the first layer, forming a third layer so as to be in contact with the second layer, forming a fourth layer including a thin film transistor so as to be in contact with the third layer, irradiating the second layer, the third layer, and the fourth layer with laser light (also referred to as laser beam) so as to form an opening portion which exposes at least the second layer, attaching a first film to a surface of the fourth layer, and separating the fourth layer from the substrate at a boundary inside the second layer or between the second layer and the third layer. after the above-described steps, a step of attaching a surface of the second layer or the third layer to a second film is included. by this step, the second layer and the third layer are covered by the first film and the second film. note that in the case of separating the fourth layer from the substrate at the boundary inside the second layer, the second film is attached to the surface of the second layer. in addition, in the case of separating the fourth layer from the substrate at the boundary between the second layer and the third layer, the second film is attached to the surface of the third layer. in the above-described manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, a layer containing oxide of silicon or nitride of silicon is formed as the first layer. as the second layer, a layer containing tungsten or molybdenum is formed. as the third layer, a layer containing oxide of silicon or nitride of silicon is formed. as the fourth layer, a thin film transistor and a conductive layer functioning as an antenna are formed. note that the step of forming the first layer may be omitted. one feature of the invention is to form the opening portion so as to expose at least the second layer. in addition, after the exposed part of the second layer is formed, the exposed part serves as an origin, and a stack including the third layer and the fourth layer can be separated from the substrate on which the first layer is formed, at a boundary inside the second layer. note that formation of the opening portion so as to expose at least the second layer means that an opening portion, by which at least the third layer and the fourth layer are removed, is formed. another feature of the invention is to perform laser irradiation so as to form the opening portion which exposes the second layer. thus, in the invention which uses laser irradiation, an opening portion can be formed without the need for a plurality of steps as in a photolithography method. accordingly, manufacturing time can be reduced and yield can be drastically improved. still another feature of the invention is to form the thin film transistor and the conductive layer functioning as an antenna as the fourth layer. by the above-described characteristics, the semiconductor device manufactured in accordance with the invention has a function of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves. according to the invention, a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device with reduced manufacturing cost can be provided. in addition, a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device with reduced manufacturing time and improved yield can be provided. brief description of drawings in the accompanying drawings: figs. 1a to 1e show a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention; figs. 2a and 2b show a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention; figs. 3a to 3e show a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention; figs. 4a to 4c show a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention; figs. 5a and 5b show a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention; figs. 6a and 6b show a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention; figs. 7a and 7b show a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention; fig. 8 shows a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention; fig. 9 shows a semiconductor device of the invention; figs. 10a to 10d show articles which use a semiconductor device of the invention; figs. 11a to 11c show a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention; and fig. 12 shows an experimental result. best mode for carrying out the invention embodiment mode embodiment modes and embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. note that it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the following descriptions, and various changes may be made in forms and details without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. therefore, the invention should not be limited to descriptions of the embodiment modes and embodiments below. the same reference numerals are commonly given to the same components or components having the same function in the structures of the invention. embodiment mode 1 embodiment mode 1 of the invention will be described with reference to sectional views of figs. 1a to 1e and top views of figs. 2a and 2b . a first layer 11 is formed over a surface of a substrate 10 having an insulating surface ( fig. 1a ). the substrate 10 corresponds to a silicon substrate, a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, a quartz substrate, or the like. a glass substrate or a plastic substrate is preferably used because a glass substrate or a plastic substrate having a side of 1 meter or more or having a desired shape such as a quadrangle or circle can be easily manufactured. thus, when a glass substrate or a plastic substrate having a side of 1 meter or more is used as the substrate 10 for example, productivity can be improved. this is a great advantage compared with the case of forming a semiconductor device using a silicon substrate having a circular shape. the first layer 11 is formed by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like by using oxide of silicon, nitride of silicon, oxide of silicon containing nitrogen, nitride of silicon containing oxygen, or the like. the first layer 11 prevents an impurity element in the substrate 10 from entering an upper layer. in addition, the first layer 11 can prevent the substrate 10 from being etched in a later step of laser irradiation. it is to be noted that the step of forming the first layer 11 may be omitted. in addition, a second layer 12 may be formed over the surface of the substrate 10 . next, the second layer 12 is formed so as to be in contact with the first layer 11 . the second layer 12 is formed by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like with a single layer or a stacked layer formed by using an element selected from tungsten (w), molybdenum (mo), titanium (ti), tantalum (ta), niobium (nb), nickel (ni), cobalt (co), zirconium (zr), zinc (zn), ruthenium (ru), rhodium (rh), palladium (pd), osmium (os), iridium (ir) or silicon (si) or an alloy material or a compound material containing the above element as its main component. the crystal structure of the layer containing silicon may be any of the amorphous, microcrystalline or polycrystalline structure. in the case where the second layer 12 has a single-layer structure, a tungsten layer, a molybdenum layer, or a layer containing a mixture of tungsten and molybdenum is formed preferably. alternatively, a layer containing oxide, oxynitride, or nitride oxide of tungsten, a layer containing oxide, oxynitride, or nitride oxide of molybdenum, or a layer containing oxide, oxynitride, or nitride oxide of a mixture of tungsten and molybdenum may be formed. it is to be noted that the mixture of tungsten and molybdenum is an alloy of tungsten and molybdenum, for example. in the case where the second layer 12 has a stack structure, a tungsten layer, a molybdenum layer, or a layer containing a mixture of tungsten and molybdenum is formed as a first layer. as a second layer, a layer containing oxide, nitride, oxynitride, or nitride oxide of tungsten, a layer containing oxide or oxynitride of molybdenum, or a layer containing oxide or oxynitride of a mixture of tungsten and molybdenum is formed. subsequently, a third layer 13 is formed so as to be in contact with the second layer 12 . the third layer 13 is formed by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like by using oxide of silicon, nitride of silicon, oxide of silicon containing nitrogen, nitride of silicon containing oxygen, or the like. in the case where the second layer 12 has a stack structure of tungsten and oxide of tungsten, a layer containing tungsten is formed as the second layer 12 , and a layer containing oxide of silicon is formed thereover as the third layer 13 , so that a layer containing oxide of tungsten is formed at the interface between the layer containing tungsten and the layer containing oxide of silicon. this also applies to the case of forming a layer containing nitride, oxynitride or nitride oxide of tungsten or the like. in such a case, after a layer containing tungsten is formed, a layer containing nitride of silicon, a silicon nitride layer containing oxygen, or a silicon oxide layer containing nitrogen may be formed thereover. then, a fourth layer 14 including a transistor is formed so as to be in contact with the third layer 13 ( fig. 2a ). for example, a plurality of thin film transistors, a first insulating film covering the plurality of thin film transistors, and source wires or drain wires which are in contact with the first insulating film and are connected to source electrodes or drain electrodes of the plurality of thin film transistors are formed. subsequently, a fourth layer 14 which includes a second insulating film covering the source wires or the drain wires, a conductive layer which functions as an antenna and is in contact with the second insulting film, and a third insulating film covering the conductive layer functioning as an antenna is formed. in such a case, a completed semiconductor device has a function of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves. in addition, differently from the above case, in the case of forming a semiconductor device having a function of storing data, a fourth layer including a memory element (a thin film transistor or the like) and a plurality of elements for controlling the memory element (a thin film transistor, a capacitor, a resistance element, or the like) is formed. further in the case of forming a semiconductor device (for example, a cpu, a signal generation circuit, or the like) having a function of controlling a circuit or generating a signal or the like, a fourth layer 14 including a plurality of elements (a thin film transistor, a capacitor, a resistance element, or the like) is formed. in the case of using a silicon substrate as the substrate 10 , a fourth layer 14 including a field effect transistor or a thin film transistor which uses the silicon substrate as a channel portion is formed. then, an opening portion 20 is formed by laser irradiation so as to expose at least the second layer 12 ( fig. 1b and fig. 2b ). when an exposed part of the second layer 12 is made by forming the opening portion 20 in this manner, the exposed part serves as an origin, and a stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 can be easily separated from the substrate 10 which is provided with the first layer 11 . this separation occurs at a boundary inside the second layer 12 or between the second layer 12 and the third layer 13 . the second layer 12 may be removed partially so that the side surface recedes ( fig. 1c ). since such a recession of the second layer 12 depends on power of laser light, power of laser light may be appropriately controlled. in addition, the laser irradiation is performed for the purpose of exposing a surface of the second layer 12 . accordingly, although the first layer 11 is cut off by the laser irradiation in the above-described step, power of laser light may be controlled so as not to cut off the first layer 11 . at least the second layer 12 is exposed in the invention; however, the side surface of the second layer 12 may be partially removed by controlling power of laser light. accordingly, a later separation step (separation of the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 from the substrate 10 ) can be conducted easily. in other words, the opening portion 20 is formed by removing at least the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 in the invention. by forming the opening portion 20 , a part of the second layer 12 is exposed. a laser used in the invention is not particularly limited. a laser includes a laser medium, an excitation source, and a resonator. a laser can be classified by its medium into either a gas laser, a liquid laser, or a solid-state laser. in addition, the laser can be classified by its oscillation characteristics into either a free electron laser, a semiconductor laser, or an x-ray laser. in the invention, any laser may be used. note that a gas laser or a solid-state laser is preferably used, and more preferably, a solid-state laser is used. as examples of the gas laser, there are a helium-neon laser, a carbon dioxide gas laser, an excimer laser, and an argon ion laser. as the excimer laser, a rare gas excimer laser or a rare gas halide excimer laser can be used. any of the three types of excited molecules, which are argon, krypton and xenon can be used for the rare gas excimer laser. as the argon ion laser, a rare gas ion laser or a metal vapor ion laser may be used. as the liquid laser, there are an inorganic liquid laser, an organic chelate laser, and a dye laser. in the inorganic liquid laser and the organic chelate laser, a rare-earth ion of neodymium or the like which is utilized for a solid-state laser is used as a laser medium. a laser medium used in a solid-state laser is formed by doping a solid-state parent substance with an active species. the solid-state parent substance is crystal or glass. the crystal refers to yag (yttrium aluminum garnet crystal), ylf, yvo 4 , yalo 3 , sapphire, ruby or alexandrite. in addition, the active species is, for example, a trivalent ion (cr 3+ , nd 3+ , yb 3+ , tm 3+ , ho 3+ , er 3+ or ti 3+ ). advantages of an nd:yvo 4 laser are a large induction cross section, the excitation wavelength having high absorption coefficient and wide absorption bandwidth, excellent physical characteristics, optical characteristics and mechanical characteristics, and high output and high stability. accordingly, it is preferable to use the nd:yvo 4 laser. for laser using ceramic (polycrystal) as a medium, a medium which can be formed into an arbitrary shape with a short time with low cost can be used. in a case of using a single-crystalline medium, a medium having a columnar shape with a diameter of several mm and a length of several tens of mm can usually be used. in the case of using ceramic (polycrystal) as a medium, the medium having a columnar shape larger than that of the single-crystalline medium can be formed. the concentration of a dopant such as nd or yb in a medium which directly contributes to light emission cannot be changed much in either a single crystal or polycrystal. accordingly, in the case of using a single-crystalline medium, there is a limitation of the output improvement of laser by increasing the concentration. however, in the case of using ceramic as a medium, the medium can be made significantly large compared to the single-crystal medium; accordingly, remarkable improvement of output can be expected. in addition, in the case of using ceramic as a medium, a medium having a shape of a parallelepiped or a rectangular parallelepiped can be formed easily. by using a medium having such a shape and zigzagging oscillation light in the medium, oscillating light path can be lengthened. accordingly, amplification is increased and oscillation with high output power can be performed. since a laser beam emitted from the medium having such a shape as described above has a cross section of a quadrangular shape when being emitted, formation into a linear beam is easier than the case of using a circular beam. laser light emitted in such a manner is changed in shape by using an optical system; accordingly, a linear beam having a short side of 1 mm or less and a long side of several mm to several m can be obtained easily. in addition, by unifomily irradiating the medium with exciting light, a linear beam has a uniform energy distribution in long side direction. by irradiating a semiconductor film with this linear beam, an entire surface of the semiconductor film can be annealed uniformly. in the case where a linear beam that is uniform across its width needs to be irradiated, both sides of the beam are provided with slits so as to intercept light of a portion where a linear beam is attenuated. a continuous wave laser beam or a pulsed laser beam can be used as the laser beam used in the invention. in addition, irradiation condition of a laser beam, such as frequency, power density, energy density, or beam profile is appropriately controlled in consideration of the thicknesses, the materials, or the like of the first layer 11 , the second layer 12 , the third layer 13 , and the fourth layer 14 . next, a first film 15 (may be also referred to as a first substrate 15 , a first base 15 , a fifth layer 15 , or a fifth layer containing a resin 15 ) is attached to a surface of the fourth layer 14 , and the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is separated from the substrate 10 provided with the first layer 11 at an inside of the second layer 12 or at a boundary between the second layer 12 and the third layer 13 ( fig. 1d ). a roller may be used for such separation treatment. by rotating the roller, separation treatment can be continuously performed. subsequently, a second film 16 (may be also referred to as a second substrate 16 or a second base 16 , a sixth layer 16 , or a sixth layer containing a resin 16 ) is attached to a surface of the second layer 12 or the third layer 13 ( fig. 1e ). in more detail, in the case where the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is separated from the substrate 10 at the inside of the second layer 12 , the second film 16 is attached to the surface of the second layer 12 . in the case where the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is separated at the boundary between the second layer 12 and the third layer 13 , the second film 16 is attached to the surface of the third layer 13 . through the above-described steps, the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is sealed by the first film 15 and the second film 16 . subsequently, a portion where the first film 15 and the second film 16 are attached is cut off by cutting means 17 . the cutting means 17 corresponds to a laser irradiation apparatus, a dicer, a wire saw, a knife, a cutter, scissors, or the like. as each base material of the first film 15 and the second film 16 , a material such as polypropylene, polyester, vinyl, polyvinyl fluoride, vinyl chloride, ethylene vinyl acetate, urethane, or polyethylene terephthalate or a fibrous material (for example, paper) can be used. a single film or a film in which a plurality of films is stacked may be used. in addition, an attachment layer may be provided on the surface. the attachment layer is a layer containing an adhesive agent such as thermosetting resin, ultraviolet curable resin, polyvinyl acetate resin-based adhesive, vinyl copolymer resin-based adhesive, epoxy resin-based adhesive, polyurethane resin-based adhesive, rubber-based adhesive, or acrylic resin-based adhesive. surfaces of the first film 15 and the second film 16 may be coated with powder of silicon dioxide (silica). by the coating, even when the first film 15 and the second film 16 are in an atmosphere with a high temperature and a high humidity, a waterproof property can be secured. in addition, the surfaces may be coated with a conductive material such as indium tin oxide. the material, with which the surfaces are coated, charges static electricity and a thin film integrated circuit can be protected from the static electricity. in addition, the surfaces may be coated with a material containing carbon as its main component (for example, diamond like carbon). by the coating, strength is improved, and deterioration and break of a semiconductor device can be suppressed. in addition, the first film 15 and the second film 16 may be formed with a material in which the above-described base material (for example, resin) and silicon dioxide, a conductive material, or a material containing carbon as its main component are mixed. the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is sealed by the first film 15 and the second film 16 by melting surface layers of the first film 15 and the second film 16 or the attachment layers on the surfaces of the first film 15 and the second film 16 by heat treatment. further, pressure treatment is conducted for attachment, if necessary. depending on the case, the second film 16 is not necessarily provided. for example, the second film 16 does not need to be provided in the case where the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is separated from the substrate 10 by using the first film 15 and then the stack is directly attached to an article. according to the invention including the above-described manufacturing steps, cost can be reduced. for example, clf 3 gas used as an etching agent is very expensive. however, since the invention does not need an etching agent, a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device with reduced cost can be provided. further, according to the invention, manufacturing time can be shortened, and productivity can be improved. for example, a step of removing a release layer by using an etching agent requires several hours conventionally. however, according to the invention, an exposed part of the second layer 12 can be easily formed by laser light, the exposed part serves as an origin, and separation can be easily conducted. the separation requires approximately several tens of seconds to several minutes. accordingly, a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device with reduced manufacturing time and dramatically improved productivity can be provided. embodiment mode 2 embodiment mode 2 will be described with reference to cross sections of figs. 3a to 3e and top views of figs. 4a to 4c . a first layer 11 is formed over a surface of a substrate 10 having an insulating surface ( fig. 3a and fig. 4a ). next, a second layer 12 is formed so as to be in contact with the first layer 11 . then, a third layer 13 is formed so as to be in contact with the second layer 12 . subsequently, a fourth layer 14 including a thin film transistor is formed so as to be in contact with the third layer 13 . next, a film 18 is disposed over the fourth layer 14 . subsequently, an opening portion 21 is formed by irradiating the film 18 with laser light so as to cut off the film 18 . by forming the opening portion 21 , the film 18 is separated into an inside film (not shown) and an outside film 19 . then, the inside film is removed ( fig. 3b and fig. 4b ). next, an opening portion 22 is formed by laser irradiation so as to expose at least the second layer 12 ( fig. 3c and fig. 4c ). then, a surface of the fourth layer 14 is attached to a first film 15 , and a stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is separated from the substrate 10 provided with the first layer 11 at an inside of the second layer 12 , at a boundary between the first layer 11 and the second layer 12 , or at a boundary between the second layer 12 and the third layer 13 ( fig. 3d ). subsequently, a second film 16 is attached to a surface of the third layer 13 ( fig. 3e ). then, a portion where the first film 15 and the second film 16 are attached is cut off by cutting means 17 . one feature of the above-described manufacturing method is to provide the film 18 over the fourth layer 14 . by the above feature, when the surface of the fourth layer 14 is attached to the first film 15 , the first film 15 can be prevented from attaching to the substrate 10 . embodiment mode 3 a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the invention will be described with reference to fig. 5a to fig. 8 . specifically, a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device including a thin film transistor and a conductive layer which functions as an antenna will be described with reference to the drawings. the thin film transistor is an element for constituting a part of a semiconductor device such as a power supply circuit, a demodulation circuit, or a modulation circuit. a first layer 11 is formed over a surface of a substrate 10 ( fig. 5a ). then, a second layer 12 is formed so as to be in contact with the first layer 11 . subsequently, a third layer 13 is formed so as to be in contact with the second layer 12 . next, thin film transistors 701 to 705 are formed over the third layer 13 . the thin film transistors 701 to 705 are transistors each of which uses a crystalline semiconductor layer as a channel portion. the crystalline semiconductor layer is formed by forming amorphous semiconductor layer by a sputtering method, an lpcvd method, a plasma cvd method, or the like and crystallizing the amorphous semiconductor layers by a crystallization method. the crystallization method means a laser crystallization method, an rta (rapid thermal anneal) method, a thermal crystallization method using an annealing furnace, a thermal crystallization method using a metal element promoting crystallization, a method in which the thermal crystallization method using a metal element promoting crystallization and the laser crystallization method are combined, or the like. next, a single layer or a stacked layer of an insulating layer is formed to cover the thin film transistors 701 to 705 . the insulating layer which covers the thin film transistors 701 to 705 is formed by an sog (spin on glass) method, a droplet discharge method, or the like with a single layer or a stacked layer using oxide of silicon, nitride of silicon, polyimide, polyamide, benzocyclobutene, acrylic, epoxy, siloxane, or the like. the siloxane is a resin having an si—o—si bond. the siloxane has a skeletal structure formed from a bond of silicon (si) and oxygen (o). as a substituent, an organic group containing at least hydrogen (for example, an alkyl group or aromatic hydrocarbon), a fluoro group, or an organic group, containing at least hydrogen and a fluoro group may be used. for example, in the case where the insulating layer which covers the thin film transistors 701 to 705 has a three-layered structure, a layer containing silicon oxide is formed as a first insulating layer 749 , a layer containing a resin is formed as a second insulating layer 750 , and a layer containing silicon nitride is formed as a third insulating layer 751 . then, the insulating layers 749 to 751 are etched by a photolithography method to form opening portions which expose source regions and drain regions of the thin film transistors 701 to 705 . subsequently, a conductive layer is formed so as to fill the opening portions, and the conductive layer is patterned to form conductive layers 752 to 761 which serve as a source wire or a drain wire. next, an insulating layer 762 is formed to cover the conductive layers 752 to 761 ( fig. 5b ). the insulating layer 762 is formed with a single layer or a stacked layer of an inorganic material or an organic material by an sog method, a droplet discharge method, or the like. subsequently, the insulating layer 762 is etched by a photolithography method to form opening portions which expose the conductive layers 757 , 759 , and 761 . next, a conductive layer is formed to fill the opening portions. the conductive layer is formed by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like with a conductive material. then, the conductive layer is patterned to form conductive layers 763 to 765 . next, an insulating layer 766 is formed to cover the conductive layers 763 to 765 . the insulating layer 766 is formed by an sog method, a droplet discharge method, or the like with a single layer or a stacked layer using an inorganic material or an organic material. subsequently, the insulating layer 766 is etched by a photolithography method to form opening portions 767 to 769 which expose the conductive layers 763 to 765 . subsequently, a conductive layer 786 functioning as an antenna is formed to be in contact with the conductive layer 765 ( fig. 6a ). the conductive layer 786 is formed by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, a printing method, a droplet discharge method, a plating method, or the like with a conductive material. preferably, the conductive layer 786 is formed with a single layer or a stacked layer using an element selected from aluminum (al), titanium (ti), silver (ag) or copper (cu), or an alloy material or a compound material containing the element as its main component. for example, a paste including particles of silver, aluminum, titanium or copper is deposited by a screen printing method and is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature of 50 to 350° c. alternatively, an aluminum layer is formed by a sputtering method and the aluminum layer is patterned so as to form the conductive layer 786 . a layer containing an organic compound 787 is formed so as to be in contact with the conductive layers 763 and 764 ( fig. 6b ). the layer containing an organic compound 787 is formed by a droplet discharge method, a vapor-deposition method, or the like. the layer containing an organic compound 787 is, for example, a layer containing a light emitting substance, a substance having a high hole transporting property, a substance having a high hole injecting property, a substance having a high electron transporting property, or a substance having a high electron injecting property. the light emitting substance corresponds to, for example, n,n′-dimethylquinacridone (abbreviation: dmqd), 3-(2-benzothiazolyl)-7-diethylaminocoumarin (abbreviation: coumarin 6), tris(8-quinolinolato)aluminum (abbreviation: alq 3 ), or the like. the substance having a high hole transporting property corresponds to, for example, 4,4′-b is [n-(1-naphthyl)-n-phenyl amino]biphenyl (abbreviation: α-npd), or n,n′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-n,n′-diphenyl-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4,4′-diamine (abbreviation: tpd). the substance having a high hole injecting property corresponds to phthalocyanine, copper phthalocyanine, molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, titanium oxide, or the like. the substance having a high electron transporting property corresponds to, for example, tris(8-quinolinolato)aluminum (abbreviation: alq 3 ). the substance having a high electron injecting property corresponds to, for example, a compound or the like of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal, such as lithium fluoride (lif), cesium fluoride (csf), or calcium fluoride (caf 2 ). subsequently, a conductive layer 771 is formed so as to be in contact with the layer 787 containing an organic compound. the conductive layer 771 is formed by a sputtering method, a vapor-deposition method, or the like. through the above-described steps, a stack 789 including the conductive layer 763 , the layer 787 containing an organic compound, and the conductive layer 771 , and a stack 790 including the conductive layer 764 , the layer 787 containing an organic compound, and the conductive layer 771 are completed. next, an insulating layer 772 serving as a protective layer is formed by an sog method, a droplet discharge method, or the like so as to cover the stacks 789 and 790 and the conductive layer 786 functioning as an antenna. the insulating layer 772 is formed of a layer containing carbon such as diamond like carbon (dlc), a layer containing silicon nitride, a layer containing silicon nitride oxide, or an organic material (preferably, epoxy resin). through the above-described manufacturing steps, a fourth layer 14 which includes the thin film transistors 701 to 705 , an element group including the stacks 789 and 790 , and the conductive layer 786 functioning as an antenna is completed. one feature of the above-described manufacturing steps is to include the step of forming the layer 787 containing an organic compound after the step of forming the conductive layer 786 functioning as an antenna because the layer 787 containing an organic compound does not have high heat resistance. subsequently, opening portions 773 and 774 are formed by laser irradiation, so as to expose at least the second layer 12 ( fig. 7a ). the insulating layer 772 is formed to prevent a stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 from scattering, after the opening portions 773 and 774 exposing the second layer 12 are formed. after the opening portions 773 and 774 are formed, since the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is thin and lightweight, it may easily scatter, serving the exposed part of the second layer 12 as an origin. however, by forming the insulating layer 772 , the weight of the fourth layer 14 increases and thus the scattering from the substrate 10 can be prevented. the fourth layer 14 itself is thin and lightweight; however, by forming the insulating layer 772 , the fourth layer 14 is not warped due to stress and can hold a certain degree of strength. next, a surface of the fourth layer 14 is attached to a first film 15 , and the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is completely separated from the substrate 10 ( fig. 7b ). subsequently, a second film 16 is attached to cover the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 , and either or both of heat treatment and pressure treatment is performed to seal in the fourth layer 14 by the first film 15 and the second film 16 ( fig. 8 ). if the first film 15 and the second film 16 are formed of plastic, since plastic is thin and lightweight and can be bent, processing into a flexible shape with good design can be easily conducted. in addition, since a plastic substrate has high impact resistance and can be easily attached to or embedded in various articles, it can be used in various fields. in the aforementioned structure, the stacks 789 and 790 are elements provided with a layer containing an organic compound between a pair of conductive layers. in the case where the stacks 789 and 790 are used as memory elements, writing of data to the stacks 789 and 790 is conducted by short-circuiting the pair of conductive layers. meanwhile, data is read from the stacks 789 and 790 by reading the difference of the resistance of them. such stacks 789 and 790 have such features that they are nonvolatile, data thereof cannot be rewritten, and data can be added thereto as long as there is a memory element where data has not been written yet. further, the stacks 789 and 790 can be easily manufactured since each of them has a three-layered structure. in addition, since the area of the stacked portion can be easily reduced, it is easy to achieve high integration. note that each of the conductive layers 763 to 765 serves as one side conductive layer of the pair of conductive layers included in a memory element. accordingly, the conductive layers 763 to 765 are preferably formed with a single layer or a stacked layer using titanium or an alloy material or a compound material containing titanium as it main component. since titanium has low resistance value, the size of the memory element can be reduced and high integration can be achieved. the stacks 789 and 790 may be used as light emitting elements. by using the stacks 789 and 790 as light emitting elements, the semiconductor device can be used as a display device. in addition, when the first film 15 and the second film 16 are flexible, there is an advantage that the semiconductor device is conveniently portable since it can be rolled, it is hardly broken, and curved display is possible. accordingly, the semiconductor device can be used for a flexible display for a portable device, an electronic book, an electronic newspaper, an electronic poster, or the like. in the case where the stacks 789 and 790 are used as light emitting elements, either of the conductive layers 763 and 764 , or the conductive layer 771 is formed with a light-transmitting material. in the above-described cross-section structure, the stacks 789 and 790 are formed to overlap with the thin film transistors 703 and 704 , respectively. however, in the case where the stacks 789 and 790 are used as light emitting elements and light is emitted from the stacks 789 and 790 in a direction of the thin film transistors 703 and 704 , a region where the stacks 789 and 790 do not overlap with the thin film transistors 703 and 704 is needed. in addition, in the case where light is emitted from the stacks 789 and 790 in a direction of the insulating layer 772 , the insulating layer 772 needs to have light transmitting properties. embodiment 1 a structure of a semiconductor device of the invention will be described with reference to fig. 9 . a semiconductor device 100 of the invention includes a circuit 101 including an instruction decoder circuit and a memory control circuit, a memory circuit 103 , an antenna 104 , a power supply circuit 109 , a demodulation circuit 110 , and a modulation circuit 111 . the semiconductor device 100 necessarily includes the antenna 104 and the power supply circuit 109 . other elements are provided as appropriate in accordance with the usage of the semiconductor device 100 . the circuit 101 including an instruction decoder circuit and a memory control circuit decodes the instruction, controls the memory circuit 103 , outputs data to be transmitted to the outside into the modulation circuit 111 , or the like, based on a signal input from the demodulation circuit 110 . the memory circuit 103 includes a circuit 107 including a memory element, and a control circuit 108 for controlling writing and reading of data. in the memory circuit 103 , at least an identification number for the semiconductor device itself is stored. the identification number is used for distinguishing the semiconductor device from other semiconductor devices. in addition, the memory circuit 103 includes one kind or a plurality of kinds of memory selected from among an organic memory, a dram (dynamic random access memory), an sram (static random access memory), a feram (ferroelectric random access memory), a mask rom (read only memory), a prom (programmable read only memory), an eprom (electrically programmable read only memory), an eeprom (electrically erasable programmable read only memory), or a flash memory. an organic memory has a structure in which a layer containing an organic compound is interposed between a pair of conductive layers. since an organic memory has a simple structure, manufacturing process can be simplified and cost can be reduced. in addition, due to the simple structure, an area of a stack can be easily reduced and high integration can be easily realized. further, it is also an advantage that an organic memory is nonvolatile and does not require incorporation of a battery. accordingly, an organic memory is preferably used as the memory circuit 103 . the antenna 104 converts a carrier wave provided from a reader/writer 112 into an alternating electrical signal. in addition, load modulation is applied from the modulation circuit 111 . the power supply circuit 109 generates power voltage by using the alternating electrical signal converted by the antenna 104 and supplies power voltage to each circuit. the demodulation circuit 110 demodulates the alternating electrical signal converted by the antenna 104 and supplies the demodulated signal into the circuit 101 including an instruction decoder circuit and a memory control circuit. the modulation circuit 111 applies load modulation to the antenna 104 , based on the signal supplied from the circuit 101 including an instruction decoder circuit and a memory control circuit. the reader/writer 112 receives the load modulation applied to the antenna 104 as a carrier wave. in addition, the reader/writer 112 transmits the carrier wave to the semiconductor device 100 . note that the carrier wave refers to an electromagnetic wave which is generated in the reader/writer 112 . a semiconductor device of the invention having a function of wirelessly transmitting and receiving an electromagnetic wave as described above is called an rfid (radio frequency identification), an rf chip, an rf tag, an ic chip, an ic tag, an ic label, a wireless chip, a wireless tag, an electronic chip, an electronic tag, a wireless processor, or a wireless memory. this embodiment can be freely combined with embodiment modes 1 to 3. embodiment 2 the semiconductor device 25 of the invention can be applied to a wide range of uses by utilizing its function of transmitting and receiving an electromagnetic wave. for example, the semiconductor device is attached to or embedded into an article such as a key ( fig. 10a ), paper money, coins, securities, bearer bonds, certificates (a driver's license, a resident's card, or the like, fig. 10b ), books, containers (a petri dish or the like, fig. 10c ), wrapping containers (wrapping paper, bottles, or the like), recording media (a disk, a video tape, or the like), vehicles (a bicycle or the like), personal belongings (a bag, glasses, or the like, fig. 10d ), foods, clothing, commodities, or electronic devices (a liquid crystal display device, an el display device, a television device, a portable terminal, or the like). in the case of paper money, coins, or certificates, the semiconductor device is attached to a surface thereof or embedded thereinto. in the case of books, the semiconductor device is attached to or embedded into the paper. in the case of containers, the semiconductor device attached to or embedded into an organic resin which forms the containers. further, by storing an identification number in a memory circuit included in a semiconductor device and giving an identification function to the semiconductor device, the semiconductor device can be used in a product management system, an authentication system, a distribution system, or the like; accordingly, sophistication, multifunction, and high added value of the system can be obtained. this embodiment can be freely combined with embodiment modes 1 to 3 or embodiment 1. embodiment 3 in embodiment 3, an experimental result will be described. for the experiment, a sample in which a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer were stacked over a glass substrate was used. the first layer was a layer formed of silicon oxide by a plasma cvd method. the second layer was a layer formed of tungsten by a sputtering method. the third layer was a layer formed of epoxy resin. then, the sample was irradiated with nd:yvo 4 laser with a wavelength of 266 nm to form an opening portion which exposed the substrate. at this time, the scanning speed of the laser light was set at 15 mm/sec, and the power was set at 2.43 to 2.68 w. next, an attempt was made to attach the third layer to a film and separate the third layer from the substrate. the result was that the third layer was able to be separated from the substrate. side surfaces of the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer were exposed by the formation of the opening portion. among them, the side surfaces of the second layer had receded more than the side surfaces of the first layer and the third layer ( fig. 1c ). embodiment 4 in embodiment mode 1, the step of forming the opening portion 20 by laser irradiation so as to expose at least the second layer 12 (hereinafter referred to as step a, fig. 1b ), the step of attaching the first film 15 to the surface of the fourth layer 14 (hereinafter referred to as step b, fig. 1d ), and the step of separating the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 from the substrate 10 by using the first film 15 (hereinafter referred to as step c, fig. 1d ) are described. hereinafter, steps a, b and c are described in more detail with reference to figs. 11a to 11c . first, the opening portion 20 is formed by laser irradiation so as to expose at least the second layer 12 ( fig. 11a ). when the opening portion 20 is formed, a warp is generated in one or both end portions of the fourth layer 14 and the third layer 13 . by the generation of the warp, one or both end portions of the fourth layer 14 and the third layer 13 are lifted upward. in other words, a state is obtained, in which one or both end portions of the fourth layer 14 and the third layer 13 are rolled. a direction in which the warp is generated is the same as a direction in which separation in the later step is conducted. accordingly, by the generation of the warp, later separation can be easily performed. thus, the thickness of one or both of the fourth layer 14 and the third layer 13 is preferably set at a thickness so as to generate a warp in one or both of the fourth layer 14 and the third layer 13 . note that the generation of the warp is due to stress. in addition, a material containing resin may be used for the fourth layer 14 so as to generate the warp. next, the first film 15 is attached to the surface of the fourth layer 14 ( fig. 11b ). then, the stack including the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 is separated from the substrate 10 by using the first film 15 ( fig. 11c ). the separation is conducted at an inside of the second layer 12 or/and at a boundary between the second layer 12 and the third layer 13 . the separation proceeds in order from the opening portion 20 . in other words, the opening portion 20 serves as an origin and the separation proceeds in order. embodiment 5 embodiment 5 describes a relation between the displacement amount of a warp (deflection) of a layer containing an organic resin over a substrate (μm, a vertical axis) and the position of the layer (mm, a horizontal axis), with reference to fig. 12 . first, three samples (samples a, b and c) in each of which a layer containing an organic resin was formed with a thickness of 30 nm over a glass substrate were formed. the layer containing an organic resin was formed by a screen printing method using epoxy resin. subsequently, the sample a was subjected to heat treatment at 110° c. for 10 minutes by using a heating furnace. the sample b was subjected to heat treatment at 110° c. for 10 minutes by using a heating furnace and then left in water for 4 hours. the sample c was subjected to heat treatment at 110° c. for 10 minutes by using a heating furnace, left in water for 4 hours, and then subjected to heat treatment at 110° c. for 10 minutes by using a heating furnace. then, the displacement amounts of warps of epoxy resin in the samples a, b and c were measured with a laser displacement sensor. the results were that a warp of a maximum of 120 μm was generated in the sample a. in the sample b, a warp of a maximum of 20 μm was generated. in the sample c, a warp of a maximum of 130 μm was generated. from the result of the sample a, it was found that a warp is generated in a layer containing epoxy resin by performing heat treatment. such a warp helps the later separation treatment to be performed easily. in addition, from the result of the sample b, it was found that, when the sample is left in water, the layer containing epoxy resin absorbs moisture and the displacement amount of the warp is decreased. therefore, it was also found that in the case where the layer containing epoxy resin absorbs moisture, it becomes hard to perform the subsequent separation treatment easily. further, from the result of the sample c, it was found that when the sample is left in the water and then subjected to heat treatment again, the absorbed moisture is released and a warp is generated again. therefore, in the case where the layer containing an organic resin absorbs moisture, it is preferable to perform separation treatment after conducting heat treatment again. this application is based on japanese patent application serial no. 2005-148405 filed in japan patent office on may 20, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
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004-662-918-824-74X
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GB
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B32B37/00,B32B27/28,B32B37/24,B32B37/26,B32B38/00,B41J2/22,B41J2/01,B32B7/06,B41M5/00,B41M5/50,B41M5/52,B44C1/17,B05D5/00,B29C41/28,B29C41/32,B32B37/02,B32B5/26,B32B7/12,B32B15/14,B32B15/20,B32B25/08,B32B25/20,B32B27/18,B32B27/36,B32B27/40,G03G7/00,B32B15/06,B32B15/08,B32B17/00,B32B25/04,B32B27/06,B32B27/08,B32B27/16,B41M5/44,B41J2/005,B41M5/025,B41M5/392,C09D183/12,B32B27/00,B32B37/14,B41N10/04,B41M5/035,B32B5/02
| 2016-05-30T00:00:00 |
2016
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[
"B32",
"B41",
"B44",
"B05",
"B29",
"G03",
"C09"
] |
method of manufacturing a multi-layer article
|
there is disclosed a method of manufacturing a multi-layered article including a finished outer surface (122a) optionally having particular surface properties. the article can be a self-supported strip (122a,124a) having a smooth outer surface. the method is, for example, suitable for the preparation of a flexible intermediate transfer member (itm) for use in an indirect printing system. uses of such articles are also disclosed.
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claims 1. a method of manufacturing a self-supported strip having an at least partially cured surface coating, which method comprises: a. providing a fluid first curable material configured to be at least partially cured by a curing process; b. providing a carrier having a carrier contact surface, said carrier contact surface being wettable by said fluid first curable material, said carrier being configured to maintain structural integrity when subject to said curing process; c. forming a layer of said fluid first curable material on said carrier contact surface, with one side of said layer contacting said carrier contact surface, by applying said fluid first curable material onto said carrier, so that said fluid first curable material wets said carrier contact surface; d. at least partially curing said fluid first curable material to form said at least partially cured surface coating of the self-supported strip; and e. securing a flexible base to, or forming a flexible base on, a surface of the at least partially cured surface coating opposite said carrier, wherein said at least partially cured surface coating together with said flexible base are peelable from said carrier, to produce said self-supported strip. 2. the method of claim 1, wherein the carrier contact surface is smooth, having an average roughness (ra) of at most 250 nm, at most 150 nm, at most 100 nm, at most 75 nm, at most 50 nm, at most 30 nm, at most 25 nm, at most 20 nm, at most 15 nm, at most 12 nm, or at most 10 nm, and optionally, at least 3 nm, at least 5 nm, or at least 7 nm. 3. the method of any one of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said carrier is a flexible foil. 4. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein said carrier contact surface is hydrophobic. 5. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 4, wherein said at least partially cured surface coating of the self-supported strip is hydrophobic. 6. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 5, wherein said fluid first curable material has a lower surface energy than said carrier contact surface. 7. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 6, wherein said carrier fluid first curable material is viscous, thereby wetting said carrier contact surface. 8. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 7, wherein said self-supported strip is peelable from said carrier by a force not greater than 50gr/cm, 20gr/cm, logr/cm, 5gr/cm, 3gr/cm or 2gr/cm. 9. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 8, wherein said carrier contact surface comprises a surface selected from the group consisting of a metal surface and a metal oxide surface. 10. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 9, wherein said carrier comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a metal foil, and a metalized polymer foil. 11. the method of claim 10, said carrier comprising a material selected from the group consisting of an aluminum foil and an aluminized polymer foil. 12. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 11, wherein said carrier contact surface includes a polymeric surface. 13. the method of claim 12, wherein said polymeric surface comprises polar groups optionally selected from the group consisting of si-o-si and c-o-c. 14. the method of claim 13, wherein at least one said polar group is selected from the group consisting of carbonyl groups, carboxyl groups, amide groups and combinations thereof. 15. the method of any one of claim 10 to claim 14, wherein said polymeric surface comprises polar or functional groups having at least one free electron pair. 16. the method of any one of claim 10 to claim 15, said polymeric surface comprising, or consisting essentially of, a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyesters, poltfluorocarbons and polyimides. 17. the method of claim 16 wherein said polymeric surface comprises, or consists essentially of polyethylene terephthalate (pet). 18. the method of claim 16, wherein said polymeric surface comprises, or consists essentially of poly (4,4'-oxydiphenylene-pyromellitimide). 19. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 18, wherein said forming of said incipient release layer of said fluid first curable material comprises depositing said layer of said fluid first curable material onto said carrier contact surface thereby forming said incipient release layer. 20. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 19, further comprising applying heat to said layer of said fluid first curable material, thereby increasing a rate of curing thereof. 21. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 19, further comprising irradiating said layer of said fluid first curable material, thereby increasing a rate of curing thereof. 22. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 21, wherein said fluid first curable material comprises a polyurethane polymer. 23. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 21, wherein said fluid first curable material comprises a silicone polymer. 24. the method of claim 23, wherein said fluid first curable material comprises a vinyl-terminated silicone polymer. 25. the method of any one of claim 23 to claim 24, wherein said fluid first curable material comprises a vinyl-functionalized silicone polymer. 26. the method of any one of claim 23 to claim 25, wherein said fluid first curable material comprises a heat-curable addition cure silicone polymer. 27. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 26, wherein said step of forming said flexible base on a surface of the at least partially cured surface coating opposite said carrier, comprises forming a layer of a fluid second curable material on said surface of the at least partially cured surface coating, said layer of said fluid second curable material constituting an incipient layer forming at least part of the base of the self-supported strip. 28. the method of claim 27, further comprising at least partially curing said layer of said second curable material, thereby forming at least part of the base of said self-supported strip. 29. the method of any one of claim 27 to claim 28, wherein said layer of said fluid second curable material is formed while said layer of said first curable material is still fluid. 30. the method of any one of claim 27 to claim 28, wherein said forming said layer of said fluid second curable material comprises: after said layer of said first curable material cures to an extent so as to be no longer fluid; applying a primer layer to said layer of said first curable material; and depositing said fluid second curable material on said primer layer, thereby forming said layer of said fluid second curable material. 31. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 26, wherein said securing a flexible base to a surface of the at least partially cured surface coating opposite said carrier further comprises: providing a sheet constituting an incipient layer forming at least part of said base of said self-supported strip, and contacting said sheet to said surface of the at least partially cured surface coating, thereby securing said flexible base to said surface of the at least partially cured surface coating. 32. the method of claim 31, wherein said contacting is while said layer of said first curable material is still fluid. 33. the method of claim 32, further comprising: after said layer of said first curable material cures to an extent so as to be no longer fluid; applying an adhesive layer to said layer of said first curable material; and contacting said sheet with said adhesive layer thereby securing said flexible base to said surface of the at least partially cured surface coating. 34. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 33 further comprising, subsequently to 'e', finishing manufacture of said self-supported strip without separating said release layer from said carrier. 35. the method of claim 34, wherein said finishing manufacture includes forming at least one additional layer that constitutes a portion of said base. 36. the method of any one of claim 34 or claim 35, wherein said finishing manufacture includes adding lateral projections to lateral edges of said self-supported strip. 37. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 36, further comprising, subsequently to 'e', packaging the self-supported strip without separating said release layer from said carrier. 38. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 37, further comprising joining two opposite ends of the self-supported strip to form a continuous looped belt. 39. the method of any one of claim 1 to claim 38, wherein the self-supported strip is an intermediate transfer member (itm) for use in an indirect printing system; 40. the method of claim 39, wherein said at least partially cured surface coating is an at least partially cured release layer defining an outer ink-transfer surface of the itm. 41. a method of mounting an intermediate transfer member (itm) on an indirect printer, comprising: providing the self-supported strip, the self-supported strip being an itm prepared according to any one of claim 39 or claim 40, while said release layer is still in contact with said carrier; mounting said provided self-supported strip, with said carrier, on an indirect printer; and subsequently to said mounting, separating said carrier from said release layer. 42. a method of mounting an intermediate transfer member (itm) on an indirect printer, comprising: providing the self-supported strip, the self-supported strip being an itm prepared according to any one of claim 39 to claim 40 while said release layer is still in contact with said carrier; separating said carrier from said release layer; and mounting said provided self-supported strip on an indirect printer, said mounting being optionally performed within 1 hour from said separating. 43. a method of determining a surface energy of an at least partially cured surface coating of a self-supported strip, which method comprises: a. providing a fluid first curable material having a surface energy e 0 when cured interfacing with air; b. providing a carrier having a carrier contact surface, having a surface energy e 2 , wherein e 2 is different from eo. c. forming a layer of said fluid first curable material on said carrier contact surface, with one side of said layer contacting said carrier contact surface, by applying said fluid first curable material onto said carrier; d. at least partially curing said fluid first curable material to form said at least partially cured surface coating of the self-supported strip, wherein said at least partially cured surface coating and said carrier are peelable from one another; and e. detaching the at least partially cured surface coating from said carrier, thereby producing said self-supported strip having a surface coating with a pre-determined surface energy ei, different from e 0 .
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method of manufacturing a multi-layer article field the present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a multi-layered article including a finished outer surface optionally having particular properties. the method is, for example, suitable for the preparation of a flexible intermediate transfer member (itm) for use in an indirect printing system. background multi -layered articles are used in numerous applications. typically, each layer predominantly contributes a particular function or characteristic to the multi-layered product. such laminates can be either rigid (e.g., decorative tiles) or flexible (e.g., plastic laminates for packaging). generally, manufacturing methods can attain better precision, when desired, for small articles (e.g., a printed circuit) than for larger articles in which variations or sporadic defects are expected to affect the end product to a lesser extent. in patent publication wo 2013/132418, which is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein, landa corporation discloses an indirect inkjet printing system. in this system, droplets of an aqueous ink, comprising an aqueous carrier in which fine particles of pigment and resin are suspended or dissolved, are deposited onto the ink transfer surface of a release layer of an intermediate transfer member (itm) at an image- forming station. the itm, also called a blanket, can have, in this exemplary printing system, the form of a flexible endless belt, the ink transfer surface of which is preferably hydrophobic. the itm transports the image made-up of the ink droplets from the image-forming station towards an impression station. during the transport, all or most of the ink carrier evaporates from the ink droplets to leave a tacky film of resin and pigment that constitutes the image. at the impression station, the tacky film is pressed onto and adheres to a printing substrate, separating cleanly from the itm on account of the hydrophobic nature of the ink transfer surface, thereby forming a printed product. as is described in wo 2013/132418, the itm may be required to have several specific physical properties that may be achieved by having a complex multi-layer structure. generally, the itm includes a support layer, typically comprising a fabric, the support layer having a very limited elasticity to avoid deformation of an image during transport to an impression station. the itm may additionally have a highly compliant thin layer immediately beneath the release layer to enable the tacky film to closely follow the surface contour of the substrate. the itm may include other layers to achieve the various desired frictional, thermal, and electrical properties of the itm. due to a well-defined structure and shape, toughness and deformation-resistance, the support layer is used as the starting point when making an itm. specifically, manufacture of an itm is done by providing a support layer to which additional desired layers are added to construct the desired multi-layer structure. typically, the different layers of the itm are applied as a curable fluid. the release layer that defines the ink transfer surface of the itm is the last, uppermost layer that is formed. we have found that the topography, contour and even surface finish of the ink transfer surface may be determined to a large extent by the contour of the surface of the penultimate layer to which the incipient release layer is applied. for this reason, it has proven difficult to manufacture an itm having a defect-free ink transfer surface with a desired surface finish. we have found that such defects may appreciably detract, in various ways, from release layer performance, a problem particularly aggravated when significant itm lengths and widths are desired. summary thus, according to an aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a multi-layer self-supported article having a first outer layer defining a first outer surface of the article and a base including a support layer, the base being in contact on a first side with the first outer layer and forming on a second side a second outer surface, the method comprising: 1. providing a carrier having a carrier contact surface having a defined finish; 2. forming an incipient first outer layer of a fluid first curable material with one side of the first outer layer contacting the carrier contact surface; and 3. at least partially curing the incipient outer layer of the first curable material, thereby forming an at least partially cured first outer layer, wherein the side of the at least partially cured first outer layer contacting the carrier contact surface constitutes the first outer surface of the article, and wherein the first outer layer together with the base are peelable from the carrier (or vice versa) to produce the self-supported article. in some embodiments, the multi-layer article so prepared is a flexible multi-layer article. though a finished object incorporating such a multi -layer article can have a variety of shapes, the article can typically be viewed as a sheet, even if in some embodiments it may be manufactured as a web. any such article, whether flexible or not, can therefore be characterized by two predominant planar outer surfaces separated by the thickness of the article upon completion of its manufacture. as the first outer surface and the second outer surface need not be the same, in the present disclosure the term "first outer surface" refers to the side of the article prepared by curing of a desired composition while contacting a defined carrier surface. the defined finish of the carrier contact surface, also simply referred to as the carrier contact surface finish or the carrier finish, can be any property such surfaces can assume, including, among others, surface roughness / smoothness, surface hydrophobicity / hydrophilicity, surface hygroscopicity / water saturation, surface energy, surface charge, surface polarity, and the like properties often relied upon to characterize surfaces of articles. it is believed that some such "finish properties" of the carrier can to some extent influence the corresponding finish property of the outer surface formed and at least partially cured thereon. it can be said that the finish of the outer surface, which can also be referred to as the article finish, is induced by the carrier contact surface, or otherwise at least partially mimics or reproduces the carrier contact surface finish, though such terms are not meant to say the respective finishes would be identical nor symmetrically opposite. to the extent such outer surfaces, once fully cured, are to interact with other materials (e.g., inks or treatment solutions when the outer surface is the release layer of an itm), then the manufacturing method may additionally affect the interplay / interface between the manufactured article and the compositions or structures with which it is to be used. thus, according to an aspect of some embodiments of the disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing an intermediate transfer member (itm) for use in an indirect printing system, the itm having a release layer defining an outer ink-transfer surface of the itm and a base including a support layer, the base being in contact with the release layer, the method comprising: 1. providing a carrier having a carrier contact surface; 2. forming a layer of a fluid first curable material with one side of the layer contacting the carrier contact surface, the layer constituting an incipient release layer; and 3. at least partially curing the incipient release layer of the first curable material, thereby forming an at least partially cured release layer of the itm, wherein the side of the at least partially cured release layer contacting the carrier contact surface constitutes the ink-transfer surface of the itm, and wherein the release layer together with the base are peelable from the carrier (or vice versa) to produce the itm. though in the following, a system in which an article prepared by the method herein disclosed is exemplified by an indirect printing system in which the multi-layered article manufactured according to the present teachings is an itm upon which liquid inks can be deposited, this need not be construed as limiting. for instance, the ink need not necessarily be liquid {e.g., it can also be a paste, a solid etc.), its coloring agents need not be exclusively pigments or dyes {e.g., they can alternatively be inorganic materials such as metals, ceramics, micas and the like providing any desired effect) and such variations readily apparent to the skilled persons. thus the term "ink-transfer surface of the itm" and its variants, which relates to the outermost surface of the multi-layered article upon which a material can be deposited before being transferred to a second surface, is to be understood in its broadest applicable meaning. as used herein, the term "base" refers to all the layers of the multi-layer article excluding the first outer layer, for instance, all the layers of an itm excluding the release layer. the base, among other functions, supports the release layer of the itm. in some embodiments, the base consists of a single layer, serving as a support layer, which can optionally serve additional functions, and may typically include, or consist of, a fabric. in some embodiments, the base comprises at least two layers. as the article includes a release layer and a base, which in turn may consist of more than one layer, the article is said to be a "multi-layer" or "multi-layered" article. in some embodiments, the method further includes, subsequently to '3', attaching a base to the side of the at least partially cured first outer layer distal from the carrier contact surface. the base can be a pre-prepared or pre-assembled structure only requiring attachment of one of its sides to the back side of the first outer layer, namely to the side of the first outer layer opposite the first outer surface, prepared as above-described. typically, the opposite side of the base, not being attached, ultimately constitutes the second outer surface of the completed article. when the base is separately pre-prepared or pre-assembled, such second outer surface of the completed article can be prepared by the method herein disclosed. alternatively, the base can be formed upon the first outer layer (on the side distal from the carrier contact surface), in a manner that shall be described in more detail hereinbelow. the bi-layer or multi-layer strip (comprising the first outer layer and the base) on the carrier, forms a self-supported strip, peelable from the carrier. in other words, the carrier and the bi-layer or multi-layer strip may be detached from one another by peeling, without damaging the structural integrity of the strip, and preferably without interfering with the structural integrity of the carrier. furthermore, even being separated from the carrier, the self- supported multi-layer strip maintains structural integrity as a contiguous article, independent of a supporting agent. collectively referring to the attachment to or formation of the base on the back side of first outer surface as "step '4'", independently of the number of sub-layers the base may comprise and the exact sub-steps involved, then in some embodiments the method further comprises, subsequently to '3' and/or '4', finishing the manufacture of the article or itm without separating the first outer layer or release layer from the carrier. in some embodiments, the method further comprises, subsequently to '3' and/or '4', packaging the article or itm without separating the first outer layer or release layer from the carrier so that the carrier serves as a protective layer for the first outer surface or ink-transfer surface during transport. in some embodiments, the method further comprises, subsequently to '3' and/or '4', fully curing the first outer layer (or the release layer) and/or or the article (or itm), as the case may be, with or without separating the first outer layer or release layer from the carrier. in some embodiments, the multi-layer article is stored after manufacturing, and, when applicable, shipped, with the carrier as a protective layer, whereas the self-supported strip and the carrier are separated as described above just prior to use. in some embodiments, the self- supported multi-layer strip and the carrier are separated at the manufacturing site following manufacturing. in some of such embodiments, a protective film can be subsequently applied to the self-supported strip, replacing the carrier, if so desired. unless explicitly stated otherwise, any two steps set out herein may be carried out in any order that allows the teachings to be implemented. according to an aspect of some embodiments of the disclosure herein, there is also provided a method of mounting an intermediate transfer member (itm) on an indirect printer, comprising: providing an itm prepared as described herein while the release layer is still in contact with the carrier; mounting the provided itm on an indirect printer; and subsequently to the mounting, separating the carrier from the release layer. according to an aspect of some embodiments of the disclosure herein, there is also provided a method of mounting an intermediate transfer member (itm) on an indirect printer, comprising: providing an itm prepared as described herein while the release layer is still in contact with the carrier; separating the carrier from the release layer; and subsequently to the separating, mounting the provided itm on, or into, an indirect printer. according to some embodiments, said mounting is optionally performed within 1 hour from separating the carrier from the release layer. additionally or alternatively, a protective film, replacing the carrier, may be attached to the release layer subsequent to said separating and prior to said mounting. such a protective film may then be separated from the release layer either prior or after said mounting. according to an aspect of some embodiments of the disclosure herein, there is also provided a multi-layer article, in particular, an itm, manufactured as described herein. in the description and claims of the present disclosure, each of the verbs "comprise", "include" and "have", and conjugates thereof, are used to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily a complete listing of features, members, steps, components, elements or parts of the subject or subjects of the verb. as used herein, the singular form "a", "an" and "the" include plural references and mean "at least one" or "one or more" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. as used herein, unless otherwise stated, adjectives such as "substantially" and "about" that modify a condition or relationship characteristic of a feature or features of an embodiment of the present technology, are to be understood to mean that the condition or characteristic is defined to within tolerances that are acceptable for operation of the embodiment for an application for which it is intended, or within variations expected from the measurement being performed and/or from the measuring instrument being used. when a numerical value is preceded by the term "about", the term "about" is intended to indicate +/- 10%, +1-5%, or even only +/-1%, and in some instances the precise value. brief description of the drawings some embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to the accompanying figures. the description, together with the figures, makes apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art how some embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced. the figures are for the purpose of illustrative discussion and no attempt is made to show structural details of an embodiment in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure. for the sake of clarity, some objects depicted in the figures are not to scale. in the figures: figures 1a and ib schematically illustrate a cross section through a release layer prepared according to the prior art; figure 2 schematically illustrates a cross section through a release layer prepared according to the present method; figure 3a schematically shows a section through a carrier; figures 3b to 3f schematically exhibit different stages in the manufacture of an itm, according to one aspect of the inventive method; figure 3g is a section through a finished itm after installation in a printing system; figure 4 schematically displays an apparatus in which some embodiments of the present method can be implemented, and figure 5a to 5c schematically display different manufacturing stages using the apparatus of figure 4. detailed description there is provided in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure a method of manufacturing a multi-layered article having a finished outer surface, such an article, when flexible, being suitable as an intermediate transfer member (itm) for use in an indirect printing system. in some embodiments, the finished outer surface provides some advantages relative to the art. though in the following, an itm will be described in more detail, it is understood that the method herein disclosed is suitable for the preparation of a wide range of multi-layered articles, in particular, flexible multi-layered articles. the itm is therefore to be construed as a non-limiting example. in the art, a support layer of an itm is used as a physically robust support structure onto which other itm layers are added until the itm is complete. a layer of fluid curable material, constituting an incipient release layer, is formed as the uppermost layer on top of previous layers, wherein the outer surface of the formed release layer comprises an ink transfer surface. as a result, the finish of the ink transfer surface is at least partially determined by the underlying layers, and is therefore susceptible to various faults. moreover, since the release layer is the uppermost layer, air bubbles may be disposed at or near the ink transfer surface, leading to surface defects. vibrations occurring while the curable material is still fluid during the curing may cause ripples that eventually set, yielding an uneven ink-transfer surface. dust and other debris may settle on and adhere to the incipient ink transfer surface, disadvantageously yielding uncontrolled, heterogeneous surface properties that differ from the intended or designed surface properties. figures 1a and ib schematically illustrate how some such defects would appear in a section of an outer layer 10 (e.g., a release layer) prepared according to an aforementioned method of the art. figure 1a illustrates different phenomena relating to air bubbles that can be entrapped in any curable composition if the curing occurs before such bubbles can be eliminated (e.g., by degassing). during conventional manufacturing of layer 10 over a body 30, the orientation of the structure is as shown by arrow 18, the upper section of the drawing being at the air interface. as can be seen in the figure, as tiny bubbles 12a migrate towards the air interface, they can merge into larger bubbles 12b. the bubbles 12a and 12b, of various sizes, may either remain entrapped within the bulk of the layer or on its surface, the upper part of the trapped bubbles envelope forming protrusions 14. when bubbles adjacent to the surface burst while the curing of the layer is advanced, craters or cavities 16 may remain, even if the segment of the envelope of the bubbles protruding from the surface has disappeared. these phenomena therefore typically provide a "gradient" of the distribution of air bubbles, the upper sections being generally either populated by larger bubbles than those of the lower sections and/or having a higher density of bubbles per cross section area or per volume, lower and higher being relative to the orientation of the layer during its manufacturing. the impact of bubbles-derived defects on the surface is self-evident, the heterogeneity of the surface typically negatively affecting any subsequent interactions, for instance with an ink image. with time, such an itm being typically operated under tension and/or under pressure, craters may widen and merge to form more significant fissures. thus, such phenomena may affect the structural integrity of the surface and any mechanical property such integrity would have conferred to the itm. figure ib schematically illustrates phenomena relating to solid contaminants, such as dust. although the dust is represented as being in addition to air bubbles, this need not be the case, as each such surface or layer defect may be formed independently. as can be seen, solid contaminants 22 may remain upon the surface. if the settling of contaminants occurs after the outer layer 10 has been cured, then such contaminants 22 may be removed by suitable cleaning of the outer surface. still, such a phenomenon is not desired, as it would require additional processing of such an itm prior to use. moreover, if such contaminations occur while the layer is still uncured, then the contaminants can be either entrapped on the surface of layer 10 (see for example contaminant particle 24, which is seemingly floating), or can even be submerged within the release layer, (e.g., contaminant particle 26). as can be readily understood, larger / heavier contaminants may sink more than smaller / lighter ones. moreover, it will be readily understood that while such a problem of surface defects might conceivably be circumvented if the final article can be cut from sporadic "defect-free" regions of a relevant multi-layered supply, such possible selection becomes less and less probable, as the size of the final article increases, whether in absolute terms, or with respect to the surface area of the source, or both. in some embodiments, the substantially defect-free final article, which may optionally be selected within regions of a self-supported multi-layer article according to the present teaching, has a surface area of at least 1 m 2 , at least 2 m 2 , at least 5 m 2 , at least 10 m 2 , at least 15 m 2 , or at least 20 m 2 . in some embodiments, the surface area of a self-supported multi-layer having a substantially defect-free surface coating is of at most 150 m 2 , at most 125 m 2 , at most 100 m 2 , at most 75 m 2 , or at most 50 m 2 . unlike methods known in the art, the method disclosed herein comprises forming a layer of a fluid first curable material with one side of the layer contacting a carrier contact surface of a carrier, the layer constituting an incipient release layer. the carrier contact surface functions to protect the incipient release layer, giving this layer, which acts in operation of an itm during printing as the ink transfer layer desired properties, while the carrier acts as a physically robust support structure onto which other layers are possibly added to form the itm, until the itm is complete. as a result, many potential sources of defects are avoided. moreover, the finish of the ink transfer surface is determined primarily, if not exclusively, by the carrier contact surface. figure 2 schematically illustrates a section through an outer layer 56 (e.g., a release layer) prepared according to the inventive method. to facilitate comparison with previous drawings, the section is shown without a carrier and in the same orientation as figures 1 a and ib, though the manufacturing is performed in inversed orientation as shown by arrow 28. the base 32, which shall be described in further detail hereinafter, is attached to the first outer layer 56 after layer 56 has been at least partially cured. hence, base 32 is not equivalent to body 30, which already serves as a support during the manufacturing process. for the sole sake of illustration, layer 56 is represented as including a considerable number of bubbles 12, but this need not be the case. however, when present to any appreciable degree, such bubbles may display a distinct pattern with respect to those previously described. first, as the now uppermost surface 54 (e.g., an ink transfer surface) of layer 56 was previously formed in contact with a carrier, no protrusions can be observed, the release layer being therefore devoid of phenomena such as surface protruding bubbles 14 (see figure 1 a). likewise, the presence of such craters previously illustrated as craters or cavities 16 is very unlikely, as this would imply the use of an incompatible curable layer and carrier. as according to the present method, the curable material due to form the outer layer is to suitably wet the carrier, it is believed that substantially no air bubbles can be entrapped between the carrier and the incipient layer formed thereon. thus, if at all present, bubbles would be disposed in the bulk of the layer. however, as the manufacturing is performed in inverted orientation as compared to conventional methods, the gradient of bubbles would, for the same reason, be inverted. thus, from a statistical standpoint (and as depicted in figure 2), smaller bubbles 12a would be disposed closer to the outer surface 54 than larger bubbles 12b, which would be disposed closer to the base 32. carrier contact surface finish the inventors have discovered that since the surface finish of the ink-transfer surface helps define the extent of spreading and adhesion of the ink droplets applied at the image- forming station, it may be desirable for an ink-transfer surface to have a smooth and well- defined surface finish. moreover, such a desired, smooth and well-defined surface finish can facilitate the mechanics of transfer of the tacky film to the substrate at the impression station. because the first curable material forms a layer as a fluid and at least partially cures in contact with the carrier contact surface, the surface finish of the carrier contact surface may be tailored to effect, or contribute to, a desired or pre-determined surface finish of the ink- transfer surface. accordingly, in some embodiments, the carrier contact surface has a defined surface finish, which helps provide a desired surface finish to the ink-transfer surface. for a typical itm, an optical grade surface finish is generally desired, meaning an average roughness equal or smaller than about half wavelength of visible light. thus, in some embodiments, the surface finish of the carrier contact surface is smooth, having an average roughness (ra) of at most 250 nanometers (nm), at most 150 nm, at most 100 nm, or at most 75 nm. according to some embodiments, some polymer foils - e.g., laminated polyester films, such as polyethylene terephthalate (pet) foils, or polyimide films, such as kapton ® foils by e. i. du pont de nemours and company - may be readily commercially available for use as a carrier, as is further detailed below. such commercial foils have typical average roughness of at most 50 nm or at most 30 nm, or at most 25 nm and therefore carriers having a contact surface having such average roughness are also encompassed. according to some further embodiments, a carrier may be provided having a carrier contact surface having an average roughness of at most 20 nm, at most 15 nm, at most 12 nm, or at most 10 nm. typically, ra is at least 3 nm, at least 5 nm, or at least 7 nm. alternatively and additionally, the carrier contact finish may include any desirable surface property, for instance any desired hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the carrier contact surface. a surface is said to be hydrophobic when the angle formed by the meniscus at the liquid/air/solid interface, also termed wetting angle or contact angle, exceeds 90°, the reference liquid being distilled water at room temperature (circa 23°c). under such conditions, which are conventionally measured with a goniometer or a drop shape analyzer and can be assessed at any given temperature and pressure (e.g., at ambient conditions or under conditions of relevance to the manufacturing process or to the use of the manufactured article), the water droplet tends to bead and does not wet the surface. conversely, a surface is deemed hydrophilic when the contact angle is less than 90°, the water droplet readily spreading and wetting the surface. it is noted however that according to aspects of some embodiments, hydrophobicity (or hydrophilicity) of the carrier contact surface as determined by a drop of water as explained above, does not predict the wettability of the carrier contact surface by a fluid other than water, as such wettability is generally determined by the difference between the surface energies of the carrier and the fluid. when the surface energy of the fluid is comparable to that of the carrier, then high wetting may be obtained (moreover, if the surface energy of the fluid is lower than that of the carrier, then complete wetting is facilitated and/or obtained). if however the surface energy of the fluid is considerably larger than that of the carrier, then low wetting is obtained or wetting may be prevented. in conclusion, a fluid may wet a hydrophobic carrier (on which water might demonstrate beading), if the surface energy of the fluid is comparable or smaller than that of the carrier. for example, most (untreated) polymers considered for the present method have a surface energy considerably lower than the surface energy of water, namely lower than about 72mj/m 2 (also equal to about 72mn/m) and hence are not tended to be wetted by water. some such polymers may be strict hydrophobic. however, a drop of a fluid different from water may well wet such a polymer, if such other fluid has a surface energy lower than that of the polymer surface. moreover, in some embodiments, even the said difference in surface energies does not unambiguously predict the wettability of the carrier by a viscous fluid. in some such embodiments, a carrier contact surface having a relatively low surface energy may be wetted by a viscous fluid, having a considerably higher surface energy than that of the carrier contact surface. in such embodiments the viscosity depresses the beading of the fluid, and therefore facilitates the formation of a continuous, uninterrupted and unbroken contact between the fluid and the carrier contact surface. in other words, as a viscous fluid is applied to the low- surface energy surface, wetting of the surface is obtained in practice, displaying a non- equilibrium state of the fluid on the surface. consequently, if the fluid is curable, and the fluid is cured before beading progresses to reach the steady state, then the continuous, uninterrupted and unbroken contact between the fluid and the surface may be stabilized. thus, as used herein, the terms hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity are used to characterize a surface (e.g., the carrier contact surface or a release surface of an itm) in the presence of a drop of water. the term wettability and its derivatives are used in a broader sense to characterize a surface (e.g., the carrier contact surface) in the presence of a fluid, not necessarily water. the present inventors have surprisingly found that the release layer of an itm manufactured according to the present teachings has a polarity that differs from that of a release layer prepared by methods of the art, where the outer surface faces air rather than a carrier contact surface. this unexpected phenomenon is exemplified below. foil carrier the carrier may be any suitable carrier. as discussed in greater detail below, in some preferred embodiments, the carrier is a flexible foil, i.e., a thin flexible sheet. one advantage of a foil carrier, for some embodiments, is that foils having a suitable surface finish, for example, sufficient smoothness, are readily available. likewise, such foils may have a variety of compositions, providing a wide range of hydrophobic/hydrophilic surface properties, or any such surface properties that may serve the intended use of the article. in some embodiments, the flexible foil has a thickness of at least 10 micrometers (μπι), at least 50 μπι, or at least 100 μπι. in some embodiments, the flexible foil has a thickness of at most 4000 μπι, or of up to 2000 μπι. in some embodiments, during the forming of the incipient release layer of the fluid first curable material, the carrier is supported on a continuous flat support, for example, a table or the like. in a particular embodiment that will be detailed hereinafter, the carrier is in motion during the forming of the incipient release layer and/or during the attachment or formation of the base upon the at least partially cured release layer. in such a case, the carrier may additionally be required to have mechanical properties adapted to such motion. the finished article comprises the carrier and, attached thereon, the self-supported strip, generally comprising the release layer and the base layer. the self-supported strip is peelable from the carrier, namely the carrier and the self-supported strip may be detached from one another by peeling, without damaging the structural integrity of the strip, and optionally preferably of the carrier. such peeling exposes the release layer of the self-supported strip, rendering the strip ready for use. it is emphasized that such peeling may, according to some embodiments, be employed as close as possible prior to using the strip. in other words, following manufacturing as herein described, the carrier with the strip attached thereto may be stored, and then shipped to be used, whereas, during the periods of said storing and shipment, the release layer of the strip is protected by the carrier from physical damage and dirt. however, regardless of the time when such separation is conducted - whether immediately after the construction of the finished strip in the manufacturing site, or soon before use - the carrier is capable of withstanding such a peeling step, required for detaching the carrier from the self-supported strip. in other words, the carrier is configured to have a tear strength larger than the peeling strength required to perform such detachment. the carrier and the carrier contact surface may be of any suitable material or combination of materials, as long as said materials are compatible with the manufacturing method. for instance, they need to withstand the operating conditions of the method, for example they need to be resistant at least to the curing factors (e.g., to the temperature required for heat curing, or to the irradiation necessary for uv curing, etc.), the pressure, tension, or any other like parameter that can be applied during preparation of the multi-layer structure. more specifically, the carrier is capable of maintaining mechanical integrity during and following exposure to the curing process, e.g., curing temperatures, such being typically up to 200°c (or, in embodiments comprising uv curing - following exposure to uv radiation, etc). mechanical integrity of the carrier is used herein interchangeably with "structural integrity" and includes, for example, dimensional stability, namely no shape distortions, stability of the finish characteristics of the carrier contact surface, explicitly including smoothness, lack of wrinkles, etc. such mechanical integrity of the carrier is maintained at least until the self-supported strip and the carrier are detached from one another. in this context and without wishing to be held to any one theory, it is currently believed that in some embodiments, there may be charged or polar interactions between the carrier contact surface and the formed layer of fluid first curable material at the interface that provide the ink-transfer surface with properties that may be advantageous for various applications, e.g., when the itm is used for printing. presumably, in such embodiments, while the first curable material is still fluid, polar groups thereof interact with groups in the carrier contact surface, leading to alignment of polar groups in the direction of a surface of the curable layer. subsequently, curing is effected to an extent sufficient to maintain this alignment at least to an appreciable degree. in some embodiments, such alignment of polar groups of the first curable material leads to changes in surface chemistry and surface energy that may influence the interaction of the ink transfer surface with a chemical conditioning agent, the ink and/or with the tacky layer. carrier contact surface of metal in some embodiments, the carrier contact surface comprises a surface selected from the group consisting of a metal (e.g., chromium, gold, nickel) surface and a metal oxide (e.g., aluminum oxide) surface. it is currently believed that in some such embodiments, polar groups of the fluid first curable material of the formed layer interact with metal (e.g., aluminum) atoms apparent on the carrier contact surface. in some embodiments, the carrier includes, and in some embodiments consists of, a material selected from the group consisting of a metal foil, aluminum foil, a metallized polymer foil (e.g., metallized pet) and an aluminized polymer (e.g., aluminized pet) foil. in some embodiments, the polymer foil is coated with fumed aluminum metal. carrier contact surface of polymer in some embodiments, the carrier contact surface includes, and in some embodiments, consists of, a polymer surface. in some embodiments, the carrier contact surface includes a polymeric surface which comprises polar groups such as si-o-si or c-o-c. while such groups clearly have a polar contribution, they would not be expected to chemically react with other species under typical process conditions. in some embodiments, the polar groups of the polymeric surface may include carbonyl groups (rcor), carboxyl groups (-cooh, -coo " ), amide groups (-co h 2 ), and combinations thereof. it is currently believed that in some such embodiments, polar and/or functional groups of the formed release layer or outer layer may interact with polar and/or functional groups apparent on the carrier contact surface. in some embodiments, the carrier contact surface includes polar and/or functional groups having at least one free electron pair. in some such embodiments, at least one such polar and/or functional group is selected from the group consisting of carboxyl groups, carbonyl groups, amide groups and combinations thereof. in some such embodiments, the carrier contact surface comprises functional groups having at least one free electron pair selected from the group consisting of carbonyl groups and amide groups. it is currently believed that in some such embodiments, functional groups of the fluid first curable material of the formed layer interact with free electron pairs of the functional groups apparent on the carrier contact surface. in some embodiments, the carrier contact surface includes, mainly includes (at least 50% by weight), or consists essentially of, a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyesters, such as polyethylene terephthalate (pet), polyfluorocarbons, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe, as exemplified by teflon®), and polyimide (such as poly (4,4'- oxydiphenylene-pyromellitimide, as in kapton® films, for example). pet and kapton® foils are particularly suited to be used as carriers. pet and kapton® films are strong, have relatively high tear strength and tensile strength and very good dimensional stability at temperatures required for curing (e.g., up to 200°c). further, pet and kapton® carriers are commercially available as large sheets of foil, e.g., at lengths of tens of meters (e.g., of 25 m or more, 50 m or more, 75 m or more, or 100 m or more) or even hundreds of meters (e.g., of up to 500 m, up to 1000 m or up to 2000 m) and a width above 1 meter (m), and even above 2 m, rendering the foil suitable as a carrier for an itm for a large-format (e.g., about 1.5 m) printing machine. the foils are typically smooth, with average roughness below 100 nm. foils are available at a variety of thicknesses ranging from less than 1 millimeter (mm) down to less than 25 μπι, and a film thickness may be selected so as to provide a required tear strength, i.e. withstand the tear force involved in detaching the cured fluid first curable layer - while peeling the self-supported strip - from the carrier (or vice versa). pet and kapton ® foils are also suitable as carriers for having medium surface energy (typically in the range of about 35- 45mn/m when untreated), hence being hydrophobic, and substantially lacking functional groups on the surface (unless treated to that effect, in which case the surface energy can be in the range of about 60-70mn/m), thus inhibiting adhesion thereon. such foils may consequently allow the easy separation (i.e. separation involving relatively low force) of the cured fluid first curable layer therefrom. according to some embodiments, pet is preferable to kapton ® , as a carrier, for being considerably cheaper. inducing hydrophilicity to the cured material by the carrier in some embodiments, carrier 50 may advantageously be configured or adapted to have a hydrophilic carrier contact surface, such hydrophilicity being employed to induce increased hydrophilicity on the surface coating in contact therewith, for instance on the release surface of the release layer. it is emphasized that "hydrophilicity" herein is used in the relative sense, meaning that a carrier contact surface having a relatively high surface energy e 2 may be employed to modify the surface energy of a release surface. more specifically, a curable material having a naturally-occurring surface energy e 0 , where e 0 is smaller than e 2 , may be used to form a release layer on the said carrier, so that the release surface of the release layer has a surface energy e 1 greater than e 0 . in other words, the surface energy e 1 of the release layer may be altered, determined or tuned (relative to the naturally-occurring surface energy eo) by forming the release layer on a carrier contact surface according to the teachings herein. according to some such embodiments, the carrier may be pre-treated or otherwise configured or adapted to have a specific surface energy (demonstrated by a specific hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity), so as to obtain a desired surface energy (and hence a desired hydrophilicity) of the release surface. it should further be noted that the "specific hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity" of a surface may be quantitatively assessed by contact angle measurements of a water drop on the surface, as is well known in the art and as utilized in the example provided herein below. according to some embodiments, as illustrated by the detailed example hereinbelow, carrier 50 may be configured or adapted to have a hydrophilic carrier contact surface, thereby inducing a significant increase in the hydrophilicity of a release layer made form an initially hydrophobic curable material. according to some embodiments, a carrier film may be treated by the addition of antistatic agents, e.g., based on long-chain aliphatic amines (optionally ethoxylated) and amides, quaternary ammonium salts (e.g., behentrimonium chloride or cocamidopropyl betaine), esters of phosphoric acid, polyethylene glycol esters, or polyols, to name a few. it is believed that the molecules of such antistatic agents have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas. the hydrophobic side interacts with the surface of the carrier, and the hydrophilic side interacts with the air moisture and binds ambient water molecules, to render the film anti-static. this envisaged orientation of the anti-static molecules (or of any other molecules or parts thereof able to similarly align along an hydrophobic-hydrophilic axis or polar axis, whether in the carrier or in any other layer or material) can also be referred to as polarization. the ability of a material to polarize, as afore-described, may depend on the chemical structure of the material, the cross-linking density of the layer formed thereby, and the capacity of such molecules to align themselves within such a layer. such alignment generally takes place during curing, the molecules having a higher mobility while the material is still fluid. however, it cannot be ruled out that such polarization may also occur in a cured layer. in this example, a commercially available anti-static pet film is used as a carrier, the somewhat hydrophilic properties of the carrier contact surface are induced in the release layer surface (and more generally in any surface coating prepared by the present method). in other words, carrier 50 may advantageously be formed of a commercially available anti-static polymeric film, for example, a polyester film such as pet. the surprising advantages of such anti-static carriers will be illustrated in the following example wherein the polyester film was made of pet. a same first curable composition (curable release layer formulation no. 1, below detailed) was applied on three different carriers: a) an untreated polyester film (i.e. not anti-static), such as commercially available skyroll sh 76 by skc inc.; b) an anti-static polyester film, such as commercially available skyroll sh 92 by skc inc.; and c) an aluminized polyester film, available from hanita ltd. an exemplary curable release layer formulation no. l was prepared by thoroughly mixing the materials provided in table 1 below. ingredient supplier cas description weight number parts dms-v36 gelest 68083-19-2 vinyl terminated polydimethyl siloxane 70.0 resin viscosity 5,000 mpa.s mw -49,500 vinyl ~0.018-0.050 mmol/g vqm-146 gelest 68584-83-8 20-25% vinyl resin in dms v46 40.0 resin viscosity 50,000-60,000 mpa.s vinyl -0.18-0.23 mmol/g polymer evonik vinyl functional polydimethyl siloxane 30.0 rv 5000 viscosity 3,000 mpa.s (xprv vinyl -0.4 mmol/g 5000) resin inhibitor evonik 204-070-5 mix of divinylpolydimethylsiloxane and 5.0 600 2-methylbut-3 -yn-2-ol cure viscosity 900 mpa.s retardant vinyl 0.11 mmol/g sip6831.2 gelest 68478-92-2 platinum divinyltetramethyldisiloxane 0.1 catalyst platinum 2.1-2.4% hms-301 gelest 68037-59-2 poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-methyl- 12.0 cross- hydrosiloxane), trimethylsilyl terminated linker hydride 4.2 mmol/g silsurf siltech 134180-76- polyether siloxane copolymer 5.0 a010-d-up 0 additive table 1 the curable fluid was applied on the three tested carriers as described in more detail for formulation no. 2 and cured in a similar manner. the carriers were peeled away, exposing the surface previously in contact therewith, such surfaces intended to serve as ink image receiving surface in a printing system. the advancing (aca) and/or receding (rca) contact angles of a 0.5-5 microliter (μΐ) droplet of distilled water were measured on the different carriers and on the ink receiving surface of the cured release layers casted thereon. for comparison, contact angle was also assessed on the surface of the release layer which faced air during casting and curing (i.e., the back side of the surface coating which can be further attached to a base). a relatively low contact angle (pointing to a more hydrophilic surface) is deemed correlated with a higher proportion of molecules being oriented along the hydrophobic- hydrophilic direction within the underlying layer. in other words, a relatively lower contact angle on surface suggests a greater polarization of underlying molecules, or parts thereof, as compared to a surface having a relatively higher contact angle (pointing to a more hydrophobic surface. all contact angle measurements were performed with a contact angle analyzer - kruss™ "easy drop" fm40mk2 and/or a dataphysics oca15 pro (particle and surface sciences pty. ltd., gosford, nsw, australia). the results are shown in table 2. table 2 surprisingly, while the hydrophobicity of the back side of the surface coating (which served to approximate the hydrophobicity of a layer conventionally prepared with an air interface) was of about 90°, the ink transfer surfaces of the release layers prepared according to the present inventions herein tested displayed significantly lower values of at most about 60°. while the untreated and aluminized pet provided for a relatively similar and dramatic effect, the anti-static pet further lowered rca value from about 60° for the former carriers to about 45°. such results are surprising, as the release layers were expected (based on their chemical composition) to be hydrophobic. this was confirmed by the rca displayed by the back side of the layer. the inventors have surprisingly found, however, that the release layer surfaces produced by the inventive method may actually be somewhat hydrophilic, and appreciably more hydrophilic than corresponding release layers, i.e., release layers having the same composition, but manufactured using the conventional curing technique in which the release layer is exposed to air ("standard air curing"). without wishing to be bound by theory, the inventors believe that during the intimate contact between the carrier contact surface and the incipient release layer surface, the somewhat hydrophilic properties of the carrier contact surface are induced in the release layer surface (and more generally in any surface coating prepared by the present method). as can be seen from table 2, the rca of the surface formed while facing the carrier is about 20° greater than the rca of the respective carrier and approximately 30° smaller than the rca believed to represent the composition per se. while it cannot be ruled out that the "margins" surrounding the rca of the surface coating as compared to its more hydrophilic carrier and its more hydrophobic composition may vary, without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it seems that a surface coating prepared according to the present method has a contact surface whose hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity properties lie in between the properties of the same formulation, cured in air, and the carrier surface itself. thus, the selection of a carrier having known hydrophobicity (or as illustrated in this example, hydrophilicity) may govern, at least to some extent, the hydrophobicity of the surface that is cast thereon. as the carriers as used herein can be further treated by physical or chemical treatment, in some such embodiments, the treatment can modify the hydrophobicity / hydrophilicity of the carrier, and in turn may affect the hydrophobicity / hydrophilicity of the surface coating, as assessed by way of example by the measurement of its rca. forming fluid first curable layer surface as noted above, a layer of a fluid first curable material is formed with one side of the layer contacting the carrier contact surface, the layer constituting the incipient release layer of the itm. to ensure adequate contact between the carrier contact surface and the layer, as well as to ease processing, in some embodiments the carrier contact surface is wettable by the fluid first curable material. having a wettable carrier contact surface advantageously improves the uniformity of the layer to be formed thereupon. such increased wettability may also provide for or be associated with reduced surface defects, such as pin holes, "orange peel" and the like. accordingly, in some embodiments, the surface energy of the carrier contact surface can be between 20 and 70 mj/m 2 , between 25 and 65 mj/m 2 , or between 30 and 60 mj/m 2 , such values being determined with distilled water at ambient temperature (circa 23°c). to simplify the process of forming the layer of the fluid first curable material, in some embodiments the fluid first curable material is at a temperature of at least 10°c and not more than 50°c during the forming of the layer. in some embodiments, the temperature is at least 15°c. in some embodiments, the temperature is not more than 40°c and even not more than 35°c. in some embodiments, the forming of the incipient release layer of the fluid first curable material comprises depositing the layer of the fluid first curable material onto the carrier contact surface, thereby forming the incipient release layer. in some embodiments, depositing the layer of the fluid first curable material onto the carrier contact surface comprises pouring the fluid first curable material onto the carrier contact surface. the layer is of any suitable thickness. in some embodiments, the thickness of the incipient release layer is such that when substantially fully cured, the resulting release layer is not less than 2 micrometers and not more than 200 μπι thick. by "substantially fully cured" is meant a stage of curing is reached or passed where the layer does not undergo any further substantial change in dimensions. in some embodiments, it is desirable that the release layer of the itm be of a relatively uniform thickness to provide superior printing results. accordingly, in some embodiments, the variance of thickness of the layer of applied fluid first curable material is such that when substantially fully cured, the variance of thickness of the resulting release layer is within 5 micrometers, or within 2 micrometers, or within 1 μπι, or within 0.5 μπι, or within 0.2 μπι of a predetermined thickness. in some embodiments, the variance of thickness of the layer of the applied fluid first curable material is such that when substantially fully cured, the variance of thickness of the resulting release layer is within 20% of a predetermined thickness, or within 15%, or within 10%, or within 5%. in some embodiments, during the forming of the layer of the fluid first curable material, the thickness of the formed layer of the fluid first curable material is mechanically adjusted while the first curable material is still fluid, for example, with the help of a knife, bar or roller. the skilled person knows how to select such a leveling means according to the desired thickness of the layer and/or the necessary accuracy. curing the fluid first curable material is cured in any suitable way, including fast curing and slow curing methods. the curing method selected may depend on the specific formulation of first curable material used. in some embodiments, the method further comprises applying heat to the layer of the fluid first curable material, thereby increasing the rate of curing thereof. in some embodiments, the method further comprises irradiating the layer of the fluid first curable material, thereby increasing a rate of curing thereof. irradiation is with any suitable radiation, for example, uv light and electron beam. fluid first curable material as explained above, a suitable fluid first curable material is preferably configured for molding at about room temperature, i.e. is fluid between about 10°c and 50°c and in some embodiments between about 15°c and up to about 40°c or even up to about 35°c. further, when used with a selected carrier, a suitable fluid first curable material preferably wets the carrier contact surface so as to obtain a continuous, uninterrupted and unbroken contact between the carrier contact surface and the release surface of the incipient release layer. such a continuous, uninterrupted and unbroken contact may readily assist in generating a release surface which is substantially defect-free, or - alternatively or additionally - having a smoothness not less than the smoothness of the carrier contact surface. silicones, such as siloxane, and polyurethane are two examples of thermoplastic materials that are fluid at about room temperature and are heat-curable at temperatures suitable for the method described herein. cured siloxane and polyurethane are further relatively resilient to working conditions - particularly temperature, pressure and exposure to chemicals - that are characteristic to those of an itm in a printing machine. in "resilient" it is meant that an itm having such a release layer could function well under a suitable work load in terms of intensity and time without damaging the release layer. various (cured) silicone elastomers (such as siloxanes) or polyurethanes are available at a wide range of hardness, including low hardness lower than about 40 shore a, or 30 shore a, or even as low as 20 shore a, or medium hardness, e.g., between about 40 and 60 shore a, or even at a high hardness, e.g., between about 60 and 90 shore a, thus rendering such silicones / siloxanes or polyurethanes particularly suitable as a release layer in an itm. when employed onto some types of polymer carriers, such as polyester pet or polyimide kapton ® films, for forming a layer thereon, silicone elastomers, such as siloxanes, and polyurethanes typically wet the carrier contact surface (in the steady state), for having surface energy in the range of 20-35 mn/m, namely comparable or lower than that of the said carriers. according to some embodiments such wetting, which is generally desired in the scope of the method described herein, may be enhanced using known surface treatments applied to the carrier contact surface, such as activation by plasma, or uv radiation, or by corona treatment, or by chemical treatment {e.g., by application of treating fluids, including for instance surfactants). however, such surface treatment that can increase the carrier contact surface energy, may also enhance adhesion of the cured (or partially cured) surface coating or release layer to the carrier to an extent that may, for instance, hamper subsequent peeling. it is noted that adhesion of the release layer to the carrier contact surface subsequent to curing may preferably be within a desired range. if adhesion is insufficient (namely too low), the release layer (due to serve during printing as ink-transfer surface) may separate from the carrier contact surface during curing, leading to deformation of the ink-transfer surface, or at some other undesirable time. if adhesion is too strong, during separation of the itm from the carrier contact surface, the carrier contact surface may tear, so as to leave a residue on the ink- transfer surface, or conversely part of the release layer may be ripped so as leave a residue on the peeled carrier, or the ink-transfer surface may be otherwise damaged. thus, according to some embodiments, an uncured thermoplastic material such as a silicone elastomer, including or consisting of, by way of non-limiting example, siloxane, and polyurethane may preferably be employed onto a polymer carrier such as made of pet or kapton ® , without a prior surface treatment of the carrier. in such embodiments, the inert nature of both the carrier and the thermoplastic material - namely the lack of strong chemical reactions on the interfacing surfaces thereof - prevent strong adhesion, the residual adhesion that maintain the cured or partially cured layer attached to the carrier, resulting from the preliminary wetting of the carrier by the uncured material. according to some embodiments, a fluid first curable material (such as the curable materials discussed above, e.g., siloxane) may be applied to a carrier having a low surface energy, lower for example than 25mn/m or even lower than about 20mn/m (e.g., teflon ® carrier contact surface). in such cases, if the liquid has a higher surface energy than the carrier contact surface, wetting may still be achieved because viscosity of the fluid first curable material is high enough to quench beading of the fluid, which is expected in the steady state. in other words, by employing a viscous fluid first curable material onto a low-surface energy carrier contact surface, beading of the fluid may be depressed, and consequently a continuous, uninterrupted and unbroken contact may be achieved between the fluid first curable material and the carrier. then, curing or at least partial curing may preferably be employed within a short enough time after the application or deployment of the fluid first curable material onto the carrier, so as to cure the release layer before significant beading occurs. additionally, due to the low surface energy of the carrier contact surface, adhesion of the cured release layer to the carrier contact surface subsequent to curing may be constricted to a desired range, facilitating later detachment of the release layer from the carrier by peeling. some siloxanes may be employed to form a layer on metalized surfaces as described above. for example, addition-curable siloxanes do not typically adhere to metalized surfaces (e.g., an aluminum surface) and therefor may be employed for forming a release layer peelable from the carrier as described herein on an aluminum surface such as an aluminum plate, or aluminum foil, or aluminized film. in contrast, condensation-curable siloxanes might typically adhere to an oxidized layer naturally formed on metalized surfaces such as aluminum surface, and hence might be less suitable in such cases. it is noted however that in some commercially available aluminized polymer foils, the aluminum surface is further coated (e.g., by nitrocellulose) thus rendering the aluminized foil suitable as a carrier also for condensation-curable siloxanes. a first curable material may be selected that, when cured, has properties suitable for use as an ink transfer surface of an itm. such properties include chemical compatibility with ink formulations, the property to retain an ink droplet applied to the ink transfer surface at the image-forming station, and the property to release the tacky film to a substrate, typically in its entirety, without tearing or deformation thereof. in some technologies, indirect printing can be done on an itm previously conditioned to facilitate such ink attachment and release, in which case the outer surface of the itm needs to be alternatively compatible with the conditioning treatment. in the event of a chemical treatment, the above principles can apply to the conditioning formulation in a manner substantially similar to those previously described for an ink formulation. though in the present disclosure, for the sake of simplicity, the interaction being considered is between an ink-transfer surface and an ink formulation, such terminology should not be construed as limiting. in some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a silicone polymer, for example, a polydimethylsiloxane. in some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a vinyl-terminated silicone polymer, for example, a vinyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane. in some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a vinyl-functional silicone polymer, e.g., a vinyl-silicone polymer including at least one lateral vinyl group in addition to the terminal vinyl groups, for example, a vinyl-functional polydimethylsiloxane. in some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a heat-curable addition cure silicone polymer. heat-curable materials have an advantage of including materials that are suitable for use as a release layer. in some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a condensation cure silicone polymer. forming the base of the itm as discussed above, an itm includes at least two, and typically more than two, layers, e.g., the ink transfer layer and a base of the itm that includes a support layer. a feature of some embodiments of the disclosure herein is that an itm is made from the outside-in, first preparing an incipient release layer as discussed hereinabove, and then forming succeeding layers serially, one after the other, on the exposed side of a previously-made layer. forming the base of the itm with a fluid curable material in some embodiments, the portion of the base that is proximate to the release layer is made by forming a layer of a fluid second curable material on the other side of the first curable material. accordingly, in some embodiments the method further comprises forming a layer of a fluid second curable material on the other side of the layer of the first curable material, the layer of the fluid second curable material constituting an incipient layer of the base of the itm. by "other side of the layer of the first curable material" is meant the side that is not in contact with the carrier contact surface. in some embodiments, the method further comprises at least partially curing the layer of the second curable material, thereby forming at least part of the base of the itm. the thickness of the layer of the fluid second curable material is typically determined by the required thickness of the layer of the base that the layer of the fluid second curable material, when cured, constitutes. in some embodiments, the thickness of the layer of the fluid second curable material is such that when substantially fully cured, the resulting support layer is not less than 100 micrometers and not more than 500 micrometers thick. in some embodiments, the layer of the fluid second curable material is formed while the layer of the first curable material is not fully cross-linked. the incipient layer of the first material is sufficiently cross-linked so as to provide backing / support to the new layer of the second material (e.g., having sufficient mechanical integrity to withstand, for instance, doctor blade application), such cross-linking being sufficiently partial so as to retain functional groups on the polymer backbone able to cross-link with the functional groups of the polymer of the second curable material. such possible cross-linking between curable materials of different layers is expected to improve their mutual adhesion. in some alternative embodiments, the forming the layer of the fluid second curable material comprises: after the layer of the first curable material cures to an extent so as to be no longer fluid, applying a primer layer to the layer of the first curable material; and depositing the fluid second curable material on the primer layer, thereby forming the layer of the fluid second curable material. the primer is a material as known in the art that adequately bonds to both the first curable material and the second curable material, such attachment being retained while the respective layers are cured. typically, a primer comprises at least some functional groups that bond to the first curable material and other different functional groups that bond to the second curable material. the thickness of the primer layer is any suitable thickness, in some embodiments, between 0.1 and 50 micrometers, or between 100 nanometers and 5 micrometers. the layer of fluid second curable material is deposited on the primer layer in any suitable manner. in some embodiments, the depositing of the fluid second curable material is by pouring the fluid second curable material onto the primer layer. in some embodiments, the second curable material is levelled onto the primer layer using a wire rod or any appropriate levelling device or like applicator. it is well known in the art that the addition of a solid reinforcement material to a fluid curable material leads to the formation of composite materials (e.g., fiber-reinforced plastic) having advantageous properties, typically including increased tenaciousness and/or tensile strength and/or reduced deformability. in some embodiments, especially in embodiments where the fluid second curable material constitutes an incipient support layer of the base, while not being essential, the fluid second curable material may comprise a solid reinforcement material. in some such embodiments, the fluid second curable material comprises the solid reinforcement material prior to the forming of the layer of the fluid second curable material. for example, in some such embodiments, the fluid second curable material comprises reinforcement material suspended therein. for example, in some such embodiments, the fluid second curable material impregnates a solid reinforcement material, e.g., a fabric. in some embodiments, the method comprises, subsequently to the forming of the layer of the fluid second curable material and while the second curable material is still fluid, embedding a solid reinforcement material in the layer of the fluid second curable material. for example, in some such embodiments, a solid reinforcement material, e.g., a fabric, is pressed into (and thereby embedded in) a layer of still-fluid second curable material. in some embodiments, the method comprises, subsequently to the forming of the layer of the fluid second curable material, and while the second curable material is still fluid, placing a solid reinforcement material on an exposed surface of the layer of the fluid second curable material. for example, in some such embodiments, a solid reinforcement material, e.g., a fabric, is laid on a layer of still-fluid second curable material. forming the base of the itm with a pre-formed sheet in some embodiments, the portion of the base that is proximate to the release layer is made by securing a pre-formed solid layer or solid sheet to the other side of the first curable material. accordingly, in some embodiments, the method further comprises: providing a sheet constituting an incipient layer forming at least part of the base of the itm; contacting the sheet to the other side of the layer of the first curable material; and securing the sheet to the other side of the layer of the first curable material. in some embodiments, the sheet is a polymer sheet. in some embodiments, the sheet is solely made of a single layer of material. in some embodiments, the sheet is a multi-layer sheet, having at least two different layers. in some embodiments, the contacting of the sheet is carried out while the layer of the first curable material is still fluid. during the curing of the first curable material, bonds are formed between the curing first curable material and the sheet, thereby securing the sheet to the first curable material. alternatively, in some embodiments, the method further comprises: after the layer of the first curable material cures to an extent so as to be no longer fluid, applying an adhesive layer to the layer of the first curable material; and contacting the sheet with the adhesive layer, thereby securing the sheet to the other side of the layer of the first curable material. as known in the art, an adhesive is a material that adequately bonds to both the first curable material and the sheet. typically, an adhesive comprises at least some functional groups that bond to the first curable material and other different functional groups that bond to the sheet. the thickness of the adhesive layer is any suitable thickness, in some embodiments between 0.1 and 50 micrometers or between 100 nanometers and 5 μπι. in some embodiments, the sheet comprises embedded solid reinforcement material. solid reinforcement material any solid reinforcement material may be found in the layer of the base that is proximate to the release layer. any suitable amount of solid reinforcement material may be found in the layer of the base that is proximate to the release layer. in some embodiments, the amount is not more than 10% by weight. in some embodiments, the solid reinforcement material comprises, and in some embodiments, consists or consists essentially of, particles. in some embodiments, the solid reinforcement material comprises, and in some embodiments, consists or consists essentially of, fibers. in some embodiments, the fibers have a thickness of not less than 50 micrometers and not more than 200 micrometers. in some embodiments, the fibers comprise a material selected from the group consisting of organic fibers, meta-aramid, para-aramid, polyamide, nylon fibers, polyester fibers, high density polyethylene fibers, natural fibers, cotton fibers, inorganic fibers, glass fibers, carbon- fiber fibers, ceramic fibers, metal fibers and combinations thereof. in some embodiments, the fibers are surface-treated fibers, which surface treatment increases adhesion of the fibers, in some embodiments, to vinyl silanes. in some embodiments, the fibers constitute a fabric. in some embodiments, the fabric has a thickness of not less than 50 micrometers and not more than 200 micrometers. in some embodiments, the fabric is 1-ply, in some at least 2-ply, in some at least 3-ply, and in some embodiments at least 4-ply. in some embodiments, fabrics made of thin fibers (e.g., of up to 1 mm thickness, or of up to 0.8 mm thickness, or of up to 0.6 mm thickness, or of up to 0.4 mm thickness, or even of up to 0.2 mm thickness) and having a relative high yarn density are desirable for particularly smooth finished surface. the yarn density can be expressed by the number of threads in the warp and weft direction of the fabric per unit of length. the number of threads in any given direction can be as low as about 10 per cm and as high as about 20 or even 30 per cm. the number of threads in each directions may be equal (e.g., 10* 10) or may not be equal (e.g., 9*8, 12* 10, 16* 15, 17* 12, 19* 13, 19* 12, or 19* 10). in some embodiments, the fabric is a non-woven fabric. in some embodiments, the fabric is a woven fabric. in some embodiments, the fibers are oriented fibers. in some embodiments, the fibers are uni-directionally oriented, typically in parallel to the itm longitudinal axis to reduce stretching. in some embodiments, the fibers are bi-directionally oriented, typically some oriented in parallel (0°) and some perpendicularly (90°) to the itm longitudinal axis. in some embodiments, the fibers are three-directionally oriented, typically some oriented in parallel (0°), some perpendicularly (90°) and some either at 45° or -45° to the itm longitudinal axis. in some embodiments, the fibers are four-directionally oriented, typically some oriented in parallel (0°), some perpendicularly (90°), some at 45° and some at -45° to the itm longitudinal axis. in some embodiments, the fibers may be attached one to another to form an unwoven or woven fabric ply. fibers may be woven by any suitable weaving method of interlacing warp (0°) and weft (90°) fibers. standard patterns include plain weave (wherein each warp fiber passes alternately under and over each weft fiber); basket weave (wherein two or more warp fibers alternately interlace with two or more weft fibers); and twill weave (wherein one or more warp fibers alternately weave over and under two or more weft fibers in a regular repeated manner), including satin weave, for which the number of fibers crossed and passed under is typically above four. plain weave advantageously permits high yarn density and smooth finished surfaces. depending on any of the above-mentioned parameters, a fabric may be further characterized by its weight per surface, typically expressed in gram per square meter. fabrics having a weight per unit area between about 180 g/m 2 and about 1000 g/m 2 can be suitable. finishing the itm finishing the itm relates to the steps, in addition to those recited above, that are required to complete the manufacture of the itm so that the itm is ready for use. in some embodiments, throughout the manufacturing process, the release layer is not separated from the carrier, so that the carrier serves as a protective layer for the ink-transfer surface. accordingly, in some embodiments, the method further comprises, subsequently to '3', finishing manufacture of the itm without separating the release layer from the carrier. such embodiments are preferably implemented when the carrier is a flexible foil that can bend together with the incipient itm during various stages of the manufacturing process, including formation of a looped form typical for itms, and also allowing the method to be implemented as a continuous production process where large laminated rolls (comprising the carrier, the incipient release layer and, optionally, one or more layers of the base) are made that are subsequently cut to desired lengths for making an actual specific itm. in some embodiments, the finishing manufacture includes forming at least one additional layer that constitutes a portion of the base. the above-described process is repeated a required number of times to yield the required number of layers for the itm base, whether by securing a pre-formed sheet that constitutes a layer of the itm or by forming a layer of a fluid curable material that, when cured, constitutes a layer of the itm. any suitable layer or layers are added and include a support layer (that typically includes fibers to provide stretch resistance) and a soft compliance layer. in some embodiments, the finishing manufacture includes adding lateral projections to lateral edges of the incipient itm. in some embodiments, such lateral projections allow a printing machine to accurately engage the itm with no slippage. in some embodiments, the finishing manufacture includes "post-curing", a process by which the almost-completed itm is stored at elevated temperature to ensure that the various layers have cured sufficiently to ensure desired physical properties and/or sufficient inter- layer adhesion. in some embodiments, the method further comprises, subsequently to '3', packaging the itm without separating the release layer from the carrier, so that the carrier serves as a protective layer for the ink-transfer surface during transport. a person having ordinary skill in the art is familiar with such additional finishing steps and how such steps or similar ones can be carried out, so that further details are not necessary. use of the itm in some embodiments, throughout the manufacturing process and until just before or after the itm is mounted on an indirect printer, the release layer is not separated from the carrier, so that the carrier serves as a protective layer for the ink-transfer surface, for example, during storage, transport and installation. thus, according to an aspect of some embodiments of the disclosure herein, there is provided a method of mounting an intermediate transfer member (itm) on an indirect printer, the method comprising: providing an itm prepared as described herein, while the release layer is still in contact with the carrier; mounting the provided itm on an indirect printer; and subsequently to the mounting, separating the carrier from the release layer. thus, according to an aspect of some embodiments of the disclosure herein, there is also provided a method of mounting an intermediate transfer member (itm) on an indirect printer, the method comprising: providing an itm prepared as described herein while the release layer is still in contact with the carrier; separating the carrier from the release layer; and mounting the provided itm on, or into an indirect printer, said mounting being optionally performed within 1 hour from separating the carrier from the release layer. intermediate transfer member (itm) according to an aspect of some embodiments of the disclosure herein, there is also provided an itm manufactured as described herein. production of an article in accordance with the invention commences with the provision of carrier designated 50 in figure 3a. in all the drawings, to distinguish it from the layers that form part of the finished article, the carrier 50 is shown as a solid black line. carrier 50 has an upper surface, constituting a carrier contact surface 52 of which the finish matches the desired finish of the surface coating of the finished article. in some embodiments, for an itm, carrier contact surface 52 may be a smooth or well- polished flat surface (e.g., having a roughness of ra less than about 125 nm, for instance between 50 nm and 100 nm), that is typically defect-free within an area of at least 1,000 cm 2 , at least 5,000 cm 2 , or at least 20,000 cm 2 . in some embodiments, it may be desirable for the articles to have a matt or even-patterned surface. flexible foils are typically provided with information concerning their surface roughness, but, if needed, such data can be assessed by routine experimentation using standard measuring methods known to the skilled person, such as low energy electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy (stm) and atomic force microscopy (afm). in some embodiments, the carrier contact surface may be flat not only in the micro scale, namely in terms of smoothness of the surface as herein-described, but also in the macro scale and broader sense of lack of waviness. waviness, which can be expressed, for instance, in terms of waviness height, e.g., by wa & wt„ and waviness spacing, wsm, can be measured along any suitable waviness evaluation length adapted to the carrier surface being considered. waviness can be measured according to standard procedures using a variety of instruments, such as a surface finish profilometer, which includes stylus-based contact instruments as well as optical and laser-based non-contact instruments. in some embodiments, the carrier contact surface has a waviness wa of 100 μπι or less, 50 μπι or less, 10 μπι or less, 1 μπι or less, 0.8 μπι or less, or 0.6 μπι or less; and optionally more than 50 nm, more than 100 nm or more than 200 nm. in some such embodiments, this waviness profile is determined over an evaluation or sampling length of about 10 mm, of about 50 mm or of about 100 mm. the method of the disclosure allows any desired surface finish to be achieved, as determined primarily by the carrier contact surface, regardless of the texture of the base on which the surface coating is supported in the finished article, such that many potential sources of defect (e.g., bubbles, craters, fissures, surface discontinuities and other non-uniformities) are minimized or avoided. it is to be noted that in the examples provided herein to illustrate the outstanding advantages of the inventive method, the smoothness of the cured surfaces was found to be highly similar (within ±10%) to the smoothness of the carrier contact surface. the exemplary layers of curable materials effectively replicated the surface texture and/or topography of the carrier upon which they were formed. additionally and alternatively, the finish of the carrier contact surface can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic. typically, the carrier surface is hydrophilic, having a receding contact angle below 90°, below 80°, or below 70°, and more typically, below 60°, below 55°, or below 50°. however, even in embodiments wherein the carrier contact surface is hydrophobic, and the liquid first curable material has even a lower surface energy, wetting is achieved, as explained above. moreover, in embodiments employing viscous fluid first curable material (the viscosity depressing beading of the fluid first curable material on the carrier contact surface as described above), the carrier contact surface may advantageously have low surface energy, thereby facilitating peeling of the release layer from the carrier. in some embodiments, the carrier and/or its contact surface can be treated prior to the application of the first curable composition. such treatment can be chemical (e.g., application of chemical agent) and/or physical (e.g., corona treatment, plasma treatment, ozonation, etc.). carrier 50 may be inflexible, being formed for example of a sheet of glass or metal but it is preferred for it to be formed of a flexible foil. in one embodiment, the foil is a sheet of aluminum-pet or pet having a thickness of between 0.05 mm and 1.00 mm so as to remain flexible but difficult to bend through a small radius, that is to say, it will not wrinkle. the remaining steps described below apply to the manufacture of an itm suitable for the nanographic printing™ technology of landa corporation, but it should be made clear that the invention can be used for itm suitable for different printing technologies and for articles other than an itm having a hydrophobic release coating that may be of moderate hydrophobicity or of moderate hydrophilicity. in a step, the results of which are shown in figure 3b, a fluid first curable composition (illustrated as 136a in figure 5a) is provided and a layer 56 is formed therefrom on carrier contact surface 52, layer 56 constituting an incipient release layer having an outer ink-transfer surface 54. the fluid first curable composition of the release layer 56 may comprise an elastomer, typically made of a silicone polymer, for example, a polydimethylsiloxane, such as a vinyl- terminated polydimethylsiloxane. in some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a vinyl-functional silicone polymer, e.g., a vinyl-silicone polymer including at least one lateral vinyl group in addition to the terminal vinyl groups, for example, a vinyl-functional polydimethyl siloxane. in some exemplary embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a vinyl- terminated polydimethylsiloxane, a vinyl-functional polydimethylsiloxane including at least one lateral vinyl group on the polysiloxane chain in addition to the terminal vinyl groups, a crosslinker, and an addition-cure catalyst, and optionally further comprises a cure retardant. an exemplary curable release layer formulation no.2 was prepared by thoroughly mixing the materials provided in table 3 below. table 3 the layer 56 of fluid first curable composition is applied to carrier contact surface 52, and is subsequently cured. layer 56 may be spread to the desired thickness using, for example, a doctor blade (knife on a roll), without allowing the doctor blade to contact the surface that will ultimately act as the ink-transfer surface 54 of the itm and imperfections in the doctor blade will not affect the quality of the finished product. generally, layer 56 may have a thickness of between about 2 micrometers and about 200 micrometers. an apparatus in which such step and method can be implemented is schematically illustrated in figures 4 and 5a. for example, the above-detailed release layer formulation may be uniformly applied upon an aluminum-pet or a pet carrier, leveled to a thickness of about 50 micrometers and cured for approximately 10 minutes at 120-130°c. in another step, the results of which are shown in figure 3c, an additional layer 58, referred to as a compliance layer, is applied to layer 56, on the side opposite to ink-transfer surface 54. compliance layer 58 is an elastomeric layer which allows layer 56 and its outermost surface 54 to follow closely the surface contour of a substrate onto which an ink image is impressed. the attachment of compliance layer 58 to the side opposite to ink-transfer surface 54 may involve the application of an adhesive or bonding composition in addition to the material of compliance layer 58. generally, compliance layer 58 may typically have a thickness of between about 100 micrometers and about 300 micrometers or more. adhesive layers, if present, are typically no more than 100 micrometers thick, and more typically no more than 20 micrometers thick. compliance layer 58 may have the same composition as that of release layer 56, but typically is selected to have different mechanical properties (e.g., greater resistance to tension). such desired differences in properties may be achieved by varying the proportions between the ingredients used to prepare the formulation of release layer 56 and/or by the addition of further ingredients to such formulation and/or by the selection of different curing conditions and such modifications. for instance the addition of filler particles may favorably increase the mechanical strength of compliance layer 58 relative to release layer 56. alternatively, compliance layer 58 may have a different composition to that of release layer 56. for instance, the compliance layer 58 can be made of alkyl acrylate copolymer rubbers (acm), methyl vinyl silicone rubber (vmq), ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (epdm), fluoroelastomer polymers, nitrile butadiene rubber (nbr), ethylene acrylic elastomer (eam), and hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (unbr). as a non-limiting example, silopren® lsr 2530 (momentive performance materials inc.), a two-component liquid silicone rubber, in which the two components are mixed at a 1 : 1 ratio, was applied to the cured release layer 56 previously described. the silicone rubber mixture was metered / leveled with a knife blade to obtain an incipient compliance layer 58 having a thickness of about 250 micrometers, which was then cured for approximately 5 minutes at 150-160°c. in another step, the results of which are shown in figure 3d, a support layer 60 is constructed on the compliance layer 58 on which a fiber reinforcement, in the form of a web or a fabric, is disposed, to provide the support layer 60 with sufficient structural integrity to withstand stretching when the itm is held in tension in a printing system. the support layer 60 is formed by coating the fiber reinforcement with a resin that is subsequently cured and remains flexible after curing. alternatively, support layer 60 may be separately formed as a reinforcement layer, comprising such fibers embedded and/or impregnated within the independently cured resin. in such case, support layer 60 may be attached to compliance layer 58 via an adhesive layer, optionally eliminating the need to cure the support layer 60 in situ. generally, support layer 60, whether formed in situ on compliance layer 58 or separately, may have a thickness of between about 100 micrometers and about 500 micrometers, part of which is attributed to the thickness of the fibers or the fabric which generally varies between about 50 micrometers and about 200 micrometers. however, for heavy-duty applications or for other types of multi- layered articles the support layer can have a thickness of more than 200 micrometers, more than 500 micrometers, or 1 mm or more. for example, to the multi-layered structure described herein, comprising a vinyl- functionalized release layer 56 and a two-components silicone rubber compliance layer 58, was applied a support layer 60 comprising woven fabric of glass fibers. the glass fiber fabric, having a thickness of about 100 micrometers, was a plain weave fabric having 16 yarns/cm in both perpendicular directions. it was embedded into a curable fluid comprising a liquid silicone rubber silopren ® lsr 2530 corresponding to the compliance layer. overall, the resulting support layer 60 had a thickness of about 200 micrometers and was cured at 150°c for approximately 2-5 minutes. following the in situ formation or attachment of the support layer 60, additional layers can be built up on the reverse side of the support layer 60 as required. in figure 3e, a thick felt blanket 62 is secured by a cured adhesive or resin to the reverse side of the support layer 60, and in figure 3f, a high friction material 64 is coated onto the reverse side of the felt blanket 62. as will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art, various relatively soft rubbers may serve for the preparation of a layer having high friction properties, silicone elastomers being but an example of such rubbers. as mentioned, all layers (e.g., 58, 60, 62, 64, or any intervening adhesive or priming layer and the like) added to the release layer of the itm are said to jointly form the base of the structure, as illustrated by base 32 in figure 2. though not shown in the drawings, one may attach to the support layer 60 along its two edges two fabric strips, each resembling one half of a zip fastener. the teeth or formations on these strips are intended to be gripped in channels as the itm passes through certain positionally critical regions of the printing system to maintain the itm under lateral tension. similarly one may attach to the ends of the multi-layered strip means enabling the two ends to be joined to form a continuous looped belt. before the itm is used, it is necessary to remove carrier 50 (including its contact surface 52), to expose ink-transfer surface 54 of release layer 56, as illustrated in figure 3g. the finished product can simply be peeled away from carrier 50 and in the case of an itm, the fact that release layer 56 may be somewhat hydrophobic will enable the itm to separate easily from carrier 50 without damage to ink-transfer surface 54. for example, a 100 dm thick siloxane layer may be peeled off a pet foil using a force smaller 50 gr/cm, in some embodiments smaller than 20 gr/cm, smaller than 10 gr/cm, smaller than 5 gr/cm, smaller than 3 gr/cm, or even smaller than 2 gr/cm. it should be readily appreciated by the person skilled in the art that such a low force is much lower than the tear strength of a pet foil, even at a thickness as low as 12 dm. likewise, such a low force as may be required for peeling is much lower than the tear strength of a sufficiently cured siloxane layer, even at a release layer thickness as low as 100 dm and even without any further enforcement of a base layer. thus, when an itm, including a release layer and a base layer is manufactured, supported on a polymer carrier such as pet or polyimide foil according to the teachings herein, peeling the itm off the carrier (or vice versa) may readily be done without damaging the release layer and preferably without damaging the carrier. if the carrier 50 is a flexible foil, it may be preferred to leave it in place on the itm until such time as the itm is to be installed into a printing system. the foil will act to protect the ink-transfer layer 54 of the itm during storage, transportation and installation. additionally, carrier 50 can be replaced, following completion of the manufacturing process, by an alternative foil able to serve as a protective film. it is furthermore possible to use the carrier 50 to help in the installation of the itm in the printing system by providing on it attachment points to assist in pulling the itm around its desired path in the printing system. figure 4 and figures 5a to 5c schematically illustrate an apparatus 100 in which the present method for manufacturing a self-supporting strip can be implemented, according to some embodiments. figure 4 provides a schematic overview of such an apparatus 100 with one or more casting stations 110, such as layer casting stations 110a and 110b. casting station 110 is configured for forming a layer of a curable fluid composition on a carrier, and then curing the layer. forming the layer may be done for example by dispensing the fluid composition on the carrier and possibly levelling the layer prior to curing. apparatus 100 further comprises an unwinding roller 112 and a winding roller 114 moving a flexible conveyer 116 through layer casting stations 110a and 110b. according to some embodiments flexible conveyer 116 may serve to support and drive carrier 50 as schematically illustrated in figures 5a - 5c. in some such applications the conveyer is a looped conveyer, having a section (not depicted here) returning from winding roller 114 towards unwinding roller 112. in some embodiments, carrier 50 is directly tensioned between rollers 112 and 114 as is schematically illustrated in figure 4. unprocessed carrier 50 is unwound from unwinding roller 112, and after passing through stations 110a and 110b, is rewound onto winding roller 114. layer casting station 110a comprises a dispensing station 122a, able to dispense curable fluid compositions suitable for the desired multi-layered articles, a leveling station 124a, able to control the thickness of the curable layer as it moves downstream of the station, and a curing station 126a, able to at least partially cure the layer enabling it to serve as incipient layer for a subsequent step, if any. the dispensing station 122a, the leveling station 124a and the curing station 126a can be suitably positioned along the path followed by carrier 50 (or conveyer 116). likewise, layer casting station 110b of apparatus 100 may optionally include dispensing station 122b, leveling station 124b and curing station 126b. furthermore, layer casting station 110 may include additional sub-stations, illustrated by a dispensing roller 128 in station 110a. it is noted that according to some embodiments, the configuration depicted in figure 4 wherein unprocessed carrier 50 is unwound from unwinding roller 112, and then the processed carrier 50 is rewound onto winding roller 114, is advantageous, for potentially providing carrier 50 with a clean, substantially contaminants-free carrier contact surface 52. a suitable carrier, such as e.g., a commercially available pet sheet, may be provided having been rolled on unwinding roll 112 during manufacturing, in a substantially clean environment. hence carrier contact surface 52 may be exposed to the ambient in apparatus 100 as unwinding roll 112 unwinds, substantially immediately prior to the dispensing of the curable fluid compositions in dispensing station 122a. consequently, the incipient release layer, formed on the surface of the curable fluid composition layer facing the carrier after curing, may be substantially free of defects (such that are caused by air-carried contaminants). additionally or alternatively, apparatus 100, or parts thereof where such concern may exist, can be operated in a clean environment to further reduce the possible exposure of the carrier contact surface to contaminants and/or the development of defects on the surface coating. additionally or alternatively, a cleaning station (not depicted here) may also be employed upstream of the dispensing station for cleaning the carrier contact surface 52 just prior to dispensing, to ensure or to maintain a contaminants-free carrier contact surface 52 and hence a substantially defect-free release layer. though not illustrated in the figure, the apparatus may further include upstream of the dispensing station a "surface treatment" station facilitating the subsequent application of a curable composition, or its attachment to the carrier contact surface or incipient layer as the case may be. as mentioned in relation with the carrier, the optional surface treatment station (not shown) can be suitable for physical treatment (e.g., corona treatment, plasma treatment, ozonation, etc.). figure 5a schematically illustrates how in a casting station 110a of apparatus 100, a carrier 50 placed on conveyor 116 can be coated. at dispensing station 122a, the curable composition 136a of release layer 56 is applied to carrier contact surface 52. as carrier 50 is driven in the direction of the arrow, the curable composition 136a is leveled to a desired thickness at leveling station 124a, for instance, by using a doctor blade. as the leveled layer proceeds downstream, it enters curing station 126a, configured so as to at least partially cure curable composition 136a, enabling the formation of incipient layer 56 at the exit side of the curing station. such exemplary steps have been described in connection with figures 3a and 3b. figures 5b and 5c schematically illustrate how additional layers (forming the base) can be applied. in figure 5b, a curable composition 136b is dispensed upon release layer 56 at dispensing station 122b (the release layer 56 having been at least partially cured as explained above). curable composition 136b is leveled to a desired thickness at leveling station 124b, then enters curing station 126b, and exits curing station 126b sufficiently cured to serve as incipient layer 58 for a subsequent step, and so on. such an exemplary step has been described in connection with figure 3c. figure 5c schematically depicts a curable composition 136c being applied to layer 58 at dispensing station 122c. a backbone of a support layer (e.g., a fabric) can be delivered by dispensing roller 128. the exemplary fabric can be submerged into the curable composition 136c at a station 130 prior to their entry into curing station 126c. in such a manner, a support layer 60 can be formed at the exit side of the curing station 126c. it is noted that, according to some embodiments, a single layer-casting station 110 may be employed to sequentially form the layers of the self-supported strip as described above. for example, apparatus 100 of figure 4 may be employed with only one layer-casting station 110a, whereas the processed strip is passed sequentially, time after time, through the casting station to build-up the strip one layer at a time. first, an unprocessed carrier roll may be loaded to the unwinding roller 112 of the apparatus and tensioned between unwinding roller 112 and winding roller 114. then the release layer may be formed on the carrier as described above in figure 5a. when the processed carrier has been coated with the release layer 56 to the entire length of the carrier sheet, and the processed carrier has been accordingly wound on winding roller 114, the roll of processed carrier may be taken off winding roller 114 and may be loaded again onto unwinding roller 112. then the processed carrier may be tensioned between unwinding roller 112 and winding roller 114 as described above, and a next layer 58 may be applied thereon, as illustrated in figure 5b. by sequentially repeating the steps of loading a processed carrier on unwinding roller 112 and then casting a new layer thereupon, a strip as described above, including the said release layer, and any layer of the base and possibly yet additional layers, may be constructed. this method can be viewed as a cyclic roll-to-roll manufacturing method, the number of cycles depending on the number of layers to be formed for the self-supported strip. the finished article comprises the carrier and, disposed thereon, the self-supported strip, generally comprising several layers, at least the surface coating or release layer of the said first curable material and the base layer. according to some embodiments, the finished strip (that is the self-supported strip attached to the carrier) may be further processed following the layer manufacturing described above. for example, an elongated strip of the finished article may be looped so as to connect the two opposing ends of the strip to one another thereby producing a looped belt (or a looped itm for a printing machine). there is thus provided according to an aspect of the invention a method of manufacturing a self-supported strip having an at least partially cured surface coating. the method comprises: a. providing a fluid first curable material configured to be at least partially cured by a curing process; b. providing a carrier having a carrier contact surface, the carrier contact surface being wettable by the fluid first curable material, the carrier being configured to maintain structural integrity when subj ect to the curing process; c. forming a layer of the fluid first curable material on the carrier contact surface, with one side of the layer contacting the carrier contact surface, by applying the fluid first curable material onto the carrier, so that the fluid first curable material wets the carrier contact surface; d. at least partially curing the fluid first curable material to form the at least partially cured surface coating of the self-supported strip; and e. securing a flexible base to, or forming a flexible base on, a surface of the at least partially cured surface coating opposite the carrier. the at least partially cured surface coating, together with the flexible base, are peelable from the carrier, to produce the self-supported strip. according to some embodiments, the at least partially cured surface coating of the self- supported strip is hydrophobic. according to some embodiments, the fluid first curable material has a lower surface energy than the carrier contact surface. according to some embodiments, the carrier fluid first curable material is viscous, thereby wetting the carrier contact surface. according to some embodiments, the polymeric surface comprises polar or functional groups having at least one free electron pair. according to some embodiments, the polymeric surface comprising, or consisting essentially of, a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyfluorocarbons and polyimides. according to some embodiments, the polymeric surface comprises, or consists essentially of polyethylene terephthalate (pet). according to some embodiments, the polymeric surface comprises or consists of polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe). according to some embodiments, the polymeric surface comprises, or consists of poly (4,4'-oxydiphenylene-pyromellitimide) (kapton ® ). according to some embodiments, the forming of the incipient release layer of the fluid first curable material comprises depositing the layer of the fluid first curable material onto the carrier contact surface thereby forming the incipient release layer. according to some embodiments, the depositing of the layer of the fluid first curable material onto the carrier contact surface comprises pouring the fluid first curable material onto the carrier contact surface. according to some embodiments, the thickness of the incipient release layer is such that when substantially fully cured, the resulting surface coating or release layer is not less than 2 μπι and not more than 200 μπι thick. according to some embodiments, the variance of thickness of the fluid first curable material is such that when substantially fully cured, the variance of thickness of the resulting surface coating or release layer is within 5 μπι, or within 2 μπι, or within 1 μπι, or within 0.5 μπι, or within 0.2 μπι of a predetermined thickness. according to some embodiments, the variance of thickness of the fluid first curable material is such that when substantially fully cured, the variance of thickness of the resulting surface coating or release layer is within 20%, or within 15%, or within 10%, or within 5% of a predetermined thickness. according to some embodiments, the forming of the layer of the fluid first curable material, the thickness of the formed layer of the fluid first curable material is mechanically adjusted while the first curable material is still fluid. according to some embodiments, the method further comprises applying heat to the layer of the fluid first curable material, thereby increasing a rate of curing thereof. according to some embodiments, the method further comprises irradiating by uv or ebeam irradiation the layer of the fluid first curable material, thereby increasing a rate of curing thereof. according to some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a polyurethane polymer. according to some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a silicone polymer. according to some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a vinyl -terminated silicone polymer. according to some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a vinyl-functionalized silicone polymer. according to some embodiments, the fluid first curable material comprises a heat-curable addition cure silicone polymer. according to some embodiments, the step of forming the flexible base on a surface of the at least partially cured surface coating opposite the carrier, comprises forming a layer of a fluid second curable material on the surface of the at least partially cured surface coating, the layer of the fluid second curable material constituting an incipient layer forming at least part of the base of the self-supported strip. according to some embodiments, the method further comprises at least partially curing the layer of the second curable material, thereby forming at least part of the base of the self-supported strip. according to some embodiments, the thickness of the layer of the fluid second curable material is such that when substantially fully cured, the resulting support layer is not less than 100 μιη and not more than 500 μιη thick. according to some embodiments, the layer of the fluid second curable material is formed while the layer of the first curable material is still fluid. according to some embodiments, the forming the layer of the fluid second curable material comprises: applying a primer layer to the layer of the first curable material after the layer of the first curable material cures to an extent so as to be no longer fluid: ; and depositing the fluid second curable material on the primer layer, thereby forming the layer of the fluid second curable material. according to some embodiments, the primer layer having a thickness of not less than 1 μπι and not more than 50 μπι. according to some embodiments, the depositing the fluid second curable material is by pouring the fluid second curable material onto the primer layer. according to some embodiments, the fluid second curable material comprises a solid reinforcement material. according to some embodiments, the fluid second curable material comprises the solid reinforcement material prior to the forming of the layer of the fluid second curable material. according to some embodiments, the method further comprises subsequently to the forming the layer of the fluid second curable material and while the second curable material is still fluid, embedding a solid reinforcement material in the layer of the fluid second curable material. according to some embodiments, the method further comprises subsequently to the forming the layer of the fluid second curable material and while the second curable material is still fluid, placing a solid reinforcement material on an exposed surface of the layer of the fluid second curable material. according to some embodiments, the securing of a flexible base to the surface of the at least partially cured surface coating opposite the carrier further comprises: providing a sheet constituting an incipient layer forming at least part of the base of the self-supported strip, and contacting the sheet to the surface of the at least partially cured surface coating, thereby securing the flexible base to the surface of the at least partially cured surface coating. according to some embodiments, the contacting is while the layer of the first curable material is still fluid. according to some embodiments, the method further comprises: applying an adhesive layer to the layer of the first curable material after the layer of the first curable material cures to an extent so as to be no longer fluid; and contacting the sheet with the adhesive layer thereby securing the flexible base to the surface of the at least partially cured surface coating. according to some embodiments, the adhesive layer having a thickness of not less than 1 μπι and not more than 50 μπι. according to some embodiments, the sheet comprises embedded solid reinforcement material. according to some embodiments, the solid reinforcement material comprises fibers. according to some embodiments, the fibers have a thickness of not less than 50 μπι and not more than 200 μπι. according to some embodiments, the fibers constitute a fabric. according to some embodiments, the fabric has a thickness of not less than 50 μπι and not more than 200 μπι. according to some embodiments, the fibers are of a material selected from the group consisting of organic fibers, meta-aramid, para- aramid, polyamide, nylon fibers, polyester fibers, high density polyethylene fibers, natural fibers, cotton fibers, inorganic fibers, glass fibers, carbon-fiber fibers, ceramic fibers, metal fibers and combinations thereof. according to some embodiments, the fibers are surface- treated fibers, which surface treatment increases adhesion of the fibers to vinyl silanes. according to some embodiments, the fibers are oriented fibers. according to some embodiments, the method further comprises, subsequently to 'e', finishing manufacture of the self-supported strip without separating the release layer from the carrier. according to some embodiments, the finishing manufacture includes forming at least one additional layer that constitutes a portion of the base. according to some embodiments, the finishing manufacture includes adding lateral projections to lateral edges of the self- supported strip. according to some embodiments, the method further comprises, subsequently to 'e', packaging the self-supported strip without separating the release layer from the carrier. according to some embodiments, the method further comprises joining two opposite ends of the self-supported strip to form a continuous looped belt. according to some embodiments, the self-supported strip is an intermediate transfer member (itm) for use in an indirect printing system. according to some embodiments, the at least partially cured surface coating is an at least partially cured release layer defining an outer ink-transfer surface of the itm. there is further provided according to an aspect of the invention a method of mounting an intermediate transfer member (itm) on an indirect printer. the method comprises: providing the self-supported strip, the self-supported strip being an itm prepared as described above, while the release layer is still in contact with the carrier; mounting the provided self-supported strip, with the carrier, on an indirect printer; and subsequently to the mounting, separating the carrier from the release layer. according to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of mounting an intermediate transfer member (itm) on an indirect printer, which comprises: providing the self-supported strip, the self-supported strip being an itm prepared as herein described while the release layer is still in contact with the carrier; separating the carrier from the release layer; and mounting the provided self-supported strip on an indirect printer, the mounting being optionally performed within 1 hour from the separating. according to yet a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of determining a surface energy of an at least partially cured surface coating of a self-supported strip. the method comprises: providing a fluid first curable material having a surface energy e 0 when cured interfacing with air; providing a carrier having a carrier contact surface, having a surface energy e 2 , wherein e 2 is different from eq. forming a layer of the fluid first curable material on the carrier contact surface, with one side of the layer contacting the carrier contact surface, by applying the fluid first curable material onto the carrier; at least partially curing the fluid first curable material to form the at least partially cured surface coating of the self-supported strip, wherein the at least partially cured surface coating and the carrier are peelable from one another; and detaching the at least partially cured surface coating from the carrier. the method thereby produces the self-supported strip, having a surface coating with a pre-determined surface energy ei, different from e 0 . according to some embodiments the surface energy e 2 of the carrier contact surface is higher than the surface energy e 0 of the cured material when cured in air, namely the carrier contact surface tends to be more hydrophilic than the cured material when cured in air. according to some such embodiments, the surface energy ei of the surface coating e 0 < ei < e 2 . it will be appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention. certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements. although the present invention has been described with respect to various specific embodiments presented thereof for the sake of illustration only, such specifically disclosed embodiments should not be considered limiting. many other alternatives, modifications and variations of such embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art based upon applicant's disclosure herein. accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations and to be bound only by the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims and any change which comes within their meaning and range of equivalency. to the extent necessary to understand or complete the disclosure of the present invention, all publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned herein, are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety as is fully set forth herein. citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the invention. certain marks referenced herein may be common law or registered trademarks of third parties. use of these marks is by way of example and shall not be construed as descriptive or limit the scope of this invention to material associated only with such marks.
|
005-733-371-052-580
|
FR
|
[
"GB",
"DE",
"BR",
"US",
"IT",
"FR",
"JP"
] |
F16L27/02,F01N13/18,F16L27/08,F16L27/10,F16L/
| 1989-04-18T00:00:00 |
1989
|
[
"F16",
"F01"
] |
hinged pipe joint
|
in a hinged joint for pipes 1, 2, which has a sealing element 3, e.g. a pipe with corrugated walls and reinforcing flanges at each end each pipe carries a flange 4, which has two diametrically arranged, outwardly directed fastening attachments 5 each serving to be directly or indirectly connected to the corresponding attachment of the other flange, so as to permit a rotary movement about an axis orthogonal to the axis of the pipes. this gives a hinged joint, which is particularly suitable for joining motor vehicle exhaust pipes, and which damps vibrations and still allows a large angular movement between the pipes. <image>
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1. a hinged joint for pipes having a sealing element, the hinged joint comprising a connecting flange provided on each pipe at a predetermined distance from an end thereof, each of said connecting flanges including two diametrically positioned radially outwardly directed fastening attachments adapted to be connected to a corresponding attachment of the other connecting flange so as to permit a rotary movement about an axis orthogonal to a longitudinal center axis of the pipes, elastic clamps, and metal wire cushions positioned between the corresponding radially outwardly directed fastening attachments, and wherein the elastic clamps include engagement end portions for engaging the respective fastening attachments in such a way that the fastening attachments are pressed against one another resulting in partial deformation of the metal wire cushions. 2. hinged joint according to claim 1, wherein each of the fastening attachments includes an outer wall, and wherein receptacles are provided in the outer wall of each of the fastening attachments for engagement with the engagement end portion of the respective clamps. 3. hinged joint according to claim 2, wherein each of said fastening attachments includes an interior surface, the receptacles are formed by one of drawing and stamping so as to form positioning elements for the metal wire cushions on the respective interior surface of the fastening attachments, and wherein each metal wire cushion is shaped so as to be engageable and positionable between the positioning elements of the fastening attachments. 4. hinged joint for pipes having a sealing element, the hinged joint comprising a connecting flange provided on each pipe at a predetermined distance from an end thereof, each of said connecting flanges including two diametrically positioned radially outwardly directed fastening attachments adapted to be connected to a corresponding attachment of the other connecting flange so as to permit a rotary movement about an axis orthogonal to a longitudinal center axis of the pipes, a metal u-shaped clamp having free leg ends bent back so as to form clips laterally engageable on the fastening attachments. 5. hinged joint according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein outer diameters of each of the flanges, at least in an area of the fastening attachments, are orthogonal to one another, and wherein each fastening attachment is connected to a central ring located between the flanges and serving as a gimbal. 6. hinged joint according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each flange includes at least one of a bent over lateral edge and reinforcing ribs for stiffening the respective flanges. 7. hinged joint according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the clamps are multipartite and assembled at a time of installation. 8. hinged joint according to claim 4, wherein each of the clips are multipartite and assembled at a time of installation. 9. hinged joint according to one of claims 1 to 4 wherein outer diameters of each of the flanges, at least in an area of the fastening attachments, are disposed at an angle with respect to one another, and wherein each fastening attachment is connected to a central ring located between the flanges and serving as a gimbal.
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field of the invention the invention relates to a hinged joint for pipes, which has a sealing element such as, for example, a pipe with corrugated walls and reinforcing flanges at each end. background of the invention the hinged joint is used on pipes, which are in particular intended for transporting fluids at high temperatures, such as e.g. motor vehicle exhaust pipes. these pipes are generally made from metal, so as to be resistant to high temperatures and against the considerable vibrations and oscillations produced by pumps, turbines or engines to which they are connected. for motor vehicle exhaust pipes, it is necessary to provide joints enabling the engine vibrations to be damped in such a way that they are not transferred to the muffler or silencer, which would produce ambient noise. in addition, these joints must provide a good sealing action and must be able to withstand the considerable mechanical stresses and angular deflections produced through vehicle movements, for example, when travelling over a highway speed reduction strip, when cornering or abrupt clutch changing or braking. it is necessary to connect the exhaust pipes in an articulated or hinged manner, so that the engine can move freely, because it is fitted to mounting supports made from an elastic material. it is known to connect and join together in hinged manner two exhaust pipe elements, in that their widened ends are so inserted in one another that a spherical joint is formed, or their ends provided with radial flanges are elastically joined with the aid of bolts, which are elastically mounted, a ring gasket ensuring a certain tightness and a sperical joint connection. however, the use of such joints is limited by their mediocre capacity to damp vibrations or noise, together with their inadequate tightness. hose or tubular elements are also used as joints, which have walls in rib form and a limited wall thickness, so that they have a certain elasticity. this permits a flexible hinged connection of the exhaust pipes in various directions, which ensures a complete tightness. this type of joint is used for motor vehicle exhausts. as a result of its great flexibility, the exhaust pipe can absorb difficulty controllable, disordered movements. however, this tubular construction has a relatively high mechanical fragility with respect to impact from the outside or engine stresses. as described in french patent 2 531 914, this disadvantage can be obviated by providing at the ends of the pipes to be connected reinforcing flanges and cushions made from slightly compressed metal wire at the contact points between the flanges. this ensures an excellent damping of vibrations and noise. this joint also has an excellent efficiency, but is expensive due to its complexity. therefore, it is only used in vehicles in the higher price range. moreover, the arrangements described in the aforementioned patent have a limited rotation range. summary of the invention the aim underlying the present invention essentially resides in providing a tight joint of the aforementioned type which avoids the above noted disadvantages encountered in the prior art and which withstands considerable vibrations, damps noise, is simple to install and construct, and is inexpensive, while at the same time having a high mechanical strength. the present invention provides an inexpensive, robust hinge joint for pipes, particularly, thermally and mechanically stressed pipe, which, while damping transmission of vibrations, still allows a large angular movement of the pipes with respect to each other. according to the invention, at a certain distance from its end each pipe has a flange provided with two diametrically arranged, outwardly directed fastening attachments, whereof each is intended to be directly or indirectly connected to the corresponding attachment of the other flange, so that it is possible for a rotary movement to take place about an axis orthogonal to the axis of the pipes. the part-shell-like connecting flanges of the two pipes do not prevent the angular movement. compared with conventional angle flanges, the angular movement possibilities are much greater. one embodiment of the invention involves the use of clamps made from elastic material, such as, for example, metal and cushions of metal wire, with the cushions being arranged between corresponding radial attachments and the ends of the clamps engage on the attachments of the flanges in such a way that the attachments are pressed against one another, accompanied by a partial deformation of the cushion. the clamp is responsible for the connection of the flanges and is sufficiently elastic to ensure that the rotation permitted by its articulated connection is not impaired. the metal cushions serve as a base support for the flanges and as a rotation axis, while also permitting a certain vibration damping. preferably, the outer wall of the attachments has receptacles in which can be engaged the free ends of the open clamps, which ensures a more reliable fitting of the clamps. advantageously, the receptacles are formed by drawing or stamping, so that positioning elements for metal cushions are produced on the insides of the claws and each metal cushion is shaped in such a way that it can be engaged and positioned between the elements of two facing attachments. thus, the open ring and the cushion are held precisely at the correct point. a variant is obtained in that it has a metal clip, which is formed from a u-shaped clamp, whose free leg ends are bent back in such a way that they form clips, each of which is laterally engageable on the end of one of the two facing attachments. the use of the metal clips gives the advantage that there is no need for the metal cushions. another improved construction of the invention permitting a double hinged connection, is achieved in that the diameters of the flanges, in whose direction the attachments are oriented, are orthogonal or at an angle to one another and each attachment is connected to a central ring located between the two flanges and which serves as a gimbal. this double hinged connection permits a rotary movement with two degrees of freedom. tests have shown that it is advantageous if the flange has a bent round lateral edge and/or reinforcing ribs for stiffening purposes. this leads to an increase in the resonant frequency and, particularly in the automobile sector, can be moved away from motor excitation frequencies. brief description of the drawings the invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative to various embodiments of a hinged joint and the attached drawings, wherein: fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a hinged joint for pipes constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a plan view of the hinge joint of fig. 1; fig. 3, is an axial end view of the hinged joint of fig. 1; fig. 4 is a plan view of connecting devices constructed in accordance with the present invention; fig. 5 is an axial end view of the connecting devices of fig. 4; fig. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of connecting devices constructed in accordance with the present invention; fig. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connecting devices of fig. 6; and fig. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a further embodiment constructed in accordance with the present invention. detailed description considered in different views, figs. 1 to 3 show two exhaust pipes 1 and 2, whose free ends are inserted in one another and which are tightly connected with the aid of a bellows 3, which has corrugated walls having a limited thickness. at an adequate distance from its free end, so that the free ends can in fact be inserted in one another, each pipe 1 and 2 has a metal flange 4, which as a clamp 4a partly engaging over the bellows 3. the free ends 5a of each metal flange 4 are diagonally facing attachments 5, which are directed radially outwards. each attachment 5 extends up to corresponding attachment 5 of the other flange 4 in the unloaded state in parallel and with a limited spacing and is connected thereto by means of a part circular, metal clamp 6, whose free ends engage in receptacle 7 stamped into the remote outsides of the attachments 5 on a common diagonal, in whose direction extends the attachments 5 of flanges 4. the clamp 6 acts on the attachments 5 in such a way that they are pressed against one another, which leads to a partial deformation of a metal wire cushion 8, which is positioned between the two attachments 5 and which has a ring shape such that it is positioned by engagement on a projection 9, which is provided for this purpose, projects over the inner wall of the attachments 5 and results from the stamping of the receptacle 7. moreover, each of the flanges 4 has a lateral edge 10, which is drawn back parallel to the aforementioned diameter corresponding to a bent line 11. thus, pipes 1 and 2 can rotate about an axis, which coincides with the diameter connecting the diagonally facing metal cushions 8 and in whose direction are oriented the two attachments 5 of each of the two flanges 4. this is possible as a result of the flexibility of bellows 3, which forms the articulation axis of the pipe joint, due to the lateral edges 10, which do not impede the reciprocal angular movements of flanges 5, because the edges 10 are set back, due to the clamps 6, which are sufficiently elastic to permit this angular movement, while simultaneously ensuring the connection of the flanges and due to the metal cushions 8, which serve as a base support for the flanges 4 and also permit a certain damping of the vibrations. figs. 4 and 5 show a variant of the hinged joint according to the invention. this variant has a metal clip 12 in hairpinlike form, i.e. the metal clip 12 has a central part 12a, which is bent into a u-shape and whose free leg ends 12b are bent back outwards, so that clips are formed. each clip laterally engages on one of the two corresponding radial attachments 13 and on each attachment 13 is provided a centering receptacle 14 for receiving each clip. the other features of this variant are identical to those shown in figs. 1 to 3 and are given the same references in figs. 4 and 5. reference numeral 31 designates reinforcing ribs, which are formed on the half-shell-shaped flanges and which have a stiffening function, as well as contributing to moving the resonant frequency of the joint away from the engine frequency. such ribs 31 can also be provided in the other embodiments. as a result of its flexibility clip 12 permits a hinged joint of pipes 1 and 2, while at the same time the metal cushions 8 are rendered superfluous. figs. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the invention, in which axes corresponding to diameters of pipes 15, 16, in whose direction extend the radial attachments of each flange 18, are arranged orthogonally to one another. each attachment 17 is connected to a central ring 19, which is located between the flanges 18 and serves as a gimbal. the joint is obtained in a similar manner to that shown in figs. 1 to 3, i.e. by an open metal clamp 20, whose opening engages on the gimbal 19 and on the outer wall of the considered attachment 17 having centering receptacles 21 of the free ends of ring 20. a metal cushion 22 is inserted between the gimbal 19 and each claw 17. each flange 18 has lateral edges 23 bent over rearwards by 180.degree., which have a stiffening function and also displace the resonant frequency away from the engine frequencies. the edges 10 of the preceding embodiment could also be bent over in this way for stiffening purposes. in this embodiment, the pipes 15 and 16 can rotate about two different rotation axes. fig. 8 shows an embodiment in which the connection of the radial attachments 24 to the gimbal 25 is formed by rivets 26, which are kept elastic due to the cup springs 27. it is obvious that the invention is not restricted to the exemplified embodiments described hereinbefore. in fact, it covers all variants based on the same principle. thus, it would not pass outside the scope of the invention to replace the bellows 8 by one or more laminas, an o-ring or by any device ensuring the necessary sealing and permitting a certain angular movement. the metal cushions can be replaced by another material, which has a similar flexibility, or by a relatively stiff material. optionally, they can be completely omitted, if the freedom of movement is then made possible by the specific shape of the attachments at the contact points. the u-shaped part of the aforementioned metal clip could also be radially oriented. the open clamps can be elastic or plasto-elastic, i.e. permanently deformed on assembly. moreover, these rings and the aforementioned metal clips can be constructed in the form of several parts, which are connected on assembly. there is also no need to telescope the internal pipes and this merely has the function of protecting the sealing element against contact with hot exhaust gases, so that it can be completely omitted or replaced by some other protective system. the metal cushions, metal clips and flanges can have widely differing shapes without casting doubts on the principle of the invention.
|
007-615-850-126-538
|
US
|
[
"EP",
"WO",
"US"
] |
F01D9/04,F02C7/18,F01D5/18,F01D25/12,F01D5/22,F01D9/02
| 2013-03-14T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"F01",
"F02"
] |
gas turbine engine stator vane platform cooling
|
an airfoil component for a gas turbine engine includes a platform joined to an airfoil. the platform includes a flow path surface that extends between spaced apart lateral surfaces. the airfoil extends from the flow path surface. a contoured surface adjoins the flow path surface and one of the lateral surfaces.
|
claims what is claimed is: 1. an airfoil component for a gas turbine engine comprising: a platform joined to an airfoil, the platform includes a flow path surface extending between spaced apart lateral surfaces, the airfoil extends from the flow path surface, and a contoured surface adjoins the flow path surface and one of the lateral surfaces. 2. the airfoil component according to claim 1, comprising inner and outer platforms joined by the airfoil, one of the inner and outer platforms providing the platform. 3. the airfoil component according to claim 2, wherein the platform is provided by an inner platform. 4. the airfoil component according to claim 1, comprising a cooling passage, and cooling holes extend through the contoured surface and are in fluid communication with the cooling passage. 5. the airfoil component according to claim 4, wherein the contoured surface is at first and second angles with respect to the flow path surface and the lateral surface, respectively, the first and second angles are in the range of greater than 0° to 65°. 6. the airfoil component according to claim 5, wherein the contoured surface is curved. 7. the airfoil component according to claim 5, wherein the first and second angles are about 45°. 8. the airfoil component according to claim 4, wherein the exit of the cooling holes are directed aftward toward a trailing edge of the airfoil. 9. the airfoil component according to claim 4, comprising a thermal barrier coating provided on the inner flow path surface and the contoured surface, the cooling holes extend through the thermal barrier coating. 10. the airfoil component according to claim 1, wherein a slot is provided in the platform beneath the flow path surface, the slot configured to receive a seal. 11. a stator vane array for a gas turbine engine, comprising: a circumferential array of stator vanes; wherein each stator vane has inner and outer platforms joined by an airfoil, the inner platform includes an inner flow path surface extending between spaced apart lateral surfaces, the lateral surfaces of circumferentially adjacent stator vanes adjacent to one another, the airfoil extends from the inner flow path surface; and a contoured surface adjoins the inner flow path surface and one of the lateral surfaces. 12. the stator vane array according to claim 11, comprising a cooling passage, and cooling holes extend through the contoured surface and are in fluid communication with the cooling passage. 13. the stator vane array according to claim 12, wherein the contoured surface is at first and second angles with respect to the inner flow path surface and the lateral surface, respectively, the first and second angles are in the range of greater than 0° to 65°. 14. the stator vane array according to claim 13, wherein the contoured surface is curved. 15. the stator vane array according to claim 13, wherein the first and second angles are about 45°. 16. the stator vane array according to claim 12, wherein the cooling holes are directed aftward on a suction side of the airfoil. 17. the stator vane array according to claim 12, comprising a thermal barrier coating provided on the inner flow path surface and the contoured surface, the cooling holes extend through the thermal barrier coating. 18. the stator vane array according to claim 11, comprising a seal circumferentially extending between adjacent vane inner platforms. 19. a gas turbine engine comprising: compressor and turbine sections; a combustor provided axially between the compressor and turbine sections; a turbine vane in the turbine section including: inner and outer platforms joined by an airfoil, the inner platform includes an inner flow path surface extending between spaced apart lateral surfaces, the airfoil extends from the inner flow path surface, and a contoured surface adjoins the inner flow path surface and one of the lateral surfaces; a cooling passage, and cooling holes extend through the contoured surface and are in fluid communication with the cooling passage; and a seal circumferentially extends between adjacent vane inner platforms. 20. the gas turbine engine according to claim 19, comprising a generator operatively coupled to the turbine section, the generator configured to be electrically connected to a ground-based power grid. 21. the gas turbine engine according to claim 19, wherein the contoured surface is at first and second angles with respect to the inner flow path surface and the lateral surface, respectively, the first and second angles are in the range of greater than 0° to 65°. 22. the gas turbine engine according to claim 21, wherein the contoured surface is curved. 23. the gas turbine engine according to claim 19, comprising a thermal barrier coating provided on the inner flow path surface and the contoured surface, the cooling holes extend through the thermal barrier coating.
|
gas turbine engine stator vane platform cooling background [0001] this disclosure relates to a stator vane platform for a gas turbine engine, such as those used in industrial applications. more particularly, the disclosure relates to a platform cooling configuration for a stator vane. [0002] gas turbine engines typically include a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. during operation, air is pressurized in the compressor section and is mixed with fuel and burned in the combustor section to generate hot combustion gases. the hot combustion gases are communicated through the turbine section, which extracts energy from the hot combustion gases to power the compressor section and other gas turbine engine loads. in the case of an industrial gas turbine engine, the turbine section operatively drives a generator, which supplies power to a ground-based power grid. [0003] a typical turbine section includes at least one array of stator vanes. each stator vane includes spaced apart inner and outer platforms joined to one another by an airfoil. the inner platform includes spaced apart lateral surfaces that circumferentially adjacent lateral surfaces of adjacent stator vanes are in close proximity to one another. a small gap is provided between the adjacent lateral surfaces, and a seal is provided between the adjacent lateral surfaces to seal the inner flow path provided by the inner platform. [0004] the adjacent lateral surfaces are parallel to one another and extend in a radial direction with respect to a rotational axis of the compressor and turbine sections. the lateral surfaces provide a sharp, generally right-angled corner with respect to an inner flow path surface provided by the inner platform. shower head cooling holes are provided on one of the lateral surfaces to cool the inner platform in the area of the gap. summary [0005] in one exemplary embodiment, an airfoil component for a gas turbine engine includes a platform joined to an airfoil. the platform includes a flow path surface that extends between spaced apart lateral surfaces. the airfoil extends from the flow path surface. a contoured surface adjoins the flow path surface and one of the lateral surfaces. [0006] in a further embodiment of the above, inner and outer platforms are joined by the airfoil. one of the inner and outer platforms provides the platform. [0007] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the platform is provided by an inner platform. [0008] in a further embodiment of any of the above, a cooling passage and cooling holes extend through the contoured surface and are in fluid communication with the cooling passage. [0009] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the contoured surface is at first and second angles with respect to the flow path surface and the lateral surface, respectively. the first and second angles are in the range of greater than 0° to 65°. [0010] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the contoured surface is curved. [0011] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the first and second angles are about 45°. [0012] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the exit of the cooling holes are directed aftward toward a trailing edge of the airfoil. [0013] in a further embodiment of any of the above, a thermal barrier coating is provided on the inner flow path surface and the contoured surface. the cooling holes extend through the thermal barrier coating. [0014] in a further embodiment of any of the above, a slot is provided in the platform beneath the flow path surface. the slot is configured to receive a seal. [0015] in a further embodiment of any of the above, a stator vane array for a gas turbine engine includes a circumferential array of stator vanes. each stator vane has inner and outer platforms joined by an airfoil. the inner platform includes an inner flow path surface extending between spaced apart lateral surfaces. the lateral surfaces of circumferentially adjacent stator vanes are adjacent to one another. the airfoil extends from the inner flow path surface. a contoured surface adjoins the inner flow path surface and one of the lateral surfaces. [0016] in a further embodiment of any of the above, a cooling passage, and cooling holes extend through the contoured surface and are in fluid communication with the cooling passage. [0017] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the contoured surface is at first and second angles with respect to the inner flow path surface and the lateral surface, respectively. the first and second angles are in the range of greater than 0° to 65°. [0018] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the contoured surface is curved. [0019] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the first and second angles are about 45°. [0020] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the cooling holes are directed aftward on a suction side of the airfoil. [0021] in a further embodiment of any of the above, a thermal barrier coating is provided on the inner flow path surface and the contoured surface. the cooling holes extend through the thermal barrier coating. [0022] in a further embodiment of any of the above, a seal is circumferentially extending between adjacent vane inner platforms. [0023] in another exemplary embodiment, a gas turbine engine includes a compressor and turbine sections. a combustor is provided axially between the compressor and turbine sections. a turbine vane is in the turbine section. inner and outer platforms are joined by an airfoil. the inner platform includes an inner flow path surface extending between spaced apart lateral surfaces. the airfoil extends from the inner flow path surface. a contoured surface adjoins the inner flow path surface and one of the lateral surfaces. a cooling passage and cooling holes extend through the contoured surface and are in fluid communication with the cooling passage. a seal circumferentially extends between adjacent vane inner platforms. [0024] in a further embodiment of any of the above, a generator is operatively coupled to the turbine section. the generator is configured to be electrically connected to a ground-based power grid. [0025] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the contoured surface is at first and second angles with respect to the inner flow path surface and the lateral surface, respectively. the first and second angles are in the range of greater than 0° to 65°. [0026] in a further embodiment of any of the above, the contoured surface is curved. [0027] in a further embodiment of any of the above, a thermal barrier coating is provided on the inner flow path surface and the contoured surface. the cooling holes extend through the thermal barrier coating. brief description of the drawings [0028] the disclosure can be further understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: [0029] figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example industrial gas turbine engine. [0030] figure 2 is a cross-sectional view through a turbine section. [0031] figure 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of adjacent inner platforms of circumferentially adjacent stator vanes. [0032] figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of an inner platform and one of the lateral surfaces. [0033] figure 5a is an enlarged perspective view of adjacent inner platforms. [0034] figure 5 b is an elevational view of the adjacent inner platforms. [0035] figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a contoured surface adjoining an inner flow path surface and the lateral surface. detailed description [0036] a schematic view of an industrial gas turbine engine 10 is illustrated in figure 1. the engine 10 includes a compressor section 12 and a turbine section 14 interconnected to one another by a shaft 16. a combustor 18 is arranged between the compressor and turbine sections 12, 14. a generator 22 is rotationally driven by a shaft coupled to the turbine or uncoupled via a power turbine, which is connected to a ground- based power grid 24. it should be understood that the illustrated engine 10 is highly schematic, and may vary from the configuration illustrated. moreover, the disclosed airfoil may be used in commercial and military aircraft engines as well as industrial gas turbine engines. [0037] referring to figure 2, a cross-sectional view through the turbine section 14 is illustrated. in the example turbine section 14, first and second arrays 26, 28 of circumferentially spaced fixed vanes 30, 32 are axially spaced apart from one another. a first stage array 34 of circumferentially spaced turbine blades 36, mounted to a rotor disk 38, is arranged axially between the first and second fixed vane arrays 30, 32. a second stage array 40 of circumferentially spaced turbine blades 42 is arranged aft of the second array 28 of fixed vanes 32. [0038] the turbine blades 36, 42 each include a tip 44, 46 adjacent to a blade outer air seals 48, 50 of a case structure 52. the first and second stage arrays 26, 28 of turbine vanes and first and second stage arrays 34, 40 of turbine blades are arranged within a flow path f and are operatively connected to the shaft 16, which is rotatable about an axis a. [0039] each vane, by way of example, vane 30, includes an inner platform 54 and an outer platform 56 respectively defining inner and outer flow paths. the platforms 54, 56 are interconnected by an airfoil 58 extending in a radial direction with respect to the axis a of the shaft 16. it should be understood that the turbine vanes may be discrete from one another or arranged in integrated clusters. [0040] the turbine vanes are constructed from a high strength, heat resistant material such as a nickel-based or cobalt-based superalloy, or of a high temperature, stress resistant ceramic or composite material. in cooled configurations, internal cooling passages 60 receive cooling fluid from a cooling source 62, such as compressor bleed air. the internal cooling passages 60 may provide the cooling fluid to cooling holes to provide for a combination of impingement and film cooling. in addition, one or more thermal barrier coatings, abrasion-resistant coatings or other protective coatings may be applied to the turbine vane. [0041] referring to figure 3, adjacent inner platforms 54a, 54b respectively include slots 66a, 66b that receive a circumferentially extending seal 68. the seal 68 seals a gap 67 between the lateral surfaces 64a, 64b to prevent fluid from escaping the flow path f. [0042] referring to figures 3-5b, the inner platform 54a includes an inner flow path surface 70 defining the inner portion of the flow path f. the inner flow path surface 70 and the lateral surface 64a are generally at a right angle with respect to one another. a contoured surface 72 adjoins the inner flow path surface 70 and the lateral surface 64a, which extends radially with respect to the axis a, shown in figure 2. in the example, the lateral surface 64b adjoins the inner flow path surface 70 to form a right-angled corner. [0043] the contoured surface 72 forms a first edge 84 with the inner flow path surface 70 and a second edge 86 with the lateral surface 64a. the first and second edges 84, 86 are bowed outward relative to one another. the contoured surface 72 may be beveled, or curved as shown in figure 4. in one example, the contoured surface 72 has a radius in the range of 0.050 0.300 inch (1.3 - 7.6 mm). the contoured surface 72 is at an angle 74a with respect to the inner flow path surface 70, and at an angle 74b with respect to the lateral surface 64a. in the example, the angle 74a, 74b are in the range of greater than 0° to 65°, and in the example shown, 45°. [0044] cooling holes 78 are provided on the contoured surface 72 and with the exit canted aftward toward an aft edge 76 of the inner platform 54a, which is on a suction side of the airfoil 58. the cooling holes 78 are in fluid communication with the cooling passage 60 to deliver cooling fluid to the gap 67. the contoured surface 72 better enables hot gases from the flow path f to escape the gap 67, which results in improved cooling of the inner platforms 54a, 54b. [0045] referring to figure 6, a thermal barrier coating (tbc) 82 is provided on the inner flow path surface 70 and the contoured surface 72. the cooling holes 78 extend through the tbc 82. [0046] although an example embodiment has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of the claims. for example, the disclosed platform contour may be used for other airfoil components, such as blades. for that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content.
|
009-595-565-781-215
|
US
|
[
"PH",
"EP",
"AU",
"US",
"CN",
"JP",
"HR",
"SG",
"PE",
"NZ",
"TW",
"ZA",
"MX",
"PT",
"CR",
"IL",
"KR",
"LT",
"HU",
"CY",
"EA",
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"UA",
"CL",
"DK",
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"TN",
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A61K31/496,A61K31/443,A61K31/4433,A61K31/4436,A61K31/4439,A61K31/4545,C07D401/04,C07D401/14,C07D405/14,C07D413/14,C07D417/14,C07D471/08,C07D487/06,C07D487/10,C07D491/10,A61P9/00,A61P11/00,A61P13/00,A61K31/5513,A61K31/444,A61K31/4985,A61K31/5377,A61K31/499,A61K31/551,A61P9/14,A61P43/00,C07D487/04,A61P7/06,A61P9/10,A61P13/12,A61P25/00,C07D491/107,C07D471/04,A61K31/498,A61K31/55,C07D407/14,C07D401/00,A61K31/00,C07D405/00,C07D413/00,C07D417/00,C07D471/00,C07D487/00,C07D491/00,C07D/,A61K/,A61K31/506,C07D213/72,C07D231/10,C07D295/00
| 2013-03-29T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"A61",
"C07"
] |
6-(5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinamide derivatives and their use as phd inhibitors
|
the present invention provides compounds of formula (i) which are useful as inhibitors of phd, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, methods for treatment of conditions associated with hif, processes for making the compounds and intermediates thereof.
|
a compound of formula 4, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein: q is 0, 1, or 2; s is 0, 1, or 2; r 3 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, cyano, halo, c 1-6 alkyl, and c 1-4 alkoxy; r 4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, methyl, ethyl, methoxy, and trifluoromethyl; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, c 1-6 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, and trifluoromethyl; r 7 is selected from the group consisting of cyano and cyanomethyl; and r 10 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, hydroxy, amino, c 1-12 substituted amino, c 3-6 heterocyclyl, c 1-9 amide, optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl, and c 1-4 alkoxy; wherein c 1-12 substituted amino is a -nr j r k group in which r j is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl and r k is selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, and c 3-8 cycloalkyl; and wherein, optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl is a c 1-6 alkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 7 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amide, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen by c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-10 heteroaryl, and optionally substituted phenyl; and wherein optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl is a c 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 6 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen by c 1-4 alkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl; and wherein optionally substituted phenyl is a phenyl group optionally substituted with 1 to 5 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, halo, hydroxyl, nitro, and trifluoromethyl. the compound or pharmaceutically acceptable salt according to claim 1, wherein r 5 is the compound or pharmaceutically acceptable salt according to claim 2, wherein s is 1 and q is 1. the compound or pharmaceutically acceptable salt according to claim 3, wherein each rio is hydrogen. the compound or pharmaceutically acceptable salt according to claim 4, wherein r 4 is hydrogen and each r 3 is hydrogen. the compound or pharmaceutically acceptable salt according to claim 1, wherein each r 6 is c 1-6 alkyl. the compound according to claim 1, which is selected from the group of compounds consisting of: 4-(1-(5-([1,3'-bipiperidine]-1'-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; 2-fluoro-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(4-methoxypiperidine-l-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile; (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3 -methylbenzonitrile; (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3 -methylbenzonitrile; (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3 -methylbenzonitrile; 4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile; 2-fluoro-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(cyclopropyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile; (s)-2-fluoro-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(methyl(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-((2,2-difluoroethyl)(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile; 2-fluoro-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(piperidin-1-yl)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3 -methylbenzonitrile; (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-((2,2-difluoroethyl)(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile; 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(piperidin-1-yl)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; 4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-morpholinopyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; (s)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; 4-(1-(5-(3-((dimethylamino)methyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; (s)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)benzonitrile; 4-(1-(5-(3-((dimethylamino)methyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)benzonitrile; (r)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)benzonitrile; (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; 4-(1-(5-(3-(diethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; (s)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3 -methylbenzonitrile; (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(ethyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(cyclopropyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3 -methylbenzonitrile; (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(ethyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3 -methylbenzonitrile; (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(cyclopropyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3 -methylbenzonitrile; (r)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3 -methylbenzonitrile; 4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-5-methylbenzonitrile; (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3 -methylbenzonitrile; (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; 4-(1-(5-(4-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3 -methylbenzonitrile; 4-(1-(5-(4-((dimethylamino)methyl)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; and 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(4-morpholinopiperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile; and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any one the above-mentioned compounds. a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound of formula 4 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as defined in claim 1, and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. a compound as defined in any one of claims 1 to 8 for use as a medicament.
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field of the invention the present invention relates to medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine. background of the invention the present invention relates to novel compounds, methods, and compositions capable of decreasing hif prolyl hydroxylase (phd) enzyme activity, thereby increasing the stability and/or activity and/or levels of hypoxia inducible factor (hif). hif mediates changes in gene expression in response to changes in cellular oxygen concentration. hif is a heterodimer having an oxygen-regulated subunit (hif-α) and a constitutively expressed subunit (hif-β). in cells with adequate oxygen hif-α is hydroxylated at conserved proline residues by propyl-hydroxylases (phd) resulting in its rapid degradation. prolyl hydroxylases, phds, exist in a number of isoforms and function as oxygen sensors and in the regulation of cell metabolism in response to oxygen content in cells. due to phd's central role in oxygen sensing, phd inhibitors are useful in treating cardiovascular disorders, such as ischemic events, hematological disorders, such as anemia, pulmonary disorders, brain disorders, and kidney disorders. there is a need for treatment of such conditions and others described herein with compounds that are phd inhibitors. the present invention provides inhibitors of phd certain inhibitors of calpain are described in wo2008/080969 , lipoxygenase inhibitors are disclosed in us4698344 and microicidal activity is disclosed in us4663327 , mtsk inhibitors are disclosed in wo2007/020426 , and inhibitors of phd are described in us2010/035906 and us2010/0093803 . summary of the invention the present invention provides a compound of formula 4 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein q is 0, 1, or 2; s is 0, 1, or 2; r 3 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, cyano, halo, c 1-6 alkyl, and c 1-4 alkoxy; r 4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, methyl, ethyl, methoxy, and trifluoromethyl; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, and trifluoromethyl; r 7 is selected from the group consisting of cyano and cyanomethyl; and r 10 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, hydroxy, amino, c 1-12 substituted amino, optionally substituted c 3-6 heterocyclyl, c 1-9 amide, optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl, and c 1-4 alkoxy wherein c 1-12 substituted amino is a -nr j r k group in which r j is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl and r k is selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, and c 3-8 cycloalkyl; and wherein, optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl is a c 1-6 alkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 7 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amide, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen by c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-10 heteroaryl, and optionally substituted phenyl; and wherein optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl is a c 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 6 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen by c 1-4 alkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl; and wherein optionally substituted phenyl is a phenyl group optionally substituted with 1 to 5 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, halo, hydroxyl, nitro, and trifluoromethyl. the present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions, comprising: a compound of formula 4 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. the compounds of the invention are inhibitors of phd they are useful for the treatment of conditions associated with hif, including cardiovascular disorders. thus, the present invention provides the compounds of the invention for use as a medicament. also disclosed herein are processes for making phd inhibitors and intermediates thereof. detailed description of the invention the term "c 1-3 alkyl" refers to a straight or branched alkyl chain of one to three carbon atoms. the term "c 1-4 alkyl" refers to a straight or branched alkyl chain of one to four carbon atoms. the term "optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl" refers to a c 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 6 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen by c 1-4 alkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl. the term "c 1-6 alkyl" refers to a straight or branched alkyl chain of one to six carbon atoms. the term "optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl" refers to a c 1-6 alkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 7 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amide, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen by c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-10 heteroaryl, and optionally substituted phenyl. even more particularly "optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl" refers to a c 1-6 alkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 7 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen by c 1-4 alkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl. the term "c 1-8 sulfonyl" refers to a sulfonyl linked to a c 1-6 alkyl group, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, or an optionally substituted phenyl. the term "c 1-2 alkoxy" refers to a c 1-2 alkyl, that is methyl and ethyl, attached through an oxygen atom. the term "c 1-4 alkoxy" refers to a c 1-4 alkyl attached through an oxygen atom. the term "optionally substituted c 1-4 alkoxy" refers to a c 1-4 alkoxy optionally substituted with 1 to 6 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amide, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, optionally substituted c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, optionally substituted c 1-10 heteroaryl, and optionally substituted c 5-10 aryl. while it is understood that where the optional substituent is c 1-4 alkoxy or hydroxy then the substituent is generally not alpha to the alkoxy attachment point, the term "optionally substituted c 1-4 alkoxy" includes stable moieties and specifically includes trifluoromethoxy, difluoromethoxy, and fluoromethoxy. more particularly "optionally substituted c 1-4 alkoxy" refers to a c 1-4 alkoxy optionally substituted with 1 to 6 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, and optionally substituted phenyl. even more particularly "optionally substituted c 1-4 alkoxy" refers to trifluoromethoxy, difluoromethoxy, and fluoromethoxy. the term "c 1-9 amide" refers to a -c(o)nr a r b group in which r a is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and c 1-4 alkyl, and r b is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, c 1-3 alkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl. the term "c 1-7 amido" refers to a -nhc(o)r c group in which r c is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, c 1-6 alkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl. the term "c 1-5 carbamoyl" refers to an o- or n-linked carbamate substituted with a terminal c 1-4 alkyl. the term "c 1-5 ureido" refers to a urea optionally substituted with a c 1-4 alkyl. the term "c 1-8 alkylamino" refers to a -nr d r e group in which r d is a c 1-4 alkyl and r e is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and c 1-4 alkyl. the term "c 5-10 aryl" refers to a monocyclic and polycyclic unsaturated, conjugated hydrocarbon having five to ten carbon atoms, and includes cyclopentyldienyl, phenyl, and naphthyl. more particularly "c 5-10 aryl" refers to phenyl. the term "optionally substituted c 5-10 aryl" refers to a c 5-10 aryl optionally substituted with 1 to 5 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-4 thioalkoxy, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-9 amide, c 1-7 amido, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, c 1-5 carbonyloxy, c 1-8 sulfonyl, c 1-5 carbamoyl, c 1-6 sulfonylamido, aminosulfonyl, c 1-10 aminosulfonyl, c 1-5 ureido, cyano, halo, and hydroxyl. more particularly "optionally substituted c 5-10 aryl" refers to a c 5-10 aryl optionally substituted with 1 to 5 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, halo, hydroxy, amino, trifluoromethyl, and trifluoromethoxy. even more particularly "optionally substituted c 5-10 aryl" refers to phenyl optionally substituted with 1 to 5 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, halo, trifluoromethyl, and trifluoromethoxy. the term "c 1-5 oxycarbonyl" refers to an oxycarbonyl group (-co 2 h) and c 1-4 alkyl ester thereof. the term "c 1-5 carbonyloxy" refers to a carbonyloxy group (-o 2 cr f ), in which r f is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and c 1-4 alkyl, for example, acetoxy. the term "c 3-8 cycloalkyl" refers to monocyclic or bicyclic, saturated or partially (but not fully) unsaturated alkyl ring of three to eight carbon atoms, and includes cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, and the like. it is understood that the term includes benzofused cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl. the term "optionally substituted c 3-8 cycloalkyl" refers to a c 3-8 cycloalkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 6 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amide, c 1-7 amido, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, c 3-8 cycloalkoxy, halo, hydroxy, nitro, oxo, optionally substituted c 1-10 heteroaryl, and optionally substituted phenyl. more particularly "optionally substituted c 3-8 cycloalkyl" refers to a c 3-8 cycloalkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, halo, hydroxy, and c 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with c 1-4 alkoxy, halo, and hydroxy. the term "c 3-8 cycloalkoxy" refers to a c 3-8 cycloalkyl attached through and oxygen. the terms "halogen" and "halo" refers to a chloro, fluoro, bromo or iodo atom. the term "c 3-6 heterocyclyl" refers to a 4 to 8 membered monocyclic or bicyclic, saturated or partially (but not fully) unsaturated ring having three to six carbons and one or two heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur and the ring optionally includes a carbonyl to form a lactam or lactone. it is understood that where sulfur is included that the sulfur may be either -s-, -so-, and -so 2 -. it is also under that the term includes spirofused bicyclic systems. for example, but not limiting, the term includes azetidinyl, pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl, piperazinyl, morpholinyl, thiomorpholinyl, oxetanyl, dioxolanyl, tetrahydropyranyl, tetrahydrothiopyranyl, tetrahydrofuryl, hexahydropyrimidinyl, tetrahydropyrimidinyl, dihydroimidazolyl, and the like. it is understood that a c 3-6 heterocyclyl can be attached as a substituent through a ring carbon or a ring nitrogen atom. more particularly "c 3-6 heterocyclyl" is selected from the group consisting of azetidinyl, pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl, piperazinyl, morpholinyl, oxetanyl, tetrahydropyranyl, tetrahydrothiopyranyl, and tetrahydrofuryl. the term "optionally substituted c 3-6 heterocyclyl" refers to a c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on the ring carbons with 1 to 4 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amide, c 1-7 amido, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, optionally substituted c 3-8 cycloalkyl, c 3-8 cycloalkoxy, halo, hydroxy, nitro, oxo, and optionally substituted phenyl; and optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen with a substituent independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, optionally substituted c 3-6 heterocyclyl, optionally substituted c 1-10 heteroaryl, and optionally substituted phenyl. more particularly "optionally substituted c 3-6 heterocyclyl" refers to a c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on the ring carbons with 1 to 4 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, halo, and hydroxy and optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen with a c 1-4 alkyl. the term "c 1-10 heteroaryl" refers to a five to thirteen membered, monocyclic or polycyclic fully unsaturated, ring or ring system with one to ten carbon atoms and one or more, typically one to four, heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. for example, but not limiting, the term includes furyl, thienyl, pyrrolyl, imidazolyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, triazolyl, tetrazolyl, pyrazinyl, pyrazolyl, pyridazinyl, pyridyl, pyrimidyl, azepinyl, diazepinyl, benzazepinyl, benzodiazepinyl, benzofuryl, benzothienyl, indolyl, isoindolyl, benzimidazolyl, benzisothiazolyl, benzisoxazolyl, benzoxadiazolyl, benzoxazolyl, benzopyrazinyl, benzopyrazolyl, imidazopyridyl, pyrazolopyridyl, pyrrolopyridyl, quinazolyl, thienopyridyl, imidazopyridyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl benzothiazolyl, and the like. it is understood that a c 1-10 heteroaryl can be attached as a substituent through a ring carbon or a ring nitrogen atom where such an attachment mode is available, for example for a pyrrolyl, indolyl, imidazolyl, pyrazolyl, azepinyl, triazolyl, pyrazinyl, etc. more particularly "c 1-10 heteroaryl" is selected from the group consisting of furyl, thienyl, pyrrolyl, imidazolyl, oxazolyl, thiazolyl, pyrazolyl, triazolyl, pyridyl, and pyrimidyl. the term "optionally substituted c 1-10 heteroaryl" refers to a c 1-10 heteroaryl optionally substituted with 1 to 5 substituents on carbon independently selected from the group consisting of amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-9 amide, c 1-7 amido, c 1-5 carbamoyl, c 1-6 sulfonylamido, aminosulfonyl, c 1-10 aminosulfonyl, c 1-5 ureido, optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, halo, hydroxyl, oxo, nitro, c 1-5 carbonyloxy, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, and c 1-8 sulfonyl and optionally substituted with a substituent on each nitrogen independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-8 sulfonyl, optionally substituted c 3-6 heterocyclyl, and optionally substituted phenyl. more particularly "optionally substituted c 1-10 heteroaryl" refers to a c 1-10 heteroaryl optionally substituted with 1 to 3 substituents on carbon independently selected from the group consisting of amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-9 amide, c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, halo, hydroxyl, oxo, trifluoromethyl, and trifluoromethoxy and optionally substituted on a ring nitrogen with a c 1-4 alkyl. even more particularly "optionally substituted c 1-10 heteroaryl" refers to a c 1-10 heteroaryl selected from the group consisting of furyl, thienyl, pyrrolyl, imidazolyl, oxazolyl, thiazolyl, pyrazolyl, diazolyl, pyridyl, pyrimidyl, and triazolyl each optionally substituted with 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, halo, trifluoromethyl, and trifluoromethoxy and optionally substituted on a ring nitrogen with a methyl. the term "oxo" refers to an oxygen atom doubly bonded to the carbon to which it is attached to form the carbonyl of a ketone or aldehyde. for example, a pryidone radical is contemplated as an oxo substituted c 1-10 heteroaryl. the term "optionally substituted phenyl" refers to a phenyl group optionally substituted with 1 to 5 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, halo, hydroxyl, nitro, and trifluoromethyl. the term "c 1-6 sulfonylamido" refers to a -nhs(o) 2 -r g group wherein r g is selected from the group consisting of c 1-6 alkyl and optionally substituted phenyl. the term "aminosulfonyl" refers to a -s(o) 2 nh 2 . the term "c 1-10 aminosulfonyl" refers to a -s(o) 2 nr h r i group wherein r h is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and c 1-4 alkyl and r i is selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl. the term "c 1-12 substituted amino" refers to a -nr j r k group in which r j is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and optionally substitited c 1-4 alkyl and r k is selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, and c 3-8 cycloalkyl. the term "c 1-4 thioalkoxy" refers to a c 1-4 alkyl attached through a sulfur atom. the term "pharmaceutically acceptable salt" refers to salts of pharmaceutically acceptable organic acids and bases or inorganic acids and bases. such salts are well known in the art and include those described in journal of pharmaceutical science, 66, 2-19 (1977 ). an example is the hydrochloride salt. the term "substituted," including when used in "optionally substituted" refers to one or more hydrogen radicals of a group are replaced with non-hydrogen radicals (substituent(s)). it is understood that the substituents may be either the same or different at every substituted position. combinations of groups and substituents envisioned by this invention are those that are stable or chemically feasible. the term "stable" refers to compounds that are not substantially altered when subjected to conditions to allow for their production. in a non-limiting example, a stable compound or chemically feasible compound is one that is not substantially altered when kept at a temperature of 40 °c or less, in the absence of moisture or other chemically reactive conditions, for about a week. it is understood that, where the terms defined herein mention a number of carbon atoms, the mentioned number refers to the mentioned group and does not include any carbons that may be present in any optional substituent(s) thereon. the skilled artisan will appreciate that certain of the compounds of the present invention exist as isomers. all stereoisomers of the compounds of the invention, including geometric isomers, enantiomers, and diastereomers, in any ratio, are contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention. the skilled artisan will appreciate that certain of the compounds of the present invention exist as tautomers. all tautomeric forms of the compounds of the invention are contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention. in particular it is understood that compounds of formula 4 and embodiments related thereto can exist in either the hydroxy form depicted in 4or the keto forms depicted below: compounds of the invention also include all pharmaceutically acceptable isotopic variations, in which at least one atom is replaced by an atom having the same atomic number, but an atomic mass different from the predominant atomic mass. isotopes suitable for inclusion in compounds of formula i include, for example, isotopes of hydrogen, such as 2 h and 3 h; isotopes of carbon, such as 11 c, 13 c and 14 c; isotopes of nitrogen, such as 13 n and 15 n; isotopes of oxygen, such as 15 o, 17 o and 18 o; isotopes of sulfur, such as 35 s; isotopes of fluorine, such as 18 f; and isotopes of iodine, such as 123 i and 125 i. use of isotopic variations (e.g., deuterium, 2 h) may afford greater metabolic stability. additionally, certain isotopic variations of the compounds of the invention may incorporate a radioactive isotope (e.g., tritium, 3 h, or 14 c), which may be useful in drug and/or substrate tissue distribution studies. substitution with positron emitting isotopes, such as 11 c, 18 f, 15 o and 13 n, may be useful in positron emission topography (pet) studies for examining substrate receptor occupancy. isotopically-labeled compounds may be prepared by processes analogous to those described elsewhere in the disclosure using an appropriate isotopically-labeled reagent in place of a non-labeled reagent. the terms "compounds of the invention" and "a compound of the invention" and the like include the embodiment of formulae 4and the other more particular embodiments encompassed by formula 4described herein and exemplified compounds described herein and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of each of these embodiments. it is understood that a variable r 6 is at every open valency in the formulae: that is, from left to right, the first, second, third, fourth and fifth formula above have 4 r 6 groups. likewise, for the variable r 3 , it occurs at every open valency of the pyridinyl moiety depicted in the formula 4. in the same manner, for the variable r 10 , it occurs at every open valency of the ring moiety depicted in the formula 4. the present invention provides a compound of formula 4 wherein q is 0, 1, or 2; s is 0, 1, or 2; r 3 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, cyano, halo, c 1-6 alkyl, and c 1-4 alkoxy; r 4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, methyl, ethyl, methoxy, and trifluoromethyl; r 5 is selected from the group consisting of r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, and trifluoromethyl; r 7 is selected from the group consisting of cyano and cyanomethyl; r 10 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, hydroxy, amino, c 1-12 substituted amino, optionally substituted c 3-6 heterocyclyl, c 1-9 amide, optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl, and c 1-4 alkoxy; wherein c 1-12 substituted amino is a -nr j r k group in which r j is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl and r k is selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl, and c 3-8 cycloalkyl; and wherein, optionally substituted c 1-6 alkyl is a c 1-6 alkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 7 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amide, amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen by c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-10 heteroaryl, and optionally substituted phenyl; and wherein optionally substituted c 1-4 alkyl is a c 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with 1 to 6 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkoxy, cyano, c 3-8 cycloalkyl, halo, hydroxy, c 3-6 heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any ring nitrogen by c 1-4 alkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl; and wherein optionally substituted phenyl is a phenyl group optionally substituted with 1 to 5 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of c 1-4 alkyl, c 1-4 alkoxy, c 1-9 amino, c 1-8 alkylamino, c 1-5 oxycarbonyl, cyano, halo, hydroxyl, nitro, and trifluoromethyl; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. (a) one embodiment relates to compounds of formula 4 wherein r 5 is (b) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (a) wherein r 7 is cyano. (ba) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (b) wherein one of r 6 is 3-methyl and each other r 6 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluoro, and methyl, depicted below: (bb) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (b) wherein one of r 6 is 3-methyl, one of r 6 is fluoro, and each other r 6 is hydrogen depicted below: (bc) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (b) wherein one of r 6 is 3-methyl and each other r 6 is hydrogen depicted below: (c) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (a) wherein r 7 is cyanomethyl. (ca) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (c) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, and c 1-6 alkyl. (cb) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (c) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, fluoro, and methyl. (d) one embodiment relates to compounds of formula 4wherein r 5 is selected from the group consisting of (da) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (d) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, and c 1-6 alkyl. (db) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (d) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, fluoro, and methyl. (e) one embodiment relates to compounds of formula 4 wherein r 5 is (ea) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (e) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, and c 1-6 alkyl. (eb) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (e) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, fluoro, and methyl. (f) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (e) wherein at least one of r 6 is methoxy. (fa) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (f) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, and c 1-6 alkyl. (fb) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (e) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, fluoro, and methyl. (g) one embodiment relates to compounds of formula 4 wherein r 5 is (ga) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (g) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, halo, and c 1-6 alkyl. (gb) one embodiment relates to compounds of embodiment (e) wherein r 6 , each time taken, is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, fluoro, and methyl. (u) another embodiment relates to compounds of formula 4and embodiments (a), (b), (ba), (bb), (bc), (c), (ca), (cb), (d), (da), (db), (e), (ea), (eb), (f), (fa), (fb), (g), wherein each r 3 is hydrogen. (v) another embodiment relates to compounds of formula 4 and embodiments (a), (b), (ba), (bb), (bc), (c), (ca), (cb), (d), (da), (db), (e), (ea), (eb), (f), (fa), (fb), (g), and (u) wherein r 4 is hydrogen. (ac) another embodiment relates to compounds of formulae 4 and embodiments (a), (b), (ba), (bb), (bc), (c), (ca), (cb), (d), (da), (db), (e), (ea), (eb), (f), (fa), (fb), (g), (u), (v), wherein s is 1 and q is 1. (af) another embodiment relates to compounds of formula 4 and embodiments (a), (b), (ba), (bb), (bc), (c), (ca), (cb), (d), (da), (db), (e), (ea), (eb), (f), (fa), (fb), (g), (u), (v), and (ac) wherein each r 10 is hydrogen. (ay) another embodiment relates to a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of each of the above embodiments. (az) another embodiment relates to a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of each of the exemplified compounds. the compounds of the invention can be prepared by a variety of procedures, some of which are described below. all substituents, unless otherwise indicated, are as previously defined. the products of each step can be recovered by conventional methods including extraction, evaporation, precipitation, chromatography, filtration, trituration, crystallization, and the like. the procedures may require protection of certain groups, for example hydroxy, amino, or carboxy groups to minimize unwanted reactions. the selection, use, and removal of protecting groups are well known and appreciated as standard practice, for example t.w. greene and p. g. m. wuts in protective groups in organic chemistry (john wiley and sons, 1991 ). it is understood that formula i encompasses formulae 4and that the procedures below are also amenable to preparing compounds of formulae 4. in formulas i, (b) and (d) below, r 1 and r 2 are as defined herein for formula 4. scheme a depicts the amidation of an appropriate compound of formula (a) to give a compound of formula i. an appropriate compound of formula (a) is one in which r 3 , r 4 , and r 5 are defined in formula i or give rise to r 3 , r 4 , and r 5 as defined in formula i and q gives rise to -nr a r 2 to a desired final product of formula i. typical groups q are hydroxyl or a leaving group, such as chloro, bromo, or imidazolyl, an activating moiety, a mixed anhydride of another carboxylic acid, such as formic acid, acetic acid, or represents the other part of a symmetrical anhydride formed from two compounds of formula (a). the preparation of compounds of formula (a) is readily appreciated in the art. a compound of formula (a) is reacted in an amide forming reaction with an amine of formula hn(r 1 )(r 2 ) in which r 1 and r 2 are defined in formula i or give rise to r 1 and r 2 as defined in formula i. for example, standard amide forming conditions can be used, such as those using coupling agents, including those used in peptide couplings, such as 2-(1h-7-azabenzotriazol-1-yl)- 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl uronium hexafluorophosphate methanaminium (hatu), dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (dcc), and 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride. if necessary or desired, an additive such as 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine, 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, and the like may be used to facilitate the reaction. such reactions are generally carried out using a base, such as n-methylmorpholine or triethylamine, in a wide variety of suitable solvents such as dichloromethane, dimethylformamide (dmf), n-methylpyrrolidone (nmp), dimethylacetamide (dma), tetrahydrofuran (thf), and the like. such amide forming reactions are well understood and appreciated in the art. scheme b the coupling of an appropriate compound of formula (b) and an appropriate compound of formula (c) to give a compound of formula i. an appropriate compound of formula (b) is one in which r 1 , r 2 , and r 3 are defined in formula i or give rise to r 1 , r 2 , and r 3 as defined in formula i. an appropriate compound of formula (c) is one in which r is h or preferably a c 1-4 alkyl and r 4 and r 5 are defined in formula i or gives rise to r 5 as defined in formula i. for convenience the n,n-dimethylamino-acrylate is depicted but any suitable leaving group on the acrylate can be used. the preparation of compounds of formula (b) and (c) is readily appreciated in the art. for example, a compound of formula (b) and (c) are combined in a solvent, such as a lower alcohol, e.g., methanol, ethanol, or isopropanol, optionally in the presence of an acid, such as hydrochloric acid. typically, a base is later added and the reaction continued to give a compound of formula i. suitable bases include organic amines, such as hunig's base, triethylamine, and the like. the reaction can optionally be heated if necessary under either the acidic or basic conditions. scheme c depicts coupling of an appropriate compound of formula (d) and an appropriate r 5 -boronic acid or boronic ester to give a compound of formula i. an appropriate compound of formula (d) is one in which r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 are defined in formula i or give rise to r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 as defined in formula i, x is a leaving group, such as halo, in particular chloro and bromo, and pg is an appropriate protecting group, such a methyl. the selection and removal of suitable protecting groups is well known in the art. an appropriate r 5 -boronic acid or boronic ester is one in which r 5 is as defined in formula i or give rise to r 5 as defined in formula i. such reactions are generally known as a suzuki reaction and are well known in the art. while a suzuki reaction is depicted in scheme c it is understood that other carbon-carbon bond forming coupling reactions can be used to produce compounds of formula i. in a step, not shown, the product of compound (d) from the carbon-carbon bond forming reaction depicted in scheme c is deprotected to tive a compound of formula i. it will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that a compound of formula i can be elaborated in a variety of ways to further give compounds of formula i. such reactions include hydrolysis, oxidation, reduction, alkylation, esterification, amidation, sulfonation, and the like. also, in an optional step, not shown, the compounds of formula i can be converted to a pharmaceutically acceptable salt by methods well known and appreciated in the art. the following examples are intended to be illustrative and non-limiting, and represent specific embodiments of the present invention. proton nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectra were obtained for many of the compounds in the following examples. characteristic chemical shifts (δ) are given in parts-per-million downfield from tetramethylsilane using conventional abbreviations for designation of major peaks, including s (singlet), d (doublet), t (triplet), q (quartet), m (multiplet), and br (broad). the following abbreviations are used for common solvents: cdcl 3 (chloroform- d ), dmso- d6 (deuterodimethylsulfoxide), cd 3 od (methanol- d4 )), and thf- d8 (deuterotetrahydrofuran). other abbreviations have their usual meaning unless otherwise indicated, for example, hobt is 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, edc is 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide, generally used as its hydrochloride salt, dmso is dimethylsulfoxide, etc. the mass spectra, unless otherwise indicated, were recorded using either electrospray ionization (esi) or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization. the examples below were carried out in appropriate vessels and were typically stirred. where indicated, products of certain preparations and examples are purified by mass-triggered hplc (e.g., pump: waters™ 2525; ms: zq™; software: masslynx™), flash chromatography, or preparative thin layer chromatography (tlc). reverse phase chromatography can be carried out using a variety of systems, including on a column (gemini™ 5µ c18 110a, axia™, id30 x 75 mm, 5 µ) under acidic conditions, eluting with acetonitrile (acn) and water mobile phases containing 0.035% and 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid (tfa), respectively, or 0.1% formic acid (fa) in 20/80(v/v) water/methanol or under basic conditions, eluting with water and 20/80 (v/v) water/acetonitrile mobile phases, both containing 10 mm nh 4 hco 3 ; or (xselect™ c18, 5 µ, id30x75mm) under acidic conditions, eluting with acn and water mobile phases containing 0.1% fa or under basic conditions, eluting with 0.1% ammonium hydroxide in water (ph=9.5-10) and 0.1% ammonium hydroxide in acn (ph=9.5-10). after isolation by chromatography, the solvent is removed and the product is obtained by evaporating product containing fractions (e.g., genevac™), rotary evaporator, evacuated flask, lyophilization, etc. preparation 4 6-(5-hydroxy-4-(2-methoxypyridin-4-yl)-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid combined 6-hydrazinylnicotinic acid (167 mg, 1.090 mmol), ethyl 3-(dimethylamino)-2-(2-methoxypyridin-4-yl)acrylate (300 mg, 1.199 mmol), 2-propanol (3632 µl), and hydrochloric acid (1.85% aqueous, 2.15 ml, 1.090 mmol). the reaction was stirred at room temperature. after 1 hour hunig's base (949 µl, 5.45 mmol) was added to the suspension which became a yellow solution. the reaction was washed with etoac (2x15 ml) and the aqueous phase was concentrated in vacuo, yielding a yellow solid. the solid was triturated with 1n hcl (50 ml), collected by filtration, and washed with water. the solid was then slurried in methanol (2 x 60 ml) and diethyl ether (2 x 60 ml), the dried under vacuum to give the title compound. ms m/z [m+h] + 313.0. preparation 6 6-hydrazinylnicotinic acid a suspension of 6-chloronicotinic acid (30.0 g, 189 mmol) in 1,4-dioxane (29.0 ml) was treated with hydrazine hydrate (134 ml, 1.51 mol) and heated to 90°c overnight. the mixture was cooled to ambient temperature and then in ice for 30 min. precipitate formation was induced by etching the side of the flask and the precipitate was filtered and re-suspended in etoh (500 ml) with vigorous stirring. the resulting suspension was filtered. the precipitate was dissolved in water (300 ml) and hcl (6n) was added until ph = 1. the ph was then adjusted to 5 with naoh (50%, aq.) and the resulting suspension was stirred for 1h. the solids were collected by filtration and dried in vacuum to give the title compound (16.65 g, 57.7 % yield) as an off-white solid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 6.70 (d, 1 h) 7.86 (dd, j =8.97, 2.15 hz, 1 h) 8.32 (br. s., 1 h) 8.52 (d, j =1.77 hz, 1 h). ms m/z [m+h] + 154. preparation 7 6-(4-(4-cyanophenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid combined 6-hydrazinylnicotinic acid (6.00 g, 39.2 mmol) and ethyl 2-(4-cyanophenyl)-3-(dimethylamino)acrylate (10.05 g, 41.1 mmol) and 2-propanol (80 ml) and treated with 1.85% hydrochloric acid (77 ml, 39.2 mmol). the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 16h, then hunig's base (34.1 ml, 196 mmol) was add to the suspension which became homogeneous. the mixture was stirred for 3h. the reaction mixture was washed with isopropyl acetate (2 × 150 ml). the combined organic layers were extracted with water (40 ml) and the combined aqueous layers were concentrated in vacuo to give a solid. the solid was triturated with 1n hcl (300 ml), filtered and washed with water (20 ml), then slurried in ethanol (350 ml) and granulated overnight. the solid was collected by filtration and dried in vacuum to give the title compound (9.20 g, 77 % yield) as a tan solid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 7.79 (d, j =8.34 hz, 2 h) 8.14 (br. s., 2 h) 8.47 (d, j =7.07 hz, 1 h) 8.71 (br. s., 2 h) 8.97 (s, 1 h) 13.44 (br. s., 1 h) 13.60 (br. s., 1 h). ms [m+h] 307. preparation 50 ethyl 2-(4-cyanophenyl)-3-(dimethylamino)acrylate combined ethyl 2-(4-cyanophenyl)acetate (25 g, 0.132 mol) with dmf-dea (60 ml) and heated to 70°c for 3 hours. the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and concentrated and then purified by flash chromatography to give the title compound (20 g, 62%) as a solid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 7.71 (d, j =8.4hz, 2h), 7.59 (s, 1h), 7.29 (d, j =8.4hz, 2h), 4.03 (q, j =6.8hz, 2h), 2.67 (s, 6h), 1.13 (t, j =6.8hz, 3h). preparation 56 ethyl 2-(4-cyanophenyl)acetate combined ethyl 2-(4-bromophenyl)acetate (30 g, 0.123 mol) and nmp (200 ml). then cucn (33 g, 0.370 mol) was added in portions and then degassed and refilled with nitrogen three times. then cui (4.7 g, 0.0247mol) was added in one portion. the reaction was degassed and refilled with nitrogen three times and then heated to 160°c for 4 hours. then the reaction was heated to 180°c for another 3 hours. the solution was then cooled to room temperature and diluted with etoac (500 ml) and water (500 ml). after stirring for 10 mins, the reaction was filtered and the aqueous layer was extracted with etoac (500 mlx2). the combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated to dryness to give the title compound (31 g, 66.5%) as a brown solid. preparation 63 tert-butyl 3-(cyclobutyl(methyl)amino)azetidine-1-carboxylate combined a solution of tert-butyl 3-oxoazetidine-1-carboxylate (500 mg, 2.92 mmol) and n-methylcyclobutanamine (0.373 ml, 3.50 mmol) in methylene chloride (15 ml) and added sodium triacetoxyborohydride (929 mg, 4.38 mmol) and the solution stirred at 20°c for 3 h. the solution was concentrated in vacuo to give a white solid. the solid was taken up in ethyl acetate (50 ml), washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate (50 ml) and brine, dried with magnesium sulfate, and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue which was purified on a 40 g silica gel column eluted with 0 to 70% ethyl acetate in hexanes to give the title compound (342 mg, 1.423 mmol, 48.7 %) as a clear, colorless oil. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, methanol-d4) δ ppm 1.43 (s, 9 h) 1.60 - 1.75 (m, 2 h) 1.85 - 2.04 (m, 4 h) 2.07 (s, 3 h) 2.81 - 2.94 (m, 1 h) 3.27 - 3.30 (m, 1 h) 3.81 - 3.88 (m, 2 h) 3.88 - 3.97 (m, 2 h); ms: 241 (m+h). preparation 64 n-cyclobutyl-n-methylazetidin-3-amine combined a solution of tert-butyl 3-(cyclobutyl(methyl)amino)azetidine-1-carboxylate (285 mg, 1.186 mmol) in methylene chloride (6 ml) and added 4 m hcl in dioxane (1.186 ml, 4.74 mmol) and the solution stirred at 20°c for 30 h. the solution was concentrated in vacuo and concentrated from heptane/methylene chloride to give the title compound as a hydrochloride acid salt (191 mg, 0.896 mmol, 76 %) as a light yellow solid which was used without further purification. preparation 65 tert-butyl 3-(cyclopropyl(methyl)amino)azetidine-1-carboxylate combined a solution of tert-butyl 3-oxoazetidine-1-carboxylate (175 mg, 1.022 mmol) and n-methylcyclopropanamine hydrochloride (121 mg, 1.124 mmol) in methylene chloride (5 ml) and added sodium triacetoxyborohydride (325 mg, 1.533 mmol) and the solution stirred at 20°c for 30 min. the solution was concentrated in vacuo to give white solid which was taken up in ethyl acetate (50 ml), washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate (50 ml) and brine, dried with magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo, and then purified on a 40 g silica gel column eluted with 0 to 50% ethyl acetate in hexanes to give the title compound (128 mg, 0.566 mmol, 55.3 %) as a clear, colorless oil. ms: 227 (m+h). 1 h nmr (400 mhz, methanol-d4) δ ppm 0.41 - 0.47 (m, 2 h) 0.48 - 0.56 (m, 2 h) 1.43 (s, 9 h) 1.64 (tt, j=6.7, 3.9 hz, 1 h) 2.28 (s, 3 h) 3.50 (tt, j=7.5, 5.7 hz, 1 h) 3.84 - 4.01 (m, 4 h). preparation 66 n-cyclopropyl-n-methylazetidin-3-amine combine a solution of tert-butyl 3-(cyclopropyl(methyl)amino)azetidine-1-carboxylate (73 mg, 0.323 mmol) in methylene chloride (3 ml) and 4 m hcl in dioxane (0.323 ml, 1.290 mmol) and the solution stirred at 20°c for 4 hours then added 4 m hcl in dioxane (0.323 ml, 1.290 mmol) and stirred at 20°c for 21 h. the solution was then concentrated in vacuo to give the title compound as a hydrochloride salt which was used without further purification. preparation methyl 2-(4-cyano-5-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)acetate combined 4-bromo-2-fluoro-5-methylbenzonitrile (4 g, 18.69 mmol) and dimethyl malonate (29.9 ml, 262 mmol). while purging the mixture with nitrogen, added potassium carbonate (3.87 g, 28.0 mmol), potassium hydrogencarbonate (2.81 g, 28.0 mmol), tri-tert-butylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate (0.119 g, 0.411 mmol), and bis(dibenzylidineacetone)palladium (0) (0.118 g, 0.206 mmol). the reaction mixture was heated in an oil bath at 170 °c for 3 hours, then cooled, diluted with ethyl acetate, and filtered through celite®. the filtrate was concentrated and the residue dissolved in etoac, extracted with 1m aqueous sodium hydroxide (2x), twice with 10% aqueous sodium chloride, and brine. the organic phase was dried over sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo, then purified by flash chromatography to give the title compound (1.67 g, 43%) as a clear colorless oil. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, chloroform- d ) δ ppm 2.30 (s, 3 h) 3.67 (s, 2 h) 3.72 (s, 3 h) 7.10 (d, j =9.60 hz, 1 h) 7.42 (d, j =6.32 hz, 1 h). preparation 69 methyl 2-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)acetate combine 4-bromo-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile (2 g, 9.34 mmol), dimethyl malonate (12.28 ml, 107 mmol), potassium carbonate (1.937 g, 14.02 mmol) and potassium hydrogencarbonate (1.403 g, 14.02 mmol). nitrogen gas was bubbled through this mixture vigorously for 1 minute and then tri-tert-butylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate (0.030 g, 0.103 mmol), and bis(dibenzylidineacetone)palladium (0) (0.027 g, 0.047 mmol) were added. the reaction mixture was then heated in an oil bath (170°c) and stirred for 1 hour, then cooled to ambient temperature and diluted with etoac (80 ml). the etoac layer was decanted and passed through a plug of celite® (∼7 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick). the chunky dark precipitate that was left in the flask was diluted with additional etoac portions and sonicated until a fine suspension resulted. the etoac triturates were also passed through the celite® plug. the combined organics from filtration were concentrated in vacuo at -40°c and then at 90°c for 45 minutes to give a residue. the residue was purified using flash column chromatography to give the title compound (1.05 g, 5.07 mmol, 54.2 %) as a clear colorless oil. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, chloroform- d ) δ ppm 2.17 (d, j =2.27 hz, 3 h) 3.63 (s, 3 h) 3.91 (s, 2 h) 7.29 (d, j =8.08 hz, 1 h) 7.71 (t, j =7.33 hz, 1 h) preparation 70 methyl 2-(4-cyano-5-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-3-(dimethylamino)acrylate combined methyl 2-(4-cyano-5-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)acetate (5.00 g, 24.13 mmol), 1,1-dimethoxy-n,n-dimethylmethanamine (32.2 ml, 241 mmol), and lithium chloride (0.102 g, 2.413 mmol) and heated to 105°c. after 2 hours the reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo and repeatedly diluted with etoac (30 ml) and concentrated to give an oil. the oil was dissolved in etoac (50 ml) and washed with water, 10% aqueous sodium chloride, and then brine. the organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated to afford a thick red oil, which was crystallized to give the title compound as a yellow solid (6.1 g, 23.26 mmol, 96 %). 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.10 (s, 3 h) 2.34 (s, 1 h) 2.54 - 2.81 (m, 6 h) 3.50 (s, 3 h) 7.20 (d, j =10.11 hz, 1 h) 7.58 (s, 1 h) 7.72 (d, j =7.07 hz, 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 263.2. preparation 71 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid combined 6-hydrazinylnicotinic acid (1.10 g, 7.18 mmol), methyl 2-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-3-(dimethylamino)acrylate (2.072 g, 7.90 mmol), 2-propanol (18 ml), and 0.5m aqueous hydrochloric acid (17.24 ml, 8.62 mmol). after 2 hours, n-ethyl-n-isopropylpropan-2-amine (6.26 ml, 35.9 mmol) was added. after another hour the reaction mixture was diluted with water and washed twice with ipac. the aqueous phase was acidified to ∼ph= 3.5 and stirred for 30 minutes to give a solid which was collected by filtration, washed with water, ethanol, and heptanes, and dried overnight under vacuum to give the title compound (1.60 g, 66%). 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.34 (d, j =2.27 hz, 3 h) 7.64 (d, j =8.08 hz, 1 h) 7.69 - 7.80 (m, 1 h) 8.26 (br. s., 1 h) 8.48 (br. s., 2 h) 8.98 (t, j =1.52 hz, 1 h) 13.45 (br. s., 2 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 339.2. preparation 72 6-(4-(4-cyano-5-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid combined 6-hydrazinylnicotinic acid (0.73 g, 4.77 mmol), methyl 2-(4-cyano-5-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-3-(dimethylamino)acrylate (1.375 g, 5.24 mmol), 2-propanol (18 ml), and 0.5m aqueous hydrochloric acid (11.44 ml, 5.72 mmol). after 2 hours, n-ethyl-n-isopropylpropan-2-amine (4.15 ml, 23.83 mmol). after an hour the reaction mixture was diluted with water and washed with ipac twice. the aqueous phase was acidified to ∼ph= 3.5 and stirred for 30 minutes to give a solid which was collected by filtration, washed with water, ethanol, and heptanes, and dried overnight under vacuum to give the title compound (1.20 g, 74%). 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.41 (s, 3 h) 7.74 (d, j =7.07 hz, 1 h) 7.91 (d, j =11.62 hz, 1 h) 8.26 (s, 1 h) 8.37 - 8.47 (m, 1 h) 8.47 - 8.56 (m, 1 h) 8.96 (dd, j =2.15, 0.88 hz, 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 339.2. preparation 73 methyl 2-(4-cyano-5-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)acetate combined 4-bromo-2-fluoro-5-methylbenzonitrile (4 g, 18.69 mmol) and dimethyl malonate (29.9 ml, 262 mmol) and purged with nitrogen. potassium carbonate (3.87 g, 28.0 mmol), potassium hydrogencarbonate (2.81 g, 28.0 mmol), tri-tert-butylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate (0.119 g, 0.411 mmol), and bis(dibenzylidineacetone)palladium(0) (0.118 g, 0.206 mmol) were added. the reaction mixture was then heated in an oil bath at 170 °c. after 3 hours, the reaction mixture was cooled, diluted with ethyl acetate, and filtered through celite®. the filtrate was concentrated and the residue dissolved in etoac. the organic solution was washed with 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide (2x), twice with 10% aqueous sodium chloride, and then brine. the organic phase was dried over sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue which was purified by flash chromatography to give the title compound (1.67 g, 43%) as a clear colorless oil. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, chloroform- d ) δ ppm 2.30 (s, 3 h) 3.67 (s, 2 h) 3.72 (s, 3 h) 7.10 (d, j =9.60 hz, 1 h) 7.42 (d, j =6.32 hz, 1 h). preparation 74 methyl 2-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)acetate combined 4-bromo-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile (2 g, 9.34 mmol), dimethyl malonate (12.28 ml, 107 mmol), potassium carbonate (1.937 g, 14.02 mmol) and potassium hydrogencarbonate (1.403 g, 14.02 mmol). purged with nitrogen for 1 min and then tri-tert-butylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate (0.030 g, 0.103 mmol), and bis(dibenzylidineacetone)palladium (0) (0.027 g, 0.047 mmol) were added. the reaction was placed in a pre-heated oil bath (170°c). after 1 hour the mixture was cooled to ambient temperature and diluted with etoac (80 ml). the etoac layer was decanted and passed through a plug of celite® (∼7 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick). the chunky dark precipitate that was left in the flask was diluted with additional etoac portions and sonicated until a fine suspension resulted. the etoac triturates were also passed through the celite® plug and then concentrated in vacuo at ∼40°c and then at 90°c for 45 minutes to give a residue which was purified using flash column chromatography to give the title compound (1.05 g, 5.07 mmol, 54.2 %) as a clear colorless oil. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, chloroform- d ) δ ppm 2.17 (d, j =2.27 hz, 3 h) 3.63 (s, 3 h) 3.91 (s, 2 h) 7.29 (d, j =8.08 hz, 1 h) 7.71 (t, j =7.33 hz, 1 h). preparation 75 methyl 2-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-3-(dimethylamino)acrylate combined methyl 2-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)acetate (10.0 g, 48.3 mmol), 1,1-dimethoxy-n,n-dimethylmethanamine (17.25 g, 145 mmol), and solid lithium chloride (0.205 g, 4.83 mmol) and heated to 105 °c for 1.5h. the mixture was cooled to 10 °c and water (210 ml) was added slowly. the solid was collected by vacuum filtration, dissolved in dcm and was purified by column chromatography to afford the title compound (7.95 g, 63%) as a pale yellow solid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.07 (d, j =2.53 hz, 3 h) 2.54 - 2.86 (m, 6 h) 3.50 (s, 3 h) 7.10 (d, j =7.83 hz, 1 h) 7.62 (s, 1 h) 7.63 - 7.66 (m, 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 263.2. reference example 74 (r)-n-(1-cyanobutan-2-yl)-6-(4-(4-cyanophenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinamide combined 6-(4-(4-cyanophenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid (29 mg, 0.095 mmol), edci (27.2 mg, 0.142 mmol), hobt (19.2 mg, 0.142 mmol) in dmf(1 ml) and added n,n-diisopropyl ethylamine (66.0 µl, 0.379 mmol). then (r)-3-aminopentanenitrile (13.9 mg, 0.142 mmol) was added and the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 16 hours. the reaction mixture was purified by preparative hplc (sunfire™ c18, 5 µm, id 30 mm x 75 mm) using a gradient of 40-65% acn (with 0.035% tfa) in water (with 0.05% tfa) to give the title compound (16.2 mg, 44%). 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 0.93 (t, j =7.33 hz, 3 h) 1.67 (quin, j =7.20 hz, 2 h) 2.70 - 2.95 (m, 2 h) 4.05 - 4.22 (m, 1 h) 7.80 (d, j =8.34 hz, 2 h) 8.15 (br. s., 2 h) 8.41 - 8.86 (m, 4 h) 8.94 (s, 1 h). ms m/z [m+h] + 387.2. reference example 112 6-(4-(4-cyanophenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)-n-(2-ethoxyethyl)nicotinamide combined 6-(4-(4-cyanophenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid (100 mg, 0.327 mmol), edci (94.0 mg, 0.490 mmol), and hobt (66.2 mg, 0.490 mmol) in dmf (2.5 ml) and added n,n-diisopropyl ethylamine (227 µl, 1.306 mmol). then 2-ethoxyethanamine (43.7 mg, 0.490 mmol) was added and the reaction allowed to stir at room temperature for 16 hours. the reaction mixture was then diluted with water (3.5 ml) and acidified to an approximate ph = 4 to give a solid which was collected by filtration, washed with water, meoh, and diethyl ether to give the title compound. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ 1.04 (t, j =6.95 hz, 3 h) 3.33 - 3.41 (m, 4 h) 3.41 - 3.48 (m, 2 h) 7.70 (d, j =8.34 hz, 2 h) 8.06 (d, j =7.07 hz, 2 h) 8.26 - 8.49 (m, 2 h) 8.58 (br. s., 1 h) 8.71 (t, j =5.18 hz, 1 h) 8.77 - 8.93 (m, 1 h) 12.95 - 13.90 (m, 1 h). ms m/z [m+h] + 378.1. reference example 179 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1 h- pyrazol-1-yl)- n -(4-methoxybutyl)nicotinamide combined 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1 h -pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid (50 mg, 0.156 mmol) and 4-methoxybutan-1-amine (29.0 mg, 0.281 mmol) in dmf (1 ml). then added a solution of 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (50 mg, 0.261 mmol) and triethylamine (0.121 ml, 0.868 mmol) in dmf (0.5 ml), and a solution of hobt (35 mg, 0.259 mmol) in dmf (0.5 ml). the mixture was then stirred overnight at room temperature. into the reaction mixture was then poured 20 ml of saturated ammonium chloride solution and was rigorously stirred for 1 hour to give a solid. the solid was collected on by filtration, washed three times with saturated ammonium chloride solution, and then twice with ether, before being dried to give the title compound (49 mg, 77 % yield) as an off-white solid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.50 - 1.61 (m, 4 h) 2.42 (s, 3 h) 3.23 (s, 3 h) 3.25 - 3.45 (m, 8 h) 7.42 - 7.47 (m, 1 h) 7.49 (s, 1 h) 7.80 (s, 1 h) 8.19 (dd, j =8.72, 2.40 hz, 1 h) 8.27 (d, j =8.34 hz, 1 h) 8.49 - 8.57 (m, 2 h) 8.83 (d, j =2.02 hz, 1 h). ms m/z [m+h] + 406.2. example 184 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-methoxyazetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1 h -pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to example 179 using 3-methoxyazetidine, hcl. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.41 (s, 3 h) 3.24 (s, 3 h) 3.86 (br. s., 1 h) 4.26 (br. s., 3 h) 4.53 (br. s., 1 h) 7.21 (br. s., 3 h) 7.38 - 7.49 (m, 2 h) 7.71 - 7.78 (m, 1 h) 7.99 (dd, j =8.72, 2.40 hz, 1 h) 8.35 (d, j =8.34 hz, 1 h) 8.57 (d, j =8.84 hz, 1 h) 8.63 (d, j =2.02 hz, 1 h); ms m/z [m+h] + 390.2. reference example 227 6-(4-(4-cyanophenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)-n-((1s,4s)-4-methoxycyclohexyl)nicotinamide combined 6-(4-(4-cyanophenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid (100 mg, 0.327 mmol), (1s,4s)-4-methoxycyclohexanamine, hcl (81 mg, 0.490 mmol), and n1-((ethylimino)methylene)-n3,n3-dimethylpropane-1,3-diamine, hcl (94 mg, 0.490 mmol) in dmf (1.555 ml). then added 1h-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-1-ol, water (75 mg, 0.490 mmol) and hunig's base (0.171 ml, 0.980 mmol) and stirred for 4 hours at room temperature. the reaction mixture was acidified to a ph of 5 to give a solid. the solid was washed with 50 ml meoh and 50 ml hexanes, and then dried to afford the title compound (95.3 mg, 66.4%) as light yellow solid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ ppm 1.24 (br. s., 2 h) 1.39 (d, j =14.7 hz, 2 h) 1.89 (br. s., 2 h) 2.05 (d, j =10.9 hz, 2 h) 3.25 (s, 3 h) 3.35 (br.s., 2 h) 7.80 (d, j =8.3 hz, 2 h) 8.82 - 8.96 (m, 1 h). ms m/z [m+h] + 418.4. example 248 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(4-(methoxymethyl)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 227 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and 4-(methoxymethyl)piperidine hydrochloride . 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ 1.10 (qd, j=12.3, 4.0 hz, 2 h) 1.59 (br. s., 1 h) 1.67 (br. s., 1 h) 1.70 - 1.85 (m, 1 h) 2.36 (s, 3 h) 2.74 (br. s., 1 h) 3.14 (d, j=6.3 hz, 2 h) 3.17 (s, 3 h) 3.57 (br. s., 1 h) 4.41 (br. s., 1 h) 7.57 (dd, j=8.0, 1.4 hz, 1 h) 7.64 (s, 1 h) 7.74 (d, j=8.1 hz, 1 h) 7.96 (dd, j=8.6, 2.3 hz, 1 h) 8.03 - 8.09 (m, 1 h) 8.31 (d, j=8.3 hz, 1 h) 8.42 - 8.47 (m, 1 h) 13.03 (br. s., 1 h). ms m/z [m+h] + 432.5. example 249 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(4-methoxypiperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 227 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and 4-methoxypiperidine hydrochloride. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ 1.14 - 1.32 (m, 3 h) 1.63 - 1.93 (m, 5 h) 1.96 - 2.10 (m, 2 h) 2.44 (s, 3 h) 3.22 (t, j=6.3 hz, 2 h) 7.67 (d, j=7.6 hz, 1 h) 7.74 (s, 1 h) 7.81 (br. s., 1 h) 8.25 (br. s., 1 h) 8.43 (br. s., 1 h) 8.57 (br. s., 1 h) 8.78 (br. s., 1 h) 8.91 - 8.94 (m, 1 h) 13.25 (br. s., 1 h). ms m/z [m+h] + 418.4. example 252 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 227 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and 3-(methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ 1.51 - 1.66 (m, 1 h) 1.83 - 1.99 (m, 1 h) 2.36 (s, 3 h) 3.14 (s, 1 h) 3.22 (s, 2 h) 3.37 - 3.62 (m, 4 h) 7.56 - 7.61 (m, 1 h) 7.65 (s, 1 h) 7.74 (d, j=8.1 hz, 1 h) 8.03 - 8.15 (m, 2 h) 8.31 (d, j=8.3 hz, 1 h) 8.55 - 8.62 (m, 1 h) 13.07 (br. s., 1 h). ms m/z [m+h] + 418.4. reference example 292 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-((3ar,6as)-5-methyloctahydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-2-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile combined 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid (50 mg, 0.156 mmol), n1-((ethylimino)methylene)-n3,n3-dimethylpropane-1,3-diamine hydrochloride (90 mg, 0.468 mmol) and hobt (21.09 mg, 0.156 mmol) in dmf (0.8 ml) and added n-ethyl-n-isopropylpropan-2-amine (0.056 ml, 0.468 mmol) and (3ar,6as)-2-methyloctahydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole (79 mg, 0.624 mmol). after 17 hours, the reaction mixture was diluted with dmso (100 µl) and purified by preparative hplc (acn/water with formic acid) to give the title compound as a 0.63 formic acid salt (60 mg, 0.131 mmol, 84 %) as a tan solid. ms: 429 (m+h). 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ ppm 2.35 (s, 3 h) 2.48 (s, 3 h) 2.77 (br. s., 2 h) 2.91 (br. s., 4 h) 3.43 (br. s., 2 h) 3.67 (dd, j=11.5, 6.4 hz, 2 h) 7.43 - 7.49 (m, 1 h) 7.51 (s, 1 h) 7.87 (s, 1 h) 7.94 (dd, j=8.7, 2.4 hz, 1 h) 8.02 (d, j=8.1 hz, 1 h) 8.41 (d, j=8.6 hz, 1 h) 8.49 (d, j=1.8 hz, 1 h) 11.91 (br. s., 1 h). example 295 (+/-)-4-(1-(5-(3-((ethyl(methyl)amino)methyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 292 using n-methyl-n-(pyrrolidin-3-ylmethyl)ethanamine and purified by preparative hplc (acn/water with tfa) to give a tfa salt (73 mg, 0.131 mmol, 84 %) as a white solid. ms: 445 (m+h). 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ ppm 1.11 - 1.30 (m, 3 h) 1.69 (t, j=9.2 hz, 1 h) 2.13 (br. s., 1 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.56 - 2.70 (m, 1 h) 2.70 - 2.85 (m, 3 h) 3.24 - 3.36 (m, 2 h) 3.46 - 3.69 (m, 5 h) 3.69 - 3.88 (m, 1 h) 7.67 (d, j=7.6 hz, 1 h) 7.74 (s, 1 h) 7.81 (br. s., 1 h) 8.11 - 8.62 (m, 2 h) 8.66 (s, 1 h) 8.90 - 9.27 (m, 1 h) 13.22 (br. s., 1 h). example 297 4-(1-(5-(3-(cyclobutyl(methyl)amino)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 292 using n-cyclobutyl-n-methylazetidin-3-amine dihydrochloride and purified by preparative hplc (acn/water with trifluoroacetic acid) to give a tfa salt (48 mg, 0.086 mmol, 69.1 %) as a white solid. ms: 443 (m+h). 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ ppm 1.55 - 1.82 (m, 2 h) 2.00 - 2.27 (m, 4 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.68 (br. s., 3 h) 3.71 (d, j=8.1 hz, 1 h) 4.19 (d, j=5.3 hz, 1 h) 4.31 (br. s., 2 h) 4.62 (br. s., 2 h) 7.67 (d, j=7.8 hz, 1 h) 7.74 (s, 2 h) 8.26 (d, j=8.3 hz, 2 h) 8.53 (br. s., 1 h) 8.74 (d, j=1.5 hz, 1 h) 13.23 (br. s., 1 h). example 298 4-(1-(5-(3-(cyclopropyl(methyl)amino)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 292 using n-cyclopropyl-n-methylazetidin-3-amine dihydrochloride and purified by preparative hplc (acn/water with trifluoroacetic acid) to give a tfa salt (35 mg, 0.065 mmol, 51.7 %) as a white solid. ms: 429 (m+h). 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ ppm 0.42 - 1.05 (m, 4 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.66 (br. s, 3 h) 4.28 (br. s., 4 h) 4.58 (br. s., 2 h) 7.67 (d, j=7.6 hz, 1 h) 7.74 (s, 1 h) 7.76 - 7.89 (m, 1 h) 8.28 (br. s., 2 h) 8.60 (br. s., 1 h) 8.75 (s, 1 h) 13.23 (br. s., 1 h). reference example 301 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)-n,n-dimethylnicotinamide combined 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid (107 mg, 0.334 mmol), hobt hydrate (77 mg, 0.501 mmol), n1-((ethylimino)methylene)-n3,n3-dimethylpropane-1,3-diamine hydrochloride (96 mg, 0.501 mmol) in dmf (2 ml), and added triethylamine (0.188 ml, 1.336 mmol), stirred at ambient temperature for 5 minutes and dimethylamine hydrochloride (54.5 mg, 0.668 mmol) was added. the reaction was stirred at 50°c for 3 hours, then cooled to ambient temperature and diluted with meoh (5ml), water (5ml), and acidified to ph 5 using 1n aqueous hydrochloric acid, to give a solid which was filtered, washed with water, and dried under vacuum to give the title compound (76.2 mg, 0.219 mmol, 66 %) as a white solid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.43 (s, 3 h) 3.01 (br. s., 6 h) 7.65 (dd, j =8.08, 1.52 hz, 1 h) 7.70 - 7.82 (m, 2 h) 8.02 - 8.20 (m, 2 h) 8.37 (br. s., 1 h) 8.56 (dd, j =2.27, 0.76 hz, 1 h) 13.11 (br. s., 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 348.3. reference example 303 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)-n-methyl-n-(3-(piperidin-1-yl)propyl)nicotinamide combined 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid (70 mg, 0.219 mmol), hobt hydrate (50.2 mg, 0.328 mmol), n1-((ethylimino)methylene)-n3,n3-dimethylpropane-1,3-diamine hydrochloride (62.8 mg, 0.328 mmol) in dmf (1 ml), and added triethylamine (0.092 ml, 0.656 mmol), then stirred at ambient temperature for 5 minutes and n-methyl-3-(piperidin-1-yl)propan-1-amine (0.085 ml, 0.437 mmol) was added. the reaction was stirred at 50°c for 3 hours. the crude reaction was then cooled to ambient temperature and diluted with dmso (1 ml) and purified via preparative hplc (25-45% acetonitrile in water, with trifluoroacetic acid) to give the title compound (61.5 mg, 0.134 mmol, 61.4%) as a tan solid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.30 - 1.49 (m, 1 h) 1.68 (br. s., 3 h) 1.82 (br. s., 2 h) 1.93 - 2.07 (m, 2 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.88 - 3.15 (m, 7 h) 3.31 - 3.43 (m, 1 h) 3.45 - 3.58 (m, 3 h) 7.65 - 7.87 (m, 3 h) 8.04 - 8.67 (m, 4 h) 9.35 (br. s., 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 459.3. example 314 4-(1-(5-([1,3'-bipiperidine]-1'-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 303 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and 1,3'-bipiperidine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.54 (d, j =12.88 hz, 2 h) 1.62 - 1.89 (m, 7 h) 2.17 (d, j =10.86 hz, 1 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.97 - 3.51 (m, 6 h) 3.56 - 4.15 (m, 1 h) 4.32 - 4.88 (m, 1 h) 7.62 - 7.85 (m, 3 h) 7.82 - 7.83 (m, 1 h) 7.95 - 8.64 (m, 4 h) 9.40 (br. s., 1 h) 12.56 - 13.62 (m, 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 471.3. example 315 (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to example 301 using (r)-n,n-dimethylpiperidin-3-amine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (500 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.32 - 1.97 (m, 3 h) 2.15 (br. s., 1 h) 2.39 - 2.46 (m, 3 h) 2.54 - 3.71 (m, 10 h) 3.87 - 4.56 (m, 1 h) 7.65(dd, j =8.05, 1.71 hz, 1 h) 7.68 - 7.74 (m, 1 h) 7.80 (d, j =7.81 hz, 1 h) 8.04 - 8.18 (m, 2 h) 8.40 (d, j =8.79 hz, 1 h) 8.59 (br. s., 1 h) 12.04 (br. s.,1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 431.3. example 316 2-fluoro-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(4-methoxypiperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 303 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and 4-methoxypiperidine. 1 h nmr (500 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.49 (br. s., 2 h) 1.75 - 1.97 (m, 2 h) 2.33 (d, j =1.95 hz, 3 h) 3.11 - 3.68 (m, 7 h) 3.92 (br. s., 1 h) 7.64 (br. s., 1 h) 7.70 - 7.79 (m, 1 h) 8.07 (d, j =7.81 hz, 1 h) 8.12 - 8.65 (m, 3 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 436.3. example 317 (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 301 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (r)-n,n-dimethylpyrrolidin-3-amine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.07 - 2.22 (m, 1 h) 2.33 (s, 4 h) 2.70 - 2.95 (m, 6 h) 3.71 (d, j =5.05 hz, 3 h) 3.83 - 4.01 (m, 2 h) 7.64 (br. s., 1 h) 7.68 - 7.80 (m, 1 h) 8.05 - 8.61 (m, 3 h) 8.67 (s, 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 435.3. example 318 (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 301 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (s)-n,n-dimethylpyrrolidin-3-amine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.09 - 2.30 (m, 1 h) 2.33 (d, j =2.27 hz, 4 h) 2.76 - 2.93 (m, 6 h) 3.52 - 3.78 (m, 3 h) 3.83 - 4.00 (m, 2 h) 7.63 (d, j =7.83 hz, 1 h) 7.74 (t, j =7.58 hz, 1 h) 8.21 (d, j =7.58 hz, 3 h) 8.67 (s, 1 h).). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 435.3. example 319 (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 301 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (r)-n,n-dimethylpiperidin-3-amine. 1 h nmr (500 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.53 (d, j =13.18 hz, 1 h) 1.77 (m, j =16.10 hz, 2 h) 2.10 (br. s., 1 h) 2.33 (s, 3 h) 2.57 - 2.89 (m, 6 h) 2.90 - 4.77 (m, 5 h) 7.63 (br. s., 1 h) 7.74 (t, j =7.54 hz, 1 h) 8.09 (d, j =7.81 hz, 1 h) 8.24 (br. s., 1 h) 8.35 - 8.66 (m, 2 h) 9.86 (br. s., 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 449.3. example 320 (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 301 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (s)-n,n-dimethylpiperidin-3-amine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.54 (d, j =11.12 hz, 1 h) 1.78 (m, j =16.20 hz, 2 h) 2.12 (d, j =10.86 hz, 1 h) 2.33 (d, j =2.27 hz, 3 h) 2.67 - 2.94 (m, 6 h) 3.13 - 4.79 (m, 5 h) 7.48 - 7.70 (m, 1 h) 7.70 - 7.80 (m, 1 h) 7.98 - 8.34 (m, 2 h) 8.57 (m, j =1.50 hz, 2 h) 9.44 - 10.31 (m, 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 449.3. example 321 4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to example 301 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and n,n-dimethylazetidin-3-amine. 1 h nmr (500 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.33 (d, j =1.95 hz, 3 h) 2.81 (s, 6 h) 4.07 - 4.21 (m, 1 h) 4.29 (br. s., 2 h) 4.47 - 4.59 (m, 1 h) 4.66 (m, j =7.80 hz, 1 h) 7.63 (br. s., 1 h) 7.71 - 7.78 (m, 1 h) 7.91 - 8.81 (m, 4 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 421.3. example 325 2-fluoro-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 301 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and pyrrolidine. 1 h nmr (500 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.79 - 1.95 (m, 4 h) 2.33 (d, j =2.44 hz, 3 h) 3.49 (t, j =5.61 hz, 4 h) 7.42 - 7.82 (m, 2 h) 7.84 - 8.76 (m, 4 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 392.3. example 331 (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(cyclopropyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 303 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (r)-1-ethyl-3-methylpiperazine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 0.61 - 1.18 (m, 4 h) 1.50 - 1.66 (m, 1 h) 1.71 - 2.01 (m, 2 h) 2.16 - 2.28 (m, 1 h) 2.33 (d, j =2.53 hz, 3 h) 2.77 - 3.04 (m, 4 h) 3.09 - 3.23 (m, 1 h) 3.70 - 4.02 (m, 4 h) 7.64 (br. s., 1 h) 7.70 - 7.79 (m, 1 h) 7.86 - 8.78 (m, 4 h) 8.91 - 9.92 (m, 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 475.3. example 332 (s)-2-fluoro-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(methyl(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 303 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (s)- n-methyl-n-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)piperidin-3-amine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.34 - 1.92 (m, 4 h) 2.26 - 2.41 (m, 4 h) 2.59 - 2.80 (m, 2 h) 2.93 - 3.36 (m, 3 h) 3.55 (br. s., 1 h) 3.75 - 4.19 (m, 2 h) 4.36 - 4.54 (m, 1 h) 7.55 - 7.68 (m, 1 h) 7.71 - 7.78 (m, 1 h) 8.53 (s, 4 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 517.3. example 333 (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-((2,2-difluoroethyl)(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 303 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (s)-n-(2,2-difluoroethyl)-n-methylpiperidin-3-amine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.41 - 1.93 (m, 3 h) 1.98 - 2.06 (m, 1 h) 2.33 (d, j =2.27 hz, 3 h) 2.52 - 3.90 (m, 9 h) 4.26 - 4.73 (m, 1 h) 5.99 - 6.62 (m, 1 h) 7.63 (d, j =7.33 hz, 1 h) 7.74 (t, j =7.58 hz, 1 h) 8.08 (d, j =8.34 hz, 1 h) 8.13 - 8.51 (m, 2 h) 8.54 (d, j =1.77 hz, 1 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 499.3. example 335 2-fluoro-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(piperidin-1-yl)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridm-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 303 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and 1-(azetidin-3-yl)piperidine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.22 - 2.00 (m, 6 h) 2.33 (d, j =2.27 hz, 3 h) 2.84 (br. s., 2 h) 3.23 - 3.70 (m, 2 h) 4.06 - 4.19 (m, 1 h) 4.33 (br. s., 2 h) 4.61 (br. s., 1 h) 4.66 - 4.77 (m, 1 h) 7.63 (d, j =7.07 hz, 1 h) 7.75 (t, j =7.45 hz, 1 h) 7.98 - 8.89 (m, 4 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 461.3. example 336 (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-((2,2-difluoroethyl)(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 303 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-3-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (r)-n-(2,2-difluoroethyl)-n-methylpiperidin-3-amine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.41 - 1.58 (m, 1 h) 1.61 - 1.94 (m, 2 h) 1.97 - 2.07 (m, 1 h) 2.33 (d, j =2.27 hz, 3 h) 2.54 - 2.87 (m, 3 h) 3.11 (br. s., 3 h) 3.40 - 3.97 (m, 2 h) 4.20 - 4.76 (m, 1 h) 6.03 - 6.58 (m, 1 h) 7.64 (br. s., 1 h) 7.68 - 7.80 (m, 1 h) 7.94 - 8.62 (m, 4 h). esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 499.3. example 344 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(piperidin-1-yl)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 112 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and 1-(azetidin-3-yl)piperidine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.36 (d, j =4.80 hz, 2 h) 1.41 - 1.54 (m, 4 h) 2.23 - 2.34 (m, 3 h) 2.36 (s, 3 h) 3.13 -3.21 (m, 1 h) 3.86 (dd, j =9.47, 4.67 hz, 1 h) 4.05 (t, j =8.46 hz, 1 h) 4.20 (d, j =4.80 hz, 1 h) 4.28 - 4.43 (m, 1 h) 7.55 (dd, j =8.08, 1.52 hz, 1 h) 7.62 (s, 1 h) 7.78 (d, j =8.08 hz, 1 h) 8.03 (s, 1 h) 8.15 (dd, j =8.72, 2.40 hz, 1 h) 8.35 (d, j =8.84 hz, 1 h) 8.65 (dd, j =2.27, 0.76 hz, 1 h) 12.19 - 13.21 (m, 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 443.3 example 345 4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile combined 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid (105 mg, 0.328 mmol), n1-((ethylimino)methylene)-n3,n3-dimethylpropane-1,3-diamine hydrochloride (94.0 mg, 0.490 mmol), hobt (66.4 mg, 0.492 mmol) in dmf (1.0 ml) and added n,n-diisopropylethylamine (0.285 ml, 1.639 mmol). then added n,n-dimethylazetidin-3-amine hydrochloride (67.2 mg, 0.492 mmol) and the reaction was allowed to stir at room temperature for 16 hours. the reaction mixture was diluted with water (3.5 ml) and acidified to ph 4 with 10% citric acid to give a solid, which was collected by filtration, washed with water, methanol, and diethyl ether and dried to give the title compound as a citrate salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.17 (s, 6 h) 2.36 (s, 3 h) 2.52 - 2.58 (m, 1 h) 2.61 - 2.68 (m, 1 h) 3.24 (ddd, j =12.25, 7.07, 5.18 hz, 1 h) 3.87 (d, j =5.05 hz, 1 h) 4.07 (t, j =8.34 hz, 1 h) 4.20 (br. s., 1 h) 4.37 (t, j =7.83 hz, 1 h) 7.57 (dd, j =7.96, 1.39 hz, 1 h) 7.63 (s, 1 h) 7.75 (d, j =8.08 hz, 1 h) 8.06 (s, 1 h) 8.17 (dd, j =8.59, 2.27 hz, 1 h) 8.34 (d, j =8.84 hz, 1 h) 8.66 (dd, j =2.27, 0.76 hz, 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 403.1. example 347 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-morpholinopyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 112 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and 4-(pyrrolidin-3-yl)morpholine to give the title compound. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.68 - 1.84 (m, 1 h) 2.04 - 2.20 (m, 1 h) 2.29 - 2.39 (m, 1 h) 2.39 - 2.48 (m, 5 h) 2.77 - 2.97 (m, 1 h) 3.24 - 3.35 (m, 1 h) 3.37 - 3.84 (m, 8 h) 7.65 (dd, j =8.08, 1.52 hz, 1 h) 7.72 (s, 1 h) 7.78 (d, j =7.83 hz, 1 h) 8.13 (s, 1 h) 8.19 (td, j =5.49, 2.40 hz, 1 h) 8.36 (br. s., 1 h) 8.65 (s, 1 h) 13.03 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 459.2. example 348 (s)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 74 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (s)-1-(pyrrolidin-2-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine to give the title compound as a tfa salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.71 - 1.88 (m, 2 h) 1.88 - 1.99 (m, 3 h) 1.99 - 2.10 (m, 3 h) 2.11 - 2.22 (m, 1 h) 2.44 (s, 3 h) 3.12 (br. s., 1 h) 3.21 (br. s., 1 h) 3.26 - 3.36 (m, 1 h) 3.45 - 3.56 (m, 2 h) 3.59 - 3.75 (m, 2 h) 3.83 (br. s., 1 h) 4.44 - 4.63 (m, 1 h) 7.66 (dd, j =8.08, 1.52 hz, 1 h) 7.73 (s, 1 h) 7.77 (d, j =7.83 hz, 1 h) 8.18 (d, j =5.81 hz, 1 h) 8.19 - 8.27 (m, 1 h) 8.42 (br. s., 1 h) 8.63 - 8.75 (m, 1 h) 9.46 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 457.2. example 349 4-(1-(5-(3-((dimethylamino)methyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 74 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and n,n-dimethyl-1-(pyrrolidin-3-yl)methanamine to give the title compound as a tfa salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.63 - 1.76 (m, 1 h) 2.05 - 2.20 (m, 1 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.57 - 2.73 (m, 1 h) 2.77 (s, 3 h) 2.85 (s, 3 h) 3.08 - 3.21 (m, 1 h) 3.21 - 3.37 (m, 2 h) 3.47 - 3.69 (m, 2 h) 3.69 - 3.86 (m, 1 h) 7.67 (d, j =7.83 hz, 1 h) 7.74 (s, 1 h) 7.77 (br. s., 1 h) 8.19 (d, j =5.31 hz, 2 h) 8.43 (br. s., 1 h) 8.66 (s, 1 h) 9.35 - 9.67 (m, 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 431.2. example 351 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-morpholinopyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)benzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 74 using 6-(4-(4-cyanophenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and 4-(pyrrolidin-3-yl)morpholine to give a tfa salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.09 - 2.22 (m, 1 h) 2.28 - 2.44 (m, 1 h) 3.32 (br. s., 4 h) 3.49 - 3.70 (m, 2 h) 3.75 (d, j =4.29 hz, 3 h) 3.87 (br. s., 2 h) 3.97 (br. s., 2 h) 7.80 (d, j =8.59 hz, 2 h) 8.15 (d, j =6.82 hz, 2 h) 8.21 (br. s., 1 h) 8.37 - 8.58 (m, 1 h) 8.67 (br. s., 2 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 445.2. example 352 (s)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)benzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 74 using (s)-1-(pyrrolidin-2-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine to give a tfa salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.71 - 1.87 (m, 2 h) 1.87 - 1.99 (m, 3 h) 1.99 - 2.11 (m, 2 h) 2.11 - 2.23 (m, 1 h) 3.03 - 3.17 (m, 1 h) 3.21 (br. s., 1 h) 3.26 - 3.36 (m, 1 h) 3.44 - 3.57 (m, 2 h) 3.65 (dt, j =10.04, 6.98 hz, 2 h) 3.82 (br. s., 1 h) 4.48 - 4.61 (m, 1 h) 7.80 (d, j =8.34 hz, 2 h) 8.06 - 8.20 (m, 2 h) 8.20 - 8.31 (m, 1 h) 8.40 - 8.59 (m, 1 h) 8.59 - 8.79 (m, 2 h) 9.33 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 443.2. example 353 4-(1-(5-(3-((dimethylamino)methyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)benzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 74 using n,n-dimethyl-1-(pyrrolidin-3-yl)methanamine to give a tfa salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.62 - 1.77 (m, 1 h) 2.05 - 2.19 (m, 1 h) 2.58 - 2.73 (m, 1 h) 2.77 (s, 3 h) 2.85 (s, 3 h) 3.11 - 3.21 (m, 1 h) 3.25 (d, j =6.82 hz, 1 h) 3.27 - 3.37 (m, 1 h) 3.46 - 3.69 (m, 2 h) 3.69 - 3.86 (m, 1 h) 7.80 (d, j =8.59 hz, 2 h) 8.06 - 8.26 (m, 3 h) 8.36 - 8.61 (m, 1 h) 8.61 - 8.79 (m, 2 h) 9.37 - 9.67 (m, 1 h) 13.49 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 417.2. example 364 (r)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)benzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 74 using (r)-1-(pyrrolidin-2-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine to give a tfa salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.68 - 1.87 (m, 2 h) 1.87 - 1.99 (m, 3 h) 2.06 (d, j =10.86 hz, 2 h) 2.11 - 2.23 (m, 1 h) 3.01 - 3.26 (m, 2 h) 3.26 - 3.37 (m, 1 h) 3.44 - 3.57 (m, 2 h) 3.59 - 3.73 (m, 2 h) 3.82 (br. s., 1 h) 4.48 - 4.62 (m, 1 h) 7.79 (d, j =8.59 hz, 2 h) 8.15 (d, j =7.33 hz, 2 h) 8.22 (dd, j =8.59, 2.02 hz, 1 h) 8.49 (br. s., 1 h) 8.68 (d, j =1.52 hz, 2 h) 9.43 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 443.3. example 365 (r)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 74 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (r)-1-(pyrrolidin-2-ylmethyl)pyrrolidine to give a tfa salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.69 - 1.87 (m, 2 h) 1.87 - 1.99 (m, 3 h) 2.06 (d, j =10.61 hz, 2 h) 2.11 - 2.24 (m, 1 h) 2.44 (s, 3 h) 3.12 (br. s., 1 h) 3.21 (br. s., 1 h) 3.26 - 3.37 (m, 1 h) 3.44 - 3.57 (m, 2 h) 3.60 - 3.73 (m, 2 h) 3.83 (br. s., 1 h) 4.47 - 4.61 (m, 1 h) 7.62 - 7.70 (m, 1 h) 7.74 (s, 1 h) 7.76 (br. s., 1 h) 8.18 (br. s., 1 h) 8.22 (dd, j =8.59, 1.52 hz, 1 h) 8.45 (br. s., 1 h) 8.64 - 8.73 (m, 1 h) 9.37 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 457.3. example 376 (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 112 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (s)-n,n-dimethylpiperidin-3-amine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.53 (d, j =13.39 hz, 1 h) 1.83 (br. s., 2 h) 2.06 - 2.23 (m, 1 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.81 (br. s., 7 h) 3.04 - 3.25 (m, 1 h) 3.35 - 3.42 (m, 1 h) 3.54 (br. s., 1 h) 4.02 (br. s., 1 h) 4.44 (br. s., 1 h) 7.67 (d, j =8.22 hz, 1 h) 7.74 (s, 1 h) 7.78 (d, j =7.83 hz, 1 h) 8.11 (dd, j =8.59, 1.77 hz, 1 h) 8.17 (br. s., 1 h) 8.42 (br. s., 1 h) 8.58 (d, j =1.52 hz, 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 431.3. example 380 4-(1-(5-(3-(diethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 112 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and n,n-diethylpiperidin-3-amine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (500 mhz, chloroform- d ) δ ppm 1.26 (br. s., 6 h) 1.57 (br. s., 2 h) 1.76 - 2.17 (m, 2 h) 2.36 - 2.90 (m, 9 h) 3.02 (br. s., 1 h) 3.70 (br. s., 1 h) 4.52 - 4.92 (m, 1 h) 7.48 - 7.60 (m, 3 h) 7.63 - 7.73 (m, 1 h) 7.95 - 8.10 (m, 2 h) 8.43 (s, 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 459.3. example 381 (s)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 112 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (s)-3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)piperidine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (500 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.42 - 1.55 (m, 1 h) 1.61 (d, j =9.76 hz, 1 h) 1.77 (br. s., 5 h) 2.06 (d, j =8.79 hz, 1 h) 2.42 (s, 3 h) 2.77 (br. s., 2 h) 2.87 - 3.09 (m, 2 h) 3.12 - 3.24 (m, 2 h) 3.33 (br. s., 1 h) 3.47 - 3.92 (m, 1 h) 3.93 - 4.48 (m, 1 h) 7.53 (dd, j =8.30, 1.95 hz, 1h) 7.58 (s, 1h) 7.90 - 7.95 (m, 2 h) 8.08 (d, j =7.81 hz, 1 h) 8.46 - 8.51 (m, 2 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 457.3. example 382 (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(ethyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 74 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (r)-n-ethyl-n-methylpiperidin-3-amine dihydrochloride to give a tfa salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.15 - 1.33 (m, 3 h) 1.57 (d, j =12.63 hz, 1 h) 1.77 (d, j =11.62 hz, 2 h) 2.11 (d, j =10.36 hz, 1 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.80 (br. s., 3 h) 3.08 - 3.36 (m, 3 h) 3.38 - 3.52 (m, 2 h) 3.52 - 3.69 (m, 1 h) 4.60 (br. s., 1 h) 7.67 (d, j =7.83 hz, 1 h) 7.71 - 7.81 (m, 2 h) 8.10 (d, j =7.07 hz, 2 h) 8.40 - 8.64 (m, 2 h) 9.66 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 445.3. example 383 (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(cyclopropyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 112 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (r)-n-cyclopropyl-n-methylpiperidin-3-amine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 0.13 - 0.61 (m, 4 h) 1.38 - 1.64 (m, 2 h) 1.64 - 2.09 (m, 3 h) 2.15 - 2.41 (m, 3 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.55 - 2.86 (m, 2 h) 3.04 (br. s., 1 h) 3.49 - 3.87 (m, 1 h) 4.33 - 4.77 (m, 1 h) 7.65 (dd, j =8.08, 1.52 hz, 1 h) 7.72 (s, 1 h) 7.81 (d, j =8.08 hz, 1 h) 8.05 (dd, j =8.59, 2.02 hz, 1 h) 8.13 (s, 1 h) 8.40 (d, j =7.33 hz, 1 h) 8.53 (d, j =1.77 hz, 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 457.3. example 384 (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(ethyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to example 74 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (s)-n-ethyl-n-methylpiperidin-3-amine dihydrochloride to give a tfa salt. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.09 - 1.34 (m, 3 h) 1.57 (d, j =12.13 hz, 1 h) 1.77 (d, j =10.86 hz, 2 h) 2.11 (d, j =11.12 hz, 1 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.64 - 2.90 (m, 3 h) 3.23 (br. s., 3 h) 3.39 - 3.69 (m, 2 h) 3.80 - 4.77 (m, 2 h) 7.63 - 7.71 (m, 1 h) 7.74 (s, 1 h) 7.77 (br. s., 1 h) 7.99 - 8.28 (m, 2 h) 8.34 - 8.68 (m, 2 h) 9.67 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 445.3. example 386 (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(cyclopropyl(methyl)amino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 112 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (s)-n-cyclopropyl-n-methylpiperidin-3-amine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 0.68 - 1.16 (m, 4 h) 1.49 - 1.68 (m, 1 h) 1.71 - 2.00 (m, 2 h) 2.17 - 2.30 (m, 1 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.91 (d, j =12.38 hz, 4 h) 3.18 (br. s., 1 h) 3.56 (br. s., 2 h) 3.91 - 4.58 (m, 1 h) 4.79 (br. s., 1 h) 7.67 (d, j =7.83 hz, 1 h) 7.71 - 7.86 (m, 2 h) 8.00 - 8.28 (m, 2 h) 8.57 (s, 2 h) 9.53 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 457.3. example 387 (r)-4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to reference example 74 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and (r)-3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)piperidine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 1.54 (d, j =9.09 hz, 1 h) 1.72 - 1.96 (m, 4 h) 1.96 - 2.11 (m, 2 h) 2.16 (br. s., 1 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.82 - 3.35 (m, 3 h) 3.35 - 3.87 (m, 5 h) 4.26 (br. s., 1 h) 7.67 (d, j =8.08 hz, 1 h) 7.74 (s, 2 h) 8.11 (d, j =8.08 hz, 2 h) 8.57 (d, j =2.02 hz, 2 h) 9.83 (br. s., 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 457.3. example 394 4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-fluoro-5-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to example 112 using 6-(4-(4-cyano-5-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid and n,n-dimethylazetidin-3-amine dihydrochloride. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso- d 6 ) δ ppm 2.37 (s, 3 h) 2.77 (br. s., 6 h) 4.07 - 4.18 (m, 1 h) 4.26 (br. s., 2 h) 4.52 (br. s., 1 h) 4.63 (br. s., 1 h) 7.70 (d, j =6.82 hz, 1 h) 7.79 (d, j =11.37 hz, 1 h) 8.19 - 8.26 (m, 2 h) 8.43 (d, j =8.84 hz, 1 h) 8.69 (d, j =2.27 hz, 1 h); esi-ms m/z [m+h] + 421.3. example 412 (s)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile combined 6-(4-(4-cyano-2-methylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-1-yl)nicotinic acid (50.0 mg, 0.156 mmol), (s)-n,n-dimethylpyrrolidin-3-amine (26.7 mg, 0.234 mmol), and n1-((ethylimino)methylene)-n3,n3-dimethylpropane-1,3-diamine hydrochloride (44.9 mg, 0.234 mmol) in dmf (1561 µl). hobt (35.9 mg, 0.234 mmol) and dipea (136 µl, 0.781 mmol) were added. the reaction was allowed to stir overnight. then in aqueous hydrochloric acid (21 ml) was added and reaction mixture was then purified using preparative hplc eluting with 0.1% formic acid in water and 5-30% acetonitrile to give the title compound (30 mg, 0.072 mmol, 46.1 %) as an off-white solid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ ppm 1.78 - 1.88 (m, 1 h) 2.24 (br. s., 3 h) 2.36 (br. s., 3 h) 2.42 (s, 3 h) 2.88 - 3.05 (m, 2 h) 3.59 - 3.81 (m, 4 h) 7.58 (d, j=7.83 hz, 1 h) 7.64 (s, 1 h) 7.95 (d, j=7.83 hz, 1 h) 8.01 (s, 1 h) 8.11 (d, j=9.09 hz, 1 h) 8.43 (d, j=8.84 hz, 1 h) 8.62 (s, 1 h); esi-ms m/z (m+h) + calc'd for c 23 h 24 n 6 o 2 , 417.20; found 417.5. example 413 (r)-4-(1-(5-(3-(dimethylamino)pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to example 412 using (r)-n,n-dimethylpyrrolidin-3-amine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ ppm 1.80 - 1.91 (m, 1 h) 2.27 (br. s., 3 h) 2.40 (br. s., 3 h) 2.42 (s, 3 h) 2.90 - 3.16 (m, 2 h) 3.38 - 3.51 (m, 2 h) 3.69 - 3.81 (m, 2 h) 7.58 (d, j=8.08 hz, 1 h) 7.64 (s, 1 h) 7.94 (d, j=8.08 hz, 1 h) 8.02 (s, 1 h) 8.11 (dd, j=8.84, 2.02 hz, 1 h) 8.42 (d, j=8.84 hz, 1 h) 8.62 (s, 1 h); esi-ms m/z (m+h) + calc'd for c 23 h 24 n 6 o 2 , 417.20; found 417.5. example 416 4-(1-(5-(4-(dimethylamino)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to example 412 using n,n-dimethylpiperidin-4-amine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ ppm 1.55 - 1.72 (m, 2 h) 2.01 (br. s., 2 h) 2.42 (s, 3 h) 2.68 (s, 6 h) 3.33 (t, j=11.49 hz, 1 h) 4.21 (br. s., 4 h) 7.52 (d, j=8.08 hz, 1 h) 7.56 (s, 1 h) 7.88 - 7.96 (m, 2 h) 8.09 (d, j=8.08 hz, 1 h) 8.45 - 8.56 (m, 2 h); esi-ms m/z (m+h) + calc'd for c 24 h 26 n 6 o 2 , 431.21; found 431.5. example 419 4-(1-(5-(4-((dimethylamino)methyl)piperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to example 412 using n,n-dimethyl-1-(piperidin-4-yl)methanamine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ ppm 1.07 - 1.22 (m, 2 h) 1.75 (d, j=9.60 hz, 2 h) 1.93 - 2.02 (m, 1 h) 2.42 (s, 3 h) 2.55 (s, 6 h) 2.68 (d, j=6.82 hz, 2 h) 2.85 - 3.14 (m, 2 h) 4.40 (br. s., 2 h) 7.46 - 7.51 (m, 1 h) 7.54 (s, 1 h) 7.82 - 7.90 (m, 2 h) 8.14 - 8.16 (m, 1 h) 8.43 (d, j=1.77 hz, 1 h) 8.50 (d, j=8.59 hz, 1 h); esi-ms m/z (m+h) + calc'd for c 25 h 28 n 6 o 2 , 445.23; found 445.5. example 421 4-(5-hydroxy-1-(5-(4-morpholinopiperidine-1-carbonyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-3-methylbenzonitrile the title compound was prepared in a manner similar to example 412 using 4-(piperidin-4-yl)morpholine. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d 6 ) δ ppm 1.44 (qd, j=11.87, 4.04 hz, 2 h) 1.86 (br. s., 2 h) 2.43 (s, 3 h) 2.58 (br. s., 4 h) 2.86 (br. s., 2 h) 3.52 - 3.76 (m, 6 h) 4.46 (br. s., 1 h) 7.63 (dd, j=8.08, 1.52 hz, 1 h) 7.70 (s, 1 h) 7.82 (d, j=8.08 hz, 1 h) 8.04 (dd, j=8.59, 2.27 hz, 1 h) 8.10 (s, 1 h) 8.38 (d, j=8.59 hz, 1 h) 8.52 (d, j=1.52 hz, 1 h); esi-ms m/z (m+h) + calc'd for c 26 h 28 n 6 o 3 , 473.22; found 473.5. the compounds of the invention can be administered alone or in the form of a pharmaceutical composition. in practice, the compounds of the invention are usually administered in the form of pharmaceutical compositions, that is, in admixture with at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. the proportion and nature of any pharmaceutically acceptable excipient(s) are determined by the properties of the selected compound of the invention, the chosen route of administration, and standard pharmaceutical practice. in another embodiment, the present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising: a compound of invention and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. in effecting treatment of a patient in need of such treatment, a compound of the invention can be administered in any form and route which makes the compound bioavailable. the compounds of the invention can be administered by a variety of routes, including orally, in particularly by tablets and capsules. the compounds of the invention can be administered parenteral routes, more particularly by inhalation, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intravenously, intraarterially, transdermally, intranasally, rectally, vaginally, occularly, topically, sublingually, and buccally, intraperitoneally, intraadiposally, intrathecally and via local delivery for example by catheter or stent. one skilled in the art can readily select the proper form and route of administration depending upon the particular characteristics of the compound selected, the disorder or condition to be treated, the stage of the disorder or condition, and other relevant circumstances. the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may be administered to the patient, for example, in the form of tablets, capsules, cachets, papers, lozenges, wafers, elixirs, ointments, transdermal patches, aerosols, inhalants, suppositories, solutions, and suspensions. the pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention are prepared in a manner well known in the pharmaceutical art and include at least one of the compounds of the invention as the active ingredient. the amount of a compound of the present invention may be varied depending upon its particular form and may conveniently be between 1% to about 50% of the weight of the unit dose form. the term "pharmaceutically acceptable excipient" refers to those typically used in preparing pharmaceutical compositions and should be pharmaceutically pure and non-toxic in the amounts used. they generally are a solid, semi-solid, or liquid material which in the aggregate can serve as a vehicle or medium for the active ingredient. some examples of pharmaceutically acceptable excipients are found in remington's pharmaceutical sciences and the handbook of pharmaceutical excipients and include diluents, vehicles, carriers, ointment bases, binders, disintegrates, lubricants, glidants, sweetening agents, flavoring agents, gel bases, sustained release matrices, stabilizing agents, preservatives, solvents, suspending agents, buffers, emulsifiers, dyes, propellants, coating agents, and others. the present pharmaceutical compositions are preferably formulated in a unit dose form, each dose typically containing from about 0.5 mg to about 100 mg of a compounds of the invention. the term "unit dose form" refers to a physically discrete unit containing a predetermined quantity of active ingredient, in association with a suitable pharmaceutical excipient, by which one or more is used throughout the dosing regimen to produce the desired therapeutic effect. one or more "unit dose form" may be taken to affect the treatment dosage, typically on a daily schedule. in one particular variation, the composition is a pharmaceutical composition adapted for oral administration, such as a tablet or a capsule or a liquid formulation, for example, a solution or suspension, adapted for oral administration. in still another particular variation, the pharmaceutical composition is a liquid formulation adapted for parenteral administration. compounds of the present invention are inhibitors of one or more phd isoforms, and as such are useful in the treatment and prevention of conditions associated with hif. in another embodiment, the invention provides a compound as described herein for use in treating conditions associated with hif, comprising: administering to a patient in need thereof an effective amount of a compound of the invention. in another embodiment, a compound of the invention is provided for use as a medicament. the compounds of the present invention are useful as phd inhibitors for a variety of subjects (e.g., humans, non-human mammals and non-mammals). as used herein terms "condition," "disorder," and "disease" relate to any unhealthy or abnormal state. the term "conditions associated with hif" includes conditions, disorders, and diseases in which the inhibition of phd provides a therapeutic benefit, such as hypoxic conditions, including cardiovascular disorders, hematological disorders, pulmonary disorders, kidney disorders, brain disorders, and cancer. the terms "hypoxia" and "hypoxic" refer to levels of oxygen below normal and can lead to cellular dysfunction and even cell death. hypoxia can result from decreased blood flow, insufficient oxygen in the blood, decreased capacity of the blood to carry oxygen, and various other causes. the term "hypoxic condition" includes, but is not limited to, ischemic conditions (ischemic hypoxia). the term "ischemia" refers to a deficient supply of blood to a cell, tissue, or organ and is associated with a reduction in oxygen delivered to tissues. since the heart, brain, and kidney are especially sensitive to hypoxic stress inhibitors of phd are useful in treating cardiovascular disorders, such as ischemic events, hematological disorders, such as anemia, and kidney disorders. ischemia may arise due to reduced circulation such as stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, and formation of a thrombus in an artery or vein, blockage of an artery or vein by an embolus, vascular closure due to other causes. such conditions may reduce blood flow, producing a state of hypoperfusion to an organ or tissue, or block blood flow completely. other conditions that can lead to ischemia include tissue damage due to trauma or injury, such as, e.g., spinal cord injury; viral infection. the term "conditions associated with hif" includes the term "ischemic conditions" which refers to conditions or events that are associated with or result in ischemia. thus, the term "conditions associated with hif" includes conditions associated or resulting in ischemia including, but are not limited to, an event selected from the group consisting of pulmonary embolism, perinatal hypoxia, circulatory shock including, e.g., hemorrhagic, septic, cardiogenic, etc.; mountain sickness, acute respiratory failure, intestinal infarction, acute kidney failure, renal ischemia reperfusion injury, atherosclerosis, chronic venous insufficiency, congestive heart failure, cardiac cirrhosis, diabetes, macular degeneration, sleep apnea, raynaud's disease, systemic sclerosis, occlusive artery disease, transient ischemic attacks, chronic alcoholic liver disease, chronic kidney failure, peripheral vascular disorders, ulcers, burns, chronic wounds, and the like. ischemia can also result when individuals are placed under general anesthesia, and can cause tissue damage in organs prepared for transplant. another embodiment is a compound of the invention for use in treating ischemic conditions. in particular the present invention provides a compound of the invention for use in treating myocardial infarctions, including acute myocardial infarction. the present invention provides a compound of the invention for use in treating acute heart failure. the present invention provides a compound of the invention for use in treating congestive heart failure. the present invention provides a compound of the invention for use in treating the exacerbation of congestive heart failure with and without acute myocardial infarction. the present invention also provides a compound of the invention for use in treating stroke. the present invention also provides a compound of the invention for use in treating acute kidney injury of ischemic and non-ischemic etiology. hypoxia results from reduced oxygen content in the blood due to pulmonary disorders (hypoxic hypoxia) such as copd, severe pneumonia, pulmonary edema, pulmonary hypertension, and the like. hypoxia also results from anemic conditions (anemic hypoxia) such as gastric or duodenal ulcers, liver or renal disease, thrombocytopenia or blood coagulation disorders, cancer or other chronic illness, cancer chemotherapy and other therapeutic interventions that produce anemia, and the like, decreased concentration of hemoglobin or red blood cells, and altitude sickness, and the like. the term "conditions associated with hif" includes specifically, but is not limited to, copd. the term "conditions associated with hif" includes pulmonary disorders specifically, but is not limited to, diffuse parenchymal lung diseases such as idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, usual interstitial pneumonia, desquamative pulmonary fibrosis, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, acute interstitial pneumonia, non-specific interstitial pneumonia, respiratory bronchiolitis associated with institial lung disease, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and decreased pulmonary function due to lupus, sarcoidosis, wegner's granulomatosis, radiation of the chest, and certain medications, for example, amiodarone, bleomycin, busulfan, methotrexate, and nitrofurantoin. the term "anemia" refers to any reduction in the number of red blood cells and/or in the level of hemoglobin in blood relative to normal blood levels. the term "conditions associated with hif" includes anemia, and specifically includes, but is not limited to, chemotherapy-induced anemia (such as treatment with antiviral drug regimens for hiv and hepatitis), anemia of chronic disease, anemia associated with cancer conditions, anemia resulting from treatment for cancer, anemias of chronic immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, menstruation, iron processing deficiencies, acute or chronic kidney disease, infections, inflammation, irradiation, toxins, diabetes, infection due to, e.g., virus, bacteria, and/or parasites, anemia can be associated with blood loss due to, e.g., trauma, stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers, hemorrhoids, cancer of the stomach or large intestine, injury, surgical procedures; diseases associated with bone marrow failure or decreased bone marrow function; microcytic anemia, hypochromic anemia, sideroblastic anemia, and the like. the term "conditions associated with hif" includes cancer, including leukemia (chronic myelogenous leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia); breast cancer, genitourinary cancer, skin cancer, bone cancer, prostate cancer, and liver cancer; brain cancer; cancer of the larynx, gall bladder, rectum, parathyroid, thyroid, adrenal, neural tissue, bladder, head, neck, stomach, bronchi, and kidneys; basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, metastatic skin carcinoma, osteosarcoma, ewing's sarcoma, veticulum cell sarcoma, and kaposi's sarcoma; myeloma, giant cell tumor, islet cell tumor, acute and chronic lymphocytic and granulocytic tumors, hairy-cell tumor, adenoma, medullary carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, mucosal neuromas, intestinal ganglioneuromas, hyperplastic corneal nerve tumor, marfanoid habitus tumor, wilms' tumor, seminoma, ovarian tumor, leiomyomater tumor, cervical dysplasia, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, myelodysplastic syndrome, rhabdomyosarcoma, astrocytoma, non-hodgkin's lymphoma, malignant hypercalcemia, polycythermia vera, adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma multiforma, glioma, lymphomas, and malignant melanomas, among others. the terms "treat," "treatment," and "treating" include improvement of the conditions described herein. the terms "treat," "treatment," and "treating" include all processes providing slowing, interrupting, arresting, controlling, or stopping of the state or progression of the conditions described herein, but does not necessarily indicate a total elimination of all symptoms or a cure of the condition. the terms "treat," "treatment," and "treating" are intended to include therapeutic treatment of such disorders. the terms "treat," "treatment," and "treating" are intended to include prophylactic treatment of such disorders. as used herein the terms "patient" and "subject" includes humans and non-human animals, for example, mammals, such as mice, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, cows, horses, sheep, goats, and pigs. the term also includes birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and the like. it is understood that a more particular patient is a human. also, more particular patients and subjects are non-human mammals, such as mice, rats, and dogs. as used herein, the term "effective amount" refers to the amount of compound of the invention which treats, upon single or multiple dose administration, a patient suffering from the mentioned condition. an effective amount can be readily determined by the attending diagnostician, as one skilled in the art, by the use of known techniques and by observing results obtained under analogous circumstances. in determining the effective amount, the dose, a number of factors are considered by the attending diagnostician, including, but not limited to: the species of patient; its size, age, and general health; the specific condition, disorder, or disease involved; the degree of or involvement or the severity of the condition, disorder, or disease, the response of the individual patient; the particular compound administered; the mode of administration; the bioavailability characteristics of the preparation administered; the dose regimen selected; the use of concomitant medication; and other relevant circumstances. an effective amount of the present invention, the treatment dosage, is expected to range from 1 mg to 200 mg. specific amounts can be determined by the skilled person. although these dosages are based on an average human subject having a mass of about 60 kg to about 70 kg, the physician will be able to determine the appropriate dose for a patient (e.g., an infant) whose mass falls outside of this weight range. the compounds of the invention may be combined with one or more other pharmacologically active compounds or therapies for the treatment of one or more disorders, diseases or conditions for which hif is indicated may be administered simultaneously, sequentially or separately in combination with one or more compounds or therapies for treating arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, or for treating cancer, including hematological malignancies, such as acute myeloid leukemia, b-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, b-cell lymphoma, and t-cell lymphoma, and carcinomas, such as lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colon cancer. such combinations may offer significant therapeutic advantages, including fewer side effects, improved ability to treat underserved patient populations, or synergistic activity. the activity of compounds as phd inhibitors may be determined by a variety of methods, including in vitro and in vivo methods. example a inhibition of phd enzyme the ic 50 values for the phd2 enzyme (residues 181 - 417) were determined by mixing increasing amounts of inhibitor with a fixed amount of enzyme (5nm, final concentration) and biotin labeled peptide (biotin-asp-leu-glu-met-leu-ala-pro-tyr-ile-pro-met-asp-asp-asp-phe-gln-leu, 1um final concentration) and 2-oxyglutarate (2um final concentration) in 50mm hepes, 50mm kcl, 0.5mm tcep, 2um fecl2, 0.1mg/ml bsa, at ph 7.3. the reaction was conducted by pre-incubating the enzyme in the presence of inhibitor for 60 min at room temperature. the activity of the free enzyme was measured by adding the peptide, the 2-oxoglutarate (see above for final concentrations), and ascorbic acid (imm final concentration). the enzymatic activity was quenched after 60 min by adding an excess of a tight binding inhibitor to the assay mixture. the amount of product released was measured by using a lc/ms system (agilent hplc with applied biosystems api3000 mass spectrometer). data were analyzed using the classical isotherm equation for the determination of ic 50 values and are pic 50 , i.e., -log(ic 50 ), where ic 50 is molar concentration and are reported as pic 50 , i.e., -log(ic 50 ), where ic 50 is molar concentration. table a provides results for exemplified compounds in example a. table-tabl0001 table a: phd inhibition (pic 50 ) for example (ex) compounds ex pic 50 ex pic 50 ex pic 50 ex pic 50 ex pic 50 ref 74 7.05 295 7.85 297 8.39 298 8.18 ref 227 7.38 ref 301 8.67 ref 303 7.88 376 7.61 380 8.17 381 7.94 382 8.00 383 8.28 384 7.93 386 8.23 314 7.90 387 7.91 315 8.09 316 8.31 317 8.31 318 8.35 319 8.17 320 8.17 248 8.3 321 8.40 394 7.88 249 8.3 ref 179 8.3 252 8.3 325 8.44 184 8.1 ref 112 7.32 331 8.33 332 8.47 333 8.55 335 8.43 336 8.53 412 8.11 413 8.10 416 7.78 344 8.17 345 8.35 419 7.98 347 8.29 348 7.72 421 8.31 349 7.77 351 7.67 352 7.47 364 6.73 ref 292 8.04 365 7.80 example b inhibition of phd in cells phd inhibition is determined using (secondary assay) cell-based hif-alpha stabilization assay: h9c2 rat cardiomyocytes (atcc) were seeded in 96-well tissue culture microplates and cultured for 24 hours prior to addition of compounds (11 point range of serial dilutions) or dimethylsulfoxide vehicle. after 24 hrs of compound incubation, whole cell extracts were prepared by lysing cells in cell extraction buffer containing protease and phosphatase inhibitors (meso-scale discovery). hifla protein content was assessed by elisa (meso-scale discovery) and expressed as a % relative to the maximum response obtained from the positive control, desferrioxamine (sigma-aldrich). compound ec 50 s were obtained by curve-fitting using xlfit4 microsoft excel curve-fitting software. compound ec 50pos were obtained using xlfit4 to calculate the compound concentration that results in 50% of the desferrioxamine maximum response. table b provides results for exemplified compounds in example b. table-tabl0002 table b inhibition of phd in cells (pec 50 ) for example (ex) compounds ex pec 5 ex pec 50 ex pec 50 ex pec 50 ex pec 50 ref 74 5.5 295 6.47 297 6.28 298 6.01 ref 227 6.26 ref 301 6.60 ref 303 6.55 376 6.05 380 6.24 381 5.97 382 6.01 383 5.96 384 5.82 386 6.15 314 6.26 387 6.06 315 6.25 316 5.89 317 6.17 318 6.15 319 6.27 320 6.13 248 6.60 321 6.23 394 5.55 249 6.56 ref 179 6.91 252 6.58 325 6.01 184 6.67 ref 112 5.86 331 6.09 332 6.12 333 6.13 335 5.88 336 6.01 412 6.55 413 5.68 416 5.85 344 6.33 345 6.44 419 6.20 347 6.20 348 6.13 421 6.18 349 6.32 351 5.27 352 5.46 353 5.45 364 5.11 ref 292 6.39 365 6.38 example c in vivo cardioprotection assay phd inhibitor or vehicle was administered orally to 8-week old male c57 mice or sprague dawley rats. four hours after dosing, hearts were removed quickly and perfused in a retrograde manner with modified krebs-henseleit buffer in a langendorff apparatus at constant pressure (80 mmhg). to measure infarct size, hearts were first perfused for 20 min to reach equilibrium and then subjected to a 30-minute global ischemia (no-flow) period followed by a 60-min reperfusion period in mice or 90-min reperfusion in rats. the ventricles were cut transversely into 5 sections. the slices were stained 1% 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (ttc) and scanned to measure the infarct area and the total area. cardiac injury was assessed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (ldh) release to coronary effluent during the 60-min reperfusion period (in mice only). the amount of ldh release was determined using an ldh activity assay kit (mbl international corp.) as expressed as % of vehicle treated hearts. the compound of example 282 reduced area of the infarct in mice by 59% at 30 mg/kg and by 50% at 10 mg/kg as compared to the vehicle control values. corresponding reduction of ldh released to the coronary effluent was 56% and 51% at 30 and 10 mg/kg, respectively. the compound of example 282 reduced area of the infarct in rats by 30% at a dose of 5 mg/kg. example d determination of heart gene changes for vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) phd inhibitor or vehicle were administered orally to male c57bl/6 in groups of four. the compounds were formulated in 30% hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin in 50mm sodium phosphate ph7.4 at doses of 30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg. two hours after dosing the mice were euthanized by co 2 and the hearts were removed quickly, sectioned into 2 pieces; the lower (apical) section was snap frozen and stored at -80°c and analyzed for vegf gene changes applying qrt-pcr and using life technologies #4392938 and an rna extraction protocol using qiagen #74881 rneasy 96 universal tissue kit. standards are made from rna from combined vehicle treated animals at a concentration of 100µg/ml, a 7 point curve is made with 1:4 dilutions and a blank. samples are run on using rna-to-c t 1-step method using a steponeplus real-time pcr system from applied biosystems relative quantitation is expressed by dividing the quantity of vegf by the quantity of the reference gene. treatment groups and vehicle control were combined and averaged. table-tabl0003 table d provides results for selected exemplified compounds in example d. ex dose (mg/kg) % increase compared to control s.e.m. vehicle 0.0 6.7 282 60 203.1 12.4 r1 60 95.2 26.7 it is well-known that and increase in vegf and other angiogenic factors provides protection against ischemic injury. nature med. 9, 653-660 (2003 ). phd is an important regulator involved in gene expression. biochem j. 2004, 381 (pt 3): 761-767 . at a dose of 60 mg/kg, the compound of example 282 provides a 2 fold greater vegf mrna production compared to the compound of example r1. it is also well-known that neovascularization stimulated by vegf is beneficial in several important clinical contexts, including myocardial ischemia. mol. cell bio. 1996 sep; 16(9): 4604-4613 .
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009-690-472-539-433
|
EP
|
[
"CN",
"EP",
"US",
"JP",
"WO"
] |
H02J7/00,B64F1/00,B60L53/30,B60L11/18,B64C39/02,B64F1/02,B64F1/20,G05D1/10,B64F1/36,B64F1/18,B60L53/80,B60L53/14,B60L58/12,G05D1/00,B64F1/22,B64C27/04,B64D27/24,B64D45/04,H01M10/42,H01M10/44,H01M10/48,B64G1/64,B64B1/24,B60L53/31,B60L53/62,B60S5/06
| 2014-08-08T00:00:00 |
2014
|
[
"H02",
"B64",
"B60",
"G05",
"H01"
] |
systems and methods for uav battery exchange
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systems and methods are provided for swapping the battery on an unmanned aerial vehicle (uav). the uav may be able to identify and land on an energy provision station autonomously. the uav may take off and/or land on the energy provision station. the uav may communicate with the energy provision station. the energy provision station may store and charge batteries for use on a uav.
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an unmanned aerial vehicle, uav, energy provision station (202), said station comprising: a uav landing area (206) configured to support a uav (204) when the uav (204) is resting on the station (202), said uav (204) coupled to a first battery configured to power the uav (204); a second battery capable of powering the uav (204) upon being coupled to the uav (204); a battery charging unit capable of charging the first battery of the uav (204); and a receiver configured to receive wirelessly transmitted information from the uav about the state of charge of the first battery; a processor configured to receive the information about the state of charge of the first battery and to generate an instruction, depending on the state of charge of the first battery, to effect a selection between: (1) exchange the second battery for the first battery such that the first battery is decoupled from the uav (204) and the second battery is coupled to the uav, or (2) charge the first battery with the battery charging unit without removing the first battery from the uav (204). the uav energy provision station (202) of claim 1, wherein the second battery is configured to be inserted into a recessed region of the uav (204) to couple to the uav (204) and to provide power to the uav (204). the uav energy provision station (202) of claim 1, wherein the battery charging unit is configured to charge the first battery while the first battery is on-board the uav. the uav energy provision station (202) of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the instruction based on a comparison of the state of charge of the first battery with a state of charge of the second battery. the uav energy provision station (202) of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the instruction based on a comparison of a time required to swap the batteries with a time required to charge the first battery. the uav energy provision station (202) of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the instruction to exchange the second battery with the first battery when the state of charge of the first battery is beneath a predetermined threshold value. a method of providing energy to an unmanned aerial vehicle, uav, (204) with the energy provision station (202) of claim 1; receiving the information, at the processor, about the state of charge of the first battery; and generating the instruction, with aid of the processor, to select between (1) exchange the second battery for the first battery such that the first battery is decoupled from the uav (204) and the second battery is coupled to the uav (204), or (2) charge the first battery with the battery charging unit without removing the first battery from the uav (204). the method of claim 7, further comprising: (1) exchanging the second battery for the first battery such that the first battery is decoupled from the uav (204) and the second battery is coupled to the uav (204), or (2) charging the second battery with the battery charging unit without removing the first battery from the uav (204), in accordance with the generated instructions.
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background of the invention aerial vehicles such as unmanned aerial vehicles (uavs) can be used for performing surveillance, reconnaissance, and exploration tasks for military and civilian applications. such aerial vehicles may carry a payload configured to perform a specific function. a uav may be powered by an on-board rechargeable battery. in some instances, a uav may need to travel a distance that will exceed the available charge on the on-board battery. this may severely limit the range and use of the uav. ep 2 664 539 a1 describes a method of extending the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (uav). the method comprises the following steps: (a) detecting that an energy storage device (110) on board the uav is depleted below a threshold level; (b) operating the uav so as to land at a base station; and (c) at least initiating operation of the base station to cause a replacement mechanism thereof to remove the energy storage device on board the uav from the uav and to replace this with another energy storage device. in addition, a uav, a base-station and a command-and-control device arranged to carry out steps of the method are disclosed. de 10 2007 003458 a1 describes a device that has a landing and loading platform attached to a battery magazine, by which a battery rechargeable after implementing a flight mission of a small air-craft is replaced by an unused new battery. a charging device is provided for recharging the rechargeable battery after implementing the flight mission of the small air-craft. the loading platform is attached to a centering device for the air-craft. the platform is unmovable and the battery magazine is movable relative to the platform. jp h05 184008 a describes a battery charger for an automatically guided vehicle. us 2013/081245 a1 describes a vehicle base station that comprises a platform on which a vehicle may be positioned, a first battery bay located on a first side of the platform, a battery replacement assembly to remove a battery from the vehicle and to replace the battery with a new battery, and a power source adapted to provide power to the vehicle while the vehicle is positioned on the platform. summary of the invention a need exists to provide increased range of travel for uav's. increased range may be useful when uavs may be used to deliver items, spray an environment, or patrol or scan an area. an automated or semi-automated battery charging station may advantageously permit battery life on a uav to be reloaded. battery life may be reloaded on a uav by recharging the on board battery of the uav or exchanging the onboard battery for another battery. the invention is defined by independent claims 1 and 7. preferred embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims. several illustrative examples which do not form part of the claimed invention are also described in the present description. brief description of the drawings the novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. a better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which: fig. 1 shows the battery charging system including a uav for use in the system and an energy provision station. fig. 2 shows a detailed example of an energy provision station. fig. 3 shows a uav with a recessed region for housing of at least one battery. fig. 4 shows a flow chart describing the processes of exchanging a battery on a uav with an energy provision station. fig. 5 shows the components of an energy provision station. fig. 6 shows an example of a landing guide on the landing area of an energy provision station. fig. 7 shows a detailed view of a uav mating with a landing guide. fig. 8 shows the self-correction of a uav landing on a landing guide. fig. 9 shows an example of a battery storage carousel. fig. 10 shows an example of a battery storage container. fig. 11 shows an example of a battery storage carousel located below the landing area. fig. 12 shows the components of a possible mechanism to swap the battery on a uav. fig. 13 shows a robotic arm clamp for swapping a uav battery. fig. 14 shows a detailed example of a mechanism for swapping a uav battery. fig. 15 shows an example of a complete energy provision station. fig. 16 shows a uav with an on-board battery connected to a charge of an energy provision station. fig. 17 provides a flow chart of a possible communication between a uav and a energy provision station. fig. 18 illustrates an unmanned aerial vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. fig. 19 illustrates a movable object including a carrier and a payload, in accordance with an illustrative example. fig. 20 is a schematic illustration by way of block diagram of a system for controlling a movable object, in accordance with an illustrative example fig. 21 illustrates a procedure that may be followed by a uav and an energy provision station in accordance with an illustrative example detailed description of the invention the systems, devices, and methods of the present invention provide interaction between an energy provision station and an unmanned aerial vehicle (uav). description of the uav may be applied to any other type of unmanned vehicle, or any other type of movable object. description of the vehicle may apply to land-bound, underground, underwater, water surface, aerial, or space-based vehicles. the interaction between the energy provision station and the uav may include docking between the energy provision station and the uav. communications may occur between the uav and the energy provision station while the uav is separated from the energy provision station and/or while the uav is connected to the energy provision station. the uav may be powered by a rechargeable battery which may be recharged while onboard the uav or removed from the uav prior to recharging. the energy provision station may exchange the battery onboard the uav for another battery. the energy provision station may store batteries. the energy provision station may be movable relative to a uav. fig. 1 shows an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle (uav) that may be associated with an energy provision station. the uav may land on or take off from the energy provision station. an energy provision system 100 may be provided in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. the energy provision system may comprise a uav 101 and an energy provision station 102. the uav may be adapted to identify and communicate with the energy provision station. any description herein of a uav 101 may apply to any type of movable object. the description of a uav may apply to any type of unmanned movable object (e.g., which may traverse the air, land, water, or space). the uav may be capable of responding to commands from a remote controller. the remote controller may be not connected to the uav, the remote controller may communicate with the uav wirelessly from a distance. in some instances, the uav may be capable of operating autonomously or semi-autonomously. the uav may be capable of following a set of pre-programmed instructions. in some instances, the uav may operate semi-autonomously by responding to one or more commands from a remote controller while otherwise operating autonomously. for instance, one or more commands from a remote controller may initiate a sequence of autonomous or semi-autonomous actions by the uav in accordance with one or more parameters. the uav 101 may be an aerial vehicle. the uav may have one or more propulsion units that may permit the uav to move about in the air. the one or more propulsion units may enable the uav to move about one or more, two or more, three or more, four or more, five or more, six or more degrees of freedom. in some instances, the uav may be able to rotate about one, two, three or more axes of rotation. the axes of rotation may be orthogonal to one another. the axes of rotation may remain orthogonal to one another throughout the course of the uav's flight. the axes of rotation may include a pitch axis, roll axis, and/or yaw axis. the uav may be able to move along one or more dimensions. for example, the uav may be able to move upwards due to the lift generated by one or more rotors. in some instances, the uav may be capable of moving along a z axis (which may be up relative to the uav orientation), an x axis, and/or a y axis (which may be lateral). the uav may be capable of moving along one, two, or three axes that may be orthogonal to one another. the uav 101 may be a rotorcraft. in some instances, the uav may be a multi-rotor craft that may include a plurality of rotors. the plurality or rotors may be capable of rotating to generate lift for the uav. the rotors may be propulsion units that may enable the uav to move about freely through the air. the rotors may rotate at the same rate and/or may generate the same amount of lift or thrust. the rotors may optionally rotate at varying rates, which may generate different amounts of lift or thrust and/or permit the uav to rotate. in some instances, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more rotors may be provided on a uav. the rotors may be arranged so that their axes of rotation are parallel to one another. in some instances, the rotors may have axes of rotation that are at any angle relative to one another, which may affect the motion of the uav. fig. 2 shows a detailed view of a possible embodiment of an energy provision system comprising the uav 201 and the energy provision station 202. the uav 201 shown in fig. 2 is an example of a uav that can be part of the energy provision system. the uav shown may have a plurality of rotors 203. the rotors 203 may connect to the body of the uav 204 which may comprise a control unit, inertial measuring unit (imu), processor, battery, power source, and/or other sensors. the rotors may be connected to the body via one or more arms or extensions that may branch from a central portion of the body. for example, one or more arms may extend radially from a central body of the uav, and may have rotors at or near the ends of the arms. the uav may be situated on a surface of the energy provision station by a landing stand 205. the landing stand may be configured to support the weight of the uav when the uav is not airborne. the landing stand may include one or more extension members that may extend from the uav. the extension members of the landing stand may extend from one or more arms of the uav, or from a central body of the uav. the extension members of the landing stand may extend from beneath one or more rotors, or near one or more rotors. the extension members may extend substantially vertically. the energy provision station 202 may be a battery station. the energy provision station may be a ground station. the energy provision station may be a battery changing station or battery exchange station. the energy provision station may be a battery recharging station. the energy provision station may be portable. the energy provision station may be capable of being carried by a human. the energy provision station may be capable of being lifted by a human in one or two hands. the energy provision station may be reconfigurable or folded in on itself to become more portable. the energy provision station 202 may have a landing area for a uav 206. any surface of the energy provision station may be adapted to comprise the landing area. for example, a top surface of the energy provision station may form a landing area. optionally, one or more platforms may be provided as a landing area for the uav. the platforms may or may not include any sides, ceilings, or covers. the energy provision station 202 may further comprise a battery storage system. the battery storage system may be configured to store one or more batteries. the battery storage system may charge the one or more stored batteries. in the example shown in fig. 2 the battery storage system 207 is shown below the landing area 206. another component of an energy provision station may be a mechanism configured to remove a battery from a uav and to replace the removed battery with a fully or partially charged battery from the battery storage system. a vertical position and/or velocity of the uav may be controlled by maintaining and/or adjusting output to one or more propulsion units of the uav. for example, increasing the speed of rotation of one or more rotors of the uav may aid in causing the uav to increase in altitude or increase in altitude at a faster rate. increasing the speed of rotation of the one or more rotors may increase the thrust of the rotors. decreasing the speed of rotation of one or more rotors of the uav may aid in causing the uav to decrease in altitude or decrease in altitude at a faster rate. decreasing the speed of rotation of the one or more rotors may decrease the thrust of the one or more rotors. when a uav is taking off, such as from an energy provision station, the output may be provided to the propulsion units may be increased from its previous landed state. when the uav is landing, such as on a vehicle, the output provided to the propulsion units may be decreased from its previous flight state. the uav may be configured to take off and/or land on an energy provision station in a substantially vertical manner. a lateral position and/or velocity of the uav may be controlled by maintaining and/ or adjusting output to one or more propulsion units of the uav. the altitude of the uav and the speed of rotation of one or more rotors of the uav may affect the lateral movement of the uav. for example, the uav may be tilted in a particular direction to move in that direction, and the speed of the rotors of the uav may affect the speed of the lateral movement and/or trajectory of movement. lateral position and/or velocity of the uav may be controlled by varying or maintaining the speed of rotation of one or more rotors of the uav. the uav 101 may be of small dimensions. the uav may be capable of being lifted and/or carried by a human. the uav may be capable of being carried by a human in one hand. the energy provision station may have a landing area configured to provide a space for the uav to land. the uav dimensions may optionally not exceed the width of the energy provision station landing area. the uav dimensions may optionally not exceed the length of the energy provision station landing area. the uav 101 may have a greatest dimension (e.g., length, width, height, diagonal, diameter) of no more than 100 cm. in some instances, the greatest dimension may be less than or equal to 1 mm, 5 mm, 1 cm, 3 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 12 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm, 25 cm, 30 cm, 35 cm, 40 cm, 45 cm, 50 cm, 55 cm, 60 cm, 65 cm, 70 cm, 75 cm, 80 cm, 85 cm, 90 cm, 95 cm, 100 cm, 110 cm, 120 cm, 130 cm, 140 cm, 150 cm, 160 cm, 170 cm, 180 cm, 190 cm, 200 cm, 220 cm, 250 cm, or 300 cm. optionally, the greatest dimension of the uav may be greater than or equal to any of the values described herein. the uav may have a greatest dimension falling within a range between any two of the values described herein. the uav 101 may be lightweight. for example, the uav may weigh less than or equal to 1 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, 500 mg, 1 g, 2 g, 3 g, 5 g, 7 g, 10 g, 12 g, 15 g, 20 g, 25 g, 30 g, 35 g, 40 g, 45 g, 50 g, 60 g, 70 g, 80 g, 90 g, 100 g, 120 g, 150 g, 200 g, 250 g, 300 g, 350 g, 400 g, 450 g, 500 g, 600 g, 700 g, 800 g, 900 g, 1 kg, 1.1 kg, 1.2 kg, 1.3 kg, 1.4 kg, 1.5 kg, 1.7 kg, 2 kg, 2.2 kg, 2.5 kg, 3 kg, 3.5 kg, 4 kg, 4.5 kg, 5 kg, 5.5 kg, 6 kg, 6.5 kg, 7 kg, 7.5 kg, 8 kg, 8.5 kg, 9 kg, 9.5 kg, 10 kg, 11 kg, 12 kg, 13 kg, 14 kg, 15 kg, 17 kg, or 20 kg. the uav may have a weight greater than or equal to any of the values described herein. the uav may have a weight falling within a range between any two of the values described herein. one or more components of the uav may be powered by a battery. for example the entire uav may be powered by a battery or only a propulsion unit, controller, communication unit, inertial measure unit (imu), and/or other sensors may be powered by a battery. battery can refer to a single battery or a pack of two or more batteries. an example of a battery may include a lithium ion battery, alkaline battery, nickel cadmium battery, lead acid battery, or nickel metal hydride battery. the battery may be a disposable or a rechargeable battery. the life time of the battery (i.e. amount of time it will provide power to the uav before needing a recharge) may vary; the life time may be at least 1 min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, 1 hr, 2 hrs, 3 hrs, 4hrs, 5 hrs, or 10 hrs. the battery life may have a duration greater than or equal to any of the values described herein. the battery life may have a duration falling within a range between any two of the values described herein. a battery may be coupled to the uav to provide power to the uav by an electrical connection. any description herein of a battery may apply to one or more batteries. any description of a battery may apply to a battery pack, and vice versa, where a battery pack may include one or more batteries. batteries may be connected in series, in parallel, or any combination thereof. an electrical connection between a uav and a battery or a component of a uav and a battery may be provided. an electrical contact of a battery may contact an electrical contact of the uav. the uav may have recessed region on its body to house the battery. fig. 3 shows an example of a uav 301 with a recessed region 302 configured to house a battery 303 in the body of the uav 304. the recessed region may have equal or non-equal length, width and depth. possible values for the length, width, and depth of the recessed region may be at least 1 mm, 5 mm, 1 cm, 3 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 12 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm, 25 cm, 30 cm, 35 cm, 40 cm, 45 cm, 50 cm, 55 cm, 60 cm, 65 cm, 70 cm, 75 cm, 80 cm, 85 cm, 90 cm, 95 cm, or 100 cm. the recessed region may be configured to hold one or more batteries. the recessed region may contain electrical contacts to connect the battery to the uav power system. additionally the recessed region may comprise electrical connections to communicate with a sensor which may dynamically read and record the remaining charge on the battery. the recessed region may include one or more electrical contacts that may be in electrical contact with the battery onboard the uav. the electrical contacts may be coupled to the battery while it is inside of the recessed region, if the battery is removed the contact may be disconnected from the battery. the method of swapping of a battery on a uav by an energy provision station may include the steps of landing the uav at the energy provision station, removing an on-board battery from the uav using a component of the energy provision station, exchanging the on-board battery for another battery provided at the energy provision station, coupling the other battery to the uav, and causing the uav to take off of from the energy provision station. all or any one of these steps may be fully or partially automated. an example of a method of battery exchange is shown in the flow chart in fig. 4 . the steps described in fig. 4 may occur in the order shown, or the steps may occur out of order. the method of battery exchange may include all of the steps listed or a subset of the steps listed. initially the uav may land on a landing area on the energy provision station 401. after the uav lands, the depleted battery may be removed by a mechanism on the energy provision station. the energy provision station may employ a robotic arm to remove the depleted battery from the uav 402. upon being removed, the depleted battery may be stored in a battery storage unit. the battery storage unit may comprise a container for the battery, the container may include electrical connections configured to provide charge to the battery. an example of a battery storage area may be a carousel on board the energy provision station 403. the carousel may be configured such that it may rotate to carry away the depleted battery and place a charged battery in line with a mechanism configured to install the charged battery on the uav. in some examples, such a mechanism may be a robotic arm 404. the robot arm that transports the charged battery to the uav may be the same robotic arm that removes the depleted battery from the uav. after rotation of the carousel, the robotic arm may install the charged battery in the uav 405. the final step may be for the uav to take off from the landing area with a fully charged battery on board 406. the uav may communicate with an energy provision station. for example, the uav may transmit information to the energy provision station regarding the state of the battery on board the uav, the current flight conditions, time or distance remaining on current mission, distance to the next energy provision station, battery specifications, state of battery charge (e.g. remaining power estimate), battery temperature, uav specifications, or flight plan (e.g. estimated arrival at the next energy provision station and/or estimated time of arrival at final destination). the uav may also communicate information to the energy provision station describing the state of the uav. for example the uav may communicate information describing system failures or descriptions of damaged parts (e.g. broken propeller) to the energy provision station. the uav may carry a payload. the uav may communicate the weight of the pay load. additionally the uav may communicate to the energy provision station when in the flight plan the uav plans to load or unload the payload. in response to information from the uav or independent of communication from the uav the energy provision station may communicate information to the uav. the energy provision station may inform the uav as to whether or not it is available to provide the uav with a charged battery. for example, the energy provision station may be depleted of charged batteries or the energy provision station may be occupied by another uav, in these instances the energy provision station may instruct the uav to continue on to the next closest energy provision station. in another case the energy provision station may instruct the uav to continue to the next closest energy provision station in the case of adverse weather conditions (e.g. wind, rain, snow) or a mechanical or electrical failure on the energy provision station. the energy provision station may transmit updated route instruction to the uav to direct the uav to the next energy provision station. alternatively, when the energy provision station is available for charging, the energy provision station may instruct the uav to land on the station. in the case of low battery charge, the uav may be directed to land at the energy provision station. an instruction to land on the energy provision may be transmitted by the energy provision station. if the charge of the battery is too low to permit the uav to meet the uav's time or distance remaining on the uav's current mission, or the uav flight plan, the uav may be directed to land at the energy provision station. uav operating parameters, such as expected rate of energy consumption, or current rate of energy consumption, may be taken into account. for example, a uav may be flying in a relatively 'low power' mode where one or more of the sensors are not in operation, but it may be anticipated that the uav may employ more of the sensors later in flight. the anticipated increased rate of energy consumption may affect the anticipated rate of battery charge depletion, which may be taken into account when determining whether the uav needs to land at the energy provision station. optionally, the uav may be directed to land at the energy provision station if the state of charge of the battery falls beneath a predetermined threshold. additionally the uav may be instructed to land on the energy provision station if a mechanical or electrically system on board the uav is in need of repair (e.g. broken propeller, short in electrical component). landing on an energy provision station may be predetermined by a uavs flight plan. for example a uav instructed to travel from point a to point b may have a planned stop at an energy provision station halfway between point a and point b. the decision to land at an energy provision station as part of the flight plan may be contingent on the energy provision station being unoccupied. for example, energy provision station halfway between point a and point b is occupied by another uav the uav may alter its flight plan to continue on to the next energy provision station as long as the power remaining on the battery is sufficient to reach the next energy provision station. when more than one uav identifies an energy provision station with the intent of landing on the energy provision station the uavs may be entered into a queue. the uavs in the queue may wait for access to the energy provision station. the uavs in the queue may be ordered such that uavs in urgent need of aid from the energy provision station (e.g. those with mechanical failures and/or critically low batteries) may be attended to before uavs in less need of aid from the energy provisions station. the uavs in the queue may be ranked by layers or they may be ranked based on a system of weighing various factors. in the case of ranking by layers, the primary layer may be the mechanical or electrical status of the uav, the secondary layer may be the energy remaining on the uav's battery, and the tertiary layer may be how long the uav has been waiting for aid from the energy provision station. the layers may be used to rank the uavs in the queue. alternatively, in the weighting system factors such as the mechanical or electrical status of components of the uav, the power storage remaining on the battery of the uav, and how long the uav has been waiting in the queue may be considered. a weighted average (e.g. a score) of the aforementioned factors may be used to determine a uavs location in the queue. an interaction between a uav and an energy provision station may follow the procedure outline in fig. 21 . the interaction may include all the steps shown in fig. 21 or a subset of these steps, the steps may occur in the order shown or in an alternate order. first the uav may detect the energy provision station 2101. the detection of the energy provision station by the uav may be in response to a known gps signal indicating the location of the energy provision station, a visual detection, or an audio detection. the uav may exchange information with the energy provision station 2102, for example the uav may communicate information regarding the state of the uav and/or the battery. the energy provision station may provide the uav with information regarding the state of the energy provision station. based on the information exchange the uav may determine if it should land on the energy provision station or continue on its flight path 2103. if the uav decides to land on the energy provision station it may enter a queue of uavs waiting to land on the energy provision station 2104. when the uav is the first uav in the queue and the energy provision station is unoccupied by another uav the uav may land on the energy provision station 2105. the uav may identify an energy provision station landing area by sensing a marking, for example a marking may be a raised pattern, a recessed pattern, an image, a symbol, a decal, a 1-d, 2-d, or 3-d barcode, a qr code, or lights visible on the energy provision station landing area. the marking may indicate that the energy provision station has charged batteries available. for example the marking may be a light or pattern of lights, the lights may be turned on only when the energy provision station has charged batteries available. the uav may take off and land on the energy provision station landing area vertically. the landing area may comprise recessed mating features to guide the uav during landing. the mating features may decrease the need for accuracy when landing the uav on the landing area. the recessed features may be configured to mate with a wide variety of uavs, alternatively the mating features may be specific to a single uav manufacturer, single uav fleet, or one particular uav. communication between the uav and the energy provision station may be used to get the uav to the general location of the energy provision station. communication between the uav and the energy provision station may occur wirelessly. the uav may employ gps or other locating software to locate the energy provision station. the gps or other location techniques can be used to get the uav to the vicinity of the energy provision station. the wireless communications may get the uav within range to sense one or more portions of the energy provision stations. for instance, the uav may be brought into a line-of-sight of the energy provision station. the landing area marker or markers may aid in further pinpointing the location of the energy provision station. the marker may serve as a confirmation of the energy provision station on which the uav may land. the markers may also differentiate the energy provision station or a landing area of an energy provision station from other objects or regions. the marker may be useful for indicating a landing position of the uav on the energy provision station. the marker may be used as a fiducial marker, which may aid the uav in navigating to a proper landing position on the energy provision station. in some examples, multiple markers may be provided which may aid the uav in landing in a desired position. in some instances, it may also be desirable for a uav to have a particular orientation when docking with the energy provision station. in one example, the marker may include an asymmetric image or code that may be discernible by the uav. the fiducial may be indicative of the orientation of the energy provision station relative to the uav. thus, the uav may be able to orient itself properly when landing on the energy provision station. the marker may also be indicative of the distance of the energy provision station relative to the uav. this may be used separate from or in combination with one or more other sensors of the uav to determine the altitude of the uav. for example, if the size of the fiducial marker is known, the distance from the uav to the marker may be gauged depending on the size of the marker showing up in the sensors of the uav. in one example, the marker may be provided at a particular location relative to a desired landing spot of the uav on the energy provision station. this may be at a particular location relative to a desired landing spot on a landing area of an energy provision station. the uav may be capable of landing on the landing area with great precision. the marker may help guide the uav to the exact desired spot. for instance, the marker may be located 10 cm in front of the center of the desired landing point of the uav. the uav may use the marker to guide the uav to the exact landing spot. in some examples, multiple markers may be provided. the desired landing spot may fall between the multiple markers. the uav may use the markers to help orient the uav and/or position its landing between the markers. distance between the markers may aid the uav in gaging the distance of the uav to the landing area. the marker may be provided anywhere on the energy provision station or landing area. the marker may be placed in a location such that it is easily discernable from above. in some instances, the marker may be provided on an exterior surface of the energy provision station. the marker may include a wireless signal being emitted by an energy provision station. the origin of the signal may be from outside the energy provision station or inside the energy provision station. alternatively the energy provision station may emit ir and/or uv light, radio, or audio signals. the marker may be positioned near where the uav may dock with the energy provision station. in one example, the marker may be positioned less than about 100 cm, 90 cm, 80 cm, 75 cm, 70 cm, 65 cm, 60 cm, 55 cm, 50 cm, 45 cm, 40 cm, 35 cm, 30 cm, 25 cm, 20 cm, 15 cm, 12 cm, 10 cm, 8 cm, 7 cm, 6 cm, 5 cm, 4 cm, 3 cm, 2 cm, or 1 cm from where the uav lands on the energy provision station. data pertaining to the detected marker may be provided to one or more processors. the processors may be on board the uav. based on the detected information about the detected marker, the processors may, individually or collectively, generate a command signal. the command signal may drive the propulsion units of the uav. for example, the propulsion units may be driven to cause the uav to land on the energy provision station with the detected marker, when the detected marker is determined to belong to the energy provision station. the detected marker may indicate the state of charge of the stored batteries at the energy provision station. for example if the energy provision station has a fully charged battery available the detected marker may result in a command from the processor to land the uav. in another example if the energy provision station does not have a charged battery available the detected marker may result in a command from the processor to continue traveling to the next energy provision station. thus, a uav may be able to land in an autonomous or semi-autonomous fashion in response to a detected marker. the uav may be capable of landing without receiving any commands or manual input from a user. in some examples, sensors on board the uav may be used to detect the marker, and processing may occur on-board the uav. the uav may be capable of landing itself on the energy provision station without requiring further guidance or information from the energy provision station once the uav has confirmed that the marker belongs to the energy provision station. an energy provision station may include a marker, and one or more coupling connection components. the energy provision station may send information about its location to a uav. the energy provision station may have a location unit capable of determining positional information. an energy provision station may receive information from the uav about the location of the uav and the state of the battery on board the uav. for example, coordinate information, such as gps coordinates, for the uav may be provided to the energy provision station. in another example the uav may communicate the remaining charge percentage of the battery currently in use on the uav. the energy provision station may have a communication unit capable of communicating with the uav. the energy provision station may have a processor capable of identifying and/or calculating a location of the uav. furthermore, the energy provision station may have a processor capable of identifying and/or calculating a location of the next nearest battery exchange station. for example a uav may communicate to an energy provision station that the battery currently on board the uav has a remaining charge percentage of 18%, the processor at the energy provision station may determine the distance to the next battery exchange station in the uav's flight path to determine if the uav should stop for recharging or continue to the next energy provision station. fig. 5 shows a possible embodiment of an energy provision station. the energy provision station may have three basic components: a battery replacement member 501, a uav landing area 502, and a battery storage unit 503. the battery replacement member may be a mechanical arm 501 that may be configured to remove a battery from a uav and/or to place a charged battery in the uav. in some instances, the mechanical arm may both remove the battery from the uav and place a charged battery in the uav. alternatively, different mechanical components may be used to remove the battery form the uav and to place a charged battery in the uav. the mechanical arm may have at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 degrees of freedom. the mechanical arm may move autonomously or semi autonomously. the uav landing 502 area may comprise markers that may be uniquely recognized by an approaching uav. the landing area may comprise a passive landing guide 504. the passive landing guides may be configured to interact with a component of a uav as it lands to guide the uav to a final resting position. the uav may include a landing stand that may fit into a passive landing guide and be guided to the final resting position. the uav may include a surface upon which the uav may land. the uav may rest on the surface, or all or a majority of the weight of the uav may be borne by the passive landing guides. the battery storage unit 503 may store a plurality of batteries. the battery storage unit may simultaneously store and charge the stored batteries. the battery storage unit may move the batteries relative to each other. the battery storage unit may move the batteries relative to the uav landing area and/or a uav on the landing area. multiple batteries may be moved simultaneously using the battery storage unit. when a uav lands on the energy provision station, a fully charged battery may be in a location such that the mechanical arm 501 may install the battery on the uav. for instance, a mechanical arm may bring a depleted battery from a uav to a particular location relative to the battery storage unit. the battery storage unit may accept the depleted battery. the battery storage unit may cause movement of the batteries so that a different battery (e.g., fully charged battery) is moved to the location where the depleted battery was accepted. the mechanical arm may receive the different battery. in some instances, the movement may include rotation of the battery storage unit about an axis. the uav landing area of the energy provision station may be configured to comprise a passive landing guide. the uav may have at least one protruding feature which may mate with a corresponding cavity on the landing area of the energy provision station. for example the uav may have four round conical stoppers which may fit inside of four round conical indentations on the landing area. the protruding feature may be a launch stand configured to bear a weight of the uav. fig. 6 shows an example of a uav 601 landing on an energy provision station 602 such that the conical stoppers 603 mate with the conical indentations 604 on the landing area. in an alternative embodiment, the stopper and the indentation may comprise a variety of other mating shapes. the stopper may be made from rubber, plastic, metal, wood, or composite. the stopper may have a height and width of less than or equal to 1 mm, 5 mm, 1 cm, 3 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 12 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm, 25 cm, 30 cm, 35 cm, 40 cm, 45 cm, 50 cm, 55 cm, 60 cm, 65 cm, 70 cm, 75 cm, 80 cm, 85 cm, 90 cm, 95 cm, or 100 cm. the indentations may have corresponding dimensions such that they are adapted to fit the stopper. in another example the uav may comprise a protrusion that does not identically mate with an indentation on the landing area. in this example, the uav may have a feature protruding from the bottom of the uav designed such that it is smaller than the indentation on the landing area. the protruding feature on the bottom of the uav may fit into the indentation. in a specific example of this configuration, the uav may have a protruding rod and the landing area may have a conical indentation. upon landing, the protruding rod may be funneled into the bottom of the conical indentation. for instance, if a protruding rod hits a side of the indentation, gravity may cause the protruding rod to slide to the bottom of the indentation. fig. 7 shows a detailed side (left) and top (right) view of a possible embodiment of the landing area 701 with a docked uav 702 showing a protruding rod fitting inside of a conical indentation 703. optionally, the protruding rod may be a landing stand of the uav. the protruding rods may bear the weight of the uav while the uav is resting on the landing area. the indentations may bear the weight of the protruding rods and/or the uav while the uav is resting on the landing area. the passive landing guide may reduce the need for high precision control of the uav landing procedure. the passive landing guide may be configured such that the uav may corrected if it approaches the station in such a way that it is off set from the desired landing location. the passive landing guide may bring the uav into the desired location with the aid of gravity. fig. 8 shows an example of how the passive landing guide may correct the uav if it approaches the landing location with an off set. in the example shown in fig. 8 the uav approaches the landing guide off set to the right (1). the uav partially mates with the passive landing guide, after contact with the landing guide the uav may slide downward into the correct location (2). this process of correcting the uav to the correct landing location may rely on gravity and may not introduce a need for a moving part or additional mechanism. alternatively the uav may locate the energy provision station using real time kinematics (rtk). rtk location methods may require both the uav and the energy provision station to emit a satellite signal, for example a gps signal. rtk may allow the uav to locate the correct docking location on the energy provision station with accuracy within 10 cm, 9 cm, 8 cm, 7 cm, 6 cm, 5 cm, 4 cm, 3 cm, 2 cm, 1 cm, or less than 1 cm. the energy provision station may comprise a battery storage system. the battery storage system may be a carousel. the batteries in the battery storage system may be fully charged, partially charged, or depleted of charge. the batteries may be connected to a source of electrical power to restore them from a depleted or partially charged state to a state of full charge. the batteries may be identical in size, shape, and battery type (e.g. lithium ion, nickel cadmium). alternatively, different battery sizes, shapes or types may be accommodated. the battery storage system may be configured to store at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 batteries. in some embodiments, the battery system may store less than any of the number of batteries described. the battery system may store a number of batteries falling within a range between any two of the values described. the battery storage system may comprise individual ports for each battery. the ports may be movable relative to each other. multiple ports may move simultaneously. the ports may rotate about an axis clockwise, counterclockwise, or in both rotational directions. the axis of rotation may be horizontally oriented (e.g., parallel to an underlying surface or ground, perpendicular to the direction of gravity), or vertically oriented (e.g., perpendicular to an underlying surface or ground, parallel to the direction of gravity). the ports may translate in any direction. optionally, they may translate and rotate simultaneously. the ports may have electrical connections which may connect to the processor to meter the charge available on the battery or they may connect to an electricity source to charge the battery. the electricity source may be on board or off board the energy provision station. for example the electricity source may be an electric generator, a rechargeable battery, a disposable battery, or a connection to a distributed power line. alternatively the ports may charge the batteries inductively (wirelessly). multiple charging interfaces may be accommodated by the energy provision station such that the station can charge a variety of battery types and voltages. the energy provision station may be permanently installed or it may be temporary. in the case of a temporary energy provision station, the station may be configured to be portable and may be carried away by a user. the stored batteries may move relative to each other. in one example the batteries may move relative to each other in a carousel. fig. 9 shows an example of a possible battery carousel 901 for use in the battery storage system. the carousel shown in fig. 9 can hold 8 batteries 902. alternatively a carousel may be chosen such that it can hold at least 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 batteries. the carousel may be configured to hold fewer batteries than values described herein or the carousel may be configured to hold a number of batteries within a range between any two of the values described herein. the batteries in the carousel may be identical in size, shape, voltage, and composition. each battery may be stored in a compartment 903. the battery may slide in and out of the compartment during installation and removal from a uav. for instance, the battery may slide and out laterally via a side opening of the compartment. the battery may be able to lock into the compartment during storage. a battery may be charged on board the uav or a battery may be charged in the storage compartment in the battery storage system. the battery storage compartment may be configured to provide electrical charge to the battery through electrical contacts. fig. 10 shows an example of a possible battery storage compartment 1001 with electrical contacts configured 1002 to provide charge to a battery. the electrical contacts may be connected to a power source 1003 off board the battery. the battery may be simultaneously connected to a meter to determine when the battery charge is complete. the container may provide only enough electrical power to charge or partially charge the stored battery. the battery storage compartment may be part of a carousel or other battery storage unit. the battery storage compartment may be movable relative to other portions of an energy provision station. the battery carousel 901 may rotate about a shaft 904. the carousel may rotate counter-clockwise or clockwise. the carousel may be able to rotate in either both directions or only one direction. the rotation may be driven by an actuator, such as a motor. the actuator may receive a command signal from a controller on-board or off-board the energy provision station that controls movement of the battery storage system. the carousel may be configured perpendicular to the base of the energy provision station 905. for instance, the length of the shaft may be parallel to the base of the energy provision station. alternatively the carousel may be oriented parallel to the base of the base of the energy provision station or at any other angle relative to the base of the energy provision station. fig. 11 shows a possible embodiment of the complete energy provision station. fig. 11 shows that the landing area 1101 may be placed on top of the carousel 1102. the battery carousel may be partially or completely enclosed by a housing. the battery storage system may be driven by an actuator to rotate. the battery storage system may include a steering lock, so that the battery storage can be locked when needed to prevent it from rotating and fix it at the desired position. the steering lock may be located at the bottom of the carousel, the top, or along the sides. the energy provision station may comprise a mechanism configured to move the batteries. the mechanism may be an automated battery replacement member. the mechanism may be a robotic arm, actuator, or a pulley. the mechanism may be a mechanical elevator. in one embodiment, the mechanism configured to move the batteries may be a robotic arm. the robotic arm may have at least 2 degrees of freedom. for example a robotic arm having 2 degrees of freedom may be able to move (1) horizontally and (2) vertically. the up and down motion may be achieved by a linear actuator, or any other type of actuator. the horizontal motion may be achieved by a rack and pinion mechanism driven by an actuator. the horizontal motion may be a linear motion. the horizontal actuator may be installed on a vertical motion actuator such that the robotic arm may vertically and then horizontally. optionally, the robotic arm may permit a battery to move vertically and/or horizontally without causing any rotation of the battery. the battery may be translated without being rotated by the robotic arm. in alternative embodiments, the robotic arm may permit rotation or change in orientation of the battery. the mechanism configured to move the batteries may comprise an end member adapted to attach to the battery to be removed from the uav. for example the end member may be a magnet, a hook, or a suction device. in a preferred embodiment the end member may be a clamp. the clamp may be installed on the forward and back module such that the robotic arm may move forward or back and then clamp or release a battery. the clamping motion may be driven by a steering gear and linkage system. the clamp may attach to the battery by compressing the battery between two sides of the clamp with sufficient pressure to hold the battery, alternatively the battery and the clamp may comprise complimentary mating features. an example of a complimentary mating feature may be a peg and a hole. similar mating features may be used to hold the batteries in the battery storage unit. fig. 12 shows a schematic of a possible robotic arm. the robotic arm may be raised from the base of the energy provision station by a post 1201. the robotic arm may be configured to move up and down along the post. the robotic arm may move up and down autonomously or semi autonomously. the robotic arm may be attached to the post via a second rail 1202 on which it may be configured to move forward and back. the robotic arm may move forward and back autonomously or semi autonomously. the third feature of the robotic arm may be a terminal clamp 1203. the terminal clamp may have a c shaped opening which may open towards the recessed battery of a docked uav. the terminal clamp may open and close, it may be able to attach to a battery. fig. 13 shows a detailed view of an illustrative example of a robotic arm. the example shown in fig. 13 depicts a clamp 1301 mounted on a rack and pinion mechanism 1302. the clamp may be oriented horizontally, so that ends of the clamp grid onto the sides of the battery. the clamp may include a portion in the rear 1303 that may rotate, thereby causing the ends of the clamp 1304 to move closer together or further apart. the rear control portion may rotate with aid of an actuator, that may operate in response to a command signal from a controller on-board or off-board the energy provision station. fig. 14 provides a complete view of the robotic arm including the clamp 1401 mounted on a rack and pinion mechanism 1402. the assembly comprising the clamp and rack and pinion supported on an actuator 1403 configured to move the assembly in a vertical up and down path. in addition to vertical motion the entire assembly may also be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise about a pivot point 1404. the pivot point may be oriented so that the entire assembly may rotate about a vertical axis of rotation. this may permit the assembly to change orientation. in some instances, the assembly may rotate about a limited range. in some instances, the robotic arm may not rotate about an axis, it may be fixed rotationally. in some instances the robotic arm may be employed in the landing of the uav on the energy provision station instead of or in addition to swapping the battery on board the uav. the uav may approach the energy provision station, when the uav is sufficiently close to the energy provision station the robotic arm may attach to the uav and place the uav in a preferred location for battery swapping on board the energy provision station. the robotic arm may detect the uav using a sensor on the robotic arm, for example, the sensor may be a vision sensor, a motion sensor, an audio sensor, or any other sensor configured to detect a uav in proximity to the robotic arm. the robotic arm may attach to the body of the detected uav, the robotic arm may attach to the uav using the terminal c shaped clamp. alternatively the robotic arm may attach to the uav magnetically, with velcro, or by achieving positive mating between complimentary mating features on the uav and the robotic arm. the uav may turn off its rotors after being sized or grasped by the robotic arm. the robotic arm may be specifically configured to seize the uav from the air to place the uav on the energy provision station. the robotic arm may telescope vertically from the energy provision station such that it may be in the proximity of a uav approaching the energy provision station. the robotic arm may be raised at least 6 inches, 12 inches, 24 inches, 36 inches, 48 inches or 60 inches above the landing area of the energy provision station. the robotic arm may be raised above the energy provision station to detect an approaching uav using a visual sensor. additionally the robotic arm may rotate about an axis such that it can turn to face an incoming uav. the robotic arm may move vertically, horizontally, and rotationally about a vertical and/or horizontal axis. alternatively the robotic arm may be raised above the energy provision station after the gps or rtk system on the energy provision station has detected a uav in proximity of the energy provision station. once the robotic arm is raised it may grasp an incoming uav and then lower to the level of the landing area to place the uav on the landing area of the energy provision station. fig. 15 shows the complete energy provision station assembly including the landing area 1501, battery storage system 1502, and the robotic arm 1503. in the illustrative example shown in fig. 15 the battery storage system is below the landing area and the robotic arm is adjacent to the battery storage system and landing area such that it is adapted to access both regions of the energy provision station. the robotic arm may move vertically between the uav landing area and the battery storage system while performing a battery switching procedure. optionally, a notch or opening 1504 may be provided on the uav landing area that may permit the robotic arm and/or battery to traverse the region between the uav landing area and the battery storage system. the energy provision station may provide charge to the battery onboard the uav. the energy provision station may provide charge to battery on board the uav without removing the battery from the recessed region in the body of the uav. charge may be provided to the battery on board the uav from a power source on board or off board the energy provision station. fig. 16 shows an example of a battery 1601 on board a uav 1602 receiving charge from an energy provision station 1603. in the example in fig. 16 a power source 1604, which may be located on board or off board the energy provision station 1603, provides power to the battery 1601 by means of an electrical pathway 1605. the electrical pathway may include an electrical connection 1606 on the landing area 1607. alternatively, the electrical pathway may take any path between a battery on-board the uav and the power source. the electrical connection 1606 may be recessed in the landing area 1607. the electrical connection 1606 may be configured to move out of the recession and mate with a battery when instructed by a processor to provide charge to the battery on board the uav. alternatively, the electrical connection may be provided separately from the landing area and may or may not contact the landing area. the uav may include an electrical contact that may connect with a corresponding electrical contact for a charging apparatus that connects the power source to the battery. a uav may locate an energy provision station from the air. upon locating the energy provision station the uav may communicate with the energy provision station to determine if the uav should approach and land on the energy provision station to initiate a battery switching procedure. a battery life reloading procedure may initiate when a uav docks on the landing area of an energy provision station. reloading battery life on a uav may include increasing the overall battery state of charge for the uav. this may include (1) recharging the existing battery while the battery is on-board the uav, (2) removing the existing battery from the uav, recharging the existing battery off-board the uav, and coupling the existing battery back with the uav, or (3) removing the existing battery from the uav, taking a new battery with a higher state of charge, and coupling the new battery with the uav. the uav docked on the landing area may communicate with a processor on board the energy provision station. alternatively, the uav may communicate remotely with a processor off board the energy provision station. the processor may determine the remaining charge on the battery currently in use on the uav by communicating with a sensor in contact with the battery. the remaining charge on the battery may be sensed by a voltmeter. based on the % of remaining charge on the battery the processor may initiate a response which may include swapping the battery for a fully charged battery from the storage system or charging the current battery. the decision to charge or swap the battery onboard the uav may be based on a threshold percentage of remaining charge. the threshold value may be 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, or 5% remaining charge. the threshold may be fixed, or it may be variable as a function of battery age, battery type, flight conditions, ambient temperature, or distance to the next energy provision station. after determining an optimal response the battery swap or charge may take place at the energy provision station. when the battery swap or charge has completed the processor may indicate that the uav may take off from the landing area. fig. 17 shows a flow chart outlining a decision process carried out by one or more processors, individually or collectively, when a uav approaches a landing area. as the uav detects an energy provision station in its vicinity it may communicate with energy provision station. the uav may communicate variables such as flight time, flight distance, time since last charge, or distance remaining on mission to the energy provision station 1701. based on this information, the processors, which may be on-board or off-board the energy provision station, may instruct the uav to land on the energy provision station for further assessment 1702. once the uav has docked on the landing area the energy provision station may measure the remaining charge on the battery 1703. if the charge is above a pre-determined threshold the energy provision station may provide a charge to the battery currently on board the uav 1704. if the battery is below a threshold charge percentage the energy provision station may initiate a battery switching procedure 1705 to replace the battery on board the uav with a fully or partially charged battery from the battery storage system. instruction to swap or charge the battery on board the uav may be based entirely on the remaining charge on the battery relative to a pre-determined threshold value or the instructions may be based on one or more other factors. for example the current charge on the batteries in the battery storage system may influence the instructions. for example, the number of available batteries in the battery storage may influence the instructions. if no batteries are available, then the battery may be charged on-board, regardless of state of charge. if only a single battery is available, the state of charge of the on-board battery may be compared with the single battery provided by the battery storage system. the battery storage battery charge may affect the instruction to swap or charge the battery such that if the energy provision station has only partially charged batteries in the storage system the processor may give the instruction to charge the battery on board the uav rather than replacing the battery with a partially charged battery. in another example the time required to swap the battery may be considered in comparison to the time required to charge the battery. a decision to swap the battery or charge the battery may be chosen such that the required time is optimized. other factors that may influence the outcome of the instruction from the processor may include the number of other uav's detected in the vicinity by the energy provision station, the mission of the uav landed on the energy provision station, and/ or the current flight conditions (e.g. head wind, tail wind, temperature). the battery switching procedure may employ the robotic arm mechanism. the first step in the procedure may be for the robotic arm to move vertically so that is may be in line with a recessed battery receptacle which may be the location of the battery to be removed from the uav. next the robotic arm may move horizontally to approach the battery to be removed from the uav. when the robotic arm is sufficiently within the proximity of the battery to be removed from the uav, the clamp may open and close to attach to the battery. once the robotic arm has attached to the battery the arm may retreat horizontally from the uav and move vertically to be in line with an empty storage receptacle in the battery storage system. the robotic arm may place the depleted battery removed from the uav into the empty storage receptacle in the battery storage system. next the battery storage system may rotate so that a charged or partially charged battery is in line with the robotic arm. the robotic arm may repeat the steps used to remove the battery from the uav in order to remove the charged or partially charged battery from the battery storage system. after the robotic arm has clamped on to a charged or partially charged battery the robotic arm may move vertically to be in line with the uav recessed battery receptacle. the robotic arm may then move horizontally to push the charged or partially charged battery into the recessed battery onboard the uav. when the battery is fitted in to the recessed battery receptacle the robotic arm may then release the clamp on the battery and retreat from the uav. after the robotic arm retreats the uav may take off vertically from the landing area and continue its mission. the systems, devices, and methods described herein can be applied to a wide variety of movable objects. as previously mentioned, any description herein of an aerial vehicle, such as a uav, may apply to and be used for any movable object. any description herein of an aerial vehicle may apply specifically to uavs. a movable object of the present invention can be configured to move within any suitable environment, such as in air (e.g., a fixed-wing aircraft, a rotary-wing aircraft, or an aircraft having neither fixed wings nor rotary wings), in water (e.g., a ship or a submarine), on ground (e.g., a motor vehicle, such as a car, truck, bus, van, motorcycle, bicycle; a movable structure or frame such as a stick, fishing pole; or a train), under the ground (e.g., a subway), in space (e.g., a spaceplane, a satellite, or a probe), or any combination of these environments. the movable object can be a vehicle, such as a vehicle described elsewhere herein. in some embodiments, the movable object can be carried by a living subject, or take off from a living subject, such as a human or an animal. suitable animals can include avines, canines, felines, equines, bovines, ovines, porcines, delphines, rodents, or insects. the movable object may be capable of moving freely within the environment with respect to six degrees of freedom (e.g., three degrees of freedom in translation and three degrees of freedom in rotation). alternatively, the movement of the movable object can be constrained with respect to one or more degrees of freedom, such as by a predetermined path, track, or orientation. the movement can be actuated by any suitable actuation mechanism, such as an engine or a motor. the actuation mechanism of the movable object can be powered by any suitable energy source, such as electrical energy, magnetic energy, solar energy, wind energy, gravitational energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, or any suitable combination thereof. the movable object may be self-propelled via a propulsion system, as described elsewhere herein. the propulsion system may optionally run on an energy source, such as electrical energy, magnetic energy, solar energy, wind energy, gravitational energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, or any suitable combination thereof. alternatively, the movable object may be carried by a living being. in some instances, the movable object can be an aerial vehicle. for example, aerial vehicles may be fixed-wing aircraft (e.g., airplane, gliders), rotary-wing aircraft (e.g., helicopters, rotorcraft), aircraft having both fixed wings and rotary wings, or aircraft having neither (e.g., blimps, hot air balloons). an aerial vehicle can be self-propelled, such as self-propelled through the air. a self-propelled aerial vehicle can utilize a propulsion system, such as a propulsion system including one or more engines, motors, wheels, axles, magnets, rotors, propellers, blades, nozzles, or any suitable combination thereof. in some instances, the propulsion system can be used to enable the movable object to take off from a surface, land on a surface, maintain its current position and/or orientation (e.g., hover), change orientation, and/or change position. the movable object can be controlled remotely by a user or controlled locally by an occupant within or on the movable object. the movable object may be controlled remotely via an occupant within a separate vehicle. in some embodiments, the movable object is an unmanned movable object, such as a uav. an unmanned movable object, such as a uav, may not have an occupant onboard the movable object. the movable object can be controlled by a human or an autonomous control system (e.g., a computer control system), or any suitable combination thereof. the movable object can be an autonomous or semi-autonomous robot, such as a robot configured with an artificial intelligence. the movable object can have any suitable size and/or dimensions. in some illustrative examples the movable object may be of a size and/or dimensions to have a human occupant within or on the vehicle. alternatively, the movable object may be of size and/or dimensions smaller than that capable of having a human occupant within or on the vehicle. the movable object may be of a size and/or dimensions suitable for being lifted or carried by a human. alternatively, the movable object may be larger than a size and/or dimensions suitable for being lifted or carried by a human. in some instances, the movable object may have a maximum dimension (e.g., length, width, height, diameter, diagonal) of less than or equal to about: 2 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 50 cm, 1 m, 2 m, 5 m, or 10 m. the maximum dimension may be greater than or equal to about: 2 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 50 cm, 1 m, 2 m, 5 m, or 10 m. for example, the distance between shafts of opposite rotors of the movable object may be less than or equal to about: 2 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 50 cm, 1 m, 2 m, 5 m, or 10 m. alternatively, the distance between shafts of opposite rotors may be greater than or equal to about: 2 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 50 cm, 1 m, 2 m, 5 m, or 10 m. in some illustrative examples, the movable object may have a volume of less than 100 cm x 100 cm x 100 cm, less than 50 cm x 50 cm x 30 cm, or less than 5 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm. the total volume of the movable object may be less than or equal to about: 1 cm 3 , 2 cm 3 , 5 cm 3 , 10 cm 3 , 20 cm 3 , 30 cm 3 , 40 cm 3 , 50 cm 3 , 60 cm 3 , 70 cm 3 , 80 cm 3 , 90 cm 3 , 100 cm 3 , 150 cm 3 , 200 cm 3 , 300 cm 3 , 500 cm 3 , 750 cm 3 , 1000 cm 3 , 5000 cm 3 , 10,000 cm 3 , 100,000 cm 3 3, 1 m 3 , or 10 m 3 . conversely, the total volume of the movable object may be greater than or equal to about: 1 cm 3 , 2 cm 3 , 5 cm 3 , 10 cm 3 , 20 cm 3 , 30 cm 3 , 40 cm 3 , 50 cm 3 , 60 cm 3 , 70 cm 3 , 80 cm 3 , 90 cm 3 , 100 cm 3 , 150 cm 3 , 200 cm 3 , 300 cm 3 , 500 cm 3 , 750 cm 3 , 1000 cm 3 , 5000 cm 3 , 10,000 cm 3 , 100,000 cm 3 , 1 m 3 , or 10 m 3 . in some illustrative examples, the movable object may have a footprint (which may refer to the lateral cross-sectional area encompassed by the movable object) less than or equal to about: 32,000 cm 2 , 20,000 cm 2 , 10,000 cm 2 , 1,000 cm 2 , 500 cm 2 , 100 cm 2 , 50 cm 2 , 10 cm 2 , or 5 cm 2 . conversely, the footprint may be greater than or equal to about: 32,000 cm 2 , 20,000 cm 2 , 10,000 cm 2 , 1,000 cm 2 , 500 cm 2 , 100 cm 2 , 50 cm 2 , 10 cm 2 , or 5 cm 2 . in some instances, the movable object may weigh no more than 1000 kg. the weight of the movable object may be less than or equal to about: 1000 kg, 750 kg, 500 kg, 200 kg, 150 kg, 100 kg, 80 kg, 70 kg, 60 kg, 50 kg, 45 kg, 40 kg, 35 kg, 30 kg, 25 kg, 20 kg, 15 kg, 12 kg, 10 kg, 9 kg, 8 kg, 7 kg, 6 kg, 5 kg, 4 kg, 3 kg, 2 kg, 1 kg, 0.5 kg, 0.1 kg, 0.05 kg, or 0.01 kg. conversely, the weight may be greater than or equal to about: 1000 kg, 750 kg, 500 kg, 200 kg, 150 kg, 100 kg, 80 kg, 70 kg, 60 kg, 50 kg, 45 kg, 40 kg, 35 kg, 30 kg, 25 kg, 20 kg, 15 kg, 12 kg, 10 kg, 9 kg, 8 kg, 7 kg, 6 kg, 5 kg, 4 kg, 3 kg, 2 kg, 1 kg, 0.5 kg, 0.1 kg, 0.05 kg, or 0.01 kg. in some illustrative examples, a movable object may be small relative to a load carried by the movable object. the load may include a payload and/or a carrier, as described in further detail elsewhere herein. in some examples, a ratio of a movable object weight to a load weight may be greater than, less than, or equal to about 1:1. in some instances, a ratio of a movable object weight to a load weight may be greater than, less than, or equal to about 1:1. optionally, a ratio of a carrier weight to a load weight may be greater than, less than, or equal to about 1:1. when desired, the ratio of an movable object weight to a load weight may be less than or equal to: 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:10, or even less. conversely, the ratio of a movable object weight to a load weight can also be greater than or equal to: 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, 10:1, or even greater. in some embodiments, the movable object may have low energy consumption. for example, the movable object may use less than about: 5 w/h, 4 w/h, 3 w/h, 2 w/h, 1 w/h, or less. in some instances, a carrier of the movable object may have low energy consumption. for example, the carrier may use less than about: 5 w/h, 4 w/h, 3 w/h, 2 w/h, 1 w/h, or less. optionally, a payload of the movable object may have low energy consumption, such as less than about: 5 w/h, 4 w/h, 3 w/h, 2 w/h, 1 w/h, or less. fig. 18 illustrates an unmanned aerial vehicle (uav) 1800, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. the uav may be an example of a movable object as described herein. the uav 1800 can include a propulsion system having four rotors 1802, 1804, 1806, and 1808. any number of rotors may be provided (e.g., one, two, three, four, five, six, or more). the rotors, rotor assemblies, or other propulsion systems of the unmanned aerial vehicle may enable the unmanned aerial vehicle to hover/maintain position, change orientation, and/or change location. the distance between shafts of opposite rotors can be any suitable length 410. for example, the length 1810 can be less than or equal to 2 m, or less than equal to 5 m. in some embodiments, the length 1810 can be within a range from 40 cm to 1 m, from 10 cm to 2 m, or from 5 cm to 5 m. any description herein of a uav may apply to a movable object, such as a movable object of a different type, and vice versa. the uav may use an assisted takeoff system or method as described herein. in some illustrative examples, the movable object can be configured to carry a load. the load can include one or more of passengers, cargo, equipment, instruments, and the like. the load can be provided within a housing. the housing may be separate from a housing of the movable object, or be part of a housing for a movable object. alternatively, the load can be provided with a housing while the movable object does not have a housing. alternatively, portions of the load or the entire load can be provided without a housing. the load can be rigidly fixed relative to the movable object. optionally, the load can be movable relative to the movable object (e.g., translatable or rotatable relative to the movable object). the load can include a payload and/or a carrier, as described elsewhere herein. in some illustrative examples, the movement of the movable object, carrier, and payload relative to a fixed reference frame (e.g., the surrounding environment) and/or to each other, can be controlled by a terminal. the terminal can be a remote control device at a location distant from the movable object, carrier, and/or payload. the terminal can be disposed on or affixed to a support platform. alternatively, the terminal can be a handheld or wearable device. for example, the terminal can include a smartphone, tablet, laptop, computer, glasses, gloves, helmet, microphone, or suitable combinations thereof. the terminal can include a user interface, such as a keyboard, mouse, joystick, touchscreen, or display. any suitable user input can be used to interact with the terminal, such as manually entered commands, voice control, gesture control, or position control (e.g., via a movement, location or tilt of the terminal). the terminal can be used to control any suitable state of the movable object, carrier, and/or payload. for example, the terminal can be used to control the position and/or orientation of the movable object, carrier, and/or payload relative to a fixed reference from and/or to each other. in some embodiments, the terminal can be used to control individual elements of the movable object, carrier, and/or payload, such as the actuation assembly of the carrier, a sensor of the payload, or an emitter of the payload. the terminal can include a wireless communication device adapted to communicate with one or more of the movable object, carrier, or payload. the terminal can include a suitable display unit for viewing information of the movable object, carrier, and/or payload. for example, the terminal can be configured to display information of the movable object, carrier, and/or payload with respect to position, translational velocity, translational acceleration, orientation, angular velocity, angular acceleration, or any suitable combinations thereof. in some embodiments, the terminal can display information provided by the payload, such as data provided by a functional payload (e.g., images recorded by a camera or other image capturing device). optionally, the same terminal may both control the movable object, carrier, and/or payload, or a state of the movable object, carrier and/or payload, as well as receive and/or display information from the movable object, carrier and/or payload. for example, a terminal may control the positioning of the payload relative to an environment, while displaying image data captured by the payload, or information about the position of the payload. alternatively, different terminals may be used for different functions. for example, a first terminal may control movement or a state of the movable object, carrier, and/or payload while a second terminal may receive and/or display information from the movable object, carrier, and/or payload. for example, a first terminal may be used to control the positioning of the payload relative to an environment while a second terminal displays image data captured by the payload. various communication modes may be utilized between a movable object and an integrated terminal that both controls the movable object and receives data, or between the movable object and multiple terminals that both control the movable object and receives data. for example, at least two different communication modes may be formed between the movable object and the terminal that both controls the movable object and receives data from the movable object. fig. 19 illustrates a movable object 1900 including a carrier 1902 and a payload 1904, in accordance with illustrative examples. although the movable object 1900 is depicted as an aircraft, this depiction is not intended to be limiting, and any suitable type of movable object can be used, as previously described herein. one of skill in the art would appreciate that any of the embodiments described herein in the context of aircraft systems can be applied to any suitable movable object (e.g., an uav). in some instances, the payload 1904 may be provided on the movable object 1900 without requiring the carrier 1902. the movable object 1900 may include propulsion mechanisms 1906, a sensing system 1908, and a communication system 1910. the propulsion mechanisms 1906 can include one or more of rotors, propellers, blades, engines, motors, wheels, axles, magnets, or nozzles, as previously described. the movable object may have one or more, two or more, three or more, or four or more propulsion mechanisms. the propulsion mechanisms may all be of the same type. alternatively, one or more propulsion mechanisms can be different types of propulsion mechanisms. the propulsion mechanisms 1906 can be mounted on the movable object 1900 using any suitable means, such as a support element (e.g., a drive shaft) as described elsewhere herein. the propulsion mechanisms 1906 can be mounted on any suitable portion of the movable object 1900, such on the top, bottom, front, back, sides, or suitable combinations thereof. in some illustrative examples, the propulsion mechanisms 1906 can enable the movable object 1800 to take off vertically from a surface or land vertically on a surface without requiring any horizontal movement of the movable object 1900 (e.g., without traveling down a runway). optionally, the propulsion mechanisms 1906 can be operable to permit the movable object 1900 to hover in the air at a specified position and/or orientation. one or more of the propulsion mechanisms 1900 may be controlled independently of the other propulsion mechanisms. alternatively, the propulsion mechanisms 1900 can be configured to be controlled simultaneously. for example, the movable object 1900 can have multiple horizontally oriented rotors that can provide lift and/or thrust to the movable object. the multiple horizontally oriented rotors can be actuated to provide vertical takeoff, vertical landing, and hovering capabilities to the movable object 1900. in some embodiments, one or more of the horizontally oriented rotors may spin in a clockwise direction, while one or more of the horizontally rotors may spin in a counterclockwise direction. for example, the number of clockwise rotors may be equal to the number of counterclockwise rotors. the rotation rate of each of the horizontally oriented rotors can be varied independently in order to control the lift and/ or thrust produced by each rotor, and thereby adjust the spatial disposition, velocity, and/or acceleration of the movable object 1800 (e.g., with respect to up to three degrees of translation and up to three degrees of rotation). the sensing system 1908 can include one or more sensors that may sense the spatial disposition, velocity, and/or acceleration of the movable object 1900 (e.g., with respect to up to three degrees of translation and up to three degrees of rotation). the one or more sensors can include global positioning system (gps) sensors, motion sensors, inertial sensors, proximity sensors, or image sensors. the sensing data provided by the sensing system 1908 can be used to control the spatial disposition, velocity, and/or orientation of the movable object 1900 (e.g., using a suitable processing unit and/or control module, as described below). alternatively, the sensing system 1908 can be used to provide data regarding the environment surrounding the movable object, such as weather conditions, proximity to potential obstacles, location of geographical features, location of manmade structures, and the like. the communication system 1910 enables communication with terminal 1912 having a communication system 1914 via wireless signals 1916. the communication systems 1910, 1914 may include any number of transmitters, receivers, and/or transceivers suitable for wireless communication. the communication may be one-way communication, such that data can be transmitted in only one direction. for example, one-way communication may involve only the movable object 1900 transmitting data to the terminal 1912, or vice-versa. the data may be transmitted from one or more transmitters of the communication system 1910 to one or more receivers of the communication system 1912, or vice-versa. alternatively, the communication may be two-way communication, such that data can be transmitted in both directions between the movable object 1900 and the terminal 1912. the two-way communication can involve transmitting data from one or more transmitters of the communication system 1910 to one or more receivers of the communication system 1914, and vice-versa. in some illustrative examples, the terminal 1912 can provide control data to one or more of the movable object 1900, carrier 1902, and payload 1904 and receive information from one or more of the movable object 1900, carrier 1902, and payload 1904 (e.g., position and/or motion information of the movable object, carrier or payload; data sensed by the payload such as image data captured by a payload camera). in some instances, control data from the terminal may include instructions for relative positions, movements, actuations, or controls of the movable object, carrier and/or payload. for example, the control data may result in a modification of the location and/or orientation of the movable object (e.g., via control of the propulsion mechanisms 1906), or a movement of the payload with respect to the movable object (e.g., via control of the carrier 1902). the control data from the terminal may result in control of the payload, such as control of the operation of a camera or other image capturing device (e.g., taking still or moving pictures, zooming in or out, turning on or off, switching imaging modes, change image resolution, changing focus, changing depth of field, changing exposure time, changing viewing angle or field of view). in some instances, the communications from the movable object, carrier and/or payload may include information from one or more sensors (e.g., of the sensing system 1908 or of the payload 1904). the communications may include sensed information from one or more different types of sensors (e.g., gps sensors, motion sensors, inertial sensor, proximity sensors, or image sensors). such information may pertain to the position (e.g., location, orientation), movement, or acceleration of the movable object, carrier and/or payload. such information from a payload may include data captured by the payload or a sensed state of the payload. the control data provided transmitted by the terminal 1912 can be configured to control a state of one or more of the movable object 1900, carrier 1902, or payload 1904. alternatively or in combination, the carrier 1902 and payload 1904 can also each include a communication module configured to communicate with terminal 1912, such that the terminal can communicate with and control each of the movable object 1900, carrier 1902, and payload 1904 independently. in some illustrative examples, the movable object 1900 can be configured to communicate with another remote device in addition to the terminal 1912, or instead of the terminal 1912. the terminal 1912 may also be configured to communicate with another remote device as well as the movable object 1900. for example, the movable object 1900 and/ or terminal 1912 may communicate with another movable object, or a carrier or payload of another movable object. when desired, the remote device may be a second terminal or other computing device (e.g., computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or other mobile device). the remote device can be configured to transmit data to the movable object 1900, receive data from the movable object 1900, transmit data to the terminal 1912, and/or receive data from the terminal 1912. optionally, the remote device can be connected to the internet or other telecommunications network, such that data received from the movable object 1900 and/or terminal 1912 can be uploaded to a website or server. fig. 19 is a schematic illustration by way of block diagram of a system 2000 for controlling a movable object, in accordance with illustrative examples. the system 2000 can be used in combination with any suitable embodiment of the systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein. the system 2000 can include a sensing module 2002, processing unit 2004, non-transitory computer readable medium 2006, control module 2008, and communication module 2010. the sensing module 2002 can utilize different types of sensors that collect information relating to the movable objects in different ways. different types of sensors may sense different types of signals or signals from different sources. for example, the sensors can include inertial sensors, gps sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., lidar), or vision/image sensors (e.g., a camera). the sensing module 2002 can be operatively coupled to a processing unit 2004 having a plurality of processors. in some embodiments, the sensing module can be operatively coupled to a transmission module 2012 (e.g., a wi-fi image transmission module) configured to directly transmit sensing data to a suitable external device or system. for example, the transmission module 2012 can be used to transmit images captured by a camera of the sensing module 2002 to a remote terminal. the processing unit 2004 can have one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (cpu)). the processing unit 2004 can be operatively coupled to a non-transitory computer readable medium 2006. the non-transitory computer readable medium 2006 can store logic, code, and/or program instructions executable by the processing unit 2004 for performing one or more steps. the non-transitory computer readable medium can include one or more memory units (e.g., removable media or external storage such as an sd card or random access memory (ram)). in some embodiments, data from the sensing module 2002 can be directly conveyed to and stored within the memory units of the non-transitory computer readable medium 2006. the memory units of the non-transitory computer readable medium 2006 can store logic, code and/or program instructions executable by the processing unit 2004 to perform any suitable embodiment of the methods described herein. for example, the processing unit 2004 can be configured to execute instructions causing one or more processors of the processing unit 2004 to analyze sensing data produced by the sensing module. the memory units can store sensing data from the sensing module to be processed by the processing unit 2004. in some embodiments, the memory units of the non-transitory computer readable medium 2006 can be used to store the processing results produced by the processing unit 2004. in some illustrative examples, the processing unit 2004 can be operatively coupled to a control module 2008 configured to control a state of the movable object. for example, the control module 2008 can be configured to control the propulsion mechanisms of the movable object to adjust the spatial disposition, velocity, and/or acceleration of the movable object with respect to six degrees of freedom. alternatively or in combination, the control module 2008 can control one or more of a state of a carrier, payload, or sensing module. the processing unit 2004 can be operatively coupled to a communication module 2010 configured to transmit and/or receive data from one or more external devices (e.g., a terminal, display device, or other remote controller). any suitable means of communication can be used, such as wired communication or wireless communication. for example, the communication module 2010 can utilize one or more of local area networks (lan), wide area networks (wan), infrared, radio, wifi, point-to-point (p2p) networks, telecommunication networks, cloud communication, and the like. optionally, relay stations, such as towers, satellites, or mobile stations, can be used. wireless communications can be proximity dependent or proximity independent. in some embodiments, line-of-sight may or may not be required for communications. the communication module 2010 can transmit and/or receive one or more of sensing data from the sensing module 2002, processing results produced by the processing unit 2004, predetermined control data, user commands from a terminal or remote controller, and the like. the components of the system 2000 can be arranged in any suitable configuration. for example, one or more of the components of the system 2000 can be located on the movable object, carrier, payload, terminal, sensing system, or an additional external device in communication with one or more of the above. additionally, although fig. 20 depicts a single processing unit 2004 and a single non-transitory computer readable medium 2006, one of skill in the art would appreciate that this is not intended to be limiting, and that the system 2000 can include a plurality of processing units and/or non-transitory computer readable media. in some embodiments, one or more of the plurality of processing units and/or non-transitory computer readable media can be situated at different locations, such as on the movable object, carrier, payload, terminal, sensing module, additional external device in communication with one or more of the above, or suitable combinations thereof, such that any suitable aspect of the processing and/or memory functions performed by the system 2000 can occur at one or more of the aforementioned locations. while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. it should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.
|
009-823-124-349-365
|
IN
|
[
"WO",
"AR"
] |
C07D491/056,A01N43/38,A01N43/42,A01N43/50,A01N43/56,C07D471/04,A01N43/90,A01P5/00,A01P7/02,A01P7/04,A01P9/00
| 2021-08-10T00:00:00 |
2021
|
[
"C07",
"A01"
] |
2,2-difluoro-5h-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one derivatives as pesticides
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the present invention relates 2,2-difluoro-5h-[l,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one derivatives of the formula (i) wherein q is qa, qb or qc. an exemplary compound is e.g. 6-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl) imidazo[l,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]-2,2-difluoro-5h-[l,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one (compound pl). furthermore, the present invention relates to agrochemical compositions which comprise compounds of formula (i), to preparation of these compositions, and to the use of the compounds or compositions in agriculture or horticulture for combating, preventing or controlling animal pests, including arthropods and in particular insects, molluscs, nematodes or representatives of the order acarina .
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claims: 1. a compound of formula (i): wherein q is a radical selected from the group consisting of formula qa, qb and qc, , wherein the arrow denotes the point of attachment to the nitrogen atom of the tricyclic ring; and wherein a, a1 and a2 are, independently from each other, ch or n; x is s, so, or so2; r1 is c1-c4alkyl or c3-c6cycloalkyl-c1-c4alkyl; r3, r4, r5 and r6 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy, -n(r9r10), or -n(r9)c(=o)r10; r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, or c3- c6cycloalkyl; r 7 and r 8 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c 1 -c 4 alkyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 3 - c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy or -n(r11)c(=o)r12; and r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, or c3- c6cycloalkyl. 2. a compound of formula i according to claim 1, represented by the compounds of formula i-1: wherein x, r1, r3, r4, r9 and r10 are as defined under formula i in claim 1, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide of a compound of formula i-1. 3. a compound according to any one of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein r 3 and r 4 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1- c6haloalkoxy, or -n(r9)c(=o)r10; and r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or c 1 -c 4 alkyl; preferably r 9 and r 10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or methyl; more preferably r9 is hydrogen or methyl, and r10 is methyl. 4. a compound according to any one of claims 1 - 3, wherein r4 is hydrogen and r3 is hydrogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-1 wherein r3 is hydrogen and r4 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf 2 , -oc(ch 3 ) 2 cn, -nhc(o)ch 3 or -nch 3 c(o)ch 3 . 5. a compound of formula i according to claim 1, represented by the compounds of formula i-2: (i-2), wherein x, r1, r5, r6, r9 and r10 are as defined under formula i in claim 1, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide of a compound of formula i-2. 6. a compound according to any one of claim 1 or claim 5, wherein r5 and r6 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c 1 -c 4 alkyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1- c6haloalkoxy, or -n(r9)c(=o)r10; and r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or c1-c4alkyl; preferably r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or methyl, more preferably r9 is hydrogen or methyl, and r10 is methyl. 7. a compound according to any one of claim 1, claim 5 or claim 6, wherein r6 is hydrogen and r5 is hydrogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf 2 , -oc(ch 3 ) 2 cn, -nhc(o)ch 3 or - nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-2 wherein r5 is hydrogen and r6 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. 8. a compound of formula i according to claim 1, represented by the compounds of formula i-3: (i-3), wherein a, a1, a2, x, r1, r7, r8, r11 and r12 are as defined under formula i in claim 1, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide of a compound of formula i-3. 9. a compound according to any one of claim 1 or claim 8, wherein r7 and r8 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c 1 -c 4 alkyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1- c6haloalkoxy, or -n(r11)c(=o)r12; and r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or c1-c4alkyl; preferably r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or methyl; more preferably r11 is hydrogen or methyl, and r12 is methyl. 10. a compound according to any one of claim 1, claim 8 or claim 9, wherein r8 is hydrogen and r7 is hydrogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf 2 , -oc(ch 3 ) 2 cn, -nhc(o)ch 3 or - nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-3 wherein r7 is hydrogen and r8 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. 11. a compound according to any one of claim 1, claim 8, claim 9 or claim 10, wherein a is n. 12. a compound according to any one of claim 1, claim 8, claim 9, claim 10, or claim 11 wherein a1 and a2 are both ch. 13. a compound according to any one of claim 1, claim 8, claim 9, claim 10, or claim 11 wherein a1 and a2 are both n. 14. a compound according to any one of claim 1, claim 8, claim 9, claim 10, or claim 11 wherein a1 is n and and a2 is ch; or wherein a1 is ch and and a2 is n. 15. a compound according to any one of the previous claims, wherein: x is s or so2; preferably x is so2; and wherein r1 is ethyl or cyclopropylmethyl; preferably r1 is ethyl. 16. a compound of formula i according to claim 1, represented by the compounds of formula i-4: (i-4), wherein q1 is a radical selected from the group consisting of formula q1a, q1b and q1c, , wherein the arrow denotes the point of attachment to the nitrogen atom of the tricyclic ring; and wherein a, a1, a2, r3, r4, r5, r6, r7, r8, r9, r10, r11 and r12 are as defined under formula i in claim 1, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide of a compound of formula i-4. 17. a compound of formula i according to claim 1, selected from the group consisting of: 6-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]-2,2-difluoro-5h-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5- f]isoindol-7-one (compound p1); 6-(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)-2,2-difluoro-5h-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one (compound p2); 6-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]-2,2-difluoro-5h-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5- f]isoindol-7-one (compound p3); and 6-(6-cyclopropyl-3-ethylsulfonyl-pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-yl)-2,2-difluoro-5h-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol- 7-one (compound p4). 18. a composition comprising an insecticidally, acaricidally, nematicidally or molluscicidally effective amount of a compound of formula (i), or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide thereof, as defined in any of claims 1 – 17 and, optionally, an auxiliary or diluent. 19. a method of combating and controlling insects, acarines, nematodes or molluscs which comprises applying to a pest, to a locus of a pest, or to a plant susceptible to attack by a pest an insecticidally, acaricidally, nematicidally or molluscicidally effective amount of a compound of formula (i), or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide thereof, as defined in any of claims 1 – 17 or a composition as defined claim 18. 20. a method for the protection of plant propagation material from the attack by insects, acarines, nematodes or molluscs, which comprises treating the propagation material or the site, where the propagation material is planted, with a composition according to claim 18.
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2,2-difluoro-5h-[1 ,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one derivatives as pesticides the present invention relates to pesticidally active, in particular insecticidally active heterocyclic derivatives containing sulfur substituents, to processes for their preparation, to compositions comprising those compounds, and to their use for controlling animal pests, including arthropods and in particular insects or representatives of the order acarina. heterocyclic benzannulated dihydropyrrolone and phtalimide derivatives with sulfur-containing substituents have been described in the literature, for example in j. org. chem. 2003, 62, 8240 and bull. chem soc. chim. belg. 1997, 106, 151 . however, none of these references have described to have a pesticidal effect. structurally different pesticidally active heterocyclic derivatives with sulfur- containing substituents have been described, for example in wo2012/012086848, wo2013/018928, wo2019/131575 and w02020/013147. it has now surprisingly been found that certain novel pesticidally active derivatives with sulfur containing substitutents have favorable properties as pesticides. the present invention therefore provides compounds of formula i, wherein q is a radical selected from the group consisting of formula qa, qb and qc, wherein the arrow denotes the point of attachment to the nitrogen atom of the tricyclic ring; and wherein a, ai and a2 are, independently from each other, ch or n; x is s, so, or so2; r1 is ci-c4alkyl or c3-c6cycloalkyl-ci-c4alkyl; r3, r4, r5 and r6 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c 1 -c 4 alkoxy, c 1 -c 6 haloalkoxy, -n(r 9 r 10 ), or -n(r 9 )c(=o)r 10 ; r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, or c3- c6cycloalkyl; r7 and r8 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3- c 6 cycloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c 1 -c 6 cyanoalkyl, c 1 -c 6 cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy or -n(r11)c(=o)r12; and r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, or c3- c6cycloalkyl. the present invention also provides agrochemically acceptable salts, stereoisomers, enantiomers, tautomers and n-oxides of the compounds of formula i. compounds of formula i which have at least one basic centre can form, for example, acid addition salts, for example with strong inorganic acids such as mineral acids, for example perchloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, a phosphorus acid or a hydrohalic acid, with strong organic carboxylic acids, such as c1-c4alkanecarboxylic acids which are unsubstituted or substituted, for example by halogen, for example acetic acid, such as saturated or unsaturated dicarboxylic acids, for example oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid or phthalic acid, such as hydroxycarboxylic acids, for example ascorbic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid or citric acid, or such as benzoic acid, or with organic sulfonic acids, such as c1-c4alkane- or arylsulfonic acids which are unsubstituted or substituted, for example by halogen, for example methane- or p-toluenesulfonic acid. compounds of formula i which have at least one acidic group can form, for example, salts with bases, for example mineral salts such as alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts, for example sodium, potassium or magnesium salts, or salts with ammonia or an organic amine, such as morpholine, piperidine, pyrrolidine, a mono-, di- or tri-lower-alkylamine, for example ethyl-, diethyl-, triethyl- or dimethylpropylamine, or a mono-, di- or trihydroxy-lower-alkylamine, for example mono-, di- or triethanolamine. in each case, the compounds of formula (i) according to the invention are in free form, in oxidized form as a n-oxide or in salt form, e.g. an agronomically usable salt form. n-oxides are oxidized forms of tertiary amines or oxidized forms of nitrogen containing heteroaromatic compounds. they are described for instance in the book “heterocyclic n-oxides” by a. albini and s. pietra, crc press, boca raton 1991. the compounds of formula i according to the invention also include hydrates which may be formed during the salt formation. where substituents are indicated as being itself further substituted, this means that they carry one or more identical or different substituents, e.g. one to four substituents. normally not more than three such optional substituents are present at the same time. preferably not more than two such substituents are present at the same time (i.e. the group is substituted by one or two of the substituents indicated). where the additional substituent group is a larger group, such as cycloalkyl or phenyl, it is most preferred that only one such optional substituent is present. where a group is indicated as being substituted, e.g. alkyl, this includes those groups that are part of other groups, e.g. the alkyl in alkylthio. the term "c1-cnalkyl" as used herein refers to a saturated straight-chain or branched hydrocarbon radical attached via any of the carbon atoms having 1 to n carbon atoms, for example, any one of the radicals methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, 1-methylbutyl, 2-methylbutyl, 3-methylbutyl, 2, 2-dimethylpropyl, 1-ethylpropyl, n-hexyl, n-pentyl, 1, 1-dimethylpropyl, 1, 2-dimethylpropyl, 1- methylpentyl, 2- methylpentyl, 3-methylpentyl, 4-methylpentyl, 1, 1-dimethylbutyl, 1,2- dimethylbutyl, 1, 3- dimethylbutyl, 2, 2-dimethylbutyl, 2, 3-dimethylbutyl, 3, 3-dimethylbutyl, 1-ethylbutyl, 2-ethylbutyl, 1,1, 2-trimethylpropyl, 1,2, 2-trimethylpropyl, 1-ethyl-1- methylpropyl, or 1-ethyl-2-methylpropyl. the term "c1-cnhaloalkyl" as used herein refers to a straight-chain or branched saturated alkyl radical attached via any of the carbon atoms having 1 to n carbon atoms (as mentioned above), where some or all of the hydrogen atoms in these radicals may be replaced by fluorine, chlorine, bromine and/or iodine, i.e., for example, any one of chloromethyl, dichloromethyl, trichloromethyl, fluoromethyl, difluoromethyl, trifluoromethyl, chlorofluoromethyl, dichlorofluoromethyl, chlorodifluoromethyl, 2- fluoroethyl, 2-chloroethyl, 2-bromoethyl, 2-iodoethyl, 2, 2-difluoroethyl, 2,2, 2-trifluoroethyl, 2-chloro-2- fluoroethyl, 2-chloro-2, 2-difluoroethyl, 2, 2-dichloro-2-fluoroethyl, 2,2, 2-trichloroethyl, pentafluoroethyl, 2-fluoropropyl, 3-fluoropropyl, 2,2- difluoropropyl, 2, 3-difluoropropyl, 2-chloropropyl, 3-chloropropyl, 2, 3-dichloropropyl, 2- bromopropyl, 3-bromopropyl, 3,3, 3-trifluoropropyl, 3,3, 3-trichloropropyl, 2,2, 3,3, 3- pentafluoropropyl, heptafluoropropyl, 1-(fluoromethyl)-2-fluoroethyl, 1-(chloromethyl)-2-chloroethyl, 1-(bromomethyl)-2-bromoethyl, 4-fluorobutyl, 4-chlorobutyl, 4-bromobutyl or nonafluorobutyl. according a term "c1-c2-fluoroalkyl" would refer to a c1-c2-alkyl radical which carries 1,2, 3,4, or 5 fluorine atoms, for example, any one of difluoromethyl, trifluoromethyl, 1-fluoroethyl, 2-fluoroethyl, 2, 2- difluoroethyl, 2,2, 2-trifluoroethyl, 1,1, 2, 2-tetrafluoroethyl or penta- fluoroethyl. the term "c1-cnalkoxy" as used herein refers to a straight-chain or branched saturated alkyl radical having 1 to n carbon atoms (as mentioned above) which is attached via an oxygen atom, i.e., for example, any one of methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, 1-methylethoxy, n-butoxy, 1-methylpropoxy, 2- methylpropoxy or 1, 1-dimethylethoxy. the term "c1-cnhaloalkoxy" as used herein refers to a c1-cnalkoxy radical as mentioned above which is partially or fully substituted by fluorine, chlorine, bromine and/or iodine, i.e., for example, any one of chloromethoxy, dichloromethoxy, trichloromethoxy, fluoromethoxy, difluoromethoxy, trifluoromethoxy, chlorofluoromethoxy, dichlorofluoromethoxy, chlorodifluoromethoxy, 2- fluoroethoxy, 2-chloroethoxy, 2-bromoethoxy, 2-iodoethoxy, 2, 2-difluoroethoxy, 2,2, 2- trifluoroethoxy, 2-chloro-2-fluoroethoxy, 2-chloro-2, 2-difluoroethoxy, 2, 2-dichloro-2-fluoroethoxy, 2,2, 2-trichloroethoxy, pentafluoroeth- oxy, 2-fluoropropoxy, 3-fluoropropoxy, 2, 2-difluoropropoxy, 2, 3-difluoropropoxy, 2- chloropropoxy, 3-chloropropoxy, 2, 3-dichloropropoxy, 2-bromopropoxy, 3- bromopropoxy, 3,3, 3-trifluoropropoxy, 3,3, 3-trichloropropoxy, 2,2, 3,3, 3- pentafluoropropoxy, heptafluoropropoxy, 1- (fluoromethyl)-2-fluoroethoxy, 1- (chloromethyl)-2-chloroethoxy, 1- (bromomethyl)-2-bromoethoxy, 4-fluorobutoxy, 4- chlorobutoxy, or 4-bromobutoxy. the term “c1-cncyanoalkyl” as used herein refers to a straight chain or branched saturated alkyl radicals having 1 to n carbon atoms (as mentioned above) which is substituted by a cyano group, for example cyanomethylene, cyanoethylene, 1,1-dimethylcyanomethyl, cyanomethyl, cyanoethyl, cyanoisopropyl and 1-dimethylcyanomethyl. the term "c1-cncyanoalkoxy” refers to a straight-chain or branched saturated cyanoalkyl radical having 1 to n carbon atoms (as mentioned above) but which is attached via an oxygen atom. the term “c3-c6cycloalkyl” as used herein refers to 3-6 membered cycloylkyl groups such as cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclopropane, cyclopentane and cyclohexane. the suffix “-c1-cnalkyl” after terms such as “c3-cncycloalkyl”, wherein n is an integer from 1-6, as used herein refers to a straight chain or branched saturated alkyl radicals which is substituted by c3-cncycloalkyl. an example of c3-cncycloalkyl-c1-cnalkyl is for example, cyclopropylmethyl. the term “c3-c6cycloalkyl” monosubstituted by cyano as used herein refers to refers to 3-6 membered cycloylkyl groups (as mentioned above) which is substituted by a cyano group. an example of c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano is 1-cyanocyclopropyl. halogen is generally fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine. this also applies, correspondingly, to halogen in combination with other meanings, such as haloalkyl. certain embodiments according to the invention are provided as set out below. embodiment 1 provides compounds of formula i, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide thereof, as defined above. embodiment 2 provides compounds, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide thereof, according to embodiment 1 wherein q is qa and having preferred values of x, r 1 , r 3 , r 4 , r 9 and r 10 as set out below. embodiment 3 provides compounds, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide thereof, according to embodiment 1 wherein q is qb and having preferred values of x, r 1 , r 5 , r 6 , r 9 and r 10 as set out below. embodiment 4 provides compounds, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide thereof, according to embodiment 1 wherein q is qc and having preferred values of a, a1, a2, x, r1, r7, r8, r11 and r12 as set out below. with respect to embodiments 1 - 4, preferred values of x, r1, a, a1, a2, r3, r4, r5, r6, r7, r8, r9, r10, r11 and r12 are, in any combination thereof, as set out below: preferably x is s or so 2. most preferably x is so2. preferably r1 is c1-c4alkyl or cyclopropyl-c1-c4alkyl. more preferably r1 is ethyl or cyclopropylmethyl. most preferably r1 is ethyl. preferably r3 and r4 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1- c6haloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1- c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy, or -n(r9)c(=o)r10. more preferably r 3 and r 4 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1- difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. even more preferably r4 is hydrogen and r3 is hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, - chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3; or r3 is hydrogen and r4 is halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch 3 c(o)ch 3 . most preferably r4 is hydrogen and r3 is hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3; or r3 is hydrogen and r4 is trifluoromethyl, halogen, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, - nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. preferably r5 and r6 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1- c6haloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1- c 6 cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c 1 -c 4 alkoxy, c 1 -c 6 haloalkoxy, or -n(r 9 )c(=o)r 10 . more preferably r5 and r6 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1- difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. even more preferably r 6 is hydrogen and r 5 is hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, - chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3; or r5 is hydrogen and r6 is halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. most preferably r6 is hydrogen and r5 is hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf 2 , -oc(ch 3 ) 2 cn, -nhc(o)ch 3 or -nch 3 c(o)ch 3 ; or r5 is hydrogen and r6 is halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, - nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. preferably r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or c1-c4alkyl. more preferably r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or methyl. most preferably r9 is hydrogen or methyl, and r10 is methyl. preferably a is ch or n. most preferably a is n. preferably a1 is ch or n. preferably a2 is ch or n. also preferred is when a1 is ch and a2 is n also preferred is when a1 is n and a2 is ch further preferred is when a1 and a2 are both n most preferably a1 and a2 are both ch preferably r7 and r8 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1- c 6 haloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c 1 -c 6 cyanoalkyl, c 1 - c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy, or -n(r11)c(=o)r12. more preferably r7 and r8 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1- difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. even more preferably r8 is hydrogen and r7 is hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, - chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3; or r7 is hydrogen and r8 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch 3 c(o)ch 3 . most preferably r8 is hydrogen and r7 is hydrogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, - och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, - chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3; or r 7 is hydrogen and r 8 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf 2 , -och 2 chf 2 , -och 2 cf 3 , cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, - nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. preferably r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or c1-c4alkyl. more preferably r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or methyl. most preferably r11 is hydrogen or methyl, and r12 is methyl. further embodiments according to the invention are provided as set forth below. a preferred group of compounds of formula i is represented by the compounds of formula i-1 (i-1), wherein x, r1, r3, r4, r9 and r10 are as defined under formula i above, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide of a compound of formula i-1. in one preferred group of compounds of formula i-1, r1 is c1-c4alkyl or c3-c6cycloalkyl-c1-c4alkyl; x is s or so2; r3 and r4 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1- c6haloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1- c 6 cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c 1 -c 4 alkoxy, c 1 -c 6 haloalkoxy, or -n(r 9 )c(=o)r 10 ; and r 9 and r 10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or c1-c4alkyl; preferably r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or methyl; more preferably r9 is hydrogen or methyl, and r10 is methyl. in another preferred group of compounds of formula i-1, r1 is ethyl or cyclopropylmethyl, preferably r1 is ethyl; x is s or so2, preferably x is so2; and r3 and r4 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, - och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, - nhc(o)ch 3 or -nch 3 c(o)ch 3 . in the compounds of formula i-1 and all of the preferred embodiments of compounds of formula i-1 mentioned herein, unless otherwise specified, x, r1, r3, r4, r9 and r10 are as defined under formula i above. another preferred embodiment of the compounds of formula i-1 are those wherein r1 is ethyl; and x is so2. also preferred are the compounds of formula i-1 wherein r4 is hydrogen and r3 is hydrogen, fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or - nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-1 wherein r3 is hydrogen and r4 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1- difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. further preferred are the compounds of formula i-1 wherein r 4 is hydrogen and r 3 is hydrogen, fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1- cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or - nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-1 wherein r3 is hydrogen and r4 is fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1- cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or - nch3c(o)ch3. another preferred group of compounds of formula i is represented by the compounds of formula i-2 wherein x, r1, r5, r6, r9 and r10 are as defined under formula i above, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide of a compound of formula i-2. in one preferred group of compounds of formula i-2, r1 is c1-c4alkyl or c3-c6cycloalkyl-c1-c4alkyl; x is s or so2; r5 and r6 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1- c6haloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1- c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy, or -n(r9)c(=o)r10; and r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or c 1 -c 4 alkyl; preferably r 9 and r 10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or methyl, more preferably r9 is hydrogen or methyl, and r10 is methyl. in another preferred group of compounds of formula i-2, r1 is ethyl or cyclopropylmethyl, preferably r1 is ethyl; x is s or so2, preferably x is so2; r5 and r6 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf 2 , -och 2 chf 2 , -och 2 cf 3 , cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. in the compounds of formula i-2 and all of the preferred embodiments of compounds of formula i-2 mentioned herein, unless otherwise specified, x, r1, r5, r6, r9 and r10 are as defined under formula i above. another preferred embodiment of the compounds of formula i-2 are those wherein r1 is ethyl; and x is so2. also preferred are the compounds of formula i-2 wherein r6 is hydrogen and r5 is hydrogen, fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf 2 , -och 2 chf 2 , -och 2 cf 3 , cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or - nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-2 wherein r5 is hydrogen and r6 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1- difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. further preferred are the compounds of formula i-2 wherein r6 is hydrogen and r5 is hydrogen, fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1- cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf 2 , -oc(ch 3 ) 2 cn, -nhc(o)ch 3 or - nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-2 wherein r5 is hydrogen and r6 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1- difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl- ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. another preferred group of compounds of formula i is represented by the compounds of formula i-3 wherein a, a1, a2, x, r1, r7, r8, r11 and r12 are as defined under formula i above, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide of a compound of formula i-3. in one preferred group of compounds of formula i-3, a is ch or n; a1 is ch or n; a2 is ch or n; r1 is c1-c4alkyl or c3-c6cycloalkyl-c1-c4alkyl; x is s or so2; r7 and r8 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, halogen, c 1 -c 4 alkyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy, or -n(r11)c(=o)r12; and r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or c1-c4alkyl; preferably r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen or methyl; more preferably r11 is hydrogen or methyl, and r 12 is methyl. in another preferred group of compounds of formula i-3, a is ch or n, preferably a is n; a1 is ch or n; a2 is ch or n; r1 is ethyl or cyclopropylmethyl, preferably r1 is ethyl; x is s or so2, preferably x is so2; r7 and r8 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, - chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. in the compounds of formula i-3 and all of the preferred embodiments of compounds of formula i-3 mentioned herein, unless otherwise specified, a, a1, a2, x, r1, r7, r8, r11 and r12 are as defined under formula i above. another preferred embodiment of the compounds of formula i-3 are those wherein r1 is ethyl; and x is so2. also preferred are the compounds of formula i-3 wherein r8 is hydrogen and r7 is hydrogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf 2 , -och 2 chf 2 , -och 2 cf 3 , cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-3 wherein r7 is hydrogen and r8 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, cyanocyclopropyl, cyanoisopropyl, trifluoromethoxy, - chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. further preferred are the compounds of formula i-3 wherein r8 is hydrogen and r7 is hydrogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1- cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf 2 , -oc(ch 3 ) 2 cn, -nhc(o)ch 3 or -nch 3 c(o)ch 3 ; or the compounds of formula i-3 wherein r7 is hydrogen and r8 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. one further preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (i- 3a), which are compounds of formula i-3, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-3, wherein a is ch. another preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (i-3b), which are compounds of formula i-3, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-3, wherein a is n. yet another preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (i- 3c), which are compounds of formula i-3, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-3, wherein a 1 is ch and a 2 is n. a further preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (i- 3d), which are compounds of formula i-3, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-3, wherein a1 is n and a2 is ch. a further preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (i- 3e), which are compounds of formula i-3, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-3, wherein a 1 and a 2 are both n. most preferred are the compounds of formula (i-3f) according to this embodiment, which are compounds of formula i-3, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-3, wherein a1 and a2 are both ch. another preferred group of compounds of formula i is represented by the compounds of formula i-4 (i-4), wherein q1 is a radical selected from the group consisting of formula q1a, q1b and q1c, , wherein the arrow denotes the point of attachment to the nitrogen atom of the tricyclic ring; and wherein a, a1, a2, r3, r4, r5, r6, r7, r8, r9, r10, r11 and r12 are as defined under formula i above, or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide of a compound of formula i-4. in the compounds of formula i-4 and all of the preferred embodiments of compounds of formula i-4 mentioned herein, unless otherwise specified, a, a1, a2, r3, r4, r5, r6, r7, r8, r9, r10, r11 and r12 are as defined under formula i above. one preferred group of compounds of formula i-4 are the compounds of formula (i-4a), which are compounds of formula i-4, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-4, wherein q is q1a, r4 is hydrogen and r3 hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3- c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy, -n(r9r10), or -n(r9)c(=o)r10; and r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, or c3-c6cycloalkyl; or wherein q is q1a, r3 is hydrogen and r4 hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3- c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy, -n(r9r10), or -n(r9)c(=o)r10; and r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c 1 -c 4 alkyl, c 1 -c 6 haloalkyl, or c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl. further preferred are the compounds of formula i-4a wherein r4 is hydrogen and r3 is hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1- cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or - nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-4a wherein r3 is hydrogen and r4 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1- methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. another preferred group of compounds of formula i-4 are the compounds of formula (i-4b), which are compounds of formula i-4, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-4, wherein q is q1b, r6 is hydrogen and r5 hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3- c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy, -n(r9r10), or -n(r9)c(=o)r10; and r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, or c3-c6cycloalkyl; or wherein q is q1b, r5 is hydrogen and r6 hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3- c 6 cycloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c 1 -c 6 cyanoalkyl, c 1 -c 6 cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy, -n(r9r10), or -n(r9)c(=o)r10; and r9 and r10 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, or c3-c6cycloalkyl. further preferred are the compounds of formula i-4b wherein r6 is hydrogen and r5 is hydrogen, halogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1- cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or - nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-4b wherein r5 is hydrogen and r6 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1- methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. another preferred group of compounds of formula i-4 are the compounds of formula (i-4c), which are compounds of formula i-4, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-4, wherein q is q1c, r8 is hydrogen and r7 is hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3- c 6 cycloalkyl, c 3 -c 6 cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c 1 -c 6 cyanoalkyl, c 1 -c 6 cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy or -n(r11)c(=o)r12; and r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, or c3-c6cycloalkyl; or wherein q is q1c, r7 is hydrogen and r8 is hydrogen, halogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, c3- c6cycloalkyl, c3-c6cycloalkyl monosubstituted by cyano, c1-c6cyanoalkyl, c1-c6cyanoalkoxy, cyano, c1-c4alkoxy, c1-c6haloalkoxy or -n(r11)c(=o)r12; and r11 and r12 are, independently from each other, hydrogen, c1-c4alkyl, c1-c6haloalkyl, or c3-c6cycloalkyl. further preferred are the compounds of formula i-4c wherein r 8 is hydrogen and r 7 is hydrogen, trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, -ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1- cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3; or the compounds of formula i-4c wherein r7 is hydrogen and r8 is trifluoromethyl, 1,1-difluoroethyl, - ochf2, -och2chf2, -och2cf3, cyclopropyl, 1-cyanocyclopropyl, 1-cyano-1-methyl-ethyl, trifluoromethoxy, -chf2, -oc(ch3)2cn, -nhc(o)ch3 or -nch3c(o)ch3. one further preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (i- 4c-1), which are compounds of formula i-4c, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-4c, wherein a is ch. another preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (i-4c- 2), which are compounds of formula i-4c, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-4c, wherein a is n. yet another preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (i- 4c-3), which are compounds of formula i-4c, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-4c, wherein a1 is ch and a2 is n. a further preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (i-4c- 4), which are compounds of formula i-4c, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula i-4c, wherein a1 is n and a2 is ch. a further preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are compounds of formula (l-4c- 5), which are compounds of formula l-4c, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula l-4c, wherein ai and a2 are both n. another preferred group of compounds according to this embodiment are the compounds of formula (i- 4c-6), which are compounds of formula l-4c, or of any of the preferred embodiments of the compounds of formula l-4c, wherein a1 and a2 are both ch. compounds according to the invention may possess any number of benefits including, inter alia, advantageous levels of biological activity for protecting plants against insects or superior properties for use as agrochemical active ingredients (for example, greater biological activity, an advantageous spectrum of activity, an increased safety profile, improved physico-chemical properties, or increased biodegradability or environmental profile). in particular, it has been surprisingly found that certain compounds of formula (i) may show an advantageous safety profile with respect to non-target arthropods, in particular pollinators such as honey bees, solitary bees, and bumble bees. most particularly, apis mellifera. in another aspect the present invention provides a composition comprising an insecticidally, acaricidally, nematicidally or molluscicidally effective amount of a compound of formula (i), or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide thereof, as defined in any of the embodiments under compounds of formula (i), (1-1), (i-2), (i-3) and (i-4) (above), and, optionally, an auxiliary or diluent. in a further aspect the present invention provides a method of combating and controlling insects, acarines, nematodes or molluscs which comprises applying to a pest, to a locus of a pest, or to a plant susceptible to attack by a pest an insecticidally, acaricidally, nematicidally or molluscicidally effective amount of a compound of formula (i), or an agrochemically acceptable salt, stereoisomer, enantiomer, tautomer or n-oxide thereof, as defined in any of the embodiments under compounds of formula (i), (i), (1-1), (i-2), (i-3) and (i-4) (above) or a composition as defined above. in a yet further aspect, the present invention provides a method for the protection of plant propagation material from the attack by insects, acarines, nematodes or molluscs, which comprises treating the propagation material or the site, where the propagation material is planted, with a composition as defined above. the process according to the invention for preparing compounds of formula i is carried out in principle by methods known to those skilled in the art. more specifically, the subgroup of compounds of formula i, wherein x is so (sulfoxide) and/or so2 (sulfone), may be obtained by means of an oxidation reaction of the corresponding sulfide compounds of formula i, wherein x is s, involving reagents such scheme 2: as, for example, m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (mcpba), hydrogen peroxide, oxone, sodium periodate, sodium hypochlorite or tert-butyl hypochlorite amongst other oxidants (scheme 1a, 1b and 2). the oxidation reaction is generally conducted in the presence of a solvent. examples of the solvent to be used in the reaction include aliphatic halogenated hydrocarbons such as dichloromethane and chloroform; alcohols such as methanol and ethanol; acetic acid; water; and mixtures thereof. the amount of the oxidant to be used in the reaction is generally 1 to 3 moles, preferably 1 to 1.2 moles, relative to 1 mole of the sulfide compounds i to produce the sulfoxide compounds i, and preferably 2 to 2.2 moles of oxidant, relative to 1 mole of of the sulfide compounds i to produce the sulfone compounds i. such oxidation reactions are disclosed, for example, in wo 2013/018928. compounds of formula i wherein q is defined as under formula i above may be prepared (scheme 3) by reacting compounds of formula vii, and compounds of formula viii, wherein q is as defined in formula i above and in which lg3 is a halogen (or a pseudo-halogen leaving group, such as a triflate), in the presence of a base, such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate or cesium carbonate, or sodium hydride, in an appropriate solvent such as for example tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, n,n- dimethylformamide, n,n-dimethylacetamide or acetonitrile, at temperatures between 0 and 150°c, optionally under microwave irradiation. alternatively compounds of formula i wherein q is defined as under formula i above may be prepared by reacting compounds of formula vii, and compounds of formula viii, wherein q is as defined in formula i above and in which lg 3 is a halogen (or a pseudo- halogen leaving group, such as a triflate), preferably bromo or iodo in the presence of a base, such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate or cesium carbonate, or potassium tert-butoxide in the presence of a metal catalyst either copper catalyst for example copper(i) iodide, optionally in the presence of a ligand for example diamine ligands (e.g. n,n′-dimethylethylenediamine or trans- cyclohexyldiamine) or dibenzylideneacetone (dba), or 1,10-phenanthroline, at temperatures between 30-180°c, optionally under microwave irradiation or palladium catalyst for example palladium(ii)acetate, bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium(0) (pd(dba)2) or tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0) (pd2(dba)3, optionally in form of a chloroform adduct), or a palladium pre-catalyst such as for example tert-bubrettphos pd g3 [(2-di-tert-butylphosphino-3,6- dimethoxy- 2′,4′,6′ -triisopropyl- 1,1′ -biphenyl)-2- (2′ -amino- 1,1′ -biphenyl)]palladium(ii) methanesulfonate or brettphos pd g3 [(2-di-cyclohexylphosphino-3,6-dimethoxy-2′,4′,6′- triisopropyl-1,1′-biphenyl)-2-(2′- amino-1,1′-biphenyl)]palladium(ii) methanesulfonate, and optionally in the presence of a ligand, for example sphos, t-bubrettphos or xantphos, at temperatures between 60-120°c, optionally under microwave irradiation. the above reaction may be carried out in the presence of solvent such as toluene, dimethylformamide dmf, n-methyl pyrrolidine nmp, dimethyl sulfoxide dmso, dioxane, scheme 3: tetrahydrofuran thf and are described in literature for example in wo2012031004, wo2009042907 and synthetic communications, 41: 67 – 72, 2011. alternatively compounds of formula i wherein q is defined as under formula i above may be prepared by reacting compounds of formula vi, wherein lg2 is a leaving group for example br, cl or i, preferably bromo and r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group and compounds of formula ix, wherein q is as defined in formula i above in the presence of base such as such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate or cesium carbonate, or sodium hydride, n,n-diisopropylethylamine or kotbu and in the presence of solvent such as ethanol, methanol, dioxane, toluene, dmf, dma, dmso, thf at temperatures between 0 and 150°c, optionally under microwave irradiation. such reactions proceeds via nucleophilic substitution and subsequent cyclization and are also reported in literature for example in wo2009042907. alternatively compounds of formula i wherein q is defined as under formula i above can be prepared by cyclizing compounds of formula x, wherein q is as defined in formula i, for example in the presence of phosphorus oxychloride, optionally in the presence of a solvent or diluent, such as toluene or xylene, at temperatures between 0 and 180°c, preferably between 20 and 120°c. scheme 4: compounds of formula i, wherein q is as defined as under formula i above, can also be prepared by cyclization of the formula xa (scheme 4) wherein q is defined as under formula i above and in which x0 is halogen, preferably chlorine, or x0 is either x01 or x02, in the presence of a base, such as triethylamine, n,n-diisopropyl-ethylamine or pyridine, optionally in the presence of a catalyst (such as 4-dimethylaminopyridine dmap), in an inert solvents such as dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, n,n-dimethyl-formamide, n,n-dimethylacetamide, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate or toluene, at temperatures between 0 and 50°c. certain bases, such as pyridine and triethylamine, may be employed successfully as both base and solvent. compounds of formula xa, wherein q is defined as under formula i above and in which x0 is halogen, preferably chlorine, or x0 is either x01 or x02, can be prepared by activation of compound of formula x, wherein q is defined as under formula i above, by methods known to those skilled in the art and described in, for example, tetrahedron, 2005, 61 (46), 10827-10852. preferred is the formation of an activated species xa, wherein q is defined as under formula i above and in which x 0 is halogen, preferably chlorine. for example, compounds xa where x0 is halogen, preferably chlorine, are formed by treatment of x with, for example, oxalyl chloride (cocl)2 or thionyl chloride socl2 in the presence of catalytic quantities of n,n-dimethylformamide dmf in inert solvents such as methylene chloride ch 2 cl 2 or tetrahydrofuran thf at temperatures between 20 to 100°c, preferably 25°c. alternatively, treatment of compounds of formula x with, for example, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbo- diimide edc or dicyclohexyl carbodiimide dcc will generate an activated species xa, wherein x0 is x01 or x02 respectively, in an inert solvent, such as pyridine or tetrahydrofuran thf, optionally in the presence of a base, such as triethylamine, at temperatures between 50-180°c. compounds of formula vii, can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula vi, wherein lg2 is a leaving group for example br, cl or i, preferably bromo and r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group with ammonia or surrogates of ammonia for example nh4oh in the presence of solvent such as ethanol, methanol, dioxane, toluene, dmf, dma, dmso, thf at temperatures between 0 and 150°c, optionally under microwave irradiation. compounds of formula x, wherein q is defined as under formula i above, can be prepared by nucleophilic substitution reaction of compound of formula vi, and lg2 is a leaving group for example br, cl or i, preferably bromo and r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group, with amino compound of formula ix (or compounds of formula ix-boc and then deprotect the boc functional group after reaction), wherein q is as defined in formula i above, followed by in situ hydrolysis of the intermediate ester of formula xvii, wherein q is defined as under formula i above, and in which r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group. the in situ generated unhydrolyzed ester compound of formula xvii may be isolated and can also be converted via saponification reaction in the presence of suitable base for example naoh, lioh, ba(oh) 2 to form the carboxylic acid of formula x. the conversion of compound of formula vi to compound of formula x can be carried out in the presence of base such as sodium hydride, kotbu, butyllithium, lithium diisopropylamide amongst others and in the presence of solvent such as dioxane, dmf, dma, dmso, thf at temperatures between -30 and 150°c. compounds of formula vi, wherein lg2 is a leaving group for example br, cl or i, preferably bromo and r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group can be prepared by radical induced benzylic halogenation of compounds of formula v, wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group. such reaction are well known to those skilled in the art and may be carried out in the presence of electrophilic halogenating reagents such as br2, nbs, cl2, nis amongst others and in the presence of radical initiator for example aibn (azobisisobutyronitrile), benzoyl peroxide or under photochemical conditions and at temperatures ranging from 20 °c to the boiling point of solvent and in the presence of solvent such as toluene, xylene, acetonitrile, hexane, dichloroethane, or carbon tetrachloride. such reactions are known by the name of wohl – ziegler bromination and are reported in literature for example in synthesis, 2015, 47, 1280-1290 and j. am. chem. soc., 1963, 85 (3), pp 354–355. compounds of formula v, wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group, may be prepared by a suzuki reaction, which involves for example, reacting compounds of formula iva, wherein lg 1 is halogen br, cl, i preferably cl and r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group with trimethylboroxine or potassium methyltrifluoroborate amongst other methyl boronic acid equivalent. the reaction may be catalyzed by a palladium based catalyst, for example tetrakis(triphenyl-phosphine)palladium(0), (1,1'bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene)dichloro-palladium-dichloromethane (1:1 complex) or chloro(2- dicyclohexylphosphino-2',4',6'-triisopropyl-1,1'-biphenyl)[2-(2'-amino-1,1'-biphenyl)]palladium(ii) (xphos palladacycle), in presence of a base, like sodium carbonate, tripotassium phosphate or cesium fluoride, in a solvent or a solvent mixture, like, for example dioxane, acetonitrile, n,n-dimethyl- formamide, a mixture of 1,2-dimethoxyethane and water or of dioxane/water, or of toluene/water, preferably under inert atmosphere. the reaction temperature can preferentially range from room temperature to the boiling point of the reaction mixture, or the reaction may be performed under microwave irradiation. such suzuki reactions are well known to those skilled in the art and have been reviewed, for example, in j. organomet. chem.576, 1999, 147–168. alternatively compounds of formula v, wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group can be prepared following scheme 3a. scheme 3a in scheme 3a compounds of formula v, wherein r is c 1 -c 6 alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group can be prepared from compounds of formula v-a via esterification reactions which involves reacting compounds of formula v-a with r-oh, wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group in the presence of acid catalyst for example sulfuric acid or lewis acid for example sc(otf)3 or fecl3. such reactions are well known to those skilled in the state of art and known by the name of fischer esterification reaction and are reported in literature for example in j. org. chem., 2006, 71, 3332-3334, chem. commun., 1997, 351-352 and synthesis, 2008, 3407-3410. such esterification reaction can also be carried out by reacting compounds of formula iii with tmschn2 to form compounds of formula v, wherein r is methyl and are reported in angew. chem. int. ed.2007, 46, 7075. compounds of formula v-a can be prepared by the oxidation reaction of compounds of formula v-b. such reactions are are well known to person skilled in the art. examples of the reagent which facilitates such transformation includes oxone, kmno4, naclo2 (known by the name of pinnick oxidation), agno3 in the presence of metal hydroxide or ag2o (known by the name of tollen’s reagent). such reactions are known in the literatrure and described for example in acta chem. scand.1973, 27: 888–890; tetrahedron 1981, 37 (11): 2091–2096; ber. deut. chem. gessel., 15 (1882), pp.1635-1639; org. synth.1953, 33, 94. compounds of formula v-b can be prepared from compounds of formula v-c via analogous procedure as described in scheme 3 for the conversion of compounds of formula iva to compounds of formula v. compounds of formula v-c can be prepared from compounds of formula v-d via halogenation and in situ oxidation reaction using halogenating reagent such as iodine, bromine, chlorine, n- chlorosuccinimide, n-bromosuccinimide amongst others. alternatively, the halogenation can be performed and in a subsequent step the oxidation reaction can be carried out using oxidating reagent to form the compounds of formula v-c from compounds of formula v-d in two steps. compound of formula v-d is known in the literature with cas registery number 72768-97-9. compounds of formula iva, wherein, lg1 is halogen br, cl, i preferably cl and r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl group can be prepared (scheme 3) by reacting compounds of formula iv, wherein r is c1- c 6 alkyl, benzyl or phenyl, with a nitrite, such as tert-butyl nitrite t-buono, isoamyl nitrite, or sodium nitrite in the presence of a hydrohalic acid h-lg1 and a copper salt cu-lg1, wherein lg1 is halogen, for example br, cl or i (preferably cl) under sandmeyer-type reaction conditions. this transformation is preferably performed in an inert solvent, such as acetonitrile or a halogenated solvent like 1,2- dichloroethane, or water at temperatures between 0-150°c, preferably at temperatures ranging from room temperature to the boiling point of the reaction mixture. compounds of formula iv, wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl, can be prepared from compounds of formula iii, wherein lg1 is halogen, preferably br, cl or i, by methods found in, for example, wo 2016/020286 involving a carbonylation reaction, in which compounds of formula iii are reacted with carbon monoxide co (usually under pressure), in presence of metal catalyst such as a palladium catalyst (for example: palladium(ii) acetate), in an alcohol roh solvent (optionally in presence of a co-solvent), wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl, and optionally in presence of a phosphine ligand, and optionally in presence of a base, at temperatures between 0-180°c. compounds of formula iii, wherein lg1 is halogen, preferably br, cl or i, can be prepared by a halogenation reaction, which involves for example, reacting compounds of formula ii, with halogenating reagents such as n-chlorosuccinimide (ncs), n-bromo- succinimide (nbs) or n-iodosuccinimide (nis), or alternatively chlorine, bromine or iodine. such halogenation reactions are carried out in an inert solvent, such as chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, acetic acid, ethers, acetonitrile or n,n-dimethylformamide, at temperatures between 20-200°c, preferably room temperature to 100°c. the compounds of formula vi wherein lg 2 is a leaving group for example br, cl or i, and r is c 1 -c 6 alkyl, benzyl or phenyl are novel, especially developed for the preparation of the compounds of formula i according to the invention and therefore represent a further object of the invention. the preferences and preferred embodiments of the substituents of the compounds of formula i are also valid for the compounds of formula vi. preferably, lg2 is bromo or chloro; even more preferably lg2 is bromo. preferably r is c1-c6alkyl; even more preferably r is methyl or ethyl. alternatively compounds of formula i, wherein q is defined as under formula i above can be prepared following scheme 5. scheme 5: in scheme 5, compounds of formula i, wherein q is defined as under formula i above can be prepared from compounds of formula x, wherein q is defined as under formula i above, by method as described in scheme 4 above (scheme 6). compounds of formula x can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xii, with compounds of formula ix, wherein q is as defined in formula i above under reductive amination conditions (scheme 6). the reaction can be carried out in the presence of reducing agent for example sodium cyanoborohydride, sodium triacetoxyborohydride, amongst others and optionally in the presence of acid such as trifluoroacetic acid, formic acid, acetic acid and like others and at temperatures ranging from 0 °c to the boiling point of solvent. the reaction can be carried out in the presence of inert solvents such as ethanol, methanol, dioxane or tetrahydrofuran. such reactions involving two step conversion from compounds of formula xii to compounds of formula i have been described in literature for example in bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters 26 (2016) 5947-5950. compounds of formula xii, can be prepared from compound of formula xi, wherein lg2 is chloro, bromo or iodo preferably bromo and r is ci-cealkyl, benzyl or phenyl group by the hydrolysis and subsequent intramolecular cyclization reaction. the reaction can be carried out either using metal hydroxide under basic conditions for example using aqueous sodium hydroxide in the presence of solvent such as dioxane, tetra hydrofuran or water and at temperature ranging from 20 to 150 °c as reported in synlett 1992, (6), 531-533, or under aqueous acidic conditions for example using acetic acid, hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid in the presence of solvent such as water, dioxane, halogenate solvents such as dichloroethane as reported in tetrahedron 62 (2006) 9589-9602. compounds of formula xi, wherein lg2 is chloro, bromo or iodo preferably bromo and r is ci-cealkyl, benzyl or phenyl group can be prepared from compounds of formula v, r is ci-cealkyl, benzyl or phenyl group by method similar to as described in scheme 3 for the conversion of compound of formula v to compound of formula vi. scheme 6: alternatively compounds of formula i, wherein q is defined as under formula i, above can be prepared from compounds of formula xv, wherein q is defined as under formula i, above via selective reduction of the carbonyl functional group (scheme 7). scheme 7: the reaction can be carried out in the presence of reducing agent for example nabh4, lialh4, palladium on carbon in the presence of hydrogen or a combination of two reducing agent for example nabh4 followed by triethylsilane. such reactions have been described for example in us20100160303a1. compounds of formula xv, wherein q is defined as under formula i, above can be prepared from compounds of formula xiv, wherein q is defined as under formula i, above by hydrolysis reaction and subsequent cyclization reaction as described in scheme 4 for the conversion of compounds of formula x to compounds of formula i. compounds of formula xiv, wherein q is defined as under formula i, above and r is c 1 -c 6 alkyl, benzyl or phenyl can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xiii, wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl with compounds of formula ix, wherein q is as defined in formula i above by amidation reaction as also described in scheme 4. compounds of formula xiii, wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl can be prepared by benzylic oxidation of compounds of formula v, wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl. the reaction can be carried out in the presence of oxidative reagents such as kmno4, nbu4mno4, k2s2o8 in the presence of oxygen, or under photochemical conditions in the presence of oxygen and at temperature ranging from 20 °c to the boiling point of solvent. the reaction is carried out in the presence of inert solvent such as acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, dmso, dichloroethane. such reactions are known in the literature for example in synthesis, 2017, 49, 4007-4016, synthesis, 2006, 1757-1759 and iosr journal of applied chemistry, 2014, 7, 16-27. alternatively, compounds of formula i, wherein q is as defined in formula i, above can be prepared by cyclization reaction of compounds of formula xvii, wherein q is as defined in formula i, above and r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl (scheme 8): scheme 8: reaction can be carried out in the presence of base such as potassium tert-butoxide, lithium diisopropylamide, sodium hydride, and similar others and at temperature ranging from -20 °c to the boiling point of solvent and in the presence of inert solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, dmf. such reactions are reported in synlett 2006(4): 591-594. compounds of formula xvii, wherein q is as defined in formula i, above and r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xvi, wherein r is c 1 -c 6 alkyl, benzyl or phenyl with compounds of formula ix, wherein q is as defined in formula i above under mitsunobu conditions. such reactions are well known to those skilled in the state of art and can be carried out in the presence of phosphine reagent such as triphenylphosphine, tributylphosphine, or polymer supported triphenyl phosphine amongst others and in the presence of an azodicarboxylate reagent such as diethyl azodicarboxylate, diisopropyl azodicarboxylate and at temperature ranging from 0 °c and 100 °c and in the presence of inert solvent such as acetonitrile, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran, toluene. such reactions are reported for example in synthesis, 1981(1), 1-28. compounds of formula xvi, wherein r is c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xiii, wherein r is c 1 -c 6 alkyl, benzyl or phenyl with reducing agents. reaction can be performed using reducing reagents for example using metal hydrides such as lithium aluminumhydride, dibal-h, or boranes such as diborane, borane tetrahydrofuran amongst others at temperatures ranging from 0 °c and 150 °c and in the presence of inert solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, dioxane. such reactions have been reported in tetrahedron letters, 1982, 23, 2475-2478. the compounds of formula xvii-a wherein q is as defined under formula i above, and ra is hydrogen, c1-c6alkyl, benzyl or phenyl are novel, especially developed for the preparation of the compounds of formula i according to the invention and therefore represent a further object of the invention. the preferences and preferred embodiments of the substituents of the compounds of formula i are also valid for the compounds of formula xvii-a. preferably, ra is hydrogen or c1-c6alkyl; even more preferably, ra is hydrogen, methyl or ethyl. compounds of formula ix, wherein q is as defined in formula i above, may be prepared by the deprotection reaction of tert-butyl group of compounds of formula xix, wherein q is as defined in formula i above (scheme 9). scheme 9: the reaction can be carried out in the presence of acid catalyst such as trifluoroacetic acid, hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid and like others. compounds of formula ix, wherein q is as defined in formula i above, may be prepared by the reaction of compounds of formula xviii, wherein q is as defined in formula i above, with an organo-azide in the presence of a suitable base, t-buoh and in the presence of a coupling agent optionally in the presence of lewis acid and in the presence of an inert solvent at temperatures between 50 °c and boiling point of solvent. the reaction can be carried out in the presence of coupling agent such as t 3 p or via activation of carboxylic acid with socl 2 or oxalyl chloride or other coupling agent as described in scheme 6 for the conversion of compounds of formula x to the compounds of formula xa. examples of organo-azide include tmsn3, sodium azide, or tosyl azide and suitable solvent may be toluene, xylene, thf or acetonitrile. example of suitable lewis acid may include zn(otf)2, sc(otf)2, or cu(otf)2 amongst others. compounds of formula xix can also be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xviii with diphenylphosphorylazide in the presence of an organic base such as triethyl amine, diisopropylethylamine and similar others, and in the presence of tert-butanol and an inert solvent for example halogenated solvent such as dichloromethane, dichloroethane or cyclic ethers such as tetrahydrofuran amongst others and at temperatures ranging from 50 °c to the boiling point of solvent. such reactions of converting carboxylic acids to amines are well known to those skilled in the state of art by the name of curtius reaction and are reported in org. lett., 2005, 7, 4107-4110; journal of medicinal chemistry, 49(12), 3614-3627; 2006, j. am. chem. soc., 1972, 94 (17), pp 6203-6205. compounds of formula ix, wherein q is as defined in formula i above, may also be prepared from compounds of formula xx, wherein q is as defined in formula i above by hofmann-rearrangement reaction. the reaction can be carried out in the presence of base for example metal hydroxides such as aqueous sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide or organic bases such as dbu (1 ,8-diazabicyclo(5.4.0)undec-7-ene) and in the presence of electrophilic halogenating reagents such as chlorine, bromine or n-bromo-succinimide and at temperatures ranging from 20 °c to the boiling point of solvent. such reactions are known by the name of hofmann- rearrangement and are reported in literature for example in chem. ber. 1881 , 14, 2725. compounds of formula xx, wherein q is as defined in formula i above can be prepared by the reaction of compounds of formula xviii with ammonia for example nh4oh, nh3, or other ammonia surrogates in the presence of carboxylic acid activating agent as described in scheme 4. the subgroup of compounds of formula xviii, wherein q is qa, in which r3, r4, x and r1 are as defined in formula i, can be defined as compounds of formula xviii-a (scheme 8). such compounds of formula xviii-a are either known in the literature, or they can be prepared by following scheme 8 using analogous methods and conditions as described in, for example, wo2017/061497 and wo2018/052136. scheme 8: x is so or so. the subgroup of compounds of formula xviii, wherein q is qb, in which r5, re, x and r1 are as defined in formula i, can be defined as compounds of formula xviii-b (scheme 9a). such compounds of formula xviii-b are either known in the literature, or they can be prepared by following scheme 9a using analogous methods and conditions as described in, for example, wo2019162174 a1 . scheme 9a: alternatively compounds of formula xviii-b, wherein r1, x, r5, and r6 are as defined in formula i, can be prepared by following scheme 9b using analogous methods and conditions as described initerature, for example, wo2009095253 a1. scheme 9b: the subgroup of compounds of formula ix, wherein q is qb, in which r5, r6, and r1 are as defined in formula i, and x is so2 can be defined as compounds of formula ix-b, wherein r1, r5 and r6 are as defined in formula i and x is so 2 (scheme 9c). such compounds of formula ix-b, wherein r 1 , r 5 and r6 are as defined in formula i and x is so2 can be prepared following scheme 9c. scheme 9c: hydroxylamine xxxv xxxvi in scheme 9c compounds of formula ix-b, wherein r5, r6, and r1 are as defined in formula i, and x is so2 can be prepared from compounds of formula xxxxi, wherein r5, r6, and r1 are as defined in formula i, and x is so 2 via deprotection of tert-butoxycarbonyl group. such reactions can be carried out in the presence of acid catalyst such as trifluoroacetic acid, hydrocholoric acid amongst others acid catalyst and optionally in the presence of a solvent such as dichloromethane, toluene, trifluorotoluene amongst others. compounds of formula xxxxi, wherein r5, r6, and r1 are as defined in formula i, and x is so 2 can be prepared via oxidation of compounds of formula xxxxi, wherein r 5 , r 6 , and r 1 are as defined in formula i, and x is s by following procedure analogous to as described in scheme 1a. compounds of formula xxxxi, wherein r5, r6, and r1 are as defined in formula i, and x is s can be prepared by the substitution reaction or by cross-coupling reaction of compounds of formula xxxix, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, pg1 is an amino protecting group for example acetyl, benzyl, benzoyl and lg6 is a leaving group preferably cl, br or i with a reagent of the formula xxxxa r1-sh (xxxxa), or a salt thereof, wherein r 1 is as defined in formula i, optionally in the presence of a suitable base, such as alkali metal carbonates, for example sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate, or alkali metal hydrides such as sodium hydride, or alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, or sodium or potassium tert-butoxide, in an inert solvent at temperatures preferably between 25-120°c. examples of solvent to be used include ethers such as tetrahydrofuran thf, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, tert-butylmethyl ether, and 1,4-dioxane, aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene and xylene, nitriles such as acetonitrile or polar aprotic solvents such as n,n- dimethylformamide, n,n-dimethylacetamide, n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone nmp or dimethyl sulfoxide. examples of salts of the compound of formula xxxxa include compounds of the formula r1-s-m (xxxxb), wherein r1 is as defined above and wherein m is, for example, sodium or potassium. such a process to prepare compounds of formula xxxxb from compounds of formula xxxxa can be found, for example, in wo16/091731. alternatively, this reaction to form compounds of formula xxxxi from compounds of formula xxxix using r1-sh (xxxxa) or r1-sm (xxxxb) can be carried out in the presence of a palladium catalyst, such as tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0), in the presence of a phosphine ligand, such as xanthphos, in the presence of a base such as n,n-diisopropylethylamine, and in the presence of an inert solvent, for example, xylene at temperatures between 100-160°c, preferably 140°c, as described in tetrahedron 2005, 61, 5253-5259. during the conversion of compounds of formula xxxix to compounds of formula xxxxi, amino protecting group pg1 is either cleaved under the reaction conditions described above or can be subsequently cleaved using suitable reagent well known to those skilled in the state of art for eg acetyl protecting group can be cleaved under basic conditions using naoh, koh, cs2co3, k2co3 amongst other bases. compounds of formula xxxix, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, pg1 is an amino protecting group for example acetyl, benzyl, benzoyl and lg 6 is a leaving group preferably cl, br or i can be prepared by the reaction of compounds of formula xxxviii, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, pg1 is an amino protecting group for example acetyl, benzyl, benzoyl and lg6 is a leaving group preferably cl, br or i and di-tert-butyl decarbonate optionally in the presence of a base such as triethyl amine, 4-dimethylaminopyridine amongst others and in the presence of a solvent such as dichloromethane, acetonitrile, toluene, tetrahydrofuran amongst others. compounds of formula xxxviii, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, pg1 is an amino protecting group for example acetyl, benzyl, benzoyl and lg 6 is a leaving group preferably cl, br or i can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xxxvii, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, and pg1 is an amino protecting group for example acetyl, benzyl, benzoyl with a suitable halogenating reagent such as n- chlorosuccinimide, n-bromosuccinimide, n-iodosuccinimide amongst others in the presence of solvent such as dichloromethane, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, dmf amongst others. such reactions are well known to those skilled in the state of art. compounds of formula xxxvii, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, and pg1 is an amino protecting group for example acetyl, benzyl, benzoyl can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xxxvi, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i with a suitable amino protecting group reagent for example using acetyl chloride in the presence of pyridine. compounds of formula xxxvi, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i can be prepared in two steps from compounds of formula xxxiv, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, which involves n-amination reaction of compounds of formula xxxiv with aminating reagent such as hydroxylamine-o-sulfonic acid, o-(mesitylsulfonyl)hydroxylamine amongst others to form compounds of formula xxxv, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, followed by intramolecular cyclization of compounds of formula xxxv, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, in the presence of a base such as sodium hydride, koh, naoh, potassium carbonate, cesium carbonate amongst others and in the presence of a solvent such as dichloromethane, dichloroethane, methanol, tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide amongst others. such two step reactions are reported in literature for example as described in tetrahedron letters (2014), 55(43), 5963-5966. compounds of formula xxxiv, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, can be prepared from compounds of formula xxxi, wherein r5, and r6, are as defined in formula i, and lg5 is a halogen (or a pseudo-halogen leaving group, such as a triflate), on reaction with a acetonitrile anion equivalents in the presence of metal catalysts. a variety of acetonitrile anion equivalents can be used in such reactions. examples of such are tri-nbutylstannylacetonitrile, which can be coupled to compounds of formula (xxxi) under stille reaction conditions as described by mitiga ef. al. (chem. lett.1984, 1511) , or trimethylsilylacetonitrile in the presence of a palladium catalyst, such as tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0), xantphos pd g3 ([(4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9- dimethylxanthene)-2-(2′-amino-1,1′-biphenyl)]palladium(ii) methanesulfonate) and a ligand, for example xantphos or p(i-bu)3, a fluoride source, for example znf2 ,in an dipolar aprotic solvent such as dmf, at temperatures between 80-120 °c. such reactions are well precedented in the literarure, for example see hartwig ef. al. (j. am. chem. soc. 2002, 124, 9330, and j. am. chem. soc. 2005, 727, 15824) (scheme 9c). metal cyanoacetate such as potassium cyanoacetate or sodium cyanoacetate can also be used as an acetonitrile anion equivalent and undergo coupling reaction in the presence of palladium catalyst such as [pd2(dba)s] (tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(o)), [pd(allyl)ci]2 (allylpalladium(ll) chloride dimer) amongst others in the presence of a ligand such as sphos, xantphos or p(i-bu)3 or p(tert-butyl)3 amongst others. such reactions are known in the literature and described for example in angew. chem. int. ed. 2011 , 50, 4470 -4474. yet another method to prepare compounds of formula xxxiv from compounds of formula xxxi is shown below (scheme 9c-1). scheme 9c-1 : reaction of compounds of formula xxxi, wherein wherein r5, and re, are as defined in formula i, and lg5 is a halogen (or a pseudo-halogen leaving group, such as a tritiate), with reagents of the formula xxxii, wherein r is ci-cealkyl, in the presence of a base, such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate or cesium carbonate, or sodium hydride, sodium methoxide or ethoxide, potassium tert- butoxide, optionally under palladium (for example involving pd(pph3)2cl2) or copper (for example involving cui) catalysis, in a appropriate solvent such as for example toluene, dioxane, tetra hydrofuran, acetonitrile, n,n-dimethylformamide, n,n-dimethylacetamide, n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone nmp or dimethylsulfoxide dmso, optionally in presence of a phase transfer catalyst ptc, such as for example tetrabutyl ammonium bromide or triethyl benzyl ammonium chloride tebac, at temperatures between room temperature and 180°c, may lead to compounds of formula xxxiii, wherein r5 and re are as described under formula i above, and in which r is ci-cealkyl. similar chemistry has been described in, for example, synthesis 2010, no. 19, 3332-3338. compounds of formula xxxiv, wherein r5, and re are as described under formula i above, may be prepared by saponification/decarboxylation of the compounds of formula xxxiii, wherein r5 and re are as described under formula i above, and in which r is ci-cealkyl, under conditions known to a person skilled in the art (using for example conditions such as: aqueous sodium, potassium or lithium hydroxide in methanol, ethanol, tetra hydrofuran ordioxane at room temperature, or up to refluxing conditions; followed by acification of the reaction mixture under standard aqueous acid conditions or for example under acidic conditions in the presence of hci or para-toluene sulfonic acid). alternatively, treating compounds of formula xxxiii with halide anions, preferably chloride anions, originating from, for example, lithium chloride or sodium chloride, in solvents such as ν,ν-dimethylformamide, n,n- dimethylacetamide, n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone or dimethylsulfoxide dmso, optionally in presence of additional water, may also generate the compounds of formula xxxiv. the reaction temperature for such a transformation (krapcho o-dealkylation/decarboxylation) range preferentially from 20°c to the boiling point of the reaction mixture, or the reaction may be performed under microwave irradiation. similar chemistry has been described in, for example, synthesis 2010, no.19, 3332-3338. alternatively compounds of formula ix-b, wherein r5, r6, and r1 are as defined in formula i, and x is so2 can be prepared following scheme 9d. in scheme 9d, compounds of formula ix-b, wherein r5, r6, and r1 are as defined in formula i, and x is so2 can be prepared from compounds of formula xxxxiii, wherein r5 and r6 are as defined in formula i, following procedure analgous to as described in scheme 9c for the conversion of compounds of formula xxxvii to compounds of formula ix-b. scheme 9d: compounds of formula xxxxiii, wherein r5 and r6 are as defined in formula i, can be prepared from compounds of formula xxxiv, wherein r 5 and r 6 are as defined in formula i, via four step procedure which involves reaction with hydroxylamine to form compounds of formula xxxxii, acetylation reaction to form compounds of formula xxxxiia, base catalyzed oxadiazole synthesis to form compounds of formula xxxxiib and finally intramolecular cyclization/rearrangement to form compounds of formula xxxxiii. such reactions have been reported in the literature for example described in wo2012146657, wo2012146659 or tetrahedron letters (2017), 58(3), 202-205. compounds of formula xxxiv can be prepared from compounds of formula xxxi as described in scheme 9c. the subgroup of compounds of formula ix, wherein q is qc, in which r7, r8, x, r1, a, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i, can be defined as compounds of formula ix-c, wherein r 7 , r 8 , x, r 1, a, a 1 and a 2 are as defined in formula i. compounds of formula ix-c can be prepared from compounds of formula xviii-c which are the subgroup of compounds of formula xviii, wherein q is qc, in which r7, r8, x, r1, a, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i following scheme 9. compounds of formula xviii-c are either known in the literature, or they can be prepared by following analogous methods as described in, for example, wo2016/142326 a1 and wo2016091731 a1. the subgroup of compounds of formula ix, wherein q is qc, in which r7, r8, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i, and a is n can be defined as compounds of formula ix-c-1, wherein r7, r8, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i. compounds of formula ix-c-1 can be prepared following scheme 9e. scheme 9e: compounds of formula ix-c-1, wherein r7, r8, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xxxxix, wherein r7, r8, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i and in which lg8 is a halogen preferably bromo or chloro with ammonia, aquous ammonia or surrogates of ammonia for example nh4oh (or by using protected ammonia like tert-butyl carbamate and then deprotect it after the product formation) optionally in the presence of a base, such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate or cesium carbonate, or potassium te/y-butoxide and optionally in the presence of a metal catalyst either copper catalyst for example copper(l) iodide, copper powder, copper sulfate and optionally in the presence of a ligand for example diamine ligands (e.g. n,n'- dimethylethylenediamine or frans-cyclohexyldiamine) or dibenzylideneacetone (dba), or 1 ,10- phenanthroline, at temperatures between 30-180°c, optionally under microwave irradiation, sealed condition or palladium catalyst for example palladium(ll)acetate, bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium(0) (pd(dba)2) or tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0) (pd2(dba)3, optionally in form of a chloroform adduct), or a palladium pre-catalyst such as for example tert-bubrettphos pd g3 [(2-di-tert-butylphosphino-3,6-dimethoxy-2',4',6'-triisopropyl-1 ,1 '-biphenyl)-2- (2'-amino-1 ,1 '-biphenyl)]palladium(ll) methanesulfonate or brettphos pd g3 [(2-di- cyclohexylphosphino-3,6-dimethoxy-2',4',6'- tri isopropy 1-1 ,1 '-biphenyl)-2-(2'-amino-1 ,1 '- biphenyl)]palladium(ll) methanesulfonate, and optionally in the presence of a ligand, for example sphos, abubrettphos or xantphos, at temperatures between 60-120°c, optionally under microwave irradiation. the above reaction may be carried out in the presence of solvent such as toluene, dimethylformamide dmf, n-methyl pyrrolidine nmp, dimethyl sulfoxide dmso, dioxane, tetra hydrofuran thf and are described in literature for example in tetrahedron (1987), 43(21), 4931- 46, organic letters (2013), 15(14), 3734-3737, organic letters (2015), 17(23), 5934-5937, and w02004035549 a1 . compounds of formula xxxxix, wherein r7, rs, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i and in which lg3 is a halogen preferably bromo or chloro can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xxxxviii, wherein r7, rs, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i with halogenating reagent such as pool, pobrs or trichloroacetonitrile in the presence of triphenylphosphine amongst other halogenating reagent capable of transforming heteroaryl n-oxides to the halo-functionalized derivatives. such reactions are well known in the literature and described for example in tetrahedron letters (2014), 55(51), 7130-7132, tetrahedron (2005), 61 (38), 9042-9051 and european journal of organic chemistry (2016), 2016(8), 1606-161 1 . compounds of formula xxxxviii, wherein r7, rs, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula xxxxvii, wherein r7, rs, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i with oxidizing reagent such as urea-h2o2, m-cpba amongst other oxidizing reagent and in the presence of solvent such as acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, dichloroethane amongst others. such reactions are well known in the literature and described for example in organic letters (2018), 20(8), 2346-2350, dalton transactions (2014), 43(21), 8054-8061 and chemische berichte (1992), 125(8), 1965-6. compounds of formula xxxxvii, wherein r7, rs, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i can be prepared from compounds of formula xxxxvi, wherein r7, rs, x, r1, a1 and a2 are as defined in formula i and and in which lg7 is a halogen (or a pseudo-halogen leaving group, such as a triflate) following procedure as described in scheme 9c for the conversion of compounds of formula xxxix to compounds of formula xxxxl compounds of formula i, wherein q is qa and wherein ri, x, r3, and r4 are as defined in formula i above, can be defined as compounds of formula l-a. such compounds of formula l-a can be prepared following scheme 10. in the particular situation within scheme 10 when r3 is, -n(rg)c(=0)rio, wherein r9 and r10 are as defined in formula i, then compounds of formula l-a, wherein r1, r3, and r4 are as defined in formula i, and x is so or so2, may be prepared from compounds of formula xxxxxa-1 , wherein r1, and r4 are as defined in formula i, and in which x is so or so2, and wherein xb is a leaving group like, for example, chlorine, bromine or iodine (preferably chlorine or bromine), or an aryl- or alkylsulfonate such as trifluoromethanesulfonate, by reaction (c-n bond formation) with a reagent r3-h (xxxxxia) equivalent to hn(rg)c(=0)rio, wherein rg and rio are as defined in formula i. such a reaction is performed in the presence of a base, such as potassium carbonate, cesium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, in an inert solvent, such as toluene, dimethylformamide dmf, n-methyl pyrrolidine nmp, dimethyl sulfoxide dmso, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran thf, and the like, optionally in the presence of a catalyst, for example palladium(ll)acetate, bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium(0) (pd(dba)2) or tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0) (pd2(dba)3, optionally in form of a chloroform adduct), or a palladium pre-catalyst such as for example te/y-bubrettphos pd g3 [(2-di-te/y-butylphosphino-3,6- dimethoxy-2',4',6'-triisopropyl-1 ,1 '-biphenyl)-2-(2'-amino-1 , 1 '-biphenyl)]palladium(l i) methanesulfonate or brettphos pd g3 [(2-di-cyclohexylphosphino-3,6-dimethoxy-2',4',6'- triisopropyl-1 ,1 '-biphenyl)-2-(2'- amino-1 ,1 '-biphenyl)]palladium(ll) methanesulfonate, and optionally in the presence of a ligand, for example sphos, abubrettphos or xantphos, at temperatures between 60-120 °c, optionally under microwave irradiation. in the particular situation within scheme 10 when r3 is -n(rgrio), wherein rg and r10 are as defined in formula i, then compounds of formula l-a, wherein r1, r3, and r4 are as defined in formula i, and x is so or so2, may be prepared from compounds of formula xxxxxa-1 , wherein r1, and r4 are as defined in formula i, and in which x is so or so2, and wherein xb is a leaving group like, for example, chlorine, bromine or iodine (preferably chlorine or bromine), or an aryl- or alkylsulfonate such as trifluoromethanesulfonate, by reaction (c-n bond formation) with a reagent r3-h (xxxxxia) equivalent to hn(rgrw), or a salt thereof (such as a hydrohalide salt, preferably a hydrochloride or a hydrobromide salt, or a trifluoroacetic acid salt, or any other equivalent salt), wherein rg and r10 are as defined in formula i. such a reaction is commonly performed in an inert solvent such as alcohols, amides, esters, ethers, nitriles and water, particularly preferred are methanol, ethanol, 2,2,2- trifluoroethanol, propanol, isopropanol, n,n-dimethylformamide, n,n-dimethylacetamide, dioxane, tetra hydrofuran, dimethoxyethane, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, toluene, water or mixtures thereof, at temperatures between 0-150 °c, optionally under microwave irradiation or pressurized conditions using an autoclave, optionally in the presence of a copper catalyst, such as copper powder, copper(l) iodide or copper sulfate (optionally in form of a hydrate), or mixtures thereof, optionaly in presence a ligand, for example diamine ligands (e.g. n,n'-dimethylethylenediamine or frans-cyclohexyldiamine) or dibenzylideneacetone (dba), or 1 ,10-phenanthroline, and optionally in presence of a base such as potassium phosphate. reagents hn(rgrio) or hn(rg)corio, wherein rg and r10 are as defined in formula i, are either known, commercially available or may be prepared by methods known to a person skilled in the art. alternatively, compounds of formula l-a, wherein r1, r3 and r4 are as defined in formula i, and x is so or so2, may be prepared by a suzuki reaction, which involves for example, reacting compounds of formula xxxxxa-1 , wherein r1, and r4 are as defined in formula i, and in which x is so or so2, and wherein xb is a leaving group like, for example, chlorine, bromine or iodine (preferably chlorine or bromine), or an aryl- or alkylsulfonate such as trifluoromethanesulfonate, with compounds of formula (xxxxxi), wherein r3 is as defined in formula i, and wherein ybi can be a boron-derived functional group, such as for example b(oh)2 or b(orbi)2 wherein rbi can be a ci-c4alkyl group or the two groups orbi can form together with the boron atom a five membered ring, as for example a pinacol boronic ester. the reaction may be catalyzed by a palladium based catalyst, for example tetrakis(triphenyl-phosphine)palladium(0), (1 ,1'bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene)dichloro-palladium- dichloromethane (1 :1 complex) or chloro(2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2',4',6'-triisopropyl-1 ,1'-biphenyl)[2- (2'-amino-1 ,1'-biphenyl)]palladium(ll) (xphos palladacycle), in presence of a base, like sodium carbonate, tripotassium phosphate or cesium fluoride, in a solvent or a solvent mixture, like, for example dioxane, acetonitrile, n,n-dimethyl-formamide, a mixture of 1 ,2-dimethoxyethane and water or of dioxane/water, or of toluene/water, preferably under inert atmosphere. the reaction temperature can preferentially range from room temperature to the boiling point of the reaction mixture, or the reaction may be performed under microwave irradiation. such suzuki reactions are well known to those skilled in the art and have been reviewed, for example, in j.organomet. chem. 576, 1999, 147- 168. oxidation of compounds of formula xxxxxa-1 , wherein r1, and r4 are as defined in formula i, and in which x is s, and wherein xb is a leaving group like, for example, chlorine, bromine or iodine (preferably chlorine or bromine), or an aryl- or alkylsulfonate such as trifluoromethanesulfonate, with a suitable oxidizing agent, into compounds of formula xxxxxa-1 , wherein x is so or so2 may be achieved under conditions already described above in scheme 1a. a large number of compounds of the formula (xxxxxi), and (xxxxxia) are commercially available or can be prepared by those skilled in the art. alternatively, compounds of formula i, wherein x is so or so2, may be prepared from compounds of formula xxxxxa-1 , wherein x is s (sulfide) by involving the same chemistry as described above, but by changing the order of the steps (i.e. by running the sequence xxxxxa-1 (x is s) to l-a (x is s) via suzuki, or c-n bond formation, followed by an oxidation step to form l-a (x is so or so2). alternatively compounds of formula l-a, wherein r1, x, r3, and r4 are as defined in formula i above, may be prepared following scheme 11 . the chemistry described previously in scheme 10 to access compounds of formula l-a from compounds of formula xxxxxa-1 , can be applied analogously (scheme 11) for the preparation of compounds of formula l-a from compounds of formula xxxxxa-2, wherein all substituent definitions mentioned previously remain valid. compounds of formula i, wherein q is qb and wherein r1, x, r5, and re are as defined in formula i above, can be defined as compounds of formula l-aa. such compounds of formula l-aa can be prepared following scheme 12 and 13. the chemistry described in scheme 10 and scheme 11 for the preparation of compounds of formula l-a can be applied analogously for the preparation of compounds of formula l-aa in scheme 12 and scheme 13. 5 scheme 12: x is so or so 2 (a) suzuki reaction: pd cat (e g pd(pph 3 ) 4 or pd(dppf)ci 2 ), base (e g na 2 co 3 ), solvent (e g 1 ,2-dimethoxyethane / water), 25-180°c (b) c-n bond formation: optional base (e g k 2 co 3 or cs 2 co 3 ), optional presence of copper or palladium catalyst, optional additive (such as n,n'-dimethylethylenediamine), optional ligand (such as xantphos), solvent (e g dioxane, pyridine or n,n-dimethylformamide dmf), 25-180°c scheme 13: (a) suzuki reaction: pd cat. (e.g. pd(pph3)4 or pd(dppf)cl2), base (e.g. na2co3), solvent (e.g.1,2-dimethoxyethane / water), 25-180°c. (b) c-n bond formation: optional base (e.g. k2co3 or cs2co3), optional presence of copper or palladium catalyst, optional additive (such as n,n'-dimethylethylenediamine), optional ligand (such as xantphos), solvent (e.g. dioxane, pyridine or n,n-dimethylformamide dmf), 25-180°c. compounds of formula i, wherein q is qc and wherein r1, x, a, a1, a2, r7, and r8 are as defined in formula i above, can be defined as compounds of formula i-aaa. such compounds of formula i-aaa can be prepared following scheme 14 and 15. the chemistry described in scheme 10 and scheme 11 for the preparation of compounds of formula i-a can be applied analogously for the preparation of compounds of formula i-aaa in scheme 14 and scheme 15. scheme 14: x is so or so2 (a) suzuki reaction: pd cat. (e.g. pd(pph3)4 or pd(dppf)cl2), base (e.g. na2co3), solvent (e.g.1,2-dimethoxyethane / water), 25-180°c. (b) c-n bond formation: optional base (e.g. k2co3 or cs2co3), optional presence of copper or palladium catalyst, optional additive (such as n,n'-dimethylethylenediamine), optional ligand (such as xantphos), solvent (e.g. dioxane, pyridine or n,n-dimethylformamide dmf), 25-180°c. scheme 15: x is so or so2 (a) suzuki reaction: pd cat. (e.g. pd(pph3)4 or pd(dppf)cl2), base (e.g. na2co3), solvent (e.g.1,2-dimethoxyethane / water), 25-180°c. (b) c-n bond formation: optional base (e.g. k2co3 or cs2co3), optional presence of copper or palladium catalyst, optional additive (such as n,n'-dimethylethylenediamine), optional ligand (such as xantphos), solvent (e.g. dioxane, pyridine or n,n-dimethylformamide dmf), 25-180°c. the reactants can be reacted in the presence of a base. examples of suitable bases are alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxides, alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydrides, alkali metal or alkaline earth metal amides, alkali metal or alkaline earth metal alkoxides, alkali metal or alkaline earth metal acetates, alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates, alkali metal or alkaline earth metal dialkylamides or alkali metal or alkaline earth metal alkylsilylamides, alkylamines, alkylenediamines, free or n-alkylated saturated or unsaturated cycloalkylamines, basic heterocycles, ammonium hydroxides and carbocyclic amines. examples which may be mentioned are sodium hydroxide, sodium hydride, sodium amide, sodium methoxide, sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, potassium tert- butoxide, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, potassium hydride, lithium diisopropylamide, potassium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide, calcium hydride, triethylamine, diisopropylethylamine, triethylenediamine, cyclohexylamine, n-cyclohexyl-n,n-dimethylamine, n,n-diethylaniline, pyridine, 4- (n,n-dimethylamino)pyridine, quinuclidine, n-methylmorpholine, benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (dbu). the reactants can be reacted with each other as such, i.e. without adding a solvent or diluent. in most cases, however, it is advantageous to add an inert solvent or diluent or a mixture of these. if the reaction is carried out in the presence of a base, bases which are employed in excess, such as triethylamine, pyridine, n-methylmorpholine or n,n-diethylaniline, may also act as solvents or diluents. the reactions are advantageously carried out in a temperature range from approximately -80°c to approximately +140°c, preferably from approximately -30°c to approximately +100°c, in many cases in the range between ambient temperature and approximately +80°c. a compound of formula i can be converted in a manner known per se into another compound of formula i by replacing one or more substituents of the starting compound of formula i in the customary manner by (an)other substituent(s) according to the invention, and by post modification of compounds of with reactions such as oxidation, alkylation, reduction, acylation and other methods known by those skilled in the art. depending on the choice of the reaction conditions and starting materials which are suitable in each case, it is possible, for example, in one reaction step only to replace one substituent by another substituent according to the invention, or a plurality of substituents can be replaced by other substituents according to the invention in the same reaction step. salts of compounds of formula i can be prepared in a manner known per se. thus, for example, acid addition salts of compounds of formula i are obtained by treatment with a suitable acid or a suitable ion exchanger reagent and salts with bases are obtained by treatment with a suitable base or with a suitable ion exchanger reagent. salts of compounds of formula i can be converted in the customary manner into the free compounds i, acid addition salts, for example, by treatment with a suitable basic compound or with a suitable ion exchanger reagent and salts with bases, for example, by treatment with a suitable acid or with a suitable ion exchanger reagent. salts of compounds of formula i can be converted in a manner known per se into other salts of compounds of formula i, acid addition salts, for example, into other acid addition salts, for example by treatment of a salt of inorganic acid such as hydrochloride with a suitable metal salt such as a sodium, barium or silver salt, of an acid, for example with silver acetate, in a suitable solvent in which an inorganic salt which forms, for example silver chloride, is insoluble and thus precipitates from the reaction mixture. depending on the procedure or the reaction conditions, the compounds of formula i, which have saltforming properties can be obtained in free form or in the form of salts. the compounds of formula i and, where appropriate, the tautomers thereof, in each case in free form or in salt form, can be present in the form of one of the isomers which are possible or as a mixture of these, for example in the form of pure isomers, such as antipodes and/or diastereomers, or as isomer mixtures, such as enantiomer mixtures, for example racemates, diastereomer mixtures or racemate mixtures, depending on the number, absolute and relative configuration of asymmetric carbon atoms which occur in the molecule and/or depending on the configuration of non-aromatic double bonds which occur in the molecule; the invention relates to the pure isomers and also to all isomer mixtures which are possible and is to be understood in each case in this sense hereinabove and hereinbelow, even when stereochemical details are not mentioned specifically in each case. diastereomer mixtures or racemate mixtures of compounds of formula i, in free form or in salt form, which can be obtained depending on which starting materials and procedures have been chosen can be separated in a known manner into the pure diasteromers or racemates on the basis of the physicochemical differences of the components, for example by fractional crystallization, distillation and/or chromatography. enantiomer mixtures, such as racemates, which can be obtained in a similar manner can be resolved into the optical antipodes by known methods, for example by recrystallization from an optically active solvent, by chromatography on chiral adsorbents, for example high-performance liquid chromatography (hplc) on acetyl celulose, with the aid of suitable microorganisms, by cleavage with specific, immobilized enzymes, via the formation of inclusion compounds, for example using chiral crown ethers, where only one enantiomer is complexed, or by conversion into diastereomeric salts, for example by reacting a basic end-product racemate with an optically active acid, such as a carboxylic acid, for example camphor, tartaric or malic acid, or sulfonic acid, for example camphorsulfonic acid, and separating the diastereomer mixture which can be obtained in this manner, for example by fractional crystallization based on their differing solubilities, to give the diastereomers, from which the desired enantiomer can be set free by the action of suitable agents, for example basic agents. pure diastereomers or enantiomers can be obtained according to the invention not only by separating suitable isomer mixtures, but also by generally known methods of diastereoselective or enantioselective synthesis, for example by carrying out the process according to the invention with starting materials of a suitable stereochemistry. n-oxides can be prepared by reacting a compound of the formula i with a suitable oxidizing agent, for example the h2<d2/urea adduct in the presence of an acid anhydride, e.g. trifluoroacetic anhydride. such oxidations are known from the literature, for example from j. med. chem., 32 (12), 2561-73, 1989 or wo 2000/15615. it is advantageous to isolate or synthesize in each case the biologically more effective isomer, for example enantiomer or diastereomer, or isomer mixture, for example enantiomer mixture or diastereomer mixture, if the individual components have a different biological activity. the compounds of formula i and, where appropriate, the tautomers thereof, in each case in free form or in salt form, can, if appropriate, also be obtained in the form of hydrates and/or include other solvents, for example those which may have been used for the crystallization of compounds which are present in solid form. the compounds of formula i according to the following tables a-1 to a-3, b-1 to b-3, c-1 to c-3, d-1 to d-3, e-1 to e-3, and f-1 to f-3 can be prepared according to the methods described above. the examples which follow are intended to illustrate the invention and show preferred compounds of formula i, in the form of a compound of formula la-qa to ib-qc. the tables below illustrate specific compounds of the invention. the tables a-1 to a-3 below illustrate specific compound of the invention. table a-1 provides 14 compounds a-1 .001 to a-1 .014 of formula la-qa wherein x is s, r1 is ethyl and r3 are as defined in table m. table m: substituent definitions of r3 table a-2 provides 14 compounds a-2.001 to a-2.014 of formula la-qa wherein x is so, r1 is ethyl and r3 are as defined in table m. table a-3 provides 14 compounds a-3.001 to a-3.014 of formula la-qa wherein x is so2, r1 is ethyl and r3 are as defined in table m. the tables b-1 to b-3 below illustrate further specific compound of the invention. (ib-qa) table b-1 provides 14 compounds b-1 .001 to b-1 .014 of formula ib-qa wherein x is s, ri is ethyl and r4 are as defined in table n. table n: substituent definitions of r4 table b-2 provides 14 compounds b-2.001 to b-2.014 of formula ib-qa wherein x is so, r1 is ethyl and r4 are as defined in table n. table b-3 provides 14 compounds b-3.001 to b-3.014 of formula ib-qa wherein x is so2, r1 is ethyl and r4 are as defined in table n. the tables c-1 to c-3 below illustrate further specific compound of the invention. table c-1 provides 14 compounds c-1 .001 to c-1 .014 of formula la-qb wherein x is s, r1 is ethyl and r5 are as defined in table o. table o: substituent definitions of r5 table c-2 provides 18 compounds c-2.001 to c-2.018 of formula la-qb wherein x is so, ri is ethyl and re are as defined in table o. table c-3 provides 18 compounds c-3.001 to c-3.018 of formula la-qb wherein x is so2, ri is ethyl and re are as defined in table o. the tables d-1 to d-3 below illustrate further specific compound of the invention. (ib-qb) table d-1 provides 14 compounds d-1 .001 to d-1 .014 of formula ib-qb wherein x is s, ri is ethyl and re are as defined in table p1 . table p1 : substituent definitions of re table d-2 provides 18 compounds d-2.001 to d-2.018 of formula ib-qb wherein x is so, r 1 is ethyl and r6 are as defined in table p1. table d-3 provides 18 compounds d-3.001 to d-3.018 of formula ib-qb wherein x is so2, r1 is ethyl and r6 are as defined in table p1. the tables e-1 to e-3 below illustrate further specific compound of the invention. (ia-qc) table e-1 provides 14 compounds e-1.001 to e-1.014 of formula ia-qc wherein x is s, r 1 is ethyl and r7 are as defined in table q. table q: substituent definitions of r7 table e-2 provides 14 compounds e-2.001 to e-2.014 of formula ia-qc wherein x is so, r1 is ethyl and r7 are as defined in table q. table e-3 provides 14 compounds e-3.001 to e-3.014 of formula ia-qc wherein x is so2, r1 is ethyl and r7 are as defined in table q. the tables f-1 to f-3 below illustrate further specific compound of the invention. (ib-qc) table f-1 provides 14 compounds f-1.001 to f-1.014 of formula ib-qc wherein x is s, r1 is ethyl and r8 are as defined in table r. table r: substituent definitions of r8 table f-2 provides 14 compounds f-2.001 to f-2.014 of formula ib-qc wherein x is so, r1 is ethyl and r8 are as defined in table r. table f-3 provides 14 compounds f-3.001 to f-3.014 of formula ib-qc wherein x is so2, r1 is ethyl and r8 are as defined in table r. the compounds of formula i according to the invention are preventively and/or curatively valuable ac- tive ingredients in the field of pest control, even at low rates of application, which have a very favorable biocidal spectrum and are well tolerated by warm-blooded species, fish and plants. the active ingredients according to the invention act against all or individual developmental stages of normally sensitive, but also resistant, animal pests, such as insects or representatives of the order acarina. the insecticidal or acaricidal activity of the active ingredients according to the invention can manifest itself directly, i. e. in destruction of the pests, which takes place either immediately or only after some time has elapsed, for example during ecdysis, or indirectly, for example in a reduced oviposition and/or hatching rate, a good activity corresponding to a destruction rate (mortality) of at least 50 to 60%. examples of the above-mentioned animal pests are: from the order acarina, for example, acalitus spp, aculus spp, acaricalus spp, aceria spp, acarus siro, amblyomma spp., argas spp., boophilus spp., brevipalpus spp., bryobia spp, calipitrimerus spp., chorioptes spp., dermanyssus gallinae, dermatophagoides spp, eotetranychus spp, eriophyes spp., hemitarsonemus spp, hyalomma spp., ixodes spp., olygonychus spp, ornithodoros spp., polyphagotarsone latus, panonychus spp., phyllocoptruta oleivora, phytonemus spp, polyphagotarsonemus spp, psoroptes spp., rhipicephalus spp., rhizoglyphus spp., sarcoptes spp., steneotarsonemus spp, tarsonemus spp. and tetranychus spp.; from the order anoplura, for example, haematopinus spp., linognathus spp., pediculus spp., pemphigus spp. and phylloxera spp.; from the order coleoptera, for example, agriotes spp., amphimallon majale, anomala orientalis, anthonomus spp., aphodius spp, astylus atromaculatus, ataenius spp, atomaria linearis, chaetocnema tibialis, cerotoma spp, conoderus spp, cosmopolites spp., cotinis nitida, curculio spp., cyclocephala spp, dermestes spp., diabrotica spp., diloboderus abderus, epilachna spp., eremnus spp., heteronychus arator, hypothenemus hampei, lagria vilosa, leptinotarsa decemlineata, lissorhoptrus spp., liogenys spp, maecolaspis spp, maladera castanea, megascelis spp, melighetes aeneus, melolontha spp., myochrous armatus, orycaephilus spp., otiorhynchus spp., phyllophaga spp, phlyctinus spp., popillia spp., psylliodes spp., rhyssomatus aubtilis, rhizopertha spp., scarabeidae, sitophilus spp., sitotroga spp., somaticus spp, sphenophorus spp, sternechus subsignatus, tenebrio spp., tribolium spp. and trogoderma spp.; from the order diptera, for example, aedes spp., anopheles spp, antherigona soccata,bactrocea oleae, bibio hortulanus, bradysia spp, calliphora erythrocephala, ceratitis spp., chrysomyia spp., culex spp., cuterebra spp., dacus spp., delia spp, drosophila melanogaster, fannia spp., gastrophilus spp., geomyza tripunctata, glossina spp., hypoderma spp., hyppobosca spp., liriomyza spp., lucilia spp., melanagromyza spp., musca spp., oestrus spp., orseolia spp., oscinella frit, pegomyia hyoscyami, phorbia spp., rhagoletis spp, rivelia quadrifasciata, scatella spp, sciara spp., stomoxys spp., tabanus spp., tannia spp. and tipula spp.; from the order hemiptera, for example, acanthocoris scabrator, acrosternum spp, adelphocoris lineolatus, amblypelta nitida, bathycoelia thalassina, blissus spp, cimex spp., clavigralla tomentosicollis, creontiades spp, distantiella theobroma, dichelops furcatus, dysdercus spp., edessa spp, euschistus spp., eurydema pulchrum, eurygaster spp., halyomorpha halys, horcias nobilellus, leptocorisa spp., lygus spp, margarodes spp, murgantia histrionic, neomegalotomus spp, nesidiocoris tenuis, nezara spp., nysius simulans, oebalus insularis, piesma spp., piezodorus spp, rhodnius spp., sahlbergella singularis, scaptocoris castanea, scotinophara spp. , thyanta spp , triatoma spp., vatiga illudens; acyrthosium pisum, adalges spp, agalliana ensigera, agonoscena targionii, aleurodicus spp, aleurocanthus spp, aleurolobus barodensis, aleurothrixus floccosus, aleyrodes brassicae, amarasca biguttula, amritodus atkinsoni, aonidiella spp., aphididae, aphis spp., aspidiotus spp., aulacorthum solani, bactericera cockerelli, bemisia spp, brachycaudus spp, brevicoryne brassicae, cacopsylla spp, cavariella aegopodii scop., ceroplaster spp., chrysomphalus aonidium, chrysomphalus dictyospermi, cicadella spp, cofana spectra, cryptomyzus spp, cicadulina spp, coccus hesperidum, dalbulus maidis, dialeurodes spp, diaphorina citri, diuraphis noxia, dysaphis spp, empoasca spp., eriosoma larigerum, erythroneura spp., gascardia spp., glycaspis brimblecombei, hyadaphis pseudobrassicae, hyalopterus spp, hyperomyzus pallidus, idioscopus clypealis, jacobiasca lybica, laodelphax spp., lecanium corni, lepidosaphes spp., lopaphis erysimi, lyogenys maidis, macrosiphum spp., mahanarva spp, metcalfa pruinosa, metopolophium dirhodum, myndus crudus, myzus spp., neotoxoptera sp, nephotettix spp., nilaparvata spp., nippolachnus piri mats, odonaspis ruthae, oregma lanigera zehnter, parabemisia myricae, paratrioza cockerelli, parlatoria spp., pemphigus spp., peregrinus maidis, perkinsiella spp, phorodon humuli, phylloxera spp, pianococcus spp., pseudaulacaspis spp., pseudococcus spp., pseudatomoscelis seriatus, psylla spp., pulvinaria aethiopica, quadraspidiotus spp., quesada gigas, recilia dorsalis, rhopalosiphum spp., saissetia spp., scaphoideus spp., schizaphis spp., sitobion spp., sogatella furcifera, spissistilus festinus, tarophagus proserpina, toxoptera spp, trialeurodes spp, tridiscus sporoboli, trionymus spp, trioza erytreae , unaspis citri, zygina flammigera, zyginidia scutellaris, ; from the order hymenoptera, for example, acromyrmex, arge spp, atta spp., cephus spp., diprion spp., diprionidae, gilpinia polytoma, hoplo- campa spp., lasius spp., monomorium pharaonis, neodiprion spp., pogonomyrmex spp, slenopsis invicta, solenopsis spp. and vespa spp.; from the order isoptera, for example, coptotermes spp, corniternes cumulans, incisitermes spp, macrotermes spp, mastotermes spp, microtermes spp, reticulitermes spp.; solenopsis geminate from the order lepidoptera, for example, acleris spp., adoxophyes spp., aegeria spp., agrotis spp., alabama argillaceae, amylois spp., anticarsia gemmatalis, archips spp., argyresthia spp, argyrotaenia spp., autographa spp., bucculatrix thurberiella, busseola fusca, cadra cautella, carposina nipponensis, chilo spp., choristoneura spp., chrysoteuchia topiaria, clysia ambiguella, cnaphalocrocis spp., cnephasia spp., cochylis spp., coleophora spp., colias lesbia, cosmophila flava, crambus spp, crocidolomia binotalis, cryptophlebia leucotreta, cydalima perspectalis, cydia spp., diaphania perspectalis, diatraea spp., diparopsis castanea, earias spp., eldana saccharina, ephestia spp., epinotia spp, estigmene acrea, etiella zinckinella, eucosma spp., eupoecilia ambiguella, euproctis spp., euxoa spp., feltia jaculiferia, grapholita spp., hedya nubiferana, heliothis spp., hellula undalis, herpetogramma spp, hyphantria cunea, keiferia lycopersicella, lasmopalpus lignosellus, leucoptera scitella, lithocollethis spp., lobesia botrana, loxostege bifidalis, lymantria spp., lyonetia spp., malacosoma spp., mamestra brassicae, manduca sexta, mythimna spp, noctua spp, operophtera spp., orniodes indica, ostrinia nubilalis, pammene spp., pandemis spp., panolis flammea, papaipema nebris, pectinophora gossypi- ela, perileucoptera coffeella, pseudaletia unipuncta, phthorimaea operculella, pieris rapae, pieris spp., plutella xylostella, prays spp., pseudoplusia spp, rachiplusia nu, richia albicosta, scirpophaga spp., sesamia spp., sparganothis spp., spodoptera spp., sylepta derogate, synanthedon spp., thaumetopoea spp., tortrix spp., trichoplusia ni, tuta absoluta, and yponomeuta spp.; from the order mallophaga, for example, damalinea spp. and trichodectes spp.; from the order orthoptera, for example, blatta spp., blattella spp., gryllotalpa spp., leucophaea maderae, locusta spp., neocurtilla hexadactyla, periplaneta spp. , scapteriscus spp, and schistocerca spp.; from the order psocoptera, for example, liposcelis spp.; from the order siphonaptera, for example, ceratophyllus spp., ctenocephalides spp. and xenopsylla cheopis; from the order thysanoptera, for example, calliothrips phaseoli, frankliniella spp., heliothrips spp, hercinothrips spp., parthenothrips spp, scirtothrips aurantii, sericothrips variabilis, taeniothrips spp., thrips spp; from the order thysanura, for example, lepisma saccharina. the active ingredients according to the invention can be used for controlling, i. e. containing or destroying, pests of the abovementioned type which occur in particular on plants, especially on useful plants and ornamentals in agriculture, in horticulture and in forests, or on organs, such as fruits, flowers, foliage, stalks, tubers or roots, of such plants, and in some cases even plant organs which are formed at a later point in time remain protected against these pests. suitable target crops are, in particular, cereals, such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, maize or sorghum; beet, such as sugar or fodder beet; fruit, for example pomaceous fruit, stone fruit or soft fruit, such as apples, pears, plums, peaches, almonds, cherries or berries, for example strawberries, raspberries or blackberries; leguminous crops, such as beans, lentils, peas or soya; oil crops, such as oilseed rape, mustard, poppies, olives, sunflowers, coconut, castor, cocoa or ground nuts; cucurbits, such as pumpkins, cucumbers or melons; fibre plants, such as cotton, flax, hemp or jute; citrus fruit, such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit or tangerines; vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, asparagus, cabbages, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes or bell peppers; lauraceae, such as avocado, cinnamonium or camphor; and also tobacco, nuts, coffee, eggplants, sugarcane, tea, pepper, grapevines, hops, the plantain family and latex plants. the compositions and/or methods of the present invention may be also used on any ornamental and/or vegetable crops, including flowers, shrubs, broad-leaved trees and evergreens. for example the invention may be used on any of the following ornamental species: ageratum spp., alonsoa spp., anemone spp., anisodontea capsenisis, anthemis spp., antirrhinum spp., aster spp., begonia spp. (e.g. b. elatior, b. semperflorens, b. tubereux), bougainvillea spp., brachycome spp., brassica spp. (ornamental), calceolaria spp., capsicum annuum, catharanthus roseus, canna spp., centaurea spp., chrysanthemum spp., cineraria spp. (c. maritime), coreopsis spp., crassula coccinea, cuphea ignea, dahlia spp., delphinium spp., dicentra spectabilis, dorotheantus spp., eustoma grandiflorum , forsythia spp., fuchsia spp., geranium gnaphalium, gerbera spp., gomphrena globosa, heliotropium spp., helianthus spp., hibiscus spp., hortensia spp., hydrangea spp., hypoestes phyllostachya, impatiens spp. (/. walleriana), iresines spp., kalanchoe spp., lantana camara, lavatera trimestris, leonotis leonurus, lilium spp., mesembryanthemum spp., mimulus spp., monarda spp., nemesia spp., tagetes spp., dianthus spp. (carnation), canna spp., oxalis spp., bellis spp., pelargonium spp. (p. peltatum, p. zonale), viola spp. (pansy), petunia spp., phlox spp., plecthranthus spp., poinsettia spp., parthenocissus spp. (p. quinquefolia, p. tricuspidata), primula spp., ranunculus spp., rhododendron spp., rosa spp. (rose), rudbeckia spp., saintpaulia spp., salvia spp., scaevola aemola, schizanthus wisetonensis, sedum spp., solanum spp., surfinia spp., tagetes spp., nicotinia spp., verbena spp., zinnia spp. and other bedding plants. for example the invention may be used on any of the following vegetable species: allium spp. (a sativum, a., cepa, a. oschaninii, a. porrum, a. ascalonicum, a. fistulosum), anthriscus cerefolium, apium graveolus, asparagus officinalis, beta vulgarus, brassica spp. (b. oleracea, b. pekinensis, b. rapa), capsicum annuum, cicer arietinum, cichorium endivia, cichorum spp. (c. intybus, c. endivia), citrillus lanatus, cucumis spp. (c. sativus, c. melo), cucurbita spp. (c. pepo, c. maxima), cyanara spp. (c. scolymus, c. cardunculus), daucus carota, foeniculum vulgare, hypericum spp., lactuca sativa, lycopersicon spp. (l esculentum, l. lycopersicum), mentha spp., ocimum basilicum, petroselinum crispum, phaseolus spp. (p. vulgaris, p. coccineus), pisum sativum, raphanus sativus, rheum rhaponticum, rosemarinus spp., salvia spp., scorzonera hispanica, solarium melongena, spinacea oleracea, valerianella spp. (iz. locusta, v. eriocarpa) and vicia faba. preferred ornamental species include african violet, begonia, dahlia, gerbera, hydrangea, verbena, rosa, kalanchoe, poinsettia, aster, centaurea, coreopsis, delphinium, monarda, phlox, rudbeckia, sedum, petunia, viola, impatiens, geranium, chrysanthemum, ranunculus, fuchsia, salvia, hortensia, rosemary, sage, st. johnswort, mint, sweet pepper, tomato and cucumber. the active ingredients according to the invention are especially suitable for controlling aphis craccivora, diabrotica balteata, heliothis virescens, myzus persicae, plutella xylostella and spodoptera littoralis in cotton, vegetable, maize, rice and soya crops. the active ingredients according to the invention are further especially suitable for controlling mamestra (preferably in vegetables), cydia pomonella (preferably in apples), empoasca(preferably in vegetables, vineyards), leptinotarsa (preferably in potatos) and chilo supressalis (preferably in rice). the active ingredients according to the invention are especially suitable for controlling aphis craccivora, diabrotica balteata, heliothis virescens, myzus persicae, plutella xylostella and spodoptera littoralis in cotton, vegetable, maize, rice and soya crops. the active ingredients according to the invention are further especially suitable for controlling mamestra (preferably in vegetables), cydia pomonella (preferably in apples), empoasca(preferably in vegetables, vineyards), leptinotarsa (preferably in potatos) and chilo supressalis (preferably in rice). in a further aspect, the invention may also relate to a method of controlling damage to plant and parts thereof by plant parasitic nematodes (endoparasitic-, semiendoparasitic- and ectoparasitic nematodes), especially plant parasitic nematodes such as root knot nematodes, meloidogyne hapla, meloidogyne incognita, meloidogyne javanica, meloidogyne arenaria and other meloidogyne species; cyst-forming nematodes, globodera rostochiensis and other globodera species; heterodera avenae, heterodera glycines, heterodera schachtii, heterodera trifolii, and other heterodera species; seed gall nematodes, anguina species; stem and foliar nematodes, aphelenchoides species; sting nematodes, belonolaimus longicaudatus and other belonolaimus species; pine nematodes, bursaphelenchus xylophilus and other bursaphelenchus species; ring nematodes, criconema species, criconemella species, criconemoides species, mesocriconema species; stem and bulb nematodes, ditylenchus destructor, ditylenchus dipsaci and other ditylenchus species; awl nematodes, dolichodorus species; spiral nematodes, heliocotylenchus multicinctus and other helicotylenchus species; sheath and sheathoid nematodes, hemicycliophora species and hemicriconemoides species; hirshmanniella species; lance nematodes, hoploaimus species; false rootknot nematodes, nacobbus species; needle nematodes, longidorus elongatus and other longidorus species; pin nematodes, pratylenchus species; lesion nematodes, pratylenchus neglectus, pratylenchus penetrans, pratylenchus curvitatus, pratylenchus goodeyi and other pratylenchus species; burrowing nematodes, radopholus similis and other radopholus species; reniform nematodes, rotylenchus robustus, rotylenchus reniformis and other rotylenchus species; scutellonema species; stubby root nematodes, trichodorus primitivus and other trichodorus species, paratrichodorus species; stunt nematodes, tylenchorhynchus claytoni, tylenchorhynchus dubius and other tylenchorhynchus species; citrus nematodes, tylenchulus species; dagger nematodes, xiphinema species; and other plant parasitic nematode species, such as subanguina spp., hypsoperine spp., macroposthonia spp., melinius spp., punctodera spp., and quinisulcius spp.. the compounds of the invention may also have activity against the molluscs. examples of which include, for example, ampullariidae; arion (a. ater, a. circumscriptus, a. hortensis, a. rufus); bradybaenidae (bradybaena fruticum); cepaea (c. hortensis, c. nemoralis); ochlodina; deroceras (d. agrestis, d. empiricorum, d. laeve, d. reticulatum); discus (d. rotundatus); euomphalia; galba (g. trunculata); helicelia (h. itala, h. obvia); helicidae helicigona arbustorum); helicodiscus; helix (h. aperta); limax (l. cinereoniger, l. flavus, l. marginatus, l. maximus, l. tenellus); lymnaea; milax (m. gagates, m. marginatus, m. sowerbyi); opeas; pomacea (p. canaticulata); vallonia and zanitoides. the term "crops" is to be understood as including also crop plants which have been so transformed by the use of recombinant dna techniques that they are capable of synthesising one or more selectively acting toxins, such as are known, for example, from toxin-producing bacteria, especially those of the genus bacillus. toxins that can be expressed by such transgenic plants include, for example, insecticidal proteins, for example insecticidal proteins from bacillus cereus or bacillus popilliae; or insecticidal proteins from bacillus thuringiensis, such as 8-endotoxins, e.g. crylab, crylac, cry1 f, cry1 fa2, cry2ab, cry3a, cry3bb1 or cry9c, or vegetative insecticidal proteins (vip), e.g. vip1 , vip2, vip3 or vip3a; or insecticidal proteins of bacteria colonising nematodes, for example photorhabdus spp. or xenorhabdus spp., such as photorhabdus luminescens, xenorhabdus nematophilus; toxins produced by animals, such as scorpion toxins, arachnid toxins, wasp toxins and other insect -specific neurotoxins; toxins produced by fungi, such as streptomycetes toxins, plant lectins, such as pea lectins, barley lectins or snowdrop lectins; agglutinins; proteinase inhibitors, such as trypsin inhibitors, serine protease inhibitors, patatin, cystatin, papain inhibitors; ribosome-inactivating proteins (rip), such as ricin, maize-rip, abrin, luffin, saporin or bryodin; steroid metabolism enzymes, such as 3-hydroxysteroidoxidase, ecdysteroid-udp-glycosyl-transferase, cholesterol oxidases, ecdysone inhibitors, hmg-coa-reductase, ion channel blockers, such as blockers of sodium or calcium channels, juvenile hormone esterase, diuretic hormone receptors, stilbene synthase, bibenzyl synthase, chitinases and glucanases. in the context of the present invention there are to be understood by 8-endotoxins, for example crylab, crylac, cry1 f, cry1 fa2, cry2ab, cry3a, cry3bb1 or cry9c, or vegetative insecticidal proteins (vip), for example vi p1 , vip2, vip3 or vip3a, expressly also hybrid toxins, truncated toxins and modified toxins. hybrid toxins are produced recombinantly by a new combination of different domains of those proteins (see, for example, wo 02/15701). truncated toxins, for example a truncated crylab, are known. in the case of modified toxins, one or more amino acids of the naturally occurring toxin are replaced. in such amino acid replacements, preferably non-naturally present protease recognition sequences are inserted into the toxin, such as, for example, in the case of cry3a055, a cathepsin-g-recognition sequence is inserted into a cry3a toxin (see wo 03/018810). examples of such toxins or transgenic plants capable of synthesising such toxins are disclosed, for example, in ep-a-0 374 753, wo 93/07278, wo 95/34656, ep-a-0 427 529, ep-a-451 878 and wo 03/052073. the processes for the preparation of such transgenic plants are generally known to the person skilled in the art and are described, for example, in the publications mentioned above. cryl-type deoxyribonucleic acids and their preparation are known, for example, from wo 95/34656, ep-a-0 367 474, ep-a-0 401 979 and wo 90/13651. the toxin contained in the transgenic plants imparts to the plants tolerance to harmful insects. such insects can occur in any taxonomic group of insects, but are especially commonly found in the beetles (coleoptera), two-winged insects (diptera) and moths (lepidoptera). transgenic plants containing one or more genes that code for an insecticidal resistance and express one or more toxins are known and some of them are commercially available. examples of such plants are: yieldgard® (maize variety that expresses a crylab toxin); yieldgard rootworm® (maize variety that expresses a cry3bb1 toxin); yieldgard plus® (maize variety that expresses a crylab and a cry3bb1 toxin); starlink® (maize variety that expresses a cry9c toxin); herculex i® (maize variety that expresses a cry1 fa2 toxin and the enzyme phosphinothricine n-acetyltransferase (pat) to achieve tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium); nucotn 33b® (cotton variety that expresses a cry1 ac toxin); bollgard i® (cotton variety that expresses a cry1 ac toxin); bollgard ii® (cotton variety that expresses a cry1 ac and a cry2ab toxin); vipcot® (cotton variety that expresses a vip3a and a crylab toxin); newleaf® (potato variety that expresses a cry3a toxin); naturegard®, agrisure® gt advantage (ga21 glyphosate-tolerant trait), agrisure® cb advantage (bt11 corn borer (cb) trait) and protecta®. further examples of such transgenic crops are: 1. bt11 maize from syngenta seeds sas, chemin de i'hobit 27, f-31 790 st. sauveur, france, registration number c/fr/96/05/10. genetically modified zea mays which has been rendered resistant to attack by the european corn borer (ostrinia nubilalis and sesamia nonagrioides) by transgenic expression of a truncated crylab toxin. bt11 maize also transgenically expresses the enzyme pat to achieve tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium. 2. bt176 maize from syngenta seeds sas, chemin de i'hobit 27, f-31 790 st. sauveur, france, registration number c/fr/96/05/10. genetically modified zea mays which has been rendered resistant to attack by the european corn borer (ostrinia nubilalis and sesamia nonagrioides) by transgenic expression of a crylab toxin. bt176 maize also transgenically expresses the enzyme pat to achieve tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium. 3. mir604 maize from syngenta seeds sas, chemin de i'hobit 27, f-31 790 st. sauveur, france, registration number c/fr/96/05/10. maize which has been rendered insect-resistant by transgenic expression of a modified cry3a toxin. this toxin is cry3a055 modified by insertion of a cathepsin-g- protease recognition sequence. the preparation of such transgenic maize plants is described in wo 03/018810. 4. mon 863 maize from monsanto europe s.a. 270-272 avenue de tervuren, b-1150 brussels, belgium, registration number c/de/02/9. mon 863 expresses a cry3bb1 toxin and has resistance to certain coleoptera insects. 5. ipc 531 cotton from monsanto europe s.a. 270-272 avenue de tervuren, b-1150 brussels, belgium, registration number c/es/96/02. 6. 1507 maize from pioneer overseas corporation, avenue tedesco, 7 b-1160 brussels, belgium, registration number c/nl/00/10. genetically modified maize for the expression of the protein cry1 f for achieving resistance to certain lepidoptera insects and of the pat protein for achieving tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium. 7. nk603 x mon 810 maize from monsanto europe s.a. 270-272 avenue de tervuren, b-1150 brussels, belgium, registration number c/gb/02/m3/03. consists of conventionally bred hybrid maize varieties by crossing the genetically modified varieties nk603 and mon 810. nk603 x mon 810 maize transgenically expresses the protein cp4 epsps, obtained from agrobacterium sp. strain cp4, which imparts tolerance to the herbicide roundup® (contains glyphosate), and also a cry1 ab toxin obtained from bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki which brings about tolerance to certain lepidoptera, include the european corn borer. transgenic crops of insect-resistant plants are also described in bats (zentrum fur biosicherheit und nachhaltigkeit, zentrum bats, clarastrasse 13, 4058 basel, switzerland) report 2003, (http://bats.ch). the term "crops" is to be understood as including also crop plants which have been so transformed by the use of recombinant dna techniques that they are capable of synthesising antipathogenic substances having a selective action, such as, for example, the so-called "pathogenesis-related proteins" (prps, see e.g. ep-a-0 392 225). examples of such antipathogenic substances and transgenic plants capable of synthesising such antipathogenic substances are known, for example, from ep-a-0 392 225, wo 95/33818 and ep-a-0 353 191 . the methods of producing such transgenic plants are generally known to the person skilled in the art and are described, for example, in the publications mentioned above. crops may also be modified for enhanced resistance to fungal (for example fusarium, anthracnose, or phytophthora), bacterial (for example pseudomonas) or viral (for example potato leafroll virus, tomato spotted wilt virus, cucumber mosaic virus) pathogens. crops also include those that have enhanced resistance to nematodes, such as the soybean cyst nematode. crops that are tolerance to abiotic stress include those that have enhanced tolerance to drought, high salt, high temperature, chill, frost, or light radiation, for example through expression of nf-yb or other proteins known in the art. antipathogenic substances which can be expressed by such transgenic plants include, for example, ion channel blockers, such as blockers for sodium and calcium channels, for example the viral kp1 , kp4 or kp6 toxins; stilbene synthases; bibenzyl synthases; chitinases; glucanases; the so-called "pathogenesis-related proteins" (prps; see e.g. ep-a-0 392 225); antipathogenic substances produced by microorganisms, for example peptide antibiotics or heterocyclic antibiotics (see e.g. wo 95/33818) or protein or polypeptide factors involved in plant pathogen defence (so-called "plant disease resistance genes", as described in wo 03/000906). further areas of use of the compositions according to the invention are the protection of stored goods and store rooms and the protection of raw materials, such as wood, textiles, floor coverings or buildings, and also in the hygiene sector, especially the protection of humans, domestic animals and productive livestock against pests of the mentioned type. the present invention also provides a method for controlling pests (such as mosquitoes and other disease vectors; see also http://www.who.int/malaria/vector_control/irs/en/). in one embodiment, the method for controlling pests comprises applying the compositions of the invention to the target pests, to their locus or to a surface or substrate by brushing, rolling, spraying, spreading or dipping. by way of example, an irs (indoor residual spraying) application of a surface such as a wall, ceiling or floor surface is contemplated by the method of the invention. in another embodiment, it is contemplated to apply such compositions to a substrate such as non-woven or a fabric material in the form of (or which can be used in the manufacture of) netting, clothing, bedding, curtains and tents. in one embodiment, the method for controlling such pests comprises applying a pesticidally effective amount of the compositions of the invention to the target pests, to their locus, or to a surface or substrate so as to provide effective residual pesticidal activity on the surface or substrate. such application may be made by brushing, rolling, spraying, spreading or dipping the pesticidal composition of the invention. by way of example, an irs application of a surface such as a wall, ceiling or floor surface is contemplated by the method of the invention so as to provide effective residual pesticidal activity on the surface. in another embodiment, it is contemplated to apply such compositions for residual control of pests on a substrate such as a fabric material in the form of (or which can be used in the manufacture of) netting, clothing, bedding, curtains and tents. substrates including non-woven, fabrics or netting to be treated may be made of natural fibres such as cotton, raffia, jute, flax, sisal, hessian, or wool, or synthetic fibres such as polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, polyacrylonitrile or the like. the polyesters are particularly suitable. the methods of textile treatment are known, e.g. wo 2008/151984, wo 2003/034823, us 5631072, wo 2005/64072, w02006/128870, ep 1724392, wo 2005113886 or wo 2007/090739. further areas of use of the compositions according to the invention are the field of tree injection/trunk treatment for all ornamental trees as well all sort of fruit and nut trees. in the field of tree injection/trunk treatment, the compounds according to the present invention are especially suitable against wood-boring insects from the order lepidoptera as mentioned above and from the order coleoptera, especially against woodborers listed in the following tables a and b: table a. examples of exotic woodborers of economic importance. table b. examples of native woodborers of economic importance. the present invention may be also used to control any insect pests that may be present in turfgrass, including for example beetles, caterpillars, fire ants, ground pearls, millipedes, sow bugs, mites, mole crickets, scales, mealybugs ticks, spittlebugs, southern chinch bugs and white grubs. the present invention may be used to control insect pests at various stages of their life cycle, including eggs, larvae, nymphs and adults. in particular, the present invention may be used to control insect pests that feed on the roots of turfgrass including white grubs (such as cyclocephala spp. (e.g. masked chafer, c. lurida), rhizotrogus spp. (e.g. european chafer, r. majalis), cotinus spp. (e.g. green june beetle, c. nitida), popillia spp. (e.g. japanese beetle, p. japonica), phyllophaga spp. (e.g. may/june beetle), ataenius spp. (e.g. black turfgrass ataenius, a. spretulus), maladera spp. (e.g. asiatic garden beetle, m. castanea) and tomarus spp.), ground pearls (margarodes spp.), mole crickets (tawny, southern, and short-winged; scapteriscus spp., gryllotalpa africana) and leatherjackets (european crane fly, tipula spp.). the present invention may also be used to control insect pests of turfgrass that are thatch dwelling, including armyworms (such as fall armyworm spodoptera frugiperda, and common armyworm pseudaletia unipuncta), cutworms, billbugs (sphenophorus spp., such as s. venatus verstitus and s. parvulus), and sod webworms (such as crambus spp. and the tropical sod webworm, herpetogramma phaeopteralis). the present invention may also be used to control insect pests of turfgrass that live above the ground and feed on the turfgrass leaves, including chinch bugs (such as southern chinch bugs, b/issus insu/aris), bermudagrass mite (eriophyes cynodoniensis), rhodesgrass mealybug (antonina graminis), two-lined spittlebug (propsapia bicincta), leafhoppers, cutworms (noctuidae family), and greenbugs. the present invention may also be used to control other pests of turfgrass such as red imported fire ants (solenopsis invicta) that create ant mounds in turf. in the hygiene sector, the compositions according to the invention are active against ectoparasites such as hard ticks, soft ticks, mange mites, harvest mites, flies (biting and licking), parasitic fly larvae, lice, hair lice, bird lice and fleas. examples of such parasites are: of the order anoplurida: haematopinus spp., linognathus spp., pediculus spp. and phtirus spp., solenopotes spp.. of the order mallophagida: trimenopon spp., menopon spp., trinoton spp., bovicola spp., werneckiella spp., lepikentron spp., damalina spp., trichodectes spp. and felicola spp.. of the order diptera and the suborders nematocerina and brachycerina, for example aedes spp., anopheles spp., culex spp., simulium spp., eusimulium spp., phlebotomus spp., lutzomyia spp., culicoides spp., chrysops spp., hybomitra spp., atylotus spp., tabanus spp., haematopota spp., philipomyia spp., braula spp., musca spp., hydrotaea spp., stomoxys spp., haematobia spp., morellia spp., fannia spp., glossina spp., calliphora spp., lucilia spp., chrysomyia spp., wohlfahrtia spp., sarcophaga spp., oestrus spp., hypoderma spp., gasterophilus spp., hippobosca spp., lipoptena spp. and melophagus spp.. of the order siphonapterida, for example pulex spp., ctenocephalides spp., xenopsylla spp., ceratophyllus spp.. of the order heteropterida, for example cimex spp., triatoma spp., rhodnius spp., panstrongylus spp.. of the order blattarida, for example blatta orientalis, periplaneta americana, blattelagermanica and supella spp.. of the subclass acaria (acarida) and the orders meta- and meso-stigmata, for example argas spp., ornithodorus spp., otobius spp., ixodes spp., amblyomma spp., boophilus spp., dermacentor spp., haemophysalis spp., hyalomma spp., rhipicephalus spp., dermanyssus spp., raillietia spp., pneumonyssus spp., sternostoma spp. and varroa spp.. of the orders actinedida (prostigmata) and acaridida (astigmata), for example acarapis spp., cheyletiella spp., ornithocheyletia spp., myobia spp., psorergatesspp., demodex spp., trombicula spp., listrophorus spp., acarus spp., tyrophagus spp., caloglyphus spp., hypodectes spp., pterolichus spp., psoroptes spp., chorioptes spp., otodectes spp., sarcoptes spp., notoedres spp., knemidocoptes spp., cytodites spp. and laminosioptes spp.. the compositions according to the invention are also suitable for protecting against insect infestation in the case of materials such as wood, textiles, plastics, adhesives, glues, paints, paper and card, leather, floor coverings and buildings. the compositions according to the invention can be used, for example, against the following pests: beetles such as hylotrupes bajulus, chlorophorus pilosis, anobium punctatum, xestobium rufovillosum, ptilinuspecticornis, dendrobium pertinex, ernobius mollis, priobium carpini, lyctus brunneus, lyctus africanus, lyctus planicollis, lyctus linearis, lyctus pubescens, trogoxylon aequale, minthesrugicollis, xyleborus spec.,tryptodendron spec., apate monachus, bostrychus capucins, heterobostrychus brunneus, sinoxylon spec, and dinoderus minutus, and also hymenopterans such as sirex juvencus, urocerus gigas, urocerus gigas taignus and urocerus augur, and termites such as kalotermes flavicollis, cryptotermes brevis, heterotermes indicola, reticulitermes flavipes, reticulitermes santonensis, reticulitermes lucifugus, mastotermes darwiniensis, zootermopsis nevadensis and coptotermes formosanus, and bristletails such as lepisma saccharina. the compounds according to the invention can be used as pesticidal agents in unmodified form, but they are generally formulated into compositions in various ways using formulation adjuvants, such as carriers, solvents and surface-active substances. the formulations can be in various physical forms, e.g. in the form of dusting powders, gels, wettable powders, water-dispersible granules, water- dispersible tablets, effervescent pellets, emulsifiable concentrates, microemulsifiable concentrates, oil- in-water emulsions, oil-flowables, aqueous dispersions, oily dispersions, suspo-emulsions, capsule suspensions, emulsifiable granules, soluble liquids, water-soluble concentrates (with water or a water- miscible organic solvent as carrier), impregnated polymer films or in other forms known e.g. from the manual on development and use of fao and who specifications for pesticides, united nations, first edition, second revision (2010). such formulations can either be used directly or diluted prior to use. the dilutions can be made, for example, with water, liquid fertilisers, micronutrients, biological organisms, oil or solvents. the formulations can be prepared e.g. by mixing the active ingredient with the formulation adjuvants in order to obtain compositions in the form of finely divided solids, granules, solutions, dispersions or emulsions. the active ingredients can also be formulated with other adjuvants, such as finely divided solids, mineral oils, oils of vegetable or animal origin, modified oils of vegetable or animal origin, organic solvents, water, surface-active substances or combinations thereof. the active ingredients can also be contained in very fine microcapsules. microcapsules contain the active ingredients in a porous carrier. this enables the active ingredients to be released into the environment in controlled amounts (e.g. slow-release). microcapsules usually have a diameter of from 0.1 to 500 microns. they contain active ingredients in an amount of about from 25 to 95 % by weight of the capsule weight. the active ingredients can be in the form of a monolithic solid, in the form of fine particles in solid or liquid dispersion or in the form of a suitable solution. the encapsulating membranes can comprise, for example, natural or synthetic rubbers, cellulose, styrene/butadiene copolymers, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylate, polyesters, polyamides, polyureas, polyurethane or chemically modified polymers and starch xanthates or other polymers that are known to the person skilled in the art. alternatively, very fine microcapsules can be formed in which the active ingredient is contained in the form of finely divided particles in a solid matrix of base substance, but the microcapsules are not themselves encapsulated. the formulation adjuvants that are suitable for the preparation of the compositions according to the invention are known perse. as liquid carriers there may be used: water, toluene, xylene, petroleum ether, vegetable oils, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone, acid anhydrides, acetonitrile, acetophenone, amyl acetate, 2-butanone, butylene carbonate, chlorobenzene, cyclohexane, cyclohexanol, alkyl esters of acetic acid, diacetone alcohol, 1 ,2-dichloropropane, diethanolamine, p- diethylbenzene, diethylene glycol, diethylene glycol abietate, diethylene glycol butyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, a/,a/-dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, 1 ,4- dioxane, dipropylene glycol, dipropylene glycol methyl ether, dipropylene glycol dibenzoate, diproxitol, alkylpyrrolidone, ethyl acetate, 2-ethylhexanol, ethylene carbonate, 1 ,1 ,1 -trichloroethane, 2- heptanone, alpha-pinene, d-limonene, ethyl lactate, ethylene glycol, ethylene glycol butyl ether, ethylene glycol methyl ether, gamma-butyrolactone, glycerol, glycerol acetate, glycerol diacetate, glycerol triacetate, hexadecane, hexylene glycol, isoamyl acetate, isobornyl acetate, isooctane, isophorone, isopropylbenzene, isopropyl myristate, lactic acid, laurylamine, mesityl oxide, methoxypropanol, methyl isoamyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl laurate, methyl octanoate, methyl oleate, methylene chloride, m-xylene, n-hexane, n-octylamine, octadecanoic acid, octylamine acetate, oleic acid, oleylamine, o-xylene, phenol, polyethylene glycol, propionic acid, propyl lactate, propylene carbonate, propylene glycol, propylene glycol methyl ether, p-xylene, toluene, triethyl phosphate, triethylene glycol, xylenesulfonic acid, paraffin, mineral oil, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, ethyl acetate, amyl acetate, butyl acetate, propylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and alcohols of higher molecular weight, such as amyl alcohol, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, hexanol, octanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, a/-methyl-2- pyrrolidone and the like. suitable solid carriers are, for example, talc, titanium dioxide, pyrophyllite clay, silica, attapulgite clay, kieselguhr, limestone, calcium carbonate, bentonite, calcium montmorillonite, cottonseed husks, wheat flour, soybean flour, pumice, wood flour, ground walnut shells, lignin and similar substances. a large number of surface-active substances can advantageously be used in both solid and liquid formulations, especially in those formulations which can be diluted with a carrier prior to use. surfaceactive substances may be anionic, cationic, non-ionic or polymeric and they can be used as emulsifiers, wetting agents or suspending agents or for other purposes. typical surface-active substances include, for example, salts of alkyl sulfates, such as diethanolammonium lauryl sulfate; salts of alkylarylsulfonates, such as calcium dodecylbenzenesulfonate; alkylphenol/alkylene oxide addition products, such as nonylphenol ethoxylate; alcohol/alkylene oxide addition products, such as tridecylalcohol ethoxylate; soaps, such as sodium stearate; salts of alkylnaphthalenesulfonates, such as sodium dibutylnaphthalenesulfonate; dialkyl esters of sulfosuccinate salts, such as sodium di(2- ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate; sorbitol esters, such as sorbitol oleate; quaternary amines, such as lauryltrimethylammonium chloride, polyethylene glycol esters of fatty acids, such as polyethylene glycol stearate; block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide; and salts of mono- and dialkylphosphate esters; and also further substances described e.g. in mccutcheon's detergents and emulsifiers annual, mc publishing corp., ridgewood new jersey (1981). further adjuvants that can be used in pesticidal formulations include crystallisation inhibitors, viscosity modifiers, suspending agents, dyes, anti-oxidants, foaming agents, light absorbers, mixing auxiliaries, antifoams, complexing agents, neutralising or ph-modifying substances and buffers, corrosion inhibitors, fragrances, wetting agents, take-up enhancers, micronutrients, plasticisers, glidants, lubricants, dispersants, thickeners, antifreezes, microbicides, and liquid and solid fertilisers. the compositions according to the invention can include an additive comprising an oil of vegetable or animal origin, a mineral oil, alkyl esters of such oils or mixtures of such oils and oil derivatives. the amount of oil additive in the composition according to the invention is generally from 0.01 to 10 %, based on the mixture to be applied. for example, the oil additive can be added to a spray tank in the desired concentration after a spray mixture has been prepared. preferred oil additives comprise mineral oils or an oil of vegetable origin, for example rapeseed oil, olive oil or sunflower oil, emulsified vegetable oil, alkyl esters of oils of vegetable origin, for example the methyl derivatives, or an oil of animal origin, such as fish oil or beef tallow. preferred oil additives comprise alkyl esters of c8-c22 fatty acids, especially the methyl derivatives of c12-c18 fatty acids, for example the methyl esters of lauric acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid (methyl laurate, methyl palmitate and methyl oleate, respectively). many oil derivatives are known from the compendium of herbicide adjuvants, 10 th edition, southern illinois university, 2010. the inventive compositions generally comprise from 0.1 to 99 % by weight, especially from 0.1 to 95 % by weight, of compounds of the present invention and from 1 to 99.9 % by weight of a formulation adjuvant which preferably includes from 0 to 25 % by weight of a surface-active substance. whereas commercial products may preferably be formulated as concentrates, the end user will normally employ dilute formulations. the rates of application vary within wide limits and depend on the nature of the soil, the method of application, the crop plant, the pest to be controlled, the prevailing climatic conditions, and other factors governed by the method of application, the time of application and the target crop. as a general guideline compounds may be applied at a rate of from 1 to 2000 l/ha, especially from 10 to 1000 l/ha. preferred formulations can have the following compositions (weight %): emulsifiable concentrates: active ingredient: 1 to 95 %, preferably 60 to 90 % surface-active agent: 1 to 30 %, preferably 5 to 20 % liquid carrier: 1 to 80 %, preferably 1 to 35 % dusts: active ingredient: 0.1 to 10 %, preferably 0.1 to 5 % solid carrier: 99.9 to 90 %, preferably 99.9 to 99 % suspension concentrates: active ingredient: 5 to 75 %, preferably 10 to 50 % water: 94 to 24 %, preferably 88 to 30 % surface-active agent: 1 to 40 %, preferably 2 to 30 % wettable powders: active ingredient: 0.5 to 90 %, preferably 1 to 80 % surface-active agent: 0.5 to 20 %, preferably 1 to 15 % solid carrier: 5 to 95 %, preferably 15 to 90 % granules: active ingredient: 0.1 to 30 %, preferably 0.1 to 15 % solid carrier: 99.5 to 70 %, preferably 97 to 85 % the following examples further illustrate, but do not limit, the invention. the combination is thoroughly mixed with the adjuvants and the mixture is thoroughly ground in a suitable mill, affording wettable powders that can be diluted with water to give suspensions of the desired concentration. the combination is thoroughly mixed with the adjuvants and the mixture is thoroughly ground in a suitable mill, affording powders that can be used directly for seed treatment. emulsions of any required dilution, which can be used in plant protection, can be obtained from this concentrate by dilution with water. ready-for-use dusts are obtained by mixing the combination with the carrier and grinding the mixture in a suitable mill. such powders can also be used for dry dressings for seed. the combination is mixed and ground with the adjuvants, and the mixture is moistened with water. the mixture is extruded and then dried in a stream of air. the finely ground combination is uniformly applied, in a mixer, to the kaolin moistened with polyethylene glycol. non-dusty coated granules are obtained in this manner. suspension concentrate the finely ground combination is intimately mixed with the adjuvants, giving a suspension concentrate from which suspensions of any desired dilution can be obtained by dilution with water. using such dilutions, living plants as well as plant propagation material can be treated and protected against infestation by microorganisms, by spraying, pouring or immersion. flowable concentrate for seed treatment the finely ground combination is intimately mixed with the adjuvants, giving a suspension concentrate from which suspensions of any desired dilution can be obtained by dilution with water. using such dilutions, living plants as well as plant propagation material can be treated and protected against infestation by microorganisms, by spraying, pouring or immersion. slow release capsule suspension 28 parts of the combination are mixed with 2 parts of an aromatic solvent and 7 parts of toluene diisocyanate/polymethylene-polyphenylisocyanate-mixture (8:1). this mixture is emulsified in a mixture of 1 .2 parts of polyvinylalcohol, 0.05 parts of a defoamer and 51 .6 parts of water until the desired particle size is achieved. to this emulsion a mixture of 2.8 parts 1 ,6-diaminohexane in 5.3 parts of water is added. the mixture is agitated until the polymerization reaction is completed. the obtained capsule suspension is stabilized by adding 0.25 parts of a thickener and 3 parts of a dispersing agent. the capsule suspension formulation contains 28% of the active ingredients. the medium capsule diameter is 8-15 microns. the resulting formulation is applied to seeds as an aqueous suspension in an apparatus suitable for that purpose. formulation types include an emulsion concentrate (ec), a suspension concentrate (sc), a suspo- emulsion (se), a capsule suspension (cs), a water dispersible granule (wg), an emulsifiable granule (eg), an emulsion, water in oil (eg), an emulsion, oil in water (ew), a micro-emulsion (me), an oil dispersion (od), an oil miscible flowable (of), an oil miscible liquid (ol), a soluble concentrate (sl), an ultra-low volume suspension (su), an ultra-low volume liquid (ul), a technical concentrate (tk), a dispersible concentrate (dc), a wettable powder (wp), a soluble granule (sg) or any technically feasible formulation in combination with agriculturally acceptable adjuvants. preparatory examples: “mp” means melting point in °c. free radicals represent methyl groups. 1 h nmr measurements were recorded on a brucker 400 mhz spectrometer, chemical shifts are given in ppm relevant to a tms standard. spectra measured in deuterated solvents as indicated. either one of the lcms methods below was used to characterize the compounds. the characteristic lcms values obtained for each compound were the retention time (“rt”, recorded in minutes) and the measured molecular ion (m+h) + or (m-h)-. lcms methods: method 1: spectra were recorded on a mass spectrometer from waters (sqd single quadrupole mass spectrometer) equipped with an electrospray source (polarity: positive or negative ions, full scan, capillary: 3.00 kv, cone range: 41 v, source temperature: 150°c, desolvation temperature: 500°c, cone gas flow: 50 l/hr, desolvation gas flow: 1000 l/hr, mass range: 110 to 800 da) and a h- class uplc from waters: quaternary pump, heated column compartment and diode-array detector. column: acquity uplc hss t3 c18, 1.8 µm, 30 x 2.1 mm, temp: 40 °c, dad wavelength range (nm): 200 to 400, solvent gradient: a = water + 5% acetonitrile + 0.1 % hcooh, b= acetonitrile + 0.05 % hcooh: gradient: 0 min 10% b; 0.-0.2 min 10-50% b; 0.2-0.7 min 50-100% b; 0.7-1.3 min 100% b; 1.3-1.4 min 100-10% b; 1.4-1.6 min 10% b; flow (ml/min) 0.6. method 2: spectra were recorded on a mass spectrometer from agilent technologies (6410 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer) equipped with an equipped with an electrospray source (polarity: positive or negative ions, ms2 scan, capillary: 4.00 kv, fragmentor: 100 v, desolvatation temperature: 350°c, gas flow: 11 l/min, nebulizer gas: 45 psi, mass range: 110 to 1000 da) and a 1200 series hplc from agilent: quaternary pump, heated column compartment and diode-array detector. column: kinetex evo c18, 2.6 µm, 50 x 4.6 mm, temp: 40 °c, dad wavelength range (nm): 210 to 400, solvent gradient: a = water + 5% acetonitrile + 0.1 % hcooh, b= acetonitrile + 0.1 % hcooh: gradient: 0 min 10% b, 90%a; 0.9-1.8 min 100% b; 1.8-2.2 min 100-10% b; 2.2-2.5 min 10%b; flow (ml/min) 1.8. method 3: spectra were recorded on a mass spectrometer from waters (acquity qda mass spectrometer) equipped with an electrospray source (polarity: positive and negative polarity switch), capillary: 0.8 kv, cone range: 25 v, extractor: v (no extractor voltage for qda detector) source temperature: 120°c, desolvation temperature: 600°c, cone gas flow: 50 l/h, desolvation gas flow: 1000 l/h, mass range: 110 to 850 da) and an acquity uplc from waters: quaternary solvent manager, heated column compartment , diode-array detector. column: waters uplc hss t3, 1.8 µm, 30 x 2.1 mm, temp: 40 °c, pda wavelength range (nm): 230 to 400, solvent gradient: a = water with 0.1 % formic acid: acetonitrile: 95: 5 v/v, b= acetonitrile with 0.05% formic acid, : gradient: 0 min-1.0min ,10% b- 90%a; 1.0min-4.50min 10% -100% b; 4.51 min-5.30min ,100% b, 0 %a; 5.31 min-5.50min 100% -10% b; 5.51 min-6.00 min ,10% b, 90%a; flow (ml/min) 0.6. method 4: spectra were recorded on a mass spectrometer from agilent technologies (6410 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer) equipped with an electrospray source (polarity: positive or negative ions, ms2 scan, capillary: 7.00 kv, fragmentor: 120 v, desolvatation temperature: 350°c, gas flow: 11 l/min, nebulizer gas: 40 psi, mass range: 110 to 1000 da) and a 1200 series hplc from agilent: quaternary pump, heated column compartment and diode-array detector. column: kinetex evo c18, 2.6 pm, 50 x 4.6 mm, temp: 40 °c, detector vwd wavelength: 254 nm, solvent gradient: a = water + 5% acetonitrile + 0.1 % hcooh, b= acetonitrile + 0.1 % hcooh: gradient: 0 min 10% b, 90%a; 0.9-1 .8 min 100% b; 1.8-2.2 min 100-10% b; 2.2-2.5 min 10%b; flow (ml/min) 1.8. example p1 : preparation of 6-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-al pyridin-2-yl1-2,2- difluoro-5h-[1 ,31dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one (compound p1) step a1 : preparation of (2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)methanol (intermediate 1-1) to 0 °c cooled solution of 2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carbaldehyde (cas 656-42-8) (15 g, 76.56 mmol) in methanol (75 ml) was added sodium borohydride (4.57 g, 114.84 mmol) slowly. the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for overnight. after completion, the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo, quenched with an aqueous ammonium chloride solution and extracted with ethyl acetate. the organic layer was dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo to afford (2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)methanol as a colourless liquid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, cdch) 6 ppm: 1 .91 (br s, 1 h), 4.69 (br s, 2 h), 7.03-7.09 (m, 2 h), 7.14 (s, 1 h). step a2: preparation of 6-chloro-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carbaldehyde (intermediate i-2) (i-2) to a solution of (2,2-difluoro-1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)methanol (intermediate i-1 prepared as described above) (10 g, 50.49 mmol) in acetonitrile (60 ml) was added n-chlorosuccinimide (17.20 g, 126.24 mmol). the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for overnight. after completion, the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo, triturated with cyclohexane, filtered through a buchner funnel and filtrate was concentrated in vacuo. the crude compound was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford pure 6-chloro-2,2-difluoro-1,3-benzodioxole-5- carbaldehyde as a colourless liquid. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, cdcl3) δ ppm: 7.22 (s, 1 h), 7.66 (s, 1 h), 10.41 (s, 1 h). step a3: preparation of 2,2-difluoro-6-methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carbaldehyde (intermediate i-3) to a solution of 6-chloro-2,2-difluoro-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carbaldehyde (intermediate i-2 prepared as described above) (1 g, 4.30 mmol) in toluene (10 ml) were added methylboronic acid (1.14 g, 17.22 mmol) followed by a solution of potassium carbonate (1.78 g, 12.92 mmol) in water (3 ml) while purging with nitrogen for 10 minutes.1,1’-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene-palladium(ii)dichloride dichloromethane complex (0.18 g, 0.21 mmol) was added and the reaction mixture heated at 90 °c for 15 hours. the reaction mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature, concentrated in vacuo. the reaction mass was diluted with water and extracted with ethyl acetate. the organic layer was washed with water followed by brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0 to 30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 2,2-difluoro-6- methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carbaldehyde as a brown oil. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, cdcl3) δ ppm: 2.72 (s, 3 h), 6.99 (s, 1 h), 7.56 (s, 1 h), 10.27 (s, 1 h). step a4: preparation of 2,2-difluoro-6-methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid (intermediate i-4) to a solution of silver nitrate (0.57 g, 3.22 mmol) in water (6.8 ml) was added a solution of sodium hydroxide (0.33 g, 8.06 mmol) in water (6.8 ml) dropwise at room temperature. to this reaction mixture, 2,2-difluoro-6-methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carbaldehyde (intermediate i-3 prepared as described above) (0.34 g, 1.61 mmol) was added portion wise over a period of 20 minutes. the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours. after completion, the reaction mixture was filtered through celite and the filtrate acidified with an aqueous 2n hydrochloric acid solution. the formed solid was filtered, washed with cold water and dried in vacuo to afford 2,2-difluoro-6-methyl- 1,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid as a white solid. lcms (method 2): rt= 1.42 min, m/z= 215 (m-h)-. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ ppm: 2.54 (s, 3 h), 7.41 (s, 1 h), 7.77 (s, 1 h). step a5: preparation of ethyl 2,2-difluoro-6-methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-5) (i-5) a solution of 2,2-difluoro-6-methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid (intermediate i-4 prepared as described above) (0.23 g, 1.01 mmol) in ethanol (10 ml) was stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes. to this reaction mass, sulfuric acid (0.02 ml, 0.40 mmol) was added dropwise (exotherm was observed). the reaction mixture was heated at 60 °c for 12 hours. after completion, the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo, neutralized with an aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution, and the product extracted twice with ethyl acetate. the combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to afford ethyl 2,2-difluoro-6-methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5- carboxylate. the crude was used as such for next step. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, cdcl3) δ ppm: 1.41 (t, 3 h), 2.64 (s, 3 h), 4.37 (q, 2 h), 6.97 (s, 1 h), 7.67 (s, 1 h). step a6: preparation of ethyl 6-(bromomethyl)-2,2-difluoro-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-6) (i-6) to a solution of ethyl 2,2-difluoro-6-methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-5 prepared as described above) (0.25 g, 0.97 mmol) in benzotrifluoride (3 ml) were added n-bromosuccinimide (0.196 g, 1.06 mmol) and azobisisobutyronitrile (0.016 g, 0.097 mmol) at room temperature. the reaction mixture was heated at 90 °c for 3 hours. the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0 to 30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford ethyl 6-(bromomethyl)-2,2-difluoro-1,3-benzodioxole-5- carboxylate as a gummy mass. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, cdcl3) δ ppm: 1.39 -1.47 (m, 3 h), 4.38 – 4.45 (m, 2 h), 4.97 (s, 2 h), 7.20 (s, 1 h), 7.71 (s, 1 h). step b1: preparation of ethyl 6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate (intermediate i-7) to a solution of 5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-2-amine (4.0 g, 25 mmol) in ethanol (40 ml) were added ethyl 3-bromo-2-oxo-propanoate (3.7 ml, 30 mmol) and sodium bicarbonate (4.1 g, 49 mmol) at room temperature. the reaction mass was heated at 85 °c for 4 hours. after completion, the reaction mass was added to ice cold water and the formed solid filtered through a buchner funnel to afford ethyl 6- (trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate. this material was used as such in the next step. lcms (method 2): rt = 1 .35 min, m/z= 259 (m+h) + . step b2: preparation of ethyl 3-chloro-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate (intermediate i-8) (i-8) to a solution of ethyl 6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate (intermediate i-7 prepared as described above) (8.5 g, 33 mmol) in n,n-dimethylformamide (85 ml) was added 1- chloropyrrolidine-2, 5-dione (5.3 g, 40 mmol) at room temperature. the reaction mass was heated at 40 °c for 4 hours. after completion, the reaction mass was quenched with ice cold water, the formed solid filtered through a buchner funnel and dried in vacuo to afford ethyl 3-chloro-6- (trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate as a solid. lcms (method 2): rt= 1.45 min, m/z=293 (m+h) + . step b3: preparation of ethyl 3-ethylsulfanyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-al pyridine-2-carboxy late (intermediate 1-9) to a 0 °c cooled solution of ethyl 3-chloro-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate (intermediate i-8 prepared as described above) (6.0 g, 21 mmol) in n,n-dimethylformamide (60 ml) was added sodium ethanethiolate (2.1 g, 25 mmol) at room temperature. the reaction mass was stirred at room temperature for 5 hours. after completion, the reaction mass was added to ice cold water, the formed solid filtered through a buchner funnel and dried in vacuo to afford ethyl 3- ethylsulfanyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate. this material was used as such in the next step. lcms (method 2): rt= 1.49 min, m/z=319 (m+h) + . step b4: preparation of ethyl 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate (intermediate i-10) to 0 °c cooled solution of ethyl 3-ethylsulfanyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate (intermediate i-9 prepared as described above) (6.5 g, 20 mmol) in ethanol (65 ml) was added 3- chlorobenzenecarboperoxoic acid (11 g, 45 mmol, 70 mass%). the reaction mixture was stirred at 0 °c for 4 hours. the reaction mass was diluted with water (50 ml) and basified with an aqueous 2n sodium hydroxide solution. the aqueous phase was extracted with ethyl acetate (2x 50 ml). the combined organic layers were washed with brine (20 ml), dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 30-40% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford ethyl 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate. lcms (method 2): rt =1.43 min, m/z=351 (m+h) + . step b5: preparation of 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylic acid (intermediate i-11) to a solution of ethyl 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylate (intermediate i-10 prepared as described above) (4.2 g, 12 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (42 ml) was added a solution of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (1.00 g, 24 mmol) in water (17 ml) at 0-5°c. the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours. the reaction mixture was acidified with an aqueous 2n hydrochloric acid solution, the formed solid filtered through a buchner funnel and dried in vacuo to afford 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylic acid. this material was used as such in the next step. lcms (method 2): rt= 0.37 min, m/z=323 (m+h) + . 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) δ ppm: 1.27 (t, 3 h), 3.77 (q, 2 h), 7.95 (dd, 1 h), 8.10 (d, 1 h), 9.34 (s, 1 h). step b6: preparation of tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2- yllcarbamate (intermediate 1-12) and 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a1pyridin-2-amine (intermediate 1-13) to a solution of 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridine-2-carboxylic acid (intermediate 1-11 prepared as described above) (4.1 g, 13 mmol) in tert-butanol (8.2 ml) was added triethylamine (2.1 g, 120 mmol) at room temperature and the reaction mass was heated at 90 °c for 10 minutes. to this was then added dropwise diphenylphosphoryl azide (5.7 g, 20 mmol) over 15 minutes and the reaction mixture further stirred at 90 °c for 40 minutes. the reaction mass was allowed to cool to room temperature, quenched with ice cold water (100 ml) and brine (50 ml) and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (3x 100 ml). the combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford each pure tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin- 2-y i] carbamate and 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-amine. for tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]carbamate (intermediate i- 12): lcms (method 2): rt=1.49 min, m/z=392 (m-h)-. 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) 5 ppm: 1.21 - 1 .34 (m, 3 h), 1 .48 (s, 9 h), 3.74 (d, 2 h), 7.85 - 7.94 (m, 2 h), 9.05 (s, 1 h), 9.60 (s, 1 h). for 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-amine (intermediate 1-13): lcms (method 2): rt=1.22 min, m/z=294 (m+h) + . 1 h nmr (400 mhz, dmso-d6) 5 ppm: 1.17 (t, 3 h), 3.42 (q, 2 h), 6.37 (s, 2 h), 7.56 (d, 1 h), 7.71 (dd, 1 h), 8.77 (s, 1 h). step b7: preparation of tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2- yllcarbamate (intermediate 1-12) (1-12) to a 0°c cooled solution of 3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-amine (intermediate 1-13 prepared as described above) (1 g, 3.23 mmol) in n,n-dimethylformamide (10 ml) was added sodium hydride (0.310 g, 7.12 mmol) and the reaction mixture was stirred at 0°c for 30 minutes. a solution of tert-butoxycarbonyl tert-butyl carbonate (0.94 ml, 3.88 mmol) in n,n- dimethylformamide (3 ml) was added at 0°c and the mixture stirred at room temperature overnight. after completion, the reaction mixture was quenched with ice water, the product extracted with ethyl acetate (3x 50 ml), the combined organic layers washed with water and brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by purified by combiflash (silica gel, 10-70% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6- (trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]carbamate as a white solid. lcms (method 2): rt=1 .51 min, m/z = 392 (m-h)-. step c-1 : preparation of ethyl 6-[[tert-butoxycarbonyl-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2- a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate 1-14) to solution of tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]carbamate (intermediate 1-12 prepared as described above) (0.3 g, 0.724 mmol) in acetonitrile (10 ml) were added ethyl 6-(bromomethyl)-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-6 prepared as described above) (0.295 g, 0.869 mmol) and cesium carbonate (0.472 g, 1.44 mmol) at room temperature. the reaction mixture was heated at 50 °c for 3 hours, then diluted with water and the product extracted with ethyl acetate. the organic layer was washed twice with water, then brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 10 to 50% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford ethyl 6-[[tert-butoxycarbonyl-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6- (trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate as a gum. lcms (method 1): rt = 1 .34 min, m/z= 658.41 (m+na) + . step c-2: preparation of ethyl 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2- yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate 1-15) a solution of ethyl 6-[[tert-butoxycarbonyl-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2- yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate 1-14 prepared as described above) (0.431 g, 0.6442 mmol) in trifluoroacetic acid (3 ml, 38.6 mmol) was stirred for 3 hours at room temperature. after completion, the reaction mass was neutralized with an aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution. the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2x), the combined organic layers dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to afford ethyl 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl- 6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5- carboxylate. the crude was used as such for next step. lcms (method 1): rt = 1 .25 min, m/z= 536 (m+h) + . step c-3: preparation of 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2- yl1amino1methyl1-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid (intermediate 1-16) to a solution of ethyl 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]- 2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate 1-15 prepared as described above) (0.3 g, 0.532 mmol) in tetra hydrofuran (6 ml) was added a solution of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (0.094 g, 2.129 mmol) in water (2 ml) at 10 °c. the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 12 hours. after completion, the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo, acidified with an aqueous 1 n hydrochloric acid solution and the product extracted with ethyl acetate. the organic layer was washed with water (2x) followed by brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to afford 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3- benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid. the crude was used as such for next step. lcms (method 1): rt = 1.13 min, m/z= 508 (m+h) + . step c-4: preparation of 6-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-vh-2,2-difluoro- 5h-[1 ,31dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one (compound p1) to a 0°c cooled solution of 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2- yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid (intermediate 1-16 prepared as described above) (0.39 g, 0.7302 mmol) in pyridine (2 ml) was added phosphorus oxychloride (0.1375 ml, 1 .460 mmol). the mixture was allowed to come at room temperature and stirred for 2 hours under nitrogen atmosphere. the reaction mass was acidified with an aqueous 2n hydrochloric acid (15 ml) solution and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (2x 30 ml). the combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 50% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 6-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6- (trifluoromethyl)imidazo[1 ,2-a]pyridin-2-yl]-2,2-difluoro-5h-[1 ,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one as a white solid. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.13 min, m/z= 490 (m+h) + . 1 h nmr (400 mhz, cdcb) 6 ppm: 1.55 (t, 3 h), 3.89 (q, 2 h), 5.10 (s, 2 h), 7.29 (s, 1 h), 7.62 (s, 1 h), 7.68 (dd, 1 h), 7.82 (d, 1 h), 9.27 (s, 1 h). example p2: preparation of 6-(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)-2,2-difluoro-5h-[1 , 31di oxolo[4 , 5-f]isoi ndol-7- one to a solution of 3-bromoquinoline (5.2 g, 25 mmol) in toluene (52 ml) degassed with nitrogen for 10 minutes were added sodium ethanethiolate (2.5 g, 30 mmol), n,n-diisopropylethylamine (15 ml, 87 mmol), tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0) (1.5 g, 1.6 mmol) and 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)- 9,9-dimethylxanthene (1.6 g, 2.7 mmol). the reaction mixture was again degassed with nitrogen for another 5 minutes, then heated at 100 °c for 3 hours and further at 80 °c overnight. the reaction mass was quenched with water and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (2x). the combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo the crude compound was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-15% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 3-ethylsulfanylquinoline as an oil. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.03 min, m/z= 190 (m+h) + . l-1-oxido-quinolin-1-ium to a solution of 3-ethylsulfanylquinoline (intermediate 1-17 prepared as described above) (2.8 g, 15 mmol) in dichloromethane (40 ml) was added 3-chlorobenzenecarboperoxoic acid (12 g, 47 mmol, 70 mass%) and the reaction mass was stirred at room temperature overnight. the reaction mass was diluted with water and then basified with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution. the aqueous phase was extracted with dichloromethane (3x 50 ml), the combined organic layers washed with brine (30 ml), dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 40% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 3-ethylsulfonyl-1-oxido-quinolin-1- ium. lcms (method 1): rt= 0.55 min, m/z= 238 (m+h) + . step-3: preparation of 2-chloro-3-ethylsulfonyl-quinoline (intermediate 1-19) (1-19) to 3-ethylsulfonyl-1-oxido-quinolin-1-ium (intermediate 1-18 prepared as described above) (2.59 g, 10.93 mmol) cooled to 0°c was added phosphoryl chloride (25.93 ml) dropwise under a nitrogen atmosphere. the reaction mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for 2 hours under nitrogen. the reaction mixture was poured in ice cold water and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (3x 60 ml). the combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-40% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 2-chloro-3-ethylsulfonyl-quinoline. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.01 min, m/z= 256/258 (m+h) + . step-4: preparation of 3-ethylsulfonylquinolin-2-amine (intermediate i-20) to a solution of 2-chloro-3-ethylsulfonyl-quinoline (intermediate 1-19 prepared as described above) (2 g, 7.82 mmol) in tetra hydrofuran (12 ml) in an eyela vessel were added copper(ll) sulfate (0.249 g, 1 .56 mmol), copper (0.099 g, 1 .56 mmol) and ammonium hydroxide (13.71 g, 117.3 mmol) at room temperature. the eyela vessel was closed and the mixture stirred at 105°c for 6 hours. upon completion, the apparatus was cooled to room temperature and the pressure carefully released. the reaction mass was diluted with water and the product extracted with ethyl acetate. the combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 50% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 3-ethylsulfonylquinolin-2-amine as a solid. lcms (method 2): rt= 0.48 min, m/z= 237 (m+h) + . step-5: preparation of tert-butyl n-(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)carbamate (intermediate 1-21) (1-21) to a solution of 3-ethylsulfonylquinolin-2-amine (intermediate i-20 prepared as described above) (1.20 g, 5.08 mmol) in n,n-dimethylformamide (20 ml) at 0°c was added sodium hydride (0.467 g, 11.7 mmol, 60 mass %). after stirring for 30 minutes at 0°c, a solution of tert-butoxycarbonyl tert-butyl carbonate (1.33 g, 6.09 mmol) in n,n-dimethylformamide (0.5 ml) was added at 0°c. the reaction mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for 3 hours. upon completion, the reaction mass was quenched with ice water and the product extracted with ethyl acetate. the combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 40% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford tert-butyl n-(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)carbamate as a faint yellow solid. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.06 min, m/z= 281 [(m+h) + -56], step-6: preparation of ethyl 6-[[tert-butoxycarbonyl-(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)amino]methyl]-2,2- difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-22) (i-22) to a solution of tert-butyl n-(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)carbamate (intermediate 1-21 prepared as described above) (0.450 g, 1.338 mmol) in acetonitrile (20 ml) were added ethyl 6-(bromomethyl)-2,2- difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-6 prepared as described above) (0.54 g, 1.67 mmol) and cesium carbonate (0.65 g, 2.00 mmol) under a nitrogen atmosphere. the mixture was heated at 50 °c for 3.5 hours. the reaction mass was diluted with water (50 ml) and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (3x 50 ml). the combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to afford ethyl 6-[[tert-butoxycarbonyl-(3-ethylsulfonyl-2- quinolyl)amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate as a gum. the crude was used as such for next step. lcms (method 1): rt = 1.37 min, m/z= 479 [(m+h) + -100]. step-7: preparation of ethyl 6-[[(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3- to a solution of ethyl 6-[[tert-butoxycarbonyl-(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3- benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-22 prepared as described above) (0.855 g, 1.48 mmol) in trifluoromethylbenzene (10 ml) was added trifluoroacetic acid (1.79 ml, 22.2 mmol) at 0°c. the reaction mass was stirred for 10 hours at room temperature. after completion, the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo, diluted with water (50 ml) and quenched with an aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution (30 ml). the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2x50 ml), the combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried on anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford ethyl 6-[[(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate as a white solid. lcms (method 1): rt = 1 .35 min, m/z= 479 (m+h) + . step-8: preparation of 6-[[(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5- carboxylic acid (intermediate i-24) (i-24) to solution of ethyl 6-[[(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5- carboxylate (intermediate i-23 prepared as described above) (0.49 g, 1.024 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (10 ml) was added a solution of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (0.1809 g, 4.096 mmol) in water (3.5 ml) at room temperature. the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. additional lithium hydroxide monohydrate (0.042 g, 1.024 mmol) was added and stirring continued for another 18 hours. after completion, the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo, acidified with an aqueous 1 n hydrochloric acid solution and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (2 x 50 ml). the combined organic layers were washed with water (50 ml) followed by brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to afford 6-[[(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3- benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid as an off white solid. the crude was used as such for next step. lcms (method 1): rt = 1.10 min, m/z= 451 (m+h) + . :ion of 6-(3-i l-2-quinolyl)-2,2-difluoro-5h-| 5-f]isoindol-7-one to a solution of 6-[[(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5- carboxylic acid (intermediate i-24 prepared as described above) (0.40 g, 0.894 mmol) in pyridine (2 ml) at 0°c was added phosphorus oxychloride (0.168 ml, 1 .79 mmol). the reaction mixture was stirred at 0-10 °c for 40 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. the reaction mass was quenched with ice cold water (60 ml) and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (2x 25 ml). the combined organic layers were washed with brine (30 ml), dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude compound was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 6-(3-ethylsulfonyl-2-quinolyl)-2,2-difluoro-5h-[1 ,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one as a white solid. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.07 min, m/z= 433 (m+h) + . 1 h nmr (400 mhz, cdcb) 6 ppm: 1.38 (t, 3 h), 3.55 (q, 2 h), 5.09 (s, 2 h), 7.25 (s, 1 h), 7.60 (s, 1 h), 7.78 (td, 1 h), 7.96 (ddd, 1 h), 8.09 (d, 1 h), 8.14 (d, 1 h), 9.02 (s, 1 h). example p3: preparation of 6-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-alpyridin-2-yll-2,2- difluoro-5h-[1 ,31dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one (compound p3) step-1 : preparation of tert-butyl 2-cyano-2-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridyl]acetate (intermediate i-25) to a stirred solution of 2-chloro-5-(tnfluoromethyl)pyndme (10.0 g, 55.1 mmol) in dimethyl sulfoxide (50 ml) was added potassium carbonate (11 .4 g, 82.6 mmol) followed by tert-butyl 2-cyanoacetate (9.33 g, 66.1 mmol) at room temperature. the reaction mass was stirred at 100°c for 5 hours. after completion, the reaction mass was quenched with ice cold water and stirred for 10 minutes. the formed precipitate was filtered through a buchner funnel, washed with n-pentane, dried in vacuo to afford tert-butyl 2-cyano-2-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridyl]acetate as a yellow solid. lcms (method 1): rt= 1 .09 min, m/z= 285 (m-h)-. step-2: preparation of 2-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridyl]acetonitrile (intermediate 1-26) to a stirred solution of tert-butyl 2-cyano-2-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridyl]acetate (intermediate 1-25 prepared as described above) (10.00 g, 34.94 mmol) in acetonitrile (100 ml) was added 4-methyl- benzenesulfonic acid (3.04 g, 17.47 mmol) at room temperature. the reaction mass was stirred at 87°c for 1 hour. the mixture was quenched with ice cold water (100 ml) and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (2x 100 ml). the combined organic layers were dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude compound was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 20% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 2-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridyl]acetonitrile as yellow crystals. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.00 min, m/z= 187 (m+h) + . step-3: preparation of 2-[1-amino-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-1-ium-2-yl1acetonitrile;2,4,6- to a solution of ethyl n-(mesitylsulfonyl)oxyacetimidate (5.0 g, 17.52 mmol) in 1 ,4-dioxane (15 ml) at 0°c was added perchloric acid (2.147 ml, 21 .34 mmol) dropwise and the reaction mixture stirred at 0 °c for 30 minutes. ice cold water was added to the reaction mass which was then extracted with dichloromethane (2x 25 ml). the combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate and filtered to obtain a solution of amino 2,4,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonate (l-27a). to this freshly prepared solution of amino 2,4,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonate (l-27a) in dichloromethane (50 ml) was added 2-[5- (trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridyl]acetonitrile (intermediate i-26 prepared as described above) (2.17 g, 11.66 mmol) dropwise at room temperature. the reaction mass was stirred at room temperature for 16 hours. after completion, the mixture was used as such for next step as a solution of 2-[1-amino-5- (trifluoromethyl)pyridin-1-ium-2-yl]acetonitrile;2,4,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonate in dichloromethane. lcms (method 1): rt= 0.99 min, m/z= 202 (m) + . step-4: preparation of 6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-amine (intermediate i-28) to a stirred solution of 2-[1 -amino-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-1-ium-2-yl]acetonitrile;2,4,6- trimethylbenzenesulfonate (intermediate i-27 prepared as described above) (7 g, 17.44 mmol) in dichloromethane (50 ml) were added methanol (35 ml) and potassium carbonate (4.820 g, 34.88 mmol) at room temperature. the reaction mass was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours, then quenched with ice cold water and the organic layer was separated. the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2x 80 ml), the combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude compound was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-amine as solid. lcms (method 1): rt= 0.97 min, m/z= 202 (m+h) + . step-5: preparation of n-[6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a1pyridin-2-yl1acetamide (intermediate 1-29) (1-29) to a solution 6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-amine (intermediate i-28 prepared as described above) (2.58 g, 12.83 mmol) in pyridine (25 ml) at 0°c was added acetyl chloride (1 .86 ml, 25.65 mmol) dropwise and the reaction mixture stirred at 0-10 °c for 1 hour under a nitrogen atmosphere. the reaction mass was diluted with water and ethyl acetate, then the organic layer was separated. the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2x 50 ml), the combined organic layers washed with water, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude compound was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-40% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford n-[6- (trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]acetamide. lcms (method 1): rt= 0.99 min, m/z= 244 (m+h) + . step-6: preparation of n-[3-iodo-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]acetamide (intermediate i-30) (i-30) to a solution of n-[6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]acetamide (intermediate i-29 prepared as described above) (2.63 g, 10.83 mmol) in acetonitrile (26.3 ml) was added 1- iodopyrrolidine-2, 5-dione (2.92 g, 12.99 mmol) portionwise and the reaction mass was stirred at room temperature for 1 .5 hours. after completion, the reaction mass was diluted with water and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (2x). the combined organic layers were washed with sodium thiosulfate solution followed by brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to afford n-[3- iodo-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]acetamide as solid. the crude was used as such for next step. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.01 min, m/z= 370 (m+h) + . step-7: preparation of tert-butyl n-acetyl-n-[3-iodo-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2- yllcarbamate (intermediate 1-31) to a solution of n-[3-iodo-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]acetamide (intermediate i-30 prepared as described above) (3.77 g, 10.23 mmol) in acetonitrile (35 ml) at 0°c was added 4- dimethylaminopyridine (0.127 g. 1.02 mmol) followed by di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (2.76 g, 12.27 mmol). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours. the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo, quenched with ice cold water and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (3x 50 ml). the combined organic layers were washed with a solution of saturated bicarbonate solution, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0- 30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford tert-butyl n-acetyl-n-[3-iodo-6- (trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]carbamate as a yellow solid. lcms (method 1): rt = 1 .21 min, m/z= 370 [(m+h) + -100], step-8: preparation of tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfanyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2- yllcarbamate (intermediate 1-32) to a solution of tert-butyl n-acetyl-n-[3-iodo-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]carbamate (intermediate 1-31 prepared as described above) (4.41 g, 9.40 mmol) in anhydrous 1 ,4-dioxane (40 ml) were added n-ethyl-n-isopropyl-propan-2-amine (4.18 ml, 24.44 mmol) and (5-diphenyl- phosphanyl-9,9-dimethyl-xanthen-4-yl)-diphenyl-phosphane (0.435 g, 0.752 mmol) at room temperature while purged with nitrogen for 5 minutes. tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0) (0.602 g, 0.658 mmol) was added and the solution degassed with nitrogen for additional 5 minutes, then sodium ethanethiolate (1.63 g, 18.80 mmol) was added under nitrogen atmosphere and the reaction mixture stirred at 105 °c for 5 hours. the reaction mass was diluted with ethyl acetate, filtered over celite and the residue washed with ethyl acetate. the filtrate was washed with water, followed by brine and the organic layer was separated. the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate and the combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude compound was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-20% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfanyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]carbamate as gum. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.23 min, m/z= 306 [(m+h) + -56], step-9: preparation of tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a1pyridin-2- (1-33) to a solution of tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfanyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]carbamate (intermediate i-32 prepared as described above) (3.21 g, 8.88 mmol) in acetonitrile (30 ml) at 0°c was added 3-chlorobenzenecarboperoxoic acid (4.82 g, 19.5 mmol, 70 mass%). the mixture was stirred at 0 to 10 °c for 1 .5 hours. the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo (water bath temperature was kept below 25 °c). the residue was diluted with water (60 ml) and basified with an aqueous 2n sodium hydroxide solution. the aqueous phase was extracted with ethyl acetate (2x 50 ml), the combined organic layers washed with brine (60 ml), dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. the crude compound was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin- 2-yl] as an off white solid. the crude was used as such for next step. lcms (method 1): rt= 1 .14 min, m/z= 338 [(m+h) + -56]. step-10: preparation of ethyl 6-[[tert-butoxycarbonyl-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5- a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-34) to a solution of tert-butyl n-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]carbamate (intermediate i-33 prepared as described above) (0.60 g, 1.52 mmol) in acetonitrile (10 ml) were added cesium carbonate (0.746 g, 2.28 mmol) and ethyl 6-(bromomethyl)-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3- benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-6 prepared as described above) (0.616 g, 1.90 mmol) at room temperature. the mixture was heated at 50 °c for 3.5 hours, then quenched with ice cold water (30 ml) and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (3x50 ml). the combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo to afford ethyl 6-[[tert-butoxycarbonyl-[3- ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole- 5-carboxylate as a gum. lcms (method 2): rt= 1.66 min, m/z= 536 [(m+h) + -100]. step-11 : preparation of ethyl 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2- yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-35) to a solution of ethyl 6-[[tert-butoxycarbonyl-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin- 2-yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-34 prepared as described above) (1 .22 g, 1 .92 mmol) in trifluoromethylbenzene (10 ml) at 0°c was added trifluoroacetic acid (2.32 ml, 28.8 mmol) and the mixture stirred at room temperature for 12 hours. the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo, diluted with water (50 ml), and neutralized with an aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution (20 ml). the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2x 50 ml), the combined organic layers were washed with brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0 to 30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford ethyl 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2- yl]amino]methyl]-2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate as a gum. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.22 min, m/z= 536 (m+h) + . step-12: preparation of 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]- 2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid (intermediate i-36) to solution of ethyl 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]-2,2- difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylate (intermediate i-35 prepared as described above) (0.751 g, 1 .403 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (10 ml) was added a solution of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (0.123 g, 2.80 mmol) in water (3.5 ml) at room temperature overnight. additional lithium hydroxide monohydrate (0.123 g, 2.80 mmol) was added and stirring continued at room temperature for another 6 hours. after completion, the reaction mass was concentrated in vacuo, acidified with an aqueous 1 n hydrochloric acid solution and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (2x 30 ml). the combined organic layers were washed with water (20 ml) followed by brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 80% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]- 2,2-difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid. lcms (method 1): rt = 1.10 min, m/z= 508 (m+h) + . step-13: preparation of 6-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 , 5-al py ridi n-2-y 11-2 ,2-difl uoro- 5h-[1 ,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one (compound p3) to a solution of 6-[[[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]amino]methyl]-2,2- difluoro-1 ,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid (intermediate i-36 prepared as described above) (0.332 g, 0.654 mmol) in pyridine (1 .66 ml) at 0°c was added phosphorus oxychloride (0.12 ml, 1 .309 mmol) and the reaction mass was stirred at 0-10 °c for 25 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. the mixture was quenched with ice cold water (60 ml) and the product extracted with ethyl acetate (3x 25 ml). the combined organic layers were washed with brine (30 ml), dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. the crude was purified by combiflash (silica gel, 0-30% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane) to afford 6-[3-ethylsulfonyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]-2,2-difluoro-5h- [1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindol-7-one as an off white solid. lcms (method 1): rt= 1.23 min, m/z= 490 (m+h) + . 1 h nmr (400 mhz, cdcl3) δ ppm: 1.43 (t, 3 h), 3.66 (q, 2 h), 5.01 (s, 2 h), 7.24 (s, 1 h), 7.61 (s, 1 h), 7.65 (dd, 1 h), 8.24 (d, 1 h), 8.83 (s, 1 h). table p: examples of compounds of formula (i) the activity of the compositions according to the invention can be broadened considerably, and adapted to prevailing circumstances, by adding other insecticidally, acaricidally and/or fungicidally active ingredients. the mixtures of the compounds of formula i with other insecticidally, acaricidally and/or fungicidally active ingredients may also have further surprising advantages which can also be described, in a wider sense, as synergistic activity. for example, better tolerance by plants, reduced phytotoxicity, insects can be controlled in their different development stages or better behaviour during their production, for example during grinding or mixing, during their storage or during their use. suitable additions to active ingredients here are, for example, representatives of the following classes of active ingredients: organophosphorus compounds, nitrophenol derivatives, thioureas, juvenile hormones, formamidines, benzophenone derivatives, ureas, pyrrole derivatives, carbamates, pyrethroids, chlorinated hydrocarbons, acylureas, pyridylmethyleneamino derivatives, macrolides, neonicotinoids and bacillus thuringiensis preparations. the following mixtures of the compounds of formula i with active ingredients are preferred (the abbreviation “tx” means “one compound selected from the group consisting of the compounds described in tables a-1 to a-3, b-1 to b-3, c-1 to c-3, d-1 to d-3, e-1 to e-3, f-1 to f-3 and table p of the present invention”): an adjuvant selected from the group of substances consisting of petroleum oils (alternative name) (628) + tx; abamectin + tx, acequinocyl + tx, acetamiprid + tx, acetoprole + tx, acrinathrin + tx, acynonapyr + tx, afidopyropen + tx, afoxolaner + tx, alanycarb + tx, allethrin + tx, alpha-cypermethrin + tx, alphamethrin + tx, amidoflumet + tx, aminocarb + tx, azocyclotin + tx, bensultap + tx, benzoximate + tx, benzpyrimoxan + tx, betacyfluthrin + tx, beta-cypermethrin + tx, bifenazate + tx, bifenthrin + tx, binapacryl + tx, bioallethrin + tx, s-bioallethrin + tx, bioresmethrin + tx, bistrifluron + tx, broflanilide + tx, brofluthrinate + tx, bromophos-ethyl + tx, buprofezine + tx, butocarboxim + tx, cadusafos + tx, carbaryl + tx, carbosulfan + tx, cartap + tx, cas number: 1632218-00-8 + tx, cas number: 1808115-49-2 + tx, cas number: 2032403-97-5 + tx, cas number: 2044701-44-0 + tx, cas number: 2128706-05-6 + tx, cas number: 2095470-94-1 + tx, cas number: 2377084-09-6 + tx, cas number: 1445683-71-5 + tx, cas number: 2408220-94-8 + tx, cas number: 2408220-91-5 + tx, cas number: 1365070-72-9 + tx, cas number: 2171099-09- 3 + tx, cas number: 2396747-83-2 + tx, cas number: 2133042-31-4 + tx, cas number: 2133042- 44-9 + tx, cas number: 1445684-82-1 + tx, cas number: 1445684-82-1 + tx, cas number: 1922957-45-6 + tx, cas number: 1922957-46-7 + tx, cas number: 1922957-47-8 + tx, cas number: 1922957-48-9 + tx, cas number: 2415706-16-8 + tx, cas number: 1594624-87-9 + tx, cas number: 1594637-65-6 + tx, cas number: 1594626-19-3 + tx, cas number: 1990457-52-7 + tx, cas number: 1990457-55-0 + tx, cas number: 1990457-57-2 + tx, cas number: 1990457-77-6 + tx, cas number: 1990457-66-3 + tx, cas number: 1990457-85-6 + tx, cas number: 2220132- 55-6 + tx, cas number: 1255091-74-7 + tx, cas number: rna (leptinotarsa decemlineata-specific recombinant double-stranded interfering gs2) + tx, cas number: 2719848-60-7 + tx, cas number: 1956329-03-5 + tx, chlorantraniliprole + tx, chlordane + tx, chlorfenapyr + tx, chloroprallethrin + tx, chromafenozide + tx, clenpirin + tx, cloethocarb + tx, clothianidin + tx, 2-chlorophenyl n- methylcarbamate (cpmc) + tx, cyanofenphos + tx, cyantraniliprole + tx, cyclaniliprole + tx, cyclobutrifluram + tx, cycloprothrin + tx, cycloxaprid + tx, cyenopyrafen + tx, cyetpyrafen (or etpyrafen) + tx, cyflumetofen + tx, cyfluthrin + tx, cyhalodiamide + tx, cyhalothrin + tx, cypermethrin + tx, cyphenothrin + tx, cyproflanilide + tx, cyromazine + tx, deltamethrin + tx, diafenthiuron + tx, dialifos + tx, dibrom + tx, dicloromezotiaz + tx, diflovidazine + tx, diflubenzuron + tx, dimpropyridaz + tx, dinactin + tx, dinocap + tx, dinotefuran + tx, dioxabenzofos + tx, emamectin (or emamectin benzoate) + tx, empenthrin + tx, epsilon - momfluorothrin + tx, epsilon- metofluthrin + tx, esfenvalerate + tx, ethion + tx, ethiprole + tx, etofenprox + tx, etoxazole + tx, famphur + tx, fenazaquin + tx, fenfluthrin + tx, , fenmezoditiaz + tx, fenitrothion + tx, fenobucarb + tx, fenothiocarb + tx, fenoxycarb + tx, fenpropathrin + tx, fenpyroximate + tx, fensulfothion + tx, fenthion + tx, fentinacetate + tx, fenvalerate + tx, fipronil + tx, flometoquin + tx, flonicamid + tx, fluacrypyrim + tx, fluazaindolizine + tx, fluazuron + tx, flubendiamide + tx, flubenzimine + tx, fluchlordini liprole + tx, flucitrinate + tx, flucycloxuron + tx, flucythrinate + tx, fluensulfone + tx, flufenerim + tx, flufenprox + tx, flufiprole + tx, fluhexafon + tx, flumethrin + tx, fluopyram + tx, flupentiofenox + tx, flupyradifurone + tx, flupyrimin + tx, fluralaner + tx, fluvalinate + tx, fluxametamide + tx, fosthiazate + tx, gamma-cyhalothrin + tx, guadipyr + tx, halofenozide + tx, halfenprox + tx, heptafluthrin + tx, hexythiazox + tx, hydramethylnon + tx, imicyafos + tx, imidacloprid + tx, imiprothrin + tx, indazapyroxamet + tx, indoxacarb + tx, iodomethane + tx, iprodione + tx, isocycloseram + tx, isothioate + tx, ivermectin + tx, kappa-bifenthrin + tx, kappa- tefluthrin + tx, lambda-cyhalothrin + tx, lepimectin + tx, lotilaner + tx, lufenuron + tx, metaflumizone + tx, metaldehyde + tx, metam + tx, methomyl + tx, methoxyfenozide + tx, metofluthrin + tx, metolcarb + tx, mexacarbate + tx, milbemectin + tx, momfluorothrin + tx, niclosamide + tx, nicofluprole + tx; nitenpyram + tx, nithiazine + tx, omethoate + tx, oxamyl + tx, oxazosulfyl + tx, parathion-ethyl + tx, permethrin + tx, phenothrin + tx, phosphocarb + tx, piperonylbutoxide + tx, pirimicarb + tx, pirimiphos-ethyl + tx, pirimiphos-methyl + tx, polyhedrosis virus + tx, prallethrin + tx, profenofos + tx, profluthrin + tx, propargite + tx, propetamphos + tx, propoxur + tx, prothiophos + tx, protrifenbute + tx, pyflubumide + tx, pymetrozine + tx, pyraclofos + tx, pyrafluprole + tx, pyridaben + tx, pyridalyl + tx, pyrifluquinazon + tx, pyrimidifen + tx, pyri mi nostro bin + tx, pyriprole + tx, pyriproxyfen + tx, resmethrin + tx, sarolaner + tx, selamectin + tx, silafluofen + tx, spinetoram + tx, spinosad + tx, spirobudifen + tx; spirodiclofen + tx, spiromesifen + tx, spiropidion + tx, spirotetramat + tx, spidoxamat + tx, sulfoxaflor + tx, tebufenozide + tx, tebufenpyrad + tx, tebupirimiphos + tx, tefluthrin + tx, temephos + tx, tetrachlorantraniliprole + tx, tetradiphon + tx, tetramethrin + tx, tetramethylfluthrin + tx, tetranactin + tx, tetraniliprole + tx, theta-cypermethrin + tx, thiacloprid + tx, thiamethoxam + tx, thiocyclam + tx, thiodicarb + tx, thiofanox + tx, thiometon + tx, thiosultap + tx, tigolaner + tx, tiorantraniliprole + tx; tioxazafen + tx, tolfenpyrad + tx, toxaphene + tx, tralomethrin + tx, transfluthrin + tx, triazamate + tx, triazophos + tx, trichlorfon + tx, trichloronate + tx, trichlorphon + tx, trifluenfuronate + tx, triflumezopyrim + tx, tyclopyrazoflor + tx, zeta-cypermethrin + tx, extract of seaweed and fermentation product derived from melasse + tx, extract of seaweed and fermentation product derived from melasse comprising urea + tx, amino acids + tx, potassium and molybdenum and edta-chelated manganese + tx, extract of seaweed and fermented plant products + tx, extract of seaweed and fermented plant products comprising phytohormones + tx, vitamins + tx, edta- chelated copper + tx, zinc + tx, and iron + tx, azadirachtin + tx, bacillus aizawai + tx, bacillus chitinosporus aq746 (nrrl accession no b-21 618) + tx, bacillus firmus + tx, bacillus kurstaki + tx, bacillus mycoides aq726 (nrrl accession no. b-21664) + tx, bacillus pumilus (nrrl accession no b-30087) + tx, bacillus pumilus aq717 (nrrl accession no. b-21662) + tx, bacillus sp. aq178 (atcc accession no. 53522) + tx, bacillus sp. aq175 (atcc accession no. 55608) + tx, bacillus sp. aq177 (atcc accession no. 55609) + tx, bacillus subtilis unspecified + tx, bacillus subtilis aq153 (atcc accession no. 55614) + tx, bacillus subtilis aq30002 (nrrl accession no. b-50421) + tx, bacillus subtilis aq30004 (nrrl accession no. b- 50455) + tx, bacillus subtilis aq713 (nrrl accession no. b-21661) + tx, bacillus subtilis aq743 (nrrl accession no. b-21665) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis aq52 (nrrl accession no. b-21619) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis bd#32 (nrrl accession no b-21530) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis subspec. kurstaki bmp 123 + tx, beauveria bassiana + tx, d-limonene + tx, granulovirus + tx, harpin + tx, helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus + tx, helicoverpa zea nucleopolyhedrovirus + tx, heliothis virescens nucleopolyhedrovirus + tx, heliothis punctigera nucleopolyhedrovirus + tx, metarhizium spp. + tx, muscodor albus 620 (nrrl accession no. 30547) + tx, muscodor roseus a3-5 (nrrl accession no. 30548) + tx, neem tree based products + tx, paecilomyces fumosoroseus + tx, paecilomyces lilacinus + tx, pasteuria nishizawae + tx, pasteuria penetrans + tx, pasteuria ramosa + tx, pasteuria thornei + tx, pasteuria usgae + tx, p-cymene + tx, plutella xylostella granulosis virus + tx, plutella xylostella nucleopolyhedrovirus + tx, polyhedrosis virus + tx, pyrethrum + tx, qrd 420 (a terpenoid blend) + tx, qrd 452 (a terpenoid blend) + tx, qrd 460 (a terpenoid blend) + tx, quillaja saponaria + tx, rhodococcus globerulus aq719 (nrrl accession no b-21663) + tx, spodoptera frugiperda nucleopolyhedrovirus + tx, streptomyces galbus (nrrl accession no. 30232) + tx, streptomyces sp. (nrrl accession no. b-30145) + tx, terpenoid blend + tx, and verticillium spp. + tx; an algicide selected from the group of substances consisting of bethoxazin [ccn] + tx, copper dioctanoate (iupac name) (170) + tx, copper sulfate (172) + tx, cybutryne [ccn] + tx, dichlone (1052) + tx, dichlorophen (232) + tx, endothal (295) + tx, fentin (347) + tx, hydrated lime [ccn] + tx, nabam (566) + tx, quinoclamine (714) + tx, quinonamid (1379) + tx, simazine (730) + tx, triphenyltin acetate (iupac name) (347) and triphenyltin hydroxide (iupac name) (347) + tx; an anthelmintic selected from the group of substances consisting of abamectin (1) + tx, crufomate (1011) + tx, cyclobutrifluram + tx, doramectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, emamectin (291) + tx, emamectin benzoate (291) + tx, eprinomectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, ivermectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, milbemycin oxime (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, moxidectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, piperazine [ccn] + tx, selamectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, spinosad (737) and thiophanate (1435) + tx; an avicide selected from the group of substances consisting of chloralose (127) + tx, endrin (1122) + tx, fenthion (346) + tx, pyridin-4-amine (iupac name) (23) and strychnine (745) + tx; a bactericide selected from the group of substances consisting of 1 -hydroxy-1 /7-pyridine-2-thione (iupac name) (1222) + tx, 4-(quinoxalin-2-ylamino)benzenesulfonamide (iupac name) (748) + tx, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (446) + tx, bronopol (97) + tx, copper dioctanoate (iupac name) (170) + tx, copper hydroxide (iupac name) (169) + tx, cresol [ccn] + tx, dichlorophen (232) + tx, dipyrithione (1105) + tx, dodicin (1112) + tx, fenaminosulf (1144) + tx, formaldehyde (404) + tx, hydrargaphen (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, kasugamycin (483) + tx, kasugamycin hydrochloride hydrate (483) + tx, nickel bis(dimethyldithiocarbamate) (iupac name) (1308) + tx, nitrapyrin (580) + tx, octhilinone (590) + tx, oxolinic acid (606) + tx, oxytetracycline (611) + tx, potassium hydroxyquinoline sulfate (446) + tx, probenazole (658) + tx, streptomycin (744) + tx, streptomycin sesquisulfate (744) + tx, tecloftalam (766) + tx, and thiomersal (alternative name) [ccn] + tx; a biological agent selected from the group of substances consisting of adoxophyes orana gv (alternative name) (12) + tx, agrobacterium radiobacter (alternative name) (13) + tx, amblyseius spp. (alternative name) (19) + tx, anagrapha falcifera npv (alternative name) (28) + tx, anagrus atomus (alternative name) (29) + tx, aphelinus abdominalis (alternative name) (33) + tx, aphidius colemani (alternative name) (34) + tx, aphidoletes aphidimyza (alternative name) (35) + tx, autographa californica npv (alternative name) (38) + tx, bacillus firmus (alternative name) (48) + tx, bacillus sphaericus neide (scientific name) (49) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis berliner (scientific name) (51) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai (scientific name) (51) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (scientific name) (51) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis subsp. japonensis (scientific name) (51) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (scientific name) (51) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis (scientific name) (51) + tx, beauveria bassiana (alternative name) (53) + tx, beauveria brongniartii (alternative name) (54) + tx, chrysoperla carnea (alternative name) (151) + tx, cryptolaemus montrouzieri (alternative name) (178) + tx, cydia pomonella gv (alternative name) (191) + tx, dacnusa sibirica (alternative name) (212) + tx, diglyphus isaea (alternative name) (254) + tx, encarsia formosa (scientific name) (293) + tx, eretmocerus eremicus (alternative name) (300) + tx, helicoverpa zea npv (alternative name) (431) + tx, heterorhabditis bacteriophora and h. megidis (alternative name) (433) + tx, hippodamia convergens (alternative name) (442) + tx, leptomastix dactylopii (alternative name) (488) + tx, macrolophus caliginosus (alternative name) (491) + tx, mamestra brassicae npv (alternative name) (494) + tx, metaphycus helvolus (alternative name) (522) + tx, metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum (scientific name) (523) + tx, metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae (scientific name) (523) + tx, neodiprion sertifer npv and n. lecontei npv (alternative name) (575) + tx, orius spp. (alternative name) (596) + tx, paecilomyces fumosoroseus (alternative name) (613) + tx, phytoseiulus persimilis (alternative name) (644) + tx, spodoptera exigua multicapsid nuclear polyhedrosis virus (scientific name) (741) + tx, steinernema bibionis (alternative name) (742) + tx, steinernema carpocapsae (alternative name) (742) + tx, steinernema feltiae (alternative name) (742) + tx, steinernema glaseri (alternative name) (742) + tx, steinernema riobrave (alternative name) (742) + tx, steinernema riobravis (alternative name) (742) + tx, steinernema scapterisci (alternative name) (742) + tx, steinernema spp. (alternative name) (742) + tx, trichogramma spp. (alternative name) (826) + tx, typhlodromus occidentalis (alternative name) (844) and verticillium lecanii (alternative name) (848) + tx; a soil sterilant selected from the group of substances consisting of iodomethane (iupac name) (542) and methyl bromide (537) + tx; a chemosterilant selected from the group of substances consisting of apholate [ccn] + tx, bisazir (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, busulfan (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, diflubenzuron (250) + tx, dimatif (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, hemel [ccn] + tx, hempa [ccn] + tx, metepa [ccn] + tx, methiotepa [ccn] + tx, methyl apholate [ccn] + tx, morzid [ccn] + tx, penfluron (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, tepa [ccn] + tx, thiohempa (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, thiotepa (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, tretamine (alternative name) [ccn] and uredepa (alternative name) [ccn] + tx; an insect pheromone selected from the group of substances consisting of (e)-dec-5-en-1-yl acetate with (e)-dec-5-en-1-ol (iupac name) (222) + tx, (e)-tridec-4-en-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (829) + tx, (e)-6-methylhept-2-en-4-ol (iupac name) (541) + tx, (e,z)-tetradeca-4,10-dien-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (779) + tx, (z)-dodec-7-en-1 -yl acetate (iupac name) (285) + tx, (z)-hexadec-11- enal (iupac name) (436) + tx, (z)-hexadec-11 -en-1 -yl acetate (iupac name) (437) + tx, (z)- hexadec-13-en-11-yn-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (438) + tx, (z)-icos-13-en-10-one (iupac name) (448) + tx, (z)-tetradec-7-en-1-al (iupac name) (782) + tx, (z)-tetradec-9-en-1 -ol (iupac name) (783) + tx, (z)-tetradec-9-en-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (784) + tx, (7e,9z)-dodeca-7,9-dien-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (283) + tx, (9z,11e)-tetradeca-9,11-dien-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (780) + tx, (9z,12e)-tetradeca-9,12-dien-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (781) + tx, 14-methyloctadec-1-ene (iupac name) (545) + tx, 4-methylnonan-5-ol with 4-methylnonan-5-one (iupac name) (544) + tx, alpha-multistriatin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, brevicomin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, codlelure (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, codlemone (alternative name) (167) + tx, cuelure (alternative name) (179) + tx, disparlure (277) + tx, dodec-8-en-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (286) + tx, dodec-9-en-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (287) + tx, dodeca-8 + tx, 10-dien-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (284) + tx, dominicalure (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, ethyl 4-methyloctanoate (iupac name) (317) + tx, eugenol (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, frontalin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, gossyplure® (alternative name; 1 :1 mixture of the (z,e) and (z,z) isomers of hexadeca- 7,11-dien-1-yl-acetate) (420) + tx, grandlure (421) + tx, grandlure i (alternative name) (421) + tx, grandlure ii (alternative name) (421) + tx, grandlure iii (alternative name) (421) + tx, grandlure iv (alternative name) (421) + tx, hexalure [ccn] + tx, ipsdienol (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, ipsenol (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, japonilure (alternative name) (481) + tx, lineatin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, litlure (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, looplure (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, medlure [ccn] + tx, megatomoic acid (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, methyl eugenol (alternative name) (540) + tx, muscalure (563) + tx, octadeca-2,13-dien-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (588) + tx, octadeca-3,13-dien-1-yl acetate (iupac name) (589) + tx, orfralure (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, oryctalure (alternative name) (317) + tx, ostramone (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, siglure [ccn] + tx, sordidin (alternative name) (736) + tx, sulcatol (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, tetradec-11 -en-1 -yl acetate (iupac name) (785) + tx, trimedlure (839) + tx, trimedlure a (alternative name) (839) + tx, trimedlure bi (alternative name) (839) + tx, trimedlure b2 (alternative name) (839) + tx, trimedlure c (alternative name) (839) and trunc-call (alternative name) [ccn] + tx; an insect repellent selected from the group of substances consisting of 2-(octylthio)ethanol (iupac name) (591) + tx, butopyronoxyl (933) + tx, butoxy(polypropylene glycol) (936) + tx, dibutyl adipate (iupac name) (1046) + tx, dibutyl phthalate (1047) + tx, dibutyl succinate (iupac name) (1048) + tx, diethyltoluamide [ccn] + tx, dimethyl carbate [ccn] + tx, dimethyl phthalate [ccn] + tx, ethyl hexanediol (1137) + tx, hexamide [ccn] + tx, methoquin-butyl (1276) + tx, methylneodecanamide [ccn] + tx, oxamate [ccn] and picaridin [ccn] + tx; a molluscicide selected from the group of substances consisting of bis(tributy itin) oxide (iupac name) (913) + tx, bromoacetamide [ccn] + tx, calcium arsenate [ccn] + tx, cloethocarb (999) + tx, copper acetoarsenite [ccn] + tx, copper sulfate (172) + tx, fentin (347) + tx, ferric phosphate (iupac name) (352) + tx, metaldehyde (518) + tx, methiocarb (530) + tx, niclosamide (576) + tx, niclosamide-olamine (576) + tx, pentachlorophenol (623) + tx, sodium pentachlorophenoxide (623) + tx, tazimcarb (1412) + tx, thiodicarb (799) + tx, tributyltin oxide (913) + tx, trifenmorph (1454) + tx, trimethacarb (840) + tx, triphenyltin acetate (iupac name) (347) and triphenyltin hydroxide (iupac name) (347) + tx, pyriprole [394730-71-3] + tx; a nematicide selected from the group of substances consisting of akd-3088 (compound code) + tx, 1 ,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (lupac/chemical abstracts name) (1045) + tx, 1 ,2-dichloropropane (iupac/ chemical abstracts name) (1062) + tx, 1 ,2-dichloropropane with 1 ,3-dichloropropene (iupac name) (1063) + tx, 1 ,3-dichloropropene (233) + tx, 3,4-dichlorotetrahydrothiophene 1 ,1- dioxide (lupac/chemical abstracts name) (1065) + tx, 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-methylrhodanine (iupac name) (980) + tx, 5-methyl-6-thioxo-1 ,3,5-thiadiazinan-3-ylacetic acid (iupac name) (1286) + tx, 6-isopentenylaminopurine (alternative name) (210) + tx, abamectin (1) + tx, acetoprole [ccn] + tx, alanycarb (15) + tx, aldicarb (16) + tx, aldoxycarb (863) + tx, az 60541 (compound code) + tx, benclothiaz [ccn] + tx, benomyl (62) + tx, butylpyridaben (alternative name) + tx, cadusafos (109) + tx, carbofuran (118) + tx, carbon disulfide (945) + tx, carbosulfan (119) + tx, chloropicrin (141) + tx, chlorpyrifos (145) + tx, cloethocarb (999) + tx, cyclobutrifluram + tx, cytokinins (alternative name) (210) + tx, dazomet (216) + tx, dbcp (1045) + tx, dcip (218) + tx, diamidafos (1044) + tx, dichlofenthion (1051) + tx, dicliphos (alternative name) + tx, dimethoate (262) + tx, doramectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, emamectin (291) + tx, emamectin benzoate (291) + tx, eprinomectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, ethoprophos (312) + tx, ethylene dibromide (316) + tx, fenamiphos (326) + tx, fenpyrad (alternative name) + tx, fensulfothion (1158) + tx, fosthiazate (408) + tx, fosthietan (1196) + tx, furfural (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, gy-81 (development code) (423) + tx, heterophos [ccn] + tx, iodomethane (iupac name) (542) + tx, isamidofos (1230) + tx, isazofos (1231) + tx, ivermectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, kinetin (alternative name) (210) + tx, mecarphon (1258) + tx, metam (519) + tx, metam-potassium (alternative name) (519) + tx, metam-sodium (519) + tx, methyl bromide (537) + tx, methyl isothiocyanate (543) + tx, milbemycin oxime (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, moxidectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, myrothecium verrucaria composition (alternative name) (565) + tx, nc-184 (compound code) + tx, oxamyl (602) + tx, phorate (636) + tx, phosphamidon (639) + tx, phosphocarb [ccn] + tx, sebufos (alternative name) + tx, selamectin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx, spinosad (737) + tx, terbam (alternative name) + tx, terbufos (773) + tx, tetrachlorothiophene (iupac/ chemical abstracts name) (1422) + tx, thiafenox (alternative name) + tx, thionazin (1434) + tx, triazophos (820) + tx, triazuron (alternative name) + tx, xylenols [ccn] + tx, yi-5302 (compound code) and zeatin (alternative name) (210) + tx, fluensulfone [318290-98-1] + tx, fluopyram + tx; a nitrification inhibitor selected from the group of substances consisting of potassium ethylxanthate [ccn] and nitrapyrin (580) + tx; a plant activator selected from the group of substances consisting of acibenzolar (6) + tx, acibenzolar-s-methyl (6) + tx, probenazole (658) and reynoutria sachalinensis extract (alternative name) (720) + tx; a rodenticide selected from the group of substances consisting of 2-isovalerylindan-1 ,3-dione (iupac name) (1246) + tx, 4-(quinoxalin-2-ylamino)benzenesulfonamide (iupac name) (748) + tx, alphachlorohydrin [ccn] + tx, aluminium phosphide (640) + tx, antu (880) + tx, arsenous oxide (882) + tx, barium carbonate (891) + tx, bisthiosemi (912) + tx, brodifacoum (89) + tx, bromadiolone (including alpha-bromadiolone) + tx, bromethalin (92) + tx, calcium cyanide (444) + tx, chloralose (127) + tx, chlorophacinone (140) + tx, cholecalciferol (alternative name) (850) + tx, coumachlor (1004) + tx, coumafuryl (1005) + tx, coumatetralyl (175) + tx, crimidine (1009) + tx, difenacoum (246) + tx, difethialone (249) + tx, diphacinone (273) + tx, ergocalciferol (301) + tx, flocoumafen (357) + tx, fluoroacetamide (379) + tx, flupropadine (1183) + tx, flupropadine hydrochloride (1183) + tx, gamma-hch (430) + tx, hch (430) + tx, hydrogen cyanide (444) + tx, iodomethane (iupac name) (542) + tx, lindane (430) + tx, magnesium phosphide (iupac name) (640) + tx, methyl bromide (537) + tx, norbormide (1318) + tx, phosacetim (1336) + tx, phosphine (iupac name) (640) + tx, phosphorus [ccn] + tx, pindone (1341) + tx, potassium arsenite [ccn] + tx, pyrinuron (1371) + tx, scilliroside (1390) + tx, sodium arsenite [ccn] + tx, sodium cyanide (444) + tx, sodium fluoroacetate (735) + tx, strychnine (745) + tx, thallium sulfate [ccn] + tx, warfarin (851) and zinc phosphide (640) + tx; a synergist selected from the group of substances consisting of 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethyl piperonylate (iupac name) (934) + tx, 5-(1 ,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-3-hexylcyclohex-2-enone (iupac name) (903) + tx, farnesol with nerolidol (alternative name) (324) + tx, mb-599 (development code) (498) + tx, mgk 264 (development code) (296) + tx, piperonyl butoxide (649) + tx, piprotal (1343) + tx, propyl isomer (1358) + tx, s421 (development code) (724) + tx, sesamex (1393) + tx, sesasmolin (1394) and sulfoxide (1406) + tx; an animal repellent selected from the group of substances consisting of anthraquinone (32) + tx, chloralose (127) + tx, copper naphthenate [ccn] + tx, copper oxychloride (171) + tx, diazinon (227) + tx, dicyclopentadiene (chemical name) (1069) + tx, guazatine (422) + tx, guazatine acetates (422) + tx, methiocarb (530) + tx, pyridin-4-amine (iupac name) (23) + tx, thiram (804) + tx, trimethacarb (840) + tx, zinc naphthenate [ccn] and ziram (856) + tx; a virucide selected from the group of substances consisting of imanin (alternative name) [ccn] and ribavirin (alternative name) [ccn] + tx; a wound protectant selected from the group of substances consisting of mercuric oxide (512) + tx, octhilinone (590) and thiophanate-methyl (802) + tx; a biologically active substance selected from 1 ,1-bis(4-chloro-phenyl)-2-ethoxyethanol + tx, 2,4- dichlorophenyl benzenesulfonate + tx, 2-fluoro-n-methyl-n-1 -naphthylacetamide + tx, 4-chlorophenyl phenyl sulfone + tx, acetoprole + tx, aldoxycarb + tx, amidithion + tx, amidothioate + tx, amiton + tx, amiton hydrogen oxalate + tx, amitraz + tx, aramite + tx, arsenous oxide + tx, azobenzene + tx, azothoate + tx, benomyl + tx, benoxa-fos + tx, benzyl benzoate + tx, bixafen + tx, brofenvalerate + tx, bromo-cyclen + tx, bromophos + tx, bromopropylate + tx, buprofezin + tx, butocarboxim + tx, butoxycarboxim + tx, butylpyridaben + tx, calcium polysulfide + tx, camphechlor + tx, carbanolate + tx, carbophenothion + tx, cymiazole + tx, chino-methionat + tx, chlorbenside + tx, chlordimeform + tx, chlordimeform hydrochloride + tx, chlorfenethol + tx, chlorfenson + tx, chlorfensulfide + tx, chlorobenzilate + tx, chloromebuform + tx, chloromethiuron + tx, chloropropylate + tx, chlorthiophos + tx, cinerin i + tx, cinerin ii + tx, cinerins + tx, closantel + tx, coumaphos + tx, crotamiton + tx, crotoxyphos + tx, cufraneb + tx, cyanthoate + tx, dcpm + tx, ddt + tx, demephion + tx, demephion-0 + tx, demephion-s + tx, demeton-methyl + tx, demeton- o + tx, demeton-o-methyl + tx, demeton-s + tx, demeton-s-methyl + tx, demeton-s-methylsulfon + tx, dichlofluanid + tx, dichlorvos + tx, dicliphos + tx, dienochlor + tx, dimefox + tx, dinex + tx, dinex-diclexine + tx, dinocap-4 + tx, dinocap-6 + tx, dinocton + tx, dino-penton + tx, dinosulfon + tx, dinoterbon + tx, dioxathion + tx, diphenyl sulfone + tx, disulfiram + tx, dnoc + tx, dofenapyn + tx, doramectin + tx, endothion + tx, eprinomectin + tx, ethoate-methyl + tx, etrimfos + tx, fenazaflor + tx, fenbutatin oxide + tx, fenothiocarb + tx, fenpyrad + tx, fen-pyroximate + tx, fenpyrazamine + tx, fenson + tx, fentrifanil + tx, flubenzimine + tx, flucycloxuron + tx, fluenetil + tx, fluorbenside + tx, fmc 1137 + tx, formetanate + tx, formetanate hydrochloride + tx, formparanate + tx, gamma-hch + tx, glyodin + tx, halfenprox + tx, hexadecyl cyclopropanecarboxylate + tx, isocarbophos + tx, jasmolin i + tx, jasmolin ii + tx, jodfenphos + tx, lindane + tx, malonoben + tx, mecarbam + tx, mephosfolan + tx, mesulfen + tx, methacrifos + tx, methyl bromide + tx, metolcarb + tx, mexacarbate + tx, milbemycin oxime + tx, mipafox + tx, monocrotophos + tx, morphothion + tx, moxidectin + tx, naled + tx, 4-chloro-2-(2-chloro-2-methyl- propyl)-5-[(6-iodo-3-pyridyl)methoxy]pyridazin-3-one + tx, nifluridide + tx, nikkomycins + tx, nitrilacarb + tx, nitrilacarb 1 :1 zinc chloride complex + tx, omethoate + tx, oxydeprofos + tx, oxydisulfoton + tx, pp'-ddt + tx, parathion + tx, permethrin + tx, phenkapton + tx, phosalone + tx, phosfolan + tx, phosphamidon + tx, polychloroterpenes + tx, polynactins + tx, proclonol + tx, promacyl + tx, propoxur + tx, prothidathion + tx, prothoate + tx, pyrethrin i + tx, pyrethrin ii + tx, pyrethrins + tx, pyridaphenthion + tx, pyrimitate + tx, quinalphos + tx, quintiofos + tx, r-1492 + tx, phosglycin + tx, rotenone + tx, schradan + tx, sebufos + tx, selamectin + tx, sophamide + tx, ssi- 121 + tx, sulfiram + tx, sulfluramid + tx, sulfotep + tx, sulfur + tx, diflovidazin + tx, tau-fluvalinate + tx, tepp + tx, terbam + tx, tetradifon + tx, tetrasul + tx, thiafenox + tx, thiocarboxime + tx, thiofanox + tx, thiometon + tx, thioquinox + tx, thuringiensin + tx, triamiphos + tx, triarathene + tx, triazophos + tx, triazuron + tx, trifenofos + tx, trinactin + tx, vamidothion + tx, vaniliprole + tx, bethoxazin + tx, copper dioctanoate + tx, copper sulfate + tx, cybutryne + tx, dichlone + tx, dichlorophen + tx, endothal + tx, fentin + tx, hydrated lime + tx, nabam + tx, quinoclamine + tx, quinonamid + tx, simazine + tx, triphenyltin acetate + tx, triphenyltin hydroxide + tx, crufomate + tx, piperazine + tx, thiophanate + tx, chloralose + tx, fenthion + tx, pyridin-4-amine + tx, strychnine + tx, 1 -hydroxy-1 h-pyridine-2-thione + tx, 4-(quinoxalin-2-ylamino)benzenesulfonamide + tx, 8- hydroxyquinoline sulfate + tx, bronopol + tx, copper hydroxide + tx, cresol + tx, dipyrithione + tx, dodicin + tx, fenaminosulf + tx, formaldehyde + tx, hydrargaphen + tx, kasugamycin + tx, kasugamycin hydrochloride hydrate + tx, nickel bis(dimethyldithiocarbamate) + tx, nitrapyrin + tx, octhilinone + tx, oxolinic acid + tx, oxytetracycline + tx, potassium hydroxyquinoline sulfate + tx, probenazole + tx, streptomycin + tx, streptomycin sesquisulfate + tx, tecloftalam + tx, thiomersal + tx, adoxophyes orana gv + tx, agrobacterium radiobacter + tx, amblyseius spp. + tx, anagrapha falcifera npv + tx, anagrus atomus + tx, aphelinus abdominalis + tx, aphidius colemani + tx, aphidoletes aphidimyza + tx, autographa californica npv + tx, bacillus sphaericus neide + tx, beauveria brongniartii + tx, chrysoperla carnea + tx, cryptolaemus montrouzieri + tx, cydia pomonella gv + tx, dacnusa sibirica + tx, diglyphus isaea + tx, encarsia formosa + tx, eretmocerus eremicus + tx, heterorhabditis bacteriophora and h. megidis + tx, hippodamia convergens + tx, leptomastix dactylopii + tx, macrolophus caliginosus + tx, mamestra brassicae npv + tx, metaphycus helvolus + tx, metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum + tx, metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae + tx, neodiprion sertifer npv and n. lecontei npv + tx, orius spp. + tx, paecilomyces fumosoroseus + tx, phytoseiulus persimilis + tx, steinernema bibionis + tx, steinernema carpocapsae + tx, steinernema feltiae + tx, steinernema glaseri + tx, steinernema riobrave + tx, steinernema riobravis + tx, steinernema scapterisci + tx, steinernema spp. + tx, trichogramma spp. + tx, typhlodromus occidentalis + tx , vertici ilium lecanii + tx, apholate + tx, bisazir + tx, busulfan + tx, dimatif + tx, hemel + tx, hempa + tx, metepa + tx, methiotepa + tx, methyl apholate + tx, morzid + tx, penfluron + tx, tepa + tx, thiohempa + tx, thiotepa + tx, tretamine + tx, uredepa + tx, (e)-dec-5-en-1-yl acetate with (e)-dec-5-en-1-ol + tx, (e)-tridec-4-en-1-yl acetate + tx, (e)-6- methylhept-2-en-4-ol + tx, (e,z)-tetradeca-4,10-dien-1-yl acetate + tx, (z)-dodec-7-en-1-yl acetate + tx, (z)-hexadec-l l-enal + tx, (z)-hexadec-l 1-en-1-yl acetate + tx, (z)-hexadec-13-en-11-yn-1-yl acetate + tx, (z)-icos-13-en-10-one + tx, (z)-tetradec-7-en-1-al + tx, (z)-tetradec-9-en-1-ol + tx, (z)- tetradec-9-en-1-yl acetate + tx, (7e,9z)-dodeca-7,9-dien-1-yl acetate + tx, (9z,11 e)-tetradeca-9,11- dien-1-yl acetate + tx, (9z,12e)-tetradeca-9,12-dien-1 -yl acetate + tx, 14-methyloctadec-1-ene + tx, 4-methylnonan-5-ol with 4-methylnonan-5-one + tx, alpha-multistriatin + tx, brevicomin + tx, codlelure + tx, codlemone + tx, cuelure + tx, disparlure + tx, dodec-8-en-1-yl acetate + tx, dodec-9-en-1-yl acetate + tx, dodeca-8 + tx, 10-dien-1 -yl acetate + tx, dominicalure + tx, ethyl 4-methyloctanoate + tx, eugenol + tx, frontalin + tx, grandlure + tx, grandlure i + tx, grandlure ii + tx, grandlure iii + tx, grandlure iv + tx, hexalure + tx, ipsdienol + tx, ipsenol + tx, japonilure + tx, lineatin + tx, litlure + tx, looplure + tx, medlure + tx, megatomoic acid + tx, methyl eugenol + tx, muscalure + tx, octadeca-2,13-dien-1-yl acetate + tx, octadeca-3,13-dien-1-yl acetate + tx, orfralure + tx, oryctalure + tx, ostramone + tx, siglure + tx, sordidin + tx, sulcatol + tx, tetradec-11-en-1-yl acetate + tx, trimedlure + tx, trimedlure a + tx, trimedlure bi + tx, trimedlure b2 + tx, trimedlure c + tx, trunc-call + tx, 2-(octylthio)-ethanol + tx, butopyronoxyl + tx, butoxy(polypropylene glycol) + tx, dibutyl adipate + tx, dibutyl phthalate + tx, dibutyl succinate + tx, diethyltoluamide + tx, dimethyl carbate + tx, dimethyl phthalate + tx, ethyl hexanediol + tx, hexamide + tx, methoquin-butyl + tx, methylneodecanamide + tx, oxamate + tx, picaridin + tx, 1-dichloro-1 -nitroethane + tx, 1 , 1 -dichloro- 2,2-bis(4-ethylphenyl)-ethane + tx, 1 ,2-dichloropropane with 1 ,3-dichloropropene + tx, 1 -bromo-2- chloroethane + tx, 2,2,2-trichloro-1-(3,4-dichloro-phenyl)ethyl acetate + tx, 2,2-dichlorovinyl 2- ethylsulfinylethyl methyl phosphate + tx, 2-(1 ,3-dithiolan-2-yl)phenyl dimethylcarbamate + tx, 2-(2- butoxyethoxy)ethyl thiocyanate + tx, 2-(4,5-dimethyl-1 ,3-dioxolan-2-yl)phenyl methylcarbamate + tx, 2-(4-chloro-3,5-xylyloxy)ethanol + tx, 2-chlorovinyl diethyl phosphate + tx, 2-imidazolidone + tx, 2- isovalerylindan-1 ,3-dione + tx, 2-methyl(prop-2-ynyl)aminophenyl methylcarbamate + tx, 2- thiocyanatoethyl laurate + tx, 3-bromo-1 -chloroprop-1 -ene + tx, 3-methyl-1-phenylpyrazol-5-yl dimethyl-carbamate + tx, 4-methyl(prop-2-ynyl)amino-3,5-xylyl methylcarbamate + tx, 5,5-dimethyl-3- oxocyclohex-1-enyl dimethylcarbamate + tx, acethion + tx, acrylonitrile + tx, aldrin + tx, allosamidin + tx, allyxycarb + tx, alpha-ecdysone + tx, aluminium phosphide + tx, aminocarb + tx, anabasine + tx, athidathion + tx, azamethiphos + tx, bacillus thuringiensis delta endotoxins + tx, barium hexafluorosilicate + tx, barium polysulfide + tx, barthrin + tx, bayer 22/190 + tx, bayer 22408 + tx, beta-cyfluthrin + tx, beta-cypermethrin + tx, bioethanomethrin + tx, biopermethrin + tx, bis(2- chloroethyl) ether + tx, borax + tx, bromfenvinfos + tx, bromo-ddt + tx, bufencarb + tx, butacarb + tx, butathiofos + tx, butonate + tx, calcium arsenate + tx, calcium cyanide + tx, carbon disulfide + tx, carbon tetrachloride + tx, cartap hydrochloride + tx, cevadine + tx, chlorbicyclen + tx, chlordane + tx, chlordecone + tx, chloroform + tx, chloropicrin + tx, chlorphoxim + tx, chlorprazophos + tx, cis-resmethrin + tx, cismethrin + tx, clocythrin + tx, copper acetoarsenite + tx, copper arsenate + tx, copper oleate + tx, coumithoate + tx, cryolite + tx, cs 708 + tx, cyanofenphos + tx, cyanophos + tx, cyclethrin + tx, cythioate + tx, d-tetramethrin + tx, daep + tx, dazomet + tx, decarbofuran + tx, diamidafos + tx, dicapthon + tx, dichlofenthion + tx, dicresyl + tx, dicyclanil + tx, dieldrin + tx, diethyl 5-methylpyrazol-3-yl phosphate + tx, dilor + tx, dimefluthrin + tx, dimetan + tx, dimethrin + tx, dimethylvinphos + tx, dimetilan + tx, dinoprop + tx, dinosam + tx, dinoseb + tx, diofenolan + tx, dioxabenzofos + tx, dithicrofos + tx, dsp + tx, ecdysterone + tx, el 1642 + tx, empc + tx, epbp + tx, etaphos + tx, ethiofencarb + tx, ethyl formate + tx, ethylene dibromide + tx, ethylene dichloride + tx, ethylene oxide + tx, exd + tx, fenchlorphos + tx, fenethacarb + tx, fenitrothion + tx, fenoxacrim + tx, fenpirithrin + tx, fensulfothion + tx, fenthion-ethyl + tx, flucofuron + tx, fosmethilan + tx, fospirate + tx, fosthietan + tx, furathiocarb + tx, furethrin + tx, guazatine + tx, guazatine acetates + tx, sodium tetrathiocarbonate + tx, halfenprox + tx, hch + tx, heod + tx, heptachlor + tx, heterophos + tx, hhdn + tx, hydrogen cyanide + tx, hyquincarb + tx, ipsp + tx, isazofos + tx, isobenzan + tx, isodrin + tx, isofenphos + tx, isolane + tx, isoprothiolane + tx, isoxathion + tx, juvenile hormone i + tx, juvenile hormone ii + tx, juvenile hormone iii + tx, kelevan + tx, kinoprene + tx, lead arsenate + tx, leptophos + tx, lirimfos + tx, lythidathion + tx, m-cumenyl methylcarbamate + tx, magnesium phosphide + tx, mazidox + tx, mecarphon + tx, menazon + tx, mercurous chloride + tx, mesulfenfos + tx, metam + tx, metam-potassium + tx, metam-sodium + tx, methanesulfonyl fluoride + tx, methocrotophos + tx, methoprene + tx, methothrin + tx, methoxychlor + tx, methyl isothiocyanate + tx, methylchloroform + tx, methylene chloride + tx, metoxadiazone + tx, mirex + tx, naftalofos + tx, naphthalene + tx, nc-170 + tx, nicotine + tx, nicotine sulfate + tx, nithiazine + tx, nornicotine + tx, o-5-dichloro-4-iodophenyl o-ethyl ethylphosphonothioate + tx, 0,0-diethyl o-4-methyl-2-oxo-2h-chromen-7-yl phosphorothioate + tx, 0,0-diethyl o-6-methyl-2-propylpyrimidin-4-yl phosphorothioate + tx, o,o,o',o'-tetrapropyl dithiopyrophosphate + tx, oleic acid + tx, para-dichlorobenzene + tx, parathion-methyl + tx, pentachlorophenol + tx, pentachlorophenyl laurate + tx, ph 60-38 + tx, phenkapton + tx, phosnichlor + tx, phosphine + tx, phoxim-methyl + tx, pirimetaphos + tx, polychlorodicyclopentadiene isomers + tx, potassium arsenite + tx, potassium thiocyanate + tx, precocene i + tx, precocene ii + tx, precocene iii + tx, primidophos + tx, profluthrin + tx, promecarb + tx, prothiofos + tx, pyrazophos + tx, pyresmethrin + tx, quassia + tx, quinalphos-methyl + tx, quinothion + tx, rafoxanide + tx, resmethrin + tx, rotenone + tx, kadethrin + tx, ryania + tx, ryanodine + tx, sabadilla + tx, schradan + tx, sebufos + tx, si-0009 + tx, thiapronil + tx, sodium arsenite + tx, sodium cyanide + tx, sodium fluoride + tx, sodium hexafluorosilicate + tx, sodium pentachlorophenoxide + tx, sodium selenate + tx, sodium thiocyanate + tx, sulcofuron + tx, sulcofuron-sodium + tx, sulfuryl fluoride + tx, sulprofos + tx, tar oils + tx, tazimcarb + tx, tde + tx, tebupirimfos + tx, temephos + tx, terallethrin + tx, tetrachloroethane + tx, thicrofos + tx, thiocyclam + tx, thiocyclam hydrogen oxalate + tx, thionazin + tx, thiosultap + tx, thiosultap-sodium + tx, tralomethrin + tx, transpermethrin + tx, triazamate + tx, trichlormetaphos-3 + tx, trichloronat + tx, trimethacarb + tx, tolprocarb + tx, triclopyricarb + tx, triprene + tx, veratridine + tx, veratrine + tx, xmc + tx, zetamethrin + tx, zinc phosphide + tx, zolaprofos + tx, meperfluthrin + tx, tetramethylfluthrin + tx, bis(tributyltin) oxide + tx, bromoacetamide + tx, ferric phosphate + tx, niclosamide-olamine + tx, tributyltin oxide + tx, pyrimorph + tx, trifenmorph + tx, 1 ,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane + tx, 1 ,3-dichloropropene + tx, 3,4- dichlorotetrahydrothio-phene 1 ,1 -dioxide + tx, 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-methylrhodanine + tx, 5-methyl-6- thioxo-1 ,3,5-thiadiazinan-3-ylacetic acid + tx, 6-isopentenylaminopurine + tx, anisiflupurin + tx, benclothiaz + tx, cytokinins + tx, dcip + tx, furfural + tx, isamidofos + tx, kinetin + tx, myrothecium verrucaria composition + tx, tetrachlorothiophene + tx, xylenols + tx, zeatin + tx, potassium ethylxanthate + tx ,acibenzolar + tx, acibenzolar-s-methyl + tx, reynoutria sachalinensis extract + tx, alpha-chlorohydrin + tx, antu + tx, barium carbonate + tx, bisthiosemi + tx, brodifacoum + tx, bromadiolone + tx, bromethalin + tx, chlorophacinone + tx, cholecalciferol + tx, coumachlor + tx, coumafuryl + tx, coumatetralyl + tx, crimidine + tx, difenacoum + tx, difethialone + tx, diphacinone + tx, ergocalciferol + tx, flocoumafen + tx, fluoroacetamide + tx, flupropadine + tx, flupropadine hydrochloride + tx, norbormide + tx, phosacetim + tx, phosphorus + tx, pindone + tx, pyrinuron + tx, scilliroside + tx, -sodium fluoroacetate + tx, thallium sulfate + tx, warfarin + tx, -2-(2- butoxyethoxy)ethyl piperonylate + tx, 5-(1 ,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-3-hexylcyclohex-2-enone + tx, farnesol with nerolidol + tx, verbutin + tx, mgk 264 + tx, piperonyl butoxide + tx, piprotal + tx, propyl isomer + tx, s421 + tx, sesamex + tx, sesasmolin + tx, sulfoxide + tx, anthraquinone + tx, copper naphthenate + tx, copper oxychloride + tx, dicyclopentadiene + tx, thiram + tx, zinc naphthenate + tx, ziram + tx, imanin + tx, ribavirin + tx, chloroinconazide + tx, mercuric oxide + tx, thiophanate- methyl + tx, azaconazole + tx, bitertanol + tx, bromuconazole + tx, cyproconazole + tx, difenoconazole + tx, diniconazole -+ tx, epoxiconazole + tx, fenbuconazole + tx, fluquinconazole + tx, flusilazole + tx, flutriafol + tx, furametpyr + tx, hexaconazole + tx, imazalil- + tx, imiben-conazole + tx, ipconazole + tx, metconazole + tx, myclobutanil + tx, paclobutrazole + tx, pefurazoate + tx, penconazole + tx, prothioconazole + tx, pyrifenox + tx, prochloraz + tx, propiconazole + tx, pyrisoxazole + tx, -simeconazole + tx, tebucon-azole + tx, tetraconazole + tx, triadimefon + tx, triadimenol + tx, triflumizole + tx, triticonazole + tx, ancymidol + tx, fenarimol + tx, nuarimol + tx, bupirimate + tx, dimethirimol + tx, ethirimol + tx, dodemorph + tx, fenpropidin + tx, fenpropimorph + tx, spiroxamine + tx, tridemorph + tx, cyprodinil + tx, mepanipyrim + tx, pyrimethanil + tx, fenpiclonil + tx, fludioxonil + tx, benalaxyl + tx, furalaxyl + tx, metalaxyl + tx, r- metalaxyl + tx, ofurace + tx, oxadixyl + tx, carbendazim + tx, debacarb + tx, fuberidazole -+ tx, thiabendazole + tx, chlozolinate + tx, dichlozoline + tx, myclozoline- + tx, procymidone + tx, vinclozoline + tx, boscalid + tx, carboxin + tx, fenfuram + tx, flutolanil + tx, mepronil + tx, oxycarboxin + tx, penthiopyrad + tx, thifluzamide + tx, dodine + tx, iminoctadine + tx, azoxystrobin + tx, dimoxystrobin + tx, enestroburin + tx, fenaminstrobin + tx, flufenoxystrobin + tx, fluoxastrobin + tx, kresoxim-methyl + tx, metominostrobin + tx, trifloxystrobin + tx, orysastrobin + tx, picoxystrobin + tx, pyraclostrobin + tx, pyrametostrobin + tx, pyraoxystrobin + tx, ferbam + tx, mancozeb + tx, maneb + tx, metiram + tx, propineb + tx, zineb + tx, captafol + tx, captan + tx, fluoroimide + tx, folpet + tx, tolylfluanid + tx, bordeaux mixture + tx, copper oxide + tx, mancopper + tx, oxine-copper + tx, nitrothal-isopropyl + tx, edifenphos + tx, iprobenphos + tx, phosdiphen + tx, tolclofos-methyl + tx, anilazine + tx, benthiavalicarb + tx, blasticidin-s + tx, chloroneb -+ tx, chloro-tha-lonil + tx, cyflufenamid + tx, cymoxanil + tx, cyclobutrifluram + tx, diclocymet + tx, diclomezine -+ tx, dicloran + tx, diethofencarb + tx, dimethomorph -+ tx, flumorph + tx, dithianon + tx, ethaboxam + tx, etridiazole + tx, famoxadone + tx, fenamidone + tx, fenoxanil + tx, ferimzone + tx, fluazinam + tx, flumetylsulforim + tx, fluopicolide + tx, fluoxytioconazole + tx, flusulfamide + tx, fluxapyroxad + tx, -fenhexamid + tx, fosetyl-aluminium -+ tx, hymexazol + tx, iprovalicarb + tx, cyazofamid + tx, methasulfocarb + tx, metrafenone + tx, pencycuron + tx, phthalide + tx, polyoxins + tx, propamocarb + tx, pyribencarb + tx, proquinazid + tx, pyroquilon + tx, pyriofenone + tx, quinoxyfen + tx, quintozene + tx, tiadinil + tx, triazoxide + tx, tricyclazole + tx, triforine + tx, validamycin + tx, valifenalate + tx, zoxamide + tx, mandipropamid + tx, flubeneteram + tx, isopyrazam + tx, sedaxane + tx, benzovindiflupyr + tx, pydiflumetofen + tx, 3-difluoromethyl-1- methyl-1 h-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (3',4',5'-trifluoro-biphenyl-2-yl)-amide + tx, isoflucypram + tx, isotianil + tx, dipymetitrone + tx, 6-ethyl-5,7-dioxo-pyrrolo[4,5][1 ,4]dithiino[1 ,2-c]isothiazole-3- carbonitrile + tx, 2-(difluoromethyl)-n-[3-ethyl-1 ,1-dimethyl-indan-4-yl]pyridine-3-carboxamide + tx, 4- (2,6-difluorophenyl)-6-methyl-5-phenyl-pyridazine-3-carbonitrile + tx, (r)-3-(difluoromethyl)-1 -methyl- n-[1 ,1 ,3-trimethylindan-4-yl]pyrazole-4-carboxamide + tx, 4-(2-bromo-4-fluoro-phenyl)-n-(2-chloro-6- fluoro-phenyl)-2,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-3-amine + tx, 4- (2- bromo- 4- fluorophenyl) - n- (2- chloro- 6- fluorophenyl) - 1 , 3- dimethyl- 1 h- pyrazol- 5- amine + tx, fluindapyr + tx, coumethoxystrobin (jiaxiangjunzhi) + tx, ivbenmixianan + tx, dichlobentiazox + tx, mandestrobin + tx, 3-(4,4-difluoro- 3,4-dihydro-3,3-dimethylisoquinolin-1-yl)quinolone + tx, 2-[2-fluoro-6-[(8-fluoro-2-methyl-3- quinolyl)oxy]phenyl]propan-2-ol + tx, oxathiapiprolin + tx, tert-butyl n-[6-[[[(1 -methyltetrazol-5-yl)- phenyl-methylene]amino]oxymethyl]-2-pyridyl]carbamate + tx, pyraziflumid + tx, inpyrfluxam + tx, trolprocarb + tx, mefentrifluconazole + tx, ipfentrifluconazole+ tx, 2-(difluoromethyl)-n-[(3r)-3-ethyl- 1 ,1-dimethyl-indan-4-yl]pyridine-3-carboxamide + tx, n'-(2,5-dimethyl-4-phenoxy-phenyl)-n-ethyl-n- methyl-formamidine + tx, n'-[4-(4,5-dichlorothiazol-2-yl)oxy-2,5-dimethyl-phenyl]-n-ethyl-n-methyl- formamidine + tx, [2-[3-[2-[1 -[2-[3,5-bis(difluoromethyl)pyrazol-1 -y i] acety l]-4-pi peridy l]th i azo l-4-y l]-4 , 5- dihydroisoxazol-5-yl]-3-chloro-phenyl] methanesulfonate + tx, but-3-ynyl n-[6-[[(z)-[(1-methyltetrazol- 5-yl)-phenyl-methylene]amino]oxymethyl]-2-pyridyl]carbamate + tx, methyl n-[[5-[4-(2,4- dimethylphenyl)triazol-2-yl]-2-methyl-phenyl]methyl]carbamate + tx, 3-chloro-6-methyl-5-phenyl-4- (2,4,6-trifluorophenyl)pyridazine + tx, pyridachlometyl + tx, 3-(difluoromethyl)-1-methyl-n-[1 ,1 ,3- trimethylindan-4-yl]pyrazole-4-carboxamide + tx, 1-[2-[[1-(4-chlorophenyl)pyrazol-3-yl]oxymethyl]-3- methyl-phenyl]-4-methyl-tetrazol-5-one + tx, 1-methyl-4-[3-methyl-2-[[2-methyl-4-(3,4,5- trimethylpyrazol-1-yl)phenoxy]methyl]phenyl]tetrazol-5-one + tx, aminopyrifen + tx, ametoctradin + tx, amisulbrom + tx, penflufen + tx, (z,2e)-5-[1-(4-chlorophenyl)pyrazol-3-yl]oxy-2-methoxyimino- n,3-dimethyl-pent-3-enamide + tx, florylpicoxamid + tx, fenpicoxamid + tx, metarylpicoxamid + tx, tebufloquin + tx, ipflufenoquin + tx, quinofumelin + tx, isofetamid + tx, ethyl 1-[[4-[[2-(trifluoromethyl)- 1 ,3-dioxolan-2-yl]methoxy]phenyl]methyl]pyrazole-3-carboxylate + tx (may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2020/056090), ethyl 1 -[[4-[(z)-2-ethoxy-3,3,3-trifluoro-prop-1- enoxy]phenyl]methyl]pyrazole-3-carboxylate + tx (may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2020/056090), methyl n-[[4-[1-(4-cyclopropyl-2,6-difluoro-phenyl)pyrazol-4-yl]-2-methyl- phenyl]methyl]carbamate + tx (may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2020/097012), methyl n-[[4-[1 -(2,6-difluoro-4-isopropyl-phenyl)pyrazol-4-yl]-2-methyl-phenyl]methyl]carbamate + tx (may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2020/097012), 6-chloro-3-(3-cyclopropyl-2-fluoro- phenoxy)-n-[2-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-2,2-difluoro-ethyl]-5-methyl-pyridazine-4-carboxamide + tx (may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2020/109391), 6-chloro-n-[2-(2-chloro-4-methyl- phenyl)-2,2-difluoro-ethyl]-3-(3-cyclopropyl-2-fluoro-phenoxy)-5-methyl-pyridazine-4-carboxamide + tx (may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2020/109391), 6-chloro-3-(3-cyclopropyl-2-fluoro- phenoxy)-n-[2-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-2,2-difluoro-ethyl]-5-methyl-pyridazine-4-carboxamide + tx (may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2020/109391), n-[2-[2,4-dichloro-phenoxy]phenyl]-3- (difluoromethyl)-1-methyl-pyrazole-4-carboxamide + tx, n-[2-[2-chloro-4- (trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]phenyl]-3-(difluoromethyl)-1-methyl-pyrazole-4-carboxamide + tx, benzothiostrobin + tx, phenamacril + tx, 5-amino-1 ,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol zinc salt (2:1) + tx, fluopyram + tx, flufenoxadiazam + tx, flutianil + tx, fluopimomide + tx, pyrapropoyne + tx, picarbutrazox + tx, 2-(difluoromethyl)-n-(3-ethyl-1 ,1-dimethyl-indan-4-yl)pyridine-3-carboxamide + tx, 2- (difluoromethyl) - n- ((3r) - 1 , 1 , 3- trimethylindan- 4- yl) pyridine- 3- carboxamide + tx, 4-[[6-[2-(2,4- difluorophenyl)-1 ,1-difluoro-2-hydroxy-3-(1 ,2,4-triazol-1 -yl)propyl]-3-pyridyl]oxy]benzonitrile + tx, metyltetraprole + tx, 2- (difluoromethyl) - n- ((3r) - 1 , 1 , 3- trimethylindan- 4- yl) pyridine- 3- carboxamide + tx, a- (1 , 1- dimethylethyl) - a- [4 - (trifluoromethoxy) [1 , 1 '- biphenyl] - 4- yl] -5- pyrimidinemethanol + tx, fluoxapiprolin + tx, enoxastrobin + tx, methyl (z)-3-methoxy-2-[2-methyl-5- [4-(trifluoromethyl)triazol-2-yl]phenoxy]prop-2-enoate + tx, methyl (z)-3-methoxy-2-[2-methyl-5-(4- propyltriazol-2-yl)phenoxy]prop-2-enoate + tx, methyl (z)-2-[5-(3-isopropylpyrazol-1-yl)-2-methyl- phenoxy]-3-methoxy-prop-2-enoate + tx, methyl (z)-3-methoxy-2-[2-methyl-5-(3-propylpyrazol-1- yl)phenoxy]prop-2-enoate + tx, methyl (z)-3-methoxy-2-[2-methyl-5-[3-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazol-1- y i] phenoxy] prop-2-enoate + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in w02020/079111), methyl (z)-2-(5-cyclohexyl-2-methyl-phenoxy)-3-methoxy-prop-2-enoate + tx, methyl (z)-2-(5-cyclopentyl-2-methyl-phenoxy)-3-methoxy-prop-2-enoate + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in w02020/193387), 4-[[6-[2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-1 ,1-difluoro- 2-hydroxy-3-(1 ,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propyl]-3-pyridyl]oxy] benzonitrile + tx, 4-[[6-[2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-1 ,1- difluoro-2-hydroxy-3-(5-sulfanyl-1 ,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propyl]-3-pyridyl]oxy] benzonitrile + tx, 4-[[6-[2-(2,4- difluorophenyl)-1 ,1-difluoro-2-hydroxy-3-(5-thioxo-4h-1 ,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propyl]-3- pyridyl]oxy]benzonitrile + tx, trinexapac + tx, coumoxystrobin + tx, zhongshengmycin + tx, thiodiazole copper + tx, zinc thiazole + tx, amectotractin + tx, iprodione + tx, seboctylamine + tx; n'-[5-bromo-2-methyl-6-[(1 s)-1-methyl-2-propoxy-ethoxy]-3-pyridyl]-n-ethyl-n-methyl-formamidine + tx, n'-[5-bromo-2-methyl-6-[(1 r)-1-methyl-2-propoxy-ethoxy]-3-pyridyl]-n-ethyl-n-methyl-formamidine + tx, n'-[5-bromo-2-methyl-6-(1-methyl-2-propoxy-ethoxy)-3-pyridyl]-n-ethyl-n-methyl-formamidine + tx, n'-[5-chloro-2-methyl-6-(1-methyl-2-propoxy-ethoxy)-3-pyridyl]-n-ethyl-n-methyl-formamidine + tx, n'-[5-bromo-2-methyl-6-(1-methyl-2-propoxy-ethoxy)-3-pyridyl]-n-isopropyl-n-methyl-formamidine + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in wo2015/155075); n'-[5- bromo-2-methyl-6-(2-propoxypropoxy)-3-pyridyl]-n-ethyl-n-methyl-formamidine + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in ipcom000249876d); n-isopropyl-n’-[5-methoxy-2- methyl-4-(2,2,2-trifluoro-1 -hydroxy-1 -phenyl-ethyl)phenyl]-n-methyl-formamidine+ tx, n’-[4-(1 - cyclopropyl-2,2,2-trifluoro-1 -hydroxy-ethyl)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-phenyl]-n-isopropyl-n-methyl- formamidine + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in wo2018/228896); n-ethyl-n’-[5-methoxy-2-methyl-4-[(2-trifluoromethyl)oxetan-2-yl]phenyl]-n-methyl- formamidine + tx, n-ethyl-n’-[5-methoxy-2-methyl-4-[(2-trifuoromethyl)tetrahydrofuran-2-yl]phenyl]-n- methyl-formamidine + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in wo2019/110427); n-[(1 r)-1-benzyl-3-chloro-1-methyl-but-3-enyl]-8-fluoro-quinoline-3-carboxamide + tx, n-[(1 s)-1-benzyl-3-chloro-1-methyl-but-3-enyl]-8-fluoro-quinoline-3-carboxamide + tx, n-[(1 r)-1- benzyl-3,3,3-trifluoro-1-methyl-propyl]-8-fluoro-quinoline-3-carboxamide + tx, n-[(1 s)-1-benzyl-3,3,3- trifluoro-1-methyl-propyl]-8-fluoro-quinoline-3-carboxamide + tx, n-[(1 r)-1-benzyl-1 ,3-dimethyl-butyl]- 7,8-difluoro-quinoline-3-carboxamide + tx, n-[(1 s)-1-benzyl-1 ,3-dimethyl-butyl]-7,8-difluoro-quinoline- 3-carboxamide + tx, 8-fluoro-n-[(1 r)-1-[(3-fluorophenyl)methyl]-1 ,3-dimethyl-butyl]quinoline-3- carboxamide + tx, 8-fluoro-n-[(1 s)-1-[(3-fluorophenyl)methyl]-1 ,3-dimethyl-butyl]quinoline-3- carboxamide + tx, n-[(1 r)-1-benzyl-1 ,3-dimethyl-butyl]-8-fluoro-quinoline-3-carboxamide + tx, n- [(1 s)-1-benzyl-1 ,3-dimethyl-butyl]-8-fluoro-quinoline-3-carboxamide + tx, n-((1 r)-1-benzyl-3-chloro-1- methyl-but-3-enyl)-8-fluoro-quinoline-3-carboxamide + tx, n-((1 s)-1 -benzyl-3-chloro-1 -methyl-but-3- enyl)-8-fluoro-quinoline-3-carboxamide + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in wo2017/153380); 1-(6,7-dimethylpyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-3-yl)-4,4,5-trifluoro-3,3-dimethyl- isoquinoline + tx, 1 -(6,7-dimethylpyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-3-yl)-4,4,6-trifluoro-3,3-dimethyl-isoquinoline + tx, 4,4-difluoro-3,3-dimethyl-1-(6-methylpyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-3-yl)isoquinoline + tx, 4,4-difluoro-3,3- dimethyl-1-(7-methylpyrazolo[1 ,5-a]pyridin-3-yl)isoquinoline + tx, 1 -(6-chloro-7-methyl-pyrazolo[1 ,5- a]pyridin-3-yl)-4,4-difluoro-3,3-dimethyl-isoquinoline + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in wo2017/025510); 1-(4,5-dimethylbenzimidazol-1-yl)-4,4,5-trifluoro-3,3-dimethyl- isoquinoline + tx, 1-(4,5-dimethylbenzimidazol-1-yl)-4,4-difluoro-3,3-dimethyl-isoquinoline + tx, 6- chloro-4,4-difluoro-3,3-dimethyl-1-(4-methylbenzimidazol-1-yl)isoquinoline + tx, 4,4-difluoro-1-(5- fluoro-4-methyl-benzimidazol-1-yl)-3,3-dimethyl-isoquinoline + tx, 3-(4,4-difluoro-3,3-dimethyl-1- isoquinolyl)-7,8-dihydro-6h-cyclopenta[e]benzimidazole + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in wo2016/156085); n-methoxy-n-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3- yl]phenyl]methyl]cyclopropanecarboxamide + tx, n,2-dimethoxy-n-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4- oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methyl]propanamide + tx, n-ethyl-2-methyl-n-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4- oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methyl]propanamide + tx, 1 -methoxy-3-methyl-1-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4- oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methyl]urea + tx, 1 ,3-dimethoxy-1-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3- yl]phenyl]methyl]urea + tx, 3-ethyl-1-methoxy-1-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3- yl]phenyl]methyl]urea + tx, n-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methyl]propanamide + tx, 4,4-dimethyl-2-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methyl]isoxazolidin-3-one + tx, 5,5-dimethyl-2-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methyl]isoxazolidin-3-one + tx, ethyl 1-[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methyl]pyrazole-4-carboxylate + tx, n,n-dimethyl- 1 -[[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methyl]-1 ,2,4-triazol-3-amine + tx. the compounds in this paragraph may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2017/055473, wo 2017/055469, wo 2017/093348 and wo 2017/118689; 2-[6-(4-chlorophenoxy)-2-(trifluoromethyl)-3- pyridyl]-1-(1 ,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2017/029179); 2-[6-(4-bromophenoxy)-2-(trifluoromethyl)-3-pyridyl]-1-(1 ,2,4-triazol-1 - yl)propan-2-ol + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2017/029179); 3-[2-(1 -chlorocyclopropyl)-3-(2-fluorophenyl)-2-hydroxy-propyl]imidazole-4-carbonitrile + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2016/156290); 3-[2-(1- chlorocyclopropyl)-3-(3-chloro-2-fluoro-phenyl)-2-hydroxy-propyl]imidazole-4-carbonitrile + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2016/156290); (4- phenoxyphenyl)methyl 2-amino-6-methyl-pyridine-3-carboxylate + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2014/006945); 2,6-dimethyl-1 h,5h-[1 ,4]dithiino[2,3-c:5,6- c']dipyrrole-1 ,3,5,7(2h,6h)-tetrone + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2011/138281); n-methyl-4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]benzenecarbothioamide + tx; n-methyl-4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]benzamide + tx; (z,2e)-5-[1-(2,4- dichlorophenyl)pyrazol-3-yl]oxy-2-methoxyimino-n,3-dimethyl-pent-3-enamide + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2018/153707); n'-(2-chloro-5-methyl-4-phenoxy- phenyl)-n-ethyl-n-methyl-formamidine + tx; n'-[2-chloro-4-(2-fluorophenoxy)-5-methyl-phenyl]-n- ethyl-n-methyl-formamidine + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2016/202742); 2-(difluoromethyl)-n-[(3s)-3-ethyl-1 ,1-dimethyl-indan-4-yl]pyridine-3-carboxamide + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2014/095675); (5-methyl-2- pyridyl)-[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methanone + tx, (3-methylisoxazol-5-yl)-[4- [5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]methanone + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2017/220485); 2-oxo-n-propyl-2-[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4- oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]acetamide + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2018/065414); ethyl 1-[[5-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]-2-thienyl]methyl]pyrazole-4- carboxylate + tx (this compound may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2018/158365); 2,2-difluoro-n-methyl-2-[4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]phenyl]acetamide + tx, n-[(e)- methoxyiminomethyl]-4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]benzamide + tx, n-[(z)- methoxyiminomethyl]-4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]benzamide + tx, n-[n-methoxy-c- methyl-carbonimidoyl]-4-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-1 ,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]benzamide + tx (these compounds may be prepared from the methods described in wo 2018/202428); microbials including: acinetobacter iwoffii + tx, acremonium alternation + tx + tx, acremonium cephalosporium + tx + tx, acremonium diospyri + tx, acremonium obclavatum + tx, adoxophyes orana granulovirus (adoxgv) (capex®) + tx, agrobacterium radiobacter strain k84 (galltrol-a®) + tx, altemaria alternate + tx, altemaria cassia + tx, altemaria destruens (smolder®) + tx, ampelomyces quisqualis (aq10®) + tx, aspergillus flavus af36 (af36®) + tx, aspergillus flavus nrrl 21882 (aflaguard®) + tx, aspergillus spp. + tx, aureobasidium pullulans + tx, azospirillum + tx, (microaz® + tx, tazo b®) + tx, azotobacter + tx, azotobacter chroocuccum (azotomeal®) + tx, azotobacter cysts (bionatural blooming blossoms®) + tx, bacillus amyloliquefaciens + tx, bacillus cereus + tx, bacillus chitinosporus strain cm-1 + tx, bacillus chitinosporus strain aq746 + tx, bacillus licheniformis strain hb-2 (biostart™ rhizoboost®) + tx, bacillus licheniformis strain 3086 (ecoguard® + tx, green releaf®) + tx, bacillus circulans + tx, bacillus firmus (biosafe® + tx, bionem-wp® + tx, votivo®) + tx, bacillus firmus strain 1-1582 + tx, bacillus macerans + tx, bacillus marismortui + tx, bacillus megaterium + tx, bacillus mycoides strain aq726 + tx, bacillus papillae (milky spore powder®) + tx, bacillus pumilus spp. + tx, bacillus pumilus strain gb34 (yield shield®) + tx, bacillus pumilus strain aq717 + tx, bacillus pumilus strain qst 2808 (sonata® + tx, ballad plus®) + tx, bacillus spahericus (vectolex®) + tx, bacillus spp. + tx, bacillus spp. strain aq175 + tx, bacillus spp. strain aq177 + tx, bacillus spp. strain aq178 + tx, bacillus subtilis strain qst 713 (cease® + tx, serenade® + tx, rhapsody®) + tx, bacillus subtilis strain qst 714 (jazz®) + tx, bacillus subtilis strain aq153 + tx, bacillus subtilis strain aq743 + tx, bacillus subtilis strain qst3002 + tx, bacillus subtilis strain qst3004 + tx, bacillus subtilis var. amyloliquefaciens strain fzb24 (taegro® + tx, rhizopro®) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis cry 2ae + tx, bacillus thuringiensis cry 1 ab + tx, bacillus thuringiensis aizawai gc 91 (agree®) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (bmp123® + tx, aquabac® + tx, vectobac®) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (javelin® + tx, deliver® + tx, crymax® + tx, bonide® + tx, scutella wp® + tx, turilav wp ® + tx, astuto® + tx, dipel wp® + tx, biobit® + tx, foray®) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki bmp 123 (baritone®) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki hd-1 (bioprotec-caf 13p®) + tx, bacillus thuringiensis strain bd#32 + tx, bacillus thuringiensis strain aq52 + tx, bacillus thuringiensis var. aizawai (xentari® + tx, dipei®) + tx, bacteria spp. (growmend® + tx, growsweet® + tx, shootup®) + tx, bacteriophage of clavipacter michiganensis (agriphage®) + tx, bakflor® + tx, beauveria bassiana (beaugenic® + tx, brocaril wp®) + tx, beauveria bassiana gha (mycotrol es® + tx, mycotrol o® + tx, botaniguard®) + tx, beauveria brongniartii (engerlingspilz® + tx, schweizer beauveria® + tx, melocont®) + tx, beauveria spp. + tx, botrytis cineria + tx, bradyrhizobium japonicum (terramax®) + tx, brevibacillus brevis + tx, bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis (novodor®) + tx, btbooster + tx, burkholderia cepacia (deny® + tx, intercept® + tx, blue circle®) + tx, burkholderia gladii + tx, burkholderia gladioli + tx, burkholderia spp. + tx, canadian thistle fungus (cbh canadian bioherbicide®) + tx, candida butyri + tx, candida famata + tx, candida fructus + tx, candida glabrata + tx, candida guilliermondii + tx, candida melibiosica + tx, candida oleophila strain o + tx, candida parapsilosis + tx, candida pelliculosa + tx, candida pulcherrima + tx, candida reukaufii + tx, candida saitoana (bio-coat® + tx, biocure®) + tx, candida sake + tx, candida spp. + tx, candida tenius + tx, cedecea dravisae + tx, cellulomonas flavigena + tx, chaetomium cochliodes (nova-cide®) + tx, chaetomium globosum (nova-cide®) + tx, chromobacterium subtsugae strain praa4-1t (grandevo®) + tx, cladosporium cladosporioides + tx, cladosporium oxysporum + tx, cladosporium chlorocephalum + tx, cladosporium spp. + tx, cladosporium tenuissimum + tx, clonostachys rosea (endofine®) + tx, colletotrichum acutatum + tx, coniothyrium minitans (cotans wg®) + tx, coniothyrium spp. + tx, cryptococcus albidus (yieldplus®) + tx, cryptococcus humicola + tx, cryptococcus infirmo- miniatus + tx, cryptococcus laurentii + tx, cryptophlebia leucotreta granulovirus (cryptex®) + tx, cupriavidus campinensis + tx, cydia pomonella granulovirus (cyd-x®) + tx, cydia pomonella granulovirus (madex® + tx, madex plus® + tx, madex max/ carpovirusine®) + tx, cylindrobasidium laeve (stumpout®) + tx, cylindrocladium + tx, debaryomyces hansenii + tx, drechslera hawaiinensis + tx, enterobacter cloacae + tx, enterobacteriaceae + tx, entomophtora virulenta (vektor®) + tx, epicoccum nigrum + tx, epicoccum purpurascens + tx, epicoccum spp. + tx, filobasidium floriforme + tx, fusarium acuminatum + tx, fusarium chlamydosporum + tx, fusarium oxysporum (fusaclean® / biofox c®) + tx, fusarium proliferatum + tx, fusarium spp. + tx, galactomyces geotrichum + tx, gliocladium catenulatum (primastop® + tx, prestop®) + tx, gliocladium roseum + tx, gliocladium spp. (soilgard®) + tx, gliocladium virens (soilgard®) + tx, granulovirus (granupom®) + tx, halobacillus halophilus + tx, halobacillus litoralis + tx, halobacillus trueperi + tx, halomonas spp. + tx, halomonas subglaciescola + tx, halovibrio variabilis + tx, hanseniaspora uvarum + tx, helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (helicovex®) + tx, helicoverpa zea nuclear polyhedrosis virus (gemstar®) + tx, isoflavone - formononetin (myconate®) + tx, kloeckera apiculata + tx, kloeckera spp. + tx, lagenidium giganteum (laginex®) + tx, lecanicillium longisporum (verti blast®) + tx, lecanicillium muscarium (vertikil®) + tx, lymantria dispar nucleopolyhedrosis virus (disparvirus®) + tx, marinococcus halophilus + tx, meira geulakonigii + tx, metarhizium anisopliae (met52®) + tx, metarhizium anisopliae (destruxin wp®) + tx, metschnikowia fruticola (shemer®) + tx, metschnikowia pulcherrima + tx, microdochium dimerum (antibot®) + tx, micromonospora coerulea + tx, microsphaeropsis ochracea + tx, muscodor albus 620 (muscudor®) + tx, muscodor roseus strain a3-5 + tx, mycorrhizae spp. (amykor® + tx, root maximizer®) + tx, myrothecium verrucaria strain aarc-0255 (ditera®) + tx, bros plus® + tx, ophiostoma piliferum strain d97 (sylvanex®) + tx, paecilomyces farinosus + tx, paecilomyces fumosoroseus (pfr-97® + tx, preferal®) + tx, paecilomyces linacinus (biostat wp®) + tx, paecilomyces lilacinus strain 251 (melocon wg®) + tx, paenibacillus polymyxa + tx, pantoea agglomerans (blightban c9-1®) + tx, pantoea spp. + tx, pasteuria spp. (econem®) + tx, pasteuria nishizawae + tx, penicillium aurantiogriseum + tx, penicillium billai (jumpstart® + tx, tagteam®) + tx, penicillium brevicom pactum + tx, penicillium frequentans + tx, penicillium griseofulvum + tx, penicillium purpurogenum + tx, penicillium spp. + tx, penicillium viridicatum + tx, phlebiopsis gigantean (rotstop®) + tx, phosphate solubilizing bacteria (phosphomeal®) + tx, phytophthora cryptogea + tx, phytophthora palmivora (devine®) + tx, pichia anomala + tx, pichia guilermondii + tx, pichia membranaefaciens + tx, pichia onychis + tx, pichia stipites + tx, pseudomonas aeruginosa + tx, pseudomonas aureofasciens (spot-less biofungicide®) + tx, pseudomonas cepacia + tx, pseudomonas chlororaphis (ateze®) + tx, pseudomonas corrugate + tx, pseudomonas fluorescens strain a506 (blightban a506®) + tx, pseudomonas putida + tx, pseudomonas reactans + tx, pseudomonas spp. + tx, pseudomonas syringae (bio-save®) + tx, pseudomonas viridiflava + tx, pseudomons fluorescens (zequanox®) + tx, pseudozyma flocculosa strain pf-a22 ul (sporodex l®) + tx, puccinia canaliculata + tx, puccinia thlaspeos (wood warrior®) + tx, pythium paroecandrum + tx, pythium oligandrum (polygandron® + tx, polyversum®) + tx, pythium periplocum + tx, rhanella aquatilis + tx, rhanella spp. + tx, rhizobia (dormal® + tx, vault®) + tx, rhizoctonia + tx, rhodococcus globerulus strain aq719 + tx, rhodosporidium diobovatum + tx, rhodosporidium toruloides + tx, rhodotorula spp. + tx, rhodotorula glutinis + tx, rhodotorula graminis + tx, rhodotorula mucilagnosa + tx, rhodotorula rubra + tx, saccharomyces cerevisiae + tx, salinococcus roseus + tx, sclerotinia minor + tx, sclerotinia minor (sarritor®) + tx, scytalidium spp. + tx, scytalidium uredinicola + tx, spodoptera exigua nuclear polyhedrosis virus (spod-x® + tx, spexit®) + tx, serratia marcescens + tx, serratia plymuthica + tx, serratia spp. + tx, sordaria fimicola + tx, spodoptera littoralis nucleopolyhedrovirus (littovir®) + tx, sporobolomyces roseus + tx, stenotrophomonas maltophilia + tx, streptomyces ahygroscopicus + tx, streptomyces albaduncus + tx, streptomyces exfoliates + tx, streptomyces galbus + tx, streptomyces griseoplanus + tx, streptomyces griseoviridis (mycostop®) + tx, streptomyces lydicus (actinovate®) + tx, streptomyces lydicus wyec-108 (actinogrow®) + tx, streptomyces violaceus + tx, tilletiopsis minor + tx, tilletiopsis spp. + tx, trichoderma asperellum (t34 biocontrol®) + tx, trichoderma gamsii (tenet®) + tx, trichoderma atroviride (plantmate®) + tx, trichoderma hamatum th 382 + tx, trichoderma harzianum rifai (mycostar®) + tx, trichoderma harzianum t-22 (trianum-p® + tx, plantshield hc® + tx, rootshield® + tx, trianum-g®) + tx, trichoderma harzianum t-39 (trichodex®) + tx, trichoderma inhamatum + tx, trichoderma koningii + tx, trichoderma spp. lc 52 (sentinel®) + tx, trichoderma lignorum + tx, trichoderma longibrachiatum + tx, trichoderma polysporum (bi nab t®) + tx, trichoderma taxi + tx, trichoderma virens + tx, trichoderma virens (formerly gliocladium virens gl-21) (soilguard®) + tx, trichoderma viride + tx, trichoderma viride strain icc 080 (remedier®) + tx, trichosporon pullulans + tx, trichosporon spp. + tx, trichothecium spp. + tx, trichothecium roseum + tx, typhula phacorrhiza strain 94670 + tx, typhula phacorrhiza strain 94671 + tx, ulocladium atrum + tx, ulocladium oudemansii (botry-zen®) + tx, ustilago maydis + tx, various bacteria and supplementary micronutrients (natural ii®) + tx, various fungi (millennium microbes®) + tx, verticillium chlamydosporium + tx, verticillium lecanii (mycotal® + tx, vertalec®) + tx, vip3aa20 (viptera®) + tx, virgibaclillus marismortui + tx, xanthomonas campestris pv. poae (camperico®) + tx, xenorhabdus bovienii + tx, xenorhabdus nematophilus; plant extracts including: pine oil (retenol®) + tx, azadirachtin (plasma neem oil® + tx, azaguard® + tx, meemazal® + tx, molt-x® + tx, botanical igr (neemazad® + tx, neemix®) + tx, canola oil (lilly miller vegol®) + tx, chenopodium ambrosioides near ambrosioides (requiem®) + tx, chrysanthemum extract (crisant®) + tx, extract of neem oil (trilogy®) + tx, essentials oils of labiatae (botania®) + tx, extracts of clove rosemary peppermint and thyme oil (garden insect killer®) + tx, glycinebetaine (greenstim®) + tx, garlic + tx, lemongrass oil (greenmatch®) + tx, neem oil + tx, nepeta cataria (catnip oil) + tx, nepeta catarina + tx, nicotine + tx, oregano oil (mossbuster®) + tx, pedaliaceae oil (nematon®) + tx, pyrethrum + tx, quillaja saponaria (nemaq®) + tx, reynoutria sachalinensis (regalia® + tx, sakalia®) + tx, rotenone (eco roten®) + tx, rutaceae plant extract (soleo®) + tx, soybean oil (ortho ecosense®) + tx, tea tree oil (timorex gold®) + tx, thymus oil + tx, agnique® mmf + tx, bugoil® + tx, mixture of rosemary sesame pepermint thyme and cinnamon extracts (ef 300®) + tx, mixture of clove rosemary and peppermint extract (ef 400®) + tx, mixture of clove pepermint garlic oil and mint (soil shot®) + tx, kaolin (screen®) + tx, storage glucam of brown algae (laminarin®); pheromones including: blackheaded fireworm pheromone (3m sprayable blackheaded fireworm pheromone®) + tx, codling moth pheromone (paramount dispenser-(cm)/ isomate c-plus®) + tx, grape berry moth pheromone (3m mec-gbm sprayable pheromone®) + tx, leafroller pheromone (3m mec - lr sprayable pheromone®) + tx, muscamone (snip7 fly bait® + tx, starbar premium fly bait®) + tx, oriental fruit moth pheromone (3m oriental fruit moth sprayable pheromone®) + tx, peachtree borer pheromone (isomate-p®) + tx, tomato pinworm pheromone (3m sprayable pheromone®) + tx, entostat powder (extract from palm tree) (exosex cm®) + tx, (e + tx,z + tx,z)- 3 + tx,8 + tx,11 tetradecatrienyl acetate + tx, (z + tx,z + tx,e)-7 + tx,11 + tx,13- hexadecatrienal + tx, (e + tx,z)-7 + tx,9-dodecadien-1-yl acetate + tx, 2-methyl-1 -butanol + tx, calcium acetate + tx, scenturion® + tx, biolure® + tx, check-mate® + tx, lavandulyl senecioate; macrobials including: aphelinus abdominalis + tx, aphidius ervi (aphelinus-system®) + tx, acerophagus papaya + tx, adalia bipunctata (adalia-system®) + tx, adalia bipunctata (adaline®) + tx, adalia bipunctata (aphidalia®) + tx, ageniaspis citricola + tx, ageniaspis fuscicollis + tx, amblyseius andersoni (anderline® + tx, andersoni-system®) + tx, amblyseius californicus (amblyline® + tx, spical®) + tx, amblyseius cucumeris (thripex® + tx, bugline cucumeris®) + tx, amblyseius fallacis (fallacis®) + tx, amblyseius swirskii (bugline swirskii® + tx, swirskii-mite®) + tx, amblyseius womersleyi (womermite®) + tx, amitus hesperidum + tx, anagrus atomus + tx, anagyrus fusciventris + tx, anagyrus kamali + tx, anagyrus loecki + tx, anagyrus pseudococci (citripar®) + tx, anicetus benefices + tx, anisopteromalus calandrae + tx, anthocoris nemoralis (anthocoris-system®) + tx, aphelinus abdominalis (apheline® + tx, aphiline®) + tx, aphelinus asychis + tx, aphidius colemani (aphipar®) + tx, aphidius ervi (ervipar®) + tx, aphidius gifuensis + tx, aphidius matricariae (aphipar-m®) + tx, aphidoletes aphidimyza (aphidend®) + tx, aphidoletes aphidimyza (aphidoline®) + tx, aphytis lingnanensis + tx, aphytis melinus + tx, aprostocetus hagenowii + tx, atheta coriaria (staphyline®) + tx, bombus spp. + tx, bombus terrestris (natupol beehive®) + tx, bombus terrestris (beeline® + tx, tripol®) + tx, cephalonomia stephanoderis + tx, chilocorus nigritus + tx, chrysoperla carnea (chrysoline®) + tx, chrysoperla carnea (chrysopa®) + tx, chrysoperla rufilabris + tx, cirrospilus ingenuus + tx, cirrospilus quadristriatus + tx, citrostichus phyllocnistoides + tx, closterocerus chamaeleon + tx, closterocerus spp. + tx, coccidoxenoides perminutus (pianopar®) + tx, coccophagus cowperi + tx, coccophagus lycimnia + tx, cotesia flavipes + tx, cotesia plutellae + tx, cryptolaemus montrouzieri (cryptobug® + tx, cryptoline®) + tx, cybocephalus nipponicus + tx, dacnusa sibirica + tx, dacnusa sibirica (minusa®) + tx, diglyphus isaea (diminex®) + tx, delphastus catalinae (delphastus®) + tx, delphastus pusillus + tx, diachasmimorpha krausii + tx, diachasmimorpha longicaudata + tx, diaparsis jucunda + tx, diaphorencyrtus aligarhensis + tx, diglyphus isaea + tx, diglyphus isaea (miglyphus® + tx, digline®) + tx, dacnusa sibirica (dacdigline® + tx, minex®) + tx, diversinervus spp. + tx, encarsia citrina + tx, encarsia formosa (encarsia max® + tx, encarline® + tx, en- strip®) + tx, eretmocerus eremicus (enermix®) + tx, encarsia guadeloupae + tx, encarsia haitiensis + tx, episyrphus balteatus (syrphidend®) + tx, eretmoceris siphonini + tx, eretmocerus californicus + tx, eretmocerus eremicus (ercal® + tx, eretline e®) + tx, eretmocerus eremicus (berni mix®) + tx, eretmocerus hayati + tx, eretmocerus mundus (berni par® + tx, eretline m®) + tx, eretmocerus siphonini + tx, exochomus quadripustulatus + tx, feltiella acarisuga (spidend®) + tx, feltiella acarisuga (feltiline®) + tx, fopius arisanus + tx, fopius ceratitivorus + tx, formononetin (wirless beehome®) + tx, franklinothrips vespiformis (vespop®) + tx, galendromus occidentalis + tx, goniozus legneri + tx, habrobracon hebetor + tx, harmonia axyridis (harmobeetle®) + tx, heterorhabditis spp. (lawn patrol®) + tx, heterorhabditis bacteriophora (nemashield hb® + tx, nemaseek® + tx, terranem-nam® + tx, terranem® + tx, larvanem® + tx, b-green® + tx, nemattack ® + tx, nematop®) + tx, heterorhabditis megidis (nemasys h® + tx, bionem h® + tx, exhibitline hm® + tx, larvanem-m®) + tx, hippodamia convergens + tx, hypoaspis aculeifer (aculeifer-system® + tx, entomite-a®) + tx, hypoaspis miles (hypoline m® + tx, entomite-m®) + tx, lbalia leucospoides + tx, lecanoideus floccissimus + tx, lemophagus errabundus + tx, leptomastidea abnormis + tx, leptomastix dactylopii (leptopar®) + tx, leptomastix epona + tx, lindorus lophanthae + tx, lipolexis oregmae + tx, lucilia caesar (natufly®) + tx, lysiphlebus testaceipes + tx, macrolophus caliginosus (mirical-n® + tx, macroline c® + tx, mirical®) + tx, mesoseiulus longipes + tx, metaphycus flavus + tx, metaphycus lounsburyi + tx, micromus angulatus (milacewing®) + tx, microterys flavus + tx, muscidifurax raptorellus and spalangia cameroni (biopar®) + tx, neodryinus typhlocybae + tx, neoseiulus californicus + tx, neoseiulus cucumeris (thrypex®) + tx, neoseiulus fallacis + tx, nesideocoris tenuis (nesidiobug® + tx, nesibug®) + tx, ophyra aenescens (biofly®) + tx, orius insidiosus (thripor-i® + tx, online i®) + tx, orius laevigatus (thripor-l® + tx, online i®) + tx, orius majusculus (online m®) + tx, orius strigicollis (thripor-s®) + tx, pauesia juniperorum + tx, pediobius foveolatus + tx, phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (nemaslug®) + tx, phymastichus coffea + tx, phytoseiulus macropilus + tx, phytoseiulus persimilis (spidex® + tx, phytoline p®) + tx, podisus maculiventris (podisus®) + tx, pseudacteon curvatus + tx, pseudacteon obtusus + tx, pseudacteon tricuspis + tx, pseudaphycus maculipennis + tx, pseudleptomastix mexicana + tx, psyllaephagus pilosus + tx, psyttalia concolor (complex) + tx, quadrastichus spp. + tx, rhyzobius lophanthae + tx, rodolia cardinalis + tx, rumina decollate + tx, semielacher petiolatus + tx, sitobion avenae (ervibank®) + tx, steinernema carpocapsae (nematac c® + tx, millenium® + tx, bionem c® + tx, nemattack® + tx, nemastar® + tx, capsanem®) + tx, steinernema feltiae (nemashield® + tx, nemasys f® + tx, bionem f® + tx, steinernema-system® + tx, nemattack® + tx, nemaplus® + tx, exhibitline st® + tx, scia-rid® + tx, entonem®) + tx, steinernema kraussei (nemasys l® + tx, bionem l® + tx, exhibitline srb®) + tx, steinernema riobrave (biovector® + tx, biovektor®) + tx, steinernema scapterisci (nematac s®) + tx, steinernema spp. + tx, steinernematid spp. (guardian nematodes®) + tx, stethorus punctillum (stethorus®) + tx, tamarixia radiate + tx, tetrastichus setifer + tx, thripobius semiluteus + tx, torymus sinensis + tx, trichogramma brassicae (tricholine b®) + tx, trichogramma brassicae (tricho-strip®) + tx, trichogramma evanescens + tx, trichogramma minutum + tx, trichogramma ostriniae + tx, trichogramma platneri + tx, trichogramma pretiosum + tx, xanthopimpla stemmator; other biologicals including: abscisic acid + tx, biosea® + tx, chondrostere urn purpureum (chontrol paste®) + tx, colletotrichum gloeosporioides (collego®) + tx, copper octanoate (cueva®) + tx, delta traps (trapline d®) + tx, erwinia amylovora (harpin) (proact® + tx, ni-hi bit gold cst®) + tx, fatty acids derived from a natural by-product of extra virgin olive oil (flipper®) + tx, ferri- phosphate (ferramol®) + tx, funnel traps (trapline y®) + tx, gallex® + tx, grower's secret® + tx, homo-brassonolide + tx, iron phosphate (lilly miller worry free ferramol slug & snail bait®) + tx, mcp hail trap (trapline f®) + tx, microctonus hyperodae + tx, mycoleptodiscus terrestris (des-x®) + tx, biogain® + tx, aminomite® + tx, zenox® + tx, pheromone trap (thripline ams®) + tx, potassium bicarbonate (milstop®) + tx, potassium salts of fatty acids (sanova®) + tx, potassium silicate solution (sil-matrix®) + tx, potassium iodide + potassiumthiocyanate (enzicur®) + tx, suffoil- x® + tx, spider venom + tx, nosema locustae (semaspore organic grasshopper control®) + tx, sticky traps (trapline yf® + tx, rebell amarillo®) + tx and traps (takitrapline y + b®) + tx; (1) antibacterial agents selected from the group of: (1.1) bacteria, examples of which are bacillus mojavensis strain r3b (accession no. ncaim (p) b001389) (wo 2013/034938) from certis usa llc, a subsidiary of mitsui & co. + tx; bacillus pumilus, in particular strain bu f-33, having nrrl accession no. 50185 (available as part of the cartissa® product from basf, epa reg. no. 71840-19) + tx; bacillus subtilis, in particular strain qst713/aq713 (available as serenade opti or serenade aso from bayer cropscience lp, us, having nrrl accession no. b21661 , u.s. patent no. 6,060,051) + tx; bacillus subtilis strain bu1814, (available as velondis® plus, velondis® flex and velondis® extra from basf se) + tx; bacillus subtilis var. amyloliquefaciens strain fzb24 having accession no. dsm 10271 (available from novozymes as taegro® or taegro® eco (epa registration no. 70127-5)) + tx; bacillus subtilis cx-9060 from certis usa llc, a subsidiary of mitsui & co. + tx; bacillus sp., in particular strain d747 (available as double nickel® from kumiai chemical industry co., ltd.), having accession no. ferm bp-8234, u.s. patent no. 7,094,592 + tx; paenibacillus sp. strain having accession no. nrrl b-50972 or accession no. nrrl b-67129, wo 2016/154297 + tx; paenibacillus polymyxa, in particular strain ac-1 (e.g. topseed® from green biotech company ltd.) + tx; pantoea agglomerans, in particular strain e325 (accession no. nrrl b-21856) (available as bloomtime biological™ fd biopesticide from northwest agri products) + tx; pseudomonas proradix (e.g. proradix® from sourcon padena) + tx; and (1 .2) fungi, examples of which are aureobasidium pullulans, in particular blastospores of strain dsm14940, blastospores of strain dsm 14941 or mixtures of blastospores of strains dsm14940 and dsm14941 (e.g., botector® and blossom protect® from bio-ferm, ch) + tx; pseudozyma aphidis (as disclosed in wo2011 /151819 by yissum research development company of the hebrew university of jerusalem) + tx; saccharomyces cerevisiae, in particular strains cncm no. 1-3936, cncm no. 1-3937, cncm no. 1-3938 or cncm no. 1-3939 (wo 2010/086790) from lesaffre et compagnie, fr; (2) biological fungicides selected from the group of: (2.1) bacteria, examples of which are agrobacterium radiobacter strain k84 (e.g. galltrol-a® from agbiochem, ca) + tx; agrobacterium radiobacter strain k1026 (e.g. nogall™ from basf se) + tx; bacillus subtilis var. amyloliquefaciens strain fzb24 having accession no. dsm 10271 (available from novozymes as taegro® or taegro® eco (epa registration no. 70127-5)) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens, in particular strain d747 (available as double nickel™ from kumiai chemical industry co., ltd., having accession number ferm bp-8234, us patent no. 7,094,592) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain f727 (also known as strain mbi110) (nrrl accession no. b-50768, wo 2014/028521) (stargus® from marrone bio innovations) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain fzb42, accession no. dsm 23117 (available as rhizovital® from abitep, de) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens isolate b246 (e.g. avogreen™ from university of pretoria) + tx; bacillus licheniformis, in particular strain sb3086, having accession no. atcc 55406, wo 2003/000051 (available as ecoguard® biofungicide and green releaf™ from novozymes) + tx + tx; bacillus licheniformis fmch001 and bacillus subtilis fmch002 (quartzo® (wg) and presence® (wp) from fmc corporation) + tx; bacillus methylotrophicus strain bac-9912 (from chinese academy of sciences’ institute of applied ecology) + tx; bacillus mojavensis strain r3b (accession no. ncaim (p) b001389) (wo 2013/034938) from certis usa llc, a subsidiary of mitsui & co. + tx; bacillus mycoides, isolate, having accession no. b-30890 (available as bmj tgai® or wg and lifegard™ from certis usa llc, a subsidiary of mitsui & co.) + tx; bacillus pumilus, in particular strain qst2808 (available as sonata® from bayer cropscience lp, us, having accession no. nrrl b-30087 and described in u.s. patent no. 6,245,551) + tx; bacillus pumilus, in particular strain gb34 (available as yield shield® from bayer ag, de) + tx; bacillus pumilus, in particular strain bu f-33, having nrrl accession no. 50185 (available as part of the cartissa product from basf, epa reg. no. 71840-19) + tx; bacillus subtilis, in particular strain qst713/aq713 (available as serenade opti or serenade aso from bayer cropscience lp, us, having nrrl accession no. b21661 and described in u.s. patent no. 6,060,051) + tx; bacillus subtilis y1336 (available as biobac® wp from bion-tech, taiwan, registered as a biological fungicide in taiwan under registration nos. 4764, 5454, 5096 and 5277) + tx; bacillus subtilis strain mbi 600 (available as subtilex from basf se), having accession number nrrl b-50595, u.s. patent no. 5,061 ,495 + tx; bacillus subtilis strain gb03 (available as kodiak® from bayer ag, de) + tx; bacillus subtilis strain bu1814, (available as velondis® plus, velondis® flex and velondis® extra from basf se) + tx; bacillus subtilis cx-9060 from certis usa llc, a subsidiary of mitsui & co. + tx; bacillus subtilis ktsb strain (foliactive® from donaghys) + tx; bacillus subtilis iab/bs03 (aviv™ from stk bio-ag technologies, portento® from idai nature) + tx; bacillus subtilis strain y1336 (available as biobac® wp from bion-tech, taiwan, registered as a biological fungicide in taiwan under registration nos. 4764, 5454, 5096 and 5277) + tx; paenibacillus epiphyticus (wo 2016/020371) from basf se + tx; paenibacillus polymyxa ssp. plantarum (wo 2016/020371) from basf se + tx; paenibacillus sp. strain having accession no. nrrl b-50972 or accession no. nrrl b-67129, wo 2016/154297 + tx; pseudomonas chlororaphis strain afs009, having accession no. nrrl b-50897, wo 2017/019448 (e.g., howler™ and zio® from agbiome innovations, us) + tx; pseudomonas chlororaphis, in particular strain ma342 (e.g. cedomon®, cerall®, and cedress® by bioagri and koppert) + tx; pseudomonas fluorescens strain a506 (e.g. blightban® a506 by nufarm) + tx; pseudomonas proradix (e.g. proradix® from sourcon padena) + tx; streptomyces griseoviridis strain k61 (also known as streptomyces galbus strain k61) (accession no. dsm 7206) (mycostop® from verdera, prefence® from bioworks, cf. crop protection 2006, 25, 468-475) + tx; streptomyces lydicus strain wyec108 (also known as streptomyces lydicus strain wycd108us) (actino-iron® and actinovate® from novozymes) + tx; and (2.2) fungi, examples of which are ampelomyces quisqualis, in particular strain aq 10 (e.g. aq 10® by intrachembio italia) + tx; ampelomyces quisqualis strain aq10, having accession no. cncm 1-807 (e.g., aq 10® by intrachembio italia) + tx; aspergillus flavus strain nrrl 21882 (products known as afla-guard® from syngenta/chemchina) + tx; aureobasidium pullulans, in particular blastospores of strain dsm14940 + tx; aureobasidium pullulans, in particular blastospores of strain dsm 14941 + tx; aureobasidium pullulans, in particular mixtures of blastospores of strains dsm14940 and dsm 14941 (e.g. botector® by bio-ferm, ch) + tx; chaetomium cupreum (accession no. cabi 353812) (e.g. biokuprum™ by agrilife) + tx; chaetomium globosum (available as rivadiom® by rivale) + tx; cladosporium cladosporioides, strain h39, having accession no. cbs122244, us 2010/0291039 (by stichting dienst landbouwkundig onderzoek) + tx; coniothyrium minitans, in particular strain con/m/91-8 (accession no. dsm9660, e.g. contans ® from bayer cropscience biologies gmbh) + tx; cryptococcus flavescens, strain 3c (nrrl y-50378), (b2.2.99) + tx; dactylaria candida + tx; dilophosphora alopecuri (available as twist fungus®) + tx; fusarium oxysporum, strain fo47 (available as fusaclean® by natural plant protection) + tx; gliocladium catenulatum (synonym: clonostachys rosea f. catenulate) strain j1446 (e.g. prestop ® by lallemand) + tx; gliocladium roseum (also known as clonostachys rosea f rosea), in particular strain 321 u from adjuvants plus, strain acm941 as disclosed in xue (efficacy of clonostachys rosea strain acm941 and fungicide seed treatments for controlling the root tot complex of field pea, can jour plant sci 83(3): 519-524), or strain ik726 (jensen df, et al. development of a biocontrol agent for plant disease control with special emphasis on the near commercial fungal antagonist clonostachys rosea strain ’ik726’, australas plant pathol. 2007,36:95-101) + tx; lecanicillium lecanii (formerly known as verticillium lecanii) conidia of strain kv01 (e.g. vertalec® by koppert/arysta) + tx; metschnikowia fructicola, in particular strain nrrl y-30752, (b2.2.3) + tx; microsphaeropsis ochracea + tx; muscodor roseus, in particular strain a3-5 (accession no. nrrl 30548) + tx; penicillium steckii (dsm 27859, wo 2015/067800) from basf se + tx; penicillium vermiculatum + tx; phlebiopsis gigantea strain vra 1992 (rotstop® c from danstar ferment) + tx; pichia anomala, strain wrl- 076 (nrrl y-30842), u.s. patent no. 7,579,183 + tx; pseudozyma flocculosa, strain pf-a22 ul (available as sporodex® l by plant products co., ca) + tx; saccharomyces cerevisiae, in particular strain laso2 (from agro-levures et derives), strain las117 cell walls (cerevisane® from lesaffre, romeo® from basf se), strains cncm no. 1-3936, cncm no. 1-3937, cncm no. 1-3938, cncm no. 1-3939 (wo 2010/086790) from lesaffre et compagnie, fr + tx; simplicillium lanosoniveum + tx; talaromyces flavus, strain v117b + tx; trichoderma asperelloides jm41 r (accession no. nrrl b-50759) (tricho plus® from basf se) + tx; trichoderma asperellum, in particular, strain kd (e.g. t-gro from andermatt biocontrol) + tx; trichoderma asperellum, in particular strain skt-1 , having accession no. ferm p-16510 (e.g. eco-hope® from kumiai chemical industry), strain t34 (e.g. t34 biocontrol by biocontrol technologies s.l., es) or strain icc 012 from isagro + tx; trichoderma atroviride, in particular strain sc1 (having accession no. cbs 122089, wo 2009/116106 and u.s. patent no. 8,431 ,120 (from bi-pa)), strain 77b (t77 from andermatt biocontrol) or strain lu132 (e.g. sentinel from agrimm technologies limited) + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain cncm 1-1237 (e.g. esquive® wp from agrauxine, fr) + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain no. v08/002387 + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain nmi no. v08/002388 + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain nmi no. v08/002389 + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain nmi no. v08/002390 + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain lc52 (e.g. tenet by agrimm technologies limited) + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain atcc 20476 (imi 206040) + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain t11 (imi352941/ cect20498) + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain skt-1 (ferm p-16510), jp patent publication (kokai) 11-253151 a + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain skt-2 (ferm p-16511), jp patent publication (kokai) 11-253151 a + tx; trichoderma atroviride, strain skt-3 (ferm p-17021), jp patent publication (kokai) 11-253151 a + tx; trichoderma fertile (e.g. product trichoplus from basf) + tx; trichoderma gamsii (formerly t. viride), strain icc080 (imi cc 392151 cabi, e.g. bioderma by agrobiosol de mexico, s.a. de c.v.) + tx; trichoderma gamsii (formerly t. viride), strain icc 080 (imi cc 392151 cabi) (available as bioderma® by agrobiosol de mexico, s.a. de c.v.) + tx; trichoderma harmatum + tx; trichoderma harmatum, having accession no. atcc 28012 + tx; trichoderma harzianum strain t-22 (e.g. trianum-p from andermatt biocontrol or koppert) or strain cepa simbt5 (from simbiose agro) + tx; trichoderma harzianum + tx; trichoderma harzianum rifai t39 (e.g. trichodex® from makhteshim, us) + tx; trichoderma harzianum, strain item 908 (e.g. trianum-p from koppert) + tx; trichoderma harzianum, strain th35 (e.g. root-pro by mycontrol) + tx; trichoderma harzianum, strain db 103 (available as t-gro® 7456 by dagutat biolab) + tx; trichoderma polysporum, strain imi 206039 (e.g. binab tf wp by binab bio-innovation ab, sweden) + tx; trichoderma stromaticum, having accession no. ts3550 (e.g. tricovab by ceplac, brazil) + tx; trichoderma virens (also known as gliocladium virens), in particular strain gl- 21 (e.g. soilgard by certis, us) + tx; trichoderma virens strain g-41 , formerly known as gliocladium virens (accession no. atcc 20906) (e.g., rootshield® plus wp and turfshield® plus wp from bioworks, us) + tx; trichoderma viride, strain tv1 (e.g. trianum-p by koppert) + tx; trichoderma viride, in particular strain b35 (pietr et al., 1993, zesz. nauk. a r w szczecinie 161 : 125- 137) + tx; mixtures of trichoderma asperellum strain icc 012 (also known as trichoderma harzianum icc012), having accession no. cabi cc imi 392716 and trichoderma gamsii (formerly t. viride) strain icc 080, having accession no. imi 392151 (e.g., bio-tam™ from isagro usa, inc. and bioderma® by agrobiosol de mexico, s.a. de c.v.) + tx; ulocladium oudemansii strain u3, having accession no. nm 99/06216 (e.g., botry-zen® by botry-zen ltd, new zealand and botrystop® from bioworks, inc.) + tx; verticillium albo-atrum (formerly v. dahliae), strain wcs850 having accession no. wcs850, deposited at the central bureau for fungi cultures (e.g., dutch trig® by tree care innovations) + tx; verticillium chlamydosporium + tx; (3) biological control agents having an effect for improving plant growth and/or plant health selected from the group of: (3.1) bacteria, examples of which are azospirillum brasilense (e.g., vigor® from kalo, inc.) + tx; azospirillum lipoferum (e.g., vertex-if™ from terramax, inc.) + tx; azorhizobium caulinodans, in particular strain zb-sk-5 + tx; azotobacter chroococcum, in particular strain h23 + tx; azotobacter vinelandii, in particular strain atcc 12837 + tx; a mixture of azotobacter vinelandii and clostridium pasteurianum (available as invigorate® from agrinos) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens pm414 (loli-pepta® from biofilm crop protection) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens sb3281 (atcc # pta- 7542, wo 2017/205258) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens tj1000 (available as quikroots® from novozymes) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens, in particular strain in937a + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens, in particular strain fzb42 (e.g. rhizovital® from abitep, de) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens bs27 (accession no. nrrl b-5015) + tx; bacillus cereus family member ee128 (nrrl no. b-50917) + tx; bacillus cereus family member ee349 (nrrl no. b-50928) + tx; bacillus cereus, in particular strain bp01 (atcc 55675, e.g. mepichlor® from arysta lifescience, us) + tx; bacillus firmus, in particular strain cnmc 1-1582 (e.g. votivo® from basf se) + tx; bacillus mycoides bt155 (nrrl no. b-50921) + tx; bacillus mycoides ee118 (nrrl no. b-50918) + tx; bacillus mycoides ee141 (nrrl no. b-50916) + tx; bacillus mycoides bt46-3 (nrrl no. b-50922) + tx; bacillus pumilus, in particular strain qst2808 (having accession no. nrrl no. b-30087) + tx; bacillus pumilus, in particular strain gb34 (e.g. yield shield® from bayer crop science, de) + tx; bacillus siamensis, in particular strain kctc 13613t + tx; bacillus subtilis, in particular strain qst713/aq713 (having nrrl accession no. b-21661 and described in u.s. patent no. 6,060,051 , available as serenade® opti or serenade® aso from bayer cropscience lp, us) + tx; bacillus subtilis, in particular strain aq30002 (having accession nos. nrrl b-50421 and described in u.s. patent application no. 13/330,576) + tx; bacillus subtilis, in particular strain aq30004 (and nrrl b-50455 and described in u.s. patent application no. 13/330,576) + tx; bacillus subtilis strain bu1814, (available as tequalis® from basf se), bacillus subtilis rm303 (rhizomax® from biofilm crop protection) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis bt013a (nrrl no. b-50924) also known as bacillus thuringiensis 4q7 + tx; a mixture of bacillus licheniformis fmch001 and bacillus subtilis fmch002 (available as quartzo® (wg), presence® (wp) from fmc corporation) + tx; bacillus subtilis, in particular strain mbi 600 (e.g. subtilex® from basf se) + tx; bacillus tequilensis, in particular strain nii-0943 + tx; bradyrhizobium japonicum (e.g. optimize® from novozymes) + tx; delftia acidovorans, in particular strain ray209 (e.g. bioboost® from brett young seeds) + tx; mesorhizobium cicer (e.g., nodulator from basf se) + tx; lactobacillus sp. (e.g. lactoplant® from lactopafi) + tx; rhizobium leguminosarium biovar viciae (e.g., nodulator from basf se) + tx; pseudomonas proradix (e.g. proradix® from sourcon padena) + tx; pseudomonas aeruginosa, in particular strain pn1 + tx; rhizobium leguminosarum, in particular bv. viceae strain z25 (accession no. cect 4585) + tx; paenibacillus polymyxa, in particular strain ac-1 (e.g. topseed® from green biotech company ltd.) + tx; serratia marcescens, in particular strain srm (accession no. mtcc 8708) + tx; sinorhizobium meliloti strain nrg-185-1 (nitragin® gold from bayer cropscience) + tx; thiobacillus sp. (e.g. cropaid® from cropaid ltd uk) + tx; and (3.2) fungi, examples of which are purpureocillium lilacinum (previously known as paecilomyces lilacinus) strain 251 (agal 89/030550, e.g. bioact from bayer cropscience biologies gmbh) + tx; penicillium bilaii, strain atcc 22348 (e.g. jumpstart® from acceleron bioag), talaromyces flavus, strain v117b + tx; trichoderma atroviride strain cncm 1-1237 (e.g. esquive® wp from agrauxine, fr), trichoderma viride, e.g. strain b35 (pietr et al., 1993, zesz. nauk. a r w szczecinie 161 : 125- 137) + tx; trichoderma atroviride strain lc52 (also known as trichoderma atroviride strain lu132, e.g. sentinel from agrimm technologies limited) + tx; trichoderma atroviride strain sc1 described in international application no. pct/it2008/000196) + tx;trichoderma asperellum strain kd (e.g. t-gro from andermatt biocontrol) + tx; trichoderma asperellum strain eco-t (plant health products, za), trichoderma harzianum strain t-22 (e.g. trianum-p from andermatt biocontrol or koppert) + tx; myrothecium verrucaria strain aarc-0255 (e.g. ditera™ from valent biosciences) + tx; penicillium bilaii strain atcc atcc20851 + tx; pythium oligandrum strain m1 (atcc 38472, e.g. polyversum from bioprepraty, cz) + tx; trichoderma virens strain gl-21 (e.g. soilgard® from certis, usa) + tx; verticillium albo-atrum (formerly v. dahliae) strain wcs850 (cbs 276.92, e.g. dutch trig from tree care innovations) + tx; trichoderma atroviride, in particular strain no. v08/002387, strain no. nmi no. v08/002388, strain no. nmi no. v08/002389, strain no. nmi no. v08/002390 + tx; trichoderma harzianum strain item 908, trichoderma harzianum, strain tsth20 + tx; trichoderma harzianum strain 1295-22 + tx; pythium oligandrum strain dv74 + tx; rhizopogon amylopogon (e.g. comprised in myco-sol from helena chemical company) + tx; rhizopogon fulvigleba (e.g. comprised in myco- sol from helena chemical company) + tx;trichoderma virens strain gi-3 + tx; (4) insecticidally active biological control agents selected from (4.1) bacteria, examples of which are agrobacterium radiobacter strain k84 (galltrol from agbiochem inc.) + tx; bacillus amyloliquefaciens, in particular strain pts-4838 (e.g. aveo from valent biosciences, us) + tx; bacillus firmus, in particular strain cnmc 1-1582 (e.g. votivo® from basf se) + tx; bacillus mycoides, isolate j. (e.g. bmj from certis usa llc, a subsidiary of mitsui & co.) + tx; bacillus sphaericus, in particular serotype h5a5b strain 2362 (strain abts-1743) (e.g. vectolex® from valent biosciences, us) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai, in particular strain abts-1857 (sd-1372, e.g. xentari® from valent biosciences) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai, in particular serotype h-7 (e.g. florbac® wg from valent biosciences, us) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis israelensis strain bmp 144 (e.g. aquabac® by becker microbial products il) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (serotype h-14) strain am65-52 (accession no. atcc 1276) (e.g. vectobac® by valent biosciences, us) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai strain gc-91 + tx; bacillus thuringiensis var. colmeri (e.g. tianbaobtc by changzhou jianghai chemical factory) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis var. japonensis strain buibui + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain bmp 123 from becker microbial products, il + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain bmp 123 by becker microbial products, il, e.g. baritone from bayer cropscience + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain hd-1 (e.g. dipel® es from valent biosciences, us) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki strain evb-113-19 (e.g., bioprotec® from aef global) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain abts 351 + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain pb 54 + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain sa 11 , (javelin from certis, us) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain sa 12 (thuricide from certis, us) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain eg 2348 (lepinox from certis, us) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain eg 7841 (crymax from certis, us) + tx; bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis strain nb 176 (sd-5428, e.g. novodor® fc from biofa de) + tx; brevibacillus laterosporus (lateral from ecolibrium biologicals) + tx; burkholderia spp., in particular burkholderia rinojensis strain a396 (also known as burkholderia rinojensis strain mbi 305) (accession no. nrrl b-50319 + tx; wo 2011/106491 and wo 2013/032693 + tx; e.g. mbi206 tgai and zelto® from marrone bio innovations) + tx; chromobacterium subtsugae, in particular strain praa4-1t (mbi-203 + tx; e.g. grandevo® from marrone bio innovations) + tx; lecanicillium muscarium ve6 (mycotal from koppert) + tx; paenibacillus popilliae (formerly bacillus popilliae + tx; e.g. milky spore powder™ and milky spore granular™ from st. gabriel laboratories) + tx; pasteuria nishizawae strain pn1 (clariva from syngenta/chemchina) + tx;serratia entomophila (e.g. invade® by wrightson seeds) + tx; serratia marcescens, in particular strain srm (accession no. mtcc 8708) + tx;trichoderma asperellum (trichodermax from novozymes) + tx; wolbachia pipientis zap strain (e.g., zap males® from mosquitomate) + tx; and (4.2) fungi, examples of which are beauveria bassiana strain atcc 74040 (e.g. naturalis® from intrachem bio italia) + tx; beauveria bassiana strain gha (accession no. atcc74250, e.g. botaniguard® es and mycontrol-o® from laverlam international corporation) + tx; beauveria bassiana strain atp02 (accession no. dsm 24665) + tx;/sa/7a fumosorosea (previously known as paecilomyces fumosoroseus) strain apopka 97) preferal from sepro + tx; metarhizium anisopliae 3213-1 (deposited under nrrl accession number 67074) (wo 2017/066094 + tx; pioneer hi-bred international) + tx; metarhizium robertsii 15013-1 (deposited under nrrl accession number 67073) + tx; metarhizium robertsii 23013-3 (deposited under nrrl accession number 67075) + tx; paecilomyces lilacinus strain 251 (melocon from certis, us) + tx; zoophtora radicans + tx; (5) viruses selected from the group consisting of a doxophyes orana (summer fruit tortrix) granulosis virus (gv) + tx; cydia pomonella (codling moth) granulosis virus (gv) + tx; helicoverpa armigera (cotton bollworm) nuclear polyhedrosis virus (npv) + tx; spodoptera exigua (beet armyworm) mnpv + tx; spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) mnpv + tx; spodoptera littoralis (african cotton leafworm) npv + tx; (6) bacteria and fungi which can be added as ’inoculant’ to plants or plant parts or plant organs and which, by virtue of their particular properties, promote plant growth and plant health selected from agrobacterium spp. + tx; azorhizobium caulinodans + tx; azospirillum spp. + tx; azotobacter spp. + tx; bradyrhizobium spp. + tx; burkholderia spp., in particular burkholderia cepacia (formerly known as pseudomonas cepacia) + tx; gigaspora spp., or gigaspora monosporum + tx; glomus spp. + tx; laccaria spp. + tx; lactobacillus buchneri + tx; paraglomus spp. + tx; pisolithus tinctorus + tx; pseudomonas spp. + tx; rhizobium spp., in particular rhizobium trifolii + tx; rhizopogon spp. + tx; scleroderma spp. + tx; suillus spp. + tx; streptomyces spp. + tx; (7) plant extracts and products formed by microorganisms including proteins and secondary metabolites which can be used as biological control agents, selected from allium sativum (nemguard from eco-spray + tx; bralic from adama) + tx; armour-zen + tx; artemisia absinthium + tx; azadirachtin (e.g. azatin xl from certis, us) + tx; biokeeper wp + tx; brassicaceae extract, in particular oilseed rape powder or mustard powder + tx; cassia nigricans + tx; celastrus angulatus + tx; chenopodium anthelminticum + tx; chitin + tx; dryopteris filix-mas + tx; equisetum arvense + tx; fortune aza + tx; fungastop + tx; heads up (chenopodium quinoa saponin extract) + tx; problad (naturally occurring blad polypeptide from lupin seeds), certis eu + tx; fracture (naturally occurring blad polypeptide from lupin seeds), fmc + tx; pyrethrum/pyrethrins + tx; quassia amara + tx; quercus + tx; quillaja extract (ql agri 35 from basf) + tx; reynoutria sachalinensis extract (regallia i regalia maxx from marrone bio) + tx; "requiem ™ insecticide" + tx; rotenone + tx; ryania/ryanodine + tx; symphytum officinale + tx; tanacetum vulgare + tx; thymol + tx; thymol mixed with geraniol (cedroz from eden research) + tx; thymol mixed with geraniol and eugenol (mevalone from eden research) + tx; triact 70 + tx; tricon + tx; tropaeulum majus + tx; melaleuca alternifolia extract (timorex gold from stk) + tx; urtica dioica + tx; veratrin + tx; and viscum album + tx; and a safener, such as benoxacor + tx, cloquintocet (including cloquintocet-mexyl) + tx, cyprosulfamide + tx, dichlormid + tx, fenchlorazole (including fenchlorazole-ethyl) + tx, fenclorim + tx, fluxofenim + tx, furilazole + tx, isoxadifen (including isoxadifen-ethyl) + tx, mefenpyr (including mefenpyr-diethyl) + tx, metcamifen + tx and oxabetrinil + tx. the mixtures as described above can be used in a method for controlling pests, which comprises applying a composition comprising a mixture as described above to the pests or their environment, with the exception of a method for treatment of the human or animal body by surgery or therapy and diagnostic methods practised on the human or animal body. the mixtures comprising a compound of formula i selected from tables a-1 to a-3, b-1 to b-3, c-1 to c-3, d-1 to d-3, e-1 to e-3, and f-1 to f-3 and table p and one or more active ingredients as described above can be applied, for example, in a single “ready-mix” form, in a combined spray mixture composed from separate formulations of the single active ingredient components, such as a “tank-mix”, and in a combined use of the single active ingredients when applied in a sequential manner, i.e. one after the other with a reasonably short period, such as a few hours or days. the order of applying the compounds of formula i selected from tables a-1 to a-3, b-1 to b-3, c-1 to c-3, d-1 to d-3, e-1 to e-3, and f-1 to f-3 and table p and the active ingredients as described above is not essential for working the present invention. the compositions according to the invention can also comprise further solid or liquid auxiliaries, such as stabilizers, for example unepoxidized or epoxidized vegetable oils (for example epoxidized coconut oil, rapeseed oil or soya oil), antifoams, for example silicone oil, preservatives, viscosity regulators, binders and/or tackifiers, fertilizers or other active ingredients for achieving specific effects, for example bactericides, fungicides, nematocides, plant activators, molluscicides or herbicides. the compositions according to the invention are prepared in a manner known per se, in the absence of auxiliaries for example by grinding, screening and/or compressing a solid active ingredient and in the presence of at least one auxiliary for example by intimately mixing and/or grinding the active ingredient with the auxiliary (auxiliaries). these processes for the preparation of the compositions and the use of the compounds i for the preparation of these compositions are also a subject of the invention. the application methods for the compositions, that is the methods of controlling pests of the abovementioned type, such as spraying, atomizing, dusting, brushing on, dressing, scattering or pouring - which are to be selected to suit the intended aims of the prevailing circumstances - and the use of the compositions for controlling pests of the abovementioned type are other subjects of the invention. typical rates of concentration are between 0.1 and 1000 ppm, preferably between 0.1 and 500 ppm, of active ingredient. the rate of application per hectare is generally 1 to 2000 g of active ingredient per hectare, in particular 10 to 1000 g/ha, preferably 10 to 600 g/ha. a preferred method of application in the field of crop protection is application to the foliage of the plants (foliar application), it being possible to select frequency and rate of application to match the danger of infestation with the pest in question. alternatively, the active ingredient can reach the plants via the root system (systemic action), by drenching the locus of the plants with a liquid composition or by incorporating the active ingredient in solid form into the locus of the plants, for example into the soil, for example in the form of granules (soil application). in the case of paddy rice crops, such granules can be metered into the flooded paddy-field. the compounds of the invention and compositions thereof are also be suitable for the protection of plant propagation material, for example seeds, such as fruit, tubers or kernels, or nursery plants, against pests of the abovementioned type. the propagation material can be treated with the compound prior to planting, for example seed can be treated prior to sowing. alternatively, the compound can be applied to seed kernels (coating), either by soaking the kernels in a liquid composition or by applying a layer of a solid composition. it is also possible to apply the compositions when the propagation material is planted to the site of application, for example into the seed furrow during drilling. these treatment methods for plant propagation material and the plant propagation material thus treated are further subjects of the invention. typical treatment rates would depend on the plant and pest/fungi to be controlled and are generally between 1 to 200 grams per 100 kg of seeds, preferably between 5 to 150 grams per 100 kg of seeds, such as between 10 to 100 grams per 100 kg of seeds. the term seed embraces seeds and plant propagules of all kinds including but not limited to true seeds, seed pieces, suckers, corns, bulbs, fruit, tubers, grains, rhizomes, cuttings, cut shoots and the like and means in a preferred embodiment true seeds. the present invention also comprises seeds coated or treated with or containing a compound of formula i. the term "coated or treated with and/or containing" generally signifies that the active ingredient is for the most part on the surface of the seed at the time of application, although a greater or lesser part of the ingredient may penetrate into the seed material, depending on the method of application. when the said seed product is (re)planted, it may absorb the active ingredient. in an embodiment, the present invention makes available a plant propagation material adhered thereto with a compound of formula (i). further, it is hereby made available, a composition comprising a plant propagation material treated with a compound of formula (i). seed treatment comprises all suitable seed treatment techniques known in the art, such as seed dressing, seed coating, seed dusting, seed soaking and seed pelleting. the seed treatment application of the compound formula (i) can be carried out by any known methods, such as spraying or by dusting the seeds before sowing or during the sowing/planting of the seeds. biological examples: the examples which follow serve to illustrate the invention. certain compounds of the invention can be distinguished from known compounds by virtue of greater efficacy at low application rates, which can be verified by the person skilled in the art using the experimental procedures outlined in the examples, using lower application rates if necessary, for example 50 ppm, 24 ppm, 12.5 ppm, 6 ppm, 3 ppm, 1 .5 ppm, 0.8 ppm or 0.2 ppm. example b1 : activity against chilo suppressalis (striped rice stemborer) 24-well microtiter plates with artificial diet were treated with aqueous test solutions prepared from 10'000 ppm dmso stock solutions by pipetting. after drying, the plates were infested with l2 larvae (6-8 per well). the samples were assessed for mortality, anti-feeding effect, and growth inhibition in comparison to untreated samples 6 days after infestation. control of chilo suppressalis by a test sample is given when at least one of the categories mortality, anti-feedant effect, and growth inhibition is higher than the untreated sample. the following compounds resulted in at least 80% control at an application rate of 200 ppm: p1 , p3, p4, p5, p6, p7, p8, p9, p10, p11, p12, p13, p14, p15, p16, p17. example b2: activity against diabrotica balteata (corn root worm) maize sprouts placed onto an agar layer in 24-well microtiter plates were treated with aqueous test solutions prepared from 10'000 ppm dmso stock solutions by spraying. after drying, the plates were infested with l2 larvae (6 to 10 per well). the samples were assessed for mortality and growth inhibition in comparison to untreated samples 4 days after infestation. the following compounds gave an effect of at least 80% in at least one of the two categories (mortality or growth inhibition) at an application rate of 200 ppm: p1 , p2, p3, p4, p5, p6, p7, p8, p9, p11, p12, p13, p14, p15, p16, p17. example b3: activity against euschistus heros (neotropical brown stink bug) soybean leaves on agar in 24-well microtiter plates were sprayed with aqueous test solutions prepared from 10'000 ppm dmso stock solutions. after drying the leaves were infested with n2 nymphs. the samples were assessed for mortality and growth inhibition in comparison to untreated samples 5 days after infestation. the following compounds gave an effect of at least 80% in at least one of the two categories (mortality or growth inhibition) at an application rate of 200 ppm: p2, p4, p11 , p15. example b4: activity against myzus persicae (green peach aphid) feedinq/contact activity sunflower leaf discs were placed onto agar in a 24-well microtiter plate and sprayed with aqueous test solutions prepared from 10'000 ppm dmso stock solutions. after drying, the leaf discs were infested with an aphid population of mixed ages. the samples were assessed for mortality 6 days after infestation. the following compounds resulted in at least 80% mortality at an application rate of 200 ppm: p1 , p2, p3, p4, p12, p14. example b5: activity against plutella xylostella (diamond back moth) 24-well microtiter plates with artificial diet were treated with aqueous test solutions prepared from 10'000 ppm dmso stock solutions by pipetting. after drying, plutella eggs were pipetted through a plastic stencil onto a gel blotting paper and the plate was closed with it. the samples were assessed for mortality and growth inhibition in comparison to untreated samples 8 days after infestation. the following compounds gave an effect of at least 80% in at least one of the two categories (mortality or growth inhibition) at an application rate of 200 ppm: p1 , p2, p3, p4, p5, p6, p7, p8, p9, p11, p12, p13, p14, p15, p16, p17. example b6: activity against spodoptera littoralis (egyptian cotton leaf worm) cotton leaf discs were placed onto agar in 24-well microtiter plates and sprayed with agueous test solutions prepared from 10'000 ppm dmso stock solutions. after drying the leaf discs were infested with five l1 larvae. the samples were assessed for mortality, anti-feeding effect, and growth inhibition in comparison to untreated samples 3 days after infestation. control of spodoptera littoralis by a test sample is given when at least one of the categories mortality, anti-feedant effect, and growth inhibition is higher than the untreated sample. the following compounds resulted in at least 80% control at an application rate of 200 ppm: p1 , p2, p3, p4, p5, p6, p7, p8, p9, p11, p12, p13, p14, p15, p16, p17.
|
010-946-125-810-809
|
US
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[
"WO",
"US",
"JP",
"CN",
"EP"
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B22F3/105,B29C67/00,B33Y30/00,B23K15/00,B23K15/02,B23K26/144,B23K26/342,B28B1/00,B29C64/153,B29K105/00,B33Y10/00,B33Y50/02,B22F3/16,B28B1/30,B29C64/232,B29C64/241,B29C64/277,B29C64/393,B29C64/20,B33Y80/00,B29C64/245,B29C64/268
| 2014-12-15T00:00:00 |
2014
|
[
"B22",
"B29",
"B33",
"B23",
"B28"
] |
improved method for additive manufacturing
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a method for forming at least one three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed (4), comprising the steps of: providing at least one model of said three-dimensional article, moving a support structure (5) in z-direction at a predetermined speed while rotating said support structure at a predetermined speed, directing a first and second energy beam (2,22) causing said powder layer to fuse in first and second selected locations according to said model, wherein a first cover area (30) of said first energy beam on said powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance and non-overlapping from a second cover area (40) of said second energy beam on said powder layer, a trajectory of said first cover area and a trajectory of said second cover area are at least one of overlapping each other, abutting each other or separated to each other when said support structure is rotated a full lap.
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claims 1. a method for forming at least one three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts correspond to successive portions of the three-dimensional article, said method comprising the steps of: providing at least one model of said three-dimensional article, moving a support structure in a z-direction at a predetermined speed while also rotating said support structure about a z-axis at a predetermined speed, applying a powder layer on said support structure, and directing a first energy beam from a first energy beam source at a first selected location of said powder layer and a second energy beam from a second energy beam source at a second selected location, said first and second energy beam sources causing said powder layer to fuse in said first and second selected locations according to said model to form respective first and second portions of said three-dimensional article, wherein: a first portion of said powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of said powder layer, a first cover area of said first energy beam on said powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non- overlapping with a second cover area of said second energy beam on said powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of said support structure, and a trajectory of said first cover area and a trajectory of said second cover area are at least one of overlapping each other, abutting each other, or separated relative to each other when said support structure is rotated a full lap. 2. the method according to claim 1, wherein said minimum predetermined distance is at least half a maximum scan length of at least one of said first or said second energy beam on said powder layer. the method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first and second beams is scanning along a line perpendicular to the rotational axis of said support structure. the method according to claim 1 , wherein said rotational axis of said support structure is along the z-axis and said at least one beam is fusing in an x-y plane. the method according to claim 1 , wherein said support structure is a horizontal plate. the method according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said first or said second energy beams are provided off axis with respect to said rotational axis of said support structure. 7. the method according to claim 1, wherein said support structure is continuously moving in said z-axis coordinate direction at a predetermined speed. 8. the method according to claim 3, wherein said line perpendicular to said rotational axis is at least one of a straight line or a meandering line. 9. the method according to claim 1, wherein a rotational axis of the model is coincidental with the rotational axis of the three-dimensional article built on said support structure. 10. the method according to claim 1 , wherein said powder layer is provided continuously on said support structure during the formation of said three- dimensional article. 1 1. the method according to claim 1 , wherein said support structure is rotating at least one of clockwise or anticlockwise during the formation of the three- dimensional article. 12. the method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of preheating a third portion of said powder layer. 13. the method according to claim 12, wherein said preheating is performed by using at least one of the energy sources used for fusing said powder layer. 14. the method according to claim 1, wherein said energy beam sources is at least one of a laser beam source and/or an electron beam source. 15. the method according to claim 12, wherein said preheating is performed by using an energy source not used for fusing said powder layer. 16. the method according to claim 1, wherein at least said steps of providing said first portion of said powder layer simultaneous as fusing said second portion of said powder layer occurs in a vacuum chamber. 17. the method according to claim 6, wherein beam movement is coordinated with said rotational movement via an associated control unit. 18. the method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of switching said first and second electron beams on and off synchronously with each other so that when one of them is off the other one is on and vice versa. 19. a method according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second trajectories are covering a complete area of said support structure. 20. the method according to claim 1 , wherein: said powder layer is fully covered by said first and second cover areas,. 21. the method according to claim 1 , wherein the trajectory of said first cover area and the trajectory of said second cover area are at least in part overlapping each other when said support structure is rotated a full lap. 22. the method according to claim 1, wherein: said powder layer is fully covered by said first and second cover areas, and the trajectory of said first cover area and the trajectory of said second cover area are at least in part overlapping each other when said support structure is rotated a full lap. 23. a program element configured and arranged when executed on a computer to implement a method for forming at least one three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts correspond to successive portions of the three-dimensional article, said method comprising the step of: providing at least one model of said three-dimensional article, moving a support structure in a z-direction at a predetermined speed and rotating said support structure about a z-axis at a predetermined speed, applying a powder layer on said support structure, and directing a first energy beam from a first energy beam source at a first selected location of said powder layer and a second energy beam from a second energy beam source at a second selected location, said first and second energy beam sources being at least one of an electromagnetic energy beam source or a charged particle beam source, causing said powder layer to fuse in said first and second selected locations according to said model to form a first and second portions of said three-dimensional article, wherein: a first portion of said powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of said powder layer, a first cover area of said first energy beam on said powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non- overlapping with a second cover area of said second energy beam on said powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of said support structure, and a trajectory of said first cover area and a trajectory of said second cover area are at least one of overlapping each other, abutting each other, or separated relative to each other when said support structure is rotated a full lap. 24. a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon the program element according to claim 23. 25. a computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising: an executable portion configured for, upon receipt of at least one model of said three-dimensional article, applying a powder layer on a support structure; an executable portion configured for moving a support structure in z- direction at a predetermined speed and rotating said support structure about a z-axis at a predetermined speed; and an executable portion configured for directing a first energy beam from a first energy beam source at a first selected location of said powder layer and a second energy beam from a second energy beam source at a second selected location, said first and second energy beam sources being at least one of an electromagnetic energy beam source or a charged particle beam source, causing said powder layer to fuse in said first and second selected locations according to said model to form a first and second portions of said three-dimensional article, wherein at least one of said executable portions is further configured such that: a first portion of said powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of said powder layer, a first cover area of said first energy beam on said powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non- overlapping with a second cover area of said second energy beam on said powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of said support structure, and a trajectory of said first cover area and a trajectory of said second cover area are at least one of overlapping each other, abutting each other, or separated relative to each other when said support structure is rotated a full lap. an apparatus for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts corresponds to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article, said apparatus comprising: a control unit having stored thereon a computer model of said three- dimensional article; a support structure movable in a z-direction at a predetermined speed and rotatable about a z-axis at a predetermined speed, a powder layer applicator for applying a powder layer on said support structure, and first and second energy beam sources arranged for at least one of heating or fusing said powder layer at first and second selected locations respectively according to said model to form first and second portions of said three-dimensional article, wherein: a first portion of said powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of said powder layer, a first cover area of said first energy beam on said powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non- overlapping with a second cover area of said second energy beam on said powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of said support structure, and a trajectory of said first cover area and a trajectory of said second cover area are at least one of overlapping each other, abutting each other, or separated relative to each other when said support structure is rotated a full lap.
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improved method for additive manufacturing background technical field [0001] the present invention relates to an improved method for additively manufacturing large 3-dimensional object. related art [0002] freeform fabrication or additive manufacturing is a method for forming three- dimensional articles through successive fusion of chosen parts of powder layers applied to a work plate. a method and apparatus according to this technique is disclosed in us 8,021,138. [0003] such an apparatus may comprise a work plate on which the three-dimensional article is to be formed, a powder dispenser, arranged to lay down a thin layer of powder on the work plate for the formation of a powder bed, a laser beam source for delivering energy to the powder whereby fusion of the powder takes place, elements for control of the laser beam source over the powder bed for the formation of a cross section of the three-dimensional article through fusion of parts of the powder bed, and a controlling computer, in which information is stored concerning consecutive cross sections of the three-dimensional article. a three-dimensional article is formed through consecutive fusions of consecutively formed cross sections of powder layers, successively laid down by the powder dispenser. [0004] there is a demand for additive manufacturing techniques which are capable of building three-dimensional articles of larger and larger sizes at a faster and faster speed of manufacture at the same time as improving the material characteristics of the final article. brief summary [0005] an object of the present invention is to provide an additive manufacturing apparatus and method suitable for continuous additive manufacturing of three-dimensional parts which is capable of efficiently building larger parts than prior art machines without sacrificing material properties of the final product. [0006] in a first aspect according to various embodiments of the invention it is provided a method for forming at least one three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts correspond to successive portions of the three-dimensional article, the method comprising the steps of, providing at least one model of the three-dimensional article, moving a support structure in z-direction at a predetermined speed while rotating the support structure at a predetermined speed, applying a powder layer on the support structure, directing a first energy beam from a first energy beam source at a first selected location of the powder layer and a second energy beam from a second energy beam source at a second selected location, the first and second energy beam sources causing the powder layer to fuse in the first and second selected locations according to the model to form a first and second portions of the three- dimensional article; and providing a first portion of the powder layer simultaneous as fusing a second portion of the powder layer, wherein a first cover area, being smaller than an area of the support structure, of the first energy beam on the powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance and non-overlapping from a second cover area, being smaller than an area of the support structure, of the second energy beam on the powder layer so that a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are overlapping each other when the support structure is rotated a full lap. [0007] an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that additive manufacturing may be performed with multiple energy beams which do not interfere with each other. this allows for a continuous operation of an additive manufacturing process for production of larger objects than the sum of the static cover area of the individual energy beams. [0008] in various example embodiments according to the present invention the minimum predetermined distance is at least half a maximum scan length of the first and/or second energy beam on the powder layer. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that the first and second electron beam sources are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other so that interference between the sources and the beams may be controlled. [0009] in various example embodiments of the present invention at least one of the first and second beams is scanning along a line perpendicular to the rotational axis of the support structure. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that hatching perpendicular to the rotational axis is time efficient at the same time as it provides for a number of different hatch patterns and/or scan line sequences. [0010] in various example embodiments according to the present invention the rotational axis of the support structure is along the z-axis and the at least one beam is fusing in an x-y plane. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that the manufacturing time of three dimensional articles may be reduced compared to if the support structure is only moving in the z- axis. [0011] in various example embodiments of the present invention the support structure is a horizontal plate. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that powder material may be applied by gravitation forces. [0012] in various example embodiments of the present invention at least one of the first and/or second energy beams are provided off axis with respect to the rotational axis of the support structure. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that the build area may be larger than the sum of the individual beam covering areas. [0013] in various example embodiments of the present invention the support structure is continuously moving in the z-direction at a predetermined speed. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that manufacturing of three dimensional articles may be performed uninterrupted. [0014] in various example embodiments of the present invention the line perpendicular to the rotational axis is at least one of a straight line or a meandering line. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that any shape of the scan line may be used. [0015] in various example embodiments of the present invention a rotational axis of the model is coincidental with the rotational axis of the three-dimensional article built on the support structure. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that the model is adapted to the manufacturing process. [0016] in various example embodiments of the present invention the powder layer is provided continuously on the support structure during the formation of the three-dimensional article. an exemplary advantage of an uninterrupted powder application process is that the powder layer quality may be improved. [0017] in various example embodiments of the present invention the support structure is rotating at least one of clockwise or anticlockwise during the formation of the three-dimensional article. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that the rotational direction of the support structure may be chosen by the operator. another advantage is that the rotational direction may be changed one or several times during the formation of the three dimensional article. [0018] in various example embodiment according to the present invention the method further comprising the step of preheating a third portion of the powder layer. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that the first and/or the second electron beam source may be used when most appropriate for the preheating, i.e. heating and keeping the powder layer to a predetermined temperature range before melting the powder. the third position is laterally separated from the first and second position but within a first maximum beam scan area of the first electron beam or a second maximum beam scan area of the second electron beam. in an alternative embodiment the preheating may be performed by using an energy source not used for fusing the powder layer. [0019] in various example embodiments the first portion of the powder layer is provided simultaneous as fusing the second portion of the powder layer. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that a fusion step does not have to wait for the powder layer application to be finished which in turn will save a lot of manufacturing time. [0020] in various example embodiments the present invention further comprising the step of switching the first and second electron beams on and off synchronously with each other so that when one of them is off the other one is on and vice versa. an exemplary advantage of at least these embodiments is that the magnetic field from one electron beam source which may affect the other electron beam source is further minimized. another advantage is that repelling forces between simultaneous electron beams on the work table is eliminated. [0021] in a second aspect according to various embodiments of the invention it is provided a program element configured and arranged when executed on a computer to implement a method for forming at least one three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts correspond to successive portions of the three-dimensional article, the method comprising the step of: providing at least one model of the three-dimensional article, moving a support structure in a z-direction at a predetermined speed and rotating the support structure about a z-axis at a predetermined speed, applying a powder layer on the support structure, and directing a first energy beam from a first energy beam source at a first selected location of the powder layer and a second energy beam from a second energy beam source at a second selected location, the first and second energy beam sources being at least one of an electromagnetic energy beam source or a charged particle beam source, causing the powder layer to fuse in the first and second selected locations according to the model to form a first and second portions of the three- dimensional article, wherein: a first portion of the powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of the powder layer, a first cover area of the first energy beam on the powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non-overlapping with a second cover area of the second energy beam on the powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of the support structure, and a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are at least one of overlapping each other, abutting each other, or separated relative to each other when the support structure is rotated a full lap. [0022] according to various embodiments provided is a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon the program element described above. [0023] according to a further aspect of various embodiments there is provided a computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein. the computer-readable program code portions comprise: an executable portion configured for, upon receipt of at least one model of the three-dimensional article, applying a powder layer on a support structure; an executable portion configured for moving a support structure in z-direction at a predetermined speed and rotating the support structure about a z-axis at a predetermined speed; and an executable portion configured for directing a first energy beam from a first energy beam source at a first selected location of the powder layer and a second energy beam from a second energy beam source at a second selected location, the first and second energy beam sources being at least one of an electromagnetic energy beam source or a charged particle beam source, causing the powder layer to fuse in the first and second selected locations according to the model to form a first and second portions of the three-dimensional article. at least one of the executable portions is further configured such that: a first portion of the powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of the powder layer, a first cover area of the first energy beam on the powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non-overlapping with a second cover area of the second energy beam on the powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of the support structure, and a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are at least one of overlapping each other, abutting each other, or separated relative to each other when the support structure is rotated a full lap. [0024] also provided according to various embodiments is an apparatus for forming a three- dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts corresponds to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article, the apparatus comprising: a control unit having stored thereon a computer model of the three-dimensional article; a support structure movable in a z-direction at a predetermined speed and rotatable about a z-axis at a predetermined speed, a powder layer applicator for applying a powder layer on the support structure, and first and second energy beam sources arranged for at least one of heating or fusing the powder layer at first and second selected locations respectively according to the model to form first and second portions of the three-dimensional article, wherein: a first portion of the powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of the powder layer, a first cover area of the first energy beam on the powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non- overlapping with a second cover area of the second energy beam on the powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of the support structure, and a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are at least one of overlapping each other, abutting each other, or separated relative to each other when the support structure is rotated a full lap. [0025] also provided according to various embodiments is a method for forming at least one three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts correspond to successive portions of the three-dimensional article. the method comprises the steps of: providing at least one model of the three-dimensional article, moving a support structure in a z-direction at a predetermined speed while also rotating the support structure about a z-axis at a predetermined speed, applying a powder layer on the support structure, and directing a first energy beam from a first energy beam source at a first selected location of the powder layer and a second energy beam from a second energy beam source at a second selected location, the first and second energy beam sources causing the powder layer to fuse in the first and second selected locations according to the model to form respective first and second portions of the three- dimensional article, wherein: a first portion of the powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of the powder layer, a first cover area of the first energy beam on the powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non-overlapping with a second cover area of the second energy beam on the powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of the support structure, the powder layer is fully covered by the first and second cover areas, and a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are at least in part overlapping each other when the support structure is rotated a full lap. [0026] in yet another aspect according to various embodiments of the invention it is provided a program element configured and arranged when executed on a computer to implement a method for forming at least one three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts correspond to successive portions of the three-dimensional article, the method comprising the step of: providing at least one model of the three-dimensional article, moving a support structure in a z-direction at a predetermined speed and rotating the support structure about a z-axis at a predetermined speed, applying a powder layer on the support structure, and directing a first energy beam from a first energy beam source at a first selected location of the powder layer and a second energy beam from a second energy beam source at a second selected location, the first and second energy beam sources being at least one of an electromagnetic energy beam source or a charged particle beam source, causing the powder layer to fuse in the first and second selected locations according to the model to form a first and second portions of the three- dimensional article, wherein: a first portion of the powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of the powder layer, a first cover area of the first energy beam on the powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non-overlapping with a second cover area of the second energy beam on the powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of the support structure, the powder layer is fully covered by the first and second cover areas, and a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are at least in part overlapping each other when the support structure is rotated a full lap. [0027] according to various embodiments provided is a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon the program element described above. [0028] according to a further aspect of various embodiments there is provided a computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein. the computer-readable program code portions comprise: an executable portion configured for, upon receipt of at least one model of the three-dimensional article, applying a powder layer on a support structure; an executable portion configured for moving a support structure in z-direction at a predetermined speed and rotating the support structure about a z-axis at a predetermined speed; and an executable portion configured for directing a first energy beam from a first energy beam source at a first selected location of the powder layer and a second energy beam from a second energy beam source at a second selected location, the first and second energy beam sources being at least one of an electromagnetic energy beam source or a charged particle beam source, causing the powder layer to fuse in the first and second selected locations according to the model to form a first and second portions of the three-dimensional article. at least one of the executable portions is further configured such that: a first portion of the powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of the powder layer, a first cover area of the first energy beam on the powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non-overlapping with a second cover area of the second energy beam on the powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of the support structure, the powder layer is fully covered by the first and second cover areas, and a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are at least in part overlapping each other when the support structure is rotated a full lap. [0029] also provided according to various embodiments is an apparatus for forming a three- dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts corresponds to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article, the apparatus comprising: a control unit having stored thereon a computer model of the three-dimensional article; a support structure movable in a z-direction at a predetermined speed and rotatable about a z-axis at a predetermined speed, a powder layer applicator for applying a powder layer on the support structure, and first and second energy beam sources arranged for at least one of heating or fusing the powder layer at first and second selected locations respectively according to the model to form first and second portions of the three-dimensional article, wherein: a first portion of the powder layer is applied simultaneous with a fusing of a second portion of the powder layer, a first cover area of the first energy beam on the powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance from and non- overlapping with a second cover area of the second energy beam on the powder layer, the first and second cover areas are each respectively smaller than an area of the support structure, , the powder layer is fully covered by the first and second cover areas, and a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are at least in part overlapping each other when the support structure is rotated a full lap. [0030] herein and throughout, where an exemplary embodiment is described or an advantage thereof is identified, such are considered and intended as exemplary and non-limiting in nature, so as to not otherwise limit or constrain the scope and nature of the inventive concepts disclosed. brief description of the several views of the drawing(s) [0031] the invention will be further described in the following, in a non-limiting way with reference to the accompanying drawings. same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings: [0032] figure 1 presents an apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention; [0033] figure 2 shows a frozen top view picture of a rotating work table 210 in various embodiments of the present invention indicating the maximum beam scanning areas for two electron beams; [0034] figures 3a-3c show respective top views of a work table in various embodiments of the present invention where trajectories of the first and second beam scanning areas are denoted for a full lap of rotation of the work table; [0035] figure 4 shows a schematic flow chart according to various embodiments of the present invention; [0036] figure 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 1020 according to various embodiments; [0037] figure 6a is a schematic block diagram of a server 1200 according to various embodiments; and [0038] figure 6b is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary mobile device 1300 according to various embodiments. detailed description of various embodiments [0039] various example embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. indeed, embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly known and understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention relates. the term "or" is used herein in both the alternative and conjunctive sense, unless otherwise indicated. like numbers refer to like elements throughout. [0040] to facilitate the understanding of this invention, a number of terms are defined below. terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. terms such as "a", "an" and "the" are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. the terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit the invention, except as outlined in the claims. [0041] the term "three-dimensional structures" and the like as used herein refer generally to intended or actually fabricated three-dimensional configurations (e.g. of structural material or materials) that are intended to be used for a particular purpose. such structures, etc. may, for example, be designed with the aid of a three-dimensional cad system. [0042] the term "two-dimensional structures" and the like as used herein refer generally to substantially planar structures that may be considered as respective "layers" that when taken as a whole define or otherwise form the "three-dimensional structures" defined above. while referred to as "two-dimensional structures" it should be understood that each includes an accompanying thickness in a third dimension, albeit such that the structures remain substantially two-dimensional in nature. as a non-limiting example, a plurality of two-dimensional structures would have to be stacked atop one another so as to achieve a thickness comparable to that of the "three-dimensional structures" defined above and described elsewhere herein. [0043] the term "electron beam" as used herein in various embodiments refers to any charged particle beam. the sources of a charged particle beam can include an electron gun, a linear accelerator and so on. [0044] various embodiments of the invention relate to a method for producing three- dimensional objects by powder additive manufacturing, for instance electron beam melting (ebm) and/or selective laser sintering sls or selective laser melting slm. in various example embodiments the object may be wider than the sum of the beam scanning area from the energy beam sources. [0045] figure 1 presents an example embodiment of an apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention. [0046] a first electron beam source 1 and a second electron beam source 21 may be used so that a first electron beam 2 and a second electron beam 22 define a 2d pattern in a thin bed of metal powder material 3 leveled by rake 7. the rake 7 may be movable or stationary. a powder storage 6 is providing the metal powder material 3 onto the work plate 5. in an example embodiment the powder storage 6 is provided stationary at a predetermined distance over the work-plate or previously applied powder layer. at the bottom of the powder storage 6 it may be provided a slit through which the powder is fed onto the work table or previously applied powder layer. a powder bed 4 may in an example embodiment measure a diameter 1500 mm in a plan view and a work plate 5 can be lowered 200-1000 mm by a mechanism elevator 8. thus parts up to 0 1500 x 1000 mm can be manufactured in such equipment. it should be understood that these are not fundamental limits however. using more than two electron beam sources may increase the diameter in increments of nx750mm where n is the number of electron beam sources. 750mm is not an absolute number since it depends on the geometry and/or the available electron beam power. [0047] sliced files are widely used for additive manufacturing applications and can be generated using digital data, such as any suitable solid computer aided design ("cad") model. the sliced layers may consist of successive cross sections taken at ascending z-intervals, where each slice is taken parallel to the xy plane. [0048] to allow additive manufacturing to be conducted in a continuous way, a continuous computer description of a 3d object may be used. such continuous description may eliminate one dimension, thus allowing association of an angular position to the object's boundaries along a radial line. [0049] a possible application of this invention may consist in adjusting dynamically the position of a printer head - or a beam spot - along a radial line to melt the 3d object between the id segments described in this mathematical representation. with an appropriate system coordinate change, each interior and exterior boundary polyline from the solid material can advantageously be described in the two dimensional coordinate system (r ,α ) as follows: r = ^jx 2 + y 2 ; a =( ^)*h where (x,y,z) are the cartesian coordinates, r is a radial coordinate (distance to z axis) and a is an angular coordinate [rad]. a is positive if measured counter clockwise as seen from any point with positive height. h is the height of the three-dimensional article which is to be built. [0050] the invention is not limited to fusing or preheating the powder layer along radial lines. the preheating and melting of the powder layer may be performed in any direction within the maximum beam scanning area of the respective electron beam. [0051] according to an example embodiment a mathematical model may be generated from a helical like cutting of a three-dimensional article. this slicing method requires defining a rotation axis along for instance z (longitudinal), denoted by 15 in figure 1 , and an origin angular position. [0052] a file containing all r coordinates (intersecting the line that rotates uniformly around the axis) can be generated for each angular coordinate a with a step size chose in accordance to the accuracy needed. [0053] figure 1 discloses only two electron beam sources 1, 21 for sake of simplicity. of course, any number of beam sources may be used. [0054] in the embodiment of this invention illustrated in figure 1 , the work plate 5 can be moved in a process chamber 14. a continuous cutting model (continuous slicing) of the article to build may be generated and stored in the control unit 10. the work plate 5 may optionally be preheated to an adequate start temperature, wherein energy deposition on the work plate 5 during preheating may be done either during an incremental or continuous movement of the work plate 5. a moving feeding member is depositing a quantity of powder in the melting chamber to form a layer of powders with a regular and substantially uniform thickness, which may be done, as a non-limiting example, by a fixed powder layering device while the work plate 5 is moving. [0055] an optional preheating of the powder layer to a temperature below the melting point of the powders may be performed, whereby the energy may be transmitted to the powders either during an incremental or continuous work plate 5 movement, wherein it must be noted that as a function of the temperature loss during one rotation, it is possible to arrange a reheat area before the powder come again to the beam scan area, [0056] performing the melting by scanning with a focused beam in the area corresponding to a portion of the continuous cutting of the article according to the model stored in the control unit 10. [0057] the optional preheating of the start plate, the powder application, the optional preheating of the powder layer, the fusion/melting of the powder layer occurs either as the work plate 5 rotates continuously or step wise until reaching the top definition of the article. the work plate 5 is lowered as the build progress, each revolution a distance ranging for instance between 20 to 200 μηι equal to the thickness of the completed layer. [0058] the vacuum chamber is configured for maintaining a vacuum environment by means of or via a vacuum system, which system may comprise a turbo molecular pump, a scroll pump, an ion pump and one or more valves which are well known to a skilled person in the art and therefore need no further explanation in this context. the vacuum system may be controlled by the control unit 10. in another embodiment the work plate may be provided in an enclosable chamber provided with ambient air and atmosphere pressure. in still another example embodiment the work plate may be provided in open air. [0059] various embodiments of this invention concern the provision of a rotation axis to the work plate 5 aligned or non-aligned with the center line of the energy beam. in an example embodiment of the present invention the axis of rotation 15 may be vertical and the work plate 5 may be annular. this rotation can be done intermittently or continuously together with the work plate 5 lowering continuously as the build progress. [0060] the build tank may be in constant rotation. the work plate z-level may be positioned with a rod with an external thread which may be positioned by rotating inside an inside thread. the inside thread is geared to the rotation of the build tank. in this way a pitch of the threads can be the same and the layer height (the z-level to lower each full lapse of the build tank) adjusted by the gear mechanism (e.g. the internal thread rotates with a speed relation to the build tank). the gear mechanism may allow for any movement (up, down or still). [0061] the build tank rotation may be applied from its outside. the tank may be stabilized by ball bearings and the applied rotational force is small since its inertia is large. [0062] the build tank and build platform may be continuously measured and feedback to the beam control unit, in real time, which may translate the beam to adjust for a small dislocation of the build platform. [0063] in this manner, in the case of a plurality of energy beams each being non-aligned with the rotational axis 15, the build envelope can be much wider than the sum of the beam scan areas in a powder bed plan. it is obvious that the work plate 5 lowering range remain identical to standard equipment. it is entirely conceivable that the build envelope in vertical direction will be designed to extend the maximum build height up to approximately 1000 mm. [0064] as illustrated in figure 1 , a three-dimensional object 11 , in a rotational movement around an axis 15, is melted by the first electron beam 2 having a first maximum beam scan area 30 and a second electron beam 22 having a maximum beam scan area 40. the beam movement is coordinated with the rotational movement by the control unit 10. in an embodiment the melting strategy may allow for changing the revolution speed during the revolution of the work plate 5. disturbances like shakings may be monitored and compensated for during the fusing of the powder layer. [0065] the process may be particularly suitable to be applied to produce principally large parts, although not exclusively, turbine cases or large aerospace structural frames with a central hole. the present invention may be used for manufacturing one continuous object wider than the beam scanning area, it must be understood that the principles of the present invention can be applied equally to the production of several objects included into the build envelope. [0066] it must be understood that the present invention is potentially applicable to any type of layer wise rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing machines, and to other machines using the layer-on-layer fabrication technique, including non-metallic material. [0067] the electron beam sources 1, 21 generating electron beams 2, 22, are used for melting or fusing together powder material 3 provided on the work plate 5. the control unit 10 may be used for controlling and managing the electron beams 2, 22 emitted from the electron beam sources 1, 21. the electron beams 2, 22 may be deflected between its first extreme position and its second extreme position. the first electron beam source may have a first and second extreme positions, which are separated by a first distance and the second electron beam source may have a first and second extreme positions which are separated by a second distance. the first and second distance may be equal or different to each other. the first and second distances are not overlapping each other. [0068] at least one focusing coil (not shown), at least one deflection coil (not shown) and an electron beam power supply (not shown) may be electrically connected to the control unit 10. a beam deflection unit (not shown) may comprise the at least one focusing coil, the at least one deflection coil and optionally at least one astigmatism coil. in an example embodiment of the invention the electron beam sources 1 , 21 may generate a focusable electron beam with an accelerating voltage of about 60kv and with a beam power in the range of 0-3kw. the first and second electron beam sources may have equal power or different power. the pressure in the vacuum chamber may be in the range of lxlo^-lxlo "6 mbar when building the three-dimensional article by fusing the powder layer by layer with the energy beam source 1. [0069] the powder storage 6 may comprise the metal powder material 3 to be provided on the work plate 5. the metal powder material may for instance be pure metals or metal alloys such as titanium, titanium alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, stainless steel, co-cr-w alloy, ni-based alloys, titanium aluminides, niobium, silicon nitride, molybdenum disilicide and the like. [0070] the powder distributor or powder feeding member 7 may be arranged to lay down a thin layer of the powder material on the work plate 5. during manufacturing of the three-dimensional article the work plate 5 will be continuously lowered and rotated in relation to the energy beam sources 1 , 21. in order to make this movement possible, the work plate 5 may in one embodiment of the invention be arranged movably in vertical direction, i.e., in the direction indicated by arrow p. this means that the work plate 5 may start in an initial position, and continuously rotate around an axis 15 and move vertically along the axis 15. the work plate 5 may continuously be lowered and rotated while simultaneously providing new powder material for the formation of new cross sectional portions of the three-dimensional article. means for lowering the work plate 5 may for instance be through a servo engine equipped with a gear, adjusting screws, and the like. the rotation may be performed with an electrical motor. [0071] figure 2 shows a frozen top view picture of a rotating work table 210 in the present invention indicating the maximum beam scanning areas or cover areas for two energy beams. the rotation of the work table 210 is indicated by arrow 250. a first maximum beam scanning area 220 for the first energy beam 2 is separated by a distance d from the second maximum beam scanning area 230 for the second energy beam 22. [0072] figure 3 a shows a top view of a rotating work table 310 in various embodiments of the present invention indicating the trajectories of the maximum beam scanning areas for two electron beams for a full lap of rotation of the work table 310. the rotation of the work table 310 is indicated by arrow 350 in figure 3a. a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are overlapping each other when the support structure has rotated a full lap, i.e., an outer ring 322 represents the trajectory of the first maximum beam scanning area 220 after a full lap of the work table and an inner circle 332 represents the trajectory of the second maximum beam scanning area 230 after a full lap of the work table. [0073] after a full lap of rotation of the work table 310 the first and second maximum beam scanning area may be covering the complete work table. the first maximum beam scanning area 220 is covering an outer ring 322 of the work table and the second maximum beam scanning area 230 is covering an inner circle 332 after a full lap of rotation. the outer ring and the inner circle may be overlapping each other in an overlap region 342. the overlap region 342 may be chosen to vary depending on the material to be fused, which layer is to be fused, the powder of the first end second electron beam sources and/or the size of the work table. the overlap may vary from one layer to another within a single three-dimensional article. the position of the overlap region may be shifted from one layer to another by increasing the beam scanning area of for one electron beam and decease the beam scanning are for another electron beam. alternatively the overlap may be shifted by shifting the physical position of the electron beam sources and/or the position of the electron beam filament. the distance d between the first and second maximum beam scanning areas may be set to be as large as possible for minimizing the influence of one electron beam or electron beam source on the other electron beam or electron beam source. [0074] in another example embodiment depicted in figure 3c there is no overlap region of the inner circle 332 and the outer ring 322. in this embodiment there is an empty region 390 between the inner circle 332 and the outer ring 322. in this empty region 390 no fusion is taking place. [0075] in still another example embodiment depicted in figure 3b the inner circle 332 and the outer ring are abutting without overlapping each other throughout the full lap of rotation of the work table. [0076] in an example embodiment the inner circle 332 and the outer ring 322 may cover the full or just a portion of the work table. the outer ring 322 may have a smaller outer radius than the radius of the work table. [0077] in an example embodiment the first and second electron beam sources are switched on and off synchronous with each other so that when the first electron beam is on the second electron beam source is off and vice versa. the time duration of the beam flashes may be in the range of μ& or shorter. the scan direction of the first electron beam may be different to the scan direction of the second electron beam. the scan direction may vary from one layer to another for an individual electron beam. the scan direction may also vary from one position to another within a single layer of a three-dimensional article for the one and/or the second electron beam. in embodiments having more than two electron beams one may choose to set one or more of them in an on state and the remaining in the off state depending on how far the electron beam are from each other. this means that different number of electron beams may be set in an on state from one moment to another within a single layer of the three dimensional article. the on and off switching scheme may be determined beforehand so that one knows that individual electron beam affect other electron beams as little as possible. [0078] in figure 4 it is depicted a flow chart of an example embodiment of a method according to the present invention. [0079] the method comprising a first step 410 of providing at least one model of the three- dimensional article. the models may be a computer model generated via a cad (computer aided design) tool. the three-dimensional articles which are to be built may be equal or different to each other. [0080] in a second step 420 a support structure like a work plate 5 is moved in z-direction at a predetermined speed while rotating the support structure at a predetermined speed. this simultaneous z-movement and rotation of the work plate will result in a helical movement. the z- movement and/or the rotational movement may be a continuous or a stepwise movement. [0081] in a third step 430 a first powder layer is applied on a support structure. the support structure may be a work plate 5. the work plate 5 may be a removable or fixed build platform, a powder bed, a partially fused powder bed or a pre -manufactured part. the powder may be distributed evenly over the work plate 5 according to several methods. one way to distribute the powder 3 is to let the powder material 3 in the powder supply 6 falling down onto the work plate 5. the powder supply may have an opening at its bottom facing the work plate 5, through which the powder may fall down to the work plate 5. a feeding member or rake 7 may ensure the powder material onto the work plate is provided uniformly to an essentially flat surface. the rake may be arranged stationary or movable. [0082] a distance between a lower part of the rake 7 and the upper part of the work plate 5 or previous powder layer may determine the thickness of powder distributed over the work plate 5. the powder layer thickness can easily be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the lower part of the rake and the previous layer or the work plate 5. [0083] in a fourth step 440 directing a first electron beam from a first electron beam source at a first selected location of the powder layer and a second electron beam from a second electron beam source at a second selected location, the first and second electron beam sources causing the powder layer to fuse in the first and second selected locations according to the model to form a first and second portions of the three-dimensional article. [0084] the first and second electron beams may fuse the three-dimensional article with parallel scan lines so as to form a fusion zone extending in a direction perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the work plate 5. [0085] the first and second electron beams may be directed over the work plate 5 from instructions given by the control unit 10. in the control unit 10 instructions for how to control the first and second electron beam sources 1 , 21 for each portions of the three-dimensional article may be stored. [0086] by using a plurality of beam sources the build temperature of the three-dimensional build may more easily be maintained compared to if just one beam source is used. the reason for this is that two beam may be at more locations simultaneously than just one beam. increasing the number of beam sources will further ease the control of the build temperature. by using a plurality of energy beam sources a first energy beam source may be used for melting the powder material and a second energy beam source may be used for heating the powder material in order to keep the build temperature within a predetermined temperature range. [0087] in a fifth step 450 providing a first portion of the powder layer simultaneous as fusing a second portion of the powder layer, wherein a first cover area, being smaller than an area of the support structure, of the first electron beam on the powder layer is arranged at a predetermined minimum distance and non-overlapping from a second cover area, being smaller than an area of the support structure, of the second electron beam on the powder layer so that so that a trajectory of the first cover area and a trajectory of the second cover area are at least one of overlapping each other, abutting each other or separated to each other when the support structure is rotated a full lap. [0088] according to the invention the powder application and fusion takes place simultaneously. the powder is applied at a first portion of the work table 5 while the fusion is taken place on a second portion of the work table 5. the fusion may in various example embodiments take place along a line perpendicular to the rotational axis of the work plate 5. one example embodiment of a three dimensional article which is manufactured according to this invention where the fusion take place along a line perpendicular to the rotational axis [0089] in another aspect of the invention it is provided a program element configured and arranged when executed on a computer to implement a method for forming at least one three- dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed, which parts correspond to successive portions of the three-dimensional article. the program element may be installed in a computer readable storage medium. the computer readable storage medium may be the control unit 10 or another and separate control unit, as may be desirable. the computer readable storage medium and the program element, which may comprise computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, may further be contained within a non-transitory computer program product. further details regarding these features and configurations are provided, in turn, below. [0090] as mentioned, various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various ways, including as non-transitory computer program products. a computer program product may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, program code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like (also referred to herein as executable instructions, instructions for execution, program code, and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably). such non-transitory computer-readable storage media include all computer-readable media (including volatile and non-volatile media). [0091] in one embodiment, a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may include a floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, solid-state storage (sss) (e.g., a solid state drive (ssd), solid state card (ssc), solid state module (ssm)), enterprise flash drive, magnetic tape, or any other non-transitory magnetic medium, and/or the like. a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may also include a punch card, paper tape, optical mark sheet (or any other physical medium with pattems of holes or other optically recognizable indicia), compact disc read only memory (cd-rom), compact disc compact disc-rewritable (cd-rw), digital versatile disc (dvd), blu-ray disc (bd), any other non-transitory optical medium, and/or the like. such a nonvolatile computer-readable storage medium may also include read-only memory (rom), programmable read-only memory (prom), erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (eeprom), flash memory (e.g., serial, nand, nor, and/or the like), multimedia memory cards (mmc), secure digital (sd) memory cards, smartmedia cards, compactflash (cf) cards, memory sticks, and/or the like. further, a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may also include conductive- bridging random access memory (cbram), phase-change random access memory (pram), ferroelectric random-access memory (feram), non-volatile random-access memory (nvram), magnetoresistive random-access memory (mram), resistive random-access memory (rram), silicon-oxide -nitride-oxide-silicon memory (sonos), floating junction gate random access memory (fjg ram), millipede memory, racetrack memory, and/or the like. [0092] in one embodiment, a volatile computer-readable storage medium may include random access memory (ram), dynamic random access memory (dram), static random access memory (sram), fast page mode dynamic random access memory (fpm dram), extended data-out dynamic random access memory (edo dram), synchronous dynamic random access memory (sdram), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (ddr sdram), double data rate type two synchronous dynamic random access memory (ddr2 sdram), double data rate type three synchronous dynamic random access memory (ddr3 sdram), rambus dynamic random access memory (rdram), twin transistor ram (ttram), thyristor ram (t-ram), zero-capacitor (z-ram), rambus in-line memory module (rimm), dual in-line memory module (dimm), single in-line memory module (simm), video random access memory vram, cache memory (including various levels), flash memory, register memory, and/or the like. it will be appreciated that where embodiments are described to use a computer-readable storage medium, other types of computer-readable storage media may be substituted for or used in addition to the computer-readable storage media described above. [0093] as should be appreciated, various embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented as methods, apparatus, systems, computing devices, computing entities, and/or the like, as have been described elsewhere herein. as such, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of an apparatus, system, computing device, computing entity, and/or the like executing instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium to perform certain steps or operations. however, embodiments of the present invention may also take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment performing certain steps or operations. [0094] various embodiments are described below with reference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of apparatuses, methods, systems, and computer program products. it should be understood that each block of any of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, respectively, may be implemented in part by computer program instructions, e.g., as logical steps or operations executing on a processor in a computing system. these computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer, such as a special purpose computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a specifically-configured machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus implement the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. [0095] these computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including computer-readable instructions for implementing the functionality specified in the flowchart block or blocks. the computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide operations for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. [0096] accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations support various combinations for performing the specified functions, combinations of operations for performing the specified functions and program instructions for performing the specified functions. it should also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, could be implemented by special purpose hardware -based computer systems that perform the specified functions or operations, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. [0097] figure 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 1020 that can be used in conjunction with various embodiments of the present invention. in at least the illustrated embodiment, the system 1020 may include one or more central computing devices 1110, one or more distributed computing devices 1120, and one or more distributed handheld or mobile devices 1300, all configured in communication with a central server 1200 (or control unit) via one or more networks 1130. while figure 5 illustrates the various system entities as separate, standalone entities, the various embodiments are not limited to this particular architecture. [0098] according to various embodiments of the present invention, the one or more networks 1130 may be capable of supporting communication in accordance with any one or more of a number of second-generation (2g), 2.5g, third-generation (3g), and/or fourth- generation (4g) mobile communication protocols, or the like. more particularly, the one or more networks 1130 may be capable of supporting communication in accordance with 2g wireless communication protocols is-136 (tdma), gsm, and is-95 (cdma). also, for example, the one or more networks 1130 may be capable of supporting communication in accordance with 2.5g wireless communication protocols gprs, enhanced data gsm environment (edge), or the like. in addition, for example, the one or more networks 1130 may be capable of supporting communication in accordance with 3g wireless communication protocols such as universal mobile telephone system (umts) network employing wideband code division multiple access (wcdma) radio access technology. some narrow-band amps (namps), as well as tacs, network(s) may also benefit from embodiments of the present invention, as should dual or higher mode mobile stations (e.g., digital/analog or tdma/cdma/analog phones). as yet another example, each of the components of the system 1020 may be configured to communicate with one another in accordance with techniques such as, for example, radio frequency (rf), bluetooth™, infrared (irda), or any of a number of different wired or wireless networking techniques, including a wired or wireless personal area network ("pan"), local area network ("lan"), metropolitan area network ("man"), wide area network ("wan"), or the like. [0099] although the device(s) 1110-1300 are illustrated in figure 5 as communicating with one another over the same network 1130, these devices may likewise communicate over multiple, separate networks. [00100] according to one embodiment, in addition to receiving data from the server 1200, the distributed devices 1110, 1120, and/or 1300 may be further configured to collect and transmit data on their own. in various embodiments, the devices 1110, 1120, and/or 1300 may be capable of receiving data via one or more input units or devices, such as a keypad, touchpad, barcode scanner, radio frequency identification (rfid) reader, interface card (e.g., modem, etc.) or receiver. the devices 1110, 1120, and/or 1300 may further be capable of storing data to one or more volatile or non-volatile memory modules, and outputting the data via one or more output units or devices, for example, by displaying data to the user operating the device, or by transmitting data, for example over the one or more networks 1130. [00101] in various embodiments, the server 1200 includes various systems for performing one or more functions in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, including those more particularly shown and described herein. it should be understood, however, that the server 1200 might include a variety of alternative devices for performing one or more like functions, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. for example, at least a portion of the server 1200, in certain embodiments, may be located on the distributed device(s) 1110, 1120, and/or the handheld or mobile device(s) 1300, as may be desirable for particular applications. as will be described in further detail below, in at least one embodiment, the handheld or mobile device(s) 1300 may contain one or more mobile applications 1330 which may be configured so as to provide a user interface for communication with the server 1200, all as will be likewise described in further detail below. [00102] figure 6a is a schematic diagram of the server 1200 according to various embodiments. the server 1200 includes a processor 1230 that communicates with other elements within the server via a system interface or bus 1235. also included in the server 1200 is a display/input device 1250 for receiving and displaying data. this display/input device 1250 may be, for example, a keyboard or pointing device that is used in combination with a monitor. the server 1200 further includes memory 1220, which typically includes both read only memory (rom) 1226 and random access memory (ram) 1222. the server's rom 1226 is used to store a basic input/output system 1224 (bios), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the server 1200. various rom and ram configurations have been previously described herein. [00103] in addition, the server 1200 includes at least one storage device or program storage 210, such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a cd rom drive, or optical disk drive, for storing information on various computer-readable media, such as a hard disk, a removable magnetic disk, or a cd-rom disk. as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, each of these storage devices 1210 are connected to the system bus 1235 by an appropriate interface. the storage devices 1210 and their associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage for a personal computer. as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the computer-readable media described above could be replaced by any other type of computer-readable media known in the art. such media include, for example, magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, and bernoulli cartridges. [00104] although not shown, according to an embodiment, the storage device 1210 and/or memory of the server 1200 may further provide the functions of a data storage device, which may store historical and/or current delivery data and delivery conditions that may be accessed by the server 1200. in this regard, the storage device 1210 may comprise one or more databases. the term "database" refers to a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system, such as via a relational database, hierarchical database, or network database and as such, should not be construed in a limiting fashion. [00105] a number of program modules (e.g., exemplary modules 1400-1700) comprising, for example, one or more computer-readable program code portions executable by the processor 1230, may be stored by the various storage devices 1210 and within ram 1222. such program modules may also include an operating system 1280. in these and other embodiments, the various modules 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700 control certain aspects of the operation of the server 1200 with the assistance of the processor 1230 and operating system 1280. in still other embodiments, it should be understood that one or more additional and/or alternative modules may also be provided, without departing from the scope and nature of the present invention. [00106] in various embodiments, the program modules 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700 are executed by the server 1200 and are configured to generate one or more graphical user interfaces, reports, instructions, and/or notifications/alerts, all accessible and/or transmittable to various users of the system 1020. in certain embodiments, the user interfaces, reports, instructions, and/or notifications/alerts may be accessible via one or more networks 1130, which may include the internet or other feasible communications network, as previously discussed. [00107] in various embodiments, it should also be understood that one or more of the modules 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700 may be alternatively and/or additionally (e.g., in duplicate) stored locally on one or more of the devices 1110, 1120, and/or 1300 and may be executed by one or more processors of the same. according to various embodiments, the modules 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700 may send data to, receive data from, and utilize data contained in one or more databases, which may be comprised of one or more separate, linked and/or networked databases. [00108] also located within the server 1200 is a network interface 1260 for interfacing and communicating with other elements of the one or more networks 1130. it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that one or more of the server 1200 components may be located geographically remotely from other server components. furthermore, one or more of the server 1200 components may be combined, and/or additional components performing functions described herein may also be included in the server. [00109] while the foregoing describes a single processor 1230, as one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, the server 1200 may comprise multiple processors operating in conjunction with one another to perform the functionality described herein. in addition to the memory 1220, the processor 1230 can also be connected to at least one interface or other means for displaying, transmitting and/or receiving data, content or the like. in this regard, the interface(s) can include at least one communication interface or other means for transmitting and/or receiving data, content or the like, as well as at least one user interface that can include a display and/or a user input interface,, as will be described in further detail below. the user input interface, in turn, can comprise any of a number of devices allowing the entity to receive data from a user, such as a keypad, a touch display, a joystick or other input device. [00110] still further, while reference is made to the "server" 1200, as one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to traditionally defined server architectures. still further, the system of embodiments of the present invention is not limited to a single server, or similar network entity or mainframe computer system. other similar architectures including one or more network entities operating in conjunction with one another to provide the functionality described herein may likewise be used without departing from the spirit and scope of embodiments of the present invention. for example, a mesh network of two or more personal computers (pcs), similar electronic devices, or handheld portable devices, collaborating with one another to provide the functionality described herein in association with the server 1200 may likewise be used without departing from the spirit and scope of embodiments of the present invention. [00111] according to various embodiments, many individual steps of a process may or may not be carried out utilizing the computer systems and/or servers described herein, and the degree of computer implementation may vary, as may be desirable and/or beneficial for one or more particular applications. [00112] figure 6b provides an illustrative schematic representative of a mobile device 1300 that can be used in conjunction with various embodiments of the present invention. mobile devices 1300 can be operated by various parties. as shown in figure 6b, a mobile device 1300 may include an antenna 1312, a transmitter 1304 (e.g., radio), a receiver 1306 (e.g., radio), and a processing element 1308 that provides signals to and receives signals from the transmitter 1304 and receiver 1306, respectively. [00113] the signals provided to and received from the transmitter 1304 and the receiver 1306, respectively, may include signaling data in accordance with an air interface standard of applicable wireless systems to communicate with various entities, such as the server 1200, the distributed devices 1110, 1120, and/or the like. in this regard, the mobile device 1300 may be capable of operating with one or more air interface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, and access types. more particularly, the mobile device 1300 may operate in accordance with any of a number of wireless communication standards and protocols. in a particular embodiment, the mobile device 1300 may operate in accordance with multiple wireless communication standards and protocols, such as gprs, umts, cdma2000, lxrtt, wcdma, td-scdma, lte, e-utran, evdo, hspa, hsdpa, wi-fi, wimax, uwb, ir protocols, bluetooth protocols, usb protocols, and/or any other wireless protocol. [00114] via these communication standards and protocols, the mobile device 1300 may according to various embodiments communicate with various other entities using concepts such as unstructured supplementary service data (ussd), short message service (sms), multimedia messaging service (mms), dual-tone multi-frequency signaling (dtmf), and/or subscriber identity module dialer (sim dialer). the mobile device 1300 can also download changes, addons, and updates, for instance, to its firmware, software (e.g., including executable instructions, applications, program modules), and operating system. [00115] according to one embodiment, the mobile device 1300 may include a location determining device and/or functionality. for example, the mobile device 1300 may include a gps module adapted to acquire, for example, latitude, longitude, altitude, geocode, course, and/or speed data. in one embodiment, the gps module acquires data, sometimes known as ephemeris data, by identifying the number of satellites in view and the relative positions of those satellites. [00116] the mobile device 1300 may also comprise a user interface (that can include a display 1316 coupled to a processing element 1308) and/or a user input interface (coupled to a processing element 308). the user input interface can comprise any of a number of devices allowing the mobile device 1300 to receive data, such as a keypad 1318 (hard or soft), a touch display, voice or motion interfaces, or other input device. in embodiments including a keypad 1318, the keypad can include (or cause display of) the conventional numeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and other keys used for operating the mobile device 1300 and may include a full set of alphabetic keys or set of keys that may be activated to provide a full set of alphanumeric keys. in addition to providing input, the user input interface can be used, for example, to activate or deactivate certain functions, such as screen savers and/or sleep modes. [00117] the mobile device 1300 can also include volatile storage or memory 1322 and/or non-volatile storage or memory 1324, which can be embedded and/or may be removable. for example, the non-volatile memory may be rom, prom, eprom, eeprom, flash memory, mmcs, sd memory cards, memory sticks, cbram, pram, feram, rram, sonos, racetrack memory, and/or the like. the volatile memory may be ram, dram, sram, fpm dram, edo dram, sdram, ddr sdram, ddr2 sdram, ddr3 sdram, rdram, rimm, dimm, simm, vram, cache memory, register memory, and/or the like. the volatile and non-volatile storage or memory can store databases, database instances, database mapping systems, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like to implement the functions of the mobile device 1300. [00118] the mobile device 1300 may also include one or more of a camera 1326 and a mobile application 1330. the camera 1326 may be configured according to various embodiments as an additional and/or alternative data collection feature, whereby one or more items may be read, stored, and/or transmitted by the mobile device 1300 via the camera. the mobile application 1330 may further provide a feature via which various tasks may be performed with the mobile device 1300. various configurations may be provided, as may be desirable for one or more users of the mobile device 1300 and the system 1020 as a whole. [00119] it will be appreciated that many variations of the above systems and methods are possible, and that deviation from the above embodiments are possible, but yet within the scope of the claims. many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. such modifications may, for example, involve using a different numbers of energy beam sources than the exemplified two energy beam sources. there may be a mixture between different kinds of energy beam sources such as laser beam sources and electron beam sources. in various example embodiments only a plurality of laser beam sources are used. other electrically conductive materials than pure metallic powder may be used such as electrically conductive powders of polymers and electrically conductive powder of ceramics. therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
|
011-529-446-541-979
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
A47C1/16,A47C7/02,A47C7/62
| 2020-02-26T00:00:00 |
2020
|
[
"A47"
] |
cushioned stadium seat cover
|
a cushioned stadium seat cover for providing a comfortable and sanitary covering on stadium seats includes a cushion bottom cushion coupled within a bottom cushion pocket. a bottom support pocket is coupled to the bottom cushion pocket to selectively receive a seat bottom of a stadium seat. a connector is coupled to the bottom cushion pocket and a top cushion pocket is coupled to the connector. a top cushion is coupled within a top cushion pocket. a top support pocket is coupled to the top cushion pocket to selectively receive a seat top of the stadium seat.
|
1 . a cushioned stadium seat cover comprising: a bottom cushion pocket having a bottom cushion pocket back side, a bottom cushion pocket front side, a bottom cushion pocket left side, a bottom cushion pocket right side, a bottom cushion pocket top side, and a bottom cushion pocket bottom side; a bottom cushion coupled within the bottom cushion pocket; a bottom support pocket coupled to the bottom cushion pocket, the bottom support pocket being coupled to the bottom cushion pocket bottom side and the bottom cushion pocket front side, the bottom support pocket being configured to selectively receive a seat bottom of a stadium seat; a connector coupled to the bottom cushion pocket; a top cushion pocket coupled to the connector, the top cushion pocket having a top cushion pocket back side, a top cushion pocket front side, a top cushion pocket left side, a top cushion pocket right side, a top cushion pocket top side, and a top cushion pocket bottom side; a top cushion coupled within the top cushion pocket; a top support pocket coupled to the top cushion pocket, the top support pocket being coupled to the top cushion pocket top side and the top cushion pocket back side, the top support pocket being configured to selectively receive a seat top of the stadium seat; and a pouch coupled to the bottom cushion pocket, the pouch having a rear face of a pouch back side coupled to the bottom cushion pocket front side wherein an entirety of an opening into the pouch is positioned forwardly of the bottom cushion front side, the pouch further having a pouch left side, a pouch right side, a pouch front side, and a pouch bottom side defining pouch inside. 2 . the cushioned stadium seat cover of claim 1 further comprising the connector being coupled between the bottom cushion pocket top side and the top cushion pocket front side. 3 . (canceled) 4 . (canceled) 5 . (canceled) 6 . the cushioned stadium seat cover of claim 1 further comprising the bottom cushion pocket front side, the bottom cushion pocket top side, the bottom support pocket, the connector, the top cushion pocket front side, the top cushion pocket top side, and the top support pocket being a one-piece construction. 7 . (canceled) 8 . a cushioned stadium seat cover comprising: a bottom cushion pocket having a bottom cushion pocket back side, a bottom cushion pocket front side, a bottom cushion pocket left side, a bottom cushion pocket right side, a bottom cushion pocket top side, and a bottom cushion pocket bottom side; a bottom cushion coupled within the bottom cushion pocket; a bottom support pocket coupled to the bottom cushion pocket, the bottom support pocket being coupled to the bottom cushion pocket bottom side and the bottom cushion pocket front side, the bottom support pocket being configured to selectively receive a seat bottom of a stadium seat; a connector coupled to the bottom cushion pocket; a top cushion pocket coupled to the connector, the top cushion pocket having a top cushion pocket back side, a top cushion pocket front side, a top cushion pocket left side, a top cushion pocket right side, a top cushion pocket top side, and a top cushion pocket bottom side, the connector being coupled between the bottom cushion pocket top side and the top cushion pocket front side; a top cushion coupled within the top cushion pocket; a top support pocket coupled to the top cushion pocket, the top support pocket being coupled to the top cushion pocket top side and the top cushion pocket back side, the top support pocket being configured to selectively receive a seat top of the stadium seat, the bottom cushion pocket front side, the bottom cushion pocket top side, the bottom support pocket, the connector, the top cushion pocket front side, the top cushion pocket top side, and the top support pocket being a one-piece construction; and a pouch having a rear face of a pouch back side coupled to the bottom cushion pocket front side wherein an entirety of an opening into the pouch is positioned forwardly of the bottom cushion front side, the pouch further having a a pouch left side, a pouch right side, a pouch front side, and a pouch bottom side defining a pouch inside.
|
cross-reference to related applications not applicable statement regarding federally sponsored research or development not applicable the names of the parties to a joint research agreement not applicable incorporation-by-reference of material submitted on a compact disc or as a text file via the office electronic filing system not applicable statement regarding prior disclosures by the inventor or joint inventor not applicable background of the invention (1) field of the invention the disclosure relates to seat cover devices and more particularly pertains to a new seat cover device for providing a comfortable and sanitary covering on stadium seats. (2) description of related art including information disclosed under 37 cfr 1.97 and 1.98 the prior art relates to seat cover devices for stadium seats. existing devices often simply rest on top of the seat and are prone to falling, or only cover the seat bottom. few devices secure both the seat back and seat bottom and provide cushion to both. known devices that also include integrated storage often incorporate a bulky solution that makes the device difficult to transport. brief summary of the invention an embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a bottom cushion pocket having a bottom cushion pocket back side, a bottom cushion pocket front side, a bottom cushion pocket left side, a bottom cushion pocket right side, a bottom cushion pocket top side, and a bottom cushion pocket bottom side. a bottom cushion is coupled within the bottom cushion pocket. a bottom support pocket is coupled to the bottom cushion pocket. the bottom support pocket is coupled to the bottom cushion pocket bottom side and the bottom cushion pocket front side. the bottom support pocket is configured to selectively receive a seat bottom of a stadium seat. a connector is coupled to the bottom cushion pocket and a top cushion pocket is coupled to the connector. the top cushion pocket has a top cushion pocket back side, a top cushion pocket front side, a top cushion pocket left side, a top cushion pocket right side, a top cushion pocket top side, and a top cushion pocket bottom side. a top cushion is coupled within the top cushion pocket. a top support pocket is coupled to the top cushion pocket. the top support pocket is coupled to the top cushion pocket top side and the top cushion pocket back side. the top support pocket is configured to selectively receive a seat top of the stadium seat. there has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. there are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. the objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. brief description of several views of the drawing(s) the disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: fig. 1 is an isometric view of a cushioned stadium seat cover according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 2 is a rear elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 3 is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 4 is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 5 is an isometric in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. detailed description of the invention with reference now to the drawings, and in particular to figs. 1 through 5 thereof, a new seat cover device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described. as best illustrated in figs. 1 through 5 , the cushioned stadium seat cover 10 generally comprises a bottom cushion pocket 12 having a bottom cushion pocket back side 14 , a bottom cushion pocket front side 16 , a bottom cushion pocket left side 18 , a bottom cushion pocket right side 20 , a bottom cushion pocket top side 22 , and a bottom cushion pocket bottom side 24 . a bottom cushion 26 is coupled within the bottom cushion pocket 12 . the bottom cushion 26 is a resilient cushioned material such as, but not limited to, foam materials and the like. a bottom support pocket 28 is coupled to the bottom cushion pocket 12 . the bottom support pocket 28 is coupled to the bottom cushion pocket bottom side 24 and the bottom cushion pocket front side 16 . the bottom support pocket 28 is configured to selectively receive a seat bottom 30 of a stadium seat 32 . a connector 34 is coupled to the bottom cushion pocket 12 . a top cushion pocket 36 is coupled to the connector 34 . the top cushion pocket 36 has a top cushion pocket back side 38 , a top cushion pocket front side 40 , a top cushion pocket left side 42 , a top cushion pocket right side 44 , a top cushion pocket top side 46 , and a top cushion pocket bottom side 48 . the top cushion pocket 36 may be dimensioned to conform to the bottom cushion pocket 12 . the top cushion pocket front side 40 may have a logo or design for advertising or personal taste. the connector 34 may be coupled between the bottom cushion pocket top side 22 and the top cushion pocket front side 40 . a top cushion 50 is coupled within the top cushion pocket 36 . the top cushion 50 may be the same dimensions and material as the bottom cushion 26 . a top support pocket 52 is coupled to the top cushion pocket 36 . the top support pocket 52 is coupled to the top cushion pocket top side 46 and the top cushion pocket back side 38 . the top support pocket 52 is configured to selectively receive a seat top 54 of the stadium seat. the bottom cushion pocket front side 16 , the bottom cushion pocket top side 22 , the bottom support pocket 28 , the connector 34 , the top cushion pocket front side 40 , the top cushion pocket top side 46 , and the top support pocket 52 may be a one-piece construction. the material may be washable, stain-proof, and water resistant. a pouch 56 is coupled to the bottom cushion pocket 12 . the pouch 56 may have a pouch back side 58 coupled to the bottom cushion pocket front side 16 , a pouch left side 60 , a pouch right side 62 , a pouch front side 64 , and a pouch bottom side 66 defining a pouch inside 68 . the pouch inside 68 is configured to hold a user's cellphone, snacks, and other desired items for safe keeping. the pouch 56 , the bottom cushion pocket 12 , the bottom cushion 26 , the bottom support pocket 28 , the connector 34 , the top cushion pocket 36 , and the top cushion 50 may be rollable and insertable within the top support pocket 52 . in use, the bottom support pocket 28 and the top support pocket 52 are engaged with the seat bottom 30 and the seat top 54 of the stadium seat, respectively. items are placed within the pouch inside 68 as desired and the game or show is comfortably enjoyed. when complete, the pouch 56 , the bottom cushion pocket 12 , the bottom cushion 26 , the bottom support pocket 28 , the connector 34 , the top cushion pocket 36 , and the top cushion 50 are rolled and inserted within the top support pocket 52 for storage and easy transportation. with respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. in this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. a reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
|
012-346-437-960-332
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
A61K38/00,A61K47/48,C07K14/47,C12N1/21,C12Q1/68
| 1987-08-20T00:00:00 |
1987
|
[
"A61",
"C07",
"C12"
] |
human mannose-binding protein
|
purified human mannose-binding protein and fragments thereof, nucleic acid producing these fragments, and vectors and cells including such nucleic acid are disclosed. the peptides and antibodies to those peptides are useful for diagnosis and treatment of disease.
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1. an isolated nucleic acid encoding human mannose-binding protein, said human mannose-binding protein having the sequence encoded by plasmid pmbp deposited in the atcc as strain number atcc 67483. 2. an isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide, said polypeptide comprising at least 20 contiguous amino acids of the carbohydrate binding domain of the human mannose-binding protein encoded by plasmid pmbp deposited in the atcc as strain number atcc 67483, said polypeptide being characterized by the ability to bind specifically to cells expressing mannose, n-acetylglucosamine, or fucose. 3. the isolated nucleic acid of claim 2 wherein said polypeptide comprises the exon 4 sequence shown in figs. 2a and 2b. 4. an isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide, said polypeptide comprising at least 20 contiguous amino acids of the complement fixing domain of the human mannose-binding protein encoded by plasmid pmbp deposited in the atcc as strain number atcc 67483, said polypeptide being characterized by the ability to fix complement. 5. the isolated nucleic acid of claim 4 wherein said polypeptide comprises the exon 2 sequence shown in figs. 2a and 2b. 6. the isolated nucleic acid of any of claim 1 and 2-5 wherein said nucleic acid is cdna. 7. the isolated nucleic acid of claim 2 or claim 4 wherein said nucleic acid is ligated to nucleic acid encoding at least a toxic portion of a cytotoxin. 8. the isolated nucleic acid of claim 7 wherein said cytotoxin is chosen from dideoxycytosine, azt, ricin, diphtheria toxin, or cholera toxin. 9. the isolated nucleic acid of claims 4 or 5 wherein said nucleic acid is ligated to nucleic acid encoding a portion of the cd4 molecule characterized by its ability to bind to a human immunodeficiency virus (hiv). 10. an expression vector comprising the isolated nucleic acid of any one of claims 1, 2 and 4. 11. a recombinant cell comprising the isolated nucleic acid of any one of claims 1, 2 and 4. 12. the cell of claim 11 wherein said cell is a bacterium, fungus, or eucaryotic cell. 13. the cell of claim 12 wherein said cell is: a) an escherichia coli cell; b) a yeast cell; or c) a cultured eucaryotic cell line.
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summary of the invention in one aspect, the invention features engineered nucleic acid encoding for at least 20, preferably 60, 150, or even more preferably 350, contiguous amino acids of a portion of human mannose-binding protein, useful for targeting cells expressing mannose, n-acetylglucosamine, or fucose, useful for fixing complement, or useful as an antigen for formation of antibodies to human mannose binding protein. by "engineered nucleic acid" is meant nucleic acid removed from its natural environment (i.e., from naturally adjacent nucleic acid) by recombinant dna methodology, or synthetic nucleic acid, or cdna. this nucleic acid may be a fragment of dna or rna, it may be present in a vector system (e.g., a plasmid, cosmid or phage), or it may be within the genome of an organism. such nucleic acid is also referred to as purified nucleic acid, and includes a homogeneous preparation of desired nucleic acid. by "useful for targeting cells" is meant that the portion of human mannose-binding protein can specifically recognize pathogenic cells (e.g., bacteria, fungi, or viruses) having exposed configurations of the specified sugar moieties on their cell wall or envelope glycoprotein, and thus be used as a probe for those cells, or as a tool for delivery of specific molecules (e.g., toxins or cell specific molecules such as the t-cell antigen, cd4) to those cells, or as an in vivo marker for those cells to the immune system. by "useful for fixing complement" is meant that the portion is able to bind to the serum proteins collectively called complement, and thereby stimulate the binding of macrophages to the protein and subsequent ingestion by those macrophages. by "useful as an antigen" is meant that the portion is active to provoke an immune response to cause production of antibodies to a human mannose-binding protein. in preferred embodiments, the nucleic acid is cdna and encodes a peptide having greater than 75% homology to a fragment of at least 60, preferably 150, or even more preferably 350, contiguous amino acids of human mannose binding protein; most preferably the nucleic acid encodes for human mannose-binding protein. in other preferred embodiments, the nucleic acid encodes the carbohydrate binding region, the amino-terminal region, the collagen-like region (which includes the complement-fixing portion), or the cell-binding domain of human mannose binding protein; most preferably, the nucleic acid includes at least, or has 75% homology with, the 150 bases, from region 366-813 shown in fig. 2; and the nucleic acid is ligated to nucleic acid encoding the toxic part of a toxin molecule (e.g., azt, ricin, or cholera toxin), to nucleic acid encoding a peptide useful for fixing complement, or useful as an antigen for formation of antibodies to human mannose-binding protein. even more preferrably, the nucleic acid is ligated to nucleic acid encoding a molecule useful for targeting a virus, e.g., the molecule is the t cell antigen cd4 and the virus is that causative of an autoimmune disease, such as hiv-1. the hybrid peptides encoded by such ligated nucleic acid are especially useful for causing a toxic type molecule to be targeted to an undesired cell or other organism, such as a virus. other useful hybrid peptides include those encoded by nucleic acid encoding the complement-fixing portion of human mannose-binding protein ligated to nucleic acid encoding a molecule, such as cd4 useful for targeting a virus. in a related aspect, the invention features a fragment of at least 150 contiguous bases of the nucleic acid encoding human mannose-binding protein deposited in the atcc as strain number atcc 67483 and chosen from nucleic acid encoding for a peptide useful for targeting cells expressing mannose, n-acetylglucosamine, or fucose, a peptide useful for fixing complement, or a peptide useful as an antigen for formation of antibodies to human mannose-binding protein. most preferably, the nucleic acid substantially corresponds to the nucleic acid encoding human mannose-binding protein deposited in the atcc as strain number atcc 67483. in other aspects, the invention features recombinant human mannose-binding protein, an expression vector, or a cell containing the vector, each vector having the engineered nucleic acid described above, and purified recombinant peptides expressed from these vectors or cells. in preferred embodiments, the cell is a virus (e.g., vaccinia), bacterium (e.g., escherichia coli), fungus (e.g., yeast), or eucaryotic cell (e.g., a cultured cell line). by peptide is meant a chain of about ten or more amino acids, including proteins and polypeptides which are useful in this invention as discussed above. by recombinant peptide is meant a peptide, as described above, or a portion of human mannose-binding protein, that is expressed from engineered nucleic acid. the peptides described above, and antibodies to those peptides, may be used as therapeutic or diagnostic agents. preferably the peptide is purified, that is, the peptide is substantially separated from contaminating peptides, most preferably it is provided as an homogenous preparation admixed in a carrier substance suitable for therapeutic use. by therapeutic agent is meant a substance useful for the treatment of a disease or disorder; by diagnostic agent is meant a substance relating to the detection of a disease or disorder. in yet other aspects, the invention features methods for treating an animal, e.g., a human, infected with a bacterium, fungus, or virus. one such method includes providing and administering a therapeutically effective amount of a therapeutic agent or peptide including a portion of human mannose binding protein inhibitory to the growth of, or infection by, the bacterium, fungus or virus, or a therapeutic peptide useful for targeting cells expressing mannose, n-acetylglucosamine, or fucose or for fixing complement. the therapeutic agent or peptide causes direct inhibition of growth of the infective organism, or causes host defensive cells, e.g., macrophages, to be attracted to the pathogenic organisms which are thereby inactivated. such inactivation may be aided by the presence of complement which is fixed by the peptide. a therapeutically effective amount is that quantity which produces a significant physiological effect in the patient, and is recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art to depend upon the size and weight of the animal as well as other well known factors. in preferred embodiments, the peptide is a therapeutically effective fragment of human mannose-binding protein; the peptide is able to inhibit (e.g. reduce or prevent) growth of, or infection by, the bacterium, fungus, or virus, and is a peptide as described above. most preferably, the animal is human; the infection is one that results in a bacteremia or local bacterial infection, parasitic infection, or fungal colonization, and the route of administration is either intravenous, intramuscular, oral, or local, e.g., in the form of a powder, or lotion, preferably at 5-100 .mu.g/ml, more preferably at 25 .mu.g/ml; or the virus is hiv or a related virus, and the peptide lowers the rate of infection of eucaryotic cells by the virus; the protein or peptide is a portion of mannose-binding protein provided at 1-500 .mu.g/ml (preferably 150 .mu.g/ml) final concentration in human serum or tissue. alternatively, lipid vesicles, or lyposomes, containing toxins or antibiotics are coated with the peptide and administered directly to the patient. such lyposomes will be targeted to the infected area by the peptide and the content of the lyposomes released, thereby specifically retarding or preventing growth of the targeted cells or organisms in the targeted area. in a related aspect, the invention features a coated catheter, useful for long-term administration of fluids to a patient. the catheter is coated with one of the above-described peptides, e.g., by impregnating the catheter material with the peptide. the peptide lowers the rate of bacterial, fungal or viral infection of the patient through the catheter. in other aspects, the invention features methods for diagnosing infection by a bacterium, fungus or virus, for diagnosing a patient's susceptible to such infection, and for predicting imminent infection of a patient. the methods include detecting the serum level of a mannose-binding protein in a patient. this level reflects the infection of the patient, the susceptibility of the patient to an infection, or the imminence of infection. preferably, the methods feature detecting reaction of an antibody to one of the above peptides with the serum of a patient; most preferably the detecting is by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) test. in a final and related aspect, the invention features a purified antibody useful for detecting the presence of an above described recombinant peptide, or a human mannose binding protein. the antibody is preferably provided as a homogeneous preparation of a monoclonal or polyclonal antibody. the antibody is useful for purification of human mannose-binding proteins or peptides thereof, for therapeutic treatment of patients, and for diagnosis of infection, of susceptiblity to infection, or of imminence of infection, as disclosed above. other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, and from the claims. description of the preferred embodiments the drawings will first briefly be described. drawings fig. 1 is a diagram of a proposed model of human mannose-binding protein. figs. 2a and 2b show the nucleotide base sequence and corresponding amino acid sequence of human mannose-binding protein cdna. appropriate portions of exons are shown. fig. 3 is a restriction endonuclease map of the human mannose-binding protein cdna insertin pmbp. figs. 4a and 4b show the nucleotide base sequence and corresponding amino acid sequence of the human mannose binding protein genomic dna. the asterix designated a translational stop codon. bases shown in small letters are parts of introns. fig. 5 is a comparison of the amino acid sequence of human mannose-binding protein with other lectins; invariant regions are shown on the top line, and galactose and mannose-specific regions on the lower lines. on the second line is shown the complete sequence of core proteoglycan receptor (cpg-r), a protein that binds galactose. human mannose-binding protein (mbp-human) mbp-human is a soluble lectin like molecule which is synthesized in hepatocytes and released into the bloodstream. generally, mbp-human is able to bind carbohydrates (such as mannose, n-acetylglucosamine, or fucose) at its carbohydrate binding domain and, therefore, is able to selectively recognize (or target) configurations of high mannose, n-acetylglucosamine, or fucose which are present on pathogens. interaction of mbp-human with mannose rich pathogens enhances clearance of these pathogen by phagocytosis or results in activation of complement via the alternative complement pathway. mbp-human can be isolated generally as described by wild et al., supra, and drickamer et al. supra, for example, by passage down a mannose-sepharose column. the general structure of mbp-human is shown in fig. 1.; the cdna sequence (with exon boundaries indicated) and corresponding amino acid sequence are shown in figs. 2a and 2b. the amino terminal end 10 (corresponding to exon 1. nucleotide bases 1-252) is cysteine rich, consistent with the formation of multimers in the native molecule by interchain disulfide bridges. adjacent this region is a collagen-like segment 12 (exon 2, nucleotide bases 253-369) having a repeated pattern of gly x-y (gly represents glycine; x and y are other amino acids), similar to those of non-fibrillar collagen genes. the structure of this segment is consistent with that of an effector region that interacts with complement components. segment 14 (exon 3, nucleotide bases 370-438) represents a putative cell attachment domain which facilitates attachment and ingestion by phagocyte cells. segment 16 is a carboxy-terminal carbohydrate recognition domain (exon 4, nucleotide bases 439-813). the mannose-binding domain is within this region. nucleic acid, for example, dna, encoding mbp-human can be isolated by standard techniques. for example, oligonucleotide probes specific for the nucleic acid may be constructed and used to probe either genomic or cdna libraries, as described by drickamer et al., supra. alternatively, gene fragments from related genes can be used as probes. preferably, the probe is homologous (or closely related in sequence) to a region of the carbohydrate binding domain of mbp-human. the clones isolated by this technique contain engineered nucleic acid. once isolated, the gene encoding mbp-human is useful for producing recombinant mbp-human protein, or peptide fragments thereof. in addition, the nucleic acid can be modified by standard techniques in order to express the same or modified peptides; e.g., by conservative base substitution the nucleic acid can be modified and still encode the same amino acid sequence, or the nucleic acid can be modified to encode a conservative amino acid substitution, which will preserve the tertiary structure and the distribution of charged amino acids in the peptide. examples of cloning mbp-human encoding nucleic acid are provided below. these examples are not limiting to the invention and one skilled in the art will recognize that there are many equivalent means for accomplishing similar results. example 1 cdna clones a human liver cdna library was constructed in pkt218 by standard technique as described by woods et al. proc. natl. acad. sci. usa. 79:5661, 1982. this library was probed using a gel purified radiolabelled rat mbp-c cdna sequence digested with xhoi and ecori as described by drickamer et al., supra. this probe was used under non-stringent conditions to identify potentially useful clones. the filters were prehybridized for 1 hour at 42.degree. c. in 0.75m nacl, 50 mm sodium phosphate, ph 7.4, 5 mm edta, 5x denhardt's solution and 0.1% sds (5x ssc), and then hybridized overnight at 42.degree. c. the filters were washed at 45.degree. c. in 2x ssc for 30 minutes and then in 1x ssc for 30 minutes. in addition, a hepg2 .lambda.gt10 cdna library plated in e. coli c600 was screened, as described by kwiatkowski et al. nature 323:455, 1986. five clones, including pmbp, were isolated and their sequences determined by the method of sanger et al. (proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 74:5463, 1977) using m13, mp18 cloning vectors (messing et al. proc. nat. acad. sci. u.s.a. 74:3642, 1977). this sequence is provided in fig. 2. the restriction map of pmbp is provided in fig. 3; it has a 3.6 kb ecori insert isolated from the above .lambda.gt10 library. example 2 genomic clone the 650 bp carboxy terminal pst-1 fragment (fig. 3) of a mbp-human cdna clone was used as a probe for a human genomic library. this library was constructed by standard techniques in embl 3a by inserting mbol-digested genomic dna into the bamhi site. clones which hybridized under stringent conditions were isolated. specifically, the hybridization was performed as described above, except the wash conditions were at 68.degree. c. in 0.1x ssc. the positively identified clones were plaque purified and their nucleic acid sequence (figs. 4a and 4b) determined as above. expression of mbp-human peptide fragments is by standard procedure. for example, the desired region of the mbp-human encoding dna, preferably the cdna, can be isolated from one of the above-described clones and inserted into any one of several standard expression vectors. a preferred region for expression is that encoding the carbohydrate binding domain, most preferably the mannose binding domain. in addition, the other regions of mbp-human can cooperate to target cells expressing mannose the carbohydrate binding domain included in a 447bp fragment which includes nucleotide bases 366-813 (fig. 2a). to identify the desired region more specifically, the sequence is compared to that in related proteins such as human mannose receptor. in order to show that any particular region of mbp-human does bind mannose, the cdna encoding it can be engineered by standard procedures to produce clones containing just this region. the resulting cloned dna is then inserted into an expression vector. the peptide produced by such a vector is then passed through a mannose-sepharose column to see whether it will bind to mannose. alternatively, a radioimmunoassay can be performed to see if radiolabelled mannose will react with the expressed peptide. those peptides which bind mannose are among those useful in this invention. it is unlikely that a single short linear region of amino acids of the mbp-human peptide is involved in binding to mannose, rather two or more such regions will probably cooperate to form a three-dimensional peptide configuration which can interact with, and bind, mannose. such regions can be identified by comparison to other mannose-binding proteins as described above, and the dna fragment encoding all such regions cloned and expressed. such a dna fragment is likely to be at least 60-90 base pairs in length, encoding at least 20-30 amino acids. referring to fig. 5, such a comparison was performed by comparing other lectins, with mannose or other sugar binding specificities, to mbp-human. the sequences (except for the mbp sequence) and the alignment used in fig. 5 were obtained from drickamer et al., then in press, now (1987) kidney international 32:67-94. the lower line of the figure shows a concensus for mannose binding proteins, the amino acids on this line and in the upper line (showing invariant amino acids) are the most important for binding to mannose. these results were obtained by comparison of mbp-human to lectin proteins including the human and rat hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptors (drickamer, j. biol. chem. 263:9557, 1988), the avian heptic receptor (drickamer, 1988 supra), the apoprotein of dog (benson et al., proc. natl. acad. sci. usa. 82:6379, 1985) and human surfactant (white et al., nature 317:361, 1985); the nh.sub.2 portion of a galactose specific lectin isolated from the hemolymph of s. periginia (takahashi et al., j. biol. chem. 260:12228, 1985); a lectin isolated from the coelomic fluid of a sea urchin a. crassispina (giga et al., j. biol. chem. 13:6197, 1987); a chicken cartilage core proteoglycan protein (shigaku et al., proc. natl. acad. sci usa. 83:5081, 1986) and the ige fc receptor (ikuta et al., proc. natl. acad. sci. usa. 84:819, 1987). the above described mannose binding peptide, or the entire recombinant protein, is useful for specifically targeting (or specifically recognizing) cells expressing carbohydrates such as mannose, n-acetylglucosamine, or fucose on their surface, e.g., bacteria, fungi, and viruses. by linking this peptide to molecules able to kill or inhibit growth of such cells, a hybrid peptide of great therapeutic use can be constructed. for example, the toxic part of ricin and cholera toxin (i.e., the portion of the toxin molecule specifically able to kill or inhibit growth of cells), or chemicals such as azt can be linked to this peptide. the nucleic acid encoding such toxins can be ligated to the mannose binding peptide-encoding nucleic acid and expressed as a single entity to form a hybrid peptide, for example, as described by murphy u.s. pat. no. 4,675,382, hereby incorporated by reference. (by ligated is meant linked enzymatically or chemically to form a single nucleic acid entity.) alternatively, the two peptides can be synthesized separately and linked chemically, for example, as described by ross u.s. pat. no. 4,275,000, hereby incorporated by reference. another region for expression includes the complement fixing domain at nucleotide bases 253-369 (fig. 2a). the specific segment of nucleic acid which encodes a useful complement fixing portion of mbp-human can be identified by standard technique, using methods similar to those described above for identifying portions able to bind mannose. the peptide produced by an expression vector containing dna cloned from such a region can be isolated by ion-exchange chromatography and linked to a molecule capable of binding as a cognate molecule, to a specific virus. such a chimeric peptide is able to bind to the specific virus, and mediate complement fixation and thus the inactivation of the virus. by cognate molecule is meant a molecule that binds its target molecule as a lock and key. expression vectors suitable for peptide expression include standard bacterial (e.g., pkk233-2, amann et al. gene in press, sold by pharmacia, 800 centennial avenue, piscataway, n.j. 08854), yeast, and viral expression vectors, as well as eucaryotic vectors. those skilled in the art will realise that such vectors generally are suitable for expressing the protein, and the example below is not limiting to this invention. example 3 expression of peptides a human mannose-binding protein cdna clone representing the coding region from the first in-frame atg to the termination codon (nucleotide bases 66-813, figs. 2a and 2b) was prepared and xhoi linkers ligated at both ends of the cdna. the cdna was subcloned into a newly constructed vector containing the pbr322 origin of replication, immunoglobin heavy chain enhancer, metallothionein promoter, xhoi cloning site, a polyadenylation signal and a dihydrofolate reductase gene. the vector was digested with xhoi, and the cdna was ligated into the vector. this dna was then transfected into ns-1 myeloma cells by standard procedure (cloning, a laboratory manual, ed, pouwels et al., elsevier science pub., 52 vanderbilt avenue, ny, n.y. 10017, 1985) in the presence of methotrexate and colonies resistant to methotrexate selected. a clone which secreted 20 to 40 .mu.g/ml of recombinant mannose-binding protein was identified and expanded and recombinant mannose binding protein recovered on a mannan-sepharose column. in a second construction, a fragment beginning at nucleotide 366 and extending to nucleotide 813 (figs. 2a and 2b) containing the carbohydrate recognition domain, 80 mbp-human, was constructed and ligated at the 5' end to the immunoglobulin heavy chain signal peptide sequence containing an in-frame initiator codon. xhoi linkers were ligated at both ends of the fragment, the cdna was subcloned into a xhoi vector, the dna was transfected into ns-1 myoloma cells, colonies resistant to methotrexate were selected, and the recombinant polypeptide was recovered as described above. this polypeptide contains the carbohydrate recognition domain alone of mannose binding proteins and is able to recognize bacterial targets which are rich in mannose, n-acetylglucosamine, and fucose. expression of human mannose-binding peptides by these vectors and organisms can be followed using a sepharose-mannose column. the column is first contacted with the expressed material. peptides able to recognize and bind mannose are bound to the mannose-sepharose matrix, eluted with 50 mm tris/10 mm edta, and identified using 8% polyacrylamide gels (with laemmli buffers, nature 227:600, 1970). those clones which produce mannose binding peptides, i.e., peptides which bind to such a column, are among those useful in this invention. antibodies to expressed peptides such as those described above can be produced by standard techniques. peptides useful for preparation of such antibodies are identified by standard procedure, e.g., by determining those that induce antibodies which immunologically react with mbp-human. the antibodies may be monoclonal or polyclonal and are useful for identification of the peptides within animal serum or in clinical diagnostic tests. use exposed mannose is a feature of the cell walls of many pathogens, whereas higher organisms, including humans and animals, tend to have processed membrane glycoproteins having complex sugars which mask internal mannose residues. these internal mannose residues are not recognized by mbps. native or recombinant mannose binding proteins, or chimeric peptides containing the mannose binding domain, are useful therapeutic agents. these proteins or peptides specifically bind mannose-rich pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, yeasts, parasites, or the envelope glycoproteins of certain viruses, and thus direct removal of such pathogens from the animal. for non-viral pathogens, efficacy of removal by host defense mechanisms may be increased by directing attachment of the mannose binding protein complex to the surface of phagocyte cells, thereby enhancing the clearance of the pathogens from the circulation, by causing the phagocytes to recognize these pathogens. for viruses, which express mannose-rich glycoproteins, direct inactivation of the virus and viral infected cells is enhanced by attaching toxins, such as ricin, cholera, or diptheria or antimetabolite drugs, such as azt, to a therapeutic peptide containing the mannose binding domain of the mannose-binding protein, as described earlier. for example, the fragment from base pair 366 to 813 shown in figs. 2a and 2b containing the carboxy-terminal mannose binding domain of mbp-human can be expressed in an expression vector (see example 3 above) and the peptide produced linked chemically, at the amino terminal end, to a toxic nucleotide analog such as dideoxycytosine or azt. the hybrid peptide thus formed can serve to kill or inhibit growth of the target cell. the amino terminal portion of human mannose-binding protein including the complement binding domain, encoded by the nucleic acid from nucleotide-bases at position 66-366 of fig. 2a can be covalently binded (at its carboxy-terminal end) to the first 180 amino acids of the cd4 receptor protein of t lymphocytes. this domain of cd4 is able to bind to the envelope glycoprotein of the human immunodeficiency virus or hiv (the virus thought to cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or aids) as described by berger et al., proc. natl. acad. sci., usa 85:2357-2361, 1988. consequently, this construction of the mannose-binding protein-cd4 fusion protein can be aimed at targeting hiv via the cd4 domain, and mediating complement fixation via the mannose-binding protein fragment. alternatively, a peptide such as that prepared in example 3, which contains the mannose-binding region of mbp-human without the complement binding domain, can be used to target hiv. as shown below, fluorescently-labelled such peptides do not bind to cells uninfected with hiv but do bind to infected cells. the resulting product should be particularly effective in specifically targeting drug-like molecules to hiv or hiv-infected cells without a concurrent activation of complement. example 4 hiv targeting mbp-human was shown to be effective in vitro for preventing infection of h9 cd4.sup.+ cells with hiv. purified hiv was incubated in the presence or absence of highly purified homogenous mbp-human (prepared as described by summerfield et al., bioc. et biop. acta 883:197, 1986; wild et al., biochem. j. 210:167, 1983; townsend et al., biochem. j. 194:209, 1981; and kawasaki et al., j. biochem. 94:937, 1983). the treated virus was then incubated with h9 cd4.sup.+ lymphocytes (which are primary targets for hiv infection), and 7 days later viral infectivity was measured by a) the appearance of hiv envelope glycoprotein (which was assayed on the cell surface by immunofluorescence using specific anti-envelope glycoprotein antisera) and b) the presence of reverse transcriptase activity (which is present only when the cell is infected with hiv). mbp-human completely inhibits viral entry into cells. this was shown by the absence of hiv envelope glycoprotein on the cell surface, and by undetectable reverse transcriptase activity. control experiments showed that the inhibition by mbp-human was specific; these experiments involved competing mbp human with mannose rich yeast mannan, and neo-glycoprotein mannose bsa. in experiments using fluorescently-labelled mbp-human to observe binding to infected or uninfected cells, the fluorescently-labelled mbp-human was used to show that mannan and mannose-bsa inhibits the binding of mbp-human to virally infected cells, and that mbp-human does not bind uninfected h9 cells. thus mbp-human is recognizing exposed mannose units on these cells. thus, mbp-human or the mannose binding domain thereof are suitable for identifying cells infected with hiv, or related viruses which express mannose rich envelope glycoproteins on their cell surface. mbp-human, the mannose binding domain, or chimeric or altered molecules thereof can be used to target cytotoxic agents to directly and specifically kill infected cells. further, these molecules can be used to prevent the spread of viral infection, and even the initial infection itself. mbp-human and related peptides as described above may be administered by routine methods in pharmaceutically acceptable carrier substances, i.e., inert substances suitable for pharmaceutical use such as the dispensing of drugs or medicine. for example, they can be injected directly into the blood stream of an animal, especially humans, to a level of between 1-500 .mu.g/ml serum (most preferably, 150 .mu.g/ml) final concentration, and this dose repeated to maintain this level. they can be administered prophylactically or after infection to treat, for example, pneumocystis. in another prophylactic use, mbp-human may be used to coat intravenous or urethral catheters (e.g., by chemical impregnation of the catheter material with mbp-human or related peptides) to prevent infection in immunocompromised patients (e.g., cancer patients subjected to long term intravenous chemotherapy). such catheters will bind infective organisms and prevent their entry into the patient. the peptides may be administered orally, injected subcutaneously, or applied in powder or lotion form (at a concentration of between 5-100 .mu.g/ml, preferably 25 .mu.g/ml), for example, to treat local infections, such as bacterial infection, yeast infection, or infection with trichophyton, which causes athlete's foot. another use of these peptides is in the determination of an animal's susceptibility to infection by agents such as hiv. here, the serum level of mbps in the animal is measured using antibodies raised against mbp-human, or related peptides, in for example, an elisa protocol. the level of mbps in the serum can then be related to the susceptibility to infection of this animal to an agent, and this relationship used to estimate other animals' susceptibility. thus, for example if a high level of mbp human is linked to low susceptibility to infection by hiv, then a human having a low level of mbp-human is likely to be susceptible to hiv infection. further, at the genomic level, such susceptibility may be related to defects in the nucleic acid. such defects can be discovered using the cloned mbp-human genes, or fragments thereof, as probes. polymorphisms linked to hiv susceptibility can be detected and used to predict susceptibility of other humans to infection. mbps can also be used as a diagnostic tool, e.g., for the diagnosis of fungal diseases. fungi infecting an animal will shed a mannose-rich polysaccharide into the serum. one hundred .mu.l of serum from a patient can be analyzed with fluorescently-labelled mbp-human to observe binding to the fungal polysaccharide coat, and the degree of binding can be related to the degree of fungal infection remaining following a course of treatment. appropriate subseguent treatment can be planned accordingly. the presence of mbp human can be used as an indicator of imminent infection, especially in newborns. the acute phase response is a nonspecific primitive response to stress, inducing the synthesis of a variety of proteins which are secreted in the liver. synthesis of mannose-binding protein is part of this response to stress and infection (ezekowitz et al. j. exp. med. 167:1034, 1988), and therefore the presence of increased levels of mbp-human can be a predictor of imminent infection. analysis of blood from 12 premature infants shows that high levels of mannose-binding protein (i.e., greater than 50 .mu.g/ml serum) correlates with infection. in three infants, raised mannose binding protein levels preceded the clinical signs of infection. detection of high levels of mannose binding protein can provide a useful and sensitive assay for predicting imminent infection in infants, thereby allowing administration of the appropriate treatment before the infection becomes established. deposits plasmid pmbp, in e. coli, was deposited on aug. 4, 1987, with the american type culture collection (atcc) where the deposit was given the accession number atcc 67483. applicant's assignee, children's medical center corporation, represents that the atcc is a depository affording permanence of the deposit and ready accessibility thereto by the public if a patent is granted. all restrictions on the availability to the public of the material so deposited will be irrevocably removed upon the granting of a patent. the material will be available during the pendency of the patent application to one determined by the commissioner to be entitled thereto under 37 cfr 1.14 and 35 usc 122. the deposited material will be maintained with all the care necessary to keep it viable and uncontaminated for a period of at least five years after the most recent request for the furnishing of a sample of the deposited microorganism, and in any case, for a period of at least thirty (30) years after the date of deposit or for the enforceable life of the patent, whichever period is longer. applicant's assignee acknowledges its duty to replace the deposit should the depository be unable to furnish a sample when requested due to the condition of the deposit. other embodiments are within the following claims.
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012-559-074-000-867
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US
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[
"US"
] |
A41C3/00,A41C5/00,D04B1/24
| 1994-05-03T00:00:00 |
1994
|
[
"A41",
"D04"
] |
circularly knit bodysuit and a blank and method for making same
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this invention discloses a shirt, bodysuit and teddy having built-in breast cups and/or selected areas of varying cross-stretch in order to provide compressive support for a wearer's body, and methods and blanks for manufacturing such shirts, bodysuits and teddies. in particular, circular knitting operations are used to produce garments having areas of compressive support in the middle torso region, and a greater amount of cross-stretch in the region corresponding to a wearer's breast area. in addition, the garments can include integrally-knit breast cups and a gathered panel located between the breast cups. shirts made according to the present invention can include a turned welt about their lower or shirttail ends, in order to eliminate the need for hemming the lower shirt portion. blanks and methods for making the garments are also disclosed, which require only a minimal number of manufacturing operations to be converted into completed garments.
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1. a method of making a circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment for covering substantially the entire torso of a wearer comprising: knitting a series of courses defining a non-raveling edge; and then knitting to the non-raveling edge a series of courses defining a tubular fabric lower torso portion; and then knitting to said lower torso portion a series of courses defining a tubular fabric middle torso portion having a first predetermined cross-stretch; and then knitting to said middle torso portion a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion having a second predetermined cross-stretch, a front portion of said upper torso portion having a pair of differentially shaped breast cups with respect to the remainder of the upper torso portion defined by areas in which the courses are simple knit courses; and then knitting to said upper torso portion a series of courses defining a shoulder portion including a plurality of elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit, with the areas being separated from each other by an elongate panel area, and then completing the blank by knitting several courses forming a non-raveling edge. 2. the method of making a circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 1, wherein said steps of knitting series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion and a tubular fabric middle torso portion comprise knitting said series of courses so that said first predetermined cross-stretch is less than said second predetermined cross-stretch, thereby providing a middle torso portion which is more compressive than said upper torso portion. 3. the method of making a circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 1, wherein said series of courses defining said upper torso portion comprises larger knit stitches than said series of courses defining said middle torso portion. 4. the method of making a circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 1, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion having a pair of differentially shaped breast cups includes knitting an area between the breast cups separating the cups one from another by a gathered panel comprising succeeding courses which vary between simple knit and welt knit courses. 5. the method of making a circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 1, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric lower torso portion includes knitting a portion of the lower torso portion using a pile forming stitch, to thereby form a crotch portion for the garment. 6. the method of making a circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 1, wherein said steps of knitting series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion and a tubular fabric middle torso portion comprise knitting said series of courses so that said first predetermined cross-stretch is less than said second predetermined cross-stretch, thereby providing a middle torso portion which is more compressive than said upper torso portion, and wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion having a pair of differentially shaped breast cups includes knitting an area between the breast cups separating the cups one from another by a gathered panel comprising succeeding courses which vary between simple knit and welt knit courses. 7. the method of making a circularly knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 1, wherein said step of knitting to said middle torso portion a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion occurs at a region of the blank for corresponding to the junction of the wearer's breasts with the torso when the blank is converted into a garment. 8. a circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment for covering substantially the entire torso of a wearer comprising: a series of courses defining a non-raveling edge; a lower torso portion comprising a series of courses knit to said non-raveling edge to define a tubular fabric portion; a middle torso portion comprising a series of courses knit to said lower torso portion and defining a tubular fabric portion having a first predetermined cross-stretch; an upper torso portion comprising a series of courses knit to said middle torso portion and defining a tubular fabric portion having a pair of breast cups on a frontal portion thereof defined by areas in which the courses are simple knit, said upper torso portion having a second predetermined cross-stretch; a shoulder portion comprising a series of courses knit to said upper torso portion and defining plural elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit and each of which is separated from the other by an elongate panel area; and a plurality of courses knit to said shoulder portion and forming a non-raveling edge. 9. the circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 8, wherein said breast cups are separated from each other by gathered panels comprising alternating simple and welt knit courses. 10. the circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 8, wherein said first predetermined cross-stretch is less than said second predetermined cross-stretch, thereby providing a middle torso portion which is more compressive than said upper torso portion. 11. the circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 10, wherein said series of courses defining said upper torso portion comprises larger knit stitches than said series of courses defining said middle torso portion. 12. the circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 8, wherein a portion of said lower torso portion has a pile-forming knit configuration. 13. the circular knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 8, wherein said breast cups are separated from each other by gathered panels comprising alternating simple and welt knit courses and wherein said first predetermined cross-stretch is less than said second predetermined cross-stretch, thereby providing a middle torso portion which is more compressive than said upper torso portion. 14. a method of making a garment for covering substantially the entire torso of a wearer using a circularly knit blank comprising the steps of: knitting a series of courses defining a non-raveling edge, then knitting to the non-raveling edge a series of courses defining a tubular fabric lower torso portion; then knitting to the lower torso portion a series of courses defining a tubular fabric middle torso portion having a first predetermined cross-stretch; then knitting to the middle torso portion a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion having a second predetermined cross-stretch and a front portion of the upper torso portion having a pair of breast cups defined by two areas in which the courses are simple knit with the areas being separated one from another, then knitting to said upper torso portion a tubular fabric shoulder portion having a plurality of elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit, each of said elongated areas being separated from the others by elongated panel areas; then cutting and removing from the tubular blank areas of the upper torso and shoulder portions to define arm openings and a neck opening, and cutting and removing from the tubular blank areas of the lower torso portion to define first and second leg openings and front and rear crotch portions therebetween, and sewing together front and rear portions of the shoulder portion of the tubular knit blank at opposite sides of said neck opening and attaching front and rear crotch portions together, to thereby form a completed garment. 15. the method of making a garment using a circularly knit blank according to claim 14, further comprising the step of sewing banding around the arm openings and leg openings. 16. the method of making a garment using a circularly knit blank according to claim 14, further comprising the step of sewing banding around the neck opening. 17. the method of making a garment using a circularly knit blank according to claim 14, wherein said step of attaching front and rear crotch portions together comprises securing mating releasable fasteners to the front and rear crotch portions of the lower torso portion, to thereby provide a garment in the form of a teddy. 18. the method of making a garment using a circularly knit blank according to claim 14, wherein said steps of knitting series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion and a tubular fabric middle torso portion comprise knitting said series of courses so that said first predetermined cross-stretch is less than said second predetermined cross-stretch, thereby providing a middle torso portion which is more compressive than said upper torso portion. 19. a garment made from a circular knit tubular fabric and for covering substantially the entire torso of a wearer comprising: a tubular fabric lower torso portion including first and second leg openings, with front and rear portions of said lower torso portion being attached together along a crotch portion located between said leg openings; a middle torso portion integrally knit to the lower torso portion in the form of a tubular fabric portion having a first predetermined cross-stretch; an upper torso portion having a second predetermined cross-stretch knit to the middle torso portion and having a pair of breast cups defined by two areas in which the fabric is in plain knit courses with the areas in which the fabric is in plain knit courses with the areas being separated one from another, and first and second arm openings located on opposite sides of said breast cups, and a shoulder portion knit to the upper torso portion and including first and second spaced seams connecting front portions of said shoulder portion to rear portions of said shoulder portion and defining a neck opening therebetween. 20. a garment according to claim 19, wherein front and rear portions of said lower torso portion are releasably attached together along the crotch portion located between said leg openings, thereby forming a teddy. 21. a garment according to claim 19, wherein front and rear portions of said lower torso portion are permanently attached together along the crotch portion located between said leg openings, thereby forming a bodysuit. 22. a garment according to claim 19, wherein said first predetermined cross-stretch is less than said second predetermined cross-stretch, thereby forming a middle torso portion which is more compressive than said upper torso portion. 23. a garment according to claim 19, further comprising a gathered central panel located between said breast cups, said central panel including succeeding courses which vary between plain knit and welt knit courses. 24. the shirt made of circularly knit fabric according to claim 19, further comprising banding secured around the arm openings, neck opening and leg openings. 25. a method of making a circularly knit blank for the manufacture of a shirt comprising: knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric torso encircling portion in the form of a first non-raveling edge; and then knitting to said non-raveling edge a series of courses defining a tubular fabric middle torso portion for corresponding to a region of a wearer's body substantially immediately below the breast region, said middle torso portion having a first predetermined cross-stretch; and then knitting to said middle torso portion a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion having a second predetermined cross-stretch which is greater than said first predetermined cross-stretch to thereby form a middle torso portion providing greater compression than the upper torso portion; and then knitting to said upper portion a series of courses defining a shoulder portion, then completing the blank by knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric portion in the form of a second non-raveling edge. 26. the method of making a blank according to claim 25, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining a first non-raveling edge comprises knitting a series of courses defining a cylindrical tubular fabric portion in the form of a turned welt. 27. the method of making a blank according to claim 25, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining said upper torso portion comprises knitting stitches which are larger than stitches used to form said series of courses defining said middle torso portion, to thereby form the middle torso portion providing greater compression than the upper torso portion. 28. the method of making a circularly knit blank according to claim 25, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion includes knitting said series of courses to define a pair of differentially shaped breast cups on a front portion of the upper torso portion. 29. the method of making a circularly knit blank for the manufacture of a garment according to claim 28, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion having a pair of differentially shaped breast cups includes knitting an area between the breast cups separating the cups one from another by a gathered panel comprising succeeding courses which vary between simple knit and welt knit courses. 30. a circularly knit blank for making a shirt having a minimal number of pieces and seams comprising: a plurality of courses forming a first non-raveling edge; a middle torso portion for corresponding to a region of a wearer's body substantially immediately below the breast region defined by a series of courses knitted to said first non-raveling edge and forming a tubular fabric portion having a first predetermined cross-stretch; an upper torso portion defined by a series of courses knitted to said middle torso portion and forming a tubular fabric portion having a second predetermined cross-stretch which is greater than said first predetermined cross-stretch to form a middle torso portion which provides a greater amount of compression than said upper torso portion; a shoulder portion knitted to said upper torso portion and including a series of courses defining plural elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit and each of which is separated from the other by an elongate panel area; and a series of courses knit to said shoulder portion and defining a second non-raveling edge. 31. the circularly knit blank according to claim 30, further comprising a pair of breast cups located on a front portion of said upper torso portion, said breast cups being defined by areas in which the courses are simple knit. 32. the circularly knit blank according to claim 30, wherein said breast cups are separated from each other by gathered panels comprising alternating simple and welt knit courses. 33. the circular knit blank according to claim 30, wherein said series of courses defining said upper torso portion comprises larger knit stitches than said series of courses defining said middle torso portion. 34. the circular knit blank according to claim 30, wherein said plurality of courses forming a first non-raveling edge comprise a cylindrical tubular fabric portion in the form of a turned welt. 35. a method of making a shirt having a minimal number of pieces and seams from a circularly knit blank comprising: knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric torso encircling portion in the form of a first non-raveling edge; and then knitting to said non-raveling edge a series of courses defining a tubular fabric middle torso portion for corresponding to a region of a wearer's body substantially immediately below the breast region, said middle torso portion having a first predetermined cross-stretch; and then knitting to said middle torso portion a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion having a second predetermined cross-stretch which is greater than said first predetermined cross-stretch to thereby form a middle torso portion providing greater compression than the upper torso portion; and then knitting to said upper portion a series of courses defining a shoulder portion, then knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric portion in the form of a second non-raveling edge, then cutting and removing from the tubular blank areas of the upper torso and shoulder portions to define arm openings and a neck opening, and attaching together front and rear portions of the shoulder portion of the tubular blank at opposite sides of said neck opening to form a completed shirt. 36. the method of making a shirt according to claim 35, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining a first non-raveling edge comprises knitting a series of courses defining a cylindrical tubular fabric portion in the form of a turned welt. 37. the method of making a shirt according to claim 35, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining said upper torso portion comprises knitting stitches which are larger than stitches used to form said series of courses defining said middle torso portion, to thereby form the middle torso portion providing greater compression than the upper torso portion. 38. the method of making a shirt according to claim 35, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion includes knitting said series of courses to define a pair of differentially shaped breast cups on a front portion of the upper torso portion. 39. the method of making a shirt according to claim 38, wherein said step of knitting a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion having a pair of differentially shaped breast cups includes knitting an area between the breast cups separating the cups one from another by a gathered panel comprising succeeding courses which vary between simple knit and welt knit courses. 40. the method of making a shirt according to claim 35, further comprising the step of sewing banding around the arm openings. 41. the method of making a shirt according to claim 35, further comprising the step of sewing banding around the neck opening. 42. a shirt made from a circularly knit tubular fabric blank comprising: a tubular fabric torso encircling portion in the form of a non-raveling edge; a middle torso portion defined by a series of courses knitted to said non-raveling edge and forming a tubular fabric portion having a first predetermined cross-stretch; an upper torso portion for corresponding to region of a wearer's body substantially immediately below the breast region defined by a series of courses knitted to said middle torso portion and forming a tubular fabric portion having a second predetermined cross-stretch which is greater than said first predetermined cross-stretch to form a middle torso portion which provides a greater amount of compression than said upper torso portion; a shoulder portion knitted to said upper torso portion and including first and second spaced seams connecting front portions of said shoulder portion to rear portions of said shoulder portion and defining a neck opening therebetween. 43. the shirt according to claim 42, further comprising a pair of breast cups located on a front portion of said upper torso portion, said breast cups being defined by areas in which the courses are simple knit. 44. the shirt according to claim 42, wherein said breast cups are separated from each other by gathered panels comprising alternating simple and welt knit courses. 45. the shirt according to claim 42, wherein said series of courses defining said upper torso portion comprises larger knit stitches than said series of courses defining said middle torso portion. 46. the shirt according to claim 42, wherein the tubular fabric torso encircling portion comprises a cylindrical tubular fabric portion in the form of a turned welt. 47. the shirt according to claim 42, wherein the middle torso portion joins the upper torso portion at a position corresponding to the junction of a wearer's breasts with the torso.
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background of the invention (1) field of the invention the present invention relates to a shirt, bodysuit and teddy, and the blank and methods for making the same. more particularly, this invention relates to the production of a shirt or bodysuit blank on a circular knitting machine, and the production of a shirt or bodysuit from the blank having seams only at the shoulders and crotch, where applicable. even more specifically, the invention relates to the production of a shirt, bodysuit or teddy having integrally knit compression areas to shape a wearer's body, and the blank and methods for making the same. (2) description of the prior art brassieres having fabric areas to define breast cups have been produced by full fashioned and reciprocating knitting machines, but blank and brassiere production tends to be slow and inefficient unless circular knitting is used. one circular knitting process is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 4,531,525 to richards, wherein a brassiere blank is made on a circular knitting machine. the process includes producing a cylindrical tubular blank having a torso portion with a pair of breast cups, straps knit integrally with the torso portion, and turned welt portions at each end of the cylindrical blank. the tubular blank is slit on one side and laid flat for cutting neck and arm openings and seaming at each side to form the brassiere. attempts have been made on certain nether-type knitted undergarments to provide variations in the compression provided by the undergarment in areas corresponding to particular areas of a wearer's body. for example, u.s. pat. no. 4,390,999 to lawson et al. describes the provision of a fabric portion having a medium amount of compressive force between a highly compressive upper waist or leg portion and a low compression body portion, in order to ease the transition from the highly compressive portion to the low compression portion and reduce the resultant body bulge which can be caused by that transition. the areas providing the medium amount of compressive force are shaped and located so that they extend circumferentially about the waist or leg of the wearer in the manner of a band, and they are formed by changing the yarn used to knit various courses. similarly, u.s. pat. no. 3,413,824 to kuney discloses knitted undergarments which include form-fitting pockets in order that they can accentuate specific portions of the body. the garments are knitted using a constant stitch structure, with the stitch length being varied in selected areas to form spaced concave areas which are designed to correspond to specific regions of the wearer's body. in the illustrated embodiments, the nether garments include loosely knit regions corresponding to the buttock cheeks and a tightly knit seam piece extending vertically between the loosely knit regions. though mentioning broadly that the structure could be used with brassieres, the kuney patent does not disclose how the structure can be incorporated into such a brassiere. u.s. pat. no. 3,425,246 to knohl discloses a knitted brassiere having extra courses of elastic yarn knitted into the breast cups to shape the cups by providing fullness therein. u.s. pat. no. 5,081,854 to lonati describes a one-piece body garment which is knit on a circular knitting machine. an elastic thread or threads can be inserted in the waistband portion to form an elastic band at the waistband. these garments can tend to lack sufficient breast support for women, and fail to provide means for enhancing the appearance of the wearer's body. blanks for the production of knitted shirts are conventionally knit in flat or tubular form. the blanks are then cut to form arm openings and a neck opening, seamed along the side if necessary, and the bottom of the shirt is hemmed. to complete the shirt, a separately manufactured neckband is then sewn to a neck opening of the t-shirt, usually with a double row of stitching, and the arm openings are then finished, usually either by hemming or attaching banding, to thereby form a finished shirt. because all of these seaming processes require the input of labor, each seaming step increases the manufacturing costs of the shirt. thus, a need exists for a method of making shirts which requires a minimal amount of seaming to provide an efficiently and rapidly producible garment, and blanks and shirts requiring only a minimal number of seams. in addition, a need exists for a shirt, bodysuit, and teddy construction which can provide shaping support for a wearer's body and can accommodate the curves of various wearer's bodies, and which can be rapidly and easily produced using only a minimal number of manufacturing steps and labor input. summary of the invention with the foregoing in mind, it is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method of making a circular knit, tubular blank from which a shirt may be made with only a minimal number of seams, and which can be made to provide shaping support for the wearer's body. it is a further object of this invention to provide a method of making a circular knit, tubular blank from which a teddy or bodysuit can be made, and which requires only a minimal number of manufacturing steps for the conversion of the blank into the completed garment. it is also an object of the invention to provide a circular knit blank for the manufacture of a shirt which provides shaping support for a wearer. it is an additional object of the invention to provide a circular knit blank for the manufacture of a bodysuit or teddy which provides shaping support for a wearer. it is a further object of the invention to provide methods of making a shirt, bodysuit and teddy having knit-in shaping support using only a minimal number of manufacturing steps. an even further object of the invention is the provision of a shirt, bodysuit and teddy having knit-in shaping support and only a minimal number of seams. in accordance with the present invention there is described a method of manufacturing a circular knit blank for making a shirt which includes knitting a series of courses defining a non-raveling edge. in a preferred form of the invention, this non-raveling edge is provided in the form of a cylindrical tubular torso encircling portion in the form of a turned welt, as this enables the production of a shirt without the conventionally required hemming of the lower portion. a middle torso portion for covering the areas about the waist of a wearer's body is then knit to the torso encircling portion as a tubular fabric portion. this middle torso portion is knit so as to be compressible in order that it can provide compressive support to the underlying portions of a wearer's body. an upper torso portion comprising a series of courses defining a tubular fabric portion is then knit to the middle torso portion. the upper torso portion is knit to have greater cross-stretch (i.e. coursewise stretch) than the middle torso portion, preferably by lengthening the stitches making up the upper torso portion. in this way, when the blank is converted into a finished shirt, the upper torso portion does not compress the wearer's breasts in the manner that the rib and stomach areas covered by the middle torso portion are compressed. the upper torso portion also desirably includes a pair of breast cups integrally knit into a front portion thereof, the cups being defined by two areas in which the fabric is in simple knit courses with these areas being separated one from another. in a preferred embodiment of this invention, the breast cups are separated one from the other by a central area of gathered panels in which succeeding courses vary between simple knit and welt knit courses. in the embodiment of the shirt blank including breast cups, the rear portion of the blank desirably maintains a constant knit structure throughout the middle and upper torso portions, though the stitch lengths can be lengthened at the upper torso portion in the manner discussed above. a shoulder portion is then knit in tubular form to the upper torso portion. the shoulder portion includes elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit, with the areas being divided by elongated panel areas in which successive courses are also simple knit. lastly, the circularly knit tubular blank is completed by knitting several courses forming a non-raveling edge. the shirt of the present invention is made from the circular knit tubular blank by cutting and removing selected portions of the blank to form a neck opening and arm openings. front and rear portions of the shoulder portions are sewn together, and banding and the like can be added to finish the arm and neck openings, or the openings can be hemmed or selvaged. there is thus provided a shirt made from a blank of knit construction which can be shaped to the contours of a wearer's body, and requires only a minimal number of steps for its production. a blank for a bodysuit or teddy is produced in a similar manner to that of the shirt. a series of courses defining a non-raveling edge is knit in tubular form. a lower torso portion is knit to the non-raveling edge, and desirably includes a region proximate the non-raveling edge which has a modified knit configuration for forming the crotch portion of the garment. for example, the crotch forming portion of the blank can be knit to form a terry pile surface in a region which will correspond to the wearer facing portion of the crotch of the garment. a middle torso portion is knit to the lower torso portion, and is knit so that a garment made therefrom will provide compressive support to underlying regions of a wearer's body when the garment is worn. an upper torso portion is then integrally knit to the middle torso portion. the upper torso portion is knit to have greater cross-stretch than the middle torso portion, preferably by lengthening the stitches used to form the upper torso portion. in this way, when the blank is converted into a finished bodysuit or teddy the upper torso portion does not compress the wearer's breasts in the manner that the rib and stomach areas covered by the middle torso portion are compressed. it is noted that the lower torso portion can be compressive in the same manner as the middle torso portion, or it can be less compressive in the manner of the upper torso portion. the upper torso portion also desirably includes a pair of breast cups integrally knit into a front portion thereof, the cups being defined by two areas in which the fabric is in simple knit courses with these areas being separated one from another. in a preferred embodiment of this invention, the breast cups are separated one from the other by a central area of gathered panels in which succeeding courses vary between simple knit and welt knit courses. in the embodiment of the bodysuit and teddy blank including breast cups, the rear portion of the blank desirably maintains a constant knit structure throughout the middle and upper torso portions, though the stitch lengths can be lengthened at the upper torso portion in the manner discussed above. a shoulder portion is then knit in tubular form to the upper torso portion. the shoulder portion includes elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit, with the areas being divided by elongated panel areas in which successive courses are also simple knit. lastly, the circularly knit tubular blank is completed by knitting several courses forming a non-raveling edge. the bodysuit and teddy of the present invention are made from the circularly knit tubular blank by cutting and removing selected portions of the blank to form a neck opening, arm openings, and leg openings and a crotch portion therebetween. front and rear portions of the shoulder portions are sewn together, and banding and the like can be added to finish the arm and neck openings, or the openings can be hemmed or selvaged. front and rear blank portions are then joined by sewing or the like to form a bodysuit. alternatively, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, or other types of releasable fasteners may be attached to front and rear blank portions at the crotch region, to form a teddy. for purposes of this invention, a bodysuit is defined as a garment having upper and lower torso covering portions with a crotch portion which extends between a wearer's legs, with front and rear portions of the crotch portion being sewn or otherwise permanently attached together. in contrast, a teddy is defined as a garment like that of the bodysuit, but in which the front and rear portions of the crotch portion are joined by way of releasable fasteners, whereby the garment can be opened at the crotch. for purposes of the claims, a garment adapted to cover substantially the entire torso of a wearer is meant to encompass both bodysuits and teddies. however, it is noted that the specific garments disclosed can be used as under or outer garments, and may be used by men, women and children alike. the crotch portion can be specially configured to accommodate either male or female anatomy, at the preference of the manufacturer. there is thus provided a bodysuit and teddy made from a blank of knit construction which can be shaped to the contours of a wearer's body, have selected regions of compressive body control, and require only a minimal number of steps for their production. other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a shirt according to the present invention, the shirt being made from the blank shown in figs. 2a and 2b show enlarged views of the knit structures shown in fig.1 fig. 3 is a perspective view of a blank for making the shirt of fig. 1; fig. 4 is a perspective view of a bodysuit or teddy according to the present invention, the bodysuit or teddy being made from the blank shown in fig. 5; fig. 5 is a perspective view of a circular knit blank in accordance with the present invention and from which the bodysuit or teddy of fig. 4 is manufactured. description of the preferred embodiments referring now to the drawings, fig. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the finished shirt of the present invention referenced generally at 10. the shirt 10 includes a non-raveling edge portion which is preferably in the form of a cylindrical tubular torso encircling portion 22, e.g. a turned welt. a middle torso portion 24 in the form of a fabric tube is knitted to the torso encircling portion 22 and is designed to cover the area of a wearer about the lower ribs and the waist, and below the waist as desired. it is particularly preferred that the middle torso portion be of sufficient length to enable a wearer to tuck the lower end of the shirt into his or her pants, though other lengths are within the scope of the invention, such as a length which enables the shirt lower edge to fall just above a wearer's waist. the middle torso portion is knit so that is can provide compressive support to the underlying portions of a wearer's body. an upper torso portion 27 comprising a series of courses defining a tubular fabric portion is knit to the middle torso portion 24 and includes a front upper torso portion 27a and a rear upper torso portion 27b. the front upper torso portion 27a, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, includes a pair of integrally knit breast cups 26 defined by areas in which the courses are simple knit and have succeeding areas of courses varying between simple knit and welt knit courses. the courses defining the front torso portion 27a differentially shape the breast cups 26. the upper torso portion 27 includes a rear upper torso portion 27b above the middle torso portion 24 in which the fabric is preferably in simple knit courses. in a preferred embodiment of this invention, the breast cups 26 are defined by areas in which the courses are simple knit with the breast cup areas 26 being separated by a center gathered panel area 25, shown in figs. 1 and 3, in which the courses vary between simple and welt knit courses. the gathered portion 25 is made by pulling the cams of the knitting machine away from the butts, allowing the shorter butt needles to pass through underneath the cams to hold the stitch for a predetermined number of courses, say 3 to 20 and preferably 10 to 12. the needles are then raised to clear the stitch to form a pleat, and the process is repeated until the gather is formed. needles for tuck or pleat can be made without using cams by the selection of the needles to hold the stitch by knitting at welt height. the cams are then returned to the cylinder so that the short butt needles will rise. the upper torso portion 27 also desirably is knit to have greater cross-stretch than the middle torso portion 24, in order that the breast region of the wearer is not undesirably compressed. this is preferably achieved by forming the upper torso portion 27 from longer stitches than those used to form the middle torso portion 24. in this way, the compression provided by the garment to the underlying body portions of a wearer is reduced in the area of the breasts of the wearer, thereby preventing the breasts from experiencing the discomfort that compression would inflict on these areas. further, the stitches are preferably lengthened starting immediately below the breast region of the wearer, enabling the compressive middle torso portion to assist in supporting the breasts, in addition to providing a more slimming appearance to the underlying regions. the differences in stitch lengths are shown in figs. 2a and 2b, which show the knitted structure of the upper torso 27 and the middle torso portion 24, respectively. though the knitted stitches depicted are in simple form, it is noted that different types of knit stitches could be used to perform the invention. a shoulder portion 29 is then knit to the upper torso portion in the form of a tubular fabric portion. the fabric forming the shoulder portion 29 is preferably knit in simple knit courses with patterns. front portions of the shoulder portion are sewn to rear portions of the shoulder portion at seams 32 to form shoulder straps, thereby forming a completed shirt. turning now to fig. 3, there is shown a shirt blank 30, made on a high speed circular knitting machine, from which the shirt 10 is produced. the blank 30 is in tubular form, and is knit to include portions which correspond to the portions of the shirt described in fig. 1. the reference characters corresponding to those used with reference to fig. 1 will be applied in fig. 3, with the addition of prime notation. the torso encircling portion 22' in the blank 30 is preferably formed as a cylindrical tubular fabric portion in the form of a turned welt. a middle torso portion 24' is knit to the torso encircling portion 22' as a tubular fabric portion, and is knit so as that it provides compressive support on underlying portions of a wearer's body when it is converted into a shirt. an upper torso portion 27' is then knit to the middle torso portion 24'. the upper torso portion 27' is knit in tubular form to include a front upper torso portion 27a' and a rear upper torso portion 27b'. the upper torso portion 27' is knit to have a greater degree of cross-stretch than the middle torso portion 24', preferably by using longer stitches to form the upper torso portion than those which are used to form the middle torso portion. in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the blank includes a pair of integrally knit breast cups 26' on the front upper torso portion 27a' thereof. the breast cups 26' are defined by areas in which courses are simple knit, with the areas being spaced apart from one another. in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the breast cups 26' are separated one from the other by areas of gathered panels 25' in which succeeding courses vary between simple knit and welt knit courses, the knitting of courses defining the front upper torso portion differentially shaping the breast cups with respect to the gathered panels. as will be understood, the degree of shaping will vary, and may be taken into account in accomplishing sizing of the shirt. a shoulder portion 29' is knit to the upper torso portion 27', and preferably includes elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit, with the areas being divided by an elongate panel area. in this way, a cutting pattern 33 can be formed in the knit structure of the blank itself, thereby enabling a worker to cut portions of the blank to form arm openings and define a neck section, without the need for additional patterning or marking. in addition, the yarn feeds can be manipulated in order that less yarn is fed to the portions of the blank 30 which are to be cut and removed, thereby reducing the amount of material waste produced as a result of shirt formation. the blank is finished by knitting a series of courses in the form of a non-raveling edge 34. the non-raveling edge 34 serves to prevent raveling of the blank 30 during the time between when the blank is produced and when it is converted into a completed shirt 10. the various portions of the circular knit tubular shirt blank 30 are integrally knit together and have stitch constructions as described hereinabove. thus, the method of manufacturing the blank will become more clearly understandable and may be characterized as knitting a series of courses defining a first cylindrical tubular portion in the form of a turned welt 22', and then knitting to the turned welt portion a series of courses defining a middle torso portion 24'. the middle torso portion 24' is knit so as to have limited cross-stretch, in order that it will provide compressive support to the portions of a wearer's body located underneath the middle torso portion when the blank is converted into a shirt. an upper torso portion 27' formed by a series of courses defining a tubular fabric portion is then knit to the middle torso portion 24'. the upper torso portion 27' is knit to have a greater degree of cross-stretch than that of the middle torso portion 24', preferably by knitting the upper torso portion from longer knitted stitches or loops than the middle torso portion. in preferred embodiments of the invention, the upper torso portion can be knit to include first and second breast cups 26' in which spaced apart portions of the upper torso portion are simple knit. in a particularly preferred embodiment, the breast cups 26' are spaced apart by gathered panels 25', as discussed above. a shoulder portion 29' is then knit to the upper torso portion 27', and preferably is knit to include a plurality of elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit, with these elongated areas being separated from each other by elongated panel areas. to complete the blank, a plurality of courses defining a non-raveling edge 34 are then knit to the shoulder portion 29'. the manufacture of the shirt 10 is performed as follows, with particular reference being made to fig. 3. the tubular blank 30 is cut along the cutting pattern, which is indicated by dotted lines 33 shown in fig. 3. the cut portions are removed from the blank to thereby define arm openings 38 and a neck opening 44. the thus cut blank 30, as shown in fig. 3, is then joined at seams 32 to connect front and rear portions of the shoulder portion 29 at opposite sides of the neck opening 44, to thereby form a completed shirt. banding and the like 39 may be added at the arm openings and neck opening to finish off the shirt, or raw arm opening and neck opening edges can be hemmed or selvaged to form a finished shirt. simple knit stitches are used to distinguish those stitch constructions possible on a circular knitting machine and in which yarn is taken into a needle during each rotation of the cylinder, such as plain, purl, tuck and combinations thereof. references to welt knit are intended to encompass miss-stitch or float stitch constructions in which loops in certain courses are held without additional yarns being taken and then knit into subsequent courses, thereby gathering the courses together and providing the characteristic turned welt or panel effect referred to above. figs. 4 and 5 illustrate another embodiment of the invention, namely a bodysuit or teddy 40 and a blank for making the bodysuit or teddy. again, like numbers are used to represent like elements on the garment and the blank, with the common elements being primed on the blank. the blank 130 is made similarly to the blank 30 in fig. 3, but is extended beyond the turned welt portion 22' of that blank to form a lower torso portion 42'. the blank 70 includes a series of courses forming a non-raveling edge 72 about a lower portion of the blank. a lower torso portion 42' is knit in the form of a tubular fabric portion to the non-raveling edge 72. this lower torso portion 42' preferably includes a crotch region 43' which has a modified stitch construction of the type conventionally used to form a panty crotch portions. particularly preferred is a knit construction which includes a terry surface which is adapted to extend along a wearer-contacting surface of the crotch portion of a garment made from the blank 70. a middle torso portion 24' is integrally knit to the lower torso portion 42' in the form of a tubular fabric portion. this middle torso portion a 24' is knit to have limited cross-stretch which enables the portion of a garment made from the blank 70 which corresponds to the middle torso portion to compressively support a portion of a wearer's body which it covers. an upper torso portion 46' is knit in tubular form integrally with the middle torso portion 24', and includes for purposes of describing location a front upper torso portion 46a' and a rear upper torso portion 46b'. it is noted, however, that these portions form a part of the integrally knit tubular upper torso portion 46 rather than comprising separate elements. the upper torso portion 46' comprises a series of courses defining a pair of breast cups 48' on the front upper torso portion 46a' defined by areas in which the courses are simple knit and having succeeding courses varying between simple knit and welt knit courses. in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the breast cups 48' are separated one from the other by areas of gathered panels 50' in which succeeding courses vary between simple knit and welt knit courses, the knitting of courses defining the front upper torso portion differentially shaping the breast cups with respect to the gathered panels. a shoulder portion 52' is then knit to the upper torso portion 46' to define front and back fabric straps 53a and 53b, each having an elongated patterned area in which the courses are simple knit with the areas being divided on the blank by an elongated panel area in which succeeding courses vary between simple knit and welt knit courses. the blank 70 is completed by knitting several courses forming a non-raveling edge 64. the bodysuit or teddy 40 shown is fig. 4 is made from blank 70, shown in fig. 5, by cutting and removing portions of the blank to form a neck opening 56, a pair of arm holes 54', and to define leg openings 45' having a crotch portion 43' located therebetween, as indicated by the cutting lines 66 on fig. 5. the waste fabric is removed so as to define the front shoulder straps 53a and the rear shoulder straps 53b which are sewn together along seams 60 to complete the upper portion of the bodysuit or teddy. front and rear portions of the blank 70 can be attached together along the crotch portion 43, as indicated at 62 in fig. 4. the attachment can be a permanent attachment, such as by sewing, or releasable fasteners such as snaps, buttons, hook and pile fasteners and the like can be used to form a teddy garment. banding and the like 58 may be added to finish off the bodysuit or teddy 40 at the neck, arm an leg openings 56, 54 and 45, respectively, or the edges may be selvaged or hemmed in a conventional manner. in addition, a supplemental crotch lining (not shown) can be attached in a conventional manner, where desired. the shirt, bodysuit and teddy blanks disclosed herein can thus be manufactured rapidly on high speed circular knitting machines and such garments can be manufactured from these blanks utilizing only a minimal number of seams. the shirt, bodysuit and teddy disclosed hereinabove can be used as either an outer or undergarment, depending on the materials used to manufacture the shirt and the wearer's desires, and can be used by women, men and children alike. in the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.
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013-526-025-242-769
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US
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[
"US"
] |
H04B7/155,H04B1/00,H04W16/26
| 2017-02-02T00:00:00 |
2017
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[
"H04"
] |
signal booster with spectrally adjacent bands
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technology for a repeater is disclosed. the repeater can include a first multiband filter. the repeater can include a second multiband filter. the repeater can include one or more first-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter. at least one of the one or more first-direction signal paths can be configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands. the repeater can include one or more second-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter. at least one of the one or more second-direction signal paths can be configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands.
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1 . a repeater, comprising: a first multiband filter; a second multiband filter; one or more first-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein at least one of the one or more first-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands; and one or more second-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein at least one of the one or more second-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands. 2 . the repeater of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths includes: a first-direction band 12 (b12) and a first-direction 600 megahertz (mhz) band combined signal path; and a first-direction band 13 (b13) signal path; or a first-direction band 13 (b13) and band 14 (b14) combined signal path. 3 . the repeater of claim 2 , wherein the first-direction 600 mhz band is band 71 (b71). 4 . the repeater of claim 1 , wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths includes: a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) combined signal path; or a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) and band 14 (b14) combined signal path; and a second-direction 600 megahertz (mhz) band signal path. 5 . the repeater of claim 2 , wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz in the first-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the first-direction and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. 6 . the repeater of claim 4 , wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz in the second-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second-direction and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. 7 . a repeater, comprising: a first multiplexer communicatively coupled to a first multiband filter and a second multiband filter; a second multiplexer communicatively coupled to the first multiband filter and the second multiband filter; one or more first-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multiband filter, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands; and one or more second-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multiband filter, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands. 8 . the repeater of claim 7 , wherein one or more of the first-direction signal paths or the second-direction signal paths include one or more switchable wideband bandpass filters and one or more switchable channelized bandpass filters. 9 . the repeater of claim 7 , wherein the one or more switchable wideband bandpass filters is in parallel with the one or more switchable channelized bandpass filters. 10 . the repeater of claim 7 , wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths includes one or more of: a first-direction band 5 (b5) signal path; a first-direction band 12 (b12) signal path; or a first-direction band 13 (b13) signal path. 11 . the repeater of claim 10 , wherein the first-direction b5 signal path includes a first-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a first-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the first-direction b5, and a first-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the first-direction b5, wherein b5 corresponds to a frequency range of 824 megahertz (mhz) to 849 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. 12 . the repeater of claim 10 , wherein the first-direction b5 signal path includes a first splitter and a first combiner communicatively coupled to: a first-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a first-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the first-direction b5, and a first-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the first-direction b5. 13 . the repeater of claim 10 , wherein: the first-direction b12 signal path includes a first-direction b12 switchable wideband bandpass filter and a first-direction b12 switchable channelized bandpass filter; and the first-direction b13 signal path includes a first-direction b13 switchable wideband bandpass filter and a first-direction b13 switchable channelized bandpass filter, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 megahertz (mhz) to 716 mhz in the first-direction and b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. 14 . the repeater of claim 7 , wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths includes one or more of: a second-direction band 5 (b5) signal path; or a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) combined signal path. 15 . the repeater of claim 14 , wherein the second-direction b5 signal path includes a second-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a second-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the second-direction b5, and a second-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the second-direction b5, wherein b5 corresponds to a frequency range of 869 megahertz (mhz) to 894 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. 16 . the repeater of claim 14 , wherein the second-direction b5 signal path includes a second splitter and a second combiner communicatively coupled to: a second-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a second-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the second-direction b5, and a second-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the second-direction b5. 17 . the repeater of claim 14 , wherein the second-direction b12 and b13 combined signal path includes a second-direction b12/b13 switchable wideband pass filter, a second-direction b12 switchable channelized bandpass filter and a second-direction b13 channelized bandpass filter, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 megahertz (mhz) to 746 mhz in the second-direction and b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. 18 . the repeater of claim 14 , wherein the second-direction b12 and b13 combined signal path includes a second splitter and a second combiner communicatively coupled to: a second-direction b12/b13 switchable wideband pass filter, a second-direction b12 switchable channelized bandpass filter and a second-direction b13 channelized bandpass filter. 19 . a multiplexer, comprising: a first first-direction port configured to direct a first first-direction signal in a first selected band; a second first-direction port configured to direct a second first-direction signal in a second selected band and a third first-direction signal in a third selected band, wherein the second selected band first-direction frequency range and the third selected band first-direction frequency range are spectrally adjacent; and a first second-direction port configured to direct a first second-direction signal in the first selected band and a second second-direction signal in the second selected band, wherein the first selected band second-direction frequency range and the second selected band second-direction frequency range are spectrally adjacent. 20 . the multiplexer of claim 19 , wherein: the first first-direction signal in the first selected band includes band 12 (b12); the second first-direction signal in the second selected band includes band 13 (b13); and the third first-direction signal in the third selected band includes band 14 (b14). 21 . the multiplexer of claim 20 , wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz in the first-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the first-direction and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. 22 . the multiplexer of claim 19 , wherein the first second-direction port is further configured to direct a third second-direction signal in the third selected band, wherein the second selected band second-direction frequency range and the third selected band second-direction frequency range are spectrally adjacent. 23 . the multiplexer of claim 22 , wherein: the first second-direction signal in the first selected band includes band 12 (b12); the second second-direction signal in the second selected band includes band 13 (b13); and the third second-direction signal in the third selected band includes band 14 (b14). 24 . the multiplexer of claim 23 , wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz in the second-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second-direction, and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink.
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related applications the present application is a continuation-in-part of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/887,905 filed feb. 2, 2018 with a docket number of 3969-116.np2, which claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/453,897, filed feb. 2, 2017 with a docket number of 3969-116.prov and the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/487,936, filed apr. 20, 2017 with a docket number of 3969-116.prov2, the entire specifications of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. background signal boosters and repeaters can be used to increase the quality of wireless communication between a wireless device and a wireless communication access point, such as a cell tower. signal boosters can improve the quality of the wireless communication by amplifying, filtering, and/or applying other processing techniques to uplink and downlink signals communicated between the wireless device and the wireless communication access point. as an example, the signal booster can receive, via an antenna, downlink signals from the wireless communication access point. the signal booster can amplify the downlink signal and then provide an amplified downlink signal to the wireless device. in other words, the signal booster can act as a relay between the wireless device and the wireless communication access point. as a result, the wireless device can receive a stronger signal from the wireless communication access point. similarly, uplink signals from the wireless device (e.g., telephone calls and other data) can be directed to the signal booster. the signal booster can amplify the uplink signals before communicating, via an antenna, the uplink signals to the wireless communication access point. brief description of the drawings features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the disclosure; and, wherein: fig. 1 illustrates a signal booster in communication with a wireless device and a base station in accordance with an example; fig. 2 illustrates frequency ranges for a plurality of uplink and downlink bands in accordance with an example; fig. 3 illustrates a signal booster that includes uplink and/or downlink signal paths in spectrally adjacent bands in accordance with an example; fig. 4 illustrates a signal booster in accordance with an example; fig. 5 illustrates a signal booster in accordance with an example; fig. 6 illustrates a cellular signal booster in accordance with an example; fig. 7 illustrates a signal booster in accordance with an example; fig. 8 illustrates a triplexer in accordance with an example; fig. 9 illustrates a signal booster in accordance with an example; fig. 10 illustrates a signal booster that includes uplink and/or downlink signal paths in spectrally adjacent bands in accordance with an example; fig. 11 illustrates frequency ranges for a 600 megahertz (mhz) band in accordance with an example; fig. 12 illustrates a signal booster that includes uplink and/or downlink signal paths in spectrally adjacent bands in accordance with an example; fig. 13 illustrates a signal booster that includes uplink and/or downlink signal paths in spectrally adjacent bands in accordance with an example; fig. 14 illustrates a signal booster that is operable in a wideband mode or a channelized mode in accordance with an example; fig. 15 illustrates a signal booster that is operable in a wideband mode or a channelized mode in accordance with an example; and fig. 16 illustrates a wireless device in accordance with an example. reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. detailed description before the present invention is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular structures, process steps, or materials disclosed herein, but is extended to equivalents thereof as would be recognized by those ordinarily skilled in the relevant arts. it should also be understood that terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting. the same reference numerals in different drawings represent the same element. numbers provided in flow charts and processes are provided for clarity in illustrating steps and operations and do not necessarily indicate a particular order or sequence. example embodiments an initial overview of technology embodiments is provided below and then specific technology embodiments are described in further detail later. this initial summary is intended to aid readers in understanding the technology more quickly but is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the technology nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary signal booster 120 in communication with a wireless device 110 and a base station 130 . the signal booster 120 can be referred to as a repeater. a repeater can be an electronic device used to amplify (or boost) signals. the signal booster 120 (also referred to as a cellular signal amplifier) can improve the quality of wireless communication by amplifying, filtering, and/or applying other processing techniques via a signal amplifier 122 to uplink signals communicated from the wireless device 110 to the base station 130 and/or downlink signals communicated from the base station 130 to the wireless device 110 . in other words, the signal booster 120 can amplify or boost uplink signals and/or downlink signals bi-directionally. in one example, the signal booster 120 can be at a fixed location, such as in a home or office. alternatively, the signal booster 120 can be attached to a mobile object, such as a vehicle or a wireless device 110 . in one configuration, the signal booster 120 can include an integrated device antenna 124 (e.g., an inside antenna or a coupling antenna) and an integrated node antenna 126 (e.g., an outside antenna). the integrated node antenna 126 can receive the downlink signal from the base station 130 . the downlink signal can be provided to the signal amplifier 122 via a second coaxial cable 127 or other type of radio frequency connection operable to communicate radio frequency signals. the signal amplifier 122 can include one or more cellular signal amplifiers for amplification and filtering. the downlink signal that has been amplified and filtered can be provided to the integrated device antenna 124 via a first coaxial cable 125 or other type of radio frequency connection operable to communicate radio frequency signals. the integrated device antenna 124 can wirelessly communicate the downlink signal that has been amplified and filtered to the wireless device 110 . similarly, the integrated device antenna 124 can receive an uplink signal from the wireless device 110 . the uplink signal can be provided to the signal amplifier 122 via the first coaxial cable 125 or other type of radio frequency connection operable to communicate radio frequency signals. the signal amplifier 122 can include one or more cellular signal amplifiers for amplification and filtering. the uplink signal that has been amplified and filtered can be provided to the integrated node antenna 126 via the second coaxial cable 127 or other type of radio frequency connection operable to communicate radio frequency signals. the integrated device antenna 126 can communicate the uplink signal that has been amplified and filtered to the base station 130 . in one example, the signal booster 120 can filter the uplink and downlink signals using any suitable analog or digital filtering technology including, but not limited to, surface acoustic wave (saw) filters, bulk acoustic wave (baw) filters, film bulk acoustic resonator (fbar) filters, ceramic filters, waveguide filters or low-temperature co-fired ceramic (ltcc) filters. in one example, the signal booster 120 can send uplink signals to a node and/or receive downlink signals from the node. the node can comprise a wireless wide area network (wwan) access point (ap), a base station (bs), an evolved node b (enb), a baseband unit (bbu), a remote radio head (rrh), a remote radio equipment (rre), a relay station (rs), a radio equipment (re), a remote radio unit (rru), a central processing module (cpm), or another type of wwan access point. in one configuration, the signal booster 120 used to amplify the uplink and/or a downlink signal is a handheld booster. the handheld booster can be implemented in a sleeve of the wireless device 110 . the wireless device sleeve can be attached to the wireless device 110 , but can be removed as needed. in this configuration, the signal booster 120 can automatically power down or cease amplification when the wireless device 110 approaches a particular base station. in other words, the signal booster 120 can determine to stop performing signal amplification when the quality of uplink and/or downlink signals is above a defined threshold based on a location of the wireless device 110 in relation to the base station 130 . in one example, the signal booster 120 can include a battery to provide power to various components, such as the signal amplifier 122 , the integrated device antenna 124 and the integrated node antenna 126 . the battery can also power the wireless device 110 (e.g., phone or tablet). alternatively, the signal booster 120 can receive power from the wireless device 110 . in one configuration, the signal booster 120 can be a federal communications commission (fcc)-compatible consumer signal booster. as a non-limiting example, the signal booster 120 can be compatible with fcc part 20 or 47 code of federal regulations (c.f.r.) part 20.21 (mar. 21, 2013). in addition, the signal booster 120 can operate on the frequencies used for the provision of subscriber-based services under parts 22 (cellular), 24 (broadband pcs), 27 (aws-1, 700 mhz lower a-e blocks, and 700 mhz upper c block), and 90 (specialized mobile radio) of 47 c.f.r. the signal booster 120 can be configured to automatically self-monitor its operation to ensure compliance with applicable noise and gain limits. the signal booster 120 can either self-correct or shut down automatically if the signal booster's operations violate the regulations defined in fcc part 20.21. in one configuration, the signal booster 120 can improve the wireless connection between the wireless device 110 and the base station 130 (e.g., cell tower) or another type of wireless wide area network (wwan) access point (ap). the signal booster 120 can boost signals for cellular standards, such as the third generation partnership project (3gpp) long term evolution (lte) release 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, or 13 standards or institute of electronics and electrical engineers (ieee) 802.16. in one configuration, the signal booster 120 can boost signals for 3gpp lte release 13.0.0 (march 2016) or other desired releases. the signal booster 120 can boost signals from the 3gpp technical specification 36.101 (release 12 jun. 2015) bands or lte frequency bands. for example, the signal booster 120 can boost signals from the lte frequency bands: 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 17, and 25. in addition, the signal booster 120 can boost selected frequency bands based on the country or region in which the signal booster is used, including any of bands 1-70 or other bands, as disclosed in etsi ts136 104 v13.5.0 (2016-10). in another configuration, the repeater 120 can improve the wireless connection between the wireless device 110 and the base station 130 (e.g., cell tower) or another type of wireless wide area network (wwan) access point (ap) by amplifying desired signals relative to a noise floor. the repeater 120 can boost signals for cellular standards, such as the third generation partnership project (3gpp) long term evolution (lte) release 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 standards or institute of electronics and electrical engineers (ieee) 802.16. in one configuration, the repeater 120 can boost signals for 3gpp lte release 16.2.0 (july 2019) or other desired releases. the repeater 120 can boost signals from the 3gpp technical specification (ts) 36.101 (release 16 jul. 2019) bands or lte frequency bands. for example, the repeater 120 can boost signals from the lte frequency bands: 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 17, 25, and 26. in addition, the repeater 120 can boost selected frequency bands based on the country or region in which the repeater is used, including any of bands 1-85 or other bands, as disclosed in 3gpp ts 36.104 v16.2.0 (july 2019), and depicted in table 1: table 1lteuplink (ul) operating banddownlink (dl) operating bandoperatingbs receive ue transmitbs transmit ue receiveduplexbandf ul — low -f ul — highf dl — low -f dl — highmode11920 mhz-1980 mhz2110 mhz-2170 mhzfdd21850 mhz-1910 mhz1930 mhz-1990 mhzfdd31710 mhz-1785 mhz1805 mhz-1880 mhzfdd41710 mhz-1755 mhz2110 mhz-2155 mhzfdd5824 mhz-849 mhz869 mhz-894 mhzfdd6 (note 1)830 mhz-840 mhz875 mhz-885 mhzfdd72500 mhz-2570 mhz2620 mhz-2690 mhzfdd8880 mhz-915 mhz925 mhz-960 mhzfdd91749.9 mhz-1784.9 mhz1844.9 mhz-1879.9 mhzfdd101710 mhz-1770 mhz2110 mhz-2170 mhzfdd111427.9 mhz-1447.9 mhz1475.9 mhz-1495.9 mhzfdd12699 mhz-716 mhz729 mhz-746 mhzfdd13777 mhz-787 mhz746 mhz-756 mhzfdd14788 mhz-798 mhz758 mhz-768 mhzfdd15reservedreservedfdd16reservedreservedfdd17704 mhz-716 mhz734 mhz-746 mhzfdd18815 mhz-830 mhz860 mhz-875 mhzfdd19830 mhz-845 mhz875 mhz-890 mhzfdd20832 mhz-862 mhz791 mhz-821 mhzfdd211447.9 mhz-1462.9 mhz1495.9 mhz-1510.9 mhzfdd223410 mhz-3490 mhz3510 mhz-3590 mhzfdd23 12000 mhz-2020 mhz2180 mhz-2200 mhzfdd241626.5 mhz-1660.5 mhz1525 mhz-1559 mhzfdd251850 mhz-1915 mhz1930 mhz-1995 mhzfdd26814 mhz-849 mhz859 mhz-894 mhzfdd27807 mhz-824 mhz852 mhz-869 mhzfdd28703 mhz-748 mhz758 mhz-803 mhzfdd29n/a717 mhz-728 mhzfdd (note 2)302305 mhz-2315 mhz2350 mhz-2360 mhzfdd31452.5 mhz-457.5 mhz462.5 mhz-467.5 mhzfdd32n/a1452 mhz-1496 mhzfdd (note 2)331900 mhz-1920 mhz1900 mhz-1920 mhztdd342010 mhz-2025 mhz2010 mhz-2025 mhztdd351850 mhz-1910 mhz1850 mhz-1910 mhztdd361930 mhz-1990 mhz1930 mhz-1990 mhztdd371910 mhz-1930 mhz1910 mhz-1930 mhztdd382570 mhz-2620 mhz2570 mhz-2620 mhztdd391880 mhz-1920 mhz1880 mhz-1920 mhztdd402300 mhz-2400 mhz2300 mhz-2400 mhztdd412496 mhz-2690 mhz2496 mhz-2690 mhztdd423400 mhz-3600 mhz3400 mhz-3600 mhztdd433600 mhz-3800 mhz3600 mhz-3800 mhztdd44703 mhz-803 mhz703 mhz-803 mhztdd451447 mhz-1467 mhz1447 mhz-1467 mhztdd465150 mhz-5925 mhz5150 mhz-5925 mhztdd (note 3,note 4)475855 mhz-5925 mhz5855 mhz-5925 mhztdd483550 mhz-3700 mhz3550 mhz-3700 mhztdd493550 mhz-3700 mhz3550 mhz-3700 mhztdd (note 8)501432 mhz-1517 mhz1432 mhz-1517 mhztdd511427 mhz-1432 mhz1427 mhz-1432 mhztdd523300 mhz-3400 mhz3300 mhz-3400 mhztdd532483.5 mhz-2495 mhz2483.5 mhz-2495 mhztdd651920 mhz-2010 mhz2110 mhz-2200 mhzfdd661710 mhz-1780 mhz2110 mhz-2200 mhzfdd (note 5)67n/a738 mhz-758 mhzfdd (note 2)68698 mhz-728 mhz753 mhz-783 mhzfdd69n/a2570 mhz-2620 mhzfdd (note 2)701695 mhz-1710 mhz1995 mhz-2020 mhzfdd 671663 mhz-698 mhz617 mhz-652 mhzfdd72451 mhz-456 mhz461 mhz-466 mhzfdd73450 mhz-455 mhz460 mhz-465 mhzfdd741427 mhz-1470 mhz1475 mhz-1518 mhzfdd75n/a1432 mhz-1517 mhzfdd (note 2)76n/a1427 mhz-1432 mhzfdd (note 2)85698 mhz-716 mhz728 mhz-746 mhzfdd87410 mhz-415 mhz420 mhz-425 mhzfdd88412 mhz-417 mhz422 mhz-427 mhzfdd(note 1):band 6, 23 are not applicable.(note 2):restricted to e-utra operation when carrier aggregation is configured. the downlink operating band is paired with the uplink operating band (external) of the carrier aggregation configuration that is supporting the configured pcell.(note 3):this band is an unlicensed band restricted to licensed-assisted operation using frame structure type 3.(note 4):band 46 is divided into four sub-bands as in table 5.5-1a.(note 5):the range 2180-2200 mhz of the dl operating band is restricted to e-utra operation when carrier aggregation is configured.(note 6):the range 2010-2020 mhz of the dl operating band is restricted to e-utra operation when carrier aggregation is configured and tx-rx separation is 300 mhz. the range 2005-2020 mhz of the dl operating band is restricted to e-utra operation when carrier aggregation is configured and tx-rx separation is 295 mhz.(note 7):void(note 8):this band is restricted to licensed-assisted operation using frame structure type 3. in another configuration, the repeater 120 can boost signals from the 3gpp technical specification (ts) 38.104 (release 16 jul. 2019) bands or 5g frequency bands. in addition, the repeater 120 can boost selected frequency bands based on the country or region in which the repeater is used, including any of bands n1-n86 in frequency range 1 (fr1), n257-n261 in frequency range 2 (fr2), or other bands, as disclosed in 3gpp ts 38.104 v16.0.0 (july 2019), and depicted in table 2 and table 3: table 2nruplink (ul) operating banddownlink (dl) operating bandoperatingbs receive/ue transmitbs transmit/ue receiveduplexbandf ul, low -f ul, highf dl, low -f dl, highmoden11920 mhz-1980 mhz2110 mhz-2170 mhzfddn21850 mhz-1910 mhz1930 mhz-1990 mhzfddn31710 mhz-1785 mhz1805 mhz-1880 mhzfddn5824 mhz-849 mhz869 mhz-894 mhzfddn72500 mhz-2570 mhz2620 mhz-2690 mhzfddn8880 mhz-915 mhz925 mhz-960 mhzfddn12699 mhz-716 mhz729 mhz-746 mhzfddn14788 mhz-798 mhz758 mhz-768 mhzfddn18815 mhz-830 mhz860 mhz-875 mhzfddn20832 mhz-862 mhz791 mhz-821 mhzfddn251850 mhz-1915 mhz1930 mhz-1995 mhzfddn28703 mhz-748 mhz758 mhz-803 mhzfddn302305 mhz-2315 mhz2350 mhz-2360 mhzfddn342010 mhz-2025 mhz2010 mhz-2025 mhztddn382570 mhz-2620 mhz2570 mhz-2620 mhztddn391880 mhz-1920 mhz1880 mhz-1920 mhztddn402300 mhz-2400 mhz2300 mhz-2400 mhztddn412496 mhz-2690 mhz2496 mhz-2690 mhztddn483550 mhz-3700 mhz3550 mhz-3700 mhztddn501432 mhz-1517 mhz1432 mhz-1517 mhztddn511427 mhz-1432 mhz1427 mhz-1432 mhztddn651920 mhz-2010 mhz2110 mhz-2200 mhzfddn661710 mhz-1780 mhz2110 mhz-2200 mhzfddn701695 mhz-1710 mhz1995 mhz-2020 mhzfddn71663 mhz-698 mhz617 mhz-652 mhzfddn741427 mhz-1470 mhz1475 mhz-1518 mhzfddn75n/a1432 mhz-1517 mhzsdln76n/a1427 mhz-1432 mhzsdln773300 mhz-4200 mhz3300 mhz-4200 mhztddn783300 mhz-3800 mhz3300 mhz-3800 mhztddn794400 mhz-5000 mhz4400 mhz-5000 mhztddn801710 mhz-1785 mhzn/asuln81880 mhz-915 mhzn/asuln82832 mhz-862 mhzn/asuln83703 mhz-748 mhzn/asuln841920 mhz-1980 mhzn/asuln861710 mhz-1780 mhzn/asul[n90]2496 mhz-2690 mhz2496 mhz-2690 mhztdd table 3uplink (ul) and downlink (dl)operating bandbs transmit/receivenrue transmit/receiveoperatingf ul, low -f ul, highduplexbandf dl, low -f dl, highmoden25726500 mhz-29500 mhztddn25824250 mhz-27500 mhztddn26037000 mhz-40000 mhztddn26127500 mhz-28350 mhztdd for purposes of this application, a frequency band (e.g., band 12 (b12)) can refer to a 3gpp long term evolution (lte) frequency band (e.g., 3gpp lte band 12) or a 3gpp fifth generation (5g) frequency band (e.g., 3gpp 5g band 12 (n12)). the number of lte frequency bands and the level of signal improvement can vary based on a particular wireless device, cellular node, or location. additional domestic and international frequencies can also be included to offer increased functionality. selected models of the signal booster 120 can be configured to operate with selected frequency bands based on the location of use. in another example, the signal booster 120 can automatically sense from the wireless device 110 or base station 130 (or gps, etc.) which frequencies are used, which can be a benefit for international travelers. in one example, the integrated device antenna 124 and the integrated node antenna 126 can be comprised of a single antenna, an antenna array, or have a telescoping form-factor. in another example, the integrated device antenna 124 and the integrated node antenna 126 can be a microchip antenna. an example of a microchip antenna is ammal001. in yet another example, the integrated device antenna 124 and the integrated node antenna 126 can be a printed circuit board (pcb) antenna. an example of a pcb antenna is te 2118310-1. in one example, the integrated device antenna 124 can receive uplink (ul) signals from the wireless device 110 and transmit dl signals to the wireless device 110 using a single antenna. alternatively, the integrated device antenna 124 can receive ul signals from the wireless device 110 using a dedicated ul antenna, and the integrated device antenna 124 can transmit dl signals to the wireless device 110 using a dedicated dl antenna. in one example, the integrated device antenna 124 can communicate with the wireless device 110 using near field communication. alternatively, the integrated device antenna 124 can communicate with the wireless device 110 using far field communication. in one example, the integrated node antenna 126 can receive downlink (dl) signals from the base station 130 and transmit uplink (ul) signals to the base station 130 via a single antenna. alternatively, the integrated node antenna 126 can receive dl signals from the base station 130 using a dedicated dl antenna, and the integrated node antenna 126 can transmit ul signals to the base station 130 using a dedicated ul antenna. in one configuration, multiple signal boosters can be used to amplify ul and dl signals. for example, a first signal booster can be used to amplify ul signals and a second signal booster can be used to amplify dl signals. in addition, different signal boosters can be used to amplify different frequency ranges. in one configuration, the signal booster 120 can be configured to identify when the wireless device 110 receives a relatively strong downlink signal. an example of a strong downlink signal can be a downlink signal with a signal strength greater than approximately −80 dbm. the signal booster 120 can be configured to automatically turn off selected features, such as amplification, to conserve battery life. when the signal booster 120 senses that the wireless device 110 is receiving a relatively weak downlink signal, the integrated booster can be configured to provide amplification of the downlink signal. an example of a weak downlink signal can be a downlink signal with a signal strength less than −80 dbm. in one example, the signal booster 120 can also include one or more of: a waterproof casing, a shock absorbent casing, a flip-cover, a wallet, or extra memory storage for the wireless device. in one example, extra memory storage can be achieved with a direct connection between the signal booster 120 and the wireless device 110 . in another example, near-field communications (nfc), bluetooth v4.0, bluetooth low energy, bluetooth v4.1, bluetooth v4.2, bluetooth 5, ultra high frequency (uhf), 3gpp lte, institute of electronics and electrical engineers (ieee) 802.11a, ieee 802.11b, ieee 802.11g, ieee 802.11n, ieee 802.11ac, or ieee 802.11ad can be used to couple the signal booster 120 with the wireless device 110 to enable data from the wireless device 110 to be communicated to and stored in the extra memory storage that is integrated in the signal booster 120 . alternatively, a connector can be used to connect the wireless device 110 to the extra memory storage. in one example, the signal booster 120 can include photovoltaic cells or solar panels as a technique of charging the integrated battery and/or a battery of the wireless device 110 . in another example, the signal booster 120 can be configured to communicate directly with other wireless devices with signal boosters. in one example, the integrated node antenna 126 can communicate over very high frequency (vhf) communications directly with integrated node antennas of other signal boosters. the signal booster 120 can be configured to communicate with the wireless device 110 through a direct connection, near-field communications (nfc), bluetooth v4.0, bluetooth low energy, bluetooth v4.1, bluetooth v4.2, ultra high frequency (uhf), 3gpp lte, institute of electronics and electrical engineers (ieee) 802.11a, ieee 802.11b, ieee 802.11g, ieee 802.11n, ieee 802.11ac, ieee 802.11ad, a tv white space band (tvws), or any other industrial, scientific and medical (ism) radio band. examples of such ism bands include 2.4 ghz, 3.6 ghz, 4.9 ghz, 5 ghz, or 5.9 ghz. this configuration can allow data to pass at high rates between multiple wireless devices with signal boosters. this configuration can also allow users to send text messages, initiate phone calls, and engage in video communications between wireless devices with signal boosters. in one example, the integrated node antenna 126 can be configured to couple to the wireless device 110 . in other words, communications between the integrated node antenna 126 and the wireless device 110 can bypass the integrated booster. in another example, a separate vhf node antenna can be configured to communicate over vhf communications directly with separate vhf node antennas of other signal boosters. this configuration can allow the integrated node antenna 126 to be used for simultaneous cellular communications. the separate vhf node antenna can be configured to communicate with the wireless device 110 through a direct connection, near-field communications (nfc), bluetooth v4.0, bluetooth low energy, bluetooth v4.1, bluetooth v4.2, ultra high frequency (uhf), 3gpp lte, institute of electronics and electrical engineers (ieee) 802.11a, ieee 802.11b, ieee 802.11g, ieee 802.11n, ieee 802.11ac, ieee 802.11ad, a tv white space band (tvws), or any other industrial, scientific and medical (ism) radio band. in one configuration, the signal booster 120 can be configured for satellite communication. in one example, the integrated node antenna 126 can be configured to act as a satellite communication antenna. in another example, a separate node antenna can be used for satellite communications. the signal booster 120 can extend the range of coverage of the wireless device 110 configured for satellite communication. the integrated node antenna 126 can receive downlink signals from satellite communications for the wireless device 110 . the signal booster 120 can filter and amplify the downlink signals from the satellite communication. in another example, during satellite communications, the wireless device 110 can be configured to couple to the signal booster 120 via a direct connection or an ism radio band. examples of such ism bands include 2.4 ghz, 3.6 ghz, 4.9 ghz, 5 ghz, or 5.9 ghz. fig. 2 illustrates exemplary frequency ranges for a plurality of uplink and downlink bands. the frequency ranges can be measured in megahertz (mhz). the uplink bands can include band 12 (b12), band 13 (b13) and band 14 (b14). the downlink bands can include band 12 (b12), band 13 (b13) and band 14 (b14). as shown, b12 can correspond to a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz in an uplink. b12 can correspond to a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz in a downlink, b13 can correspond to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the downlink, and b14 can correspond to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz in the downlink. b12, b13 and b14 can be spectrally adjacent bands in the downlink. in addition, b13 can correspond to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the uplink, and b14 can correspond to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz in the uplink. b13 and b14 can be spectrally adjacent bands in the downlink. fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary signal booster 300 . the signal booster 300 can include one or more uplink signal paths for selected bands, and the signal booster 300 can include one or more downlink signal paths for selected bands. the uplink signal paths can include one or more amplifiers and band pass filters to amplify uplink signals. similarly, the downlink signal paths can include one or more amplifiers and band pass filters to amplify downlink signals. in the example shown in fig. 3 , the signal booster 300 can have a first uplink signal path 330 for band 12 (b12) and a second uplink signal path 340 for b13 and b14. in uplink, b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 megahertz (mhz) to 716 mhz, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz, and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz. in the uplink, b13 and b14 can be spectrally adjacent bands. in addition, in this example, the signal booster 300 can have a downlink signal path 350 for b12, b13 and b14. in other words, the downlink signal path 350 can be a combined downlink signal path for b12, b13 and b14. in downlink, b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz, and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz. in the downlink, b12, b13 and b14 are all spectrally adjacent to each other. even though there is a 2 mhz gap between an end of b13 dl and a start of b14 dl (e.g., 756 mhz and 758 mhz), b13 dl and b14 dl can be considered spectrally adjacent to each other since an rf filter may be unable to roll-off quickly enough to separate the two bands. in another example, b12 uplink, including a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz and b12 dl, including a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz may not be spectrally adjacent to each other because filters (e.g., saw filters, baw filters, fbar filters, ceramic filters, and the like) can adequately isolate the frequency range of b12 ul and the frequency range of b12 dl. saw filter, baw filters, fbar filters, ceramic filters, and the like can be configured to have a roll off steep enough to separately filter the two bands due to the frequency gap of 13 mhz between 716 mhz and 729 mhz. in another example, two signals can be considered to be spectrally adjacent when standard filters (e.g., saw filters, baw filters, fbar filters, ceramic filters, or the like) cannot be configured to adequately isolate the two signals resulting in interference between the two signals. two signals are considered to be spectrally adjacent when the relative gap between the signals is not sufficient to allow the filters to isolate the two signals. two passbands can have a gap between their respective passbands. a gap can be between a first edge of a passband of a first filter and a second edge of a passband of a second filter. for example, a first passband can be from 663 mhz to 698 mhz. a second passband can be from 701 mhz to 726 mhz. the gap is 3 mhz between the 698 mhz edge of the first passband and the 701 mhz edge of the second passband. a relative gap can be the gap between the passbands relative to a center frequency of the gap and can be a percentage calculated from a ratio of a gap in mhz and a center frequency of the gap in mhz. in one example, a 3 mhz gap at a center frequency of the gap of about 699.5 mhz can have a relative gap of about 0.4%. in one example, a saw filter cannot be configured to have a roll off steep enough to separately filter two bands with a relative gap of less than 0.7%. in another example, a saw filter can have a roll off steep enough to separately filter two bands with a relative gap of more than 2.0%. in another example, two signals can be considered to be spectrally adjacent with a relative gap of less than about 2.0%, 1.65%, 1.35%, 1.0%, 0.70%, or 0.50%. as used herein, the term “gap” with guard band, although a gap does not have to be a guard band. in one example, the signal booster 300 can receive uplink signals from a mobile device (not shown) via an inside antenna coupled to the signal booster 300 . an uplink signal can pass through a first triplexer 310 (or first multiband filter), and then the uplink signal can be provided to the first uplink signal path 330 for b12 or the second uplink signal path 340 for b13 and b14. the first and second uplink signal paths 330 , 340 can perform amplification and filtering of the uplink signal. the first and second uplink signal paths 330 , 340 can each include a low noise amplifier (lna) and a power amplifier (pa). the uplink signal can be provided to a second triplexer 320 (or second multiband filter), and then the uplink signal can be provided to a base station (not shown) via an outside antenna coupled to the signal booster 300 . in another example, the signal booster 300 can receive downlink signals from the base station via the outside antenna. a downlink signal can pass through the second triplexer 320 (or second multiband filter), and then the downlink signal can be provided to the combined downlink signal path 350 for b12, b13 and b14. the combined downlink signal path 350 can perform amplification and filtering of the downlink signal. the combined downlink signal path 350 can include a low noise amplifier (lna) and a power amplifier (pa). the downlink signal can be provided to the first triplexer 310 (or first multiband filter), and then the downlink signal can be provided to the mobile device via the inside antenna. in one configuration, the signal booster 300 can include a controller 360 . generally speaking, the controller 360 can be configured to perform network protection for the signal booster 300 . the controller 360 can perform network protection in accordance with part 20 of the federal communications commission (fcc) consumer booster rules. the fcc consumer booster rules necessitate that uplink signal paths and downlink signal are to work together for network protection. network protection can be performed in order to protect a cellular network from overload or noise floor increase. the controller 360 can perform network protection by adjusting a gain or noise power for each band in the uplink transmission paths 330 , 340 based on control information from each band in the downlink transmission paths 350 . the control information from each band in the downlink transmission paths 350 can include a received signal strength indication (rssi) associated with downlink received signals. in other words, based on the rssi of the downlink received signals traveling on the downlink transmission paths 350 , the controller 360 can adjust (i.e., increase or decrease) the gain or noise power for the uplink transmission paths 330 , 340 . by adjusting the gain or noise floor when performing the network protection, the signal booster 300 can prevent the network (e.g., base stations) from becoming overloaded with uplink signals from the signal booster 300 that exceed a defined threshold. in the example shown in fig. 3 , the controller 360 can separately detect control information (e.g., rssi) for downlink received signals with respect to b12, b13 and b14. in other words, the signal booster 300 can detect control information that pertains only to downlink received signals for b12, the signal booster 300 can detect control information that pertains only to downlink received signals for b13, and the signal booster 300 can detect control information that pertains only to downlink received signals for b14. the controller 360 can adjust the uplink gain or noise floor for b12 (i.e., the first uplink signal path 330 ) based only on the control information for the downlink received signals on b12. the controller 360 can adjust the uplink gain or noise floor for b13 and b14 (i.e., the second uplink signal path 340 ) based only on the control information for the downlink received signals on b13 or b14. in other words, the uplink gain or noise power for b12 (i.e., the first uplink signal path 330 ) can be controlled independent of the uplink gain or noise power for b13 and b14 (i.e., the second uplink signal path 340 ). more specifically, as shown in fig. 3 , the signal booster 300 can include a switchable b12 downlink band pass filter, a switchable b13 downlink bandpass filter, a switchable b14 downlink bandpass filter, and a signal detector. the signal detector can be communicatively coupled to the switchable b12 downlink band pass filter, the switchable b13 downlink band pass filter and the switchable b14 downlink band pass filter. the b12, b13 and b14 downlink bandpass filters can be switched in and out, such that downlink received signals for b12, b13 or b14 can be provided to the signal detector. the signal detector can be a log detector (e.g., a diode), and the signal detector can detect the control information (e.g., rssi) associated with the downlink received signals for b12, b13 or b14. in other words, the switchable b12, b13 and b14 downlink band pass filters can enable the signal detector to separately detect the control information for downlink received signals for b12, b13 and b14. the signal detector can provide the control information to the controller 360 . based only on the control information for downlink received signals for b12, the controller 360 can adjust the uplink gain or noise floor for b12 (i.e., the first uplink signal path 330 ). similarly, based only on the control information for downlink received signals for b13 or b14, the controller 360 can adjust the uplink gain or noise floor for b13 and b14 (i.e., the second uplink signal path 340 ). in general, using the signal detector, the controller 360 can detect single downlink bands while multiple downlink bands are passing through a common downlink signal path. with respect to the specific example shown in fig. 3 , the controller 360 can perform independent detection of control information for b12, b13 and b14, even though the signal booster 300 has a combined downlink signal path for b12, b13 and b14. in an alternative configuration, the signal booster 300 can include a first signal detector, a second signal detector and a third signal detector. the first signal detector can detect control information (e.g., rssi) associated with a received downlink signal for b12. the second signal detector can detect control information (e.g., rssi) associated with a received downlink signal for b13. the third signal detector can detect control information (e.g., rssi) associated with a received downlink signal for b14. therefore, in this configuration, separate signal detectors can be utilized to detect the control information for the multiple downlink bands. in one configuration, the downlink signal path 350 can include a pass through signal path to the signal detector. the pass through signal path can bypass the switchable b12, b13 and b14 downlink band pass filters. the signal detector can measure a signal power level for the pass through signal path. the signal power level can be utilized to perform automatic gain control (agc) and to maintain a linearity of a downlink signal. alternatively, a signal power level for each of the switchable b12, b13 and b14 downlink band pass filters can be measured and added to calculate a total signal power level. in one configuration, the first triplexer 310 can include a first common port communicatively coupled to the inside antenna. the first triplexer 310 can include a first port that is communicatively coupled to the first uplink signal path 330 for b12. the first triplexer 310 can include a second port that is communicatively coupled to the second uplink signal path 340 for b13 and b14. the first triplexer 310 can include a third port that is communicatively coupled to the combined downlink signal path 350 for b12, b13 and b14. similarly, the second triplexer 320 can include a second common port communicatively coupled to the outside antenna. the second triplexer 320 can include a first port that is communicatively coupled to the first uplink signal path 330 for b12. the second triplexer 320 can include a second port that is communicatively coupled to the second uplink signal path 340 for b13 and b14. the second triplexer 320 can include a third port that is communicatively coupled to the combined downlink signal path 350 for b12, b13 and b14. in one configuration, the first triplexer 310 and the second triplexer 320 can include separate filters for b12 ul, b13 ul and/or b14 ul. similarly, the first triplexer 310 and the second triplexer 320 can include separate filters for b12 dl, b13 dl and/or b14 dl. the filters can filter ul or dl signals, respectively. in one configuration, the signal booster 300 can include a first multiband filter and a second multiband filter. the first and second multiband filters can be single-input single-output (siso) multiband filters or double-input single-output (diso) multiband filters. in this configuration, the first multiband filter and the second multiband filter can replace the first triplexer 310 and the second triplexer 320 , respectively. the first multiband filter can include a first uplink port and a first downlink port. the second multiband filter can include a second uplink port and a second downlink port. one or more uplink signal paths 330 , 340 can be communicatively coupled between the first uplink port in the first multiband filter and the second uplink port in the second multiband filter. similarly, one or more downlink signal paths 350 can be communicatively coupled between the first downlink port in the first multiband filter and the second downlink port in the second multiband filter. in this configuration, each of the first and second multiband filters can include a single downlink port and a single uplink port. fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary signal booster 400 . the signal booster 400 can include a first triplexer 410 . the signal booster 400 can include a second triplexer 420 . the signal booster 400 can include a first uplink signal path 430 communicatively coupled between the first triplexer 410 and the second triplexer 420 . the first uplink signal path 430 can include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the first signal path 430 can be configured to amplify and filter uplink signals in a first uplink band. the signal booster 400 can include a second uplink signal path 440 communicatively coupled between the first triplexer 410 and the second triplexer 420 . the second uplink signal path 440 can include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the second signal path 440 can be configured to amplify and filter uplink signals in one or more of a second uplink band or a third uplink band that is spectrally adjacent to the second uplink band. the signal booster 400 can include a downlink signal path 450 communicatively coupled between the first triplexer 410 and the second triplexer 420 . the downlink signal path 450 can include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters configured to amplify and filter downlink signals in one or more of a first downlink band, a second downlink band or a third downlink band, and the first downlink band, the second downlink band and the third downlink band can be spectrally adjacent bands. a signal detector can also be used to detect the first, second, or third downlink bands using switchable bandpass filters to pass selected bands to the signal detector. in one configuration, the downlink signal path can include a pass through signal path to the signal detector. fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary signal booster 500 . the signal booster 500 can include a first triplexer 510 . the signal booster 500 can include a second triplexer 520 . the signal booster 500 can include a downlink signal path 530 communicatively coupled between the first triplexer 510 and the second triplexer 520 . the downlink signal path 530 can include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters configured to amplify and filter downlink signals in one or more of a first downlink band, a second downlink band or a third downlink band, and the first downlink band, the second downlink band and the third downlink band can be spectrally adjacent bands. fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary cellular signal booster 600 . the cellular signal booster 600 can include a downlink cellular signal path 630 configured to amplify and filter a downlink cellular signal received in a first downlink band, a second downlink band or a third downlink band, and the first downlink band, the second downlink band and the third downlink band can be spectrally adjacent bands. the cellular signal booster 600 can include a controller 640 operable to perform network protection by adjusting an uplink gain or noise power for a first uplink band in a first uplink cellular signal path, or for a second uplink band and a third uplink band in a second uplink cellular signal path. the second uplink band can be spectrally adjacent to the third uplink band, and the uplink gain or noise power can be adjusted in the first uplink cellular path or the second uplink cellular path using control information associated with the downlink cellular signal received in one or more of the first downlink band, the second downlink band or the third downlink band. fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary signal booster 700 . the signal booster 700 can include a first triplexer 710 . the signal booster 700 can include a second triplexer 720 . the signal booster 700 can include a first direction signal path 730 communicatively coupled between the first triplexer 710 and the second triplexer 720 . the first direction signal path 730 can include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the first direction signal path 730 can be configured to amplify and filter first direction signals in one or more first direction bands, and the one or more first direction bands can be spectrally adjacent bands. the signal booster 700 can include a second direction signal path 740 communicatively coupled between the first triplexer 710 and the second triplexer 720 . the second direction signal path 740 can include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters configured to amplify and filter second direction signals in one or more second direction bands, and the one or more second direction bands can be spectrally adjacent bands. fig. 8 illustrates an exemplary triplexer 800 in a signal booster. the triplexer 800 can include one or more first direction filters 810 configured to filter first direction signals in one or more first direction bands, and the one or more first direction bands can be spectrally adjacent bands. the triplexer 800 can include one or more second direction filters 820 configured to filter second direction signals in one or more second direction bands, and the one or more second direction bands can be spectrally adjacent bands. fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary signal booster 900 . the signal booster 900 can include a first multiband filter 910 that includes a first first-direction port and a first second-direction port. the signal booster 900 can include a second multiband filter 920 that includes a second first-direction port and a second second-direction port. the first multiband filter 910 and the second multiband filter 920 can include four or more filters. the four or more filters can include first direction filters and/or second direction filters. each signal path can be associated with a selected first direction filter or second direction filter of the four or more filters. the signal booster 900 can include one or more first direction signal paths 930 communicatively coupled between the first first-direction port in the first multiband filter 910 and the second first-direction port in the second multiband filter 920 . the signal booster 900 can include one or more second direction signal paths 940 communicatively coupled between the first second-direction port in the first multiband filter 910 and the second second-direction port in the second multiband filter 920 . fig. 10 illustrates an exemplary signal booster 1000 that includes uplink and/or downlink signal paths in spectrally adjacent bands. the signal booster 1000 can include a first multiband filter 1010 and a second multiband filter 1020 . the first multiband filter 1010 can be communicatively coupled to an inside antenna and the second multiband filter 1020 can be communicatively coupled to an outside antenna. the signal booster 1000 can include a first uplink signal path 1030 and a second uplink signal path 1040 communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter 1010 and the second multiband filter 1020 . the first uplink signal path 1030 and the second uplink signal path 1040 can each include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters. similarly, the signal booster 1000 can include a first downlink signal path 1050 and a second downlink signal path 1060 communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter 1010 and the second multiband filter 1020 . the first downlink signal path 1050 and the second downlink signal path 1060 can each include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters. each signal path (downlink and uplink) can include a signal detector to detect control information associated with signals transmitted on the signal path. in addition, the signal booster 900 can employ down-converting, and then either an analog intermediate frequency (if) filter or digital filter. in this example, the first uplink signal path 1030 can be for band 12 (b12) and the 600 mhz uplink frequency range. in other words, the first uplink signal path 1030 can be a combined signal path for b12 and 600 mhz. in uplink, b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 megahertz (mhz) to 716 mhz, so b12 and the 600 mhz frequency range are spectrally adjacent. in this example, the second uplink signal path 1040 can be for b12. in uplink, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz. in this example, the first downlink signal path 1050 can be for b12 and b13. in other words, the first downlink signal path 1050 can be a combined signal path for b12 and b13. in downlink, b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz and b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz, so b12 and b13 are spectrally adjacent to each other in the downlink. alternatively, the first downlink signal path 1050 can be a combined signal path for b12, b13 and b14, which are all spectrally adjacent to each other in the downlink. in this example, the second downlink signal path 1060 can be for the 600 mhz downlink frequency range. in an alternative configuration, first uplink signal path 1030 can be for b12 and the 600 mhz uplink frequency range, and the second uplink signal path 1040 can be for b13 and a band 14 (b14). in uplink, b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz. in addition, the first downlink signal path 1050 can be for b12, b13 and b14, and the second downlink signal path 1060 can be for the 600 mhz downlink frequency range. in downlink b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz. fig. 11 exemplary frequency ranges for a 600 megahertz (mhz) frequency band. as shown, a band 12 (b12) uplink (ul) band corresponds to a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz. a 600 mhz ul band can be spectrally adjacent to the b12 ul band. the 600 mhz ul band can range from a defined frequency range (e.g., 6xx mhz to 6xx mhz). a 600 mhz downlink (dl) band can have a lower frequency than the 600 mhz ul band, and the 600 mhz dl band and the 600 mhz ul band can be separated by a guard band (gb). the 600 mhz dl band can range from a defined frequency range (e.g., 6xx mhz to 6xx mhz). in addition, a radio astronomy service (ras) can correspond to a frequency range of 608 mhz to 614 mhz. in one example, 84 mhz of the 600 mhz frequency band can be utilized for uplink and downlink traffic. therefore, 7 paired blocks and the ras may not be utilized for uplink and downlink traffic in the 600 mhz frequency band. fig. 12 illustrates an exemplary signal booster 1200 that includes uplink and/or downlink signal paths in spectrally adjacent bands. the signal booster 1200 can include a first multiband filter 1210 (e.g., a first triplexer) and a second multiband filter 1220 (e.g., a second triplexer). the first multiband filter 1210 can be communicatively coupled to an inside antenna and the second multiband filter 1220 can be communicatively coupled to an outside antenna. the signal booster 1200 can include a first uplink signal path 1230 and a second uplink signal path 1240 communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter 1210 and the second multiband filter 1220 . the first uplink signal path 1230 and the second uplink signal path 1240 can each include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters. in addition, the signal booster 1200 can include a combined downlink signal path 1250 communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter 1210 and the second multiband filter 1220 . the combined downlink signal path 1250 can include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters. in this example, the first uplink signal path 1230 can be for b12 and the second uplink signal path 1240 can be for b13. in this example, the combined downlink signal path 1250 can be for b12 and b13. in one example, the combined downlink signal path 1250 can include a switchable b12 downlink band pass filter, a switchable b13 downlink bandpass filter, a switchable b12/b13 downlink bandpass filter, and a signal detector. the signal detector can be communicatively coupled to the switchable b12 downlink band pass filter, the switchable b13 downlink band pass filter and the switchable b12/b13 downlink band pass filter. the b12, b13 and b12/b13 downlink bandpass filters can be switched in and out, such that downlink received signals for b12, b13 or b12/b13 can be provided to the signal detector. the signal detector can be a log detector (e.g., a diode), and the signal detector can detect the control information (e.g., rssi) associated with the downlink received signals for b12, b13 or b12/b13. in other words, the switchable b12, b13 and b12/b13 downlink band pass filters can enable the signal detector to separately detect the control information for downlink received signals for b12, b13 and b12/b13. in one example, the signal booster 1200 can operate in a wideband mode or a single-band mode (e.g., only one of b12 or b13). for example, to initiate a single-band mode, a selected uplink power amplifier (pa) can be turned off and a selected downlink bandpass filter (bpf) can be switched on. as a specific example, a b13 ul pa can be turned off and a b12 dl bpf can be switched on. for the wideband mode, a wideband bpf for downlink can be switched in and both ul pas can be turned off. fig. 13 illustrates an exemplary signal booster 1300 that includes uplink and/or downlink signal paths in spectrally adjacent bands. the signal booster 1300 can include a first multiband filter 1310 (e.g., a first triplexer) and a second multiband filter 1320 (e.g., a second triplexer). the first multiband filter 1310 can be communicatively coupled to an inside antenna and the second multiband filter 1320 can be communicatively coupled to an outside antenna. the signal booster 1300 can include a first uplink signal path 1330 and a second uplink signal path 1340 communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter 1310 and the second multiband filter 1320 . the first uplink signal path 1330 and the second uplink signal path 1340 can each include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters. in addition, the signal booster 1300 can include a combined downlink signal path 1350 communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter 1310 and the second multiband filter 1320 . the combined downlink signal path 1350 can include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters. in this example, the first uplink signal path 1330 can be for b12 and b17 and the second uplink signal path 1340 can be for b13. in the uplink, b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz and b17 corresponds to a frequency range of 704 mhz to 716 mhz. in this example, the combined downlink signal path 1350 can be for b12 and b13 and b17. in downlink, b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz and b17 corresponds to a frequency range of 734 to 746 mhz. therefore, the signal booster 1300 can operate in a b12/b13 mode or a b17/b13 mode. in one example, the first uplink signal path 1330 can include a switchable b12 uplink band pass filter and a switchable b17 uplink bandpass filter. in another example, the combined downlink signal path 750 can include a switchable b12/b13 downlink band pass filter, a switchable b17/b13 downlink bandpass filter, and a signal detector. the signal detector can be communicatively coupled to the switchable b12/b13 downlink band pass filter and the switchable b17/b13 downlink band pass filter. the b12/b13 and b17/b13 downlink bandpass filters can be switched in and out, such that downlink received signals for b12/b13 or b17/b13 can be provided to the signal detector. the signal detector can be a log detector (e.g., a diode), and the signal detector can detect the control information (e.g., rssi) associated with the downlink received signals for b12/b13 or b17/b13. in other words, the switchable b12/b13 and b17/b13 downlink band pass filters can enable the signal detector to separately detect the control information for downlink received signals for b12/b13 and b17/b13. in one configuration, the first uplink signal path 1330 and the second uplink signal path 1340 can be controlled independently of the combined downlink signal path 1350 , which can provide additional flexibility in network protections and mitigate near-far problems. fig. 14 illustrates an exemplary signal booster that is operable in a wideband mode or a channelized mode. the signal booster 1400 can include a first multiband filter 1410 (e.g., a first triplexer) and a second multiband filter 1420 (e.g., a second triplexer). the first multiband filter 1410 can be communicatively coupled to an inside antenna and the second multiband filter 1420 can be communicatively coupled to an outside antenna. the signal booster 1400 can include a first uplink signal path 1430 and a second uplink signal path 1440 communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter 1410 and the second multiband filter 1420 . the first uplink signal path 1430 and the second uplink signal path 1440 can each include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters. in addition, the signal booster 1400 can include a combined downlink signal path 1450 communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter 1410 and the second multiband filter 1420 . the combined downlink signal path 1450 can include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters. in this example, the first uplink signal path 1430 can be for b12 and the second uplink signal path 1440 can be for b13. in this example, the combined downlink signal path 1450 can be for b12 and b13. in one example, the first uplink signal path 1430 can include a switchable b12 uplink band pass filter and a switchable b12 uplink channelized bandpass filter. the switchable b12 uplink band pass filter can be a wideband b12 uplink filter (i.e., a wideband filter that passes signals in the entire b12 uplink band), whereas the switchable b12 uplink channelized bandpass filter can be a channelized b12 uplink filter (i.e., a channelized filter that only passes signals in a portion of the b12 uplink band). similarly, the second uplink signal path 1440 can include a switchable b13 uplink band pass filter and a switchable b13 uplink channelized bandpass filter. in one example, the combined downlink signal path 1450 can include a switchable b12/b13 downlink band pass filter (i.e., a wideband filter that passes signals in the entire b12/b13 downlink band), a switchable b12 downlink channelized bandpass filter (a channelized filter that only passes signals in a portion of the b12 downlink band), and a b13 downlink channelized bandpass filter (a channelized filter that only passes signals in a portion of the b13 downlink band). the combined downlink signal path 1450 can include a splitter that provides signals to the switchable b12/b13 downlink band pass filter or the switchable b12 downlink channelized bandpass filter, or to the b13 downlink channelized bandpass filter. in addition, the combined downlink signal path 1450 can include signal detector(s) that detect control information (e.g., rssi) associated with the downlink received signals for b12/b13, a channelized b12 or a channelized b13, respectively. in one example, the signal booster 1400 can operate in a wideband mode or a parallel channelized mode, in which b12 ul and b13 ul can be adjusted separately. in the wideband mode, a wideband bpf for ul and dl can be switched in (i.e., the b12 ul bpf, the b13 ul bpf and the b12/13 dl bpf can be switched in), and in the dl, a b13 dl channelized bpf can be disabled. in the parallel channelized mode, a channelized bpf for ul and dl can be switched in (i.e., the b12 ul channelized bpf, the b13 ul channelized bpf, and the b12 dl channelized bpf can be switched in, and in the dl, the b13 dl channelized bpf can be enabled. in another example, b12 and b13 in the uplink can be wideband, and the b12 or b13 bpfs can be switched between each other in the downlink, which can result in the passed band being full but blocks the other band. fig. 15 illustrates an exemplary signal booster that is operable in a wideband mode or a channelized mode. the signal booster 1500 can include a first multiband filter 1510 (e.g., a first duplexer) and a second multiband filter 1520 (e.g., a second duplexer). the first multiband filter 1510 can be communicatively coupled to an inside antenna and the second multiband filter 1520 can be communicatively coupled to an outside antenna. the signal booster 1500 can include an uplink signal path 1530 and a downlink signal path 1540 communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter 1510 and the second multiband filter 1520 . the uplink signal path 1530 and the downlink signal path 1540 can each include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters. in this example, the uplink signal path 1530 can be for b5 and the downlink signal path 1540 can be for b5. in the uplink, b5 corresponds to a frequency range of 824 mhz to 849 mhz, and in the downlink, b5 corresponds to a frequency range of 869 mhz to 894 mhz. in one example, the uplink signal path 1530 can include a switchable b5 uplink band pass filter (i.e., a wideband filter that passes signals in the entire b5 uplink band), a switchable b5 uplink channelized bandpass filter (a channelized filter that only passes signals in a first portion of the b5 uplink band, which corresponds to channel a), and a b5 uplink channelized bandpass filter (a channelized filter that only passes signals in a first second of the b5 uplink band, which corresponds to channel b). the uplink signal path 1530 can include a splitter that provides signals to the switchable b5 uplink band pass filter or the switchable b5 uplink channelized bandpass filter corresponding to channel a, or to the b5 uplink channelized bandpass filter corresponding to channel b. in one example, the downlink signal path 1540 can include a switchable b5 downlink band pass filter (i.e., a wideband filter that passes signals in the entire b5 downlink band), a switchable b5 downlink channelized bandpass filter (a channelized filter that only passes signals in a first portion of the b5 downlink band, which corresponds to channel a), and a b5 downlink channelized bandpass filter (a channelized filter that only passes signals in a first second of the b5 downlink band, which corresponds to channel b). the downlink signal path 1540 can include a splitter that provides signals to the switchable b5 downlink band pass filter or the switchable b5 downlink channelized bandpass filter corresponding to channel a, or to the b5 downlink channelized bandpass filter corresponding to channel b. in addition, the downlink signal path 1540 can include signal detector(s) that detect control information (e.g., rssi) associated with the downlink received signals for channel a of b5 or channel b of b5, respectively. in one example, the signal booster 1500 can operate in a wideband mode (full b5) or a parallel channelized mode, in which channel a of b5 and channel b of b5 in the uplink can be adjusted separately. in the wideband mode, a wideband bpf for ul and dl can be switched in (i.e., the b5 ul bpf and the b5 dl bpf), and b5 channel b bpfs for ul and dl can be disabled. in the parallel channelized mode, b5 channel a bpfs for ul and dl can be switched in (i.e., the b5 ul channel a bpf and the b5 dl channel a bpf can be switched in), and the b5 channel b bpfs for ul and dl can be enabled (i.e., the b5 ul channel b bpf and the b5 dl channel b bpf can be enabled). in another example, single pole double throw (spdt) switches can be utilized to maintain impedance matching to splitter(s) in the uplink signal path 1530 and/or the downlink signal path 1540 when any of enable #1-4 are disabled. fig. 16 provides an example illustration of the wireless device, such as a user equipment (ue), a mobile station (ms), a mobile communication device, a tablet, a handset, a wireless transceiver coupled to a processor, or other type of wireless device. the wireless device can include one or more antennas configured to communicate with a node or transmission station, such as an access point (ap), a base station (bs), an evolved node b (enb), a baseband unit (bbu), a remote radio head (rrh), a remote radio equipment (rre), a relay station (rs), a radio equipment (re), a remote radio unit (rru), a central processing module (cpm), or other type of wireless wide area network (wwan) access point. the wireless device can communicate using separate antennas for each wireless communication standard or shared antennas for multiple wireless communication standards. the wireless device can communicate in a wireless local area network (wlan), a wireless personal area network (wpan), and/or a wwan. fig. 16 also provides an illustration of a microphone and one or more speakers that can be used for audio input and output from the wireless device. the display screen can be a liquid crystal display (lcd) screen, or other type of display screen such as an organic light emitting diode (oled) display. the display screen can be configured as a touch screen. the touch screen can use capacitive, resistive, or another type of touch screen technology. an application processor and a graphics processor can be coupled to internal memory to provide processing and display capabilities. a non-volatile memory port can also be used to provide data input/output options to a user. the non-volatile memory port can also be used to expand the memory capabilities of the wireless device. a keyboard can be with the wireless device or wirelessly connected to the wireless device to provide additional user input. a virtual keyboard can also be provided using the touch screen. examples the following examples pertain to specific technology embodiments and point out specific features, elements, or actions that can be used or otherwise combined in achieving such embodiments. example 1 includes a signal booster, comprising: a first triplexer; a second triplexer; a first uplink signal path communicatively coupled between the first triplexer and the second triplexer, the first uplink signal path including one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the first signal path is configured to amplify and filter uplink signals in a first uplink band; a second uplink signal path communicatively coupled between the first triplexer and the second triplexer, the second uplink signal path including one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the second signal path is configured to amplify and filter uplink signals in one or more of a second uplink band or a third uplink band that is spectrally adjacent to the second uplink band; and a downlink signal path communicatively coupled between the first triplexer and the second triplexer, the downlink signal path including one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters configured to amplify and filter downlink signals in one or more of a first downlink band, a second downlink band or a third downlink band, wherein the first downlink band, the second downlink band and the third downlink band are spectrally adjacent bands. example 2 includes the signal booster of example 1, further comprising a controller operable to perform network protection by adjusting an uplink gain or a noise power for the first uplink band in the first uplink signal path, or for the second uplink band and the third uplink band in the second uplink signal path. example 3 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 2, wherein the uplink gain or noise power for the first uplink band is controlled independent of the uplink gain or noise power for the second uplink band and the third uplink band. example 4 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 3, wherein: the uplink gain or the noise power is adjusted for the first uplink band using control information associated with a received downlink signal in the first downlink band; or the uplink gain or the noise power is adjusted for the second uplink band and the third uplink band using control information associated with a received downlink signal in the second downlink band or the third downlink band. example 5 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 4, wherein the control information associated with the received downlink signal in the first downlink band, the second downlink band or the third downlink band includes a booster station coupling loss (bscl) or a received signal strength indication (rssi). example 6 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 5, wherein the downlink signal path further comprises a signal detector operable to detect the control information associated with the received downlink signal in one or more of the first downlink band, the second downlink band or the third downlink band. example 7 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 6, wherein the signal detector is communicatively coupled to a first switchable band pass filter, a second switchable band pass filter and a third switchable band pass filter, and a given switchable band pass filter is utilized for one or more of the first downlink band, the second downlink band or the third downlink band. example 8 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 7, further comprising a pass through signal path on the downlink signal path to the signal detector that bypasses the first switchable band pass filter, the second switchable band pass filter and the third switchable band pass filter, wherein the signal detector is configured to measure a signal power level for a combined downlink signal path. example 9 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 8, wherein the first uplink band is band 12 (b12), the second uplink band is band 13 (b13), and the third uplink band is band 14 (b14), wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 megahertz (mhz) to 716 mhz in an uplink, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the uplink, and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz in the uplink. example 10 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 9, wherein the first downlink band is band 12 (b12), the second downlink band is band 13 (b13), and the third downlink band is band 14 (b14), wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 megahertz (mhz) to 746 mhz in a downlink, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the downlink, and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz in the downlink. example 11 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 10, wherein the signal booster is a cellular signal booster configured to amplify cellular signals and retransmit amplified cellular signals. example 12 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 11, further comprising: an inside antenna communicatively coupled to the first triplexer; and an outside antenna communicatively coupled to the second triplexer. example 13 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 12, wherein the inside antenna is configured to: receive uplink signals from a mobile device; or transmit amplified and filtered downlink signals to the mobile device. example 14 includes the signal booster of any of examples 1 to 13, wherein the outside antenna is configured to: receive downlink signals from a base station; or transmit amplified and filtered uplink signals to the base station. example 15 includes a signal booster, comprising: a first triplexer; a second triplexer; and a downlink signal path communicatively coupled between the first triplexer and the second triplexer, the downlink signal path including one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters configured to amplify and filter downlink signals in one or more of a first downlink band, a second downlink band or a third downlink band, wherein the first downlink band, the second downlink band and the third downlink band are spectrally adjacent bands. example 16 includes the signal booster of example 15, further comprising: a first uplink signal path communicatively coupled between the first triplexer and the second triplexer, the first uplink signal path including one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the first signal path is configured to amplify and filter uplink signals in a first uplink band; and a second uplink signal path communicatively coupled between the first triplexer and the second triplexer, the second uplink signal path including one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the second signal path is configured to amplify and filter uplink signals in one or more of a second uplink band or a third uplink band that is spectrally adjacent to the second uplink band. example 17 includes the signal booster of any of examples 15 to 16, further comprising a controller operable to perform network protection by adjusting an uplink gain or a noise power for the first uplink band in the first uplink signal path, or for the second uplink band and the third uplink band in the second uplink signal path. example 18 includes the signal booster of any of examples 15 to 17, wherein: the uplink gain or the noise power is adjusted for the first uplink band using control information associated with a received downlink signal in the first downlink band; or the uplink gain or the noise power is adjusted for the second uplink band and the third uplink band using control information associated with a received downlink signal in the second downlink band or the third downlink band. example 19 includes the signal booster of any of examples 15 to 18, wherein the downlink signal path further comprises a signal detector operable to detect the control information associated with the received downlink signal in one or more of the first downlink band, the second downlink band or the third downlink band. example 20 includes the signal booster of any of examples 15 to 19, wherein the signal detector is communicatively coupled to a first switchable band pass filter, a second switchable band pass filter and a third switchable band pass filter, and a given switchable band pass filter is utilized for one or more of the first downlink band, the second downlink band or the third downlink band. example 21 includes the signal booster of any of examples 15 to 20, further comprising a pass through signal path on the downlink signal path to the signal detector that bypasses the first switchable band pass filter, the second switchable band pass filter and the third switchable band pass filter, wherein the signal detector is configured to measure a signal power level for a combined downlink signal path. example 22 includes a cellular signal booster, comprising: a downlink cellular signal path configured to amplify and filter a downlink cellular signal received in a first downlink band, a second downlink band or a third downlink band, wherein the first downlink band, the second downlink band and the third downlink band are spectrally adjacent bands; and a controller operable to perform network protection by adjusting an uplink gain or noise power for a first uplink band in a first uplink cellular signal path, or for a second uplink band and a third uplink band in a second uplink cellular signal path, wherein the second uplink band is spectrally adjacent to the third uplink band, and the uplink gain or noise power is adjusted in the first uplink cellular path or the second uplink cellular path using control information associated with the downlink cellular signal received in one or more of the first downlink band, the second downlink band or the third downlink band. example 23 includes the cellular signal booster of example 22, wherein the downlink cellular signal path further comprises a signal detector operable to detect the control information associated with the downlink cellular signal received in the first downlink band, the second downlink band or the third downlink band. example 24 includes the cellular signal booster of any of examples 22 to 23, wherein the control information associated with the downlink cellular signal received in the first downlink band, the second downlink band or the third downlink band includes a booster station coupling loss (bscl) or a received signal strength indication (rssi). example 25 includes the cellular signal booster of any of examples 22 to 24, wherein the downlink cellular signal path includes a pass through signal path to a signal detector on the downlink cellular signal path, wherein the pass through signal path bypasses a first switchable band pass filter communicatively coupled to the signal detector, a second switchable band pass filter communicatively coupled to the signal detector, and a third switchable band pass filter communicatively coupled to the signal detector, wherein the signal detector is configured to measure a signal power level for a combined downlink signal path. example 26 includes a signal booster, comprising: a first triplexer; a second triplexer; a first direction signal path communicatively coupled between the first triplexer and the second triplexer, the first direction signal path including one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the first direction signal path is configured to amplify and filter first direction signals in one or more first direction bands, wherein the one or more first direction bands are spectrally adjacent bands; and a second direction signal path communicatively coupled between the first triplexer and the second triplexer, the second direction signal path including one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters configured to amplify and filter second direction signals in one or more second direction bands, wherein the one or more second direction bands are spectrally adjacent bands. example 27 includes the signal booster of example 26, further comprising a controller operable to perform network protection by adjusting a gain or a noise power for the one or more first direction bands in the first direction signal path. example 28 includes the signal booster of any of examples 26 to 27, wherein the gain or the noise power is adjusted for the one or more first direction bands in the first direction signal path based on control information associated with received second direction signals in one or more second direction bands. example 29 includes the signal booster of any of examples 26 to 28, wherein the control information associated with the received second direction signals in one or more second direction bands includes a booster station coupling loss (bscl) or a received signal strength indication (rssi). example 30 includes the signal booster of any of examples 26 to 29, wherein the second direction signal path further comprises a signal detector operable to detect the control information associated with the received second direction signals in one or more second direction bands. example 31 includes a triplexer in a signal booster, the triplexer comprising: one or more first direction filters configured to filter first direction signals in one or more first direction bands, wherein the one or more first direction bands are spectrally adjacent bands; and one or more second direction filters configured to filter second direction signals in one or more second direction bands, wherein the one or more second direction bands are spectrally adjacent bands, wherein one of the first direction filters or the second direction filters is configured to pass signals to a combined signal path for three spectrally adjacent bands. example 32 includes the triplexer of example 31, further comprising: a common port communicatively coupled to an antenna; a first port communicatively coupled to a first direction signal path; and a second port communicatively coupled to a second direction signal path. example 33 includes the triplexer of any of examples 31 to 32, wherein: the first direction signals include uplink signals or downlink signals; and the second direction signals include uplink signals or downlink signals. example 34 includes the triplexer of any of examples 31 to 33, wherein the one or more first direction bands include at least one of band 12 (b12), band 13 (b13), or band 14 (b14), wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 megahertz (mhz) to 716 mhz in a first direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the first direction, and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz in the first direction. example 35 includes the triplexer of any of examples 31 to 34, wherein the one or more second direction bands include at least one of band 12 (b12), band 13 (b13), or band 14 (b14), wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 megahertz (mhz) to 746 mhz in a second direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second direction, and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz in the second direction. example 36 includes a signal booster, comprising: a first multiband filter that includes a first first-direction port and a first second-direction port; a second multiband filter that includes a second first-direction port and a second second-direction port; one or more first direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first first-direction port in the first multiband filter and the second first-direction port in the second multiband filter; and one or more second direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first second-direction port in the first multiband filter and the second second-direction port in the second multiband filter. example 37 includes the signal booster of example 36, wherein the one or more first direction signal paths include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the one or more first direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter first direction signals in one or more first direction bands, wherein the one or more first direction bands are spectrally adjacent bands. example 38 includes the signal booster of any of examples 36 to 37, wherein the one or more second direction signal paths include one or more amplifiers and one or more band pass filters, and the one or more second direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter second direction signals in one or more second direction bands, wherein the one or more second direction bands are spectrally adjacent bands. example 39 includes the signal booster of any of examples 36 to 38, wherein: the one or more first direction signal paths include uplink signal paths or downlink signal paths; and the one or more second direction signal paths include uplink signal paths or downlink signal paths. example 40 includes the signal booster of any of examples 36 to 39, wherein each of the one or more first direction signal paths are associated with a selected filter within the first multiband filter and a selected filter within the second multiband filter. example 41 includes the signal booster of any of examples 36 to 40, wherein the first multiband filter and the second multiband filter each include four or more filters, wherein each filter is associated with the first direction signal path or the second direction signal path. example 42 includes the signal booster of any of examples 36 to 41, wherein: the first first-direction port in the first multiband filter is a first uplink port; the first second-direction port in the first multiband filter is a first downlink port; the second first-direction port in the second multiband filter is a second uplink port; and the second second-direction port second multiband filter is a second downlink port. example 43 includes a repeater, comprising: a first multiband filter; a second multiband filter; one or more first-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein at least one of the one or more first-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands; and one or more second-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein at least one of the one or more second-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands. example 44 includes the repeater of example 43, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths includes: a first-direction band 12 (b12) and a first-direction 600 megahertz (mhz) band combined signal path; and a first-direction band 13 (b13) signal path. example 45 includes the repeater of any of examples 43 to 44, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths includes: a first-direction band 12 (b12) and a first-direction 600 megahertz (mhz) band combined signal path; and a first-direction band 13 (b13) and band 14 (b14) combined signal path. example 46 includes the repeater of any of examples 43 to 45, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths includes: a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) and band 14 (b14) combined signal path; and a second-direction 600 megahertz (mhz) band signal path. example 47 includes the repeater of any of examples 43 to 46, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths includes: a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) combined signal path; and a second-direction 600 megahertz (mhz) band signal path. example 48 includes the repeater of any of examples 43 to 47, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz in the first-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the first-direction and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. example 49 includes the repeater of any of examples 43 to 48, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz in the second-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second-direction and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. example 50 includes a repeater, comprising: a first multiband filter; a second multiband filter; one or more first-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals; and one or more second-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein at least one of the one or more second-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter two or more signals in one or more spectrally adjacent bands or one or more spectrally overlapping bands, wherein one or more of the first-direction signal paths or the second-direction signal paths include switchable bandpass filters or switchable channelized bandpass filters for one or more spectrally adjacent bands or one or more spectrally overlapping bands. example 51 includes the repeater of example 50, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths and the one or more second-direction signal paths are controlled separately by a controller in the repeater. example 52 includes the repeater of any of examples 50 to 51, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths includes: a first-direction band 12 (b12) signal path; and a first-direction band 13 (b13) signal path. example 53 includes the repeater of any of examples 50 to 52, wherein the first-direction b12 signal path includes a first-direction b12 switchable bandpass filter and a first-direction b17 switchable bandpass filter, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz in the first-direction and b17 corresponds to a frequency range of 704 mhz to 716 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. example 54 includes the repeater of any of examples 50 to 53, wherein the first-direction b13 signal path corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. example 55 includes the repeater of any of examples 50 to 54, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths includes a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) combined signal path. example 56 includes the repeater of any of examples 50 to 55, wherein the second-direction b12 and b13 combined signal path includes one or more of: a second-direction b12 switchable bandpass filter, a second-direction b13 switchable bandpass filter, a second-direction b12/b13 switchable bandpass filter or a second-direction b13/band 17 (b17) switchable bandpass filter. example 57 includes the repeater of any of examples 50 to 56, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 megahertz (mhz) to 746 mhz in the second-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second-direction and b17 corresponds to a frequency range of 734 mhz to 746 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. example 58 includes a repeater, comprising: a first multiband filter; a second multiband filter; one or more first-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals; and one or more second-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals, wherein one or more of the first-direction signal paths or the second-direction signal paths include one or more of: a switchable wideband bandpass filter, a switchable channelized bandpass filter or a channelized bandpass filter. example 59 includes the repeater of example 58, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in one or more spectrally adjacent bands. example 60 includes the repeater of any of examples 58 to 59, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths includes one or more of: a first-direction band 5 (b5) signal path; a first-direction band 12 (b12) signal path; or a first-direction band 13 (b13) signal path. example 61 includes the repeater of any of examples 58 to 60, wherein the first-direction b5 signal path includes a first-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a first-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the first-direction b5, and a first-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the first-direction b5, wherein b5 corresponds to a frequency range of 824 megahertz (mhz) to 849 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. example 62 includes the repeater of any of examples 58 to 61, wherein the first-direction b5 signal path includes a first splitter and a first combiner communicatively coupled to: a first-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a first-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the first-direction b5, and a first-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the first-direction b5. example 63 includes the repeater of any of examples 58 to 62, wherein: the first-direction b12 signal path includes a first-direction b12 switchable wideband bandpass filter and a first-direction b12 switchable channelized bandpass filter; and the first-direction b13 signal path includes a first-direction b13 switchable wideband bandpass filter and a first-direction b13 switchable channelized bandpass filter, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 megahertz (mhz) to 716 mhz in the first-direction and b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink example 64 includes the repeater of any of examples 58 to 63, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths includes one or more of: a second-direction band 5 (b5) signal path; or a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) combined signal path. example 65 includes the repeater of any of examples 58 to 64, wherein the second-direction b5 signal path includes a second-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a second-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the second-direction b5, and a second-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the second-direction b5, wherein b5 corresponds to a frequency range of 869 megahertz (mhz) to 894 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. example 66 includes the repeater of any of examples 58 to 65, wherein the second-direction b5 signal path includes a second splitter and a second combiner communicatively coupled to: a second-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a second-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the second-direction b5, and a second-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the second-direction b5. example 67 includes the repeater of any of examples 58 to 66, wherein the second-direction b12 and b13 combined signal path includes a second-direction b12/b13 switchable wideband pass filter, a second-direction b12 switchable channelized bandpass filter and a second-direction b13 channelized bandpass filter, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 megahertz (mhz) to 746 mhz in the second-direction and b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. example 68 includes the repeater of any of examples 58 to 67, wherein the second-direction b12 and b13 combined signal path includes a second splitter and a second combiner communicatively coupled to: a second-direction b12/b13 switchable wideband pass filter, a second-direction b12 switchable channelized bandpass filter and a second-direction b13 channelized bandpass filter. example 69 includes a repeater, comprising: a first multiband filter; a second multiband filter; one or more first-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein at least one of the one or more first-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands; and one or more second-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multi-band filter, wherein at least one of the one or more second-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands. example 70 includes the repeater of example 69, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths includes: a first-direction band 12 (b12) and a first-direction 600 megahertz (mhz) band combined signal path; and a first-direction band 13 (b13) signal path; or a first-direction band 13 (b13) and band 14 (b14) combined signal path. example 71 includes the repeater of example 70, wherein the first-direction 600 mhz band is band 71 (b71). example 72 includes the repeater of example 69, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths includes: a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) combined signal path; or a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) and band 14 (b14) combined signal path; and a second-direction 600 megahertz (mhz) band signal path. example 73 includes the repeater of example 70, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz in the first-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the first-direction and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. example 74 includes the repeater of example 73, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz in the second-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second-direction and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. example 75 includes a repeater, comprising: a first multiplexer communicatively coupled to a first multiband filter and a second multiband filter; a second multiplexer communicatively coupled to the first multiband filter and the second multiband filter; one or more first-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multiband filter, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands; and one or more second-direction signal paths communicatively coupled between the first multiband filter and the second multiband filter, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths are configured to amplify and filter signals in two or more signals in two or more spectrally adjacent bands. example 76 includes the repeater of claim example 75, wherein one or more of the first-direction signal paths or the second-direction signal paths include one or more switchable wideband bandpass filters and one or more switchable channelized bandpass filters. example 77 includes the repeater of example 75, wherein the one or more switchable wideband bandpass filters is in parallel with the one or more switchable channelized bandpass filters. example 78 includes the repeater of example 75, wherein the one or more first-direction signal paths includes one or more of: a first-direction band 5 (b5) signal path; a first-direction band 12 (b12) signal path; or a first-direction band 13 (b13) signal path. example 79 includes the repeater of example 78, wherein the first-direction b5 signal path includes a first-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a first-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the first-direction b5, and a first-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the first-direction b5, wherein b5 corresponds to a frequency range of 824 megahertz (mhz) to 849 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. example 80 includes the repeater of example 78, wherein the first-direction b5 signal path includes a first splitter and a first combiner communicatively coupled to: a first-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a first-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the first-direction b5, and a first-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the first-direction b5. example 81 includes the repeater of example 78, wherein: the first-direction b12 signal path includes a first-direction b12 switchable wideband bandpass filter and a first-direction b12 switchable channelized bandpass filter; and the first-direction b13 signal path includes a first-direction b13 switchable wideband bandpass filter and a first-direction b13 switchable channelized bandpass filter, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 megahertz (mhz) to 716 mhz in the first-direction and b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. example 82 includes the repeater of example 75, wherein the one or more second-direction signal paths includes one or more of: a second-direction band 5 (b5) signal path; or a second-direction band 12 (b12) and band 13 (b13) combined signal path. example 83 includes the repeater of example 82, wherein the second-direction b5 signal path includes a second-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a second-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the second-direction b5, and a second-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the second-direction b5, wherein b5 corresponds to a frequency range of 869 megahertz (mhz) to 894 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. example 84 includes the repeater of example 82, wherein the second-direction b5 signal path includes a second splitter and a second combiner communicatively coupled to: a second-direction b5 switchable wideband bandpass filter, a second-direction b5 switchable channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a first channel of the second-direction b5, and a second-direction b5 channelized bandpass filter that corresponds to a second channel of the second-direction b5. example 85 includes the repeater of example 82, wherein the second-direction b12 and b13 combined signal path includes a second-direction b12/b13 switchable wideband pass filter, a second-direction b12 switchable channelized bandpass filter and a second-direction b13 channelized bandpass filter, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 megahertz (mhz) to 746 mhz in the second-direction and b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. example 86 includes the repeater of example 82, wherein the second-direction b12 and b13 combined signal path includes a second splitter and a second combiner communicatively coupled to: a second-direction b12/b13 switchable wideband pass filter, a second-direction b12 switchable channelized bandpass filter and a second-direction b13 channelized bandpass filter. example 87 includes a multiplexer, comprising: a first first-direction port configured to direct a first first-direction signal in a first selected band; a second first-direction port configured to direct a second first-direction signal in a second selected band and a third first-direction signal in a third selected band, wherein the second selected band first-direction frequency range and the third selected band first-direction frequency range are spectrally adjacent; and a first second-direction port configured to direct a first second-direction signal in the first selected band and a second second-direction signal in the second selected band, wherein the first selected band second-direction frequency range and the second selected band second-direction frequency range are spectrally adjacent. example 88 includes the multiplexer of example 87, wherein: the first first-direction signal in the first selected band includes band 12 (b12); the second first-direction signal in the second selected band includes band 13 (b13); and the third first-direction signal in the third selected band includes band 14 (b14). example 89 includes the multiplexer of example 88, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 699 mhz to 716 mhz in the first-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 777 mhz to 787 mhz in the first-direction and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 788 mhz to 798 mhz in the first-direction, wherein the first-direction is an uplink. example 90 includes the multiplexer of example 87, wherein the first second-direction port is further configured to direct a third second-direction signal in the third selected band, wherein the second selected band second-direction frequency range and the third selected band second-direction frequency range are spectrally adjacent. example 91 includes the multiplexer of example 90, wherein: the first second-direction signal in the first selected band includes band 12 (b12); the second second-direction signal in the second selected band includes band 13 (b13); and the third second-direction signal in the third selected band includes band 14 (b14). example 92 includes the multiplexer of example 91, wherein b12 corresponds to a frequency range of 729 mhz to 746 mhz in the second-direction, b13 corresponds to a frequency range of 746 mhz to 756 mhz in the second-direction, and b14 corresponds to a frequency range of 758 mhz to 768 mhz in the second-direction, wherein the second-direction is a downlink. various techniques, or certain aspects or portions thereof, can take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, compact disc-read-only memory (cd-roms), hard drives, non-transitory computer readable storage medium, or any other machine-readable storage medium wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the various techniques. circuitry can include hardware, firmware, program code, executable code, computer instructions, and/or software. a non-transitory computer readable storage medium can be a computer readable storage medium that does not include signal. in the case of program code execution on programmable computers, the computing device can include a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. the volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements can be a random-access memory (ram), erasable programmable read only memory (eprom), flash drive, optical drive, magnetic hard drive, solid state drive, or other medium for storing electronic data. one or more programs that can implement or utilize the various techniques described herein can use an application programming interface (api), reusable controls, and the like. such programs can be implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. however, the program(s) can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. in any case, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations. as used herein, the term processor can include general purpose processors, specialized processors such as vlsi, fpgas, or other types of specialized processors, as well as base band processors used in transceivers to send, receive, and process wireless communications. it should be understood that many of the functional units described in this specification have been labeled as modules, in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. for example, a module can be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom very-large-scale integration (vlsi) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. a module can also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices or the like. in one example, multiple hardware circuits or multiple processors can be used to implement the functional units described in this specification. for example, a first hardware circuit or a first processor can be used to perform processing operations and a second hardware circuit or a second processor (e.g., a transceiver or a baseband processor) can be used to communicate with other entities. the first hardware circuit and the second hardware circuit can be incorporated into a single hardware circuit, or alternatively, the first hardware circuit and the second hardware circuit can be separate hardware circuits. modules can also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. an identified module of executable code can, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which can, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need not be physically located together, but can comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module. indeed, a module of executable code can be a single instruction, or many instructions, and can even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. similarly, operational data can be identified and illustrated herein within modules, and can be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. the operational data can be collected as a single data set, or can be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and can exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network. the modules can be passive or active, including agents operable to perform desired functions. reference throughout this specification to “an example” or “exemplary” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. thus, appearances of the phrases “in an example” or the word “exemplary” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. as used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials can be presented in a common list for convenience. however, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. in addition, various embodiments and example of the present invention can be referred to herein along with alternatives for the various components thereof. it is understood that such embodiments, examples, and alternatives are not to be construed as defacto equivalents of one another, but are to be considered as separate and autonomous representations of the present invention. furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. in the following description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of layouts, distances, network examples, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. one skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, layouts, etc. in other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention. while the forgoing examples are illustrative of the principles of the present invention in one or more particular applications, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications in form, usage and details of implementation can be made without the exercise of inventive faculty, and without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention. accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the claims set forth below.
|
014-283-328-580-055
|
EP
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B27N3/02,B27N3/04,B27N3/06,B27N3/10,B27N3/12,C04B26/12,C04B26/16,C04B26/10,C04B111/00,B27N3/00,B05D3/02,B05D3/12,B05D7/00,B05D7/24,B27K3/08,B27K3/12,B27K3/52,C09D201/00,B27N3/20,C09D7/61
| 2016-01-08T00:00:00 |
2016
|
[
"B27",
"C04",
"B05",
"C09"
] |
in-line coated wood-based boards
|
the present invention relates to a process for manufacturing a wood-based board, a wood-based board as use of a liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder for in-line coating of wood-based boards.
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1 . process for manufacturing a wood-based board, the process comprising the steps of: a) providing wood particles and/or fibres, in dry form or in form of an aqueous suspension, b) providing a dry or liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder, c) forming a wood-based mat having a first side and a reverse side from the wood particles and/or fibres provided in step a), d) pre-pressing the wood-based mat of step c) into a pre-pressed wood-based mat, e) applying the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) on the first and/or reverse side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat obtained in step d), and f) hot pressing the pre-pressed wood-based mat obtained in step e) into a solid wood-based board. 2 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the wood particles and/or fibres of step a) originate from primary wood sources, preferably softwood tree species, hardwood tree species, non-wood fibre plants, or secondary wood sources, preferably recycled wood, and mixtures thereof. 3 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the wood particles and/or fibres of step a) are combined simultaneously or separately in any order with at least one base binder and/or at least one additive, preferably the at least one base binder is selected from the group comprising phenol-formaldehyde resin (pf), urea-formaldehyde resin (uf), melamine-formaldehyde resin (mf), melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin (muf), urea-melamine-formaldehyde resin (umf), urea-melamine-phenol-formaldehyde resin (umpf), epoxy resin, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate resin (mdi), polyurethane resin (pu), resorcinol resin, starch or carboxymethylcellulose and mixtures thereof, and/or the at least one additive is selected from the group comprising waxes, colorants, filler, dispersants, biocides, hardener, flame retardants and mixtures thereof. 4 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the wood particles of step a) are wood chips. 5 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one particulate filler material of step b) is selected from the group consisting of dolomite, ground calcium carbonate (gcc), preferably ground calcium carbonate (gcc) selected from the group comprising marble, chalk, limestone and mixtures thereof, precipitated calcium carbonate (pcc), preferably precipitated calcium carbonate (pcc) selected from the group comprising one or more of the aragonitic, vateritic and calcitic mineralogical crystal forms, magnesium hydroxide, talc, gypsum, titanium dioxide, kaolin, silicate, mica, barium sulphate, calcined clay, non-calcined (hydrous) clay, bentonite, inorganic or organic pigments and mixtures thereof. 6 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one particulate filler material of step b) is provided i) in powder form, or ii) in form of an aqueous slurry comprising the filler material in an amount from 1.0 to 80.0 wt.-%, preferably from 30.0 to 78.0 wt.-%, more preferably from 50.0 to 78.0 wt.-% and most preferably from 55.0 to 70.0 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the aqueous slurry. 7 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one particulate filler material of step b) is at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material having a median particle size d 50 from 0.1 μm to 150.0 μm, more preferably from 0.2 μm to 100.0 μm and most preferably from 0.3 μm to 50.0 μm and/or a specific surface area of from 0.5 to 200.0 m 2 /g, more preferably of from 0.5 to 100.0 m 2 /g and most preferably of from 0.5 to 75.0 m 2 /g as measured by the bet nitrogen method. 8 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one binder of step b) is selected from the group consisting of alkyd resin, epoxy resin, epoxy ester resin, poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), poly(vinyl acetate), poly(oxazolines), poly(vinylacetamides), partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol), poly((meth)acrylic acid), poly((meth)acrylamide), poly(alkylene oxide), polyether, saturated polyester, sulfonated or phosphated polyesters and polystyrenes, poly(styrene-co-(meth)acrylate), poly(styrene-co-butadiene), polyurethane latex, poly(n-butyl (meth)acrylate), poly(2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate), copolymers of (meth)acrylates, such as n-butyl(meth)acrylate and ethyl(meth)acrylate, copolymers of vinylacetate and n-butyl(meth)acrylate casein, copolymers of polyvinylchloride, gelatin, cellulose ethers, zein, albumin, chitin, chitosan, dextran, pectin, collagen derivatives, collodian, agar-agar, arrowroot, guar, carrageenan, starch, tragacanth, xanthan, or rhamsan and mixtures thereof. 9 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) comprises the at least one particulate filler material in an amount from >60 parts by dry weight based on dry coating (d/d), preferably >70 parts d/d, more preferably >80 parts d/d and most preferably >85 parts d/d and the at least one binder in an amount from <40 parts d/d, preferably <30 parts d/d, more preferably <20 parts d/d, most preferably <15 parts d/d, and the sum of the amount of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder is 100.0 parts d/d, based on the total dry weight of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder. 10 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) further comprises at least one compound selected from the group comprising matting agents, coalescing agents or film forming agents, anti-foaming agents, dispersants, rheology agents, cross-linking agents, biocides, light stabilizer, preserving agents, hardener, flame retardants and mixtures thereof, preferably the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) comprises the at least one compound in an amount from 2.0 to 8.0 parts by weight (d/d), e.g. from 3.0 to 7.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder. 11 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein a single or multi-layer wood-based mat is formed in step c). 12 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein pre-pressing step d) is carried out at ambient temperature, e.g. from 10 to 60° c., more preferably from 15 to 30° c., and/or a pressure ranging from 5 to 40 bar, preferably from 8 to 35 bar. 13 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein coating step e) is carried out by metering size press, curtain coating, spray coating or roller coating. 14 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein coating step e) is carried out on the first and reverse side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat to manufacture a wood-based board being coated on the first and the reverse side, and/or coating step e) is carried out a second time using a different or the same liquid coating composition of step b). 15 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein hot pressing step f) is carried out at a temperature ranging from 130 to 260° c., more preferably from 160 to 240° c. 16 . the process according to claim 1 , wherein the wood-based board is a fibre board product, preferably a high-density fibre (hdf) board, medium-density fibre (mdf) board, low-density fibre (ldf) board, a particle board, an oriented strandboard (osb), a hardboard or an insulation board. 17 . a wood-based board comprising a) a base of wood particles and/or fibres, and b) a coating on the first and/or reverse side of the wood-based board, wherein the coating comprises i) at least one particulate filler material having a ratio of particle size d 80 to particle size d 20 [d 80 /d 20 ] from 0.5 to 1.0, and ii) at least one binder. 18 . the wood-based board according to claim 17 , wherein the coating is penetrated into the surface of the wood-based board. 19 . the wood-based board according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one particulate filler material has i) a particle size d 98 of <500 μm, ii) a particle size d 80 of 0.1 to 250 μm, iii) a median particle size d 50 of 0.1 to 150 μm, and iv) a particle size d 20 of 0.1 to 50 μm. 20 . the wood-based board according to claim 17 , wherein the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board has i) a brightness from 50 to 100%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167, ii) a yellowness from 2 to 70%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167, iii) l* from 50 to 100, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, iv) a* from −5 to 10, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, and v) b* from 0 to 30, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012. 21 . the wood-based board according to claim 17 , wherein the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board has i) a maximum roughness amplitude sz from 20 to 800 μm, ii) an arithmetic mean roughness sa from 2 to 80 μm, and iii) a root mean square roughness sq from 2 to 20 μm. 22 . the wood-based board according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one particulate filler material has i) a particle size d 98 of <500 μm, ii) a particle size d 80 of 0.1 to 250 μm, iii) a median particle size d 50 of 0.1 to 150 μm, and iv) a particle size d 20 of 0.1 to 50 μm, and the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board has i) a brightness from 50 to 100%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167, ii) a yellowness from 2 to 70%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167, iii) l* from 50 to 100, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, iv) a* from −5 to 10, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, and v) b* from 0 to 30, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, and i) a maximum roughness amplitude sz from 20 to 800 μm, ii) an arithmetic mean roughness sa from 2 to 80 μm, and iii) a root mean square roughness sq from 2 to 20 μm. 23 . the wood-based board according to claim 17 , wherein the wood-based board further comprises a printing on the first and/or reverse side of the wood-based board, preferably on the coating of the wood-based board. 24 . the wood-based board according to claim 17 , wherein the wood-based board is a fibre board product, preferably a high-density fibre (hdf) board, medium-density fibre (mdf) board, low-density fibre (ldf) board, a particle board, an oriented strandboard (osb), a hardboard or an insulation board. 25 . the wood-based board according to claim 17 , wherein the wood-based board has a bending strength of ≥5 n/mm 2 , preferably from 10 to 50 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 15 to 45 n/mm 2 ; and/or a modulus of elasticity of ≥500 n/mm 2 , preferably from 1 000 to 4 500 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 1 500 to 3 500 n/mm 2 ; and/or an internal bond strength of ≥0.10 n/mm 2 , more preferably from 0.2 to 1.4 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 0.4 to 1.2 n/mm 2 ; and/or a thickness swelling after 24 h water storage of ≤20%, more preferably from 2.0 to 15.0% and most preferably from 4.0 to 10%; and/or a brightness of at least 50%, more preferably of at least 65%, even more preferably of at least 75% and most preferably of at least 80%. 26 . use of a dry or liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder as defined in claim 1 for in-line coating of wood-based boards.
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the present invention relates to a process for manufacturing a wood-based board, a wood-based board as use of a liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder for in-line coating of wood-based boards. wood-based boards are widely used for indoor applications such as in furniture, doors, flooring, houses, decorative wall lining, stair treads and underlayments or panelling substrates due to their reasonable costs, wide range and flexibility of application, consistency in strength, dimension stability and easiness of finishing. such particle boards are composite products comprising mainly wood particles or wood fibres which are joined together, with or without using binder, under heat and pressure. such boards and methods for preparing same are described in a number of documents. for instance, wo 2006/042651 a1 refers to light-coloured to white wooden material panels being produced from bleached wood fibres and/or vat-dyed with a white pigment. de 43 10 191 a1 relates to wood-based panel boards including inorganic cellular materials and flame retardant. the inorganic cellular material comprises a cellular material made from inorganic materials. for example, these may be materials having an inorganic oxide such as silicon oxide or aluminium oxide as the principle component, with a granular structure filled with minute closed cells. u.s. pat. no. 5,422,170 a and u.s. pat. no. 5,705,001 a refer to wood based panels for which wood fibre, inorganic cellular material, flame retardant and an organic binder for binding these materials, are mixed together and hot press formed to give the wood based panel. us 2004/0258898 a1 relates to a method for fabricating fire retardant composite panels comprising: creating a water-based slurry of partially soluble boron salts; adding an adhesive to a ligneous material; and independently introducing said water-based slurry to said igneous material for fire retarding thereof. us 2009/169812 a1 refer to a process for making composite products from waste material comprises the steps of a) obtaining fibrous material produced by the thermal treatment of waste materials with pressurised steam; b) mixing the fibrous material with a binding material; c) forming the resulting mixture into a shape; d) pressing the shaped mixture under pressure; and e) hardening the mixture; wherein the process also comprises the steps of the separating out the fibrous material and deodorising the fibrous material. u.s. pat. no. 5,705,001 a refers to a method of manufacturing a wood based panel comprising the steps of: mixing wood fibres, an inorganic cellular material, and a flame retardant, wherein the mixture proportions per 100 parts by weight of said wood fibres being at least 50 parts by weight of said inorganic cellular material, and 15 parts to 60 parts by weight of said flame retardant; applying a binder to the mixture; and subsequently hot press forming the mixture to form the wood based panel, wherein the wood fibres are a major component and the steps are carried out so that the wood based panel possesses a density of 0.27 g·cm −3 or less. unpublished european patent application ep 15 196 997.9 refers to a particle board comprising a) a wood particle base layer having a first side and a reverse side, the wood particle base layer comprising i) wood particles in an amount from 60.0 to 97.5 parts by weight (d/d) and at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material in an amount from 2.5 to 40.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the wood particles and at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material of the wood particle base layer, and b) at least one wood particle surface layer being in contact with the first and/or reverse side of the wood particle base layer, the at least one wood particle surface layer comprising i) wood particles in an amount from 70.0 to 97.5 parts by weight (d/d) and at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material in an amount from 2.5 to 30.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the wood particles and the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material of the at least one wood particle surface layer, wherein the sum of the amount of the wood particles and the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material in each of the wood particle base layer and the at least one wood particle surface layer is 100.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the wood particles and the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material in the layer. ep 2 944 621 a1 refers to a fiber board product comprising a) fibers in an amount from 50.0 to 99.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the fibers and the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material, wherein the fibers in an amount of i) 0 to 20.0 wt.-%, based on the total amount of dry fibers, are of a size which is fractioned at a mesh sieve width of 0.05 mm, ii) 50.0 to 90.0 wt.-%, based on the total amount of dry fibers, are of a size which is fractioned at a mesh sieve width of 1.0 mm, and iii) 70.0 to 100.0 wt.-%, based on the total amount of dry fibers, are of a size which is fractioned at a mesh sieve width of 3.0 mm, as determined by sieve analysis, b) at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material in an amount from 1.0 to 50.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the fibers and the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material, the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material having a weight median particle size d 50 of 0.5 to 150.0 μm, and additionally c) at least one binder in an amount from 0.05 to 25.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the fibers and the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material, and d) at least one wax in an amount from 0 to 5.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the fibers and the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material, wherein the sum of the amount of the fibers and the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material is 100.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the fibers and the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material. even though a great variety of wood-based boards is already available on the market having tailored properties including strength, elastic properties, and further processability, a general disadvantage of said wood-based boards is that their manufacturing requires energy-, cost- and time-consuming post processing steps. in particular, the produced raw wood-based boards are typically surface-treated after hot pressing by cutting (format), sanding, coating, lacquering, laminating with a decorative paper etc., and especially sanding, in order to improve the properties and especially the characteristics of the boards' surface, such as the optical properties. however, none of the foregoing documents explicitly mentions efficient manufacturing methods for wood-based boards and especially does not mention a process that provides wood-based boards having improved surface characteristics by avoiding energy-, cost- and time-consuming post processing steps, and especially sanding. furthermore, there is a continuous need in the art for wood-based boards where the important mechanical properties such as bending strength and modulus of elasticity, internal bond strength, thickness swelling, elastic properties and further processability are maintained or even improved. therefore, there is a continuous need in the art for processes for the manufacturing of wood-based boards which have improved surface characteristics compared to existing wood-based boards and especially a process for the manufacturing of wood-based boards which avoids the implementation of post processing steps, and especially sanding. furthermore, there is a continuous need for processes for the manufacturing of wood-based boards which provides maintained or even improved mechanical properties such as bending strength and modulus of elasticity, internal bond strength, thickness swelling, elastic properties. accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a process for the manufacturing of a wood-based board. a further objective is to provide a process for the manufacturing of a wood-based board having improved surface characteristics, and especially improved optical characteristics. another objective is to provide a process for the manufacturing of a wood-based board that can be carried out under energy-, cost- and time-efficient conditions, i.e. by avoiding post processing steps. a further objective is to provide a process for the manufacturing of a wood-based board which avoids the implementation of post processing steps, and especially sanding, for improving the surface characteristics of the board. another objective is to provide a process for the manufacturing of a wood-based board which allows the provision of a particle board in which the set of important mechanical properties such as bending strength and modulus of elasticity, internal bond strength, thickness swelling, elastic properties and further processability is maintained or even improved, preferably with respect to the international din standards. further objectives can be gathered from the following description of the invention. the foregoing and other objectives are solved by the subject-matter as defined herein in claim 1 . advantageous embodiments of the inventive a process for the manufacturing of a wood-based board are defined in the corresponding sub-claims. according to one aspect of the present application a process for the manufacturing of a wood-based board is provided. the process comprising the steps of a) providing wood particles and/or fibres, in dry form or in form of an aqueous suspension,b) providing a dry or liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder,c) forming a wood-based mat having a first side and a reverse side from the wood particles and/or fibres provided in step a),d) pre-pressing the wood-based mat of step c) into a pre-pressed wood-based mat,e) applying the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) on the first and/or reverse side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat obtained in step d), andf) hot pressing the pre-pressed wood-based mat obtained in step e) into a solid wood-based board. the inventors surprisingly found out that by the foregoing process it is possible to prepare wood-based boards with excellent surface characteristics without implementing post processing steps. furthermore, by the process according to the present invention a wood-based board is provided, wherein the wood-based board has improved surface characteristics, and especially improved optical characteristics. according to another aspect of the present invention, a wood-based board is provided. the wood-based board comprising a) a base of wood particles and/or fibres as defined herein, andb) a coating on the first and/or reverse side of the wood-based board, wherein the coating comprises i) at least one particulate filler material, as defined herein, having a ratio of particle size d 80 to particle size d 20 [d 80 /d 20 ] from 0.5 to 1.0, andii) at least one binder as defined herein. according to one embodiment of the present wood-based board, the coating is penetrated into the surface of the wood-based board. according to another embodiment of the present wood-based board, the at least one particulate filler material has i) a particle size d 98 of <500 μm, ii) a particle size d 80 of 0.1 to 250 μm, iii) a median particle size d 50 of 0.1 to 150 μm, and iv) a particle size d 20 of 0.1 to 50 μm. according to yet another embodiment of the present wood-based board, the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board has i) a brightness from 50 to 100%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167, ii) a yellowness from 2 to 70%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167, iii) l* from 50 to 100, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, iv) a* from −5 to 10, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, and v) b* from 0 to 30, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012. according to one embodiment of the present wood-based board, the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board has i) a maximum roughness amplitude sz from 20 to 800 μm, ii) an arithmetic mean roughness sa from 2 to 80 μm, and iii) a root mean square roughness sq from 2 to 20 μm. according to another embodiment of the present wood-based board, the at least one particulate filler material has i) a particle size d 98 of <500 μm, ii) a particle size d 80 of 0.1 to 250 μm, iii) a median particle size d 50 of 0.1 to 150 μm, and iv) a particle size d 20 of 0.1 to 50 μm, and the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board has i) a brightness from 50 to 100%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167, ii) a yellowness from 2 to 70%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167, iii) l* from 50 to 100, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, iv) a* from −5 to 10, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, and v) b* from 0 to 30, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, and i) a maximum roughness amplitude sz from 20 to 800 μm, ii) an arithmetic mean roughness sa from 2 to 80 μm, and iii) a root mean square roughness sq from 2 to 20 μm. according to yet another embodiment of the present wood-based board, the wood-based board further comprises a printing on the first and/or reverse side of the wood-based board, preferably on the coating of the wood-based board. according to one embodiment of the present wood-based board, the wood-based board is a fibre board product, preferably a high-density fibre (hdf) board, medium-density fibre (mdf) board, low-density fibre (ldf) board, a particle board, an oriented strandboard (osb), a hardboard or an insulation board. according to another embodiment of the present wood-based board, the wood-based board has a bending strength of ≥5 n/mm 2 , preferably from 10 to 50 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 15 to 45 n/mm 2 ; and/or a modulus of elasticity of ≥500 n/mm 2 , preferably from 1 000 to 4 500 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 1 500 to 3 500 n/mm 2 ; and/or an internal bond strength of ≥0.10 n/mm 2 , more preferably from 0.2 to 1.4 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 0.4 to 1.2 n/mm 2 ; and/or a thickness swelling after 24 h water storage of ≤20%, more preferably from 2.0 to 15.0% and most preferably from 4.0 to 10%; and/or a brightness of at least 50%, more preferably of at least 65%, even more preferably of at least 75% and most preferably of at least 80%. according to another aspect of the present invention, a use of a dry or liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder as defined herein for in-line coating of wood-based boards is provided. advantageous embodiments of the present invention are defined in the corresponding sub-claims. according to one embodiment of the present invention, the wood particles and/or fibres of step a) originate from primary wood sources, preferably softwood tree species, hardwood tree species, non-wood fibre plants, or secondary wood sources, preferably recycled wood, and mixtures thereof. according to another embodiment of the present invention, the wood particles and/or fibres of step a) are combined simultaneously or separately in any order with at least one base binder and/or at least one additive, preferably the at least one base binder is selected from the group comprising phenol-formaldehyde resin (pf), urea-formaldehyde resin (uf), melamine-formaldehyde resin (mf), melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin (muf), urea-melamine-formaldehyde resin (umf), urea-melamine-phenol-formaldehyde resin (umpf), epoxy resin, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate resin (mdi), polyurethane resin (pu), resorcinol resin, starch or carboxymethylcellulose and mixtures thereof, and/or the at least one additive is selected from the group comprising waxes, colorants, filler, dispersants, biocides, hardener, flame retardants and mixtures thereof. according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the wood particles of step a) are wood chips. according to one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one particulate filler material of step b) is selected from the group consisting of dolomite, ground calcium carbonate (gcc), preferably ground calcium carbonate (gcc) selected from the group comprising marble, chalk, limestone and mixtures thereof, precipitated calcium carbonate (pcc), preferably precipitated calcium carbonate (pcc) selected from the group comprising one or more of the aragonitic, vateritic and calcitic mineralogical crystal forms, magnesium hydroxide, talc, gypsum, titanium dioxide, kaolin, silicate, mica, barium sulphate, calcined clay, non-calcined (hydrous) clay, bentonite, inorganic or organic pigments and mixtures thereof. according to another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one particulate filler material of step b) is provided i) in powder form, or ii) in form of an aqueous slurry comprising the filler material in an amount from 1.0 to 80.0 wt.-%, preferably from 30.0 to 78.0 wt.-%, more preferably from 50.0 to 78.0 wt.-% and most preferably from 55.0 to 70.0 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the aqueous slurry. according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one particulate filler material of step b) is at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material having a median particle size d 50 from 0.1 μm to 150.0 μm, more preferably from 0.2 μm to 100.0 μm and most preferably from 0.3 μm to 50.0 μm and/or a specific surface area of from 0.5 to 200.0 m 2 /g, more preferably of from 0.5 to 100.0 m 2 /g and most preferably of from 0.5 to 75.0 m 2 /g as measured by the bet nitrogen method. according to one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one binder of step b) is selected from the group consisting of alkyd resin, epoxy resin, epoxy ester resin, poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), poly(vinyl acetate), poly(oxazolines), poly(vinylacetamides), partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol), poly((meth)acrylic acid), poly((meth)acrylamide), poly(alkylene oxide), polyether, saturated polyester, sulfonated or phosphated polyesters and polystyrenes, poly(styrene-co-(meth)acrylate), poly(styrene-co-butadiene), polyurethane latex, poly(n-butyl (meth)acrylate), poly(2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate), copolymers of (meth)acrylates, such as n-butyl(meth)acrylate and ethyl(meth)acrylate, copolymers of vinylacetate and n-butyl(meth)acrylate casein, copolymers of polyvinylchloride, gelatin, cellulose ethers, zein, albumin, chitin, chitosan, dextran, pectin, collagen derivatives, collodian, agar-agar, arrowroot, guar, carrageenan, starch, tragacanth, xanthan, or rhamsan and mixtures thereof. according to another embodiment of the present invention, the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) comprises the at least one particulate filler material in an amount from >60 parts by dry weight based on dry coating (d/d), preferably >70 parts d/d, more preferably >80 parts d/d and most preferably >85 parts d/d and the at least one binder in an amount from <40 parts d/d, preferably <30 parts d/d, more preferably <20 parts d/d, most preferably <15 parts d/d, and the sum of the amount of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder is 100.0 parts d/d, based on the total dry weight of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder. according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) further comprises at least one compound selected from the group comprising matting agents, coalescent agents or film forming agents, anti-foaming agents, dispersants, rheology agents, cross-linking agents, biocides, light stabilizer, preserving agents, hardener, flame retardants and mixtures thereof, preferably the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) comprises the at least one compound in an amount from 2.0 to 8.0 parts by weight (d/d), e.g. from 3.0 to 7.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder. according to one embodiment of the present invention, a single or multi-layer wood-based mat is formed in step c). according to another embodiment of the present invention, pre-pressing step d) is carried out at ambient temperature, e.g. from 10 to 60° c., more preferably from 15 to 30° c., and/or a pressure ranging from 5 to 40 bar, preferably from 8 to 35 bar. according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, coating step e) is carried out by metering size press, curtain coating, spray coating or roller coating. according to one embodiment of the present invention, coating step e) is carried out on the first and reverse side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat to manufacture a wood-based board being coated on the first and the reverse side, and/or coating step e) is carried out a second time using a different or the same liquid coating composition of step b). according to another embodiment of the present invention, hot pressing step f) is carried out at a temperature ranging from 130 to 260° c., more preferably from 160 to 240° c. according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the wood-based board is a fibre board product, preferably a high-density fibre (hdf) board, medium-density fibre (mdf) board, low-density fibre (ldf) board, a particle board, an oriented strandboard (osb), a hardboard or an insulation board. it should be understood that for the purposes of the present invention, the following terms have the following meanings: a “suspension” or “slurry” in the meaning of the present invention comprises insoluble solids and a solvent or liquid, preferably water, and optionally further additives such as dispersants, biocides and/or thickener, and usually contains large amounts of solids and, thus, is more viscous and can be of higher density than the liquid from which it is formed. the term “aqueous” suspension or slurry refers to a system, wherein the liquid phase comprises, preferably consists of, water. however, said term does not exclude that the liquid phase of the aqueous slurry or suspension comprises minor amounts of at least one water-miscible organic solvent selected from the group comprising methanol, ethanol, acetone, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran and mixtures thereof. if the aqueous suspension or slurry comprises at least one water-miscible organic solvent, the liquid phase of the aqueous slurry comprises the at least one water-miscible organic solvent in an amount of from 0.1 to 40.0 wt.-% preferably from 0.1 to 30.0 wt.-%, more preferably from 0.1 to 20.0 wt.-% and most preferably from 0.1 to 10.0 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the liquid phase of the aqueous suspension or slurry. for example, the liquid phase of the aqueous suspension or slurry consists of water. if the liquid phase of the aqueous suspension or slurry consists of water, the water to be used can be any water available such as tap water and/or deionised water. for the purpose of the present application, “water-insoluble” materials are defined as materials which, when 100 g of said material is mixed with 100 g deionised water and filtered on a filter having a 0.2 μm pore size at 20° c. to recover the liquid filtrate, provide less than or equal to 0.1 g of recovered solid material following evaporation at 95 to 100° c. of 100 g of said liquid filtrate at ambient pressure. “water-soluble” materials are defined as materials which, when 100 g of said material is mixed with 100 g deionised water and filtered on a filter having a 0.2 μm pore size at 20° c. to recover the liquid filtrate, provide more than 0.1 g of recovered solid material following evaporation at 95 to 100° c. of 100 g of said liquid filtrate at ambient pressure. the term “d/d” in the meaning of the present invention refers to the dry amount of additive based on the dry amount of the defined material. the term “particulate” filler material refers to separate and distinct solid particles of the filler material. the term “filler material” refers to natural or synthetic substances added to materials, such as paper, plastics, rubber, paints and adhesives etc., to lower the consumption of more expensive materials such as binders, or to enhance technical properties of the products. the person skilled in the art very well knows the typical fillers used in the respective fields. the term “binder” as used in the present invention is a compound or compound mixture that is conventionally used to bind together the particles of one material or to bind together the particles of one material with the particles of two or more other materials to form a composite. for the purpose of the present invention, the particle diameter “d x ” represents the diameter relative to which x % by weight of the particles have diameters less than d x . this means that the d 20 value is the particle size at which 20% of all particles are smaller, and the d 80 value is the particle size at which 80% of all particles are smaller. the d 50 value is thus the median particle size, i.e. 50% of all grains are smaller than this particle size. for example, the d 50 (wt.) value is the weight median particle size, i.e. 50 wt.-% of all grains are smaller than this particle size, and the d 50 (vol.) value is the volume median particle size, i.e. 50 vol.-% of all grains are smaller than this particle size. for the purpose of the present invention, the “particle sizes” of particles having a median particle size d 50 of >45 μm were determined from the volume determined particle size distributions. furthermore, the “particle sizes” of particles having a median particle size d 50 of ≤45 μm were determined from the weight determined particle size distributions. it is thus appreciated that the particle sizes given throughout the present application are based on the combination of the weight and volume determined particle sizes if the particles comprise particles having a median particle size d 50 of ≤45 μm and of >45 μm. for determining the weight median particle size d 50 value a sedigraph, such as a sedigraph™ 5120 or a sedigraph™ 5100 of micromeritics instrument corporation, can be used, i.e. the sedimentation method. the volume median particle size d 50 value of the at least one particulate filler material was measured by laser diffraction. in this method, the particle size is determined by measuring the intensity of light scattered as a laser beam passes through a dispersed particulate sample. the measurement was made with a mastersizer 2000 or a mastersizer 3000 of malvern instruments ltd. (operating instrument software version 1.04). the weight determined particle size distribution corresponds to the volume determined particle size distribution if the particles are spherical and of constant density throughout the particle size distribution. where the term “comprising” is used in the present description and claims, it does not exclude other non-specified elements of major or minor functional importance. for the purposes of the present invention, the term “consisting of” is considered to be a preferred embodiment of the term “comprising of”. if hereinafter a group is defined to comprise at least a certain number of embodiments, this is also to be understood to disclose a group, which preferably consists only of these embodiments. whenever the terms “including” or “having” are used, these terms are meant to be equivalent to “comprising” as defined above. where an indefinite or definite article is used when referring to a singular noun, e.g. “a”, “an” or “the”, this includes a plural of that noun unless something else is specifically stated. terms like “obtainable” or “definable” and “obtained” or “defined” are used interchangeably. this e.g. means that, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the term “obtained” does not mean to indicate that e.g. an embodiment must be obtained by e.g. the sequence of steps following the term “obtained” even though such a limited understanding is always included by the terms “obtained” or “defined” as a preferred embodiment. as set out above, the inventive process for manufacturing a wood-based board comprises at least the process steps of a), b), c), d), e) and f). in the following, it is referred to further details of the present invention and especially the foregoing steps of the inventive process for manufacturing a wood-based board. characterization of step a): provision of wood particles and/or fibres according to step a) of the process of the present invention, wood particles and/or fibres, in dry form or in form of an aqueous suspension, are provided. thus, it is one requirement that wood particles and/or fibres are provided. it is appreciated that the wood particles may comprise one or more kinds of wood particles. accordingly, the wood particles may comprise one kind of wood particles. alternatively, the wood particles comprise a mixture of two or more kinds of wood particles. for example, the wood particles comprise a mixture of two or three kinds of wood particles. preferably, the wood particles comprise one kind of wood particles. it is appreciated that the wood particles present according to the present invention are not restricted to specific wood particles as long as they are suitable for the preparation of a wood-based boards. preferably, the wood particles are wood-based particles. the term “wood-based” particles in the meaning of the present invention refers to the common definition, i.e. wood is the fibrous, hard substance making up most of the tree trunk and branches of softwood and hardwood tree species. such wood-based particles can be any wood-based particles well known to the skilled person and typically used in wood-based boards. for example, the wood particles originate from primary wood sources such as softwood tree species, hardwood tree species, non-wood fibre plants and mixtures thereof. additionally or alternatively, the wood particles originate from secondary wood sources such as recycled wood. the wood particles can be of specific dimensions. for example, the wood particles have i) a particle length in the range from 0.4 to 15 mm, more preferably from 3 to 15 mm and most preferably from 5 to 15 mm, and/orii) a particle thickness in the range from 0.1 to 2.0 mm, more preferably from 0.2 to 1.5 mm and most preferably from 0.25 to 1.0 mm, and/oriii) a ratio of particle length to particle thickness of from 2 to 60 mm, more preferably from 5 to 60 mm and most preferably from 10 to 60 mm. it is appreciated that the particle “length” refers to the longest dimension of the wood particles. the term particle “thickness” refers to the shortest dimension of the wood particles. it is appreciated that the length or thickness refers to the average length or average thickness. preferably, the wood particles have i) a particle length in the range from 0.4 to 15 mm, more preferably from 3 to 15 mm and most preferably from 5 to 15 mm, orii) a particle thickness in the range from 0.1 to 2.0 mm, more preferably from 0.2 to 1.5 mm and most preferably from 0.25 to 1.0 mm, oriii) a ratio of particle length to particle thickness of from 2 to 60 mm, more preferably from 5 to 60 mm and most preferably from 10 to 60 mm. alternatively, the wood particles have i) a particle length in the range from 0.4 to 15 mm, more preferably from 3 to 15 mm and most preferably from 5 to 15 mm, andii) a particle thickness in the range from 0.1 to 2.0 mm, more preferably from 0.2 to 1.5 mm and most preferably from 0.25 to 1.0 mm, andiii) a ratio of particle length to particle thickness of from 2 to 60 mm, more preferably from 5 to 60 mm and most preferably from 10 to 60 mm. in one embodiment, the wood particles have a median particle size d 50 in the range from 0.4 to 15 mm, more preferably from 3 to 15 mm and most preferably from 5 to 15 mm. additionally or alternatively, the wood particles have a particle size d 90 in the range from 2 to 60 mm, more preferably from 5 to 60 mm and most preferably from 10 to 60 mm. specific examples of wood particles include cottonwood, spruce, pine, alder, birch, beech, oak and mixtures thereof. additionally or alternatively, wood fibres are provided. preferably, the wood fibres may comprise one or more kinds of wood fibres. accordingly, the wood fibres may comprise one kind of wood fibres. alternatively, the wood fibres may comprise a mixture of two or more kinds of wood fibres. for example, the wood fibres may comprise a mixture of two or three kinds of wood fibres. preferably, the wood fibres comprise one kind of wood fibres. furthermore, the wood fibres may be in the form of separate wood fibres or wood fibre bundles. it is appreciated that wood fibres according to the present invention are not restricted to specific wood fibres as long as they are suitable for the preparation of wood-based boards. the term “wood” fibres in the meaning of the present invention refers to the common definition, i.e. wood is the fibrous, hard substance making up most of the tree trunk and branches of softwood and hardwood tree species. for example, the wood fibres preferably originate from primary wood sources such as softwood tree species, hardwood tree species, non-wood fibre plants and mixtures thereof. additionally or alternatively, the wood fibres originate from secondary wood sources such as recycled wood. it is appreciated that the wood fibres have a specific size. preferably, the wood fibres in an amount of i) 0 to 20 wt.-%, based on the total amount of dry wood fibres, are of a size which is fractioned at a mesh sieve width of 0.05 mm,ii) 50 to 90 wt.-%, based on the total amount of dry wood fibres, are of a size which is fractioned at a mesh sieve width of 1.0 mm, andiii) 70 to 100 wt.-%, based on the total amount of dry wood fibres, are of a size which is fractioned at a mesh sieve width of 3.0 mm. the size of the wood fibres is measured by fractioning through sieve analysis in an air jet sieve alpine e200 ls of hosokawa alpine ag, germany. specific examples of wood fibres include pine, fir, spruce, western hemlock, aspen, eucalyptus, cypress, poplar, cedar, beech, oak, birch, maple, bamboo, cereal fibres, algae fibres, seed fibres, fruit fibres and mixtures thereof. it is appreciated that the wood particles may be also in the form of wood chips. preferably, wood particles in the form of wood chips may comprise one or more kinds of wood chips. accordingly, wood particles in the form of wood chips may comprise one kind of wood chips. alternatively, wood particles in the form of wood chips may comprise a mixture of two or more kinds of wood chips. for example, wood particles in the form of wood chips may comprise a mixture of two or three kinds of wood chips. preferably, wood particles in the form of wood chips comprise one kind of wood chips. it is appreciated that wood chips according to the present invention are not restricted to specific wood chips as long as they are suitable for the preparation of wood-based boards. if the wood particles are in the form of wood chips, the wood chips may have a specific size. preferably, the wood chips have a particle length in the range from 1 to 100 mm, more preferably from 2 to 75 mm and most preferably from 3 to 50 mm. it is appreciated that the particle “length” refers to the longest dimension of the wood chips. specific examples of wood chips include pine, fir, spruce, western hemlock, aspen, eucalyptus, cypress, poplar, cedar, beech, oak, birch, maple, bamboo, cereal fibres, algae fibres, seed fibres, fruit fibres and mixtures thereof. in one embodiment, wood particles or wood fibres are provided. alternatively, a mixture of wood particles and wood fibres is provided. in this case the ratio of wood particles to wood fibres may vary within a broad range. for example, the mixture comprises a ratio of wood particles to wood fibres [particles:fibres] in a range from 100:1 to 1:100, preferably from 50:1 to 1:50 and most preferably from 20:1 to 1:20. the wood particles and/or fibres are provided in dry form or in form of an aqueous suspension. the term “dry form” with regard to the wood particles and/or fibres provided in step a) refers to wood particles and/or fibres having a moisture content of about 10.0 wt.-% or less, e.g. from 4 to 8 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the wood particles and/or fibres. it is appreciated that higher moisture contents are not preferred as it may be critical during pre-pressing step d) and especially during hot pressing step f). thus, the wood particles and/or fibres may optionally by pre-dried to reduce their moisture content in case the moisture content is >10.0 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the wood particles and/or fibres. the optional pre-drying of the wood particles and/or fibres to the desired level is preferably carried out in a pre-dryer such as a tube dryer. tube dryer such as single-stage or multiple-stage tube dryer are well known in the art and are widely used for drying wood particles and/or fibres in the manufacturing of wood-based boards. the wood particles and/or fibres can be dried for a time period and/or at a temperature sufficient to reduce the moisture content of the wood particles and/or fibres to the desired level. the drying time and/or temperature may be adjusted according to the temperature and the moisture content of the wood particles and/or fibres. thus, it is appreciated that the wood particles and/or fibres are preferably provided in dry form in the present process for manufacturing a wood-based board. alternatively, the wood particles and/or fibres are provided in the form of an aqueous suspension. the aqueous suspension of wood particles and/or fibres may be formed by suspending the wood particles and/or fibres provided in dry form, i.e. as obtained after the pre-dryer, in water or by diluting the wood particles and/or fibres obtained after the refiner to the desired wood particle and/or fibre and/or chip content. if the wood particles and/or fibres are provided in form of an aqueous suspension, the aqueous suspension preferably comprises the wood particles and/or fibres in an amount from 1.0 to 80.0 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the aqueous suspension. more preferably, the aqueous suspension comprises the wood particles and/or fibres in an amount from 5.0 to 75.0 wt.-%, more preferably from 10.0 to 70.0 wt.-% and most preferably from 15.0 to 60.0 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the aqueous suspension. in one embodiment, the wood particles and/or fibres of step a) are combined simultaneously or separately in any order with at least one base binder and/or at least one additive. thus, the at least one base binder and/or at least one additive may be added simultaneously or separately in any order to the wood particles and/or fibres, in a manner known by the skilled person. for example, the wood particles and/or fibres of step a) are combined separately in any order with at least one base binder and/or at least one additive. alternatively, the wood particles and/or fibres of step a) are combined simultaneously with at least one base binder and/or at least one additive. if the wood particles and/or fibres of step a) are combined simultaneously with at least one base binder and/or at least one additive, the at least one base binder and/or at least one additive is preferably provided as mixture, i.e. the at least one base binder and/or at least one additive may be pre-mixed prior to addition to said wood particles and/or fibres. the term “at least one” base binder in the meaning of the present invention means that the base binder comprises, preferably consists of, one or more base binder. in one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one base binder comprises, preferably consists of, one base binder. alternatively, the at least one base binder comprises, preferably consists of, two or more base binder. for example, the at least one base binder comprises, preferably consists of, two or three base binder. preferably, the at least one base binder comprises, preferably consists of, one base binder. for example, the at least one base binder may be present in an amount from 0.01 to 25.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the wood particles and/or fibres of step a). the at least one base binder may be one or more binder which is/are well known to the skilled person and typically used in the base material of wood-based boards. for example, the at least one base binder is selected from the group comprising phenol-formaldehyde resin (pf), urea-formaldehyde resin (uf), melamine-formaldehyde resin (mf), melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin (muf), urea-melamine-formaldehyde resin (umf), urea-melamine-phenol-formaldehyde resin (umpf), epoxy resin, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate resin (mdi), polyurethane resin (pu), resorcinol resin, starch or carboxymethylcellulose and mixtures thereof. preferably, the at least one base binder is selected from the group comprising phenol-formaldehyde resin (pf), urea-formaldehyde resin (uf), melamine-formaldehyde resin (mf), melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin (muf), urea-melamine-formaldehyde resin (umf), urea-melamine-phenol-formaldehyde resin (umpf), epoxy resin, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate resin (mdi), polyurethane resin (pu) and mixtures thereof. most preferably, the at least one base binder is urea-formaldehyde resin (uf). additionally or alternatively, the at least one additive may be present in an amount from 0.01 to 10.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the wood particles and/or fibres of step a). the amount of the at least one additive to be optionally included can be determined in accordance with standard practice and with the desired properties of the final wood-based board. the term “at least one” additive in the meaning of the present invention means that the additive comprises, preferably consists of, one or more additives. in one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one additive comprises, preferably consists of, one additive. alternatively, the at least one additive comprises, preferably consists of, two or more additives. for example, the at least one additive comprises, preferably consists of, two or three additives. preferably, the at least one additive comprises, preferably consists of, two or more additives. the at least one additive may be one or more additive which is/are well known to the skilled person and typically used in wood-based boards. for example, the at least one additive is selected from the group comprising waxes, colorants, filler, dispersants, biocides, hardener, flame retardants and mixtures thereof. preferably, the at least one additive is selected from waxes, hardener and mixtures thereof. more preferably, the at least one additive comprises, most preferably consists of, waxes and hardener. the combining (or mixing) of the wood particles and/or fibres of step a) with at least one base binder and/or at least one additive can be accomplished by any conventional means known to the skilled person. the skilled person will adapt the combining (or mixing) conditions such as the mixing speed and temperature according to his process equipment. additionally, the combining (or mixing) may be carried out under homogenizing and/or particle dividing conditions. characterization of step b): provision of a at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder according to step b) of the present invention, a dry or liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder is provided. the term “at least one” particulate filler material in the meaning of the present invention means that the particulate filler material comprises, preferably consists of, one or more particulate filler materials. in one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one particulate filler material comprises, preferably consists of, one particulate filler material. alternatively, the at least one particulate filler material comprises, preferably consists of, two or more particulate filler materials. for example, the at least one particulate filler material comprises, preferably consists of, two or three particulate filler materials. preferably, the at least one particulate filler material comprises, preferably consists of, one particulate filler material. for example, the at least one particulate filler material is selected from the group consisting of dolomite, ground calcium carbonate (gcc), precipitated calcium carbonate (pcc), magnesium hydroxide, talc, gypsum, titanium dioxide, kaolin, silicate, mica, barium sulphate, calcined clay, non-calcined (hydrous) clay, bentonite, inorganic or organic pigments and mixtures thereof. “dolomite” in the meaning of the present invention is a carbonatic calcium-magnesium-mineral having the chemical composition of camg(co 3 ) 2 (“caco 3 .mgco 3 ”). dolomite mineral contains at least 30.0 wt.-% mgco 3 , based on the total weight of dolomite, preferably more than 35.0 wt.-%, more than 40.0 wt.-%, typically from 45.0 to 46.0 wt.-% mgco 3 . “ground calcium carbonate” (gcc) in the meaning of the present invention is a calcium carbonate obtained from natural sources, such as limestone, marble or chalk, and processed through a wet and/or dry treatment such as grinding, screening and/or fractionating, for example by a cyclone or classifier. according to one embodiment of the present invention the gcc is obtained by dry grinding. according to another embodiment of the present invention the gcc is obtained by wet grinding and subsequent drying. in general, the grinding step can be carried out with any conventional grinding device, for example, under conditions such that refinement predominantly results from impacts with a secondary body, i.e. in one or more of: a ball mill, a rod mill, a vibrating mill, a roll crusher, a centrifugal impact mill, a vertical bead mill, an attrition mill, a pin mill, a hammer mill, a pulveriser, a shredder, a de-clumper, a knife cutter, or other such equipment known to the skilled man. in case calcium carbonate-containing material comprises a wet ground calcium carbonate-containing material, the grinding step may be performed under conditions such that autogenous grinding takes place and/or by horizontal ball milling, and/or other such processes known to the skilled man. the wet processed ground calcium carbonate-containing material thus obtained may be washed and dewatered by well-known processes, e.g. by flocculation, filtration or forced evaporation prior to drying. the subsequent step of drying may be carried out in a single step such as spray drying, or in at least two steps. it is also common that such a calcium carbonate material undergoes a beneficiation step (such as a flotation, bleaching or magnetic separation step) to remove impurities. in one embodiment of the present invention, the gcc is selected from the group comprising marble, chalk, limestone and mixtures thereof. “precipitated calcium carbonate” (pcc) in the meaning of the present invention is a synthesized material, generally obtained by precipitation following reaction of carbon dioxide and lime in an aqueous environment or by precipitation of a calcium and carbonate ion source in water. pcc may be one or more of the aragonitic, vateritic and calcitic mineralogical crystal forms. preferably, pcc is one of the aragonitic, vateritic and calcitic mineralogical crystal forms. aragonite is commonly in the acicular form, whereas vaterite belongs to the hexagonal crystal system. calcite can form scalenohedral, prismatic, spheral and rhombohedral forms. pcc can be produced in different ways, e.g. by precipitation with carbon dioxide, the lime soda process, or the solvay process in which pcc is a by-product of ammonia production. the obtained pcc slurry can be mechanically dewatered and dried. it is preferred that the at least one particulate filler material comprises at least one ground calcium carbonate (gcc), preferably at least one ground calcium carbonate (gcc) being selected from the group comprising marble, chalk, limestone and mixtures thereof. in one preferred embodiment, the at least one ground calcium carbonate (gcc) is marble or chalk. thus, it is preferred that the at least one particulate filler material is at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material. in addition to calcium carbonate, the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material may comprise further metal oxides such as titanium dioxide and/or aluminium trioxide, metal hydroxides such as aluminium tri-hydroxide, metal salts such as sulphates, silicates such as talc and/or kaolin clay and/or mica, carbonates such as magnesium carbonate and/or gypsum, satin white and mixtures thereof. according to one embodiment of the present invention, the amount of calcium carbonate in the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material is of ≥10.0 wt.-%, preferably of ≥20.0 wt.-%, based on the total dry weight of the calcium carbonate-containing material. preferably, the amount of calcium carbonate in the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material is of ≥50.0 wt.-%, even more preferably of ≥90.0 wt.-%, more preferably of ≥95.0 wt.-% and most preferably of ≥97.0 wt.-%, based on the total dry weight of the calcium carbonate-containing material. preferably, the at least one particulate filler material of step b) has specific dimensions. for example, the at least one particulate filler material has a median particle size d 50 from 0.1 to 150.0 μm. in one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one particulate filler material has a median particle size d 50 from 0.2 μm to 100.0 μm, more preferably from 0.3 μm to 50.0 μm and most preferably from 2.1 μm to 40.0 μm. the at least one particulate filler material may have a top cut, for example, of below 150.0 μm. the term “top cut” (or top size), as used herein, means the particle size value wherein at least 98.0% of the material particles are less than that size. preferably, the at least one particulate filler material has a top cut of below 140.0 μm and more preferably of below 120.0 μm. in one embodiment, the at least one particulate filler material has i) a particle size d 98 of <500 μm,ii) a particle size d 80 of 0.1 to 250 μm,iii) a median particle size d 50 of 0.1 to 150 μm, andiv) a particle size d 20 of 0.1 to 50 μm. additionally or alternatively, the at least one particulate filler material has a ratio of particle size d 80 to particle size d 20 [d 80 /d 20 ] from 0.5 to 1.0. preferably, the at least one particulate filler material has i) a particle size d 98 of ≤500 μm,ii) a particle size d 80 of 0.1 to 250 μm,iii) a median particle size d 50 of 0.1 to 150 μm,iv) a particle size d 20 of 0.1 to 50 μm, andv) a ratio of particle size d 80 to particle size d 20 [d 80 /d 20 ] from 0.5 to 1.0. in one embodiment, the at least one particulate filler material has a specific surface area of from 0.5 to 200.0 m 2 /g, more preferably of from 0.5 to 100.0 m 2 /g and most preferably of from 0.5 to 75.0 m 2 /g as measured by the bet nitrogen method. the term “specific surface area” (in m 2 /g) of the at least one particulate calcium carbonate-containing material in the meaning of the present invention is determined using the bet method, which is well known to the skilled man (iso 9277:2010). the term “at least one” binder in the meaning of the present invention means that the binder comprises, preferably consists of, one or more binder. in one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one binder comprises, preferably consists of, one binder. alternatively, the at least one binder comprises, preferably consists of, two or more binder. for example, the at least one binder comprises, preferably consists of, two or three binder. preferably, the at least one binder comprises, preferably consists of, one binder. it is appreciated that the binder of step b) and the optional base binder of step a) may be the same or different. for example, the binder of step b) and the optional base binder of step a) are the same. alternatively, the binder of step b) and the optional base binder of step a) are different. preferably, the binder of step b) and the optional base binder of step a) are different. the at least one binder may be one or more binder which is/are well known to the skilled person and typically used in coatings of wood-based boards. in one embodiment, the at least one binder of step b) is selected from the group consisting of alkyd resin, epoxy resin, epoxy ester resin, poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), poly(vinyl acetate), poly(oxazolines), poly(vinylacetamides), partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol), poly((meth)acrylic acid), poly((meth)acrylamide), poly(alkylene oxide), polyether, saturated polyester, sulfonated or phosphated polyesters and polystyrenes, poly(styrene-co-(meth)acrylate), poly(styrene-co-butadiene), polyurethane latex, poly(n-butyl (meth)acrylate), poly(2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate), copolymers of (meth)acrylates, such as n-butyl(meth)acrylate and ethyl(meth)acrylate, copolymers of vinylacetate and n-butyl(meth)acrylate casein, copolymers of polyvinylchloride, gelatin, cellulose ethers, zein, albumin, chitin, chitosan, dextran, pectin, collagen derivatives, collodian, agar-agar, arrowroot, guar, carrageenan, starch, tragacanth, xanthan, or rhamsan and mixtures thereof. preferably, the at least one binder of step b) is selected from the group consisting of alkyd resin, epoxy resin, epoxy ester resin, poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), poly(vinyl acetate), poly(oxazolines), poly(vinylacetamides), partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol), poly((meth)acrylic acid), poly((meth)acrylamide), poly(alkylene oxide), polyether, saturated polyester, sulfonated or phosphated polyesters and polystyrenes, poly(styrene-co-(meth)acrylate), poly(styrene-co-butadiene), polyurethane latex, poly(n-butyl (meth)acrylate), poly(2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate), copolymers of (meth)acrylates, such as n-butyl(meth)acrylate and ethyl(meth)acrylate, copolymers of vinylacetate and n-butyl(meth)acrylate casein, copolymers of polyvinylchloride and mixtures thereof. more preferably, the at least one binder of step b) is selected from the group consisting of poly((meth)acrylic acid), polystyrenes, poly(styrene-co-(meth)acrylate), poly(styrene-co-butadiene), poly(n-butyl (meth)acrylate), poly(2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate), copolymers of (meth)acrylates, such as n-butyl(meth)acrylate and ethyl(meth)acrylate and mixtures thereof. most preferably, the at least one binder of step b) is poly(styrene-co-(meth)acrylate) or poly(styrene-co-butadiene). it is appreciated that the dry or liquid coating composition preferably comprises the at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder in specific amounts. for example, the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) comprises the at least one particulate filler material in an amount from >60 parts by dry weight based on dry coating (d/d), preferably >70 parts d/d, more preferably >80 parts d/d and most preferably >85 parts d/d and the at least one binder in an amount from <40 parts d/d, preferably <30 parts d/d, more preferably <20 parts d/d, most preferably <15 parts d/d, and the sum of the amount of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder is 100.0 parts d/d, based on the total dry weight of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder. thus, the dry or liquid coating composition preferably comprises the at least one particulate filler material in an amount from >60 parts d/d and the at least one binder in an amount from <40 parts d/d. more preferably, the dry or liquid coating composition preferably comprises the at least one particulate filler material in an amount from >70 parts d/d and the at least one binder in an amount from <30 parts d/d. even more preferably, the dry or liquid coating composition preferably comprises the at least one particulate filler material in an amount from >80 parts d/d and the at least one binder in an amount from <20 parts d/d. most preferably, the dry or liquid coating composition preferably comprises the at least one particulate filler material in an amount from >85 parts d/d and the at least one binder in an amount from <15 parts d/d. the sum of the amount of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder is 100.0 parts d/d, based on the total dry weight of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder. the term “dry” with regard to the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder is understood to be a material having less than 0.3% by weight of water relative to the weight of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder. the % water content is determined according to the coulometric karl fischer measurement method, wherein the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder is heated to 220° c., and the water content released as vapour and isolated using a stream of nitrogen gas (at 100 ml/min) is determined in a coulometric karl fischer unit. the at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder are provided in form of a dry or liquid coating composition in step b). for the purposes of the present invention, the term “coating composition” refers to a composition which is applied on the surface of a pre-pressed wood-based mat and which remains predominantly on the surface of the final wood-based board. the term “dry” with regard to the coating composition is understood to be a composition having less than 0.3% by weight of water relative to the weight of the coating composition. the % water content is determined according to the coulometric karl fischer measurement method, wherein the coating composition is heated to 220° c., and the water content released as vapour and isolated using a stream of nitrogen gas (at 100 ml/min) is determined in a coulometric karl fischer unit. the term “liquid” with regard to the coating composition is understood to be a composition that is liquid under standard ambient temperature and pressure (satp) which refers to a temperature of 298.15 k (25° c.) and an absolute pressure of exactly 100 000 pa (1 bar, 14.5 psi, 0.98692 atm). the liquid is preferably a suspension (or dispersion). if a dry coating composition is provided in step b), it is appreciated that the at least one particulate filler material as well as the at least one binder are preferably combined in dry form for obtaining the dry coating composition. if a liquid coating composition is provided in step b), the at least one particulate filler material and/or the at least one binder is/are in form of an aqueous suspension. preferably, the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder is in form of an aqueous suspension. more preferably, the at least one particulate filler material is in form of an aqueous suspension. for forming the liquid coating composition of step b), the at least one binder, such as in dry form, is preferably mixed into the at least one particulate filler material provided in form of an aqueous suspension. in view of this, the at least one particulate filler material can be provided in powder form, i.e. in dry form. the term “dry” with regard to the at least one particulate filler material is understood to be a material having less than 0.3% by weight of water relative to the weight of the at least one particulate filler material. if the at least one particulate filler material is provided in form of an aqueous suspension, the aqueous suspension preferably comprises the at least one particulate filler material in an amount from 1.0 to 80.0 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the aqueous suspension. more preferably, the aqueous suspension comprises the at least one particulate filler material in an amount from 30.0 to 78.0 wt.-%, more preferably from 50.0 to 78.0 wt.-% and most preferably from 55.0 to 78.0 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the aqueous suspension. the dry or liquid coating composition may further comprise at least one compound which is well known to the skilled person and typically used in coatings of wood-based boards. the term “at least one” compound in the meaning of the present invention means that the compound comprises, preferably consists of, one or more compound(s). in one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one compound comprises, preferably consists of, one compound. alternatively, the at least one compound comprises, preferably consists of, two or more compounds. for example, the at least one compound comprises, preferably consists of, two or three compounds. preferably, the at least one compound comprises, preferably consists of, two or more compounds and thus is a mixture of compounds. for example, the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) further comprises at least one compound selected from the group comprising matting agents, coalescent agents or film forming agents, anti-foaming agents, dispersants, rheology agents, cross-linking agents, biocides, light stabilizer, preserving agents, hardener, flame retardants and mixtures thereof. if the coating composition comprises the at least one compound, the liquid coating composition of step b) is preferably formed in that the at least one particulate filler material, preferably in dry form, is mixed into an aqueous suspension or solution of the at least one compound selected from the group comprising matting agents, coalescing agents or film forming agents, anti-foaming agents, dispersants, rheology agents, cross-linking agents, biocides, light stabilizer, preserving agents, hardener, flame retardants and mixtures thereof. then, the at least one binder, preferably in dry form, is dispersed into the suspension of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one compound. thus, in one embodiment, the dry or liquid coating composition comprises, preferably consists of, at least one particulate filler material, at least one binder and at least one compound selected from the group comprising matting agents, coalescing agents or film forming agents, anti-foaming agents, dispersants, rheology agents, cross-linking agents, biocides, light stabilizer, preserving agents, hardener, flame retardants and mixtures thereof, and optionally water. alternatively, the dry or liquid coating composition consists of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder, and optionally water. if the dry or liquid coating composition further comprises at least one compound selected from the group comprising matting agents, coalescing agents or film forming agents, anti-foaming agents, dispersants, rheology agents, cross-linking agents, biocides, light stabilizer, preserving agents, hardener, flame retardants and mixtures thereof, the dry or liquid coating composition preferably comprises the at least one compound in an amount from 2.0 to 8.0 parts by weight (d/d), e.g. from 3.0 to 7.0 parts by weight (d/d), based on the total dry weight of the at least one particulate filler material and the at least one binder. characterization of step c): forming a wood-based mat according to step c) of the present invention, a wood-based mat having a first side and a reverse side is formed from the wood particles and/or fibres provided in step a). it is appreciated that the term “wood-based mat formed from the wood particles and/or fibres” refers to a mixture of the wood particles and/or fibres and the optional at least one base binder and/or at least one additive which is used for forming the base of the final wood-based board. the mixture of wood particles and/or fibres and the optional at least one base binder and/or at least one additive is laid into an even and consistent mat. this may be accomplished in batch mode or by continuous formation, preferably continuous formation. the forming step c) may be undertaken by all the techniques and methods well known to the man skilled in the art for forming a mat from wood particles and/or fibres and optional at least one base binder and/or at least one additive. the forming step c) may be carried out with any conventional forming machine, for example, under conditions such that a continuous wood-based mat is obtained or other such equipment known to the skilled person. for example, wood particles and/or fibres and optional at least one base binder and/or at least one additive is spread by hand or the back and forth movement of a tray or hopper feeder or air separation for forming the wood-based mat. if the wood-based board is manufactured in a wet process, the wood-based mat is preferably subjected to a step of reducing the water content of the mat. such drying can be carried out before or during or after, preferably during, process step c). such drying may be undertaken by all the techniques and methods well known to the man skilled in the art for reducing the water content of a wood-based mat. the drying may be carried out with any conventional method, e.g. by mechanically applied pressure, hot air, vacuum, force of gravity or suction power such that a wood-based mat having a water content that is reduced compared to the water content before the drying is obtained or other such equipment known to the skilled person. preferably, the drying is carried out by mechanically applied pressure such as a dewatering drum, followed by a treatment with hot air. it is appreciated that a single or multi-layer wood-based mat can be formed in step c), preferably a multi-layer wood-based mat is formed in step c). in one embodiment, the multi-layer wood-based mat is formed in multiple forming steps. for example, a three-layer wood-based mat is formed in three forming steps. the wood-based mat obtained in forming step c) has a first side and a reverse side. characterization of step d): pre-pressing the wood-based mat according to step d) of the present invention, the wood-based mat of step c) is pre-pressed into a pre-pressed wood-based mat. thus, the wood-based mat obtained in step c) is pre-pressed prior to applying the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) and hot pressing. the pre-pressing may be carried out by all the techniques and methods well known to the man skilled in the art for pre-pressing wood-based mats into a pre-pressed wood-based mat. the pre-pressing may be carried out with any conventional pressing machine, e.g. single-opening presses, multi-opening batch presses or continuous presses, under conditions such that a pre-pressed wood-based mat is obtained or other such equipment known to the skilled person. it is appreciated that the pre-pressing temperature, optional pressure, and time will vary according to the solid wood-based board to be produced. the pre-pressing is preferably carried out at ambient temperature. thus, the pre-pressing is preferably carried out at a temperature ranging from 10 to 60° c., more preferably from 15 to 30° c. and most preferably from 15 to 25° c. additionally or alternatively, the pre-pressing is carried out at a pressure ranging from 5 to 40 bar and preferably from 8 to 35 bar. thus, the pre-pressing is preferably carried out at ambient temperature or a pressure ranging from 5 to 40 bar and preferably from 8 to 35 bar. alternatively, the pre-pressing is carried out at ambient temperature and a pressure ranging from 5 to 40 bar and preferably from 8 to 35 bar. preferably, the pre-pressing is carried out at a temperature ranging from 10 to 60° c., more preferably from 15 to 30° c. and most preferably from 15 to 25° c. and a pressure ranging from 5 to 40 bar and preferably from 8 to 35 bar. characterization of step e): applying the dry or liquid coating composition on the pre-pressed wood-based mat according to step e) of the present invention, the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) is applied on the first and/or reverse side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat obtained in step d). it is decisive for the process of the present invention that the step of applying the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) on the first and/or reverse side of the wood-based mat is carried out after the pre-pressing step but before the hot pressing step. the inventors surprisingly found out that this order of steps leads to wood-based boards having excellent surface characteristics without implementing post processing steps. in particular, a wood-based board is obtained, wherein the wood-based board has improved surface characteristics, and especially improved optical characteristics. furthermore, wood-based boards having improved mechanical properties can be obtained. the coating composition can be in dry or liquid form. according to one embodiment, the coating composition applied in step e) of the inventive process is a dry coating composition. according to another embodiment, the coating composition applied in step e) of the inventive process is a liquid coating composition. in this case, the inventive process may further comprise a step e1) of drying the coating layer. it is one requirement that the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) is applied at least on the first side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat. according to one embodiment, process step e) is also carried out on the reverse side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat to manufacture a wood-based board being coated on the first and the reverse side. this step may be carried out for each side separately or may be carried out on the first and the reverse side simultaneously, preferably separately. according to another embodiment, wherein the coating composition is in liquid form, process step e), and optionally step e1), is also carried out on the reverse side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat to manufacture a wood-based board being coated on the first and the reverse side. these steps may be carried out for each side separately or may be carried out on the first and the reverse side simultaneously. according to one embodiment, step e) is carried out a second time or more times using a different or the same liquid coating composition. according to another embodiment, wherein the coating composition is in liquid form, step e), and optionally e1), is carried out a second time or more times using a different or the same liquid coating composition. the coating may be applied onto the pre-pressed wood-based mat by conventional coating means commonly used in this art. suitable coating methods are, e.g., metering size press, curtain coating, spray coating, roller coating and the like. some of these methods allow for simultaneous coatings of two or more layers, which is preferred from a manufacturing economic perspective. however, any other coating method which would be suitable to form a coating on the pre-pressed wood-based mat may also be used. in an exemplary embodiment the coating composition is applied by metering size press, curtain coating or spray coating. in a preferred embodiment, spray coating is used to apply the coating layer. in another preferred method, curtain coating is used to apply the coating layer. according to an exemplary embodiment, a liquid coating composition is applied by metering size press, curtain coating or spray coating, preferably curtain coating. according to another exemplary embodiment, a dry coating composition is applied by spreading or electrostatic powder coating. it is appreciated that process step e) may be carried out in a batch or continuous process. if process step e) is carried out in a continuous process, the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) is preferably applied on the first side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat obtained in step d) only. according to one embodiment of the present invention, the liquid coating composition used to form the coating has a solid content from 10 to 80 wt.-%, preferably from 30 to 75 wt.-%, more preferably from 40 to 70 wt.-%, and most preferably from 45 to 65 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the liquid coating composition. the liquid coating composition can have a brookfield viscosity in the range from 20 to 3 000 mpa·s, preferably from 250 to 3 000 mpa·s, more preferably from 500 to 2 500 mpa·s and most preferably from 500 to 1 000 mpa·s. characterization of step f): hot pressing the pre-pressed wood-based mat according to step f) of the present invention, the pre-pressed wood-based mat obtained in step e) is hot pressed into a solid wood-based board. the hot pressing of step f) may be undertaken by all the techniques and methods well known to the man skilled in the art for hot pressing a pre-pressed wood-based mat into a solid wood-based board. the hot pressing of step f) may be carried out with any conventional pressing machine, e.g. single-opening presses, multi-opening batch presses or continuous presses, under conditions such that a solid wood-based board is obtained or other such equipment known to the skilled person. preferably, hot pressing step f) is carried out with a continuous press. for example, heat and optionally pressure, preferably heat and pressure, are applied to the pre-pressed wood-based mat in the hot pressing step such as to join together the wood particles and/or fibres and the optional at least one base binder and/or at least one additive and the coating applied on the first and/or reverse side comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder and the optional at least one compound into a solid particle board in pressing step g). it is appreciated that the hot pressing temperature, optional pressure, and time will vary according to the solid wood-based board to be produced. however, the hot pressing in step f) is preferably carried out at a temperature ranging from 130 to 260° c., more preferably from 160 to 240° c. in one embodiment, the hot pressing is carried out at a pressing time factor, in relation to board thickness, of 10 to 25 s/mm, preferably of 10 to 20 s/mm and most preferably of 12 to 18 s/mm. after hot pressing step f), the final solid wood-based board can be cooled prior to stacking. the final wood-based board does not require a post-processing step such as sanding or any other finishing operations (such as laminating or coating or direct printing application) for improving the surface properties of the wood-based board. however, in one embodiment, the final wood-based board is subjected to a post-processing step such as sanding or any other finishing operations (such as laminating or coating or direct printing application) for further improving the surface properties, such as glossiness, abrasiveness etc., of the wood-based board. the wood-based board may be a fibre board product, preferably a high-density fibre (hdf) board, medium-density fibre (mdf) board, low-density fibre (ldf) board, a particle board, an oriented strandboard (osb), a hardboard or an insulation board. wood-based board and uses according to one aspect of the present invention, a wood-based board is provided. the wood-based board comprises a) a base of wood particles and/or fibres as defined herein, andb) a coating on the first and/or reverse side of the wood-based board, wherein the coating comprises i) at least one particulate filler material, as defined herein, having a ratio of particle size d 80 to particle size d 20 [d 80 /d 20 ] from 0.5 to 1.0, andii) at least one binder as defined herein. with regard to the definition of the wood particles and/or fibres, at least one particulate filler material, at least one binder and optional base binder, additives and compounds, and preferred embodiments thereof, reference is made to the statements provided above when discussing the technical details of the process of the present invention. the wood-based board comprising a) a base of wood particles and/or fibres as defined herein, andb) a coating on the first and/or reverse side of the wood-based board, wherein the coating comprises i) at least one particulate filler material, as defined herein, having a ratio of particle size d 80 to particle size d 20 [d 80 /d 20 ] from 0.5 to 1.0, andii) at least one binder as defined herein, is preferably obtained by a process comprising the steps of:a) providing wood particles and/or fibres, in dry form or in form of an aqueous suspension,b) providing a dry or liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder,c) forming a wood-based mat having a first side and a reverse side from the wood particles and/or fibres provided in step a),d) pre-pressing the wood-based mat of step c) into a pre-pressed wood-based mat,e) applying the dry or liquid coating composition of step b) on the first and/or reverse side of the pre-pressed wood-based mat obtained in step d), andf) hot pressing the pre-pressed wood-based mat obtained in step e) into a solid wood-based board. the wood-based board is preferably a fibre board product, more preferably a high-density fibre (hdf) board, medium-density fibre (mdf) board, low-density fibre (ldf) board, a particle board, an oriented strandboard (osb), a hardboard or an insulation board. in one embodiment, the coating is preferably penetrated into the surface of the wood-based board. thus, it is preferred that the coating cannot be removed from the surface of the wood-based board without damaging the surface of the surface of the wood-based board. the inventive wood-based board comprises a base of wood particles and/or fibres having a first side and a reverse side. the base of wood particles and/or fibres serves as support for a coating on the first and/or reverse side of the wood-based board. thus, the wood-based board preferably comprises, more preferably consists of, a base of wood particles and/or fibres having a first side and a reverse side and a coating being in contact with the first and/or reverse side of the base of wood particles and/or fibres. the at least one particulate filler material preferably has i) a particle size d 98 of <500 μm,ii) a particle size d 80 of 0.1 to 250 μm,iii) a median particle size d 50 of 0.1 to 150 μm, andiv) a particle size d 20 of 0.1 to 50 μm. it is appreciated that the wood-based board is especially advantageous with regard to its surface characteristics, such as optical properties. in this regard, it is to be noted that the advantageous surface characteristics apply only to the side of the wood-based board which has been coated in accordance with process of the present invention. in one embodiment, the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board preferably has i) a brightness from 50 to 100%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167,ii) a yellowness from 2 to 70%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167,iii) l* from 50 to 100, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012,iv) a* from −5 to 10, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, andv) b* from 0 to 30, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012. additionally or alternatively, the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board has i) a maximum roughness amplitude sz from 20 to 800 μm,ii) an arithmetic mean roughness sa from 2 to 80 μm, andiii) a root mean square roughness sq from 2 to 20 μm. in one embodiment, the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board preferably has i) a brightness from 50 to 100%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167,ii) a yellowness from 2 to 70%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167,iii) l* from 50 to 100, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012,iv) a* from −5 to 10, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, andv) b* from 0 to 30, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, andi) a maximum roughness (average roughness) amplitude sz from 20 to 800 μm,ii) an arithmetic mean roughness sa from 2 to 80 μm, andiii) a root mean square mean roughness sq from 2 to 20 μm. according to one preferred embodiment, the at least one particulate filler material has i) a particle size d 98 of ≤500 μm,ii) a particle size d 80 of 0.1 to 250 μm,iii) a median particle size d 50 of 0.1 to 150 μm, andiv) a particle size d 20 of 0.1 to 50 μm, and the surface of the coated side of the wood-based board hasi) a brightness from 50 to 100%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167,ii) a yellowness from 2 to 70%, according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167,iii) l* from 50 to 100, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012,iv) a* from −5 to 10, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, andv) b* from 0 to 30, according to din en iso 11664-4:2012, andi) a maximum roughness amplitude sz from 20 to 800 μm,ii) an arithmetic mean roughness sa from 2 to 80 μm, andiii) a root mean square roughness sq from 2 to 20 μm. the inventive wood-based board can be a single or multi-layer wood-based board. if the wood-based board is a multi-layer board, the board can be a three-layer or five-layer wood-based board. for example, the wood-based board is a single-layer wood-based board. in one embodiment, the wood-based board further comprises a printing step on the first and/or reverse side of the wood-based board. it is preferred that such a print is located on the coating of the wood-based board. the wood-based board according to the present invention specifically features high mechanical properties such as bending strength and modulus of elasticity, internal bond strength, thickness swelling and further processability. the inventive wood-based board specifically features a high bending strength. preferably, the wood-based board has a bending strength of ≥5 n/mm 2 , preferably from 10 to 50 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 15 to 45 n/mm 2 unless indicated otherwise, the bending strength is determined according to din en 310. additionally or alternatively, the inventive wood-based board features a high modulus of elasticity. preferably, the wood-based board has a modulus of elasticity ≥500 n/mm 2 , preferably from 1 000 to 4 500 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 1 500 to 3 500 n/mm 2 . unless indicated otherwise, the modulus of elasticity is determined according to din en 310. additionally or alternatively, the inventive wood-based board features a high internal bond strength. preferably, the wood-based board has an internal bond strength ≥0.10 n/mm 2 , more preferably from 0.2 to 1.4 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 0.4 to 1.2 n/mm 2 . unless indicated otherwise, the internal bond strength is determined according to din en 319. it is appreciated that the internal bond strength may be also named as transverse tensile strength. additionally or alternatively, the inventive wood-based board features a high thickness swelling. preferably, the wood-based board has a thickness swelling after 24 h water storage of ≤20%, more preferably from 2.0 to 15.0% and most preferably from 4.0 to 10%. unless indicated otherwise, the thickness swelling is determined according to din en 317. additionally or alternatively, the inventive wood-based board features a high brightness. preferably, the wood-based board has a brightness of at least 50%, more preferably of at least 65%, even more preferably of at least 75% and most preferably of at least 80%. unless indicated otherwise, the brightness is determined according to iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167. for example, the wood-based board has a bending strength of ≥5 n/mm 2 , preferably from 10 to 50 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 15 to 45 n/mm 2 ; or a modulus of elasticity of ≥500 n/mm 2 , preferably from 1 000 to 4 500 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 1 500 to 3 500 n/mm 2 ; or an internal bond strength of ≥0.10 n/mm 2 , more preferably from 0.2 to 1.4 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 0.4 to 1.2 n/mm 2 ; or a thickness swelling after 24 h water storage of ≤20%, more preferably from 2.0 to 15.0% and most preferably from 4.0 to 10%; or a brightness of at least 50%, more preferably of at least 65%, even more preferably of at least 75% and most preferably of at least 80%. alternatively, the wood-based board has a bending strength of ≥5 n/mm 2 , preferably from 10 to 50 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 15 to 45 n/mm 2 ; and a modulus of elasticity of ≥500 n/mm 2 , preferably from 1 000 to 4 500 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 1 500 to 3 500 n/mm 2 ; and an internal bond strength of ≥0.10 n/mm 2 , more preferably from 0.2 to 1.4 n/mm 2 and most preferably from 0.4 to 1.2 n/mm 2 ; and a thickness swelling after 24 h water storage of ≤20%, more preferably from 2.0 to 15.0% and most preferably from 4.0 to 10%; and a brightness of at least 50%, more preferably of at least 65%, even more preferably of at least 75% and most preferably of at least 80%. in one embodiment, the wood-based board of the present invention has a thickness from 0.2 to 300.0 mm, preferably from 2.0 to 40.0 mm and most preferably from 4.0 to 20 mm. according to another aspect, the present invention refers to the use of a dry or liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder as defined herein for in-line coating of wood-based boards. with regard to the definition of the dry or liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder and preferred embodiments thereof, reference is made to the statements provided above when discussing the technical details of the process of the present invention. an “in-line” coating or process in the meaning of the present invention refers to a process in which the coating step is placed in series, especially horizontally in series, with a pre-pressing and hot pressing step. in other words, the dry or liquid coating composition comprising at least one particulate filler material and at least one binder is applied on the first and/or reverse side of a pre-pressed wood-based mat, i.e. after pre-pressing, but before hot pressing the coated pre-pressed wood-based mat to form the solid wood-based board. the scope and interest of the invention will be better understood based on the following examples which are intended to illustrate certain embodiments of the invention and are non-limitative. examples measurement methods the following measurement methods are used to evaluate the parameters given in the examples and claims. particle size distribution (weight % particles with a diameter <x) and weight median diameter (d 50 ) of a particulate filler material having a particle size d 50 of ≤45 μm weight median grain diameter and grain diameter weight distribution of a particulate filler material such as calcium carbonate, were determined via the sedimentation method, i.e. an analysis of sedimentation behaviour in a gravimetric field. the measurement was made with a sedigraph™ 5120. the method and instrument are known to the skilled person and are commonly used to determine grain size of fillers and pigments. the measurements is carried out in an aqueous solution of 0.1 wt-% na 4 p 2 o 7 . the samples were dispersed using a high speed mixer and ultrasound. particle size distribution (volume % particles with a diameter <x) and volume median diameter (d 50 ) of a particulate filler material having a particle size d 50 of >45 μm volume median grain diameter and grain diameter volume distribution of a particulate filler material were determined via laser diffraction, i.e. the particle size is determined by measuring the intensity of light scattered as a laser beam passes through a dispersed particulate sample. the measurement was made with a mastersizer 2000 or a mastersizer 3000 of malvern instruments ltd. (operating instrument software version 1.04). alternatively, the measurement can be made with a helos particle-size-analyzer of sympatec, germany. the measurement may be considered equivalent to weight distribution assuming a constant density throughout the particle size distribution, and reference is made to the measurement technique. the method and the instruments are known to the skilled person and are commonly used to determine grain size of fillers and pigments. the measurement is carried out in an aqueous solution of 0.1 wt.-% na 4 p 2 o 7 . the samples are dispersed using a high speed stirrer and supersonics. bet specific surface area of a material throughout the present document, the specific surface area (in m 2 /g) of the filler material is determined using the bet method (using nitrogen as adsorbing gas), which is well known to the skilled man (iso 9277:2010). the total surface area (in m 2 ) of the filler material is then obtained by multiplication of the specific surface area and the mass (in g) of the filler material prior to treatment. solids content of an aqueous suspension the suspension solids content (also known as “dry weight”) was determined using a moisture analyser hr73 from the company mettler-toledo, switzerland, with the following settings: temperature of 120° c., automatic switch off 3, standard drying, 5 to 20 g of suspension. ph of an aqueous suspension the ph of the aqueous slurry was measured using a standard ph-meter at room temperature, approximately 22° c. pigment volume concentration (pvc) the pvc was calculated in accordance with the formula: vp: volume pigment vf: volume filler vb: volume binder whiteness and yellowness whiteness (or brightness) and yellowness were measured using an elrepho 450, datacolor according iso r457 (tappi452) and din 6167. the cielab l*, a*, b* coordinates and brightness cie were measured using minolta-spectrophotometer cm-3610d (of 22) in accordance with din en iso 11664-4:2012. gloss surface gloss was measured using cotem cgl-3w device from lehmann, according to en iso 8254-1:2003, tappi 75° (%). evaluation of surface roughness roughness was determined by topographical measurements using nanoskop device from cotem messsysteme. measuring standard was for the x-axis: measuring length: 4.8 mm, resolution: 500 points and for the y-axis: measuring length 4.8 mm, resolution: 250 points, applying high-pass filter gauss. values: sz=maximum roughness amplitudesa=arithmetic mean roughnesssq=root mean square roughness size of wood fibres the size or the fibres was determined via fractioning by using sieve analysis. the measurement was made with an air jet sieve from alpine e200 ls of hosokawa alpine ag, germany. the measurement was carried out by applying an air flow to the fibres being placed in a sieve by a rotating slit nozzle located underneath the sieve. the fibres are thus 20 subjected to a fractioning by air dispersing and simultaneous suction of the fibres through the sieve over a time period of 5 min. the balance between the amount of fibre before being placed in the sieve and after fractioning was considered as the through fraction in gram. depending on the number of the chosen sieve mesh widths, the fractioning is repeated starting with the smallest sieve mesh widths to the largest 25 sieve mesh width. thus, for each sieve mesh width the percentage of the total amount of the fibres which is fractionized can be calculated. the mesh widths of the sieves were chosen among the following mesh widths (in mm): 0.05-0.063-0.08-0.1-0.125-0.2-0.315-0.4-0.5-0.63-0.8-1.0-1.6-2.0-3.0-3.15-4.0-5.0. for each analysis, at least three sieve mesh widths were chosen such that the size of the fibres was sufficiently covered by the chosen mesh widths. unless otherwise indicated the size of the fibres is measured at a sieve mesh width of 0.05 mm, 1.0 mm and 3.0 mm. particle size of wood particles particle sizes of wood particles were determined by mechanical vibration sieves and calculation of grading curves. sieves with differing sieve meshes were setup as a tower starting with the smallest sieve mesh on the bottom and the largest sieve mesh on the top. the wood particles were placed on the top sieve and the sieve tower was fixed in a vibrating machine. the wood particles are thus subjected to fractioning by continuous shaking of the sieve tower within a timer period of 5 min. the balance between the amount of wood particles before being placed on the top sieve and after fractioning was considered as the through fraction in gram. thus, for each sieve mesh width the percentage of the total amount of wood particles which is fractionized can be calculated. the mesh widths of the sieves were chosen among the following mesh widths (in mm): 0.063-0.1-0.315-0.5-1.0-1.6-2.0-3.15-4.0-6.3-8-12. for each analysis at least seven mesh widths were chosen such that the size of the wood particles was sufficiently covered by the chosen mesh widths. the particle length and thickness of the wood particles were determined by electron microscopic analysis, such as transmission electron microscope (tem) or scanning electron microscope (sem). wood moisture content the wood moisture content is determined in accordance with din en 322. the term “equilibrium moisture” has to be understood as moisture content of wood or wood based panel at which the wood neither gains nor loses moisture when surrounded by air at a given relative humidity and temperature (definition in “wood hand book”) the moisture content was determined after 7 days storage in a defined climate of: 65% relative humidity and 20° c. temperature. density density (or raw density) measurements were made in accordance with din en 323. thickness swelling thickness swelling measurements were made after 24 h water exposure in accordance with din en 317. internal bond strength internal bond strength measurements were made in accordance with din en 319. bending strength and modulus of elasticity bending strength and modulus of elasticity were measured in accordance with din en 310. examples substrate 1: medium density fibreboard. production parameters are displayed in table 1 below: table 1panel structuresingle layerraw materialpine fibrespanel thickness17.5 mmraw density700 kg/m3press temperature200° c. ± 2° c.press time factor12 s/mmamount of binder10%type of binderk345, 68% basfhydrophobising agent0.5% hydrowax 140,sasol germany substrate 2: particle board. production parameters are displayed in table 2 below. table 2panel structurethree layerraw materialindustrial wood particlespanel thickness17.5 mmraw density680 kg/m 3press temperature220° c. ± 2° c.press time factor15 s/mmamount of binder12% (surface layer); 8.5% (middlelayer)type of binderk350, 66% basfhydrophobising agent0.5% hydrowax 140,sasol germany production set-up: 1. resin (binder) application on wood fibres (for a medium density fibreboard (mdf)), substrate 1) or wood particles (for a particle board, substrate 2) and addition of hydrophobising agent was carried out in a blender (resin application of surface layer wood particles and middle layer particles for the particle board was executed separately).2. resinated wood fibres or wood particles were formed into a wood fibre mat or wood particle mat by manual spreading.3. the wood fibre mat or wood particle mat was pre-pressed at ambient temperature, i.e. 23° c.±2° c., and a pressure of 10 bar.4. “coating 1” and “coating 2” (see tables 3 to 6 for composition and characteristics) were applied on one side of the pre-pressed wood fibre mat or wood particle mat by air-pressure paint spray gun. “coating 2 duplex” was also applied on the second side of the pre-pressed and on one side coated wood fibre mat. coat weight was for each trial point 100 g/m 2 (dry).5. pre-pressed and coated wood fibre mat or wood particle mat was then hot pressed to a solid board in a hot press under the conditions disclosed in tables 1 and 2. (coating 2 duplex in the results means that the pre-pressed and on one side coated wood fibre mat was turned 180° and the second surface side was coated additionally). table 3composition of coating 1parts byraw materialsproductweightcalcium carbonate 1natural ground calcium90.0carbonate, commerciallyavailable from omyainternational ag, switzerland;d 98 : 7.0 μm; d 80 : 3.3 μm;d 50 : 1.5 μm; d 20 : 0.5 μm;bet: 6.9 m 2 /g; brightness: 95.6%;yellowness index: 0.75;cielab l*: 98.5;cielab a*: −0.1; cielab b*: 0.4;78% aqueous suspension, basedon the total weight of the suspensionstyrene butadiene latex 1styronal d62810.0total100.0 table 4coating characteristics of coating 1solids [%]69.9pvc [%]77.5ph8.1viscosity [mpa · s]190(rpm 100, spindle 2) table 5composition of coating 2parts byweight basedon 100 partsraw materialsproducthost materialsodium polyphosphatecalgon n0.1ammonium hydroxideammoniak, 25%0.2solutionmodified polymertego dispers 750 w1.5polyurethane systemtafigel pur 450.8polyurethane systemtafigel pur 410.4organic polymertego foamex 8300.4ester alcoholtexanol0.5dipropylenglykoldowanol dpnb0.5monomethyletherisothiazolinonmergal 723k0.1silicatebentone lt0.1titanium dioxide 1tiona 59521.0calcium carbonate 2natural ground calcium9.0carbonate, commerciallyavailable from omyainternational ag, switzerland;d 98 : 10.3 μm; d 80 : 4.9 μm;d 50 : 2.6 μm; d 20 : 1.1 μm;bet: 3.6 m 2 /g; brightness: 93.1%;yellowness index: 1.7;cielab l*: 97.7;cielab a*: −0.03;cielab b*: 0.9.clay 1burges no. 5013.0watertab water33.4styrene acrylate 1mowilith ldm 7451, 47%19.0total100.0 table 6coating characteristics of coating 2solids [%]53.6pvc [%]62.3ph8.7viscosity [mpa · s]120(rpm 100, spindle 2) in general, it was possible to manufacture a wood-based board, i.e. a particle board, having a sandwich structure (with smooth transition between the layers, or interaction of the layers). it was also possible to manufacture a single-layer medium density fibreboard as wood-based board. the wood-based boards featured optimised board physical, mechanical and optical board parameters compared to a reference raw board. the reference boards were manufactured the same way as described for the inventive wood-based boards (table 1 and table 2), but without applying a coating between the pre-pressing and hot pressing step. in particular, it was possible to improve the bending strength and modulus of elasticity, the thickness swelling, the brightness cie, the brightness r457, the yellowness, the gloss as well as the roughness sa, sz, sq of the wood-based boards coated with coating 1 and coating 2 compared to the reference raw boards. the results are outlined in figs. 1 to 9 for substrate 1, i.e. the results for mdf boards coated with coating 1, coating 2. fig. 1 and fig. 2 also show the results of the mdf boards coated on both sides, i.e. coating 2 duplex. as regards substrate 2, it was possible to improve the brightness cie, the brightness r457, the yellowness as well as the gloss compared to the reference raw board. the results are outlined in figs. 10 to 13 for substrate 2, i.e. the improved optical properties of the particle board surface by using coating 1 and coating 2. table 7 outlines the theoretically achieved classifications of the boards coated with coating 1 or 2 following european standard din en 622. table 7classificationsamplembhmbh.hmbh.embh.la 1mbh.la 2mbh.hls 1mbh.hls 2referencexx—xxx—coating 1xxxxxxxcoating 2xxxxxxx
|
017-062-722-952-718
|
US
|
[
"EP",
"CA",
"AU",
"WO",
"US",
"JP"
] |
B22D11/10,B22D11/11,B22D11/112,B22D11/116,B22D11/16
| 1988-10-13T00:00:00 |
1988
|
[
"B22"
] |
continuous casting of fine grain ingots.
|
continuous casting of fine grain ingots in the representative embodiment described in the specification, continuous casting of fine-grain ingots is effected by supplying molten metal (24) to a mold (25) in which the metal is solidified and an ingot (26) is withdrawn downwardly and controlling the temperature in the central region of the molten metal above the ingot at a level at which small crystallites (34) of metal are formed, but large quantities of solid material are not formed. the desired temperature level may be maintained by visual observation of the surface of the metal or pyrometric detection of the temperature of the surface and control of a directional energy input device (31) such as an electron beam gun or a plasma torch to supply sufficient energy to maintain the desired temperature level. the typical apparatus described in the specification includes a cold hearth (10) containing a pool (21) of molten metal which is supplied to the mold and energy input devices (14, 15), which may be electron beam guns or plasma torches, for melting the material in the hearth and maintaining the temperature of the molten material in the hearth and the mold at the desired levels, along with temperature detectors (28, 35) for detecting the temperature of the molten metal in the hearth and the mold, and a control unit (18) for controlling the energy input devices for the hearth and the mold (fig. 1).
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1. a method for continuous casting of a metal ingot comprising supplying molten metal to the upper portion of a mold, cooling the molten metal in the mold to form a solid ingot which is withdrawn from a lower portion of the mold, and controlling the temperature in the central region of the molten metal in the mold to maintain it at a level at which metal crystallites are formed without forming larger masses of solid material in the central region of the mold. 2. a method according to claim 1 including the step of supplying energy to the central region of the region of molten metal to maintain the tempera- ture of that portion approximately within the range from the liquidus temperature of the metal to 20°c below the liquidus temperature of the metal. 3. a method according to claim 2 including the step of controlling the energy supplied to the central region to maintain the temperature in that region approximately within the range from the liquidus temperature of the metal to 10°c below the liquidus temperature of the metal. 4. a method according to claim 1 including the steps of supplying molten metal from a hearth to the mold and maintaining the temperature of the molten metal in the portion of the hearth from which it is supplied to the mold at least 30°c above the liquidus temperature^ of the metal. 5. a method according to claim 4 including the step of maintaining the temperature of the molten metal in the region of the hearth from which it is supplied to the mold in a range from about 50°c to about 100°c above the liquidus tem¬ perature of the metal. 6. a method according to claim 4 including the step of detecting by pyrometry the temperature of the molten metal in the portion of the hearth from which the metal is supplied to the mold. 7. a method according claim 6 including the step of automatically controlling the supply of energy to the molten metal in the portion of the hearth from which molten metal is supplied to the mold in response to a signal representing the tempera¬ ture detected by pyrometry. 8. a method according to claim 1 including the step of detecting the temperature in the central region of molten metal in the mold by pyrometry. 9. a method according to claim 8 including the step of supplying energy to the central region of molten metal in the mold in accordance with a signal representing the temperature detected by pyrometry. 10. a method according to claim 1 including the step of withdrawing the ingot from the mold contin¬ uously at a substantially uniform rate. 11. a method according to claim 1 including the step of supplying metal to the hearth by melting the end of a bar of metal which is moved toward the hearth. 12. a method according to claim 1 including the step of supplying metal to the hearth by introducing particulate metallic material into the hearth. s. apparatus for continuous casting of metal ingots comprising a mold adapted to receive molten metal in an upper portion thereof, cooling means for solidifying the molten metal to produce a solid ingot which is withdrawn from a lower portion of the mold, energy input means for applying energy in a controlled manner to the molten metal in the mold, temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the central region of the molten metal in the mold, and control means for controlling,the energy input means to maintain the temperature of the molten metal in the central region of the mold at a desired level. 14. apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the energy input means comprises electron beam gun means. 15. apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the energy input means comprises plasma torch means. 16. apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the control means controls the energy input means in accordance with a signal from the temperature detecting means. 17. apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the control means controls the energy input means so as to maintain the temperature of the molten metal in the central region of the mold in the range from about 0°c to 20°c below the liquidus temperature of the metal. 18. apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the control means controls the energy input means so as to maintain the temperature of the molten metal in the central region of the mold in the range from about 0°c to 10°c below the liquidus temperature of the metal. 19. apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the temperature detecting means comprises pyrometer means. 20. apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the pyrometer means comprises scanning pyrometer means for producing a representation of the temperature profile of the surface of the molten metal in the mold. 21. apparatus according to claim 13 including hearth means for containing molten metal to be supplied to the mold, hearth energy input means for melting metal supplied to the hearth means and maintaining the metal therein in a molten condi¬ tion, and transfer means for transferring molten metal in a molten condition from the hearth means to the mold means. 22. apparatus according to claim 21 including hearth temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the molten metal in the region of the hearth means from which it is supplied to the mold means. 23. apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the control means includes means for controlling the hearth energy input means in response to signals from the hearth temperature detecting means to maintain the temperature of the molten metal in the region from which it is supplied to the mold means at a selected level above the liquidus temperature of the metal. 24. apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the control means controls the hearth energy input means to maintain the temperature of the molten material in the region of the hearth from which it is supplied to the mold means at a temperature at least 30°c above the liquidus temperature of the metal. 25. apparatus according to claim 24 wherein the control means controls the hearth energy input means to maintain the temperature of the molten material in the region of the hearth from which it is supplied to the mold means at a temperature between about 50°c and about 100°c above the li¬ quidus temperature of the metal.
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description continuous casting of fine grain ingots technical field this invention relates to casting of fine-grain metal ingots and, more particularly, to a new and improved method and apparatus for continuous casting of fine-grain ingots and to the ingots produced thereby. background of the invention for certain applications, such as components of aircraft engines and the like, it is important to obtain an ingot of metal alloy material which has a substantially uniform fine-grain structure. efforts have been made in the past to produce fine-grain alloy ingots by various techniques. in the patents to hunt, nos. 4,583,580 and 4,681,787, for example, a continu¬ ous casting method is described in which the alloy to be continuously cast is heated in a cold hearth electron beam furnace and the temperature of the alloy in the hearth is controlled so as to maintain a solids content of about 15% to 40% so that the molten mixture poured from the hearth to the casting mold has a high content of solid material. as a result, the molten material in the mold has a substantially thixotropic region with a solids content of at least 50%. to maintain this condition, heat energy is applied to the material in the mold only in the region adjacent to the side wall of the mold to the extent necessary to assure the integrity of the side wall of the ingot. to prevent hot tears in the side walls of an ingot being cast continuously, the lowe patent no. 4,641,704 discloses periodic pouring of successive equal volume quantities of molten material into the mold spaced by cooling periods and intermittent lowering of the ingot in the mold following each cooling period. a different approach described, for example, in the hunt patents nos. 4,558,729 and 4,690,875 and the soykan et al. patent no. 4,261,412, utilizes a mold structure into which molten drops of the ingot mate¬ rial fall and solidify individually with a fine-grain structure. the mold is maintained at a temperature which is below the solidus temperature of the ingot material, but above a temperature at which metallurgi¬ cal bonding of the successive molten drops can occur, thereby producing an ingot without altering the size and distribution of the grains in the solidified metal drops. such techniques are not only complicated and difficult to execute, but also place limitations on the size and shape and properties of the resulting ingot. disclosure of the invention accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved continuous casting method and apparatus which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. another object of the invention is to produce a new and improved fine-grain ingot prepared by con¬ tinuous casting. a further object of the invention is to provide a continuous casting method by which the formation of an ingot and the resulting ingot grain structure can be carefully controlled. these and other objects of the invention are attained by detecting and controlling the temperature of the exposed surface of the molten metal in a mold in which an ingot is being formed by continuous casting so as to maintain the temperature in the central region at a level at which a small number of crystallites are formed, but significant quantities of solid material are not formed in that region. this may be accomplished by maintaining the temperature approximately at or slightly below, such as between 0°c and 20°c below, and preferably between 0°c and 10°c below, the liquidus point of the metal. prefer¬ ably, to assure the necessary temperature condition in the mold, the molten metal being supplied to the mold is heated to a temperature substantially above, preferably 30°c and more desirably 50°c to 100°c or more above, the liquidus temperature of the metal, and a directionally controllable energy source supplies energy to the surface of the molten metal at a rate sufficient to maintain the temperature in the central region at the desired level. in a preferred arrangement for fine-grain casting of ingots, an energy source such as an electron beam gun or a plasma torch is arranged to direct energy selectively toward various portions of the surface of the molten metal in the mold and a temperature detect- ing device detects the temperature at the surface of the molten metal in the central region of the mold and controls the energy source so as to maintain that tem¬ perature at the desired level. in addition, another energy source, such as an electron beam gun or plasma torch, directed toward the surface of the molten metal being supplied to the mold is controlled by another temperature detecting device which detects the temper¬ ature of the molten metal being supplied to the mold so as to maintain that temperature at the desired level. further objecεs and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which: brief description of the drawing fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a representative embodiment of an arrangement for casting fine-grain ingots in accordance with the invention; and fig. 2 is a graphical representation showing a cypical temperature profile at the upper surface of an ingot being cast in accordance with the invention. best mode for carrying out the invention in order to obtain fine-grain cast ingots in accordance with the invention, it is important to control the temperature at the central region of the surface of the molten metal in the mold so that a few crystallites are formed, but significant quantities of solid material are not formed in that region. for this purpose, the surface of molten metal in the mold may be scanned visually, optically or electronically and the energy input to the metal at the surface of the mold is controlled so as to maintain the tempera¬ ture of the central region of the surface at the necessary level, for example, by selective application of energy from a directionally controllable energy input device such as a plasma torch or an electron beam gun. the temperature of the peripheral portion of the surface of the molten metal in the mold should be maintained slightly above the liquidus point of the metal being molded. the existence of the desired temperature condi¬ tion in the central region can be detected visually by observing the formation of small crystallites at the surface of the molten material which appear like "silverfish" and the energy input is controlled so that only a small number of crystallites are observ¬ able. if the temperature exceeds the desired level, the crystallites will disappear and if the temperature drops below the desired level a significant quantity of solid material will appear in the central portion of the surface. the temperature of the central region of the surface of the molten metal in the mold may also be monitored by means of a temperature detector such as a pyrometer providing a visual indication of the temper¬ ature of that region and the energy applied to that region by the controllable energy source may be con- trolled in accordance with the observed indications of the temperature detector. in this case, the tempera¬ ture should be maintained between about 0°c and 20°c, and preferably between 0°c and 10°c, below the liquidus point of the metal. alternatively, automatic control of the energy supplied to the mplten metal in the central region of the mold may be effected by providing an output signal from a temperature-detecting device such as a pyro¬ meter and controlling the output of the directionally controllable energy source in accordance with dif¬ ferences between the detected temperature and a selected temperature at or slightly below the liquidus point of the metal. if desired, the pyrometer may be a scanning pyrometer providing a temperature profile of the entire surface of the molten metal in the mold so that the energy directed toward all parts of the surface may be controlled as desired, either automati¬ cally or based on visual observation of a representa¬ tion of the temperature profile. in this way, the desired temperature condition may be maintained in the central region regardless of the differing radiant energy loss conditions for large and small molds, molds of noncircular cross-section and molds providing multiple ingots. in order to obtain the desired fine-grain ingot in accordance with the invention, the molten metal supplied to the mold should not contain any solid material. for this purpose, the molten metal, which may be supplied to the mold from a cold hearth in which it is heated by directionally controllable energy input devices such as electron beam guns or plasma torches, for example, is superheated to a level substantially above the liquidus point of the metal, such as at least 30°c, and preferably 50°c to 100°c or more, above that point. maintenance of the required temperature level of the material being supplied to the mold is preferably monitored by a temperature detecting device such as a pyrometer and the energy supplied by a directionally controllable energy source such as an electron beam gun or plasma torch is con¬ trolled in accordance with the detected temperature so as to maintain the temperature of the molten metal at the desired level. in the representative embodiment of the invention illustrated schematically in fig. 1, a hearth 10 comprises a hearth bed 11 containing cooling pipes 12 through which water or another cooling liquid may be circulated. at the inlet end of the hearth, a bar 13 of metal alloy to be refined and cast into a fine- grainvingot is moved continuously toward the hearth in the usual manner as indicated by the arrow. alter¬ natively, the raw material supplied to the hearth 10 may be in particulate form such as small fragments or compacted briquettes of the material to be refined and cast into an ingot. two directionally controllable energy input devices 14 and 15, such as conventional electron beam guns or plasma torches, are mounted above the hearth 10 and arranged to direct energy toward the hearth in controllable patterns, 16 and 17, respectively, in response to signals from a control unit 18. if the energy input devices 14 and 15 are electron beam guns, the mold and hearth are enclosed in a vacuum housing in the usual manner. the inner end 19 of the bar 13 of metal to be refined is melted in the usual manner by energy received from the energy input device 14, producing a stream 20 of molten material flowing into the hearth 10 to provide a pool 21 of molten material. because the hearth bed 11 is cooled by liquid flowing through the pipes 12, a solid skull 22 of the molten material forms on the inner surface of the hearth bed protecting it from degradation by the molten metal. at the opposite end of the hearth 10, a pouring lip 23 is formed by an opening in the hearth wall, permitting a stream 24 of molten material to flow from the hearth into a mold 25 in which the metal is solidified into an ingot 26 as a result of radiant cooling from the surface of the molten metal in the mold as well as the cooling liquid circulated through pipes 27 in the mold. the ingot 26 is withdrawn downwardly from the mold 25 in the direction of the arrow in the usual manner and, in order to assure a uniform grain structure and composition, the ingot should be withdrawn continuously at a substantially uniform rate rather than intermittently. in order to refine the molten metal in the pool 21 in the hearth 10 in a desired manner, the directed energy input devices 14 and 15 are controlled by the control unit 18 so as to make certain that the molten material in the pool 21 contains no solid particles which might contaminate or cause solid inclusions to be incorporated into the ingot 26 and also to vaporize undesired constituents. in addition, the energy input device 15 is preferably controlled so as to raise the temperature of the molten material in the pool 21 as it approaches the pouring lip 23 to a level appreci¬ ably above the liquidus point of the metal such as 30°c and preferably 50°c to 100°c or more above that point, in order to make certain that no solid parti- cles or crystals enter the mold 25. for this purpose, a temperature detector 28 such as a pyrometer is positioned to detect the temperature of the molten metal as it flows toward the pouring lip 23. the detector 28 supplies a signal representing the detected temperature by a line 29 to the control unit 18 for comparison therein with a preset temperature level, and the control unit controls the energy supplied by the device 15 to the molten material in that region of the hearth to achieve the desired temperature level. alternatively, if desired, the output of the temperature detecting device 28 may be observed visually and the energy supplied by the device 15 may be controlled manually. for certain applications, such as refining of nickel-base alloys, it may be desirable to provide a skimmer disposed across the end of the hearth adjacent to the pouring lip 23 so as to prevent any floating material from reaching the pouring lip. this will assure that any floating impurities such as oxides which are not removed in the refining process cannot be transferred to the ingot formed in the mold. the molten material 24 supplied from the pouring lip 23 to the mold 25 forms a pool 30 of molten metal at the top of the mold. the portion adjacent to the inner surface of the mold solidifies more rapidly than the center portion of the pool because of the adjacent cooling pipes 27 in the mold and, in order to supply energy in a desired manner to the molten metal in the pool 30 a directionally controllable energy input ' device 31 is positioned to direct a pattern of energy 32 toward the surface of the molten metal 30 in the mold. the energy input device 31, which may be a conventional plasma torch or electron beam gun, is controlled by the control unit 18 to produce a desired pattern of energy input and, in accordance with the invention, to maintain the temperature in the central region 33 of the surface of the pool approximately at or slightly below the liquidus point of the molten metal so that a small number of small crystallites 34 but no significant quantities of solid material appear in that region. at the same time,, ' the temperature of the molten metal surface adjacent to the sides of the mold must be maintained above the liquidus temperature to assure the integrity of the side wall of the ingot. when the temperature in the central region 33 of the surface of the molten metal in the mold 25 is main¬ tained at or slightly below, i.e.., from about 0°c to about 20°c, and preferably from about 0°c to about 10°c, below the liquidus point of the metal, ingots having fine grain with uniform distribution can be prepared in a controllable manner. for example, the cell structure or secondary dendrite arm spacing of ingots prepared in accordance with the invention may be on the order of about 50 to 150, and preferably 80 to 120 micrometers. a typical surface temperature profile for the molten metal in the mold is shown in fig. 2 wherein the liquidus temperature of the metal is designated t-. in this example, the energy input device 31 is controlled to maintain the temperature in the central region 33 about 5°c to 8°c below the liquidus point, while the temperature near the periphery of the mold is kept about 10°c above the liquidus point. while the reason for the improved ingot obtained in accordance with the present invention is not fully understood, it is believed that the presence of a small number of small crystallites in the central region of the molten material indicates the beginning dendrite growth beneath the surface and the small tips of those dendrites are sheared off and fall to the liquid-solid interface where they provide a fine uniform grain structure. this is in contrast to the effect produced by large quantities of solid material in the molten mixture, such as the 50% solids content described in the above-mentioned patents nos. 4,583,580 and 4,681,787. in place of visual observation of the crystal¬ lites 34 to detect the necessary temperature condition in the central region of the molten material in the mold, a temperature detecting device 35 may be posi¬ tioned to detect the temperature of the molten metal in the pool 30, at least in the central region 33, and provide a corresponding signal on a line 36 to the control unit 18. if a scanning pyrometer is used, the temperature in the peripheral region may also be detected and controlled so as to avoid cold shuts without an excessive increase in temperature. to provide the desired fine-grain ingots in accordance with the invention, preferably about 5% to 25% of the energy supplied by the source 31 is directed to the central region 33. because the temperature profile of the molten metal in the mold can be controlled in a desired manner in accordance with the invention to produce fine-grain ingots, the mold 25 may be of any desired size and shape and may include multiple molds to provide several ingots simultaneously. heretofore, because of the radiant cooling of the molten metal in the mold, it was not possible to control the solidifi¬ cation of large-size ingots, or ingots of noncircular cross-section, or of multiple ingots in the same mold, while providing the desired fine-grain ingot structure. although the invention has been described herein with reference to specific embodiments, many modifica¬ tions and variations therein will readily occur to those skilled in the art. accordingly, all such variations and modification are included within the intended scope of the invention.
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017-482-294-143-252
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US
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[
"US"
] |
A24B15/00,A01H1/02,A01H5/12,C12N15/82,A24B15/20,C12N9/02,A24B13/00,A01H1/00,A24D1/00
| 2006-12-15T00:00:00 |
2006
|
[
"A24",
"A01",
"C12"
] |
tobacco plants having reduced nicotine demethylase activity
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the present invention generally relates to methods and materials involved in producing tobacco plants having reduced levels of conversion of nicotine to nornicotine. in certain embodiments, the invention is directed to mutations in a nicotine demethylase gene, tobacco plants comprising mutations in a nicotine demethylase gene, and tobacco compositions and products thereof. in other embodiments, the invention is directed toward nicotine demethylase rna interference, tobacco plants comprising a nicotine demethylase rna interference transgene, and tobacco compositions and products thereof.
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1 . a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene, said plants exhibiting a non-converter phenotype, wherein the progeny of said plants have a reversion rate that is reduced at least 2× compared to the reversion rate of the corresponding tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants having a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. 2 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 1 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line comprises burley type tobacco plants. 3 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 2 , wherein said progeny have a reversion rate that is reduced 10× to 1000× compared to the reversion rate of the corresponding tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants comprising a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. 4 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 1 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line comprises dark type tobacco plants. 5 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 4 , wherein said progeny have a reversion rate that is reduced 2× to 100× compared the reversion rate of the corresponding tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants comprising a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. 6 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 1 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line comprises flue-cured type tobacco plants. 7 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 6 , wherein said progeny revert to a converter phenotype at a rate per generation that is reduced 2× to 100× compared to the reversion rate of a corresponding tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants comprising a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. 8 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 1 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line comprises oriental type tobacco plants. 9 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 8 , wherein said progeny revert to a converter phenotype at a rate per generation that is reduced 2× to 100× compared the reversion rate of the corresponding tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants comprising a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. 10 . the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 1 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line is a variety. 11 . a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants having a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus, said mutant allele encoding an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: a) seq id no:2, wherein the tryptophan at amino acid 329 is replaced with a stop codon; b) seq id no:2, wherein the proline at amino acid 107 is replaced with a with an amino acid selected from the group consisting of alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine; c) seq id no:2, wherein the isoleucine at amino acid 163 is replaced with methionine, the lysine at amino acid 309 is replaced with glutamic acid, the glycine at amino acid 353 is replaced with cysteine, and serine at amino acid 452 is replaced with proline; d) seq id no:2, wherein the glutamine at amino acid 416 is replaced with leucine and the serine at amino acid 423 is replaced with proline; e) seq id no:2, wherein the isoleucine at amino acid 163 is replaced with methionine, the lysine at amino acid 309 is replaced with glutamic acid, the glycine at amino acid 353 is replaced with cysteine, the glutamine at amino acid 416 is replaced with leucine, the serine at amino acid 423 is replaced with proline, and serine at amino acid 452 is replaced with proline; f) seq id no:2, wherein the amino acid sequence comprises three substitutions selected from the group consisting of i163m, l309e, g353c, q416l, s423p, and s452p; g) seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid p107 is deleted; h) seq id no:2, wherein at least three amino acids selected from the group consisting of i163, l309, g353, q416, s423, and s452 are deleted; i) seq id no:2, wherein an insertion of one or two amino acids is adjacent to an amino acid selected from the group consisting of p107, i163, l309, g353, q416, s423, and s452; j) seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid at any position from 1 to 328 is replaced with a stop codon; and k) seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid at any position from 330 to 457 is replaced with a stop codon. 12 . the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 11 , wherein said tobacco hybrid, variety, or line is a nicotiana tabacum hybrid, variety, or line. 13 . the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 11 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line is a variety. 14 . the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 11 , wherein said mutant allele encodes an amino acid sequence comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the proline at amino acid 107 is replaced with a leucine. 15 . a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants having a mutant allele in a gene encoding a nicotine demethylase, said mutant allele comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: a) seq id no:1, wherein the guanine at nucleic acid +2021 is replaced with an adenine; and b) seq id no:1, wherein the guanine at nucleic acid +2291 is replaced with an adenine c) seq id no:1, wherein a splice donor is inserted in the intron; and d) seq id no:1, wherein a splice acceptor is inserted in the intron. 16 . the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 15 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line is a variety. 17 . the variety of claim 16 , wherein said variety is essentially derived from bu 64, cc 101, cc 200, cc 27, cc 301, cc 400, cc 500, cc 600, cc 700, cc 800, cc 900, coker 176, coker 319, coker 371 gold, coker 48, cu 263, df9l 1, galpao tobacco, gl 26h, gl 350, gl 600, gl 737, gl 939, gl 973, hb 04p, k 149, k 326, k 346, k 358, k394, k 399, k 730, kdh 959, kt 200, kt204lc, ky 10, ky 14, ky 160, ky 17, ky 171, ky 907, ky907lc, kty14 x l8 lc, little crittenden, mcnair 373, mcnair 944, msky 14xl8, narrow leaf madole, nc 100, nc 102, nc 2000, nc 291, nc 297, nc 299, nc 3, nc 4, nc 5, nc 6, nc7, nc 606, nc 71, nc 72, nc 810, nc bh 129, nc 2002, neal smith madole, oxford 207, ‘perique’ tobacco, pvh03, pvh09, pvh19, pvh50, pvh51, r 610, r 630, r 7-11, r 7-12, rg 17, rg 81, rg h51, rgh 4, rgh 51, rs 1410, speight 168, speight 172, speight 179, speight 210, speight 220, speight 225, speight 227, speight 234, speight g-28, speight g-70, speight h-6, speight h20, speight nf3, ti 1406, ti 1269, tn 86, tn86lc, tn 90, tn 97, tn97lc, tn d94, tn d950, tr (tom rosson) madole, va 309, or va359. 18 . a method of making a tobacco plant, comprising the steps of: a) inducing mutagenesis in cells of a nicotiana species; b) obtaining one or more plants from said cells; c) identifying at least one of said plants that contains a nicotine demethylase gene having at least one mutation selected from the group consisting of: i) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the tryptophan at amino acid 329 is replaced with a stop codon; ii) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the proline at amino acid 107 is replaced with a with an amino acid selected from the group consisting of alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine; iii) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the isoleucine at amino acid 163 is replaced with methionine, the lysine at amino acid 309 is replaced with glutamic acid, the glycine at amino acid 353 is replaced with cysteine, and serine at amino acid 452 is replaced with proline; iv) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the glutamine at amino acid 416 is replaced with leucine and the serine at amino acid 423 is replaced with proline; v) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the isoleucine at amino acid 163 is replaced with methionine, the lysine at amino acid 309 is replaced with glutamic acid, the glycine at amino acid 353 is replaced with cysteine, the glutamine at amino acid 416 is replaced with leucine, the serine at amino acid 423 is replaced with proline, and serine at amino acid 452 is replaced with proline; vi) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the amino acid sequence comprises three substitutions selected from the group consisting of i163m, l309e, g353c, q416l, s423p, and s452p; vii) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid p107 is deleted; viii) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein at least three amino acids selected from the group consisting of i163, l309, g353, q416, s423, and s452 are deleted; ix) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein an insertion of one or two amino acids is adjacent to an amino acid selected from the group consisting of p107, i163, l309, g353, q416, s423, and s452; x) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid at any position from 1 to 328 is replaced with a stop codon; xi) a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid at any position from 330 to 457 is replaced with a stop codon; xii) a nicotine demethylase gene comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:1, wherein the guanine at nucleic acid +2021 is replaced with an adenine; xiii) a nicotine demethylase gene comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:1, wherein the guanine at nucleic acid +2291 is replaced with an adenine xiv) a nicotine demethylase gene comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:1, wherein a splice donor is inserted in the intron; and xv) a nicotine demethylase gene comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:1, wherein a splice acceptor is inserted in the intron. 19 . the method of claim 18 , further comprising the steps of: crossing said plant containing said at least one mutation in said nicotine demethylase gene with a second nicotiana plant; and selecting progeny of said cross that have said at least one mutation in said nicotine demethylase gene. 20 . the method of claim 18 , wherein said cells are in a seed. 21 . a method for producing a tobacco plant comprising the steps of: a) providing a first tobacco plant having variant nicotine demethylase gene expression and a second tobacco plant that contains a desired phenotypic trait; b) crossing said first tobacco plant with said second tobacco plant to produce one or more f 1 progeny plants; c) collecting seed produced by said f 1 progeny for said variant nicotine demethylase gene expression; and d) germinating said seed to produce a tobacco plant having decreased expression of a nicotine demethylase gene. 22 . the method of claim 21 , wherein said first tobacco plant comprises an endogenous nicotine demethylase gene having a mutation. 23 . the method of claim 22 , wherein said first tobacco plant comprises a mutation is a deletion, substitution, point mutation, translocation, inversion, duplication, or an insertion. 24 . the method of claim 21 , wherein said first tobacco plant comprises a nicotine demethylase gene having a null mutation. 25 . the method of claim 21 , wherein said first tobacco plant is nicotiana tabacum. 26 . the method of claim 21 , wherein said first tobacco plant is an oriental tobacco plant, a dark tobacco plant, a flue-cured tobacco plant, an air-cured tobacco, a virginia tobacco plant or a burley tobacco plant. 27 . the method of claim 21 , wherein said second tobacco plant is nicotiana tabacum. 28 . the method of claim 21 , wherein said second tobacco plant is an oriental tobacco plant, a dark tobacco plant, a flue-cured tobacco plant, an air-cured tobacco plant, a virginia tobacco plant or a burley tobacco plant. 29 . the method of claim 21 , wherein said desired phenotypic trait is selected from the group consisting of disease resistance; high yield; high grade index; curability; curing quality; mechanical harvestability; holding ability; leaf quality; height; maturation; stalk size; and leaf number per plant. 30 . the method of claim 27 , wherein said second tobacco plant is a male sterile variety or a male sterile hybrid. 31 . the method of claim 30 , further comprising the step of backcrossing said tobacco plants produced from germinated seed of step (d) to plants of said male sterile variety or male sterile hybrid. 32 . cured tobacco made from the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 15 . 33 . the cured tobacco of claim 32 , wherein said tobacco is made by a curing process selected from the group consisting of flue curing, air curing, fire curing and sun curing. 34 . a tobacco product comprising the cured tobacco of claim 32 . 35 . the tobacco product of claim 34 , wherein said tobacco product is selected from the group consisting of a cigarette product, a cigar product, a pipe tobacco product, a smokeless tobacco product, a film, a tab, a gel, a shaped part, a rod and a foam. 36 . an m 1 tobacco plant that is heterozygous for a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus, wherein at least a portion of first generation self-pollinated progeny of said plant exhibit a non-converter phenotype, and wherein progeny of said m 1 tobacco plant revert to a converter phenotype at a rate that is statistically significantly less than the reversion rate of the progeny of a corresponding tobacco plant that comprises a wild type allele at said nicotine demethylase locus. 37 . progeny of the tobacco plant of claim 36 , said progeny having said mutant allele at said nicotine demethylase locus and having said non-converter phenotype. 38 . an m 1 tobacco plant carrying in its genome a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus, said plant exhibiting a non-converter phenotype and whose progeny revert to a converter phenotype at a rate that is statistically significantly less than the reversion rate of the progeny of a corresponding tobacco plant that comprises a wild type allele at said nicotine demethylase locus. 39 . progeny of the tobacco plant of claim 38 , said progeny having said mutant allele at said nicotine demethylase locus and having said non-converter phenotype. 40 . the plant of claim 38 , wherein said m 1 plant is a plant of a variety selected from the group consisting of bu 64, cc 101, cc 200, cc 27, cc 301, cc 400, cc 500, cc 600, cc 700, cc 800, cc 900, coker 176, coker 319, coker 371 gold, coker 48, cu 263, df911, galpao tobacco, gl 26h, gl 350, gl 600, gl 737, gl 939, gl 973, hb 04p, k 149, k 326, k 346, k 358, k394, k 399, k 730, kdh 959, kt 200, kt204lc, ky 10, ky 14, ky 160, ky 17, ky 171, ky 907, ky907lc, kty14 x l8 lc, little crittenden, mcnair 373, mcnair 944, msky 14xl8, narrow leaf madole, nc 100, nc 102, nc 2000, nc 291, nc 297, nc 299, nc 3, nc 4, nc 5, nc 6, nc7, nc 606, nc 71, nc 72, nc 810, nc bh 129, nc 2002, neal smith madole, oxford 207, ‘perique’ tobacco, pvh03, pvh09, pvh19, pvh50, pvh5 1, r 610, r 630, r 7-11, r 7-12, rg 17, rg 81, rg h51, rgh 4, rgh 51, rs 1410, speight 168, speight 172, speight 179, speight 210, speight 220, speight 225, speight 227, speight 234, speight g-28, speight g-70, speight h-6, speight h20, speight nf3, ti 1406, ti 1269, tn 86, tn86lc, tn 90, tn 97, tn97lc, tn d94, tn d950, tr (tom rosson) madole, va 309, va359 and a variety essentially derived from any of the above varieties. 41 . a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line, plants of said hybrid, variety, or line transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof, said plants exhibiting decreased expression of a nicotine demethylase gene as compared to plants of a control tobacco hybrid, variety, or line lacking said rnai construct. 42 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 41 , wherein said nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof, is from 25 to 500 nucleotides in length. 43 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 41 , wherein said nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof, is from 100 to 300 nucleotides in length. 44 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 41 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line comprises burley type tobacco plants. 45 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 41 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line comprises dark type tobacco plants. 46 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 41 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line comprises flue-cured type tobacco plants. 47 . the tobacco hybrid, variety, or line of claim 41 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line comprises oriental type tobacco plants. 48 . the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 41 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line is a variety. 49 . the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 41 , wherein said tobacco hybrid, variety, or line is a nicotiana tabacum hybrid, variety, or line. 50 . a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line, plants of said hybrid, variety, or line transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of seq id no:5, seq id no:6, seq id no:7, and seq id no:8, said plants exhibiting decreased expression of a nicotine demethylase gene as compared to plants of a control tobacco hybrid, variety, or line lacking said rnai construct. 51 . the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 50 , wherein said hybrid, variety, or line is a variety. 52 . the variety of claim 51 , wherein said variety is essentially derived from bu 64, cc 101, cc 200, cc 27, cc 301, cc 400, cc 500, cc 600, cc 700, cc 800, cc 900, coker 176, coker 319, coker 371 gold, coker 48, cu 263, df911, galpao tobacco, gl 26h, gl 350, gl 600, gl 737, gl 939, gl 973, hb 04p, k 149, k 326, k 346, k 358, k394, k 399, k 730, kdh 959, kt 200, kt204lc, ky 10, ky 14, ky 160, ky 17, ky 171, ky 907, ky907lc, kty14 x l8 lc, little crittenden, mcnair 373, mcnair 944, msky 14xl8, narrow leaf madole, nc 100, nc 102, nc 2000, nc 291, nc 297, nc 299, nc 3, nc 4, nc 5, nc 6, nc7, nc 606, nc 71, nc 72, nc 810, nc bh 129, nc 2002, neal smith madole, oxford 207, ‘perique’ tobacco, pvh03, pvh09, pvh19, pvh50, pvh51, r610, r630, r7-11, r7-12, rg 17, rg 81, rg h 51, rgh 4, rgh 51, rs 1410, speight 168, speight 172, speight 179, speight 210, speight 220, speight 225, speight 227, speight 234, speight g-28, speight g-70, speight h-6, speight h20, speight nf3, ti 1406, ti 1269, tn 86, tn86lc, tn 90, tn 97, tn97lc, tn d94, tn d950, tr (tom rosson) madole, va 309, or va359. 53 . a method of making a tobacco plant, comprising the steps of: a) introducing into a cell of a nicotiana plant an rnai construct comprising a nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof; b) obtaining one or more plants from said cell; c) identifying at least one of said plants that exhibits decreased expression of a nicotine demethylase gene as compared to the corresponding tobacco plant lacking said rnai construct. 54 . the method of claim 53 , further comprising the steps of: d) crossing said plant containing said rnai construct with a second nicotiana plant; and e) selecting progeny of said cross exhibiting decreased expression of a nicotine demethylase gene as compared to the corresponding tobacco plant lacking said rnai construct. 55 . the method of claim 21 , wherein said first tobacco plant comprises an rnai construct comprising a nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof. 56 . cured tobacco made from the hybrid, variety, or line of claim 50 . 57 . the cured tobacco of claim 56 , wherein said tobacco is made by a curing process selected from the group consisting of flue curing, air curing, fire curing and sun curing. 58 . a tobacco product comprising the cured tobacco of claim 56 . 59 . the tobacco product of claim 58 , wherein said tobacco product is selected from the group consisting of a cigarette product, a cigar product, a pipe tobacco product, a smokeless tobacco product, a film, a tab, a gel, a shaped part, a rod and a foam. 60 . a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants having a mutation in a cyp82e4 nicotine demethylase gene and a mutation in a cyp82e5 nicotine demethylase gene, said plants exhibiting a low-converter phenotype, wherein progeny of said plants have a reversion rate that is reduced at least 2× compared to the reversion rate of the corresponding tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants having wild-type nicotine demethylase cyp82e4 and e5 genes.
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cross-reference to related applications this application is a continuation in part of international application no. pct/us2007/087386, filed on dec. 13, 2007, which claims the benefit of u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/611,782, filed dec. 15, 2006, which claims the benefit of u.s. patent application ser. no. 10/934,944, filed sep. 3, 2004; u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/110,062, filed apr. 19, 2005; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/116,881, filed apr. 27, 2005. this application also claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 60/566,235, filed apr. 24, 2004; u.s. provisional application no. 60/665,097, filed mar. 24, 2005; u.s. provisional application no. 60/665,451, filed mar. 24, 2005; and u.s. provisional application no. 61/098,601, filed sep. 19, 2008. the contents of all applications are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes in their entirety. background of the invention 1. technical field the present invention is generally directed to compositions and methods related to tobacco plants having reduced nicotine demethylase activity. 2. background information tobacco plants are known to n-demethylate nicotine to form nornicotine, a secondary alkaloid known to be a precursor for the microbial-mediated formation of n-nitrosonornicotine (hereinafter, “nnn”) in cured leaves. the n-demethylation reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme nicotine demethylase (ndm). current methods to reduce the conversion of the substrate nicotine to the product nornicotine in tobacco have utilized screening to eliminate converter plants from foundation seed lots that are used for commercial seed production. seed produced directly from screened seed, however, still contains converters. summary of the invention provided herein are compositions and methods related to the production of tobacco plants, hybrids, varieties, and lines having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene or expressing a double-stranded rna comprising a sequence from a nicotine demethylase gene. provided herein are tobacco hybrids, varieties, and lines. a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line can comprise plants having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene. a plant having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene can have a non-converter phenotype, and the progeny of such a plant can have a reversion rate that is reduced at least 2× (e.g., 10× to 1000× or 2× to 100×) compared to the reversion rate of the corresponding tobacco hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants comprising a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line can be a burley type, a dark type, a flue-cured type, or an oriental type tobacco. a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line can be a nicotiana tabacum hybrid, variety, or line. a variety can be essentially derived from bu 64, cc 101, cc 200, cc 27, cc 301, cc 400, cc 500, cc 600, cc 700, cc 800, cc 900, coker 176, coker 319, coker 371 gold, coker 48, cu 263, df911, galpao tobacco, gl 26h, gl 350, gl 600, gl 737, gl 939, gl 973, hb 04p, k 149, k 326, k 346, k 358, k394, k 399, k 730, kdh 959, kt 200, kt204lc, ky 10, ky 14, ky 160, ky 17, ky 171, ky 907, ky907lc, kty14 x l8 lc, little crittenden, mcnair 373, mcnair 944, msky 14xl8, narrow leaf madole, nc 100, nc 102, nc 2000, nc 291, nc 297, nc 299, nc 3, nc 4, nc 5, nc 6, nc7, nc 606, nc 71, nc 72, nc 810, nc bh 129, nc 2002, neal smith madole, oxford 207, ‘perique’ tobacco, pvh03, pvh09, pvh19, pvh50, pvh51, r 610, r 630, r 7-11, r 7-12, rg 17, rg 81, rg h51, rgh 4, rgh 51, rs 1410, speight 168, speight 172, speight 179, speight 210, speight 220, speight 225, speight 227, speight 234, speight g-28, speight g-70, speight h-6, speight h20, speight nf3, ti 1406, ti 1269, tn 86, tn86lc, tn 90, tn 97, tn97lc, tn d94, tn d950, tr (tom rosson) madole, va 309, or va359. also provided are tobacco hybrids, varieties, and lines comprising plants having a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus. in certain embodiments, a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus encodes an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of seq id no:2, wherein the tryptophan at amino acid 329 is replaced with a stop codon; seq id no:2, wherein the proline at amino acid 107 is replaced with a with an amino acid selected from the group consisting of alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine; seq id no:2, wherein the isoleucine at amino acid 163 is replaced with methionine, the lysine at amino acid 309 is replaced with glutamic acid, the glycine at amino acid 353 is replaced with cysteine, and serine at amino acid 452 is replaced with proline; seq id no:2, wherein the glutamine at amino acid 416 is replaced with leucine and the serine at amino acid 423 is replaced with proline; seq id no:2, wherein the isoleucine at amino acid 163 is replaced with methionine, the lysine at amino acid 309 is replaced with glutamic acid, the glycine at amino acid 353 is replaced with cysteine, the glutamine at amino acid 416 is replaced with leucine, the serine at amino acid 423 is replaced with proline, and serine at amino acid 452 is replaced with proline; seq id no:2, wherein the amino acid sequence comprises three substitutions selected from the group consisting of i163m, l309e, g353c, q416l, s423p, and s452p; seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid p107 is deleted; seq id no:2, wherein at least three amino acids selected from the group consisting of i163, l309, g353, q416, s423, and s452 are deleted; seq id no:2, wherein an insertion of one or two amino acids is adjacent to an amino acid selected from the group consisting of p107, i163, l309, g353, q416, s423, and s452; seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid at any position from 1 to 328 is replaced with a stop codon; and seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid at any position from 330 to 457 is replaced with a stop codon. in one particular embodiment, a mutant allele encodes an amino acid sequence comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the proline at amino acid 107 is replaced with a leucine. in other embodiments, a mutant allele comprises a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: seq id no:1, wherein the guanine at nucleic acid +2021 is replaced with an adenine; seq id no:1, wherein the guanine at nucleic acid +2291 is replaced with an adenine; seq id no:1, wherein a splice donor is inserted in the intron; and seq id no:1, wherein a splice acceptor is inserted in the intron. in one particular embodiment, a hybrid, variety, or line is a nicotiana tabacum hybrid, variety, or line. in another embodiment, a variety is essentially derived from bu 64, cc 101, cc 200, cc 27, cc 301, cc 400, cc 500, cc 600, cc 700, cc 800, cc 900, coker 176, coker 319, coker 371 gold, coker 48, cu 263, df911, galpao tobacco, gl 26h, gl 350, gl 600, gl 737, gl 939, gl 973, hb 04p, k 149, k 326, k 346, k 358, k394, k 399, k 730, kdh 959, kt 200, kt204lc, ky 10, ky 14, ky 160, ky 17, ky 171, ky 907, ky907lc, kty14 x l8 lc, little crittenden, mcnair 373, mcnair 944, msky 14xl8, narrow leaf madole, nc 100, nc 102, nc 2000, nc 291, nc 297, nc 299, nc 3, nc 4, nc 5, nc 6, nc7, nc 606, nc 71, nc 72, nc 810, nc bh 129, nc 2002, neal smith madole, oxford 207, ‘perique’ tobacco, pvh03, pvh09, pvh19, pvh50, pvh51, r 610, r 630, r 7-11, r 7-12, rg 17, rg 81, rg h51, rgh 4, rgh 51, rs 1410, speight 168, speight 172, speight 179, speight 210, speight 220, speight 225, speight 227, speight 234, speight g-28, speight g-70, speight h-6, speight h20, speight nf3, ti 1406, ti 1269, tn 86, tn86lc, tn 90, tn 97, tn97lc, tn d94, tn d950, tr (tom rosson) madole, va 309, or va359. in certain other embodiments, the invention is directed to methods of making a tobacco plant. in particular embodiments, a method of making a tobacco plant comprises inducing mutagenesis in cells of a nicotiana species, obtaining one or more plants from said cells, and identifying at least one of such plants that contains a nicotine demethylase gene having at least one mutation. in other embodiments, the method further comprises crossing a plant containing said at least one mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene with a second nicotiana plant; and selecting progeny of the cross that have the nicotine demethylase gene mutation. in certain embodiments, a mutation comprises a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the tryptophan at amino acid 329 is replaced with a stop codon; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the proline at amino acid 107 is replaced with a with an amino acid selected from the group consisting of alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the isoleucine at amino acid 163 is replaced with methionine, the lysine at amino acid 309 is replaced with glutamic acid, the glycine at amino acid 353 is replaced with cysteine, and serine at amino acid 452 is replaced with proline; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the glutamine at amino acid 416 is replaced with leucine and the serine at amino acid 423 is replaced with proline; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the isoleucine at amino acid 163 is replaced with methionine, the lysine at amino acid 309 is replaced with glutamic acid, the glycine at amino acid 353 is replaced with cysteine, the glutamine at amino acid 416 is replaced with leucine, the serine at amino acid 423 is replaced with proline, and serine at amino acid 452 is replaced with proline; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein the amino acid sequence comprises three substitutions selected from the group consisting of i163m, l309e, g353c, q416l, s423p, and s452p; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid p107 is deleted; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein at least three amino acids selected from the group consisting of i163, l309, g353, q416, s423, and s452 are deleted; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein an insertion of one or two amino acids is adjacent to an amino acid selected from the group consisting of p107, i163, l309, g353, q416, s423, and s452; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid at any position from 1 to 328 is replaced with a stop codon; a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, wherein an amino acid at any position from 330 to 457 is replaced with a stop codon in a nicotine demethylase gene comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:1, wherein the guanine at nucleic acid +2021 is replaced with an adenine; a nicotine demethylase gene comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:1, wherein the guanine at nucleic acid +2291 is replaced with an adenine; a nicotine demethylase gene comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:1, wherein a splice donor is inserted in the intron; a nicotine demethylase gene comprising the sequence set forth in seq id no:1, wherein a splice acceptor is inserted in the intron. in particular embodiments, inducing mutagenesis in cells of a nicotiana species are in a seed. in some embodiments, the second tobacco plant exhibits a phenotypic trait such as disease resistance; high yield; high grade index; curability; curing quality; mechanical harvestability; holding ability; leaf quality; height, plant maturation (e.g., early maturing, early to medium maturing, medium maturing, medium to late maturing, or late maturing); stalk size (e.g., a small, medium, or a large stalk); or leaf number per plant (e.g., a small (e.g., 5-10 leaves), medium (e.g., 11-15 leaves), or large (e.g., 16-21) number of leaves). in still other embodiments, the method further includes self-pollinating or pollinating a male sterile pollen acceptor with a pollen donor capable of being used in production of a hybrid or a male sterile hybrid. either the male sterile pollen acceptor plant or the pollen donor plant has a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus. in some embodiments, both alleles at the nicotine demethylase locus are mutant alleles. also provided herein is cured tobacco material. in certain embodiments, a cured tobacco is made from a hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene. in other embodiments, a tobacco plant having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene has a non-converter phenotype. in other embodiments, progeny of the plants have a reduced reversion rate as compared to the corresponding hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants having a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. in other embodiments, a cured tobacco is made from a hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof. in other embodiments, a cured tobacco is made from a hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of seq id no:5, seq id no:6, seq id no:7, and seq id no:8. in certain embodiments, cured tobacco material is made by a curing process selected from the group consisting of flue curing, air curing, fire curing and sun curing. also provided herein are tobacco products. in one particular embodiment, a tobacco product comprises cured tobacco material obtained from a hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants having a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus. in other embodiments, a cured tobacco is made from a hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof. in other embodiments, a cured tobacco is made from a hybrid, variety, or line comprising plants transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of seq id no:5, seq id no:6, seq id no:7, and seq id no:8. in certain embodiments, a tobacco product is a cigarette product, a cigar product, a pipe tobacco product, a smokeless tobacco product, a film, a tab, a gel, a shaped part, a rod, or a foam. provided herein are ml tobacco plants and progeny of m 1 tobacco plants. an m 1 tobacco plant can be heterozygous for a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus and produce progeny, wherein at least a portion of first generation self-pollinated progeny of said plant exhibit a non-converter phenotype. progeny of said m 1 tobacco plant can revert to a converter phenotype at a rate that is statistically significantly less than the reversion rate of the progeny of the corresponding tobacco plant that comprises a wild type allele at said nicotine demethylase locus. an m 1 tobacco plant can exhibit a non-converter phenotype and produce progeny that can revert to a converter phenotype at a rate that is statistically significantly less than the reversion rate of the progeny of a corresponding tobacco plant that comprises a wild type allele at said nicotine demethylase locus. in one particular embodiment, a plant or progeny is essentially derived from bu 64, cc 101, cc 200, cc 27, cc 301, cc 400, cc 500, cc 600, cc 700, cc 800, cc 900, coker 176, coker 319, coker 371 gold, coker 48, cu 263, df911, galpao tobacco, gl 26h, gl 350, gl 600, gl 737, gl 939, gl 973, hb 04p, k 149, k 326, k 346, k 358, k394, k 399, k 730, kdh 959, kt 200, kt204lc, ky 10, ky 14, ky 160, ky 17, ky 171, ky 907, ky907lc, kty14 x l8 lc, little crittenden, mcnair 373, mcnair 944, msky 14xl8, narrow leaf madole, nc 100, nc 102, nc 2000, nc 291, nc 297, nc 299, nc 3, nc 4, nc 5, nc 6, nc7, nc 606, nc 71, nc 72, nc 810, nc bh 129, nc 2002, neal smith madole, oxford 207, ‘perique’ tobacco, pvh03, pvh09, pvh19, pvh50, pvh51, r 610, r 630, r 7-11, r 7-12, rg 17, rg 81, rg h51, rgh 4, rgh 51, rs 1410, speight 168, speight 172, speight 179, speight 210, speight 220, speight 225, speight 227, speight 234, speight g-28, speight g-70, speight h-6, speight h20, speight nf3, ti 1406, tn 86, tn86lc, tn 90, tn 97, tn97lc, tn d94, tn d950, tr (tom rosson) madole, va 309, or va359. also provided herein are tobacco hybrids, varieties, or lines, where plants of the hybrids, varieties, or lines are transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof, and where the plants exhibit decreased expression of a nicotine demethylase gene as compared to plants of a control tobacco hybrid, variety, or line lacking the rnai construct. the nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof, can be from 25 to 500 or from 100 to 300 nucleotides in length. a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line can be a burley type, a dark type, a flue-cured type, or an oriental type tobacco. a tobacco hybrid, variety, or line can be a nicotiana tabacum hybrid, variety, or line. a variety can be essentially derived from bu 64, cc 101, cc 200, cc 27, cc 301, cc 400, cc 500, cc 600, cc 700, cc 800, cc 900, coker 176, coker 319, coker 371 gold, coker 48, cu 263, df911, galpao tobacco, gl 26h, gl 350, gl 600, gl 737, gl 939, gl 973, hb 04p, k 149, k 326, k 346, k 358, k394, k 399, k 730, kdh 959, kt 200, kt204lc, ky 10, ky 14, ky 160, ky 17, ky 171, ky 907, ky907lc, kty14 x l8 lc, little crittenden, mcnair 373, mcnair 944, msky 14xl8, narrow leaf madole, nc 100, nc 102, nc 2000, nc 291, nc 297, nc 299, nc 3, nc 4, nc 5, nc 6, nc7, nc 606, nc 71, nc 72, nc 810, nc bh 129, nc 2002, neal smith madole, oxford 207, ‘perique’ tobacco, pvh03, pvh09, pvh19, pvh50, pvh51, r 610, r 630, r 7-11, r 7-12, rg 17, rg 81, rg h51, rgh4, rgh 51, rs 1410, speight 168, speight 172, speight 179, speight 210, speight 220, speight 225, speight 227, speight 234, speight g-28, speight g-70, speight h-6, speight h20, speight nf3, ti 1406, ti 1269, tn 86, tn86lc, tn 90, tn 97, tn97lc, tn d94, tn d950, tr (tom rosson) madole, va 309, or va359. a hybrid, variety, or line can be a nicotiana tabacum hybrid, variety, or line. also provided herein are tobacco hybrids, varieties, or lines, where plants of said hybrid, variety, or line are transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of seq id no:5, seq id no:6, seq id no:7, and seq id no:8, and where the plants exhibit decreased expression of a nicotine demethylase gene as compared to plants of a control tobacco hybrid, variety, or line lacking the rnai construct. a variety can be essentially derived from bu 64, cc 101, cc 200, cc 27, cc 301, cc 400, cc 500, cc 600, cc 700, cc 800, cc 900, coker 176, coker 319, coker 371 gold, coker 48, cu 263, df911, galpao tobacco, gl 26h, gl 350, cl 600, gl 737, gl 939, gl 973, hb 04p, k 149, k 326, k 346, k 358, k394, k 399, k 730, kdh 959, kt 200, kt204lc, ky 10, ky 14, ky 160, ky 17, ky 171, ky 907, ky907lc, kty14 x l8 lc, little crittenden, mcnair 373, mcnair 944, msky 14xl8, narrow leaf madole, nc 100, nc 102, nc 2000, nc 291, nc 297, nc 299, nc3, nc4, nc5, nc6, nc7, nc606, nc71, nc72, nc810, nc bh129, nc 2002, neal smith madole, oxford 207, ‘perique’ tobacco, pvh03, pvh09, pvh19, pvh50, pvh51, r 610, r 630, r 7-11, r 7-12, rg 17, rg 81, rg h51, rgh 4, rgh 51, rs 1410, speight 168, speight 172, speight 179, speight 210, speight 220, speight 225, speight 227, speight 234, speight g-28, speight g-70, speight h-6, speight h20, speight nf3, ti 1406, ti 1269, tn 86, tn86lc, tn 90, tn 97, tn97lc, tn d94, tn d950, tr (tom rosson) madole, va 309, or va359. provided herein are methods of making a tobacco plant. the methods comprise introducing into a cell of a nicotiana plant an rnai construct comprising a nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof, obtaining one or more plants from said cell, identifying at least one of the plants that exhibits decreased expression of a nicotine demethylase gene as compared to the corresponding tobacco plant lacking rnai construct. the methods can further comprise crossing a plant containing the rnai construct with a second nicotiana plant, and selecting progeny of the cross exhibiting decreased expression of a nicotine demethylase gene as compared to the corresponding tobacco plant lacking the rnai construct. in certain other embodiments, the invention is directed to methods of making a tobacco p]ant. in particular embodiments, a method of making a tobacco plant comprises crossing a plant containing transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof, with a second nicotiana plant; and selecting progeny of the cross that have the rnai construct. in some embodiments, the second tobacco plant exhibits a phenotypic trait such as disease resistance; high yield; high grade index; curability; curing quality; mechanical harvestability; holding ability; leaf quality; height, plant maturation (e.g., early maturing, early to medium maturing, medium maturing, medium to late maturing, or late maturing); stalk size (e.g., a small, medium, or a large stalk); or leaf number per plant (e.g., a small (e.g., 5-10 leaves), medium (e.g., 11 -15 leaves), or large (e.g., 16-21) number of leaves). in still other embodiments, the method further includes self-pollinating or pollinating a male sterile pollen acceptor with a pollen donor capable of being used in production of a hybrid or a male sterile hybrid. either the male sterile pollen acceptor plant or the pollen donor plant is transformed with an rnai construct comprising a nicotine demethylase gene, or a fragment thereof. unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used to practice the invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. all publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. in case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. in addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. the details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the detailed description set forth below. other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. description of the drawings fig. 1 depicts percent conversion of nicotine to nornicotine as measured by gas chromatography in ethylene-treated leaves of tn90 tobacco lines relative to mutation status. a: line 4246, b: line 1849, c: line 4278, d: line 4215, e: line 3320, and f: line 1394. “hetero” indicates the plant is heterozygous for a mutant nicotine demethylase allele. “homo” indicates the plant is homozygous for a mutant nicotine demethylase allele. “wild” indicates the plant is homozygous for wild-type nicotine demethylase. fig. 2 shows a nicotine demethylase nucleic acid sequence (seq id no:1) and amino acid sequence (seq id no:2). numbers corresponding to the nucleotide sequence are on the left side and numbers corresponding to the amino acid sequence are on the right side. the web signal scan program and sequence alignment tools were used to identify the following: substrate recognition sites (boxed), n-terminal hydrophobic transmembrane domain (underlined), proline-rich region (underlined and in italics), threonine-containing oxygen-binding pocket (dotted underlined), k-helix and perf consensus (dashed underlined), and cysteine-containing heme-binding region (double underlined and in bold). fig. 3 shows a schematic of a nicotine demethylase rnai construct. csvmv-cassava vein mosaic virus promoter; ndmas-antisense nicotine demethylase sequence; ndms-sense nicotine demethylase sequence; ter-nos terminator; act2- arabidopsis thaliana actin 2 promoter; nptii-neomycin phosphotransferase ii gene. fig. 4 is a bar graph showing the percent conversion of nicotine to nornicotine as measured by gas chromatography of leaves from mutant nlm tobacco lines versus genotype at the cyp82e4 locus. 1: mutant line nlm d-1945, 2: mutant line nlm d-3368. “homo” indicates plants homozygous and “hetero” indicates plants heterozygous for the mutant allele at the cyp82e4 nicotine demethylase locus. “wild” indicates nlm plants homozygous for wild-type nicotine demethylase cyp82e4. “treated tissue” indicates leaves that have been treated with ethylene prior to analysis. “green tissue” indicates leaves that have not been treated with ethylene. fig. 5 is a bar graph showing the percent conversion of nicotine to nornicotine as measured by gas chromatography in green leaves of mutant nlm tobacco line nlm-n79 relative to genotype at the cyp82e5 locus. “hetero” indicates plants heterozygous and “homo” indicates plants homozygous for the mutant allele at the cyp82e5 nicotine demethylase locus. “wild” indicates nlm plants homozygous for wild-type nicotine demethylase cyp82e5. fig. 6 is a bar graph showing the percent conversion of nicotine to nornicotine as measured by gas chromatography in green leaves of mutant nlm tobacco line nlm-948 relative to genotype at the cyp82e5 locus. “hetero” indicates plants heterozygous and “homo” indicates plants homozygous for the mutant allele at the cyp82e5 nicotine demethylase locus. “wild” indicates nlm plants homozygous for wild-type nicotine demethylase cyp82e5. detailed description the present invention is directed to compositions and methods related to tobacco plants having reduced nicotine demethylase activity. for example, this document provides tobacco plants comprising one or more mutations in a nicotine demethylase gene. this document also provides tobacco plants comprising a double-stranded rna comprising a nucleic acid sequence from a nicotine demethylase gene. such tobacco plants comprising a mutant nicotine demethylase sequence in its genome or a double-stranded rna comprising a nucleic acid sequence from a nicotine demethylase gene typically have a reduced nornicotine content. such plants are useful in tobacco breeding programs, in making cured tobacco and in making various tobacco products and/or tobacco derived products. mutations in a nicotine demethylase gene tobacco plants described herein are typically generated by inducing mutagenesis in cells of a nicotiana species. the term “mutagenesis” refers to the use of a mutagenic agent to induce genetic mutations within a population of individuals. a population to be mutagenized can comprise plants, parts of plants, or seeds. for mutagenized populations the dosage of the mutagenic chemical or radiation is determined experimentally for each type of plant tissue such that a mutation frequency is obtained that is below a threshold level characterized by lethality or reproductive sterility. the number of ml generation seed or the size of m 1 plant populations resulting from the mutagenic treatments are estimated based upon the expected frequency of mutations. the mutagenized population, or a subsequent generation of that population, is then screened for a desired trait(s) (e.g., a non-converter phenotype) that results from the mutation(s). alternatively, the mutagenized population, or a subsequent generation of that population, is screened for a mutation in a gene of interest, e.g., a nicotine demethylase gene. for example, the progeny m 2 generation of m 1 plants may be evaluated for the presence of a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene. a “population” is any group of individuals that share a common gene pool. as used herein, “m 0 ” refers to plant cells(and plants grown therefrom) exposed to a mutagenic agent, while “m 1 ” refers to seeds produced by self-pollinated m 0 plants, and plants grown from such seeds. “m 2 ” is the progeny (seeds and plants) of self-pollinated m 1 plants, “m 3 ” is the progeny of self-pollinated m 2 plants, and “m 4 ” is the progeny of self-pollinated m 3 plants. “m 5 ” is the progeny of self-pollinated m 4 plants. “m 6 ”, “m 7 ”, etc. are each the progeny of self-pollinated plants of the previous generation. the term “selfed” as used herein means self-pollinated. suitable mutagenic agents include, for example, chemical mutagens and ionizing radiation. chemical mutagens suitable for inducing mutations include nitrous acid, sodium azide, acridine orange, ethidium bromide and ethyl methane sulfonate. ionizing radiation suitable for inducing mutations includes x-rays, gamma rays, fast neutron irradiation and uv radiation. other methods include the use of transposons (fedoroff et al., 1984; u.s. pat. no. 4,732,856 and u.s. pat. no. 5,013,658), as well as t-dna insertion methodologies (hoekema et al., 1983; u.s. pat. no. 5,149,645). the types of mutations that may be induced in a tobacco gene include, for example, point mutations, deletions, insertions, duplications, and inversions. in some embodiments, mutagenesis is induced by growing plant cells in tissue culture, which results in the production of somaclonal variants. alternatively, application of standard protoplast culture methodologies developed for production of hybrid plants using protoplast fusion is also useful for generating plants having variant gene expression (e.g., variant nicotine demethylase gene expression). accordingly, protoplasts are generated from a first and a second tobacco plant having variant gene expression. calli are cultured from successful protoplast fusions and plants are then regenerated. resulting progeny hybrid plants are identified and selected for variant gene expression according to methods described herein and may be used in a breeding protocols described herein. the term “nicotine demethylase gene” as used herein refers to a genomic nucleic acid sequence encoding a nicotine demethylase polypeptide. a nicotine demethylase gene includes coding sequences at a nicotine demethylase locus, as well as noncoding sequences such as regulatory regions, introns, and other untranslated sequences. a wild-type nicotine demethylase gene can comprise the nucleic acid sequence set forth in seq id no:1. a wild-type cyp82e5 nicotine demethylase gene can comprise the coding sequence set forth in seq id no:12. the term “nicotine demethylase polypeptide” as used herein refers to a cytochrome p450 cyp82e4 or cyp82e5 polypeptide having nicotine demethylase activity. “nicotine demethylase activity” is the ability to n′-demethylate nicotine to produce nornicotine. a wild-type cyp82e4 nicotine demethylase polypeptide can comprise the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2. a wild-type cyp82e5 nicotine demethylase polypeptide can comprise the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:13. as provided herein (e.g., in fig. 2 and example 5), a nicotine demethylase polypeptide can contain regions having homology with conserved domains in other cytochrome p450 polypeptides. for example, a polypeptide having the sequence set forth in seq id no:2 contains six substrate recognition sites (srs), an n-terminal hydrophobic transmembrane domain, a proline-rich region, a threonine-containing oxygen-binding pocket, a k-helix consensus, a perf consensus, and a cysteine-containing heme-binding region, as identified by the tfsearch and web signal scan programs. see fig. 2 . the k-helix and perf consensus sequences are thought to stabilize the core structure of cytochrome p450 polypeptides. the heme-binding region contains a cysteine that is absolutely conserved in electron donor-dependent cytochrome p450 polypeptides. the proline-rich region is thought to form a hinge between the transmembrane region and the globular part of the polypeptide. see, e.g., werck-reichhart and feyereisen (2000) genome biology 1:3003. preferably, a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene results in reduced or even complete elimination of nicotine demethylase activity in a plant comprising the mutation. suitable types of mutations in a nicotine demethylase gene include, without limitation, insertions of nucleotides, deletions of nucleotides, or transitions or transversions in the wild-type nicotine demethylase gene sequence. mutations in the coding sequence can result in insertions of one or more amino acids, deletions of one or more amino acids, and/or non-conservative amino acid substitutions in the corresponding gene product. in some cases, the sequence of a nicotine demethylase gene comprises more than one mutation or more than one type of mutation. insertion or deletion of amino acids in a coding sequence can, for example, disrupt the conformation of a substrate binding pocket of the resulting gene product. amino acid insertions or deletions can also disrupt catalytic sites important for gene product activity (e.g., a heme-binding site). it is known in the art that the insertion or deletion of a larger number of contiguous amino acids is more likely to render the gene product non-functional, compared to a smaller number of inserted or deleted amino acids. examples of such mutations are mutations in a cyp82e4 nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, which result in the tryptophan at amino acid 229 or at 239 being replaced with a stop codon. the resulting mutant polypeptides are thereby truncated. other examples of such mutations are mutations in a cyp82e5 nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:13, which result in the tryptophan at amino acid 229 or at 329 being replaced with a stop codon, and a truncated polypeptide. a mutation in a cyp82e5 gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:13 can include a mutation that replaces any of amino acids 1-328 with a stop codon. non-conservative amino acid substitutions can replace an amino acid of one class with an amino acid of a different class. non-conservative substitutions can make a substantial change in the charge or hydrophobicity of the gene product. non-conservative amino acid substitutions can also make a substantial change in the bulk of the residue side chain, e.g., substituting an alanine residue for a isoleucine residue. examples of non-conservative substitutions include a basic amino acid for a non-polar amino acid, or a polar amino acid for an acidic amino acid. an example of such mutations is a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2, which mutation results in the proline at amino acid 107 being replaced by a leucine. in some embodiments, a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene results in no amino acid changes (e.g., a silent mutation). silent mutations are mutations in a nucleotide sequence that do not affect the amino acid sequence of the encoded polypeptide. silent mutations effective for reducing nicotine demethylase activity include mutations in the nicotine demethylase gene of seq id no:1, in which the guanine at nucleic acid +2021 is replaced with an adenine, or the guanine at nucleic acid +2291 is replaced with an adenine. other mutations that result in no amino acid changes can be in a 5′ noncoding region (e.g., a promoter or a 5′ untranslated region), an intron, or a 3′ noncoding region. such mutations, although not affecting the amino acid sequence of the encoded nicotine demethylase, may alter transcriptional levels (e.g., increasing or decreasing transcription), decrease translational levels, alter secondary structure of dna or mrna, alter binding sites for transcriptional or translational machinery, or decrease trna binding efficiency. suitable mutations that reduce or eliminate nicotine demethylase activity include mutations that insert a splice donor in the intron of the nicotine demethylase gene, insert a splice acceptor in the intron, or delete a splice site of the intron. in certain embodiments, a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene effective for reducing nicotine demethylase activity is determined by identifying a plant having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene and measuring nicotine demethylase enzyme activity. in other embodiments, a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene that is suitable for reducing nicotine demethylase activity is predicted based on the effect of mutations described herein, e.g., those mutations contained in tn90 lines 4246, 1849, 4278, and 4215 as set forth in table 1 and table 3. for example, a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2 can include a mutation that replaces any of amino acids 1-328 with a stop codon. in other embodiments, a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene that is effective for reducing nicotine demethylase activity is identified based on the effect of a similar mutation in a related sequence. for example, a cyp82e4 nicotine demethylase gene can be mutated such that it encodes a mutation identified in a cyp82e5 gene, and vice versa. in another embodiment, a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene that is effective for reducing nicotine demethylase activity is identified based on the function of related sequences, e.g., seq id:3 and seq id no:4. for example, a nicotine demethylase gene can be mutated such that it encodes a nicotine demethylase polypeptide having a combination of mutations in seq id no:2, such as the combination of i163m, k309e, g353c, and s452p, or the combination of q416l and s423p. in certain other embodiments, a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene that is effective for reducing nicotine demethylase activity is identified based on a molecular model or sequence analysis of the structure of a nicotine demethylase polypeptide. such a molecular model or sequence analysis can be used to identify which amino acids, when mutated, will change the structure or function of the polypeptide. for example, a molecular model can be used to identify which amino acids in a substrate binding pocket can be deleted or substituted with a nonconservative amino acid to reduce the level of conversion of nicotine to nornicotine. in another example, sequence analysis can determine which amino acids can be replaced with a stop codon to disrupt a conserved domain. for example, a mutation in a cyp82e4 nicotine demethylase gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2 can include a mutation that replaces any of amino acids 330-457 with a stop codon, thereby disrupting the heme-binding site of nicotine demethylase. similarly, a mutation in a cyp82e5 gene encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:13 can include a mutation that replaces any of amino acids 330-458 with a stop codon. tobacco plants having mutant nicotine demethylase alleles one or more m 1 tobacco plants are obtained from cells of mutagenized individuals and at least one of the plants is identified as containing a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene. an m 1 tobacco plant may be heterozygous for a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus and, due to the presence of the wild-type allele, exhibit a converter phenotype, i.e., be capable of converting nicotine to nornicotine. in such cases, at least a portion of first generation self-pollinated progeny of such a plant exhibit a non-converter phenotype. alternatively, an m 1 tobacco plant may have a mutant allele at a nicotine demethylase locus and exhibit a non-converter phenotype. such plants may be heterozygous and exhibit a non-converter phenotype due to phenomena such a dominant negative suppression, despite the presence of the wild-type allele, or may be homozygous due to independently induced mutations in both alleles at the nicotine demethylase locus. subsequent progeny of both types of m 1 plants, however, revert to a converter phenotype at a rate that is statistically significantly less than the reversion rate of the progeny of a corresponding tobacco plant that is wild type at the nicotine demethylase locus, as discussed below. m 1 tobacco plants carrying mutant nicotine demethylase alleles can be from nicotiana species such as nicotiana tabacum, nicotiana otophora, nicotiana thrysiflora, nicotiana tomentosa, nicotiana tomentosiformis, nicotiana africana, nicotiana amplexicaulis, nicotiana arentsii, nicotiana benthamiana, nicotiana bigelovii, nicotiana corymbosa, nicotiana debneyi, nicotiana excelsior, nicotiana exigua, nicotiana glutinosa, nicotiana goodspeedii, nicotiana gossei, nicotiana hesperis, nicotiana ingulba, nicotiana knightiana, nicotiana maritima, nicotiana megalosiphon, nicotiana miersii, nicotiana nesophila, nicotiana noctiflora, nicotiana nudicaulis, nicotiana otophora, nicotiana palmeri, nicotiana paniculata, nicotiana petunioides, nicotiana plumbaginifolia, nicotiana repanda, nicotiana rosulata, nicotiana rotundifolia, nicotiana rustica, nicotiana setchelli, nicotiana stocktonii, nicotiana eastii, nicotiana suaveolens or nicotiana trigonophylla. particularly useful nicotiana tabacum varieties include burley type, dark type, flue-cured type, and oriental type tobaccos, such as tobacco varieties bu 64, cc 101, cc 200, cc 27, cc 301, cc 400, cc 500, cc 600, cc 700, cc 800, cc 900, coker 176, coker 319, coker 371 gold, coker 48, cu 263, df911, dt 538 lc, galpao tobacco, gl 26h, gl 350, gl 600, gl 737, gl 939, gl 973, hb 04p, hb 04p lc, hb3307plc, hybrid 403lc, hybrid 404lc, hybrid 501 lc, k 149, k 326, k 346, k 358, k394, k 399, k 730, kdh 959, kt 200, kt200lc, kt204lc, kt206lc, kt d4 lc, kt d6 lc, kt d8lc, ky 10, ky 14, ky 160, ky 17, ky 171, ky 907, ky907lc, kty14 x l8 lc, little crittenden, mcnair 373, mcnair 944, msky 14xl8, n-126, n-777lc, n-7371lc, narrow leaf madole, narrow leaf madole lc, nbh 98, nc 100, nc 102, nc 2000, nc 291, nc 297, nc 299, nc 3, nc 4, nc 5, nc 6, nc7, nc 606, nc 71, nc 72, nc 810, nc bh 129, nc bh 129 lc, nc 2002, neal smith madole, oxford 207, pd 7302 lc, pd 7309 lc, pd 7312 lc, ‘perique’ tobacco, pvh03, pvh09, pvh19, pvh50 pvh51, pvh 1118, r 610, r 610-lc, r 630, r 630lc, r 7-11, r 7-12, r 7-12lc, rg 17, rg 81, rg h51, rgh 4, rgh 51, rs 1410, speight 168, speight 172, speight 179, speight 210, speight 220, speight 225, speight 227, speight 234, speight g-28, speight g-70, speight h-6, speight h20, speight nf3, ti 1406, ti 1269, tn 86, tn86lc, tn 90, tn 90lc, tn 97, tn97lc, tn d94, tn d950, tr (tom rosson) madole, va 309, or va359. a tobacco plant carrying a mutant nicotine demethylase allele can be used in a plant breeding program to create novel and useful lines, varieties and hybrids. thus, in some embodiments, an m 1 , m 2 , m 3 , or later generation tobacco plant containing at least one mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene is crossed with a second nicotiana plant, and progeny of the cross are identified in which the nicotine demethylase gene mutation(s) is present. it will be appreciated that the second nicotiana plant can be one of the species and varieties described herein. it will also be appreciated that the second nicotiana plant can contain the same nicotine demethylase mutation as the plant to which it is crossed, a different nicotine demethylase mutation, or be wild-type at the nicotine demethylase locus. breeding is carried out via known procedures. dna fingerprinting, snp or similar technologies may be used in a marker-assisted selection (mas) breeding program to transfer or breed mutant alleles of a nicotine demethylase gene into other tobaccos, as described herein. for example, a breeder can create segregating populations from hybridizations of a genotype containing a mutant allele with an agronomically desirable genotype. plants in the f 2 or backcross generations can be screened using a marker developed from a nicotine demethylase sequence or a fragment thereof, using one of the techniques listed herein. plants identified as possessing the mutant allele can be backcrossed or self-pollinated to create a second population to be screened. depending on the expected inheritance pattern or the mas technology used, it may be necessary to self-pollinate the selected plants before each cycle of backcrossing to aid identification of the desired individual plants. backcrossing or other breeding procedure can be repeated until the desired phenotype of the recurrent parent is recovered. nicotiana species which exhibit breeding compatibility with nicotiana tabacum include nicotiana amplexicaulis, pi 271989; nicotiana benthamiana pi 555478; nicotiana bigelovii pi 555485; nicotiana debneyi; nicotiana excelsior pi 224063; nicotiana glutinosa pi 555507; nicotiana goodspeedii pi 241012; nicotiana gossei pi 230953; nicotiana hesperis pi 271991; nicotiana knightiana pi 555527; nicotiana maritima pi 555535; nicotiana megalosiphon pi 555536; nicotiana nudicaulis pi 555540; nicotiana paniculata pi 555545; nicotiana plumbaginifolia pi 555548; nicotiana repanda pi 555552; nicotiana rustica; nicotiana suaveolens pi 230960; nicotiana sylvestris pi 555569; nicotiana tomentosa pi 266379; nicotiana tomentosiformis; and nicotiana trigonophylla pi 555572. see also, compendium of tobacco diseases published by american phytopathology society, or the genus nicotiana illustrated, published by japan tobacco inc. successful crosses yield f 1 plants that are fertile and that can be backcrossed with one of the parents if desired. in some embodiments, a plant population in the f 2 generation is screened for variant nicotine demethylase gene expression, e.g., a plant is identified that fails to express nicotine demethylase due to the absence of a nicotine demethylase gene according to standard methods, for example, by using a pcr method with primers based upon the nucleotide sequence information for nicotine demethylase described herein. selected plants are then crossed with one of the parents and the first backcross (bc 1 ) generation plants are self-pollinated to produce a bc 1 f 2 population that is again screened for variant nicotine demethylase gene expression (e.g., the null version of the nicotine demethylase gene). the process of backcrossing, self-pollination, and screening is repeated, for example, at least 4 times until the final screening produces a plant that is fertile and reasonably similar to the recurrent parent. this plant, if desired, is self-pollinated and the progeny are subsequently screened again to confirm that the plant exhibits variant nicotine demethylase gene expression (e.g., a plant that displays the null condition for nicotine demethylase) or variant expression of ndm nucleic acid sequence, or a fragment thereof. cytogenetic analyses of the selected plants are optionally performed to confirm the chromosome complement and chromosome pairing relationships. breeder's seed of the selected plant is produced using standard methods including, for example, field testing, confirmation of the null condition for nicotine demethylase, chemical analyses of cured leaf to determine the level of alkaloids and/or chemical analyses of cured leaf to determine the ratio of nornicotine to nicotine+nornicotine. in situations where the original f 1 hybrid resulting from the cross between a first, mutant tobacco parent (e.g., tn 90) and a second, wild-type tobacco parent (e.g., n. rustica ), is hybridized or backcrossed to the mutant tobacco parent, the progeny of the backcross can be self-pollinated to create a bc 1 f 2 generation that is screened for the mutant nicotine demethylase allele. the result of a plant breeding program using the mutant tobacco plants described herein are novel and useful lines, hybrids and varieties. as used herein, the term “variety” refers to a population of plants that share constant characteristics which separate them from other plants of the same species. a variety is often, although not always, sold commercially. while possessing one or more distinctive traits, a variety is further characterized by a very small overall variation between individuals within that variety. a “pure line” variety may be created by several generations of self-pollination and selection, or vegetative propagation from a single parent using tissue or cell culture techniques. a variety can be essentially derived from another line or variety. as defined by the international convention for the protection of new varieties of plants (dec. 2, 1961, as revised at geneva on nov. 10, 1972, on oct. 23, 1978, and on mar. 19, 1991), a variety is “essentially derived” from an initial variety if: a) it is predominantly derived from the initial variety, or from a variety that is predominantly derived from the initial variety, while retaining the expression of the essential characteristics that result from the genotype or combination of genotypes of the initial variety; b) it is clearly distinguishable from the initial variety; and c) except for the differences which result from the act of derivation, it conforms to the initial variety in the expression of the essential characteristics that result from the genotype or combination of genotypes of the initial variety. essentially derived varieties can be obtained, for example, by the selection of a natural or induced mutant, a somaclonal variant, a variant individual from plants of the initial variety, backcrossing, or transformation. a “line” as distinguished from a variety most often denotes a group of plants used non-commercially, for example in plant research. a line typically displays little overall variation between individuals for one or more traits of interest, although there may be some variation between individuals for other traits. of particular interest are cyp82e4 and cyp82e5 double mutant tobacco plants. tobacco plants homozygous for mutations in both cyp82e4 and cyp82e5 have a reversion rate that is statistically significantly lower than corresponding control low-converter plants having wild type nicotine demethylase cyp82e4 and e5 genes. in addition, homozygous cyp82e4 and cyp82e5 double mutant tobacco plants have a percent conversion to nornicotine of less than 2.0%, e.g., undetectable to 2.0%, undetectable to 0.3%, 0.1 to 0.5%, 0.1 to 1.0%, 0.1 to 0.8%, 0.3 to 0.8%, 0.5 to 1.0%, 0.5 to 2.0%, 0.7 to 1.5%, 0.8 to 1.8%, 0.8 to 2.0%, or 1.0 to 2.0%. the percent conversion for homozygous double mutant plants can be similar to or lower than that observed in tobacco plants containing transgenes that induce rnai-induced downregulation of nicotine demethylase. hybrid tobacco varieties can be produced by preventing self-pollination of female parent plants (i.e., seed parents) of a first variety, permitting pollen from male parent plants of a second variety to fertilize the female parent plants, and allowing f 1 hybrid seeds to form on the female plants. self-pollination of female plants can be prevented by emasculating the flowers at an early stage of flower development. alternatively, pollen formation can be prevented on the female parent plants using a form of male sterility. for example, male sterility can be produced by cytoplasmic male sterility (cms), or transgenic male sterility wherein a transgene inhibits microsporogenesis and/or pollen formation, or self-incompatibility. female parent plants containing cms are particularly useful. in embodiments in which the female parent plants are cms, pollen is harvested from male fertile plants and applied manually to the stigmas of cms female parent plants, and the resulting f 1 seed is harvested. varieties and lines described herein can be used to form single-cross tobacco f 1 hybrids. in such embodiments, the plants of the parent varieties can be grown as substantially homogeneous adjoining populations to facilitate natural cross-pollination from the male parent plants to the female parent plants. the f 1 seed formed on the female parent plants is selectively harvested by conventional means. one also can grow the two parent plant varieties in bulk and harvest a blend of f 1 hybrid seed formed on the female parent and seed formed upon the male parent as the result of self-pollination. alternatively, three-way crosses can be carried out wherein a single-cross f 1 hybrid is used as a female parent and is crossed with a different male parent. as another alternative, double-cross hybrids can be created wherein the f 1 progeny of two different single-crosses are themselves crossed. self-incompatibility can be used to particular advantage to prevent self-pollination of female parents when forming a double-cross hybrid. as used herein, a tobacco plant having a converter phenotype is a tobacco plant having a percent nicotine demethylation of at least 5% (e.g., 5.0%, 5.1%, 5.5%, 6%, 8%, 15%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, 95%, 98%, or 99%) as measured in an ethylene-treated middle position leaf harvested from a tobacco plant at knee-high stage or later. the terms “plant having a converter phenotype” and “converter plant” are used interchangeably herein. similarly, a tobacco plant having a non-converter phenotype is a tobacco plant having a percent nicotine demethylation of less than 5% (e.g., 4.9%, 4.5%, 4.2%, 4%, 3.8%, 3.5%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.8%, 0.6%, 0.5%, 0.05%, 0.02%, 0.01%, or undetectable) as measured in an ethylene-treated middle position leaf harvested from a tobacco plant at knee-high stage or later. the terms “plant having a non-converter phenotype” and “non-converter plant” are used interchangeably herein. nicotine and nomicotine can be measured in ethylene-treated leaves using methods known in the art (e.g., gas chromatography). percent nicotine demethylation in a sample is calculated by dividing the level of nomicotine by the combined level of nicotine and nornicotine as measured in the sample, and multiplying by 100. a plant comprising a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene can be identified by selecting or screening the mutagenized plant material, or progeny thereof such screening and selection methodologies are known to those having ordinary skill in the art. examples of screening and selection methodologies include, but are not limited to, southern analysis, or pcr amplification for detection of a polynucleotide; northern blots, s1 rnase protection, primer-extension, or rt-pcr amplification for detecting rna transcripts; enzymatic assays for detecting enzyme or ribozyme activity of polypeptides and polynucleotides; and protein gel electrophoresis, western blots, immunoprecipitation, and enzyme-linked immunoassays to detect polypeptides. other techniques such as in situ hybridization, enzyme staining, and immunostaining also can be used to detect the presence or expression of polypeptides and/or polynucleotides. methods for performing all of the referenced techniques are known. a population of plants can be screened and/or selected for those members of the population that have a desired trait or phenotype conferred by a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene, such as a non-converter phenotype. selection and/or screening can be carried out over one or more generations, which can be useful to identify those plants that have a desired trait. in some embodiments, plants having a non-converter phenotype can be identified in the m 1 generation. selection and/or screening can also be carried out in more than one geographic location. in addition, selection and/or screening can be carried out during a particular developmental stage in which the phenotype is exhibited by the plant. a population of plants having a non-converter phenotype can be used to select and/or screen for plants with a reduced reversion rate, i.e., the percentage of converter phenotype plants in the next generation progeny of a non-converter plant. reversion rate is measured by collecting seeds produced by a non-converter plant after self-pollination, planting 300 to 500 of the seeds, and determining the number of resulting plants having a converter phenotype. the reversion rate is expressed as the percentage of progeny plants that have a converter phenotype. a non-converter plant having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene and exhibiting a reduced reversion rate can be bred to generate one or more tobacco hybrids, varieties or lines having a reversion rate that is statistically significantly less than the reversion rate of a control tobacco hybrid, variety or line having the same or similar genetic background, but carrying a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. typically, a reduction in the reversion rate relative to a control hybrid, variety or line is considered statistically significant at p≦0.05 with an appropriate parametric or non-parametric statistic, e.g., chi-square test, student's t-test, mann-whitney test, or f-test. in some embodiments, a reduction in the reversion rate is statistically significant at p<0.01, p<0.005, or p<0.001. the extent to which reversion rate is reduced typically depends on the tobacco type. for example, a non-converter burley type tobacco having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene typically has a reversion rate that is reduced 10× or more (e.g., 10× to 1000×, 10× to 100×, 50× to 250×, 50× to 100×, 150× to 300×, 100× to 1000×, 500× to 1000×, 800× to 5000×, or 1500× to 10000×) relative to a burley type tobacco variety of the same or similar genetic background, but having a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. in another example, a non-converter dark type tobacco having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene typically has a reversion rate that is reduced 2× or more (e.g., 2× to 100×, 2× to 5×, 2× to 10×, 5× to 30×, 10× to 50×, 5× to 100×, 10× to 100×, 50× to 300×, 250× to 500×, 300× to 3000×, or 3000× to 5000×) relative to a dark type tobacco variety of the same or similar genetic background, but having a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. in another example, a non-converter flue-cured type tobacco having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene typically has a reversion rate that is reduced 2× or more (e.g., 2× to 10×, 5× to 30×, 10× to 50×, 10× to 100×, 50× to 150×, 100× to 500×, 200× to 800×, 400× to 1000×, 500× to 3000×, to 1000× to 5000×) relative to a flue-cured type tobacco variety of the same or similar genetic background, but having a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. in some cases, the reversion rate of tobacco hybrids, varieties or lines comprising plants having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene can be so low as to be undetectable. the method of screening for reduced reversion rate can depend on the source of the mutagenized plant material. for example, if the mutagenized plant material is seed from a plant having a converter phenotype, suitable methods of screening include identifying progeny having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene and/or identifying progeny having a non-converter phenotype. once such progeny are identified, they are screened for those plants whose progeny exhibit a reduced reversion rate. in another example, if the mutagenized plant material is seed from a plant having a non-converter phenotype, a suitable method of screening includes identifying progeny having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene and/or determining whether progeny have a reduced reversion rate. in some embodiments of methods described herein, lines resulting from breeding and screening for variant nicotine demethylase genes are evaluated in the field using standard field procedures. control genotypes including the original unmutagenized parent are included and entries are arranged in the field in a randomized complete block design or other appropriate field design. standard agronomic practices for tobacco are used, for example, the tobacco is harvested, weighed, and sampled for chemical and other common testing before and during curing. statistical analyses of the data are performed to confirm the similarity of the selected lines to the parental line. nicotine demethylase rna interference transformation vectors suitable for rna interference (rnai) include those that produce rnas capable of duplex formation (e.g., a nicotine demethylase rnai construct), two nucleic acid sequences, one in the sense and the other in the antisense orientation, may be operably linked, and placed under the control of a promoter, such as camv 35s, the promoter isolated from cassava brown streak virus (cbsv), or the promoter isolated from cassava vein mosaic virus (csvmv). use of an endogenous promoter, such as a nicotine demethylase promoter, or a fragment thereof that drives transcription, may also be desirable. in addition, such a nucleic acid can be operably linked to a transcription terminator sequence, such as the terminator of the nopaline synthase (nos) gene. the length of tobacco nicotine demethylase nucleic acid sequences included in such a construct is desirably at least 22 nucleotides, e.g., at least 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 35, 40, 50, 80, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 700, 1000, 2000 nucleotides or more, but may encompass a sequence that includes up to a full-length tobacco nicotine demethylase gene. the length of tobacco nicotine demethylase nucleic acid sequences included in such a construct can be from 22 nucleotides to 2552 nucleotides, e.g., 22 to 100 nucleotides, 25 to 250 nucleotides, 25 to 500 nucleotides, 50 to 100 nucleotides, 50 to 500 nucleotides, 100 to 300 nucleotides, 100 to 500 nucleotides, 300 to 600 nucleotides, 500 to 1000 nucleotides, 700 to 1500 nucleotides, or 1000 to 2000 nucleotides. generally, higher homology can be used to compensate for the use of a shorter sequence. suitable nucleic acids for use in a nucleic acid construct encoding a double-stranded rna that are similar or identical to a nicotine demethylase gene include seq id no:5, seq id no:6, seq id no:7, and seq id no:8, and complements thereof. an rna capable of duplex formation can comprise a loop portion. the loop portion of a double-stranded rna can be from 3 nucleotides to 5,000 nucleotides, e.g., from 3 nucleotides to 25 nucleotides, from 15 nucleotides to 1,000 nucleotides, from 20 nucleotides to 500 nucleotides, or from 25 nucleotides to 200 nucleotides. the loop portion of the rna can include an intron or a fragment thereof. suitable loop portions include seq id no:9, seq id no:10, and seq id no:11. utility mutant and transgenic tobacco plants provided herein have particular uses in agricultural industries. such a plant can be used in a breeding program as described herein to produce a tobacco line, variety or hybrid comprising plants having a non-converter phenotype, wherein the line, variety or hybrid has a reduced reversion rate as compared to a corresponding tobacco line, variety or hybrid that is wild type for the nicotine demethylase gene or lacks a nicotine demethylase rnai construct. in some cases, the mutant or transgenic tobacco plants provided herein can be crossed to plants having another desired trait to produce tobacco varieties having both a reduced reversion rate and another desired trait. examples of other desired traits include drought tolerance, disease resistance, nicotine content, sugar content, leaf size, leaf width, leaf length, leaf color, leaf reddening, internode length, flowering time, lodging resistance, stalk thickness, leaf yield, disease resistance; high yield; high grade index; curability; curing quality; mechanical harvestability; holding ability; leaf quality; height; maturation; stalk size; and leaf number per plant. tobacco lines, varieties or hybrids can be bred according to standard procedures in the art. in other cases, based on the effect of disclosed nicotine demethylase mutations on the phenotype of plants having such mutations, one can search for and identify tobacco plants carrying in their genomes naturally occurring mutant alleles in a nicotine demethylase locus. such plants can be used in a breeding program to produce a tobacco line, variety or hybrid comprising plants having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene, such a line, variety or hybrid having a reduced reversion rate as compared to a corresponding tobacco line, variety or hybrid having a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. in certain embodiments, tobacco lines, varieties or hybrids comprising plants having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene or comprising a nicotine demethylase rnai construct provided herein are used to produce tobacco material for use in making tobacco products. suitable tobacco material includes whole leaf, tobacco fines, tobacco dust, sized tobacco lamina, cut or roll pressed tobacco stem, volume expanded tobacco and shredded tobacco. tobacco material from the disclosed mutant tobacco plants can be cured using curing methods known in the art such as air curing, fire curing, flue curing (e.g., bulk curing), and sun curing. in some embodiments, tobacco material is conditioned and/or fermented. see, e.g., u.s. patent publication no. 2005/0178398. in other embodiments, tobacco lines, varieties or hybrids comprising plants having a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene or comprising a nicotine demethylase rnai construct provided herein are used to make a tobacco product having a reduced nornicotine content as compared to a corresponding product comprising tobacco obtained from a corresponding tobacco line, variety or hybrid comprising plants comprising a wild type nicotine demethylase gene. tobacco products having a reduced amount of nitrosamine content can be manufactured using tobacco plant material described herein. the tobacco product typically has a reduced amount of nornicotine of less than about 5 mg/g. for example, the nornicotine content in such a product can be 4.5 mg/g, 4.0 mg/g, 3.5 mg/g, 3.0 mg/g, 2.5 mg/g, 2.0 mg/g, 1.5 mg/g, 1.0 mg/g, 750 μg/g, 500 μg/g, 250 μg/g, 100 μg/g, 75 μg/g, 50 μg/g, 25 μg/g, 10 μg/g, 7.0 μg/g, 5.0 μg/g, 4.0 μg/g, 2.0 μg/g, 1.0 μg/g, 0.5 μg/g, 0.4 μg/g, 0.2 μg/g, 0.1 μg/g, 0.05 μg/g, 0.01 μg/g, or undetctable. the tobacco product typically has a reduced amount of nnn of less than about 50 μg/g. for example, the nornicotine content in such a product can be 40 μg/g, 25 μg/g, 10 μg/g, 7.0 μg/g, 5.0 μg/g, 4.0 μg/g, 2.0 μg/g, 1.0 μg/g, 0.5 μg/g, 0.4 μg/g, 0.2 μg/g, 0.1 μg/g, 0.05 μg/g, 0.01 μg/g, or undetectable. the percentage of secondary alkaloids relative to total alkaloid content contained therein is less than 90%, e.g., less than 70%, 50%, 30%, 10%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1.5%, 1%, 0.75%, 0.5%, 0.25%, or 0.1%. the phrase “a reduced amount” with respect to nomicotine or nnn refers to an amount of nomicotine or nnn or both in a tobacco plant or plant component or a tobacco product that is less than what would be found in a wild-type tobacco plant or plant component or tobacco product from the same variety of tobacco, processed in the same manner, which was not made transgenic for reduced nomicotine or nnn or does not have a mutation in a nicotine demethylase gene. in one example, a wild-type tobacco plant of the same variety that has been processed in the same manner is used as a control to measure whether a reduction of nomicotine or nnn or both has been obtained by the methods described herein. in another example, plants having a reduced amount of nitrosamine content are evaluated using standard methods, for instance, by monitoring the presence or absence of a gene or gene product, e.g., a nicotine demethylase, a transgene, or a particular mutation in a gene. in still another example, nitrosamine content of plants resulting from a breeding program are compared to the nitrosamine content of one of the parent lines used to breed the plant having the reduced amount of nitrosamine. levels of nornicotine and nnn or both are measured according to methods well known in the tobacco art. in certain embodiments tobacco material obtained from the tobacco lines, varieties or hybrids provided herein is used to make tobacco products including, without limitation, cigarette products (e.g., cigarettes and bidi cigarettes), cigar products (e.g., cigar wrapping tobacco and cigarillos), pipe tobacco products, smokeless cigarette products, smokeless tobacco products (e.g., moist snuff, dry snuff, and chewing tobacco), films, chewables, tabs, shaped parts, gels, consumable units, insoluble matrices, hollow shapes and the like. see, e.g., u.s. patent publication no. us 2006/0191548. the invention will be further described in the following examples, which do not limit the scope of the invention described in the claims. examples example 1 production of mutant nicotiana plants one gram of tobacco tn90 (tennessee 90) converter seed (approximately 10,000 seeds) was washed in 0.1% tween® for fifteen minutes and then soaked in 30 ml of ddh 2 o for two hours. one hundred fifty (150) μl (0.5%) of ems (sigma catalogue no. m-0880) was then mixed into the seed/ddh 2 o solution and incubated for 8-12 hours (rotating at 30 rpm) under a hood at room temperature (rt, approximately 20° c.). the liquid was then removed from the seeds and the liquid was mixed into 1 m naoh overnight for decontamination and disposal. the seeds were then washed twice with 100 ml ddh 2 o for 2-4 hours. the washed seeds were then suspended in 0.1% agar:water solution. the ems treated seeds in agar solution were evenly spread onto water soaked carolina's choice tobacco mix™ (carolina soil company, kinston, n.c.) in flats at a rate of ˜2000 seeds/flat. the flats were then covered by saran™ wrap and placed in a growth chamber. once the seedlings emerged from the soil, the saran™ wrap was punctured to allow humidity to decline gradually. the saran™ wrap was removed completely after two weeks. flats were moved to a greenhouse and fertilized with npk fertilizer. the seedlings were plugged into a float tray and grown until transplanting size. the plants were transplanted into a field. during growth, the plants were self-pollinated to form m 1 seeds. at the mature stage, five capsules were harvested from each of around 7000 plants and individual designations were given to the set of seeds from each plant. this formed the m 1 population. example 2 identification of mutations a composite of m 1 seed from each m 0 plant of example 1 was grown, leaves from 4 to 5 m 1 plants were pooled and dna was extracted from the pooled tissue samples. two pooled samples were taken from each m 1 line. dneasy plant mini kits (qiagen, catalogue no. 69104) were used for dna extraction, following the manufacturer's manual. irdye™ 700-labeled forward primers and rdye™ 800-labeled reverse primers were designed to amplify a nicotine demethylase gene (seq id no:1). two pairs of sequence specific primers, which covered two separate exons, were selected to amplify the nicotine demethylase (nd) gene by pcr. primers f6 (5′-ggaattatgcccatcctacag) and r1 (5′-ccagcattgcagggttcgggaaga) covered the nd gene from −82 to +1139 and generated a 1,220 nucleotide fragment. primers f3 (5′-caggtaaggtctaaaacgtgtgtttgctt) and r2 (5′-aataaagctcaggtgccaggcgaggcgctat) covered the nd gene from +1720 to +2549 and generated an 830 nucleotide fragment. forward primers were prepared by mixing (1:4) irdye™ 700-labeled primer:unlabeled primer with a concentration of 5 μm. reverse primers were prepared by mixing (3:2) irdye™ 800-labeled primer:unlabeled primer with a concentration of 5 μm. stocked primers were prepared at 2:1 of fwd:rev ratio (5 μm total primer concentration). pcr amplification of the target region was done using 50-100 ng genomic dna from pooled plant tissue dna samples (in 10 μl reaction with 2 μl primer) and platinum taq dna polymerase (invitrogen, catalogue no. 10966-034). pcr conditions were as follows: 1 cycle of 94° c. for two minutes, 40 cycles of 94° c. for one minute, 67° c. for one minute, 72° c. for 1.5 minutes, 1 cycle of 72° c. for ten minutes, and hold at 4° c. following amplification, samples were heat denatured and reannealed (1 cycle of 95° c. for ten minutes, 95° c. to 85° c. at −2° c./second, and 85° c. to 25° c. at 0.1° c./second) to generate heteroduplexes between mutant amplicons and their wild-type counterparts. surveyor™ nuclease (transgenomic®, catalogue no. 706025) was used in accordance with kit recommendations to digest heteroduplexes. nuclease incubation condition was 42° c. for twenty minutes and reactions were stopped by the addition of stop solution (transgenomic® kit). heteroduplexes were denatured with sequencing loading dye (98% deionized formamide, 10 mm edta (ph 8.0), 0.025% bromophenol blue) by heating 95° c. for two minutes. denatured samples were chilled on ice and applied to denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system. electrophoresis was performed with a 6.5% kbplus gel, run in a 18 cm plate assembly with 0.25 mm spacers on a li-cor® dna analyzer (li-cor® biosciences) with running conditions of 1500-2000 v, 30 ma, 50 w and 45° c. for 3.5 hours. in the polyacrylamide gel lanes that had a mutation in the pool, a band was visible below the wild type band on the irdye™ 700 infrared dye image. a counterpart band was visible in the same lane on the irdye™ 800 infrared dye image. this band was the cleavage product labeled with irdye™ 800 infrared dye from the complementary dna strand. the sum of the length of the two counterpart bands was equal to the size of the amplicon. after image analysis, the mutation pools (with deferred bands) were identified. a second round of screening was performed on individual plants from pools in which a mutation was detected. individual plant dna from positive lines was extracted and combined with wild type dna samples for the second round of screening. this helped to separate wild type and mutant plants (including homozygous and heterozygous mutants) within same m 1 pool. samples with cleaved bands had a mutant nd gene sequence, while samples lacking a cleaved band had a wild type nd gene sequence. a third round of screening was used to distinguish heterozygous from homozygous plants by using only mutant plant dna as a template. the samples with no cleaved bands were homozygous. sequence trace information was analyzed using the ceq 8000 sequencer (beckman, fullerton, calif.) to confirm the mutation. using extracted dna as the template, pcr amplification was performed to generate nd gene fragments for sequencing. pcr products were separated on a 1% agarose gel, purified, and sequenced. the sequencing procedure was as follows: dna was denatured by heating at 95° c. for 2 minutes, and subsequently placed on ice. the sequencing reaction was prepared on ice using 0.5 to 10 μl of denatured dna template, 2 μl of 1.6 pmole of the forward primer, 8 μl of dtcs quick start master mix and the total volume brought to 20 μl with water. the thermocycling program consisted of 30 cycles of the follow cycle: 96° c. for 20 seconds, 50° c. for 20 seconds, and 60° c. for 4 minutes followed by holding at 4° c. the sequence was stopped by adding 5 μl of stop buffer (equal volume of 3m naoac and 100 mm edta and 1 μl of 20 mg/ml glycogen). the sample was precipitated with 60 μl of cold 95% ethanol and centrifuged at 6000 g for 6 minutes. ethanol was discarded. the pellet was 2 washes with 200 μl of cold 70% ethanol. after the pellet was dry, 40 μl of sls solution was added and the pellet was resuspended and overlaid with a layer of mineral oil. the sample was then placed sequenced (ceq 8000 automated sequencer). the sequences were aligned with wild type sequence. in addition, the genomic nicotine demethylase dna for several selected lines was sequenced to confirm that only single mutation for nicotine demethylase gene was present in each line. after screening 700 independent m 1 pools, 19 mutated lines were identified. the mutation in each line is set forth in table 1. table 1nicotine demethylase gene mutations in ems mutated tobacco (tn90)tobacco lineposition change 1content changenotetn90-4246+1985 nt from atgg to agenerated 329 aa+329 aa from mw329 stopnonsense mutationtn90-1849+320 nt from atgc to tmissense mutation in+107 aa from mp107lsrs-1 domaintn90-1394+412 nt from atgg to amissense mutation+138 aa from mv138itn90-1761a+934 nt from atgg to amissense mutation just+312 aa from atgv312mbefore intron, in srs-4tn90-4281+2191 nt from atgg to amissense mutation+398 aa from ms 398 ntn90-1516+2307 nt from atgg to amissense mutation+437 aa from md437ntn90-1514+2307 nt from atgg to amissense mutation+437 aa from md437ntn90-3320+437 nt from atgg to amissense mutation+146 aa from ms146ntn90-3341+704 nt from atgc to tmissense mutation+235 aa from mp235ltn90-3387+668 nt from atgg to amissense mutation+230 aa from md230ntn90-1804+244 nt from atgc to tmissense mutation+82 aa from ml82ftn90-1777+114 nt from atgc to tsilent mutationno aa changep38ptn90-1803+342 nt from atgc to tsilent mutationno aa changey114ytn90-4264+486 nt from atgc to tsilent mutation+163 aa from ms162stn90-1921+2024 nt from atgg to asilent mutation+343 aa from mk343ktn90-3147+429 nt from atgc to tsilent mutationno aa changel142ltn90-4278+2021 nt from atgg to asilent mutation+342 aa no changet342ttn90-4215+2291 nt from atgg to asilent mutation+431 aa no changee431etn90-1431+2397 nt from atgg to amissense mutation+467 aa from me467k1 nt = nucleotide number and aa = amino acid residue number in seq id nos: 1 and 2. these mutated lines included one line with a truncated protein (tn90-4246), eleven lines with single amino acid changes (tn90-1849, tn90-1394, tn90-1761, tn90-4281, tn90-1516, tn90-1514, tn90-3320, tn90-3341, tn90-3387, tn90-1804, and tn90-1431) and seven lines with silent mutations (tn90-1777, tn90-1803, tn90-4264, tn90-1921, tn90-3147, tn90-4278, and tn90-4215). these lines were transplanted into a field for further characterization. additional m 1 seeds from the same lines set forth in table 1 were seeded and grown in the greenhouse to screen for more homozygous plants and for analysis of alkaloid content. example 3 measurement of nicotine demethylation plant materials and induction treatment the selected m 1 mutant lines of example 2 grown in the field were tested for their ability to convert nicotine to nornicotine. a middle position leaf from each m 1 plant at knee-high stage or later was sprayed with a 0.3% ethylene solution (prep brand ethephon (rhone-poulenc)) to induce nornicotine formation. each sprayed leaf was hung in a plastic covered curing rack equipped with a humidifier. sampled leaves were sprayed periodically with the ethylene solution throughout the treatment period. approximately three days after the ethylene treatment, leaves were collected and dried in a oven at 50° c. for gas chromatographic (gc) analysis of alkaloids. gas chromatographic alkaloid analysis gc alkaloid analysis was performed as follows: samples (0.1 g) were shaken at 150 rpm with 0.5 ml 2n naoh, and a 5 ml extraction solution which contained quinoline as an internal standard and methyl t-butyl ether. samples were analyzed on an hp 6890 gc (hewlett packard, wilmington, del., usa) equipped with a fid detector. a temperature of 250° c. was used for the detector and injector. an gc column (30m-0.32nm-1 m) consisting of fused silica cross-linked with 5% phenol and 95% methyl silicon was used at a temperature gradient of 110-185° c. at 10° c. per minute. the column was operated at a flow rate at 100° c. at 1.7 cm 3 /min with a split ratio of 40:1 with a 2 μl injection volume using helium as the carrier gas. percent nicotine demethylation was calculated as the amount of nicotine divided by the sum of the amounts of nicotine and nornicotine, multiplied by 100. table 2 shows the percent of plants having a non-converter phenotype and the mean percent nicotine demethylation for eight mutant lines, in relation to the genetic mutation status of individual plants of that line, including homozygous mutant, heterozygous mutant, and homozygous wild type. four of the mutant lines had a percent nicotine demethylation of less than 5% in the m 1 generation and were classified as exhibiting a non-converter phenotype, mutant lines 4246, 1849, 4215 and 4278. the other four mutant lines had a percent nicotine demethylation of 5% or greater in the m 1 generation and were classified as having a converter phenotype, mutant lines 1394, 3320, 4264 and 1924. table 2nicotine demethylation levels in nicotine demethylase mutant linesmean %emsnumbernicotine%% non-lineofdemethyl-converterconverter(tn90)statusplantsationphenotypephenotype4246homozygous110.850100heterozygous3651.4794.455.6wild type3468.851000total811849homozygous20.650100heterozygous2162.2895.24.8wild type271.21000total254215homozygous40.0250100heterozygous1243.321000wild type579.661000total214278homozygous61.050100heterozygous1234.383.316.7wild type282.11000total201394homozygous196.81000heterozygous288.61000wild type365.771000unknown766.5985.714.3total133320homozygous462.541000heterozygous948.551000wild type662.031000total194264homozygous283.61000heterozygous359.271000wild type431.481000total91921homozygous15.71000heterozygous1038.91000wild type0———total11 figs. 1a-1d show the frequency of converter and non-converter phenotypes among heterozygous mutant, homozygous mutant and homozygous wild-type m 1 plants for the mutant lines 4246, 1849, 4215, and 4278. figs. 1e and 1f show representative results for mutant lines in which there was no difference in nicotine demethylation among m 1 plants. example 4 rna expression analysis in nicotine demethylase mutant lines rna from two lines was analyzed using semi-quantitative rt-pcr to measure their mrna expression. about 20 individual m 1 plants from each line were ethylene treated as described in example 3, and total rna was extracted 3 days post-treatment. total rna was isolated using rneasy plant mini kit® (qiagen, inc., valencia, calif.) following the manufacturer's protocol. the tissue sample was ground under liquid nitrogen to a fine powder using a depc-treated mortar and pestle. approximately 100 mg of ground tissue was transferred to a sterile 1.5 ml eppendorf tube® and the tube placed in liquid nitrogen until all samples were collected. then, 450 μl of buffer rlt as provided in the kit (with the addition of β-mercaptoethanol) was added to each individual tube. the samples were vortexed vigorously and incubated at 56° c. for three minutes. the lysate was then applied to the qiashredder™ spin column sitting in a 2-ml collection tube, and centrifuged for two minutes at maximum speed. the flow through was collected and 0.5 volume of ethanol was added to the cleared lysate. the sample was mixed well and transferred to an rneasy® mini spin column sitting in a 2 ml collection tube. the sample was centrifuged for one minute at 10,000 rpm. next, 700 μl of buffer rw1 was pipetted onto the rneasy® column and centrifuged for one minute at 10,000 rpm. buffer rpe was pipetted onto the rneasy® column in a new collection tube and centrifuged for one minute at 10,000 rpm. buffer rpe was again added to the rneasy® spin column and centrifuged for two minutes at maximum speed to dry the membrane. to eliminate any ethanol carry over, the membrane was placed in a separate collection tube and centrifuged for an additional one minute at maximum speed. the rneasy® column was transferred into a new 1.5 ml collection tube, and 40 μl of rnase-free water was pipetted directly onto the rneasy® membrane. this final elute tube was centrifuged for one minute at 10,000 rpm. quality and quantity of total rna was analyzed by denatured formaldehyde gel and spectrophotometer. first strand cdna was produced using superscript™ reverse transcriptase following manufacturer's protocol (invitrogen, carlsbad, calif.). about 100 ng of total rna was used for first strand cdna generation. rt-pcr was carried out with 100 pmoles each of forward and reverse primers. reaction conditions were 94° c. for two minutes and then 40 cycles of pcr at 94° c. for one minute, 67° c. for one minute, 72° c. for three minutes, followed by a single extension at 72° c. for ten minutes. fifty microliters of the amplified sample were analyzed by electrophoresis using a 1% agarose gel. the agarose gels were stained using ethidium bromide and the amount of nd rna present was classified as low or high based on band intensity. selected samples were sliced and purified from the agarose gel. the purified dna was sequenced by ceq 8000 as described above. example 5 nicotine demethylase sequence analysis the amino acid sequence set forth in seq id no:2 was subjected to analysis using the tfsearch program (cbrc.jp/htbin/nph-tfsearch) and the web signal scan program (dna.affrc.gojp/sigscan) to identify regulatory region elements (e.g., tata and caat boxes), organ-specific elements, and wrky elements. as shown in fig. 2 , the analysis indicated that seq id no:2 contains six substrate recognition sites (srs) at amino acids 108-129, 212-220, 249-256, 312-326, 380-390, and 491-497, an n-terminal hydrophobic transmembrane domain at amino acids 9-20, a proline-rich region at amino acids 34-38, a threonine-containing oxygen-binding pocket at amino acids 346-351, a k-helix consensus at amino acids 353-356, a perf consensus at amino acids 430-433, and a cysteine-containing heme-binding region at amino acids 450-459. example 6 nicotine conversion stability in nicotine demethylase mutant lines large scale field trials were conducted with selected m 2 mutant lines, 4246-8 and 1859-8b, using a screened low converter (lc) certified commercial variety (tn90-lc) and its high converter counterpart (tn90-c) as controls. the screened lc certified variety is commercially available from f.w. rickard seeds (winchester, ky.). screened lc certified seed is collected from plants grown from screened lc foundation seed. screened lc foundation seed is collected from a population of tobacco plants from which plants with a nicotine conversion level higher than 3% were removed, and from which any flowers or capsules that were produced prior to removing the plants having a nicotine conversion level higher than 3% were removed. two m 2 mutant lines, 4246-8 and 1859-8b, were produced through self pollination of m 1 homozygous mutant plants. these lines were grown in 3 field trials with total population of about 200 plants per line. the plants grown in the field were tested for their ability to convert nicotine to nornicotine. a middle position leaf from each m 2 plant was ethylene treated as described in example 3. approximately three days after the ethylene treatment, leaves were collected and dried in an oven at 50° c. for gas chromatographic (gc) analysis of alkaloids as described in example 3. table 3 shows the nicotine conversion stability in m 2 mutant lines in comparison of commercial lc line and converter control. mutant line 4246-8 had mean percentage nicotine conversion of 1.9% and had no plants that were classified as high converter. mutant line 1849-8b had mean percentage conversion of 2.1% and had 3 plants from total of 214 that were classified as high converters. the lc and converter lines had mean conversion of 6.6% and 80.6%, respectively, and had 24% and 100% of the plants, respectively, classified as high converters. the m 3 generation had a similar low frequency of conversion, demonstrating the stability of the low-converter phenotype in the mutant lines. table 3nicotine demethylation levels in nicotine demethylase mutantm 2 lines, screened low converter and converter controlsconvertersaveragenumber ofnumber of(% ofconversionlineplantsconverterspopulation)rate (%)4246-8184001.91849-8b21231.42.1tn90-lc2185324.36.6tn90-c959510080.6 example 7 detection of tobacco specific nitrosamine formation in nicotine demethylase mutant lines large scale field trials were conducted with selected m 2 mutant lines, 4246-8 and 1859-8b, using screened low converter (lc) certified commercial variety (tn90-lc) and its high converter counterpart (tn90-c) as controls as described in example 6. the field grown plants from example 6 were grown to maturity, and were harvested and air-cured using standard tobacco production practices. the tobacco chemistry was analyzed by gas-chromatographic-tae analysis. table 4 depicts the tobacco specific nitrosamine (tsna) content of mutant lines in comparison to lc and converter controls. the n-nitrosonornicotine (nnn) content, which is directly derived from nornicotine, and total tsna content in mutant lines were lower than those in tn90-lc and tn90-converter lines. table 4n-nitrosonornicotine (nnn) and total tobacco specific nitrosamine(tsna) levels in air-cured burley tobacco mutant lineslinennn (ppm)total tsna (ppm)4246-80.70.91849-8b0.80.9tn 90 empty vector1.61.9tn 90-lc1.61.6tn 90-c (high5.55.6converter) example 8 nicotine demethylase rna interference ti nicotine demethylase rna interference (rnai) constructs were constructed using fragments of a nicotine demethylase nucleic acid sequence (seq id no:1) such that each nicotine demethylase rnai construct contained a cassava vein mosaic virus promoter (csvmv) operably linked to a nicotine demethylase nucleic acid fragment (seq id no:5, seq id no:6, seq id no:7, or seq id no:8) in antisense orientation relative to the promoter, followed by a loop sequence, the complement of the respective fragment, and a nos terminator as indicated in fig. 3 . each nicotine demethylase rnai construct contained a neomycin phosphotransferase ii gene operably linked to an arabidopsis thaliana actin 2 promoter and a nos terminator. see, fig. 3 . sequences present in nicotine demethylase rnai constructs are shown in table 5. table 5nucleic acid sequences used to constructnicotine demethylase rnai constructsnicotinedemethylase rnaiconstructstem sequenceloop sequencepgen-rnai1-inseq id no: 5ndm intron(seq id no: 9)pgen-rnai1-gusseq id no: 5gus fragment inantisense orientation(seq id no: 10)pgen-rnai2-atseq id no: 6arabidopsis thalianaactin ii intron 2(seq id no: 11)pgen-rnai3-inseq id no: 7ndm intron(seq id no: 9)pgen-rnai4-atseq id no: 8arabidopsis thalianaactin ii intron 2(seq id no: 11) each nicotine demethylase rnai construct was introduced into narrow leaf madole dark tobacco and tn 90 burley tobacco using standard agrobacterium transformation. briefly, leaf tissue from 4-week-old aseptically-grown plants was cut into pieces and incubated in liquid medium containing a. tumefaciens (strain lb4404) with the desired constructs. the tissue was allowed to grow on basal medium without antibiotics for two days to enhance tissue infection. on the third day, the tissue was plated on media containing kanamycin (300 mg/l), for transformant selection, and cetofexin (500 mg/l) to kill the remaining a. tumefaciens. the culture media was replaced each week until callus tissue developed. shoots derived from the callus tissue were transferred to rooting media for rooting, and subsequently, rooted plantlets were transplanted into 4 inch pots containing commercial soil mix. plants were grown to maturity in a greenhouse and self-pollinated. as used herein, “r 0 ” refers to plant cells (and plants grown therefrom) transformed with an exogenous nucleic acid, while “r 1 ” refers to seeds produced by self-pollinated r 0 plants, and plants grown from such seeds. “r 2 ” is the progeny (seeds and plants) of self-pollinated r 1 plants, “r 3 ” is the progeny of self-pollinated r 2 plants, and “r 4 ” is the progeny of self-pollinated r 3 plants. “r 5 ” is the progeny of self-pollinated r 4 plants. “r 6 ”, “r 7 ”, etc. are each the progeny of self-pollinated plants of the previous generation. screening and regeneration of transgenic lines r 1 seeds derived from selfing the primary transformants were germinated and grown on media containing 300 mg/l kanamycin. the number of kanamycin resistant and sensitive seedlings was determined 2-3 weeks after germination when the sensitive seedlings were chlorotic and unable to produce true leaves. these data were used to identify segregation pattern. plants resistant to kanamycin were grown to maturity in a greenhouse and self-pollinated. seed was collected from each plant and sown on media containing kanamycin to determine which r 1 plants were homozygous for the transgene. seeds from each transgenic rnai line were planted in the field, and conversion of nicotine to nornicotine was measured and compared to three controls for each tobacco variety: 1. tobacco plants containing an empty vector (i.e., a vector lacking a nicotine demethylase nucleic acid fragment, a loop sequence, and a nicotine demethylase fragment complementary sequence); 2. plants from a commercially available lc line (i.e., narrow leaf madole lc certified seed (f.w. rickard seeds, winchester, ky.) for the narrow leaf madole transgenic plants and tn 90-lc certified seed for the tn 90 transgenic plants); and 3. plants from a high converter line (i.e., 181 ck for the narrow leaf madole transgenic plants and tn 90-c for the tn 90 transgenic plants). a dark tobacco plant was identified as a converter if its conversion rate was 3% or greater. a burley tobacco plant was identified as a converter if its conversion rate was 5% or greater. the results are shown in tables 6 and 7. table 6conversion of nicotine to nornicotine in transgenicnarrow leaf madole dark tobaccoaveragepercentpercentconverters intobacco linevectorconversionpopulationnlm-in5-44pgen-rnai1-in0.10nlm-in5-52pgen-rnai1-in0.2—nlm-2in-22pgen-rnai3-in0.2—nlm-2in-38pgen-rnai3-in0.30nlm-2at-33pgen-rnai2-at0.40nlm-2at-32pgen-rnai2-at0.40nlm-3at-11pgen-rnai4-at0.5—nlm-g2-2pgen-rnai1-gus0.5—nlm-vectorempty vector1.7—nl madole lc—1.55181 ck—95.1100 table 7conversion of nicotine to nornicotine in transgenic tn 90 burleyaveragepercentpercentconverters intobacco linevectorconversionpopulationtn90-in5-14pgen-rnai1-in0.60tn90-in5-22pgen-rnai1-in1.1—tn90-2in-12pgen-rnai3-in1.2—tn90-2at-4pgen-rnai2-at2.7—tn90-2at-5pgen-rnai2-at2.8—tn90-g2-7pgen-rnai1-gus4.6—tn90-vectorempty vector4.2—tn90 lc—6.524tn90 c—63.7100 nicotine demethylase rna expression was measured relative to nicotine demethylase rna expression in tn 90-lc using quantitative rt-pcr. the results are shown in table 8. table 8relative ndm mrna expressionndm mrna expressiontobacco linerelative to tn 90-lcnarrow leaf madole in50.1narrow leaf madole 2in0.1narrow leaf madole 2in-1not detectabletn 90 2at0.1tn 90 g2not detectabletn 90-lc1.0tn 90-c (high converter)3.1181 ck (high converter)6.6 example 9 detection of tobacco specific nitrosamine formation in nicotine demethylase rnai lines large scale field trials were conducted with selected ndm rnai lines nlm-in5-44, nlm-in5-52, nlm-2in-22, nlm-2in-38, nlm-2at-33, nlm-2at-32, nlm-3at-11, tn90-in5-14, tn90-in5-22, tn90-2in-12, tn90-2at-4, tn90-2at-5, and tn90-g2-7 using the respective empty vector transformed varieties, the respective screened low converter (lc) certified commercial varieties (i.e., narrow leaf madole lc and tn 90-lc), and the respective high converter counterpart (i.e., 181 and tn90-c) as controls. lc seeds were produced as described in example 7. six rnai tn 90 lines and eight rnai narrow leaf madole lines that were produced through self pollination of r 1 homozygous transgenic plants were used to measure tobacco specific nitrosamine (tsna) levels. about 200 plants per line were grown to maturity in 3 field trials. the plants were harvested and cured as indicated in tables 9-11 using standard techniques. the tobacco chemistry was analyzed by gas-chromatographic-tae analysis. tables 9-11 show the n-nitrosonornicotine levels and total tobacco specific nitrosamines (tsnas) of rnai lines in comparison to empty vector, lc, and converter controls. the data indicates that n-nitrosonornicotine (nnn) levels and total tsna levels in ndm rnai lines were lower than in the control lines. table 9nnn and total tsna levels in fire-cured dark tobacco rnai linestotallinevectornnn (ppm)tsna (ppm)nlm-in5-44pgen-rnai1-in0.1961.003nlm-in5-52pgen-rnai1-in0.191.069nlm-2in-22pgen-rnai3-in0.3371.22nlm-2in-38pgen-rnai3-in0.3381.414nlm-2at-33pgen-rnai2-at0.2881.113nlm-2at-32pgen-rnai2-at0.2541.321nlm-3at-11pgen-rnai4-at0.3231.428nlm-g2-2pgen-rnai1-gus0.3181.456nlm-vectorempty vector0.7911.606nl madole lc—0.9522.041181 ck—18.69620.488 table 10nnn and total tsna levels in air-cured dark tobacco rnai linestotallinevectornnn (ppm)tsna (ppm)nlm-in5-44pgen-rnai1-in0.0930.254nlm-in5-52pgen-rnai1-in0.1860.567nlm-2in-22pgen-rnai3-in0.1950.595nlm-2in-38pgen-rnai3-in0.1660.394nlm-2at-33pgen-rnai2-at0.2050.762nlm-2at-32pgen-rnai2-at0.1120.439nlm-3at-11pgen-rnai4-at0.1420.373nlm-g2-2pgen-rnai1-gus0.1650.681nlm-vectorempty vector3.6735.597nl madole lc—0.6171.167181 ck—8.75610.909 table 11nnn and total tsna levels in air-curedburley tobacco rnai linestotallinevectornnn (ppm)tsna (ppm)tn90-in5-14pgen-rnai1-in0.2390.365tn90-in5-22pgen-rnai1-in0.5731.689tn90-2in-12pgen-rnai3-in0.7080.785tn90-2at-4pgen-rnai2-at0.3350.472tn90-2at-5pgen-rnai2-at0.4350.763tn90-g2-7pgen-rnai1-gus0.8921.091tn90-vectorempty vector1.6351.869tn90 lc—1.5521.606tn90 c—5.5235.572 example 10 phenotypic characteristics in nicotine demethylase mutant and rnai lines large scale field trials of nicotine demethylase mutant and rnai lines were grown to maturity as described in examples 7 and 9. plant height, leaf length, leaf width, and yield were measured. the results are shown in tables 12-14. table 12phenotypic characteristics of dark tobacco rnai linesplantyieldyieldplantheight-10 th10 th(lbs/(lbs/height-notleafleafacre)acre)toppedtoppedlengthwidthfireairlinevector(cm)(cm)(cm)(cm)curedcurednlm-pgen-108130794035833508in5-44rnai1-innlm-pgen-110129803934363340in5-52rnai1-innlm-pgen-1061157737347634952in-22rnai3-innlm-pgen-1091287938333033012in-38rnai3-innlm-pgen-1121307839363434802at-33rnai2-atnlm-pgen-1101307939308934162at-32rnai2-atnlm-pgen-1061287733342633813at-11rnai4-atnlm-pgen-109130803934503256g2-2rnai1-gusnlm-empty108129763534453587vectorvectornl—111132803935673474madolelc181 ck—114132774436163233 table 13phenotypic characteristics of burley tobacco rnai linesplantplant10 thheight-height-leaf10 th leafyieldtoppednot toppedlengthwidth(lbs/linevector(cm)(cm)(cm)(cm)acre)tn90-pgen-rnai1-13917968363316in5-14intn90-pgen-13817868403200in5-22rnai1-intn90-pgen-rnai3-139177693931252in-12intn90-pgen-140179704032072at-4rnai2-attn90-pgen-rnai2-141180704232372at-5attn90-pgen-13217470403088g2-7rnai1-gustn90-empty vector13917970393269vectortn90—13817970393361lctn90 c—14118269403175 table 14phenotypic characteristics of burley tobacco mutant linesplantplant10 thheight-height-leaftoppednot toppedlength10 th leafyieldline(cm)(cm)(cm)width (cm)(lbs/acre)4246-8118146623229041849-8b11213860342944tn90 lc13817970393361tn90 c14118269403175 example 11 production of mutant nlm nicotiana plants narrow leaf madole (nlm) dark tobacco low-converter lines were used for mutagenesis. seeds of each line were screened using standard techniques to remove converter seeds. screened seeds of the lines had an average percent conversion of nicotine to nornicotine of about 1.5 to 1.9%. a first population of mutant nlm plants was made as follows. nlm low-converter seeds were mutagenized with ethylmethane sulfonate (ems, sigma catalogue no. m-0880) essentially as described in example 1 above. the resulting plants were transplanted into a field and self-pollinated, seeds were harvested from each of about 5,000 plants, and individual “d” designations were given to the set of seeds from each plant. m 1 plants were selfed in the field and m 2 seeds harvested. plants from the m 2 seeds formed the first population. about 0.7 gram of seeds (approximately 7,000 seeds) of a second population of nlm low-converter seeds of a line containing a ph gene conferring resistance to blackshank race 0 were mutagenized in the same manner, except that the seeds were incubated with 0.6% ems for about 15 hours. about 100 of the resulting m 1 plants were grown in a greenhouse and given individual “n” designations. these plants formed the second population. example 12 identification of mutations in cype82e4 and cype82e5 dna was extracted from leaves from each m 1 or m 2 individual and analyzed for the presence of mutations in cyp82e4 and e5 essentially as described in example 2 above. the primer pairs used for cyp82e4 were the same as those used in example 2 above. the primer pairs used for cyp82e5 are shown as seq id nos:14-17. twenty-two lines were identified with mutations in the cyp82e4 gene and 15 lines were identified with mutations in the cyp82e5 gene from plants from the first population and plants from the second population. the position of the mutation, nucleotide change, and amino acid change, if any, in the cyp82e4 mutant lines and for the cyp82e5 mutant lines is set forth in tables 15 and 16, respectively. table 15mutations in the cyp82e4 genein mutant nlm tobacco linesaminoaminotobaccoposition ofnucleotideacidacidlinemutation 1changechangeresidued-6840g to ano change280d-262102c to tnochange368d-84336c to tno change112d-623216c to tnochange73d-6412289 andg to a ande to k and431 and763g to ad to n255d-656290c to ts to f96d-6992454g to ae to k486d-7092124g to av to m376d-1738823g to ae to k275d-1745934g to av to m312d-1791204c to tno change68d-17932307g to ad to n437d-1809697c to tp to s233d-1863579g to ano change193d-1915244c to tl to f82d-1945687g to aw to stop229d-19462205c to tp to s403d-24622440g to ar to k481d-3096170g to ar to h57d-3368717g to aw to stop239n-5747g to am to i249n-21268g to ae to k901 nucleotides from atg start codon in seq id no: 1. table 16mutations in the cyp82e5 genein mutant nlm tobacco linesaminoaminotobaccoposition ofnucleotideacidacidlinemutation 1changechangeresidued-25—g to ag to r453d-102—g to ano change443d-108386c to tp to l129d-3077807g to ano change269d-3085204c to tno change68d-3087747o to tm to i249n-2—c to tno change439n-6—c to tr to c499n-45—g to ai to v373n-51550g to ae to k184n-79—g to aw to stop329d-339688g to ad to n230d-948686g to aw to stop229d-1821521c to ts to l174d-212661c to tno change211 nucleotides from atg start codon in seq id no: 12. example 13 measurement of nicotine demethylation plant materials and induction treatment two of the cyp82e4 mutant lines (d-1945, and d-3368) of example 12 were chosen for analysis of alkaloid content. the lines were grown in the field and green leaf tissue was analyzed for nornicotine formation (with and without ethylene induction) by collecting a middle position leaf from each m 1 plant at knee-high stage and measuring nicotine and nornicotine content by gas chromatographic (gc) analysis essentially as described in example 3 above. two of the cyp82e5 mutant lines (d-948 and n-79) were also analyzed for nornicotine formation in green leaf tissues. percent conversion of nicotine to nornicotine was calculated as the amount of nicotine divided by the sum of the amounts of nicotine and nornicotine, multiplied by 100, and the results plotted as bar graphs as shown in figs. 4-6 . the results indicated that the percent conversion in heterozygous and homozygous e4 mutant plants of d-1945 and d-3368 was about 1.2% to 2.4%, and was not significantly different from the percent conversion observed for homozygous wild-type nlm low-converter plants. see fig. 4 . the results indicated that the percent conversion for heterozygous and homozygous e5 mutant plants of d-948 and n-79 was about 0.7% to 2.7%, and was not significantly different from the percent conversion observed for homozygous wild-type nlm low-converter plants. see figs. 5 and 6 . example 14 analysis of the cyp82e4 promoter the pattern of the cyp82e4 gene expression was analyzed in the e5 mutant line d-948 by quantitative rt-pcr of endogenous expression. the results indicated that the e4 gene is expressed at a low level in green tissue. e4 promoter expression was analysed by transformation of tobacco with a chimeric e4 promoter::β-glucuronidase (gus) reporter gene. the chimeric gene was introduced via agrobacterium -mediated transformation into a burley low converter line, a burley converter line and an oriental tobacco low converter line. the results indicated that the e4 promoter drives expression of the gus gene at a low level in green tissue in the absence of ethylene induction. gus gene expression increased after the ethylene treatment.
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018-422-918-636-429
|
US
|
[
"US",
"CN",
"DE"
] |
B60R25/24,G08G1/127,H04L29/08
| 2017-12-01T00:00:00 |
2017
|
[
"B60",
"G08",
"H04"
] |
vehicle unlocking systems, devices, and methods
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systems, devices, and methods are disclosed for unlocking a vehicle. an example vehicle unlock system includes a remote computing device configured to determine that the remote computing device will enter a compromised status in which the remote computing device cannot communicate with a server, responsively request an electronic key, and unlock the vehicle using the electronic key. the system also includes a server configured to store and transmit the electronic key.
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1. a vehicle unlock system comprising: a server configured to: store an electronic key; and transmit the electronic key in response to a request signal; and a remote computing device configured to: transmit the request signal in response to determining that the remote computing device will enter a compromised status in which the remote computing device cannot communicate with the server; receive the electronic key; and unlock a vehicle using the electronic key. 2. the vehicle unlock system of claim 1 , wherein the compromised status comprises a low battery, and wherein the electronic key is configured to unlock the vehicle for a predetermined period of time, such that after the predetermined period of time has elapsed the electronic key can no longer unlock the vehicle. 3. the vehicle unlock system of claim 1 , wherein the compromised status comprises a low connectivity status, the server is further configured to determining a geographic area in which communication between the server and the remote computing device is degraded, and wherein the remote computing device is further configured to: determine that a location of the vehicle is within a threshold distance from the geographic area; and responsively request the electronic key. 4. the vehicle unlock system of claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured to determine a geographic area in which communication between the server and the remote computing device is degraded, and wherein the remote computing device is further configured to: determine a predicted parking location of the vehicle; and determining that the predicted parking location of the vehicle is inside the geographic area. 5. a method of operating a remote computing device for unlocking a vehicle, comprising: responsive to determining that the remote computing device will enter a compromised status in which the remote computing device cannot communicate with a server, requesting an electronic key from the server; receiving the electronic key from the server; and unlocking the vehicle using the electronic key. 6. the method of claim 5 , wherein the compromised status comprises a low battery. 7. the method of claim 5 , wherein the electronic key is configured to unlock the vehicle for a predetermined period of time, such that after the predetermined period of time has elapsed the electronic key can no longer unlock the vehicle. 8. the method of claim 5 , wherein the compromised status comprises a low connectivity status, the method further comprising: determining that the remote computing device will enter the low connectivity status based on a location of the vehicle. 9. the method of claim 8 , further comprising: determining a geographic area in which communication with the server is degraded. 10. the method of claim 9 , wherein the geographic area is determined based on location data and communication data from a plurality of remote computing devices. 11. the method of claim 9 , further comprising; determining that the location of the vehicle is within a threshold distance from the geographic area; and responsively requesting the electronic key. 12. the method of claim 9 , further comprising; determining a predicted parking location of the vehicle; and determining that the predicted parking location of the vehicle is inside the geographic area. 13. the method of claim 12 , wherein the predicted parking location is determined based on historical parking data corresponding to the vehicle. 14. a non-transitory, computer readable medium of a remote computing device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of the remote computing device, cause performance of a set of acts comprising: responsive to determining that the remote computing device will enter a compromised status in which the remote computing device cannot communicate with a server, requesting an electronic key from the server; receiving the electronic key from the server; and unlocking a vehicle using the electronic key. 15. the non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the compromised status comprises a low battery, and wherein the electronic key is configured to unlock the vehicle for a predetermined period of time, such that after the predetermined period of time has elapsed the electronic key can no longer unlock the vehicle. 16. the non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the compromised status comprises a low connectivity status, the set of acts further comprising: determining that the remote computing device will enter the low connectivity status based on a location of the vehicle. 17. the non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 16 , the set of acts further comprising: determining a geographic area in which communication with the server is degraded, wherein the geographic area is determined based on location data and communication data from a plurality of remote computing devices. 18. the non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 16 , the set of acts further comprising: determining a geographic area in which communication with the server is degraded; determining that the location of the vehicle is within a threshold distance from the geographic area; and responsively requesting the electronic key. 19. the non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 16 , the set of acts further comprising: determining a geographic area in which communication with the server is degraded; determining a predicted parking location of the vehicle; and determining that the predicted parking location of the vehicle is inside the geographic area. 20. the non-transitory, computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the predicted parking location is determined based on historical parking data corresponding to the vehicle.
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technical field the present disclosure generally relates to vehicle unlocking systems, devices, and methods and, more specifically, techniques that involve using a remote device such as a phone rather than a traditional key. background a typical vehicle may be unlocked with a key. however in some cases, a user may use a separate device to unlock the vehicle, such as a phone or other remote computing device. some devices may require power to communicate with and unlock the vehicle, while others may not. further, some devices may include an electronic key which match a corresponding electronic key stored by the vehicle. if there is no match, the vehicle may not be unlocked. summary the appended claims define this application. the present disclosure summarizes aspects of the embodiments and should not be used to limit the claims. other implementations are contemplated in accordance with the techniques described herein, as will be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description, and these implementations are intended to be within the scope of this application. example embodiments are shown for remote vehicle unlocking systems, devices, and methods. an example disclosed vehicle unlock system includes a remote computing device configured to determine that the remote computing device will enter a compromised status in which the remote computing device cannot communicate with a server, responsively request an electronic key, and unlock the vehicle using the electronic key. the vehicle unlock system also includes a server configured to store and transmit the electronic key. an example disclosed method includes determining that a remote computing device will enter a compromised status in which the remote computing device cannot communicate with a server. the method also includes responsively requesting an electronic key. and the method further includes unlocking the vehicle using the electronic key. an example disclosed non-transitory, computer readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause performance of a set of acts including determining that a remote computing device will enter a compromised status in which the remote computing device cannot communicate with a server. the set of acts further includes responsively requesting an electronic key from the server. and the set of acts still further includes unlocking a vehicle using the electronic key. brief description of the drawings for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to embodiments shown in the following drawings. the components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale and related elements may be omitted, or in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated, so as to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. in addition, system components can be variously arranged, as known in the art. further, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. fig. 1 illustrates an example vehicle, remote computing device, and server according to embodiments of the present disclosure. fig. 2 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a computing device according to embodiments of the present disclosure. fig. 3 illustrates an example map view showing aspects of various embodiments of the present disclosure. fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method according to embodiments of the present disclosure. detailed description of example embodiments while the invention may be embodied in various forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will hereinafter be described, some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. as noted above, example devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein relate to unlocking a vehicle using a remote computing device, rather than a traditional key that must be inserted into a lock and turned. the remote computing device may be a phone or other personal computing device, such as a wearable device (e.g., watches, activity monitors, or other devices configured for wireless communication) and may sometimes be referred to as a phone-as-a-key (paak) or paak device. paak technology may facilitate accessing functions traditionally associated with a key fob or traditional key via an application executing on a smart phone. in some examples, the smart phone may require power to operate the paak application, and as such may not be able to unlock the vehicle if the phone is dead. but in other examples, power may not be required. a remote computing device acting as a key may include an electronic key that is communicated to the vehicle in order to unlock the door. in some cases, if the remote computing device has a low battery or is dead it may not be possible to unlock the vehicle using the remote computing device. this may be the case where the remote computing device requires power to transmit the electronic key to the vehicle. further, where the phone is dead, it may take several minutes to charge the phone sufficiently to power on and load the appropriate application to unlock the vehicle. this is particularly problematic and can cause a bad user experience where the environment of the vehicle is unsafe or where weather conditions are not ideal, as it may increase the amount of time a user is waiting outside a locked vehicle. in other cases, a low or dead battery of a phone may not prevent the remote computing device from unlocking the vehicle. as described herein, some remote computing devices may make use of near field communication technology in order to communicate with the vehicle. in these examples, the vehicle may be powered while the remote computing device is not. and yet even though the remote computing device is not powered, it may be used in combination with the powered vehicle in order to unlock the vehicle. for safety purposes, a server may be used to provide one or more functions such as transmitting electronic keys to the vehicle and/or remote computing device, syncing electronic keys, or otherwise ensuring that unauthorized persons are not able to unlock the vehicle. issues may arise where the remote computing device or the vehicle are in an area of poor connectivity with the server and cannot sync, download, or determine the appropriate key to use. in this instance, a user may be locked out of the vehicle in an area in which the server is not available, can thus cannot receive an electronic key. with these issues in mind, example embodiments of the present disclosure may provide systems, devices, and method that can enable a paak device to unlock a vehicle even when the device has a low or dead battery, and in locations in which communication with a server providing electronic keys is degraded or not possible. examples may include using near field communication (nfc) technology on the remote computing device to unlock the vehicle. the nfc technology of the phone may include an integrated circuit (ic) configured to store one or more electronic keys, and may be configured to operate even when the power source (battery) of the remote computing device is depleted. electronic keys may be generated by the remote computing device, vehicle, server, or one or more other devices or systems, and may be stored by the remote computing device in the ic. the remote computing device may communicate with the server in order to synchronize with the vehicle, such that the remote computing device and the vehicle are synced to each other and the appropriate electronic key is used by the remote computing device. the vehicle may have corresponding nfc technology that enables the vehicle to communicate with the remote computing device. when the remote computing device is sufficiently powered and can communicate with the server, unlocking the vehicle may be a relatively simple process. the remote computing device may initiate communication with the server, and the server may respond in order to synchronize the remote computing device with the vehicle. the remote computing device may then use the appropriate electronic key based on the synchronization, and the vehicle may be unlocked. however this process may not work as easily, or at all, where there is poor communication between the remote computing device and the server, or where the remote computing device battery is dead. in these instances, an electronic key may be provided to the remote computing device before it loses communication with the server (either based on poor connectivity or a dead battery). that key may then be stored on the ic and used to unlock the vehicle even where there is no server communication. examples herein may include determining that the remote computing device is going to enter a compromised status in which communication with the server is not possible, and responsively providing the remote computing device with an electronic key that can be used to unlock the vehicle. this may include providing data used by the remote computing device to sync and store a key on an ic, which may be used for a limited time period. the server may provide a key (or sync the remote computing device) in anticipation that the remote computing device is going to lose communication and will not be able to request a new key at a later time. the electronic key provided will act as a stopgap that enables the user to unlock the vehicle for a limited time, even where the remote computing device battery is dead. however, by storing the key on the ic, the remote computing device may be susceptible to third party sniffing techniques intended to steal the electronic key. as such, the key stored on the ic may be time limited, and may be invalid after a predetermined time. the vehicle may be set such that when the key is stored on the ic, a corresponding synchronization is performed with the vehicle and the server. and when the predetermined time elapses, the vehicle may be programmed to no longer unlock using the key. as such, the time limited nature of the key may be performed on the vehicle side as opposed to the remote computing device side. fig. 1 illustrates and example vehicle 100 , a remote computing device 110 , and a server 120 . vehicle 100 may be a standard gasoline powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or any other mobility implement type of vehicle. vehicle 100 may be non-autonomous, semi-autonomous, or autonomous. vehicle 100 may include parts related to mobility, such as a powertrain with an engine, a transmission, a suspension, a driveshaft, and/or wheels, etc. in the illustrated example, vehicle 100 may include one or more electronic components. vehicle 100 may include a first communication module 102 and a second communication module 104 . first communication module 102 may be configured to communicate with a remote computing device such as remote computing device 110 using short range wireless communication technology, such as nfc communication. while examples may be described herein with respect to nfc communication in particular, it should be noted that other short range wireless technologies may be used as well. some examples may include communicating between communication module 102 and remote computing device 110 via use of a technology in which one side is powered and the other side is not, so that communication is possible when first communication module 102 is powered and the remote computing device 110 is not. second communication module 104 may be configured to communicate with the server 120 , using one or more wireless communication protocols. second communication module 104 may be configured to receive and transmit data, which may include receiving electronic keys and/or receiving data to synchronize electronic keys. first and second communication modules 102 and 104 may be part of or may include one or more computing devices, such as those described with respect to fig. 2 . in some examples, vehicle 100 may store one or more electronic keys, which may require synchronization with the server 120 and/or remote computing device 110 in order to be used to unlock the vehicle. upon startup of vehicle, vehicle 100 may receive an electronic key from the server (assuming connectivity is available). then, if during normal operation of the vehicle communication with the server is lost, the received electronic key may be transmitted to the remote computing device 110 from vehicle 100 . this may provide an electronic key to the remote computing device that may be used for a limited time, such as until the vehicle is cycled off and on again (i.e., one ignition cycle). remote computing device 110 may include circuitry configured to transmit and/or receive data from vehicle 100 and/or server 120 , and may further include one or more features described with respect to fig. 2 . remote computing device 110 may include nfc technology 112 , having an ic for storing one or more electronic keys. remote computing device 100 may alternatively or in addition include other short range wireless communication technologies. remote computing device 110 may also include a battery 114 , and various circuitry configured to monitor the status of the battery. in some examples, various methods, systems, and/or devices may be configured to determine that the remote computing device 110 and/or vehicle 100 is likely or predicted to enter a compromised status in which the remote computing device 110 and/or vehicle 100 cannot communicate with server 120 . in some examples, this may include determining that the remote computing device battery is going to be depleted in a threshold amount of time or it may include determining that the battery has reached a threshold state of charge such as 30%. if the charge drops below the threshold level, one or more actions described herein may be taken, such as transmitting or syncing an electronic key, and storing the key on the remote computing device ic. for instance, in response to determining that the battery has dropped below the threshold level, the remote computing device 110 may initiate communication with the server 120 . the remote computing device 110 may request an updated electronic key, in some examples, receiving a key may comprise receiving data that can be used to generate the key or select the key from a list. as such, the remote computing device may receive the full electronic key from the server, or may receive data from the server that can be used to determine the electronic key either by generating a new key, selecting a key from a stored list, or otherwise determining a particular electronic key. when the key is requested and then received by remote computing device 110 , remote computing device 110 may responsively store the electronic key on a corresponding ic. this may enable remote computing device 110 to communicate with vehicle 100 using nfc technology even where the remote computing device battery 114 is depleted. the electronic key can then be used to unlock the vehicle. when remote computing device 110 is determined to enter the compromised status based on a low battery, the electronic key requested by the remote computing device may be time limited, such that it can be used only for a predetermined time period (e.g., six hours, 24 hours, or a different time period). this time period may change based on a location of the vehicle, such that a vehicle known to be in a safe area (such as the vehicle owner's home or garage) may have a higher predetermined time than a vehicle in an unsafe or unfamiliar area. an unfortunate side effect of storing the electronic key on the ic may make it possible for third party sniffers or other electronic devices to read the electronic key and gain unauthorized access to the vehicle. so with this issue in mind, the electronic key stored on the ic may be time limited (i.e., can only unlock the vehicle during a predetermined duration of time) to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access after the time has elapsed. in order to time limit a given electronic key, the vehicle 100 may communicate with the server 120 , and receive a message indicating that the key provided to the remote computing device 110 (due to the low battery) is time limited. after the predetermined time has elapsed, the vehicle may no longer recognize the electronic key as an acceptable key, and may not unlock based on that key. in some examples, determining that the remote computing device 110 and/or vehicle 100 may enter a compromised status in which the remote computing device 110 and/or vehicle 100 cannot communicate with server 120 may include determining or predicting that the vehicle and/or remote computing device 110 will enter a geographical area in which communication with the server 120 is degraded, non-existent, or otherwise reduced. in these geographic areas, it may be difficult or impossible to communicate with the server in order to receive an updated electronic key or data that can be used to synchronize the electronic key. in some examples, prior to entering a geographic area having reduced or non-existent communication with the server, an electronic key may be transmitted to the remote computing device and/or vehicle. the electronic key may then be used to unlock the vehicle even where no communication with the server is possible. the electronic key may also be time limited, or area limited, so as to prevent potential third parties from gaining unauthorized access to the vehicle. in some examples, the geographic area having reduced or non-existent communication may be determined based on crowd sourced data from a plurality of vehicles. further, the geographic area may be determined based on historical data from the remote computing device 110 , in which communication and location data may be gathered over time and used to plot out geographic areas of good and poor connectivity. these and other scenarios are discussed in more detail below with respect to fig. 3 . fig. 2 illustrates an example block diagram of a computing device 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more features of computing device 200 may be included in remote computing device 110 , vehicle 100 , server 120 , and other devices or systems described herein. computing device 200 may include a processor 210 and a memory 220 . processor 210 may be any suitable processing device or set of processing devices such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, one or more field programmable gate arrays (fpgas), and/or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (asics). the memory 220 may be volatile memory (e.g., ram including non-volatile ram, magnetic ram, ferroelectric ram, etc.), non-volatile memory (e.g., disk memory, flash memory, eproms, eeproms, memristor-based non-volatile solid-state memory, etc.), unalterable memory (e.g., eproms), read-only memory, and/or high-capacity storage devices (e.g., hard drives, solid state drives, etc). in some examples, the memory 220 includes multiple kinds of memory, particularly volatile memory and non-volatile memory. the memory 220 may be computer readable media on which one or more sets of instructions, such as the software for operating the methods of the present disclosure, can be embedded. the instructions may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. for example, the instructions reside completely, or at least partially, within any one or more of the memory, the computer readable medium, and/or within the processor during execution of the instructions. the terms “non-transitory computer-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” include a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. further, the terms “non-transitory computer-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” include any tangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a processor or that cause a system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. as used herein, the term “computer readable medium” is expressly defined to include any type of computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and to exclude propagating signals. computing device 200 may include a user interface 230 , configured to provide the ability for a user to interact with and control computing device 200 . user interface 230 may include one or more input and/or output devices to receive input from and display information to a user. the input devices may include, for example, a control knob, an instrument panel, a digital camera for image capture and/or visual command recognition, a touch screen, an audio input device (e.g., microphone), buttons, or a touchpad. the output devices may include one or more displays, (e.g., a liquid crystal display (lcd), an organic light emitting diode (oled) display, a flat panel display, a solid state display, etc.), and/or speakers. computing device 200 may further include one or more communication modules 240 . communication module 240 may allow wired or wireless communication with one or more other computing devices or systems using one or more communication protocols. the communications module may include wired or wireless network interfaces to enable communication with external networks. the communications module may also include hardware (e.g., processors, memory, storage, etc.) and software to control the wired or wireless network interfaces. the communications module may include, among others, an nfc module, a bluetooth module, a gps receiver, a dedicated short range communication (dsrc) module, a wlan module, and/or a cellular modem, all electrically coupled to one or more respective antennas. the communications module may also include a wired or wireless interface to enable direct communication with an electronic device (such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop, etc). fig. 3 illustrates an example overhead map view showing aspects of various embodiments of the present disclosure. as noted above, a compromised status of the remote computing device may include that the computing device has entered or is predicted to enter a geographic area in which communication with the server is degraded or impossible. the geographic area may be referred to as a “low connectivity area,” and the compromised status of the remote computing device may be referred to as a “low connectivity status” some examples may be described with respect to determining that the remote computing device is expected to or has entered a compromised status. however it should be understood that one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include determining that the vehicle (such as vehicle 300 ) has entered or is predicted to enter a compromised status (rather than or in addition to the remote computing device). determining that the remote computing device will enter a compromised status of low connectivity may include determining a current location or predicting a future location of the remote computing device. the current location may be determined based on a gps signal, via communication with one or more network cell towers, or in any other way. a future or predicted location of the vehicle and/or remote computing device may be determined based on a route or entered destination (e.g., using a map or vehicle guidance application). in some examples, the location may be determined based on a route generate by the remote computing device and/or vehicle. the future location may be determined in part based on a current vehicle location, and a vehicle speed, acceleration, direction, heading, or other vehicle sensor data. in some examples, a history of the vehicle location may be used. this can include determining the future location based on a pattern of parking locations of the vehicle based on work location, home location, store location, etc. further, past destinations and parking locations, a learned schedule based on time of day, day of week, etc. may be used to determine or predict a future location of the vehicle. determining low connectivity geographic areas can include storing communication data over time, and building a map of low and high connectivity regions. data may be transmitted to the server which may provide a map of connectivity based on connectivity of one or more vehicles, remote computing devices, or more. in some examples, determining a low connectivity area can include using topographical data (e.g., mountains, valleys, etc.) which may prevent communication. it may also include using data about one or more structures (e.g., a parking garage may provide low connectivity based on concrete or other interference). other information may also be used to determine areas of low connectivity. some examples may include determining that the remote computing device will enter the low connectivity status based on the location of the vehicle and/or remote computing device itself. this can include using gps or other information to determine the location of the remote computing device and/or vehicle, and comparing the determined location to a map of low connectivity regions, to determine whether the vehicle is predicted to enter a low connectivity area. this may further include determining that the location of the vehicle is within a threshold distance of the geographic area of low connectivity. the vehicle speed and heading (as well as other data) may be considered in order to determine when communication with the remote computing device and/or vehicle is likely to end. for instance, this may include determining a distance from the current vehicle location to a parking garage or other parking location that is within an area of low connectivity. it may further include determining a distance to an edge of a low connectivity area. in response to determining that the vehicle and/or remote computing device location is within a threshold distance, the remote computing device may request and the server may transmit an electronic key or data that can be used to sync an electronic key. the threshold distance may be determined based on distance from communication source (e.g., one or more cell towers), a distance to a parking garage or other known geographic area of low connectivity, a distance to the edge of a known area of low connectivity, or more. in some examples the threshold distance may change based on a speed of the vehicle and a time needed to transmit an electronic key or sync the electronic key. for instance, if it take ten seconds to transmit an electronic key, then a threshold distance may correspond to the current vehicle speed x ten seconds (plus a buffer distance), to allow sufficient time to transmit the electronic key before communication is lost. once the vehicle reaches the threshold distance, an updated key may be sent to the remote computing device and/or vehicle. in some examples, the vehicle, remote computing device, and/or server may determine a predicted parking location of the vehicle. this may include or be based on any of the data described above (e.g., historical parking locations, a time of day, an entered destination etc). if a determined parking location or destination is inside a geographic area determined to have low connectivity, then an electronic key or synchronization data may be responsively transmitted (while there is still communication between the server and the vehicle/remote computing device.) this can include waiting until the vehicle is close to the destination, or preempting a loss of signal by transmitting immediately once it is known that the vehicle will be parking in a low connectivity area. historical parking data may include any location where the vehicle has previously been powered off. this data can be used in connection with a time of day, day of the week, and one or more other patterns to determine or predict the likely stopping location of the vehicle at any given time. fig. 3 illustrates a vehicle 300 at a first location 302 . one or more embodiments described herein may include determining that the likely parking location or future location of vehicle 300 is second location 320 of structure 322 . this may be determined based on a schedule or history of vehicle 300 , for example because structure 322 is a workplace of a driver of vehicle 300 , and the vehicle is routinely parked at structure 322 on monday through friday during work hours. structure 322 may be determined to be in a geographic area 310 that includes poor connectivity. the poor connectivity may be due to one or more factors such as the nature of the structure 322 (e.g., metal walls, concrete, etc.) as well as the location of one or more network connection points (e.g., cell towers, etc). geographic area 310 may be a low connectivity area in which the server may not be able to communicate with the vehicle 300 an/or a remote computing device that can be used to unlock the vehicle. it may be determined that vehicle 300 is going to enter the low connectivity geographic area 310 , and an electronic key may be responsively transmitted to the remote computing device. in addition, data (including an electronic key, or synchronization information) may be transmitted to the vehicle 300 to ensure that the vehicle and remote computing device are synced, and that the computing device is able to unlock the vehicle even when there is no connectivity to the server. in some examples, an electronic key may be transmitted to both the vehicle and the remote computing device by the server. the electronic key may include two or more parts, which may be matched together to ensure that the remote computing device is authorized to unlock the vehicle. as such, the remote computing device may receive a first part of the key, and the vehicle may receive a second part of the key. in some examples, the electronic key may be erased from the ic after a given period of time such as 6 hours, 24 hours, or more. in addition, the computing device, vehicle, and/or server may be configured to erase the electronic key upon starting up of the vehicle, and/or upon establishing communication with between the vehicle/remote computing device and the server. this may prevent an electronic key stored in the remote computing device ic from being sniffed or stolen by a third party. in some examples, a backup electronic key may be generated and/or sent to the vehicle at start-up. this backup key may only be valid until the next key cycle (or for 24 hours). the backup key validity may be determined based on a different threshold than the other predetermined time described above. the backup key may be transmitted to the remote computing device by the vehicle (rather than server) when a loss of connectivity with the server occurs. the backup key may be stored in volatile memory of the remote computing device, and pushed to a programmable ic when the remote computing device battery is low. this can be particularly useful when connectivity is suddenly lost without an ability to transmit or sync with the server. in some embodiments, the example vehicles disclosed herein may include one or more components configured to charge the remote computing device battery while the vehicle is locked, and while the remote computing device is located outside the vehicle. example techniques for this feature are disclosed in u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/615,600 entitled “vehicle unlocking systems devices and methods,” which is herein incorporated by reference. fig. 4 illustrates an example method 400 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. method 400 may enable a remote unlocking device with a drained battery and/or entering an area of low connectivity to receive an electronic key to unlock a vehicle. the flowchart of fig. 4 is representative of machine readable instructions that are stored in memory and may include one or more programs which, when executed by a processor may cause vehicle 100 , remote computing device 110 , server 120 and/or one or more systems or devices described herein to carry out one or more functions described herein. while the example program is described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in fig. 4 , many other methods for carrying out the functions described herein may alternatively be used. for example, the order of execution of the blocks may be rearranged or performed in series or parallel with each other, blocks may be changed, eliminated, and/or combined to perform method 400 . further, because method 400 is disclosed in connection with the components of figs. 1-3 , some functions of those components will not be described in detail below. method 300 may start at block 302 . at block 304 , method 300 may include determining whether a batter of the remote computing device is low. this may include comparing a current state of charge to a threshold state of charge, to determine whether the current charge is low enough. if the battery of the remote computing device is low, method 400 may include transmitting an electronic key to the remote computing device before the battery is depleted at block 410 . block 406 of method 400 may include determining whether the remote computing device is likely to lose connectivity with the server. if the battery is not low at block 404 , and there is no predicted upcoming loss of connectivity, method 400 may revert back to block 404 . but if there is a predicted loss of connectivity at block 406 , method 400 may include transmitting an electronic key to the vehicle at block 408 . this may alternatively include transmitting data that can be used to synchronize a key, or generate a key. at block 410 , method 400 may include transmitting a key to the remote computing device. and at block 412 , method 400 may include storing the electronic key on an ic of the remote computing device. in some examples, the key may be stored on the ic responsive to the remote computing device receiving the key (i.e., immediately or soon after receiving the key). alternatively, the key may be saved in a volatile memory of the remote computing device, and stored on the ic after it is determined that the battery is low and the remote computing device is about to power off. at block 414 , method 400 may include determining whether a time has elapsed since the electronic key was transmitted to the remote computing device. as noted above, the electronic key may be time limited to prevent unauthorized access after the time has expired. if the time has elapsed, block 418 may include deleting the electronic key. the key may be deleted from the remote computing device, or alternatively the vehicle may be programmed to no longer recognize or accept the electronic key after the time has elapsed. however if the time has not elapsed, method 400 may include detecting an attempt to unlock the vehicle at block 416 . the attempt may be detected by the vehicle. at block 420 , method 400 may include determining whether the electronic key from the remote computing device matches a key of the vehicle. if the keys match, the vehicle may unlock at block 422 . however, if the keys do not match, method 400 may return to block 414 . method 400 may end at block 424 . in this application, the use of the disjunctive is intended to include the conjunctive. the use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. in particular, a reference to “the” object or “a” and “an” object is intended to denote also one of a possible plurality of such objects. further, the conjunction “or” may be used to convey features that are simultaneously present instead of mutually exclusive alternatives. in other words, the conjunction “or” should be understood to include “and/or”. the terms “includes,” “including,” and “include” are inclusive and have the same scope as “comprises,” “comprising,” and “comprise” respectively. the above-described embodiments, and particularly any “preferred” embodiments, are possible examples of implementations and merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the techniques described herein. all modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
|
019-277-704-236-786
|
JP
|
[
"JP",
"US",
"CN",
"KR"
] |
G09F9/00,G09F9/313,H01J17/49,H01J17/16
| 2007-05-31T00:00:00 |
2007
|
[
"G09",
"H01"
] |
plasma display apparatus
|
<p>problem to be solved: to provide a plasma display apparatus which is high in heat resistance by preventing the generation of stress applied to a flexible board on which an address driver circuit is mounted due to thermal expansion. <p>solution: the plasma display apparatus includes: a panel board 30; a chassis 40 which is arranged on the back of the panel board and adhered to the panel board and supports it; and a plurality of address driver modules 10 which have the address driver circuit 12 on the flexible board 11, whose one ends are fixed to and supported by the front end of the panel board and which are arranged along the end of the panel board. the chassis has through-holes 41, 41a and 41b at the end thereof, a plurality of attachment portions 20, 20a and 20b which are fixed to portions where the panel board is exposed from the through-holes and connection portions 50, 55 and 56 connecting the adjacent attachment portions to each other. the other ends of the address driver modules are fixed to the attachment portions. <p>copyright: (c)2009,jpo&inpit
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1 . a plasma display apparatus comprising: a panel substrate; a chassis adhered to a rear surface of the panel substrate and supporting the panel substrate; and a plurality of address driver modules arranged along a rim portion of the panel substrate, each address driver module including a flexible board and an address driver circuit provided on the flexible board and having one end fixed to a front surface rim part of the panel substrate; wherein the chassis has at least one through-hole formed in a rim part of the chassis, the through-hole exposing a part of the panel substrate to which a plurality of attachment parts are fixed, the plural attachment parts including adjacently arranged attachments parts fixed to the panel substrate by a coupling part, wherein the other end of the address driver module is fixed to the plural attachment parts. 2 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling part includes a seat having a front surface attached to the attachment part and a rear surface fixed to the panel substrate. 3 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the seat couples a set of adjacent of the attachment parts corresponding to a single one of address driver modules. 4 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the seat couples a plurality of sets of adjacent of the attachment parts corresponding to plural of the address driver modules. 5 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the address driver module has a retaining board provided at the vicinity of a front tip portion thereof, wherein the retaining board is fixed to the attachment parts. 6 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the attachment part has a cylindrical shape. 7 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the retaining board includes elliptical holes arranged in a longitudinal direction of the panel substrate, wherein the retaining board is fixed to the attachment parts by fastening the attachment parts and corresponding elliptical holes with screws. 8 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling part includes a supporting board coupling adjacently arranged address driver modules. 9 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the supporting board 50 includes a bottom part and a side part that form a u-shape, wherein the bottom part contacts the chassis or the coupling part. 10 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the supporting board is formed of metal, wherein the bottom part contacts the chassis. 11 . the plasma display apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the bottom part contacts the chassis or the panel substrate via a gasket.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention generally relates to a plasma display apparatus known as a flat type display device, and more particularly to a method for having an address driver module(s) fixed in a plasma display apparatus. 2. description of the related art conventionally, as a known flat type display panel, there is a plasma display apparatus that uses a plasma display panel. fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an electrode array of a conventionally used plasma display panel 130 . in fig. 11 , a matrix configuration of m lines×n columns is formed by scan electrodes scn 1 to scnm and address electrodes d 1 to dn. that is, m lines of the scan electrodes scn 1 to scnm are arranged in the line direction, and n columns of the address electrodes d 1 to dn are arranged in the column direction. in the plasma display panel 130 having such an electrode configuration, discharge cells are selected by conducting address discharge by applying write pulses between the address electrodes d 1 to d n and the scan electrodes scn 1 to scnm. then, a predetermined display can be shown by conducting sustain discharge by applying alternately inverting periodic sustain pulses between the scan electrodes scn 1 to scnm and the sustain electrodes sus 1 to susm. since display on the plasma display panel 130 is performed with the above-described discharging operation, a plasma display apparatus is configured having, for example, an address driver circuit (not shown), a scan driver circuit (not shown), a sustain driver circuit (not shown), a power supply circuit (not shown), and a control circuit (not shown). in the plasma display apparatus having such configuration, plural address driver circuit blocks corresponding to the number of pixels of the plasma display panel 130 are required. there is a known method of using a flexible board for the address driver circuit block, for example, shown in japanese laid-open patent application no. 2004-258473. fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a conventional plasma display apparatus 200 using a flexible board 111 as an address driver circuit block. in fig. 12 , the plasma display panel 130 is retained by having the plasma display panel 130 adhered to a front surface of a chassis member 140 (formed of, for example, aluminum) via a thermal conduction sheet 142 . further, plural drive circuit blocks 160 serving to drive the display of the plasma display panel 130 are attached to a rear surface of the chassis member 140 . the drive circuit block 160 , which includes an electric circuit for driving the display of the plasma display panel 130 and controlling the driving of the display, has an electric connecting part provided on its end part so that electrodes arranged at the respective rim parts of the plasma display panel 130 can electrically connect to plural flexible boards 111 extending over the rim parts that form the four sides of the chassis member 140 . that is, the flexible board 111 provides electric connection by bending 180 degrees from the front surface side to the rear surface side of the plasma display panel 130 . a driver ic 112 , which is configured as the address driver circuit, is mounted on an inner surface of the bent flexible board 111 . plural driver ics 112 , serving to supply display data to address electrodes of the plasma display panel 130 , are connected to the plasma display panel 130 . a metal (e.g., aluminum) heat sink 113 serving as a retaining plate is adhered to a surface of the flexible board 111 opposite of the surface on which the driver ic 112 is mounted. thereby, the electrodes of the plasma display panel 130 and the driving circuit blocks provided on opposite sides are electrically connected by the bending flexible board 111 . fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the plasma display apparatus 200 of fig. 12 observed from the chassis member 140 side. in fig. 13 , the chassis member 140 includes a positioning boss part 120 a and an attachment boss part 120 . the flexible board 111 is disposed in a manner bending from the front surface of the plasma display panel 130 to the chassis member 140 . the positioning boss part 120 a has a positioning pin 123 provided at its tip. positioning is realized by inserting the positioning pin 123 into a through-hole 114 provided at a front rim part of the heat sink 113 . further, the attachment boss 120 is fixed to the heat sink 113 by having its attachment screw 125 fastened to the heat sink 113 . in fixing the address driver circuit block to the chassis member 140 (made of, for example, aluminum), the workload (difficulty) of fastening the attachment boss part 120 to the attachment screw can be reduced by having either one of the two boss parts 120 , 120 a configured as a positioning boss (in this example, the positioning boss part 120 a ). thereby, workability of assembly can be improved. however, with the configuration described in japanese laid-open patent application no. 2004-258473, the bent flexible board 111 is fixed by fixing one end to the plasma display panel 130 (made of, for example, glass) and the other end to the chassis member 140 (made of, for example, aluminum) via the heat sink 113 , and the boss parts 120 , 120 a . where the heat generated in the plasma display panel 130 is transmitted to the chassis member 140 via an adhesive layer 142 having high heat transferability, the amount of deformation exhibited by the thermal expansion of the plasma display panel 130 is different from the amount of deformation exhibited by the thermal expansion of the chassis member 140 since glass and aluminum have different thermal expansion coefficient. accordingly, in the configuration described in japanese laid-open patent application no. 2004-258473, due to the difference in the amount of deformation of the parts that fix the flexible board 111 , stress is applied to the fixing parts. this leads to the risk of the creation of cracks and fracture. summary of the invention the present invention may provide a plasma display apparatus that substantially obviates one or more of the problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of the related art. for example, one object according to an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a plasma display apparatus having a high heat resisting property and preventing thermal expansion from causing application of stress to a flexible board having an address driver circuit mounted thereon. features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent from the description and the accompanying drawings, or may be learned by practice of the invention according to the teachings provided in the description. objects as well as other features and advantages of the present invention will be realized and attained by a plasma display apparatus particularly pointed out in the specification in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention. to achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, an embodiment of the present invention provides a plasma display apparatus including a panel substrate, a chassis adhered to a rear surface of the panel substrate and supporting the panel substrate, and plural address driver modules arranged along a rim portion of the panel substrate, each address driver module including a flexible board and an address driver circuit provided on the flexible board and having one end fixed to a front surface rim part of the panel substrate, wherein the chassis has at least one through-hole formed in a rim part of the chassis, the through-hole exposing a part of the panel substrate to which plural attachment parts are fixed, the plural attachment parts including adjacently arranged attachments parts fixed to the panel substrate by a coupling part, wherein the other end of the address driver module is fixed to the plural attachment parts. additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in parts will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. the objects and advantages of the inventive concepts may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. brief description of the drawings the drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. in the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. fig. 1 is a schematic view showing a plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of drive waveforms of the plasma display apparatus shown in fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a plan view showing a rear surface of the plasma display panel 90 toward the chassis 40 side according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a case where a single address driver module 10 is fixed to a chassis according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part where an attachment part 20 is fixed to an exposed part of a panel substrate 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is a schematic diagram for describing an exemplary case of connecting plural adjacently arranged address driver modules 10 in a plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 is a side view showing a plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 is a perspective view showing attachment parts 20 and a coupling part in a plasma display apparatus 100 a according to another embodiment of the present invention; fig. 9 is a perspective view showing attachment parts 20 and a coupling part in a plasma display apparatus 100 b according to another embodiment of the present invention; fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a part for fixing address driver modules 10 in a plasma display apparatus 100 c according to another embodiment; fig. 11 is a diagram showing an electrode array of a conventional plasma display panel 130 ; fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a conventional plasma display apparatus 200 ; and fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a conventional plasma display apparatus 200 observed from a chassis member 140 side. description of the preferred embodiments in the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a plasma display panel apparatus 100 using a three-electrode plasma display panel 90 according to an embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 1 , a cell c is formed at an intersecting point between a pair of adjacent sustain (x) electrode and a scan (y) electrode and an address electrode. in the example shown fig. 1 , 6×5 cells are formed. each address electrode a 1 -a 6 is driven by an address driver circuit 12 . each x-electrode x 1 -x 5 is driven by an x-electrode driving circuit board 63 . each y-electrode y 1 -y 5 is connected to a scanning circuit 65 . a y-electrode driving circuit board 64 is connected to the scanning circuit 65 . the x-electrode driving circuit board 63 includes a sustain pulse generating circuit 63 a for generating a sustain pulse and a reset/address voltage generating circuit 63 b for generating voltage to be applied to the x-electrode during a reset period and an address period. the y-electrode driving circuit board 64 includes a sustain pulse circuit 64 a for generating a sustain pulse and a reset/address voltage generating circuit 64 b for generating voltage to be applied to the y-electrode during a reset period and an address period. during the address period, a scan pulse and a voltage required for scanning are supplied from the y-electrode driving circuit board 64 to the scanning circuit 65 , to thereby cause a shift register installed in the scanning circuit 65 to successively apply a scan pulse to each y-electrode. during the sustain period, the scanning circuit 65 keeps all of the y-electrodes connected to the y-electrode driving circuit board 64 , to thereby allow the y-electrode driving circuit board 64 to apply a predetermined voltage to each y-electrode. a control circuit board 62 is a circuit board for controlling each part of the plasma display apparatus 100 . the control circuit board 62 includes, for example, a frame memory 62 a for converting display data received from outside into data adaptable for subfields, and a rom 62 b for storing reference waveform patterns for generating drive waveforms. the control circuit board 62 outputs, for example, display data signals data of each subfield and timing control signals tsc 3 for controlling the timing of outputting address pulses to the address driver circuit 12 . further, the control circuit board 62 also outputs, for example, controls signals tsc 2 for controlling the timing and length of outputting scan pulses and shift clock signals clk to the scanning circuit 65 . fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for showing examples of waveforms of each subfield of the plasma display apparatus 100 shown in fig. 1 . during the reset period, the address electrode is supplied with a pulse (voltage) of 0 v. further, as shown in x 1 of fig. 2 , the pulse applied to each x-electrode maintains a predetermined voltage after gradually changing toward the negative side, and then changes to a predetermined positive voltage. further, as shown in y 1 of fig. 2 , the pulse (voltage) applied to the y-electrode gradually changes toward the negative side after temporarily changing to 0 v and gradually changing toward the positive side. thereby, reset discharge occurs among all of the x-electrodes and the y-electrodes so that all of the cells become a uniform state. during the address period, as shown in x 2 of fig. 2 , the pulse applied to all x-electrodes maintains a predetermined positive voltage. meanwhile, the y-electrodes are successively applied with a scan pulse having a voltage of −vy. in synchronization with the application of the scan pulse of −vy, an address pulse having a voltage of va is applied to the address electrodes. thereby, address discharge occurs in the cells which have been simultaneously supplied with the scan pulse and the address pulse. during the sustain discharge period, the address electrodes are supplied with a pulse of 0 v. meanwhile, the x-electrodes and the y-electrodes are alternately applied with a sustain pulse having a voltage of vs. thereby, sustain discharge occurs in the cells where address discharges have occurred so that areas corresponding to the cells are lit for display. it is to be noted that the above-described embodiment of the present invention may also be applied to other configurations and waveforms besides the exemplary configuration and drive waveforms of the plasma display apparatus 100 shown in figs. 1 and 2 . that is, since the plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment relates to a methodology of fixing a plasma display panel 90 to an address driver module (not shown) having an address driver circuit 12 mounted thereon, the above-described embodiment of the present invention can be applied to, for example, other circuit configurations and drive waveforms. next, a configuration of components attached to a chassis 40 provided on a rear surface of a plasma display panel 9 of the plasma display apparatus 100 having the above-described circuit configuration is described. fig. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration from the chassis 40 side (rear side) of the plasma display panel 90 according to an embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 3 , a power supply circuit board 61 , a control circuit board 62 , an x-electrode driving circuit board 63 , and a y-electrode driving circuit board 64 are provided on a center part of the chassis 40 . further, plural address electrode drive control circuit boards 60 are arranged from top to bottom in the vicinity of the outer rim parts in a longitudinal direction of the chassis 40 . in the example shown in fig. 3 , three address electrode drive control circuit boards 60 are provided on each longitudinal side (upper side, lower side) of the chassis 4 . each address electrode drive control circuit board 60 is connected to the power supply circuit board 61 and the control circuit board 62 by connection wiring 70 . thereby, the address electrode drive control circuit board 60 receives power from the power supply circuit board 61 and control commands from the control circuit board 62 for driving the address electrodes a 1 -a 6 . plural address driver modules 10 are arranged at an outer peripheral rim part (rim part) of the upper and lower sides of the chassis 40 in a longitudinal direction of the plasma display panel 90 . the address driver module 10 includes a flexible board 11 having a driver circuit (not shown) including a driver ic (not shown) mounted thereon and a retaining board 13 for retaining a tip part of the flexible board 11 . the tip part of the flexible board 11 is configured as a connector part 15 for electrically connecting with the address electrode control circuit board 60 . the flexible board 11 is a wiring board having a flexible bending property. the flexible board 11 is made of, for example, a resin material such as polyimide. in addition to having a driver ic provided on the surface of the flexible board 11 , conductor wiring may also be provided for allowing its terminal part to be electrically connected with the driver ic. in fig. 3 , the address electrode drive control circuit board 60 and the address electrode(s) can be electrically connected, by connecting the connector part 15 of the flexible board 11 to the address electrode drive control circuit board 60 by fixing (e.g., crimping) a terminal part of an address electrode (not shown) provided at an outer rim part of a panel substrate (not shown) fixed (e.g., by using an adhesive) to a rear surface of the chassis 40 , to a terminal part of the flexible board 11 and bending the flexible board 11 toward the chassis 40 side. in a case of performing address discharge with the plasma display apparatus 100 having the foregoing configuration, controls signals are sent from the control circuit board 62 to each address electrode drive control circuit board 60 for enabling addresses to be selected by having each address electrode drive control circuit board 60 operate each address driver circuit 12 of the corresponding address driver modules 10 . in this case, as described above with reference to figs. 1 and 2 , displaying of the plasma display panel 90 is performed by determining the position of discharge cells by operating the y-electrode driving circuit board 64 and then performing sustain discharge by driving both the x-electrode drive circuit board 63 and the y-electrode drive circuit board 64 . since the x-electrode and the y-electrode are arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plasma display panel 90 , the driver ic, which supplies current to the x and y electrodes, is arranged along a rim part (left and right sides in fig. 3 ) with respect to a transverse direction of the plasma display panel 90 . meanwhile, since the address electrodes are arranged substantially parallel to the transverse direction of the plasma display panel 90 , the address driver modules 10 , which drive the address electrodes, are arranged along a rim part (upper and lower sides in fig. 3 ) with respect to the longitudinal direction of the plasma display panel 90 . it is to be noted that, in fig. 3 , although the address driver modules 10 are arranged on both the upper and lower sides of the plasma display panel 90 , the address driver modules 10 may alternatively be arranged on either one of the upper and lower sides depending on the number of electrodes. next, a method of fixing each address driver module 10 to the chassis 40 of the plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to fig. 4 . fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship between the address driver module 10 and the chassis 40 in a case of fixing a single address driver module 10 to the chassis 40 . fig. 4 shows where through-holes 41 are formed in a portion of the chassis 40 , and the panel substrate 30 constituting the plasma display panel 90 has its rear surface exposed. it is to be noted that “rear surface” according to an embodiment of the present invention refers to a non-display surface provided on the back side of plasma display panel 90 in a case where “front surface” refers to the front surface of the plasma display panel 90 . the panel substrate 30 is formed of, for example, glass. in such case, the material of the exposed part of the panel substrate 30 is also formed of glass. the plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has an attachment part 20 having one end fixed to the exposed part of the panel substrate 30 . further, the other end of the attachment part 20 is fixed to the retaining board 13 provided in the vicinity of the tip of the address driver module 10 by inserting corresponding screws 25 into two through-holes 14 of the retaining board 13 and fastening the screws 25 to the other end of the attachment part 20 . the address driver circuit 12 including, for example, a driver ic, is provided on the flexible board 11 of the address driver 10 . the tip of the flexible board 11 is formed as the connector part 15 . accordingly, in the plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is a target object by which the address driver modules 10 are uniformly fixed to the rear surface of the panel substrate 30 , for example, by having one end attached to the front surface rim part of the panel substrate 30 and the other end attached to the attachment part 20 . accordingly, the thermal deformation property received by the address driver modules 10 from the target object is substantially the same (uniform). in other words, in a case where the plasma display panel 90 is heated by discharge, the heat causes thermal expansion with respect to components surrounding the plasma display panel 90 and slightly deforms the components. for example, with reference to fig. 4 , both the panel substrate 30 and the chassis 40 supporting the panel substrate 30 thermally expand and deform. the heat directly affects the panel substrate 30 whereas the heat is indirectly transferred to the chassis 40 via, for example, double-face adhesive tape or an adhesive agent for adhering the panel substrate 30 . nevertheless, both the panel substrate 30 and the chassis 40 receive substantially the same amount of heat since the adhesive agent and the double-face adhesive tape have high thermal conductivity. in this embodiment of the present invention where the panel substrate 30 is made of glass and the chassis 40 made of aluminum, the thermal expansion coefficient of glass is 8.5 (×10 −6 /° c.) and the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum is 23 (×10 −6 /° c.). thus, the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum is approximately three times greater than that of glass. therefore, in a case where the plasma display panel 90 generates a large amount of heat, the chassis 40 made of aluminum deforms significantly whereas the panel substrate 30 made of glass deforms very little. in such a situation, since the attachment part 20 is fixed to the chassis 40 having a high thermal expansion coefficient, the space between the attachment parts 20 widens and the attachment parts 20 deform in a manner significantly shifting toward the outer side of the plasma display panel 90 . thus, a similar amount of stress is also applied to the retaining board 13 of the address driver module 10 . meanwhile, at the other end of the address driver module 10 , the flexible board 11 is directly fixed to the panel substrate 30 . thus, the stress received from the deformation of the panel substrate 30 is significantly smaller than that received from the deformation of the chassis 40 . this results in the generation of a force pulling the flexible board 11 away from the chassis 40 toward the outer side of the plasma display panel 90 as well as in the longitudinal direction of the plasma display panel 90 . therefore, the joint (connecting) parts between the address electrodes and the flexible board 11 are liable to break (fracture). furthermore, since aluminum has a high thermal expansion coefficient, the joint (connecting) parts between the attachment parts 20 and the retaining board 13 are also liable to break (fracture). therefore, in the plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the amount of deformation due to heat is reduced by fixing the attachment parts 20 to the panel substrate 30 made of a material having a low thermal expansion coefficient (e.g., glass). in addition, the stress applied to the target fixing object from the deformation can be made uniform by having the panel substrate 30 serve as the target fixing object of the address driver modules 10 , in other words, by fixing the address driver modules 10 to the same panel substrate 30 . accordingly, the address driver modules 10 can be prevented from breakage (fracture) due to heat. it is to be noted that various embodiments can be used for the attachment part 20 as long as it has a configuration (e.g., material or shape) capable of having one end of the attachment part 20 securely fixed to the panel substrate 30 (made of glass, for example) and the other end fixed to the address driver module 10 . for example, the material of the attachment part 20 may be brass, aluminum, and/or iron. further, in fig. 4 , the attachment part 20 is illustrated as having a circular cylindrical hollow body capable of, for example, receiving and having fastened a screw thereinto. nevertheless, the attachment part 20 may take other shapes as long as it can fix the address driver modules 10 and maintain a predetermined relationship between the address driver modules 10 and the chassis 40 . for example, the attachment part 20 may be shaped as a circular cylindrical solid having its upper part fixed (e.g., crimped or adhered) to the retaining board 1 of the address driver module 10 . in another example, the attachment part 20 may be formed with a square cross section and threaded at its center for fixing (fastening) with the screw 25 . in the embodiment shown in fig. 4 (also in below-described fig. 5 ), in addition to a circular hollow cylinder body, the attachment part 20 has a circular seat 21 provided at a part contacting the panel substrate 30 . the circular seat 21 of the attachment part 20 is formed wider than the cylinder body so that the area contacting the panel substrate 30 can be broadened, to thereby increase stability with respect to the panel substrate 30 . furthermore, although two attachment parts 20 are provided to a single address driver module 10 in the embodiment shown in fig. 4 , the number of attachment parts 20 provided to a single address driver module 10 may be altered according to usage. furthermore, the retaining board 13 may be made of a material having high heat conductivity (e.g., aluminum) so that the retaining board 13 can also serve as a heat sink. furthermore, the through-holes 14 formed in the retaining board 13 may have an elliptical shape for increasing resistance to stress in the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction). this reduces the risk of the retaining board 13 being broken (fractured) by the stress in the horizontal direction. it is to be noted that, although the retaining board 13 is used for easy attachment of the attachment parts 20 of the address driver module 10 , the retaining board 13 may be omitted, for example, in a case where the material of the flexible board 11 is improved for allowing the flexible board 11 to be directly fixed to the attachment parts 20 . fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part where the attachment part 20 is fixed to an exposed part of the panel substrate 30 . in fig. 5 , the panel substrate 30 including a front surface part 31 and a rear surface part 32 is fixed to the chassis 40 . it is to be noted that the panel substrate 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be adhesively fixed to the chassis 40 by using an adhesive agent or a double-face adhesive tape. a through-hole 41 is formed in the chassis 40 for exposing a portion of the rear surface part 32 . the attachment part 20 is fixed to (supported by) the exposed portion of the rear surface part 32 . the attachment part 20 has the circular seat 21 provided at its bottom part. the bottom of the circular seat 21 is fixed to the exposed portion (toward the chassis 40 ) of the rear surface part 32 by using, for example, an adhesive part 22 (e.g., double-face adhesive tape, adhesive agent). the attachment part 20 may be fixed to the exposed portion of the rear surface part 32 by using methods other than the above-described adhesive fixing method. fig. 6 shows an example of serially fixing adjacent address driver modules 10 of a plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 6 , two adjacent address driver modules 10 are provided where each address driver module 10 includes a flexible board 11 , a retaining board 13 , and a connector part 15 . further, through-holes 14 are formed in the retaining board 13 . further, through-holes 41 are formed in the chassis 40 . portions of the rear surface of the panel substrate 30 are exposed at the through-holes 41 . each attachment part 20 is fixed to a corresponding exposed portion of the panel substrate 30 . although the configuration of the plasma display apparatus 100 of fig. 6 is substantially the same as that of fig. 4 , the configuration of fig. 6 additionally shows a supporting board 50 that couples the retaining boards 13 of adjacent address driver modules 10 . the supporting board 50 includes a flat upper part 51 , a side part 52 , and a bottom part 53 . the side part 52 and the bottom part 53 form a u-shaped groove part. further, through-holes 54 are formed in the flat upper part 51 . the supporting board 50 is fixed to the retaining boards 13 by inserting the screw 25 through the through-hole 54 of the flat upper part 51 and the through-hole 14 of the retaining board 13 and fastening the screw 25 to the attachment part 20 . the bottom part 53 of the supporting board 50 is in contact with the chassis 40 . with such a configuration, the supporting board 50 serves to couple adjacent attachment parts 20 with each other and reinforce the attachment parts 20 . as shown in figs. 4-6 , the attachment parts 20 are formed with a relatively small size from the aspect of saving space and reducing cost. in such a case the area of the circular base 21 for fixing an attachment part 20 to the exposed portion of the panel substrate 30 is typically reduced. thus, in some cases, the fixing strength of the attachment part 20 may be insufficient. therefore, in the plasma display apparatus 100 according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the fixing strength of the attachment parts 20 can be reinforced by using the supporting board 50 for coupling adjacent attachment parts 20 together. more particularly, since the supporting board 50 couples the attachment parts 20 adjacently arranged in the longitudinal direction of the panel substrate 30 , resistance with respect to force applied in the longitudinal direction can be improved. in a case where the supporting board 50 is mostly used for reinforcement, the supporting board 50 may have a configuration other than a u-shape. for example, the supporting board 50 may simply be formed with a flat shape or a v-shape. furthermore, the supporting board 50 can also improve the heat releasing property (heat transferring property). since heat is also generated in the address driver modules 10 , the heat is required to be released (transferred). since the bottom part 53 of the supporting board 50 is in contact with the chassis 40 , the heat can be released (transferred) to the chassis 40 , for example, by forming the retaining board 13 and the supporting board 50 with a material having high heat conductivity (e.g., aluminum). in other words, the heat released from the retaining board 13 is transmitted to the flat upper part 51 of the supporting board 50 and released from the bottom part 53 of the supporting board 50 to the chassis 40 . as a result, the heat releasing property of the address driver module 10 can be improved. furthermore, the supporting board 50 can obtain a large ground area for strengthening ground wiring. since the bottom part 53 of the supporting board 50 is in contact with the chassis 40 , the ground area for ground wiring can be increased, for example, by forming the retaining board 50 and the supporting board 50 with a metal material having high electric conductivity (e.g., aluminum, iron). thereby, ground characteristics can be improved. it is to be noted that an electrically conductive gasket 80 may be provided between the bottom part 53 of the supporting board 50 and the chassis 40 . this not only increases the air tightness between the bottom part 53 and the chassis 40 , improves the heat releasing property, and strengthens ground characteristics, but also improves resistance against compressive load. thereby, the attachment parts 20 can be further reinforced. hence, by using the supporting board 50 to couple adjacent attachment parts 20 together, the plasma display apparatus 100 will not only have high heat resistance but will also have improved heat releasing characteristics and ground characteristics. fig. 7 is a side view of the plasma display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 7 , the panel substrate 30 including the front surface part 31 and the rear surface part 32 is fixed to the chassis 40 . it is to be noted that the panel substrate 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be adhesively fixed to the chassis 40 by using, for example, an adhesive part 40 (e.g., double-face adhesive tape, adhesive agent). the chassis 40 has the x-electrode drive circuit board 63 or the y-electrode drive circuit board 64 provided at a center part of its surface opposite to the panel substrate 30 . furthermore, the address electrode drive control circuit board 60 and the attachment part 20 are provided at a rim part of the chassis 40 . the attachment part 20 is fixed to a part where the through-hole 41 of the chassis 40 is formed, that is, the exposed portion of the rear surface part 32 . furthermore, address electrodes (not shown) and their terminal parts (not shown) are provided at a front rim part of the rear surface part 32 for connecting with the terminal parts of the flexible board 11 . the flexible board 11 is bent toward the chassis 40 and the retaining board 13 provided at the tip of the flexible board 11 is fixed to the attachment part 20 via the screw 25 . the connector part 15 at the tip part of the flexible board 11 is electrically connected to the address electrode drive control circuit board 60 . it is to be noted that the address driver circuit 12 including the address ic 12 a may be provided at an inner side of the bent flexible board 11 . accordingly, by having one end of the flexible board 11 of the address driver module 10 fixed to the rear surface part 32 and the other end also fixed to the rear surface part 32 via the attachment part 20 , the thermal expansion coefficient can be uniform. accordingly, the flexible board 11 and the its joint parts can be prevented from being broken (fractured) by a difference in the thermal expansion coefficients. furthermore, since the rear surface part 32 is usually formed of glass, the flexible board 11 can be fixed to a material having a low thermal expansion coefficient and the stress applied to the flexible board 11 can be reduced. accordingly, breakage and fracture can be prevented. fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the attachment part 20 of the plasma display apparatus 100 and a coupling part according to another embodiment of the present invention. in this case, a seat 55 is used as the coupling (fixing) part. in fig. 8 , a rectangular through-hole 41 a is formed in the chassis 40 . a portion of the panel substrate 30 is exposed in the rectangular through-hole 41 a . two attachment parts 20 are adjacently fixed to and coupled together by the seat 55 in the exposed portion of the panel substrate 30 . that is, the two adjacent attachment parts 20 are provided on the front side of the seat 55 while the panel substrate 30 is fixed (in this example, adhesively fixed) to the back side of the seat 55 . accordingly, since the adhesively contacting area between the adjacent attachment parts 20 and the panel substrate 30 is greater compared to fixing each of the attachment parts 20 to the panel substrate 30 , the attachment parts 20 can be fixed to the panel substrate 30 more securely and resistance against stress can be improved. as one example for fixing the attachment parts 20 to the seat 55 , holes can be formed in the seat 55 and the attachment parts 20 can be press fitted into the holes. this method may be used in a case where the seat 55 and the attachment parts 20 are made of different materials (e.g., a case where the seat 55 is made of aluminum or iron whereas the attachment parts 20 are made of brass). by using this method, the attachment parts 20 and the seat (coupling part) 55 can be formed as a united body. as another example, in a case where the seat 55 and the attachment parts 20 are made of the same material (e.g., iron), the seat 55 and the attachment parts 20 may be integrally molded from the beginning. accordingly, by providing the adjacent attachment parts 20 and the seat 55 serving as its coupling part at the exposed portion of the panel substrate 30 , the heat resistance of the address driver module 10 can be improved along with further strengthening the fixed relationship between the exposed portion of the panel substrate 30 and the attachment parts 20 . in the embodiment shown in fig. 8 , since the attachments parts 20 corresponding to a single address driver module 10 are coupled together, resistance against stress for each address driver module 10 can be improved. it is to be noted that, although fig. 8 shows an exemplary configuration of the address driver module 10 having a flexible board 11 , a retaining board 13 , and two through-holes 14 where screws 25 (not shown) are inserted and fastened to the through-holes 14 , the address driver module 10 may be fixed to the attachment parts 20 by using other methods. further, the attachment parts 20 may be formed, for example, in various shapes or with various materials. furthermore, as described above in the embodiment of fig. 4 , the address driver module 10 may be attached without using the retaining board 13 . next, a plasma display apparatus 100 b according to another embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to fig. 9 . fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the attachment part 20 of the plasma display apparatus 100 b and a coupling part (in this example, seat 56 ) according to another embodiment of the present invention. in the example shown in fig. 9 , an array of three address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c are arranged at an outer rim part of the chassis 40 while six adjacently arranged attachment parts 20 are provided on a single seat 56 in correspondence with the address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c . a through-hole 41 b having a size corresponding to the three address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c is formed in the chassis 40 , to thereby expose a part of the panel substrate 30 and fix the seat 56 and the six attachment parts 20 on the exposed part of the panel substrate 30 . thus, as shown in fig. 9 , plural attachments parts 20 corresponding to the plural adjacently arranged address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c can be coupled together by the seat 56 serving as a coupling part. accordingly, the seat 56 not only can serve to the position of a single address driver module 10 but can also reliably secure the positions of plural adjacently arranged address driver modules 10 . thereby, strong durability can be attained for the entire plasma display apparatus 10 b . further, by increasing the contacting area between the seat 56 and the panel substrate 30 , the panel substrate 30 can be supported and fixed more securely to the attachment parts 20 . various methods may be used to fix the seat 56 to the attachment parts 20 . for example, the attachment parts (e.g., brass) 20 may be pressingly fitted into plural holes formed in the seat 56 (e.g., aluminum or iron). in another example, both the seat 56 and the attachment parts 20 may be formed with the same material (e.g., iron) and integrally molded. although fig. 9 shows three address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c provided as a single block (set), the number of address driver modules provided as a single block is not limited to three. for example, five address driver modules may be provided as a single block. for example, in a 60 inch type plasma display apparatus 100 b to which 15 address driver modules 10 are provided on each of the upper and lower sides of the plasma display panel 90 of the plasma display apparatus 10 b , five blocks may be provided on each of the upper and lower sides where a single block has three address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c as shown in fig. 9 . by increasing the number of address driver modules 10 assigned to a single block, the number of blocks of the plasma display panel 90 can be reduced. accordingly, the steps of fixing the attachment parts 20 and the seat 56 to the exposed part of the panel substrate 30 can be reduced. thus, the number of address driver modules 10 assigned to a single block can be determined taking the above factors into consideration. furthermore, various methods may be used to fix the address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c to the attachment parts 20 . for example, corresponding retaining boards 13 a , 13 b , 13 c can be provided to the address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c and screws (not shown) for fastening or crimping the retaining boards 13 a , 13 b , 13 c to the attachment parts 20 can be used for fixing the address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c to the attachment parts 20 . other alternative methods besides using the retaining boards 13 a , 13 b , 13 c may also be used as long as the flexible board 11 a , 11 b , 11 c of the address driver modules 10 a , 10 b , 10 c can be fixed to the attachment parts 20 . next, a plasma display apparatus 100 c according to another embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to fig. 10 . fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a part for fixing a set of address driver modules 10 (hereinafter also referred to as “address driver module set”) in a plasma display apparatus 100 c using a seat 55 and a supporting board 50 as a coupling (connecting) part. in fig. 10 , through-holes 41 a are provided in the chassis 40 in correspondence with each address driver module set 10 . fig. 10 shows a configuration of the address driver module set 10 where two attachment parts 20 are fixed to corresponding exposed parts of the panel substrate 30 and coupled by the seat 55 . the seat 55 serves to increase the fixing strength between the attachment parts 20 and the panel substrate 30 and reinforce the attachment parts 20 . furthermore, in fig. 10 , adjacently arranged attachment parts 20 a , 20 b fixed to corresponding adjacently arranged address driver modules 10 a , 10 b of the address driver module set 10 are coupled by the supporting board 50 . the supporting board 50 serves to reinforce the adjacently arranged attachment parts 20 a , 20 b and to increase the coupling strength between the address driver modules 10 a , 10 b . thereby, a strong durability can be attained for the entire plasma display apparatus 100 c . in the configuration shown in fig. 10 , the chassis 40 remains provided between the adjacent address driver modules 10 a , 10 b without being removed by the through-hole 41 . therefore, by using a metal material having high electrical and thermal conductivity (e.g., aluminum) for the supporting board 50 and forming a bottom part 53 (a part of the supporting board 50 contacting the chassis 40 ) into a u-shape, the supporting board 50 can strengthen ground characteristics and improve heat releasing property as described above with fig. 6 . by using both the seat 55 and the supporting board 50 as the coupling part, resistance against stress for each address driver module (including address driver modules 10 a , 10 b ) of the address driver module set 10 can be improved by increasing the fixing strength between the attachment parts 20 and the panel substrate 30 via the seat 55 . in addition, ground characteristics and heat releasing property can be improved by increasing the coupling strength between adjacently arranged address driver modules 10 a , 10 b with the supporting board 50 . it is to be noted that an electrically conductive gasket 80 may be provided between the bottom part 53 of the supporting board 50 and the chassis 40 . furthermore, retaining boards 13 may be used for fixing the address driver modules 10 to the attachment parts 20 by fastening the address driver modules 10 to the attachment parts 20 via through-holes 14 , 54 formed in the retaining boards 13 . as described above, other alternative methods may be used for fixing the address driver module 10 to the attachment parts 20 . hence, with the plasma display apparatus according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the resistance against, for example, heat of the address driver modules can be improved. further, the address driver module are fixed to a panel substrate having both ends formed of the same material, so that the amount of deformation in the ends are substantially the same in a case where thermal expansion occurs. thus, the amount of stress applied to the address driver module can be reduced. further, the attachment parts can be reinforced and the fixing strength between the attachment parts and the panel substrate can be increased by coupling adjacently arranged attachment parts. moreover, with the plasma display apparatus according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, a seat is used as the coupling part having a front surface to which one or more adjacent attachment parts are attached and a rear surface to which the panel substrate is fixed (e.g., adhesively fixed). thereby, the fixing and supporting strength between the attachment parts and the panel substrate can be increased and resistance against stress in the direction substantially parallel to the rim part (outer side) of the panel substrate. furthermore, the seat according to an embodiment of the present invention may couple adjacently arranged attachment parts corresponding to a single address driver module. thereby, the attaching strength of each address driver module can be increased. the seat according to an embodiment of the present invention may couple adjacent attachment parts corresponding to plural adjacently arranged address driver modules. thereby, the coupling strength of the adjacently arranged address driver modules. moreover, with the plasma display apparatus according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the address driver module may have a retaining board provided at the vicinity of a front tip portion thereof, and the retaining board may be fixed to the attachment parts. thereby, the fixing strength between the address driver modules and the panel substrate can be increased. further, a material having high heat conductivity may be used for the retaining board, to thereby improve heat releasing property. further, the attachment parts according to an embodiment of the present invention may be formed in a cylindrical shape. thereby, the address driver module can be suitably spaced apart from the panel substrate, and the attachment part can be formed having a threaded configuration. moreover, with the plasma display apparatus according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the retaining board may include elliptical holes arranged in a longitudinal direction of the panel substrate so that the retaining board can be fixed to the attachment parts by fastening the attachment parts and corresponding elliptical holes with screws. by fixing the address driver module to the attachment parts in such a manner, resistance against stress in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the panel substrate can be improved in a case where the address driver module is provided above and below the panel substrate. further, the coupling part according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a supporting board coupling adjacently arranged address driver modules. thereby, the coupling strength between adjacent driver modules can be directly increased by corresponding flexible boards instead of by the attachment parts. further, the supporting board according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a bottom part and a side part that form a u-shape, in which the bottom part contacts the chassis or the coupling part. thereby, the supporting board not only serves to couple adjacent flexible boards but also to reinforce the address driver modules with respect to the vertical (upper/lower) direction of the attachment part. furthermore, the supporting board according to an embodiment of the present invention may be formed of a metal material, in which the bottom part of the supporting board contacts the chassis. this improves ground characteristics owing to the increased ground area with respect to the chassis. this also improves heat releasing property with respect to the chassis, to thereby improve the heat releasing property of the address drive module. furthermore, the bottom part of the supporting board according to an embodiment of the present invention may contact the chassis or the panel substrate via a gasket. thereby, reinforcing strength of the attachment parts, the ground characteristics, and the heat releasing property can be further improved. further, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. the present application is based on japanese priority application no. 2007-145518 filed on may 31, 2007, with the japanese patent office, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
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020-713-136-446-526
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
H02P9/10,H02P11/00,G05B11/28,H02H7/06,H02P1/00,H02P1/46,H02P9/00,H02P23/00
| 2011-04-13T00:00:00 |
2011
|
[
"H02",
"G05"
] |
double fed induction generator converter and method for suppressing transient in deactivation of crowbar circuit for grid fault ridethrough
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a double fed induction generator (dfig) system and controller are presented in which the rotor side converter is preloaded with one or more initial values for resuming regulated operation to counteract transients upon deactivation of the crowbar protection circuit to provide grid fault ride through.
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1 . a power conversion system for a double fed induction generator (dfig), comprising: a rotor connection including a plurality of electrical connections coupleable to rotor leads of the dfig; a stator connection including a plurality of electrical connections coupleable to stator leads of the dfig; a dc circuit with at least one capacitance; a first converter circuit coupled with the rotor connection and with the dc circuit and comprising a first rectifier circuit and a first switching circuit; a second converter circuit coupled with the stator connection and with the dc circuit and comprising a second rectifier circuit and a second switching circuit; a protection circuit coupled with the rotor connection and operative in a first mode to connect a protection load to the rotor connection to conduct current from the rotor leads of the dfig to protect the first converter circuit and in a second mode to disconnect the protection load from the rotor connection; and a first switching controller comprising at least one rotor outer loop regulator operative to generate at least one rotor outer loop regulator output and a pulse width modulation component operative to provide rotor switching control signals to operate the first switching circuit at least partially according to the at least one rotor outer loop regulator output in a first mode to provide power from the rotor connection to the dc circuit, and a preload component operative to determine at least one rotor outer loop regulator output preload value based at least partially on at least one stator current value of the dfig and to provide the first switching controller with the at least one rotor outer loop regulator output preload value to begin regulation when the protection circuit is switched from the first mode to the second mode. 2 . the power conversion system of claim 1 , where the preload component is operative to selectively change a sign of the at least one stator current value of the dfig based at least partially on a direction of a grid voltage disturbance. 3 . the power conversion system of claim 2 , where the preload component is operative to change the sign of the at least one stator current value of the dfig when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence. 4 . the power conversion system of claim 3 , where the preload component is operative to leave the sign of the at least one stator current value of the dfig unchanged when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag clearance. 5 . the power conversion system of claim 4 , where the preload component is operative to determine a d-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value and a q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value based at least partially on a d-axis stator current value and a q-axis stator current value of the dfig, and to provide the first switching controller with the d-axis and q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload values to begin regulation when the protection circuit is switched from the first mode to the second mode. 6 . the power conversion system of claim 5 , where the preload component is operative to change the signs of both the d-axis stator current value and the q-axis stator current value of the dfig when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence, and to leave the signs of the d-axis stator current value and the q-axis stator current value unchanged when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag clearance. 7 . the power conversion system of claim 3 , where the preload component is operative to determine a d-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value and a q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value based at least partially on a d-axis stator current value and a q-axis stator current value of the dfig, and to provide the first switching controller with the d-axis and q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload values to begin regulation when the protection circuit is switched from the first mode to the second mode. 8 . the power conversion system of claim 7 , where the preload component is operative to change the signs of both the d-axis stator current value and the q-axis stator current value of the dfig when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence. 9 . the power conversion system of claim 3 : where the first converter circuit is operative in the first mode to provide power from the rotor connection to the dc circuit and in a second mode to provide power from the dc circuit to the rotor connection; and where the second converter circuit is operative in a first mode to provide power from the dc circuit to the stator connection and in a second mode to provide power from the stator connection to the dc circuit. 10 . the power conversion system of claim 2 , where the preload component is operative to determine a d-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value and a q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value based at least partially on a d-axis stator current value and a q-axis stator current value of the dfig, and to provide the first switching controller with the d-axis and q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload values to begin regulation when the protection circuit is switched from the first mode to the second mode. 11 . the power conversion system of claim 10 , where the preload component is operative to change the signs of both the d-axis stator current value and the q-axis stator current value of the dfig when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence. 12 . the power conversion system of claim 2 : where the first converter circuit is operative in the first mode to provide power from the rotor connection to the dc circuit and in a second mode to provide power from the dc circuit to the rotor connection; and where the second converter circuit is operative in a first mode to provide power from the dc circuit to the stator connection and in a second mode to provide power from the stator connection to the dc circuit. 13 . the power conversion system of claim 1 : where the first converter circuit is operative in the first mode to provide power from the rotor connection to the dc circuit and in a second mode to provide power from the dc circuit to the rotor connection; and where the second converter circuit is operative in a first mode to provide power from the dc circuit to the stator connection and in a second mode to provide power from the stator connection to the dc circuit. 14 . a control system for operating a dual stage converter for a double fed induction generator (dfig) having first and second converter circuits and an intermediate dc circuit between the first and second converter circuits, the control system comprising: a first switching controller comprising at least one rotor outer loop regulator operative to generate at least one rotor outer loop regulator output and a pulse width modulation component operative to provide rotor switching control signals to operate the first converter circuit at least partially according to the at least one rotor outer loop regulator output in a first mode to provide power from a rotor of the dfig to the dc circuit and in a second mode to provide power from the dc circuit to the rotor a second switching controller operative to provide a second set of switching control signals to operate the second converter circuit in a first mode to provide power from the dc circuit to a grid and in a second mode to provide power from the grid to the dc circuit; and a preload component operative to determine at least one rotor outer loop regulator output preload value based at least partially on at least one stator current value of the dfig and to provide the first switching controller with the at least one rotor outer loop regulator output preload value to begin regulation when a protection circuit is switched from a first mode in which a protection load is connected to the rotor of the dfig to conduct current from the rotor leads to protect the first converter circuit to a second mode in which the protection load is disconnected from the rotor of the dfig. 15 . the control system of claim 14 , where the preload component is operative to selectively change a sign of the at least one stator current value of the dfig based at least partially on a direction of a grid voltage disturbance. 16 . the control system of claim 15 , where the preload component is operative to change the sign of the at least one stator current value of the dfig when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence and to leave the sign of the at least one stator current value of the dfig unchanged when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag clearance. 17 . the control system of claim 16 , where the preload component is operative: to determine a d-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value and a q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value based at least partially on a d-axis stator current value and a q-axis stator current value of the dfig; to change the signs of both the d-axis stator current value and the q-axis stator current value of the dfig when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence; to leave the signs of the d-axis stator current value and the q-axis stator current value unchanged when the protection circuit is switched from the second mode to the first mode in response to a grid voltage sag clearance; and to provide the first switching controller with the d-axis and q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload values to begin regulation when the protection circuit is switched from the first mode to the second mode. 18 . a method for operating a dual stage converter for a double fed induction generator (dfig) having first and second converter circuits and an intermediate dc circuit therebetween, the method comprising: activating a protection circuit to connect a protection load to a rotor of the dfig to conduct current from rotor leads to protect the first converter circuit in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence or a grid voltage sag clearance; monitoring at least one stator current value of the dfig while the protection circuit is activated; determining at least one rotor outer loop regulator output preload value based at least partially on the at least one stator current value while the protection circuit is activated; and preloading the at least one rotor outer loop regulator output preload value to at least one rotor outer loop regulator to begin regulation of the dfig when the protection circuit is deactivated. 19 . the method of claim 18 , comprising: changing the sign of the at least one stator current value when the protection circuit is activated in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence; and leaving the sign of the at least one stator current value unchanged when the protection circuit is activated in response to a grid voltage sag clearance. 20 . the method of claim 19 , where determining the at least one rotor outer loop regulator output preload value comprises: selectively changing the signs of both a d-axis stator current value and a q-axis stator current value of the dfig when the protection circuit is activated in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence; leaving the signs of the d-axis stator current value and the q-axis stator current value unchanged when the protection circuit is activated in response to a grid voltage sag clearance; and determining a d-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value and a q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload value based at least partially on the d-axis stator current value and the q-axis stator current value of the dfig.
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background wind energy systems are quickly becoming a popular form of power generation technology, and ongoing development is directed to providing wind-generated power to electrical grids. power conversion systems are needed to adapt mechanical power generated by wind turbines to ac electric power in a form compatible with the grid. one type of conversion apparatus used in wind energy conversion systems (wecss) is a double fed induction generator (dfig) with a rotor driven by a turbine through a gearbox to supply power to a grid via stator connections. the dfig rotor windings are connected to the grid via a back-to-back converter system having a rotor side converter connected between the rotor windings and a dc circuit, along with a grid side converter connected between the dc circuit and the grid. the system operates with the back-to-back converter drawing power from or supplying power to the rotor depending on the relationship of the rotor speed to the desired grid frequency. the system provides power to the grid via the stator windings with the rotor frequency often deviating from a nominal corresponding to the grid frequency. the back-to-back converter controls the rotor currents to adjust the active and reactive power fed to the grid from the stator independently of the rotor speed, and the dfig generator is able to both import and export reactive power. this capability is advantageous in grid-tied systems as the dfig system can be operated to support the grid during severe voltage disturbances (grid voltage sag conditions). this architecture also allows the generator to remain synchronized with the grid while the wind turbine speed changes, where variable speed wind turbines use the energy of the wind more efficiently than fixed speed turbines. dfig converters essentially operate in one of two modes, depending on the rotating speed of the rotor. for rotor speeds below the nominal rotational speed, some of the stator power is fed to the rotor via the converters, with the grid side converter stage operating as a rectifier to supply power to the intermediate circuit and the rotor side converter inverting the dc power to power the rotor windings. when the rotor speed is above the nominal value, rotor currents are used to power the intermediate circuit, and the grid side converter operates as an inverter to supply power to the grid. the dfig generator is typically constructed with significantly more rotor windings than stator windings such that the rotor currents are lower than the stator currents, allowing the use of a relatively small back-to-back converter, where the converter components are typically sized for operation within a certain rotor speed range. however, the dfig rotor voltages are consequently higher than the stator and grid voltages, and thus the rotor side converter and intermediate circuit are particularly susceptible to voltage transients caused by grid disturbances. dfigs therefore typically include a crowbar circuit connected to the rotor windings, which can activate a load to conduct rotor currents in the event of grid faults. as wecss become more prevalent, utility operators must ensure the reliability and efficiency of the power system, including compliance with grid connection codes applicable to distributed generators including wind power generators. one such requirement is the capability of wecss to ride-through grid fault conditions without internal damage, while also providing some measure of remedial action to support the grid. crowbar circuits are activated and the switches of the rotor side converter stage are opened upon detection of grid faults to protect the rotor and converter components from excessive voltage spikes. however, the crowbar circuit needs to be deactivated while the grid fault continues, in order to allow the dfig system to begin active regulation to prop up the grid to meet regulatory specifications for grid-tied operation. in this regard, restarting the rotor side converter allows provision of reactive current to the grid during the remainder of voltage sag type grid faults to help the grid to recover from the fault. however, voltage spikes caused by crowbar deactivation can prevent or hinder the ability to restart regulated operation of the back-to-back converter. u.s. pat. no. 7,164,562 to virtanen, issued jan. 16, 2007 attempts to solve this problem by using the rotor side converter switches to short-circuit the ac side of the converter to facilitate commutation of the crowbar protective switch so that normal operation can be resumed quickly after a failure situation. this approach, however, requires complicated converter control switching. ep 1 965 075 a1, published sep. 3, 2008 describes a crowbar with multiple branches allowing control of rotor current with different strategies according to crowbar voltage, stator current, rotor current or dc-link voltage by sequential deactivation of the crowbar branches so that the rotor voltage is kept low enough that no current circulates towards dc-link intermediate circuit. this approach, however, requires extensive additional hardware and increases the cost and complexity of dfig systems. accordingly, there is a need for improved dfig converters and techniques for wind energy systems by which energy derived from wind-driven machines can be converted to grid power while providing grid fault ride through capabilities with the ability to restart regulation for grid support after deactivation of a protective crowbar circuit. summary of invention various aspects of the present invention are now summarized to facilitate a basic understanding of the invention, wherein this summary is not an extensive overview of the invention, and is intended neither to identify certain elements of the invention, nor to delineate the scope thereof. rather, the primary purpose of this summary is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form prior to the more detailed description that is presented hereinafter. the present disclosure provides dfig power conversion systems and control techniques in which the rotor side converter is preloaded with one or more initial values for resuming regulated operation so as to counteract transients upon deactivation of the crowbar protection circuit to facilitate ride through of grid faults. in certain illustrated embodiments, the output of an outer loop (power regulation loop) pi regulator is preloaded with initial values when crowbar is turned off, where the initial values are calculated according to steady-state relationships and sensed or measured stator current, with the sign of the stator current used in the computations being adjusted based on the polarity or direction of the voltage disturbance. by this operation, the system resumes regulation for helping to prop up a faulted grid and can also reset itself if the crowbar circuit is again activated upon grid sag clearance. in accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure, a dfig system and a controller therefor are provided, in which a protection circuit is coupled with the rotor connection and operates in a first mode to connect a protection load to conduct current from the rotor leads of the dfig to protect a first (rotor side) converter circuit and in a second mode to disconnect the protection load. a switching controller is provided, which has one or more rotor outer loop regulators and a pulse width modulation (pwm) component to provide rotor switching control signals to operate the rotor side converter. a preload component determines one or more preload values according to a stator current value and provides the switching controller with the preload value(s) to begin regulation when the protection circuit is deactivated. in certain embodiments, the preload component selectively changes the sign of the stator current value according to the direction of a grid voltage disturbance. for instance, the preload component changes the stator current sign when the protection circuit is activated in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence, and leaves the stator current sign unchanged if the protection circuit is activated in response to a grid voltage sag clearance. in this manner, the rotor side regulation is resumed in a manner that counteracts the direction of the particular voltage disturbance. in certain embodiments, moreover, the preload component determines d-axis and q-axis preload values for the rotor outer loop regulation according to d-axis and q-axis stator current values, in which case the signs of both the d-axis and q-axis stator current values are changed when the protection circuit was activated in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence. a method is provided for operating a dual stage dfig converter in accordance with further aspects of the disclosure. the method involves activating a protection circuit to connect a load to the dfig rotor, as well as monitoring at least one stator current value and/or stator voltage while the protection circuit is activated. the method further includes determining one or more rotor converter outer loop regulator output preload values based at least partially on the stator current value, and preloading the value to a rotor outer loop regulator to begin regulation of the dfig when the protection circuit is deactivated. certain embodiments of the method also include selectively changing the sign of the stator current value or values when the protection circuit is activated in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence. in certain embodiments, moreover, the method includes selectively changing the signs of both d-axis and q-axis stator current values when the protection circuit is activated in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence, and determining d-axis and q-axis rotor outer loop regulator output preload values based at least partially on the d-axis and q-axis stator current values of the dfig. brief description of the drawings the following description and drawings set forth certain illustrative implementations of the disclosure in detail, which are indicative of several exemplary ways in which the various principles of the disclosure may be carried out. the illustrated examples, however, are not exhaustive of the many possible embodiments of the disclosure. other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wind driven dfig power conversion system with a preloader to provide one or more preload values for outer loop rotor regulation upon crowbar circuit deactivation in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure; fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating further details of a back-to-back converter and crowbar protection circuit in the system of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating further details of an exemplary dfig converter controller in the system of figs. 1 and 2 ; fig. 4 is a graph illustrating exemplary current waveforms for operation of the crowbar protection circuit without preloading rotor control values; fig. 5 is a graph illustrating a grid voltage sag type fault and exemplary fault detection and crowbar activation signals in the system of figs. 1-3 ; figs. 6 and 7 are partial simplified schematic diagrams illustrating exemplary d-axis and q-axis rotor outer loop regulators and a preload component that computes and provides regulator initial values for resuming rotor regulation when the crowbar circuit is deactivated following a grid sag occurrence and a sag clearance, respectively; and figs. 8 and 9 provide a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of operating a dual stage dfig converter in accordance with further aspects of the disclosure. detailed description of the invention referring now to the figures, several embodiments or implementations of the present invention are hereinafter described in conjunction with the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout, and wherein the various features are not necessarily drawn to scale. referring initially to figs. 1-3 , figs. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary wind energy converter (wec) or wind energy system (wes) 2 with a double fed induction generator (dfig) conversion system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. the system 2 includes a turbine 10 with a pitch drive 20 providing rotational mechanical power p mech to drive a gear box 30 with an output shaft mechanically coupled to a rotor 42 of a dfig generator 40 with a stator 44 . the rotor 42 provides rotor windings 42 a (single or multi-phase) for transfer of ac power between the rotor 42 and a back-to-back dfig converter 100 . the stator 44 has windings 44 a coupled to an ac grid 50 through a circuit breaker 108 (k 1 ) and a transformer 52 . the dfig 40 is coupled to the dfig converter 100 via a rotor connection 102 of the converter 100 that includes single or multiphase electrical connections coupleable to the rotor leads 42 a, as well as a stator connection 104 including electrical connections coupleable to the stator leads 44 a. the converter 100 includes a grid connection 106 and may, but need not, include the transformer 52 . in the illustrated embodiments, an internal connection is provided between the transformer lines at the grid connection 106 , the circuit breaker 108 and a converter output filter 180 formed by line inductors l g or an lcl filter. as best seen in fig. 2 , the converter 100 is a back-to-back structure with a first (rotor side) converter circuit 140 coupled between the rotor connection 102 and a dc intermediate circuit 142 providing a dc bus with a capacitance c. as further shown in fig. 2 , the exemplary first converter circuit 140 includes a three-phase rectifier circuit including diodes d 1 -d 6 and a first switching circuit with corresponding switching devices s 1 -s 6 (e.g., igbts or other suitable switching devices) coupled between the rotor leads 42 a and the dc bus terminals of the intermediate circuit 142 . a second (grid side) converter circuit 160 is coupled between the stator connection 104 (via the breaker 108 and filter 180 ) and the dc circuit 142 , and includes a second rectifier circuit with rectifier diodes d 7 -d 12 and a second switching circuit with switches s 7 -s 12 (e.g., igbts or other suitable switching devices). the converter 100 operates in dual mode fashion with the rotor side converter circuit 140 providing power from the rotor connection 102 to the dc circuit 142 in a first mode and providing power from the dc circuit 142 to the rotor connection 102 in a second mode, with the switches s 1 -s 6 being operated as a switching inverter. in the first mode, the grid side converter circuit 160 operates as an inverter to provide power from the dc circuit 142 to the stator connection 104 via switches s 7 -s 12 and in the second mode, the circuit 160 rectifies power from the stator connection 104 to charge the dc circuit 142 , where the rectifiers d 7 -d 12 and the igbts work together to allow bidirectional power flow in the second (pwm switching) mode and the diodes d 7 -d 12 act as freewheeling paths to the igbts s 7 -s 12 . the operational mode of the illustrated converter 100 is set according to the rotor speed, with current from the rotor windings 42 a being used in the first mode to power the intermediate circuit 42 and the grid side converter operating as an inverter to supply power to the grid when the rotor speed is above the nominal value corresponding to the grid frequency. in the second mode for rotor speeds below the nominal rotational speed, a portion of the stator power is fed to the rotor 42 via the converter circuits 140 , 160 , with the grid side circuit 160 operating as a rectifier to supply power to the intermediate circuit 42 and the rotor side circuit 140 inverting the dc power provided to the rotor windings 42 a. to prevent damage to the rotor side converter 140 , a protection circuit 120 is connected to the rotor lines 42 a and when activated by a crowbar activation signal 122 connects a protection load to the rotor circuit to conduct current from the rotor leads 42 a to protect the rotor side converter circuit 140 . in a second mode (deactivated) mode, the protection load is disconnected from the rotor circuit to allow normal operation of the converter 100 . any form of protection circuit can be used which selectively connects or disconnects a load from one or more of the rotor lines, such as a crowbar circuit with or without a rectifier. in the embodiment of fig. 2 , the crowbar protection circuit 120 includes a three phase rectifier diode bridge having six diodes connected between the rotor lines and a dc circuit, where the dc side of the protection circuit 120 includes a resistive load in series with a switch. the switch of the crowbar protection circuit 120 is operated according to an externally provided crowbar activation signal 122 , in one embodiment, provided by a converter controller 200 . in certain embodiments, the system 100 includes a fault detection circuit 150 ( fig. 1 ) that provides a fault detect signal 152 which can be used to trigger activation of the protection circuit 120 , and the control system 200 may include crowbar control logic 218 ( fig. 3 ) for activating and deactivating the crowbar circuit 120 based in whole or in part on the fault detect signal 152 . the converter 100 includes a converter control system 200 with a rotor side control component 210 and a grid side control component 220 , as well as a preload component 212 . in certain implementations, the control system 200 may have inputs for receiving a fault detect signal 152 , feedback signals or values from one or more system sensors (not shown), and other information, data, etc., which may be in any suitable form such as an electrical signal, digital data, etc., and which may be received from any suitable source, such as an external network, switches, a user interface associated with the system 100 , or other suitable source(s). the control system 200 and the components thereof may be any suitable form of hardware, processor-executed software, processor-executed firmware, logic, or combinations thereof that are adapted to implement the functions illustrated and described herein. in operation, the control system 200 operates the back-to-back converter stages 140 and 160 and the protection circuit 120 by providing control signals or values, with the rotor side control component 210 providing rotor switching control signals 211 to operate the rotor side converter switches s 1 -s 6 and the grid side control component 220 providing switching control signals 221 to the switches s 7 -s 12 of the second converter stage 160 . fig. 3 illustrates details of an exemplary dfig converter controller 200 in the system 100 , including rotor and grid side portions 210 and 220 , respectively, where command or setpoint values are indicated with an asterisk, ‘d’ and ‘q’ subscriptions denote d-axis and q-axis of the selected synchronous frame, respectively, stator-related variables are indicated with the subscript “s” and rotor variables are indicated with “r”. in the diagram of fig. 3 , moreover, circles indicate summing junctions, current variables are indicated “i”, voltages are indicated “v”, active (real) power is indicated as “p”, reactive power is indicated as “q”, torque is indicated as “t”, angles are indicated as “⊖”, inductance values are indicated as “l”, and rotational speeds or frequencies are indicated as “ω”. the rotor side controller 210 provides outer loop control regulators 214 and 216 for the “q” and “d” axis rotor currents and these outer loop regulators generate regulator outputs i qr * and i dr *, respectively. in certain embodiments, the control regulators 214 and 216 are proportional/integral (pi) controllers, although not a strict requirement of the disclosure. the regulator output values i qr * and i dr * are then used as control setpoints for inner loop control via inner loop regulators 215 and 217 to ultimately provide inputs to a pulse width modulation (pwm) component 219 (e.g., including suitable driver circuitry) that provides the rotor side switching control signals 211 to operate the first switching circuit s 1 -s 6 . thus, the rotor side converter circuit 140 is pulse width modulated by the controller 210 for inverter operation at least partially according to the regulator outputs i dr * and i qr * in the first mode to provide power from the rotor connection 102 to the dc circuit 142 . the control components 140 and 160 receive various input values from feedback sensors (e.g., sensed grid, rotor, stator, and intermediate dc current and/or voltage values i g , v g , i grid , v grid , i r , i s , v s , v dc , etc.) as well as values derived from sensor signals in the system 100 and inputs from the turbine system (e.g., wind velocity v wind ). in the illustrated embodiment, the rotor side controller 210 provides output loop regulation of a desired dfig output power (e.g., stator active power p s ), or may regulate the dfig rotor speed and/or torque (e.g., ω r , t e ) via the q-axis pi regulator 214 to provide an inner loop q-axis rotor current setpoint value i qr * and regulates reactive stator power (e.g., q s ) by providing a q-axis rotor current setpoint i dr * using the outer loop d-axis pi regulator 216 . the inner loop regulators 215 and 217 regulate the current about these setpoints i qr *, i dr * based on q-axis and d-axis feedback values derived from the sensed rotor current i r converted from three phase sensed current values into q and d-axis values via a three-phase to dq reference frame converter component (abc→dq). the outputs of the inner loop pi regulators 215 and 217 provide voltage outputs that are offset and used as inputs to the pwm switch driver circuit 219 which generates pulse width modulated switch control signals 211 used to operate the rotor control switches s 1 -s 6 based on the slip angle ⊖ sl and the voltage of the dc intermediate circuit 142 (v dc ), where the slip angle ⊖ sl is the difference between stator angle and the rotor angle. the rotor side controller 210 also includes a preload component 212 that receives the crowbar activation signal 122 and selectively provides outer loop regulator output preload value i qr *, i dr * to the outer loop regulators 214 and 216 to facilitate resumption of rotor side regulation when the crowbar circuit 120 is deactivated. fig. 4 provides a graph 300 showing exemplary current waveforms in operation of the crowbar circuit 120 in response to a detected grid sag event, without operation of the preload circuit 212 . a curve 122 shows an active-low crowbar activation signal generated by the rotor side controller 210 in response to a grid voltage sag fault signal 152 provided by the fault detection circuit 150 ( fig. 1 ) based on monitoring the grid voltage v grid . when the fault is detected, the crowbar signal 122 goes low to turn on the protection circuit 120 , thereby connecting the circuit load to the rotor windings 42 a. this causes a crowbar current 306 to flow in the crowbar load path. the graph 300 also shows rotor and stator current waveforms 302 and 304 , respectively, with the stator current 304 increasing in amplitude due to the effects of the grid fault, and with the rotor current transitioning from the pre-fault sinusoidal wave shape to a disrupted waveform due to activation of the crowbar circuit 120 . it is noted in fig. 4 that subsequent deactivation of the crowbar protection circuit (crowbar activation signal goes high again) leads to a positive spike 304 a in the stator current curve, as well as a negative spike 302 a in the rotor current caused by the deactivation of crowbar circuit 120 . absent remedial measures, the rotor side controller 210 would be unable to resume regulated operation due to these disturbances upon deactivation of the crowbar circuit, and thus the system 100 would be unable to help remedy the detected grid fault. as shown in fig. 5 , the control system 200 actuates the crowbar circuit 120 for a short period both when a grid voltage sag occurs and again when the voltage sag is cleared, in order to protect the rotor side controller 210 . graph 400 in this figure shows the grid voltage 402 which sags, causing the fault detection circuit 150 ( fig. 1 ) to activate the fault detect signal 152 . in response, the controller 200 asserts the crowbar activation signal 122 (active low) for a first activation time period t cb — on 1 , such as for a few hundred milliseconds, after which the crowbar circuit 120 is deactivated. also, upon detecting clearance of the grid voltage sag, the fault detect signal 152 goes low and the controller 200 again activates the crowbar circuit 120 for a second time period t cb — on 2 , after which the crowbar circuit 120 is again deactivated. referring also to figs. 6 and 7 , the preload component 212 of the rotor side controller 210 helps to counteract the adverse effects of the grid voltage disturbances occurring when the crowbar circuit 120 is deactivated (e.g., at the ends of the activation time periods t cb — on 1 and t cb — on 2 in fig. 5 ), thereby allowing resumption of the ability of the rotor side controller 210 to regulate the dfig operation. the preload component 212 in the illustrated embodiments determines one or more rotor outer loop regulator output preload values (d and q-axis preload values i dr * and i qr * in the illustrated example) based at least in part on one or more stator current values (e.g., i ds and i qs ). the preload component 212 provides these to the rotor side controller 210 to begin regulating once the protection circuit 120 is switched from the active mode to the deactivated mode. the inventors have appreciated that one or more preload values computed according to known dfig system parameters and sensed feedback values including the stator current i s can be advantageously employed to facilitate resumption of dfig control by the rotor side controller 210 , even in the presence of post crowbar deactivation rotor and stator current and voltage disturbances exemplified in fig. 4 . in operation of the illustrated embodiment, the normal (e.g., steady state) rotor regulation relationships for the generation of d and q-axis rotor current setpoint values i* dr and i* qr by the outer loop regulators 214 and 216 in the rotor side controller 210 are given by the following equation (1): where i* qr is the q-axis rotor current setpoint, i* dr is the d-axis rotor current setpoint, i qr is the q-axis rotor current, i dr is the d-axis rotor current, i qs is the q-axis stator current, i ds is the d-axis stator current, v qs is the q-axis stator voltage, v ds is the d-axis stator voltage, r s is the stator resistance, l m is the dfig mutual inductance, l s the dfig stator inductance, and ω e is the dfig stator/grid frequency. this general equation is for a stator voltage orientation scheme, where the rotating reference frame aligned with q-axis stator voltage and the d-axis stator voltage v ds is 0 (for a stator flux orientation scheme, v ds is close to 0). the general expression of equation (1) can be simplified to several alternatives. for example, the following equation (2) shows a simplification in which the d-axis stator voltage v ds is ignored: in another example, the following equation (3) shows a simplification in which the stator resistance r s is ignored: ignoring the dfig mutual leakage inductance l m yields the following further simplification in equation (4): in accordance with the present disclosure, the operation of the rotor side regulator is modified when the protection circuit 120 is switched from the active to the deactivated state by providing precalculated initial values for the setpoint outputs of the outer loop regulators 214 and 216 . in the illustrated system, the preload component 212 calculates these preload values according to the dfig stator current values i ds , i qs derived by abc→dq conversion of measured multiphase stator current values. moreover, in certain embodiments, the preload component 212 selectively changes the sign of at least one stator current value i ds , i qs of the dfig 40 based at least partially on a direction of a grid voltage disturbance. as seen in the embodiment of figs. 6 and 7 , for example, the preload component 212 changes the sign of the stator current values i ds , i qs using the general expression of equation (1) above (at the end of t cb — on 1 in fig. 5 ) when the crowbar protection circuit 120 was activated in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence ( fig. 6 ), and leaves the stator current signs unchanged (at the end of t cb — on 2 in fig. 5 ) when the protection circuit 120 was activated in response to a grid voltage sag clearance ( fig. 7 ). as seen in figs. 6 and 7 , the crowbar activation signal state 122 in this implementation functions to switch the rotor current setpoint outputs i dr *, i qr * of the rotor side outer loop regulators 216 and 214 from values determined by normal pi regulator computations to the calculated preload values from the preload component 212 . in particular, the preload component 212 in this embodiment employs the following equation (5) to compute the preload values i dr * and i qr * for the crowbar deactivation following the grid voltage sag occurrence ( fig. 6 ): and uses the following equation (6) for computing the preload rotor current setpoint outputs i dr *, i qr * for the crowbar deactivation following the grid voltage sag clearance ( fig. 7 ): in this implementation, the preload value computation following the grid voltage sag clearance is the same as that of the steady state relationships shown in equation (1) above. referring now to figs. 8 and 9 , a flow diagram illustrates an exemplary process 500 for operating a dual stage dfig converter in accordance with further aspects of the disclosure, which can be implemented in any control system or device, such as the control system 200 illustrated and described above in connection with figs. 1-3 . although the exemplary method 500 is illustrated and described below as a series of acts or events, the methods of the present disclosure are not limited by the illustrated ordering of such acts or events. for example, some acts may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts or events apart from those illustrated and/or described herein, and not all illustrated steps may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with the disclosure. the process 500 begins at 502 in fig. 8 with the system being monitored for grid faults, which continues until a grid voltage sag occurrence is detected at 504 . in response to this fault detection, the controller 200 activates the crowbar protection circuit 120 at 506 to connect a protection load to a rotor 42 of the dfig 40 to conduct current from rotor leads 42 a to protect the first converter circuit 140 , with a first timer t cb — on 1 beginning. at 508 , one or more stator current values i ds , i qs of the dfig 40 are monitored while the protection circuit 120 remains activated, and the preload component 212 changes the sign of the values i ds , i qs at 509 since the protection circuit 120 was activated at 506 in response to a grid voltage sag occurrence. at 510 , the preload component 212 determines one or more rotor outer loop regulator output preload values (e.g., i dr * and i qr *) based at least partially on the stator current values i ds and i qs while the protection circuit 120 is activated (e.g., using equation (5) above). a determination is made at 512 as to whether the first activation time t cb — on 1 has elapsed, and if not (yes at 512 ), the preload component 212 continues monitoring the stator current and computing the preload value(s) accordingly at 508 , 509 and 510 . once the first activation time t cb — on 1 has elapsed (no at 512 ), the process 500 proceeds to 514 where the rotor outer loop regulator output preload values i dr * and i qr * are preloaded to the rotor outer loop regulators 214 and 216 to begin regulation of the dfig 40 when the protection circuit 120 is deactivated at 516 . in the example illustrated in fig. 5 above, the regulation of the rotor currents continues while the grid voltage fault condition remains, with the dfig control system 200 operating in regulation mode to help prop up the faulted grid (e.g., by providing reactive power to the grid or other remedial operation). the process 500 continues at 522 in fig. 9 with the system monitoring the grid voltage for recovery of the voltage sag. once the grid recovers (grid voltage sag clearance, yes at 524 ), the controller 200 activates the crowbar circuit 120 at 526 and begins monitoring the dfig stator current values (i ds , i qs ) at 528 . in this case, the protection circuit 120 was activated at 526 in response to a grid voltage sag clearance, and thus the preload component 212 leaves the sign of the stator current values i ds and i qs unchanged when computing the preload values at 530 (e.g., using equation (6) above). at 532 , a determination is made as to whether the second activation time t cb — on 2 has elapsed. if not (yes at 512 ), the crowbar activation continues and the preload component 212 monitors the stator current and recomputes the preload value(s) accordingly at 528 and 530 . if the crowbar activation time t cb — on 2 has elapsed (no at 532 ), the computed initial outer loop regulator values are preloaded at 524 and the crowbar protection circuit 120 is deactivated at 536 . the process 500 continues in this fashion by returning to monitor o the onset of another grid fault at 502 in fig. 8 . in accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium is provided, such as a computer memory, a memory within a power converter control system (e.g., control system 200 or components thereof in figs. 1-3 , 6 and 7 above), a cd-rom, floppy disk, flash drive, database, server, computer, etc.) which has computer executable instructions for performing the above described methods, the above examples are merely illustrative of several possible embodiments of various aspects of the present invention, wherein equivalent alterations and/or modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the annexed drawings. in particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (assemblies, devices, systems, circuits, and the like), the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component, such as hardware, processor-executed software, or combinations thereof, which performs the specified function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the illustrated implementations of the invention. in addition, although a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. also, to the extent that the terms “including”, “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, or variants thereof are used in the detailed description and/or in the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising”.
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020-715-819-750-251
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G06F7/04,G06F21/00
| 2008-07-02T00:00:00 |
2008
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[
"G06"
] |
usage based authorization
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embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for authorizing a request to access a resource based on a context of the request. according to one embodiment, a method of authorizing a request for a resource based on a context of the request can comprise receiving the request from a requester, identifying the context of the request, and determining whether to authorize the request based on the context of the request. in some cases, the request can include context information describing the context of the request. in such cases, identifying the context can be based at least in part on the context information from the request. additionally or alternatively, context information describing the context can be requested and received in response to the request. in such a case, identifying the context can be based at least in part on the received context information.
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1. a method of authorizing a request for a resource based on a context of the request, the method comprising: receiving at an authorization system the request from a requestor; requesting by the authorization system context information describing the context of the request; receiving at the authorization system the context information in response to the request, the context information including information identifying an intended use of the resource by the requestor if the request is authorized and wherein the intended use of the resource is not indicated by the request; identifying by the authorization system the context of the request based on the received context information including the information identifying the intended use of the resource; and determining by the authorization system whether to authorize the request based on the context of the request. 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein requesting the context information comprises requesting the context information from the requestor. 3. the method of claim 1 , wherein requesting the context information comprises requesting the context information from an entity other than the requestor. 4. the method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether to authorize the request comprises applying one or more policies to the request and the context of the request. 5. the method of claim 4 , wherein determining whether to authorize the request further comprises delegating at least a part of the determination. 6. the method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to determining to authorize the request, passing the request to the resource. 7. the method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to determining to authorize the request, returning a response to the requestor indicating authorization. 8. the method of claim 7 , wherein authorization is conditioned on the context of the request. 9. the method of claim 7 , wherein the response includes information indicating authorization. 10. the method of claim 9 , wherein the information indicating authorization comprises a token for accessing the resource. 11. the method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to determining to authorize the request, performing an action indicated by the request on behalf of the requestor. 12. an authorization system comprising: a processor; and a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the processor and having stored therein a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive a request from a requestor, request context information describing the context of the request, receive the context information in response to the request, the context information including information identifying an intended use of the resource by the requestor if the request is authorized and wherein the intended use of the resource is not indicated by the request, identify a context of the request based on the received context information including the information identifying the intended use of the resource, and determine whether to authorize the request based on the context of the request. 13. the system of claim 12 , wherein requesting the context information comprises requesting the context information from the requestor. 14. the system of claim 12 , wherein requesting the context information comprises requesting the context information from an entity other than the requestor. 15. the system of claim 12 , wherein the authorization system determines whether to authorize the request by applying one or more policies to the request and the context of the request. 16. the system of claim 15 , wherein the authorization system determines whether to authorize the request further by delegating at least a part of the determination. 17. the system of claim 12 , wherein the authorization system, in response to determining to authorize the request, passes the request to the resource. 18. the system of claim 12 , wherein the authorization system, in response to determining to authorize the request, returns a response to the requestor indicating authorization. 19. the system of claim 18 , wherein authorization is conditioned on the context of the request. 20. the system of claim 18 , wherein the response includes information indicating authorization. 21. the system of claim 20 , wherein the information indicating authorization comprises a token for accessing the resource. 22. the system of claim 12 , wherein the authorization system is further adapted to performing an action indicated by the request on behalf of the requestor in response to determining to authorize the request. 23. a machine-readable memory having stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to authorize a request for a resource based on a context of the request by: receiving the request from a requestor; requesting context information describing the context of the request; receiving the context information in response to the request, the context information including information identifying an intended use of the resource by the requestor if the request is authorized and wherein the intended use of the resource is not indicated by the request; identifying the context of the request based on the received context information including the information identifying the intended use of the resource; and determining whether to authorize the request based on the context of the request. 24. the machine-readable memory of claim 23 , further comprising, in response to determining to authorize the request, passing the request to the resource. 25. the machine-readable memory of claim 23 , further comprising, in response to determining to authorize the request, returning a response to the requestor indicating authorization. 26. the machine-readable memory of claim 25 , wherein the response includes information indicating authorization. 27. the machine-readable memory of claim 23 , further comprising, in response to determining to authorize the request, performing an action indicated by the request on behalf of the requestor.
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background of the invention embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods and systems for authorizing a request to access a resource and more particularly to authorizing a request to access a resource based on a context of the request. access to and use of resources such as network resources can be controlled in a number of different ways. for example, an access control list (acl) can be used to control access to a resource identified in the list. generally speaking, the acl is a list or set of data defining permissions, e.g., read, write, execute, for a user or group of users to access a specific resource. the requesting user is then granted or denied permission to access the requested resource based on the roles or permissions defined for that user or user's group defined in the acl. in another example, authentication, authorization, and accounting (aaa) systems can be used to authorize a request for a resource. generally speaking, the aaa system, upon receiving or detecting a request for a resource, can authenticate the requester, i.e., identify the requester as who he claims to be, and authorize the request. again, the requester is granted or denied permission for the request by mapping the requestor's identify and the requested access to roles and rights defined for the resource. however, these different approaches to controlling access to a resource have some limitations. for example, while these systems consider the identity of the requester, the resource or data requested, and the functions to be performed, i.e., read, write, execute, they do not consider a broader context of the request. that is, these systems do not consider such factors as what the requester plans to do with the data, why the requestor is requesting the operation, under what condition(s) is the requestor making the request, on whose behalf is the requester making the request, etc. thus, there are no generic ways to provide authorization of an operation for a particular usage or within a particular context. hence, there is a need for improved methods and systems for authorizing a request to access a resource based on a context of the request. brief summary of the invention embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for authorizing a request to access a resource based on a context of the request. according to one embodiment, a method of authorizing a request for a resource based on a context of the request can comprise receiving the request from a requester, identifying the context of the request, and determining whether to authorize the request based on the context of the request. the context con comprise any of a wide range of conditions as will be described. in one example, the context can comprise the intended use of the resource by the requester. this may be something that the entity that authorizes the request can check or determine itself in any of a number of different ways. for example, the request can include metadata or other information describing the context of the request. in such cases, identifying the context can be based at least in part on the metadata or other information from the request. additionally or alternatively, information describing the context can be requested and received in response to the request. the information describing the context can be requested, for example, from the device of entity requesting the resource or from another device or entity. in such a case, identifying the context can be based at least in part on the received information. according to one embodiment, determining whether to authorize the request can comprise applying one or more policies to the request and the context of the request. in some cases, determining whether to authorize the request can additionally or alternatively comprise delegating at least a part of the determination. according to one embodiment, in response to determining to authorize the request, the request can be passed to the resource. according to another embodiment, in response to determining to authorize the request, a response can be returned to the requester indicating authorization. in some cases, the response can include authorization information such as a token or other signed or encrypted or tamper proof credential/document that can be used for accessing the resource. in any event, the authorization and indication thereof and subsequent access to the resource can be conditioned upon the use of the resource and the context for which the request was authorized. according to another embodiment, a system can comprise a requestor adapted to request access to a resource and an authorization enabler communicatively coupled with the requester. the authorization enabler can be adapted to receive the request from the requester, identify a context of the request, and determine whether to authorize the request based on the context of the request. in one example, the context can comprise the intended use of the resource by the requester. for example, the request can include metadata or other information describing the context of the request. in such a case, the authorization enabler can be adapted to identify the context based at least in part on the metadata or other information from the request. additionally or alternatively, the authorization enabler can be adapted to request information describing the context. the information describing the context can be requested, for example, from the device of entity requesting the resource or from another device or entity. in such a case, the authorization enabler can be further adapted to receive the information describing the context in response to the request and identify the context based at least in part on the received information. the authorization enabler can determine whether to authorize the request by applying one or more policies to the request and the context of the request. in some cases, the authorization enabler can additionally or alternatively determine whether to authorize the request further by delegating at least a part of the determination. in response to determining to authorize the request, the authorization enabler can pass the request to the resource. alternatively, in response to determining to authorize the request, the authorization enabler can return a response to the requestor indicating authorization. in such a case, the response can include authorization information such as a token for accessing the resource. in any event, the authorization and indication thereof and subsequent access to the resource can be conditioned upon the use of the resource and the context for which the request was authorized. according to yet another embodiment, a machine-readable medium can have stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to authorize a request for a resource based on a context of the request by receiving the request from a requester, identifying the context of the request, and determining whether to authorize the request based on the context of the request. in one example, the context can comprise the intended use of the resource by the requester. in some cases, the request can include metadata or other information describing the context of the request. in such cases, identifying the context can be based at least in part on the metadata or other information from the request. additionally or alternatively, information describing the context can be requested and received in response to the request. the information describing the context can be requested, for example, from the device of entity requesting the resource or from another device or entity. in such a case, identifying the context can be based at least in part on the received information. according to one embodiment, determining whether to authorize the request can comprise applying one or more policies to the request and the context of the request. in some cases, determining whether to authorize the request can additionally or alternatively comprise delegating at least a part of the determination. according to one embodiment, in response to determining to authorize the request, the request can be passed to the resource. according to another embodiment, in response to determining to authorize the request, a response can be returned to the requester indicating authorization. in some cases, the response can include authorization information such as a token for accessing the resource. in any event, the authorization and indication thereof and subsequent access to the resource can be conditioned upon the use of the resource and the context for which the request was authorized. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating components of an exemplary operating environment in which various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating, at a high-level, functional components of a system for authorizing a request to access a resource according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process for authorizing a request to access a resource according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process for authorizing a request to access a resource according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process for authorizing a request to access a resource including additional details of handling an authorized request according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process for authorizing a request to access a resource including additional details of handling an authorized request according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the invention in the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. it will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. in other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form. the ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. it should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. however, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. for example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. in other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments. also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. in addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. a process is terminated when its operations are completed, but could have additional steps not included in a figure. a process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. when a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function. the term “machine-readable medium” includes, but is not limited to portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, wireless channels and various other mediums capable of storing, containing or carrying instruction(s) and/or data. a code segment or machine-executable instructions may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. a code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc. furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. when implemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a machine readable medium. a processor(s) may perform the necessary tasks. embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for authorizing a request to access a resource. more specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide for authorizing a request to access a resource based on a context of the request. the context can comprise, for example, who made the request, for what purpose or what intended use, what will take place if the request is granted, the identity of another party on behalf of whom the request is made, and other context information such as time of day, location, etc. according to one embodiment, the request can include metadata or other information describing the context or the request. such information can include, but is not limited to, attribute-value pairs or arguments passed in any desired way like by reference or by value and defining the context. in some cases, either instead of or in addition to information identifying the context of the request being included in the request, context information can be specifically requested from the requester, i.e., from the entity requesting to access the resource, or from another component of set of components and returned in reply to the request for the context. for example, context information can be requested from the original requester and/or from another process, system, entity, etc. thus, authorizing a request for a resource can be based on the context information from the request for the resource and/or the context information requested or queried from the requester or other element of the system. in yet another example, context information can be obtained/provided via a subscribe/notify model. for example, one or more entities can subscribe to context information related to one or more requesters. the context information can be published and/or maintained by the requester and/or another component or set of components. upon a change in the context information, the one or more subscribers can be notified of the change. thus, the system that authorizes the request based on the context has access to the context information and any change therein that may affect the authorization allowing the system to revoke authorization if appropriate. according to one embodiment, determining whether to authorize the request can comprise applying one or more policies to the request and the context of the request. as used herein, a policy can be defined as any logical combination of any condition and any one or more associated actions to be performed upon the satisfaction of the condition. therefore, policies applied to requests and information defining the context of the request can be defined for determining whether to authorize the request based on who makes the request, from where, for whom, for what purpose, etc as well as what actions to be taken upon authorization or failure of authorization. various exemplary methods and systems for applying policies to affect context based authorization are described in u.s. patent application ser. no. 10/856,588 filed may 28, 2004 by maes and entitled “method and apparatus for supporting service enablers via service request composition,” u.s. patent application ser. no. 10/855,999 filed may 28, 2004 by maes and entitled “method and apparatus for supporting service enablers via service request handholding,” u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/024,160 filed dec. 27, 2004 by maes and entitled “policies as workflows,” and u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/565,578 filed nov. 30, 2006 by maes and entitled “orchestration of policy engines and format technologies” of which the entire disclosure of each is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. in response to determining to authorize the request, the request can be passed to the resource. in another example, in response to determining to authorize the request, a response can be returned to the requester indicating authorization. in some cases, the response can include a authorization information such as a token or other signed or encrypted or tamper proof credential that can be used for accessing the resource. various additional details of embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures. fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating components of an exemplary operating environment in which various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. the system 100 can include one or more user computers 105 , 110 , which may be used to operate a client, whether a dedicate application, web browser, etc. the user computers 105 , 110 can be general purpose personal computers (including, merely by way of example, personal computers and/or laptop computers running various versions of microsoft corp.'s windows and/or apple corp.'s macintosh operating systems) and/or workstation computers running any of a variety of commercially-available unix or unix-like operating systems (including without limitation, the variety of gnu/linux operating systems). these user computers 105 , 110 may also have any of a variety of applications, including one or more development systems, database client and/or server applications, and web browser applications. alternatively, the user computers 105 , 110 may be any other electronic device, such as a thin-client computer, internet-enabled mobile telephone, smartphone personal digital assistant (pda), set-top box, and/or other computing device, capable of communicating via a network (e.g., the network 115 described below) and/or displaying and navigating web pages or other types of electronic documents. although the exemplary system 100 is shown with two user computers, any number of user computers may be supported. in some embodiments, the system 100 may also include a network 115 . the network may can be any type of network familiar to those skilled in the art that can support data communications using any of a variety of commercially-available protocols, including without limitation tcp/ip, sna, ipx, appletalk, and the like. merely by way of example, the network 115 maybe a local area network (“lan”), such as an ethernet network, a token-ring network and/or the like; a wide-area network; a virtual network, including without limitation a virtual private network (“vpn”); the internet; an intranet; an extranet; a public switched telephone network (“pstn”); an infra-red network; a wireless network (e.g., a network operating under any of the ieee 802.11 suite of protocols, the bluetooth protocol known in the art, and/or any other wireless protocol); and/or any combination of these and/or other networks such as gsm, gprs, edge, umts, 3g, 2.5 g, cdma, cdma2000, wcdma, evdo, hsdpa, wimax, etc. the system may also include one or more server computers 120 , 125 , 130 which can be general purpose computers and/or specialized server computers (including, merely by way of example, pc servers, unix servers, mid-range servers, mainframe computers rack-mounted servers, etc.). one or more of the servers (e.g., 130 ) may be dedicated to running applications, such as a business application, a web server, application server, etc. such servers may be used to process requests from user computers 105 , 110 . the applications can also include any number of applications for controlling access to resources of the servers 120 , 125 , 130 . the web server can be running an operating system including any of those discussed above, as well as any commercially-available server operating systems. the web server can also run any of a variety of server applications and/or mid-tier applications, including http servers, ftp servers, cgi servers, database servers, java servers, business applications, and the like. the server(s) also may be one or more computers which can be capable of executing programs or scripts in response to the user computers 105 , 110 . as one example, a server may execute one or more web applications. the web application may be implemented as one or more scripts or programs written in any programming language, such as java™, c, c# or c++, and/or any scripting language, such as perl, python, or tcl, as well as combinations of any programming/scripting languages. the server(s) may also include database servers, including without limitation those commercially available from oracle®, microsoft®, sybase®, ibm® and the like, which can process requests from database clients running on a user computer 105 , 110 . in some embodiments, an application server may create web pages dynamically for displaying on an end-user (client) system. the web pages created by the web application server may be forwarded to a user computer 105 via a web server. similarly, the web server can receive web page requests and/or input data from a user computer and can forward the web page requests and/or input data to an application and/or a database server. those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described with respect to various types of servers may be performed by a single server and/or a plurality of specialized servers, depending on implementation-specific needs and parameters. the system 100 may also include one or more databases 135 . the database(s) 135 may reside in a variety of locations. by way of example, a database 135 may reside on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) one or more of the computers 105 , 110 , 115 , 125 , 130 . alternatively, it may be remote from any or all of the computers 105 , 110 , 115 , 125 , 130 , and/or in communication (e.g., via the network 120 ) with one or more of these. in a particular set of embodiments, the database 135 may reside in a storage-area network (“san”) familiar to those skilled in the art. similarly, any necessary files for performing the functions attributed to the computers 105 , 110 , 115 , 125 , 130 may be stored locally on the respective computer and/or remotely, as appropriate. in one set of embodiments, the database 135 may be a relational database, such as oracle 10g, that is adapted to store, update, and retrieve data in response to sql-formatted commands. fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary computer system 200 , in which various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. the system 200 may be used to implement any of the computer systems described above. the computer system 200 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus 255 . the hardware elements may include one or more central processing units (cpus) 205 , one or more input devices 210 (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.), and one or more output devices 215 (e.g., a display device, a printer, etc.). the computer system 200 may also include one or more storage device 220 . by way of example, storage device(s) 220 may be disk drives, optical storage devices, solid-state storage device such as a random access memory (“ram”) and/or a read-only memory (“rom”), which can be programmable, flash-updateable and/or the like. the computer system 200 may additionally include a computer-readable storage media reader 225 a , a communications system 230 (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infra-red communication device, etc.), and working memory 240 , which may include ram and rom devices as described above. in some embodiments, the computer system 200 may also include a processing acceleration unit 235 , which can include a dsp, a special-purpose processor and/or the like. the computer-readable storage media reader 225 a can further be connected to a computer-readable storage medium 225 b , together (and, optionally, in combination with storage device(s) 220 ) comprehensively representing remote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and/or more permanently containing computer-readable information. the communications system 230 may permit data to be exchanged with the network 220 and/or any other computer described above with respect to the system 200 . the computer system 200 may also comprise software elements, shown as being currently located within a working memory 240 , including an operating system 245 and/or other code 250 , such as an application program (which may be a client application, web browser, mid-tier application, rdbms, etc.). it should be appreciated that alternate embodiments of a computer system 200 may have numerous variations from that described above. for example, customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), or both. further, connection to other computing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed. software of computer system 200 may include code 250 for implementing embodiments of the present invention as described herein. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating, at a high-level, functional components of a system for authorizing a request to access a resource according to one embodiment of the present invention. in this example, the system 300 includes a requester 305 , an authorization enabler 310 , and a resource 315 . the requestor 305 can be communicatively coupled with a network (not shown here) such as the internet or any other local or wide area network as described above and can comprise any device, system, agent, application, or other entity able to communicate with and access the resource 315 . the resource 315 can also be communicatively coupled with the network (not shown here) and can similarly comprise any device, system, agent, application, etc. for example, the resource 315 may comprise a database or other data repository. however, it should be understood that as used herein, the resource 315 can represent any network resource, element, data, entity, etc. and is not limited to a database or repository. the authorization enabler 310 can also be communicatively coupled with the network (not shown here) and can receive or detect a request 320 from the requestor 305 to access the resource 315 . alternatively, the authorization enabler 310 can be part of an interceptor in proxy mode that intercepts and then query the context from the requestor 320 or other component or set of components of the system 300 . according to one embodiment, the request 320 can include context information 325 provided by the requestor 305 and defining the context of the request. as noted above, the context information 325 can comprise metadata or other attribute-value pairs, or arguments passed by value or by reference, etc. and defining the context, for example, in terms of who made the request, for what purpose or intended use, what will take place if the request is granted, the identity of another party on behalf of whom the request is made, and other context information such as time of day, location, or any other information. however, the request 320 need not include the context information 325 . rather, the context information 325 may be requested from the requestor 305 or another element of the system 300 by the authorization enabler 310 as needed and provided separately in response to the authorizations enabler's 310 context request. furthermore, in addition to or instead of context information 325 provided by the requestor 305 , either as part of the request 325 to access the resource 315 or in response to a context request from the authorization enabler 310 , context information 355 describing the context of the request 320 can be provided by other elements of the system 300 such as context source 345 . that is, one or more context sources 345 can be communicatively coupled with the authorization enabler 310 and can receive a context request 350 from the authorization enabler 310 . in response to this request 350 or query, the context source 345 can provide context information 355 , e.g., metadata or other attribute value pairs, arguments passed by reference or value, etc., defining the context of the request 320 . for example, the context source 345 can comprise a location server that maintains current location information for the requester 305 and, in response to the context request 350 from the authorization enabler 310 , provides context information 355 defining or identifying that current location. it should be understood that, while one context source 345 is illustrated and described here for the sake of simplicity, any number of context sources 345 providing a variety of context information as described herein may be used depending upon the exact implementation of the system 300 . according to one embodiment, context information 325 or 355 can be obtained/provided via a subscribe/notify model. that is, one or more entities can subscribe to context information related to one or more requesters 305 . for example, the authorization enabler 310 , or resource 315 can subscribe to context information related to requestor 305 . the context information can be maintained by the requester 305 and/or another component or set of components such as the authorization enabler 310 or context source 345 . so, for example, the requester 305 can publish context information to the context source 345 which can in turn maintain the context information. upon a change in the context information, the context source 345 can notify one or more subscribers, such as the authorization enabler 310 , of the change. thus, the system that authorizes the request, e.g., the authorization enabler 310 , based on the context has access to the context information and any change therein that may affect the authorization allowing the system to revoke authorization if appropriate. upon receiving the request 320 to access the resource 315 and the context information 325 or 355 defining the context of the request 320 , the authorization enabler 310 can determine whether to grant or deny permission to the requestor 305 to access the resource 315 . for example, the authorization enabler 310 can include a policy enforcement module 330 adapted to apply one or more policies 335 to the request 320 to access the resource 315 and the metadata 325 and/or 355 defining or describing the context of the request 320 . as noted, the policies 335 can comprise logical combinations of conditions and associated actions to be performed upon the satisfaction of the condition(s). therefore, policies 335 can be defined for determining whether to authorize the request based on who makes the request, from where, for whom, for what purpose, etc as well as what actions to be taken upon authorization or failure of authorization. according to one embodiment, the authorization enabler 310 may delegate some or all of the process of authorizing the request to another element of the system 300 . for example, the system 300 can include one or more delegates 340 communicatively coupled with the authorization enabler 310 . the delegate 340 can comprise any device, system, agent, application, etc. adapted to perform one or more various authentication functions. for example, the delegate 340 can be adapted to perform authentication, authorization, accounting, or other functions. the functions performed by the delegate 340 can be based on the policies 335 . it should be understood that, while one delegate 340 is illustrated and described here for the sake of simplicity, any number of delegates 340 providing a variety of functions may be used depending upon the exact implementation of the system 300 . upon authorization of the request 320 , the authorization enabler 310 can handle the request 320 in a number of different ways. for example, the authorization enabler 320 can pass the authorized request 360 to the resource 315 to allow the requestor 305 to access the resource 315 . in other cases, the authorization enabler 310 can perform or request, on behalf of the requestor 305 , an action related to the resource 315 and appropriate to the request 320 . alternatively, the authorization enabler 310 can generate and return a reply message 365 to the requester 305 indicating authorization. in some cases, the reply message 365 can include a token 370 or other credential to then be used by the requestor 305 to access the resource 315 . that is, the token 370 can be used by the requester 305 to directly request access from the resource 315 . in doing so, the requestor 305 can provide the token 370 to the resource which in turn permits or denies access based on the token 370 . in some cases, the resource may verify the token with the authorization system prior to granting access. it should be understood that upon failure of authorization, the authorization enabler 310 may return another message (not shown here) to the requestor 305 indicating the denial of permission to access the resource 315 . according to one embodiment, the requestor 305 may be a trusted entity that is assumed to honestly and accurately represent the context of the request and will abide by that representation. additionally or alternatively, the system may be adapted to enforce the authorization when the requestor 305 tries to use the authorization based on the context/usage that it described or committed to and has been granted the right to perform. according to one embodiment, such enforcement can be provided according to the methods and systems described, for example, in co-pending u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/986,435 filed on jan. 7, 2011 by maes and entitled “enforcement of policies on context-based authorization”, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. in such an embodiment, the requester cannot access a resource without requesting the access based on the context and cannot use the resource differently than requested without either having usage denied or future usage denied, i.e., the requestor lost trustworthiness. therefore, the requestor 305 can be adapted to request 320 access to the resource 315 . the authorization enabler 310 can be adapted to receive the request 320 from the requester 305 , identify a context of the request 320 , and determine whether to authorize the request 320 based on the context of the request 320 . for example, the request 320 can include context information 325 such as metadata or other information describing the context. in such a case, the authorization enabler 310 can be adapted to identify the context based at least in part on the context information 325 from the request 320 . additionally or alternatively, the authorization enabler 310 can be adapted to request 350 context information describing the context from the requester 305 or other element of the system 300 . in such a case, the authorization enabler 310 can be further adapted to receive the context information 355 in response to the context request 350 and identify the context based at least in part on the received context information 355 . the authorization enabler 310 can determine whether to authorize the request by applying one or more policies 335 to the request 320 and the context of the request 320 . in some cases, the authorization enabler 310 can additionally or alternatively determine whether to authorize the request 320 by delegating at least a part of the determination. in response to determining to authorize the request 320 , the authorization enabler 310 can pass the request to the resource 315 . in other cases, the authorization enabler 310 can perform or request, on behalf of the requestor 305 , an action related to the resource 315 and appropriate to the request 320 . alternatively, in response to determining to authorize the request 320 , the authorization enabler 310 can return a response 365 to the requester 305 indicating authorization. in such a case, the response 365 can include authorization information such as a token 370 or other credential for use in accessing the resource 315 . fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process for authorizing a request to access a resource according to one embodiment of the present invention. more specifically, this example illustrates a process that may be performed by the authorization enabler as described above. in this example, processing begins with receiving 405 a request to access a resource. as noted, the request can include context information describing the context of the request. therefore, as illustrated here, the context information can be read 410 from the request. one or more policies can then be applied 415 to the request and the context information describing the context of the request. a determination 420 can then be made as to whether the request should be authorized. in response to determining 420 the request should be authorized, the authorized request can then be handled 425 . as noted, handling 425 the authorized request can comprise passing the request to the resource as described below with reference to fig. 6 , performing or requesting, on behalf of the requester, an action related to the resource and appropriate to the request, or returning a message to the requestor as described below with reference to fig. 7 . in response to determining 420 the request should not be authorized, a denial message may be returned 430 to the requester. fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process for authorizing a request to access a resource according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. more specifically, this example illustrates a process that may be performed by the authorization enabler as described above. however, this example differs from that described above with reference to fig. 4 in that the context information describing the context of the request to access a resource is requested and received from the requestor or other device or entity rather than included in the request. it should be understood that, as noted above, these methods need not be exclusive. that is, in some cases in addition to the context information provided with and read from the request as described above, context information describing the context of the request can be requested and received as described here. in some cases, a decision or selection of which method to implement to determine the context can be based on application of one or more policies. in the example illustrated in fig. 5 , processing begins with receiving 505 a request to access a resource. a request 510 can then be made for context information describing the context of the request. as described above, the request 510 for context information describing the context can be made to the original requester or to another element of the system such a presence service. in response, the context information can be received 515 and read. one or more policies can then be applied 520 to the request and the context information describing the context of the request. a determination 525 can then be made as to whether the request should be authorized. in response to determining 525 the request should be authorized, the authorized request can then be handled 530 . as noted, handling 530 the authorized request can comprise passing the request to the resource as described below with reference to fig. 6 , performing or requesting, on behalf of the requester, an action related to the resource and appropriate to the request, or returning a message to the requester as described below with reference to fig. 7 . in response to determining 525 the request should not be authorized, a denial message may be returned 535 to the requester. fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process for authorizing a request to access a resource including additional details of handling an authorized request according to one embodiment of the present invention. in this example, processing begins with receiving 605 a request to access a resource. as noted and described above with reference to fig. 4 , the request can include context information describing the context of the request. additionally or alternatively, context information describing the context of the request can be requested and received as described above with reference to fig. 5 . in either case, the context information can be read 610 . one or more policies can then be applied 615 to the request and the context information describing the context of the request. a determination 620 can then be made as to whether the request should be authorized. in response to determining 620 the request should be authorized, the authorized request can then be passed 625 to the resource thereby allowing the requester to access the resource. in response to determining 620 the request should not be authorized, a denial message may be returned 630 to the requester. fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process for authorizing a request to access a resource including additional details of handling an authorized request according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. in this example, processing begins with receiving 705 a request to access a resource. as noted and described above with reference to fig. 4 , the request can include context information describing the context of the request. additionally or alternatively, context information describing the context of the request can be requested and received as described above with reference to fig. 5 . in either case, the context information can be read 710 . one or more policies can then be applied 715 to the request and the context information describing the context of the request. a determination 720 can then be made as to whether the request should be authorized. in response to determining 720 the request should not be authorized, a denial message may be returned 735 to the requester. in response to determining 720 the request should be authorized, authorization information such as a token can be generated 725 . the authorization information can comprise any of a variety of verifiable tokens or credentials, e.g., a message signed by the authentication enabler, that can be used to allow access of the resource. the authorization information can be provided 730 to the requester, for example, in a reply message to the requester. the authorization information can then be used by the requestor to directly request access from the resource. in some cases, the recipient of the authorization information can contact the authorization enabler to validate the authorization information based on the request it received. in the foregoing description, for the purposes of illustration, methods were described in a particular order. it should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, the methods may be performed in a different order than that described. it should also be appreciated that the methods described above may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in sequences of machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a machine, such as a general-purpose or special-purpose processor or logic circuits programmed with the instructions to perform the methods. these machine-executable instructions may be stored on one or more machine readable mediums, such as cd-roms or other type of optical disks, floppy diskettes, roms, rams, eproms, eeproms, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other types of machine-readable mediums suitable for storing electronic instructions. alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. while illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed, and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations, except as limited by the prior art.
|
024-262-721-456-587
|
JP
|
[
"EP",
"CN",
"US",
"KR",
"TW",
"JP"
] |
H01L29/78,H01L27/02,H01L29/786,H01L29/861
| 1994-03-31T00:00:00 |
1994
|
[
"H01"
] |
semiconductor device including protection means and manufacturing method thereof.
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an improvement of a resistance to electrostatic discharge of a semiconductor integrated circuit device is provided. an ic having a high esd immunity is realised by causing a surface concentration of n type impurities in a drain area (409) of an n-channel type mos transistor to be more than 5 e 18/cm 3 and in the direction of a source area (401) to have a monotonously decreasing concentration profile in which there is no kink in a portion less than 5 e 18/cm 3 in the surface region under a gate electrode (410).
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a semiconductor device including an n-channel mos transistor and characterised in that a second conductive drain area (409) and a source area (401) are formed apart near the surface of a first conductive semiconductor substrate, and a gate electrode (410) is formed on a gate insulating film on said semiconductor substrate between said drain area and said source area, wherein said drain area has more than 5 x 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ of maximum impurity concentration and the impurity concentration of said drain area at the surface of said semiconductor substrate is distributed such that it monotonously decreases in the direction of said source area under said gate electrode. a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said drain area and said gate electrode have an overlap portion separated by said gate insulating film and the length of said overlap portion in the direction of said source area is more than 5µm. a semiconductor device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the semiconductor device has a structure in which said gate electrode is electrically connected with said source area. a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device has a structure in which said gate electrode is formed in a plane and continuously surrounds said drain area. a semiconductor device according to any preceding claim, wherein said n-channel mos transistor performs a bipolar operation when said gate area and said source area are electrically earthed and a voltage is applied stepwise to said drain area, and a hold voltage in said bipolar operation is greater than the upper limit voltage of operating power voltage of said semiconductor device. a semiconductor device according to any preceding claim and further comprising an external terminal and an internal circuit containing a mos transistor on said semiconductor substrate, said external terminal and said internal circuit being electrically connected, said external terminal being electrically connected with said n-channel mos transistor, said n-channel mos transistor performing a bipolar operation when said gate area and said source area are electrically earthed and a voltage is applied stepwise to said drain area, and a trigger voltage in said bipolar operation being lower than a trigger voltage in a bipolar operation of the mos transistor in said internal circuit. a semiconductor device according to any preceding claim and further comprising an internal circuit containing a mos transistor on said semiconductor substrate and said n-channel mos transistor being provided by being electrically connected between an external circuit and said internal circuit. a semiconductor device according to claim 7, further comprising at least two terminals for supplying power to said internal circuit, wherein said n-channel mos transistor is interposed and electrically connected between said two terminals. a semiconductor device according to any preceding claim, wherein the semiconductor device operates with less than 1.5 volts of minimum operating voltage. a semiconductor device according to any preceding claim, wherein the semiconductor device operates with more than 12 volts of maximum operating voltage. a semiconductor device according to any preceding claim, wherein said semiconductor substrate is formed on a support substrate via an insulating film. a semiconductor device according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein a size of one side of a chip comprising said semiconductor substrate is less than 1.5 mm in terms of flat shape. a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and further comprising a switching transistor for inputting a predetermined voltage, a switch control circuit for controlling said switching transistor, a coil electrically connected with said switching transistor and a switching regulator having a structure in which said n-channel mos transistor is electrically connected between said switching transistor and said coil. a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and further comprising an input terminal, an internal circuit electrically connected with said input terminal and an electrostatic protection element electrically connected with said input terminal, said electrostatic protection element being made from said n-channel mos transistor. a semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein said drain area of said n-channel mos transistor is electrically connected with said input terminal and said source area is electrically earthed. a semiconductor device according to claim 14 or claim 15, wherein said input terminal and said internal circuit are electrically connected via a resistor. a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and further comprising an output terminal, an internal circuit electrically connected with said output terminal and an electrostatic protection element electrically connected with said output terminal, said electrostatic protection element being made from said n-channel mos transistor. a semiconductor device according to claim 17, wherein said drain area of said n-channel mos transistor is electrically connected with said output terminal and said source area is electrically earthed. a semiconductor device according to claim 17 or claim 18, wherein said output terminal and said internal circuit are electrically connected via a resistor. a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein an output section of said internal circuit comprises an inverter composed of a pair of transistors, one nmos and one pmos, an output section of said inverter is electrically connected with said output terminal and said nmos transistor of the pair is said n-channel mos transistor. a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein an output section of said internal circuit comprises an open drain transistor, said open drain transistor is electrically connected with said output terminal and said n-channel mos transistor is electrically connected with said output terminal. a semiconductor device according to claim 21, wherein said open drain transistor is electrically connected with said output terminal via a resistor. a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein said gate electrode of said n-channel mos transistor is electrically connected with an output section of said internal circuit and said drain area of said n-channel mos transistor is electrically connected with said output terminal. a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and further comprising an input/output terminal, an internal circuit electrically connected with said input/output terminal and an electrostatic protection element electrically connected with said input/output terminal, said electrostatic protection element being made from said n-channel mos transistor. a semiconductor device according to claim 24 and further comprising first and second inverters each composed of an nmos transistor and pmos transistor pair, an input section of said first inverter being connected with said input/output terminal and an output section thereof being connected with said internal circuit, respectively, and an output section of said second inverter being connected with said input/output terminal and an input section thereof being connected with said internal circuit, respectively. a semiconductor device according to claim 25, wherein said nmos transistor is made from said n-channel mos transistor. a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and further comprising an internal circuit which operates with less than 5 volts of power voltage and an output terminal electrically connected with said internal circuit, said output terminal being electrically connected with said n-channel mos transistor and with an external circuit which operates with more than 12 volts of power voltage. a semiconductor device according to claim 27, wherein said internal circuit and said output terminal are electrically connected via an nmos transistor, a gate of said nmos transistor and said internal circuit are electrically connected, a drain of said nmos transistor is electrically connected with said output terminal and said nmos transistor is made from said n-channel mos transistor. a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device characterised by comprising the steps of: introducing more than 5 x 10¹⁴/cm² of first counter-conductive impurities surface-selectively at least to a first conductive semiconductor substrate; forming a gate insulating film; forming a gate electrode; and introducing more than 1 x 10¹⁵/cm² of second counter-conductive impurities. a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device characterised by comprising the steps of: forming a gate electrode at least on a first conductive semiconductor substrate; introducing first counter-conductive impurities surface-selectively; forming a side wall spacer on the gate electrode; and introducing more than 3 x 10¹⁵/cm² of second counter-conductive impurities. a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device characterised by comprising the steps of: forming a gate electrode at least on a first conductive semiconductor substrate; forming a side wall spacer on the gate electrode; and introducing more than 3 x 10¹⁵/cm² of counter-conductive impurities.
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the present invention relates to a mos type transistor and a configuration and manufacturing method of a semiconductor integrated circuit device containing it, and more particularly to its structure for preventing electrostatic discharge. hereinafter the electrostatic discharge, sometimes referred to as electrostatic destruction, will be abbreviated as esd. fig. 50 is a block diagram showing a typical prior art input protection circuit against esd. to protect an internal circuit (cmos inverter in the initial stage) 5010 from esd from an input terminal 5001, an input protection circuit 5007 is structured by a diode d₁ 5004 connected to a resistor r 5002 and a signal line v dd 5003 and a diode d d 5005 connected to gnd (called an earth or v ss ). the cmos inverter 5010 comprises an n-channel type mos transistor 5009 (hereinafter referred to as an nmos transistor) and a p-channel type mos transistor 5008 (hereinafter referred to as a pmos transistor). an arrow 5011 indicates a signal line connected to a circuit further inside. such structure is the main stream. the technology described above has the following problems. fig. 51 is a graph showing a characteristic (i-v characteristic) between voltage and current of the diode in the reverse direction used in the prior art protection circuit. a withstand voltage v r of the diode approaches to a withstand voltage bv ox of a gate insulating film (called as gate sio₂ or gate ox, etc.) of the mos transistor when the current i r reaches to the level of about 100 ma, even if v r has been set lower than bv ox when i r is in the level of 1 na or 1µa. in the description below, as against cmos semiconductor integrated circuit devices (ic) used at the standard of 5v for v dd , those used in more than 10 v, 12 v or more than 16 v and 24 v will be described as high when the high withstanding cmos is used, it is necessary to increase a withstand voltage of the diode by some degrees and the gate ox has become thin in the advancement of refinement (bv ox has been lowered). accordingly, the margin for protecting the internal circuit has come to be reduced. it is noted that for esd immunity presently used, a machine model 200 pf, 0ω series resistance and 400 v (meaning that ic will not be destroyed by min. 400 v; normally 200 to 400 v is the criterion) has become one of criteria in the eiaj standard. when a pulse width at this time is about 100 nsec., a flowing current is represented as follows: esd is a short time high current event. although there is a human model loaded with a series resistance (a standard and device charge model often used in the u.s.) as another notation of esd immunity, the machine model which is common in japan will be explained in the present invention since it is fully correlated qualitatively with the eiaj standard described above. if the resistor r 5002 in fig. 50 is increased for example to restrict i entering the diode, it then takes a large area, causing a problem for high integration. this is because the volume is also an important parameter, besides the resistance value itself, and hence it requires an area which far exceeds the initial expectation. the withstand voltage of the diode is normally about 20 to 30 v in a cmos ic. if the withstand voltage is tried to be increased in a case of locos (local oxidation of silicon: the generic name of processes in the field separation method which is presently the main stream) process, although the field dope (concentration of an impurity layer under a thick oxide film in a field separation area in the case of locos) has to be densified, there arises a problem of inviting either or all of the increase of capacity ofjunctions and wires, the induction of crystal defects, the increase of processes and the drop of the narrow channel effect. accordingly, there is a problem in the aspect of protecting other circuits in the end even if the esd immunity of the diode itself is increased. this invention was intended to solve the above mentioned problems at least in part. in a first aspect, this invention provides a semiconductor device including an n-channel mos transistor and characterised in that a second conductive drain area and a source area are formed apart near the surface of a first conductive semiconductor substrate, and a gate electrode is formed on a gate insulating film on said semiconductor substrate between said drain area and said source area, wherein said drain area has more than 5 x 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ of maximum impurity concentration and the impurity concentration of said drain area at the surface of said semiconductor substrate is distributed such that it monotonously decreases in the direction of said source area under said gate electrode. in a second aspect, this invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device characterised by comprising the steps of: introducing more than 5 x 10¹⁴/cm² of first counter-conductive impurities surface-selectively at least to a first conductive semiconductor substrate; forming a gate insulating film; forming a gate electrode; and introducing more than 1 x 10¹⁵/cm² of second counter-conductive impurities. in a third aspect, this invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device characterised by comprising the steps of: forming a gate electrode at least on a first conductive semiconductor substrate; introducing first counter-conductive impurities surface-selectively; forming a side wall spacer on the gate electrode; and introducing more than 3 x 10¹⁵/cm² of second counter-conductive impurities. in a fourth aspect, this invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device characterised by comprising the steps of: forming a gate electrode at least on a first conductive semiconductor substrate; forming a side wall spacer on the gate electrode; and introducing more than 3 x 10¹⁵/cm² of counter-conductive impurities. in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention takes the following measures. as a first measure, a surface concentration of n type impurities in a drain area of an nmos transistor is caused to have more than 5 e 18/cm³ in maximum in the direction from the drain edge to the gate electrode and to have a monotonous concentration profile having no kink in the portion of less than 5 e 18/cm³ in the surface direction. as a second measure, a diffusion depth related to the first drain area is caused to be more than 0.5µm or is set with a relationship shown in fig. 60 which will be described later. as a third measure, while a bipolar operation (described later) is brought about when a gate electrode and a source electrode of the nmos transistor and a transistor substrate (called as a body, board or sub) electrode are short-circuited and earthed (hereinafter such electrical connection state will be called as "off-connection" and a transistor in such off-connection state will be called as an "off-transistor" or "off-tra") and when a voltage v dd of the drain is raised, a hold voltage (described later) vh after a 1st snap-back (1st breakdown; described later) at this time is set higher than the upper limit v ddmax of an operating power voltage of a semiconductor integrated circuit device (ic) containing said nmos in the normal use state. as a fourth measure, the drain area of the nmos transistor is structured such that it is surrounded all by the gate electrode continuously planewise (called a daa structure; detail will be described later), or to put it another way, is surrounded in a plane by a continuous gate electrode. as a fifth measure, when a voltage of the 1st breakdown of the nmos transistor described in the fourth measure is a trigger voltage v trig and when the nmos transistor is used as a protecting element, it is set lower than v trig of a transistor composing an internal circuit to be protected. at this time, a thickness of the gate insulating film of the nmos transistor is the same with or thicker than that of the internal transistor. as a sixth measure, the nmos transistors in the first to fourth measures are used as a component of an ic. as a seventh measure, the nmos transistors in the first to fifth measures are used as a protection element of an ic against esd as an off-transistor. as an eighth measure, the nmos transistors in the first to fifth measures and in the seventh measure as a component or as a protection element against esd of an ic whose operation rating max. (upper limit of specified operating power supply voltage range v ddmax ) is more than 12 v or an ic in which there is more than one terminal whose rating is more than 12 v. as a ninth measure, the nmos transistors in the first to seventh measures are used as a component or as a protection element against esd of an ic whose operation rating min. (lower limit of specified operating power supply voltage range, v ddmin ) is less than 1.5 v. as a tenth measure, the nmos transistors in the first to seventh measures are used as a component or as a protection element against esd of an ic using a so-called soi (silicon on insulator) having an insulating film on a support substrate (quartz, si, etc.) and having a thin film semiconductor substrate on the insulating film. as an eleventh measure, an ic manufacturing method comprising steps of introducing more than 5 x 10¹⁴/cm² of n type impurities surface-selectively in introducing impurities to form at least a drain area; forming a gate insulating film; forming a gate electrode; implementing a non-oxidant heat treatment at more than 1,100°c for more than 30 minutes; and then introducing more than 1 x 10¹⁵/cm² of second n type impurities is adopted in a process of forming the nmos transistor. the following operations are brought about by taking the measures described above. by taking the first measure, an esd immunity of the nmos transistor itself may be enhanced. by taking the second measure, the esd immunity of the nmos transistor may be enhanced and at the same time, a full drive-ability of the drain (to suppress the increase of drain resistance) may be assured and the increase of a contact resistance (contact resistance of the drain electrode such as a1 and the drain area) may be suppressed. by taking the third measure, the nmos transistor can assure a latch up resistance, in addition to the esd immunity. by taking the fourth measure, no current (electric field) concentrates at the interface between the gate and drain area, thus allowing bv s (surface breakdown at the gate electrode end of the drain connection) to be improved. by taking the fifth measure, the nmos transistor which is an off-transistor operates as the protection element, protects the internal circuit and allows a full esd immunity to be given to an ic. by taking the sixth measure, a full esd immunity may be given to an ic since the elements themselves which compose the whole ic become strong against esd. by taking the seventh measure, the internal circuit is protected by the effective protection element, the area of the ic is not increased (cost does not increase) and a full esd immunity may be given. by taking the eighth measure, a full esd immunity may also be given to the high withstanding cmos ic. by taking the ninth measure, a full esd immunity may be given also to a low voltage ic (such ics whose lower limit of the specified operating power voltage range is less than 1.5 v; hereinafter it will be explained in the standard of 25°c). by taking the tenth measure, a full esd immunity may be given also to an ic using a soi substrate. by taking the eleventh measure, the nmos transistors described above may be manufactured without significantly increasing their steps. embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic figures in which; fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit of an nmos transistor according to a first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a circuit diagram for measuring a characteristic of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3 is a graph showing the characteristics of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a section view of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 5 is a graph showing the characteristics of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is a section view of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 is a section view of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 9 is a graph showing a characteristic of a bipolar npn transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; figs. 10a and 10b are diagrams showing the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 11 is a graph showing a characteristic of the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 12 is a graph showing a second breakdown of the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention; figs. 13a and 13b are diagrams showing currents in the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention; figs. 14a and 14b are section views of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 15 is a perspective view of a mos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 16 is a graph showing a temperature and resistance value characteristic of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 17 is a perspective view of the mos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 18 is a graph showing a soft leak in the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 19 is a section view of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; figs. 20a through 20c are graphs showing energy bands of the soft leak in the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 21 is a section view of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 22 is a graph showing an impurity concentration profile of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 23 is a graph showing an impurity concentration profile of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; figs. 24a through 24e are section views showing a manufacturing process of an nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 25 is a graph showing a characteristic of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 26 is a graph showing a characteristic of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 27 is a block diagram showing a circuit of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 28 is a plan view of the npom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 29 is a plan view of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 30 is a graph showing a characteristic of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 31 is a circuit diagram for measuring a characteristic of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 32 is a graph showing a characteristic of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 33 is a block diagram showing a circuit using an nrom transistor of a second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 34 is a graph showing a characteristic of the second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 35 is a graph showing a characteristic of the second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 36 is a graph showing a characteristic of the second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 37 is a block diagram showing a circuit related to an nrom off-transistor of the second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 38 is a block diagram showing a circuit related to the nrom transistor of the second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 39 is a block diagram showing a circuit related to the nrom off-transistor of the second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 40 is a block diagram showing a circuit related to the nrom transistor of the second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 41 is a block diagram showing a circuit related to the nrom off-transistor of the second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 42 is a block diagram showing a circuit related to an nrom off-transistor of a third embodiment of the present invention; figs. 43a and 43b are block diagrams showing circuits related to an nrom off-transistor of a fourth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 44 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a ring oscillator of the fourth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 45 is a graph showing a characteristic of the fourth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 46 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a semiconductor device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 47 is a graph showing a characteristic of a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 48 is a section view of a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention; fig. 49 is a block diagram showing a circuit of the semiconductor integrated circuit device of the seventh embodiment of the present invention; fig. 50 is a block diagram showing a prior art input protection circuit; fig. 51 is a graph showing a characteristic of the prior art input protection circuit; fig. 52 is a diagrammatic drawing of a mos transistor having a conv structure for explaining joule heat destruction of the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 53 is a diagrammatic drawing showing a flat portion of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 54a is a diagrammatic drawing showing a section along a line a-a' in fig. 53, fig. 54b is a diagrammatic drawing showing a section of the similar portion of the nmos transistor in which no nrom ion is doped, and fig. 54c is a diagrammatic drawing showing a section along a line b-b' in fig. 53; figs. 55a through 55e are section views showing a manufacturing process of the nrom transistor, in the processing order, which is one application example of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 56 is a section view showing the nrom transistor (offset conv) which is an application example of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 57 is a graph showing an impurity profile of the offset conv transistor from a point y in the direction a in fig. 56, which is the application example of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 58 is a graph showing esd immunity of the offset conv transistor itself which is the application example of the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 59 is a graph indicating esd immunity to the integration of ic for technologically explaining the present invention; fig. 60 is a graph showing a relationship between a depth of diffusion layer (x i ) and a surface impurity concentration (cs), which shows a guideline for designing the drain structure of the nmos transistor of the present invention; fig. 61 is a graph showing a relationship between a chip size and esd immunity between power sources for explaining the fourth embodiment of the present invention in more detail; fig. 62 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a first semiconductor integrated circuit device according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 63 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a first semiconductor integrated circuit device according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 64 is a graph showing an i-v characteristic of an nrom transistor of the eighth embodiment of the present invention; figs. 65(a) through 65(d) are symbolic drawings showing a semiconductor device (tvs) according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 66 is a section view showing the semiconductor device of the ninth embodiment of the present invention. in the aforementioned drawings, the numeral (101) denotes an input terminal and (107) an nrom off-transistor for input protection. preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit showing a state of an nmos off-transistor used for input protection for explaining an nmos transistor of a first embodiment of the present invention. an input terminal 101 is connected to a signal line 109 and to an nmos off-transistor 107 added for input protection and a gate (g) 102 is connected to gnd (called a ground or vss) 108. a drain (d) 103 is connected to the signal line 109. a transistor substrate 104 is connected to the gnd. a source (s) 105 is also connected with the gnd. an arrow 106 indicates that the signal line is connected further to an internal circuit of an ic. as described before, the protection circuit by means of the diodes and resistor had various problems. then, the use of a protection circuit as shown in fig. 1 (example of input protection) may be proposed. it is noted that there are three conditions as the necessary conditions of an esd protection circuit, as follows: (1) a withstand voltage (1-st breakdown) of the protection circuit should be smaller than that of the internal circuit to be protected; (2) an esd immunity of the protection circuit itself should be large; and (3) v h (hold voltage after snap back) of the protection circuit should be higher than v ddmax . the condition (3) is related to a phenomenon of latch up. fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit for measuring an i-v characteristic of the nmos off-transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (201) denotes a drain voltage v d , (202) a drain current i d , (203) a drain, (204) a gate, (205) a substrate and (206) a source, respectively. fig. 3 is a graph showing the i-v characteristic of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. when the drain voltage v d is increased, a current flows at first by avalanche (surface breakdown) between the drain and the substrate, shifting soon to a low impedance bipolar operation. although esd is a short time high current event as described before, the off-transistor can protect the internal circuit because it can flow a large current in low voltage during the bipolar operation. if i max of the second breakdown is large in addition to that, it means that its own esd immunity is also large. the reference numeral (307) denotes the first breakdown point and (308) denotes the second breakdown point. as for its own esd immunity, p max (maximum power) which is a product of i max and v max n well correlates. the greater, the stronger it is. generally, the surface breakdown of a mos transistor is lower than a withstand voltage of pn junction diode from the beginning. therefore, although it is difficult to increase its withstand voltage, it is more advantageous in statically protecting at the input section since vtrig (avalanche breakdown voltage) <bv ox (dielectric breakdown voltage of gate insulating film). however, things are different at the output as described later. concerning to a point whether it itself is strong or not, although there is a problem in a ddd (double diffused drain; a drain structure having another drain area with less concentration; used for assuring hot carrier resistance by refinement and for a high withstanding mos) or in a ldd (lightly doped drain; a drain structure having a low concentration area, the purpose is same with the ddd), there is no problem in a conv (conventional; a single diffused drain structure) since i max is large. accordingly, the off-transistor type protection will become an effective protection circuit. fig. 4 is a section view of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (401) denotes an n⁺ type layer of the source area, (410) the gate electrode, (403) vd, (409) an n⁺ type layer of the drain area, (404) a p⁻ type substrate, and (408) a depletion layer end on the substrate side when v d equals v di . v d2 407 is a depletion layer end on the substrate side when voltage v d is increased more than v di 408. an arrow 406 indicates an extension of the depletion layer near the surface when v d is increased. an arrow 405 indicates an extension of the depletion layer within the substrate when v d is increased. i d 402 is a drain current. the surface breakdown is, in short, an avalanche, i.e. a function of an electric field. accordingly, a withstand voltage drops at a junction where concentration is high, because width of the depletion layer is narrow. in a mos, it is necessary to consider a fixation of channel potential by the gate, beside the concentration. the mos can deplete the channel by potential of the gate. in other words, depletion of channel is hardly brought about if the potential of the gate is fixed. when the drain voltage is raised in this state, the depletion layer on the substrate side extends, though that on the surface side does not extend. accordingly, an avalanche breakdown is brought about near the surface where the electric field is the strongest. this is called a surface breakdown. its withstand voltage becomes lower than that of the junction of the n⁺ (drain) type layer and p± (field dope) type layer even though the concentration is low since the gate potential has been fixed as described above. fig. 5 is a graph showing an i-v characteristic of the drain voltage v d and drain current i d of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. a withstand voltage of the mos may be confirmed whether it is caused by the surface breakdown or by other breakdown by keeping source open in a mos having a long gate length (l) and by observing a dependency of the withstand voltage on a gate voltage v g . when there is a v g dependency as shown in fig. 5, it may be judged as a surface breakdown (sb). although a band to band tunnelling current (bbt) is generated at this time, sb and bbt may be discriminated by observing their temperature dependency. in the high withstanding cmos, it is a key point how to raise sb. as described before, the high withstanding cmos refers to those whose upper limit of the specified power voltage range is 9 v and 12 v or more than 16 v and 24 v, not 5 v which is very common, and it is used for ics of power system that creates 5 v of power. accordingly, because the high withstanding cmos controls an input power voltage (6 to 12 v), it must be able to withstand to v ddmax such as 12 v. a driver ic for driving an external load is well known as an ic in this category. to that end, the following two methods are conceivable: (1) extend the depletion layer toward the drain side (have a drain area with less concentration like ddd and ldd); and (2) extend the depletion layer in the direction of the channel (thicken the gate insulating film). from the aspect of esd, a device needs to be constructed by considering the method (2) above. fig. 6 is a section view of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a circuit in which the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention is assumed to be equivalent to an npn bipolar transistor. fig. 8 is a section view of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention and shows a state in which the bipolar operation is performed. in figs. 6 and 7, the reference numeral (601) denotes the source area (emitter area), (602) the p⁻ type substrate (base area), (603) a substrate resistance r b , (604) a substrate current i b , (605) i d , (606) an applied v d (also referred to as vce(cb)), (607) the drain area (collector area), (608) a symbol representing an electron, (609) a symbol representing a positive hole, (610) an emitter (e), (611) a collector (c), (613) a base (b), (614) an arrow indicating a base-on current (i beon ) and a base-on voltage (v beon ) (615) a diode (di) assuming a junction which avalanches between the substrate and the drain (collector). i d increases when v d is raised while continuing the avalanche. while this current flows between the drain and substrate, the substrate potential near the source and drain rises when i d is increased since the resistance (r b ) of the substrate is high. when the rise of the potential exceeds on voltage v beon (about 0.6 v) between the base and the emitter, electrons are injected from the source to the substrate and reach to the drain by diffusion. that is, the bipolar operation is brought about. fig. 8 shows this bipolar operation, by electrons. fig. 9 is a graph showing an i-v characteristic of a bipolar npn transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. assuming that bv cbo is a junction withstand voltage (avalanche) between collector and base when the base is earthed and that bv ceo is a withstand voltage between emitter and collector when the base is open and the emitter is earthed, an avalanche voltage v trig = bv cbo and v h (holding voltage, sustaining voltage) = bv cbo in the bipolar. that is, bv ceo is a withstand voltage in a state when the bipolar operation is most readily brought about when the substrate resistance = ∞. bv cbo and bv ceo have the following relationship: (α = i c /i e , n = const 4 to 6) it is apparent from the above equation that bv ceo may be raised by raising bv cbo (= v trig = surface breakdown) or by reducing α. figs. 10a is an energy band diagram showing the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (1001) denotes an electron, (1002) a positive hole, (1003) a symbol representing a recombination of electron and positive hole, (1004) the emitter area, (1005) the base area, and (1006) the collector area. fig. 10b is a diagram showing each current of emitter current i e , base current i b , and collector current i c which represent the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numerals (1007) and (1008) denote spatial charge layer areas (depletion layers). the substrate current (i b ) of more than a certain value has to be supplied in order to sustain the bipolar, and this is carried out by the positive holes of pairs of electron-positive holes produced by the collision and ionisation of electrons within the depletion layer 1008 between the base (substrate) 1005 and the collector (drain) 1006. accordingly, it is influenced by (1) how much of electrons reach from the source to the drain (i.e.α) and by (2) a strength of the electric field between the substrate (base) and the drain (collector) (i.e. proportional to bv cbo = v trig ). accordingly, it may be represented as bv ceo = bv cbo (1 -α) 1/n . bv cbo (surface breakdown) may be adjusted by adjusting the concentration of the drain or the thickness of the gate ox. α may be changed by the base width (= l length) and the substrate concentration. strictly speaking, a difference of positive holes generated between the base and the collector becomes net (total) i b . furthermore, positive holes injected from the base to the emitter and electron-positive hole pairs generated between the emitter and the base have to be precisely taken into consideration. fig. 11 is a graph of an i-v characteristic showing the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. from the aspect of electrostatic protection, it is also effective to reduce i trig (i beon ) beside lowering v trig . this may be done by raising the substrate resistance r b in fig. 11 (corresponds to the resistance r b in fig. 7) since the substrate potential needs to be raised such that it generates a forward bias even if i b is small. while the substrate concentration may be changed, there is another method of separating an electrode that takes a substrate potential or a p⁺ type layer that takes a substrate electrode far from the mos. ultimately, a transistor which does not take the potential of the substrate is preferable (such as soi or a floating substrate of p-well in n-type substrate). it should be noted that the high electric field portion which supplies i b for sustaining the bipolar operation in the off-transistor is always near the surface. this is because the gate is always fixed to gnd. by the way, since h fe (dc current amplification factor) of the p-channel type mos transistor is lower than that of the nmos transistor and very few electron-positive hole pairs caused by collision and ionisation are generated, it will not enter the bipolar operation. fig. 12 is a graph of i-v characteristics showing a second breakdown of the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (1201) denotes a second breakdown point. when a current is increased while continuing the bipolar operation, it will soon reach to the second breakdown point and becomes low impedance. at this point of time, a junction breakdown between the drain and the substrate is brought about. that is, a part of the junction turns into a resistance and the i-v turns out to be the solid line in fig. 12. there is a spot called a hot spot where current is concentrated to produce a temperature which exceeds a melting point (about 1,400°c) of si by joule heating and the junction melts and turns into a resistance. a current value i max just before the breakdown is correlated with an esd immunity. i max ≧ 200 ma/transistor is a criterion for assuring the esd immunity. fig. 13a is a plan view showing current paths in the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. fig. 13b is a plan view showing a concentration of currents in the bipolar operation of a second embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (1301) denotes an electrode, (1302) lines showing current flowing states, (1303) a drain area, (1304) a source area, (1305) a spot where currents are concentrated, and (1306) a drain edge portion of the gate electrode. fig. 14a is a first section view of the nmos transistor for explaining the concentration of currents in the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. fig. 14b is a second section view of the nmos transistor for explaining the concentration of currents in the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (1401) denotes a depletion layer, (1402) a thickness of the depletion layer where the electric field is the strongest, (1403) trapped electrons, and (1404) a thickness of the depletion layer enhanced by the trapped electrons. in the initial stage of bipolar operation, current flows homogeneously along the drain edge 1306, see figs. 13, of the gate electrode 1301 of poly silicon, as shown in fig. 13a. when the current continuously flows further, electrons 1403 are trapped within the gate insulating film sio₂ 1405 by electrons which have become hot in the substrate-drain depletion layer field. however, the way in which they are trapped is not uniform and there is a localisation (the spot where currents are concentrated in fig. 13b). the electric field changes depending on the density of the trapped electrons. as shown in figs. 13a and 13b, the electric field is large where the density of trapped electrons is large. then, a large number of carriers pass through because they can more readily pass through. that is, currents are concentrated. then, the number of hot electrons there increases more, the number of trapped electrons increases, the electric field becomes stronger, the concentration of currents advances and a positive feedback is applied (fig. 13b). as a result, the junction breakdown is brought about at the spot where the currents are concentrated (hot spot) due to the increase of temperature. or alternatively, there is a case in which si is cracked due to a mechanical stress caused by a large temperature gradient, leading to a breakdown. fig. 15 is a perspective view of a mos transistor having a conv structure for explaining joule heat destruction of the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (1501) denotes a gate electrode, (1502) a drain area and (1503) a solid portion indicating a volume per unit transistor width (w). wherein a reason using a description of volume instead of an area (xj x pcs (to be described later) is that a relation of xj x pcs x density of an impurity becomes important. this is described in detail later. fig. 52 is a diagrammatic drawing of a mos transistor having a normal conv structure for explaining joule heat destruction of the bipolar operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. a distance between a side edge of a gate electrode of an electrode opening section (contact hole) 5201 and a poly si (polysilicon) gate electrode 5202 is referred to as a pcs 5204 (abbreviation of poly si gate-contact-space). the reference numeral (5203) is a drain electrode and (5205) is a portion indicating a volume which is equivalent to the portion 1503 in fig. 15. esd becomes stronger when the distance (pcs) between the edge of the gate poly si and the section where the drain electrode contacts is reduced. this may be explained by the volume per unit width w. when the same power is consumed, the larger the volume, the smaller the temperature rise is. concerning this matter, there are the theory of increased resistance or the theory of al spike, the theory of volume of the present invention is considered to be effective from the facts that an esd immunity will not rise even if a resistance which is equivalent to the resistance increase when the pcs is widened is added to the outside of the drain and that the esd immunity will not rise even if a barrier metal is used. in esd, if the breakdown is dominantly caused by the melt due to the temperature rise caused by joule heat, the parameter of volume is important. even if a poly si resistance whose volume is small, even though its resistance value itself is large, is added, it will merely be melted. fig. 16 is a graph showing a temperature and resistance value characteristic of the semiconductor for explaining the joule heat destruction of the first embodiment of the present invention. a broken line 1601 indicates a critical temperature (tc). fig. 17 is a perspective view of the mos transistor having a thinly concentrated drain area for explaining the joule heat destruction of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (1701) denotes a solid portion representing a volume of an n⁻ type drain area where the concentration is low, i.e. a resistance is high, (1702) the n-type drain area, and (1703) an n⁺ drain area. while it has been explained that there are ddd and ldd structures as a structure having a low concentrated drain area as described before, changes of the surface electric field is great as compared to the conv structure when electrons are trapped by sio₂ in the junction of them (hereinafter called as ddd junction). the ddd junction itself is a structure which is hard to generate hot electrons. if a very few electrons are trapped, a difference of the electric field with other spots where no electrons are trapped is far greater than the conv and as a result, a concentration of currents takes place right away. furthermore, because the concentration is low in the ddd junction, temperatures at which resistance values drop become lower bordering tc (fig. 16). accordingly, the esd immunity is low as compared to the conv structure even if the size of the pcs is increased because currents concentrate on a spot and the portion 1702 breaks down concentratedly when the temperature of the spot rises and reaches a predetermined temperature. the impurity concentration and the critical temperature tc have a relationship represented by the following equation: nd: impurity concentration tc: critical temperature (°k) the n⁻ type area where a resistance is high is small in the ddd or ldd, the area 1701 in fig. 17, and this portion consumes most of the power. accordingly, a low power can readily increase the temperature in this portion, leading to the breakdown. fig. 18 is a graph showing an i-v characteristic related to a soft leak in the first embodiment of the present invention. fig. 19 is a section view of the nmos transistor related to the soft leak in the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (1901) denotes symbols representing trapped electrons, (1902) symbols indicating a surface level, (1903) a symbol representing an electron in an electron-positive hole pair generated by tunnelling between bands, and (1904) a symbol representing a positive hole in the electron-positive hole pair generated by the tunnelling between bands. figs. 20a, 20b and 20c are energy band graphs related to the soft leak in the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (2001) denotes trapped electrons trapped by the gate insulating film, (2003 and 2004) electrons which become a current, and (2002) a surface level. the soft leak in which a leak current of the drain increases is seen after applying a low esd even if it does not reach to a complete junction breakdown (line b in fig. 18). this leak is often recovered by annealing. it is considered to be caused by a tunnelling current between bands (bbt) caused by the trapped electrons or a tunnelling current generated via the surface level produced by the hot carriers (fig. 20c). figs. 20a, 20b and 20c are energy band diagrams directly under the overlap area of the gate and drain, wherein fig. 20a shows the initial state, fig. 20b shows a state in which band bending on the surface of the drain has become sharp by the electrostatic field caused by the trapped electrons and bbt current has been generated. in this state, the leak is recovered when the trapped electrons are de-trapped by annealing. fig. 20c shows the bbt via the surface level. in either case, they are caused by the hot carriers during bipolar operation. then, the off-transistor for protection has to be devised and process design has to be made taking also the hot carrier during esd into consideration (low v h , profile of drain impurities, good quality gate sio₂, etc.). fig. 21 is a section view of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (2101) denotes the gate electrode, (2103) a point a, (2102) an arrow indicating a direction a (surface direction), (2104) the drain area, (2105) double diffused impurity area such as the ddd and ldd (esd is weak with this junction), (2106) an arrow indicating a direction b, and (2107) a drain impurity area of the nmos transistor of the present invention. for convenience, it will be named as a graded junction structure. fig. 22 is a graph showing an impurity concentration profile of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention from the point a 2103 in the direction a in fig. 21. a portion of a profile of one impurity having a kink, not a monotonous change such as single gaussian distribution or complementary error distribution, is called a kink 2214. a short broken line 2209 indicates a profile of the conventional ddd structure. the line 2209 has the kink 2214 and a portion 2213 ahead of that corresponds three-dimensionally to the portion 1701 in fig. 17 described before. this portion is weak from the esd. a solid line portion 2206 represents the graded structure of the first embodiment of the present invention. a long broken line 2207 represents a structure having an n⁺ type layer (called nrom structure, described later in detail) on the surface in addition to the graded structure of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (2208) indicates a concentration in the p⁻ substrate (although the long broken line 2207 and the solid line 2206 are drawn separately for convenience at the portion where they are drawn very closely, they lie actually on the same line). fig. 23 is a graph showing an impurity concentration profile of the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention from the point a in the direction b in fig. 21. a short broken line 2212 indicates a drain profile of the conventional ddd structure, a long broken line 2210 indicates a profile of the nrom structure of the first embodiment of the present invention and a solid line 2212 indicates a profile of the drain in the graded structure of the first embodiment of the present invention. in order to obtain the structure shown in figs. 21 through 23 described above, the following manufacturing process was adopted. figs. 24a through 24e are section views showing the manufacturing process of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. ion implantation of phosphorus of 40 kev and 7x10¹⁴/cm² of dosage is implemented on the p⁻ type substrate 2402 (2.5ω.cm) through sio₂ 2413 (350å). (2401) is a patterned photoresist. this phosphorus ion implantation is originally an ion implantation process for forming a relatively high dosage n type area used for forming a capacitor component created within n-well as another element on the ic. because such process may be used in combination, the area may be formed without increasing the number of processing steps. according to custom, the process is called as an nrom ion implantation taking the name of the process and the nmos transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention formed thereby is called as an nrom transistor within the present invention. an nrom capacitor is omitted in fig. 24 (fig. 24a). after that, a section structure as shown in fig. 24b is obtained after annealing for 30 minutes in n₂ at 900°c through a process for forming the gate sio₂. it is also effective to implement a speed up oxidation in thickening the nrom transistor compared to the internal transistor by t ox as described before, though it depends on the nrom ion implantation dosage, depending on the annealing at 900°c and gate oxidation condition. of course, it is carried out corresponding to a processability in the combination of v trig and v ddmax . a daa structure is favourable for the nrom transistor when the speed up oxidation is implemented. thinning at the locos edge will be now explained. fig. 53 is a diagrammatic drawing showing a flat portion of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (5303) denotes the poly si gate electrode and a hatched portion 5302 is a resist mask opening section when the nrom is ion doped. no ions are doped to the outside of the locos edge 5301 on the side of a thick locos oxide film 5314. section views along lines a-a''-a' and b-b' in fig. 53 are shown in figs. 54a, 54b and 54c. fig. 54a is a diagrammatic drawing showing the section along the line a-a' in fig. 53 and fig. 54b is a diagrammatic drawing showing the section of the similar portion of the nmos transistor in which there is no nrom ion doping. while ions are doped through 350å of sio₂ (oxide film) as described before when phosphorus ions are doped to form an nrom layer, this sio₂ is called a light oxide film etc. and is removed before the gate is oxidised. in the case of the process of ion implantation, annealing at 900°c in n₂, removal of the light sio₂ and oxidation of the gate like the present embodiment, almost no speed up oxidation (oxide film on the si surface in which high concentration phosphorus is doped is formed to be thicker than the portion not doped) is implemented. this is because the impurity concentration on the surface is once diffused by the n₂ annealing and is reduced less than the impurity concentration that brings about the speed up oxidation. the reference numeral (5306) denotes the poly si gate electrode, (5305) an n⁺ type layer, (5307) an n⁻ type layer, and (5308) an n⁺ type layer. however, when a process of ion implantation, removal of light sio₂ and oxidation of the gate is adopted, sio₂ 5316 on the area where an nrom diffusion layer 5402 is formed becomes thicker than a gate oxide film 5315 at the gate area where there is no ion doping. thereby, the gate oxide film at the edge 5401 of the drain area of a poly si gate electrode 5303 becomes thick and is effective in raising v trig = bvs (surface breakdown). however, in the case when the transistor is used as a protection element and when an element to be protected is a similar nmos transistor like the present embodiment, it is needless to say that it is set so that it will not exceed v trig of that nmos transistor. when it is not necessary to implement to that extent like the present embodiment, no speed-up oxidation is implemented, so that annealing at 900°c in n₂ (non-oxidant) may be included as described before. furthermore, when it is desired to raise v trig as described before, when it is desired to raise the esd immunity at any rate not from the combination with the element which should protect the nrom transistor, the b-b' structure in fig. 53 has to be noticed beside the a-a' section above. fig. 54c is a diagrammatic drawing showing the section along the line b-b' in fig. 53. the surface of the sio₂ when nrom is ion doped is shown by a broken line 5311 in fig. 54c. gate oxidation is implemented after removing the light sio₂ (350 å + α) once to obtain a sio₂ surface 5313 after the gate oxidation. a point x 5312 corresponds to a tail portion (also known as a bird beak) of a thick oxide film 5314 which is locos when nrom is ion doped and is an area where no nrom ion doping occurs. accordingly, no speed up oxidation is implemented at this portion and it does not become thick and so has the same thickness as the normal gate oxide film. however, an nrom diffusion layer 5310 extends under the point x 5312 through annealing and others for forming an n⁻ type layer 5403 and a poly si gate electrode 5303 comes to face the drain area. this is called the thinning at the locos edge. the speed up oxidation becomes meaningless if a portion which is partially thin such as this is produced. then, when the speed up oxidation is implemented, it is advantageous to adopt, together, the daa structure in which a drain 2911 is continuously surrounded by a gate 2910. thereby, the drain area is structured all by the section a-a'', allowing thin portions such as the point x to be eliminated to solve the problem. thus, thinning at the locos edge is not generated in the daa structure. returning to figs. 24, the reference numeral (2405) denotes an nrom layer extended by the annealing at 900°c and the size of the overlap 2403 between the gate poly si 2404 and an nrom mask is 2µm (not taking a portion extended by diffusion into consideration). after that, the structure shown in fig. 24c is obtained through a step of introducing 80 kev and 1e14/cm² of phosphorus for n⁻ type drain for ddd and an annealing step within n2 for 75 minutes. area 2406 is an n⁻ type drain area of ddd type. after that, the structure shown in fig. 24d is obtained through a step of introducing 80 kev and 5 e 15/cm² of as (arsenic) for the n⁺ type drain area, a dosage of more than 1 e 15/cm² is adequate as the n⁺ type layer forming the source and drain area, and an annealing step at 950°c for 45 minutes. area 2407 is the drain n⁺ type layer. after that, the structure shown in fig. 24e is obtained through steps of forming p⁺ type layer, intermediate insulating film 2410, electrode 2409 and protection film 2408, etc. (not shown). the reference numeral (2411) denotes the nrom transistor for protection of the first embodiment of the present invention and (2412) denotes a ddd type nmos transistor for the internal circuit. fig. 25 is a graph showing an i-v characteristic of an off-transistor of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. it is the i-v characteristic obtained by the manufacturing process explained in figs. 24. although v trig is slightly high from the aspect of protection, it is good since v h > v ddmax (this case will be explained using a device of 16 v of v ddmax ) the junction is fully deep since the dosage of nrom is as high as 7 e 14/cm² and heat treatment is significant. furthermore, since it is backed by n⁻ and n⁺, it may be said that it has turned out to be a fine graded junction (see figs. 22 and 23). such nrom transistors may be employed as all of the nmoss within an ic as a matter of course. fig. 26 is a graph showing v trig and i max against l length of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. similarly to fig. 25, it is data per l length of the transistor obtained by the process shown in fig. 24. it can be seen that an ic having a v ddmax of 16 v requires a value of l = 8µm. esd immunity was measured by using the nrom transistor thus obtained as a protection element. it will be explained below. fig. 27 is a block diagram showing a circuit using the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention as the protection element. the reference numeral (2701) denotes a terminal, (2702) a series resistance using the poly si (studied with and without it), (2703) v dd , (2704) a circuit to be protected, and (2705) an off-transistor which is the off-connected nrom transistor (double source type as shown in figs. 28 and 29) of the first embodiment of the present invention. figs. 28 and 29 are plan views showing the gate electrode and the source and drain areas of the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention. fig. 28 shows a cross type which includes a gate poly si 2806, drain areas 2808 and points 2809 which cross with a boundary of a field area (boundary is concentrated here) and fig. 29 shows a type (called as drain all around (daa) type) which has no point which crosses. the reference numeral (2911) denotes the gate poly si and (2912) the drain area. fig. 30 is a graph and table showing the results of measurement of the esd immunity carried out using the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention as the protection element. it is strongest in the cross type with 800ω of poly si resistance when l = 8µm and there is 1100 v of esd immunity in a machine model. however, even one which has no poly resistance (0ω), in the daa type and l = 10µm is about 400 v which is in a level which presents no problem at all as the general specification. it shows how effective the nrom type is, it is often only several tens of volts in the ddd type. while it seems that the results of the daa type are weaker more or less, it changes depending on the device to be protected (mutual relationship of v trig ). this is because the esd immunity of the nrom itself is stronger in the daa type. fig. 31 is a block diagram of a circuit for explaining the results of measurement of the esd immunity carried out using the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention as the protection element. the reference numeral (3101) denotes an input terminal, (3104) an nrom off-transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention, (3102) v dd , (3103) a line connected further to an internal circuit, and (3105) a cmos inverter in the initial stage of the internal circuit. fig. 32 is a graph showing an i-v characteristic of the nrom transistor for explaining the results of measurement of the esd immunity carried out using the nrom transistor of the first embodiment of the present invention as the protection element. the reference numeral (3201) denotes i-v of the nrom off-transistor and (3202) i-v of the gate sio₂. this time, gate t ox = 500å and when 8 mv/cm is bv ox , bv ox = 40 v. v trig of the nrom drain off-transistor is 28 v and all current passes through the nrom during surge (figs. 31 and 32). accordingly, there is no problem at all if the off-transistor is strong against esd. while (+) in v ss standard is applied in the above case, the off-transistor takes a forward direction when (-) in v ss standard is applied, so that there is also no problem. generally, since the input protection by the protection of the off-transistor is: bv ox = 0.8 (3 x v ddmax ) [bv ox takes three times of margin of v ddmax ] v trig =v dd + 4 to 10 v, although it may be dangerous when bv ox ≦ 0.8 v trig - 5.6 v, supposing that v trig = v dd + 10 v, such relation is practically impossible. hence, it presents no problem in terms of the protection. it is then sufficient if the off-transistor itself is resistant to esd and v h is more than v ddmax . figs. 55a through 55e are section views showing manufacturing processes of the nrom transistor, in the processing order, which is one application example of the first embodiment of the present invention. it shows a part of the process for manufacturing a spacer type ldd type nmos transistor 5502 and an nrom transistor 5501 which is an application example of the present invention on the same substrate. while covering an nrom transistor section by a photoresist 5503, ion implantation 5504 of 1 e 14/cm² of phosphorus for forming a ldd n- type layer is implemented above a poly si gate electrode 5512 already formed by pattering (fig. 55a). at this time, as (arsenic) may be used instead of phosphorus. the description of acceleration energy of the ion implantation is omitted to simplify it in the present application example. it is because the essential part illustrated in the present application example is common to so-called highly integrated refined products whose gate t ox is less than 200å, for example such as ics called vlsi and ulsi and functionally logical processors such as cpu and mpu, memories such as dram and sram and logical ics such as asic and gate arrays for various uses. those in which the reduction of line width in the lateral direction, i.e. scaling, significantly contributes to the integration thereof are called refined products. contrary to that, those such as a power supply ic and driver ic in which scaling does not contribute so much are called high withstanding products for convenience as described later. as are ics (power supply ic and driver ic) in the class in which t ox is more than 500å and v ddmax is more than 12 v or more than 18 v or 24 v. these are called high withstanding products to discriminate them from the refined products (vddmax is less than 5 v, 3v or 1.5 v) for convenience in the present application. that is, the ion implantation energy may be set in accordance to a thickness of the gate film, so that sio₂, or nsg, (non-doped silicate glass) layer 5505 is formed to about 4000a by cvd (chemical vapour deposition method) after that (fig. 55b). annealing for activating ion injected phosphorus (or as) to form an n⁻ type layer 5506 may be implemented before forming nsg or after depositing the nsg, combining it with densification. while the annealing is implemented at a temperature of 1,000°c or 1,100°c, it may be adequately set as necessary in the end since the diffusion depth (xj) to be extended is different with the refined products and the high withstanding products as described before. here, notations such as n⁺ (plus), n± (plus minus) and n⁻ (minus) (or p⁺ p±,p⁻) noted in the present invention will be explained. plus and minus here represent a degree of impurity concentration and are used to specify a difference when there is a plurality of types of concentration areas having the same conductive type within one semiconductor (including some which are dense and some which are thin). however, there is a criterion of approximate concentration, but this not strict. the same applies also to p and n. n⁻ (minus) specifies a range from about 1.45 x 10¹⁰ (intrinsic) to 1 x 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, n± (plus minus) specifies a range from about 1 x 10¹⁶ to 1 x 10¹⁸cm⁻³, when n± does not appear in the explanation like the present invention, n± may be expressed as n⁻. it is sufficient if it merely indicates the relative concentrations of a plurality of areas. n⁺ specifies a range from about 1 x 10¹⁸ to 1 x 10²¹ cm⁻³ but there is a case when it is more than that. in such a case, it is often represented as n⁺⁺. similarly to that, there is n⁻⁻ when a well and a substrate are discriminated. further, when a solid line and a broken line are used in indicating a boundary between areas with those impurities in section views, the broken line will be used when the conductive type is the same and the concentration is different and the solid line will be used when the conductive types are different (i.e. it indicates a pn junction interface). then, an nsg spacer 5507 may be formed on the side wall of the poly si gate electrode 5503 by etching the whole surface of the nsg by anisotropic etching such as rie (reactive ion etching) (fig. 55c). after that, ion implantation 5508 (phosphorus or as, about 5 e 15 cm⁻²) for forming an n⁺ type layer of the drain is implemented. at this time, it is implemented so that it also enters the nrom transistor of the present application example (fig. 55d). after that, the ic is completed going through steps of annealing for forming an n⁺ type layer 5509, forming an intermediate insulating layer 5511, forming an electrode 5510 and forming a surface protection film 5513 (fig. 55e). the structure of the nrom transistor prepared as described above and its esd immunity will be explained below. although the nmos transistor of the present invention is called generically as "nrom transistor of the present invention" and the transistor in the first embodiment may be called an nrom transistor since it has a process of introducing phosphorus at the same time as the nrom process in the strict sense, the nsg spacer type which is an application example thereof is called an "offset conv" to discriminate it from the nrom transistor in the first embodiment since there is no nrom process for it as described before. however, when the "nrom transistor of the present invention" is simply used hereinafter, it is the generic name. this is because ion doping is separated (offsett) a predetermined distance (about a thickness of nsg) from the poly si gate electrode because it is implemented in the state in which the nsg spacer is attached when ions are doped to the n⁺ type layer. fig. 56 is a section view showing the nrom transistor (offset conv) which is an application example of the first embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (5601) denotes a poly si gate electrode, and (5602) an nsg spacer. an arrow 5607 indicates an orientation from a portion y 5603 directly under the nsg spacer in the direction a. a solid line 5605 indicates a drain area of an n⁺ type layer of the offset conv of the present invention. a first broken line 5604 indicates a drain area of n type layer of a ldd transistor. a second broken line 5606 indicates a drain area of n+ type layer of the ldd transistor. fig. 57 is a graph showing an impurity profile of the offset conv transistor from a point y in the direction a in fig. 56, which is the application example of the first embodiment of the present invention. a solid line 5701 indicates a concentration profile of the drain area of the offset conv transistor of the present invention. a first broken line 5702 indicates a concentration profile of the drain area of the ldd transistor. although an n⁻ type area of the ldd transistor which is formed when there is no nsg spacer of a ssecond broken line 5703 is contained in the n⁺ type layer in the end up to about 0.6µm, it shows a bulge from the points of about 0.6µm to 0.9µm as shown in fig. 57 and brings about a kink 5704 and an area 5706 (portion shown by a dashed line and slant lines). this area is weak to esd. although no electron is trapped to the side of the n⁻ type layer (si), symbols of electrons 5705 have been drawn in the graph to show that a hot electron trap is brought about within the gate sio₂ right above that. the reason why this area is weak is that discontinuous points are created on the drain side in the field strength (or potential) distribution when an inverse bias centring on a pn junction 5707 of the ldd transistor is added (not shown intentionally since it is obvious). the next figure proves this. fig. 58 is a graph showing esd immunity of the offset conv transistor itself which is the application example of the first embodiment of the present invention. the ldd transistor is also described together. the horizontal axis represents dosage of the n⁺ type layer and the vertical axis represents esd immunity (v) in a case of eiaj machine model 200 pf and 0ω. a solid line 5801 indicates the offset conv transistor of the present invention. the graph clearly shows the dependency on n⁺ type layer dosage and it can be said that it is fully in the practical range if more than 3 e 15 cm⁻² is injected, exceeding 300 v of esd immunity. the esd immunity sharply drops from around less than 1 e 14 cm⁻². this is because a concentrated current spot begins to be generated in the hot electron trap due to the drop of the surface concentration (around less than 2 e 18 cm⁻²). on the other hand, the ldd transistor 5802 barely shows any dependency on n⁺ type layer dosage, though it is drawn per n⁻ type layer dosages (5804), and almost no improvement is seen even if more than fifteenth power is injected. rather, it clearly shows a dependency on n⁻ type layer dosage. this is because the bulge area 5706 after the kink as shown in fig. 57 is contributing as the hot electron trap generating area. as for the n⁻ type layer dosage, a slightly better characteristic is shown when as is used instead of phosphorus. this is because the diffusion coefficient of as is smaller than that of phosphorus and the surface concentration cs becomes slightly higher. from above, two essential points of the present invention become clear. one is that more than 5 e 18 cm² of drain surface concentration is effective and that there should be no kink. the other one is a creep amount (overlap) of the drain area under the gate electrode like the nrom transistor in the first embodiment. a chain broken line 5803 shows data from a transistor in which an n⁺ type layer is formed without forming a spacer as a trial. as seen from fig. 57, although the area creeping under the poly si gate electrode is longer than that of the offset conv in the direction a by about 0.6µm since there is no spacer, it is still strong. accordingly, it shows how the nrom type transistor of the first embodiment into which this overlap amount is added as the third point is excellent in terms of esd immunity. a remarkable difference is brought about if this overlap is more than 0.5µm. the spacer type process requires that the process controllability and dispersion of esd immunity, such as dispersion of thickness of cvdnsg film and dispersion of rie etching, are taken into account. furthermore, if the transistor in which the n⁺ type layer is formed without spacer is formed together with the spacer type ldd transistor, one process step of a masking process is added. a type of n⁺ type layer without spacer (conv without spacer) also has a problem that withstand voltage (bvs) drops, so that the offset conv transistor and internal ldd transistor as a protection element are fairly good solution for ics for power of 12 v or 24 v v ddmax . it may be determined as necessary from judgement whether esd, performance or process cost should be take into account, after all. although the drain area may not reach under the poly si gate electrode and a real offset may be brought about (bringing about a rise of v th , etc.) depending on the case of xj of the offset conv and on the thickness of the spacer nsg, it presents no problem when it is used as an off- transistor for protection. the important question is the esd immunity of it and setting of v h and v trig . three important points have become clear from the above description. although it is considered that other various proposals have been made concerning the improvement of esd immunity, they are all individual symptomatic treatments. the excellence of the present invention lies in that it systematised the matter in detail and precisely and has devised designing guidelines, (designing guideline of semiconductor device for improving esd immunity). this point will be explained further below. fig. 59 is a graph indicating esd immunity to the integration of ic for technologically explaining the present invention. in the process of increasing integration, elemental devices of semiconductor integrated circuit devices, i.e. so-called ics, have been scaled down approximately along the scaling rule (rule of proportional scale-down) lately. for example, the design rule (line and space: minimum unit dimensions such as l/s) of wiring al, etc. have been scaled down from 4µm to 3µm, 2µm, 1µm and 0.5µm and in order to scale down devices (transistors), gate l length is scaled down similarly from 4µm to 3µm, 2µm, 1µm and 0.5µm. at that time, in order to assure g m (for proportional scale-down), gate t ox is also thinned from around 800å to 150å. the reason why it is described as "approximately" above is that the gate t ox has not been strictly proportionally scaled down to the l length. accordingly, although there may have been unconscious recognition to some extent that the esd immunity drops (it is a common case in this field that this sort of technological problem is left until a problem occurs), it cannot be said that it has been more than a vague recognition, such as, "because the gate t ox has become thin, the esd immunity has dropped in proportion to that" or "because x j of the n⁻ type layer of the ldd structure has become thin, the esd immunity has dropped in proportion to that". one important measure and guideline which the inventors of the present invention has disclosed is volume (of drain) described above. according to the scaling rule, the volume is scaled down three-dimensionally along the scale-down of design rule, not in the scale of the proportional scale-down of the gate t ox however, energy of esd to be withstood is not scaled down, though it is a matter of course. in fig. 59 in which the integration is represented by the horizontal axis (corresponding design rule dimensions are described together below) and the esd immunity is represented by the vertical axis, it may be recognised actually by the tendency (y = -ax⁻³ + b) shown by a plot line 5901. a plot line 5902 indicates a sample having vddmax over 12 volts or having vddmin under 1.5 volts. when a strength of esd in the 4µm class is assumed to be one for example, it becomes about 1/16 in the 1µm class. considering 0.5µm class in the future, it is expected to become about 1/64. the plot line 5902 represents an ic having v ddmax over 12 v or having v ddmin under 1.5 v, which are more weak from esd immunity. the reason why these problems did not surface or could not be scientifically understood is that it has been common to deal with esd only after it has caused a problem as described before. even for 3µm or 4µm class ics for example, no test has been carried out to check their real ability since it is enough in terms of quality if they clear a standard (e.g. 20 v) in esd test. therefore, there has been no data and those problems which would arise when refinement was advanced have not been considered. hence, the description made so far and the guideline devised by the inventors of the present invention will contribute significantly to measures to counter esd in the advancement of refinement (advancement of scaling) and the increase of withstand voltage in the future, as explained with reference to fig. 60. fig. 60 is a graph showing a relationship between a depth of diffusion layer (x i ) and a surface impurity concentration (cs), which shows the guideline for designing the drain structure of the nmos transistor of the present invention. it shows that the drain structure should be set above plot lines drawn in the graph. for example, a plot line 6004 shows that in a high withstanding product (those whose v ddmax is not 5 v but 12 v or 24 v. here, those of more than 12 v to around 200 v are covered. however, x j also has to be deepened to 2 or 3µm in the case of 150 v or 200 v), the maximum (peak) concentration of the drain has to be more than 5 e 18 cm⁻³ in the direction of the portion below the gate electrode (direction a) as described before when x j is 0.5µm (not necessarily at the portion where it overlaps with the poly si gate electrode, though it is of course desirable for it to be at the overlap). although it is needless to say that there should be no kink, the description of this graph will be advanced focusing on x j and cs. while a long broken line 6003 shows a guideline for general ics such as those of 5 v of v ddmax , a plot line 6002 becomes a guideline for refined products by lowering voltage (indicated by an arrow 6001, v ddmin is 1.5 v) (meaning that more than 1 e 19 cm⁻³ of cs is necessary if x j is 0.1µm), resulting in overlapping with the plot line in the process of increasing withstand voltage 6005. the above guidelines have been devised comprehensively by implementing a large number of experiments and calculations and set the plot lines as practical solutions in a manner covering a certain degree of fluctuation. the depth of the drain diffusion layer x j on the horizontal axis is a log (logarithmic) scale and below that, ranges of design rule dimension which correspond to the x j are written together. the vertical axis shows the surface concentration of the drain area in a log scale. while the aspect of volume has been stressed so far, it may be specifically expressed as a total amount of impurities from a contact to a drain edge (on the side of gate electrode), so that the following equation (cubic rule which is physically meaningful) is established for esd immunity (here, cs denotes a surface impurity concentration(/cm³)): however, since cs· x j /2≒ dosage, it does not match with the reality more or less. actually, a relationship of esd∝ cs²· x j well matches since cs contributes more (ifpcs is also removed from parameters here because a contribution ahead of a kink may become dominant rather than pcs as described before when there is the kink). then, in light of numbers of experiments heretofore, an esd immunity of more than a certain amount (300v) may be maintained by setting cs so that a relationship of equation 4 is established when it is expressed by a qualitative equation within a certain range (cs is x 10⁹ cm⁻³, x j is in unit of µm): of course, it may be set by x j so that it enters within the range as necessary. this represents the plot lines 6002 and 6004 in fig. 60 and is one of essential points of the present invention. the points of the design parameters summarised from the above result may be listed as follows: (1) more than 5 e 18/cm³ is necessary as the surface concentration of the drain (for many present semiconductor device) and it may be set more precisely by using the relationship in fig. 60. it is desirable for the overlap of the drain area with the gate electrode to be more than 0.5µm. further, it is necessary to cause the concentration profile toward the portion below the gate electrode to have no kink in a portion less than 5 e 18/cm³. (2) the gate t ox (thickness) is employed as a parameter to adjust v trig in the drain having a high concentration as described before. because the surface breakdown should not be less than v ddmax when the concentration is raised, a gate t ox thicker than an internal transistor may be used. (3) it is desirable for the diffusion depth (x j ) to be more than 0.5µm. for the refined products whose x j is less than 0.5µm, cs may be set by the relationship shown in fig. 60. while x j may be used for the adjustment of v trig beside the gate t ox , it is effective in the aspect of increasing the volume described before beside that. (4) v h should be as low as possible in a range not less than v ddmax . power should be caused to be able to readily escape (to be readily released; also referred to as power dissipation). adjust by l length (described later). (5) graphically, the electrode for substrate potential should be separated as much as possible. the nmos transistor of the present invention fabricated under such guidelines will be called in general as the nrom transistor of the present invention. fig. 33 is a block diagram of a circuit using an nrom off-transistor of a second embodiment of the present invention to protect outputs. the reference numeral (3301) denotes an output terminal, (3302) v dd , and (3303) a line connected further with an internal circuit, (3305) an nrom off-transistor of the second embodiment of the present invention, which is preferably a cross type in terms of plane structure, and (3306) an nmos driver of an output cmos inverter 3304 and its drain structure is ddd. it is more effective if its drain structure is daa. fig. 34 is a first graph showing an i-v characteristic of the off-transistor for protection and the nrom driver of the second embodiment of the present invention. fig. 35 is a second graph showing the i-v characteristic of the off-transistor for protection and the nrom driver of the second embodiment of the present invention. fig. 36 is a third graph showing the i-v characteristic of the off-transistor for protection and the nrom driver of the second embodiment of the present invention. fig. 37 is a block diagram showing a circuit in which the nrom off-transistor of the second embodiment of the present invention is used for protection of outputs and a series resistor is added. the reference numeral (3401) denotes the i-v of the nmos driver, (3402) the i-v of the off-transistor for protection, (3501) the i-v of the nmos driver, (3502) the i-v of the off-transistor for protection, (3601) the i-v of the nmos driver, (3602) the i-v of the off-transistor for protection, (3701) an output terminal, (3706) the off-transistor for protection, (3708) the series resistor, (3707) a cmos inverter for output, (3703) a pmos driver, (3704) the nmos driver, (3702) v dd , (3704) a line connected further with an internal circuit. assuming a protection circuit, although there is no problem when the i-v characteristics of the nmos driver and the off-transistor are as shown in figs. 34 through 36, the following measures are necessary when the withstand voltages of both are almost equal. that is, when there is the relationship of the nrom drain off-transistor and the ddd type nrom driver like the present embodiment: (1) increase l of the nmos driver or shorten l of the off-transistor. that is, widen a difference between v trig and i trig (see figs. 34 and 35); (2) insert the resistor between the off-transistor and the driver as shown in fig. 37 to obtain the relationships shown in figs. 34 and 35. at this time, it is effective to insert the resistor between the off-transistor and the drive and it should not be inserted between the output terminal and the off-transistor. (3) adopt the cross type off-transistor and the daa type nmos driver. it allows to obtain the relationship shown in fig. 35. (4) separate p⁺ v ss contact of the off-transistor as far as possible. it allows to obtain the relationship in figs. 34 and 35. fig. 38 is a block diagram showing a circuit in which the transistor in the nrom drain structure of the second embodiment of the present invention itself is used as the nmos driver of an output inverter. the reference numeral (3801) denotes an output terminal, (3803) the nmos driver transistor in the nrom drain structure, (3804) a cmos inverter for output, and (3802) a line connected further with an internal circuit. in this case, the nrom transistor may be the cross type or the daa type. although the daa type is better since its esd immunity itself is strong, it should be determined generally including the aspect of cost since the area becomes large. fig. 39 is a block diagram showing a circuit in which the nrom off-transistor of the second embodiment of the present invention is added to an output of the nmos open drain. fig. 40 is a block diagram showing a circuit in which the transistor in the nrom drain structure of the second embodiment of the present invention itself is used for the output of the nmos open drain. fig. 41 is a block diagram showing a circuit in which the nrom off-transistor of the second embodiment of the present invention is added to the output of the nmos open drain and the series resistor is added. in fig. 39, the reference numeral (3901) denotes an output terminal, (3903) an nrom off-transistor for protection, (3904) an nmos open drain transistor for output, and (3902) a line connected further with an internal circuit. in fig. 40, the reference numeral (4001) denotes an output terminal, (4003) a transistor in the nrom drain structure for the output nmos open drain, and (4002) a line connected further with an internal circuit. in fig. 41, the reference numeral (4101) denotes an output terminal, (4104) an nrom off-transistor, (4102) an added series resistance poly si (w/l = 20/500µm), (4105) an nmos open drain transistor (ddd drain structure, w/l = 50/10µ m), and (4103) a line connected further with an internal circuit. the structure of each transistor and the explanation on l length and on whether cross type or daa type are basically the same with those explained in the cmos output. fig. 42 is a block diagram showing a circuit in which an nrom off-transistor of a nrom off-transistor for protection of the third embodiment of the present invention, (4202) a cmos inverter for output, (4206) an nmos driver transistor of the inverter for output, (4203) v dd , (4204, 4208, 4209) lines connected further with an internal circuit (they may be connected to circuits having different functions), and (4207) a cmos inverter for input. the structure, function and operation of each are the same with those explained in the first and second embodiments. it is also the same that the structure in which the nmos driver transistor 4206 of the inverter for output is itself the nrom structure drain type transistor and is used also for protection is of course effective. figs. 43a and 43b are block diagrams showing circuits in which an nrom off-transistor of a fourth embodiment of the present invention is used as a protection element of a power system. the reference numeral (4301) denotes an input terminal, (4302) an internal circuit, (4303) a v dd terminal, (4304) a semiconductor integrated circuit (ic), (4305) an output terminal, (4306) the nrom protection element of the present invention, (4307) the nrom off-transistor of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, (4308) a gnd (v ss ) terminal, (4314) an output terminal, (4309) an internal circuit, (4310) a v dd terminal, (4313) an nmos open drain output transistor, (4312) a gnd (v ss ) terminal, (4311) the nrom off-transistor of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and (4315) an arrow indicating a path of negative (minus) surge. as shown in fig. 43a, it is needless to explain that it is very effective to add the nrom off-transistor of the present invention to the v dd 4303 and gnd 4308 as a protection element against esd surge added to the power system (between v dd and gnd). it should be noted that there is a case when no protection element can be provided on the side of v dd even in a normal case depending on an ic, like the nmos open drain output terminal. at this time, a very low esd immunity may be seen when esd surge is added to v dd standard. it is effective to insert the nrom off-transistor of the present invention between the power supplies in parallel. that process will be explained below: (1) apply plus at the v dd standard; (2) a plus voltage is generated at the output terminal; (3) the nmos open drain breaks down (assume that this nmos has the protection of the nrom off-transistor or it is a nrom type transistor and is fully strong against esd. just before esd, it approaches to gnd potential, though v ss floats); (4) v ss potential rises to plus side; (5) off-transistor 4307 or 4311 is in the forward direction; and (6) surge escapes to v dd without any trouble. succeedingly, a case when a minus voltage is applied will be explained. (1) apply minus at the v dd standard; (2) a minus voltage is generated at the output terminal; (3) the nmos open drain is in the forward direction; (4) v ss potential drops further to the minus side; (5) the off-transistor 4307 or 4311 breaks down in the reverse direction; and (6) accordingly, the surge escapes to v dd without any trouble since the off-transistor 4307 or 4311 is the off-transistor of the present invention which is strong against esd. when v dd is minus in the above case and if there is an element whose withstand voltage is lower than v trig somewhere in the internal circuit, all surge passes through there, destroying it. however, there is nothing to worry about since this withstand voltage is set lower than vtrig of the protection off-transistor as described above because generally the element whose withstand voltage is the lowest is the surface breakdown of the nmos transistor. fig. 61 is a graph showing a relationship between a chip size and esd immunity between power sources for explaining the fourth embodiment of the present invention in more detail. normally the esd immunity between the power supplies is not questioned so much when v dd plus is applied in the v ss standard in the ics in which there is no turning path as described before. however, the things change completely when the chip size is small. as shown in the ic whose v ddmax is 5 v, the esd immunity sharply drops and falls into the level causing trouble when the size of one side of the chip becomes less than about 1.0 mm as shown by a plot line 6101. this is related to the protection (power dissipation) at the pn junction described before. it is because ics are structured basically by pn junction of n-well and p type substrate (or p-well and n type substrate) and the pn junction corresponds to v dd - v ss . that is, the esd immunity is scaled down again according to the third power of a chip size (length of one side) (it is not too much to say as the third power rule since well x j is also shallow in the case of refined products). accordingly, power applied is not allowed to escape (dissipate) at the pn junction. the drop of the resistance of the products whose operation rating v ddmax is 12 v is more sharp (plot line 6102, a sample having v ddmin under 1:5v is on this plot line) and it can be said that the esd immunity of the products whose v ddmax is 24 v (plot line 6103) is already below the necessary esd immunity when the size of one side is less than 1.5 mm. as the withstand voltage becomes higher, a reverse withstand voltage of the pn-junction must be set to a high voltage, so that the bv ox becomes low in a low voltage range. then, it is essential to dispose the nrom transistor of the present invention to the power supply in the manner shown in fig. 43a. fig. 44 is a block diagram showing a circuit in which a plurality of cmos inverters of the fourth embodiment of the present invention are arranged to compose a ring oscillator. the reference numeral (4401) shows the state in which the cmos inverters are arranged. fig. 45 is a graph showing both i-v characteristics of the pmos transistor and of the nmos transistor of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (4502) denotes the i-v characteristic of the pmos transistor and (4503) the i-v characteristic of the nmos transistor. considering the ring oscillator as shown in fig. 44, each gate is in the intermediate potential or either potential close to v ss or v dd since it is floating in the initial state. when v dd is raised from this state, a current flows in a cmos in which a gate having the lowest impedance is in the intermediate potential (both the pmos transistor and nmos transistor are on). then, the output of the cmos assumes the intermediate potential and the next gate also assumes the intermediate potential, causing a state in which gates of a large number of cmoss are on in the intermediate potential. while fig. 45 shows the i-v characteristics of the nmos transistor and the pmos transistor, the off-transistor is switched if: accordingly, in the case of such circuit, v trig is not always necessary to set lower than the nmos surface breakdown. there is no problem so long as the off- transistor for protecting nrom is strong against esd. fig. 46 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a semiconductor device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (4608) denotes a semiconductor integrated circuit device having a high withstanding terminal (more than 16 v) of the present embodiment, (4601) v dd2 (more than 16 v), (4602) an external load, (4603) an output terminal, (4607) an nrom off-transistor of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, (4604) an nmos open drain output transistor, (4605) v dd1 (5 v), and (4606) an internal circuit, respectively. this is a case of an ic in which the internal circuit generally operates with 5 v or 3 v of power voltage and the external load connected to an outside power system of more than 16 v is driven by the nmos open drain. although the nmos open drain transistor has to have a high withstanding structure which allows it to withstand more than 16 v, the gate t ox of the internal circuit cannot be thickened since v ddmin of the internal circuit is low. since the nmos open drain transistor is open drain, the gate t ox is not necessary to maintain an electric field of less than 3 mv/cm and is hence structured with the same thickness as the internal transistor, so its esd immunity is weak. then, the addition of the nrom off-transistor 4607 will become a very effective measure. that itself may be a transistor in the nrom drain structure, of course. it is the same also when v ss has a power system of a plurality of high minus voltages at the v dd standard. it is also effective when a level shifter is inserted before the nmos open drain transistor. fig. 47 is a graph showing a relationship between gate t ox and gate withstand voltage of a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (4701) denotes a line of bv ox and (4702) a line of e ox for maintaining an electric field of less than 3 mv/cm. v ddmin of a cmos ic is determined approximately by: v tp : threshold voltage of p-channel transistor v tn : threshold value of n-channel transistor. accordingly, if it is tried to lower v ddminn from 1.1 v to 0.9 v, | v tp | + v tn has to be 0.7 v. then, if it is tried to lower the channel concentration while keeping the gate t ox = 500å, the gate t ox has to be thin since leak increases. it is found from the graph that the gate t ox may be thinned to 250å if the same v ddmax of 7 v is kept. however, from this fact, it is found that bv ox drops by 50 % if v ddmin is lowered by 20 %. that means that the esd immunity is extremely worsened. accordingly, when an ic having 1.5 v line of v ddmin is to be realised, 0.9 v of v ddmin is necessary in reality taking the degradation and temperature characteristics of the battery into account. then, it may be realised for the first time by the measures explained in the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention. it is particularly effective when applied to a power system. fig. 48 is a section view showing a semiconductor integrated circuit device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. fig. 49 is a block diagram showing a circuit of the semiconductor integrated circuit device of the seventh embodiment of the present invention. the reference numeral (4801) denotes the nrom transistor of the present invention, (4802) a cmos of an internal circuit, (4803) an internal nmos transistor, (4804) an internal pmos transistor, (4805) a p⁻ type substrate, (4806) a p⁺ type layer, (4807) an nmos substrate electrode, (4811) a p⁺ type layer, (4808)a pmos substrate electrode, (4812) an n⁺ type layer, (4813) an n⁻ type layer, (4814) an n⁺ type layer, (4809) a support substrate, and (4810) an insulating film (embedded sio₂), respectively. the reference numeral (4901) denotes various terminals, (4903) the nrom off-transistor of the seventh embodiment of the present invention (substrate is automatically and intentionally floated), (4902) an internal circuit, and (4904) an ic of the present embodiment. since such ic as shown in fig. 48 which uses a so-called soi substrate and which are aimed at increasing speed, whose radiation resistance is enhanced or having a function which requires separation of dielectric (such as multi-circuit power source) has a thin si substrate on which the transistors are created and since thermal conductivity of the embedded sio₂ is bad, its esd immunity is extremely weak. accordingly, it may be made practical for the first time when the measures explained in the first through fifth embodiments of the present invention are adopted. it is equally effective in an ic in which the soi and si layer are separated as shown in fig. 48 or in one in which they are not separated. it is convenient if only the protection element portion is separated from the si layer. although fig. 49 shows a case in which the protection element is added, the output terminal itself, for example, may be the nrom transistor as described before. although the internal transistor is also effective since the nrom transistor of the present invention can set v trig low even if the substrate is floating, an ideally strong esd immunity may be maintained by a structure in which the internal transistor properly takes the substrate potential and the nrom off-transistor does not take the substrate potential (automatically or intentionally). it is needless to say that it is also effective to add between power supplies (not shown) and it is essential depending on a chip size. instead of using an soi substrate, it is possible to make the substrate float by utilising a cmos formed in a p-well in a n-type substrate. therefore, in this case, all the embodiments of the present invention can be used as a protective element. fig. 62 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a first semiconductor integrated circuit device 6202 according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. the so-called switching method dc-dc converter basically comprises a switching element 6205 (mos transistor), a rectifier diode 6207 (flywheel diode), a coil 6209, a capacitor (c₁) 6211 and a control circuit section. the control circuit section comprises a voltage converting circuit 6213, a switch control circuit 6214, a comparison circuit 6215, an oscillation circuit 6216, an error amplifying circuit 6217, a reference voltage generating circuit 6218, and a step up circuit composed of a diode 6203 and a capacitor c₂ 6204. the reference numeral (6201) denotes an input terminal and (6210) an output terminal. in this example, a step- down method is shown. a pn junction diode has been used for the rectifier diode 6207 (part 6208, conventionally as 6206) which had 0.6 v of v f (voltage drop in forward direction) in the past. when 5 v of voltage or 3 v due to the recent decrease of voltage has come to be requested on an output 6210, v f has come to occupy a large weight (50 % of loss) in terms of the conversion efficiency. then, the use of a sbd (schottky barrier diode) using a barrier metal having less schottky barrier has recently been proposed. because it allows v f to be lowered to about 0.3 v, as compared to the pn type. however, there is still 0.3 v of v f and the sbd has problems, such as, that it has more leak than pn and that thermorunaway takes place, hindering the efficiency from being improved further. in the present embodiment, the nrom off-transistor 6212 of the present invention is applied as a rectifier element. fig. 64 is a graph showing an i-v characteristic of an nrom transistor of the eighth embodiment of the present invention. the nrom off-transistor (plot line 6301) of the present invention allows a very high conversion efficiency to be realised (improvement of about 50 % to about 85 % in average, though it depends on various conditions) since current rises from 0 v even though there is a v f drop of 0.6 v in the pn junction type diode (plot line 6303) and of 0.3 v in the sbd (plot line 6302). the gradient of the line 6301 may be set at a necessary size (current value) in the design of transistor size (l/w). accordingly, no scale is shown for the forward current i f (a) on the vertical axis. on the other hand, the sbd and pn junction type diodes have the drop of vf of 0.3 v and 0.6 v, respectively, as a barrier regardless of the design size. the efficiency of the dc-dc converter circuit (or the semiconductor integrated circuit device 6202 for controlling the dc-dc converter as in the present embodiment) may be increased so much by constructing the part k in fig. 62 from the nrom transistor 6212 of the present invention. in addition to that, the nrom transistor has a primary merit that it is strong against surge as described before in various ways. it will be a most suitable device for applications such as the dc-dc converter which uses a coil (creates surge). accordingly, it will be more convenient if a mos transistor for switching 6205 is made from the nrom transistor of the present invention (though it should not be off-connected). further, the use of the offset conv type described before (for switching and for rectification) allows more high-speed operation since it has less overlap of the gate electrode and the drain area from its structure (it may approach zero if set well) and hence it has less gate-drain overlap capacitance. increasing the speed (frequency) in the switching method means that it is possible to advance the increase of the efficiency and the miniaturisation further. even if the nrom transistor of the present invention is constructed as a two-terminal semiconductor device by connecting the gate and source and floating the substrate (it may be an array of course), it may be used instead of a diode on such circuit and is very convenient. fig. 63 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a second semiconductor integrated circuit device 6220 according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. a synchronous rectifying switching type dc-dc converter basically comprises a switching element 6223 (mos transistor), a coil 6228, a capacitor (c₁) 6230 and a control circuit section. the control circuit section comprising a voltage converting circuit 6232, a switch control circuit 6233, a synchronous rectifying circuit 6234, a comparison circuit 6235, an oscillation circuit 6236, an error amplifying circuit 6237, a reference voltage generating circuit 6238, and a step up circuit composed of a diode 6221 and a capacitor c₂ 6222. a synchronous rectifying mos transistor is inserted in parallel with a rectifier diode, this embodiment is not shown. in part l 6227 in fig. 63, the nrom transistor 6231 of the present invention is inserted without rectifier diode; (described later). signals having a phase inverse to the switching mos transistor 6223 enter the gate (g) of this synchronous mos transistor 6231. the switching mos transistor 6223 is turned off by the switching control circuit 6233. then, a current flows in the coil 6228 and an electromotive force is generated. next, the control circuit turns off the switching mos transistor 6223. along that, energy stored in the coil is drawn out to the side of an output 6229. in the same time when the switching mos transistor 6223 is turned off, the control circuit turns on the rectifying mos transistor 6231 to provide current to the coil (at this time, it is necessary to provide a period in which two transistors are turned offin order to prevent a through current). it allows to improve the efficiency further as compared to the case when an inverse electromotive force is supplied only by the rectifier diode. it is also possible to improve the efficiency by constructing as shown in a part l 6224 (application example) in place of part l 6227. in part l 6224, the nrom transistor 6225 of the present invention is provided instead of the rectifier diode in addition to the synchronous rectifying mos transistor 6226. it is also possible to construct a part l 6227 only by the nrom transistor 6231 of the present invention for synchronous rectification as shown in the figure. it is because the nrom transistor of the present invention has a high surge resistance as described before and fully plays the role of the rectifier diode during off. thus, it allows a dc-dc converter circuit (or the semiconductor integrated circuit device for controlling dc-dc converter 6220 as in the present invention) to be realised having a conversion efficiency of 90 to 98%, which is almost ideal as a dc-dc converter. the reference numeral 6219 denotes an input terminal. the substrate of the nrom transistor 6231 of the present invention must be floating, as shown in the figure, and not connected to a source (s). note that it is the same in the embodiment of fig. 62. while an example in which the nrom transistor of the present invention is applied to the dc-dc converter has been explained, it also has high performances from the aspect of rectifier function (surge resistance, high responsibility, etc.) and is useful when a semiconductor integrated circuit device or electrical equipment in which it is applied for rectifying ac or high frequency is constructed. figs. 65(a) through 65(d) are symbolic drawings showing a semiconductor device (tvs) according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. when two nrom transistors of the present invention are connected as shown in fig. 65(a) or 65(b), two-terminal elements having a preset withstand voltage (bv s , v trig , 12 v or 24 v) are created on the both sides (non-polarity). at this time, the substrate may be connected to the source (s), be connected with a resistance or be floating. it is floating in fig. 65. it is indicated by the symbol as shown in fig. 65(c), is called as a surge killer or tvs (transient voltage suppresser) 6401 and is used as a part of a circuit. fig. 65(d) shows a semiconductor device 6402 (tvs array) composed of a plurality of tvss. fig. 66 is a section view showing the semiconductor device of the ninth embodiment of the present invention. a first p-well 6506 and a second p-well 6507 are formed exclusively within an n⁻ type substrate 6508, and an n⁺ type layer, a drain area 6502, a second n⁺ type layer, a source area 6503, a third n⁺ type layer, a source area 6504 and a fourth n⁺ type layer, a drain area 6505, are formed. the state in which gate electrodes 6501 and others are connected with a diagrammatic line 6507 and others representing electrical connections corresponds to fig. 65(a). other intermediate insulating films and electrodes are omitted to simplify the drawing. the plurality of pairs of nrom transistors (tvs connection) shown in fig. 65(d) may be obtained by forming a plurality of exclusive p-well pairs in the similar fashion. in the description of the present invention so far, mainly the semiconductor device itself whose esd immunity is improved has been explained. the present embodiment is a case in which a semiconductor device for protecting another semiconductor device (ic) from esd is constructed. esd immunity of ic is considered many times when it is handled singularly. that is, it is esd from human body, from an automatic machine when it is packaged to a circuit board by the automatic machine or from a packaging case. it was not considered so much after it is assembled into a circuit board together with other ics and other circuit parts (after also finishing soldering). however, ics often caused esd destruction in a circuit board related to an interface portion (i/o function section, rs-232, etc.) with another equipment for example, depending on a type of the circuit board, posing a problem. even if they have cleared a certain esd immunity as a single ic, it is hard to find which one will be destroyed when they are mixed with other ics having various esd immunity in a large circuit, thereby posing a big problem. the tvs or tvs array of the present invention is a semiconductor device for equally protecting the ics by inserting the tvs between power supplies of each ic and in a signal line where surge may come. as described above, the nrom transistor of the present invention allows to realise such semiconductor device (tvs) since it has a high degree of freedom in setting the withstand voltage (bv s , v trig , etc.) (also 5 v system, 12 v system or 24 v system) and has a very high dissipation ability. above all, because it allows to obtain a very fast response speed by taking the offset conv structure, it can protect the other ics by quickly allowing surge to escape before stress (surge) is applied to the ics to be protected. as described above, according to the present invention, various semiconductor devices and semiconductor integrated circuit devices having a good esd immunity may be realised without increasing the cost considerably by constructing the n-channel mos transistor in which the high concentrated drain area is provided under the gate. specifically, it is not too much to say that esd immunity of high withstanding cmos ics (high v ddmax : more than 12 to 24 v), of ics whose chip size is small, of highly integrated ics of the future (less than 0.5 microns in terms of rule) and of low voltage cmos ics (low v ddmin : less than 3 v) may be maintained for the first time by the present invention. this invention provides a semiconductor device including an n-channel mos transistor in which a second conductive drain area and a source area are formed apart near the surface of a first conductive semiconductor substrate, and a gate electrode is formed on said semiconductor substrate between said drain area and said source area via a gate insulating film, wherein said drain area has more than 5 x 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ of maximum impurity concentration and the impurity concentration of said drain area at the surface of said semiconductor substrate is distributed such that it monotonously decreases in the direction of said source area under said gate electrode. the aforegoing description has been given by way of example only and it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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024-723-996-261-462
|
US
|
[
"US",
"WO"
] |
F41A21/30
| 2013-09-30T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"F41"
] |
firearm receiver having an integral suppressor assembly
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an integral suppressor assembly including a trunnion integrally extending from the front of the upper receiver, a tubular hand guard mounted to the trunnion, and a suppressor baffle mounted to the rifle barrel within the hand guard. the trunnion provides a structural interface for connecting the hand guard to the upper receiver, as well as the rifle barrel. the suppressor baffle seats within and encloses the muzzle end of the hand guard and is detachably connected to the end of the rifle barrel the interior of the hand guard forms a large expansion chamber around the barrel that works in conjunction with the suppressor baffle to reduce the noise signature of the weapon. the suppressor baffle is configured to have vent channels that direct the expanding combustion gases expelling the bullet from the barrel rearward into the expansion chamber of the hand guard before ultimately venting through the suppressor baffle.
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1 . a suppressor assembly for a firearm having a receiver and a barrel mounted to the receiver, the integral suppressor assembly comprising: an elongated tube detachably mounted to the receiver to extend over and axailly spaced from the barrel to define an enclosed interior tube space therein and around the barrel, the tube having a first end and a second end thereof, the first end of the tube adapted to be detachably mounted axially to the receiver to enclose and seal the first end of the tube; and a suppressor baffle adapted to detachably connect to the barrel and seat within the second end of the tube to seal and enclose the second end of the tube, the suppressor baffle having an axial bore there through aligned with the barrel, the suppressor baffle also having a vent channel defined therein, the vent channel of the suppressor baffle in open fluid communication with the axial bore of the suppressor baffle and the interior of the tube for directing combustion gas from the discharge of a bullet from the firearm receiver into the hand guard interior tube space between the receiver and the suppressor baffle before venting through the axial bore of the suppressor baffle. 2 . the assembly of claim 1 wherein the suppressor baffle also has a plurality of irregularly shaped expansion chambers defined therein, the expansion chambers are in open fluid communication with the axial bore of the suppressor baffle. 3 . the assembly of claim 1 wherein the suppressor baffle has a threaded section adapted to couple the suppressor baffle to the barrel, the threaded section forms part of the axial bore of the suppressor baffle. 4 . the assembly of claim 21 wherein the suppressor baffle has a first end and a second end, the axial bore of the suppressor baffle extends between and through the suppressor baffle first end and the suppressor baffle second end, the vent channels extend through the suppressor baffle first end. 5 . the assembly of claim 4 wherein the axial bore of the suppressor baffle has a threaded section formed in the suppressor baffle first end, the threaded section adapted to couple the suppressor baffle to the barrel. 6 . the assembly of claim 20 and a first seal part adapted to fit between the trunnion and first end of the hand guard to seal the engagement between the hand and the trunnion part when the hand guard is mounted to the trunnion part. 7 . the assembly of claim 6 wherein the first seal part is an o-ring. 8 . the assembly of claim 1 and a second seal part adapted to fit between the suppressor baffle and the second end of the tube to seal the engagement between the suppressor baffle and the tube when the suppressor baffle is mounted to the barrel. 9 . the assembly of claim 8 wherein the second seal part is an o-ring. 10 . an integrally suppressed receiver for a firearm comprising: a receiver having an integral trunnion part, the trunnion having an axial bore extending there through, the axial bore configured to define an annular shoulder and a threaded female section; an elongated barrel extending axially from the trunnion part, the barrel having a first barrel end and a second barrel end; a barrel nut having an axial bore for receiving the barrel there through and a threaded male shaft turned into the threaded female section of the trunnion part for securing the barrel first end to the trunnion part; an elongated tubular hand guard defining an interior thereof and having a first hand guard end and a second hand guard end, the first hand guard end detachably mounted axially over the trunnion part so that the hand guard covers the barrel and encloses the first hand guard end; and a suppressor baffle detachably connected to the second barrel end and seated within the second hand guard end to enclose the second hand guard end, the suppressor baffle having an axial bore there through aligned with the longitudinal axis of the barrel, the suppressor baffle also having a vent channel defined therein, the vent channel of the suppressor baffle in open fluid communication with the axial bore of the suppressor baffle and the interior of the hand guard for directing combustion gas from the discharge of a bullet from the receiver into the hand guard interior between the trunnion part and the suppressor baffle before venting through the axial bore of the suppressor bore. 11 . the receiver of claim 10 wherein the trunnion axial bore also configured to define an annular inner shoulder therein, the barrel extension flange, the barrel includes a barrel extension part having an annular flange abutting against the shoulder. 12 . the receiver of claim 10 wherein the trunnion is configured to have a longitudinal keyhole defined therein. 13 . the receiver of claim 12 wherein the barrel extension includes a pin seated within the trunnion keyhole. 14 . the assembly of claim 10 wherein the suppressor baffle also has a plurality of irregularly shaped expansion chambers defined therein, the expansion chambers are in open fluid communication with the axial bore of the suppressor baffle. 15 . the assembly of claim 10 wherein the suppressor baffle has a threaded section adapted to couple the suppressor baffle to the barrel, the threaded section forms part of the axial bore of the suppressor baffle. 16 . the assembly of claim 14 wherein the suppressor baffle has a first end and a second end, the axial bore of the suppressor baffle extends between and through the suppressor baffle first end and the suppressor baffle second end, the vent channels formed in the suppressor baffle first end, the expansion chambers are formed in the suppressor baffle second end. 17 . the assembly of claim 16 wherein the axial bore of the suppressor baffle has a threaded section formed in the suppressor baffle first end, the threaded section adapted to couple the suppressor baffle to the barrel. 18 . the assembly of claim 10 and a first seal part adapted to fit between the trunnion and first end of the hand guard to seal the engagement between the hand and the trunnion part when the hand guard is mounted to the trunnion part. 19 . the assembly of claim 10 and a second seal part adapted to fit between the suppressor baffle and the second end of the hand guard to seal the engagement between the suppressor baffle and the hand guard when the suppressor baffle is mounted to the barrel. 20 . the assembly of claim 1 wherein the receiver includes a trunnion part extending therefrom, the barrel axially extending from the trunnion part. 21 . the assembly of claim 1 wherein the suppressor baffles also has a radial bore extending between the vent channel and the axial bore of the suppressor baffle. 22 . the assembly of claim 4 wherein the expansion chamber is formed adjacent the suppressor baffle second end.
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this invention relates to integrally suppressed firearms, and in particular an upper receiver that incorporates integral suppressor assembly. background and summary of the invention the need to reduce the sound signatures of firearms is appreciated in order to reduce the risk of hearing damage, but also in order maintain tactical advantage. suppressors, also referred to as silencers, are devices that are attached to or built into the barrel of a firearm to reduce the amount of noise, and the amount of visible muzzle flash, generated by firing the weapon. suppressors reduce noise by allowing the rapidly expanding gases from the firing of the cartridge to be decelerated and cooled through a series of hollow chambers. the trapped gas exits the suppressor over a longer period of time and at a greatly reduced velocity, producing less noise signature. while useful in reducing the noise signature of a weapon, suppressors often add unwanted weight, length and mechanical complexity to a weapon. the present invention seeks to provide an integral suppressor assembly with a compact design for reducing the overall length of the weapon, as well as reducing the sound signature of the weapon. the integral suppressor assembly consists of a trunnion integrally extending from the front of the upper receiver, a tubular hand guard mounted to the trunnion, and a suppressor baffle mounted to the rifle barrel within the hand guard. the trunnion provides a structural interface for connecting the hand guard to the upper receiver, as well as the rifle barrel. the suppressor baffle seats within and encloses the muzzle end of the hand guard and is detachably connected to the end of the rifle barrel the interior of the hand guard forms a large expansion chamber around the barrel that works in conjunction with the suppressor baffle to reduce the noise signature of the weapon. the suppressor baffle is configured to have vent channels that direct the expanding combustion gases expelling the bullet from the barrel rearward into the expansion chamber of the hand guard before ultimately venting through the suppressor baffle. the above described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings the present invention may take form in various system and method components and arrangement of system and method components. the drawings are only for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. the drawings illustrate the present invention, in which: fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an upper receiver assembly using the integral suppressor assembly of this invention; fig. 2 is an exploded view of the integral suppressor assembly of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper receiver of fig. 1 ; fig. 4 is a perspective view of the hand guard of fig. 1 ; fig. 5 is a perspective view of the suppressor baffle shown in fig. 2 ; fig. 6 is a partial side sectional view of the integral suppressor assembly of fig. 1 showing a bullet entering the suppressor baffle; fig. 7 is another partial side section view of the integral suppressor assembly of fig. 1 showing a bullet passing through the baffle chambers of the suppressor baffle; fig. 8 is another partial side section view of the integral suppressor assembly of fig. 1 showing a bullet exiting the suppressor baffle; fig. 9 is a perspective view of the barrel assembly used in the upper receiver assembly of fig. 1 ; fig. 10 is an exploded view of the barrel assembly of fig. 9 ; and fig. 11 is a partial side sectional view of the barrel assembly of fig. 9 . description of the preferred embodiment in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. to avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. the following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims. referring now to the drawings, figs. 1-12 illustrate an embodiment of an upper receiver assembly 100 that incorporates the integral suppressor assembly 200 of the present invention. as shown, upper receiver assembly 100 is designed and intended to be connected to a compatible conventional lower receiver assembly (not shown) as part of a complete m-16 style rifle (also not shown). integral suppressor assembly 200 may also be incorporated into any firearm, but is ideally suited for use with m16 style weapons in various configurations and calibers. m-16 style weapons are air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifles with a rotating bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation or a gas driven piston. m-16/ar-10 style weapons are commonly used by the various military organizations of the united states and by various law enforcement organizations. although not illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that a conventional lower receiver assembly generally includes the fire control mechanism (trigger group), magazine well, hand grip and buttstock. upper receiver assembly 100 also includes the bolt and bolt carrier assembly (not shown). the components and operation of the bolt and bolt carrier assembly of an upper receiver assembly, as well as that of the lower receiver assembly of an m-16 style rifle are well known and understood in the art, and therefore not illustrated in the drawings or described herein. integral suppressor assembly 200 utilizes a compact design for reducing the overall length of the weapon, as well as, reducing the muzzle flash and noise signature of the weapon. the integral suppressor assembly of this invention is ideally suited for use with short barrel assemblies (barrel lengths between eight and ten inches long) although the suppressor assembly may be readily adapted for use with longer barrels. in addition, integral suppressor assembly 200 may be adapted and configured for use in any weapons, regardless of the type or caliber of the rounds used by the weapon. integral suppressor assembly 200 is best suited for weapons chambered for the 0.300 aac blackout rifle round developed by advanced armament corporation of lawrenceville ga., but may be adapted for used with any conventional rifle round. the 0.300 aac blackout rifle round is well suited for suppressed short barrel rifle applications due to its ballistic characteristics, and is consequently an ideal round for use with integral suppressor assembly 200 . integral suppressor assembly 200 as incorporated into upper receiver 100 consists of a trunnion 110 integrally extending from the front of the upper receiver 102 ; a tubular hand guard 210 mounted to the trunnion; and a suppressor baffle 220 mounted to the rifle barrel 120 within the hand guard. trunnion 110 is typically cast or machined as an integral cylindrical extension of the upper receiver 102 , and provides a structural interface for connecting hand guard 210 to the upper receiver, as well as rifle barrel 120 . hand guard 210 is secured to trunnion 110 by four screws 214 that extend through holes 213 in the hand guard and turn into threaded holes 117 in the trunnion. suppressor baffle 220 seats within and encloses the muzzle end of hand guard 210 . suppressor baffle 220 is detachably mounted to the end of barrel 120 by turning a threaded female section 224 of its axial through bore 221 onto male threaded section 122 of barrel 120 . when assembled, the interior of hand guard 210 forms an expansion chamber 211 around barrel 120 and adjacent suppressor baffle 220 . the outer wall of trunnion 110 has three annular grooves 115 that seat one of three o-rings 116 . o-rings 116 engage the walls of hand guard 210 to hermetically seal the connection between the trunnion 110 and hand guard 210 . similarly, suppressor baffle 220 carries an o-ring 226 that seats between the front face 222 of the suppressor baffle and the muzzle edge 216 of hand guard 210 to seal the connection between the suppressor baffle and the hand guard. hand guard 210 is a length of machined aluminum tube or bar stock that seats over trunnion 110 . the tubular body of hand guard 201 defines a hollow interior with open ends, but no other holes or openings in its side walls. hand guard 210 provides a suitable forearm or hand-guard structure that is grasped by the offhand of the user to provide for efficient support and handling of the firearm. the outside of hand guard 210 is machined to form four radially projecting accessory mounting rails 18 . rails 18 are typically picatinny rails, which are commonly used on weapons for mounting lights, lasers, grips and other weapon accessories. rails 18 are equally spaced radially around the circumference of hand guard 210 generally at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions. it should be noted that hand guard 210 mounted to trunnion 110 such that top 12 o'clock rails align with the integral rails 108 of upper receiver 102 to provided a continuous, uninterrupted mounting rail that extends the entire length of the upper receiver 100 . as best shown in figs. 5-8 , suppressor baffle 220 has a generally cylindrical body, preferably machined from a single section of aluminum bar stock, but may be cast, formed or otherwise fabricated from any suitable metal or composite material, such as ceramics or carbon fibre as desired. the axial through bore 221 permits the passage of a bullet through the suppressor baffle. axial bore 121 is typically at least 0.04 inch (1 mm) larger than the bullet caliber of the particular weapon in order to minimize the risk of a bullet hitting the baffle walls (“baffle strike”). the receiver end of axial bore 221 has a female threaded section 225 adapted to receive the male threaded end 122 of barrel 120 . suppressor baffle 220 is designed to be mounted to barrel 120 using common hand tools, such as a spanner wrench (not shown). the muzzle end of suppressor baffle 220 has a flat circular end face 222 , which is dimensioned to abut against the muzzle end of hand guard 210 when the suppressor baffle 220 is mounted to barrel 120 . a pair of detents 223 are formed in front face 222 to accept the contact pins of a conventional spanner wrench. in other embodiments, the suppressor baffle and its end face may be configured to detachably mount to barrel 120 using other tools and connection methods. in addition, a thread lock compound, such as locktite, is typically used to prevent suppressor baffle 220 from loosening from rifle barrel 120 . nevertheless, suppressor baffle 220 is easily removable with common tools. as shown, the body of suppressor baffle 220 is machined so that its distal end has four vent channels 29 that extend from a pair of lateral cross bores 27 . cross bores 27 extend orthagonally to each other through the body of suppressor baffle 220 and intersect axial bore 221 . vent channels 29 are machined into the outside of the barrel end of suppressor baffle 220 and extend from the barrel end of suppressor baffle 220 to the lateral through bores 27 . as shown in figs. 6-8 , bores 27 and vent channels 29 are in open fluid communication with axial bore 221 and expansion chamber 211 of hand guard 210 . bores 27 and vent channels 29 form an initial gas passage within suppressor baffle 220 for redirecting the expanding combustion gases venting through axial bore 221 from barrel 120 rearward into the expansion chamber 211 of hand guard 210 . the body of suppressor baffle 220 is also machined to have irregular shaped cutouts that form consecutive expansion chambers 231 , 233 , 235 , 237 separated by three spaced integral baffle walls 232 , 234 and 236 . it should be noted that the volume of each consecutive expansion chamber 231 , 233 , 235 and 237 is smaller than the preceding chamber. again, axial bore 121 extends the entire length of suppressor baffle 120 and is in open communication with each expansion chamber 231 , 233 , 235 and 237 , as well as cross bores 27 . figs. 6-8 illustrate the operation of the integral suppressor assembly 200 . when the weapon is fired, bullet 2 is expelled from barrel 120 by hot expanding gases 4 . upon exiting the barrel, bullet 2 enters suppressor baffle 220 . as bullet 2 passes through cross bores 227 , combustion gases 4 expand radially and are directed rearward through vent channels 229 into expansion chamber 211 . combustion gases 4 quickly, within milliseconds, expand throughout expansion chamber 121 . as bullet 2 continues through suppressor baffle 220 , combustion gases 4 propelling the bullet expand outward into each consecutive baffle chamber 231 , 233 , 235 and 237 of the suppressor baffle. combustion gases 4 are trapped within the expansion chamber 211 of the hand guard 210 and baffle chambers 231 , 233 , 235 and 237 . after bullet 2 exits suppressor baffle 220 , the combustion gas are vented from the expansion chamber 211 and baffle chambers 231 , 233 , 235 and 237 through bore 221 . initially redirecting combustion gases 4 rearward into the expansion chamber 221 allows the combustion gases to rapidly expand and disperse within the large volume of space behind the suppressor baffle 220 , which decelerates the combustion gases before ultimately venting back through the suppressor baffle. the irregular curved surfaces of baffle walls 32 , 34 and 36 and the other contoured inner surfaces of suppressor baffle 220 help deflect the expanding combustion gases within the baffle chambers, which further decelerates combustion gases 4 before venting from the suppressor baffle. the irregular shapes of each consecutively smaller baffle chambers 231 , 233 , 235 and 237 also facilitate the turbulent flow of combustion gases 4 within each expansion chamber, which further decelerates the expanding combustion gases. it should be noted that hand guard 210 does not become heated to any degree that would compromise the user's operations of the weapon. the overall surface area of hand guard 210 and the volume of the expansion chamber 221 is sufficient to dissipate the thermal energy in the expanding combustion gases without over heating the hand guard itself even under sustained use. while it is well know that rifle barrels becomes heated during firing and can become very hot during sustained fire, barrel 120 has a spiral flange extending partially across its length, which acts as a heat sink for dispersing heat from the barrel. hand guard 210 is spaced radially around barrel 120 and does not directly contact the barrel. the highly thermal conductive steel barrel is connected to the hand guard via contact with trunnion 110 and suppressor baffle 220 , which are all constructed of aluminum—a less thermal conductive material. one skilled in the art should note for this particular embodiment of the invention that the incorporation of the integral suppressor assembly 200 into upper receiver assembly 100 is facilitated by the particular structure and mechanical connection of trunnion 110 and the rifle barrel assembly 104 , as well as the mechanical connections between the trunnion, hand guard 210 and suppressor baffle 220 . as shown in figs. 9-11 , barrel assembly 104 includes riffle barrel 120 , gas block 140 , gas tube 150 and barrel nut 160 . trunnion 110 provides a structural interface for connecting barrel assembly 104 to upper receiver 102 . rifle barrel 120 extends from upper receiver 102 along a longitudinal axis and is secured to upper receiver 102 by barrel nut 160 . gas block 140 and gas tube 150 are generally of conventional design used in gas operated direct impingement rifles and whose structure and operation are well known in the art. trunnion 110 is cast, machined or otherwise formed with an axial through bore 111 dimensioned for receiving barrel extension 130 therein. trunnion 110 is machined so that axial bore 111 has an internal shoulder 114 and a threaded female section 112 for receiving the male thread body 162 of barrel nut 160 . trunnion 110 also has an axial keyhole 113 through which gas tube 150 extends. riffle barrel 120 includes a barrel extension 130 , which is threaded onto the receiver end of the barrel. barrel extension 130 is of conventional design for use with m-16 style rifles having lugs 238 , feed ramps 239 and an axial bore 135 ( fig. 11 ) necked to accommodate the particular round intended for the weapon. barrel extension 130 has an annular flange 132 and an alignment pin 134 . alignment pin 134 extends radially from the 12 o'clock position of barrel extension 130 and seats within the bottom slot of keyhole 113 when barrel 120 is fitted to trunnion 110 . when barrel extension 130 is affixed to barrel 120 , the location of shoulder 132 and alignment pin 134 are used to set the location for trapping a gas port in barrel 120 . gas port 127 is tapped in barrel 120 at set distance from annular shoulder 132 and in radial alignment to alignment pin 134 so that gas block 140 and gas tube 150 will be properly oriented in the 12 o'clock position of barrel 120 when the barrel is mounted to trunnion 110 . alignment pin 134 seats within the bottom of keyhole 113 to angularly orient the barrel extension within the trunnion so that the machined lugs 138 and feed ramps 139 are properly oriented within upper receiver 102 and gas tube 150 aligns with keyhole 113 . as shown in fig. 11 , barrel extension 130 is slid into bore 111 with alignment pin 134 seated within the bottom of keyhole 113 and barrel extension flange 132 abuts shoulder 114 within trunnion 110 . barrel 120 is secured to trunnion 110 by barrel nut 160 . barrel nut 160 has an axial bore 161 dimensioned to slide over barrel 120 and seat over barrel extension 130 and a threaded male shaft 162 turns into threaded female section 112 of trunnion 110 . barrel nut 160 bears against flange 132 to securely hold barrel 120 to upper receiver 102 . gas block 140 is mounted to barrel 120 over gas port 127 and secured by set screws 142 . gas block 140 has an internal gas passage (not shown) that is in open fluid communication with gas port 127 and gas tube 150 . gas tube 150 extends through trunnion 110 into upper receiver 102 to operate the bolt carrier group (not shown) carried inside upper receiver 102 . gas tube 150 has a joggle 152 , which aligns the gas tube with the circular top opening of keyhole 113 . joggle 152 also spaces gas tube 150 over barrel 120 to allow barrel nut 160 to rotate about the barrel so that the barrel nut can be unscrewed from trunnion 110 for repair and maintenance. the design of trunnion 110 and barrel assembly 104 eliminates a number of common components and addresses several gunsmithing difficulties associated with conventional weapon designs, particularly m-16 style rifle designs. those skilled in the art will note that while barrel assembly 104 is still secured by barrel nut 160 , much of the machining work required to precisely align and orient the various components is greatly reduced, thereby reducing production costs. more importantly, the structure and mechanical connection of trunnion 110 and the rifle barrel assembly 104 provides several mechanical advantages to the structure and operation of suppressor assembly 200 . suppressor assembly 200 can be completely disassembled for cleaning and maintenance by simply unscrewing suppressor baffle 220 from barrel 120 , which allows the suppressor baffle to be removed from hand guard 210 and removing four screws 114 , which removes the hand guard from trunnion 110 . integral suppressor assembly 200 can be disassembly in minutes providing full access to barrel assembly 104 , which can also readily be disassembled by unscrewing barrel nut 160 and set screws 142 of gas block 140 . the ease of assembly and disassembly, makes cleaning, maintaining and repairing upper receiver assembly 100 more convenient. it should be apparent from the foregoing that an invention having significant advantages has been provided. while the invention is shown in only a few of its forms, it is not just limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. the embodiment of the present invention herein described and illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. it is presented to explain the invention so that others skilled in the art might utilize its teachings. the embodiment of the present invention may be modified within the scope of the following claims.
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024-815-266-431-122
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US
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[
"US"
] |
B60W10/06,B60W10/02,B60W30/18,B60W30/186,B60W50/00,F16H59/02,F16H59/12
| 2012-11-20T00:00:00 |
2012
|
[
"B60",
"F16"
] |
method and apparatus of propelling a vehicle
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a vehicle includes a clutch that couples an engine to a transmission via a flywheel, a clutch actuator, and a controller configured to receive an obstructed launch command, elevate an engine operation, for a fixed period of time, beyond a typical launch operation upon receipt of the obstructed launch command, and engage the clutch against the flywheel for at least a portion of the fixed period of time.
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1 . a vehicle, comprising: a clutch that couples an engine to a transmission via a flywheel; a clutch actuator; and a controller configured to: receive an obstructed launch command; elevate an engine operation, for a fixed period of time, beyond a typical launch operation upon receipt of the obstructed launch command; and engage the clutch against the flywheel for at least a portion of the fixed period of time. 2 . the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transmission is an automated manual transmission (amt) that executes gear shifts and uses a clutch actuator, and without a clutch pedal. 3 . the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle further comprises a command entry device for entering the obstructed launch command, wherein the command entry device is one of a control area having manually depressible buttons, a switch, a touch screen, and a smartphone app. 4 . the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the typical reference launch operation is at a typical engine speed of approximately 1000 rpm, and wherein the controller is configured to elevate the engine speed more than 1000 rpm beyond the typical engine speed upon receipt of the obstructed launch command. 5 . the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the engine operation that is elevated is one of an engine speed and an engine torque. 6 . the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the fixed period of time is approximately 15 seconds. 7 . the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a kill command that discontinues the elevated engine operation and sets the engine operation at the typical reference launch operation during the fixed period of time. 8 . a method of controlling a vehicle, comprising: receiving an obstructed launch command in a transmission controller; elevating an engine operation of the vehicle, for a fixed period of time, beyond a typical reference launch operation upon receipt of the obstructed launch command; and engaging a clutch against a flywheel for at least a portion of the fixed period of time. 9 . the method of claim 8 , wherein the transmission is an automated manual transmission (amt) that executes gear shifts and uses a clutch actuator, and without a clutch pedal. 10 . the method of claim 8 , further comprising entering the obstructed launch command from a command entry device that is one of a control area having manually depressible buttons, a switch, a touch screen, and a smartphone app. 11 . the method of claim 8 , further comprising elevating the engine operation by further elevating one of an engine speed and an engine torque. 12 . the method of claim 8 , wherein the typical reference launch operation is at an engine speed of approximately 1000 rpm, and further comprising elevating the engine speed more than 1000 rpm beyond that at the typical reference launch operation when elevating the engine operation of the vehicle. 14 . the method of claim 8 , wherein the fixed period of time is approximately 15 seconds. 15 . the method of claim 8 , further comprising: receiving a kill command during the fixed period of time; discontinuing the elevated engine speed; and setting the engine speed at the typical reference launch speed. 16 . a controller for operating a truck, the controller configured to: receive an obstructed launch command; elevate an engine operation of the truck, for fixed period of time, beyond a typical reference launch speed upon receipt of the launch command; and engage a clutch against a flywheel for at least a portion of the fixed period of time. 17 . the controller of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to control operation of a transmission, wherein the transmission is an automated manual transmission (amt) that executes gear shifts and utilizes a clutch actuator, and without a clutch pedal. 18 . the controller of claim 16 , wherein the typical reference launch speed is an engine speed of approximately 1000 rpm, and wherein the controller is configured to elevate the engine speed at least 1000 rpm beyond the typical reference launch speed upon receipt of the launch command. 19 . the controller of claim 16 , wherein the engine operation that is elevated is one of an engine speed and an engine torque. 20 . the controller of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a kill command that discontinues the elevated engine speed and sets the engine speed at the typical reference launch speed for any remainder of the fixed period of time.
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cross-reference to related applications this application claims priority to u.s. provisional patent application no. 61/728,286, filed nov. 20, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety. background when a vehicle is launched the engine is typically engaged with and disengaged from the transmission via a clutch. the clutch includes a disc with a friction coating that is engaged with a flywheel. when the clutch is engaged against the flywheel, the clutch slips for some period of time before engaging or locking against the flywheel. once engaged, the vehicle may be accelerated by depressing the accelerator and subsequently shifting up through the gears. in some applications, the vehicle may be caused to stall if the accelerator is not depressed (causing the engine to produce additional torque and engine speed to increase). for instance, automobiles with manual clutches may stall if the clutch is simply released without affecting the accelerator. on the other hand, if the accelerator is depressed too much, a significant amount of clutch slippage can occur, which leads eventually to failure of the clutch. heavy and medium duty trucks with their corresponding engines, however, typically generate considerably more torque than that found in consumer-based automotive applications. thus, in such a vehicle, a manually operated clutch can be slowly released without touching the throttle pedal. an engine idle governor may be used to prevent the engine from stalling by providing additional fuel near the engine idle speed as the clutch closes. this puts minimal energy into the clutch, allowing the clutch to remain as cool as possible and extending clutch life. some heavy duty and medium duty vehicles include an automated manual transmission (amt). in an amt, the transmission base box is similar to that used in a manual transmission. however, instead of a shift handle, gear selection is automated. automation could be provided by a pair of electric motors (sometimes referred to as an xy shifter). further, it is contemplated that there are other methods of shifting besides a set of electric motors, and the xy is one example but an amt could have another actuation device, including pneumatic devices). launching a heavy duty or medium duty vehicle using an amt has many similarities to a similar vehicle with a manual transmission. to maximize clutch life, low engine speeds are used when launching the vehicle. to avoid stalling, though, a transmission controller selects a target engine speed (called the reference speed) for launching the vehicle. a typical reference speed may be 1000 rpm, as compared to a typical idle speed of 700 rpm. a target engine speed for launch may be, in one example such as in a heavy truck application, 300 rpm greater than the idle speed. in some instances, fleets of heavier duty non-automotive vehicles may be deployed having amts. the amts are generally preferred to improve clutch life while also improving fuel efficiency. that is, although the engine may not produce peak torque at idle, for a typical launch the amount of torque generated is sufficient to move the vehicle forward from a stopped position. however, inevitably some of the vehicles encounter obstacles that cause resistance to wheel rotation, which may include curbs, deep ruts, and the like. thus, vehicles having an amt may struggle, as the engine speed, and therefore the available torque, is low during launch and the target engine speed may provide inadequate available torque when encountering the above obstacles. therefore, it is desirable to improve transmission operation of heavier duty non-automotive vehicles having amts by controlling events that cause excessive wear to the clutch. brief description of the drawings referring now to the drawings, illustrative examples are shown in detail. although the drawings represent the exemplary illustrations described herein, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated to better illustrate and explain an innovative aspect of an exemplary illustration. further, the exemplary illustrations described herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limiting or restricting to the precise form and configuration shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description. exemplary illustrations of the present invention are described in detail by referring to the drawings as follows: fig. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary vehicle that incorporates elements of the disclosure; fig. 2 is an illustration of a dashboard in the vehicle of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is an illustration of an engine, clutch, and transmission in the vehicle of fig. 1 ; and fig. 4 is an exemplary method of controlling the vehicle of fig. 1 . detailed description a vehicle such as a heavy duty or medium duty truck may encounter obstacles like a curb or a rut that prevents normal launch of the vehicle. that is, for vehicles equipped with an automated manual transmission (amt), low engine speeds are typically used to launch the vehicle to maximize clutch life and improve fuel economy, which may preclude launching the vehicle because of the obstacle. an exemplary vehicle includes a clutch that couples an engine to a transmission via a flywheel, a clutch actuator, and a controller. the controller is configured to receive an obstructed launch command, elevate an engine operation, for a fixed period of time, beyond a launch operation upon receipt of the obstructed launch command, and engage the clutch against the flywheel for at least a portion of the fixed period of time. the engine operation elevated may include elevation of the amount of torque applied from the engine, beyond a typical reference launch torque, that may overcome an obstruction that is blocking the vehicle. the elevation of the amount of torque may be accomplished by increasing a speed of the engine beyond a speed that is normally used to launch the vehicle, if a path of the vehicle is not generally obstructed (such as on a flat road). another exemplary illustration includes a method of controlling a vehicle that includes receiving an obstructed launch command in a transmission controller, elevating an engine operation of the vehicle, for a fixed period of time, beyond a typical reference launch operation upon receipt of the obstructed launch command, and engaging a clutch against a flywheel for at least a portion of the fixed period of time fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary medium duty vehicle in the form of a truck that incorporates an amt. vehicle 100 includes an operator's cabin 102 and a rear utility section 104 . cabin 102 includes an accelerator 106 , a brake pedal 108 for respectively accelerating and braking vehicle 100 and a dashboard 110 . referring to fig. 2 , dashboard 110 includes a steering wheel 200 extending therethrough and instruments 202 that display vehicle speed, engine speed (e.g., in a tachometer), and the like. dashboard 110 includes a control area 204 for controlling the amt, the control area having manually depressible buttons that include a manual transmission operation button 206 , a drive button 208 , and a reverse button 210 . up and down buttons 212 , 214 move the transmission up and down in the gears. the amt may be operated in an automatic mode or in a manual mode. in automatic mode, the driver does not need to change the gears at all, but the transmission operates generally in the same manner as a conventional type of an automatic transmission. that is, a controller or computer automatically changes the gear if, for example, the driver is redlining the engine. such operation may be implemented by depressing drive button 208 in conjunction with pressing on accelerator 106 , after which vehicle 100 is caused to launch, beginning in the lowest forward gear and shifting up through the gears as vehicle 100 gains speed. the operator may launch vehicle 100 in reverse as well by pressing reverse button 210 in conjunction with pressing on accelerator 106 . control area 204 may also be used to operate the amt in a manual mode as well. manual mode may be activated by selecting the manual button 206 and pressing on accelerator 106 , launching the vehicle beginning in the lowest gear. the amt is shifted subsequently into higher gears by selecting the “up” button 212 , or into lower gears by selecting the “down” button 214 . the amt may, in the alternative, be operated using a computer touch screen, such as touch screen 216 that can detect a tactile motion. while a variety of buttons are shown in the illustrative approach, various arrangements of buttons, knobs or controls may be used to provide the same functionality. for example, an alternative to buttons could be a mechanical switch 218 mounted to dashboard 110 of the vehicle 100 . the switch 218 in one example is a rocker switch, and returns to its original position after the operator selects it. for example, in an alternative illustrative approach touch screen 216 may be coupled to a computing device (not shown) within vehicle 100 , which may in turn be coupled to a controller of the amt, which will be further described. touch screen 216 may be icon driven in a fashion comparable to buttons 206 - 214 of control area 204 . that is, instead of having buttons 206 - 214 that are physically switched, in addition to or in lieu of buttons 206 - 214 , icons may be presented on touch screen 216 that accomplish the same operational function. in one exemplary illustration, instead of touch screen 216 , icons may be presented on a cell phone or a “smartphone” that is capable of executing software applications, or “apps”, that interact with a controller or computer within vehicle 10 . that is, in addition to conventional cellphone communication capability (e.g., for telephone calls), a cell phone, tablet, smart phone or other similar portable computing device having a processor and a memory may include a wireless communication interface such as wi-fi, bluetooth, near field communication or other known methods for wireless communicating with a separate computing device such as one associated with vehicle 100 . such a portable computing device interfaced with a vehicle-based computing device may be useful for operating the amt instead of control area 204 or touch screen 216 . thus, some type of command entry device is used for entering the launch command from the operator, wherein the command entry device including the exemplary devices discussed above. the command entry device may include control area 204 having manually depressible buttons 206 - 214 , switch 218 , touch screen 216 , or a smartphone “app”, as examples. fig. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary assembly 300 that is an amt and includes an engine 302 , a clutch housing 304 , and a transmission 306 . assembly 300 may be implemented in a vehicle, such as vehicle 100 of fig. 1 . the transmission 306 is a base box that is comparable to those used in traditional manual transmissions. instead of a shift handle that may be actuated with a clutch pedal, however, gear selection is provided by a pair of electric motors, referred to as an xy shifter 308 . that is, the transmission is an amt that executes gear shifts on the command of a driver or by a computer and using a clutch actuator, and without a clutch pedal (such as a manual clutch pedal that is typically present in a manually operated transmission). the clutch housing 304 connects the transmission 306 to the engine 302 . the clutch housing 304 contains clutch components including a clutch actuator 310 (which replaces a conventional clutch pedal in a manual transmission in a truck). a flywheel 312 is coupled to engine 302 via a shaft 314 . the clutch housing 304 may include at least one disc 316 with a friction coating (not shown) rotationally coupled to transmission 306 . the transmission 306 is coupled to a drive shaft 318 that is coupled to at least a subset of the wheels of the vehicle 100 . a computing device or electronic controller 320 , for controlling the amt, is coupled to assembly 300 and is configured to operate the disc 316 and engine 302 in a manner consistent with the above description. controller 320 may be operated via pushbutton operation in an operator interface such as control area 204 with control buttons 206 - 214 , switch 218 , and/or an operator interface may include icon-driven operation such as with touch screen 216 or an app on a smart phone, as examples. to launch a vehicle, disc 316 closes against flywheel 312 . to avoid engine stall and provide for a smooth launch, the disc 316 slips for some period of time before engaging with the flywheel 312 . referring to fig. 4 , an exemplary process 400 is disclosed for launching a vehicle having an amt, such as vehicle 100 , according to one example. the process starts at step 402 . it then transitions to decision point 404 whether the vehicle is in a position in which an obstruction is present or detected by a driver. the driver may determine that the obstacle will not be overcome using a typical launch of the amt either by trying a typical launch sequence, or through driver experience. typically, decision point 404 is invoked when a driver attempts to launch, and then determines that a conventional launch may not cause the vehicle to move, but instead the engine may be caused to stall (or the clutch plate may spin against the flywheel). if the launch is not obstructed as shown at 406 then the clutch is engaged at block 408 , and the process ends 410 (at which point the vehicle is successfully launched and moves up through the gears during acceleration of the vehicle). however, if the launch is obstructed as shown by element 412 , then an operator initiated set of steps may be implemented to overcome the obstruction, referred to in one example as a “curb hop”. that is, a curb hop may be desired to overcome the one or more obstacles in the path of the vehicle upon initial launch. at step 414 , an obstructed launch command or curb hop operation may be initiated using manual switches 206 - 214 , touch screen 216 , or an app in a portable computing device of the type discussed above. moreover, although the term “curb hop” is referred to by way of illustration, it is contemplated that step may be initiated at 414 for overcoming any obstruction that may prevent vehicle launch in low gear, whether in the forward or the reverse direction, and whether the obstruction is a curb, a rut in the road, a log, etc. further, it is contemplated that the curb hop may be initiated by a vehicle operator such as a driver, or by another passenger within the vehicle. once a curb hop is initiated at step 414 (that is, a launch command is received), a controller in the vehicle such as controller 316 may cause engine operation to increase, which is accomplished by elevating the engine speed (hence the torque) of engine 302 as shown in step 416 . the elevated engine operation (torque or engine speed) is for a fixed or pre-set period of time, beyond a typical reference launch speed upon receipt of the launch command, as shown at step 418 . incidentally, as stated, it is contemplated that the operation of step 416 may occur either in a forward-facing or rearward facing direction, either of which may cause the vehicle to proceed in the desired direction either in an obstructed or an unobstructed launch. in one example, typically an engine idle speed may be in the range of 700 revolutions per minute (rpm). a typical (unobstructed) reference engine launch may be initiated where the engine launch speed is increased to the range of 1000 rpm (e.g., approximately 300 rpm higher than a traditional engine idle speed noted above). as the clutch 304 engages, engine speed is pulled down and the transmission controller 316 requests more torque from the engine 302 as it tries to maintain the reference speed, which is a target engine speed for a typical launch, and 1000 rpm in one example. once the clutch is engaged, engine speed is allowed to climb. the curb hop includes a dramatic increase of the target engine speed during launch. in one example, engine speed is increased 1000 rpm beyond the typical launch speed, after which the clutch is engaged. also, it is contemplated that speeds well in excess of an additional 1000 rpm may also be implemented, depending on such factors as a “red line” speed (maximum recommended engine speed from the manufacturer), vehicle weight, and the like. the red line speed may be, for instance 5000 rpm, but typically varies from vehicle to vehicle. thus, in one example, if a vehicle includes an idle speed of 700 rpm, and a typical launch speed is 1000 rpm, then the target engine speed for a curb hop is 2000 rpm in one example, and 5000 rpm in one example. in another example of a heavy duty diesel engine, 2800 rpm is the red line speed and thus would be, in this example, the maximum launch speed during a curb hop operation. to avoid damage to the clutch, at step 418 the clutch is engaged (at the increased curb hop speed) for a fixed or limited amount of time. in one example, the curb hop mode is entered for approximately a fixed 15 second period, allowing enough time overcome the obstacle. however, it is contemplated that the 15 second period is merely exemplary, and other time periods, such as 10 seconds or 25 seconds, may be implemented, depending on the truck type, its weight, clutch design and capability, and engine type, to name a few examples. however, the amount of speed elevation is related to the amount of time at that speed. for instance, if the amount of torque or engine speed applied is relatively high, then it may be desirable to do so only for a short duration. conversely, for a relatively lower torque or engine speed, it may be desirable to do so for a relatively longer duration. in fact, any number of curb hop “type” operations may be implemented by controller 316 . that is, a first (relatively easy) curb hop may be implemented to overcome relatively small obstacles (in which a 1000 rpm excess speed may be implemented for 30 seconds), but a second (relatively difficult) curb hop may be implemented to overcome relatively large obstacles (in which a 2000 rpm excess speed may be implemented for 20 seconds). in this example, one of two options may be selected, depending on the type of obstacle present and based on the experience of an operator). in fact, any number of curb hop options may be made available, which may be selected based on unique input commands that are specific to each type of curb hope. and, it is understood that, in general, for higher torque or engine speed operations the fixed time for engagement may be reduced, thus limiting the overall propensity for damage to the clutch. such options therefore provide different curb hop operations that can be selected. and, to further reduce or avoid the possibility of damage to the clutch, the number of times that the “curb hop” mode is entered is limited by requiring, in one illustrative approach, a launch command to the transmission controller 316 that includes a series of push button events (on control area 204 , switch 218 , touch screen 216 , or a smart phone app, as examples) for the operator to execute before the curb hop mode is entered, to avoid inadvertent execution of the initiation command. in one example, controller 320 includes a fixed delay between operations such as a few minutes, thereby providing a time for the clutch to cool down after a curb hop operation. in other words, if it were very simple or quick to enter the curb hop mode (e.g., with a single push of a button), then drivers may use the curb hop mode more frequently than is necessary (or it may be inadvertently activated), or at too short of intervals between its execution, which could lead to excessive wear and shortened life of the clutch. a curb hop mode may be manually entered by pressing a sequence of buttons that the controller recognizes as a command to enter the mode. in one example, an operator may press buttons in the sequence of drive ( 208 )—manual ( 206 )—down arrow ( 214 )—drive ( 208 )—manual ( 206 )—down arrow ( 214 ). however, it is contemplated that any sequence of the press buttons may be programmed into controller 316 that will initiate the curb hop operation. thus, referring still to fig. 4 , at step 414 a curb hop operation is initiated through a select set of operations. at step 416 the engine operation, such as engine speed, is elevated beyond a normal or typical reference launch speed, and the clutch 316 is engaged against the flywheel 312 at step 418 for a fixed period of time, such as 15 seconds, upon receipt of the launch command. typically, the curb hop mode is initiated and caused to elevate the engine speed (hence the torque) without an operator ability to stop the operation once it is started. however, in one example, a “kill” switch is provided that enables the operator to discontinue the curb hop operation before completing the fixed time period. if the curb hop mode is entered, but readily overcomes the present obstacle, to avoid unnecessary wear on the clutch the operator may press a kill switch to discontinue the operation. in one example, if up switch 212 is pressed while in curb hop mode (serving to kill the curb hop operation that is in progress), then controller 316 returns operation to a normal launch by returning to the normal or typical reference launch speed. thus, at step 420 , if no kill occurs 422 during the fixed time period, then at step 424 when the fixed time period is finished or fully elapsed, then controller 316 returns to a normal launch mode, which may include returning to the normal or typical reference launch speed, and/or shifting up through the gears during a normal truck launch and normal truck operation (e.g., moving up through the gears during vehicle acceleration). however, if the curb hop operation is killed 428 , then controller 316 returns operation to a normal launch at step 430 , and normal launch occurs 426 . thus, at step 418 the clutch is engaged at the elevated engine speed for at least a portion of the fixed period of time. in the example in which a delay between curb hop executions is implemented, at step 432 , process 400 assesses whether the launch was successful (which may be visually counted down on touch screen 216 , in one example). if the launch was successful 434 , the process ends at step 410 . if not successful 436 , then a time delay may be implemented at step 438 , after which control returns to step 414 where a curb hop operation may again be implemented. once successful 434 , process 400 ends at step 410 (at which point the vehicle is successfully launched and moves up through the gears during acceleration of the vehicle). thus, to overcome obstacles, given a command, the transmission controller can increase torque by increasing the engine launch reference speed for a curb hop event. by limiting higher engine launch reference speeds to unique events commanded, the number of high wear events is limited to a degree, reducing excessive wear on the clutch. with regard to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with the described steps performed in an order other than the order described herein. it further should be understood that certain steps could be performed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or that certain steps described herein could be omitted. in other words, the descriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments, and should in no way be construed so as to limit the claimed invention. accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent upon reading the above description. the scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. it is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the technologies discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. in sum, it should be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation. all terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood by those knowledgeable in the technologies described herein unless an explicit indication to the contrary in made herein. in particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary. reference in the specification to “one example,” “an example,” “one approach,” or “an application” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one example. the phrase “in one example” in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same example each time it appears.
|
025-050-818-575-154
|
US
|
[
"JP",
"CN",
"CA",
"US",
"MX",
"EP",
"WO"
] |
D02G3/36,D02G3/12,D02G3/38,D02G3/44,D02G3/18,D03D15/267,D03D15/00
| 2019-12-18T00:00:00 |
2019
|
[
"D02",
"D03"
] |
method and system for forming composite yarn
|
a method and system for forming a composite yarn having selected performance characteristics, including cut resistance and/or fire/heat resistance. a composite yarn incorporates a core comprising one or more filaments and a fiber bundle wrapped around the core and merged with one or more additional filaments that help bind the fiber around the core. additional filaments or other composite yarns may be stranded therewith to form a finished composite yarn. the core filament (s) will be selected from cut-resistant and/or fire/heat resistant materials, while the fibers of the fiber bundle and the additional filament (s) wound around the core may be selected from natural or synthetic fibers or filaments with additional desired properties.
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1. a composite yarn, comprising: a base yarn, comprising a core filament and a fibrous bundle, the fibrous bundle comprising a series of sheath fibers and at least a first filament, wherein the fibrous bundle is spun or twisted about the core filament, wherein the first filament is introduced during spinning of the series of sheath fibers about the core filament such that the first filament and the sheath fibers form an integrated filament and fibrous bundle that is twisted about the core filament sufficient to substantially lock and bind the core filament within the integrated filament and fibrous bundle, and wherein, the first filament being twisted with the sheath fibers about the core filament at approximately the same turns per inch as the sheath fibers to produce the base yarn with a first twist direction; and at least one additional filament or additional yarn plied and twisted with the base yarn, wherein the at least one additional filament or additional yarn is twisted in a second twist direction opposite the first twist direction sufficient to substantially minimize torque in the composite yarn; wherein the core filament comprises steel, stainless steel, aluminum, tungsten, and alloys thereof, glass, high density polyethylene, high density polypropylenes, high-strength polyarylate, silica, para-aramids, polypropylene, or liquid crystal polyesters. 2. the composite yarn of claim 1 , the first filament is applied at a substantially equivalent number of turns per inch as a number of turns per inch in the fibrous bundle. 3. the composite yarn of claim 1 , wherein the fibers of the fibrous bundle comprise para-aramids, meta-aramids, modacrylics, opan, high density polyethylene, nylons, polyesters, polypropylenes, cellulosics, rayon, silica, wool, cotton, acrylic, carbon fibers, polyamides, metals, liquid crystal polymers, linear low density polyethylenes, ptt, pbi, or blends thereof. 4. the composite yarn of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additional filament or additional yarn comprises polyester, nylon, lycra, para-aramids, high density polyethylene, high-strength polyarylate, ptt, pbi, polypropylene, rayon, wool, carbon fibers, polyamides, stainless steel, cotton, modacrylic, or combinations thereof. 5. the composite yarn of claim 1 , wherein the core filament forms between about 10% and about 60% of a mass of the composite yarn by linear weight. 6. the composite yarn of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additional filament forms between about 3% and about 55% of a mass of the composite yarn by linear weight. 7. the composite yarn of claim 1 , wherein a fabric formed from the composite yarn is used in protective apparel for heat and/or cut protection. 8. the composite yarn of claim 7 , wherein the fabric is made of woven or knitted construction. 9. the composite yarn of claim 8 , wherein the fabric is woven in a pattern comprising a plain pattern, a twill pattern, a basket pattern, a satin pattern, a leno pattern, a crepe pattern, a dobby pattern, a herringbone pattern, a jacquard pattern, a pique pattern, a warp pile, or a weave configuration. 10. the composite yarn of claim 8 , wherein the fabric includes a knit fabric comprising a jersey, a rib, a purl, a fleece, a double weft, a tricot, a raschel, a warp knit or a flat knit construction. 11. a composite yarn, comprising: a first component comprising at least one first core filament formed of a material having a hardness of at least approximately 7.0 on the mohs hardness scale, a first sheath of fibers spun about the at least one first core filament, and a first filament introduced during spinning of the first sheath of fibers about the core so as to be twisted about the core sufficient to substantially lock the core within the first sheath of fibers; and a second component comprising a core and a second sheath of fibers applied about the core; and wherein the first component is ring spun with the second component to form the composite yarn having the first yarn component as the core of the composite yarn with the second yarn component twisted thereabout. 12. the composite yarn of claim 11 , wherein the at least one first core filament comprises a tungsten or tungsten alloy. 13. the composite yarn of claim 11 , wherein the fibers of the first sheath of fibers comprise at least one of cotton, nylon, wool, aramids, para-aramids, polyethylene, acrylics, modacrylics, polyesters, carbon fibers. 14. the composite yarn of claim 11 , wherein the first sheath and the second sheath of fibers comprise fibers of aramids, acrylics, modacrylics, polyesters, polypropylenes, nylons, celluloses, silica, graphites, carbon fibers, high density polyethylene, polyamides, polybenzimidazole, co-polymers or blends thereof. 15. the composite yarn of claim 11 , wherein the core of the second component comprises glass, steel, tungsten, and aramids.
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technical field the present invention relates to fabrics, yarns and processes for making composite yarns. in particular, the present invention relates to composite spun yarns having a core surrounded by a fiber bundle embedded with one or more filaments, and a process of forming such composite spun yarns displaying desirable performance characteristics, such as enhanced strength and cut-resistance. background high performance yarns and fabrics with enhanced physical properties, such as cut-resistance, increased strength, and thermal/fire-resistance properties, may be formed by combining various fibers and filaments that incorporate such properties. for example, such high performance yarns generally include cores, formed from one or more filaments or fibers such as glass, metals, or synthetic or polymeric materials such as aramid or para-aramids. the cores are often wrapped with one or more additional filaments or fibers, generally including various natural and synthetic or polymeric materials. unfortunately, a common draw-back of many conventional high performance yarns is a failure to exhibit an optimum combination of economy and performance, i.e. such yarns can often require greater expense in the manufacture thereof due to the nature of the materials used in conventional high performance yarns and the performance characteristics expected therefrom. in addition, there is need to try to minimize direct skin contact between a wearer of a garment made from such composite yarns and potentially abrasive core filaments (i.e. aramid, para-aramid, glass or steel fibers/filaments) of the composite yarns. consequently, there is a continuing need for alternative high performance yarns and fabrics that addresses the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art. summary briefly described, the present disclosure is, in one aspect, directed to methods and systems for forming composite spun yarns with desired performance characteristics. in an embodiment, a method for making a composite yarn may be provided. the method of forming a composite yarn includes spinning at least one core filament (i.e. a glass, a metal, or a synthetic/polymeric filament having cut-resistant and/or heat resistance properties) with one or more rovings of staple fibers, which can be of the same or a similar type so as to form a substantially blended fiber bundle that will be spun about the core filament. for example, the fibers of the fiber bundle can be natural or synthetic/polymeric fibers such as cotton, nylon, etc. . . . having additional selected properties such as moisture wicking, softness, etc. . . . to be incorporated with the properties of the core filament. as the core filament and fibers from the roving(s) are spun together, an additional or first filament further is introduced to the spinning frame. the additional or first filament is applied at approximately the same turns per inch as the roving fibers are spun or twisted about the core filament so as to be integrated with the fiber bundle. the integrated additional filament/fiber bundle mass is spun/twisted around the core filament, which is substantially centered and enclosed within the integrated filament/fiber bundle, forming an initial or base yarn that is spun in a first direction so as to have an initial “s” or “z” direction of twist. during this operation, the core filament is covered by and encased within the integrated filament/fiber bundle that forms a sheath or wrapping around the core filament to an extent that the core filament substantially is bound and locked within the integrated filament/fibrous bundle or sheath. as a result of this twisting/wrapping of integrated filament/fibrous bundle locking the core filament there-within, the core filament is protected from being exposed or pulled out of the resultant composite yarn during subsequent knitting, weaving or other operations to form a fabric therefrom. the method can further include plying the base yarn with a further or second filament or yarn component/bundle, which can be applied at an angle of about 10°-45°, during an additional spinning or twisting operation. such additional filament or yarn generally will be selected based on additional technical properties or characteristics, in addition to the cut resistance and other properties of the base yarn, that are desired to be incorporated within the resultant composite high performance yarn and fabrics woven, knitted or otherwise formed therefrom. during this additional spinning/twisting operation, the base yarn and the second or further filament or yarn plied therewith are spun in an opposite direction to apply an opposing twist (e.g. an opposite z or s twist) and to an extent (e.g. at a number of twists per inch or rate/amount of twist) selected/designed to substantially minimize the torque of the finished composite yarn. in addition, or alternatively, the second filament or yarn component could be added to the initial spinning operation, i.e. with the first filament, such that the second filament also can be intermingled with both the first filament and the fibers of the roving(s) as they are wrapped and twisted about the core filament in the first direction. as a result, the first and second filaments can be substantially integrated within the fiber bundle defining the wrapping or covering enclosing the core filament and with the additional filament twisted thereabout to form a base yarn having an initial “s” or “z” direction of twist with its core filament substantially locked and bound within a sheath or covering fibers/filaments. thereafter, the method further can include plying one or more additional filaments (e.g. a third filament) with the base yarn at an angle, and spinning the base yarn and third filament together in a second direction opposite the first direction sufficient to substantially minimize the torque of the finished composite yarn while providing further selected or desired performance characteristics/properties to the yarn. in another embodiment, a composite high performance yarn having enhanced cut resistance and/or other selected technical or performance properties is disclosed. the composite yarn generally will include a first yarn component that can include a blended fiber bundle applied as a wrapping or covering spun about a central core that may be formed by one or more substantially continuous filaments or fibers selected from materials having a selected or pre-determined high hardness of, for example, approximately 7.0 or greater on the mohs hardness scale. the fiber bundle can include fibers of natural and/or synthetic materials (for example, cotton, wool, nylon, etc. . . . ), generally selected to provide protection from contact between the core filament(s) and a person's skin, as well as providing other desired characteristics such as softness, moisture wicking, and/or other properties. the high hardness core filament typically can be formed from metals such as tungsten or alloys thereof, or other, similar high hardness metal or synthetic materials, for forming a first or base yarn component with a hardness of at least approximately 7.0 or greater on the mohs hardness scale. a high hardness core first yarn component thus will be formed with enhanced cut resistance and with additional selected or desired properties based on the fibers spun or wrapped thereabout and forming the sheath or covering. in addition, as the high hardness core filament is spun and wrapped with the sheath of fibers, e.g. staple or natural such as cotton, wool, etc., or synthetic fibers including aramids, para-aramids, nylon, etc., one or more additional filament(s) or yarn(s) can be added during the spinning process so as to be integrated and twisted with the high hardness core first yarn component. in various embodiments, the additional filament(s) or yarn(s) generally can include materials such as polyester, nylons, lycra, para-aramids, high density polyethylene, low linear polyethylene, high density polypropylene, ptt, and combinations or blends thereof, which can be selected to help bind or lock the high hardness core within the fibrous bundle, while also providing additional performance characteristics and/or protection to the high hardness core. the additional filament(s) also will be spun/twisted with and is integrated into the fibrous bundle, which integrated filament/fibrous bundle is wrapped and/or twisted about the core filament, defining a close wrapped sheath or covering with an additional, integrated wound filament twisted about the core filament. the wrapping fibers, the core filament(s), and the first filament (and any additional independent filament in some embodiments) further will be spun together to form an initial or base yarn that generally will have a twist oriented in a first direction (e.g. an “s” or “z” direction), and with the integrated filament/fiber bundle being twisted and/or spun about the core filament at a number of turns per inch sufficient to substantially bind the filament and fibers of the bundle together and lock about the core filament(s) within the integrated filament/fiber bundle. as a result, the first yarn component core filament is formed with its substantially encapsulated within the integrated filament/fiber bundle sufficient to bind and protect the core from becoming pulled or otherwise exposed during later finishing, knitting, weaving or other operations to which the composite yarn is subjected to form high performance or technical fabrics. the composite yarn further can include one or more further (e.g. second or third) filament(s) or a second yarn component that will be plied with the base or first yarn component and spun therewith in a subsequent spinning operation. for example, the high hardness core spun first yarn component can be plied and spun with a second yarn component comprising a glass core yarn having a core of a glass or fiberglass material encapsulated within a sheath of fibers. the plied second yarn component generally will be selected to provide additional desired properties or performance characteristics, e.g., additional cut or abrasion resistance from the glass core, and other properties such as softness, moisture wicking, etc., that can be provided by the sheath fibers. the second yarn component further generally will be wrapped or twisted about the first or base yarn component, for example, being applied and/or twisted at an angle of about 10°-45° (though other angles also can be used). during such spinning, the first or base and the second yarn components further generally will be spun or twisted in a second direction that is opposite the first direction to create/apply an opposite direction twist sufficient to substantially minimize the torque created in the base yarn during the initial spinning operation. the resultant composite high performance yarn can thus have a substantially reduced or minimized level of torque while also incorporating the performance characteristics or properties of the second yarn component with the high hardness and cut resistance and other properties of the first yarn component. in one aspect, a method of making the composite yarn can include spinning at least one core filament with a series of staple fibers, and introducing a first filament during spinning of the series of staple fibers about the at least one core filament. the series of staple fibers and the first filament will be combined to form a fibrous bundle, the fibrous bundle wrapped about the at least one core filament to form a base yarn that is spun in a first twist direction. the first filament is also generally applied at approximately the same turns per inch as the series of staple fibers. the method also includes plying at least one additional filament or an additional yarn bundle to the base yarn to form a base yarn bundle, and twisting the at least one additional filament in a second twist direction opposite the first twist direction. the composite yarn can comprise a base yarn having a core filament having a fibrous bundle spun or twisted thereabout, wherein the fibrous bundle includes a first filament introduced during spinning of a series of sheath fibers about the core filament such that the first filament and the sheath fibers form an integrated filament and fibrous bundle that is twisted about the core filament sufficient to substantially lock and bind the core filament within the integrated filament and fibrous bundle and with the first filament being twisted with the sheath fibers about the core filament at approximately the same turns per inch as the sheath fibers to produce the base yarn with a first twist direction. at least one additional filament or an additional or second yarn is piled and spun with the base yarn, wherein the at least one additional filament or yarn is spun with the base yarn in a second twist direction opposite the first twist direction sufficient to substantially minimize torque in the composite yarn. in another aspect, a method of making the composite yarn can comprise spinning a first core filament with a series of fibers and at least one additional filament introduced during spinning so as to form an integrated filament/fiber sheath about the first core filament to form a first yarn component, wherein the first core filament comprises a material having a hardness of at least approximately 7.0 or greater on the mohs hardness scale and is substantially bound and locked within the filament/fiber sheath. the method also includes plying the first yarn component with a second yarn component having at least one second core filament including a glass component and spinning the first yarn component with the second yarn component to form a composite yarn with the first yarn component forming a core of the composite yarn having a hardness of at least approximately 7.0 or greater on the mohs hardness scale and wrapped with the second yarn component. in another aspect, the composite yarn can comprise a first yarn component a formed of a material having a hardness of at least approximately 7.0 on the mohs hardness scale, a first sheath of fibers spun about the at least one first core filament and an additional filament introduced during spinning of the first sheath of fibers about the core so as to be twisted about the core sufficient to substantially lock the core within the first sheath of fibers. a second yarn component comprising a glass core and a second sheath of fibers can be applied about the glass core wherein the first yarn component is ring spun with the second yarn component to form the composite yarn having the first yarn component as the core of the composite yarn with the second yarn component twisted thereabout. various objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a review of the following detail description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. brief description of the figures it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. for example, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements. embodiments incorporating teachings of the present disclosure are shown and described with respect to the drawings herein, in which: figs. 1a-1b are schematic illustrations of systems and methods for making a composite yarn, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; fig. 2 illustrates another example system and method for making a composite yarn, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a base yarn and a base yarn bundle for making a composite yarn, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; figs. 4a-4b are side views of an embodiment of the composite yarn having a high hardness core according to the principles of the present disclosure; fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for making a composite yarn, according to the principles of the present disclosure. the use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items. detailed description the following description in combination with the figures is provided to assist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein. the description is focused on specific implementations and embodiments of the teachings, and is provided to assist in describing the teachings. this focus should not be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of the teachings. in general, the present invention is directed to systems and methods for formation of high performance composite spun yarns. these composite yarns generally exhibit properties such as enhanced cut-resistance and strength. some of the embodiments of the present disclosure contain processes that help impart useful performance properties to the finished composite yarns. these performance properties may then be imparted to fabrics made of such composite yarns and the garments formed therefrom. in general, the yarns of the present invention are designed to be produced using a ring or other type of spinning frame and spinning process. the finished composite yarns formed by these processes further generally are designed to endure the mechanical and physical abuses of knitting or weaving machinery without sustaining physical damage causing the core filament to protrude or otherwise become exposed (i.e. with the potential for their core filaments being pulled out or bubbling through the sheath or covering being substantially minimized) during knitting or weaving of the yarns into fabrics, as well as during other operations such as needle punching, tufting, etc. . . . for forming various woven and/or non-woven performance fabrics. the resultant high performance fabrics formed from the composite yarns typically have enhanced performance properties, such as increased strength, abrasion or cut-resistance, and/or fire/heat resistance. such fabrics can be used in forming protective garments such as protective gloves, outer wear such as firefighters' coats, or a variety of other type of garments and articles for which properties such as a high cut resistance, impact resistance, enhanced strength, enhanced fire or heat resistance, are necessary or desired, but also have further desired properties such as softness or feel to enable enhanced mobility and/or flexibility of the fabrics with the wearer being protected from contact with potentially abrasive cut or fire/heat resistant materials within the yarns. the high performance composite yarns of the present disclosure also can be used in industrial webbing, belting and other applications. figs. 1a-1b illustrate a system and processes for making a composite yarn, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. as indicated, at least one core filament 102 will be introduced to the front delivery rolls 121 of an initial spinning operation 120 . the initial spinning operation 120 may include a spinning frame which forms a part of a ring spinning process. the at least one core filament 102 can be composed of one or more materials selected for, for example, thermal or cut-resistance, and may be composed of a glass, a metal, a synthetic/polymer or a natural material having cut-resistant and/or heat resistant properties. in an embodiment, the at least one core filament 102 may include any suitable inorganic or organic glass or fiberglass material. in addition or alternatively, the at least one core filament 102 may be formed from any suitable metal, such as, for example, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, tungsten, copper, bronze, alloys thereof and the like as well as, synthetic or natural filaments materials selected from acrylics, modacrylics, polyesters, high density polyethylenes (including ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers such as spectra® fibers available from honeywell international inc. of charlotte, n.c., dyneema® fibers available from royal dsm of heerlen, netherlands, and tsunooga® fibers available from toyobo co., ltd., of osaka, japan), polyamides, linear low density polyethylenes, polyethylenes, liquid crystal polyesters, liquid crystal polymers such as vectran™ (e.g., a high-strength polyarylate fiber available from kuraray co., ltd, of osaka, japan), silica, para-aramids, polypropylenes, nylons, cellulosics, pbi (polybenzimidazole), graphites, and other carbon-based fibers, co-polymers and blends thereof. in some embodiments, glass filaments can be used for or as a part of the at least one core filament 102 and can vary in thickness from, for example, between about 50 denier to about 1200 denier and can be twisted or untwisted. in other embodiments, various metal (e.g. steel, aluminum, etc. . . . ), natural and/or synthetic filaments used for as or part of the at least one core filament 102 likewise generally can vary in thickness from between, for example, about 25 microns to about 400 microns, twisted or untwisted. greater or lesser filament sizes or thicknesses also can be used for the glass, metal, natural and synthetic filaments as desired or needed, depending upon the application for the composite yarn 122 . referring again to figs. 1a-1b , the at least one core filament 102 is spun in the initial spinning operation 120 with a series of fibers 106 that can be supplied from one or more rovings 103 . the fibers can be fed as fine strands of condensed slivers, and may be formed from materials similar to those of the of the at least one core filament 102 . the fibers 106 further generally will be selected to provide a substantially complete coverage of the at least one core filament as well as additional selected properties, such as softness/feel, static dissipation, cut resistance, abrasion resistance, and/or insulative properties, etc. the materials forming the fibers 106 may include aramids, para-aramids, meta-aramids, modacrylics, opan, high density polyethylene, nylons, polyesters, linear low density polyethylenes, polypropylenes, cellulosics, rayon, silica, wool, cotton, acrylic, carbon fibers, polyamides, metals, liquid crystal polymers, low linear polyethylenes, ptt, pbi, and blends thereof. the staple fibers 106 fed from the roving(s) will be combined and spun with or twisted about the at least one core filament 102 so as to form a wrapping/covering blend or fiber bundle 105 that will substantially encapsulate and enclose the at least one core filament 102 therein. as the at least one core filament 102 and the staple fibers 106 from the roving are spun together, an additional or first filament 104 further is introduced into the initial spinning operation 120 . in an embodiment, the first filament 104 can comprise a material substantially similar to a material of the at least one core filament 102 . in other embodiments, the first filament 104 can comprise a material substantially different to the material of the at least one core filament 102 . for example, suitable materials for the first filament 104 can include polyester, nylon, ptt (polytrimethylene terephthalate), lycra, para-aramids, high density polyethylene, and blends thereof. the first filament 104 is introduced to the initial spinning operation 120 with the fibers 106 , generally being fed into the area where the fibers 106 are spun about the at least one core filament such that the first filament 104 is combined and/or intermingled with the fibers 106 of the fiber bundle 105 being spun or twisted about the core filament to form an integrated fibrous bundle 107 . in an embodiment, the first filament 104 can be introduced to the fiber bundle 105 , for example, from the side as indicated in the figures, before or as the fiber bundle is being formed or as it exits the initial spinning operation 120 . introducing the first filament 104 in this manner causes the first filament 104 to integrate with the fibers 106 to form the integrated fibrous bundle 107 that surrounds the at least one core filament 102 , with the first filament 104 and fibers 106 twisted thereabout to an extent to lock the at least one core filament substantially within a middle or center of the integrated fibrous bundle. the first filament becomes embedded as an integral component in the resulting base yarn 112 , and further generally is applied at approximately the same turns per inch as that of the fibers 106 so that the filament/fibrous bundle 107 substantially encapsulates and binds the core filament 102 within the center of the yarn, rather than being loosely covered or wrapped as provided by a typical covering process, wherein binding/locking of the core filament within its protective fibrous bundle helps minimize the core filament from being exposed/pulled out when the composite yarn 122 is subjected to mechanical stress during knitting, weaving, etc. to form fabric. the integrated filament/fibrous bundle thus is wrapped around and binding the at least one core filament 102 forms a base yarn 112 that is spun with a twist in a first direction. in an embodiment, the first direction of twist can be a s-direction or counter-clockwise direction of twist. in another embodiment, the first direction of twist is a z-direction or clock-wise direction of twist. the twisting or spinning of integrated filament/fibrous bundle about the core filament is done to an extent sufficient to lock the at least one filament 102 within the wrapping/sheath defined by the integrated filament/fibrous bundle, so as to ensure that the at least one core filament 102 is protected from abrasion or cutting; and also protects and or retards against the at least one core filament from projecting or protruding from the integrated fibrous bundle forming a wrapping or covering sheath thereabout (i.e. containing the core filament within the composite yarn even if it becomes broken or splintered such as when exposed to mechanical stresses during knitting, weaving or other operations) to protect a wearer from inadvertent engagement therewith. referring again to figs. 1a-1b , the base yarn 112 formed by the initial spinning operation 120 thereafter may be plied with an additional yarn bundle or at least one additional filament 108 that will be twisted or spun thereabout during an additional spinning/twisting operation 130 to form a composite yarn bundle 122 . the at least one additional filament or yarn 108 generally will be introduced at an angle of between about 10° and about 45° (although other angles also can be used), and will be selected to provide additional desired/selected performance characteristics or properties such as softness/feel, abrasion resistance, moisture wicking, etc. . . . . the additional filament or yarn 108 also will be spun in a second twist direction opposite to the first twist direction (e.g. an opposite z or s twist), and the additional filament or yarn 108 also will be twisted or spun about the base yarn at a number of turns or twists per inch selected or designed to substantially neutralize and/or minimize the resultant torque of the finished composite yarn 122 . as indicated in fig. 1a , in one embodiment, the additional filament or yarn can be introduced as part of a substantially continuous operation, for example being fed to drafting rollers 131 of a second spinning system or operation 130 to thus form the composite yarn 122 . alternatively, as indicated in fig. 1b , the addition of the further or second filament or yarn 108 can be carried out in a subsequent or separate spinning process 130 . for example, the base yarn 112 can be formed and collected on a roving 112 a or spindle, and thereafter can be transferred to a separate or downstream spinning frame 130 for spinning or twisting the additional filament or yarn 108 thereabout. in an embodiment, a mass ratio of the at least one core filament 102 in the resultant composite yarn 122 formed from the base yarn bundle 112 can be between about 10% and about 60%. in another embodiment, a mass ratio of the at least one additional filament 104 in the resultant composite yarn 122 formed from the base yarn bundle 112 can be between about 3% and about 35%. these mass ratio ranges are example ranges, and different mass ratio ranges may be considered to meet certain desired characteristics of the resultant composite yarn. in an additional embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 , the second filament or the at least one additional filament or yarn 108 can be added to the initial spinning operation 120 , i.e. during the process in which the first filament 104 , is spun or twisted about the core filament 102 and integrated with the fibers 106 and a further yarn or filament 204 can also be plied and spun with the resultant base yarn 212 . in such an embodiment, the second filament 108 also will be intermingled/integrated with both the first filament 104 and the fibers 106 of roving(s) 103 as the first filament 104 and the fibers 106 are wrapped about the core filament 102 in the first direction. as a result, the first filament 104 and the second filament 108 will be substantially integrated within the staple fiber bundle defining a binding covering about the core filament 102 to form a base yarn 212 having an initial “s” or “z” direction of twist, and a central core filament that is substantially locked and encapsulated within the integrated filaments and fiber bundle so as to protect the core filament 102 from being pulled or bubbling out or otherwise becoming exposed during subsequent use/operations such as knitting or weaving of the composite yarn into a fabric, as can potentially occur with loose wrappings or coverings as with more traditional spun yarns. thereafter, one or more additional filaments (e.g. a third filament 204 ) may be plied with the base yarn 112 , for example being introduced at an angle of between about 10° and about 45°, and spun together with the base yarn 112 in a second direction opposite the first direction with/at a number of twists per inch sufficient to provide additional properties or performance characteristics to substantially neutralize and/or minimize the torque of the finished composite yarn 222 . in embodiments, the materials forming the one or more additional filaments (e.g., the second filament 108 and/or the third filament 204 ) may include, for example, polyester, nylon, lycra, para-aramids, high density polyethylene, a high-strength polyarylate fiber such as vectran™ available from kuraray co., ltd, of osaka, japan, ptt, pbi, polypropylene, rayon, wool, carbon fibers, polyamides, stainless steel, cotton, modacrylic, and combinations thereof. in embodiments, the composite high performance yarn (shown at 122 in fig. 3 ), for example, having enhanced cut resistance and/or fire or heat resistance includes a staple fiber bundle 106 applied as a wrapping or covering spun about a core filament 102 that may be formed by one or more substantially continuous filaments 102 selected from materials such as glass, metals or synthetic/polymeric materials having a high level of cut and/or fire or heat resistance. the fibers of the fiber bundle 106 can include staple fibers of natural and/or synthetic materials (for example, cotton, wool, nylon, etc. . . . ) that can be selected to provide protection from contact between the core filament(s) and a person's skin, as well as providing other desired characteristics such as softness, moisture wicking, and/or other properties. in addition, a first filament 104 will be introduced and integrated with the staple fiber bundle and the core filament(s) 102 , so as to form a part of the wrapping or covering about the core filament 102 , helping to bond the fibers of the first filament and that of the stable staple fiber bundle together and about the core filament(s) 102 so that the core filament 102 is substantially contained or encapsulated therein to form the base yarn 112 ( fig. 3 ). in some embodiments, an additional or second filament or filaments also can be introduced into and embedded within the base yarn 112 . the wrapping staple fibers 106 , the core filament(s) 102 , and the first filament 104 (and any additional independent filament in some embodiments) will be spun together to form the initial or base yarn that generally will have a twist oriented in a first direction (e.g. an “s” or “z” direction) as indicated by arrows 310 of fig. 3 . the composite yarn 122 ( fig. 3 ) further includes one or more additional filaments 108 plied with the base yarn 112 in a subsequent spinning/twisting operation, during which the plied additional fiber is wrapped or twisted about the base yarn at an angle of between about 10° and about 45° (though other angles also can be used), and the composite yarn 122 is subjected to being spun or twisted in a second direction opposite the first direction (indicated by arrows 320 in fig. 3 ) to create/apply an opposite direction twist sufficient to substantially balance and/or minimize the torque created in the base composite yarn by the initial spinning operation. in addition, a fabric can be made from the composite yarns 122 and 222 of figs. 1a-3 such as for use in forming protective apparel having enhanced heat and/or cut protection. the fabric such formed may be made of woven or knitted construction. for example, the fabric made from the composite yarns 122 and 222 may be woven in a pattern (i.e. a plain pattern, a twill pattern, a basket pattern, a satin pattern, a leno pattern, a crepe pattern, a dobby pattern, a herringbone pattern, a jacquard pattern, a pique pattern, a warp pile, or in a weave configuration). in another embodiment, the fabric may be knitted to form articles of clothing, such as a jersey, a rib, a purl, a fleece, a double weft, a tricot, a raschel, a warp knit or a flat knit construction. the resultant fabric can be used to form various performance and/or protective garments. in a further embodiment, figs. 4a and 4b illustrate side views of sections of a first component or yarn 10 and a second component 110 that are combined to form a high performance yarn produced by plying/spinning the second component 110 about the first component 10 . as indicated, the first component 10 will include a composite yarn that can be produced according to the present disclosure, with a core filament 12 that includes a material of hardness of about 7.0 or greater on the mohr hardness scale. in an embodiment, the core filament 12 can include tungsten or an alloy of tungsten, or other similar high hardness materials. other materials having a hardness of approximately 7.0 mohs or greater also can be used. the selection of a material of hardness of approximately 7.0 or greater on the mohs hardness scale is made to achieve certain level of strength, toughness, cut-resistance, and other performance characteristics in the composite yarn formed from the first component 10 and the second component 110 of figs. 4a and 4b . a first sheath of fibers 24 will be applied to the at least one first core filament 12 during a ring jet spinning process. the resulting first component 10 will generally comprise the high hardness core filament 12 having a hardness of at least about 7.0 mohs and having a sheath of fibers 24 that can be selected from various staple fibers, natural fibers, synthetics or other fibers, wrapped or twisted thereabout. for example, the fibers of the sheath of fibers 24 may include at least one of cotton, nylon, wool, aramids, para-aramids, polyethylene, acrylics, modacrylics, polyesters, carbon fibers. this first component or yarn 10 further can be plied/twisted and spun with a second component 110 . the second component 110 , can comprise a filament or a yarn having a core filament 112 formed from a cut resistant material. for example, the second component can comprise a composite yarn having a glass filament core ranging in thickness from about 20 denier to about 3,000 denier, encased within a sheath of fibers 124 that can include similar fibers to those applied to the high hardness core first yarn component 10 , and which can be selected to provide additional characteristics or properties such as softness/feel, moisture wicking, static dissipation, etc. for example, the fibers of the sheath of fibers 124 may include aramids, acrylics, modacrylics, polyesters, polypropylenes, nylons, celluloses, silica, graphites, carbon fibers, high density polyethylene, polyamides, polybenzimidazole, co-polymers and blends thereof. alternatively, the second component can comprise a filament, or a yarn formed from a spun sheath of fibers without a core, and one or more additional synthetic or natural filaments or fibers can be used, including fibers formed from materials selected from aramids, acrylics, melamine-formaldehyde fibers such as basofil® available from basf se of ludwigshafen, germany, modacrylics, polyesters, high density polyethylenes (hppe), such as spectra® e.g., an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber available from honeywell international inc. of charlotte, n.c.), dyneema® (e.g., an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber available from royal dsm in heerlen, netherlands), and tsunooga® (e.g., a high-molecular-weight polyethylene available from toyobo co., ltd., of osaka, japan), polyamides, liquid crystal polyester, liquid crystal polymers such as vectran™ (e.g., a high-strength polyarylate fiber available from kuraray co., ltd, of osaka, japan), linear low density polyethylenes, polypropylenes, nylon, cellulosics, pbi, graphites, and other carbon-based fibers, co-polymers and blends thereof. as also indicated, during the ring spinning process, the fibers of the first sheath of fibers 24 and the second sheaths of fibers 124 can be substantially intermeshed or entwined to help lock the fibers. as a result, the first component or yarn 10 and the second component 110 can be twisted and spun together with the high hardness core 12 of the resultant high performance composite yarn bound by the glass filament core 112 of the second yarn component 110 , with the high hardness core 12 of the composite yarn being substantially encapsulated or encased within a protective covering. this binding and/or locking of the high hardness core 12 within the integrated glass core yarn/fibrous bundle protects the high hardness core filaments 12 and/or fibers while adding further selected or desired performance properties or characteristics to the composite yarn. thereafter, as the composite yarn is subjected to mechanical stresses during weaving, knitting, needling or other operations to form a performance fabric therefrom, the high hardness core can be protected from becoming engaged and pulled or exposed. in certain circumstances, it is desirable to form a high performance yarn embodying the principles of the present disclosure with the second yarn component 110 not containing glass filament. in an embodiment, the second yarn component 110 may include one or more metal filaments and one or more nonmetallic filaments. the nonmetallic filaments or fibers can be roughened, textured and/or stretch-broken. such nonmetallic filaments included in the core of this embodiment may be formed from materials selected from aramids, acrylics, melamine resins such as basofil® (e.g., a melamine-formaldehyde fiber available from basf se of ludwigshafen, germany), modacrylics, polyesters, polypropylenes, high density polyethylenes (including ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers such as spectra® fibers available from honeywell international inc. of charlotte, n.c., dyneema® fibers available from royal dsm of heerlen, netherlands, and tsunooga® fibers available from toyobo co., ltd., of osaka, japan), polyamides, liquid crystal polyesters, liquid crystal polymers such as vectran™ e.g., a high-strength polyarylate fiber available from kuraray co., ltd, of osaka, japan), nylon, rayon, silica, cellulosics, pbi, conductive fibers, graphites and other carbon-based fibers, co-polymers and blends thereof. these nonmetallic filaments may be stretch-broken and/or roughened for other types of care and/or sheath fibers. the sheath of staple fibers 124 thereafter applied to the core of this embodiment generally will be formed of the same materials and be processed according to the same methods described herein for other sheaths. fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method 500 of making the composite yarn of figs. 1a-4b . the method 500 includes spinning at least one core filament 102 with a series of staple fibers 106 (step 510 ). the method 500 further includes introducing a first filament 104 during spinning of the series of staple fibers 106 about the at least one core filament 102 (step 520 ), the series of staple fibers 106 and the first filament 104 combining to form an integrated fibrous bundle. this integrated fibrous bundle wrapped about the at least one core filament 102 to form a base yarn 112 that is spun in a first twist direction, the first filament 104 being applied at approximately the same turns per inch as the series of staple fibers 106 . the method 500 further includes a step 530 of plying at least one additional filament 108 or an additional yarn bundle to the base yarn 112 to form a composite 122 , and spinning the at least one additional filament 108 in a second twist direction opposite the first twist direction. test results: an abrasion/cut resistant fabric formed using the composite yarns formed according to the principles and methods of the present disclosure, formed from a series of short staple fibers wrapped and spun about a glass filament core and including a filament of high density polyethylene wrapped about and integrated with the staple fibers spun about the core (referred to as “sample a” below), were tested against abrasion/cut resistant fabrics formed using an existing abrasion resistant yarns having short staple fibers spun about a glass core (referred to as “sample b” below). for the testing, the sample fabrics used included: sample a: fabric weight—441 g/m 2 woven with spun core yarns composed of: 32% hppe filament24% polyester filament16% fiberglass14% hppe staple fiber14% nylon staple fiber sample b: fabric weight—569 g/m 2 woven with a spun core yarn composed of:46% nylon staple fiber30% hppe staple fiber17% fiberglass filament7% polyester filament in a first series of tests, the fabrics of sample a and sample b were subjected to abrasion resistance testing of textile fabrics according to astm d3884: wherein multiple samples of each fabric were tested, with each sample mounted on a rotary turntable of a tabor abrasion wheel testing device (type h-18) with a 500-gram weight applied thereto, and subjected to wearing action applied by a pair of abrasive wheels applied at consistent pressures. the results of the testing were as follows: fabric sample a—avg. resistance to abrasion=3,585 cycles fabric sample b—avg. resistance to abrasion=431 cycles the abrasion resistant fabrics formed using the yarns produced according to the present disclosure thus exhibited an approximate increase in resistance to abrasion of about 731.8%. in a second series of tests, fabrics of sample a and sample b also were subjected to cut resistance testing in accordance with astm f2992/f2992m-15 standard testing for measuring cut resistance of materials used in protective clothing. in such testing, the fabrics of samples a and b were place in a holder and subjected to cutting via a razor blade drawn along/across each sample. the tests were repeated with a differing weight/load applied to the razor blade for each test run. the results of the testing were as follows: fabric sample a—avg. cut resistance=a5 (>2200 grams, a “job risk factor” of med./high) fabric sample b—avg. cut resistance=a4 (>1500 grams, a “job risk factor” of med.) it is thus seen that the fabrics (sample a) formed using the composite yarns produced according to the present disclosure exhibit a significant increase in both abrasion resistance and cut resistance over fabrics formed using existing cut/abrasion resistant yarns. although only a few exemplary embodiments have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure. accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure as defined in the following claims. in the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures.
|
025-171-145-165-396
|
US
|
[
"WO",
"US"
] |
G06Q30/00
| 2010-01-29T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"G06"
] |
mobile payment device for conducting transactions associated with a merchant offer program
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embodiments of the invention provide for a mobile payment device used to conduct transactions associated with a merchant offer program. in specific embodiments, the mobile device is equipped with short range communication mechanisms or some other form of wireless communication that allows for the mobile device to communicate customer program verification data, offer data and/or necessary payment data to a properly configured point-of-sale (pos) device, such as a cash register, card reader device or the like. in other embodiments of the invention, the mobile device is in network communication with the financial institution and the financial institution is in network communication with the merchant, such that, once the customer communicates to the financial institution acceptance of an offer and the desire to conduct the corresponding transaction, the financial institution can, in turn, communicate the necessary payment data to the merchant.
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what is claimed is: 1. a method for using a mobile communication device as the payment mechanism for a transaction associated with a merchant offer program, the method comprising: receiving, at a mobile communication device, authentication for a customer to participate in a merchant offer program; receiving, at the mobile communication device, one or more merchant offers associated with the merchant offer program; and communicating, from the mobile communication device to a merchant point-of-sale (pos) device, payment data for a transaction based on the customer's acceptance of one of the merchant offers. 2. the method of claim 1, wherein communicating further comprises communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device using short-range wireless communication, the payment data. 3. the method of claim 1, wherein communicating further comprises communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device using near-field communication, the payment data. 4. the method of claim 1, wherein communicating further comprises communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment data including merchant offer data associated with specifics related to the accepted offer. 5. the method of claim 1, wherein communicating further comprises communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment data including a customer authentication identifier that provides the merchant with verification that the customer has been authenticated. 6. the method of claim 1, wherein communicating further comprises communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment data including a payment identifier. 7. the method of claim 6, wherein communicating further comprises communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment identifier including a single-use payment number generated by the financial institution based on the customer's acceptance of the offer. 8. the method of claim 6, wherein communicating further comprises communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment identifier including at least one of a customer selected payment account identifier or a customer default payment account identifier. 9. the method of claim 1, wherein communicating further comprises communicating, from the mobile device to the financial institution, the payment data, wherein the financial institution communicates the payment data to the merchant. 10. the method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the mobile communication device, prior to communicating the payment data, customer account balances associated with one or more accounts at the financial institution. 11. the method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, at the mobile communication device, after communicating the payment data, real-time updates of the customer account balances that reflect payment of the transaction. 12. the method of claim 1, wherein receiving further comprises receiving, at the mobile communication device, the one or more merchant offers, wherein at least one of the merchant offers is customized for the customer. 13. the method of claim 1, wherein the merchant offer program is further defined as a financial institution-based merchant offer program. 14. a mobile communication device configured for providing payment for a transaction associated with a merchant offer program, the mobile device comprising: a computing platform including at least one processor and a memory; a merchant offer program application stored in the memory, executable by the at least one processor and configured to receive authentication for a financial institution customer to participate in the merchant offer program and receive one or more merchant offers; and a payment routine configured to communicate payment data to a merchant point- of-sale (pos) device for a transaction based on the customer's acceptance of one of the merchant offers. 15. the mobile communication device of claim 14, wherein the payment routine is further configured to communicate, via short-range wireless communication, the payment data. 16. the mobile communication device of claim 14, wherein the payment routine is further configured to communicate, via a near-field communication, the payment data. 17. the mobile communication device of claim 14, wherein the payment routine is further configured to communicate the payment data including merchant offer data associated with specifics related to the accepted offer. 18. the mobile communication device of claim 14, wherein the payment routine is further configured to communicate the payment data including a customer authentication identifier that provides the merchant with verification that the customer has been authenticated. 19. the mobile communication device of claim 14, wherein the payment routine is further configured to communicate the payment data including a payment identifier. 20. the mobile communication device of claim 19, wherein the payment routine is further configured to communicate the payment identifier including a single-use payment number generated by the financial institution based on the customer's acceptance of the offer. 21. the mobile communication device of claim 19, wherein the payment routine is further configured to communicate the payment identifier including at least one of a customer selected payment account identifier or a customer default payment account identifier. 22. the mobile communication device of claim 14, wherein the payment routine is further configured to communicate the payment data to the financial institution, wherein the financial institution communicates the payment data to the merchant. 23. the mobile communication device of claim 14, further comprising a mobile banking application stored in the memory, executable by the processor and configured to receive, prior to communicating the payment data, customer account balances associated with one or more accounts at the financial institution. 24. the mobile communication device of claim 23, wherein the mobile banking application is further configured to receive, after communicating the payment data, real-time updates of the customer account balances that reflect payment of the transaction. 25. the mobile communication device of claim 14, wherein the merchant offer program routine is further configured to receive the one or more merchant offers, wherein at least one of the merchant offers is customized for the customer. 26. the mobile communication device of claim 14, wherein the merchant offer program routine is further defined as a financial institution-based merchant offer program. 27. a computer program product executed in a mobile communication device and comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: a first set of codes for causing a computing processor in the mobile communication device to receive authentication for a customer to participate in a merchant offer program; a second set of codes for causing a computing processor in the mobile communication device to receive one or more merchant offers associated with the merchant offer program; and a third set of codes for causing a computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicate, from the mobile communication device to a merchant point-of-sale (pos) device, payment data for a transaction based on the customer's acceptance of one of the merchant offers. 28. the computer program product of claim 27, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicating further comprises communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device using short-range wireless communication, the payment data. 29. the computer program product of claim 27, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicate, from the mobile communication device to the pos device using near-field communication, the payment data. 30. the computer program product of claim 27, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicate, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment data including merchant offer data associated with specifics related to the accepted offer. 31. the computer program product of claim 27, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicate, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment data including a customer authentication identifier that provides the merchant with verification that the customer has been authenticated. 32. the computer program product of claim 27, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicate, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment data including a payment identifier. 33. the computer program product of claim 32, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicate, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment identifier including a single-use payment number generated by the financial institution based on the customer's acceptance of the offer. 34. the computer program product of claim 33, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicate, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment identifier including at least one of a customer selected payment account identifier or a customer default payment account identifier. 35. the computer program product of claim 27, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicate, from the mobile device to the financial institution, the payment data, wherein the financial institution communicates the payment data to the merchant. 36. the computer program product of claim 27, further comprising a fourth set of codes for a computing processor in the mobile communication device to receive, prior to communicating the payment data, customer account balances associated with one or more accounts at the financial institution. 37. the computer program product of claim 36, wherein the fourth set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to receive, after communicating the payment data, real-time updates of the customer account balances that reflect payment of the transaction. 38. the computer program product of claim 27, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computing processor in the mobile communication device to receive the one or more merchant offers, wherein at least one of the merchant offers is customized for the customer.
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mobile payment device for conducting transactions associated with a merchant offer program claim of priority under 35 u.s.c. §119 the present application for patent claims priority to provisional application no. 61/299,713 entitled "mobile payment device for conducting transactions associated with a financial institution-based merchant offer program" filed january 29, 2010 and assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. field in general, embodiments of the invention relate to methods, systems, apparatus and computer program products for providing payment via a mobile device and, more particularly, providing payment via a mobile device for transactions associated with a merchant offer program. background the advent of the internet has provided merchants with new channels for reaching customers and providing information, advertising, and offers related to their products or services. however, sales and marketing campaigns are often not as effective as they might be, because they provide the customer the wrong information, advertisements, or offers, or alternatively provide the customer the right information, advertisements, or offers at the wrong time. the internet, likewise, provides customers with the ability to quickly locate information about products or services in which they are interested, and to purchase those products or services, without leaving their computer. however, customers who shop online often cannot find the exact product or service that they want, they fail to find what they want at a price that they find attractive, or they fail to utilize discounts that are available for the products for services. these scenarios result in discounts or promotions offered by the merchant not being utilized or in customers not receiving the benefit of such discounts or promotions. financial institutions have large amounts of customer data because they maintain or administer their customers' various financial accounts (i.e., credit card account, checking account, savings account, etc.) and because they also have data related to their customers' purchases. financial institutions track and store data related to when their customers made purchases, how much money the customers spent, from what merchants the customers used to make the purchases, etc. for both online and offline purchases. furthermore, financial institutions also have direct relationships with many different merchants that use the financial institutions for their own financial needs. due to the relationships financial institutions have with both customers and merchants, as well as the data that they capture because of those relationships, financial institutions are uniquely positioned to facilitate merchants in providing targeted sales and marketing offers to customers at the time of purchase; and to provide customers with payment options and information (i.e., balances) for making purchasing decisions for products and services. increasingly, mobile access to the internet is becoming more prevalent with the advent of smart phones and other mobile devices that are equipped with data services, wi-fi connectivity and the like. as such, it is possible to provide targeted marketing and sales to the mobile user of such devices. additionally, once a targeted marketing and sales offer is delivered to the mobile device, the customer may desire to accept the offer and proceed with a corresponding transaction. however, if the customer is without conventional payment means, such as cash, credit card, personal checks or the like (e.g., in the instance in which the customer forgets to bring their purse and/or wallet to a retail location), the customer may be unable to proceed with the transaction. in the event that the targeted marketing and sales offer is time dependent, the lack of payment option may prohibit the customer from accepting the offer and/or conducting the corresponding transaction. at a minimum, the customer may be inconvenienced with having to return to the retail location upon acquiring the necessary payment means. in addition to the possibility of not having ready access to conventional payment means, such as cash, credit card, personal check or the like, these types of payment means are highly susceptible to being lost, stolen or otherwise used fraudulently. a need exists to develop systems, methods, apparatus, computer programs and the like that provide for highly effective means for delivering targeted sales and marketing offers to customers and, specifically, financial institution customers. in addition, the desired systems, methods, apparatus and computer program products should provide for the ability to deliver the targeted sales and marketing offers to mobile devices. moreover, the desired systems, methods, apparatus and computer program products should provide for a payment mechanism that provides the mobile device user the ability to accept the offers and conduct a transaction in the absence of and/or in lieu of a conventional payment means, such as cash, credit card, personal check or the like. summary of the invention the following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. this summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments, nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. embodiments of the present invention address the above needs and/or achieve other advantages by providing apparatus (e.g., a system, computer program product, and/or other device), methods, or a combination of the foregoing for a mobile payment device used to conduct transactions associated with a merchant offer program. in specific embodiments, the mobile device is equipped with short range communication mechanisms or some other form of wireless communication that allows for the mobile device to communicate customer program verification data, offer data and/or necessary payment data to a properly configured merchant point-of-sale (pos) device, such as a cash register, card reader device or the like. in other embodiments of the invention, the mobile device is in network communication with the financial institution and the financial institution is in network communication with the merchant, such that, once the customer communicates to the financial institution acceptance of an offer and the desire to conduct the corresponding transaction, the financial institution can, in turn, communicate the necessary payment data to the merchant. as such the customer can accept merchant offers associated with the program and conduct the corresponding transaction in the absence of and/or in lieu of a conventional payment method, such as cash, credit card or personal check. a method for using a mobile communication device as the payment mechanism for a transaction associated with a merchant offer program provides for first embodiments of the invention. the method includes receiving, at a mobile communication device, authentication for a customer to participate in a merchant offer program. the method further includes receiving, at the mobile communication device, one or more merchant offers associated with the merchant offer program. additionally, the method includes communicating, from the mobile communication device to a merchant point-of-sale (pos) device, payment data for a transaction based on the customer's acceptance of one of the merchant offers. in specific embodiments of the method, communicating further includes communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device using short-range wireless communication, the payment data. in other specific embodiments of the method, the short-range wireless communication is further defined as near-field wireless communication. in other specific embodiments of the method, communicating further includes communicating, from the mobile communication device to the pos device, the payment data including one or more of merchant offer data associated with specifics related to the accepted offer; a customer authentication identifier that provides the merchant with verification that the customer has been authenticated; and a payment identifier, such as a single-use credit card-like number generated by the financial institution based on the customer's acceptance of the offer, a customer selected payment account identifier, or a customer default payment account identifier. in further specific embodiments of the method, communicating further includes communicating, from the mobile device to the financial institution, the payment data, wherein the financial institution communicates the payment data to the merchant. in still further specific embodiments the method includes receiving, at the mobile communication device, prior to communicating the payment data, customer account balances associated with one or more accounts at the financial institution. in such embodiments the method may further include receiving, at the mobile communication device, after communicating the payment data, real-time updates of the customer account balances that reflect payment of the transaction. a mobile communication device configured for providing payment for a transaction associated with a merchant offer program provides for second embodiments of the invention. the device includes a computing platform including at least one processor and a memory. the device further includes a merchant offer program application stored in the memory, executable by the at least one processor and configured to receive authentication for a customer to participate in the merchant offer program and receive one or more merchant offers. additionally, the device includes a payment routine configured to communicate payment data to a merchant point-of-sale (pos) device for a transaction based on the customer's acceptance of one of the merchant offers. in specific embodiments the apparatus the payment routine is further configured to communicate, via short-range wireless communication, the payment data. in such embodiments the short-range wireless communication may further be defined as near- field communication. in further specific embodiments of the apparatus the payment routine may be configured to communicate the payment data including one or more of merchant offer data associated with specifics related to the accepted offer; a customer authentication identifier that provides the merchant with verification that the customer has been authenticated; and a payment identifier, such as a single-use payment number generated by a financial institution based on the customer's acceptance of the offer, a customer selected payment account identifier or a customer default payment account identifier. in other specific embodiments of the apparatus, the payment routine is further configured to communicate the payment data to the financial institution, wherein the financial institution communicates the payment data to the merchant. in still further specific embodiments the apparatus includes a mobile banking application stored in the memory, executable by the processor and configured to receive, prior to communicating the payment data, customer account balances associated with one or more accounts at the financial institution. in such embodiments, the mobile banking application is further configured to receive, after communicating the payment data, real-time updates of the customer account balances that reflect payment of the transaction. a computer program product executed in a mobile communication device and including a non-transitory computer-readable medium defines third embodiments of the invention. the computer-readable medium includes a first set of codes for causing a computing processor in the mobile communication device to receive authentication for a customer to participate in a merchant offer program. the computer-readable medium additionally includes a second set of codes for causing a computing processor in the mobile communication device to receive one or more merchant offers associated with the merchant offer program. moreover, the computer- readable medium includes a third set of codes for causing a computing processor in the mobile communication device to communicate, from the mobile communication device to a merchant point-of-sale (pos) device, payment data for a transaction based on the customer's acceptance of one of the merchant offers. thus, systems, apparatus, methods, and computer program products herein described provide for a mobile payment device used to conduct transactions associated with a merchant offer program. by implementing a mobile device as the payment means, the present invention foregoes the need to provide conventional payment means, such as cash, credit cards, personal checks or the like. in addition to obviating the need to possess the conventional means, the present invention provides for security over the conventional means which are prone to being lost, stolen and/or otherwise fraudulently used. to the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more embodiments comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. the following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more embodiments. these features are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various embodiments may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such embodiments and their equivalents. brief description of the drawings having thus described embodiments of the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: fig. 1 provides a block diagram of a mobile payment device for conducting transactions associated with a financial institution merchant offer program, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 provides a block diagram illustrating a mobile payment device for conducting transactions associated with a financial institution merchant offer program, in accordance with present embodiments of the invention; fig. 3 provides a flow diagram illustrating a method for receiving payment, via a mobile device, for a transaction associated with a merchant offer program, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; fig. 4 provides a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing payment, via a mobile device, for a transaction associated with a merchant offer program, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; fig. 5 provides a block diagram illustrating a comprehensive merchant offer program environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6a provides an integrated online financial banking and customer shopping process, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6b provides a continuation of the integrated online financial banking and customer shopping process, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 provides a web browser and merchant offer program notification alert, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 provides a local merchant offer program application interface, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 9 provides a local merchant offer program application interface activated by a customer searching the internet, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of embodiments of the invention embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown. indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. like numbers refer to like elements throughout. although some embodiments of the invention described herein are generally described as involving a "financial institution," one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the invention may be utilized by other businesses that take the place of or work in conjunction with financial institutions to perform one or more of the processes or steps described herein as being performed by a financial institution. as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in view of this disclosure, the present invention may be embodied as an apparatus (e.g. , a system, computer program product, and/or other device), a method, or a combination of the foregoing. accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may generally be referred to herein as a "system." furthermore, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product comprising a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program code/computer-readable instructions embodied in the medium. any suitable computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be utilized. the computer usable or computer readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device. more specific examples (e.g., a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires; a tangible medium such as a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (ram), a read-only memory (rom), an erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom or flash memory), a compact disc read-only memory (cd-rom), or other tangible optical or magnetic storage device. computer program code/computer-readable instructions for carrying out operations of embodiments of the present invention may be written in an object oriented, scripted or unscripted programming language such as java, pearl, smalltalk, c++ or the like. however, the computer program code/computer-readable instructions for carrying out operations of the invention may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "c" programming language or similar programming languages. embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods or apparatuses (the term "apparatus" including systems and computer program products). it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. these computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create mechanisms for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. these computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions, which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. the computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. alternatively, computer program implemented steps or acts may be combined with operator or human implemented steps or acts in order to carry out an embodiment of the invention. embodiments of the present invention provide for systems, devices, apparatus, methods and computer program products for a mobile payment device used to conduct transactions associated with a merchant offer program. in specific embodiments, the mobile device is equipped with short range communication mechanisms or some other form of wireless communication that allows for the mobile device to communicate customer program verification data, offer data and/or necessary payment data to a properly configured merchant point-of-sale (pos) device, such as a cash register, card reader device or the like. in other embodiments of the invention, the mobile device is in network communication with the financial institution and the financial institution is in network communication with the merchant, such that, once the customer communicates to the financial institution acceptance of an offer and the desire to conduct the corresponding transaction, the financial institution can, in turn, communicate the necessary payment data to the merchant. as such the customer can accept merchant offers associated with the program and conduct the corresponding transaction in the absence of and/or in lieu of a conventional payment method, such as cash, credit card or personal check. referring to fig. 1 a block diagram is shown of an mobile communication device 22 configured to provide for mobile device payment of transactions associated with a merchant offer program. the apparatus includes a computing platform 23 having at least one processor 24 and a memory 26 in communication with processor 24. the memory 26 of apparatus 22 stored merchant offer program application 11 that is configured to provide merchant offers 64 to financial institution customers. the merchants participating in the program are in a relationship with the financial institution, in which the merchants have agreed to provide offers, such as discounts, rebates or the like to financial institution customers. the merchant offer program 1 1 authenticates the customer and/or the customer's mobile communication device either prior to providing offers or prior to conducting a transaction associated with the offers to insure that the offers are being communicated to an authorized merchant offer program participant or that only authorized participant accept such offers. as described in greater detail infra. the financial institution-based offer application 11 may include a widget that may be displayed on a user interface of the mobile communication device 22 to present received merchant offers 64. the widget may be displayed at the user's discretion or the widget may be configured to pop-up or otherwise be displayed based on the user/costumer being in the geographic vicinity of a merchant providing offers. the widget may provide for the user to search for current merchant offer, scroll for current offers or the like. the memory 26 of apparatus 22 additionally includes payment routine 70 that is configured to allow the mobile communication device 22 to communicate payment data to a merchant point-of-sale (pos) device, such as a register device, a card-scanning device or the like. in specific embodiments of the invention the payment routine 70 is a short-range wireless communication payment routine, such as a near- field wireless communication payment routine or the like. the payment data communicated from the mobile communication device to the pos device may include, but is not limited to a payment identifier, offer data, authentication identifier or the like. the payment identifier may include a one-time use payment number, such as a onetime use credit-card-like number, a selected customer account number, a default account number or the like. in alternate embodiments the payment routine may provide for wireless communication of the payment information to the financial institution, which, in turn, communicates the information to the pos device. referring to fig. 2 a block diagram is depicted of a merchant offer program environment 100 including a mobile payment device in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is illustrated. additional details associated with the system are shown and described in relation to figs. 5 - 9, infra. environment 100 includes mobile device 22 and financial institution apparatus 12. mobile device 22 may comprise any portable computing device, such as a smart telephone, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (pda) or the like. the financial institution apparatus 12 may comprise any computing device or combination of computing devices, such as servers, mainframe computers, or the like. the mobile device 22 includes a computing platform 23 having at least one processor 24 and a memory 26. the memory 26 includes local merchant offer program application 11 that is configured to provide the financial institution customer with merchant offers based on the financial institution's predetermined relationship with a plurality of merchants. offers include but are not limited to products, services, discounts, coupons, promotions, add-on sales, upsells, rebates, advertisements, marketing information, etc. in accordance with specific embodiments of the invention, the local merchant offer program application is customer configurable. configuration may include specifying which types of offers are to be presented, from which merchants the customer desires offers to be presented, the time of day the customer desires offers to be presented and the like. in addition, as described below, configuration may provide for the customer to pre-configure and/or choose payment options for a specified transaction based on a merchant offer. the local merchant offer program application 11 may be downloaded to mobile device 22, such as via an intranet or other network connection or otherwise loaded from other computer readable medium, such as a flash memory device, memory card or the like. the local merchant offer program application 11 includes authentication routine 50 that is configured to receive, from the customer, authentication credentials, such as username 52 and password 54 and receive authentication confirmation from a corresponding authentication verification routine 56 included in a financial institution merchant offer program application 10 executed on financial institution apparatus 12. thus, authentication routine 50 and corresponding authentication verification routine 56 are configured to verify the identity of the user as a financial institution customer and, more specifically a financial institution customer authorized to participate in the merchant offer program. in specific embodiments of the invention, the local merchant offer program application 11 may be configured to require customer authentication at the onset of launching the application, i.e., prior to receiving merchant offers. such configuration, whereby the customer verifies identity prior to receiving merchant offers, may be necessary if the merchant offer program is configured to provide customer-specific offers based on customer attributes, customer profile data, previous customer transactions or the like. in other specific embodiments of the invention, the local merchant offer program application 11 may be configured to require customer authentication prior to accepting an offer or conducting the associated transaction. such configuration, whereby the customer verifies identity prior to accepting an offer, may be necessary to insure that the customer is an authorized participant in the merchant offer program. local merchant offer program application 11 additionally includes local interface routine 60 that is configured to provide a local interface on apparatus 22 for displaying one or more merchant offers 64 to the customer, and more specifically, customer-specific merchant offers 65. the merchant offers 64 are based on a predetermined relationship between the financial institution and the merchant. in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the predetermined relationship may include the merchant providing the financial institution customers with offers, such as discounts, rebates, and the like based, at least in part, on the financial institution guaranteeing payment for the transaction. the local interface may be configured to be displayed or otherwise pop-up based on specific customer actions. for example, if the mobile 22 is equipped with internet capabilities (not shown in fig. 2), the customer accesses a merchant website and the routine 60 may be configured to automatically display the local interface if the financial institution has a predetermined relationship with the merchant and, in some instances, display the local interface if the merchant is currently providing offers, such as discounts, rebates or the like. in other embodiments in which the mobile device 22 is equipped with location determination means (not shown in fig. 2), such as a global positioning systems (gps) device or the like, the presence of the mobile device22 at or proximate to a physical location of a merchant may cause the routine 60 to automatically display the local interface if the financial institution has a predetermined relationship with the merchant and, in some instances, if the merchant is currently providing offers, such as discounts, rebates or the like. in other embodiments of the invention, the local interface routine 60 may be customer activated to display the local interface on a display of mobile device 22. in such embodiments the customer may activate the local interface routine 60 at his or her discretion. further, in such embodiments, the local interface may include a search function that allows for the customer to search for merchant offers by entering a merchant name or some other merchant identifying criteria, such as physical address, product type or the like. as previously noted, the customer may configure application 11, such that local interface and corresponding merchant offers 64 are displayed or otherwise pop-up only based on customer defined criteria. the customer defined criteria may include product/service type, merchant type, offer type, time of day, week, etc., customer physical location and the like. thus, customer configuration of the local interface can limit the instances in which the local interface is automatically displayed or otherwise pops-up. local merchant offer program application 11 additionally includes one or more payment routines 70 that provide for using the mobile device to consummate a transaction (i.e., provide payment) associated with the merchant offer program. payment routine 70 may include short range communication payment routine 72 that is operable to communicate payment data from the mobile device to the merchant's point-of-sale (pos) using short range wireless communication mechanism 90. the short range wireless communication mechanism 90 may include, but is not limited to, near field communication (nfc) mechanism, bluetooth® communication mechanism (i.e., communication operating in the 2.4 -2.5 ghz frequency range), dedicated short-range communication (dsrc) mechanism, infrared (¾) short-range communication mechanism or the like. the payment data that is communicated to the merchant may include, but is not limited to, the offer data, one or more of the customer's authentication identifier, a payment identifier (e.g., a single-use credit card number or the like), a selected customer account identifier, a default customer account identifier and/or the like. the offer data provides the pos device/merchant with the specifics related to the merchant offer such as the discount, the rebate, etc, so that the pos device can determine the payment amount due from the customer, the rebate due the customer and/or the like. the customer's authentication identifier provides the pos device/merchant with verification that the customer has been authenticated as a merchant offer participant and, as such subsequent payment may be guaranteed by the financial institution that is providing the merchant offer program. a payment identifier (e.g., a single-use credit card number or the like) may be generated by the financial institution at the bequest of the customer and/or based on the customer's acceptance of an offer. the payment identifier may provide for link to the customer's selected or default payment account. in specific embodiments of the invention, the customer selects a payment account at the time of the transaction or a predetermined default payment account is used as the payment account in the event that a customer does not select a payment account at the time of the transaction. in other specific embodiments of the invention, the default payment account is used as the payment account, if the customer does not select another payment account within a predetermined time after the transaction (e.g., within 24 or 48 hours of the transaction or the like). thus, a selected customer account identifier provides the pos device/merchant with identity of the payment account that the customer selects proximate the time of the transaction. the default customer account identifier provides the pos device/merchant with identity of the customer's default payment account in the event that the customer does not select another payment account within the predefined time period after conducting the transaction. payment routine 70 may include financial institution-to-pos device communication payment routine 74 operable to provide for the mobile device, at the directive of the customer, to communicate an offer acceptance/transaction initiation communication to the financial institution and for the financial institution, in turn, to execute payment notification routine 76 to communicate the payment information to the pos device/merchant. the mobile device may communicate the offer acceptance/transaction initiation communication to the financial institution and the financial institution may communicate the payment information to the pos device/merchant by any known or future known wireless communication means, such as, via a text message, via internet communication or the like. the communication means used by the mobile device to communicate the offer acceptance/payment initiation to the financial institution does have to be the same communication means used by the financial institution to communicate the payment information to the pos device. the offer acceptance/transaction initiation communication may include, but is not limited to, offer data, selected payment account data, default payment account data and the like. the payment information communication may include, but is not limited to, the offer data, a payment identifier (e.g., a single-use credit card number or the like) and/or the like. the memory 26 of mobile device 22 may additionally include mobile device financial institution application 80 that is configured to allow the user of mobile device 22 to conduct financial institution transactions, such as account transfers, bill payments and the like, as well as, view customer related data, such as financial institution account balances and the like. according to specific embodiments of the invention, the financial institution that provides the merchant offer program is the same financial institution that provides the mobile device financial institution application. the financial institution application 80 includes local interface routine 82 that is operable to display a local interface that is configured to display account balances 84. in accordance with present embodiments of the invention, the account balances 84 displayed by local interface 82 may be real-time account balances that reflect an account selection for making a payment for a transaction associated with the merchant offer program. in this regard, once the mobile device 22 communicates payment information including a selected or default payment account to the financial institution or to the pos device and the financial institution is notified of such, the account is immediately debited, the balance adjusted and the new balance communicated to the mobile device financial institution application 80 for display on the local interface. financial institution apparatus 12 includes computing platform 13 having one or more processors 14 and a memory 16. the memory 16 of apparatus 12 includes financial institution merchant offer program application 10 that is configured to determine merchant offers based on the financial institutions predetermined relationship with specified merchants and provide the merchant offers to the customer via the local interface of the local merchant offer program application 11 executed on customer apparatus 22. in addition, financial institution merchant offer program application 10 may be configured to initiate processing of guaranteed merchant payment based on a customer transaction associated with a provided merchant offer. financial institution apparatus 12 includes previously mentioned authentication verification routine 56 that is configured to receive authentication credentials, such as username 52 and password 54 from authentication routine 50 of local merchant offer program application 11, verify the authentication credentials based on stored authentication data and return authentication confirmation to authentication routine 10. as previously noted, the system may be configured such that customer authentication provides for presentation of merchant offers and/or allows the customer to conduct transactions based on presented merchant offers. application 10 also includes merchant offer determination routine 62 configured to determine merchant offers 64 and, more specifically, customer-specific merchant offers 65. customer-specific merchant offers 65 may be based on any customer information accessible to the financial institution, such as customer profile information, customer affinity information, customer account balances, customer account types, customer transaction information and the like. in addition, the customer-specific merchant offers may be based on dynamic customer information, such as the current physical location of the customer, the current web sites being accessed by the customer or the like. once the merchant offers 64, including customer-specific offers 65, are determined by routine 62 they are communicated to application 11 and displayed to the customer via local interface routine 60. financial institution merchant offer program application 10 additionally includes payment processing routine 75 that is operable to receive payment notification from mobile device 22 and/or pos device/merchant and to process payment, adjust customer account balances, accordingly. thus, payment processing routine 75 includes payment notification routine 76 configured to receive payment notification from the pos device/merchant and/or offer acceptance/transaction initiation from the mobile device 22. in such embodiment, the payment notification routine 76 may be further operable to communicate the payment instructions to the pos device merchant. payment processing routine 75 additionally includes customer account interface 78 that is configured to provide customer account adjustments based on the customer selecting a payment account or application of the default payment account. as previously noted, once the account balance adjustment(s) occur, the account balance(s) 84 can be communicated to the mobile device banking application 80 for local interface display. fig. 3 provides a flow diagram illustration of a method 120 for receiving payment, via a mobile device, for a transaction associated with a merchant offer program, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. at event 122 customer authentication is determined for a merchant offer program. according to specific embodiments, authentication is performed by having the customer provide authentication criteria, such as a username and passcode, and subsequently verifying the authentication criteria. the customer may provide the authentication criteria to an authentication routine included within a local merchant offer program application executed on a customer's computing device and the verification determination may be provided via an authentication verification routine within a financial institution merchant offer program application executed on a financial institution server or the like. at event 124, one or more merchant offers are provided to the authenticated customer. in one embodiment in which a local merchant offer program application is executed on a customer's internet-compatible mobile device, navigation to a merchant's website site or specific product/service page on the web site may prompt display of a local interface which is configured to display one or more merchant offers. in other embodiments in which the mobile device is equipped with location determination means, such as a gps location determining device or the like, location of the mobile device proximate a merchant's retail location may prompt display of a local interface which is configured to display one or more merchant offers. in further embodiments, the customer may activate the local interface which is configured to include a search function operable to provide for entering search criteria, such as product type/name, merchant name or the like and subsequently displaying one or more merchant offers based on the search criteria. in still further embodiments, the application may provide for the mobile device to capture, either by customer input or image capture, product identifying indicia, such as a universal products code (upc) or the like and subsequently display one or more merchant offers based on the product identifying indicia. at event 126, notification of mobile device payment is received for a transaction associated with one of the merchant offers. the notification of mobile device payment may be communicated from the mobile device and may include, but is not limited to, details of the merchant offer including payment amount, customer verification data, selected payment account data, default payment account and the like. in other embodiments of the invention, the notification of mobile device payment may be communicated from the pos device/merchant and may include, but is not limited to, details of the merchant offer including payment amount, customer verification data, selected payment account data, default payment account and the like. fig. 4 provides a flow diagram illustration of a method 130 for providing payment, via a mobile device, for a transaction associated with a merchant offer program, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. at event 132 authentication of a customer verified for participation in the merchant offer program is received at a mobile communication device. according to specific embodiments, the customer authentication may be based on user/customer input of authentication criteria, such as username and passcode or the authentication criteria may be cookie stored on the mobile communication device that automatically authenticates the user/customer. in addition, authentication may occur prior to the mobile communication device providing merchant offers or after the mobile communication device provides offers but prior to conducting a transaction related to the offers. at event 134, one or more merchant offers are received and displayed on the mobile device. additionally, in specific embodiments, the receipt and display of the merchant offers is based on successful verification/authentication of the customer. in such embodiments, the merchant offers that are received may be customer-specific merchant offers specifically targeted and tailored for the customer based on customer data in which the financial institution has access. in other embodiment of the invention, the merchant offers may be received and displayed on the mobile device prior to verification/authentication of the customer's identity but prior to conducting a transaction. at event 136, payment data, associated with a transaction based on the customer's acceptance of one of the merchant offers, is communicated from the mobile communication device to the pos device. the payment data may be communicated directly to the pos device merchant or it may be communicated to the financial institution. if the payment notification is communicated directly to the pos device/merchant, a short range communication mechanism, such nfc, dsrc, bluetooth® or the like may be used as the communication mechanism. in such embodiments the payment notification to the pos device/merchant may include, but is not limited to, the offer data, one or more of the customer's authentication identifier, a payment identifier (e.g., a single-use credit card number or the like), a selected customer account identifier, a default customer account identifier and/or the like. if the payment notification is communicated to the financial institution a data service, such as the internet, or sms may be used as the communication mechanism. in such embodiments, the payment notification may include, but is not limited to, the offer data, customer's authentication data, a selected customer account identifier, a default customer account identifier and/or the like. fig. 5 illustrates a comprehensive financial-institution-based merchant offer program environment 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. as illustrated in fig. 5, the financial institution-based merchant offer system 3 is operatively coupled, via a network 2, to one or more customer computer systems 4 of one or more customers 6, the financial institution's customer account systems 8, and the merchant systems 9, as well as other systems at a financial institution, such as systems that maintain and administer customer accounts, which are not shown. in this way, a customer 6 located at the customer computer system 4 can receive information from and send information to the merchant offer application 10 located on the financial institution-based merchant offer system 3 through a local merchant offer application 11 and/or a web browser application 20, located on the customer computer system 4 through the network 2. the network 2 may be a global area network (gan), such as the internet, a wide area network (wan), a local area network (lan), or any other type of network or combination of networks. the network 2 may provide for wireline, wireless, or a combination of wireline and wireless communication between devices in the network. as illustrated in fig. 5, the financial institution-based merchant offer system 3 generally includes a communication device 12, a processing device 14, and a memory device 16. as used herein, the term "processing device" generally includes circuitry used for implementing the communication and/or logic functions of a particular system. for example, a processing device may include a digital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, and various analog-to- digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, and other support circuits and/or combinations of the foregoing. control and signal processing functions of the system are allocated between these processing devices according to their respective capabilities. the processing device may include functionality to operate one or more software programs based on computer-readable instructions thereof, which may be stored in a memory device. the processing device 14 is operatively coupled to the communication device 12, and the memory device 16. the processing device 14 uses the communication device 12 to communicate with the network 2, and other devices on the network 2, such as, but not limited to, the customer computer systems 4, the customer account systems 8, and/or the merchant systems 9, as well as other systems within the financial institution that are not shown. as such, the communication device 12 generally comprises a modem, server, or other device for communicating with other devices on the network 2. as further illustrated in fig. 5, the financial institution-based merchant offer system 3 includes computer-readable instructions 18 stored in the memory device 16, which in one embodiment include the computer-readable instructions 18 of a merchant offer application 10. in some embodiments, the memory device 16 includes a datastore 19 for storing data related to the financial institution-based merchant offer system 3, including but not limited to data created and/or used by the merchant offer application 10. as discussed later in greater detail, in one embodiment, the merchant offer application 10 stores or receives customer profile data and data related to offline and online transactions from the account management applications 30. the merchant offer application 10 receives data related to customer browsing behavior and returns targeted offers to the customer 6. offers include but are not limited to products, services, discounts, coupons, promotions, add-on sales, upsells, rebates, advertisements, marketing information, etc. as illustrated in fig. 5, the customer computer systems 4 generally include a mobile communication device 22, a processing device 24, and a memory device 26. the processing device 24 is operatively coupled to the mobile communication device 22 and the memory device 26. the processing device 24 uses the mobile communication device 22 to communicate with the network 2, and other devices on the network 2, such as, but not limited to, the financial institution-based merchant offer system 3, customer account systems 8, and/or merchant systems 9, as well as other financial institution systems not shown. as such, the mobile communication device 22 generally comprises a modem, server, or other device(s) for communicating with other devices on the network 2, and a display, keypad, mouse, keyboard, microphone, and/or speakers for communicating with one or more users. the devices in the network can be personal computers, personal digital assistants ("pda"), smart phone, cell phones, etc. as further illustrated in fig. 5, the customer computer systems 4 comprise computer- readable program instructions 28 stored in the memory device 26, which in one embodiment includes the computer-readable instructions 28 of the local merchant offer application 11 and a web browser application 20. in some embodiments, the memory device 26 includes a datastore 29 for storing data related to the customer computer systems 4, including but not limited to data created and/or used by the local merchant offer application 11 and/or the web browser application 20. in one embodiment of the invention, the local merchant offer application 11 is the part of the merchant offer application 10 that resides on the customer computer systems 4. the local merchant offer application 11 assists in monitoring websites that the customer 6 is browsing through the web browser application 20 by monitoring and sending the information related to the customer's web browsing to the merchant offer application 10. in other embodiments of the invention there is no local merchant offer application 11 , as such the merchant offer application 10, which is located on the financial institution's databases, performs the functions of the local merchant offer application 11 and, thus can interact directly with the web browser application 20 located on the customer computer systems 4. in other embodiments of the invention there is no local merchant offer application 11, as such the merchant offer application 10, which is located on the customer computer system 4, performs the functions of the local merchant offer application 11. in still other embodiments of the invention the local merchant offer application 11 is a separate application, which is located on the customer computer system 4, that works in conjunction with the merchant offer application 10. throughout this application the local merchant offer application 11 is described as the part of the merchant offer application 10 that resides on the customer computer systems 4; however, it is to be understood that the apparatuses and methods described herein would work equally well in the various embodiments of the merchant offer application 10 and local merchant offer application 11 described above. regardless of the configuration, the local merchant offer application 11 displays offers, determined by the merchant offer application 10, related to what the customer is searching to the customer 6 on an interactive graphical user interface (i.e., local interface 400). the offers can be, among other things, based in part on the data stored by the merchant offer application 10 and the customer account systems 8, including but not limited to customer profile data and transaction history. as illustrated in fig. 5, the customer account systems 8 generally include a communication device 32, a processing device 34, and a memory device 36. the processing device 34 is operatively coupled to the communication device 32 and the memory device 36. the processing device 34 uses the communication device 32 to communicate with the network 2, and other devices on the network 2, such as, but not limited to, the merchant offer system 3, the customer computer systems 4, and/or the merchant systems 9, as well as other systems at the financial institution not shown. as such, the communication device 32 generally comprises a modem, server, or other device(s) for communicating with other devices on the network 2. as further illustrated in fig. 5, the customer account systems 8 comprise computer- readable program instructions 38 stored in the memory device 36, which in one embodiment includes the computer-readable instructions 38 of account management applications 30. in some embodiments, the memory device 36 includes a datastore 39 for storing data related to the customer account systems 8, including but not limited to data created and/or used by the account management applications 30. the account management applications 30, in one embodiment, are used to store, process, and monitor the transactions, including but not limited to, deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and payments, made through various customer accounts, such as, but not limited to, checking, savings, credit card, hybrid, deposit, credit line, money market, equity line, investment, bill payment, transfer, etc. accounts. the account management applications 30 have the transaction history information for each of the financial institution's customers, in some cases, for as long as the customer's have had accounts with the bank. the transactions history information located in the account management applications is searchable and sortable over different ranges of time. the transaction information in the account management applications 30 is used by the merchant offer application 10, along with other information or alone, to determine what targeted offers and marketing information should be sent to customers 6. in some embodiments of the invention, the account management applications 30 include online financial banking applications, such as an online banking website, which allow a customer 6 to access the customer's accounts through the internet. as further illustrated in fig. 5 the merchant systems 9 generally include a communication device 42, a processing device 44, and a memory device 46. the processing device 44 is operatively coupled to the communication device 42 and the memory device 46. the processing device 44 uses the communication device 42 to communicate with the network 2, and other devices on the network 2, such as, but not limited to, the merchant offer system 3, customer computer systems 4, and/or customer account systems 8, as well as other systems at the financial institution not shown. as such, the communication device 42 generally comprises a modem, server, or other device(s) for communicating with other devices on the network 2, and a display, keypad, mouse, keyboard, microphone, and/or speakers for communicating with one or more users. as further illustrated in fig. 5, the merchant systems 9 comprise computer-readable program instructions 48 stored in the memory device 46, which in one embodiment includes the computer-readable instructions 48 of merchant applications 40. in some embodiments, the memory device 46 includes a datastore 49 for storing data related to the merchant systems 9, including but not limited to data created and/or used by the merchant applications 40. the merchant applications 40, in one embodiment, are used to generate, store, process, and/or monitor the offers made directly to customer computer systems 4 over the network 2 or indirectly though the merchant offer system 3. in other embodiments of the invention, the merchant offer environment 1 will include other systems in the financial institution that are connected over the network 2. in some embodiments of the invention, the other systems within the financial institution could include transaction processing systems such as check image processing, or online account processing systems. these other systems can work in conjunction with the merchant offer system 3, or supplement and/or enhance the merchant offer system 3. figs. 3a and 3b illustrate one embodiment of an integrated online payment and customer shopping process 200 that describes how a customer 6 utilizes the merchant offer environment 1 to search for offers on the internet or in retail stores, receive offers related to the offers the customer 6 is searching, receive offers related to web-based content that the customer is accessing, and accept one or more of the offers using various forms of payment. in order to utilize the merchant offer environment 1 the customer 6, in some embodiments, downloads the local merchant offer application 11 to the customer computer system 4, as illustrated in block 202 of fig. 6. in some embodiments the customer computer system 4 is a computer, such as a laptop, desktop, or tablet computer, internet television, or other electronic or digital medium device, in other embodiments the customer computer system 4 may be a mobile device, such as a pda, cell phone, smart phone, internet-only computer, or any other device that has internet browsing capability. once the local merchant offer application 11 is downloaded to the customer computer system 4, in some embodiments it will run by communicating constantly with the merchant offer application 10 located on the merchant offer system 3. in other embodiments, the customer 6 has the ability to turn the merchant offer application 10 on and off. in still other embodiments of the invention, the customer 6 will be required to authenticate herself as the customer before using the local merchant offer application 11 and merchant offer application 10. authentication is required in some embodiments, when the merchant offer application 10 communicates with the customer's private customer account information located on the customer account systems 8 at the financial institution. as explained in greater detail below, the merchant offer application 10 accesses the customer's account information in order to display to the customer 6, through the local merchant offer application 11, the customer's balances for the accounts that the customer can use to pay for purchases made through the merchant offer environment 1. moreover, when the customer 6 makes a purchase through the merchant offer application 10, the merchant offer application 10 accesses the customer's account through the customer's online banking accounts and/or the customer account systems 8 in order to make real-time or near real-time transactions between the customer 6 and the merchant. the customer 6 in some embodiments may perform the authentication when downloading the local merchant offer application 11 , when the customer 6 wants to use the local merchant offer application 11, or only when the customer 6 decides to make a purchase. generally, in exemplary embodiments, the local merchant offer application 11 runs on the customer computer system 4 at all times, and the customer only authenticates herself when the customer wants to view the identified offers or purchase something through the offers supplied by the merchant offer application 10. as illustrated in block 204 of fig. 6a, the customer 6 searches the internet for content, such as products or services or other information located on websites. for example, as illustrated in fig. 7, the customer 6 may be searching for a forty-six inch lcd television made by sony®. block 206 in fig. 6a illustrates that as the customer 6 is searching for a particular product (i.e., the sony® television), the merchant offer application 10 communicates with the web browser application 20 that the customer is using, in order to determine what offers or other content the customer 6 is viewing through the web browser application 20. as illustrated in block 208 in fig. 6a the local merchant offer application 11 transfers the information related to the content the customer is viewing back to the merchant offer application 10. in other embodiments of the invention, the customer 6 does not have to search the internet for offers in order for the merchant offer application 10 to gather information related to offers in which the customer 6 is interested. for example, if the local merchant offer application 11 is downloaded on a mobile device, such as a personal digital assistant (pda), cell phone, smart phone, etc., the local merchant offer application 11 can relay information to the merchant offer application 10 about the physical location of the customer through location determining devices, such as global positioning satellite ("gps") or radio frequency ("rf") locator systems in the mobile device. the merchant offer application 10 can then provide offers or information that are relevant to the customer's physical location, such as offers applicable to the store in which the customer is located, offers at other stores in close proximity, offers that can be purchased over the mobile device, etc. in other embodiments of the invention, the customer 6 can use the mobile device to identify information related to an offer at a physical store. for example, information about a product can be captured by capturing an image of the product, scanning an identifier (i.e., barcode or upc number) located on the product into the mobile device, and/or entering an identifier or keyword related to a product or service through a keyboard or voice command. the merchant offer application gathers the information related to the offer through the local merchant offer application 1 1 , which, as explained in greater detail below, provides the customer 6 with related offers or information on the customer's mobile device. in some embodiments of the invention, a customer can use a mobile device to make a purchase through the actual point-of-sale applications at the store in which the customer is located. in some embodiments of the invention, a mobile device that is configured with a payment system, such as a near field communication ("nfc") payment system or other payment system, can use the system to make a purchase through local merchant offer application 11 downloaded on the mobile device. the purchase, in some embodiments, takes into account real time discounts, e-coupons, etc. available through the merchant offer application 10, as discussed in further detail later. the customer's account can be updated in real-time or near real-time to reflect the most recent transactions using a mobile device for payment. after receiving information related to what offers or other content the customer 6 is currently viewing or searching, in some embodiments, the merchant offer application 10 analyzes the customer's past transaction purchasing history, and the customer's profile information to determine one or more offers to present to the customer 6 through the local merchant offer application 11, as illustrated by block 210 in fig. 6 a. the merchant offer application 10 analyzes the customer's past purchasing history and the customer's profile information, in part, from the account management applications 30, which store the histories of purchases made by the customer online and offline {i.e., brick and mortar stores). in some embodiments of the invention, the financial institution may have a relationship with other financial institutions, credit card providers, internet shopping services, etc., in order to gather more transactional data related to the customer's purchase history when the customer 6 makes transactions with other business accounts, credit cards, etc., in addition to the data that the financial institution maintains. in other embodiments the customer 6 can upload the transaction histories of transactions made with other financial institution accounts, credit cards, etc. by authorizing the financial institution to reach out and pull (or be pushed) data related to transactions from other accounts. for example, the customer 6 can provide the financial institution the account number and password to other online financial banking systems, online credit card statements, etc. and the financial institution can pull transaction information from those accounts. this additional information can be also be used to provide the customer 6 more payment options, from outside accounts, to use in completing the transaction. in other embodiments of the invention the customer can log onto the customer's own merchant offer account in the merchant offer application 10, or other account management application 30 to provide or enter customized profile information. for example, the customer 6 can request specific types of offers, such as specific products or services, discounts, or advertisements in which the customer 6 is interested on a wish list, which is explained in further detail below. in other embodiments of the invention the customer 6 can provide profile information, which allows the merchant offer application 10 to provide more personalized offers to each individual customer 6. for example, the profile information could include, but is not limited to, places the customer 6 likes to shop, hobbies in which the customer is interested, specific offers or merchants from whom the customer 6 does or does not want to receive offers from, etc. the offers identified by the merchant offer application 10 in block 210 and provided to the customer 6 through local merchant offer application 11, are determined in a number of ways. in exemplary embodiments, the financial institution will have in place arrangements with merchants that allow the financial institution to provide certain products or services to customers through the merchant offer application 10 at discounted prices. the financial institutional will display the various products or services that are the subject of a discount coupon, rebate, etc. the products and services will normally be displayed with the items carrying the greatest discount, coupon, rebate, etc., first. the discount, coupon, rebate, etc. can be the merchant's normal offer or can be the subject of a separate arrangement with the financial institution. in other embodiments, the merchant may pay a fee to the financial institution per month, week, etc., or a flat fee, etc., in exchange for the financial institution showing one or more of the merchant offers to customers 6. the size of discounts provided, and in some embodiments the fees paid by merchants, can be based on the number of hits the offer/website of the merchant receives, the number times the offer is displayed, the number of customers who accept the offer by making a purchase, and/or the rank of the offer, etc. in some embodiments of the invention the merchant may not offer the product at a discount, but instead the financial institution may subsidize the offer by providing the discount itself. in this instance, the financial institution would pay the merchant the full price of the product or service at the time of sale, but debit the customer account a discounted price or rebate the customers at some future point in time. the financial institution could make up for the discounts by charging the merchants a fee to display the offer to the customer 6 or by taking payments from the merchant for all of the discounts on offers provided within a certain time period. therefore, in some embodiments of the invention, either the merchant or the financial institution will offer customized discounts for each customer 6, which are based in part on the customer's profile data and the customer's transaction history information. as previously discussed the customer profile information could include what accounts the customer 6 has at the financial institution (checking, savings, equity line), as well as what services the customer 6 uses (such as financial planners, wealth management, etc.). the customer transaction history information could include the purchases the customer 6 has made at various stores, the costs of the purchases, time of year and day they were made, the accounts used to pay for the purchases, etc. in some embodiments, the more products or services that the merchant uses with the financial institution the greater the discount will be, the more accounts and services the customer 6 uses at the financial institution the greater the discount will be, and the more the customer 6 spends with a particular merchant the greater the discounts will be for that merchant. the merchant offer application 10 can determine the amount of the products or services the customer 6 has with the financial institution through the customer profile information, and can use that information as a basis for making offers available to that customer 6. the amount of business includes but is not limited to, how many accounts the customer has, the amount of money in those accounts, any loans the customer 6 has with the financial institution, any financial services the customer 6 uses, etc. in one embodiment, the more products and services the customer 6 uses from the financial institution the greater the discount will be. these factors can also be combined with the customer's relationships with various merchants to determine what offers to make available to the customer 6. for example, the merchant offer application 10 can identify from the customer's transaction history what types of products and services the customer 6 has purchased from various merchants in the previous week, month, six-months, year, etc. the size of the discounts the customer 6 receives based on the customer's relationship with the merchants could based on the purchases made by the customer 6 with the merchant, and could vary in real-time or near real time each time a purchase is made or not made. for example, a merchant in some embodiments may want to offer greater discounts to a customer 6 who has not purchased anything in a while in order to try to generate new business. in other embodiments, a merchant may want to reward a loyal customer 6 in order to promote additional purchases. therefore, in some embodiments the more the customer 6 has purchased in the past, the greater the customer's discount will be. for example, the financial institution may have relationships with both best buy® and wal-mart®. a specific television offered through the merchant offer application 10 by wall- mart® may sell for ten (10) dollars less than the same television offered through best buy®, based on the financial institution's arrangements it has made with both merchants. however, when the customer 6 is searching for a specific television (or televisions in general), the financial institution may identify the transactions the customer 6 has made with both businesses, by examining the transaction history information that the financial institution has. if the financial institution, for example, identifies that the customer 6 purchased two-thousand (2,000) dollars in products and services from best buy® in the previous year, the terms of the relationship between the financial institution and best buy® may dictate that the financial institution will offer the television for one-hundred (100) dollars off of the typical price of the television. therefore, the customer 6 receives a more attractive price than she would have received because of the customer's 6 relationship with the financial institution and/or the merchant. in other embodiments of the invention the merchant offer application 10, provides member offers, such as a list of product discounts, that are offered to all customers 6 of the merchant offer environment 1. in still other embodiments of the invention, the merchant offer application 10, provides public offers, such as a list of product discounts that are offered by the merchant to anyone in the public, not just members of the merchant offer environment 1. furthermore, customized offers, member offers, or public offers are provided by the merchant offer application 10 and displayed through the local merchant offer application 11. when the merchant offer application 10 identifies an offer for the customer 6 the local merchant offer application 11 notifies the customer 6 of the offer, as illustrated by block 212 in fig. 6 a. in one embodiment for example, as illustrated in fig. 7, a notification indicator 304, such as a dollar sign or other icon or indicator could appear in the bottom of the web browser that the customer is using to view the merchant's website. in other embodiments, the notification indicator 304 could appear in the tool bar at the top or bottom of the web browser or computer screen display, or in other areas of the web browser or computer screen. the dollar sign, or other icon or notification indicator 304, signals to the customer 6 that the merchant offer application 10 identified an offer in which the customer 6 may be interested, which could save the customer 6 money. the offer may be relevant to a product or service the customer is viewing, it may be responsive to a wish list item, it may be based on just the customer's transaction history and/or profile information, etc. as illustrated in blocks 214 and 216 of fig. 6b, when the customer 6 selects the notification indicator 304, a pop-up window, such as a local interface 400, or other display is provided on the computer screen, or other device, illustrating the offers identified by the merchant offer application 10 as shown in fig. 8. in some embodiments of the invention the customer 6 does not need to select the indicator to view the local interface 400. in some embodiments, the local interface 400 automatically pops-up on the screen when the merchant offer application 10 identifies an offer. in other embodiments of the invention, when an offer is identified the offer appears within the web-browser or web-browser page that the customer 6 was viewing. the pop-up window, such as the local interface 400, provides the customer 6 with offers related to products or services, or content that the customer 6 is currently viewing at an internet website of a merchant, products or services listed on the customer's wish list, or product or services of interest to the customer 6 based on the customer's transaction history and/or customer profile. the offers provided to the customer 6 in the window reflect offers, prices, and discounts from the current merchant or other merchants in which the customer 6 may be interested. the offers can be ranked based on various factors, such as but not limited to the discounts offered, agreements between the merchants and the financial institutions, etc. the offers, in some embodiments will include links, such as to the merchant's web pages, which provide more information about the relevant offers. as illustrated in fig. 9 in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the local merchant offer application interface 400 has two sections, the accounts section 410, and the offers section 430. the accounts section 410 illustrates the available balances the customer 6 has in each of the customer's accounts. the merchant offer application 10 communicates with the local merchant offer application 11 and the account management applications 30 in the customer account systems 8 to determine and display the account balances in the local interface 400. other sections that contain other types of information, for instance the customer's monthly budget, etc. can also be displayed in the local interface 400. the offer section 430, in some embodiments, displays the other retailers 432 that can offer the same or similar product, the offer description 434 illustrating what the offer is (the same product or a similar one), the percent savings 436, and the actual dollar amount savings 438. in other embodiments of the invention the offer section 430, another section, or a separate tab displays related or add-on products in which the customer 6 may be interested. for example, if a customer is searching for a forty-six inch liquid crystal display (lcd) television the customer may also be interested in dvd players, or services such as direct tv®. in one embodiment of the invention, a "see related offers" section button 440 or tab is selected by the customer 6 in order to view any related offers identified by the merchant offer application 10, as illustrated in fig. 9. however, in some embodiments the related offers are displayed in the offer section 430 along with the product for which the customer 6 is searching. in still other embodiments of the invention, the local merchant offer application interface 400 has an advertisement section 450 that displays one or more targeted advertisements to a customer 6 based on the customer's previous purchasing history, customer profile information, and/or website content that the customer 6 is currently viewing. as illustrated by block 218 in fig. 6b, in some embodiments the local interface 400 provides links to websites that contain additional information about the products or services that are the subject of the offers or related offers in the offers section 430. the customer 6 selects the offer and is then taken to a website, such as the merchant's website, other website, or a display in the local interface 400, which provides more information about the savings provided by the offers. block 220 in fig. 6b illustrates that the customer can select the original offer that the customer 6 located or one of the replacements offers that the merchant offer application 10 identified and displayed to the customer 6. as illustrated the by block 222 in fig. 6b the customer 6 can also purchase related products or services in addition to, or in lieu of, the originally located products or services or replacement products or services displayed by the merchant offer application 10. in some embodiments, the customer 6 will have to authenticate herself in order for the merchant offer application 10 to communicate with the account management applications 30, such as the customer's online banking accounts, in order to display the customer's real-time account balances. in other embodiments of the invention, the merchant offer application 10 estimates the customer's account balances based on what the balances were the last time the customer 6 made a purchase or authenticated herself. in some embodiments of the invention, the local interface 400 displays the account balances for the customer's checking account 412, savings account 414, credit card account 416, and any reward points 418 that the customer has accumulated. in still other embodiments, after the customer 6 makes purchases, the account balances displayed in the local interface 400 are updated in real-time in order to show the customer 6 how much money the customer 6 has available in each of her accounts. in other embodiments of the invention, if the customer 6 grants access, the local merchant offer application 11 can also display the account information, such as balances, of other accounts or credit cards maintained by outside financial institutions. in these embodiments, the financial institution may have a relationship with the outside financial institutions and/or the customer 6 has supplied the merchant offer application 10 with access to the outside accounts {i.e., by providing the sign in and password information for online banking services). after the customer 6 selects the products or services she wants to purchase, either through the internet or at a physical store, the merchant offer application 10 assists the customer in determining how she wants to pay for the products or services. as illustrated by block 224 in fig. 6b the customer 6 selects from which account or multiple accounts the customer 6 wants to pay for the offer selected. in some embodiments of the invention the customer's preference for paying for an offer from a particular account or set of accounts is stored in the customer profile information in the merchant offer application 10, and in such circumstances, the predetermined preference acts as a default. in some embodiments of the invention, the necessary financial and shipping information is pre-populated at check-out when the customer 6 makes a purchase. in other embodiments of the invention, the customer 6 is prompted at checkout as to how the customer wants to pay for the products and services selected. in such embodiments, a list of the customer's accounts is provided in the local interface 400 or in another pop-up window. while the financial institution will pay the merchant the full amount of the offers or the discounted amounts, in some embodiments the customer can tell the financial institution how to apply the cost of the products or services to the customer's accounts. for example, the customer for one purchase may indicate that she wants to pay 20% from her checking account and 80% from her savings account. the amounts and the various accounts can be changed for every purchase made. the decision of what account or accounts are used to make payments can be made in some embodiments at the time of purchase. in other embodiments of the invention, the customer 6 has a period of time to determine what account or accounts are debited. in such embodiments of the invention, the customer 6 logs into her online banking, merchant offer, or other account and, either at the time of purchase or thereafter, associates particular transactions and transaction amounts with particular accounts. in some embodiments of the invention, the financial institution effectively becomes a clearing house for any of the transactions made between the customer 6 and the merchant. after the customer 6 authenticates herself as an actual customer of the financial institution, in some embodiments the financial institution guarantees payment to the merchant for the products and services. the financial institution is able to determine in each instance whether it wants to assume the risk for the transaction based on information the financial institution has for each of its customers. this is a benefit over independent credit card issuers because these companies do not know the financial well-being of one their customers outside of the customers' credit card balances and payment histories. in this respect, the merchant offer application 10 can be utilized to help customers from over spending their means and can assist the financial institution in managing risks attendant to extending consumer credit. the actual purchase of the selected products and services from the merchant through the merchant offer environment 1 is achieved in a number of ways. for example, in one embodiment of the invention, the links for particular offers in the local interface 400 take the user to the merchant's secure website. however, in other embodiments of the invention, the links take the customer 6 to the public merchant website and the financial institution can pre- populate the account information, as well as the mailing information. in other embodiments of the invention, the account information can be a preapproved single use account number provided by the financial institution, which ties the customer 6 to the customer's accounts at the financial institution, without disclosing the customer's real account information to the merchant. in those instances where the financial institution has a pre-existing relationship with the applicable merchant, the transaction that takes place can be virtually instantaneous. the financial institution can credit the account of the merchant, if the merchant has an account at the financial institution, or in other embodiments of the invention, the financial institution can electronically transfer the money to the merchant. alternatively, the financial institution can credit the merchant for the customers purchase on a schedule that is prearranged and agreed to by the financial institution and merchant. after the payment method is satisfied, either the customer 6 or the financial institution can transfer the shipping address of the customer 6 to the merchant for shipping the product or providing the service. in lieu of the merchant shipping a product to the customer 6, the customer 6 can pick-up the product at the store. alternatively, if the customer is making the purchase at a brick and mortar location the customer 6 can simply pick-up the product when purchased. in other embodiments of the invention, the financial institution provides various financing options for the customer 6 to use in paying for the selected products or services. for example, the financial institution can allow the customer to make a purchase from a merchant, but not debit the customer's account or accounts for 30, 60, 90, etc. days. as is the case with the amount of discounts provided to various customers 6, different financing options can be provided to customers depending, in some embodiments for example, on the customer's standing with the financial institution and the number of financial of products and services the customer uses with the financial institution. likewise, with respect to the financial institution making payments to a merchant, there are a number of options available to complete the transition as far as the merchant is concerned. in some embodiments of the invention, the payment system and process provides settlement options to the merchant, such as real-time, 3 -day, 15 -day, etc. the merchants can be charged different types of fees, or no fees, depending on what payment options the merchants require. different options may apply in different circumstances. for instance, a different settlement option might apply to different products sold by the merchant depending upon the merchant's payment obligations to its suppliers. in other embodiments, the payment options may vary depending upon the merchant's financial situation, need for cash flows, lines of credit etc. the payment option variables are monitored electronically by the financial institution, and the appropriate payment option can be selected automatically based on a series of rules in the merchant offer application. in some embodiments of the invention the steps in blocks 204 to 224 are repeated every time the customer 6 visits a new web-site, selects a different product or service from the web-site the customer 6 is currently viewing, or when the merchant offer application 10 identifies a product or service for the customer 6 based on the customer's wish list, transaction history, or customer profile. after a customer 6 selects a product or service, replacement, or add-on to purchase, the merchant offer application 10, in some embodiments of the invention, provides online social networking opportunities. for example, the customer 6 can rate a specific offer, merchant, or discount program. in other embodiments of the invention, the customer 6 can display in the local interface 400 the most popular offers as rated by other customers who have accepted the offer. furthermore, in other embodiments of the invention the customer 6 can suggest to other customers a purchase or discount, that the customer 6 made, by sending an e-mail, instant message notification, text message, or other notification through a messaging service in the merchant offer application 10 or through other standard messaging formats using the merchant offer application 10. in other embodiments of the invention, the customer may join social networks or groups through the merchant offer application 10, which allow the customer 6 and other members of the groups to receive special offers that only members of the specific group can receive and use. in addition to displaying add-on products and services, while the customer 6 is searching for specific products or services on the internet, the merchant offer application 10 will also make add-on product or service suggestions after the customer has purchased a product or service through the merchant offer application 10. in some embodiments of the invention some types of add-ons can only be made after a particular offer is accepted and purchased by the customer 6. for example, an extended warranty for a particular product such as a forty-six inch sony® television offered through a merchant is only available for purchase through that merchant if the actual product is purchased through that merchant. these additional add-ons, in some embodiments, can be displayed to the customer 6 through the local merchant offer application interface 400, after the customer 6 has purchased a particular product or service. in other embodiments of the invention the add-ons are sent to the customer 6 though e-mail, text message, instant message, or other like form of communication. in other embodiments of the invention, some add-ons are provided by the merchant offer application 10 and are based in part on product type. for example, when a blue-ray dvd player is purchased the add-ons will include blue-ray dvds as opposed to regular dvds, because the customer would not likely want blue-ray dvds if she purchased a regular dvd player. in some embodiments of the invention the merchant offer application 10 has a search feature that allows a customer to search for available offers, through the local merchant offer application 11, by product (i.e., sku, model, etc.), merchant, product type, brand, manufacturer, price, discount price, location, etc. the discounts provided to the customer 6 during the search can be customized for each individual user based on relationships between the financial institution and merchants, the customer's profile information, the customer's transaction history, and/or publicly available discounts. the offers from the search, in some embodiments, are prioritized based on the customer's location, transaction history, profile information, etc. in some embodiments of the invention the customer might not be able to find the particular product or service for which the customer 6 is searching because the product is out of stock or the service is booked, the product or service is too expensive for the customer 6, the product or service cannot be delivered in time, etc. in such cases, the merchant offer application 10 provides the customer 6 the ability to add a particular desired product or service to a wish list. the customer's individual wish list, in some embodiments, has one or more products and services that have notification alerts attached to them. the notification alerts inform the merchant offer application 10 to watch for offers for those specific products or services, and any discounts related to them. the customer can also add merchants to the wish list in order to be notified when a specific merchant is providing discounts to customers. when the merchant offer application 10 identifies the availability of a product or service that is on the customer's wish list, the merchant offer application 10 notifies the customer. for example, the customer can identify a specific product or service, such as a forty-six inch television, and/or a specific price for the product or service, such as one-thousand thee-hundred (1,300) dollars for the forty-six inch television. the merchant offer application 10 monitors the databases 19 in merchant offer system 3, or in some embodiments searches the internet, for the product or service that meets the particular parameters that the customer 6 wants. the merchant offer application 10 notifies the customer 6 when one or more merchants meet the customer's parameters. in other examples, the customer 6 can identity a specific merchant, such as best buy®, or a specific type of product or service, such as a flat screen television, and request that the merchant offer application 10 notify the customer when the merchant is having a sale, or when sales are occurring for that type of product or service. in this way the customer 6 does not have to continuously search for a product or service. instead, the customer 6 lets the merchant offer application 10 identify the product or service for the customer 6, and then receives a notification when the particular product or service is identified. in some embodiments of the invention the customer 6 can be notified of products or services, coupons, advertisements, reward cards or points from a merchant, etc., by the merchant offer application 10 when the customer is not even searching the web for a specific offer. the merchant offer application 10, in some embodiments, uses the customer's wish list, or the customer's profile data and transaction history, to notify the customer when one or more merchants are offering a particular product or service in which the customer 6 might be interested. in one embodiment of the invention, the offers found by the merchant offer application 10 are sent to the user though various communication channels, such as, but not limited to e-mail, sms, text messages, financial institution statements, on receipts for purchases online or at brick an mortar institutions, or atm transactions, etc. in some embodiments of the invention, the financial institution can monitor each customer's savings realized and not realized by using or not using the merchant offer application 10. a system and process is used for determining and displaying to customers 6 the amount of money saved, including, but not limited to percentages saved, total savings, what could have been saved, etc. the merchant offer application 10, either online, though the local merchant offer application 11 or online banking, or through paper statements, illustrates the amount of money the user saved or could have saved by using the merchant offer application 10 on both a total basis over a specified time period, as well as on a transaction-by-transaction basis. in other embodiments of the invention, the amount saved if the customer 6 would have enrolled in more financial institution product or services could also be illustrated online or in paper statements. also in some embodiments of the invention, discounts, e-coupons, merchants, etc. can be suggested for future purchases through the online or paper statements. in other embodiments of the invention the merchant offer application 10 is accessed though and runs inside one or more of the account management applications 30, such as an online financial banking application. for example, in some embodiments the customer 6 logs onto to the customer's online financial banking accounts, and searches for offers through the online financial banking account application. the merchant offer application 10, acting through the online financial banking account application, provides offers, add-ons, etc. to the customer 6 as previously discussed. however, in this embodiment the offers are displayed though the online financial banking application not through a separate local merchant offer application 11 that was downloaded to the customer computer systems 4. therefore, in this embodiment, the customer 6 could use the merchant offer application 10 on any computer because the merchant offer application 10 and local merchant offer application 11 are run through an online financial banking application and are not tied to a customer's specific computer system 4. the merchant applications 40, in some embodiments, allow the merchants to access the merchant offer application 10 over the network 2 through the merchant offer system 3. the merchant offer application 10, in some embodiments, has a merchant interface that the financial institution uses to mange the merchant network by only allowing access to the merchant interface to specific merchants that the financial institution has certified for inclusion into the merchant offer environment 1. the merchant interface allows a merchant to enter offers into the merchant offer application 10 that are available to all customers 6, groups of customers 6, or individual customers 6 based on customer demographic information. in some embodiments, the merchant interface also allows a merchant to monitor its offers, such as the status and success of its offers. the financial institution will first determine what merchants to certify for access to the merchant offer application 10. in some embodiments, the merchant must meet quality standards set by the financial institution before the merchant is certified. in some embodiments, the quality standards include the financial stability of the merchant, customer ratings of the merchant, supplier and distributor ratings of the merchant, product or service delivery time, payment timeliness, etc. these factors can be determined by the financial institution through a number of different channels. for example the merchant financial stability could be determined from the accounts the merchant has with the financial institution, other financial institutions, or outside rating agencies. customer, supplier, or distributor ratings of the merchant can be determined from consumer advocacy groups, or other rating organizations, that the financial institution uses or with which the financial institution has partnered. after the financial institution certifies the merchants for access to the merchant interface, the financial institution provides the merchants with user names and passwords or other merchant authentication mechanisms that allow the merchant to access the merchant interface through the merchant offer application 10. thereafter, the merchant can access the merchant interface and authenticate that the financial institution has certified that the merchant can access the merchant offer application 10. the authentication mechanisms also indicate to the financial institution that the current user has authority to create and/or monitor offers for the particular merchant. the merchant can then begin to enter offers for the financial institution's customers 6. in some embodiments the merchant can create, modify, and control the offers in the merchant applications 40 and upload the offers to the merchant offer application 10. in other embodiments of the invention the merchant can create the offers directly in the merchant offer application 10, through the merchant interface. in some embodiments of the invention, when entering offers into the merchant offer application 10 the merchant can set various preferences associated with a product or service, such as, but not limited to, a specific price or price range for which the merchant is willing to sell a product or service, a discount percentage to offer, identification of products or services or types of products or services to which to apply the offer, how long the offer will be available to customers, if the offer changes over time, if additional discounts apply to the product or service, etc. for example, to name a few, the merchant may set a particular price for a product or service which will gradually decline in price automatically every month. the merchant may indicate that an offer is only good for a month. the merchant may also indicate that a product or service will have an additional discount if the customer purchases other products or services from the merchant at the same time. the merchant may offer credits or rebates to all the customers who purchase a product or service, if there are a specified number of sales of the product or service. in some embodiments of the invention, the merchant can also set what customer should receive the offers based on customer demographic information, such as, but not limited to age, geographic location, customer purchasing history, groups or clubs the customer is associated with, etc. for example, some offers may apply to all of the customers 6 in the merchant offer application. however, some offers may only apply to customers who live in a particular state or region. the merchant may also limit offers to individual customers 6 who have spent a specific amount of money with the merchant in the past, or who have purchased a specific product or service from the merchant over a specific time frame. the offers entered into the merchant offer application 10 can be provided to customers 6 in real-time, or in other embodiments can be set to take effect at a later date in the future or not until the financial institution has approved the offer submitted by the merchant. the merchant has the ability, in some embodiments, to update the offers that they entered into the merchant offer application 10 anytime to try to influence sales of various products or services. however, in some embodiments, some offers may not be able to be changed for a period of time once they are imputed into the system. since the financial institution is providing a service to its customers 6 by providing offers to the customers 6 from various merchants, any merchants who are not providing adequate customer service are also reflecting negatively on the financial institution. therefore, not only does the financial institution has the ability to manage the merchants in the merchant offer environment 1 by determining what merchants are allowed into the merchant offer environment 1, but they also have the ability to remove merchants from the merchant offer environment 1. in some embodiments, the financial institutions can make periodic reviews of merchants that have been certified, in order to make sure the merchants are still financially stable, or have received positive customer feedback. in some embodiments, the merchant interface allows the merchant to monitor current offers. for example, the merchant interface may create charts, graphs, tables, and/or other statistics for the merchant and display these to the merchant when the merchant logs into the merchant interface. these statistics may relate to particular offers and the success thereof, such as how often they are displayed to potential customers, how often they are accepted, the amount of money being made or discounted, and/or the like. the statistics may also provide an overview of the success of the overall relationship with the financial institution and use of the merchant offer system 3. thus, systems, apparatus, methods, and computer program products herein described provide for a mobile payment device used to conduct transactions associated with a merchant offer program. in specific embodiments, the mobile device is equipped with short range communication mechanisms or some other form of wireless communication that allows for the mobile device to communicate customer program verification data, offer data and/or necessary payment data to a properly configured point-of-sale (pos) device, such as a cash register, card reader device or the like. in other embodiments of the invention, the mobile device is in network communication with the financial institution and the financial institution is in network communication with the merchant, such that, once the customer communicates to the financial institution acceptance of an offer and the desire to conduct the corresponding transaction, the financial institution can, in turn, communicate the necessary payment data to the merchant. as such the customer can accept merchant offers associated with the program and conduct the corresponding transaction in the absence of and/or in lieu of a conventional payment method, such as cash, credit card or personal check. while certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications and substitutions, in addition to those set forth in the above paragraphs, are possible. those skilled in the art may appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just described embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.
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027-057-931-016-762
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US
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[
"US"
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C08G75/02
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1986
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[
"C08"
] |
poly(amide-thioether) containing thermoset polymeric composition from reaction of bisoxazoline with polythiol in the presence of certain cationic catalyst
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a process for preparing thermoset polymers at an improved rate by copolymerizing a bisoxazoline with a polythiol compound in the presence of a catalytic amount of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal cationic complex of formula mx.sub.n wherein m represents lithium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium or zinc, x represents bf.sub.4, bph.sub.4, clo.sub.4, pf.sub.6, sbf.sub.6 or asf.sub.6 is described.
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1. an improved process for the preparation of thermoset polymers comprising copolymerizing a bisoxazoline having the formula ##str2## wherein r represents hydrogen, an alkyl group or hydroxy alkyl group havin from 1 to 10 carbon atoms and r' represents an alkylene group having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms or an alkarylene group having from 7 to 20 carbon atoms with a polythiol compound in the presence of a metal cationic complex having the formula mx.sub.n wherein m represents lithium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium or zinc, x represents bf.sub.4, b(phenyl).sub.4, clo.sub.4, pf.sub.6, or asf.sub.6 and n represents 1 or 2. 2. the process of claim 1 carried out at a temperature in the range of from about 100.degree. c. to about 200.degree. c. 3. the process of claim 2 wherein the metal cationic complex is present in from about 0.1 to about 5% by weight based on the other ingredients. 4. the process of claim 3 wherein the polythiol compound is one having two or more thiol groups per molecule. 5. the process of claim 4 wherein the bisoxazoline is one in which r represents hydrogen and r' represents a 1,3-phenylene group. 6. the process of claim 5 wherein the polythiol is a polyethylene glycol di(3-mercaptopropionate) thiol and the metal cationic complex is lithium fluoborate. 7. the process of claim 5 wherein the polythiol is trimethylol propane tris(3-mercaptopropionate) and the metal cationic complex is lithium fluoborate. 8. the process of claim 7 wherein the polythiol is dipentaerythritol hexa(3-mercaptopropionate) and the metal cationic complex is lithium fluoborate. 9. the process of claim 5 wherein the polythiol is a mixture of dipentaerythritol hexa(3-mercaptopropionate) and polyethylene glycol di(3-mercaptopropionate) and the metal cationic complex is lithium fluoborate.
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the present invention relates to an improved process for the preparation of thermoset polymers from bisoxazolines and polythiols by use of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal cationic complex as catalyst. the reaction of bisoxazolines with polythiols (also called polymercaptans) to give thermoplastic or thermoset polymers has been described in u.s. pat. no. 3,639,395. the reaction has been found to be quite slow requiring much higher reaction temperatures (greater than 150.degree. c.) and several minutes to hours for the reaction to go to completion. usually, the reactions reach to near completion to give infusible products within a few minutes at moderately elevated temperatures, preferably from about 100.degree. to 200.degree. c. i have discovered an improved process having much improved reaction rates for forming thermoset polymeric products by carrying out the reaction of bisoxazolines with polythiols at a temperature in the range of from about 100.degree. c. to about 200.degree. c. in the presence of from about 0.1 to about 5% by weight based on the weight of other ingredients of a catalyst of the formula mxn, wherein m represents lithium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, or zinc, x represents bf.sub.4, b(phenyl).sub.4, clo.sub.4, pf.sub.6, sbf.sub.6, or asf.sub.6 and n represents 1 or 2. the bisoxazolines useful in the present invention include those having the formula ##str1## wherein r represents hydrogen, an alkyl group or hydroxy alkyl group having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms and r' represents an alkylene group having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, an arylene group having from 6 to 12 carbon atoms or an alkarylene group having from 7 to 20 carbon atoms. the reaction of a bisoxazoline with a dithiol in the absence of any catalyst has been described in the prior art to give a thermoplastic polymer [j. poly. sci., vol. 18, 761 (1980)]. the thiols or mercaptans useful in the instant invention include compounds having two or more thiol groups per molecule such as dithiols and polythiols including alkylene dithiols, alkylene ether polythiols, glycol dimercaptoacetate, dipentaerythritol tetrathio glycolate, polyethylene glycol dimercapotoacetates, polyethylene glycol di(3-mercaptopropionates), trimethylolethane tri(3-mercaptopropionate), trimethylolethane trithioglycolate, trimethylolpropane trithioglycolate, 2,2'-dimercapto diethyl ether, and the like and others. other polythiols to be used in this invention include methanedithiol, 1,1-propanedithiol, 1,1-dimercaptoisoctane, 2,2-propanedithiol, 3,3-pentanedithiol, a,a-toluenedithiol, 1,2-ethanedithiol, trimethylene-1,3-dithiol, 1,2-propanedithiol, 1,4-tetramethylenedithiol, 2,3-butanedithiol, 1,5-pentamethylenedithiol, 2,2-dimethylpropanedithiol-1,3, 1,6-hexamethylenedithiol, 1,2-hexanedithiol, a,a-decamethylenedithiol, 1,6-dimethyloctanedithiol-3,7, 2,6-dimethyloctanedithiol-2,6, pentadecanedithiol-7,8, octadecamethylene a,a-dithiol, 1,2-cyclohexanedithiol, 1,1-bis(mercaptomethyl)cyclohexane, 3,4-thiophenedithiol, propanetrithiol-1,2,3, neopentanetetrathiol, dithiocatechol, dithioresorcinol, dithiohydroquinone, 4,5-dimethyldithioresorcinol, 2,4-dimethyldithioresorcinol, 4-ethyldithioresorcinol, 2,5-dichlorodithioresorcinol, 1,4-naphthalenedithiol, 1,5-naphthalenedithiol, 2,6-napththalenedithiol, 2,7-naphthalenedithiol, 2,2'-dimercaptobiphenyl, and 4,4'-dimercaptobiphenyl. the reaction of bisoxazolines with dithiols wherein the equivalent ratios of oxazoline groups to thiol groups range from 1:1 to a large excess of oxazoline (e.g. 10:1) without the use of the catalysts of this invention produces thermoplastic polymers soluble in organic solvents such as dimethyl formamide, n-methylpyrrolidone, etc. in my process, similar reactions in the presence of the catalyst of this invention produces infusible thermoset polymers possibly indicating the cross-linking by partial bisoxazoline homopolymerization as reported in earlier copending u.s. patent application ser. no. 765,634, filed 8/15/85. reactive additives such as polyepoxide resins may be included in the polymerization reactions of this invention. the resins produced by the process of this invention may also be filled with fillers and reinforcement fibers and other materials known to those in the art. the rapid setting thermoset compositions of this invention may be used in applications such as adhesives, coatings, reaction injection molding (rim) for structural materials such as auto parts and the like. example 1 this example is presented for comparative purposes and otherwise is outside the scope of the present invention. a bisoxazoline (of the foregoing formula wherein r is hydrogen and r' is a 1,3-phenylene group) (3.5 g) and 2 g of polyethylene glycol di(3-mercaptoproprionate) thiol (equivalent weight of about 185) were mixed in an aluminum dish and the mixture was heated at 168.degree. c. for one hour to give a viscous product which solidified upon cooling to room temperature. the product was found to be soluble in dimethyl formamide and methyl pyrrolidinone indicating it to be at best a thermoplastic material. example 2 the procedure of example 1 was followed using the reaction charge of example 1 except that a small amount of a cationic catalyst of this invention was also used. a solution of 2 g of the dithiol of example 1 containing 0.075 g of lithium fluoborate catalyst was mixed with 3.5 g of the bisoxazoline of example 1 and the reaction mixture was heated at 168.degree. c. the mixture first became a clear solution and then gelled in about one minute after heating to give an infusible thermoset polymer. the polymer was post cured for 30 minutes at 160.degree. c. and the tg by dsc (differential scanning calorimetry) was found to be 4.degree. c. and 5% weight loss in nitrogen by tga (thermogravimetric analysis) occurred at about 293.degree. c. example 3 the procedure of example 2 was followed using 3.5 g of bisoxazoline, 2.5 g of trimethylol propane tris(3-mercaptopropionate) (in place of the dimercaptan of example 2) and 0.07 g of lithium fluoborate. the resulting mixture was heated at 168.degree. c. gelation occurred within 1.2 minutes to give an infusible polymer having a tg by dsc of 55.degree. c. and 5% weight loss in nitrogen by tga occurred at 281.degree. c. example 4 this example is for comparison purposes and is outside the scope of this invention. the reaction charge of example 3 was used except that no catalyst was included. the reaction mixture was heated at 168.degree. c. for 30 minutes during which time no gelation occurred. example 6 the procedure of example 2 was followed using 3.5 g of bisoxazoline, 1.5 g of dipentaerythritol hexa(3-mercaptopropionate) in place of the dithiol and 0.05 g of lithium fluoborate catalyst. gelation occurred in the resulting mixture within two minutes at when subjected to heating at 165.degree. c. to give an infusible thermoset polymer. the polymer after post cure for 30 minutes at 160.degree. c. was found to have a tg by dsc of 36.degree. c. and a 5% weight loss in nitrogen by tga at 310.degree. c. example 7 this example is for comparative purposes and is outside the scope of the present invention. the reaction charge of example 6 was used except no catalyst was included. heating of the resulting mixture at 170.degree. c. for 20 minutes did not produce a gelled product. example 8 the procedure of example 1 was followed using 2.5 g of bisoxazoline, 1 g of liquid diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-a (epoxy equivalent weight of 185), 1 g of dipentaerythritol hexa(3-mercaptopropionate), 12 g of the dithiol of example 1 and 0.07 g of lithium fluoborate catalyst. a rapid reaction occurred when the resulting mixture was heated at 170.degree. c. to give a thermosetting polymer within one minute. the polymeric product was post cured at 160.degree. c. for 30 minutes and was then found to have a tg by dsc of 60.degree. c. and had a 5% weight loss by tga in nitrogen at 280.degree. c.
|
028-481-698-542-326
|
EP
|
[
"US",
"JP",
"WO",
"CN",
"EP"
] |
B01J29/04,B01D53/94,B01J23/58,B01J23/52,B01J23/66,B01J29/08,B01J29/18,B01J29/70,B01J35/00,B01J35/04,B01J35/08,B01J37/00,B01J37/02,B01J29/068,F01N3/08,F01N3/10,F01N3/24,F01N3/28
| 2010-10-26T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"B01",
"F01"
] |
diesel oxidation catalyst
|
the present invention relates to a catalytically active material consisting of an inner core ( 1 ) and an outer shell ( 2 ) surrounding this core, the core being formed from palladium and gold fixed together on a first support oxide, and the shell comprising platinum fixed on a second support oxide, to a diesel oxidation catalyst comprising this catalytically active material, and to an exhaust gas cleaning system comprising this diesel oxidation catalyst.
|
1 . a catalytically active material comprising an inner core ( 1 ) and an outer shell ( 2 ) surrounding this core, the core being formed from palladium and gold fixed together on a first support oxide, and the shell comprising platinum fixed on a second support oxide. 2 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the outer shell ( 2 ) comprises palladium as a further noble metal. 3 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the outer shell ( 2 ) comprises a zeolite compound with hc-storing properties. 4 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the zeolite compound is selected from the group consisting of fau, mor, zeolite beta, mfi and mixtures thereof. 5 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the zeolite compound is present in a proportion of 10 to 60% by weight, based on the total weight of the outer shell ( 2 ). 6 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second support oxide is selected from the group consisting of cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide and mixed oxides and/or mixtures thereof. 7 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the particles comprised of inner core ( 1 ) and outer shell ( 2 ) are approximately spherical and have a mean diameter of 1 to 12 μm. 8 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the proportion by volume of the inner core ( 1 ) in a spherical particle is 50 to 80%. 9 . a diesel oxidation catalyst comprising a catalytically inert support body and at least one catalytically active coating applied thereto, wherein the coating comprises the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 1 . 10 . the diesel oxidation catalyst as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the coating comprises a zeolite compound with hc-storing properties selected from the group consisting of fau, mor, zeolite beta, mfi and mixtures thereof 11 . the diesel oxidation catalyst as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the proportion of the zeolite compound in the coating is 15 to 45% by weight, based on the total weight of the coating. 12 . the diesel oxidation catalyst as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the catalytically inert support body is selected from the group of the ceramic and metallic flow honeycombs or from the group of the ceramic wall flow filter substrates. 13 . a method for reducing the level of carbon monoxide and/or hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas of a diesel engine, comprising: passing the exhaust gas over the diesel oxidation catalyst of claim 9 . 14 . an exhaust gas cleaning system for treatment of the exhaust gases of diesel engines, comprising a the diesel oxidation catalyst of claim 9 . 15 . the exhaust gas cleaning system as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising a diesel particulate filter which is connected downstream of the diesel oxidation catalyst in flow direction of the exhaust gas to be cleaned. 16 . a method of producing an exhaust gas cleaning system comprising: arranging the diesel oxidation catalyst of claim 9 in an exhaust gas contact location within an exhaust gas passageway. 17 . the method of claim 16 , further comprising positioning a diesel particle filter within the exhaust gas passageway downstream of the diesel oxidation catalyst in a flow direction of the exhaust gas to be cleaned. 18 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the outer shell ( 2 ) comprises a zeolite compound with hc-storing properties. 19 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the zeolite compound is selected from the group consisting of fau, mor, zeolite beta, mfi and mixtures thereof. 20 . the catalytically active material as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the zeolite compound is present in a proportion of 10 to 60% by weight, based on the total weight of the outer shell ( 2 ).
|
the invention relates to a catalytically active material which comprises platinum, palladium and gold as catalytically active components, and to a diesel oxidation catalyst comprising this catalytically active material. the exhaust gas of diesel engines typically comprises carbon monoxide co, hydrocarbons hc and nitrogen oxides no x , and a relatively high oxygen content of up to 15% by volume. in addition, particulate emissions are present, these consisting predominantly of solid soot residues and possibly organic agglomerates (called the “volatile organic fraction” vof or “soluble organic fraction” sof) and originating from partially incomplete fuel combustion in the cylinder. the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon pollutant gases can be rendered harmless by oxidation over a suitable oxidation catalyst. suitable units for removal of the particulate emissions are diesel particulate filters with or without a catalytically active coating. nitrogen oxides are nowadays preferably removed by selective catalytic reduction (scr) to nitrogen with ammonia released from urea solution as a reducing agent (“denoxing” of the exhaust gas), for which it is necessary to add urea solution as an auxiliary from a source independent of the engine to the exhaust gas. in order to be able to comply with the future exhaust gas limits which will apply in europe, the usa and japan, systemic combinations of these exhaust gas cleaning technologies will frequently be used. diesel oxidation catalysts for oxidative removal of carbon monoxide (co), gaseous hydrocarbons (hc) and any vof have long been known in the prior art and have been described in a wide variety of different embodiments. usually, platinum and/or palladium are used as components active in oxidation catalysis in these catalysts. whether one of the noble metals is used alone or in combination with others and the ratio in which the noble metals may be present relative to one another depends not uncommonly on the configuration of the exhaust gas system in which the catalyst is to be used, since the noble metals catalyze the different oxidation reactions possible in the system with different effectiveness. for example, platinum is of particularly good suitability for oxidation of nitrogen monoxide no present in the untreated exhaust gas to nitrogen dioxide no 2 , whereas palladium has the highest oxidation activity of all noble metals with respect to short-chain hydrocarbons (hc). a further oxidation-active noble metal is gold, which is known in the prior art, for example, to have excellent catalysis of the oxidation of carbon monoxide co to co 2 even at very low temperatures (<100° c.). gold catalysts have also already been described for oxidative aftertreatment of diesel exhaust gases. for instance, wo 2009/074308 or ep 2 070 581 a1 discloses a diesel oxidation catalyst which has, on a catalytically inert support body (for example honeycomb), a coating comprising platinum, palladium and a promoter applied to a support oxide, and also zeolite. one usable promoter is gold. ep 1 925 362, us 2008/0124514, u.s. pat. no. 7,517,826 and u.s. pat. no. 7,534,738 disclose diesel oxidation catalysts in which there is a mixture of a first and a second catalytically active material. for production of the first catalytically active material, palladium in addition to gold is supported on a lanthanum oxide-stabilized aluminum oxide. as the second catalytically active material, platinum is applied, optionally together with palladium or bismuth, to lanthanum oxide-stabilized aluminum oxide. the two catalytically active materials may be applied to an inert honeycomb as a homogeneous powder mixture in one catalytically active layer or in the form of a plurality of different coatings (for example as a zone catalyst or layer catalyst). in the case of multilayer catalysts, it is additionally possible for zeolite-containing intermediate layers and/or layers comprising palladium supported on cerium oxide to be present. wo 2009/106849 discloses diesel oxidation catalysts whose features include high conversion rates for methane and the presence of palladium and gold as active components, preferably in alloyed form. for preparation of the catalysts, palladium ex palladium nitrate and gold ex tetrachloroauric acid are applied by precipitation and calcination to aluminum oxide as the support material. the powder component thus obtained can be used to prepare a suspension for coating of conventional flow honeycombs as the catalyst substrate. wo 2008/117941 also discloses diesel oxidation catalysts which feature improved hc oxidation activity and comprise palladium alloyed with gold on aluminum oxide as the first catalytically active material, in addition to platinum alloyed with palladium on aluminum oxide as the second catalytically active material. instead of aluminum oxide, it is also possible to use other inorganic support oxides, for example silicon dioxide, aluminumsilicate, silicates, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, sic and carbon black. a diesel oxidation catalyst produced from the mixture of the catalytically active materials may further comprise oxygen-storing rare earth metal oxides. us 2008/125308a1 describes exhaust gas catalysts which comprise a platinum-containing catalyst and a palladium- and gold-containing catalyst, and which may additionally comprise zeolite as an absorbent for hydrocarbons. the two catalysts are arranged in various catalytically active zones of the exhaust gas catalyst, in such a way that the exhaust gas encounters the platinum catalyst first. this is achieved by means of customary layer or zone arrangement of the two catalysts, or by virtue of the two catalysts being supported on different monoliths. it is an object of the present invention to provide a diesel oxidation catalyst with improved co oxidation activity, which also has improved long-term stability under operating conditions even in the event of high thermal stress. the object is achieved by a catalytically active material consisting of an inner core ( 1 ) and an outer shell ( 2 ) surrounding this core, the core being formed from palladium and gold fixed together on a first support oxide, and the shell comprising platinum fixed on a second support oxide. fig. 1 shows the structure of the inventive catalytically active material composed of inner core ( 1 ) and outer shell ( 2 ). the specific structure of the catalytically active material ensures firstly an intensive interaction between palladium and gold which makes a significant contribution to improvement of the co conversion performance of the resulting catalyst. secondly, the microscopic separation of the palladium/gold-containing phase from the platinum-containing phase present in the catalytically active material prevents direct interaction between platinum and gold which, in the case of prior art catalysts having comparable compositions, after prolonged purpose-relevant utilization time, leads not uncommonly to irreversible deactivation phenomena in the platinum-containing component. the inventors believe that the form of microscopic separation of the palladium/gold-containing phase and the platinum-containing phase selected in the inventive material enables synergistic interaction of these two catalytically active phases, which results in a catalytically active material having improved co oxidation activity and excellent hc conversion activity with simultaneously excellent thermal ageing stability. the noble metals palladium and gold present in the core of the inventive catalytically active material are preferably in the form of alloyed metal clusters. the weight ratio of palladium to gold in the core of the catalytically active material is preferably 0.9-1.1:1, more preferably 1:1. the outer shell ( 2 ) of the inventive catalytically active material, in one embodiment, is formed by platinum fixed on the second support oxide. in preferred embodiments, however, the outer shell ( 2 ) comprises palladium as a further noble metal. this may be present in mixed form and/or in alloyed form with the platinum likewise present therein. more preferably, at least a portion of the palladium present in the shell is in alloyed form with platinum. if both noble metals are used in the outer shell, the weight ratio of platinum to palladium is preferably between 12:1 and 1:1, more preferably in the range of 6:1 to 2:1 and most preferably 4:1. the outer shell ( 2 ) preferably surrounds the inner core ( 1 ) virtually completely and more preferably completely. if the overall inventive catalytically active material is considered, the weight ratio of the total amount of noble metals platinum:palladium:gold present in the outer shell ( 2 ) and inner core ( 1 ), in the particularly preferred embodiments, is 1:1:1. in further preferred embodiments of the inventive catalytically active material, the outer shell ( 2 ) comprises, as well as platinum, or as well as platinum and palladium, additionally a zeolite compound with hc-storing properties. the inventive catalytically active material is thus equipped with a hydrocarbon storage and retention function, the effect of which is that hydrocarbons which cannot yet be converted fully at operating temperatures below the ignition temperature for the hydrocarbon oxidation do not “break through” the resulting diesel oxidation catalyst but are retained in the inventive catalytically active material until temperatures sufficient for hc conversion are attained. the zeolite compounds are preferably selected from the group consisting of fau, mor, zeolite beta, mfi and mixtures thereof. they are present in the outer shell ( 2 ) preferably to an extent of 10 to 60% by weight, more preferably to an extent of 20 to 50% by weight and most preferably to an extent of 25 to 35% by weight, based in each case on the total weight of the outer shell ( 2 ). as the first and/or second support oxide, preference is given to using one from the group consisting of cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide and mixed oxides and/or mixtures thereof. particular preference is given to aluminum oxide, aluminum silicates and mixed aluminum-silicon oxides. the particles of the inventive catalytically active material which, as described above, are formed from inner core ( 1 ) and outer shell ( 2 ) each of different composition are approximately spherical and preferably have a mean diameter of 1 to 12 μm, more preferably of 3 to 8 μm. the proportion by volume of the core in a spherical particle, in the preferred embodiments of the inventive catalytically active material, is preferably 50 to 80%, more preferably about 60%. the inventive catalytically active material is prepared by processes known per se to those skilled in the art. examples of typical process steps which may be employed are the optionally staged coprecipitation and/or coimpregnation of the noble metals from water-soluble precursors onto support oxides, and the systematic grinding of pulverulent precursors to form defined conglomerates. in the course of production of the inventive catalytically active material, however, it should be noted that ph values within the strongly acidic range (i.e. ph <4), and likewise ph values in the strongly basic range (i.e. ph >8), should be rigorously avoided over the entire production process. preference is given to working within a ph range between ph=5 and ph=7 over the entire production process. if ph variations are necessary during the production process, preference is given to using acetic acid to lower the ph and organic bases such as tetraethylammonium hydroxide (teah) to raise the ph. the present invention also provides a diesel oxidation catalyst consisting of a catalytically inert support body and at least one catalytically active coating applied thereto, characterized in that the coating comprises an above-described catalytically active material. for production of the inventive diesel oxidation catalyst, processes known to the person skilled in the art are used to make up a coating suspension from the above-described catalytically active material, and this suspension can be applied to an inert support body by likewise known coating processes (dipping, suction and/or pumping processes). the resulting catalyst then consists of a catalytically inert support body and at least one catalytically active coating applied thereto, the latter comprising the inventive catalytically active material. the catalytically inert support body is preferably selected from the group of the ceramic and metallic flow honeycombs or from the group of the ceramic wall flow filter substrates. if the inventive catalytically active material comprises insufficient zeolite, if any, in the outer shell ( 2 ), it is also possible to add a zeolite compound with hc-storing properties to the coating, this being selected from the group consisting of fau, mor, zeolite beta, mfi and mixtures thereof. the proportion of the zeolite compound in the coating is then preferably 15 to 45% by weight, more preferably 20 to 30% by weight, based on the total weight of this coating. in the particularly preferred embodiments, however, all of the zeolitic material is present in the outer shell ( 2 ) of the catalytically active material, especially with a proportion of 15 to 45% by weight, based on the total weight of the catalytically active material. the inventive diesel oxidation catalyst is suitable for oxidative reduction of the level of carbon monoxide and/or hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas of diesel engines. for this purpose, the exhaust gas is passed over the diesel oxidation catalyst. the diesel oxidation catalyst is preferably used as part of an exhaust gas cleaning system which likewise forms part of the subject matter of the present invention. in the inventive exhaust gas cleaning system, the inventive diesel oxidation catalyst is preferably arranged close-coupled to the engine. a diesel particulate filter is preferably connected downstream of the diesel oxidation catalyst in flow direction of the exhaust gas to be cleaned. the diesel particulate filter may optionally be followed by a denoxing stage, such that effective reduction in the level of all pollutants which are present in the diesel exhaust gas and for which legal limits apply is ensured. suitable diesel particulate filters and denoxing stages, such as no x stores and scr catalysts, have been described in the literature and are known to those skilled in the art. the inventive diesel oxidation catalyst especially features very high co conversion rates and an exceptionally high thermal aging stability, and thus has important properties indispensible for application in modern exhaust gas cleaning systems for fulfillment, for example, of the legal emissions regulations known as “euro 5” and “euro 6”. in addition, the inventive catalyst exhibits cost advantages over the catalysts otherwise customary, these generally comprising a much higher proportion of the most expensive noble metal platinum overall. working example step 1: production of the “core material”: for production material forming the core of the inventive catalytically active material, aluminum oxide is suspended in water. while stirring, tetrachloroauric acid and palladium nitrate solution are added to the suspension. after an adsorption time of about one hour, the solids present in the suspension are separated from the liquid phase by filtration and washed with demineralized water until no significant amounts of chloride ions are detectable any longer in the wash water. for removal of any adsorbed chloride ions, the solids are subsequently washed once again with dilute aqueous ammonia solution. then the solids are dried at about 120° c. over a period of 4 hours with subsequent calcination at 400° c. for a period of 3 hours. the powder thus obtained forms the “core material” for the inventive catalytically active material to be produced in the last stage. step 2: production of the “shell material”: for production of the “shell material”, aluminum oxide is impregnated to fill the pores first with palladium nitrate solution and then with platinum nitrate solution. the total amount of noble metal to be applied is 2% by mass, based on the total amount of the pd/pt-containing aluminum oxide powder. the free-flowing powder thus produced is subsequently dried at 120° c. for a period of 4 hours and then calcined at 400° c. for a period of 3 hours. step 3: production of the inventive catalytically active material: for production of the inventive catalytically active material, the “core material” produced in step 1 is suspended in water and optionally ground until a mean particle size of 4-8 μm with a very narrow particle size distribution has been attained. in a second vessel, the “shell material” produced in step 2 is likewise suspended in water and optionally ground until a mean particle size of 1-2 μm with a very narrow particle size distribution has been attained. optionally, a suitable zeolite compound for storage of the hydrocarbons present in the exhaust gas is added to the suspension thus obtained, this likewise having a very fine particle size distribution and having optionally been ground correspondingly in a separate preparation step. the two suspensions obtained above are combined and subjected to controlled spray drying. during the spray drying operation, the finely divided particles of the “shell material” form a shell around the coarser particles of the “core material”. step 4: production of the inventive catalyst: for production of an inventive catalyst, the catalytically active material obtained in step 3 is resuspended in water and applied to a conventional ceramic or metallic flow honeycomb by a customary dipping, suction or pumping process known to those skilled in the art. the amount of the coating suspension and the number of coating steps in the process should be selected such that the honeycomb, after drying at 120° c. and calcination at 400° c. over a period of 3 hours, has an amount of coating of 130 to 150 grams of solids per liter of component volume.
|
031-984-477-755-97X
|
JP
|
[
"US",
"JP",
"EP"
] |
H03K5/159,H04B3/14,H04L27/01,H04L25/02
| 2005-02-10T00:00:00 |
2005
|
[
"H03",
"H04"
] |
adaptive equalizer circuit
|
an adaptive equalizer circuit equipped by a control unit for controlling an equalizer circuit, comprising a detection unit for detecting an identity of a preset data pattern with a data pattern as a result of data judgment for an output of the equalizer circuit, a monitor unit for sequentially monitoring an input to a gain amplifier for each of a plurality of filters constituting the equalizer circuit and an output thereof every time the identity detection unit detects an identity, and a unit for making the control unit operate an adaptive equalization control by providing the control unit with the monitoring result, thereby making it possible to track a great change in a characteristic of transmission line without using a matrix responding to the characteristic of the transmission line or a convolution operation by using the matrix.
|
1 . an adaptive equalization circuit equipped by an adaptive equalization control unit for controlling an equalizer circuit which equalizes an equalization object signal, comprising: an identity detection unit for detecting an identity of a preset data pattern with a data pattern as a result of data judgment for an output of the equalizer circuit; a monitor unit for sequentially monitoring an output of the equalizer circuit and inputs to a plurality of gain amplifiers for respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit, every time the identity detection unit detects the aforementioned identity of data patterns; and an operation control unit for making the adaptive equalization control unit operate an adaptive equalization control by providing the adaptive equalization control unit with the result of monitoring, i.e., the output of the equalizer circuit, the inputs to the plurality of gain amplifiers, performed by the monitor unit. 2 . the adaptive equalization circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said preset data pattern and a length thereof are variable. 3 . the adaptive equalization circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said equalization object signal is a data receiving signal transmitted by a data transmitter and said adaptive equalization circuit carries out an adaptive equalization for the data receiving signal. 4 . the adaptive equalization circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said adaptive equalization control unit is comprised by a logic circuit and said monitor unit comprises an analog/digital converter. 5 . the adaptive equalization circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of monitor result hold units for temporarily holding respective results of monitoring by said monitor unit, wherein said operation control unit comprises a switch unit for giving data held by all of the plurality of monitor result hold units to said adaptive equalization control unit. 6 . an adaptive equalization circuit equipped by an adaptive equalization control unit for controlling an equalizer circuit which equalizes an equalization object signal, comprising: a plurality of storage units for storing input values for a plurality of gain amplifiers for respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit vis-a-vis a preset data pattern; an identity detection unit for detecting an identity of the preset data pattern with a data pattern as a result of data judgment for an output of the equalizer circuit; an operation control unit for making the adaptive equalization control unit operate an adaptive equalization control by using a storage content of the plurality of storage units by providing the adaptive equalization control unit with a predicted amplitude for control in response to the identity detection unit detecting an identity of data pattern. 7 . the adaptive equalization circuit according to claim 6 , wherein said preset data pattern and a length thereof are variable. 8 . the adaptive equalization circuit according to claim 6 , wherein said equalization object signal is a data receiving signal transmitted by a data transmitter and said adaptive equalization circuit carries out an adaptive equalization for the data receiving signal. 9 . the adaptive equalization circuit according to claim 6 , wherein said adaptive equalization control unit is comprised by a logic circuit, and said plurality of storage units stores digital values of inputs to gain amplifiers for said respective filters. 10 . an adaptive equalization circuit equipped by an adaptive equalization control unit for controlling an equalizer circuit which equalizes an equalization object signal, comprising: a monitor unit for directly monitoring inputs to a plurality of gain amplifiers for respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit to provide the adaptive equalization control unit with a result of monitoring.
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cross-reference to related applications this application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior japanese patent application no. 2005-035171 filed on feb. 10, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to an equalization method for a signal such as communication data, in particular to an adaptive equalization method for a data receiver circuit engaged in a data exchange between boards or chassis mounted with lsi for example and to an adaptive equalizer circuit for reducing a distortion of received data influenced by a transmission distortion, or a disturbance, occurring in a transmission path. 2. description of the related art when transmitting and receiving data by way of a transmission line with a large loss, an equalizer circuit is generally used at a receiving end in order to compensate for the loss. fig. 1 describes a concept of adaptive equalization. as shown by fig. 1 , when an eye pattern in an output signal coming out of transmission line transforms with a temperature change in the transmission line for example, an equalizer circuit comprised at the receiving end performs an adaptive equalization for securing a data amplitude of the received signal, thereby making it possible to secure a sufficient data amplitude for enabling a data judgment circuit to judge the data. when exchanging data by way of a transmission line with a large loss, such as a low cost transmission line, the adaptive equalization for carrying out an adjustment of data amplitude according to the characteristic of the transmission line is an indispensable technique. fig. 2 shows a configuration of an analog derivative equalizer as a representative example of equalizer circuit. this equalizer circuit comprises a one time derivative element (s) and a two times derivative element (s 2 ) in order to emphasize a change in input signals. in the adaptive equalization, it is necessary to secure a sufficient magnitude of data amplitude as an input to the data judgment circuit by adjusting the coefficients a 0 , a 1 and a 2 of respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit. in other words, the adaptive equalization is a technique to secure a receiver signal amplitude so as to satisfy a bit error rate required at a receiving end by adjusting the coefficients of the respective filters. in fig. 2 , a control for accomplishing an adaptive equalization will be such that there is no correlation between an input amplitude fi (i=0, 1, 2) and an amplitude error e, where an output of equalizer circuit 101 being comprised between a transmission line 100 and data judgment circuit 102 , that is, a data amplitude of an input to the data judgment circuit 102 is y, an expected amplitude after an equalization is d, and an amplitude error is then e=d−y. fig. 3 shows an impulse response in the analog derivative equalizer shown by fig. 2 . an input to the equalizer circuit 101 , that is, an output from the transmission line 100 has a mild rise and a large inter-signal interference (isi) component. comparably, an output of the equalizer circuit 101 has a steep rise with the change in signal being emphasized and also a smaller isi. fig. 4 shows a block diagram of conventional example configuration of adaptive equalization method. in fig. 4 , a transmitted data from a transmission circuit 105 by way of a transmission line 100 is received by a receiver circuit 106 . the inside of the receiver circuit 106 comprises an equalizer circuit 101 which is equivalent to the analog derivative equalizer shown by fig. 2 , a data judgment circuit 102 , a de-multiplexer (1 to n) & buffer 107 for providing one input (of n bits) to an adaptive equalizer control circuit 110 while receiving an output of the data judgment circuit 102 and an ad converter 108 for ad-converting the output of the equalizer circuit 101 , that is, the input to the data judgment circuit 102 . and the adaptive equalizer circuit control 110 is configured for carrying out a convolution operation by using the outputs of a matrix 111 , which is the matrix reflecting a characteristic of each filter constituting the transmission line 100 and that of equalizer circuit 101 , and de-multiplexer & buffer 107 ; predicting the signal amplitudes f 0 , f 1 and f 2 at the input to a gain amplifier for each filter which is an internal node of the equalizer circuit 101 ; computing the coefficients a 0 , a 1 and a 2 of the respective filters of the equalizer circuit 101 by using the aforementioned result of prediction and amplitude error e; and having each coefficient adjusted. the inside of the adaptive equalizer control circuit 110 comprises a convolution operation unit 112 ; a selector 113 for selecting one bit of n-bit output from the de-multiplexer & buffer 107 ; an amplifier 114 ; a subtracter 115 for calculating an amplitude error “e” which is expressed as e=d−y, where a predicted amplitude “d” as the output of the amplifier 114 , and the input data amplitude “y” to the data judgment circuit 102 as the output of the ad converter 108 ; three multipliers for operating each filter coefficient included in the equalizer circuit 101 by using the above described amplitude error “e”, signal amplitudes f 0 , f 1 and f 2 ; three of step size parameters ssp as a variable for determining a convergence time constant of adaptive equalization loop; and three integrators. note that, in fig. 4 , a calculation of amplitude error e needs to know where a data relating to the output of the ad converter 108 is located in the output of the de-multiplexer & buffer 107 . the buffer of the de-multiplexer & buffer 107 is for locating the data. the locating on the side of receiver circuit 106 is not necessarily required, but the assumption here is done thereby just for convenience. since the locating is done by a known technique and therefore a detailed description thereof is omitted herein. furthermore in fig. 4 , another assumption is that the adaptive equalizer control circuit 110 is constituted by a logic circuit, for which the ad converter 108 is equipped on the side of the receiver circuit 106 . fig. 5a , fig. 5b and fig. 5c shows a result of simulation indicating an arithmetic logical operation (simply “operation” hereinafter, unless otherwise noted) of adaptive equalization loop, where the predicted amplitude d of the input data to the data judgment circuit 102 is set at ±0.1vpp. despite that the temperature at the transmission line varies from minus 20 to plus 85 degrees celsius, one can understand from fig. 5a , fig. 5b and fig. 5c that the average of input data amplitudes is approximately ±0.1vpp, equal to the predicted amplitude, hence securing an adequate data amplitude. understanding also is that the coefficients a 0 , a 1 and a 2 of the respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit respectively converges around 5000 ns as shown by the uppermost charts and that the square average of the amplitude error has become smaller as shown in the middle. such an adaptive equalization method using the analog derivative equalizer is seen in the following reference document in which figs. 8 . 29 are applicable to the conventional configuration shown by fig. 4 herein. [non-patent document 1] jan w. m. bergmans: digital base band transmission and recording, 8.5, kluwer academic publishers (1996) the conventional configuration shown by fig. 4 , however, has been faced with the problem that there is a limitation in a range of tracking the characteristic changes due to temperature and/or secular changes of a transmission line because the content of the matrix, as the matrix reflecting the characteristics of transmission line and respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit, is fixed. particularly, if a characteristic of transmission line changes greatly, a use of given matrix will no longer be able to find appropriate values of the coefficients a 0 , a 1 and a 2 of the respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit. such has been a problem. in such events, the conventional configuration requires a change in the matrix, that is, needs to prepare specific matrices in response to temperature and/or secular changes of the transmission line, and uses a suitable matrix for each range of temperature for example. a preparation of such a plurality of matrices and a grasp of tracking ranges for the characteristic of the transmission line for each matrix demand a series of works in need of vast amount of man-hours, hence becoming a large obstacle in an actual operation of an equalizer circuit. such has been the problem. summary of the invention the challenge of the present invention is to provide an adaptive equalizer circuit capable of tracking even if a great change in a characteristic of transmission line occurs, through directly monitoring an inputted amplitude into a gain amplifier, which has been predicted by a convolution operation (n.b.: “operation” (or “operate”) means an arithmetic logical operation herein, unless otherwise noted), for each filter constituting an equalizer circuit, without using a matrix reflecting the characteristic of the transmission line or a convolution operation based on the matrix. according to the present invention, an adaptive equalizer circuit equipped by a control unit for controlling an equalizer circuit comprises a detection unit for detecting an identity of a preset data pattern with a data pattern as a result of data judgment for an output of the equalizer circuit; a monitor unit for sequentially monitoring an input to a gain amplifier for each of a plurality of filters constituting the equalizer circuit and an output thereof, every time the identity detection unit detects an identity; and a unit for making the control unit operate an adaptive equalization control by providing the control unit with a monitoring result. the present invention makes it possible to secure an adequate data amplitude enabling a data judgment if a characteristic of transmission line changes greatly, thereby providing an adaptive equalizer as a high performance equalizer. an execution of control operation for adaptive equalization every time an identity with a preset data pattern is detected makes it possible to reduce a circuit size. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 describes a concept of adaptive equalization; fig. 2 shows a configuration of analog derivative equalizer; fig. 3 shows an impulse response in an analog derivative equalizer; fig. 4 shows a block diagram of conventional example configuration of adaptive equalization method; fig. 5a shows a result of simulation indicating an operation of adaptive equalization at minus 20 degrees celsius; fig. 5b shows a result of simulation indicating an operation of adaptive equalization at 25 degrees celsius; fig. 5c shows a result of simulation indicating an operation of adaptive equalization at 85 degrees celsius; fig. 6 is the fundamental comprisal block diagram of adaptive equalization circuit according to the present invention; fig. 7 describes a backplane transmission in which an adaptive equalization method of the present invention is used; fig. 8 is a comprisal block diagram of a first embodiment of adaptive equalization method according to the present invention; fig. 9 is a comprisal block diagram of a second embodiment of adaptive equalization method; fig. 10 is an example comprisal of ad converter control circuit shown by fig. 9 ; fig. 11 shows an operating time chart down to the point of equalizer circuit coefficient change operation in the second embodiment; and fig. 12 is a comprisal block diagram of a third embodiment of adaptive equalization method. description of the preferred embodiments fig. 6 is the fundamental comprisal block diagram of an adaptive equalization circuit according to the present invention. fig. 6 is the fundamental comprisal block diagram of the adaptive equalization circuit, comprising an adaptive equalization control unit 2 for adaptively controlling an equalizer circuit 1 which equalizes a signal as an object of equalization (“equalization object signal” hereinafter). the adaptive equalization circuit comprises at least an identity detection unit 3 , a monitor unit 4 and an operation control unit 5 . the identity detection unit 3 is disposed for detecting an identity of a preset data pattern with a data pattern as a result of data judgment for an output of the equalizer circuit, the monitor unit 4 is disposed for directly and sequentially monitoring an output of the equalizer circuit 1 and the inputs to a plurality of gain amplifiers for respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit 1 , every time the identity detection unit 3 detects the aforementioned identity of the data pattern; and an operation control unit 5 is disposed for making the control unit operate an adaptive equalization control by providing adaptive equalization control unit 2 with a monitoring result at the time of the monitor unit 4 monitoring an output of the equalizer circuit 1 and inputs to the plurality of gain amplifiers. in the present embodiment, the above described preset data pattern and the length thereof can be changed; an equalization object signal is a data receiving signal transmitted from the data transmitter; the adaptive equalization circuit is capable of carrying out an adaptive equalization for the aforementioned data receiving signal; the adaptive equalization control unit 2 is comprised by a logic circuit; and the monitor unit 4 may comprise an ad (analog/digital) converter. furthermore, in the present embodiment, the adaptive equalization circuit may further comprise a plurality of monitor result hold units for temporarily holding the respective monitor results obtained by the monitor unit 4 , and the operation control unit 5 may comprise a switch unit for providing the adaptive equalization control unit 2 with the held data at the time of all the plurality of monitor result hold units holding the respective data. next, an adaptive equalization circuit according to the present invention comprises a plurality of storage units for storing respective input values to a plurality of gain amplifiers for respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit 1 vis-a-vis a preset data pattern, an identity detection unit for detecting an identity of the preset data pattern with a data pattern as a result of data judgment for an output of the equalizer circuit 1 , and an operation control unit for making the adaptive equalization control unit 2 start an operation of adaptive equalization control by using a storage content of the plurality of storage units by providing a predicted amplitude for the control at the time of the identity detection unit detecting the aforementioned identity of data pattern. in the adaptive equalization circuit of the present embodiment, the above described preset data pattern and the length thereof can be changed; an equalization object signal is a data receiving signal transmitted from the data transmitter; the adaptive equalization circuit is capable of carrying out an adaptive equalization for the aforementioned data receiving signal; the adaptive equalization control unit is comprised by a logic circuit; and the plurality of storage units is capable of storing respective input digital values for the above described gain amplifiers. furthermore, the adaptive equalization circuit according to the present invention, being the one comprising an adaptive equalization control unit for adaptively controlling an equalizer circuit which equalizes an equalization object signal, comprises a monitor unit for directly monitoring inputs to a plurality of gain amplifiers for respective filters constituting an equalizer circuit to provide the adaptive equalization control unit. as described so far, an operation of adaptive equalization is carried out either by directly monitoring inputs to a plurality of gain amplifiers for respective filters constituting an equalizer circuit or by using a storage content of input to a gain amplifier vis-a-vis a preset data pattern, without using a matrix in response to the characteristics of a transmission line or filters constituting the equalizer circuit, or a convolution operation unit which predicts an input to again amplifier for each filter based on the matrix, according to the present invention. in the description of the present invention herein, while an adaptive equalization method for use in a data receiver circuit is chosen as a representative application field, a backplane transmission is one of such data transmission methods. fig. 7 describes such a backplane transmission in which an adaptive equalization is required. in fig. 7 , data is transmitted and received among boards 8 a, 8 b and 8 c mounted with lsi for example. in such a backplane transmission, since a distortion occurs in a received data due to a transmission distortion or disturbance added to a transmitted data, resulting in being unable to reproduce an “eye” in the received data at the receiving end, it is therefore necessary to equalize so as to receive easily by reducing the distortion through an adaptive equalization. in such a backplane transmission, a cable length as transmission line is about one meter on the outside and the frequency is less than 10 ghz in most cases, but if the cable length becomes longer or the frequency increases to 10s (tens) of ghz, an equalization just by changing the above described matrices will become impossible, thus requiring a use of an adaptive equalization circuit as described in the following. fig. 8 describes an adaptive equalization method of a first embodiment according to the present invention. as with the conventional configuration shown by fig. 4 , a transmitted data transmitted from a transmission circuit 10 by way of a transmission line 11 is received by a receiver circuit 12 . an adaptive equalization control circuit 13 for adaptively controlling an equalizer circuit 15 with in the receiver circuit controls the filter coefficients a 0 , a 1 and a 2 of respective filters within the equalizer circuit 15 adaptively. in the inside of receiver circuit 12 , a data judgment unit 16 , given an output of the equalizer circuit 15 , judges a ±1 of data so as to give the judgment result to the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 by way of a de-multiplexer & buffer 17 . and input values for respective nodes within the equalizer circuit 15 , that is, for the input terminals of gain amplifiers for respective filters are given to the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 by way of three ad converters 18 , 19 and 20 . so will be the output of the equalizer circuit 15 given thereto by way of an ad converter 21 . on the side of the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 , a selector 25 first selects one bit from among n bits of the output from the de-multiplexer & buffer 17 to give it to a subtracter 27 by way of an amplifier 26 as a predicted amplitude d. the subtracter 27 also receives an output data amplitude y out of the ad converter 21 so as to calculate the difference between d and y and gives it to three multipliers as the amplitude error e. meanwhile, the three multiplexers also receive outputs from three ad converters 18 , 19 and 20 , respectively. these three outputs correspond to the three outputs of the convolution operation unit 112 according to the conventional configuration shown by fig. 4 . as described for fig. 4 , the convolution operation unit 112 is configured to predict input values of gain amplifiers for respective filters as the internal nodes of the equalizer circuit 101 through a convolution operation by using the outputs of the matrix 111 and de-multiplexer & buffer 107 , thereby outputting the f 0 , f 1 and f 2 from the convolution operation unit 112 as the predicted values. whereas, the present first embodiment is basically characterized as directly monitoring input values for the gain amplifiers for the respective filters as signals in the internal nodes of the equalizer circuit 15 by using the three ad converters 18 , 19 and 20 to provide the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 with the f 0 , f 1 and f 2 , without using a matrix or a convolution operation unit. note here that the three ad converters 18 , 19 and 20 correspond to a monitor unit noted in claim 10 of the present invention. the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 averages the correlation result between the input values f 0 , f 1 and f 2 for the gain amplifiers of respective filters within the equalizer circuit and amplitude error e by an integration to output the coefficients a 0 , a 1 and a 2 of respective filters within the equalizer circuit 15 . in the first embodiment, the configuration is in strict accordance with the principle of adaptive equalization by using the four ad converters, hence requiring a plurality thereof in the inside of the receiver circuit 12 and being faced with a problem in terms of circuit size. besides, there are three filters here, i.e., zeroth, first and second orders, constituting the equalizer circuit. however, there may be filters of more than second order being required depending on a characteristic of transmission line transmitting an equalization object signal, further requiring more ad converters. the characteristic of transmission line 11 is expressed for instance by a bode plot on which an attenuation tends to be small in lower frequencies while it tends to become large with frequency. if an inclination of attenuation in high frequency region is about a −40 db/dec, a filter may be corresponding to s 2 as shown by fig. 8 , that is, two times of differentiation, but if the inclination becomes about −60 db/dec, then a filter corresponding to s 3 , that is, three times the differentiation, will be required, further requiring more corresponding ad converters. note here that the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 is basically comprised by a logic circuit according to the present embodiment and therefore the ad converters are used for carrying out a digital processing, but the ad converter will not be required if the adaptive equalization control is done by using an analog signal. fig. 9 describes a second embodiment of adaptive equalization method. in the second embodiment, the fundamental characteristic is to reduce the number of ad converters from four used in the first embodiment to one by interleaving (i.e., serial operation). that is, only one ad converter 31 is equipped within the receiver circuit 12 , with a selector 30 being comprised for receiving input values for the gain amplifiers of the respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit 15 and output therefrom at the front stage of the ad converter 31 . the inside of the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 comprises a hold circuit 33 for temporarily holding outputs of the ad converter 31 ; a switch 34 for giving the held data to three multiplier circuits and a subtracter 27 as the f 0 , f 1 , f 2 and output y of the equalizer circuit 15 as in the case of fig. 8 ; and an ad converter control circuit 35 for controlling switching the selector 30 , a data input to the hold circuit 33 and an operation of the switch 34 . incidentally, a predicted amplitude d to be given to the subtracter 27 is assumed to be known as a value corresponding to a later described set pattern so as to give a value as described for fig. 5a , fig. 5b and fig. 5c for example, that is, a digital value corresponding to a ±0.1v. in the second embodiment, the configuration is such that a result of judging an output of the equalizer circuit 15 by the data judgment unit 16 is compared with a preset data pattern, e.g., “0001”; the selector 30 is switched at the time of the preset data pattern being detected within the n-bit output from the de-multiplexer & buffer 17 as a judgment result, the output result of the selector 30 is converted to a digital data by the ad converter 31 ; and the values f 0 , f 1 , f 2 and y will be held in the aforementioned order from the top by the hold circuit 33 . here, the description is about setting a data pattern such as “0001”. it is possible to consider an influence of past events as the characteristic of the transmission line 11 , that is, how much the influence of data transmitted in the past still remains as a measure of characteristic. in other words, it is beneficial to look at some bits of past data to see whether an influence of the past data still remains or not. in the data pattern “0001”, a “0” corresponds to minus 1, and, if there is an influence of minus 1 remaining, a value corresponding to the last “1” will become very small. in order to make the value larger, a large equalization operation will be required. conversely, if the aforementioned value is close to “1”, then only a small equalization operation is required. this is the reason why the “0001” is selected for an example data pattern. as described above, the hold circuit 33 holds the digital data corresponding to f 0 , f 1 , f 2 and y every time a preset data pattern is detected, and the switch 34 gives these data to three multipliers and the subtracter 27 , respectively, when these data are all stored, thereby carrying out a control operation of adaptive equalization, that is, the operations of coefficients a 0 , a 1 and a 2 of the respective filters within the equalizer circuit 15 in the present second embodiment. fig. 10 is an example comprisal of the ad converter control circuit 35 shown by fig. 9 ; and fig. 11 shows an operating time chart down to the point of starting operation for adaptive equalization control in the second embodiment. in fig. 10 , n-bit data demux_dt outputted from the de-multiplexer & buffer 17 is compared with a preset data pattern, e.g., “0001”, by the comparator 40 and a count number in a counter 41 is counted up and the output of the comparator 40 is outputted as a det signal if an identity is detected. the output of the comparator 40 is given to a comparator 42 as an enable signal, the comparator 42 compares a 2-bit sel signal, as the output of the counter 41 , with “3” and, if both are identical, outputs “1” as the comparison result to an ff 43 , and then the output thereof is given to the switch 34 as a calculation enable signal. among these signals, the sel signal outputted from the counter 41 becomes a selection control signal for the selector 30 ; the sel signal is given to the hold circuit 33 as hold enable signal when a signal corresponding to the logical product of the det signal outputted from the comparator 40 and the sel signal outputted from the counter 41 , that is, a det signal is “1”; and as the value of sel signal increases the output from the ad converter 31 will be held by the hold circuit 33 from the upper part thereof toward the lower part in an orderly fashion. note here that, in claim 1 of the present invention, an identity detection unit corresponds to the comparator 40 ; a monitor unit corresponds to the selector 30 and ad converter 31 ; an operation control unit corresponds to the comparator 42 , ff 43 and switch 34 ; while in claim 5 , a plurality of monitor result hold units correspond to the hold circuit 33 . in the time chart shown by fig. 11 , a 32-bit data, demux_dt [n−1: 0] (n=32) as the output from the de-multiplexer & buffer 17 is expressed by 4-bit blocks of data in the hexadecimal notation. in the 32-bit data, it is determined hardware-wise and fixed as to where the ad converter 31 monitors. the comparator 40 is configured to compare the past 4-bit, including the one at the time of analog signal sampling, with the preset data pattern, e.g., “0001”. here, an “8” in the hexadecimal notation is a “1000” in the binary notation, and when looking at the “1000” backwards, it looks like an order of “0001”. accordingly, at the time of detecting a pattern corresponding to “8” in the hexadecimal notation among the inputted 32-bit de-multiplex data, the comparator 40 will output the det signal as a comparison result. at this point in time, the output of the counter 41 is incremented, the value of sel signal is incremented every time an “8” exists in a de-multiplex data and at the same time the output of the ad converter 31 is held by the hold circuit 33 . here, the output of the ad converter 31 is 6-bit, but it may of course be 8-bit for instance. when first detecting an “8” in a de-multiplex data, the value of the sel signal becomes “1”, prompting the hold circuit 33 to hold the output of the ad converter 31 , i.e., “02” here, at the upper most part, that is, at a part corresponding to f 0 . when detecting an “8” next time in a de-multiplex data, the value of the sel signal becomes “2”, making the hold circuit 33 hold “05”, as the output of the ad converter 31 , at the second part from the top thereof, i.e., at a part corresponding to f 1 . furthermore, when detecting an “8” existing in a de-multiplex data, the value of the sel signal becomes “3”, making the hold circuit 33 hold “09” outputted from the ad converter 31 at the third part from the top, that is, at a part corresponding to f 2 . when detecting the next “8” in a de-multiplex data, the counter 41 overflows, clearing the outputted sel signal to “0”. at this point in time, the hold circuit 33 holds the output of the ad converter 31 , “0d” at the lowest part, that is at a part corresponding to y, and at this point in time the ff (flip flop) 43 takes in “1” as the output from the comparator 42 at a clock rise edge which is identical with a fall edge of the det, with the value being given to the switch 34 as a calculation enable signal and the data which has been held by the hold circuit 33 being outputted for an equalizer circuit coefficient change operation by way of the switch 34 . as described above, the second embodiment is capable of reducing the number of ad converters and making the circuit size more compact by the ad converter monitoring sequentially at the time of detecting the preset data pattern. fig. 12 is a comprisal block diagram of a third embodiment of adaptive equalization method. the third embodiment has a coefficient change operation carried out for the equalizer circuit at the time of detecting a preset data pattern, e.g., “0001”, in an output from the de-multiplexer & buffer 17 , as with the second embodiment. whereas, the third embodiment concentrates on simplifying a circuit, staying with the same circuit comprisal as the above described conventional comprisal shown by fig. 4 for the receiver circuit 12 , and modifying an adaptive equalization control circuit in order to accomplish an adaptive equalization control in need of no matrix or convolute operation unit. to that end, the third embodiment furnishes with three registers 45 , 46 and 47 for providing the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 with a signal value of internal nodes of the equalizer circuit 15 , that is, input values to the gain amplifiers for the respective filters; a comparator 48 for comparing between a preset data pattern within the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 , e.g., “0001”, and an output of the de-multiplexer & buffer 17 ; and a selector 49 for outputting a result of the subtracter 27 subtracting an output y of the equalizer circuit 15 , which is outputted from the ad converter 21 , from the predicted amplitude d as an amplitude error e when the value of the det signal outputted from the comparator 48 is “1” and for outputting “0” as the amplitude error e when the value of the det signal is “0”. here, the values of f 0 , f 1 and f 2 stored in the registers 45 , 46 and 47 , respectively, are amplitude values inputted to the gain amplifiers for the respective filters as signal values of internal nodes within the equalizer circuit 15 vis-a-vis the preset data pattern, e.g., “0001”, and these values are in the outside of renewal loop of the respective filter coefficients a 0 , a 1 and a 2 carried out by the adaptive equalization control circuit 13 , and therefore are possible to calculate easily by a simulation for instance. it is possible to operate an equalizer circuit coefficient change by storing values calculated by a simulation in advance in the three registers 45 , 46 and 47 as the values f 0 , f 1 and f 2 , respectively. also, it is possible to give a digital value corresponding to a ±0.1v for instance for a value of predicted amplitude d, as with the case of the second embodiment. note here that a plurality of storage units correspond to the registers 45 , 46 and 47 , an identity detection unit corresponds to the comparator 48 and an operation control unit corresponds to the selector 49 , all in claim 6 herein. the third embodiment is configured to carry out a coefficient change operation of equalizer circuit when detecting a preset data pattern, e.g., “0001”, once in an output of de-multiplexer & buffer 17 . contrarily in the second embodiment shown by fig. 9 , an equalizer circuit coefficient change operation is carried out after detecting the preset pattern four times. that is, in the second embodiment shown by fig. 9 , the number of operations for an equalizer circuit coefficient change is less than the case of the third embodiment shown by fig. 12 , leading to a reduction of power consumption on one hand, but a convergence of adaptive equalization loop being delayed, an operation of adaptive equalization undone and making the time of holding a state of equalizer circuit longer, on the other hand. such a convergence of adaptive equalization loop naturally changes with a length of preset data pattern and its content. for instance, setting the length of data pattern as 2 bits and its content as “01”, for example, makes the probability of such a data pattern existing in an output of de-multiplexer & buffer 17 high, hence the convergence of adaptive equalization loop becoming fast. while a longer data pattern is expected to improve an equalization characteristic per se, a longer period for a convergence will probably result. in this context, a length of 4 bits is deemed to be appropriate. note that another simulation is necessary to change the data of f 0 through f 2 to be stored by the registers 45 through 47 if changing a data pattern for the third embodiment shown by fig. 12 . in the third embodiment shown by fig. 12 , the comprisal of the receiver circuit 12 is the same as the conventional comprisal shown by fig. 4 , requiring no matrix or convolution operation unit which engages a heavy load of processing for an adaptive equalization control circuit, while making it possible to reuse an adaptive equalization circuit of conventional comprisal relatively easily just going through a modification thereof by furnishing with the comparator 48 and selector 49 in place of the selector 113 and amplifier 114 . in this context, the third embodiment is practically very important. such advantage is gained by fixing a data pattern. as described as above, the present invention makes it possible to secure an adequate performance of adaptive equalization, that is, an appropriate data amplitude as the output of an equalizer circuit for a data judgment, compared to the conventional technique using a matrix and a convolution operation even if the characteristic of a transmission line changes greatly, by directly monitoring input amplitudes of the gain amplifiers for the respective filters constituting the equalizer circuit. also it makes it possible to reuse an adaptive equalization circuit of the conventional comprisal, with a reduced circuit size, by changing configuration to carry out a coefficient change operation for the equalizer circuit only when detecting an identity with a preset data pattern, thereby modifying a part of the conventional adaptive equalization circuit.
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032-189-383-298-265
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US
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[
"US"
] |
A61B8/12,A61B5/00,A61B5/06,A61B7/00,A61B8/00,A61B8/06,A61B8/08,A61B90/11,G16H20/40,G06Q50/00,A61B5/0402,A61B5/1459,A61B17/00,A61B34/20,A61B90/00
| 2005-05-06T00:00:00 |
2005
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[
"A61",
"G16",
"G06"
] |
apparatus and method for vascular access
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in an aspect, embodiments of the invention relate to the effective and accurate placement of intravascular devices such as central venous catheters, in particular such as peripherally inserted central catheters or picc. one aspect of the present invention relates to vascular access. it describes devices and methods for imaging guided vascular access and more effective sterile packaging and handling of such devices. a second aspect of the present invention relates to the guidance, positioning and placement confirmation of intravascular devices without the help of x-ray imaging. a third aspect of the present invention relates to devices and methods for the skin securement of intravascular devices and post-placement verification of location of such devices. a forth aspect of the present invention relates to improvement of the workflow required for the placement of intravascular devices.
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1 . an auscultation system comprising: one or more sound sensitive elements; a sound processor in communication with the one or more sound sensitive elements; and an information output device in communication with the sound processor. 2 . the system of claim 1 wherein the sound processor is configured such that a plurality of auscultation devices can be synchronized to provide acoustic triangulation for accurate detection of an endovascular sound source. 3 . a guiding method for endovascular devices comprising the steps of: positioning one or more sound sensitive elements on a patient's chest; inserting a sound emitting endovascular device into the patient's vasculature; emitting sounds from the endovascular device; and detecting the sounds from the emitting step with the sound sensitive elements. 4 . the method of claim 3 wherein the emitting step is performed continuously, intermittently or on demand. 5 . the method of claim 3 wherein the sound intensity measured in the detecting step is used to estimate the distance between the sound emitting endovascular device and the one or more sound sensitive elements. 6 . the method of claim 3 further comprising: triangulating the sounds from the detecting step to locate the sound emitting endovascular device with respect to the one or more sound sensitive elements. 7 . a method to locate an endovascular device comprising an ultrasound sensor using one or more transcutaneous ultrasound systems, comprising the steps of: introducing an endovascular member containing an ultrasound sensor into the vasculature of a body; sending and receiving ultrasound waves in the vasculature using the ultrasound sensor; placing one or more transcutaneous ultrasound systems on the patient's body; detecting the interference between the endovascular ultrasound device and the transcutaneous ultrasound systems using either the endovascular sensor or with any of the transcutaneous systems; and notifying the user when interference has been detected such the user becomes aware of the presence of the endovascular device in the field of view of the transcutaneous systems. 8 . the method of claim 7 wherein the endovascular device is configured to emit ultrasound signals. 9 . the method of claim 7 wherein the endovascular device is configured to receive ultrasound signals. 10 . the method of claim 7 wherein the transcutaneous ultrasound system is configured to emit ultrasound signals. 11 . the method of claim 7 wherein the transcutaneous ultrasound system is configured to receive ultrasound signals. 12 . the method of claim 7 wherein the transcutaneous ultrasound system is configured as an ultrasound imaging scan head connecting to an ultrasound imaging system. 13 . the method of claim 7 wherein the information in the detecting step from several transcutaneous ultrasound systems is used for triangulating and/or locating the endovascular ultrasound sensor. 14 . the method of claim 7 wherein the endovascular ultrasound device is connected to the one or more transcutaneous system such as to allow synchronization of transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves in the same region of the body.
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cross-reference to related applications this application is a continuation application of u.s. application ser. no. 15/092,588, filed apr. 6, 2016, which is a divisional application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/147,413, filed jun. 26, 2008, which claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent app. no. 60/937,280, filed on jun. 26, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. this application is also a continuation-in-part of u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/431,140, filed may 8, 2006, and now u.s. pat. no. 9,204,819, issued dec. 8, 2015; u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/431,118, filed may 8, 2006, and now u.s. pat. no. 9,198,600, issued dec. 1, 2015; u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/431,093 filed may 8, 2006, and now u.s. patent app. publication no. 2007-0016069; and u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/430,511, filed may 8, 2006, and now u.s. pat. no. 8,409,103, issued apr. 2, 2013, all of which claim the benefit of u.s. provisional patent app. no. 60/678,209, filed may 6, 2005, and u.s. provisional patent app. no. 60/682,002, filed may 18, 2005, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. incorporation by reference all publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. field of the invention the field of the invention relates to guided cannulation of veins and arteries. the field of the invention also relates to the guidance, positioning and placement confirmation of intravascular devices without the help of x-ray imaging. the field of the invention further relates to the workflow of vascular access procedures, in particular at the bedside. background currently, preparing the patient for and performing vein and artery cannulation is time consuming, challenging in terms of locating the blood vessels and, under circumstances, ensuring the desired vessel is accessed (e.g., vein vs. artery). current guided cannulation devices are either too expensive or difficult to use. general purpose imaging systems are gaining acceptance but they are expensive and represent an increase in workflow complexity because they are not sterile. in addition, general imaging systems are limited in terms of their ability to image in near field, i.e., closed to the surface of the skin. there is a need for improved placant devices. additional challenges remain unaddressed in many areas related to endovascular devices. one challenge that remains is for devices and methods endovascular positioning within or towards the center of a vessel. another challenge that remains are devices and methods that rely on acoustic triangulation or positioning to localize and place endovascular devices. another challenge related to work flow efficiency and monitoring of the placement and confirmation of endovascular device locations. there remains a need in the endovascular field for devices, systems and methods that address these challenges. in addition rfid (radio frequency identification) tags are currently being used for a number of applications including medical, in particular for inventory management. the idea of using rfid to optimize processes has been applied for tracking documents in a workflow. summary of the invention in an aspect, embodiments of the invention relate to the effective and accurate placement of intravascular devices such as central venous catheters, in particular such as peripherally inserted central catheters or picc. one aspect of the present invention relates to vascular access. it describes devices and methods for imaging guided vascular access and more effective sterile packaging and handling of such devices. a second aspect of the present invention relates to the guidance, positioning and placement confirmation of intravascular devices without the help of x-ray imaging. a third aspect of the present invention relates to devices and methods for the skin securement of intravascular devices and post-placement verification of location of such devices. a forth aspect of the present invention relates to improvement of the workflow required for the placement of intravascular devices. some embodiments of the invention provide devices and methods to substantially reduce the amount of time required to place an intravascular device using conventional devices and methods. some embodiments of the invention provide devices and methods to substantially reduce the need for x-ray imaging related to placing such device. some embodiments of the invention provide devices and methods to increase placement reliability and accuracy and to verify device location post-placement. other aspects of the various embodiments are outlined in the detailed description that follows. an aspect of the invention includes a transcutaneous ultrasound vascular access guiding system comprising: a single element ultrasound device providing a-mode imaging, doppler and correlation-based blood velocity estimation; a processor to process and correlate ultrasound information; and a system for information output. the transcutaneous ultrasound vascular access guiding system may also comprise a lens which controls the single element ultrasound beam shape. the transcutaneous ultrasound vascular access guiding system may also comprise a lens which provides a matching layer between the ultrasound transducer and the skin. transcutaneous ultrasound vascular access guiding system comprising can be constructed as a single-use device. also, the information can be output as a scrolling chart. the doppler information can be bidirectional. the doppler acquisition can be pulsed or continuous wave (pw or cw). another aspect of the invention includes an endovascular device guide attached to the imaging device capable of guiding several types of endovascular devices comprising a needle, a stylet, a catheter, and an introducer. the device may include adaptors to match the outer diameter of the endovascular guided device to the inner diameter of the guide. the device having the ability to slide or otherwise move with respect to the imaging device as to provide single hand deployment capability of the endovascular guided device. another aspect of the invention comprises a method of accessing a blood vessel comprising the steps of: preparing sterile vascular access site on patient's skin; sliding an access needle or any other type of access device in the device guide, flush align with the tip of the imaging element, and lock in position; positioning the assembly on the patient's skin on the sterile site without the use of ultrasound gel; orienting the assembly like a flashlight until the desired vessel can be seen on the scrolling chart display; advancing the endovascular element into the vasculature by sliding the guide element over the imaging device; and monitoring the advancement of the endovascular device towards the desired target by using at least one element from a list including a-mode imaging, doppler flow information, and/or correlation-based blood flow information. another aspect of the invention comprises an endovascular device capable of emitting audible sounds. the sound emitting element or elements may be placed anywhere along the endovascular member. the sound generating elements may be actuated by pushing and pulling wires manually. the sound generating elements may be actuated by motorized movement of moving connective parts. the sound generating elements may be actuated by delivering a gas through a lumen of the endovascular device. the sound generating elements may be actuated by delivering fluid through a lumen of the endovascular device. the sound generating elements may be actuated through interaction with the blood or anatomical sites. the sound waves may be generated by rubbing together of notched or serrated components. the sound waves may be generated by hitting a stylet against a solid member in order to generate a repetitive ping. the sound waves may be generated by a moving membrane. the sound waves may be generated by a moving membrane configured to amplify sound. a device lumen is configured to amplify sound. another aspect of the invention comprises an auscultation system comprising one or more sound sensitive elements. the system includes a sound processor and an information output device. the several auscultation devices can be synchronized to provide acoustic triangulation for accurate detection of the endovascular sound source. another aspect of the invention includes a guiding method for endovascular devices comprising the steps of: 1) one or more sound sensitive elements are placed on the patient's chest; 2) the sound emitting endovascular device is inserted in the patient's vasculature; 3) the endovascular device emits sound continuously, intermittently or on demand; and 4) sound sensitive elements detect the sound generated by the endovascular device. the sound intensity can be used to estimate the distance between the sound emitting element and the sound sensitive element. the sound detected by several sound sensitive elements can be triangulate as to find the location of the sound source with respect to the sound detecting elements. another aspect of the invention includes a method to locate an endovascular device comprising an ultrasound sensor using one or several transcutaneous ultrasound systems comprising the steps of: 1) introducing an endovascular member containing an ultrasound sensor into the vasculature of a body; 2) sending and receiving ultrasound waves in the vasculature using the ultrasound sensor; 3) placing one or more transcutaneous ultrasound systems on the patient's body; detecting the interference between the endovascular ultrasound device and the transcutaneous ultrasound systems with either the endovascular sensor or with either of transcutaneous systems; notifying the user when interference has been detected such the user becomes aware of the presence of the endovascular device in the field of view of the transcutaneous systems. the endovascular device is able to emit ultrasound signals. the endovascular device is able to receive ultrasound signals. the transcutaneous ultrasound system is able to emit ultrasound signals. the transcutaneous ultrasound system is able to receive ultrasound signals transcutaneous ultrasound system. the transcutaneous ultrasound system can be an ultrasound imaging scan head connecting to an ultrasound imaging system. several transcutaneous ultrasound systems can be used to triangulate the location of the endovascular ultrasound sensor. the endovascular ultrasound device is connected to the one or more transcutaneous system such as to allow synchronization of transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves in the same region of the body. another aspect of the invention includes an endovascular device comprising means to separate its tip from the inner blood vessel wall while maintaining the blood stream flow. a distal segment of the endovascular device is flexible and made of metal or polymer, and the polymer may be reinforced to increase tensile strength. the separation from the wall is provided by a star shaped balloon. the separation from the wall is provided by a 2 piece displaced asymmetrical shaped balloon. the separation from the wall is provided by a deployable circular braid. the separation from the wall is provided by a deployable balloon. the separation from the wall is provided by strips cut in the device material and deployed using a deployment member. the separation from the wall is provided by a deployable basket. another aspect of the invention includes an endovascular device comprising means to align its tip with the blood stream while maintaining the blood stream flow. the means comprises axial alignment that is facilitated by a tether component. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a star shaped balloon. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a 2 piece displaced asymmetrical shaped balloon. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a deployable circular braid. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a deployable balloon. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by strips cut in the device material and deployed using a deployment member. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a deployable basket. another aspect of the invention includes a securement device for an endovascular member which provides electrical and optical sensor connectors and actuation elements to connect and control sensors and devices attached at the distal end of the endovascular members. another aspect of the invention includes a system for tracking clinical procedures and improve workflow efficiency comprising: a workflow processor; an input interface; an output interface; a code reader; a communication component; and a database interface. the workflow processor stores information about procedure times, device information, patient and operator information, calculates parameters of the procedure like time duration and elapsed time between activities, and provides statistical data analysis of such parameters. the information about the endovascular procedure can be input into the system through a dedicated user interface guiding data acquisition. the output interface presents results of procedure workflow analysis. the code reader can be an rfid reader, a bar code reader or a reader of any computer readable label. the communication component can communicate over the network (wired or wireless) with the hospital information system. the communication component can communicate with other systems for tracking clinical procedures and establish a network of such systems. the database interface allows the procedure and workflow information to be archived. another aspect of the invention includes a method for tracking clinical procedures and improve workflow efficiency comprising the steps of: 1) input to the time when a consult request has been received; 2) input the time when a work step is started; and 3) input the time when a work step is finished. the a work step comprises the following activities: a. gather patient data (check history, allergies, lab results, etc)b. transportation to case (cart/supplies)c. obtain patient consentd. gain vascular access, e.g., venipuncturee. place endovascular device or any other type of devicef. provide therapy through the endovascular deviceg. remove or secure the endovascular deviceh. order/wait for x-ray or other confirmatory imaging modalityi. reposition device in case x-ray does not confirm location; andj. document that endovascular device is ready for use in one aspect of the invention, there is a transcutaneous ultrasound vascular access guiding system having one or more of: an elongate body having a handle; a guide on the elongate body configured to receive a vascular access device; a single element ultrasound device on the elongate body configured to provide a-mode imaging, doppler and correlation-based blood velocity estimation; a processor to process and correlate ultrasound information from the single element ultrasound device; and a system for information output based on the output of the processor. the guiding system may also include a lens positioned to control the single element ultrasound beam shape or a lens positioned on the ultrasound device configured to provide a matching layer between the ultrasound transducer and the skin. numerous alternatives are possible such as being constructed as a single-use device or where the information output is a scrolling chart. additionally, the doppler information can be bidirectional and/or the doppler acquisition can be pulsed wave or continuous wave. additionally, the guide attached to the imaging device is configured to guide one of the endovascular device selected from the group consisting of: a needle; a stylet; a catheter; and an introducer. there may also be an adaptor to match the outer diameter of the endovascular guided device to the inner diameter of the guide. the endovascular device may also be configured to slide or move with respect to the imaging device as to provide single hand deployment capability of the endovascular guided devices described herein. in another aspect, there is a method of accessing a blood vessel comprising one or more of the steps of: preparing sterile vascular access site on patient's skin; sliding a vascular access device in the device guide, flush aligning with the tip of the imaging element, and locking in position; positioning the assembly on the patient's skin on the sterile site without the use of ultrasound gel; orienting the assembly like a flashlight until the desired vessel can be seen on the scrolling chart display; advancing the endovascular element into the vasculature by sliding the guide element over the imaging device; and monitoring the advancement of the endovascular device towards the desired target by using at least one element from a list including: a-mode imaging, doppler flow information, and correlation-based blood flow information. in another aspect, there is an endovascular device having an elongate body; an element on or in the elongate body configured to generate, emit or produce sound waves; and a device to control the generation, emission or production of sound waves from the element. the element may be placed on or in the elongate body. in one aspect, the device to control may operate by pushing and pulling wires manually. in another aspect, the device to control may be actuated by motorized movement of moving connective parts. the device to control generation of the element may be actuated by delivering a gas through a lumen on or in the elongate body. the sound generating elements may be actuated by delivering fluid through a lumen of the endovascular device. the sound generating elements may be actuated through interaction with the blood or an anatomical site. the sound waves may be generated by rubbing notched or serrated components. the sound waves may be generated by hitting a stylet against a solid member in order to generate a repetitive ping. the sound waves may be generated by a moving membrane. the sound waves may be generated by a moving membrane configured to amplify sound. there may also be a device lumen is configured to amplify sound. in another aspect, there is an auscultation system having one or more of: one or more sound sensitive elements; a sound processor in communication with the one or more sound sensitive elements; and an information output device in communication with the sound processor. in one aspect, the sound processor is configured such that a plurality of auscultation devices can be synchronized to provide acoustic triangulation for accurate detection of an endovascular sound source. in another aspect, there is a guiding method for endovascular devices performed by one or more of the steps of: positioning one or more sound sensitive elements on a patient's chest; inserting a sound emitting endovascular device into the patient's vasculature; emitting, producing or generating sound or pressure waves from the endovascular device; and detecting the sound or pressure waves from the emitting step with the sound sensitive elements. in one aspect, the emitting step is performed continuously, intermittently or on demand. in another aspect, the sound intensity measured in the detecting step is used to estimate the distance between the sound emitting endovascular device and the one or more sound sensitive elements. the method may also include the step of triangulating the sounds from the detecting step to locate the sound emitting endovascular device with respect to the one or more sound sensitive elements. in still another aspect, there is a method to locate an endovascular device comprising an ultrasound sensor using one or more transcutaneous ultrasound systems by performing the steps of: introducing an endovascular member containing an ultrasound sensor into the vasculature of a body; sending and receiving ultrasound waves in the vasculature using the ultrasound sensor; placing one or more transcutaneous ultrasound systems on the patient's body; detecting the interference between the endovascular ultrasound device and the transcutaneous ultrasound systems using either the endovascular sensor or with any of the transcutaneous systems; and notifying the user when interference has been detected such the user becomes aware of the presence of the endovascular device in the field of view of the transcutaneous systems. in one alternative, the endovascular device is configured to emit or receive ultrasound signals. in one alternative, the transcutaneous ultrasound system is configured to emit or receive ultrasound signals. in another aspect, the transcutaneous ultrasound system is configured as an ultrasound imaging scan head connecting to an ultrasound imaging system. the information in the detecting step from several transcutaneous ultrasound systems is used for triangulating and/or locating the endovascular ultrasound sensor. in another alternative, the endovascular ultrasound device is connected to the one or more transcutaneous system such as to allow synchronization of transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves in the same region of the body. in another alternative embodiment, there is an endovascular device with an elongate body sized for insertion into the vasculature; a sensor on the distal end of the elongate body; and a structure on or in the elongate body to move its tip from an inner blood vessel wall while maintaining the blood stream flow when the endovascular device is in a blood vessel. the elongate body may also include a distal segment that is flexible and made of metal or polymer, and the polymer may be reinforced to increase tensile strength. the structure is a star shaped balloon on or about the elongate body; or a 2 piece displaced asymmetrical shaped balloon; or a deployable circular braid; or deployable balloon; or a deployable basket. in one aspect, the structure also includes strips cut in the elongate body material; and the strips are adapted to be deployed to move the endovascular device from a wall using a deployment member. in still another aspect, there is an endovascular device having an elongate body sized for insertion into the vasculature; a sensor on the distal end of the elongate body; and a structure configured to align the elongate body tip or the sensor with the blood stream while maintaining the blood stream flow. the structure may include axial alignment or alignment within the bloodstream facilitated by a tether component attached to the elongate body; or provided by a star shaped balloon; or provided by a 2 piece displaced asymmetrical shaped balloon; or provided by a deployable circular braid; or provided by a deployable balloon; or provided by strips cut in the elongate body material and deployed using a deployment member; or provided by a deployable basket. in another alternative embodiment, there is a securement device for an endovascular member that provides electrical and optical sensor connectors and actuation elements to connect and control sensors and devices attached at the distal end of the endovascular members. in another aspect, there is a system for tracking clinical procedures and workflow having one or more of: a workflow processor; an input interface; an output interface; a code reader; a communication component; and a database interface. the workflow processor may store information about procedure times, device information, patient and operator information, calculate parameters of the procedure like time duration and elapsed time between activities, and provide statistical data analysis of such parameters. the information about the endovascular procedure may be input into the system through a dedicated user interface guiding data acquisition. the output interface may present results of procedure workflow analysis. the code reader can be an rfid reader, a bar code reader or a reader of any computer readable label. the communication component can communicate over a wired network or a wireless network with a hospital information system. the communication component can communicate with other systems for tracking clinical procedures and establish a network of such systems. the database interface allows the procedure and workflow information to be archived. in another aspect, there is a method for tracking clinical procedures and workflow, having one or more of the steps of: entering a time when a consult request is received; entering a time when a work step is started; and entering a time when a work step is finished. the work step may include one or more of the following activities: gathering patient data; transporting to a case; obtaining patient consent; gaining vascular access; placing an endovascular device or any other type of device; providing therapy through the endovascular device; removing or securing an endovascular device; ordering or waiting for x-ray or other confirmatory imaging modality; repositioning a device based on input from an imaging modality; and documenting that an endovascular device is ready for use. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 illustrates a disposable or reusable imaging and guiding device for vascular access. fig. 2 illustrates interaction of solid components rubbing together of notched components at the catheter tip with similar notched or serrated components at the distal end of a stylet that passes through one of the catheter lumens. fig. 3 shows an embodiment in which the motion required is perpendicular to the stylet axis. fig. 4 shows an embodiment in which the motion required is parallel to the stylet axis. fig. 5 illustrated motion of the valve flap or flaps is induced by the rapid injection of a liquid or gas such as co 2 through the catheter lumen within which valve resides. fig. 6 illustrated motion of the valve flap or flaps is induced by the rapid injection of a liquid or gas such as co 2 through the catheter lumen within which valve resides. fig. 7 illustrates an embodiment, in which a convoluted lumen acts as an amplifier, thus enabling a smaller sized membrane that can be positioned in the more proximal lumen or located at the tip of an insertable catheter that can then be removed after performing the sound triangulation procedure for verification of catheter tip position. fig. 8 illustrates a simplified embodiment in which the membrane is situated at the terminal side port of a lumen. fig. 9 illustrates the basic configuration of auscultation devices and user interface. in fig. 10 an ultrasound system ( 20 ) and transducer ( 23 ) are used as an external (transcutaneous or transesophageal) energy source. fig. 11 illustrates possible ultrasound beam geometry as generated by the transducer 23 , called field of view. fig. 12 illustrated the concept of orienting the transducer a minimum distance from the vessel wall as seen in. figs. 13a and 13b illustrate the concept of aligning the transducer at an angle from the flow axis as shown in. fig. 14 shows a transition section made of a relatively much more flexible material than what the proximal or distal sections are made of. fig. 15 shows a concept similar to the transition tube, except that the transition tube essentially becomes the entire distal section of the catheter shaft. fig. 16 depicts another concept of axial alignment in that instead of the distal section being tubing, it is made mostly out of a solid flexible material, such as a polymer. fig. 17 shows another concept of axial alignment facilitated by a tether component. figs. 18a and 18b shows a preferred embodiment of two power-injectable lumens each with one side port for fluid delivery adjacent to the closed distal tip. fig. 19 is a side view of a shaft surface-mounted balloon embodiment. fig. 20 illustrates a profiled balloon is mounted to the catheter shaft surface. fig. 21 shows an alternate embodiment of a catheter shaft surface-mounted balloon embodiment with 2 radially asymmetric balloons placed on the catheter shaft. figs. 22a, 22b and 22c depict embodiments in which a balloon is mounted onto a catheter shaft such that less than 180 deg, measured circumferentially with respect to the catheter shaft, is covered by the balloon material. fig. 23 shows an embodiment of the catheter-based flow-directed vascular access device in which a flow-directable component. fig. 24 shows proximally-actuated and shaft surface-mounted embodiment in which the catheter shaft itself is split such that movement of the distal tip in a proximal direction will cause the shaft to splay outward thereby creating a flow-directable component. fig. 25 shows yet another proximally-actuated and shaft surface-mounted embodiment in which an umbrella-like component acts as the flow-directable member. fig. 26 illustrates that the flow-directable member can be made up of self-expanding struts covered by a sail material. fig. 27 shows another perspective view of another embodiment of a distally-housed flow-directed device that uses an axially-compressed braid as a flow-directable member. fig. 28 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a distally-housed flow-directed device that uses a balloon as a flow-directable member. fig. 29 illustrates a transducer tether embodiment. fig. 30a illustrated a sensor may still be positioned against the wall even when the balloon is inflated and when the balloon is mounted too far proximal on the catheter shaft with respect to the sensor location. fig. 30b illustrates one of the ways in which a balloon embodiment can address this issue is by being mounted as far distal, with respect to the sensor, as possible. fig. 31 shows a shaft surface-mounted balloon embodiment, building on the idea described in figs. 30a and 30b . fig. 32 illustrates a profiled balloon when a flow restriction becomes an issue and prevent the sensor from acquiring a signal. fig. 33 illustrated another balloon embodiment may include a balloon mounted entirely on the distal catheter tip, completely covering the sensor. figs. 34a and 34b show a catheter-based vascular access device in which the proximal section is made of a relatively stiffer material when compared to the distal section to facilitate the columnar strength required during distal steering actuation. figs. 35a and 35b show an embodiment of a sensor-directed vascular access device in which a mostly circular pre-formed stylet is advanced through a catheter lumen to create a passive mechanism by which transducer position is maintained so that data can be acquired. figs. 36a and 36b show another embodiment utilizing a pre-formed stylet to shape the catheter shaft itself without exiting a side port. fig. 37 shows an embodiment of an over-the-wire guidewire-based device in which the sensor(s) is also mounted on the guidewire. fig. 38a shows an embodiment of an over-the-wire guidewire-based device in which the sensor(s) is mounted on the catheter. fig. 38b shows an example of a possible cross-sectional configuration of the distal catheter shaft (right-side of figure) vs. the very distal catheter tip (left side of figure). fig. 39 shows an embodiment of a rapid exchange guidewire-based device in which the sensor(s) is again mounted on the guidewire. fig. 40 shows an embodiment of a rapid exchange guidewire-based device, as previously described, in which the sensor(s) is again mounted on the catheter. fig. 41 shows another embodiment of fig. 40 in which one of the distal fluid lumen ports could have a section that is split in a longitudinal fashion as opposed to being completely open. fig. 42 shows an embodiment of a sensor-directed guide-wire based device advanced to the target site via active manipulation of the guidewire during advancement by the user. fig. 43 shows an embodiment of a securement device that attaches to the proximal catheter shaft thereby minimizing catheter tip migration from the target site. figs. 44a and 44b show top and end views, respectively, of an alternative embodiment of a securement device. fig. 45 shows an example of workflow tracking on a vasonova handheld gui. fig. 46 illustrates a vasonova handheld gui has a menu feature that indicates which workflow interval is being tracked and the operator can modify or change the present task by using the ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons on the data entry device. fig. 47 illustrates a gui that will display the tasks and with the present task highlighted as illustrated in. fig. 48 shows the players in a medical workflow. detailed description an aspect of the invention includes a transcutaneous ultrasound vascular access guiding system comprising: a single element ultrasound device providing a-mode imaging, doppler and correlation-based blood velocity estimation; a processor to process and correlate ultrasound information; and a system for information output. the transcutaneous ultrasound vascular access guiding system may also comprise a lens which controls the single element ultrasound beam shape. the transcutaneous ultrasound vascular access guiding system may also comprise a lens which provides a matching layer between the ultrasound transducer and the skin. transcutaneous ultrasound vascular access guiding system comprising can be constructed as a single-use device. also, the information can be output as a scrolling chart. the doppler information can be bidirectional. the doppler acquisition can be pulsed or continuous wave (pw or cw). another aspect of the invention includes an endovascular device guide attached to the imaging device capable of guiding several types of endovascular devices comprising a needle, a stylet, a catheter, and an introducer. the device may include adaptors to match the outer diameter of the endovascular guided device to the inner diameter of the guide. the device having the ability to slide or otherwise move with respect to the imaging device as to provide single hand deployment capability of the endovascular guided device. another aspect of the invention comprises a method of accessing a blood vessel comprising the steps of: preparing sterile vascular access site on patient's skin; sliding an access needle or any other type of access device in the device guide, flush align with the tip of the imaging element, and lock in position; positioning the assembly on the patient's skin on the sterile site without the use of ultrasound gel; orienting the assembly like a flashlight until the desired vessel can be seen on the scrolling chart display; advancing the endovascular element into the vasculature by sliding the guide element over the imaging device; and monitoring the advancement of the endovascular device towards the desired target by using at least one element from a list including a-mode imaging, doppler flow information, and/or correlation-based blood flow information. another aspect of the invention comprises an endovascular device capable of emitting audible sounds. the sound emitting element or elements may be placed anywhere along the endovascular member. the sound generating elements may be actuated by pushing and pulling wires manually. the sound generating elements may be actuated by motorized movement of moving connective parts. the sound generating elements may be actuated by delivering a gas through a lumen of the endovascular device. the sound generating elements may be actuated by delivering fluid through a lumen of the endovascular device. the sound generating elements may be actuated through interaction with the blood or anatomical sites. the sound waves may be generated by rubbing together of notched or serrated components. the sound waves may be generated by hitting a stylet against a solid member in order to generate a repetitive ping. the sound waves may be generated by a moving membrane. the sound waves may be generated by a moving membrane configured to amplify sound. a device lumen is configured to amplify sound. another aspect of the invention comprises an auscultation system comprising one or more sound sensitive elements. the system includes a sound processor and an information output device. the several auscultation devices can be synchronized to provide acoustic triangulation for accurate detection of the endovascular sound source. another aspect of the invention includes a guiding method for endovascular devices comprising the steps of: 1) one or more sound sensitive elements are placed on the patient's chest; 2) the sound emitting endovascular device is inserted in the patient's vasculature; 3) the endovascular device emits sound continuously, intermittently or on demand; and 4) sound sensitive elements detect the sound generated by the endovascular device. the sound intensity can be used to estimate the distance between the sound emitting element and the sound sensitive element. the sound detected by several sound sensitive elements can be triangulate as to find the location of the sound source with respect to the sound detecting elements. another aspect of the invention includes a method to locate an endovascular device comprising an ultrasound sensor using one or several transcutaneous ultrasound systems comprising the steps of: 1) introducing an endovascular member containing an ultrasound sensor into the vasculature of a body; 2) sending and receiving ultrasound waves in the vasculature using the ultrasound sensor; 3) placing one or more transcutaneous ultrasound systems on the patient's body; detecting the interference between the endovascular ultrasound device and the transcutaneous ultrasound systems with either the endovascular sensor or with either of transcutaneous systems; notifying the user when interference has been detected such the user becomes aware of the presence of the endovascular device in the field of view of the transcutaneous systems. the endovascular device is able to emit ultrasound signals. the endovascular device is able to receive ultrasound signals. the transcutaneous ultrasound system is able to emit ultrasound signals. the transcutaneous ultrasound system is able to receive ultrasound signals transcutaneous ultrasound system. the transcutaneous ultrasound system can be an ultrasound imaging scan head connecting to an ultrasound imaging system. several transcutaneous ultrasound systems can be used to triangulate the location of the endovascular ultrasound sensor. the endovascular ultrasound device is connected to the one or more transcutaneous system such as to allow synchronization of transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves in the same region of the body. another aspect of the invention includes an endovascular device comprising means to separate its tip from the inner blood vessel wall while maintaining the blood stream flow. a distal segment of the endovascular device is flexible and made of metal or polymer, and the polymer may be reinforced to increase tensile strength. the separation from the wall is provided by a star shaped balloon. the separation from the wall is provided by a 2 piece displaced asymmetrical shaped balloon. the separation from the wall is provided by a deployable circular braid. the separation from the wall is provided by a deployable balloon. the separation from the wall is provided by strips cut in the device material and deployed using a deployment member. the separation from the wall is provided by a deployable basket. another aspect of the invention includes an endovascular device comprising means to align its tip with the blood stream while maintaining the blood stream flow. the means comprises axial alignment that is facilitated by a tether component. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a star shaped balloon. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a 2 piece displaced asymmetrical shaped balloon. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a deployable circular braid. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a deployable balloon. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by strips cut in the device material and deployed using a deployment member. the alignment with the blood stream is provided by a deployable basket. another aspect of the invention includes a securement device for an endovascular member which provides electrical and optical sensor connectors and actuation elements to connect and control sensors and devices attached at the distal end of the endovascular members. another aspect of the invention includes a system for tracking clinical procedures and improve workflow efficiency comprising: a workflow processor; an input interface; an output interface; a code reader; a communication component; and a database interface. the workflow processor stores information about procedure times, device information, patient and operator information, calculates parameters of the procedure like time duration and elapsed time between activities, and provides statistical data analysis of such parameters. the information about the endovascular procedure can be input into the system through a dedicated user interface guiding data acquisition. the output interface presents results of procedure workflow analysis. the code reader can be an rfid reader, a bar code reader or a reader of any computer readable label. the communication component can communicate over the network (wired or wireless) with the hospital information system. the communication component can communicate with other systems for tracking clinical procedures and establish a network of such systems. the database interface allows the procedure and workflow information to be archived. another aspect of the invention includes a method for tracking clinical procedures and improve workflow efficiency comprising the steps of: 1) input to the time when a consult request has been received; 2) input the time when a work step is started; and 3) input the time when a work step is finished. the a work step comprises the following activities: a. gather patient data (check history, allergies, lab results, etc)b. transportation to case (cart/supplies)c. obtain patient consentd. gain vascular access, e.g., venipuncturee. place endovascular device or any other type of devicef. provide therapy through the endovascular deviceg. remove or secure the endovascular deviceh. order/wait for x-ray or other confirmatory imaging modalityi. reposition device in case x-ray does not confirm location; andj. document that endovascular device is ready for use 1.0 system for guided and sterile vascular access aspects of the following embodiments may share some or all of the following characteristics such as disposable imaging device, an imaging device with a needle guide and the ability to cannulate a vessel in a single disposable sterile bag or container. free-hand a-mode imaging the free-hand a-mode imaging preferably includes a disposable, inexpensive, accurate vascular placement device that reduces access time as compared to conventional vascular placement devices and methods. the free-hand a-mode imaging preferably enables a procedure for bedside central line placement. the patient's arm and axilla/shoulder are prepped in the usual sterile fashion. a ribbon of latex or other type tourniquet is used on the upper arm to help distend the veins. fig. 1 illustrates a disposable or reusable imaging and guiding device for vascular access. the device in fig. 1 includes an elongate body 13 , guide 11 , a needle 1 , an introducer 2 , a dilator 3 , an access wire 4 , a catheter 5 , a handle 7 and an ultrasound transducer 502 . in particular, fig. 1 illustrates an a-mode device that has a pencil or other shaped handheld device with the ultrasound device (i.e., disposable ultrasound transducer 502 ) at a distal tip, which may be perpendicular or at a 30, 45, 60 or other degree angle relative to an axis of the handheld device. a needle 1 /guide 11 or catheter 5 /needle 1 combination may also be configured as part of the device such that a beam 12 of the ultrasound transducer 502 crosses a set needle path as it pierces skin 9 and traverses subcutaneous tissues. this arrangement allows an operator to visualize the needle 1 as it punctures a blood vessel 6 of interest. the device presented in fig. 1 may be delivered in a sterile package and is disposable. once a most superficial wall of a vein has been punctured a flash of blood is visualized at a hub end of the catheter 5 /needle 1 . the access wire 4 is then advanced through the needle 1 and the catheter 5 (if present) is then advanced over the access wire 4 into the blood vessel 6 . the guiding device, needle 1 /access wire 4 (as in an angiocath combination) is then removed, leaving in place only the catheter 5 . the catheter 5 is of sufficient size to allow passage of a larger access wire 4 , 0.035″ or larger for example, to enable placement of a peel-away sheath and dilator 3 . the dilator 3 and access wire 4 are then removed and the picc is inserted through the peel-away sheath. alternatively, access wire 4 is advanced into the blood vessel 6 through the needle 1 and no angiocath is utilized. the guiding device and needle 1 are then removed and the peel-away sheath and dilator 3 are advanced over the access wire 4 . once the sheath is all the way in the dilator 3 and access wire 4 are removed and the picc is inserted through the peel-away sheath. the guiding device connects to a vasonova handheld with gui by a cord or with wireless connectivity. the guiding device may be disposable or sterilizable/reusable. the catheter 5 /needle 1 /access wire 4 component is disposable and may be integrated with the ultrasound device if the catheter 5 /needle 1 /access wire 4 is disposable. the catheter 5 /needle 1 /access wire 4 may be inserted or attached to a reusable ultrasound device. the primary ultrasound modality is a-mode for visualizing the tissues on gray-scale with real time analysis; however the modality can also be switched manually or automatically to doppler mode within the blood vessel lumen to confirm venous flow versus arterial flow based on velocity of blood flow and pulsatility pattern. a handheld component of ultrasound-guided blood vessel access system may be ergonomically designed in order to optimize user positioning and angle of contact with the patient's skin. this may involve placing the ultrasound device in an enclosure that resembles a computer mouse, a pencil-shaped device, short stubby cylindrical device or other shaped handheld that can also incorporate the needle 1 /access wire 4 introduction system as described above. the device may provide for the ability to swivel the ultrasound and needle guiding components to optimize position relative to the portion that is held in place by the operator and the blood vessel to be punctured. the ultrasound-guided blood vessel access system is not exclusively intended for use in placing piccs. the ultrasound-guided blood vessel access system may also be used for blood vessel puncture in general when the blood vessel of interest is not visible or easily palpable to the operator's satisfaction and ultrasound confirmation and guidance is desired for puncturing the blood vessel. as such the ultrasound-guided blood vessel access system may be used for accessing veins, such as peripheral veins such as the cephalic, basilica, median cubital, brachial, antecubital, or other veins of the arm, the long and short saphenous or other superficial veins in the legs, or for accessing more centrally located veins such as axillary, subclavian, internal or external jugular veins, or common femoral veins for example. the ultrasound-guided blood vessel access system may be used to identify arteries such as the radial, ulnar, brachial, axillary, femoral, or other for puncture or simple detection of blood flow, such as with a “doppler check” as when a nurse assesses a patient's arterial blood flow in an extremity after a vascular operation during the postoperative phase. 1.1 ultrasound-guided apparatus and method for blood vessel access the apparatus as noted above, the apparatus in fig. 1 includes an elongate body 13 , guide 11 , a needle 1 , an introducer 2 , a dilator 3 , an access wire 4 , a catheter 5 , a handle 7 and an ultrasound transducer 502 . the apparatus illustrated in fig. 1 includes a single element imaging element comprising a body 13 , shaped like a pen or a flashlight. the single element imaging element consist of a handle 7 and an ultrasound transducer 502 . the ultrasound transducer 502 emits a single beam 12 and can consist of a single or multiple elements, e.g., piezoelectric crystals. the beam 12 can be focused, unprocessed, or divergent. frequency of operation should be such as to allow near field imaging and penetration to the vessels of interest for cannulation, for example 7 to 10 mhz. the apparatus contains further a detachable or fixed guide 11 which allows for sliding a needle 1 , a dilator 3 , an access wire 4 or a catheter 5 through the guide 11 into the blood vessel 6 and into the field of view of the ultrasound beam. the apparatus is further capable of providing blood flow velocity and direction information using non-directional or bi-directional cw or pw doppler or cross-correlation methods similarly to the system described in the vasonova patent applications. the ultrasound device (i.e. ultrasound transducer 502 ) is connected to an instrument for processing (i.e., processor) and displaying single beam ultrasound images in an amplitude (a-mode) display. the type of vascular access imaging may be free hand a-mode obtained with the device. the imaging may be color a-mode imaging, whereby the colors indicate bidirectional blood flow velocities obtained using doppler or cross-correlation calculations, or duplex a-mode imaging mode, where the bidirectional doppler spectral distribution (velocity distribution) is in a sample window. the handle 7 further comprises one or more buttons that allow for single finger operation of any component controlled by the handle 7 , e.g., turning the doppler mode on and off or adjusting the depth of the sample window. the guide comprises a lumen adaptor to accommodate different size devices, such as for example, a dilator, an access wire, a catheter and the like. guided cannulation method in one embodiment, a guided cannulation method includes the following steps: 1. prepare the sterile field for cannulation;2. connect the sterile apparatus to the ultrasound device;3. use the apparatus like a flashlight to look for a target vessel using a-mode imaging;4. optionally use doppler to double check if the target vessel is a vein or an artery based on flow characteristics;5. attach the needle 1 to the guide 11 and insert needle 1 until needle 1 can be seen on the a-mode image as reaching the vessel of interest. insert the access wire 4 , dilator 3 /introducer 2 and any other desired endovascular member under ultrasound visualization; and/or6. detach the apparatus from the inserted endovascular member, disconnect from the ultrasound device and dispose of the single use component. 2.0 guided endovascular access device 2.1 energy element (sensor and source) 2.1.1 acoustic triangulation sound waves are generated at the catheter tip and detected by strategically placed electronically amplified auscultation devices that are in contact with the patient's skin. the sound waves may be generated by the mechanical interaction of solid components, by transduction of vibrational energy along a stylet, by vibration of valve flaps near the catheter tip, or by pneumatic activation of a membrane that is at the interface of a gas or liquid filled catheter lumen/cavity and the patient's blood. interaction of solid components may involve rubbing together of notched components at the catheter 500 tip with similar notched element 14 or serrated components at the distal end of a stylet 12 that passes through one of the catheter lumens 10 ( fig. 2 ). fig. 2 includes a catheter 500 , a catheter lumen 10 , a stylet 12 , a notched element 14 within catheter lumen 10 , a notched member 14 , sound waves 16 , motion of stylet 12 to create sound waves 16 and notched element 14 on stylet 12 to interact with notched element 14 in catheter lumen 10 . this type of sound wave 16 generation is similar to stridulation in certain insect species that use rubbing together of exoskeletal prominences to create sound that is necessary for identifying the location of potential mates. to generate the sound, the stylet 12 must be advanced forward and backward in rapid succession. in order to accomplish the necessary motion, the end of the stylet 12 at the hub end of the catheter 500 may be attached to a motorized device that can move the stylet 12 the correct distance, which may be from less than one centimeter of displacement up to 2 centimeters and at the correct speed in order to optimize the sound that is created. another method of sound generation may involve the stylet 12 hitting 138 a solid member at the catheter 500 tip to generate a repetitive ping. this vibratory sound generation would require that the stylet 12 be actuated or maneuvered by a motorized process that is controlled at the proximal end of the stylet 12 , which is outside the patient. the stylet 12 is attached to a motorized device that will cause the stylet to move in the appropriate direction and the appropriate distance in order to optimize the sound. fig. 3 shows an embodiment in which the motion required is perpendicular to the stylet 12 axis and fig. 4 shows an embodiment in which the motion required is parallel to the stylet 12 axis. fig. 3 includes catheter 500 , catheter lumen 10 , stylet 12 , sound waves 16 , stylet tip 22 , solid members 20 , striker 24 and motion of striker 24 to create sound waves 16 . fig. 4 includes catheter 500 , catheter lumen 10 , stylet 12 , sound waves 16 , stylet tip 22 , solid member 20 , striker 24 and motion of striker 24 to create sound waves 16 . if a vibrating valve is used to produce sound, motion of a valve flap 30 or valve flaps 40 is induced by the rapid injection of a liquid or gas such as co 2 through the catheter lumen 10 within which valve resides ( figs. 5 and 6 ). fig. 5 includes catheter 500 , catheter lumen 10 , sound waves 16 , single flap valve 30 and gas/fluid flow path 32 . fig. 6 includes catheter 500 , catheter lumen 10 , sound waves 16 , valve flaps 40 and gas/fluid flow path 32 . the sound generated by the flap motion may be amplified by the shape of the more distal catheter lumen 10 and exit port distal to the flap as illustrated in fig. 7 . fig. 7 includes catheter 500 , catheter tip 46 , amplified channel or chamber 48 , gas filled lumen 42 , membrane 44 and amplified sound waves 46 from membrane 44 . if a pneumatic system is employed, the catheter lumen 10 that is in contact with the membrane 44 at the catheter 500 tip is attached at the catheter 500 hub to a gas compressor device that causes rapid pneumatic pressure fluctuation, thereby distending the membrane 44 at an optimal frequency, thereby generating a sound wave that propagates through the patient's blood and adjacent soft tissues such that it can be detected by the auscultation devices that are placed on the patient's skin. fig. 8 illustrates a simplified embodiment in which the membrane 44 is situated at the terminal side port of a lumen 10 . fig. 8 includes catheter 500 , catheter tip 46 , gas filled lumen 42 , membrane 50 , sound waves 16 and side port 52 . fig. 7 illustrates an embodiment, in which a convoluted lumen 10 acts as an amplifier, thus enabling a smaller sized membrane 44 that can be positioned in the more proximal lumen or located at the tip of an insertable catheter 500 that can then be removed after performing the sound triangulation procedure for verification of catheter tip position. the sound waves that are generated by all methods described above are optimized for best detection by the amplified auscultation devices that are placed on the patient's skin by means of an adhesive attachment. the placement of the auscultation devices may be such as to optimize sound detection and triangulation to determine the sound source. for example, auscultation detectors should be placed in areas that will permit propagation of the sound waves in a direct path through solid tissue from the source to the detector instead of areas of the skin where a direct path from the catheter tip to the detector would pass through lung tissue for example. potential ideal locations for detecting sound generated within the caval-atrial junction or lower ⅓ of the ivc along a direct path include but may not be limited to: 1) skin overlying the right internal jugular vein at the base of the neck, 2) skin overlying the right 4th intercostals space adjacent to the sternum, 3) skin overlying over the ipsilateral and/or contralateral subclavicular space (relative to the side of catheter insertion) at the junction of the medial ⅔ and lateral ⅓ of the calvicle, two fingerbreadths below the clavicle. detected sound frequencies and amplitudes are analyzed and processed by the handheld system according to specific algorithms and a the sound source is displayed on the handheld gui, with the source shown relative to the auscultation devices that are depicted as reference points on a graphical human torso. fig. 9 illustrates the basic configuration of auscultation devices and user interface. fig. 9 includes a patient 64 , auscultation devices 66 , position 1 , position 2 , position 3 , leads 68 , location of sound source 62 , display 60 , processor 70 and image 71 on gui as a result of processing. 2.1.2 interaction with transcutaneous energy source an aspect of the invention relates to using two or more focused energy transmitters and receivers in order to detect each others presence in each others field of view. the overlap region between the fields of view of the two or more energy elements is indicative of the relative location of the energy elements with respect to each other. techniques triangulation (brisken), marking with active/passive elements (breyer), synchronized imaging (frazin). aspects of the following embodiments share some or all of the following characteristics: 1. use of the effect of interference between two ultrasound energy elements on the doppler frequency shift. the doppler capable detecting elements detects the presence of the other element or of the energy emitted by the other element in its field of view by detecting artifacts in the doppler frequency shift.2. visualization of small targets without requiring synchronization between energy elements.3. use of an endovascular element to detect the presence of the field of view of the imaging device.4. the ability of an endovascular doppler sensor to detect doppler frequency shifts as a result of interference with another ultrasound energy source working at a different frequency and unsynchronized.5. methods to determine position of an energy element in the anatomy without x-ray imaging, without expensive automatic triangulation and with the accuracy of the region of overlap between the fields of view of the two energy elements. these and other aspects of the various embodiments of the invention will be appreciated in the description that follows. fig. 10 includes an external ultrasound system 20 , transducer 23 , wire 21 , endovascular ultrasound system 25 , endovascular probe 24 , external connection 26 and patient 22 . in fig. 10 an ultrasound system ( 74 ) and transducer ( 23 ) are used as an external (transcutaneous or transesophageal) energy source. the system ( 20 ) may be doppler capable. an endovascular probe ( 24 , catheter, wire, stylet) has an ultrasound sensor attached to it and is connected to a doppler capable ultrasound system ( 25 ). the external and the endovascular doppler systems may be synchronized via an external connection ( 26 ). the system ( 20 ) may be one like the bard siterite (www.bardaccess.com) or the sonosite ilook (www.sonosite.com) system working at frequencies between 4 and 8 mhz. the doppler endovascular probe ( 24 ) may work at 10 mhz and be similar to those described in the vasonova patent applications. fig. 11 illustrates possible ultrasound beam geometry as generated by the transducer 23 , called field of view. fig. 11 includes transducer 23 , sensor 27 and axis 28 . fig. 11 also illustrates the ultrasound beam geometry (field of view) generated by the ultrasound sensor of the endovascular probe. when the field of view of the endovascular ultrasound sensors overlaps with the field of view of the transducer ( 23 ) energy interference patterns can be detected by both systems. the interference patterns may be created either a) by direct transfer of energy from one ultrasound sensor to another in the field of view or b) through perturbations in the medium created by one sensor which are detected by the other sensor. for example, the transducer ( 23 ) can generate waves in the blood within the vessel where the endovascular probe resides and the endovascular doppler sensor detects the effect of such waves on blood. the interference, i.e. the transfer of acoustic energy may occur at the central or harmonic frequencies as well as at any other resulting interference frequency which is within the bandwidth of the individual ultrasound sensors. interference patterns are detected by the system ( 20 ) through the sensor ( 23 ). additionally or alternatively the interference patterns may be detected by the endovascular ultrasound doppler system. in one embodiment an ultrasound imaging system like siterite or sonosite is used to image the heart towards the caval-atrial junction. an intravascular device (catheter, wire, and stylet) with a doppler-capable sensor is inserted through the vasculature and guided towards the heart. the endovascular sensor is connected to a doppler system which produces signals in accordance with the doppler frequency shift detected by the sensor. when the endovascular sensor navigates through a vessel, e.g., the svc and the caval-atrial junction, which is in the field of view of the imaging transducer, the energy emitted by the imaging transducer interferes with the energy emitted by the endovascular probe and the doppler system connected to the endovascular probe generates signal patterns representative of the interference. based on these patterns, a user observing the doppler signals generated by the endovascular probe can infer that the endovascular sensor is situated in the field of view of the imaging probe looking towards the caval-atrial junction. thus the position of the sensor in the caval-atrial junction is confirmed without having to visualize the catheter in the ultrasound image and without the need of a chest x-ray. in a further embodiment a duplex ultrasound imaging system like the aspen model from acuson siemans, inc. (mountain view, calif.) is operated in a duplex mode: simultaneous imaging and pulsed wave (pw) doppler or continuous wave (cw) doppler. the 2d imaging window can show the blood vessel where the endovascular probe is located and the doppler window shows the doppler velocity information. in pw mode the sample window is shown over the 2d image. when the endovascular sensor is in the field of view of the cw or in the sample window of the pw mode, a doppler artifact showing velocity patterns representative of the interference between the two energy elements is shown in the doppler window. thus the position of the endovascular sensor is detected. in a further embodiment a transcutaneous cw or pw pencil probe is used to monitor blood flow in a peripheral blood vessel, e.g., the internal jugular vein. a doppler-capable endovascular probe is advanced through the internal jugular vein. when the endovascular and the transcutaneous probes are within the field of view of the other, each detects doppler velocity artifacts representative of the interference patterns. a similar technique applies in the case of multiple endovascular probes. in a further embodiment the two or more energy elements can be synchronized, such that one emits at a certain delay with respect to the other, e.g., in the receive window of the other. this allows for calculating the distance between probes by knowing the transmit delay and assuming a certain velocity in the anatomy. thus depth and distance separation/resolution can be achieved. the two energy elements can communicate with each further using coded excitation. if one of the elements generates a certain code pattern, the other one receiving it can identify the presence and location of the transmitting element. in a further embodiment several locating energy elements can be used to calculate the location of a target energy element by using triangulation. in such a situation the multiple locating elements serve also as reference or as a coordinate system. alternatively only one locating energy element can be used to locate a target energy element by triangulation if the locating element is moved from place to place in a controlled manner; such that each time the target is located the position is calculated and stored. after a number of such computations taken with the same locating element at different times and from different locations, the position of the target can be reconstructed. in such a case the reference/coordinate system is determined by anatomical landmarks relative to which both the single locating element and the target can be positioned. 2.2 transducer placement concepts there exist at least two important concepts with respect to optimizing data acquisition from the transducer: radial distance from the inside vessel wall, and axial alignment with respect to blood flow. each factor influences the quantity and quality of data acquired by the ultrasound transducer. 2.2.1 radial distance fluid flowing through the inner diameter of a lumen has different characteristics with respect to flow velocities nearer to the vessel wall than farther towards the center of the lumen: the flow may be more turbulent and slower at the periphery. to take advantage of this known difference thereby avoiding undesirable data acquisition, is the concept of orienting the transducer a minimum distance from the vessel wall as seen in fig. 12 . fig. 12 includes catheter shaft 500 , ultrasound transducer 502 , transducer beam 504 and vessel wall 510 . the minimum distance, x, may be determined empirically, or it may be determined by traditional fluid dynamics calculations. this distance may be expressed as a percentage of the lumen diameter, or it may be an absolute number irrespective of lumen dimension. this application describes several concepts of achieving this radial distance in the following device embodiments. 2.2.2 axial alignment fluid flowing through the inner diameter of a lumen has a ‘preferred’ axis of flow that mostly follows the shape of the vessel axis it is flowing within. this preferred axis may be described as that which facilitates the largest magnitude velocity flow vector. therefore, different characteristics with respect to flow velocities may be found as alignment shifts in an angular sense from the central vector. to take advantage of this known difference thereby avoiding undesirable data acquisition, is the concept of aligning the transducer at an angle from the flow axis as shown in figs. 13a and 13b . figs. 13a and 13b include vessel wall 510 , transducer 502 , transducer beam 504 , catheter shaft 500 , transducer axis 506 and fluid flow axis 508 . the axial offset angle may be expressed as an angular value, α, and this may again be empirically determined or be expressed by traditional fluid dynamics calculations. the angle may be expressed as a percentage of vessel curvature, or it may be an absolute irrespective of vessel configuration. several general concepts of achieving this axial alignment can be applied to the embodiments described in this application. these embodiments allow for a more flexible portion of the device just proximal to the transducer, and relative to the remaining portion of the catheter, that can be manipulated by the flow in the vessel. because these sections are able to be biased by fluid flow, the transducer is more likely to find a position in the position of maximum flow. fig. 14 shows a transition section 522 made of a relatively much more flexible material 528 than what the proximal 520 or distal 524 sections are made of. fig. 14 includes catheter shaft 500 comprising a proximal section 520 , transition section 522 , distal section 524 , flexible material 528 and ultrasonic transducer 502 . however to prevent likely kinking of a softer material is the concept of sandwiching a stiffening member to provide maximum kink-resistance yet impact flexibility as little as possible. this may be accomplished with a coil or braid or other axially-involved members. the stiffening material may be metallic or polymeric in nature. fig. 15 shows a concept similar to the transition tube, except that the transition section essentially becomes the entire distal section 524 of the catheter shaft 500 . fig. 15 includes catheter shaft 500 comprising a proximal section 520 , distal section 524 , flexible material 528 and ultrasonic transducer 502 . again, this could be reinforced with a coil or braid of a metal or a polymer. fig. 16 depicts another concept of axial alignment in that instead of the distal section 524 being tubing, it is made mostly out of a solid flexible material, such as a polymer. fig. 16 includes catheter shaft 500 comprising a proximal section 520 , distal section 524 , flexible material 528 and ultrasonic transducer 502 . fig. 17 shows another concept of axial alignment facilitated by a tether component. the tether is again very flexible in nature and affixed tightly to the distal end of the proximal shaft. fig. 17 includes catheter shaft 500 comprising a proximal section 520 , tether 526 and ultrasonic transducer 502 . the tether can be made of metal or polymer, and the polymer may be reinforced to increase tensile strength. 2.3 catheter type embodiments of the inventive device include three basic forms: catheter-based, stylet-based & guidewire-based. some embodiments of the vascular access device may be considered catheter-based, utilizing no removable components. other embodiments are stylet-based, utilizing a removable component designed to work within the catheter. other embodiments are guidewire-based, utilizing a removable component designed to work without the catheter. combinations of the three basic forms are also possible. fluid delivery can be achieved through the catheter shaft in any of the configurations described here within in a number of ways. in a preferred embodiment, the catheter has a closed distal end, is power-injectable and has distal side ports for fluid delivery. these side port(s) can be located along the catheter shaft to comply with pressure and flow rate requirements as well as to provide for optimal access location. each lumen can have one or more ports and each catheter can have one or more lumens. figs. 18a and 18b show preferred embodiments of two power-injectable lumens each with one side port for fluid delivery adjacent to the closed distal tip. in another preferred embodiment, the power-injectable catheter has fluid ports that exit straight out the distal catheter tip. fig. 18a includes catheter shaft 500 , ultrasonic transducer 502 , braid 538 , fluid 530 , ecg 534 and actuation tube 532 . fig. 18b includes a distal section 524 , ultrasonic transducer 502 , braid 538 , fluid 530 , ecg 534 and actuation tube 532 . 2.3.1 catheter-based catheter-based devices are “all-in-one” type devices in which no component is completely removable. these remain entirely intact during catheter advancement, drug delivery and subsequent implant dwell time. embodiments of the catheter-based inventive device include three basic forms: flow-directed, sensor-directed (passive) and sensor-directed (active). some embodiments of the catheter-based vascular access device have catheter tips directed mostly by fluid flow within the vasculature. other embodiments are passively directed by the sensor(s) during catheter advancement through the vasculature. other embodiments require active manipulation of the catheter tip to acquire and or optimize the data collected by the sensor(s). 2.3.1.1.1 flow-directed in the flow-directed embodiments of the catheter-based vascular access device, placement of the device is ‘automatic’ in that minimal user interaction is required to position the catheter at the target site. the catheter is positioned ‘automatically’ by utilizing the blood flowing adjacent to and around it. the sensor(s) are therefore used to verify catheter tip placement at the desired target site as opposed to providing information during advancement to facilitate the advancement itself. 2.3.1.1.1 shaft surface-mounted, balloon embodiments in these embodiments, blood flow is utilized by way of a flow-directable member mounted onto the catheter shaft surface that takes the form of a balloon. the balloon is inflated from a proximally-located port by techniques well-known to those skilled in the art of balloon catheters. fig. 19 is a side view of a shaft surface-mounted balloon embodiment. fig. 19 includes vessel wall 510 , catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 and balloon 540 . the balloon 540 material, either compliant or non-compliant, is mounted onto the catheter shaft 500 , and the transducer 502 is left at the distal tip. in one embodiment, the balloon 540 is considered symmetrical in both the axial and radial directions. balloon embodiments may impede blood flow around the transducer causing a signal substandard to that which could otherwise be obtained were more blood allowed to flow around and adjacent to the transducer. in another embodiment, a profiled balloon 540 is mounted to the catheter shaft 500 surface, as shown in the side and end views of fig. 20 . fig. 20 includes vessel wall 510 , catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 and balloon 540 . it is believed that the profiled shape facilitates blood flow near the transducer 502 . fig. 21 shows an alternate embodiment of a catheter shaft 500 surface-mounted balloon embodiment with 2 radially asymmetric balloons placed on the catheter shaft 500 . fig. 21 includes catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 and proximal balloon 540 and distal balloon 542 . from a radial perspective, the flow is circumferentially captured to maximize the use of a balloon 542 or 544 as a sail. the balloons 542 and 544 are staggered from an axial point of view to facilitate more blood flow around and adjacent to the transducer. while two balloons are shown, more or less may be used. figs. 22a, 22b, and 22c depict embodiments in which a balloon 586 is mounted onto a catheter shaft 500 such that less than 180 degree, measured circumferentially with respect to the catheter shaft 500 , is covered by the balloon material. figs. 22a, 22b and 22c include vessel wall 510 , catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 , balloon 586 , strap 584 and beam profile 590 . a non-distensible member, i.e. a ‘strap’ 584 , is placed over the balloon 586 in an axial direction to facilitate mostly catheter 500 shaft bending and minimally balloon 586 inflation. the assembly is straight when the balloon 586 is uninflated. once inflation is complete, the distal catheter 500 shaft is deflected and becomes a flow-directable member, thereby moving the catheter tip into the blood flow facilitating movement through the blood vessel. 2.3.1.1.1.2 shaft surface-mounted, non-balloon embodiments in these embodiments, blood flow is utilized not by balloons, but by flow-directable members mounted onto the catheter shaft surface and actuated from the proximal handle via several methods well-known to those skilled in the art of catheter actuation, i.e.: push/pull tube or wire, outer diameter sheath, etc. fig. 23 shows an embodiment of the catheter-based flow-directed vascular access device in which a flow-directable component, shown in the figure as an axially-compressed braid 544 , is mounted directly on the exterior surface of the catheter 500 shaft. fig. 23 includes catheter shaft 500 , ultrasonic transducer 502 , braid 544 , fluid 530 , ecg 534 . in one embodiment, the braid 544 component is manufactured in such a way such that the radial expansion of the fibers is maximized. the braid 544 material can be metallic or polymer-based. the amount of flow captured by the braid 544 can be varied depending upon the number of filaments used or the diameter of same. fig. 24 shows another proximally-actuated and shaft surface-mounted embodiment in which the catheter 500 shaft itself is split such that movement of the distal tip in a proximal direction will cause the shaft 500 to splay outward thereby creating a flow-directable component. fig. 24 includes catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 , strip 552 . the flow-directability of any of the configurations described in the previous figures can be augmented by placing a covering of some sort to capture more of the flow. the amount captured may be fine-tuned by varying such features as the density (i.e.: placing perforations in the material), or flexibility as well. fig. 25 shows yet another proximally-actuated and shaft surface-mounted embodiment in which an umbrella-like component acts as the flow-directable member. fig. 25 includes catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 , umbrella 554 . 2.3.1.1.2 tip-mounted embodiments in these embodiments, blood flow is utilized by way of a flow-directable member mounted directly onto the catheter tip instead of the shaft surface. any of the configurations shown in figs. 15, 16 and 17 as alignment examples are also candidates for embodiments relating to tip-mounting, with no retraction. the concept is that the lighter the transducer assembly is, the more likely it will be to float in the vasculature. 2.3.1.1.2.1 distally-housed embodiments in these embodiments, blood flow is again utilized by flow-directable members, but instead of being mounted onto the catheter shaft surface, they are mounted to an internally-based actuation tube that is actuated from the proximal handle via methods well-known to those skilled in the art of catheter actuation. once the flow-directable member is no longer needed, it may be retracted into the distal catheter shaft. fig. 18a shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the flow-directed catheter-based vascular access device in which a flow-directable component is ‘housed’ inside the distal end of a catheter shaft. in this particular embodiment, the flow-directable component is an open-ended braid shaped similar to the ‘lacrosse’ basket. it is predisposed to an expanded or open configuration, and collapses when pulled inside the distal catheter housing. the transducer is mounted within the braid, and both are mounted onto an actuation tube. the actuation tube houses the transducer wire and the ecg wire as well. the braid and actuation tube may be made entirely out of a polymer, entirely out of a metal or a combination of both. if the tube was made of a conductive material or encapsulated a conductor of some sort, it could double as the ecg lead as well. the actuation tube is actuated from the proximal catheter handle. in this particular embodiment, the braid is designed such that it captures the majority of blood flowing through the lumen, in order to facilitate movement of the device through the vasculature, yet still allows enough blood to flow through it to provide data for the transducer to utilize. this concept may facilitate device movement in the correct direction (with flow), averting the need to influence or steer the tip. then as the need for influencing or steering the tip diminishes, the importance of catheter shaft torque-ability is also reduced. this in turn facilitates the use of a softer, more flexible catheter shaft compliant to the vessel and more comfortable to the patient. fig. 18b shows a close-up cross-sectional view of the distal catheter shaft of fig. 18a . the catheter shaft is made of a proximal and distal section. the proximal section is made up of at least 3 lumens: two for separate fluid delivery ports and one for the actuation tube. the distal section may be a single lumen tubing that ‘houses’ the collapsed braid. by relocating the fluid ports just proximal of the distal ‘house’ (as shown in fig. 18b ), precious catheter ‘real estate’ is optimized: the distal section is reserved for a bulky flow-directable member, while the slimmer actuation member follows the fluid lumens back to the proximal handle. the ‘lacrosse’ braid design may be made by turning a simple braided tube back onto itself. in this configuration, the very distal or most expanded end may be difficult to retract into the housing in terms of the pull force required. to minimize this force, the very distal end may be asymmetrical in nature so that the entire circumference isn't pulled into the distal house concurrently. alternatively, the flow-directable member can be made up of self-expanding struts covered by a sail material, such as a biocompatible flexible material, e.g., eptfe or other suitable biocompatible sheet, as shown in fig. 26 . fig. 26 includes distal catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 , struts 562 , sail basket 560 and actuation tube 564 . fig. 27 shows another perspective view of another embodiment of a distally-housed flow-directed device that uses an axially-compressed braid as a flow-directable member. fig. 27 includes distal catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 , braid 544 and actuation tube 564 . fig. 28 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a distally-housed flow-directed device that uses a balloon as a flow-directable member. fig. 28 includes distal catheter shaft 500 , balloon 570 , transducer 502 and actuation tube 572 . in this concept, the distal catheter section may not facilitate collapse of the flow-directable member, as in the case of the other described embodiments, it may simply house the flow-directable member. in any of the described configurations, the transducer may be mounted on the flow-directed component in such a way to optimize the signal acquired, in other words, distal to the component or so that the transducer signal is not attenuated by the component's presence. alternatively, the transducer could be mounted on a tether (as previously described in fig. 20 ). fig. 29 illustrates a transducer tether embodiment. fig. 29 includes distal catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 , tether 573 and actuation tube 564 . 2.3.1.2 sensor-directed (passive) in the passive sensor-directed embodiments of the catheter-based vascular access devices, placement of the device is facilitated by data received passively from the sensor(s) located on the catheter shaft during catheter advancement. user interaction is required to advance the catheter according to the data received and displayed by the sensor(s), and the sensor(s) are again used to verify catheter tip placement at the desired target site. however, no user interaction is required to optimize the sensor(s) information received in these embodiments: this function is passively accomplished by virtue of the catheter design. to accomplish passive acquisition of sensor data or data acquisition that does not require user interaction to facilitate either its basic acquisition or optimization of, the distal catheter design needs to accomplish two things. first, the distal catheter design needs to facilitate placement of the sensor a minimum distance, when measured radially, from the vessel wall to insure that enough flow, as well as steady flow is experienced in the area directly adjacent to the sensor (as described in section 2.3.1). second, the distal catheter design needs to facilitate axial alignment of the ultrasound sensor with respect to the flow of blood adjacent to it (as described in section 2.3.2). shaft surface-mounted balloon embodiments in these embodiments, radial distance from the vessel wall and/or axial alignment is achieved by a balloon member mounted onto the catheter shaft. the balloon is inflated from a proximally-located port by techniques well-known to those skilled in the art of balloon catheters. figs. 19, 20 and 21 , as previously described, are examples of shaft-mounted balloon embodiments that could facilitate radial distance from the vessel wall. one of the challenges in achieving the desired radial distance with the embodiments shown in figs. 19 and 20 is when the tip is adjacent to the vessel wall 510 while in a curve. as illustrated in fig. 30a , when the balloon 576 is mounted too far proximal on the catheter shaft 500 with respect to the sensor location, the sensor may still be positioned against the wall 510 even when the balloon is inflated. one of the ways in which a balloon embodiment can address this issue is by being mounted as far distal, with respect to the sensor, as possible, as shown in fig. 30b . both figs. 30a and 30b include catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 , balloon 576 , vessel wall 510 . fig. 31 shows a shaft surface-mounted balloon embodiment, building on the idea described in figs. 30a and 30b , in which the balloon 540 is mounted on the catheter shaft 500 so that it extends distally beyond the location of the sensor. should flow restriction again become an issue and prevent the sensor from acquiring a signal, as previously described, a profiled balloon could be used as shown in fig. 32 . another balloon embodiment may include a balloon mounted entirely on the distal catheter tip, completely covering the sensor, as shown in fig. 33 . in this embodiment, the balloon 582 would need to be filled with a medium transparent to the ultrasound frequencies of the sensor used, i.e.: saline or water. further, any of the balloon embodiments could offer adjustable radial distances depending upon the amount of fluid injected into the proximal port and the resulting amount of balloon inflation. shaft surface-mounted, non-balloon embodiments in these embodiments, radial distance from the vessel wall and/or axial alignment is achieved by radially expanding members mounted onto the catheter shaft surface and actuated from the proximal handle via several methods well-known to those skilled in the art of catheter actuation, i.e.: push/pull tube or wire, outer diameter sheath, etc. figs. 23, 24 and 25 , previously described, show embodiments of catheter-based and sensor-directed vascular access devices in which shaft surface-mounted components facilitating passive data acquisition by the sensor provide a circumferential radial offset of the catheter tip with respect to the vessel wall. distally-housed embodiments in these embodiments, radial distance from the vessel wall and/or axial alignment is achieved by radially expanding members mounted to an internally-based actuation tube that is actuated from the proximal handle via methods well-known to those skilled in the art of catheter actuation. once the radially expanding member is no longer needed, it may be retracted into the distal catheter shaft. the embodiments shown in figs. 18a, 26, 27 and 28 , previously described, show embodiments of the catheter-based and flow-directed vascular access devices, however these same embodiments can be used for the passive sensor-directed embodiments as well. the same expanding members may facilitate radial expansion and axial alignment for passive data acquisition. as previously described, relocating the fluid ports just proximal of the distal ‘house’ conserves precious catheter ‘real estate’: the distal section is reserved for a bulky flow-directable member, while the slimmer actuation member follows the fluid lumens back to the proximal handle. 2.3.1.3 sensor-directed, active in the active sensor-directed embodiments of the catheter-based vascular access devices, placement of the device is facilitated by data received from the sensor(s) located on the catheter shaft during catheter advancement by actively manipulating the catheter shaft and subsequently the catheter tip. user interaction is required to advance the catheter according to the data received and displayed by the sensor(s), and the sensor(s) are again used to verify catheter tip placement at the desired target site. user interaction is also required to optimize the sensor(s) information received in these embodiments as this function cannot be accomplished by virtue of the catheter design alone. the distal catheter design may be modified to accomplish active acquisition of sensor data, or data acquisition that utilizes user interaction to facilitate either its basic acquisition or optimization. the distal catheter design may facilitate placement of the sensor a minimum distance, when measured radially, from the vessel wall to insure that enough flow, as well as steady flow is experienced in the area directly adjacent to the sensor (as described in section 2.3.1). the distal catheter design may facilitate axial alignment of the ultrasound sensor with respect to the flow of blood adjacent to it (as described in section 2.3.2). further, the distal catheter design may facilitate radial distance and axial alignment on demand, by the user. 2.3.1.3.1 shaft surface-mounted, balloon embodiments in these embodiments, radial distance from the vessel wall and/or axial alignment is achieved by a balloon member mounted onto the catheter shaft. the balloon is inflated from a proximally-located port by techniques well-known to those skilled in the art of balloon catheters. figs. 22a, 22b and 22c , previously described, depict embodiments in which the distal catheter shaft is deflected and the sensor is moved away from the vessel wall. this movement may not only optimize the data the ultrasound sensor is to acquire, but facilitate the very acquisition of that data in the first place. furthermore, to facilitate sensor axis alignment to the blood flow once tip actuation has taken place, the sensor can be mounted in an off-axis or skewed manner. the angular difference depends on the amount of catheter bend created by balloon inflation, and this can be pre-determined. fig. 22a shows the un-inflated non-skewed transducer mounted embodiment, and likely the resulting beam profile. fig. 22b shows the inflated state of the device and the resultant improved transducer position away from the vessel wall; however an unimproved beam profile may still remain. fig. 22c shows the inflated state of the device couple with an off-axis mounted transducer that provides for a more optimum beam profile. fig. 21 , previously described, shows at least 2 ‘staggered’ balloons that facilitate flow around the catheter shaft, however were just one balloon placed and further inflated, it could provide a means by which the user could actively reposition the catheter with respect to the vessel wall as needed during catheter advancement and subsequent placement at the target site. 2.3.1.3.2 shaft surface-mounted, non-balloon embodiments in these embodiments, radial distance from the vessel wall and/or axial alignment is achieved by radially expanding members mounted onto the catheter shaft surface and actuated from the proximal handle via several methods well-known to those skilled in the art of catheter actuation, i.e.: push/pull tube or wire, outer diameter sheath, etc. figs. 23, 24 and 25 , previously described, show embodiments of catheter-based and sensor-directed vascular access devices in which shaft surface-mounted components facilitate passive data acquisition by the sensor by providing a circumferential radial offset of the catheter tip with respect to the vessel wall. however, were these members asymmetrical with respect to the radial direction, they may also facilitate the ability to manually offset the distal tip from a proximal actuation thereby creating active direction to the sensor. 2.3.1.3.3 distally-housed embodiments in these embodiments, radial distance from the vessel wall and/or axial alignment is achieved by radially expanding members mounted to an internally-based actuation tube that is actuated from the proximal handle via methods well-known to those skilled in the art of catheter actuation. once the radially expanding member is no longer needed, it may be retracted into the distal catheter shaft. figs. 18a, 26, 27 and 28 , previously described, show embodiments of catheter-based and flow-directed vascular access devices in which distally-housed components facilitate passive data acquisition by the sensor by providing a circumferential radial offset of the catheter tip with respect to the vessel wall. however, were these members asymmetrical with respect to the radial direction, they may also facilitate the ability to manually offset the distal tip from a proximal actuation, thereby creating active direction to the sensor. as previously described, relocating the fluid ports just proximal of the distal ‘house’ conserves precious catheter ‘real estate’: the distal section is reserved for a bulky flow-directable member, while the slimmer actuation member follows the fluid lumens back to the proximal handle. 2.3.1.3.4 steerable embodiments in these embodiments, radial distance from the vessel wall is achieved by a steerable distal catheter section actuatable from the proximal handle by techniques well-known to those skilled in the art of steerable catheters, i.e.: a distally-mounted pull-wire. once tip deflection is no longer needed, it may be relaxed into a straight position. it is to be appreciated that steering techniques may be used to provide desired transducer orientation within the vessel. figs. 34a and 34b show a catheter-based vascular access device in which the proximal section is made of a relatively stiffer material when compared to the distal section to facilitate the columnar strength required during distal steering actuation. figs. 34a and 34b include catheter shaft 500 , proximal section 594 , pull wire 596 , distal section 592 and beam profile 590 . the pull-wire 596 would be affixed to the distal section 592 , either proximal or distal to the sensor. the sensor could be mounted off-center with respect to the catheter shaft 500 , any where from about 0 degrees to about 180 degrees, depending upon the angle created by the pull-wire 596 , as shown in fig. 34a , or the sensor could remain axially-oriented while the pull-wire 596 is affixed to the distal catheter shaft 500 in a axially-aligned position, as shown in fig. 34b . alternatively, the sensor could be positioned such that it faces a backward direction as well. 2.3.2 stylet-based stylet-based devices allow the catheter to have characteristics it normally wouldn't have without the stylet, i.e.: stiffness or shape. moreover, the stylet affords that catheter the additional benefit of having these characteristics at certain times, only when needed. an additional benefit of the stylet-based device is that a fluid lumen may be utilized for passage of the stylet since the stylet will be removed once the catheter has been appropriately placed. since a lumen would not need to be dedicated to sensor(s) or other functionality, precious ‘real estate’ of an approximately 5f or smaller catheter is optimized. the stylet embodiments in the following sections can be used both with fluid lumens that exit out the distal tip or out through side slots. embodiments of the inventive device include two basic forms. some embodiments of the stylet-based vascular access device are passively directed by the sensor(s) during stylet/catheter advancement through the vasculature. other embodiments require active manipulation of the stylet/catheter tip to acquire and or optimize the data collected by the sensor(s). 2.3.2.1 sensor-directed, passive in the passive sensor-directed embodiments of the stylet-based vascular access devices, placement of the device is facilitated by data received passively from the sensor(s) located on either the catheter or stylet shaft during catheter advancement. user interaction is required to advance the catheter according to the data received and displayed by the sensor(s), and the sensor(s) are again used to verify catheter tip placement at the desired target site. however, no user interaction is required to optimize the sensor(s) information received in these embodiments: this function is passively accomplished by virtue of the stylet/catheter design. the stylet design may be modified to accomplish passive acquisition of sensor data, or data acquisition that does not require user interaction to facilitate either its basic acquisition or optimization. the stylet may facilitate placement of the sensor a minimum distance, when measured radially, from the vessel wall to insure that enough flow, as well as steady flow is experienced in the area directly adjacent to the sensor (as described in section 2.3.1). the stylet may also facilitate axial alignment of the ultrasound sensor with respect to the flow of blood adjacent to it (as described in section 2.3.2). figs. 35a and 35b show an embodiment of a sensor-directed vascular access device in which a mostly circular pre-formed stylet is advanced through a catheter lumen to create a passive mechanism by which transducer position is maintained so that data can be acquired. this is achieved via the stylet's 600 exit out a distally-placed port, either out the side of the catheter shaft 500 or directly out the tip. figs. 35a and 35b include catheter shaft 500 , transducer 502 and stylet 600 . fig. 35a shows a single loop, similar to a ‘halo’ in shape exiting a side port and fig. 35b shows multiple loops, similar to a ‘pig-tail’, also exiting out a side port. like a pig-tail, the loops diameters can get smaller, remain the same, or get larger as one moves distally on the stylet body. figs. 36a and 36b show another embodiment utilizing a pre-formed stylet to shape the catheter shaft itself without exiting a side port. in this embodiment, the catheter would have to accommodate a separate lumen for stylet delivery. fig. 36a illustrates the pre-formed stylet prior to entering the distal section. fig. 36b shows the shaped distal section with the stylet in place. figs. 36a and 36b include catheter shaft 500 , proximal section 604 , distal section 606 , pre-formed stylet 602 , transducer 502 , beam profile 612 and vessel wall 510 . 2.3.2.2 sensor-directed, active in the active sensor-directed embodiments of the stylet-based vascular access devices, placement of the device is facilitated by data received from the sensor(s) located on the catheter shaft or stylet tip during catheter advancement by actively manipulating the catheter shaft and subsequently the catheter tip. user interaction is required to advance the catheter according to the data received and displayed by the sensor(s), and the sensor(s) are again used to verify catheter tip placement at the desired target site. user interaction is also required to optimize the sensor(s) information received in these embodiments as this function cannot be accomplished by virtue of the catheter design alone. coupled with a torque-able main/proximal catheter shaft 500 , any of the fig. 40 designs may be utilized for actively placing the sensor-directed catheter into the vessel, centrally with respect to blood flow. 2.3.3 guidewire-based devices guidewire-based devices may be used independently of the catheter it is designed to work with; it may be used with other catheters, assuming the sizing needs, i.e.: the inner diameter of the catheter lumen accommodates the largest outer diameter of the guidewire, are met. embodiments of the guidewire-based inventive device include three basic forms. some embodiments have tips directed mostly by fluid flow within the vasculature. other embodiments are passively directed by the sensor(s) during guidewire/catheter advancement through the vasculature. other embodiments require active manipulation of the guidewire/catheter tip to acquire and or optimize the data collected by the sensor(s). 2.3.3.1 flow-directed as previously described in both the catheter and stylet-based devices, in the flow-directed embodiments of guidewire-based vascular access devices, placement of the device is ‘automatic’ in that minimal user interaction is required to position the catheter at the target site. the guidewire, and subsequently the catheter itself, is positioned ‘automatically’ by utilizing the blood flowing adjacent to and around it. the sensor is therefore used to verify guidewire/catheter tip placement at the desired target site as opposed to providing information during advancement to facilitate the advancement itself. in these embodiments, blood flow is again utilized by flow-directable members mounted directly onto the guidewire. the guidewire is advanced into the vasculature, the flow-directable component is actuated, and the guidewire is allowed to ‘float’ to the desired target site. once the target site is believed to have been reached, the user can verify position with the sensor(s). then when the guidewire is no longer required, it can be removed leaving only the catheter shaft (with fluid delivery capability). 2.3.3.1.1 guidewire-mounted sensor, over the wire as described previously in section 2.2, the catheter, once placed, may be able to deliver at least 2 different fluids through at least 2 dedicated lumens simultaneously. further, the guidewire should be able to enter the vasculature alone and first, and then be completely removed. in an “over-the-wire” configuration, the guidewire may further be able to be removed entirely within the catheter shaft. fig. 37 shows an embodiment of an over-the-wire guidewire-based device in which the sensor(s) is also mounted on the guidewire 622 . fig. 37 includes distal catheter shaft 614 , fluid 616 , guidewire 622 , balloon 620 and transducer 502 . in this embodiment, the guidewire 622 would be advanced into the vasculature, the balloon 620 would be inflated, the guidewire 622 would ‘float’ to the target site, the position would be verified with the attached sensor(s), the catheter (with fluid lumens) would be advanced to the target site, the balloon would be deflated, and the guidewire would be pulled out of the catheter. although this embodiment specifically illustrates a balloon-based flow-directed member, other such members as previously described that can collapse small enough to run through an internal catheter lumen could also be utilized. 2.3.3.1.2 catheter-mounted sensor, over the wire fig. 38a shows an embodiment of an over-the-wire guidewire-based device in which the sensor(s) is mounted on the catheter. fig. 38a includes distal catheter shaft 614 , fluid 616 , distal catheter tip 618 , guidewire 622 , balloon 620 and transducer 502 . fig. 38b shows an example of a possible cross-sectional configuration of the distal catheter shaft (right-side of figure) vs. the very distal catheter tip (left side of figure). fig. 38b includes distal catheter tip 630 , distal catheter shaft 632 , fluid lumens 636 , guidewire lumens 634 and transducer niche 638 . in this embodiment, the wire would be advanced into the vasculature, the balloon would be inflated, the guidewire would ‘float’ to the apparent target site, the catheter (with fluid lumens and sensor(s)) would be advanced to the apparent target site, the position would be verified with the attached sensor(s), the balloon would be deflated, and the guidewire would be pulled out of the catheter. although this embodiment specifically illustrates a balloon-based flow-directed member, other such members as previously described that can collapse small enough to run through an internal catheter lumen could also be utilized. 2.3.3.1.3 guidewire-mounted sensor, rapid exchange fig. 39 shows an embodiment of a rapid exchange guidewire-based device in which the sensor(s) is again mounted on the guidewire 646 , however the guidewire would not reside completely within the entire catheter shaft 632 as in the over-the-wire devices; instead, the guidewire 646 could reside only within a small lumen located at the distal catheter tip. fig. 39 includes distal catheter shaft 632 , fluid 644 , guidewire 646 , collapsed balloon 640 , rapid exchange section 642 and transducer 502 . this may allow larger fluid delivery lumens since a lumen dedicated for the guidewire need not travel the entire catheter length. in this embodiment, the wire 646 would be advanced into the vasculature, the balloon would be inflated, the guidewire 646 would ‘float’ to the target site, the position would be verified with the attached sensor(s), the catheter (with fluid lumens) would be advanced to the target site, the balloon would be deflated, and the guidewire 646 would be pulled out of the catheter. although this embodiment specifically illustrates a balloon-based flow-directed member, other such members as previously described that can collapse small enough to run through a rapid exchange lumen could also be utilized. 2.3.3.1.4 catheter-mounted sensor, rapid exchange fig. 40 shows an embodiment of a rapid exchange guidewire-based device, as previously described, in which the sensor(s) is again mounted on the catheter. fig. 40 includes distal catheter shaft 632 , fluid 644 , guidewire 646 , collapsed balloon 640 , rapid exchange section 642 and transducer 502 . this may allow larger fluid delivery lumens since a lumen dedicated for the guidewire 646 need not travel the entire catheter length. in this embodiment, the wire 646 would be advanced into the vasculature, the balloon would be inflated, the guidewire would ‘float’ to the apparent target site, the catheter (with fluid lumens and sensor) would be advanced to the apparent target site, the position would be verified with the attached sensor(s), the balloon would be deflated, and the guidewire would be pulled out of the catheter. alternatively, the distal catheter shaft where the rapid exchange lumen is located in fig. 40 could be split in a longitudinal fashion so as to facilitate removal of the guidewire without needing the entire balloon assembly to retract through the rapid exchange lumen. fig. 41 shows another embodiment of fig. 40 in which one of the distal fluid lumen ports could have a section that is split in a longitudinal fashion as opposed to being completely open. fig. 41 includes distal catheter shaft 632 , fluid 644 , guidewire 646 , collapsed balloon 640 , separation 650 and transducer 502 . the distal guidewire 646 is retracted through the distal section of the split port until the separator 650 feature reaches the split section. the separator 650 then spreads and separates the entire port length such that the entire guidewire 646 is freed from the lumen and can be removed separately from the catheter shaft 632 . although these embodiments specifically illustrate balloon-based flow-directed members, other such members as previously described that can collapse small enough to run through a rapid exchange lumen could also be utilized. 2.3.3.2 sensor-directed (passive) in the passive sensor-directed embodiments of the guidewire-based vascular access devices, placement of the device is facilitated by data received passively from the sensor(s) located on the guidewire or catheter shaft during catheter advancement. user interaction is required to advance the catheter according to the data received and displayed by the sensor(s), and the sensor(s) are again used to verify catheter tip placement at the desired target site. however, no user interaction is required to optimize the sensor(s) information received in these embodiments: this function is passively accomplished by virtue of the guidewire/catheter design. any of the embodiments described in figs. 37, 38a, 38b, 39, 40 and 41 may be utilized to facilitate a passive sensor-directed catheter positioning technique. 2.3.3.3 sensor-directed (active) in the active sensor-directed embodiments of the catheter-based vascular access devices, placement of the device is facilitated by data received from the sensor(s) located on the catheter shaft during catheter advancement by actively manipulating the catheter shaft and subsequently the catheter tip. user interaction may be needed to advance the catheter according to the data received and displayed by the sensor(s), and the sensor(s) are again used to verify catheter tip placement at the desired target site. user interaction may be utilized to optimize the sensor(s) information received in these embodiments. fig. 42 shows an embodiment of a sensor-directed guide-wire based device advanced to the target site via active manipulation of the guidewire 646 during advancement by the user. fig. 42 includes guidewire 646 , vessel wall 510 , inflated balloon 652 and transducer 502 . assuming a torquable guidewire shaft is available, a radially-asymmetric balloon could be mounted on the distal guidewire end. once inflated, the guidewire 646 could be actively ‘steered’ through the vasculature by using the off-set created by the balloon 652 . the left side of the figure shows an uninflated balloon; the right side shows an inflated balloon 652 . many of the previously described embodiments may also be utilized to facilitate an active sensor-directed catheter positioning technique. 3.0 device for securement of proximal end of access device once the vascular access device has been placed and its distal tip position confirmed, a means by which to secure the proximal catheter shaft is needed. this proximal securement device may hold the catheter hub in place and prevent migration with respect to the skin incision, and may manage the connections, whether electrical, fluid or actuation/inflation in nature. a securement device is affixed to the patient's skin at a suitable location near the puncture site using a suitable biocompatible pressure sensitive adhesive. the securement device has a mounting surface adapted to engage with the device hub described herein. the device hub may be affixed to the mounting surface using any suitable mechanical attachment, e.g. snaps, friction lock or keyed surfaces. the device hub and/or the securement device may include suitable rfid tags as described in section 7.0. various details of the design for a securement device may be appreciated through reference to u.s. pat. nos. 7,153,291 and 7,223,256, incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. fig. 43 shows an embodiment of a securement device that attaches to the proximal catheter shaft 500 thereby minimizing catheter tip migration from the target site. fig. 43 includes pad 660 , receiver 662 , catheter shaft 500 , hub 666 and skin incision 664 as well as connections such as fluid 670 , electrical 674 and actuator 672 . to facilitate ease of use, connections may remain on the catheter hub 666 itself, i.e., as ‘pigtails’, such as: electrical 674 (to make the transducer and ecg connections), fluid 670 (to a luer fitting to facilitate inflation/deflation and fluid delivery), or mechanical 672 (to facilitate some sort of distal component actuation or manipulation). figs. 44a and 44b show top and end views, respectively, of an alternative embodiment of a securement device. fig. 44a includes pad 660 , receiver 662 , catheter shaft 500 , catheter hub 666 , fasteners 676 , docketing station 678 and skin incision 664 as well as connections such as fluid 670 , electrical 674 and actuation 672 . fig. 44b includes adhesive epad 680 , docket station 678 , pad 660 and connections such as fluid 670 , electrical 674 and actuation 672 . in this embodiment, a smart catheter hub 666 is positioned on the proximal end of the vascular access device. the smart hub 666 is designed such that the placement of the hub 666 into the receiver would facilitate the necessary connections, i.e.: transducer, electrical activity, fluid delivery . . . etc. this could be accomplished by any number of methods, for example, the hub could be snapped in place, held with velcro or engaged with a keyed mechanism. the smart catheter hub 666 includes all of the connections for the added functionalities used in the vascular access device. once connected, the smart catheter hub 666 establishes the appropriate conductivity between the vascular access device and the guiding system. in the illustrated embodiment, the smart hub makes 666 connections for two electrical 674 , two fluid 670 and one actuation 672 interfaces. 4.0 device and method for improving workflow efficiency of bedside patient care an aspect of the invention describes rfid and or barcode based labeling and identification of devices and players in the bedside care workflow. the invention also describes a method for making use of such devices for workflow optimization. in particular the invention relates to using two or more focused energy transmitters and receivers in order to detect each others presence in each others field of view. other aspects of the following embodiments share some or all of the following characteristics: the use of rfid concepts and rfid based devices (tags, readers, synchronization and optimization) in medical care workflow. tagging devices using rfid, barcodes or other suitable machine readable indicators as well as using such tags for players in the medical care workflow. players include any of a variety of health care providers that interact with the patient and/or the device, are responsible for dispensing the device or ensuring the device is or remains properly placed during use. optimize medical workflow by maintaining and integrating records of devices and activities, by programming activities on a “just-in-time” basis as needed and as resources are available. these and other aspects of the various embodiments of the invention will be appreciated in the description that follows. the vasonova picc system may provide for workflow tracking, which is important for optimizing operational efficiency. more piccs can be placed in a given time period by identifying and avoiding significant down time. to help in analyzing workflow and time management during the picc placement and confirmation process, the vasonova picc system enables tracking by recording the time at various key steps during the process. a simple but comprehensive tracking system is setup with three key time entries and various work types that are identified and entered into the system by the operator. in one embodiment, the three key time entries are: receive consult requeststart ‘work’ on casestop ‘work’ on case non-limiting examples of primary work types are: gather patient data (check history, allergies, labs, etc.)transportation to case (cart/supplies) and patient consentsterile setupvenipuncturecatheter insertion/placementverification of tip positionsecure catheterorder/wait for x-rayconfirm catheter ready for use other work types can be added as desired and work types can be combined. for example sterile setup, venipuncture, catheter insertion, verification, and securing catheter may be grouped together as a single work type called ‘procedure’. data entry for tracking can be done by means of pressing buttons located on a small mobile device that is to be worn as one carries a pedometer or digital pager. the device interfaces with the vasonova handheld unit and it may be connected to the handheld by a cord or it may have a wireless connection. alternatively, scanning bar codes or electromagnetic strips for example could accomplish the data entry. in the case of a data entry device with buttons, specific tasks are tracked by pushing a ‘start’ button followed by ‘task’ button that is highlighted by using ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons that are easily located on the device by their position and confirmed on the gui of the handheld. once the task is completed, the ‘stop’ button is pushed, which then records the stop time for that task, which is simultaneously recorded as the start time for the next task in the process as illustrated in fig. 45 . the vasonova handheld gui has a menu feature that indicates which workflow interval is being tracked and the operator can modify or change the present task by using the ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons on the data entry device as shown in fig. 46 . fig. 46 includes handheld gui 690 , start button 692 , stop button 694 , up button 696 , enter button 698 and down button 700 . the buttons have different shapes and sizes that are easily memorized by the operator so that they can be located and pressed through a sterile gown if the device is clipped to the operator's belt for example the gui will display the tasks and with the present task highlighted as illustrated in fig. 47 . the task can be changed at any time by pressing the up/down buttons on the data entry device. fig. 48 shows the players in a medical workflow. according to an embodiment of the invention, users e.g., hospital medical personnel or players wear rfid tags or other machine detectable labels. fig. 48 includes users 106 a and 106 b , devices 108 a , 108 b , 108 c and 108 d , database 122 , rfid reader 132 a and 132 b , workflow processor 136 and sensor processor 138 . players may have their id integrated provided as a separate article of may be integrated into an existing article used by the player, e.g., on their pager, phone, pda, nametag, and the like. devices (s) have rfid tags or barcodes on packaging labels. patients have rfid tags associated with them and on their documents. a sensor processor is integrated with the vasonova guiding system (e.g., rfid tag reader). an individual workflow processor 136 is integrated with the vasonova guiding system. a centralized optimization processor is residing on the server and makes use of the hospital database. rfid tags can be placed on other pieces of equipment or with other players of the bedside care system: radiologists, x-ray systems, etc. the vasonova rfid reader 132 a / 132 b , the sensor processor 138 and the workflow processor 136 integrated in the vasonova guiding system allow for coordination of all players and for workflow optimization. while rfid tags are used in the above description, the invention is not limited only to the use of rfid tags but may include the use of any suitable machine readable or detectable device that may be configured for use in tracking the progress of a medical procedure. the u.s. pat. no. 5,311,871 entitled “smart needle” by paul yock is also incorporated by reference. u.s. pat. no. 6,860,422 “method and apparatus for tracking documents in a workflow” by—hull et al. is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. further, the following patents and published application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: u.s. pat. no. 5,546,949 u.s. pat. no. 4,706,681 u.s. pat. no. 5,515,853 u.s. pat. no. 5,830,145 u.s. pat. no. 6,259,941 u.s. pat. no. 6,298,261 u.s. pat. no. 6,958,677 u.s. pat. no. 7,054,228 u.s. published patent application 20030036696. while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. it should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.
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033-483-024-449-627
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
A61B19/00,G06K17/00,G08B13/14
| 2001-03-30T00:00:00 |
2001
|
[
"A61",
"G06",
"G08"
] |
tracking surgical implements with integrated circuits
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a system and method of tracking medical products provides for associating a group of medical products with a group location based on a group radio frequency identification (rf id) device signal, where the group includes a first unit and a second unit. the first unit is associated with a first remote location based on a first unit rf id device signal. the method further provides for associating the second unit with a second remote location based on a second unit rf id device signal. the signals uniquely identify the units and the group.
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1 . to 20 . (canceled) 21 . an assembly comprising: a first unit of one or more products including a first unit radio frequency identification (rf id) device; a second unit of one or more products including a second unit rf id device; and a packaging combining the first and second units together into a group, the group including a group rf id device including information usable to identify at least one of the first unit and the second unit. 22 . the assembly of claim 21 , further comprising: a first supplemental rf id device removably attached to the first unit; and a second supplemental rf id device removably attached to the second unit. 23 . the assembly of claim 22 , wherein the first and second supplemental rf id devices are configured to be reattached to another item. 24 . the assembly of claim 23 , wherein the another item is at least one of a medical container, a patient chart, an iv apparatus, an injection apparatus, and a patient bracelet. 25 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first unit rf id device is integral with the first unit and the second unit rf id device is integral with the second unit. 26 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first unit and the second unit are medical products. 27 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein the first unit and second unit include at least one of: (a) a pharmaceutical product, (b) a blood product, and (c) a tissue product. 28 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein the first and second rf id devices include at least one of source data and unit number data. 29 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein the information itself directly identifies both the first unit and second unit. 30 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first rf id device, second rf id device, and the group rf id device include information usable to determine at least one of: (a) an origination point of at least one of the first unit, the second unit, and the assembly, (b) verification information regarding at least one of the first and second units, (c) the identity of an intended recipient of at least one of the first unit, second unit, and the assembly, (d) drug indications, (e) drug contra-indications, and (f) drug interactions. 31 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first rf id device, second rf id device, and the group rf id device include information usable to determine verification information, regarding at least one of the first and second units, including data indicating the authenticity of at least one of the first unit and second unit. 32 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein the group rf id device includes information usable to determine the number of units contained in the packaging. 33 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein the group rf id device further includes all information on the first rf id device and the second rf id device. 34 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first and second units are pharmaceutical products and at least one of the first rf id device and the second rf id device include information usable to determine at least one of: (a) drug-type data, (b) drug-name drug, (c) drug formulation data, (d) interaction data, (e) dosage data, (f) expiration data, (g) batch number data, (h) indication data, and (i) contra-indication data. 35 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first rf id device, the second rf id device, and the group rf id device are configured to emit a signal when a predetermined date is reached. 36 . the assembly of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first rf id device, second rf id device, and the group rf id device include information usable to determine at least one of: (a) blood donor data, (b) blood type data, (c) antigen data, and (d) antibody data.
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cross-reference to related applications this application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/048,339, filed jan. 31, 2005, which is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 10/106,183, filed mar 27, 2002 and issued as u.s. pat. no. 6,861,954, which is a continuation-in-part application of abandoned u.s. patent application ser. no. 09/883,991, filed jun. 20, 2001, which claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 60/280,206, filed mar. 30, 2001. field of the invention the present invention relates to devices, labels, methods, and systems to monitor and track medical implements and products containing integrated circuits. specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to preventing these medical implements from being inadvertently left within a human or animal following completion of medical procedures. in addition, embodiments of the present invention are meant to decrease errors resulting from sub-optimal production, processing, distribution, and administration of medical products, including but not limited to pharmaceuticals and blood products. embodiments of the present invention also pertain to managing medical products, medical devices and disposables, such as medications, blood, and tissue products, and more particularly to the use of electronic means such as radio frequency identification (rf id) devices to assist in the management process from point of origin to end use. background of the invention during surgery it is necessary to place surgical implements, such as sponges, scalpels, needles, gauzes, and the like near or into a wound cavity. even though thorough manual counts are conducted following the completion of surgery, this method is time consuming, tedious and error prone. indeed, surgical implements are too frequently left inside patients resulting in complications including trauma, pain, infection or death. a number of conventional methods exist to make sure that all surgical implements have been removed from a patient, but all have drawbacks. the most well known method is to use x-rays. in this procedure, the surgical implements have radio opaque material embedded within them. following the completion of surgery and suturing of the patient, an x-ray machine is moved over the patient and an x-ray is taken of the wound area to determine whether radio opaque materials are present in the patient. however, some materials may be too small to be easily seen on x-ray, or they may be otherwise obscured by bone or tissues within radio dense areas. if any surgical implements are found on the x-ray within the sutured area, then the patient is reopened to retrieve the retained materials. this way, implements left within a patient are removed. however, each time this procedure is performed, expensive operating room time is wasted and other patients may have their surgeries delayed. furthermore, the patient is subjected to more anesthesia time and otherwise unnecessary radiation. another method suggested by u.s. pat. no. 4,193,405 to abels, detects a radio-frequency (“rf”) transponder embedded in a surgical sponge. in this method, tagging of surgical articles with ferrite or other semiconductor material is done such that when they are exposed to two selected frequencies the material will resonate. this resonance can then be detected by a rf receiver. however, this method merely relates to a transponder, no data is recorded as to type of object, time rank of object, nor does it allow for master categorization which would alert the user that an object is in fact missing, even in the absence of a detected failure. hence, this level of safety is easily breached. in u.s. pat. no. 4,658,818 to miller, a miniature battery-powered oscillator is attached to each surgical implement and activated prior to its initial use. the output of each oscillator is in the form of a low powered pulse which is coupled to the body's fluids and tissue. after the surgery is completed, but prior to suturing, a detection system is used to sense for any pulses generated within the body. however, this system also does not provide information as to object type, rank timing or master categorization, and merely serves as a pulse alarm. another system that has recently been devised is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 5,931,824 to stewart. this system is drawn to placing machine-readable information on individual surgical sponges. in addition, each sponge has x-ray detectable material embedded within it. this system requires that each sponge is scanned which is tedious, and allows for neither non-orientational registration nor perimeter scanning. additionally, sub-optimal logistics result in medication and other errors, which have resulted in significant morbidity and mortality. furthermore, tracking and distributing medications and blood or tissue products from their points of origin to their appropriate administration to patients requires a very major commitment of dedicated resources to maintain acceptable safety and efficiency. unfortunately, commonly utilized methodologies can be expensive, wasteful, and potentially hazardous as they rely heavily on human input and require sustainable levels of efficiency that may be unrealistically high. as any breach of vigilance resulting from suboptimal visual or other input, stress, fatigue, repetition or distraction can have dire consequences at multiple points, risk exposure is significant. medications may be poorly tracked leading to shortages in inventory or inappropriate use of outdated medications. inappropriate formulations or concentrations of drug may be found in improper locations in the hospital, clinic or other patient care facility and this can result in improper dosing. furthermore, allergies or other adverse medication reactions, as well as hazardous drug interactions may go unrecognized or ineffectively addressed by patient care providers or other ancillary medical staff. blood product preparation is an expensive and complex endeavor and current procedures for tracking blood products at the point of collection through the point of distribution can be suboptimal. additionally, the procedures can be subject to hazard as human error at several points can lead to fatalities. for example, one concern is the potential for busy clinicians to misread one or more of a series of numbers and letters on a patient id bracelet or unit of packed red blood cells during a severe bleeding episode in an operating room. hence, there is a need for effective and safe methodologies for tracking medications and blood and other tissue products from the point of production to the point of administration. a number of tracking devices have been well documented. for example, u.s. pat. no. 6,130,613 shows a radio frequency identification stamp ( 10 ) having a substrate ( 24 ) with a first surface ( 12 ) and a second surface ( 18 ). the first surface ( 12 ) is printed with indicia indicating at least a postage value. an antenna ( 16 ) is formed on the second surface ( 18 ) and a radio frequency identification circuit chip ( 20 ) is secured to the second surface ( 18 ) and coupled to the antenna ( 16 ). a layer ( 22 ) of adhesive is also disposed on the second surface ( 18 ). a mailing label ( 600 ) includes indicia ( 614 ) printed on a first surface, and an antenna ( 616 ) coupled to a radio frequency identification circuit chip ( 620 ) on a second surface ( 618 ). a layer ( 622 ) of adhesive covers the second surface. the layer bonds the circuit chip ( 620 ) to the second surface and couples the circuit chip ( 620 ) to the antenna ( 616 ). the circuit chip ( 620 ) may retain a tracking number, and more preferably, retains sender information ( 601 ), recipient information ( 602 ), service type information ( 603 ) and billing instructions ( 604 ). summary of the invention the present invention provides devices, methods, and systems that monitor and track medical materials, including surgical implements. in an embodiment of the present invention, a surgical implement including at least one integrated circuit that uniquely identifies the surgical implement by a unique identifier is provided. in another embodiment of the present invention, a method for monitoring and tracking surgical implements is provided. the method includes identifying at least one surgical implement including an integrated chip, where each surgical implement is uniquely identified. another method of the present invention provides for monitoring and tracking medical materials. this method includes uniquely identifying at least one medical material by a unique identifier, each medical material including at least one integrated circuit having the unique identifier programmed therein and monitoring each medical material by its unique identifier. in another embodiment of the present invention, a method for monitoring surgical implements in conjunction with a surgical procedure is provided. the method includes initializing at least one surgical implement where each surgical implement includes an integrated circuit, registering the surgical implement prior to a surgical procedure by programming a unique identifier in the integrated circuit, and accounting for the surgical implement at the completion of the surgical procedure by receiving the unique identifier from the surgical instrument. the present invention also includes systems. in one embodiment of the present invention a system for monitoring and tracking surgical implements is provided. the system includes at least one surgical implement, each surgical implement including an integrated circuit that stores a unique identifier of the surgical instrument and a detector that detects the surgical implement by detecting the unique identifier from the integrated circuit. another embodiment of the present invention includes a system for monitoring and tracking surgical implements including at least one surgical implements, including at least one integrated circuit and a sensor for sensing the surgical implements based on a signal received from each integrated circuit. in another embodiment of the present invention, a system for monitoring surgical implements used in conjunction with a surgical procedure is provided. this system includes at least one surgical implement comprising an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit associating a unique identifier with each of the surgical implements and emitting a signal containing the unique identifier, a detector that detects the signal emitted by the surgical implement, and an output device to process information provided by the detector. the present invention also provides another embodiment of a system, including at least one surgical implement comprising an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit associating a unique identifier with each of the surgical implements and emitting a signal containing the unique identifier, a platform with a detector that detects the signal and determines a placement and removal of each of the surgical implements from the platform based on the detected signal, and an output device that receives and processes information provided by the detector. another embodiment of the present invention provides a system for monitoring patients including at least one medical material, each medical material including a first integrated circuit, at least one patient identification tag, each patient identification tag including a second integrated circuit, and a sensor that monitors the medical materials and patient identification tags based on signals received from the first and second integrated circuits. the present invention also provides a medical label including at least one integrated circuit, where the integrated circuit uniquely identifies a medical product the medical label is attached to. in another embodiment of the present invention, a blood product label is provided, which includes a label attached to a blood product, the label including at least one integrated circuit that uniquely identifies the blood product. the present invention also provides a blood product container including the blood product label. finally, the present invention provides medical product including at least one integrated circuit that uniquely identifies the medical product by a unique identifier. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 shows a block diagram of the sensor system and two integrated circuits to be used in surgical implements. fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the sensor system and two integrated circuits to be used in surgical implements. fig. 3 shows an embodiment of a database table for the sensor system. fig. 4 shows an embodiment of a database table for the sensor system. fig. 5 shows a flow chart of registration instructions for the sensor system. fig. 6 shows an embodiment of the sensor system in a patient id bracelet and integrated circuits in blood bags and syringes. fig. 7 shows a diagram of an example of a medical product infrastructure utilizing an assembly of medical products in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. fig. 8 shows a diagram of an example of a health care facility utilizing an assembly of medical products in accordance with one embodiment. fig. 9 shows a flow chart of an example of a method of tracking medical products in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. detailed description embodiments of the present invention relate to methods, devices, labels, and systems for monitoring medical implements products containing integrated circuits, microchips, or radio frequency ids (rfid). prior to a medical procedure, each of the implements to be used is registered with a sensor system such that the implement is uniquely identified. following the medical procedure, each of the implements that was registered is then accounted for. fig. 1 shows an example of one embodiment of the present invention. like elements are labeled with like numbers. in fig. 1 , two surgical implements 10 and 11 are shown and a sensor system 100 . surgical implements, as used herein, include, but are not limited to, sponges, needles, scalpels, gauze, forceps, and scissors and the like. also, the scope of the term surgery or surgical is not to be limited, but should include all types of medical procedures and is used herein interchangeably with the term medical. in fig. 1 , surgical implement 10 includes an integrated circuit 20 , and surgical implement 11 includes an integrated circuit 21 . the integrated circuit 20 includes an analog front-end 50 , which could, for example, be a lc circuit; a memory 40 ; and a controller 30 . in the memory 40 of surgical implement 20 there can be stored a programmable surgical implement identifier 65 . this programmable surgical implement identifier is used as a unique identifier for each surgical implement. this particular illustration is but one example of how the present invention could be practiced and is not meant to limit the scope in any way. the integrated circuits 20 and 21 are powered through radio frequency (“rf”) signals generated by the sensor system 100 . however, the integrated circuits may also be powered by any known source of energy, including, but not limited to, a battery, exposure to air, moisture, certain chemicals or substances, changes in temperature, ph, or motion. additionally, the integrated circuits may be powered by induction, emf, other radiation or by the potential, chemical, or electrical gradients, or micro-electric currents of the body. the integrated circuits 20 and 21 are encapsulated in plastic and then incorporated into surgical implements. generally, the integrated circuits are incorporated into each of the different surgical implements or materials natively. therefore the integrated circuits are incorporated in such a way as to be encapsulated, hermetically sealed, flexible, heat, shock and water resistant and sterilized or sterilizable. the integrated circuits are also incorporated in a manner that does not impede or hinder the normal function of the medical implement. because the surgical implements include many different instruments, incorporation of the integrated circuits into each different implement needs to be individualized to that implement and this can be done by those of skill in the art. also, the integrated circuits can be incorporated into or structurally associated with x-ray opaque material. fig. 1 also shows a sensor system 100 . the sensor system 100 includes a processor 120 , a memory 130 , and a transmitter 110 . the memory 130 of the sensor system includes registration instructions 135 and registration data 140 . the processor 120 can be a pentium® iii manufactured by intel of santa clara, calif., an application specific integrated circuit (“asic”), a microcontroller, etc. the registration instructions 135 will be explained more fully with reference to fig. 5 and the registration data 140 will be explained more fully with reference to fig. 3 and fig. 4 . the sensor system 100 may also include an interface consisting of a computer terminal or terminals (not shown). in addition, there may be additional auxiliary sensory systems used in conjunction with the main sensor system throughout an operating room. operating room as used herein, includes, but is not limited to, an operating theater, an operating room, an operating suite, or any other room where surgery or any invasive procedure of any type is performed on humans or animals. one example of an integrated circuit and corresponding base station that a person of ordinary skill in the art could use to practice the present invention is temic semiconductors tk5552 transponder integrated circuit and base station, as described in temic semiconductors, “tk5552”, rev. a4, 26-apr. 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference, in its entirety. temic semiconductors' tk5552 integrated circuit transponder is a programmable read/write transponder with an operation range of up to 10 cm powered by a rf field generated by the base station. other embodiments of the integrated circuit can be made of molecular switches using nanotubes as wires, such as described by rotman in “molecular computing” technology review 103: 52-58 (may-june 2000), or molecular conductors such as benzine dithol as described by reed et al. in “computing with molecules” scientific american, 282: (june 2000), both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. in addition, the integrated circuit can be a rfid. the rfid may be readable only or readable and writeable. one example of an rfid that could be used in the present invention is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 6,249,227, hereby incorporated by reference, in its entirety. embodiments of the present invention relate to tracking and monitoring surgical implements. to that end, as can be seen in fig. 1 , data is read and written to and from the sensor system 100 and integrated circuits 20 and 21 . the sensor system 100 assigns the programmable surgical implement identifier 60 to the surgical implement 10 and surgical implement identifier 61 to surgical implement 11 while collecting various data to compile the registration data 140 in the sensor system 100 and memory 130 . an example set of registration instructions 135 stored in the memory 130 of the sensor system 100 is shown in fig. 5 . in the first step 200 , the sensor system 100 scans a first surgical implement and receives the surgical implement identifier of the first surgical implement. at step 210 , the surgical implement identifier of the first surgical implement is stored in the registration data 140 in the memory 130 of the sensor system 100 in a first data record. in step 220 the sensor system 100 scans a second surgical implement and receives a surgical implement identifier of the second surgical implement. at step 230 the surgical implement identifier of the second surgical implement is stored in a second data record in the registration data 140 . in step 240 the sensor system 100 re-scans the first surgical implement and re-receives the surgical implement identifier of the first surgical implement. in step 250 the first data record is updated based at least in part on the re-received surgical implement identifier of the first surgical implement. the registration data 140 can be a relational database 170 shown in fig. 3 . database 170 includes records 184 - 190 , which are accessible using a suitable database management system software. each record 184 - 190 of database 170 contains six fields 172 - 182 . field 172 holds the surgical implement identifier, which can be any unique identifier, for example a number(s), letter(s), a combination of numbers and letters, a frequency, or the like. in this embodiment, the memory 40 of the integrated circuit 20 is programmable, so the surgical implement identifier 60 is programmable. therefore, field 172 can be programed by the sensor system. field 174 indicates the initial time of registration, for example when the sensor system first senses the surgical implement and is associated with a registration identifier. field 176 indicates when the given surgical implement was checked out to be used in a surgery and is associated with a checked-out identifier. field 178 holds information about when the given surgical implement was checked back in following it use and is associated with a checked-in identifier. field 180 holds information about the check-in location within the operating room and field 182 indicates what the actual surgical implement is, for example, a sponge, a scalpel, gauze, or the like. this particular arrangement of fields is but one illustration of how the invention may be practiced. for example, certain fields can be omitted, additional fields can be provided, or the arrangement of fields can be changed. for example, additional fields for the check-in or check-out location can be added. also, a field could be added that indicated the count of each implement. for example, that a particular sponge was sponge five of twenty-5/20 or that a scalpel was two of five-2/5. each record 184 - 190 of database 170 associates a surgical implement identifier with time of check-out and time of check-in. in addition, other information is associated with each surgical implement, for example, the actual surgical implement and the location of its check-in. by compiling this information it becomes possible to monitor each individual surgical implement. fig. 2 shows a similar embodiment as fig. 1 , except that the data is only shown being read by the sensor system 100 . the memory 40 of the integrated circuit 22 has a pre-programmed surgical implement identifier 65 as compared to the programmable surgical implement identifier 60 of fig. 1 , and integrated circuit 23 has a pre-programmed surgical implement identifier 66 . fig. 4 shows database 150 , which could be used with the embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 2 . database 150 includes records 160 - 166 , which are accessible using a suitable database management system software. each record 160 - 166 of database 150 contains three fields 152 - 156 . field 152 contains the surgical implement identifier, which is pre-programed in the surgical implement. the pre-programed identifier could be programed, for example, in such a way as to indicate the hospital, the type of implement, the number of the implement, or other parameters desired to be associated with the implement. this particular programing is one illustration of how the invention may be practiced. field 154 corresponds to a check-in “flag” if the surgical implement has been taken to be used, while field 156 corresponds to a check-out “flag” when the surgical implement is brought back after being used. this is a simplified version of the database shown in fig. 3 . prior to surgery, each surgical implement having an integrated circuit in it is placed on or near the main sensor system. the sensor system assigns an individual surgical implement identifier to each surgical implement and records initial data (e.g., initial time of registration). in order to make sure that no unregistered implements are located within the operating room, the sensor system will note all incomplete implement integrated circuit data profiles and alert upon such sensing. when the surgery begins and the surgical implements are used, the sensor system records the time each surgical implement is checked-out/used. when the surgical implement is done being used and the surgical implement is replaced either on or near the main sensor system or in an auxiliary sensory system, the time and optionally, the location, of check-in for each surgical implement is recorded. following surgery, a comparison is completed of surgical implements checked-out and surgical implements checked-in and a list is generated to identify which surgical implements are missing, if any. an output device, such as a computer can be used to display the list. in addition, an alarm will sound if any surgical implements are checked-out but not checked back in from the sensor or the output device. alternatively, the sensor system can keep a running comparison of the surgical implements that have been checked-out and the ones checked-in. in this manner the sensor system can be programmed to alert at particular times during the procedure in order to track the surgical implements throughout the procedure. the functions of the sensor system include, but are not limited to, sensing, tracking, marking, managing, monitoring, setting, controlling, checking, dating, timing, billing inventory control and comparing with protocol. when the implements are placed on, in, or near the main or auxiliary sensor system, each is detected and assigned a unique and individual identifier by the associated sensor system. the identifier used herein includes, but is not limited to, information regarding the product, numbers, strings of letters and numbers, strings of letters or other codes, or a frequency. the sensor system and the auxiliary sensor systems as used herein include, but are not limited to, handheld devices, perimeter systems, entry/exit systems, tables, trays, shelves or stands. in another embodiment, a backup system could be incorporated into the surgical implements using a second integrated circuit, or tag, which would generate an error message when read by a sensor system if there was a problem with a primary integrated circuit. in another embodiment, the initial assigning of surgical implement identifiers is performed when the surgical implements enter the operating room. fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. a patient 299 wearing an identification bracelet 300 is receiving fluids, medication, or blood 318 , through tubing 315 , intravenously 312 . the identification bracelet 300 contains a sensor system 310 , which includes information about the patient 299 , including allergies, medical orders, medication orders, and the like. each of the bags 318 and 320 include integrated circuits 317 and 319 respectively, which may be placed directly on the bags 318 and 320 or incorporated into a label and then placed on each bag 318 and 320 . the integrated circuits 317 and 319 indicate what is in the bags, either blood, medication, fluids, etc. likewise, syringe 325 contains medication and includes an integrated circuit 324 , which indicates what medication is in the syringe 325 . if the contents of bag 320 or syringe 325 are harmful, potentially harmful, or inappropriate in any way for patient 299 , then when the integrated circuits 319 or 324 come near the sensor system 310 located in the patient's identification bracelet 300 , an alarm/alert (not shown) will sound. in an alternative embodiment, the sensor system can be located elsewhere in the patient's room. in addition, more than one integrated circuit can be located on or around the patient. in another embodiment one or more integrated circuits can be sensed by a sensor system and then the associated information from each integrated circuit is compared to the other or alternatively to stored information. if the information does not match a given set of parameters, an alert or alarm will sound. in another embodiment of this invention, medical orders, such as for medical procedures, laboratory studies, or the like, are tagged with one or more integrated circuits-integral or removable, and a sensor system is located on or near the patient or in the patient record, card, chart, or hand held, or other computing platform. in another embodiment, the sensor system or sensor auxiliary device is located in the patient identification bracelet, dog tag, or other suitable appliance. the patient sensor system is preprogrammed with patient information, including, for example, allergies, current medications, medical problem list, patient requests, consents, date of birth, name, insurance, next of kin, contact information, and the like, and may be programmed with status updates or orders. if an inappropriately tagged blood product or drug is brought in proximity to the patient, the sensor will trigger an alert or alarm which can take many forms for easy identification. similarly, if a disposable integrated circuit card, for example, a 2″ by 3″ plastic card (i.e. credit card size) in which an integrated circuit was embedded, for each procedure is generated, should an orderly carrying this card approach the wrong patient for transport, an alert will be generated. the integrated circuit can be, for example a flash memory card or a smart card. in another embodiment, a second integrated circuit can be located in the patient identification bracelet or dog tag. if both the medical orders and the patient identification bracelet contain integrated circuits, then the sensor system can monitor and track whether two integrated circuits move too close together. for example if the wrong medical orders were about to be placed in a patient's chart or the wrong medicine was to be given to a patient. in this embodiment, the sensor system can indicate a conflict between two integrated circuits visually or audibly. in addition, an output device, such as a monitor, can display which devices are in conflict. in yet another embodiment of this invention, pharmaceutical products have one or more integrated circuits attached to the containers, bottles, bags, or labels which may be integral or removable for attachment to inventory lists, patient charts or intravenous (“iv”) or injection apparatus as noted above. remote sensors on hand held devices, located in cabinets where pharmaceuticals are stored, or situated elsewhere, can quickly identify expired or misplaced or otherwise inappropriate drugs. effective tracking of inventory with appropriate software is improved and appropriate ordering, billing and analysis of other information are enhanced. in another embodiment of the present invention, a medical label includes at least one integrated circuit. the medical label can also be just the integrated chip. in addition, there can be more than one label on a given medical product. the medical label can be used to label any type of medical material or product, including pharmaceutical products and blood products, for example as shown in fig. 6 . the medical label can also be placed on medical containers, such as boxes, boxes that contain medical products, crates that contain medical products, bottles, ampoules, bags, syringes, or the like. the integrated circuit within the medical label can include information about the origination of the medical product, verification information about the medical product, the destination of the medical product, what the medical product is, which patient is to receive the medical product, indications, contra-indications, interactions, or similar medically or logistically relevant information. the verification information can include data that indicates the authenticity of the medical product. in addition, there can be more than one medical label on a given medical product. for example, an integrated circuit as described (either in a label or as the label itself) can be used and at least one additional label in the form of a written description of the medical product can be also located on the medical product. in another embodiment where the medical label is used to label blood products, the integrated circuit can include collection, processing, storage, distribution, usage, and patient delivery information. collection, processing, storage information, usage and the like can include, information about the blood donor, the blood type, blood recipient, expiration date, unit number, antigens, antibodies, logistical information, delivery distribution, or combinations thereof. in addition, the label can have certain physical and chemical properties. for example, the label can be temperature resistant, water resistant, shock resistant, and flexible. the integrated circuit within the label can be hermetically sealed so that the environmental conditions experienced by the label do not effect the integrated circuit. for example, such environmental conditions can include the blood container containing the label being frozen and then thawed for storage purposes. the blood products referred to in these embodiments can include, but are not limited to, whole blood, platelets, packed red blood cells, and plasma. example a patient is prepped for a surgical procedure and brought into the operating room. the operating room team comprising, for example, three operating room nurses, two doctors, and an anesthesiologist are also present in the operating room. the operating room nurses are responsible for, among other things, tracking the sponges, scalpels, gauze, forceps, clamps, and other medical implements used during the surgery or surgical procedure. to this end, each surgical implement to be used in this surgery includes an integrated circuit. as the nurses prepare for the surgery, they place each of the surgical implements on or near a sensor system, which is located near to the operating table upon which the patient lies. this sensor system registers each of the implements. as each of the implements is registered, the nurses watch the information appear on a screen of the sensor system, (e.g., a display of a computer) for each of the implements: 1) what each implement is; 2) the time the implement is placed on the sensor system; 3) the place where the implement is being registered; and 4) a unique identifier assigned to each implement is shown. once all of the implements have been registered, the surgery can begin. the doctors begin the surgery and each implement is used in turn. as each implement is used by the doctors, it is removed from the proximity of the sensor system. for example, when one of the nurses hands a scalpel to a doctor, the sensor system senses that the scalpel has been “checked-out” at a certain time. when the doctor has finished with the scalpel, a nurse can either put the scalpel back near the sensor platform it was removed from or place the scalpel on or near an auxiliary sensor system (e.g., a sharps container). when, for example, the auxiliary sensor system senses the scalpel, the scalpel is registered as “checked-in” and the location and time of check-in is also noted. for each surgical implement, each of these steps can be performed. however, if at the end of the surgery, there are implements that have not been checked-in, then the sensor system indicates which implements are missing (e.g., not checked-in). in addition, prior to the doctors suturing the patient, a nurse checks the sensor system (e.g., the display of the computer mentioned earlier). in another embodiment, the sensor system can sound an alarm to remind the operating room team that there are implements missing. once the operating room team is aware that there are items missing and what items are in fact missing by looking at the information provided by the sensor system (e.g., the display of the computer again) as to the description of the item, the check-out time, and the like, a doctor can use an auxiliary sensor system in the form of a portable sensor system to locate the implement. for example, if the implement is still within the patient, a portable sensor system comparable to sensor system 100 but portable in nature is used to locate the missing implements. conclusion embodiments of devices, methods, systems to surgical implements and other medical products, including integrated circuits have been described. in the foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. it will be appreciated, however, by one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. in other instances, structures and devices are shown in block diagram form. furthermore, one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the specific sequences in which methods are presented and performed are illustrative and it is contemplated that the sequences can be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention. further embodiments other embodiments of the present invention are directed to electronic devices and their use for tracking medical products such as medications, blood, and tissue to improve patient safety. the embodiments utilize electronic devices including but not limited to rf id (radio frequency identification) devices which are attached to the medical products to assist in their safe production, distribution, and administration to patients. these devices may be programmed with information which is pertinent to the proper identification, routing, and administration of the medical products. the information may subsequently be read at any time during the life cycle of the medical product. in a particular embodiment, the information is routed to computing systems where it may be processed. medications: one embodiment of the invention uses rf id devices such as labels or tags for medications. the devices may be placed by any known process on containers, vials, ampules and the like. in one embodiment, commonly used labeling information is visibly readable on each label or tag. at the point of manufacture, the labeling process involves applying one or more labels having rf id devices to the unit dose container. ideally, one or more of these rf id devices will be adhesive and removable for subsequent attachment to iv bags, syringes, patient charts, smart cards and the like. in one embodiment these devices are very thin, flexible, resistant to extremes of temperature, moisture, trauma and have a shelf life greater than four years. the devices may be readable and/or printable and may, for example, contain certain data which may include but not be limited to, drug type, name, formulation, interactions, dosages, expiration date, batch number, location of manufacturing facility and contraindications. as the individual unit doses are packaged, each packaged grouping also includes one or more labels having rf id devices attached to its larger subpackage with all the information found in each individual unit dose and with the number of individual units contained in each package or subpackage. hence, a large package or shipment of drug can have multiple rf id devices arranged in such a way that each subpackage is accounted for individually and sequentially with the rf id device of larger units accounting for the next level of smaller units. this pyramid design provides consistency and better tracking ability as the units are easily referenced to larger master rf id units. after the application of the devices to the pharmaceutical products, sensors note the distribution of the products through the facility and their exit as they are shipped to wholesalers or distributors, or to healthcare facilities. appropriate data is recorded and stored centrally. as the products reach their destination they are data scanned and this information is again centrally processed. the products are then routed to the appropriate final locations, where they are kept in the pharmacy or sent to patient care areas. while there, essential data is recorded locally and centrally. the use of scanners, which may be portable or fixed, within storage cabinets or other fixtures keeps track of inventory and notes the presence of outdated drugs for easy disposal. further, the presence of nonformulary products or concentrations as well as other inappropriate medications can be made known to responsible parties in a timely and effective manner. the presence of an led, which could be programmed to emit light when expiration has occurred, or which could be induced to emit light when an external field is applied to an rf id device on an expired drug package, would make identification even easier. when an order for drug is received this too can be programmed electronically such that the correct drug is automatically selected from a central distribution center or from a local drug access center. here, the rf id device could also assist in correct drug selection. when the correct package is chosen, relevant data is recorded for billing, inventory, and related referencing and for comparison with patient data to avoid allergic reactions, redundancy, and possible adverse interactions. at this point, one rf id device may be taken from the unit package and placed on the patient record, chart, or smart card. a second rf id device which also has written drug data as to drug name, date of administration and concentration should be adhered to a syringe or iv bag. in a preferred embodiment, a smart card, chart, or id band would have an rf id or other device containing relevant patient history, treatment, orders and other data and would be updated real-time or on a frequent basis. a sensor/processor unit compares the data from the id devices of the drug and the patient. this helps ensure that compatibility exists and the therapy is appropriate. in one embodiment, an enabling signal precedes therapy, and a failsafe signal is generated to alert appropriate parties that a level of patient safety is breached. the sensor processor unit can be integral with the patient rf id tag, for example on the patient id bracelet, with the ability to transmit to a central computer or processor, or it may be physically separate as a stand alone device or one receiving and relaying data to a central location. the sensor/processor device may be linked to central data and computer systems by wireless or other commercially available means. blood/tissue products: other embodiments of the invention disclose the use of rf id devices in processing and administering blood products and the transplantation of tissue products to human patients. at the point of collection, one or more rf id devices are appended to the collected blood. relevant data is encoded on them as to collection time and date, typing or other essential data, method of viral inactivation and the like. alternatively, a radio frequency bar code may be used. if the blood is fractionated, one or more rf id devices are attached to each derived unit of product. this is done in such a way that all the data contained in the first rf id application are contained in all subsequently written rf id labels with the relevant new data for the derived products encoded or written subsequently. hence, products can be tracked easily back to the original donor and source. the rf id devices are able to withstand the processes required for the preparation of safe blood products and their derivatives. hence, the rf id devices are water resistant, resistant to physical stresses and the extreme cold used in the storage of blood products. they generally have long shelf lives, but this is unnecessary for packed red blood cells. encapsulation may be used to add to their durability, and the rf id devices can be thin, flexible, adherent and easily removable and reattachable. one of the series of applied rf id devices serves as the master rf id and is undetacheable except through removing the rf id device from the adherent portion allowing its inclusion to a master database after use. a central sensor is able to distinguish among the units stored in a single location and individually track their data. hence, real-time inventory is achieved. when units and products are distributed, their routes and destinations are noted and recorded. on arrival to a hospital or other healthcare facility, a sensor confirms their arrival and records the data. this can be relayed back to the place of origin for confirmation. once again, a sensor distinguishes among the many different units stored in one location and that information is stored centrally. if other typing is done, that data is added to the rf id labels on the appropriate units. when the hospital types or screens a patient for the receipt of the product, that information is centrally stored and the chosen units have their rf id tags updated and further encoded with that additional patient data. alternatively, a second series of rf id tags can be generated and applied to the appropriate units. electronic or other mechanical or functional linkage can be used. when a unit of product is ordered, the information is recorded centrally. when the unit of the product arrives at its destination, it is again sensed and appropriate data is displayed. when the unit is taken for patient administration, this is noted by the local sensor and relayed centrally. when the unit is taken to the patient, another patient specific rf id, or other device, on a patient id bracelet, smart card or chart or nearby allows for comparison between the patient data and the product data. the sensor/processor can be integral to the patient specific rf id device or separate in a local or central locale as noted above. before administration, positive enablement can be achieved. a failsafe mechanism signals an alarm if any incompatibility is present, providing passive security. this process facilitates processing, distribution, record keeping, inventory, billing, and improves patient safety and decreases product waste. fig. 7 shows an infrastructure 410 in which the principles described herein can be useful. generally, it will be appreciated that throughout the life cycle of a medical product, a number of entities/facilities may be involved. for example, a source facility 412 such as a drug manufacturer or blood bank may transport the medical product to a distributor facility 414 , where the distributor facility 414 distributes the medical product to one or more health care facilities 416 . as will be discussed in greater detail below, each facility maintains a central database 418 of source data and/or patient, where each database 418 may be accessed by the other facilities in the infrastructure 410 via network 420 . by way of example, it can be seen that an assembly 422 of medical products includes a first unit 424 and a second unit 426 . the first unit 424 of the medical product includes a first unit rf id 428 , which may be incorporated into a label as discussed above. the first unit rf id 428 uniquely identifies the medical product and the first unit 424 . similarly, the second unit 426 of the medical product has a second unit rf id device 430 where the second unit rf id device 430 uniquely identifies the medical product and the second unit 426 . it can further be seen that packaging 432 such as shrink wrapping, box or crate, combines the first unit 424 and the second unit 426 into a group. furthermore, the packaging 432 has a group rf id device 434 , where the group rf id device 434 uniquely identifies the medical product, the first unit 424 and the second unit 426 . it will be appreciated that the medical product can include pharmaceutical products, blood products, tissue products, or any combination thereof. it should also be noted that the group identified by the group rf id device 434 typically includes many more units than the two illustrated. it will further be appreciated that a first supplemental rf id device 436 may be removably attached to the first unit 424 , where the first supplemental rf id device 436 also uniquely identifies the first unit 424 . this allows the first supplemental rf id device 436 to be subsequently reattached to other containers such as vials, syringes, etc. if the first unit 424 is fractionated. similarly, a second supplemental rf id device 438 may be removably attached to the second unit 426 . the second supplemental rf id device 438 uniquely identifies the second unit 426 . the supplemental rf id devices may be applied at the source facility 412 , the distributor facility 414 or anywhere else in the distribution chain of the medical product. as already discussed, the rf id devices may include source data and unit number data. in the case of pharmaceutical products, data may include but is not limited to drug-type data, drug-name data, formulation data, interaction data, dosage data, expiration data, batch number data, indication data, cartron indication data, or combinations thereof. in the case of blood products, data may include, but is not limited to blood donor data, blood type data, expiration data, antigen data, antibody data, or combinations thereof. it can further be seen that facilities such as health care facility 416 a may include one more sensing systems 440 in communication with the rf id devices 428 , 430 , 434 , 436 , 438 and a central processing unit (cpu) 442 . while communication is illustrated as being implemented via a bus network 444 it will be appreciated that any appropriate local area networking (lan), wireless networking, or other architecture may be used. it can be seen that the cpu 442 is coupled to the central database 418 a and associates the received data in accordance with any number of commercially available database approaches. turning now to fig. 8 , health care facility 416 a is shown in greater detail. specifically, it can be seen that the assembly of medical products enters the health care facility 416 a at receiving area 446 . the group rf id device 434 is scanned using sensor 448 a in order to log the uniquely identified first unit 424 and second unit 426 in as being received. this enables unit data and source data to be associated with any patient data/location data that may be entered into computing terminal 450 a . this information is transmitted to the cpu 442 for storage in the central database 418 a. it can be seen that as the units 424 , 426 move throughout the health care facility 416 a , the overall system enables tracking of such movement as well as updating of any relevant patient data. for example, in the illustrated example, the first unit 424 is sent to a treatment area 452 and is placed in a pharmaceutical cabinet 454 for temporary storage. before placement in the cabinet 454 , the first unit rf id device 428 can be scanned by sensor 448 b , where the treatment area location is associated with the first unit 424 . additionally, the first unit rf id device 428 may communicate with a sensor 448 e mounted within the cabinet 454 . it can further be seen that a patient chart 456 has a patient data rf id device 458 . in the illustrated example, the first supplemental rf id device 436 may be attached to the patient chart 456 and any conflicts can be detected and reported as discussed above. it can further be seen that second unit 426 is sent to a pharmacy 460 for storage until an order is placed for the particular medical product. it can be seen that if the second unit 426 is fragmented to a supplemented container 462 , the second supplemental rf id device 438 can be attached to the supplemental container 462 in order to document the fragmentation. thus, when the supplemental container 462 is sent to treatment area 464 , sensor 448 d and terminal 450 d can initiate an update of the central database 418 a. turning now to fig. 9 , a method 467 of tracking medical products is shown. processing block 468 provides for receiving the shipment, which contains the assembly of medical products. a group of medical products is associated with a group location at block 470 based on a group rf id device signal. as already discussed, the group includes a first unit and a second unit. block 472 provides associating the first unit with a first remote location based on first unit rf id signal. the second unit is associated with a second remote location at block 474 based on a second unit rf id device signal. the signals uniquely identify the units and the group. example scenarios the following scenarios illustrate by way of example certain of the principles of the embodiments of the present invention: scenario #1: a widely used medication is received by a hospital. a tracking device in accordance with the present invention is affixed to each vial of the medication, and the vials are distributed to various locations within the hospital. prior to distribution, tracking information such as product type, name, formulation, interactions dosages, expiration date, batch number, manufacturing facility, handling and storage information, and distribution locations are entered into a central computer. at a later date, it is discovered that the expiration date of the medication is in error, and that it will shortly expire. using the information stored in the central computer, the locations of the medication are rapidly determined, so that removal and disposal can be achieved. alternatively, a sensor in a storage cabinet periodically scans all medications and directly identifies the presence and location of the expired drug. it is also possible to have a pre-programmed timer, clock or a chip or other circuit such that an individual rf id device independently emits a signal when a certain date is reached which may be noted with a passive or active sensor array or by a characteristic sound, light or electrochemical color change of part or all of the printed label or package. a battery source set to expire at or near the expiration date of the pharmaceutical may also be used, wherein when the battery source expires an alert is issued. scenario #2: a patient is to undergo emergency surgery immediately. information, including that relating to the patient's allergies or other drug reactions is written on the patient's rf id bracelet in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. in the operating room just prior to surgery, the anesthetics to be used during the operation are automatically scanned and this information was processed with the information on the id bracelet. it is discovered that one anesthetic agent would produce a severe reaction in the patient. a safe substitute anesthetic is suggested by the system and was subsequently used during the procedure with good result. scenario #3: a patient arrives at the er complaining of vomiting blood. a type and cross is sent immediately and information is encoded and written on the central computer and on the rf id label directly and immediately placed on the er patient's sample tube at the point of blood sampling. this tube arrives at the hospital blood bank where it is scanned to avoid clerical and other errors involving patient data. the central computer has already used the patient data to access previous data from prior hospital or clinic visits, and may use the internet or other known modality to access confidential and necessary health information from any hospital, physician, insurer or other reliable source. in the blood bank, blood typing data is obtained rapidly and rf id labels are appropriately written. the results are automatically compared with those obtained previously during prior admissions or with data from the city blood bank or american red cross. differences, such as new antibodies are noted and the records upgraded throughout. any obvious clerical or other errors are also ruled out very effectively by this process of comparison. the patient deteriorates and undergoes emergency surgery. suppose blood is ordered and sent to the operating room (or). while bringing the blood to the or, an extra bag that was in storage for another patient is taken unwittingly. when placed in the dedicated patient storage container or area, automatic scanning indicates the presence of this unit of blood. if this should fail a scanner integral to or near the patient id bracelet would note the discrepancy and issue a warning such that the wrong unit not be given. when each unit is given, the used bags are placed in a waste area, where the rf id tags are again scanned. this information is sent to the blood bank for closure of the loop. this prevents units from becoming lost or otherwise wasted in a busy or. this also allows for real time tracking of blood use in the or by the blood bank, which can then better keep up with demands and improve logistics. this is very important if a nonhospital or city blood center's resources should become required on short notice. further, the blood bank would avoid unnecessary processing of unneeded blood and blood products which would need to be used quickly or wasted once prepared. in the foregoing detailed description, devices, systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. accordingly, the present specification and figures are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.
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033-770-183-621-502
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EP
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[
"EP",
"US",
"WO"
] |
H04W52/24,H04L29/08,H04W84/18,H04W88/08
| 2012-09-24T00:00:00 |
2012
|
[
"H04"
] |
method and system for operating stations in a cooperative station network
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a method for operating a plurality of stations in a cooperative station network, wherein each of the stations transmits signals and receives signals from other stations, includes determining a path loss between at least two of the stations. a carrier sense range for signals of a first station of the stations is determined based on the path loss and received power of signals from the other stations. a load on a dedicated signal exchange channel is determined based on the determined carrier sense range. a maximum output power for the first station is determined based on the determined load. the first station is operated by adjusting the output power of the first station to be, at least on average below the determined maximum output power for the first station.
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1. a method for operating a plurality of stations in a cooperative station network, wherein each of the stations transmits signals and receives signals from other stations, comprising: determining a path loss between at least two of the stations; determining a carrier sense range for signals of a first station of the stations based on the path loss and received power of signals from the other stations, wherein the carrier sense range is a transmission range at which a signal can be detected; determining a load on a dedicated signal exchange channel based on the determined carrier sense range; determining a maximum output power for the first station based on the determined load; and operating the first station by adjusting the output power of the first station to be, at least on average below the determined maximum output power for the first station, wherein the carrier sense range is an average carrier sense range that is calculated using a probability that a receive power at a distance from a transmitter is above a sensitivity of a receiver, and wherein the probability that the receive power at a distance from a transmitter is above a sensitivity of a receiver is calculated using the formula: wherein p cs (y) is the probability that the receive power at a distance from a transmitter is above a sensitivity of a receiver, y is the distance from the transmitter, f is the sensitivity of the receiver, a is the wavelength of a carrier, β is a path loss exponent, and m is a shape parameter. 2. the method according to claim 1 , wherein, for determining the path loss, a one slope path loss model is used, which is based on wavelength of the signals, distance to the other stations, or a path loss exponent. 3. the method according to claim 1 , wherein for determining the path loss, a fading intensity is determined, modeled by a shape parameter. 4. the method according to claim 1 , wherein the received power is determined based on a gamma-distribution with a shape parameter or a sensitivity of the receiving station. 5. the method according to claim 1 , wherein neighbor station information is used to determine the channel load. 6. the method of claim 5 , wherein the neighbor station information includes one or more of a signal sending rate, a signal size, and a station density. 7. the method according to claim 6 , wherein the station density is estimated based on a number of neighbor stations in the carrier sense range. 8. the method according to claim 7 , wherein the station density is estimated based on an interference range between the stations or hidden station collisions. 9. the method according to claim 7 , wherein, for each of the stations, a neighbor station table is created and updated to comprise collected information included in the signals from the neighbor stations. 10. the method according to claim 9 , wherein entries of a neighbor station table are removed after a predetermined time-period. 11. the method according to claim 6 , wherein the station density is determined based on a measured channel business time and based on data rate, signal rate and signal size of the signals received from the other stations. 12. the method according to claim 6 , wherein an interference range is used, based on interferences or the channel load being above a certain threshold, to correct the station density. 13. the method according to claim 12 , wherein, for determining the station density, the carrier sense range is estimated by average transmit power used by neighbor stations. 14. the method according to claim 1 , wherein, for determining the received power, a nakagami-m model is used. 15. the method according to claim 1 , wherein a margin is added to the determined maximum output power. 16. the method according to claim 1 , wherein the signals are beacon signals. 17. the method of claim 1 , wherein the average carrier sense range is calculated using the formula: wherein r cs is the average carrier sense range, a is the wavelength of a carrier, β is a path loss exponent, and m is a shape parameter. 18. a system for operating a cooperative station network, wherein each of a plurality of stations transmits signals and receives signals from other stations, comprising: a pass loss device operable to determine a path loss between at least two stations; a range device operable to determine a carrier sense range for signals of a first station of the stations based on the path loss and received power of signals from the other stations, wherein the carrier sense range is a transmission range at which a signal can be detected; a load device operable to determine a load on a dedicated signal exchange channel based on the determined carrier sense range; a power determining device operable to determine a maximum output power for the station based on the determined load; and an operating device operable to adjust the output power of the station to be below the maximum output power for the first station, wherein the carrier sense range is an average carrier sense range that is calculated using a probability that a receive power at a distance from a transmitter is above a sensitivity of a receiver, and wherein the probability that the receive power at a distance from a transmitter is above a sensitivity of a receiver is calculated using the formula: wherein p cs (y) is the probability that the receive power at a distance from a transmitter is above a sensitivity of a receiver, y is the distance from the transmitter, f is the sensitivity of the receiver, a is the wavelength of a carrier, β is a path loss exponent, and m is a shape parameter. 19. the system of claim 18 , wherein the average carrier sense range is calculated using the formula: wherein r cs is the average carrier sense range, a is the wavelength of a carrier, β is a path loss exponent, and m is a shape parameter. 20. a method for operating a plurality of stations in a cooperative station network, wherein each of the stations transmits signals and receives signals from other stations, comprising: determining a path loss between at least two of the stations; determining a carrier sense range for signals of a first station of the stations based on the path loss and received power of signals from the other stations, wherein the carrier sense range is a transmission range at which a signal can be detected; determining a load on a dedicated signal exchange channel based on the determined carrier sense range; determining a maximum output power for the first station based on the determined load; and operating the first station by adjusting the output power of the first station to be, at least on average below the determined maximum output power for the first station, wherein the carrier sense range is an average carrier sense range that is calculated using a probability that a receive power at a distance from a transmitter is above a sensitivity of a receiver, and wherein the average carrier sense range is calculated using the formula: wherein r cs is the average carrier sense range, a is the wavelength of a carrier, β is a path loss exponent, and m is a shape parameter. 21. a system for operating a cooperative station network, wherein each of a plurality of stations transmits signals and receives signals from other stations, comprising: a pass loss device operable to determine a path loss between at least two stations; a range device operable to determine a carrier sense range for signals of a first station of the stations based on the path loss and received power of signals from the other stations, wherein the carrier sense range is a transmission range at which a signal can be detected; a load device operable to determine a load on a dedicated signal exchange channel based on the determined carrier sense range; a power determining device operable to determine a maximum output power for the station based on the determined load; and an operating device operable to adjust the output power of the station to be below the maximum output power for the first station, wherein the carrier sense range is an average carrier sense range that is calculated using a probability that a receive power at a distance from a transmitter is above a sensitivity of a receiver, and wherein the average carrier sense range is calculated using the formula: wherein r cs is the average carrier sense range, a is the wavelength of a carrier, β is a path loss exponent, and m is a shape parameter.
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cross-reference to prior applications this application is a u.s. national phase application under 35 u.s.c. §371 of international application no. pct/ep2013/055564, filed on mar. 18, 2013, and claims benefit to european patent application no. ep 12185621.5, filed on sep. 24, 2012. the international application was published in english on mar. 27, 2014 as wo 2014/044415 under pct article 21(2). field the present invention relates to a method for operating stations in a cooperative station network, preferably a vehicular ad hoc network, wherein the stations transmit signals and receive signals from other stations. the present invention also relates to a system for operating stations in a cooperative station network, preferably a vehicular ad hoc network, wherein stations transmit signals and receive signals from other stations. background although applicable to cooperative networks in general, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with regard to a vehicular cooperative network. cooperative vehicular networks or systems are used to increase road safety and traffic efficiency. such cooperative vehicular networks may be based on wireless communication based on ieee 802.11 wireless lan technology among vehicles and between vehicles and a roadside infrastructure, for example roadside infrastructure nodes according to ieee 208.11p and/or its european variant according to etsi en 302 663 “intelligent transport systems” (its). in cooperative vehicular networks the stations are vehicles, i. e. highly dynamic nodes with challenging propagation conditions. for a communication between vehicles a dedicated spectrum in the 5 ghz range was allocated. in a scenario with many nodes and with a high data rate from corresponding applications using these communication channels the communication channels can easily be saturated. this saturation leads to an unreliable communication between the vehicles and therefore in an inefficient operation of the cooperative vehicular network. in saturated conditions, the time for accessing a communication channel is significantly increased and the probability of packet reception is decreased at all distances or in other words packet loss is increased. due to a lack of coordinating infrastructure in cooperative vehicular networks cooperation has to be performed in a decentralized manner. for example for safety reasons vehicles may send periodic status messages to advertise their presence to other vehicles. these periodic messages opposed to event-driven messages are the basis for many safety applications like electronic break light, etc. and they may contribute considerably to the load on the wireless communication channels. in order to control the load on these wireless communication channels the transmit power respectively output power of stations/nodes, here vehicles, in the cooperative vehicular network may be adjusted according to the actual load on the communication channels in the cooperative vehicular network. by decreasing the transmit power of a sent packet, this also reduces the spatial coverage and hence the load at a particular location in the communication range of the vehicle sending out the packet. further conventional options to control congestion on the wireless communication channel include for example adjusting the packet generation rate, the carrier sense threshold or a combination of both of them. for adjustment of the transmit power a so-called transmit power control tpc was proposed for congestion control by etsi ts 102 687 and further d-fpav, which was defined in torrent-moreno, m.; mittag, j.; santi, p.; hartenstein, h., “vehicle-to-vehicle communication: fair transmit power control for safety-critical information”, ieee transactions on vehicular technology, vol. 58, no. 7, pp. 3684-3703, september 2009. (dfpav), also available in m. sepulcre, j. mittag, p. santi, h. hartenstein, and j. gozalvez, “congestion and awareness control in cooperative vehicular systems,” proceedings of the ieee, vol. 99, no. 7, pp. 1260-1279, july 2011. d-fpav is a transmit power control algorithm achieving congestion control under so-called fairness constraints. the term “fairness” may for example be defined as in m. torrent-moreno, p. santi, and h. hartenstein, “fair sharing of bandwidth in vanets,” in proceedings of the 2nd acm international workshop on vehicular ad hoc networks (vanet), 2005, pp. 49-58. congestion control in the wireless communication channel is according to d-fpav achieved by exchanging of neighbour position information piggybacked in extended beacon signals from the vehicles. the added control information causes overhead scaling with the number of neighbour nodes/vehicles. another alternative to reduce the overhead is to estimate the node density around every node and exchange a constant-size histogram of the node density in road segments as proposed in mittag, j.; schmidt-eisenlohr, f.; killat, m.; harri, j.; hartenstein, h., “analysis and design of effective and low-overhead transmission power control for vanets”, proceedings of the fifth acm vanet 2008 (dvde/spav). further conventional methods defining a packet rate control opposed to transmit power control for example available in the documents of h. busche, c. khorakhun, and h. rohling, “self-organized update rate control for inter-vehicle networks,” in proceedings of the 7th international workshop on intelligent transportation (wit 2010), 2010, of j. b. kenney, g. bansal, c. e. rohrs, “limeric: a linear message rate control algorithm for vehicular dsrc systems,” eighth acm international workshop on vehicular inter-networking (vanet 2011), pp. 21-30, 2011, of c. sommer, o. k. tonguz, and f. dressler, “traffic information systems: efficient message dissemination via adaptive beaconing,” ieee communications magazine, vol. 49, no. 5, pp. 173-179, may 2011, of m. sepulcre and j. gozalvez, “adaptive wireless vehicular communication techniques under correlated radio channels,” in proceedings of the 69th ieee vehicular technology conference (vtc spring), 2009, pp. 1-5 and of t. tielert, d. jiang, q. chen, l. delgrossi, h. hartenstein, “design methodology and evaluation of rate adaptation based congestion control for vehicle safety communications,” vehicular networking conference (vnc), 2011 ieee, pp. 116-123, 2011. further conventional methods use an adaptation of the clear channel assessment (cca) threshold, i.e. the threshold to detect and decode an incoming frame, for example described in the document of r. k. schmidt, a. brakemeier, t. leinmüller, f. kargl, and g. schäfer, “advanced carrier sensing to resolve local channel congestion,” in proceedings of the eighth acm international workshop on vehicular inter-networking (vanet 2011), 2011, pp. 11-20. even further other conventional methods combine transmit power control and rate control for congestion control of the wireless communication channel, for example as described in the documents of r. baldessari, l. le, w. zhang, a. festag: “joining forces for vanets: a combined transmit power and rate control algorithm”, 7th international workshop on intelligent transportation (wit 2010), march 2010. (combined rate and power control), of l. le, r. baldessari, p. salvador, a. festag, and wenhui zhang, “performance evaluation of beacon congestion control algorithms for vanets,” in global telecommunications conference (globecom), 2011, pp. 1-6, of c. khorakhun, h. busche, and h. rohling, “congestion control for vanets based on power or rate adaptation,” in proceedings of the 5th international workshop on intelligent transportation (wit 2008), 2008, of m. sepulcre, j. gozalvez, and h. hartenstein, “application-based congestion control policy for the communication channel in vanets,” ieee communications letters, vol. 14, no. 10, pp. 951-953, 2010, of m. sepulcre, j. mittag, p. santi, h. hartenstein, and j. gozalvez, “congestion and awareness control in cooperative vehicular systems,” proceedings of the ieee, vol. 99, no. 7, pp. 1260-1279, july 2011 and of c.-l. huang, y. p. fallah, r. sengupta, and h. krishnan, “adaptive intervehicle communication control for cooperative safety systems,” ieee network, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 6-13, 2010. these conventional congestion control methods may be classified into proactive, reactive and hybrid methods. reactive methods use information about the general congestion status based on local information or remote information transmitted from other nodes. proactive methods estimate the transmission parameters that do not lead to congestion. hybrid methods combine proactive and reactive methods. summary in an embodiment, the present invention provides a method for operating a plurality of stations in a cooperative station network, wherein each of the stations transmits signals and receives signals from other stations. a path loss is determined between at least two of the stations. a carrier sense range for signals of a first station of the stations is determined based on the path loss and received power of signals from the other stations. a load on a dedicated signal exchange channel is determined based on the determined carrier sense range. a maximum output power for the first station is determined based on the determined load. the first station is operated by adjusting the output power of the first station to be, at least on average below the determined maximum output power for the first station. brief description of the drawings the present invention will be described in even greater detail below based on the exemplary figures. the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. other features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings which illustrate the following: fig. 1 shows a scenario for a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 shows a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description the inventors have recognized that one of the problems of proactive and hybrid methods is to correctly estimate the load in the wireless communication channels. another problem recognized and addressed by the inventors is how to determine a mapping from transmit power levels of individual stations to a carrier sense range with a low protocol overhead. in an embodiment, the present invention provides a method and a system for operating stations in a cooperative station network, which reduces protocol overhead. in an embodiment, the present invention also provides a method and a system for operating stations in a cooperative station network which enable a more precise determination of the channel load. in an embodiment, the present invention further provides a method and a system for operating stations in a cooperative station network based on locally collected information. in an embodiment, the present invention even further provides a method and a system for operating stations in a cooperative station network enabling a network load in general below a pre-given threshold under highly changing conditions of stations. in an embodiment, the present invention even further provides a method and a system for operating stations in a cooperative station network enabling an easy implementation with little additional complexity. according to an embodiment, a method is defined to operate stations in a cooperative station network, preferably a vehicular ad hoc network comprising stations which transmit signals and receive signals from other stations. the method according to an embodiment includes: a) determining a path loss between at least two stations,b) determining a carrier sense range for signals of a station based on the path loss and received power of signals from other stations,c) determining a load on a dedicated signal exchange channel based on the carrier sense range according to step b),d) determining a maximum output power for a station based on the determined load according to step c), ande) operating the station by adjusting the output power of the station, so that the output power is below the determined maximum output power for this station, at least on average. a system for operating stations in a cooperative station network is defined, preferably the vehicular ad hoc network, comprising stations, wherein the stations transmit signals and receive signals from other stations, preferably for performing with the method according to the embodiments of the present invention. the system includes: a pass loss device operable to determine a path loss between at least two stations, a range device operable to determine a carrier sense range for signals of a station based on the path loss and received power of signals from other stations, a load device operable to determine a load on a dedicated signal exchange channel based on the carrier sense range, a power determining device operable to determine a maximum output power for a station based on the determined load and an operating device operable to adjust the output power of the station, so that the output power is below the maximum output power for this station, at least on average. according to an embodiment of the invention, it has been recognized that network congestion in the cooperative station network is prevented. according to an embodiment of the invention, it has been further recognized that the method and the system are independent of a centralized coordinating infrastructure. according to an embodiment of the invention, it has been further recognized that the network load can be maintained below a pre-defined threshold and protocol overhead in signals between the station is minimized. according to an embodiment of the invention, it has been further recognized that relevant parameters for determining the output power are derived from locally collected information, in particular from signals from other stations. according to an embodiment of the invention, it has been further recognized that the method and the system are easy to implement without extensive modifications to existing/conventional methods and systems. according to a preferred embodiment, a one slope path loss model is used for determining the path loss, preferably based on wavelength of the signals, distance to other stations and/or a path loss exponent. one of the advantages with a one slope path loss model is that the path loss can be determined with sufficient accuracy while at the same time providing an easy and fast determination. according to a further preferred embodiment, a fading intensity is determined for determining the path loss and preferably modeled by a shape parameter. by determining the fading intensity a more realistic, i.e. more precise value for the path loss can be determined. when the fading intensity is modeled by a shape parameter an easy and fast calculation of the fading intensity is possible. according to a further preferred embodiment, the receive power is determined based on a gamma-distribution with the shape parameter and/or the receiving station sensitivity. by using the gamma-distribution the received power at a point at a certain distance from a transmitter can be modeled being above the sensitivity s of the receiver. a probability p may be expressed in terms of the gamma-function: where γ (m, x) is the upper incomplete gamma-function, s is the sensitivity of the receiver, a is 4π/λ 2 with λ being the wavelength of the carrier, β being the path loss exponent and m being the shape parameter. according to a further preferred embodiment, for determining the channel load, neighbour station information, preferably signal sending rate, signal size and/or station density is used. this enables a fast and reliable determination of the channel load with easy-to-access respectively easy-to-determine parameters such as sending packet rate, data rate, etc. according to a further preferred embodiment, a nakagami-m model is used for determining the received power. by using the nakagami-m model a precise determination of the attenuation of wireless signals traversing multiple paths is enabled. according to a further preferred embodiment, the station density is based, preferably estimated, on the number of neighbour stations in the carrier sense range. this enables a realistic, i.e. with sufficient accuracy, determination of the station density in a fast and efficient way. for example the average number of neighbours discovered {circumflex over (n)} is divided by the average transmission range/carrier sense range r cs of signals so that the vehicle density is {circumflex over (n)}/2r cs . this enables in particular in high channel load conditions a more reliable determination of the number of neighbours and therefore the station density: in high channel load conditions the vehicles cannot determine or estimate the real number of neighbours due mainly to hidden-station collisions that corrupt station signal reception. the interference range r i can then be used to correct the station density ρ in both cases: according to a further preferred embodiment, a margin is added to the determined maximum output power. in reality the channel load and therefore the determined output power may also vary over an average value when for example parameter estimates are updated in certain time intervals. to guarantee that a communication channel load is strictly below a threshold, for the maximum determined output power a safety margin is added to ensure that the channel load and therefore that the output power of stations based on it is below the determined maximum output power. according to a further preferred embodiment, for each station, a neighbour station table is created and updated comprising collected information included in signals form other neighbour stations. this provides and easy access to information collected from neighbour stations which may be kept and updated every time a new signal is received. according to a further preferred embodiment, entries of a neighbour station table are removed after a pre-given time-period. this enables on the one hand a very flexible way to adapt the neighbour station table: for example if the pre-given time-period, the table update time, is too high, then stations may overestimate the number of neighbours so the time period has to be adapted according to changing conditions, for example with respect to station density. according to a further preferred embodiment, this station density is determined based on a measured channel business time and on data rate, signal rate and signal size of received signals from other stations. by using the channel business time, the number of neighbour stations is not overestimated if no other kind of traffic is present. for example the station density {circumflex over (p)} may be estimated based on the average number of neighbour stations as follows: {circumflex over (n)}=(ĉv t )/(b r b s ), where v t is the transmission bitrate in bps, ĉ is the channel business time measured over a period of time, b s is the signal size in form of the beacon size and b r is the signal rate in form of the nominal beaconing rate. according to a further preferred embodiment, the interference range is used to correct the station density when interferences and/or a channel load are above a certain threshold. this enables to initiate interference correction for use only under high load conditions. when for example the channel load, for example represented by the channel business time falls below a given threshold the interference correction is deactivated. therefore, a more complicated determination of the station density is only used in cases where interferences or channel load avoid a realistic respectively precise determination of the station density, thus avoiding unnecessary and complicated calculation when not needed. according to a further preferred embodiment, the carrier sense range for determining the station density is estimated by the average transmit power used by neighbour stations. the parameter of the average transmit power used by neighbour stations can be easily measured respectively determined, so that the station density via the carrier sense range can be determined in a fast and efficient way. according to a further preferred embodiment, the signal is provided in form of a beacon signal. beacon signals are signals which are regularly respectively periodically sent and can therefore be used for vehicle safety applications in vehicular networks. in fig. 1 , different vehicles v 1 , v 2 , v 3 , v 4 are shown, wherein the vehicles v 1 , v 2 and v 4 travel form left to right and vehicle v 3 travels from right to left. further, the beacon load bl is shown for each vehicle v 1 , v 2 , v 3 and v 4 . in this one-dimensional model the carrier sense ranges csr 1 , csr 2 , csr 3 and csr 4 corresponding to the vehicles v 1 , v 2 , v 3 and v 4 are shown with horizontal lines. vehicle v 1 with the carrier sense range csr 1 has therefore a beacon load bl=2, since the carrier sense ranges csr 2 and csr 3 are overlapping with the carrier sense range csr 1 : vehicle v 1 receives beacons from vehicle v 2 and vehicle v 3 . vehicle v 2 receives beacons (beacon load bl=2) from the vehicle v 1 and the vehicle v 3 , since the carrier sense range csr 2 of the vehicle v 2 overlaps with the carrier sense ranges csr 1 and csr 3 of the vehicles v 1 and v 3 . vehicle v 3 has a beacon load bl=2, since the carrier sense range csr 3 of the vehicle v 3 overlaps with the carrier sense ranges csr 2 and csr 4 . vehicle v 4 with its carrier sense range csr 4 has only a beacon load bl=1, since the carrier sense range csr 4 overlaps only with carrier sense range csr 3 of vehicle v 3 . fig. 2 shows a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 2 , main steps of the method according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown in a flow chart. in a first step s 1 , the carrier sense range r_cs is determined based on path loss with a one slope path loss model with wavelength λ, distance y and path loss exponent β and based on the receive power p_r, determined by a γ-distribution with shape parameter m and receiver- or station-sensitivity s. in a further step s 1 ′, a parameter estimation for the path loss exponent β and the shape parameter m for modeling fading intensity is estimated and neighbour information for the path loss determination like distance y, transmit power p_t and receive power p_r are determined. in a second step s 2 , the channel load l, preferably with interference correction of the station density p is determined based on the carrier sense range r_cs of step s 1 . for determining the channel load l, in a further step s 2 ′, a parameter estimation for the node- or station-density ρ is performed and further, neighbour information, preferably signal rate and signal size, here beacon rate b_r and beacon size b_s are used. in the third step s 3 , the maximum power p* that keeps the channel load under the maximum beacon load is determined. if necessary the output power of the corresponding station is then adjusted accordingly, so that the output power is below the maximum output power. in particular, a method according to a further embodiment of the invention may be performed as follows: as an assumption a vehicular network is considered in one dimension having a traffic flow with an average density of vehicles ρ per meter. further, it may be assumed that vehicles transmit with a constant power p over a fading channel with path loss attenuation. it may be assumed that fading is a fast-term- or rayleigh-fading. based on these assumptions the power of a signal received at a location y from a transmitter at a position x is then pf/l(lx−yl), where l(x) is a path loss attenuation model and f is an exponential random variable with mean 1. pf may be interpreted as a “virtual power” which is exponentially distributed with mean p, that is, receive power becomes f/l(lx−yl), where the transmit power is now an exponential random variable f with parameter μ=p −1 . it may further be assumed, that the received power follows a gamma-distribution according the more general nakagami-m model with parameters m and μ being a shape and a scale parameter. the virtual power is then a random variable f, whose probability distribution function is where γ(x) is the gamma-function and the parameter μ=m/p to get an average power of p. the fading intensity is given by the parameter m, wherein a lower value applies more severe fading conditions. when the parameter m has the value 1, this corresponds to rayleigh fading. to model the path loss, a one slope path loss model l=ax β is used, where a=(4π/λ) 2 , λ is the wavelength of the carrier signal and β is the so-called path loss exponent. with the aforementioned assumptions, respectively formulas the probability that the receive power at a point of distance y from a transmitter is above the sensitivity f of the receiver may be expressed as follows: where γ(m, x) is the upper incomplete gamma-function. assuming that the transmission range or carrier sense range is a random variable r, then pr(r>y) is equal to p cs (y). since f r (y) is 0 for y<0 the average value r cs may be calculated as follows: carrier sense range corresponds to transmission range as that one where the signal from a receiver can be detected. for a packet to be correctly decoded the signal to interference-plus-noise ratio sinr has to be greater than a certain value t, which results in a smaller effective transmission range. however, both cases are equivalent: the channel is considered busy and so it is not available for transmission. a channel business time cbt may be defined as the fraction of time that a receiver considers the channel occupied in a time interval. the channel business time cbt is commonly measured and made available by the stations. when assuming that all vehicles used the same power, the average channel load may be given by l=2r cs ρb r b s where b r is the average beaconing rate in hertz or beacons/s, b s the average beacon size in bits, and l is expressed in bps. based on the average carrier sense range r cs and the average channel load, the maximum power to be used to keep the average load under a given maximum beacon load l m , can be determined as follows: every vehicle may compute the maximum power p* and may adjust its output power accordingly so that the general load is under the maximum beacon load l m , according to vehicle density ρ and to general conditions, summarized by respectively represented by the path loss exponent β and the shape parameter m. since these values are known a priori and may change over time, vehicles may periodically estimate them from the information they have available. to control the congestion in the channel, load which is generated by surrounding neighbours, may be measured, either using the station- or node-density, here the vehicle density or the channel distance time and the transmit power respectively output power is increased or decreased according the maximum power p* using the estimated channel parameters. the estimation of channel parameters maybe performed as follows and in advance the following assumptions are made: since the transmission range and station density/vehicle density/node density are independent random variables, the average channel load is given by the multiplication of their average values. the beaconing rate is not independent of other variables so three rates maybe distinguished: the nominal beaconing rate b r , the transmitted beaconing rate b′ r and the effective beaconing rate b r . the first one is the beaconing offered load, whereas b′ r is the beacon rate actually transmitted by the vehicle after medium access control operation contributing to channel load. at high load conditions the medium access control saturates and beacons are discarded. therefore the beacon rate b′ r depends on the vehicle density. in the following, it is further assumed that transmit power control reduces the number of neighbour vehicles before their medium access control enters saturation. therefore it is assumed that b r ≈b′ r and is independent of vehicle density and transmit power. the effective beaconing rate b r is the rate of beacons correctly received from a neighbour vehicle. once transmit power control is enabled, the effective beaconing rate is determined by fading and hidden node collisions. the fraction of packet lost due to fading is accounted for with the average carrier sense radius r cs and so the nominal beaconing rate is the correct rate to be used in equation above for the average channel load l. to account for the losses due to hidden-node collisions, wherein the term “node” or “station” is here used as another term for vehicle, the estimated communication range may be estimated under interference which is described in the following. further, it is assumed that the vehicle will consider the channel busy either if the vehicle may decode packets or they are corrupted by a hidden-node collisions or interference. since however part of the interfered transmissions overlap, the measured channel business time cbt is lower than the corresponding average channel load determined with the corresponding equation above. for controlling the congestion in the vehicle or network this provides sufficient accuracy since the channel load overestimation results in lower transmit power p* which represents a worst case approach. the estimated communication range under interference can be used to estimate the fraction of packets lost by hidden-node collisions and correct the value of the average channel load l. even further, in the following it is assumed that beaconing rate b r and beacon size b s is constant. it is further assumed that the transmitted power is not converged to a single value for every vehicle, since in reality vehicle signal output power can only take discrete values and vehicles may use or determine different values of the transmit power. even further, it is assumed that the transmit power is expected to vary over an average value as the environment estimates for parameters are updated. it is assumed and expected that the channel load oscillates around the determined maximum beacon load value, so that a safety margin may be assigned. channel conditions are reflected on the path loss exponent β and the shape parameter m. vehicles may estimate their value from the information carried by beacons collected from other vehicles and their own low-level measurements. that is, for the path loss exponent a single slope model is assumed and vehicles may collect a sample of it from every beacon as follows: in ( ) is the natural logarithm; p t,i and p r,j are respectively the transmit and received power for the packet, and δ x is the distance between transmitter and receiver. p t,i and the vehicle position are part of the information usually carried by beacons, whereas p r,i can be provided by conventional network hardware. the estimate for the path loss exponent {circumflex over (β)} is simply the sample mean of the last n β collected samples. to estimate the shape parameter m, samples of the virtual power f, which is gamma distributed, may be used and so it may be varied from the transmit power reported in beacons. thus, vehicles collect samples of the virtual power f i from the received power as f i =ap r,i (δ r ) {circumflex over (β)} to estimate the shape parameter m, an erlang distribution is assumed and the shape parameter m is approximated by its nearest integer. to estimate the shape parameter m, the following formula providing a simpler and better estimation for a smaller number of vehicles is used: where f and s 2 are the sample mean and sample variance respectively over a sample of size n m. to estimate the communication range, in a first step, the interference range for the assumed nakagami-m model may be calculated. to determine this interference range r i , the following assumptions are made: it is first assumed that correct packet reception depends on the sinr being greater than a given threshold t. further, it is assumed that noise is negligible compared to interference. further, only a single interferer is considered to be present. even further, it is assumed that a saturated situation is present where all stations/nodes have always a packet to transmit providing an approximation for high load conditions. the interference range may be then determined as follows: μ t =ρ t −1 and μ h =ρ h −1 are the inverse of the power of transmitter and hidden node (interferer) respectively. the interference range r i may be computed in real time by each of the vehicles. as another option their values may be tabulated and stored in each vehicle. in a next step, a normalized interference range maybe defined and the average estimated communication range interference is then r e =r cs −r i (m)=r cs (1− r i (m)). for instance, for β=2.5 and m=1 and very high channel load conditions, a vehicle may be expected to lose up to 60% of all the transmitted beacons. to correctly estimate the surrounding vehicle density under high load conditions, the vehicles may estimate the vehicle density by the position information collected from neighbour beacons in different manners: one alternative is to just divide the average number of neighbours discovered {circumflex over (n)} by the average transmission range r cs : this rough estimate maybe refined in several ways: for example in some scenarios the density of vehicles ahead may differ from that of those behind, for example when a vehicle is approaching a traffic jam in a highway. in this case vehicles may estimate forward and backward vehicle densities. in high channel load conditions vehicles however may not reliably know or determine the real number of neighbours due mainly to hidden node collisions corrupting beacon reception. to correct the node density in those cases the interference range is used: since channel load may oscillate, moving averages may be used for some estimates to reduce these oscillations. vehicles may also periodically adapt their transmit power on the basis the estimated environment parameters. vehicles may collect samples of reception power, transmit power and location from received beacons and keep a table of known vehicles. after a given sampling period, t s , the maximum power to comply with the maximum beacon load may be calculated channel load and estimates from collected samples. vehicles may also set the transmit or output power to the largest step available when transmit power may only be set in discrete steps, below the maximum transmit power p*. vehicles may collect samples of the path loss exponent β i using its own receive power measurements as well as the information about neighbour transmit power used and position carried by received beacons. the estimated path loss exponent {circumflex over (β)} may be actually determined with a moving average of the last n β samples avoiding oscillation. to estimate the shape parameter m it is assumed that the collected samples are independent and identically distributed. otherwise this may lead to a wrong estimation. for example the vehicles may collect several steps of samples of their virtual power f i and determine {circumflex over (m)} after collecting n m samples of a certain step, resetting that step set and perform again. vehicles usually keep a neighbour table with information collected from beacons, which may be updated every time a new beacon is received. to account for neighbours leaving, outdated information is deleted after a table update time, which makes the perceived number of neighbours depend on the update time. if for example the value is high, vehicles overestimate the number of neighbour vehicles. an alternative estimate maybe provided by their measured general business time with where v t is the transmission bitrate in bps, and ĉ is cbt measured over a period of time. the channel business time maybe also corrected by interference correction as mentioned above: when the measured channel business time is above a certain threshold i t interference correction is triggered and the vehicle density is calculated based on in summary, when the neighbour table is used, the maximum output power p* maybe calculated based on vehicle density and transmission range: where p n is the previously mentioned average transmit power of the neighbours. the ratio of the maximum beacon load mbl to beaconing rate and beacon size gives the maximum number of neighbours in range to keep that load, so it is called n max . since estimates may be determined periodically every t s seconds, the transmit power can be expressed as a discrete control to simplify notation {circumflex over (r)} i [n]= r i ({circumflex over (m)})[n] and together with p n [n], {circumflex over (n)}[n] and {circumflex over (β)}[n] have been determined from samples collected over the previous t s seconds. similarly, when measured channel business time cbt is used to estimate the number of neighbours, the control is as follows: c max is mbl expressed as a fraction of data rate and {circumflex over (n)}[n] is the measured bt over the previous t s seconds. in both cases, [x] means that the power selected is the highest power step not greater than x and interference correction is only applied when the load is above a given threshold, otherwise {circumflex over (r)} i [n]={circumflex over (r)} i ({circumflex over (m)}). in an ideal case, with invariant parameters and continuous power, these controls would converge to a single value, but discrete values make the power oscillate even if the rest of parameters do not vary. finally, in logarithmic scale both controls have the form p*[n+ 1 ]=k n [n]+k p [n]e[n] that is, both controls use as error signal e[n] the difference between the maximum load value and the measured value, either expressed as neighbours or channel business time cbt. so these controls are similar to a linear proportional controller, but with a non-tunable proportional gain k p given by the path loss exponent estimate. in summary, the present invention prevents network congestions form occurring in cooperative vehicle systems, works decentralized and maintains the network load under a pre-defined threshold. the present invention further provides system parameters which maybe estimated from locally collected information reducing the protocol overhead to a minimum so that no extra information except standard beacon and transmit powers information is added. further, the present invention only adds a little complexity to transmit power control implementations and enables a correction of underestimation of a number of neighbours in high load condition by augmenting the known number of neighbours by a factor defined by the interference range. many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forth herein will come to mind the one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated drawings. therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims. in particular, the present invention covers further embodiments with any combination of features from different embodiments described above and below. additionally, statements made herein characterizing the invention refer to an embodiment of the invention and not necessarily all embodiments. the terms used in the claims should be construed to have the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. for example, the use of the article “a” or “the” in introducing an element should not be interpreted as being exclusive of a plurality of elements. likewise, the recitation of “or” should be interpreted as being inclusive, such that the recitation of “a or b” is not exclusive of “a and b,” unless it is clear from the context or the foregoing description that only one of a and b is intended. further, the recitation of “at least one of a, b and c” should be interpreted as one or more of a group of elements consisting of a, b and c, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements a, b and c, regardless of whether a, b and c are related as categories or otherwise. moreover, the recitation of “a, b and/or c” or “at least one of a, b or c” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from the listed elements, e.g., a, any subset from the listed elements, e.g., a and b, or the entire list of elements a, b and c.
|
035-165-123-889-491
|
GB
|
[
"WO",
"GB"
] |
G06F21/62
| 2014-03-31T00:00:00 |
2014
|
[
"G06"
] |
distributed database access control method and system
|
the present invention relates to a method of managing access to a database within a distributed system comprising a client device, a server, and the database. the method includes allocating authorities for access to entities within the database to a plurality of principals and determining operational access to an entity within the database for a principal based upon precedence of the authorities allocated to the principal and relevant to the entity. the operational access is determined at multiple locations within the distributed system.
|
1 . a method of managing access to a database within a distributed system comprising a client device, a server, and the database, comprising: a) allocating authorities for access to entities within the database to a plurality of principals; and b) determining operational access to an entity within the database for a principal based upon precedence of the authorities allocated to the principal and relevant to the entity; wherein the operational access is determined at multiple locations within the distributed system. 2. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an authority mechanism is generated within the distributed system and transmitted to the multiple locations for use in determining operational access. 3. a method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the authority mechanism is an authority map. 4. a method as claimed in claim 3, wherein a key to the authority map is comprised of, at least, an identifier for the entity and a type for the operation to be performed on the entity. 5. a method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the key maps to a list of authorities relevant to the entity ordered by precedent. 6. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the multiple locations include the client device. 7. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein an authority is granted or denied when allocated to a principal. 8. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein authorities are allocated to one or more of a plurality of groups and, where the principal is a member of one or more of the plurality of groups, the authorities allocated to the one or more groups are allocated to the principal. 9. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims when dependent on claim 7, wherein authorities denied to the principal and relevant to the entity take precedence over otherwise identical authorities granted to the principal. 10. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein authorities allocated directly to the principal take precedence over authorities allocated to groups associated with the principal. 1 1 . a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein authorities are ranked higher in precedence dependent on the increased specificity of identification of the entity. 12. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the principal is a user. 13. a distributed system for access control of a database by a principal, comprising: a client device; a server; and a database; wherein the distributed system is configured to perform any one of the methods of claims 1 to 12. 14. a client device configured for use within the distributed system of claim 15. a method or system for access control of a database as herein described with reference to the figures.
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distributed database access control method and system field of invention the present invention is in the field of database access control. more particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to distributed database access control. background existing technologies for managing access control to databases derive from the terminal-server model of computing architecture where the server manages all processing and the terminal merely acts a conduit between the user and the server. consequently, these technologies control security access at the server or database-side, but this introduces inefficiencies in processing and limits functionality at the client-side. it is an object of the present invention to provide a database access control method and system which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least provides a useful alternative. summary of invention according to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of managing access to a database within a distributed system comprising a client device, a server, and the database, comprising: a) allocating authorities for access to entities within the database to a plurality of principals; and b) determining operational access to an entity within the database for a principal based upon precedence of the authorities allocated to the principal and relevant to the entity; wherein the operational access is determined at multiple locations within the distributed system. an authority mechanism may be generated within the distributed system and transmitted to the multiple locations for use in determining operational access. the authority mechanism may be an authority map. a key to the authority map may be comprised of, at least, an identifier for the entity and a type for the operation to be performed on the entity. the key may map to a list of authorities relevant to the entity ordered by precedent. the multiple locations may include the client device. an authority may be granted or denied when allocated to a principal. authorities may be allocated to one or more of a plurality of groups and, where the principal is a member of one or more of the plurality of groups, the authorities allocated to the one or more groups may be allocated to the principal. authorities denied to the principal and relevant to the entity may take precedence over otherwise identical authorities granted to the principal. authorities allocated directly to the principal may take precedence over authorities allocated to groups associated with the principal. authorities may be ranked higher in precedence dependent on the increased specificity of identification of the entity. the principal may be a user. according to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a distributed system for access control of a database by a principal, comprising: a client device; a server; and a database; wherein the distributed system is configured to perform the method of the first aspect. other aspects of the invention are described within the claims. brief description of the drawings embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: figure 1 : shows a block diagram illustrating a system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; figure 2: shows a block diagram illustrating a database for use with an embodiment of the invention; figure 3: shows a flow diagram illustrating a method in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; figure 4: shows a sequence diagram illustrating a method in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; figure 5a: shows a table illustrating keys for an authority map generated in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and figure 5b: shows a table illustrating an authority table for an authority map generated in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. detailed description of preferred embodiments the present invention provides a distributed database access control method and system. in figure 1 , a system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown. the system 100 may comprise a database 101 , a server 102, and one or more clients 103, 104, and 105. the server 102 may comprise a memory 106 and a processor 107. the clients 103, 104, and 105 may be user devices or automated devices. the clients 103, 104, and 105 are configured to generate requests of the server 102 for access to the database 101 from principals. a principal is an actor, which may be a user or an automated process. the server 102 and the database 101 may be connected, for example, via a network connection, or the database may reside at the server. it will be appreciated that a distributed architecture may be used where the database 101 and/or server 102 are split over a plurality of devices connected by communications systems. the server 102 and clients 103, 104, and 105 may communicate with one another via a communications network 108, such as a local-area network (lan) or wide area network (wan), or a combination of interconnected networks such the internet. in one embodiment, the server 102 and database 101 comprise a content management system to provide the publishing, editing, and modifying of content by a plurality of users. the database 101 will be described with reference to figure 2. the database 101 may comprise a plurality of entities 200, 201 , and 202. each entity 200, 201 , 202 may comprise one or more properties 203, 204, and 205. one of the properties 204 may identify the type of entity. one of the properties, or two or more properties 203 and 204 in conjunction, may uniquely identify the entity within the database 101 . one or more of the entities 200 may be associated 206 with one or more other entities 202. the database 101 may be a relational database such as an sql database. it will be appreciated that figure 2 illustrates a logical representation of a database. physically, the database may be stored within a hardware memory, such as flash memory or a hard-drive, within an apparatus, or it may be stored, in multiple forms and/or parts, across a plurality of hardware memory and/or apparatuses. a method 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to figure 3. in step 301 , one or more authorities may be allocated for the entities within the database to a plurality of principals. an authority may identify an entity directly, identify entities via a property of the entity (for example, the type), or identify entities via association with another entity. the authority may define different types of operations on the entity. for example, the authority may relate to access to create, read, update and/or delete the entity. operations may be defined by the authority in relation to specific properties of the entity. the authorities may be granted or denied when allocated to a principal. the authorities may be allocated directly to the principal, or the authorities may be allocated indirectly to the principal. in the case of the latter, the authorities may be allocated to one or more groups, and the principal may be allocated to a group. if the group to which the principal is allocated is granted or denied an authority or is associated with a group to which an authority is granted or denied, then the principal may inherit the grant or denial of that authority. in step 302, a determination for permission to perform an operation on an entity within a database for a principal may be based, at least in part, upon the authorities which have been allocated to the principal and which relate to the entity. the determination may be made at multiple locations within the system. for example, it may be made at the client, at the server, and/or at the database. the determination for permission may be driven in response to a request for that operation by the principal. the request may be generated at a client and transmitted to the server. an authority mechanism may be generated within the system. in one embodiment, the mechanism is generated at the server. the mechanism may be transmitted to multiple locations for use in determining whether the principal has permission to perform an operation. the authority mechanism may comprise an authority map (a key-value mapping container) where the key is formed of, at least, the entity type and the operation. the key may also include a group identifier. the key may be hashed. the key may correspond to rows comprising, at least, the following fields: an entity identifier, whether the authority is granted or denied, and the precedence of the authority. the precedence of the authority may be defined by a numeric value. the numeric value for the precedence may be calculated by the following method: a) if the authority directly identifies the entity, set the numeric precedence value to 0 b) otherwise, if the authority identifies the entity indirectly by identifying an associated entity, set the numeric precedence to 10 c) otherwise, if the authority identifies the entity indirectly by identifying the type of an associated entity, set the numeric precedence to 20 d) otherwise, set the numeric precedence to 30 e) if the authority was obtained by direct allocation to the principal, add 0 to the numeric precedence value f) otherwise, if the authority was obtained indirectly by the principal by allocation to a group to which the principal is a member, add 100 to the numeric precedence value in alternative embodiments, the authority map includes one or more of the following additional fields: property (identifying the property within the entity to which the operation relates), associated entity identifier, and associated entity type. data may not be required for the following fields: entity identifier, property, associated entity identifier, and associated entity type. the process of determining permission may use the key within the authority map to locate the rows relevant to the entity and operation within the authority map. for example, the operation type and the entity type from the request are hashed together to generate the key, and this key is used as the index to the authority map. the authority of the highest precedence from these rows is extracted and if the authority is granted determines that the principal has permission to perform the operation on the entity and if the authority is denied determines that the principal does not have permission to perform the operation on the entity. a sequence diagram illustrating one implementation of the method above will be described in reference to figure 4. the client 400, server 401 and database 402 are shown. the principal 403 may make a request 404 for an operation on an entity at the client. the client may determine 405 whether permission for this operation is possible at the client using, for example, the authority mechanism. if the request is possible, the request is transmitted 406 to the server 401 . the server 401 may also determine 407 permission for the operation using, for example, the authority mechanism. if the request is possible, the request is transmitted 408 to the database 402 to be applied. in applying the operation, the database 402 may determine 409 whether the request is possible. pseudo-code outlining an algorithm for determining permission is detailed below: ispermitted(securedentity, operationtype, property) orderedlist orderedaut orities = aut oritymap. getbykey( securedentity. type, operationtype, securedentity. owningorganisation) ; for each auth in orderedauthorities if operationtype. scope = 'property' if (auth. property is not wildcard and auth. property != property) continue if auth. securedentity is defined if auth. securedentity = securedentity return auth.whethergranted else continue else if auth. associatedsecuredentity is defined if securedentity. isassociatedto(auth. associatedsecuredentity) return auth.whethergranted else continue else if auth. associatedsecuredentitytype is defined if securedentity. isassociatedtotype( auth. associatedsecuredentitytype) return auth.whethergranted else continue else return auth.whethergranted return denied an example of an authority map generated in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown at figures 5a and 5b. a principal is granted directly the following authorities: authority 1 : update entity of type article and id 1 authority 2: delete entity of type article and id 1 and denied the following authorities: authority 3: update entities of type article associated with entity id 1 of type category authority 4: delete entities of type article the principal is a member of a group - group a - which has been granted the following authorities: authority 5: update entities of type article authority 6: delete entities of type article associated with entity id 1 of type category and denied the following authorities: authority 7: update entity of type category keys for the authority map are shown in a table in figure 5a. row 501 shows key jsdfe which is a hash of the operation type "update" and the entity type "article". row 502 shows key ffeel which is a hash of the operation type "delete" and the entity type "article". row 503 shows key hdsw which is a hash of the operation type "update" and the entity type "category". the mapped table is shown in figure 5b. row 504 corresponds to authority 1 . row 505 corresponds to authority 2. row 506 corresponds to authority 3. row 507 corresponds to authority 4. row 508 corresponds to authority 5. row 509 corresponds to authority 6. row 510 corresponds to authority 7. a potential advantage of some embodiments of the present invention is that distributed access control at multiple locations permits rich client-side functionality and reduces latency in data delivery by shifting processing overhead to the client while maintaining data security. while the present invention has been illustrated by the description of the embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described. accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departure from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.
|
036-255-673-092-298
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
A61B1/303,A61B1/00,A61B1/015
| 2017-01-04T00:00:00 |
2017
|
[
"A61"
] |
endoscope and method of use
|
endoscope systems include an endoscope shaft assembly which comprises a shaft having a working channel, an inflow channel configured to be coupled to a fluid source, and an outflow channel configured to be coupled to a negative pressure source. a hub is coupled to a proximal portion of the shaft, and an image sensor is disposed on a distal portion of the shaft. a control unit is configured to adjust both a fluid inflow from the fluid source through the inflow channel to the working space and a fluid outflow to the negative pressure source through the outflow channel from the working space. a handle assembly is detachably connected to the hub of the endoscope shaft assembly, and the handle assembly comprises a control pad having at least one actuator which may be wired or wirelessly linked to the controller for adjusting fluid inflows and outflows through the inflow channel and outflow channel in the shaft.
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1 . an endoscope system comprising: (a) an endoscope shaft assembly comprising: (b) a shaft having a working channel, an inflow channel configured to be coupled to a fluid source, and an outflow channel configured to be coupled to a negative pressure source therethrough, (c) a hub coupled to a proximal portion of the shaft, and an image sensor disposed on a distal portion of the shaft; a control unit configured to adjust a fluid inflow from the fluid source through the inflow channel to the working space and fluid outflow to the negative pressure source through the outflow channel from the working space; and a handle assembly detachably connectable to the hub of the endoscope shaft assembly, said handle assembly comprising a control pad having at least one actuator linked to the controller for adjusting fluid inflows and outflows through the inflow channel and outflow channel in the shaft. 2 . the endoscope system of claim 1 wherein said at least one actuator is wirelessly linked to the controller. 3 . the endoscope system of claim 1 wherein said at least one actuator is linked to the controller by a wired connection. 4 . the endoscope system of claim 1 further comprising an image display coupled to the handle assembly. 5 . the endoscope system of claim 4 wherein said image display is detachably coupled to the handle assembly. 6 . the endoscope system of claim 4 further comprising an image processor. 7 . the endoscope system of claim 6 wherein the image processor is disposed in the control unit and is electronically coupled to both the image sensor in the shaft assembly and the image display in the handle assembly. 8 . the endoscope system of claim 6 wherein the image processor is disposed in the handle assembly and is electronically coupled to both the image sensor in the shaft assembly and the image display in the handle assembly. 9 . the endoscope system of claim 4 further comprising a second image display on the control unit. 10 . the endoscope system of claim 1 wherein the hub has a first port for detachable connection to the fluid source and a second port for detachable connection to the negative pressure source, whereby no fluids flow through the handle. 11 . the endoscope system of claim 10 further comprising one or more tubular connectors for detachably connecting the first and second ports on the hub to the control unit, wherein the control unit comprises a first peristaltic pump operatively connected to the fluid source for delivering fluid inflows to the to the inflow channel and a second peristaltic pump for aspirating fluid outflows from the outflow channel. 12 . the endoscope system of claim 1 further comprising a pressure sensor. 13 . the endoscope system of claim 12 wherein the pressure sensor is disposed within the endoscope component assembly. 14 . the endoscope system of claim 12 wherein the pressure sensor is operatively connected to a flow path between the fluid source and the inflow channel in the shaft. 15 . the endoscope system of claim 12 wherein the pressure sensor is operatively connected to a flow path between the outflow channel in the shaft and the negative pressure source. 16 . the endoscope system of claim 1 wherein the distal portion of the shaft carries at least one illumination element. 17 . the endoscope system of claim 16 wherein the at least one illumination element comprises at least one led. 18 . the endoscope system of claim 16 wherein at least one actuator in the handle assembly is configured to adjust light intensity of the at least one led. 19 . the endoscope system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to maintain fluid pressure at a set pressure in the working space. 20 . the endoscope system of claim 19 wherein at least one actuator in the handle assembly is configured to adjust the set pressure. 21 . the endoscope system of claim 1 wherein at least one actuator in the handle assembly is configured to capture still video images from the image sensor. 22 . the endoscope system of claim 1 wherein at least one actuator in the handle assembly is configured to capture video clips from the image sensor. 23 . the endoscope system of claim 17 further comprising a video processor in the handle component for processing video signals from the image sensor. 24 . the endoscope system of claim 23 further comprising a first electrical connector in the hub that is adapted for detachable coupling to a second connector in the handle component for carrying video and control signals. 25 . the endoscope system of claim 24 further comprising a third electrical connector in the hub that is adapted for detachable coupling to a fourth connector in the handle component for connecting an electrical source to the at least one led.
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cross-reference to related applications this application claims the benefit of provisional no. 62/442,120 (attorney docket no. 50553-706.101), filed jan. 4, 2017, provisional no. 62/442,805 (attorney docket no. 50553-707.101), filed jan. 5, 2017, and provisional no. 62/443,377 (attorney docket no. 50553-708.101), filed jan. 6, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to an endoscope assembly, and more particularly in endoscope with a working channel for use in hysteroscopy, and a method of use. endoscopes are used in a wide variety of minimally invasive surgical procedures, including laparoscopy, arthroscopy, and the like. of particular interest to the present application, hysteroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure for resecting fibroids and performing similar interventions in a patient's uterus. hysteroscopy utilizes a hysteroscope which is a type of endoscope that carries optics for viewing, a light source for illumination, and a working channel. interventional tools, such as an electrosurgical loop or other cutter, forceps, and the like, are introduced though the working channel of the hysteroscope to perform the hysteroscopy while the patient's uterus is insufflated. the hysteroscope is typically introduced through a passage in a transcervical sheath which also allows insufflation of the uterine cavity. in performing hysteroscopy and other endoscopic procedures, the physician is often challenged with controlling many variables, including inflation pressure in the uterus or other work space, the inflow and outflow of fluids to and from the workspace, illumination of the workspace, all while simultaneously manipulating the interventional tools and viewing the procedure on a remote image display. present endoscopic systems often have control functions located on controllers and the video display units may also be located at positions which require the physician to look away from the patient and endoscope during a procedure. for these reasons, it would be desire able to provide endoscopic systems which are convenient and simple to use during hysteroscopic and other endoscopic procedures. in particular, such endoscopic systems should allow a physician to perform procedures with minimal distractions caused by the need to make system adjustments during the procedure. the endoscopic systems will preferably provide user interface components on reusable system assemblies while routing fluid flows through disposable system assemblies. at least some of these objectives will be met by the inventions described and claimed hereinafter. 2. background of the related art related commonly owned us patent applications include ser. nos. 15/712,603 and 15/836,460, the full disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. brief summary of the invention the present invention provides endoscope systems which include separate endoscope, handle, and control assemblies which may be interconnected in ways that afford convenient and economic patient treatment. in particular, the endoscope assembly can be fabricated at a low cost and may be disposable. the handle assembly and control unit will usually include the higher cost components and may be reusable. most system functions may be controlled by the user from a control pad on the handle which is connected to the control unit by a wireless or wired link. the control unit provides fluid and pressure control, and all fluid lines may be directly connected to the endoscope, bypassing the handle assembly. endoscope systems of the present invention may comprise an endoscope shaft assembly which comprises a shaft having a working channel, an inflow channel configured to be coupled to a fluid source, and an outflow channel configured to be coupled to a negative pressure source. a hub may be coupled to a proximal portion of the shaft, and an image sensor may be disposed on a distal portion of the shaft. a control unit may be configured to adjust a fluid inflow from the fluid source through the inflow channel to the working space and a fluid outflow to the negative pressure source through the outflow channel from the working space. a handle assembly may be detachably connected to the hub of the endoscope shaft assembly, and the handle assembly may comprise a control pad having at least one actuator which may be wired or wirelessly linked to the controller for adjusting fluid inflows and outflows through the inflow channel and outflow channel in the shaft. the endoscope systems of the present invention may further comprise an image display coupled to the handle assembly or remote from the handle, an in some casesbeing detachably coupled to the handle assembly. the endoscope systems may still further comprise an image processor, where the image processor may disposed in the control unit and may be electronically coupled to both the image sensor in the shaft assembly and the image display in the handle assembly. the image processor may alternatively be disposed in the handle assembly and be electronically coupled to both the image sensor in the shaft assembly and the image display in the handle assembly. additionally or alternatively, an image display may be disposed on the control unit and be interconnected with the image sensor and image processor as noted above. in other aspects of the present invention, the hub may have a first port for detachable connection to the fluid source and a second port for detachable connection to the negative pressure source so that no fluids flow through the handle, thus facilitating cleaning and reuse of the handle. the endoscope system may still further comprise one or more tubular connectors (typically disposable) for detachably connecting the first and second ports on the hub to the control unit, where the control unit may comprise a first peristaltic pump operatively connected to the fluid source for delivering fluid inflows to the to the inflow channel and a second peristaltic pump for aspirating fluid outflows from the outflow channel. in still other aspects of the present invention, the endoscope systems may further comprise a pressure sensor. the pressure sensor may be disposed within the endoscope component assembly. alternatively or additionally, the pressure sensor may be operatively connected to a flow path between the fluid source and the inflow channel in the shaft. alternatively or additionally, the pressure sensor may be operatively connected to a flow path between the outflow channel in the shaft and the negative pressure source. in further aspects of the present invention, the distal portion of the endoscope shaft may carry at least one illumination element. the at least one illumination element may comprise at least one light emitting diode (led), and at least one actuator in the handle assembly may be configured to adjust light intensity of the at least one led. in yet other aspects of the present invention, the controller may be configured to maintain fluid pressure at a set pressure in the working space, and at least one actuator in the handle assembly may be configured to adjust the set pressure. in additional aspects of the present invention, at least one actuator in the handle assembly may be configured to capture still video images from the image sensor. alternatively or additionally, at least one actuator in the handle assembly may be configured to capture video clips from the image sensor, where optionally a video processor may be located in the handle component for processing video signals from the image sensor. in some particular embodiments, a first electrical connector in the hub may be adapted for detachable coupling to a second connector in the handle component for carrying video and control signals. often, a third electrical connector in the hub that is adapted for detachable coupling to a fourth connector in the handle component for connecting an electrical source to the at least one led. brief description of the drawings additional aspects of the invention will become clear from the following description of an illustrative embodiment and from the attached drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an endoscope corresponding to the invention. fig. 2 is a perspective view of a distal portion of the endoscope shaft including a resilient, elastomeric distal portion that carries an image sensor and leds, showing the distal portion in a straight insertion configuration. fig. 3 is a perspective view sectional view of a portion of the shaft in phantom view, the elastomeric distal portion and the image sensor of fig. 2 taken along line 3 - 3 of fig. 2 in the straight insertion configuration of fig. 2 . fig. 4a is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of the shaft and the distal elastomeric portion of the endoscope in an insertion configuration. fig. 4b is another longitudinal sectional view similar to that of fig. 4a with the distal elastomeric portion in a deformed or displaced configuration after being deflected by a rigid tool shaft inserted through a working channel in the endoscope. fig. 5a illustrates a method of use of the endoscope of figs. 1-4b in a hysteroscopy wherein a cervical sealing assembly is provided and thereafter the endoscope shaft is introduced through the seal assembly into a patient's uterine cavity in an insertion configuration as shown in figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4a further showing the field of view of the image sensor. fig. 5b illustrates a subsequent step of the hysteroscopy method of fig. 5a wherein a treatment tool is introduced through the endoscope shaft which deflects the distal elastomeric portion to provide the deployed or displaced configuration. fig. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an endoscope corresponding to the invention with the endoscope shaft again including a resilient, elastomeric distal portion that carries an image sensor and leds. fig. 7 is an exploded view of the components of the endoscope of fig. 6 . fig. 8 is a side view of the endoscope of figs. 6-7 with the distal elastomeric portion in a deformed configuration after being deflected by a biopsy tool shaft inserted through a working channel. fig. 9 is a perspective view of the handle and control panel of the endoscope of figs. 6-7 . fig. 10 is a perspective view of a fluid management system of the invention that is functionally coupled to the endoscope of figs. 6-7 . fig. 11 is a schematic view of components of the fluid management system of fig. 10 . fig. 12 is an enlarged schematic view of a flow sensor fitting in an outflow line of the fluid management system of fig. 10 . detailed description of the invention fig. 1 illustrates an endoscope endoscope 100 corresponding to the invention which comprises a proximal handle portion 106 is coupled to a shaft portion 110 extending along longitudinal axis 111 . the shaft includes a rigid proximal portion 112 that extends to a flexible, resilient housing or elastomeric distal portion 115 . an electronic image sensor 120 is carried in the elastomeric distal portion 115 of the shaft as shown in fig. 2 . the image sensor 120 is covered by a transparent tip member 121 (not shown in fig. 2 ) that can be seen in fig. 4a . the transparent tip 121 can further comprise a focusing lens and/or a prism for modifying the sensor's field of view. in one variation, the handle 106 carries a detachable image display 122 that has coupling member 123 configured with a display connector 124 a that mates with handle connector 124 b . the image sensor 120 is further operatively connected to an image processor 125 carried in a remote base unit 132 together with a controller/power source 135 for the sensor 120 and leds described below. alternatively, the image processor 125 or components thereof can be carried in the handle 106 . a control pad 136 is provided in the handle with actuator buttons for operating the system and image sensor, for example to turn on/off the image sensor 120 , capture still images, adjust light from leds, etc. in one variation, the shaft 110 extends distally from a hub 140 that is detachably coupled to handle 106 wherein hub connecter 144 a mates with handle connector 144 b . in some variations, the shaft 110 may be rotated while the handle 106 is adapted for being held in a stable position. thus, the handle 106 and display 122 can positioned at a selected angle by the physician, and the shaft 110 can be rotated to orient the image sensor 120 in a selected rotational direction when in use. such rotation can be accomplished by a rotating grip (not shown) in the hub 140 or in the shaft adjacent the hub 140 . in one variation, shaft 110 has a diameter ranging between 2.5 mm and 10 mm with a length configured for use in hysteroscopy. more commonly, the shaft diameter is from 4 mm to 6 mm in diameter. as will be described below, the handle 106 and shaft 110 are configured with a working channel 145 that may have a diameter ranging between 1 mm and 6 mm. the working channel or tool-receiving channel 145 is adapted for receiving various types of tools. for example, a biopsy device may have a flexible shaft (not shown) with a diameter ranging from 1 mm to 3 mm and can be introduced through port 146 on the hub 140 which extends through a curved path 147 a to a straight channel 147 b in the shaft 110 . alternatively, a tissue resecting device (not shown) can be used which may have a larger rigid shaft with a diameter, for example, from 2.5 mm to 5 mm. such a rigid shaft tool may be introduced through port 148 in display coupling member 123 and handle as shown in fig. 1 . the endoscope or the endoscope shaft 110 may be disposable or re-usable. in one variation, the shaft portion 110 is disposable as described above and is detachable from the handle 106 which is reusable. as can be seen in one variation in fig. 1 , the display 122 is adapted for detachable coupling to the handle 106 . in another system variation, the display 122 can be remote and does not have to be attached to handle 106 and the image processor 125 controller 135 can send images signals to a remote display 150 (see fig. 1 ) such as a monitor in an endoscopic viewing and recording system as is known in the art. now turning to figs. 2 and 3 , the distal elastomeric portion 115 also carries one or more light emitters, for example, leds indicated at 155 . the image sensor 120 can be coupled to the image processor 125 by wire leads 158 ( figs. 4a and 4b ) which can be independent wires or an elongated flex circuit extending through passageway 160 in the shaft 110 and elastomeric portion 115 . similarly, wire leads (not shown) connect the leds to the remote electrical source and controller 140 . still referring to fig. 2 , it can be seen that a flow channel 162 extends through the shaft 110 and has an open termination 164 in the distal elastomeric portion 115 . such a flow channel 162 can be used for either fluid inflows or fluid outflows from a working space or for measuring pressure in the working space with a static fluid channel. the proximal end of the flow channel 162 can communicate with a luer fitting in the housing 140 (not shown). it should be appreciated that first and second flow channels with open distal terminations can be provided, with luer connections in the hub 140 as just described with such channels being used for more the one of the purposes described above. in one variation, a fluid management system can be coupled to inflow and outflow channels in the endoscope to provide a circulating flow through a patient's uterine cavity and can maintain a set intra-cavity pressure as is known in the art. now referring to fig. 3 , a longitudinal sectional view of the elastomeric distal portion 115 or housing is shown. the image sensor 120 is carried in a distal region of the housing 115 . a transparent distal tip 121 is shown in fig. 4a that can comprise a clear material such as a plastic lens material which is sealed and coupled to the distal end of the housing 115 . the elastomeric portion 115 and transparent tip 121 coupled together to provide a space 172 therein that carries the image sensor 120 . in a variation shown in figs. 4a-4b , it can be seen that the transparent distal tip 121 further comprises a prism 175 for altering the direction of the field of view of the image sensor 120 as will be described below. referring again to fig. 3 , the endoscope shaft 110 and elastomeric portion 115 is shown in an insertion profile or configuration wherein the elastomeric distal portion 115 is in a repose, non-tensioned position and the working channel 145 has a distal portion 180 that is curved with an open termination 182 in the side or bottom of the elastomeric portion 115 . fig. 4a shows the elastomeric portion 115 in another schematic view again in the straight insertion configuration. in fig. 4b , it can be seen that when the physician inserts a rigid tool shaft 185 through the working channel 145 it will interface with the wall 188 of the repose, curved working channel portion 180 in the elastomeric portion 115 . continued advancement of the tool shaft 185 through the working channel 145 and curved repose channel portion 180 will cause the curved channel portion 180 to straighten until the working end of the tool exits the open termination 182 of the working channel 145 . in other words, elastomeric portion 115 is deformed or displaced to a tensioned position wherein the image sensor 120 is moved away from the longitudinal axis of the shaft 110 . when the shaft 185 of the tool is withdrawn from the working channel, the elastomeric portion 115 will return from the tensioned position of fig. 4b to the repose or non-tensioned position of fig. 4a . in general, the endoscope corresponding to the invention allows for the use of an image sensor 120 having a large diagonal dimension relative to the insertion profile of the endoscope shaft 110 while at the same time providing a working channel 145 that has a large channel diameter cd relative to the insertion profile of the endoscope shaft 110 . more in particular, the endoscope comprises a shaft having a shaft diameter sd extending about a longitudinal axis 111 to a distal housing 115 , an image sensor with a diagonal dimension dd carried by the distal housing 115 , and a working channel having a diameter cd extending through the shaft and distal housing, wherein the channel portion in the distal housing is adjustable in shape to accommodate a tool introduced therethrough and wherein the combined sensor's diagonal dimension dd and the channel diameter cd is greater than the shaft diameter sd (see fig. 3 ). in a variation, the sensor diagonal dimension dd is greater than 50% of the shaft diameter sd, greater than 60% of the shaft diameter or greater than 70% of the shaft diameter. in a variation, the working channel diameter cd is greater than 30% of the shaft diameter, greater than 40% of the shaft diameter or greater than 50% of the shaft diameter. in other words, the working channel portion in the distal housing is adjustable between a curved shape and a straight shape. in another variation described below, the channel portion in the distal housing is adjustable between an at least partially collapsed shape and a non-collapsed shape. in another aspect of the invention, the image sensor 120 can be carried in a non-orthogonal position relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 110 to orient the sensor's field of view to be aligned with a working space distal from the end of the endoscope after a tool is inserted through the working channel 145 . in a variation, the image sensor 120 can be carried by the elastomeric portion 115 at an angle ranging between 45° to 90° relative to the longitudinal axis 111 of the proximal shaft portion 112 to provide a selected field of view. in another aspect of the invention, the endoscope comprises a shaft extending about a longitudinal axis to a distal housing, an image sensor 120 carried by the distal housing 115 and a working channel 145 extending through the shaft and distal housing wherein a portion of the housing proximate the image sensor and the working channel comprises a shape-adjustable component or wall 188 as shown in fig. 3 . the shape-adjustable component 188 comprises at least one of an elastomeric material, a flexible material and a hinged component. the endoscope shaft 110 and distal housing 115 have a straight cylindrical shape for insertion into a patients' body and is capable of adjustment to a non-straight shape for accommodating a tool introduced through the working channel 145 . in a variation, the portion of the working channel 180 in the distal housing 115 is adjustable between a non-straight shape and a straight shape (see fig. 3 ). the elastomeric distal housing 115 has a repose position in which the working channel 145 has a non-straight shape and a tensioned position wherein the working channel has straight shape for accommodating a tool introduced therethrough. in a variation, the diagonal of the image sensor is greater than 50% of the cross-section of the shaft and the diameter of the working channel is greater than 50% of the cross-section of the shaft. fig. 5a illustrates a method of the invention to carry out a planned hysteroscopic procedure, wherein an introducer 200 with a cervical seal structure 202 is inserted into the patient's endocervical canal 208 to access the uterine cavity 210 . the cervical seal 202 , for example, can be a balloon that is expanded to provide an occlusive seal. other types of cervical seals are known in the art and may be used such as foams, plugs, a seal member with elastomeric fins and the like. after positioning the seal 202 in the endocervical canal 208 , the physician then may use a fluid management system adapted for use with inflow and outflow channels (not shown) through the introducer 200 for distending the uterine cavity. a typical fluid management system may provide a circulating flow through the patient's uterine cavity 210 and also to maintain a set fluid pressure therein. thereafter, the endoscope 100 and display 122 are assembled (see fig. 1 ) and coupled to the controller 135 . next, still referring to fig. 5a , the endoscope shaft 110 is introduced through the introducer 200 so that the elastomeric distal portion 115 of the endoscope is positioned in the patient's uterine cavity 210 . the physician then may examine the patient's uterine cavity and diagnose any abnormalities. in one example, the physician may identify abnormal tissue in the uterine cavity 210 , such as adhesion, polyp or submucosal fibroid. the physician then may elect to treat the abnormal tissue with a suitable tool that can be introduced through the working channel 145 in the endoscope 100 . in one example shown in fig. 5b , the physician elects to use a scissor-like tool 220 for resecting an adhesion or a polyp. the tool 220 has a shaft 222 which may be rigid and has a diameter ranging from 2.5 mm to 5 mm that is configured for mechanical cutting or resection of tissue. as can be seen in fig. 5b , the introduction of the rigid shaft 222 of the resection tool 220 through the working channel 145 causes deflection of the elastomeric distal portion 115 to thus provide a straight pathway through the endoscope shaft 110 past the deflected elastomeric portion 115 to a working space indicated at 228 . fig. 5b also illustrates that the field of view fov of the image sensor 120 and prism 175 is oriented so that the working end 240 of the tool 220 and the working space 228 is effectively in the center of such a field of view fov. in general, an endoscope of the invention comprises an elongated member extending about a longitudinal axis through a proximal portion and a distal elastomeric portion, an image sensor carried by the elastomeric portion wherein the elastomeric portion is aligned with the longitudinal axis in a repose configuration for introduction into a patient's body and wherein the elastomeric portion is adapted for deformation to a tensioned configuration by a tool introduced through a working channel therein. in this variation, the central axis of the working channel in the repose position is not aligned with the longitudinal axis 111 of the shaft 110 . the central axis of the working channel in the elastomeric portion in the repose position diverges away from said longitudinal axis 111 in a curve or at an angle. now turning to fig. 6 , another variation of endoscope 500 is shown with a distal, deformable elastomeric portion 505 . this embodiment is similar to the endoscope shown in fig. 1 except that the introducer shaft 510 is adapted to be offset from the grip portion 512 of the handle 514 . in this variation, the port 515 that is adapted to receive a tool shaft inserted into the working channel 522 is offset from the grip portion 512 of handle 514 . in one variation, the central axis 525 of the working channel 522 is offset from the inferior surface 528 of the grip portion 512 of handle 514 by at least 1 cm, at least 1.5 cm, or at least 2 cm (see fig. 8 ). in a typical embodiment, the central axis 525 of the working channel 522 is offset between 2 cm and 4 cm from the inferior surface 528 of handle 514 . referring to fig. 7 , it can be seen that the proximal housing or hub 540 of the disposable introducer shaft 510 includes a fitting 542 a is adapted for insertion into the receiving recess or fitting 542 b of the handle 514 . further, the hub 540 carries at least one electrical connector 545 a that is adapted to connect to electrical connector 545 b in the handle 514 . the electrical connector 545 a includes wire leads connectors for the image sensor 550 , the leds 555 , and optionally for pressure sensors, temperature sensors, and flow sensors. the exploded view of fig. 7 shows that the display component 560 is detachable from the handle 514 . the display component 560 includes the image display or screen 562 and a curved attachment arm 564 that has a male connector portion 565 that is adapted for connection to a recessed connector 566 in the handle 514 . in one variation, the male connector portion 565 further carries electrical connector 570 which can be a usb connector for coupling the display 562 to an image processor 575 or components thereof carried within the handle 514 . the curved attachment arm 564 can be a rigid molded plastic or a deformable elastomeric material with a deformable core to thus allow the orientation of the display to be adjusted by the user. in one variation, the deformable core 582 is adapted to bend within a predetermined range as indicated in fig. 7 and also can be twisted within a predetermined range. further, the display 562 can have a hinge joint or universal joint 584 that couples it to the attachment arm 564 . such a hinge for universal joint 584 can allow for further adjustment of the angle of the display 562 by the user. fig. 7 further shows that the handle 514 is adapted for use without attachment of the display component 560 . in one variation, the bluetooth transmitter 588 in the handle 514 can transmit image data to a receiver 590 that in turn is coupled to a remote display 592 . in yet another variation, a cable 594 (phantom view) can be plugged into the connector 566 in the proximal end of the handle 514 to send image data to remote display 592 . fig. 8 is a side view of the endoscope 500 with a biopsy tool 595 having shaft 596 introduced through the working channel 522 . it can be seen that the elastomeric tip 505 of the endoscope 500 is deflected as described above. fig. 8 further illustrates the dimension d by which the central axis 525 of the working channel 522 is offset from the inferior surface 528 of the grip portion 512 of handle 514 . now turning to fig. 9 , a control pad 620 carried by the handle 514 is shown. the control pad 620 has a first actuator indicated at 625 which can comprise touchpad buttons 626 a and 626 b (or push buttons that can be depressed) that are adapted to increase or decrease light output from the leds 555 in the working end of the endoscope 500 . another actuator 628 is adapted to start and stop video recording with the image sensor 550 . another actuator 640 can be used to store the video recordings or take snapshots for such storage. finally, actuator buttons 645 a and 645 b are adapted to increase or decrease fluid pressure in the patient's uterine cavity by communication with a fluid management system 650 that is further described below. in one embodiment, signals from the actuator buttons 645 a and 645 b are sent by bluetooth transmitter 655 in the handle 514 to the fluid management system 650 describe further below. alternatively, an electrical cable may connect the actuator buttons 645 a and 645 b to the fluid management system. figs. 10-11 illustrate a fluid management system 650 of the invention. it can be seen that the fluid management system includes a housing 670 that is carried on a stand with a vertical pole 672 as is known in the art. within the housing 670 is a pump mechanism 675 that is adapted to expand a bladder 676 with a fluid, such as a gas (see fig. 11 ). the walls 678 of the bladder 676 expand to apply pressure on the surface of a fluid-filled sac or container 680 that is carried in a space 682 in the lower portion of housing 670 . referring to fig. 11 , in one variation, the bladder 676 is adapted to expand against a movable wall 685 which presses against the fluid-filled sac or container 680 . typically, the fluid-filled sac is a bag filled with saline as is known in the art. the saline out outflow provides for irrigation or fluid expansion of a working space 686 , such as a patient's uterine cavity. fig. 11 also shows an inflow control valve 687 a intermediate the pump 675 and the bladder 676 for controlling or maintaining fluid pressure in the bladder 676 . fig. 11 further shows an relief valve 687 b that is adapted for immediate pressure release from the bladder 676 which can be opened by an software algorithms in response to signals from the pressure sensor 705 or my manual actuation by means of an switch 689 on the housing 670 (see fig. 10 ). in one variation, the saline-filled sac 680 has an outflow line 688 that extends to a port 690 in the hub 540 of the disposable introducer shaft 510 of figs. 6 to 9 . thus, the fluid management system 650 can provide fluid inflows into the working space 686 through the introducer shaft 510 of figs. 6 and 7 . it can be understood that the introducer shaft 510 has an inflow channel therein that carries the fluid inflow to a distal open termination of the inflow channel to reach the targeted working space 686 . further, the introducer shaft 510 as a second outflow channel therein which is adapted to provide for fluid outflows from the working space through an outflow line 698 coupled to a port 699 in the introducer shaft hub 540 (see figs. 6 to 9 ). in figs. 10-12 , it can be seen that the fluid outflow line 698 extends to a outflow fitting 700 that can interlocked with a sensor fitting 704 and pressure sensor 705 carried in the wall of housing 670 of the fluid management system 650 . the fitting 700 has thin-wall flexible membrane 708 that interfaces with a non-disposable pressure sensor 705 (see fig. 12 ). thus, the fluid flow in the outflow line 698 can be used to measure fluid pressure in a working space 686 , such as a patient's uterine cavity. fig. 12 is a schematic view of the outflow fitting 700 which illustrates that the outflow line 698 has a first portion 710 a that extends from the working space 686 to the fitting 700 and a second portion 710 b that extends from the outflow fitting 700 to a collection reservoir 715 . it can be seen that the cross-section of the lumen 712 a in the first tubing portion 710 a is substantially larger than the cross-section of the lumen 712 b in the second tubing portion 710 b . this differential cross-section of lumens in the first and second portions of outflow line 698 allows for accurate reading of fluid pressure in the working space. as can be understood, any build up of pressure or drop in pressure in the working space will be sensed immediately by the sensor 705 since the fluid volume in the first portion 710 a is substantial and fluid flows rapidly to the outflow fitting 700 . this allows for accurate pressure sensing as the pressure in the working space changes, and the lesser cross-section in lumen 712 b in second tubing portion 710 b is restrictive and thus cannot quickly overcome the pressure changes at the outflow fitting 700 and membrane 708 that interfaces with the pressure sensor 705 . returning to fig. 10 , it can be seen that the housing 670 further carries a bracket 730 which is adapted to receive the handle 514 of the endoscope device of fig. 6 . the bracket 730 has a receiving portion 732 that can be locked against the device handle 514 and the housing 670 carries a charging station 735 for inductively re-charging a battery 736 carried in handle 614 of the device 500 (see figs. 6-7 ). thus, the battery 636 can be recharged simply by placing the device handle 514 into the bracket 730 of the housing 670 . still referring to fig. 10 , it can be seen that the housing 670 further carries an image display 740 for displaying images from the endoscope 500 and/or pressure or other operating parameters of the system. the display 740 further can be detached from the housing and positioned in a different location for the convenience of the physician. in one variation display can communicate with a housing 670 wirelessly or by a cable connection. although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, it will be understood that this description is merely for purposes of illustration and the above description of the invention is not exhaustive. specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, and this is for convenience only and any feature may be combined with another in accordance with the invention. a number of variations and alternatives will be apparent to one having ordinary skills in the art. such alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims. particular features that are presented in dependent claims can be combined and fall within the scope of the invention. the invention also encompasses embodiments as if dependent claims were alternatively written in a multiple dependent claim format with reference to other independent claims. although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, it will be understood that this description is merely for purposes of illustration and the above description of the invention is not exhaustive. specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, and this is for convenience only and any feature may be combined with another in accordance with the invention. a number of variations and alternatives will be apparent to one having ordinary skills in the art. such alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims. particular features that are presented in dependent claims can be combined and fall within the scope of the invention. the invention also encompasses embodiments as if dependent claims were alternatively written in a multiple dependent claim format with reference to other independent claims. other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. thus, while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. it should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. the use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. the terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. the term “connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. the use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention. preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. the inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. all references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
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036-625-832-480-550
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US
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[
"US"
] |
B02C2/04
| 1981-02-11T00:00:00 |
1981
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[
"B02"
] |
gyratory cone crusher
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a gyratory cone crusher of the type having a crusher head assembly mounted on an intermediate member supported for rotary motion on a shaft to produce gyratory motion of the crusher head assembly within a bowl assembly. the intermediate member including a skirt surrounding the shaft and a stub shaft of reduced diameter extending upward above the shaft. the intermediate member being supported on the shaft and the crusher head assembly being supported on the intermediate member by roller bearing assemblies, the bearing assemblies being lubricated by a closed lube oil recirculating system, and an anti-spin assembly connected between the spindle and the crusher head assembly, the anti-spin assembly being self-aligning with respect to the crusher head assembly, and including a one-way clutch either of the linkage or cam type mounted in the spindle.
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1. a gyratory cone crusher comprising a main frame; a bowl assembly supported by said main frame, a spindle positioned within said main frame; and an eccentric member having a first portion encircling said spindle and a second portion extending upwardly above said spindle; first bearing means supporting said eccentric member on said frame for rotation relative to said spindle, said first bearing means including a radial roller bearing assembly located between the outer periphery of said first portion of said eccentric member and said frame, a crusher head assembly, second bearing means supporting said crusher head assembly on said eccentric member in a position to cooperate with said bowl assembly to crush material dropped into said bowl assembly, means for driving said eccentric member whereby a gyratory motion is produced between said crusher head assembly and said bowl assembly, an anti-spin means connected between said spindle and said crusher head assembly, said anti-spin means including a one-way clutch secured to said spindle and having a hexagonal socket, and a lock means secured to said crusher head assembly, and a brake shaft extending through the second portion of said eccentric member, and having a hexagonal ball at each end for releasedly engaging said hexagonal socket in said one-way clutch and said lock means, and a closed circuit oil flow path through said spindle and said eccentric member for circulating lubricating oil through said first and second bearing means. 2. the gyratory cone crusher according to claim 1 wherein said first bearing means is arranged to allow for the removal of the eccentric member from the spindle by lifting the eccentric member directly off the spindle. 3. the gyratory cone crusher according to claims 1 or 2 wherein said second bearing means is arranged to allow for the removal of the crusher head assembly from the eccentric member by lifting the crusher head assembly directly off the eccentric member. 4. the gyratory cone crusher according to claim 2 wherein said first bearing means includes an upper tapered thrust bearing assembly positioned between the top of the spindle and the eccentric member and a tapered radial bearing assembly positioned between the side of the spindle and the inside of said first portion of said eccentric member. 5. the crusher according to claim 4 wherein said second bearing means includes an upper tapered radial bearing assembly positioned between the second portion of said eccentric member and the inside of the crusher head assembly and a lower larger thrust and radial bearing assembly positioned between the first portion of said eccentric member and the inside of the skirt of said crusher head assembly. 6. the gyratory cone crusher according to claim 5 wherein said radial roller bearing assembly is positioned between the outside surface of the eccentric member and the frame includes a tapered roller bearing. 7. the cone crusher according to claim 1 wherein said lock means includes a socket member having a hexagonal socket mounted for axial movement in the crusher head assembly, said brake shaft including a hexagonal ball at one end for engaging the socket in said socket member. 8. the gyratory cone crusher according to claim 7 wherein said lock means includes a spring for biasing said socket member into engagement with said hexagonal ball on said brake shaft whereby said socket member will automatically seat on said brake shaft whenever relative rotation occurs between said crusher head assembly and said brake shaft. 9. a gyratory cone crusher comprising a frame, a conical bowl assembly supported on said frame and including an opening for receiving material to be crushed, a spindle projecting upwardly within the frame, an eccentric member having a first portion surrounding a portion of the spindle and a second portion extending upwardly from said spindle, first bearing means between the spindle and the eccentric member to enable the member to rotate with respect to the spindle about the axis of the first bearing means, means for rotating the eccentric member, a crusher head assembly positioned on the eccentric member, the crusher head assembly being located in a position to cooperate with said bowl assembly, second bearing means between the eccentric member to rotate within the crusher head assembly, the axis of the second bearing means being oblique to the axis of the first bearing means whereby the crusher head assembly will wobble as the eccentric member rotates, and anti-spin means connected between said spindle and said crusher head assembly to prevent rotation of said crusher head assembly with said eccentric member, said anti-spin means includes a lock assembly in said crusher head assembly, said lock assembly including a socket member having a hexagonal socket and a brake shaft having a hexagonal ball on one end for engaging said socket and including spring means for biasing said socket member into engagement with said hexagonal ball to lock said crusher head assembly to said drive shaft. 10. the gyratory cone crusher according to claim 9 wherein said first bearing means is arranged to allow for the direct removal of said eccentric member from said spindle. 11. the gyratory crusher according to claim 10 wherein said second bearing means includes two tapered rolling bearing assemblies being disposed to allow the lifting of the crusher head assembly off the eccentric member. 12. the gyratory cone crusher according to claim 9 including a lubricating oil flow path through said spindle and said eccentric member, means for pumping lube oil into the flow path in said spindle and first means between said spindle and said eccentric member for restricting the flow of oil to the first bearing means and second means between the eccentric member and the crusher head assembly for restricting the flow of oil to said second bearing means. 13. the gyratory cone crusher according to claim 12 wherein said first and second oil flow restricting means in combination with said eccentric member defines an oil reservoir and said anti-spin means is located within said reservoir. 14. the gyratory cone crusher according to claim 13 wherein said anti-spin means includes a one-way clutch secured to the upper end of said spindle, a lock assembly secured to said crusher head assembly and a brake shaft operatively connecting the one-way clutch to said lock assembly. 15. a gyratory cone crusher comprising: a base including an upwardly presented shaft; an eccentric member supported on said shaft and having a first portion surrounding said shaft and a second portion projecting above said shaft, a bearing carrier mounted in a normally fixed position with respect to the base and generally around the first portion of said eccentric member, first bearing means for enabling said first portion of said eccentric member to rotate relative to the base about an axis that is fixed in position with respect to the base and extends through the shaft, said first bearing means including a single row tapered roller bearing that surrounds said first portion of said eccentric member and is located between said eccentric member and the bearing carrier, means for rotating said eccentric member; a crusher head positioned generally around said second portion of said eccentric member, said crusher head having an upwardly presented crushing surface; second bearing means between said crusher head and said eccentric member for supporting said crusher head on said eccentric member and for enabling said eccentric member to rotate within said crusher head, said second bearing means including a first single row tapered roller bearing surrounding said first portion of said eccentric member, and a second single row tapered roller bearing surrounding said second portion of said eccentric member, the axis of said second bearing means being oblique to the fixed axis of said first bearing means, whereby said crusher head will wobble as said eccentric member rotates; a housing extending over said crusher head, said housing having an inlet located above said crusher head so that material to be crushed may be directed through the inlet and toward said crusher head; and a downwardly presented crushing surface located in a generally fixed position within said housing, the crushing surface of the housing being positioned opposite to, yet spaced from, the crushing surface on the head, so that material which is introduced into the housing through the inlet will be crushed in the space between the two crushing surfaces as said crusher head wobbles. 16. a crusher according to claim 15 wherein said first bearing means supports said eccentric member on said shaft and includes at least one roller bearing between said shaft and said eccentric member. 17. a gyratory cone crusher comprising: a base, a fixed member projecting upwardly from said base and being fixed in position with respect to the base, an intermediate member having a first portion surrounding said fixed member, and a second portion extending upwardly from said first portion, first bearing means for enabling said intermediate member to rotate with respect to the fixed member about the axis of the first bearing means, said first bearing means including a thrust bearing and a radial bearing surrounding said fixed member so as to transfer radial and thrust loads from the intermediate member to the fixed member and base; means for rotating said intermediate member, a crusher head mounted on said intermediate member and having a first inner portion surrounding said first portion of said intermediate member, said crusher head having an upwardly presented crushing surface; second bearing means between said crusher head and said intermediate member to enable said intermediate member to rotate within said crusher head, said second bearing means including a first single row tapered roller bearing surrounding said first portion of said intermediate member, and a second single row tapered roller bearing surrounding said second portion of said intermediate member, the axis of the second bearing means being oblique to the axis of said first bearing means, whereby the head will wobble as the intermediate member rotates; a housing extending over said crusher head, said housing having an inlet located above said crusher head so that material to be crushed may be directed through said inlet and toward the head and a downwardly presented crushing surface positioned within said housing, the crushing surface of said housing being positioned opposite to, yet spaced from, the crushing surface on said head, so that material introduced into the housing through the opening will be crushed in the space between the two crushing surfaces as said crusher head wobbles. 18. the crusher according to claim 17 wherein said first portion of said intermediate member comprises a skirt that surrounds said fixed member and said second portion of said intermediate member comprises a stub shaft projecting upwardly from said skirt and being smaller in diameter than said skirt. a base, a fixed member projecting upwardly from said base and being fixed in position with respect to the base, an intermediate member having a first portion surrounding said fixed member and a second portion extending upwardly from said first portion, first bearing means for enabling said intermediate member to rotate with respect to the fixed member about the axis of the first bearing means, said first bearing means including a thrust bearing and a radial bearing surrounding said fixed member so as to transfer radial and thrust loads from the intermediate member to the fixed member and base; means for rotating said intermediate member, a crusher head mounted on said intermediate member and having a first inner portion surrounding said first portion of said intermediate member, said crusher head having an upwardly presented crushing surface; second bearing means between said crusher head and said intermediate member to enable said intermediate member to rotate within said crusher head, the axis of the second bearing means being oblique to the axis of said first bearing means, whereby the head will wobble as the intermediate member rotates; a housing extending over said crusher head, said housing having an inlet located above said crusher head so that material to be crushed may be directed through said inlet and toward the head and a downwardly presented crushing surface positioned within said housing, the crushing surface of said housing being positioned opposite to, yet spaced from, the crushing surface on said head, so that material introduced into the housing through the opening will be crushed in the space between the two crushing surfaces as said crusher head wobbles. 19. the crusher according to claim 18 wherein the diameter of the first portion of the intermediate member is greater than the diameter of the second portion of the intermediate member. 20. a gyratory crusher comprising: a base; a shaft fixed firmly to and projecting upwardly from the base; an eccentric member having a skirt extending over and surround said shaft and a stub shaft projecting upwardly from said skirt and overlying said shaft; a bearing carrier normally fixed in position with respect to the base and surround said skirt, a first roller bearing between the side of the shaft and the inside of said skirt to take radial loading applied to said eccentric member, a second roller bearing surrounding said skirt and located between the said skirt and the bearing carrier, the second bearing having its axis common with the axis of said first bearing, whereby said first and second bearings enable the eccentric member to rotate on the fixed shaft about the axis of the bearings; means for rotating the eccentric member; a crusher head extended around and over a portion of said eccentric member and having a generally conical upwardly presented surface; second bearing means between said eccentric member and said crusher head to enable said eccentric member to rotate relative to said crusher head, said second bearing means including a first tapered roller bearing surrounding said skirt, and a second tapered roller bearing surround said stub shaft, said tapered rollers being located within said crusher head and having their big ends presented downwardly and outwardly from the axis of rotation of said crusher head, the axis of said second bearing means being inclined slightly with respect to the common axis of said first and second bearings, whereby said crusher head will wobble as the eccentric member revolves within it; a housing enclosing said crusher head and having an inlet opening located generally over said crusher head; and a generally conical crushing surface located within the housing so as to be over and spaced from the conical crushing surface on the head, the crushing surface of the housing being generally fixed in position with respect to the base, whereby as said crusher head wobbles the space between it and any point on the crushing surface of the housing will alternately enlarge and contract so that material within the space will be crushed. a base; a bearing carrier normally fixed in position with respect to the base and surrounding said skirt, a first roller bearing between the side of the shaft and the inside of said skirt to take radial loading applied to said eccentric member,
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background of the invention gyratory cone crushers generally include cylinder or sleeve bearings located between the eccentric shaft and the main frame as well as between the crusher head assembly and the eccentric shaft. these bearing assemblies are arranged in a floating arrangement wherein the dead weight alone of the rotating components holds the assembly together. this principal has been rigorously followed by manufacturers of both anti-friction and sleeve bearing machies mainly for ease of assembly and field repairs. generally, these designs have been subject to bearing wear problems on the corners of the rollers caused by the constantly rotating eccentrically located crushing force. this eccentric loading introduces an overturning moment on the crusher head assembly, which in turn places a moment load upon the radial bearing within the crusher head assembly. this bearing moment in turn induces a moment into the lower radial bearing between the main frame and the eccentric shaft. summary of the invention the gyratory cone crusher of the present invention incorporates the floating bearing arrangement concept into the design, but accomplishes this concept by the use of tapered roller bearings only. the tapered roller bearings are so arranged that they can be lubricated through a closed recycling lubricating oil system provided within the cone crusher. the floating head assembly is supported on two different diameter tapered roller bearings with a smaller upper bearing assembly and a much larger diameter lower bearing assembly. the lower bearing assembly acting as both a thrust and a radial bearing while the upper bearing acts primarily as a radial bearing. the bearing arrangement between the main frame and spindle and the eccentric member also includes two different diameter tapered roller bearings, both of which are primarily radial load bearings. a third thrust bearing is provided between the spindle and the eccentric member to relieve thrust on the radial bearings. an anti-spin mechanism is provided between the spindle and the crusher head assembly which includes a one way clutch that is attached directly to the spindle and to a key socket in the crusher head assembly by a hexagonal shaped brake shaft. this shaft includes hexagonally shaped balls at each end which engage corresponding hexagonal sockets in the over running clutch and the keyed socket. the keyed socket being displaceable in the crusher head assembly to allow the automatic seating of the brake shaft in the keyed socket on assembly. the anti-spin mechanism is immersed in the pressurized side of the circulating lubricating oil system. drawings fig. 1 is a cross sectional elevation view of the cone crusher according to the present invention. fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the anti-spin mechanism and lube oil system; and fig. 3 is a view taken on line a--a of fig. 2 showing the keyed socket member. description the gyratory cone crusher 10 according to the present invention generally includes a main frame 12 for supporting a spindle 14 and a bowl 16. an eccentric member or shaft 18 is supported by means of a number of tapered roller bearing assemblies 20, 22, 24 for eccentric rotation about the offset axis "y". a crusher head assembly 26 is supported on eccentric member 18 by means of tapered roller bearing assemblies 28, 30 for gyratory movement with respect to bowl assembly 16. means are provided for rotating the eccentric member 18 in the form of drive assembly 32 mounted in the main frame 12. in this regard, the drive assembly 32 includes a shaft 33 mounted for rotary motion in the main frame and a bevel gear 34 mounted on the shaft that cooperates with a ring gear 36 provided on the lower end of the eccentric member 18. the shaft can be driven by any power source to impart rotary motion to the eccentric member 18 and gyratory motion to the crusher head assembly 26. in accordance with one aspect of the invention, the bearing assemblies between the eccentric member 18 and main frame 13, as well as between the crusher head assembly 26 and the eccentric member 18, are so arranged that the dead weight of the rotating components, eccentric member and crusher head assembly holds the bearing assemblies together. more particularly, and referring to the bearing assemblies between the crusher head assembly 26 and the eccentric member 18, a floating arrangement is utilized which includes two different diameter tapered roller bearings, i.e., a smaller bearing for the upper bearing assembly 28 and a much larger bearing for the lower bearing assembly 30. the lower bearing assembly 30 acts as both a thrust and a radial bearing while the upper bearing assembly 28 acts as a radial bearing only. in this regard, it should be noted that shims 29 are provided between the head assembly 26 and the bearing assembly 28 so that only the radially induced thrust force acts on the bearing assembly 28 even though the bearing assembly acts primarily as a radial bearing. shims are selected to maintain an 0.002 to 0.003 diametral clearance. it should be noted that the raceways for the bearing assemblies 28 and 30 are concentric to the offset axis "y" of the eccentric member 18. the floating bearing arrangement between the spindle 14 and the eccentric member 18 also includes two different diameter tapered radial roller bearings, i.e., a smaller upper bearing assembly 22 and a larger lower bearing assembly 24. shims 25 are provided under bearing carrier ring 54 to reduce or eliminate external thrurst forces on bearing assembly 24. the thrust forces between the eccentric member 18 and spindle 14 is carried by the v-flat upper bearing assembly 20 to relieve thrust forces on bearing assembly 22. the two radial load bearing assemblies 22, 24 are clamped up or locked together in order to eliminate any residual moments in the bearing asemblies without causing a noticeable change in slope. it should be noted that raceways for the bearing assemblies 22 and 24 are concentric to the axis "y" that is oblique to the "x" axis and the extended axes of the tapered bearings in these assemblies meet at an apex. referring more particularly to fig. 1 of the drawing, the main frame 12 generally includes a bottom or base 38 and cylindrical side walls 40 extending upwardly from the base 38. the base and side walls defining a lubricating oil sump 42 at the bottom of the main frame 12. a pair of annular spindle support members 44, 46 are provided on the inside of an inner support wall 45 provided on the interior of the frame, each support member including a central opening, 48, 50 respectively. a radially inwardly directed flange 52 is provided on the inner support wall for supporting a bearing carrier ring 54 as more particularly described hereinafter. the spindle 14 generally includes a main section 56 and a lower conical section 58 which termintes at a shoulder 59. the main section 56 is provided with a machined surface 60 around the upper portion of the main section and a flat machined ring 62 around the top of the main section. the machined surface 60 terminating at a radial shoulder 64 and the flat machined surface 62 terminating at an axial shoulder 66. a central bore 68 is provided through the center of the spindle. the spindle is mounted in the main frame by seating the lower conical section 58 in the corresponding openings 48, 50 in the spindle support 44 and 46, respectively. the eccentric member 18 includes an upper section 70 and lower annular skirt or flange 72 which defines a spindle cavity 74. a bore 76 is provided through the center of the upper section 70 which terminates at a first machined surface 78 on the inner surface of the upper section. a second machined surface 80 is provided at the inner end of the cavity 74 which forms the upper bearing surface for bearing asembly 20. a machined surface 81 is provided around the upper inner portion of skirt 72 which in cooperation with surface 60 support bearing assembly 22. a machined surface 82 is provided around the outer surface of the skirt 72 which terminates at a shoulder 83 and acts along with carrier ring 54 to support bearing assembly 24. a radially extending flange 86 is also provided around the outer surface of the skirt 72 to support a seal ring 88 as described hereinafter. machined surfaces 90, 92 are provided around the upper section 70 and the skirt 72, respectively, which terminate at shoulders 94 and 96, respectively. the eccentric member 18 is mounted on the bearing assemblies 20, 22 and 24 to rotate about the axis "x" of the spindle 14 but, as seen in the drawing, the member 18 is eccentric to the axis of the spindle to impart the gyratory motion to the head 26. it should be noted that the bearing assemblies 20 and 22 are free floating in that the eccentric member 18 can be lifted directly off the spindle 14 after the bearing carrier ring has been removed. if a straight radial bearing assembly is used for the tapered bearing assembly 24, the eccentric member 18 can then be lifted directly off all three bearing assemblies. the crusher head assembly 26 generally includes a taper head 98 of generally conical configuration having a depending flange 100 defining a cavity 102 within the head assembly. a first machined bore 104 is provided on the inner portion of the cavity 103 and terminates at a shoulder 106. the bearing assembly 28 is seated between machined surfaces 90 and 104. a second machined surface 108 is provided at the open end of the flange 100 and terminates at a shoulder 110. the bearing assembly 30 is seated between machined surfaces 92 and 108. the crusher head assembly 26 is supported by bearing assemblies 28 and 30 to rotate on an axis "y" that is oblique to the spindle axis "x". it should also be noted that the bearing assemblies 28 and 30 are free floating in that the crusher head assembly 26 can be lifted directly off the eccentric member 18. means are provided on the lower edge of the flange 100 and upper edge of support wall 45 to sealingly engage the seal ring 88. such means is in the form of labryinth seals 112 and 113, respectively. a bore 114 is provided in the center of the taper head 98. means are provided on the outer surface of the taper head 98 for crushing rock in cooperation with the bowl assembly 16. such means is in the form of a mantle or cone 116 made of work hardening or manganese steel positioned on the outer surface of the head 98. an opening 117 is provided at the apex of the cone 116. the cone 116 is held in position on the taper head 98 by means of a mantle nut 122. in this regard, the mantle nut 122 bears against a burning ring 120 positioned in alignment with the opening 117 in the cone 116. the mantle nut 122 includes a center opening 111. a conical camming flange 124 is provided on the mantle nut 122 which engages the upper edge 125 of the ring 120 to center and cam the ring 120 into engagement with the upper edge 127 of the cone 116. a central bore 126 is provided in the center of the mantle nut 122 which has an internal threaded section 129. the upper end of the head assembly 26 is closed by means of a mantle cap 128 having a central opening 131. the mantle cap 128 is centered on the mantle nut 122 and held thereon by a bolt 130 which passes through opening 131. with regard to this last description, means are provided in the opening 114 in support member 98 for engaging the bolt 130. such means is in the form of a plug or cap 144 having a threaded bore 146, a blind bore 148 and a threaded section 150 around the outer upper end of the plug. a conical radial flange 152 is provided around the lower outer periphery to engage a corresponding surface 154. the plug 144 is screwed into the threaded section 129 of nut 122 until flange 152 is seated against conical surface 154. the bolt 130 is screwed into the threaded bore 146 to hold the mantle cap 128 in place. the crusher head assembly 26 is restrained from rotation with respect to the eccentric member 18 by means of an anti-spin mechanism 134 provided between the spindle 14 and the head assembly 26. as seen in fig. 2, the anti-spin mechanism includes an overrunning clutch or brake 136, a brake shaft 156 and a brake shaft lock assembly 145. the clutch or brake 136 is a roller ramp type one way clutch using a cam system to limit rotation only in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the eccentric member 18. the overrunning clutch 136 includes a housing 137 and a keyed member 142 having a hexagonal recess 143 which extends upward from the housing 136. the housing 136 includes a slotted flange 139 which is secured to the spindle 14 by means of bolts 141. a spring set brake may be used in conjunction with the one way clutch if necessary. the lock assembly 145 is positioned within the blind bore 148 of plug 144. a socket member 147 having a hexagonal recess 149 is provided within the blind bore 148 in the plug 144. the member 147 is movable axially within the recess but is restrained from rotation by keys 151 which are aligned with slots 153 to prevent rotary movement. the keyed socket member 147 is biased outwardly from the blind bore by means of a spring 155. a conical guide opening 157 is provided at the open end of recess 149. the lock assembly 145 is connected to the overrunning clutch 136 by means of the hexagonally shaped shaft 156 which has hexagonally shaped balls 157 and 158 at the ends. the ball 157 is seated in the recess in the keyed member 142 in the overrunning clutch and the ball 158 is seated in the hexagonal socket 149 provided in the member 147. the anti-spin mechanism 134 and the tapered bearings 20, 22, 24, 28, 30 are lubricated by means of a pressurized oil system provided within the cone crusher 10. such means is the form of a closed oil flow circuit which includes the sump 42, an oil pump 159 and an oil flow path which in sequence includes the bore 68 in the spindle 14, the bore 76 in the eccentric member 18 and a gravity return feed flow path through the bearing assemblies back to the sump 42. as seen in the drawings, a lube oil pipe 161 connects the sump 42 to the pump 159. a second lube oil pipe 163 connects the pump 159 to the lower end of the bore 68 in the spindle 14. means are provided for connecting the upper end of the bore 68 to the bore 76 in the eccentric member 18. such means is in the form of cylindrical member 160 which is positioned in an enlarged bore 162 provided at the end of the bore 68. a bronze seal washer 164 is provided at the surface 78 of the member 18 and is seated flush against the upper surface of the cylindrical member 160 to seal the space between the member 160 and the surface of the seal washer 164. a second means is provided to connect the bore 76 to the blind bore 148 in the plug 144. such means is in the form of a second cylinder 166 which is positioned within an enlarged bore 77 provided at the upper end of the bore 76. a second bronze seal washer 170 is provided at the lower surface of the plug 144 and is seated flush with the upper surface of the cylindrical member 166 to seal the space between the cylindrical member 166 and the plug 144. the washer 170 also retains the socket member 147 in the recess 148. means are provided to seal the cylinders 160 and 166 in the bores 162, 77. such means is in the form of a number of o-ring seals 174 provided on the outer portion of the cylinders 160, 166. the cylindrical members 160, 166 are biased into engagement with the seal washers 164 and 170, respectively, by means of springs 169 in order to maintain the seal with the seal washers. more particularly, locating washers 165 and 171 are positioned within the bores 162 and 77, respectively. the locating washers are located therein by means of pins 138 provided on the washers 165 and 171. the pins 138 are aligned in holes 140 provided at the bottom of the bores 162 and 77. the springs 169 are mounted on pins 172 which are secured to washers 165 and 171. the pins 172 and springs 169 are aligned with a number of blind holes 173 provided in the bottom of cylindrical members 160 and 166. oil pumped through the fluid flow path provided by passage 68 will fill the reservoir formed by the cylindrical members 160, 166 and the bore 76 in the eccentric member 18. oil from the reservoir flows to the bearing assemblies 18, 30, 24 through metering orifices 176 provided in the cylindrical member 166 and to the bearing assemblies 20, 22 through metering orifices 178 provided in the cylindrical member 160. it should be noted that the anti-spin mechanism 134 is immersed in the lubricating oil within the reservoir and is therefore self-lubricating. the oil as it flows through the bearing assemblies is confined within the inner support wall 45 by means of the seal ring 88. the oil returns to the sump 42 through openings 180 and 182 in the frame. in order to allow for sufficient flexibility in assembly, the brake shaft 156 is automatically aligned in the socket 149 provided in the socket member 147. this is accomplished by biasing the member 147 outwardly from the blind bore 148 by the means of the spring 155. the hexagonal socket 149 is provided with means for guiding the hexagonal ball 158 into socket 149. such means is in the form of a conical opening 157 which acts as a guide to direct the hexagonal ball 158 on the end of the brake shaft 156 into the hexagonal opening 149. on assembly, if the hexagonal ball 158 is not properly aligned with the hexagonal socket 149, the socket member 147 will be pushed upward against the bias of spring 155 when the crusher head assembly 26 is positioned on the eccentric member 18. when the eccentric member 18 is rotated, the head assembly 26 will rotate with respect to the brake shaft 156 since the brake shaft 156 is held in position by the one way clutch 136. as soon as the hexagonal recess 149 aligns with the hexagonal ball 158, the spring force of spring 155 will push the socket member 147 downward against the ball 158 on brake shaft 156.
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037-148-191-110-599
|
US
|
[
"US",
"EP",
"CN",
"DE",
"WO",
"JP",
"AT"
] |
F23J15/02,B01D39/08,B01D39/14,D01F6/66,D03D15/00,D04H1/4326,D01F6/76,D01F6/94,B01D39/16
| 2007-03-23T00:00:00 |
2007
|
[
"F23",
"B01",
"D01",
"D03",
"D04"
] |
fabrics
|
fabric comprising a plurality of fibers (f) comprising at least one polymer material (p) selected from the group consisting of: (1) a blend (b12) composed of at least one poly(aryl ether ketone) and at least one poly(aryl ether sulfone);(2) a polymer (p3) comprising sulfone groups, ketone groups and arylene groups, and(3) a blend (b123) thereof. filter assemblies and filtration systems incorporating such fabric.
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1 . a fabric comprising a plurality of fibers (f) comprising at least one polymer material (p) selected from the group consisting of: (1) a blend (b12) composed of at least one poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) and at least one poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2); (2) a polymer (p3) comprising sulfone groups, ketone groups and arylene groups, and (3) a blend (b123) thereof. 2 . the fabric according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material (p) is the blend (b12). 3 . the fabric according to claim 2 , wherein more than 50 wt. % of the recurring units of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) are recurring units (r1) of one or more formulae selected from the group consisting of: wherein: ar is independently a divalent aromatic radical selected from phenylene, biphenylene or naphthylene; x is independently o, c(═o) or a direct bond; n is an integer of from 0 to 3; b, c, d and e are 0 or 1; a is an integer of 1 to 4; and wherein the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) is a poly(biphenyl ether sulfone), more than 50 wt. % of the recurring units of said poly(biphenyl ether sulfone) being recurring units (r2-d) of one or more formulae of the general type: wherein r 1 through r 4 are —o—, —so 2 —, —s—, —co—, with the proviso that at least one of r 1 through r 4 is —so 2 — and at least one of r 1 through r 4 is —o—; ar 1 , ar 2 and ar 3 are arylene groups containing 6 to 24 carbon atoms; and a and b are either 0 or 1. 4 . (canceled) 5 . the fabric according to claim 2 , wherein the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) is a poly(ether ether ketone) and the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) is a polyphenylsulfone. 6 . the fabric according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material (p) is the polymer (p3). 7 . the fabric according to claim 6 , wherein the arylene groups of the polymer (p3) are polyarylene groups, and the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio is greater than 1. 8 . the fabric according to claim 6 , wherein the polymer (p3) is a polymer comprising the following structure: wherein “a” and “c” represent from 10 mol. % to 60 mol. % of the whole polymer, and “b” and “d” represent from 40 mol. % to 90 mol. % of the whole polymer. 9 . the fabric according to claim 1 , wherein said fibers (f) are obtained by a melt spin process. 10 . (canceled) 11 . (canceled) 12 . (canceled) 13 . (canceled) 14 . a filter device comprising the fabric according to claim 1 . 15 . a filter assembly comprising a frame and a fabric mounted on said frame, wherein said fabric is the fabric according to claim 1 . 16 . a filtration system comprising a plurality of filter assemblies, at least one of them being the filter assembly according to claim 15 . 17 . a filtration system comprising a plurality of filter assemblies, each of them being in accordance with claim 15 . 18 . (canceled) 19 . the filtration system according to claim 16 , which receives a gas from a coal burning power generation plant or a cement plant. 20 . a coal burning power generation plant or a cement plant comprising the filtration system according to claim 16 . 21 . a method for removing solid particles from an acid gas which comprises using the filter assembly according to claim 15 . 22 . (canceled) 23 . a filter assembly comprising a frame and a fabric mounted on said frame, wherein said fabric is the fabric according to claim 2 . 24 . a filter assembly comprising a frame and a fabric mounted on said frame, wherein said fabric is the fabric according to claim 6 . 25 . the method according to claim 21 , wherein the acid gas is capable of reacting with water so as to generate h + ions, thereby forming an aqueous medium having a ph value below 5.0. 26 . a method for removing solid particles from an acid gas, said acid gas being a flue gas from a coal burning power plant, which comprises using the filtration system according to claim 16 . 27 . the method according to claim 26 , wherein the acid gas contains carbon dioxide, the carbon dioxide content of said acid gas exceeding 10 vol. % and the solid particle loading of said acid gas exceeding 1000 μg/m 0 3 .
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cross-reference to related applications the present application claims the benefit of u.s. application ser. no. 60/896,567 filed mar. 23, 2007 and u.s. application ser. no. 61/014,485 filed dec. 18, 2007, the whole content of both applications being herein incorporated by reference. field of the invention the present invention relates to fabrics featuring improved properties, useful in many applications, and in particular in industrial, medical and cleanup applications. the present invention relates also to filter assemblies and filtration systems incorporating such fabrics. description of the related art there is a need from demanding industries such as the aerospace, automotive, medical, military and safety industries for high performance fabrics featuring specific properties. in several applications in the medical field, in particular in clean rooms, fabrics are in repeated contact with various pharmaceuticals and/or chemicals and are exposed to harsh conditions, as required e.g. by sterilization processes; for this reason, fabrics should desirably exhibit high toughness, high abrasion resistance, high tenacity, high thermal stability, and high chemical resistance, including high resistance to hydrolysis. similar requirements are due in many industries such as the chemical industry where fabrics are in repeated contact with various chemicals including organic solvents such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene and ethyl acetate, or acids such as sulfuric acid or nitric acid. moreover, another specific and demanding application of such fabrics is the particulate filtration from the flue gas emission of fuel power plants. world organizations and international agencies such as the international energy agency are concerned about the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels. the combustion of fossil fuels contributes to acid rain, global warming and air pollution due to the impurities and chemical composition of the fuels. one of the main byproducts of coal-burning power plant operation, nl. the flue gas from coal combustion, is discharged to the air through a flue gas stack. flue gas produced during the combustion of coal is emitted at high temperatures, typically above 125° c. and often above 160° c. flue gas contains typically carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, fly ash, and water vapor, as well as other substances such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, hydrofluoric acid (hf), hydrochloric acid (hcl), sulfurous acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, mercury, sulfur nitrate (sno 3 ), low levels of uranium, thorium, and other naturally-occurring radioactive isotopes and still many other toxic substances. flue gas contains typically well above 5 vol. % of co 2 , very often above 10 vol. % of co 2 , and often 12.5 vol. % co 2 or more. flue gas contains typically well above 150 ppm of nitrogen oxides (no x ), very often above 300 ppm of no x and often at least 400 ppm of no x ; it may also comprises above 400 ppm, above 600 ppm, above 800 ppm, above 1000 ppm, above 1200 ppm or even above 1400 ppm of sulfur oxides (so x ), depending on the nature of the coal composition. “so x ” is a general term given to a mixture of sulfur oxides, the two major components of which being sulfur dioxide (so 2 ) and sulfur trioxide (so 3 ). on the other hand, “no x ” is a general term given to a mixture of nitrogen oxides, the two major components of which being nitric oxide (no) and nitrogen dioxide (no 2 ). the solid particle loading of flue gas is typically well above 1 mg/m 0 3 (m 0 3 =m 3 at 273 k and 101.3 kpa), very often above 5 mg/m 0 3 and often above 15 mg/m 0 3 ; it can sometimes be of at least 20, or even at least 25 mg/m 0 3 . one of the major dangers related to coal combustion is the emission of solid particulate material entrained in the chemically aggressive flue gas described above. examples of such solid material that are dangerous for public health include fly-ash, fine-fume type particles, various types of smoke, dust, etc. that are not easily separated from the flue gas by gravitational force. power plants generally remove particulate from the flue gas with the use of various fabric filtration materials, commonly known as bag houses. the gases flow into and through the fabric, leaving solid particulate materials inside. capital costs of operating bag houses are high but their efficiency is excellent and so they have become very popular. however, the specific selection of fabric used for the manufacture of bag houses can greatly affect the related efficiency and costs. as bag houses are exposed for extended periods of time to the hot, abrasive and chemically aggressive environment of flue gas produced by the coal-burning plants, it would be highly desirable that fabrics used for their manufacture withstand such environment. cement plants cause similar environmental impacts to the ones associated with coal-burning power generation plants since they also generally use coal as primary fuel. fabrics made of polyethylene (pe) fibers, polyimide (pi) fibers, polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe) fibers, aromatic polyamides fibers and glass fibers have been used in various applications, including industrial and air pollution control systems. fabrics made out of other polymer materials have been used for different applications, depending on the environment, including the temperature and acidity levels of the application. fabrics made of poly(phenylene sulphide) (pps) fibers have been widely used up to now as part of filter systems in the coal-fired power generation industry. there are unfortunately a number of drawbacks, however, with fabrics available on the market. for instance, the supply of certain polymers fibers is heavily limited so that filter manufacturers would like to benefit from an alternative and more technically preforming source of polymer fibers. further, certain fabrics made of fibers such as pps fibers, oxidatively degrade in acidic environments. when such fabrics are incorporated into filters, the oxidative breakdown can ultimately lead to clogged filter pores, reduced air flow and higher frequency of cleaning until filter replacement is required. other fabrics feature low resistance to high temperature or repeated chemical treatments. there is thus a need for improved fabrics, notably suitable for industrial, medical or air cleanup applications as described above, that would feature high tensile properties, high hydrolytic stability and high thermal resistance, while also performing outstanding chemical resistance, even at high temperatures. such fabrics should further be made of a material easily shapeable into fibers. the specific selection of such material is as difficult as it is crucial for the encompassed applications. the present invention makes now available new fabrics featuring excellent properties such as high tensile properties, high hydrolytic stability, high thermal resistance, and outstanding chemical resistance that make them especially suitable for applications targeting elevated temperatures, harsh chemical and abrasive environments. summary of the invention a first aspect of the present invention relates to a fabric comprising a plurality of fibers (f) comprising at least one polymer material (p) selected from the group consisting of (1) a blend (b12) composed of at least one poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) and at least one poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2); (2) a polymer (p3) comprising sulfone groups, ketone groups and arylene groups, and (3) a blend (b123) thereof. the fabric according to the present invention may find useful applications in the textile industry, aerospace, automotive, medical, military and safety industries. accordingly, another aspect of the present invention is directed to the use of the fabric according to the present invention in any of the above mentioned applications. the fabric of the present invention can be incorporated into different devices and systems. for example, the fabric can be incorporated into a filter device. accordingly, another aspect of the present invention is directed to a filter device comprising the fabric as above described. a closely related thereto aspect of the present invention is directed to a filter assembly comprising a frame and a fabric mounted on said frame, wherein said fabric is the fabric as above described. the filter assembly can be used for numerous applications, including but not limited to filter assemblies for industrial plants, such as coal burning power plants and cement plants. accordingly, still another aspect of the present invention is directed to a filtration system comprising a plurality of filter assemblies, at least one of them being the filter assembly as above described; possibly, each filter assembly is as above described. the filter assembly according to the present invention may be incorporated in filtration systems for gases/fluids in coal burning power generation plants or cement plants. accordingly, still another aspect of the present invention is directed to a coal burning power generation plant or to a cement plant comprising the filtration system as above described. still another aspect of the present invention are directed to the use of the fabric or the filter device or the filter assembly as above described for the removal of solid particles from an acid gas. an acid gas may be any gas capable of reacting with water so as to generate h + ions. the capability of a gas to react with water can be conventionally assessed at room temperature (23° c.) and atmospheric pressure (1 atm) by putting said water under atmosphere of said gas for about 1 hour so as to obtain an aqueous medium, then measuring the ph of said aqueous medium; a ph value substantially below 7.0 indicates that the gas is acid; ph values below 6.0, 5.0, 4.0 or even 3.0 may be observed in certain instances. the acid gas may be a flue gas from a coal burning power generation plant. an acid gas is any gas the acid gas may contain carbon dioxide. the carbon dioxide content of said acid gas may exceed 1 vol. %, 2 vol. %, 5 vol. %, 10 vol. % or even 20 vol. %. the solid particle loading of said acid gas may exceed 1 μg/m 0 3 , 10 μg/m 0 3 , 100 μg/m 0 3 , 1000 μg/m 0 3 , 10 mg/m 3 , 20 mg/m 3 , 50 mg/m 0 3 or even, in extreme situations, 1 g/m 3 . brief description of the drawings a more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a filter assembly comprising the fabric according to the present invention; and fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a filtration system (bag house) including filter assemblies according to the present invention. detailed description of the invention description of the fabric the term “fabric” is intended to denote a textile material comprised of a network of fibers often referred to as thread or yarn. yarn is usually produced by spinning raw fibers on a spinning wheel to produce long strands. fabrics are generally formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibers together. the fabric according to the present invention comprise the plurality of fibers (f) in a weight amount of above 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 75%, 90% or 95%, based on the total weight of the fabric; the fabric may consist essentially of, or even consists of, the plurality of fibers identical to the fiber (f); the fabric may comprise the plurality of fibers identical to the fiber (f) in a weight amount of less than 99%, 98%, 95%, 90%, 80%, 70%, 50%, 25%, 10% or 5%, based on the total weight of the fabric. when the fabric is incorporated into a filter assembly, it comprises the plurality of fibers identical to the fiber (f) in a weight amount of generally above 10%, preferably above 50%, more preferably above 80%, still more preferably above 95%, based on the total weight of the fabric. the fabric may further comprise other conventional ingredients of fabrics, such as fibers other than the fiber (f). non limitative examples of such fibers include: glass fibers; asbestos fibers; organic fibers formed from high temperature engineered resins like poly(benzothiazole) fibers, poly(benzimidazole) fibers, poly(benzoxazole) fibers, polyarylether fibers and aramide fibers; carbon fibers; ptfe fibers; boron fibers (e.g. obtained by deposition of boron microgranules on a tungsten or carbonate yarn); metal fibers; ceramic fibers like silicon nitride si 3 n 4 ; talc-glass fibers; calcium silicate fibers like wollastonite micro-fibers; silicon carbide fibers; metal borides fibers (e.g. tib 2 ) and mixtures thereof; the carbon fibers can be obtained notably by heat treatment and pyrolysis of different polymeric precursors such as, for example, rayon, polyacrylonitrile (pan), aromatic polyamide or phenolic resin; other carbon fibers useful for the present invention can be obtained from pitchy materials. the term “graphite fiber” intends to denote carbon fibers obtained by high temperature pyrolysis (over 2000° c.) of carbon fibers, wherein the carbon atoms place in a way similar to the graphite structure. certain carbon fibers useful for the present invention are chosen from the group composed of pan based carbon fibers, pitch based carbon fibers, graphite fibers, and mixtures thereof. the fabric of the present invention can be non-woven or woven. this fabric may find useful applications in the textile industry, aerospace, automotive, medical, military and safety industries. non limitative examples of such applications include flame resistant materials, fire blocking felts, gaskets, hoses, belts, ropes, rechargeable battery separators, sterilizable fabrics, including in-situ webbing, military apparel, geotextiles, protective fabrics, threads, and composite filler materials, filters for utilities, cement plants, and chemical processes plants, chemical scrubber units, flame resistant textiles, protective apparel for environmentally aggressive environments, chemical handling, hazardous waste, radiation, tear resistance, impact resistance, protective fabrics, carpets, bedding, upholstery, woven and non-woven clothing, garments, and belts. description of the polymer material (p) the fabric comprising a plurality of fibers (f) according to the present invention comprises at least one polymer material (p) selected from the group consisting of (1) a blend (b12) composed of at least one poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) and at least one poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2); (2) a polymer (p3) comprising sulfone groups, ketone groups and arylene groups, and (3) a blend (b123) thereof. as used herein, the term “blend” refers to a physical combination of two or more different polymers, in contrast with “copolymers”, where two or more different polymers are chemically linked to each other so as to form blocky structures and/or where polymerized recurring units of two or more different types are randomly distributed in a polymer chain. usually, the different polymer components of the blend are diffused to some extent among each other inside the fiber (f), and, often, they are diffused intimately inside the fiber so that their individuality in the fiber is obscured. as used herein, the term “polymer material” denotes indifferently a single polymer, or a blend composed of two or more polymers, as above defined. the fabric comprising a plurality of fibers (f) according to the present invention can also further comprise one or more polymers (p*) other than those above listed. in the fiber (f), the weight ratio of polymer (p*) and of polymer material (p) [(p*):(p)] ranges usually from 0 to 5, preferably from 0 to less than 1.00, more preferably from 0 to 0.30 and still more preferably from 0 to 0.10. in certain embodiments of the present invention to which the preference may be given, the fiber (f) is essentially free, or even is free, of polymer (p*). the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1). for the purpose of the present invention, the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) is any polymer of which more than 50 wt. % of the recurring units are recurring units (r1) of one or more formulae which are free of sulfone group and contain at least one arylene group, at least one ether group [—o—] and at least one ketone group [—c(═o)—]. generally, the at least one ketone group contained in the recurring units (r1) is in-between two arylene groups, in particular in-between two phenylene groups as shown below: not just the recurring units (r1) but the whole poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) is often free of sulfone groups. yet, in certain particular instances, the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) may further contain sulfone groups; the case being, in the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1), the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio is typically below 0.5 and, typically also, less than 5 wt. % or even less 2.5 wt. % of the recurring units of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) contain a sulfone group. the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) comprises preferably above 75 wt. %, more preferably above 90 wt. %, and even more preferably above 95 wt. % of recurring units (r1). the most preferably, the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) contains recurring units (r1) essentially as sole, if not as sole, recurring units. the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) is advantageously as described in u.s. provisional application ser. no. 60/835,430, the whole content of which is herein incorporated by reference. thus, the recurring units (r1) are advantageously of one or more of the following formulae: wherein ar is independently a divalent aromatic radical selected from phenylene, biphenylene or naphthylene,x is independently o, c(═o) or a direct bond,n is an integer of from 0 to 3,b, c, d and e are 0 or 1,a is an integer of 1 to 4, andpreferably, d is 0 when b is 1. recurring units (r1) are preferably chosen from: more preferably, recurring units (r1) are chosen from: still more preferably, recurring units (r1) are: for the purpose of the present invention, a poly(ether ether ketone) is intended to denote any polymer of which more than 50 wt. % of the recurring units are recurring units (r1) of formula (vii). excellent results are obtained when the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) is a poly(ether ether ketone) homopolymer, i.e. a polymer of which essentially all, if not all, the recurring units are of formula (vii). victrex® 150 p, victrex® 380 p, victrex® 450 p and victrex® 90 p from victrex manufacturing ltd., vestakeep® peek from degussa, and ketaspire® and gatone® peek from solvay advanced polymers, l.l.c. are examples of poly(ether ether ketone) homopolymers. the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2). many poly(aryl ether sulfone)s suitable for use as the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) are disclosed in wo 2006/094988, the whole content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. for the purpose of the present invention, a poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) is any polymer of which at least 5 wt. % of the recurring units are recurring units (r2) of one or more formulae comprising at least one sulfone group [—s(═o) 2 —] in-between two arylene groups, and at least one ether group [—o—]. in particular, in the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2), the at least one sulfone group [—s(═o) 2 —] may be in-between two phenylene groups as shown below: the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) comprises preferably above 25 wt. %, more preferably above 50 wt. %, still more preferably above 90 wt. %, and even more preferably above 95 wt. % of recurring units (r2). the most preferably, the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) contains recurring units (r2) essentially as sole, if not as sole, recurring units. the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) differs generally from the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1). in particular, the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) is often free of ketone group. yet, in certain particular instances, the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) may further contain ketone groups; the case being, in the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2), the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio is typically greater than 1 and can exceed 2, and, typically also, less than 25 wt. % of the recurring units of the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) contain a ketone group. as will be detailed later on, the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) may be a poly(biphenyl ether sulfone), such as a polyphenylsulfone. alternatively, the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) may be a polyethersulfone, a polyetherethersulfone or a bisphenol a polysulfone. the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) may also be a blend composed of at least one poly(biphenyl ether sulfone) and at least one poly(aryl ether sulfone) other than a poly(biphenyl ether sulfone), such as a polyethersulfone. in a certain embodiment of the present invention, the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) is a polyethersulfone. to the purpose of the present invention, a polyethersulfone is intended to denote any polymer of which more than 50 wt. % of the recurring units are recurring units (r2-a) of formula (1): the polyethersulfone may be notably a homopolymer, or a copolymer such as a random or a block copolymer. when the polyethersulfone is a copolymer, its recurring units are advantageously a mix of recurring units (r2-a) of formula (1) and of recurring units (r2-a*), different from recurring units (r2-a), such as recurrings units of formula (2), (3) or (4) represented hereafter: and mixtures thereof. preferably, the polyethersulfone is a homopolymer, or it is a copolymer the recurring units of which are a mix composed of recurring units (r2-a) of formula (1) and of recurring units (r2-a*) of formula (2), or it can also be a blend of the previously cited homopolymer and copolymer. polyethersulfones are commercially available notably from solvay advanced polymers, l.l.c. as radel® a. in a certain embodiment of the present invention, the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) is a polyetherethersulfone. to the purpose of the present invention, a polyetherethersulfone is intended to denote any polymer of which more than 50 wt. % of the recurring units are recurring units (r2-b) of formula (2) the polyetherethersulfone may be notably a homopolymer, or a copolymer such as a random or a block copolymer. in a certain embodiment of the present invention, the poly(aryl ether sulfone) is a bisphenol a polysulfone. to the purpose of the present invention, a bisphenol a polysulfone is intended to denote any polymer of which more than 50 wt. % of the recurring units are recurring units (r2-c) of formula (3): the bisphenol a polysulfone may comprise more than 75 wt. % or 90 wt. % of recurring units of formula (3). the bisphenol a polysulfone may be a homopolymer, or it may be a copolymer such as a random or a block copolymer. when the bisphenol a polysulfone is a copolymer, its recurring units are advantageously a mix of recurring units (r2-c) and of recurring units (r2-c*), different from recurring units (r2-c), such as: and mixtures thereof. preferably, the bisphenol a polysulfone is a homopolymer. bisphenol a polysulfones are commercially available notably from solvay advanced polymers, l.l.c. as udel®. the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) is preferably a poly(biphenyl ether sulfone). as described in the u.s. provisional application ser. no. 60/835,430, the term “poly(biphenyl ether sulfone)” is intended to denote any polymer, generally a polycondensate, of which more than 50 wt. % of the recurring units are recurring units (r2-d) of one or more formulae containing at least one p-biphenylene group: at least one ether group (—o—) and at least one sulfone group (—so 2 —). preferably, recurring units (r2-d) are recurring units of one or more formulae of the general type: wherein r 1 through r 4 are —o—, —so 2 —, —s—, —co—, with the proviso that least of r 1 through r 4 is —so 2 — and at least one of r 1 through r 4 is —o—; ar 1 , ar 2 and ar 3 are arylene groups containing 6 to 24 carbon atoms, and are preferably phenylene or p-biphenylene; and a and b are either 0 or 1. more preferably, recurring units (r2-d) are chosen from and mixtures thereof. still more preferably, recurring units (r2-d) are either or a mix of wherein the weight amount of the recurring units (9) contained in the mix, based on the total amount of the recurring units (7) and (9) of which the mix consists, is between 10 and 99%, and preferably between 50 and 95%. the best properties may be achieved when using recurring units (7) or a mix of recurring units (7) and (9) as recurring units (r2-d). on the other hand, using recurring units (4) as recurring units (r2-d) provides in general the best overall cost-properties balance. for the purpose of the present invention, a polyphenylsulfone is intended to denote any polycondensation polymer of which more than 50 wt. % of the recurring units are recurring units (r2-d) of formula (4). the poly(biphenyl ether sulfone) may be notably a homopolymer, a random, alternating or block copolymer. when the poly(biphenyl ether sulfone) is a copolymer, its recurring units may notably be composed of (i) recurring units (r2-d) of at least two different formulae chosen from formulae (4), (6), (7), (8) or (9), or (ii) recurring units (r2-d) of one or more formulae chosen from formulae (4), (6), (7), (8) or (9) (especially, recurring units of formula (4)) and recurring units (r2-d*), different from recurring units (r2-d), such as: preferably more than 70 wt. %, more preferably more than 85 wt. % of the recurring units of the poly(biphenyl ether sulfone) are recurring units (r2-d). still more preferably, essentially all the recurring units of the poly(biphenyl ether sulfone) are recurring units (r2-d). the most preferably, all the recurring units of the poly(biphenyl ether sulfone) are recurring units (r2-d). excellent results were obtained when the poly(biphenyl ether sulfone) is a polyphenylsulfone homopolymer, i.e. a polymer of which essentially all, if not all, the recurring units are of formula (4). radel® r polyphenylsulfone from solvay advanced polymers, l.l.c. is an example of a polyphenylsulfone homopolymer. the blend (b12). in a certain preferred embodiment, the polymer material (p) is a blend (b12). as previously mentioned, said blend (b12) is composed of at least one poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) and at least one poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2). with respect to the blend (b12), the weight of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1), based on the total weight of the blend (b12) [i.e. based on the weight of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) plus the weight of the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2)] is advantageously of at least 15%, preferably at least 25%, more preferably at least 35%, still more preferably at least 40%, and still still more preferably at least 45%; besides, the weight of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1), based on the total weight of the blend (b12) is advantageously of at most 90% and preferably of at most 80%; in certain embodiments, it is of at most 70%, and possibly of at most 55%; in certain other embodiments, it is above 55%, and possibly of at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 75% or even at least 80%. the polymer (p3). the polymer (p3) comprises sulfone groups, ketone groups and arylene groups. in the polymer (p3), the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio may vary to a large extent. certain polymers suitable for use as the polymer (p3) are described in u.s. provisional application 61/014,485, the whole content of which is herein incorporated by reference. accordingly, the polymer (p3) may be a polymer comprising sulfone groups, ketone groups and polyarylene groups (with “polyarylene groups” as defined below), wherein the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio is greater than 1; in said particular polymer (p3), the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio may be greater than 1.25, greater than 1.5, or even greater than 2; besides, the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio may be notably below 5, below 4, below 3 or below 2. certain polymers other than those described in u.s. provisional application 61/014,485 are also at least suitable, if not more suitable, for use as the polymer (p3). accordingly, the polymer (p3) may be a polymer comprising sulfone groups, ketone groups and polyarylene groups, wherein the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio is of at most 1 besides, in the polymer (p3), the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio may be below 0.8, below 0.65, below 0.5, below 0.35 or even below 0.25; besides, the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio may be notably above 0.1, above 0.2, above 0.25, or up to 0.5. still other polymers suitable for use as the polymer (p3) are polymers comprising sulfone groups, ketone groups and arylene groups other than polyarylene groups. when the polymer (p3) is of such type, the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio may be either above 1 or of at most 1, and may comply with any of the above specified lower and upper limits. the polymer (p3) comprises preferably polyarylene groups. the term “polyarylene groups” is intended to denote groups containing multiple benzenic ring structures, each benzenic ring being joined directly by at least one single bond to at least one other benzenic ring. non limitative examples of such polyarylene groups include 2,6-naphthylene, 2,6-anthrylene, 2,7-phenanthrylene, biphenylene, and binaphthylenes. more preferably, the polymer (p3) comprises biphenylene groups. still more preferably, the polymer (p3) comprises p-biphenylene groups. the ketone groups of the polymer (p3) usually originate from ketone containing monomers. non limitative examples of such ketone containing monomers include: where x is a halogen, a nitro, a hydroxyl or a thiol group, and where y is an alkyl, an aryl, a ketone, an —o—, or a —s— group. the sulfone groups of the polymer (p3) usually originate from sulfone containing monomers. non limitative examples of such sulfone containing monomers include: here x is a halogen, a nitro, a hydroxyl or a thiol group, and where y is an alkyl, an aryl, a ketone, an —o—, or a —s— group. the polymer (p3) comprises generally: at least one group (g1) and at least one group (g2). the polymer (p3) preferably further comprises at least group (g3). as it is the case for certain polymers described in u.s. provisional application 61/014,485 suitable for use as the polymer (p3), the number of moles of (g1) over the number of moles of (g2) ratio may be greater than 1, greater than 1.25, more preferably greater than 2; on the other hand, it may be notably lower than 15, or lower than 10. as it is also the case for certain polymers described in u.s. provisional application 61/014,485 suitable for use as the polymer (p3), the polymer (p3) may comprise more than 100 g, more than 200 g, more than 300 g or more than 350 g of groups (g1) per kg of polymer; and the polymer (p3) may comprise more than 25 g, more than 75 g or more than 100 g of groups (g2) per kg of polymer; and the polymer (p3) may also comprise more than 100 g, more than 200 g, more than 250 g or more than 300 g of groups (g3) per kg of polymer. certain polymers other than those described in u.s. provisional application 61/014,485 are also at least suitable, if not more suitable, for use as the polymer (p3). accordingly, in the polymer (p3), the number of moles of (g1) over the number of moles of (g2) ratio may be of at most 1; besides, in the polymer (p3), the number of moles of (g1) over the number of moles of (g2) ratio may be below 0.8, below 0.65, below 0.5, below 0.35 or even below 0.25; besides, the number of moles of (g1) over the number of moles of (g2) ratio may be notably above 0.1, above 0.2, above 0.25, or up to 0.5. also accordingly, the polymer (p3) may comprise more than 25 g, more than 50 g, more than 75 g or more than 100 g of groups (g1) per kg of polymer; and the polymer (p3) may comprise more than 100 g, more than 200 g, more than 250 g, more than 300 g or more than 350 g of groups (g2) per kg of polymer; and the polymer (p3) may also comprise more than 100 g, more than 200 g, more than 250 g or more than 300 g of groups (g3) per kg of polymer. the polymer (p3) may be a homopolymer or a copolymer. it is preferably a copolymer comprising recurring units of at least two distinct formulae. more preferably, it comprises recurring units of two and only two distinct formulae. the polymer (p3) may comprise recurring units (r3-a), (r3-b), (r3-c), (r3-d), (r3-e) or (r3-f) as detailed below. recurring units (r3-a), (r3-b), (r3-c), (r3-d), (r3-e) and (r3-f) are obtainable by the reaction between different monomers, as will be detailed below; by the way, said recurring units are, from a practical point of view, generally obtained by said reactions. recurring units (r3-a). recurring units (r3-a) are obtainable by the reaction between at least one aromatic dihalo compound (d1-1) comprising at least one group (g1), and at least one aromatic dihydroxy compound. recurring units (r3-a) comprise at least one group (g1), but they may also comprise groups (g2) and/or (g3). they may also be free of groups (g2) and (g3). excellent results were obtained with recurring units (a) comprising groups (g1) and (g2) or (g3). the aromatic dihalo compound (d1-1) comprising at least one group (g1) of recurring units (r1) is preferably a 4,4′-dihalodiphenylsulfone or 4,4′-bis[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]-1,1′-biphenyl. more preferably, it is a 4,4′-dihalodiphenylsulfone. still more preferably the 4,4′-dihalodiphenylsulfone is selected from the group consisting of 4,4′-dichlorodiphenylsulfone, 4,4′-difluorodiphenylsulfone and mixtures thereof. the aromatic dihydroxy compound of recurring units (r3-a) is preferably 4,4′-biphenol or 4,4′-dihydroxybenzophenone. recurring units (r3-b). the polymer as above described may further comprise recurring units (r3-b) obtainable by the reaction between at least one aromatic dihydroxy compound (d1-2) comprising at least one group (g1), and at least one aromatic dihalo compound. recurring units (r3-b) comprise at least one group (g2), but it may also comprise groups (g1) and/or (g3). it may also be free of groups (g1) and (g3). excellent results were for example obtained with recurring units (r1) comprising both groups (g2) and (g1). the aromatic dihydroxy compound (d1-2) comprising at least one group (g1) of recurring units (r3-b) is preferably dihydroxydiphenylsulfone. recurring units (r3-c). the polymer as above described may further comprise recurring units (r3-c) obtainable by the reaction between at least one aromatic dihalo compound (d2-1) comprising at least group (g2) and at least one aromatic dihydroxy compound. recurring units (r3-c) comprise at least one group (g2), but it may also comprise groups (g1) and/or (g3). it may also be free of groups (g1) and (g3). excellent results were for example obtained with recurring units (r3) comprising both groups (g2) and (g1). the aromatic dihydroxy compound of recurring units (r3-c) is preferably 4,4′-biphenol. the aromatic dihalo compound (d2-1) is preferably a 4,4′-dihalobenzophenone. more preferably, the 4,4′-dihalobenzophenone is selected from the group consisting of 4,4′-dichlorobenzophenone, 4,4′-difluorobenzophenone and mixtures thereof. recurring units (r3-d). the polymer as above described may further comprise recurring units (r3-d) obtainable by the reaction between at least one aromatic dihydroxy compound (d2-2), comprising at least group (g2) and at least one aromatic dihalo compound. recurring units (r3-d) comprise at least one group (g2), but it may also comprise groups (g1) and/or (g3). it may also be free of groups (g1) and (g3). excellent results were for example obtained with recurring units (r4) comprising both groups (g2) and (g1). the aromatic dihydroxy compound (d2-2) of recurring units (r3-d) is preferably 4,4′-dihydroxybenzophenone. recurring units (r3-e). the polymer as above described may further comprise recurring units (r3-e) obtainable by the reaction between at least one aromatic dihalo compound (d3-1), comprising at least group (g3) and at least one aromatic dihydroxy compound. recurring units (r3-e) comprise at least one group (g3), but it may also comprise groups (g1) and/or (g2). it may also be free of groups (g1) and (g2). excellent results were for example obtained with recurring units (r5) comprising both groups (g3) and (g1). the aromatic dihydroxy compound of recurring units (r3-e) is preferably 4,4′-biphenol. recurring units (r3-f). the polymer as above described may further comprise recurring units (r3-f) obtainable by the reaction between at least one aromatic dihydroxy compound (d3-2), comprising at least group (g3) and at least one aromatic dihalo compound. recurring units (r3-f) comprise at least one group (g3), but it may also comprise groups (g1) and/or (g2). it may also be free of groups (g1) and (g2). excellent results were for example obtained with recurring units (r3-f) comprising both groups (g3) and (g1). the aromatic dihydroxy compound (d3-2) of recurring units (r3-f) is preferably 4,4′-biphenol. in a particular embodiment, the polymer (p3) is preferably free of hydroquinone groups. recurring units (r3-a), (r3-b), (r3-c), (r3-d), (r3-e) and (r3-f) may be the same or different. for example, a recurring unit comprising both groups (g1) and (g2) falls under both definitions of recurring units (r3-a) and (r3-d). non limitative examples of such recurring units as above described are listed below: recurring unit (i) is an example of recurring units that is at the same time recurring units (r3-a) and (r3-f). recurring unit (ii) to (v) are respectively at the same time recurring units (r3-b) and (r3-c), (r3-a) and (r3-b), (r3-a) and (r3-d), and finally (r3-a) and (r3-f). the total weight of recurring units (r3-a), (r3-b), (r3-c), (r3-d), (r3-e) and (r3-f) over the total weight of the polymer ratio is advantageously above 0.5. this ratio is preferably above 0.7, more preferably above 0.9 and still more preferably above 0.95. the most preferably, the polymer (p3) comprises no other recurring unit than recurring units (r3-a), (r3-b), (r3-c), (r3-d), (r3-e) and (r3-f). excellent results were obtained with the polymers comprising the following structures: wherein: “a” may represent at least 10 mol. %, 20 mol. %, 30 mol. %, 40 mol. %, 50 mol. % of the whole polymer, and “a” may also represent at most 70 mol. %, 60 mol. %, 50 mol. %, 40 mol. %, 30 mol. % of the whole polymer; “a” represents preferably from 10 mol. % to 60 mol. % of the whole polymer;“b” may represent at least 30 mol. %, 40 mol. %, 50 mol. %, 60 mol. %, 70 mol. % of the whole polymer, and “b” may also represent at most 95 mol. %, 90 mol. % or 80 mol. % of the whole polymer; “b” represents preferably from 40 mol. % to 90 mol. % of the whole polymer;“c” may represent at least 10 mol. %, 20 mol. %, 30 mol. %, 40 mol. %, 50 mol. % of the whole polymer, and “c” may also represent at most 70 mol. %, 60 mol. %, 50 mol. %, 40 mol. %, 30 mol. % of the whole polymer; “c” represents preferably from 10 mol. % to 60 mol. % of the whole polymer;“d” may represent at least 30 mol. %, 40 mol. %, 50 mol. %, 60 mol. %, 70 mol. % of the whole polymer, and “d” may also represent at most 95 mol. %, 90 mol. % or 80 mol. % of the whole polymer; “d” represents preferably from 40 mol. % to 90 mol. % of the whole polymer. as it is the case for certain copolymers described in u.s. provisional application 61/014,485 which are suitable for use as the polymer (p3), “a” and “c” may also represent between 75 to 90 mol. % of the whole polymer, and “b” and “d” may represent between 10 to 25 mol. % of the whole polymer. the blends (b123). the polymer material (p) may be a blend (b123) composed of at least one poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1), at least one poly(aryl ether sulfone) and at least one polymer (p3) as previously defined. with respect to blend (b123), the weight of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1), based on the combined weight of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) and the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2), is advantageously of at least 15%, preferably at least 25%, more preferably at least 35%, still more preferably at least 40%, and most preferably at least 45%; besides, the weight of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1), based on the combined weight of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) and the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2), is advantageously of at most 90%, preferably at most 80%, and still more preferably at most 70%. on the other hand, the weight of the polymer (p3), based on the total weight of the blend (b123) [i.e. the weight of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p1) plus the weight of the poly(aryl ether sulfone) (p2) plus the weight of the poly(aryl ether ketone) (p3)] may vary to a large extent; it may of at least 20%, 40%, 60% or 80%, based on the total weight of the blend (b123); it may further be of at most 80%, 60%, 40% or 20%, based on the total weight of the blend (b123). description of the methods and systems for making fibers the fibers (f) may be obtained by a melt-spin process. in such a method, pellets (or a powder) of polymer materials (p) can be pre-dried. the pellets are then fed into an extruder. the extruded polymer material (p) is melted and the melted polymer material (p) is passed through die holes. the strands of fibers can be pulled from the die holes using for example a series of rollers. the pulled strands can then be rolled on a reel. the viscosity, strength and extensibility of the strands can be controlled by varying different parameters, such as the level of additives in the polymer material (p), the polymer molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and molecular architecture. these flow parameters can also be controlled by temperature and shear conditions, such as the speed of pull by the rollers. the melt-spin process works particularly well for resins that can be readily melt processed in general, and will lend themselves to melt spinning. preferably, polymer materials (p) that are melt-spun are relatively clean (free of contaminants such as gels, black specs, char, etc). for example, bisphenol a polysulfones such as udel®, polyethersulfones such as radel® a, polyphenylsulfones such as radel® r, acudel®, polymer materials such as avaspire®, polyetheretherketones such as ketaspire®, poly(biphenyl ether sulfone)s such as epispire®, polyetheretherketones such as gatone® and poly(aryl ether sulfone)s such as gafone® can be melt-spun. a system for manufacturing the fibers (f) can include an extruder, for example a 1.5″ diameter extruder. the extruder can feed two melt pumps, each feeding a die with clusters of die holes. for example, each melt pump can feed two clusters of 20 die holes, each 0.8 mm in diameter. the strands of fibers can be pulled by a set of rollers. the pulling linear velocity of the initial set of rollers can be for example about 600 m/min. successive sets of rollers can further pull the strand, for example by increasing the pulling linear velocity for each successive set of rollers. for example, the forth set of rollers can have a pulling linear velocity of about 900 m/min. the pulled strands can then be rolled on a high speed reel. the fibers (f) are not limited to the above method and system. for example, it is possible to manufacture the fibers (f) using a solvent to dissolve the polymer material (p) before spinning. this solvent-based method provides the advantage of not requiring elevated temperature to melt the polymer material (p). this method may be well suited for polymer materials (p) that are relatively difficult to handle and/or that react to heat. a surface active fiber, i.e., providing active chemistry on its surface, might be produced through solution spinning. for example, fiber including a hydroxyl, amine, siloxane etc type of active group can be manufactured with a solution spinning method. in addition, if a second material, such as an additive, cannot withstand the melt temperatures of the first material, solution spinning can be used to manufacture a fiber including both materials. on the other hand, the melt-spinning method provides a fluid polymer material (p) without the use of a solvent, which can be beneficial because solvents can require additional steps in order to comply with environmental concerns. the fibers (f) can also be made using a spun-bond process. spun-bonded fabrics are non-woven fabrics formed by filaments which have been extruded drawn, and then laid down on a continuous belt. bonding can be accomplished by several methods such as hot-calendering or by passing the web through a saturated steam chamber at elevated temperature. a spun fabric is a fabric made from staple fibers which may contain one or a mixture of two or more fiber types. a spun-laced fabric is a non-woven fabric produced by entangling fibers in a repeating pattern to form a strong fabric free of binders. a staple can be made up of natural fibers or cut lengths of fiber from filaments. the staple length can vary from less than one inch to several feet. man-made staple fibers can be cut to a definite length so that they can be processed in spinning systems. the term staple is used in the textile industry to distinguish cut fiber from filaments. melt blown can be thought of as molten resin forced thru small orifices and ‘blown’ down onto a substrate or conveyor belt. this can be done in a random way making a non-woven or felt-like swatch of material. the fibers (f) can have any number of profiles, including but not limited to lobes, stripes, segments, etc. the fibers (f) can also be made with one or multiple resins. for example, one resin can form the core of the fiber and another resin can form the shell of the fiber. the fibers (f) can produce fibers within a very broad range in diameter, with a number average diameter generally from as low as 1 nm to as high as 100 μm. the fibers (f) may be notably nanofibers, i.e. fibers the number average diameter of which is below 1 μm (1000 nm); nanofibers may have a number average diameter of at least 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 or 200 nm; nanofibers may have a number average diameter of at most 500, 200, 100, 50, 20 or 10 nm. the fibers (f) may also be microfibers, i.e. fibers the number average diameter of which is of at least 1 μm (1000 nm); microfibers may have a number average diameter of at least 2, 4, 8 or 12 μm; microfibers may have a number average diameter of at most 50, 30 or 20 μm. in certain embodiments, preferred fibers have a number average diameter ranging from 12 to 20 μm. the number average length of the fibers (f) is advantageously of at least 10 cm, preferably of at least 25 mm and more preferably of at least 50 mm. fibers with a number average length of at least 50 mm have good filtration efficiency. the number average length of the fibers (f) is not particularly restricted. it can be of at most 100, 200 or 500 mm, but it can also be much higher as it is the case with continuous fibers. still other diameters and lengths are possible. with a two component system, many (often, at least 100) strands (e.g., 600) of one polymer material (p) can be formed in a matrix of a polymer material (p2) different from polymer material (p), all totaling a few microns in number average diameter (often, at least 2.0 μm), e.g., 10 μm. such a technique is sometimes referred to as the “islands in the sea” technique. if the matrix polymer material (p2) is washed away (e.g. it is dissolved by a solvent), one can obtain as many nanofibers as the number of strands formed in the matrix (here, 600 nanofibers). generally, the fibers (f) can have diameters from nanometers to millimeters and can be very short to reels in length. a fiber is a unit of material which forms the basic element of fabrics or textile structures. the fibers (f) can have a number average length at least 10, 100, 1,000 or, in certain instances, even 10,000 times its number average diameter. further, the fibers (f) can have different cross-sectional profiles, such as circular, oval, star-like, core/shell, etc. the applicant is of the opinion that, in certain embodiments of the present invention, non-circular fiber profiles of the fibers, in particular the star-like profile, are preferred, because they provide enhanced filtration capabilities. in addition, the fibers (f) can have a waviness (or crimps per unit length) taking different values, for example, 11-12 crimps/inch. other crimp values are possible. description of the filter assemblies incorporating the fibers the fabric comprising a plurality of fibers (f) discussed above provide benefits for numerous applications. these applications include, but are not limited to, filter assemblies, dust collectors, pollution control systems, mist eliminator blades or baffles, for example within an absorber tower. another aspect of the present invention is thus related to a filter assembly comprising a frame and a fabric mounted on said frame, wherein said fabric is the fabric according to the present invention. fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a non-limiting embodiment of a filter assembly 100 according to the present invention including fibers 110 . as seen in fig. 1 , the filter assembly 100 includes a filtering fabric (typically, a bag) made of fibers 110 . the filtering fabric can be felt, or non-woven, fabric, as well as woven fabric, made from the fibers 110 . in a preferred embodiment, the filtering fabric 120 incorporates fibers 110 comprising a blend (b12) as above defined, such an avaspire® polymer blend. in another preferred embodiment, the filtering fabric 120 incorporates fibers 110 comprising a polymer (p3) as previously defined. in yet another preferred embodiment, the filtering fabric 120 is free of any polymer material different from the polymer material (p), such as poly(phenylene sulphide). the filter assembly 100 can filter particulates from a particulate laden gas as the gas passes through each filter assembly 100 . each filter assembly 100 can be supported at its upper end by a flange 140 coupled to a tube sheet 250 of the filtration system 200 ( fig. 2 ) and can hang downwardly in a substantially vertical direction. the flange 140 can bear the weight of the filter assembly 100 when attached to the tube sheet 250 . the flange is made from a suitable material, such as stamped, drawn or otherwise formed metal. the length of the filter assembly 100 can vary, for example from a few centimeters to a few meters. also, the filter assemblies 100 can be connected in series. for example, the filter assemblies 100 can be modules of a filtration system made of several filter assemblies. the filter assembly 100 is preferably open on both ends. alternatively, the filter assembly 100 can be closed at one or both ends. the filter assembly 100 can have any suitable configuration cross-section, such as for example circular, oval or square. the filtering fabric 120 can be mounted on a frame 130 configured to support the filtering fabric 120 in a radial direction. the frame 130 can include support rings sewn into the filtering fabric 120 . alternatively, or in addition, the frame 130 can include a support cage or a perforated tube on which the filtering fabric 120 is mounted. the support rings 130 and/or the support cage and/or the tube can be made of metal, perforated sheet metal, expanded metal or mesh screen, or other suitable materials. the support rings, tube and/or cage can be coupled to the flange 140 . the filtering fabric 120 can be formed in a substantially tubular shape. preferably, the filtering fabric 120 includes a pleaded element with accordion folds at its inner and outer peripheries. the filtering fabric 120 can be attached to the flange and/or support rings/cage/tube, for example via a potting material. the filter assembly 100 can be incorporated, for example, in a filtration system, or baghouse, of any manufacturing or production plant that needs to control and/or clean its emission, such as a coal-fired power generation plant or a cement plant. in that respect, the filter assembly 100 can profitably replace the presently used filter assemblies comprising poly(phenylene sulphide) fibers. the fibers 110 according to the present invention can thus provide an alternative and more technically performing source of polymer fibers to address the limited supply of conventional polymer fibers (especially pps fibers) used in industrial filter assemblies, which further need to be periodically replaced. the fibers 110 can also provide a filter assembly 100 that can sustain high operating temperatures and acidic environments. as discussed above, the fibers 110 are made out of the above mentioned polymer material (p). fibers 110 have such chemical compositions that they have good oxidative stability, resistance to hydrolysis and to various chemicals. thus, in extreme environments of high temperature and/or acidic and/or basic atmosphere, the filter assembly 100 according to the present invention can offer a number of benefits for industrial filter assemblies. in particular, fibers 110 do not breakdown oxidatively, and thus improve the longevity of the filter assembly 100 , which does not clog up as quickly and need not be replaced as frequently. the filter assembly 100 can operate at higher temperatures, thus providing improved operational efficiencies of the overall unit. the filter assembly 100 can be operated through more shaker cycles thereby extending the filter assembly life. further, the physical attributes of the fibers 110 provide new and improved design options allowing for even further filtration improvements. the filter assembly according to the present invention preferably comprises fibers that do not breakdown oxidatively in the presence of sulfuric acid or in a temperature environment of around 375° f. in certain embodiments, it also comprises surface active fibers. description of the filtration system incorporating the filter assemblies the filtration system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of filter assemblies, at least one of them being the filter assembly as above described. in a certain embodiment, the filtration system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of filter assemblies, each of them being the filter assembly as above described. the filtration system according to the present invention may further comprise a gas inlet configured to receive a gas from a coal burning power generation plant or a cement plant. in a certain embodiment, the filtration system according to the present invention receives gas from a coal burning power generation plant or a cement plant. fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a filtration system according to the present invention (or scrubber system, or baghouse) 200 including filter assemblies 100 with fibers 110 . this filtration system 200 can be incorporated in a coal-burning power generation plant or in a processing plant, such as a rock and/or cement plants ad steel and/or coke mills. the filtration system 200 includes a gas inlet 210 , in which flu gas to be filtered is inserted. the gas is then passed through multiple filter assemblies (or filter bags) 220 . each of the filter assemblies 220 can be similar to the filter assemblies 100 with filtering fabric 120 shown in fig. 1 , but other configurations are possible. the filter assemblies 220 include a fabric made of fibers 110 made according to the present invention. the filter assemblies 220 can be attached to the tube sheet 250 via their flanges. the filter assemblies 220 can hang vertically inside the unit and can be held in place by clamps, snapbands or hold-downs. the filter assemblies 220 can trap various components from the gas, including so 2 , so 3 , co 2 , mercury, nitrogen dioxide, and other pollution molecules and combustion residues. the filter assemblies 220 can trap these components mechanically and/or chemically, for example via a surface active fiber. the filtered gas then exits the filtration system 200 via gas outlet 290 . the filter assemblies 220 can function in a high temperature environment, for example around 375° f., and in an acidic environment (e.g., in the presence of sulfuric acid) for an extended amount of time (e.g., three or more years). during this time, the filter assemblies 220 can be regularly cleaned, or discharged of debris, via some type of agitation system, such as a pulse jet, a shaker system, reverse air or some mixture thereof. for example, the filtration system 200 can include a pulse jet system 260 configured to generate a blast of compressed air, which is injected into the top of the opening of the filter assemblies 220 . the air can be supplied from a blowpipe which feeds into venturies located above the filter assembly. the air blast creates a shock wave that causes the bag to flex and particulate to release into a hopper 270 below. because of the accumulation of debris over time, the agitation of the filter assemblies, and the rough environment, the filter assemblies 220 age and eventually need to be replaced. the filter assemblies can be serviced and replaced via top access hatches 280 . a filtration system 200 can include thousands of such filter assemblies 220 . for example, in an electric utility plant, a filtration system 200 can include 10,000 filter assemblies 220 , representing thousands of pounds of fibers. thus, when the filters clog up and need to be replaced, the cost of such replacement can be great. this is another reason why increasing the longevity of the filters can be particularly beneficial in these applications, and why the fibers of the present inventions can lead to significant cost efficiencies. examples samples three raw materials, namely high melt flow victrex® 150p peek (powder form, referred to as peek 150), medium melt flow victrex® 381g peek (pellets, melt filtered, referred to as peek 381) and radel® r 5100 nt medium flow ppsu (pellets, melt filtered), have been used for preparing various polyetheretherketone (hereinafter, peek)/polyphenylsulfone (hereinafter, ppsu) blends as listed in table 1. in addition to controls ce1 and ce2, a total of 3 blends were compounded with the formulations e1, e2 and e3, listed in table 1. each formulation was dry-blended and extruded. table 1formulationsce1ce2ce3e1e2e3peek 381 (wt. %)0100006070peek 150 (wt. %)100008200radel ® r 5100 nt00100184030medium flow ppsu (wt. %) compounding conditions the peek/ppsu blends were compounded using a berstorff b25 mm extruder using a 20/40/60/230 mesh screen pack in the die plate. details on the conditions are shown in table 2. the material output was targeted at 18˜20 lb/hr and the melt temperature was controlled to be below 405° c. by optimizing the screw rpm and barrel temperatures. pellets were obtained. table 2compounding conditionstemperature set point isce1ce2e1e2e3mentioned in brackets beloweffective temperature (in ° c.)barrel 2 (330° c.)323330299329286barrel 3 (330° c.)328330329333319barrel 4 (330° c.)327330330333340barrel 5 (340° c.)338341340340325barrel 6 (340° c.)341339340343339barrel 7 (350° c.)351346350345339barrel 8 (350° c.)351346351345345adapter (350° c.)351348349351347die (350° c.)341344352350296die pressure (psi)2615038150150screw speed (rpm)200175200175175 fiber melt spinning processability comparison by dynamic melt rheology. the samples were characterized using a dynamic rheometer with parallel plates at 380° c. compression-molded plaque samples from the so-obtained pellets were dried overnight in a vacuum oven at 160° c. results are reported in table 3 where η° is the zero shear melt viscosity in pa·s. sω indicates the melt viscosity sensitivity to shear rate (unitless). a greater sω value indicates higher melt viscosity sensitivity to shear rate of the polymer. compared to neat ce2 (medium melt flow), the e2 and e3 material feature reduced shear thinning behavior, reduced zero shear viscosity (related to melt strength) and modified melt viscosity sensitivity to temperature. they thus appear to have a broad process window for fiber melt spinning and give less frequent strand breaks. the applicant, who has acquired great expertise in the field of engineering polymers and their manufacturing, has experienced that polymer materials featuring η° values of lower than 3000 pa·s, and sω at 10 rad/s values of lower than 0.25 are especially well suited for the manufacture of fibers and fabrics. table 3dynamic rheological property at 380° c.e2e3ce2η°, pa · s202124594030sω at 10 rad/s0.180.210.30sω at 100 rad/s0.310.350.43 melt spinning. fiber spinning trial was conducted on a machine including a standard 1.5″ single screw extruder with l/d of 24:1 and a compression ratio of 3:1, two melt pumps and four drawing rollers. the screw had feeding, transition and metering zones of 7.5/13.5/15 inch lengths without a mixer. each melt pump fed the material into a spinneret having two clusters each of 20 holes of 0.8 mm in diameter for a total of 80 strands. the total material residence time was about 10 minutes at 5 lbs/hr output rate. the strands were pulled by the four rollers, whose speeds and temperature were controlled independently. the first roller drew the strands at the molten state of the polymer (“hot” draw). the strand drawing from rest of the rollers took place at a solid state of the polymer (“cold” drawing). four screen packs of 325×60×20×20×20 mesh combination were used before the spinneret. fiber spinning conditions for the peek sample ce1 and the peek/ppsu sample e1 are shown in table 4. the peek/ppsu blend e1 demonstrated better fiber melt spinning processability (or less strand breaks) over the neat peek sample ce1, at similar process conditions. table 4fiber spinning conditionsce1e1extruderrear, ° c.350350zone 2, ° c.370385zone 3, ° c.390395head, ° c.390395head pressure, psi16001660rollers1 st roll, m/min - temperature, ° c.176 - 135176 - 1402 nd roll, m/min - temperature, ° c.388 - 200756 - 2003 rd roll, m/min - temperature, ° c.396 - 145768 - 200last roll, m/min - temperature, ° c.456 - 40780 - 45denier g/9000 m338355dpf, g/9000 m4.24.4fiber diameter, mm0.0220.023 tensile properties. tensile test for multifilament fibers was conducted following astm 2256. fiber samples were conditioned at 23° c. and 50% humidity for at least 24 hours. starting position between the specimen grips was set at 250 mm and crosshead speed was 300 mm/min. denier is a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers. it is defined as the mass in grams per 9,000 meters. one can distinguish between filament and total denier. both are defined as above but the first only relates to a single filament of fiber (also commonly known as denier per filament or d.p.f) whereas the second relates to an agglomeration of filaments. the following relationship applies to straight, uniform filaments: d.p.f.=total denier/quantity of uniform filaments properties reported from the tensile test include tenacity, modulus, and toughness. properties from the tensile test on peek (ce1), ppsu (ce3) and peek/ppsu (e1) fibers are shown in table 5. table 5fiber tensile propertiesce1ce3e1dpf, g/9000 m4.26.14.4tenacity, gf/den3.11.64.0modulus, gf/den622168toughness, gf/den0.70.70.8 sample e1 gave excellent results, compared to the neat peek and ppsu samples, featuring unexpectedly improved properties. thermal stability. thermal stability property, discussed in this study, is measured through % tenacity retention of a fiber sample after exposed in a hot air oven of 170° c. for a prolong period. all fiber samples for this test were water-washed to remove the finish chemical prior to the oven exposure. results are shown in table 6. table 6tensile properties upon thermal agingce1e1initial fiber propertiestenacity, gf/den3.14.013 daystenacity, gf/den2.14.1tenacity retain, %65.9101.962 daystenacity, gf/den2.44.1tenacity retain, %75.8102.582 daystenacity, gf/den2.43.7tenacity retain, %76.091.7 the fibers, prepared from e1, do not show any noticed tenacity reduction after aging for ˜2000 hrs. the fibers, prepared from ce1, however, show significant tenacity reduction (˜30%) during the early stage of aging (<˜300 hrs). chemical resistance. fiber chemical resistance was evaluated by immersing the fiber in a testing reagent for 24 hours and then determining tensile properties and in particular tenacity retention of the chemical treated fiber. details of the test procedure are given in the following: fibers were winded on a 1″ diameter glass tube (⅔ way down into the bottom) and rinsed for 1 minute to remove the finish and then dried the fiber with paper towel. six tubes each loaded with different fiber samples were immersed into a glass 1000 ml wide-mouth jar filled with a chemical reagent. the jar was capped and left inside a hood at room temperature for 24 hours. the tubes were taken out from the jar, and rinsed with isopropanol (for organic reagents) or deionized water (for inorganic solutions) to rinse the remaining chemical reagent from the fiber for initial cleaning. the tubes were then dipped into an isopropanol or water bath as a second step clean up. the fibers were then conditioned for a day before running tensile tests. details of chemical resistant results are given in table 7. the ppsu fibers (ce3) do not have good resistance to some organic solvents, but they show superior resistance to strong base and acid solutions at room temperature, and to intermediate concentrated base and acid solutions at an elevated temperature. the peek fibers (ce1) of high melt flow show inadequate resistance to either strong acids at room temperature or intermediate concentrated acids at an elevated temperature. the peek/ppsu fibers exhibit significantly improved chemical resistance to the organic solvents and to strong acids at room temperature or to intermediate concentrated acids at an elevated temperature vs. ppsu (ce3) and peek (ce1) fibers. test temperature: 23° c. table 7tensile properties upon chemical treatmentmaterialce1ce3e1dpf4.36.94.4acetonetenacity, gf/den2.5dissolved4.4elongation, %39.1dissolved30.3modulus, gf/den54.2dissolved77.5toughness, gf/den0.5dissolved0.9tenacity retention, %80dissolved109mektenacity, gf/den2.8dissolved4.3elongation, %32.5dissolved29.5modulus, gf/den49.9dissolved73.7toughness, gf/den0.6dissolved0.8tenacity retention, %89dissolved107toluenetenacity, gf/den2.70.63.6elongation, %29.411.431.9modulus, gf/den53.223.065.2toughness, gf/den4.80.10.7tenacity retention, %863990methylene chloridetenacity, gf/den2.7dissolved3.5elongation, %36.3dissolved32.7modulus, gf/den49.4dissolved60.8toughness, gf/den0.6dissolved0.7tenacity retention, %87dissolved87sulfuric acid, 20%tenacity, gf/den3.01.74.7elongation, %33.978.231.2modulus, gf/den55.421.577.7toughness, gf/den0.70.80.9tenacity retention, %95105116sulfuric acid, 50%tenacity, gf/den1.61.63.4elongation, %31.377.527.5modulus, gf/den35.721.257.8toughness, gf/den0.30.70.6tenacity retention, %5010184nitric acid, 50%tenacity, gf/den1.41.63.5elongation, %21.273.430.1modulus, gf/den3124.564.8toughness, gf/den0.20.80.7tenacity retention, %4510486test temperature: 80° c.sulfuric acid, 20%tenacity, gf/den2.51.63.9elongation, %27.481.429.3modulus, gf/den59.421.768.7toughness, gf/den0.50.80.7tenacity retention, %7910097nitric acid, 20%tenacity, gf/den2.51.63.7elongation, %16.883.323.3modulus, gf/den58.623.567.4toughness, gf/den0.30.80.5tenacity retention, %7910192 preparation of a copolymer comprising sulfone, ketone and polyarylene groups, wherein the number of moles of sulfone groups over the number of moles of ketone groups ratio is greater than 1 (hereinafter, ppsk copolymer). to a one liter resin kettle equipped with an overhead agitator, nitrogen inlet, reflux condenser with a dean stark trap, was charged 76.3 g 4,4′-biphenol, 89.2 g of dichlorodiphenylsulfone, 22.6 g of 4,4′-difluorobenzophenone, 58.3 g of anhydrous potassium carbonate, and 375 g of diphenyl sulfone. the reaction mixture was evacuated and backfilled with dry nitrogen three times. the temperature was raised to 275° c. over 2-2.5 hours. the polymerization reaction was allowed to proceed with stirring and under a positive flow of nitrogen. water was collected in the dean stark trap during the polymerization. dichlorodiphenylsulfone, 2.5 g, was then added and the reaction was allowed to proceed for another hour. the hot reaction mixture was poured into a stainless steel pan and allowed to cool down and solidify; ppsk copolymer in solid state was recovered. the so-recovered ppsk copolymer was ground in a grinder to a free flowing powder. the ppsk powder was then subjected to six acetone washes for 1 hour each followed by six acidified water washes. finally, the ppsk powder was washed two times with de-ionized water followed by a methanol wash, and dried in a vacuum oven. escr testing. the environmental stress cracking resistance of samples was tested according to iso 22088. radel® r 5100 nt ppsu was further tested as a control. samples were attached to a parabolic test bar that applies a variable strain on the test specimen as a function of the instantaneous radius of curvature of the test bar. the corresponding stress for a material such as ppsu with a modulus of ˜340 ksi ranges from about 1000 psi (at the end of the bar with the smallest curvature) to about 5000 psi (at the end of the bar with the greatest curvature). the surfaces of the samples were exposed to different reagents. escr test results. after exposure to mek for 30 s, neat radel® r 5100 nt ppsu immediately crazed and cracked into several pieces. there was no effect on the ppsk copolymer. the ppsk copolymer had to immersed in mek for 2 more minutes before exhibiting complete crazing. also, when cyclohexanone was used, radel® r 5100 nt ppsu exhibited similarly no crazing resistance, while ppsk exhibited a good crazing resistance. similar results were also obtained after immersion in ethylene glycol monoethyl ether and monoethyl ether of diethylene glycol, confirming the superior properties of the ppsk copolymer. after exposure to thf for 30 s, the entire ppsu specimen exhibited crazing, whereas the ppsk sample showed crazing only in regions of the bar corresponding to a stress above about 4000 psi. still other samples were immersed in 2-ethoxyethanol for 30 minutes. after 20 min, the entire ppsu specimen showed crazing whereas the ppsk sample once again showed crazing only in regions of the bar corresponding to a stress above about 4000 psi.
|
038-415-962-917-885
|
US
|
[
"US",
"JP",
"EP",
"WO",
"CN"
] |
A61M16/00,A61B5/00,A61M16/06,A61M16/08,A61B5/087,A61B5/16,A61B5/08,A61B5/113
| 2018-06-29T00:00:00 |
2018
|
[
"A61"
] |
system and method for providing enhanced pap metrics
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a system for obtaining and providing enhanced pap metrics of a patient's sleep period includes: a pressure support device for use in providing a flow of breathing gas to the patient; a processing unit; and a number of auxiliary devices in wireless communication with the processing unit. each auxiliary device of the number of auxiliary devices is structured to detect and collect sleep-related data of the patient. the processing unit is programmed to: receive data obtained by a number of sensors of the pressure support device during operation of the pressure support device in providing the flow of breathing gas to the patient; receive supplemental data obtained by the number of auxiliary devices while the pressure support device is not providing the flow of breathing gas to the patient; and determine the enhanced pap metrics of the sleep period of the patient utilizing the data and the supplemental data.
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1 . a system for obtaining and providing enhanced pap metrics of a sleep period of a patient, the system comprising: a pressure support device ( 4 ) for use in providing a flow of breathing gas to the patient; a processing unit; and a number of auxiliary devices in wireless communication with the processing unit, each auxiliary device of the number of auxiliary devices being structured to detect and collect sleep-related data of the patient, wherein the processing unit is programmed to: receive data obtained by a number of sensors of the pressure support device during operation of the pressure support device in providing the flow of breathing gas to the patient; receive supplemental data obtained by the number of auxiliary devices while the pressure support device is not providing the flow of breathing gas to the patient; and determine the enhanced pap metrics of the sleep period of the patient utilizing the data and the supplemental data. 2 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is a portion of the pressure support device. 3 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is a portion of another device separate from the processing unit and the auxiliary devices. 4 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is a portion of one of the number of auxiliary devices. 5 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the number of auxiliary devices comprises one or more of: a smart watch, a smart phone, a bedside sleep monitor, and an under-mattress-sensor. 6 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further programmed to communicate the enhanced pap metrics of the sleep period to another device. 7 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the number of auxiliary devices comprises at least three devices, and wherein the processing unit is further programmed exclude data from one auxiliary device of the number of auxiliary devices which does not correspond to data from the other auxiliary device of the number of auxiliary devices. 8 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further programmed to utilize the enhanced pap metrics to determine and implement adjustments to the treatment provided to the patient by the pressure support device. 9 . a method for providing enhanced pap metrics of a sleep period of a patient, the sleep period having a first portion during which the patient receives treatment from a pressure support device and a second portion in which the patient does not receive treatment from the pressure support device, the method comprising: receiving data obtained during the first portion of the sleep period by a number of sensors of the pressure support device; receiving supplemental data obtained during the second portion of the sleep period by a number of auxiliary devices; and determining enhanced pap metrics of the patient's entire sleep period utilizing the data and the supplemental data. 10 . the method of claim 9 , further comprising communicating the enhanced pap metrics. 11 . the method of claim 9 , further comprising utilizing the enhanced pap metrics to determine and implement adjustments to the treatment provided to the patient by the pressure support device. 12 . a method for providing enhanced pap metrics of a sleep period of a patient, the sleep period having a first portion during which the patient receives treatment from a pressure support device and a second portion in which the patient does not receive treatment from the pressure support device, the method comprising: receiving data obtained during the first portion of the sleep period by a number of sensors of the pressure support device; receiving supplemental data obtained during first portion of the sleep period by a number of auxiliary devices; determining the occurrence of one or more sdb events during the first portion of the sleep period from one or both of the data and the supplemental data; identifying a correlation between the sdb events detected by the number of sensors of the pressure support device and the number of auxiliary devices; receiving supplemental data obtained during second portion of the sleep period by a number of auxiliary devices; and determining enhanced pap metrics of the patient's entire sleep period utilizing the data obtained during the first portion of the sleep period and the correlation with the supplemental data obtained during the second portion of the sleep period. 13 . the method of claim 12 , further comprising communicating the enhanced pap metrics. 14 . the method of claim 12 , further comprising utilizing the enhanced pap metrics to determine and implement adjustments to the treatment provided to the patient by the pressure support device.
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cross-reference to prior applications this application claims the benefit of u.s. patent application no. 62/691,945, filed on 29 jun. 2018. this application is hereby incorporated by reference herein. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention pertains methods for providing enhanced pap metrics. the present invention also relates to systems for use in carrying out such methods. 2. description of the related art many individuals suffer from disordered breathing during sleep. sleep apnea is a common example of such sleep disordered breathing suffered by millions of people throughout the world. one type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea (osa), which is a condition in which sleep is repeatedly interrupted by an inability to breathe due to an obstruction of the airway; typically the upper airway or pharyngeal area. obstruction of the airway is generally believed to be due, at least in part, to a general relaxation of the muscles which stabilize the upper airway segment, thereby allowing the tissues to collapse the airway. another type of sleep apnea syndrome is a central apnea, which is a cessation of respiration due to the absence of respiratory signals from the brain's respiratory center. an apnea condition, whether obstructive, central, or mixed, which is a combination of obstructive and central, is defined as the complete or near cessation of breathing, for example a 90% or greater reduction in peak respiratory air-flow. those afflicted with sleep apnea experience sleep fragmentation and complete or nearly complete cessation of ventilation intermittently during sleep with potentially severe degrees of oxyhemoglobin desaturation. these symptoms may be translated clinically into extreme daytime sleepiness, cardiac arrhythmias, pulmonary-artery hypertension, congestive heart failure and/or cognitive dysfunction. other consequences of sleep apnea include right ventricular dysfunction, carbon dioxide retention during wakefulness, as well as during sleep, and continuous reduced arterial oxygen tension. sleep apnea sufferers may be at risk for excessive mortality from these factors as well as by an elevated risk for accidents while driving and/or operating potentially dangerous equipment. even if a patient does not suffer from a complete or nearly complete obstruction of the airway, it is also known that adverse effects, such as arousals from sleep, can occur where there is only a partial obstruction of the airway. partial obstruction of the airway typically results in shallow breathing referred to as a hypopnea. a hypopnea is typically defined as a 50% or greater reduction in the peak respiratory air-flow. other types of sleep disordered breathing include, without limitation, upper airway resistance syndrome (uars) and vibration of the airway, such as vibration of the pharyngeal wall, commonly referred to as snoring. it is well known to treat sleep disordered breathing by applying a continuous positive air pressure (cpap) to the patient's airway. this positive pressure effectively “splints” the airway, thereby maintaining an open passage to the lungs. it is also known to provide a positive pressure therapy in which the pressure of gas delivered to the patient varies with the patient's breathing cycle, or varies with the patient's breathing effort, to increase the comfort to the patient. this pressure support technique is referred to as bi-level pressure support, in which the inspiratory positive airway pressure (ipap) delivered to the patient is higher than the expiratory positive airway pressure (epap). it is further known to provide a positive pressure therapy in which the pressure is automatically adjusted based on the detected conditions of the patient, such as whether the patient is experiencing an apnea and/or hypopnea. this pressure support technique is referred to as an auto-titration type of pressure support, because the pressure support device seeks to provide a pressure to the patient that is only as high as necessary to treat the disordered breathing. devices used in any of the aforementioned therapies may be generally referred to as positive airway pressure (pap) devices. pressure support therapies as just described involve the placement of a patient interface device including a mask component having a soft, flexible sealing cushion on the face of the patient. the mask component may be, without limitation, a nasal mask that covers the patient's nose, a nasal/oral mask that covers the patient's nose and mouth, or a full face mask that covers the patient's face. such patient interface devices may also employ other patient contacting components, such as forehead supports, cheek pads and chin pads. the patient interface device is typically secured to the patient's head by a headgear component. the patient interface device is connected to a gas delivery tube or conduit and interfaces the pressure support device with the airway of the patient, so that a flow of breathing gas can be delivered from the pressure/flow generating device to the airway of the patient. current pap devices are capable of reporting metrics for the patient to the healthcare provide that reflect the amount of pap usage (i.e., adherence) and the effectiveness of the therapy during sleep (e.g., the apnea-hypopnea index (ahi)). however, metrics reported by current pap devices only reflect the effectiveness of the treatment when the pap device is in use, and thus may not provide a complete picture of a patient's sleep as the patient may not have the pap device in operation at times while sleeping. summary of the invention accordingly, embodiments of the present invention improve upon existing systems and methods by providing a more complete picture of the patient's sleep which may be utilized by healthcare providers to improve treatment provided to the patient. as one aspect of the invention, a system for obtaining and providing enhanced pap metrics of a sleep period of a patient is provided. the system comprises: a pressure support device for use in providing a flow of breathing gas to the patient; a processing unit; and a number of auxiliary devices in wireless communication with the processing unit, each auxiliary device of the number of auxiliary devices being structured to detect and collect sleep-related data of the patient. the processing unit is programmed to: receive data obtained by a number of sensors of the pressure support device during operation of the pressure support device in providing the flow of breathing gas to the patient; receive supplemental data obtained by the number of auxiliary devices while the pressure support device is not providing the flow of breathing gas to the patient; and determine the enhanced pap metrics of the sleep period of the patient utilizing the data and the supplemental data. the processing unit may be a portion of the pressure support device. the processing unit may be a portion of another device separate from the processing unit and the auxiliary devices. the processing unit may be a portion of one of the number of auxiliary devices. the number of auxiliary devices may comprise one or more of: a smart watch, a smart phone, a bedside sleep monitor, and an under-mattress-sensor. the processing unit may be further programmed to communicate the enhanced pap metrics of the sleep period to another device. the number of auxiliary devices may comprise at least three devices, and the processing unit may be further programmed exclude data from one auxiliary device of the number of auxiliary devices which does not correspond to data from the other auxiliary device of the number of auxiliary devices. the processing unit may be further programmed to utilize the enhanced pap metrics to determine and implement adjustments to the treatment provided to the patient by the pressure support device. as another aspect of the invention, a method for providing enhanced pap metrics of a sleep period of a patient is provided. the sleep period having a first portion during which the patient receives treatment from a pressure support device and a second portion in which the patient does not receive treatment from the pressure support device. the method comprises: receiving data obtained during the first portion of the sleep period by a number of sensors of the pressure support device; receiving supplemental data obtained during the second portion of the sleep period by a number of auxiliary devices; and determining enhanced pap metrics of the patient's entire sleep period utilizing the data and the supplemental data. the method may further comprise communicating the enhanced pap metrics. the method may further comprise analyzing the enhanced pap metrics and adjusting the treatment given to the patient by the pressure support device. as yet another aspect of the invention, a method for providing enhanced pap metrics of a sleep period of a patient is provided. the sleep period having a first portion during which the patient receives treatment from a pressure support device and a second portion in which the patient does not receive treatment from the pressure support device. the method comprises: receiving data obtained during the first portion of the sleep period by a number of sensors of the pressure support device; receiving supplemental data obtained during first portion of the sleep period by a number of auxiliary devices; determining the occurrence of one or more sdb events during the first portion of the sleep period from one or both of the data and the supplemental data; identifying a correlation between the sdb events detected by the number of sensors of the pressure support device and the number of auxiliary devices; receiving supplemental data obtained during second portion of the sleep period by a number of auxiliary devices; and determining enhanced pap metrics of the patient's entire sleep period utilizing the data obtained during the first portion of the sleep period and the correlation with the supplemental data obtained during the second portion of the sleep period. the method may further comprise communicating the enhanced pap metrics. the method may further comprise utilizing the enhanced pap metrics to adjust the treatment provided to the patient by the pressure support device. these and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. it is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a partially schematic view of an airway pressure support system including a pressure generating device in accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention; and figs. 2 and 3 are partially schematic views of systems for use in carrying out methods in accordance with example embodiments of the present invention. detailed description of exemplary embodiments as required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. as used herein, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. as used herein, “and/or” shall mean one or both of the elements which are separated by such phrase (e.g., a and/or b would mean a, b, or both of a and b). as used herein, the statement that two or more parts or components are “coupled” shall mean that the parts are joined or operate together either directly or indirectly, i.e., through one or more intermediate parts or components, so long as a link occurs. as used herein, “directly coupled” means that two elements are directly in contact with each other. as used herein, “fixedly coupled” or “fixed” means that two components are coupled so as to maintain a constant, fixed orientation relative to each other. as used herein, “selectively coupled” means that two components are coupled in a manner which allows for the components to be readily coupled or uncoupled in a predictable, repeatable manner without damaging either of the components. unless particularly described otherwise herein, any components which are described merely as being “coupled”, may also be “fixedly” or “selectively” coupled without varying from the scope of the present invention. as used herein, the word “unitary” means a component is created as a single piece or unit. that is, a component that includes pieces that are created separately and then coupled together as a unit is not a “unitary” component or body. as used herein, the statement that two or more parts or components “engage” one another shall mean that the parts exert a force against one another either directly or through one or more intermediate parts or components. as used herein, the term “number” shall mean one or an integer greater than one (i.e., a plurality). directional phrases used herein, such as, for example and without limitation, top, bottom, left, right, upper, lower, front, back, and derivatives thereof, relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the drawings and are not limiting upon the claims unless expressly recited therein. an example airway pressure support system 2 which may be employed as a portion of one particular, non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig. 1 . airway pressure support system 2 includes a pressure support device 4 which houses a blower assembly 6 , an example of which will be described in further detail below. blower assembly 6 receives breathing gas, generally indicated by arrow c, from the ambient atmosphere through a filtered air inlet 8 provided as part of pressure support device 4 , and generates a flow of breathing gas therefrom for delivery to an airway of a patient 10 at relatively higher and lower pressures, i.e., generally equal to or above ambient atmospheric pressure, to generate pressure to provide pressure compensation to patient 10 via a patient circuit 12 , 14 . in the exemplary embodiment, blower assembly 6 is capable of providing a flow of breathing gas ranging in pressure from 2-30 cmh2o. the pressurized flow of breathing gas from blower assembly 6 , generally indicated by arrow d, is delivered via a delivery conduit 12 to a breathing mask or patient interface 14 of any known construction, which is typically worn by or otherwise attached to patient 10 to communicate the flow of breathing gas to the airway of patient 10 . delivery conduit 12 and patient interface device 14 are typically collectively referred to as the patient circuit. pressure support system 2 shown in fig. 1 is what is known as a single-limb system, meaning that the patient circuit includes only delivery conduit 12 connecting patient 10 to pressure support system 2 . as such, an exhaust vent 16 is provided in delivery conduit 12 for venting exhaled gases from the system as indicated by arrow e. it should be noted that exhaust vent 16 can be provided at other locations in addition to or instead of in delivery conduit 12 , such as in patient interface device 14 . it should also be understood that exhaust vent 16 can have a wide variety of configurations depending on the desired manner in which gas is to be vented from pressure support system 2 . the present concept also contemplates that pressure support system 2 can be a two-limb system, having a delivery conduit and an exhaust conduit connected to patient 10 . in a two-limb system (also referred to as a dual-limb system), the exhaust conduit carries exhaust gas from patient 10 and includes an exhaust valve at the end distal from patient 10 . the exhaust valve in such an embodiment is typically actively controlled to maintain a desired level or pressure in the system, which is commonly known as positive end expiratory pressure (peep). furthermore, in the illustrated exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1 , patient interface 14 is a nasal/oral mask. it is to be understood, however, that patient interface 14 can include a nasal mask, nasal pillows, a tracheal tube, an endotracheal tube, or any other device that provides a suitable gas flow communicating function. also, for purposes of the present invention, the phrase “patient interface” can include delivery conduit 12 and any other structures that couple the source of pressurized breathing gas to patient 10 . in the illustrated embodiment, pressure support system 2 includes a pressure controller in the form of a valve 18 provided in internal delivery conduit 20 provided in a housing of pressure support device 4 . valve 18 controls the pressure of the flow of breathing gas from blower assembly 6 that is delivered to patient 10 . for present purposes, blower assembly 6 and valve 18 are collectively referred to as a pressure generating system because they act in concert to generate and control the pressure and/or flow of gas delivered to patient 10 . however, it should be apparent that other techniques for controlling the pressure of the gas delivered to patient 10 , such as varying the speed of blower assembly 6 , either alone or in combination with a pressure control valve, are contemplated by the present invention. thus, valve 18 is optional depending on the technique used to control the pressure of the flow of breathing gas delivered to patient 10 . if valve 18 is eliminated, the pressure generating system corresponds to blower assembly 6 alone, and the pressure of gas in the patient circuit is controlled, for example, by controlling the speed of blower assembly 6 . pressure support system 2 further includes a flow sensor 22 that measures the flow of the breathing gas within delivery conduit 20 and delivery conduit 12 . in the particular embodiment shown in fig. 1 , flow sensor 22 is interposed in line with delivery conduits 20 and 12 , most preferably downstream of valve 18 . pressure support system 2 additionally includes a pressure sensor 28 that detects the pressure of the pressurized fluid in delivery conduit 20 . while the point at which the flow is measured by flow sensor 22 and the pressure is measured by pressure sensor 28 are illustrated as being within pressure support device 4 , it is to be understood that the location at which the actual flow and pressure measurements are taken may be anywhere along delivery conduits 20 or 12 . the flow of breathing gas measured by flow sensor 22 and the pressure detected by pressure sensor 28 are provided to a processing unit 24 to determine the flow of gas at patient 10 (q patient ). processing unit 24 includes a processing portion which may be, for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller or some other suitable processing device, and a memory portion that may be internal to the processing portion or operatively coupled to the processing portion and that provides a storage medium for data and software executable by the processing portion for controlling the operation of pressure support system 2 . processing unit 24 is structured to receive outputs of one or more sensors, such as those previously discussed, which are structured to gather data related to effectiveness of the pressure support therapy. processing unit 24 is also structured to analyze outputs of the sensors while pressure support therapy is provided to the patient to determine patient airflow and pressure waveforms in the patient circuit. an input/output device 26 is provided for setting various parameters used by pressure support system 2 , as well as for displaying and outputting information and data to a user, such as a clinician or caregiver. a system 100 for use in carrying out a method for providing enhanced pap metrics of a patient (not shown) in accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention is shown, partially schematically, in fig. 2 . system 100 includes a pressure support device, such as pressure support device 4 , previously described in fig. 1 , having processing unit 24 . system 100 further includes a number (four are shown in the example) of auxiliary devices 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d which are structured to detect and collect sleep-related data and are each in wireless communication (e.g., via bluetooth) with pressure support device 4 and processing unit 24 thereof. more particularly, the number of auxiliary devices includes a smart watch 102 a, a smart phone 102 b, a bedside sleep monitor 102 c, and an under-mattress-sensor 102 d. smart watch 102 a, which is structured to be worn by the patient, is structured to detect one or both of heart rate and actigraphy of the patient and wirelessly communicate data related thereto to processing unit 24 . smart phone 102 b includes sensors which are structured to monitor breathing and other sounds of the patient and wirelessly communicate data related thereto to processing unit 24 . additionally, smart phone 102 b may be employed to monitor bed vibrations and wirelessly communicate data related thereto to processing unit 24 . bedside sleep monitor 102 c provides non-contact sensing of the patient's breathing and body movements and wirelessly communicates data related thereto to processing unit 24 . under mattress sensor 102 d includes sensors which are structured to detect the patient's heart rate, respiratory rate, and movement and wirelessly communicate data related thereto to processing unit 24 . it is to be appreciated that although four example auxiliary devices 102 a- 102 d are employed in system 100 , the quantity and/or type of such devices may be varied (devices other than those shown may be employed, e.g., without limitation, an spo2 sensor) without varying from the scope of the present invention. similar to existing pressure support devices, processing unit 24 is programmed to utilize sensors (e.g., flow sensor 22 , pressure sensor 28 ) within pressure support device 4 to summarize sleep quality (e.g., sleep disordered breathing events) of the patient when pressure support device 24 is in use by the patient. unlike existing arrangements which do not record or analyze anything when the pressure support device is not being used by a patient, processing unit 24 is further programmed to receive and analyze supplemental data from one or more of the number of auxiliary devices 102 a- 102 d and use such data to measure (or estimate) sleep quality of the patient when pressure support device 4 is not in use, but sleep is detected by one or more of auxiliary devices 102 a- 102 d. processing unit 24 is further programmed to utilize such supplemental data in addition to the data collected when pressure support device 4 was in use to create “total night” sleep quality metrics that reflect sleep quality of the patient for periods of the night when pressure support device 4 was in use as well as periods of the night when pressure support device 24 was not in use. it is to be appreciated that since auxiliary devices 102 a- 102 d may not have the respiratory sensory required to directly detect sdb events, the combined metrics may be more general sleep quality metrics (e.g. actigraphy indicating poor sleep). such “total night” sleep quality metrics can then be communicated (via, local wireless, cellular, internet, or any suitable arrangement) to a remote electronic device or devices 104 (e.g., smart phone 106 , tablet 108 , or any other suitable electronic device) for further review by a physician or caregiver. a system 200 for use in carrying out a method for providing enhanced pap metrics of a patient (not shown) in accordance with another example embodiment of the present invention is shown, partially schematically, in fig. 3 . system 200 includes generally the same components as system 100 which function in a similar manner as in system 200 with generally one notable exception. instead of auxiliary components 102 a- 102 d communicating with processing unit 24 of pressure support device 4 , auxiliary components 102 a- 102 d, as well as processing unit 24 , wirelessly communicate (e.g., via any suitable local or distant arrangement) either directly or indirectly (e.g., via local wireless and internet) with a remote processing unit 210 , which may be a portion of remote electronic device 104 (e.g., smart phone 106 or tablet 108 ) such as shown in fig. 3 , which may be located on a cloud-based server, or any other suitable location. remote processing unit 210 is programmed in a similar manner as processing unit 24 to create “total night” sleep quality metrics that reflect sleep quality of the patient for periods of the night when pressure support device 4 was in use as well as periods of the night when pressure support device 24 was not in use. in an alternate embodiment, the start and stop times of pressure support device 4 (i.e. when the patient started therapy and when the patient took off the mask or turned off the cpap) could be used to segment the reporting of sleep quality-related data from data provided by auxiliary devices 102 a- 102 d. as an example, in the morning the sleep therapy system could summarize actigraphy data from a smart watch separately for periods of the night in which the pap was in use and those periods when the pap was not in use in order to highlight how much more restful the patients sleep was (less movement) when the pap was in use. when multiple auxiliary devices are utilized, such as in systems 100 or 200 , a cross-checking protocol may be employed to exclude erroneous measurements. for example, if four auxiliary devices are connected and one of the devices detects an apnea, but the other three do not, the detected event may be excluded from the total night summary as being most likely an erroneous detection. systems such as described herein may also include a “calibration mode” which concurrently collects data from a pressure support device and connected auxiliary devices in order to identify correlations between sdb events detected by the pressure support device and auxiliary data. such calibration allows the sleep therapy system to better estimate sdb events when pap is not in use (after calibration period is complete). in example embodiments of the invention, when one connected auxiliary device malfunctions or becomes disconnected from the system, data for the malfunctioning device can be estimated using trends in other system data (e.g. pap sensor data or data from other auxiliary devices) in order to “fill in any holes” in the data. as an example, if data from one connected auxiliary device is not available for 2 days, but all other data looks “normal” then the missing data can be estimated using previously collected “normal” data from the malfunctioning device. from the foregoing it is thus to be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention provide a more complete analysis of a patient's sleep which can be employed by a physician or other caregiver to improve a patient's treatment. although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. for example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment. in the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. the word “comprising” or “including” does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. in a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. the word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. in any device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. the mere fact that certain elements are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that these elements cannot be used in combination.
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043-327-184-389-633
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US
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[
"US"
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G08G5/00
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2017
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[
"G08"
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systems and methods for actionable avionics event-based communications
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a system includes a flight plan database and a flight plan engine. the flight plan database is configured to store a local flight plan. the local flight plan includes one or more flight actions associated with a plan event condition including at least one of a time, a waypoint, or a position. the flight plan engine is configured to, while a platform is in an operational state, compare the plan event condition of at least one flight action to a current event condition to determine an action state of the at least one flight action, generate a group flight plan including the at least one action based on the action state, and transmit the group flight plan to one or more remote platforms.
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1. an aircraft communication network, comprising: a first processing circuit executing on a first airborne platform, the first processing circuit comprising: a flight plan database configured to store a local flight plan, the local flight plan includes one or more flight actions; and a first flight plan engine configured to: while the first airborne platform is in an operational state, determine an action state of at least one flight action of the one or more flight actions; generate a group flight plan including the at least one flight action based on the action state; and transmit the group flight plan to a second airborne platform; and a second processing circuit executing on the second airborne platform, the second processing circuit including a second flight plan engine configured to: receive the group flight plan from the first processing circuit of the first airborne platform; identify one or more remote flight actions of the group flight plan; determine whether the one or more remote flight actions satisfy an acceptance criteria; and cause a flight display of the second airborne platform to update a displayed image to include the one or more remote flight actions in response to determining that the one or more remote flight actions satisfy the acceptance criteria. 2. the aircraft communication network of claim 1 , wherein the acceptance criteria is based on at least one of a position, a heading, a range, or a load capacity of the platform. 3. the aircraft communication network of claim 1 , wherein the local flight plan is associated with a first communication protocol, the second processing circuit is associated with a second communication protocol different than the first communication protocol, and the first flight plan engine is configured to generate the group flight plan based on the second communication protocol. 4. the aircraft communication network of claim 1 , wherein the action state includes a not yet complete state, a complete state, an incomplete state, or a cannot be completed state, and the first flight plan engine is configured to transmit the group flight plan to the second airborne platform in response to determining the action state to be the incomplete state. 5. the aircraft communication network of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flight action includes at least one of a load cargo action, a drop off cargo action, a refueling action, a time-based action, an action in a checklist, or an action in a sequence of actions. 6. the aircraft communication network of claim 1 , wherein the first flight plan engine is configured to determine the action state to be a complete state responsive to determining that the first airborne platform has travelled through a waypoint. 7. the aircraft communication network of claim 1 , wherein the first flight plan engine determines the action state of the at least one flight action by comparing a plan event condition of the at least one flight action to a current event condition of the at least one flight action. 8. the aircraft communication network of claim 1 , wherein the first flight plan engine determines the action state of the at least one flight action based on a priority associated with the at least one flight action. 9. a method, comprising: determining, by one or more first processors of a first airborne platform, an action state of a flight action of a local flight plan; generating, by the one or more first processors using the action state, a group flight plan including the flight action; receiving, by one or more second processors of a second airborne platform, the group flight plan; identifying, by the one or more second processors, a remote flight action of the group flight plan; determining, by the one or more second processors, whether the remote flight action satisfies an acceptance criteria; and causing, by the one or more second processors, a flight display of the second airborne platform to update a displayed image to include the remote flight action in response to determining that the remote flight action satisfies the acceptance criteria. 10. the method of claim 9 , wherein the acceptance criteria is based on at least one of a position, a heading, a range, or a load capacity of the platform. 11. the method of claim 9 , wherein the local flight plan is associated with a first communication protocol, and the one or more second processors are associated with a second communication protocol different than the first communication protocol, the method comprising generating, by the one or more first processors, the group flight plan based on the second communication protocol. 12. the method of claim 9 , wherein the action state includes a not yet complete state, a complete state, an incomplete state, or a cannot be completed state, the method comprising transmitting, by the one or more first processors, the group flight plan to the second airborne platform in response to determining the action state to be the incomplete state. 13. the method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one flight action includes at least one of a load cargo action, a drop off cargo action, a refueling action, a time-based action, an action in a checklist, or an action in a sequence of actions. 14. the method of claim 9 , comprising determining, by the one or more processors, the action state to be a complete state responsive to determining that the first airborne platform has travelled through a waypoint. 15. the method of claim 9 , comprising determining, by the one or more first processors, the action state of the at least one flight action by comparing a plan event condition of the at least one flight action to a current event condition of the at least one flight action. 16. the method of claim 9 , comprising determining, by the one or more first processors, the action state of the at least one flight action based on a priority associated with the at least one flight action. 17. a system, comprising: one or more first processors configured to: determine an action state of a flight action of a local flight plan; generate a group flight plan including the flight action based on the action state; and transmit the group flight plan to a remote airborne platform; and one or more second processors of the remote airborne platform configured to: identify one or more remote flight actions of the group flight plan; determine whether the one or more remote flight actions satisfy an acceptance criteria; and cause a flight display to update a displayed image to include the one or more remote flight actions in response to determining that the one or more remote flight actions satisfy the acceptance criteria. 18. the system of claim 17 , wherein the acceptance criteria is based on at least one of a position, a heading, a range, or a load capacity of the platform. 19. the system of claim 17 , wherein the local flight plan is associated with a first communication protocol, the one or more second processors are associated with a second communication protocol different than the first communication protocol, and the one or more first processors are configured to generate the group flight plan based on the second communication protocol. 20. the system of claim 17 , wherein the action state includes a not yet complete state, a complete state, an incomplete state, or a cannot be completed state, and the one or more first processors are configured to transmit the group flight plan to the second airborne platform in response to determining the action state to be the incomplete state.
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cross-reference to related applications the present application is a divisional of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/665,081, filed jul. 31, 2017, titled “systems and methods for actionable avionics event-based communications,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. background the present disclosure generally relates to avionics communications between airborne platforms. more particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for actionable avionics event-based communications. in existing aircraft and other platforms, a flight plan is loaded onto an onboard computer. the flight plan can be used with a flight display to provide situational awareness. the flight plan may include waypoints, tasks, missions, or other actions items to be performed. however, the situational awareness provided by the flight plan is limited to action items for the individual aircraft. for example, existing systems can only display a local flight plan, and are unaware of whether action items are being successfully performed by remote platforms. action items cannot be easily transferred or shared between different aircraft. manual communications, such as vocal communications, are typically needed if flight plans change and a new or additional mission waypoint is assigned or needs to be reassigned. for example, in the event that one flight member of a team is unable to complete a flight plan action item, the coordination and reassigning of that portion of the flight plan and mission requires many manual steps and vocal communications and coordination, which can be cumbersome and error prone. summary in one aspect, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed to a system. the system includes a flight plan database and a flight plan engine. the flight plan database is configured to store a local flight plan. the local flight plan includes one or more flight actions associated with a plan event condition including at least one of a time, a waypoint, or a position. the flight plan engine is configured to, while a platform is in an operational state, compare the plan event condition of at least one flight action to a current event condition to determine an action state of the at least one flight action, generate a group flight plan including the at least one action based on the action state, and transmit the group flight plan to one or more remote platforms. in a further aspect, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed to a method. the method includes loading a local flight plan including one or more flight actions associated with a plan event condition including at least one of a time, a waypoint, or a position. the method includes, while an airborne platform is in flight, comparing the plan event condition of at least one flight action to a current event condition to determine an action state of the at least one flight action. the method includes generating a group flight plan including the at least one flight action based on the action state. the method includes transmitting the group flight plan to one or more remote platforms. in a further aspect, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed to an aircraft communication network. the aircraft communication network includes a first processing circuit executing on a first airborne platform and a second processing circuit executing on a second airborne platform. the first processing circuit includes a flight plan database and a first flight plan engine. the flight plan database is configured to store a local flight plan including one or more flight actions. the first flight plan engine is configured to, while the first airborne platform is in an operational state, determine an action state of at least one flight action of the one or more flight actions. the first flight plan engine is configured to generate a group flight plan including the at least one action based on the action state. the first flight plan engine is configured to transmit the group flight plan to a second airborne platform. the second processing circuit includes a second flight plan engine configured to receive the group flight plan from the first processing circuit of the first airborne platform, identify one or more remote flight actions of the group flight plan, determine whether the one or more remote flight actions satisfy an acceptance criteria, and cause a flight display of the second airborne platform to update a displayed image to include the one or more remote flight actions in response to determining that the one or more remote flight actions satisfy the acceptance criteria. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary embodiment of an aircraft control center according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein; fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a group flight plan according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein; fig. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a system for actionable avionics events according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein; and fig. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for communicating actionable avionics events according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein. detailed description before explaining at least one embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosed herein in detail, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts are not limited in their application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. in the following detailed description of embodiments of the instant inventive concepts, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the inventive concepts. however, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure that the inventive concepts disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. in other instances, well-known features may not be described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure. the inventive concepts disclosed herein are capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. as used herein a letter following a reference numeral is intended to reference an embodiment of the feature or element that may be similar, but not necessarily identical, to a previously described element or feature bearing the same reference numeral (e.g., 1 , 1 a , 1 b ). such shorthand notations are used for purposes of convenience only, and should not be construed to limit the inventive concepts disclosed herein in any way unless expressly stated to the contrary. further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. for example, a condition a or b is satisfied by any one of the following: a is true (or present) and b is false (or not present), a is false (or not present) and b is true (or present), or both a and b are true (or present). in addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of embodiments of the instant inventive concepts. this is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the inventive concepts, and “a” and “an” are intended to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise. finally, as used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “some embodiments” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. the appearances of the phrase “in some embodiments” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, and embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed may include one or more of the features expressly described or inherently present herein, or any combination or sub-combination of two or more such features, along with any other features which may not necessarily be expressly described or inherently present in the instant disclosure. broadly, embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed to systems and methods for actionable avionics events, such as for sharing and updating flight plans including platform actions in real time. the inventive concepts disclosed herein can be utilized in a number of flight plan control and display systems for various types of electronic avionics applications for airborne platforms (e.g., fixed wing aircraft, rotary wing aircraft), including but not limited to flight control and autopilot systems, navigation systems, flight display systems, communications systems, and radar systems. while the present disclosure describes systems and methods implementable for an airborne platform, the inventive concepts disclosed herein may be used in any type of environment (e.g., in another aircraft, a spacecraft, an autonomous vehicle, a ground-based vehicle, a water-based or underwater vehicle, a subsurface or subterranean vehicle, a satellite, an aeronautical platform, or in a non-vehicle application such as a stationary communications, sensing, or testing system, a ground-based display system, an air traffic control system, a radar system, a virtual display system). in some embodiments, a system includes a flight plan database and a flight plan engine. the flight plan database is configured to store a local flight plan. the local flight plan includes one or more flight actions associated with a plan event condition including at least one of a time, a waypoint, or a position. the flight plan engine is configured to, while a platform is in an operational state, compare the plan event condition of at least one flight action to a current event condition to determine an action state of the at least one flight action, generate a group flight plan including the at least one action based on the action state, and transmit the group flight plan to one or more remote platforms. the system can be integrated with an airborne platform or other platform as described herein. for example, the feedback and display devices described herein can be associated with an aircraft cockpit display of the airborne platform. systems manufactured in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein can improve operation of avionics systems by enabling real-time sharing, updating, and actionable modification of electronic flight plans across a plurality of platforms. various such systems can improve situational awareness for pilots or other operators of the platforms by enabling real-time displaying of the actions in flight plans of remote platforms, including whether such actions have been completed, are not yet completed, are incomplete, or cannot be completed, reducing the amount of information operators need to keep in mind to effectively control operation of platforms. systems manufactured in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein can also improve operation of heterogeneous platform communication networks by enabling real-time sharing of flight plans using existing communication links. referring to fig. 1 , a perspective view schematic illustration of an aircraft control center or cockpit 10 is shown accordingly to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. the aircraft control center 10 can be configured for an aircraft operator or other user to interact with avionics systems of an airborne platform. the aircraft control center 10 may include one or more flight displays 20 and one or more user interface (“up”) elements 22 . the flight displays 20 may be implemented using any of a variety of display technologies, including crt, lcd, organic led, dot matrix display, and others. the flight displays 20 may be navigation (nav) displays, primary flight displays, electronic flight bag displays, tablets such as ipad® computers manufactured by apple, inc. or tablet computers, synthetic vision system displays, huds with or without a projector, head up guidance systems, wearable displays, watches, google glass® or other hwd systems. the flight displays 20 may be used to provide information to the flight crew, thereby increasing visual range and enhancing decision-making abilities. one or more of the flight displays 20 may be configured to function as, for example, a primary flight display (pfd) used to display altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, and navigation and traffic collision avoidance system (tcas) advisories. one or more of the flight displays 20 may also be configured to function as, for example, a multi-function display used to display navigation maps, weather radar, electronic charts, tcas traffic, aircraft maintenance data and electronic checklists, manuals, and procedures. one or more of the flight displays 20 may also be configured to function as, for example, an engine indicating and crew-alerting system (eicas) display used to display critical engine and system status data. other types and functions of the flight displays 20 are contemplated as well. according to various exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein, at least one of the flight displays 20 may be configured to provide a rendered display from the systems and methods of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. in some embodiments, the flight displays 20 may provide an output based on data received from a system external to an aircraft, such as a ground-based weather radar system, satellite-based system, a sensor system, or from a system of another aircraft. in some embodiments, the flight displays 20 may provide an output from an onboard aircraft-based weather radar system, lidar system, infrared system or other system on an aircraft. for example, the flight displays 20 may include a weather display, a weather radar map, and a terrain display. in some embodiments, the flight displays 20 may provide an output based on a combination of data received from multiple external systems or from at least one external system and an onboard aircraft-based system. the flight displays 20 may include an electronic display or a synthetic vision system (svs). for example, the flight displays 20 may include a display configured to display a two-dimensional (2-d) image, a three dimensional (3-d) perspective image of terrain and/or weather information, or a four dimensional (4-d) display of weather information or forecast information. other views of terrain and/or weather information may also be provided (e.g., plan view, horizontal view, vertical view). the views may include monochrome or color graphical representations of the terrain and/or weather information. graphical representations of weather or terrain may include an indication of altitude of the weather or terrain or the altitude relative to an aircraft. the flight displays 20 may receive image information, such as a visualization generated based on an indication of a runway surface condition, and display the image information. the ui elements 22 may include, for example, dials, switches, buttons, touch screens, keyboards, a mouse, joysticks, cursor control devices (ccds), menus on multi-functional displays (mfds), or other multi-function key pads certified for use with avionics systems. the ui elements 22 may be configured to, for example, allow an aircraft crew member to interact with various avionics applications and perform functions such as data entry, manipulation of navigation maps, and moving among and selecting checklist items. for example, the ui elements 22 may be used to adjust features of the flight displays 20 , such as contrast, brightness, width, and length. the ui elements 22 may also (or alternatively) be used by an aircraft crew member to interface with or manipulate the displays of the flight displays 20 . for example, the ui elements 22 may be used by aircraft crew members to adjust the brightness, contrast, and information displayed on the flight displays 20 . the ui elements 22 may additionally be used to acknowledge or dismiss an indicator provided by the flight displays 20 . the ui elements 22 may be used to correct errors on the flight displays 20 . the ui elements 22 may also be used to adjust the radar antenna tilt, radar display gain, and to select vertical sweep azimuths. other ui elements 22 , such as indicator lights, displays, display elements, and audio alerting devices, may be configured to warn of potentially threatening conditions such as severe weather, terrain, and obstacles, such as potential collisions with other aircraft. referring now to fig. 2 , a group flight plan 200 is shown according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. the group flight plan 200 may be displayed on a display (e.g., flight displays 20 ). the group flight plan 200 may incorporate flight plans from disparate platforms. the group flight plan 200 may be used by various platforms (e.g., fixed wing aircraft, rotary wing aircraft). as compared to existing systems, in which individual platforms are limited to only viewing and interacting with individual flight plans, systems and methods in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein may be able to view and interact with the full group flight plan 200 . in some embodiments, the group flight plan 200 integrates flight plans from a plurality of helicopters in a joint task team. the group flight plan 200 illustrates a first airborne platform 202 associated with a first flight plan 204 . the first flight plan 204 includes a first flight portion 206 including a first action 208 (e.g., actionable event). the first action 208 (as well as other actions described herein for respective platform(s)) may include or be associated with at least one of a waypoint or an action to be performed by the first airborne platform 202 . the action to be performed may include a load/cargo receive action, a drop off/cargo supply action, a refueling action, a time-based action, an action in a checklist, an action in a sequence of actions (e.g., to be performed after other actions), or other actions performed by platforms as part of a flight plan. the action to be performed may include a radio tuning or adjustment action, or a report generation and transmission action. each action may be associated with an action state (e.g., flight action state). the action state may include a complete state, indicating that any requirements of the action have been completed. for example, if the action is to load cargo, the action can have a complete state when the cargo is loaded. if the action is to travel through a waypoint (e.g., travel within a threshold distance of a position, such as a position indicated by longitude and latitude), the action can have a complete state when it is determined that the airborne platform has travelled through the waypoint. the action state may include a not yet complete state, indicating that at least one requirement of the associated action has not been completed. for example, if the action is to load cargo, the action can have a not yet complete state prior to a determination that the cargo is fully loaded. if the action is to travel through a waypoint, the action can have a not yet complete state prior to a determination that the airborne platform has travelled through the waypoint (which may include a determination that the waypoint may still be reached by the airborne platform). in some embodiments, the not yet complete state is a default state of an action. the action state may include an incomplete state. for example, if the action is to load cargo, the action can have the incomplete state if it is determined that less than a full amount of the cargo has been loaded. the action state may include an unassigned state. for example, a command platform or other platform may add an action to the group flight plan, such that other platforms may elect to perform the unassigned action. the action state may include a cannot be completed state. for example, if the action is to load cargo, but the airborne platform has insufficient cargo space, flight range, or is otherwise unable to complete the action, then the action state may be the cannot be completed state. in some embodiments, the cannot be completed state is a substrate of the incomplete state (e.g., if an action cannot be completed, then it may also be incomplete). as shown in fig. 2 , as indicated by the filled in circle of the first action 208 , the first airborne platform has completed the first action 208 (e.g., the first action 208 has a complete state), and as indicated by the dashed line of the first flight portion 206 , has travelled past the first flight portion 206 . the first flight plan 204 includes a second flight portion 210 to be travelled by the first airborne platform 202 . the second flight portion 210 includes and/or terminates in a second action 212 , which, as indicated by the empty circle, has a not yet complete state. the first flight plan 204 also includes a third flight portion 214 to be travelled by the first airborne platform 202 . the third flight portion 214 includes and/or terminates in a third action 216 , which, as indicated by the empty circle, has a not yet complete state. the group flight plan 200 illustrates a second airborne platform 220 associated with a second flight plan 222 . the second flight plan includes a fourth flight portion 224 including or terminating in a fourth action 226 . as indicated by the hatched lines, the fourth action 226 has an incomplete state, as the second airborne platform 220 did not complete the fourth action 226 . in some embodiments, the fourth action 226 may additional or alternatively be associated with a cannot be completed state (e.g., the second airborne platform 220 may indicate that the second airborne platform 220 cannot complete the fourth action 226 ). the second flight plan 222 includes a fifth flight portion 228 including a fifth action 230 . in some embodiments, the group flight plan 200 may include an indication that a platform other than the second airborne platform 220 can proceed to or is proceeding to perform the fourth action 226 . for example, as indicated by the sixth flight portion 218 (shown in dash-dot lines), the first airborne platform 202 may be able to perform the fourth action 226 , such as by diverting from second flight portion 210 to follow sixth flight portion 218 . as will be described further herein, the first airborne platform 202 may be able to update the action state of the fourth action 226 from the incomplete state to a not yet complete state, such as by communicating an updated group flight plan including an indication that the first airborne platform 202 will perform the fourth action 226 . the group flight plan 200 illustrates a third airborne platform 240 associated with a third flight plan 242 . the third flight plan 242 includes a seventh flight portion 244 including a seventh action 246 (which is not yet complete) and terminating in a destination 250 , indicated by the shaded square. as shown in fig. 2 , the third airborne platform 240 is associated with a flight range 248 . unlike the first airborne platform 202 , which may be able to perform the fourth action 226 , the third airborne platform 240 cannot perform the fourth action 226 because the fourth action 226 is not within the flight range 248 of the third airborne platform 240 . the group flight plan 200 illustrates a fourth airborne platform 260 associated with a fourth flight plan 262 . the fourth flight plan 262 includes an eighth flight portion 264 which has been travelled by the fourth airborne platform 260 , and a ninth flight portion 266 including an eight action 268 . the group flight plan 200 also includes an unassigned action 270 , which the fourth airborne platform 260 may be able to perform. referring now to fig. 3 , a block diagram of a system 300 is shown according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. the system 300 can be implemented on various platforms described herein, including the airborne platforms described with reference to fig. 2 . as will be described herein, the system 300 is implemented on an instant platform, which may be in a group with one or more remote platforms. briefly, the system 300 includes an avionics circuit 310 , communications electronics 320 , a flight display 330 , one or more sensors 340 , and a user input device 350 . the avionics circuit 310 may include processing hardware (e.g., processors and memory devices) configured to execute the functions described herein. for example, the avionics circuit 310 can include a processing circuit, which may include a processor and a memory. the processor may be implemented as a specific purpose processor, an application specific integrated circuit (asic), one or more field programmable gate arrays (fpgas), a group of processing components, or other suitable electronic processing components. the memory is one or more devices (e.g., ram, rom, flash memory, hard disk storage) for storing data and computer code for completing and facilitating the various user or client processes, layers, and modules described in the present disclosure. the memory may be or include volatile memory or non-volatile memory and may include database components, object code components, script components, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities and information structures of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. the memory is communicably connected to the processor and includes computer code or instruction modules for executing one or more processes described herein. the memory can include various circuits, software engines, and/or modules that cause the processor to execute the systems and methods described herein. the avionics circuit 310 can be used by various platforms to execute the functions performed by the platforms of fig. 2 . the communications electronics 320 are configured to receive and transmit data. the communications electronics 320 can include receiver electronics and transmitter electronics. the communications electronics 320 can include a radio configured for radio frequency communication. the communications electronics 320 can include a datalink radio. the communications electronics 320 can enable the flight plan engine 312 to receive and transmit flight plans from/to remote platforms. the communications electronics 320 can be configured to establish a secure communications link to a remote platform to facilitate secure communication of flight plans and actions thereof. the flight display 330 can incorporate features of the flight displays 20 described with reference to fig. 1 . the flight display 330 can be configured to display a local flight plan (e.g., a flight plan stored in the flight plan database 314 of the avionics circuit 310 ). the flight display 330 can be configured to display a group flight plan (e.g., a group flight plan stored in the flight plan database 314 and/or received from a remote platform via the communications electronics 320 ). the user input device can incorporate features of the ui elements described with reference to fig. 1 , such as for receiving touch inputs or other inputs for controlling the flight display 330 and/or updating flight plans displayed by the flight display 330 . the avionics circuit 310 includes a flight plan engine 312 and a flight plan database 314 . the flight plan database 314 is configured to store a local flight plan. the local flight plan can include one or more flight actions associated with a plan event condition. the plan event condition can include at least one of a time, a waypoint, or a position. the plan event condition can include a receipt (e.g., loading) or a deposit (e.g., drop-off) of cargo or personnel. the plan event condition can be associated with a refueling (e.g., receiving fuel at the instant platform or transferring fuel to a remote platform). the flight plan engine 312 is configured to generate a group flight plan. the group flight plan can be transmitted to one or more remote platforms, which can enable a group of platforms to manage, collaborate, and share each other's flight plan actions in real time. in some embodiments, while the instant platform is executing a flight plan (e.g., while the instant platform is in flight, is landing, is taking off, or is otherwise in an operational state), the flight plan engine 312 is configured to compare the plan event condition of at least one flight action of the local flight plan to a current event condition. the flight plan engine 312 can determine an action state of the at least one flight action based on the comparison. in some embodiments, the current event condition is associated with a time. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to retrieve the current event condition as a time from a clock of the instant platform. the flight plan engine 312 can compare the retrieved time to a time of the plan event condition, such as a time by which the local flight plan indicates the at least one flight action is to be completed. the flight plan engine 312 can determine the action state based on the comparison; for example, if the retrieved time is before or at the same time as the time of the plan event condition, the flight plan engine 312 can determine the action state to be the complete state. in some embodiments, the plan event condition includes a threshold amount of time in which the plan event condition can be satisfied (e.g., the action must be completed within the threshold amount of time of the indicated time). the current event condition may be associated with a position, such as a longitude-latitude pair position. the position may also include an altitude component. the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to retrieve the current event condition as a position from a position sensor (e.g., a gps sensor of the one or more sensors 340 ). the flight plan engine 312 can compare the retrieved position to a position of the plan event condition, such as a waypoint position. the flight plan engine 312 can determine the action state based on the comparison; for example, if the retrieved position is equal to or within a threshold distance of the position of the plan event condition, then the flight plan engine 312 can determine the action state to be the complete state. the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to determine the current event condition based on a user input, in some embodiments. the flight plan engine 312 can receive the user input as an input indicating the action state of the at least one flight action (e.g., complete, not yet complete, incomplete, cannot be completed). the flight plan engine 312 can receive the user input as an input indicating a parameter associated with the flight action (e.g., amount of cargo loaded). in some embodiments, one or more flight actions may be associated with a plurality of plan event conditions. for example, the flight action may be associated with a plan event condition for the action to be completed by a specific time and at a specific location. the plan event condition may be for the action to be completed at a specific location and to retrieve a specific cargo. other combinations of plan event conditions may also be associated with the flight action. as discussed above with reference to fig. 2 , the action state may also be a not yet complete state, an incomplete state, or a cannot be completed state. if the plan event condition is a time-based condition, the flight plan engine 312 can determine the action state to be the cannot be completed state if the retrieved current time has passed the time of the plan event condition. the flight plan engine 312 can determine the action state to be the incomplete state if the retrieved current time is before the time of the plan event condition, and a corresponding position of the flight action is within a flight range of the instant platform. similarly, the flight plan engine 312 can determine the action state to be the cannot be completed state if the position of the flight action is not within the flight range (even if the retrieved current time is before the time of the plan event condition). in some embodiments, the flight plan engine 312 determines the action state based on a priority associated with one or more flight actions of the flight plan. for example, a first action may have a high or mandatory priority, while a second action may have a low or optional priority. the flight plan engine 312 can modify the second action from a not yet completed state to a cannot be completed state based on the low or optional priority, such as to ensure that the first action is performed. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can calculate an expected flight range of the instant platform (e.g., based on a fuel level of the instant platform and a fuel burn rate algorithm representing a relationship between speed and fuel burn), based on the expected flight range, determine whether one or both of the first action and the second action can be completed, and if both the first action and second action can be completed, determine the action state of both the first action and the second action to be the incomplete state, while if only the first action can be completed, determine the action state of the first action to be the incomplete state and the second action to be the cannot be completed state. the flight plan engine 312 can generate a group flight plan which includes the at least one action based on the determined action state. the group flight plan can include one or more of the flight actions of the local flight plan. the group flight plan can associate action states and plan event conditions with each action. the flight plan engine 312 can transmit the group flight plan to one or more remote platforms. the flight plan engine 312 can transmit the group flight plan on an intermittent basis. the flight plan engine 312 can transmit the group flight plan in response to receiving a transmit command via the user input device 350 or from a remote platform requesting the group flight plan. the flight plan engine 312 can transmit the group flight plan in response to detecting a change in an action state of one or more flight actions (e.g., based on receiving a command from the user input device 350 to change the action state). the flight plan engine 312 can transmit the group flight plan in response to determining the action state to be the incomplete state, which can enable remote platforms, in real time, to gain situational awareness regarding the flight action and/or take on the flight action. the flight plan engine 312 can transmit the group flight plan with instructions for a selected remote platform to execute a particular flight action, such that the flight plan engine 312 can assign flight actions to the selected remote platform. in some embodiments, the avionics circuit 310 includes a group database 316 . the group database can include communications information (e.g., communications protocols) for communication with one or more remote platforms corresponding to appropriate communications information. the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to transmit the group flight plan based on the communication information. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can identify the one or more remote platforms for transmission of the group flight plan, retrieve corresponding communications information for the identified remote platform(s), and transmit the group flight plan using the retrieved communications information. in some embodiments, the group database 316 includes communication information associated with a private network or tactical network implementation, such that the flight plan engine 312 can selectively transmit the group flight plan to those remote platforms which are part of the private network or tactical network. the group database 316 may store parameter data regarding the one or more remote platforms. for example, the group database 316 may store energy state data such as known (or most recently received) position or heading data. the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to request the energy state data from the one or more remote platforms and update the group database 316 based on the requested energy state data, or to parse a remote group flight plan as described below to identify the energy state data. similarly, the group database 316 can be configured to store parameter data such as cargo capacity, flight range, cruising speed, origin, destination, flight plan actions, or other parameters associated with remote platforms. the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to generate the group flight plan based on the parameter data in order to conform the group flight plan to the one or more remote platforms. the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to selectively transmit the group flight plan to one or more particular remote platforms based on the parameter data, such as to provide remote platforms with flight plan information specific to flight actions which can or should be performed by the particular remote platform(s). in some embodiments, the local flight plan is associated with a first communication protocol, the communication information includes a second communication protocol different than the first communication protocol, and the flight plan engine 312 is configured to generate the group flight plan based on the second communication protocol. for example, the communications protocols may include different data formats, and the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to convert the flight actions of the local flight plan to flight actions of the group flight action by executing a format conversion algorithm. the flight plan engine 312 may be configured to generate the group flight plan to selectively include flight actions from the local flight plan which can be converted (e.g., in terms of format) from the first communication protocol to the second communication protocol. the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to select the one or more remote platforms for transmission of the group flight plan based on at least one of a position, a heading, a range, or a load capacity of the one or more remote platforms, which can enable flight actions to be selectively shared with remote platforms capable of performing the flight actions. in some embodiments, the flight plan engine 312 can receive a remote group flight plan from a remote platform. the flight plan engine 312 can parse the remote group flight plan to identify one or more remote flight actions of the remote group flight plan. similar to other flight plans described herein, the one or more remote flight actions can be associated with plan event conditions and/or action states. in some embodiments, the flight plan engine 312 is configured to request the group flight plan from one or more remote platforms. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can request the group flight plan on a regular basis (e.g., at intermittent intervals). the flight plan engine 312 can request the group flight plan in response to a request command (e.g., a request command received from user input device 350 . the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to update a display of the local flight plan on the flight display 330 based on the received remote group flight plan. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can update the display of the local flight plan using the one or more remote flight actions. updating the display may include adding remote flight actions as well as changing an action state of local and/or remote flight actions based on the information in the group flight plan. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can compare an identifier of a local flight action of the local flight plan to an identifier of a remote flight action of the group flight plan to determine if the remote flight action matches the local flight action. in response to determining that the remote flight action matches the local flight action, the flight plan engine 312 can compare the action state of the remote flight action to the action state of the local flight action, and update the action state of the local flight action to match the action state of the remote flight action. in some embodiments, the flight plan engine 312 is configured execute processing actions based on acceptance criteria (e.g., rules, policies, heuristics) associated with each remote flight action. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can update the display of the local flight plan on the flight display 330 based on acceptance criteria. as noted above, updating the display of the local flight plan can include adding remote flight actions (e.g., if the remote flight action satisfies the acceptance criteria) or changing an action state of local and/or remote flight actions (e.g., changing the action state if the remote flight action satisfies the acceptance criteria). in various such embodiments, by using the acceptance criteria, the flight plan engine 312 can improve situational awareness for a pilot or other operator of the instant platform by intelligently and selectively updating the local flight plan to display remote flight actions being performed or to be performed by remote platforms, enabling the operator to make better decisions regarding various actions. additionally or alternatively to updating the display of the local flight plan based on the remote group flight plan and/or acceptance criteria, the flight plan engine 312 can rewrite the local flight plan stored in the flight plan database 314 or write the remote group flight plan into the group database 316 based on the remote group flight plan and/or acceptance criteria. the acceptance criteria may include a position of the instant platform. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can compare a position of the instant platform to a position of the remote flight action to determine an action distance, and update the local flight plan to display the remote flight action if the action distance is less than an action distance threshold. the action distance threshold may be a function of a range (e.g., flight range) of the instant platform, so that the flight plan engine 312 can selectively update the local flight plan to include those remote flight actions which are within the flight range of the instant platform. the action distance threshold may be a function of a display dimension of the flight display 330 (e.g., given a relationship between distance and a number of pixels of the flight display 330 which defines a visual range of the flight display 330 , update the local flight plan with the remote flight action if the remote flight action is in the visual range of the flight display 330 ). the acceptance criteria may also include the range of the instant platform. the acceptance criteria may include a heading of the instant platform. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can compare a heading of the instant platform to a modified heading from a current position of the instant platform to a position of the remote flight action, and if a difference (e.g., absolute value difference) between the heading of the instant platform and the modified heading is less than a heading difference threshold, then the flight plan engine 312 can update the local flight plan using the remote flight action. the acceptance criteria may include a load capacity of the instant platform. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can determine that the remote flight action is a load-based action, retrieve a load size associated with the remote flight action from the group flight plan, compare the load size to the load capacity, and update the local flight plan based on a load difference between the load size and the load capacity. updating the local flight plan may include updating the local flight plan to display the remote flight action if the load size is less than the load capacity. updating the local flight plan may include updating the local flight plan to display the remote flight action with an indication of whether the load size is less than or greater than the load capacity. the acceptance criteria may include a cargo (e.g., onboard cargo) of the instant platform. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can retrieve a cargo demand of the remote flight action from the group flight plan, compare the cargo demand to the cargo of the instant platform, and update the local flight plan if the cargo demand matches the cargo of the instant platform. in some embodiments, the acceptance criteria includes a command request. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to receive a command request to perform a commanded flight action via the communications electronics 320 . the command request may include the command flight action and instructions configured to cause the flight plan engine 312 to update the display of the local flight plan. the flight plan engine 312 can automatically update the display of the local flight plan to include the at least one remote flight action in response to receive the command request. the command request may be received from a command platform (e.g., a ground commander). the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to filter actions of the local flight plan displayed based on the flight actions and/or acceptance criteria. for example, the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to selectively display time-sensitive actions, such as actions for which a required time for completion is within a threshold time of a current time. the flight plan engine 312 can be configured to selectively display actions associated with specific waypoints. referring to fig. 4 , an exemplary embodiment of a method 400 accordingly to the inventive concepts disclosed herein may include the following steps. the method 400 may be performed using various hardware, apparatuses, and systems disclosed herein, such as the aircraft control center 10 , the group flight plan 200 , the system 300 , and or/components thereof. a step ( 405 ) may include loading a local flight plan including one or more flight actions associated with a plan event condition. the plan event condition may include at least one of a time, a waypoint, or a position. the plan event condition can include a receipt (e.g., loading) or a deposit (e.g., drop-off) of cargo or personnel. the plan event condition can be associated with a refueling (e.g., receiving fuel at the instant platform or transferring fuel to a remote platform). a step ( 410 ) may include comparing the plan event condition of at least one flight action to a current event condition. the comparing may be executed while a platform is in an operational state, such as when an airborne platform is taking off, in flight, or landing. the current event condition may be associated with a time, position, waypoint, and/or user input. the flight plan engine 312 can determine an action state of the at least one flight action based on the comparison. the action state may be a complete state, a not yet complete state, an incomplete state, or a cannot be completed state. in some embodiments, the action state is determined based on a priority associated with one or more of the flight actions. a step ( 415 ) may include generating a group flight plan including the at least one flight action based on the action state. the group flight plan can include one or more of the flight actions of the local flight plan. the group flight plan can associate action states and plan event conditions with each action. a step ( 420 ) may include transmitting the group flight plan to one or more remote platforms. the group flight plan may be transmitted on an intermittent basis, in response to receiving a transmit command, or in response to detecting a change in an action state. the group flight plan can be transmitted in response to determining the action state to be the incomplete state, which can enable remote platforms, in real time, to gain situational awareness regarding the flight action and/or take on the flight action. as will be appreciated from the above, systems and methods for actionable avionics events according to embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein may improve operation of aircraft and other platforms by increasing situational awareness for each platform. for example, embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein can improve situational awareness for pilots or other operators of the platforms by enabling real-time displaying of the actions in flight plans of remote platforms, including whether such actions have been completed, are not yet completed, are incomplete, or cannot be completed, reducing the amount of information operators need to keep in mind to effectively control operation of platforms. systems manufactured in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein can also improve operation of heterogeneous platform communication networks by enabling real-time sharing of flight plans using existing communication links. it is to be understood that embodiments of the methods according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein may include one or more of the steps described herein. further, such steps may be carried out in any desired order and two or more of the steps may be carried out simultaneously with one another. two or more of the steps disclosed herein may be combined in a single step, and in some embodiments, one or more of the steps may be carried out as two or more sub-steps. further, other steps or sub-steps may be carried out in addition to, or as substitutes to one or more of the steps disclosed herein. from the above description, it is clear that the inventive concepts disclosed herein are well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the inventive concepts disclosed herein. while presently preferred embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the broad scope and coverage of the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein.
|
046-350-923-442-536
|
US
|
[
"CN",
"JP",
"EP",
"WO",
"US"
] |
D03D1/00,D03D11/00,D03D15/41,D03D15/533,A41D31/00,D03D15/25,D03D15/283,D03D15/56,G06F1/18,H05K1/02,H05K1/03,B32B3/08,B32B5/02,B32B5/26,D03D7/00,D03D17/00,H01B7/06
| 2019-09-24T00:00:00 |
2019
|
[
"D03",
"A41",
"G06",
"H05",
"B32",
"H01"
] |
fabric signal path, fabric and stretchable fabric cable
|
the utility model relates to a fabric signal path, a fabric and a stretchable fabric cable. more specifically, the stretchable fabric signal path may include a conductive strand between a first outer fabric layer and a second outer fabric layer. the outer fabric layer may be formed from entangled strands of an elastic material. the conductive strand may have a corrugated shape to accommodate stretching of the stretchable fabric signal path. the first inner fabric layer and the second inner fabric layer may be located between the stretchable outer fabric layers. the inner fabric layer may be formed from entangled strands of a non-elastic material. the inner fabric layer may have strands entangled with the outer fabric layer to act as anchor points for maintaining the shape of the conductive strands as the stretchable fabric signal path is stretched and contracted. the outer fabric layer and the inner fabric layer may be woven. the conductive strands may transmit electrical signals, such as audio signals, power signals, data signals, or other suitable signals.
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what is claimed is: 1. a fabric signal path, comprising: first and second outer fabric layers comprising stretchable strands; first and second inner fabric layers interposed between the first and second outer fabric layers and comprising non-stretchable strands; and a conductive strand interposed between the first and second outer fabric layers, wherein the conductive strand conveys electrical current and follows a serpentine path. 2. the fabric signal path defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive strand is intertwined with the first and second inner fabric layers. 3. the fabric signal path defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second outer fabric layers are woven. 4. the fabric signal path defined in claim 1 wherein the stretchable strands comprise a combination of spandex and polyester. 5. the fabric signal path defined in claim 1 wherein one of the non-stretchable strands of the first inner fabric layer is intertwined with the first outer fabric layer. 6. the fabric signal path defined in claim 5 wherein one of the non-stretchable strands of the second inner fabric layer is intertwined with the second outer fabric layer. 7. the fabric signal path defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive strand conveys signals selected from the group consisting of: audio signals, power signals, and data signals. 8. the fabric signal path defined in claim 1 wherein the fabric signal path has a unstretched length and a stretched length that is twice as long as the unstretched length. 9. the fabric signal path defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive signal path has floats on the first and second inner fabric layers 10. the fabric signal path defined in claim 9 wherein the floats comprise a first float on the first inner fabric layer and a second float on the second inner fabric layer and wherein the first float at least partially overlaps the second float so that the conductive strand turns back on itself between the first and second inner fabric layers. 11 . a fabric, comprising: first and second woven fabric layers comprising elastic strands; a third woven fabric layer interposed between the first and second woven fabric layers, wherein the third woven fabric layer has a non-elastic strand that is intertwined with the first woven fabric layer; and a metal strand interposed between the first and second woven fabric layers, wherein the metal strand conveys electrical current and is intertwined with the third woven fabric layer. 12. the fabric defined in claim 11 further comprising a fourth woven fabric layer interposed between the third woven fabric layer and the second woven fabric layer. 13. the fabric defined in claim 12 wherein the metal strand is intertwined with the third woven fabric layer 14. the fabric defined in claim 13 wherein the metal strand has a first float on the third woven fabric layer and a second float on the fourth woven fabric layer that at least partially overlaps the first float. 15. the fabric defined in claim 11 wherein the metal strand comprises a copper lintz wire. 16. a stretchable fabric cable, comprising: first and second outer fabric layers comprising intertwined strands of a first material; an inner fabric layer compri sing intertwined strands of a second material that is different from the first material; and an insulated metal wire that conveys electrical signals and is interposed between the first and second outer fabric layers, wherein the insulated metal wire is intertwined with the inner fabric layer and has a wavy shape. 17. the stretchable fabric cable defined in claim 16 wherein the intertwined strands of the first material comprise warp and weft strands and wherein the insulated metal wire extends in the same direction as the warp strands. 18. the stretchable fabric cable defined in claim 16 wiierein the first material is more elastic than the second material. 19. the stretchable fabric cable defined in claim 16 wherein the insulated metal wire has floats on the inner fabric layer. 20. the stretchable fabric cable defined in claim 16 wherein at least some of the intertwined strands of the second material are intertwined with the first outer fabric layer.
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stretchable signal path structures for electronic devices this application claims priority to u.s. patent application no. 16/985,042, filed august 4, 2020, and u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/904,774, filed september 24, 2019, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. field [0001] this relates generally to electronic devices, and, more particularly, to stretchable signal path structures for electronic devices. background [0002] electronic devices may include components that move relative to one another and that are interconnected using signal lines on printed circuits or using conductive wires in cables. for example, a pair of headphones may include a cable that couples to an electronic device. a laptop may include a flexible printed circuit that routes signals between a base housing and a display housing that are coupled by a hinge. [0003] it can be challenging to provide signal paths between components that move relative to one another. if care is not taken, the signal path may not have sufficient elasticity, may become damaged after repetitive use, and/or may restrict movement of an electronic device. summary [0004] an electronic device such as a wrist watch, audio cable, or other electronic device may include one or more stretchable fabric signal paths. a stretchable fabric signal path may include one or more conductive strands located between first and second outer fabric layers. the outer fabric layers may be formed from intertwined strands of elastic material. the conductive strand may have a wavy shape to accommodate stretching of the stretchable fabric signal path. [0005] one or more inner fabric layers may be located between the outer stretchable fabric layers. the inner fabric layers may be formed from intertwined strands of non-elastic material. the inner fabric layers may have strands that are intertwined with the outer fabric layers to serve as anchor points for maintaining the shape of the conductive strand as the stretchable fabric signal path expands and contracts. the outer fabric layers and inner fabric layers may be woven. the conductive strand may convey electrical signals such as audio signals, power signals, data signals, or other suitable signals. [0006] the conductive strand may form floats on the inner fabric layers. in some arrangements, a first float on a first inner fabric layer may at least partially overlap a second float on a second inner fabric layer. to create overlapping floats in this way, the conductive strand may turn back on itself between the first and second inner fabric layers. the additional length in the conductive strand needed to make these turns may help increase the amount by which the conductive strand can stretch. brief description of the drawings [0007] fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of illustrative electronic equipment of the type that may include a stretchable fabric signal path in accordance with an embodiment. [0008] fig. 2 is a front view of an illustrative electronic device such as a pair of headphones that may include a stretchable fabric signal path in accordance with an embodiment. [0009] fig. 3 is a perspective view of an illustrative item such as a seat that may include a stretchable fabric signal path in accordance with an embodiment. [0010] fig. 4 is a top view of an illustrative electronic device such as a wrist watch that may include a stretchable signal path in accordance with an embodiment. [0011] fig. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative stretchable fabric signal path in accordance with an embodiment. [0012] fig. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative fabric layer in an unstretched configuration in accordance with an embodiment. [0013] fig. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the fabric layer of fig. 6 in a stretched configuration in accordance with an embodiment. [0014] figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 are cross-sectional side views of illustrative stretchable fabric signal paths having elastic strands, non-elastic strands, and one or more conductive strands in accordance with an embodiment. [0015] fig. 12 is a diagram showing how a stretchable fabric signal path may expand and contract along its length in accordance with an embodiment. detailed description [0016] a schematic diagram of illustrative electronic equipment that may be provided with stretchable fabric signal path structures is shown in fig. 1. electronic device 10 and electronic device 10' of fig. 1 may be operated independently or may be coupled to each other. a device such as device 10 and/or device 10' may be a computing device such as a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer, a tablet computer, a cellular telephone, a media player, or other handheld or portable electronic device, a smaller device such as a wrist-watch device, a pendant device, a headphone or earpiece device, a device embedded in eyeglasses or other equipment worn on a user's head, or other wearable or miniature device, a television, a computer display that does not contain an embedded computer, a gaming device, a navigation device, an embedded system such as a system in which electronic equipment with a display is mounted in a kiosk or automobile, a case, bag, watch band, or other accessory that operates in conjunction with one of these devices or other equipment, equipment that implements the functionality of two or more of these devices, or other electronic equipment. as an example, device 10 may be a portable device such as a cellular telephone or media player and device 10' may be an accessory such as a cover (sometimes referred to as a case or enclosure). other configurations may be used for device 10 and/or device 10' if desired. the example of fig. 1 is merely illustrative. [0017] electronic device 10 may have control circuitry 12. control circuitry 12 may include storage and processing circuitry for supporting the operation of device 10. the storage and processing circuitry may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-prograrnmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. processing circuitry in control circuitry 12 may be used to control the operation of device 10. the processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio chips, application specific integrated circuits, etc. [0018] input-output circuitry in device 10 such as input-output devices 14 may be used to allow data to be supplied to device 10 and to allow data to be provided from device 10 to external devices. input-output devices 14 may include a display, buttons, joysticks, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, audio components such as microphones and speakers, tone generators, vibrators, cameras, sensors, light-emitting diodes and other status indicators, data ports, etc. wireless circuitry in devices 14 may be used to transmit and receive radio-frequency wireless signals. wireless circuitry may include antennas and radio- frequency transmitters and receivers operating in wireless local area network bands, cellular telephone bands, and other wireless communications bands. [0019] a user can control the operation of device 10 by supplying commands through input-output devices 14 and may receive status information and other output from device 10 using the output resources of input-output devices 14 control circuitry 12 may be used to run software on device 10 such as operating system code and applications. during operation of device 10, the software running on control circuitry 12 may use input-output devices 14 to gather user input and other input and can provide the user with visual output, audio output, and other output. [0020] device 10' may include the same circuitry as device 10 and/or may contain different circuitry. devices 10 and 10' may include respective connections 16 and 16' and signal paths such as path 18 connections 16 and 16' may be formed using solder, conductive adhesive, welds, connectors, and/or other structures for forming electrical and/or mechanical structures. path 18 may he used to share input and output information between devices 10 and 10'. portions of paths such as path 18 may be included in devices 10 and/or 10'. in some arrangements, the entirety of path 18 may be part of electronic device 10 and/or may be part of electronic device 10'. [0021] devices such as devices 10 and 10' may be used together. for example, the input resource of the input-output devices in device 10' may be used to gather input from a user. this user input may then be conveyed to device 10 over signal path 18 for use in controlling the operation of device 10. if, for example, device 10' includes a keyboard, a user may supply key press input to device 10' that is conveyed via path 18 (e.g., a path that is separate from device 10' and/or that is included in device 10') to device 10. device 10 may also use the resources of device 10' to provide the user with output. for example, device 10 can supply output to device 10' over path 18 that instructs device 10' to turn on or off particular light-emitting diodes or other status indicators or that instructs device 10' to provide other visual and/or audio output for the user. [0022] signal paths between devices 10 and 10' and portions of signal paths 18 that are contained within devices 10 and 10' may be formed from stretchable fabric layers. these fabric layers may allow the length of signal path 18 to expand and contract and may accommodate bends (e.g., tight bends) in the structures that make up devices 10 and/or 10'. [0023] for example, stretchable fabric signal path 18 may include fabric 50 with intertwined strands of material such as strands 20. in some arrangements, strands 20 include warp strands 42 extending along a first dimension and weft strands 40 extending along a second dimension that is orthogonal to the first dimension. strands 20 may be single- filament strands (sometimes referred to as fibers or monofilaments), may be yams or other strands that have been formed by intertwining multiple filaments (multiple monofilaments) of material together, or may be other types of strands (e.g., tubing that carries fluids such as gases or liquids). the strands may include extruded strands such as extruded monofilaments and yarn formed from multiple extruded monofilaments. monofilaments for fabric 12 may include polymer monofilaments and/or other insulating monofilaments and/or may include bare wires and/or insulated wires. monofilaments formed from polymer cores with metal coatings and monofilaments formed from three or more layers (cores, intermediate layers, and one or more outer layers each of which may be insulating and/or conductive) may also be used. [0024] strands 20 in fabric 50 may be formed from polymer, metal, glass, graphite, ceramic, natural materials as cotton or bamboo, or other organic and/or inorganic materials and combinations of these materials. conductive coatings such as metal coatings may be formed on non-conductive material. for example, plastic yams and monofilaments in fabric 12 may be coated with metal to make them conductive. reflective coatings such as metal coatings may be applied to make yarns and monofilaments reflective. yams may be formed from a bundle of bare metal wires or metal wire intertwi ned with insulating monofilaments (as examples). [0025] strands 20 may be intertwined to form fabric 50 using intertwining equipment such as weaving equipment, knitting equipment, or braiding equipment. intertwined strands may, for example, form woven fabric, knit fabric, braided fabric, etc. conductive strands and insulating strands may be woven, knit, braided, or otherwi se intertwined to form contact pads that can be electrically coupled to conductive structures in device 10 such as the contact pads of an electrical component. the contacts of an electrical component may also be directly coupled to an exposed metal segment along the length of a conductive yam or monofilament. [0026] conductive and insulating strands may also be woven, knit, or otherwise intertwined to form conductive paths. the conductive paths may be used in forming signal paths (e.g., signal buses, power lines, etc.), may be used in forming part of a capacitive touch sensor electrode, a resistive touch sensor electrode, or other input-output device, or may be used in forming other patterned conductive structures. conductive structures such as conductive strands in fabric 50 may be used in carrying power signals, digital signals, analog signals, sensor signals, control signals, data, input signals, output signals, or other suitable electrical signals. [0027] fabric 50 may, for example, include conductive strands of material that are coupled to electrical components in device 10 and/or device 10'. the conductive strands may serve as signal paths that cany signals between devices 10 and 10’ and/or that carry signals between components in device 10 and/or between components in device 10'. [0028] an example of an illustrative electronic device type that may be provided with a stretchable fabric signal path is shown in fig. 2. as shown in fig. 2, device 10 may be a pair of audio headphones. device 10 may include a stretchable cable such as stretchable fabric cable 18. earbuds 22 (e.g., earbuds that each contain one or more speakers) may be mounted at the ends of the right and left branches of cable 18. the end of cable 18 may be terminated by audio connector (plug) 16 connector 16 may be, for example, a 3 5 mm audio plug that mates with a corresponding 3.5 mm audio jack in a media player, cellular telephone, portable computer, or other electronic device. stretchable fabric signal path 18 may be used to convey signals (e.g., audio signals, power signals, ground signals, etc.) between the speakers and other electronic components in earbuds 22 and connector 16. [0029] fig. 3 is a perspective view of an illustrative seat having a stretchable fabric signal path. as shown in fig. 3, stretchable fabric signal path 18 follows the bends and contours of seat 10. stretchable fabric signal path 18 may be used to convey signals between control circuitry and input-output circuitry or between other components in seat 10 of fig. 3. [0030] fig. 4 is a top view of another illustrative electronic device that may have a stretchable fabric signal path. as shown in fig. 4, device 10 may have a display such as display 26 and other electrical components mounted in a housing such as housing 24. device 10 may be a portable electronic device such as a device that is mounted on a user's wrist, arm, leg, head, torso, or other body part. device 10 may, for example, be a wrist-mounted device such as a wristwatch, a health monitoring device, a media player, a wireless key, or other electronic device and/or equipment that includes the functions of two or more of these devices or other suitable devices. housing 24 (e.g., a watch housing in scenarios in which device 10 is a wristwatch) may be formed from metal, ceramic, plastic, glass, sapphire or other crystalline materials, and/or other suitable materials. housing 24 may have a rectangular outline, may have an oval or circular shape, or may have other suitable shapes. display 26 may be a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode display, or other suitable display. [0031] strap 30 may have portions attached to opposing sides of housing 24. strap 30 may be coupled to pins or other structures that are attached to the exterior of housing 24 (as an example). a clasp formed from hook-and-loop fasteners or other suitable clasp may be used to secure strap 30 about the wrist or other body part of a user [0032] strap 30 may include strands of material that are woven together. the strands of material that are woven to form strap 30 may be monofilaments and/or multifilament yarns. strap 30 may contain insulating strands of material and/or conductive strands of material. insulating strands may be formed from dielectric materials such as polymers. conductive strands may be formed from metal wires or may be formed from one more conductive layers of material such as metal layers on polymer cores or other polymer layers. conductive strands may also be formed by mixing conductive filaments with insulating filaments. conductive strands may have insulating coatings. [0033] if desired, strap 30 may contain electrical components such as components 32 components 32 may include sensors, buttons, light-emitting diodes, batteries, antennas, integrated circuits, vibrators and other actuators, and/or other input-output devices. strands 20 may include conductive strands for routing power and data signals between components 32 within strap 30 and between components such as component 32 in strap 30 and circuitry in housing 24. [0034] fig 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative stretchable fabric signal path. as shown in fig. 5, stretchable fabric signal path 18 may include fabric 50. fabric 50 may include one or more outer fabric layers such as outer fabric layers 34 and one or more conductive strands such as conductive strand 36. conductive strand 36 may be interposed between outer fabric layers 34. in some arrangements, outer fabric layers 34 are two fabric layers that are coupled together (e.g., using an intervening fabric layer, using individual strands that pass between the two fabric layers, using stitching, using adhesive, and/or using other attachment techniques). in other arrangements, outer fabric layers 34 are different portions of the same piece of fabric. fig. 5 shows a gap between outer layers 34. if desired, outer layers 34 may be in contact with one another (e.g., may not be separated by a gap). [0035] conductive strands in path 18 such as conductive strand 36 may be used to convey electrical current (e.g., electrical signals) and may be formed from metal wires (e.g., wires formed from copper, silver, a silver-copper alloy, or other suitable metal) or may be formed from one more conductive layers of material such as metal layers on polymer cores or other polymer layers. conductive strands may contain multiple thin wire strands that are woven or twisted together (e.g., a litz wire). conductive strands may also be formed by mixing conductive filaments with insulating filaments. conductive strands may have insulating coatings. [0036] as shown in fig. 5, conductive strand 36 may be located within fabric 50 between outer layers 34 and may follow a serpentine path. the wavy shape of conductive strand 36 allows conductive strand 36 to withstand stretching of fabric 50. this is, however, merely illustrative. if desired, conductive strand 36 may have other shapes (e.g., shapes with bends of different shapes or sizes, etc.). for example, in arrangements where fabric 50 is a braided fabric, conductive strand 36 may have a spring shape. fabric 50 may be a woven fabric, a knit fabric, a braided fabric, or other suitable fabric. to allow stretching of signal path 18, outer layers 34 of fabric 50 may be formed from stretchable fabric (e.g., fabrics that include strands of elastic material) [0037] if desired, fabric 50 may include one or more non-stretchable layers such as non- stretchable fabric layers 54. non-stretchable fabric layers 54 may be formed from non-elastic strands (e.g., strands of polyester or other suitable material with relatively low elasticity). non-stretchable fabric layers 54 may have no stretch or may have only a small amount of stretch (e.g., less stretch than outer fabric layers 34) non-stretchable fabric layers 54 may- have strands that are intertwined with conductive strand 36 and that are also intertwined with the strands of stretchable fabric layers 34 the locations where non-stretchable fabric layers 54 are intertwined with stretchable fabric layers 34 may serve as anchors to help maintain the shape of conductive strand 36 within fabric 50 while still allowing conductive strand 36 to expand and contract along its length. [0038] fig. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative stretchable fabric layer that may be used in a stretchable fabric signal path such as path 18. fabric 50 of fig. 6 may, for example, be used to form outer layers 34 of fig. 5 and/or may be used to form other layers in fabric 50. fabric 50 has strands 20 such as weft strands 40 and w¾rp strands 42. some or all of warp strands 42 (and, if desired, some or all of weft strands 40) may be formed from stretchable material such as stretchable polyurethane, spandex, silicone, other materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials (e.g., a combination of spandex and polyester). due to the presence of stretchable warp strands 42, fabric 50 may stretch when pulled in directions 38, as illustrated in fig. 7. stretchable strands such as warp strands 42 may be oriented to run around the user's wrist (e.g., in arrangements where flexible fabric signal path 18 forms a wrist strap such as strap 30 of fig. 4). this allows a user to stretch strap 30 tightly around the user's wrist or other body part (e.g., to ensure that a satisfactory' heart rate monitor signal is picked up by a heart rate monitor in device 10, etc.). if desired, fabric 50 may contain non-stretchable strands of material (e.g., polyester, etc.). non- stretchable strands of material may, for example, be used to provide fl exible fabric signal path 18 with strength and/or structure. [0039] illustrative examples of stretchable fabric signal paths are shown in figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11. [0040] as shown in fig. 8, fabric 50 may include one or more fabric layers such as fabric layers 50-1, 50-2, 50-3, and 50-4. the use of four layers in fabric 50 is merely illustrative. if desired, fabric 50 may include greater or fewer than four layers of fabric. fabric layer 50-1 may be formed from intertwined weft strands 40 and warp strands 42-1. fabric layer 50-2 may be formed from intertwined weft strands 40 and warp strands 42-2. fabric layer 50-3 may be formed from intertwined weft strands 40 and warp strands 42-3. fabric layer 50-4 may be formed from intertwined weft strands 40 and warp strands 42-4. [0041] outer fabric layers such as layers 50-1 and 50-4 may be stretchable fabric layers (e.g., stretchable fabric layers of the type shown in figs. 6 and 7) and may be used to form outer fabric layers 34 of fig. 5. for example, warp strands 42-1 (and, if desired, weft strands 40) of fabric layer 50-1 and warp strands 42-4 (and, if desired, weft strands 40) of fabric layer 50-4 may include strands of elastic material such as polyurethane, spandex, silicone, or other suitable material. [0042] inner fabric layers such as layers 50-2 and 50-3 may be non-stretchable fabric layers (e.g., layers with little or no stretch) and may be used to form fabric layers 54 of fig. 5. for example, warp strands 42-2 (and, if desired, weft strands 40) of fabric layer 50-2 and warp strands 42-3 (and, if desired, weft strands 40) of fabric layer 50-3 may include strands of non- elastic material such as polyester or other suitable material. [0043] as shown in fig. 8, conductive strand 36 is interposed between fabric layers 50-1 and 50-4 and follows a serpentine path to allow strand 36 to withstand stretching of fabric 50. conductive strand 36 may be intertwined (e.g., interwoven) with the lay ers of fabric 50 such as inner fabric layers 50-2 and 50-3. in particular, conductive strand 36 may extend in the warp direction and may pass over and under weft strands 40 of layers 50-2 and 50-3 this is, however, merely illustrative. if desired, conductive strand 36 may extend in the weft direction. [0044] if desired, conductive stand 36 may only pass over a single weft strand 40 of one layer before moving to the adjacent layer, or conductive strand 36 may float over two or more adjacent weft strands 40 of one layer before moving to the adjacent layer. for example, as shown in fig. 8, conductive strand 36 floats over three weft strands 40 in layer 50-2, then floats over three weft strands 40 in layer 50-3, then returns to layer 50-2 and floats over three weft strands 40 in layer 50-2, and this pattern may repeat along the length of fabric 50. if desired, conductive strand 36 may float over more or less than three weft strands 40 in each layer. [0045] in the example of fig. 8, the floats of conductive strand 36 on layer 50-2 partially overlap the floats of conductive strand 36 on layer 50-3. in particular, one or more of the weft strands 40 under a float on layer 50-2 may overlap one or more of the weft strands 40 under a float on layer 50-3. by having the floats on layer 50-2 at least partially overlap the floats on layer 50-3, conductive strand 36 needs additional length to turn back on itself (see, e.g., turns 56 in conductive strand 36). this additional length to accommodate turns 56 may help increase the amount by which conductive strand 36 can be stretched. [0046] inner non-stretchable fabric layers 50-2 and 50-3 may have strands that are intertwined with outer stretchable fabric layers 50-1 and 50-4. as shown in fig. 8, for example, some of the warp strands 42-2 of layer 50-2 may pass over weft strands 40 of layer 50-2. some of the warp strands 42-3 of layer 50-3 may pass over weft strands 40 of layer 50- 4 the locations where non-stretchable strands of inner fabric layers are coupled to the strands of stretchable outer fabric layers may form anchor points 44 that help maintain the desired shape, structure, and/or location of conductive strand 36. in particular, as stretchable signal path 18 expands and contracts along the length l of fabric 50, anchor points 44 may help prevent conductive strand 36 from bunching or otherwise becoming disorganized within fabric 50. [0047] the example of fig. 8 in which conductive strand 36 has floats that pass over three adjacent weft strands 40 is merely illustrative. in the example of fig. 9, conductive strand 36 has floats on layers 50-2 and 50-3 that pass over two adjacent weft strands 40. in the fig. 9 example, the floats on layer 50-2 do not overlap the floats on layer 50-3, but this is merely illustrative. if desired, the floats on layer 50-2 may at least partially overlap the floats on layer 50-3 so that conductive strand 36 turns back on itself as it passes between layers 50-2 and 50-3 (see, e.g., turns 56 of fig. 8). [0048] fig. 10 shows an illustrative example in which conductive strand 36 does not have any floats on layer 50-2 or layer 50-3 rather, conductive strand 36 passes over a single weft strand 40 in layer 50-2, then passes under a single weft strand 40 in layer 50-3, then returns to layer 50-2 in a repeating pattern. [0049] fig. 11 show's an illustrative example in which conductive strand 36 is only intertwined (e.g., interwoven) with one layer of fabric. as shown in fig. 11, conductive strand 36 is only intertwined with warp strands 42-3 and weft strands 40 of fabric layer 50-3. to help anchor conductive strand 36 to outer fabric layers 50-1 and 50-4, some of the warp strands 42-3 of layer 50-3 may be intertwined with layers 50-1, 50-2, and/or 50-4. the locations where warp strands 42-3 intertwine with the strands of layers 50-1 and 50-2 may form anchor points 44 for maintaining the shape of conductive strand 36. [0050] fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating how the shape of the strands in stretchable fabric signal path 18 may change under different amounts of stretch. at the top of fig. 12, signal path 18 is stretched to its maximum length l1. fig. 12 then shows signal path 18 contracting to progressively shorter lengths until it reaches its minimum length l2 shown at the bottom of fig. 12. in some arrangements, l1 may be twice the length of l2 (e.g., signal path 18 may be capable of 100% stretch). arrangements in which signal path 18 has greater or less than 100% stretch may also be used. [0051] if desired, the strands of signal path 18 may be in a stretched state during formation of signal path 18. for example, warp strands 42 of the different layers in fabric 50 may be stretched on the weaving loom at their maximum length (e.g., warp strands 42 may be held under maximum tension). similarly, conductive strand 36 may be stretched on the loom to its maximum length (e.g., may be straight) as it is intertwined with the layers of fabric 50. when fabric 50 is completed and removed from the loom, the strands may contract to the shape shown at the bottom of fig. 12. as the inner and outer fabric layers collapse, anchor points 44 (e.g., anchor points of the type shown in figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11) may help keep the inner layers organized, which in turn helps maintain the desired wavy shape of conductive strand 36 (which is intertwined with the inner layers). [0052] as described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of information such as information from input-output devices. the present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, data may be gathered that includes personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter id's, home addresses, data or records relating to a user's health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, username, password, biometric information, or any other identifying or personal information. [0053] the present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. for example, the personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that is of greater interest to the user. accordingly, use of such personal information data enables users to have control of the delivered content. further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. for instance, health and fitness data may be used to provide insights into a user's general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals [0054] the present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. in particular, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry' or governmental requirements for maintaining personal information data private and secure. such policies should be easily accessibl e by users, and should be updated as the coll ection and/or use of data changes. personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable uses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. further, such collection/ sharing should occur after receiving the informed consent of the users. additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. in addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable law's and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. for instance, in the united states, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the health insurance portability and accountability act (hipaa), whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. hence different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country. [0055] despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. that is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. for example, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to "opt in" or "opt out" of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for sendees or anytime thereafter. in another example, users can select not to provide certain types of user data. in yet another example, users can select to limit the length of time user-specific data is maintained. in addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifi cations relating to the access or use of personal information. for instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an application (“app”) that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app [0056] moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. in addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user's privacy. de- identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods. [0057] therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of information that may include personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing personal information data. that is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. [0058] in accordance with an embodiment, a fabric signal path is provided that includes first and second outer fabric layers including stretchable strands, first and second inner fabric layers interposed between the first and second outer fabric layers and including non- stretchable strands and a conductive strand interposed between the first and second outer fabric layers, the conductive strand conveys electrical current and follows a serpentine path. [0059] in accordance with another embodiment, the conductive strand is intertwined with the first and second inner fabric layers. [0060] in accordance with another embodiment, the first and second outer fabric layers are woven. [0061] in accordance with another embodiment, the stretchable strands include a combination of spandex and polyester. [0062] in accordance with another embodiment, one of the non-stretchable strands of the first inner fabric layer is intertwined with the first outer fabric layer. [0063] in accordance with another embodiment, one of the non-stretchable strands of the second inner fabric layer is intertwined with the second outer fabric layer. [0064] in accordance with another embodiment, the conductive strand conveys signals selected from the group consisting of audio signals, power signals, and data signals. [0065] in accordance with another embodiment, the fabric signal path has a unstretched length and a stretched length that is twice as song as the unstretched length. [0066] in accordance with another embodiment, the conductive signal path has floats on the first and second inner fabric layers. [0067] in accordance with another embodiment, the floats include a first float on the first inner fabric layer and a second float on the second inner fabric layer and the first float at least partially overlaps the second float so that the conductive strand turns back on itself between the first and second inner fabric layers. [0068] in accordance with an embodiment, a fabric is provided that includes first and second woven fabric layers including elastic strands a third woven fabric layer interposed between the first and second woven fabric layers, the third woven fabric layer has a non- elastic strand that is intertwined with the first woven fabric layer and a metal strand interposed between the first and second woven fabric layers, the metal strand conveys electrical current and is intertwined with the third woven fabric layer. [0069] in accordance with another embodiment, the fabric includes a fourth woven fabric layer interposed between the third woven fabric layer and the second woven fabric layer. [0070] in accordance with another embodiment, the metal strand is intertwined with the third woven fabric layer. [0071] in accordance with another embodiment, the metal strand has a first float on the third woven fabric layer and a second float on the fourth woven fabric layer that at least partially overlaps the first float. [0072] in accordance with another embodiment, the metal strand includes a copper lintz wire. [0073] in accordance with another embodiment, a stretchable fabric cable is provided that includes first and second outer fabric layers including intertwined strands of a first material, an inner fabric layer including intertwined strands of a second material that is different from the first material and an insulated metal wire that conveys electrical signals and is interposed between the first and second outer fabric layers, the insulated metal wire is intertwined with the inner fabric layer and has a wavy shape. [0074] in accordance with another embodiment, the intertwined strands of the first material include warp and weft strands and the insulated metal wire extends in the same direction as the warp strands. [0075] in accordance with another embodiment, the first material is more elastic than the second material. [0076] in accordance with another embodiment, the insulated metal wire has floats on the inner fabric layer. [0077] in accordance with another embodiment, at least some of the intertwined strands of the second material are intertwined with the first outer fabric layer. [0078] the foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. the foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.
|
047-951-781-243-83X
|
US
|
[
"US",
"WO"
] |
H01L31/00,B05D7/00,H01L31/042,H01L31/05
| 2008-05-10T00:00:00 |
2008
|
[
"H01",
"B05"
] |
solar cell with current blocking layer
|
a solar cell includes an active layer, a blocking layer and a contact layer. the blocking layer is disposed between a portion of the top surface of the active layer and the bottom surface of the contact layer. the blocking layer serves to reduce current flow between the contact layer and the portion of the active layer covered by the blocking layer. current flow to the contact layer may occur via gridlines electrically connecting the active layer to the contact layer.
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1 . a solar cell comprising: an active layer with an upper surface; a top contact layer positioned over the upper surface of the active layer, wherein the top contact layer has a bottom surface and a side surface; a blocking layer capable of impeding current flow, wherein at least a portion of the blocking layer is disposed between a portion of the upper surface of the active layer and the bottom surface of the top contact layer; and a gridline electrically connecting the active layer to the side surface of the top contact layer. 2 . the solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the blocking layer is comprised of a dielectric material. 3 . the solar cell of claim 2 , wherein the dielectric material is selected from the group consisting of sin x , polyamide, sio 2 , and si y n x , and wherein x is a value between one and five and y is a value between one and five. 4 . the solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the blocking layer is a high bandgap semiconductor material. 5 . the solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the top contact layer is completely covered by the blocking layer. 6 . the solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the active layer comprises multiple p/n junctions. 7 . the solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the blocking layer comprises two strips that cover less than 30 percent of the top surface of the active layer. 8 . the solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the blocking layer comprises two strips that cover less than 10 percent of the top surface of the active layer. 9 . the solar cell of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesion layer between the blocking layer and the active layer. 10 . a method of making a solar cell comprising: providing an active layer with a top surface; applying a blocking layer with an upper surface to a portion of the top surface of the active layer, wherein the blocking layer is capable of impeding a current flow; applying a contact layer to at least a portion of the upper surface of the blocking layer, wherein the contact layer has a bottom surface and a side surface; and electrically connecting a gridline between the active layer and the side surface of the contact layer. 11 . the method of claim 10 , wherein the blocking layer comprises a dielectric material. 12 . the method of claim 10 , wherein the step of applying the blocking layer comprises masking to direct the location of the blocking layer. 13 . the method of claim 10 , wherein the blocking layer comprises a high bandgap semiconductor layer. 14 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the dielectric material is selected from the group consisting of sin x , polyamide, sio 2 , and si y n x , and wherein x is a value between one and five and y is a value between one and five. 15 . the method of claim 10 , wherein the blocking layer covers the bottom surface of the contact layer. 16 . the method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of applying an anti-reflective coating to the top surface of the active layer. 17 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the step of applying a blocking layer further comprises applying an adhesion layer between the upper surface of the blocking layer and the bottom surface of the contact layer.
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related applications this application claims priority to u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/052,196 filed on may 10, 2008, entitled “solar cell with current blocking layer,” which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in full in this application for all purposes. background the present invention relates generally to the field of solar cells. in particular, the present invention relates to electrical protection systems for solar cells in concentrating photovoltaic systems. a concentrating solar radiation collector may convert received photons (i.e., sunlight) into a concentrated beam of photons and direct the concentrated beam onto a small photovoltaic solar cell such as a multi-junction solar cell. a photovoltaic (or, “solar”) cell generates charge carriers (i.e., holes and electrons) in an active layer in response to received photons. many types of solar cells are known, which may differ from one another in terms of constituent materials, structure and/or fabrication methods. a solar cell may be selected for a particular application based on its efficiency, electrical characteristics, physical characteristics and/or cost. the semiconductor material of the active layer (e.g., silicon) of a solar cell contributes significantly to total solar cell cost. accordingly, many approaches have been proposed to increase the working lifetime of a solar cell for a given amount of active semiconductor material. a concentrating solar radiation collector, for example, may receive solar radiation (i.e., sunlight) over a first surface area and direct the received sunlight to a portion of an active layer of a solar cell. the active layer of the solar cell is several times smaller than the first surface area of the collector, yet receives substantially all of the photons received by first surface area. the solar cell may thereby provide an electrical output equivalent to a solar cell having the size of the first surface area. multi-junction solar cells such as iii-v cells may make better use of the solar spectrum than cells with a single p/n junction by having multiple active layers with different bandgaps. each layer is made of a different material, and absorbs a different portion of the spectrum. the top layer has the largest bandgap so that only the most energetic photons are absorbed in this layer. less energetic photons must pass through the top layer since they are not energetic enough to generate electron hole pairs (ehps) in the material. each layer going from the top to the bottom has a smaller bandgap than the previous. therefore, each layer absorbs the photons that have energies greater than the bandgap of that layer and less than the bandgap of the higher layer. electrical energy generated at the active layer flows to a metal contact layer which directs the electricity to a circuit for connection to an electrical network. thus, multi-junction solar cells are well suited to convert the photons of the concentrated beam into useable electrical current but may also suffer from degradation due to high current flux. the active layer of solar cells is generally fabricated using semiconductor processing technology and subject to periodic quality control testing. during high current dark current voltage (div) testing, and also occasionally during on-sun operation, the solar cell may develop a hot spot on the contact layer, that may be caused by the presence a small void in the die-attach epoxy or any other imperfection in the solar cell. this hot spot creates a thermal run-away situation ending when the contact metal dissolves into the cell active layers and shorts out the cell, permanently damaging it. additionally the cells may be subject to high electrical fluxes during their working lifetimes causing them to be susceptible to reverse bias breakdown in the field as well. it is desirable to safeguard solar cells from potential damage caused by high flux conditions. summary the solar cell of this invention may reduce the likelihood of damage to an active photovoltaic layer from forward current flow by comprising a blocking layer between the contact layer and active layers of a solar cell. the solar cell comprises a photovoltaic active layer with an upper surface, and a top contact layer with a bottom surface. a blocking layer is disposed between the bottom surface of the contact layer and a portion of the upper surface of the active layer. gridlines may be disposed on a portion of the top surface of the active layer and connected to the side surface of the contact layer to transmit current generated by the active layer to the contact layer. the blocking layer may be any dielectric material such as sin, polyamide, sio 2 , or si 3 n 4 . the area of the blocking layer need not be the same as the area of the contact layer. the solar cell may include additional layers such as an anti-reflective coating, passivation layer or light trapping material. the active layer may be a multi-junction solar cell such as a iii-v triple junction solar cell. the solar cell of this invention may be fabricated by standard methods of solar cell manufacture to form a protective blocking layer that may reduce cell damage from high current flux through a contact layer to an active layer. the solar cell of this invention may be made by any method known in the art for fabricating solar cells such as epitaxial or diffusion methods. the blocking layer may be applied to an active layer by any method known in the art such as masking and etching techniques. the solar cell provided by this invention may reduce current leakage and improve the lifetime efficiency of concentrated solar energy devices. description of the drawings fig. 1 provides a schematic cross-sectional view of a prior art solar cell. fig. 2 provides a detailed schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 3 provides a top schematic view of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4 depicts a flow chart of embodiments for the method of manufacture of the present invention. detailed description in the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and show, by way of illustration, several embodiments of the present invention. it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. the present invention provides an improved solar cell with a blocking layer between a contact layer and an active layer. the improved solar cell may provide protection from failure due to forward bias driven tests at high current or from failing during on-sun operation due to a current leakage and cell damage. current leakage may occur in any solar cell, but is more likely in cells with imperfections. the active layers of a solar cell made by epitaxial or diffusion techniques may be subject to imperfections or inhomogeneities at the active layer surface as the result of the manufacturing process. these imperfections may lead to a current leakage at the junction of a contact layer and the shaded portion of the active layer when current generated at the exposed portion of the active layer flows back into the active layer via the contact layer. heat generated by these ‘hot spots’ in the current flow may significantly reduce the useable lifetime of the solar cell. fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram and insert diagram of a prior art arrangement of a solar cell to illustrate a failure mechanism of some solar cells from exposure to current leakage. the solar cell may include a photovoltaic active layer 104 disposed on a metal back contact layer 105 . a top contact layer 101 receives current generated by the active layer 104 . the top contact layer 101 may also be known as a bus bar. the active layer 104 generally includes at least one p/n junction between epitaxial layers n 106 and a p 107 to facilitate the generation of electricity from solar radiation. the active layer 104 may be made of a semiconductor material (i.e. doped silicon). electrical current 102 may be generated at the active layer 104 when the exposed region 110 receives light. the electricity 102 may be conducted from the surface of the active layer 104 to the top metal contacts 101 via grid lines 109 . this design is prone to failure at the point of contact between the bottom surface 101 b of the top metal contact layer 101 and the shaded region 112 of active layer 104 . this occurs when the current flow experiences a smaller built in potential at the shaded portion 112 of the active layer 104 and current 108 leaks back into the active layer 104 rather than flows out to an electrical network. as current 108 flows back into the active layer 104 , the shaded portion 112 of the active layer 104 heats up, and consequently current leakage increases, leading ultimately to the failure of the solar cell. this failure mode may occur under working conditions if electrons generated by solar irradiation are directed towards the top contact layer 101 through the shaded region 112 of the active layer 104 . failure can also occur during forward bias driven tests as high current is directed through the top contacts and the active layer, for example during electrical stress testing. excess leakage current may then be directed through the top contact 101 onto the active layer 104 causing a portion of the active layer 104 to heat and dissolve, permanently damaging the solar cell. these failure modes may be exacerbated by any imperfection in the active layer 104 such as inhomogeneities in the epitaxial layers 106 and 107 , or die attach voids under the top contact layer 101 which may reduce the built in potential of the shaded portion 112 of the photovoltaic active layer. the most damaging failure mode may occur during on-sun operation; when the shaded portion of the cell underneath the contact layer ( 101 ) can be toggled into dark conduction forward current because of either a manufacturing flaw in the epitaxial material or a small void in the die attach epoxy. in the former case, the cell bandgap may be somewhat smaller at the defect; in the second case the added thermal rise leads to a small amount of bandgap shrinkage. in both cases, additional current is funneled through the smaller bandgap region, causing it to heat more than the surrounding active layer. this may promote increased current underneath the top contact layer. often the contact layer may then fuse with the active layer and penetrate the entire solar cell structure, shorting the cell permanently. this invention guards against failure mechanisms related to materials inhomogenieties or die attach voids under the top contact layer or any imperfection of the top contact layer or solar cell that may result in a high current flow under the top contact layer or other shaded area by introducing a blocking layer to impede electrical current between the active layer and the top contact layer. referring now to fig. 2 , there is shown a schematic view of one embodiment of this invention including a detailed view of the blocking layer 211 (insert). the solar cell of this invention may have a back contact layer 205 disposed under a photovoltaic active layer 204 . in the embodiment shown, the active layer 204 contains a single p/n junction separating epitaxial layers 206 and 207 . in other embodiments of this invention, the active layer 204 may contain multiple p/n junctions, or the active layer may be a iii-v multi-junction cell. the active layer 204 may include a top surface 204 t for receiving light or additional layers. light may reach the exposed portion 210 of the top surface 204 t of active layer (see insert) and a current 202 may be generated by photons impinging into the active layer and generating an electron flow between the n and p regions. the solar cell may include gridlines 209 covering a portion of the top surface 204 t of the active layer 204 . in one embodiment, the gridlines 209 may be capable of transmitting an electrical current 202 from the active layer 204 to the side surface 201 s of the top contact layer 201 for transmission to an electrical circuit. the gridlines 209 may be composed of any suitable metallic or highly conductive material such as silver or gold. the solar cell of this invention includes a blocking layer 211 disposed between the bottom surface 201 b of the top contact layer 201 and a portion of the top surface 204 t of the active layer 204 . in one embodiment of this invention, the blocking layer 211 is located directly beneath the metal contact layer 201 , covering the area of the active layer 204 that is shaded by the contact layer 201 . the area of the active layer 204 that is covered by a blocking layer 211 and a contact layer 201 may be substantially the same. in an alternative embodiment the area of the blocking layer 211 may exceed that of the contact layer 201 . the blocking layer may be comprised of any material that impedes current flow. the blocking layer may include a dielectric material, for example polyamide, silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, oxidized aluminum bearing iii-v, or any other material known in art to form a dielectric layer. in one embodiment the blocking material may include sin x , polyamide, sio 2 , or si y n x where x is any number from one to five and y is any number from 1 to 5. in one embodiment the blocking layer may be made of a semiconductor material with a high band gap (i.e. lightly doped a10.90ga0.10as or in(ga0.01 a10.9)p). the blocking layer may be, for example, between 50 angstroms and 1 micron thick. in one embodiment, the blocking layer may be less than 200 angstroms thick. the vertical current transport under the contact layer 201 may be interrupted by the blocking layer 211 . in doing so, the current leakage cycle may fail to initiate. the blocking layer of this invention may be used under any shadowed areas of the photovoltaic active layer such as the contact layer or any other metallization area used to extract current or any other layer that may shade the active layer of the solar cell. in still another embodiment of this invention a thin adhesion layer (not shown) may be disposed between the blocking layer 211 and the active layer 204 to facilitate adhesion of a blocking layer 211 to the active layer 204 . the adhesion layer may include, for example, titanium, nickel, nickel chromium or any other material known in the art for promoting adhesion to a photovoltaic active layer. the adhesion layer may be either conductive or insulating. fig. 3 provides a schematic top view of a further embodiment of this invention. the active layer 301 may be disposed on a back contact layer 300 . the area of the back contact 300 and active layers 301 may be the same or different sizes. the blocking layer 303 may be disposed on one or more portions of the active layer 301 . the top contact layer 304 may be disposed on one or more portions of the blocking layer 303 . the area of the blocking layer 303 may exceed or be substantially the same as the area of the top contact layer 304 . in one embodiment the top contact layer 304 and the blocking layer 303 may be one or two or more narrow strips at the edges of the top surface of the active layer. the arrangement of top contact layer 304 and the blocking layer 303 at the edges of the active layer 301 advantageously provides for a relatively large portion of the surface area of the active layer to be available for exposure to light. this arrangement beneficially protects the active layer 301 from damage due to forward current flow from the top contact layer 304 and provides a large exposed portion of a photovoltaic active layer. current generated from the active layer 301 may be transferred to the top contact layer via a series of grid lines 302 that connect the surface of the active layer 301 to the side of the top contact layer 304 . the presence of the blocking layer 303 may impede vertical current transport in the shaded portion of the active layer beneath the contact layer while the grid lines remain in contact with the active layer and a side of the contact layer to transmit the photocurrent efficiently. the solar cell of this invention may be made by any means including epitaxial growth, diffusion, thin film deposition or any other method known in the art for preparing solar cells. embodiments of the method of this invention are shown in fig. 4 whereby masking layers may be used to locate the blocking layer. this may be done during the solar cell fabrication process after the active layer is fabricated 401 . in one embodiment a blocking layer is uniformly deposited across the active layer surface 402 , subsequently a photo resist mask may be applied 403 , exposing and developing the mask to reveal open areas in all places the blocking layer is not desired, and etching away the dielectric material in those regions 404 , and finally removing the photoresist mask 405 before continuing on to apply the contact layer 406 . alternatively, a mask may be deposited 407 after the active layer is fabricated 401 to cover the area of the active layer that will remain free of the blocking layer, followed by the application of the blocking layer 408 . the mask may be removed 409 and the contact layer may be applied. the contact layer may be applied 406 to the blocking layer by any means known in the art for fabricating a contact layer on a photovoltaic active layer such as sputtering or electrodeposition. in yet another embodiment of this invention, the blocking layer may be formed by a very high bandgap portion of the active layer. this semiconductor layer may be formed during the fabrication of the active layer. this layer may be grown and patterned to serve as a current blocking layer for cell protection. this high gap layer may be the last or one of the very last layers deposited during the epitaxial or diffusion process in order to allow proper patterning. alternatively, wet oxidation of an al-containing iii-v compound semiconductor may be used to create the dielectric, as is known in the vertical cavity surface emitting laser (vcsel) art. these methods may be followed by etching or other processes for removing the high bandgap blocking layer from the portion of the active layer to be exposed to solar radiation. in still another embodiment of this invention, a high band gap layer may be disposed between the active layer and the top contact layer by applying a diffusive disordered of a superlattice containing alternate layers of high and low band gap semiconductor material. this may create a homogenous layer of conducting material surrounded by current blocking superlattice. the invention may prevent the previously described current leakage mechanism in solar cells, especially ones operating at high currents. to the extent that the shadowed material allows leakage currents to develop, this invention may also increase cell efficiency by blocking those leakage currents. this is particularly valuable as the total area of the active layer decreases relative to exposed portion of the active layer 210 . in one embodiment, the blocking layer may cover 30% or less of the surface of the active layer of the solar cell. in another embodiment of this invention, the blocking layer may cover 10% or less of the surface of the active layer of the solar cell. the area of the active layer may be small, such as in a 1 mm×1 mm square. a person skilled in the art will recognize that the essence of this invention is not limited to a particular semiconductor or even to semiconductor solar cells, but applies also to thin film, polycrystalline, amorphous and organic materials as well. the essential aspects of this invention apply equally to multi-junction and single junction cell constructs containing any number of p/n junctions, connecting tunnel junctions, and supporting structures. the active layer may also include anti-reflective coatings, passivation layers or any other additional layers associated with solar cells. the area and geometry of the blocking layer may be adjusted to optimize other aspects of cell performance such as contact resistance and peripheral current collection. in figs. 1 and 2 the term “layer” applies to one or more distinct layers of material forming a current collecting structure and may include but is not limited to such constructs as the tunnel junction, back-surface fields, top window layers, contacting layers and so forth, as are known in the present or future art, as needed to construct an efficient solar cell. while the specification has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, may readily conceive of alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to these embodiments. these and other modifications and variations to the present invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the invention. thus, it is intended that the present subject matter covers such modifications and variations.
|
049-230-429-177-485
|
US
|
[
"AU",
"WO"
] |
G06F12/02,G06F12/08,G06F12/0802
| 1999-12-17T00:00:00 |
1999
|
[
"G06"
] |
method and apparatus for monitoring a cache for garbage collection
|
a method and apparatus for monitoring a cache for garbage collection are described. in a computer system comprising a cache and memory, a software and/or hardware flush monitor monitors cache flushes of dirty cache lines to memory, whereas cache flushes of clean lines and cache line fills are performed separately by hardware to permit cache optimizations normally precluded by software handlers. the flush monitor implements a write barrier between the cache and memory, scanning dirty cache lines for references to objects within the cache. one or more flush buffers may be used to temporarily store dirty cache lines before those dirty cache lines are flushed to memory. multiple cache lines may then be handled by a single pass of the flush monitor. alternatively, copies of flushed cache lines may be stored in a buffer for deferred handling by the flush monitor. within the cache, objects are marked as non-local objects if those objects are at least partially resident in memory or have been referenced from memory. the marking of non-local objects enables garbage collection of first generation objects to be performed within the cache without accessing objects in memory. for example, local objects that are not referenced directly or indirectly from a root set of local objects, or from non-local objects within the cache, may be collected.
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claims 1. in a computer system, a method comprising: detecting a cache miss if a cache line in a cache does not contain a desired object; executing a flush monitor in response to a cache line flush; performing a cache line fill to obtain said desired object from memory. 2. the system of claim 1, wherein said cache line fill is implemented in hardware. 3. the method of claim 1, wherein executing said flush monitor comprises implementing a write barrier between said cache and said memory. 4. the method of claim 3, wherein implementing said write barrier comprises: in said cache line, setting one or more local objects to be non-local objects. 5. the method of claim 4 wherein implementing said write barrier further comprises: scanning said cache line for one or more references to one or more other objects within said cache; and setting said other objects to be non-local objects. 6. the method of claim 4, wherein setting one or more local objects to be non-local objects comprises toggling a non-local bit associated with said one or more local objects. 7. the method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said flush monitor is implemented in software. 8. the method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said flush monitor is implemented in hardware. 9. the method of claim 1, further comprising trapping said cache line flush if said cache line is dirty. 10. the method of claim 1, further comprising: writing said cache line to a flush buffer if said cache line is dirty; trapping a cache line flush when a buffer threshold is met. 11. the method of claim 1, further comprising: storing a copy of a flushed cache line for deferred processing by said flush monitor. 12. a computer system comprising: a cache comprising one or more cache lines, said cache configured to perform cache line fills in hardware; a memory coupled to said cache; a flush monitor responsive to a cache flush, said flush monitor configured to implement a write barrier between said cache and said memory. 13. the computer system of claim 12, further comprising a processor coupled to said cache, wherein said flush monitor comprises software executed by said processor. 14. the computer system of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of said flush monitor is implemented in hardware. 15. the computer system of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of objects stored in said cache, said plurality of objects comprising one or more local objects and one or more non-local objects. 16. the computer system of claim 15, wherein said flush monitor is configured to implement said write barrier by setting one or more local objects in said cache line to be non-local objects. 17. the computer system of claim 16 wherein said flush monitor is further configured to implement said write barrier by: scanning said cache line for one or more references to one or more other objects within said cache; and setting said other objects to be non-local objects. 18. the computer system of claim 15, wherein said plurality of objects have one or more respective non-local bits. 19. the computer system of claim 18, wherein said flush monitor is configured to set one or more local objects to be non-local objects by toggling one or more non-local bits associated with said one or more local objects. 20. the computer system of claim 12, further comprising a buffer configured to store one or more evicted cache lines. 21. the computer system of claim 20, wherein a cache flush trap is configured to be triggered when a buffer threshold is met. 22. an apparatus comprising: means for detecting a cache miss if a cache line in a cache does not contain a desired object; means for executing a flush monitor in response to a cache line flush; means for performing a cache line fill to obtain said desired object from memory.
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method and apparatus for monitoring a cache for garbage collection background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to the field of computer memory management, and, more specifically, to garbage collection processes in computer memory. 2. background art one aspect of memory management in any computer system is garbage collection. garbage collection (gc) refers to the process of reclaiming data storage resources (e.g., cache, main memory, etc.) that are no longer in use by the system or any running applications. in an object-oriented system, for example, garbage collection is typically carried out to reclaim storage resources allocated to objects and other data structures (e.g., arrays, etc.) that are no longer referenced by an application. the reclaimed storage can then be re-allocated to store new objects or data structures. an object is a programming unit that groups together a data structure (one or more instance variables) and the operations (methods) that can use or affect that data. an object can be instructed to perform one of its methods when it receives a "message" from another object. a message tells the receiving object what operations to perform. objects contain references (also referred to herein as pointers) to other objects to facilitate inter-object messaging for method invocations or requests. with these references, an object web is formed which may be traversed by following the object references. once an object is no longer part of an active web, that object is unreachable and inactive, and thus may be collected as garbage. garbage collection schemes generally treat all memory as a uniform storage resource, assuming from a software point of view that each object or data structure is stored in the same manner as every other object or data structure. however, when implemented within a computer system's physical memory, particularly in a virtual memory environment comprising several levels of physical memory with disparate access parameters, garbage collection suffers from several performance penalties. most garbage collection schemes require that some form of "reachability analysis" be performed. reachability analysis refers to the act of determining the set of objects that may be reached (i.e., are referenced directly or indirectly) from a root set of objects. this analysis may be performed by examining an object for references to other objects and tracing those references to locate the other objects. the tracing of references continues from those other objects until no new references are found (i.e., the object web is completely traced). unfortunately, due to poor spatial locality of objects in physical storage, tracing object references during garbage collection can result in inefficient memory performance. those inefficiencies slow down the garbage collection process and may impact the performance of other processes within the system. to provide a better understanding of the problems associated with implementing garbage collection in a computer system, an overview of garbage collection and a virtual memory hierarchy are provided below. garbage collection one standard scheme for performing garbage collection is referred to as a "mark and sweep" garbage collection process. many garbage collectors employ some variation of the "mark and sweep" process as herein described. in the "mark and sweep" process, a root set of objects is initially determined which represent those objects known (or assumed) to be active. each element of the root set is marked, and iterative reachability analysis is performed to determine those objects reachable from the root set, i.e., those other objects that are referenced either directly or indirectly by one or more elements of the root set. those objects that are reachable are also marked. a sweep is then carried out on all objects under consideration, and those objects that have not been marked are collected (e.g., by placing those unmarked objects or their respective storage resources on a free list for new allocation). figure 1 is a flow diagram of a "mark and sweep" collection process. in step 100, the root set of objects is determined. the root set comprises those objects that the garbage collection process assumes are live objects, such as objects referenced from processor registers just prior to initiation of the collection process. those objects included in the root set are marked as live objects in step 101. to begin the reachability analysis, a first marked object (e.g., from the root set) is selected for analysis in step 102. in step 103, the current object under analysis is scanned for references to other objects, and, in step 104, those objects referenced by the current object are marked as live. in step 105, if further marked objects remain unscanned, the process selects an unscanned, marked object in step 106, and returns to step 103 to continue reachability analysis on the selected object. if, in step 105, all marked objects have been scanned, the process continues at step 107. in step 107, the garbage collector sweeps all unmarked (and thus unreachable) objects. the step of sweeping may comprise, for example, adding the addresses of the swept objects to a list of free storage locations. in step 108, the marker on each of the marked objects is reset in preparation for a subsequent garbage collection cycle. the mark and sweep process appears straightforward, yet the reachability analysis performed in steps 103-106 is memory intensive. each object involved in the analysis must be accessed from physical memory. as will be described below, such memory access operations may prove complex and inefficient when carried out within the context of a virtual memory hierarchy. memory hierarchy in a computer system implementing virtual memory, the memory used by active applications is comprised of two or more levels of storage components. in most current systems, the levels of storage components comprise cache memory, main memory (ram) and mass storage. the cache memory itself may also comprise one or more levels (e.g., li, l2, etc.) located on-chip and/or off- chip with respect to the processor. the capacity of each storage component (e.g., number of megabytes of storage) is typically dependent upon hardware design factors such as size, performance parameters (e.g., average access time), and cost. there may exist, for example, as much as one or two orders of magnitude difference in storage space and access time between each level of storage components, typically with cache being the smallest and fastest and mass storage being the largest and slowest. ideally, virtual memory systems provide application memory with the large storage capability of a mass storage device and access performance approaching that of cache memory. figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example memory configuration. in figure 2, processor 200 is coupled to a level one (li) cache 203, which is in turn coupled to a level two (l2) cache 204. in this example, li and l2 caches 203 and 204 are on-chip with processor 200. l2 cache 204 is coupled off- chip to a level three (l3) cache 205. l3 cache 205 is coupled to main memory (e.g., ram: random access memory) 206, which is further coupled to a mass storage device 207, such as a magnetic disk drive. data is exchanged between mass storage 207 and main memory 206 in the form of memory pages, a number of which may reside in main memory 206 at any time. data is exchanged between main memory 206 and l3 cache 205, and between any of the l1-l3 caches, in the form of cache lines. the size of respective cache lines may vary for different caches and cache levels. data is exchanged between the lowest level cache (e.g., li cache 203) and processor 200 in the form of data words (e.g., 32 or 64-bit data words). in a best case data access scenario, desired data is located in cache memory (e.g., l1-l3) providing the quickest data access performance. if the desired data is not within cache memory, but is resident within main memory 206, data access will be delayed by the time required to load the cache line containing the desired data from main memory 206 into the cache (herein referred to as a "cache line fill"). further, if the data is also not in main memory 206, a further delay is incurred while the relevant page of data is loaded from mass storage 207 into main memory 206. these delays include time spent identifying the relevant page in mass storage 207 or the relevant cache line of data in main memory 206. identification can include address translation depending on whether the respective level of the memory hierarchy is virtually or physically addressable. when a cache line is loaded into cache memory (203-205), another cache line within the cache memory may need to be evicted to make room for the new cache line. if the evicted cache line has not been modified by its associated application, the evicted cache line may be discarded without concern. however, if the evicted cache line contains modifications (e.g., additions, alterations or deletions of data), the evicted cache line must be written back to next highest level of the memory hierarchy. a modified cache line is referred to as "dirty." similarly, if a page is being loaded from mass storage into main memory, another page may need to be evicted from main memory, and, if the evicted page is dirty, the evicted page must be written back to mass storage. in general usage, more frequently used data will linger in cache memory, and access to main memory will be infrequent, with access to mass storage less frequent still. memory performance will thus approximate that of the cache memory. the physical memory hierarchy typically has no knowledge or awareness of the data it is accessing. the structure of the data and any internal relationships are transparent to the physical implementation. thus, with respect to the storage of objects, it is not uncommon for objects within the same object web, or even portions of the same object, to be stored in separate levels of the memory hierarchy, or within separate lines or pages within the same level of the memory hierarchy. some referenced objects are used frequently whereas other objects may be needed only intermittently. the intermittently needed objects are likely to propagate to the higher levels of memory (main memory and mass storage), whereas the more frequently used objects will remain in cache memory. thus, when object references must be traced, as is done in garbage collection, time- consuming accesses outside of the cache memory may be frequent, resulting in inefficient memory performance. summary of the invention a method and apparatus for monitoring a cache for garbage collection are described. in a computer system comprising a cache and memory, a flush monitor monitors flushes of dirty cache lines to memory, whereas cache flushes of clean lines and cache line fills are performed separately to permit cache optimizations normally precluded by monolithic cache handlers implemented in software. the flush monitor implements a write barrier between the cache and memory, scanning dirty cache lines for references to objects within the cache. in some embodiments of the invention, one or more flush buffers may be used to temporarily store dirty cache lines before those dirty cache lines are flushed to memory, or to store copies of flushed cache lines for later scanning. multiple cache lines may then be scanned by a single pass of the flush monitor. within the cache, objects are marked as non-local objects if those objects are at least partially resident in memory or have been referenced from memory. the marking of non-local objects enables garbage collection of first generation objects to be performed within the cache without accessing objects in memory. for example, local objects that are not referenced directly or indirectly from a root set of local objects, or from non-local objects within the cache, may be collected. in an embodiment of the invention, a non-local bit is associated with an object upon that object's creation. the non-local bit has an initial state indicating that the associated object is a local object. when the flush monitor determines that a reference to an object is being written to memory by a cache flush of a dirty cache line, the flush monitor sets the associated non-local bit to indicate that the referenced object is now considered non-local. the non-local bits of objects in the cache are read during garbage collection to identify non-local objects. brief description of the drawings figure 1 is a flow diagram of a "mark and sweep" garbage collection process. figure 2 is a block diagram of an example virtual memory hierarchy. figure 3 is a flow diagram of a generational garbage collection process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. figure 4 is a diagram of objects in cache and memory configured as generations in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. figure 5 is a flow diagram of a process for handling a cache miss in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. figure 6a is a flow diagram of a process for handling a cache miss in a system comprising a flush buffer, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. figure 6b is a flow diagram of a process for handling a cache miss wherein, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, flushed cache lines are stored for deferred handling by a flush monitor. figure 7 is a block diagram of a cache configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. figure 8 is a block diagram of a cache configuration with a flush buffer in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. detailed description of the invention the invention is a method and apparatus for monitoring a cache for garbage collection. in the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough description of embodiments of the invention. it will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. in other instances, well known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention. generational garbage collection within the cache in embodiments of the invention, a generational approach is applied to garbage collection. generational garbage collection improves collection efficiency by focusing most of the collection activity on those objects that are most likely to be garbage. objects are divided into generations according to age. the heuristic that most objects die soon after they are created indicates that most dead objects (i.e., those objects that are no longer referenced by other active objects and are thus garbage) can be collected from the youngest generations. therefore, younger generations are collected more often. older generations are collected rarely, saving the collector work. in a generational scheme, object webs frequently transcend generational boundaries. i.e., older objects may hold references to younger objects, and vice versa. since garbage collection is carried out on one generation at a time (or some subset of all of the generations), the object references between generations must be monitored to prevent the collection of objects that are referenced by objects in other generations. for this reason, the collector tracks inter- generational references using a mechanism referred to as a "write barrier." the write barrier allows the collector to identify those objects in the generation(s) currently being collected which should be maintained (i.e., kept alive) due to references from other generations. the write barrier is asserted at each reference store operation between a younger generation and an older generation. in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, garbage collection may be performed over one or more of the first few layers of the memory hierarchy. for example, if both the li and l2 caches are on chip with the processor, but the l3 cache is a slower off-chip cache, then the first generation boundary (and the write barrier) may be implemented between the l2 cache and the l3 cache. in this case, the li and l2 cache combined would constitute the first generation for garbage collection. in other embodiments, the boundary may be placed between the l3 cache and main memory, or between any other layers of the memory hierarchy. the concepts discussed herein are applicable to any organization of physical memory. for the purposes of describing the following embodiments, those levels of cache collected by the garbage collection system (i.e., the younger generation) are referred to as "the cache." levels of the memory hierarchy beyond those cache levels are referred to as "memory." further, objects that reside solely within the cache are considered "local objects" with respect to the cache. objects that exist within memory (even if those objects also reside within the cache) are considered "non-local objects", as are those objects within the cache that are referenced from memory or have been referenced from memory in the past. in generational garbage collection, newly instantiated objects begin in the youngest generation. over time, if the object survives any garbage collection cycles applied to its current generation, the object matriculates into the next oldest generation (i.e., by satisfying one or more specified conditions of the next generation, the object becomes a member). this "generational matriculation" process (also referred to as "tenuring") continues until the object is either collected during a garbage collection cycle or becomes a member of the oldest generation. to implement the concept of generational matriculation, in one embodiment of the invention, objects are initially created within the cache and classified as local objects. local objects are members of the first generation for garbage collection purposes. when an object becomes non-local, either by being written to memory or by having a reference to the object written to memory, the object has matriculated beyond the first generation. when an object is created within the cache, an object identifier is assigned to the object. this identifier may, for example, be obtained from a list of available identifiers, possibly categorized by object size. if and when the object is first evicted from the cache, storage space is allocated in memory and the object identifier is mapped to the location of the allocated space. objects that are collected before being evicted from the cache are not allocated space in memory. the identifiers for collected objects may be placed back onto the list of available identifiers. figure 3 is a flow diagram of a generational garbage collection process implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. in step 300, a root set of objects is determined from those local objects currently in use by applications (e.g., those objects whose methods are presently invoked). for example, this root set may comprise those local objects currently referenced from registers in the processor. in step 301, those objects currently in the root set are marked as "live." in step 302, the cache is scanned for non-local objects (i.e., those objects existing in memory or referenced from memory), which are then added to the root set. step 302 may occur before step 300 or step 301. depending upon the implementation, the non-local objects may or may not be marked as "live." in step 303, iterative reachability analysis is performed within the bounds of the cache, tracing object references from the root set to identify reachable local objects. those local objects found during reachability analysis are marked as "live." in step 304, all unmarked local objects are swept from the cache, leaving only non-local objects and marked local objects. in step 305, the collector resets the marks on the local objects. by confining the reachability analysis to the cache in step 303, time consuming accesses to memory are avoided. all access operations are performed at the speed of the cache. figure 4 illustrates a set of objects (a-l) separated into "older" and "younger" generations within memory and the cache, respectively. objects within the younger generation may matriculate into the older generation over time, given that those objects survive garbage collection. in figure 4, the younger generation comprises objects a-f and j, whereas the older generation comprises objects g-i and k-l. object a holds a reference to object c, and object c holds references to objects b and g. object b holds a reference to object i, which in turn holds a reference to object j. object g holds a reference to object l. object l holds a reference to object f, which in turn holds references to objects c and d. object e holds a reference to object d. object h holds references to objects g, i and l. object k holds a reference to object i. the , 16 dashed line between representations of object l in the cache and in memory indicate that at least a portion of object l has been loaded into the cache. because of its matriculation into memory at some previous time, object l is considered to be part of the older generation. assuming that object a is referenced from a register within the processor, garbage collection of the cache in accordance with an embodiment of the invention would occur as follows. object a is identified as the root set and is marked as a live object. the cache is scanned to identify non-local objects f, j and l, which are added to the root set. objects f and j are considered non-local because those objects are referenced from memory. object l is non-local because object l resides, at least partially, in memory. reachability analysis from object a identifies and marks local object c, and via object c identifies and marks object b. performing the same analysis from object f identifies and marks object d (object c is also identified once more). reachability analysis from objects l and j identify no further local objects. reachability analysis is performed by scanning the root object in the cache to identify object references. references to objects outside of the cache are ignored (e.g., from object c to object g), but references to local objects are traced to those local objects unless the referenced object was previously identified and marked. a sweep of the cache results in collection of object e, which is not referenced by local or non-local objects. any other unreferenced objects would also be collected in the sweep process. after the sweep, the "live" marks for objects a-d are reset. resetting may alternatively be performed at the beginning of each garbage collection cycle. the tracing of object references is more easily performed for embodiments in which the locations of object headers are known or readily identifiable. header identification is possible, for example, in embodiments using virtually addressed caches and an object table. an object table is similar to a page table, but is extended to allow objects to start on any word boundary, and to keep track of the object size. object headers can then be identified directly by their virtual address. identification of headers is also possible in virtually or physically addressed caches without an object table. in such an embodiment, software provides a mechanism for identifying headers. methods for identifying headers are known. for example, one such method is used in the boehm-demers- weiser conservative garbage collection library for c/c++ described by hans- juergen boehm and mark weiser in "garbage collection in an uncooperative environment," in software practice and experience, 18(9): pp. 807-820, 1988. in embodiments where the locations of object headers are not known, scanning for non-local objects may also involve checking to see if a word is an object header. if the word is a header, the word is checked to see if the associated object is non-local. if the object is non-local, all reference words in the cache following the non-local header are added to the root set. if the word is not a header, the header corresponding to the word is sought. this may be done, for example, by scanning backwards through memory, looking at lines that are in the cache. if a header is found, it is the header for that word, and the word is non-local if the header specifies that it is non-local. while scanning backwards through memory, a cache line may be needed that is missing from the cache. since the missing cache line could contain the header, and accesses to memory are undesired, the cache line is assumed to contain a non-local header. the word is considered non-local and is added to the root set. write barrier implementation in cache miss an embodiment of the invention uses a software flush monitor during cache flushes of dirty cache lines, while cache flushes of clean lines and cache line fills are handled separately by hardware. in other embodiments, the flush monitor may be implemented in hardware, or with a combination of hardware and software. the flush monitor is used to implement the write barrier for tracking inter-generational references between older objects in memory and younger objects in the cache. since cache line fills are handled by hardware, cache line fills may run at the full speed of the hardware, and advanced cache configurations, such as non-blocking caches, are not prohibited. the flushing of the cache line may be performed as part of the flush monitor, or the flushing may be performed separately, in hardware or software. in an embodiment of the invention, a flag, referred to as a non-local bit, is associated with an object (e.g., within the object header). in one embodiment, the non-local bit is handled in software, and, thus, its implementation is flexible. an object with its respective non-local bit set is referred to as a non-local object. when set, this non-local bit indicates that references to the associated object may exist outside the cache (i.e., in memory). when reset, the non-local bit indicates that there are no references to the associated object that exist outside of the cache. there may or may not be references to the associated object from within the cache, regardless of the state of the non-local bit. when an object is initially created, there are no references to the object from outside of the cache. no references existed beforehand which could have been flushed out to memory. therefore, the non-local bit of a newly-created object is reset to false. when a dirty cache line is flushed from the cache, the flush monitor scans the cache line for references to objects that are in the cache. the non-local bits of any such referenced objects are set to indicate that a reference to those objects may now exist outside of the cache. also, any non-local bits within the flushed dirty cache line are also set. the write barrier is thus satisfied. when a clean line is evicted from the cache, there is no need to scan for references. any objects referenced by a clean cache line must have already had their associated non-local bits set. preferably, during a scan of a cache line, the flush monitor is able to discern the difference between true references to objects and other types of values (such as integer data) that might match a reference to an object. where references are discernible, only true references are identified for marking of nonlocal objects, in accordance with non-conservative garbage collection practices. however, in embodiments where references are not clearly discernible to the flush monitor, an object may be conservatively marked as non-local if a scanned value in an evicted cache line matches a reference to that object. under the conservative scheme, some objects may be miscategorized as non-local due to the assumption that all matching values are object references, but no objects will be erroneously collected during garbage collection. the write barrier implementation of the flush monitor may be separated into a scanning operation and a setting operation for setting non-local bits when necessary. the scanning operation scans the cache line for references to other objects in the cache and marks any such referenced objects as non-local. the setting operation sets any non-local bits of objects that leave the cache. in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, the scanning and setting operations may both be implemented together or separately in hardware or software, or one operation may be performed in hardware while the other is implemented in software. figure 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the process for handling a cache miss in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. in step 500, a cache miss is detected, meaning that a requested piece of data is not within the cache, and that a cache line must be evicted in order to perform a cache line fill for the desired data. at step 501, it is determined whether the cache line to be evicted is dirty (i.e., whether it has been modified in some fashion since being placed in the cache). if the cache line is not dirty, then the current cache line may be freely evicted. in step 508, a cache line fill, under hardware control for example, is performed to obtain the desired data. however, if the cache line is dirty in step 501, in step 502, the cache line flush is trapped and execution jumps to the cache flush monitor. in step 503, if objects within the cache line being flushed are local (e.g., the non-local bit is reset for objects within the given cache line), those objects are set to be non-local (e.g., the non-local bit is set for each object leaving the cache). note that when an object header is flushed from the cache, or any portion of any auxiliary data structures used to identify the header are flushed from the cache, the non-local bit associated with that object are set. this is in addition to the setting of nonlocal bits as they themselves leave the cache. in step 504, the cache line being evicted is scanned for references to other objects within the cache. those objects thus referenced are set as non-local objects in step 505. in step 506, the cache line to be evicted is flushed to memory, and, in step 507, execution returns from the flush monitor. in subsequent step 508, the cache hardware fills the cache line with the desired data (object) from memory. steps 502-507 of the flush monitor may be performed in software to flexibly implement the write barrier by appropriate setting of non-local bits. however, in alternative embodiments, steps 502-507 may be implemented in hardware (e.g., where faster performance is desired) or in a combination of software and hardware. cache line fills, regardless of whether the cache lines being evicted are dirty or clean, are performed in hardware. as shown, the flush monitor is activated whenever there is a cache line miss necessitating eviction of a dirty cache line, e.g., in response to a cache flush trap. in an alternate embodiment, cache line flushes of dirty cache lines are accumulated in a flush buffer. greater efficiency is then achieved by calling the flush monitor once to handle the cache flush and write barrier processes for multiple cache lines. in yet another embodiment, cache lines may be flushed immediately to memory, with a copy of the cache line stored for later processing by the flush monitor. the use of a cache flush buffer for delayed batch flushes and the use of cache line copies for monitoring of flushes after the fact are illustrated in figures 6a and 6b, respectively. figure 6a is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for handling cache misses in a system comprising a flush buffer. in step 600, the cache detects a cache miss. in step 601, it is determined whether the cache line to be evicted is dirty (i.e., whether it has been modified in some fashion since being placed in the cache). if the cache line is not dirty, then the current cache line may be freely evicted. in step 610, a cache line fill, under hardware control, is performed to obtain the desired data. if, in step 601, the cache line is dirty, then, in step 602, the cache line to be evicted is written into the flush buffer. in step 603, if the flush buffer threshold (e.g., a statically or dynamically determined number of buffered cache lines) is not met, the cache can proceed with filling the cache line from memory in step 610. if, however, the flush buffer threshold is met in step 603, the cache line flush is trapped and execution jumps to the flush monitor in step 604. in step 605, local objects within all of the cache lines in the flush buffer (or that subset of cache lines being flushed) are set as non-local objects. in step 606, each cache line in the flush buffer is scanned for references to other objects in the cache. in step 607, those objects in the cache that are referenced from any one of the cache lines in the flush buffer are set as non-local objects. in step 608, all (or a portion) of the cache lines in the flush buffer are flushed to memory, and, in step 609, execution returns from the cache flush monitor. in subsequent hardware step 610, the cache is free to fill the desired cache line from memory. figure 6b is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for handling cache misses using immediate flushing and deferred monitoring. an advantage of this approach is that it more clearly decouples the cache flush and cache fill operations from the flush monitoring process. the cache flush and fill operations are handled immediately to provide better cache performance, whereas implementation of the write barrier by the flush monitor occurs at a more convenient time in the future. as long as a copy of the flushed data is available for processing by the flush monitor, the monitoring process may be deferred until the buffer containing the cache line copies is full, or the system is ready to perform a garbage collection sweep. other mechanisms, such as buffer thresholds or timers, may be used to trigger the flush monitor before these conditions exist. in step 620 of figure 6b, the cache detects a cache miss. in step 621, it is determined whether the cache line to be evicted is dirty (i.e., whether it has been modified in some fashion since being placed in the cache). if the cache line is not dirty, then the current cache line may be freely evicted, and, in step 623, a cache line fill, under hardware control, is performed to obtain the desired data. if, in step 621, the cache line is dirty, then, in step 622, the cache line is flushed to memory and a copy of the cache line is stored in a flush buffer, after which a cache line fill is performed in step 623. from step 623, the process continues at step 624. steps 624-629 are substantially independent of the cache line fill in step 623, and, therefore, may alternatively precede or be performed in parallel with step 623. in step 624, the processor waits until conditions indicate that the flush monitor should operate on any outstanding copies of flushed cache lines, and then proceeds to step 625 where the cache line copies are processed in turn. as previously stated, these conditions may be based on buffer status, timing, or pendency of a garbage collection operation, for example. in step 625, the flush monitor scans the cache line copy for references to objects in the cache. in step 626, any referenced objects are marked as non-local by setting their non-local bits. in step 627 (which may alternatively be performed before or in parallel with steps 625-626), the flush monitor undertakes the step of setting the non-local bits for the cache lines flushed to memory. this step may require accessing those flushed cache lines in memory to set the requisite non-local bits. in step 628, if necessary (e.g., if one or more of steps 625-627 is implemented as a software routine such as a trap handler), the flush monitor returns control to the parent process. because the flush monitor may be viewed as separate scanning and setting operations as previously described, it is also possible to carry out the setting operation on the non-local bits of the evicted cache line at the time the cache line is flushed to memory. the scanning operation may then be executed at a later time, based on the stored copy of the evicted cache line. cache hardware implementation figure 7 is a block diagram of a cache configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. a direct-mapped cache configuration is shown as an example, though it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that other cache configurations, such as associative cache configurations, may also be implemented in embodiments of the invention. the cache configuration of figure 7 comprises two-port data ram 703, key ram 701 and comparator 707. data ram 703 is row addressable for cache line access via memory data port 713, and column addressable for data word access (within a specified cache line) via processor data port 712. key ram 701 stores keys (also referred to as "tags") associated with the data currently stored in each cache line. key ram 701 is addressable by the same row address applied ns , 25 to data ram 703. the selected key from key ram 701 is output via bus 711 to comparator 714. output 714 of comparator 707 indicates whether a current cache access is a cache "hit" or a cache "miss." assuming a virtually addressed cache, the processor accesses data by providing the object identifier (object id) and the offset of the desired data relative to the beginning of the object. given a physically addressed cache, the virtual address comprising the identifier and offset is translated into a physical address for presentation to the cache. the object identifier and offset are written, for example, into data address register 700. as shown, the object identifier and offset are partitioned into a key value 708, a cache line (row) address 709, and a data word (column) address 710. for example, data key 708 may comprise a first portion of the object id (oid-a) and a first portion of the offset (o-a). cache line address 709 may comprise a second portion of the object id (oid-b) and a second portion of the offset (o-b). the data word address may comprise the remaining portion of the offset (o-c). cache line address 709 identifies key 702 in key ram 701 and cache line 704 in data ram 703. data word address 710 identifies column 705 of data ram 703. the combination of addresses 709 and 710 identify data word 706. key value 708 is compared with selected key 702 in comparator 707. in the case of a cache hit, data word 706 is accessed via port 712. in the case of a cache miss, the selected cache line 704 is first evicted and replaced with the cache line from memory that contains the desired data. figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of the cache between memory and a processor, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. the implementation comprises memory 800, cache 801, flush buffer 802, translation look-aside buffer (tlb) 803, and processor 804. data addresses, such as an object id and offset, are sent from processor 804 to cache 801 via address bus 805. data access is provided between processor 804 and cache 801 via data bus 806. optional flush buffer 802 and translation look-aside buffer 803 are shown for purposes of illustration, but need not be present in all embodiments of the invention. cache line fills from memory 800 to cache 801 are performed via bus 809. the virtual address for the desired cache line is translated into a physical address, e.g., by querying the mapping between the object identifier and allocated physical storage. that physical address is then provided to memory 800 to acquire the data for the cache line fill. the virtual-physical address pair may be stored in translation look-aside buffer (tlb) 803 for fast access if there is a subsequent flush of the same cache line back to memory 800. flush buffer 802 provides an accumulator for cache lines to be written back to memory 800. in the event of a cache line flush, the cache line is written to flush buffer 802 via bus 810. when flush buffer 802 is full (or meets some specified threshold in terms of the number of cache lines contained), all cache lines in flush buffer 802 (or some subset thereof) may be flushed via bus 808 in a single pass of a cache flush monitor. the physical addresses required for flushing the cache lines back to memory 800 may be obtained from tlb 803, or determined through translation. in normal cache access operations, flush buffer 802 may be treated as an extension of the main cache (i.e., as a transitory "victim cache" containing soon-to-be-evicted cache lines) that is checked in parallel with the main cache or checked only on cache misses to determine whether desired object data is currently resident and accessible in flush buffer 802. in an implementation using immediate flushing with deferred flush monitoring (as described with respect to figure 6b), flush buffer 802 may be used to store copies of previously flushed cache lines. when the flush monitor is called, scanning and setting operations are performed using the cache line copies stored in flush buffer 802. when the flush monitor has to translate a virtual address into a physical address, it may be necessary to traverse a multi-level page table (or object table) or follow a collision chain in an inverted page table. such a traversal may require several memory accesses, each of which could result in a cache line flush. a deadlock may occur if the table data from multiple levels of the page table map onto the same cache line or onto the cache line of the object being flushed. this deadlock can occur if the cache is direct-mapped (and the flush buffers, if implemented, are full), or if the cache is set-associative with less associativity than levels in the page table. one scheme for preventing deadlock in implementations that include a translation look-aside buffer is to maintain inclusion between tlb 803 and cache 801 (and flush buffer 802). that is, every cache line or object within the cache would have an entry within tlb 803, negating the need for translation in cache line flushes. it is also possible to implement address translation during flush handling by performing non-caching memory accesses. if an access hits in the cache, the cache services the access. otherwise, the access is performed directly through memory. latency is high for direct memory access, but the cache remains unperturbed and no deadlock occurs. for processor architectures implementing non-caching store instructions that bypass the cache (e.g., for i/o purposes), copies of data written to memory by each store operation may be provided to the flush monitor for scanning and setting of non-local bits. thus, the integrity of the write barrier may be maintained. thus, a method and apparatus for monitoring a cache for garbage collection have been described in conjunction with one or more specific embodiments. the invention is defined by the claims and their full scope of equivalents.
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050-489-478-802-310
|
KR
|
[
"US",
"KR",
"WO",
"EP"
] |
D06F31/00,D06F29/00,D06F33/02,D06F58/28,D06F39/08,D06F58/26,D06F73/00,D06F87/00,D06F39/00,D06F75/12
| 2006-06-23T00:00:00 |
2006
|
[
"D06"
] |
total laundry treating system
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the present invention relates to a total laundry treating system composed of laundry treating devices ( 20, 30, 40 ) as a set. a total laundry treating system includes a steam generator ( 10 ) in which a controller ( 11 ) is provided; a laundry treating apparatus that treats laundry ( 20, 30, 40 ), the laundry treating apparatus ( 20, 30, 40 ) in which a controller ( 21, 31, 41 ) is provided; a data transmitting part ( 60 ) for transmitting data between the controllers ( 11, 21, 31, 41 ); and a steam supply line ( 70 ) through which steam generated in the steam generator ( 10 ) is supplied to the laundry treating apparatus ( 20, 30, 40 ).
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1 . a total laundry treating system comprising: a steam generator in which a controller is provided; a laundry treating apparatus that treats laundry, the laundry treating apparatus in which a controller is provided; a data transmitting part for transmitting data between the controllers; and a steam supply line through which steam generated in the steam generator is supplied to the laundry treating apparatus. 2 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the total laundry treating system is configured of a single steam generator and a plurality of the laundry treating apparatuses. 3 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein at least one of the laundry treating apparatuses includes a different laundry treating module. 4 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laundry treating apparatus comprises a washer for washing laundry or a washer having a drying function for washing and drying the laundry. 5 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laundry treating apparatus comprises a dryer for drying the laundry. 6 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laundry treating apparatus comprises a refresher for refreshing the laundry. 7 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laundry treating apparatus comprise a steam iron. 8 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the data transmitting part is configured to be a wire cable connected between the controllers, or a wireless communication device provided at each of the controllers to transmit the data between the controllers wirelessly. 9 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: a hot air generator in which a controller is provided; a data transmitting part for transmitting data between the controller of the hot air generator and the controller of the laundry treating apparatus; and a hot air supply line through which hot air generated in the hot air generator is supplied to the laundry treating apparatus. 10 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising a hot air collect line through which the hot air discharged from the laundry treating apparatus is collected, wherein the hot air generator comprises a condenser that condenses moisture contained in the hot air collected through the hot air collect line. 11 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the steam generator and the hot air generator are controlled by a single controller and are formed as one body. 12 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the total laundry treating system is configured of a single steam/hot air generator and a plurality of laundry treating apparatuses. 13 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein at least one of the laundry treating apparatuses includes a different laundry treating module. 14 . the total laundry treating system as claimed in claim 1 , the steam generator is configured to be a capacity adjustable-type steam generator that adjusts a steam amount supplied to the laundry treating apparatuses.
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technical field the present invention relates to a total laundry treating system. more specifically, the present invention relates to a total laundry treating system composed of laundry treating devices as a set. background art laundry treating apparatuses are all kinds of appliances that are used in houses, laundromats or dry cleaners' to treat clothes, cloth items, bedding and the like (hereinafter, laundry) such as washing, drying, removing wrinkles. for example, laundry treating apparatuses include washers, dryers, laundry devices having washing and drying functions, refreshers, irons for removing or producing wrinkles of laundry and steamers for removing unnecessary wrinkles. more specifically, the refreshers are appliances that performs drying, supplying aroma to laundry, prevents static electricity of laundry or removing winkles of laundry. these kinds of refreshers are consumed a lot in north america. the steamers are appliances that supplies steam to laundry to remove wrinkles of laundry. the steamer may not allow a hot plate to contact with the laundry, different from the iron. as a result, the steamers are consumed a lot in here in korea via home shopping channels. recently, washers having steam generators, especially, drum type washers have come into wide use. the products have become popular in recent years which supplies steam to laundry during washing or before/after washing, to maximize washing efficiency by using functions of sterilization, laundry soaking time reduction and detergent activation. disclosure of invention technical problem as mentioned above, it is common that these kinds of laundry treating apparatuses are separately placed in places where laundry is treated. that is, such laundry treating apparatuses happen to be scattered in space. even though such laundry treating apparatuses are placed in one space, the laundry treating apparatuses have no interrelation with each other and a user has to spend quite a time in treating laundry. it may not be preferred as a matter of space utility or laundry treating time efficiency and production cost that the steam used in laundry treating is generated in each of the laundry treating apparatuses. in addition, if each of the laundry treating apparatuses has a water supply source for generating the steam, a user can feel inconvenient. technical solution to solve the problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a total laundry treating system composed of laundry treating devices as a set. to achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a total laundry treating system includes a steam generator in which at a controller is provided; a laundry treating apparatus for treating laundry, in which a controller is provided; a data transmitting part for transmitting data between the controllers; a steam supply line through which steam generated by the steam generator is supplied to the laundry treating apparatus. here, the laundry treating apparatus may include a washer for washing laundry, a washer having a drying function for washing and drying laundry, or a dryer for drying laundry. also, the laundry treating apparatus may include a refresher or iron. on the other hand, the laundry treating apparatus may be a plurality of various laundry treating apparatuses having separate laundry treating modules. that is, in one total laundry treating system, there are provided a plurality of washers, a dryer and a refresher, or a plurality of dryers, a washer and a refresher. commonly, such laundry treating apparatuses in houses may be configured to be different kinds of laundry treating apparatuses performing separate laundry treating modules. here, the laundry treating module is modules for washing, drying and refreshing. the data transmitting part may be a wire cable connected between the controllers, or a wireless communication device provided at each of the controllers to transmit the data among the controllers wirelessly. specifically, the controller of the steam generator is connected to the controllers of the laundry treating apparatuses by using a wire or wirelessly. as a result, the steam generator communicates with each of the laundry treating apparatuses. the laundry treating apparatus may further include a steam iron. here, the total laundry treating system is configured of a single steam generator and a plurality of laundry treating apparatuses. the capacity of the steam generator may be adjustable according to a case that steam is requested by all of the laundry treating apparatuses and a case that steam is requested by one of the laundry treating apparatuses. this is because user inconvenience and energy saving caused by insufficient steam supply or time delay of steam supply may be accomplished. on the other hand, the total laundry treating system may further include a hot air generator in which a controller is provided; a data transmitting part for transmitting data between the controller of the hot air generator and the controller of the laundry treating apparatus; and an hot air supply line through which the hot air generated by the hot air generator is supplied to the laundry treating apparatus. the total laundry treating system may further include a hot air collect line through which hot air exhausted from the laundry treating apparatus is collected. the hot air generator may include a condenser in which the hot air collected through the hot air collect line is condensed. that is, it is possible to embody an air condensation type drying function in that hot air is not exhausted outside but circulated and to embody an air exhaustion type drying function in that hot air is exhausted by each of the laundry treating apparatuses separately. in the total laundry treating system including the hot air generator, the steam generator and the hot air generator are controlled by one controller, and the steam generator and the hot air generator may be formed as one body, which are efficient as a matter of production cost. in addition, there is an effect of a simple structure, because an auxiliary data transmitting part for sharing the hot air generator does not have to be provided other than the data transmitting part for sharing the steam generator. at least one of the laundry treating apparatuses has a different laundry treating module. advantageous effects the present invention has following advantageous effects. each of the laundry treating apparatuses is inter-relative and thus a convenient total laundry treating system may be provided. that is, the total laundry treating system according to the present invention is efficient and convenient in a view of space or a laundry treating time. furthermore, according to the present invention there are provided the plurality of the laundry treating apparatuses that uses steam, respectively, and the steam the total laundry treating system having the steam generator for supplying steam to each of the laundry treating apparatuses. as a result, the present invention has an advantageous effect that a series of laundry treating processes may be performed conveniently. a still further, the steam generator able to adjust the amount of steam supply is provided in the total laundry treating system according to the present invention. as a result, efficient steam supply is possible and energy saving is possible. a still further, according to the present invention, steam is supplied to the plurality of the laundry treating apparatuses through the single steam generator. as a result, a user may easily secure a water source for steam generation. a still further, the hot air generator for supply air, especially, hot air as well as the steam generator is provided in each of the laundry treating apparatuses. as a result, the laundry treating process may be performed convenient. lastly, the total laundry treating system may be embodied by using conventional washers having the steam generators or dryers having the hot air generators. brief description of the drawings the accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the disclosure. in the drawings: fig. 1 is a block view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a block view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a steam generator provided in the present invention. best mode for carrying out the invention reference will now be made in detail to the specific embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. in reference to figs. 1 to 3 , preferred embodiments of the present invention will explained. fig. 1 is a block view illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention. next, the first embodiment will be explained. a total laundry treating system 100 according to the first embodiment may include a steam generator 10 and a plurality of laundry treating apparatuses 20 , 30 and 40 . here, the laundry treating apparatuses may be appliances that have the same laundry treating module, or may be appliances that have different laundry treating modules, respectively. fig. 1 illustrates a washer 2 q a dryer 30 and a refresher 40 as laundry treating apparatuses. of course, these laundry treating apparatuses may be different kinds of laundry treating apparatuses and may include more laundry treating apparatuses. meanwhile, the present specification may not explain functions and structures of individual laundry treating apparatuses in detail, because the functions and the structures are well-known knowledge to those skilled in the art and the present invention is not limited to the detailed functions or structures. accordingly, the technical subject matter of the present invention may pertain to any kinds of laundry treating apparatuses applied to the present invention. next, as shown in fig. 1 , a total laundry treating system including the washer 20 , the dryer 30 and the refresher 40 as the plurality of the laundry treating apparatuses will be explained. steam may be supplied to the washer 20 , the dryer 30 and the refresher 40 to improve washing efficiency, remove wrinkles, prevent static electricity, perform sterilization or remove bad smell of laundry. such method of supplying steam and steam supply timing may be controlled by a controller of each of the laundry treating apparatuses. specifically, a controller 21 is provided in the washer 20 and another controller 31 is provided in the dryer 30 and a further controller 41 is provided in the refresher 40 . thus, each of the laundry treating apparatuses performs a separate laundry treating module thrash each of the controllers 21 , 31 and 41 . in the meantime, the total laundry treating system according to the present invention further includes a steam generator 10 . the steam generator 10 includes a controller 11 for controlling an operation of the steam generator 10 . here, each of the laundry treating apparatuses is supplied steam by the steam generator 10 . for example, when the washer 20 needs steam, the washer 20 sends a steam request signal to the steam generator 10 and the steam generator 10 generates steam according to the steam request to supply steam to the washer 20 . for that, data transmission for control between the steam generator 10 and the laundry treating apparatuses is necessary. thus, a data transmitting part 70 is further provided to transmit data between the controller 11 of the steam generator 10 and the controllers 21 , 31 and 41 of the laundry treating apparatuses. for example, if steam is needed during the operation of the washer 20 , the controller 21 of the washer 20 sends a steam request signal to the controller 11 of the steam generator 10 through the data transmitting part 70 . the controller 11 of the steam generator 10 controls an operation of the steam generator to generate steam based on the steam request and the steam is supplied to the washer 20 . alternatively, the controller 21 of the washer 20 sends a present operational data to the steam generator during the operation of the washer 20 and the controller 11 of the steam generator 10 supplies steam at an appropriate time period based on the operational data. such control logic may be applicable to the dryer 31 or the refresher 40 . by the way, the data transmitting part 70 may be a cable connected between the controllers, or the data transmitting part 50 may include a wireless communication device (not shown) provided in the controller 11 of the steam generator 10 and a wireless communication device (not shown) provided in the other controllers 21 , 31 and 41 of the laundry treating apparatuses. at this time, data may be sent and received wirelessly. the wire/wireless data transmitting is well-known knowledge to those skilled in the art and easy for them to expect. therefore, the detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. the present invention includes the steam supply line 60 through which the steam generated by the steam generator 10 is supplied to the laundry treating apparatuses. the steam supply line 60 may be formed between the steam generator 10 and each of the laundry treating apparatuses. as shown in fig. 1 , the steam supply line 60 may include a main steam supply pipe 61 , a header 65 and branched steam pipes 62 , 63 and 64 . the main steam supply pipe 61 is connected to an outlet (not shown) of the steam generator 10 . the header 61 is employed for allowing a steam flow branched. the branched steam pipes 62 , 63 and 64 are branched from the header 65 such that each branched steam pipe is branched to each of the laundry treating apparatuses. the branched steam pipes 62 , 63 and 64 are connected to an inlet (not shown) of each laundry treating apparatus and steam is supplied to the laundry treating apparatuses through the branched steam pipes 62 and 63 . although not shown in fig. 1 , a valve may be provided at the main steam supply pipe 61 , the header 65 , the branched steam pipes 62 , 63 and 64 , the cutlet of the steam generator 10 or the inlets of the laundry treating apparatuses to be selectively opened and closed. controlling the valve enables the steam to be supplied to the laundry treating apparatus that needs the steam. next, in reference to fig. 2 , another embodiment will be explained. fig. 2 is a block view illustrating another embodiment. a total laundry treating system according to this embodiment further includes a hot air generator. specifically, according to this embodiment the laundry treating apparatuses share the hot air generator 180 as well as the steam generator 10 , while according to above embodiments the laundry treating apparatuses share only the steam generator 10 . according to this embodiment, the total laundry treating system explained in the above embodiment farter includes a hot air generator 180 , a data transmitting part 170 and a hot air supply line 190 . the hot air generator 180 includes a controller. the data transmitting part 170 transmits data between the controller of the hot air generator 180 and the other controllers 121 , 131 and 141 of the laundry treating apparatuses. hot air generated at the hot air generator is supplied to the laundry treating apparatuses through the hot air supply line 190 . the hot air generator 180 is provided in parallel to the steam generator 110 and the hot air is supplied to each of the laundry treating apparatuses from the hot air generator 180 . here, the hot air may not necessarily means hot temperature air. that is, the hot air may be normal temperature air which is relatively less high temperature air, too. such normal temperature air and hot air is forcibly supplied to the laundry for a drying or refreshing function. although not shown in fig. 2 , the hot air generator also includes a controller (not shown), separate from the steam generator 110 . in this case, the controller of the hot air generator 180 is connected to each of the laundry treating apparatuses through the data transmitting part, separate from the controller of the steam generator explained in the above embodiment. it is preferable that the hot air supply line 190 is provided through which the hot air is supplied to each of the laundry treating apparatus 129 , 130 and 140 . that is, it is preferable that the hot air supply line 190 is separately provided from the steam supply line 160 . however, the hot air supply line 190 and the steam supply line 160 may share lines except for the steam generator and an cutlet (not shown) of the hot air generator, which is not preferable, considering a characteristic of fluidal material flowing within the lines. moreover, in this case, it is difficult to supply the steam and the hot air at the same time. thus, the steam and the hot air should be supplied selectively. fig. 2 illustrates a block view of another preferred embodiment according to the present invention. according to fig. 2 , the steam generator 110 and the hot air generator 180 are formed as one body. specifically, the steam generator and the hot air generator are not provided in an independent space but formed as one body. at this time, the controller of the hot air generator and the controller of the steam generator may be united as one controller 111 . as a result, the controller 111 controls the steam generator to operate as necessary and controls the hot air generator to operate separately at the same time. in this case, only the controller 111 is connected to the controllers of the laundry treating apparatuses. by the way, the detailed explanation of the steam supply line 160 as well that of the hot air supply line 190 has been described in the above embodiment and it will be omitted. in addition, the control method for opening and closing the lines 160 and 190 is the same as the control method according to the above embodiment and it will be omitted. as shown in fig. 2 , the washer includes a controller 121 and the dryer 130 includes a controller 131 and the refresher 140 includes a controller 141 . each of theses laundry treating apparatuses may have a separately different laundry treating module or a plurality of identical laundry treating modules if necessary. on the other hand, a hot air circulation method by the hot air generator provided in a predetermined laundry treating apparatus may be an air exhaustion type or air condensation type. specifically, in case of the air exhaustion type, the air supplied to each of the laundry treating apparatuses through the hot supply line 70 is not circulated into the hot air generator 80 , but exhausted outside. that is, the air is exhausted to an outside or an inside through an air outlet of each laundry treating apparatus, which is identical to an air passage of the air exhaustion type. in case of the air condensation type, the air supplied to each of the laundry treating apparatuses through the hot air supply line 70 is re-circulated to the hot air generator 80 . for that, an auxiliary hot air collect line (not shown) may be provided. that is, when the air is supplied to each of the laundry treating apparatuses through the hot air supply line 70 , the air gets to contain moisture in the laundry treating apparatuses and the damp air is collected through the hot air collect line (not shown). here, the moisture of the air may be removed before the collected air is re-supplied to each of the laundry treating apparatuses. as a result, in case of the condensation type, a condenser (not shown) may be further provided to condense the moisture of the air. the moisture of the air is condensed in the condenser and the air having its moisture removed is supplied to each of the laundry treating apparatuses through the hot air supply line 70 . the condenser may be formed as one body with the hot air generator. that is, it is preferable that the steam generator, the hot air generator and the condenser are formed as one body to define a single exterior. the structure of such condensation type is applicable to a case in that an air cutlet is difficult to form at laundry devices in houses or dry cleaners'. that is, it is easy to install the air exhaustion type in a room near an external wall of a building and it is easy to install the air condensation type in a room near a center area of a building, because complicated air outlet pipes are difficult to install in the room near the center area of the building. next, in reference to fig. 3 , a steam generator applicable to the present invention will be explained. fig. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the steam generator. the total laundry treating system according to the present invention may include one steam generator 500 . however, the amount of steam supply supplied to the steam generator may be variable, because each of the laundry treating apparatuses requires steam simultaneously or one of them requires steam. as a result, the amount of steam generation or steam supply may be variable based on demands of steam. that is preferable for energy saving or for time reduction of steam supply. fig. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the steam generator that is such a capacity variable type. as shown in fig. 3 , the steam generator 500 includes a controller 510 and a plurality of chambers 520 , 521 and 522 the chambers. the chambers may have separate volumes and the heaters 530 , 531 and 532 are mounted in the chambers 520 , 521 and 522 , respectively. of course, these heaters 530 , 531 and 532 may have separate capacities. fig. 3 illustrates a chamber 520 having a relatively large volume and a heater 530 having a relatively large volume, and chambers 521 and 522 having relatively small volumes and heaters 531 and 532 having relatively small capacities. for example, if the amount of requested steam is most, all the heaters are operated to generate steam. if the amount of requested is least, one of the heaters having the small capacity is operated to generate steam. as a result, the amount of steam generation and supply may be adjustable based on the amount of requested steam. the operation of the heaters 530 , 531 and 532 is controlled by a controller of the laundry treating apparatus having the steam generator 500 therein. the controller receives data for the amount of requested steam from the controllers of the laundry treating apparatuses. on the other hand, a steam outlet (not shown) is formed at each of the chambers 520 , 521 and 522 . steam discharged through the steam cutlets is supplied to each of the laundry treating apparatuses through the steam supply line 560 . such method of steam amount adjustment may be embodied in a different way. for example, the amount of water supplied to the steam generator may be controlled by the controller based on the amount of requested steam. hence, the heating amount of the heater may be controlled or the number of the operated heaters may be controlled. specifically, if the steam amount is most in the steam generator having one chamber and the plurality of the heaters are provided therein, the largest mount of water may be supplied to the steam generator and all of the heaters may be operated. if the steam amount is least, the least amount of water may be supplied to the steam generator and only a predetermined heater may be operated. if only one heater is provided, the heating amount of the heater is controlled based on the amount of requested steam to adjust the steam amount to adjust the steam amount. water should be supplied to the steam generator described above. a scarce of such water supply may be a common water pipe or a user may directly supply water to the steam generator. a water pipe as a water source is not provided in every house and is commonly, for example, only in a kitchen or bathroom. in addition even such places as a kitchen or bathroom have limited water taps and washers that use a lot of water are connected to the water taps. as a result, lack of water source can be prevented because only one steam generator may be used according to the present invention. in the meantime, if there is no such water source, a user may directly supply water to the steam generator by using a water basket. in this case, even when water is supplied to only one steam generator provided in the predetermined one of the laundry treating apparatuses, the water may be supplied to the other laundry treating apparatuses and thus there is an effect of minimized fatigue to the user. next, in reference to fig. 1 , an operation of the total laundry treating system according to the present invention will be explained. an operation according to other embodiment can be easily understood through the following explanation and thus the description thereof will be omitted. firstly, each of the laundry treating apparatuses may be operated separately. that is, the water performs washing, the dryer performs drying and the refresher performs refreshing. when steam is requested during an operation of each laundry treating apparatus, each of the controllers transmits a signal for steam request to the controller of the predetermined laundry treating apparatus having the steam generator. hence, the steam generator operates the heater to generate steam. the controller may controls the water amount for steam generation, the heating capacity of the heater or the number of the operated heaters. that is, the steam generation and steam supply amount may be adjustable based on the amount of requested steam. the steam is supplied to each of the laundry treating apparatus. therefore, according to the present invention, the steam generator does not have to be provided in each of the laundry treating apparatuses and the present invention is advantageous as a matter of cost. in addition, it is limited that the efficient steam generator is mounted in each of the laundry treating apparatus. such problematic limitation may be solved by the present invention in which the steam generator is provided in the predetermined laundry treating apparatuses. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. industrial applicability the present invention has an industrial applicability. each of the laundry treating apparatuses is inter-relative and thus a convenient total laundry treating system may be provided. that is, the total laundry treating system according to the present invention is efficient and convenient in a view of space or a laundry treating time. furthermore, according to the present invention there are provided the plurality of the laundry treating apparatuses that uses steam, respectively, and the steam the total laundry treating system having the steam generator for supplying steam to each of the laundry treating apparatuses. as a result, the present invention has an industrial applicability that a series of laundry treating processes may be performed conveniently. a still further, the steam generator able to adjust the amount of steam supply is provided in the total laundry treating system according to the present invention. as a result, efficient steam supply is possible and energy saving is possible. a still further, according to the present invention, steam is supplied to the plurality of the laundry treating apparatuses through the single steam generator. as a result, a user may easily secure a water source for steam generation. a still further, the hot air generator for supply air, especially, hot air as well as the steam generator is provided in each of the laundry treating apparatuses. as a result, the laundry treating process may be performed convenient lastly, the total laundry treating system may be embodied by using conventional washers having the steam generators or dryers having the hot air generators.
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050-909-164-407-666
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
H02G3/02,H02G3/00
| 2012-12-30T00:00:00 |
2012
|
[
"H02"
] |
plug and power distribution and control apparatus
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invention describes apparatus providing plug-and-power distribution of power and communications for: residential, commercial, industrial applications, and for electro-mechanical devices and computer systems. invention transforms existing labor-intense installations into plug-and-power modular systems. for specific project, pre-designed, pre-fabricated kits, including factory assembled and tested: power and control modules, interface cables, will be delivered directly to the installation site. labor intense operations, including: wire stripping, wire crimping are replaced with plug-and-power components. apparatus has no exposed hot leads accessible by bare hands, including service personnel. invention will: significantly lower labor costs, reduce installation time, improve power distribution safety, reliability, utilization efficiency, and quality. application of shielded cables and shielding of other components within the apparatus, will significantly lower electrical power emissions, benefiting the environment for all—the end users and other technologies. invention describes plug-and-power dc power distribution replacing existing ac power distribution, further improving safety and efficiency.
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1 . plug and power distribution and control apparatus of ac and dc electrical power, comprising: (a) configurable plug and power distribution and control interface; (b) configurable plug and power distribution and control module; (c) configurable plug and power distribution module; wherein (a) is configured for plug and power distribution interfacing (b) and (c) of the apparatus, or is configured for interfacing the apparatus to power sources external to said apparatus, or is configured for interfacing the apparatus to power loads external to said apparatus, and said (a) providing interface without exposing power carrying components of the apparatus from being accessible with bare hands, and comprising: (a1) at least one power input interface configured for interfacing said (a1) to a power source outside of the apparatus and through said interface receiving power from said power source to said (a1), or said (a1) configured for interfacing with (b) and through said interface receiving power from said (b) to said (a1); (a2) at least one power output interface configured for interfacing said (a2) to a power load outside of the apparatus and through said interface providing power from said (a2) to said power load, or said (a2) configured for interfacing with (b) and through said interface providing power from said (a2) to said (b); (a3) components configured to interface electrically and mechanically (a1) and (a2); (a4) enclosure configured to house (a1), (a2) and (a3) preventing exposing ac power carrying components of (a) from being accessible with bare hands; wherein (b) is configured for power input interfacing with (a), and through said input interfacing receive power from said (a) to said (b), and said (b) is further configured for controlling power received from said (a), and said (b) is further configured for power output interfacing with (a), and through said output interfacing provide controlled power from said (b) to said (a), and said (b) is further configured for plug and power distribution and control without exposing power carrying components from being accessible with bare hands, and comprising: (b1) at least one power input interface configured for mating with an output interface of (a) and providing input power from said (a) to said (b1); (b2) at least one power output interface configured for mating with an input interface of (a) and providing output power from said (b2) to said (a); (b3) at least one power control component consisting of manual and electronic controls, and said control component configured for controlling output power of at least one (b2); (b4) at least one interface between (b1), (b2), (b3), and said interface consisting of at least one of a plurality of: discrete wires, cables, printed circuit boards, connectors; (b5) an enclosure configured for housing (b1), (b2), (b3), (b4), and said enclosure configured to prevent access with bare hands to any high power leads, terminals, and to any other components carrying high power, which may present hazard. wherein (c) is configured for power input interfacing with (a), and through said input interfacing receive power from said (a) to said (c), and said (c) is further configured for power output interfacing with (a), and through said output interfacing provide power from said (c) to said (a), and said (c) is configured for plug and power distribution and control without exposing power carrying components from being accessible with bare hands, and comprising: (c1) at least one power input interface configured for mating with an output interface of (a) and providing input power from said (a) to said (c1); (c2) at least one power output interface configured for mating with an input interface of (a) and providing output power from said (c2) to said (a); (c3) at least one interface between (c1), (c2) and said interface consisting of at least one of a plurality of: discrete wires, cables, printed circuit boards, connectors; (c4) an enclosure configured for housing (c1), (c2), (c3), and said enclosure configured to prevent access with bare hands to any ac power leads, terminals, and to any other components carrying high power, which may present hazard. 2 . the plug and power distribution and control apparatus of claim 1 further comprising; wherein said power distribution and power control interface is configured with pluggable connectors only; wherein said power distribution and power control interface is configured with input interface in a form of a male connector, and said male connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector will depend on the power for conducting ac power, or for conducting dc power, and said type of the said mail connector is further configured to identify the type of power conducted ac or dc, and to identify power parameters voltage and current ratings conducted by said power distribution and power control interface; wherein said power distribution and power control interface is further configured with an output interface in a form of a female connector, and said female connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said female connector will depend on the power for conducting ac power, or for conducting dc power, and said type of the said female connector is further configured to identify the voltage and current ratings conducted by said power distribution and power control interface. 3 . the plug and power distribution and control apparatus of claim 1 further comprising; wherein said power distribution and control module is configured with pluggable connectors only; wherein said power distribution and control module is configured with an input interface in a form of a male connector, and said male connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector is further configured to match with an output female connector of said power distribution and power control interface; wherein said power distribution and control module is further configured with an output interface in a form of a male connector, and said male connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector is further configured to match with an input female connector of said power distribution and power control interface. 4 . the power distribution module of claim 1 further comprising; wherein said power distribution module is configured with pluggable connectors only; wherein said power distribution module is configured with an input interface in a form of a male connector, and said connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector is further configured to match with an output female connector of said power distribution and power control interface; wherein said power distribution module is further configured with an output interface in a form of a female connector, and said female connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said female connector is further configured to match with a male input connector of power distribution and power control interface. 5 . the power distribution and control module of claim 1 further comprising; wherein said power distribution and control module is enclosed; wherein said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface of said power distribution and control module, and for mounting at least one control component of said power distribution and control module on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface of said power distribution and control module on side two of said enclosure opposite to said side one; wherein said side one of said enclosure is further configured for attaching said power distribution and control module to a mounting surface; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said input interface of said power distribution and control module; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said control component of said power distribution and control module; wherein said power distribution and control module further comprising; a power control distribution strip for: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings, and said power distribution and control module further comprising; a power control distribution strip for: machinery, and devices. 6 . the power distribution module of claim 1 further comprising; wherein said power distribution module is enclosed; wherein said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface of said power distribution module on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface of said power distribution module on side two of said enclosure opposite to said side one; wherein said side one is further configured for attaching said power distribution module to a mounting surface; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-outs allowing access to said at least one input connection of said power distribution module; wherein said power distribution module further comprising; a power distribution strip for: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings, and said power distribution module further comprising; a power distribution strip of: machinery, devices. 7 . the power distribution and control module of claim 1 further comprising; wherein said power distribution and control module is configured as a wall or a pole mount power control switch; wherein said switch is enclosed; wherein said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface of said power distribution and control module on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface of said power distribution and control module on side one or side two of said enclosure; wherein said enclosure is further configured for mounting said switch of said power distribution and control module on side three of said enclosure; wherein said enclosure is further configured for attaching said power distribution and control module to a mounting surface; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said switch of said power distribution and control module; wherein said power distribution and control module is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power control switch for power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. 8 . the power distribution module of claim 1 further comprising; wherein said power distribution module is further configured as a wall or a pole mount power outlet; wherein said outlet is enclosed; wherein said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface of said power distribution module on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface on side two of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface on side three of said enclosure; wherein said enclosure is further configured for attaching power distribution module to a mounting surface; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said output interfaces of said power distribution module; wherein said power distribution module is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power outlet for power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. 9 . plug and power distribution and control apparatus of dc power, comprising: (d) configurable plug and power dc power distribution and control interface; (e) configurable plug and power dc power distribution and control module; (f) configurable plug and power dc power distribution module; (g) programmable power controller configured for monitoring, controlling at least one or more of the following dc power attributes of (e) including: voltage, current, and comprising: a programmable control electronics of (g) configured for interfacing (e) with an user interface, and for monitoring and controlling output power of (e); a plurality of sensors of (g) configured for monitoring the power attributes of said (e), and for monitoring ambient environment surrounding said (e), and for providing monitored data to said programmable control electronics of (g); said user interface of (g) configured for programming said programmable control electronics of (g), and said user interface of (g) connected to said programmable control electronics of (g) via at least one of a network, wireless, wired cable connection or the internet; a non-volatile memory configured for interfacing with said programmable control electronics of (g), and storing trigger points for different sensor conditions, and storing acceptance criteria of said power attributes of (e), and storing control algorithm executed in real-time by said programmable control electronics of (g) maintaining said power attributes of (e) within said acceptance criteria; wherein (d) is configured for plug and power distribution interfacing (e) and (f) of the apparatus, or is configured for interfacing between the apparatus and external to apparatus dc power sources, or is configured for interfacing between the apparatus and external to apparatus dc power loads, and comprising: (d1) at least one power input interface configured for interfacing said (d1) to a power source outside of the apparatus and through said interface receiving power from said power source to said (d1), or said (d1) configured for interfacing with (e) and through said interface receiving power from said (e) to said (d1); (d2) at least one power output interface configured for interfacing said (d2) to a power load outside of the apparatus and through said interface providing power from said (d2) to said power load, or said (d2) configured for interfacing with (e) and through said interface providing power from said (d2) to said (e); (d3) components configured to interface electrically and mechanically (d1) and (d2); (d4) enclosure configured to house (d1), (d2) and (d3), and said (d4) configured to prevent access with bare hands to any power leads, terminals, and to any other components carrying power, which may present hazard; wherein (e) is configured for power input interfacing with (d), and through said input interfacing receive power from said (d) to said (e), and said (e) is further configured for controlling power received from said (d), and said (e) is further configured for power output interfacing with (d), and through said output interfacing provide controlled power from said (e) to said (d), and said (e) and comprising: (e1) at least one power input interface configured for mating with an output interface of (d) and providing input power from said (d) to said (e1); (e2) at least one power output interface configured for mating with an input interface of (d) and providing output power from said (e2) to said (d); (e3) at least one power control component consisting of manual and electronic controls, and said control component configured for controlling output power of at least one (e2); (e4) at least one interface between (e1), (e2), (e3), and said interface consisting of at least one of a plurality of: discrete wires, cables, printed circuit boards, connectors; (e5) an enclosure configured for housing (e1), (e2), (e3), (e4), and said (e5) configured to prevent access with bare hands to any power leads, terminals, and to other components carrying power, which may present hazard; wherein (f) is configured for power input interfacing with (d), and through said input interfacing receive power from said (d) to said (d), and said (d) is further configured for power output interfacing with (d), and through said output interfacing provide power from said (f) to said (f), and said (f) is configured for plug and power distribution and control preventing access with bare hands to any power leads, terminals, and to other components carrying power, which may present hazard; (f1) at least one power input interface configured for mating with an output interface of (d) and providing input power from said (d) to said (f1); (f2) at least one power output interface configured for mating with an input interface of (d) and providing output power from said (f2) to said (d); (f3) at least one interface between (f1), (f2) and said interface consisting of at least one of a plurality of: discrete wires, cables, printed circuit boards, connectors; (f4) an enclosure configured for housing (f1), (f2), (f3), and said enclosure configured to prevent access with bare hands to any high power leads, terminals, and to any other components carrying power, which may present hazard. wherein (g) is configured as a controller of (e), and said controller receives power attributes from said (e), and said controller compares in real-time said power attributes with an acceptance criteria stored in a non-volatile memory of said controller, and based on results of said comparison, said controller controls said (e) or controls external power supply connected to said (e) and maintains said power attributes of said (e) within said acceptance criteria, and comprising: a programmable controller configured for interfacing with an user interface of said apparatus, and for controlling said programmable power controller; said user interface of (g) configured for programming said programmable controller (g), and said user interface connected to said programmable controller (g) via at least one of a network, wireless, wired cable connection or the internet; a non-volatile memory configured for interfacing with said programmable controller of (g), and storing acceptance criteria of the power attributes of said (e), and storing a control algorithm executed in real-time by said programmable controller (g) maintaining the power attributes of (e) within the acceptance criteria; 10 . the plug and power distribution and control apparatus of claim 9 further comprising; wherein said dc power distribution and power control interface is configured with pluggable connectors only; wherein said dc power distribution and power control interface is configured with input interface in a form of a male connector, and said male connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector is further configured to identify the power parameters voltage and current ratings conducted by said dc power distribution and power control interface; wherein said dc power distribution and power control interface is further configured with an output interface in a form of a female connector, and said female connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said female connector is further configured to identify the voltage and current ratings conducted by said dc power distribution and power control interface. 11 . the dc plug and power distribution and control apparatus of claim 9 further comprising; wherein said dc power distribution and control module is configured with pluggable connectors only; wherein said dc power distribution and control module is configured with an input interface in a form of a male connector, and said male connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector is further configured to match with an output female connector of said dc power distribution and power control interface; wherein said dc power distribution and control module is further configured with an output interface in a form of a male connector, and said male connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector is further configured to match with an input female connector of said dc power distribution and power control interface. 12 . the dc power distribution module of claim 9 further comprising; wherein said dc power distribution module is configured with pluggable connectors only; wherein said dc power distribution module is configured with an input interface in a form of a male connector, and said connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector is further configured to match with an output female connector of said dc power distribution and power control interface; wherein said dc power distribution module is further configured with an output interface in a form of a female connector, and said female connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said female connector is further configured to match with a male input connector of said dc power distribution and power control interface. 13 . the dc power distribution and control module of claim 9 further comprising; wherein said dc power distribution and control module is enclosed; wherein said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface of said dc power distribution and control module, and for mounting at least one control component of said dc power distribution and control module on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface of said dc power distribution and control module on side two of said enclosure opposite to said side one; wherein said side one of said enclosure is further configured for attaching said dc power distribution and control module to a mounting surface; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said input interface of said dc power distribution and control module; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said control component of said dc power distribution and control module; wherein said dc power distribution and control module further comprising; a dc power control distribution strip for: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings, and said dc power distribution and control module further comprising; a dc power control distribution strip for: machinery, and devices. 14 . the dc power distribution module of claim 9 further comprising; wherein said dc power distribution module is enclosed; wherein said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface of said power distribution module on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface of said dc power distribution module on side two of said enclosure opposite to said side one; wherein said side one is further configured for attaching said dc power distribution module to a mounting surface; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-outs allowing access to said at least one input connection of said dc power distribution module; wherein said dc power distribution module further comprising; a dc power distribution strip for: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings, and said dc power distribution module further comprising; a dc power distribution strip of: machinery, devices. 15 . the dc power distribution and control module of claim 9 further comprising; wherein said dc power distribution and control module is configured as a wall or a pole mount power control switch; wherein said switch is enclosed; wherein said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface of said dc power distribution and control module on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface of said dc power distribution and control module on side one or side two of said enclosure; wherein said enclosure is further configured for mounting said switch of said dc power distribution and control module on side three of said enclosure; wherein said enclosure is further configured for attaching said dc power distribution and control module to a mounting surface; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said switch of said dc power distribution and control module; wherein said dc power distribution and control module is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power control switch for dc power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. 16 . the dc power distribution module of claim 9 further comprising; wherein said dc power distribution module is further configured as a wall or a pole mount power outlet; wherein said outlet is enclosed; wherein said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface of said dc power distribution module on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface on side two of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface on side three of said enclosure; wherein said enclosure is further configured for attaching said dc power distribution module to a mounting surface; wherein said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said output interface of said side three of said dc power distribution module; wherein said dc power distribution module is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power outlet for dc power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. 17 . a method of configuring and controlling an intelligent modular dc power control and power distribution system consisting of: configuring at least one of a plurality of modules consisting of dc power distribution components on said intelligent dc power control and dc power distribution system; configuring said intelligent modular dc power control and dc power distribution system with a host computer; configuring a power and control interfaces of said intelligent modular dc power control and dc power distribution system for providing connection between said system modules, and for providing connection between said modules and said host computer; programming, via an user interface, said programmable controller and said host computer on said intelligent modular dc power control and dc power distribution system; receiving electrical signals to said programmable controller from at least one of plurality of sensors; controlling at least one power component of a plurality of said modules electronically such that at least one or more of the following dc power attributes, power voltage, power current, power energy is controlled; determining an optimized electrical configuration of at least one of a plurality of said modules by said programmable controller based at least in part on communications received from said host computer and the signals received by said plurality of sensors and further including data for dc power voltage, power current, power energy; sending electrical control signals from said programmable controller to said power component of a module, based upon data from said user interface, said host computer and said sensors. 18 . the method of claim 17 further comprising: wherein said user interface is connected to said programmable controller via at least one of a network, wireless, wired cable connection or the internet. 19 . the method of claim 17 further comprising: storing trigger points for different sensor conditions, via said user interface, in a non-volatile storage medium of said programmable controller. 20 . the method of claim 17 further comprising: storing acceptance criteria for at least one or more of the following dc power attributes, power voltage, power current, power energy, via said user interface, in said non-volatile storage medium of said programmable controller. 21 . the method of claim 17 further comprising: storing control algorithm, via said user interface, in said non-volatile storage medium of said programmable controller, and said control algorithm comprising: controls executed by said programmable controller to maintain the at least one or more of said dc power attributes within said acceptance criteria. 22 . the method of claim 17 further comprising: configuring and controlling said intelligent modular dc power control and power distribution system of a building with programmable controllers, and said programmable controllers comprising programmable closed loop system maintaining dc power attributes of said system within programmable acceptance criteria, and the interface between power modules consisting of pluggable connectors only. 23 . the method of claim 17 further comprising: configuring and controlling said intelligent modular dc power control and power distribution system, including said plug and power distribution combining with plug and power communications, and maintaining said dc power and said communications within respective set criteria.
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cross-reference to related applications not applicable. statement regarding federally sponsored research or development not applicable. reference to sequence listing, a table, or a computer program listing compact disk appendix not applicable. background of the invention a majority of ac electrical wiring of residential, commercial and industrial structures, as one of important steps in providing completed structure with required power, has fallen drastically behind the progress attained in other areas of construction, such as: wiring for communications, including phone lines, lan, internet, etc. based on existing methods of wiring ac electrical power, the installation time, installation quality, reliability, repeatability and end-result including safety of installations—depends heavily on hi-skill manual labor. as result, overall quality of each practical installation is at a mercy of an installation crew, which must maintain required: workmanship skills; detailed attention to specifications, including wiring diagrams, which are more complex these days due to demands for larger and sophisticated structures; installation quality at a rather intensive schedule of completion; etc. in addition to problems stated above, the associated costs of electrical power wiring of a structure—is constantly going up, not so much due to better quality of materials, but rather due to increases in labor costs. while the costs of building materials in general went up significantly, and while the buildings themselves have appreciated substantially, the existing electrical components and technology used for wiring electrical power has remained disproportionably behind. the existing technology is utilizing primarily individual wires, not cables, and as result, it is very challenging to reduce electromagnetic interferences produced by power devices and propagated along these wires, which will: present health risks to individuals situated in a close proximity; and impact operating environment for other devices. a majority of electrical and electro-mechanical equipment, including: machinery, stand-alone devices, computers—require adequate means for connecting to required electrical power, and then providing power distribution within them. for simplicity, the applicable equipment in this application will be referred as device. there are a number of applications, where electrical power to devices is provided via interface modules, including ones that resemble a standard power strip. there is a range of equipment, such as atm machines, vending machines, and process machines in general, etc., that will be considered a main device, which will incorporate other secondary devices within them, such as: display monitor, printer, etc., which also require electrical power applied to them. the existing power distribution methods, although being adequate in electrical power ratings, are not conveniently packaged to provide cost-efficient solutions. as a result, designers of power distribution systems (ac and dc) have little choice, but to employ a number of off-the-shelf individual components, and then provide power distribution between them via discrete cables, wires, leaving a number of exposed hi-power leads, terminals, etc. presenting a safety hazard. the method of utilization of stand-alone devices (tv, tv cable boxes, stereo equipment, etc.), which currently have their own ac-dc power converter, is inefficient. every ac-dc power converter or power supply has a power converting efficiency of around 90%, i.e. 10% wasted. in an average household the wasted power from all power converters installed can exceeds 100 w during operation of the devices, and ˜20 w during their idle mode. that is a lot of kwh wasted every day at an average household alone, which amounts to mega watts for a region, and enormous for our country. in summary, the existing power distribution methods do not provide a cost efficient, most reliable and safe solution. brief summary of the invention the invention describes “plug and power distribution and control apparatus”, and the method of using the apparatus, which provides a comprehensive component and system level solutions to current and future requirements in regard to: 1) electrical ac power distribution of structures, which will include: residential, commercial, and industrial, and ac power distribution for ac powered devices.2) electrical ac and dc power distribution of structures, which will include: residential, commercial, and industrial, and ac and dc power distribution for ac and dc powered devices.3) electrical dc power distribution of structures, which will include: residential, commercial, and industrial, and dc power distribution for dc powered devices. for power distribution designs for industrial, commercial and residential applications—the invention represents a giant step forward vs. existing technologies, including: a) superior level of quality and safety. only standard, agency approved, pre-assembled, tested, and inspected plug and power modules and interfaces will be used. all components and modules will be assembled at the factory with required level of automation to ensure repeatable process and product quality for every installation regardless of size, complexity, location or time schedule. all components and modules will be agency pre-approved. all pre-assembled modules will be tested to the highest safety levels, including hi-pot, etc. the proposed technology described by the invention will utilize plug and power distribution and control components. as required, a section of a system or the entire system, consisting of plug and power modules, devices and components, can be interfaced via shielded plug and power interfaces protecting the environment from power related electro-magnetic interferences, and result, improving operating environment for other devices, as well as reduce safety health hazard on individuals.b) exceptional efficiency and effectiveness. for each new or existing project, regardless of complexity of a custom designed building or a track house development, a pre-manufactured kit, which will include—all essential plug and power distribution, interface and control components—will be prepared, tested, inspected and delivered to the construction site. the installation, approaching industry term of “plug-n-play”, with simple point-to-point plug and power connections, will significantly lower the time to complete the wiring of a structure, with no compromise in quality or safety. in addition, the overall layout and workmanship for any track development, would be highly consistent, which is important for future expansion, modifications, etc. described by the invention the dc plug and power distribution and control apparatus will allow to reduce the number of ac-dc converters, replacing them with fewer more efficient ac-dc power converters supplying dc power via plug and power interfaces to a variety of dc rated devices, replacing stand-alone psu. the invention will allow utilization of power efficient lighting, such as led, powered directly from a dc power outlets, replacing existing inefficient ac powered light devices. for added efficiency, the dc plug and power distribution interfaces (cables, etc.) will be designed by utilization of high-efficiency conductive materials to minimize power losses within distribution lines. the invention will advance the electrical power wiring of structures to a required level, so that support of new construction, as well as re-build of structures previously damaged or non-compliant, will be accomplished in a most effective and efficient way. the invention of plug and power distribution and control apparatus, and the method of using the apparatus will provide a number of very important benefits to the power distribution industry and its users, including: 1) lower installation costs due to significant reduction in labor skills and time required2) lower operation costs due to significant improvements in energy utilization efficiency3) lower maintenance costs due to improved component reliability and significant reduction in labor skills and time required to replace or upgrade a plug and power component4) improved safety by employing plug and power interfaces eliminating any hot wires from being accessible by bare hands, including service personnel5) opportunity of combing dc plug and power distribution with plug and power communications brief description drawing content and listing the application contains drawings listed in table 1, below. table 1list of drawings.fig.description13-d view of a dc power distribution plug-and-power strip configured with: ac-dc powerconverter inside enclosure of the strip; ac male input plug on side #1; ac power on/off switchon side #1; and dc power distribution female plugs on side #2, which is opposite to side #1.2x-y view of side #1 of the dc power distribution plug-and-power strip,shown on fig. 13x-y view of side #2 of the dc power distribution plug-and-power strip,shown on fig. 143-d view of a dc power plug-and-power outlet configured with: ac male connector providing acpower; ac-dc converter inside enclosure; dc dual power female plug-and-power outlets.53-d view of a dc power plug-and-power outlet configured with: dc male connector providing dcpower; dc dual power female plug-and-power outlets.6front view of an ac/dc power plug-and-power outlet configured with: ac male connectorproviding ac power; ac-dc converter inside enclosure; ac power female plug-and-poweroutlet; dc power female plug-and-power outlet.7front view of a dual dc power plug-and-power outlet configured with: ac male connectorproviding ac power; ac-dc converter inside enclosure; one dc power female plug-and-poweroutlet providing voltage v1; and second dc power female plug-and-power outlet providingvoltage v2.8front view of a dual dc power plug-and-power outlet configured with: dc male connectorproviding dc power; two dc power female plug-and-power outlets providing voltage v1.9front view of a dual ac/dc switch module configured with an ac section of:ac male connector providing ac power; ac on/off switch; ac female connector providing acpower controlled by the ac switch; and further configured with a dc section of: dc maleconnector providing dc power; dc on/off switch; dc female connector providing dc powercontrolled by the dc switch.10front view of a dc plug-and-power outlet configured with: dc male connector providing dcpower; three dc power female plug-and-power outlets providing voltage v1.11front view of a dc switch module configured with: dc male connector providing dc power; dcon/off switch; dc female connector providing dc power controlled by the dc switch.12conceptual layout of a ac-dc power source with only pluggable interfaces for incoming andoutgoing powers, which is configured with: ac male connector providing ac power; ac poweron/off switch; section #1 providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v1;section #2 providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v2; section #3providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v3;13dc plug-and-power distribution strip configured with: dc male connector for providing input dcpower; dc input power on/off switch; four plug-and-power dc female connectors providingvoltage v1.143-d view of a dc power switch module configured with: dc male connector for providing inputdc power from the top of the module; dc power on/off switch located on the front of themodule; dc female connector for providing controlled dc output power, which is located on thetop of the module next to input connector.153-d view of a dc power plug-and-power outlet configured with: ac male connector providingac power; ac-dc converter inside enclosure; two dc power female plug-and-power outletsproviding voltage v1; two dc power female plug-and-power outlets providing voltage v2.16conceptual layout of a ac-dc intelligent power source with only pluggable interfaces forincoming and outgoing powers, which is configured with: ac male connector providing acpower; ac power on/off switch; controller with user interface and pc host interface, locatedinside enclosure; ac-dc converter located inside enclosure; section #1 providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v1 , with self-diagnostics status led's; section #2providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v2, with self-diagnostics statusled's; section #3 providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v3, with self-diagnostics status led's;17front view of an intelligent ac/dc power plug-and-power outlet configured with: ac maleconnector providing ac power; ac-dc converter inside enclosure; controller inside enclosure;ac power female plug-and-power outlet with self-diagnostics status led; dc power femaleplug-and-power outlet with self-diagnostics status led.18front view of an intelligent dual dc power plug-and-power outlet configured with: ac maleconnector providing ac power; ac-dc converter inside enclosure; controller inside enclosure;one dc power female plug-and-power outlet providing voltage v1 with self-diagnostics statusled; and second dc power female plug-and-power outlet providing voltage v2 with self-diagnostics status led.19front view of an intelligent dual dc power plug-and-power outlet configured with: dc maleconnector providing dc input power; controller inside enclosure; one dc power female plug-and-power outlet providing voltage v1 with self-diagnostics status led; and second dc powerfemale plug-and-power outlet providing voltage v1 with self-diagnostics status led.20intelligent dc plug-and-power distribution strip configured with: dc male connector forproviding input dc power; dc input power on/off switch; controller inside enclosure; fourplug-and-power dc female connectors providing voltage v1 with self-diagnostics status led.21side #1 of an intelligent dc power distribution plug-and-power strip configured with: ac-dcpower converter inside enclosure of the strip; controller inside enclosure, with user interface;ac male input plug; ac power on/off switch.22side #2 opposite to side #1 of an intelligent dc power distribution plug-and-power strip(fig. 21) configured with: two female plug-and-power dc outlets providing voltage v1 with self-diagnostics status led's;: four female plug-and-power dc outlets providing voltage v2 withself-diagnostics status led's.23example #1 of plug and power dc interface cable.24example #2 of plug and power dc interface cable.25example of plug and power ac interface cable.26example of a method of configuring and controlling an intelligent modular dc plug and powerdistribution and control.27existing 12 v power usb interface.28example #1 of plug and power 12 v power distribution separate from usb interface.29example #2 of a connector consisting of plug and power 12 v power distribution and usbinterface.30example #3 of a single pc-board with plug and power 12 v power distribution and usbinterfaces available for each 12 v plug and power outlet.31pc-board with two usb connectors two plug and power 12 v outlets32plug and power interface which is configured to combine dc power distribution withcommunications, modulated over dc power line.33plug and power outlet module which is configured to provide one dc plug and power outlet withdiagnostics, and one plug and power communication outlet with diagnostics. drawing convention and format drawings with this application, in addition to uspto requirements, are: a) not to scale.b) referenced to “x-y-z” coordinate system, which is consistent throughout all drawings. definitions the invention lists definitions of specific components, modules, or processes, some of which are scripted in “bold italic”, and listed below in alphabetical order. notes: 1. all materials, components, modules, processes, etc. defined and/or described by the invention are in compliance with respective agency, including national and/or local code, in regard to safety, and other respective regulations.2. while for simplicity majority of illustrations are based on ac power distribution of 115 vac, the invention is applicable for ac power distribution of 230 vac, and other voltage systems, as needed.3. while for simplicity majority of illustrations are based on dc power distribution of low dc voltage from 5v to 12 vdc, the invention is applicable for dc power distribution of other dc voltages, including: 24v, 48v, and other voltage systems, as needed.4. all materials, components, modules, etc. of the invention will be used according to their manufacturer's approved specifications, including: power rating, environment, etc.5. all components, including cables, modules, etc. will be designed to reduce electromagnetic interferences (emi) produced by power devices, and will: reduce health risks to individuals nearby; improve operating environment for other devices.6. modules will be designed with their respective power connections located such as to accommodate the most cost efficient wiring during installation and/or convenient connection of devices by users.7. for safety reasons, each module will be designed to be housed inside an enclosure, with input power plug or plugs and output power receptacle or receptacles exposed outside enclosure. module's mounting hardware and earth ground wire will be the only components exposed, as needed. as needed, enclosures will be made out of metal, which together with proper use of shielded cables and proper earth grounding—will ensure the environment surrounding each module, component or cable, will be free of emi and static charge.8. each module and component, as required by local or national safety code, will have a designated earth ground wire connected to its enclosure, and which will be used for connecting to earth ground during installation.9. all modules and components will have required label, which will represent: power rating; functional application; operating environment; etc. label information will be designed as required to meet respective safety agency regulations.10. illustrated orientation of components, number and/or location of power inlets and outlets, etc. serves to demonstrate the principals of the invention, and will be changed, as needed, for any specific application.11. for dc plug and power distribution and control a number of pluggable connectors will be used, including: standard dc jacks and dc plugs. the differentiation between the dc voltages will be accomplished by utilization of pluggable connectors of different sizes for each voltage, with proper current ratings in support of required power conduction. examples:dc plugs and jacks with id of ˜1.3 mm can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;dc plugs and jacks with id of ˜2 mm can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;dc plugs and jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v;12. for simplicity a limited variety of power interface connectors are shown. the invention will allow utilization of a wide variety of power connectors approved by respective safety agency, including: twist-lock type, and others, for a more reliable lockable interfaces.13. the apparatus can be configured to combine the dc plug and power distribution with plug and power communications, including: serial usb, internet. the communication interfaces can share the same conductors as the ones carrying the dc power. the multiplexing of communication signals over the dc plug and power lines will be accomplished by the system controller, while decoding of the communication signals from the dc plug and power distribution lines will be accomplished by respective controller at the power and communication distribution modules. detailed description of the invention notes: 1) for simplicity, the examples of systems, devices, modules and components within them, presented in document “drawings”, are for illustration purposes of respective principals of the invention. the actual design of components, layout and arrangement of the plug and power distribution and control apparatus, will be configured to meet requirements of a specific application. the invention describes unique apparatus in respect to new principals of: a) ac plug and power distribution and controlb) ac-dc plug and power distribution and controlc) dc plug and power distribution and controld) plug and power distribution and control of dc power and communicationswithin structures (buildings), machines, devices.2) the plug and power distribution components of the plug and power distribution and control apparatus illustrated by the invention, will comply to agency regulations (safety, immunity, emissions). as result, depending on agency regulations, interfaces for power distribution and controls will utilize female plug and power connectors for the power carrying ends, and male plug and power connectors for power receiving ends.example: plug and power distribution of 115 vac, where strictly female plug and power connectors will be used for power carrying ends, and male plug and power connectors will be used for power receiving ends.for power levels considered safe, either male or female plug and power connectors will be used for power carrying ends and power receiving ends.example: plug and power distribution of 12 vdc, where any combination of female and or male plug and power connectors will be used for power carrying ends, and any combination of female and or male plug and power connectors will be used for power receiving ends.in all cases, the invention is configured as plug and power, meaning when connections are installed, the system will not have any bare power carrying conductors (wire leads, sections of a connector) exposed, which will prevent hazard of power shock to humans and animals. in addition the plug and power connections can be configured with strain reliefs, weather-proof, to further improve reliability during earthquakes, flooding. in addition, utilization of dc plug and power distribution will significantly reduce risks of a fire hazard during earthquakes.3) for simplicity, optional features of the plug and power distribution and control apparatus described, and the method of using the apparatus, such as: component shielding, grounding, strain-relief, environmental seals, etc. are not shown on all drawings.4) in order to achieve required level of efficiency, the plug and power distribution and control apparatus, in particular in respect to dc power, will be configured to include high conductivity power cables, and their current carrying capacity will be selected to minimize loses. number of daisy-chained plug and power outlets will be controlled to achieve specified system criteria. since the plug and power distribution and control apparatus will bring significant improvements in safety and installations costs, there will be some additional costs considered to achieve reliable and efficient power distribution, resulting in the overall system cost savings without compromising on efficiency. example: the number of daisy-chained plug and power dc outlets will be limited to allow simultaneous utilization of all at the average rated power capacity. in addition, the controller of an intelligent plug and power distribution and control apparatus will provide self-diagnostics to inform the end-user of the efficiency factors.5) the invention illustrates utilization of controller, which though sensors will monitor and control power parameters of the system at specified locations, such as plug and power outlets. controller via self-diagnostics (such as status led's) illustrated by the invention, will indicate the status of each outlet. the system configuration can include plug and power distribution with real-time self-diagnostics and controls to achieve a specified level of acceptance criteria, including efficiency.example 1: when the usage at any location exceed the limit, the self-diagnostics will indicate the condition, and if the usage is higher by certain amount, will turn off the outlet.example 2: when the usage at any location exceed the limit, the self-diagnostics will indicate the condition, and as result—self diagnostics on other daisy-chained plug and power outlets will indicate their unavailability (status of being off). in this case, a specific outlet from a number of daisy-chained outlets, can be used at a power consumption level above average.6) external dc power sources illustrated by the invention, and which are used to power the components and modules of the plug and power system, will include: solar energy; batteries; stand-by power generators, etc. all power sources will comply to agency regulations.7) plug and power ac-dc converter modules illustrated by the invention will be configured to safely withstand abnormal conditions, including: over limit power usage; over limit environment changes (earth quake, elevated temperatures, vibrations, etc.). the system controller is configured to detect these conditions in real-time, and execute safety control algorithm, including: turning power off at selected plug and power distribution outlets, or bringing the entire system to a stand-by mode. the safety control algorithm can include auto-recovery after abnormal condition is no longer present.8) the controller of the plug and power distribution and control apparatus will retain in its non-volatile memory the system configuration parameters, including: pre-set power limits, environment parameter limits, control algorithm, acceptance criteria.9) the controller of the plug and power distribution and control apparatus will in real-time execute configuration and controls communicated by a remote host controller.10) the controller of the plug and power distribution and control apparatus will in real-time execute configuration and controls communicated by an operator via user interface. fig. 1 —illustrates a 3-d view of a dc power distribution plug-and-power strip ( 100 ) configured with: ac-dc power converter (not shown for simplicity) inside enclosure of the strip, which will convert the input ac power provided to the strip to specified dc powers; ac male input plug ( 3 ) on side #1, configured for power rating of the ac voltage being applied to ( 100 ), and providing ac input power to the strip ( 100 ), which is further configured to include power over-current protection device such as fuse residing inside the compartment labeled ( 4 ); ac power on/off switch ( 2 ) on side #1, which controls input ac power to the strip; grounding wire ( 6 ) designated to connect to a designed earth ground stud per agency regulations. the invention in respect to fig. 1 includes: 1) the input plug-and-power entry ( 3 ) and controls ( 2 ) are situated on side #1 of the strip ( 100 ), and the plug-and-power distribution of respective dc outlets situated on the side #2, opposite to side #1, as shown on fig. 3 .2) the power distribution and power control interfaces are configured with pluggable connectors only.3) the power distribution and power control interface is configured with input interface in a form of a male connector ( 3 ), and said male connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector will depend on the power for conducting ac power, and said type of the said mail connector is further configured to identify the type of ac power conducted, and to identify power parameters ac voltage and ac current ratings conducted by said power distribution and power control interface ( 3 ).4) the power female connectors are configured to accept the respective mating power male connectors, and are further configured when are connected—to prevent any power carrying component from being exposed outside the connection itself. fig. 2 —illustrates view of side #1 of the dc power distribution plug-and-power strip ( 100 ) shown on fig. 1 . the enclosure of the strip ( 100 ), and its mounting holes ( 5 ) are configured to provide the following features of the invention: a) all electrical ac power carrying components are enclosed to prevent access with bare hands to any high power leads, terminals, and to any other components carrying high power, which may present hazard.b) the enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface ( 3 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 100 ), and for mounting at least one control component ( 2 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 100 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface ( fig. 3 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 100 ) on side two of said enclosure opposite to said side one.c) said enclosure is further configured for attaching said power distribution and control module ( 100 ) to a mounting surface;d) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said input interface ( 3 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 100 );e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said control component ( 2 , 4 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 100 ); fig. 3 —illustrates view of side #2 of the dc power distribution plug-and-power strip ( 100 ) shown on fig. 1 . the side #2 is configured to include: two dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 102 ) configured for providing dc voltage v 1 and specified current rating; four dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 101 ) configured for providing dc voltage v 2 and specified current rating; components ( 6 , 8 ) are related for mounting the grounding wire described on fig. 1 . for the dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 101 ) the following standard connectors can be used, depending on dc power rating and gender: a) dc jacks with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; the dc female connectors, such as dc jacks, are configured to accept the mating dc male connector, such as dc plugs, and both connectors are further configured when connected—to prevent any power carrying component from being exposed. the invention in respect to fig. 3 includes: a) the power distribution and power control interface of ( 100 ) is further configured with an output interface ( 101 , 102 ) in a form of a female connector, andb) the said female connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said female connector ( 101 , 102 ) will depend on the power for conducting dc power, and said type of the said female connector is further configured to identify the voltage and current ratings conducted by said power distribution and power control interface.c) said dc power distribution and control module further comprising; a dc power control distribution strip ( 100 ) for: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings, and said dc power distribution and control module further comprising; a dc power control distribution strip ( 100 ) for: machinery, and devices. fig. 4-illustrates a 3-d view of a dc controlled plug-and-power outlet ( 103 ) configured with: ac male connector ( 104 ), configured for power rating of the ac voltage being applied to ( 104 ), and providing ac input power for ( 103 ); ac-dc converter inside enclosure (not shown for simplicity), which is configured to convert the ac power applied to ( 103 ) to dc power of voltage v 1 at specified current rating; two dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 105 ) providing dc voltage v 1 at specified current rating. the ac-dc converter is further configured to: comply with agency regulations (safety, emissions, susceptibility); safety controls of the dc power applied to ( 105 ); regulations of the dc power applied to ( 105 ). the plug-and-power outlet ( 103 ), as needed, can have ac feed-through female connector (not shown), which can be mounted on any side of the enclosure with the exception of the side with dc output connectors ( 105 ), which will allow to daisy-chain the outlet ( 103 ) with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use ac power for input. for the dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 105 ) the following standard connectors can be used, depending on dc power rating and gender: a) dc jacks with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; the invention in respect to fig. 4 includes: a) dc power distribution module ( 103 ) configured as a wall or a pole mount power outlet;b) said outlet ( 103 ) is enclosed;c) said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface ( 104 ) of said power distribution module ( 103 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface ( 105 ) on side two of said enclosure;d) said enclosure is further configured for attaching power distribution module to a mounting surface;e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said output interface ( 105 ) of said side two of said power distribution module ( 103 );f) said power distribution module ( 103 ) is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power outlet for dc power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. fig. 5 —illustrates a 3-d view of a dc plug-and-power outlet ( 106 ) configured with: dc male connector ( 107 ), configured for power rating of the dc voltage being applied to ( 106 ), and providing dc input power for ( 106 ); two dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 108 ) providing dc voltage v 1 and specified current rating. the plug-and-power outlet ( 106 ), as needed, can have dc feed-through female connector (not shown), which can be mounted on any side of the enclosure with the exception of the side with dc output connectors ( 108 ), which will allow to daisy-chain the outlet ( 106 ) with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use dc power for input. for the dc plug-and-power male connector ( 107 ) and female connectors ( 108 ) the following standard connectors can be used, depending on dc power rating and gender: a) dc plugs (male) and jacks (female) with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc plugs (male) and jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc plugs (male) and (female) jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; the invention in respect to fig. 5 includes: a) dc power distribution module ( 106 ) is configured as a wall or a pole mount power outlet;b) said outlet ( 106 ) is enclosed;c) said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface ( 107 ) of said power distribution module ( 106 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface ( 108 ) on side two of said enclosure;d) said enclosure is further configured for attaching power distribution module to a mounting surface;e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said output interface ( 108 ) of said side two of said power distribution module ( 106 );f) said power distribution module ( 106 ) is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power outlet for dc power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. fig. 6 —illustrates front view of an ac/dc controlled plug-and-power outlet ( 109 ) configured with: ac male connector ( 110 ), configured for power rating of the ac voltage being applied to ( 109 ), and providing ac input power for ( 109 ); ac-dc converter inside enclosure (not shown for simplicity), which is configured to convert the ac power applied to ( 110 ) to dc power of voltage v 1 at specified current rating; one ac plug-and-power female connector ( 111 ) providing ac voltage at specified current rating; one dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 112 ) providing dc voltage v 1 at specified current rating. the ac-dc converter is further configured to: comply with agency regulations (safety, emissions, susceptibility); safety controls of the ac power applied to ( 111 ); regulations of the dc power applied to ( 112 ); ac feed-through female connector ( 113 ), which will allow to daisy-chain the outlet ( 109 ) with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use ac power for input. the invention in respect to fig. 6 includes: a) ac/dc power distribution module ( 109 ) configured as a wall or a pole mount power outlet;b) said outlet ( 109 ) is enclosed;c) said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface ( 110 ) of said power distribution module ( 109 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface ( 112 ) on side two of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface ( 113 ) on side three of said enclosure;d) said enclosure is further configured for attaching power distribution module ( 109 ) to a mounting surface;e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said output interfaces ( 111 , 112 ) of said side two of said power distribution module ( 109 );f) said power distribution module ( 109 ) is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power outlet for ac/dc power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. fig. 7 —illustrates front view of an dc plug-and-power outlet ( 114 ) configured with: first dc male connector (not shown for simplicity), configured for providing ( 109 ) with dc input power v 1 at specified current rating; second dc male connector (not shown for simplicity), configured for providing ( 109 ) with dc input power v 2 at specified current rating; one dc plug-and-power female connector ( 115 ) providing dc voltage v 1 at specified current rating; one dc plug-and-power female connector ( 116 ) providing dc voltage v 2 at specified current rating. the plug-and-power outlet ( 114 ), as needed, can have one dc feed-through female connector (not shown) with dc input power v 1 at specified current rating, which can be mounted on any side of the enclosure with the exception of the side with dc output connectors ( 115 , 116 ), which will allow to daisy-chain the outlet ( 114 ) with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use dc input power v 1 at specified current rating for input. the plug-and-power outlet ( 114 ), as needed, can have one dc feed-through female connector (not shown) with dc input power v 2 at specified current rating, which can be mounted on any side of the enclosure with the exception of the side with dc output connectors ( 115 , 116 ), which will allow to daisy-chain the outlet ( 114 ) with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use dc input power v 2 at specified current rating for input. the invention in respect to fig. 7 includes: a) dc power distribution module ( 114 ) configured as a wall or a pole mount power outlet;b) said outlet ( 114 ) is enclosed;c) said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one dc input interface (not shown) of said power distribution module ( 114 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface ( 115 , 116 ) on side two of said enclosure, and mounting additional output interface (not shown) on side three of said enclosure;d) said enclosure is further configured for attaching power distribution module ( 114 ) to a mounting surface;e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said output interfaces ( 115 , 116 ) of said side two of said power distribution module ( 114 );f) said power distribution module ( 114 ) is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power outlet for dc power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. fig. 8 —illustrates front view of an dc plug-and-power outlet ( 117 ) configured with: dc male connector (not shown for simplicity), configured for providing ( 117 ) with dc input power v 1 at specified current rating; two dc plug-and-power female connector ( 118 ) providing dc voltage v 1 at specified current rating. the plug-and-power outlet ( 117 ), as needed, can have one dc feed-through female connector (not shown) with dc input power v 1 at specified current rating, which can be mounted on any side of the enclosure with the exception of the side with dc output connectors ( 118 ), which will allow to daisy-chain the outlet ( 117 ) with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use dc input power v 1 at specified current rating for input. the invention in respect to fig. 8 includes: a) dc power distribution module ( 117 ) configured as a wall or a pole mount power outlet;b) said outlet ( 117 ) is enclosed;c) said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one dc input interface (not shown) of said power distribution module ( 117 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface ( 118 ) on side two of said enclosure, and mounting additional output interface (not shown) on side three of said enclosure;d) said enclosure is further configured for attaching power distribution module ( 117 ) to a mounting surface;e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said output interfaces ( 118 ) of said side two of said power distribution module ( 117 );f) said power distribution module ( 117 ) is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power outlet for dc power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. fig. 9 —illustrates front view of an ac/dc plug-and-power switch module ( 119 ) configured with: ac male connector ( 120 ), configured for power rating of the ac voltage being applied to ( 120 ), and providing ac input power for ( 119 ); dc male connector ( 121 ), configured for power rating of the dc voltage being applied to ( 121 ), and providing dc input power for ( 119 ); switch ( 123 ), configured to control on/off the ac power from the input connector ( 120 ) to the ac output female connector ( 124 ); switch ( 122 ), configured to control on/off the dc power from the dc input connector ( 121 ) to the dc output female connector ( 125 ). the ac/dc plug-and-power switch module ( 119 ) is further configured to: comply with agency regulations (safety, emissions, susceptibility). the invention in respect to fig. 9 includes: a) said switch ( 119 ) is enclosed;b) said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface ( 120 , 121 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 119 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface of said power distribution and control module on side one or side two of said enclosure ( 119 );c) said enclosure is further configured for mounting said switch ( 122 , 123 ) of said power distribution and control module on side three of said enclosure;d) said enclosure is further configured for attaching said power distribution and control module ( 119 ) to a mounting surface;e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said switch ( 122 , 123 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 119 );f) said power distribution and control module ( 119 ) is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power control switch ( 122 , 123 ) for power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. fig. 10 —illustrates front view of a dc plug-and-power outlet ( 126 ) similar to the one shown on fig. 8 , with the exception that three dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 127 ) providing dc voltage v 1 at specified current rating. fig. 11 —illustrates front view of an dc plug-and-power switch module ( 128 ) configured with: dc male connector ( 129 ), configured for power rating of the dc voltage being applied to ( 129 ), and providing dc input power for ( 128 ); switch ( 130 ), configured to control on/off the dc power from the input connector ( 129 ) to the dc output female connector ( 131 ). the invention in respect to fig. 11 includes: a) said switch ( 128 ) is enclosed;b) said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface ( 129 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 128 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface of said power distribution and control module on side two of said enclosure ( 128 );c) said enclosure is further configured for mounting said switch ( 130 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 128 ) on side three of said enclosure;d) said enclosure is further configured for attaching said power distribution and control module ( 128 ) to a mounting surface;e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said switch ( 130 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 128 );f) said power distribution and control module ( 128 ) is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount dc power control switch ( 130 ) for dc power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. fig. 12 —illustrates conceptual layout of a ac-dc power converter ( 132 ) with only pluggable male interfaces for incoming ac power ( 133 ) and only pluggable female interfaces for outgoing dc powers, which is configured with: ac male connector ( 133 ) providing ac power; ac power on/off switch ( 140 ), which controls ac power applied to ( 132 ); ac-dc converter (not shown for simplicity) inside ( 132 ), which is configured to convert the input ac power applied to ( 133 ) to dc power consisting of three separate dc voltages: v 1 , v 2 , v 3 each at specified current rating, and the ac-dc converter ( 132 ) is further configured to comply with agency regulations (safety, emissions, susceptibility); section #1 ( 134 ) providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v 1 at specified current rating; section #2 ( 135 ) providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v 2 at specified current rating; section #3 ( 136 ) providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v 3 at specified current rating. for the dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 134 , 135 , 136 ) depending on dc power rating, the following standard connectors can be used: a) dc jacks with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; the invention in respect to fig. 12 includes: a) configurable power distribution and control module ( 132 )b) said power distribution and control module ( 132 ) configured for ac power input interfacing ( 133 ) with plug-and-power interface components (not shown for simplicity) of the invention, and through said interfaces receive power from other modules of the invention, or from outside ac power sourcesc) said power distribution and control module ( 132 ) is further configured for controlling ac power applied to ( 133 ), including converting input ac power to dc power;d) said power distribution and control module ( 132 ) is further configured for power output interfacing with ( 134 , 135 , 136 ), and through said output interfacing provide dc controlled power from said ( 132 ) to other modules of the invention, when said modules are plug-and-power connected to either of ( 134 , 135 , 136 );e) said power distribution and control module ( 132 ) is further configured for plug and power distribution and control without exposing power carrying components from being accessible with bare hands, and comprising: a) at least one power input interface ( 133 ) configured for mating with an output interface (not shown for simplicity) and providing input power from said interface to said ( 133 );b) at least one power output interface ( 134 , 135 , 136 ) configured for mating with an input interface (not shown for simplicity) of said output interface ( 134 , 135 , 136 ) and providing output power from said ( 134 , 135 , 136 ) to said input interface;c) at least one power control component ( 140 ), (ac-dc converter of ( 132 ), not shown for simplicity) consisting of manual ( 140 ) and electronic controls (ac-dc converter), and said control component ( 140 ), (ac-dc converter of ( 132 )) configured for controlling output power of at least one ( 134 , 135 , 136 );d) at least one interface between ( 133 ), ( 140 ), ac-dc converter of ( 132 ), ( 134 ), ( 135 ), ( 136 ), and said interface consisting of at least one of a plurality of: discrete wires, cables, printed circuit boards, connectors;e) an enclosure configured for housing (a), (b), (c), (d);f) said enclosure configured to prevent access with bare hands to any high power leads, terminals, and to any other components carrying high power, which may present hazard.f) said dc power distribution and control module ( 132 ) further comprising dc power control distribution for: industrial, commercial, residential buildings, stand-alone devices, computers. fig. 13 —illustrates a dc power distribution plug-and-power strip ( 137 ), which is configured to include: one dc plug-and-power input male connector ( 138 ), which is further configured to interface with plug-and-power interface (not shown for simplicity) and to provide dc input power voltage v 1 at specified rating to ( 138 ); four dc plug-and-power output female connectors ( 140 ) configured for providing dc voltage v 1 and specified current rating, and for plug-and-power interfacing with said plug-and-power interface providing dc power to other modules of the invention, or dc power for external loads, which are also interfaced with said plug-and-power interface. for the dc plug-and-power male connector ( 138 ) and female connectors ( 140 ), depending on dc power rating and gender, the following standard connectors can be used: a) dc plugs (male) and jacks (female) with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc plugs (male) and jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc plugs (male) and (female) jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; the invention in respect to fig. 13 includes: a) the dc power distribution and power control interface of ( 138 ) is further configured with an output interface ( 140 ) in a form of a female connector, andb) the said female connector ( 140 ) is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said female connector ( 101 , 102 ) will depend on the power for conducting dc power, and said type of the said female connector is further configured to identify the voltage and current ratings conducted by said power distribution and power control interface. fig. 14 —illustrates 3-d view of an dc plug-and-power switch module ( 141 ) configured with: dc male connector ( 143 ), configured for power rating of the dc voltage being applied to ( 143 ), and providing dc input power for ( 141 ); switch ( 144 ), configured to control on/off the dc power from the input connector ( 143 ) to the dc output female connector ( 142 ). for the dc plug-and-power male connector ( 143 ) and female connector ( 142 ), depending on dc power rating and gender, the following standard connectors can be used: a) dc plugs (male) and jacks (female) with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc plugs (male) and jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc plugs (male) and (female) jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; fig. 15 —illustrates a 3-d view of a dc controlled plug-and-power outlet ( 145 ) configured with: ac male connector ( 146 ), configured for power rating of the ac voltage being applied to ( 146 ), and providing ac input power for ( 145 ); ac-dc converter inside enclosure (not shown for simplicity), which is configured to convert the ac power applied to ( 146 ) to dc power of voltage v 1 at specified current rating, and further to convert the ac power applied to ( 146 ) to dc power of voltage v 2 at specified current rating; two dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 147 ) providing dc voltage v 1 at specified current rating; two dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 148 ) providing dc voltage v 2 at specified current rating; the ac-dc converter is further configured to: comply with agency regulations (safety, emissions, susceptibility); safety controls of the dc power applied to ( 146 ); regulations of the dc power applied to ( 147 , 148 ). for the dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 147 , 148 ) the following standard connectors can be used, depending on dc power rating and gender: a) dc jacks with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; fig. 16 —illustrates conceptual layout of an intelligent plug and power distribution and control module configured as ac-dc power converter ( 149 ) consisting of: programmable controller ( 150 ); controller user interfaces ( 152 ); ac male connector ( 153 ) providing ac power; ac power on/off switch ( 186 ), which controls ac power applied to ( 149 ); ac-dc converter (not shown for simplicity) inside ( 149 ), which is monitored and controlled by said programmable controller, and said ac-dc converter further configured to convert the input ac power applied to ( 153 ) to dc power consisting of three separate dc voltages: v 1 , v 2 , v 3 each at specified current rating, and the ac-dc converter ( 149 ) is further configured to comply with agency regulations (safety, emissions, susceptibility); section #1 ( 134 ) providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v 1 at specified current rating; section #2 ( 135 ) providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v 2 at specified current rating; section #3 ( 136 ) providing three plug-and-power dc female outlets for voltage v 3 at specified current rating; and self-diagnostics status led's for each dc output ( 157 , 158 , 159 ) controlled by said programmable controller of ( 149 ); wired or wireless interface ( 151 ) to remote host computer. the self-diagnostics status led's ( 157 , 158 , 159 ) by either of states: on or off, color change, flashing frequency, will indicate to the user the state of the respective dc output. programmable controller ( 150 ) will: a) interface with sensors of said ( 149 ) and monitor ac and dc power parameters of said ( 149 )b) interface with user controls ( 152 ), providing said user with ability to locally: configure the said ( 149 ), monitor ( 149 ), and make required adjustments to maintain dc power parameters of the selected dc power outputs ( 154 , 155 , 156 ) within preset specification parameters or criteriac) interface with host computer (via 151 ), providing host computer with ability to: configure the said ( 149 ), monitor ( 149 ), and make required adjustments in real-time to maintain dc power parameters of the selected dc power outputs ( 154 , 155 , 156 ) within preset specification parameters or criteria.d) interface with display components, such as lcd, led's—to visually display the status of programmable controller, and components of said ( 149 ) and said dc outputs ( 154 , 155 , 156 ). the ac-dc converter ( 149 ) can be further configured to provide dc plug and power distribution with communications, modulated over dc power line. in this configuration, the programmable controller ( 150 ) in addition to functions listed above, will be configured for: 1) modulating communication signals received from the host, and transmitting the modulated communication signals over the dc power lines through plug and power connections of sections 160 , 161 , 162 .2) maintaining modulated communication signals to within set criteria3) maintaining dc power outputs to within set criteria for the dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 154 , 155 , 156 ) depending on dc power rating, the following standard connectors can be used: a) dc jacks with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; the invention in respect to fig. 16 includes: a) programming, via an user interface ( 151 , 152 ), said programmable controller (of said ac-dc converter 149 ) and said host computer (remote to 149 ) on said intelligent modular dc power control and dc power distribution system (which is 149 is part of);b) receiving electrical signals to said programmable controller (of said ac-dc converter 149 ) from at least one of plurality of sensors (such as ac-dc converting components of 149 );c) controlling at least one power component (such as ac-dc converting components of 149 ) of a plurality of said modules (including said ac-dc converter 149 ) electronically such that at least one or more of the following dc power attributes, power voltage, power current, power energy (of said dc power outputs ( 154 , 155 , 156 ) of ( 149 )) is controlled;d) determining an optimized electrical configuration of at least one of a plurality of said modules (including ( 149 )) by said programmable controller based at least in part on communications received (via interface ( 151 )) from said host computer (remote to ( 149 ) and the signals received from said plurality of sensors and further including data for dc power voltage, power current, power energy;e) sending electrical control signals from said programmable controller to said power component of a module (including ( 149 )), based upon data from said user interface ( 152 ), said host computer (via interface ( 151 )) and said sensors;f) configuring and controlling said intelligent modular dc power control and power distribution system (which is ( 149 ) is a part of) of a building with programmable controllers, and said programmable controllers comprising programmable closed loop system maintaining dc power attributes (such as dc voltages on outputs ( 154 , 155 , 156 )) of said system within programmable acceptance criteria, and the interface between power modules consisting of pluggable connectors (such as 154 , 155 , 156 ) only. fig. 17 —illustrates front view of an intelligent ac/dc controlled plug-and-power outlet ( 163 ) configured with: ac male connector (not shown for simplicity), configured for power rating of the ac voltage being applied to ( 163 ), and providing ac input power for ( 163 ); programmable controller (not shown) installed inside ( 163 ); ac-dc converter inside enclosure (not shown for simplicity), which is configured to convert the ac power applied to ( 163 ) to dc power of voltage v 1 at specified current rating; one ac plug-and-power female connector ( 165 ) providing ac voltage at specified current rating; one dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 167 ) providing dc voltage v 1 at specified current rating; self-diagnostics status led's, one led ( 164 ) for indicating status of ac output ( 165 ), and the other led ( 166 ) for indicating the status of dc output ( 167 ), and both led's controlled by said programmable controller of ( 163 ). the intelligent ac-dc converter ( 163 ) is further configured to: comply with agency regulations (safety, emissions, susceptibility); safety controls of the ac power applied to ( 165 ); regulations of the dc power applied to ( 167 ). optional ac feed-through female connector (not show for simplicity), which will allow to daisy-chain the input ac power with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use ac power for input. programmable controller of ( 160 ) will: a) interface with sensors of said ( 160 ) and monitor ac and dc power parameters of said ( 160 )b) interface with host computer (via wireless interface, not shown for simplicity), providing host computer with ability to: configure the said ( 160 ), monitor ( 160 ), and make required adjustments in real-time to maintain dc power parameters of the selected dc power output ( 167 ) within preset specification parameters or criteria.c) interface with led's—to visually display the status of said ac output ( 165 ) and said dc output ( 167 ). fig. 18 —illustrates front view of an intelligent dc plug-and-power outlet ( 168 ) configured with: first dc male connector (not shown for simplicity), configured for providing ( 168 ) with dc input power v 1 at specified current rating; second dc male connector (not shown for simplicity), configured for providing ( 168 ) with dc input power v 2 at specified current rating; one dc plug-and-power female connector ( 170 ) providing dc voltage v 1 at specified current rating; one dc plug-and-power female connector ( 172 ) providing dc voltage v 2 at specified current rating; self-diagnostics status led's, one led ( 169 ) for indicating status of dc output ( 170 ), and the other led ( 171 ) for indicating the status of dc output ( 172 ), and both led's controlled by said programmable controller of ( 168 ). the intelligent plug-and-power outlet ( 168 ), as needed, can have one dc feed-through female connector (not shown) with dc input power v 1 at specified current rating, which can be mounted on any side of the enclosure with the exception of the side with dc output connectors ( 170 , 172 ), which will allow to daisy-chain the dc outlet of ( 168 ) with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use dc input power v 1 at specified current rating for input. the plug-and-power outlet ( 168 ), as needed, can have one dc feed-through female connector (not shown) with dc input power v 2 at specified current rating, which can be mounted on any side of the enclosure with the exception of the side with dc output connectors ( 170 , 172 ), which will allow to daisy-chain the outlet of ( 168 ) with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use dc input power v 2 at specified current rating for input. programmable controller of ( 168 ) will: a) interface with sensors of said ( 168 ) and monitor dc power parameters of said ( 168 )b) interface with host computer (via wireless interface, not shown for simplicity), providing host computer with ability to: configure the said ( 168 ), monitor ( 168 ), and make required adjustments in real-time to maintain dc power parameters of the selected dc power outputs ( 170 , 172 ) within preset specification parameters or criteria.c) controlling led's—to visually display the status of said dc output ( 170 ) and said dc output ( 172 ). the invention in respect to fig. 18 includes: a) dc power distribution module ( 168 ) configured as a wall or a pole mount power outlet;b) said outlet ( 168 ) is enclosed;c) said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one dc input interface (not shown) of said power distribution module ( 168 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface ( 170 , 172 ) on side two of said enclosure, and mounting additional output interface (not shown) on side three of said enclosure;d) said enclosure is further configured for attaching power distribution module ( 168 ) to a mounting surface;e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said output interfaces ( 170 , 172 ) of said side two of said power distribution module ( 168 );f) said power distribution module ( 168 ) is further comprising; a wall or a pole mount power outlet for dc power distribution of: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. fig. 19 —illustrates front view of an intelligent dc plug-and-power outlet ( 173 ) configured with: dc male connector (not shown for simplicity), configured for providing ( 173 ) with dc input power v 1 at specified current rating; programmable controller (not shown for simplicity) of ( 173 ); two dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 174 , 175 ) providing dc voltage v 1 at specified current rating; self-diagnostics status led's, one led ( 176 ) for indicating status of dc output ( 174 ), and the other led ( 177 ) for indicating the status of dc output ( 175 ), and both led's controlled by said programmable controller of ( 173 ). the intelligent plug-and-power outlet ( 173 ), as needed, can have one dc feed-through female connector (not shown) with dc input power v 1 at specified current rating, which can be mounted on any side of the enclosure with the exception of the side with dc output connectors ( 174 , 175 ), which will allow to daisy-chain the dc outlet of ( 173 ) with other modules of the plug-and-power distribution system, which use dc input power v 1 at specified current rating for input. said programmable controller of ( 173 ) will: a) interface with sensors of said ( 173 ) and monitor dc power parameters of said ( 173 )b) interface with host computer (via wireless interface, not shown for simplicity), providing host computer with ability to: configure the said ( 173 ), monitor ( 173 ), and make required adjustments in real-time to maintain dc power parameters of the selected dc power outputs ( 174 , 175 ) within preset specification parameters or criteria.c) controlling led's, and via led ( 176 ) visually display the status of said dc output ( 174 ), and via led ( 177 ) visually display the status of said dc output ( 175 ). fig. 20 —illustrates an intelligent dc power distribution plug-and-power strip ( 178 ), which is configured to include: one dc plug-and-power input male connector ( 179 ), which is further configured to interface with plug-and-power interface (not shown for simplicity) and to provide dc input power voltage v 1 at specified rating to ( 178 ); programmable controller (not shown for simplicity) of ( 178 ); four dc plug-and-power output female connectors ( 181 ) configured for providing dc voltage v 1 and specified current rating, and for plug-and-power interfacing with said plug-and-power interface providing dc power to other modules of the invention, or dc power for external loads, which are also interfaced with said plug-and-power interface; four led's ( 180 ) for indicating status of respective dc outputs ( 181 ), and all led's controlled by said programmable controller of ( 178 ). said programmable controller of ( 178 ) will: a) interface with sensors of said ( 178 ) and monitor dc power parameters of said ( 178 )b) interface with host computer (via wireless interface, not shown for simplicity), providing host computer with ability to: configure the said ( 178 ), monitor ( 178 ), and make required adjustments in real-time to maintain dc power parameters of the selected dc power outputs ( 181 ) within preset specification parameters or criteria.c) controlling led's ( 182 ) visually displaying the status of said respective dc outputs ( 181 ). fig. 21 —illustrates view of side #1 of an intelligent dc power distribution plug-and-power strip ( 183 ), which is configured with the following components: programmable controller ( 184 ) of ( 183 ), with local user interface ( 188 ); ac-dc power converter (not shown for simplicity) inside enclosure of the strip ( 183 ), which will convert the input ac power provided to the strip via male ac interface connector ( 3 ) to specified dc powers, consisting of voltage v 1 at specified current rating, and voltage v 2 at specified current rating (connections are shown on fig. 22 ); ac male input plug ( 3 ) on side #1, is configured for power rating of the ac voltage being applied to ( 183 ), and providing ac input power to the strip ( 183 ), which is further configured to include power over-current protection device such as fuse residing inside the compartment labeled ( 4 ); ac power on/off switch ( 2 ) on side #1, which controls input ac power to the strip ( 183 ); and components mounted to side #2 of the enclosure of ( 183 ), which are shown on fig. 22 . said programmable controller ( 184 ) of ( 183 ) will: a) interface with sensors of said ( 183 ) and monitor ac and dc power parameters of said ( 183 )b) interface with user controls ( 188 ), providing said user with ability to locally: configure the said ( 183 ), monitor ( 183 ), and make required adjustments to maintain dc power parameters of the selected dc power outputs (shown on fig. 22 ) within preset specification parameters or criteria, stored in the non-volatile memory of the controller ( 184 )c) interface with host computer (via wireless interface, not shown for simplicity), providing host computer with ability to: configure the said ( 183 ), monitor ( 183 ), and make required adjustments in real-time to maintain dc power parameters of the selected dc power outputs (shown on fig. 22 ) within preset specification parameters or criteria, stored in the non-volatile memory of the controller ( 184 ).c) controlling led's visually displaying the status of said respective dc outputs, as shown on fig. 22 . the invention in respect to fig. 21 includes: a) all electrical ac power carrying components are enclosed to prevent access with bare hands to any high power leads, terminals, and to any other components carrying high power, which may present hazard.b) said enclosure is configured for mounting at least one input interface ( 3 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 183 ), and for mounting at least one control component ( 2 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 183 ) on side one of said enclosure, and mounting at least one output interface ( fig. 22 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 183 ) on side two of said enclosure opposite to said side one.c) said enclosure is further configured for attaching said power distribution and control module ( 183 ) to a mounting surface;d) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said controller ( 184 ) interfaces ( 184 , 188 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 183 );e) said mounting surface will have cut-out allowing access to said control components ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) of said power distribution and control module ( 183 );f) said programmable control electronics ( 184 ) of ( 183 ) configured for interfacing ( 184 ) with an user interface, shown as local operator interface ( 188 ), or remote interface, and for monitoring and controlling output power of ( 183 );g) plurality of sensors of ( 184 ) configured for monitoring the power attributes of said ( 183 ), and for monitoring ambient environment surrounding said ( 183 ), and for providing monitored data to said programmable control electronics ( 184 ) of ( 183 );h) said user interface of ( 184 ) configured for programming said programmable control electronics of ( 183 ), and said user interface of connected to said programmable control electronics ( 184 ) of ( 183 ) via at least one of a network, wireless, wired cable connection or the internet;i) a non-volatile memory configured for interfacing with said programmable control electronics of ( 184 ), and storing trigger points for different sensor conditions, and storing acceptance criteria of said power attributes of ( 183 ), and storing control algorithm executed in real-time by said programmable control electronics ( 184 ) of ( 183 ) maintaining said power attributes of ( 183 ) within said acceptance criteria; fig. 22 —illustrates view of side #2 of the dc power distribution plug-and-power strip ( 180 ) shown on fig. 21 . the side #2 is configured to include: two dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 185 ) configured for providing dc voltage v 1 and specified current rating, with respective self-diagnostics led's ( 186 ); four dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 188 ) configured for providing dc voltage v 2 and specified current rating, with respective self-diagnostics led's ( 187 ); components ( 6 , 8 ) are related for mounting the grounding wire described on fig. 21 . for the dc plug-and-power female connectors ( 101 ) the following standard connectors can be used, depending on dc power rating and gender: a) dc jacks with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; the invention in respect to fig. 22 includes: a) the power distribution and power control interface of ( 183 ) is further configured with an output interface ( 186 , 188 ) in a form of a female connector, andb) the said female connector is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said female connector ( 186 , 188 ) will depend on the power for conducting dc power, and said type of the said female connector is further configured to identify the voltage and current ratings conducted by said power distribution and power control interface.c) said dc power distribution and control module further comprising; a dc power control distribution strip ( 183 ) for: industrial, commercial, and residential buildings, and said dc power distribution and control module further comprising; a dc power control distribution strip ( 100 ) for: machinery, and devices. fig. 23 —illustrates an example of a dc plug and power distribution and control interface ( 200 ) configured on one end with a dc male plug and power connector ( 202 ) for interfacing to a dc power source, including configurable plug and power distribution and control module, and on the other end with a dc female plug and power connector ( 201 ) for interfacing to other plug and power modules within the apparatus, or to devices outside of the apparatus. for the dc plug-and-power female connector ( 201 ) the following standard connectors can be used, depending on dc power rating and gender: a) dc jacks with id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc jacks with id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc jacks with id of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; for the dc plug-and-power male connector ( 202 ) the following standard connectors can be used, depending on dc power rating and gender: a) dc plug mating with dc jack id of ˜1.3 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 5v;b) dc plug mating with dc jack id of ˜2 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 12v;c) dc plug mating with dc jack od of ˜2.5 mm, which can be used for plug-and-power distribution of 24v; the invention in respect to fig. 23 includes: a) said dc power distribution and power control interface ( 200 ) is configured with pluggable connectors ( 201 , 202 ) only;b) said dc power distribution and power control interface ( 200 ) is configured with input interface in a form of a male connector ( 202 ), and said male connector ( 202 ) is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector ( 202 ) is further configured to identify the power parameters voltage and current ratings conducted by said dc power distribution and power control interface;c) said dc power distribution and power control interface ( 200 ) is further configured with an output interface in a form of a female connector ( 201 ), and said female connector ( 201 ) is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said female connector ( 201 ) is further configured to identify the voltage and current ratings conducted by said dc power distribution and power control interface. fig. 24 —illustrates an example of a dc plug and power distribution and control interface ( 203 ) configured on one end with a dc male plug and power connector ( 206 ) for interfacing to a dc power source, including configurable plug and power distribution and control module, and on the other end with two dc female plug and power connectors ( 205 ) for interfacing to other plug and power modules within the apparatus, or to devices outside of the apparatus. the split ( 204 ) of the interface ( 203 ) will interconnect the ( 206 ) with two ( 205 ). fig. 25 —illustrates an example of an ac plug and power distribution and control interface ( 207 ) configured on one end with an ac male plug and power connector ( 209 ) for interfacing to an ac power source, including configurable plug and power distribution and control module, and on the other end with an ac female plug and power connector ( 208 ) for interfacing to other plug and power modules within the apparatus, or to devices outside of the apparatus. the invention in respect to fig. 25 includes: a) said ac power distribution and power control interface ( 207 ) is configured with pluggable connectors ( 208 , 209 ) only;b) said ac power distribution and power control interface ( 207 ) is configured with input interface in a form of a male connector ( 209 ), and said male connector ( 209 ) is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said male connector ( 209 ) is further configured to identify the power parameters voltage and current ratings conducted by said ac power distribution and power control interface;c) said ac power distribution and power control interface ( 207 ) is further configured with an output interface in a form of a female connector ( 208 ), and said female connector ( 208 ) is further configured to comply to agency regulations, and the type of said female connector ( 208 ) is further configured to identify the voltage and current ratings conducted by said ac power distribution and power control interface.d) said ac power distribution and power control interface ( 207 ) is enclosed, and said enclosure configured to house all components of ( 207 ), and when is connected—preventing exposing ac power carrying components of ( 207 ) from being accessible with bare hands; fig. 26 —illustrates an example of a method of configuring and controlling an intelligent modular dc plug and power distribution and control apparatus (system) consisting of: configurable plug and power distribution and control interfaces ( 300 through 311 ); configurable plug and power distribution and control modules ( 149 , 128 , 178 , 137 ); configurable plug and power distribution modules ( 168 , 173 , 137 ); external ac power source ( 400 ) connected via plug and power interface ( 300 ); external dc power source ( 401 ) connected via plug and power interface ( 301 ); remote host controller ( 600 ) connected via ( 601 ) representing at least one of a network, wireless, wired cable connection or the internet. the dc loads powered by the system are labeled ( 500 through 503 ). the system can be used for dc plug and power distribution and control for a variety of applications, including: residential housings, apartment complexes, commercial structures, etc. all or some of the dc loads can be configured for plug and power connection to the system. in respect to the fig. 26 , the following is illustrated: a) external ac power source ( 400 ) is connected via ac plug and power interface ( 300 ) to the ac plug and power connector ( 153 ) of the intelligent dc plug and power distribution and control module ( 149 ), and ( 400 , 300 ) are configured to provide ac power to the ac-dc converter of the ( 149 ) under control of a local switch ( 186 );b) external dc power source ( 401 ) is connected via dc plug and power interface ( 301 ) to dc plug and power connector ( 189 ) of the intelligent dc plug and power distribution and control module ( 149 ), and ( 401 , 301 ) are configured to provide dc power to the ( 149 ), by-passing ac-dc converter of the ( 149 );c) depending on application requirements, any combination of external ac source ( 400 ) and/or dc source ( 401 ) can be used to power the entire ( 149 ), or sections of, and with ac and dc power distribution and controls of ( 149 ) complying to agency regulations.d) for illustration purposes, in the example on fig. 26 , the ac power source ( 400 ) will be used for ac-dc converter of ( 149 ), and under intelligent controls of the ( 149 ) the ac-dc converter will control dc voltage #1 (v 1 ) at rated current, and the dc voltage #1 will be presented at the dc plug and power distribution section ( 160 ); and the ac-dc converter will control dc voltage #2 (v 2 ) at rated current, and the dc voltage #2 will be presented at the dc plug and power distribution section ( 161 ).e) for illustration purposes, in the example on fig. 26 , the dc power source ( 401 ) under intelligent controls of the ( 149 ) will be used directly control dc voltage #3 at rated current, and the dc voltage #3 (v 3 ) will be presented at the dc plug and power distribution section ( 162 ).f) the dc output plug and power sections ( 160 , 161 , 162 ) are configured with plug and power dc connectors representing the respective voltages at rated currents. the configuration of each connector ( 154 , 155 , 156 ) respectively of the dc plug and power sections ( 160 , 161 , 162 ) will ensure that plug and power interfaces of specific voltage (v 1 , v 2 , v 3 ) will mate with respective connector outputting respective voltages v 1 , v 2 , v 3 . in the example: plug and power interface ( 311 ) can only be plugged into any connector ( 154 ) of section ( 160 ); plug and power interfaces ( 303 , 308 ) can only be plugged into any connector ( 155 ) of section ( 161 ); plug and power interfaces ( 302 , 305 ) can only be plugged into any connector ( 156 ) of section ( 162 );g) in the illustration, as described by (d, e, f)—the dc power source ( 401 ), such as a battery or stand-by generator, will be used as a stand-by dc power source, and can be designated to provide emergency stand-by dc power when ac power source ( 400 ) is not available.h) dc plug and power distribution strip ( 137 ) is connected via ( 311 ) to ( 154 ) of ( 160 ), and is used for dc plug and power distribution of voltage v 1 of section ( 160 ).i) dc plug and power distribution strip ( 178 ) is connected via ( 303 ) to ( 155 ) of ( 161 ), and is used for dc plug and power distribution of voltage v 2 of section ( 161 ).j) dc plug and power control module ( 128 ), shown as a wall mount switch with plug and power input connector ( 129 ) and plug and power output connector ( 131 ), is connected to voltage v 2 via ( 308 , 129 ) to ( 155 ) of ( 161 ), and will control voltage v 2 coming from ( 131 ) of ( 128 ).k) the plug and power interface ( 304 ) is connected to ( 131 ) of ( 128 ), and will provide controlled power v 2 to plug and power input #1 (not shown for simplicity) of the plug and power dual dc power outlet module ( 168 ).l) dc plug and power interface ( 305 ) will connect voltage v 3 from connector ( 156 ) of section ( 162 ) to plug and power connector #2 (not shown for simplicity) of the ( 168 ).m) the ( 168 ), as shown, has plug and power outlet ( 172 ) with voltage v 2 controlled by ( 128 ), which is connected via plug and power interface ( 306 ) to a dc powered light source ( 500 ), such as led. the light source ( 500 ) is configured to operate under power v 2 , and as shown, the light will turn on when the switch ( 128 ) is on.n) the plug and power interface ( 302 ) connects the v 3 of ( 162 ) to plug and power input connector of dual plug and power dc outlet module ( 173 ), which has two plug and power outlets ( 174 , 175 ) configured for providing v 3 to respective loads connected.o) dc load ( 501 ) is connected to plug and power strip ( 178 ), and will receive power v 2 when switch ( 187 ) of the ( 178 ) is on.p) dc loads ( 502 , 503 ) are connected to plug and power strip ( 137 ), and will receive power v 1 when switch ( 185 ) of the ( 137 ) is on. the ac-dc converter ( 149 ) can be further configured to provide dc plug and power distribution with communications, modulated over dc power line or dc power lines. in this configuration, the programmable controller ( 150 ) in addition to functions listed above, will be configured for: 1) modulating communication signals received from the host, and transmitting the modulated communication signals over the dc power lines through plug and power connections of sections 160 , 161 , 162 .2) maintaining modulated communication signals to within set criteria3) maintaining dc power outputs to within set criteria when configured for dc plug and power distribution with communications, modulated over dc power lines, the ac-dc converter ( 149 ) can interface with dc plug and power distribution and communication modules such as the one ( 803 ) illustrated on fig. 33 , providing dc plug and power distribution, and communications to the module ( 803 ) through dc plug and power interface with modulated communication signals over the dc power lines, such as the one ( 806 ) shown on fig. 33 . the system for providing dc plug and power distribution and controls, when configured for a dc safe range of powers, as defined by regulations, is intrinsically safe. in addition, throughout the entire system (as shown on fig. 26 , configured with an intelligent controller in this case), the dc power distribution and controls throughout the system are monitored by system controller, and compared in real-time to pre-configured levels of power (voltage, current, power), and any deviation from the set parameters is either corrected in real-time, or the respective power is shut down by the system controller. the system controller based on preset acceptance criteria stored in the controller non-volatile memory, or communicated in real-time by the host controller, will execute in real-time controls over the plug and power distribution and control apparatus, with an objective to achieve the criteria. in addition, the system controller will monitor the ambient environment (temperature, vibrations, etc.) and execute pre-defined safety control algorithm in the event the ambient parameter is outside of the specified range. the control algorithm, the set criteria, and other configuration parameters can be stored in a non-volatile memory of the system controller, or communicated to the system controller by a remote host controller in real-time, and then executed by the system controller directly, independent of an operator, or with assistance of the operator, as needed. a typical plug and power dc power distribution and control system would provide: 5v, 12v, 24v, which are used for powering a variety of dc loads, such as: computers, small appliances, audio/video equipment, etc. the illustrated example of a plug and power dc power distribution and control system clearly underlines the advantages vs. existing ac power distribution methods. existing methods. in a typical household, there are number of dc powered loads, including: computers (desktop, laptop), electronic devices (phones, audio/video), etc. each dc load requires an ac-dc converter: desktop computers with psu built-in; laptop computers with dc power bricks; audio/video—combination of built-in psu and stand-alone dc bricks. as result, there are: 1) energy wasted, since there are numerous ac-dc power converters with limited power conversion efficiency due to costs, size. assuming an average efficiency of 90%, the power wasted would amount to 10% times number of converters operating at the same time.in practical terms, just by touching the exterior of the enclosure of an ac-dc converter, the temperature above ambient—is clear indication of the wasted wattage.2) extra weight added to a “device” if psu is built-in, or an additional accessory is required for devices with dc power brick.3) reliability of each device, in particular the ones with a built-in psu (tv, etc.) is impacted negatively by the reliability of the psu itself. method described by the invention. the plug and power distribution and control apparatus described by this invention will provide required number of high efficiency ac-dc power converters, which are located behind the walls (not visible by the user), as part of the intelligent dc power distribution and control system, which will: a) maintain high-level of power conversion efficiency, and reliabilityb) lower the weight, size and costs of electronic devices, which are no longer have a built-in ac-dc converters example: in a typical household, there are number of dc powered loads, including: computers (desktop, laptop), electronic devices (phones, audio/video), etc. each dc load requires an ac-dc converter: desktop computers with psu built-in; laptop computers with dc power bricks; audio/video with either built-in psu and/or stand-alone dc bricks. the built-in psu or stand-alone psu brick are one of the most critical components, and tend to fail primarily due to their inability to withstand noisy ac power that is feeding them. this impacts the reliability. in addition, there are power loses associated with each psu, which is easily observed by the fact that the psu is warm, or even hot. the heat—is a direct loss of energy, as result of inefficient ac-dc conversion. the described plug and power distribution and control apparatus will be configured with plug and power ac-dc converters, which will provide several dc outlets to be used for powering a number of dc power rated devices: computers (desktop, laptop), audio/video, etc. the apparatus plug and power ac-dc converters, replacing a number of stand-alone psu, will be configured to provide high level of efficiency and reliability. for illustration purposes, the logic behind the benefits: 1) fewer ac-dc psu converters, less parts being affected by noisy ac power, which are replaced with single high quality plug and power ac-dc converter configured to withstand noisy ac power, and achieve specified levels of reliability.2) fewer ac-dc psu converters replaced with single high quality plug and power ac-dc converter configured to achieve higher efficiency of ac-dc conversion, resulting in lowering the operating costs.3) utilization of dc powered light sources (including led's) directly powered from a plug and power outlet of the apparatus further improving energy efficiency associated with illumination. in mathematical terms, including ever rising energy costs, it is clearly beneficial to replace the 10 individual psu units operating simultaneously, each with efficiency of 80%, representing a total wasted power of (20%×10), with a more expensive plug and power ac-dc converter, and a second ac-dc converter as a back-up, each providing plug and power dc power distribution at an efficiency of 90%, reducing the wasted energy from (20%×10)−(10%×1)=190%. this is a significant reduction. other benefits from using plug and power distribution and control apparatus include: a) lower complexity and weight of devices, which previously had built-in psub) improved reliability of each device, since the plug and power ac-dc converter will distribute and control dc power of specified quality the invention in respect to fig. 26 includes: 1) configuring and controlling an intelligent modular dc power control and power distribution system2) configuring at least one of a plurality of modules consisting of dc power distribution components on said intelligent dc power control and dc power distribution system3) configuring said intelligent modular dc power control and dc power distribution system with a host computer4) configuring a power and control interfaces of said intelligent modular dc power control and dc power distribution system for providing connection between said system modules, and for providing connection between said modules and said host computer5) programming, via an user interface, said programmable controller and said host computer on said intelligent modular dc power control and dc power distribution system6) receiving electrical signals to said programmable controller from at least one of plurality of sensors7) controlling at least one power component of a plurality of said modules electronically such that at least one or more of the following dc power attributes, power voltage, power current, power energy is controlled8) determining an optimized electrical configuration of at least one of a plurality of said modules by said programmable controller based at least in part on communications received from said host computer and the signals received by said plurality of sensors and further including data for dc power voltage, power current, power energy9) sending electrical control signals from said programmable controller to said power component of a module, based upon data from said user interface, said host computer and said sensors. fig. 27 —illustrates an existing powered 12v usb interface ( 700 ), which is used in applications where a computer, such as a desktop, is used to power a device with 12v ( 701 ) and communicate with a device via usb ( 702 ), using a single interface 12v power usb cable. the existing method presents limitations: a) usb communication speed through ( 702 ) may be affected due to close proximity to potentially noisy 12v power lines or pcb traces of ( 701 )b) if connected on the computer mother-board, the distribution and controls of the 12v power which are in close proximity to other high-speed digital communications, may impact the quality of the 12vc) if connected on the computer mother-board, the presence of a relatively large 12v usb interface connector ( 700 ) will impact the overall packaging of the computer fig. 28 —illustrates replacement of the existing powered 12v usb interface ( 700 ) shown on fig. 27 with a combination of a standard usb interface ( 703 ) and plug and power outlet ( 704 ), which can be configured to provide 12v as part of plug and power distribution and control apparatus. this configuration will: a) allow to achieve higher communication speeds of the usb ( 703 )b) maintain clean 12v plug and power distribution independent of high-speed dsp taking place on the computer mother-boardc) optimize size of the computer by utilizing low profile interface connectors fig. 29 —illustrates replacement of the existing powered 12v usb interface ( 700 ) shown on fig. 27 with a new connector ( 705 ), consisting of: plug and power 12v outlet ( 706 ), and an usb interface ( 707 ). the usb interface ( 707 ) can be controlled directly by the computer mother-board, or via usb hub connected to the mother-board. the plug and power 12v outlet ( 706 ) can be configured to be a part of a 12v plug and power distribution and control apparatus. the 12v outlet ( 706 ) can be configured independent of the computer mother-board. the 12v available through ( 706 ) can be configured to be controlled by the computer mother-board, or by controller of the plug and power distribution and control apparatus. the connector ( 705 ) can be grouped with other connectors of the same type and voltage (12v), mounted to a single pc-board, as shown on fig. 30 . the connector ( 705 ) can be grouped with other connectors of the same type and voltage (12v), and other connectors of the same type, but different size of connectors to indicate voltage other than 12v (example: 5v, 24v), and all connectors can be mounted to a single pc-board, providing plug and power distribution outlets, and usb interfaces on a single pc-board for convenience of interfacing with devices, which are dc powered and have an usb interface. fig. 30 —illustrates pc-board ( 709 ) with two plug and power 12v outlets and an usb connectors ( 705 ), described for fig. 29 , and a 12v plug and power inlet connector ( 708 ). the ( 708 ) will be connected to 12v plug and power distribution interface of the apparatus, and provide 12v power to ( 705 ). fig. 31 —illustrates pc-board ( 710 ) with two usb connectors ( 703 ), and pc-board ( 711 ) with two plug and power 12v outlets ( 704 ), described for fig. 28 , and a 12v plug and power inlet connector ( 708 ). the pc-boards ( 710 ) and ( 711 ) can be replaced with a single pc-board. the ( 708 ) will be connected to 12v plug and power distribution interface of the apparatus, and will provide 12v power to ( 704 ). the illustrated plug and power connectors on fig. 30 and fig. 31 can be configured for plug and power distribution of dc power combined with plug and power distribution of communications, including: serial usb, internet. the communication interfaces can share the same conductors as the ones carrying the dc power. the multiplexing by means of communication signal modulation, such as a frequency modulation, and then decoding or demodulation of the communication signals over the dc power distribution lines can be accomplished by the system controllers. the multiplexing of dc power and communications by means of modulation of the communication signals, will in modulation terms, such as frequency as an example, will separate the dc power from frequency modulated communication signals. for modulation based on frequency separation, the modulated frequency of the communication signals, will be selected to minimize potential cross-impact on dc power lines by communication signals, and wise-versa, minimize impact of communications signals on dc power. dc plug and power outlets can be configured with additional dc power regulation to further minimize the impact of modulated communication signals. plug and power communication outlets can be configured with additional filters to further minimize the impact of dc power on modulated communication signals. the invention in respect to fig. 31 includes: configuring and controlling said intelligent modular dc power control and power distribution system, including plug and power distribution combining plug and power communications. fig. 32 —illustrates a plug and power interface ( 800 ) of the apparatus which is configured to combine dc power distribution with communications, modulated over dc power line. the conductor ( 801 ) of the ( 800 ) is configured to conduct the dc power positive voltage, and the modulated communication signals. the conductor ( 802 ) of the ( 800 ) is configured as a dc power return. if conductor ( 802 ) is not connected to ground, then ( 802 ) can be configured to conduct dc power, and modulated communication signals. fig. 33 —illustrates a plug and power outlet module ( 803 ) of the apparatus which is configured to provide one dc plug and power outlet ( 805 ) with diagnostics ( 804 ), and one plug and power communication outlet ( 808 ) with diagnostics ( 809 ). the plug and power interface ( 806 ) is configured with two conductors, one conductor carrying dc positive power and modulated communication signals, and the other conductor carrying dc return power, connected to ground. the plug and power interface of ( 806 ) will connect to plug and power interface ( 807 ) of ( 803 ). controller of ( 803 ) (not shown for simplicity), will be configured with control algorithm and set criteria stored in its non-volatile memory, and the controller will be further configured for: a) isolating the dc power from modulated communication signals provided by ( 806 ) to set criteriab) isolating modulated communication signals from dc power provided by ( 806 ) to set criteriac) decoding the modulated communication signals received from ( 806 ) to within set criteriad) regulating the dc power to within set criteriae) providing un-modulated communication signals through the plug and power communication outlet ( 808 ), and indicating status by controlling ( 809 )) status indicator, such as ledf) providing regulated dc power through the plug and power outlet ( 805 ), and indicating status by controlling ( 804 ) status indicator, such as led a controller of the plug and power distribution and control apparatus will regulate the supply end of ( 808 ), opposite to the end feeding ( 803 ), including: regulating the dc power to within set criteria, and modulation of the communication signals over the dc positive power conductor of ( 806 ) to within set criteria. the invention in respect to fig. 33 includes: method of configuring and controlling the intelligent modular dc power control and power distribution system, including plug and power distribution combining with plug and power communications, and maintaining the dc power and the communications within respective set criteria.
|
051-686-090-528-211
|
US
|
[
"EP",
"CN",
"US",
"WO",
"BR",
"JP"
] |
A61B17/072,A61B90/00,A61B17/00,A61B17/29,A61B18/00,A61B18/14,A61B34/30,A61B17/068
| 2016-12-21T00:00:00 |
2016
|
[
"A61"
] |
firing members with non-parallel jaw engagement features for surgical end effectors
|
a surgical instrument that includes a shaft axis and first and second jaws that are configured to move relative to each other about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position. a firing member is configured to move between a starting position and an ending position. a first jaw engagement member extends laterally from each lateral side of the firing member. each first jaw engagement member is oriented along a first jaw engagement axis that intersects the shaft axis. a second jaw engagement member extends laterally from each lateral side of the firing member. each second jaw engagement member is oriented along a second jaw engagement axis that intersects the shaft axis and the first jaw engagement axis.
|
a surgical instrument, comprising: a shaft assembly defining a shaft axis; a surgical end effector operably interfacing with said shaft assembly and comprising first and second jaws operably interfacing with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other; and a firing member configured to move between a starting position and an ending position relative to said surgical end effector, said firing member comprising: a vertically extending firing body comprising two lateral sides; a first jaw engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body, each said first jaw engagement member oriented along a first jaw engagement axis that intersects said shaft axis and being arranged to slidably engage said first jaw as said firing member is moved between said starting position and said ending position; and a second jaw engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body and being spaced vertically from said first jaw engagement members, each said second jaw engagement member being oriented along a second jaw engagement axis that intersects said shaft axis and said first jaw engagement axis, each said second jaw engagement member being arranged to slidably engage said second jaw as said firing member is moved between said starting position and said ending position. the surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein each said first jaw engagement member comprises a first proximal end and a first distal end and wherein said first proximal end comprises a first proximal thickness and wherein said first distal end comprises a first distal thickness that differs from said first proximal thickness. the surgical instrument of claim 2, wherein each said second jaw engagement member comprises a second proximal end and a second distal end and wherein said second proximal end has a second proximal thickness and wherein said second distal end has a second distal thickness that differs from said second proximal thickness. the surgical instrument of claim 3, wherein said second proximal thickness is less than said second distal thickness. the surgical instrument of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said proximal end of each said first jaw engagement member is oriented a proximal vertical distance from said proximal end of a corresponding one of said second jaw engagement members and wherein said distal end of each said first jaw engagement member is oriented a distal vertical distance from said distal end of a corresponding one of said second jaw engagement members wherein said proximal vertical distance differs from said distal vertical distance. a surgical instrument, comprising: a shaft assembly defining a shaft axis; a surgical end effector operably interfacing with said shaft assembly and comprising: an elongate channel configured to operably support a surgical staple cartridge therein; and an anvil, said elongate channel and anvil being configured for movable travel relative to each other about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other; and a firing member configured to move between a starting position and an ending position relative to said surgical end effector, said firing member comprising: a vertically extending firing body comprising two lateral sides; a channel engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body, each said channel engagement member comprising a first proximal end and a first distal end and being arranged to slidably engage said elongate channel as said firing member is moved between said starting position and said ending position; and an anvil engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body and being spaced vertically from a corresponding one of said channel engagement members, each said anvil engagement member comprising a second proximal end spaced a proximal vertical distance from said first proximal end of a corresponding one of said channel engagement members, each said anvil engagement member further comprising a second distal end that is spaced from said first distal end of said corresponding channel engagement member a distal vertical distance that differs from said proximal vertical distance, each said anvil jaw engagement member being arranged to slidably engage said anvil as said firing member is moved between said starting position and said ending position. the surgical instrument of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein said proximal vertical distance is less than said distal vertical distance. the surgical instrument of claim 6 or claim 7 when dependent on claim 6, wherein said first proximal end has a first proximal thickness and wherein said first distal end has a first distal thickness that differs from said first proximal thickness. the surgical instrument of one of claims 2 to 5 or claim 8, wherein said first proximal thickness is less than said first distal thickness. the surgical instrument of 8 or claim 9 when dependent on claim 8, wherein said second proximal end has a second proximal thickness and wherein said second distal end has a second distal thickness that differs from said second proximal thickness. the surgical instrument of claim 10, wherein said second proximal thickness is less than said second distal thickness. the surgical instrument of one of claims 6 to 11, wherein said firing member further comprises a central channel engagement member extending from each said lateral side of said firing body. a surgical instrument, comprising: a shaft assembly defining a shaft axis; a surgical end effector operably interfacing with said shaft assembly and comprising first and second jaws operably interfacing with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other; and a firing member configured to move between a starting position and an ending position relative to said surgical end effector, said firing member comprising: a vertically extending firing body comprising two lateral sides; a first jaw engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body, each said first jaw engagement member oriented along a first jaw engagement axis that is not parallel with said shaft axis and being arranged to slidably engage said first jaw as said firing member is moved between said starting position and ending position; and a second jaw engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body and being spaced vertically from said first jaw engagement members, each said second jaw engagement member being oriented along a second jaw engagement axis is not parallel to said shaft axis and said first jaw engagement axis. the surgical instrument of one of claims 1 to 5 or claim 13, wherein said firing member further comprises a central first jaw engagement member extending from each said lateral side of said firing body. the surgical instrument any preceding claim, wherein said firing member further comprises a tissue cutting surface.
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background the present invention relates to surgical instruments and, in various arrangements, to surgical stapling and cutting instruments and staple cartridges for use therewith that are designed to staple and cut tissue. summary of the invention according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a surgical instrument, comprising: a shaft assembly defining a shaft axis; a surgical end effector operably interfacing with said shaft assembly and comprising first and second jaws operably interfacing with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other; and a firing member configured to move between a starting position and an ending position relative to said surgical end effector, said firing member comprising: a vertically extending firing body comprising two lateral sides; a first jaw engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body, each said first jaw engagement member oriented along a first jaw engagement axis that intersects said shaft axis and being arranged to slidably engage said first jaw as said firing member is moved between said starting position and said ending position; and a second jaw engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body and being spaced vertically from said first jaw engagement members, each said second jaw engagement member being oriented along a second jaw engagement axis that intersects said shaft axis and said first jaw engagement axis, each said second jaw engagement member being arranged to slidably engage said second jaw as said firing member is moved between said starting position and said ending position. there is further provided a surgical instrument, comprising: a shaft assembly defining a shaft axis; a surgical end effector operably interfacing with said shaft assembly and comprising: an elongate channel configured to operably support a surgical staple cartridge therein; and an anvil, said elongate channel and anvil being configured for movable travel relative to each other about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other; and a firing member configured to move between a starting position and an ending position relative to said surgical end effector, said firing member comprising: a vertically extending firing body comprising two lateral sides; a channel engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body, each said channel engagement member comprising a first proximal end and a first distal end and being arranged to slidably engage said elongate channel as said firing member is moved between said starting position and said ending position; and an anvil engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body and being spaced vertically from a corresponding one of said channel engagement members, each said anvil engagement member comprising a second proximal end spaced a proximal vertical distance from said first proximal end of a corresponding one of said channel engagement members, each said anvil engagement member further comprising a second distal end that is spaced from said first distal end of said corresponding channel engagement member a distal vertical distance that differs from said proximal vertical distance, each said anvil jaw engagement member being arranged to slidably engage said anvil as said firing member is moved between said starting position and said ending position. there is also provided a surgical instrument, comprising: a shaft assembly defining a shaft axis; a surgical end effector operably interfacing with said shaft assembly and comprising first and second jaws operably interfacing with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other; and a firing member configured to move between a starting position and an ending position relative to said surgical end effector, said firing member comprising: a vertically extending firing body comprising two lateral sides; a first jaw engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body, each said first jaw engagement member oriented along a first jaw engagement axis that is not parallel with said shaft axis and being arranged to slidably engage said first jaw as said firing member is moved between said starting position and ending position; and a second jaw engagement member extending laterally from each said lateral side of said firing body and being spaced vertically from said first jaw engagement members, each said second jaw engagement member being oriented along a second jaw engagement axis is not parallel to said shaft axis and said first jaw engagement axis. surgical instruments according to the present invention that include surgical end effectors where both the first jaw and second jaw move, or where both the elongate channel and the anvil move, when the end effector is moved from its fully open towards its fully closed position offer the advantage of a wider opening than instruments where only one of the elongate channel/anvil move or where only one of the first/second jaws move, and can therefore receive thicker amounts of tissue. if the thick amount of tissue is sufficiently large, the inner surfaces of the first jaw and second jaw, or of the elongate channel and the anvil, will not be exactly parallel. advantageously, the firing member of the end effector has engagement members that are sized and/or oriented to permit a firing motion to continue, despite the non-parallel nature of the inner surfaces of the first/second jaws or anvil/elongate channel. brief description of the drawings various features of the embodiments described herein, together with advantages thereof, may be understood in accordance with the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows: fig. 1 is a perspective view of an interchangeable surgical tool assembly embodiment operably coupled to a handle assembly embodiment; fig. 2 is an exploded assembly view of portions of the handle assembly and interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a perspective view of a distal portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly embodiment depicted in figs. 1 and 2 with portions thereof omitted for clarity; fig. 4 is an exploded assembly view of a distal portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 1 ; fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a proximal portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 1 ; fig. 6 is an exploded assembly view of the proximal portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 5 ; fig. 7 is a partial exploded assembly view of a portion of a spine assembly embodiment of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 1 ; fig. 8 is a partial cross-sectional end view of the proximal portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 5 with a clutch assembly thereof shown in an articulation mode; fig. 9 is another partial cross-sectional end view of the proximal portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 5 with the clutch assembly thereof shown in a firing mode; fig. 10 is a partial side view of the proximal portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 1 with a clutch assembly thereof shown in the articulation mode; fig. 11 is a partial side view of a portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 1 with the clutch assembly thereof shown in the firing mode; fig. 12a is a partial side cross-sectional view of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 1 with a closure stroke reduction assembly embodiment in a retracted orientation corresponding to the articulation mode; fig. 12b is a partial side cross-sectional view of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 12a with the closure stroke reduction assembly embodiment in an extended orientation corresponding to the firing mode; fig. 13 is a perspective view of a portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 12a showing the closure stroke reduction assembly embodiment in the retracted orientation corresponding to the articulation mode; fig. 14 is a perspective view of a portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 12b showing the closure stroke reduction assembly embodiment in the extended orientation corresponding to the firing mode; fig. 15a is a side elevational view of a portion of a surgical end effector embodiment with the jaws thereof in a fully closed orientation; fig. 15b is another side elevational view of the surgical end effector embodiment of fig. 15a with the jaws thereof in a fully open orientation; fig. 16 is a perspective view of a distal closure member embodiment with positive jaw opening features; fig. 17 is a perspective view of a portion of a surgical end effector embodiment that is configured to be used in connection with the distal closure member of fig. 16 ; fig. 18 is a side elevational view of portions of the surgical end effector of fig. 17 with jaws thereof in a fully closed position and the distal closure member of fig. 16 shown in cross-section; fig. 19 is a cross-sectional side view of the surgical end effector and distal closure member of fig. 18 with the jaws thereof in the fully closed position; fig. 20 is another cross-sectional side view of the surgical end effector and distal closure member of fig. 18 with the jaws thereof in the fully open position; fig. 21 is a side view of the surgical end effector and distal closure member of fig. 18 with the jaws thereof in the fully open position; fig. 22 is a perspective view of a portion of another surgical end effector embodiment with the anvil omitted for clarity that employs a positive jaw opening spring; fig. 23 is a perspective view the positive jaw opening spring of fig. 22 ; fig. 24 is a cross-sectional side view of the surgical end effector of fig. 22 with jaws thereof in a fully open position; fig. 25 is another cross-sectional side view of the surgical end effector of fig. 22 with jaws thereof in a fully closed position; fig. 26 is a side view of a portion of another surgical end effector embodiment and a distal closure member embodiment with the jaws of the surgical end effector in a fully open position; fig. 27 is another side view of the surgical end effector and distal closure member of fig. 26 at the beginning of a jaw closure sequence; fig. 28 is another side view of the surgical end effector and distal closure member of fig. 26 during the jaw closure sequence; fig. 29 is another side view of the surgical end effector and distal closure member of fig. 26 with the jaws thereof in a fully closed position; fig. 30 is a perspective view of a firing member embodiment; fig. 31 is a side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 30 ; fig. 32 is a front view of the firing member of fig. 30 ; fig. 33 is a perspective view of the firing member of fig. 30 in relation to a sled assembly embodiment and a firing member lock embodiment; fig. 33a is a top view of a staple driver embodiment; fig. 33b is a top perspective view of the staple driver embodiment of fig. 33a ; fig. 33c is a bottom perspective view of the staple driver embodiment of figs. 33a and 33b ; fig. 34 is a bottom perspective view of the firing member lock of fig. 33 ; fig. 35 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of a portion of a surgical end effector embodiment with jaws thereof in a fully open orientation and the firing member lock of fig. 33 in an unlocked orientation; fig. 36 is another cross-sectional side elevational view of the surgical end effector of fig. 35 with an unspent surgical staple cartridge supported in one of the jaws and retaining the firing member lock in the unlocked orientation; fig. 37 is another cross-sectional side elevational view of the surgical end effector of fig. 36 after a firing sequence has been commenced; fig. 38 is another cross-sectional side elevational view of the surgical end effector of fig. 36 as the firing member is being retracted back to a starting position; fig. 39 is a top cross-sectional view of the firing member and firing member lock in the position shown in fig. 38 ; fig. 40 is another cross-sectional side elevational view of the surgical end effector of fig. 36 after the firing member has been retracted back to the starting position; fig. 41 a top cross-sectional view of the firing member and firing member lock in the position shown in fig. 40 ; fig. 42 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of a portion of another surgical end effector embodiment with jaws thereof in a fully open orientation and another firing member lock embodiment of fig. 33 in a locked orientation; fig. 43 is a left side perspective view of portions of another surgical end effector embodiment and distal closure member embodiment with jaws of the surgical end effector in a fully open position and supporting a surgical staple cartridge therein with expandable tissue stops in a fully expanded orientation; fig. 44 is a right side perspective view of the surgical end effector of fig. 43 ; fig. 45 is an exploded perspective view of one of the jaws and the surgical staple cartridge of figs. 43 and 44 ; fig. 46 is a perspective view of a stop spring of one of the expandable tissue stops of fig. 43 ; fig. 47 is a partial cross-sectional end view of the surgical end effector of figs. 42 and 43 with the jaws thereof in the fully open orientation and the expandable tissue stops thereof in their fully expanded orientations; fig. 48 is a top view of a portion of the surgical staple cartridge of fig. 42 and 43 ; fig. 49 is a cross-sectional side view of the surgical end effector of figs. 43 and 44 with the jaws thereof in the fully closed position; fig. 50 is another cross-sectional side view of the surgical end effector of figs. 43 and 44 with the jaws thereof in the fully open position; fig. 51 is a partial cross-sectional end view of another surgical end effector embodiment with the jaws thereof in a fully open orientation; fig. 52 is a side elevational view of a portion of the surgical end effector of fig. 51 with the jaws thereof in a fully open orientation; and fig. 53 is another side elevational view of a portion of the surgical end effector of fig. 51 with the jaws thereof in a fully closed orientation. corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. the exemplifications set out herein illustrate various embodiments of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. detailed description applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on even date herewith and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling instruments and replaceable tool assemblies thereof; attorney docket no. end7980usnp/160155; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled articulatable surgical stapling instruments; attorney docket no. end7981usnp/160156; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled lockout arrangements for surgical end effectors; attorney docket no. end7982usnp/160157; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical end effectors and firing members thereof; attorney docket no. end7983usnp/160158; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled lockout arrangements for surgical end effectors and replaceable tool assemblies; attorney docket no. end7984usnp/160159; and u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical end effectors and adaptable firing members therefor; attorney docket no. end7985usnp/160160. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on even date herewith and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple cartridges and arrangements of staples and staple cavities therein; attorney docket no. end7986usnp/160161; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical tool assemblies with clutching arrangements for shifting between closure systems with closure stroke reduction features and articulation and firing systems; attorney docket no. end7987usnp/160162; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling instruments and staple-forming anvils; attorney docket no. end7988usnp/160163; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical tool assemblies with closure stroke reduction features; attorney docket no. end7989usnp/160164; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple cartridges and arrangements of staples and staple cavities therein; attorney docket no. end7990usnp/160165; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling instruments and staple-forming anvils; attorney docket no. end7991usnp/160166; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical instruments with jaw opening features for increasing a jaw opening distance; attorney docket no. end7992usnp/160167; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled methods of stapling tissue; attorney docket no. end7993usnp/160168; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical end effectors with expandable tissue stop arrangements; attorney docket no. end7995usnp/160170; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling instruments and staple-forming anvils; attorney docket no. end7996usnp/160171; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical instruments with positive jaw opening features; attorney docket no. end7997usnp/160172; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical instruments with lockout arrangements for preventing firing system actuation unless an unspent staple cartridge is present; attorney docket no. end7998usnp/160173; and u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple cartridges and arrangements of staples and staple cavities therein; attorney docket no. end7999usnp/160174. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on even date herewith and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled method for resetting a fuse of a surgical instrument shaft; attorney docket no. end8013usnp/160175; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple forming pocket arrangement to accommodate different types of staples; attorney docket no. end8014usnp/160176; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical instrument comprising improved jaw control; attorney docket no. end8016usnp/160178; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple cartridge and staple cartridge channel comprising windows defined therein; attorney docket no. end8017usnp/160179; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical instrument comprising a cutting member; attorney docket no. end8018usnp/160180; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple firing member comprising a missing cartridge and/or spent cartridge lockout; attorney docket no. end8019usnp/160181; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled firing assembly comprising a lockout; attorney docket no. end8020usnp/160182; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical instrument system comprising an end effector lockout and a firing assembly lockout; attorney docket no. end8021usnp/160183; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled firing assembly comprising a fuse; attorney docket no. end8022usnp/160184; and u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled firing assembly comprising a multiple failed-state fuse; attorney docket no. end8023usnp/160185. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on even date herewith and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple forming pocket arrangements; attorney docket no. end8038usnp/160186; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled anvil arrangements for surgical staplers; attorney docket no. end8039usnp/160187; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled method of deforming staples from two different types of staple cartridges with the same surgical stapling instrument; attorney docket no. end8041usnp/160189; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled bilaterally asymmetric staple forming pocket pairs; attorney docket no. end8042usnp/160190; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled closure members with cam surface arrangements for surgical instruments with separate and distinct closure and firing systems; attorney docket no. end8043usnp/160191; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical staplers with independently actuatable closing and firing systems; attorney docket no. end8044usnp/160192; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling instruments with smart staple cartridges; attorney docket no. end8045usnp/160193; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple cartridge comprising staples with different clamping breadths; attorney docket no. end8047usnp/160195; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple forming pocket arrangements comprising primary sidewalls and pocket sidewalls; attorney docket no. end8048usnp/160196; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled no-cartridge and spent cartridge lockout arrangements for surgical staplers; attorney docket no. end8050usnp/160198; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled firing member pin angle; attorney docket no. end8051usnp/160199; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple forming pocket arrangements comprising zoned forming surface grooves; attorney docket no. end8052usnp/160200; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical instrument with multiple failure response modes; attorney docket no. end8053usnp/160201; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical instrument with primary and safety processors; attorney docket no. end8054usnp/160202; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical instruments with jaws that are pivotable about a fixed axis and include separate and distinct closure and firing systems; attorney docket no. end8056usnp/160204; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled anvil having a knife slot width; attorney docket no. end8057usnp/160205; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled closure member arrangements for surgical instruments; attorney docket no. end8058usnp/160206; and u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled firing member pin configurations; attorney docket no. end8059usnp/160207. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on even date herewith and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled stepped staple cartridge with asymmetrical staples; attorney docket no. end8000usnp/160208; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled stepped staple cartridge with tissue retention and gap setting features; attorney docket no. end8001usnp/160209; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled staple cartridge with deformable driver retention features; attorney docket no. end8002usnp/160210; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled durability features for end effectors and firing assemblies of surgical stapling instruments; attorney docket no. end8003usnp/160211; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling instruments having end effectors with positive opening features; attorney docket no. end8004usnp/160212; and u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled connection portions for deposable loading units for surgical stapling instruments; attorney docket no. end8005usnp/160213. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on even date herewith and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled method for attaching a shaft assembly to a surgical instrument and, alternatively, to a surgical robot; attorney docket no. end8006usnp/160214; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled shaft assembly comprising a manually-operable retraction system for use with a motorized surgical instrument system; attorney docket no. end8007usnp/160215; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled shaft assembly comprising separately actuatable and retractable systems; attorney docket no. end8008usnp/160216; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled shaft assembly comprising a clutch configured to adapt the output of a rotary firing member to two different systems; attorney docket no. end8009usnp/160217; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical system comprising a firing member rotatable into an articulation state to articulate an end effector of the surgical system; attorney docket no. end8010usnp/160218; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled shaft assembly comprising a lockout; attorney docket no. end8011usnp/160219; and u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled shaft assembly comprising first and second articulation lockouts; attorney docket no. end8012usnp/160220. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on even date herewith and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling systems; attorney docket no. end8024usnp/160221; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling systems; attorney docket no. end8025usnp/160222; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling systems; attorney docket no. end8026usnp/160223; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical staple cartridge with movable camming member configured to disengage firing member lockout features; attorney docket no. end8027usnp/160224; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical stapling systems; attorney docket no. end8028usnp/160225; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled jaw actuated lock arrangements for preventing advancement of a firing member in a surgical end effector unless an unfired cartridge is installed in the end effector; attorney docket no. end8029usnp/160226; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled axially movable closure system arrangements for applying closure motions to jaws of surgical instruments; attorney docket no. end8030usnp/160227; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled protective cover arrangements for a joint interface between a movable jaw and actuator shaft of a surgical instrument; attorney docket no. end8031usnp/160228; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled surgical end effector with two separate cooperating opening features for opening and closing end effector jaws; attorney docket no. end8032usnp/160229; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled articulatable surgical end effector with asymmetric shaft arrangement; attorney docket no. end8033usnp/160230; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled articulatable surgical instrument with independent pivotable linkage distal of an articulation lock; attorney docket no. end8034usnp/160231; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled articulation lock arrangements for locking an end effector in an articulated position in response to actuation of a jaw closure system; attorney docket no. end8035usnp/160232; u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled laterally actuatable articulation lock arrangements for locking an end effector of a surgical instrument in an articulated configuration; attorney docket no. end8036usnp/160233; and u.s. patent application serial no.__________, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with articulation stroke amplification features; attorney docket no. end8037usnp/160234. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on june 24, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191,775 , entitled staple cartridge comprising wire staples and stamped staples; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191,807 , entitled stapling system for use with wire staples and stamped staples; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191,834 , entitled stamped staples and staple cartridges using the same; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191,788 , entitled staple cartridge comprising overdriven staples; and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191,818 , entitled staple cartridge comprising offset longitudinal staple rows. applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on june 24, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. design patent application serial no. 29/569,218 , entitled surgical fastener; u.s. design patent application serial no. 29/569,227 , entitled surgical fastener; u.s. design patent application serial no. 29/569,259 , entitled surgical fastener cartridge; and u.s. design patent application serial no. 29/569,264 , entitled surgical fastener cartridge. applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on april 1, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,325 , entitled method for operating a surgical stapling system; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,321 , entitled modular surgical stapling system comprising a display; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,326 , entitled surgical stapling system comprising a display including a re-orientable display field; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,263 , entitled surgical instrument handle assembly with reconfigurable grip portion; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,262 , entitled rotary powered surgical instrument with manually actuatable bailout system; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,277 , entitled surgical cutting and stapling end effector with anvil concentric drive member; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,296 , entitled interchangeable surgical tool assembly with a surgical end effector that is selectively rotatable about a shaft axis; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,258 , entitled surgical stapling system comprising a shiftable transmission; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,278 , entitled surgical stapling system configured to provide selective cutting of tissue; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,284 , entitled surgical stapling system comprising a contourable shaft; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,295 , entitled surgical stapling system comprising a tissue compression lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,300 , entitled surgical stapling system comprising an unclamping lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,196 , entitled surgical stapling system comprising a jaw closure lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,203 , entitled surgical stapling system comprising a jaw attachment lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,210 , entitled surgical stapling system comprising a spent cartridge lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,324 , entitled surgical instrument comprising a shifting mechanism; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,335 , entitled surgical stapling instrument comprising multiple lockouts; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,339 , entitled surgical stapling instrument; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,253 , entitled surgical stapling system configured to apply annular rows of staples having different heights; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,304 , entitled surgical stapling system comprising a grooved forming pocket; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,331 , entitled anvil modification members for surgical staplers; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,336 , entitled staple cartridges with atraumatic features; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,312 , entitled circular stapling system comprising an incisable tissue support; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,309 , entitled circular stapling system comprising rotary firing system; and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,349 , entitled circular stapling system comprising load control. applicant of the present application also owns the u.s. patent applications identified below which were filed on december 31, 2015 which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/984,488 , entitled mechanisms for compensating for battery pack failure in powered surgical instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/984,525 , entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/984,552 , entitled surgical instruments with separable motors and motor control circuits. applicant of the present application also owns the u.s. patent applications identified below which were filed on february 9, 2016 which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,220 , entitled surgical instrument with articulating and axially translatable end effector; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,228 , entitled surgical instruments with multiple link articulation arrangements; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,196 , entitled surgical instrument articulation mechanism with slotted secondary constraint; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,206 , entitled surgical instruments with an end effector that is highly articulatable relative to an elongate shaft assembly; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,215 , entitled surgical instruments with non-symmetrical articulation arrangements; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,227 , entitled articulatable surgical instruments with single articulation link arrangements; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,235 , entitled surgical instruments with tensioning arrangements for cable driven articulation systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,230 , entitled articulatable surgical instruments with off-axis firing beam arrangements; and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,245 , entitled surgical instruments with closure stroke reduction arrangements. applicant of the present application also owns the u.s. patent applications identified below which were filed on february 12, 2016 which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 15/043,254 , entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/043,259 , entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/043,275 , entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments; and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/043,289 , entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments. applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on june 18, 2015 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,925 , entitled surgical end effectors with positive jaw opening arrangements; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,941 , entitled surgical end effectors with dual cam actuated jaw closing features; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,914 , entitled movable firing beam support arrangements for articulatable surgical instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,900 , entitled articulatable surgical instruments with composite firing beam structures with center firing support member for articulation support; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,885 , entitled dual articulation drive system arrangements for articulatable surgical instruments; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,876 , entitled push/pull articulation drive systems for articulatable surgical instruments. applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on march 6, 2015 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,746 , entitled powered surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256184 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,795 , entitled multiple level thresholds to modify operation of powered surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/02561185 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,832 , entitled adaptive tissue compression techniques to adjust closure rates for multiple tissue types, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256154 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,935 , entitled overlaid multi sensor radio frequency (rf) electrode system to measure tissue compression, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256071 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,831 , entitled monitoring speed control and precision incrementing of motor for powered surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256153 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,859 , entitled time dependent evaluation of sensor data to determine stability, creep, and viscoelastic elements of measures, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256187 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,817 , entitled interactive feedback system for powered surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256186 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,844 , entitled control techniques and sub-processor contained within modular shaft with select control processing from handle, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256155 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,837 , entitled smart sensors with local signal processing, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256163 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,765 , entitled system for detecting the mis-insertion of a staple cartridge into a surgical stapler, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256160 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,799 , entitled signal and power communication system positioned on a rotatable shaft, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256162 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,780 , entitled surgical instrument comprising a lockable battery housing, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256161 . applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on february 27, 2015, and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,576 , entitled surgical instrument system comprising an inspection station, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249919 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,546 , entitled surgical apparatus configured to assess whether a performance parameter of the surgical apparatus is within an acceptable performance band, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249915 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,560 , entitled surgical charging system that charges and/or conditions one or more batteries, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249910 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,566 , entitled charging system that enables emergency resolutions for charging a battery, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249918 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,555 , entitled system for monitoring whether a surgical instrument needs to be serviced, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249916 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,542 , entitled reinforced battery for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249908 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,548 , entitled power adapter for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249909 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,526 , entitled adaptable surgical instrument handle, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249945 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,541 , entitled modular stapling assembly, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249927 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,562 , entitled surgical apparatus configured to track an end-of-life parameter, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249917 . applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on december 18, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/574,478 , entitled surgical instrument systems comprising an articulatable end effector and means for adjusting the firing stroke of a firing member, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174977 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/574,483 , entitled surgical instrument assembly comprising lockable systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174969 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,139 , entitled drive arrangements for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174978 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,148 , entitled locking arrangements for detachable shaft assemblies with articulatable surgical end effectors, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174976 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,130 , entitled surgical instrument with an anvil that is selectively movable about a discrete non-movable axis relative to a staple cartridge, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174972 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,143 , entitled surgical instruments with improved closure arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174983 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,117 , entitled surgical instruments with articulatable end effectors and movable firing beam support arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174975 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,154 , entitled surgical instruments with articulatable end effectors and improved firing beam support arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174973 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/574,493 , entitled surgical instrument assembly comprising a flexible articulation system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174970 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/574,500 , entitled surgical instrument assembly comprising a lockable articulation system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174971 . applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on march 1, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,295 , entitled articulatable surgical instruments with conductive pathways for signal communication, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0246471 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,323 , entitled rotary powered articulation joints for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0246472 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,338 , entitled thumbwheel switch arrangements for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0249557 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,499 , entitled electromechanical surgical device with signal relay arrangement, now u.s. patent no. 9,358,003 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,460 , entitled multiple processor motor control for modular surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0246478 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,358 , entitled joystick switch assemblies for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent no. 9,326,767 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,481 , entitled sensor straightened end effector during removal through trocar, now u.s. patent no. 9,468,438 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,518 , entitled control methods for surgical instruments with removable implement portions, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0246475 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,375 , entitled rotary powered surgical instruments with multiple degrees of freedom, now u.s. patent no. 9,398,911 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,536 , entitled surgical instrument soft stop, now u.s. patent no. 9,307,986 . applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on march 14, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,097 , entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising a firing drive, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263542 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,193 , entitled control arrangements for a drive member of a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent no. 9,332,987 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,053 , entitled interchangeable shaft assemblies for use with a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263564 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086 , entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising an articulation lock, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,210 , entitled sensor arrangements for absolute positioning system for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263538 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,148 , entitled multi-function motor for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263554 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,066 , entitled drive system lockout arrangements for modular surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263565 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,117 , entitled articulation control system for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. patent no. 9,351,726 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,130 , entitled drive train control arrangements for modular surgical instruments, now u.s. patent no. 9,351,727 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,159 , entitled method and system for operating a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0277017 . applicant of the present application also owns the following patent application that was filed on march 7, 2014 and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/200,111 , entitled control systems for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263539 . applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on march 26, 2014 and are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,106 , entitled power management control systems for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272582 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,099 , entitled sterilization verification circuit, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272581 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,094 , entitled verification of number of battery exchanges/procedure count, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272580 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,117 , entitled power management through sleep options of segmented circuit and wake up control, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272574 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,075 , entitled modular powered surgical instrument with detachable shaft assemblies, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272579 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,093 , entitled feedback algorithms for manual bailout systems for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272569 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,116 , entitled surgical instrument utilizing sensor adaptation, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272571 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,071 , entitled surgical instrument control circuit having a safety processor, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272578 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,097 , entitled surgical instrument comprising interactive systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272570 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,126 , entitled interface systems for use with surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272572 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,133 , entitled modular surgical instrument system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272557 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,081 , entitled systems and methods for controlling a segmented circuit, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0277471 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,076 , entitled power management through segmented circuit and variable voltage protection, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0280424 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,111 , entitled surgical stapling instrument system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272583 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,125 , entitled surgical instrument comprising a rotatable shaft, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0280384 . applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on september 5, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,103 , entitled circuitry and sensors for powered medical device, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066912 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,119 , entitled adjunct with integrated sensors to quantify tissue compression, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066914 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/478,908 , entitled monitoring device degradation based on component evaluation, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066910 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/478,895 , entitled multiple sensors with one sensor affecting a second sensor's output or interpretation, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066909 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,110 , entitled polarity of hall magnet to detect misloaded cartridge, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066915 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,098 , entitled smart cartridge wake up operation and data retention, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066911 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,115 , entitled multiple motor control for powered medical device, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066916 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,108 , entitled local display of tissue parameter stabilization, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066913 . applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on april 9, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,590 , entitled motor driven surgical instruments with lockable dual drive shafts, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305987 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,581 , entitled surgical instrument comprising a closing drive and a firing drive operated from the same rotatable output, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305989 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,595 , entitled surgical instrument shaft including switches for controlling the operation of the surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305988 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,588 , entitled powered linear surgical stapler, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0309666 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,591 , entitled transmission arrangement for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305991 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,584 , entitled modular motor driven surgical instruments with alignment features for aligning rotary drive shafts with surgical end effector shafts, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305994 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,587 , entitled powered surgical stapler, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0309665 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,586 , entitled drive system decoupling arrangement for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305990 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,607 , entitled modular motor driven surgical instruments with status indication arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305992 . applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on april 16, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,365 , entitled surgical instrument with multiple functions performed by a single motor; u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,376 , entitled linear cutter with power; u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,382 , entitled linear cutter with motor and pistol grip; u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,385 , entitled surgical instrument handle with multiple actuation motors and motor control; and u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,372 , entitled surgical instrument with multiple functions performed by a single motor. applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on september 2, 2015 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/843,168 , entitled surgical staple cartridge with improved staple driver configurations; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/843,196 , entitled surgical staple driver arrays; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/843,216 , entitled surgical staple cartridge staple drivers with central support features; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/843,243 , entitled surgical staple configurations with camming surfaces located between portions supporting surgical staples; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/843,267 , entitled surgical staple cartridges with driver arrangements for establishing herringbone staple patterns. applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on september 26, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/498,070 , entitled circular fastener cartridges for applying radially expandable fastener lines; now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0089146 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/498,087 , entitled surgical staple and driver arrangements for staple cartridges; now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0089147 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/498,105 , entitled surgical staple and driver arrangements for staple cartridges; now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0089148 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/498,121 , entitled fastener cartridge for creating a flexible staple line; now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0089141 u.s. patent application serial no. 14/498,145 , entitled method for creating a flexible staple line; now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0089142 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/498,107 , entitled surgical stapling buttresses and adjunct materials; now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0089143 . applicant of the present application also owns u.s. patent no. 8,590,762 , which issued november 26, 2013, entitled staple cartridge cavity configurations, which is herein incorporated by reference in its respective entirety. applicant of the present application also owns u.s. patent no. 8,727,197 , which issued may 20, 2014, entitled staple cartridge cavity configuration with cooperative surgical staple, which is herein incorporated by reference in its respective entirety. numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the embodiments as described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. well-known operations, components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described in the specification. the reader will understand that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and illustrative. variations and changes thereto may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. the terms "comprise" (and any form of comprise, such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any form of have, such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of include, such as "includes" and "including") and "contain" (and any form of contain, such as "contains" and "containing") are open-ended linking verbs. as a result, a surgical system, device, or apparatus that "comprises," "has," "includes" or "contains" one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. likewise, an element of a system, device, or apparatus that "comprises," "has," "includes" or "contains" one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. the terms "proximal" and "distal" are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating the handle portion of the surgical instrument. the term "proximal" refers to the portion closest to the clinician and the term "distal" refers to the portion located away from the clinician. it will be further appreciated that, for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as "vertical", "horizontal", "up", and "down" may be used herein with respect to the drawings. however, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and/or absolute. various exemplary devices and methods are provided for performing laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgical procedures. however, the reader will readily appreciate that the various methods and devices disclosed herein can be used in numerous surgical procedures and applications including, for example, in connection with open surgical procedures. as the present detailed description proceeds, the reader will further appreciate that the various instruments disclosed herein can be inserted into a body in any way, such as through a natural orifice, through an incision or puncture hole formed in tissue, etc. the working portions or end effector portions of the instruments can be inserted directly into a patient's body or can be inserted through an access device that has a working channel through which the end effector and elongate shaft of a surgical instrument can be advanced. a surgical stapling system can comprise a shaft and an end effector extending from the shaft. the end effector comprises a first jaw and a second jaw. the first jaw comprises a staple cartridge. the staple cartridge is insertable into and removable from the first jaw; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which a staple cartridge is not removable from, or at least readily replaceable from, the first jaw. the second jaw comprises an anvil configured to deform staples ejected from the staple cartridge. the second jaw is pivotable relative to the first jaw about a closure axis; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which first jaw is pivotable relative to the second jaw. the surgical stapling system further comprises an articulation joint configured to permit the end effector to be rotated, or articulated, relative to the shaft. the end effector is rotatable about an articulation axis extending through the articulation joint. other embodiments are envisioned which do not include an articulation joint. the staple cartridge comprises a cartridge body. the cartridge body includes a proximal end, a distal end, and a deck extending between the proximal end and the distal end. in use, the staple cartridge is positioned on a first side of the tissue to be stapled and the anvil is positioned on a second side of the tissue. the anvil is moved toward the staple cartridge to compress and clamp the tissue against the deck. thereafter, staples removably stored in the cartridge body can be deployed into the tissue. the cartridge body includes staple cavities defined therein wherein staples are removably stored in the staple cavities. the staple cavities are arranged in six longitudinal rows. three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a first side of a longitudinal slot and three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a second side of the longitudinal slot. other arrangements of staple cavities and staples may be possible. the staples are supported by staple drivers in the cartridge body. the drivers are movable between a first, or unfired position, and a second, or fired, position to eject the staples from the staple cavities. the drivers are retained in the cartridge body by a retainer which extends around the bottom of the cartridge body and includes resilient members configured to grip the cartridge body and hold the retainer to the cartridge body. the drivers are movable between their unfired positions and their fired positions by a sled. the sled is movable between a proximal position adjacent the proximal end and a distal position adjacent the distal end. the sled comprises a plurality of ramped surfaces configured to slide under the drivers and lift the drivers, and the staples supported thereon, toward the anvil. further to the above, the sled is moved distally by a firing member. the firing member is configured to contact the sled and push the sled toward the distal end. the longitudinal slot defined in the cartridge body is configured to receive the firing member. the anvil also includes a slot configured to receive the firing member. the firing member further comprises a first cam which engages the first jaw and a second cam which engages the second jaw. as the firing member is advanced distally, the first cam and the second cam can control the distance, or tissue gap, between the deck of the staple cartridge and the anvil. the firing member also comprises a knife configured to incise the tissue captured intermediate the staple cartridge and the anvil. it is desirable for the knife to be positioned at least partially proximal to the ramped surfaces such that the staples are ejected ahead of the knife. fig. 1 depicts one form of an interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 that is operably coupled to a motor driven handle assembly 500. the tool assembly 1000 may also be effectively employed with a tool drive assembly of a robotically controlled or automated surgical system. for example, the surgical tool assemblies disclosed herein may be employed with various robotic systems, instruments, components and methods such as, but not limited to, those disclosed in u.s. patent no. 9,072,535 , entitled surgical stapling instruments with rotatable staple deployment arrangements, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. the handle assembly 500, as well as the tool drive assembly of a robotic system may also be referred to herein as "control systems" or "control units". fig. 2 illustrates attachment of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 to the handle assembly 500. the handle assembly 500 may comprise a handle housing 502 that includes a pistol grip portion 504 that can be gripped and manipulated by the clinician. the handle assembly 500 may further include a frame 506 that operably supports the plurality of drive systems. for example, the frame 506 can operably support a "first" or closure drive system, generally designated as 510, which may be employed to apply closing and opening motions to the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 that is operably attached or coupled to the handle assembly 500. in at least one form, the closure drive system 510 may include an actuator in the form of a closure trigger 512 that is pivotally supported by the frame 506. such arrangement enables the closure trigger 512 to be manipulated by a clinician such that when the clinician grips the pistol grip portion 504 of the handle assembly 500, the closure trigger 512 may be easily pivoted from a starting or "unactuated" position to an "actuated" position and more particularly, to a fully compressed or fully actuated position. in various forms, the closure drive system 510 further includes a closure linkage assembly 514 that is pivotally coupled to the closure trigger 512 or otherwise operably interfaces therewith. as will be discussed in further detail below, in the illustrated example, the closure linkage assembly 514 includes a transverse attachment pin 516 that facilitates attachment to a corresponding drive system on the surgical tool assembly. in use, to actuate the closure drive system 510, the clinician depresses the closure trigger 512 towards the pistol grip portion 504. as described in further detail in u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,142 , entitled surgical instrument comprising a sensor system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575 , which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, when the clinician fully depresses the closure trigger 512 to attain a "full" closure stroke, the closure drive system 510 is configured to lock the closure trigger 512 into the fully depressed or fully actuated position. when the clinician desires to unlock the closure trigger 512 to permit it to be biased to the unactuated position, the clinician simply activates a closure release button assembly 518 which enables the closure trigger 512 to return to the unactuated position. the closure release button assembly 518 may also be configured to interact with various sensors that communicate with a microcontroller 520 in the handle assembly 500 for tracking the position of the closure trigger 512. further details concerning the configuration and operation of the closure release button assembly 518 may be found in u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575 . in at least one form, the handle assembly 500 and the frame 506 may operably support another drive system referred to herein as a firing drive system 530 that is configured to apply firing motions to corresponding portions of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly that is attached thereto. as was described in detail in u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575 , the firing drive system 530 may employ an electric motor 505 that is located in the pistol grip portion 504 of the handle assembly 500. in various forms, the motor 505 may be a dc brushed driving motor having a maximum rotation of, approximately, 25,000 rpm, for example. in other arrangements, the motor 505 may include a brushless motor, a cordless motor, a synchronous motor, a stepper motor, or any other suitable electric motor. the motor 505 may be powered by a power source 522 that in one form may comprise a removable power pack. the power pack may support a plurality of lithium ion ("li") or other suitable batteries therein. a number of batteries may be connected in series and may be used as the power source 522 for the handle assembly 500. in addition, the power source 522 may be replaceable and/or rechargeable. the electric motor 505 is configured to axially drive a longitudinally movable drive member 540 in distal and proximal directions depending upon the polarity of the motor. for example, when the motor 505 is driven in one rotary direction, the longitudinally movable drive member 540 will be axially driven in the distal direction "dd". when the motor 505 is driven in the opposite rotary direction, the longitudinally movable drive member 540 will be axially driven in a proximal direction "pd". the handle assembly 500 can include a switch 513 which can be configured to reverse the polarity applied to the electric motor 505 by the power source 522 or otherwise control the motor 505. the handle assembly 500 can also include a sensor or sensors (not shown) that is configured to detect the position of the drive member 540 and/or the direction in which the drive member 540 is being moved. actuation of the motor 505 can be controlled by a firing trigger 532 that is pivotally supported on the handle assembly 500. the firing trigger 532 may be pivoted between an unactuated position and an actuated position. the firing trigger 532 may be biased into the unactuated position by a spring (not shown) or other biasing arrangement such that when the clinician releases the firing trigger 532, it may be pivoted or otherwise returned to the unactuated position by the spring or biasing arrangement. in at least one form, the firing trigger 532 can be positioned "outboard" of the closure trigger 512 as was discussed above. as discussed in u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575 , the handle assembly 500 may be equipped with a firing trigger safety button (not shown) to prevent inadvertent actuation of the firing trigger 532. when the closure trigger 512 is in the unactuated position, the safety button is contained in the handle assembly 500 where the clinician cannot readily access it and move it between a safety position preventing actuation of the firing trigger 532 and a firing position wherein the firing trigger 532 may be fired. as the clinician depresses the closure trigger 512, the safety button and the firing trigger 532 may pivot down wherein they can then be manipulated by the clinician. in at least one form, the longitudinally movable drive member 540 may have a rack of teeth (not shown) formed thereon for meshing engagement with a corresponding drive gear arrangement (not shown) that interfaces with the motor 505. further details regarding those features may be found in u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575 . at least one form also includes a manually-actuatable "bailout" assembly that is configured to enable the clinician to manually retract the longitudinally movable drive member 540 should the motor 505 become disabled. the bailout assembly may include a lever or bailout handle assembly that is stored within the handle assembly 500 under a releasable door 550. the lever is configured to be manually pivoted into ratcheting engagement with the teeth in the drive member 540. thus, the clinician can manually retract the drive member 540 by using the bailout handle assembly to ratchet the drive member 540 in the proximal direction "pd". u.s. patent application serial no. 12/249,117 , entitled powered surgical cutting and stapling apparatus with manually retractable firing system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2010/0089970 , the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses bailout arrangements and other components, arrangements and systems that may also be employed with the tool assembly 1000. turning now to figs. 4 , 5 and 6 , the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 includes a shaft mounting portion 1300 that is operably attached to an elongate shaft assembly 1400. a surgical end effector 1100 that comprises an elongate channel 1102 that is configured to operably support a staple cartridge 1110 therein is operably attached to the elongate shaft assembly 1400. see figs. 3 and 4 . the end effector 1100 may further include an anvil 1130 that is pivotally supported relative to the elongate channel 1102. the elongate channel 1102 staple cartridge assembly 1110 and the anvil 1130 may also be referred to as "jaws". the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 may further include an articulation joint 1200 and an articulation lock 1210 ( figs. 3 and 4 ) which can be configured to releasably hold the end effector 1100 in a desired articulated position about an articulation axis b-b which is transverse to a shaft axis sa. details regarding the construction and operation of the articulation lock 1210 may be found in in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086 , entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising an articulation lock, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 , the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. additional details concerning the articulation lock 1210 may also be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,196, filed february 9, 2016 , entitled surgical instrument articulation mechanism with slotted secondary constraint, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. as can be seen in figs. 5 and 6 , the shaft mounting portion 1300 includes a proximal housing or nozzle 1301 comprised of nozzle portions 1302, 1304 as well as an actuator wheel portion 1306 that is configured to be coupled to the assembled nozzle portions 1302, 1304 by snaps, lugs, screws etc. in the illustrated embodiment, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 further includes a closure assembly 1406 which can be utilized to close and/or open the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 of the end effector 1100 as will be discussed in further detail below. in addition, the illustrated interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 includes a spine assembly 1500 which is operably supports the articulation lock 1210. the spine assembly 1500 is configured to, one, slidably support a firing member assembly 1600 therein and, two, slidably support the closure assembly 1406 which extends around the spine assembly 1500 or is otherwise movably supported thereby. in the illustrated arrangement, the surgical end effector 1100 is operably coupled to the elongate shaft assembly 1400 by an articulation joint 1200 that facilitates selective articulation of the surgical end effector 1100 about an articulation axis b-b that is transverse to the shaft axis sa. see fig. 3 . as can be seen in fig. 4 , the spine assembly 1500 slidably supports a proximal articulation driver 1700 that operably interfaces with an articulation lock 1210. the articulation lock 1210 is supported on a distal frame segment 1560 that also comprises a portion of the spine assembly 1500. as can be seen in fig. 4 , the distal frame segment 1560 is pivotally coupled to the elongate channel 1102 by an end effector mounting assembly 1230. in one arrangement, for example, a distal end 1562 of the distal frame segment 1560 has an articulation pin 1564 formed thereon. the articulation pin 1564 is adapted to be pivotally received within an articulation pivot hole 1234 formed in a pivot base portion 1232 of the end effector mounting assembly 1230. the end effector mounting assembly 1230 is pivotally attached to a proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102 by a pair of laterally extending jaw attachment pins 1235 that are rotatably received within jaw pivot holes 1104 that are provided in the proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102. the jaw attachment pins 1235 define a jaw pivot axis ja that is substantially traverse to the shaft axis sa. see fig. 3 . the articulation pivot pin 1564 defines an articulation axis b-b that is transverse to the shaft axis sa. such arrangement facilitates pivotal travel (i.e., articulation) of the end effector 1100 about the articulation axis b-b relative to the spine assembly 1500. referring again to fig. 4 , in the illustrated embodiment, the articulation driver 1700 has a distal end 1702 that is configured to operably engage the articulation lock 1210. the articulation lock 1210 includes an articulation frame 1212 that is pivotally coupled to an articulation link 1214 that is adapted to operably engage an articulation drive pin 1236 on the pivot base portion 1232 of the end effector mounting assembly 1230. as indicated above, further details regarding the operation of the articulation lock 1210 and the articulation frame 1212 may be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086 , u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 . further details regarding the end effector mounting assembly and articulation link 1214 may be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,245, filed february 9, 2016 , entitled surgical instruments with closure stroke reduction arrangements, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. in various circumstances, the spine assembly 1500 further includes a proximal spine channel 1510 that may be fabricated out of pressed, bent or machined material. as can be seen in fig. 6 , the proximal spine channel 1510 is essentially c-shaped (when viewed from a distal end) and is configured to operably support the firing member assembly 1600 between side wall portions 1512 thereof. as can be seen in figs. 6 and 7 , the spine assembly 1500 further comprises a proximal spine mounting segment 1530 that is rotatably pinned to a distal end 1514 of the proximal spine channel 1510 by a spine pin 1550. the proximal spine mounting segment 1530 comprises a proximal end portion 1532 that has opposing notches 1535 (only one can be seen in fig. 7 ) for receiving a corresponding mounting lug 1308 (shown in fig. 5 ) that protrude inwardly from each of the nozzle portions 1302, 1304. such arrangement facilitates rotation of the proximal spine mounting segment 1530 about the shaft axis sa by rotating the nozzle 1301 about the shaft axis sa. in the illustrated arrangement, the proximal spine mounting segment 1530 further comprises a distally protruding lower shaft segment 1534 and a distally protruding upper shaft segment 1536 that is spaced from the lower shaft segment 1534. see fig. 7 . each of the shaft segments 1534, 1536 has an arcuate cross-sectional shape. the lower shaft segment 1534 is received within the proximal end 1514 of the proximal spine channel 1510. the spine pin 1550 extends through a pivot hole 1516 in the proximal end of the proximal spine channel 1510 and a pivot hole 1538 in the lower shaft segment 1534. the spine pin 1550 includes a vertical groove 1552 that forms two upstanding sidewall portions 1554. the upper ends of the side wall portions 1554 are received within corresponding pockets 1539 that are formed in the proximal spine mounting segment 1530. the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 includes a chassis 1800 that rotatably supported the shaft assembly 1400. the proximal end portion 1532 of the proximal spine mounting segment is rotatably supported in a central shaft hole 1801 that is formed in the chassis 1800. see fig. 6 . in one arrangement, for example, the proximal end portion 1532 may be threaded for attachment to a spine bearing (not shown) or other wise supported in a spine bearing that is mounted within the chassis 1800. such an arrangement facilitates rotatable attachment of the spine assembly 1500 to the chassis 1800 such that the spine assembly 1500 may be selectively rotated about a shaft axis sa relative to the chassis 1800. the closure assembly 1406 comprises an elongate intermediate closure member 1410, a distal closure member 1430 and a proximal closure member 1480. in the illustrated arrangement, the proximal closure member 1480 comprises a hollow tubular member that is slidably supported on a portion of the spine assembly 1500. hence, the proximal closure member 1480 may also be referred to herein as the proximal closure tube. similarly, the intermediate closure member 1410 may also be referred to herein as the intermediate closure tube and the distal closure member 1430 may also be referred to as the distal closure tube. referring primarily to fig. 6 , the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 includes a closure shuttle 1420 that is slidably supported within the chassis 1800 such that it may be axially moved relative thereto. in one form, the closure shuttle 1420 includes a pair of proximally-protruding hooks 1421 that are configured for attachment to the attachment pin 516 ( fig. 2 ) that is attached to the closure linkage assembly 514 of the handle assembly 500. thus, when the hooks 1421 are hooked over the pin 516, actuation of the closure trigger 512 will result in the axial movement of the closure shuttle 1420 and ultimately, the closure assembly 1406 on the spine assembly 1500. a closure spring (not shown) may also be journaled on the closure assembly 1406 and serves to bias the closure member assembly 1406 in the proximal direction "pd" which can serve to pivot the closure trigger 512 into the unactuated position when the tool assembly 1000 is operably coupled to the handle assembly 500. in use, the closure member assembly 1406 is translated distally (direction dd) to close the anvil 1130, for example, in response to the actuation of the closure trigger 512. the closure linkage 514 may also be referred to herein as a "closure actuator" and the closure linkage 514 and the closure shuttle 1420 may be collectively referred to herein as a "closure actuator assembly". a proximal end 1482 of the proximal closure member 1480 is coupled to the closure shuttle 1420 for relative rotation thereto. for example, a u-shaped connector 1485 is inserted into an annular slot 1484 in the proximal end 1482 of the proximal closure member 1480 and is retained within vertical slots 1422 in the closure shuttle 1420. see fig. 6 . such arrangement serves to attach the proximal closure member 1480 to the closure shuttle 1420 for axial travel therewith while enabling the closure assembly 1406 to rotate relative to the closure shuttle 1420 about the shaft axis sa. as indicated above, the illustrated interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 includes an articulation joint 1200. as can be seen in fig. 4 , upper and lower tangs 1415, 1416 protrude distally from a distal end of the intermediate closure member 1410 to be movably coupled to the distal closure member 1430. as can be seen in fig. 4 , the distal closure member 1430 includes upper and lower tangs 1434, 1436 that protrude proximally from a proximal end thereof. the intermediate closure member 1410 and the distal closure member 1430 are coupled together by an upper double pivot link 1220. the upper double pivot link 1220 includes proximal and distal pins that engage corresponding holes in the upper tangs 1415, 1434 of the proximal closure member 1410 and distal closure member 1430, respectively. the intermediate closure member 1410 and the distal closure member 1430 are also coupled together by a lower double pivot link 1222. the lower double pivot link 1222 includes proximal and distal pins that engage corresponding holes in the lower tangs 1416 and 1436 of the intermediate closure member 1410 and distal closure member 1430, respectively. as will be discussed in further detail below, distal and proximal axial translation of the closure assembly 1406 will result in the closing and opening of the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102. as mentioned above, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 further includes a firing member assembly 1600 that is supported for axial travel within the spine assembly 1500. in the illustrated embodiment, the firing member assembly 1600 includes a proximal firing shaft segment 1602, an intermediate firing shaft segment 1610 and a distal cutting portion or distal firing bar 1620. the firing member assembly 1600 may also be referred to herein as a "second shaft" and/or a "second shaft assembly". as can be seen in fig. 6 , the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 may be formed with a distal mounting lug 1604 that is configured to be received with a corresponding cradle or groove 1613 in the proximal end 1612 of the intermediate firing shaft segment 1610. a proximal attachment lug 1606 is protrudes proximally from a proximal end of the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 and is configured to be operably received within the firing shaft attachment cradle 542 in the longitudinally movable drive member 540 that is supported in the handle assembly 500. see fig. 2 . referring again to fig. 6 , a distal end 1616 of the intermediate firing shaft segment 1610 includes a longitudinal slot 1618 which is configured to receive a tab (not shown) on the proximal end of the distal firing bar 1620. the longitudinal slot 1618 and the proximal end of the distal firing bar 1620 can be sized and configured to permit relative movement therebetween and can comprise a slip joint 1622. the slip joint 1622 can permit the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 and the intermediate firing shaft segment 1610 of the firing member assembly 1600 to move as a unit during the articulation action without moving, or at least substantially moving, the distal firing bar 1620. once the end effector 1100 has been suitably oriented, the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 and the intermediate firing shaft segment 1610 can be advanced distally until a proximal end wall of the longitudinal slot 1618 comes into contact with the tab on the distal firing bar 1620 to advance the distal firing bar 1620 and fire the staple cartridge 1110 that is positioned within the elongate channel 1102. as can be further seen in fig. 6 , to facilitate assembly, the proximal firing shaft segment 1602, the intermediate firing shaft segment 1610 and the distal firing bar 1620 may be inserted as a unit into the proximal spine channel 1510 and a top spine cover 1527 may be engaged with the proximal spine channel 1510 to enclose those portions of the firing member assembly 1600 therein. further to the above, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 includes a clutch assembly 1640 which can be configured to selectively and releasably couple the articulation driver 1700 to the firing member assembly 1600. in one form, the clutch assembly 1640 includes a rotary lock assembly that in at least one embodiment comprises a lock collar, or lock sleeve 1650 that is positioned around the firing member assembly 1600. the lock sleeve 1650 is configured to be rotated between an engaged position in which the lock sleeve 1650 couples the articulation driver 1700 to the firing member assembly 1600 and a disengaged position in which the articulation driver 1700 is not operably coupled to the firing member assembly 1600. when lock sleeve 1650 is in its engaged position, distal movement of the firing member assembly 1600 can move the articulation driver 1700 distally and, correspondingly, proximal movement of the firing member assembly 1600 can move the articulation driver 1700 proximally. when lock sleeve 1650 is in its disengaged position, movement of the firing member assembly 1600 is not transmitted to the articulation driver 1700 and, as a result, the firing member assembly 1600 can move independently of the articulation driver 1700. in various circumstances, the articulation driver 1700 can be held in position by the articulation lock 1210 when the articulation driver 1700 is not being moved in the proximal or distal directions by the firing member assembly 1600. referring primarily to figs. 8 and 9 , the lock sleeve 1650 comprises a cylindrical, or an at least substantially cylindrical, body including a longitudinal aperture 1652 defined therein configured to receive the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 of the firing member assembly 1600. the lock sleeve 1650 also has two diametrically-opposed, inwardly-facing lock protrusions 1654 formed thereon. only one lock protrusion 1654 can be seen in figs. 8 and 9 . the lock protrusions 1654 can be configured to be selectively engaged with the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 of the firing member assembly 1600. more particularly, when the lock sleeve 1650 is in its engaged position ( fig. 8 ), the lock protrusions 1654 are positioned within a drive notch 1603 that is provided in the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 such that a distal pushing force and/or a proximal pulling force can be transmitted from the firing member assembly 1600 to the lock sleeve 1650. as can be seen in figs. 8 and 9 , an articulation drive notch 1655 is provided in a distal end portion of the lock sleeve 1650 for attachment to a proximal end 1704 of the proximal articulation driver 1700. in the illustrated arrangement, for example, the proximal end 1704 includes a driver notch 1706 that is configured to engage the drive notch 1655 in the lock sleeve 1650. such attachment arrangement enables the lock sleeve 1650 to be rotated relative to the proximal articulation driver 1700 while remaining attached thereto. when the lock sleeve 1650 is in an "articulation mode" or orientation ( fig. 8 ), a distal pushing force and/or a proximal pulling force that is applied to the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 is also transmitted to the lock sleeve 1650 and the proximal articulation driver 1700 that is coupled thereto. in effect, the firing member assembly 1600, the lock sleeve 1650, and the proximal articulation driver 1700 will move together when the lock sleeve 1650 is in the articulation mode. on the other hand, when the lock sleeve 1650 is in its "firing mode" ( fig. 9 ), the lock protrusions 1654 are not positioned within the drive notch 1603 in the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 of the firing member assembly 1600. when in that position, a distal pushing force and/or a proximal pulling force applied to the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 is not transmitted to the lock sleeve 1650 and the proximal articulation driver 1700. in such circumstances, the firing member assembly 1600 can move proximally and/or distally relative to the lock sleeve 1650 and the proximal articulation driver 1700. the illustrated clutch assembly 1640 further includes a switch drum 1660 that interfaces with the lock sleeve 1650. the switch drum 1660 comprises a hollow shaft segment that operably interfaces with a shift plate assembly 1680 that is supported therein. the shift plate assembly 1680 comprises a body portion 1681 that has a shift pin 1682 that protrudes laterally therefrom. the shift pin 1682 extends into a shift pin slot 1662 that is provided through a wall portion of the shift drum 1660. the body portion 1681 of the shift plate assembly 1680 has a slide slot 1683 formed therein that is sized and configured to interface with a slide boss 1656 that protrudes from a proximal end of the slide lock 1650. the switch drum 1660 can further include openings 1664 which permit the inwardly extending mounting lugs 1308 that extend from the nozzle halves 1302, 1304 to extend therethrough to be seating received within the corresponding notches 1535 in the proximal spine mounting segment 1530. see fig. 5 . such arrangement facilitates rotation of the shaft assembly 1400 about the shaft axis sa by rotating the nozzle 1301. also in the illustrated embodiment, the switch drum 1660 includes a magnet support arm 1665 that supports an articulation magnet 1708 and a firing magnet 1611 therein. the articulation magnet 1708 and firing magnet 1611 are configured to operably interface with a hall effect sensor 1632 that interfaces with a slip ring assembly 1630 that is operably mounted to the chassis 1800. the slip ring assembly 1630 is configured to conduct electrical power to and/or from the interchangeable surgical shaft assembly 1000 and/or communicate signals to and/or from the interchangeable shaft assembly 1000 components back to the microcontroller 520 in the handle assembly 500 ( fig. 2 ) or robotic system controller, for example. further details concerning the slip ring assembly 1630 and associated connectors may be found in u.s. patent no. 9,045,203 and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,196 which have each been herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety as well as in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/800,067 , entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263552 , which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. the articulation magnet 1708 and the firing magnet 1611 cooperate with the hall effect sensor 1632 or other sensor arrangement to detect the rotary position of the switch drum 1660 and convey that information to the microcontroller 520 which may serve to provide an indication or indications to the user in the various manners discussed in the aforementioned incorporated references. other sensor arrangements may also be employed. in various circumstances, the handle assembly 500 may be used to control a variety of different interchangeable surgical tool assemblies that are configured to perform various surgical procedures. as briefly mentioned above, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 may also be effectively used in connection with robotic systems and automated surgical systems that each may be referred to herein as "control systems" or "control units". such control systems or control units may operably support firing systems and closure systems that are configured upon actuation to move a firing actuation component or "firing actuator" (in the case of the firing system) and a closure actuation component or "closure actuator" (in the case of the closure system) a corresponding axial distance to apply control motions to corresponding components within the interchangeable tool assembly. in one arrangement, when a closure system in the handle assembly (or robotic system) is fully actuated, a closure actuator may move axially from an unactuated position to its fully actuated position. the axial distance that the closure component moves between its unactuated position to its fully actuated position may be referred to herein as its "closure stroke length" or a "first closure distance". similarly, when a firing system in the handle assembly or robotic system is fully actuated, one of the firing system components may move axially from its unactuated position to its fully actuated or fired position. the axial distance that the firing member component moves between its unactuated position and its fully fired position may be referred to herein as its "firing stroke length" or "first firing distance". for those surgical tool assemblies that employ articulatable end effector arrangements, the handle assembly or robotic system may employ articulation control components that move axially through an "articulation drive stroke length" or a "first articulation distance". in many circumstances, the closure stroke length, the firing stroke length and the articulation drive stroke length are fixed for a particular handle assembly or robotic system. thus, each of the interchangeable surgical tool assemblies that are configured to be used in connection with such control units or systems must be able to accommodate control movements of the closure, firing and/or articulation components/actuators through each of their entire stroke lengths without placing undue stress on the surgical tool components which might lead to damage or catastrophic failure of surgical tool assembly. examples of surgical tool assemblies that have arrangements for reducing the axial closure stroke of an actuator system are disclosed in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019, 245, filed february 9, 2016 , entitled surgical instruments with closure stroke reduction arrangements, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174977 , entitled surgical instrument systems comprising an articulatable end effector and means for adjusting the firing stroke of a firing member discloses arrangements for adjusting the firing stroke of a firing member. depending upon the jaw arrangement of the end effector portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly that is operably coupled to the handle assembly 500, the closure drive system 510 in the handle assembly 500, when fully actuated, may generate a closure stroke or first axial closure distance that is too long for such a jaw arrangement. the illustrated embodiment of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 employs a closure stroke reduction assembly generally designated as 1720 to reduce the amount of closure stroke that is applied to the end effector when the closure drive system 510 is fully actuated. for example, the closure drive system 510 in one form of the handle assembly 500 may generate axial closure motions so as to move the closure actuator (e.g., the closure linkage 514 - fig. 2 ) or closure actuator assembly (e.g., the closure linkage 514, and the closure shuttle 1420) axially forward and backward about 0.240" - 0.260". such axial control travel may be well-suited for surgical end effectors that are equipped with an anvil or jaw arrangement that moves distally relative to the channel or jaw arrangements to which they are attached. because the jaws are pivotally coupled together about a fixed jaw axis ja, they may be better suited for a shorter closure stroke. stated another way, the anvil 1130 does not move distally relative to the elongate channel 1102. for example, such arrangement may be better suited for a closure stroke range of approximately 0.1" -0.150". as will be discussed in further detail below, upon full actuation of the closure drive system 510 in the handle assembly 500, the closure shuttle 1420 and the proximal closure member 1480 may move approximately the 0.260" in the distal direction dd ("first closure stroke distance"). however, the closure stroke reduction assembly 1720 reduces the amount of closure stroke that is applied to the intermediate closure member 1410 and ultimately to the distal closure member 1430 ("second closure stroke distance"). in some arrangements, for example, the closure stroke reduction assembly 1720 may reduce the magnitude of the closure stroke that is applied to the intermediate closure member 1410 and distal closure member 1430 to approximately 0.1", for example. it will be appreciated that other amounts of closure stroke reduction could conceivably be achieved. referring now to figs. 12a and 12b , in one form, the closure stroke reduction assembly 1720 includes a closure reduction linkage 1730 that is attached to a closure member mounting member or mounting ring 1740. as can be seen in figs. 6 , 12a and 12b , the intermediate closure member 1410 has a proximal attachment flange 1414 that is formed on a proximal end portion 1412. the mounting ring 1740 is sized to slidably move within the proximal closure member 1480 and includes a mounting groove 1742 for receiving the attachment flange 1414 therein. such arrangement serves to attach the mounting ring 1740 to the intermediate closure member 1410. in the illustrated embodiment, the closure reduction linkage 1730 comprises a proximal link 1732 and a distal link 1734 that are pivotally attached together by an actuator pin 1736. the proximal link 1732 is pivotally pinned to an upstanding attachment wall 1518 that is formed on the proximal spine channel 1510. the distal link 1734 is pivotally pinned to the mounting ring 1740. the closure reduction linkage 1730 is actuated by axially moving the proximal closure member 1480. in at least one arrangement, for example, the actuator pin 1736 is slidably journaled in a cam slot 1486 that is provided in the proximal closure member 1480. the actuator pin 1736 also extends inwardly to be slidably received within a slide track 1658 that is formed on a proximal end portion of the lock sleeve 1650. thus, when the proximal closure member 1480 is moved to its distal-most position, the actuator pin 1736 is in the proximal end of the cam slot 1486 such that the closure reduction linkage 1730 is in its fully extended position as shown in figs. 12b and 14 . when the proximal closure member 1480 is in its proximal-most position, the closure reduction linkage 1730 is in its retracted position ( figs. 12a and 13 ). as was briefly discussed above, the shift plate assembly 1680 comprises a body portion 1681 that has a shift pin 1682 that laterally protrudes therefrom. the shift pin 1682 extends into a shift pin slot 1662 that is provided through a wall portion of the switch drum 1660. the shift pin 1682 also extends through a cam opening 1490 that is provided in the proximal closure member 1480. see figs. 10 and 11 . the cam opening 1490 in the illustrated arrangement includes a travel portion 1492 that is sufficiently long enough so as to permit a predetermined amount of axial travel of the proximal closure member assembly 1480 relative to the shift pin 1682 and a firing portion 1494. in at least one arrangement, the shift plate 1680 is constrained to only rotate a short distance around the shaft axis sa and is constrained not to move axially within the switch drum 1660. this rotary travel of the shift plate 1680 and the shift pin 1682 may be observed from reference to figs. 8-11 . figs. 8 , 10 and 12a illustrate the clutch assembly 1640 in the articulation mode and figs. 9 , 11 and 12b , illustrate the clutch assembly 1640 in the firing mode. the clutch assembly 1640 is moved from the articulation mode to the firing mode by moving the proximal closure member 1480 to it distal-most position which corresponds to a "fully closed" position of the end effector jaws (elongate channel 1102 and anvil 1130). the proximal closure member 1480 is moved distally by depressing the closure trigger 512 on the handle assembly 500. as discussed above, when the closure trigger 512 is depressed, the closure shuttle 1420 is advanced distally. because the proximal closure member 1480 is supported in the closure shuttle 1420, the proximal closure member 1480 moves distally as well. when the clutch assembly 1640 is in the articulation mode, the shift pin 1682 is located about midway (lengthwise) within the travel portion 1492 of the cam opening 1490 in the proximal closure member 1480. thus, the proximal closure member 1480 can be moved back and forth axially (by means of depressing and at least partially releasing the closure trigger 512) a short distance to effectively move the jaws (anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102) between open and closed positions without moving the clutch assembly 1640 into the firing mode. thus, the clinician can use the jaws to grasp and manipulate tissue without moving the jaws to a fully closed position and without shifting the clutch assembly 1640 to the firing mode. however, when the clinician desires to fully close the jaws, the clinician fully depresses the closure trigger 512 to the fully actuated position. this action causes the proximal closure member 1480 to move to its distal-most axial position. see figs. 9 , 11 and 12b . when the proximal closure member 1480 moves to this position, the proximal cam wall 1491 of the cam opening 1490 contacts the shift pin 1682 and cams the shift pin 1682 (and the shift plate 1680) to the firing orientation shown in figs. 9 and 11 . in the illustrated embodiment, a torsional shift spring 1667 is journaled on the switch drum 1660 and is configured to rotate biasthe switch drum 1660 into the position corresponding to the articulation mode. see fig. 10 . the shift pin 1682 is in the bottom of the shift pin slot 1662 in the switch drum 1660 and is thereby moved to the articulation position shown in fig. 10 . to apply the torsional biasing force to the switch drum 1660, one end 1668 of the torsion spring 1667 is attached to the switch drum 1660 and the other end 1669 is attached to nozzle 1301. further details concerning the operation of the clutch assembly 1640 and the closure stroke reduction assembly 1720 are provided below. fig. 12a illustrates the positions of the closure stroke reduction assembly 1730 and the intermediate closure member 1410 when the proximal closure member 1480 is in an unactuated position. this "unactuated" position may correspond to the orientations of the jaws of the surgical end effector when the jaws are in their respective "fully opened" positions. for reference purposes, the unactuated position of the proximal closure member 1480 is represented by a starting witness line swl p and the unactuated position of the intermediate closure member 1410 is represented by starting witness line swl i . fig. 12b illustrates the positions of the of the closure stroke reduction assembly 1730 and the intermediate closure member 1410 when the proximal closure member 1480 is in a fully actuated position which may correspond to the orientations of the jaws of the surgical end effector when the jaws are in their respective "fully closed" positions. as was briefly discussed above, when the proximal closure member 1480 is in the fully actuated position, actuation of the firing trigger 532 will cause the firing member assembly 1600 to be advanced distally. for reference purposes, the fully actuated position of the proximal closure segment 1480 is represented by an ending witness line ewl p . the fully actuated position of the intermediate closure member 1410 is represented by a ending witness line ewl i . the axial distance that the proximal closure member 1480 traveled between the unactuated position and the fully actuated position is represented by distance d 1 . in one example, d 1 may be approximately 0.260". the axial distance that the intermediate closure member 1410 (and ultimately the distal closure member 1430) traveled between the unactuated position and the fully actuated position is represented by distance d 2 . as can be seen in figs 12a and 12b , d 1 > d 2 . in the above-referenced example, d 2 may be approximately 0.1". thus, the intermediate closure member 1410 and the distal closure member 1430 traveled a shorter axial distance than did the proximal closure member 1480. such arrangement permits the jaw arrangements of the surgical end effector 1100 to better utilize the closure motions generated by the closure drive system 510 in the handle assembly 500 and avoid potential damage that might otherwise result if the full range of closure motions were applied to the end effector. referring again to figs. 2 and 6 , the chassis 1800 includes at least one, and preferably two, tapered attachment portions 1802 that are formed thereon and are adapted to be received within corresponding dovetail slots 507 that are formed within the distal end portion of the frame 506 of the handle assembly 500. as can be further seen in fig. 2 , a shaft attachment lug 1606 is formed on the proximal end of the proximal firing shaft segment 1602. as will be discussed in further detail below, when the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 is coupled to the handle assembly 500, the shaft attachment lug 1606 is received in a firing shaft attachment cradle 542 that is formed in the distal end of the longitudinal drive member 540. see fig. 2 . the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 employs a latch system 1810 for removably coupling the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 to the frame 506 of the handle assembly 500. as can be seen in fig. 5 , for example, in at least one form, the latch system 1810 includes a lock member or lock yoke 1812 that is movably coupled to the chassis 1800. in the illustrated embodiment, for example, the lock yoke 1812 has a u-shape and includes two downwardly extending legs 1814. the legs 1814 each have a pivot lug (not shown) formed thereon that is adapted to be received in corresponding holes 1816 that are formed in the chassis 1800. such arrangement facilitates pivotal attachment of the lock yoke 1812 to the chassis 1800. see fig. 6 . the lock yoke 1812 may include two proximally protruding lock lugs 1818 that are configured for releasable engagement with corresponding lock detents or grooves 509 in the distal end of the frame 506 of the handle assembly 500. see fig. 2 . in various forms, the lock yoke 1812 is biased in the proximal direction by a spring or biasing member 1819. actuation of the lock yoke 1812 may be accomplished by a latch button 1820 that is slidably mounted on a latch actuator assembly 1822 that is mounted to the chassis 1800. the latch button 1820 may be biased in a proximal direction relative to the lock yoke 1812. the lock yoke 1812 may be moved to an unlocked position by biasing the latch button 1820 the in distal direction which also causes the lock yoke 1812 to pivot out of retaining engagement with the distal end of the frame 506. when the lock yoke 1812 is in "retaining engagement" with the distal end of the frame 506, the lock lugs 1818 are retainingly seated within the corresponding lock detents or grooves 509 in the distal end of the frame 506. in the illustrated arrangement, the lock yoke 1812 includes at least one and preferably two lock hooks 1824 that are adapted to contact corresponding lock lug portions 1426 that are formed on the closure shuttle 1420. when the closure shuttle 1420 is in an unactuated position, the lock yoke 1812 may be pivoted in a distal direction to unlock the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 from the handle assembly 500. when in that position, the lock hooks 1824 do not contact the lock lug portions 1426 on the closure shuttle 1420. however, when the closure shuttle 1420 is moved to an actuated position, the lock yoke 1812 is prevented from being pivoted to an unlocked position. stated another way, if the clinician were to attempt to pivot the lock yoke 1812 to an unlocked position or, for example, the lock yoke 1812 was in advertently bumped or contacted in a manner that might otherwise cause it to pivot distally, the lock hooks 1824 on the lock yoke 1812 will contact the lock lugs 1426 on the closure shuttle 1420 and prevent movement of the lock yoke 1812 to an unlocked position. see fig. 5 . further details concerning the latching system may be found in u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 . attachment of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 to the handle assembly 500 will now be described with reference to fig. 2 . to commence the coupling process, the clinician may position the chassis 1800 of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 above or adjacent to the distal end of the frame 506 such that the tapered attachment portions 1802 formed on the chassis 1800 are aligned with the dovetail slots 507 in the frame 506. the clinician may then move the surgical tool assembly 1000 along an installation axis ia that is perpendicular to the shaft axis sa to seat the tapered attachment portions 1802 in "operable engagement" with the corresponding dovetail receiving slots 507 in the distal end of the frame 506. in doing so, the shaft attachment lug 1606 on the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 will also be seated in the cradle 542 in the longitudinally movable drive member 540 and the portions of pin 516 on the closure link 514 will be seated in the corresponding hooks 1421 in the closure shuttle 1420. as used herein, the term "operable engagement" in the context of two components means that the two components are sufficiently engaged with each other so that upon application of an actuation motion thereto, the components may carry out their intended action, function and/or procedure. referring again to fig. 4 , the distal firing bar 1620 may comprise a laminated beam structure that includes at least two beam layers. such beam layers may comprise, for example, stainless steel bands that are interconnected by, for example, welding or pinning together at their proximal ends and/or at other locations along their length. in alternative embodiments, the distal ends of the bands are not connected together to allow the laminates or bands to splay relative to each other when the end effector is articulated. such arrangement permits the distal firing bar 1620 to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate articulation of the end effector. various laminated knife bar arrangements are disclosed in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,245 . as can also be seen in fig. 4 , a middle support member 1614 is employed to provide lateral support to the distal firing bar 1620 as it flexes to accommodate articulation of the surgical end effector 1100. further details concerning the middle support member and alternative knife bar support arrangements are disclosed in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,245 . after the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 has been operably coupled to the handle assembly 500 ( fig. 1 ), the clinician may operate the surgical tool assembly 10 as follows. as discussed above, when the closure drive system 510 is in its unactuated position (i.e., the closure trigger 512 has not been actuated), the torsion spring 1667 has biased the clutch assembly 1640 and, more particularly, the switch pin 1682 and the lock sleeve 1650 into the articulation position. see figs. 8 , 10 and 12a . as can be seen in fig. 8 , when in that position, the lock protrusions 1654 in the lock sleeve 1650 are received within the drive notch 1603 in the proximal firing shaft segment 1602. as can be seen in fig. 10 , when in that mode, the articulation magnet 1708 is in position relative to the hall effect sensor 1632 so as to indicate to the microcontroller 520 that the tool assembly 1000 is in the articulation mode. when the clinician actuates the firing trigger 512, the motor drives the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 distally. as mentioned above, however, the slip joint 1622 facilitates movement of the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 and the intermediate firing shaft segment 1610 without moving, or at least substantially moving, the distal firing bar 1620. because the lock sleeve 1650 is in operable engagement with the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 and the proximal articulation driver 1700 is in engagement with the lock sleeve 1650, actuation of the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 results in the distal movement of the articulation driver 1700. distal movement of the articulation driver 1700 causes the surgical end effector 1000 to articulate around the articulation axis b-b. during this time, the clinician can also partially close the jaws of the end effector 1100 by partially depressing the closure trigger. such axial movement of the proximal closure member 1480 without automatically shifting the clutch assembly 1640 to the firing mode is accommodated by the travel portion 1492 of the cam opening 1490 in the proximal closure member 1480. see fig. 10 . this feature enables the clinician to use the jaws to grasp and manipulate tissue prior to clamping onto the target tissue. once the clinician has articulated the end effector 1100 into a desired position and the jaws have been positioned in a desired orientation relative to the target tissue, the clinician releases the firing trigger 532 which will discontinue the motorized movement of the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 as well as the proximal articulation driver 1700. the articulation lock 1210 will lock the proximal articulation driver 1700 in that position to prevent further articulation of the end effector 1100. the clinician may clamp the target tissue between the jaws by depressing the closure trigger 512 to the fully depressed position. such action moves the proximal closure member 1480 distally. such distal movement of the proximal closure member 1480 causes the switch pin 1682 to rotate downward within the cam opening 1490 as it is contacted by the cam wall 1491. see fig. 11 . referring now to fig. 11 , movement of the shift pin 1682 downwardly within cam opening 1490 causes the shift plate 1680 to rotate the lock sleeve 1650 to rotate to a disengaged position with the proximal firing shaft segment 1602. when in that position, the lock protrusions 1654 have disengaged from the drive notch 1603 in the proximal firing shaft segment 1602. thus, the proximal firing shaft segment 1602 can move axially without moving the lock sleeve 1650 and the proximal articulation driver 1700. as the proximal closure member 1480 is moved distally to the fully actuated position (by depressing the closure trigger 512), the closure stroke reduction assembly 1730 moves the intermediate closure member 1410 distally a reduced axial distance as was discussed above. this axial motion is applied to the distal closure member 1430 and ultimately moves the jaws to the fully closed position. when in this position, the closure drive system 510 system in the handle assembly 500 may be locked and the clinician can release the closure trigger 512. when the clutch assembly 1640 has been moved to this firing mode, the firing magnet 1611 is in communication with the hall effect sensor 1632 to indicate the position of the clutch assembly 1640 to the microcontroller 520. see fig. 11 . the microcontroller 520 may provide the clinician with an indication of the position of the distal firing bar 1620 as it is advanced distally through the target tissue that is clamped between the end effector jaws. once the distal firing bar 1620 and, more specifically, the firing member or knife member attached thereto has been advanced to a fully fired position, the microcontroller 520, by means of sensor arrangements, detects the position of a portion of the firing member assembly 1600 and may then reverse the motor to retract the distal firing bar 1620 to its starting position. this action may be automatic or the clinician may have to depress the firing trigger 532 during the retraction process. once the distal firing bar 1620 has been fully retracted to its starting position, the microcontroller 520 may provide the clinician with an indication that the distal firing bar 1620 has been fully retracted and the closure trigger 512 may be unlocked to enable the closure assembly 1406 to be returned to the unactuated position which thereby moves the jaws to the open position. in the embodiment illustrated in figs. 15a and 15b , the anvil assembly 1130 includes an anvil body portion 1132 and an anvil mounting portion 1134. the anvil mounting portion 1134 comprises a pair of anvil mounting walls 1136 that are separated by a slot 1138 ( fig. 4 ). the anvil mounting walls 1136 are interconnected or bridged by an upstanding tab portion 1139. as discussed above, the end effector mounting assembly 1230 is pivotally attached to the proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102 by a pair of laterally extending jaw attachment pins 1235 that are rotatably received within jaw pivot holes 1104 that are provided in the proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102. the jaw attachment pins 1235 define a fixed jaw pivot axis ja that is substantially traverse to the shaft axis sa. see fig. 4 . each of the anvil mounting walls 1136 has a mounting hole 1140 extending therethrough to enable the anvil mounting portion 1134 to be pivotally journaled on the jaw attachment pins 1235. thus, in such arrangement, the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 are independently pivotable about the fixed jaw pivot axis ja. such arrangement may permit the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 (the "jaws") to be opened to positions that may be wider than those open positions that may be attained by the jaws of other end effector arrangements wherein only one of the jaws moves relative to the other jaw. still referring to figs. 15a and 15b , the distal closure member 1430 includes two inwardly extending jaw opening pins 1432 that are adapted to extend through corresponding channel opening cam slots 1106 provided in the proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102. each jaw opening pin 1432 is configured to engage a corresponding anvil opening cam surface 1142 that is formed on each anvil mounting wall 1136. as can be seen in figs. 15a and 15b , the anvil opening cam surfaces 1142 are opposed or arranged in an opposite configuration as the corresponding channel opening cam slots 1106. stated another way, the channel opening cam slots 1106 and the anvil opening cam surfaces 1142 curve in opposite directions from each other. fig. 15a illustrates the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 (the "jaws") in the fully closed position. as the distal closure member 1430 is advanced distally, the distal end 1431 of the distal closure member 1430 travels up closure cam surfaces 1137 formed on each of the anvil mounting walls 1136 as well as up closure cam surfaces 1108 formed on the proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102. as the distal end 1431 of the distal closure member 1430 cammingly contacts the closure cam surfaces 1137, 1108, the anvil 1130 as well as the elongate channel 1102 are both pivoted about the jaw pivot axis ja to the closed position at which point the distal end 1431 of the distal closure member 1430 contacts a ledge portion 1133 that is formed between the anvil mounting portion 1134 and the anvil body portion 1132 as well as a ledge 1145 on the elongate channel. see fig. 15a . when the closure member assembly 1400 is locked in position, the distal closure member 1430 retains the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 in that closed position. when the clinician desires to move the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 to the open position, the distal closure member 1430 is moved in the proximal direction pd. as the distal closure member 1430 is moved in the proximal direction pd, the jaw opening pins 1432 engage the corresponding channel opening cam slots 1106 and the anvil opening cam surfaces 1142 and pivots the anvil 1130 and elongate channel about the fixed jaw axis ja to the open position shown in fig. 15b . such use of pins of features on the distal closure member to effectuate movement of both jaws from a fully closed position to a fully open position may be referred to herein as "positive jaw opening" features. other positive jaw opening arrangements are disclosed in u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,925 , entitled surgical end effectors with positive jaw opening arrangements, which has been incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. figs. 16-21 illustrate an alternative distal closure member 1430' that employs alternative positive jaw opening features in the form of, for example, movable jaw opening cams 1440 that are attached to the distal closure member 1430' in place of the jaw opening pins. at least one and preferably two jaw opening cams 1440 are movably attached to the distal closure member 1430' by a corresponding stretchable coupler 1450. in the illustrated embodiment, the coupler 1450 comprises a cam or tension spring. in the illustrated arrangement, the tension spring 1454 comprises flat spring to save space. a proximal end of each tension spring 1450 has a hook 1452 formed thereon that extends through an opening 1442 in the distal closure member 1430'. an end of each hook 1452 may be seated in a corresponding slot or groove 1444 that is formed in the distal closure member 1430' as shown in fig. 16 . a distal end 1455 of each tension spring 1454 is attached to the corresponding jaw opening cam 1440. the proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102 includes a pair of spring clearance slots 1106' and channel opening cam surfaces 1107 that are configured to be engaged by the jaw opening cams 1440. in alternative arrangements, the spring could include maximum extension features that only allow a predetermined amount of compliance and then assure jaw opening that is proportionate to the remaining closure trigger travel and therefore closure shuttle motion. as indicated above, each of the anvil mounting walls 1136 has an anvil opening cam surface 1142 formed thereon. as can be seen in fig. 19 , the anvil opening cam surfaces 1142 are opposed or arranged in an opposite configuration as the corresponding channel opening cam surface 1107. stated another way, the channel opening cam surface 1107 and the anvil opening cam surfaces 1142 are arcuate and curve in opposite directions. figs. 20 and 21 illustrate the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 in their respective fully opened positions. as can be seen in each of those figures, the jaw opening cams 1440 are oriented between the corresponding anvil opening cam surface 1142 and the channel opening cam surface 1107 and are in their proximal-most positions. when in the fully opened positions, the jaw opening cams 1440 are located distal to the distal end of the distal closure member 1430'. as can be seen in figs. 19 and 20 , the jaw opening cams 1440 may be wedge-shaped. in at least one arrangement, the wedge geometry has a gradual cam surface on the proximal side to prevent biding between the jaws. when in that fully open position, the tension springs 1454 are in their starting position wherein the tension springs 1454 are applying their smallest amount of biasing force to each of the jaw opening cams 1440. upon commencement of the closing process, the distal closure member 1430' is advanced distally in the various manners described herein. as the distal closure member 1430' is advanced distally, the distal end 1431 contacts the closure cam surfaces 1137 on the anvil mounting portion 1134 and closure cam surfaces 1108 that are formed on the proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102 to pivot the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 toward each other about the pivot jaw axis ja. as the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 are pivoted toward each other, the jaw opening cams 1440 that are riding on cam surfaces 1142 and 1104 are driven in the distal direction. as the jaw opening cams 1440 are driven distally, the tension springs 1454 are elongated and "loaded". figs. 18 and 19 depict the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 in their fully closed positions. when the clinician desires to return the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 to their fully open positions ( figs. 20 and 21 ), the distal closure member 1430' is withdrawn in the proximal direction which permits the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 to pivot away from each other about the pivot jaw axis ja. because the tension springs 1454 are elongated and loaded, they draw each of the jaw opening cams 1440 in the proximal direction. as the jaw opening cams 1440 move in the proximal direction pd between the cam surfaces 1142 and 1107, the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 are positively moved to the fully opened position and retained therein by the jaw opening cams 1440. the more that the distal closure member is moved proximally, the more the jaws are urged away from each other. such compliant positive jaw opening arrangements may assure direct one-to-one final pull open to provide more opening force if stuck. figs. 22-25 illustrate an alternative distal closure member 1430" that employs jaw opening tabs as well as at least one jaw opening spring 1460 to move the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102' into their respective fully opened positions. as can be seen in figs 24 and 25 , the distal closure member 1430" is similar to distal closure member 1430 as described above, except that distal closure member 1430" additionally incudes an anvil open tab 1435 and a channel open tab 1437. as shown in fig. 24 , when the distal closure member 1430" has been moved to its proximal most position corresponding to the fully opened position, the anvil open tab 1435 is in contact with the tab 1139 on the anvil mounting portion 1134 and the channel opening tab is in contact with a channel tab 1109 protruding from the underside of the proximal end portion 1103 of the elongate channel 1102'. the embodiment depicted in figs. 22 , 24 and 25 also employs a positive jaw opening member which may comprise a jaw opening spring 1460. as can be seen in fig. 23 , in the illustrated arrangement, the jaw opening spring 1460 includes an anvil opening leg 1462 and a channel opening leg 1464 that are attached by a bridge portion 1463. the spring 1460 may be journaled on the jaw attachment pins 1235 as shown in figs. 22 , 24 and 25 such that the anvil opening leg 1462 bears on a bottom surface of the anvil mounting portion 1134 and the channel opening leg 1464 bears on a bottom surface of the proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102'. thus, the jaw opening spring 1460 serves to apply biasing forces to the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102' to pivot them away from each other to open positions. fig. 25 illustrates the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102' in the fully closed position. as can be seen in fig. 25 , the jaw opening spring 1460 is in its fully compressed state. to open the anvil and channel 1102', the distal closure member 1430" is moved in the proximal direction pd in the various manners disclosed herein. as the distal closure member 1430" moves proximally, the jaw opening spring 1460 positively biases the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102' away from each other about the pivot axis ja to the fully open position wherein the anvil opening tab 1435 engages the tab 1139 on the anvil mounting portion 1134 and the channel opening tab 1437 engages the channel tab 1109. see fig. 24 . in at least one arrangement, the jaw opening spring is mounted proximal to the firing member parking area (i.e., the area where the firing member resides when in the starting position). figs. 26-29 illustrate an alternative distal closure member 1470 that employs slot arrangements in the elongate channel and closure member that are configured to move an anvil 1130" between a fully open position and a fully closed position. in the illustrated arrangement, the distal closure member 1470 is similar to distal closure member 1430 as described above, except for the differences discussed below. in this arrangement, however, only the anvil 1130" moves relative to the elongate channel 1102". as can be seen in figs. 26-29 , the anvil mounting portion 1134 of the anvil 1130" includes two outwardly extending anvil pins 1150 that extend through corresponding channel slots 1472 provided in the proximal end 1103 of the elongate channel 1102". each anvil pin 1150 also extends into corresponding closure slots 1474 in the distal closure member 1470. in the illustrated arrangement, each of the channel slots 1472 extends along a vertical axis va. the anvil pins 1150 define a pivot axis pa about which the anvil 1130" may pivot. because the anvil pins 1150 are constrained to only move within the vertically extending channel slots 1472, the pivot axis pa is constrained to only move along the vertical axis va. each closure slot 1474 has a proximal portion 1476 and a distal portion 1478. the proximal portion 1476 lies along a first horizontal axis ha 1 and the distal portion 1478 lies along a second horizontal axis ha 2 that is offset from the first horizontal axis ha 1 . see fig. 26 . vertical axis va is transverse to the first and second horizontal axes ha 1 and ha 2 . fig. 26 illustrates the positions of the anvil 1130" and the elongate channel 1102" when in the fully open position. as can be seen in fig. 26 , when in that position, the anvil pins 1150 are located at the top end of the channel slot 1472 ("first vertical positions") as well as in the distal portion 1478 of the closure slots 1474. fig. 27 illustrates the positions of the anvil 1130" and the elongate channel 1102" after the closure process has been commenced. as can be seen in fig. 27 , the distal closure member 1470 has begun to move distally so that the anvil pins 1150 are just about to enter the proximal portion 1476 of the closure slots and the pins have begun to move downward in the channel slots 1472. in fig. 28 , the distal closure member 1470 has moved distally to a point wherein the anvil pins 1150 are at the bottom ends of the channel slots 1472 and the anvil pins 1150 have now entered the proximal portions 1476 of the closure slots 1474. thus the anvil mounting portion 1134 has moved downward toward the elongate channel 1102". fig. 29 illustrates the anvil 1130" and the elongate channel anvil 1102" in their fully closed positions. as can be seen in fig. 29 , the anvil pins 1150 are retained in the bottom ends of the channel slots 1472 ("second vertical positions") and are also received within the proximal portions 1476 of the closure slots 1474. the anvil 1130" and elongate channel 1102" are retained in that fully closed position while the distal closure member 1470 is retained in that position. as can be seen in fig. 29 , such arrangement facilitates the vertical travel of the anvil mounting portion 1134 relative to the channel 1102" thereby increasing the distance between the underside of the anvil and the cartridge deck when in the fully opened position. such redundant linkage arrangement may allow for the adjustment of the proximal distance between the anvil and the cartridge deck adjacent the tissue stops. another cartridge embodiment may include a metallic camming termination feature proximal to the sled start location. such metallic feature may support or hold the sled in the "ready-to-use" position while preventing the collapse of the tail. figs. 30-32 illustrate one form of a firing member 1760 that may be employed with the interchangeable tool assembly 1000. in one exemplary form, the firing member 1760 comprises a body portion 1762 that includes a proximally extending connector member 1763 that is configured to be received in a correspondingly shaped connector opening 1624 ( fig. 4 ) in the distal end of the distal firing bar 1620. the connector 1763 may be retained within the connector opening 1624 by friction and/or welding or suitable adhesive, etc. in use, the body portion 1762 protrudes through an elongate slot 1160 in the elongate channel 1102. a laterally extending foot tab 1764 extends from each lateral side of the body portion 1762. each foot tab 1764 includes a proximal end 1765 that has a thickness pe f and a distal end 1767 that has a thickness de f . such configuration also defines an upper foot surface 1768 and a lower foot surface 1769. in the illustrated reference the upper foot surface 1768 and the lower foot surface 1769 angle away from each other. in fig. 31 , the upper foot surface 1768 is parallel to the upper axis u a and the lower foot surface 1769 is parallel to lower axis u l with an angle a f therebetween. stated another way, the distal thickness de f > the proximal thickness pe f . thus, each of the foot tabs 1764 taper in thickness from their respective distal end 1767 to their proximal end 1765 with the proximal end being thinner. still referring primarily to fig. 31 , the illustrated firing member 1760 also includes a pair of laterally extending top tabs 1770. each top tab 1770 includes a proximal end 1772 that has a thickness pe t and a distal end 1774 that has a thickness de t . such configuration also defines a top surface 1776 and a bottom surface 1778. in the illustrated reference the top surface 1776 and the bottom surface 1778 angle away from each other. in fig. 31 , the top surface 1776 is parallel to an upper axis t a and the bottom surface 1778 is parallel to a bottom axis b l with an angle at therebetween. stated another way, a distal thickness de t of each top tab 1770 is greater than proximal thickness pe t thereof. thus, each of the top tabs 1770 taper in thickness from their respective distal end 1774 to their proximal end 1772 with the proximal end 1772 being thinner. in the illustrated arrangement angle a f may be approximately equal to angle at. in addition, the top surface 1776 of each of the top tabs 1770 may be a distance h f from the lower foot surface 1769 of each corresponding foot tab 1764 between the distal ends 1774, 1765, respectively and also be a distance h r from each other at their respective proximal ends 1772, 1767. in the illustrated arrangement, h f > h r . thus, the top surface 1776 of each top tab 1770 angles away from the shaft axis sa and each lower foot surface 1769 of each foot tab 1764 angles away from the shaft axis sa. the illustrated firing member 1760 further includes laterally protruding central lock lugs 1780 which will be discussed in further detail below. the body portion 1762 of the firing member 1760 further includes a tissue cutting edge or feature 1766 that is disposed between a distally protruding bottom portion 1771 and a distally protruding top nose portion 1773. surgical instruments according to the present invention that include surgical end effectors where both the first jaw and second jaw move, or where both the elongate channel and the anvil move, when the end effector is moved from its fully open towards its fully closed position offer the advantage of a wider opening than instruments where only one of the elongate channel/anvil move or where only one of the first/second jaws move, and can therefore receive thicker amounts of tissue. if the thick amount of tissue is sufficiently large, the inner surfaces of the first jaw and second jaw, or of the elongate channel and the anvil, will not be exactly parallel. advantageously, the firing member of the end effector has engagement members that are sized and/or oriented to permit a firing motion to continue, despite the non-parallel nature of the inner surfaces of the first/second jaws or anvil/elongate channel. in the illustrated example, the cartridge body 1111 operably supports therein a plurality of staple drivers that are aligned in rows on each side of a centrally disposed slot 1114. figs. 33a-33c illustrate one example of a staple driver 1170 that may be employed to support staples on one side of a surgical staple cartridge. the drivers located on the opposite side of the centrally disposed slot 1114 may comprise mirror images of drivers 1170. other staple driver configurations may also be effectively employed as well. as can be seen in figs. 33a-33c , one form of a staple driver 1700 comprises a staple driver body 1172. the driver body 1172 includes a first or innermost staple support portion 1174 that is configured to support a staple (not shown) thereon. a second or central staple support portion 1176 is configured to support another staple (not shown) thereon and a third support portion 1870 that is configured to support a third staple (not shown) thereon. the first staple support portion 1174, the second staple support portion 1176 and the third staple support portion 1178 are all coupled together by a connector portion 1180. in at least one arrangement, the connector portion 1180 is formed with a centrally disposed opening or aperture 1182 that is configured to slidably receive a corresponding first driver guide (not shown) that is formed in the cartridge body. the connector portion 1180 includes a first cam portion 1184 that has a first camming surface or ramp 1186 formed thereon. the connector portion 1180 also includes a second cam portion 1188 that has a second a second camming surface 1190 formed thereon. the camming surfaces 1186, 1190 have the same slope or angle or they may have different slopes/angles. in at least one embodiment, each staple driver 1170 is integrally formed from or molded from, for example, ultem®, with no fill. however, other materials such as, for example, ultem® with a glass or mineral fill or nylon or nylon with a glass file could be used. in other arrangements, the various portions of the staple drivers 1170 may be separately fabricated from other materials and be attached together by adhesive, solder, etc. further details concerning the staple drivers 1170 as well as other driver embodiments that may be effectively employed with the various embodiments disclosed herein may be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 14/843,243, filed september 2, 2015 , entitled surgical staple configurations with camming surfaces located between portions supporting surgical staples, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. turning next to figs. 33 , 36 and 37 , the firing member 1760 is configured to operably interface with a sled assembly 1120 that is operably supported within the body 1111 of the surgical staple cartridge 1110. the sled assembly 1120 is slidably displaceable within the surgical staple cartridge body 1111 from a proximal starting position adjacent the proximal end 1112 of the cartridge body 1111 to an ending position adjacent the distal end 1113 of the cartridge body 1111. see fig. 4 . the centrally disposed slot 1114 enables the firing member 1760 to pass therethrough and cut the tissue that is clamped between the anvil 1130 and the staple cartridge 1110. the drivers 1170 are associated with corresponding pockets 1116 that open through the upper deck surface 1115 of the cartridge body 1111. the sled assembly 1120 includes a plurality of sloped or wedge-shaped cams 1122 wherein each cam 1122 corresponds to a particular camming surface 1186, 1190 on the corresponding drivers 1170 located on each side of the slot 1114. when the firing member 1760 is fired or driven distally, the firing member 1760 drives the sled assembly 1120 distally as well. as the firing member 1760 moves distally through the cartridge 1110, the tissue cutting feature 1766 cuts the tissue that is clamped between the anvil assembly 1130 and the cartridge 1110 and the sled assembly 1120 drives the drivers 1170 upwardly in the cartridge which drive the corresponding staples or fasteners into forming contact with the anvil assembly 1130. in the illustrated example, the body portion 1762 of the firing member 1760 is configured to engage with the distal end of the sled assembly 1120. in particular, in at least one example, as shown in fig. 33 , the distal end of the body portion 1762 is oriented to simply contact the proximal end of the center portion of the sled 1120. in other firing member arrangements, the firing member body 1762 may be uniquely shaped or configured to operably mesh, mate or operably interface with the corresponding end portion of the sled assembly contained within a corresponding cartridge assembly so that should the user unwittingly load the wrong cartridge into the elongate channel and thereafter attempt to fire the cartridge, the firing member and sled would not properly interface to enable the distal advancement thereof. in those embodiments wherein the firing member includes a tissue cutting surface, it may be desirable for the elongate shaft assembly to be configured in such a way so as to prevent the inadvertent advancement of the firing member unless an unspent staple cartridge is properly supported in the elongate channel 1102 of the surgical end effector 1100. if, for example, no staple cartridge is present at all and the firing member is distally advanced through the end effector, the tissue would be severed, but not stapled. similarly, if a spent staple cartridge (i.e., a staple cartridge wherein at least some of the staples have already been fired therefrom) is present in the end effector and the firing member is advanced, the tissue would be severed, but may not be completely stapled, if at all. it will be appreciated that such occurrences could lead to undesirable catastrophic results during the surgical procedure. u.s. patent no. 6,988,649 entitled surgical stapling instrument having a spent cartridge lockout, u.s. patent no. 7,044,352 entitled surgical stapling instrument having a single lockout mechanism for prevention of firing, and u.s. patent no. 7,380,695 entitled surgical stapling instrument having a single lockout mechanism for prevention of firing, and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,933 , entitled surgical stapling instruments with lockout arrangements for preventing firing system actuation when a cartridge is spent or missing each disclose various firing member lockout arrangements. each of those references is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. an "unfired", "unspent", "fresh" or "new" cartridge 1110 means herein that the cartridge 1110 has all of its fasteners in their "ready-to-be-fired positions". when in that position, the sled assembly 1120 is located in its starting position. the new cartridge 1110 is seated within the elongate channel 1102 and may be retained therein by snap features on the cartridge body that are configured to retainingly engage corresponding portions of the elongate channel 1102. fig. 36 illustrates a portion of the surgical end effector 1100 with a new or unfired surgical staple cartridge 1110 seated therein. as can be seen in fig. 36 , the sled assembly 1120 is in the starting position. to prevent the firing system from being activated and, more precisely, to prevent the firing member 1760 from being distally driven through the end effector 1110 unless an unfired or new surgical staple cartridge has been properly seated within the elongate channel 1102, the illustrated interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 employs a firing member lockout system generally designated as 1790. referring now to figs. 33-37 , in one form, the firing member lockout system 1790 includes movable lock member 1792 that is configured to retainingly engage the firing member 1760 when an unspent surgical staple cartridge 1110 is not properly seated within the elongate channel 1102. the lock member 1792 comprises a pair of lateral spring arms 1793 that are interconnected by a central mount tab feature 1794. the central mount tab feature 1794 has a mounting hook 1795 formed therein that is configured to be hooked over a retaining pin 1238 in the anvil mounting assembly 1230 as can be seen in figs. 35-37 . when installed, the mount tab 1794 is configured to bias the lock member 1792 upward. in addition, the lock member 1792 includes two lateral anvil spring arms 1796 that angle upward to engage the bottom surface of a corresponding anvil mounting wall 1136 on the anvil mounting portion 1134 to bias the lock member 1792 downward when the anvil 1130 is closed. a firing member alignment tab 1797 extends upward from each of the lateral spring arms 1793 to maintain alignment between the firing member 1760 and the lock member 1792. as can be most particularly seen in fig. 33 , the distal portion of each lateral spring arm 1793 includes a laterally extending forward arm 1798 that terminates in a sled tab 1799 that corresponds to a sled boss 1124 that is formed on the outermost wedge-shaped cams 1122 on the sled 1120. each of the lateral spring arms 1793 includes a lock notch 1850 therein that is configured to lockingly engage a corresponding one of the central lock lugs 1780 therein. those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that different numbers and arrangements of sled bosses may be employed in the sleds of different staple cartridge arrangements. the number of, and arrangement of, the sled boss(es) may be configured to only interact with corresponding sled tabs of the lock member of the proper instrument with which the staple cartridge is intended to be used. thus, the sled bosses may function as a "key" to only actuate the lock member of the proper device. such arrangement may therefore prevent the user from actuating the device when the wrong surgical staple cartridge has been loaded into the elongate channel. fig. 35 illustrates the end effector 1100 with the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 in their fully opened position without a surgical staple cartridge installed therein. as can be seen in fig. 35 , the anvil spring arms 1796 are in contact with the underside of the mounting walls 1136, but they are not "loaded". such position enables the surgical staple cartridge 1110 to be seated into the elongate channel 1102. if one were to close the anvil 1130 when in that position, the anvil spring arms 1796 will bias the spring arms 1793 downwardly to cause the central lugs 1780 to be lockingly received within the corresponding lock notch 1850 in the spring arm 1793. when in that position, the firing member 1760 cannot be distally advanced. fig. 36 illustrates a fresh surgical staple cartridge 1110 properly seated within the elongate channel 1102 when the anvil 1130 is in the fully closed position. as can be seen in fig. 36 , the sled 1120 is in its starting position. when in that position, the sled bosses 1124 engage the sled tabs 1799 and bias the spring arms 1793 upward to positions wherein the lock notches 1850 do not engage the central tabs 1780. thus, the firing member 1760 is free to be distally advanced. fig. 37 illustrates the position of the firing member 1760 after it has been advanced distally from its starting position. as can be seen in fig. 37 , the firing member 1760 is distal to the lock spring and out of engagement therewith. the anvil spring arms 1796 have biased the lock member downwardly to an unlocked position. figs. 38 and 39 illustrate the position of the firing member 1760 and the lock member 1792 after the firing member 1760 has been initially retracted in the proximal direction. in the illustrated arrangement, each of the central lock lugs 1780 includes a chamfered proximal end portion 1782. see figs. 30 and 31 . as the firing member 1760 is retracted to the position shown in figs. 38 and 39 , the chamfered proximal ends 1782 of the central lock lugs 1780 contact the corresponding forward arms 1798 of the lock member 1792 and bias the spring arms laterally outwardly (arrow l in fig. 39 ). figs. 40 and 41 illustrate the position of the firing member 1760 and the lock member 1792 after the firing member 1760 has been fully retracted back into its starting position. when in that position, each of the central lock lugs 1780 is lockingly received within the lock notches 1850 in the corresponding spring arm 1793. when in that position, the firing member 1760 cannot be distally advanced. fig. 42 illustrates an alternative lock member 1792'. in this embodiment, the mount tab 1794 biases the lock member 1792' downwardly without the use of anvil spring arms. thus, the central lock lugs 1780 remain in locking engagement with the spring arms 1793 during opening of the anvil 1130 and elongate jaw 1102 and loading of the surgical staple cartridge 1110 therein. as discussed above, the cartridge body 1111 has a plurality of anvil pockets 1116 that are serially arranged in lines on both sides of the central slot 1114. housed within these pockets 1116 are staple drivers that operably support one or more surgical staples or fasteners thereon. when the target tissue is clamped between the anvil 1130 and the staple cartridge deck surface 1115, the target tissue must be so positioned so that the tissue that is severed is stapled on each side of the cut line. to avoid the target tissue from being positioned proximal of the proximal most staples or fasteners, the anvil typically contains downwardly extending walls commonly referred to as "tissue stops" which serve to block the target tissue from getting too far proximal between the anvil and cartridge. as the anvil is closed toward the cartridge, the tissue stops extend downward past the cartridge deck surface to prevent the tissue from being positioned too far proximal between the anvil and cartridge. in at least one of the end effector embodiments described herein, the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 both can move about the pivot jaw axis ja. such arrangement may permit the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 to be opened further than other end effector arrangements wherein only one of the anvil or elongate channel can move or pivot. stated another way, the distance between the undersurface of the anvil body 1132 and the cartridge deck surface 1115 of a staple cartridge 1110 that is seated in the elongate channel 1102 of the end effector 1110 described herein when both the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 are in their respective fully open positions is generally larger than the distance between the underside of the anvil and the deck surface of a cartridge that is seated in an elongate channel of an end effector wherein only one of the anvil and channel move relative to the other. thus, at least one form of the end effector 1100 is configured to employ a staple cartridge arrangement with at least one "active" tissue stop or "expandable" tissue stop. in the illustrated arrangement, two active tissue stops generally designated as 1250 are employed. turning now to figs. 45 , 47 and 48 , as discussed above, the staple cartridge body 1111 includes a plurality of staple pockets 1116 located on each side of the elongate slot 1114 that is configured to accommodate the firing member 1760 as it is distally advanced through the cartridge. depending upon the configuration number and arrangement of the staple pockets 1116, one or more staple driver configurations may be operably supported therein that each supports one or more surgical staples thereon. some pockets located at the proximal end of the cartridge body may not contain drivers and staples. for example, in the illustrated arrangement, the staple pockets 1116 contain drivers (not shown) and staples (not shown). the proximal most pockets that support a driver and a staple are labeled 1116p. although additional "unused" pockets (labeled 1117), none of those pockets contain drivers and staples. in the illustrated arrangement, all of the staple pockets 1116 on both sides of the elongate slot 1114 that are to the proximal most pockets 1116p contain drivers and surgical staples. the active tissue stops 1250 are therefore configured to prevent tissue from being clamped between the anvil 1130 and the cartridge 1110 in a position that is proximal to the proximal staple pockets 1116p to prevent the tissue from being cut without first being stapled. in one arrangement, the surgical staple cartridge 1110 alone and/or in combination with the elongate channel 1102 may be referred to herein as the "first jaw" and the anvil 1130 may be referred to as the "second jaw". the proximal end 1112 of the staple cartridge 1110 may be referred to as the "first proximal end" or the proximal end of the first jaw. the deck surface 1115 may be referred to as the 'first jaw surface". in the illustrated arrangement, the anvil body 1132 includes a staple forming undersurface 1135 that faces the cartridge deck and serves to form the staples as they are driven into contact therewith. the staple forming undersurface 1135 ( fig. 3 ) may also be referred to herein as the "second jaw surface". in the illustrated arrangement, the active tissue stops 1250 are operably attached to the cartridge body 1111. however, other arrangements are contemplated wherein the active tissue stops are attached to portions of the elongate channel 1102. turning to fig. 45 , in at least one arrangement, two active or expandable tissue stops 1250 are employed - one tissue stop on each side of the elongate slot 1114. as can be seen in fig. 47 , an active tissue stop 1250 comprises a bifurcated lower tissue stop portion 1260 that comprises two cam walls 1262 that are separated by a space 1264 and are interconnected by a connector 1265. movably supported within the space 1264 is an upper tissue stop portion 1270. as can be seen in fig. 45 , a stop bridge 1266 is provided between the walls 1260 at the upper portion of their distal ends. the stop bridge 1266 cooperates with a stop tab 1272 formed on the upper tissue stop portion 1270 to prevent the upper tissue stop portion 1270 from extending completely out of the space 1264. mounting holes 1267 are provided through the walls 1260 to enable the lower tissue stop portion 1260 to be pivotally journaled on a corresponding stop pin 1118 that protrudes laterally out of the sides 1113 of the cartridge body 1111. as can also be seen in fig. 45 , each of the upper stops 1270 includes a spring mounting hole 1274 that is configured to receive a leg portion 1282 of a biasing member or stop spring 1280 therein. see fig. 46 . the upper tissue stop portion 1270 is slidably received within the space 1264 of the corresponding lower tissue stop portion 1260 to create the active or expandable tissue stop 1250. the upper and lower tissue stop portions 1260, 1270, along with the corresponding biasing member or stop spring 1280, are pivotally journaled on the corresponding stop pin 1118. each active tissue stop assembly 1250 is free to pivot about a tissue stop axis tsa that is defined by the stop pins 1118. as can be seen in fig. 45 , the tissue stop axis tsa is transverse to the elongate slot 1114 in the cartridge body 1111. a second leg 1284 of the stop spring 1280 bears upon a corresponding ledge or portion 1119 of the cartridge body 1111 such that when journaled on the stop pin 1118, the stop spring 1280 serve to bias the upper tissue stop portion 1270 upward within the space 1264 until the stop tab 1272 contains the stop bridge 1266. at that point, the biasing member or stop spring 1280 serves to bias the entire active tissue stop assembly 1250 upward about the tissue stop axis tsa until the upper tissue stop portion 1270 contacts a corresponding stop ledge 1121 formed on the cartridge body 1111. thus, in the illustrated arrangement, each of the active tissue stop assemblies 1250 are attached to a corresponding lateral side 1113 of the cartridge body 1110. as can be seen in fig. 45 , each side wall 1126 of the elongate channel 1102 has a tissue stop notch 1128 formed therein to receive an active tissue stop assembly 1250 therein when the jaws 1130, 1110 are in their fully closed positions. fig. 49 illustrates the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 and cartridge 1110 in their "fully closed" positions. the orientations of the active tissue stop assemblies 1250 when the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 or surgical cartridge 1110 are in their fully closed positions may be referred to as their "fully compressed" orientations. in certain embodiments the anvil assembly 1130 may also have fixed tissue stops 1144 formed thereon which are proximal to the active tissue stop assemblies 1250. see figs. 43 and 44 . figs. 47 and 50 illustrate the orientation of an active tissue stop assembly 1250 when the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 are in their respective fully opened positions. the orientations of the active tissue stop assemblies 1250 when the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 or surgical cartridge 1110 are in their fully open positions may be referred to as their "fully deployed" or "fully expanded" orientations. when in their fully deployed position, the active tissue stops 1250 serve to prevent tissue from significantly advancing proximally past the proximal most staple pockets 1116p. fig. 49 illustrates the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 clamping tissue therebetween in their respective fully closed positions. prior to being installed within the elongate channel 1102, the tissue stop assemblies may be retained in the collapsed orientation shown in fig. 49 by a removably staple cover that is removably attached to the cartridge deck. once the cartridge is installed in the elongate channel, the staple cover maybe removed from the cartridge deck. figs. 51-53 illustrate another tissue stop arrangement that comprises cooperating tissue stops on the anvil as well as the cartridge. for example, in the embodiment shown in figs. 51-53 , a pair of upstanding cartridge tissue stops 1290 that extend upward from the cartridge deck surface 1115. when the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 are in their fully closed positions, the upper ends 1292 of the cartridge tissue stops 1290 extend into holes or cavities 1293 provided in the anvil body 1132. the upper ends 1292 of the cartridge tissue stops 1290 are angled so that when the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 are fully closed, the upper ends 1292 do not protrude beyond the outer surface of the anvil body 1132. see fig. 53 . in addition, the anvil 1130 includes downwardly extending distal tissue stops 1296 that do not extend below the cartridge deck surface 1115 when the anvil 1130 and the elongate channel 1102 are in their fully closed positions and a pair of proximal tissue stops 1298 that extend downwardly below the deck surface 1115 of the cartridge 1110 when the anvil 1130 and elongate channel 1102 are in their fully closed position. see fig. 53 . in an alternative arrangement, an elastic band may be placed around the exterior of the jaws such that the distal edge of the band is at the desired location for the tissue stops. as the jaws are opened, the band stretches but serves as a tissue stop. the band can rest in recesses in the anvil and elongate channel that circumscribe the anvil/channel so that the end effector can pass through standard trocar arrangements. many of the surgical instrument systems described herein are motivated by an electric motor; however, the surgical instrument systems described herein can be motivated in any suitable manner. in various instances, the surgical instrument systems described herein can be motivated by a manually-operated trigger, for example. in certain instances, the motors disclosed herein may comprise a portion or portions of a robotically controlled system. moreover, any of the end effectors and/or tool assemblies disclosed herein can be utilized with a robotic surgical instrument system. u.s. patent application serial no. 13/118,241 , entitled surgical stapling instruments with rotatable staple deployment arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2012/0298719 , for example, discloses several examples of a robotic surgical instrument system in greater detail. the surgical instrument systems described herein have been described in connection with the deployment and deformation of staples; however, the embodiments described herein are not so limited. various embodiments are envisioned which deploy fasteners other than staples, such as clamps or tacks, for example. moreover, various embodiments are envisioned which utilize any suitable means for sealing tissue. for instance, an end effector in accordance with various embodiments can comprise electrodes configured to heat and seal the tissue. also, for instance, an end effector in accordance with certain embodiments can apply vibrational energy to seal the tissue. examples example 1 - a surgical tool assembly for use with a control system that includes a closure actuator that is configured to move a first axial closure distance upon actuation thereof. the control system further includes a firing actuator. the surgical tool assembly comprises a shaft assembly that is configured to releasably interface with the control system. the tool assembly further comprises a surgical end effector that comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other. the surgical end effector is operably coupled to the shaft assembly for selective articulation relative thereto. a firing member assembly operably interfaces with the firing actuator such that operation of the firing actuator advances the firing member assembly distally. an articulation member interfaces with the surgical end effector and is selectively engageable with the firing member assembly in an engaged configuration wherein movement of the firing member assembly causes the articulation member to articulate the surgical end effector relative to the shaft assembly and a disengaged configuration wherein the firing member assembly is movable without moving the articulation member. a closure assembly operably interfaces with at least one of the first and second jaws and is configured to move the at least one of the first and second jaws from the fully open to the fully closed position. a clutch assembly operably interfaces with the closure actuator and the closure assembly such that when the closure actuator is axially advanced through the first axial closure distance, the clutch assembly causes the firing member assembly and the articulation member to move from the engaged position to the disengaged position and the closure assembly is axially moved a through a second axial closure distance that is less than the first axial closure distance to thereby cause the closure assembly to move the at least one of the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position. example 2 - the surgical tool assembly of example 1, wherein the clutch assembly comprises a rotary lock assembly that operably interfaces with the articulation member, the firing member assembly and the closure assembly. the rotary lock assembly is rotatable between the engaged configuration and the disengaged configuration such that movement of the closure actuator through the first axial closure distance causes a portion of the closure assembly to rotate the rotary lock assembly from the engaged configuration to the disengaged configuration. example 3 - the surgical tool assembly of example 2, wherein the portion of the closure assembly comprises a proximal closure member that is configured to releasably interface with the closure actuator for axial movement therewith through the first axial closure distance and wherein the clutch assembly comprises a closure stroke reduction assembly that operably interfaces with the proximal closure member such that when the proximal closure member moves the first axial closure distance, the closure stroke reduction assembly causes a distal portion of the closure assembly to axially move the second axial closure distance to thereby move the at least one of the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position. example 4 - the surgical tool assembly of example 3, wherein the clutch assembly further comprises a cam assembly that operably interfaces with the proximal closure member and the rotary lock assembly such that when the proximal closure member is moved from a starting position corresponding to the fully open position distally through the first axial closure distance to an ending position corresponding to the fully closed position, the cam assembly rotates the rotary lock assembly from the engaged position to the disengaged position and when the proximal closure member is moved in a proximal direction from the ending position to the starting position, the cam assembly rotates the rotary lock assembly to the engaged position. example 5 - the surgical tool assembly of examples 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the control system comprises a handle and a closure trigger assembly that is operably supported on the handle and is selectively movable between an unactuated position and a fully actuated position. the closure trigger operably interfaces with the closure actuator such that movement of the closure trigger to the fully actuated position causes the closure actuator to move the articulation member from the engaged to the disengaged configuration. example 6 - the surgical tool assembly of example 5 further comprising a motor that operably interfaces with the firing actuator such that operation of the motor in a first rotary direction causes the firing actuator to move the firing member assembly distally and when the motor is moved in a second rotary direction, the firing actuator moves the firing member assembly proximally. a firing trigger assembly is operably supported on the handle and is configured to selectively rotate the motor in the first and second rotary directions. example 7 - the surgical tool assembly of examples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the first and second jaws are mounted relative to each other for selective pivotal travel about a fixed jaw axis. example 8 - the surgical tool assembly of examples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel that is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 9 - the surgical tool assembly of examples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, wherein the firing member assembly comprises a proximal firing member. a distal firing member slidably interfaces with the proximal firing member. an end effector firing member is operably coupled to the distal firing member and is configured to sever tissue and fire staples out of a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel when the firing member assembly is moved distally a predetermined firing distance. example 10 - a surgical instrument, comprising a control unit that comprises a firing drive system that is configured to generate firing and retraction motions and a closure drive system that is configured to move a closure actuator a first axial closure distance upon actuation thereof. the surgical instrument further comprises an interchangeable surgical tool assembly that comprises a shaft assembly that operably interfaces with the control unit. the surgical instrument further comprises a surgical end effector that comprises first and second jaws that operably interfaces with each other to move between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other. the surgical end effector is operably coupled to the shaft assembly for selective articulation relative thereto. a firing member assembly operably interfaces with the firing drive system, wherein operation of the firing system advances the firing member assembly distally. an articulation member interfaces with the surgical end effector and is selectively engageable with the firing member assembly in an engaged configuration wherein movement of the firing member assembly causes the articulation member to articulate the surgical end effector relative to the shaft assembly and a disengaged configuration wherein the firing member assembly is movable without moving the articulation member. the surgical instrument further comprises a closure assembly that comprises a proximal closure assembly that operably interfaces with the closure actuator. a distal closure portion operably interfaces with the proximal closure assembly such that when the proximal closure assembly is axially advanced through the first axial closure distance, the distal closure portion is axially advanced a second axial closure distance that is less than the first axial closure distance and moves the at least one of the first and second jaws from the fully open to the fully closed position. a clutch assembly operably interfaces with the firing member assembly, the articulation member and the proximal closure assembly such that when the proximal closure assembly is axially advanced the first axial closure distance, the clutch assembly causes the firing member assembly and the articulation member to move from the engaged position to the disengaged position. example 11 - the surgical instrument of example 10, wherein movement of the proximal closure assembly the first axial closure distance causes the clutch assembly to rotatably move the articulation member and the firing member to the disengaged configuration. example 12 - the surgical instrument of examples 10 or 11, wherein the clutch assembly comprises a rotary lock assembly that operably interfaces with the articulation member and the firing member assembly and is rotatable between the engaged configuration and the disengaged configuration. the clutch assembly further comprises a cam assembly that operably interfaces with the proximal closure assembly and the rotary lock assembly such that when the proximal closure assembly is moved from a starting position corresponding to the fully open position distally through the first axial closure distance to an ending position corresponding to the fully closed position, the cam assembly rotates the rotary lock assembly from the engaged configuration to the disengaged configuration and when the proximal closure assembly is moved in a proximal direction from the ending position to the starting position, the cam assembly rotates the rotary lock assembly to the engaged configuration. example 13 - the surgical instrument of examples 10, 11 or 12, wherein the control unit comprises a handle and a closure trigger assembly that is operably supported on the handle and is selectively movable between an unactuated position and a fully actuated position. the closure trigger assembly further operably interfaces with the closure actuator such that movement of the closure trigger to the fully actuated position causes the closure actuator to move the articulation member from the engaged to the disengaged configuration. example 14 - the surgical instrument of example 13, wherein the firing drive system comprises a motor and a firing actuator assembly that operably interfaces with the motor such that operation of the motor in a first rotary direction causes the firing actuator assembly to move the firing member toward the end effector and when the motor is moved in a second rotary direction, the firing end effector moves the firing member away from the end effector. the firing drive system further comprises a firing trigger assembly that is operably supported on the handle and is selectively movable between a first position wherein the motor is unactuated and a fully actuated position wherein the motor is operated in the first rotary direction. example 15 - the surgical instrument of examples 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14, wherein the first and second jaws are mounted relative to each other for selective pivotal travel about a fixed jaw axis. example 16 - the surgical instrument of examples 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel that is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 17 - the surgical instrument of example 16, wherein the surgical end effector comprises an end effector firing member that is operably coupled to the end effector firing member. the end effector firing member is configured to sever tissue and firing staples out of a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel when the firing member is moved toward the surgical end effector. example 18 - a surgical tool assembly comprising a shaft assembly and a surgical end effector that comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other. the surgical end effector is operably coupled to the shaft assembly for selective articulation relative thereto. a firing member assembly is configured to move distally in response to a firing motion applied thereto. an articulation system interfaces with the end effector and is selectively engageable with the firing member assembly in an engaged configuration wherein actuation of the firing member assembly causes the articulation system to articulate the end effector relative to the shaft assembly and a disengaged configuration wherein the firing member assembly is actuatable without actuating the articulation system. a closure system is configured to receive an axial closure input including a first axial closure stroke distance and generate therefrom a second axial closure output including a second axial closure stroke distance that is less than the first axial closure stroke distance and is configured to apply the second axial closure output to the at least one of the first and second jaws to move the at least one of the first and second jaws from the fully open to the fully closed position. the surgical tool assembly further comprises clutch means for automatically moving the articulation system and the firing member assembly from the engaged to the disengaged configuration upon application of the axial closure input to the closure system. example 19 - the surgical tool assembly of example 18, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel that is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 20 - the surgical tool assembly of example 19, wherein the surgical end effector comprises an end effector firing member that is operably coupled to the firing member assembly and the end effector firing member is configured to sever tissue and fire staples out of a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel when the end effector firing member is moved distally therethrough. example 21 - a surgical tool assembly, comprising a surgical end effector that comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other upon application of closing and opening motions thereto. a proximal closure member is configured to move through a first closure stroke distance upon application of a closure input motion thereto. a distal closure member operably interfaces with the surgical end effector. the surgical tool assembly further comprises a closure stroke reduction assembly that comprises a closure reduction linkage that operably interfaces with the proximal closure member and the distal closure member such that when the proximal closure member moves through the first closure stroke distance, the closure reduction linkage causes the distal closure member to axially move through a second closure stroke distance that is less than the first closure stroke distance to thereby move at least one of the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position. example 22 - the surgical tool assembly of example 21, wherein the surgical end effector is coupled to a shaft assembly comprising a shaft mounting portion that is configured for operable engagement with a source of the closure input motion. a spine assembly is operably coupled to the surgical end effector and the shaft mounting portion. the spine assembly movably supports the proximal and distal closure members thereon. example 23 - the surgical tool assembly of example 22, wherein the closure reduction linkage is operably coupled to a portion of the spine assembly and a mounting member that is movably supported for axial travel relative to the proximal closure member. the closure reduction linkage also communicates with the proximal closure member such that movement of the proximal closure member through an entire first closure stroke distance moves the closure reduction linkage from a collapsed configuration to an extended configuration. the mounting member is coupled to an intermediate closure member that is operably coupled to the distal closure member. example 24 - the surgical tool assembly of example 23, wherein the proximal closure member comprises a proximal closure tube that is axially supported on a portion of the spine assembly for selective axial travel thereon the entire first closure stroke distance. the closure reduction linkage comprises a proximal closure link that is movably coupled to the portion of the spine assembly. a distal closure link is movably coupled to the mounting member and is pivotally coupled to the proximal closure link by an actuator member that operably interfaces with the proximal closure tube. example 25 - the surgical tool assembly example 24, wherein the actuator member comprises an actuator pin that is movably received within an actuator cam slot in the proximal closure tube. example 26 - the surgical tool assembly of examples 22, 23, 24 or 25, wherein the surgical end effector is coupled to the shaft assembly by an articulation joint. example 27 - the surgical tool assembly of example 26, wherein the shaft assembly comprises an articulation system that is configured to apply articulation motions to the surgical end effector and a firing member assembly that is configured to axially advance a firing member through the surgical end effector. example 28 - the surgical tool assembly of example 27, wherein the articulation system is selectively engageable with the firing member assembly in an engaged configuration wherein movement of the firing member assembly causes the articulation system to articulate the surgical end effector relative to the shaft assembly and a disengaged configuration wherein the firing member assembly is movable without moving the articulation system and wherein movement of the proximal closure member the entire first closure stroke distance moves the articulation system and firing member assembly to the disengaged configuration. example 29 - the surgical tool assembly of examples 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 or 28, wherein the first and second jaws are mounted relative to each other for selective pivotal travel about a fixed jaw axis. example 30 - a surgical tool assembly of examples 21, 22, 23, 24, ,25, 26, 27, 28 or 29, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel that is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 31 - the surgical tool assembly of example 30, wherein the firing member assembly comprises a proximal firing member and a distal firing member that slidably interfaces with the proximal firing member. an end effector firing member is operably coupled to the distal firing member and is configured to sever tissue and fire staples out of a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel when the firing member assembly is moved distally a predetermined firing distance. example 32 - a surgical tool assembly comprising a surgical end effector that comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other upon application of closing and opening motions thereto. the surgical tool assembly further comprises a shaft assembly that is coupled to the surgical end effector. the shaft assembly comprises a proximal closure member that is configured to move through a first closure stroke distance upon application of a closure input motion thereto. a distal closure member operably interfaces with the surgical end effector and a closure stroke reduction assembly is movably coupled to the proximal closure member and an intermediate closure member that is coupled to the distal closure member such that when the proximal closure member moves through the first closure stroke distance, the closure stroke reduction assembly moves the intermediate closure member and the distal closure member axially a second closure stroke distance that is less than the first closure stroke distance such that the distal closure member moves at least one of the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position. example 33 - the surgical tool assembly of example 32, wherein the shaft assembly comprises a shaft mounting portion that is configured for operable engagement with a source of the closure input motion. a spine assembly is operably coupled to the surgical end effector and the shaft mounting portion. the spine assembly movably supports the proximal closure member, the intermediate closure member and the distal closure member thereon. example 34 - the surgical tool assembly of examples 32 or 33, wherein the surgical end effector is coupled to the shaft assembly by an articulation joint. example 35 - the surgical tool assembly of example 34, wherein the shaft assembly comprises an articulation system that is configured to apply articulation motions to the surgical end effector and a firing member assembly that is configured to axially advance a firing member through the surgical end effector. example 36 - the surgical tool assembly of example 35, wherein the articulation system is selectively engageable with the firing member assembly in an engaged configuration wherein movement of the firing member assembly causes the articulation system to articulate the surgical end effector relative to the shaft assembly and a disengaged configuration wherein the firing member assembly is movable without moving the articulation system and wherein movement of the proximal closure member the entire first axial closure stroke distance moves the articulation system and firing member assembly to the disengaged configuration. example 37 - the surgical tool assembly of examples 32, 33, 34, 35 or 36, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel that is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 38 - the surgical tool assembly of example 37, wherein the firing member assembly comprises a proximal firing member, a distal firing member that slidably interfaces with the proximal firing member and an end effector firing member that is operably coupled to the distal firing member and is configured to sever tissue and fire staples out of a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel when the firing member assembly is moved distally a predetermined firing distance. example 39 - a surgical tool assembly comprising a surgical end effector that comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other upon application of closing and opening motions thereto. a shaft assembly is coupled to the surgical end effector. the shaft assembly comprises a proximal closure member that is configured to move through a first axial closure stroke distance upon application of a closure input motion thereto;. a distal closure member operably interfaces with the surgical end effector. the surgical tool assembly further comprises closure stroke reduction means that movably interfaces with the proximal closure member such that when the proximal closure member moves through the first axial closure stroke distance, the closure stroke reduction means moves from an unactuated configuration to an actuated configuration to thereby move the distal closure member axially a second axial closure stroke distance that is less than the first axial closure stroke distance so that the distal closure member moves the at least one of the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position. example 40 - a surgical instrument comprising a surgical end effector that comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other. a shaft assembly operably interfaces with the surgical end effector and comprises a closure member that is configured to move the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position when the closure member is moved in a first direction. the surgical instrument further comprises at least one jaw opening cam that is supported for movement relative to the closure member and the first and second jaws. each of the at least one jaw opening cam is configured to apply an opening motion to the first and second jaws when the closure member is moved in a second direction. example 41 - the surgical instrument of example 40, wherein each of the at least one jaw opening cam is movably coupled to the closure member. example 42 - the surgical instrument of examples 40 or 41, wherein each of the at least one jaw opening cam is movably coupled to the closure member by a tension spring. example 43 - the surgical instrument of examples 40, 41 or 42, wherein the first jaw comprises a first arcuate cam surface that corresponds to each of the at least one jaw opening cams and wherein the second jaw comprises a second arcuate cam surface that corresponds to each of the first arcuate cam surface and curves in a direction away from the first arcuate cam surface. example 44 - the surgical instrument of example 43, wherein each of the at least one jaw opening cams has a wedge shape that is configured to simultaneously engage the corresponding first and second arcuate cam surfaces. example 45 - the surgical instrument of examples 40, 41, 42, 43 or 44, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel that is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 46 - the surgical instrument of examples 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, or 45, wherein the surgical end effector is coupled to the shaft assembly by an articulation joint for selective articulation about an articulation axis that is transverse to a shaft axis defined by the shaft assembly. example 47 - the surgical instrument of examples 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, or 46, wherein the first jaw comprises a first closure cam surface and wherein the second jaw comprises a second closure cam surface. each of the first and second closure cam surfaces is positioned for camming contact with the closure member as the closure member moves in the first direction to apply closure motions to the first and second jaws. example 48 - the surgical instrument of example 45, wherein the shaft assembly further comprises a firing member assembly that is configured for axial movement in the first direction upon application of a firing motion thereto. an end effector firing member is operably coupled to the firing member assembly and is configured to sever tissue and fire staples out of a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel when the firing member assembly is moved in the first direction a predetermined firing distance. example 49 - a surgical instrument comprising a surgical end effector that comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other. a shaft assembly operably interfaces with the surgical end effector and comprises a closure member that is configured to move the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position when the closure member is moved in a first direction. the surgical instrument further comprises a first wedge-shaped cam that is movably coupled to the closure member by a first extendable coupler for movement relative to the closure member; and a second wedge-shaped cam that is movably coupled to the closure member by a second extendable coupler for movement relative to the closure member. the first and second wedge-shaped cams are configured to apply opening motions to the first and second jaws when the closure member is moved in a second direction. example 50 - the surgical stapling instrument of example 49, wherein the first wedge shaped cam is oriented between a first arcuate cam surface on the first jaw and a second arcuate surface on the second jaw and wherein the second wedge shaped cam is oriented between another first arcuate cam surface on the first jaw and another second arcuate cam surface on the second jaw. example 51 - the surgical instrument of examples 49 or 50, wherein the first extendable coupler comprises a first tension spring and wherein the second extendable coupler comprises a second tension spring. example 52 - the surgical instrument of examples 49, 50 or 51, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel that is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 53 - the surgical instrument of examples 49, 50, 51 or 52, wherein the surgical end effector is coupled to the shaft assembly by an articulation joint for selective articulation about an articulation axis that is transverse to a shaft axis that is defined by the shaft assembly. example 54 - a surgical instrument of example 52, wherein the shaft assembly further comprises a firing member assembly that is configured for axial movement in the first direction upon application of a firing motion thereto and an end effector firing member that is operably coupled to the firing member assembly and is configured to sever tissue and fire staples out of a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel when the firing member assembly is moved in the first direction a predetermined firing distance. example 55 - the surgical instrument of examples 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 or 54, wherein the first jaw comprises a first closure cam surface and wherein the second jaw comprises a second closure cam surface. each of the first and second closure cam surfaces is positioned for camming contact with the closure member as the closure member moves in the first direction to apply closure motions to the first and second jaws. example 56 - a surgical instrument comprising a surgical end effector that comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other. a shaft assembly operably interfaces with the surgical end effector and comprises a closure member that is configured to move the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position when the closure member is moved in a first direction. the surgical instrument also comprises at least one jaw opening cam that is supported between corresponding portions of the first and second jaws and means for movably coupling each jaw opening cam to the closure member such that each of the jaw opening cams is located distal to the closure member. the means for movably coupling also applying a tension force to the jaw opening cam as the closure member is moved in a second direction. example 57 - the surgical instrument of example 56, wherein the first jaw comprises a first closure cam surface and wherein the second jaw comprises a second closure cam surface. each of the first and second closure cam surfaces are positioned for camming contact with the closure member as the closure member moves in the first direction to apply closure motions to the first and second jaws. example 58 - the surgical instrument of examples 56 or 57, wherein the closure member is axially movable between an unactuated position corresponding to the fully open position to a fully actuated position corresponding to the fully closed position and wherein each of the jaw opening cams is distal to the closure member when the closure member is in the unactuated position. example 59 - the surgical instrument of examples 56, 57 or 58, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel that is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 60 - a surgical instrument comprising a surgical end effector that comprises a first jaw and a second jaw that is pivotally coupled to the first jaw for selective pivotal travel about a pivot axis that is constrained to only move along a vertical axis and being selectively movable between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to the first jaw. the surgical instrument also comprises a closure member that is configured to move the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position when the closure member is moved in a first direction. example 61 - the surgical instrument of example 60, wherein the closure member is configured to move the pivot axis from a first vertical position along the vertical axis that corresponds to the fully open position to a second vertical position that corresponds to the fully closed position as the closure member is moved in the first direction. example 62 - the surgical instrument of examples 60 or 61, wherein the closure member is configured to pivot the second jaw about the pivot axis to the fully closed position as the closure member is moved in the first direction. example 63 - the surgical instrument of examples 60, 61 or 62, wherein the second jaw comprises a pair of pivot pins that define the pivot axis and are each movably received within a corresponding vertical slot formed in the first jaw and wherein each pivot pin is in operable engagement with the closure member. example 64 - the surgical instrument of example 63, wherein each pivot pin is also received in a corresponding closure slot in the closure member. example 65 - the surgical instrument of example 64, wherein each closure slot comprises a proximal slot portion that extends along a first horizontal axis and a distal slot portion that extends along a second horizontal axis that is offset from the first horizontal axis. example 66 - the surgical instrument of example 65, wherein the pivot pins are located in a first vertical position within the corresponding vertical slot in the first jaw and the distal slot portion of the corresponding closure slot in the closure member when the second jaw is in the fully open position and wherein the pivot pins are located in a second vertical position within the corresponding vertical slot in the first jaw and the proximal slot portion in the closure member when the second jaw is in the fully closed position. example 67 - the surgical instrument of examples 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 or 66, wherein the first jaw comprises a first closure cam surface and wherein the second jaw comprises a second closure cam surface. each of the first and second closure cam surfaces is positioned for camming contact with the closure member as the closure member moves in the first direction to apply closure motions to the first and second jaws. example 68 - the surgical instrument of examples 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66 or 67, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel that is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 69 - the surgical instrument of examples 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 or 68, wherein the closure member comprises a portion of a shaft assembly that is operably coupled to the surgical end effector. example 70 - the surgical instrument of examples 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 or 69, wherein the surgical end effector is coupled to the shaft assembly by an articulation joint for selective articulation about an articulation axis that is transverse to a shaft axis that is defined by the shaft assembly. example 71 - the surgical instrument of example 68, wherein the shaft assembly further comprises a firing member assembly that is configured for axial movement in the first direction upon application of a firing motion thereto and an end effector firing member that is operably coupled to the firing member assembly and is configured to sever tissue and fire staples out of a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel when the firing member assembly is moved in the first direction a predetermined firing distance. example 72 - a surgical instrument comprising an elongate channel that is configured to operably support a surgical staple cartridge therein. the surgical instrument further comprises an anvil that comprises a pair of anvil pins that are received within corresponding channel slots formed in the elongate channel. each channel slot extends along a channel axis. a closure member is configured to move in first and second directions relative to the elongate channel and the anvil. each anvil pin extends into a corresponding closure slot in the closure member that is transverse to the channel slots such that when the closure member is moved in the first direction, the anvil pins are moved along the channel axis and the anvil is simultaneously pivoted toward the elongate channel. example 73 - the surgical instrument of example 72, wherein each closure slot comprises a proximal closure slot portion that extends along a first closure axis that is transverse to the corresponding channel axis and a distal closure slot portion that extends along a second closure axis that is transverse to the channel axis and offset from the first closure axis. example 74 - the surgical instrument of examples 72 or 73, wherein the pair of anvil pins defines a pivot axis that is selectively movable along the channel axis. example 75 - the surgical instrument of examples 73 or 74, wherein each channel axis is vertically oriented and each closure axis is horizontally oriented and parallel to each other. example 76 - the surgical instrument of examples 72, 73, 74 or 75, wherein the closure member comprises a portion of a shaft assembly that is operably coupled to the elongate channel. example 77 - the surgical instrument of example 76, wherein the elongate channel is coupled to the shaft assembly by an articulation joint for selective articulation about an articulation axis that is transverse to a shaft axis defined by the shaft assembly. example 78 - the surgical instrument of examples 76 or 77, wherein the shaft assembly further comprises a firing member assembly that is configured for axial movement in the first direction upon application of a firing motion thereto and an end effector firing member that is operably coupled to the firing member assembly and is configured to sever tissue and fire staples out of a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel when the firing member assembly is moved in the first direction a predetermined firing distance. example 79 - a surgical instrument comprising a surgical end effector that comprises a first jaw and a second jaw that is pivotally coupled to the first jaw for selective pivotal travel about a pivot axis that is constrained to only move along a vertical axis and being selectively movable between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to the first jaw. the surgical instrument also comprises closure means for simultaneously moving the pivot axis vertically along the vertical axis while pivoting the second jaw about the pivot axis. example 80 - a surgical instrument comprising a shaft assembly that defines a shaft axis. a surgical end effector operably interfaces with the shaft assembly and comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other. a firing member is configured to move between a starting position and an ending position relative to the surgical end effector. the firing member comprises a vertically extending firing body that comprises two lateral sides. a first jaw engagement member extends laterally from each lateral side of the firing body. each first jaw engagement member is oriented along a first jaw engagement axis that intersects the shaft axis and is arranged to slidably engage the first jaw as the firing member is moved between the starting position and the ending position. a second jaw engagement member extends laterally from each lateral side of the firing body and is spaced vertically from the first jaw engagement members. each second jaw engagement is oriented along a second jaw engagement axis that intersects the shaft axis and the first jaw engagement axis. each second jaw engagement member is arranged to slidably engage the second jaw as the firing member is moved between the starting position and ending position. example 81 - the surgical instrument of example 80, wherein each first jaw engagement member comprises a first proximal end and a first distal end and wherein the first proximal end comprises a first proximal thickness and wherein the first distal end comprises a first distal thickness that differs from the first proximal thickness. example 82 - the surgical instrument of example 81, wherein the first proximal thickness is less than the first distal thickness. example 83 - the surgical instrument of example 81, wherein each second jaw engagement member comprises a second proximal end and a second distal end and wherein the second proximal end has a second proximal thickness and wherein the second distal end has a second distal thickness that differs from the second proximal thickness. example 84 - the surgical instrument of example 83, wherein the second proximal thickness is less than the second distal thickness. example 85 - the surgical instrument of examples 83 or 84, wherein the proximal end of each first jaw engagement member is oriented a proximal vertical distance from the proximal end of a corresponding one of the second jaw engagement members and wherein the distal end of each first jaw engagement member is oriented a distal vertical distance from the distal end of a corresponding one of the second jaw engagement members wherein the proximal vertical distance differs from the distal vertical distance. example 86 - the surgical instrument of example 85, wherein the proximal vertical distance is less than the distal vertical distance. example 87 - the surgical instrument of examples 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 or 86, wherein the firing member further comprises a central first jaw engagement member that extends from each lateral side of the firing body. example 88 - the surgical instrument of examples 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86 or 87, wherein the firing member further comprises a tissue cutting surface. example 89 - a surgical instrument comprising a shaft assembly that defines a shaft axis. a surgical end effector operably interfaces with the shaft assembly and comprises an elongate channel that is configured to operably support a surgical staple cartridge therein and an anvil wherein the anvil and elongate channel are configured for movable travel relative to each other about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other. a firing member is configured to move between a starting position and an ending position relative to the surgical end effector. the firing member comprises a vertically extending firing body that comprises two lateral sides. a channel engagement member extends laterally from each lateral side of the firing body. each channel engagement member comprises a first proximal end and a first distal end and is arranged to slidably engage the elongate channel as the firing member is moved between the starting position and ending position. an anvil engagement member extends laterally from each lateral side of the firing body and is spaced vertically from a corresponding one of the channel engagement members. each anvil engagement member comprises a second proximal end that is spaced a proximal vertical distance from the first proximal end of a corresponding one of the channel engagement members. each anvil engagement member further comprises a second distal end that is spaced from the first distal end of the corresponding channel engagement member a distal vertical distance that differs from the proximal vertical distance. each anvil jaw engagement member is arranged to slidably engage the anvil as the firing member is moved between the starting position and the ending position. example 90 - the surgical instrument of example 89, wherein the proximal vertical distance is less than the distal vertical distance. example 91 - the surgical instrument of examples 89 or 90, wherein the first proximal end has a first proximal thickness and wherein the first distal end has a first distal thickness that differs from the first proximal thickness. example 92 - the surgical instrument of example 91, wherein the first proximal thickness is less than the first distal thickness. example 93 - the surgical instrument of example 89, 90, 91 or 92, wherein the second proximal end has a second proximal thickness and wherein the second distal end has a second distal thickness that differs from the second proximal thickness. example 94 - the surgical instrument of example 93, wherein the second proximal thickness is less than the second distal thickness. example 95 - the surgical instrument of examples 89, 90, 91, 92, 93 or 94, wherein the firing member further comprises a central channel engagement member that extends from each lateral side of the firing body. example 96 - the surgical instrument of examples 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94 or 95, wherein the firing member further comprises a tissue cutting surface. example 97 - a surgical instrument comprising a shaft assembly that defines a shaft axis. a surgical end effector operably interfaces with the shaft assembly and comprises first and second jaws that operably interface with each other to move about a fixed jaw axis between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to each other. a firing member is configured to move between a starting position and an ending position relative to the surgical end effector. the firing member comprises a vertically extending firing body that comprises two lateral sides. a first jaw engagement member extends laterally from each lateral side of the firing body. each first jaw engagement member is oriented along a first jaw engagement axis that is not parallel with the shaft axis and is arranged to slidably engage the first jaw as the firing member is moved between the starting position and the ending position. a second jaw engagement member extends laterally from each lateral side of the firing body and is spaced vertically from the first jaw engagement members. e second jaw engagement member is oriented along a second jaw engagement axis is not parallel to the shaft axis and the first jaw engagement axis. example 98 - the surgical instrument of example 97, wherein the firing member further comprises a central first jaw engagement member extending from each lateral side of the firing body. example 99 - the surgical instrument of examples 97 or 98, wherein the firing member further comprises a tissue cutting surface. example 100 - a surgical instrument comprising a first jaw that is configured to operably support a surgical staple cartridge therein. a second jaw is supported relative to the first jaw such that the first and second jaws are selectively movable between an open position and a closed position relative to each other. a firing member is supported for axial movement within the second jaw between a starting position and an ending position upon applications of firing and retraction motions thereto. a lock member is supported within the surgical end effector and is movable between an unlocked configuration and a locked configuration wherein the lock member prevents the firing member from being distally advanced from the starting position. the lock member operably interfaces with the end effector so as to be biased into the unlocked position when the first and second jaws are in the open position. the lock member is configured to be moved to the locked position when the first and second jaws are moved to the closed position unless a surgical staple cartridge comprising a cam assembly that is located in an unfired position is supported within the first jaw to thereby retain the lock member in the unlocked configuration. example 101 - the surgical instrument of example 100, wherein the surgical staple cartridge comprises an elongate slot that is configured to slidably receive the firing member therein as the firing member is moved between the starting and ending positions and wherein the lock member is configured to axially align the firing member with the elongate slot. example 102 - the surgical instrument of examples 100 or 101, wherein the firing member comprises two lateral sides and wherein the lock member is configured to retainingly engage each lateral side of the firing member when the lock member is in the locked configuration. example 103 - the surgical instrument of example 102, wherein the lock member comprises a spring arm that corresponds to each lateral side of the firing member and a lock notch in each spring arm that is configured to releasably engage a corresponding lock lug on each lateral side of the firing member. example 104 - the surgical instrument of example 103, wherein each spring arm comprises an unlocking tab configured to engage a corresponding portion of a cam assembly that is supported in the unfired position within a surgical staple cartridge mounted within the first jaw. example 105 - the surgical instrument of examples 100, 101, 102, 103 or 104, further comprising a tissue cutting surface on the firing member. example 106 - the surgical instrument of examples 100, 101, 102, 103, 104 or 105, wherein the second jaw comprises an anvil. example 107 - the surgical instrument of example 106, wherein the anvil comprises an anvil body, an axial slot in the anvil body to permit a portion of the firing member to axially pass therethrough and an axial passage within the anvil body on each side of the axial slot. example 108 - the surgical instrument of example 107, wherein the firing member comprises a foot that is configured to slidably pass within a corresponding passage within the first jaw and laterally extending anvil engagement features that extend laterally from a top portion of the firing member body and are configured to pass through a corresponding one of the axial passages within the anvil body and wherein the first and second engagement features are located between the foot and the anvil engagement features. example 109 - a surgical instrument comprising a shaft assembly that defines a shaft axis. an elongate channel is coupled to the shaft assembly and is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein. an anvil is supported relative to the elongate channel such that the anvil and the elongate channel are selectively movable between a fully opened position and a fully closed position relative to each other. a firing member is supported for axial movement within the elongate channel between a starting position and an ending position upon applications of firing and retraction motions thereto. a lock member is movable between an unlocked configuration that corresponds to the fully open position of the anvil and the elongate channel and a locked configuration wherein the lock member prevents the firing member from being distally advanced from the starting position. the lock member is biased into the unlocked position when the anvil and the elongate channel are in the fully open position and is configured to be moved to the locked position by one of the anvil and the elongate channel when the anvil and elongate channel are moved to the fully closed position unless a surgical staple cartridge comprising a cam assembly that is located in an unfired position is supported within the elongate channel to thereby retain the lock member in the unlocked configuration. example 110 - the surgical instrument of example 109, wherein the lock member is configured to axially align the firing member along the shaft axis when the anvil and the elongate channel are in the fully open position. example 111 - the surgical instrument of example 110, wherein the lock member comprises a firing member alignment tab corresponding to each lateral side of the firing member. example 112 - the surgical instrument of examples 109, 110 or 111, wherein the lock member further comprises at least one anvil spring that is supported in biasing contact with the anvil to bias the lock member towards the locked configuration as the anvil is moved from the fully open position to the fully closed position. example 113 - the surgical instrument of examples, 109, 110, 111 or 112, wherein the firing member comprises two lateral sides and wherein the lock member is configured to retainingly engage each lateral side of the firing member when the lock member is in the locked configuration. example 114 - the surgical instrument of example 113, wherein lock member comprises a spring arm that corresponds to each lateral side of the firing member and a lock notch in each spring arm that is configured to releasably engage a corresponding lock lug on each lateral side of the firing member. example 115 - the surgical instrument of example 114, wherein each spring arm comprises an unlocking tab that is configured to engage a corresponding portion of a cam assembly that is supported in the unfired position within a surgical staple cartridge that is mounted within the elongate channel. example 116 - the surgical instrument of examples 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114 or 115, further comprising a tissue cutting surface on the firing member. example 117 - the surgical instrument of examples 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115 or 116, wherein the anvil comprises an anvil body, an axial slot in the anvil body to permit a portion of the firing member to axially pass therethrough and an axial passage within the anvil body on each side of the axial slot. example 118 - the surgical instrument of example 117, wherein the firing member comprises a foot that is configured to slidably pass within a corresponding passage within the elongate channel and laterally extending anvil engagement features that extend laterally from a top portion of the firing member body and which are configured to pass through a corresponding one of the axial passages within the anvil body and wherein the first and second engagement features are located between the foot and the anvil engagement features. example 119 - a surgical instrument that comprises a shaft assembly that defines a shaft axis. an elongate channel is coupled to the shaft assembly and is configured to removably support a surgical staple cartridge therein. an anvil is supported relative to the elongate channel such that the anvil and the elongate channel are selectively movable between a fully opened position and a fully closed position relative to each other. a firing member is supported for axial movement within the elongate channel between a starting position and an ending position upon applications of firing and retraction motions thereto. the surgical instrument further comprises means for preventing the firing member from being distally advanced from the starting position unless a surgical staple cartridge comprising a cam assembly that is located in an unfired position is supported within the elongate channel. the means for preventing is movable between an unlocked configuration that corresponds to the fully open position of the anvil and the elongate channel and a locked configuration wherein the lock member prevents the firing member from being distally advanced from the starting position when the anvil and the elongate channel are moved from the fully opened to the fully closed position. example 120 - a surgical end effector that comprises a first jaw that comprises a first proximal jaw end and a first jaw surface and a second jaw that comprises a second proximal jaw end and a second jaw surface. the first proximal jaw end and the second proximal jaw end are movably supported relative to each other such that the first jaw surface and the second jaw surface are movable between a fully open position relative to each other and a fully closed position relative to each other wherein tissue may be clamped therebetween. at least one expandable tissue stop is located on one of the first and second jaws and is configured to extend between the first and second jaw surfaces as the first and second jaws are move between the fully open and the fully closed positions. example 121 - the surgical end effector of example 120, wherein each expandable tissue stop comprises a lower tissue stop portion, an upper tissue stop portion that is supported for movable travel relative to the lower tissue stop portion and a biasing member for biasing the upper and lower tissue stop portions between a fully compressed orientation corresponding to the fully closed position and a fully expanded orientation corresponding to the fully open position. example 122 - the surgical end effector of examples 120 or 121, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel and a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel and defines the first jaw surface. example 123 - the surgical end effector of example 122, wherein each expandable tissue stop is operably supported on the surgical staple cartridge. example 124 - the surgical end effector of examples 120, 121, 122 or 123, wherein the at least one expandable tissue stop comprises two expandable tissue stops that are operably supported adjacent the first proximal jaw end. example 125 - the surgical end effector of examples 120, 121, 122, 123 or 124, further comprising a fixed tissue stop on the second jaw corresponding to each expandable tissue stop. example 126 - the surgical end effector of example 125, wherein each fixed tissue stop is located proximal to the corresponding expandable tissue stop. example 127 - the surgical end effector of example 122, wherein the surgical staple cartridge comprises a cartridge body that is configured to be removably supported in the elongate channel and defines the first jaw surface. an elongate slot extends through a portion of the cartridge body and the first jaw surface. at least one row of discrete staple pockets is located on each side of the elongate slot. each discrete staple pocket operably supports at least one surgical staple therein and wherein at least a portion of the at least one expandable tissue stop is located distal of a proximal-most discrete staple pocket in each row of discrete staple pockets. example 128 - the surgical end effector of example 121, wherein the lower tissue stop portion is pivotally coupled to the first jaw and comprises a pair of interconnected cam walls that define a space therebetween and wherein a corresponding one of the upper tissue stop portions is movably supported within the space. example 129 - the surgical end effector of example 128, wherein each lower tissue stop portion and the upper tissue stop portions are pivotally supported on the first jaw for pivotal travel about a tissue stop axis. example 130 - the surgical end effector of example 129, wherein the first jaw comprises an elongate channel and a surgical staple cartridge that is operably supported in the elongate channel and defines the first jaw surface. example 131 - the surgical end effector of example 130, wherein the surgical staple cartridge comprises a cartridge body that is configured to be removably supported in the elongate channel and defines the first jaw surface. an elongate slot extends through a portion of the cartridge body and the first jaw surface. at least one row of discrete staple pockets is located on each side of the elongate slot. each discrete staple pocket operably supports at least one surgical staple therein and wherein the at least one expandable tissue stop is located distal of a proximal-most discrete staple pocket in each of the rows of discrete staple pockets and wherein the tissue stop axis is transverse to the elongate slot. example 132 - a surgical end effector comprising a surgical staple cartridge that comprises a cartridge body that defines a cartridge deck surface and a pattern of staple pockets therein. the surgical end effector further comprises an anvil that comprises a staple forming undersurface. the anvil and the cartridge body are supported relative to each other such that one of the anvil and the cartridge body is selectively movable between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to the other of the anvil and the cartridge body. the surgical end effector further comprises means for preventing tissue from extending proximally past a proximal most portion of the pattern of staple pockets when tissue is admitted between the cartridge deck surface and the staple forming undersurface. the means for preventing is expandable between a fully collapsed orientation that corresponds to the fully closed position and a fully expanded orientation that corresponds to the fully open position. example 133 - the surgical end effector of example 132, wherein the cartridge body further comprises an elongate slot that extends through a portion of the cartridge body and the cartridge deck surface and wherein the pattern of staple pockets comprises at least one row of discrete staple pockets that is located on each side of the elongate slot. each discrete staple pocket operably supports at least one surgical staple therein and wherein the at least one expandable tissue stop is located distal of a proximal-most discrete staple pocket in each of the rows of discrete staple pockets. example 134 - the surgical end effector of examples 132 or 133, wherein the means for preventing is movably supported on the cartridge body. example 136 - the surgical end effector of examples 132, 133, 134 or 135, wherein the means for preventing are pivotally coupled to a proximal end of the cartridge body. example 137 - the surgical end effector of examples 32, 133, 134, 135 or 136, wherein the means for preventing move between the fully collapsed orientation and the fully expanded orientation as the anvil and the cartridge body are moved between the fully closed position to the fully open position. example 138 - a surgical end effector comprising a first jaw that comprises a first jaw proximal end and a first jaw surface. the surgical end effector further comprises a second jaw that comprises a second proximal jaw end and a second jaw surface. the first proximal jaw end and the second proximal jaw end are movably supported relative to each other such that the first jaw surface and the second jaw surface are movable between a fully open position relative to each other and a fully closed position relative to each other wherein tissue may be clamped therebetween. at least one fixed first jaw tissue stop extends upward above the first jaw surface adjacent the first jaw proximal end. a fixed second jaw tissue stop corresponds to each of the fixed first jaw tissue stops and extends downward past the second jaw surface and is located relative to the corresponding first fixed jaw tissue stop such that when the first and second jaws are in the fully open position, at least a portion of the fixed second jaw tissue stop overlaps another portion of the corresponding first fixed tissue stop and when the first and second jaws are in the fully closed position, the portion of the fixed second jaw tissue stop extends below the second jaw surface and the another portion of the corresponding first fixed tissue stop extends above the first jaw surface. example 139 - the surgical end effector of example 138, wherein when the first and second jaws are in the fully closed position, the portion of the corresponding first fixed tissue stop is received within a corresponding opening in the second jaw. example 140 - the surgical end effector of examples 138 or 139, wherein another portion of the first fixed tissue stop is distal to another portion of the second fixed tissue stop when the first and second jaws are in the fully open position. the surgical instrument systems described herein have been described in connection with the deployment and deformation of staples; however, the embodiments described herein are not so limited. various embodiments are envisioned which deploy fasteners other than staples, such as clamps or tacks, for example. moreover, various embodiments are envisioned which utilize any suitable means for sealing tissue. for instance, an end effector in accordance with various embodiments can comprise electrodes configured to heat and seal the tissue. also, for instance, an end effector in accordance with certain embodiments can apply vibrational energy to seal the tissue. the entire disclosures of: - u.s. patent no. 5,403,312 , entitled electrosurgical hemostatic device, which issued on april 4, 1995; - u.s. patent no. 7,000,818 , entitled surgical stapling instrument having separate distinct closing and firing systems, which issued on february 21, 2006; - u.s. patent no. 7,422,139 , entitled motor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument with tactile position feedback, which issued on september 9, 2008; - u.s. patent no. 7,464,849 , entitled electro-mechanical surgical instrument with closure system and anvil alignment components, which issued on december 16, 2008; - u.s. patent no. 7,670,334 , entitled surgical instrument having an articulating end effector, which issued on march 2, 2010; - u.s. patent no. 7,753,245 , entitled surgical stapling instruments, which issued on july 13, 2010; - u.s. patent no. 8,393,514 , entitled selectively orientable implantable fastener cartridge, which issued on march 12, 2013; - u.s. patent application serial no. 11/343,803 , entitled surgical instrument having recording capabilities; now u.s. patent no. 7,845,537 ; - u.s. patent application serial no. 12/031,573 , entitled surgical cutting and fastening instrument having rf electrodes, filed february 14, 2008; - u.s. patent application serial no. 12/031,873 , entitled end effectors for a surgical cutting and stapling instrument, filed february 15, 2008, now u.s. patent no. 7,980,443 ; - u.s. patent application serial no. 12/235,782 , entitled motor-driven surgical cutting instrument, now u.s. patent no. 8,210,411 ; - u.s. patent application serial no. 12/249,117 , entitled powered surgical cutting and stapling apparatus with manually retractable firing system, now u.s. patent no. 8,608,045 ; - u.s. patent application serial no. 12/647,100 , entitled motor-driven surgical cutting instrument with electric actuator directional control assembly, filed december 24, 2009; now u.s. patent no. 8,220,688 ; - u.s. patent application serial no. 12/893,461 , entitled staple cartridge, filed september 29, 2012, now u.s. patent no. 8,733,613 ; - u.s. patent application serial no. 13/036,647 , entitled surgical stapling instrument, filed february 28, 2011, now u.s. patent no. 8,561,870 ; - u.s. patent application serial no. 13/118,241 , entitled surgical stapling instruments with rotatable staple deployment arrangements, now u.s. patent no. 9,072,535 ; - u.s. patent application serial no. 13/524,049 , entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising a firing drive, filed on june 15, 2012, now u.s. patent no. 9,101,358 ; - u.s. patent application serial no. 13/800,025 , entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, filed on march 13, 2013, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263551 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/800,067 , entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, filed on march 13, 2013, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263552 ; - u.s. patent application publication no. 2007/0175955 , entitled surgical cutting and fastening instrument with closure trigger locking mechanism, filed january 31, 2006; and - u.s. patent application publication no. 2010/0264194 , entitled surgical stapling instrument with an articulatable end effector, filed april 22, 2010, now u.s. patent no. 8,308,040 , are hereby incorporated by reference herein. although various devices have been described herein in connection with certain embodiments, modifications and variations to those embodiments may be implemented. particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. thus, the particular features, structures or characteristics illustrated or described in connection with one embodiment may be combined in whole or in part, with the features, structures, or characteristics of one or more other embodiments without limitation. also, where materials are disclosed for certain components, other materials may be used. furthermore, according to various embodiments, a single component may be replaced by multiple components, and multiple components may be replaced by a single component, to perform a given function or functions. the foregoing description and following claims are intended to cover all such modification and variations. the devices disclosed herein can be designed to be disposed of after a single use, or they can be designed to be used multiple times. in either case, however, a device can be reconditioned for reuse after at least one use. reconditioning can include any combination of the steps including, but not limited to, the disassembly of the device, followed by cleaning or replacement of particular pieces of the device, and subsequent reassembly of the device. in particular, a reconditioning facility and/or surgical team can disassemble a device and, after cleaning and/or replacing particular parts of the device, the device can be reassembled for subsequent use. those skilled in the art will appreciate that reconditioning of a device can utilize a variety of techniques for disassembly, cleaning/replacement, and reassembly. use of such techniques, and the resulting reconditioned device, are all within the scope of the present application. the devices disclosed herein may be processed before surgery. first, a new or used instrument may be obtained and, when necessary, cleaned. the instrument may then be sterilized. in one sterilization technique, the instrument is placed in a closed and sealed container, such as a plastic or tyvek bag. the container and instrument may then be placed in a field of radiation that can penetrate the container, such as gamma radiation, x-rays, and/or high-energy electrons. the radiation may kill bacteria on the instrument and in the container. the sterilized instrument may then be stored in the sterile container. the sealed container may keep the instrument sterile until it is opened in a medical facility. a device may also be sterilized using any other technique known in the art, including but not limited to beta radiation, gamma radiation, ethylene oxide, plasma peroxide, and/or steam. while this invention has been described as having exemplary designs, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. this application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. any patent, publication, or other disclosure material, in whole or in part, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein is incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated materials do not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure. as such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material.
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051-998-227-789-942
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G06F3/033,G06F3/048
| 1996-01-04T00:00:00 |
1996
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[
"G06"
] |
multiple fingers contact sensing method for emulating mouse buttons and mouse operations on a touch sensor pad
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method and apparatus for detecting an operative coupling between one or more fingers or other appropriate objects and a touch pad includes processes for detection of multiple maxima with intermediate minima in appropriate sequences to emulate the operations of cursor control and button actuations in a pointing and control device.
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1. a method for detecting the operative coupling of multiple fingers to a touch sensor involving the steps of scanning the touch sensor to (a) identify a first maxima in a signal corresponding to a first finger, (b) identify a minima following the first maxima, (c) identify a second maxima in a signal corresponding to a second finger following said minima, and providing an indication of the simultaneous presence of two fingers in response to identification of said first and second maxima. 2. the method of claim 1 further including the step of causing a pointing device click function to occur in response to the detection of at least a second maxima. 3. the method of claim 1 further including the step of enabling a "drag" function to occur in response to the detection of at least a second maxima. 4. the method of claim 1 further including the step of enabling a "select" function in response to the detection of at least a second maxima. 5. the method of claim 1 further including the step of enabling an "ink" function in response to the detection of at least a second maxima. 6. the method of claim 1 wherein said touch sensor includes a plurality of lines, said maxima being a largest local variation in a signal value on one of said lines due to capacitive coupling of a finger. 7. the method of claim 6 wherein said maxima are peaks. 8. the method of claim 1 further comprising the step of comparing a distance between said first maxima and said second maxima to a predefined threshold. 9. the method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: providing a first control function in response to the detection of the movement of two fingers: detecting the reaching of an edge of said touch sensor by said two fingers; detecting a first time corresponding to the removal of said fingers from said touch sensor; detecting a second time corresponding to the replacement of said two fingers on said touch sensor; and continuing said first control function if said first and second times are within a predetermined time limit of each other. 10. the method of claim 1 further comprising the step of: detecting a distance between said first and second maxima. 11. the method of claim 1 further comprising the step of: providing a drag control function in response to detecting a movement in substantial unison of two said fingers. 12. the method of claim 1 further comprising the step of: providing a click function in response to the removal and reappearance of said second maxima within a predetermined period of time. 13. the method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: detecting a movement of said first maxima; detecting a removal and replacement of said maxima within a predetermined time period; controlling a cursor function in response to said movement of said first maxima; and providing a control function in response to said removal and replacement of said second maxima. 14. the method of claim 1 further comprising the step of: selecting an appropriate control function based on a combination of a number of fingers detected, an amount of time said fingers are detected, and any movement of said fingers. 15. the method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining if said first and second maxima are within 5 centimeters, and only providing said indication of the presence of two fingers if said first and second maxima are within 5 centimeters. 16. the method of claim 1 further comprising the step of calculating first and second centroids corresponding to said first and second fingers. 17. the method of claim 1 wherein said first and second maxima are required to be higher than a first threshold, and said minima is required to be less than a second threshold. 18. a touch sensor for detecting the operative coupling of multiple fingers comprising: means for scanning the touch sensor to (a) identify a first maxima in a signal corresponding to a first finger, (b) identify a minima following the first maxima, and (c) identify a second maxima in a signal corresponding to a second finger following said minima, and means for providing an indication of the simultaneous presence of two fingers in response to identification of said first and second maxima. 19. the touch sensor of claim 18 further comprising: means for selecting an appropriate control function based on a combination of a number of fingers detected, an amount of time said fingers are detected, and any movement of said fingers. 20. the touch sensor of claim 18 wherein said touch sensor includes a plurality of lines, said maxima being a largest local variation in a signal value on one of said lines due to capacitive coupling of a finger. 21. the touch sensor of claim 18 wherein said maxima are peaks. 22. the touch sensor of claim 18 further comprising means for comparing a distance from said first maxima to said second maxima to a predefined threshold. 23. the touch sensor of claim 18 further comprising: means for providing a first control function in response to the detection of the movement of two fingers: means for detecting the reaching of an edge of said touch sensor by said two fingers; means for detecting a first time corresponding to the removal of said fingers from said touch sensor; means for detecting a second time corresponding to the replacement of said two fingers on said touch sensor; and means for continuing said first control function if said first and second times are within a predetermined time limit of each other. 24. the touch sensor of claim 18 further comprising: means for detecting a distance between said first and second maxima. 25. the touch sensor of claim 18 further comprising: means for providing a drag control function in response to detecting a movement in substantial unison of two said fingers. 26. the touch sensor of claim 18 further comprising: means for providing a click function in response to the removal and reappearance of said second maxima within a predetermined period of time. 27. the touch sensor of claim 18 further comprising: means for detecting a movement of said first maxima; means for detecting a removal and replacement of said maxima within a predetermined time period; means for controlling a cursor function in response to said movement of said first maxima; and means for providing a control function in response to said removal and replacement of said second maxima. 28. the touch sensor of claim 18 further comprising: means for selecting an appropriate control function based on a combination of a number of fingers detected, an amount of time said fingers are detected, and any movement of said fingers. 29. the sensor of claim 18 further comprising means for determining if said first and second maxima are within 5 centimeters, and only providing said indication of the presence of two fingers if said first and second maxima are within 5 centimeters. 30. the sensor of claim 18 further comprising means for calculating first and second centroids corresponding to said first and second fingers. 31. the sensor of claim 18 wherein said first and second maxima are required to be higher than a first threshold, and said minima is required to be less than a second threshold.
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field of the invention the present invention relates generally to touchpad devices, and more particularly relates to touchpad devices which detect at least the presence of one or more objects such as fingers to effectuate preselected control functions. background of the invention touch sensing devices are well known, and take a number of different forms. perhaps the best known are resistive-membrane position sensors, which have been used in a number of different applications for many years. such devices have been used as keyboards, position indicators, and so forth. other types of touch sensing devices include resistive tablets, surface acoustic wave devices, touch sensors based on strain gages or pressure sensors, and optical sensors. yet another touch sensing technology is capacitive sensing, in which the location of a finger (or in some instances another object such as a stylus) over a sensing device is determined by virtue of variations in capacitance under and around the location of the finger. typical of capacitive touch sensing devices are touch screens and capacitive pads which employ a matrix of row and column electrodes and detect, for example, either the transcapacitance between row and column electrodes or the effective capacitance to virtual ground. other capacitive techniques are also known. some touch sensitive devices are known to use interpolation for more precisely identifying the location of a finger or stylus. typical of each of these prior art devices is that each of them senses any contact as that of only one finger at a time. cursor movement is straightforward with one finger, and tapping of a finger on the surface of the pad can be detected and acted upon in a manner similar to detecting the actuation of a button on a mouse. single and double taps can be used as simple equivalents of single and double mouse clicks. with a single-finger touchpad, the click and drag function is more difficult. with single finger detection, dragging has been implemented with schemes such as uptap (finger lifted and placed down again quickly), tap-and-a-half, and sticky drag (drag lock turns on automatically after the finger is placed in one location without moving for more than a certain time, such as one second). all of these methods take more time and/or more finger motions than it takes to perform the equivalent function with a mouse, and are not intuitive to users familiar with electronic mice. prior art touch pads are thus less attractive for general use than a mouse. another commonly used function in the prior art is that of clicking a box (or icon or displayed "button") or series of boxes (such as "connecting the dots"). with a mouse, the cursor is moved into position by moving the mouse, then the click occurs with a down-up motion of the finger to actuate a button or switch. with a touchpad typical of the prior art, the cursor is moved into position with the finger, then the click occurs with a tap of the finger which moved the cursor. this requires an up-down-up-down finger motion to do the same thing as simply the "down-up" motion of the mouse button. in general, any touchpad equivalent to a mouse button-clicking function requires an extra "up . . . up" motion of the finger, because the finger must be lifted off the pad before and after the tap. the time and stress associated with the extra motion is significant. human factors studies have shown that such touchpads yield lower productivity than a mouse in many applications. this somewhat limits touchpads to those applications, such as portable computing, where use of a mouse is inconvenient due to space or other considerations. there is therefore a need for a touchpad capable of yielding the same productivity as a mouse. summary of the invention the present invention provides a novel method and apparatus for sensing the proximity of multiple simultaneous fingers or other appropriate objects to a touch sensor. the present invention may be implemented based on any conventional touch sensing technology, although an exemplary embodiment involves the use of a capacitive touch sensing device similar to that described in u.s. patent application ser. no. 08,478,290, entitled touch sensing method and apparatus, filed jun. 7, 1995, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. the numerous modifications to such a basic device required to implement the present invention are described generally below, and in detail hereinafter. alternatively, the present invention may be used with the method and apparatus described in the u.s. patent application ser. no. 08/582,769, entitled touch pad sensing method and apparatus, having as inventors bemi joss, bernard kasser and stephen bisset, filed on jan. 4, 1996, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference. operation of the present invention includes two aspects: detection of multiple objects, typically fingers, and assignment of various functions to particular actions by the movement of one or both fingers. the detection function can be general, but in a simple, exemplary implementation can be limited to a two-finger function such as the combination of the index finger and middle finger. in general, these are the two most dextrous fingers, and they work well together. as a result, for this exemplary embodiment, the touchpad need only distinguish between the two fingers in one dimension since the two fingers are typically side by side. in addition, the touchpad need only detect the second finger in reasonably close proximity to the first finger. in most situations, the distance between finger centers will be less than five centimeters. additional combinations of fingers, such as three fingers tapping simultaneously or other combinations, may also be implemented in accordance with the methodology of the present invention. for clarity of explanation, the present invention can be described in most of its applications by establishing one finger as controlling movement of the cursor, and the second finger as controlling functions equivalent to a mouse button or switch. in this context, one finger may be considered the "point" finger, while the other is the "click" finger. various conventional functions may then be defined accordingly. for example, "drag" may be effected by moving the two fingers in unison, "point and click" may be effected by moving the cursor with the first finger and tapping with the second finger, "point and double click" may be effected by moving the cursor with the first finger and double tapping with the second finger, and so on. "click and drag" may be performed simply by moving the cursor to the appropriate position with the first finger, placing both first and second fingers on the pad, and moving both fingers together. the function may be concluded by simply raising one or both fingers. similarly, connecting the dots may be performed simply by moving the cursor from dot to dot with the first finger, and then clicking on the dot by tapping with the second finger. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these functions may be defined differently and still fall within the scope of the present invention. it will also be apparent that many of these operations will be intuitive to experienced mouse users, as soon as the correspondence between mouse functions and the two fingers is demonstated to the user, and thus their implementation in a touchpad context makes them especially desirable. in addition to the foregoing functions, which can be performed (albeit awkwardly and less intuitively) with conventional touch pads, there are additional functions that can be performed with two fingers and which can have substantial analogs to the use of a mouse or even go beyond conventional mouse functions. for example, detection and location of two fingers will permit the touchpad to report to a host system the distance between the two fingers. this can be used, for example, in paint or other programs to determine line width or other spacing functions, or any other "variable value" function. similarly, tapping with both fingers at the same time may be defined as an alternate, shorthand method for a double tap (such as may be defined for the middle button in a logitech mouse) or may be defined as a special function, similar to the "right button" functions of a mouse. such special functions may have particular value in operating systems such as windows 95 where, for example, implementation of the object viewer function is an important special function. such functions can be implemented readily with a triple finger tap, a double tap of two fingers, or other convenient combination. another function which may be implemented with two finger detection is "drag lock". this function may be used when a drag function is underway, but at least one of the fingers reaches the edge of the pad before the drag function is complete. touchpad operation may be controlled to maintain the drag mode if, for example, both fingers are lifted off the pad within a threshold period of one another, and are then placed down on the pad again within a suitable time period. in some implementations, highly extended time periods may be suitable in this context. a further function which may be readily implemented with the present invention is the ability to operate in relative mode, where a first finger performs a key function, and a second finger controls some attribute of the operation performed by the first finger. for example, a first finger contacting a touch pad may cause a cursor to move across a screen, while contact (and removal) of a second finger with the screen may turn an image, or "ink" on (and off). the resulting image, or "ink," is defined by the motion of the first finger during the period when the second finger is also in contact with the pad; gaps in the "ink" occur when the second finger is lifted away from the pad. the function may, in some ways, be thought of as electronic finger painting, but has the additional advantage of allowing multiple characters to be written on a touch pad. thus, with the use of two fingers, hand printing of text with gaps between the letters and words becomes feasible and convenient, whereas it is impractical with the prior art "tap and a half" method of turning on the ink. yet another function which may be implemented with the present invention is use of the touchpad in absolute mode. most prior art touchpad devices operate, like mice, in relative mode by indicating the distance travelled relative to the starting point of the motion. touchpads, on the other hand, can also be operated in absolute mode, where the absolute position of the finger on the pad is detected and reported to the host system or application. in absolute mode, multi-finger detection allows the first finger to point to the desired absolute position, while the second finger performs whatever "click" operation is desired without requiring a removal of the first finger which might lessen accuracy or resolution. also included within the present invention is the detection and location of more than two fingers, with accompanying functional definitions permitting such multiple contacts to indicate pointing device or other control operations, such as musical keyboards. it is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a touchpad system capable of detecting a plurality of contacts such as fingers. it is a further object of the present invention to provide a touchpad device capable of locating a plurality of contacts such as fingers. it is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for detecting the presence of more than one finger on a touch pad device. it is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method for locating each of a plurality of fingers on a touch pad device. it is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for effecting the "point and click" function on a touchpad through the use of multiple fingers. yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a method for effecting the "click and drag" function on a touchpad through the use of multiple fingers. a still further object of the present invention is to provide a method for effecting on a touchpad, through the use of multiple finger contacts, a plurality of conventional mouse button functions. yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for effecting on a touchpad, through the use of multiple finger contacts, a plurality of enhanced functions. yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for electronic finger painting. these and other objects of the invention may be better appreciated from the following detailed description of the invention, taken together with the appended figures. the figures fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a device according to the present invention. fig. 2 shows in block diagram form the electronics of the present invention. fig. 3 shows a finger profile for two non-overlapping fingers as sensed by the present invention. fig. 4 shows a finger profile for two closely-spaced fingers as sensed by the present invention. fig. 5 shows in flow diagram form the steps for a high level algorithm for a pointing device according to the present invention. fig. 6 shows in flow diagram form the steps for computing motion and "button" states. figs. 7a-7f2 show in diagrammatic form an exemplary sequence of finger contacts and movements across a touch sensor. fig. 8 shows a more generalized case of fig. 5. fig. 9 shows a more generalized case of fig. 6. detailed description of the invention referring first to fig. 1, a plurality of a user's fingers 10a and 10b are shown positioned over a touchpad 20 in sufficiently close proximity to be operatively connected thereto. movement of a single finger over the touchpad causes the cursor to move in a now-conventional manner. however, unlike prior art devices, various control functions may be performed by the use of the second finger, typically in combination with the same or a related operation of the first finger. operations involving more than two fingers may also be performed. in an exemplary embodiment, the touchpad of the present invention reports to a host either the relative motion of a finger across the touchpad or changes in "button" status. referring next to fig. 2, the operation of the touchpad 20 may be better appreciated. in particular, fig. 2 shows in block diagram form the electronics implemented to form an exemplary touchpad 20. a touchpad matrix 30 is composed of a plurality of rows 35 and columns 40 of wires or traces arranged in a conventional manner; see u.s. patent application ser. no. 08/321,987, filed 12 oct. 1994, entitled touch pad sensor with simultaneous sensing, commonly assigned with the present application. the rows and columns are connected to an analog multiplexor 45 through a plurality of x (row) direction conductors 50 and a plurality of y (column) direction conductors 55, one conductor for each row and each column. under the control of a microcontroller 60, the analog multiplexor 45 selects which traces of the matrix 30 will be sampled, and the output of those traces is then provided to a capacitance measuring circuit 70. one suitable capacitance measuring circuit is described in aforementioned u.s. patent application ser. no. 08/321,987, commonly assigned with the present invention and incorporated herein by reference; another is described in u.s. patent application ser. no. 08/478,290, filed 7 jun. 1995, entitled touch sensing method and apparatus and also commonly assigned with the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. the output of the capacitance measuring circuit is then provided to an analog to digital converter 80, which operates as described in either of the above-referenced patent applications to convert the capacitance values from the circuit 70 into a digital representation. the analog to digital converter 80 then supplies the signals to the microcontroller 60, which operates to form, among other things, a finger profile for one or more fingers, x-y cursor data, and control signals. depending on the operation being performed at the particular time, the output of microcontroller 60 is then supplied to an interface to a pc or other device, such as a ps/2 interface, an rs-232 interface, or an apple desktop bus (adb). a key feature of the present invention is its ability to distinguish the presence of multiple fingers either touching or in operative proximity to the touchpad 30. in a typical embodiment, the operation of the circuit of fig. 2 cycles continuously. as noted above, the cycle begins by scanning the traces and measuring the capacitance on each trace. then the portion of each measured capacitance that is induced by the presence of a finger is extracted, and this finger-induced capacitance is stored in ram, as x(1) through x(xcon) and y(1) through y(ycon), as described below. the finger-induced portion of the measured capacitance is determined by subtracting a value, for each trace, representing the capacitance when no finger is present. this "no-finger" capacitance is measured and stored at a time previous to the beginning of the cycle described herein, and is described more fully in u.s. patent application ser. no. 08/478,290, filed 7 jun. 1995 and commonly assigned. it has also been found by applicant that it is not necessary, in all embodiments, to subtract the "no-finger" capacitance if techniques other than calculation of a centroid are used to locate the position of the fingers, and such subtraction is not required even in all instances in which a centroid is calculated. however, in at least some embodiments the sensitivity and hence the resolution of the calculated finger location is enhanced by such subtraction. referring again to the exemplary embodiment, the values of finger-induced capacitance are then processed to calculate a position, detect whether one or more fingers is in operative contact with the pad surface, and to detect any changes in the number of fingers operatively coupled to the pad. if the cycle is repeated rapidly enough to update a graphical user interface approximately 30 times per second or more, the appearance of smooth and instantaneous response is provided to the user. for functions other than pointing, such as handwriting with the finger, a faster scan rate may be required and may, for example, be on the order of 200 scans per second. referring next to fig. 3, a finger profile is shown indicative of the presence of two fingers, spaced apart from one another. in particular, the circuitry, software or firmware of the touchpad circuitry, such as that shown in fig. 2, detects a first maxima 85 indicative of a first finger in operative proximity to the touchpad 30, followed by a minima 90 indicative of a space between the fingers, and further followed by another maxima 95 indicative of a second finger operatively coupled to the touchpad 30. it will be appreciated that, for operations involving more than two fingers, more maxima will be detected with an appropriate number of intermediate minima. although the finger profile shown in fig. 3 suggests that the intermediate minima separating the two fingers is a zero value, it is not necessary in all instances that the minima be zero. thus, for example, fig. 4 reflects a finger profile with a nonzero local minima 100 intermediate the two maxima 105 and 110 indicative of two fingers operatively coupled to the touchpad. this finger profile simply reflects two fingers placed closely to one another, but still yields a valley for measurement of the minima. to operate effectively, the present invention must detect and distinguish the presence of a single finger, and the presence of multiple fingers. as noted previously, the second or additional fingers are typically involved to provide "button" or control functions, similar to actuation of the buttons or switches on a mouse. although the following example describes in detail the use of only two fingers, one for cursor control and a second as a button, the teachings herein are believed sufficient to permit those skilled in the art to construct apparata using multiple fingers for additional buttons. to avoid artifacts, a threshold may be applied to the both the maximum and minimum distance between the maxima representative of multiple fingers. for example, a threshold requiring the maxima to be within five centimeters of one another may be used to limit the maximum distance between the fingers; other thresholds may be appropriate in some embodiments. a threshold representative of the minimum distance may be configured by establishing a maximum value of the local minima 100. in an exemplary embodiment, the operation of the system of fig. 2 is controlled in either firmware, software or hardware. shown in fig. 5 is a flow diagram showing the general operation of such software or firmware which is capable of detecting multiple fingers, and which uses the algorithm of fig. 6, discussed hereinafter. the variables found in the flow diagram of fig. 5 are defined below: ______________________________________ name definition ______________________________________ xabsolute finger position in x direction, calculated during the current cycle relative to the sensor pad. xabsoluteprevious the value above stored from the previous cycle. yabsolute similar to xabsolute. yabsoluteprevious similar to xabsoluteprevious. xbutton has value up or down (regardless of previous state). xbuttonprevious the value above stored from the previous cycle. ybutton similar to xbutton. ybuttonprevious similar to xbuttonprevious. xmotion cursor motion in the x direction, relative to the cursor position of the previous cycle (only reported if either or both xmotion and ymotion are non-zero). ymotion similar to xmotion. button may be up or down (only reported if a change from the previous cycle). ______________________________________ it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a "report" means transmitting information to an application process executing on a host, such that the cursor is moved or a function is performed. in some instances, driver software executing on the host may ascertain the existence of finger movement, while in other instances including the exemplary embodiment described herein the determination of finger movement occurs in the firmware in the pointing device. referring still to fig. 5, the cyclical process begins at step 400, and continues at step 410 by scanning the conductor sensors. the sensors may be scanned sequentially or concurrently, depending on the hardware implementation. the scan process measures the values of finger-induced capacitance for each of the conductors, and stores the values in ram at step 420. the cycle process continues by performing the xcompute loop of fig. 6 discussed hereinafter, and also the ycompute loop analogous to fig. 6, at step 430 and 440, respectively. in general, the function of the xcompute and ycompute processes is simply to evaluate the current measurements by calculating the centroid of the finger measurement, and by detecting whether a second finger is touching the pad--which determines the button state. in the exemplary embodiment, only a change in the button state is reported. as a result, at step 450 the value of button is set to no change. in addition, in the exemplary embodiment a tap or double click by only a first finger is not acted upon, although a tap by a second finger or by multiple fingers is acted upon. in the exemplary arrangement, a "button down" condition is only reported if both fingers are in operative contact with the touchpad. the process continues by comparing the current and previous button states of the x and y conductors. first, at step 460, the state of xbutton is checked to see if it is down and the state of xbuttonprevious is checked to see if it is up. if both compares are true, then the variable button is set to down at step 465. in addition, at step 470, the state of ybutton is checked to see if it is down and the state of ybuttonprevious is checked to see if it is up. if both compares are true, the variable button is also set to down. alternatively, as determined at step 480, if the state of xbutton is up and the state of xbuttonprevious is down, or, as checked at step 490, the state of ybutton is up and ybuttonprevious is down, then the variable button is set to up at step 495. if the button was set to down at state 465, or up at step 495, or if the results at steps 480 and 490 are no, the process advances to step 510. at step 510, xmotion is set to the sum of xabsolute less xabsoluteprevious, and at step 520, ymotion is set to the sum of yabsolute less yabsoluteprevious. then, at step 530, the state of button is checked and, if it is changed by being either up or down, both xmotion and ymotion are set to zero at step 535, indicating that the user has actuated a button and no cursor movement should occur. in addition, if button equals up or down, the state of button is reported at step 540. at step 550, xmotion and ymotion are compared to zero, and if either is not zero then both xmotion and ymotion are reported to the microcontroller. it will be apparent that this indicates a cursor movement, typically reflective of the movement of a single finger over the touchpad, or two fingers in some modes such as click-and-drag. further, at step 560, whether there is motion reported or not, the variable xabsoluteprevious is set to the value of xabsolute, and at step 570 the variable yabsoluteprevious is set to the value of yabsolute. similarly, at step 580 the value of xbuttonprevious is set to xbutton, and at step 590 the value of yabsoluteprevious is set to yabsolute. the cycle then repeats by returning to step 400. it will be apparent that the foregoing algorithm can be readily extended to include additional fingers beyond two, representative of additional buttons. in such an instance, compare steps for current and previous states of each button would be conducted, and "up," or "down" conditions would be reported for each such button. in some embodiments it may be desired to report "no change" conditions, and the foregoing algorithm could be readily modified to provide such reporting. depending on the desired configuration, second and third buttons may be implemented, for example, either by requiring a combination of two or more fingers to indicate operation of a second button, or by the independent movement of additional fingers or other objects. in this latter embodiment, it may be desirable to implement distance thresholding, to ensure that movement of a second or additional button finger is not mistaken for movement of the first or other button finger. set forth in fig. 6 is a flow diagram setting forth the steps for computing motion and "button" states in the x direction, or what may be referred to as "xcompute." an analogous calculation is performed for the y direction, or what may be referred to as "ycompute." the algorithm uses the following variables and constants: ______________________________________ name definition ______________________________________ x(n) values, stored in memory, of finger-induced portion of capacitance measured on each conductor. n varies from 1 to xcon. �when no finger is contacting the pad above a conductor, the value is approximately zero. in addition, x(0) is initialized to a value of 0.! x(n-1) value of finger-induced sensor conductor capacitance for the previous conductor. xcon the number of sensor conductors in the x direction. fthresh the minimum threshold that x must reach before a finger is considered to be present. �sets the touch sensitivity of the pad.! xpeak1 variable to store the value of the first peak x value. xvalley variable to store the value of a local minimum (if any) between 2 peaks. xpeak2 variable to store the value of the second peak x value (if any). xsum variable to accumulate the sum of the x values, for centroid calculation. xweightsum variable to accumulate the sum of the x values, weighted by n (the position of the conductor), for centroid calculation. xstate a variable which can have values peak1, valley, peak2 or tail, to indicate which part of the finger profile we are currently searching for. the tail state is simply the remainder of the scan after a second peak (in the exemplary embodiment) has been identified. ______________________________________ it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the "ycompute" variables and constants differ only in replacing x by y. the algorithm for xcompute starts at step 200, followed by initialization of variables at step 205. for xcompute, the variables initialized are n, which is set to zero, and the value of x(0), which is also set to zero. in addition, xpeak1, xvalley, xpeak2, xsum and xweightsum, are all set to zero. in addition, the state of xstate is set to peak1. at step 210 a loop, referred to as "xloop" starts. the purpose of xloop is to calculate the x centroid, by accumulating the sum and weighted sum of the x values for all the x conductors from one to xcon. thus, the loop typically starts with the value of n=0 and increments by one at the beginning of each cycle until the value of n=xcon. the steps of the loop include step 215, where n is incremented to n+1 and the value x(n) of the current conductor is added to the prior accumulated value, xsum, which then becomes the new value of xsum. the loop then continues at step 220, where the prior value of xweightsum is added to a weighted value of x(n), where the weighting is done by multiplying x(n) by the number n of the conductor being sampled. the sum of xweightsum and n*x(n) then becomes the new value of xweightsum. the xloop continues at step 225, where one of a series of subloops is selected depending on the value of xstate. since xstate is initially set to peak1, the first subloop entered is the peak1 subloop, beginning at step 230. at step 230 the value of x(n) is compared to the value of x(n-1) and, if x(n) is greater than or equal to the value of x(n-1), the first peak has not yet been reached. as a result, the loop jumps to step 235, at which points the value of n is compared to the value of xcon. if the finger-induced capacitance measured at the last conductor has not been evaluated, the result is a no and the process jumps to step 215 to repeat with an incremented value of n. at some value of n the value of x(n) is less than the value of x(n-1), at which point the check at step 230 yields a no. at this point, the peak has been found and at step 232 the value of xpeak1 is set to x(n-1) and the value of xstate is set to valley. the system then jumps to step 235, where a check is made to see if the last conductor has been measured by comparing n to xcon. as before, if the capacitance change measured at the last conductor has not been checked, the result is a no, and the process loops to step 215 and repeats. when the process begins with the next increment of n, a no will result at step 225, so that the process will jump to step 250, where a check is made to see if xstate equal xvalley. since it now does, a yes results and the process branches to step 255. at step 255 a x(n) is compared to x(n-1). if x(n-1) is not greater than or equal to x(n), the valley has not yet been found, causing a further jump to step 235 and a repeat with an incrementally higher n. if a second finger is touching the pad then eventually the value of x(n-1) will be geater than or equal to the value of x(n), such that the valley is detected. at this point, at step 262, the value of xvalley is set to x(n-1) and xstate is set to peak2. the process then jumps to step 235, where it repeats from step 215 unless the last conductor in the matrix has been evaluated. on the next cycle, a no result is reached at both step 225 and step 250, causing a jump to step 270. at step 270 the state of xstate is compared to peak2, and a yes result will occur. this results in a compare between x(n) and x(n-1) at step 275, to look for a second peak, in a manner substantially identical to the process by which the first peak was found. as long as x(n) is greater than or equal to x(n-1), the peak has not been found, so the process jumps to step 235, and then to step 215 until the change measured at the last conductor has been evaluated. as before, the value of x(n) will eventually start to decrease, such that x(n) will be less than x(n-1). at this point, at step 278, the value of xpeak2 is set to the value of x(n-1) and the state of xstate is set to tail. the "tail" is the remaining portion of fig. 4 following the second peak. while a tail state is used in the exemplary embodiment, such a state may not be necessary in all embodiments. the process then cycles through until the last conductor measurement has been considered, at which point n does equal xcon when the check at step 235 is made. with a yes result, the process branches to a thresholding comparison at step 290. in an exemplary embodiment, the xcompute process then continues by calculating the centroid for the fingers detected, so long as the maxima exceed a threshold value. in accordance with the present invention, two approaches may be used in calculating centroid values. in a first implementation, only a single centroid value is calculated for the combination of one or more fingers. in this arrangement, it will be apparent that, when a second finger contacts the touchpad, the centroid "jumps" laterally approximately to the midpoint of the two fingers. in a second implementation, a centroid value may be calculated for each maxima, yielding multiple centroid values when multiple fingers interact with the pad. for purposes of clarity, the following description will be limited to the first implementation. thus, at step 290 the values of xpeak1 and xpeak2 are compared to fthresh, and if either or both are greater then xabsolute is set to the value of xweightsum/xsum at step 295, which causes the x centroid to be calculated. if neither peak exceeds fthresh, then no finger is deemed present and xbutton is set to up at step 315. if both xpeak1 and xpeak2 were greater than fthresh, the xcompute process continues at step 305 by comparing the difference between xpeak1 and valley to the value of xpeak1 divided, for example, by four. if the difference is the greater of the two, then the difference between xpeak2 and valley is compared to the value of xpeak2 divided, for example, by four. if the difference is greater than the dividend, the xbutton is set to down at step 310. otherwise, the value of xbutton is set to up at step 315. the comparison described above is provided to ensure that a legitimate valley and two legitimate peaks have been detected, to avoid artifacts. it will be appreciated, given the teachings herein, that other comparison methods or divisors other than four may be used for this purpose. the xcompute loop then ends at step 320. it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the foregoing is a simplified algorithm and does not include compensation for settling, moisture and noise. noise thresholding may be provided in at least some embodiments, if noise causes the curve to be non-monotonic; settling and moisture may be dealt with in a similar manner. the ycompute loop is performed similarly, as noted above. depending on the particular arrangement desired, and the associated hardware, the x and y compute processes may be performed sequentially in either order or concurrently. while the foregoing example describes identification of minima and maxima in the x and y directions, it will be apparent that an analysis along a diagonal or some other angular direction may be preferred in some instances, and is still within the scope of the present invention. it will be appreciated that the foregoing describes a new and useful method and apparatus for detecting a plurality of fingers operatively coupled to a touch pad sensor for enabling a variety of mouse-like operations. a second portion of the invention involves using the previously detection methodology to perform various cursor movement and control functions similar to those well known to users of electronic mice and trackballs. as previously noted, the first finger is most commonly associated, in the prior art, with cursor movement, while various tapping motions �e.g., tap and tap-and-a half! of that first finger have been implemented to perform various control functions. unlike such prior art, however, various movements (including sequences of taps) of additional fingers or combinations of the first and additional fingers are provided to enable such control functions in the present invention. depending on the implementation desired, it is also possible to implement a superset of the prior art control functions together with the more robust control function set available with the present invention. note that in the preferred embodiment, the user may arbitrarily choose which finger he or she uses as the "first" or "second" or additional fingers. thus, for example, one user may choose the index finger as the first finger and the middle finger as the second finger, while another user may prefer the reverse or some different combination. in the preferred embodiment, the only distinction between the first, second and additional fingers is the sequence in which they are placed in contact with the touchpad surface, or removed from it. in any case where a second or additional finger or fingers is placed down after a first finger, or multiple fingers, is already in contact with the pad, the newly placed fingers can be in any relationship to those already in contact with the pad, such as to the left, to the right, above or below. the only requirement is that, in the profile of finger-induced capacitances, the profile of the newly placed finger exhibits a zero value or a local minimum on each side of its peak value, in at least one of the x or y directions, so that it may be distinguished from the other finger(s) in contact with the touchpad. in particular, the ability of the previously described methodology to recognize multiple fingers allows the first finger to serve, essentially, as the "point" finger, while additional fingers serve as the "click" finger(s). combinations of the first, second, and perhaps additional fingers can then enable numerous conventional functions to be performed based on the mapping of a variety of sequences of taps or finger movements to a set of conventional pointing device functions, where the pointing device could be a touchpad, mouse, trackball, joystick, or stylus, for example. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, given the foregoing description, that the present invention can detect, for example, relative movement of the first finger, together with a tap of the second or more fingers at some point, followed either by removal of both fingers, further movement of the first finger, or further movement of both fingers. such sequences can, essentially, be viewed as a series of scans in which one or more fingers were found to be either present or absent in any given scan, with motion, or lack thereof, of the finger or fingers across the touch sensor interspersed between changes in the number of fingers in contact with the touchpad. the specific sequence can then be analyzed to determine whether only a cursor movement is involved or whether a control function is intended. if a control function is intended, the specific control function can then be identified. referring to figs. 7a-7f, there is shown in diagrammatic form an exemplary sequence involving operative coupling of a plurality of fingers with a touch sensor to cause both a cursor movement and a control function. more specifically, fig. 7a shows a series of movements of one or more fingers across a touch sensor, including various finger taps. figs. 7b-7f show, for each of the numeric references in fig. 7a, an exemplary video display, an exemplary position of one or more fingers on the touchpad, and x and y finger profiles appropriate to that finger contact. it will be helpful to define certain conventions used in figs. 7a-7f before discussing these figures. in fig. 7a-7f, contact between a finger and the touch pad is indicated by a solid circle within the fingertip; an absence of contact between a fingertip and the touch sensor is indicated by the absence of circle within the finger tip. a tap--i.e., an up and down motion--by a finger is indicated by a dashed circle. movement of the fingers from a first to a second point while in contact with the touch sensor is indicated by a solid arrow. movement of the fingers from a first to a second point with the fingers not in contact is indicated by a dashed arrow. with these conventions in mind, figs. 7a-7f can be better understood. in particular, and with reference to fig. 7a in combination with fig. 7b, an initial series of scans 700 indicates the presence of a single finger in contact with the touch sensor, with the changing x,y location between 700 and 705 indicating relative motion by the finger across the touch sensor. at 710, a second finger is detected in contact with the touch sensor, and continues to be operatively coupled to the sensor for several more scans without significant relative motion across the sensor. at 720, the second finger is removed, while the first finger remains. from 720 until 730 (shown in fig. 7c) the first finger continues its relative motion, while at 740 the second finger is again placed down. the scans of the sensor then detect both the first and second finger being moved together across the sensor until the scan at 750, then both fingers are removed at 755. thereafter, both fingers are again placed on the sensor at 760 (shown in fig. 7d), where they remain for a few more scans until 770, at which time they are both removed. three fingers are placed on the sensor at 780, and removed a few scans later at 790. thereafter, three fingers are placed on the sensor at 800 (fig. 7e), moved across the touch sensor for a few scans from 800 to 805, and are then removed at 810. finally, as shown at 820 (figs. 7f1-2), one finger is placed down while the adjacent finger is moved, such as might be desirable for marking text or other functions. when the finger is moved as far as is practicable, the moving finger is picked up at 825 and placed down again at 830 for further movement. the moving finger can be picked up and placed down again as often as desired. eventually the other, substantially fixed finger is lifted at 835, causing a "button up" condition. while the foregoing sequence can be programmed to define any number of cursor movement and control functions, an exemplary definition of the functions associated with such sequences can be the following: for the period from 700 through 705 the relative motion of a single finger can be defined to mean cursor movement for that period, from the beginning point until the relative ending point. during the period 710 to 720, a second finger is detected and then removed, which is defined in an exemplary embodiment as a single finger tap which may be a "select" function such as selecting one item from a screen menu. during the period 720 until 730, the single finger again moves the cursor, while at 740 the second finger reappears to enable a different function. the second finger moves across the sensor, together with the first finger, until at 755 both fingers are removed. again, such sequences--all of which may be regarded as gestures--can be mapped to control functions in numerous ways, but one reasonable definition is that the presence of two fingers engaged in relative motion is a "drag function," such as where an entity was selected by the first tap and dragged to a new location, where it is dropped by the removal of both fingers at 750. then, at 760, both fingers reappear and remain for a few additional scans until both are removed at 770. this gesture, which may be considered a "two finger tap," can enable numerous functions, but an exemplary definition is the classical "double-click" of a standard left mouse button, or the click of a middle button on some three button mice, such as those sold by logitech, inc., and could, for example, activate a function or application associated with the item to which the cursor is pointing. next, the sequence from 780 to 790, when the three fingers reappear and are then removed, is a "three finger tap", and can be regarded, for example, as a right mouse button click which may, for example, activate a menu specific to the item to which the cursor is pointing. finally, the sequence from 800 until 810, in which three fingers reappear, move across the touch sensor and are then removed, may in an exemplary embodiment be seen as a shortcut to a multi-sequence function. for example, such a movement might be defined as a scroll function, which might otherwise require the user to move the cursor to a scroll bar, drag and drop a scroll box, and return the cursor to the working area of the screen. finally, the sequence from 820 through 830 can be analogized to holding down a mouse button (for example the left mouse button), rolling a mouse whatever distance is convenient for the user, then picking up the mouse (while continuing to hold down the button) and placing the mouse down again at a position convenient for further movement of the mouse. one example of the use of such a sequence is the marking of text. the algorithm for recognizing movement by one "cursor" finger while the other "button" finger is maintained in position is a generalized case of the algorithm shown in figs. 5 and 6, and is described in greater detail in figs. 8 and 9. other functions which can be implemented with such gestures include an "ink" function (mentioned above), entry of variable values, and use of the sensor in absolute mode. referring next to figs. 8 and 9, the generalized case associated with figs. 7f1-2, but also applicable to the remaining functions, may be better appreciated. in the exemplary algorithm shown in figs. 8 and 9, a determination is made whether zero, one or two fingers are in contact with the touchpad. depending on how many fingers are identified, various operations are permitted. it will be appreciated that fig. 8 is analogous to fig. 5, while fig. 9 is analogous to fig. 6. for convenience, steps unchanged from figs. 5 and 6 are in most cases referred to by the reference numerals used in those figures. in fig. 8, the process begins in a manner identical to fig. 5, starting at step 400 and followed by scanning the conductors and storing the results of the scan in memory at step 405, followed by xcompute and ycompute at steps 430 and 440, respectively. for this embodiment, xcompute is shown in fig. 9, and ycompute is identical to xcompute. at step 850, a determination is made whether two fingers are in contact with the touchpad by evaluating both xcompute and ycompute. if neither xcompute nor ycompute indicate the presence of two fingers, the answer is no and the process drops to step 855. however, if either the xcompute routine or the ycompute routine indicates the presence of two fingers, the answer at step 850 is yes and the process moves to step 860, where the value of the variable finger is set to 2. if the answer at step 850 was no, then a determination has to be made at step 855 whether one or no fingers are in contact with the touch sensor. if variables xfinger and yfinger do not both equal 1, then the comparison at step 850 is a no and it is determined that no fingers are in contact with the touch sensor. in this case, the variable finger is set to 0 at step 865. however, if the variables both yield a 1, then a determination is made that one finger is in contact with the sensor, and the variable finger is set to 1 at step 870. in either event, the process then moves to step 875, where xmotion and ymotion are calculated in a manner identical with fig. 5. the process then continues at step 880, where the variable finger is compared to the value of fingerprevious. if the value of finger differs from the value of fingerprevious, then a button actuation is assumed to have occurred, and xmotion and ymotion are set to zero at step 885. however, if the value of finger equals the value of fingerprevious (i.e., the current number of fingers contacting the pad is the same as in the previous state), then the comparison of step 880 yields a yes, and the process moves to step 890. at step 890 a comparison is made to determine whether there has been motion in either the x or y directions. if neither xmotion nor ymotion is nonzero, a no results and the process moves to step 895 where the variable motion is set to no. the same results obtains if the process goes through step 885. however, if either xmotion or ymotion is nonzero, a yes results at step 890, and the process moves to step 900 where the variable motion is set to yes. from either step 895 or step 900, the process moves to step 905, where a check is made to determine whether buttonprevious was up and the number of fingers detected is two. if the answer is no, the process moves to step 910. however, if a yes is obtained, the process moves to step 915 where the state of the button variable is reported to the host as down, and the variable buttonprevious is set to down. referring again to step 910, a check is made to determine whether either of two groups of conditions exist. a yes result may be obtained if buttonprevious is down and and the value of the finger variable is zero; or if buttonprevious is down and the variable motion is set to yes and the variable finger is set to one. if none of these conditions exist, a no result is obtained and the process moves to step 920. however, if a yes does result, then the process moves to step 925 and reports to the host that button is up, while also setting the variable buttonprevious to up. if a no resulted at step 910, at step 920 a comparison is made between variables fingerprevious and finger, and the state of the motion variable. if fingerprevious is the same value as finger, and motion has occurred (i.e., motion is yes), the process moves to step 930 and both xmotion and ymotion are reported. the process then moves to step 935. however, if the comparison at step 920 yields a no, the process moves directly to step 935. at step 935, the value of xabsoluteprevious is set to the value of xabsolute, the value of yabsoluteprevious is set to the value of yabsolute, and the value of fingerprevious is set to the value of finger. the process then moves to step 940, where it recycles by jumping back to start. referring next to fig. 9, the xcompute process is shown in detail for the generalized case shown in fig. 8. as noted previously, the ycompute process is identical and is therefore not shown separately. the process of fig. 9 is identical to that shown in fig. 6 up through step 290, and the preceding steps will therefore not be discussed again. however, if a no results from the comparison at step 290, a determination is made that no fingers are in contact with the pad. this causes the variable xfinger to be set to zero at step 970. steps 295 and 305 are unchanged from fig. 6 and will not be discussed further. however, if a no results from the comparison at step 305, then a determination is made that one finger is in contact with the sensor, and the value of the variable xfinger is set to one at step 975. by contrast, if the result at step 305 is a yes, then a determination is made that two fingers are in contact with the sensor and the variable xfinger is set to two at step 980. regardless of the number of fingers in contact with the sensor, the process moves to step 320 and ends until the next cycle. another function achievable with the detection method and apparatus of the present invention may be referred to as edge lock. because a touch sensor can detect, in absolute terms, where on the sensor the operative coupling occurs, it is possible to detect that one or more fingers have reached the edge of the sensor. in some instances, the user intends to continue the movement he was engaged in when he hit the edge; for example, a drag function involving two fingers, in which the two fingers hit the edge before the object being dragged has reached its destination. in the environment of a mouse, the user simply picks up the mouse while holding the button down, puts it back down and moves again. in the context of a touchpad, however, removal of the two fingers may be perceived as termination of the function even though such termination was not intended. to avoid such problems, the function in which the user was engaged at the time the fingers hit the edge may remain active--i.e., locked in--for a delay period. if the fingers are placed down on the touchpad within the delay period, the user continues with the earlier function. if the user does not place down the fingers within a predefined delay, the function is terminated and a new function begins when the user again places the fingers in operative contact with the sensor. it will be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention allows numerous multi-finger gestures to be detected and converted to mouse-related functions for moving a cursor and control of operating environments or applications programs. however, while some exemplary functions and exemplary definitions for particular sequences have been provided above, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the association of a particular function with a particular sequence or to any particular set of functions. instead this aspect of the invention is directed to the ability to identify and process various sequences in which one or more fingers are either absent or present, interspersed with motion or lack of motion of the finger or fingers across the touch sensor, to evaluate those sequences either locally or via software on the host, and to report appropriate signals to cause cursor movements or control functions to occur in applications programs or operating environments. having fully described various embodiments of the present invention, numerous alternatives and equivalents which do not depart from the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. it is therefore intended that the invention not be limited by the foregoing description, but only by the appended claims.
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052-226-718-858-988
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EP
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[
"EP"
] |
H04L25/02,H03M1/00,H04B7/08
| 2017-10-23T00:00:00 |
2017
|
[
"H04",
"H03"
] |
techniques for digital beamforming and mimo detection
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this disclosure relates to a digital beamforming receiver device, comprising: a plurality of receive signal paths connectable to respective antenna ports of an antenna array, each receive signal path comprising: a radio frequency (rf) mixer configured to mix an rf signal received at a respective antenna port to generate a mixed rf signal, and an analog-to-digital converter (adc) configured to convert the mixed rf signal into digital domain; and a coordinate descent detection logic, configured to detect a transmit symbol based on the adc outputs of the plurality of receive signal paths.
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a digital beamforming receiver device, comprising: a plurality of receive signal paths connectable to respective antenna ports of an antenna array, each receive signal path comprising: a radio frequency (rf) front-end configured to convert a received rf signal to an analog baseband; and an analog-to-digital converter (adc) configured to convert the analog signal into digital domain; and a coordinate descent detection logic, configured to detect a transmit symbol based on the adc outputs of the plurality of receive signal paths. the digital beamforming receiver device of claim 1, wherein each receive signal path comprises an amplifier coupled between the rf front-end and the adc, wherein the amplifier is configured to match the rf front-end output signal to a dynamic range of the adc input. the digital beamforming receiver device of claim 1, wherein the adc comprises a low resolution adc. the digital beamforming receiver device of claim 3, wherein a resolution of the low resolution adc is an adc that does not fully cover the dynamics of the analog signal at its input. the digital beamforming receiver device of one of the preceding claims, wherein the antenna array is configured to receive millimeter wave rf signals. the digital beamforming receiver device of one of the preceding claims, wherein the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol based on a dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm (dcd). the digital beamforming receiver device of claim 6, wherein the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol based on one of the following variants of dcd: leading dcd, sequential dcd, sequential dcd with bound, leading dcd with bound. the digital beamforming receiver device of one of the preceding claims, wherein the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol based on a coordinate descent algorithm with binary step size. the digital beamforming receiver device of claim 8, wherein the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to implement multiplications as bit shifts. the digital beamforming receiver device of one of the preceding claims, wherein the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to restrict a size of the detected transmit symbol. the digital beamforming receiver device of claim 10, wherein the size of the detected transmit symbol is not restricted or restricted to an area defined by a predefined constellation. the digital beamforming receiver device of claim 11, wherein the predefined constellation is from the following: 4-qam, 8-qam, 16-qam, 32-qam, 64-qam and higher. a method for detecting a transmit symbol by a digital beamforming receiver device comprising a plurality of receive signal paths connectable to respective antenna ports of an antenna array, the method comprising: converting a received rf signal, by a radio frequency (rf) front-end, to an analog baseband or intermediate frequency signal, and converting, by an analog-to-digital converter (adc) of the respective receive signal path, the analog baseband or intermediate frequency signal into digital domain; and detecting, by a coordinate descent detection logic, a transmit symbol based on the adc outputs of the plurality of receive signal paths. the method of claim 13, comprising: detecting the transmit symbol based on a coordinate descent algorithm (cd). a computer readable non-transitory medium on which computer instructions are stored which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 13 or 14.
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field the disclosure relates to techniques for digital beamforming and multiple-input multiple-output (mimo) detection. the disclosure particularly relates to a device and method for detecting a transmit symbol by a digital beamforming receiver and to a mimo detection device, in particular related to robust massive mimo multi user detection for millimeter wave systems with low resolution a/d conversion. background for future millimeter wave (mmwave) mobile broadband systems, analog/hybrid beamforming as schematically illustrated in fig. 1 is considered to be a possible solution to the receiver power consumption of digital beamforming with high resolution analog-to-digital converters (adcs) at the access point 110. due to the large bandwidth, high-resolution adcs require a significant amount of power. therefore, they are considered to be a major contributor to the power consumption of a mmwave receiver. for such a system the number of antennas at the access point 110 is large, e.g. 64 or even 256. so the complexity for mu mimo detection is relatively large. if the mmwave system is designed to have a limited power consumption, different non-linear impairments of the signal are expected. the disclosure presents a mimo detection scheme that is robust to such impairments as well as channel estimation errors. brief description of the drawings the accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. the drawings illustrate embodiments and together with the description serve to explain principles of embodiments. other embodiments and many of the intended advantages of embodiments will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description. fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a beamforming system 100 with an exemplary number of one access point 110 (or base station) and multiple user equipments (ues) 101, 102, 103. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an analog beamforming receiver 200. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a digital beamforming receiver device 300 according to the disclosure. fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a mimo detection device 400 according to the disclosure giving further details about the block 309. fig. 5a is a performance diagram 500a illustrating performance of the digital beamforming receiver device for uncoded ber. fig. 5b is a performance diagram 500b illustrating performance of the digital beamforming receiver device for coded ber. fig. 6 is a histogram 600 illustrating the number of additions for sequential dcd with bound. fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a digital beamforming receiver device 700 according to the disclosure. fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method 800 for detecting a transmit symbol by a digital beamforming receiver device according to the disclosure. detailed description in the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific aspects in which the invention may be practiced. it is understood that other aspects may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. the following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. the following terms, abbreviations and notations will be used herein: mimo: multiple-input multiple-output dcd: dichotomous coordinate descent adc: analog-to-digital converter hadc: high-resolution adc ladc: low-resolution adc rf: radio frequency qam: quadrature amplitude modulation i: in-phase component q: quadrature component lo: local oscillator qam: quadrature amplitude modulation lte: long term evolution mmse: minimum mean square error ml: maximum likelihood it is understood that comments made in connection with a described method may also hold true for a corresponding device configured to perform the method and vice versa. for example, if a specific method step is described, a corresponding device may include a unit to perform the described method step, even if such a unit is not explicitly described or illustrated in the figures. further, it is understood that the features of the various exemplary aspects described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise. the techniques described herein may be implemented in wireless communication networks, in particular communication networks based on mobile communication standards such as lte, in particular lte-a and/or ofdm and successor standards such as 5g. the methods are also applicable for high speed communication standards from the 802.11 family according to the wifi alliance, e.g. 802.11ad and successor standards. the methods and devices described below may be implemented in electronic devices such as access points and base stations or cellular handsets and mobile or wireless devices. the described devices may include integrated circuits and/or passives and may be manufactured according to various technologies. for example, the circuits may be designed as logic integrated circuits, analog integrated circuits, mixed signal integrated circuits, optical circuits, memory circuits and/or integrated passives. a main idea of the disclosure is to utilize mimo detection based on coordinate descend with binary step size for systems with low resolution adcs. if the constellation is known and bounded (e.g. 4-qam, 8-qam, 16-qam, 32-qam, 64-qam ...), the detection performance can be improved by restricting the detected symbols to the area defined by the constellation. the detected symbol can be generated iteratively with increasing accuracy. the solution according to the disclosure has a reduced complexity (literally no multiplications are necessary) while at the same time it is robust to non-white noise/quantization error and channel estimation errors. at the moment different variants of mmse detection with reduced complexity are considered for massive mimo detection. these variants, however, have the drawback of assuming white noise. considering the large overhead of whitening with a large number of antennas the complexity of this algorithm (coordinate descent) is even more appealing. in the following, embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are generally utilized to refer to like elements throughout. in the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects of embodiments. however, it may be evident to a person skilled in the art that one or more aspects of the embodiments may be practiced with a lesser degree of these specific details. the following description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense. the various aspects summarized may be embodied in various forms. the following description shows by way of illustration various combinations and configurations in which the aspects may be practiced. it is understood that the described aspects and/or embodiments are merely examples, and that other aspects and/or embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a beamforming system 100. the beamforming system may include an exemplary number of one access point 110 (or base station) and multiple user equipments (ues) 101, 102, 103. the beamforming system 100 is used for mobile broadband communications, in particular based on millimeter waves. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an analog beamforming receiver 200. the analog beamforming receiver 200 includes a plurality of antenna ports 201a, 201b for receiving rf signals, respective amplifiers 202a, 202b for amplifying the rf signals and phase shifters 203a, 203b for applying respective phase shifts to the amplified rf signals, a signal adder 204 for adding the phase shifted signals and an amplifier 205 for amplifying the sum signal. the sum signal is passed to an analog front end, afe (e.g. signal mixer and other processing components) 207 that mixes the sum signal with a local oscillator 209 signal. a first multiplier 206a provides the in-phase component and a second multiplier 206b provides the quadrature component of the mixed signal. both components are amplified by respective amplifiers 208a, 208b and converted by respective analog-to-digital converters 210a, 210b with high resolution (hadc) into digital domain. analog/hybrid beamforming highly depends on the optimal alignment of beams and the corresponding setup of the phase shifters 203a, 203b. the required beam-training/alignment may be implemented as a search procedure, essentially different configurations can be tried and the best one selected. considering such a procedure for multiple ues 101, 102, 103 (see fig. 1 ) at the same time may provide a large overhead. a solution to this type of systems is digital beamforming with low resolution adcs as described below with respect to fig. 3 . the analog beamforming receiver 200 may be adjusted to 802.11ad (wigig) parameters, for example to 60 ghz, 2.5 gs/s, cmos, 8 antennas. the hadcs 210a, 210b may have an exemplary resolution of 8 bit. based on these parameters, an estimate for the power consumption of the amplifiers 202a, 202b is 5.4 mw; an estimate for the power consumption of the phase shifters 203a, 203b is 2 mw; an estimate for the power consumption of the amplifier 205 is 6 mw; an estimate for the power consumption of the hadcs 210a, 210b is 20 mw resulting in a total power consumption estimate of about 135 mw. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a digital beamforming receiver device 300 according to the disclosure. the digital beamforming receiver device 300 includes a plurality of antenna ports 301a, 301b for receiving rf signals, respective amplifiers 302a, 302b for amplifying the rf signals. the rf signal of each antenna path is passed to a respective analog front-end, afe, (e.g. signal mixer and further processing) 303a, 303b that processes the rf signal with a local oscillator 308 signal for converting the rf signal to baseband (bb) or to intermediate frequency (if). a first multiplier 304a, 304c of each afe 303a, 303b provides the in-phase component and a second multiplier 304b, 304d provides the quadrature component of the respective mixed signal. both components are amplified by respective amplifiers 305a, 305b, 305c, 305d and converted by respective analog-to-digital converters 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d with low resolution (ladc) into digital domain. low resolution may be a resolution between 1 and 3 bits. the afes 303a, 303b are provided with a local oscillator signal from a local oscillator 308. the lo signals are amplified by respective lo signal amplifiers 306a, 306b. the digital output signals of the ladcs 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d are provided to a coordinate descent detection logic 309 which is configured to detect the transmit symbol 310 (or an estimation thereof). the coordinate descent detection logic 309 may apply a dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm to detect the transmit symbol 310. the digital beamforming receiver device 300 may be adjusted to 802.11ad (wigig) parameters, for example to 60 ghz, 2.5 gs/s, cmos, 8 antennas. the ladcs 307a, 307b may have an exemplary resolution of 2 bit, i.e. in a range between 1 to 3 bits. based on these parameters, an estimate for the power consumption of each amplifier 305a, 305b, 305c, 305d is 2 mw; an estimate for the power consumption of each amplifier 306a, 306b is 3 mw; an estimate for the power consumption of the local oscillator 308 is 22.5 mw; an estimate for the power consumption of each ladc 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d is 0.15 mw, resulting in a total power consumption estimate of about 124 mw. due to the digital flexibility the performance with the same channel condition digital beamforming achieves a higher throughput over the analog beamforming receiver 200 depicted in fig. 2 , especially, in the per antenna snr range from -30 to 10 db. this snr range is very likely to be encountered in a practical system. in general a/d conversion introduces a noise that is dependent on the analog signal. in the case of high resolution adcs 210a, 210b as shown in fig. 2 this noise is much smaller than the thermal noise in the receiver and this effect can thus be ignored. for low resolution a/d 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d as shown in fig. 3 2 regimes have to be distinguished: thermal noise limited and quantization error limited. in the thermal noise limited regime the thermal noise at the input of the adc 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d is significantly larger than the signal. thus, the quantization error is far smaller than the thermal noise, and since it mainly depends on the spatial white thermal noise it does not have a major influence on the system performance. for the case where the signal is dominating the signal before the a/d conversion 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d, it is necessary to consider the specific properties of the quantization error. since the quantization error is dependent on the receive signal it is not spatially white anymore. the probability density function (pdf) of the error is also not gaussian, but when considering an ofdm system, the quantization error in the frequency domain is approximately gaussian distributed. this is the case because due to the central limiting theorem (clt) the sum of independent random variables converges to a gaussian distribution. for such a system the number of antennas at the access point can be large, e.g. 64 or even 256. so the complexity for mu mimo detection is relatively large. if the mmwave system is designed to have a limited power consumption, different non-linear impairments of the signal may occur. therefore, an appropriate mimo detection scheme is required. the coordinate descent detection logic 309 provides a suitable scheme that is robust to such impairments as well as channel estimation errors. the classical problem of ml detection can be formulated as where is the set containing all possible transmit symbols (usually an x-qam constellation) the symbols x , h and y represent the transmit symbol, the channel and the receive symbol of the system. the complexity of this discrete optimization problem grows exponentially with the dimensionality of x . thus, for higher number of spatial streams as envisioned for massive mimo it is not feasible to solve this problem. fortunately, as the number of receivers grows large with respect to the number of simultaneously served ues the mmse solution to the relaxed optimization problem approaches the performance of the ml detection at a much lower computational cost. unfortunately, the close form solution to this problem requires knowledge about the noise covariance matrix. for a system with a large number of antennas this is hard to attain. the ml detection problem can be relaxed in a way that reduces the complexity, but not making any assumptions on the noise statistics: the variable b forces each element of the vector x to be in the range of - b to b . in the following paragraphs it is shown how to solve this optimization problem efficiently and that there is no need to make any assumption on the noise statistics. this problem can be reformulated into solving the following linear system of equations: thus, a coordinate descend based method can be utilized to solve this problem. to reduce the complexity the stepsize can be selected to be of the form 2 - l , where l is an integer. this has the advantage that all multiplications with this number can be implemented as bit shifts. the algorithm (denoted as "sequential dcd with bound") can be used for the scenario of multi user detection in a cdma system and is shown below. the parameters h, b, n u and m b are the maximum stepsize, the upper bound, the maximum number of updates and the maximum number of updates of the algorithm. the parameter b can be chosen in a way to just accommodate the qam constellation in the scaling before the data detection. if the detected symbols cannot be bounded, for example when doing frequency domain equalization of dft-s-ofdm or a signal carrier system this constraint can be either removed by setting b to infinity, or by setting it to the largest value that should be received. the value of h can be of the form 2 - l , where l is an integer. the largest stepsize h can be chosen smaller than the bound b. further variants of this algorithm (denoted as "leading dcd", "sequential dcd" and "leading dcd with bound") are shown in the following: the symbols a , b and n are the elements of the linear system of equations and the size of it. the values x and r are the result and the residual error. since the dcd algorithms shown above only solve real systems there is a need to setup the a and b in the following way: since the considered system is split into real and imaginary part the value of n is double the number of ue/spatial streams to be detected. the resulting value of x is also going to be split between real and imaginary in the same fashion as b . the block diagram in figure 4 shows the result of the mimo detection. fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a mimo detection device 400 according to the disclosure. the mimo detection device 400 includes a first logic 402 configured to determine a gram matrix, h h h of a mimo channel, h. the mimo channel may be expressed by its channel matrix h. the mimo channel may be a channel estimate estimated by a channel estimator. the device 400 includes a second logic 401 configured to determine a product of the hermitian mimo channel, h h and a receive symbol, y. the mimo detection device 400 includes a third logic 403 configured to detect a transmit symbol, x based on a dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm (dcd) applied to outputs of the first logic and the second logic, e.g. as described above with respect to fig. 3 . the third logic 403 may detect the transmit symbol based on one of the following variants of dcd as described above with respect to fig. 3 : leading dcd, sequential dcd, sequential dcd with bound, leading dcd with bound. the third logic 403 may receive the mimo channel h, as a parameter, e.g. from a channel estimator. the third logic 403 may receive a bound parameter, b indicating a size restriction of the detected transmit symbol. the bound parameter, b may range within an area defined by a predefined constellation. the predefined constellation may for example be 4-qam, 8-qam, 16-qam, 32-qam, 64-qam or higher. the third logic 403 may detect the transmit symbol x based on solving the following linear system of equations: h h h x = h h y ., where h denotes the channel and y denotes the receive symbol, e.g. as described above with respect to fig. 3 . the mimo detection device 400 may include a channel estimator, configured to determine the mimo channel h based on the receive symbol, y and knowledge (e.g. a pilot pattern) about the transmit symbol, x. figures 5a and 5b are performance diagrams 500a illustrating performance of the digital beamforming receiver device for uncoded ber ( fig. 5a ) and coded ber ( fig. 5b ). graphs 501, 505 show the performance of mmse channel estimation. graphs 502, 506 show performance of dcd bound channel estimation. graphs 503, 507 show performance of mmse ideal. graphs 504, 508 show performance of dcd bound ideal. table 1 shows parameters that were applied for the simulation of the digital beamforming receiver device. table-tabl0001 table 1 simulation parameters parameter description reference signals 5g nr ofdm dmrs type 1 channel estimation 2d mmse and ideal number of users 8 number of receive antennas 64 channel model exponential pdp (no doppler spread) snr definition average per user per antenna channel code lte turbo code rate 0.9 mimo detection algorithms mmse/dcd-bound adc resolution 2 bit modulation format 16 qam additional whitening of the mmse mimo detection did not provide any additional gains, but does increase the complexity dramatically. the simulation results in figures 5a and 5b show that in the given example with actual channel estimation the performance of the dcd algorithm achieves about 1db gain and uncoded ber of 10^-2. to highlight that this result also transfers to the coded ber the result for a relatively high coding rate of 0.90 is shown. it is also important to mention that the saturation of the uncoded ber is caused by the quantization error introduced by the 2-bit adc. fig. 6 is a histogram 600 illustrating the number of additions for sequential dcd with bound. since the presented algorithm has no multiplications, the complexity can be compared to an mmse based implementation by mapping additions and multiplications to logic operations. the following mapping of additions and multiplications to logic gates as shown in table 2 can be applied: table-tabl0002 table 2: mapping of additions and multiplications to logic operations operation number of nand2 gates 18 bit adder 125 18 bit signed multiplication 2200 the histogram 600 in figure 6 shows the number of additions used to equalize one subcarrier for the simulation parameters presented above with respect to figures 5a and 5b . the comparisons are implemented as a subtraction followed by checking if the sign bit is checked or not. therefore they are counted to have equal complexity compared to an addition. the number of comparisons is low compared to additions used for updating the residual vector r . the average complexity is 1972 real additions. for simplicity one can use 2000 for the following analysis. to compare the mmse to the algorithm as presented in this disclosure the following two scenarios can be compared. in the first scenario the matrix computed to generate the mmse result is calculated separately for each subcarrier (scenario 1). in the second case it is assumed that the matrix can be reused to detect the symbol in 14 consecutive ofdm symbols on the same subcarrier (scenario 2) . there are few common operations to both systems. the complexity is developed for all these computations to then compare the overall complexity. from table 3 below it is easy to see that even just the multiplication with the already inverted matrix is more complex than solving the linear system of equations with the sequential dcd algorithm with bound. table-tabl0003 table 3: complexity of different operations operations real additions real multiplications logic operations computation gram matrix using symmetry 8128 8192 19038400 h h h match filter h h y 2032 2048 5521600 additon of noise covariance h h h + i 16 0 2000 matrix inversion ( h h h + i ) -1 1700 1900 4392500 multiplication with inverse matrix ( h h h + i ) -1 h h y 240 256 593200 sequential dcd with bound 2000 0 250000 as can be seen from table 3, the complexity is dominated by the computation of the gram matrix. therefore the overall computational complexity of the disclosed approach compared to mmse is reduced while at the same time the performance is also improved. in the first scenario the improvement is about 16% in the second it is in the range of 10% as can be seen from table 4 below. table-tabl0004 table 4: complexity of the 2 presented scenarios detection algorithm scenario 1 scenario 2 mmse 29547700 109040100 sequential dcd 24810000 99840800 with bound fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a digital beamforming receiver device 700 according to the disclosure. with respect to fig. 3 , the digital beamforming receiver device 700 describes the basic version of a digital beamforming receiver while the digital beamforming receiver device 300 is a specific version of the digital beamforming receiver device 700. the digital beamforming receiver device 700 includes a plurality of receive signal paths 701, 702 connectable to respective antenna ports 301a, 301b of an antenna array. each receive signal path 701, 702 includes a radio frequency (rf) front-end (e.g. a mixer and other processing components) 303a, 303b that is configured to convert the rf signal received at a respective antenna port 301a, 301b into digital domain. each receive signal path 701, 702 includes an analog-to-digital converter (adc) 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d configured to convert the analog signal into digital domain. the digital beamforming receiver device 700 further includes a coordinate descent detection logic 309, configured to detect a transmit symbol 310 based on the adc outputs of the plurality of receive signal paths 701, 702. the coordinate descent detection logic 309 may detect the transmit symbol 310 based on a dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm (dcd), e.g. as described above with respect to fig. 3 . the coordinate descent detection logic 309 may detect the transmit symbol 310 based on one of the following variants of dcd as described above with respect to fig. 3 : leading dcd, sequential dcd, sequential dcd with bound, leading dcd with bound. the coordinate descent detection logic 309 may detect the transmit symbol 310 based on a coordinate descent algorithm with binary step size. the coordinate descent detection logic 309 may implement multiplications as bit shifts in order to reduce computational complexity. the coordinate descent detection logic 309 may restrict a size of the detected transmit symbol 310 in order to reduce computational complexity. the size of the detected transmit symbol 310 may for example be restricted to an area defined by a predefined constellation, e.g. a 4-qam, 8-qam, 16-qam, 32-qam, 64-qam or higher. the adc 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d may be or include a low resolution adc, e.g. as described above with respect to fig. 3 . a resolution of the low resolution adc 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d may for example be 1, 2 or 3 bit. the digital beamforming receiver device 700 may include a digital receiver including a channel estimator configured to estimate a channel. the coordinate descent detection logic 309 may detect the transmit symbol 310 based on the channel, e.g. as described above with respect to figs. 3 and 4 . the coordinate descent detection logic 309 may detect the transmit symbol x, 310 based on solving the following linear system of equations: h h h x = h h y ., where h denotes the channel and y denotes the receive symbol, e.g. as described above with respect to figs. 3 and 4 . the analog front end, afe 303a, 303b may include a complex rf mixer configured to generate a mixed rf signal having an in-phase (i) component and a quadrature (q) component. the adc 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d may be configured to separately convert the i component and the q component of the mixed rf signal into digital domain. for example, adc 307a converts in-phase component of first signal path 701, adc 307b converts quadrature component of first signal path 701, adc 307c converts in-phase component of n-th signal path 702 and adc 307d converts quadrature component of n-th signal path 702 into digital domain. the digital beamforming receiver device 700 may include a local oscillator 308 configured to provide the afes 303a, 303b of all receive signal paths 701, 702 with an lo signal. each receive signal path 701, 702 may include an amplifier 305a, 305b, 305c, 305d (shown in fig. 3 ) coupled between the afe 303a, 303b and the adc 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d. this amplifier is configured to match the afe output signal to a dynamic range of the adc input. the antenna array may be configured to receive millimeter wave rf signals. however, the antenna array may also receive centimeter wave rf signals. fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method 800 for detecting a transmit symbol by a digital beamforming receiver device according to the disclosure, e.g. a digital beamforming receiver device 300, 700 as described above with respect to figures 3 and 7 . the digital beamforming receiver device 300, 700 includes a plurality of receive signal paths 701, 702 that are connectable to respective antenna ports 301a, 301b of an antenna array, e.g. as shown in fig. 7 . the method 800 includes: converting, e.g. mixing 801, by an analog front end (e.g. radio frequency (rf) mixer and other processing components) 303a, 303b of a respective receive signal path 701, 702, an rf signal received at the antenna port 301a, 301b of the respective receive signal path 701, 702 to an analog baseband or intermediate frequency signal, e.g. as described above with respect to figures 3 and 7 . the method 800 includes: converting 802, by an analog-to-digital converter (adc) 307a, 307b, 307c, 307d of the respective receive signal path 701, 702, the analog baseband or intermediate frequency signal, i.e. the mixed rf signal, into digital domain, e.g. as described above with respect to figures 3 and 7 . the method 800 includes: detecting 803, by a coordinate descent detection logic, a transmit symbol based on the adc outputs of the plurality of receive signal paths, e.g. as described above with respect to figures 3 and 7 . the method 800 may further include: detecting the transmit symbol based on a dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm (dcd). the method 800 may further include: detecting the transmit symbol based on one of the following variants of dcd: leading dcd, sequential dcd, sequential dcd with bound, leading dcd with bound, e.g. as described above with respect to figures 3 and 7 . the method 800 may further include: detecting the receive symbol based on a coordinate descent algorithm with binary step size. the method 800 may further include: implementing multiplications as bit shifts. the method 800 may further include: restricting a size of the detected transmit symbol, e.g. as described above with respect to figures 3 and 7 . the size of the detected transmit symbol may be restricted to an area defined by a predefined constellation, e.g. 4-qam, 8-qam, 16-qam, 32-qam, 64-qam or higher. the method 800 may include: estimating a channel; and detecting the transmit symbol based on the channel. the method 800 may include: detecting the transmit symbol x based on solving the following linear system of equations: h h hx = h h y., where h denotes the channel and y denotes the receive symbol, e.g. as described above with respect to figures 3 and 7 . the devices and systems described in this disclosure may be implemented as digital signal processors (dsp), microcontrollers or any other side-processor or hardware circuit on a chip or an application specific integrated circuit (asic) . embodiments described in this disclosure can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations thereof, e.g. in available hardware of mobile devices or in new hardware dedicated for processing the methods described herein. the present disclosure also supports a computer program product including computer executable code or computer executable instructions that, when executed, causes at least one computer to execute the performing and computing blocks described herein, in particular the methods 200, 300, 500 described above with respect to figs. 2 , 3 and 5 and the computing blocks described above with respect to figure 4 . such a computer program product may include a non-transient readable storage medium storing program code thereon for use by a processor, the program code comprising instructions for performing the methods or the computing blocks as described above. examples the following examples pertain to further embodiments. example 1 is a digital beamforming receiver device, comprising: a plurality of receive signal paths connectable to respective antenna ports of an antenna array, each receive signal path comprising: a radio frequency (rf) front-end configured to convert a received rf signal to an analog baseband; and an analog-to-digital converter (adc) configured to convert the analog signal into digital domain; and a coordinate descent detection logic, configured to detect a transmit symbol based on the adc outputs of the plurality of receive signal paths. in example 2, the subject matter of example 1 can optionally include that each receive signal path comprises an amplifier coupled between the rf front-end and the adc, wherein the amplifier is configured to match the rf front-end output signal to a dynamic range of the adc input. in example 3, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-2 can optionally include that the adc comprises a low resolution adc. in example 4, the subject matter of example 3 can optionally include that a resolution of the low resolution adc is an adc that does not fully cover the dynamics of the analog signal at its input. in example 5, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-4 can optionally include that the antenna array is configured to receive millimeter wave rf signals. in example 6, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-5 can optionally include that the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol based on a dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm (dcd). in example 7, the subject matter of example 6 can optionally include that the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol based on one of the following variants of dcd: leading dcd, sequential dcd, sequential dcd with bound, leading dcd with bound. in example 8, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-7 can optionally include that the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol based on a coordinate descent algorithm with binary step size. in example 9, the subject matter of example 8 can optionally include that the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to implement multiplications as bit shifts. in example 10, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-9 can optionally include that the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to restrict a size of the detected transmit symbol. in example 11, the subject matter of example 10 can optionally include that the size of the detected transmit symbol is restricted to an area defined by a predefined constellation. in example 12, the subject matter of example 11 can optionally include that the predefined constellation is from the following: 4-qam, 8-qam, 16-qam, 32-qam, 64-qam and higher. in example 13, the subject matter of example 3 can optionally include that a resolution of the low resolution adc is 1, 2 or 3 bit. in example 14, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-13 can optionally include a digital receiver comprising a channel estimator configured to estimate a channel, wherein the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol based on the channel. in example 15, the subject matter of example 14 can optionally include that the coordinate descent detection logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol x based on solving the following linear system of equations: h h h x = h h y . , where h denotes the channel and y denotes the receive symbol. in example 16, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-15 can optionally include that the rf mixer comprises a complex rf mixer configured to generate a mixed rf signal having an in-phase (i) component and a quadrature (q) component. in example 17, the subject matter of examples 16 can optionally include that the adc is configured to separately convert the i component and the q component of the mixed rf signal into digital domain. in example 18, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-17 can optionally include a local oscillator configured to provide the rf mixers of all receive signal paths with an lo signal. in example 19, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-18 can optionally include that each receive signal path comprises an amplifier coupled between the rf mixer and the adc, wherein the amplifier is configured to match the rf mixer output signal to a dynamic range of the adc input. in example 20, the subject matter of any one of examples 1-19 can optionally include that the antenna array is configured to receive millimeter wave rf signals. example 21 is a multiple-input multiple-output (mimo) detection device, comprising: a first logic configured to determine a gram matrix, h h h of a mimo channel, h; a second logic configured to determine a product of the hermitian mimo channel, h h and a receive symbol, y; and a third logic configured to detect a transmit symbol, x based on a dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm (dcd) applied to outputs of the first logic and the second logic. in example 22, the subject matter of example 21 can optionally include that the third logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol based on one of the following variants of dcd: leading dcd, sequential dcd, sequential dcd with bound, leading dcd with bound. in example 23, the subject matter of any one of examples 21-22 can optionally include that the third logic is configured to receive a bound parameter, b indicating a size restriction of the detected transmit symbol. in example 24, the subject matter of example 23 can optionally include that the bound parameter, b ranges within an area defined by a predefined constellation. in example 25, the subject matter of example 24 can optionally include that the predefined constellation is from the following: 4-qam, 8-qam, 16-qam, 32-qam, 64-qam and higher. alternatively a dft-s-ofdm system can be applied having a predefined constellation at the stage of mimo detection. in example 26, the subject matter of any one of examples 21-25 can optionally include that the third logic is configured to detect the transmit symbol x based on solving the following linear system of equations: h h h x = h h y., where h denotes the channel and y denotes the receive symbol. in example 27, the subject matter of any one of examples 21-26 can optionally include: a channel estimator, configured to determine the mimo channel based on the receive symbol, y and knowledge about the transmit symbol, x. example 28 is a method for detecting a transmit symbol by a digital beamforming receiver device comprising a plurality of receive signal paths connectable to respective antenna ports of an antenna array, the method comprising: converting a received rf signal, by a radio frequency (rf) front-end, to an analog baseband or intermediate frequency signal; converting, by an analog-to-digital converter (adc) of the respective receive signal path, the analog baseband or intermediate frequency signal into digital domain; and detecting, by a coordinate descent detection logic, a transmit symbol based on the adc outputs of the plurality of receive signal paths. in example 29, the subject matter of example 28 can optionally include: detecting the transmit symbol based on a dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm (dcd). in example 30, the subject matter of example 29 can optionally include: detecting the transmit symbol based on one of the following variants of dcd: leading dcd, sequential dcd, sequential dcd with bound, leading dcd with bound. in example 31, the subject matter of any one of examples 28-30 can optionally include: detecting the receive symbol based on a coordinate descent algorithm with binary step size. in example 32, the subject matter of example 31 can optionally include: implementing multiplications as bit shifts. in example 33, the subject matter of any one of examples 26-32 can optionally include: restricting a size of the detected transmit symbol. in example 34, the subject matter of example 33 can optionally include that the size of the detected transmit symbol is restricted to an area defined by a predefined constellation. in example 35, the subject matter of example 34 can optionally include that the predefined constellation is from the following: 4-qam, 8-qam, 16-qam, 32-qam, 64-qam and higher. in example 36, the subject matter of any one of examples 28-35 can optionally include: estimating a channel; and detecting the transmit symbol based on the channel. in example 37, the subject matter of example 36 can optionally include: detecting the transmit symbol x based on solving the following linear system of equations: h h hx = h h y . , where h denotes the channel and y denotes the receive symbol. example 38 is a device for detecting a transmit symbol by a digital beamforming receiver device comprising a plurality of receive signal paths connectable to respective antenna ports of an antenna array, the device comprising: a radio frequency (rf) front-end configured to convert the rf signal to an analog baseband or intermediate frequency signal, and means for converting, by an analog-to-digital converter (adc) of the respective receive signal path, the analog signal into digital domain; and means for detecting, by a coordinate descent detection logic, a transmit symbol based on the adc outputs of the plurality of receive signal paths. in example 39, the subject matter of example 38 can optionally include: means for detecting the transmit symbol based on a dichotomous coordinate descent algorithm (dcd). example 4037 is a multiple-input multiple-output (mimo) detection system, comprising: a first logic system component configured to determine a gram matrix, h h h of a mimo channel, h; a second logic system component configured to determine a product of the hermitian mimo channel, h h and a receive symbol, y; and a third logic system component configured to detect a transmit symbol, x based on a coordinate descent algorithm (cd) applied to outputs of the first logic and the second logic. in example 41, the subject matter of example 40 can optionally include that the third logic system component is configured to detect the transmit symbol based on one of the following variants of dcd: leading dcd, sequential dcd, sequential dcd with bound, leading dcd with bound. example 42 is a computer readable non-transitory medium on which computer instructions are stored which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of any one of examples 28 to 37. in addition, while a particular feature or aspect of the disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature or aspect may be combined with one or more other features or aspects of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. furthermore, to the extent that the terms "include", "have", "with", or other variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprise". furthermore, it is understood that aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in discrete circuits, partially integrated circuits or fully integrated circuits or programming means. also, the terms "exemplary", "for example" and "e.g." are merely meant as an example, rather than the best or optimal. although specific aspects have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific aspects shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific aspects discussed herein. although the elements in the following claims are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding labeling, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.
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052-237-263-569-39X
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US
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[
"US"
] |
B61L27/04
| 2013-05-31T00:00:00 |
2013
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[
"B61"
] |
system and method for controlling de-rating of propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system
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a method for de-rating propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system includes identifying a feature of interest in a route and identifying one or more propulsion-generating vehicles as de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest. the handling rule dictates that throttle settings be limited to a reduced range when traveling over the feature of interest. the method further includes, when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest, operating the de-rating vehicles using a larger range of throttle settings and, responsive to approaching and/or traveling over the feature of interest, automatically de-rating at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest.
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1 . a method comprising: identifying a feature of interest in a route to be traveled or being traveled by a vehicle system having plural propulsion-generating vehicles; identifying one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles as de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest, the handling rule dictating that throttle settings of the de-rating vehicles be limited to a reduced range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles travel over or through the feature of interest in the route, the reduced range of throttle settings being a smaller range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use relative to a larger range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use when traveling on the route outside of the feature of interest; when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest, operating the de-rating vehicles using the larger range of throttle settings; and responsive to at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system at least one of approaching or traveling over the feature of interest, automatically de-rating at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein automatically de-rating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles terminates upon completion of travel over the feature of interest in the route. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the feature of interest includes at least one of a crossing between the route and at least an additional route or a bridge along the route. 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the propulsion-generating vehicles are arranged in two or more consists in the vehicle system, the consists each including at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles, the consists separated from each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system. 5 . the method of claim 4 , wherein automatically de-rating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system includes operating all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system using the smaller range of throttle settings during an entire time period that begins with a first consist along a direction of travel of the vehicle system reaching the feature of interest and that ends with a last consist along the direction of travel passing the feature of interest. 6 . the method of claim 4 , wherein, for each of the consists, all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist are de-rated during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest even if the consist is without any of the de-rating vehicles that are subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest, and wherein none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 7 . the method of claim 4 , wherein, for each of the consists, all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist are de-rated during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest only if the consist includes at least one of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest. 8 . the method of claim 7 , wherein none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 9 . the method of claim 1 , wherein each of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule is de-rated during an entire time period that the de-rating vehicle travels over the feature of interest without de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule. 10 . the method of claim 9 , wherein the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule are operated using the larger range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. 11 . the method of claim 9 , wherein the vehicle system comprises one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles, and wherein none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 12 . a system comprising: an identification apparatus configured to determine which propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system having plural interconnected propulsion-generating vehicles are de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with a feature of interest in a route to be traveled or being traveled by the vehicle system, the handling rule dictating that throttle settings of the de-rating vehicles be limited to a reduced range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles travel over or through the feature of interest in the route, the reduced range of throttle settings being a smaller range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use relative to a larger range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use when traveling on the route outside of the feature of interest; a location determination apparatus configured to determine when one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles are at least one of approaching or at the feature of interest; and a control apparatus configured to operate the de-rating vehicles using the larger range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest, the control apparatus also configured to automatically de-rate at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the propulsion-generating vehicles in the at least a subset using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. 13 . the system of claim 12 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to automatically terminate de-rating of the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles upon completion of travel over the feature of interest in the route. 14 . the system of claim 12 , wherein the feature of interest includes at least one of a crossing between the route and at least an additional route or a bridge along the route. 15 . the system of claim 12 , wherein the propulsion-generating vehicles are arranged in two or more consists in the vehicle system, the consists each including at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles, the consists separated from each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system. 16 . the system of claim 15 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to control all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system using the smaller range of throttle settings during an entire time period that begins with a first consist along a direction of travel of the vehicle system reaching the feature of interest and that ends with a last consist along the direction of travel passing the feature of interest. 17 . the system of claim 15 , wherein, for each of the consists, the control apparatus is configured to de-rate all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest even if the consist is without any of the de-rating vehicles that are subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest, and none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 18 . the system of claim 15 , wherein, for each of the consists, the control apparatus is configured to de-rate all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest only if the consist includes at least one of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest. 19 . the system of claim 18 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to de-rate none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 20 . the system of claim 12 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to de-rate each of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule during an entire time period that the de-rating vehicle travels over the feature of interest without de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule. 21 . the system of claim 20 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to control the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule using the larger range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. 22 . the system of claim 20 , wherein the vehicle system comprises one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles, and wherein the control apparatus is configured to de-rate none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 23 . a method comprising: automatically controlling throttle settings of a rail vehicle consist as the rail vehicle consist travels along a track, the rail vehicle consist having a lead vehicle consist and at least one remote vehicle consist that each include one or more propulsion-generating rail vehicles and that are connected with each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles disposed between the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist; de-rating the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over a designated track feature, the propulsion-generating rail vehicles de-rated by limiting the throttle settings of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles to a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level that the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are controlled to when not traveling over the designated track feature; and de-rating the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature but not de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist after a last of the at least one remote vehicle consist, in a direction of travel of the rail vehicle consist, has passed over the designated track feature. 24 . a method comprising: automatically controlling throttle settings of a rail vehicle consist as the rail vehicle consist travels along a track, the rail vehicle consist having a lead vehicle consist and at least one remote vehicle consist that each include one or more propulsion-generating rail vehicles and that are connected with each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles disposed between the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist; wherein automatically controlling the throttle settings of the rail vehicle consist comprises automatic operation of the rail vehicle consist in at least one of the following modes: a first mode of operation wherein the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are automatically de-rated while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over a designated track feature, the propulsion-generating rail vehicles de-rated by limiting the throttle settings of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles to a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level that the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are controlled to when not traveling over the designated track feature, and the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist being automatically de-rated while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature; a second mode of operation wherein all the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are automatically de-rated only while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over the designated track feature but not while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature; a third mode of operation wherein for each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist, all the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist are automatically de-rated but only if at least one of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist is designated for operation at no more than the designated first maximum throttle level when traveling over the designated track feature; or a fourth mode of operation wherein while the vehicle consist is traveling over the designated track feature, only those propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist that are designated for operation at no more than the designated first maximum throttle level when traveling over the designated track feature are automatically de-rated.
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field embodiments of the subject matter described herein relate to controlling motive operations of propulsion-generating vehicles. background a vehicle “consist” is a group of one or more vehicles that are mechanically coupled to travel together along a route. for example, a train may include one or more locomotive consists that act to propel the train along a track. the train may move through and/or across a variety of features in the track, such as crossings, bridges, and the like. some locomotives may need to travel slower over one or more of these features in order to avoid damaging components of the locomotives. for example, locomotives that are powered by direct current supplied from by an electrified rail may receive the current via one or more brushes that engage the electrified rail. these brushes may become damaged if the locomotives travel too fast over a crossing between tracks. other types of locomotives, such as those powered by alternating current supplied by a catenary, may not need to slow down when traveling through such crossings as the locomotives do not include the brushes that may be damaged. the operators of some trains may not be fully aware of whether the trains include one or more locomotives that need to travel slower through crossings and/or where such locomotives are located in the trains. as a result, the trains may be operated at slower speeds than is necessary in an abundance of caution to avoid damaging components of the locomotives. for those trains that do include one or more locomotives that require the slower speeds through crossings, the operators may unnecessarily slow movement of all locomotives, including those that do not require the slower travel, through the crossings. unnecessarily slowing the trains results in reduced throughput of the trains in a network of tracks, trains operating behind schedules, and the like. brief description in an embodiment, a method (e.g., for controlling de-rating of propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system) includes identifying a feature of interest in a route to be traveled or being traveled by a vehicle system having plural propulsion-generating vehicles and identifying one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles as de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest. the handling rule dictates that throttle settings of the de-rating vehicles are to be limited to a reduced range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles travel over or through the feature of interest in the route. the reduced range of throttle settings is a smaller range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use relative to a larger range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use when traveling on the route outside of the feature of interest. the method also includes, operating the de-rating vehicles using the larger range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest and, responsive to at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system at least one of approaching or traveling over the feature of interest, automatically de-rating at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. in an embodiment, a system (e.g., a control system) includes an identification apparatus, a location determination apparatus, and a control apparatus. the identification apparatus is configured to determine which propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system having plural interconnected propulsion-generating vehicles are de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with a feature of interest in a route to be traveled or being traveled by the vehicle system. the handling rule dictates that throttle settings of the de-rating vehicles be limited to a reduced range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles travel over or through the feature of interest in the route. the reduced range of throttle settings is a smaller range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use relative to a larger range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use when traveling on the route outside of the feature of interest. the location determination apparatus is configured to determine when one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles are at least one of approaching or at the feature of interest. the control apparatus is configured to operate the de-rating vehicles using the larger range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest. the control apparatus also is configured to automatically de-rate at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the propulsion-generating vehicles in the at least a subset using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. in an embodiment, a method (e.g., for controlling de-rating of a vehicle consist) includes automatically controlling throttle settings of a rail vehicle consist as the rail vehicle consist travels along a track. the rail vehicle consist has a lead vehicle consist and at least one remote vehicle consist that each include one or more propulsion-generating rail vehicles and that are connected with each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles disposed between the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist. the method also includes de-rating the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over a designated track feature. the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are de-rated by limiting the throttle settings of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles to a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level that the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are controlled to when not traveling over the designated track feature. the method further includes de-rating the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature but not de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist after a last of the at least one remote vehicle consist, in a direction of travel of the rail vehicle consist, has passed over the designated track feature. in an embodiment, a method (e.g., for controlling de-rating of a vehicle consist) includes automatically controlling throttle settings of a rail vehicle consist as the rail vehicle consist travels along a track. the rail vehicle consist has a lead vehicle consist and at least one remote vehicle consist that each include one or more propulsion-generating rail vehicles and that are connected with each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles disposed between the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist. automatically controlling the throttle settings of the rail vehicle consist comprises automatic operation of the rail vehicle consist in at least one of a first, second, third, or fourth mode of operation. the first mode of operation involves the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist being automatically de-rated while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over a designated track feature. the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are de-rated by limiting the throttle settings of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles to a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level that the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are controlled to when not traveling over the designated track feature. the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are automatically de-rated while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature. the second mode of operation involves all the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist being automatically de-rated only while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over the designated track feature but not while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature. the third mode of operation involves, for each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist, all the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist being automatically de-rated but only if at least one of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist is designated for operation at no more than the designated first maximum throttle level when traveling over the designated track feature. the fourth mode of operation involves, while the vehicle consist is traveling over the designated track feature, only those propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist that are designated for operation at no more than the designated first maximum throttle level when traveling over the designated track feature being automatically de-rated. brief description of the drawings the subject matter described herein will be better understood from reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein below: fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle system; fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the vehicle system shown in fig. 1 traveling on a route toward a feature of interest; fig. 3 illustrates an example of a feature of interest that may be associated with one or more handling rules; fig. 4 illustrates an example of a feature of interest that may be associated with one or more handling rules; fig. 5 illustrates an example of a feature of interest that may be associated with one or more handling rules; fig. 6 illustrates an example of a feature of interest that may be associated with one or more handling rules; fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of controlling operations (e.g., de-rating) of a vehicle system; fig. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of controlling operations (e.g., de-rating) of a vehicle system; fig. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of controlling operations (e.g., de-rating) of a vehicle system; fig. 10 illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of controlling operations (e.g., de-rating) of a vehicle system; and fig. 11 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a vehicle. detailed description embodiments of the inventive subject matter described herein relate to changing operating limits imposed on propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system as the vehicle system travels over features of interest in a route when the propulsion-generating vehicles having handling rules associated with the features of interest. as one example, some locomotives in a rail vehicle system may be associated with special rules that restrict throttle settings that may be used for those locomotives when the locomotives travel over a crossing in a track, a bridge, or the like. these locomotives may be electrically powered by direct current (dc) using brushes that may be damaged if the locomotives travel over the feature of interest at too great of a speed. consequently, the handling rules associated with these types of locomotives may restrict the throttle settings that may be used to control the locomotives as the locomotives travel over the features of interest in the route. optionally, the locomotives may have one or more other restrictions on the locomotives that limit the throttle settings that may be used during travel over the features of interest. while the description focuses on rail vehicles, not all embodiments are limited to rail vehicles. for example, one or more aspects of the inventive subject matter may be used with other off-highway vehicles (e.g., vehicles that are not designed or permitted for travel on public roads), automobiles, marine vessels, and the like. a technical effect of embodiments described herein includes improved throughput and faster travel of vehicle systems, such as by avoiding slowing trains having one or more locomotives that require slower travel over features of interest in a track (e.g., crossings, bridges, and the like), when these locomotives are not traveling over the features of interest. fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle system 100 . the vehicle system 100 includes several vehicles 102 , 104 (e.g., vehicles 102 a-f and vehicles 104 a-d) that are interconnected with each other by coupling mechanisms 106 , such as couplers. the vehicles 102 , 104 are connected such that the vehicles 102 , 104 travel together along a route 108 . although six vehicles 102 and four vehicles 104 are shown in fig. 1 , the vehicle system 100 may include a different number and/or arrangement of the vehicles 102 and/or the vehicles 104 . the vehicles 102 represent propulsion-generating vehicles that generate propulsive force (e.g., tractive effort) to propel the vehicle system 100 along the route 108 . for example, the vehicles 102 may be locomotives or other types of vehicles that perform work to move the vehicle system 100 . the vehicles 102 may be grouped into consists 110 (e.g., consists 110 a-c) of the vehicle system 100 . each of the consists 110 a, 110 b represents two or more propulsion-generating vehicles 102 that are directly coupled with each other. the consist 110 c includes a single propulsion-generating vehicle 102 . the number and/or arrangement of the vehicles 102 in the consists 110 may be different from what is shown in fig. 1 . the consist 110 a may be referred to as a leading consist because the consist 110 a is disposed ahead of the consists 110 b, 110 c along a direction of travel 112 of the vehicle system 100 . the consists 110 b, 110 c may be referred to as remote or trailing consists because the consists 110 b, 110 c are disposed behind the consist 110 a along the direction of travel 112 of the vehicle system 100 . the consist 110 b may be referred to as a leading consist with respect to the consist 110 c and a trailing consist with respect to the consist 110 a. the vehicles 104 represent non-propulsion-generating vehicles that do not generate tractive effort. for example, one or more of the vehicles 104 may represent a rail car or another type of vehicle that carries cargo and/or passengers while not generating tractive effort. as shown in fig. 1 , the vehicles 104 may interconnect the consists 110 and separate the consists 110 from each other. one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 may be subject to special or different handling rules. these rules may be special or different in that the rules may apply to one or more, but not all, of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the vehicle system 100 . a rule may restrict the range of available throttle settings that may be used to control the tractive output (e.g., tractive effort, horsepower, power output, or the like) of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 subject to the rule when the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 travel over a feature of interest in the route 108 that is associated with the rule. for example, with respect to locomotives, a handling rule may restrict the locomotives subject to the rule to operate using throttle settings that are no greater than a throttle setting of four (out of a total of eight throttle settings) when the locomotives travel over a feature of interest associated with the rule. when the locomotives are traveling outside of the feature of interest (e.g., not over or through the feature of interest), these same locomotives may be allowed to operate using a greater range of throttle settings (e.g., all eight throttle settings). the handling rules may apply to only those propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the vehicle system 100 that are a designated type or category of propulsion-generating vehicles 102 . for example, the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 that are powered by direct current that is supplied through a conductive pathway extending along the route 108 (e.g., a catenary, electrified rail, or the like) may be subject to a handling rule that restricts the speed (and therefore throttle settings) that can be used during travel through a feature of interest to avoid damage to conductive brushes of the vehicles 102 through which the direct current is conducted to the vehicles 102 . other propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the same vehicle system 100 , such as vehicles 102 powered by alternating current, may not be subject to this same rule. for example, these other vehicles 102 may not be required to travel slower or using a smaller range of throttle settings when traveling through the same feature of interest because these vehicles 102 may not include the conductive brushes that the dc-powered vehicles 102 do. similar handling rules may be applicable to vehicles 102 based on the type of motors included in the vehicles 102 . for example, different types of motors may need to be operated differently (e.g., using different throttle settings) when traveling over different features of interest in the route 108 . similar handling rules may be applicable to vehicles 102 based on the type of couplers 106 connected to the vehicles 102 or based on one or more other features or characteristics of the vehicles 102 . fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the vehicle system 100 traveling on the route 108 toward a feature of interest 200 . the feature of interest 200 represents a location in or on the route 108 where operations of one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 are limited according to the handling rule. the feature of interest 200 can represent a variety of components, structures, and the like, of the route 108 . figs. 3 through 6 illustrate some examples of features of interest 300 , 400 , 500 that may be associated with one or more handling rules. the feature of interest 200 shown in fig. 2 may represent one or more of the features of interest 300 , 400 , 500 . the feature of interest 300 shown in fig. 3 represents an intersection between the route 108 and another route 302 . the routes 108 , 302 may be the same type of route, such as when both routes 108 , 302 represent tracks for rail vehicles. the routes 108 , 302 are disposed at right angles with respect to each other and may be referred to as an x-crossing. optionally, the routes 108 , 302 may be different routes, such as a track for rail vehicles and a road for automobiles. such a crossing between different routes may be referred to as a grade crossing or road crossing. the feature of interest 400 shown in fig. 4 represents an intersection between the route 108 and another route 402 . the feature of interest 400 may be similar to the feature of interest 300 with one difference being that the routes 108 , 402 in the feature of interest 400 may intersect at oblique, or non-perpendicular, angles. the feature of interest 500 shown in figs. 5 and 6 represents a moveable bridge, such as a draw bridge. the bridge is shown in fig. 5 in a lowered position where the vehicle system 100 may travel across. the bridge is shown in fig. 6 in a raised position where the vehicle system 100 may not travel across. operating the vehicle system 100 at too fast of a speed when traveling across one or more of the features of interest 300 , 400 , 500 can damage one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 . for example, operating at too large of a throttle setting when crossing the features of interest 300 , 400 , 500 can damage brushes of a propulsion-generating vehicle 102 that conducts electric current to power the vehicle 102 . optionally, one or more other components of the vehicle 102 may be damaged. in a first mode of operation, when the vehicle system 100 includes one or more propulsion-generating vehicles 102 having a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 , the vehicle system 100 is automatically controlled such that the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consists 110 are de-rated while the consists 110 are traveling over a designated feature of interest 200 in the route 108 . the consists 110 may be de-rated by limiting operation of these propulsion-generating vehicles 102 to a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level that the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 are controlled to when the consists 110 are not traveling over the feature of interest 200 . the vehicle system 100 may be controlled in this manner such that the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 are de-rated for a time period that includes when the non-propulsion-generating vehicles 104 disposed between the consists 110 are traveling over the feature of interest 200 . for example, all of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in all of the consists 110 de-rated for the entire time that the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 and the intervening non-propulsion-generating vehicles 104 a-c are moving over the feature of interest 200 . the intervening vehicles 104 between the consists 110 a and 110 b include the vehicles 104 a and 104 b and the intervening vehicles 104 between the consists 110 b and 110 c include the vehicle 104 c. once the last consist 110 c completes travel over the feature of interest 200 , the de-rating of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 may terminate such that the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 may be throttled back up. for example, greater throttle settings may be used than is otherwise allowed during travel over the feature of interest 200 . the de-rating of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 may begin when the first consist 110 a reaches the feature of interest 200 or is within a designated, non-zero distance from the feature of interest 200 and continue until when the last consist 110 c completes travel over the feature of interest 200 . in a second mode of operation, when the vehicle system 100 includes one or more propulsion-generating vehicles 102 having a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 , the vehicle system 100 is automatically controlled such that all of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consists 110 are de-rated only when the consists 110 are actually traveling over the feature of interest 200 . for example, all of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 a-f may be de-rated during the entire time period that the consist 110 a is traveling over the feature of interest 200 , during the entire time period that the consist 110 b is traveling over the feature of interest 200 , and during the entire time period that the consist 110 c is traveling over the feature of interest 200 , but not during the time periods when the non-propulsion-generating vehicles 104 are traveling over the feature of interest 200 . all propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in a consist 110 may be de-rated during travel of that consist 110 over the feature of interest 200 , even if one or more of the consists 110 do not include any vehicles 102 that are subject to any handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 . in a third mode of operation, when the vehicle system 100 includes one or more propulsion-generating vehicles 102 having a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 , the vehicle system 100 is automatically controlled such that all of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consists 110 having at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 with the handling rule are de-rated when those consists 110 are traveling over the feature of interest 200 . the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consists 110 that do not include a propulsion-generating vehicle 102 having a handling rule are not de-rated when those consists 110 travel over the feature of interest 200 . for example, if the propulsion-generating vehicle 102 e has a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 but the remaining propulsion-generating vehicles 102 a-d, 102 f do not, then the vehicle system 100 may be automatically controlled to de-rate all of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 c-e in the consist 110 b when the consist 110 b is traveling over the feature of interest 200 . the remaining propulsion-generating vehicles 102 a, 102 b, 102 f are not de-rated when the consists 110 a-c are traveling over the feature of interest 200 . in a fourth mode of operation, the de-rating of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the vehicle system 100 is automatically controlled on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis. for example, instead of de-rating all of the vehicles 102 or all of the vehicles 102 in one or more consists 110 when the consists 110 travel over the feature of interest 200 , only those vehicles 102 having a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 are de-rated when those vehicles 102 travel over the feature of interest 200 . the vehicle system 100 may switch between two or more of the previously described modes of operation during a single trip between a starting location and a destination location depending on the type of feature of interest 200 . for example, the vehicle system 100 may operate according to the first mode of operation when traveling over the feature of interest 300 , according to the second mode of operation when traveling over the feature of interest 400 , according to the third mode of operation when traveling over the feature of interest 500 , and/or according to the fourth mode of operation when traveling over another feature of interest. fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 700 of controlling operations of a vehicle system. the method 700 may be used to control operations of the vehicle system 100 shown in fig. 1 . the method 700 may represent one aspect of the first mode of operation described above. at 702 , one or more propulsion-generating vehicles 102 (shown in fig. 1 ) in the vehicle system 100 that have handling rules associated with a feature of interest 200 (shown in fig. 2 ) in the route 108 (shown in fig. 1 ) are identified. for example, a determination may be made as to which of the vehicles 102 are subject to a handling rule that reduces the range of throttle settings that may be used for the vehicles 102 during travel over the feature of interest 200 . the vehicles 102 that are identified as being subject to the handling rule associated with an upcoming feature of interest 200 may be referred to as “de-rating vehicles.” at 704 , the locations of two or more of the consists 110 (shown in fig. 1 ) in the vehicle system 100 are determined. for example, the location of the leading consist 110 a (e.g., the first consist 110 along the direction of travel 112 of the vehicle system 100 ) and the location of the last trailing consist 110 c (e.g., the last consist 110 along the direction of travel 112 ) may be identified. the locations of these consists 110 may be used to determine when to implement the handling rule and de-rate the vehicles 102 . at 706 , the location of one or more features of interest 200 associated with the handling rule imposed on the vehicle system 100 is determined. for example, the geographic locations of one or more features of interest 200 associated with the handling rule may be identified. at 708 , locations of the consists 110 along the route 108 are monitored as the vehicle system 100 travels along the route 108 . these locations may be monitored to determine when the leading consist 110 (e.g., the first consist 110 a) is at or within a designated distance from the feature of interest 200 along the route 108 . at 710 , a determination is made as to whether the first consist 110 a in the vehicle system 100 is at or within the designated distance from the feature of interest 200 . if the first consist 100 a is at or close to the feature of interest 200 , then operations of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 may need to be automatically de-rated in order to ensure that the vehicles 102 subject to the handling rule are not operated at too great of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest 200 . as a result, flow of the method 700 may proceed to 712 . otherwise, flow of the method 700 may proceed to 714 . at 712 , operations of all the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in all of the consists 110 of the vehicle system 100 are de-rated. for example, the available range of throttle settings that may be used to control the vehicles 102 in all of the consists 110 may be reduced once the first consist 110 a is at or is close to the feature of interest 200 . the method 700 may return to 708 where the location of the last consist 110 c in the vehicle system 100 is monitored. the method 700 may monitor the location of this consist 110 c to determine when all of the consists 110 in the vehicle system 100 have completed travel over the feature of interest 200 . once this last consist 110 c has completed travel over the feature of interest 200 (e.g., determined at 710 ), then flow of the method 700 may proceed to 714 . at 714 , the vehicle system 100 continues to travel along the route 108 . at 716 , if the trip of the vehicle system 100 along the route 108 has not been completed, the method 700 may return to 708 to continue monitoring the location of the consists 110 relative to any upcoming features of interest 200 . if the trip has been completed, then the trip may terminate at 718 . fig. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 800 of controlling operations of a vehicle system. the method 800 may be used to control operations of the vehicle system 100 shown in fig. 1 . the method 800 may represent one aspect of the second mode of operation of the vehicle system 100 described above. at 802 , one or more propulsion-generating vehicles 102 (shown in fig. 1 ) in the vehicle system 100 that have handling rules associated with a feature of interest 200 (shown in fig. 2 ) in the route 108 (shown in fig. 1 ) are identified. for example, a determination may be made as to which of the vehicles 102 are subject to a handling rule that reduces the range of throttle settings that may be used for the vehicles 102 during travel over the feature of interest 200 . at 804 , the locations of the consists 110 (shown in fig. 1 ) in the vehicle system 100 that include any of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 are determined. for example, the positions of the consists 110 in the vehicle system 100 are determined, regardless of whether one or more of the consists 110 do not include any vehicles 102 that are subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 . at 806 , the location of one or more features of interest 200 associated with the handling rule imposed on the vehicle system 100 is determined. for example, the geographic locations of one or more features of interest 200 associated with the handling rule may be identified. at 808 , locations of the consists 110 along the route 108 are monitored as the vehicle system 100 travels along the route 108 . these locations may be monitored to determine when each of the consists 110 is at or within a designated distance from the feature of interest 200 along the route 108 . at 810 , a determination is made as to whether any of the consists 110 in the vehicle system 100 are at or within a designated distance from the feature of interest 200 . for example, if the vehicle system 100 is first approaching the feature of interest 200 , the determination is made as to whether the first consist 110 a is approaching or is at the feature of interest 200 . if the first consist 110 a already has passed over the feature of interest 200 , then the determination may be made as to whether the second consist 110 b is at or approaching the feature of interest 200 , and so on. if a consist 110 is approaching or at the feature of interest 200 , then the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in that consist 110 may need to be de-rated to ensure compliance with the handling rule, even if that consist 110 does not include any propulsion-generating vehicles 102 that are subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 . in some circumstances, the exact location of the vehicle 102 having the handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 may not be known. therefore, all propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in a consist 110 may be de-rated when that consist 110 travels over the feature of interest 200 in an abundance of caution to prevent violating the feature of interest 200 . if a consist 110 is approaching or at the feature of interest 200 , flow of the method 800 proceeds to 812 . otherwise, if no consist 110 is at or approaching the feature of interest 200 , then flow of the method 800 proceeds to 816 . for example, the vehicle system 100 may still be relatively far from the feature of interest 200 or one or more of the intervening non-propulsion-generating vehicles 104 between the consists 110 may currently be traveling over the feature of interest 200 . at 812 , all of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consist 110 that is at or is traveling over the feature of interest 200 in the route 108 are de-rated. for example, the throttle settings that may be used to control these vehicles 102 may be reduced to a smaller range than would otherwise be used by the vehicles 102 when the vehicles 102 are not de-rated. the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the other consists 110 of the vehicle system 100 that are not at or traveling over the feature of interest 200 may not be de-rated. these vehicles 102 may continue to operate using a larger range of throttle settings than the vehicles 102 would be able to use when these vehicles 102 are de-rated. at 814 , the de-rating of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consist 110 that traveled over the feature of interest 200 is terminated once that consist 110 completes travel over the feature of interest 200 . for example, when the last vehicle 102 in the consist 110 that was traveling over the feature of interest 200 travels over and past the feature of interest 200 , all of the vehicles 102 in that consist 110 may return to operating using a larger range of throttle settings relative to when those vehicles 102 were de-rated. at 816 , the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consists 110 of the vehicle system 100 are not de-rated during travel of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles 104 over the feature of interest 200 . for example, during the time period when intervening vehicles 104 disposed between the consists 110 travel over the feature of interest 200 , the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 may operate using the larger range of throttle settings (relative to the allowable range of throttle settings that are used when these vehicles 102 are de-rated). at 818 , a determination is made as to whether all of the consists 110 in the vehicle system 100 have completed travel over the feature of interest 200 . for example, if the last consist 110 c along the direction of travel 112 of the vehicle system 100 has traveled over and past the feature of interest 200 , then there are no more consists 110 in the vehicle system 100 to travel over the feature of interest 200 . accordingly, the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 do not need to be de-rated for the feature of interest 200 that was just traveled over as all of these vehicles 102 already have traveled over the feature of interest 200 . as a result, flow of the method 800 may continue to 820 . on the other hand, if one or more additional consists 110 in the vehicle system 100 have yet to travel over the feature of interest 200 , then the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in those additional consists 110 may need to be de-rated during travel over the feature of interest 200 to ensure compliance with the handling rules that may apply to one or more of these vehicles 102 . as a result, flow of the method 800 returns to 808 . at 820 , travel of the vehicle system 100 continues along the route 108 until the trip of the vehicle system 100 is completed. optionally, if one or more additional features of interest 200 are encountered, then the method 800 may be repeated. fig. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 900 of controlling operations of a vehicle system. the method 900 may be used to control operations of the vehicle system 100 shown in fig. 1 . the method 900 may represent one aspect of the third mode of operation of the vehicle system 100 described above. at 902 , one or more propulsion-generating vehicles 102 (shown in fig. 1 ) in the vehicle system 100 that have handling rules associated with a feature of interest 200 (shown in fig. 2 ) in the route 108 (shown in fig. 1 ) are identified. for example, a determination may be made as to which of the vehicles 102 are subject to a handling rule that reduces the range of throttle settings that may be used for the vehicles 102 during travel over the feature of interest 200 . at 904 , a determination is made as to which consists 110 (shown in fig. 1 ) of the vehicle system 100 include the identified propulsion-generating vehicles 102 . for example, the consists 110 that include one or more propulsion-generating vehicles 102 having a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 may be identified. at 906 , the location of the consist(s) 110 in the vehicle system 100 that includes the propulsion-generating vehicle 102 having the handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 is determined. for example, the positions in the vehicle system 100 of the consists 110 having one or more of the vehicles 102 that are subject to the handling rule are determined. at 908 , the location of one or more features of interest 200 associated with the handling rule imposed on the vehicle system 100 is determined. for example, the geographic locations of one or more features of interest 200 associated with the handling rule may be identified. at 910 , locations of the consists 110 having the identified propulsion-generating vehicle(s) 102 are monitored as the vehicle system 100 travels along the route 108 . for example, for those consists 110 that include one or more vehicles 102 subject to the handling rule, the locations of those consists 110 along the route 108 are tracked. the locations of these consists 110 may be monitored to determine when these consists 110 are at or within a designated distance from the feature of interest 200 along the route 108 . at 912 , a determination is made as to whether a consist 110 having an identified propulsion-generating vehicle 102 is at or within a designated distance from the feature of interest 200 . for example, if the consist 110 b includes a vehicle 102 that is subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 , then a determination may be made as to whether the consist 110 b is at or approaching the feature of interest 200 . in one aspect, this determination may not be performed for consists 110 that do not include any propulsion-generating vehicle 102 that is subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 . if the consist 110 having the identified propulsion-generating vehicle 102 is at or approaching the feature of interest 200 , then the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in that consist 110 may need to be de-rated to ensure compliance with the handling rule, even if not all of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in that consist 110 are subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 . in some circumstances, the exact location of the vehicle 102 having the handling rule in the consist 110 may not be known. therefore, all propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consist 110 having at least one vehicle 102 that is subject to the handling rule may be de-rated when that consist 110 travels over the feature of interest 200 . as shown in fig. 9 , if the consist 110 having the identified vehicle 102 is approaching the feature of interest 200 , flow of the method 900 proceeds to 914 . on the other hand, if the consist 110 that is approaching the feature of interest 200 does not include a propulsion-generating vehicle 102 that is subject to the handling rule, then the vehicles 102 in that consist 110 may not need to be de-rated during travel over the feature of interest 200 . accordingly, flow of the method 900 proceeds to 918 . at 914 , the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consist 110 that is at or is traveling over the feature of interest 200 in the route 108 are de-rated. for example, for a consist 110 having at least one propulsion-generating vehicle 102 having a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 , all of the vehicles 102 in that consist 110 may be de-rated during travel of the consist 110 over the feature of interest 200 . at 916 , the de-rating of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consist 110 that includes at least one vehicle 102 subject to the handling rule is terminated once that consist 110 completes travel over the feature of interest 200 . for example, when the last vehicle 102 in the consist 110 that was traveling over the feature of interest 200 travels over and past the feature of interest 200 , all of the vehicles 102 in that consist 110 may return to operating using a larger range of throttle settings relative to when those vehicles 102 were de-rated. at 918 , the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the consists 110 that do not include one or more vehicles 102 subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 travel over the feature of interest 200 without being de-rated. for example, during the time period when these other consists 110 travel over the feature of interest 200 , the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in those other consists 110 may operate using the larger range of throttle settings (relative to the allowable range of throttle settings for a de-rated vehicle 102 ). at 920 , a determination is made as to whether all of the consists 110 in the vehicle system 100 have completed travel over the feature of interest 200 . for example, if the last consist 110 c along the direction of travel 112 of the vehicle system 100 has traveled over and past the feature of interest 200 , then there are no more consists 110 in the vehicle system 100 to travel over the feature of interest 200 . as a result, flow of the method 900 may continue to 922 . on the other hand, if one or more additional consists 110 in the vehicle system 100 have yet to travel over the feature of interest 200 , then flow of the method 900 may return to 910 . at 922 , travel of the vehicle system 100 continues along the route 108 until the trip of the vehicle system 100 is completed. optionally, if one or more additional features of interest 200 are encountered, then the method 900 may be repeated. fig. 10 illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 1000 of controlling operations of a vehicle system. the method 1000 may be used to control operations of the vehicle system 100 shown in fig. 1 . the method 1000 may represent one aspect of the fourth mode of operation of the vehicle system 100 described above. at 1002 , one or more propulsion-generating vehicles 102 (shown in fig. 1 ) in the vehicle system 100 that have handling rules associated with a feature of interest 200 (shown in fig. 2 ) in the route 108 (shown in fig. 1 ) are identified. for example, a determination may be made as to which of the vehicles 102 are subject to a handling rule that reduces the range of throttle settings that may be used for the vehicles 102 during travel over the feature of interest 200 . at 1004 , the locations of the identified propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the vehicle system 100 are determined. for example, the positions (within the vehicle system 100 ) of the vehicles 102 that are subject to the handling rule are determined. at 1006 , the location of one or more features of interest 200 associated with the handling rule imposed on the vehicle system 100 is determined. for example, the geographic locations of one or more features of interest 200 associated with the handling rule may be identified. at 1008 , locations of the identified propulsion-generating vehicles 102 are monitored as the vehicle system 100 travels along the route 108 . for example, the locations of the vehicles 102 subject to the handling rule are tracked. the locations of these identified vehicles 102 may be monitored to determine when the identified vehicles 102 are at or within a designated distance from the feature of interest 200 along the route 108 . at 1010 , a determination is made as to whether an identified vehicle 102 is at or within a designated distance from the feature of interest 200 . for example, if the vehicle 102 c is subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 , then a determination may be made as to whether the vehicle 102 c is at or approaching the feature of interest 200 . in one aspect, this determination may not be performed for the vehicles 102 that are not subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest 200 . if the identified vehicle 102 is at or approaching the feature of interest 200 , then the identified vehicle 102 may need to be de-rated to ensure compliance with the handling rule. as a result, flow of the method 1000 can proceed to 1012 . on the other hand, if the vehicle 102 that is approaching the feature of interest 200 is not subject to the handling rule, then that vehicle 102 may not need to be de-rated during travel over the feature of interest 200 . accordingly, flow of the method 1000 can proceed to 1016 . at 1012 , the identified vehicle 102 that is at or is traveling over the feature of interest 200 in the route 108 is de-rated during the time period that the identified vehicle 102 is traveling over the feature of interest 200 . the other propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the vehicle system 100 may not be de-rated during this same time period. at 1014 , the de-rating of the identified vehicle 102 is terminated once that identified vehicle 102 completes travel over the feature of interest 200 . for example, when the identified vehicle 102 travels over and past the feature of interest 200 , the identified vehicle may return to operating using a larger range of throttle settings relative to when the identified vehicle 102 was de-rated. at 1016 , the other propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the vehicle system 100 that are not subject to the handling rule travel over the feature of interest 200 without being de-rated. for example, the method 1000 may de-rate individual ones of the vehicles 102 that are subject to the handling rule during the time period when those vehicles 102 are traveling over the feature of interest 200 without de-rating other vehicles 102 during this same time period. at 1018 , a determination is made as to whether all of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the vehicle system 100 that are subject to the handling rule of the feature of interest 200 have completed travel over the feature of interest 200 . for example, if the last vehicle 102 along the direction of travel 112 of the vehicle system 100 that is subject to the handling rule has traveled over and past the feature of interest 200 , then there are no more vehicles 102 in the vehicle system 100 to de-rate according to the handling rule during over the feature of interest 200 . as a result, flow of the method 1000 may continue to 1020 . on the other hand, if one or more additional vehicles 102 that are subject to the handling rule have yet to travel over the feature of interest 200 , then flow of the method 1000 may return to 1008 . at 1020 , travel of the vehicle system 100 continues along the route 108 until the trip of the vehicle system 100 is completed. optionally, if one or more additional features of interest 200 are encountered, then the method 1000 may be repeated. fig. 11 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a vehicle 1100 . the vehicle 1100 may represent one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 shown in fig. 1 . the vehicle 600 includes several components described below that may be coupled with each other by one or more wired and/or wireless connections (not shown), such as wireless networks, conductive paths, and the like. the components may include or represent one or more processors, controllers, or other logic based devices (and/or associated hardware, circuitry, and/or software stored on a tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium or memory). the components shown in fig. 11 may represent the hardware that operates based on software or hardwired instructions, the software that directs hardware to perform the operations, or a combination thereof. one or more of the components shown in fig. 11 may be disposed off-board of the vehicle 1100 . one or more of the components shown in fig. 11 may be used to perform the operations described in connection with the methods described above. the vehicle 1100 includes a location determining apparatus 1102 that determines locations of the vehicle 1100 as the vehicle 1100 travels along the route 108 (shown in fig. 1 ). the location determining apparatus 1102 may include or represent a global positioning system (gps) receiver (and associated hardware and/or circuitry), a wireless cellular antenna (and associated hardware and/or circuitry), or another wireless device that determines the locations of the vehicle 1100 based on received wireless signals, such as from gps satellites, cellular phone towers, or the like. optionally, the location determining apparatus 1102 may interrogate or be interrogated by a wayside device disposed alongside the route 108 (e.g., using rfid tags). the apparatus 1102 may determine the location from information obtained during this interrogation. as another example, the apparatus 1102 may determine the location of the vehicle 1100 based on the speed of the vehicle 1100 (which may be monitored by one or more speed sensors, such as tachometers) and a time elapsed since the vehicle 1100 was at a known location along the route 108 . a control apparatus 1104 controls operations of the vehicle 1100 . the control apparatus 1104 may communicate with one or more input devices 1106 and/or output devices 1108 in order to communicate with an operator of the vehicle 1100 . the control apparatus 1104 may receive manually input commands to control the tractive efforts and/or braking efforts generated by a propulsion system 1110 of the vehicle 1100 . the propulsion system 1110 represents one or more engines, motors, alternators, generators, batteries, brakes, and the like, that generate the tractive efforts and/or braking efforts of the vehicle 1100 as commanded and controlled by the control apparatus 1104 . the input device 1106 can include a throttle that is manually manipulated by the operator to change between different throttle settings to vary the amount of tractive effort, power output, or the like, generated by the propulsion system 1110 . optionally, the control apparatus 1104 may automatically control the tractive efforts (e.g., throttle settings) and/or brake settings of the propulsion system 1110 . for example, the control apparatus 1104 may control the throttle and/or brake settings of the vehicle 1100 according to designated operational settings of a trip plan for the vehicle system 100 . the trip plan may be generated and/or modified by an off-board source (e.g., a dispatch center that communicates the trip plan to the vehicle 1100 ) or by an onboard energy management system 1112 . optionally, the energy management system 1112 may be located off-board of the vehicle 1100 . the energy management system 1112 may include or represent one or more processors, controllers, or other logic based devices (and/or associated hardware, circuitry, and/or software stored on a tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium or memory) that create and/or modify trip plans for the vehicle system 100 that includes the vehicle 1100 . the trip plan may be based on a variety of relevant information, such as the size (e.g., length and/or weight) of the vehicle system 100 , the distribution of size (e.g., the distribution of weight) throughout the vehicle system 100 , the contents of the vehicle system 100 (e.g., the number, type, capabilities, locations, and the like, of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system 100 ), the terrain (e.g., grades, curvatures, locations of tunnels, locations of slow orders, speed limits, and the like) over which the vehicle system 100 is to travel for the trip, the schedule by which the vehicle system 100 is to travel according to for the trip, weather conditions, types of fuel being used, emissions restrictions on travel of the vehicle system 100 , and/or other factors. the trip plan created and/or modified by the energy management system 1112 designates operational settings of the vehicle system 100 for a trip. these operational settings may be designated as a function of time and/or distance along the route 108 for the trip to one or more locations (e.g., one or more intermediate or final locations). by way of example only, the operational settings that may be designated include, but are not limited to, speeds, accelerations, power outputs, throttle settings, brake settings, applications of rail lubricants, forces exerted on coupling mechanisms 106 (shown in fig. 1 ), or the like. an example trip plan may designate throttle settings, speeds, power outputs, brake settings, or the like, to reduce at least one of fuel consumed and/or emissions generated by the vehicle system 100 relative to the vehicle system 100 being operated according to another trip plan or in another manner. the control apparatus 1104 may automatically control throttle and/or brake settings of the vehicle system 100 in an attempt to match the actual operations (e.g., speed, power output, and the like) with the designated operational settings of the trip plan. optionally, the energy management system 1112 and/or the control apparatus 1104 may instruct the operator how to manually control operations of the vehicle 1100 and/or vehicle system 100 according to the trip plan. for example, the energy management system 1112 and/or control apparatus 1104 may visually, audibly, and/or tactically present instructions to an operator on how to control the vehicle 1100 and/or vehicle system 100 according to the trip plan via the one or more output devices 1108 (e.g., display screens; touchscreens; speakers; tactically actuated levers, buttons, switches, and the like). a communication apparatus 1114 of the vehicle 1100 communicates with other vehicles in the vehicle system 100 and/or other remote locations that are off-board the vehicle system 100 . the communication apparatus 1114 may include or represent an antenna (along with associated transceiver hardware circuitry and/or software applications) for wirelessly communicating with other vehicles and/or remote locations. the communication apparatus 1114 may receive information representative of the locations of the features of interest 200 (shown in fig. 2 ) along the route 108 , the identification of handling rules applicable to the vehicle 1100 and/or one or more other vehicles in the vehicle system 100 , the reduced range of throttle settings that may be used when the handling rules are applicable to de-rate one or more propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system 100 , identification of which handling rules apply to which propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system 100 , and the like. optionally, the communication apparatus 1114 is communicatively coupled with one or more other vehicles in the same vehicle system by one or more wired connections 1116 . for example, the communication apparatus 1114 may be coupled with a similar or identical communication apparatus disposed onboard another propulsion-generating vehicle in the same consist 110 as the vehicle 1100 by a wired connection. the wired connection may include a multiple unit (mu) cable, a trainline, an electrically controlled pneumatic (ecp) brake line, and the like. the communication apparatuses 1114 disposed onboard the different propulsion-generating vehicles 1100 may communicate network data, such as data that is communicated in data packets. the communication apparatuses 1114 may communicate using high bandwidth or high speed network data, such as by communicating data packets at speeds of at least 256 kbit/second, at least 500 kbit/second, at least 1,000 kbit/second, and the like. alternatively, the communication apparatuses 1114 may communicate using different speeds. in one aspect, the communication apparatus 1114 communicates with other vehicles to control the automatic de-rating and/or automatic cessation of de-rating using one or more of the communication technologies described in u.s. application ser. no. 12/683,874, filed 7 jan. 2010, and titled “system and method for communicating data in locomotive consist or other vehicle consist” (referred to herein as the “'874 application”), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. for example, control instructions that direct one or more of the vehicles 1100 to automatically de-rate or cease de-rating may be communicated between communication apparatuses 1114 on different vehicles 1100 as network data (e.g., data communicated in packet form) and/or high bandwidth network data over the mu cable bus, as described in the '874 application. optionally, these types of control instructions may be communicated between the vehicles 1100 as distributed power (dp) control instructions when the vehicles 1100 are operating in a dp operating mode (e.g., where the operations of the vehicles 1100 are coordinated with each other to produce a total tractive effort, speed, braking effort, or the like, of the vehicle system that includes the vehicles 1100 ). the communication apparatuses 1114 disposed onboard different propulsion-generating vehicles 1100 in the same consist 110 of the vehicle system 100 may communicate with each other to coordinate when the various vehicles 1100 are de-rated during travel over or through the feature of interest 200 . for example, in an embodiment where the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 are de-rated on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis (e.g., as described above in connection with the method 1000 ), the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 in the same consist 110 may communicate with each other using the communication apparatuses 1114 to control if and when one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles 102 are de-rated during travel over the feature of interest 200 . an identification apparatus 1118 determines locations of features of interest 200 in the route 108 and/or whether the vehicle 1100 is subject to one or more handling rules associated with features of interest 200 along the route 108 to be traveled by the vehicle 1100 during an upcoming trip. optionally, the identification apparatus 1118 determines whether one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles in the same vehicle system 100 as the vehicle 1100 are subject to any such handling rules. the identification apparatus 1118 may include, represent, and/or have access to a memory (e.g., a tangible and non-transitory computer readable memory, such as a computer hard drive, eeprom, rom, ram, or the like), that has a table, list, database, or other memory structure that identifies various handling rules, the features of interest 200 with which the handling rules are associated, and/or the propulsion-generating vehicles that are subject to the handling rules. in one aspect, the identification apparatus 1118 determines which features of interest 200 are in the route 108 being traveled or to be traveled by the vehicle system 100 during a trip from information stored in the memory and/or from information communicated to the identification apparatus 1118 from a source that is off-board the vehicle 1100 . using this information, the identification apparatus 1118 can identify which propulsion-generating vehicles are subject to one or more handling rules during the current or upcoming trip of the vehicle system 100 , and/or how those handling rules restrict the operations (e.g., throttle settings) of the propulsion-generating vehicles when traveling over or through the features of interest 200 . in order to de-rate the propulsion-generating vehicles that are subject to the handling rules (as described above), the control apparatus 1104 may prevent an operator from increasing the throttle settings of the de-rated propulsion-generating vehicles above a designated throttle setting or outside of a reduced range of throttle settings associated with the handling rule. for example, if an operator attempts to increase the throttle setting of a de-rated propulsion-generating vehicle outside of the reduced range of de-rated throttle settings, the control apparatus 1104 may either prevent the increase in the throttle setting or only allow the throttle setting to increase within the reduced range of throttle settings associated with the handling rule. as another example, if the control apparatus 1104 is automatically controlling a de-rated propulsion-generating vehicle, the control apparatus 1104 may prevent the throttle settings of the de-rated vehicle from increasing outside of the reduced range of throttle settings designated by the handling rule. in one aspect, the control apparatus 1104 may prevent the designated operational settings of a trip plan from being implemented when the designated operational settings would cause the throttle settings of a de-rated propulsion-generating vehicle from exceeding the reduced range of throttle settings associated with a handling rule. additionally or alternatively, the energy management system 1112 may create the trip plan so that the designated operational settings of the trip plan do not cause or direct a de-rated propulsion-generating vehicle from operating at a throttle setting that exceeds the reduced range of throttle settings associated with a handling rule. in an embodiment, a method (e.g., for controlling de-rating of propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system) includes identifying a feature of interest in a route to be traveled or being traveled by a vehicle system having plural propulsion-generating vehicles and identifying one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles as de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest. the handling rule dictates that throttle settings of the de-rating vehicles are to be limited to a reduced range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles travel over or through the feature of interest in the route. the reduced range of throttle settings is a smaller range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use relative to a larger range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use when traveling on the route outside of the feature of interest. the method also includes, operating the de-rating vehicles using the larger range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest and, responsive to at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system at least one of approaching or traveling over the feature of interest, automatically de-rating at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. in an aspect, automatically de-rating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles terminates upon completion of travel over the feature of interest in the route. in an aspect, the feature of interest includes at least one of a crossing between the route and at least an additional route or a bridge along the route. in an aspect, the propulsion-generating vehicles are arranged in two or more consists in the vehicle system, and the consists each includes at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles. the consists are separated from each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system. in an aspect, automatically de-rating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system includes operating all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system using the smaller range of throttle settings during an entire time period that begins with a first consist along a direction of travel of the vehicle system reaching the feature of interest and that ends with a last consist along the direction of travel passing the feature of interest. in an aspect, for each of the consists, all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist are de-rated during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest even if the consist is without any of the de-rating vehicles that are subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest, and none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. in an aspect, for each of the consists, all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist are de-rated during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest only if the consist includes at least one of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest. in an aspect, none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. in an aspect, each of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule is de-rated during an entire time period that the de-rating vehicle travels over the feature of interest without de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule. in an aspect, the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule are operated using the larger range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. in an aspect, the vehicle system comprises one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles, and wherein none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. in an embodiment, a system (e.g., a control system) includes an identification apparatus, a location determination apparatus, and a control apparatus. the identification apparatus is configured to determine which propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system having plural interconnected propulsion-generating vehicles are de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with a feature of interest in a route to be traveled or being traveled by the vehicle system. the handling rule dictates that throttle settings of the de-rating vehicles be limited to a reduced range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles travel over or through the feature of interest in the route. the reduced range of throttle settings is a smaller range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use relative to a larger range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use when traveling on the route outside of the feature of interest. the location determination apparatus is configured to determine when one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles are at least one of approaching or at the feature of interest. the control apparatus is configured to operate the de-rating vehicles using the larger range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest. the control apparatus also is configured to automatically de-rate at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the propulsion-generating vehicles in the at least a subset using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. in an aspect, the control apparatus is configured to automatically terminate de-rating of the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles upon completion of travel over the feature of interest in the route. in an aspect, the feature of interest includes at least one of a crossing between the route and at least an additional route or a bridge along the route. in an aspect, the propulsion-generating vehicles are arranged in two or more consists in the vehicle system and the consists each includes at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles. the consists are separated from each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system. in an aspect, the control apparatus is configured to control all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system using the smaller range of throttle settings during an entire time period that begins with a first consist along a direction of travel of the vehicle system reaching the feature of interest and that ends with a last consist along the direction of travel passing the feature of interest. in an aspect, for each of the consists, the control apparatus is configured to de-rate all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest even if the consist is without any of the de-rating vehicles that are subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest, and none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. in an aspect, for each of the consists, the control apparatus is configured to de-rate all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest only if the consist includes at least one of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest. in an aspect, the control apparatus is configured to de-rate none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. in an aspect, the control apparatus is configured to de-rate each of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule during an entire time period that the de-rating vehicle travels over the feature of interest without de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule. in an aspect, the control apparatus is configured to control the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule using the larger range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. in an aspect, the vehicle system comprises one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles and the control apparatus is configured to de-rate none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. in an embodiment, a method (e.g., for controlling de-rating of a vehicle consist) includes automatically controlling throttle settings of a rail vehicle consist as the rail vehicle consist travels along a track. the rail vehicle consist has a lead vehicle consist and at least one remote vehicle consist that each include one or more propulsion-generating rail vehicles and that are connected with each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles disposed between the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist. the method also includes de-rating the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over a designated track feature. the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are de-rated by limiting the throttle settings of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles to a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level that the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are controlled to when not traveling over the designated track feature. the method further includes de-rating the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature but not de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist after a last of the at least one remote vehicle consist, in a direction of travel of the rail vehicle consist, has passed over the designated track feature. in an embodiment, a method (e.g., for controlling de-rating of a vehicle consist) includes automatically controlling throttle settings of a rail vehicle consist as the rail vehicle consist travels along a track. the rail vehicle consist has a lead vehicle consist and at least one remote vehicle consist that each include one or more propulsion-generating rail vehicles and that are connected with each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles disposed between the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist. automatically controlling the throttle settings of the rail vehicle consist comprises automatic operation of the rail vehicle consist in at least one of a first, second, third, or fourth mode of operation. the first mode of operation involves the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist being automatically de-rated while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over a designated track feature. the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are de-rated by limiting the throttle settings of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles to a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level that the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are controlled to when not traveling over the designated track feature. the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are automatically de-rated while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature. the second mode of operation involves all the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist being automatically de-rated only while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over the designated track feature but not while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature. the third mode of operation involves, for each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist, all the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist being automatically de-rated but only if at least one of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist is designated for operation at no more than the designated first maximum throttle level when traveling over the designated track feature. the fourth mode of operation involves, while the vehicle consist is traveling over the designated track feature, only those propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist that are designated for operation at no more than the designated first maximum throttle level when traveling over the designated track feature being automatically de-rated. in any of the embodiments herein: (i) the lowest throttle setting of a reduced range of throttle settings may be greater than power-off or idle; (ii) in the case of a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level, the designated first maximum throttle level may be greater than a power-off or idle throttle level; (iii) a feature of interest and/or a designated track feature is a location or length of route that a rail vehicle consist or other vehicle system traverses at a non-zero velocity; and/or (iv) references to a particular class or segmentation/grouping of consist or vehicle, in the context of a larger consist or vehicle system, may refer to only some of such particular class or segmentation of consist or vehicle, or each and every one of such particular class or segmentation. it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. for example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. in addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the inventive subject matter without departing from its scope. while the dimensions and types of materials described herein are intended to define the parameters of the inventive subject matter, they are by no means limiting and are exemplary embodiments. many other embodiments will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. the scope of the inventive subject matter should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. in the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-english equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. further, the limitations of the following claims are not written in means-plus-function format and are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 u.s.c. §112, sixth paragraph, unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase “means for” followed by a statement of function void of further structure. this written description uses examples to disclose several embodiments of the inventive subject matter and also to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the inventive subject matter, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. the patentable scope of the inventive subject matter is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims. the foregoing description of certain embodiments of the inventive subject matter will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. to the extent that the figures illustrate diagrams of the functional blocks of various embodiments, the functional blocks are not necessarily indicative of the division between hardware circuitry. thus, for example, one or more of the functional blocks (for example, processors or memories) may be implemented in a single piece of hardware (for example, a general purpose signal processor, microcontroller, random access memory, hard disk, and the like). similarly, the programs may be stand-alone programs, may be incorporated as subroutines in an operating system, may be functions in an installed software package, and the like. the various embodiments are not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings. as used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the inventive subject matter are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments “comprising,” “including,” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property. since certain changes may be made in the above-described systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive subject matter herein involved, it is intended that all of the subject matter of the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted merely as examples illustrating the inventive concept herein and shall not be construed as limiting the inventive subject matter.
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053-199-578-596-511
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US
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[
"EP",
"US"
] |
F02K3/04,F02C7/36
| 2021-07-19T00:00:00 |
2021
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[
"F02"
] |
high and low spool configuration for a gas turbine engine
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a fan section (22) includes a fan (42) with fan blades (43). the fan section (22) drives air along a bypass flow path (b) in a bypass duct (13). a gear reduction (48) is in driving engagement with the fan (42) and has a gear reduction ratio of greater than 3.0 and less than 4.0. a low spool (30) includes a low pressure turbine (46) that drives a low pressure compressor (44) and drives the gear reduction (48) to drive the fan (42) at a speed slower than the low pressure turbine (46). the low pressure compressor (44) is a four-stage low pressure compressor. the low pressure turbine (46) is a three-stage low pressure turbine. a high spool (32) including a high pressure turbine (54) that drives a high pressure compressor (52). the high pressure compressor (52) is a nine-stage high pressure compressor. the high pressure turbine (54) is a two-stage high pressure turbine. an exhaust gas exit temperature of greater than 900 degrees fahrenheit (482 °c) and less than 1000 degrees fahrenheit (538 °c) at maximum take-off.
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a gas turbine engine (20) comprising: a fan section (22) including a fan (42) with fan blades (43), wherein said fan section (22) drives air along a bypass flow path (b) in a bypass duct (13); a gear reduction (48) in driving engagement with the fan (42) and having a gear reduction ratio of greater than 3.0 and less than 4.0; a low spool (30) including a low pressure turbine (46) driving a low pressure compressor (44) and driving the gear reduction (48) to drive the fan (42) at a speed slower than the low pressure turbine (46), wherein the low pressure compressor (44) is a four-stage low pressure compressor and the low pressure turbine (46) is a three-stage low pressure turbine; a high spool (32) including a high pressure turbine (54) driving a high pressure compressor (52), wherein the high pressure compressor (52) is a nine-stage high pressure compressor and the high pressure turbine (54) is a two-stage high pressure turbine; and an exhaust gas exit temperature of greater than 900 degrees fahrenheit (482 °c) and less than 1000 degrees fahrenheit (538 °c) at maximum take-off. the gas turbine engine (20) of claim 1, wherein an overall pressure ratio provided by the pressure across the fan (42), the low pressure compressor (44), and the high pressure compressor (52) is greater than 38 and less than 70 at cruise. the gas turbine engine (20) of claim 2, wherein the overall pressure ratio provided by the fan (42), the low pressure compressor (44), and the high pressure compressor (52) is less than 50 at cruise. the gas turbine engine (20) of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a pressure ratio of the low pressure turbine (46) is greater than 7.5 and less than 12.5 at cruise. the gas turbine engine (20) of claim 4, wherein the pressure ratio of the low pressure turbine (46) is greater than 8.0 and less than 9.0 at cruise. the gas turbine engine (20) of any preceding claim, wherein a pressure ratio of the high pressure compressor (52) is greater than 6.5 and less than 11.5 at cruise. the gas turbine engine (20) of any preceding claim, wherein a product of a pressure ratio of the fan (42) and a pressure ratio of the low pressure compressor (44) is greater than 4.0 and less than 6.0 at cruise and the pressure ratio of the fan (42) is measured across a root of one of the fan blades (43) alone at 0% span at cruise. the gas turbine engine (20) of any preceding claim, wherein a ratio of the product of the pressure ratio of the fan (42) and the pressure ratio of the low pressure compressor (44) pressure to a pressure ratio of the high pressure compressor (52) is greater than 0.39 and less than 0.85 at cruise. the gas turbine engine (20) of any preceding claim, wherein the gear reduction ratio is less than 3.3. the gas turbine engine (20) of any preceding claim, wherein the gear reduction ratio is greater than 3.2. the gas turbine engine (20) of claim 9, wherein the gear reduction ratio is less than 3.2. the gas turbine engine (20) of any preceding claim, wherein a ratio of the fan and low pressure compressor pressure to the high pressure compressor pressure is greater than 0.75 and less than 0.85 at cruise.
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background this application relates to a gas turbine engine with a gear reduction between a low pressure compressor and a fan. gas turbine engines are known, and typically include a fan delivering air into a bypass duct as bypass air. the air is also delivered into a compressor. the compressed air is delivered into a combustor where it is mixed with fuel and ignited. products of this combustion pass downstream over turbine rotors, driving them to rotate. the turbine rotors drive the fan and compressor. typically, there are two turbine rotors and two compressors. a lower pressure turbine rotor drives a lower pressure compressor. historically the low pressure compressor was fixed to a fan shaft to drive the shaft. however, more recently a gear reduction has been placed between the low pressure compressor and the fan. summary in one aspect of the present invention, a fan section includes a fan with fan blades. the fan section drives air along a bypass flow path in a bypass duct. a gear reduction is in driving engagement with the fan and has a gear reduction ratio of greater than 3.0 and less than 4.0. a low spool includes a low pressure turbine that drives a low pressure compressor and drives the gear reduction to drive the fan at a speed slower than the low pressure turbine. the low pressure compressor is a four-stage low pressure compressor. the low pressure turbine is a three-stage low pressure turbine. a high spool including a high pressure turbine that drives a high pressure compressor. the high pressure compressor is a nine-stage high pressure compressor. the high pressure turbine is a two-stage high pressure turbine. an exhaust gas exit temperature of greater than 900 degrees fahrenheit (482 °c) and less than 1000 degrees fahrenheit (538 °c) at maximum take-off. in an embodiment according to the previous embodiment, an overall pressure ratio provided by the pressure across the fan. the low pressure compressor and the high pressure compressor is greater than 38 and less than 70 at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, an exhaust gas exit temperature of greater than 900 degrees fahrenheit (482 °c) and less than 1000 degrees fahrenheit (538 °c) at maximum take-off. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, a pressure ratio of the low pressure turbine is greater than 7.5 and less than 12.5 at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, a pressure ratio of the high pressure compressor is greater than 6.5 and less than 11.5 at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, a product of a pressure ratio of the fan and a pressure ratio of the low pressure compressor is greater than 4.0 and less than 6.0 at cruise. the pressure ratio of the fan is measured across a root of one of the fan blades alone at 0% span at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, the gear reduction ratio is greater than 3.2 and less than 4.0. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, a ratio of the product of the pressure ratio of the fan and the pressure ratio of the low pressure compressor pressure to a pressure ratio of the high pressure compressor is greater than 0.39 and less than 0.85 at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, the gear reduction ratio is greater than 3.0 and less than 3.3. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, a pressure ratio of the low pressure turbine is greater than 8.0 and less than 9.0 at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, an overall pressure ratio provided by the fan, the low pressure compressor and the high pressure compressor is greater than 38 and less than 50 at cruise. this aspect of the present invention also extends to a method of operating a gas turbine engine having the features of any of the above. in another aspect of the present invention, a gas turbine engine includes a fan section that includes a fan with fan blades. the fan section drives air along a bypass flow path in a bypass duct. a gear reduction is in driving engagement with the fan and has a gear reduction ratio of greater than 3.0 and less than 4.0. a low spool includes a low pressure turbine that drives a low pressure compressor and drives the gear reduction to drive the fan at a speed slower than the low pressure turbine. the low pressure compressor is a four-stage low pressure compressor. the low pressure turbine is a three-stage low pressure turbine. a high spool includes a high pressure turbine that drives a high pressure compressor. the high pressure compressor is a nine-stage high pressure compressor with a pressure ratio of greater than 6.5 and less than 11.5. the high pressure turbine is a two-stage high pressure turbine. an exhaust gas exit temperature of greater than 900 degrees fahrenheit (482 °c) and less than 1000 degrees fahrenheit (538 °c) at maximum take-off. in an embodiment according to the previous embodiment, the high pressure turbine is a two-stage high pressure turbine. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, an overall pressure ratio is provided by the pressure across the fan. the low pressure compressor and the high pressure compressor is greater than 38 and less than 50 at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, a pressure ratio of the low pressure turbine is greater than 7.5 and less than 12.5 at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, a product of a pressure ratio of the fan and a pressure ratio of the low pressure compressor is greater than 4.0 and less than 6.0 at cruise. the pressure ratio of the fan is measured across a root of one of the fan blades alone at 0% span at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, an exhaust gas exit temperature of greater than 900 degrees fahrenheit (482 °c) and less than 1000 degrees fahrenheit (538 °c) at maximum take-off. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, a ratio of the product of the pressure ratio of the fan and the pressure ratio of the low pressure compressor pressure to the pressure ratio of the high pressure compressor is greater than 0.39 and less than 0.85 at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, a ratio of the fan and low pressure compressor pressure to the high pressure compressor pressure is greater than 0.75 and less than 0.85 at cruise. in another embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, the gear reduction ratio is greater than 3.0 and less than 3.2 and a pressure ratio of the low pressure turbine is greater than 8.0 and less than 9.0 at cruise. this aspect of the present invention also extends to a method of operating a gas turbine engine having the features of any of the above. the present disclosure may include any one or more of the individual features disclosed above and/or below alone or in any combination thereof. these and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. brief description of the drawings figure 1 shows a gas turbine engine according to this disclosure. figure 2 schematically illustrates a low spool and a high spool. detailed description figure 1 schematically illustrates a gas turbine engine 20. the gas turbine engine 20 is disclosed herein as a two-spool turbofan that generally incorporates a fan section 22, a compressor section 24, a combustor section 26 and a turbine section 28. the fan section 22 may include a single-stage fan 42 having a plurality of fan blades 43. the fan blades 43 may have a fixed stagger angle or may have a variable pitch to direct incoming airflow from an engine inlet. the fan 42 drives air along a bypass flow path b in a bypass duct 13 defined within a housing 15 such as a fan case or nacelle, and also drives air along a core flow path c for compression and communication into the combustor section 26 then expansion through the turbine section 28. a splitter 29 aft of the fan 42 divides the air between the bypass flow path b and the core flow path c. the housing 15 may surround the fan 42 to establish an outer diameter of the bypass duct 13. the splitter 29 may establish an inner diameter of the bypass duct 13. although depicted as a two-spool turbofan gas turbine engine in the disclosed non-limiting embodiment, it should be understood that the concepts described herein are not limited to use with two-spool turbofans as the teachings may be applied to other types of turbine engines including three-spool architectures. the engine 20 may incorporate a variable area nozzle for varying an exit area of the bypass flow path b and/or a thrust reverser for generating reverse thrust. the exemplary engine 20 generally includes a low speed spool 30 and a high speed spool 32 mounted for rotation about an engine central longitudinal axis a relative to an engine static structure 36 via several bearing systems 38. it should be understood that various bearing systems 38 at various locations may alternatively or additionally be provided, and the location of bearing systems 38 may be varied as appropriate to the application. the low speed spool 30 generally includes an inner shaft 40 that interconnects, a first (or low) pressure compressor 44 and a first (or low) pressure turbine 46. the inner shaft 40 is connected to the fan 42 through a speed change mechanism, which in the exemplary gas turbine engine 20 is illustrated as a geared architecture 48 to drive the fan 42 at a lower speed than the low speed spool 30. the inner shaft 40 may interconnect the low pressure compressor 44 and low pressure turbine 46 such that the low pressure compressor 44 and low pressure turbine 46 are rotatable at a common speed and in a common direction. in other embodiments, the low pressure turbine 46 drives both the fan 42 and low pressure compressor 44 through the geared architecture 48 such that the fan 42 and low pressure compressor 44 are rotatable at a common speed. the high speed spool 32 includes an outer shaft 50 that interconnects a second (or high) pressure compressor 52 and a second (or high) pressure turbine 54. a combustor 56 is arranged in the exemplary gas turbine 20 between the high pressure compressor 52 and the high pressure turbine 54. a mid-turbine frame 57 of the engine static structure 36 may be arranged generally between the high pressure turbine 54 and the low pressure turbine 46. the mid-turbine frame 57 further supports bearing systems 38 in the turbine section 28. the inner shaft 40 and the outer shaft 50 are concentric and rotate via bearing systems 38 about the engine central longitudinal axis a which is collinear with their longitudinal axes. airflow in the core flow path c is compressed by the low pressure compressor 44 then the high pressure compressor 52, mixed and burned with fuel in the combustor 56, then expanded through the high pressure turbine 54 and low pressure turbine 46. the mid-turbine frame 57 includes airfoils 59 which are in the core flow path c. the turbines 46, 54 rotationally drive the respective low speed spool 30 and high speed spool 32 in response to the expansion. it will be appreciated that each of the positions of the fan section 22, compressor section 24, combustor section 26, turbine section 28, and fan drive gear system 48 may be varied. for example, gear system 48 may be located aft of the low pressure compressor, or aft of the combustor section 26 or even aft of turbine section 28, and fan 42 may be positioned forward or aft of the location of gear system 48. the fan 42 may have at least 10 fan blades 43 but no more than 20 or 24 fan blades 43. in examples, the fan 42 may have between 12 and 18 fan blades 43, such as 14 fan blades 43. an exemplary fan size measurement is a maximum radius between the tips of the fan blades 43 and the engine central longitudinal axis a. the maximum radius of the fan blades 43 can be at least 38 inches (96.52cm), or more narrowly no more than 75 inches (190.5cm). for example, the maximum radius of the fan blades 43 can be between 45 inches (114.3cm) and 60 inches (152.4cm), such as between 50 inches (127cm) and 55 inches (139.7cm). another exemplary fan size measurement is a hub radius, which is defined as distance between a hub of the fan 42 at a location of the leading edges of the fan blades 43 and the engine central longitudinal axis a. the fan blades 43 may establish a fan hub-to-tip ratio, which is defined as a ratio of the hub radius divided by the maximum radius of the fan 42. the fan hub-to-tip ratio can be less than or equal to 0.35, or more narrowly greater than or equal to 0.20, such as between 0.25 and 0.30. the combination of fan blade counts and fan hub-to-tip ratios disclosed herein can provide the engine 20 with a relatively compact fan arrangement. the low pressure compressor 44, high pressure compressor 52, high pressure turbine 54 and low pressure turbine 46 each include one or more stages having a row of rotatable airfoils. each stage may include a row of vanes adjacent the rotatable airfoils. the rotatable airfoils are schematically indicated at 47, and the vanes are schematically indicated at 49. the engine 20 may be a high-bypass geared aircraft engine. the bypass ratio can be greater than or equal to 10.0 and less than or equal to about 18.0, or more narrowly can be less than or equal to 16.0. the geared architecture 48 may be an epicyclic gear train, such as a planetary gear system or a star gear system. the epicyclic gear train may include a sun gear, a ring gear, a plurality of intermediate gears meshing with the sun gear and ring gear, and a carrier that supports the intermediate gears. the sun gear may provide an input to the gear train. the ring gear (e.g., star gear system) or carrier (e.g., planetary gear system) may provide an output of the gear train to drive the fan 42. a gear reduction ratio may be greater than or equal to 2.3, or more narrowly greater than or equal to 3.0, and in some embodiments the gear reduction ratio is greater than or equal to 3.4. the gear reduction ratio may be less than or equal to 4.0. the fan diameter is significantly larger than that of the low pressure compressor 44. the low pressure turbine 46 can have a pressure ratio that is greater than or equal to 8.0 and in some embodiments is greater than or equal to 10.0. the low pressure turbine pressure ratio can be less than or equal to 13.0, or more narrowly less than or equal to 12.0. low pressure turbine 46 pressure ratio is pressure measured prior to an inlet of low pressure turbine 46 as related to the pressure at the outlet of the low pressure turbine 46 prior to an exhaust nozzle. it should be understood, however, that the above parameters are only exemplary of one embodiment of a geared architecture engine. all of these parameters are measured at the cruise condition described below. a significant amount of thrust is provided by the bypass flow b due to the high bypass ratio. the fan section 22 of the engine 20 is designed for a particular flight condition -- typically cruise at about 0.8 mach and about 35,000 feet (10,668 meters). the flight condition of 0.8 mach and 35,000 ft (10,668 meters), with the engine at its best fuel consumption - also known as "bucket cruise thrust specific fuel consumption ('tsfc')" - is the industry standard parameter of lbm of fuel being burned divided by lbf of thrust the engine produces at that minimum point. the engine parameters described above, and those in the next paragraph are measured at this condition unless otherwise specified. "fan pressure ratio" is the pressure ratio across the fan blade 43 alone, without a fan exit guide vane ("fegv") system. a distance is established in a radial direction between the inner and outer diameters of the bypass duct 13 at an axial position corresponding to a leading edge of the splitter 29 relative to the engine central longitudinal axis a. the fan pressure ratio is a spanwise average of the pressure ratios measured across the fan blade 43 alone over radial positions corresponding to the distance. the fan pressure ratio can be less than or equal to 1.45, or more narrowly greater than or equal to 1.25, such as between 1.30 and 1.40. "corrected fan tip speed" is the actual fan tip speed in ft/sec divided by an industry standard temperature correction of [(tram °r) / (518.7 °r)] 0.5 . the corrected fan tip speed can be less than or equal to 1150.0 ft / second (350.5 meters/second), and can be greater than or equal to 1000.0 ft / second (304.8 meters/second). the fan 42, low pressure compressor 44 and high pressure compressor 52 can provide different amounts of compression of the incoming airflow that is delivered downstream to the turbine section 28 and cooperate to establish an overall pressure ratio (opr). the opr is a product of the fan pressure ratio across a root (i.e., 0% span) of the fan blade 43 alone, a pressure ratio across the low pressure compressor 44 and a pressure ratio across the high pressure compressor 52. the pressure ratio of the low pressure compressor 44 is measured as the pressure at the exit of the low pressure compressor 44 divided by the pressure at the inlet of the low pressure compressor 44. in examples, a sum of the pressure ratio of the low pressure compressor 44 and the fan pressure ratio is between 3.0 and 6.0, or more narrowly is between 4.0 and 6.0. the pressure ratio of the high pressure compressor ratio 52 is measured as the pressure at the exit of the high pressure compressor 52 divided by the pressure at the inlet of the high pressure compressor 52. in examples, the pressure ratio of the high pressure compressor 52 is between 6.5 and 12.0, or more narrowly is between 6.5 and 11.5, or even more narrowly between 7.0 and 10.5. the opr can be equal to or greater than 40.0, and can be less than or equal to 70.0, such as between 40.0 and 60.0. the overall and compressor pressure ratios disclosed herein are measured at the cruise condition described above, and can be utilized in two-spool architectures such as the engine 20 as well as three-spool engine architectures. the engine 20 establishes a turbine entry temperature (tet). the tet is defined as a maximum temperature of combustion products communicated to an inlet of the turbine section 28 at a maximum takeoff (mto) condition. the inlet is established at the leading edges of the axially forwardmost row of airfoils of the turbine section 28, and mto is measured at maximum thrust of the engine 20 at static sea-level and 86 degrees fahrenheit (°f) (30 °c). the tet may be greater than or equal to 2700.0 °f (1482 °c), or more narrowly less than or equal to 3500.0 °f (1927 °c), such as between 2750.0 °f (1510 °c) and 3350.0 °f (1843 °c). the relatively high tet can be utilized in combination with the other techniques disclosed herein to provide a compact turbine arrangement. the engine 20 establishes an exhaust gas temperature (egt). the egt is defined as a maximum temperature of combustion products in the core flow path c communicated to at the trailing edges of the axially aftmost row of airfoils of the turbine section 28 at the mto condition. the egt may be less than or equal to 1000.0 °f (540 °c), or more narrowly greater than or equal to 800.0 °f (427 °c), such as between 900.0 °f (482 °c) and 975.0 °f (524 °c). the relatively low egt can be utilized in combination with the other techniques disclosed herein to reduce fuel consumption. applicant previously designed, manufactured and flew a gas turbine engine with a gear reduction between the low pressure compressor and the fan rotor. a gear ratio of the gear reduction in those engines was 3.06, or lower. this disclosure relates to gas turbine engines with a gear reduction, but also in embodiments with a gear ratio greater than or equal to 3.2, and also in embodiments greater than or equal to 3.4, and less than 4.0. as schematically illustrated in figure 2 , the low spool 30 includes the fan drive turbine 46 driving the low pressure compressor 44 and the fan 42 through the geared architecture 48 at a slower speed than the low pressure compressor 44. the high spool 32 includes the high pressure turbine 54 driving the high pressure compressor 52. the high spool 32 includes a greater rotational speed than the low spool 30. in this disclosure, the low speed spool 30 performs an increased amount of work on the air in the core flow path c as compared to applicant's prior engines. in particular, the table below illustrates two example gas turbine engines according to this disclosure. the engines include the fan 42 driven by the geared architecture 48 with a four-stage low pressure compressor 44, a nine-stage high pressure compressor 52, a two-stage high pressure turbine 54, and a three-stage low pressure turbine 46. with the example engines 1-2, the low pressure compressor 44 includes a greater number of stages that the low pressure turbine 46. in this disclosure, a stage includes a single rotating blade row. the stage may or may not include a corresponding row of vanes. in the illustrated example, the bypass ratio for engines 1-2 varies from 9.5 to 11.5 at cruise, or more narrowly from 10.0 to 11.0 with the fan pressure ratio varying from greater than 1.30 to less than 1.45 at cruise, or more narrowly from 1.40 to 1.45. the gear reduction ratio varies from greater than 3.0 and less than 4.0, or more narrowly from 3.0 and 3.3. a product of the pressure ratio across the fan 42 at 0% span with the pressure ratio across the low pressure compressor 44 varies from greater than 4.0 to less than 6.0 at cruise, or more narrowly from 4.2 to 5.8, or even more narrowly from 4.0 to 4.5. a pressure ratio across the high pressure compressor 52 varies greater than 6.5 to less than 11.5 at cruise, or more narrowly from 6.9 to 11.0. the high pressure compressor 52 also includes a pressure per stage of greater than 1.20 and less than 1.33 at cruise, or more narrowly from 1.23 to 1.31. one feature of having a pressure per stage in the high pressure compressor 52 within the disclosed ranges is increased aerodynamic efficiency of the blades from a reduction in turning and tip losses. applicant's prior engines include two to three low pressure compressor stages, eight high pressure compressor stages, two high pressure turbine stages and three low pressure turbine stages. additionally, applicant's prior engines included a bypass ratio from 8.6-12.0 at cruise, a gear reduction ratio of 2.41-3.06, a pressure ratio across the fan and low pressure compressor of 2.5-3.1 at cruise, a high pressure compressor pressure ratio of 13-15 at cruise, a pressure per stage for the high pressure compressor of 1.38-1.40, a low pressure turbine pressure ratio of 5.7-7.0 at cruise, an opr of 36.3-41.7 at cruise, and an exhaust gas temp at mto of 1043 to 1094 degrees fahrenheit (562 to 590 °c). a work split ratio is defined as a ratio of the product of the pressure ratio across the fan at 0% span with the pressure ratio of the low pressure compressor 44 to the pressure ratio across the high pressure compressor 52 with all pressure ratios being measured at cruise. in the illustrated example with engines 1-2, the work split ratio varies from greater than 0.35 to less than 0.90, or more narrowly from 0.38 to 0.85. the work split ratios for engines 1-2 occur with overall pressure ratios varying from greater than 38 to less than 50, or more narrowly from 39.0 to 48.0. applicant's prior engines have a work split from 0.16 to 0.24. engines 1-2 maintain a greater work split ratio than applicant's prior engines indicating an increase in work performed by the low spool 40 as compared to the high spool 32. the low pressure turbine 46 also extracts more power from the hot exhaust gases of the core flow path c for engines 1-2 with a pressure ratio varying from greater than 7.5 to less than 12.5, or more narrowly from 8.0 to 9.0. engines 1-2 exhibit improved efficiency with lower exhaust gas temperatures signifying the greater amount of power being extracted from the hot exhaust gases in the core flow path c. in particular, the exhaust gas temperature as defined above at maximum take-off varies from greater than 900 to less than 1000 degrees fahrenheit (482 to 538 °c), or more narrowly, from 955 to 990 degrees fahrenheit (513 to 532 °c). unless otherwise stated, all parameters in the below table are measured at cruise. table-tabl0001 engine 1 engine 2 fpr 1.44 1.44 bypass ratio 10.7 10.7 gear ratio 3.06 3.06 lpc stage count 4 4 lpc (w/ fpr) 4.3 5.7 hpc stage count 9 9 hpc pressure ratio 10.9 7.0 hpc pressure / stage 1.30 1.24 work split ratio 0.4 0.8 opr 46.0 40.0 hpt stage count 2 2 lpt stage count 3 3 lpt pressure ratio 8.3 8.3 ex. gas temp f (mto) 964 (518°c) 964 (518°c) although the different non-limiting examples are illustrated as having specific components, the examples of this disclosure are not limited to those particular combinations. it is possible to use some of the components or features from any of the non-limiting examples in combination with features or components from any of the other non-limiting examples. it should be understood that like reference numerals identify corresponding or similar elements throughout the several drawings. it should also be understood that although a particular component arrangement is disclosed and illustrated in these exemplary embodiments, other arrangements could also benefit from the teachings of this disclosure. the foregoing description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense. a worker of ordinary skill in the art would understand that certain modifications could come within the scope of this disclosure. for these reasons, the following claim should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this disclosure.
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054-993-238-709-182
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CN
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[
"CN",
"US"
] |
F21S10/04,F21V14/04,F21Y115/10,F21S6/00,F21S9/02,F21V3/02,F21V17/06,F21W121/00
| 2017-11-10T00:00:00 |
2017
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[
"F21"
] |
led imitates candle lamp
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the utility model provides a led imitates candle lamp, control circuit board that includes the shell, set up led light source in the shell, be connected with the led light source, the battery compartment of being connected with control circuit board, the swinging piece who is used for imitating wax candle flame, the last through -hole that has simulated candle lamp wick of swinging piece, the ledlight source sets up to two at least. the utility model discloses the last central point of swinging piece puts and presents more real color with the periphery, and the effect of simulating true candle lamp flame is more lifelike, lively. the stability of whole candle lamp. simultaneously, the mouth of pipe that extends swinging piece has carried out partially occluded under the swinging piece wobbling condition not influencing, make whole candle lamp up end in the middle of installation swinging piece position can not form big breach and influence whole complete pleasing to the eye effect.
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1. an artificial led candle, comprising: a housing defining an opening in a top surface thereof; a flame element comprising: an upper section with a flame silhouette outlook; a lower section; and a middle section connecting the upper section and the lower section and rotatably connected to an inner side of an upper part of the housing, such that the upper section of the flame element being exposed through the opening while the lower section and the middle section being received in the housing; a magnetic element fixed to a lower end of the lower section of the flame element; at least one first led light source configured for illuminating a center part of the upper section of the flame element to simulate a center part of a candle flame; at least one second led light source configured for illuminating at least two side parts of the upper section of the flame element to simulate side parts of a candle flame; and a circuit board electrically connected with the first and the second led light sources and comprising a coil facing the magnetic element at an interval; wherein the circuit board is configured for controlling a power supply to the coil so as to swing the flame element. 2. the artificial led candle of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second led light sources are arranged side by side or one above the another. 3. the artificial led candle of claim 2 , wherein the side wall of the housing defines at least one mounting hole, at least one supporting plate extends inwardly and upwardly from a lower edge defining the at least one mounting hole; the first and the second led light sources are removably fixed to the at least one supporting plate and an upper edge defining the at least one mounting hole. 4. the artificial led candle of claim 2 , wherein a through hole is defined in the flame element to simulate a candle wick, and the through hole in the flame element tapers off from top to bottom. 5. the artificial led candle of claim 4 , wherein a top edge defining the through hole in the flame element is arched. 6. the artificial led candle of claim 1 , wherein a through hole is defined in the flame element to simulate a candle wick, and the through hole in the flame element tapers off from top to bottom. 7. the artificial led candle of claim 6 , wherein a top edge defining the through hole in the flame element is arched. 8. the artificial led candle of claim 6 , wherein two connecting rods extend outwardly from two sides of the middle section of the flame element, respectively; two second connecting part extend from the inner side of the upper part of the housing; each second connecting part defines a receiving hole configured for receiving an free end of a corresponding connecting rod. 9. the artificial led candle of claim 8 , wherein the free end of each connecting rod has a substantially semi-circular cross-section and comprises a flat part and a circular arced part; each receiving hole has one or two protruding parts configured for limiting a rotating range of the connecting rod. 10. the artificial led candle of claim 6 , wherein a wax layer covers the top surface and a part of the opening of the housing. 11. the artificial led candle of claim 6 , wherein the coil is configured right behind the magnetic element when the flame element stays still, and the magnetic element is fixed to a lower surface of the lower end of the flame element. 12. the artificial led candle of claim 11 , wherein the magnetic element is a permanent bipolar magnet or an iron. 13. the artificial led candle of claim 1 , further comprising a cell box connected to a lower end of the housing and configured for receiving a battery or a power adapter; the cell box is electrically connected to the circuit board. 14. the artificial led candle of claim 1 , wherein the housing is separated into two detachable parts, a first part and a second part, and the first part and the second part are symmetrical in structure. 15. the artificial led candle of claim 14 , wherein the first part comprises a plurality of pins, and the second part comprises corresponding plug parts matched with the plurality of pins; the first part and the second part are connected together via the plurality of pins and plug parts.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to an artificial led candle. 2. description of related art led (light emitting diode) is under rapid development due to its multiple advantages, including fast reaction, great shock resistance, extraordinary endurance, energy-saving and environment-friendly in special. led lights have become an indispensable part of daily life of people as they gradually replace traditional incandescent and fluorescent, etc. candle is needed to foil atmosphere in some special occasions, such as cafes, bars, stage or temples, etc. however, the candle can cause smoke when its wick burns, and there is also a potential risk of fire in the same time. as a result, artificial led candles have begun to appear on the market, but most of them in the market currently use fixed light bulbs or lamp shades to cover the led light sources, which cannot present the scenarios of swing flame of a burning candle. for example, us pat. app. pub. no. 20070223216 a1 to jensen et al published sep. 27, 2007 discloses an artificial candle including an elastically flexible translucent flame piece simulating a candle flame and a base simulating a wax candle. the flame piece can not swing. therefore, artificial candles with movable flame part appear. like the dynamic flame simulating device disclosed by us pat. app. pub. no. 20160053954 a1 to wen-cheng lai, published on feb. 25, 2016. however, the light shades of the flame is monotonous, and a middle part and side parts of a real candle flame have different shades of color, so the existing artificial led candle has a poor simulation effect. brief description of the several views of the drawing(s) the foregoing and other exemplary purposes, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood in principle from the following detailed description of one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first part and a second part of a housing, installed with led light sources, a circuit board, and a cell box, of an artificial led candle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 is a main view of a flame element of the artificial led candle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 3 is a main view of a flame element of an artificial led candle in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first part of the housing, installed with the led light sources, the circuit board, a flame element and the cell box, of the artificial led candle. fig. 5 is a top view of the artificial led candle with the flame element tilt slightly. fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a connecting rod of the artificial led candle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a second connecting part of the artificial led candle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the invention the invention will now be described in detail through several embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. referring to fig. 1 to fig. 5 , an artificial led candle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 10 , a first led light source 21 , a second led light source 22 , a circuit board 30 electrically connected to the first and the second led light sources 21 , 22 , a cell box 40 connected to the housing 10 and electrically connected to the circuit board 30 , and a flame element 50 for simulating a candle flame. a magnetic element 51 is fixed to a lower end of the flame element 50 , and the circuit board 30 includes a coil 31 facing the magnetic element 51 at an interval. in operation, the circuit board 30 controls a power supply to the coil 31 , the magnetic element 51 is pushed or pulled (suffered a lorentz force when the magnetic element is a magnet, or a magnetic force when the magnetic element is an iron) accordingly so as to swing the flame element 50 . in detail, the flame element 50 includes an upper section 52 with a flame silhouette outlook, a lower section 53 and a middle section 54 connecting the upper section 52 and the lower section 53 . the middle section 54 is rotatably connected to an inner side of an upper part 11 of the housing 10 . in the embodiment, two connecting rods 55 extend outwardly from two opposite sides of the middle section 54 of the flame element 50 , respectively. and two second connecting parts 111 extend from the inner side of the upper part 11 of the housing 10 . each second connecting part 111 defines a receiving hole 1111 (see fig. 7 ) used for receiving a free end of a corresponding connecting rod 55 . in the embodiment, please refer to fig. 6 and fig. 7 , the free end of each connecting rod 55 has a substantially semi-circular cross-section, when facing the substantially semi-circular cross-section, the connecting rod 55 includes a flat part (edge) 551 and a circular arced part (edge) 552 . each receiving hole 1111 has one or two protruding parts 1112 used for limiting a rotating range of the connecting rod 55 . in the embodiment, there is only one fan-shaped cross-section of the protruding part 1112 . when the connecting rod 55 rotates to two positions where the flat part (edge) 551 touches one of side walls of the protruding part 1112 , it is stopped. in other embodiments, there may be two post-shaped protruding parts, when the connecting rod 55 rotates to two positions where the flat part (edge) 551 touches one of the post-shaped protruding parts, it is stopped. in further other embodiments, the two post-shaped protruding parts may be replaced by protruding parts with other shapes. in other embodiments, the connecting rods 55 and the second connecting part 111 may exchange their positions, that is, the connecting rods are arranged on the housing 10 , and the second connecting parts 111 extend out from the middle section 54 of the flame element 50 . as described above, the magnetic element 51 is fixed to a lower end of the flame element 50 . in the embodiment, a hole or slot 531 is defined in the lower surface 532 of the lower section 53 . the coil 31 is fixed right behind the magnetic element 51 when the flame element 50 stays still in a vertical direction perpendicular with the horizontal direction. the coil 31 is wounded around the vertical direction. the magnetic element 51 is a permanent bipolar magnet, and its two magnetic poles facing two long sides of the coil 31 at an interval. the first and the second led light sources 21 , 22 are removably connected to the housing 10 , and emit light towards the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 to illuminate the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 . particularly, the first led light source 21 is arranged to illuminate a center part 521 (circled by a dashed line in fig. 3a ) of the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 to simulate a center part of a real candle flame. the second led light source 22 is arranged to illuminate at least two side parts 522 (around the area which is circled by the dashed line in fig. 3a ) of the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 to simulate side parts of a real candle flame. in the embodiment, the second led light source 22 is arranged to illuminate both the center part 521 and the two side parts 522 of the upper section 52 . as a result, the center part 521 of the upper section 52 is illuminated by both the first and the second led light sources 21 , 22 , while the two side parts 522 of the upper section 52 is illuminated only by the second led light source 22 . therefore, a center part 521 is brighter than the two side parts 522 of the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 , just like a real burning candle flame. color simulation presented on the flame element is more realistic, a simulate effect is improved. the shape of the center part 521 circled by the dashed line in fig. 3a is just for readers to understand easily, it may be shaped just like an area bracketed by the two dashed line s 521 ′ and 522 ′ as shown in fig. 3b in another embodiment. in the embodiment, the first and the second led light sources 21 , 22 are arranged side by side. in other embodiments, they may be arranged one above the another along a vertical direction, as long as the center part 521 of the upper section 52 is illuminated by both the first and the second led light sources 21 , 22 , while the two side parts 522 of the upper section 52 is illuminated only by the second led light source 22 . in other embodiments, there may be two or more first led light sources arranged to illuminate the center part of the upper section. in further other embodiments, there may be two second led light sources arranged at two sides of the first led light source, each second led light source is used to illuminate at least one side part 522 of the upper section 52 of the flame element. when the second led light source only illuminates one side part of the upper section of the flame element, the first led light source should be brighter than the second led light source. furthermore, a through hole 523 is defined in the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 to simulate a candle wick. preferably, the through hole 523 is within the center part 521 . and the through hole 523 in the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 tapers off from top to bottom. that is, a width of the hole 55 becomes narrower gradually from top to bottom. a top edge 5231 defining the through hole 523 in the flame element 50 is arched. when the first and the second led light sources 21 , 22 are powered, light beams emitting towards the through hole 523 pass through the through hole 523 , therefore it looks like dark and black, seems like the candle wick. the housing 10 is substantially cylindrical, its upper part 11 is slightly narrower than a lower part 12 . a top surface 112 of the upper part 11 defines an opening 113 . the two second connecting parts 111 are arranged near the opening 113 , such that the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 is exposed through the opening 113 while the lower section 53 and the middle section 54 are received in the housing 10 . particularly, a wax layer 60 (only shown in fig. 4 and fig. 5 ) made from wax covers at least the top surface 112 and a part of the opening 113 of the housing 10 . the wax layer 60 is unable to interfere with the swinging movement of the flame element 50 , and can prevent the users from seeing the inner elements of the artificial candle. therefore ensure the integrity of the entire artificial led candle the circuit board 30 may be fixed to a middle part or a lower part of the lower part 12 such that the coil 31 can be positioned right behind the magnetic element 51 when the flame element 50 stays still in the vertical direction. for the purpose of mounting and fixing the first led light source 21 and the second led light source 22 , the side wall of the lower part 12 of the housing 10 defines a mounting hole 121 , and a supporting plate 122 extends inwardly and upwardly from a lower edge 123 defining the mounting hole 121 . another supporting plate 125 extends perpendicularly from the supporting plate 122 outwardly. the first and the second led light sources 21 , 22 are removably fixed to the supporting plates 122 , 125 . a cover (not shown) may be used to cover the mounting hole 121 . in other embodiments, the mounting hole 121 and/or the supporting plates 122 , 125 may be omitted. the first led light source 21 and the second led light source 22 may be fixed to the inner of the side wall via other frame(s) as long as they can illuminate predetermined area of the upper section of the flame element 50 . the cell box 40 is connected to a lower end 13 of the housing 10 and used for receiving a battery or a power adapter. it is understandably, a power interface is set in the cell box 40 when the battery is applicable, and the power interface is omitted when a power adapter is applicable. for the purpose of removing and change or maintain the first led light source 21 and the second led light source 22 , and other elements, the housing 10 is separated into two detachable parts, a first part 14 shown in fig. 1 and a second part 15 shown in fig. 2 , along a vertical plane perpendicular with the horizontal plane. the first part 14 and the second part 15 are symmetrical in structure. the first part may include several pins 141 , and the second part 15 includes several plug parts 151 matched with the pins 141 . the first part 14 and the second part 15 of the housing 10 are connected together via the pins 141 and plug parts 151 . when the artificial led candle is powered on, the, and the light emitted from the led light sources 21 , 22 hits the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 , and the upper section 52 of the flame element 50 reflects the light so that the human eyes see the flame shape of the candle. at the same time, changing current is supplied to the coil 31 , the magnetic element 51 swings to drive the flame element 50 swing back and forth (left and right in fig. 4 ) around the connecting rods 55 , therefore simulated flame seems to be flickering and swaying, just like a real candle flame. furthermore, the through hole 523 in the flame element allows the light to pass through in order to simulate the black candle wick. further more, in order to facilitate control of the present invention, the circuit board of the embodiment may be provided with a remote control function, that is, a remote control receiving module added in the control circuit, and a switch of the led light sources is controlled by a corresponding remote controller. such remote control receiving modules and corresponding remote controllers are conventional technologies and will not be described in detail here. to sum up, the flame element of the present invention is rotatably connected to the housing. the flame element swings back and forth by the cooperation of the magnetic member and the energizing coil arranged at the bottom. the led light sources arranged in the housing illuminate the flame element to illuminate a real candle flame with different light shadow. the center of the flame element is provided with a through hole for simulating the candle wick. when the light is irradiated at this position, a black area is formed which is similar to a wick of candle light. moreover, the quantity of the led light sources of the present invention is at least two, the led light sources illuminating the center position of the flame element is separated from the led light source irradiated on the periphery according to the true flame color (light shadow) of a candle, so that the center part and the side parts of the upper section of the flame element present a more realistic color. in addition, the cross-section of the connecting rod for mounting the flame element is designed as a semi-circular shape to prevent the swinging amplitude of the flame element from being too large. when the flame element rotates to reach a certain angle, it is blocked. as a result, the flame element is prevented from swinging in one direction, increasing the stability of the entire artificial led candle. at the same time, the wax layer partially shields the top opening without affecting the swing of the flame element, so that the position of the flame element installed in the middle of the upper end surface of the candle-like light will not form a large gap and affect the overall aesthetic effect of the artificial led candle. while the invention has been described in terms of several exemplary embodiments, those skilled on the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. in addition, it is noted that, the applicant's intent is to encompass equivalents of all claim elements, even if amended later during prosecution.
|
055-786-379-160-124
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
A01H5/02
| 2001-09-19T00:00:00 |
2001
|
[
"A01"
] |
chrysanthemum plant named 'tutan time'
|
a new variety of chrysanthemum plant named tutan time, having a medium upright and branching habit with a flat capitulum form of golden bronze single flowers with a green disc and darker centre.
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1 . a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant, substantially as described and illustrated herein.
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latin name of the genus and species botanical classification: dendranthema grandiflora . variety denomination the new chrysanthemum variety denomination is tutan time. background of the invention the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum botanically known as dendranthema grandiflora , and referred to by the cultivar name tutan time. tutan time, identified as 20778-0 originated from a cross made by mark boeder, in a controlled breeding program in chichester, west sussex, united kingdom. the female parent of the new variety is known as midas time, and the male parent is the variety known as swing time. the new variety tutan time has been asexually reproduced by vegetative cuttings at chichester, west sussex, united kingdom and the distinguishing characteristics are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. brief summary of the invention tutan time is a pot type of chrysanthemum plant variety having an unusual flower form, giving a flat capitulum and golden bronze single type flowers. comparison with parent plants of the new chrysanthemum variety tutan time are similar to the parent cultivar midas time in plant habitat and growth rate. in side-by-side comparisons in chichester, west sussex, united kingdom, under commercial practice, plants of the new chrysanthemum variety tutan time differed from plants of the parent cultivar midas time in the following characteristics. 1. the new variety tutan time produces gold bronze single flowers whereas the parent cultivar midas time produces gold single flowers with spoon shaped petals and green disc. 2. plants of the new variety tutan time have smaller and more inflorescence than plants of the parent cultivar midas time. 3. on average the new variety tutan time has a two day faster response time compared to midas time. comparison with other varieties plants of the new chrysanthemum variety tutan time are similar to the cultivar canton in plant habitat and growth rate. however, in side-by-side comparisons in chichester, west sussex, united kingdom, under commercial practice, plants of the new chrysanthemum variety tutan time differed from plants of the cultivar canton in the following characteristics. 1. the new variety tutan time produces gold bronze flowers, whereas the cultivar canton produces lavender white flowers. 2. plants of the new variety tutan time have smaller and shorter inflorescence than plants of the parent cultivar canton. 3. the new variety tutan time is more rounded in shape, with more even branching compared to the variety canton. brief description of illustrations typical specimens of the plant and flowers for the new chrysanthemum variety tutan time are shown in the accompanying photograph. the colours shown are as true as possible within the usual limits of this kind of illustration. fig. 1 is a whole plant view of the new variety tutan time grown in a pot. the plant shown in the illustration is 56 days from start of short days. detailed botanical description the following description of the new chrysanthemum variety tutan time is of plants grown in a greenhouse in chichester, west sussex, united kingdom in the month of august. the cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. the phenotype may vary significantly with variations in the environment such as temperature, length of day and light intensity, without any variance in genotype. the commercial classification of the new variety is a pot chrysanthemum. plants of the new variety have been grown successfully under temperature conditions averaging about 18 c. at night and about 24 c. to 25 c. during the day under light conditions of about 5,000 to 6,000 foot candles. the plants respond well to the use of growth retardant, such as two b9 treatments at about 2000 ppm. to produce a commercial product the plants may be pinched once with the centre bud removed. the typical container size for commercial growth is 14 cm. it has been observed that the shelf life of the new variety is about 24 days with a response time of about 7weeks. the new variety is suitable for growth in a temperature range of 16 c. to 25 c. the new variety may be produced as a spray or disbud. the following description is with respect to a plant produced as spray pot chrysanthemums. in the description of this new chrysanthemum variety, colour values have been taken from the royal horticultural society colour chart (r.h.s.c.c.). plant plant type: pot habit: upright and branching height: medium 18 to 21 cm. width: near 25 cm. branching characteristics: upright and spreading length of lateral branches: 10 to 15 cm. number of breaks from pinch: 5 to 7. stem colour: 137 c. response time: 51 days. vigour: medium shelf life: near 22 days. disease: no observations pest: no observations growth retardant type and treatment: b9 85% 2 applications of 2 gram/litre at 2 days, 21 days after propagating unrooted vegetative cuttings. the plants were grown for two weeks in long day conditions (20 hours of light) and then transferred to short day conditions (13 hours of dark). propagation: type. vegetative propagation via stem cuttings time to rooting. 12-14 days with soil temperatures of 18 c. rooting habit. fine and fibrous foliage number of leaves per lateral branch: 7 to 11 compound or single: single arrangement of leaves: alternate shape of leaf. typically 5 lobed, oblong ovate size of leaf. width (cm): near 4 to 5 cm length (cm): 10 cm leaf apex. acute base. obtuse attachment. petioled aspect. slightly undulating margin. palmately lobed surface characteristics.top: pubescent bottom: pubescent petiole: colour: near 138 b length: near 2 cm venation: net, prominent midvein under side. colour. upper side: near 138 b underside: near 138 c colour: mature leaf, upper side: near 138 a; under side: near 138 b young leaf, upper side: near 138 a; under side: near 138 b flower flower appearance: single flower with quilled petals flower type: single (daisy) flower form: slightly cupped flower shape: circular flower habit: upright number of blossoms per branch: 5 to 8 inflorescence form: cyme depth of fully expanded blossoms. near 1cm diameter of fully expanded blossoms. near 7 cm sepals: number. 18 to 23 colour. near 137 a length. near 1.2 cm width. near 0.3 cm texture/appearance. pubescent peduncles: peduncle length is shortest at the terminal flower and progressively longer moving down the stem; longest length is on average 10 cm; shortest length on average 5 cm. length. 6 cm colour. near 137 b surface. slightly pubescent habit. slightly curving strength. medium/strong pedicel: length. terminal: near 5 cm; lateral: near 7 cm colour. near 137 b surface. pubescent habit. slightly curving strength. medium/strong ray florets: form/shape. straight, slightly spatulate texture/appearance. matte number per flower. 30 to 45 length. 1 to 2 cm; width: 0.2 to 0.4 cm apex. rounded and dentate base. tapered margin. entire disc florets: form/shape. cylindrical texture/appearance. shiny numberperflower. 25 to 30 length. near 0.5 to 0.7 cm; width: 0.05 to 0.1 cm diameter of disc. near 1.2 cm fragrance: slight flower bud (at onset of colour): length. near 0.7 cm diameter. near 1.0 cm form/shape. globular general flower colour: golden bronze 1. ray florets, upper side: immature: near 25 a mature: near 23 a older/fading: near 15 b 2. ray florets, under side: immature: near 25 b mature: near 23 a older/fading: near 15 b 3. disc florets: immature: near 8 c mature: near 138 d older/fading: near 8 c 4. bud: near 137 b flower progression: slight colour fading and flattening of flowers, with age reproductive organs ray florets. pistillate pistil number. 35 to 40 stigma colour. near 6 c stigma shape. forked style colour. near 6 c style length. near 0.5 cm disc florets: pistillate pistil number.< 802 stigma colour. near 6 c stigma shape. forked style colour. near 6 c style length. near 0.5 cm staminate. stamen number. approx. 150 anther shape. cylindrical anther colour. near 9 a pollen colour. bright yellow. near 12 a pollen quantity. little
|
056-028-171-801-547
|
JP
|
[
"JP",
"US"
] |
G03G15/00,B65H5/06,B65H7/14,B65H29/58,B65H85/00
| 2000-03-22T00:00:00 |
2000
|
[
"G03",
"B65"
] |
sheet member carrying device and image forming device
|
problem to be solved: to provide a sheet member carrying device capable of smoothly carrying a sheet member, and ensuring high carrying reliability, even when the sheet member is transferred between carrying means arranged upstream and downstream of the carrying direction, or the sheet member is carried astride over the carrying means. solution: a carrying means 1 disposed upstream of a carrying path 90 of a sheet member 7 is constant-speed rotating driven by a driving means 3, and a carrying means 2 disposed downstream of the carrying path 90 is acceleration rotating driven by a driving means 4 capable of changing a carrying speed. the acceleration rotating is transmitted to the carrying means 1 through a speed adjusting means 5 reflecting the acceleration rotating on the carrying speed of the carrying means 1.
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1. a sheet conveying device comprising: 2. the device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said speed adjusting means comprises a first one-way clutch intervening between said upstream conveying means and said first drive means and a second one-way clutch intervening between said upstream conveying means and said downstream conveying means. 3. the device as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising power transmitting means, wherein said first one-way clutch intervenes between said upstream conveying means and said first drive means for transmitting only a rotation of said first drive means that conveys a sheet in an intended direction of sheet conveyance to said upstream conveying means, and 4. the device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 5. the device as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising coupling/uncoupling means intervening between said first drive means and said first one-way clutch for selectively setting up or interrupting drive transmission from said first drive means to said upstream conveying means. 6. the device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 7. the device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 8. the device as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising coupling/uncoupling means intervening between said first drive means and said first one-way clutch for selectively setting up or interrupting drive transmission from said first drive means to said upstream conveying means. 9. the device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 10. a sheet conveying device for conveying a sheet with upstream and downstream rotatable conveying means respectively located at an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path, said sheet conveying device comprising: 11. the device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said first one-way clutch intervenes between said drive means and the downstream conveying means for transmitting a rotation of said drive means that conveys a sheet member in an intended direction of sheet conveyance to said downstream conveying means, and 12. the device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 13. a drive control device for controlling first and second drive means for respectively causing upstream and downstream rotatable conveying means, which are respectively located at an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path, to rotate, said drive control device comprising: 14. the device as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising: 15. the device as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said control means stops driving the second drive means and then stops driving the first drive means in accordance with an output of said first sheet sensing means. 16. in a drive control device for controlling drive means for causing upstream and downstream rotatable conveying means, which are respectively located at an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path, to rotate at a preselected speed and acceleration drive means for accelerating a rotation of said upstream conveying means and a rotation of said downstream conveying means, power transmitting means connects said upstream and downstream conveying means, 17. a duplex copy conveying unit comprising: 18. the unit as claimed in claim 17 , wherein said speed adjusting means comprises: 19. the unit as claimed in claim 18 , wherein said speed adjusting means further comprises power transmitting means connecting said upstream and downstream conveying means, 20. the unit as claimed in claim 19 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 21. the unit as claimed in claim 19 , further comprising coupling/uncoupling means intervening between said first drive means and said first one-way clutch for selectively setting up or interrupting drive transmission from said first drive means to said upstream conveying means. 22. the unit as claimed in claim 21 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 23. the unit as claimed in claim 18 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 24. the unit as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising coupling/uncoupling means intervening between said first drive means and said first one-way clutch for selectively setting up or interrupting drive transmission from said first drive means to said upstream conveying means. 25. the unit as claimed in claim 24 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 26. a duplex copy conveying unit comprising: 27. the unit as claimed in claim 26 , wherein said first one-way clutch intervenes between said drive means and said downstream conveying means for transmitting a rotation of said drive means that conveys the sheet in an intended direction of sheet feed to said downstream conveying means, and 28. the unit as claimed in claim 27 , wherein said first and second one-way clutches are coaxially mounted on a single shaft included in said upstream conveying means. 29. in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet that is conveyed by a sheet conveying device arranged in said image forming apparatus, said sheet conveying device comprising: 30. in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet that is conveyed by a sheet conveying device arranged in said image forming apparatus, said sheet conveying device comprising: 31. in an image forming apparatus including a drive control device for controlling rotations of at least two sets of conveying means for conveying a sheet on which an image is to be formed, said drive control device comprising: 32. in an image forming apparatus including a drive control device for controlling rotations of at least two sets of conveying means for conveying a sheet on which an image is to be formed, said drive control device comprising: 33. in an image forming apparatus for reversing and conveying a sheet carrying an image thereon by using a duplex copy conveying unit, said duplex conveying unit comprising: 34. in an image forming apparatus for reversing and conveying a sheet carrying an image thereon by using a duplex copy conveying unit, said duplex conveying unit comprising: 35. in a sheet conveying method for conveying a sheet by causing first and second drive means to respectively drive upstream and downstream rotatable conveying means, which are respectively located at an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path, when said sheet extends over both of said upstream and downstream conveying means, said first drive means and said upstream conveying means are caused slip on each other while said second drive means causes said downstream conveying means at a higher speed than said upstream conveying means, and 36. in a drive control method for controlling a conveying speed of upstream conveying means and a conveying speed of downstream rotatable conveying means, which are respectively located at an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path, first and second drive means respectively causing said upstream and downstream conveying means to rotate, when a sheet extends over both of said upstream and downstream conveying means, said first drive means and said upstream conveying means are caused to slip on each other while said second drive means rotates said downstream conveying means at a higher speed than said upstream conveying means, 37. a sheet conveying device for conveying a sheet, comprising: 38. the device as claimed in claim 37 , wherein said delaying means comprises: 39. the device as claimed in claim 37 , further comprising torque increasing means for increasing a force that causes said upstream conveying means to rotate in the event of rotation transmission from said second drive means to said upstream conveying means. 40. the device as claimed in claim 37 , further comprising delay adjusting means for selectively varying a delay of the rotation transmission from said second drive means to said upstream conveying means. 41. the device as claimed in claim 40 , whereon said delay adjusting means comprises: 42. a duplex copy conveying unit comprising: 43. the unit as claimed in claim 42 , wherein said delaying means comprises: 44. the unit as claimed in claim 42 , further comprising torque increasing means for increasing a force that causes said upstream conveying means to rotate in the event of rotation transmission from said second drive means to said upstream conveying means. 45. the unit as claimed in claim 42 , further comprising delay adjusting means for selectively varying a delay of the rotation transmission from said second drive means to said upstream conveying means. 46. the unit as claimed in claim 45 , whereon said delay adjusting means comprises: 47. in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet that is conveyed by a sheet conveying device, said sheet conveying device comprising: 48. in an image forming apparatus for reversing and conveying a sheet carrying an image thereon by using a duplex copy conveying unit, said duplex copy conveying unit comprising: 49. in a sheet conveying method for conveying a sheet by causing first and second drive means to respectively drive upstream and downstream rotatable conveying means, which are respectively located at an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path, when said sheet extends over both of said upstream and downstream conveying means, said first drive means and said upstream conveying means are caused to slip on each other while said second drive means causes said downstream conveying means at a higher speed than said upstream conveying means, and
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background of the invention the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and more particularly to a sheet conveying device, a drive control device and a duplex copy unit included in an image forming apparatus as well as to a sheet conveying method and a drive control method. it is a common practice with a sheet conveying device to drive conveying means respectively located at the upstream side and downstream side in a direction of sheet conveyance by use of a single drive means or respective drive means. assume that the upstream conveying means rotates to convey a sheet at a speed of u 1 , that the downstream conveying means rotates to convey it at a speed of u 2 equal to u 1 , and that the two conveying means rotating at such a speed are accelerated. also, assume that the drive means respectively assigned to the upstream and downstream conveying means are controllable independently of each other. then, when a sheet extends over both of the two conveying means, the two drive means may be accelerated at the same time. further, assume that a usual conveying speed before acceleration and a conveying speed after acceleration are up and uk, respectively. then, the sheet can be surely accelerated if u 1 is equal to uk and if u 2 is equal to uk. on the other hand, assume that either one of the upstream and downstream drive means is controlled in speed. for example, assume that the upstream conveying means rotates at a constant speed while the downstream conveying speed is accelerated. then, the downstream drive means is so controlled as to accelerate the downstream conveying means when a sheet extends over both of the upstream and downstream conveying means. at the same time, the upstream drive means and upstream conveying means are connected via a one-way clutch such that the upstream conveying means follows the rotation of the downstream conveying means. as a result, despite that the conveying speed u 2 is higher than the conveying speed u 1 (u 1 up and u 2 uk), the difference in conveying speed between the two conveying means can be absorbed, insuring acceleration. the requisite with a modern copier, printer, facsimile apparatus, plotter or similar image forming apparatus is high productivity or printing efficiency. to meet this requisite, the conveying speed of, e.g., a duplex copy conveying unit, peripheral unit or paper discharge unit is increasing relative to the conveying speed or process speed of an image forming section. particularly, an image forming apparatus operable in a duplex copy mode is required to reverse a paper sheet or similar sheet carrying an image on one side thereon with a duplex copy conveying device and again feed it to an image forming section. a higher speed conveying speed is therefore essential with this type of apparatus. today, in parallel with the digitization of an image forming apparatus, interleaf control is becoming predominant. the interleaf control is such that while sheets are constantly conveyed along the path of an image forming apparatus, the feed of sheets from a tray and the refeed of sheets from a duplex copy conveying unit are alternately effected. therefore, an image forming apparatus with the interleaf control capability does not need an intermediate tray for temporarily stacking sheets. japanese patent laid-open publication no. 63-112626 and japanese patent no. 2,846,926, for example, each disclose a particular sheet conveying device for an image forming apparatus. the sheet conveying device taught in laid-open publication no. 63-112626 includes a single drive means for rotating a plurality of conveying means arranged in a duplex copy conveying unit. the sheet conveying device reverses a sheet and then accelerates the sheet as far as a registration roller pair. the sheet conveying device proposed in patent no. 2,846,926 includes drive means each being assigned to upstream conveying means and downstream conveying means. the drive means allow a sheet to be conveyed at a variable speed in accordance with the condition of conveyance. this is directed toward smooth acceleration and deceleration to be effected even during sheet conveyance. when a sheet extends over both of the two conveying means, the device taught in patent 2,846,926 controls the two drive means to an equal speed. the problem with the control over the individual conveying means is that a particular variable-speed drive source must be assigned to each drive means. this, coupled with the fact that both of the two drive sources must be variably controlled, complicates a control system and increases the cost. assume that only one of the control means respectively assigned to the upstream and downstream conveying means is controlled. then, because a one-way clutch intervenes only between the upstream drive means and the upstream conveying means, the downstream conveying means accelerated pulls the upstream conveying means via a sheet being conveyed by the downstream conveying means. as a result, the upstream arrangement exerts a load on the conveyance and is likely to cause the sheet to crease or otherwise deform. this is undesirable from the reliable conveyance standpoint. as for the sheet conveying device taught in the previously mentioned laid-open publication no. 63-112626, assume that the intermediate conveying unit conveys a sheet toward the registration roller pair. then, a difference in speed exists between the intermediate conveying unit and the body of the apparatus, i.e., between the conveying speed of the image forming section and that of the intermediate conveying unit. consequently, a new sheet driven into the intermediate conveying unit is apt to crease or jam the path. therefore, a new sheet cannot be introduced into the intermediate conveying unit during acceleration, so that productivity or printing efficiency is limited. the problem with the sheet conveying device disclosed in the previously mentioned patent no. 2,846,926 is that when a sheet extends both of the two conveying means, the drive means assigned to the two conveying means must be controlled at the same time. the device therefore needs a sophisticated control system. moreover, the device must assign a particular variable-speed drive source to each drive means, resulting in an increase in cost. in an image forming apparatus not including an intermediate tray, a sheet is sometimes brought to a stop on a path (path stacking) due to, e.g., an interrupt job or the delay of rearrangement of image data. should the sheet be stopped at a position where the conveying speed is different, a load would act on the sheet at the time of restart and would thereby cause the sheet to crease. assume that the upstream and downstream conveying means each gripping a particular sheet are again driven to convey the sheets. then, the distance between the sheets is the problem in the aspect of the size reduction of the image forming apparatus. if the upstream and downstream conveying means each are driven by particular drive means, then the drive timing of the upstream drive means may be controlled to adjust the distance between the sheets. however, in the case where the driving force of the downstream drive means is transmitted to the upstream conveying means, the above distance cannot be adjusted. it is therefore likely that the sheet positioned at the upstream side cannot be sensed. this obstructs accurate, reliable sheet conveyance. technologies relating to the present invention are also disclosed in, e.g., japanese patent laid-open publication nos. 8-217291 and 11-20993. summary of the invention it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sheet conveying device, a drive control device, a duplex copy conveying unit, a sheet conveying method and a drive control method capable of smoothly transferring a sheet from upstream conveying means to downstream conveying means and smoothly conveying even a sheet, which extends over both of the upstream and downstream conveying means, as well as an image forming apparatus including the same. it is another object of the present invention to provide a sheet conveying device, a drive control device, a duplex copy conveying unit, a sheet conveying method and a drive control method that are low cost and capable of preventing the productivity of copies (printing efficiency) from being lowered as well as an image forming apparatus including the same. it is a further object of the present invention to provide a sheet conveying device, a duplex copy conveying unit and a sheet conveying device that are low cost and capable of easily adjusting a distance between consecutive sheets and thereby insuring reliable sheet conveyance as well as an image forming apparatus including the same. in accordance with the present invention, a sheet conveying device includes an upstream and a downstream rotatable conveying mechanism respectively located on an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path. a first and a second drive source respectively cause the upstream and downstream conveying mechanisms to rotate. the second drive source drives the downstream conveying mechanism at a variable conveying speed. a speed adjusting device causes the conveying speed of the upstream conveying mechanism to reflect the conveying speed of the downstream conveying mechanism that is variable. also, in accordance with the present invention, a drive control device controls a first and a second drive source for respectively causing an upstream and a downstream rotatable conveying mechanism, which are respectively located at an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path, to rotate. the drive control device includes a speed adjusting device connecting the upstream and downstream conveying mechanisms for causing the conveying speed the upstream conveying mechanism, which is controlled by the second drive source, to reflect the conveying speed of the downstream conveying mechanism. a controller controls the second drive source such that when the conveying speed of the upstream conveying mechanism and that of the downstream conveying mechanism are to be varied, the downstream conveying mechanism rotates at a higher speed than the upstream conveying mechanism. further, in accordance with the present invention, a duplex copy conveying unit includes a reversing section for reversing a sheet, and a path for receiving the sheet conveyed from the reversing section. at least an upstream and a downstream rotatable conveying mechanism are respectively located at an upstream side and a downstream side on the path for conveying the sheet from the path to the outside of the path. a first and a second drive source respectively cause the upstream and downstream conveying mechanisms to rotate. the second drive source drives the downstream conveying mechanism at a variable conveying speed. a speed adjusting device causes the upstream conveying mechanism to reflect the conveying speed of the downstream conveying mechanism, which is variable. moreover, in accordance with the present invention, in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet that is conveyed by a sheet conveying device arranged in the apparatus, the sheet conveying device includes an upstream and a downstream rotatable conveying mechanism respectively located on an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path. a first and a second drive source respectively cause the upstream and downstream conveying mechanisms to rotate. the second drive source drives the downstream conveying mechanism at a variable conveying speed. a speed adjusting device causes the conveying speed of the upstream conveying mechanism to reflect the conveying speed of the downstream conveying mechanism that is variable. in addition, in accordance with the present invention, in a drive control method for controlling the conveying speed of an upstream rotatable conveying mechanism and the conveying speed of a downstream rotatable conveying mechanism, which are respectively located at an upstream side and a downstream side on a preselected sheet conveyance path, a first and a second drive source respectively cause the upstream and downstream conveying mechanisms to rotate. when a sheet extends over both of the upstream and downstream conveying mechanisms, the first drive source and upstream conveying mechanism are caused to slip on each other while the second drive source rotates the downstream conveying mechanism at a higher speed than the upstream conveying mechanism. the increased rotation speed of the downstream conveying mechanism is transmitted to the upstream conveying mechanism to thereby increase the conveying speed of the upstream conveying mechanism. brief description of the drawings the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings in which: fig. 1 is an isometric view showing the first embodiment of the sheet conveying device and drive control device in accordance with the present invention; figs. 2a through 2d demonstrate the operation of the first embodiment; fig. 3 is an isometric view showing a second embodiment of the present invention; figs. 4a through 4d demonstrate the operation of the second embodiment; fig. 5 is an isometric view showing a third embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is an isometric view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 is an isometric view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 is an isometric view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 9a is an exploded isometric view showing delaying means included in the sixth embodiment; fig. 9b shows the delaying means in an assembled condition; figs. 10a through 10d demonstrates a specific operation of the sixth embodiment; figs. 11a through 11d demonstrates another specific operation of the sixth embodiment; figs. 12a through 12g demonstrate a delaying function unique to the sixth embodiment; fig. 13a is an exploded isometric view showing torque increasing means representative of a seventh embodiment of the present invention; fig. 13b is an isometric view showing the torque increasing means in an assembled condition; fig. 14a is an enlarged isometric view showing a specific configuration of a first engaging member constituting delaying means in the seventh embodiment; fig. 14b is a view similar to fig. 14a , showing another specific configuration of the first engaging member; fig. 15a is an isometric view showing a first and a second engaging member constituting delay adjusting means included in an eighth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 15b is an enlarged isometric view showing that the first and second engaging members are engageable with each other; fig. 15c in a view similar to fig. 15b , showing the first and second engaging members ready to engage with each other; fig. 16a is an enlarged view showing the delay adjusting means and moving means included in the eighth embodiment; fig. 16b is an enlarged view demonstrating the operation of the delay adjusting means; fig. 17 shows an image forming apparatus representative of a ninth embodiment of the present invention; fig. 18 is a block diagram showing an image processing section and control means included in the ninth embodiment; fig. 19 shows arrangements around a duplex copy conveying unit including in the ninth embodiment together with sheet conveyance paths; fig. 20 is an enlarged view showing essential part of the duplex copy conveying unit included in the ninth embodiment; and fig. 21 is a block diagram showing essential part of a drive control device included in the ninth embodiment. description of the preferred embodiments preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter. identical structural elements are designated by identical structural elements throughout the embodiments and will not be repeatedly described in order to avoid redundancy. first embodiment referring to fig. 1 of the drawings, a sheet conveying device and a drive control device embodying the present invention are shown and include two rotatable conveying means 1 and 2 . a sheet 7 is conveyed along a path 90 in a direction indicated by an arrow a. the conveying means 1 and 2 are positioned on the path at the upstream side and downstream side, respectively, in the direction of sheet conveyance a. first and second drive means 3 and 4 respectively cause the conveying means 1 and 2 to rotate. a speed control means 5 causes the conveying speed of the conveying means 1 to reflect the conveying speed of the conveying means 2 . the conveying means 1 is implemented by drive rollers 22 a and driven rollers 22 b provided in pairs. the drive rollers 22 a are affixed to a drive shaft 21 extending in a widthwise direction b of the sheet 7 , which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of sheet conveyance a. the driven rollers 22 b are rotatably mounted on a support shaft 23 , which is substantially parallel to the drive shaft 21 . the drive shaft 21 is journalled to a frame, not shown, via bearings, not shown, while the support shaft 23 is affixed to the frame. in the illustrative embodiment, two drive rollers 22 a and two driven rollers 22 b are arranged in the axial direction and face the path 90 . the driven rollers 22 b are pressed against the drive rollers 22 a. likewise, the conveying means 2 is implemented by drive rollers 42 a and driven rollers 42 b provided in pairs. the drive rollers 42 a are affixed to a drive shaft 41 extending in a widthwise direction b of the sheet 7 . the driven rollers 42 b are rotatably mounted on a support shaft 43 , which is substantially parallel to the drive shaft 41 . the drive shaft 41 is journalled to the frame via bearings, not shown, while the support shaft 43 is affixed to the frame. in the illustrative embodiment, two drive rollers 42 a and two driven rollers 42 b are arranged in the axial direction and face the path 90 . the driven rollers 42 b are pressed against the drive roller 42 a. if desired, the drive rollers 22 a and 42 a may be pressed against the driven rollers 22 b and 42 b, respectively. the support shafts 23 and 43 may be press-fitted in the driven rollers 22 b and 42 b, respectively, and journalled to the frame via bearings. the number of drive rollers and that of driven rollers each may be one or three or more, if desired. the drive means 3 includes an electric motor or drive source 26 having an output shaft 26 a, an output gear 28 mounted on the output shaft 26 a, and a gear 29 meshing with the output gear 28 . likewise, the drive means 4 includes an electric motor or drive source 46 having an output shaft 46 a, an output gear 48 mounted on the output shaft 46 a, and a gear 49 mounted on one end of the drive shaft 41 and meshing with the output gear 48 . the motor 26 rotates at a constant speed while the motor 46 rotates at a variable speed. basically, therefore, the motor 26 rotates the drive rollers 22 a and driven rollers 22 b at a constant speed while the motor 46 rotates the drive rollers 42 a and driven rollers 42 b at a variable speed. the speed control means s includes power transmitting means 80 connecting the conveying means 1 and 2 , and a first and a second one-way clutch 81 and 82 . the power transmitting means 80 is made up of a toothed pulley affixed to the drive shaft 41 , a toothed pulley 84 mounted on the drive shaft 21 via the one-way clutch 82 , and an endless timing belt 85 passed over the pulleys 83 and 84 . the one-way clutch 81 is positioned between the upstream conveying means 1 and the first drive means 3 , i.e., the drive shaft 21 and the gear 29 , connecting the conveying means 1 and drive means 3 . the one-way clutch 81 transmits only the rotation of the motor 26 that conveys the paper sheet 7 in the direction a to the conveying means 1 . the one-way clutch 82 is positioned between the drive shaft 21 and the power transmitting means 80 , i.e., the toothed pulley 84 , connecting the conveying means 1 and 2 . the one-way clutch 82 transmits only the rotation of the motor 46 that conveys the sheet 7 in the direction a at an increased speed to the conveying means 1 . the one-way clutches 81 and 82 are mounted on the drive shaft 21 of the conveying means 1 such that they lock in the same direction c shown in fig. 1 . the clutches 81 and 82 coaxially mounted on the same shaft of the conveying means 1 occupies a minimum of space. the motors 26 and 46 are electrically connected to control means 45 included in a drive control device and constituted mainly by a microcomputer. the control means 45 controls the conveying speed of the conveying means 1 and 2 by controlling the rotation speeds of the motors 26 and 46 . specifically, to increase the conveying speed of the conveying means 1 and 2 , the control means 45 increases only the rotation speed of the motor 46 such that the conveying means 2 rotates at a higher speed than the conveying speed 1 . the drive control device additionally includes first and second sheet sensing means sn 1 and sn 2 for determining the sheet conveying conditions of the conveying means 1 and 2 . the sheet sensing means sn 1 and sn 2 are electrically connected to the control means 45 , and each is implemented by a transmission type photosensor. the sheet sensing means sn 1 faces the path 90 at a position upstream of the conveying means 1 in the direction a. the sheet sensing means sn 2 faces the path 90 between the conveying means 1 and 2 . after the control means 45 has accelerated the rotation of the motor 46 , it stops the rotation of the motor 46 in response to the output of the sheet sensing means sn 1 . the control means 45 then stops the rotation of the motor 26 in response to the output of the sheet sensing means sn 2 . the acceleration and stop of rotation will be described more specifically with reference to figs. 2a through 2d . it is to be noted that figs. 2a through 2d schematically show the arrangements of fig. 1 , neglecting some positional differences. as shown, conveying means 64 is positioned upstream of the conveying means 1 and implemented by a pair of rollers. the conveying means 64 is included in an apparatus on which the sheet conveying device and drive control device are mounted. a motor 47 also mounted on the apparatus drives the conveying means 64 at a speed up equal to the conveying speed of the conveying means 1 . as shown in fig. 2a , the motors 47 , 26 and 46 are driven such that the conveying means 61 , 1 and 2 , respectively, rotate at the same speed u 1 up. in this condition, the sheet 7 being conveyed by the conveying means 64 is introduced into the sheet conveying device by the conveying means 1 . as shown in fig. 2b , when the trailing edge of the sheet 7 moves away from the sheet sensing means sn 1 , the motor 46 accelerates the conveying means 2 to a conveying speed u 2 uk. the acceleration of the rotation of the conveying means 2 is transferred to the drive shaft 21 via the timing belt 85 , toothed pulley 84 and one-way clutch 82 . as a result, the conveying means 1 is also accelerated to a conveying speed u 1 uk. more specifically, all the conveying means 64 , 1 and 2 shown in fig. 2b are rotated at the higher speed u 1 u 2 uk. although the drive shaft 21 , fig. 1 , rotates, the one-way clutch 81 causes the gear 29 to slip on the drive shaft 21 and thereby prevents the rotation of the gear 29 from being transferred to the drive shaft 21 . whether the sheet 7 extends over both of the conveying means 1 and 2 or not, the conveying speeds of the conveying means 1 and 2 can be increased only if the speed of the motor 46 is controlled. this can be done without causing the sheet 7 to be pulled between the conveying means 1 and 2 and therefore insures crease-free, reliable conveyance. because the motor 26 does not have to be controlled, the control system is simple. further, a variable-speed motor, which would increase the cost, does not have to be applied to the motor 26 . as shown in fig. 2c , when the sheet sensing means sn 2 senses the trailing edge of the sheet 7 , the control means 45 , fig. 1 , stops driving the motor 46 , determining that the sheet 7 does not extend over both of the conveying means 1 and 2 . this is effected to, e.g., adjust the timing for conveying the sheet 7 to the next stage or to guarantee a waiting time necessary for the adjustment of the delay of image rearrangement. as soon as the motor 46 stops rotating, the conveying means 2 stops driving the conveying means 1 . at this instant, the motor 26 is still rotating. also, the toothed pulley 84 is mounted on the drive shaft 21 via the one-way clutch 82 . consequently, as shown in fig. 2c , the conveying means 1 restores the previous conveying speed u 1 up. therefore, even when another sheet 7 a follows the sheet 7 , the sheet 7 a can be smoothly transferred from the conveying means 64 to the conveying means 1 . as shown in fig. 2d , when the sheet sensing means sn 1 senses the trailing edge of the following sheet 7 a, the control means 45 stops driving the motor 26 . as a result, a plurality of sheets 7 and 7 a are brought to a stop on the path 90 (path stacking). as stated above, in the illustrative embodiment, the drive means 3 and 4 respectively drive the conveying means 1 and 2 respectively positioned at the upstream side and downstream side of the path 90 , thereby conveying the sheet 7 . when the sheet 7 extends over both of the conveying means 1 and 2 , the drive means 3 and conveying means 1 simply slip on each other. at the same time, the motor 46 causes the conveying means 2 to rotate at a higher speed than the conveying means 1 . the rotation speed of the conveying means 2 is transferred to the conveying means 1 . consequently, the conveying means 1 and 2 convey the sheet 7 at the same increased speed. the positions of the sheet sensing means sn 1 and sn 2 shown and described are only illustrative. also, the sheet sensing means sn 1 and sn 2 each may be responsive to the leading edge of the sheet 7 , if desired. second embodiment fig. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invent on. as shown, conveying means 1 a includes two sets of drive rollers 22 a and 24 a and two sets of driven rollers 22 b and 24 b. likewise, conveying means 2 a includes two sets of drive rollers 42 a and 44 a and two sets of driven rollers 42 b and 44 b. the conveying means 1 a includes a drive shaft 21 a and a support shaft 23 a parallel to the drive shaft and positioned upstream of the drive shaft 21 . the drive rollers 24 a are affixed to the drive shaft 21 a while the driven rollers 24 b are rotatably mounted on the support shaft 23 a. the drive rollers 24 a and driven rollers 24 b are pressed against each other. toothed pulleys 73 and 74 are affixed to the ends of the drive shafts 21 and 21 a, respectively. an endless timing belt 75 is passed over the toothed pulleys 73 and 74 , connecting the drive shafts 21 and 21 a. the conveying means 2 a includes a drive shaft 41 a and a support shaft 43 a positioned upstream of the drive shaft 41 and parallel to the drive shaft 41 . drive rollers 44 a are affixed to the drive shaft 41 a while the driven rollers 44 b are rotatably mounted on the support shaft 43 a. the drive rollers 44 a and driven rollers 44 b are pressed against each other. toothed pulleys 76 and 77 are affixed to the ends of the drive shafts 41 and 41 a, respectively. an endless timing belt 78 is passed over the toothed pulleys 76 and 77 , connecting the drive shafts 41 and 41 a. the pitch between the drive shafts 21 and 21 a and the pitch between the drive shafts 41 and 41 a each are selected such that the cooperative rollers mounted thereon can nip the sheet 7 of the minimum size being conveyed along the path 90 . in the illustrative embodiment, the toothed pulley 83 mounted on the end of the drive shaft 1 in the first embodiment is mounted on the end of the drive shaft 41 a. the timing belt 85 is passed over the toothed pulley 83 and the toothed pulley 84 , which is mounted on the drive shaft 21 via the one-way clutch 82 . in the illustrative embodiment, the sheet sensing means sn 1 faces the path 90 at a position upstream of the drive shaft 21 a in the direction a. the sheet sensing means sn 2 faces the path 90 between the drive shafts 21 and 41 a. reference will be made to figs. 4a through 4d for describing the acceleration and stop of rotation of the illustrative embodiment. again, figs. 4a through 4d schematically show the arrangements of fig. 3 , neglecting some positional differences. as shown, the conveying means 64 is positioned upstream of the conveying means 1 a. the motor 47 drives the conveying means 64 at a speed up equal to the conveying speed of the conveying means 1 a. as shown in fig. 4a , the motors 47 , 26 and 46 are driven such that the conveying means 61 , 1 and 2 , respectively, rotate at the same speed u 1 up. in this condition, the sheet 7 being conveyed by the conveying means 64 is introduced into the sheet conveying device by the conveying means 1 a. that is, all the conveying means 64 , 1 a and 2 b shown in fig. 4b are driven at the same speed u 1 u 2 uk. assume that the drive shaft 21 is accelerated. then, although the drive shaft 26 rotates, the one-way clutch 81 causes the gear 29 to slip on the drive shaft 21 and thereby prevents the rotation of the gear 29 from being transferred to the drive shaft 21 . whether the sheet 7 extends over both of the conveying means 1 a and 2 a or not, the conveying speeds of the conveying means 1 a and 2 a can be increased only if the speed of the motor 46 is controlled. this can be done without causing the sheet 7 to be pulled between the conveying means 1 a and 2 a and therefore insures crease-free, reliable conveyance. because the motor 26 does not have to be controlled, the control system is simple further, a variable-speed motor, which would increase the cost, does not have to be applied to the motor 26 . as shown in fig. 4c , when the sheet sensing means sn 2 senses the trailing edge of the sheet 7 , the control means 45 , fig. 3 , stops driving the motor 46 , determining that the sheet 7 does not extend over both of the conveying means 1 a and 2 a. as soon as the motor 46 stops rotating, the conveying means 2 a stops driving the conveying means 1 a. at this instant, the motor 26 is still rotating. also, the toothed pulley 84 is mounted on the drive shaft 21 via the one-way clutch 82 . consequently, as shown in fig. 4c , the conveying means 1 a restores the previous conveying speed u 1 up. therefore, even when another sheet 7 a follows the sheet 7 , the sheet 7 a can be smoothly transferred from the conveying means 64 to the conveying means 1 a. as shown in fig. 4d , when the sheet sensing means sn 1 senses the trailing edge of the following sheet 7 a, the control means 45 stops driving the motor 26 . as a result, a plurality of sheets 7 and 7 a are brought to a stop on the path 90 . as stated above, in the illustrative embodiment, too, when the sheet 7 extends over both of the conveying means 1 a and 2 a, the drive means 3 and conveying means 1 a simply slip on each other. at the same time, the motor 46 causes the conveying means 2 a to rotate at a higher speed than the conveying means 1 a. the rotation speed of the conveying means 2 a is transferred to the conveying means 1 a. consequently, the conveying means 1 a and 2 a convey the sheet 7 at the same increased speed. third embodiment fig. 5 shows another alternative embodiment of the present invention. as shown, a clutch or coupling/uncoupling means 93 is positioned between the drive motor 26 of the drive means 3 assigned to the conveying means 1 or 1 a and the one-way clutch 81 . the clutch 93 selectively transfers the rotation of the motor 26 to the conveying means 1 or 1 a or interrupts it. as for the general construction, the illustrative embodiment is similar to the second embodiment. the clutch 93 is implemented by a solenoid-operated clutch and electrically connected to the control means 45 . specifically, the clutch 93 includes a shaft 93 a on which gears 92 and 94 are mounted. the gear 92 is connected to the gear 29 via a gear 91 while the gear 94 is connected to the gear 28 of the motor 26 via a gear 95 . when the control means 45 couples the clutch 93 , the clutch 93 causes the gear 94 to rotate integrally with the shaft 93 a. when the control means 45 uncouples the clutch 93 , the clutch 93 allows the gear 94 to freely rotate relative to the shaft 93 a. as stated above, the clutch 93 intervening between the motor 26 and the one-way clutch 81 is selectively coupled or uncoupled in order to control drive transmission from the motor 26 to the conveying means 1 a or 1 . this makes it needless to on/off control the motor 26 . this allows the following sheet 7 a to be stopped in the same manner as described with reference to fig. 2d or 4 d. the function of the motor 26 for controlling drive transmission to the conveying means 1 a or 1 via the clutch 93 may be also be assigned to the motor 47 shown in fig. 2 or 4 . fourth embodiment fig. 6 shows another alternative embodiment of the present invention. as shown, the sheet conveying device includes the conveying means 1 and 2 respectively positioned at the upstream side and downstream side in the direction of sheet conveyance a. drive means 3 a causes the conveying means 2 to rotate. drive means 40 accelerates the rotation of the conveying means 2 . power transmitting means 80 connects the conveying means 1 and 2 . the sheet conveying device additionally includes one-way clutches 81 a and 82 a. a gear 29 , which is a specific form of the drive means 3 a, is mounted on a drive shaft 41 via the one-way clutch 81 a. the drive means 3 a and conveying means 2 are connected to each other via the one-way clutch 81 a. the one-way clutch 81 a is positioned between the motor 26 and the conveying means 2 so as to transfer the rotation of the motor 26 that conveys the sheet 7 in the direction a to the conveying means 2 . the acceleration drive means 40 includes a variable-speed motor or drive source 460 , an output gear 48 mounted on the output shaft 460 a of the motor 460 , and a gear 49 mounted on the drive shaft 41 via the one-way clutch 82 a and held in mesh with the output gear 48 . the one-way clutch 82 a is positioned between the drive means 40 and the conveying means 2 so as to transfer the rotation of the motor 460 that conveys the sheet 7 in the direction a to the conveying means 2 . the one-way clutches 81 a and 82 are coaxially mounted on the drive shaft 41 of the conveying means 2 such that they lock in the same direction c shown in fig. 6 . the motors 26 and 460 are electrically connected to control means 45 a included in a drive control device. major part of the control means 45 a is implemented by a microcomputer and controls the conveying speeds of the conveying means 1 and 2 via the motors 26 and 460 . specifically, to accelerate the rotation of the conveying means 1 and 2 , the control means 45 a accelerates only the rotation of the motor 460 . the sheet sensing means sn 1 faces the path 90 at a position upstream of the drive shaft 21 while the sheet sensing means sn 2 faces the path 90 between the drive shafts 21 and 41 . the sheet sensing means sn 1 and sn 2 are electrically connected to the control means 45 a. to cause the conveying means 1 and 2 to rotate at the preselected speed up, the control means 45 a drives the motor 26 . to accelerate the rotation of the conveying means 1 and 2 , the control means 45 a drives the motor 460 at a higher speed than the motor 26 . the control means 45 a drives the motor 26 when the sheet sensing means sn 1 senses the leading edge of the sheet 7 or drives the motor 460 while driving the motor 26 when the sheet sensing means sn 2 senses the leading edge of the sheet 7 . in operation, when the sheet sensing means sn 1 shown in fig. 6 senses the leading edge of the sheet 7 , the control means 45 a drives the motor 26 . the rotation of the output shaft 26 a of the motor 226 is transmitted to the drive shaft 41 via the output shaft 28 , gear 29 and one-way clutch 81 a, rotating the drive shaft 41 in the locking direction c. at the same time, the rotation of the output shaft 26 a is transferred to the drive shaft 21 via the power transmitting means 80 . as a result, the drive shafts 21 and 41 rotate at the same speed in the same direction, so that the sheet 7 is conveyed in the direction a by being nipped between the drive rollers 22 a and driven rollers 22 b. when the sheet sensing means sn 2 senses the leading edge of the sheet 7 , the control means 45 a drives the motor 460 . the rotation of the output shaft 460 a of the motor 460 is transmitted to the drive shaft 41 via the output gear 48 , gear 49 and one-way clutch 82 a, accelerating the rotation of the drive shaft 41 . at the same time, the rotation of the output shaft 460 a is transferred to the drive shaft 21 via the power transmitting means 80 . when the rotation of the drive shaft 41 is accelerated, the one-way clutch 81 a causes the gear 29 to slip on the drive shaft 41 , preventing the rotation of the motor 26 from being transferred to the drive shaft 21 . the drive shafts 21 and 41 are therefore accelerated in the same direction. consequently, the sheet 7 is conveyed at the increased speed in the direction a by being nipped between the drive rollers 22 a and the driven rollers 22 b and between the drive rollers 42 a and the driven rollers 42 b. in the illustrative embodiment, whether the sheet 7 extend over both of the conveying means 1 and 2 or not, the conveying speeds of the conveying means 1 and 2 can be increased only if the speed of the motor 460 is controlled. this can be done without causing the sheet 7 to be pulled between the conveying means 1 and 2 and therefore insures crease-free, reliable conveyance. because the motor 26 does not have to be controlled, the control system is simple. further, a variable-speedmotor, which would increase the cost, does not have to be applied to the motor 26 . in addition, the motors 26 and 640 coaxially mounted on the drive shaft 41 occupy a minimum of space, implementing a small-size apparatus. fifth embodiment fig. 7 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. as shown, this embodiment combines the conveying means 1 a and 2 a of the second embodiment and the drive means 3 a and 40 of the fourth embodiment. in operation, when the control means 45 a accelerates the motor 460 , the one-way clutch 81 a prevents the rotation of the motor 26 from being transferred to the drive shaft 41 . therefore, only the rotation of the motor 460 is transferred to the drive shaft 21 a via the drive shaft 41 , timing belt 78 , drive shaft 41 a, power transmitting means 80 , drive shaft 21 , and timing belt 75 . in this manner, a single motor 460 can increase the rotation speed of the four sets of rollers alone. the sheet 7 of any one of the first to fifth embodiments may be a paper sheet or an ohp (overhead projector) sheet for use with an image forming apparatus, a postcard, a name card, an envelope, a note, a magnetic card, an ic (integrated circuit) card or the like. the first to fifth embodiments each are applicable to any kind of conveying system in which conveying means spaced from each other in the direction of conveyance a each convey a sheet at a particular speed. sixth embodiment fig. 8 shows another alternative embodiment of the present invention including the rotatable conveying means 1 a and 2 a respectively located at the upstream side and downstream side in the direction a. the drive means 26 and 46 drive the conveying means 1 a and 2 a, respectively. the sheet conveying device includes power transmitting means 800 connecting the conveying means 1 a and 2 a, a first and a second one-way clutch 381 and 382 , and delaying means 300 for delaying the transfer of the rotation of the motor 46 to the conveying means 1 a. the conveying means 1 a and 2 a and motors 26 and 46 are constructed and arranged in the same manner as in the second embodiment. the following description will concentrate on the power transmitting means 800 , delaying means 300 and one-way clutches 381 and 382 unique to the illustrative embodiment. the power transmitting means 800 includes a toothed pulley 283 affixed to the drive shaft 41 of the conveying means 2 a and a toothed pulley 284 rotatably mounted on the drive shaft 21 of the conveying means 1 a. an endless timing belt 285 is passed over the toothed pulleys 283 and 284 . the one-way clutch 381 is positioned between the conveying means 1 a and the motor 26 , i.e., the drive shaft 21 and the gear 29 , connecting the conveying means 1 a and drive means 3 . the clutch 381 transfers only the rotation of the motor 26 that conveys the sheet 7 in the direction a to the conveying means 1 a. the delaying means 300 is made up of a toothed pulley of first engaging member 284 and a drive transmitting member or second engaging member 288 . the toothed pulley 284 is rotatable integrally with the power transmitting means 800 . the drive transmitting member 288 is engageable with the toothed pulley 284 and rotatable integrally with the one-way clutch 382 . the drive transmitting member 288 is mounted on the circumference of the one-way clutch 382 , which is affixed to the drive shaft 21 . when the drive transmitting member 288 engages with the toothed pulley 284 and rotates integrally with the latter, the rotation of the conveying means 2 a is transferred to the conveying means 1 a. the one-way clutch 382 is positioned between the drive shaft 21 and the drive transmitting member 288 , connecting the conveying means 1 a and 2 a. the clutch 382 transfers the rotation of the motor 46 that conveys the sheet 7 in the direction a to the conveying means 1 a. the clutches 381 and 382 are coaxially mounted on the drive shaft 21 such that they lock in the same direction c shown in fig. 8 . the clutches 381 and 382 therefore occupy a minimum of space. as shown in figs. 9a and 9b , the toothed pulley 284 and drive transmitting member 288 face each other on the drive shaft 21 . arcuate projections 284 a and 288 a respectively protrude from the facing surfaces of the pulley 284 and drive transmitting member 288 toward each other, and each has a center coinciding with the axis of the drive shaft 21 . the projections 284 a and 288 a each extend over an anglar range delimited by imaginary lines that connect the axis of the drive shaft 21 and opposite ends of the projection. as shown in figs. 12a through 12g , the sum 1 of the angles of the two projections 284 a and 288 a is selected to be smaller than 360. therefore, when the increased rotation speed is transferred from the conveying means 2 a to the toothed pulley 284 to cause the pulley 284 to rotate, the pulley 284 performs idle rotation over an angle 360 1 . as shown in fig. 8 , the sheet sensing means sn 1 faces the path 90 at a position upstream of the conveying means 1 a while the sheet means sn 2 faces the path 90 between the conveying means 1 a and 2 a. in addition, sheet sensing means sn 3 faces the path 90 at a position downstream of the conveying means 2 a. the control means 45 controls the motors 26 and 46 in accordance with the outputs of the sheet sensing means sn 1 through sn 3 , as will be described specifically later. reference will be made to figs. 10a through 10d for describing the acceleration and stop unique to the illustrative embodiment. figs. 10a through 10d schematically show the arrangements of fig. 8 , neglecting some positional differences. as shown, the conveying means 64 is positioned upstream of the conveying means 1 a. the motor 47 drives the conveying means 64 at a speed up equal to the conveying speed of the conveying means 1 a. as shown in fig. 10a , the motors 47 , 26 and 46 are driven such that the conveying means 64 , 1 and 2 , respectively, rotate at the same speed u 1 up. in this condition, the sheet 7 being conveyed by the conveying means 64 is introduced into the sheet conveying device by the conveying means 1 a. as shown in fig. 10b , when the sheet sensing means sn 1 senses the trailing edge of the sheet 7 , the controller 45 accelerates the conveying speed of the conveying means 2 a to u 2 uk via the motor 46 . the acceleration of the conveying means 2 a is transferred to the drive shaft 41 a via the timing belt 78 and toothed pulley 77 . further, the rotation of the drive shaft 41 a is transferred to the drive shaft 21 via the power transmitting means 800 , delaying means 300 , one-way clutch 382 . as a result, the conveying speed of the conveying means 1 a is accelerated to u 1 uk. the accelerated rotation is transferred from the power transmitting means 800 to the toothed pulley 284 , causing the projection 284 a to rotate, as shown in fig. 12 a. the projection 284 a is rotating at a higher speed than the projection 288 a. therefore, on contacting one end of the projection 288 a at, e.g., a point a, the projection 284 a causes the drive transmitting member 288 to rotate in the locking direction c in abutment against the projection 288 a. as shown in fig. 12b , when the one-way clutch 382 locks, the conveying means 1 a starts rotating by following the rotation of the conveying means 2 a. after the acceleration, all the conveying means 64 , 1 a and 2 a shown in fig. 10b rotate at the same speed u 1 u 2 uk. when the drive shaft 21 is accelerated, the one-way clutch 381 causes the gear 29 to slip on the drive shaft 21 , so that the rotation of the gear 28 is not transferred to the drive shaft 21 although the motor 26 is rotating. whether the sheet 7 extends over both of the conveying means 1 a and 2 a or not, the conveying speeds of the conveying means 1 a and 2 a can be increased only if the speed of the motor 46 is controlled. this can be done without causing the sheet 7 to be pulled between the conveying means 1 a and 2 a and therefore insures crease-free, reliable conveyance. because the motor 26 does not have to be controlled, the control system is simple. further, a variable-speed motor, which would increase the cost, does not have to be applied to the motor 26 . as shown in fig. 10c , when the sheet sensing means sn 3 senses the trailing edge of the sheet 7 , the control means 45 , fig. 8 , stops driving the motor 46 and thereby interrupts the drive transfer from the conveying means 2 a to the conveying means 1 a, determining that the sheet 7 does not extend over both of the conveying means 1 a and 2 a. at this instant, the motor 26 is still rotating. this, coupled with the fact that the toothed pulley 284 is freely rotatable relative to the drive shaft 21 , causes the conveying means 1 a to restore the initial conveying speed up, as shown in fig. 10 c. this allows the sheet 7 a following the sheet 7 to be smoothly transferred from the conveying means 64 to the conveying means 1 a. as shown in fig. 10d , when the sheet sensing means sn 2 senses the leading edge of the sheet 7 a, the control means 45 stops driving the motor 26 . consequently, the sheet 7 a can be stopped on the path 90 at a distance of from the preceding sheet 7 . as shown in fig. 1c , when the motor 46 stops rotating, the toothed pulley 284 and therefore the projection 288 a also stops rotating. however, because the motor 26 is still rotating, the rotation of the gear 29 is transferred to the drive shaft 21 via the one-way clutch 381 , preventing the drive shaft 21 from stop rotating. at this instant, the one-way clutch 382 makes the drive transmitting member 288 free to rotate, so that some idle torque available with the clutch 382 causes the member 288 to start rotating clockwise together with the drive shaft 21 . consequently, as shown in fig. 12 d, the projection 288 a makes substantially one full rotation and then stops rotating on abutting against the projection 284 a at, e.g., a point b. in this condition, only the drive shaft 21 rotates and causes the conveying means 1 a to convey the sheet 7 a. as shown in fig. 10d , when the motor 26 stops rotating, the projections 284 a and 388 a stop rotating in abutment against each other. in the illustrative embodiment, too, when the sheet 7 extends over both of the conveying means 1 a and 2 a, the drive means 3 and conveying means 1 a slip on each other while the conveying means 2 a rotate at a higher speed than the conveying means 1 a by being driven by the motor 46 . the accelerated rotation of the conveying means 2 a is transferred to the conveying means 1 a and causes it to perform the acceleration rotation also, conveying the sheet 7 at the increased speed. figs. 11a through 11d show a system additionally including conveying means 640 positioned on the path 90 downstream of the sheet sensing means sn 3 and driven by a motor not shown. as for the rest of the configuration, the system of figs. 11a through 11d is identical with the system of figs. 10a through 10d . specifically, figs. 11a through 11d demonstrate how the sheets 7 and 7 a staying on the path 90 and spaced from each other by the distance are again conveyed. fig. 11a corresponds to fig. 10 d. the distance is great enough to prevent the sheet sensing means sn 3 from surely sensing the leading edge of the sheet 7 a. assume that the rotation of the motor 46 is accelerated in the condition shown in fig. 11a , and that the motor, not shown, drives the conveying means 640 at the speed up. then, the rotation of the motor 46 is transmitted from the conveying means 2 a to the conveying means 1 a with a delay ascribable to the delaying means 300 , fig. 8 . more specifically, as shown in fig. 11e , when the motor 45 is driven, the toothed pulley 28 starts rotating. at this time, the projection 288 a of the drive transmitting member 288 is held stationary by the drive shaft 21 due to the idle torque of the one-way clutch 382 , as stated earlier. the projection 284 a rotates toward the stationary projection 288 a by the idle rotation angle and again abuts against the end of the projection 288 a at, e.g., a point c shown in fig. 12 f. consequently, the rotation of the motor 46 is transferred from the conveying means 2 a to the conveying means 1 a with a delay corresponding to the idle rotation angle . the sheet 7 is therefore conveyed before the sheet 7 a, so that the distance between the sheets 7 and 7 a is increased to s by the idle rotation angle . assume that the sheet conveying device lacks the delaying means 300 . then, as shown in fig. 11d , the distance cannot be increased. therefore, if the distance between nearby conveying means is reduced or if the sheet sensing means sn 3 is not accurately located, then the sensing means sn 3 cannot surely sense the leading edge of the sheet 7 a. by contrast, when the distance can be increased to s, as shown in fig. 11c , the sheet sensing means sn 3 surely senses the leading edge of the sheet 7 a. when the sensing means sn 3 senses the leading edge of the sheet 7 a, the motor 45 is caused to stop rotating and, in turn, causes the sheet 7 a being nipped by the conveying means 2 a to stop on the path 90 , as stated earlier. as stated above, even when the sheets 7 and 7 a are spaced by the distance that does not allow the sheet sensing means sn 3 to sense the leading edge of the sheet 7 a, the delaying means 300 causes the conveying means 1 a to start operating later than the conveying means 2 a. the distance can therefore be easily varied to s to promote the accurate detection of the sheet 7 a, thereby guaranteeing reliable conveyance. further, low cost, reliable conveyance is achievable because no sophisticated control is necessary over the motors 26 and 46 and because the mechanical arrangement is simple. a specific scheme that allows the distance to be more surely adjusted is as follows. assume that the projections 284 a and 288 a are held in the condition shown in fig. 12g at the initial stage, e.g., before the start of a job. then, a particular order in which the motors 26 and 46 should be driven is determined. for example, if the motor 46 is driven before the motor 26 , then the projection 284 a can abut against the end of the projection 288 a. this stabilizes the idle rotation angle and therefore the adjustment of the distance . seventh embodiment figs. 13a and 13b show still another alternative embodiment of the present invention identical with the sixth embodiment except for the following. as shown, the illustrative embodiment additionally includes torque increasing means 330 that increases the force for causing the projection 288 a to rotate when the rotation of the motor 46 is transmitted to the conveying means 1 a. the torque increasing means 330 uses the idle rotation torque of the one-way clutch 382 mounted on the drive transmitting member 288 . when consideration is given to the stable following ability in a high speed range, a load, which is the idle rotation torque plus a, may be given in order to increase the force that causes the projection 288 a to follow the rotation of the drive shaft 21 . the torque increasing means, or load biasing means, includes spacers 316 and 317 coupled over the drive shaft 21 at the opposite side to the projection 288 a. a coil spring 318 is wound round the drive shaft 21 and compressed between the spacers 316 and 317 . the biasing force of the coil spring 318 exerts resistance on the sliding movement of the drive transmitting member 288 as a load of plus . e-rings 319 and 320 are respectively received in annular grooves 322 and 321 formed in the drive shaft 21 . the e-rings 319 and 320 restrict the axial movement of the members intervening therebetween. even when the drive shaft 21 rotates at a high speed, the torque increasing means 330 allows the projection 288 a to surely follow the rotation of the shaft 21 , as shown in fig. 12 c. this successfully stabilizes the idle rotation angle at the time when conveyance is resumed, and thereby insures stable adjustment of the distance. the amount by which the distance is adjusted by the delaying means, i.e., the idle rotation angle can be readily adjusted in terms of the angle between the opposite ends of the projection 284 a whose center coincides with the axis of the drive shaft 21 . for example, figs. 14a and 14b respectively show the drive transmitting member 284 with the projection 284 a and a drive transmitting member 284 with a projection 284 b longer (greater in angle) than the projection 284 a in the circumferential direction. the drive transmitting member 284 increases the idle rotation angle while the drive transmitting member 284 reduces it. the drive transmitting members 284 and 284 are selectively mounted on the drive shaft 21 in accordance with a desired distance s. the distance s can therefore be easily adjusted. eighth embodiment referring to figs. 15a through 15c , yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown that is also identical with the sixth embodiment except for the following. as shown, the illustrative embodiment additionally includes delay adjusting means 350 for selectively varying the idle rotation angle , i.e., an amount by which the transfer of the rotation of the motor 46 to the conveying means 1 a is delayed. the delay adjusting means 350 includes a first engaging member 315 rotatable integrally with the toothed pulley 284 , which constitutes the power transmitting means 800 . the first engaging member 315 includes a first and a second engaging portion 315 a and 315 b. a second engaging member 388 a is engageable with the first and second engaging portions 315 a and 315 b and rotatable integrally with the one-way clutch 382 . moving means 360 selectively moves the engaging member 388 a relative to the toothed pulley 284 . the engaging members 315 and 388 a protrude toward each other from the facing surfaces of the toothed pulley 284 and drive transmitting member 388 , respectively. in the illustrative embodiment, the one-way clutch 382 is axially slidably mounted on the drive shaft 21 . the first and second engaging portions 315 a and 315 b are arcuate like the projections 284 a and 284 b. the first engaging portion 315 a protrudes from the end face of the second engaging portion 315 b. the engaging portions 315 a and 315 b may be molded integrally with each other or may be produced independently of each other and joined later. in the illustrative embodiment, the first engaging portion has a smaller circumferential length (angle) than the second engaging portion 315 b. the engaging member 388 a is arcuate like the projection 288 a and slidable on the drive shaft 21 over a distance great enough to engage with the second engaging portion 315 b. it follows that the idle rotation angle and therefore the distance s is greater when the first engaging portion 315 a and engaging member 388 a engage than when the second engaging portion 315 b and engaging member 388 a engage. as shown in figs. 16a and 16b , the moving means 360 includes an electromagnetic solenoid or drive source 322 , an arm 320 , and a tension spring or biasing means 323 constantly biasing the arm 320 to its initial position shown in fig. 16a. a shaft 321 supports the intermediate portion of the arm 320 such that the arm 320 is rotatable clockwise and counterclockwise. one end 320 a of the arm 320 is pinned to a plunger 322 a protruding from the solenoid 322 . the other end of the arm 320 is spherical and received in an annular groove 881 formed in the circumference of the drive transmitting member 388 and having a hemispherical cross-section. this configuration reduces resistance to the sliding movement of the drive transmitting member 388 on the arm member 320 when the member 388 rotates. considering the wear of such members and smooth operation, a lubricant should preferably be applied to the end 320 b and groove 881 . the solenoid 322 is of a pull type that pulls the plunger 322 a when energized. when the solenoid 322 is deenergized, the arm 320 is held in a first position where the first engaging portion 315 a and engaging member 388 a are engageable, as shown in fig. 16a , under the action of the tension spring 323 . when the solenoid 322 is energized, the arm 320 is moved to a second position where the second engaging portion 315 b and engaging member 388 a are engageable, as shown in fig. 16 b. in the delay adjusting means 350 described above, by adequately on/off controlling the solenoid 322 , it is possible to shift the engaging member 388 a and therefore to easily vary the idle rotation angle, i.e., the distance s. two engaging portions 315 a and 315 b are, of course, illustrative and may be replaced with three or more engaging portions. the delaying means 300 or the delay adjusting means 350 adjust the idle rotation angle by varying the circumferential size (angle) of the projections 284 a and 284 b or that of the engaging portion 315 provided on the toothed pulley 284 or 284 . alternatively, the circumferential size (angle) of the projection 288 a or 388 a provided on the drive transmitting member 288 or 388 may be varied for adjusting the idle rotation angle . ninth embodiment reference will be made to fig. 17 for describing a further alternative embodiment of the present invention implemented as a digital copier, which is a specific form of an image forming apparatus. as shown, the digital copier includes a reading unit 50 , an automatic document reading device 220 , a writing unit 57 , a finisher 200 , and a duplex copy conveying unit 111 to which the present invention is applied. the copier is capable of forming images on both sides of a paper sheet or similar sheet 101 in a duplex copy mode. the copier has a frame 100 accommodating a photoconductive drum 15 , which is a specific form of an image carrier. the reading unit 50 is positioned above the drum 15 for scanning a document set on a glass platen 6 . the reading unit 50 includes scanning optics in addition to the glass platen 6 . the scanning optics includes a lamp 51 , a first to a third mirror 52 , 55 and 56 , a lens 53 , a ccd (charge coupled device) image sensor 54 and other conventional constituents. the lamp 51 and first mirror 52 is mounted on a first carriage, not shown, while the second and third mirrors 55 and 56 are mounted on a second carriage not shown. to read a document image, the first and second carriages are mechanically moved at a speed ratio of 2:1 in order to prevent the length of an optical path from varying. a scanner motor, not shown, drives the scanning optics. the automatic document reading device 220 is positioned in the upper portion of the frame 100 for automatically reading a sheet document. in the automatic document reading device 220 , a feed roller pair 222 feeds a document laid on a tray 221 toward an image sensor 225 . while the document is conveyed via the image sensor 225 at a constant speed, the image sensor 225 reads an image existing on the front side of the document. image data output from the image sensor 225 are subjection to various kinds of processing including mtf (modulation transfer function) correction, filtering and compression and sequentially written to an image memory 66 (see fig. 18 ). in the illustrative embodiment, the image sensor 225 is implemented by a contact type, x1 ccd image sensor. fig. 18 shows a specific configuration of an image processing section. as shown, the image processing section includes an analog-to-digital converter (adc) 61 for converting an analog image signal output from the ccd image sensor 54 or the image sensor 225 to a digital signal or image data. a shading correcting circuit 62 corrects the shading of the image data. an mtf and correcting circuit 63 executes mtf and correction with the image data output from the shading correcting circuit 62 . a magnification changing circuit 72 enlarges or reduces the size of the image data in accordance with a desired magnification change ratio and delivers the resulting image data to a memory controller 65 . the memory controller 65 writes the image data in the previously mentioned image memory 66 while executing primary compressing with the image data. the procedure described so far is continuously effected until all the image data of the page have been fully written to the image memory 66 . a secondary compression circuit 67 executes secondary compression with the image data read out of the image memory 66 in order to reduce the amount of image data, as needed. the image data subjected to secondary compression are written to a hdd (hard disk drive) 68 or similar storage. the hdd 68 may be replaced with, e.g., a dvd (digital versatile disk)-ram (random access memory), cd (compact disk)-rw (readable, writable), smart media, compact flush memory, memory card or similar optical or magnetic storage. the image data stored in the hdd 68 can be repeatedly read out, so that documents should only be read once even when a plurality of sets of copies are desired. to print the image data stored in the image memory 66 , the image data are fed from the image memory 66 to the memory controller 65 . the memory controller 65 transfers the image data to the writing unit 57 via a write correcting unit 71 . when a sort mode is selected, images of documents being sequentially read are written to the hdd 68 . in this case, it is important to note that for the first set of copies, i.e., when printing is effected simultaneously with document reading, image data are simply written to the hdd 68 without being rearranged in the image memory 66 . specifically, because the hdd 68 accessible only in one direction, batting of the storage in the add 68 and the rearrangement in the image memory 66 should be avoided as far as possible in order to enhance productivity. for this reason, the image memory 66 is not released until all the image data have been written to the hdd 68 . referring again to fig. 17 , the writing unit 57 includes a laser unit 58 , a lens 59 , and a mirror 60 . the laser unit 58 includes a laser diode and a polygonal mirror caused to rotate at a constant speed by a motor, although not shown specifically. a laser beam issuing from the writing unit 57 is incident to the circumferential surface of the drum 15 , which constitutes major part of an image forming section. an image formed by the image forming section is printed on the sheet 101 by the following procedure. a first to a third tray 8 through 10 are disposed in the frame 100 , and each is loaded with a stack of sheets 101 of particular size. the trays 8 through 10 may, of course, be loaded with sheets 100 of the same time. a first to a third paper feeder 11 through 13 each pay out the sheet 101 from associated one of the trays 8 through 10 . a vertical conveying unit 14 , which extends in an intended direction of sheet feed, conveys the sheet 101 to a path 124 that includes an image transfer position. while a main motor 25 , which will be described later, rotates the drum 15 at a constant speed, the writing unit 57 emits a laser beam in accordance with the image data read out of the image memory 66 . the laser beams scans the surface of the drum 15 to thereby form a latent image. a developing unit 27 , adjoining the drum 15 , develops the latent image with toner to thereby produce a corresponding toner image. a belt 16 arranged on the path 124 conveys the sheet 101 at a speed equal to the rotation speed of the drum 15 . the toner image is transferred from the drum 15 to the sheet 101 when the sheet 101 is brought to the image transfer position where the drum 15 is located. the belt 16 further conveys the sheet 101 to a fixing unit 17 located downstream of the belt 16 . the fixing unit 17 fixes the toner image on the sheet 101 . the sheet 101 with the fixed toner image is further conveyed to a sheet discharge unit 18 . it is to be noted that in the illustrative embodiment the conveying speed of the image forming section (process speed) refers to the speed at which the drum 15 , belt 16 and vertical conveying unit 14 convey the sheet 101 . the conveying speed of the image forming section is dependent on the specifications of the apparatus. the sheet 101 coming out of the fixing unit 18 is routed to a destination that depends on the kind of processing to follow. if no particular processing is selected by the operator, then the sheet 101 is simply driven out to a copy tray 19 via the paper discharge unit 18 as a simplex or one-sided copy. when a duplex copy mode or a mode using the finisher 200 is selected, the sheet discharge unit 18 steers the sheet 101 toward the duplex copy conveying unit 111 . the duplex copy conveying unit (simply conveying unit hereinafter) 111 and arrangements around it will be described specifically hereinafter. the conveying unit 111 is arranged between the tray 8 and the fixing unit 17 . the conveying unit 111 and sheet discharge unit 18 are connected to each other by an inlet path 113 and an outlet path 114 . the sheet 101 from the sheet discharge unit 18 is introduced into the conveying unit 111 via the inlet path 113 . the sheet 101 from the conveying unit 111 is conveyed to the sheet discharge unit 18 via the outlet path 114 . in a duplex copy mode, the sheet discharge unit 18 steers the sheet 101 carrying an image on one side thereof to a switchback path 119 via the inlet path 113 . the sheet 101 is further conveyed to a reversing unit or reversing section 112 . an intermediate path 121 is contiguous with the switchback path 119 for receiving the sheet 101 reversed by the reversing unit 112 . the sheet 101 is again conveyed from the intermediate path 121 to the image transfer position via the vertical conveying unit 14 . in a mode using the finisher 200 , the sheet 101 reversed by the reversing unit 112 is guided into the outlet path 114 also contiguous with the switchback path 119 and then into the finisher 200 via the sheet discharge unit 14 . when the sheet 101 is to be stapled in the finisher 200 , it is once stacked on a stack tray 201 . after all sheets 101 to be dealt with have been stacked on the stack tray 201 , a stapler unit 202 staples the stack of sheets 101 . the stapled stack 101 is driven out to a tray 203 mounted on the outside of the finisher 200 . more specifically, as shown in fig. 19 , a path selector 115 for steering the sheet 101 is located at a position where the inlet path 113 and path 124 join each other. the path selector 115 is movable into and out of the path 124 . when the path selector 115 moves into the path 124 , it steers the sheet 101 toward the inlet path 113 without guiding it to the copy tray 19 . inlet conveying means 125 conveys the sheet 101 introduced into the inlet path 113 to the switchback path 119 of the reversing unit 112 . the reversing unit 112 includes a jogger 117 . after a single sheet 101 has reached the switchback path 119 , the jogger 117 positions opposite sides of the sheet 101 . subsequently, return conveying means 122 arranged on the switchback path 119 drives the sheet 101 out of the switchback path 119 . a path selector 123 is located at a position where the outlet path 114 and intermediate path 121 join each other. the path selector 123 is movable to select either one of the outlet path 114 and intermediate path 121 . specifically, when the path selector 123 moves into the outlet path 114 , it steers the sheet 101 coming out of the switchback path 119 toward the intermediate path 121 . when the path selector 123 moves into the intermediate path 121 , it steers the sheet 101 to the outlet path 114 . conveying means 151 , 152 , 153 and 154 are sequentially arranged on the intermediate path 121 . the conveying means 151 through 154 cooperate with conveying means 120 to convey the sheet 101 introduced into the intermediate path 121 toward the vertical conveying unit 14 . the vertical conveying unit 14 again transfers the sheet 101 to the path 124 . as a result, a toner image is formed on the other side or rear side of the sheet 101 at the image transfer position. after the fixing unit 17 has fixed the toner image on the rear side of the sheet 101 , the sheet 101 is driven out to the tray 19 via the path 124 . at this instant, the path selector 115 has retracted from the path 124 . the return conveying means 122 on the switchback path 119 is implemented by a drive roller 122 a positioned below the path 119 and a driven roller 122 b positioned above the path 119 and movable into and out of contact with the drive roller 122 a. the return conveying means 122 allows a sheet 101 entering the switchback path 119 and a sheet 101 leaving the path 119 to pass each other on the path 119 . at this instant, outlet conveying means or roller pair 126 fully grips the sheet 101 leaving the path 119 (preceding sheet) at the same time, while the jogger 117 is retracted, the inlet conveying means 125 conveys the sheet 101 entering the path 119 (following sheet) into the switchback path 119 . a sheet sensor or sheet sensing means 128 is positioned upstream of the outlet conveying means 126 . control means 79 , which will be described later, determines whether or not the sheet 101 has reached the outlet conveying means 126 on the basis of the output of the sheet sensor 128 . to simply reverse and discharge the sheet 101 , the path selector 123 steers the sheet 101 reversed by the reversing unit 112 to the outlet path 114 . as a result, the sheet 101 is returned to the path 124 . another path selector 116 is positioned on the path 124 downstream of the path selector 115 for guiding the one sided, two-sided or reversed sheet 101 to either one of the copy tray 19 and finisher 200 . the conveying unit 111 is implemented by any one of the first to fifth embodiments. in the illustrative embodiment, the conveying unit 111 is similar in construction to the third embodiment shown in fig. 5 . specifically, as shown in fig. 20 , the conveying unit 111 includes upstream conveying means 150 , downstream conveying means 160 , first and second drive means 170 and 180 for respectively driving the conveying means 150 and 160 , and speed adjusting means 190 . the upstream conveying means 150 is made up of the return conveying means 122 , outlet conveying means 126 , and conveying means 151 and 152 . the downstream conveying means 160 is made up of the conveying means 153 and 154 and outlet conveying means 120 . the return conveying means 122 has a drive roller 122 a positioned below the switchback path 119 and a driven roller 122 b facing the drive roller 122 a. likewise, the outlet conveying means 126 has a drive roller 126 a positioned below the switchback path 119 and a driven roller 126 b facing the drive roller 126 a. the drive rollers 122 a and 126 a are respectively mounted on drive shafts 161 and 162 each extending across the switch back path 119 . the conveying means 151 through 154 respectively have drive rollers 151 a through 154 a positioned below the intermediate path 121 and driven rollers 151 b through 154 b respectively facing the drive rollers 151 a through 154 a. the outlet conveying means 120 has a drive roller 120 a positioned below the intermediate path 121 and a driven roller 120 b facing the drive roller 120 a. the drive rollers 151 a through 120 a are respectively mounted on drive rollers 155 through 159 each extending across the intermediate path 121 . the drive means 170 mentioned earlier includes an electric motor 140 and transmission mechanisms 145 and 146 connecting the output shaft of the motor 140 to the drive shafts 161 and 156 , respectively. the transmission mechanisms 145 and 146 each are implemented by a particular gear train. the other drive means 180 includes an electric motor 141 and a transmission mechanism 148 connecting the output shaft of the motor 141 to the drive shaft 158 . the motor 140 is driven at a constant speed equal to the conveying speed or process speed of the image forming section. the motor 141 is driven at a variable speed. the speed adjusting means 190 causes the conveying speed of the conveying means 150 to reflect the conveying speed of the conveying means 160 , which is varied by the drive means 180 . the speed adjusting means 190 is made up of power transmitting means 186 connecting the conveying means 150 and 160 and a first and a second one-way clutch 281 and 282 . the power transmitting means 186 includes a toothed pulley 183 affixed to the drive shaft 157 , a toothed pulley 184 mounted on the drive shaft 156 via the one-way clutch 282 , and an endless timing belt 185 passed over the pulleys 183 and 184 . the one-way clutch 281 is positioned between the drive shaft 156 and the transmission mechanism 146 in order to connect the conveying means 150 and drive means 170 . the clutch 281 transmits only the rotation of the motor 140 that conveys the sheet 101 in a refeed direction a 1 , which is the direction of sheet conveyance in the illustrative embodiment. the one-way clutch 282 is positioned between the drive shaft 156 and the toothed pulley 184 in order to connect the conveying means 150 and 160 . when the rotation of the motor 141 is accelerated for conveying the sheet 101 at an increased speed in the refeed direction a 1 , the clutch 282 transmits the accelerated rotation of the motor 141 to the conveying means 150 . the clutches 281 and 282 are coaxially mounted on the drive shaft 156 and lock in the same direction c as each other. the outlet conveying means 126 and conveying means 151 respectively include a toothed pulley 171 a affixed to the of the drive shaft 162 and a toothed double pulley 173 a affixed to the end of the drive shaft 155 . a timing belt 174 c is passed over the toothed pulley 171 a and a pulley with a gear 171 b. likewise, a timing belt 174 a is passed over the toothed double pulley 173 a and a pulley with a gear 173 b. the gear portion of the pulley 171 b and that of the pulley 173 b are held in mesh with each other, connecting the outlet conveying means 126 and conveying means 151 . a toothed pulley 172 is affixed to the end of the drive shaft 156 . a timing belt 174 a is passed over the toothed pulley 172 and toothed double pulley 173 a, connecting the conveying means 152 and 151 . toothed pulleys 175 and 176 are affixed to the ends of the drive shafts 156 and 159 , respectively, while a toothed double pulley 177 is affixed to the end of the drive shaft 158 . a timing belt 178 a is passed over the toothed pulley 175 and the double pulley 177 while a timing belt 178 b is passed over the toothed pulley 176 and double pulley 177 , connecting the conveying means 153 and 154 . the transmission mechanism 146 additionally includes a clutch or coupling/uncoupling means 143 for selectively connecting or disconnecting the conveying means 152 to or from the motor 140 . the clutch 143 is implemented by an electromagnetic clutch and electrically connected to a cpu (central processing unit) 20 (see fig. 21 ). the clutch 143 connects the transmission mechanism 146 when energized by the cpu 20 or causes one of the gears of the transmission mechanism 146 to idle when deenergized. a sheet sensor or sheet sensing means 129 responsive to the leading edge of the sheet 101 faces the intermediate path 121 at a position between the conveying means 152 and 153 . a sheet sensor or sheet sensing means 130 also responsive to the leading edge of the sheet 101 faces the path 121 at a position just downstream of the outlet conveying means 120 . as shown in fig. 21 , the sheet sensors 129 and 130 are electrically connected to the cpu 20 . in the illustrative embodiment, the copier includes a drive control device. as shown in fig. 18 , the drive control means includes the previously mentioned control means 79 implemented by a microcomputer, which has the cpu 20 , a rom 70 , and a ram (random access memory) 70 . the control means 79 is connected to the memory controller 65 and controls the entire copier. as shown in fig. 21 , an operation panel 30 and an adf (automatic document feeder) 220 mounted on the copier are connected to the cpu 20 . also electrically connected to the cpu 20 are the main motor 25 for driving the drum 15 as well as sections associated therewith, a jogger motor 33 for driving the jogger 117 , the motors 140 and 141 , solenoids (sols) or similar actuators for actuating the path selectors, the finisher 200 , the sheet sensors 128 through 130 , and the clutches 143 and 144 . keys 32 and a lcd (liquid crystal display) 31 are connected to the operation panel 30 . the operator may input a copy start command, a desired number of copies, a simplex mode command, a duplex mode command, a finish command and other various commands on the keys 32 , as desired. the lcd 31 displays, e.g., the number of copies output and the various conditions of the copiers in the form of characters or graphics. further connected to the cpu 20 are a document set sensor 224 and a motor 222 a for driving the feed roller pair 222 , which are included in the adf 220 . the cpu 20 interchanges data with the above various sections while driving them. in the illustrative embodiment, the control means 79 usually controls the rotation speeds of the motors such that they convey the sheet 101 at the conveying speed (process speed) up of the image forming section. in the duplex copy mode, when the sheet 101 is to be driven out of the duplex copy conveying unit 111 , the control means 79 accelerates the rotation of the motor 141 such that the sheet 101 is conveyed at a speed higher than the conveying speed up. when a plurality of duplex copies are to be produced or when interrupt processing is to be executed, the control means 79 selectively turns on or turns off the motors 140 and 141 and clutch 143 on the basis of the outputs of the sheet sensors 129 and 130 . how the conveying unit 111 conveys the sheet 101 will be described hereinafter, taking mainly the duplex copy mode as an example. as shown in fig. 20 , the one-sided sheet 101 is once stacked on the switchback path 119 . at this time, the motors 140 and 141 are rotating at a constant speed. to convey the sheet 101 to the intermediate path 121 , the driven roller 122 b is pressed against the drive roller 122 a and conveys the sheet 121 until the outlet conveying means 126 grips the leading edge of the sheet 101 . subsequently, the driven roller 122 b is released form the drive roller 122 a while only the rotation of the motor 141 is accelerated. at the same time, the clutch 143 is energized. the accelerated rotation of the motor 141 is transmitted to the drive shafts 157 and 159 by the timing belts 178 a and 178 b, respectively. as a result, the conveying means 153 and 154 and outlet conveying means 120 are accelerated. the accelerated rotation transferred to the drive shaft 157 is further transferred to the drive shaft 156 via the power transmitting means 186 and one-way clutch 282 and is also transferred to the drive shafts 155 and 162 by the timing belts 174 b, 174 c and 174 c. consequently, the conveying speed of the outlet conveying means 126 and the conveying speeds of the conveying means 151 and 152 are increased. that is, after the acceleration of the motor 141 , the entire conveying means 150 and 160 other than the return conveying means 122 rotate at a speed higher than the conveying speed or process speed up. as a result, the sheet 101 driven out of the switchback path 119 by the return conveying means 122 is conveyed at the increased speed until it moves away from the outlet conveying means 120 . this successfully prevents productivity (printing efficiency) from being lowered. when the rotation of the drive shaft 156 is accelerated, the one-way clutch 281 causes the transmission mechanism 146 and drive shaft 156 slip on each other. the drive shaft 156 can therefore be accelerated despite that the motor 140 is in rotation. the conveying speed of the conveying means 150 can be increased only if the rotation of the motor 141 is accelerated, i.e., without the motor 140 being controlled. this surely prevents the sheet 101 from being pulled between the conveying means 150 and 160 and therefore insures reliable conveyance. because the motor 26 does not have to be controlled, the control system is simple. further, the control system is simplified while the cost is reduced because the motor 140 does not have to be varied in speed. assume that interrupt processing occurs in the event of the duplex mode for producing a plurality of duplex copies. then, when the sheet sensor 130 senses the leading edge of the sheet 101 , the control means 79 stops driving only the motor 141 with the result that the preceding sheet 101 a is brought to a stop on the intermediate path 121 at the downstream conveying means 160 side. at this instant, the motor 140 is still rotating. this, coupled with the operation of the one-way clutch 282 , instantaneously switches the conveying speed of the outlet conveying means 126 and the conveying speeds of the conveying means 153 and 154 to the conveying speed (process speed) of the motor 140 although the conveying means 143 , 154 and 120 stop rotating. it is therefore possible to convey the following sheet 101 b to the switchback path 119 and convey another sheet 101 from the switch back path 119 to the intermediate path 121 without interruption. this is also successful to prevent productivity (printing efficiency) from being lowered. when the sheet sensor 129 senses the leading edge of the sheet 101 b entered the intermediate path 121 , the control means 79 stops driving the motor 140 . the two sheets 101 a a and 101 b can therefore be brought to a stop on the intermediate path 121 . alternatively, in response to the output of the sheet sensor 129 , the controller 79 may deenergize the clutch 143 to thereby interrupt drive transmission from the motor 140 to the drive shaft 156 . as for the conveyance of the sheet 101 in the duplex mode, the sheet 101 may not be stacked in the conveying unit 111 (stackless conveyance) instead of being stacked in the same. a specific stackless conveyance scheme is as follows. first, after images have been printed on one side of two or more consecutive sheets 101 , the sheet 101 conveyed to the conveying unit 111 first is again fed to the image transfer position to print an image on the other side of the sheet 101 , thereby producing a duplex copy. subsequently, a sheet 101 is fed from any one of the trays 8 through 10 in such a manner as to follow the duplex copy. after an image has been printed on the sheet 101 fed from the tray, the sheet or one-sided copy 101 is conveyed to the conveying unit 111 . thereafter, the feed of sheets from the tray and the refeed of one-sided copies from the conveying unit 111 are alternately effected. the procedure described above is generally referred to as interleaf control. interleaf control may be applied to the illustrative embodiment in order to produce duplex copies, as follows. <specific copying order; two-sheet interleaf control> front of first sheetfront of second sheetrear of first sheetfront of third sheetrear of second sheetfront of fourth sheet <specific copying order; three-sheet interleaf control> front of first sheetfront of second sheetfront of third sheetrear of first sheetfront of fourth sheetrear of second sheet interleaf control causes the sheets 101 to exist on the paths of the copier 100 . therefore, considering creases, for example, it has heretofore been impossible to stop the sheet 101 at portions that are different in conveying speed from each other. by contrast, the illustrative embodiment includes the conveying unit 111 capable of solving the problem given rise to by a difference in conveying speed. specifically, the illustrative embodiment is capable of stopping the sheet 101 in the conveying unit 111 and again conveying it in a desirable manner even in the event of interleaf control. the illustrative embodiment therefore prevents productivity from being lowered more than the conventional interleaf control type of image forming apparatus. in addition, the illustrative embodiment conveys the sheet 101 more smoothly than the conventional apparatus of the type described. in the illustrative embodiment, the conveying unit 111 is arranged in the frame 100 . alternatively, any one of the first to fifth embodiments may, of course, be arranged on the path in the frame 100 , preferably in a portion whose conveying speed differs from the conveying speed (process speed) up. while the conveying unit 111 is based on the third embodiment, it may, of course, be based on any other illustrative embodiment. which embodiment should be applied to the conveying unit 111 or which sheet conveying device should be applied to the frame 100 depends on the number of conveying means, which are implemented by roller pairs, and the positions of the same. the delaying means 300 , torque increasing means 330 and delay adjusting means 350 have been shown and described as being applied to the second embodiment. such members may, of course, be applied to any one of the sheet conveying devices represented by the embodiments shown in figs. 1 , 5 , 6 and 7 or even to the conveying unit 111 shown in fig. 17 . further, the above members are similarly applicable to an image forming apparatus including the above-described sheet reversing device and conveying unit 111 . in summary, it will be seen that the present invention provides a sheet conveying device and an image forming apparatus including the same having various unprecedented advantages, as enumerated below. (1) a sheet can be smoothly, surely transferred from one conveying means to another conveying means that are different in conveying speed from each other. this is also true when the sheet extends over both of such conveying means. (2) even when the sheet extends both of upstream and downstream conveying means, a load on the upstream conveying means is extremely light. this further promotes smooth, reliable sheet conveyance. (3) the sheet can be brought to a stop on a path adjoining the upstream conveying means. therefore, various kinds of sheet conveyance can be coped with and shared by different image forming apparatuses. (4) a first and a second one-way clutch are coaxially mounted on a single shaft and therefore occupy a minimum of space. (5) the upstream conveying means is capable of smoothly receiving another sheet, so that the advantage (3) is also achievable. (6) sheets can be brought to a stop on the path in the vicinity of both of the upstream and downstream conveying means, so that the advantage (3) is also achievable. (7) even when the sheet extends over both of the upstream and downstream conveying means, not only smooth, reliable sheet conveyance is insured, but also productivity or printing efficiently is prevented from being lowered. (8) the distance between consecutive sheets can be easily adjusted for thereby further enhancing reliable sheet conveyance. (9) the distance between consecutive sheets can be stably adjusted because the upstream conveying means can follow a driving force transferred thereto even at a high speed. various modifications will become possible for those skilled in the art after receiving the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope thereof.
|
056-043-396-322-788
|
FR
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C10G33/04,B01J4/00,B01J8/04,B01J10/00,C10G1/02,C10G7/00,C10G9/00,C10G9/36,C10G21/02,C10G27/14,C10G33/06,C10G33/08,C10G55/04,B01J8/18,B01J19/00
| 1998-10-16T00:00:00 |
1998
|
[
"C10",
"B01"
] |
deep conversion combining the demetallization and the conversion of crudes, residues or heavy oils into light liquids with pure or impure oxygenated compounds
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a process for the conversion of hydrocarbons that are solid or have a high boiling temperature and may be laden with metals, sulfur or sediments, into liquids (gasolines, gas oil, fuels) with the help of a jet of gas properly superheated between 600 and 800° c. the process comprises preheating a feed 5 in a heater 8 to a temperature below the selected temperature of a reactor 10. this feed is injected by injectors 4 into the empty reactor 10 (i.e., without catalyst.) the feed is treated with a jet of gas or superheated steam from superheater 2 to activate the feed. the activated products in the feed are allowed to stabilize at the selected temperature and at a selected pressure in the reactor and are then run through a series of extractors 13 to separate heavy and light hydrocarbons and to demetallize the feed. useful products appearing in the form of water/hydrocarbon emulsions are generally demulsified in emulsion breaker 16 to form water laden with different impurities. the light phase containing the final hydrocarbons is heated in heater 98 and is separated into cuts of conventional products, according to the demand for refining by an extractor 18 similar to 13.
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1 . a process for the conversion of hydrocarbons containing residues or heavy distillates which may be laden with impurities into light products that may be distilled, the process comprising: preheating a hydrocarbon load to a first temperature; treating the load with a jet having a first amount of energy, thereby transferring at least a portion of the first amount of energy to the load and causing the load to reach an activation energy at which at least a portion of the molecules of the load split into lighter molecules; stabilizing the load at a second temperature in a reactor, wherein the reactor is operated at a first pressure; expanding the load at a second pressure and passing the load through a series of extractors, at least one of the extractors being configured to demetallize the load, at least one of the extractors being configured to produce water/hydrocarbon emulsions. 2 . the process of claim 1 further comprising breaking the emulsions to obtain resulting hydrocarbons and distilling the resulting hydrocarbons. 3 . the process of claim 2 wherein breaking the emulsions comprises extrusion of the emulsions followed by decantation of one or more resulting hydrocarbon phases, wherein extrusion is selected from the group consisting of: forcing the emulsions through one or more screens; pouring dry sand over the emulsions; and rolling steel balls in the emulsions. 4 . the process of claim 1 wherein the preheating and treating of the load are carried out in an injector that injects the load and the jet into a non-catalytic reactor, 5 . the process of claim 1 wherein the jet comprises superheated steam. 6 . the process of claim 5 wherein the superheated steam expands adiabatically such that the first portion of the first amount of energy is transferred mechanically and wherein, after the superheated steam expands, the steam is at the second temperature. 7 . the process of claim 1 wherein the jet comprises one or more gasses selected from the group consisting of: h2o; co2; co; h2; and n2. 8 . the process of claim 1 wherein the energy of the jet is supplied by a conventional thermal furnace. 9 . the process of claim 1 wherein the energy of the jet is supplied by combustion of hydrocarbons under pressure and exposed to the air. 10 . the process of claim 1 wherein the load is a finely pulverized solid. 11 . the process of claim 9 wherein the load is injected using at least one pair of converging streams and wherein the jet is directed at the converging streams, and wherein the jet causes transfer of kinetic energy to the load, thereby causing shearing of the molecules of the load. 12 . the process of claim 1 wherein the first pressure is selected to minimize a soaking time and a volume of the reactor. 13 . the process of claim 1 wherein substantially all of the molecules of the load which are broken are each broken into two parts. 14 . the process of claim 1 wherein stabilizing the load comprises reacting at least one oxygenated compound with the freshly broken molecules of the load, wherein the at least one oxygenated compound is selected from the group consisting of: h2o; and co2. 15 . the process of claim 13 , wherein the ratio of oxygenated compound to carbon in the load is at least 0.7. 16 . the process of claim 1 wherein passing the load through one of the series of extractors comprises mixing the load with a heavy phase, transporting the load to a stabilization chamber and decanting liquid products from the load. 17 . the process of claim 1 wherein the second pressure is atmospheric pressure and the first pressure is greater than atmospheric pressure. 18 . the process of claim 1 wherein the at least one extractor configured to produce water/hydrocarbon emulsions is configured to operate at 200° c. 19 . the process of claim 1 wherein the at least one extractor configured to demetallize the load is configured to operate at 360° c. 20 . the process of claim 1 wherein the series of extractors comprise at least a first extractor operated at a first temperature, followed by a second extractor operated at a second temperature, followed by a third extractor operated at a third temperature, wherein the first temperature is higher than the second temperature and the second temperature is higher than the third temperature, and wherein the first extractor is configured to convert residues under vacuum to distillates under vacuum, the second extractor is configured to convert distillates under vacuum to atmospheric residues, and wherein the third extractor is configured to convert heavy hydrocarbons to light hydrocarbons. 21 . a device comprising: a hollow reactor body; one or more inlets configured to introduce a hydrocarbon feed into said reactor; a nozzle configured to introduce a jet into said reactor to shear molecules of said hydrocarbon feed; and one or more outlets configured to allow said hydrocarbon feed to exit said reactor body. 22 . the device of claim 21 , further comprising a first heater configured to preheat said feed and a second heater configured to heat said jet. 23 . the device of claim 22 , further comprising one or more extractors coupled to said one or more outlets and configured to demetallize said hydrocarbon feed and produce water/hydrocarbon emulsions. 24 . the device of claim 23 , further comprising one or more emulsion breakers configured to separate said hydrocarbons from said emulsions. 25 . the device of claim 24 , further comprising one or more distillation extractors configured to distill said hydrocarbons into light hydrocarbon products.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates generally to the conversion of hydrocarbons and more particularly to converting heavy hydrocarbons laden with impurities into light hydrocarbons that can be separated into cuts of conventional products. 2. description of related art it is widely known that all refining processes leave heavy residues that are poorly fusible or solid, which find few users and few outlets. it is also widely known that oil wells often encounter deposits containing crudes that are characterized by a very high density and a very high viscosity, thus difficult to transport as such. these crudes are also characterized by a strong metal content such as nickel and vanadium, sediments and sludge, sulfur, salt, to mention only the main impurities, which constitute poisons for any type of catalyst. furthermore, regardless of what is done, it is impossible to completely avoid the deposits of these components on everything that comes into contact with these crudes. thus it is understood that if any catalyst is used, all of its surface and all its pores will be quickly covered and the catalyst will be totally dead: then it would only occupy space in the reactor, even risking plugging it if grains are accumulated in the catalyst by the cement constituted by the sediments, nickel, vanadium, asphalts, carbon produced, etc. we know processes such as the fcc, which attempt to adjust to carbon deposits by burning them in a regenerator, but this requires a complex circulation of the catalyst between the reactor and the regenerator. furthermore, the circulation of said catalyst creates delicate problems of erosion, through both the actual wear of the matter itself, which is sometimes perforated, and 1. field of the invention the present invention relates generally to the conversion of hydrocarbons and more particularly to converting heavy hydrocarbons laden with impurities into light hydrocarbons that can be separated into cuts of conventional products. 2. description of related art it is widely known that all refining processes leave heavy residues that are poorly fusible or solid, which find few users and few outlets. it is also widely known that oil wells often encounter deposits containing crudes that are characterized by a very high density and a very high viscosity, thus difficult to transport as such. these crudes are also characterized by a strong metal content such as nickel and vanadium, sediments and sludge, sulfur, salt, to mention only the main impurities, which constitute poisons for any type of catalyst. furthermore, regardless of what is done, it is impossible to completely avoid the deposits of these components on everything that comes into contact with these crudes. thus it is understood that if any catalyst is used, all of its surface and all its pores will be quickly covered and the catalyst will be totally dead: then it would only occupy space in the reactor, even risking plugging it if grains are accumulated in the catalyst by the cement constituted by the sediments, nickel, vanadium, asphalts, carbon produced, etc. we know processes such as the fcc, which attempt to adjust to carbon deposits by burning them in a regenerator, but this requires a complex circulation of the catalyst between the reactor and the regenerator. furthermore, the circulation of said catalyst creates delicate problems of erosion, through both the actual wear of the matter itself, which is sometimes perforated, and that of the catalyst which, once worn, produces dangerous dusts for any human being that no filter, no matter how large and advanced, will be able to stop. following all the constraints encountered and compromises to be made, this type of unit can only treat distillates under vacuum (dsv), that is by eliminating from the feed the residues under vacuum (rsv) in which the metals, sediments, etc. are concentrated. furthermore, the regenerator that burns the coke formed imposes a minimum temperature of the order of 700° c. so that the combustion may occur. the catalyst exiting the regenerator, sent into the reactor at this excessive temperature, leads to an abundant production of gaseous products, as well as highly aromatic heavy products that lost a significant quantity of hydrogen during the first contact with the catalyst that was too hot. furthermore, it is impossible to change the spectrum of distribution of liquid conversion products which, moreover, are accompanied by a significant quantity of gas c1 c2 and lpg c3, c4. the fcc only rearranges the distribution of the carbon and hydrogen in the molecules: it samples hydrogen in the high molecular weight molecules (high boiling temperature) to create light molecules, but the c4, c3, c2 and, in particular, c1 (ch4) take a large portion of the hydrogen. there is even a discharge of pure hydrogen. as a result, the heavy cuts knows as hco are poor in hydrogen and cannot be recycled for a new conversion. therefore, the conservation during the conversion of a good hydrogen/carbon ratio is vital. the purpose of hydrocracking is precisely to increase the h/c ratio by adding hydrogen to the feed in an efficient manner. this process that consumes hydrogen requires the use of a hydrogen production unit which uses a lot of power and gaseous hydrocarbon containing matter (generally with a discharge of co2 if cnh (2n+2)) is used as the starting point. furthermore, the hydrogen becomes reactive only at pressures greater than 100 bars; this imposes a construction with very high thicknesses. the conjunction of the presence of hydrogen at temperatures of the order of 450° c. under 150 bars, in order to illustrate the ideas, presents delicate problems of realization and technology, in particular regarding the nature of the special alloy steels that are appropriate for these applications. moreover, the conversion products saturated with hydrogen are highly paraffinic and, therefore, give gasolines with a poor octane number. therefore, it is necessary to use a catalytic reformer that removes hydrogen in order to increase the octane number. it seems paradoxical in these operations to begin by adding hydrogen to the products with great difficulty to then being forced to remove the same. thus it is easy to understand why it is important to avoid useless operations in all of these operations regarding the hydrogen content. some research efforts were carried out attempting to create active hydrogen, designated as h., in order to incorporate the same into hydrogen-poor feeds. the creation of said h. requires a great deal of energy that is returned at the time of the final reaction and “blows up” the hydrocarbon molecules in question, possibly releasing the carbon. as a consequence, instead of incorporating hydrogen into the feed, unsaturated gases are created (generally 20 to 40% of the feed) by rejecting hydrogen overall. other research work was carried out regarding the use of hydrogen superheated at 1100-1200° c. at 40 bars, with soaking times of 60 seconds to hydropyrolize residues of oil and heavy oils, such as those of b. schütle and h. hofman reported in erdöl and kohle-erdgas-petrochemie vereinigt mit brennstoff-chemie 1983, 36 no. 10,457-461. the results obtained always comprise high gas proportions (12 to 27%) and a large quantity of coke. from a thermodynamic standpoint, these two approaches are inefficient, as confirmed by all the practical results obtained (excess production of gas and coke). it is widely known that the molecules composing the residue under vacuum may be “shaken” thermally with a viscosity breaker (or visbreaker), in order to “break” the viscosity. this creates a small additional production of feed that is generally converted with the fcc. we then have a visbreaker residue that is generally referred to as flash visbreaker residue (rvr), which can only be used as a heavy industrial fuel if light products such as gas oil or lco (fcc gas oil) are added thereto in order to achieve a normal viscosity. these examples illustrate the complexity of the refining operations with imbricated treatments and retreatments. the physical state of the matter (liquid, solid or gas) must receive a great deal of attention under normal conditions of temperature close to 20° c., and pressure close to 1 atmosphere. we also know the cokers that treat the residue to release the liquids while rejecting solid carbon, which will have the same applications as coal (also with the same difficulties). we also know the improvement attempts carried out with the flexicoker, which actually consists in gasifying the coke produced. the gasification requires a facility as large as that required by coking. it saturates the refinery with a fatal combustible gas that must be exported or used for other purposes than those that are strictly required for refining operations (i.e. to produce electrical power). we also know the attempt to hydroconvert the rsv, known as the hycon process, which would consume approximately 2.3% hydrogen. the 41% converted must be run through the fcc, with all the consequences that were mentioned in relation thereto, in particular regarding the direct leak of h2 and the loss of hydrogen contained in gases such as ch4 and c2h6. these two processes are too complex and ultimately too difficult to implement in an efficient refining layout. fw and uop indicated on oct. 27, 1997, that they implemented a catalytic process called aquaconversion process in collaboration with union carbide, for the catalyst. in practice, the general problems that are specific to catalysts remain intact. elf antar also claimed the preparation of an aquazole containing 10 and 20% water, stable only from 15 days to one month. summary of the invention one or more of the problems outlined above may be solved by embodiments of the present invention. referring to fig. 1 , one embodiment comprises a process for the conversion into liquids (gasolines, gas oil, fuels) of hydrocarbons that are solid or have a high boiling temperature, laden with metals, sulfur, sediments, with the help of water or oxygenated gas properly superheated between 600 and 800° c. the process comprises preheating a feed 5 in a heater 8 to a temperature below the selected temperature of a reactor 10 . this feed is injected by injectors 4 into the empty reactor 10 (i.e., without catalyst.) the feed is treated with a jet of gas or superheated steam from superheater 2 to activate the feed. the activated products in the feed are allowed to stabilize at the selected temperature and at a selected pressure in the reactor and are then run through a series of extractors 13 to separate heavy and light hydrocarbons and to demetallize the feed. useful products appearing in the form of water/hydrocarbon emulsions are generally demulsified in emulsion breaker 16 to form water laden with different impurities. the light phase containing the final hydrocarbons is heated in heater 98 and is separated into cuts of conventional products, according to the demand for refining by an extractor 18 similar to 13 . brief description of the drawings other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings in which: fig. 1 is an illustration of the process layout of a unit according to one embodiment of our process for the steam conversion of hydrocarbon containing products. fig. 2 is an illustration of an extractor/separator employed in one embodiment. fig. 3 is an illustration of a reactor employed in one embodiment. fig. 4 is an illustration of the process layout of a unit according to our process for the steam conversion of hydrocarbon containing products, in a non-arid country. fig. 5 is an illustration of the same layout implemented in a desert area poor in water resources. fig. 6 is an illustration of the same layout implemented in order to convert the excess gases of a drilling well or a refinery into liquids. fig. 7 is an illustration of an industrial pilot for converting heavy distillates and oils into light distillates, wherein the pilot works at a total supply rate of 5 kg/h, or 2 kg/h atmospheric residue or 1.5 kg/h residue under vacuum. fig. 8 is an illustration of a process layout in another embodiment. fig. 9 is an illustration of a process layout in another embodiment. fig. 10 is an illustration of an industrial pilot in another embodiment. while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. it should be understood, however, that the drawing and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. detailed description of the preferred embodiments various embodiments may be characterized by the different features that are described below, which may be considered separately or together, this list being given for information purposes, without being all-inclusive. (1) the feeds are taken as they appear. in the refinery, our process, to which we will refer as cpj, can accept indiscriminately crude oil, atmospheric residue (rat), residue under vacuum (rsv) or heavy distillates.(2) the process never uses any vacuum processes that require large distillation columns which must also withstand the crushing strength of the atmospheric pressure.(3) the feed introduced is treated with gases or vapors that act as energy vectors.if the process is carried out in a refinery, the vapor is preferably steam.if the process is carried out in an arid or desert area, the gases are preferably n2+co2 (i.e. taken directly from the fumes exiting the furnaces).any combination is possible and has been tested. for example: in a refinery that has a hydrogen unit, the co2 rejected by a benffield hydrogen decarbonation unit can be used;a co2 gas+h2o (steam) mixture can be used;a mixture of co2+xh2 exiting the benffield hydrogen production unit prior to decarbonation, a mixture that provides some benefits for the octane number of the gasolines produced, can be used;co2+xh2 or co2+h2+h2o are appropriate. the most favorable gases or vapors will contain oxygen and/or hydrogen. these components can be bound or mixed, such as, for example: x—oh, h2oc, co2, co2+h2, co+h2o<==>co2+h2o, co+2h2<==>-ch2-+h2o or still co2+h2 resulting from a bensfiel unit after shift conversion and before decarbonation in a hydrogen production unit. pure n2 is acceptable but not very beneficial. it may be selected only accompanied with co2 originating preferably in the combustion fumes. the direct introduction of o2 requires special injection precautions. for example, it is possible to inject 2ch4+o2=>2co+4h2+heat with a pre-injector. (in this case, pure o2 is not required. the air (o2+4n2) is sufficient.) this alternative may be considered to resorb excess light gases (c1, c2) into primary chemical energy, the matter being partially recovered in a special extractor towards 200° c.-220° c., 20-30 bars. this shows another aspect of the extreme flexibility of the cpj process. sulfur does not hinder the process and may even be beneficial (except regarding the resistance to corrosion). (4) the gases are heated, preheated or prepared in classic furnaces.(5) the fresh feed and any recycled components are appropriately preheated in a conventional furnace or by trains of classic heat exchangers.(6) the feed is injected into the reactor by an injector that creates an intimate contact between the preheated feed and a jet of gases, during the expansion, properly preheated (or superheated in the case of pure steam). this injector also attempts to create a free jet of matter and gas that does not come into contact with any material wall, in order to facilitate the initiation of the reactions. the energy supply determined by the temperature, the flow rate and the expansion rate in the injector, releases a usable quantity of mechanical energy that provides for the supply of the energy that is necessary and barely sufficient to initiate the reactions without tearing the peripheral hydrogen of the molecules and without creating an energy such that the molecule may be broken into very small fragments, as may occur in a fcc.(7) the soaking reactor is an empty container. no catalyst was used. this reactor enables the reactions initiated by the injector to achieve the equilibrium. the pressure reduces the volume necessary and increases the speed of the process to achieve equilibrium. the absence of any matter in the reactor presents the advantage of not having any stagnation points for the reactants, leading to a soaking time that is too long and, consequently, causes carbon deposits.(8) the products, vapor and gas are then expanded at a pressure close to the atmospheric pressure, upon exiting the cracking reactor. if 2ch4+o2 or 2co+4h2 was introduced for the purposes of recovering a carbon of gaseous origin, the outlet of the soaking reactor is cooled towards 200°-220° c. without breaking the pressure, which makes it possible, as a secondary capacity, to establish the equilibrium of the reactions for the addition of co+h2, giving —ch2-, which attaches to the matter contained in the h2o/hydrocarbon emulsion that is used in this case. co+h2 can also provide a functional block: which adds itself to the unsaturated bonds to give aldehydes, the simplest example being: all of these reactions contribute to creating liquids and eliminating or blocking the creation of gas. the products are then expanded at the atmospheric pressure. (9) in all cases, they are properly cooled and separated by a series of special devices that provide for the separation of heavy liquid phases from light gaseous phases at temperatures properly selected according to the physical characteristics of the products.(10) the heavy products not complying with the selected norm are recycled with the fresh feed.(11) the light products that comply with the selected norm are extracted. in the presence of steam, they appear in the form of very stable water/hydrocarbon emulsions that can be broken easily.(12) the breakdown of the heavy molecules occurs in a controlled manner in all of these processes. roughly, it is possible to say that the weight of the molecules is divided by 2 upon each run in the injector, with a conversion rate of (1−1/e=0.63). therefore, this process barely changes the h/c ratio of the products.(13) the control of the breakdown of the molecules makes it possible to avoid producing gases by never implementing the energy required for their formation and by selecting conditions for the equilibrium of the molecules in the reactor that do not favor the appearance of such gases.(14) the useful products may be either: hydrated and composed by the emulsion mentioned in 11; or anhydrous and obtained by a dehydration with extraction. none of the above-mentioned processes is critical by itself and may be compensated by the others to the detriment of reduced outputs, conversion rates, a higher energy consumption or a greater production of solid carbon. according to another series of characteristics of one embodiment, a great deal of attention is given to the constraints of the matter during the treatment. although this only constitutes a very rough and imperfect explanation attempt, it is possible to imagine that the heat, in its thermal aspect, is stored in the form of mechanical vibrations of the molecules. the vibrations generate mechanical constraints that, due to the inertia related to the mass, are the highest in the middle of the molecule, if the vibrations are moderate. these constraints then cause a break in the middle of the molecule. the more the molecule is heated (or more generally, the more energy of any kind it must store), the more it will vibrate. in this respect, it will vibrate according to harmonic modes with several vibration antinodes and troughs such as those that can be observed on a piano chord or the halyard of a flag waving in strong winds, or also on a long rod being shaken. since the troughs of the vibration constitute the seat of the maximum constraints, the molecule will break at these points, at one-third, one-fourth, etc. of its length. this explains that if a molecule is heated excessively (if too much energy is transmitted thereto), it will break into very small fragments, stopping at ch4 and even carbon c. with this brief explanation, it is also possible to understand that as the length of the molecule increases (thus the more massive and the heavier it becomes), it will have more vibrating elements, and the central elements that hold together the lateral elements being agitated will be subject to higher constraints to hold said lateral elements. when the constraints are too great, the molecules break. this example makes it possible to explain that the heavier the molecule becomes, the less it is capable of withstanding the heat without cracking. to illustrate the concept, the ch4 cannot withstand temperatures greater than 700° c., and the heavy residues cannot withstand temperatures greater than 430° c. regarding the selection of the devices, these constraints are also reflected by the maximum acceptable heat flows expressed in kcal/hour/square meter, or also by the acceptable differences of temperature between the hot wall and the cold fluid. the critical values depend on the considered products characterized by their physical state (liquid, solid, vapor) under operating conditions. it is thus very important to obtain a practical knowledge of what may occur with the products treated. the following example will explain the stakes with simply molecules as common as c10h8, constituted by two aromatic nuclei. note each cycle of 6 aromatic carbons ä, a for the cycle. . . for the double bonds in each nucleus.ä:ä here indicates two ä carbons are bound. if ä:ä is heated excessively, it loses hydrogen and becomes highly reactive, thus producing: we go from a solid/liquid to a very hard solid. (by the same token, it is necessary to note that the molecules with 20 carbons constitute the products that are generally referred to as gas oil or light domestic fuel.) another characteristic of one embodiment thus consists in preventing such situations from appearing. it was observed that the freshly broken chains were naturally very reactive at right angles with the break, and that the polar molecule höh (water) attached itself readily on said breaks, just like öcö (carbon dioxide). another characteristic of one embodiment consists in introducing oxygen in the conversion process. in order to better understand the uniqueness and highly inventive nature of our process, we will attempt to provide an explanation of what should be done and what must be avoided. to this effect, we will again select an example from the family of c20: c20h14ö2tf = 300° c.téb = subhö, ä:ä-ä:ä, öhc20h14tf = 188° c.téb = 452subä:ä-ä:äc20h14ötf = 81° c.téb = 264/15 mmä:ä-ö-ä:ä replacing hydrogen with a lateral oh is not good (the fusion temperature goes from 188° c. to 300° c.). if o eliminates a c—c bond, a beneficial effect is obtained (the fusion temperature goes from 188° c. to 81° c.). we will now consider the case where the molecule c20h14 is weakened by an appropriate temperature that causes its vibration, and we send a molecule höh (h2o) to the central bond: the presence of water is highly beneficial on the products formed. let's reconsider the highly compact molecule c20h12, attached by 2 h2o; we have: this example clearly shows all the benefits that may be obtained from steam. through thermodynamic considerations, it is also possible to determine that the free solid carbon that may form is oxidized towards 600-700° c., according to the following reactions: co2 + cs→2c0as = 42.14ah = 41.23téq = 705° c.h2o + cs→co + h2as = 33.04ah + 31.40téq = 677° c. where as is the entropy variation, ah the enthalpy, and teq the equilibrium temperature under a pressure of 1 bar. we have another possible explanation for the beneficial effect of h2o and co2 which, when implemented correctly in the injector, tend to eliminate the solid carbon that may form inadvertently. as may be seen in these examples, the measurement of the physical characteristics and, in particular, the refractive index, makes it possible to follow the direction of the evolution of the conversion products and to direct said conversion. it will be easier to understand the purpose of one embodiment, which consists in operating under conditions that avoid hydrogen losses, as this hydrogen loss creates unsaturated components that evolve towards low fusibility nuclei. if we consider the straight chain described below, when it is heated to a high temperature, it begins to lose hydrogen according to the following layout: then, the unsaturated chain folds and closes: the fusion temperature goes from −95° c. to +6° c. with only 6 carbons. we thus realized that, on one hand, we should never have come close to these temperatures of the order of 650° c. and, on the other hand, the energy required in this case should not have been supplied; the thermodynamic values indicated above provide orders of magnitude. furthermore, it is observed that when the dehydrogenation process begins, the reaction runs away because the cyclization releases energy. here is what could occur if there is a more violent supply of energy: the highly dehydrogenated chain closes: extracting a h2 from a straight chain: creates approximately: &s/h2=+30.19 and requires approximately: &h/h2=+32.18 closing a cycle releases energy (and reduces &s by approximately 20.5). after the initial conditioning of the appropriate products thanks to our injector, one embodiment makes it possible to initiate and activate the reactions while complying with the preceding rules and the orders of magnitude that should not be exceeded. we will know present another benefit of the presence of h2o which behaves somewhat like a blocker of cyclization reactions. the heavy crudes contain very few simple and straight molecules; they contain numerous complex polyaromatic molecules that are more or less bound to each other, as may be observed in the following molecule that condenses readily and goes from 2 to 3 nuclei, according to the following layout: by the same token, it is observed that the creation of a third central nucleus increases significantly the density of this molecule. with h2o steam it is possible to operate by steps in order to break this molecule of 14 carbons, and even show how to resorb a light molecule of 3 carbons which would otherwise produce gases. 1 st step: weakening of the central unsaturated bond:2 nd step: central cracking of the molecule:3 rd step: fusion and rejection of h2o (sure to occur)4 th step: cyclization of unsaturated branch (natural) it is possible to observe that the intermediate steps of the reaction are executed with moderate energy levels and that the whole reaction occurs as though the water implemented at the beginning is recovered at the end (similar to the action of a catalyst). it is also appropriate to note, being one of our concerns and a characteristic of our process, that the initial fusion temperature of 127° c. after the first step decreased to −26° c., then −33° c.; by the fourth step, the temperature was −43° c. and finally, by the fifth step, products with a fusion temperature of −94° c. were obtained. thus, there is a continuous decrease of this fusion temperature during the intermediate steps of the overall reaction. the experiment showed that there was a very small production of gas and carbon and that it was possibly to fully convert products such as those referred to as residue under vacuum or asphalts, into liquid hydrocarbons. we will now consider the case of straight chains (with 14 unsaturated carbons for this example): without h2o we have: as ahcé14→c7h16 + c2é7h1236.04/19.57 the cracking in the presence of h2o appears to occur according to the following layout: as ahcé14 (c14-h28)→cé7-h13). + (c7-h15)43.71/59.98.cé7-h13 + h20→cé7h13öh + .h1.91/37.89.c7h15 + .h→c7h16−30.72/−87.3cé7h13öh→c2é7-h12 + h2021.14/9.0 which gives, in total: cé14→c7h16+c2é7h12 36.04/19.57 it is observed that, in these operations, it was first necessary to: open a c—c bond which required approximately 40 to 60 kcal (activation); and finally, supply approximately 20 kcal/cut (net specific energy). remember that the extraction of one h2 requires approximately: &h/h2=+32 kcal and that if this is done, poor results are obtained. therefore, it was necessary to find a set of devices that made it possible to meet as much as possible the different specifications listed above, which was achieved through the adequate preheating of the feed, followed by the activation resulting from an expansion in the injector, in which case the products to be converted could have, in terms of temperature equivalent, a very brief stay in a range where they are unstable, as the break consumes the energy that brings the reactants back into the stable and desired range of the reactor where they then achieve the thermodynamic equilibrium (a cook would say: to allow them to “simmer” properly). these reactions and their mechanisms are provided here only in an attempt to explain why we obtain unexpected conversion results with our process. the in-depth analysis of the results of our tests taught us to define how a given feed could be treated and also what were the problems linked to the structure of the complex matter constituted by these heavy products; all that which has been provided above constitutes only a guideline for the necessary adjustments. we clearly took advantage of all these experiments in order to constitute a database of thermodynamic and physical property data, of which an extract is provided below for information purposes, for the families of 1 and 10 carbons per molecule: physical and thermodynamic propertiesfamily (1)nametf ° c.téb ° c.s°ahf°dntc ° kpcvczcch4−186−165.044.49−17.890.415.gas..190.745.8990.290co−199−191.047.30−26.41.0.793.gas..133.034.5930.294h2cö−92−21.052.26−28.000.815.gas..410.067.01120.223h3cöh−97.164.757.00−48.050.8121.3288513.278.51180.220hcööh+8.3100.759.40−90.501.2201.3714581.071.81170.176family (10)pj-mend units20° c.° c.° c.cal/mkcal/m<−àn = 1,−>° kbarcc/mg/mnamestftébs°ahf°d(n − 1)tcpcvcpmzc = 0,strc10h8n148021880.536.10.963.589874840.0413128.269ä:äc10h12t98−36207<83.24.2>0.970.5414<71733.0478>132.268äcy6c10h14n189. . .200<84.5−11.7>0.934.5260<70730.6500>134.2642ä-6hc10h18d6−4319587.1−43.60.897.481068725.8543138.2492cy6c10h18d74−36174125.39.850.766.426562325.8587138.297äc10c10h20d66−66171129.2−29.30.741.421561625.0592140.292éc10c10h22d20−30174130.2−59.70.730.410261920.8602142.246nc10c10h20öd18−5208137.7−78.90.830.428763624.4605156.278ald.c10h21öhd57+7229142.1−96.40.830.437266729.8619158.337alc.c10h19ööhd4232270142.3−143.0.886.428871729.4644172.322acid(n − 1)note the ranking: oxygenated/alkanes/alkenes/alkynes/cyclo/aromaticsthe abbreviations are:tf: fusion temperature,teb: boiling temperatures°: standard entropy,ahf°: standard formation enthalpyd: density,n: refractive indextc: critical temperature,pc: critical pressurevc: critical volume,zc: compressibility factorstr: structure, abbreviated:ä aromatic nucleus, cy saturated cycleä acetylenic, é ethylenic, n normal paraffinicö double bond oxygen, öh oh functional group these data help in monitoring, knowing or predicting the state of the matter under the different conditions of its treatment, as well as the possible thermodynamic equilibriums. these data also enable us to predict the chemical irreversibilities that are responsible for the production of carbon and the rejection of hydrogen, in particular. in conclusion, we will describe a guideline that helped us greatly in the analysis of these problems, as seen in a new light, from a mechanical point of view. let's consider an isoc4 cyclo c6. first, the molecule must be twisted to transform it from the free and natural deployed state to the folded state, which requires energy. if we then strip each end of the folded isoc4 branch, near the nucleus cyclo c6, also by removing the corresponding hydrogen, we establish two new carbon-carbon bonds. the molecule thus formed with only 10 carbons is a true cage that has the surprising physical properties indicated below: the references given are from: handbook of chemistry and physics control of the appearance of gas, coke or solid carbon residues one of the surprising characteristics of our process is that it makes it possible to convert asphalt's without generating significant amounts of carbon or gas. we will attempt to explain why this result may be obtained, on the basis of the knowledge that we have acquired while attempting to interpret our observations. with appropriate means (mechanical, thermal, electrical or chemical, etc.), it is always possible to transfer an energy, to which we will refer as ah (enthalpy variation), according to the terms generally used in thermodynamics. our experience in monitoring the state of the matter led us to adopt, on a continuous basis, a variation key for said state that may be summarized by as, the entropy variation. in fact, by referring to the tables that we have already presented, it is possible to observe the existence of very strong correlations between sxl and the physical fusion and boiling parameters and, more generally, the parameters pertaining to the change of state or the organization of the matter. in order to explain the ideas, we will select an unsaturated molecule containing 14 carbons. this table shows that, as the level of applied energy increases, so does the number of molecules broken, as well as the amount of fragments generated, which means that the greater the disorder created (which increases the as), the greater the quantity of ch4 generated and the greater the quantity of hydrogen rejected. furthermore, the ah/as ratio gives the temperature tee, at which the reactants reach a natural equilibrium under a pressure of 1 bar. if only liquids are desired, the entire process occurs as if it were limited to 20 kcal/molecule, as previously indicated elsewhere. (by the same token, this also explains why an fcc with its catalyst regenerated at more than 700° c. will reject hydrogen and ch4. no catalyst may change this state de facto. it may only favor intermediary stages and their speed, enabling the reactants to achieve the thermodynamic equilibrium depending on the temperature of the reactor.) another characteristic of one embodiment is that it makes it possible to control the rate of conversion into liquid without creating excess quantities of light gas such as methane or ethane. we will attempt to provide an explanation that came to us during the different tests that we performed, in relation to the chemical irreversibilities (which, it appears, are not mentioned very often). one of the characteristics of our process is basically the fact that it splits the molecules in two and begins anew in order to remain master of the process. some people may think that, in order to speed up the process, the solution is simply to implement more energy, which would actually generate a greater number of light molecules, as indicated in the preceding table, including a great quantity of gas, assuming that it would then be always possible to polymerize the same in order to return to liquids. however, it would be impossible to perform this operation in an appropriate manner due to the chemical irreversibilities (which no catalyst will be able to overcome). in order to present the ideas, let's assume that we are considering the generation of liquids from methane, ethane, etc. in this case, our intention would be to carry out reactions such as: ch4+ch4==??==>c2h6+h2 as=−1.95 ah=+15.54 téq=−7669° k a) c2h6+c2h6==??==>c4h10+h2 as=−3.38 ah=+10.33 téq=−3056° k b) c4h10+c4h10==??==>c8h18+h2 as=−0.54 ah=+10.48 té=−19400° k c) these reactions are irreversible since teq negative does not exist. it will never be possible to carry out the follow-up reactions in a reversible manner: (a)(b)(c)cn1 =?=> h2 + cn2 =?=> h2 +cn4 =?=>h2 + cn8téb117° k.184° k.272° k.!399° k.normal stategasgasgas298° k.liquid consequences: (1) it is necessary to accept the unavoidable creation of ch4 in this process, summarized by the overall reaction c′: c′) c4h10 + c4h10 ===> c7h16 + ch4 as = −1.53ah = −2.48teq = 1620° k.or:2 cn4 ===> cn7 and cn1keq(600° c.) = 1.93 (this reaction is possible because teq is positive) (2) if the thermodynamic reversibility is violated with energy: according to the reaction c″: hydrogen must be rejected c4h10+c4h10===>c8h18+h2 as=−0.54 ah=+10.48 teq=−19400° k c″) (this reaction is irreversible because teq is negative) c″/even the transition through the synthesis gas, which begins with the following reaction: ch4+1/2o2===>co+2h2 as=+42.7 ah=−8.52, (reaction that may be explosive) is irreversible and will lead to a poor efficiency overall in the liquefaction by methanol or fischer-tropsch. c″ may be carried out only with side reactions that produce c2h2, in particular. practical conclusion: first of all, the generation of gases must be avoided, which is precisely what our process does. carbon deposits our experience in controlling the appearance of coke led us to assume that there were two main sources: massive deposits through the polyaromatic nuclei; and pulverulent carbon through the gases. it is quite easy to visualize that if the matter is polymerized into numerous contiguous polyaromatic nuclei, since the carbons are directly bound to each other and comprise few or no hydrogen links as previously seen, the fusion temperature increases with the number of nuclei and the reduction of the h/c ratio (c10h8 tf=80° c., c20h12 tf=278° c., etc.); we are getting increasingly closer to a solid coal. this can also be examined, for informational purposes, with our method for the study of chemical irreversibilities. in order to present the ideas, let's take some benzene and attempt to crack it. a fusion of molecules is observed, accompanied once again by a rejection of h2, according to the following reaction: [1]ä + ä ====> ä>-<ä + h2−1.173.46 this reaction is irreversible since teq cannot be negative. the following fatal side reaction must be added: [2]ä====>6cgas + 3h2+259.4+1010 to obtain as=0.0, it is necessary to take 1.17/259 from reaction (2), or: [3]0.0045 ä====>0.0045 6cgas + 0.013h2+1.17+4.55 resulting in the global reaction: [1]ä + ä====>ä> − <ä + h2−1.17+3.46+[3]0.0045 ä====>0.0045_6cgas + 0.013h2+1.17+4.552.0045 ä====>ä> − <ä + 1.01.h2 + 0.004(6cgas)0.00+8.01and the return of 6cgas in csol = coke0.0046cgas====>0.004.coke−1.16−4.552.0045 ä====>ä> − <ä + 1.01.h2 + 0.004.coke−1.16+3.46 experimental data 750° c. with 50% conversion in 40 s confirm the projected values found above and thus reinforce our belief regarding what must be avoided. the notion of irreversibility provides for a good projection of the production of coke considered as the hardest side reaction. the second way of appearance of pulverulent deposits of carbon is the acetylene way, of which some of the data are indicated below for informational purposes for 4ch4 engaged. téq ° c.(21) 4ch4 ===> 2 c2h6 + 2h2as = −3.84ah = +31.08−///°k(22) 4ch4 ===> c2h4 + 2h2 + 2ch4as = +27.89ah = +48.661472°c.(23) 4ch4 ===> c2h2 + 3h2 + 2ch4as = +55.65ah = +89.951343°c.(24) 4ch4 ===> 4csol + 8h2as = +85.2ah = +71.4565°c.(25) 4ch4 ===> 4cgas + 8h2as = 230.76ah = 793.163164°c.note:tfdec: sublimed at 3379° c. thermal decomposition of ch4: the reaction (24) indicates that, above 565° c., ch4 decomposes with slow kinetics, (approximately 1 hour towards 800° c.), as it is necessary to go through the gaseous state summarized by the reaction (25). therefore, the filiation that causes the appearance of the pulverulent carbon seems to be: ch4===>c2h4===>c2h2===>pulverulent csol c6h6===>polymerization csoi massive in any case and in practice: (1) in all cases, the creation of saturated light gases must be avoided.(2) the appearance of free hydrogen is a bad sign.(3) the creation of unsaturated light gases and hydrogen constitutes an alarm.(4) the creation of acetylene is a serious alarm.(5) the monitoring of the aromatization through the refractive index is very useful in order to determine whether the processes are running correctly. emulions one of the characteristics of our process is that is uses oxygenated intermediaries which, when converted to steam, naturally produce stable water/hydrocarbon emulsions. it has long been known that the combustion of difficult fuels is greatly improved by the addition of 5 to 10% of water. this addition, during the first stages of the combustion, provides for the cracking of heavy molecules while avoiding their polymerization into polyaromatics, which would produce nodules of soot or pulverulent carbon. on aug. 5, 1997, elf presented to the press a product called aquazole, containing 10 to 20% water, indicating that the main problem was guaranteeing the stability of the mixture. currently, this stability can only be guaranteed for 15 days to one month, despite resorting to a special mixing procedure and, in particular, thanks to special additives. the interest presented directly by the intermediary emulsions produced by our process is understood, as these emulsions may become the main objective for these applications. we have emulsions that are already 8 years old and are still stable: this shows that we control the difficulties encountered by elf. these benefits may be explained by internal molecular links that, at the anhydrous state, would be unsaturated and remained partially bound to water. it would also be possible to put forward all the oxygenated intermediaries that we presented previously in the control of the cracking operations towards 440-600×, which have a favorable equilibrium towards 200°-220° c., the operating temperature of our extractor. in any case: (1) we obtain stable water/hydrocarbon emulsions whose water content can be determined simply by setting, in our conversions, the ratio h2o/(x), in the gases used in our conversion, x being preferably co2+y; y may be any gas n2, h2, etc. this means that the dry smoke (taken before 200° c. under 1 bar) resulting from a combustion is appropriate.(2) the products formed (gasolines, especially kerosine) contain bound water.(3) limited to using only steam for reasons of simplicity and ease of implementation, our process makes it possible to obtain, depending on the settings selected: oxygenated and hydrated products; or primarily anhydrous products. in fact, the useful recipes appear, when steam is used, in the form of emulsions that produce: a light emulsion referred to as “clear”: d=0.89 to 0.92a heavier “mayonnaise” emulsion: d=0.93 to 0.96 which are clearly separated from an excess of process water d=1.0 (if this excess exists, which is not the case in the example below). the “mayonnaise” (of which 8 year old samples have not moved) is easily broken by different mechanical means such as a forced run through a series of crossworked pieces of fabric (an operation referred to as extrusion). the dry sand breaks the emulsion immediately; there are additional mechanical possibilities such as balls rolling in the emulsion, etc. below is an example of evaluation of the characteristics of these emulsions, with annotations: mayonnaiseptotalptarenet weightdp/vdadnntotal mayonnaise1700.0 −698.31 =1001.690.96563.51.50625extruded water1163.8 −444.13 =719.67clear hc extruded282.0213.01.50099direct clear hc:731.36 −311.412 =419.950.89160.90213.31.50310total hc:701.97water/hctotal ratio719.67/701.97 = 1.02p: weight in gdp/v: density = weight/volumedn: deviation read by refractometer indicating the refractive index n.v: volume in cm3da: density (read by densitometer) with the operating conditions selected, which will be described elsewhere, the useful products did not contain any free water (aqueous phase d=1.0). the distillation of the direct and extruded clear phase gave the following results: recipesvolumesweightcut ptotptarp gv. tv. waterv. hchc. secdp/vdnndistillation 1 summarywithout sand and without stirringpi-11574.9573.011.942.40.91.51.040.6938.21.44963regurgitate;93.1175.0218.0920.23.017.215.090.87712.31.49360200-25084.4378.066.378.2. . .8.26.370.7779.51.46368250-30091.8676.7315.1317.44.013.411.130.83011.31.48297300-360115.2877.0138.2743.8. . .43.838.270.87412.41.49466360+89.1575.4413.9615.5. . .15.513.960.90119.31.5656793.767.985.86distillation 2 summaryin sand and without stirringpi-12072.5070.062.443.250.92.251.540.6846.51.4311212072.872.500.30.30.3--.--.--120-20081.1776.994.185.6-.-5.64.180.7468.21.44963200-25085.4478.067.389.11.08.16.380.7909.51.46368250-30095.1472.8722.2726.1-.-26.122.270.85311.21.48191300-360119.0572.9946.0653.0-.-53.046.060.86912.61.49677total82.632.280.43residue:95.74 − 82.63 = 13.110.90119.0flask: 202.78flask + support: 214.21flask + support + feed: 309.95 gfeed: 95.74 gsand 300μ: 610.34 g to cover the liquids (total weight engaged) the abundant regurgitation in the first case, accompanied by a significant quantity of violently released water, shows that there is water bound with moderate chemical forces. during the distillation of the liquids submerged under the sand, there is a weaker “depolymerization” and a smaller release of water. in any case, this shows that: (1) the 262 g of hydrocarbons of the “mayonnaise” are capable of binding with the 719 g of extruded water, or 2.5 times its weight in water; and (2) the “clear and extruded” hydrocarbons already contain, in this case, from 3 to 9% bound h2o. therefore, it can be seen that our process can naturally provide oxygenated compounds or stable water/hydrocarbon emulsions. we checked that the exiting process water did not contain any alcohol or any other carbon compound, by processing its distillation summarized below: process water analysis by distillation with 15 trays. feed 100 cc: 97.81 gthe traffic begins at 99° c.in clear water containing a smalldistills between 100° c. and 101° c.milky flocculating hazeresidue 225.93 − 224.89 = 1.04 gdark brownnon-combustiblewith small black nodules it is also observed that the water extracts different elements from the treated feed. this water has an acid ph indicating that it has absorbed sh2 or any other acid element of the feed. all this constitutes a whole of favorable elements brought by our process, which implements steam of which the extractive activity increased with the injection temperature and the successive scrubbing operations in the extraction zone. control of oxygenation or hydration of products other characteristics of the present system may include: controlling the hydration of the emulsions, or preventing the same; and controlling the oxygenation of the products, or preventing the same. we will indicate how these results can be obtained with our device. it should be noted that thanks to our extractor, we can select the norm of useful products and recycle those that are standout. therefore, let's consider the norm case (selected objective) of oxygenated gasolines or gas oil and emulsion hydrated without free water. it is clear that it is necessary to avoid sending too much process water to treat the feed, although a sufficient quantity must be sent. it was found that a good water/feed ratio (treated atmospheric residue) was in the order of 1 in weight. (which is what was found in the evaluation of the results presented above.) if the objective is to move towards oxygenated compounds, it is clear that if said compounds are not oxygenated, they are considered standout, especially if the objective is to produce gasoline or automotive gas oil type cuts. therefore, we had the idea, which is a characteristic of one embodiment, to perform a first conversion of the atmospheric residue into distillates pi-360, with our extractor-contactor-decantor set around 200° c., and then rerun all these raffinates (200−) in their current state, through our facility. in fact, during this recycling, equivalents of heavy but atmospheric distillates were converted into lighter gas oil, gasoline type products. the steam that provides for these operations is also sufficiently reactive to create the chemical additions that are shown in the distillation of the products (direct distillation or distillation under sand). let us now consider the reverse norm, for example to meet the refining specification of an existing site, which requires non-hydrated standard products (referred to as dry). therefore, our process will void recycling the anhydrous products formed (200−), which would tend to hydrate them and create oxygenated compounds. in this case, we will operate by recycling only the extracts (200+) with the fresh feed that consists of residues or any other feed to be converted (200 being a value that may vary depending on the desired recycling). in order to properly understand this, let's take a residue under vacuum that will not produce any atmospheric distillate during the first generation. it is appropriate to note that a very rough scheme is constituted by the following relationship: rsv===>dsvdsv===>rat a total rsv (parent) conversion test that gives a dsv (first generation), followed by a rat (second generation) is detailed below. with this type of recycling and the selected settings, the conversion products were not hydrated, as indicated by their distillation carried out after the separation of water/hydrocarbon of the emulsions. here, the distillation does not produce any water (contrary to the previous case, where an attempt was made to establish the same). this indicates that this problem is under control. conversion with extinction of recycling: end conversion during flowtotal depletion of resourcesuseful global reference (3)-(4)summary:atm. cutwt.dp/v% wt.& % wt.dnnpi-150 =1.700.68723.493.496.51.43112150-200 =3.890.77207.9811.467.71.44420200-250 =8.070.820016.5528.018.21.44963250-300 =24.960.869251.1979.209.81.46691300-320 =5.440.868511.1690.3611.51.48511residue =4.709.63100%total48.76(losses:1.24) the minutes of the distillation of the conversion products contained in the clear and extruded phase (see table i) show that there is no measurable release of water. the releases of white vapors or sputtering towards 80° c., 130° c., 150° c., 250° c., 290° c., clearly show the key points of water release that were readily encountered in the treatment that was aimed at achieving hydration and oxygenated products; but here they are quantitatively negligible. their total may be evaluated by excess by stating that they are, at the most, equal to the losses observed, or 3.8%, for the explanation of the ideas. (it should also be noted that the transfer of samples from the recipe cylinder to the appropriate cylinder in order to take a more accurate measurement of the volume and weight to obtain the density dp/v, is performed with losses of 0.3 g for highly liquid lights, reaching 0.75 g for the atmospheric cut 300+ and 2.15 g for the atmospheric residues, due to flow problems associated with the increase of viscosity and surface tensions. this gives an idea of the binding effect of the products on the walls, which increases with the density and the refractive index). finally, for information purposes, regarding these tests, it should be noted that the main characteristics of the residue under vacuum were: density 1.01, refractive index 1.594, solid state. reactors-extractors and product distillation devices our reports on the distillation of conversion products mention the “regurgitation of products, inrush of released water, sputtering, etc., which, if they should occur in a classic distillation unit, would cause the “blowout” of all distillation trays and their packing. according to a new characteristic of one embodiment, we imagined a device that was not only capable of performing said distillation work without the above-mentioned problems, but also operated as a true reactor-extractor of the mixer-decanter type. referring to fig. 2 , the principle is as follows: the properly preheated or cooled products are sent into a double shell cylinder containing saturating water with steam, which sets the temperature of said shell simply by setting the pressure of the chamber, steam is produced when heat is released; steam is consumed when heat is absorbed; the presence of saturating water provides for significant transfers of heat with the inner container of the reactor-extractor. in this double vertical shell that is quasi-isothermal to the temperature defined by the temperature of the saturating water, we install a tube or a series of vertical tubes, which rise, in order to explain the ideas, to the middle of the height of the double shell. therefore, the upper section is empty. it acts as a baffle-decanter by selecting a low speed of ascent of light products or gases, enabling the heavy or liquid products in the form of mist or rain to fall back to the bottom. for this purpose, the falling speed of the heavy or liquid products only needs to be greater than the rising speed of the lighter products. furthermore, this space acts as relief for any sudden inrush of water or violent release that could not be properly controlled. since it is empty (no packing in this zone), there is no material risk. the heavy products or liquids remain at the bottom of the shell, between the shell and the vertical tubes. when the entire space between the shell and the tubes is filled, the heavy products overflow inside the vertical tubes and are collected at their lower outlet. therefore, this extraction is automatic and natural. the incoming products, liquids or gases, are injected at the bottom of the double shell in the heavy or liquid phase at a very moderate speed. therefore, they are dispersed in the heavy phase, mixing therewith under local conditions of temperature and pressure; the mass transfers thus occur through the surfaces in contact and are governed by the differences of concentration in relation to the equilibrium of the stationary heavy phase and the incoming dispersed phase. these equilibriums are defined both by the physical separation of the phases in presence of each other and by the licit chemical equilibriums under the existing local conditions. the incoming products enrich the heavy phase and are drained of the heavy compounds transferred. with the light compounds that may be created, they reappear in the light phase that fills the top of the shell, where they are decanted, being separated from the liquid portions or heavy mists that fall back to the bottom. this device is especially beneficial because it is capable of performing the equivalent of a distillation while operating as if in a liquid-liquid extraction for oils or asphalts, or a chemical reactor. in fact, aromatic products such as furfural have widely known extracting powers for the extraction of aromatic products in the preparation of lubricants. in any case, it allows us to separate the effluents exiting the reactor at our convenience, in a safe and risk-free manner. when several of these devices are arranged in series, a series of separations is performed which define perfectly the nature of the products extracted by the tubes, as the refined products are sent to the next device for the definition of another extract. it should be noted that, with the working conditions used, the separation of atmospheric distillates from the atmospheric residue is carried out at 200° c. under 1 bar, while in a classic distillation column it would be performed at 360° c. the configuration provided is for information purposes only and should not be limited thereto, as it could be carried out with numerous variations. for example, for our pilot of 2 kg/h, since the heat losses were very high, we adopted the electrical heating of the extractors, where the temperature was regulated by the intensity of the heater for a given rate and a given feed. the same system enabled us to perform the process extractions and the associated atmospheric distillations of our finished products in order to treat quantities of up to 50 kg. this technological device can thus fulfill several purposes, in particular chemical conversions. we will explain its application to conversions of a gas mixture into liquids. we just saw that our emulsions were stable and that the clear products could be oxygenated or hydrated, and that they were also in relation with the temperature (and operating pressure) of the key reactor-extractor separating the useful products from “the norm” of recycling. this unexpected effect motivated us to seek an explanation that could help us size the equipment and set the operating conditions while minimizing practical experimentation. the action of steam on unsaturated double bonds let's consider a chain containing a double carbon-carbon bond noted cec. in the presence of steam, the following reaction may occur: —cec— + h2o → alcoholasahteq−32−15468° k. (200° c.)examples:asahteqc2h4 + h2o → h3c—chöh−29.96/−10.990° c.c18h36 + h2o → alcohol c18−32.15/−15.03194° c. it is especially remarkable to note that, under these conditions, it is possible to convert ethylene into alcohol, which explains why we can limit the production of gases. it is also noted that heavy alcohols form naturally under the operating conditions of the reactor-extractor, which operates specifically at the temperature that is favorable to achieve this type of conversion. it is thus easier to understand why our emulsions are stable and why our process can produce oxygenated compounds. in fact, regarding the stability of the emulsions, the heavy alcohols behave like third-party solvents between the water and the hydrocarbons, since alcohols are miscible with water through their function öh, and with hydrocarbons through the basic hydrocarbon skeleton. when we consider the fact that the binding forces involved in the emulsion are weak because their origin is more physical than chemical, it is easy to understand that the emulsion can be easily “broken” by the simple mechanical means that we have discovered. metals with inorganic deposits/complex emulsions the residue under vacuum that we converted contained the impurities summarized in the following table, which also indicates their distribution. fractionation of rsv, kuwait by extraction c3-c5positiondao c3exc4ex c5asp c5″″″″″″rsv% rsv feed18.733.730.417.5100%rsvdensity 20° c.0.8961.0001.0471.0671.010refrac. n 20° c.1.5191.5921.6241.6411.59415tf° c.5060100146+41°c.sediments0.096%pdsres. carb. % rsv0.622.968.098.2319.9sulfur % rsv0.531.621.621.235.0nickel ppmrsv0.210.214.417.242vanadium1.032.347.255.5136ppmrsv——0.00030.01070.0110nacl % wt.1402cstvisc. cst 100° c.1.641.351.221.18h/c = 1.33h/c the combustion of heavy fuels gives ashes that typically have the following relative composition (off so4): si02:32, fe2o3:25, na:16, va:14, ni:6, al:6, our feeds to be converted thus contain vanadium, nickel, sodium, iron, aluminum, sulfur, etc., which must at least be taken into account in the conversion and should preferably be eliminated. we observed that one of the first negative effects of the metals was the generation of solid compounds due to the formation of eutectics between 520× and 600° c., such as: sio2+na2o, v2o5+na2o, v2o5+nio2, the most fusible acting as fluxing agent of the less fusible that follow. it appears that the free compounds such as those indicated below are evacuated by the effluents of the reactor at the solid state. compoundstftebdnsio2170022302.321.4840sis2>10902.020. . . in any case, if the operation is carried out with a reactor at a temperature that is too high, deposits are observed containing the eutectics that formed, which will deposit on the walls of the reactor. therefore, this limitation has nothing to do with the chemistry of the conversion; it is only related to the nature of the impurities of the feed. in fact, it is not the presence of said impurities that constitutes a hindrance; it is their accumulation in the reactor or the extractor on duty that would tend to plug them, thus blocking any possible operation so long as they are not eliminated. thus we have a new characteristic of one embodiment, which limits the operating temperature of the reactor depending on the impurity content, in the case of residue under vacuum below 500° c. the sio2 is slightly extracted by dry h2o steam (see table below). solubility sio2/h2osio2/h2o ppmp h2o liq., sat.h2o steam, sat.dry h2o steamtemp.atm.concent.sio2/h2o ppm @ tsat.400° c.500° c.600° c.100° c.15000.020.20.50.92001510000.21.55.010.02353013001.14.511.040.0 oxides such as v2o5 of a yellow red color or v2o3 of a darker color have a significant solubility in water, which contributes to their extraction in our extractor. the vanadium-sodium compounds such as navo4 or na3vo4 are also soluble in water, the same is true for yellow niso4 or green nicl3 and fecl2. by extracting the different oxides, the water counters the formation of the eutectics mentioned above and also reduces the rate of their deposits in the reactor. the presence of water and the oxygenation of the hydrocarbons in our reactor contribute to the formation of compounds such as: c6h5so3>2fe, 3h2o (brown) or c6h5so3>2ni, 6h2o or c2h3öö>2ni (green), which also have a partial, but significant, solubility in water. all this explains the color of the water collected after the separation of water/hydrocarbons, as well as the appearance of flocs of a density greater than that of the water. after avoiding the deposits due to metals in the reactor, it was observed that they were concentrated in the heavy polyaromatic hydrocarbons that tended to form “cages”, as shown clearly by the analysis of the residue under vacuum. the following table describes a few compounds of si and fe exiting primarily in dsv and rsv. compoundspmtftebdnh5c2)3,si,c6h5192149230. . .. . .. . .1.5617h2céch,si,(öc6h5)3334. . .210/7 mmhg. . .1.130. . .c6h5ö > 4,si40047417/7 mmhg. . .. . .. . .c6h5)2,si,(c6h4c6h5)2488170570. . .. . .1.1401.100c6h5 > 3,si,c6h4c6h5412174580. . .. . .. . .. . .c6h5 >−< c6h4 >)4,si640283600. . .. . .. . .. . .h3c)3,si,c5h4 > 2,fe3301688/0.06. . .1.5454h3c)3,si,c5h4 > fec5h52582365/0.5. . .. . .1.5696 this property is thus exploited to extract them at point 13.4 of our process, which constitutes another characteristic of one embodiment. we also observed that even the light components that may have formed remained attached primarily to the silica or free carbon to form liquids with a boiling temperature pi-150° c., as indicated in the table below: compoundtftebdnh3c)4,c−17+90.6131.3476h3c)4,si. . .+260.652. . .h3cch2)4,c−331460.7541.4206h3cch2)4,si. . .1520.7621.4246 tetraethyllead for gasoline (for informational purposes, we point out the remarkable physical properties of the tetraethyllead.) these are some additional organometallic compounds of iron: compoundpmtf ° c.tebncolorc4h6fe(co)319319. . .. . .. . .. . .yellowc6h4sfe(co)222051subl.. . .. . .. . .light redc5h9c5h4)fec5h525416. . .red liq.h3cöc5h4)fec5h52288587. . .. . .. . .h3cco2c5h4)2,fe302. . .114. . .. . .. . .c6h5c5h5 > fec5h5236110. . .. . .. . .. . .redöhcc5h4 > fec5h5214121. . .. . .. . .. . .goldhööch2c5h4 > 2fe302140. . .. . .. . .. . .brownish redc6h5c5h4 > 2,fe338154. . .. . .. . .. . .yellowhöc6h4c5h4 > fec5h5278165. . .. . .. . .. . .goldfluorescent greenyellowc6h5 > 2,c5h3 > 2,fe490220. . .. . .. . .. . .red/yellow they are normally liquid and extracted according to our processes, at 100 or 200° c. all these explanations are provided only for informational purposes, in order to have an idea of the phenomena observed. it was also observed that the highly polyaromatic molecules that could form cages, which would translate into a very high refractive index, had a strong solvent power capable of extracting the unwanted molecules. this explains our technique, which consists in maintaining in 13.4 a strong stationary liquid phase of which the activity is increased by the temperature; this phase also results from components of the residue under vacuum. observations regarding the final stabilisation of the products formed there is always a residue of products at low boiling temperature in the useful products such as: compoundpmtftebdncolorh3cöc5h4)fec5h52288587. . .. . .. . .. . .h3cco2c5h4)2,fe302. . .114. . .. . .. . .red alcohols are added to these compounds, reacting according to the following scheme: —cec—+h2o alcohol as=−32 ah=−15 teq 200° c. as a result, the final separation cannot be a simple distillation due to solid-dissolved/gas phase changes or when it follows a dehydration. in fact, what refiners refer to as a “water inrush” could occur, which destroys the packings of a classic distillation unit. in our reference distillations, we observed these effects at the above-mentioned temperatures, in the form of violent regurgitations, sudden dehydrations, sputtering accompanying releases of white vapors, etc. that is why we adopt our extracting device to carry out this final stabilization operation in total safety. this device enabled us to separate all of our products, or approximately one hundred kg, without encountering any problems. description and performance of the injection associated with the reactor it was previously indicated that the role of the injector was to transfer the maximum usable energy contained in the vapors or the gases, the feed to be converted, on one hand, and, on the other hand, to create a close contact between the steam and the feed, preferably without any material contact with the metal walls. these results are obtained as follows: the feed that in fact is a heavy phase in relation to the gases or vapors, is divided into pairs of mechanically sprayed jets, set sideways in opposite directions, arranged in accordance with fig. 3 , flowing from top to bottom and meeting on the axis of the injector. by mutual deviation, they then flow axially at a moderate speed, without any material contact. the purpose of the mechanical spraying is to create fine droplets, preferably some mist, which thus develops a maximum surface of the hydrocarbon containing feed. the spraying may be supported by approximately 5% of overheated hp steam which contributes to the nebulization of the feed (as is well known in the injector heads of boiler and furnace burners). in this flow, the vapor or gas jet is placed during the expansion, its energy being primarily transformed into kinetic energy to the fullest extent possible, thus with great speed. by injecting the high speed vapor jet in the sprayed jet of the feed, the mechanical shearing of said jet is obtained, with the transfer of energy that contributes to the activation of the reactions, all these operations being carried out at very high speeds, without contact with the material walls and practically at the desired temperature of the reactor. the calculation of chokes and nozzles is easily performed, according to techniques that are specific to steam turbines or hydraulic turbines, taking into account the polyphasic state of the feed. arrangement of the injectors on the reactor to facilitate its mechanical cleaning the reactor is empty. most of the solid carbon formed is carried away by the effluents exiting the reactor, which constitutes a great benefit of our process. however, a small portion is deposited on the walls and tends to accumulate. therefore, these carbonaceous deposits or metal oxide compounds contained in the feed must be eliminated at appropriate intervals. the presence of noncombustible oxides requires the use of mechanical means such as scrubbing, sandblasting, or another means. to this end, it is necessary to open the reactor while avoiding any inner part or jutting edge. therefore, the injectors are arranged sideways, opposite one another, to the outside of the reactor, in pairs, so that the reactor, once opened, may keep its walls totally free. by laying the top of the reactor, followed by the bottom, the naked ring of the reactor remains, which can be easily cleaned by any mechanical means. this device is particularly beneficial, especially when compared to the problems presented by reactors fitted with packings (visbreaker soaker) or filled with catalysts with or without circulation. injector and soaking drum a critical problem is knowing how to define the conditions for the injection of products so as to facilitate the proper initiation of the useful reactions, and define the required conditions in order to achieve the equilibrium of the stable products exiting the soaking drum. this practical definition, which constitutes a unique concept of one embodiment, consists mainly in defining the key parameters that govern said process in a practical manner. we will describe an example where the residue under vacuum is treated for the purpose of obtaining a light gas oil, kerosine production. we will first consider the residue under vacuum. its density and refractive index provide us with valuable information regarding its structure, thanks to our know-how. an extraction of asphalts at c3, c4, c5 specifies this structure in terms of molecules to be treated. we will preferably take a global sample and perform a thermal stability test (or conversion by thermal cracking) that is moderate and easy to perform. if rsv is the quantity of residue involved and operating at the temperature t, we observed that rsv disappeared, forming other products according to the following relationship: d ( rsv )/ dt=rsv e −t/ts ts being a time unit for example, for the residue for which all conversion results will be given below, we found: temperature t° c.430460490ts seconds70014040 our experience led us to think that this reaction speed was related to the disequilibrium between the composition of the products and that which would exist if things were left to develop without any time restrictions. if rsveq is the residue that would remain in equilibrium with all the products generated, we would obtain: to being a time unit specific to each product. furthermore, the conditions of mechanical breakdown of the molecules that we have already explained in detail, are related to the interatomic cohesive forces of the component molecules and to the fact that the matter in question exceeds the acceptable maximum deformation. this results in an effort e equal to: e=force×deformation. we believe that there is a general relationship between ts and the temperature t, with r universal constant of perfect gases, in the form of: ts=to e −t(r/e) thus we have a simple means of evaluating the value e, which we assign to our residue under vacuum. in fact, according to our hypotheses and considering two pairs of temperature measurements ts( 1 ), t 1 ; ts( 2 ), t 2 , we obtain: in our case, with t 1 =430° c., ts( 1 )=700 s, t 2 =490° c., ts( 2 )=40 s, we find t value of e is approximately 42 kcal/mol. this means that if we are not capable of engaging this energy, nothing will occur instantaneously in the reactor (it also means that if a much greater energy is transferred to the molecule, this molecule will be shattered). we will now examine the preheating of the feed and the temperature of the reactor. having provided an effort of 42 kcal/mol without converting it into heat, the average molecule of rsv is broken into only 2 fragments due to the lack of energy. first of all, it is necessary to prevent the two fragments produced from immediately rejoining. again, this is the role of the injector, which inserts gaseous molecules during the expansion between the fragments formed. this insertion is facilitated by the fact that the steam h2o or gas co2 can react chemically with the broken ends of the molecules. according to one embodiment, in order to achieve this with almost total certainty, it is necessary to have as many gaseous molecules as there are pairs of carbon, so as to create this situation. if steam is the only element used, the ratio between water (18 g/mol) and hydrocarbons (chx 13 14) must ideally be in the order of 18/(2×13) by weight, or approximately 0.7. since the molecules of rsv are fragmented, it is necessary to place them in a stable thermodynamic equilibrium. to this end, a period of time ts is required, which depends primarily of the temperature. based on the experimental data ts, it would be preferable to adopt the highest possible temperature in order to reduce the duration of the operations, but we found out that this cannot be done without incurring risks. thus, from 460° c. we have: ce14h28→cä13h24+ch4 565° c.: ch4→4csol+8h2 the polyaromatic polymerize towards massive carbon. thanks to the reactants used, primarily steam, these side reactions can be blocked partially but never completely. the final choice thus becomes a compromise based primarily on the solid carbon accepted. in practice, it is negligible at 440° c. at 520° c., its accumulation in the reactor requires frequent scrubbing for its elimination; otherwise it can become a hindrance if nothing is done, possibly filling the reactor completely. a temperature of 460-470° c. was adopted, which gave good results. it was observed that the pressure had a very beneficial effect on the speed of the reaction. very important at the beginning, going from 1 to 20 or 30 b, this effect subsides thereafter, peaking towards 150 b and decreasing above 200 bars. that is why we adopted pressures of 20 or 30 bars, which enabled us to divide approximately by 2 the times ts that we would have at 1 bar. therefore, at 470° c., we should have approximately 25 seconds to achieve the equilibrium in the reactor. regarding the control of the reactions, our objective is to break a molecule in two during each run. this requires a net value of 20 kcal/mol as indicated previously. if we supply 40 kcal/mol for the activation, it is sufficient to start from a feed preheated under 470° c. to obtain the desired result. in fact, starting from this temperature which is slightly lower than the desired temperature of the soaking drum, when the activation energy is added, the molecule would have a thermal temperature that is greater than that which it would have in its normal state, but it breaks upon absorbing 20 kcal/mol, finally leaving it at the temperature desired for the remaining operations necessary to achieve the equilibrium. once that this is well understood, taking into account the previously defined flow rate of steam (or gas) that is necessary to effectively close the broken ends, it is possible to deduce the value of the enthalpy of the steam that is sent to the injector. in order to achieve 470° c. in the soaking tank, taking into account the recirculations and the different energy transfer values achieved, it is necessary to consider superheating temperatures of the steam in the order of 600-650° c. for the rsv. once that the energy balance is achieved and the matter recycling is completed, it would be beneficial to adopt a steam pressure of the order of 60 b, superheated at 600° c. our injection nozzle then relieves adiabatically the steam from 60 bars to 30 bars at 470° c., and placed 60 kcal/kg available mechanically as kinetic energy in the steam jet of the order of 700 m/s. thus we obtain a steam at the desired temperature of the reactor. at this temperature, there is absolutely no risk of “roasting” the hydrocarbons, which receive the energy usable as kinetic energy, which will “shear” the hydrocarbons mechanically. typically, the preheating will be approximately 20° c. or 25° c. less than the temperature of the soaking tank, or approximately 445-450° c. this is particularly beneficial for the operation of the residue preheating furnace and prevents any coking problems. in fact, we know that visbreaker furnaces must heat this same type of residue towards 460° c., and that the coking risks appear above this temperature. with these operating conditions, we never encountered any coking in our furnace. in any case, once that the steam flow rate and the operating rate of the unit have been set, the superheating of the steam and the preheating of the feed are adjusted to achieve the thermal balance defined by the temperature of the soaking drum. in practice, the preheating of the feed being set at 20 or 25° c. below the temperature at the outlet of the reactor, the flow rate of the heating fuel of the steam furnace is adjusted by the reactor's outlet temperature. the example that we provided above for the residue under vacuum can be generalized regardless of the feed. the main key parameter is the temperature of the reactor, which increases when the products are lighter. for example, with very heavy distillates under vacuum, we will have temperatures in the order of 500° c., which will increase to 520° c. for light distillates under vacuum or very heavy atmospheric gas oils. examples of applications fig. 4 represents the process layout of a unit according to our process for the steam conversion of hydrocarbon containing products, in a non-arid country. fig. 5 represents the same layout implemented in a desert area poor in water resources. fig. 6 represents the same layout implemented in order to convert the excess gases of a drilling well or a refinery into liquids. fig. 7 represents an industrial pilot working at a total supply rate of 5 kg/h, or 2 kg/h atmospheric residue or 1.5 kg/h residue under vacuum. this pilot also converted heavy distillates and oils into light distillates. steam conversion in this version, see fig. 4 , the water is introduced in [ 0 ] by the pump [ 1 ], in a single tube furnace [ 2 ] heated by a burner [ 3 ]; the superheated steam is sent to the injector [ 4 ]. the fresh feed [ 5 ] that is stored in the tank [ 6 ], which receives the recycling [ 14 ] into which it is mixed, is pumped by the pump [ 17 ], which sends it to the furnace [ 8 ], which preheats the whole and sends it to the inlet of the injector [ 4 ]. the injector [ 4 ], operating as previously described, injects the whole in the reactor [ 10 ]. under the control of the pressure measurement [ 20 ], the valve [ 12 ] discharges the effluents of the reactor by releasing them in the extractor system [ 13 ], operating at a pressure similar to the atmospheric pressure. this extractor system, which was described elsewhere, comprises a series of extractions { 13 . 1 to 13 . 5 }, which are set from the ambient temperature to 360° c. [ 13 . 1 ] is at the local ambient temperature, [ 13 . 2 ] is set towards 100° c., [ 13 . 3 ] is used to separate the useful products (generally atmospheric distillates) of the atmospheric residues that were not fully converted. the outlet [ 13 . 4 ] can also fulfill this purpose and, in all cases, it breaks down the final separation of [ 13 . 3 ]. the outlet [ 13 . 5 ] extracts the heaviest products that are heavily loaded with polyaromatics and solid carbon precursor metals. a portion [ 13 . 52 ] is extracted in order to prevent its accumulation in the facility, and is used to constitute heavy fuels as long as they are still acceptable in this fuel, while the remaining portion [ 13 . 51 ] is recycled in [ 14 ], in preparation for a new conversion. the useful products [ 13 . 2 ] and [ 13 . 1 ] appear in the form of highly stable emulsions. they are usually bound (but they could be separated if light products are desired) and sent to the system [ 15 ] which breaks the emulsions mechanically. these broken emulsions are sent to a classic decanter which separates hydrocarbons [ 16 . 1 ] from water [ 16 . 2 ] and the heavier phases extracted (mud and sediments) [ 16 . 3 ]. the hydrocarbons fraction [ 16 . 1 ] is sent to the extractor [ 18 ], which separates the hydrocarbons that may be oxygenated or hydrated. (a classic distillation would run the risk of dangerous “water inrush”) the normal outputs are: [ 18 . 1 ] pi-100[ 18 . 2 ] 150-200[ 18 . 3 ] 200-250[ 18 . 4 ] 250-300[ 18 . 5 ] 300-350[ 18 . 6 ] 350+ (atmospheric residue) the cut points may be changed by modifying the temperature of the extractors, as explained elsewhere. the heavy fuels are constituted by the output products [ 18 . 6 ] (atmospheric residue) and the extracts [ 13 . 52 ]. the carbonaceous residues (laden with metals) [ 15 ] are used as fuels to feed preferably the burner [ 9 ] of the furnace [ 8 ] and the noncondensable gases are sent as primary fuel to the different burners of the furnace, the remainder being taken from the heavy fuel. finally, the small quantity of noncondensable gas and the small carbonaceous deposits produced by the autoconsumption of the unit are resorbed in this manner, which leaves the maximum quantity of liquid products demanded by the users. in principle, this facility presents no danger. all prevailing reactions are endothermic, thus stable. the presence of process water steam makes it possible to smother any potential risk of fire. the small production of gas does not give rise to any significant degassing, in the event of any incident. the hold-up (quantity of matter retained in the reactors) is relatively modest, which provides for quick starts and shutdowns of the unit. the unit is automatically stabilized and self-regulating pursuant to the operating technique adopted, in particular the extractors that operate through the natural overflow of the extracts. all these qualities provide for an extreme ease of operation and conduct (especially when compared with the units that it can replace, such as an fcc with its catalyst circulation problems between the riser reactor and its air supply regenerator under a pressure of approximately 3 bars, with its hydrocyclone problems in order to eliminate the fines of the catalyst, etc.). installation for arid areas if no water is available, its absence can easily be compensated for through the use of hot gases issued from a simple combustion involving co2+h2o+n2. in this case, the furnace [ 2 ] of fig. 4 is replaced by the furnace [ 68 ] of fig. 5 . this furnace receives the liquid (or gaseous) fuel [ 61 ], which is pumped or compressed by [ 60 ], sent to the burner [ 64 ] which also receives air [ 63 ] compressed by the compressor [ 62 ], and is then sent as a fuel to the burner [ 64 ]. the temperature of the produced gases (fumes) is adjusted to the value required by bypassing more or less the convection zone that cools these gases mixed with the gas exiting the radiation towards 900° c., if it is properly charged thermically. in fact, the fuel flow rate is set according to the desired quantity of gas. an oxygen meter sets the oxidizer-air necessary so as to avoid any excess, while the preset temperature [ 54 ] of the gases to be supplied controls the bypass valve [ 67 ] that regulates said temperature. in this version, the quantity of water implemented is reduced compared to the case of fig. 4 , which operates completely with steam. the devices [ 15 ] and [ 16 ] are reduced but, in return, it is necessary to provide an air compressor that is more complex and less cost-effective in terms of consumed power than a supply pump of a water furnace. the rest of the facility remains identical to the previous one. this application is very simple and very safe. it requires the constant monitoring of the combustion in the furnaces (flame detector) to prevent any untimely, uncontrolled combustion in the event that the flame goes out, which could cause the fusion of the reactor. (note that the reactor may be decoked from time to time by the controlled air combustion of the carbonaceous deposits, as the solid deposits would then be easily removed by hammering or sandblasting.) resorption of light gases in the refinery or in an oil field or to maximize the production of gasolines this case is illustrated in fig. 6 . as we saw previously, the process goes through oxygenating and hydrating phases that are favorable towards 200° in the extractor. instead of grafting h2o on the unsaturated bonds of the conversion products, it is possible to graft, under the same conditions, —ch2- resulting from the initial high temperature reaction: 2ch4+o2==>2co+4h2 which, at 200° c., produces at a low temperature: 2co+4h2==>2-ch2-+2h2o since the nature of the gas is less important at high temperatures than the energy that is carries, this mixture is appropriate for the projected conversions of heavy products and, as was previously mentioned, their unsaturated skeletons constitute a good base for the attachment of the —ch2- that form favorably towards 200° c., under a pressure of 20 to 30 bars, in reactors that already contain hydrocarbons. a facility of this type is illustrated in fig. 6 . from a schematic point of view, the generation of the gases is the same as in the case of fig. 5 . only the regulation of the combustion changes. the oxygen meter is fitted with a device to measure co2 which will ultimately regulate the oxygen (or air) fed to the burner. the facility remains identical to the previous ones and the only difference is the outlet of the reactor [ 10 ]. the effluents exiting the reactor are not expanded and are maintained under a pressure of the order of 25 bars. they are cooled by an exchanger [ 82 ], after which they go through an extractor [ 84 ] which operates in the same manner as [ 23 ] and [ 24 ]. [ 84 ] is under optimal temperature and pressure conditions to carry out the useful reactions and will be sized accordingly. with the pressure being regulated [ 74 ], the valve [ 85 ] is operated, discharging the reactor [ 84 ], returning partially to the initial process [ 13 ] here in [ 83 ] at the atmospheric pressure, and provided with the outlets [ 13 . 3 ], [ 13 . 2 ] and [ 13 . 1 ], which operate as provided previously in the case of fig. 4 . the partial autothermic oxidation of the gases requires the continuous monitoring of this combustion, as well as quick degassing means in the event of an incident (hydraulic protection and significant flare to handle any contingency). our experience in this field leads us to think that this technique will be reserved for large units where all the required safety measures and precautions may be fully and efficiently taken. in the gasoline target case, a more advanced gas or fuel oxidation may be adopted in order to obtain co2+h2o (total oxidation) or co2+h2o+co+h2 (partial oxidation) mixtures that are favorable in order to improve the rate of conversion into light products and the octane number of the gasolines. in this case, the safety requirement of the facilities is once again total, with the usual refining techniques. these three variations illustrate the flexibility of the possible adaptation of our process and the equipment that it implements, depending on the needs that must be fulfilled and the restrictions imposed. example of results obtained with our industrial pilot our pilot, of which an illustration is provided in fig. 7 , makes it possible to carry out all the operations that we have considered. for reasons of space and cost, the operations [ 15 ] and [ 16 ] for the separation and extrusion of hydrocarbons from the emulsions were not carried out on a continuous basis, but rather as a retreatment at the end of a controlled run according to the process layout in fig. 8 . likewise, the stabilization (some kind of reactive distillation) giving final products was performed as a retreatment and on a continuous basis in our facility according to the layout of fig. 9 . in this case, the reactor (atmospheric pressure) constitutes only a transfer line between the furnace [ 8 ] and the extractor [ 13 ], which replaces the whole [ 18 ] of a facility completely in line according to figs. 4 , 5 and 6 . the pilot comprises a manifold that provides for the charging of the gases h2, co2, n2, air or ch4. the pilot is illustrated in fig. 10 in the form that is its simplest and closest to the industrial applications. it converts the feeds only with steam. [ 2 ] is the single tube furnace for the water. [ 1 ] is its booster pump that collects from a tank of which the level is measured in order to determine the water injected. [ 3 ] is the single tube furnace that heats the feed injected by the pump [ 7 ]. [ 6 ] is the fresh feed and recycling tank (which must be carefully monitored in order to keep the products liquid so that they may be pumped). this tank is measured with bubbles, which provides the weight of the treated feed. [ 4 ] is the injector that we described and defined previously. [ 10 ] is the reactor sized according to the method described in the patent. [ 12 ] is the discharge valve of the reactor, regulating its pressure. [ 13 ] is a set of extractors as we defined the same. their temperature is set as needed from one extractor to the other. [ 28 ] is a positive-displacement meter of outlet gas placed behind a “devesiculator”. [ 39 ] is another condensate collector. [ 13 . 1 to 13 . 5 ] are the extract discharge outlets. the temperatures are measured by mercury thermometers placed in deep wells. the pressures are measured by conventional pressure gages. treatment and measurement of conversion products formed outlet gases: the gases exiting [ 13 ], after being “devesiculated” and cooled at the ambient temperature, go into a precision positive-displacement meter followed by a gas sampling system in flexible bladders of 11.2 liters (previously emptied by a vane pump that creates a very good vacuum). the density of the gas can be determined by simply weighing the bladder (taking the taring into account), which, based on the volume of the gases produced, directly indicates the mass of the outlet gases. the composition of the gases sampled is obtained by any appropriate technique. in our case, since there may be several large capacity bladders, the gases may be extracted, cooled by liquefying them with liquid nitrogen, and distilled naturally during their conversion phase of fig. 7 . thus we obtain significant quantities of products on which all the evaluations and measurements desired may be performed. the detailed characteristics of the formed products are obtained through classic distillation, without stirring or packing, in order to observe the dehydration phenomena of these products, which may release water. the refractive index and density measurements inform us of the structure of the formed products and, consequently, on the good execution of the conversion. this is especially important for recycling, by making sure not to polymerize any polyaromatics which would degenerate into massive coke. examples of results obtained 1 conversion of residue under vacumm, rsv [5]feedrsv,100.0d =solidn =feed1.011.594[15]csol3.0solid fuel3%[41]cgas4.02 fuel gas2%[16.3]+miscellaneous4.0[13.52]purges3.5\heavy[18.5]8.5/fuel12%[18.1 to 18.4] dat:77.00.839atmos. distillatesconversionatm. cut% wt.dp/vn[−18.1]pi-1502.570.6871.43112[−18.2]150-2003.770.7721.45504[200-2504.610.8251.46368−18.3]250-30046.680.85361.47443[−18.4]300-36019.370.85351.48936 dp/v is the weight/volume quotient density, da is the same density taken on a densitometer. the key points of this conversion are listed below: process referencenatured: densityn: refraction[0]h2o natural1.00feed:[5]feed rsv1.011.594 solid[13.1-13.2][50]dv/pdan[16.1]clear0.8930.9061.51671[16.2]mayonnaise0.977.1.51252clear extruded0.9250.9331.51567[16.11: clear + clear extruded from [13.1-13.2]% in the cutconversionatm. cut% wt.dp/vn[18.1]pi-1503.030.6871.43112[18.2]150-2004.440.7721.45504[18.3]200-2505.430.8251.46368[18.4]250-30055.000.85361.47443[18.5]300-36022.820.85351.48936atm. residue: 9.28% in the cutdsv cut% wt.dp/vnrecycling:main flow[13.3]200° c.pi-2008.240.8311.50099200-25029.210.9031.50835250-33052.180.9321.51879rsv.310.371.595very low flow:recycling + purge[13.4]360° c.pi-195 nothing . . .195-2508.630.8591.49888250-30043.330.9041.53737rsv.448.041.625[13.5]470° c. nothing . . . it is observed that the cut [ 13 . 4 ] contains a rsv portion and (250-300) dsv which extracted metals and polyaromatics. a portion thereof is eliminated to purge the reactor. the 3.5% adopted gave us good results. 2 conversions of atomosheric residue reactor 470° c. [5]feedrat.,100.0d =fixedn =feed0.971.5576[15]csol1.5solid fuel[41]cgas3.02 fuel gas1.5%[16.3]+miscellaneous3.0[13.52]purges2.0\heavy[18.5]9.5/fuel11.5%total atmos. dist.:81.0on feed[16.11: clear + clear extruded from [13.1-13.2]% on feedconversionatm. cut% wt.dp/vn[−18.1]pi-1502.70.691.432[−18.2]150-20010.60.771.452[−18.3]200-25019.00.821.462[−18.4]250-30033.20.861.484[−18.5]300-36015.50.881.497atm. residue: 9.50[5]feed:rat., feed100.0d = 0.97fixedn = 1.5576[5]ratdsv cut% wt.dp/vn% in the cutdsv cut% wt.dp/vnrecycling: main flow[13.3]200° c.pi-2006.951.503200-25028.140.8671.509250-33049.450.9231.530rsv.315.461.599very low flow:recycling + purge[13.4]360° c.pi-1950.0195-25010.51.509250-32539.80.9341.530rsv.448.041.061.630[13.5]470° c. nothing it is clearly observed that the metals and heavy polyaromatics are concentrated in the rsv of the extract [ 13 . 4 ], which is why a portion of this extract is purged. the recycling decreases compared to the case where only rsv is treated; therefore, the treatment capacity is its nominal value of 2 kg/h of atmospheric residue. 3 production of oxygenated compounds or hydrated emulsion by performing a first conversion run of the atmospheric residue, direct clear products+emulsions are obtained. it was thought to run them again through our pilot in order to oxygenate or hydrate them during this new conversion. the distillation under sand of the direct clear and extruded phase after this second conversion gave the following results: refractiverecipes: weightindexsectionv. tsteamv. hchc, drydensitydp/vnpi-1203.250.92.251.540.6841.431121200.30.3--.--.--120-2005.6-.-5.64.180.7461.44963200-2509.11.08.16.380.7901.46368250-30026.1-.-26.122.270.8531.48191300-36053.0-.-53.046.060.8691.49677h2o = 2.2 g for 80.43 g of dry hc the distillation without sand of the same feed produced: h2o=7.9 g for: 85.86 g of dry hc this clearly shows that hydrated and oxygenated products were formed, which depolymerize in the first place at similar temperatures comprised between 120 and 250° c. at 1 bar. moreover, it is well known that water attaches to the ethylenic bonds according to reactions of the following type: —cec— +h2o → alcoholasahteq−32−15468° k. (200° c.) examples: as ahteq 1bc2h4+ h2o ===> h3c-chöh−29.96/−10.990° c.c18h36+ h2o ===> alcohol c18−32.15/−15.03194° c. the equilibrium temperature of these reactions is achieved specifically at 1 b towards 200° c. for heavy alcohols, and at 200° c. for light alcohols. the experience clearly shows that we have oxygenated and hydrated hydrocarbons, which is confirmed by the chemical equilibrium temperatures of the water with the corresponding alcohols. the presence of hydrated and oxygenated products is favorable for the quality of the products formed, in particular gasolines. this oxygenation or hydration is also favorable for the combustion both in furnaces and in diesel engines. furthermore, because of their polar characteristics due to the function öh, these products act as third-party solvents between the water and the hydrocarbon skeleton of the hydrocarbons, thus making it possible to obtain emulsions that are highly stable in time (our samples of more than 8 years have not moved). 4 conversion of the last heavy distillated under vacuum referred to as 80, kuwait, from the oil plan bp dunkerque reactor 500° c. these controlled operating conditions were selected in order to verify the productivity increase and test the control of the speed of deposits in the reactor. furthermore, the techniques for the furfural liquid-liquid extraction of the feed and the effluents enable us to analyze the structure of the products formed and to confirm our operating and sizing practices for the units designed according to our process. feed:80, k100.0d = 0.936 solidn = 1.530[15] csol3.0solid fuel3%[41] cgas4.02 fuel gas2%[16.3] +miscellaneous0.5[13.52]purges3.5heavy[18.5]11.2fuel14.7%total atmos. dist.:—77.8on feed[16.11: clear + clear extruded from [13.1-13.2]% on feedconversionatm. cut% wt.dp/vn[−18.1]pi-15010.490.6921.429[−18.2]150-20017.060.7461.443[200-25017.260.7861.465−18.3]250-30017.560.8411.485[−18.4]300-36015.430.8781.509[−18.5]atm. residue:11.20[5] feed:80, k100.0d = 0.936 solidn = 1.530extractive separation with furfuralcutp. arp. aa-nn-bdp/v1.0581.0080.9430.866n.1.6101.5751.5291.489% wt.13212146dnrecycling: main flow[13.3]200° c.0.9721.568very low flow: recycling + purge[13.4]360°1.021.591a few polyaromatics: non-extracted [13.5]470° c. (returned in [13.4]) it is clearly observed that the heavy metals and polyaromatics are concentrated in the extract [ 13 . 4 ], which is why a portion of this extract is purged. the conversion is performed with a low recycling, thanks to the operating conditions adopted, in particular a reactor towards 500° c. note that there is a very significant production of gasoline (27.55% weight pi-200° c., which compares very favorably with the fcc gasolines). 5 conversion with mixtures of miscellaneous gases and effect of the nature of the feed on the temperature of the reactor in order to be able to work in arid areas where water is rare, or in order to improve the quality of the gasolines, we studied the alternative offered by our process, which consists of operating with miscellaneous permanent gases or mixtures that are easy to produce, such as furnace fumes, for example. some units, such as the decarbonation unit of the benfiel unit in a hydrogen production complex, reject large quantities of co2 that we may consider using eventually. another one of our concerns was verifying our knowledge and our experience in working with light distillated under vacuum or heavy atmospheric gas oils in order to obtain lighter gas oils and gasolines or, in other words, in order to satisfy the unbalanced market demand for these products. in fact, our unit makes it possible to favor the production of either gas oil or gasoline as desired, which cannot be achieved by the existing conversion units which have a fixed distribution of the products that they generate. therefore, we selected an elf brand motor oil as the feed to be converted, which is popular and easy to find in all hypermarkets and has a density of 0.885 and an index n=1.488 (mean values). we know that co2 was a good candidate for the conversions; that co2+h2o presented potential benefits; that co2+h2 could be beneficial but h2 risked being poorly reactive and would participate in the reactions only through its physical attributes; that n2 could be adequate but, when it is used alone, would not protect against coking. all of these combinations were explored. we were able to verify that it was very practical to adopt a reactor temperature of 520-530° c. without recycling, the conversions observed were as follows: 6 conversion of oil to pure co2 without recycling [5]feed: oil100.00d = 0.885n = 1.488[16.11]conversioncut% wt.dp/vnpi-1506.740.7001.432150-2008.620.7501.448200-2508.990.8071.464250-3009.350.8241.476300-3609.490.8361.487total atm. distillate43.10rat3.110.860[13.3]52.790.878[13.4]0.910.861[13.5]. . .. . . 7 conversion of oil to co2+h2 without recycling [5]feed: oil100.000.8851.488conversioncut% wt.dp/vnpi-1508.530.7271.433150-2008.930.7601.447200-25011.560.7981.463250-3008.340.8161.474300-3607.700.8321.48745.06rat1.740.848[13.3]52.630.880[13.4]0.910.915[13.5]. . .. . . 8 conversion of oil to co2+h2o without recycling [5]feed: oil100.000.8851.488[16.11]conversioncut% wtdp/vnpi-1503.910.7621.441150-2007.540.7321.450200-25010.140.7891.464250-3009.580.8121.475300-36014.560.8281.48445.73rat13.670.848[13.3]38.300.880[13.4]1.400.686[13.5]0.90.885 h2o tends to slow down the appearance of the light fractions, as expected. there are no significant differences separating the performance of these gaseous mixtures. from the octane number's standpoint, the classification is made in ascending order of co2, co2+h2o, co2+h2, without any major distinctions. care must be taken to avoid an excess of gaseous flow co2+h2o, which would reduce the conversions as pure losses. 9 conversion of oil to co2+h2o with recycling [5] feed:motor100.00d = 0.886n = 1.49148oil[15] csol0.5solid fuel0.5%[41] cgas3.2fuel gas1.6%[16.3] +miscel-0.0laneous[13.52] purges0.5\heavy[18.5]6.3/fuel6.8%[18.1-18.4] dat89.5atm. distillatesconversionatm. cut% wt.dp/vn[−18.1]pi-15016.790.7211.427[−18.2]150-20013.240.7631.445[200-25018.430.8111.462−18.3]250-30018.240.8311.478[−18.4]300-36021.800.8681.489[13.3]0.8821.507[13.4]0.8971.511[13.5]. . .. . .this oil is converted to 30% gasolines pi-200. these different examples show that very different feeds may be converted in a very safe manner and with excellent outputs. (the tests with pure n2 showed that there was a significant coking tendency.) 10 deposits in the reactor we selected the elf motor oils as test feeds in examples 6, 7, 8 and 9, thinking in particular that we would be only limited by chemical considerations for an analysis of the conversion of light cuts. we essentially performed the conversions with permanent gases, in particular the co2 and hydrogen supplied by air liquide, and demineralized water available commercially, with a furnace temperature of 530° c. we began proportioning the deposits by controlled combustion according to the technique that is specific to hydrocarbons, while closely monitoring the combustion front. unexplained problems remained regarding local feed losses in the reactor. therefore, we decided, after a long controlled run: (1) to carry out a careful combustion; and (2) to open the reactor and its injector. the injector was clean. we then extracted deposit scales from the reactor, through the well-known hammering technique, and a gray powder by spinning with a deep-hole drill. neither the scales nor the powder were combustible. 151.2 g of solids were collected for a feed of 62300 g, which gives solid deposit/feed ratio of 0.24%. the origin of these deposits can only be the oil treated and they appeared only as an accumulation. (in our residue conversion tests, we adopted the mechanical scrubbing technique to extract carbonaceous and solid residues from the reactor, which constituted a more difficult but more accurate operation that indicated the weighted quantity of deposits formed. these deposits can then be analyzed for all practical purposes.) 11 demetallization by extraction of residues or feeds these are the properties of a kuwait rsv that we would use as the reference feed in our conversions. a fractionation by extraction with propane c3, butane c4 and pentane c5 makes it possible to separate the components of this residue under vacuum according to their nature, ranging from dao (for deasphalted oils) to very hard asphalts (asp c5). fractionation of rsv by extraction c3-c5 6/1 fractionation of rsv by extraction c3-c5 6/1 fractionation of rsv by extraction c3-c5 6/1positiondao c3exc4ex c5asp c5rsv% rsv feed18.733.730.417.5100%rsvdensity 20° c.0.8961.0001.0471.0671.010refractive index 20° c.1.5191.5921.6241.6411.59415tf° c.5060100146+41°c.sediments0.09%pdsres. carb. % rsv0.622.968.098.2319.9sulfur % rsv0.531.621.621.235.0nickel ppmrsv0.210.214.417.242vanadium ppmrsv1.032.347.255.5136nacl % wt.——0.00030.01070.0110visc. cst 100° c.1402csth/c1.641.351.221.18h/c = 1.33 it is observed that the metals (nickel, vanadium) are concentrated in the most polyaromatic products with a high refractive index n and with the highest density. the same applies to salts and sulfur. these components constitute a hindrance because they are poisons for any subsequent catalytic refining treatments that may be performed. the polyaromatics that contain said components are coking precursors and, when they are mixed, increase the viscosity of the products to the point that they can no longer be pumped, thus greatly reducing the quality of the fuels used for fuel applications. due to all of these reasons, it would be necessary to extract them separately. the conversion of this residue under vacuum (rsv) described in example no. 1 provided us with the following extract on the extraction [ 13 . 4 ]: very low flow: recycling + purge% in the cutdsv cut% wt.dp/vn[13.4]360° c.pi-195nothing . . .195-2508.630.8591.49888250-30043.330.9041.53737rsv.448.041.625 by referring to the densities and refractive indexes, it is observed that the extract [ 13 . 4 ] is practically and exclusively composed of exc4, exc5 and aspc5. however, the analysis of extract [ 13 . 3 ] shows that it contains practically no components laden with. metals, salts, sulfur, etc., as its heaviest fraction is a dao and 10% of rv.3 is equivalent to a exc3. recycling: main flow% in the cutdsv cut% wt.dp/vn[13.3]200° c.pi-2008.240.8311.50099200-25029.210.9031.50835250-33052.180.9321.51879rsv.310.371.595[13.5]470° c. nothing(the extractor [13.5] operates as a safety device.) at 360° c. and at the atmospheric pressure, the extractor [ 13 . 4 ] demetallizes the feed in an efficient and controlled manner by concentrating the metals, salts and sulfur in a well-defined extract [ 13 . 4 ] which constitutes a new characteristic of one embodiment. content of metals and other impurities of crude residues by fractionating a typical residue under vacuum through well known refining techniques with propane c3, butane c4, pentane c5, the following extracts and raffinates are obtained: positiondao c3exc4ex c5asp c5″″″″″″rsv% rsv feed18.733.730.417.5100% rsvsediments0.096% pdssulfur % rsv0.531.621.621.235.0% pdsnickel ppmrsv0.210.214.417.242vanadium ppmrsv1.032.347.255.5136nacl % wt.——0.00030.01070.0110h/c1.641.351.221.18h/c = 1.33 the dao is the product called deasphalted oil; exc4 is the extract with c4; exc5 is the extract with c5 and asp c5 is the corresponding residual asphalt obtained. the metals, nacl and sulfur are concentrated in highly aromatic heavy molecules with a low hydrogen content. upon combustion, these residues give ashes that have a typical relative composition, as indicated below: ashes: sio2: 32fe2o3: 25na: 16va: 14ni: 6al: 6 furthermore, we know that eutectics (glass) appear towards 550°-660° c. silica+soda==>classic glass (silicate) silica+v2o5==>vanadium glass silica+nickel==>nickel glass silica+ashes==>glass with iron, ni, etc. therefore, it is observed that any catalyst is fatally “encumbered with glass” by the metals. since our soaking reactor is empty, it can withstand long runs without quick deposits on its walls, as it was also observed, for other considerations, that it should operate in this case towards 460-480° c. therefore, the metals are carried and extracted by the heaviest liquid products. motor oils were converted which require a reactor at 500-520° c. it was actually observed that there were few noncombustible deposits on the walls of the soaking reactor. this led us to generalize the technique for the mechanical cleaning of the extraction of carbonaceous residues accompanied by metal deposits, preferably by burning (which leaves metal deposits and ashes on the walls). here also, since the soaking reactor is empty, no problems were encountered in conducting this mechanical scrubbing and scaling operation. the sulfur does not present any problems. while the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it will be understood that the embodiments are illustrative and that the invention scope is not limited to these embodiments. many variations, modifications, additions and improvements to the embodiments described are possible. these variations, modifications, additions and improvements may fall within the scope of the invention as detailed within the following claims.
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056-603-692-509-611
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
G06Q30/00,A63F9/24,G06F3/048,G06F15/173
| 2000-05-09T00:00:00 |
2000
|
[
"G06",
"A63"
] |
method, apparatus, and system for entertaining users of an electronic information distribution system
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some embodiments provide a method of presenting a game show through a computer network. the method presents an item to a number of contestants through the computer network. the method asks the contestants to answer through the computer network a question about an attribute of the item. the method also rewards a contestant that provides an acceptable answer to the question. some embodiments provide a method for presenting a game show over a computer network including receiving, through the computer network, a request from a contestant to register for a game show. the method determines whether the contestant can register for the game show. the method also provides the contestant with a time interval for registering for the game show upon determining that the contestant cannot register for the game show.
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1 . a method of presenting a game show through a computer network, said method comprising: presenting an item to a number of contestants through the computer network; asking the contestants to answer through the computer network a question about an attribute of the item; and rewarding a contestant that provides an acceptable answer to the question. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein rewarding a contestant comprises: identifying the first contestant who answers the question correctly when more than one of said contestants answers the question correctly; and awarding a prize to the first contestant. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the contestants are required to answer the question within a specified amount of time. 4 . the method of claim 3 further comprising awarding a prize to at least one of the contestants who did not provide the correct answer within the specified amount of time. 5 . the method of claim 4 wherein the prize is credit for purchasing items through the computer network. 6 . the method of claim 2 , wherein when none of the contestants answer the question correctly within the specified amount of time, the method further comprises awarding a prize to a contestant who provided an answer that was the closest to the correct answer. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute of the item is a price of the item. 8 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute of the item is an identity of a merchant selling the item. 9 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute of the item is the name of the item. 10 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the item is presented to the contestants through the internet. 11 . a method of presenting a game show over a computer network, the method comprising: receiving, through the computer network, a request from a contestant to register for a game show; determining whether the contestant can register for the game show; and providing the contestant with a time interval for registering for the game show upon determining that the contestant cannot register for the game show. 12 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the duration of the time interval depends on the contestant's past interactions with a computer system through the computer network. 13 . the method of claim 11 further comprising allowing the contestant to participate in a game show with a number of other contestants upon the contestant registering for the game show. 14 . the method of claim 11 further comprising: providing the contestant with the opportunity to interact with a computer system through the computer network while waiting for the game show; and informing the contestant that he will be prompted to register for the next game show so long as he continues interacting with the computer system. 15 . the method of claim 14 , wherein providing the contestant with the opportunity to interact with the computer system comprises providing the contestant with the opportunity to interact through the computer network with an application that runs on the computer system connected to the computer network. 16 - 23 . (canceled) 24 . the method of claim 15 further comprising analyzing the contestant's interactions with the application to determine whether to notify the contestant to register for the game show. 25 . (canceled) 26 . the method of claim 15 wherein the application presents a virtual game show waiting area to the contestant. 27 . the method of claim 26 further comprising: randomly presenting selectable objects to the contestant in the virtual game show waiting area; and requiring the contestant to select the presented objects through a cursor click operation. 28 - 31 . (canceled) 32 . the method of claim 11 further comprising: presenting an item to a number of contestants through the computer network; asking the contestants to answer a question about an attribute of the item; and rewarding a contestant that provides an acceptable answer to the question. 33 - 141 . (canceled) 142 . a computer readable medium storing a computer program for presenting a game show through a computer network, the computer program comprising: a) a set of instructions for presenting an item to a number of contestants through the computer network; b) a set of instructions for asking the contestants to answer through the computer network a question about an attribute of the item; and c) a set of instructions for rewarding a contestant that provides an acceptable answer to the question.
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background of the invention the internet is a global interconnection of computer networks that share a common set of protocols. most computers that connect to the internet use the well-known transport control protocol layer and the internet protocol layer for data communication. the combination of the transport control protocol (tcp) and the internet protocol (ip) are commonly referred to as tcp/ip. by sharing a set of nonproprietary well-defined data communication protocols, the internet allows almost any computer system to communicate with any other computer system. sets of higher-level application protocols use the tcp/ip layers for lower communication. some of the better-known internet application protocols include file transfer protocol (ftp), the network news protocol (nntp), and the simple mail transport protocol (smtp) for file transfer, discussion groups, and email, respectively. one particular internet application protocol, the hypertext transport protocol (http) has become the dominant application protocol. the hypertext transport protocol (http) was created for sharing hypertext markup language (html) documents. hypertext markup language (html) documents may include rich multi-media elements such as text, images, audio, and video. the http protocol and the html document format enabled the creation of simple to use but media rich documents that could easily be “browsed.” by linking together html documents located on various servers throughout the world using embedded hyperlinks, a “world wide web” (www) of interconnected hypertext documents was created. due to the simple, yet powerful nature of html and http, the world wide web (www) portion of the internet has become the most well known form of internet communication. the www has quickly become a new mass media system for information distribution. new media companies have created thousands of news, sports, entertainment, and special interest web sites. commercial web sites have also been created to perform financial transactions. commercial activity that is performed electronically over a computer network (such as the internet) is commonly referred to as electronic commerce (“e-commerce”). e-commerce involves a unique set of parameters that distinguish it from ordinary storefront based commerce. with e-commerce, a transaction can take place between a consumer and a merchant that are at distant locations at the time of the transaction. furthermore, the computers used for electronic commerce may perform a number of functions to facilitate the transaction. for example, the computer systems may be used to search databases for a particular item, determine availability of items, and calculate the cost of items. the internet has transformed e-commerce, particularly the retail industry, due to its convenience, reliability and increased security. internet based commerce has been growing at an exponential rate during the late 1990s. for example, e-commerce sales increased by several hundred percent in 1999. despite the enormous popularity and growth in e-commerce, the technology available for e-commerce is still in its infancy. for instance, many of the technologies used today for performing advertising and marketing for e-commerce are relatively crude. currently, e-commerce consumers primarily encounter passive electronic marketing and advertising in the form of countless banner advertisements (“banner ads”). these “banner ads” are generally of poor aesthetic quality, offer limited or “teaser” information, and serve only as a “click-on” entry to other web site that feature the advertised product. in addition, banner ads lack reliable measurability. unless a consumer actually clicks on the banner ad, it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of the advertisement or the extent of the consumer's interaction with the subject product. traditional e-commerce advertising and marketing efforts often fail to distinguish companies and their products, due to the speed, volume, and non-interactivity of traditional e-commerce advertisements. existing electronic marketing methodologies also fail to develop brand imaging. current e-commerce marketing methodologies also fail to collect useful information regarding consumer habits and to measure advertising responses, likes and dislikes of products, and the effectiveness of advertisements reaching consumers. therefore, there is a need in the art for new methods that efficiently and effectively capture consumer attention, and thereby allow e-commerce merchants to effectively advertise and sell their products. ideally, such methods should generate brand imaging and collect consumer information. the collected behavioral information can then be used to target consumers continually with advertising and products that specifically match their unique interests. such methods should also ideally entertain consumers to best capture their attention. summary of the invention the invention is directed to methods, apparatuses, and systems for recording user interactions with an electronic information distribution system. the invention is also directed to methods, apparatuses, and systems for entertaining users of an electronic information distribution system. the invention is further directed to methods, apparatuses, and systems for presenting three-dimensional shopping destinations through an electronic information distribution system. the invention is also directed to methods, apparatuses, and systems for purchasing lottery through an electronic information distribution system. some embodiments of the invention include a computer system that through the internet presents electronic game shows and electronic shops. the computer system encourages users to browse the electronic shops when they cannot register for a particular game show and have to wait for the next game show. when it is time to register for the next game show, the computer system then gauges each user's past interactions in the electronic shops to determine the order for inviting users to register for the game show. in some embodiments of the invention, the computer system presents three-dimensional electronic shopping scenes through the internet. such shopping scenes can be malls, stores, or departments within stores. in some embodiments, the three-dimensional shopping scenes include several selectable and non-selectable objects. the three-dimensional shopping scenes are displayed on a computer display device of a shopper that contacts the computer system through the internet. the shopper can browse the three-dimensional shopping scene by selecting the selectable objects in the scene. the shopper can select a selectable object through a cursor-control operation, such as a click operation of a cursor controller (like a mouse or a touch-pad). also, in some embodiments, the computer system automatically generates a click operation when the shopper maintains the cursor over a selectable object for more than a first threshold period. in some embodiments, the computer system records the shopper's cursor-control operations (such as click or auto-click operations) in order to collect information about the shopper's interests and activities. some embodiments also detect when the shopper maintains the cursor over a selectable object for more than a second threshold period, which is less than the first threshold period. these embodiments then record this detected cursor operation, which indicates the shopper's passive viewing of a selectable object. in addition, some embodiments of the invention use a computer system to allow an individual to purchase lottery through the internet. state lottery sales are often restricted to individuals who are physically located in the state at the time of purchase of the lottery tickets. to ensure that only individuals who are physically located within the state can purchase the state's lottery, some embodiments provide to each prospective lottery player a code and a telephone number through the internet. these embodiments ask the player or the player's computer to call the number and supply the code within a pre-specified time interval. the player or the player's computer can supply the code by verbally stating or dialing the code, or using other mechanisms to convey the code once the telephone session has been successfully established. in these embodiments, the player or the player's computer cannot provide the pass code when the telephone number is dialed from outside of the state. for instance, in some embodiments, the computer system or the telephone company rejects calls to the telephone number from outside of the state. brief description of the drawings the novel features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. however, for purpose of explanation, several embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following figures. fig. 1 illustrates a computer system that provides electronic game shows, shopping sites, and lottery through the internet. figs. 2-5 illustrate the interactions between the computer system of fig. 1 and individuals who interact with this system through the internet. fig. 6 presents a more detailed view of the computer system of fig. 1 . fig. 7 presents a block diagram of a computer that can be used as a server computer or user computer of the computer system of fig. 1 . fig. 8 illustrates n pairs of application and database servers used by the computer system. fig. 9 illustrates the software architecture of the application and database servers that are used in some embodiments of the invention. fig. 10 presents an example of a member-monitoring application of the computer system. fig. 11 illustrates the member tables that store information about the system's members. fig. 12 illustrates interactive-navigation tables of the computer system. fig. 13 illustrates time-measurement tables of the computer system. fig. 14 illustrates game-show tables of the computer system. fig. 15 illustrates forum-shop tables of the computer system. fig. 16 illustrates store tables of the computer system. fig. 17 illustrates item tables of the computer system. fig. 18 presents a process that the member monitoring application goes through every time it is notified that a new member has been authenticated. fig. 19 presents a process that is performed each time a member requests to register for a game show. fig. 20 presents a process performed by the member monitoring application for updating the records in the shared memory. fig. 21 presents a process performed by a game show application to provide an interactive exercise to a member who is waiting for a game show. fig. 22 presents a process that is performed to inform members that it is time to register for a game show. fig. 23 illustrates, a browser window that provides a three-dimensional presentation of a shopping mall. fig. 24 illustrates a recursive approach for mapping selectable objects. fig. 25 illustrates a three-dimensional presentation of the interior of a store that the system shows a user after the user selects the store's selectable object. fig. 26 illustrates a zooming operation performed on a store in a shopping mall that is in the direction of the cursor's motion. fig. 27 presents a block diagram of the software architecture on the user's computer. fig. 28 illustrates a process performed by the click-monitoring application. fig. 29 presents a process performed by the mouse-rover application. fig. 30 illustrates an architectural diagram for a computer system that can verify the location of a user who interacts with the computer system. fig. 31 illustrates a process that the computer system performs to allow a member to purchase a state's lottery through the internet. fig. 32 illustrates a process that the computer system performs to ensure that the member who is purchasing a state's lottery from the computer system is currently located within that state. detailed description of the invention the invention is directed to methods, apparatuses, and systems for recording user interactions with an electronic information distribution system. the invention is also directed to methods, apparatuses, and systems for entertaining users of an electronic information distribution system. the invention is further directed to methods, apparatuses, and systems for presenting three-dimensional shopping destinations through an electronic information distribution system. the invention is also directed to methods, apparatuses, and systems for purchasing lottery through an electronic information distribution system. in the following description, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the description of the invention with unnecessary detail. in other instances, numerous details are set forth for purpose of explanation. however, one of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the invention may be practiced without the use of these specific details. for example, the invention is described below by reference to the internet, the world wide web (www) and technology related to the internet and the www. however, the same techniques can easily be applied to other types of electronic information distribution systems. for instance, the invention can be applied to computer networks that use other data communication protocols and/or use next generation internet protocols. some embodiments of the invention include a computer system that presents electronic game shows through the internet. this computer system also presents a number of electronic shops over the internet. in some embodiments, the system presents the shops in form of an electronic shopping mall. also, in some embodiments, the computer system sells or facilitates the sale of lottery through the internet. fig. 1 illustrates one such computer system 100 . as shown in this figure, this computer system 100 connects to the internet 105 . hence, individuals that have computers 110 connected to the internet can communicate with the computer system 105 through the internet, in order to participate in interactive game shows, browse electronic shops, and purchase lottery. the computer system 100 is further described below by reference to figs. 2-31 . figs. 2-5 illustrate the interactions between the computer system 100 and individuals who interact with this system through the internet. figs. 6-17 illustrate more detailed diagrams of the hardware and software components of the computer system 100 . figs. 18-22 illustrate the processes performed by the computer system 100 to present game shows. figs. 23-29 present the software components and processes used by the computer system 100 to facilitate a user's browsing though its shopping sites. finally, figs. 30-31 illustrate the process for purchasing lottery through the computer system. i. interactive flow. for some embodiments of the invention, figs. 2-5 present conceptual block diagrams that illustrate the interactions between the computer system 100 and users who wish to participate in the game shows or browse the shops offered by the system. in some embodiments of the invention, each block in these figures corresponds to one or more web pages presented to the users. as shown in fig. 2 , after a user contacts the computer system, the system prompts (at 205 ) the user to either (1) register as a new user, (2) login as an existing member, (3) enter the forum shops without logging in or registering, or (4) receive information about game shows. if the user elects (at 205 ) to register, the system presents (at 210 ) the user with a registration form to fill out. some embodiments require the user to provide his or her age and address as part of the registration process. these embodiments use the age and/or address information to determine which game shows to allow the user to participate. if the user provides an incorrect address or age at this stage, the user can later be disqualified from receiving a prize that a game show awards. if the user fills out (at 210 ) the registration form incorrectly, the computer system asks the user to fill out the registration form again. if the user successfully registers as a new member, the system then prompts (at 230 ) the user to either (1) login as an existing member, (2) enter the forum shops without logging in or registering, or (3) receive information about game shows. if the user decides (at 205 or 230 ) to login as an existing member, the system prompts (at 215 ) the user to supply his or her user identification and password. even though some embodiments of the invention requires the members to manually login, one of ordinary skill will understand that other embodiments might allow the members to login automatically. for instance, some of these embodiments register certificates on each member's computer that enable the computer system 100 to recognize and login each member automatically. other embodiments, on the other hand, use a combination of manual and automatic login techniques to authenticate members when the members first access the computer system. if the user enters (at 215 ) the correct identification and password, the computer system then allows (at 235 ) the user to interact with its game show and shopping applications (i.e., to browse its game show and shopping sites) as an authenticated member. the flow of interactions between the user and the game show applications will be explained below by reference to figs. 3-4 , while the flow of interactions between the user and the shopping applications will be explained below by reference to fig. 5 . when the users browse the game show and shopping sites as authenticated members, the system can keep track of their browsing activities, and reward these members for their browsing of the system's web sites. for instance, the system can reward members who repeatedly browse the game show and forum shopping sites, by providing them with better estimates of when the members can register for game shows. alternative embodiments might even provide their v.i.p members (i.e., the members who repeatedly browse the game show and forum shopping sites) the exact time intervals for registering for game shows. in addition, some embodiments of the system reward frequent shoppers by providing them with credit towards purchases through the system's shops. in some embodiments, the system also rewards its shoppers by placing free items in its stores, and awarding these items to the shoppers when they select these items for browsing. if the user fails (at 215 ) to enter the correct identification and password, the system (at 245 ) allows the user to try to login again. the system stays at 245 if the user repeatedly fails to login. from 245 , the system also allows users to receive (at 250 ) hints about their passwords or to register (at 210 ) as new users. if the user decides (at 205 or 230 ) to enter the forum shops without registering, the system allows (at 220 ) the user to enter the forum shop sites as an unauthenticated member. while an unauthenticated user interacts with the forum shop sites, some embodiments of the system gauge the user's interactions and try to entice the user to become a registered member by showing the user the amount of credit he or she would have gained. in some embodiments, the system tracks the interactions of unauthenticated users by their session identification, which can be mapped to their ip addresses. if the user decides (at 205 ) to review game show information, the system provides (at 225 ) the user with a variety of information regarding the game shows. for instance, the system can tell the user about the prizes offered or awarded that day, or about the rules of the various game shows. at this point, the system can also provide the user with the option of registering as a new user or logging in an as existing member. if the user decides to login, the system prompts (at 215 ) the user to supply his or her user identification and password. alternatively, if the user elects (at 225 ) to register, the system presents the user (at 210 ) with a registration form to fill out. fig. 3 illustrates the flow of interactions between the computer system 100 and an authenticated member. once a user is authenticated (at 215 ) as a member, the system provides (at 305 ) the member with the opportunity to check on the game shows or browse through its shops. if the member elects (at 305 ) to browse through the shops, the system allows (at 220 ) the user to interact with its shopping applications. the flow of this interaction is described below by reference to fig. 5 . on the other hand, if the member elects (at 305 ) to check on the game shows (i.e., to interact with the game show applications), the system provides (at 315 ) the member with several options to select. for instance, in the embodiment shown in fig. 3 , the member can (1) examine the rules of the game show, (2) examine the events of the day, or (3) register for the next game show. if the member asks (at 315 or at 340 , which is described below) to review the game show rules, the system provides (at 345 ) the member with these rules, and also allows the user to check on the events of that day or to register for a game show. alternatively, if the member asks (at 315 or 345 ) to check on the events of that day, the system informs (at 340 ) the member about the events of that day (e.g., the prizes offered on that day), and then allows the user to review the game show rules or to register for game show. if the member asks (at 315 , 340 , 345 ) to register for the next game show, the system has to determine whether the user can register for the game show. in the embodiments that have different game shows that run concurrently or consecutively, the system can allow the member to select which particular game show he or she wishes to play. in these embodiments, the system would then check on the registration time of the next requested game show. alternatively, in some embodiments, the system might not provide the user with the option of selecting which game show he or she wishes to play, and instead might simply check on the availability of the next game show. if it is not time to register for the next game show, the system informs (at 320 ) the member that he or she cannot register for the next game show. the system also provides the member with a range of time during which the member can register for the next game show. as further discussed below, in some embodiments, this range is different for different members. for instance, members that repeatedly browse the system's web sites or purchase items through the system's shops, receive a smaller range than members that browse the system's sites more sporadically. this is to encourage the members to browse the system's sites and to purchase items from these sites. the system also informs (at 320 ) the member that it will notify the member to register when it is time to register for the next game show, so long as the member browses the system's sites actively until it is time to register for the next game show. the system provides (at 320 ) the member the option of waiting for the next game show by browsing the system's shopping sites, which serve as a de facto game-show waiting area. the interactive process for browsing the shopping sites will be explained below by reference to fig. 5 . the system 100 also provides (at 320 ) the member with an opportunity to wait for the game show by viewing or interactively browsing one or more sites that resemble virtual game-show waiting areas. if the member selects this option, the system presents (at 330 ) the member with a virtual game-show waiting area. the system can present this area as an image of the outside or inside of an auditorium, where advertisements are presented to the member. as further described below, some embodiments of the system 100 monitor the member's browsing in de facto game-show waiting area (i.e., the shopping sites) and the virtual game-show waiting area to ensure that the member actively browses the system's sites while waiting for the next game show. moreover, to ensure the member's active browsing further, some embodiments request the member to perform random interactive steps (e.g., clicking on randomly appearing objects) while waiting in the de facto and/or virtual waiting areas. in some embodiments, the system preferentially treats members that actively browse the system's sites while waiting for game shows. this preferential treatment can take the form of an earlier notice of the registration time to the more active members. if the system determines (at 315 , 340 , or 345 ) that it is time to register for the next game show, the system initiates a registration process 335 . fig. 4 illustrates the interactive flow for this process. as shown in this figure, the system requests (at 405 ) that the member verify information (such as age, address, etc.) that the system has about the member. if the information is not accurate, the system requires (at 410 ) the member to re-register, and then requires (at 405 ) the member to verify information submitted during the re-registration. it is important for the member to verify his or her information before playing a game show, because some embodiments disqualify game show winners when it is determined that they did not provide accurate information (such as age and address information). these embodiments disqualify the members in these instances, in order to encourage members to provide accurate information. accurate information about the members is highly valuable for a variety of reasons. for instance, such information can be used to perform demographic analysis of the members. the system can then offer a statistical analysis of all the members or a group of members to the merchants that sell items through the system's sites or place advertisements on the system's sites. the member merchants can then use this statistical analysis to determine which products to market through the site. also, the members need to enter their age accurately since some activities provided through the system might not be suitable for certain ages. for instance, some of the game shows might not be suitable for members under eighteen or twenty-one. once the member verifies (at 405 ) that his or her information is correct, the system then needs to determine whether the maximum number of members have registered for the game show. if this maximum number has been reached (i.e., there are no more seats in the requested game show), the system informs (at 420 ) the member that the game show is full and there's no more room for additional contestants. at this stage, the system also provides the member with a range of time during which the member can register for the next game show. as mentioned above, the size of this range depends on the member's browsing history. members that repeatedly browse the sites offered by the system or purchase items through the system receive smaller ranges than members who browse the system's sites more sporadically. the system also informs the member that it will notify the member to register for the next game show, so long as the member browses the system's sites actively until it is time to register for the next game show. as before, the member can wait for the next game show in either the virtual or de facto game-show waiting areas. on the other hand, if the system determines that the maximum number of members have not registered for the game show, the system allows (at 415 ) the member to be a contestant for the next-game show. some embodiments display a virtual waiting area to the member, while the member is waiting for the game show to start. a variety of web pages can simulate the virtual waiting area. for instance, some embodiments display an animated usher that seats an animated virtual member (corresponding to the admitted member) in seats in an auditorium. in some embodiments, an advertisement is displayed on the usher's uniform. the auditorium seats face a curtain that conceals the pending game show. while the curtain is down, the names of that day's sponsoring merchants appear on the face of the curtain. while waiting for the game show to start, some embodiments allow contestants to click on the sponsors to visit the merchants' web sites to familiarize themselves with the merchants' products. this will enable contestants to prepare for the game show, which requires specific knowledge regarding the sponsoring merchants' products. the more a contestant has knowledge of the merchants sponsored products, the higher the contestant's chances of winning. other embodiments remove items from the system's sites a predetermined amount of time before the start of the game show, in order to encourage would-be contestants to repeatedly check the system's sites. some of these embodiments require the contestants to stay idle in the auditorium so that they pay attention to the advertisements presented on the curtain. also, some embodiments have mechanisms to assure that the contestant view these advertisements while they are waiting for the game show to start. for instance, some embodiments might require the contestants to click on icons that randomly appear on random locations on the curtain, in order to show that they are viewing the web page of the game-show waiting area. the system starts (at 425 ) the game show when the game show time is reached. in some embodiments, the system starts the game show by raising the curtain in the game-show auditorium. the system can offer a variety of game shows (such as name my price, scavenger hunt, wheel of fortune®, jeopardy®, etc.). in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 4 , the game show presents contestants with an item (e.g., a product or a service), and asks the contestants to guess one or more attributes of the item. for instance, the game show might require the contestants to guess the item's name, price, or manufacturer. alternatively, the game show might require the contestants to identify the location of the item in the shops of the system. in some embodiments, the item featured in a game show is an item from one of the shops in the system's shopping mall. a contestant's success in a particular game show depends on his or her knowledge of the featured item. by featuring merchant items sold through the system's sites, the system allows its merchants to develop brand imaging of their products. after all, the success of the contestants depends on their knowledge of the merchants' items. consequently, the game shows serve as an effective marketing tool to promote merchant products. this approach to brand imaging is ultimately more effective than traditional approaches. after the contestants are shown (at 425 ) an item, some embodiments require the contestants to provide the requested answer within a predetermined amount of time. in some embodiments, the contestant who answers the question first is awarded the specific prize offered in the game show. some embodiments identify the contestant who answered first as the contestant whose answer the system received first. other embodiments store cookies on the contestants' desktop, and these cookies time stamp the contestants' response. some embodiments of the invention require the winning contestant to produce documentation to verify the information that the member submitted during the registration process and during the verification process at 405 . winning contestants who cannot submit documentation to verify their information are disqualified. this is to again encourage members to provide accurate demographic information about themselves. if no contestant answers the question correctly, some embodiments award the prize to the contestant who provided the answer closest to the correct question. other embodiments do not award any prize when none of the contestants correctly answer the question. some embodiments give credit towards purchases in the forum shops to some or all (e.g., the first and second runner-ups) of the losing contestants. the amount of this credit can be based upon the frequency of their interactions with the system's sites. for some embodiments of the invention, fig. 5 illustrates the flow of interactions between the computer system 100 and a user who wishes to browse the system's shopping sites. as shown in this figure, some embodiments initially require (at 505 ) the user to select a particular store or item in a forum shop site. as further described below by reference to figs. 23-29 , some embodiments present the forum shop site to the user as a three-dimensional image of a shopping mall. some embodiments also present a three-dimensional graphical image for each store in the shopping mall and each department within each store. once the user selects a store, the user has to select (at 510 ) a department within that store if that stores has a number of departments or an item within the store if the store has items outside of the departments. if the user selects a department, the user has to select (at 520 ) an item within the department. alternatively, for stores that are not divided into departments, the user can simply select (at 515 ) an item within the store directly. some embodiments of the invention use an interactive virtual sales force to provide sales presentations, answer questions of the shoppers, and/or entice shoppers to purchase items. in some of these embodiments, the computer system presents virtual sales people in a graphical format to the shoppers. these virtual sales people can be the animated representation of actual sales people who interact with the shoppers through the computer system. alternatively, the virtual sales people can be controlled solely by the computer system. in some embodiments, the consumers provide specific information to the animated sales force regarding their shopping preferences. based on this information, the virtual sales force then offers the consumers merchandise that matches their specifications and provide specific information about the desired products. the animated sales force can also offer comparison-shopping. to do this, the animated sales force can use a search engine to find the lowest available price for the desired item. in some embodiments, the interactive virtual sales force constantly communicates with the system's merchants in order to facilitate sales transactions. for example, after a consumer views a particular item in a merchant's store, a virtual salesperson can communicate between the consumer and the merchant in order to negotiate a discount. if the consumer decides not to purchase an item after interacting with the virtual sales force, the system at a later time notifies the consumer of sales or discounts for that item. the system can so notify the consumer at the consumer's next visit or through a private-invitation e-mail, similar to a private sale announcement at a walk-in store. some embodiments also use the interactive sales force to give away free items that are hidden in the system's shops. for instance, in some embodiments, an interactive salesperson might appear as a shopper browses an item that has been secretly designated as a free item. the interactive salesperson then provides a sales pitch about the merchant or the item. at the end of the sales pitch, the shopper is informed that he or she has received the item for free. if the shopper terminates the presentation before it is completed, the shopper will be disqualified from receiving the item for free. this is to encourage shoppers to listen to all sales presentations in the hope of receiving a free item at the end of the presentations. ii. system architecture. a. computer system. fig. 6 presents a more detailed view of the computer system 100 . as shown in this figure, this computer system can be accessed through the internet by a number of users via a variety of devices. these devices include desktop or laptop computers 605 , internet appliances 610 (such as webtv®), mobile phones 615 , pagers 620 , and pda's 625 . each of these devices might use a different protocol (such as http, wap, vast, palm.net, etc.) to communicate through the internet. in the embodiment shown in fig. 6 , a network of servers forms the computer system. this network includes (1) firewalls 630 , 635 , and 680 , (2) reverse proxy servers 640 , (3) delegated administration server 645 , (4) certificate registration server 650 , (5) web servers 655 , (6) policy server 660 , (7) certificate manager server 665 , (8) meta-directory server 670 , and (9) application and database servers 675 . in the embodiment shown in fig. 6 , multiple proxy, web, application and database servers are used to distribute the load for the various operations that the system has to perform. one of ordinary skill will realize that other embodiments of the invention can be implemented with fewer or more servers. for instance, some embodiments of the invention use one or two servers to perform all the operations of the servers shown in fig. 6 . the firewalls are used to protect the system servers from attacks from outside the system's network. in some embodiments of the invention, each firewall is a separate server that relays to system's servers only the data packets that are clearly intended and authorized to reach these servers. as shown in fig. 6 , the firewalls 630 , 635 , and 680 divide the system architecture into three sections 685 , 690 , and 695 . the first section 685 is a dmz area, where the less mission critical servers are placed. the second section 690 is a first intranet (i.e., the site's internal network where the more critical servers are placed). the third section 695 is a second intranet 695 that includes the most critical servers, which in this case are the application and database servers 675 . the dmz section 685 serves as the entry point for the system's users to access the site's internal servers. this section includes the reverse proxy servers 640 , the delegated administration server 645 , and the certificate registration server 650 . the reverse proxy server provides a layer of security for the system's internal servers. it establishes connections (e.g., html sessions) between users that contact the system through the internet and the system's intranet servers, such as the web and policy servers 655 and 660 . the web servers 655 in conjunction with the application and database servers 675 provide the browsing experience to the users of the site. the application servers provide the back-end logic for formulating responses to user requests often by resorting to data stored in their databases, while the web servers 655 are responsible for generating the web pages that provide the front-end graphical, audio, and textual experience to the users. the meta-directory server 670 stores information relating to the system's users. in some embodiments, these users include registered members who interact with the game-show and shopping applications of the system, and merchants who sell products through the shopping sites of the system. the policy server 660 sets the rules for accessing and modifying user profiles that meta-directory server 670 stores. the other servers (such as the web and applications servers) at times need to retrieve the user profile from the meta-directory through the policy server, in order to determine the response to a user request or provide a certain presentation to a user. for instance, in some embodiments, the policy server is used to register new members and log in (i.e., authenticate) existing members. these embodiments require users to login before they can engage in certain interactions with the system (e.g., before they can participate in game shows). for some embodiments, the registration process is as follows. the policy server receives a request from the web server to register a new member. based on the nature of the request, the policy server asks the web server to generate a particular html page for the user to fill out. once the user fills out this form, the web server receives the user's information through the proxy server. the web server passes this information to the policy server, which records the information in the meta-directory server. in some embodiments, the authentication process is as follows. through the proxy server, the web server receives a request from an existing member to login. the web server generates a particular html page for the user to fill out. once the user submits his or her identification and password, the web server receives the user's information through the proxy server. the web server passes this information to the policy server, which checks it against the information in the meta-directory server. if the submitted identification and password match the information stored in the meta-directory server, then the policy server reports the verified results to the web server. the web server then notifies an application server that an existing member has logged on to the system. other techniques can be used to register new users and authenticate existing members. specifically, the system 100 includes the certificate registration server 650 and the certificate manager 665 to enable the users to login automatically. for this to happen, the certificate registration server 650 initially needs to store a certificate (e.g., a file or cookie) on a user's computer. the certificate manager will recognize this cookie the next time that the user accesses the site, and automatically logs in the user. some embodiments use a combination of manual and automatic login techniques. the policy server defines the authentication method that the system will use to login a member. it should be noted that the policy server also enables different users of the system (e.g., merchants who sell their products through the system's shopping sites) to personalize their content through access management. the policy server further allows the management of certain user groups (e.g., shoppers) to be delegated to other user groups (e.g., merchants). the system 100 also includes the delegated administration server 645 . this server handles certain administrative tasks. for instance, this server allows certain users to modify their own or other user account information in the meta-directory, in cases where the policy server allows such modification. b. computer hardware diagram. fig. 7 presents a block diagram of a computer 700 that can be used as a server computer of the computer system 100 or the computer of one of the system's users. this computer 700 includes a bus 705 , a processor 710 , a system memory 715 , a read-only memory 720 , a permanent storage device 725 , input devices 730 , and output devices 735 . the bus 705 collectively represents all system, peripheral, and chipset buses that communicatively connect the numerous internal devices of the computer 700 . for instance, the bus 705 communicatively connects the processor 710 with the read-only memory 720 , the system memory 715 , and the permanent storage device 725 . from these various memory units, the processor 710 retrieves instructions to execute and data to process. the read-only-memory (rom) 720 stores static data and instructions that are needed by the processor 710 and other modules of the computer. the permanent storage device 725 , on the other hand, is read-and-write memory device. this device is a non-volatile memory unit that stores instruction and data even when the computer 700 is off. some embodiments of the invention use a mass-storage device (such as a magnetic or optical disk and its corresponding disk drive) as the permanent storage device 725 . other embodiments use a removable storage device (such as a floppy disk or zip® disk, and its corresponding disk drive) as the permanent storage device. like the permanent storage device 725 , the system memory 715 is a read-and-write memory device. however, unlike storage device 725 , the system memory is a volatile read-and-write memory, such as a random access memory. the system memory, the permanent storage device 725 , and/or the read-only memory 720 store the instructions and data that are necessary for carrying out the invention. the stored instruction and data then direct the operations of the processor 710 . the bus 705 also connects to the input and output devices 730 and 735 . the input devices enable the user to communicate information and select commands to the computer. the input devices 730 include an alphanumeric keyboard and a cursor-controller (such as a mouse or a touch-pad). the output devices 735 display images generated by the computer. the output devices include printers and display devices, such as cathode ray tubes (crt) or liquid crystal displays (lcd). through an output display device, a user can browse the web pages generated by the computer system 100 . finally, as shown in fig. 7 , bus 705 also couples to a network adapter 740 . the network adapter connects the computer 700 to a network of computers (such as a local area network (“lan”), a wide area network (“wan”), or an intranet) or a network of networks (such as the internet). in embodiments that use computer 700 as a user's computer, the computer can receive the information transmitted by the system through the internet via the network adapter 740 (e.g., a network card or a modem). in the embodiments that use computer 700 as a server computer of the system, the network adapter 740 connects the server computer 700 to other server computers of the system 100 . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other embodiments of the invention use computers that have different configurations and/or components than those of the computer 700 of fig. 7 . c. application and database servers. as shown in fig. 6 , some embodiments of the invention use multiple application and database servers 675 to distribute the load for the various applications that the computer system runs. fig. 8 illustrates n pairs 805 of application and database servers. the application server 810 of each pair 805 runs one of the applications hosted by the system. for instance, some embodiments have numerous game-show and forum-shop application servers for the various game shows and forum shops that are hosted by the system. also, the database server 815 of each pair stores the data that its corresponding application server 810 needs. fig. 9 illustrates the software architecture 900 of the application and database servers 675 that are used in some embodiments of the invention. as shown in this figure, the software architecture 900 includes (1) application server software 905 , (2) a shared memory 910 , (3) several game show applications 915 , (4) several shopping applications 920 , (5) several databases 955 and 960 for the game show and shopping applications, (6) a member monitoring application 925 , and (7) a database 950 for the member monitoring application. some embodiments of the invention use the netscape application server (“nas”) software as the application server 905 . in these embodiments, the nas software provides the foundation layer on top of which the game show, shopping, and monitoring applications are built. this foundation layer serves as an interface between the game show, shopping, and monitoring applications and the web servers (which in some embodiments are the netscape enterprise servers). this layer also enables fast and efficient real-time transactions between the various underlying applications through native api's. the underlying game show, shopping, and monitoring applications write, read, and update data in the shared memory 910 in order to communicate. for instance, as further discussed below, some embodiments use the shared memory 910 to allow the various applications to keep track of authenticated members who have logged in to the system. the game show applications 915 are responsible for (1) communicating with the users regarding the game shows, and (2) hosting the game shows. each game show application 915 has a corresponding database 955 associated with it. fig. 9 illustrates two sets of game shows, one for members older than eighteen and one for members younger than eighteen. this architecture is used because certain game shows might not be suitable for members under eighteen. fig. 9 also illustrates several forum shop applications 965 , 970 , and 975 that interact with the users to provide items for review and purchase through the computer system 100 . the exclusive-outlet application 965 presents individual shops that offer high-end items. the family-outlet application 970 presents shops that carry a wide range of merchandise from different manufacturers including national name brands. the small outlet application presents items from smaller merchants that do not have the brand recognition of items from larger merchants. each of these applications also has a corresponding database 960 associated with it. the database for each application stores information about the shops offered by each outlet application, and the items, prices, sale force, etc. for each of these shops. fig. 9 also illustrates a member monitoring application 925 . this application is in charge of keeping member data. such member data includes a list of all authenticated members who are browsing the site at any given moment. the member monitoring application also notifies the other applications when an authenticated member enters their application. specifically, when the system 100 authenticates a user, a web server 655 notifies the member monitoring application 925 that an authenticated member has contacted the system 100 . the monitoring application then creates a session record for the authenticated member in the shared memory. this session record contains the member's identification and a time-stamp that indicates the time of the last interaction between the member and the system. in some embodiments, this record also includes the location of the member in the system (i.e., the application that last interacted with the member). if a member then decides to engage a game-show or shopping application, the monitoring application (1) updates the session record in the shared memory to indicate the new location of the member and the time of the request, and (2) informs (through an api) the game show or shopping application about the member's request. the requested application then has to update the member's session record in the shared memory so long as the member is actively interacting with it. each time a member switches from one application to another, the new application is notified of the location of the member's session record in the shared memory, so that the new application can update this record in the shared memory. in some embodiments, the previous application notifies the new application of this record's location in the shared memory. in other embodiments, the monitoring application notifies the new application. in yet other embodiments, the new application determines the location for the member's record in the shared memory from the member's unique id. the monitoring application periodically checks the shared memory to delete all session records of the inactive members (i.e., all the members whose session records expired as they did not actively interact with the system's applications). the monitoring application also stores information about the member's interactions with the system in its database. to illustrate this point, fig. 10 presents a more specific example of the monitoring application. as shown in fig. 10 , some embodiments of the invention use a monitoring application 925 that includes three sub-applications. these applications are the time-measurement application 1005 , the guided navigation application 1010 , and member-tracking application 1015 . each of these applications has a corresponding database 1020 , 1025 , and 1030 . the member tracking application 1015 creates and deletes the session records for authenticated members, as described above. the member tracking application also maintains certain member statistical information, which will be described below by reference to fig. 11 . the time-measurement and interactive navigation applications 1005 and 1010 also maintain statistical information about members. specifically, these two applications maintain statistical information about member interactions with selectable objects that some embodiments of the invention present to the system's users. for instance, some embodiments present three-dimensional shopping malls that include selectable and non-selectable objects. as further described below, in some embodiments, a selectable object is a type of screen image that the user can select through a cursor-control operation (such as a mouse-button click or auto-click operation, as described below) in order to obtain additional information regarding the selectable image. in some embodiments, the system 100 also presents selectable objects to the users of its game-show applications. for instance, the system 100 might (1) present selectable graphical icons to aspiring game-show contestants while they wait to register for a game show, and (2) ask the aspiring contestants to select the icons to indicate their active participation. the time-measurement application 1005 records in its database 1020 the time that the members spend on selectable objects that the computer system presents to its members. this application also tracks the total session time for a member. the interactive navigation application also maintains certain statistical information about member interactions with selectable objects, as further described below by reference to fig. 12 . in addition, the interactive navigation application 1010 retrieves from and records in its database 1025 attribute information about the selectable objects that the computer system presents to its members. the interactive navigation application also controls the system's virtual multilingual sales force. this sales force provides detailed information relating to a specific product in response to a consumer's identified preferences and/or request. these audio and video presentations take place in a variety of languages. items, stores, and all other objects benefit from this technology by being presented in different languages. iii. data tables. the data tables of the system's databases will now be described for some embodiments of the invention. one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that other embodiments of the invention use different data tables and/or different data fields in these data tables than the ones described below. the member monitoring, game show, and shopping applications store data in and retrieve data from these data tables, in order to perform their operations. in some embodiments of the invention, these data tables are implemented in an object-oriented fashion. fig. 11 illustrates eight member tables that store information about the system's members. the eight member tables are: (1) the member_table, (2) the member_permanent_table, (3) the member_temporary_table, (4) member_lotto_table, (5) the member_stat_table, (6) the member_game request_table, (7) the active_member_table, and (8) the active_member_game_request table. in some embodiments, these member tables are all stored in the member-tracking database 1030 . in other embodiments, only the following four tables are stored in this database: the active_member_table, the active_member_game_request_table, the member_stat_table, and the member_game_request_table. the remaining four tables in fig. 11 are then stored in the meta-directory server's database. the member tables store information regarding the system's members. each record of a member in each of these tables includes a field called member_id. this field contains the member's internal identification and allows the system to gather and interrelate all the information about that member. the member_table stores basic personal information regarding the members, such as a member's internal identification, first and last name, middle initial, date of birth, sex, and social security number. the member_permanent_table and member_temporary_table store the permanent and temporary address information for each member. the permanent address of the member is the member's permanent residence, whereas the temporary address is the member's location while the member is interacting with a certain application. the temporary table keeps this information because, in some embodiments of the invention, certain application (such as the lottery application) might need to record a member's precise location at the time that the member interacts with that application. the member_permanent_table also includes a member_address_verified field, which indicates whether the system has verified the member's address independent of the information supplied by the member online. for instance, after a member wins a prize from the system, the system asks the member to supply documentation to confirm the member's address location. if the supplied documentation confirms the information supplied by the member online, the system uses the member_address_verified field to indicate this independent confirmation. the member_lotto_table stores information about a lottery purchase of a member. table 1 describes the purpose of the various fields in this table. table 1fielddescriptionmember_idunique id assigned to eachmember.member_lotto_serial#the serial number for a particularlottery ticket.member_lotto_typethe type of lottery ticket.member_lotto_purchased_datethe date of purchasing the lotteryticket.member_lotto_purchased_amountthe amount of the purchasedlottery ticket.member_lotto_award_datethe date of awarding a prize.member_lotto_award_amountthe amount of the award. the active_member_table stores information about the active members that are interacting with the system at any given time. this table stores the identification and session start time of each active member. the active_member_game_request_table includes a record for each active member that has requested to participate in a game show that has yet to start. this record includes the member's identification as well as the requested game show's identification, date, start time, and registration time. the member_game_request_table stores information about whether a member has asked to participate in game shows. each time a member requests to play a game show, a record is created in this table to record the member's request. table 2 describes the fields in this table. table 2fielddescriptionmember_idunique id assigned to each member.member_game_request_datedate of the request.member_game_request_game_idgame show id corresponding to anid in the gameshow_lt_tableor gameshow_gteq_tabledescribed below.member_game_request_activeindicates whether the game showregistration time has passed.member_game_request_counterindicates number of times memberhas checked on the start time of agame show. the member_stat_table stores statistical information about the member's past interactions with the system. table 3 describes the fields in this member table. table 3fielddescriptionmember_idunique id assigned to eachmember.member_stat_no_game_requestednumber of times the member hasrequested to play.member_stat_no_game_playednumber of game shows memberhas played.member_stat_no_items_boughtnumber of items purchased inforum shops.member_stat_no_stores_visitednumber of stores visited in forumshops.member_stat_time_accruedaccrued total time member hasearned while participating in agame show or visiting the forumshops.member_stat_no_total_visitstotal number of logins as amember. fig. 12 illustrates the interactive-navigation tables. the interactive-navigation database 1025 stores these tables, and the interactive navigation application 1010 reads from and writes to these data tables. the interactive-navigation tables store information about selectable and non-selectable objects that the system presents to its members. they also store information about the interaction between the system's members and selectable objects. in some embodiments, the interactive-navigation tables populate some of their fields (e.g., some of their attribute fields) dynamically from the game, forum, store, and item tables. also, in some embodiments, these fields are pointer fields, and they are dynamically populated by dynamically linking them to the game, forum, store, and item tables. each record in the interactive-navigation tables has a field called inav_id. this field identifies the selectable and non-selectable objects corresponding to each record. specifically, this field stores the internal identification for a selectable or non-selectable object, and thereby allows the interactive navigation application 1010 to interrelate all the information about the object. fig. 12 illustrates six interactive-navigation tables, which are: (1) the inav_table, (2) the inav_stat_table, (3) the inav_member_stat_table, (4) inav_vmsg_table, (5) the inav_vmsg_stat_table, and (6) the inav_vmsg_member_stat_table. the inav_table stores the basic information (such as attribute and history information) of each selectable object of the computer system. table 4 describes the fields in the inav_table. table 4fielddescriptioninav_idunique id of a selectable or non-selectableobject. this id maps to a store, forum,item or game show id.forum_idunique id of the mapped forum.store_idunique id of the mapped store.item_idunique id of the mapped item in the store,forum, or game show.game_idunique id of game show.inav_namename of the mapped object (forum, store,item, or game show).inav_descriptiondescription of mapped object.inav_classindicating whether object is selectable ornon-selectable.inav_parent_idid of parent object.inav_iconpointer to icon for the object.inav_imagepointer to image for the object.inav_audiopointer to audio file for the object.inav_videopointer to streaming video for the object.inav_languagelanguage for the object.inav_location (x,y)location of the object within a frame orbrowser window (e.g., location of itemwithin store or location of store within aforum shop). in some embodiments, thislocation defines the position of the objectwith respect to the other objects that havethe same parent object. also, someembodiments set this location as a pre-defined static location, whereas otherembodiments dynamically change thislocation. the inav_stat_table stores statistics for the interactions between all the members and each selectable object. table 5 describes the fields in the inav_stat_table table 5fielddescriptioninav_idunique id of a selectable object.this id maps to a store, forum,item or game show id.inav_stat_datedate for the particular interactionwith the selectable object. thisfield allows the system to analyzethe interactions between themembers and the selectable objecton a day-by-day basis.inav_stat_passive_visit_counternumber of times the selectableobject has been passively viewedon the particular date.inav_stat_clicked_visit_counternumber of times the selectableobject has been viewed through acursor-controller click (e.g.,mouse-button click) operation onthe particular date.inav_stat_autoclick_visit_counternumber of times the selectableobject has been viewed through anauto-click operation on theparticular date. the inav_member_stat_table stores statistics relating to the interaction of a particular member with a particular object on a particular date. table 6 describes the fields in the inav_member_stat_table. table 6fielddescriptioninav_idunique id of the selectable object. this idmaps to a store, forum, item or game showid.member_idunique id assigned to the member.inav_member_stat_datedate for the particular interaction betweenthe particular member and the selectableobject. this field allows the system toanalyze the interactions between themembers and the selectable object on aday-by-day basis.inav_member_stat_passive_visit_counternumber of times the member has passivelyviewed the selectable object on theparticular date.inav_member_stat_clicked_visit_counternumber of times the member has viewedthe selectable object through a clickoperation on the particular date.inav_member_stat_autoclick_visit_counternumber of times the member has viewedthe selectable object through an auto-clickoperation on the particular date. the inav_vmsg_table stores the virtual-multilingual-sales-guide information about some or all of the selectable objects presented by the computer system. table 7 describes the fields in the inav_vmsg_stable. table 7fielddescriptioninav_idunique id of the selectable object. this idmaps to a store, forum, item or game showid.inav_vmsg_languagethe sales force's natural or localizedlanguage for the selectable object.inav_vmsg_audio_messagethe sales force's audio message for theselectable object.inav_vmsg_video_messagethe sales force's video message for theselectable object. the inav_vmsg_stat_table stores statistical information regarding the use of the virtual-multilingual-sales-guide for the selectable objects that have such a guide. table 8 describes the fields in the inav_vmsg_table. table 8fielddescriptioninav_idunique id of the selectable object. this idmaps to a store, forum, item or game showid.inav_vmsg_stat_datedate for the member interactions with thesales force.inav_vmsg_stat_clicked_activatedthe number of times the sales force wasactivated through a click operation on theparticular date.inav_vmsg_stat_autoclicked_activatedthe number of times the sales force was onactivated through an auto-click operationthe particular date the inav_vmsg_member_stat_table statistical information about particular member's use of the virtual-multilingual-sales-guide for the selectable objects that have such a guide. table 9 describes the fields in the inav_vmsg_member_stat_table. table 9fielddescriptioninav_idunique id of the selectable object. thisid maps to a store, forum, item or gameshow id.member_idunique id assigned to a member.inav_vmsg_member_stat_datethe date for the member's interactionswith the sales force.inav_vmsg_member_stat_clicked_activatedthe number of times the memberactivated the sales force through a clickoperation.inav_vmsg_member_stat_autoclicked_activatedthe number of times the memberactivated the sales force through anauto-click operation. fig. 13 illustrates the time-measurement tables. the time-measurement database 1020 stores these tables, and the time-measurement application 1005 reads from and writes to these data tables. the time-measurement tables generally store information about how much time the members interact with the system's selectable objects and applications. fig. 13 illustrates four time-measurement tables, which are: (1) the time_table, (2) the time_stat_table, (3) the time_member_stat_table, and (4) time_member_session_table. the time_table stores the time spent on a particular selectable object by all members on a particular date. table 10 describes the fields in this table. table 10fielddescriptioninav_idunique id mapping to store, forum, item,or game show id.time_datedate for the particular interaction with theselectable object. this field allows thesystem to analyze the interactions betweenthe members and the selectable object on aday-by-day basis.time_total_accruedtotal time for the interactions with theparticular object by all members on theparticular date.time_passivetotal time the members passively viewedthe object on the particular date.time_clickedtotal time the members select a particularobject through a click operation.time_autoclicktotal time the members select a particularobject through a click operation. the time_stat_table stores the time spent on all selectable objects by all members on a particular date. table 11 describes the fields in the time_stat_table. table 11fielddescriptiontime_stat_datedate for a particular day. this field allowsthe system to analyze the interactionsbetween the members and the selectableobject on a day-by-day basis.time_stat_total_accruedtotal session time for the interactions withall objects by all members on the particulardate.time_stat_passivetotal time spent passively viewing allobjects by all members on the particulardate.time_stat_clickedtotal time via mouse click for all objectsby all members on the particular date.time_stat_autoclicktotal time via autoclick for all objects byall members on the particular date. the time_member_stat_table stores the time spent on a particular selectable object by a particular member on a particular date. table 12 describes the fields in the time_member_stat_table. table 12fielddescriptionmember_idunique member id.inav_idunique id mapping to store, forum or itemid or a game show.time_member_stat_datedate for the particular interaction betweenthe member and the selectable object. thisfield allows the system to analyze theinteractions between the members and theselectable object on a day-by-day basis.time_member_stat_total_accruedtotal time accrued on a particular objectfor a particular member.time_member_stat_passivetotal time the member spent passivelyviewing the particular object.time_member_stat_clickedtotal time the member spent on a particular objectvia mouse click.time_member_stat_autoclicktotal time the member spent on a particularobject via an auto-click operation. the time_member_session_table stores time spent by a particular member on all selectable objects during all interactive sessions between the member and the system. table 13 describes the fields in the time_member_session_table. table 13fielddescriptionmember_idunique member id.time_member_session_datemember's session date.time_member_session_total_accruedtotal session time spent by aparticular member on all objects.time_member_session_passivetotal time the member spentpassively viewing all objects.time_member_session_clickedtotal click time the memberspent on all the objects.time_member_session_autoclicktotal auto-click time themember spent on all the objects. fig. 14 illustrates the game-show tables. the game-show databases 955 store these tables, and the game-show applications 915 read from and write to these data tables. the game-show tables generally store information about the game shows that the system offers. fig. 14 illustrates fourteen game-show tables. two of these tables are: (1) the gameshow_type_table, and (2) the gameshow_rule_table. the gameshow_type_table provides information about game-show types, while the gameshow_rule table provides information about the game-show rules. tables 14 and 15 describe the fields in these two tables. table 14fielddescriptiongameshow_type_idunique id of a game show type.gameshow_type_descriptiondescription of the game show.gameshow_type_lt_allowedindicates whether a game show should beallowed to be played by members who areyounger than 18.gameshow_type_cluesclues/hints for the contestants. table 15fielddescriptiongameshow_rule_idunique id of a game show rule.gameshow_rule_descriptiondescription of the rules for the particulargame show.gameshow_rule_lt_allowedindicates whether a game show should beallowed to be played by members who areyounger than 18. of the remaining twelve tables presented in fig. 14 , six relate to game shows for members who are younger than eighteen, and six relate to game shows for members who are older than eighteen. tables 16-21 below describe the fields in the six tables for game shows that are for members older than eighteen. the six tables for members younger than eighteen have analogous descriptions. table 16 corresponds to the gameshow_gteq_table in fig. 14 , and describes the attributes for a game show designed for members older than eighteen. table 16fielddescriptiongsgteq_idunique id of the game show.gsgteq_descriptiondescription of the game show.gsgteq_reg_gracegrace time allowed for registration.gsgteq_start_timegame show's start time.gsgteq_end_timegame show's end time.gsgteq_datethe date that the game show will be aired.gsgteq_max_seatmaximum number of seats available forparticipants.gsgteq_max_time_allottedmaximum length of time for contestant tosupply the answer. table 17 corresponds to the gameshow_gteq_forum_table in fig. 14 , and describes the attributes for a game show sponsors. table 17fielddescriptiongsgteq_idunique id of game show.forum_idunique id of forum/store related toone of the game show sponsors.gsgteq_forum_primary_sponsorgame show's primary forum/storesponsor. table 18 corresponds to the gameshow_gteq_item_table in fig. 14 , and describes the attributes for game show items. table 18fielddescriptiongsgteq_idunique id of game show.item_idunique id of item being offered in thegame show.gsgteq_item_primary_prizeunique id of item which is the primaryprize. table 19 corresponds to the gameshow_gteq_contestant_table in fig. 14 , and describes the attributes for a game show contestant. table 19fielddescriptiongsgteq_idunique id of game show.member_idunique id of member (contestant) playingthe game show.gsgteq_contestant_winnerwinning contestant's id.item_idid of item won by contestant (maps toprimary prize if it was the primary winner). table 20 corresponds to the gameshow_gteq_type_table in fig. 14 , and describes the type of the game show. table 20fielddescriptiongsgteq_idunique id of game show.gameshow_type_idindex into the gameshow_type_table. table 21 corresponds to the gameshow_gteq_rule_table in fig. 14 , and describes the rule of the game show. table 21fielddescriptiongsgteq_idunique id of game show.gameshow_rule_idindex into the gameshow_rule_table. figs. 15-17 illustrate the forum-shop, store, and item tables. the shopping databases 960 store these tables, and the shopping applications 920 read from and write to these data tables. these tables generally store information about the system's forum shops, stores, and items. fig. 15 illustrates four forum-shop tables, which are: (1) the forum_table, (2) the forum_address_table, (3) the forum_property_table, and (4) forum_store_table. tables 22-25 respectively describe the fields in these four forum-shop tables. table 22fielddescriptionforum_idunique id of forum.forum_namename of forum.forum_descriptiondescription of forum.forum_lt_allowedindicates whether members younger than 18 areallowed.forum_categorythe forum's category (e.g., whether boutique, etc.).forum_cat_dataforum category's data and description.forum_hit_countnumber of hits on that forum.forum_colorsforum's special colors.forum_credit_cardscredit cards advertised and accepted at that forum.forum_credit_cards_lookuplookup of the credit cards accepted at theforum.forum_customerslist of customers visited that forum.forum_departmentslist of departments in that forum.forum_item_keyworditem keyword offered by forum.forum_itemsitem id offered by forum.forum_items_field_namesthe field name used to tag item at forum.forum_keywordskeywords describing forum.forum_visitorsvisitors who have visited the forum.forum_payment_methodspayment methods accepted by forum.forum_payment_methods_lookuppayment method lookup.forum_purchasestotal purchases made at the forum.forum_sales_taxsales tax applicable to forum.forum_sales_tax_lookupforum sales tax lookup.forum_shipping_infoinformation on shipping items from theforum.forum_shipping_methodshipping methods accepted by the forum.forum_ship_toship-to address for forum or forum's office address.forum_shopperslist of shoppers shopped at the forum.forum_shopping_cartforum's shopping cart.forum_store_checkoutcheckout process for each store at theforum.forum_store_featuredstored featured in each forum.forum_store_featured_itemsitems featured in each store of the forum.forum_store_frontstore front display description and view.forum_store_front_featured_itemsitems featured in the store front of eachstore at the forum.forum_store_headerstore's header for each store at the forum.forum_store_helphelp media available for each store at theforum.forum_store_infoinformation about each store at the forum.forum_store_payment_infoinformation on payment methods of each store at theforum.forum_shopping_cartoverall forum shopping cart information.forum_store_size_lookuplookup for the size of forum.forum_store_view_deptthe stores and departments of the forum.forum_store_view_itemthe items of a store in the forum.forum_transactionslog of all transactions conducted at the forum. table 23fielddescriptionforum_idunique forum id.forum_streetstreet address of the forum's brick andmortar location or office head quarters.forum_citycity location of forum office.forum_statestate location of forum office.forum_zipzip code of forum office.forum_zip+4zip + 4 number of forum office.forum_countrycountry location of forum office.forum_phonetelephone of forum office.forum_last_namelast name of a contract at the forum office.forum_first_namefirst name of a contact at the forum office. table 24fielddescriptionforum_idunique id of the forum.forum_property_classclass from which the forum properties arederived.forum_property_iconicon file which refers to the forumproperties.forum_property_imageimage file which represents the forum.forum_property_audioaudio file which represents the forum.forum_property_videostreaming video file which represents theforum.forum_property_languagenative or localized language of the forum.forum_property_location(x,y)coordinates of the forum in relation to thepage or frame.forum_property_vmsg_languagevirtual sales force native or localizedlanguage.forum_property_vmsg_audio_messageaudio message associated with virtual salesforce of forum.forum_property_vmsg_video_messagevideo message associated with virtual salesforce of forum. table 25fielddescriptionforum_idunique id of the forum.store_idunique id of the store at the forum.forum_store_location(x,y)coordinate of a store in relation to theforum on the page or frame. fig. 16 illustrates four store tables, which are: (1) the store_table, (2) the store_address_table, (3) the store_property_table, and (4) store_item_table. tables 26-29 respectively describe the fields in these four store tables. table 26fielddescriptionstore_idunique id of store.forum_idunique id of forum where store is located.store_namestore name.store_descriptiondescription of store.store_lt_allowedindicates whether users younger than 18are allowed in store.store_basketshopping basket for that store.store_categoriesthe store's category.store_countrytaxandshippingtax and shipping information for thestore's country.store_statetaxandshippingtax and shipping information for thestore's state.store_countytaxandshippingtax and shipping information for thestore's county.store_customersstore customer list.store_loglog file keeping store transactions andreports.store_productslist of products store has featured.store_saleslist and record of sales the store hasmade.store_usersusers who have visited the store. table 27fielddescriptionstore_idunique id of store.store_streetstreet address of store or store office headquarters.store_citycity location of store or store office.store_statestate location of store of store office.store_zipzip code of location of store or store office.store_zip+4zip + 4 code of location of store or storeoffice.store_countrycountry location of store or store office.store_phonephone of store or store office.store_last_namecontact last name of store or store office.store_first_namecontact first name of store or store office. table 28fielddescriptionstore_idunique id of store.store_property_classclass from which store property is derived.store_property_iconicon file which refers to store properties.store_property_imageimage file which represents the store.store_property_audioaudio file which represents the store.store_property_videostreaming video file which represents the store.store_property_languagenative or localized language of the store.store_property_location(x,y)coordinate location of the store on page orframe.store_property_vmsg_languageproperties of the store's virtual sales forcenative or localized language.store_property_vmsg_audio_messageproperties of the store's virtual sales force audiomessages.store_property_vmsg_video_messageproperties of the store's virtual sales forcevideo messages. table 29fielddescriptionstore_idunique id of store.item_idunique item id.store_item_location(x,y)coordinates location of item within store. the embodiments of the invention that break some or all stores into departments also include a number of department tables. such department tables are similar to the store tables described above. for instance, in some embodiments, the department tables are identical to the store tables with the exception that instead of a store they mention a department, and instead of a forum they mention a store. in some embodiments, the department tables also do not include some of the administrative information contained in their store tables. fig. 17 illustrates three item tables, which are: (1) the item_table, (2) the item_address_table, and (3) the item_property_table. tables 30-32 respectively describe the fields in these three item tables. table 30fielddescriptionitem_idunique id of an item.store_idunique id of a store that the item isassociated with.forum_idunique id of a game that the item isassociated with.game_idunique id of a game that the item isassociated with.item_descriptiondescription of an item.item_lt_allowedindicates whether the item is allowed to beaccessed by users younger than 18. table 31fielddescriptionitem_idunique id of an item.item_streetstreet address of item.item_citycity location of item.item_statestate location of item.item_zipzip code of location of item.item_zip+4zip + 4 code of location of item.item_countrycountry location of item.item_phonephone of item.item_last_namecontact last name of item.item_first_namecontact first name of item. table 32fielddescriptionitem_idunique id of an item.item_freeindicates whether an item is free. theshopping application populates this fielddynamically whenever it decides to give theitem away for a period of time.item_property_classclass from which item property is derived.item_property_iconicon file which refers to item properties.item_property_imageimage file which represents the item.item_property_audioaudio file which represents the item.item_property_videostreaming video file which represents the item.item_property_languagenative or localized language of the item.item_property_location(x,y)coordinate location of the item on page orframe.item_property_vmsg_languageitem properties of the virtual sale forcenative or localized language.item_property_vmsg_audio_messageitem properties of the virtual sales force audiomessages.item_property_vmsg_video_messageitem properties of the virtual sales force videomessages. as shown in table 30, the item_table includes the store_id field to associate the item with a particular store. for items that are not in stores, this table also includes a forum_id field and a game_id field. the forum_id field associates items outside the stores but inside a forum shopping mall. the game_id field associates items displayed by game-show applications. the tables for the items displayed by the game-show applications are stored in the game-show databases in some embodiments of the invention. iv. game show applications. the processes that some embodiments of the computer system 100 perform in order to present game shows will now be described. fig. 18 presents a process 1800 that the member tracking application 1015 goes through every time it is notified (e.g., by a web server) that a new member has been authenticated. as shown in this figure, the process 1800 starts (at 1805 ) when the member tracking application receives a notice that a new member has been authenticated. next, the process creates (at 1810 ) a session record for the authenticated member in shared memory. this session record contains the member's identification and a time-stamp that indicates the time of the last interaction between the member and the system. in some embodiments, this record also includes the location of the member in the system (i.e., the application that interacted with the member last). if a member decides to engage a game show or shopping application, the tracking application (1) updates the shared memory to indicate the new location of the member and the time of the request, and (2) informs (through an api) the game show or shopping application about the member's request. the requested application then has to update the member's record in the shared memory so long as the member is actively interacting with it. each time a member switches from one application to another, the new application is notified of the location of the member's session record in the shared memory, so that the new application can update the member's session record. in some embodiments, the previous application notifies the new application of the member's location in the shared memory. in other embodiments, the member tracking application notifies the new application. in yet other embodiments, the new application determines the location for the member's record in the shared memory from the member's unique id. in some embodiments, the computer system loads a client application on the user computers in order to facilitate the users' browsing of the web sites offered by the computer system. for these embodiments, the process determines (at 1815 ) whether the authenticated member has the latest client application of the system loaded onto his or her computer, after creating a session record for the authenticated member in the shared memory. if not, the process (at 1820 ) loads the latest version of the client application onto the user's computer, and establishes a communication session with this application. otherwise, the process establishes (at 1825 ) a communication link with the client application that the system previously loaded on the user's desktop. next, the process sets (at 1830 ) the member in the active_member_table to reflect that the member is currently active. the process then determines (at 1835 ) whether the member has requested to register for a game show recently. the process makes this determination by searching for records relating to the member (by using the member's id) in the member_game_request_table. if so, the process (at 1840 ) determines whether the registration time for the requested game show has expired. in some embodiments, the process makes this determination by examining the member_game_request_table. specifically, the process examines the member_game_request_active field in the member_game_request_table. if this field indicates that the game show time has passed, then the process concludes its examination. otherwise, the process asks the appropriate game show application to provide the start time and grace period for its requested game show. in particular, the process retrieves the member_game_request_game_id from the member_game_request_table, and asks the appropriate game show application to provide the start time and grace period for the game show identified by the retrieved game identification. if, after querying the game show database, the process determines that the game-show registration time has expired, the process sets the member_game_request_active field to indicate that the game show has expired. if the process determines (at 1840 ) that the game-show registration time has expired, the process provides (at 1860 ) the member with information about the next game show or shows, and asks the member whether he or she would like to register for the game show. if the member indicates that he or she would like to register for the next game show, the process 1800 calls the process 1900 of fig. 19 , which will be described below. on the other hand, if the process determines (at 1840 ) that the registration time for the requested game show has not expired, the process determines (at 1845 ) whether it is time for the user to register for the requested game show. the process makes this determination by examining the start time and registration grace period for the game show in the game show table. as described above, the process can obtain the start time and grace period by asking the appropriate game show application to query its game-show database. if it is time to register for the game show, the process transitions to 1920 of fig. 19 to determine whether the game show is full. otherwise, the process analyzes (at 1850 ) the member's records and calculates a window of time for registering for the game show. to calculate the time window, some embodiments of the process 1800 analyze the member's records in the following tables: member_stat_table, time_member_stat_table, time_member_session_table, and inav_member_stat_table. next, the process provides (at 1855 ) the member with a new registration time window, and then ends. if the process determines (at 1835 ) that the member has not recently requested to register for a game show, the process determines (at 1865 ) whether the member has ever tried to be a contestant. the process determines this by searching for records relating to the member in the member_game_request_table. if the member has not previously tried to be a contestant, the process ends. otherwise, the process determines (at 1870 ) whether the member should be accorded vip status. to make this determination, some embodiments of the process 1800 analyzes the member's records in the following tables: member_stat_table, time_member_stat_table, time_member_session_table, and inav_member_stat_table. if the member should not be accorded vip status, the process ends. otherwise, the process provides (at 1875 ) the member with information about the next game show or shows, and asks the member whether he or she would like to register for the game show. if the member indicates that he or she would like to register for the next game show, the process 1800 calls the process 1900 of fig. 19 . the process then ends. fig. 19 presents the process 1900 that is performed each time a member requests to register for a game show. in some embodiments, this process is performed by each game show application for its game show. one of ordinary skill will understand that in other embodiments of the invention one game-show application or the member monitoring application performs this process for all the game shows. the process starts (at 1905 ) when it is notified that an authenticated member wants to register for a game show. the process then supplies (at 1910 ) the game and member information to the member tracking application and asks this application to add the member to the active_member_game_request_table and the member_game_request_table. the process determines (at 1915 ) whether it is time to register for the requested game show. in some embodiments, the process makes this determination by examining the start time and registration grace period for the game show in the game show table. if it is not time to register for the game show, the process analyzes (at 1930 ) the member's records to determine the window of registration time that it should provide to the member. in some embodiments, the process analyzes the member's records in the following tables: member_stat_table, time_member_stat_table, time_member_session_table, and inav_member_stat_table. on the other hand, if the process determines (at 1915 ) that is time to register for the request game show, the process determines (at 1920 ) whether the game show is full. in some embodiments, the process makes this determination by comparing the maximum seat count of the game show (e.g., the gslt_max_seat in the game show_lt_table or gsgteq_max_seat in the game show_gteq_table) with a count that the process keeps of the contestants that have registered for the game show. if the game show is not full, the process allows (at 1925 ) the member to register, and increments the seat count for the game show. otherwise, the process analyzes (at 1930 ) the member's records to determine the time interval for registering for the next game show. the process presents (at 1935 ) the calculated time interval to the member. the process then starts (at 1940 ) an interactive exercise, which will be described further below by reference to fig. 21 . fig. 20 presents the process performed by the member tracking application for updating the session records in the shared memory. the process 2000 starts (at 2005 ) by selecting a session record of a member in the shared memory. next, the process determines (at 2010 ) whether the member's session record has expired. in some embodiments, the process determines whether a member's record has expired by examining the time stamp stored in this record (indicating the time for the members last interaction with the system) with the current time. if the difference between these two time values exceeds a threshold value, the process determines that the member's session has expired. if the process determines (at 2010 ) that the member's record has not expired, the process selects (at 2030 ) the next session record in the shared memory, and transitions back to 2010 . on the other hand, if the process determines (at 2010 ) that the member's session record has expired, the process deletes (at 2015 ) the member's record from the shared memory. next, the process updates (at 2020 ) the records of the member whose session has expired in the member tracking and time-measurement databases. for instance, the process calculates the member's total session time by subtracting the time stamp of the member's record in the shared memory from the member's session start time in the active_member_table. the process then adds the calculated total session time to time_member_session_total_accrued in time_member_session_table, time_stat_total_accrued in the time_stat_table, and the member_stat_time_accrued in the member_stat_table. the process then deletes (at 2025 ) the expired member from the active_member_table. the process also deletes the expired members from the active_member_game_request_table if that member requested to play in a game show. the process then selects (at 2030 ) the next session record in the shared memory, and transitions back to 2010 to determine whether this record has expired. hence, the member tracking application sequentially performs process 2000 on each session record stored in the shared memory in order to remove expired session records from the shared memory and update the records in the databases. when this application reaches the final session record in the shared memory, it cycles back to the first session record in the memory to start again. fig. 21 presents the process 2100 performed by a game show application to provide an interactive exercise to a member who is waiting for a game show. some embodiments of the invention present such interactive exercises while the members wait for game shows in the virtual game-show waiting area described above. some of these embodiments also present these interactive exercises to members who enter the forum shops while waiting for the game shows. the process starts (at 2105 ) by setting a timer. next, the process shows (at 2110 ) an item to the member. in some embodiments, this item is an advertising image icon of a product or a service sold through the system's stores. after showing the item to the member, the process determines (at 2115 ) whether the member clicked or auto-clicked on the item before the timer expired. if the member fails to click or auto-click on the item in time, the process determines whether the item was a critical item that the member had to select through a click or auto-click operation. in some embodiments, the process makes this determination by analyzing the selection of the current item in context of the selection of the previous items that process 2100 presented to the member. for instance, the process might determine that an item is not critical if the member had clicked or auto-clicked on the previous two items that the process 2100 presented. alternatively, the process might determine that the item is critical if the member did not click or auto-click on the previously displayed item. if the process determines (at 2120 ) that the item was not critical, the process transitions to 2135 . on the other hand, if the item was critical, the process informs the member tracking application (through an api) to remove the member from the active_member_game_request_table and the active_member_table. the process then ends. if the process determines (at 2115 ) that the member clicked or auto-clicked on the item before the timer expired, the process updates (at 2130 ) the time stamp in the member's session record in the shared memory. in some embodiments, the process at this stage also reports the click or auto-click event to member monitoring application through an api. the time-measurement and interactive-navigation applications of the monitoring application then record this click or auto-click event in their statistical tables. the records in these tables for this click or auto-click event are identified by the inav_id of the item presented at 2110 . the process then determines (at 2135 ) whether it is time to register for the requested game show. if so, the process ends. otherwise, the process transitions back to 2105 and repeats. fig. 22 presents the process 2200 that is performed to inform members that it is time to register for a game show. in some embodiments of the invention, a game show application performs this process, while in other embodiments the member monitoring application performs this process. the process starts (at 2205 ) by retrieving all the records in the active_member_game_request_table. for each member in this table, the process also retrieves (at 2205 ) the member's records from the member_stat_table, time_member_stat_table, time_member_session_table, and inav_member_stat_table. the process then retrieves (at 2210 ) all the records from the active_member_table. for each member in this table, the process also retrieves (at 2210 ) the member's records from the member_stat_table, time_member_stat_table, time_member_session_table, and inav_member_stat_table. from the members in the active_member_table who have not requested to play the current game show, the process identifies (at 2215 ) all active members who have requested a game show in the past and who should be accorded a vip status. the process identifies all active members who previously requested a game show by examining the member_game_request_table as described above. also, the process determines which of these members should be accorded a vip status by examining the member records, as described above for process 1800 at 1870 . the process then analyzes (at 2220 ) the records of the vip members and the members in the active_member_game_request_table, in order to come up with a temporal order for inviting each of these members to register for the game show. the process then invites (at 2225 ) the members to register based on the derived order. the first n members to register can participate in the game show. v. interactive shopping application. in some embodiments of the invention, the computer system presents three-dimensional scenes of shopping malls, stores within the shopping malls, and departments within the stores to its users. the users can browse through these three-dimensional scenes in a three-dimensional manner. also, some embodiments portray the items in these three-dimensional scenes by their real three-dimensional image, shape and form. some embodiments form the three-dimensional scenes by using a number of selectable and non-selectable objects, which are described below by reference to figs. 23-25 . fig. 23 illustrates a browser window 2300 that presents (1) a three-dimensional scene 2305 representing the interior of a shopping mall, and (2) a directory 2310 listing the stores in the mall. the three-dimensional scene 2305 contains a several selectable and non-selectable objects. in some embodiments, a selectable object is an interactive screen image that represents an item or store in the mall or an item or department in a store in the mall, while a non-selectable object is a static screen image that represents a background item in a mall, a store, or a department. in fig. 23 , the selectable objects in this scene are: several stores 2315 a - f , and a soda machine 2320 . the non-selectable items are two bench seats 2325 , several plants 2330 , the shopping mall floor 2335 , and several walls 2340 . in some embodiments, a user can perform a click (e.g., mouse-button) or auto-click on a selectable object to obtain additional information regarding the object. on the other hand, nothing happens when a user clicks or auto-clicks on a non-selectable object. one of ordinary skill will understand that the use of the term object does not necessarily imply that the selectable and non-selectable objects are defined in an object-oriented manner, although in some embodiments they are defined in such a manner. in some embodiments of the invention, each selectable object can be mapped to a number of other selectable and non-selectable objects. for instance, some embodiments recursively define the selectable objects. fig. 24 illustrates a recursive approach, where each selectable object can include selectable and non-selectable child images, and it can be part of a selectable parent image. as shown in this figure, not all selectable objects have child selectable images (e.g., image 2410 m of item m is selectable but does not contain any child images). in this figure, the selectable object for the mall serves as the root node image 2405 , the stores and items in the mall are this root's child nodes 2410 , and the different departments and/or items in the stores are this root's grandchild and great-grandchild nodes 2415 and 2420 . alternative embodiments use a different recursive approach to map all the object images in the mall. for instance, other embodiments select different root nodes, and/or select the root node's child nodes to be different sections of the mall (e.g., north, south, west, and east sections, or different floors in the mall). some embodiments recursively define the selectable objects by using the inav_parent_id pointer in the inav_table illustrated by fig. 12 . specifically, this pointer field is used to map the child selectable and non-selectable objects to a parent selectable object. in addition, as discussed above, the inav_image field in an object's record in this table points to a stored image for the object. furthermore, the inav_location field in the object's record in this table provides the location of the object relative to the other objects that have the same parent object (e.g., provide the location of an item within the store relative to the other items or departments in the store). also, the inav_class field in the object's record in the inav_table indicates whether the object is a selectable or non-selectable object. in some embodiments of the invention, the computer system presents the child objects of a parent selectable object when a user clicks or auto-clicks on the parent selectable object. for instance, some embodiments of the computer system provide a three-dimensional presentation of the interior of a selected store, when the user positions the cursor over shop 2315 b in fig. 23 and performs a click or auto-click operation. fig. 25 illustrates a browser window 2500 which displays a three-dimensional scene 2505 representing the interior of a store that the system shows the user after the user performs a click or auto-click operation on the store's selectable object. as shown in this figure, this three-dimensional presentation includes the store's child images. these child images include selectable objects such as departments 2510 and items 2515 within the store. the child images also include non-selectable objects, such as escalator 2520 , plants 2525 , shelves 2535 , floor 2540 , and walls 2545 . as shown in figs. 23 and 25 , the browser window 2300 and 2500 also present directories 2310 and 2530 . the directory 2310 lists all the stores in the shopping mall, while the directory 2530 lists other stores or lists departments or items within the store 2505 . in some embodiments, each entry in a directory is a hypertext link that the user can select. consequently, in these embodiments, the user can click or auto-click on a link in the directory to direct the computer system to present the outside or inside of the store (e.g., present the selectable image for the store or the selectable images that represent the items and departments inside of the store). some embodiments of the invention load a client application in a user's computer to facilitate the user's three-dimensional browsing. this client application performs a variety of operations to speed up and simplify the user's browsing experience. for example, this client application detects the direction of the user's browsing and preloads the selectable objects in this direction and the child images of these selectable objects. the client application also enlarges the image of the selectable object or objects in the direction of the user's browsing. for instance, in fig. 23 , the cursor 2345 moves towards store 2315 b . the client application detects the direction 2350 of the cursor's motion, and zooms in on this store, as shown in fig. 26 . one such client application will now be described by reference to figs. 27-29 . fig. 27 presents a conceptual block diagram of the architecture on the client (i.e., user) computer. this architecture includes an operating system 2735 , a java virtual machine 2730 , a browser 2725 , and a client application 2705 . the client application, in turn, includes a click monitoring application 2720 , a reporting application 2715 , and a mouse rover application 2710 . the operating system is the software responsible for controlling the allocation and usage of the hardware resources of the user's computer. fig. 27 shows the operating system to include device drivers 2740 , which are software components that allow the operating system to communicate with the devices (such as the cursor controllers (e.g., a mouse, a touch-pad, etc.)) connected to the computer. the operating system also serves as the foundation on which other applications (such as the browser application 2725 ) operate. the browser application 2725 provides the tools that allow the user to navigate the world wide web. examples of browser applications include the internet explorer, the netscape navigator, etc. fig. 27 illustrates the client application as a plug-in module for the browser application. this plug-in application extends the three-dimensional browsing capabilities as well as the reporting capabilities of the browser application. one of ordinary skill will realize that in other embodiments the client application is a stand-alone browser application. in some embodiments of the invention, the client application is written by using the java® computer language. in these embodiments, the client application uses standard java apis to communicate with the java virtual machine (“jvm”) 2730 , which most browsers support. more specifically, the jvm 2730 serves as an intermediary software component between the operating system 2735 , the browser application 2725 , and the client application 2705 . for instance, when the browser application cannot decipher the client application's instructions, the browser application can use the jvm to translate these instructions for communication with the operating system. the combination of the browser and client applications 2725 and 2705 render the pages and images based on a mark-up language (such as vrml, html, xml), javascript and/or java code instructions generated by system's server applications or embedded in pages served by system's servers application. as shown in fig. 27 , the client application includes three sub-components, which are the click-monitoring application 2720 , the reporting application 2715 , and the mouse-rover™ application 2710 . the click-monitoring application 2720 detects click activities and generates auto-clicks and passive-clicks, which are further described below. the reporting application 2715 then reports to the computer system's member-monitoring application the detected and generated click activity. the mouse-rover application 2710 controls the presentation of the selectable and non-selectable objects based on the user's mouse movement. specifically, it detects the direction of the user's browsing, enlarges the selectable objects in the immediate vicinity of the detected direction, and preloads the selectable and non-selectable objects in the general vicinity of the detected direction. as further described below, the mouse-rover application 2710 uses the reporting application 2715 to perform its preload operation. fig. 28 illustrates a process 2800 performed by the click-monitoring application 2720 . this process starts at 2805 . this process 2800 periodically starts at pre-determined time intervals. this process also starts when the operating system 2735 notifies the client application 2705 that the mouse driver has detected a mouse activity. when the mouse activity is a cursor movement, then the operating system passes the location (i.e., x- and y-coordinates) of the cursor to the client application. when the mouse activity is a mouse-button click, the operating system passes the click activity to the client application. once the click monitoring application receives the mouse activity, this application time stamps (at 2810 ) the record for this activity. next, the process determines (at 2815 ) whether the current cursor position is over a selectable object in the mall. if the cursor is not positioned over a selectable object, the process calls (at 2870 ) the mouse-rover™ application. on the other hand, if the process determines (at 2815 ) that the cursor is pointing to a selectable object, the process then determines (at 2820 ) whether the cursor was pointing to this selectable object the last time that the process 2800 was called. if not, the process (at 2825 ) (1) records a start time t 1 to be equal to the time stamp recorded at 2810 , (2) specifies the viewed selectable object as the selectable object currently pointed to by the cursor, (3) initializes a delta t 1 (δt 1 ) variable to zero, (4) sets a previous point variable to null, and (5) transitions to 2835 . otherwise, the process calculates (at 2830 ) the δt 1 by subtracting the current time stamp from the start time t 1 , which represents the time when the cursor first pointed to the selectable object. the process then transitions to 2835 . at 2835 , the process determines whether the mouse activity was a mouse-button click. if so, the process carries out (at 2840 ) the click operation, and generates a record of the click activity. in some embodiments, the generated record indicates the type of click activity, the selectable object currently pointed to by the cursor, and the time for the click activity. the process then calls (at 2865 ) the reporting application to report the generated click-activity record. the interactive-navigation and time-measurement applications 1010 and 1005 then use this information to populate the records in their tables. these tables include the inav_stat_table, the inav_member_stat_table, the inav_vmsg_member_stat_table, the inav_vmsg_stat_table, the time_table, the time_stat_table, the time_member_stat_table, and the time_member_session_table. if the process determines (at 2835 ) that the mouse activity was not a click activity, the process determines (at 2845 ) whether the calculated δt 1 is greater than a pre-specified passive timer value. if not, the process ends. otherwise, the process determines (at 2850 ) whether the calculated δt 1 is greater than a pre-specified auto-click timer. if so, the process performs (at 2860 ) the auto click operation on the selectable object currently pointed to by the cursor. the process also generates (at 2860 ) a record of the auto-click activity, which in some embodiments is similar to the record described above for the click activity. it then calls (at 2865 ) the reporting application to report the generated auto-click activity to the computer system. the interactive-navigation and time-measurement applications 1010 and 1005 then use this information to populate the records in their tables, as described above. if the process determines (at 2850 ) that the calculated δt 1 is not greater than the pre-specified auto click timer, the process generates (at 2855 ) a record of a passive-click activity, which in some embodiments is similar to the record described above for the click activity. it then calls (at 2865 ) the reporting application to report the generated passive-click activity to the computer system. the interactive-navigation and time-measurement applications 1010 and 1005 then use this information to populate the records in their tables, as described above. the computer system uses the passive-click functionality to gauge whether the user had some interest on an object, even though the user did not select the object. fig. 29 presents a process 2900 performed by the mouse-rover application. this process starts (at 2905 ) when the click-monitoring application calls (at 2870 ) process 2900 . the process 2900 determines (at 2910 ) whether the previous_point variable is null. if so, the process (at 2915 ) (1) sets that previous_point variable equal to the current cursor location at position x, y, and (2) sets an initial time variable t 2 equal to the current time stamp. after 2915 , the process 2900 terminates. on the other hand, if the process 2900 determines (at 2910 ) that the previous_point variable is not null, the process calculates (at 2920 ) the time differential between the current mouse activity and the mouse activity that resulted in the setting of previous_point variable. in other words, the process calculates (at 2920 ) a delta t 2 (δt 2 ) by subtracting the current time stamp from the initial time t 2 (where t 2 indicates the time at which the previous_point variable was set at 2195 ). next, the process calculates (at 2925 ) the δx and δy, and the distance vector. the process calculates the δx and δy values by subtracting the x- and y-coordinates of the previous position respectively from the x and y-coordinates of the current position. the process calculates the distance vector by using the δx and δy values. the magnitude of the distance vector is obtained by squaring the resulting x and y subtractions, adding these squared values, and taking their square root. the direction of the distance vector is obtained by dividing δy by δx, and taking the inverse tan of this division. as further described below, the process uses (at 2930 and 2935 ) the computed distance vector and δt 2 values to perform a proximity analysis and a zooming operation. the process then sets (at 2927 ) the prev_point variable to the current point, and start time variable t 2 to the current time. next, the process performs a proximity analysis (at 2930 ) to calculate the speed of the cursor movement. the speed of the cursor movement can be computed by dividing the magnitude of the distance vector by the δt 2 . the limited proximity analysis also uses the direction of this movement (which is the same as the direction of the distance vector) to identify the next closest selectable object in the cursor's path. to identify this object, the analysis might also use the speed of the cursor movement. next, at 2935 , the process enlarges the identified next selectable object depending on a variety of criteria. for instance, some embodiments of process 2900 decide whether to enlarge the identified selectable object based on the proximity of the cursor to the object, the speed at which the cursor approaches the object, and the nature of the object (e.g., the object's type). some embodiments enlarge the identified selectable object by scaling the image of the object. the process identifies the image for the object by examining the object's record that the process downloads from the inav_table. the object's record is identified by the object's inav_id (i.e., the object identification in the computer system's database). the inav_image field in the object's record points to the object's image, which the process also downloads from the computer system. the process then performs (at 2940 ) a broader proximity detection operation to identify the selectable and non-selectable objects near the cursor's current and expected positions. the process then determines (at 2945 ) whether the client application has already downloaded data (e.g., image data) for the identified selectable and non-selectable objects near the cursor's current and expect positions. if so, the process terminates. if not, the process performs (at 2950 ) a preloading operation to download the image data that it does not have. the process then terminates. the client application displays in real-time the preloaded data (for the identified selectable and non-selectable objects near the cursor's current expected positions) only if the user completes his or her movement in that direction. as described above, the click-monitoring application reports to the computer system the click, auto-click, and passive-click activities of the user for the selectable objects in the mall, along with the user's member id. the computer system's interactive-navigation and time-measurement applications 1010 and 1005 then use the information supplied by the click monitoring application, along with the session date, to populate their statistical tables. these tables include the inav_stat_table, the inav_member_stat_table, the inav_vmsg_member_stat_table, the inav_vmsg_stat_table, the time_table, the time_stat_table, the time_member_stat_table, and the time_member_session_table. in this manner, the computer system monitors and stores the user's active, auto, and passive clicking on selectable objects. these clicking activities are indicative of the users active and passive viewing of selectable objects. the computer system can then analyze this viewing information to dynamically generate a profile for the user's actual or potential interests, preferences, and habits. based on this dynamically generated profile, the computer system can then dynamically modify its interactions with the user. for instance, the computer system can modify the presentation of selectable objects in the mall to the user. the system can display more prominently, in the mall, the stores, or the departments, the type of objects that the user has previously selected or passively viewed. the system can more prominently display objects by placing them in more visible locations (e.g., placing them closer to the entrance of the mall, the stores, or the departments) and/or by enlarging the image of the objects. some embodiments of the invention also dynamically modify the presentation of the objects in the mall by changing the language used for signs and used by virtual-sales force in the mall. the system can make this dynamic adjustment by examining the member's profile and noting that the member is more responsive to signs or sales pitches in certain languages. alternatively, the system can make this adjustment based on the information that the member provides when he or she registers as a member. in addition, some embodiments of the invention also dynamically modify the presentation of the objects in the mall based on the requests and advertising fees from the merchants who sell products and services through the system's shopping sites. for example, a merchant can pay greater advertising fees so that the mall more prominently positions the merchant's store or the stores more prominently position the merchant's products. in some embodiments of the invention, certain items in the shopping mall are free, as indicated by the free_item field of their record in the item_property table. for instance, an interactive salesperson might appear as a shopper browses an item that has been secretly designated as a free item. the interactive salesperson then provides a sales pitch about the merchant or the item. at the end of the sales pitch, the shopper is informed that he or she has received the item for free. if the shopper terminates the presentation before it is completed, the shopper will be disqualified from receiving the item for free. this is to encourage shoppers to listen to all sales presentations in the hope of receiving a free item at the end of the presentations. in some embodiments of the invention, some or all the selectable objects in the mall are dynamic objects. a dynamic object is a selectable object that has an associated audio and/or visual presentation regarding the object. interactive navigation table (the inav_table) contains a link to the object's property table (such as the forum_property_table, store_property_table, or item_property_table), which contains the object's audio and/or video presentation or a link to this presentation. the computer system provides this presentation to a member that selects the dynamic object through a click or auto-click operation. some embodiments of the invention present detailed virtual sales presentations for certain selectable objects. as shown in fig. 12 , the inav_vmsg_table contains links to object property tables (such as the forum_property_table, store_property_table, or item_property_table), which contain virtual sales presentation or a link to this presentation. hence, the computer system can present an audio and/or video sales guide presentation for a selectable object if the object has such a presentation associated with it. in some embodiments, the system provides this presentation when the user manually asks for this presentation (e.g., through a click or auto-click operation on a gui button for this presentation). the system might also automatically provide the sales presentation for an object in certain situations. as mentioned above, some embodiments of the invention present virtual sales people in a graphical format to the members. in some embodiments, the virtual sales people can be the animated representation of actual sales people who interact with the members through the computer system. in other embodiments, the virtual sales people are not graphical representations of actual sales people. instead, they are only a computer generated and controlled sales force. in some embodiments of the invention, the virtual sales force reviews the member profiles to determine how to best approach and/or entice the members. for instance, in the embodiments where the virtual sales people represent actual sales people, the actual sales people can review the member's profile to formulate the best approach. on the other hand, in the embodiments where only the computer system controls the virtual sales force, the computer system can review the member's profile to improve the interactions of its virtual sales force with the member. vi. lottery purchase. some embodiments of the invention's computer system also sell lottery tickets for one or more states through the internet. state lottery sales are often restricted to individuals who are in the state at the time that they purchase the lottery tickets. hence, the computer system needs to make sure that the individual who is purchasing a state's lottery through the internet is currently located within that state at the time of the transaction. to ensure this, some embodiments through the internet provide to each prospective lottery player a code and a telephone number of the computer system. these embodiments ask the player or the player's computer to call the number and supply the code within a pre-specified time interval. the player or the player's computer can supply the code by verbally stating or dialing the code, or using another mechanism to convey the code, once the telephone session has been successfully established. in these embodiments, the player or the player's computer cannot provide the pass code when the telephone number is dialed from outside of the state, which offers the lottery that the player wants to purchase. for instance, in some embodiments, the computer system or the telephone company rejects calls to the supplied telephone number from outside of the state. fig. 30 illustrates an architecture diagram for a computer system 3000 used to sell state lottery in such a fashion. the architecture of computer system 3000 is identical to the computer system architecture presented in fig. 6 , with the exception that computer system 3000 also includes a location verification server (“lvs”) 3030 and a phone-based system 3025 . as shown in fig. 30 , the lvs 3030 connects to the reverse proxy server, so that it can receive through the proxy server the pass code mentioned above. this server 3030 also communicatively couples to the phone-based system 3025 . this system 3025 communicatively connects the server 3030 to the users who call the server by using the supplied telephone numbers. in some embodiments, the phone-based system 3025 is a modem pool. however, other phone-based systems can also be used to communicate with members or their computers. in some embodiments, a member calls the system 3025 through a phone 3020 . some embodiments also allow a member to instruct his or her computer to dial the telephone number supplied by the server. in addition, in some embodiments, the member's computer automatically dials the supplied telephone number. furthermore, once a telephone session has been established, the member provides the pass code. the member's computer can also provide the pass code automatically or upon the instruction of the member. in addition, the member can use any number of computing devices (e.g., desktop or laptop computer 605 , internet appliance 610 , mobile phone 615 , pager 620 , and pda 625 ) to purchase lottery from the computer system 3000 . fig. 31 illustrates a process 3100 that the computer system 3000 performs to allow a member to purchase a state's lottery through the internet. in some embodiments of the invention, this process is performed by a lottery application that runs on one of the application servers. this lottery application is one of the gaming applications 915 illustrated in fig. 9 . the process starts (at 3105 ) when the member tries to purchase lottery from the member's state through the computer system. the process then retrieves (at 3110 ) the member's data (such as age and residence) from the member tables. based on this retrieved data, the process then determines (at 3115 ) whether the member is eligible to purchase the requested state lottery. some embodiments prevent members from purchasing lottery if they have not verified the data that they previously provided to the system to register as members. for instance, some embodiments require the members to have verified their information by submitting written documentation about themselves (e.g., about their age and residence). as described above, the system requires members to submit such written documentation after winning a game show. alternative embodiments might verify member data by accessing government agency databases (e.g., the motor vehicle bureau) and checking the member data against the information in these databases. yet other embodiments might populate the member data only through government agency databases. still other embodiments might employ more lax measures to confirm the member data. if the process reviews the member data (such as age and residence data) and determines that the member is not eligible, the process so notifies the member and terminates. otherwise, the process allows (at 3115 ) the member to access his state lottery game, which in some embodiments is hosted by the computer system 3000 . the member then purchases (at 3120 ) tickets for a particular lottery game offered by the member's state. next, the process determines (at 3125 ) whether the member has finished purchasing lottery tickets. if not, the process transitions to 3115 to allow the member to access again the state lottery game. otherwise, the process determines (at 3130 ) whether the member passes the physical location verification. the process 3100 performs the physical-location verification (at 3130 ) to ensure that the member who is purchasing a state's lottery through the internet is physically located in that state during the lottery purchase transaction. the verification process is further explained below by reference to fig. 32 . if the process 3100 determines (at 3130 ) that the member is not currently located in the state, the process ends. otherwise, the process connects (at 3135 ) to the state's lottery system. next, the lottery application asks (at 3140 ) the state lottery system to generate the tickets requested by the member. at 3145 , the process then determines whether the requested lottery game show is lotto. if so, the process presents (at 3150 ) the lotto's serial number to the member through the internet, or sends this information via an electronic notification (such as an e-mail) to the member. next, the lottery application records (at 3155 ) the lotto's serial number in its own database for 180 days in order to notify winners, and then transitions to 3160 . if the requested lottery game show is not lotto, the process allows the member to play (at 3165 ) the non-lotto game show. the process then determines (at 3170 ) whether the member won the game show. if so, the process follows (at 3175 ) the state's rules for paying winners, and then transitions to 3160 . if the member lost, the process transitions to 3160 . at 3160 , the process determines whether the member wishes to play additional lottery games. if so, the process transitions to 3115 to let the member access the state lottery game shows. otherwise, the process terminates. fig. 32 illustrates a process 3200 that ensures that the player who is purchasing a state's lottery through the internet is physically located in that state during the lottery purchase transaction. this process initially generates (at 3205 ) a unique pass code for the member. in some embodiments, this pass code is generated randomly. next, the process provides (at 3210 ) this pass code to the lvs 3030 . the process then transmits (at 3215 ) this pass code and a telephone number through the internet to the player's computer. it also specifies that the player or the player's computer should dial the telephone number and supply the pass code within a predetermined amount of time. the computer system 3000 or the telephone company rejects calls to the telephone number (supplied at 3215 ) from outside of the state, which offers the lottery that the player wants to purchase. different embodiments of the invention use different techniques to identify and reject out-of-state calls. for instance, some embodiments use the caller id functionality. in some of these embodiments, the lvs stores all the valid area codes for each state. the lvs then identifies the caller's telephone number through the caller id functionality, and then compares the caller's telephone number with the stored codes to determine the location of the dialer. for lottery players who block their caller id, the process 3200 informs the players to disable their caller id block by pressing a particular code, so that the lvs 3030 can identify their telephone numbers. different embodiments respond differently to out-of-state calls identified through the caller id functionality. some embodiments ignore (i.e., do not answer) or disconnect out-of-state calls. other embodiments answer the call, but notify the caller that the system cannot accept the pass code from a caller outside of the state. some embodiments provide this notice after answering the call, while others provide this notice after the player or the player's computer provides the pass code. other embodiments of the invention do not use the caller id functionality to identify and reject out-of-state calls. for instance, some embodiments supply different numbers (e.g., different 800 or 900 numbers) to the members of different states. in some of these embodiments, the telephone company then rejects calls into a state's number from telephone numbers outside of the state (e.g., the telephone company generate a busy signal or plays a recorded notice when a supplied telephone number for a state is dialed from outside of the state). in other embodiments, the telephone does not block out-of-state calls, but instead simply notifies the computer system 3000 that the call is being made from outside of the state; the system then decides whether it should ignore or disconnect the call, or whether it should answer the call and then notify the caller that the pass code cannot be submitted or accepted since the caller is outside of the state. after providing (at 3215 ) the phone number and code, the process determines (at 3220 ) whether the lvs received the code within the pre-specified time interval. if so, the process indicates (at 3225 ) that the member passed the physical location verification. otherwise, the process indicates (at 3230 ) that the member failed the physical location verification. in some embodiments of the invention, the pass code expires (i.e., becomes invalid) after the expiration of the pre-specified time interval. in other words, after the pre-specified time interval, the system permanently rejects the pass code or rejects it for a predetermined duration of time. one of ordinary skill will understand that the process 3200 can be used in conjunction with many other internet based application that need to verify their users' locations during their sessions. one of ordinary skill will also understand that other processes can be used to verify (at 3130 ) the member's location within the state. for instance, currently developing ip-verification processes can be used to verify the location of a member who contacts the computer system through the internet. while the invention has been described with reference to numerous specific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.
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057-704-914-516-091
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
H01L45/00,B82Y30/00,C10M103/02,C10N20/06,C10N50/10,H01L27/24,H10N70/00,C10N20/00,H10B63/00
| 2018-04-12T00:00:00 |
2018
|
[
"H01",
"B82",
"C10",
"H10"
] |
nano memory device
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a non-volatile memory circuit in embodiments of the present invention may have one or more of the following features: (a) a logic source, and (b) a semi-conductive device being electrically coupled to the logic source, having a first terminal, a second terminal and a nano-grease with significantly reduced amount of carbon nanotube loading located between the first and second terminal, wherein the nano-grease exhibits non-volatile memory characteristics.
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1. a non-volatile memory circuit, comprising: a logic source; and a semi-conductive device being electrically coupled to the logic source, having a first terminal, a second terminal and a nano-grease located between the first and second terminal, wherein the nano-grease exhibits non-volatile memory characteristics. 2. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 1 , wherein the nano-grease exhibits memristive properties. 3. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 1 , wherein the nano-grease exhibits memcapacitive properties. 4. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 1 , wherein the nano-grease exhibits meminductive properties. 5. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 2 , wherein the nano-grease can store the last known current through the nano-grease. 6. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 3 , wherein the nano-grease can store the last known charge held by the nano-grease. 7. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 4 , wherein the nano-grease can store the last known current passing through the nano-grease. 8. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 1 , wherein the nano-grease comprises less than 2.5% by weight of single wall carbon nanotubes (swnt). 9. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 1 , wherein the nano-grease comprises less than 1.5% by weight of multi wall carbon nanotubes. 10. the non-volatile memory of circuit of claim 1 , wherein the logic source is an analog source. 11. a non-volatile memory circuit, comprising: a voltage source; a semi-conductive device being electrically coupled to the logic source, having a first terminal, a second terminal and a nano-grease located between the first and second terminal, wherein the nano-grease exhibits non-volatile memory characteristics; and a voltage sensor electrically coupled in parallel with the semi-conductive device capable of measuring the voltage drop at the semi-conductive device. 12. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 11 , wherein the nano-grease exhibits memristive properties. 13. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 11 , wherein the nano-grease exhibits memcapacitive properties. 14. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 11 , wherein the nano-grease exhibits meminductive properties. 15. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 11 , wherein the semi-conductive device is a digital memory. 16. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 11 , wherein the nano-grease is comprised of less than 2.5% by weight single wall carbon nanotubes (swnt). 17. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 11 , wherein the nano-grease is comprised of less than 1.5% by weight multi wall carbon nanotubes (mwnt). 18. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 11 , wherein the terminals comprise substantially planar micro- or nano-terminals. 19. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 11 , fabricated in an integrated microchip. 20. the non-volatile memory circuit of claim 11 , wherein each voltage source is electrically connected to a non-volatile analog memory.
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priority statement this application claims priority to u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/656,862, filed on apr. 12, 2018, titled nano memory device, u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/656,725 filed on apr. 12, 2018 titled conductive grease with enhanced thermal or electrical conductivity and reduced amount of carbon particle loading, and u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/656,773 filed on apr. 12, 2018 titled flexible nano coating with significantly enhanced electrical, thermal and semiconductor properties all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. field of the invention the present invention relates to electronic devices. particularly, the present invention relates to nano-electronic devices. more particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to nano-electronic circuits. background a memristor (a.k.a., a memory resistor) is a non-linear passive two-terminal electrical component relating electric charge and magnetic flux linkage. it was envisioned, and its name coined, in 1971 by circuit theorist leon chua. according to the characterizing mathematical relations, the memristor would operate in the following way: the memristor's electrical resistance is not constant but depends on the history of current previously flowing through the device (i.e., its present resistance depends on how much electric charge has flowed in what direction through it in the past; the device remembers its history—the so-called non-volatility property). when the electric power supply is turned off, the memristor remembers its most recent resistance until it is turned on again. chua extrapolated a conceptual symmetry between the non-linear resistor (voltage vs. current), non-linear capacitor (voltage vs. charge) and non-linear inductor (magnetic flux linkage vs. current). he then inferred the possibility of a memristor as another fundamental non-linear circuit element linking magnetic flux and charge. in contrast to a linear (or non-linear) resistor the memristor has a dynamic relationship between current and voltage including a memory of past voltages or currents. memristor resistance depends on the integral of the input applied to the terminals (rather than on the instantaneous value of the input as in a varistor). since the element “remembers” the amount of current last passing through, it was tagged by chua with the name “memristor”. another way of describing a memristor is as any passive two-terminal circuit element maintaining a functional relationship between the time integral of current (i.e., charge) and the time integral of voltage (i.e., flux, as it is related to magnetic flux). the slope of this function is called the memristance m and is like variable resistance. a varistor is an electronic component with an electrical resistance varying with the applied voltage. also known as a voltage-dependent resistor (vdr), it has a nonlinear, non-ohmic current-voltage characteristic like a diode. in contrast to a diode however, it has the same characteristic for both directions of traversing current. at low voltage it has a high electrical resistance which decreases as the voltage is raised. varistors are used as control or compensation elements in circuits either to provide optimal operating conditions or to protect against excessive transient voltages. when used as protection devices, they shunt the current created by the excessive voltage away from sensitive components when triggered. with reference to figs. 17 & 18a -d are a simulink model & plot representation of a variable resistor circuit in accordance with the prior art is shown. as will be discussed in detail below regarding fig. 1 , a memristor, memcapacitor and/or meminductor will have a lissajous curve where the hysteresis loop degenerates to a straight (linear) or curved line (non-linear) through the origin (i.e., it does not store energy). from the plots of figs. 18a-d , it can be seen the varistor does not pass through the origin. furthermore, a varistor will not remember its last state as will the memristor, memcapacitor and/or meminductor described in detail below. the memristor definition is based solely on the fundamental circuit variables of current and voltage and their time-integrals, just like the resistor, capacitor and inductor. unlike those three elements however, which are allowed in linear time-invariant or lti system theory, memristors of interest have a dynamic function with memory and may be described as some function of net charge. there is no such thing as a standard memristor. instead, each device implements a function, wherein the integral of voltage determines the integral of current and vice versa. a linear time-invariant memristor, with a constant value for m, is simply a conventional resistor. leon chua has argued the memristor definition could be generalized to cover all forms of two-terminal non-volatile memory devices based on resistance switching effects. these devices are intended for applications in nano-electronic memories, computer logic and neuromorphic/neuromemristive computer architectures. memcapacitor is a member of a family of new circuit elements postulated by chua in the late seventies and presented as one of 4 guest lectures at the 1978 european conference on circuit theory and design (ecctd). memcapacitor was formally defined by chua in 2003. the nanoscale circuit elements, i.e., memristor, memcapacitor, and meminductor, have memorial properties and can store information without power supplies. although an actual solid-state memcapacitor has not been yet realized, it is important to design effective memcapacitor models and make prospective studies for its applications. in 2009, a piecewise linear memcapacitor model was first presented. memcapacitive and meminductive systems are two recently postulated classes of circuit elements with memory complementing the class of memristive systems. their main characteristic is a hysteretic loop—which may or may not pass through the origin—in their constitutive variables (charge-voltage for memcapacitors and current-flux for meminductors) when driven by a periodic input, and, unlike memristors, they can store energy. as of today, a few systems have been found to operate as memcapacitors and meminductors. however, these are neither available on the market yet, nor can their properties be easily tuned to investigate their role in more complex circuits. the same can be said about memristive systems. therefore, electronic emulators of such memory elements easily built and tuned would be highly desirable, so these properties can be identified in the future. flash memories are currently by far the most widely used type of non-volatile memory (nvm), and phase-change memories (pcms) are the most promising emerging nvm technology. flash memories and pcm have many important common properties, including noisy cell programming, limited cell endurance, asymmetric cost in changing a cell state in different directions, the drifting of cell levels after programming, cell heterogeneities and the like. as representative nvms, they have been, and likely will continue to be widely used in mobile, embedded and mass-storage systems. they are partially replacing hard drives and main memories and are fundamentally changing some computer architectures. in 2008, a team at hp labs claimed to have found chua's missing memristor based on an analysis of a thin film of titanium dioxide thus connecting the operation of rram devices to the memristor concept. following this claim, leon chua has argued the memristor definition could be generalized to cover all forms of two-terminal non-volatile memory devices based on resistance switching effects. in 2015, a self-directed channel ion-conducting memristor was made commercially available by known. however, this self-directed channel ion-conducting memristor has several drawbacks including: a low power threshold (e.g., much less than 0.1 watts), high sensitivity to esd, multiple components (i.e., up to 12 standard components), no shipping product level device and the 16 pin ic dip memristor sold by known can cost as much as $200. there are several advantages of the memristor memory over conventional transistor-based memories. one is its strikingly small size. though memristor is still at its early development stage, its size is at most one tenth of its ram counterparts. if the fabrication technology for the memristor is improved, the size advantage could be even more significant. another feature of the memristor is its incomparable potential to store analog information, which enables the memristor to keep multiple bits of information in a memory cell. besides these features, the memristor is also an ideal device for implementing synaptic weights in artificial neural networks therefore, what is needed is an efficient and effective way to produce non-volatile memory devices on a nano-scale. further, what is needed is a nano memory device capable of handling power up to and greater than 4 watts. further, what is needed is a nano memory device not sensitive to esd. further, what is needed is a nano-scale and one component non-volatile memory device. further, what is needed is an inexpensive nano memory device. summary therefore, it is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to improve over the state of the art. a non-volatile memory circuit in embodiments of the present invention may have one or more of the following features: (a) a logic source, and (b) a semi-conductive device being electrically coupled to the logic source, having a first terminal, a second terminal and a nano-grease with significantly reduced amount of carbon nanotube loading located between the first and second terminal, wherein the nano-grease exhibits non-volatile memory characteristics. a non-volatile memory circuit in embodiments of the present invention may have one or more of the following features: (a) a voltage source, (b) a semi-conductive device being electrically coupled to the logic source, having a first terminal, a second terminal and a nano-grease with significantly reduced amount of carbon nanotube loading located between the first and second terminal, wherein the nano-grease exhibits non-volatile memory characteristics, and (c) a voltage sensor electrically coupled in parallel with the semi-conductive device capable of measuring the voltage drop at the semi-conductive device. one or more of these and/or other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims follow. no single embodiment need provide every object, feature, or advantage. different embodiments may have different objects, features, or advantages. therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to or by any objects, features, or advantages stated herein. brief description of the drawings illustrated embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein. fig. 1 is a lissajous curve showing memristive-memcapacitive-meminductive properties in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a sample plot of current vs. voltage curve with 10v point to point (p-p ac 0.1 mhz voltage) applied to nano-grease in series with a 1k ohm resistor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3 is a pictorial representation of nano-grease in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a sample plot of current vs. voltage curve with 10v point to point (p-p ac 10 mhz voltage) applied to nano-grease materials in series with a 1k ohm resistor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention fig. 5 is sample plot of current vs. voltage curve with 10v point to point (p-p ac 0.1 mhz, 1 mhz & 10 mhz voltage) applied to nano-grease materials in series with a 1k ohm resistor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is a simulink model representation of the electrical behavior response of nano-grease materials in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; fig. 7 is a simulink model plot of a simulink model representation of a memristor circuit and a plot of the electrical response for the nano-grease materials in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 is a pictorial representation of a nano-grease memristor circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 9 is a pictorial representation of a simulink model representation of a nano-grease memcapacitor circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; figs. 10a-d are a simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memcapacitor circuit and plot for the electrical response of the nano-grease materials in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 11 is a pictorial representation of a nano-grease memcapacitor circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 12 is a simulink model representation of a power memristor circuit for a variable dc power supply using a memristor bridge in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; figs. 13a-c are simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a power memristor circuit for a variable dc power supply using a memristor bridge in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; figs. 14a-c are simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memristor circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; figs. 15a-c are simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memristor circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 16 are simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memristor circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 17 is a simulink model representation of a variable resistor circuit in accordance with the prior art; figs. 18a-d are simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a variable resistor circuit in accordance with the prior art; fig. 19 are simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memdevice circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; figs. 20a-d are simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memdevice circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and figs. 21a and b are a simulink model and plot of a simulink model representation of a memdevice circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 22 shows the grease based on 7.5 wt % mwnt-oh/92.5 wt % ester oil. fig. 23 shows a scanning electron microscope (sem) image of the grease based on 7.5 wt % mwnt-oh/92.5 wt % ester oil. figs. 24a-24d shows the friction coefficients exhibited by cnt-based greases and three other conventional lubricant greases. figs. 25a and 25b show photographs of an exemplary conductive flexible coating composition comprising carbon nanomaterial and providing enhanced conductor/semiconductor properties on a surface. some of the figures include graphical and ornamental elements. it is to be understood the illustrative embodiments contemplate all permutations and combinations of the various graphical elements set forth in the figures thereof. detailed description the following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the present teachings. various modifications to the illustrated embodiments will be plain to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the present teachings. thus, the present teachings are not intended to be limited to embodiments shown but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. the following detailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different figures have like reference numerals. the figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings. skilled artisans will recognize the examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of the present teachings. while embodiments of the present invention are discussed in terms of power nano memory devices, it is fully contemplated embodiments of the present invention could be used in most any nanoscale memory device without departing from the spirit of the invention. embodiments of the present invention can utilize a nano-grease with significantly reduced amount of carbon nanotube (swnt (single wall nanotube), double-walled nanotubes (“dwnt”), and mwnt (multi-wall nanotube)) loading as disclosed in detail below. one embodiment discloses a stable conductive grease composition comprising a base oil and nanomaterial, wherein the nanomaterial is a functionalized nanomaterial having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond or boron nanomaterial; and wherein the base oil comprises one or more of a second functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond with the first function group of the nanomaterial. in another embodiment, a stable and homogeneous grease based on carbon nanotubes (hereinafter referenced to as cnt) (i.e., single-wall and multi-wall) in polyalphaolefin oil being produced without using a chemical surfactant. for example, for a 22-24 wt % (14-15 vol %) multi-wall cnt loading, the thermal conductivity (tc) of the grease shows a 70-80% increase compared to no nanotube loading. in addition, the grease is electrically conductive, has a high dropping point, good temperature resistance, and does not react with copper at temperatures up to 177° c. additional embodiments disclose a new way to produce the grease with low nanotube loading (swnt<2.5 wt %, mwnt<1.5 wt % ). in some embodiments the inventors have made several quality greases by three roll mills. they are: 7.5 wt % mwnt-oh/92.5 wt % n650ht ( fig. 7 ) 7.5 wt % mwnt-oh/92.5 wt % pao 1.4 wt % mwnt-oh/98.6 wt % krytox 2.5 wt % swnt-oh/97.5 wt % pao the inventors have found all nano-greases produced are stable. no oil leaks are found for these 4 grease samples for at least 10 days. more physical properties such as dropping point, penetration length, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, rheology behavior, etc. have greatly improved qualities. the inventors have discovered the nano-grease with significantly reduced amount of carbon nanotubes (swnt and mwnt) displays some unique electrical attributes. the inventors have found the nano-grease with significantly reduced amount of carbon nanotubes displays electrical attributes common to a memristor, a memcapacitor and a meminductor which is discussed in greater detail below. the use of this nano-grease with significantly reduced amount of carbon nanotubes as a memristor, a memcapacitor and meminductor has great potential in several industries. they could be implemented as transistors. nanoparticle composites could be combined into devices called crossbar latches, which could replace transistors in future computers, given their much higher circuit density. they can potentially be fashioned into non-volatile solid-state memory, which would allow greater data density than hard drives with access times like dram, replacing both components. nanoparticle composite applications could include programmable logic, signal processing, neural networks, control systems, reconfigurable computing, brain-computer interfaces and rfid. nanoparticle composite devices are potentially useful for stateful logic implication, allowing a replacement for cmos-based logic computation. nanoparticle composites could be used for adaptive behavior of unicellular organisms. for example, subjected to a train of periodic pulses, a circuit learns and anticipates the next pulse like the behavior of slime molds where the viscosity of channels in the cytoplasm responds to periodic environment changes. applications of such circuits may include pattern recognition. neuromorphic architectures may be based on nanoparticle composite memristive systems. whole-brain nanoparticle composite circuits can power a virtual and robotic agent using memristive hardware. nanoparticle composite memristors can be used as non-volatile analog memories and can mimic classic habituation and learning phenomena. according to allied market research the memristor market was worth $3.2 million in 2015 and will be worth $79.0 million by 2022. with reference to fig. 1 , one of the resulting properties of memristors, memcapacitors and meminductors is the existence of a pinched hysteresis effect, shown by the lissajous curve 100 , in the voltage-current, voltage-charge and magnetic flux-current plane when driven by any bipolar periodic voltage or current without respect to initial conditions. for a current-controlled memristive system, the input u(t) is the current i(t), the output y(t) is the voltage v(t), and the slope of the curve m represents the electrical resistance, capacitance or inductance. the change in slope m of the pinched hysteresis curve 102 demonstrates switching between different resistance states which is a phenomenon central to reram and other forms of two-terminal resistance memory. the area of each lobe of the pinched hysteresis loop 102 shrinks as the frequency of the forcing signal increases. memristive theory predicts the pinched hysteresis effect will degenerate, resulting in a straight-line representative of a linear resistor. as the frequency tends to infinity, the hysteresis loop degenerates to a straight (linear) or curved line (non-linear) through the origin (i.e., it does not store energy). memcapacitors and meminductors have an almost identical pinched hysteresis effect and are shown in fig. 1 as well. thus, the change in slope m of the pinched hysteresis curve 102 demonstrates switching between different capacitive states for a memcapacitor and a switching of different inductive states for a meminductor. as with the memristor, theory predicts the hysteresis effect will degenerate into a straight-line representative of a linear capacitor and/or inductor. this is because the higher the frequency goes the more the input appears to be constant and thus the memcapacitor will behave as a standard capacitor and a meminductor will behave as a standard inductor. with reference to fig. 2 , a sample plot of current vs. voltage curve with 10v point to point (p-p ac 0.1 mhz voltage) applied to the nano-grease 300 with significantly reduced amount of carbon nanotubes (swnt and mwnt) of fig. 3 , and discussed in detail below, in series with a 1k ohm resistor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. as can clearly be seen the electrical response of the carbon nanotube structure significantly resembles the lissajous curve 100 for a memristor. fig. 2 clearly shows the carbon nanotube structure disclosed in embodiments of the present application have memristive properties and could be used to implement memristors on a nanoscale. with reference to figs. 4 & 5 , sample plots for different test frequencies of current vs. voltage curve with 10v point to point (p-p ac voltage) applied to the carbon nanotube structure 300 of fig. 3 and discussed above in series with a 1k ohm resistor. the plots are recreated at different frequencies getting similar results but different areas under the curve for the varying frequencies. with reference to figs. 6 & 7 a simulink model representation and plot of the electrical behavior of nano-grease materials in accordance with the present invention is shown. to determine the electrical behavioral properties of the nano-grease detailed below, the inventors set out to create a simulink model of a memristor at 0.1 mhz. simulink is a graphical programming environment for modeling, simulating and analyzing multidomain dynamical systems. its primary interface is a graphical block diagraming tool and a customizable set of block libraries. it offers tight integration with the matlab environment and can either drive matlab or be scripted from it. simulink is widely used in automatic control and digital signal processing for multidomain simulation and model-based design. from the graph shown in fig. 7 , it can be seen the memristive simulink model of fig. 6 plots almost overtop of the test results on the nano-grease. thus, the inventors have found a material which provides substantial memristive properties and can be utilized to create nano-scale memory circuits. with reference to fig. 8 , a pictorial representation of a circuit having a nano-grease memristor structure with a significantly reduced amount of carbon nanotubes (swnt and mwnt) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. nano non-volatile memory circuit 600 is a general and simplified depiction of a non-volatile memory circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. as can be seen, logic source 602 is only shown connected to one carbon nanotube memristor 604 , however, it is fully contemplated logic source 602 could be the input for several nanotube memristors 604 up to tens of trillions of carbon nanotube memristors 604 . logic source 602 could be most any input to a nano non-volatile memory circuit 600 without departing from the spirit of the invention. in the structure of memristor 604 , nano-grease 300 is the material separating the two terminal conductors. the logic source 602 may include circuitry, chips and other digital logic. the logic source 602 may represent hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. in one embodiment, the logic source 602 may include one or more processors. logic source 602 may also represent an application specific integrated circuit (asic), system-on-a-chip (soc) or field programmable gate array (fpga). in one embodiment, the logic source 602 is circuitry or logic enabled to control execution of a set of instructions and provide an output to memristor 604 . the logic source 602 may be one or more microprocessors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits (asic), central processing units, analog input or other devices suitable for controlling an electronic device including one or more hardware and software elements, executing software, instructions, programs, and applications, converting and processing signals and information and performing other related tasks. the logic source 602 may be a single chip or integrated with other computing or communications components. logic source 602 could be most any level of voltage, such as an analog input, and could represent binary states (e.g., 1, 0 or 1, 0, −1). logic source 602 could be any analog, digital and/or combination source providing the current state of a system. the structure of carbon nanotube memristor 604 having enhanced electrical properties is fully discussed in detail above and below. a 1 k ohm resistor 606 is shown in series with carbon nanotube memristor 604 . voltage sensor 608 is shown in parallel with carbon nanotube memristor 604 and is used to detect the voltage drop across carbon nanotube memristor 604 . the voltage drop across carbon nanotube memristor 604 will show the state of carbon nanotube memristor 604 . e.g., either a high state, a zero state, a low state or an analog voltage, current or magnetic flux. the inventors had additionally found other beneficial properties to the nano-grease described in detail below. memristor 604 can handle relatively high-power inputs up to and including greater than 4 watts. further, memristor 604 is not sensitive to esd. the current memristor cell 604 takes up 1 cubic centimeter, which is significantly smaller than previous designs. further, the total cost of memristor cell 604 for production is $2 per unit; therefore, significantly less expensive than previous memristors. with reference to fig. 9 a pictorial representation of a simulink model representation of a memcapacitor circuit of the nano-grease materials in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. what the inventors have discovered is the nano-grease discussed in detail below displays memcapacitive and meminductive properties as well. the simulink model of fig. 9 shows a sample circuit of a memcapacitive circuit. with these properties known, it is fully contemplated a nano-grease gel cell, such as memristive circuit 604 could be used in most any memory utility to perform non-static memory functions. it could function as a memristor, memcapacitor or meminductor. the only variables to decide its function would be the varying input, either voltage or magnetic flux. with reference to figs. 10a-d simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memcapacitor circuit and plot for the nano-grease materials electrical response in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. from the charts on figs. 10a-d it can be seen the charge on the memcapacitive cell plots almost on top of the simulink model. thus, the inventors have discovered the nano-grease material can be placed in a cell and the materials have capacitive properties having a non-volatile memory property. also, from the plots, it can be shown these properties held up over a period. from plot a where the tests were run for 10 seconds, to plot b where the tests were run for 1 minute 40 seconds, to plot c where the tests were run for 16 minutes 40 seconds and finally to plot d where the tests were run for 2 hours 46 minutes and 28 seconds it can be shown the nano-grease material holds its non-volatile memory capacity over time as well. with reference to fig. 11 a pictorial representation of a nano-grease memcapacitor circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. memcapacitive gel cell circuit 1100 may have an ac voltage source 1102 , a resistor 1104 , a memcapacitive gel cell 1108 and a voltage sensor 1106 in a most simplified and basic sense. memcapacitive gel cell circuit 1100 is a general and simplified depiction of a non-volatile memory circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. as can be seen, ac voltage source 1102 is only shown connected to one memcapacitor gel cell 1108 , however, it is fully contemplated ac voltage source 1102 could be the input for several memcapacitive gel cells 1108 up to tens of trillions of memcapacitive gel cells 1108 . ac voltage source 1102 could be most any varying voltage, current or magnetic flux input to a nano non-volatile memory circuit without departing from the spirit of the invention. in the structure of memcapacitor gel cell 1108 , nano-grease 300 is the dielectric within the capacitor. in the structure of meminductor, nano-grease 300 is the core within the inductor. ac voltage source 1102 could be most any level of voltage, such as an analog input, and could represent binary states (e.g., 1, 0 or 1, 0, −1). a 1 k ohm resistor 1104 is shown in series with memcapacitive gel cell 1108 . voltage sensor 1106 is shown in parallel with memcapacitive gel cell 1108 and is used to detect the charge across memcapacitive gel cell 1108 . the charge on memcapacitive gel cell 1108 will show the state of memcapacitive gel cell 1108 . e.g., either a high state, a zero state, a low state or an analog voltage, current or magnetic flux. with reference to fig. 12 a simulink model representation of a power memristor circuit for a variable dc power supply using a memristor bridge in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. power memristor circuit 1200 for a variable dc power supply using a memristor bridge 1202 . power memristor circuit 1200 can be controlled by dc offsets in the driving signal and the sinusoidal ac power source 1204 could also be substituted with an ac pulse width modulation (pwm) source for greater power efficiency. with reference to figs. 13a-c are simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a power memristor circuit for a variable dc power supply using a memristor bridge in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. the plots of fig. 13 verify the functionality of the memristor circuit 1200 . several dc output setpoints are shown having successfully achieved varying dc outputs. figs. 14a-c are simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memristor circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. fig. 14 shows plots verifying the memristor circuits discussed above provide non-volatile memory. moreover, the plots in fig. 14 show the nano-grease 300 resistance is a function of the applied electric potential and/or current history of the device. it's interesting to note, the slow change in voltage curve ( 1400 ) varies from the fast change in voltage curve ( 1402 ), but when the voltage variation returns to a similar pattern the curves converge together over time. in a non-memory device, any change would simply track the same curve (albeit at a different rate). in a similar fashion, rapid changes of voltage are deviations from the slow variation curve but converge to the limit cycle when it returns to its sinusoidal pattern. with reference to figs. 15a-c & 16 simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memristor circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. figs. 15 and 16 show examples of nano-grease 300 consistence over variations in applied amplitudes. with reference to figs. 19, 20a -d & 21 a & b, simulink model plots of a simulink model representation of a memdevice circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention are shown. the memresistor, memcapacitor and meminductor of the present invention exhibit what is called a type two pinched hysteresis curve which is unique for memdevices. standard memdevices are type one meaning they follow a figure eight crossing pattern through the origin, while the memdevices of embodiments of the current invention would be classified as a type two. further, the memdevice of the embodiments of the current invention exhibit a charging style and dis-charging style curve as shown in fig. 19 . further, fig. 21b shows a modeled charging curve reproducing the memdevice's voltage-current curves shown in fig. 20 . conductive greases have been prepared using carbon nanotubes for a variety of applications. they have been found to be particularly good thermal transfer fluids. such compositions have required relatively high concentrations of carbon nanotubes, e.g., greater than 15 wt. % or even greater than 20 wt. %. as disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 7,871,533, a stable and homogeneous grease based on carbon nanotubes (cnts, single-wall and multi-wall) in polyalphaolefin oil has been produced without using a chemical surfactant. for example, with a 22-24 wt % (14-15 vol %) multi-wall cnt loading, a grease has a thermal conductivity (tc) 70-80% increase compared to one with no nanotube loading. in addition, such a grease has a high dropping point, good temperature resistance, and does not react with copper at temperatures up to 177° c. however, such a grease with a high carbon nanotube loading has a low electrical conductivity and has proven to be difficult for use in electrical applications. thus, there is a need to prepare grease compositions have both stability and improved electrical conductivity. accordingly, it is an objective of the present disclosure to develop a stable nanogrease composition with an improved thermal and/or electrical conductivity. a further object of the invention is to provide a grease composition with low carbon nanotube loading (<2 wt % ) and improved thermal and/or electrical properties. other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures. an advantage of the invention is enhanced thermal and/or electrical conductivity of the disclosed grease compositions. it is an advantage of the present invention the conductive greases have unexpectedly improved electrical conductivity. this is particularly surprising given the low weight percentage loading of carbon particles. in one aspect, disclosed herein is a stable conductive grease composition comprising a base oil and nanomaterial, wherein the nanomaterial is a functionalized nanomaterial having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond or boron nanomaterial; and wherein the base oil comprises one or more of a second functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond with the first function group of the nanomaterial. in another aspect, the present disclosure is a method of enhancing thermal or electric conductivity of a grease composition, the method comprises adding into a grease composition a nanomaterial to form an improved grease composition, wherein the nanomaterial is a functionalized carbon nanomaterial having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond with a second functional group in the grease composition or boron nanomaterial. while multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. accordingly, the figures and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the figures. reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the invention. figures represented herein are not limitations to the various embodiments according to the invention and are presented for exemplary illustration of the invention. the present invention relates to conductive greases comprising carbon particles. the conductive greases have many advantages over existing nanogreases. for example, the conductive greases have significantly improved electrical conductivity over nanogreases used in many electrical transfer fluid applications. furthermore, these improvements occur with a reduction in the amount of carbon added to the conductive grease when compared to existing conductive greases comprising carbon nanotubes. this improvement is unexpected given the reduction in carbon loading as carbon nanotubes are conductive. additionally, it was previously seen thermal conduction properties for thermal nanofluids comprising carbon nanotubes were increased with increasing concentrations of carbon nanotubes. definitions so, the present invention may be more readily understood, certain terms are first defined. unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of the invention pertain. many methods and materials similar, modified, or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the embodiments of the present invention without undue experimentation, the preferred materials and methods are described herein. in describing and claiming the embodiments of the present invention, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below. moreover, the embodiments of this invention are not limited to particular electrical conductive grease applications, which can vary and are understood by skilled artisans. it is further to be understood all terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting in any manner or scope. as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” can include plural referents unless the content clearly indicates otherwise. further, all units, prefixes, and symbols may be denoted in its si accepted form. numeric ranges recited within the specification are inclusive of the numbers defining the range and include each integer within the defined range. throughout this disclosure, various aspects of this invention are presented in a range format. the description in range format is merely for convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the invention. accordingly, the description of a range should be considered to have specifically disclosed all the possible sub-ranges, fractions, and individual numerical values within range. for example, description of a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specifically disclosed sub-ranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as well as individual numbers within range, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and decimals and fractions, for example, 1.2, 3.8, 1½, and 4¾ this applies regardless of the breadth of the range. the term “about,” as used herein, refers to variation in the numerical quantity can occur, for example, through typical measuring techniques and equipment, with respect to any quantifiable variable, including, but not limited to, mass, volume, time, distance, wave length, frequency, voltage, current, and electromagnetic field. further, given solid and liquid handling procedures used in the real world, there is certain error and variation is likely through differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of the ingredients used to make the compositions or carry out the methods and the like. the term “about” also encompasses these variations. whether or not modified by the term “about,” the claims include equivalents to the quantities. the methods and compositions of the present invention may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of the components and ingredients of the present invention as well as other ingredients described herein. as used herein, “consisting essentially of” means the methods, systems, apparatuses and compositions may include additional steps, components or ingredients, but only if the additional steps, components or ingredients do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed methods, systems, apparatuses, and compositions. as used herein, the term “alkyl” or “alkyl groups” refers to saturated hydrocarbons having one or more carbon atoms, including straight-chain alkyl groups (e.g., methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, etc.), cyclic alkyl groups (or “cycloalkyl” or “alicyclic” or “carbocyclic” groups) (e.g., cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, cyclooctyl, etc.), branched-chain alkyl groups (e.g., isopropyl, tert-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, etc.), and alkyl-substituted alkyl groups (e.g., alkyl-substituted cycloalkyl groups and cycloalkyl-substituted alkyl groups). unless otherwise specified, the term “alkyl” includes both “unsubstituted alkyls” and “substituted alkyls.” as used herein, the term “substituted alkyls” refers to alkyl groups having substituents replacing one or more hydrogens on one or more carbons of the hydrocarbon backbone. such substituents may include, for example, alkenyl, alkynyl, halogeno, hydroxyl, alkylcarbonyloxy, arylcarbonyloxy, alkoxycarbonyloxy, aryloxy, aryloxycarbonyloxy, carboxylate, alkylcarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, dialkylaminocarbonyl, alkylthiocarbonyl, alkoxyl, phosphate, phosphonato, phosphinato, cyano, amino (including alkyl amino, dialkylamino, arylamino, diarylamino, and alkylarylamino), acylamino (including alkylcarbonylamino, arylcarbonylamino, carbamoyl and ureido), imino, sulfhydryl, alkylthio, arylthio, thiocarboxylate, sulfates, alkylsulfinyl, sulfonates, sulfamoyl, sulfonamido, nitro, trifluoromethyl, cyano, azido, heterocyclic, alkylaryl, or aromatic (including heteroaromatic) groups. in some embodiments, substituted alkyls can include a heterocyclic group. as used herein, the term “heterocyclic group” includes closed ring structures analogous to carbocyclic groups in which one or more of the carbon atoms in the ring is an element other than carbon, for example, nitrogen, sulfur or oxygen. heterocyclic groups may be saturated or unsaturated. exemplary heterocyclic groups include, but are not limited to, aziridine, ethylene oxide (epoxides, oxiranes), thiirane (episulfides), dioxirane, azetidine, oxetane, thietane, dioxetane, dithietane, dithiete, azolidine, pyrrolidine, pyrroline, oxolane, dihydrofuran, and furan. the term “polyol ester” refers to an ester of an organic compound containing at least two hydroxyls with at least one carboxylic acid. the term “surfactant” refers to a molecule having surface activity, including wetting agents, dispersants, emulsifiers, detergents, and foaming agents, and the like. it is understood to be inclusive of the use of a single surfactant or multiple surfactants. the term “weight percent,” “wt. %,” “wt-%,” “percent by weight,” “% by weight,” and variations thereof, as used herein, refer to the concentration of a substance as the weight of substance divided by the total weight of the composition and multiplied by 100. as used herein, the term “free of a compound” refers to a composition, mixture, or ingredient does not contain the compound or to which the compound has not been added. should the compound be present through contamination of a composition, mixture, or ingredients free of the compound, the amount of the compound shall be less than 0.5 wt %. more preferably, the amount of the compound is less than 0.1 wt-%, and most preferably, the amount of phosphate is less than 0.01 wt %. in this disclosure, the compound the disclosed grease composition is free of can be a surfactant, additive, or combination thereof. as used herein, the term “an existing grease composition” refers to a grease composition does not contain any functionalized carbon nanomaterial or boron nanomaterial. such an existing grease composition can contain non-functionalized carbon nanomaterial. the methods, systems, apparatuses, and compositions of the present invention may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of the components and ingredients of the present invention as well as other ingredients described herein. as used herein, “consisting essentially of” means the methods, systems, apparatuses and compositions may include additional steps, components or ingredients, but only if the additional steps, components or ingredients do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed methods, systems, apparatuses, and compositions. further terms are defined in the detailed description. conductive grease compositions the conductive grease compositions comprise a fluid capable of hydrogen bonding and a nanomaterial. preferred fluids capable of hydrogen bonding, include, a base oil capable of hydrogen bonding. preferred nanomaterials are those functionalized having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond or boron nanomaterial; and wherein the fluid comprises one or more of a second functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with the first function group of the nanomaterial. preferably, the conductive grease composition is stable. preferably, the conductive grease is a nanogrease. non-limiting, exemplary conductive grease compositions are shown the following table. firstsecondthirdexemplaryexemplaryexemplarycompositioncompositioncomposition(wt. %)(wt. %)(wt. %)fluid component25-99.950-99.575-95nanomaterial0.1-200.5-100.5-5optional additional0-700-470-23components the conductive grease compositions preferably have improved electrical conductivity and improved resistance. preferably, the resistance is improved (lowered) over the base oil alone by at least about 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% when measured by the same test under the same conditions. preferably, the electrical conductivity is improved (increased) over the base oil alone by at least about 10%, 20%, 50%, 100%, 200%, 250%, 300%, 400%, 500%, when measured by the same test under the same conditions. the conductive grease compositions preferably have improved thermal conductivity. preferably, the thermal conductivity is improved (increased) over the base oil alone by at least about 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70% 80%, 90% 100%, 150%, 200%, 250%, 300%, 350%, when measured by the same test under the same conditions. the conductive grease compositions can optionally comprise one or more additional components added to provide properties to the grease. for example, such components can include grease additives, surfactants, viscosity modifiers, conductive particles, or combinations or mixtures thereof. other additional components can also be added. fluid component in some embodiments, the base oil comprises an alkyl alcohol, alkylene glycols, polyol ester, or a combination thereof. in some other embodiments, the base oil comprises ethylene glycol or diethylene glycol, a combination thereof. in yet some other embodiments, wherein the base oil comprises a silicone transfer compound. in some other embodiments, the base oil comprises glycerol. in some embodiments, the grease composition further comprises water. in some embodiments, the base oil is an existing grease composition. in some other embodiments, the base oil is an existing commercially available common grease composition. in some embodiments, the base oil comprises valvoline cerulean grease, nye grease, krytox xht 750, pao durasyn 166, petro-canada nh650ht, or royco 500. in some embodiments, the composition comprises from about 25 wt-% to about 99 wt-% of the base oil. in some other embodiments, the composition comprises from about 25 wt-% to about 90 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 85 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 80 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 75 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 70 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 65 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 60 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 55 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 50 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 45 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 40 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 35 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 30 wt-%, from about 30 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 35 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 45 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 55 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 65 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 75 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 80 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 85 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 99 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 35 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 45 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 55 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 65 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 75 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 85 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 85 wt-%, from about 35 wt-% to about 75 wt-%, from about 45 wt-% to about 65 wt-%, from about 55 wt-% to about 60 wt-%, about 25 wt-%, about 35 wt-%, about 40 wt-%, about 45 wt-%, about 55 wt-%, about 60 wt-%, about 65 wt-%, about 70 wt-%, about 75 wt-%, about 80 wt-%, about 85 wt-%, about 90 wt-%, about 95 wt-%, about 99 wt-%, or any value therebetween of the base oil. in another aspect, the present disclosure is a method of enhancing thermal or electric conductivity and/or resistance of a grease composition, the method comprises adding into a grease composition a nanomaterial to form an improved grease composition, wherein the nanomaterial is a functionalized carbon nanomaterial having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming a an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with a second functional group in the grease composition or boron nanomaterial. in some other embodiments the method further comprising adding water or a base oil, wherein the base oil comprises a functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with the first functional group of the nanomaterial. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial comprises a carbon nanomaterial, boron nanomaterial, or combination thereof. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial comprises a single- walled carbon, multiple-walled carbon, single-walled boron, multiple-walled boron nanomaterial, or combination thereof. in some embodiments, the improved grease composition is one of the grease compositions disclosed herein. base oil a preferred fluid for use in the conductive grease compositions is a base oil. suitable base oils are preferably capable of hydrogen bonding. a base oil may be selected from a wide variety of well-known organic oils, including petroleum distillates, synthetic petroleum oils, greases, gels, oil-soluble polymer composition, vegetable oils, and combinations thereof. petroleum distillates, also known as mineral oils, generally include paraffins, naphthenes and aromatics. preferably, the base oil can form hydrogen bonds or similar electrostatic attractions. the american petroleum institute (api) generally sorts base oils into five groups, three of which are mineral oils and two of which are synthetic: (1) solvent refined paraffinic mineral oils, (2) saturated paraffinic mineral oils, (3) synthesized hydrocarbon paraffinic mineral oils, (4) polyalphaolefin (pao) synthetic oils, and (5) non-pao synthetic oils. mineral oils solvent refined paraffinic mineral oils (api group i oils), typically have less than 90% saturates, greater than 0.03% sulfur, and a viscosity-index range of about 80 to about 120. the temperature range for these oils is from about 32 to about 150° f. saturated paraffinic mineral oils (api group ii oils), sometimes referred to as hydrotreated oils, also typically have greater than 90% saturates, less than 0.03% sulfur, and a viscosity-index range of about 80 to about 120. these oils are often clearer than the solvent refined paraffinic mineral oils. synthesized hydrocarbon paraffinic mineral oils (api group iii oils), sometimes referred to as hydrocracked oils, typically have greater than 90% saturates, less than 0.03% sulfur, and a viscosity-index greater than about 120. synthetic oils pao synthetic oils (api group iv oils) are synthetic oils based on polymers of an alpha olefin structure. they are suitable for use in a broad temperature range. pao synthetic oils can be preferred for use in very cold conditions or in high-heat conditions. non-pao oils (api group v oils) are synthetic oils not based on the alpha olefin structure. the most common non-pao synthetic oils are ester-based oils, however, other types are common too. for example, non-pao synthetic oils include, but are not limited to, silicone oils, phosphate ester oils, hindered ester oils, polyalkylene glycol (pag) oils, polyglycol oils, polyolester oils, water-glycol fluids, diesters (dibasic acid ester), biolubes, naphthenic oil, alkylated naphthalene (an), polyether, phenyl ether polymer or polyphenyl ethers (ppes), polyvinyl ether (pve), halogenated hydrocarbons, fluids based on halogenated (fluorinated and/or chlorinated) hydrocarbons include chlorofluorcarbons (cfc), halogenated fluorocarbons (hfc), halogenated chlorofluorocarbon (hcfc), and perfluorocarbon (pfc) fluids, and other synthetic fluids. silicone base oils can include, but are not limited to, fluorosilicones, alkylmethylsilicones, and other silicone-based oils. while the compositions of the invention can use a wide variety of oils, preferred base oils include synthetic oils. preferred base oils for use in the compositions and methods include, but are not limited to, alkylaryls such as dodecylbenzenes, tetradecylbenzenes, dinonylbenzenes, and di-(2-ethylhexyl)benzenes; polyphenyls such as biphenyls, terphenyls, and alkylated polyphenyls; fluorocarbons such as polychlorotritluoroethylenes and copolymers of perfluoroethylene and perfluoropropylene; polymerized olefins such as polybutylenes, polypropylenes, propylene- isobutylene copolymers, chlorinated polybutylenes, poly(1-octenes), and poly(1-decenes); organic phosphates such as triaryl or trialkyl phosphates, tricresyl phosphate, trioctyl phosphate, and diethyl ester of decylphosphonic acid; and silicates such as tetra(2-ethylhexyl) silicate, tetra(2- ethylbutyl) silicate, and hexa(2-ethylbutoxy) disiloxane. other examples include polyol esters, polyglycols, polyphenyl ethers, polymeric tetrahydrofurans, and silicones. in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the base oil is a diester which is formed through the condensation of a dicarboxylic acid, such as adipic acid, azelaic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, phtalic acid, sebacic acid, suberic acid, and succinic acid, with a variety of alcohols with both straight, cyclic, and branched chains, such as butyl alcohol, dodecyl alcohol, ethylene glycol diethylene glycol monoether, 2-ethylhexyl alcohol, isodecyl alcohol, hexyl alcohol, pentaerytheritol, propylene glycol, tridecyl alcohol, and trimethylolpropane. modified dicarboxylic acids, such as alkenyl malonic acids, alkyl succinic acids, and alkenyl succinic acids, can also be used. specific examples of these esters include dibutyl adipate, diisodecyl azelate, diisooctyl azelate, di-hexyl fumarate, dioctyl phthalate, didecyl phthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl) sebacate, dioctyl sebacate, dicicosyl sebacate, and the 2-ethylhexyl diester of linoleic acid dimer, the complex ester formed by reacting one mole of sebacic acid with two moles of tetraethylene glycol and two moles of 2-ethylhexanoic acid. in another embodiment, the base oil is a polyalphaoletin which is formed through oligomerization of 1-olefines containing 2 to 32 carbon atoms, or mixtures of such olefins. some common alphaolefins are 1-octene, 1-decene, and 1-dodecene. examples of polyalphaolefins include poly-1-octene, poly-1-decene, poly-1-dodecene, mixtures thereof, and mixed olefin-derived polyolefins. polyalphaolefins are commercially available from various sources, including durasyn® 162, 164, 166, 168, and 174 (bp-amoco chemicals, naperville, ill.), which have viscosities of 6, 18, 32, 45, and 460 centistokes, respectively. in yet another embodiment, the base oil is a polyol ester which is formed through the condensation of a monocarboxylic acid containing 5 to 12 carbons and a polyol and a polyol ether such as neopentyl glycol, trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, and tripentaerythritol. examples of commercially available polyol esters are royco® 500, royco® 555, and royco® 808. royco® 500 contains about 95% of pentaerythritol esters of saturated straight fatty acids with 5 to 10 carbons, about 2% of tricresyl phosphate, about 2% of n-phenyl-alpha-naphthylamine, and about 1% of other minor additives. royco® 808 are about 30 to 40% by weight of trimethylolpropane esters of heptanoic, caprylic and capric acids, 20 to 40% by weight of trimethylolpropane esters of valerie and heptanoic acids, about 30 to 40% by weight of neopentyl glycol esters of fatty acids, and other minor additives. generally, polyol esters have good oxidation and hydrolytic stability. the polyol ester for use herein preferably has a pour point of about −100° c. or lower to −40° c. and a viscosity of about 2 to 100 centistoke at 100° c. in yet another embodiment, the base is a polyglycol which is an akylene oxide polymer or copolymer. the terminal hydroxyl groups of a polyglycol can be further modified by esterification or etherification to generate another class of known synthetic oils. interestingly, mixtures of propylene and ethylene oxides in the polymerization process will produce a water-soluble lubricant oil. liquid or oil type polyglycols have lower viscosities and molecular weights of about 400, whereas 3,000 molecular weight polyglycols are viscous polymers at room temperature. in yet another embodiment, the base oil is a combination of two or more selected from the group consisting of petroleum distillates, synthetic petroleum oils, greases, gels, oil-soluble polymer composition, and vegetable oils. suitable examples include, but not limited to, a mixture of two polyalphaolefins, a mixture of two polyol esters, a mixture of one polyalphaolefine and one polyol ester, a mixture of three polyalphaolefins, a mixture of two polyalphaolefins and one polyol ester, a mixture of one polyalphaolefin and two polyol esters, and a mixture of three polyol esters. in all the embodiments, the base oil preferably has a viscosity of from about 1 to about 1,000 centistokes, more preferably from about 2 to about 800 centistokes, and most preferably from about 5 to about 500 centistokes. in yet another embodiment, the base oil is grease which is made by combining a petroleum or synthetic lubricating fluid with a thickening agent. the thickeners are generally silica gel and fatty acid soaps of lithium, calcium, strontium, sodium, aluminum, and barium. the grease formulation may also include coated clays, such as bentonite and hectorite clays coated with quaternary ammonium compounds. sometimes carbon black is added as a thickener to enhance high-temperature properties of petroleum and synthetic lubricant greases. the addition of organic pigments and powders which include aryl urea compounds indanthrene, ureides, and phthalocyanines provide high temperature stability. sometimes, solid powders such as graphite, molybdenum disulfide, asbestos, talc, and zinc oxide are also added to provide boundary lubrication. formulating the foregoing grease compositions with thickeners provides specialty greases. the synthetic lubricant oils include, without limitation, diesters, polyalphaolefins, polyol esters, polyglycols, silicone-diester, and silicone lubricants. non-melting thickeners are especially preferred such as copper phthalocyanine, arylureas, indanthrene, and organic surfactant coated clays. nanomaterials the conductive grease compositions comprise a nanomaterial. preferred nanomaterials are those functionalized having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond or boron nanomaterial; and wherein the fluid comprises one or more of a second functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with the first function group of the nanomaterial. preferred nanomaterials include, but are not limited to, carbon particles and boron nanomaterials. in some embodiments, the first and second functional group is a hydrophilic functional group. in some other embodiments, the first and second function group are independently —oh, —nh, —cooh, —f, —bh, —o—, —n—, or combination thereof. in yet some other embodiments, the first functional group is sulfonate, carboxyl, hydroxyl, amino, amide, urea, carbamate, urethane, or phosphate and the second functional group is —oh, —nh, —cooh, —f, —bh, —o—, —n—, or combination thereof. in some embodiments, the base oil comprises at least one compound have at least one functional group can form an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with at least one functional group in a functionalized carbon nanomaterial or boron nanomaterial. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is carbon nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is carbon nanotube. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is a single-walled, multiple-walled nanotube, or a mixture thereof. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a oh functionalized carbon nanomaterial. in yet some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a fluorine functionalized carbon nanomaterial. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is a oh functionalized carbon multi-walled nanotube. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a fluorine functionalized carbon multi- walled nanotube. in yet some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a oh functionalized carbon single-walled nanotube. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a fluorine functionalized carbon single-walled nanotube. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is boron nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a single-walled boron nanotube. in yet some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a multiple-walled boron nanotube. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial comprises both carbon and boron nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, wherein the nanomaterial comprises both carbon and boron nanotubes. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial comprises single-walled carbon, multiple-walled carbon, single-walled boron, multiple-walled boron nanotube, or a combination thereof. in some embodiments, the improved grease composition comprises from about 0.1 wt-% to about 20 wt-% of the nanomaterial, more preferably between about 0.5 wt % and about 10 wt. %, still more preferably from about 0.1 wt-% to about 5-% of the nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, wherein the composition comprises from about 0.5 wt-% to about 3 wt-% of the nanomaterial. in yet some other embodiments, the composition comprises from about 0.5 wt-% to about 2 wt-% of the nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, the composition comprises from about 0.5 wt-% to about 1.5 wt-% of the nanomaterial. an advantage of the conductive greases described herein is greases can be prepared with less carbon loading than previously done while maintaining or improving the thermal and/or electrical properties. this provides a cost reduction in addition to conductivity improvement. carbon particles and boron nanomaterials the conductive grease compositions and methods of making the same comprise carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials. the carbon particles are preferably nanoparticles or nanomaterials. as used herein the reference to nanoparticles or nanomaterials (carbon or boron) includes particles or materials having at least one dimension is less than 10,000 nanometers. preferably, the nanoparticles and/or nanomaterials have at least one dimension less than 5000 nanometers, more preferably 1000 nanometers, still more preferably less than 750 nanometers, even more preferably less than 500 nanometers, and most preferably less than 250 nanometers. the terms “nanoparticle” and “nanomaterial” include, for example “nanospheres,” “nanorods,” “nanocups,” “nanowires,” “nanoclusters,” “nanofibers,” “nanolayers,” “nanotubes,” “nanocrystals,” “nanobeads,” “nanobelts,” and “nanodisks.” the terms “carbon nanoparticle” and “carbon nanomaterial” refer to a nanoparticle or nanomaterial which contain primarily carbon element, including, but not limited to, diamond, graphite, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, and combinations thereof. similarly, the terms “boron nanoparticle” and “boron nanomaterial” refers to a nanoparticle or nanomaterial which primarily contain boron element or boron compounds. the term “nanotube” refers to a class of nanoparticle or nanomaterial which have a shape of a long thin cylinder and contain primarily carbon element. the term “aspect ratio” refers to a ratio of the length over the diameter of a particle. the term “swnt” refers to a single-walled nanotube. the term “mwnt” refers to a multi-walled nanotube. the term “d-wnt” refers to a double-walled nanotube. the term “f-swnt” refers to a fluorinated swnt. similarly, the term “carbon nanotube” refers to a class of carbon nanoparticle which have a shape of a long thin cylinder and contain primarily carbon element. the term “boron nanotube” refers to a class of boron nanoparticle which have a shape of a long thin cylinder and contain primarily carbon element. both carbon and boron nanotube can be multi-wall or single walled nanotube. carbon nanotubes (“cnt”) are nanoparticles in the shape of a long thin cylinder often with a diameter in few nanometers. the basic structural element in a carbon nanotube is a hexagon which is the same as found in graphite. based on the orientation of the tube axis with respect to the hexagonal lattice, a carbon nanotube can have three different configurations: armchair, zigzag, and chiral (also known as spiral). in armchair configuration, the tube axis is perpendicular to two of six carbon-carbon bonds of the hexagonal lattice. in zigzag configuration, the tube axis is parallel to two of six carbon-carbon bonds of the hexagonal lattice. both these two configurations are achiral. in chiral configuration, the tube axis forms an angle other than 90 or 180 degrees with any of six carbon-carbon bonds of the hexagonal lattice. carbon nanotubes of these configurations often exhibit different physical and chemical properties. for example, an armchair nanotube is always metallic whereas a zigzag nanotube can be metallic or semi-conductive depending on the diameter of the nanotube. all three different nanotubes are expected to be very good thermal conductors along the tube axis, exhibiting a property known as “ballistic conduction,” but good insulators laterally to the tube axis. in addition to the common hexagonal structure, the cylinder of a carbon nanotube molecule can also contain other size rings, such as pentagon and heptagon. replacement of some regular hexagons with pentagons and/or heptagons can cause cylinders to bend, twist, or change diameter, and thus lead to some interesting structures such as “y-,” “t-,” and “x-junctions,” and different chemical activities. those various structural variations and configurations can be found in both swnt and mwnt. however, the present invention is not limited by any configuration and structural variation. the carbon nanotube used in the present invention can be in the configuration of armchair, zigzag, chiral, or combinations thereof. the carbon nanotube can also contain structural elements other than hexagon, such as pentagon, heptagon, octagon, or combinations thereof. another structural variation for mwnt molecules is the arrangement of the multiple tubes. a perfect mwnt is like a stack of graphene sheets rolled up into concentric cylinders with each wall parallel to the central axis. however, the tubes can also be arranged so an angle between the graphite basal planes and the tube axis is formed. such mwnt is known as a stacked cone, chevron, bamboo, ice cream cone, or piled cone structures. a stacked cone mwnt can reach a diameter of about 1 00 nm. despite these structural variations, all mwnts are suitable for the present invention if they have an excellent thermal conductivity. the term mwnt used herein also includes double-walled nanotubes (“d-wnt”). in some embodiments, the carbon nanotubes are single-walled nanotubes (“swnt”), double-walled nanotubes (“dwnt”), multi-walled nanotubes (“mwnt”), or a combination of the same. in some other embodiment, the carbon nanotubes include carbon swnt, mwnt, and/or dwnt. as used herein, the term mwnt is inclusive of dwnts. in some embodiments, the boron nanotubes are single-walled nanotubes (“swnt”), double-walled nanotubes (“dwnt”), multi-walled nanotubes (“mwnt”), or a combination of the same. in some other embodiment, the boron nanotubes include boron swnt, mwnt, and/or dwnt. carbon or boron nanotubes used in the present invention can also encapsulate other elements and/or molecules within their enclosed tubular structures. such elements include si, ti, v, cr, mn, fe, co, ni, cu, y, zr, mo, ta, au, th, la, ce, pr, nb, gd, tb, dy, ho, er, tm, yb, lu, mo, pd, sn, and w. carbon nanotubes used in the present disclosure also include alloys of these elements such as alloys of cobalt with s, br, pb, pt, y, cu, b, and mg, and compounds such as the carbides (i.e. tic, moc, etc.) the present of these elements, alloys and compounds within the core structure of fullerenes and nanotubes can enhance the thermal conductivity of these nanotubes which then translates to a higher thermal conductive nanofluid when these nanotubes are suspend in a heat transfer fluid. carbon nanotubes used in the present invention can also be chemically modified and functionalized to be so-called “functionalized carbon nanotubes”, such as covalently attached hydrophilic groups to increase their solubility in hydrophilic fluids or lipophilic chains to increase their solubility in hydrophobic oils. covalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes, especially fullerenes, has commonly been accomplished by three different approaches, namely, thermally activated chemistry, electrochemical modification, and photochemical functionalization. the most common methods of thermally activated chemical functionalization are addition reactions on the sidewalls. for example, the extensive treatment of a nanotube with concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids leads to the oxidative opening of the tube caps as well as the formation of holes in the sidewalls and thus produces a nanotube decorated with carboxyl groups, which can be further modified through the creation of amide and ester bonds to generate a vast variety of functional groups. the carbon nanotube can also be modified through addition reactions with various chemical reagents such halogens and ozone. unlike thermally controlled modification, electrochemical modification of carbon nanotubes can be carried out in more selective and controlled manner. interestingly, a swnt can be selectively modified or functionalized either on the cylinder sidewall or the optional end caps. these two distinct structural moieties often display different chemical and physical characteristics. the functional group on functionalized carbon nanotubes may be attached directly to the carbon atoms of a carbon nanotubes or via chemical linkers, such as alkylene or arylene groups. to increase hydrophilicity, carbon nanotubes can be functionalized with one or more hydrophilic functional groups, such as, sulfonate, carboxyl, hydroxyl, amino, amide, urea, carbamate, urethane, and phosphate. to increase hydrophobicity, carbon nanoparticles may be functionalized with one or more hydrophobic alkyl or aryl groups. the functionalized carbon nanoparticle may have no less than about 2, no less than about 5, no less than about 10, no less than about 20, or no less than about 50 functional groups on average. the term “carbon nanotube” or “boron nanotube” used herein refers to all structural variations and modification of swnt and mwnt discussed hereinabove, including configurations, structural defeats and variations, tube arrangements, chemical modification and functionalization, and encapsulation. to some extent, any carbon nanomaterial can be chemically modified or functionalized to become a “functionalized carbon nanomaterial”, in a similar way for carbon nanotubes. carbon nanotubes are commercially available from a variety of sources. single walled carbon nanotubes can be obtained from carbolex (broomall, pa.), mer corporation (tucson, ariz.), and carbon nanotechnologies incorporation (“cni”, houston, tex.). multi-walled carbon nanotubes can be obtained from mer corporation (tucson, ariz.) and helix material solution (richardson, tex.). however, the present invention is not limited by the source of carbon nanotubes. in addition, many publications are available with enough information to allow one to manufacture nanotubes with desired structures and properties. the most common techniques are arc discharge, laser ablation, chemical vapor deposition, and flame synthesis. in general, the chemical vapor deposition has shown the most promise in being able to produce larger quantities of nanotubes at lower cost. this is usually done by reacting a carbon containing gas, such as acetylene, ethylene, ethanol, etc., with a metal catalyst particle, such as cobalt, nickel, or ion, at temperatures above 600° c. the selection of a carbon nanomaterial depends on several factors. the most important factor is the carbon nanomaterial is a functionalized carbon nanomaterial having one or more functional groups forming a hydrogen bond with another functional group existing in an already existing base oil or just co-existing base oil. boron nanomaterial can generally form hydrogen bond with another functional group capable of forming hydrogen bond. another important consideration is the nanomaterial must be compatible with an already existing base oil discussed thereafter. other factors include heat transfer properties, electrical transfer properties, cost effectiveness, solubility, dispersion and settling characteristics. in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the carbon nanomaterial selected contain predominantly single-walled functionalized carbon nanotubes. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial selected contain predominantly multi-walled functionalized carbon nanotubes. in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the carbon nanomaterial selected contain predominantly single-walled boron nanotubes. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial selected contain predominantly multi-walled boron nanotubes. in one aspect, the carbon nanotube has a carbon content of no less than about 60%, no less than about 80%, no less than about 90%, no less than about 95%, no less than about 98%, or no less than about 99%. in another aspect, the carbon or boron nanotube has a diameter of from about 0.2 to about 100 nm, from about 0.4 to about 80 nm, from about 0.5 to about 60 nm, or from about 0.5 to about 50 nm. in yet another aspect, the carbon nanotube is no greater than about 200 micrometers, no greater than 100 micrometers, no greater than about 50 micrometers, or no greater than 20 micrometers in length. in yet another aspect, the carbon nanotube has an aspect ratio of not greater than 1,000,000, no greater than 100,000, no greater than 10,000, no greater than 1,000, no greater than about 500, no greater than about 200, or no greater than about 100. grease additives in some embodiments, the conductive grease compositions further comprise a grease additive. in some other embodiments, the composition further comprises mos 2 as an additive. in some other embodiments, the conductive grease composition is free of other grease additive. surfactants the conductive grease compositions can include a surfactant or be free of surfactant. surfactants suitable for use with the compositions of the present invention include, but are not limited to, nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, and zwitterionic surfactants. in some embodiments, the compositions of the present invention include about 10 wt % to about 50 wt % of a surfactant. in other embodiments the compositions of the present invention include about 15 wt % to about 30% of a surfactant. in still yet other embodiments, the compositions of the present invention include about 25 wt % of a surfactant. in some embodiments, the compositions of the present invention include about 100 ppm to about 1000 ppm of a surfactant. viscosity modifiers the conductive grease compositions can optionally comprise a viscosity modifier. preferred viscosity modifiers include thickeners. methods of preparing the conductive grease compositions the conductive grease compositions can be prepared with a variety of equipment and under conditions specific to the ingredients for the conductive grease composition. for example, the method may include heating the fluid, such carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials can be dispersed therein. the precise temperature of the heating may be dictated by the melting point or boiling point of the fluid. the conductive grease compositions can be prepared in batch or continuous processes. to prepare the conductive grease compositions, the fluid may be heated. preferably, the fluid is heated. the temperature of heating may vary based on the fluid. preferably it is a temperature between about 60° c. and about 200° c., more preferably a temperature between about 70° c. and about 180° c. in some embodiments, heating is not necessary. for example, in an embodiment where water is the fluid or comprises a significant percentage of the fluid, heating is not required. after heating the base oil, carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials can be added to the base oil. the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials can be added all at once or sequentially in smaller portions. preferably, the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials are mixed or stirred in the fluid to form a conductive grease composition. if the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials are added sequentially in small portions, the mixing and/or stirring can be performed as the nanotubes are being added and/or between sequential additions. preferred mixing and stirring methods, include, but are not limited to, automatic mixers (such as paddle mixers), stir bars, manual stirring or manual mixing, sonication, etc. the intensity and speed of the mixing or stirring can vary. preferably, the intensity and/or speed are not too vigorous to break or degrade the carbon particle and/or boron nanomaterial structures. the stirring can occur for any amount of time enough to disperse the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials. preferably, the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials are thoroughly dispersed; most preferably, the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials are homogenously dispersed in the fluid. preferred mixing and/or stirring times can be between about 1 minute and 2 hours; more preferably, between about 2 minutes and about 1 hour; most preferably between 5 minutes and 30 minutes. in an embodiment where the preparation of the conductive grease compositions is a continuous process, the mixing may be continuous. after mixing, the conductive grease composition can optionally be heated, cooled, or maintained at the same temperature. if the conductive grease composition is heated, it is preferably heated to a temperature between about 80° c. and about 240° c., more preferably to a temperature between about 100° c. and about 220° c. the heating can be performed for a time between about 1 minute and about 2 hours; more preferably between about 5 minutes and about 90 minutes; most preferably between about 10 minutes and about 1 hour. preferably the conductive grease is passed through a roller mill, an extruder, a manual or mechanical stirrer. preferably, the conductive grease is passed through a roller mill. preferred roller mills include, but are not limited to, two-roll mills and three-roll mills. preferably the conductive grease composition is passed through a roller mill enough times to obtain a smooth consistency. in a preferred method, the conductive grease is passed through a roller mill between 1 and 20 times, more preferably between 2 and 15 times, most preferably between 3 and 10 times. the conductive grease can be passed through the same roller mill multiple times or through a series of roller mills to achieve the desired number of pass-throughs. after passing the conductive grease through a roller mill, the conductive grease can be heated, cooled, or maintained at the same temperature. while an understanding of the mechanism is not necessary to practice the present invention and while the present invention is not limited to any mechanism of action, it is contemplated the combination of a fluid and nanomaterial can form an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond among them leads to enhanced thermal and electrical conductivity. because of this combination, the disclosed grease compositions herein possess an enhanced thermal and/or electrical conductivity. the disclosed grease compositions are also more stable even under tough conditions. all publications and patent applications in this specification are indicative of the level of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. all publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated as incorporated by reference. examples embodiments of the present invention are further defined in the following non-limiting examples. these examples, while indicating certain embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only. from the above discussion and these examples, one skilled in the art can ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention, and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the embodiments of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions. thus, various modifications of the embodiments of the invention, in addition to those shown and described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. example 1 in this example, a series of greases by three roll mills and their resistances were measured, respectively. an exemplary procedure to make a grease is following. first, heat 92.5 g n650ht oil to 120° c. on a hot plate; slowly add 7.5 g multi wall carbon nanotubes (mwnt-oh industrial grade) while stirring at a speed setting of 3 of hot plate. once all carbon nanotubes have been added, continue to stir for 10 minutes. then, raise temperature to 150° c. while stirring for 30 minutes at 150° c. afterwards, allow the product to cool down while stirring until it is safe to handle. finally, manufacture the grease through the three-roll mill 8-times to obtain a smooth consistency grease. fig. 1 shows the grease based on 7.5 wt % mwnt-oh/92.5 wt % ester oil. fig. 2 shows a sem image of the grease based on 7.5 wt % mwnt-oh/92.5 wt % ester oil. this image clearly indicates nanotubes form a network is contributing the conductivity. table 1 lists the ingredients and the measured resistances. the resistance was measured with a keithly instrument 2401. table 1the ingredients and measured resistance of some exemplary greases.resistancebase oilcarbon materialcarbon wt. %(ohm · cm)petro-canada nh650htmwnt-oh7.522.4(industrial)royco 500mwnt-oh7.580(industrial)pao durasyn 166mwnt-oh7.54.5k(industrial)petro-canada nh650htnano c swnt22.3kpetro-canada nh650htcnt-mwcnt8.47.88kkrytox xht750helix mwnt1540krytox xht750mwnt-oh1.818.6(industrial)ethylene glycolmwnt-oh4.4696(industrial)ethylene glycolmwnt (industrial)12.5346glycerolmwnt-oh4.528(industrial)glycerolmwnt (industrial)12.548.575% glycerol/25% watermwnt-oh4.510(industrial)50% glycerol/50% watermwnt-oh4.520(industrial)50% glycerol/(25% water/25%mwnt-oh4.516.83eg)(industrial)50% ethylenemwnt-oh5.6811.9glycol/50% water(industrial)pao durasyn 166helix mwnt202.7kpetro-canada nh650htpyrograf pr-19-xt-1016.1khhtpao durasyn 166pyrograf pr-19-xt-12227hhtglycerolpyrograf pr-19-xt-12175hhtpao durasyn 166pyrograf pr-19-xt-4.48 each138hht cnf andmwnt-oh(industrial)50% glycerol/50% watermwnt-oh4.5 (10% nacl130(industrial)added)glycerolmwnt-oh4.5 (3% cu178(industrial)nanoparticlesadded)commercial grease nyogelunknownunknown300-500758g all greases made were found to be stable. no oil leaks were found for these grease samples for at least 10 days after they were applied to a test device. the stability of the grease compositions was assessed visually. if unstable the oil will separate and collect on top of the grease. this was not observed for any of the exemplary samples prepared and examined. as shown in table 1, some greases are better than the common commercial grease in terms of electrical resistances. some samples show 4-5 times conductivity enhancement. closer study of the measured resistance values leads to an unexpected observation, is, the combination of a carbon nanotubes and base oil have functional groups for forming the hydrogen boding between them leads to a high conductivity grease. in other words, hydrogen bonding between a carbon nanotube and base oil is the reason to have extra high conductivity. for examples, the highest conductivity sample is 75% glycerol/25% water with mwnt-oh (4.5 wt % ), in which water or glycerol can form hydrogen bonds with mwnt-oh, oh functionalized multiple wall nanotubes. on the other hand, the lowest conductivity grease is petro-canada nh650ht with mwnt (8.4 wt % ) and fiber (10 wt %), in which no hydrogen bond is possible between the mwnt and base oil. predictably, oil has strong hydrogen bonding capability (krytox xht750) leads to a very low nanotube loading (<2 wt % ) and yet high conductivity. example 2 in this example, friction coefficients of some exemplary greases were measured. fig. 24a - fig. 24d show the friction coefficients exhibited by cnt-based greases and three other conventional lubricant greases, li-based grease, ca-based grease, and li-based greases with mos 2 as additive, in steady-state and fretting/oscillating motion condition as well. as shown in fig. 24a-24d , in nearly all test conditions, cnt or cnt+mos2 based greases provided the lowest friction coefficients. the testing in fig. 3c is representative of difficult conditions consistent with tough industrial operations thermal greases may be exposed to), cnt- based greases achieved friction reduction by more than 50%. these results are also unexpected. in summary, comparing to the current commercial electrically conductive grease which are made by mixing commercial li grease and carbon particles, the grease disclosed herein show unexpected better conductivity, long stability, reduced friction coefficient. the unexpected results in this disclosure also lead to an improved way to significantly enhance the electrical conductivity of greases while reduce the nanotube loading percentage. the new discovery here is hydrogen bonding between nanotube and oil is the key element for a good conductivity performance. this discovery is totally different with the prior art, in which non- functional nanotubes in high percentages were used for greases with higher thermal conductive, instead of electrical conductivity. the sole thickener of carbon nanotubes in our grease structure makes our grease unique and valuable. compared to commercial grease carbon is added without bonding and conductivity decreased with the time, the conductivity of our grease shall keep stable. example 3 in this example, the ability of the greases disclosed herein to increase thermal conductivity of some common high thermal conductivity greases. high thermal conductive grease was usually made by nanomaterial, such as carbon and boron nanomaterial, and base oils. it was discovered unexpectedly adding both water, oil/nanomaterials have functional groups for forming the hydrogen bonds between them can increase greases' thermal conductivity as well. in other words, hydrogen bonding is the key to have extra high thermal conductivity in a grease, like have extra electrical conductivity. it was also found out boron nanotube function similarly to increase thermal conductivity as carbon nanotubes. boron nanomaterial can form the hydrogen bonding as well. the most unexpected results are a few percentages of the greases disclosed herein or nanomaterial can form hydrogen bond with another functional group existing in a commercial grease, the thermal conductivity of the commercial grease enhance significantly. table 2 shows the results of adding various hydrogen bond forming water, or nanomaterials into a base oil or greases. for example, 1 wt % loading could lead to 50 percent tc enhancement and 2-3 wt % loading lead to more than 100% tc enhancement. table 2thermal conductivities enhancement of adding carbon orboron nanomaterial to grease compositions.tc2nd basetcpercentbase fluidfluid1st particles2nd particles(w/mk)increase17.2 g glyceroln/abn nanon/a0.458447%2.8 g (14%)17.2 g paon/abn nanon/a0.232036.6%2.8 g (14%)14.3 g fromblinn/abn nanon/a0.156244.50%#40001.3796(8.78%)glycerol 8.6 g (43%)waterbn-nanon/a0.652845.8%8.6 g2.8 g (14%)(43%)17.2 g glyceroln/abn-nanocnf-19 1.4 g1.4453366%1.4 g (7%)(7%)17.2 gn/acnf-19 0.7 gbn nano 2.1 g0.8975188%glycerol25% (3.5%)75% (10.5%)14 g krytox xht 750n/abn nanon/a0.148731.5%1.0 g (9.1%)glycerol 8.6 g (43%)waterbn-nanocnf-19 1.4 g1.7885299.5%8.6 g1.4 g (7%)(7%)(43%)17.2 g used siliconn/abn nanon/a0.261844%oil from water bath2.8 g (14%)heater23.87 g used siliconn/acnf-19n/a0.5097180.5%oil from water bath1.24 g (4.9%)heaterused silicon oil fromn/asilica nanon/a0.19688%water bath heater1.23 g (5.1%)used 18.6 g siliconn/amwnt-ohn/a0.339086.6%oil from water bath1.4 g (7%)heaternye 758g greasen/acnf-19n/a0.4781163.3(5%)10 g valvolinen/acnf-19n/a0.3479108.7%cerulean grease0.38 g(3.66%)5 g glycerol (25%)15 g h2ocnf-19 1.4 gn/a1.9487261.5%(75%)(6.54%)old grease samplen/acnf-19n/a0.502798.9%9-1 (pao with(5%)swnt or mwnt)5.0453 g (apr. 6, 20171.0513 gfinal isn/a0.48662n/a6% cnf-19 94%nye4.97% cnf-nye 758g blank758g19grease)grease10 g valvolinen/acnf-19graphene nano0.213628%cerulean grease0.19 gplatelets 0.19 g(1.83%)(1.83%)10 g valvolinen/acnf-19bn nano 0.19 g0.229537.7%cerulean grease0.19 g(1.83%)(1.83%)5 g (feb. 15, 2017 7.5%n/acnf-19n/a0.6704109.6%mwnt-oh 92.5%0.265 g (5%)pao 166)5 g (mg chemicalsn/acnf-19n/a1.6995143.4%silicone heat0.265 g (5%)transfer compound)5 g (mg chemicalsn/acnf-19n/a1.33391%silicone heat0.155 g (3%)transfer compound)5 g (mg chemicalsn/acnf-19n/a0.987141.4%silicone heat0.051 g (1%)transfer compound) the thermal conductivity data was obtained using the hot disk™ thermal constants analyzer, using the following parameters: measurement depth: 6 mm room temperature: 25° c. power: 0.025 w measurement time: 16 seconds sensor radius: 2.001 mm tcr: 0.0471/k, disk type: kapton temperature drift rec: yes as can be seen in table 2, the grease compositions prepared according to the methods of the invention, having carbon particles or boron nanomaterials, had improved thermal conductivity values often of at least 40% and even over 100%. further, the table demonstrates conductive greases prepared with boron nanomaterials also provide improved thermal properties. there is an increasing interest in the development of conductive coatings. conductive coatings have a wide variety of applicability. for example, conductive coatings can be used for lightening shielding in aircraft or to prevent the buildup of a static charge on containers handling explosive materials. others have sought to address these issues. for example, u.s. pat. no. 5,498,372 to winston l. hedges disclosed an electrically conductive polymeric composition for coating volatile chemical containers. however, hedges' disclosure suffered from problems with the components agglomerating. u.s. published patent application number 2011/0014356 to fornes et al. provides another example disclosing a complex layered material for covering a substrate to protect from lightning strikes. however, this material contains twelve layers of varying materials, including multiple layers of carbon plies. not only is the material complex to prepare, but expensive in terms of time and components. there is need for improved conductive coating materials. accordingly, it is an objective of the present disclosure to provide conductive coating materials with enhanced electrical, thermal, and/or semiconducting properties. a further object of the invention is to provide conductive coating materials are flexible and can be employed to a variety of surfaces. other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures. figs. 25a and 25b show photographs of an exemplary conductive flexible coating composition comprising carbon nanomaterial and providing enhanced conductor/semiconductor properties on a surface. while multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. accordingly, the figures and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. figures represented herein are not limitations to the various embodiments according to the invention and are presented for exemplary illustration of the invention. the present invention relates to conductive coating compositions comprising a fluid capable of hydrogen bonding and a nanomaterial. the conductive coatings have many advantages over existing conductive coatings. for example, the conductive coatings have significantly enhanced electrical, thermal, and/or semiconducting properties. furthermore, the conductive coating compositions are flexible and can be applied to a variety of surfaces. definitions so, the present invention may be more readily understood, certain terms are first defined. unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of the invention pertain. many methods and materials similar, modified, or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the embodiments of the present invention without undue experimentation, the preferred materials and methods are described herein. in describing and claiming the embodiments of the present invention, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below. moreover, the embodiments of this invention are not limited to electrically conductive coating applications, which can vary and are understood by skilled artisans. it is further to be understood all terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting in any manner or scope. as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” can include plural referents unless the content clearly indicates otherwise. further, all units, prefixes, and symbols may be denoted in its si accepted form. numeric ranges recited within the specification are inclusive of the numbers defining the range and include each integer within the defined range. throughout this disclosure, various aspects of this invention are presented in a range format. the description in range format is merely for convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the invention. accordingly, the description of a range should be considered to have specifically disclosed all the possible sub-ranges, fractions, and individual numerical values within range. for example, description of a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specifically disclosed sub-ranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as well as individual numbers within range, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and decimals and fractions, for example, 1.2, 3.8, 1½, and 4¾ this applies regardless of the breadth of the range. the term “about,” as used herein, refers to variation in the numerical quantity can occur, for example, through typical measuring techniques and equipment, with respect to any quantifiable variable, including, but not limited to, mass, volume, time, distance, wave length, frequency, voltage, current, and electromagnetic field. further, given solid and liquid handling procedures used in the real world, there is certain error and variation is likely through differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of the ingredients used to make the compositions or carry out the methods and the like. the term “about” also encompasses these variations. whether or not modified by the term “about,” the claims include equivalents to the quantities. the methods and compositions of the present invention may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of the components and ingredients of the present invention as well as other ingredients described herein. as used herein, “consisting essentially of” means the methods, systems, apparatuses and compositions may include additional steps, components or ingredients, but only if the additional steps, components or ingredients do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed methods, systems, apparatuses, and compositions. as used herein, the term “alkyl” or “alkyl groups” refers to saturated hydrocarbons having one or more carbon atoms, including straight-chain alkyl groups (e.g., methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, etc.), cyclic alkyl groups (or “cycloalkyl” or “alicyclic” or “carbocyclic” groups) (e.g., cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, cyclooctyl, etc.), branched-chain alkyl groups (e.g., isopropyl, tert-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, etc.), and alkyl- substituted alkyl groups (e.g., alkyl-substituted cycloalkyl groups and cycloalkyl-substituted alkyl groups). unless otherwise specified, the term “alkyl” includes both “unsubstituted alkyls” and “substituted alkyls.” as used herein, the term “substituted alkyls” refers to alkyl groups having substituents replacing one or more hydrogens on one or more carbons of the hydrocarbon backbone. such substituents may include, for example, alkenyl, alkynyl, halogeno, hydroxyl, alkylcarbonyloxy, arylcarbonyloxy, alkoxycarbonyloxy, aryloxy, aryloxycarbonyloxy, carboxylate, alkylcarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, dialkylaminocarbonyl, alkylthiocarbonyl, alkoxyl, phosphate, phosphonato, phosphinato, cyano, amino (including alkyl amino, dialkylamino, arylamino, diarylamino, and alkylarylamino), acylamino (including alkylcarbonylamino, arylcarbonylamino, carbamoyl and ureido), imino, sulfhydryl, alkylthio, arylthio, thiocarboxylate, sulfates, alkylsulfinyl, sulfonates, sulfamoyl, sulfonamido, nitro, trifluoromethyl, cyano, azido, heterocyclic, alkylaryl, or aromatic (including heteroaromatic) groups. in some embodiments, substituted alkyls can include a heterocyclic group. as used herein, the term “heterocyclic group” includes closed ring structures analogous to carbocyclic groups in which one or more of the carbon atoms in the ring is an element other than carbon, for example, nitrogen, sulfur or oxygen. heterocyclic groups may be saturated or unsaturated. exemplary heterocyclic groups include, but are not limited to, aziridine, ethylene oxide (epoxides, oxiranes), thiirane (episulfides), dioxirane, azetidine, oxetane, thietane, dioxetane, dithietane, dithiete, azolidine, pyrrolidine, pyrroline, oxolane, dihydrofuran, and furan. the term “polyol ester” refers to an ester of an organic compound containing at least two hydroxyls with at least one carboxylic acid. the term “surfactant” refers to a molecule having surface activity, including wetting agents, dispersants, emulsifiers, detergents, and foaming agents, and the like. it is understood to be inclusive of the use of a single surfactant or multiple surfactants. the term “water miscible” as used herein, means the component (e.g., solvent) is soluble or dispersible in water at about 20° c. at a concentration greater than about 0.2 g/l, preferably at about 1 g/l or greater, more preferably at 10 g/l or greater, and most preferably at about 50 g/l or greater. the term “weight percent,” “wt. %,” “wt-%,” “percent by weight,” “% by weight,” and variations thereof, as used herein, refer to the concentration of a substance as the weight of substance divided by the total weight of the composition and multiplied by 100. as used herein, the term “free of a compound” refers to a composition, mixture, or ingredient does not contain the compound or to which the compound has not been added. should the compound be present through contamination of a composition, mixture, or ingredients free of the compound, the amount of the compound shall be less than 0.5 wt %. more preferably, the amount of the compound is less than 0.1 wt-%, and most preferably, the amount of phosphate is less than 0.01 wt %. in this disclosure, the compound the disclosed conductive coating composition is free of can be a surfactant, additive, or combination thereof. as used herein, the term “an existing conductive coating composition” refers to a conductive coating composition does not contain any functionalized carbon nanomaterial or boron nanomaterial. such an existing conductive coating composition can contain non-functionalized carbon nanomaterial. the methods, systems, apparatuses, and compositions of the present invention may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of the components and ingredients of the present invention as well as other ingredients described herein. as used herein, “consisting essentially of” means the methods, systems, apparatuses and compositions may include additional steps, components or ingredients, but only if the additional steps, components or ingredients do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed methods, systems, apparatuses, and compositions. further terms are defined in the detailed description. conductive coating compositions the conductive coating compositions comprise a fluid capable of hydrogen bonding and a nanomaterial. preferred fluids capable of hydrogen bonding, include, a fluid component capable of hydrogen bonding. the nanomaterials can be capable of hydrogen bonding or not capable of hydrogen bonding. preferred nanomaterials are those functionalized having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond or boron nanomaterial; and wherein the fluid comprises one or more of a second functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with the first function group of the nanomaterial. preferably, the conductive coating composition is stable. preferably, the conductive coating composition is flexible. preferably, the conductive coating material is paintable and will adhere to a surface as a coating material does not crack. non-limiting, exemplary conductive coating compositions are shown the table 3. table 3firstsecondthirdexemplaryexemplaryexemplarycompositioncompositioncomposition(wt. %)(wt. %)(wt. %)fluid component25-99.950-99.575-95nanomaterial0.1-200.5-100.5-5optional additional0-700-470-23components the conductive coating compositions preferably have improved electrical conductivity and improved resistance. preferably, the resistance is improved (lowered) over the fluid component alone by at least about 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% when measured by the same test under the same conditions. preferably, the electrical conductivity is improved (increased) over the fluid component alone by at least about 10%, 20%, 50%, 100%, 200%, 250%, 300%, 400%, 500%, when measured by the same test under the same conditions. the conductive coating compositions preferably have improved thermal conductivity. preferably, the thermal conductivity is improved (increased) over the fluid component alone by at least about 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70% 80%, 90% 100%, 150%, 200%, 250%, 300%, 350%, when measured by the same test under the same conditions. the conductive coating compositions can optionally comprise one or more additional components added to provide properties to the coating compositions. for example, such components can include conductive particles, dyes, reflective materials, surfactants, viscosity modifiers, or combinations or mixtures thereof. other additional components can also be added. fluid component the conductive coating compositions and methods described herein comprise a fluid component comprises a polymer. preferably, the polymer is a self-curing polymer. preferably, the polymer is a thermoset polymer or a thermoplastic polymer. in some embodiments, the polymer comprises a polyacrylic acid, a methacrylate (such as poly (methyl methacrylate)), an acrylamide, a nylon, a polyethylene, a polyvinyl chloride, polyol, a polyurethane, an epoxy (preferably, a water-based epoxy), or a mixture or combination thereof. in some embodiments, the fluid component is an existing coating composition. in a preferred embodiment, the fluid component can further comprise water, a water miscible solvent, an alcohol, or a mixture thereof. preferred alcohols for incorporation in the fluid component include, but are not limited to, those having a carbon chain between 2 and 20 carbons. particularly preferred alcohols include, but are not limited to ethanol, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, and mixtures thereof. preferred water miscible solvents include, but are not limited to, dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, and mixtures thereof. preferably, the polymer comprises between about 1 wt. % and about 100 wt. % of the fluid component, more preferably between about 5 wt. % and about 95 wt. % of the fluid component, still more preferably between about 10 wt. % and about 90 wt. % of the fluid component, yet more preferably between about 15 wt. % and about 85 wt. % of the fluid component, even more preferably between about 20 wt. % and about 80 wt. % of the fluid component. in some embodiments, the composition comprises from about 25 wt-% to about 99 wt-% of the fluid component. in some other embodiments, the composition comprises from about 25 wt-% to about 90 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 85 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 80 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 75 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 70 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 65 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 60 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 55 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 50 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 45 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 40 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 35 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 30 wt-%, from about 30 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 35 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 45 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 55 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 65 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 75 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 80 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 85 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 99 wt-% to about 99 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 35 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 45 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 55 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 65 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 75 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 85 wt-% to about 95 wt-%, from about 25 wt-% to about 85 wt-%, from about 35 wt-% to about 75 wt-%, from about 45 wt-% to about 65 wt-%, from about 55 wt-% to about 60 wt-%, about 25 wt-%, about 35 wt-%, about 40 wt-%, about 45 wt-%, about 55 wt-%, about 60 wt-%, about 65 wt-%, about 70 wt-%, about 75 wt-%, about 80 wt-%, about 85 wt-%, about 90 wt-%, about 95 wt-%, about 99 wt-%, or any value therebetween of the fluid component. in another aspect, the present disclosure is a method of enhancing thermal or electric conductivity and/or resistance of a conductive coating composition, the method comprises adding into a coating composition a nanomaterial to form an improved coating composition, wherein the nanomaterial is a functionalized carbon nanomaterial having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with a second functional group in the coating composition or boron nanomaterial. in some other embodiments the method further comprising adding water or a fluid component, wherein the fluid component comprises a functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with the first functional group of the nanomaterial. nanomaterials the conductive coating compositions comprise a nanomaterial. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is capable of hydrogen bonding. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is not capable of hydrogen bonding. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial comprises a carbon nanomaterial, boron nanomaterial, or combination thereof. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial comprises a carbon nanofiber, a single-walled carbon, multiple-walled carbon, single-walled boron, multiple-walled boron nanomaterial, or combination thereof. preferred nanomaterials are those functionalized having one or more of a first functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond or boron nanomaterial; and wherein the fluid comprises one or more of a second functional group capable of forming an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with the first function group of the nanomaterial. preferred nanomaterials include, but are not limited to, carbon particles and boron nanomaterials. in some embodiments, the first and second functional group is a hydrophilic functional group. in some other embodiments, the first and second function group are independently —oh, —nh, —cooh, —f, —bh, —o—, —n—, or combination thereof. in yet some other embodiments, the first functional group is sulfonate, carboxyl, hydroxyl, amino, amide, urea, carbamate, urethane, or phosphate and the second functional group is —oh, —nh, —cooh, —f, —bh, —o—, —n—, or combination thereof. in some embodiments, the fluid component comprises at least one compound have at least one functional group can form an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond with at least one functional group in a functionalized carbon nanomaterial or boron nanomaterial. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is carbon nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is carbon nanotube. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is a single-walled, multiple-walled nanotube, or a mixture thereof. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a oh functionalized carbon nanomaterial. in yet some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a fluorine functionalized carbon nanomaterial. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is a oh functionalized carbon multi-walled nanotube. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a fluorine functionalized carbon multi- walled nanotube. in yet some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a oh functionalized carbon single-walled nanotube. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a fluorine functionalized carbon single-walled nanotube. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial is boron nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a single-walled boron nanotube. in yet some other embodiments, the nanomaterial is a multiple-walled boron nanotube. in some embodiments, the nanomaterial comprises both carbon and boron nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, wherein the nanomaterial comprises both carbon and boron nanotubes. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial comprises single-walled carbon, multiple-walled carbon, single-walled boron, multiple-walled boron nanotube, or a combination thereof. in some embodiments, the improved coating composition comprises from about 0.1 wt-% to about 20 wt-% of the nanomaterial, more preferably between about 0.5 wt % and about 10 wt. %, still more preferably from about 0.1 wt-% to about 5-% of the nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, wherein the composition comprises from about 0.5 wt-% to about 3 wt-% of the nanomaterial. in yet some other embodiments, the composition comprises from about 0.5 wt-% to about 2 wt-% of the nanomaterial. in some other embodiments, the composition comprises from about 0.5 wt-% to about 1.5 wt-% of the nanomaterial. carbon particles and boron nanomaterials the conductive coating composition and methods of making the same comprise carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials. the carbon particles are preferably nanoparticles or nanomaterials. as used herein the reference to nanoparticles or nanomaterials (carbon or boron) includes particles or materials having at least one dimension is less than 10,000 nanometers. preferably, the nanoparticles and/or nanomaterials have at least one dimension less than 5000 nanometers, more preferably 1000 nanometers, still more preferably less than 750 nanometers, even more preferably less than 500 nanometers, and most preferably less than 250 nanometers. the terms “nanoparticle” and “nanomaterial” include, for example “nanospheres,” “nanorods,” “nanocups,” “nanowires,” “nanoclusters,” “nanofibers,” “nanolayers,” “nanotubes,” “nanocrystals,” “nanobeads,” “nanobelts,” and “nanodisks.” the terms “carbon nanoparticle” and “carbon nanomaterial” refer to a nanoparticle or nanomaterial which contain primarily carbon element, including, but not limited to, diamond, graphite, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, and combinations thereof. similarly, the terms “boron nanoparticle” and “boron nanomaterial” refers to a nanoparticle or nanomaterial which primarily contain boron element or boron compounds. the term “nanotube” refers to a class of nanoparticle or nanomaterial which have a shape of a long thin cylinder and contain primarily carbon element. the term “aspect ratio” refers to a ratio of the length over the diameter of a particle. the term “swnt” refers to a single-walled nanotube. the term “mwnt” refers to a multi-walled nanotube. the term “d-wnt” refers to a double-walled nanotube. the term “f-swnt” refers to a fluorinated swnt. similarly, the term “carbon nanotube” refers to a class of carbon nanoparticle which have a shape of a long thin cylinder and contain primarily carbon element. the term “boron nanotube” refers to a class of boron nanoparticle which have a shape of a long thin cylinder and contain primarily carbon element. both carbon and boron nanotube can be multi-wall or single walled nanotube. carbon nanotubes (“cnt”) are nanoparticles in the shape of a long thin cylinder often with a diameter in few nanometers. the basic structural element in a carbon nanotube is a hexagon which is the same as found in graphite. based on the orientation of the tube axis with respect to the hexagonal lattice, a carbon nanotube can have three different configurations: armchair, zigzag, and chiral (also known as spiral). in armchair configuration, the tube axis is perpendicular to two of six carbon-carbon bonds of the hexagonal lattice. in zigzag configuration, the tube axis is parallel to two of six carbon-carbon bonds of the hexagonal lattice. both these two configurations are achiral. in chiral configuration, the tube axis forms an angle other than 90 or 180 degrees with any of six carbon-carbon bonds of the hexagonal lattice. carbon nanotubes of these configurations often exhibit different physical and chemical properties. for example, an armchair nanotube is always metallic whereas a zigzag nanotube can be metallic or semi-conductive depending on the diameter of the nanotube. all three different nanotubes are expected to be very good thermal conductors along the tube axis, exhibiting a property known as “ballistic conduction,” but good insulators laterally to the tube axis. in addition to the common hexagonal structure, the cylinder of a carbon nanotube molecule can also contain other size rings, such as pentagon and heptagon. replacement of some regular hexagons with pentagons and/or heptagons can cause cylinders to bend, twist, or change diameter, and thus lead to some interesting structures such as “y-,” “t-,” and “x-junctions,” and different chemical activities. those various structural variations and configurations can be found in both swnt and mwnt. however, the present invention is not limited by any configuration and structural variation. the carbon nanotube used in the present invention can be in the configuration of armchair, zigzag, chiral, or combinations thereof. the carbon nanotube can also contain structural elements other than hexagon, such as pentagon, heptagon, octagon, or combinations thereof. another structural variation for mwnt molecules is the arrangement of the multiple tubes. a perfect mwnt is like a stack of graphene sheets rolled up into concentric cylinders with each wall parallel to the central axis. however, the tubes can also be arranged so an angle between the graphite basal planes and the tube axis is formed. such mwnt is known as a stacked cone, chevron, bamboo, ice cream cone, or piled cone structures. a stacked cone mwnt can reach a diameter of about 1 00 nm. despite these structural variations, all mwnts are suitable for the present invention if they have an excellent thermal conductivity. the term mwnt used herein also includes double-walled nanotubes (“d-wnt”). in some embodiments, the carbon nanotubes are single-walled nanotubes (“swnt”), double-walled nanotubes (“dwnt”), multi-walled nanotubes (“mwnt”), or a combination of the same. in some other embodiment, the carbon nanotubes include carbon swnt, mwnt, and/or dwnt. as used herein, the term mwnt is inclusive of dwnts. in some embodiments, the boron nanotubes are single-walled nanotubes (“swnt”), double-walled nanotubes (“dwnt”), multi-walled nanotubes (“mwnt”), or a combination of the same. in some other embodiment, the boron nanotubes include boron swnt, mwnt, and/or dwnt. carbon or boron nanotubes used in the present invention can also encapsulate other elements and/or molecules within their enclosed tubular structures. such elements include si, ti, v, cr, mn, fe, co, ni, cu, y, zr, mo, ta, au, th, la, ce, pr, nb, gd, tb, dy, ho, er, tm, yb, lu, mo, pd, sn, and w. carbon nanotubes used in the present disclosure also include alloys of these elements such as alloys of cobalt with s, br, pb, pt, y, cu, b, and mg, and compounds such as the carbides (i.e. tic, moc, etc.) the present of these elements, alloys and compounds within the core structure of fullerenes and nanotubes can enhance the thermal conductivity of these nanotubes which then translates to a higher thermal conductive nanofluid when these nanotubes are suspend in a heat transfer fluid. carbon nanotubes used in the present invention can also be chemically modified and functionalized to be so-called “functionalized carbon nanotubes”, such as covalently attached hydrophilic groups to increase their solubility in hydrophilic fluids or lipophilic chains to increase their solubility in hydrophobic oils. covalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes, especially fullerenes, has commonly been accomplished by three different approaches, namely, thermally activated chemistry, electrochemical modification, and photochemical functionalization. the most common methods of thermally activated chemical functionalization are addition reactions on the sidewalls. for example, the extensive treatment of a nanotube with concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids leads to the oxidative opening of the tube caps as well as the formation of holes in the sidewalls and thus produces a nanotube decorated with carboxyl groups, which can be further modified through the creation of amide and ester bonds to generate a vast variety of functional groups. the carbon nanotube can also be modified through addition reactions with various chemical reagents such halogens and ozone. unlike thermally controlled modification, electrochemical modification of carbon nanotubes can be carried out in more selective and controlled manner. interestingly, a swnt can be selectively modified or functionalized either on the cylinder sidewall or the optional end caps. these two distinct structural moieties often display different chemical and physical characteristics. the functional group on functionalized carbon nanotubes may be attached directly to the carbon atoms of a carbon nanotubes or via chemical linkers, such as alkylene or arylene groups. to increase hydrophilicity, carbon nanotubes can be functionalized with one or more hydrophilic functional groups, such as, sulfonate, carboxyl, hydroxyl, amino, amide, urea, carbamate, urethane, and phosphate. to increase hydrophobicity, carbon nanoparticles may be functionalized with one or more hydrophobic alkyl or aryl groups. the functionalized carbon nanoparticle may have no less than about 2, no less than about 5, no less than about 10, no less than about 20, or no less than about 50 functional groups on average. the term “carbon nanotube” or “boron nanotube” used herein refers to all structural variations and modification of swnt and mwnt discussed hereinabove, including configurations, structural defeats and variations, tube arrangements, chemical modification and functionalization, and encapsulation. to some extent, any carbon nanomaterial can be chemically modified or functionalized to become a “functionalized carbon nanomaterial”, in a similar way for carbon nanotubes. carbon nanotubes are commercially available from a variety of sources. single walled carbon nanotubes can be obtained from carbolex (broomall, pa.), mer corporation (tucson, ariz.), and carbon nanotechnologies incorporation (“cni”, houston, tex.). multi-walled carbon nanotubes can be obtained from mer corporation (tucson, ariz.) and helix material solution (richardson, tex.). however, the present invention is not limited by the source of carbon nanotubes. in addition, many publications are available with enough information to allow one to manufacture nanotubes with desired structures and properties. the most common techniques are arc discharge, laser ablation, chemical vapor deposition, and flame synthesis. in general, the chemical vapor deposition has shown the most promise in being able to produce larger quantities of nanotubes at lower cost. this is usually done by reacting a carbon containing gas, such as acetylene, ethylene, ethanol, etc., with a metal catalyst particle, such as cobalt, nickel, or ion, at temperatures above 600° c. the selection of a carbon nanomaterial depends on several factors. the most important factor is the carbon nanomaterial is a functionalized carbon nanomaterial having one or more functional groups forming a hydrogen bond with another functional group existing in an already existing fluid component or just co-existing fluid component. boron nanomaterial can generally form hydrogen bond with another functional group capable of forming hydrogen bond. another important consideration is the nanomaterial must be compatible with an already existing fluid component discussed thereafter. other factors include heat transfer properties, electrical transfer properties, cost effectiveness, solubility, dispersion and settling characteristics. in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the carbon nanomaterial selected contain predominantly single-walled functionalized carbon nanotubes. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial selected contain predominantly multi-walled functionalized carbon nanotubes. in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the carbon nanomaterial selected contain predominantly single-walled boron nanotubes. in some other embodiments, the nanomaterial selected contain predominantly multi-walled boron nanotubes. in one aspect, the carbon nanotube has a carbon content of no less than about 60%, no less than about 80%, no less than about 90%, no less than about 95%, no less than about 98%, or no less than about 99%. in another aspect, the carbon or boron nanotube has a diameter of from about 0.2 to about 100 nm, from about 0.4 to about 80 nm, from about 0.5 to about 60 nm, or from about 0.5 to about 50 nm. in yet another aspect, the carbon nanotube is no greater than about 200 micrometers, no greater than 100 micrometers, no greater than about 50 micrometers, or no greater than 20 micrometers in length. in yet another aspect, the carbon nanotube has an aspect ratio of not greater than 1,000,000, no greater than 100,000, no greater than 10,000, no greater than 1,000, no greater than about 500, no greater than about 200, or no greater than about 100. dyes in some embodiments, the conductive coating composition can include one or more dyes or components added to impart a color. in some embodiments, the conductive coating compositions can be free of a dye. if a dye is included, it is preferably in an amount between about 0.001 wt. % and about 35 wt. %. reflective material in some embodiments, the conductive coating composition can include a reflective material. preferred reflective materials include reflective particles. in some embodiments, the conductive coating compositions can be free of a reflective particle. if a reflective material is included, it is preferably in an amount between about 0.001 wt. % and about 25 wt. %. surfactants the conductive coating composition can include a surfactant or be free of surfactant. surfactants suitable for use with the compositions of the present invention include, but are not limited to, nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, and zwitterionic surfactants. in some embodiments, the compositions of the present invention include about 0.001 wt % to about 30 wt. % of a surfactant. in other embodiments the compositions of the present invention include about 0.1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % of a surfactant. in still yet other embodiments, the compositions of the present invention include between about 1 wt. % and about 15 wt. % of a surfactant. viscosity modifiers the conductive coating composition can optionally comprise a viscosity modifier. preferred viscosity modifiers include thickeners or thinners. methods of preparing the conductive coating compositions the conductive coating compositions can be prepared with a variety of equipment and under conditions specific to the ingredients for the conductive coating composition. for example, the method may include heating the fluid, such carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials can be dispersed therein. the precise temperature of the heating may be dictated by the melting point or boiling point of the fluid. the conductive coating compositions can be prepared in batch or continuous processes. to prepare the conductive coating compositions, the fluid can be heated. in some embodiments the fluid component is heated; in some embodiments the fluid component is not heated. whether the fluid component is heated can depend on the type of polymer included in the fluid component. for example, a polymer such as a thermoset may cure upon heating. the temperature of heating may vary based on the fluid component and species of polymer in the fluid component. in an embodiment, where the fluid component is heated, it is preferably heated to a temperature between about 20° c. and about 100° c., more preferably a temperature between about 23° c. and about 90° c. in some embodiments, heating is not necessary. after heating the fluid component, carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials can be added to the fluid component. the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials can be added all at once or sequentially in smaller portions. preferably, the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials are mixed or stirred in the fluid to form a conductive coating composition. if the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials are added sequentially in small portions, the mixing and/or stirring can be performed as the nanotubes are being added and/or between sequential additions. preferred mixing and stirring methods, include, but are not limited to, automatic mixers (such as paddle mixers), stir bars, manual stirring or manual mixing, sonication, etc. the intensity and speed of the mixing or stirring can vary. preferably, the intensity and/or speed are not too vigorous to break or degrade the carbon particle and/or boron nanomaterial structures. the stirring can occur for any amount of time enough to disperse the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials. preferably, the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials are thoroughly dispersed; most preferably, the carbon particles and/or boron nanomaterials are homogenously dispersed in the fluid. preferred mixing and/or stirring times can be between about 1 minute and 2 hours; more preferably, between about 2 minutes and about 1 hour; most preferably between 5 minutes and 30 minutes. in an embodiment where the preparation of the conductive coating compositions is a continuous process, the mixing may be continuous. after mixing, the conductive coating composition can optionally be heated, cooled, or maintained at the same temperature. if the conductive coating composition is heated, it is preferably heated to a temperature between about 20° c. and about 100° c., more preferably to a temperature between about 230° c. and about 90° c. the heating can be performed for a time between about 1 minute and about 2 hours; more preferably between about 5 minutes and about 90 minutes; most preferably between about 10 minutes and about 1 hour. preferably the conductive coating composition is passed through a roller mill, an extruder, a manual or mechanical stirrer. preferably, the conductive coating composition is passed through a roller mill. preferred roller mills include, but are not limited to, two-roll mills and three-roll mills. preferably the conductive coating composition is passed through a roller mill enough times to obtain a smooth consistency. in a preferred method, the conductive coating composition is passed through a roller mill between 1 and 20 times, more preferably between 2 and 15 times, most preferably between 3 and 10 times. the conductive coating composition can be passed through the same roller mill multiple times or through a series of roller mills to achieve the desired number of pass-throughs. after passing the conductive coating composition through a roller mill, the conductive coating composition can be heated, cooled, or maintained at the same temperature. the conductive coating composition can then be applied to a surface. suitable methods of applying the conductive coating material to surface include, but are not limited to, painting, printing, spraying, manual application methods, automated or machine application methods, or a combination thereof. preferred printing methods include, but are not limited to 3d printing, inkjet printing, and sonitek® printing. after the conductive coating compositions are applied to a surface, the conductive coating compositions can be cured. preferred methods of curing include, self-curing, uv curing, thermal curing (e.g., heating), free radical curing, or a combination thereof. while an understanding of the mechanism is not necessary to practice the present invention and while the present invention is not limited to any mechanism of action, it is contemplated the combination of a fluid and nanomaterial can form an electrostatic attraction, including, but not limited to, a hydrogen bond among them leads to enhanced thermal and electrical conductivity. because of this combination, the disclosed coating compositions herein possess an enhanced thermal and/or electrical conductivity. the disclosed coating compositions are also more stable even under tough conditions. all publications and patent applications in this specification are indicative of the level of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. all publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated as incorporated by reference. examples embodiments of the present invention are further defined in the following non-limiting examples. these examples, while indicating certain embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only. from the above discussion and these examples, one skilled in the art can ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention, and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the embodiments of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions. thus, various modifications of the embodiments of the invention, in addition to those shown and described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. example 1 in this example, a series of flexible nanocoating compositions were prepared and some electrical and/or thermal properties were measured. an exemplary procedure for making the flexible nanocoating compositions follows. the exemplary compositions were prepared according to this exemplary method. the fluid component was heated to increase the viscosity and facilitate better mixing of the materials. carbon nanomaterials were slowly added to the fluid component while stirring. once all carbon nanotubes were added, the mixture was stirred for 10 more minutes. the mixture could cool down while stirring until it is safe to handle. the mixture was passed through a three-roll mill eight times to obtain a smooth consistency. table 4 lists the ingredients and the measured resistances. the resistivity was measured with a keithly instrument 2401. the accurate resistivity was measured with a four-probe meter. the thermal conductivity data was obtained using the hot disk™ thermal constants analyzer, using the following parameters: measurement depth: 6 mm room temperature: 25° c. power: 0.025 w measurement time: 16 seconds sensor radius: 2.001 mm tcr: 0.0471/k, disk type: kapton temperature drift rec: yes table 4the ingredients and measured resistance of some exemplary coatings.accuratethermalfluidcarbonresistivityresistivityconductivitycomponentcarbonwt. %(ohm)(ω · m)(w/mk) curedpolyurethanemwnt-oh7.5(#50) 400polyurethanemwnt-oh5(#51) 6000polyacrylicmwnt-oh51.6 × 10 4polyurethanemwnt-oh28.9 × 10 4polyurethanemwnt-oh4.51.3 × 10 2(#57)75 wt. %/25 wt. % h 2 opolyurethanemwnt-oh7.51.3 × 10 2diluted w/h 2 opolyurethanemwnt-oh7.55.7 × 10 2(9.25 g greasediluted w/4 gh2o)polyurethanemwnt-oh4.55.8 × 10 375 wt. %mwnt-oh4.51.2 × 10 x3polyacrylic/25 wt.% h 2 o75 wt. %mwnt-oh4.54.8 × 10 2(#55) 25polyurethane/25 wt. % ipa75 wt. %mwnt-oh4.52.1 × 10 2(#56) 6.8polyurethane/25 wt. % etoha + b watermwnt-oh55.8 × 10 x3based epoxythick tomwnt-ohn/a(#54) 23.2dilutedpolyurethanepolyurethanecnf-19103.4 × 10 x11.57850 wt. %cnf-19101 × 10 x11.254polyurethane/50 wt. % h 2 o the stability of the coating compositions was assessed visually. if unstable the components would separate. this was not observed for any of the exemplary samples prepared and examined. all the coatings were stable and maintained conductivity over several months. as shown in table 4, many of the coating compositions provided excellent resistivity properties. these results demonstrate the coating compositions described herein could be useful as conductive coating materials. example 2 an exemplary coating composition was prepared and painted onto a surface to assess its paintability and its ability to serve as a surface coating. the compositions comprised 25 wt. % ethanol and 75 wt. % polyurethane as the fluid component and had 4.5 wt. % of mwnt-oh carbon nanomaterials. the properties of this composition are reflected in table 4. the photograph of the coating painted onto the surface can be seen in figs. 25a and 25b . as can be seen in figs. 25a and 25b , the coating composition was capable of painting on a surface. it covered the surface and dried without cracking or peeling from the surface. inspection of the composition on the surface revealed its suitability to serve as a coating material. therefore, various methods, systems, and apparatus have been shown and described. although various embodiments or examples have been set forth herein, it is to be understood the present invention contemplates numerous options, variations, and alternatives as may be appropriate in an application or environment.
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059-390-242-412-874
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JP
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[
"KR",
"WO",
"JP",
"CN",
"TW",
"US"
] |
H01L21/20,H01L21/336,H01L29/78,H01L21/205,H01L21/338,H01L21/76,H01L21/762,H01L21/764,H01L21/8234,H01L27/08,H01L27/088,H01L29/778,H01L29/786,H01L29/812,H01L21/02,H01L27/12,H01L29/30
| 2008-03-01T00:00:00 |
2008
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[
"H01"
] |
semiconductor substrate, semiconductor substrate manufacturing method, and electronic device
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the switching speed and other capabilities of a compound semiconductor device will be improved. provided is a semiconductor substrate provided with a silicon substrate, an insulation film formed on the silicon substrate and having an aperture with an aspect ratio of /3 or higher, and that reaches the silicon substrate, a compound semiconductor crystal formed in the aperture and which is a seed compound semiconductor crystal formed such that it protrudes upward from the surface of the insulation film, and a laterally grown compound semiconductor layer that is laterally grown on the insulation film with a specific surface of the seed compound semiconductor crystal as the seed surface.
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1 . a semiconductor wafer comprising: a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an open portion reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a seed compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the open portion and that protrudes beyond a top surface of the insulating film; and a laterally grown compound semiconductor layer that is laterally grown on the insulating film with a specified surface of the seed compound semiconductor crystal as a seed surface. 2 . the semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the open portion has a maximum width no greater than 5 μm in a direction parallel to a top surface of the silicon wafer. 3 . the semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the seed compound semiconductor crystal includes a first seed compound semiconductor that is formed in the open portion to protrude beyond the top surface of the insulating film and a second seed compound semiconductor that is laterally grown on the insulating film with a specified surface of the first seed compound semiconductor as a nucleus, and the seed surface is a specified surface of the second seed compound semiconductor. 4 . the semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer or the seed compound semiconductor crystal includes defect regions that contain defects, and arrangement of the defect regions is controlled by defect cores formed at prescribed intervals on the insulating film or on the seed surface. 5 . the semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer includes defect regions that contain defects, and arrangement of the defect regions is controlled by forming a plurality or the open portions at prescribed intervals. 6 . the semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the open portions are formed in the insulating film and a plurality of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers are crystal-grown to be separated from each other on the insulating film, with specified surfaces of the seed compound semiconductor crystals formed in the open portions as seed surfaces. 7 . the semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer includes a group 2-6 compound semiconductor or a group 3-5 compound semiconductor. 8 . a semiconductor wafer comprising: a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an open portion having an aspect ratio √3/3 or more; a seed compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the open portion; and a compound semiconductor layer that is formed on the insulating film and that lattice matches or pseudo-lattice matches with the seed compound semiconductor crystal. 9 . a semiconductor wafer comprising: a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an opening reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the opening and that protrudes beyond a top surface of the insulating film; and a laterally grown compound semiconductor that is laterally grown on the insulating film with the compound semiconductor crystal as a seed. 10 . the semiconductor wafer according to claim 9 , wherein the compound semiconductor crystal includes a first seed compound semiconductor that is formed in the opening to protrude beyond the top surface of the insulating film and a second seed compound semiconductor that is laterally grown on the insulating film with the first seed compound semiconductor as a nucleus. 11 . a semiconductor wafer comprising: a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an opening having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the opening; and a compound semiconductor layer that is formed on the insulating film and that lattice matches or pseudo-lattice matches with the compound semiconductor crystal. 12 . a semiconductor wafer comprising: an insulating film that is formed on a silicon water and that includes an opening having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a first compound semiconductor that is formed in the opening; and a second compound semiconductor that is grown at least on the insulating film with the first compound semiconductor as a nucleus. 13 . a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: forming an insulating film on a silicon wafer; forming, in the insulating film, an open portion reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; forming a seed compound semiconductor crystal in the open portion that protrudes beyond a top surface of the insulating film; and laterally growing a laterally grown compound semiconductor layer on the insulating film with a specified surface of the seed compound semiconductor crystal as a seed surface. 14 . the method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer according to claim 13 , wherein forming the seed compound semiconductor crystal includes: forming in the open portion a first seed compound semiconductor that protrudes beyond the top surface of the insulating film; and laterally growing a second seed compound semiconductor on the insulating film, with a specified surface of the first seed compound semiconductor as a nucleus, and forming specified surface of the second seed compound semiconductor as the seed surface. 15 . the method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer according to claim 14 , further comprising forming defect cores at prescribed intervals on the seed surface of the seed compound semiconductor crystal, the seed surface of the second seed compound semiconductor, or the insulating film. 16 . a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: forming an insulating film on a silicon wafer, forming, in the insulating film, an opening, reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; forming a compound semiconductor crystal in the opening that protrude beyond a top surface of the insulating film; and laterally growing a laterally grown compound semiconductor on the insulating film, with the compound semiconductor crystal as a seed. 17 . a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: forming, on a silicon wafer, an insulating film that includes an opening having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; forming a first compound semiconductor in the opening; and forming a second compound semiconductor at least on the insulating film with the first compound semiconductor as a nucleus. 18 . an electronic device comprising: a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an open portion reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a seed compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the open portion and that protrudes beyond a top surface of the insulating film; a laterally grown compound semiconductor layer that is laterally grown on the insulating film with a specified surface of the seed compound semiconductor crystal as a seed surface; and an active element that has an active region and that is formed on a defect-free region of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer. 19 . the electronic device according to claim 18 , wherein the active element has a first input/output electrode and a second input/output electrode, and the first input/output electrode covers a growth surface of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer. 20 . the electronic device according to claim 18 , wherein the active element has a first input/output electrode and a second input/output electrode, the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer in a region containing the open portion is removed by etching, and the second input/output electrode covers a side surface of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer that is exposed by the etching. 21 . the electronic device according to claim 20 , wherein the second input/output electrode is connected to the silicon wafer via the seed compound semiconductor crystal formed in the open portion of the insulating film exposed by the etching. 22 . the electronic device according to claim 18 , wherein the active element has control electrodes that control voltage or current between input and output, and the control electrodes are formed (i) between the insulating film and the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer and (ii) on a side of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer that is opposite the insulating film, in a manner to face each other. 23 . the electronic device according to claim 18 , wherein a plurality of the active elements are connected to each other. 24 . an electronic device comprising: a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an opening reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the opening and that protrudes beyond a top surface of the insulating film; a laterally grown compound semiconductor that is laterally grown on the insulating film with the compound semiconductor crystal as a seed; and an active element having an active region on the laterally grown compound semiconductor. 25 . an electronic device comprising: an insulating film that is formed on a silicon wafer and that includes an opening having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a first compound semiconductor that is formed in the opening; a second compound semiconductor that is grown at least on the insulating film with the first compound semiconductor as a nucleus; and an active element having an active region on the second compound semiconductor.
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technical field the present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer, and an electronic device. in particular, the present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer, and an electronic device including a compound semiconductor crystal thin film having good crystallinity formed on an insulating film using an inexpensive silicon wafer. background art various types of high-performance electronic devices are being developed that use heterojunctions in electronic devices therein made of compound semiconductor crystals such as gaas. since the capabilities of these high-performance electronic devices are influenced by the crystallinity of the compound semiconductor crystals included therein, high quality compound semiconductor crystals are desired. the need for lattice matching at the heterointerfaces in thin film crystal growth for manufacturing electronic devices using gaas-based compound semiconductor crystals leads to the selection of wafers made of gaas or of materials such as ge whose lattice constant is very close to that of gaas. patent document 1 discloses a semiconductor device that has sections that restrict epitaxial regions grown on a non-matching wafer or a wafer with a high dislocation defect density. patent document 1: japanese patent application publication no. 4-233720 disclosure of the invention problems to be solved by the invention when manufacturing gaas-based electronic devices, lattice matching is considered and a gaas wafer or a wafer that can achieve lattice matching with gaas, such as a ge wafer, is selected, as described above. however, gaas wafers or wafers such as ge wafers that can achieve lattice matching with gaas are expensive, and this increases the overall cost of the device. furthermore, these wafers do not have sufficient heat dissipation characteristics, and this might result in limitations such as restrictions on the formation density of the devices in order to achieve a reliable thermal design or only using the devices in a temperature range for which heat dissipation can be achieved. accordingly, there is a demand for a semiconductor wafer that can be manufactured using an inexpensive si wafer with good heat dissipation characteristics and that has a high-quality gaas-type crystal thin film. one example of a gaas epitaxial layer with low dislocation density formed on a ge-coated si wafer using lateral epitaxial overgrowth is described in b. y. tsaur, et al., “low-dislocation-density gaas epilayers grown on ge-coated si substrates by means of lateral epitaxial overgrowth,” appl. physics lett. 41(4)347-349, aug. 15, 1982. however, a sufficiently high-quality semiconductor substrate formed using an si wafer and having a crystal thin film made of a compound semiconductor such as gaas has yet to be achieved. a semiconductor wafer having good crystallinity is desired to achieve a high-performance electronic device. means for solving the problems in order to solve the above problems, the inventors created the present invention as a result of rigorous examination. according to a first embodiment of the present invention, provided is a semiconductor wafer comprising a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an open portion reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a seed compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the open portion and that protrudes beyond a surface of the insulating film; and a laterally grown compound semiconductor layer that is laterally grown on the insulating film with a specified surface of the seed compound semiconductor crystal as a seed surf ice. the aspect ratio can be 1 or more when the surface orientation of the silicon wafer is (100), can be √2 (approximately 1.414) or more when the surface orientation of the silicon wafer is (111), and can be √3/3 (approximately 0.577) or more when the surface orientation of the silicon wafer is (110). the aspect ratio of the open portion refers to a value obtained by dividing the depth of the open portion by the width of the open portion. this specification uses the technical definition of “aspect ratio” as described in “handbook for electronics, information and communication engineers vol. i,” institute of electronics, information, and communication engineers, ohmsha publishing, 1988, pg. 751, where the aspect ratio is defined as “etching depth/pattern width.” the depth of the open portion is in the layering direction when layers are formed on the silicon wafer, and the width of the open portion is in a direction perpendicular to the layering direction. if the open portion has a plurality of widths, the smallest width is used when calculating the aspect ratio. for example, when the shape of the open portion as seen in the direction of the layering is a rectangle, the length of a short side of the rectangle is used to calculate the aspect ratio. the shape of the open portion as seen in the direction of the layering may be any shape, examples of which include a square, a rectangle, a stripe, a circle, and an oval. when the shape is a circle or an oval, the width of the open portion is respectively the diameter and the shortest diameter. furthermore, the open portion may have any cross-sectional shape in the direction of the layering, examples of which include a rectangular shape, a parabolic trapezoid shape, and a hyperbolic shape. if the cross-sectional shape is a trapezoid, the width of the open portion is whichever is the smallest of the width at the bottom thereof and the width at the top thereof. if the shape of the open portion as seen in the layering direction is a rectangle or a square and the cross-sectional shape in the layering direction is rectangular, the stereoscopic shape in the open portion can be regarded as a rectangular parallelepiped. however, the stereoscopic shape within the open portion may be any shape, and when calculating the aspect ratio for an open region with an arbitrary stereoscopic shape, this shape may be approximated as a rectangular parallelepiped. in the first embodiment, the open portion may have a maximum width no greater than 5 μm in a direction parallel to a surface of the silicon wafer. the seed compound semiconductor crystal may include a first seed compound semiconductor that is formed in the open portion to protrude beyond the surface of the insulating film and a second seed compound semiconductor that is laterally grown on the insulating film with a specified surface of the first seed compound semiconductor as a nucleus, and the seed surface may be a specified surface of the second seed compound semiconductor. the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer or the seed compound semiconductor crystal may include defect regions that contain defects, and arrangement of the defect regions may be controlled by defect cores formed at prescribed intervals on the insulating film or on the seed surface. the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer may include defect regions that contain defects, and arrangement of the defect regions may be controlled by forming a plurality of the open portions at prescribed intervals. a plurality of the open portions may be formed in the insulating film and a plurality of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers may be crystal-grown to be separated from each other on the insulating film, with specified surfaces of the seed compound semiconductor crystals formed in the open portions as seed surfaces. the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer may include a group 2-6 compound semiconductor or a group 3-5 compound semiconductor. according to a second embodiment of the present invention, provided is a semiconductor wafer comprising a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an open portion having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a seed compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the open portion; and a compound semiconductor layer that is formed on the insulating film and that lattice matches or pseudo-lattice matches with the seed compound semiconductor crystal. according to a third embodiment of the present invention, provided is a semiconductor wafer comprising a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an opening reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the opening and that protrudes beyond a surface of the insulating film; and a laterally grown compound semiconductor that is laterally grown on the insulating film with the compound semiconductor crystal as a seed. in this case, the compound semiconductor crystal may include a first seed compound semiconductor that is formed in the opening to protrude beyond the surface of the insulating film and a second seed compound semiconductor that is laterally gown on the insulating film with the first seed compound semiconductor as a nucleus. according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, provided is a semiconductor wafer comprising a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an opening having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the opening; and a compound semiconductor layer that is formed on the insulating film and that lattice matches or pseudo-lattice matches with the compound semiconductor crystal. according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, provided is a semiconductor wafer comprising an insulating film that is formed on a silicon wafer and that includes an opening having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a first compound semiconductor that is formed in the opening; and a second compound semiconductor that is grown at least on the insulating film with the first compound semiconductor as a nucleus. in the first through fifth embodiments, when forming the seed compound semiconductor crystal in the open portion, after forming the compound semiconductor buffer layer at a temperature no greater than 550° c., preferably no greater than 500° c., the temperature may be raised to form the seed compound semiconductor crystal. furthermore, the seed compound semiconductor crystal may be formed after processing the surface of the compound semiconductor buffer layer or the bottom of the open portion with a gas containing p, such as ph 3 . according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, provided is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer, comprising forming an insulating film on a silicon wafer; forming, in the insulating film, an open portion reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; forming a seed compound semiconductor crystal in the open portion that protrudes beyond a surface of the insulating film; and laterally growing a laterally grown compound semiconductor layer on the insulating film with a specified surface of the seed compound semiconductor crystal as a seed surface. in the sixth embodiment, forming the seed compound semiconductor crystal may include forming in the open portion a first seed compound semiconductor that protrudes beyond the surface of the insulating film; and laterally growing a second seed compound semiconductor on the insulating film, with a specified surface of the first seed compound semiconductor as a nucleus, and forming a specified surface of the second seed compound semiconductor as the seed surface. this method may further comprise forming defect cores at prescribed intervals on the seed surface of the seed compound semiconductor crystal, the seed surface of the second seed compound semiconductor, or the insulating film. according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, provided is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer, comprising forming an insulating film on a silicon wafer; forming, in the insulating film, an opening reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; forming a compound semiconductor crystal in the opening that protrudes beyond a surface of the insulating film; and laterally growing a laterally grown compound semiconductor on the insulating film, with the compound semiconductor crystal as a seed. according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention, provided is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer, comprising forming, on a silicon wafer, an insulating film that includes an opening having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; forming a first compound semiconductor in the opening; and forming a second compound semiconductor at least on the insulating film with the first compound semiconductor as a nucleus. according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention, provided is an electronic device comprising a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an open portion reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a seed compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the open portion and that protrudes beyond a surface of the insulating film; a laterally grown compound semiconductor layer that is laterally gown on the insulating film with a specified surface of the seed compound semiconductor crystal as a seed surface; and an active element that has an active region and that is formed on a defect-free region of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer. in the ninth embodiment, the active element may have a first input/output electrode and a second input/output electrode, and the first input/output electrode may cover a growth surface of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer. the active element may have a first input/output electrode and a second input/output electrode, the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer in a region containing the open portion may be removed by etching, and the second input/output electrode may cover a side surface of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer that is exposed by the etching. the second input/output electrode may be connected to the silicon wafer via the seed compound semiconductor crystal formed in the open portion of the insulating film exposed by the etching. the active element may have control electrodes that control voltage or current between input and output, and the control electrodes may be formed (i) between the insulating film and the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer and (ii) on a side of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer that is opposite the insulating film, in a manner to face each other. a plurality of the active elements may be connected to each other. according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention, provided is an electronic device comprising a silicon wafer; an insulating film that is formed on the silicon wafer and that includes an opening reaching the silicon wafer and having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a compound semiconductor crystal that is formed in the opening and that protrudes beyond a surface of the insulating film; a laterally grown compound semiconductor that is laterally grown on the insulating film with the compound semiconductor crystal as a seed; and an active element having an active region on the laterally grown compound semiconductor. according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention, provided is an electronic device comprising an insulating film that is formed on a silicon wafer and that includes an opening having an aspect ratio of √3/3 or more; a first compound semiconductor that is formed in the opening; a second compound semiconductor that is grown at least on the insulating film with the first compound semiconductor as a nucleus; and an active element having an active region on the second compound semiconductor. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is an exemplary planar view of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line a-a in fig. 1 . fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line b-b in fig. 1 . fig. 4 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a step for manufacturing the electronic device 100 . fig. 5 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a step for manufacturing the electronic device 100 . fig. 6 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a step for manufacturing the electronic device 100 . fig. 7 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a step for manufacturing the electronic device 100 . fig. 8 is an exemplary planar view of an electronic device 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. fig. 9 is an exemplary planar view of an electronic device 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. fig. 10 is an exemplary planar view of an electronic device 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention. fig. 11 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of an electronic device 500 according to another embodiment of the present invention. fig. 12 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of an electronic device 600 according to another embodiment of the present invention. fig. 13 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of an electronic device 700 according to another embodiment of the present invention. list of reference numerals 100 electronic device102 silicon wafer104 insulating film105 open portion108 first seed compound semiconductor110 second seed compound semiconductor112 laterally grown compound semiconductor layer114 gate insulating film116 gate electrode118 source/drain electrode120 defeat region130 defect region200 electronic device300 electronic device400 electronic device402 buffer layer500 electronic device502 source/drain electrode600 electronic device602 source/drain electrode700 electronic device702 lower gate insulating film704 lower gate electrode best mode for carrying out the invention hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described. the embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all the combinations of the features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to means provided by aspects of the invention. fig. 1 is an exemplary planar view of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line a-a in fig. 1 . fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line b-b in fig. 1 . the electronic device 100 of the present embodiment includes a silicon wafer 102 , insulating films 104 , first seed compound semiconductors 108 , second seed compound semiconductors 110 , laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 , gate insulating films 114 , gate electrodes 116 , and source/drain electrodes 118 . the following describes, as an example of the electronic device 100 , a device that includes a plurality of mosfets (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors). the silicon wafer 102 may be a commercially available silicon wafer, and mosfets or the like may be formed on the silicon wafer 102 as active elements. since the silicon wafer 102 is used as the wafer in the present embodiment, the resulting electronic device 100 has favorable cost performance. furthermore, since the silicon wafer 102 is used, heat dissipation by the electronic device 100 can be easily managed. the insulating films 104 may be formed on the silicon wafer 102 . the insulating films 104 include open portions that reach the silicon wafer 102 and that have aspect ratios no less than √3/3. these “open portions” may be referred to as “openings,” and an open portion 105 is an example of an opening. the maximum width, in a direction parallel to the surface of the silicon wafer 102 , of each open portion 105 formed in an insulating film 104 can be no greater than 5 μm and no less than 2 μm. the insulating film 104 functions as an inhibiting layer that inhibits epitaxial growth. in other words, epitaxially-grown film can be deposited selectively within the open portions 105 that expose the silicon, and the epitaxial film can be prevented from being grown on the insulating film 104 . each insulating film 104 may be a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film, for example. the surface of the silicon wafer 102 exposed at the bottom of the open portions 105 may be processed with a gas containing p, such as ph 3 (phosphine). in such a case, the crystallinity of the films formed in the open portions 105 can be improved. the insulating films 104 may be formed separately from each other on the silicon wafer 102 . that is, a plurality of insulating films 104 may be formed on the silicon wafer 102 . as a result, the silicon wafer 102 is exposed between the insulating films 104 , and the exposed portions of the silicon wafer 102 function as adsorbing sections. the adsorbing sections are regions that adsorb the film growth precursor during epitaxial growth, and stabilize the film deposition rate during epitaxial growth. when the insulating films 104 are separated from each other, the distance between adjacent insulating films 104 is preferably between 20 μm and 500 μm. as a result of experimentation by the present inventors, a stable epitaxial growth rate was achieved by arranging the insulating films 104 separated by the above distances. one or more of the open portions 105 may be formed in each insulating film 104 . the plurality of insulating films 104 may be formed on the silicon wafer 102 at uniform intervals. the first seed compound semiconductors 108 are formed in the open portions 105 to protrude further than the surfaces of the insulating films 104 . in other words, the first seed compound semiconductors 108 are formed in the open portions 105 , and the tops of first seed compound semiconductors 108 are formed above the surfaces of the insulating films 104 . instead, the tops of the first seed compound semiconductors 108 may protrude beyond the surfaces of the insulating films 104 . the portion protruding from the surface of each insulating film 104 has a specified surface formed thereon to serve as the seed surface. the first seed compound semiconductors 108 are selectively grown within open portions 105 that are formed in the insulating films 104 and whose aspect ratios are no less than √3/3, thereby improving the crystallinity of the first seed compound semiconductors 108 . when a first seed compound semiconductor 108 is selectively grown to a certain thickness in an open portion 105 whose aspect ratio is no less than √3/3, the crystal defects in the first seed compound semiconductor terminate at the walls of the open portion 105 . therefore, the first seed compound semiconductor 108 formed within the open portion 105 has good crystallinity in the upper portion thereof. the first seed compound semiconductor 108 in the open portion 105 becomes the crystal nucleus of a second seed compound semiconductor 110 , and so can improve the crystallinity of the second seed compound semiconductor 110 . the aspect ratio of each open portion can be greater than or equal to √3/3. in particular, when the surface orientation of the silicon wafer 102 is (100), the aspect ratio is preferably no less than 1, and when the surface orientation of the silicon wafer 102 is (111), the aspect ratio is preferably no less than 42, which is approximately 1.414. when the surface orientation of the silicon wafer 102 is (110), the aspect ratio is preferably no less than √3/3, which is approximately 0.577. the second seed compound semiconductors 110 are laterally grown on the insulating films 104 , with the specified surfaces of the first seed compound semiconductors serving as the crystal nuclei. the second seed compound semiconductors 110 may be compound semiconductors from group 4, group 3-5, or group 2-6 that lattice match or pseudo-lattice match with the specified surfaces of the first seed compound semiconductors 108 , examples of which include gaas, ingaas, and sic. the specified surfaces of the second seed compound semiconductors 110 provide seed surfaces that can serve as the crystal nuclei of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 . since the second seed compound semiconductors 110 have improved crystallinity as described above, the second seed compound semiconductors 110 can provide seed surfaces with good crystallinity. pseudo-lattice matching means that there is only a small difference between the lattice constants of the two semiconductor layers in contact with each other, and so, although this is not complete lattice matching, the lattice matching is close enough that the occurrence of defects due to lattice mismatching is negligible, and so these two contacting semiconductor layers can be considered to be in a layered state. for example, the layered state of the ge layer and the gaas layer can be considered as pseudo-lattice matching. the first seed compound semiconductors 108 and the second seed compound semiconductors 110 can be understood as integrally forming seed compound semiconductor crystals. specifically, the first seed compound semiconductors 108 and the second seed compound semiconductors 110 may be compound semiconductor crystals formed in the open portions 105 , and may be seed compound semiconductor crystals formed to protrude beyond the surfaces of the insulating films 104 . specified surfaces of the second seed compound semiconductors 110 may be the seed surfaces of the seed compound semiconductor crystals. the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 are laterally grown on the insulating films 104 , with the specified surfaces of the second seed compound semiconductors 110 or the seed compound semiconductor crystals serving as the seed surfaces. since the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 are crystal-grown with the specified surfaces of the second seed compound semiconductors 110 or the seed compound semiconductor crystals having good crystallinity serving as the seed surfaces, the resulting semiconductor layers have good crystallinity. therefore, the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 include defect-free regions. the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 may include group 2-6 compound semiconductors or group 3-5 compound semiconductors. gaas layers are an example of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 . here, the “defect-free region” refers to a region that does not include dislocation, such as edge dislocation and screw dislocation, occurring when layering crystals having different properties, such as lattice constants and thermal expansion coefficients. in addition to regions that include absolutely no defects, the defect-free regions may be regions with lower defect density than defect regions. when a silicon wafer 102 having a (100) surface as a principal surface is used and a compound semiconductor is laterally grown on the (100) surface of the silicon wafer 102 , the compound semiconductor is more easily grown in the <011> direction of the silicon wafer 102 than in the <0-11> direction. when growing the compound semiconductor in the <0-11> direction of the silicon wafer 102 , a (111) b surface of the compound semiconductor appears on an end surface of the laterally grown compound semiconductor. this (111) b surface is stable, and can therefore be easily formed as a flat surface. accordingly, an electronic device can be formed by forming a gate insulating film, a source electrode, a gate electrode, and a gain electrode on the (111) b surface of the compound semiconductor. when laterally growing the compound semiconductor in the <011> direction of the silicon wafer 102 , the (111) b surface of the compound semiconductor appearing on an end surface of the laterally-grown compound semiconductor faces the opposite direction. in this case, the upper portion of the (100) surface can be widened so that the electronic device can be formed on the (100) surface. the compound semiconductor can be laterally grown in both the <010> direction and the <001> direction of the silicon wafer 102 under a condition of a high partial pressure of arsine. when grown in these directions, a (110) surface or a (101) surface of the compound semiconductor is likely to appear on an end surface of the compound semiconductor. an electronic device can also be formed by forming a gate insulating film, a source electrode, a gate electrode, and a gain electrode on the (110) surface or the (101) surface of the compound semiconductor. the silicon wafer 102 , the insulating films 104 , the first seed compound semiconductors 108 , the second seed compound semiconductors 110 , and the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 described above can be understood as the components of the semiconductor wafer. expressed in different terms, the semiconductor wafer includes the silicon wafer 102 , insulating films 104 formed on the insulating wafer and including open portions with aspect ratios no less than √3/3, seed compound semiconductor crystals formed in the open portions 105 , and compound semiconductor layers that are formed on the insulating films 104 and lattice match or pseudo-lattice match with the seed compound semiconductor crystals. the seed compound semiconductor crystals can include the first seed compound semiconductors 108 and the second seed compound semiconductors 110 , and the compound semiconductor layers may be the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 . active elements having active regions can be formed on the defect-free regions of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 . the active elements may be mosfets that each include a gate insulating film 114 , a gate electrode 116 , and a source/drain electrode 118 . the mosfets may instead be misfets (metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors). each gate insulating film 114 electrically insulates the gate electrode 116 from the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer 112 . the gate insulating films 114 may be silicon oxide films, silicon nitride films, or aluminum oxide films, for example. the gate electrodes 116 are examples of control electrodes. each gate electrode 116 controls the current or voltage between input and output, which is exemplified here as the source and drain. the gate electrodes 116 may be semiconductors made of metals such as aluminum, copper, gold, silver, platinum, tungsten, etc. or of highly doped silicon, for example. the source/drain electrodes 118 are examples of input/output electrodes. each source/drain electrode 118 contacts a source region and a drain region. the source/drain electrodes 118 may be semiconductors made of metals such as aluminum, copper, gold, silver, platinum, tungsten, etc. or of highly doped silicon, for example. although not shown, source and drain regions are formed below each source/drain electrode 118 . a channel layer formed below each gate electrode 116 and having a channel region between the source region and the drain region may be a laterally grown compound semiconductor layer 112 , or may be a layer formed on top of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer 112 . buffer layers may be formed between the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 and the channel layers. the channel layers or the buffer layers may be gaas layers, ingaas layers, algaas layers, gan layers, ingap layers, or znse layers, for example. the electronic device 100 shown in fig. 1 includes six mosfets. among these six mosfets, three are connected to each other by the wiring of the gate electrodes 116 and the source/drain electrodes 118 . the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 , which are crystal-grown using the first seed compound semiconductors 108 formed on the silicon wafer 102 in the open portions 105 of the insulating films 104 as nuclei, may be separated from each other on the insulating films 104 . since the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 are separated from each other, interfaces are not formed between adjacent laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 , and so crystal defects occurring at these interfaces need not be regarded as a problem. as long as the active elements formed on the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 should exhibit good crystallinity in the active layers thereof, problems do not occur when the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 are formed separately. if an increase in the drive current of each active element is desired, it is sufficient to connect the active elements to each other in parallel as shown in the present embodiment. in the electronic device shown in figs. 1 to 3 , two mosfets are formed sandwiching each open portion 105 , but instead, the two mosfets may be separated by removing the compound semiconductor layer therebetween using etching or the like, or by deactivating the compound semiconductor layer using ion implantation or the like. figs. 4 to 7 are exemplary cross-sectional views of steps for manufacturing the electronic device 100 . as shown in fig. 4 , the insulating films 104 are formed on the silicon wafer 102 , and an open portion 105 reaching the silicon wafer 102 and having an aspect ration no less than √3/3 is formed between the insulating films 104 . the insulating films can be formed by cvd (chemical vapor deposition) or a sputtering technique, and the open portion 105 in the insulating films 104 can be formed by photolithography. as shown in fig. 5 , the first seed compound semiconductor 108 is formed in the open portion 105 of the insulating films 104 to be above the surfaces of the insulating films 104 . in other words, the first seed compound semiconductor 108 is formed to protrude beyond the surfaces of the insulating films 104 . when the first seed compound semiconductor 108 is formed of gaas, for example, an epitaxial growth method using mocvd or mbe can be used. in this case, the raw material gas may be tm-ga (trimethylgallium), ash 3 (arsine), or some other gas. the growth temperature may be between 600° c. and 650° c. next, the second seed compound semiconductor 110 is laterally grown on the insulating films 104 using a specified surface of the first seed compound semiconductor 108 as a seed surface. the cross-sectional view for this step is the same as shown in fig. 3 . when the second seed compound semiconductor 110 is formed of gaas, for example, an epitaxial growth method using mocvd or mbe can be used. in this case, the raw material gas may be tm-ga (trimethylgallium), ash 3 (arsine), or some other gas. the growth temperature may be between 600° c. and 650° c. as shown in fig. 6 , the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 are laterally grown on the insulating films 104 , with the specified surfaces of the second seed compound semiconductor 110 serving as the seed surfaces. when the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 are formed of gaas, for example, an epitaxial growth method using mocvd or mbe can be used. in this case, the raw material gas may be tm-ga (trimethylgallium), ash 3 (arsine), or some other gas. in order to accelerate the lateral growth when forming the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 on the wafer with a (001) surface, low-temperature growth is preferably selected, specifically a temperature no greater than 700° c., preferably no greater than 650° c. when the lateral growth is in the <110> direction, high ash 3 pressure is preferably used, e.g. ash 3 pressure of no less than 0.1 kpa. as a result, the growth rate in the <110> direction is greater than the growth rate in the <−110> direction. as shown in fig. 7 , an insulating film that becomes the gate insulating films 114 and a conductive film that becomes the gate electrodes 116 are sequentially formed on the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 , and the insulating film and conductive film are patterned using photolithography, for example. as a result, the gate insulating films 114 and the gate electrodes 116 are formed. after this, a conductive film that becomes the source/drain electrodes 118 is formed and then patterned using photolithography, for example, to manufacture the electronic device 100 shown in fig. 2 . with the electronic device 100 described above, since the first seed compound semiconductors 108 are formed in the open portions 105 with aspect ratios no greater than √3/3 in the insulating films 104 , the crystallinity of the first seed compound semiconductors 108 can be improved. this improvement to the crystallinity of the first seed compound semiconductors 108 causes an increase in the crystallinity of the second seed compound semiconductors 110 having the specified surfaces of the first seed compound semiconductors 108 as seed surfaces. this in turn results in an increase in the crystallinity of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 having the specified surfaces of the second seed compound semiconductors 110 as seed surfaces. accordingly, an increase in the crystallinity of the active layer of the electronic device formed on the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 and an increase in the performance of the electronic device formed on the low-cost silicon wafer 102 is achieved. furthermore, in the electronic device 100 described above, the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 are grown on the insulating films 104 . in other words, the electronic device 100 has the same configuration as an soi (silicon on insulator). accordingly, the floating capacitance of the electronic device 100 is decreased and the operational speed can be improved. in addition, the leak current to the silicon wafer 102 can be decreased. fig. 8 is an exemplary planar view of another electronic device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 8 , the gate electrodes and the source/drain electrodes are omitted. in the electronic device 200 , the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 include defect regions 120 containing defects. the defect regions 120 are generated from the open portions 105 formed in the first seed compound semiconductors 108 , and the arrangement thereof is controlled by forming the open portions 105 at prescribed intervals. here, the prescribed intervals are designed according to the objective of the electronic device 200 , and may include, for example, forming a plurality of open portions 105 at uniform intervals, forming the open portions 105 at regular intervals, and forming the open portions 105 at periodic intervals. fig. 9 is an exemplary planar view of another electronic device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 9 , the gate electrodes and the source/drain electrodes are omitted. in the electronic device 300 , the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 include defect regions 130 containing defects, in addition to the defect regions 120 of the electronic device 200 . the arrangement of the defect regions 130 is controlled by defect cores that are formed at prescribed intervals on the insulating films 104 or the seed surfaces of the second seed compound semiconductors 110 . the defect cores can be generated by forting physical grooves or the like in the seed surfaces or the insulating films 104 , for example. this physical groove can be formed by mechanical scratching, friction, ion implantation, or the like. here, the prescribed intervals are designed according to the objective of the electronic device 300 , and may include, for example, forming a plurality of defect cores at uniform intervals, forming the defect cores at regular intervals, and forming the defect cores at periodic intervals. the defect regions 120 and 130 are regions that include many defects, are formed intentionally on the laterally grown compound semiconductors, and may be formed during the crystal-growth of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 . by forming the defect regions 120 , the defects of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 can be concentrated in the defect regions 120 and 130 , thereby decreasing the stress on regions of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 other than the defect regions 120 and 130 , resulting in improved crystallinity. the electronic device can be formed on the defect-free regions, which are regions other than the defect regions 120 and 130 . the term “defect-free regions” refers to regions that include absolutely no defects and to regions with lower defect density than the defect regions 120 . fig. 10 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of another electronic device 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 10 is a cross section taken along the line a-a in fig. 1 . aside from including a compound semiconductor buffer layer 402 in the open portion 105 , the electronic device 400 is the same as the electronic device 100 . the compound semiconductor buffer layer 402 may be a gaas layer formed at a temperature no greater than 550° c., preferably no greater than 500° c. by forming the compound semiconductor buffer layer 402 , the crystallinity of the first seed compound semiconductors 108 can be further increased. the seed compound semiconductor crystal may be formed after the surface of the compound semiconductor buffer layer 402 or the bottom of the open portion 105 is processed with a gas containing p, such as ph 3 . as a result, the crystallinity of the first seed compound semiconductors 108 can be further increased. fig. 11 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of another electronic device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 11 is a cross section taken along the line a-a in fig. 1 . aside from having a different arrangement for the source/drain electrode 502 , the electronic device 500 is the same as the electronic device 100 . in the electronic device 500 , the mosfet, which are examples of active elements, include the source/drain electrodes 118 and the source/drain electrodes 502 . the source/drain electrodes 502 are examples of first input/output electrodes, and the source/drain electrodes 118 are examples of the second input/output electrodes. the source/drain electrodes 502 , which are examples of the first input/output electrodes, cover the growth surfaces of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 . in other words, the source/drain electrodes 502 are also formed on the side surfaces of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 . by covering the side surfaces of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 with the source/drain electrodes 502 , the input/output electrodes can be arranged in the movement direction of the carriers in the laterally grown compound semiconductor layers 112 or the active layers formed thereon, i.e. the carrier movement layers. as a result, the carrier movement is easily achieved to increase the performance of the electronic device 500 . fig. 12 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of another electronic device 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 12 is a cross section taken along the line a-a in fig. 1 . aside from having a different arrangement for the source/drain electrode 602 , the electronic device 600 is the same as the electronic device 500 . in the electronic device 600 , the mosfet, which is an example of an active element, includes the source/drain electrode 602 and the source/drain electrode 502 . the source/drain electrode 602 is an example of the second input/output electrode. in the electronic device 600 , the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer 112 above the open portion 105 is removed by etching. the source/drain electrode 602 covers the side surface of the laterally grown compound semiconductor layer 112 that is exposed by the etching. as a result, the carrier movement is more easily achieved to further increase the performance of the electronic device 600 . furthermore, the source/drain electrode 602 is connected to the silicon wafer 102 via the first seed compound semiconductor 108 of the open portion 105 exposed by the etching. as a result, one of the input/output terminals of the mosfet is kept at the wafer potential, thereby achieving effects such as reducing noise, for example. fig. 13 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of another electronic device 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 13 is a cross section taken along the line a-a in fig. 1 . aside from having lower gate insulating films 702 and lower gate electrodes 704 , the electronic device 700 is the same as the electronic device 100 . in the electronic device 700 , the mosfets, which are examples of active elements, include the lower gate electrodes 704 and the gate electrodes 116 to control the voltage or current between the input and output. the gate electrodes 116 and the lower gate electrodes 704 are examples of control electrodes. the lower gate electrodes 704 are arranged between the insulating films 104 and the laterally grown compound semiconductors 112 , and the gate electrodes 116 are arranged on the sides of the laterally grown compound semiconductors 112 that are opposite the insulating films 104 . the gate electrodes 116 and the lower gate electrodes 704 are formed facing each other. by arranging the gate electrodes 116 and the lower gate electrodes 704 in the electronic device 700 in this way, a double gate configuration can be easily achieved. with a double gate configuration, the controlling ability of the gates is increased, thereby improving the switching performance and the like of the electronic device 700 . the above describes a mosfet (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor) as an example of the electronic device. however, the electronic device is not limited to a mosfet, and can instead be an hemt (high electron mobility transistor), a pseudomorphic-hemt, or the like. the electronic device 100 may also be a mesfet (metal-semiconductor field effect transistor). while the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the technical scope of the invention is not limited to the above described embodiments. it is apparent to persons skilled in the art that various alterations and improvements can be added to the above-described embodiments. it is also apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such alterations or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the invention.
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059-485-174-848-538
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FR
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H01L31/05,H01L31/02,H01L31/042,H01L31/048,H05K7/00,H01R11/00,E04D13/18,H01L31/0203,H02S30/10,H02S20/23,H02S40/30,H02S40/36,H05K7/02,H05K7/18,E04C2/52,H02S20/00,H01L/,H01R/,H05K/,F16M13/00,H01R24/00
| 2007-04-20T00:00:00 |
2007
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bearing frame for an electrically active panel such as photovoltaic panel
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supporting frame for an electrically active panel comprising a peripheral structure for receiving an electrically active panel, the peripheral structure including an internal electrical connector for connection to an electrically active panel carried by the frame, at least one first external electrical connector for connection to a first means external to the frame, and an electrical link for electrically linking at least the internal electrical connector to at least the first external electrical connector, the electrical linking link extending along the peripheral structure so as to be concealed by the peripheral structure, the peripheral structure comprising a hollow portion in which the electrical link is received. the peripheral structure is a framework consisting of tubular uprights, the internal electrical connector and external electrical connector extending through a wall of the uprights on which they are disposed and the electrical link extending inside the tubular uprights.
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1 . a supporting frame for an electrically active module comprising a peripheral structure for receiving an electrically active module, the peripheral structure of which comprises: a framework consisting of tubular uprights, each tubular upright having a hollow interior extending substantially along its entire length and enclosed within the periphery of the tubular upright, the frame work delimiting an internal portion of the supporting frame, an internal electrical connector for connection to an electrically active module carried by the frame, said internal electrical connector extending through a peripheral wall of a tubular upright of said framework from the hollow interior of the tubular upright to the internal portion of the supporting frame, a first and a second external electrical connectors extending through peripheral wallq of tubular uprights of said framework, such that the first and second external electrical connectors extend from the hollow interiors of said tubular uprights to the outside of the supporting frame, and electrical links for electrically linking the internal electrical connector to the first and second external electrical connectors, the electrical links extending inside the hollow interior of at least one tubular upright of said framework so as to be concealed inside the peripheral structure, and wherein at least one terminal of the first external electrical connector is electrically linked to a terminal of the second external electrical connector, and not electrically linked to said internal electrical connector. 2 . a supporting frame for an electrically active module comprising a peripheral structure for receiving an electrically active module, the peripheral structure of which comprises: a framework consisting of tubular uprights, each tubular upright having a hollow interior extending substantially along its entire length and enclosed within the periphery of the tubular upright, the frame work delimiting an internal portion of the supporting frame, an internal electrical connector for connection to an electrically active module carried by the frame, said internal electrical connector extending through a peripheral wall of a tubular upright of said framework from the hollow interior of the tubular upright to the internal portion of the supporting frame, at least one first external electrical connector extending through a peripheral wall of a tubular upright of said framework, such that the at least one first external electrical connector extends from the hollow interior of said tubular upright to the outside of the supporting frame, and electrical links for electrically linking at least the internal electrical connector to at least the first external electrical connector, the electrical links extending inside the hollow interior of at least one tubular upright of said framework so as to be concealed inside the peripheral structure, wherein the internal electrical connector comprises at least two resilient female half-loops in which male connecting studs of an active electrical panel may be plugged. 3 . the frame according to claim 1 , wherein the uprights comprise a groove which extends along one of their generatrices, is oriented towards the interior of the framework and is intended to receive the edge of an electrically active panel. 4 . the frame according to claim 3 , wherein at least one upright comprises, over its entire length, a fin extending toward the exterior of the framework parallel to the main face of the framework. 5 . the frame according to claim 1 , wherein a central portion, delimited by the peripheral structure, is open. 6 . the frame according to claim 1 , wherein the peripheral structure consists of a metal strip which is cut out, folded and joined by welding. 7 . the frame according to claim 6 , wherein the metal strip consists of a stainless alloy and/or an alloy having a coefficient of expansion compatible with glass. 8 . the frame according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically active panel is a photovoltaic generator. 9 . the frame according to claim 1 , wherein the first external electrical connector extends through the peripheral wall in a direction that is perpendicular to an axial direction of the tubular upright. 10 . the frame according to claim 1 , wherein the internal electrical connector comprises at least two resilient female half-loops in which male connecting studs of an active electrical panel may be plugged. 11 . the frame according to claim 2 , wherein the uprights comprise a groove which extends along one of their generatrices, is oriented towards the interior of the framework and is intended to receive the edge of an electrically active panel. 12 . the frame according to claim 2 , wherein a central portion, delimited by the peripheral structure, is open. 13 . the frame according to claim 2 , wherein the peripheral structure consists of a metal strip which is cut out, folded and joined by welding. 14 . the frame according to claim 2 , wherein the electrically active panel is a photovoltaic generator. 15 . the frame according to claim 2 , wherein the first external electrical connector extends through the peripheral wall in a direction that is perpendicular to an axial direction of the tubular upright. 16 . an external wall of a building comprising a plurality of frames according to claim 1 , disposed side by side, and wherein at least two adjacent frames are connected to one another by an external electrical link which cooperates on the one hand with an external electrical connector of one frame and on the other hand with an external connector of the other frame. 17 . the external wall of a building according to claim 16 , wherein at least one frame carries an electrically active panel. 18 . the external wall of a building according to claim 17 , wherein the electrically active panel is a photovoltaic generator. 19 . the external wall of a building according to claim 16 , wherein the external wall forms a roof element. 20 . an external wall of a building comprising a plurality of frames according to claim 2 , disposed side by side, and wherein at least two adjacent frames are connected to one another by an external electrical link which cooperates on the one hand with an external electrical connector of one frame and on the other hand with an external connector of the other frame.
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cross reference to related applications this is a continuation of application ser. no. 12/596,641 filed feb. 24, 2010, which is a national stage of international application no. pct/fr2008/050681 filed apr. 17, 2008, claiming priority based on french patent application no. fr 07 54616, filed apr. 20, 2007, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. background of the invention the invention relates to a supporting frame for a panel comprising a peripheral structure for receiving an electrically active panel such as a photovoltaic cell panel. this supporting frame for a panel is intended, in particular, for supporting electrically active panels disposed on a wall of a building such as a roof or a façade. in order to equip buildings such as houses with electricity generators which employ solar energy, sets of panels consisting of a plurality of photovoltaic cells are disposed, for example, on the roof of these buildings. these panels generally consist of a stack of differing layers of glass, silicon, conductors and polymers. the sides of the generally square silicon cells can be as great as 200 mm. the cells are connected in series then bonded between two sheets of glass or between one sheet of glass and differing layers of polymer. by way of example, a module having a nominal voltage of 12 v is generally constructed by connecting 36 monocrystalline or polycrystalline cells in series. these assemblies of 36 cells are then connected in parallel. 72 silicon cells are thus used in the case of a 24 v module. the front face of panels or modules of this type consists of glass, is directed toward the sun and allows radiation to pass through in such a way that it can interact with the silicon cells and generate electricity. this glass plate also has the function of protecting the photovoltaic cells from differing impacts. the back face of the modules or panels may be either opaque, consisting of a complex stack of polymers for protecting the cells from mechanical attack and corrosion, or transparent, in which case the front face is a glass plate. these photovoltaic modules or panels are disposed on frameworks of which the uprights generally consist of connected aluminium profiles to impart mechanical strength thereto and to enable them to be fixed to the roof. in addition, the panels are connected to one another and to a distribution circuit for powering electrical loads. in general, the connections are made at the back of the photovoltaic panels via bundles of cable extending below the photovoltaic panels. if the photovoltaic panels are transparent, these bundles of cable are particularly unsightly, and this is a drawback, in particular if the photovoltaic panels are to be placed on the façade of the building. in fact, transparent panels of this type may be used as means of ornamentation, and the presence of visible bundles of cable behind them, through the transparency, makes these panels unsuitable for such a use. this problem may also be encountered with other electrically active panels such as electroluminescent panels or panels which may comprise elements such as flat screens. in addition, the aluminium frameworks are fairly bulky owing to the poor mechanical properties of aluminium, and they may have corrosion characteristics which are not always satisfactory. the positioning thereof and, in particular, the production of the electrical connections are also labour-intensive. finally, in the event of heavy snowfall, aluminium frameworks may be pulled out by sliding sheets of snow. it is the object of the present invention to overcome these drawbacks by proposing means for supporting electrically active panels such as photovoltaic panels or modules which allow connections to be made easily and without adversely affecting the appearance of the surfaces consisting of these sets of panels. summary of the invention the invention accordingly relates to a supporting frame for an electrically active panel comprising a peripheral structure for receiving an electrically active panel. the peripheral structure comprises an internal electrical connection means for connection to an electrically active panel carried by the frame, at least one first external electrical connection means for connection to a first means external to the frame, and electrical linking means for electrically linking at least the internal electrical connection means to at least the first external electrical connection means, the electrical linking means extending along the peripheral structure so as to be concealed by the peripheral structure. preferably, the peripheral structure comprises a hollow portion in which the electrical linking means are received. the peripheral structure is for example a framework consisting of tubular uprights, the electrical connection means extending through the wall of the uprights on which they are disposed and the electrical linking means extending inside the tubular uprights. the uprights can comprise a groove extending along one of their generatrices, oriented towards the interior of the framework and intended to receive the edge of an electrically active panel. at least one upright can comprise, over its entire length, a flap extending toward the exterior of the framework. preferably, the central portion of the frame delimited by the peripheral structure is open. preferably, the frame consists of a metal strip, for example of steel, which is cut out, folded and joined by welding. preferably, the metal strip consists of a stainless alloy and/or an alloy having a coefficient of expansion compatible with glass. preferably, the frame comprises two external electrical connection means each comprising at least two terminals and preferably three terminals, and the internal electrical connection means comprises two terminals, each terminal of the internal electrical connection means being linked to a terminal of each of the external electrical connection means and each terminal of an external electrical connection means not linked to a terminal of the internal electrical connection means is electrically linked to a terminal of the other external electrical connection means not linked to a terminal of the internal electrical connection means. the internal electrical connector can comprise resilient female half-loops for receiving male connecting studs provided in the slice of an active electrical panel. the electrically active panel is, for example, a photovoltaic generator. the invention also relates to an external wall of a building which comprises a plurality of frames disposed side by side. at least two adjacent frames are connected to one another by an external electrical linking means which cooperates on the one hand with an external electrical connection means of a frame and on the other hand with an external connection means of the other frame. at least one frame carries an electrically active panel which is, for example, a photovoltaic generator. the external wall of a building forms, for example, a roof element. brief description of the drawings the invention will now be described in a more specific but non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: fig. 1 is a perspective view of a frame for supporting an electrically active panel; fig. 2 is a section of the frame in fig. 1 on which an electrically active panel is mounted; fig. 3 is a schematic view of a cut-out pre-folded metal strip for the production of a supporting frame for an electrically active panel as shown in fig. 1 ; fig. 4 is a perspective view of an intermediate phase of production of a frame for supporting an electrically active panel by means of a metal strip as shown in fig. 3 ; fig. 5 is an exploded view of a frame for supporting an electrically active panel on which an electrically active panel is mounted; fig. 6 is a schematic view of a method of connecting a set of photovoltaic panels mounted on the roof of a building; fig. 7 is a schematic view of a second method of connecting a set of photovoltaic panels mounted on a roof of a building; fig. 8 is a schematic view of the means of connecting two adjacent photovoltaic panels intended to be mounted on the wall of a building. fig. 9 is a schematic view of a means for connecting a photovoltaic panel; figs. 10 , 11 and 12 show three embodiments of devices for connecting two adjacent photovoltaic panels, fig. 13 is a section through an embodiment for connecting an electrically active panel to an internal connection means of a frame. detailed description of the invention the supporting frame for an electrically active panel comprises a peripheral structure which is generally denoted by 1 in fig. 1 in the form of a rectangular framework consisting of four uprights 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 . at their upper portions, these uprights comprise horizontal flaps 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 which are folded inwardly and delimit at the periphery of the framework a groove 11 for receiving an electrically active panel such as a photovoltaic cell panel. two of the flaps 9 , 10 also extend toward the exterior of the framework so as to form fins for producing a seal between two adjacent frames. each upright 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 of the framework forming the peripheral structure is hollow and is produced in the manner described hereinafter by folding a metal strip so that it can receive electrical connection means. the internal wall 12 of the upright 3 includes a connector 14 comprising two studs 14 a and 14 b for the connection of an electrically active panel which is supported by the frame. in particular, if this electrically active panel is a photovoltaic cell 20 , the positive and negative connections 21 and 22 of the photovoltaic panel can be connected to the studs 14 a and 14 b of the connector 14 . this connector 14 is, for example, a connector comprising a body made of plastics material overmoulded in a hole provided on the face 12 of the upright 3 . the external face of the upright 2 which is perpendicular to the upright 3 , comprises an external connection means 16 which is also overmoulded in a hole provided on the wall 15 of the upright 2 . this external connection means comprises four connecting studs 16 a , 16 b , 16 c and 16 d . similarly, the external wall of the upright 4 opposite the upright 2 (not shown in the figure) is provided with a second external connection means 17 which is also overmoulded and also comprises four connecting studs 17 a , 17 b , 17 c and 17 d. the differing studs of the external connection means 16 and 17 and of the internal connection means 14 are connected to one another by an electrical linking means 18 . this electrical linking means comprises a first connecting cable 18 a which links a first connecting stud 16 a of an external connection means 16 and the first connecting stud 17 a of the external connection means 17 and which is also connected to a first connecting stud 14 a of the internal connection means 14 . a second connecting cable 18 b links the second stud 16 b of the external connection means 16 , the second stud 17 b of the external connection means 17 and the second connecting stud 14 b of the internal connection means 14 . a third cable 18 c directly links the third connecting stud of the external connection means 16 to the third stud 17 c of the second means of the external connection means 17 . finally, a fourth connecting cable 18 d directly links the fourth connecting stud 16 d of the external connection means 16 to the fourth stud 17 d of the external connection means 17 . these last two connecting circuits are not connected to the internal connection means 14 . in addition, the positive internal connector 14 a and negative internal connector 14 b may be connected via a diode 14 c which is oriented so as to block the passage of current from the positive connector to the negative connector and to allow the passage of current in the opposite direction. this diode allows a defective photovoltaic panel to be bypassed, if necessary. these connecting circuits are located inside the hollow uprights and are therefore completely concealed. the internal connection means, external connection means and connecting circuits between these differing connection means enable sets of panels to be interconnected, as will be described hereinafter, so as to produce series connections or parallel connections, for example in the case of electricity generating panels. as mentioned hereinbefore, the uprights 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 constitute a framework which forms the hollow peripheral structure surrounding a central portion 26 which is generally open. however, there is nothing to prevent this central portion 26 from being closed by a panel. with this arrangement, the electrical linking means 18 is completely received in a hollow portion 25 of the framework formed by the interior of the tubular uprights and is thus concealed. in addition to the electrical links required for the load of the photovoltaic panels, the frame can incorporate an electrical heating means (not shown) for maintaining the frame at a temperature greater than 0° c., preferably greater than 7 or 8° c. this heating means which in a known manner can consist of an electrical heating element controlled by a temperature detector is useful in the winter for detaching snow which might obscure the panels. the internal electrical connection means 14 , as shown, is suitable for the connection of photovoltaic panels comprising two electrical linking wires. a thimble fixed directly on the frame and allowing the earthing thereof can also be provided. further internal electrical connection means may be considered. a particular embodiment of such a method of connection, shown in fig. 13 , will now be described. the upright 200 of the frame comprises an internal connector 201 incorporated in the lower face 202 of the groove 203 which receives the edge 204 of the photovoltaic panel 205 . resilient seals 216 are disposed between the photovoltaic panel and the lower and upper faces of the groove 203 . these resilient seals have the function of sealing and of allowing the displacements resulting from differential expansion. the connector 201 consists of at least two thimbles 206 (only one of which is shown in the figure) made of conductive material and each comprising a resilient female half-loop 207 and a stud 208 for linking to an electrical conductor 209 . the two or three thimbles are immersed in a coating 210 made of plastics material and intended to fix the thimbles on the wall of the upright of the framework. the photovoltaic panel 205 comprises an active slice 211 confined between two protective supporting plates 212 . the active slice 211 is extended at the exterior by two or three conductive strips 213 made of copper (only one of which is shown in the figure) which are wound round a body made of plastics material 214 so as to form a male connecting stud 215 adapted to be clipped into the female loops 207 of the thimbles 206 of the connector 201 of the framework. the internal connector 201 and the male connecting stud 215 are adapted so that, when the male connecting stud 215 is plugged in the internal connector 201 , each conductive strip 213 of the photovoltaic panel is in electrical contact with a resilient female half-loop of the internal connector. it will be appreciated that the connecting device comprises at least one thimble for the positive pole and one thimble for the negative pole. in order to produce a supporting frame for a panel comprising a hollow peripheral structure such as that just described, a metal strip 30 (shown in fig. 3 ) is used, which is precut and comprises four panels 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 which are separated by vertical fold lines 36 a , 36 b and 36 c and are each intended, after being folded, to form the uprights 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 respectively. this strip 30 comprises horizontal fold lines 35 a , 35 b , 35 c , 35 d , 35 e , 35 f and 35 g which extend over the entire length of the strip and will enable folds to be made so as to form tubular units. the metal strip comprises at least one welding lug 40 ′. the panel 31 comprises an opening 37 for receiving the external connection means 16 . the panel 32 comprises an opening 39 for receiving the internal connection means 14 . the panel 33 comprises an opening 38 for receiving the external connection means 17 . as shown in fig. 4 , in an intermediate phase of production, the precut strip 30 may be folded along longitudinal fold lines 35 a , 35 b , 35 c , 35 d , 35 e , in particular to form tubular units corresponding to the panels 31 , 32 , 33 and 34 . this unit can then be folded round vertical fold lines 36 a , 36 b , 36 c (not shown in the figure) so as to form a closed structure of generally rectangular shape. the panels comprise aprons 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 which, after being folded, can form flaps 10 , 7 , 8 and 9 respectively. after being folded, the panels are obviously fixed by welding so as to form a rigid structure. a method of producing such frameworks by folding a precut and prefolded metal strip is known per se and described, for example, in the patent application fr 00 09334. this method has the advantage of allowing the production of very light but at the same time extremely rigid frameworks or hollow structures. this method also allows the production of such structures to be easily automated. it will be noted that, in particular when the framework to be produced is very large, it is possible to use not just a single strip but a plurality of strips. each strip is used to produce a framework portion and the differing portions are then assembled. to produce a framework, a precut strip with prefold lines and the necessary stamping is first prepared. the connectors which are overmoulded on the panels 31 , 32 and 33 are then positioned. the set 18 of connecting cables is then laid. profiled tubes are produced by folding and the cables are located inside the tube. longitudinal laser welding is carried out. the four segments of tubes are then folded along the link lines so as to close the framework and the assembly is joined together by laser welding, in particular at the welding lug 40 ′. the person skilled in the art is familiar with this method of production. once the structure just described has been produced so as to form a rectangular unit with aprons 41 , 42 , 43 and 44 , it can receive an electrical panel such as a photovoltaic panel 20 which is placed inside the framework and is connected by connecting the electrical output conductors 21 and 22 of the photovoltaic cell to the studs 14 a and 14 b of the internal connection means 14 . once the photovoltaic panel is disposed inside the framework and connected, the aprons 41 , 42 , 43 and 44 may be folded down and welded at the four corners so as to hold the panel 20 securely in the framework or on the frame. in order to be able to support photovoltaic panels which are subjected to weathering, under good conditions, the metal strip must consist of an alloy which has high mechanical characteristics, a coefficient of expansion which is preferably compatible with glass and preferably high resistance to atmospheric corrosion. the aim of choosing a coefficient of expansion which is compatible with that of glass is to prevent shearing of the seals disposed at the junction between the frames and the photovoltaic panels. the alloy may be, for example, of the type n485 defined in the standard iso 63 72 , of which the coefficient of expansion of approximately 9.1×10 −6 /k between 0 and 100° c. is close to that of glass and of which the elastic limit is of the order of 250 mpa. if the framework is produced with this alloy, of which the chemical composition basically comprises about 48% of nickel, 6% of chromium and 45% of iron, it must be protected from corrosion. the alloy may also be a stainless steel of the type 316 , for example as defined in the standard nf en 10088-2, of which the coefficient of expansion of approximately 16×10 −6 /k between 0 and 100° c. is higher than that of glass and the elastic limit is approximately 200 mpa. this steel, which contains about 18% of chromium, 10% of nickel and 3% of molybdenum has a very high resistance to corrosion. owing to its high coefficient of expansion, however, it is necessary to dispose an elastomeric seal between the photovoltaic panel and the framework in order to compensate for expansion gaps. a further alloy which may be used is the steel f18 mt defined in the standard nf en 10088-2 of which the coefficient of expansion of approximately 10.8×10 −6 /k between 0 and 100° c. is close to that of glass, of which the elastic limit is approximately 220 mpa in the softened state and of which the corrosion resistance is acceptable. this steel contains approximately 18% of chromium, 2% of molybdenum and 0.5% of titanium and/or niobium. this list of possible alloys is not exhaustive, and the person skilled in the art can select the alloy which he deems to be best suited to each particular application. in particular, a conventional steel of the carbon steel type may be used. on the other hand, the use of aluminium alloys is not preferred because these alloys do not allow sufficient rigidity to be obtained. as mentioned hereinbefore, frames of this type equipped with photovoltaic panels may be installed on walls of a building, in particular on a roof pan. these panels are mounted and fixed using suitable fixing means which produce a seal and which can consist of stringers, bolts and seals (not shown), but which may for example be the same as the supporting means used to fix supporting frameworks for photovoltaic panels known from the prior art. the panels which are mounted on a wall of a building therefore have to be connected to one another so as to be linkable to a load of photographically supplied energy in the case of panels. fig. 6 shows a first embodiment of an assembly. in this figure, a first group 52 of two panels 53 , 54 mounted in series and a second group 55 of two panels 56 and 57 also mounted in series is provided on the roof 51 of the building 50 . the two groups of panels 52 and 55 are connected in parallel to a circuit 63 for powering a load. to produce an assembly of this type, the external connection means 53 a of the panel 53 located at the end of the group 52 comprises a connection means 61 for connecting a circuit linked to the positive pole of the photovoltaic generator of the panel 53 to a return circuit. similarly, the external connector 53 b of the framework 53 and the external connector 54 a of the panel 54 , which face one another, are connected by an intermediate connection means 60 which enables the positive pole of the generator of the panel 54 to be connected to the negative pole of the generator of the panel 53 , and the return circuit of the panel 53 to the return circuit of the panel 54 . finally, the external connection means 54 b of the panel 54 is linked via an intermediate connection means 62 to the circuit for powering a load 63 in such a way that the negative pole of the generator of the panel 54 is linked to a negative pole of the load circuit, and the return circuit which is connected to the positive pole of the generator of the panel 53 is linked to the positive pole of the load circuit. similarly, the group 55 of two panels 56 and 57 comprises end connection means 67 and intermediate connection means 66 and 68 which allow the two generators to be connected in series and to be connected to the load circuit in parallel with the generator formed by the panels 53 and 54 . the load circuit comprises a line 64 corresponding to the negative pole and a line 65 corresponding to the positive pole. assemblies of this type are known to the person skilled in the art. in a second embodiment, shown in fig. 7 , a first group 72 of panels 73 and 74 which are connected in parallel and a second group 75 of panels 76 and 77 which are also connected in parallel is disposed on the roof 71 of a building 70 . the panels 73 , 74 are connected in parallel via an intermediate connector 78 . similarly, the panels 76 , 77 are connected in parallel via a connector 81 . sets of panels 72 and 75 are connected in series with the load circuit via connectors 79 and 82 which link them on the one hand to a line 82 for connection of the positive poles of the unit 75 to the negative poles of the unit of panels 72 . a line 83 corresponding to the positive pole of the load circuit is linked to the positive pole of the panels 73 and 74 via a connector 79 . a line 84 corresponding to the negative pole of the load circuit is linked via the connector 82 to the negative pole of the panels 76 and 77 . assemblies of this type, which are given by way of non limiting example, are also known to the person skilled in the art. in particular, junctions must be provided for earthing the frames. these assemblies are shown schematically in fig. 8 which shows two panels 90 and 91 each comprising generator elements 92 and 93 and internal connection cables 94 and 95 for linking the generator of the panel 90 to external connection means 96 and 97 , and the generator of the panel 91 to external connection means 98 and 99 . the external connection means 96 of the panel 90 receives an end connection means 100 which is plugged in the external connection means 96 . this end connection means produces the junction between a pole of the generator 92 and the return circuit, if required, as in the case of the above-described first embodiment. the two external connection means 97 and 98 of the panels 92 and 91 which face one another are connected via an external electrical linking means 101 which can be plugged on the one hand in the connection means 97 and on the other hand in the connection means 98 to produce the link between the two panels by the method shown in the above described first embodiment or second embodiment. finally, the external connection means 99 of the panel 91 comprises a connection means 102 for connection to the circuit for powering the load using the electricity supplied. these electrical linking or connection means 100 , 101 and 102 are designed to be plugged directly into the external connection means 96 and 97 with particular layouts for avoiding confusion between the differing connection means. these connection means which consist of parts made, for example, of moulded plastics material, comprising internal electrically conductive plugs having shapes which are adapted to be plugged into the external connection means 96 and 97 , can have a plurality of shapes as shown in figs. 9 , 10 , 11 and 12 . fig. 9 shows schematically an external electrical linking means 110 for joining a pole of a generator of a photovoltaic panel and the end return circuit of a series of panels connected in series, as shown in fig. 6 . this connection element comprises four studs 111 , 112 , 113 and 114 which contain an electrically conductive jumper 15 for joining the intermediate stud 112 and the intermediate stud 113 . the intermediate connection means between two panels, such as the intermediate connection means 101 in fig. 8 , can assume different shapes, depending on the nature of the electrical links to be produced. fig. 10 shows a connector 120 which constitutes an external electrical linking means for producing a link of the link type 60 , shown in fig. 6 , and which includes, on one hand, four studs 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 and, on the other hand, two separate studs 125 and 126 and two studs 127 and 128 which are joined together. inside these studs made of plastics material, the connector comprises on the one hand a junction 129 between a stud 122 and a stud 126 which face one another so as to produce junctions between the return circuits of the panels and a third junction 130 which produces the link between an end stud 124 on one hand and an intermediate stud 127 on the other, so as to be able to produce the junction between a positive pole of a first panel and a negative pole of another panel. the studs 127 and 128 are joined so as to provide a means for recognizing the nature of the connector. a second type of connector, shown in fig. 11 , may be used to produce the junction 62 between a panel 54 and the load circuit 63 , as shown in fig. 6 . this connector 140 includes, on the one hand, studs 141 , 142 , 143 , 144 which are separated from one another, and, on the other hand, a stud 145 which is separated from two combined studs 146 and 147 and a stud 148 . inside the connector, conductive joining means 149 and 150 allow the linking on the one hand of the studs 142 and 146 and on the other hand of the studs 144 and 148 so as to produce the junctions as shown at the connection 62 in fig. 6 . the two studs 146 and 147 are combined in a same unit so as also to produce a means of recognizing the connector. a third embodiment of the connector, shown in fig. 12 , may be used to produce connections of the type of connections 78 , 79 , 81 or 82 shown in fig. 7 , for producing junctions between two adjacent panels or of one panel with the load circuit when two adjacent panels are connected in parallel. this connector 160 includes on the one hand studs 161 , 162 , 163 and 164 and on the other hand studs 165 , 166 , 167 and 168 . the studs 163 and 167 which face one another are linked by a conductive joining means 169 and the studs 164 and 168 which face one another are linked to one another by a conductive joining means 170 . the studs 163 and 164 , on the one hand, and 167 and 168 , on the other hand, are combined in a single unit made of plastics material also so as to produce a means of recognizing connection means. the connectors which have just been described comprise four pairs of studs, only three of which are used. however, the fourth pair of studs may also be used, for example, for earthing. in this case, the associated studs are electrically connected. it will be appreciated that these means of connection which are given merely by way of example are standard means which can be used for easy assembly, for example, of the frameworks on a roof or on any wall of a building. in fact, when the desired method of connection is known, suitable connection means may be selected and, beginning at the bottom, suitable intermediate connection means may be mounted on the studs for connection of the electric power collecting circuit 63 or 80 . once these intermediate connection means are mounted, a first panel may be positioned by plugging the connection means inside the corresponding external connection means of the panel. once the panel is fixed, a suitable intermediate connection means may be plugged on the second external connection means of the panel. a second panel can then be positioned while ensuring that the intermediate connection means is well plugged into the intermediate connection means of the second panel, and so on, to produce a column of panels which are connected to one another via standardized intermediate connection means which can easily be positioned. a plurality of columns of interconnected panels can thus be produced, as just mentioned, and an electrical generator consisting of a plurality of photovoltaic panels mounted on the wall of the building can thus easily be produced. this positioning requires minimum of labor. the person skilled in the art will appreciate that the assembly principle may also be used for electrically active panels other than photovoltaic panels and, in particular, connection means may be provided for independent control of each of the panels by linking them to a general control circuit which allows each of the panels to be powered separately and to be controlled and thus to produce aesthetic effects, for example by using panels capable of becoming electroluminescent.
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066-517-809-491-083
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US
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[
"US"
] |
E04B1/82,E04B1/84,E04H1/12
| 1979-03-29T00:00:00 |
1979
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[
"E04"
] |
industrial noise abatement enclosure
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an industrial noise abatement enclosure having opposed walls includes an open framework and a series of elongated acoustical panels arranged side by side and removably mounted upon the top and sides of the framework. the framework has corner posts with right angularly related connectors at their top and bottom. a plurality of pairs of vertically spaced top and bottom tubes have their ends snugly telescoped over the connectors. coplanar spaced upturned and downturned channels are respectively mounted upon the bottom and top tubes. the panels at their ends are loosely interlocked with the channels and extend between the corner posts. the roof panels span and rest upon the top tubes. the panels are individually liftable within the channels and removable therefrom for easy access to the interior of the enclosure. each panel is in the form of a box with a perforated inner wall. the panel faces have side flanges which are interconnected by side strips. each strip mounts an elongated flexible bead for registry with the adjacent panel. a filler of a mineral material is nested within each panel.
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1. an industrial noise abatement enclosure having opposed walls comprising an open framework mountable upon a floor surface and a series of elongated acoustical panels of rectangular cross section arranged side by side loosely and removably mounted upon said framework defining the walls and roof of said enclosure; said framework including a plurality of spaced upright corner posts; a pair of right angularly related connectors at the top and bottom of each post, with the connectors between an adjacent pair of posts being aligned laterally and longitudinally respectively; a plurality of pairs of vertically spaced coplaner top and bottom tubes, with one pair of tubes for each wall of said enclosure, with the respective ends of said tubes snugly telescoped over said connectors, respectively for interlock with said corner posts; an elongated upturned bottom channel having a base mounted on and secured to each bottom tube along its length; an elongated downturned top channel having a base mounted on and secured to each top tube along its length, with the top and bottom channels for each wall in alignment; said channels defining a lateral opening of a predetermined height; said panels spanning and at their ends nested and removably interlocked with said top and bottom channels and extending between said corner posts; the panels defining the roof being arranged side by side, spanning and resting upon said top tubes respectively; the panels defining said side walls resting upon said bottom channels and being of a height greater than said lateral opening and less than the distance between the bases of said channels so as to loosely nest within the top channels; each of said panels comprising opposed inner and outer panel faces with inwardly directed opposed side flanges; said flanges having reversed turned locking edges; a pair of spaced elongated assembly channel strips between said panel faces inwardly of said flanges; each strip having inwardly directed opposed lock edges defining an elongated chamber and cooperatively interlocked with said flange lock edges on opposite sides of said panel faces, securing said panel faces together; an elongated resilient gasket nested within the chamber of each of said assembly channel strips and including an elongated bead projecting outwardly of said strip and along and outwardly of the sides of each panel; an elongated filler of a mineral material, rectangular in cross section and nested between said panel faces; said panel face being perforated; and top and bottom channels overlying the ends of said panel faces; said wall panels being individually liftable within the corresponding top channel to facilitate outward removal of the lower ends of each panel from the corresponding bottom channel. 2. in the noise abatement enclosure of claim 1, a resilient gasket strip upon said floor surface underlying the bottom tubes of said framework; and additional resilient gasket strips mounted within the bottom channels and upon said top tubes, yieldably supporting said wall and roof panels, respectively. 3. in the noise abatement enclosure of claim 2, an elongated flexible sealing strip mounted upon and extending along the sides of each panel for cooperative sealing engagement between the panels of said walls and roof. 4. in the noise abatement enclosure of claim 1, inwardly directed angle strips secured to the interior of each of said top tubes along the length thereof and below the tops of said tubes; the roof panels spanning and bearing upon said angle strips. 5. in the noise abatement enclosure of claim 4, a resilient gasket strip mounted upon said angle strips supportably underlying said roof panels. 6. in the noise abatement enclosure of claim 1, a handle upon the exterior of said panels to facilitate individual lifting of a panel relative to its retaining channels and for disengaging and removing said panel therefrom. 7. in the industrial noise abatement enclosure of claim 1, an elongated flexible sealing strip mounted upon and extending along the sides of each panel for cooperative sealing engagement between the panels in said walls and roof. 8. in the noise abatement enclosure of claim 1, said channels having inner and outer walls, the inner wall of each channel being of a greater height than the outer wall for increased supporting engagement of said panels and for limiting said panels for outward removal therefrom. 9. in the noise abatement enclosure of claim 1, the upper ends of said panels being spaced from the top of said top channels defining a clearance space for lifting said panels therein and for disengaging said panels from the bottom channel. 10. in the industrial noise abatement enclosure of claim 1, inwardly directed tabs at opposite ends of said assembly strips; said latter top and bottom channels bearing against and secured to said tabs. 11. in the industrial noise abatement enclosure of claim 1, one of said enclosure walls having two tiers of panels; a pair of opposed spaced connecters extending from a pair of corner posts including said one wall, intermediate their ends; an intermediate tube with its ends snugly telescoped over said latter connecters and extending between said latter posts; an elongated upturned bottom channel mounted on and secured to said intermediate tube along its length; an elongated downturned top channel mounted on and secured to and depending from said intermediate tube along its length; the panels of the lower tier being arranged side by side and interposed between the channels of said bottom tube and intermediate tube, and the panels of the upper tier being arranged side by side and interposed between the channels of said top tube and intermediate tube. 12. an industrial noise abatement enclosure having opposed walls comprising an open framework mountable upon a floor surface and a series of elongated acoustical panels of rectangular cross section arranged side by side loosely and removably mounted upon said framework defining the walls and roof of said enclosure; said framework including a plurality of spaced upright corner posts; a pair of right angularly related connectors at the top and bottom of each post, with the connectors between an adjacent pair of posts being aligned laterally and longitudinally respectively; a plurality of pairs of vertically spaced coplaner top and bottom tubes, with one pair of tubes for each wall of said enclosure, with the respective ends of said tubes snugly telescoped over said connectors, respectively for interlock with said corner posts; an elongated upturned bottom channel having a base mounted on and secured to each top tube along its length, with the top and bottom channels for each wall in alignment; said channels defining a lateral opening of a predetermined height; said panels spanning and at their ends nested and removably interlocked with said top and bottom channels and extending between said corner posts; the panels defining the roof being arranged side by side, spanning and resting upon said top tubes respectively; the panels defining said side walls resting upon said bottom channels and being of a height greater than said lateral opening and less than the distance between the bases of said channels so as to loosely nest within the top channels; each of said panels comprising opposed inner and outer panel faces with inwardly directed opposed side flanges; said flanges having reversed turned locking edges; a pair of spaced elongated assembly channel strips between said panel faces inwardly of said flanges; each strip having inwardly directed opposed lock edges defining an elongated chamber and cooperatively interlocked with said flange lock edges on opposite sides of said panel faces, securing said panel faces together; an elongated resilient gasket nested within the chamber of each of said assembly channel strips and including an elongated bead projecting outwardly of said strip and along and outwardly of the sides of each panel; an elongated filler of a mineral material, rectangular in cross section and nested between said panel faces; said inner panel face being perforated; and top and bottom channels overlying the ends of said panel faces; said wall panels being individually liftable within the corresponding top channel to facilitate outward removal of the lower ends of each panel from the corresponding bottom channel; a resilient gasket strip upon said floor surface underlying the bottom tubes of said framework; and additional resilient gasket strips mounted within the bottom channels, yieldably supporting said wall panels; inwardly directed angle strips secured to the interior of each of said top tubes along the length thereof and below the tops of said tubes; a resilient gasket strip mounted upon said angle strips supportably underlying said roof panels. 13. in the noise abatement enclosure of claim 12, a handle upon the exterior of said panels to facilitate individual lifting of a panel relative to its retaining channels and for disengaging and removing said panel therefrom. 14. in the industrial noise abatement enclosure of claim 12, an elongated flexible sealing strip mounted upon and extending along the sides of each panel for cooperative sealing engagement between the panels in said walls and roof.
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background of the disclosure heretofore, in factories and plants involving machinery producing uncomfortable high levels of noise in their operation there has long been a problem as to the safety and comfort of workers. industrial noise levels are particularly objectionable in the use of, without exclusion of other devices, 200-ton presses, wood fabricators, nut forming equipment, punches, and dies. in accordance with the walsh healey act, as amended may 8, 1969, occupational noise standards for a person require that he may not work more than eight hours at a maximum of 90 dba, as measured on the a scale of a sound level meter. efforts have been made in the provision of noise enclosure devices such as found in u.s. pat. no. 3,885,362 entitled "modular noise abatement enclosure and joint seal". in that patent there is provided a noise abatement enclosure having a framework with a top rail and wherein a series of panels side by side are suspended therefrom as a sole support for the panels. the structure disclosed in that patent is complicated and involved as distinquished from the present invention, wherein there is provided a very simplified framework of a hollow tubular construction wherein a series of panels are arranged and supported on the framework so as to enclose the framework without the use of fasteners, providing for easy removability of panels as desired for access to the interior of the enclosure containing a machine, tool or other noisy machinery. summary of the invention the present invention is directed to an industrial noise abatement enclosure which has opposed walls and which comprising an open tubular framework mountable upon a floor surface and incorporates a series of elongated acoustical panels of rectangular cross section which are arranged side by side in a sealing relationship and loosely and removably mounted upon the framework which defines the walls and roof of the enclosure. the present framework is free standing and open and includes corner posts with right angularly related connectors at the top and bottom of each post, and with the connectors between an adjacent pair of posts being aligned laterally and longitudinally. the frame members are square in cross section. a plurality of pairs of vertically spaced coplanar top and bottom tubes are provided with each pair or tubes defining a wall of the enclosure, and with respective ends of the tubes snugly and frictionally telescoped over said connectors, respectively for interlock with the corner posts. elongated upturned bottom channels are mounted upon and secured to each bottom tube along its length. elongated downturned top channels are mounted on and secured to each top tube along its length, with the respective top and bottom channels being in alignment. panels span and at their ends are nested and removably interlocked with the top and bottom channels and extend between the corner posts for defining the walls of the enclosure. the panels which define the roof are arranged side by side and span and rest upon the top tubes of the framework. the respective panels which define the side walls rest upon the bottom channels with a suitable resilient gasket strip interposed and are of such height as to loosely extend within the top channels for retention thereby. the panels which define the roof are arranged side by side in sealing relationship and are supported upon the top tubes of the framework. a resilient gasket strip is applied to the floor surface and underlies the bottom tubes of the framework. an additional gasket strip is mounted upon the top tubes for yieldably supporting the roof panels. each of the panels have one or more handles thereon whereby without the use of tools or fastening devices, the respective panels may be assembled with respect to the framework and likewise, are easily removable selectively to provide access to the interior of the enclosure. each of the respective panels have along opposite sides, a resilient flexible bead or sealing strip which projects laterally of the panels for cooperative sealing engagement with an adjacent panel. each of the panels includes inner and outer panel faces with inwardly directed side flanges having reversed turned locking edges. a pair of laterally spaced elongated assembly channel strips are positioned between the panel faces. each of the strips have inwardly directed opposed locking edges, which define an elongated chamber and additionally are cooperatively interlocked with the flange lock edges upon opposite sides of the panel faces for securing the panel faces together. an elongated resilient gasket is nested within the chamber of each of the assembly channel strips and includes an elongated bead which projects outwardly of the strip along and outwardly of the sides of the panel. each panel is filled with a filler of mineral or other foam material. the inner panel faces are perforated. top and bottom channels overlie the ends of the respective panel faces completing the panel enclosure. it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simplified self standing open framework of a tubular construction and wherein the respective opposed pairs of top and bottom tubes at their ends are telescopically interlocked with adjacent corner posts. it a further object to provide a simplified noise abatement enclosure consisting of a plurality of acoustically isolating panels which are easily and removably mounted between opposed channels on the top and bottom tubes of the framework without the use of tools or fasteners. these and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawings. the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of the present noise abatement enclosure. fig. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the tubular framework therefore. fig. 3 is a vertical section of a one tier wall of the enclosure taking the direction of arrows 3--3 of fig. 1. fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of a two-tier wall taken in the direction of arrows 4--4 of fig. 1. fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the panel construction. fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the panel assembly and mounting of the vertical sealing gasket. detailed description of an embodiment of the invention it will be understood that the above drawings illustrate merely a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth. the present industrial noise abatement enclosure is generally illustrated at 11 in fig. 1 as mounted upon a floor surface f, figs. 3 and 4 and including an open tubular free-standing framework 13 shown in fig. 2. the framework in the disclosed embodiment consists of a series of tubular components which are all assembled together without the requirement of fasteners, and include a plurality of upstanding corner posts 15. right angularly related connectors 17 are mounted upon the top and bottom of each corner post, with the connectors between an adjacent pair of posts being aligned laterally and longitudinally respectively. forming each side of the framework there is provided bottom telescoping tube 19 and top telescoping tube 21. the top and bottom tubes are arranged in a pair corresponding to each side of the enclosure with the respective ends of the tubes snugly telescoped over the respective connectors 17 for interlock with the corner posts. this provides a free-standing framework for the enclosure. since one of the walls 43 shown in fig. 1 provides for two tiers of panels, one pair of corner posts shown in fig. 2 have the inwardly directed additional tubular connectors 17 adapted to telescopically receive the respective ends of the intermediate tube 23, fragmentarily shown in fig. 2 and described in further detail with respect to fig. 4. the two tiers of panels are assembled with respect to the framework in the manner shown in fig. 1 and fig. 4. an elongated bottom channel 25 having a base is mounted upon and along the top of each of the bottom tubes 19 and secured thereto by suitable fasteners 31, fig. 3. top channels 29 facing downwardly and having a base are secured to the undersurface of each of the top tubes 21 by additional fasteners as shown at 31, fig. 3. the respective sets of vertically spaced channels are coplanar and are adapted to supportably receive the plurality of acoustical panels 33 which are arranged side-by-side, supported and secured between respective top and bottom channels 25 and 25. corresponding acoustical roof panels 35 are arranged side-by-side and span the respective top tubes and are supported thereon in the manner best shown in figs. 2, 3 and 4. upon the interior of each of the top tubes 21 and extending along the length thereof are the elongated angle plates 37. said plates overlie inner wall portions of the top channels 29 and are secured to the top tubes as by the additional fasteners 31, fig. 3. each of the respective panels 33 and 35 in the one tier wall 45 and in the two tier wall 43 as shown in figs. 1, 3 and 4 have one or more handles 39 adjacent one or both ends of a panel to facilitate assembly of the panels with respect to the supporting channels or for removal thereof as hereafter described. the back plate 27 of the channels as in figs. 3 and 4 are of a greater height than the outer plate of said channels to more effectively support and retain the panels 33 with respect to said channels as best shown in fig. 3. the spacing of the channels 25 and 29 is such that with the respective top and bottom portions of each panel nested within said channels and resting upon the elongated resilient gasket 41 within the bottom channel there is provided a clearance space 47 within the top channel to facilitate assembly and disassembly of said panels. each pair of channels defines a lateral opening of a predetermined height. each panel is of a height greater than said lateral opening. the distance between the bases of a pair of such channels is greater than the height of each panel. accordingly, the respective panels span and at their ends are nested and removably interlocked within the top and bottom channels and as shown in fig. 1 extend between the corner posts for completing the walls of the enclosure. the clearance space 47 within the top channel permits the individual panel to be manually elevated into that space such sufficient distance as will provide a clearance of the bottom of the panel from the bottom channel and facilitate removal of said panel outwardly as designated by the arrow in fig. 3. by this construction, the panels individually may be manually removed from the corresponding channels and reassembled thereto without the use of any tools. all of the upright panels are supported upon bottom channel strips of a resilient gasket 41 constructed preferably of neoprene, for example, or other resilient material. the increased height of the back plates 27 of the individual channels prevents the panel from being displaced from the channels inwardly into the enclosure and limits their removal to positions outwardly of the enclosure. in the construction of the wall referred to as a two tier wall 43 shown in figs. 1 and 4, there is applied the intermediate tube 23 whose ends are telescoped over the adjacent connectors 17 shown in fig. 2 for interlock with the adjacent corner posts and providing the support for the corresponding two tiers of panels. along the top of the intermediate tube of the framework, there is mounted and secured an elongated upturned channel 25 corresponding to the bottom channels of figs. 3 and 4 which extends along the length of the intermediate tube and is suitable secured thereto by fasteners 31, as shown in fig. 3. upon the undersurface of the intermediate tube 23 there is also secured a corresponding downturned top channel 29 similarly secured thereto along the undersurface thereof. in this construction as shown in fig. 4 for the two tier wall 43 also shown in fig. 1, the lower tier of panels 33 are of less height than the panels 33 of fig. 3 for the one tier wall 45. the respective panels 33 are arranged side-by-side in a row for the respective upper and lower tiers and are individually and manually assembled with respect to the opposed channels 25 and 29 above and below the intermediate tube 23 for completing the assembly of the two tier wall 43 of fig. 4. in each case there is mounted upon the base of the bottom channels 25 in fig. 4 a strip of resilient gasket, such as a neoprene gasket, which supportably underlies the lower ends of each of the respective panels 33. at the same time, the roof panels 35 which are arranged side-by-side are supportably and yieldably mounted upon corresponding gasket strips 41 which are mounted upon the angle flanges 37 arranged inwardly of the top tubes 21. panel construction the panels 33 and 35 are shown in the exploded perspective view fig. 5 and in the fragmentary section fig. 6. the panels are normally provided in modular widths of 30 inches or 45 inches and include outer panel face 49 made of 18-gauge steel, for example, and the inner panel face 51 preferably constructed of a 20-gauge steel. both panel faces have a hot dipped galvanized finish. the inner panel is perforated throughout at 53, fig. 5, by a series of 1/8 inch diameter holes arranged at 7/32 inch staggered centers for illustration. each of the panel faces have inwardly directed side flanges 55 which terminate in reverse turned lock edges 57. a suitable acoustical filler 59, rectangular in cross section, and which may be mylar wrapped or otherwise wrapped to prevent oil soaking, is nested between the respective inner and outer panel faces and retained therebetween. the filler is preferably a relatively dense non-flammable mineral material and may be enclosed in a suitable plastic material as shown at 61 to prevent absorption of oil or other contaminants. a suitable filler would be a mineral fiber felt, preferably a fine mineral fiber, semirigid in composition, such as "thermafiber" sold by u.s. gypsum company, having a density of six pounds per cubic foot. other materials including fiberglass mats and foam may be used. the total panel thickness in the illustrative embodiment is 25/16 inches. the elongated assembly channel strips 63 each include a reverse turned lock edge 65 defining elongated chamber 67 and terminate at their respective top and bottom in the inwardly directed assembly tab 69. the respective assembly channel strips 63 are arranged inwardly of the side flanges 55 and are telescoped along the length of the side flanges so that the return lock edges 65 retainingly engage over and receive corresponding return lock edges 57 of the side flanges in the manner shown in fig. 6. when the assembly channel strips have been moved longitudinally so as to engage over the full length of the respective inner and outer panel faces, said faces are effectively secured together with the acoustical filler 59 interposed. as set forth above, said filler is a non-flammable mineral felt such as rock wool having a 6 pound density. within the chamber 67 formed along the length of the assembly channel strips 63 there is telescopically mounted and removably nested therein the elongated gasket 77 of a flexible material, such as neoprene, which is interposed between the back wall of the connector 63 and reverse turned edges 57 of the side flanges of the inner and outer panel faces. the gasket is formed with an elongated sealing bead 79 which projects outwardly of the channel strip 63 along its length and in the assembled relationship projects laterally of the individual panel along its length and upon opposite sides thereof. accordingly in the assembly of the respective panels side-by-side there is a sealing relationship established between adjacent panels throughout their height or length, as in top panels 35. the panel 33, or 35 for the roof construction, is completed by bottom channel 71 and the top or hanger channel 73 which overlies the respective end portions of the inner and outer panel faces. these bear against the respective tabs 69 and are secured thereto by a series of fasteners employing the fastener apertures 75 shown in fig. 5 at the ends of the respective channels 71 and 73. therefore, each of the respective panels is provided upon opposite sides thereof along the length thereof with a flexible neoprene or other resilient gasket for the central portion of each such panel to thereby assure a seal between adjacent panels. without being described in detail, the enclosure is normally provided with a ventilating system designated at 81, fig. 1, normally upon the top of the enclosure and which may include an air exhaust duct and an associated exhaust fan. upon some other area of the enclosure such as upon the side or on the rear thereof there may be provided an additional air intake duct panel or the like by which atmospheric air may be introduced into the interior of said enclosure. as shown in fig. 1, there are provided a pair of opposed doors 83 of a construction similar to the panels above described but which are suitably reinforced, particularly at their edges for nesting within the door frame 85 forming a part of the framework and secured thereto by a series of hinges 87. the door or doors thus provides additional access to the interior of the enclosure should it be necessary to move a vehicle or a large object into and out of such enclosure. the individual removable wall panels provide additional access to the interior of the enclosure by their selective removal of one or more thereof as desired and without the requirement for the use of any tools or fasteners or clips. in order to achieve a successful reduction of industrial noise by means of an enclosure there must be provided a proper acoustical design of the respective components and the assembly thereof into a rigid type structure such as has been provided by the use of a series of modular acoustical panels and a simplified means of removably mounting the panels upon the framework in side-by-side sealing arrangement and for enclosing the walls and top of the framework. the present enclosure which achieves successful noise reduction offers minimal interference with the use of the equipment or the machine enclosed and at the same time provides access to the interior of the enclosure which is quick and simple. the present door construction briefly referred to is the same as the panel construction except that an interior frame is added for additional strength and rigidity and for hinge attachment. various door types and sizes may be employed to meet access requirements such as single doors, double doors, bifold doors or sliding doors. the present free-standing frame supports and contains the side panels, doors and roof panels. the framing members shown in fig. 2 are fabricated from 12-gauge, 21/2 inch square steel tubing with the interlocking joints provided for positive location and rigidity. the respective channels are attached to the square steel tubing and are adapted to hold the side panels in proper position without the use of additional attachment means such as bolts or clips. the panels are removed simply by lifting them out of the frame channels. the present tubular framing provides the structural rigidity and dimensional control necessary to an enclosure for sound attenuation and durability. while the door may provide access for pedestrians and die trucks, additional access for repair, maintenance and service of the machinery enclosed within the enclosure is readily available by selective panel removal. this is achieved by lifting an individual panel and moving the bottom portion outwardly freeing the panel from the upper and lower retaining channels without the use of any tools. having described my invention, reference should now be had to the following claims.
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066-662-581-705-153
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US
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[
"WO",
"US"
] |
H04B7/08,H04L1/00
| 2007-01-10T00:00:00 |
2007
|
[
"H04"
] |
apparatus, methods and computer program products providing selective diversity operation and adjustment of transport format for a multiple-receiver unit
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in one exemplary embodiment, a method including: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first and second receiver utilizing a diversity method (801); and, in response to determining that simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be unavailable for the first communication (802). in another exemplary embodiment, a method including: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first receiver (851); receiving a second wireless communication with at least a second receiver (852); and in response to determining that reception of the second communication is to end, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use (853). in another exemplary embodiment, a method including: receiving, by a first apparatus, a timing of a second apparatus' periodic reception (901); and adjusting a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the first apparatus to the second apparatus based on the timing (902).
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claims what is claimed is: 1. a method comprising: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first receiver and a second receiver, wherein the first wireless communication is received utilizing a diversity method (801); and in response to determining that simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be unavailable for the first wireless communication (802). 2. a method as in claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining that simultaneous reception of the second wireless communication is desired, receiving the second wireless communication using at least the second receiver. 3. a method as in claim 2, further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that reception of the second wireless communication is to end. 4. a method as in claim 2, further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use. 5. a method as in claim 2, further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication has at least temporarily ended, using at least the first receiver and the second receiver to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. 6. a method as in claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. 7. a method as in claim 1, further comprising: determining a timing of a periodic reception; and signaling the determined timing. 8. an apparatus comprising: a plurality of means for receiving a first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method, wherein the plurality of means for receiving comprises a first means for receiving and a second means for receiving; and means, in response to determining that simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired, for signaling that at least the second receiver is to be unavailable for the first wireless communication. 9. an apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the apparatus is configured, in response to determining that simultaneous reception of the second wireless communication is desired, to receive the second wireless communication using at least the second means for receiving. 10. an apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the means for signaling is further, in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, for signaling that reception of the second wireless communication is to end. 11. an apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the means for signaling is further, in response to the processor determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, for signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use. 12. an apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the plurality of means for receiving is further, in response to the processor determining that reception of the second wireless communication has at least temporarily ended, for using at least the first means for receiving and the second means for receiving to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. 13. an apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. 14. an apparatus as in claim 8, further comprising: means for determining a timing of a periodic reception; and means for signaling the determined timing. 15. an apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal. 16. a method comprising: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first receiver (851); receiving a second wireless communication with at least a second receiver (852); and in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use (853). 17. a method as in 16, further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, using at least the first receiver and the second receiver to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. 18. a method as in 16, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. 19. a method as in 16, further comprising: determining a timing of a periodic reception; and signaling the determined timing. 20. a method comprising: receiving, by a first apparatus, a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (901); and adjusting a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the first apparatus to the second apparatus based on the received timing (902). 21. a method as in claim 20, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a multimedia broadcast/multicast service signal. 22. a method as in claim 20, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises modifying a reported channel quality information for the second apparatus and using the modified channel quality information to obtain the adjusted transport format. 23. a method as in claim 20, wherein the first apparatus comprises a base station. 24. a program storage device readable by a first apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the first apparatus for performing operations, said operations comprising: receiving, by the first apparatus, a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (901); and adjusting a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the first apparatus to the second apparatus based on the received timing (902). 25. a program storage device as in claim 24, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a multimedia broadcast/multicast service signal 26. a program storage device as in claim 24, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises modifying a reported channel quality information for the second apparatus and using the modified channel quality information to obtain the adjusted transport format. 27. a program storage device as in claim 24, wherein the first apparatus comprises a base station. 28. an apparatus (116) comprising: means for receiving (142) a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (114); and means for adjusting (138) a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the apparatus (116) to the second apparatus (114) based on the received timing. 29. an apparatus (116) as in claim 28, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a multimedia broadcast/multicast service signal 30. an apparatus (116) as in claim 28, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises modifying a reported channel quality information for the second apparatus and using the modified channel quality information to obtain the adjusted transport format. 31. an apparatus (116) as in claim 28, wherein the apparatus (116) comprises a base station.
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apparatus, methods and computer program products providing selective diversity operation and adjustment of transport format for a multiple-receiver unit technical field: [0001] the exemplary embodiments of this invention relate generally to wireless communication systems and, more specifically, relate to wireless communication systems where nodes may each have a plurality of receivers. background: [0002] the following abbreviations are utilized herein: 3 g third generation 3gpp third generation partnership project an access node bs base station cqi channel quality information e-utran evolved umts terrestrial radio access network gprs general packet radio services harq hybrid automatic repeat-request ll layer 1 (physical layer, phy) la link adaptation lte long term evolution of utran mac medium access control (layer 2, l2) mbms multimedia broadcast/multicast service mcs modulation and coding scheme mimo multiple input/multiple output node b base station qam quadrature amplitude modulation qpsk quadrature phase-shift keying rnc radio network controller rrc radio resource connection sgsn serving gprs support node sinr signal to interference-plus-noise ratio tf transport format ue user equipment, such as a mobile station or mobile terminal umts universal mobile telecommunications system utran umts terrestrial radio access network wcdma wideband code division multiple access [0003] broadcast and multicast are methods for transmitting data-grams from a single source to several destinations (i.e., point-to-multipoint). it is envisaged that for some applications (e.g., television), multiple users can receive the same data at the same time. the benefit of multicast and broadcast in the network is that the data is sent once on each link. for example, a sgsn will send data once to an rnc regardless of the number of node bs and ues that wish to receive it. the benefit of multicast and broadcast on the air interface is that many users can receive the same data on a common channel, thus not burdening the air interface with multiple transmissions of the same data. with increasing use of high bandwidth applications in 3 g mobile systems, especially with a large number of users receiving the same high data rate services, efficient information distribution is essential. thus, broadcast and multicast are techniques to decrease the amount of data within the network and use resources more efficiently. see 3gpp ts 22.146 v8.1.0, "3rd generation partnership project; technical specification group services and system aspects; multimedia broadcast/multicast service; stage 1 (release 8)," september 2006. [0004] due to increasing interest in mobile television (i.e., receiving and viewing television on mobile devices), 3gpp is considering further development of mbms. the idea of supplying broadcast services on a separate carrier (i.e., from unicast services) is currently under discussion with respect to e-utran (3.9g) work for 3gpp release 8 specifications and has been made the subject of a release 7 work item with respect to utran. [0005] several technical specifications and technical reports that are germane to this subject matter include: [0006] 3gpp ts 22.146 v8.1.0, "3rd generation partnership project; technical specification group services and system aspects; multimedia broadcast/multicast service; stage 1 (release 8)," september 2006. [0007] 3gpp tr 23.846 v6.1.0, "3rd generation partnership project; technical specification group services and system aspects; multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms); architecture and functional description (release 6)," december 2002. [0008] 3gpp ts 25.346 v7.2.0, "3rd generation partnership project; technical specification group radio access network; introduction of the multimedia broadcast multicast service (mbms) in the radio access network (ran); stage 2 (release 7)," september 2006. [0009] 3gpp ts 23.246 v7.1.1 , "3rd generation partnership project; technical specification group services and system aspects; multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms); architecture and functional description (release 7)," december 2006. [0010] 3gpp tr 25.913 v7.3.0, "3rd generation partnership project; technical specification group radio access network; requirements for evolved utra (e-utra) and evolved utran (e-utran) (release 7)," march 2006. summary: [0011] in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method comprising: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first receiver and a second receiver, wherein the first wireless communication is received utilizing a diversity method (801); and in response to determining that simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be unavailable for the first wireless communication (802). [0012] in another exemplary embodiment of the invention, an apparatus (114) comprising: a plurality of receivers (124, 128) configured to receive a first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method, wherein the plurality of receivers comprise a first receiver (124) and a second receiver (128); and a processor (120) configured, in response to determining that simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired, to signal that at least the second receiver (128) is to be unavailable for the first wireless communication. [0013] in another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method comprising: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first receiver (851); receiving a second wireless communication with at least a second receiver (852); and in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use (853). [0014] in another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method comprising: receiving, by a first apparatus, a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (901); and adjusting a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the first apparatus to the second apparatus based on the received timing (902). [0015] in another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a program storage device readable by a first apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the first apparatus for performing operations, said operations comprising: receiving, by the first apparatus, a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (901); and adjusting a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the first apparatus to the second apparatus based on the received timing (902). [0016] in another exemplary embodiment of the invention, an apparatus (116) comprising: a receiver (142) configured to receive a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (114); and a processor (138) configured to adjust a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the apparatus (116) to the second apparatus (114) based on the received timing. brief description of the drawings: [0017] the foregoing and other aspects of exemplary embodiments of this invention are made more evident in the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the attached drawing figures, wherein: [0018] fig. 1 depicts a conventional ue having independent receivers for mbms reception and unicast reception; [0019] fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary ue having two receivers operable in accordance with aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention; [0020] fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary ue having two receivers operable in accordance with aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention; [0021] fig. 4 depicts a flowchart illustrating one non-limiting example of a method for practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention; [0022] fig. 5 shows a simplified block diagram of various electronic devices that are suitable for use in practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention; [0023] fig. 6 depicts a flowchart illustrating another non-limiting example of a method for practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention; [0024] fig. 7 depicts a flowchart illustrating another non-limiting example of a method for practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention; [0025] fig. 8 depicts a flowchart illustrating another non-limiting example of a method for practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention; [0026] fig. 9 depicts a flowchart illustrating another non-limiting example of a method for practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention; and [0027] fig. 10 depicts a flowchart illustrating another non- limiting example of a method for practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention. detailed description: [0028] while the exemplary embodiments are described below in the context of unicast and mbms communications, it should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of this invention are not limited for use with only these particular types of communications, and that they may be used to advantage in conjunction with other services and communications. [0029] further note that although mbms and unicast communications and associated hardware are discussed below with respect to reception, the hardware used for one or both of the mbms and unicast communications may comprise one or more transmitters or transceivers capable of transmission. this is particularly true for the unicast hardware since the unicast communication is likely bidirectional (whereas the mbms communication may be unidirectional, for example). [0030] in addition, although the exemplary embodiments are described herein within the context of a bidirectional communication and a unidirectional communication, aspects of the exemplary embodiments may be utilized within the context of a plurality of bidirectional communications (e.g., multiple, simultaneous, independent unicast communications). [0031] it is desirable to enable point-to-point (i.e., unicast) services, such as voice communications (e.g., telephone calls), to operate concurrently with mbms reception. as such, mbms may be provided on a separate carrier frequency independent of unicast carriers. in order to receive the mbms and unicast services at the same time, a ue may: have multiple parallel receivers (solution 1); be operable to receive mbms and unicast carrier frequencies at the same time (solution 2); or the two services are provided time-multiplexed in such a way that mbms and unicast transmissions for a single ue do not overlap in time and the ue can switch between the two carriers (solution 3). [0032] even though a time-multiplexed solution (solution 3) may be the most optimal with respect to receiver hardware, there are significant challenges such as arranging the two transmissions, increased complexity in the network and potential limitations in the performance (e.g., maximum bitrate, minimum delay) of the simultaneous services (e.g., mbms, unicast services). [0033] another conventional solution is to include two independent receivers in the ue (solution 1), one for unicast services and one for multicast/broadcast services (e.g., mbms). some current mobile tv-capable ues are known to employ this architecture. fig. 1 depicts a conventional ue 10 having independent receivers for mbms reception and unicast reception. the ue 10 comprises two receivers: a mbms receiver (mbms rx) 12 and a unicast receiver (unicast rx) 14. the mbms rx 12 receives a dedicate mbms carrier 16. the unicast rx 14 receives a unicast downlink carrier 18. as is apparent, the two receivers 12, 14 are independent, as are the two carrier signals 16, 18. in this case, no changes to the receiver structure are needed since each receiver operates in a conventional manner. [0034] the primary drawback of the above-described conventional solution is the additional cost and power consumption of having parallel receivers (i.e., the additional cost incurred by the presence and use of the second receiver). note that in fig. 1 , the horizontal axis corresponds to time. that is, the two carriers 16 and 18 are depicted as varying signals over time, with the arrows and darkened blocks indicating reception of data from the respective carrier by a certain receiver. [0035] for future systems such as e-utran, diversity reception may become a mandatory minimum capability of the mobile terminal, possibly for both unicast and mbms reception. as the low-level functions close to radio frequency operation for both receivers would have to be duplicated, this approach could effectively lead to having four receivers in the terminal. [0036] another conventional solution utilizes a single receiver and puts unicast and mbms on the same carrier frequency (e.g., solution 2). this has been described with respect to mbms in a previous 3gpp release, release 6 (see, e.g., 3gpp ts 25.346). while this solution addresses the issue of parallel hardware, it limits the bandwidth available for unicast and broadcast since, in this solution, both services share the same frequency band. with specific reference to cellular systems using frequency division duplexing (fdd), this approach inhibits the use of unpaired spectrum allocations (time division duplex, tdd) that are owned by cellular operators. as noted above, for utran (wcdma) and e-utran (lte), it appears that dedicated mbms carriers may be specified in future releases (see, e.g., 3gpp tr 25.913). [0037] thus, if two receivers are to be used, it would be desirable to provide a unicast/mbms-capable ue that advantageously utilizes the necessary hardware. in such a manner, although having two receivers may incur additional cost in the construction of the ue, the reception of one or both of the mbms and unicast services may be improved, as further explained below. [0038] consider a dual receiver arrangement, wherein a ue comprises two independently-usable receivers (e.g., receiver units) with each receiver having its own antenna. in accordance with aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention, when only one of unicast or mbms is received, both receivers can be tuned to the same carrier, thus enabling diversity (e.g., multistream mimo for the unicast communication). further in accordance with aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention, should the ue desire to receive both unicast and mbms at the same time, the operation of the receivers is split such that one receiver receives the unicast service and the other receiver receives the mbms. in such a manner, the two receivers in the ue can be used efficiently, even when only one of the unicast service or the mbms is being received. [0039] fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary ue 30 having two receivers operable in accordance with aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention. the ue 30 comprises two receivers: a mbms receiver (mbms rx) 32 and a unicast receiver (unicast rx) 34. each of the two receivers 32, 34 is capable of receiving at least one of two carrier signals: a dedicated mbms carrier 36 or a unicast downlink carrier 38. also in fig. 2, seven periods of time are indicated: a 40, b 42, c 44, d 46, e 48, f 50, and g 52. note that in fig. 2, the horizontal axis corresponds to time. that is, the two carriers 36 and 38 are depicted as signals varying over time, with the arrows and darkened blocks indicating reception of data from the respective carrier by a certain receiver or receivers. [0040] for some of the identified periods of time, namely b 42 and f 50, the ue 30 is only receiving data from the mbms carrier 36. at those times, since the unicast carrier 38 is not being received (i.e., no data is being received via the unicast carrier 38), the unicast rx 34 can be utilized, in conjunction with the mbms rx 32, to enable diversity with respect to the mbms carrier 36 reception (e.g., simultaneous reception, subsequent combining of the simultaneously-received signals). note that since the mbms transmissions are generally not bidirectional, the selection of mimo methods on the mbms carrier 36 may be limited to so-called "open loop" methods which don't use feedback signals. [0041] for other of the identified periods of time, namely a 40, c 44, e 48 and g 52, the ue 30 is only receiving data from the unicast downlink carrier 38. at those times, since the mbms carrier 36 is not being received (i.e., no data is being received via the mbms carrier 36), the mbms rx 32 can be utilized, in conjunction with the unicast rx 34, to enable diversity with respect to the unicast carrier 38 reception (e.g., mimo operation). [0042] since the unicast communication is bidirectional, with appropriate signaling and setup between the ue 30 and an an, such as a bs (not shown), it is possible to employ closed-loop mimo communication techniques for the unicast communication when the mbms carrier 36 is not being received. as a non-limiting example, consider two periods of time c 44 and d 46. immediately prior to c 44, the ue 30 is not receiving data from either of the two carriers 32, 34. at the start of c 44, the ue 30 begins receiving data only from the unicast carrier 34. since no data is being received from the mbms carrier 36 at that time, the ue 30 can employ diversity with respect to reception of the unicast carrier 38, for example, by using both receivers 32, 34 in mimo operation. the ue 30 signals the an to inform the network that a mimo method should be used. the mimo-capable an accommodates the ue 30 by providing unicast communication using a mimo method/technique. this is indicated in fig. 2, and specifically with reference to time period c 44, by the two sets of arrows pointing from the unicast carrier 38 to both the unicast rx 34 and mbms rx 32. the two arrows signify that the unicast carrier 38 is being received by both the unicast rx 34 and the mbms rx 32, for example, in a mimo technique. [0043] thus, around time h 54, the ue 30 is receiving a unicast transmission (i.e., the unicast carrier 38) using a mimo method. around time h 54, mbms reception is invoked, for example, by capturing an mbms session start message through the unicast carrier 38 or the mbms carrier 36 or by end-user interaction to request a particular service (e.g., initiating television functionality of the mobile device). the ue 30 signals to the network (e.g., through rrc, mac or ll signaling) that it needs to move from a transmission method relying on dual receiver/dual antenna reception (capable, for example, of receiving a spatially-multiplexed communication; e.g., a mimo communication) to a transmission method requiring a single receiver and single antenna (a single stream transmission such as, for example, open loop transmit diversity). [0044] note that transmission methods utilizing a single receiver and single antenna are assumed to be available in the system. this is generally a feature of most conventional networks and ues, since such operation is often provided as a fall-back mode for dual antenna receivers, for example, to cover rank-limited or noise/interference-limited situations. [0045] upon receiving the appropriate signaling from the ue 30, the network makes necessary adjustments, for example, in la, channel coding and capacity allocation. the ue 30 then continues unicast reception (i.e., reception of the unicast carrier 38) with one receiver and antenna (the unicast rx 34). the ue 30 also starts receiving mbms (i.e., the mbms carrier 36) with another receiver and antenna (the mbms rx 32). these actions are illustrated in the transition from time period c 44 to time period d 46. [0046] as a non-limiting example, the ue 30 may calculate a single cqi and signal the calculated cqi to the an which then selects the transmission method. as a further non-limiting example, before the ue capability update is signaled to the an, the ue 30 may already start assuming cqi using a single receiver. thus, as a consequence, the ue 30 requests switching to a single stream transmission with single antenna reception prior to such a switch being effected. this enables the removal of a pending multistream harq process prior to the switch. in addition, the corresponding single-stream cqis are available to the an scheduler and la unit in time. [0047] since the unicast carrier 38 already has an uplink (i.e., signaling) connection, there should be few or no issues in negotiating the switch between dual reception (e.g., mimo) and single reception with the network. in addition, mbms sessions generally do not have stringent delay requirements since session start messages often are repeated multiple times for a plurality of terminals to capture them. in the case where mbms reception is initiated in response to a user-initiated action, a similar response time for the switch should be suitable. the switch may also be described as optimization of dynamic change in ue capability (i.e., communication methods or modes of operation). [0048] once the switch to single reception has been effected, the unicast rx 34 of the ue 30 is used to receive the unicast carrier 38 while the mbms rx 32 is used to receive the mbms carrier 36. this is depicted in region d 46. in moving from region c 44 to d 46, the unicast reception has effectively lost one mimo branch. note that when both carriers 36, 38 are being received simultaneously by the ue 30, the operation of the ue 30 resembles that of the conventional ue 10 shown in fig. 1. [0049] in accordance with further exemplary embodiments of the invention, consider a multiple (e.g., dual) receiver arrangement wherein a ue comprises at least two independently-usable receivers (i.e., receiver units) with each receiver having its own antenna. in accordance with the exemplary embodiments, when only one of unicast or mbms is received, both receivers (e.g., in a dual receiver arrangement) can be tuned to the same carrier, thus enabling diversity (e.g., multistream mimo for the unicast communication). further in accordance with the exemplary embodiments, should the ue desire to receive both unicast and mimo at the same time, the operation of the receivers is split such that, for example, one receiver receives the unicast service and the other receiver receives the mbms. in such a manner, the two receivers in the ue can be used efficiently, even when only one of the unicast service or the mbms is being received. [0050] fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary ue 60 having two receivers operable in accordance with aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention. the ue 60 comprises two receivers: a mbms receiver (mbms rx) 62 and a unicast receiver (unicast rx) 64. each of the two receivers 62, 64 is capable of receiving either of two carrier signals: a dedicated mbms carrier 66 or a unicast downlink carrier 68. note that in fig. 3, the horizontal axis corresponds to time. that is, the two carriers 66 and 68 are depicted as signals varying over time, with the arrows and darkened blocks indicating reception of data from the respective carrier by the indicated receiver. [0051] for the purposes of this discussion, it will be assumed that the ue 60 is configured to dynamically allocate its receiver resources between unicast and mbms, for example, in accordance with aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention, as described above. that is, the ue 60 uses both receivers 62, 64 for unicast reception when there is no mbms traffic. similarly, the ue 60 uses both receivers 62, 64 for mbms reception when there is no unicast traffic. if there is mbms traffic and unicast traffic at the same time (e.g., simultaneously), the ue uses one receiver 64 for unicast and one receiver 66 for mbms. [0052] a problem may arise based on the link-adaptation function of the node b. that is, the link-adaptation function at the node b utilizes the cqi reported from the ue 60 at a time instant n 70 to calculate the transport format (e.g., the mcs, the coding parameters) to be used at a time instant n+x 72 by the ue 60. however, as shown in fig. 3, it may be that the cqi reported by the ue 60 at time n 70 is obtained when the ue 60 is using both receivers 62, 64 to receive unicast traffic and at time n+x 72 the ue 60 is only using one receiver 64 to receive unicast transmissions because the other receiver 62 is being used to receive mbms traffic. thus, if the node b follows the transport format based on the cqi at time n 70, the transport format may be incorrect for time n+x 72. this can cause degradation of the received signal due to the reduced sinr, for example. as shown in fig. 3, the reduced sinr may be based on a reduction in the number of receivers used for the signal. furthermore, this may also cause an increase in packet errors at the receiver due to an improper transport format. [0053] by way of further explanation, in a ue 60 having dual receivers configured to operate as in the previously-described exemplary embodiments of the invention, four situations can arise: [0054] (a) the cqi is based on using both receivers, the tf is selected based on the cqi (i.e., based on using both receivers) and the ue subsequently uses both receivers for the communication with the node b. [0055] (b) the cqi is based on using both receivers, the tf is selected based on the cqi (i.e., based on using both receivers) and the ue subsequently only uses one receiver for the communication with the node b. [0056] (c) the cqi is based on using one receiver, the tf is selected based on the cqi (i.e., based on using one receiver) and the ue subsequently uses one receiver for the communication with the node b. [0057] (d) the cqi is based on using one receiver, the tf is selected based on the cqi (i.e., based on using one receiver) and the ue subsequently uses both receivers for the communication with the node b. [0058] in situations (a) and (c), the tf, as based on the cqi, corresponds to a suitable (e.g., similar) subsequent use. however, in situations (b) and (d) there is a mismatch since the tf for the subsequent communication is based on an incorrect cqi. [0059] further exemplary embodiments of this invention address the above-identified problem by enabling the controlling device (e.g., the node b) to take a periodic reception by the ue (e.g., of a mbms signal) into consideration when the controlling device specifies a tf. in such a manner, the tf can be adjusted based on the number of receivers available at the time. [0060] further exemplary embodiments of the invention take advantage of the fact that mbms signals tend to appear periodically. as such, the timing of the mbms signals is known by the device receiving the mbms signal (e.g., the ue). the device (e.g., the node b) responsible for specifying the tf of a communication with the mbms-receiving device can determine or obtain the timing and adjust the tf to take the periodic reception of the mbms signal into account. thus, the adjustment of the tf may, as a non-limiting example, take into account the number of receivers available at a given time. [0061] in one non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, and as illustrated in fig. 4, a method comprises: determining a timing of a periodic reception by a first device, wherein the first device comprises a plurality of receivers configured to simultaneously receive a plurality of signals (box 401); and adjusting a transport format of a wireless communication sent from a second device to the first device based on the determined timing (box 402). [0062] a method as above, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a mbms signal. a method as in any of the above, wherein the first device comprises a ue. a method as in any of the above, wherein the second device comprises a node b. a method as in any of the above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the second device. a method as in any of the above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the first device. a method as in any of the above, wherein the tf is adjusted based on previously-received information. a method as in any of the above, wherein the previously-received information comprises a cqi. a method as in any of the above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises utilizing a transport format table. a method as in any of the above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises changing a transport format parameter. a method as in any of the above, wherein the transport format parameter is changed based on a transport format table. a method as in any of the above, wherein the transport format table is pre-configured. a method as in any of the above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises one of multiplying the reported cqi by two or dividing the reported cqi by two. [0063] in one non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, and as a first example, consider a system wherein a ue has a dual receiver (i.e., two receivers) and can simultaneously receive mbms and unicast traffic, where the unicast traffic comprises communication sent to the ue from a bs (e.g., node b). assume that the ue is receiving a periodic mbms signal, such as a television channel, for example. the ue can inform the bs of the mbms signal. in such a manner, the bs would know the timing of the mbms signal (e.g., when the ue is receiving, will receive or intends to receive the mbms signal). meanwhile, the ue periodically reports the cqi to the bs. [θ064] furthermore, in this example, assume that the bs performs the scheduling for the unicast transmissions. more particularly, assume that the bs schedules the downlink unicast transmissions to the ue (e.g., the bs will know at which subframe the unicast transmission is scheduled). prior to scheduling the unicast transmission, the bs can check two points: (1) whether the unicast transmission is scheduled to be received simultaneously with mbms traffic; and (2) whether the reported cqi is measured at a time of dual reception (i.e., when the ue is using both receivers to receive the unicast transmission) or not (i.e., when the ue is using one receiver to receive the unicast transmission). [0065] based on the responses to these two inquiries, there are four possible outcomes, identified above as (a), (b), (c) and (d). also as noted above, no issue arises in situations (a) and (c). rather, a mismatch occurs in situations (b) and (d) and the bs can adjust the tf in light of any such mismatch. [0066] the adjustment to the tf can take the form of any suitable correction that, for example, accounts for the change in cqi. as one non-limiting example, the cqi could be one of multiplied by two or divided by two, as appropriate, to obtain a suitable cqi (e.g., cqi value) for the adjusted tf. as another non-limiting example, a tf table can be used to select a suitable tf (e.g., tf parameter). [0067] in situation (b), the initial cqi is based on both receivers while the adjusted tf should be based on a single receiver. in this case, the cqi could be divided by two since half the number of receivers will be used as compared to when the cqi was obtained (e.g., measured). in situation (d), the initial cqi is based on one receiver while the adjusted tf should be based on dual receivers. in this case, the cqi could be multiplied by two since twice the number of receivers will be used as compared to when the cqi was obtained. [0068] although illustrated above in a dual receiver ue using the number two (i.e., using two as the scaling factor to scale cqi), in other embodiments a different number may be used based on the different number of receivers as compared when the cqi was obtained and when the adjusted tf is to be used. as a non-limiting example, in a three-receiver ue, the cqi may be obtained when three receivers were receiving and the adjusted tf is to be used for only one receiver. in such a case, the cqi may be divided by three to obtain the adjusted tf. the exemplary embodiments of the invention may be utilized with any number of receivers and suitably amended to work therewith (e.g., by modifying the value, as illustrated herein). [0069] as noted above, a tf table may be utilized to adjust the tf for the subsequent transmission. preferably, the tf table is pre-configured. below, table 1 illustrates one non-limiting example of a pre-configured tf adjustment table. [0070] table 1 [0071] below, table 2 shows one non-limiting example of a mbms timing table (in one radio frame) for different ues or ue groups. [0072] table 2 [0073] as one non-limiting example, information indicative of the contents of such a timing table may comprise the determined timing for a periodic reception (e.g., box 401 of fig. 4). [0074] in another non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, and as a second example, the ue measures the incoming timing of a mbms signal and reports the timing to a node b. the timing of the mbms signal may vary, for example, based on the television channel the ue is currently receiving (e.g., the television channel the ue is currently receiving and displaying to a user of the ue). the ue also measures the cqi and reports the measured cqi to the node b. based on the mbms timing (e.g., the mbms timing table) and tf adjustment table (i.e., as utilized in conjunction with the measured cqi), the node b determines whether the tf for the ue should be adjusted. if the node b determines that the tf for the ue should be adjusted, the node b adjusts the tf (based on the tf adjustment table) and informs the ue of the adjusted tf (e.g., via layer 1 signaling channels). [0075] reference is made to fig. 5 for illustrating a simplified block diagram of various electronic devices that are suitable for use in practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention. in fig. 5, a wireless network 112 is adapted for communication with a user equipment (ue) 114 via a first access node (anl) 116 and a second access node (an2) 118. [0076] the ue 114 includes: a data processor (dp) 120; a memory (mem) 122 coupled to the dp 120; a suitable first rf transceiver (transl) 124 (having a transmitter (tx) and a receiver (rx)) coupled to the dp 120; a first antenna (antl) 126 coupled to the transl 124; a suitable second rf transceiver (trans2) 128 (having a transmitter (tx) and a receiver (rx)) coupled to the dp 120; and a second antenna (ant2) 130 coupled to the trans2 128. the mem 122 stores a program (prog) 132. the transl 124 and trans2 128 are both capable of bidirectional wireless communication, such as a unicast communication (uni) 134, with the anl 116. at least one of the transl 124 and the trans2 128, in concert with the appropriate antenna, is capable of receiving a unidirectional wireless communication, such as a mbms communication (mbms) 136. [0077] the anl 116 includes: a data processor (dp) 138; a memory (mem) 140 coupled to the dp 138; a suitable first rf transceiver (transl) 142 (having a transmitter (tx) and a receiver (rx)) coupled to the dp 138; a first antenna (antl) 144 coupled to the transl 142; a suitable second rf transceiver (trans2) 146 (having a transmitter (tx) and a receiver (rx)) coupled to the dp 138; and a second antenna (ant2) 148 coupled to the trans2 146. the mem 140 stores a program (prog) 150. the transl 142 and the trans2 146 are both capable of bidirectional wireless communication, such as the uni 134, with the ue 114. the anl 116 may be coupled via a data path 152 to one or more external networks or systems, such as the internet 154, for example, as may the an2 118. [0078] the an2 118 includes: includes: a data processor (dp) 156; a memory (mem) 158 coupled to the dp 156; a suitable rf transceiver (trans) 160 (having a transmitter (tx) and a receiver (rx)) coupled to the dp 156; and an antenna (ant) 162 coupled to the trans 160. the mem 158 stores a program (prog) 164. the trans 160 is at least capable of unidirectional wireless communication, such as the mbms 136, with the ue 114. [0079] as described above, when the mbms 136 is not being received by the ue 114, the uni 134 between the ue 114 and the anl 116 may comprise a more diverse communication, such as by use of a mimo method, utilizing the transl 124, the antl 126, the trans2 128, the ant2 130, the transl 142, the antl 144, the trans2 146, and the ant2 148. [0080] at least one of the progs 132, 150 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated dp, enable the electronic device to operate in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this invention, as discussed herein. [0081] in general, the various embodiments of the ue 114 can include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (pdas) having wireless communication capabilities, portable computers having wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices having wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback appliances having wireless communication capabilities, internet appliances permitting wireless internet access and browsing, as well as portable units or terminals that incorporate combinations of such functions. [0082] the embodiments of this invention may be implemented by computer software executable by one or more of the dps 120, 138 of the ue 114 and the anl 116, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. [0083] the mems 122, 140, 158 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. the dps 120, 138, 156 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (dsps) and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. [0084] in other embodiments, the functionality of both the anl 116 and the an2 118 may be implemented within a single an (e.g., the anl 116 may comprise the an2 118). in such a case, one or more of the dp 138, the mem 140 and the prog 150 may fulfill the functions described above with respect to the dp 156, the mem 158 and the prog 164, respectively. similarly, in such a case, at least one of the transl 142 and the trans2 146 may fulfill the functions described above with respect to the trans 160. [0085] in further embodiments, the ue 114 may comprise a single, dual-transceiver (e.g., the transl 124 may comprise the trans2 128). similarly, in other embodiments, the anl 116 may comprise a single, dual-transceiver (e.g., the transl 142 may comprise the trans2 146). [0086] in other embodiments, diversity receivers may be required for one or both of transl 124 (i.e., the unicast receiver) and trans2 128 (i.e., the mbms receiver). [0087] the configuration of the network and devices shown in fig. 5 is provided only as one non-limiting example. one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other configurations that may be utilized in conjunction with aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention. as non-limiting examples of such other configurations, the ue 114, the anl 116 and/or the an2 118 may comprise any suitable number of transceivers (transmitters/receivers), data processors and/or memories. furthermore, the wireless network 112 may comprise additional ues and ans. [0088] aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention further provide for signaling between a ue and an an to selectively enable or disable multiple-receiver/multiple-antenna diversity of communications. [0089] in another non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, a device comprises: a data processor; and a transceiver coupled to the data processor, wherein the data processor is configured: to receive, using the transceiver, a timing of a periodic reception by another device; to adjust a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the device to the other device based on the received timing; and to transmit, using the transceiver, the wireless communication to the other device. [0090] in another non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, a device comprises: a data processor; a plurality of receivers coupled to the data processor; and a transmitter coupled to the data processor, wherein the device is configured to simultaneously receive a plurality of signals, wherein the data processor is configured: to determine a timing of a periodic signal received by the device; to adjust a transport format of a communication sent from another device to the first device; and to signal the adjusted transport format to the other device. [0091] in another non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, a method comprises: measuring a timing of a periodically-received signal; sending the timing to a controlling device; measuring a cqi of a wireless communication signal with the controlling device; sending the measured cqi to the controlling device; based on the timing and measured cqi, determining if a transport format of the wireless communication signal should be adjusted; in response to determining that the transport format should be adjusted, adjusting the transport format. [0092] as can be seen, the exemplary embodiments of the invention enable a transport format of a wireless communication to be adjusted based on the timing of a periodic reception. in such a manner, the tf can more accurately reflect the available resources and reduce the potential for reception error (e.g., packet errors). aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention may improve reception quality of in suitable systems such as a system comprising mbms and unicast communications, as a non-limiting example. [0093] in one non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, and as illustrated in fig. 6, a method includes: providing an ongoing first wireless communication, wherein the first wireless communication initially utilizes a diversity method in conjunction with a plurality of receivers (601); determining whether simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired (602); in response to determining that simultaneous reception of the second wireless communication is desired, signaling that at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers is to be unavailable for the first wireless communication (603); and adjusting a method of the first wireless communication such that separate reception of the second wireless communication by the at least one receiver is enabled (604). the adjustment of the method of the first wireless communication may comprise changing the method of the first wireless communication from the diversity method to a method that does not comprise diversity in conjunction with the plurality of receivers. the first wireless communication may comprise a unicast communication and the second wireless communication may comprise a mbms communication. the first wireless communication may be between a first device and a second device. the first device and the second device may comprise components in a wireless network. the signaling may be sent to the wireless network. the signaling may be sent in the uplink. the adjustment of the method of the first wireless communication may comprise reducing peak data rate. the adjustment of the method of the first wireless communication may comprise not reducing cell range. the method may further comprise utilizing the at least one receiver for the second wireless communication. the method may further comprise at least receiving the second wireless communication utilizing the at least one receiver. [0094] in another non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, and as illustrated in fig. 7, a method includes: providing an ongoing first wireless communication and a simultaneous ongoing second wireless communication, wherein the first wireless communication utilizes a method that does not comprise diversity in conjunction with a plurality of receivers, wherein at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers is utilized for the second wireless connection (701); determining whether the second wireless communication has at least temporarily ended (702); in response to determining that the second wireless communication has at least temporarily ended, signaling that the at least one receiver previously used for the second wireless communication is available for use by the first wireless communication (703); and adjusting a method of the first wireless communication such that the first wireless communication utilizes a diversity method in conjunction with the plurality of receivers (704). [0095] the exemplary methods shown in figs. 5, 6 and 7 may be utilized concurrently. that is, the methods may be employed within the context of a single system to address different circumstances and/or actions conducted in response to different conditions. [0096] below are provided further descriptions of non-limiting, exemplary embodiments. the below-described exemplary embodiments are separately numbered for clarity and identification. this numbering should not be construed as wholly separating the below descriptions since various aspects of one or more exemplary embodiments may be practiced in conjunction with one or more other aspects or exemplary embodiments. [0097] ( 1 ) in one exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 8 , a method comprising: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first receiver and a second receiver, wherein the first wireless communication is received utilizing a diversity method (801); and in response to determining that simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be unavailable for the first wireless communication (802). [0098] a method as above, further comprising: in response to determining that simultaneous reception of the second wireless communication is desired, receiving the second wireless communication using at least the second receiver. a method as above, further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that reception of the second wireless communication is to end. a method as above, further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use. a method as above, further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication has at least temporarily ended, using at least the first receiver and the second receiver to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. a method as in any above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. a method as in any above, further comprising: determining a timing of a periodic reception; and signaling the determined timing. [0099] a method as in any of the above, wherein said signaling comprises transmitting a message from a first apparatus to a second apparatus. a method as in the previous, wherein the first apparatus comprises a mobile terminal and the second apparatus comprises a base station. a method as above, wherein the first apparatus and the second apparatus comprise nodes in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. a method as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multiple input/multiple output (mimo) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mimo communication. a method as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mbms communication. a method as in any of the above, wherein the method is implemented by a computer program. [00100] (2) in another exemplary embodiment, a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, the operations comprising: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first receiver and a second receiver, wherein the first wireless communication is received utilizing a diversity method (801); and in response to determining that simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be unavailable for the first wireless communication (802). [00101] a program storage device as above, the operations further comprising: in response to determining that simultaneous reception of the second wireless communication is desired, receiving the second wireless communication using at least the second receiver. a program storage device as above, the operations further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that reception of the second wireless communication is to end. a program storage device as above, the operations further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use. a program storage device as above, the operations further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication has at least temporarily ended, using at least the first receiver and the second receiver to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. a program storage device as in any above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. a program storage device as in any above, the operations further comprising: determining a timing of a periodic reception; and signaling the determined timing. [00102] a program storage device as in any of the above, wherein said signaling comprises transmitting a message from the machine to a second apparatus. a program storage device as in the previous, wherein the machine comprises a mobile terminal and the second apparatus comprises a base station. a program storage device as above, wherein the machine and the second apparatus comprise nodes in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. a program storage device as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multiple input/multiple output (mimo) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mimo communication. a program storage device as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mbms communication. [00103] (3) in another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus (114) comprising: a plurality of receivers (124, 128) configured to receive a first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method, wherein the plurality of receivers comprise a first receiver (124) and a second receiver (128); and a processor (120) configured, in response to determining that simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired, to signal that at least the second receiver (128) is to be unavailable for the first wireless communication. [00104] an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus is configured, in response to the processor determining that simultaneous reception of the second wireless communication is desired, to receive the second wireless communication using at least the second receiver. an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus is configured, in response to the processor determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, to signal that reception of the second wireless communication is to end. an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus is configured, in response to the processor determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, to signal that at least the second receiver is to be available for use. an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus is configured, in response to the processor determining that reception of the second wireless communication has at least temporarily ended, to use at least the first receiver and the second receiver to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a timing of a periodic reception and wherein the apparatus is configured to signal the determined timing. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal, a mobile phone, a mobile device or a cellular phone. [00105] an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein said signaling comprises transmitting a message from the apparatus to a second apparatus. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal and the second apparatus comprises a base station. an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus and the second apparatus comprise nodes in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multiple input/multiple output (mimo) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mimo communication. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mbms communication. [00106] (4) in another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus (114) comprising: a plurality of means for receiving (124, 128) a first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method, wherein the plurality of means for receiving comprises a first means for receiving (124) and a second means for receiving (128); and means, in response to determining that simultaneous reception of a second wireless communication is desired, for signaling (120) that at least the second means for receiving (128) is to be unavailable for the first wireless communication. [00107] an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus is configured, in response to determining that simultaneous reception of the second wireless communication is desired, to receive the second wireless communication using at least the second means for receiving. an apparatus as above, wherein the means for signaling is further, in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, for signaling that reception of the second wireless communication is to end. an apparatus as above, wherein the means for signaling is further, in response to the processor determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, for signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use. an apparatus as above, wherein the plurality of means for receiving is further, in response to the processor determining that reception of the second wireless communication has at least temporarily ended, for using at least the first means for receiving and the second means for receiving to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. an apparatus as in any above, further comprising: means for determining a timing of a periodic reception; and means for signaling the determined timing. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the means for determining comprises a processor and the means for signaling comprises the processor or a transmitter. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal, a mobile phone, a mobile device or a cellular phone. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the plurality of means for receiving comprises a plurality of receivers and the means for signaling comprises a processor or a transmitter. [00108] an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein said signaling comprises transmitting a message from the apparatus to a second apparatus. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal and the second apparatus comprises a base station. an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus and the second apparatus comprise nodes in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multiple input/multiple output (mimo) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mimo communication. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mbms communication. [00109] (5) in one exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 9, a method comprising: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first receiver (851); receiving a second wireless communication with at least a second receiver (852); and, in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use (853). [00110] a method as above, further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, using at least the first receiver and the second receiver to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. a method as in any above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. a method as in any above, further comprising: determining a timing of a periodic reception; and signaling the determined timing. [00111] a method as in any of the above, wherein said signaling comprises transmitting a message from a first apparatus to a second apparatus. a method as in the previous, wherein the first apparatus comprises a mobile terminal and the second apparatus comprises a base station. a method as above, wherein the first apparatus and the second apparatus comprise nodes in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. a method as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multiple input/multiple output (mimo) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mimo communication. a method as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mbms communication. a method as in any of the above, wherein the method is implemented by a computer program. [00112] (6) in another exemplary embodiment, a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, the operations comprising: receiving a first wireless communication with at least a first receiver (851); receiving a second wireless communication with at least a second receiver (852); and, in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, signaling that at least the second receiver is to be available for use (853). [00113] a program storage device as above, the operations further comprising: in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, using at least the first receiver and the second receiver to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. a program storage device as in any above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. a program storage device as in any above, the operations further comprising: determining a timing of a periodic reception; and signaling the determined timing. [00114] a program storage device as in any of the above, wherein said signaling comprises transmitting a message from the machine to a second apparatus. a program storage device as in the previous, wherein the machine comprises a mobile terminal and the second apparatus comprises a base station. a program storage device as above, wherein the machine and the second apparatus comprise nodes in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. a program storage device as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multiple input/multiple output (mimo) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mimo communication. a program storage device as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mbms communication. [00115] (7) in another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus (114) comprising: a first receiver (124) configured to receive a first wireless communication; a second receiver (128) configured to receive a second wireless communication; and a processor (120) configured, in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, to signal that at least the second receiver (128) is to be available for use. [00116] an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus is further configured, in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, to use at least the first receiver and the second receiver to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a timing of a periodic reception and to signal the determined timing. [00117] an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein said signaling comprises transmitting a message from the apparatus to a second apparatus. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal and the second apparatus comprises a base station. an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus and the second apparatus comprise nodes in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multiple input/multiple output (mimo) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mimo communication. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a imicast communication or a mbms communication. [00118] (8) in another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus (114) comprising: first means for receiving (124) a first wireless communication; second means for receiving (128) a second wireless communication; and means, in response to determining (120) that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, for signaling that at least the second means for receiving (128) is to be available for use. [00119] an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus is further configured, in response to determining that reception of the second wireless communication is to end, to use at least the first means for receiving and the second means for receiving to receive the first wireless communication utilizing a diversity method. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a point-to-point communication or a point-to-multipoint communication. an apparatus as in any above, further comprising: means for determining a timing of a periodic reception; and means for signaling the determined timing. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the means for determining comprises a processor and the means for signaling comprises the processor or a transmitter. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal, a mobile phone, a mobile device or a cellular phone. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the plurality of means for receiving comprises a plurality of receivers and the means for signaling comprises a processor or a transmitter. [00120] an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein said signaling comprises transmitting a message from the apparatus to a second apparatus. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal and the second apparatus comprises a base station. an apparatus as above, wherein the apparatus and the second apparatus comprise nodes in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multiple input/multiple output (mimo) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mimo communication. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the first wireless communication comprises a unicast communication or a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (mbms) communication, wherein the second wireless communication comprises the other of a unicast communication or a mbms communication. [00121] (9) in one exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 10, a method comprising: receiving, by a first apparatus, a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (901); and adjusting a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the first apparatus to the second apparatus based on the received timing (902). [00122] a method as above, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a multimedia broadcast/multicast service signal. a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises modifying a reported channel quality information for the second apparatus and using the modified channel quality information to obtain the adjusted transport format. a method as in any above, wherein the first apparatus comprises a base station. a method as in any above, wherein the second apparatus comprises a mobile terminal. a method as in any above, further comprising: transmitting the wireless communication to the second apparatus. a method as in any above, further comprising: signaling the adjusted transport format to the second apparatus. a method as in the previous, wherein the signaling comprises layer 1 signaling. [00123] a method as in any above, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a mbms signal. a method as in any above, wherein the first apparatus comprises a ue. a method as in any above, wherein the second apparatus comprises a node b. a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the second apparatus. a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the first apparatus. a method as in any of the above, wherein the tf is adjusted based on previously-received information. a method as in any above, wherein the previously-received information comprises a cqi. a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises utilizing a transport format table. a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises changing a transport format parameter. a method as in any above, wherein the transport format parameter is changed based on a transport format table. a method as in any above, wherein the transport format table is pre-configured. a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises one of multiplying or dividing the reported cqi by a scaling factor. a method as in the previous, wherein the scaling factor is two. [00124] a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises performing a suitable correction. a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format accounts for a change in cqi for the second apparatus. a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises selecting a transport format parameter. a method as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises selecting a transport format parameter from a transport format table. a method as in any above, further comprising: receiving a cqi for the second apparatus, wherein the transport format is adjusted further based on the received cqi. a method as in any of the above, wherein the method is implemented by a computer program. [00125] (10) in another exemplary embodiment, a program storage device readable by a first apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the first apparatus for performing operations, said operations comprising: receiving, by a first apparatus, a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (901); and adjusting a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the first apparatus to the second apparatus based on the received timing (902). [00126] a program storage device as above, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a multimedia broadcast/multicast service signal. a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises modifying a reported channel quality information for the second apparatus and using the modified channel quality information to obtain the adjusted transport format. a program storage device as in any above, wherein the first apparatus comprises a base station. a program storage device as in any above, wherein the second apparatus comprises a mobile terminal. a program storage device as in any above, said operations further comprising: transmitting the wireless communication to the second apparatus. a program storage device as in any above, said operations further comprising: signaling the adjusted transport format to the second apparatus. a program storage device as in the previous, wherein the signaling comprises layer 1 signaling. [00127] a program storage device as in any above, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a mbms signal. a program storage device as in any above, wherein the first apparatus comprises a ue. a program storage device as in any above, wherein the second apparatus comprises a node b. a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the second apparatus. a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the first apparatus. a program storage device as in any of the above, wherein the tf is adjusted based on previously-received information. a program storage device as in any above, wherein the previously-received information comprises a cqi. a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises utilizing a transport format table. a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises changing a transport format parameter. a program storage device as in any above, wherein the transport format parameter is changed based on a transport format table. a program storage device as in any above, wherein the transport format table is pre-configured. a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises one of multiplying or dividing the reported cqi by a scaling factor. a program storage device as in the previous, wherein the scaling factor is two. [00128] a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises performing a suitable correction. a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format accounts for a change in cqi for the second apparatus. a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises selecting a transport format parameter. a program storage device as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises selecting a transport format parameter from a transport format table. a program storage device as in any above, said operations further comprising: receiving a cqi for the second apparatus, wherein the transport format is adjusted further based on the received cqi. [00129] (11) in another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus (116) comprising: a receiver (142) configured to receive a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (114); and a processor (138) configured to adjust a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the apparatus (116) to the second apparatus (114) based on the received timing. [00130] an apparatus as above, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a multimedia broadcast/multicast service signal. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises modifying a reported channel quality information for the second apparatus and using the modified channel quality information to obtain the adjusted transport format. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the apparatus comprises a base station. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the second apparatus comprises a mobile terminal. an apparatus as in any above, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit the wireless communication to the second apparatus. an apparatus as in any above, further comprising a transmitter (or processor) configured to signal the adjusted transport format to the second apparatus. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the signaling comprises layer 1 signaling. [00131] an apparatus as in any above, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a mbms signal. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the apparatus comprises a ue. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the second apparatus comprises a node b. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the second apparatus. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the apparatus. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the tf is adjusted based on previously-received information. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the previously-received information comprises a cqi. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises utilizing a transport format table. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises changing a transport format parameter. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the transport format parameter is changed based on a transport format table. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the transport format table is pre-configured. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises one of multiplying or dividing the reported cqi by a scaling factor. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the scaling factor is two. [00132] an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises performing a suitable correction. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format accounts for a change in cqi for the second apparatus. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises selecting a transport format parameter. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises selecting a transport format parameter from a transport format table. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a cqi for the second apparatus, wherein the transport format is adjusted further based on the received cqi. [00133] (12) in another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus (116) comprising: means for receiving (142) a timing of a periodic reception for a second apparatus (114); and means for adjusting (138) a transport format of a wireless communication sent from the apparatus (116) to the second apparatus (114) based on the received timing. [00134] an apparatus as above, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a multimedia broadcast/multicast service signal. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises modifying a reported channel quality information for the second apparatus and using the modified channel quality information to obtain the adjusted transport format. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the apparatus comprises a base station. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the second apparatus comprises a mobile terminal. an apparatus as in any above, further comprising means for transmitting the wireless communication to the second apparatus. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the means for transmitting comprises a transmitter. an apparatus as in any above, further comprising means for signaling the adjusted transport format to the second apparatus. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the signaling comprises layer 1 signaling. an apparatus as above, wherein the means for signaling comprises a processor or a transmitter. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the means for receiving comprises a receiver and the means for adjusting comprises a processor. [00135] an apparatus as in any above, wherein the periodic reception comprises periodic reception of a mbms signal. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the apparatus comprises a ue. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the second apparatus comprises a node b. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the second apparatus. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the tf is performed by the apparatus. an apparatus as in any of the above, wherein the tf is adjusted based on previously-received information. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the previously-received information comprises a cqi. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises utilizing a transport format table. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises changing a transport format parameter. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the transport format parameter is changed based on a transport format table. an apparatus as in any above, wherein the transport format table is pre-configured. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises one of multiplying or dividing the reported cqi by a scaling factor. an apparatus as in the previous, wherein the scaling factor is two. [00136] an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises performing a suitable correction. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format accounts for a change in cqi for the second apparatus. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises selecting a transport format parameter. an apparatus as in any above, wherein adjusting the transport format comprises selecting a transport format parameter from a transport format table. an apparatus as in any above, further comprising means for receiving a cqi for the second apparatus, wherein the transport format is adjusted further based on the received cqi. [00137] (13) in another exemplary embodiment, a method comprises: measuring a timing of a periodically-received signal; sending the timing to a controlling device; measuring a cqi of a wireless communication signal with the controlling device; sending the measured cqi to the controlling device; based on the timing and measured cqi, determining if a transport format of the wireless communication signal should be adjusted; in response to determining that the transport format should be adjusted, adjusting the transport format. a method as in the previous and further comprising one or more additional aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention as further described herein. [00138] while the exemplary embodiments have not been described above in the context of any single, specific type of wireless communication system, it should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of this invention are not limited for use with only one particular type of wireless communication system, and that they may be used to advantage in numerous types of wireless communication systems, such as utran and e-utran, as non-limiting examples. [00139] furthermore, while various exemplary embodiments have been illustrated above utilizing a periodic mbms signal, it should be appreciated that such exemplary embodiments of this invention are not limited for use with only one particular type of periodic signal, and that they may be used to advantage with any signal being periodically received. [00140] similarly, while various exemplary embodiments are illustrated above with reference to a downlink communication from a node b to a ue, it should be appreciated that such exemplary embodiments of this invention are not limited for use with only one particular type of wireless communication, and that they may be used to advantage in other types of communication between different devices. [00141] the exemplary embodiments of the invention, as discussed above and as particularly described with respect to exemplary methods, may be implemented as a computer program product comprising program instructions embodied on a tangible computer-readable medium. execution of the program instructions results in operations comprising steps of utilizing the exemplary embodiments or steps of the method. [00142] the exemplary embodiments of the invention, as discussed above and as particularly described with respect to exemplary methods, may be implemented in conjunction with a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations. the operations comprise steps of utilizing the exemplary embodiments or steps of the method. [00143] it should be noted that the terms "connected," "coupled," or any variant thereof, mean any connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or more elements, and may encompass the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" together. the coupling or connection between the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. as employed herein two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" together by the use of one or more wires, cables and/or printed electrical connections, as well as by the use of electromagnetic energy, such as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency region, the microwave region and the optical (both visible and invisible) region, as several non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples. [00144] in general, the various exemplary embodiments may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. for example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device, although the invention is not limited thereto. while various aspects of the invention may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof. [00145] the exemplary embodiments of the inventions may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit modules. the design of integrated circuits is by and large a highly automated process. complex and powerful software tools are available for converting a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate. [00146] programs, such as those provided by synopsys, inc. of mountain view, california and cadence design, of san jose, california automatically route conductors and locate components on a semiconductor chip using well established rules of design as well as libraries of pre-stored design modules. once the design for a semiconductor circuit has been completed, the resultant design, in a standardized electronic format (e.g., opus, gdsii, or the like) may be transmitted to a semiconductor fabrication facility or "fab" for fabrication. [00147] the foregoing description has provided by way of exemplary and non-limiting examples a full and informative description of the invention. however, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. however, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of this invention will still fall within the scope of the non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of this invention. [00148] furthermore, some of the features of the preferred embodiments of this invention could be used to advantage without the corresponding use of other features. as such, the foregoing description should be considered as merely illustrative of the principles, teachings and exemplary embodiments of this invention, and not in limitation thereof.
|
067-256-618-595-676
|
DE
|
[
"FR",
"US",
"GB",
"DE"
] |
F02M27/04
| 1974-01-10T00:00:00 |
1974
|
[
"F02"
] |
installation for achieving an air/fuel mixture
|
an installation for producing an air/fuel mixture for a mixture-aspirating internal combustion engine, which includes a fuel atomizer equipped with at least one fuel nozzle terminating in the air guide channel and traversed by the sucked-in air; certain surfaces arranged in the flow path of the mixture are thereby at different electric potentials whereby an electrode electrically insulated with respect to the fuel nozzle or nozzles is arranged in front of each of the nozzles with the potential difference applied between the electrode, on the one hand, and the fuel nozzle on the other.
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1. an installation for producing an air/fuel mixture for a mixture-aspirating, internal combustion engine comprising air conduction channel means through which air is sucked in, fuel atomizer means having at least one fuel nozzle means terminating in the air conduction channel means and traversed by the sucked-in air, and surface means arranged in the flow path of the mixture which are at different electrical potentials, said surface means including an electrode means electrically insulated with respect to the fuel nozzle means and arranged within the fuel atomizer means at a distance from each fuel nozzle means, the electrode means being arranged for substantially surrounding the fuel nozzle means with the potential difference being applied between the electrode means and the fuel nozzle means for providing an electrostatic field surrounding the fuel nozzle means. 2. an installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrode means is a porous member permeable to the flow of the air. 3. an installation according to claim 2, characterized in that the electrode means is an electrode basket means arranged at a distance in front of and surrounding the nozzle means. 4. an installation according to claim 2, characterized in that a plurality of fuel nozzle means are provided in the air conduction channel means along a closed line, each nozzle means having a opening normal arranged at an angle to the inflow direction of the air. 5. an installation according to claim 4, characterized in that the nozzle means have the opening normal directed substantially radially from the inside toward the outside. 6. an installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrode means is permeable to the flow of the air. 7. an installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrode means is arranged at a distance in front of each nozzle means. 8. an installation according to claim 1, characterized in that several fuel nozzle means are provided, and the electrode means is arranged mounted electrically insulated with respect to the several fuel nozzle means at a distance from each fuel nozzle means. 9. an installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the field strength of the electrostatic field between the nozzle means and the electrode means is adjustable. 10. an installation according to claim 9, characterized in that the field strength of said electrostatic field is variable as a function of an indication of at least one operating magnitude of the engine. 11. an installation according to claim 9, characterized in that the field strength is adjustable by changing the applied potential. 12. an installation according to claim 11, with a fuel supply means, characterized in that at least two nozzle means are provided which are operable to be connected with the fuel supply means in a predetermined manner. 13. an installation according to claim 12, characterized in that two groups of nozzle means are provided. 14. an installation according to claim 13, characterized in that the groups of nozzle means are of different opening cross section. 15. an installation according to claim 14, characterized in that the nozzle means are operable to be connected additively with the fuel supply means. 16. an installation according to claim 14, characterized in that the nozzle means are operable to be connected alternatively to the fuel supply means. 17. an installation according to claim 12, characterized in that the nozzle means are of mutually different opening cross section. 18. an installation according to claim 12, characterized in that the fuel nozzle means are electrically connected with the remaining electrically conducting components of the fuel atomizer means and of the internal combustion engine so as to be at the same potential. 19. an installation according to claim 18, characterized in that several fuel nozzle means are arranged in the air conduction channel means along a closed line, whereby the opening normal of each nozzle means is arranged at an angle to the inflow direction of the air, and in that the electrode means is constructed as a flow-permeable structure extending past each nozzle means. 20. an installation according to claim 19, characterized in that the nozzle means have an opening normal directed substantially radially from the inside toward the outside. 21. an installation according to claim 20, characterized in that said nozzle means form a nozzle ring. 22. an installation according to claim 21, characterized in that said angle is an obtuse angle. 23. an installation according to claim 21, characterized in that said angle is a substantially right angle. 24. an installation according to claim 21, characterized in that said structure is an electrode basket means. 25. an installation according to claim 21, characterized in that said structure is an electrode sieve. 26. an installation according to claim 24, characterized in that the shadow surfaces of the electrode basket means are as small as possible in relation to the opening area of all meshes. 27. an installation according to claim 26, characterized in that the mesh size of the electrode basket means is essentially larger than the opening width of the nozzle means. 28. an installation according to claim 27, characterized in that the electrode basket means is so constructed and arranged relative to the nozzle ring that the opening normal of each nozzle means encounters the opening of a mesh of the electrode basket means. 29. an installation according to claim 28, characterized in that the electrode basket means is retained by way of at least one radial support arm means of electrically non-conductive material. 30. an installation according to claim 29, characterized in that several support arm means are provided. 31. an installation according to claim 29, characterized by an electrically conductive feed means between a voltage source means for the potential of the electrode basket means and the electrode basket means itself which is extended through a support arm means. 32. an installation according to claim 31, characterized in that the voltage feed means includes a shielded line. 33. an installation according to claim 32, characterized in that an ohmic resistance is connected in the voltage feed means. 34. an installation according to claim 33, characterized in that the electrode basket means is constructed cylindrically with generatrices pointing in the direction of the air flow. 35. an installation according to claim 33, characterized in that the electrode basket means is constructed at least in coarse approximation conically shaped with the cone axis disposed substantially parallel to the air flow. 36. an installation according to claim 35, characterized in that the imaginary cone apex of the electrode basket means points opposite the flow direction of the air and is arranged upstream of the nozzle ring. 37. an installation with mixture line means according to claim 31, characterized in that within the area of elbow means of the mixture line means leading to the combustion spaces of the internal combustion engine, electrode means are provided to which is applied an electric potential such that an electrostatic force acts on the droplets which is directed toward the center of the curvature. 38. an installation according to claim 37, characterized in that the field strength of said electrostatic field is variable as a function of an indication of at least one operating magnitude of the engine. 39. an installation according to claim 38, characterized in that several fuel nozzle means are provided, and the electrode means is arranged mounted electrically insulated with respect to the several fuel nozzle means at a distance from each fuel nozzle means. 40. an installation for producing an air/fuel mixture for a mixture-aspirating, internal combustion engine, which includes a fuel atomizer means equipped with at least one fuel nozzle means terminating in an air conduction channel means and traversed by the sucked-in air, and surface means arranged in the flow path of the mixture which are at different electric potentials, characterized in that an electrode means which is electrically insulated with respect to the fuel nozzle means and which forms one of said surface means, is arranged within the fuel atomizer means at a distance from each fuel nozzle means, the potential difference being applied between the electrode means, on the one hand, and the fuel nozzle means, on the other, and in that several fuel nozzle means are arranged in the air conduction channel means along a closed line, whereby the opening normal of each nozzle means is arranged at an angle now parallel to the inflow direction of the air, and in that the electrode means is constructed as a flow-permeable structure extending past each nozzle means. 41. an installation according to claim 40, with a fuel supply means, characterized in that at least two nozzle means are provided which are operable to be connected with the fuel supply means in a predetermined manner. 42. an installation according to claim 41, characterized in that the nozzle means are of mutually different opening cross section. 43. an installation according to claim 41, characterized in that the nozzle means are operable to be connected additively with the fuel supply means. 44. an installation according to claim 41, characterized in that the nozzle means are operable to be connected alternatively to the fuel supply means. 45. an installation according to claim 41, characterized in that two groups of nozzle means are provided. 46. an installation according to claim 45, characterized in that the groups of nozzle means are of different opening cross section. 47. an installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the fuel nozzle means are electrically connected with the remaining electrically conducting components of the fuel atomizer means and of the internal combustion engine so as to be at the same potential. 48. an installation according to claim 40, characterized in that the nozzle means have an opening normal directed substantially radially from the inside toward the outside. 49. an installation according to claim 40, characterized in that said nozzle means form a nozzle ring. 50. an installation according to claim 40, characterized in that said angle is an obtuse angle. 51. an installation according to claim 40, characterized in that said angle is a substantially right angle. 52. an installation according to claim 40, characterized in that the electrode means is constructed as a flow-permeable structure extending past each nozzle means. 53. an installation according to claim 52, characterized in that said structure is an electrode basket means. 54. an installation according to claim 53, characterized in that the shadow surfaces of the electrode basket means are as small as possible in relation to the opening area of all meshes. 55. an installation according to claim 53, characterized in that the mesh size of the electrode basket means is essentially larger than the opening width of the nozzle means. 56. an installation according to claim 53, characterized in that the electrode basket means is so constructed and arranged relative to the nozzle ring that the opening normal of each nozzle means encounters the opening of a mesh of the electrode basket means. 57. an installation according to claim 53, characterized in that the electrode basket means is retained by way of at least one radial support arm means of electrically non-conductive material. 58. an installation according to claim 53, characterized by an electrically conductive feed means between a voltage source means for the potential of the electrode basket means and the electrode basket means itself. 59. an installation according to claim 58, characterized in that an ohmic resistance is connected in the voltage feed means. 60. an installation according to claim 53, characterized in that the electrode basket means is constructed cylindrically with generatrices pointing in the direction of the air flow. 61. an installation according to claim 53, characterized in that the electrode basket means is constructed at least in coarse approximation conically shaped with the cone axis disposed substantially parallel to the air flow. 62. an installation according to claim 61, characterized in that the imaginary cone apex of the electrode basket means points opposite the flow direction of the air and is arranged upstream of the nozzle ring. 63. an installation with mixture line means according to claim 1, characterized in that within the area of elbow means of the mixture line means leading to the combustion spaces of the internal combustion engine, electrode means are provided to which is applied an electric potential such that an electrostatic force acts on the droplets which is directed toward the center of the curvature. 64. an installation according to claim 53, characterized by means for selectively connecting each group of nozzle means with a fuel supply.
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the present invention relates to an installation for the production of an air/fuel mixture for a mixture-aspirating internal combustion engine, with a fuel atomizer provided with at least one fuel nozzle terminating in the air conducting channel and traversed by the sucked-in air and with surfaces at different electrical potentials arranged in the flow path of the mixture. such an installation is known in the art, for example, as disclosed in the german offenlegungsschrift 2,319,544. in this known prior art installation an air/fuel mixture produced by an atomizer carburetor of customary construction is conducted through an electric field at least approximately in the direction of equipotential surfaces. with a sufficiently high field strength, a point is reached with predetermined droplet size, at which the separating electrostatic forces predominate over the cohesive forces on the basis of the surface tension; the droplet then decomposes into at least two smaller droplets in which by reason of the smaller droplet diameters the cohesive forces based on surface tension then predominate again with respect to the electrostatic forces. during the flow of the air/fuel mixture produced in the customary, prior art carburetor through the electrostatic field, the droplet size is thus reduced and therewith the mixture is improved. by reason of the smaller droplet size, the same evaporate and combust more rapidly and the combustion of such a mixture produces a better fuel exploitation and improved exhaust gases. consequently, only the quality of the air/fuel mixture as regards its homogeneity is influenced by the arrangement of the electrostatic field according to customary, prior art fuel carburetors. the quantity of the air/fuel mixture, however, remains dependent in the known installation, as before, on those possibilities of the prior art fuel carburetors which are partly inadequate, i.e., the air/fuel ratio of the mixture cannot be matched in an optimum manner to all operating conditions. it is the aim of the present invention to teach how not only the mixture quality of a mixture-producer is improved, but also how the mixture ratio can be influenced by a further possibility of influencing the same. the underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that an electrode, preferably porous or permeable to air flow, is arranged in the fuel atomizer at a distance from each fuel nozzle, which electrode is mounted electrically insulated with respect to the fuel nozzle or nozzles of the atomizer, and in that the aforementioned potential difference is applied between the electrode or electrodes, on the one hand, and the fuel nozzles, on the other. according to the present invention, the two droplet-producing phenomena, namely air stream and electric field are thereby arranged functionally parallel adjacent one another at the location where the fuel droplets originate. both influences are variable independently of one another and one is able correspondingly to exert thereby an influence on the mixture ratio of the mixture in different ways, namely, on the one hand, by the magnitude of the suction air stream and, on the other, independently of the former, by the electrostatic field. the droplets thereby move as to the rest essentially transversely to the equipotential surfaces of the electrostatic field. the field strength of the electrostatic field between the nozzle or nozzles and the electrode or electrodes is therefore appropriately constructed to be variable, especially is constructed to be variable as a function or according to an indication of at least one of the operating magnitudes of the engine. this can take place either in that the applied potential is changed or that the distance between the nozzle or nozzles and associated electrode is varied. both possibilities can be used either individually or in common. thanks to the possibility according to the present invention, one may dispense with equipping so-called carburetors of customary, prior art construction with complicated additional nozzle- and channel-systems for enriching or leaning the mixture under certain operating conditions. this function can be assumed by the electrostatic field between the fuel nozzles and the electrodes. the mixture adaptation and optimization as regards the different operating conditions, for example, high traction at medium or high rotational speed or pushing operation, can take place by a simple field strength variation, for example, by changing the tap or moving the arm of a potentiometer. the mixture producers may therefore be constructed considerably more simple than heretofore with the same or better functioning capability. the mixture quantity and the quality can be additionally influenced especially, for example, during engine starting, in that at least two nozzles or groups of nozzles preferably of differing opening cross section are provided and in that the nozzles are adapted to be connected either additionally or alternatively with the fuel supply. this is so as the droplet size of the mixture, i.e., the mixture quality is influenced decisively by the nozzle section. on the other hand, by a distribution of the entire nozzle cross section over a larger number of nozzles, the flow resistance thereof is increased and thus the mixture is influenced from a quantitative point of view. with otherwise identical conditions, the distribution of the nozzle cross section over a larger number of nozzles thus signifies a leaning of the mixture connected with a mixture improvement and vice versa. appropriately the fuel nozzles together with the other electrically conducting component parts of the fuel atomizer and of the internal combustion engine are placed at the same potential. this dispenses with a separate electrical insulated arrangement of the nozzles of the carburetor and the customary electrically conducting carburetor materials can be used. in order to be able to realize the present invention with as few changes as possible in hitherto customary atomizer carburetors, provision is made that several fuel nozzles are arranged in the air-conducting channel of the fuel atomizer along a closed line with opening normals preferably directed from the inside toward the outside (nozzle ring), whereby the opening normal of each nozzle is arranged at an obtuse or right angle to the inflow direction or initial direction of flow of the air and in that the electrode is constructed as a flow-permeable or porous basket, cage, sieve or the like (electrode basket) extending in front of each nozzle of the nozzle ring. according to the preferred embodiment, the nozzles are arranged radially star-shaped at the so-called carburetor stock or trunk which is surrounded by an electrode basket. in order to disturb as little as possible the droplet jets which are discharged out of the nozzles and move toward the electrode baskets, it is advisable to select the shadow areas of the electrode basket as small as possible in relation to the opening area of all meshes and to preferably construct the mesh size of the electrode basket considerably larger than the opening width of the nozzles. it also serves the goal to disturb as little as possible the droplet trajectory through the electrode basket if the latter is so constructed and arranged relative to the nozzle ring that the opening normal of each nozzle encounters the opening of a mesh of the electrode basket. appropriately, the electrode basket is retained by way of at least one radially arranged arm, preferably by way of two or three arms of electrically non-conducting material, preferably of synthetic resinous material of conventional type. it is thereby advantageous if the electrically conducting connection between the voltage source for the potential of the electrode basket and the electrode basket itself (voltage feed) is extended through one of the support arms. it is recommended according to the present invention to shield the voltage feed to the electrode basket. for safety reasons, an ohmic resistance is arranged in the voltage feed which has a very high ohmic resistance. the electric currents are limited thereby and an unintentional spark-over in the carburetor is prevented. the electrode basket may be constructed cylindrically with generatrices pointing in the direction of the air flow. however, it may also be constructed at least in coarse approximation conically shaped with a cone axis disposed parallel to the air flow. this construction offers the advantage that the distance between the electrode and the nozzle can be changed by the axial displacement of one of these parts. it may therefore be of advantage to construct the electrode basket and/or the nozzle ring so as to be axially displaceable in the flow direction. in order to achieve a good mixing of the formed droplets with the suction air, in order to increase the relative velocity between droplets and suction air and in order to obtain as fine an atomization or vaporization as posible, it is advisable to arrange the conically shaped electrode basket to point with its cone apex opposite the flow direction of the suction air. however, the nozzle opening normals are thereby arranged perpendicularly to the flow direction. the droplets then receive a small flight component directed opposite the air flow. with the described arrangement of the mixture producer, the droplets receive an electrostatic charge which corresponds in its sign to the direction of the potential difference between the nozzle and the electrode. since the droplets are also charge carriers, their flight or trajectory can be influenced by electrostatic forces. in order to reduce a coagulation of the droplets by impingement against walls during flow deflections or the like, it is appropriate that electrodes are mounted within the area of elbows of the mixture lines leading to the combustion spaces of the internal combustion engine, which are connected to an electric potential such that an electrostatic force directed toward the center of the curvature acts on the droplets. accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an installation for producing an air/fuel mixture which avoids by simple means the aforementioned shortcomings and drawbacks encountered in the prior art. another object of the present invention resides in an installation for producing an air/fuel mixture in which the air/fuel mixture can be influenced not only as regards its homogeneity but also as regards its air/fuel ratio. a further object of the present invention resides in an installation for producing an air/fuel mixture in which the air/fuel ratio can be matched in an optimum manner to all operating conditions without sacrifice in the combustion processes. still a further object of the present invention resides in a air/fuel mixture producer in which the two variables, namely, air stream and electric field, can be varied independently of one another and thus can be used independently of one another to influence the mixture. another object of the present invention resides in a mixture producer of the type described above which can be constructed considerably more simple than heretofore with the same or improved functioning capability. still another object of the present invention resides in a mixture producer of the type described above, in which relatively few changes have to be made in the present-day customary carburetor constructions to attain the advantages of the present invention. still a further object of the present invention resides in a mixture producer for producing an air/fuel mixture for internal combustion engines in which an electric field is effectively used, yet the danger of arcing-over is completely eliminated. another object of the present invention resides in a mixture producer which not only achieves a good mixing of the formed small droplets with the suction air but which also prevents a re-coagulation of the droplets as a result, for example, of impingement thereof against the walls in elbows and the like of the intake line. these and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which shows, for purposes of illustration only, two embodiments in accordance with the present invention, and wherein: fig. 1 is a somewhat schematic cross-sectional view through a gasoline atomizer in accordance with the present invention which is constructed in a particular simple manner, and its coordination to an internal combustion engine in accordance with the present invention; and fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view through a modified embodiment of a simplified gasoline atomizer in accordance with the present invention. referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the two views to designate like parts, and more particularly to fig. 1, an internal combustion engine generally designated by reference numeral 1 is illustrated in this figure which includes a piston 2, a working space 3, a cylinder head 4, a suction pipe 5, and an exhaust pipe 6. a fuel atomizing installation generally designated by reference numeral 7 belongs to the engine 1. the fuel atomizing installation 7 includes a main pipe 9 provided with an insert 8 increasing the flow velocity; the carburetor tube, i.e., the so-called carburetor trunk 10 is arranged coaxially in the main pipe 9, and more particularly within the insert 8 thereof. the carburetor trunk 10 is supplied with gasoline from the float chamber 13 which includes a float 14 and a float valve 15, by way of the line 11 and the nozzle 12, whereby the gasoline is able to enter into the atomizing zone by way of the ring of radially arranged atomizing nozzles 16. the insert 8 is constructed in the illustrated embodiment of electrically well-insulating synthetic resinous material of conventional type and is provided with arms 17 which are constructed streamlined as viewed in cross section. the arms 17 carry a conically shaped wide mesh basket 18 made of a braidwork, network or fabric of thin metallic wire. the mesh sizes may be selected to suit any particular construction for example, may be of a size of about 1 mm. to about 5 mm.; however, they may also differ therefrom, the only requirement of the mesh size is that it is sufficiently large that the basket offers no significant flow resistance yet is sufficiently small that the basket is sufficiently form-rigid. a metallic electrically conducting conductor 20 connected with the basket 18 and provided with a shielding 19, is extended out of the inside of the pipe 9 by way of the interior of an arm 17. the basket 18 is arranged concentrically to the nozzle ring 16 and the cone apex points opposite the flow direction indicated by arrows 21. pins 22 are arranged on the outside of the insert 8 which retain the same in the pipe wall. a throttle valve 25 which can be pivoted by means of the lever 24 and which is arranged in the main pipe 9, is additionally provided-- as usual--in the atomizer installation 7. the float chamber 13 which supplies the carburetor trunk 10 with gasoline is filled with fuel by the gasoline pump 27 sucking the fuel out of the tank 26 by way of the needle valve 15. in case the needle valve 15 closes, the supply of the gasoline pump 27 flows back into the tank or into the suction connection of the pump by way of the throttle 38. the main pipe 9 is electrically connected with the remaining metallic parts of the atomizer installation, especially with the float chamber 13 and the nozzles 16. the metal parts of the atmomizer installation 7 and of the engine 1 are connected with the electrically conducting mass 29 of the vehicle, constituting the ground, by way of the ground line 28, i.e., are brought to the electric potential of zero. an ohmic resistance 31 and a condenser 33 of very high break-down voltage and high capacity are connected in parallel between the ground line 28 and the charging line 30; the condenser 33 serves as high voltage source. the condenser 33 is pulsatingly charged or kept charged by way of the charging line 30 from a pulse generator of conventional type (not shown) which, for example, similar as required for the mixture ignition, produces voltage pulses of high voltage. the resistance 32 in the line 20 serves the purpose of limiting the current flowing out of the condenser 33 to such low values that the formation of an arc in the atomizer installation is avoided with certainty. the resistance 31 serves the adjustment of the voltage or the fixed potential tap for different places inside of the installation. an electrode 34 which is electrically insulated with respect to the metallic parts of the installation is arranged in the elbow 5' of the suction line along the inner side of the curvature. this electrode 34 represents a wide mesh braidwork, plaitwork, network or fabric of thin wires; it is molded, e.g., injection molded, into the wall of the elbow member 5' made of electrically well-insulating synthetic resinous material along the inner side of the curvature. the electrode 34 is provided with a voltage feed line 35 which is connected to a place or tap of the resistance 31. as a result thereof, the electrode 34 can be placed at an electrostatic potential which exerts radially inwardly directed forces reducing wall impingements onto the charged droplets flowing past the same. the operation of the atomizer installation is now as follows: as a result of the downward movement of the piston 2 within the working space 3, air is sucked in through the main pipe 9 of the atomizer installation 7 when the throttle valve 25 is opened. as already known with the customary carburetors--gasoline is sucked out of the nozzles 16 by the vacuum caused by the air flow (arrows 21) proceeding transversely to the nozzle opening and is immediately atomized in the air flow. owing to the high electrostatic potential applied to the electrode basket 18 which is disposed opposite the nozzle 16, this discharge of fuel out of the nozzles 16 and the atomization thereof into small droplets is favored. three effects are essentially responsible therefor: the applied electrostatic field effects, on the one hand, a decrease of the effective surface tension and smaller nozzle diameters can thus be used whereby the discharge size of the droplets is very small. on the other hand, the formed droplets are charged for the most part and therefore have a tendency for further decomposition or splitting up. moreover, the relative velocity of the primary droplets with respect to the air flowing past is increased. these effects may be so strong that also with very small flow velocities a rich and finely atomized mixture can be formed. the electrostatic atomizing effect can be influenced by changing the field strength of the electrostatic field which will establish itself between the electrode baskets and the nozzle ring. in the illustrated embodiment, this can take place by changing the point of tap or engagement of the voltage supply line 19 along the resistance 31. another type of construction of an atomizer installation according to the present invention which illustrates a further possibility of influencing the atomizing action, is illustrated in fig. 2. far-reachingly corresponding parts are thereby designated with the same reference numerals as in fig. 1 whereas similar and functionally corresponding parts are designated by the same, though primed reference numerals. hence, in connection with fig. 2, reference can be had far-reachingly to the preceding description of fig. 1. a difference exists in the use of a cylindrical electrode basket 18'; the insert 8 is axially immovably secured within the main pipe 9. another difference resides in the carburetor stock or trunk 10' which is completely different as compared to that of fig. 1. this carburetor trunk 10' includes two rings of radially projecting nozzles 16' and 36 at axially different places within the atomizing zone. an axially displaceable essentially cylindrical slide member 38 is arranged on the inside of the carburetor trunk 10' which is adapted to be displaced downwardly by a bowden cable 39 and is adapted to be displaced upwardly by a return spring 40. the bowden cable 39 is extended through the apertures 42 and 43 filled out with a soft sealing mass of conventional type such as rubber, gasoline resistant soft synthetic resins, leather, felt, etc. by way of the cable roller 44 toward the outside to an adjusting motor (not shown) of conventional type. the reduced neck portion of the slide member 38, i.e., the portion with reduced diameter dimension is displaceable at will in the axial position of a nozzle ring, in which the remaining nozzle rings are then covered off by the relatively thicker portions of the slide member 38. the enlargement of the slide member 38 facing the supply side 11 is provided with an axial bore 41 so that the neck portion, i.e., the portion of reduced diametric dimension and the nozzle ring exposed thereby are connected to the gasoline supply. it is assumed that the nozzle ring 36, compared to the nozzle ring 16', possesses the same or even a larger over-all opening cross section, but a larger number of nozzles than the other nozzle ring. a displacement or shifting of the gasoline supply from the nozzle ring 16', as illustrated, to the lower nozzle ring 36 with the finer nozzles effects under the assumption of approximately the same flow resistance as that of the other nozzle ring, an improvement of the mixture with the same mixture ratio since, in that case, not the field strength but the discharge size of the droplets determined by the nozzle size is reduced. this may be important in particular during engine starting. while we have shown and described only two embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in the art, and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.
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068-182-842-545-574
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US
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[
"US"
] |
H01Q13/10,H01Q1/22,H01Q13/00,H01Q1/46,H01Q19/08
| 2016-11-03T00:00:00 |
2016
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[
"H01"
] |
apparatus for configuring a surface of an antenna
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aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, an antenna structure having a feedline, and a dielectric antenna coupled to the feedline. a first structural feature of an aperture of the dielectric antenna and a second structural feature of a junction between the feedline and the dielectric antenna can be configured to increase a front-to-back ratio of wireless signals received by the aperture of the dielectric antenna and received outside a reception area of the aperture of the dielectric antenna. other embodiments are disclosed.
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1 . a device, comprising: a dielectric antenna having an aperture for transmitting or receiving wireless signals; a feedline coupled to the dielectric antenna, wherein a junction between the feedline and the dielectric antenna is configured to reduce a reception of wireless signals at the junction; a cable comprising a conductorless dielectric core coupled to the feedline; and wherein a transmitter or a receiver, coupled to the cable, facilitates a transmission or reception, respectively, of electromagnetic waves guided by the conductorless dielectric core and the feedline coupled to the dielectric antenna. 2 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the junction is configured to have a structural shape that is devoid of an edge having a vertex to reduce the reception of wireless signals at the junction. 3 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the aperture of the dielectric antenna comprises a reception area for receiving wireless signals, and wherein the aperture is configured to have a structural shape to reduce the reception of wireless signals outside the reception area of the aperture. 4 . the device of claim 3 , wherein the structural shape of the aperture is devoid of an edge having a vertex to reduce the reception of wireless signals outside the reception area of the aperture. 5 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the junction between the feedline and the dielectric antenna is covered by a shield to reduce the reception of wireless signals at the junction. 6 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the aperture of the dielectric antenna comprises a reception area for receiving wireless signals, and wherein a structure of the aperture outside the reception area of the aperture that is covered by a shield to reduce the reception of wireless signals outside the reception area of the aperture. 7 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric material comprises a dielectric layer disposed on the conductorless dielectric core. 8 . the device of claim 7 , wherein the conductorless dielectric core comprises a first dielectric constant, wherein the dielectric material comprises a second dielectric constant, and wherein the first dielectric constant exceeds the second dielectric constant to enable the electromagnetic waves to be bound to the conductorless dielectric core. 9 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter comprises a slotted waveguide for inducing the electromagnetic waves guided by the conductorless dielectric core. 10 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter comprises a microwave circuit coupled to a radiating element and a waveguide structure for inducing the electromagnetic waves guided by the conductorless dielectric core. 11 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric antenna has a flared structure devoid of an edge having a vertex. 12 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric antenna has a pyramidal structure devoid of an edge having a vertex. 13 . a device, comprising: a dielectric antenna having an aperture for transmitting or receiving wireless signals; a feedline coupled to the dielectric antenna, wherein the dielectric antenna and the feedline are configured to reduce a reception of wireless signals outside a reception area of the aperture of the dielectric antenna; a dielectric core coupled to the feedline; and wherein a transmitter or receiver, coupled to the dielectric core, facilitates a transmission or reception of electromagnetic waves guided by the dielectric core and the feedline coupled to the dielectric antenna. 14 . the device of claim 13 , wherein a junction between the feedline and the dielectric antenna is configured to have a structural shape to reduce the reception of wireless signals outside the reception area of the aperture of the dielectric antenna. 15 . the device of claim 13 , wherein a junction between the feedline and the dielectric antenna is covered by a shield to reduce the reception of wireless signals outside the reception area of the aperture of the dielectric antenna. 16 . the device of claim 13 , wherein the aperture is configured to have a structural shape to reduce the reception of wireless signals outside the reception area of the aperture. 17 . the device of claim 13 , wherein a structural feature of the aperture is covered by a shield to reduce the reception of wireless signals outside the reception area of the aperture. 18 . an antenna structure, comprising: a feedline; and a dielectric antenna coupled to the feedline, wherein a first structural feature of an aperture of the dielectric antenna and a second structural feature of a junction between the feedline and the dielectric antenna are configured to increase a front-to-back ratio of wireless signals received by the aperture of the dielectric antenna and received outside a reception area of the aperture of the dielectric antenna. 19 . the antenna structure of claim 18 , wherein the first structural feature of the aperture is devoid of a first edge having a first vertex, and wherein second structure feature of the junction between the feedline and the dielectric antenna is devoid of a second edge having a second vertex. 20 . the antenna structure of claim 18 , wherein the first structural feature of the aperture is covered by a first shield, wherein the second structure feature of the junction is covered by a second shield, and wherein the first shield and the second shield reduce the reception of the wireless signals outside the reception area the aperture of the dielectric antenna.
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field of the disclosure the subject disclosure relates to an apparatus for configuring a surface of an antenna. background as smart phones and other portable devices increasingly become ubiquitous, and data usage increases, macrocell base station devices and existing wireless infrastructure in turn require higher bandwidth capability in order to address the increased demand. to provide additional mobile bandwidth, small cell deployment is being pursued, with microcells and picocells providing coverage for much smaller areas than traditional macrocells. in addition, most homes and businesses have grown to rely on broadband data access for services such as voice, video and internet browsing, etc. broadband access networks include satellite, 4g or 5g wireless, power line communication, fiber, cable, and telephone networks. brief description of the drawings reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a guided-wave communications system in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission device in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 3 is a graphical diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic field distribution in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 4 is a graphical diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic field distribution in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 5a is a graphical diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a frequency response in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 5b is a graphical diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a longitudinal cross-section of an insulated wire depicting fields of guided electromagnetic waves at various operating frequencies in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 6 is a graphical diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic field distribution in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an arc coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an arc coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 9a is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a stub coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 9b is a diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic distribution in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 10a and 10b are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of couplers and transceivers in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dual stub coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a repeater system in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 13 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional repeater in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a waveguide system in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a guided-wave communications system in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 16a & 16b are block diagrams illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a system for managing a power grid communication system in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 17a illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for detecting and mitigating disturbances occurring in a communication network of the system of figs. 16a and 16b . fig. 17b illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for detecting and mitigating disturbances occurring in a communication network of the system of figs. 16a and 16b . figs. 18a, 18b, and 18c are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission medium for propagating guided electromagnetic waves. fig. 18d is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of bundled transmission media in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 18e is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a plot depicting cross-talk between first and second transmission mediums of the bundled transmission media of fig. 18d in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 18f is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of bundled transmission media to mitigate cross-talk in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 18g and 18h are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a transmission medium with an inner waveguide in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 18i and 18j are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of connector configurations that can be used with the transmission medium of fig. 18a, 18b , or 18 c. fig. 18k is a block diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of transmission mediums for propagating guided electromagnetic waves. fig. 18l is a block diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of bundled transmission media to mitigate cross-talk in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 18m is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of exposed stubs from the bundled transmission media for use as antennas in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 18n, 18o, 18p, 18q, 18r, 18s, 18t, 18u, 18v and 18w are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a waveguide device for transmitting or receiving electromagnetic waves in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 19a and 19b are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a dielectric antenna and corresponding gain and field intensity plots in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 19c and 19d are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a dielectric antenna coupled to a lens and corresponding gain and field intensity plots in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 19e and 19f are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a dielectric antenna coupled to a lens with ridges and corresponding gain and field intensity plots in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19g is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric antenna having an elliptical structure in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19h is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of near-field and far-field signals emitted by the dielectric antenna of fig. 19g in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19i is a block diagrams of example, non-limiting embodiments of a dielectric antenna for adjusting far-field wireless signals in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 19j and 19k are block diagrams of example, non-limiting embodiments of a flange that can be coupled to a dielectric antenna in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19l is a block diagram of example, non-limiting embodiments of the flange, waveguide and dielectric antenna assembly in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19m is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric antenna coupled to a gimbal for directing wireless signals generated by the dielectric antenna in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19n is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric antenna in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19o is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of an array of dielectric antennas configurable for steering wireless signals in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 19 p 1 , 19 p 2 , 19 p 3 , 19 p 4 , 19 p 5 , 19 p 6 , 19 p 7 and 19 p 8 are side-view block diagrams of example, non-limiting embodiments of a cable, a flange, and dielectric antenna assembly in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 19 q 1 , 19 q 2 and 19 q 3 are front-view block diagrams of example, non-limiting embodiments of dielectric antennas in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19r is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric antenna in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19s illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for improving a performance of an antenna. figs. 20a and 20b are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of the transmission medium of fig. 18a used for inducing guided electromagnetic waves on power lines supported by utility poles. fig. 20c is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a communication network in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 20d is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of an antenna mount for use in a communication network in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 20e is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of an antenna mount for use in a communication network in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 20f is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of an antenna mount for use in a communication network in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 21a illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for transmitting downlink signals. fig. 21b illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for transmitting uplink signals. fig. 21c illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for inducing and receiving electromagnetic waves on a transmission medium. fig. 21d illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for inducing and receiving electromagnetic waves on a transmission medium. fig. 21e illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for transmitting wireless signals from a dielectric antenna. fig. 21f illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for receiving wireless signals at a dielectric antenna. fig. 21g illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for detecting and mitigating disturbances occurring in a communication network. fig. 21h is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an alignment of fields of an electromagnetic wave to mitigate propagation losses due to water accumulation on a transmission medium in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 21i and 21j are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of electric field intensities of different electromagnetic waves propagating in the cable illustrated in fig. 20h in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 21k is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of electric fields of a goubau wave in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 21l is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of electric fields of a hybrid wave in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 21m is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of electric field characteristics of a hybrid wave versus a goubau wave in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 21n is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of mode sizes of hybrid waves at various operating frequencies in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 22a and 22b are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a waveguide device for launching hybrid waves in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 23 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a hybrid wave launched by the waveguide device of figs. 21a and 21b in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 24 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a computing environment in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 25 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a mobile network platform in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 26 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a communication device in accordance with various aspects described herein. detailed description one or more embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. in the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments. it is evident, however, that the various embodiments can be practiced without these details (and without applying to any particular networked environment or standard). in an embodiment, a guided wave communication system is presented for sending and receiving communication signals such as data or other signaling via guided electromagnetic waves. the guided electromagnetic waves include, for example, surface waves or other electromagnetic waves that are bound to or guided by a transmission medium. it will be appreciated that a variety of transmission media can be utilized with guided wave communications without departing from example embodiments. examples of such transmission media can include one or more of the following, either alone or in one or more combinations: wires, whether insulated or not, and whether single-stranded or multi-stranded; conductors of other shapes or configurations including wire bundles, cables, rods, rails, pipes; non-conductors such as dielectric pipes, rods, rails, or other dielectric members; combinations of conductors and dielectric materials; or other guided wave transmission media. the inducement of guided electromagnetic waves on a transmission medium can be independent of any electrical potential, charge or current that is injected or otherwise transmitted through the transmission medium as part of an electrical circuit. for example, in the case where the transmission medium is a wire, it is to be appreciated that while a small current in the wire may be formed in response to the propagation of the guided waves along the wire, this can be due to the propagation of the electromagnetic wave along the wire surface, and is not formed in response to electrical potential, charge or current that is injected into the wire as part of an electrical circuit. the electromagnetic waves traveling on the wire therefore do not require a circuit to propagate along the wire surface. the wire therefore is a single wire transmission line that is not part of a circuit. also, in some embodiments, a wire is not necessary, and the electromagnetic waves can propagate along a single line transmission medium that is not a wire. more generally, “guided electromagnetic waves” or “guided waves” as described by the subject disclosure are affected by the presence of a physical object that is at least a part of the transmission medium (e.g., a bare wire or other conductor, a dielectric, an insulated wire, a conduit or other hollow element, a bundle of insulated wires that is coated, covered or surrounded by a dielectric or insulator or other wire bundle, or another form of solid, liquid or otherwise non-gaseous transmission medium) so as to be at least partially bound to or guided by the physical object and so as to propagate along a transmission path of the physical object. such a physical object can operate as at least a part of a transmission medium that guides, by way of an interface of the transmission medium (e.g., an outer surface, inner surface, an interior portion between the outer and the inner surfaces or other boundary between elements of the transmission medium), the propagation of guided electromagnetic waves, which in turn can carry energy, data and/or other signals along the transmission path from a sending device to a receiving device. unlike free space propagation of wireless signals such as unguided (or unbounded) electromagnetic waves that decrease in intensity inversely by the square of the distance traveled by the unguided electromagnetic waves, guided electromagnetic waves can propagate along a transmission medium with less loss in magnitude per unit distance than experienced by unguided electromagnetic waves. unlike electrical signals, guided electromagnetic waves can propagate from a sending device to a receiving device without requiring a separate electrical return path between the sending device and the receiving device. as a consequence, guided electromagnetic waves can propagate from a sending device to a receiving device along a transmission medium having no conductive components (e.g., a dielectric strip), or via a transmission medium having no more than a single conductor (e.g., a single bare wire or insulated wire). even if a transmission medium includes one or more conductive components and the guided electromagnetic waves propagating along the transmission medium generate currents that flow in the one or more conductive components in a direction of the guided electromagnetic waves, such guided electromagnetic waves can propagate along the transmission medium from a sending device to a receiving device without requiring a flow of opposing currents on an electrical return path between the sending device and the receiving device. in a non-limiting illustration, consider electrical systems that transmit and receive electrical signals between sending and receiving devices by way of conductive media. such systems generally rely on electrically separate forward and return paths. for instance, consider a coaxial cable having a center conductor and a ground shield that are separated by an insulator. typically, in an electrical system a first terminal of a sending (or receiving) device can be connected to the center conductor, and a second terminal of the sending (or receiving) device can be connected to the ground shield. if the sending device injects an electrical signal in the center conductor via the first terminal, the electrical signal will propagate along the center conductor causing forward currents in the center conductor, and return currents in the ground shield. the same conditions apply for a two terminal receiving device. in contrast, consider a guided wave communication system such as described in the subject disclosure, which can utilize different embodiments of a transmission medium (including among others a coaxial cable) for transmitting and receiving guided electromagnetic waves without an electrical return path. in one embodiment, for example, the guided wave communication system of the subject disclosure can be configured to induce guided electromagnetic waves that propagate along an outer surface of a coaxial cable. although the guided electromagnetic waves will cause forward currents on the ground shield, the guided electromagnetic waves do not require return currents to enable the guided electromagnetic waves to propagate along the outer surface of the coaxial cable. the same can be said of other transmission media used by a guided wave communication system for the transmission and reception of guided electromagnetic waves. for example, guided electromagnetic waves induced by the guided wave communication system on an outer surface of a bare wire, or an insulated wire can propagate along the bare wire or the insulated bare wire without an electrical return path. consequently, electrical systems that require two or more conductors for carrying forward and reverse currents on separate conductors to enable the propagation of electrical signals injected by a sending device are distinct from guided wave systems that induce guided electromagnetic waves on an interface of a transmission medium without the need of an electrical return path to enable the propagation of the guided electromagnetic waves along the interface of the transmission medium. it is further noted that guided electromagnetic waves as described in the subject disclosure can have an electromagnetic field structure that lies primarily or substantially outside of a transmission medium so as to be bound to or guided by the transmission medium and so as to propagate non-trivial distances on or along an outer surface of the transmission medium. in other embodiments, guided electromagnetic waves can have an electromagnetic field structure that lies primarily or substantially inside a transmission medium so as to be bound to or guided by the transmission medium and so as to propagate non-trivial distances within the transmission medium. in other embodiments, guided electromagnetic waves can have an electromagnetic field structure that lies partially inside and partially outside a transmission medium so as to be bound to or guided by the transmission medium and so as to propagate non-trivial distances along the transmission medium. the desired electronic field structure in an embodiment may vary based upon a variety of factors, including the desired transmission distance, the characteristics of the transmission medium itself, and environmental conditions/characteristics outside of the transmission medium (e.g., presence of rain, fog, atmospheric conditions, etc.). various embodiments described herein relate to coupling devices, that can be referred to as “waveguide coupling devices”, “waveguide couplers” or more simply as “couplers”, “coupling devices” or “launchers” for launching and/or extracting guided electromagnetic waves to and from a transmission medium at millimeter-wave frequencies (e.g., 30 to 300 ghz), wherein the wavelength can be small compared to one or more dimensions of the coupling device and/or the transmission medium such as the circumference of a wire or other cross sectional dimension, or lower microwave frequencies such as 300 mhz to 30 ghz. transmissions can be generated to propagate as waves guided by a coupling device, such as: a strip, arc or other length of dielectric material; a horn, monopole, rod, slot or other antenna; an array of antennas; a magnetic resonant cavity, or other resonant coupler; a coil, a strip line, a waveguide or other coupling device. in operation, the coupling device receives an electromagnetic wave from a transmitter or transmission medium. the electromagnetic field structure of the electromagnetic wave can be carried inside the coupling device, outside the coupling device or some combination thereof. when the coupling device is in close proximity to a transmission medium, at least a portion of an electromagnetic wave couples to or is bound to the transmission medium, and continues to propagate as guided electromagnetic waves. in a reciprocal fashion, a coupling device can extract guided waves from a transmission medium and transfer these electromagnetic waves to a receiver. according to an example embodiment, a surface wave is a type of guided wave that is guided by a surface of a transmission medium, such as an exterior or outer surface of the wire, or another surface of the wire that is adjacent to or exposed to another type of medium having different properties (e.g., dielectric properties). indeed, in an example embodiment, a surface of the wire that guides a surface wave can represent a transitional surface between two different types of media. for example, in the case of a bare or uninsulated wire, the surface of the wire can be the outer or exterior conductive surface of the bare or uninsulated wire that is exposed to air or free space. as another example, in the case of insulated wire, the surface of the wire can be the conductive portion of the wire that meets the insulator portion of the wire, or can otherwise be the insulator surface of the wire that is exposed to air or free space, or can otherwise be any material region between the insulator surface of the wire and the conductive portion of the wire that meets the insulator portion of the wire, depending upon the relative differences in the properties (e.g., dielectric properties) of the insulator, air, and/or the conductor and further dependent on the frequency and propagation mode or modes of the guided wave. according to an example embodiment, the term “about” a wire or other transmission medium used in conjunction with a guided wave can include fundamental guided wave propagation modes such as a guided waves having a circular or substantially circular field distribution, a symmetrical electromagnetic field distribution (e.g., electric field, magnetic field, electromagnetic field, etc.) or other fundamental mode pattern at least partially around a wire or other transmission medium. in addition, when a guided wave propagates “about” a wire or other transmission medium, it can do so according to a guided wave propagation mode that includes not only the fundamental wave propagation modes (e.g., zero order modes), but additionally or alternatively non-fundamental wave propagation modes such as higher-order guided wave modes (e.g., 1 st order modes, 2 nd order modes, etc.), asymmetrical modes and/or other guided (e.g., surface) waves that have non-circular field distributions around a wire or other transmission medium. as used herein, the term “guided wave mode” refers to a guided wave propagation mode of a transmission medium, coupling device or other system component of a guided wave communication system. for example, such non-circular field distributions can be unilateral or multi-lateral with one or more axial lobes characterized by relatively higher field strength and/or one or more nulls or null regions characterized by relatively low-field strength, zero-field strength or substantially zero-field strength. further, the field distribution can otherwise vary as a function of azimuthal orientation around the wire such that one or more angular regions around the wire have an electric or magnetic field strength (or combination thereof) that is higher than one or more other angular regions of azimuthal orientation, according to an example embodiment. it will be appreciated that the relative orientations or positions of the guided wave higher order modes or asymmetrical modes can vary as the guided wave travels along the wire. as used herein, the term “millimeter-wave” can refer to electromagnetic waves/signals that fall within the “millimeter-wave frequency band” of 30 ghz to 300 ghz. the term “microwave” can refer to electromagnetic waves/signals that fall within a “microwave frequency band” of 300 mhz to 300 ghz. the term “radio frequency” or “rf” can refer to electromagnetic waves/signals that fall within the “radio frequency band” of 10 khz to 1 thz. it is appreciated that wireless signals, electrical signals, and guided electromagnetic waves as described in the subject disclosure can be configured to operate at any desirable frequency range, such as, for example, at frequencies within, above or below millimeter-wave and/or microwave frequency bands. in particular, when a coupling device or transmission medium includes a conductive element, the frequency of the guided electromagnetic waves that are carried by the coupling device and/or propagate along the transmission medium can be below the mean collision frequency of the electrons in the conductive element. further, the frequency of the guided electromagnetic waves that are carried by the coupling device and/or propagate along the transmission medium can be a non-optical frequency, e.g., a radio frequency below the range of optical frequencies that begins at 1 thz. as used herein, the term “antenna” can refer to a device that is part of a transmitting or receiving system to transmit/radiate or receive wireless signals. in accordance with one or more embodiments, a device can include a dielectric antenna having an aperture for transmitting or receiving wireless signals, a feedline coupled to the dielectric antenna, wherein a junction between the feedline and the dielectric antenna is configured to reduce a reception of wireless signals at the junction, a cable comprising a conductorless dielectric core cover coupled to the feedline, and wherein a transmitter or a receiver, coupled to the cable, facilitates a transmission or reception of electromagnetic waves guided by the conductorless dielectric core and the feedline coupled to the dielectric antenna. in accordance with one or more embodiments, a device can include a dielectric antenna having an aperture for transmitting or receiving wireless signals, a feedline coupled to the dielectric antenna, wherein the dielectric antenna and the feedline are configured to reduce a reception of wireless signals outside a reception area of the aperture of the dielectric antenna, a dielectric core coupled to the feedline, and wherein a transmitter or receiver, coupled to the dielectric core, facilitates a transmission or reception of electromagnetic waves guided by the dielectric core and the feedline coupled to the dielectric antenna. in accordance with one or more embodiments, an antenna structure can include a feedline, and a dielectric antenna coupled to the feedline, wherein a first structural feature of an aperture of the dielectric antenna and a second structural feature of a junction between the feedline and the dielectric antenna are configured to increase a front-to-back ratio of wireless signals received by the aperture of the dielectric antenna and received outside a reception area the aperture of the dielectric antenna. referring now to fig. 1 , a block diagram 100 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a guided wave communications system is shown. in operation, a transmission device 101 receives one or more communication signals 110 from a communication network or other communications device that includes data and generates guided waves 120 to convey the data via the transmission medium 125 to the transmission device 102 . the transmission device 102 receives the guided waves 120 and converts them to communication signals 112 that include the data for transmission to a communications network or other communications device. the guided waves 120 can be modulated to convey data via a modulation technique such as phase shift keying, frequency shift keying, quadrature amplitude modulation, amplitude modulation, multi-carrier modulation such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing and via multiple access techniques such as frequency division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, multiplexing via differing wave propagation modes and via other modulation and access strategies. the communication network or networks can include a wireless communication network such as a mobile data network, a cellular voice and data network, a wireless local area network (e.g., wifi or an 802.xx network), a satellite communications network, a personal area network or other wireless network. the communication network or networks can also include a wired communication network such as a telephone network, an ethernet network, a local area network, a wide area network such as the internet, a broadband access network, a cable network, a fiber optic network, or other wired network. the communication devices can include a network edge device, bridge device or home gateway, a set-top box, broadband modem, telephone adapter, access point, base station, or other fixed communication device, a mobile communication device such as an automotive gateway or automobile, laptop computer, tablet, smartphone, cellular telephone, or other communication device. in an example embodiment, the guided wave communication system 100 can operate in a bi-directional fashion where transmission device 102 receives one or more communication signals 112 from a communication network or device that includes other data and generates guided waves 122 to convey the other data via the transmission medium 125 to the transmission device 101 . in this mode of operation, the transmission device 101 receives the guided waves 122 and converts them to communication signals 110 that include the other data for transmission to a communications network or device. the guided waves 122 can be modulated to convey data via a modulation technique such as phase shift keying, frequency shift keying, quadrature amplitude modulation, amplitude modulation, multi-carrier modulation such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing and via multiple access techniques such as frequency division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, multiplexing via differing wave propagation modes and via other modulation and access strategies. the transmission medium 125 can include a cable having at least one inner portion surrounded by a dielectric material such as an insulator or other dielectric cover, coating or other dielectric material, the dielectric material having an outer surface and a corresponding circumference. in an example embodiment, the transmission medium 125 operates as a single-wire transmission line to guide the transmission of an electromagnetic wave. when the transmission medium 125 is implemented as a single wire transmission system, it can include a wire. the wire can be insulated or uninsulated, and single-stranded or multi-stranded (e.g., braided). in other embodiments, the transmission medium 125 can contain conductors of other shapes or configurations including wire bundles, cables, rods, rails, pipes. in addition, the transmission medium 125 can include non-conductors such as dielectric pipes, rods, rails, or other dielectric members; combinations of conductors and dielectric materials, conductors without dielectric materials or other guided wave transmission media. it should be noted that the transmission medium 125 can otherwise include any of the transmission media previously discussed. further, as previously discussed, the guided waves 120 and 122 can be contrasted with radio transmissions over free space/air or conventional propagation of electrical power or signals through the conductor of a wire via an electrical circuit. in addition to the propagation of guided waves 120 and 122 , the transmission medium 125 may optionally contain one or more wires that propagate electrical power or other communication signals in a conventional manner as a part of one or more electrical circuits. referring now to fig. 2 , a block diagram 200 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission device is shown. the transmission device 101 or 102 includes a communications interface (i/f) 205 , a transceiver 210 and a coupler 220 . in an example of operation, the communications interface 205 receives a communication signal 110 or 112 that includes data. in various embodiments, the communications interface 205 can include a wireless interface for receiving a wireless communication signal in accordance with a wireless standard protocol such as lte or other cellular voice and data protocol, wifi or an 802.11 protocol, wimax protocol, ultra wideband protocol, bluetooth protocol, zigbee protocol, a direct broadcast satellite (dbs) or other satellite communication protocol or other wireless protocol. in addition or in the alternative, the communications interface 205 includes a wired interface that operates in accordance with an ethernet protocol, universal serial bus (usb) protocol, a data over cable service interface specification (docsis) protocol, a digital subscriber line (dsl) protocol, a firewire (ieee 1394) protocol, or other wired protocol. in additional to standards-based protocols, the communications interface 205 can operate in conjunction with other wired or wireless protocol. in addition, the communications interface 205 can optionally operate in conjunction with a protocol stack that includes multiple protocol layers including a mac protocol, transport protocol, application protocol, etc. in an example of operation, the transceiver 210 generates an electromagnetic wave based on the communication signal 110 or 112 to convey the data. the electromagnetic wave has at least one carrier frequency and at least one corresponding wavelength. the carrier frequency can be within a millimeter-wave frequency band of 30 ghz-300 ghz, such as 60 ghz or a carrier frequency in the range of 30-40 ghz or a lower frequency band of 300 mhz-30 ghz in the microwave frequency range such as 26-30 ghz, 11 ghz, 6 ghz or 3 ghz, but it will be appreciated that other carrier frequencies are possible in other embodiments. in one mode of operation, the transceiver 210 merely upconverts the communications signal or signals 110 or 112 for transmission of the electromagnetic signal in the microwave or millimeter-wave band as a guided electromagnetic wave that is guided by or bound to the transmission medium 125 . in another mode of operation, the communications interface 205 either converts the communication signal 110 or 112 to a baseband or near baseband signal or extracts the data from the communication signal 110 or 112 and the transceiver 210 modulates a high-frequency carrier with the data, the baseband or near baseband signal for transmission. it should be appreciated that the transceiver 210 can modulate the data received via the communication signal 110 or 112 to preserve one or more data communication protocols of the communication signal 110 or 112 either by encapsulation in the payload of a different protocol or by simple frequency shifting. in the alternative, the transceiver 210 can otherwise translate the data received via the communication signal 110 or 112 to a protocol that is different from the data communication protocol or protocols of the communication signal 110 or 112 . in an example of operation, the coupler 220 couples the electromagnetic wave to the transmission medium 125 as a guided electromagnetic wave to convey the communications signal or signals 110 or 112 . while the prior description has focused on the operation of the transceiver 210 as a transmitter, the transceiver 210 can also operate to receive electromagnetic waves that convey other data from the single wire transmission medium via the coupler 220 and to generate communications signals 110 or 112 , via communications interface 205 that includes the other data. consider embodiments where an additional guided electromagnetic wave conveys other data that also propagates along the transmission medium 125 . the coupler 220 can also couple this additional electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium 125 to the transceiver 210 for reception. the transmission device 101 or 102 includes an optional training controller 230 . in an example embodiment, the training controller 230 is implemented by a standalone processor or a processor that is shared with one or more other components of the transmission device 101 or 102 . the training controller 230 selects the carrier frequencies, modulation schemes and/or guided wave modes for the guided electromagnetic waves based on feedback data received by the transceiver 210 from at least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the guided electromagnetic wave. in an example embodiment, a guided electromagnetic wave transmitted by a remote transmission device 101 or 102 conveys data that also propagates along the transmission medium 125 . the data from the remote transmission device 101 or 102 can be generated to include the feedback data. in operation, the coupler 220 also couples the guided electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium 125 and the transceiver receives the electromagnetic wave and processes the electromagnetic wave to extract the feedback data. in an example embodiment, the training controller 230 operates based on the feedback data to evaluate a plurality of candidate frequencies, modulation schemes and/or transmission modes to select a carrier frequency, modulation scheme and/or transmission mode to enhance performance, such as throughput, signal strength, reduce propagation loss, etc. consider the following example: a transmission device 101 begins operation under control of the training controller 230 by sending a plurality of guided waves as test signals such as pilot waves or other test signals at a corresponding plurality of candidate frequencies and/or candidate modes directed to a remote transmission device 102 coupled to the transmission medium 125 . the guided waves can include, in addition or in the alternative, test data. the test data can indicate the particular candidate frequency and/or guide-wave mode of the signal. in an embodiment, the training controller 230 at the remote transmission device 102 receives the test signals and/or test data from any of the guided waves that were properly received and determines the best candidate frequency and/or guided wave mode, a set of acceptable candidate frequencies and/or guided wave modes, or a rank ordering of candidate frequencies and/or guided wave modes. this selection of candidate frequenc(ies) or/and guided-mode(s) are generated by the training controller 230 based on one or more optimizing criteria such as received signal strength, bit error rate, packet error rate, signal to noise ratio, propagation loss, etc. the training controller 230 generates feedback data that indicates the selection of candidate frequenc(ies) or/and guided wave mode(s) and sends the feedback data to the transceiver 210 for transmission to the transmission device 101 . the transmission device 101 and 102 can then communicate data with one another based on the selection of candidate frequenc(ies) or/and guided wave mode(s). in other embodiments, the guided electromagnetic waves that contain the test signals and/or test data are reflected back, repeated back or otherwise looped back by the remote transmission device 102 to the transmission device 101 for reception and analysis by the training controller 230 of the transmission device 101 that initiated these waves. for example, the transmission device 101 can send a signal to the remote transmission device 102 to initiate a test mode where a physical reflector is switched on the line, a termination impedance is changed to cause reflections, a loop back mode is switched on to couple electromagnetic waves back to the source transmission device 102 , and/or a repeater mode is enabled to amplify and retransmit the electromagnetic waves back to the source transmission device 102 . the training controller 230 at the source transmission device 102 receives the test signals and/or test data from any of the guided waves that were properly received and determines selection of candidate frequenc(ies) or/and guided wave mode(s). while the procedure above has been described in a start-up or initialization mode of operation, each transmission device 101 or 102 can send test signals, evaluate candidate frequencies or guided wave modes via non-test such as normal transmissions or otherwise evaluate candidate frequencies or guided wave modes at other times or continuously as well. in an example embodiment, the communication protocol between the transmission devices 101 and 102 can include an on-request or periodic test mode where either full testing or more limited testing of a subset of candidate frequencies and guided wave modes are tested and evaluated. in other modes of operation, the re-entry into such a test mode can be triggered by a degradation of performance due to a disturbance, weather conditions, etc. in an example embodiment, the receiver bandwidth of the transceiver 210 is either sufficiently wide or swept to receive all candidate frequencies or can be selectively adjusted by the training controller 230 to a training mode where the receiver bandwidth of the transceiver 210 is sufficiently wide or swept to receive all candidate frequencies. referring now to fig. 3 , a graphical diagram 300 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic field distribution is shown. in this embodiment, a transmission medium 125 in air includes an inner conductor 301 and an insulating jacket 302 of dielectric material, as shown in cross section. the diagram 300 includes different gray-scales that represent differing electromagnetic field strengths generated by the propagation of the guided wave having an asymmetrical and non-fundamental guided wave mode. in particular, the electromagnetic field distribution corresponds to a modal “sweet spot” that enhances guided electromagnetic wave propagation along an insulated transmission medium and reduces end-to-end transmission loss. in this particular mode, electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium 125 to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission medium—in this case, the outer surface of the insulating jacket 302 . electromagnetic waves are partially embedded in the insulator and partially radiating on the outer surface of the insulator. in this fashion, electromagnetic waves are “lightly” coupled to the insulator so as to enable electromagnetic wave propagation at long distances with low propagation loss. as shown, the guided wave has a field structure that lies primarily or substantially outside of the transmission medium 125 that serves to guide the electromagnetic waves. the regions inside the conductor 301 have little or no field. likewise regions inside the insulating jacket 302 have low field strength. the majority of the electromagnetic field strength is distributed in the lobes 304 at the outer surface of the insulating jacket 302 and in close proximity thereof. the presence of an asymmetric guided wave mode is shown by the high electromagnetic field strengths at the top and bottom of the outer surface of the insulating jacket 302 (in the orientation of the diagram)—as opposed to very small field strengths on the other sides of the insulating jacket 302 . the example shown corresponds to a 38 ghz electromagnetic wave guided by a wire with a diameter of 1.1 cm and a dielectric insulation of thickness of 0.36 cm. because the electromagnetic wave is guided by the transmission medium 125 and the majority of the field strength is concentrated in the air outside of the insulating jacket 302 within a limited distance of the outer surface, the guided wave can propagate longitudinally down the transmission medium 125 with very low loss. in the example shown, this “limited distance” corresponds to a distance from the outer surface that is less than half the largest cross sectional dimension of the transmission medium 125 . in this case, the largest cross sectional dimension of the wire corresponds to the overall diameter of 1.82 cm, however, this value can vary with the size and shape of the transmission medium 125 . for example, should the transmission medium 125 be of a rectangular shape with a height of 0.3 cm and a width of 0.4 cm, the largest cross sectional dimension would be the diagonal of 0.5 cm and the corresponding limited distance would be 0.25 cm. the dimensions of the area containing the majority of the field strength also vary with the frequency, and in general, increase as carrier frequencies decrease. it should also be noted that the components of a guided wave communication system, such as couplers and transmission media can have their own cut-off frequencies for each guided wave mode. the cut-off frequency generally sets forth the lowest frequency that a particular guided wave mode is designed to be supported by that particular component. in an example embodiment, the particular asymmetric mode of propagation shown is induced on the transmission medium 125 by an electromagnetic wave having a frequency that falls within a limited range (such as fc to 2fc) of the lower cut-off frequency fc for this particular asymmetric mode. the lower cut-off frequency fc is particular to the characteristics of transmission medium 125 . for embodiments as shown that include an inner conductor 301 surrounded by an insulating jacket 302 , this cutoff frequency can vary based on the dimensions and properties of the insulating jacket 302 and potentially the dimensions and properties of the inner conductor 301 and can be determined experimentally to have a desired mode pattern. it should be noted however, that similar effects can be found for a hollow dielectric or insulator without an inner conductor. in this case, the cutoff frequency can vary based on the dimensions and properties of the hollow dielectric or insulator. at frequencies lower than the lower cut-off frequency, the asymmetric mode is difficult to induce in the transmission medium 125 and fails to propagate for all but trivial distances. as the frequency increases above the limited range of frequencies about the cut-off frequency, the asymmetric mode shifts more and more inward of the insulating jacket 302 . at frequencies much larger than the cut-off frequency, the field strength is no longer concentrated outside of the insulating jacket, but primarily inside of the insulating jacket 302 . while the transmission medium 125 provides strong guidance to the electromagnetic wave and propagation is still possible, ranges are more limited by increased losses due to propagation within the insulating jacket 302 —as opposed to the surrounding air. referring now to fig. 4 , a graphical diagram 400 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic field distribution is shown. in particular, a cross section diagram 400 , similar to fig. 3 is shown with common reference numerals used to refer to similar elements. the example shown corresponds to a 60 ghz wave guided by a wire with a diameter of 1.1 cm and a dielectric insulation of thickness of 0.36 cm. because the frequency of the guided wave is above the limited range of the cut-off frequency of this particular asymmetric mode, much of the field strength has shifted inward of the insulating jacket 302 . in particular, the field strength is concentrated primarily inside of the insulating jacket 302 . while the transmission medium 125 provides strong guidance to the electromagnetic wave and propagation is still possible, ranges are more limited when compared with the embodiment of fig. 3 , by increased losses due to propagation within the insulating jacket 302 . referring now to fig. 5a , a graphical diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a frequency response is shown. in particular, diagram 500 presents a graph of end-to-end loss (in db) as a function of frequency, overlaid with electromagnetic field distributions 510 , 520 and 530 at three points for a 200 cm insulated medium voltage wire. the boundary between the insulator and the surrounding air is represented by reference numeral 525 in each electromagnetic field distribution. as discussed in conjunction with fig. 3 , an example of a desired asymmetric mode of propagation shown is induced on the transmission medium 125 by an electromagnetic wave having a frequency that falls within a limited range (such as fc to 2fc) of the lower cut-off frequency fc of the transmission medium for this particular asymmetric mode. in particular, the electromagnetic field distribution 520 at 6 ghz falls within this modal “sweet spot” that enhances electromagnetic wave propagation along an insulated transmission medium and reduces end-to-end transmission loss. in this particular mode, guided waves are partially embedded in the insulator and partially radiating on the outer surface of the insulator. in this fashion, the electromagnetic waves are “lightly” coupled to the insulator so as to enable guided electromagnetic wave propagation at long distances with low propagation loss. at lower frequencies represented by the electromagnetic field distribution 510 at 3 ghz, the asymmetric mode radiates more heavily generating higher propagation losses. at higher frequencies represented by the electromagnetic field distribution 530 at 9 ghz, the asymmetric mode shifts more and more inward of the insulating jacket providing too much absorption, again generating higher propagation losses. referring now to fig. 5b , a graphical diagram 550 illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a longitudinal cross-section of a transmission medium 125 , such as an insulated wire, depicting fields of guided electromagnetic waves at various operating frequencies is shown. as shown in diagram 556 , when the guided electromagnetic waves are at approximately the cutoff frequency (f c ) corresponding to the modal “sweet spot”, the guided electromagnetic waves are loosely coupled to the insulated wire so that absorption is reduced, and the fields of the guided electromagnetic waves are bound sufficiently to reduce the amount radiated into the environment (e.g., air). because absorption and radiation of the fields of the guided electromagnetic waves is low, propagation losses are consequently low, enabling the guided electromagnetic waves to propagate for longer distances. as shown in diagram 554 , propagation losses increase when an operating frequency of the guide electromagnetic waves increases above about two-times the cutoff frequency (f c )—or as referred to, above the range of the “sweet spot”. more of the field strength of the electromagnetic wave is driven inside the insulating layer, increasing propagation losses. at frequencies much higher than the cutoff frequency (f c ) the guided electromagnetic waves are strongly bound to the insulated wire as a result of the fields emitted by the guided electromagnetic waves being concentrated in the insulation layer of the wire, as shown in diagram 552 . this in turn raises propagation losses further due to absorption of the guided electromagnetic waves by the insulation layer. similarly, propagation losses increase when the operating frequency of the guided electromagnetic waves is substantially below the cutoff frequency (f c ), as shown in diagram 558 . at frequencies much lower than the cutoff frequency (f c ) the guided electromagnetic waves are weakly (or nominally) bound to the insulated wire and thereby tend to radiate into the environment (e.g., air), which in turn, raises propagation losses due to radiation of the guided electromagnetic waves. referring now to fig. 6 , a graphical diagram 600 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic field distribution is shown. in this embodiment, a transmission medium 602 is a bare wire, as shown in cross section. the diagram 300 includes different gray-scales that represent differing electromagnetic field strengths generated by the propagation of a guided wave having a symmetrical and fundamental guided wave mode at a single carrier frequency. in this particular mode, electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium 602 to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission medium—in this case, the outer surface of the bare wire. electromagnetic waves are “lightly” coupled to the wire so as to enable electromagnetic wave propagation at long distances with low propagation loss. as shown, the guided wave has a field structure that lies substantially outside of the transmission medium 602 that serves to guide the electromagnetic waves. the regions inside the conductor 602 have little or no field. referring now to fig. 7 , a block diagram 700 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an arc coupler is shown. in particular a coupling device is presented for use in a transmission device, such as transmission device 101 or 102 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 . the coupling device includes an arc coupler 704 coupled to a transmitter circuit 712 and termination or damper 714 . the arc coupler 704 can be made of a dielectric material, or other low-loss insulator (e.g., teflon, polyethylene, etc.), or made of a conducting (e.g., metallic, non-metallic, etc.) material, or any combination of the foregoing materials. as shown, the arc coupler 704 operates as a waveguide and has a wave 706 propagating as a guided wave about a waveguide surface of the arc coupler 704 . in the embodiment shown, at least a portion of the arc coupler 704 can be placed near a wire 702 or other transmission medium, (such as transmission medium 125 ), in order to facilitate coupling between the arc coupler 704 and the wire 702 or other transmission medium, as described herein to launch the guided wave 708 on the wire. the arc coupler 704 can be placed such that a portion of the curved arc coupler 704 is tangential to, and parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 702 . the portion of the arc coupler 704 that is parallel to the wire can be an apex of the curve, or any point where a tangent of the curve is parallel to the wire 702 . when the arc coupler 704 is positioned or placed thusly, the wave 706 travelling along the arc coupler 704 couples, at least in part, to the wire 702 , and propagates as guided wave 708 around or about the wire surface of the wire 702 and longitudinally along the wire 702 . the guided wave 708 can be characterized as a surface wave or other electromagnetic wave that is guided by or bound to the wire 702 or other transmission medium. a portion of the wave 706 that does not couple to the wire 702 propagates as a wave 710 along the arc coupler 704 . it will be appreciated that the arc coupler 704 can be configured and arranged in a variety of positions in relation to the wire 702 to achieve a desired level of coupling or non-coupling of the wave 706 to the wire 702 . for example, the curvature and/or length of the arc coupler 704 that is parallel or substantially parallel, as well as its separation distance (which can include zero separation distance in an embodiment), to the wire 702 can be varied without departing from example embodiments. likewise, the arrangement of arc coupler 704 in relation to the wire 702 may be varied based upon considerations of the respective intrinsic characteristics (e.g., thickness, composition, electromagnetic properties, etc.) of the wire 702 and the arc coupler 704 , as well as the characteristics (e.g., frequency, energy level, etc.) of the waves 706 and 708 . the guided wave 708 stays parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 702 , even as the wire 702 bends and flexes. bends in the wire 702 can increase transmission losses, which are also dependent on wire diameters, frequency, and materials. if the dimensions of the arc coupler 704 are chosen for efficient power transfer, most of the power in the wave 706 is transferred to the wire 702 , with little power remaining in wave 710 . it will be appreciated that the guided wave 708 can still be multi-modal in nature (discussed herein), including having modes that are non-fundamental or asymmetric, while traveling along a path that is parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 702 , with or without a fundamental transmission mode. in an embodiment, non-fundamental or asymmetric modes can be utilized to minimize transmission losses and/or obtain increased propagation distances. it is noted that the term parallel is generally a geometric construct which often is not exactly achievable in real systems. accordingly, the term parallel as utilized in the subject disclosure represents an approximation rather than an exact configuration when used to describe embodiments disclosed in the subject disclosure. in an embodiment, substantially parallel can include approximations that are within 30 degrees of true parallel in all dimensions. in an embodiment, the wave 706 can exhibit one or more wave propagation modes. the arc coupler modes can be dependent on the shape and/or design of the coupler 704 . the one or more arc coupler modes of wave 706 can generate, influence, or impact one or more wave propagation modes of the guided wave 708 propagating along wire 702 . it should be particularly noted however that the guided wave modes present in the guided wave 706 may be the same or different from the guided wave modes of the guided wave 708 . in this fashion, one or more guided wave modes of the guided wave 706 may not be transferred to the guided wave 708 , and further one or more guided wave modes of guided wave 708 may not have been present in guided wave 706 . it should also be noted that the cut-off frequency of the arc coupler 704 for a particular guided wave mode may be different than the cutoff frequency of the wire 702 or other transmission medium for that same mode. for example, while the wire 702 or other transmission medium may be operated slightly above its cutoff frequency for a particular guided wave mode, the arc coupler 704 may be operated well above its cut-off frequency for that same mode for low loss, slightly below its cut-off frequency for that same mode to, for example, induce greater coupling and power transfer, or some other point in relation to the arc coupler's cutoff frequency for that mode. in an embodiment, the wave propagation modes on the wire 702 can be similar to the arc coupler modes since both waves 706 and 708 propagate about the outside of the arc coupler 704 and wire 702 respectively. in some embodiments, as the wave 706 couples to the wire 702 , the modes can change form, or new modes can be created or generated, due to the coupling between the arc coupler 704 and the wire 702 . for example, differences in size, material, and/or impedances of the arc coupler 704 and wire 702 may create additional modes not present in the arc coupler modes and/or suppress some of the arc coupler modes. the wave propagation modes can comprise the fundamental transverse electromagnetic mode (quasi-tem 00 ), where only small electric and/or magnetic fields extend in the direction of propagation, and the electric and magnetic fields extend radially outwards while the guided wave propagates along the wire. this guided wave mode can be donut shaped, where few of the electromagnetic fields exist within the arc coupler 704 or wire 702 . waves 706 and 708 can comprise a fundamental tem mode where the fields extend radially outwards, and also comprise other, non-fundamental (e.g., asymmetric, higher-level, etc.) modes. while particular wave propagation modes are discussed above, other wave propagation modes are likewise possible such as transverse electric (te) and transverse magnetic (tm) modes, based on the frequencies employed, the design of the arc coupler 704 , the dimensions and composition of the wire 702 , as well as its surface characteristics, its insulation if present, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. it should be noted that, depending on the frequency, the electrical and physical characteristics of the wire 702 and the particular wave propagation modes that are generated, guided wave 708 can travel along the conductive surface of an oxidized uninsulated wire, an unoxidized uninsulated wire, an insulated wire and/or along the insulating surface of an insulated wire. in an embodiment, a diameter of the arc coupler 704 is smaller than the diameter of the wire 702 . for the millimeter-band wavelength being used, the arc coupler 704 supports a single waveguide mode that makes up wave 706 . this single waveguide mode can change as it couples to the wire 702 as guided wave 708 . if the arc coupler 704 were larger, more than one waveguide mode can be supported, but these additional waveguide modes may not couple to the wire 702 as efficiently, and higher coupling losses can result. however, in some alternative embodiments, the diameter of the arc coupler 704 can be equal to or larger than the diameter of the wire 702 , for example, where higher coupling losses are desirable or when used in conjunction with other techniques to otherwise reduce coupling losses (e.g., impedance matching with tapering, etc.). in an embodiment, the wavelength of the waves 706 and 708 are comparable in size, or smaller than a circumference of the arc coupler 704 and the wire 702 . in an example, if the wire 702 has a diameter of 0.5 cm, and a corresponding circumference of around 1.5 cm, the wavelength of the transmission is around 1.5 cm or less, corresponding to a frequency of 70 ghz or greater. in another embodiment, a suitable frequency of the transmission and the carrier-wave signal is in the range of 30-100 ghz, perhaps around 30-60 ghz, and around 38 ghz in one example. in an embodiment, when the circumference of the arc coupler 704 and wire 702 is comparable in size to, or greater, than a wavelength of the transmission, the waves 706 and 708 can exhibit multiple wave propagation modes including fundamental and/or non-fundamental (symmetric and/or asymmetric) modes that propagate over sufficient distances to support various communication systems described herein. the waves 706 and 708 can therefore comprise more than one type of electric and magnetic field configuration. in an embodiment, as the guided wave 708 propagates down the wire 702 , the electrical and magnetic field configurations will remain the same from end to end of the wire 702 . in other embodiments, as the guided wave 708 encounters interference (distortion or obstructions) or loses energy due to transmission losses or scattering, the electric and magnetic field configurations can change as the guided wave 708 propagates down wire 702 . in an embodiment, the arc coupler 704 can be composed of nylon, teflon, polyethylene, a polyamide, or other plastics. in other embodiments, other dielectric materials are possible. the wire surface of wire 702 can be metallic with either a bare metallic surface, or can be insulated using plastic, dielectric, insulator or other coating, jacket or sheathing. in an embodiment, a dielectric or otherwise non-conducting/insulated waveguide can be paired with either a bare/metallic wire or insulated wire. in other embodiments, a metallic and/or conductive waveguide can be paired with a bare/metallic wire or insulated wire. in an embodiment, an oxidation layer on the bare metallic surface of the wire 702 (e.g., resulting from exposure of the bare metallic surface to oxygen/air) can also provide insulating or dielectric properties similar to those provided by some insulators or sheathings. it is noted that the graphical representations of waves 706 , 708 and 710 are presented merely to illustrate the principles that wave 706 induces or otherwise launches a guided wave 708 on a wire 702 that operates, for example, as a single wire transmission line. wave 710 represents the portion of wave 706 that remains on the arc coupler 704 after the generation of guided wave 708 . the actual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of such wave propagation may vary depending on the frequencies employed, the particular wave propagation mode or modes, the design of the arc coupler 704 , the dimensions and composition of the wire 702 , as well as its surface characteristics, its optional insulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. it is noted that arc coupler 704 can include a termination circuit or damper 714 at the end of the arc coupler 704 that can absorb leftover radiation or energy from wave 710 . the termination circuit or damper 714 can prevent and/or minimize the leftover radiation or energy from wave 710 reflecting back toward transmitter circuit 712 . in an embodiment, the termination circuit or damper 714 can include termination resistors, and/or other components that perform impedance matching to attenuate reflection. in some embodiments, if the coupling efficiencies are high enough, and/or wave 710 is sufficiently small, it may not be necessary to use a termination circuit or damper 714 . for the sake of simplicity, these transmitter 712 and termination circuits or dampers 714 may not be depicted in the other figures, but in those embodiments, transmitter and termination circuits or dampers may possibly be used. further, while a single arc coupler 704 is presented that generates a single guided wave 708 , multiple arc couplers 704 placed at different points along the wire 702 and/or at different azimuthal orientations about the wire can be employed to generate and receive multiple guided waves 708 at the same or different frequencies, at the same or different phases, at the same or different wave propagation modes. fig. 8 , a block diagram 800 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an arc coupler is shown. in the embodiment shown, at least a portion of the coupler 704 can be placed near a wire 702 or other transmission medium, (such as transmission medium 125 ), in order to facilitate coupling between the arc coupler 704 and the wire 702 or other transmission medium, to extract a portion of the guided wave 806 as a guided wave 808 as described herein. the arc coupler 704 can be placed such that a portion of the curved arc coupler 704 is tangential to, and parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 702 . the portion of the arc coupler 704 that is parallel to the wire can be an apex of the curve, or any point where a tangent of the curve is parallel to the wire 702 . when the arc coupler 704 is positioned or placed thusly, the wave 806 travelling along the wire 702 couples, at least in part, to the arc coupler 704 , and propagates as guided wave 808 along the arc coupler 704 to a receiving device (not expressly shown). a portion of the wave 806 that does not couple to the arc coupler propagates as wave 810 along the wire 702 or other transmission medium. in an embodiment, the wave 806 can exhibit one or more wave propagation modes. the arc coupler modes can be dependent on the shape and/or design of the coupler 704 . the one or more modes of guided wave 806 can generate, influence, or impact one or more guide-wave modes of the guided wave 808 propagating along the arc coupler 704 . it should be particularly noted however that the guided wave modes present in the guided wave 806 may be the same or different from the guided wave modes of the guided wave 808 . in this fashion, one or more guided wave modes of the guided wave 806 may not be transferred to the guided wave 808 , and further one or more guided wave modes of guided wave 808 may not have been present in guided wave 806 . referring now to fig. 9a , a block diagram 900 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a stub coupler is shown. in particular a coupling device that includes stub coupler 904 is presented for use in a transmission device, such as transmission device 101 or 102 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 . the stub coupler 904 can be made of a dielectric material, or other low-loss insulator (e.g., teflon, polyethylene and etc.), or made of a conducting (e.g., metallic, non-metallic, etc.) material, or any combination of the foregoing materials. as shown, the stub coupler 904 operates as a waveguide and has a wave 906 propagating as a guided wave about a waveguide surface of the stub coupler 904 . in the embodiment shown, at least a portion of the stub coupler 904 can be placed near a wire 702 or other transmission medium, (such as transmission medium 125 ), in order to facilitate coupling between the stub coupler 904 and the wire 702 or other transmission medium, as described herein to launch the guided wave 908 on the wire. in an embodiment, the stub coupler 904 is curved, and an end of the stub coupler 904 can be tied, fastened, or otherwise mechanically coupled to a wire 702 . when the end of the stub coupler 904 is fastened to the wire 702 , the end of the stub coupler 904 is parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 702 . alternatively, another portion of the dielectric waveguide beyond an end can be fastened or coupled to wire 702 such that the fastened or coupled portion is parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 702 . the fastener 910 can be a nylon cable tie or other type of non-conducting/dielectric material that is either separate from the stub coupler 904 or constructed as an integrated component of the stub coupler 904 . the stub coupler 904 can be adjacent to the wire 702 without surrounding the wire 702 . like the arc coupler 704 described in conjunction with fig. 7 , when the stub coupler 904 is placed with the end parallel to the wire 702 , the guided wave 906 travelling along the stub coupler 904 couples to the wire 702 , and propagates as guided wave 908 about the wire surface of the wire 702 . in an example embodiment, the guided wave 908 can be characterized as a surface wave or other electromagnetic wave. it is noted that the graphical representations of waves 906 and 908 are presented merely to illustrate the principles that wave 906 induces or otherwise launches a guided wave 908 on a wire 702 that operates, for example, as a single wire transmission line. the actual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of such wave propagation may vary depending on one or more of the shape and/or design of the coupler, the relative position of the dielectric waveguide to the wire, the frequencies employed, the design of the stub coupler 904 , the dimensions and composition of the wire 702 , as well as its surface characteristics, its optional insulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. in an embodiment, an end of stub coupler 904 can taper towards the wire 702 in order to increase coupling efficiencies. indeed, the tapering of the end of the stub coupler 904 can provide impedance matching to the wire 702 and reduce reflections, according to an example embodiment of the subject disclosure. for example, an end of the stub coupler 904 can be gradually tapered in order to obtain a desired level of coupling between waves 906 and 908 as illustrated in fig. 9a . in an embodiment, the fastener 910 can be placed such that there is a short length of the stub coupler 904 between the fastener 910 and an end of the stub coupler 904 . maximum coupling efficiencies are realized in this embodiment when the length of the end of the stub coupler 904 that is beyond the fastener 910 is at least several wavelengths long for whatever frequency is being transmitted. turning now to fig. 9b , a diagram 950 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic distribution in accordance with various aspects described herein is shown. in particular, an electromagnetic distribution is presented in two dimensions for a transmission device that includes coupler 952 , shown in an example stub coupler constructed of a dielectric material. the coupler 952 couples an electromagnetic wave for propagation as a guided wave along an outer surface of a wire 702 or other transmission medium. the coupler 952 guides the electromagnetic wave to a junction at x 0 via a symmetrical guided wave mode. while some of the energy of the electromagnetic wave that propagates along the coupler 952 is outside of the coupler 952 , the majority of the energy of this electromagnetic wave is contained within the coupler 952 . the junction at x 0 couples the electromagnetic wave to the wire 702 or other transmission medium at an azimuthal angle corresponding to the bottom of the transmission medium. this coupling induces an electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the wire 702 or other transmission medium via at least one guided wave mode in direction 956 . the majority of the energy of the guided electromagnetic wave is outside or, but in close proximity to the outer surface of the wire 702 or other transmission medium. in the example shown, the junction at x 0 forms an electromagnetic wave that propagates via both a symmetrical mode and at least one asymmetrical surface mode, such as the first order mode presented in conjunction with fig. 3 , that skims the surface of the wire 702 or other transmission medium. it is noted that the graphical representations of guided waves are presented merely to illustrate an example of guided wave coupling and propagation. the actual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of such wave propagation may vary depending on the frequencies employed, the design and/or configuration of the coupler 952 , the dimensions and composition of the wire 702 or other transmission medium, as well as its surface characteristics, its insulation if present, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. turning now to fig. 10a , illustrated is a block diagram 1000 of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a coupler and transceiver system in accordance with various aspects described herein. the system is an example of transmission device 101 or 102 . in particular, the communication interface 1008 is an example of communications interface 205 , the stub coupler 1002 is an example of coupler 220 , and the transmitter/receiver device 1006 , diplexer 1016 , power amplifier 1014 , low noise amplifier 1018 , frequency mixers 1010 and 1020 and local oscillator 1012 collectively form an example of transceiver 210 . in operation, the transmitter/receiver device 1006 launches and receives waves (e.g., guided wave 1004 onto stub coupler 1002 ). the guided waves 1004 can be used to transport signals received from and sent to a host device, base station, mobile devices, a building or other device by way of a communications interface 1008 . the communications interface 1008 can be an integral part of system 1000 . alternatively, the communications interface 1008 can be tethered to system 1000 . the communications interface 1008 can comprise a wireless interface for interfacing to the host device, base station, mobile devices, a building or other device utilizing any of various wireless signaling protocols (e.g., lte, wifi, wimax, ieee 802.xx, etc.) including an infrared protocol such as an infrared data association (irda) protocol or other line of sight optical protocol. the communications interface 1008 can also comprise a wired interface such as a fiber optic line, coaxial cable, twisted pair, category 5 (cat-5) cable or other suitable wired or optical mediums for communicating with the host device, base station, mobile devices, a building or other device via a protocol such as an ethernet protocol, universal serial bus (usb) protocol, a data over cable service interface specification (docsis) protocol, a digital subscriber line (dsl) protocol, a firewire (ieee 1394) protocol, or other wired or optical protocol. for embodiments where system 1000 functions as a repeater, the communications interface 1008 may not be necessary. the output signals (e.g., tx) of the communications interface 1008 can be combined with a carrier wave (e.g., millimeter-wave carrier wave) generated by a local oscillator 1012 at frequency mixer 1010 . frequency mixer 1010 can use heterodyning techniques or other frequency shifting techniques to frequency shift the output signals from communications interface 1008 . for example, signals sent to and from the communications interface 1008 can be modulated signals such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (ofdm) signals formatted in accordance with a long-term evolution (lte) wireless protocol or other wireless 3g, 4g, 5g or higher voice and data protocol, a zigbee, wimax, ultrawideband or ieee 802.11 wireless protocol; a wired protocol such as an ethernet protocol, universal serial bus (usb) protocol, a data over cable service interface specification (docsis) protocol, a digital subscriber line (dsl) protocol, a firewire (ieee 1394) protocol or other wired or wireless protocol. in an example embodiment, this frequency conversion can be done in the analog domain, and as a result, the frequency shifting can be done without regard to the type of communications protocol used by a base station, mobile devices, or in-building devices. as new communications technologies are developed, the communications interface 1008 can be upgraded (e.g., updated with software, firmware, and/or hardware) or replaced and the frequency shifting and transmission apparatus can remain, simplifying upgrades. the carrier wave can then be sent to a power amplifier (“pa”) 1014 and can be transmitted via the transmitter receiver device 1006 via the diplexer 1016 . signals received from the transmitter/receiver device 1006 that are directed towards the communications interface 1008 can be separated from other signals via diplexer 1016 . the received signal can then be sent to low noise amplifier (“lna”) 1018 for amplification. a frequency mixer 1020 , with help from local oscillator 1012 can downshift the received signal (which is in the millimeter-wave band or around 38 ghz in some embodiments) to the native frequency. the communications interface 1008 can then receive the transmission at an input port (rx). in an embodiment, transmitter/receiver device 1006 can include a cylindrical or non-cylindrical metal (which, for example, can be hollow in an embodiment, but not necessarily drawn to scale) or other conducting or non-conducting waveguide and an end of the stub coupler 1002 can be placed in or in proximity to the waveguide or the transmitter/receiver device 1006 such that when the transmitter/receiver device 1006 generates a transmission, the guided wave couples to stub coupler 1002 and propagates as a guided wave 1004 about the waveguide surface of the stub coupler 1002 . in some embodiments, the guided wave 1004 can propagate in part on the outer surface of the stub coupler 1002 and in part inside the stub coupler 1002 . in other embodiments, the guided wave 1004 can propagate substantially or completely on the outer surface of the stub coupler 1002 . in yet other embodiments, the guided wave 1004 can propagate substantially or completely inside the stub coupler 1002 . in this latter embodiment, the guided wave 1004 can radiate at an end of the stub coupler 1002 (such as the tapered end shown in fig. 4 ) for coupling to a transmission medium such as a wire 702 of fig. 7 . similarly, if guided wave 1004 is incoming (coupled to the stub coupler 1002 from a wire 702 ), guided wave 1004 then enters the transmitter/receiver device 1006 and couples to the cylindrical waveguide or conducting waveguide. while transmitter/receiver device 1006 is shown to include a separate waveguide—an antenna, cavity resonator, klystron, magnetron, travelling wave tube, or other radiating element can be employed to induce a guided wave on the coupler 1002 , with or without the separate waveguide. in an embodiment, stub coupler 1002 can be wholly constructed of a dielectric material (or another suitable insulating material), without any metallic or otherwise conducting materials therein. stub coupler 1002 can be composed of nylon, teflon, polyethylene, a polyamide, other plastics, or other materials that are non-conducting and suitable for facilitating transmission of electromagnetic waves at least in part on an outer surface of such materials. in another embodiment, stub coupler 1002 can include a core that is conducting/metallic, and have an exterior dielectric surface. similarly, a transmission medium that couples to the stub coupler 1002 for propagating electromagnetic waves induced by the stub coupler 1002 or for supplying electromagnetic waves to the stub coupler 1002 can, in addition to being a bare or insulated wire, be wholly constructed of a dielectric material (or another suitable insulating material), without any metallic or otherwise conducting materials therein. it is noted that although fig. 10a shows that the opening of transmitter receiver device 1006 is much wider than the stub coupler 1002 , this is not to scale, and that in other embodiments the width of the stub coupler 1002 is comparable or slightly smaller than the opening of the hollow waveguide. it is also not shown, but in an embodiment, an end of the coupler 1002 that is inserted into the transmitter/receiver device 1006 tapers down in order to reduce reflection and increase coupling efficiencies. before coupling to the stub coupler 1002 , the one or more waveguide modes of the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiver device 1006 can couple to the stub coupler 1002 to induce one or more wave propagation modes of the guided wave 1004 . the wave propagation modes of the guided wave 1004 can be different than the hollow metal waveguide modes due to the different characteristics of the hollow metal waveguide and the dielectric waveguide. for instance, wave propagation modes of the guided wave 1004 can comprise the fundamental transverse electromagnetic mode (quasi-tem 00 ), where only small electrical and/or magnetic fields extend in the direction of propagation, and the electric and magnetic fields extend radially outwards from the stub coupler 1002 while the guided waves propagate along the stub coupler 1002 . the fundamental transverse electromagnetic mode wave propagation mode may or may not exist inside a waveguide that is hollow. therefore, the hollow metal waveguide modes that are used by transmitter/receiver device 1006 are waveguide modes that can couple effectively and efficiently to wave propagation modes of stub coupler 1002 . it will be appreciated that other constructs or combinations of the transmitter/receiver device 1006 and stub coupler 1002 are possible. for example, a stub coupler 1002 ′ can be placed tangentially or in parallel (with or without a gap) with respect to an outer surface of the hollow metal waveguide of the transmitter/receiver device 1006 ′ (corresponding circuitry not shown) as depicted by reference 1000 ′ of fig. 10b . in another embodiment, not shown by reference 1000 ′, the stub coupler 1002 ′ can be placed inside the hollow metal waveguide of the transmitter/receiver device 1006 ′ without an axis of the stub coupler 1002 ′ being coaxially aligned with an axis of the hollow metal waveguide of the transmitter/receiver device 1006 ′. in either of these embodiments, the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiver device 1006 ′ can couple to a surface of the stub coupler 1002 ′ to induce one or more wave propagation modes of the guided wave 1004 ′ on the stub coupler 1002 ′ including a fundamental mode (e.g., a symmetric mode) and/or a non-fundamental mode (e.g., asymmetric mode). in one embodiment, the guided wave 1004 ′ can propagate in part on the outer surface of the stub coupler 1002 ′ and in part inside the stub coupler 1002 ′. in another embodiment, the guided wave 1004 ′ can propagate substantially or completely on the outer surface of the stub coupler 1002 ′. in yet other embodiments, the guided wave 1004 ′ can propagate substantially or completely inside the stub coupler 1002 ′. in this latter embodiment, the guided wave 1004 ′ can radiate at an end of the stub coupler 1002 ′ (such as the tapered end shown in fig. 9 ) for coupling to a transmission medium such as a wire 702 of fig. 9 . it will be further appreciated that other constructs the transmitter/receiver device 1006 are possible. for example, a hollow metal waveguide of a transmitter/receiver device 1006 ″ (corresponding circuitry not shown), depicted in fig. 10b as reference 1000 ″, can be placed tangentially or in parallel (with or without a gap) with respect to an outer surface of a transmission medium such as the wire 702 of fig. 4 without the use of the stub coupler 1002 . in this embodiment, the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiver device 1006 ″ can couple to a surface of the wire 702 to induce one or more wave propagation modes of a guided wave 908 on the wire 702 including a fundamental mode (e.g., a symmetric mode) and/or a non-fundamental mode (e.g., asymmetric mode). in another embodiment, the wire 702 can be positioned inside a hollow metal waveguide of a transmitter/receiver device 1006 ′″ (corresponding circuitry not shown) so that an axis of the wire 702 is coaxially (or not coaxially) aligned with an axis of the hollow metal waveguide without the use of the stub coupler 1002 —see fig. 10b reference 1000 ′″. in this embodiment, the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiver device 1006 ′″ can couple to a surface of the wire 702 to induce one or more wave propagation modes of a guided wave 908 on the wire including a fundamental mode (e.g., a symmetric mode) and/or a non-fundamental mode (e.g., asymmetric mode). in the embodiments of 1000 ″ and 1000 ′″, for a wire 702 having an insulated outer surface, the guided wave 908 can propagate in part on the outer surface of the insulator and in part inside the insulator. in embodiments, the guided wave 908 can propagate substantially or completely on the outer surface of the insulator, or substantially or completely inside the insulator. in the embodiments of 1000 ″ and 1000 ′″, for a wire 702 that is a bare conductor, the guided wave 908 can propagate in part on the outer surface of the conductor and in part inside the conductor. in another embodiment, the guided wave 908 can propagate substantially or completely on the outer surface of the conductor. referring now to fig. 11 , a block diagram 1100 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dual stub coupler is shown. in particular, a dual coupler design is presented for use in a transmission device, such as transmission device 101 or 102 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 . in an embodiment, two or more couplers (such as the stub couplers 1104 and 1106 ) can be positioned around a wire 1102 in order to receive guided wave 1108 . in an embodiment, one coupler is enough to receive the guided wave 1108 . in that case, guided wave 1108 couples to coupler 1104 and propagates as guided wave 1110 . if the field structure of the guided wave 1108 oscillates or undulates around the wire 1102 due to the particular guided wave mode(s) or various outside factors, then coupler 1106 can be placed such that guided wave 1108 couples to coupler 1106 . in some embodiments, four or more couplers can be placed around a portion of the wire 1102 , e.g., at 90 degrees or another spacing with respect to each other, in order to receive guided waves that may oscillate or rotate around the wire 1102 , that have been induced at different azimuthal orientations or that have non-fundamental or higher order modes that, for example, have lobes and/or nulls or other asymmetries that are orientation dependent. however, it will be appreciated that there may be less than or more than four couplers placed around a portion of the wire 1102 without departing from example embodiments. it should be noted that while couplers 1106 and 1104 are illustrated as stub couplers, any other of the coupler designs described herein including arc couplers, antenna or horn couplers, magnetic couplers, etc., could likewise be used. it will also be appreciated that while some example embodiments have presented a plurality of couplers around at least a portion of a wire 1102 , this plurality of couplers can also be considered as part of a single coupler system having multiple coupler subcomponents. for example, two or more couplers can be manufactured as single system that can be installed around a wire in a single installation such that the couplers are either pre-positioned or adjustable relative to each other (either manually or automatically with a controllable mechanism such as a motor or other actuator) in accordance with the single system. receivers coupled to couplers 1106 and 1104 can use diversity combining to combine signals received from both couplers 1106 and 1104 in order to maximize the signal quality. in other embodiments, if one or the other of the couplers 1104 and 1106 receive a transmission that is above a predetermined threshold, receivers can use selection diversity when deciding which signal to use. further, while reception by a plurality of couplers 1106 and 1104 is illustrated, transmission by couplers 1106 and 1104 in the same configuration can likewise take place. in particular, a wide range of multi-input multi-output (mimo) transmission and reception techniques can be employed for transmissions where a transmission device, such as transmission device 101 or 102 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 includes multiple transceivers and multiple couplers. it is noted that the graphical representations of waves 1108 and 1110 are presented merely to illustrate the principles that guided wave 1108 induces or otherwise launches a wave 1110 on a coupler 1104 . the actual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of such wave propagation may vary depending on the frequencies employed, the design of the coupler 1104 , the dimensions and composition of the wire 1102 , as well as its surface characteristics, its insulation if any, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. referring now to fig. 12 , a block diagram 1200 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a repeater system is shown. in particular, a repeater device 1210 is presented for use in a transmission device, such as transmission device 101 or 102 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 . in this system, two couplers 1204 and 1214 can be placed near a wire 1202 or other transmission medium such that guided waves 1205 propagating along the wire 1202 are extracted by coupler 1204 as wave 1206 (e.g. as a guided wave), and then are boosted or repeated by repeater device 1210 and launched as a wave 1216 (e.g. as a guided wave) onto coupler 1214 . the wave 1216 can then be launched on the wire 1202 and continue to propagate along the wire 1202 as a guided wave 1217 . in an embodiment, the repeater device 1210 can receive at least a portion of the power utilized for boosting or repeating through magnetic coupling with the wire 1202 , for example, when the wire 1202 is a power line or otherwise contains a power-carrying conductor. it should be noted that while couplers 1204 and 1214 are illustrated as stub couplers, any other of the coupler designs described herein including arc couplers, antenna or horn couplers, magnetic couplers, or the like, could likewise be used. in some embodiments, repeater device 1210 can repeat the transmission associated with wave 1206 , and in other embodiments, repeater device 1210 can include a communications interface 205 that extracts data or other signals from the wave 1206 for supplying such data or signals to another network and/or one or more other devices as communication signals 110 or 112 and/or receiving communication signals 110 or 112 from another network and/or one or more other devices and launch guided wave 1216 having embedded therein the received communication signals 110 or 112 . in a repeater configuration, receiver waveguide 1208 can receive the wave 1206 from the coupler 1204 and transmitter waveguide 1212 can launch guided wave 1216 onto coupler 1214 as guided wave 1217 . between receiver waveguide 1208 and transmitter waveguide 1212 , the signal embedded in guided wave 1206 and/or the guided wave 1216 itself can be amplified to correct for signal loss and other inefficiencies associated with guided wave communications or the signal can be received and processed to extract the data contained therein and regenerated for transmission. in an embodiment, the receiver waveguide 1208 can be configured to extract data from the signal, process the data to correct for data errors utilizing for example error correcting codes, and regenerate an updated signal with the corrected data. the transmitter waveguide 1212 can then transmit guided wave 1216 with the updated signal embedded therein. in an embodiment, a signal embedded in guided wave 1206 can be extracted from the transmission and processed for communication with another network and/or one or more other devices via communications interface 205 as communication signals 110 or 112 . similarly, communication signals 110 or 112 received by the communications interface 205 can be inserted into a transmission of guided wave 1216 that is generated and launched onto coupler 1214 by transmitter waveguide 1212 . it is noted that although fig. 12 shows guided wave transmissions 1206 and 1216 entering from the left and exiting to the right respectively, this is merely a simplification and is not intended to be limiting. in other embodiments, receiver waveguide 1208 and transmitter waveguide 1212 can also function as transmitters and receivers respectively, allowing the repeater device 1210 to be bi-directional. in an embodiment, repeater device 1210 can be placed at locations where there are discontinuities or obstacles on the wire 1202 or other transmission medium. in the case where the wire 1202 is a power line, these obstacles can include transformers, connections, utility poles, and other such power line devices. the repeater device 1210 can help the guided (e.g., surface) waves jump over these obstacles on the line and boost the transmission power at the same time. in other embodiments, a coupler can be used to jump over the obstacle without the use of a repeater device. in that embodiment, both ends of the coupler can be tied or fastened to the wire, thus providing a path for the guided wave to travel without being blocked by the obstacle. turning now to fig. 13 , illustrated is a block diagram 1300 of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional repeater in accordance with various aspects described herein. in particular, a bidirectional repeater device 1306 is presented for use in a transmission device, such as transmission device 101 or 102 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 . it should be noted that while the couplers are illustrated as stub couplers, any other of the coupler designs described herein including arc couplers, antenna or horn couplers, magnetic couplers, or the like, could likewise be used. the bidirectional repeater 1306 can employ diversity paths in the case of when two or more wires or other transmission media are present. since guided wave transmissions have different transmission efficiencies and coupling efficiencies for transmission medium of different types such as insulated wires, un-insulated wires or other types of transmission media and further, if exposed to the elements, can be affected by weather, and other atmospheric conditions, it can be advantageous to selectively transmit on different transmission media at certain times. in various embodiments, the various transmission media can be designated as a primary, secondary, tertiary, etc. whether or not such designation indicates a preference of one transmission medium over another. in the embodiment shown, the transmission media include an insulated or uninsulated wire 1302 and an insulated or uninsulated wire 1304 (referred to herein as wires 1302 and 1304 , respectively). the repeater device 1306 uses a receiver coupler 1308 to receive a guided wave traveling along wire 1302 and repeats the transmission using transmitter waveguide 1310 as a guided wave along wire 1304 . in other embodiments, repeater device 1306 can switch from the wire 1304 to the wire 1302 , or can repeat the transmissions along the same paths. repeater device 1306 can include sensors, or be in communication with sensors (or a network management system 1601 depicted in fig. 16a ) that indicate conditions that can affect the transmission. based on the feedback received from the sensors, the repeater device 1306 can make the determination about whether to keep the transmission along the same wire, or transfer the transmission to the other wire. turning now to fig. 14 , illustrated is a block diagram 1400 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional repeater system. in particular, a bidirectional repeater system is presented for use in a transmission device, such as transmission device 101 or 102 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 . the bidirectional repeater system includes waveguide coupling devices 1402 and 1404 that receive and transmit transmissions from other coupling devices located in a distributed antenna system or backhaul system. in various embodiments, waveguide coupling device 1402 can receive a transmission from another waveguide coupling device, wherein the transmission has a plurality of subcarriers. diplexer 1406 can separate the transmission from other transmissions, and direct the transmission to low-noise amplifier (“lna”) 1408 . a frequency mixer 1428 , with help from a local oscillator 1412 , can downshift the transmission (which is in the millimeter-wave band or around 38 ghz in some embodiments) to a lower frequency, such as a cellular band (˜1.9 ghz) for a distributed antenna system, a native frequency, or other frequency for a backhaul system. an extractor (or demultiplexer) 1432 can extract the signal on a subcarrier and direct the signal to an output component 1422 for optional amplification, buffering or isolation by power amplifier 1424 for coupling to communications interface 205 . the communications interface 205 can further process the signals received from the power amplifier 1424 or otherwise transmit such signals over a wireless or wired interface to other devices such as a base station, mobile devices, a building, etc. for the signals that are not being extracted at this location, extractor 1432 can redirect them to another frequency mixer 1436 , where the signals are used to modulate a carrier wave generated by local oscillator 1414 . the carrier wave, with its subcarriers, is directed to a power amplifier (“pa”) 1416 and is retransmitted by waveguide coupling device 1404 to another system, via diplexer 1420 . an lna 1426 can be used to amplify, buffer or isolate signals that are received by the communication interface 205 and then send the signal to a multiplexer 1434 which merges the signal with signals that have been received from waveguide coupling device 1404 . the signals received from coupling device 1404 have been split by diplexer 1420 , and then passed through lna 1418 , and downshifted in frequency by frequency mixer 1438 . when the signals are combined by multiplexer 1434 , they are upshifted in frequency by frequency mixer 1430 , and then boosted by pa 1410 , and transmitted to another system by waveguide coupling device 1402 . in an embodiment bidirectional repeater system can be merely a repeater without the output device 1422 . in this embodiment, the multiplexer 1434 would not be utilized and signals from lna 1418 would be directed to mixer 1430 as previously described. it will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the bidirectional repeater system could also be implemented using two distinct and separate unidirectional repeaters. in an alternative embodiment, a bidirectional repeater system could also be a booster or otherwise perform retransmissions without downshifting and upshifting. indeed in example embodiment, the retransmissions can be based upon receiving a signal or guided wave and performing some signal or guided wave processing or reshaping, filtering, and/or amplification, prior to retransmission of the signal or guided wave. referring now to fig. 15 , a block diagram 1500 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a guided wave communications system is shown. this diagram depicts an exemplary environment in which a guided wave communication system, such as the guided wave communication system presented in conjunction with fig. 1 , can be used. to provide network connectivity to additional base station devices, a backhaul network that links the communication cells (e.g., macrocells and macrocells) to network devices of a core network correspondingly expands. similarly, to provide network connectivity to a distributed antenna system, an extended communication system that links base station devices and their distributed antennas is desirable. a guided wave communication system 1500 such as shown in fig. 15 can be provided to enable alternative, increased or additional network connectivity and a waveguide coupling system can be provided to transmit and/or receive guided wave (e.g., surface wave) communications on a transmission medium such as a wire that operates as a single-wire transmission line (e.g., a utility line), and that can be used as a waveguide and/or that otherwise operates to guide the transmission of an electromagnetic wave. the guided wave communication system 1500 can comprise a first instance of a distribution system 1550 that includes one or more base station devices (e.g., base station device 1504 ) that are communicably coupled to a central office 1501 and/or a macrocell site 1502 . base station device 1504 can be connected by a wired (e.g., fiber and/or cable), or by a wireless (e.g., microwave wireless) connection to the macrocell site 1502 and the central office 1501 . a second instance of the distribution system 1560 can be used to provide wireless voice and data services to mobile device 1522 and to residential and/or commercial establishments 1542 (herein referred to as establishments 1542 ). system 1500 can have additional instances of the distribution systems 1550 and 1560 for providing voice and/or data services to mobile devices 1522 - 1524 and establishments 1542 as shown in fig. 15 . macrocells such as macrocell site 1502 can have dedicated connections to a mobile network and base station device 1504 or can share and/or otherwise use another connection. central office 1501 can be used to distribute media content and/or provide internet service provider (isp) services to mobile devices 1522 - 1524 and establishments 1542 . the central office 1501 can receive media content from a constellation of satellites 1530 (one of which is shown in fig. 15 ) or other sources of content, and distribute such content to mobile devices 1522 - 1524 and establishments 1542 via the first and second instances of the distribution system 1550 and 1560 . the central office 1501 can also be communicatively coupled to the internet 1503 for providing internet data services to mobile devices 1522 - 1524 and establishments 1542 . base station device 1504 can be mounted on, or attached to, utility pole 1516 . in other embodiments, base station device 1504 can be near transformers and/or other locations situated nearby a power line. base station device 1504 can facilitate connectivity to a mobile network for mobile devices 1522 and 1524 . antennas 1512 and 1514 , mounted on or near utility poles 1518 and 1520 , respectively, can receive signals from base station device 1504 and transmit those signals to mobile devices 1522 and 1524 over a much wider area than if the antennas 1512 and 1514 were located at or near base station device 1504 . it is noted that fig. 15 displays three utility poles, in each instance of the distribution systems 1550 and 1560 , with one base station device, for purposes of simplicity. in other embodiments, utility pole 1516 can have more base station devices, and more utility poles with distributed antennas and/or tethered connections to establishments 1542 . a transmission device 1506 , such as transmission device 101 or 102 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 , can transmit a signal from base station device 1504 to antennas 1512 and 1514 via utility or power line(s) that connect the utility poles 1516 , 1518 , and 1520 . to transmit the signal, radio source and/or transmission device 1506 upconverts the signal (e.g., via frequency mixing) from base station device 1504 or otherwise converts the signal from the base station device 1504 to a microwave band signal and the transmission device 1506 launches a microwave band wave that propagates as a guided wave traveling along the utility line or other wire as described in previous embodiments. at utility pole 1518 , another transmission device 1508 receives the guided wave (and optionally can amplify it as needed or desired or operate as a repeater to receive it and regenerate it) and sends it forward as a guided wave on the utility line or other wire. the transmission device 1508 can also extract a signal from the microwave band guided wave and shift it down in frequency or otherwise convert it to its original cellular band frequency (e.g., 1.9 ghz or other defined cellular frequency) or another cellular (or non-cellular) band frequency. an antenna 1512 can wireless transmit the downshifted signal to mobile device 1522 . the process can be repeated by transmission device 1510 , antenna 1514 and mobile device 1524 , as necessary or desirable. transmissions from mobile devices 1522 and 1524 can also be received by antennas 1512 and 1514 respectively. the transmission devices 1508 and 1510 can upshift or otherwise convert the cellular band signals to microwave band and transmit the signals as guided wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) transmissions over the power line(s) to base station device 1504 . media content received by the central office 1501 can be supplied to the second instance of the distribution system 1560 via the base station device 1504 for distribution to mobile devices 1522 and establishments 1542 . the transmission device 1510 can be tethered to the establishments 1542 by one or more wired connections or a wireless interface. the one or more wired connections may include without limitation, a power line, a coaxial cable, a fiber cable, a twisted pair cable, a guided wave transmission medium or other suitable wired mediums for distribution of media content and/or for providing internet services. in an example embodiment, the wired connections from the transmission device 1510 can be communicatively coupled to one or more very high bit rate digital subscriber line (vdsl) modems located at one or more corresponding service area interfaces (sais—not shown) or pedestals, each sai or pedestal providing services to a portion of the establishments 1542 . the vdsl modems can be used to selectively distribute media content and/or provide internet services to gateways (not shown) located in the establishments 1542 . the sais or pedestals can also be communicatively coupled to the establishments 1542 over a wired medium such as a power line, a coaxial cable, a fiber cable, a twisted pair cable, a guided wave transmission medium or other suitable wired mediums. in other example embodiments, the transmission device 1510 can be communicatively coupled directly to establishments 1542 without intermediate interfaces such as the sais or pedestals. in another example embodiment, system 1500 can employ diversity paths, where two or more utility lines or other wires are strung between the utility poles 1516 , 1518 , and 1520 (e.g., for example, two or more wires between poles 1516 and 1520 ) and redundant transmissions from base station/macrocell site 1502 are transmitted as guided waves down the surface of the utility lines or other wires. the utility lines or other wires can be either insulated or uninsulated, and depending on the environmental conditions that cause transmission losses, the coupling devices can selectively receive signals from the insulated or uninsulated utility lines or other wires. the selection can be based on measurements of the signal-to-noise ratio of the wires, or based on determined weather/environmental conditions (e.g., moisture detectors, weather forecasts, etc.). the use of diversity paths with system 1500 can enable alternate routing capabilities, load balancing, increased load handling, concurrent bi-directional or synchronous communications, spread spectrum communications, etc. it is noted that the use of the transmission devices 1506 , 1508 , and 1510 in fig. 15 are by way of example only, and that in other embodiments, other uses are possible. for instance, transmission devices can be used in a backhaul communication system, providing network connectivity to base station devices. transmission devices 1506 , 1508 , and 1510 can be used in many circumstances where it is desirable to transmit guided wave communications over a wire, whether insulated or not insulated. transmission devices 1506 , 1508 , and 1510 are improvements over other coupling devices due to no contact or limited physical and/or electrical contact with the wires that may carry high voltages. the transmission device can be located away from the wire (e.g., spaced apart from the wire) and/or located on the wire so long as it is not electrically in contact with the wire, as the dielectric acts as an insulator, allowing for cheap, easy, and/or less complex installation. however, as previously noted conducting or non-dielectric couplers can be employed, for example in configurations where the wires correspond to a telephone network, cable television network, broadband data service, fiber optic communications system or other network employing low voltages or having insulated transmission lines. it is further noted, that while base station device 1504 and macrocell site 1502 are illustrated in an embodiment, other network configurations are likewise possible. for example, devices such as access points or other wireless gateways can be employed in a similar fashion to extend the reach of other networks such as a wireless local area network, a wireless personal area network or other wireless network that operates in accordance with a communication protocol such as a 802.11 protocol, wimax protocol, ultrawideband protocol, bluetooth protocol, zigbee protocol or other wireless protocol. referring now to figs. 16a & 16b , block diagrams illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a system for managing a power grid communication system are shown. considering fig. 16a , a waveguide system 1602 is presented for use in a guided wave communications system, such as the system presented in conjunction with fig. 15 . the waveguide system 1602 can comprise sensors 1604 , a power management system 1605 , a transmission device 101 or 102 that includes at least one communication interface 205 , transceiver 210 and coupler 220 . the waveguide system 1602 can be coupled to a power line 1610 for facilitating guided wave communications in accordance with embodiments described in the subject disclosure. in an example embodiment, the transmission device 101 or 102 includes coupler 220 for inducing electromagnetic waves on a surface of the power line 1610 that longitudinally propagate along the surface of the power line 1610 as described in the subject disclosure. the transmission device 101 or 102 can also serve as a repeater for retransmitting electromagnetic waves on the same power line 1610 or for routing electromagnetic waves between power lines 1610 as shown in figs. 12-13 . the transmission device 101 or 102 includes transceiver 210 configured to, for example, up-convert a signal operating at an original frequency range to electromagnetic waves operating at, exhibiting, or associated with a carrier frequency that propagate along a coupler to induce corresponding guided electromagnetic waves that propagate along a surface of the power line 1610 . a carrier frequency can be represented by a center frequency having upper and lower cutoff frequencies that define the bandwidth of the electromagnetic waves. the power line 1610 can be a wire (e.g., single stranded or multi-stranded) having a conducting surface or insulated surface. the transceiver 210 can also receive signals from the coupler 220 and down-convert the electromagnetic waves operating at a carrier frequency to signals at their original frequency. signals received by the communications interface 205 of transmission device 101 or 102 for up-conversion can include without limitation signals supplied by a central office 1611 over a wired or wireless interface of the communications interface 205 , a base station 1614 over a wired or wireless interface of the communications interface 205 , wireless signals transmitted by mobile devices 1620 to the base station 1614 for delivery over the wired or wireless interface of the communications interface 205 , signals supplied by in-building communication devices 1618 over the wired or wireless interface of the communications interface 205 , and/or wireless signals supplied to the communications interface 205 by mobile devices 1612 roaming in a wireless communication range of the communications interface 205 . in embodiments where the waveguide system 1602 functions as a repeater, such as shown in figs. 12-13 , the communications interface 205 may or may not be included in the waveguide system 1602 . the electromagnetic waves propagating along the surface of the power line 1610 can be modulated and formatted to include packets or frames of data that include a data payload and further include networking information (such as header information for identifying one or more destination waveguide systems 1602 ). the networking information may be provided by the waveguide system 1602 or an originating device such as the central office 1611 , the base station 1614 , mobile devices 1620 , or in-building devices 1618 , or a combination thereof. additionally, the modulated electromagnetic waves can include error correction data for mitigating signal disturbances. the networking information and error correction data can be used by a destination waveguide system 1602 for detecting transmissions directed to it, and for down-converting and processing with error correction data transmissions that include voice and/or data signals directed to recipient communication devices communicatively coupled to the destination waveguide system 1602 . referring now to the sensors 1604 of the waveguide system 1602 , the sensors 1604 can comprise one or more of a temperature sensor 1604 a , a disturbance detection sensor 1604 b , a loss of energy sensor 1604 c , a noise sensor 1604 d , a vibration sensor 1604 e , an environmental (e.g., weather) sensor 1604 f , and/or an image sensor 1604 g . the temperature sensor 1604 a can be used to measure ambient temperature, a temperature of the transmission device 101 or 102 , a temperature of the power line 1610 , temperature differentials (e.g., compared to a setpoint or baseline, between transmission device 101 or 102 and 1610 , etc.), or any combination thereof. in one embodiment, temperature metrics can be collected and reported periodically to a network management system 1601 by way of the base station 1614 . the disturbance detection sensor 1604 b can perform measurements on the power line 1610 to detect disturbances such as signal reflections, which may indicate a presence of a downstream disturbance that may impede the propagation of electromagnetic waves on the power line 1610 . a signal reflection can represent a distortion resulting from, for example, an electromagnetic wave transmitted on the power line 1610 by the transmission device 101 or 102 that reflects in whole or in part back to the transmission device 101 or 102 from a disturbance in the power line 1610 located downstream from the transmission device 101 or 102 . signal reflections can be caused by obstructions on the power line 1610 . for example, a tree limb may cause electromagnetic wave reflections when the tree limb is lying on the power line 1610 , or is in close proximity to the power line 1610 which may cause a corona discharge. other obstructions that can cause electromagnetic wave reflections can include without limitation an object that has been entangled on the power line 1610 (e.g., clothing, a shoe wrapped around a power line 1610 with a shoe string, etc.), a corroded build-up on the power line 1610 or an ice build-up. power grid components may also impede or obstruct with the propagation of electromagnetic waves on the surface of power lines 1610 . illustrations of power grid components that may cause signal reflections include without limitation a transformer and a joint for connecting spliced power lines. a sharp angle on the power line 1610 may also cause electromagnetic wave reflections. the disturbance detection sensor 1604 b can comprise a circuit to compare magnitudes of electromagnetic wave reflections to magnitudes of original electromagnetic waves transmitted by the transmission device 101 or 102 to determine how much a downstream disturbance in the power line 1610 attenuates transmissions. the disturbance detection sensor 1604 b can further comprise a spectral analyzer circuit for performing spectral analysis on the reflected waves. the spectral data generated by the spectral analyzer circuit can be compared with spectral profiles via pattern recognition, an expert system, curve fitting, matched filtering or other artificial intelligence, classification or comparison technique to identify a type of disturbance based on, for example, the spectral profile that most closely matches the spectral data. the spectral profiles can be stored in a memory of the disturbance detection sensor 1604 b or may be remotely accessible by the disturbance detection sensor 1604 b . the profiles can comprise spectral data that models different disturbances that may be encountered on power lines 1610 to enable the disturbance detection sensor 1604 b to identify disturbances locally. an identification of the disturbance if known can be reported to the network management system 1601 by way of the base station 1614 . the disturbance detection sensor 1604 b can also utilize the transmission device 101 or 102 to transmit electromagnetic waves as test signals to determine a roundtrip time for an electromagnetic wave reflection. the round trip time measured by the disturbance detection sensor 1604 b can be used to calculate a distance traveled by the electromagnetic wave up to a point where the reflection takes place, which enables the disturbance detection sensor 1604 b to calculate a distance from the transmission device 101 or 102 to the downstream disturbance on the power line 1610 . the distance calculated can be reported to the network management system 1601 by way of the base station 1614 . in one embodiment, the location of the waveguide system 1602 on the power line 1610 may be known to the network management system 1601 , which the network management system 1601 can use to determine a location of the disturbance on the power line 1610 based on a known topology of the power grid. in another embodiment, the waveguide system 1602 can provide its location to the network management system 1601 to assist in the determination of the location of the disturbance on the power line 1610 . the location of the waveguide system 1602 can be obtained by the waveguide system 1602 from a pre-programmed location of the waveguide system 1602 stored in a memory of the waveguide system 1602 , or the waveguide system 1602 can determine its location using a gps receiver (not shown) included in the waveguide system 1602 . the power management system 1605 provides energy to the aforementioned components of the waveguide system 1602 . the power management system 1605 can receive energy from solar cells, or from a transformer (not shown) coupled to the power line 1610 , or by inductive coupling to the power line 1610 or another nearby power line. the power management system 1605 can also include a backup battery and/or a super capacitor or other capacitor circuit for providing the waveguide system 1602 with temporary power. the loss of energy sensor 1604 c can be used to detect when the waveguide system 1602 has a loss of power condition and/or the occurrence of some other malfunction. for example, the loss of energy sensor 1604 c can detect when there is a loss of power due to defective solar cells, an obstruction on the solar cells that causes them to malfunction, loss of power on the power line 1610 , and/or when the backup power system malfunctions due to expiration of a backup battery, or a detectable defect in a super capacitor. when a malfunction and/or loss of power occurs, the loss of energy sensor 1604 c can notify the network management system 1601 by way of the base station 1614 . the noise sensor 1604 d can be used to measure noise on the power line 1610 that may adversely affect transmission of electromagnetic waves on the power line 1610 . the noise sensor 1604 d can sense unexpected electromagnetic interference, noise bursts, or other sources of disturbances that may interrupt reception of modulated electromagnetic waves on a surface of a power line 1610 . a noise burst can be caused by, for example, a corona discharge, or other source of noise. the noise sensor 1604 d can compare the measured noise to a noise profile obtained by the waveguide system 1602 from an internal database of noise profiles or from a remotely located database that stores noise profiles via pattern recognition, an expert system, curve fitting, matched filtering or other artificial intelligence, classification or comparison technique. from the comparison, the noise sensor 1604 d may identify a noise source (e.g., corona discharge or otherwise) based on, for example, the noise profile that provides the closest match to the measured noise. the noise sensor 1604 d can also detect how noise affects transmissions by measuring transmission metrics such as bit error rate, packet loss rate, jitter, packet retransmission requests, etc. the noise sensor 1604 d can report to the network management system 1601 by way of the base station 1614 the identity of noise sources, their time of occurrence, and transmission metrics, among other things. the vibration sensor 1604 e can include accelerometers and/or gyroscopes to detect 2d or 3d vibrations on the power line 1610 . the vibrations can be compared to vibration profiles that can be stored locally in the waveguide system 1602 , or obtained by the waveguide system 1602 from a remote database via pattern recognition, an expert system, curve fitting, matched filtering or other artificial intelligence, classification or comparison technique. vibration profiles can be used, for example, to distinguish fallen trees from wind gusts based on, for example, the vibration profile that provides the closest match to the measured vibrations. the results of this analysis can be reported by the vibration sensor 1604 e to the network management system 1601 by way of the base station 1614 . the environmental sensor 1604 f can include a barometer for measuring atmospheric pressure, ambient temperature (which can be provided by the temperature sensor 1604 a ), wind speed, humidity, wind direction, and rainfall, among other things. the environmental sensor 1604 f can collect raw information and process this information by comparing it to environmental profiles that can be obtained from a memory of the waveguide system 1602 or a remote database to predict weather conditions before they arise via pattern recognition, an expert system, knowledge-based system or other artificial intelligence, classification or other weather modeling and prediction technique. the environmental sensor 1604 f can report raw data as well as its analysis to the network management system 1601 . the image sensor 1604 g can be a digital camera (e.g., a charged coupled device or ccd imager, infrared camera, etc.) for capturing images in a vicinity of the waveguide system 1602 . the image sensor 1604 g can include an electromechanical mechanism to control movement (e.g., actual position or focal points/zooms) of the camera for inspecting the power line 1610 from multiple perspectives (e.g., top surface, bottom surface, left surface, right surface and so on). alternatively, the image sensor 1604 g can be designed such that no electromechanical mechanism is needed in order to obtain the multiple perspectives. the collection and retrieval of imaging data generated by the image sensor 1604 g can be controlled by the network management system 1601 , or can be autonomously collected and reported by the image sensor 1604 g to the network management system 1601 . other sensors that may be suitable for collecting telemetry information associated with the waveguide system 1602 and/or the power lines 1610 for purposes of detecting, predicting and/or mitigating disturbances that can impede the propagation of electromagnetic wave transmissions on power lines 1610 (or any other form of a transmission medium of electromagnetic waves) may be utilized by the waveguide system 1602 . referring now to fig. 16b , block diagram 1650 illustrates an example, non-limiting embodiment of a system for managing a power grid 1653 and a communication system 1655 embedded therein or associated therewith in accordance with various aspects described herein. the communication system 1655 comprises a plurality of waveguide systems 1602 coupled to power lines 1610 of the power grid 1653 . at least a portion of the waveguide systems 1602 used in the communication system 1655 can be in direct communication with a base station 1614 and/or the network management system 1601 . waveguide systems 1602 not directly connected to a base station 1614 or the network management system 1601 can engage in communication sessions with either a base station 1614 or the network management system 1601 by way of other downstream waveguide systems 1602 connected to a base station 1614 or the network management system 1601 . the network management system 1601 can be communicatively coupled to equipment of a utility company 1652 and equipment of a communications service provider 1654 for providing each entity, status information associated with the power grid 1653 and the communication system 1655 , respectively. the network management system 1601 , the equipment of the utility company 1652 , and the communications service provider 1654 can access communication devices utilized by utility company personnel 1656 and/or communication devices utilized by communications service provider personnel 1658 for purposes of providing status information and/or for directing such personnel in the management of the power grid 1653 and/or communication system 1655 . fig. 17a illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method 1700 for detecting and mitigating disturbances occurring in a communication network of the systems of figs. 16a & 16b . method 1700 can begin with step 1702 where a waveguide system 1602 transmits and receives messages embedded in, or forming part of, modulated electromagnetic waves or another type of electromagnetic waves traveling along a surface of a power line 1610 . the messages can be voice messages, streaming video, and/or other data/information exchanged between communication devices communicatively coupled to the communication system 1655 . at step 1704 the sensors 1604 of the waveguide system 1602 can collect sensing data. in an embodiment, the sensing data can be collected in step 1704 prior to, during, or after the transmission and/or receipt of messages in step 1702 . at step 1706 the waveguide system 1602 (or the sensors 1604 themselves) can determine from the sensing data an actual or predicted occurrence of a disturbance in the communication system 1655 that can affect communications originating from (e.g., transmitted by) or received by the waveguide system 1602 . the waveguide system 1602 (or the sensors 1604 ) can process temperature data, signal reflection data, loss of energy data, noise data, vibration data, environmental data, or any combination thereof to make this determination. the waveguide system 1602 (or the sensors 1604 ) may also detect, identify, estimate, or predict the source of the disturbance and/or its location in the communication system 1655 . if a disturbance is neither detected/identified nor predicted/estimated at step 1708 , the waveguide system 1602 can proceed to step 1702 where it continues to transmit and receive messages embedded in, or forming part of, modulated electromagnetic waves traveling along a surface of the power line 1610 . if at step 1708 a disturbance is detected/identified or predicted/estimated to occur, the waveguide system 1602 proceeds to step 1710 to determine if the disturbance adversely affects (or alternatively, is likely to adversely affect or the extent to which it may adversely affect) transmission or reception of messages in the communication system 1655 . in one embodiment, a duration threshold and a frequency of occurrence threshold can be used at step 1710 to determine when a disturbance adversely affects communications in the communication system 1655 . for illustration purposes only, assume a duration threshold is set to 500 ms, while a frequency of occurrence threshold is set to 5 disturbances occurring in an observation period of 10 sec. thus, a disturbance having a duration greater than 500 ms will trigger the duration threshold. additionally, any disturbance occurring more than 5 times in a 10 sec time interval will trigger the frequency of occurrence threshold. in one embodiment, a disturbance may be considered to adversely affect signal integrity in the communication systems 1655 when the duration threshold alone is exceeded. in another embodiment, a disturbance may be considered as adversely affecting signal integrity in the communication systems 1655 when both the duration threshold and the frequency of occurrence threshold are exceeded. the latter embodiment is thus more conservative than the former embodiment for classifying disturbances that adversely affect signal integrity in the communication system 1655 . it will be appreciated that many other algorithms and associated parameters and thresholds can be utilized for step 1710 in accordance with example embodiments. referring back to method 1700 , if at step 1710 the disturbance detected at step 1708 does not meet the condition for adversely affected communications (e.g., neither exceeds the duration threshold nor the frequency of occurrence threshold), the waveguide system 1602 may proceed to step 1702 and continue processing messages. for instance, if the disturbance detected in step 1708 has a duration of 1 msec with a single occurrence in a 10 sec time period, then neither threshold will be exceeded. consequently, such a disturbance may be considered as having a nominal effect on signal integrity in the communication system 1655 and thus would not be flagged as a disturbance requiring mitigation. although not flagged, the occurrence of the disturbance, its time of occurrence, its frequency of occurrence, spectral data, and/or other useful information, may be reported to the network management system 1601 as telemetry data for monitoring purposes. referring back to step 1710 , if on the other hand the disturbance satisfies the condition for adversely affected communications (e.g., exceeds either or both thresholds), the waveguide system 1602 can proceed to step 1712 and report the incident to the network management system 1601 . the report can include raw sensing data collected by the sensors 1604 , a description of the disturbance if known by the waveguide system 1602 , a time of occurrence of the disturbance, a frequency of occurrence of the disturbance, a location associated with the disturbance, parameters readings such as bit error rate, packet loss rate, retransmission requests, jitter, latency and so on. if the disturbance is based on a prediction by one or more sensors of the waveguide system 1602 , the report can include a type of disturbance expected, and if predictable, an expected time occurrence of the disturbance, and an expected frequency of occurrence of the predicted disturbance when the prediction is based on historical sensing data collected by the sensors 1604 of the waveguide system 1602 . at step 1714 , the network management system 1601 can determine a mitigation, circumvention, or correction technique, which may include directing the waveguide system 1602 to reroute traffic to circumvent the disturbance if the location of the disturbance can be determined. in one embodiment, the waveguide coupling device 1402 detecting the disturbance may direct a repeater such as the one shown in figs. 13-14 to connect the waveguide system 1602 from a primary power line affected by the disturbance to a secondary power line to enable the waveguide system 1602 to reroute traffic to a different transmission medium and avoid the disturbance. in an embodiment where the waveguide system 1602 is configured as a repeater the waveguide system 1602 can itself perform the rerouting of traffic from the primary power line to the secondary power line. it is further noted that for bidirectional communications (e.g., full or half-duplex communications), the repeater can be configured to reroute traffic from the secondary power line back to the primary power line for processing by the waveguide system 1602 . in another embodiment, the waveguide system 1602 can redirect traffic by instructing a first repeater situated upstream of the disturbance and a second repeater situated downstream of the disturbance to redirect traffic from a primary power line temporarily to a secondary power line and back to the primary power line in a manner that avoids the disturbance. it is further noted that for bidirectional communications (e.g., full or half-duplex communications), repeaters can be configured to reroute traffic from the secondary power line back to the primary power line. to avoid interrupting existing communication sessions occurring on a secondary power line, the network management system 1601 may direct the waveguide system 1602 to instruct repeater(s) to utilize unused time slot(s) and/or frequency band(s) of the secondary power line for redirecting data and/or voice traffic away from the primary power line to circumvent the disturbance. at step 1716 , while traffic is being rerouted to avoid the disturbance, the network management system 1601 can notify equipment of the utility company 1652 and/or equipment of the communications service provider 1654 , which in turn may notify personnel of the utility company 1656 and/or personnel of the communications service provider 1658 of the detected disturbance and its location if known. field personnel from either party can attend to resolving the disturbance at a determined location of the disturbance. once the disturbance is removed or otherwise mitigated by personnel of the utility company and/or personnel of the communications service provider, such personnel can notify their respective companies and/or the network management system 1601 utilizing field equipment (e.g., a laptop computer, smartphone, etc.) communicatively coupled to network management system 1601 , and/or equipment of the utility company and/or the communications service provider. the notification can include a description of how the disturbance was mitigated and any changes to the power lines 1610 that may change a topology of the communication system 1655 . once the disturbance has been resolved (as determined in decision 1718 ), the network management system 1601 can direct the waveguide system 1602 at step 1720 to restore the previous routing configuration used by the waveguide system 1602 or route traffic according to a new routing configuration if the restoration strategy used to mitigate the disturbance resulted in a new network topology of the communication system 1655 . in another embodiment, the waveguide system 1602 can be configured to monitor mitigation of the disturbance by transmitting test signals on the power line 1610 to determine when the disturbance has been removed. once the waveguide system 1602 detects an absence of the disturbance it can autonomously restore its routing configuration without assistance by the network management system 1601 if it determines the network topology of the communication system 1655 has not changed, or it can utilize a new routing configuration that adapts to a detected new network topology. fig. 17b illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method 1750 for detecting and mitigating disturbances occurring in a communication network of the system of figs. 16a and 16b . in one embodiment, method 1750 can begin with step 1752 where a network management system 1601 receives from equipment of the utility company 1652 or equipment of the communications service provider 1654 maintenance information associated with a maintenance schedule. the network management system 1601 can at step 1754 identify from the maintenance information, maintenance activities to be performed during the maintenance schedule. from these activities, the network management system 1601 can detect a disturbance resulting from the maintenance (e.g., scheduled replacement of a power line 1610 , scheduled replacement of a waveguide system 1602 on the power line 1610 , scheduled reconfiguration of power lines 1610 in the power grid 1653 , etc.). in another embodiment, the network management system 1601 can receive at step 1755 telemetry information from one or more waveguide systems 1602 . the telemetry information can include among other things an identity of each waveguide system 1602 submitting the telemetry information, measurements taken by sensors 1604 of each waveguide system 1602 , information relating to predicted, estimated, or actual disturbances detected by the sensors 1604 of each waveguide system 1602 , location information associated with each waveguide system 1602 , an estimated location of a detected disturbance, an identification of the disturbance, and so on. the network management system 1601 can determine from the telemetry information a type of disturbance that may be adverse to operations of the waveguide, transmission of the electromagnetic waves along the wire surface, or both. the network management system 1601 can also use telemetry information from multiple waveguide systems 1602 to isolate and identify the disturbance. additionally, the network management system 1601 can request telemetry information from waveguide systems 1602 in a vicinity of an affected waveguide system 1602 to triangulate a location of the disturbance and/or validate an identification of the disturbance by receiving similar telemetry information from other waveguide systems 1602 . in yet another embodiment, the network management system 1601 can receive at step 1756 an unscheduled activity report from maintenance field personnel. unscheduled maintenance may occur as result of field calls that are unplanned or as a result of unexpected field issues discovered during field calls or scheduled maintenance activities. the activity report can identify changes to a topology configuration of the power grid 1653 resulting from field personnel addressing discovered issues in the communication system 1655 and/or power grid 1653 , changes to one or more waveguide systems 1602 (such as replacement or repair thereof), mitigation of disturbances performed if any, and so on. at step 1758 , the network management system 1601 can determine from reports received according to steps 1752 through 1756 if a disturbance will occur based on a maintenance schedule, or if a disturbance has occurred or is predicted to occur based on telemetry data, or if a disturbance has occurred due to an unplanned maintenance identified in a field activity report. from any of these reports, the network management system 1601 can determine whether a detected or predicted disturbance requires rerouting of traffic by the affected waveguide systems 1602 or other waveguide systems 1602 of the communication system 1655 . when a disturbance is detected or predicted at step 1758 , the network management system 1601 can proceed to step 1760 where it can direct one or more waveguide systems 1602 to reroute traffic to circumvent the disturbance. when the disturbance is permanent due to a permanent topology change of the power grid 1653 , the network management system 1601 can proceed to step 1770 and skip steps 1762 , 1764 , 1766 , and 1772 . at step 1770 , the network management system 1601 can direct one or more waveguide systems 1602 to use a new routing configuration that adapts to the new topology. however, when the disturbance has been detected from telemetry information supplied by one or more waveguide systems 1602 , the network management system 1601 can notify maintenance personnel of the utility company 1656 or the communications service provider 1658 of a location of the disturbance, a type of disturbance if known, and related information that may be helpful to such personnel to mitigate the disturbance. when a disturbance is expected due to maintenance activities, the network management system 1601 can direct one or more waveguide systems 1602 to reconfigure traffic routes at a given schedule (consistent with the maintenance schedule) to avoid disturbances caused by the maintenance activities during the maintenance schedule. returning back to step 1760 and upon its completion, the process can continue with step 1762 . at step 1762 , the network management system 1601 can monitor when the disturbance(s) have been mitigated by field personnel. mitigation of a disturbance can be detected at step 1762 by analyzing field reports submitted to the network management system 1601 by field personnel over a communications network (e.g., cellular communication system) utilizing field equipment (e.g., a laptop computer or handheld computer/device). if field personnel have reported that a disturbance has been mitigated, the network management system 1601 can proceed to step 1764 to determine from the field report whether a topology change was required to mitigate the disturbance. a topology change can include rerouting a power line 1610 , reconfiguring a waveguide system 1602 to utilize a different power line 1610 , otherwise utilizing an alternative link to bypass the disturbance and so on. if a topology change has taken place, the network management system 1601 can direct at step 1770 one or more waveguide systems 1602 to use a new routing configuration that adapts to the new topology. if, however, a topology change has not been reported by field personnel, the network management system 1601 can proceed to step 1766 where it can direct one or more waveguide systems 1602 to send test signals to test a routing configuration that had been used prior to the detected disturbance(s). test signals can be sent to affected waveguide systems 1602 in a vicinity of the disturbance. the test signals can be used to determine if signal disturbances (e.g., electromagnetic wave reflections) are detected by any of the waveguide systems 1602 . if the test signals confirm that a prior routing configuration is no longer subject to previously detected disturbance(s), then the network management system 1601 can at step 1772 direct the affected waveguide systems 1602 to restore a previous routing configuration. if, however, test signals analyzed by one or more waveguide coupling device 1402 and reported to the network management system 1601 indicate that the disturbance(s) or new disturbance(s) are present, then the network management system 1601 will proceed to step 1768 and report this information to field personnel to further address field issues. the network management system 1601 can in this situation continue to monitor mitigation of the disturbance(s) at step 1762 . in the aforementioned embodiments, the waveguide systems 1602 can be configured to be self-adapting to changes in the power grid 1653 and/or to mitigation of disturbances. that is, one or more affected waveguide systems 1602 can be configured to self-monitor mitigation of disturbances and reconfigure traffic routes without requiring instructions to be sent to them by the network management system 1601 . in this embodiment, the one or more waveguide systems 1602 that are self-configurable can inform the network management system 1601 of its routing choices so that the network management system 1601 can maintain a macro-level view of the communication topology of the communication system 1655 . while for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes are shown and described as a series of blocks in figs. 17a and 17b , respectively, it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methods described herein. turning now to fig. 18a , a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission medium 1800 for propagating guided electromagnetic waves is shown. in particular, a further example of transmission medium 125 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 is presented. in an embodiment, the transmission medium 1800 can comprise a first dielectric material 1802 and a second dielectric material 1804 disposed thereon. in an embodiment, the first dielectric material 1802 can comprise a dielectric core (referred to herein as dielectric core 1802 ) and the second dielectric material 1804 can comprise a cladding or shell such as a dielectric foam that surrounds in whole or in part the dielectric core (referred to herein as dielectric foam 1804 ). in an embodiment, the dielectric core 1802 and dielectric foam 1804 can be coaxially aligned to each other (although not necessary). in an embodiment, the combination of the dielectric core 1802 and the dielectric foam 1804 can be flexed or bent at least by 45 degrees without damaging the materials of the dielectric core 1802 and the dielectric foam 1804 . in an embodiment, an outer surface of the dielectric foam 1804 can be further surrounded in whole or in part by a third dielectric material 1806 , which can serve as an outer jacket (referred to herein as jacket 1806 ). the jacket 1806 can prevent exposure of the dielectric core 1802 and the dielectric foam 1804 to an environment that can adversely affect the propagation of electromagnetic waves (e.g., water, soil, etc.). the dielectric core 1802 can comprise, for example, a high density polyethylene material, a high density polyurethane material, or other suitable dielectric material(s). the dielectric foam 1804 can comprise, for example, a cellular plastic material such an expanded polyethylene material, or other suitable dielectric material(s). the jacket 1806 can comprise, for example, a polyethylene material or equivalent. in an embodiment, the dielectric constant of the dielectric foam 1804 can be (or substantially) lower than the dielectric constant of the dielectric core 1802 . for example, the dielectric constant of the dielectric core 1802 can be approximately 2.3 while the dielectric constant of the dielectric foam 1804 can be approximately 1.15 (slightly higher than the dielectric constant of air). the dielectric core 1802 can be used for receiving signals in the form of electromagnetic waves from a launcher or other coupling device described herein which can be configured to launch guided electromagnetic waves on the transmission medium 1800 . in one embodiment, the transmission 1800 can be coupled to a hollow waveguide 1808 structured as, for example, a circular waveguide 1809 , which can receive electromagnetic waves from a radiating device such as a stub antenna (not shown). the hollow waveguide 1808 can in turn induce guided electromagnetic waves in the dielectric core 1802 . in this configuration, the guided electromagnetic waves are guided by or bound to the dielectric core 1802 and propagate longitudinally along the dielectric core 1802 . by adjusting electronics of the launcher, an operating frequency of the electromagnetic waves can be chosen such that a field intensity profile 1810 of the guided electromagnetic waves extends nominally (or not at all) outside of the jacket 1806 . by maintaining most (if not all) of the field strength of the guided electromagnetic waves within portions of the dielectric core 1802 , the dielectric foam 1804 and/or the jacket 1806 , the transmission medium 1800 can be used in hostile environments without adversely affecting the propagation of the electromagnetic waves propagating therein. for example, the transmission medium 1800 can be buried in soil with no (or nearly no) adverse effect to the guided electromagnetic waves propagating in the transmission medium 1800 . similarly, the transmission medium 1800 can be exposed to water (e.g., rain or placed underwater) with no (or nearly no) adverse effect to the guided electromagnetic waves propagating in the transmission medium 1800 . in an embodiment, the propagation loss of guided electromagnetic waves in the foregoing embodiments can be 1 to 2 db per meter or better at an operating frequency of 60 ghz. depending on the operating frequency of the guided electromagnetic waves and/or the materials used for the transmission medium 1800 other propagation losses may be possible. additionally, depending on the materials used to construct the transmission medium 1800 , the transmission medium 1800 can in some embodiments be flexed laterally with no (or nearly no) adverse effect to the guided electromagnetic waves propagating through the dielectric core 1802 and the dielectric foam 1804 . fig. 18b depicts a transmission medium 1820 that differs from the transmission medium 1800 of fig. 18a , yet provides a further example of the transmission medium 125 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 . the transmission medium 1820 shows similar reference numerals for similar elements of the transmission medium 1800 of fig. 18 a. in contrast to the transmission medium 1800 , the transmission medium 1820 comprises a conductive core 1822 having an insulation layer 1823 surrounding the conductive core 1822 in whole or in part. the combination of the insulation layer 1823 and the conductive core 1822 will be referred to herein as an insulated conductor 1825 . in the illustration of fig. 18b , the insulation layer 1823 is covered in whole or in part by a dielectric foam 1804 and jacket 1806 , which can be constructed from the materials previously described. in an embodiment, the insulation layer 1823 can comprise a dielectric material, such as polyethylene, having a higher dielectric constant than the dielectric foam 1804 (e.g., 2.3 and 1.15, respectively). in an embodiment, the components of the transmission medium 1820 can be coaxially aligned (although not necessary). in an embodiment, a hollow waveguide 1808 having metal plates 1809 , which can be separated from the insulation layer 1823 (although not necessary) can be used to launch guided electromagnetic waves that substantially propagate on an outer surface of the insulation layer 1823 , however other coupling devices as described herein can likewise be employed. in an embodiment, the guided electromagnetic waves can be sufficiently guided by or bound by the insulation layer 1823 to guide the electromagnetic waves longitudinally along the insulation layer 1823 . by adjusting operational parameters of the launcher, an operating frequency of the guided electromagnetic waves launched by the hollow waveguide 1808 can generate an electric field intensity profile 1824 that results in the guided electromagnetic waves being substantially confined within the dielectric foam 1804 thereby preventing the guided electromagnetic waves from being exposed to an environment (e.g., water, soil, etc.) that adversely affects propagation of the guided electromagnetic waves via the transmission medium 1820 . fig. 18c depicts a transmission medium 1830 that differs from the transmission mediums 1800 and 1820 of figs. 18a and 18b , yet provides a further example of the transmission medium 125 presented in conjunction with fig. 1 . the transmission medium 1830 shows similar reference numerals for similar elements of the transmission mediums 1800 and 1820 of figs. 18a and 18b , respectively. in contrast to the transmission mediums 1800 and 1820 , the transmission medium 1830 comprises a bare (or uninsulated) conductor 1832 surrounded in whole or in part by the dielectric foam 1804 and the jacket 1806 , which can be constructed from the materials previously described. in an embodiment, the components of the transmission medium 1830 can be coaxially aligned (although not necessary). in an embodiment, a hollow waveguide 1808 having metal plates 1809 coupled to the bare conductor 1832 can be used to launch guided electromagnetic waves that substantially propagate on an outer surface of the bare conductor 1832 , however other coupling devices described herein can likewise be employed. in an embodiment, the guided electromagnetic waves can be sufficiently guided by or bound by the bare conductor 1832 to guide the guided electromagnetic waves longitudinally along the bare conductor 1832 . by adjusting operational parameters of the launcher, an operating frequency of the guided electromagnetic waves launched by the hollow waveguide 1808 can generate an electric field intensity profile 1834 that results in the guided electromagnetic waves being substantially confined within the dielectric foam 1804 thereby preventing the guided electromagnetic waves from being exposed to an environment (e.g., water, soil, etc.) that adversely affects propagation of the electromagnetic waves via the transmission medium 1830 . it should be noted that the hollow launcher 1808 used with the transmission mediums 1800 , 1820 and 1830 of figs. 18a, 18b and 18c , respectively, can be replaced with other launchers or coupling devices. additionally, the propagation mode(s) of the electromagnetic waves for any of the foregoing embodiments can be fundamental mode(s), a non-fundamental (or asymmetric) mode(s), or combinations thereof. fig. 18d is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of bundled transmission media 1836 in accordance with various aspects described herein. the bundled transmission media 1836 can comprise a plurality of cables 1838 held in place by a flexible sleeve 1839 . the plurality of cables 1838 can comprise multiple instances of cable 1800 of fig. 18a , multiple instances of cable 1820 of fig. 18b , multiple instances of cable 1830 of fig. 18c , or any combinations thereof. the sleeve 1839 can comprise a dielectric material that prevents soil, water or other external materials from making contact with the plurality of cables 1838 . in an embodiment, a plurality of launchers, each utilizing a transceiver similar to the one depicted in fig. 10a or other coupling devices described herein, can be adapted to selectively induce a guided electromagnetic wave in each cable, each guided electromagnetic wave conveys different data (e.g., voice, video, messaging, content, etc.). in an embodiment, by adjusting operational parameters of each launcher or other coupling device, the electric field intensity profile of each guided electromagnetic wave can be fully or substantially confined within layers of a corresponding cable 1838 to reduce cross-talk between cables 1838 . in situations where the electric field intensity profile of each guided electromagnetic wave is not fully or substantially confined within a corresponding cable 1838 , cross-talk of electromagnetic signals can occur between cables 1838 as illustrated by signal plots associated with two cables depicted in fig. 18e . the plots in fig. 18e show that when a guided electromagnetic wave is induced on a first cable, the emitted electric and magnetic fields of the first cable can induce signals on the second cable, which results in cross-talk. several mitigation options can be used to reduce cross-talk between the cables 1838 of fig. 18d . in an embodiment, an absorption material 1840 that can absorb electromagnetic fields, such as carbon, can be applied to the cables 1838 as shown in fig. 18f to polarize each guided electromagnetic wave at various polarization states to reduce cross-talk between cables 1838 . in another embodiment (not shown), carbon beads can be added to gaps between the cables 1838 to reduce cross-talk. in yet another embodiment (not shown), a diameter of cable 1838 can be configured differently to vary a speed of propagation of guided electromagnetic waves between the cables 1838 in order to reduce cross-talk between cables 1838 . in an embodiment (not shown), a shape of each cable 1838 can be made asymmetric (e.g., elliptical) to direct the guided electromagnetic fields of each cable 1838 away from each other to reduce cross-talk. in an embodiment (not shown), a filler material such as dielectric foam can be added between cables 1838 to sufficiently separate the cables 1838 to reduce cross-talk therebetween. in an embodiment (not shown), longitudinal carbon strips or swirls can be applied to on an outer surface of the jacket 1806 of each cable 1838 to reduce radiation of guided electromagnetic waves outside of the jacket 1806 and thereby reduce cross-talk between cables 1838 . in yet another embodiment, each launcher can be configured to launch a guided electromagnetic wave having a different frequency, modulation, wave propagation mode, such as an orthogonal frequency, modulation or mode, to reduce cross-talk between the cables 1838 . in yet another embodiment (not shown), pairs of cables 1838 can be twisted in a helix to reduce cross-talk between the pairs and other cables 1838 in a vicinity of the pairs. in some embodiments, certain cables 1838 can be twisted while other cables 1838 are not twisted to reduce cross-talk between the cables 1838 . additionally, each twisted pair cable 1838 can have different pitches (i.e., different twist rates, such as twists per meter) to further reduce cross-talk between the pairs and other cables 1838 in a vicinity of the pairs. in another embodiment (not shown), launchers or other coupling devices can be configured to induce guided electromagnetic waves in the cables 1838 having electromagnetic fields that extend beyond the jacket 1806 into gaps between the cables to reduce cross-talk between the cables 1838 . it is submitted that any one of the foregoing embodiments for mitigating cross-talk between cables 1838 can be combined to further reduce cross-talk therebetween. figs. 18g and 18h are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a transmission medium with an inner waveguide in accordance with various aspects described herein. in an embodiment, a transmission medium 1841 can comprise a core 1842 . in one embodiment, the core 1842 can be a dielectric core 1842 (e.g., polyethylene). in another embodiment, the core 1842 can be an insulated or uninsulated conductor. the core 1842 can be surrounded by a shell 1844 comprising a dielectric foam (e.g., expanded polyethylene material) having a lower dielectric constant than the dielectric constant of a dielectric core, or insulation layer of a conductive core. the difference in dielectric constants enables electromagnetic waves to be bound and guided by the core 1842 . the shell 1844 can be covered by a shell jacket 1845 . the shell jacket 1845 can be made of rigid material (e.g., high density plastic) or a high tensile strength material (e.g., synthetic fiber). in an embodiment, the shell jacket 1845 can be used to prevent exposure of the shell 1844 and core 1842 from an adverse environment (e.g., water, moisture, soil, etc.). in an embodiment, the shell jacket 1845 can be sufficiently rigid to separate an outer surface of the core 1842 from an inner surface of the shell jacket 1845 thereby resulting in a longitudinal gap between the shell jacket 1854 and the core 1842 . the longitudinal gap can be filled with the dielectric foam of the shell 1844 . the transmission medium 1841 can further include a plurality of outer ring conductors 1846 . the outer ring conductors 1846 can be strands of conductive material that are woven around the shell jacket 1845 , thereby covering the shell jacket 1845 in whole or in part. the outer ring conductors 1846 can serve the function of a power line having a return electrical path similar to the embodiments described in the subject disclosure for receiving power signals from a source (e.g., a transformer, a power generator, etc.). in one embodiment, the outer ring conductors 1846 can be covered by a cable jacket 1847 to prevent exposure of the outer ring conductors 1846 to water, soil, or other environmental factors. the cable jacket 1847 can be made of an insulating material such as polyethylene. the core 1842 can be used as a center waveguide for the propagation of electromagnetic waves. a hallow waveguide launcher 1808 , such as the circular waveguide previously described, can be used to launch signals that induce electromagnetic waves guided by the core 1842 in ways similar to those described for the embodiments of figs. 18a, 18b, and 18c . the electromagnetic waves can be guided by the core 1842 without utilizing the electrical return path of the outer ring conductors 1846 or any other electrical return path. by adjusting electronics of the launcher 1808 , an operating frequency of the electromagnetic waves can be chosen such that a field intensity profile of the guided electromagnetic waves extends nominally (or not at all) outside of the shell jacket 1845 . in another embodiment, a transmission medium 1843 can comprise a hollow core 1842 ′ surrounded by a shell jacket 1845 ′. the shell jacket 1845 ′ can have an inner conductive surface or other surface materials that enable the hollow core 1842 ′ to be used as a conduit for electromagnetic waves. the shell jacket 1845 ′ can be covered at least in part with the outer ring conductors 1846 described earlier for conducting a power signal. in an embodiment, a cable jacket 1847 can be disposed on an outer surface of the outer ring conductors 1846 to prevent exposure of the outer ring conductors 1846 to water, soil or other environmental factors. a waveguide launcher 1808 can be used to launch electromagnetic waves guided by the hollow core 1842 ′ and the conductive inner surface of the shell jacket 1845 ′. in an embodiment (not shown) the hollow core 1842 ′ can further include a dielectric foam such as described earlier. transmission medium 1841 can represent a multi-purpose cable that conducts power on the outer ring conductors 1846 utilizing an electrical return path and that provides communication services by way of an inner waveguide comprising a combination of the core 1842 , the shell 1844 and the shell jacket 1845 . the inner waveguide can be used for transmitting or receiving electromagnetic waves (without utilizing an electrical return path) guided by the core 1842 . similarly, transmission medium 1843 can represent a multi-purpose cable that conducts power on the outer ring conductors 1846 utilizing an electrical return path and that provides communication services by way of an inner waveguide comprising a combination of the hollow core 1842 ′ and the shell jacket 1845 ′. the inner waveguide can be used for transmitting or receiving electromagnetic waves (without utilizing an electrical return path) guided the hollow core 1842 ′ and the shell jacket 1845 ′. it is submitted that embodiments of figs. 18g-18h can be adapted to use multiple inner waveguides surrounded by outer ring conductors 1846 . the inner waveguides can be adapted to use to cross-talk mitigation techniques described above (e.g., twisted pairs of waveguides, waveguides of different structural dimensions, use of polarizers within the shell, use of different wave modes, etc.). for illustration purposes only, the transmission mediums 1800 , 1820 , 1830 1836 , 1841 and 1843 will be referred to herein as a cable 1850 with an understanding that cable 1850 can represent any one of the transmission mediums described in the subject disclosure, or a bundling of multiple instances thereof. for illustration purposes only, the dielectric core 1802 , insulated conductor 1825 , bare conductor 1832 , core 1842 , or hollow core 1842 ′ of the transmission mediums 1800 , 1820 , 1830 , 1836 , 1841 and 1843 , respectively, will be referred to herein as transmission core 1852 with an understanding that cable 1850 can utilize the dielectric core 1802 , insulated conductor 1825 , bare conductor 1832 , core 1842 , or hollow core 1842 ′ of transmission mediums 1800 , 1820 , 1830 , 1836 , 1841 and/or 1843 , respectively. turning now to figs. 18i and 18j , block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of connector configurations that can be used by cable 1850 are shown. in one embodiment, cable 1850 can be configured with a female connection arrangement or a male connection arrangement as depicted in fig. 18i . the male configuration on the right of fig. 18i can be accomplished by stripping the dielectric foam 1804 (and jacket 1806 if there is one) to expose a portion of the transmission core 1852 . the female configuration on the left of fig. 18i can be accomplished by removing a portion of the transmission core 1852 , while maintaining the dielectric foam 1804 (and jacket 1806 if there is one). in an embodiment in which the transmission core 1852 is hollow as described in relation to fig. 18h , the male portion of the transmission core 1852 can represent a hollow core with a rigid outer surface that can slide into the female arrangement on the left side of fig. 18i to align the hollow cores together. it is further noted that in the embodiments of figs. 18g-18h , the outer ring of conductors 1846 can be modified to connect male and female portions of cable 1850 . based on the aforementioned embodiments, the two cables 1850 having male and female connector arrangements can be mated together. a sleeve with an adhesive inner lining or a shrink wrap material (not shown) can be applied to an area of a joint between cables 1850 to maintain the joint in a fixed position and prevent exposure (e.g., to water, soil, etc.). when the cables 1850 are mated, the transmission core 1852 of one cable will be in close proximity to the transmission core 1852 of the other cable. guided electromagnetic waves propagating by way of either the transmission core 1852 of cables 1850 traveling from either direction can cross over between the disjoint the transmission cores 1852 whether or not the transmission cores 1852 touch, whether or not the transmission cores 1852 are coaxially aligned, and/or whether or not there is a gap between the transmission cores 1852 . in another embodiment, a splicing device 1860 having female connector arrangements at both ends can be used to mate cables 1850 having male connector arrangements as shown in fig. 18j . in an alternative embodiment not shown in fig. 18j , the splicing device 1860 can be adapted to have male connector arrangements at both ends which can be mated to cables 1850 having female connector arrangements. in another embodiment not shown in fig. 18j , the splicing device 1860 can be adapted to have a male connector arrangement and a female connector arrangement at opposite ends which can be mated to cables 1850 having female and male connector arrangements, respectively. it is further noted that for a transmission core 1852 having a hollow core, the male and female arrangements described in fig. 18i can be applied to the splicing device 1860 whether the ends of the splicing device 1860 are both male, both female, or a combination thereof. the foregoing embodiments for connecting cables illustrated in figs. 18i-18j can be applied to each single instance of cable 1838 of bundled transmission media 1836 . similarly, the foregoing embodiments illustrated in figs. 18i-18j can be applied to each single instance of an inner waveguide for a cable 1841 or 1843 having multiple inner waveguides. turning now to fig. 18k , a block diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of transmission mediums 1800 ′, 1800 ″, 1800 ′″ and 1800 ″″ for propagating guided electromagnetic waves is shown. in an embodiment, a transmission medium 1800 ′ can include a core 1801 , and a dielectric foam 1804 ′ divided into sections and covered by a jacket 1806 as shown in fig. 18k . the core 1801 can be represented by the dielectric core 1802 of fig. 18a , the insulated conductor 1825 of fig. 18b , or the bare conductor 1832 of fig. 18c . each section of dielectric foam 1804 ′ can be separated by a gap (e.g., air, gas, vacuum, or a substance with a low dielectric constant). in an embodiment, the gap separations between the sections of dielectric foam 1804 ′ can be quasi-random as shown in fig. 18k , which can be helpful in reducing reflections of electromagnetic waves occurring at each section of dielectric foam 1804 ′ as they propagate longitudinally along the core 1801 . the sections of the dielectric foam 1804 ′ can be constructed, for example, as washers made of a dielectric foam having an inner opening for supporting the core 1801 in a fixed position. for illustration purposes only, the washers will be referred to herein as washers 1804 ′. in an embodiment, the inner opening of each washer 1804 ′ can be coaxially aligned with an axis of the core 1801 . in another embodiment, the inner opening of each washer 1804 ′ can be offset from the axis of the core 1801 . in another embodiment (not shown), each washer 1804 ′ can have a variable longitudinal thickness as shown by differences in thickness of the washers 1804 ′. in an alternative embodiment, a transmission medium 1800 ″ can include a core 1801 , and a strip of dielectric foam 1804 ″ wrapped around the core in a helix covered by a jacket 1806 as shown in fig. 18k . although it may not be apparent from the drawing shown in fig. 18k , in an embodiment the strip of dielectric foam 1804 ″ can be twisted around the core 1801 with variable pitches (i.e., different twist rates) for different sections of the strip of dielectric foam 1804 ″. utilizing variable pitches can help reduce reflections or other disturbances of the electromagnetic waves occurring between areas of the core 1801 not covered by the strip of dielectric foam 1804 ″. it is further noted that the thickness (diameter) of the strip of dielectric foam 1804 ″ can be substantially larger (e.g., 2 or more times larger) than diameter of the core 1801 shown in fig. 18k . in an alternative embodiment, a transmission medium 1800 ′″ (shown in a cross-sectional view) can include a non-circular core 1801 ′ covered by a dielectric foam 1804 and jacket 1806 . in an embodiment, the non-circular core 1801 ′ can have an elliptical structure as shown in fig. 18k , or other suitable non-circular structure. in another embodiment, the non-circular core 1801 ′ can have an asymmetric structure. a non-circular core 1801 ′ can be used to polarize the fields of electromagnetic waves induced on the non-circular core 1801 ′. the structure of the non-circular core 1801 ′ can help preserve the polarization of the electromagnetic waves as they propagate along the non-circular core 1801 ′. in an alternative embodiment, a transmission medium 1800 ″″ (shown in a cross-sectional view) can include multiple cores 1801 ″ (only two cores are shown but more are possible). the multiple cores 1801 ″ can be covered by a dielectric foam 1804 and jacket 1806 . the multiple cores 1801 ″ can be used to polarize the fields of electromagnetic waves induced on the multiple cores 1801 ″. the structure of the multiple cores 1801 ′ can preserve the polarization of the guided electromagnetic waves as they propagate along the multiple cores 1801 ″. it will be appreciated that the embodiments of fig. 18k can be used to modify the embodiments of figs. 18g-18h . for example, core 1842 or core 1842 ′ can be adapted to utilized sectionalized shells 1804 ′ with gaps therebetween, or one or more strips of dielectric foam 1804 ″. similarly, core 1842 or core 1842 ′ can be adapted to have a non-circular core 1801 ′ that may have symmetric or asymmetric cross-sectional structure. additionally, core 1842 or core 1842 ′ can be adapted to use multiple cores 1801 ″ in a single inner waveguide, or different numbers of cores when multiple inner waveguides are used. accordingly, any of the embodiments shown in fig. 18k can be applied singly or in combination to the embodiments of 18 g- 18 h. turning now to fig. 18l is a block diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of bundled transmission media to mitigate cross-talk in accordance with various aspects described herein. in an embodiment, a bundled transmission medium 1836 ′ can include variable core structures 1803 . by varying the structures of cores 1803 , fields of guided electromagnetic waves induced in each of the cores of transmission medium 1836 ′ may differ sufficiently to reduce cross-talk between cables 1838 . in another embodiment, a bundled transmission media 1836 ″ can include a variable number of cores 1803 ′ per cable 1838 . by varying the number of cores 1803 ′ per cable 1838 , fields of guided electromagnetic waves induced in the one or more cores of transmission medium 1836 ″ may differ sufficiently to reduce cross-talk between cables 1838 . in another embodiment, the cores 1803 or 1803 ′ can be of different materials. for example, the cores 1803 or 1803 ′ can be a dielectric core 1802 , an insulated conductor core 1825 , a bare conductor core 1832 , or any combinations thereof. it is noted that the embodiments illustrated in figs. 18a-18d and 18f-18h can be modified by and/or combined with some of the embodiments of figs. 18k-18l . it is further noted that one or more of the embodiments illustrated in figs. 18k-18l can be combined (e.g., using sectionalized dielectric foam 1804 ′ or a helix strip of dielectric foam 1804 ″ with cores 1801 ′, 1801 ″, 1803 or 1803 ′). in some embodiments guided electromagnetic waves propagating in the transmission mediums 1800 ′, 1800 ″, 1800 ″′, and/or 1800 ″″ of fig. 18k may experience less propagation losses than guided electromagnetic waves propagating in the transmission mediums 1800 , 1820 and 1830 of figs. 18a-18c . additionally, the embodiments illustrated in figs. 18k-18l can be adapted to use the connectivity embodiments illustrated in figs. 18i-18j . turning now to fig. 18m , a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of exposed tapered stubs from the bundled transmission media 1836 for use as antennas 1855 is shown. each antenna 1855 can serve as a directional antenna for radiating wireless signals directed to wireless communication devices or for inducing electromagnetic wave propagation on a surface of a transmission medium (e.g., a power line). in an embodiment, the wireless signals radiated by the antennas 1855 can be beam steered by adapting the phase and/or other characteristics of the wireless signals generated by each antenna 1855 . in an embodiment, the antennas 1855 can individually be placed in a pie-pan antenna assembly for directing wireless signals in various directions. it is further noted that the terms “core”, “cladding”, “shell”, and “foam” as utilized in the subject disclosure can comprise any types of materials (or combinations of materials) that enable electromagnetic waves to remain bound to the core while propagating longitudinally along the core. for example, a strip of dielectric foam 1804 ″ described earlier can be replaced with a strip of an ordinary dielectric material (e.g., polyethylene) for wrapping around the dielectric core 1802 (referred to herein for illustration purposes only as a “wrap”). in this configuration an average density of the wrap can be small as a result of air space between sections of the wrap. consequently, an effective dielectric constant of the wrap can be less than the dielectric constant of the dielectric core 1802 , thereby enabling guided electromagnetic waves to remain bound to the core. accordingly, any of the embodiments of the subject disclosure relating to materials used for core(s) and wrappings about the core(s) can be structurally adapted and/or modified with other dielectric materials that achieve the result of maintaining electromagnetic waves bound to the core(s) while they propagate along the core(s). additionally, a core in whole or in part as described in any of the embodiments of the subject disclosure can comprise an opaque material (e.g., polyethylene) that is resistant to propagation of electromagnetic waves having an optical operating frequency. accordingly, electromagnetic waves guided and bound to the core will have a non-optical frequency range (e.g., less than the lowest frequency of visible light). figs. 18n, 18o, 18p, 18q, 18r, 18s and 18t are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a waveguide device for transmitting or receiving electromagnetic waves in accordance with various aspects described herein. in an embodiment, fig. 18n illustrates a front view of a waveguide device 1865 having a plurality of slots 1863 (e.g., openings or apertures) for emitting electromagnetic waves having radiated electric fields (e-fields) 1861 . in an embodiment, the radiated e-fields 1861 of pairs of symmetrically positioned slots 1863 (e.g., north and south slots of the waveguide 1865 ) can be directed away from each other (i.e., polar opposite radial orientations about the cable 1862 ). while the slots 1863 are shown as having a rectangular shape, other shapes such as other polygons, sector and arc shapes, ellipsoid shapes and other shapes are likewise possible. for illustration purposes only, the term north will refer to a relative direction as shown in the figures. all references in the subject disclosure to other directions (e.g., south, east, west, northwest, and so forth) will be relative to northern illustration. in an embodiment, to achieve e-fields with opposing orientations at the north and south slots 1863 , for example, the north and south slots 1863 can be arranged to have a circumferential distance between each other that is approximately one wavelength of electromagnetic waves signals supplied to these slots. the waveguide 1865 can have a cylindrical cavity in a center of the waveguide 1865 to enable placement of a cable 1862 . in one embodiment, the cable 1862 can comprise an insulated conductor. in another embodiment, the cable 1862 can comprise an uninsulated conductor. in yet other embodiments, the cable 1862 can comprise any of the embodiments of a transmission core 1852 of cable 1850 previously described. in one embodiment, the cable 1862 can slide into the cylindrical cavity of the waveguide 1865 . in another embodiment, the waveguide 1865 can utilize an assembly mechanism (not shown). the assembly mechanism (e.g., a hinge or other suitable mechanism that provides a way to open the waveguide 1865 at one or more locations) can be used to enable placement of the waveguide 1865 on an outer surface of the cable 1862 or otherwise to assemble separate pieces together to form the waveguide 1865 as shown. according to these and other suitable embodiments, the waveguide 1865 can be configured to wrap around the cable 1862 like a collar. fig. 18o illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the waveguide 1865 . the waveguide 1865 can be adapted to have a hollow rectangular waveguide portion 1867 that receives electromagnetic waves 1866 generated by a transmitter circuit as previously described in the subject disclosure (e.g., see figs. 1 and 10a ). the electromagnetic waves 1866 can be distributed by the hollow rectangular waveguide portion 1867 into in a hollow collar 1869 of the waveguide 1865 . the rectangular waveguide portion 1867 and the hollow collar 1869 can be constructed of materials suitable for maintaining the electromagnetic waves within the hollow chambers of these assemblies (e.g., carbon fiber materials). it should be noted that while the waveguide portion 1867 is shown and described in a hollow rectangular configuration, other shapes and/or other non-hollow configurations can be employed. in particular, the waveguide portion 1867 can have a square or other polygonal cross section, an arc or sector cross section that is truncated to conform to the outer surface of the cable 1862 , a circular or ellipsoid cross section or cross sectional shape. in addition, the waveguide portion 1867 can be configured as, or otherwise include, a solid dielectric material. as previously described, the hollow collar 1869 can be configured to emit electromagnetic waves from each slot 1863 with opposite e-fields 1861 at pairs of symmetrically positioned slots 1863 and 1863 ′. in an embodiment, the electromagnetic waves emitted by the combination of slots 1863 and 1863 ′ can in turn induce electromagnetic waves 1868 on that are bound to the cable 1862 for propagation according to a fundamental wave mode without other wave modes present—such as non-fundamental wave modes. in this configuration, the electromagnetic waves 1868 can propagate longitudinally along the cable 1862 to other downstream waveguide systems coupled to the cable 1862 . it should be noted that since the hollow rectangular waveguide portion 1867 of fig. 18o is closer to slot 1863 (at the northern position of the waveguide 1865 ), slot 1863 can emit electromagnetic waves having a stronger magnitude than electromagnetic waves emitted by slot 1863 ′ (at the southern position). to reduce magnitude differences between these slots, slot 1863 ′ can be made larger than slot 1863 . the technique of utilizing different slot sizes to balance signal magnitudes between slots can be applied to any of the embodiments of the subject disclosure relating to figs. 18n, 18o, 18q, 18s, 18u and 18v —some of which are described below. in another embodiment, fig. 18p depicts a waveguide 1865 ′ that can be configured to utilize circuitry such as monolithic microwave integrated circuits (mmics) 1870 each coupled to a signal input 1872 (e.g., coaxial cable that provides a communication signal). the signal input 1872 can be generated by a transmitter circuit as previously described in the subject disclosure (e.g., see reference 101 , 1000 of figs. 1 and 10a ) adapted to provide electrical signals to the mmics 1870 . each mmic 1870 can be configured to receive signal 1872 which the mmic 1870 can modulate and transmit with a radiating element (e.g., an antenna) to emit electromagnetic waves having radiated e-fields 1861 . in one embodiment, the mmic's 1870 can be configured to receive the same signal 1872 , but transmit electromagnetic waves having e-fields 1861 of opposing orientation. this can be accomplished by configuring one of the mmics 1870 to transmit electromagnetic waves that are 180 degrees out of phase with the electromagnetic waves transmitted by the other mmic 1870 . in an embodiment, the combination of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the mmics 1870 can together induce electromagnetic waves 1868 that are bound to the cable 1862 for propagation according to a fundamental wave mode without other wave modes present—such as non-fundamental wave modes. in this configuration, the electromagnetic waves 1868 can propagate longitudinally along the cable 1862 to other downstream waveguide systems coupled to the cable 1862 . a tapered horn 1880 can be added to the embodiments of figs. 18o and 18p to assist in the inducement of the electromagnetic waves 1868 on cable 1862 as depicted in figs. 18q and 18r . in an embodiment where the cable 1862 is an uninsulated conductor, the electromagnetic waves induced on the cable 1862 can have a large radial dimension (e.g., 1 meter). to enable use of a smaller tapered horn 1880 , an insulation layer 1879 can be applied on a portion of the cable 1862 at or near the cavity as depicted with hash lines in figs. 18q and 18r . the insulation layer 1879 can have a tapered end facing away from the waveguide 1865 . the added insulation enables the electromagnetic waves 1868 initially launched by the waveguide 1865 (or 1865 ′) to be tightly bound to the insulation, which in turn reduces the radial dimension of the electromagnetic fields 1868 (e.g., centimeters). as the electromagnetic waves 1868 propagate away from the waveguide 1865 ( 1865 ′) and reach the tapered end of the insulation layer 1879 , the radial dimension of the electromagnetic waves 1868 begin to increase eventually achieving the radial dimension they would have had had the electromagnetic waves 1868 been induced on the uninsulated conductor without an insulation layer. in the illustration of figs. 18q and 18r the tapered end begins at an end of the tapered horn 1880 . in other embodiments, the tapered end of the insulation layer 1879 can begin before or after the end of the tapered horn 1880 . the tapered horn can be metallic or constructed of other conductive material or constructed of a plastic or other non-conductive material that is coated or clad with a dielectric layer or doped with a conductive material to provide reflective properties similar to a metallic horn. in an embodiment, cable 1862 can comprise any of the embodiments of cable 1850 described earlier. in this embodiment, waveguides 1865 and 1865 ′ can be coupled to a transmission core 1852 of cable 1850 as depicted in figs. 18s and 18t . the waveguides 1865 and 1865 ′ can induce, as previously described, electromagnetic waves 1868 on the transmission core 1852 for propagation entirely or partially within inner layers of cable 1850 . it is noted that for the foregoing embodiments of figs. 18q, 18r, 18s and 18t , electromagnetic waves 1868 can be bidirectional. for example, electromagnetic waves 1868 of a different operating frequency can be received by slots 1863 or mmic's 1870 of the waveguides 1865 and 1865 ′, respectively. once received, the electromagnetic waves can be converted by a receiver circuit (e.g., see reference 101 , 1000 of figs. 1 and 10a ) for generating a communication signal for processing. although not shown, it is further noted that the waveguides 1865 and 1865 ′ can be adapted so that the waveguides 1865 and 1865 ′ can direct electromagnetic waves 1868 upstream or downstream longitudinally. for example, a first tapered horn 1880 coupled to a first instance of a waveguide 1865 or 1865 ′ can be directed westerly on cable 1862 , while a second tapered horn 1880 coupled to a second instance of a waveguide 1865 or 1865 ′ can be directed easterly on cable 1862 . the first and second instances of the waveguides 1865 or 1865 ′ can be coupled so that in a repeater configuration, signals received by the first waveguide 1865 or 1865 ′ can be provided to the second waveguide 1865 or 1865 ′ for retransmission in an easterly direction on cable 1862 . the repeater configuration just described can also be applied from an easterly to westerly direction on cable 1862 . the waveguide 1865 of figs. 18n, 18o, 18q and 18s can also be configured to generate electromagnetic fields having only non-fundamental or asymmetric wave modes. fig. 18u depicts an embodiment of a waveguide 1865 that can be adapted to generate electromagnetic fields having only non-fundamental wave modes. a median line 1890 represents a separation between slots where electrical currents on a backside (not shown) of a frontal plate of the waveguide 1865 change polarity. for example, electrical currents on the backside of the frontal plate corresponding to e-fields that are radially outward (i.e., point away from a center point of cable 1862 ) can in some embodiments be associated with slots located outside of the median line 1890 (e.g., slots 1863 a and 1863 b). electrical currents on the backside of the frontal plate corresponding to e-fields that are radially inward (i.e., point towards a center point of cable 1862 ) can in some embodiments be associated with slots located inside of the median line 1890 . the direction of the currents can depend on the operating frequency of the electromagnetic waves 1866 supplied to the hollow rectangular waveguide portion 1867 (see fig. 18o ) among other parameters. for illustration purposes, assume the electromagnetic waves 1866 supplied to the hollow rectangular waveguide portion 1867 have an operating frequency whereby a circumferential distance between slots 1863 a and 1863 b is one full wavelength of the electromagnetic waves 1866 . in this instance, the e-fields of the electromagnetic waves emitted by slots 1863 a and 1863 b point radially outward (i.e., have opposing orientations). when the electromagnetic waves emitted by slots 1863 a and 1863 b are combined, the resulting electromagnetic waves on cable 1862 will propagate according to the fundamental wave mode. in contrast, by repositioning one of the slots (e.g., slot 1863 b) inside the media line 1890 (i.e., slot 1863 c), slot 1863 c will generate electromagnetic waves that have e-fields that are approximately 180 degrees out of phase with the e-fields of the electromagnetic waves generated by slot 1863 a. consequently, the e-field orientations of the electromagnetic waves generated by slot pairs 1863 a and 1863 c will be substantially aligned. the combination of the electromagnetic waves emitted by slot pairs 1863 a and 1863 c will thus generate electromagnetic waves that are bound to the cable 1862 for propagation according to a non-fundamental wave mode. to achieve a reconfigurable slot arrangement, waveguide 1865 can be adapted according to the embodiments depicted in fig. 18v . configuration (a) depicts a waveguide 1865 having a plurality of symmetrically positioned slots. each of the slots 1863 of configuration (a) can be selectively disabled by blocking the slot with a material (e.g., carbon fiber or metal) to prevent the emission of electromagnetic waves. a blocked (or disabled) slot 1863 is shown in black, while an enabled (or unblocked) slot 1863 is shown in white. although not shown, a blocking material can be placed behind (or in front) of the frontal plate of the waveguide 1865 . a mechanism (not shown) can be coupled to the blocking material so that the blocking material can slide in or out of a particular slot 1863 much like closing or opening a window with a cover. the mechanism can be coupled to a linear motor controllable by circuitry of the waveguide 1865 to selectively enable or disable individual slots 1863 . with such a mechanism at each slot 1863 , the waveguide 1865 can be configured to select different configurations of enabled and disabled slots 1863 as depicted in the embodiments of fig. 18v . other methods or techniques for covering or opening slots (e.g., utilizing rotatable disks behind or in front of the waveguide 1865 ) can be applied to the embodiments of the subject disclosure. in one embodiment, the waveguide system 1865 can be configured to enable certain slots 1863 outside the median line 1890 and disable certain slots 1863 inside the median line 1890 as shown in configuration (b) to generate fundamental waves. assume, for example, that the circumferential distance between slots 1863 outside the median line 1890 (i.e., in the northern and southern locations of the waveguide system 1865 ) is one full wavelength. these slots will therefore have electric fields (e-fields) pointing at certain instances in time radially outward as previously described. in contrast, the slots inside the median line 1890 (i.e., in the western and eastern locations of the waveguide system 1865 ) will have a circumferential distance of one-half a wavelength relative to either of the slots 1863 outside the median line. since the slots inside the median line 1890 are half a wavelength apart, such slots will produce electromagnetic waves having e-fields pointing radially outward. if the western and eastern slots 1863 outside the median line 1890 had been enabled instead of the western and eastern slots inside the median line 1890 , then the e-fields emitted by those slots would have pointed radially inward, which when combined with the electric fields of the northern and southern would produce non-fundamental wave mode propagation. accordingly, configuration (b) as depicted in fig. 18v can be used to generate electromagnetic waves at the northern and southern slots 1863 having e-fields that point radially outward and electromagnetic waves at the western and eastern slots 1863 with e-fields that also point radially outward, which when combined induce electromagnetic waves on cable 1862 having a fundamental wave mode. in another embodiment, the waveguide system 1865 can be configured to enable a northerly, southerly, westerly and easterly slots 1863 all outside the median line 1890 , and disable all other slots 1863 as shown in configuration (c). assuming the circumferential distance between a pair of opposing slots (e.g., northerly and southerly, or westerly and easterly) is a full wavelength apart, then configuration (c) can be used to generate electromagnetic waves having a non-fundamental wave mode with some e-fields pointing radially outward and other fields pointing radially inward. in yet another embodiment, the waveguide system 1865 can be configured to enable a northwesterly slot 1863 outside the median line 1890 , enable a southeasterly slot 1863 inside the median line 1890 , and disable all other slots 1863 as shown in configuration (d). assuming the circumferential distance between such a pair of slots is a full wavelength apart, then such a configuration can be used to generate electromagnetic waves having a non-fundamental wave mode with e-fields aligned in a northwesterly direction. in another embodiment, the waveguide system 1865 can be configured to produce electromagnetic waves having a non-fundamental wave mode with e-fields aligned in a southwesterly direction. this can be accomplished by utilizing a different arrangement than used in configuration (d). configuration (e) can be accomplished by enabling a southwesterly slot 1863 outside the median line 1890 , enabling a northeasterly slot 1863 inside the median line 1890 , and disabling all other slots 1863 as shown in configuration (e). assuming the circumferential distance between such a pair of slots is a full wavelength apart, then such a configuration can be used to generate electromagnetic waves having a non-fundamental wave mode with e-fields aligned in a southwesterly direction. configuration (e) thus generates a non-fundamental wave mode that is orthogonal to the non-fundamental wave mode of configuration (d). in yet another embodiment, the waveguide system 1865 can be configured to generate electromagnetic waves having a fundamental wave mode with e-fields that point radially inward. this can be accomplished by enabling a northerly slot 1863 inside the median line 1890 , enabling a southerly slot 1863 inside the median line 1890 , enabling an easterly slot outside the median 1890 , enabling a westerly slot 1863 outside the median 1890 , and disabling all other slots 1863 as shown in configuration (f). assuming the circumferential distance between the northerly and southerly slots is a full wavelength apart, then such a configuration can be used to generate electromagnetic waves having a fundamental wave mode with radially inward e-fields. although the slots selected in configurations (b) and (f) are different, the fundamental wave modes generated by configurations (b) and (f) are the same. it yet another embodiment, e-fields can be manipulated between slots to generate fundamental or non-fundamental wave modes by varying the operating frequency of the electromagnetic waves 1866 supplied to the hollow rectangular waveguide portion 1867 . for example, assume in the illustration of fig. 18u that for a particular operating frequency of the electromagnetic waves 1866 the circumferential distance between slot 1863 a and 1863 b is one full wavelength of the electromagnetic waves 1866 . in this instance, the e-fields of electromagnetic waves emitted by slots 1863 a and 1863 b will point radially outward as shown, and can be used in combination to induce electromagnetic waves on cable 1862 having a fundamental wave mode. in contrast, the e-fields of electromagnetic waves emitted by slots 1863 a and 1863 c will be radially aligned (i.e., pointing northerly) as shown, and can be used in combination to induce electromagnetic waves on cable 1862 having a non-fundamental wave mode. now suppose that the operating frequency of the electromagnetic waves 1866 supplied to the hollow rectangular waveguide portion 1867 is changed so that the circumferential distance between slot 1863 a and 1863 b is one-half a wavelength of the electromagnetic waves 1866 . in this instance, the e-fields of electromagnetic waves emitted by slots 1863 a and 1863 b will be radially aligned (i.e., point in the same direction). that is, the e-fields of electromagnetic waves emitted by slot 1863 b will point in the same direction as the e-fields of electromagnetic waves emitted by slot 1863 a. such electromagnetic waves can be used in combination to induce electromagnetic waves on cable 1862 having a non-fundamental wave mode. in contrast, the e-fields of electromagnetic waves emitted by slots 1863 a and 1863 c will be radially outward (i.e., away from cable 1862 ), and can be used in combination to induce electromagnetic waves on cable 1862 having a fundamental wave mode. in another embodiment, the waveguide 1865 ′ of figs. 18p, 18r and 18t can also be configured to generate electromagnetic waves having only non-fundamental wave modes. this can be accomplished by adding more mmics 1870 as depicted in fig. 18w . each mmic 1870 can be configured to receive the same signal input 1872 . however, mmics 1870 can selectively be configured to emit electromagnetic waves having differing phases using controllable phase-shifting circuitry in each mmic 1870 . for example, the northerly and southerly mmics 1870 can be configured to emit electromagnetic waves having a 180 degree phase difference, thereby aligning the e-fields either in a northerly or southerly direction. any combination of pairs of mmics 1870 (e.g., westerly and easterly mmics 1870 , northwesterly and southeasterly mmics 1870 , northeasterly and southwesterly mmics 1870 ) can be configured with opposing or aligned e-fields. consequently, waveguide 1865 ′ can be configured to generate electromagnetic waves with one or more non-fundamental wave modes, electromagnetic waves with one or more fundamental wave modes, or any combinations thereof. it is submitted that it is not necessary to select slots 1863 in pairs to generate electromagnetic waves having a non-fundamental wave mode. for example, electromagnetic waves having a non-fundamental wave mode can be generated by enabling a single slot from the plurality of slots shown in configuration (a) of fig. 18v and disabling all other slots. similarly, a single mmic 1870 of the mmics 1870 shown in fig. 18w can be configured to generate electromagnetic waves having a non-fundamental wave mode while all other mmics 1870 are not in use or disabled. likewise other wave modes and wave mode combinations can be induced by enabling other non-null proper subsets of waveguide slots 1863 or the mmics 1870 . it is further submitted that the e-field arrows shown in figs. 18u-18v are illustrative only and represent a static depiction of e-fields. in practice, the electromagnetic waves may have oscillating e-fields, which at one instance in time point outwardly, and at another instance in time point inwardly. for example, in the case of non-fundamental wave modes having e-fields that are aligned in one direction (e.g., northerly), such waves may at another instance in time have e-fields that point in an opposite direction (e.g., southerly). similarly, fundamental wave modes having e-fields that are radial may at one instance have e-fields that point radially away from the cable 1862 and at another instance in time point radially towards the cable 1862 . it is further noted that the embodiments of figs. 18u-18w can be adapted to generate electromagnetic waves with one or more non-fundamental wave modes, electromagnetic waves with one or more fundamental wave modes (e.g., tm00 and he11 modes), or any combinations thereof. it is further noted that such adaptions can be used in combination with any embodiments described in the subject disclosure. it is also noted that the embodiments of figs. 18u-18w can be combined (e.g., slots used in combination with mmics). it is further noted that in some embodiments, the waveguide systems 1865 and 1865 ′ of figs. 18n-18w may generate combinations of fundamental and non-fundamental wave modes where one wave mode is dominant over the other. for example, in one embodiment electromagnetic waves generated by the waveguide systems 1865 and 1865 ′ of figs. 18n-18w may have a weak signal component that has a non-fundamental wave mode, and a substantially strong signal component that has a fundamental wave mode. accordingly, in this embodiment, the electromagnetic waves have a substantially fundamental wave mode. in another embodiment electromagnetic waves generated by the waveguide systems 1865 and 1865 ′ of figs. 18n-18w may have a weak signal component that has a fundamental wave mode, and a substantially strong signal component that has a non-fundamental wave mode. accordingly, in this embodiment, the electromagnetic waves have a substantially non-fundamental wave mode. further, a non-dominant wave mode may be generated that propagates only trivial distances along the length of the transmission medium. it is also noted that the waveguide systems 1865 and 1865 ′ of figs. 18n-18w can be configured to generate instances of electromagnetic waves that have wave modes that can differ from a resulting wave mode or modes of the combined electromagnetic wave. it is further noted that each mmic 1870 of the waveguide system 1865 ′ of fig. 18w can be configured to generate an instance of electromagnetic waves having wave characteristics that differ from the wave characteristics of another instance of electromagnetic waves generated by another mmic 1870 . one mmic 1870 , for example, can generate an instance of an electromagnetic wave having a spatial orientation and a phase, frequency, magnitude, electric field orientation, and/or magnetic field orientation that differs from the spatial orientation and phase, frequency, magnitude, electric field orientation, and/or magnetic field orientation of a different instance of another electromagnetic wave generated by another mmic 1870 . the waveguide system 1865 ′ can thus be configured to generate instances of electromagnetic waves having different wave and spatial characteristics, which when combined achieve resulting electromagnetic waves having one or more desirable wave modes. from these illustrations, it is submitted that the waveguide systems 1865 and 1865 ′ of figs. 18n-18w can be adapted to generate electromagnetic waves with one or more selectable wave modes. in one embodiment, for example, the waveguide systems 1865 and 1865 ′ can be adapted to select one or more wave modes and generate electromagnetic waves having a single wave mode or multiple wave modes selected and produced from a process of combining instances of electromagnetic waves having one or more configurable wave and spatial characteristics. in an embodiment, for example, parametric information can be stored in a look-up table. each entry in the look-up table can represent a selectable wave mode. a selectable wave mode can represent a single wave mode, or a combination of wave modes. the combination of wave modes can have one or dominant wave modes. the parametric information can provide configuration information for generating instances of electromagnetic waves for producing resultant electromagnetic waves that have the desired wave mode. for example, once a wave mode or modes is selected, the parametric information obtained from the look-up table from the entry associated with the selected wave mode(s) can be used to identify which of one or more mmics 1870 to utilize, and/or their corresponding configurations to achieve electromagnetic waves having the desired wave mode(s). the parametric information may identify the selection of the one or more mmics 1870 based on the spatial orientations of the mmics 1870 , which may be required for producing electromagnetic waves with the desired wave mode. the parametric information can also provide information to configure each of the one or more mmics 1870 with a particular phase, frequency, magnitude, electric field orientation, and/or magnetic field orientation which may or may not be the same for each of the selected mmics 1870 . a look-up table with selectable wave modes and corresponding parametric information can be adapted for configuring the slotted waveguide system 1865 . in some embodiments, a guided electromagnetic wave can be considered to have a desired wave mode if the corresponding wave mode propagates non-trivial distances on a transmission medium and has a field strength that is substantially greater in magnitude (e.g., 20 db higher in magnitude) than other wave modes that may or may not be desirable. such a desired wave mode or modes can be referred to as dominant wave mode(s) with the other wave modes being referred to as non-dominant wave modes. in a similar fashion, a guided electromagnetic wave that is said to be substantially without the fundamental wave mode has either no fundamental wave mode or a non-dominant fundamental wave mode. a guided electromagnetic wave that is said to be substantially without a non-fundamental wave mode has either no non-fundamental wave mode(s) or only non-dominant non-fundamental wave mode(s). in some embodiments, a guided electromagnetic wave that is said to have only a single wave mode or a selected wave mode may have only one corresponding dominant wave mode. it is further noted that the embodiments of figs. 18u-18w can be applied to other embodiments of the subject disclosure. for example, the embodiments of figs. 18u-18w can be used as alternate embodiments to the embodiments depicted in figs. 18n-18t or can be combined with the embodiments depicted in figs. 18n-18t . turning now to figs. 19a and 19b , block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a dielectric antenna and corresponding gain and field intensity plots in accordance with various aspects described herein are shown. fig. 19a depicts a dielectric horn antenna 1901 having a conical structure. the dielectric horn antenna 1901 is coupled to one end 1902 ′ of a feedline 1902 having a feed point 1902 ″ at an opposite end of the feedline 1902 . the dielectric horn antenna 1901 and the feedline 1902 (as well as other embodiments of the dielectric antenna described below in the subject disclosure) can be constructed of dielectric materials such as a polyethylene material, a polyurethane material or other suitable dielectric material (e.g., a synthetic resin, other plastics, etc.). the dielectric horn antenna 1901 and the feedline 1902 (as well as other embodiments of the dielectric antenna described below in the subject disclosure) can be adapted to be substantially or entirely devoid of any conductive materials. for example, the external surfaces 1907 of the dielectric horn antenna 1901 and the feedline 1902 can be non-conductive or substantially non-conductive with at least 95% of the external surface area being non-conductive and the dielectric materials used to construct the dielectric horn antenna 1901 and the feedline 1902 can be such that they substantially do not contain impurities that may be conductive (e.g., such as less than 1 part per thousand) or result in imparting conductive properties. in other embodiments, however, a limited number of conductive components can be used such as a metallic connector component used for coupling to the feed point 1902 ″ of the feedline 1902 with one or more screws, rivets or other coupling elements used to bind components to one another, and/or one or more structural elements that do not significantly alter the radiation pattern of the dielectric antenna. the feed point 1902 ″ can be adapted to couple to a core 1852 such as previously described by way of illustration in figs. 18i and 18j . in one embodiment, the feed point 1902 ″ can be coupled to the core 1852 utilizing a joint (not shown in fig. 19a ) such as the splicing device 1860 of fig. 18j . other embodiments for coupling the feed point 1902 ″ to the core 1852 can be used. in an embodiment, the joint can be configured to cause the feed point 1902 ″ to touch an endpoint of the core 1852 . in another embodiment, the joint can create a gap between the feed point 1902 ″ and an end of the core 1852 . in yet another embodiment, the joint can cause the feed point 1902 ″ and the core 1852 to be coaxially aligned or partially misaligned. notwithstanding any combination of the foregoing embodiments, electromagnetic waves can in whole or at least in part propagate between the junction of the feed point 1902 ″ and the core 1852 . the cable 1850 can be coupled to the waveguide system 1865 depicted in fig. 18s or the waveguide system 1865 ′ depicted in fig. 18t . for illustration purposes only, reference will be made to the waveguide system 1865 ′ of fig. 18t . it is understood, however, that the waveguide system 1865 of fig. 18s or other waveguide systems can also be utilized in accordance with the discussions that follow. the waveguide system 1865 ′ can be configured to select a wave mode (e.g., non-fundamental wave mode, fundamental wave mode, a hybrid wave mode, or combinations thereof as described earlier) and transmit instances of electromagnetic waves having a non-optical operating frequency (e.g., 60 ghz). the electromagnetic waves can be directed to an interface of the cable 1850 as shown in fig. 18t . the instances of electromagnetic waves generated by the waveguide system 1865 ′ can induce a combined electromagnetic wave having the selected wave mode that propagates from the core 1852 to the feed point 1902 ″. the combined electromagnetic wave can propagate partly inside the core 1852 and partly on an outer surface of the core 1852 . once the combined electromagnetic wave has propagated through the junction between the core 1852 and the feed point 1902 ″, the combined electromagnetic wave can continue to propagate partly inside the feedline 1902 and partly on an outer surface of the feedline 1902 . in some embodiments, the portion of the combined electromagnetic wave that propagates on the outer surface of the core 1852 and the feedline 1902 is small. in these embodiments, the combined electromagnetic wave can be said to be guided by and tightly coupled to the core 1852 and the feedline 1902 while propagating longitudinally towards the dielectric antenna 1901 . when the combined electromagnetic wave reaches a proximal portion of the dielectric antenna 1901 (at a junction 1902 ′ between the feedline 1902 and the dielectric antenna 1901 ), the combined electromagnetic wave enters the proximal portion of the dielectric antenna 1901 and propagates longitudinally along an axis of the dielectric antenna 1901 (shown as a hashed line). by the time the combined electromagnetic wave reaches the aperture 1903 , the combined electromagnetic wave has an intensity pattern similar to the one shown by the side view and front view depicted in fig. 19b . the electric field intensity pattern of fig. 19b shows that the electric fields of the combined electromagnetic waves are strongest in a center region of the aperture 1903 and weaker in the outer regions. in an embodiment, where the wave mode of the electromagnetic waves propagating in the dielectric antenna 1901 is a hybrid wave mode (e.g., he11), the leakage of the electromagnetic waves at the external surfaces 1907 is reduced or in some instances eliminated. it is further noted that while the dielectric antenna 1901 is constructed of a solid dielectric material having no physical opening, the front or operating face of the dielectric antenna 1901 from which free space wireless signals are radiated or received will be referred to as the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 even though in some prior art systems the term aperture may be used to describe an opening of an antenna that radiates or receives free space wireless signals. methods for launching a hybrid wave mode on cable 1850 is discussed below. in an embodiment, the far-field antenna gain pattern depicted in fig. 19b can be widened by decreasing the operating frequency of the combined electromagnetic wave from a nominal frequency. similarly, the gain pattern can be narrowed by increasing the operating frequency of the combined electromagnetic wave from the nominal frequency. accordingly, a width of a beam of wireless signals emitted by the aperture 1903 can be controlled by configuring the waveguide system 1865 ′ to increase or decrease the operating frequency of the combined electromagnetic wave. the dielectric antenna 1901 of fig. 19a can also be used for receiving wireless signals, such as free space wireless signals transmitted by either a similar antenna or conventional antenna design. wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 at the aperture 1903 induce electromagnetic waves in the dielectric antenna 1901 that propagate towards the feedline 1902 . the electromagnetic waves continue to propagate from the feedline 1902 to the junction between the feed point 1902 ″ and an endpoint of the core 1852 , and are thereby delivered to the waveguide system 1865 ′ coupled to the cable 1850 as shown in fig. 18t . in this configuration, the waveguide system 1865 ′ can perform bidirectional communications utilizing the dielectric antenna 1901 . it is further noted that in some embodiments the core 1852 of the cable 1850 (shown with dashed lines) can be configured to be collinear with the feed point 1902 ″ to avoid a bend shown in fig. 19a . in some embodiments, a collinear configuration can reduce an alteration in the propagation of the electromagnetic due to the bend in cable 1850 . turning now to figs. 19c and 19d , block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a dielectric antenna 1901 coupled to or integrally constructed with a lens 1912 and corresponding gain and field intensity plots in accordance with various aspects described herein are shown. in one embodiment, the lens 1912 can comprise a dielectric material having a first dielectric constant that is substantially similar or equal to a second dielectric constant of the dielectric antenna 1901 . in other embodiments, the lens 1912 can comprise a dielectric material having a first dielectric constant that differs from a second dielectric constant of the dielectric antenna 1901 . in either of these embodiments, the shape of the lens 1912 can be chosen or formed so as to equalize the delays of the various electromagnetic waves propagating at different points in the dielectric antenna 1901 . in one embodiment, the lens 1912 can be an integral part of the dielectric antenna 1901 as depicted in the top diagram of fig. 19c and in particular, the lens and dielectric antenna 1901 can be molded, machined or otherwise formed from a single piece of dielectric material. alternatively, the lens 1912 can be an assembly component of the dielectric antenna 1901 as depicted in the bottom diagram of fig. 19c , which can be attached by way of an adhesive material, brackets on the outer edges, or other suitable attachment techniques. the lens 1912 can have a convex structure as shown in fig. 19c which is adapted to adjust a propagation of electromagnetic waves in the dielectric antenna 1901 . while a round lens and conical dielectric antenna configuration is shown, other shapes include pyramidal shapes, elliptical shapes and other geometric shapes can likewise be implemented. in particular, the curvature of the lens 1912 can be chosen in manner that reduces phase differences between near-field wireless signals generated by the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 . the lens 1912 accomplishes this by applying location-dependent delays to propagating electromagnetic waves. because of the curvature of the lens 1912 , the delays differ depending on where the electromagnetic waves emanate from at the aperture 1903 . for example, electromagnetic waves propagating by way of a center axis 1905 of the dielectric antenna 1901 will experience more delay through the lens 1912 than electromagnetic waves propagating radially away from the center axis 1905 . electromagnetic waves propagating towards, for example, the outer edges of the aperture 1903 will experience minimal or no delay through the lens. propagation delay increases as the electromagnetic waves get close to the center axis 1905 . accordingly, a curvature of the lens 1912 can be configured so that near-field wireless signals have substantially similar phases. by reducing differences between phases of the near-field wireless signals, a width of far-field signals generated by the dielectric antenna 1901 is reduced, which in turn increases the intensity of the far-field wireless signals within the width of the main lobe as shown by the far-field intensity plot shown in fig. 19d , producing a relatively narrow beam pattern with high gain. turning now to figs. 19e and 19f , block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a dielectric antenna 1901 coupled to a lens 1912 with ridges (or steps) 1914 and corresponding gain and field intensity plots in accordance with various aspects described herein are shown. in these illustration, the lens 1912 can comprise concentric ridges 1914 shown in the side and perspective views of fig. 19e . each ridge 1914 can comprise a riser 1916 and a tread 1918 . the size of the tread 1918 changes depending on the curvature of the aperture 1903 . for example, the tread 1918 at the center of the aperture 1903 can be greater than the tread at the outer edges of the aperture 1903 . to reduce reflections of electromagnetic waves that reach the aperture 1903 , each riser 1916 can be configured to have a depth representative of a select wavelength factor. for example, a riser 1916 can be configured to have a depth of one-quarter a wavelength of the electromagnetic waves propagating in the dielectric antenna 1901 . such a configuration causes the electromagnetic wave reflected from one riser 1916 to have a phase difference of 180 degrees relative to the electromagnetic wave reflected from an adjacent riser 1916 . consequently, the out of phase electromagnetic waves reflected from the adjacent risers 1916 substantially cancel, thereby reducing reflection and distortion caused thereby. while a particular riser/tread configuration is shown, other configurations with a differing number of risers, differing riser shapes, etc. can likewise be implemented. in some embodiments, the lens 1912 with concentric ridges depicted in fig. 19e may experience less electromagnetic wave reflections than the lens 1912 having the smooth convex surface depicted in fig. 19c . fig. 19f depicts the resulting far-field gain plot of the dielectric antenna 1901 of fig. 19e . turning now to fig. 19g , a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric antenna 1901 having an elliptical structure in accordance with various aspects described herein is shown. fig. 19g depicts a side view, top view, and front view of the dielectric antenna 1901 . the elliptical shape is achieved by reducing a height of the dielectric antenna 1901 as shown by reference 1922 and by elongating the dielectric antenna 1901 as shown by reference 1924 . the resulting elliptical shape 1926 is shown in the front view depicted by fig. 19g . the elliptical shape can be formed, via machining, with a mold tool or other suitable construction technique. turning now to fig. 19h , a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of near-field signals 1928 and far-field signals 1930 emitted by the dielectric antenna 1901 of fig. 19g in accordance with various aspects described herein is shown. the cross section of the near-field beam pattern 1928 mimics the elliptical shape of the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 . the cross section of the far-field beam pattern 1930 have a rotational offset (approximately 90 degrees) that results from the elliptical shape of the near-field signals 1928 . the offset can be determined by applying a fourier transform to the near-field signals 1928 . while the cross section of the near-field beam pattern 1928 and the cross section of the far-field beam pattern 1930 are shown as nearly the same size in order to demonstrate the rotational effect, the actual size of the far-field beam pattern 1930 may increase with the distance from the dielectric antenna 1901 . the elongated shape of the far-field signals 1930 and its orientation can prove useful when aligning a dielectric antenna 1901 in relation to a remotely located receiver configured to receive the far-field signals 1930 . the receiver can comprise one or more dielectric antennas coupled to a waveguide system such as described by the subject disclosure. the elongated far-field signals 1930 can increase the likelihood that the remotely located receiver will detect the far-field signals 1930 . in addition, the elongated far-field signals 1930 can be useful in situations where a dielectric antenna 1901 coupled to a gimbal assembly such as shown in fig. 19m , or other actuated antenna mount including but not limited to the actuated gimbal mount described in the co-pending application entitled, communication device and antenna assembly with actuated gimbal mount, having attorney docket no. 2015-0603_7785-1210, and u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/873,241, filed on oct. 2, 2015 the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for any and all purposes. in particular, the elongated far-field signals 1930 can be useful in situations where such as gimbal mount only has two degrees of freedom for aligning the dielectric antenna 1901 in the direction of the receiver (e.g., yaw and pitch is adjustable but roll is fixed). although not shown, it will be appreciated that the dielectric antenna 1901 of figs. 19g and 19h can have an integrated or attachable lens 1912 such as shown in figs. 19c and 19e to increase an intensity of the far-fields signals 1930 by reducing phase differences in the near-field signals. turning now to fig. 19i , block diagrams of example, non-limiting embodiments of a dielectric antenna 1901 for adjusting far-field wireless signals in accordance with various aspects described herein are shown. in some embodiments, a width of far-field wireless signals generated by the dielectric antenna 1901 can be said to be inversely proportional to a number of wavelengths of the electromagnetic waves propagating in the dielectric antenna 1901 that can fit in a surface area of the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 . hence, as the wavelengths of the electromagnetic waves increases, the width of the far-field wireless signals increases (and its intensity decreases) proportionately. put another way, when the frequency of the electromagnetic waves decreases, the width of the far-field wireless signals increases proportionately. accordingly, to enhance a process of aligning a dielectric antenna 1901 using, for example, the gimbal assembly shown in fig. 19m or other actuated antenna mount, in a direction of a receiver, the frequency of the electromagnetic waves supplied to the dielectric antenna 1901 by way of the feedline 1902 can be decreased so that the far-field wireless signals are sufficiently wide to increase a likelihood that the receiver will detect a portion of the far-field wireless signals. in some embodiments, the receiver can be configured to perform measurements on the far-field wireless signals. from these measurements the receiver can direct a waveguide system coupled to the dielectric antenna 1901 generating the far-field wireless signals. the receiver can provide instructions to the waveguide system by way of an omnidirectional wireless signal or a tethered interface therebetween. the instructions provided by the receiver can result in the waveguide system controlling actuators in the gimbal assembly coupled to the dielectric antenna 1901 to adjust a direction of the dielectric antenna 1901 to improve its alignment to the receiver. as the quality of the far-field wireless signals improves, the receiver can also direct the waveguide system to increase a frequency of the electromagnetic waves, which in turn reduces a width of the far-field wireless signals and correspondingly increases its intensity. in an alternative embodiment, absorption sheets 1932 constructed from carbon or conductive materials and/or other absorbers can be embedded in the dielectric antenna 1901 as depicted by the perspective and front views shown in fig. 19i . when the electric fields of the electromagnetic waves are parallel with the absorption sheets 1932 , the electromagnetic waves are absorbed. a clearance region 1934 where absorption sheets 1932 are not present will, however, allow the electromagnetic waves to propagate to the aperture 1903 and thereby emit near-field wireless signals having approximately the width of the clearance region 1934 . by reducing the number of wavelengths to a surface area of the clearance region 1932 , the width of the near-field wireless signals is decreases, while the width of the far-field wireless signals is increased. this property can be useful during the alignment process previously described. for example, at the onset of an alignment process, the polarity of the electric fields emitted by the electromagnetic waves can be configured to be parallel with the absorption sheets 1932 . as the remotely located receiver instructs a waveguide system coupled to the dielectric antenna 1901 to direct the dielectric antenna 1901 using the actuators of a gimbal assembly or other actuated mount, it can also instruct the waveguide system to incrementally adjust the alignment of the electric fields of the electromagnetic waves relative to the absorption sheets 1932 as signal measurements performed by the receiver improve. as the alignment improves, eventually waveguide system adjusts the electric fields so that they are orthogonal to the absorption sheets 1932 . at this point, the electromagnetic waves near the absorption sheets 1932 will no longer be absorbed, and all or substantially all electromagnetic waves will propagate to the aperture 1903 . since the near-field wireless signals now cover all or substantially all of the aperture 1903 , the far-field signals will have a narrower width and higher intensity as they are directed to the receiver. it will be appreciated that the receiver configured to receive the far-field wireless signals (as described above) can also be configured to utilize a transmitter that can transmit wireless signals directed to the dielectric antenna 1901 utilized by the waveguide system. for illustration purposes, such a receiver will be referred to as a remote system that can receive far-field wireless signals and transmit wireless signals directed to the waveguide system. in this embodiment, the waveguide system can be configured to analyze the wireless signals it receives by way of the dielectric antenna 1901 and determine whether a quality of the wireless signals generated by the remote system justifies further adjustments to the far-field signal pattern to improve reception of the far-field wireless signals by the remote system, and/or whether further orientation alignment of the dielectric antenna by way of the gimbal (see fig. 19m ) or other actuated mount is needed. as the quality of a reception of the wireless signals by the waveguide system improves, the waveguide system can increase the operating frequency of the electromagnetic waves, which in turn reduces a width of the far-field wireless signals and correspondingly increases its intensity. in other modes of operation, the gimbal or other actuated mount can be periodically adjusted to maintain an optimal alignment. the foregoing embodiments of fig. 19i can also be combined. for example, the waveguide system can perform adjustments to the far-field signal pattern and/or antenna orientation adjustments based on a combination of an analysis of wireless signals generated by the remote system and messages or instructions provided by the remote system that indicate a quality of the far-field signals received by the remote system. turning now to fig. 19j , block diagrams of example, non-limiting embodiments of a collar such as a flange 1942 that can be coupled to a dielectric antenna 1901 in accordance with various aspects described herein is shown. the flange can be constructed with metal (e.g., aluminum) dielectric material (e.g., polyethylene and/or foam), or other suitable materials. the flange 1942 can be utilized to align the feed point 1902 ″ (and in some embodiments also the feedline 1902 ) with a waveguide system 1948 (e.g., a circular waveguide) as shown in fig. 19k . to accomplish this, the flange 1942 can comprise a center hole 1946 for engaging with the feed point 1902 ″. in one embodiment, the hole 1946 can be threaded and the feedline 1902 can have a smooth surface. in this embodiment, the flange 1942 can engage the feed point 1902 ″ (constructed of a dielectric material such as polyethylene) by inserting a portion of the feed point 1902 ″ into the hole 1946 and rotating the flange 1942 to act as a die to form complementary threads on the soft outer surface of the feedline 1902 . once the feedline 1902 has been threaded by or into the flange 1942 , the feed point 1902 ″ and portion of the feedline 1902 extending from the flange 1942 can be shortened or lengthened by rotating the flange 1942 accordingly. in other embodiments the feedline 1902 can be pre-threaded with mating threads for engagement with the flange 1942 for improving the ease of engaging it with the flange 1942 . in yet other embodiments, the feedline 1902 can have a smooth surface and the hole 1946 of the flange 1942 can be non-threaded. in this embodiment, the hole 1946 can have a diameter that is similar to diameter of the feedline 1902 such as to cause the engagement of the feedline 1902 to be held in place by frictional forces. for alignment purposes, the flange 1942 the can further include threaded holes 1944 accompanied by two or more alignment holes 1947 , which can be used to align to complementary alignment pins 1949 of the waveguide system 1948 , which in turn assist in aligning holes 1944 ′ of the waveguide system 1948 to the threaded holes 1944 of the flange 1942 (see figs. 19k-19l ). once the flange 1942 has been aligned to the waveguide system 1948 , the flange 1942 and waveguide system 1948 can be secured to each other with threaded screws 1950 resulting in a completed assembly depicted in fig. 19l . in a threaded design, the feed point 1902 ″ of the feedline 1902 can be adjusted inwards or outwards in relation to a port 1945 of the waveguide system 1948 from which electromagnetic waves are exchanged. the adjustment enables the gap 1943 between the feed point 1902 ″ and the port 1945 to be increased or decreased. the adjustment can be used for tuning a coupling interface between the waveguide system 1948 and the feed point 1902 ″ of the feedline 1902 . fig. 19l also shows how the flange 1942 can be used to align the feedline 1902 with coaxially aligned dielectric foam sections 1951 held by a tubular outer jacket 1952 . the illustration in fig. 19l is similar to the transmission medium 1800 ′ illustrated in fig. 18k . to complete the assembly process, the flange 1942 can be coupled to a waveguide system 1948 as depicted in fig. 19l . turning now to fig. 19n , a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric antenna 1901 ′ in accordance with various aspects described herein is shown. fig. 19n depicts an array of pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antennas 1901 ′, each having a corresponding aperture 1903 ′. each antenna of the array of pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antennas 1901 ′ can have a feedline 1902 with a corresponding feed point 1902 ″ that couples to each corresponding core 1852 of a plurality of cables 1850 . each cable 1850 can be coupled to a different (or a same) waveguide system 1865 ′ such as shown in fig. 18t . the array of pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antennas 1901 ′ can be used to transmit wireless signals having a plurality of spatial orientations. an array of pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antennas 1901 ′ covering 360 degrees can enable a one or more waveguide systems 1865 ′ coupled to the antennas to perform omnidirectional communications with other communication devices or antennas of similar type. the bidirectional propagation properties of electromagnetic waves previously described for the dielectric antenna 1901 of fig. 19a are also applicable for electromagnetic waves propagating from the core 1852 to the feed point 1902 ″ guided by the feedline 1902 to the aperture 1903 ′ of the pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antennas 1901 ′, and in the reverse direction. similarly, the array of pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antennas 1901 ′ can be substantially or entirely devoid of conductive external surfaces and internal conductive materials as discussed above. for example, in some embodiments, the array of pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antennas 1901 ′ and their corresponding feed points 1902 ′ can be constructed of dielectric-only materials such as polyethylene or polyurethane materials or with only trivial amounts of conductive material that does not significantly alter the radiation pattern of the antenna. it is further noted that each antenna of the array of pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antennas 1901 ′ can have similar gain and electric field intensity maps as shown for the dielectric antenna 1901 in fig. 19b . each antenna of the array of pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antennas 1901 ′ can also be used for receiving wireless signals as previously described for the dielectric antenna 1901 of fig. 19a . in some embodiments, a single instance of a pyramidal-shaped dielectric horn antenna can be used. similarly, multiple instances of the dielectric antenna 1901 of fig. 19a can be used in an array configuration similar to the one shown in fig. 19n . turning now to fig. 19o , block diagrams of example, non-limiting embodiments of an array 1976 of dielectric antennas 1901 configurable for steering wireless signals in accordance with various aspects described herein is shown. the array 1976 of dielectric antennas 1901 can be conical shaped antennas 1901 or pyramidal-shaped dielectric antennas 1901 ′. to perform beam steering, a waveguide system coupled to the array 1976 of dielectric antennas 1901 can be adapted to utilize a circuit 1972 comprising amplifiers 1973 and phase shifters 1974 , each pair coupled to one of the dielectric antennas 1901 in the array 1976 . the waveguide system can steer far-field wireless signals from left to right (west to east) by incrementally increasing a phase delay of signals supplied to the dielectric antennas 1901 . for example, the waveguide system can provide a first signal to the dielectric antennas of column 1 (“c1”) having no phase delay. the waveguide system can further provide a second signal to column 2 (“c2”), the second signal comprising the first signal having a first phase delay. the waveguide system can further provide a third signal to the dielectric antennas of column 3 (“c3”), the third signal comprising the second signal having a second phase delay. lastly, the waveguide system can provide a fourth signal to the dielectric antennas of column 4 (“c4”), the fourth signal comprising the third signal having a third phase delay. these phase shifted signals will cause far-field wireless signals generated by the array to shift from left to right. similarly, far-field signals can be steered from right to left (east to west) (“c4” to c1), north to south (“r1” to “r4”), south to north (“r4” to “r1”), and southwest to northeast (“c1-r4” to “c4-r1”). utilizing similar techniques beam steering can also be performed in other directions such as southwest to northeast by configuring the waveguide system to incrementally increase the phase of signals transmitted by the following sequence of antennas: “c1-r4”, “c1-r3/c2-r4”, “c1-r2/c2-r3/c3-r4”, “c1-r1/c2-r2/c3-r3/c4-r4”, “c2-r1/c3-r2/c4-r3”, “c3-r1/c4-r2”, “c4-r1”. in a similar way, beam steering can be performed northeast to southwest, northwest to southeast, southeast to northwest, as well in other directions in three-dimensional space. beam steering can be used, among other things, for aligning the array 1976 of dielectric antennas 1901 with a remote receiver and/or for directivity of signals to mobile communication devices. in some embodiments, a phased array 1976 of dielectric antennas 1976 can also be used to circumvent the use of the gimbal assembly of fig. 19m or other actuated mount. while the foregoing has described beam steering controlled by phase delays, gain and phase adjustment can likewise be applied to the dielectric antennas 1901 of the phased array 1976 in a similar fashion to provide additional control and versatility in the formation of a desired beam pattern. turning now to figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 , side-view block diagrams of example, non-limiting embodiments of a cable, a flange, and dielectric antenna assembly in accordance with various aspects described herein are shown. fig. 19 p 1 depicts a cable 1850 such as described earlier, which includes a transmission core 1852 . the transmission core 1852 can comprise a dielectric core 1802 , an insulated conductor 1825 , a bare conductor 1832 , a core 1842 , or a hollow core 1842 ′ as depicted in the transmission mediums 1800 , 1820 , 1830 , 1836 , 1841 and/or 1843 of figs. 18a-18d, and 18f-18h , respectively. the cable 1850 can further include a shell (such as a dielectric shell) covered by an outer jacket such as shown in figs. 18a-18c . in some embodiments, the outer jacket can be conductorless (e.g., polyethylene or equivalent). in other embodiments, the outer jacket can be a conductive shield which can reduce leakage of the electromagnetic waves propagating along the transmission core 1852 . in some embodiments, one end of the transmission core 1852 can be coupled to a flange 1942 as previously described in relation to figs. 19j-19l . as noted above, the flange 1942 can enable the transmission core 1852 of the cable 1850 to be aligned with a feed point 1902 of the dielectric antenna 1901 . in some embodiments, the feed point 1902 can be constructed of the same material as the transmission core 1852 . for example, in one embodiment the transmission core 1852 can comprise a dielectric core, and the feed point 1902 can comprise a dielectric material also. in this embodiment, the dielectric constants of the transmission core 1852 and the feed point 1902 can be similar or can differ by a controlled amount. the difference in dielectric constants can be controlled to tune the interface between the transmission core 1852 and the feed point 1902 for the exchange of electromagnetic waves propagating therebetween. in other embodiments, the transmission core 1852 may have a different construction than the feed point 1902 . for example, in one embodiment the transmission core 1852 can comprise an insulated conductor, while the feed point 1902 comprises a dielectric material devoid of conductive materials. as shown in fig. 19j , the transmission core 1852 can be coupled to the flange 1942 via a center hole 1946 , although in other embodiments it will be appreciated that such a hole could be off-centered as well. in one embodiment, the hole 1946 can be threaded and the transmission core 1852 can have a smooth surface. in this embodiment, the flange 1942 can engage the transmission core 1852 by inserting a portion of the transmission core 1852 into the hole 1946 and rotating the flange 1942 to act as a die to form complementary threads on the outer surface of the transmission core 1852 . once the transmission core 1852 has been threaded by or into the flange 1942 , the portion of the transmission core 1852 extending from the flange 1942 can be shortened or lengthened by rotating the flange 1942 accordingly. in other embodiments the transmission core 1852 can be pre-threaded with mating threads for engagement with the hole 1946 of the flange 1942 for improving the ease of engaging the transmission core 1852 with the flange 1942 . in yet other embodiments, the transmission core 1852 can have a smooth surface and the hole 1946 of the flange 1942 can be non-threaded. in this embodiment, the hole 1946 can have a diameter that is similar to the diameter of the transmission core 1852 such as to cause the engagement of the transmission core 1852 to be held in place by frictional forces. it will be appreciated that there can be several other ways of engaging the transmission core 1852 with the flange 1942 , including various clips, fusion, compression fittings, and the like. the feed point 1902 of the dielectric antenna 1901 can be engaged with the other side of the hole 1946 of the flange 1942 in the same manner as described for transmission core 1852 . a gap 1943 can exist between the transmission core 1852 and the feed point 1902 . the gap 1943 , however, can be adjusted in an embodiment by rotating the feed point 1902 while the transmission core 1852 is held in place or vice-versa. in some embodiments, the ends of the transmission core 1852 and the feed point 1902 engaged with the flange 1942 can be adjusted so that they touch, thereby removing the gap 1943 . in other embodiments, the ends of the transmission core 1852 or the feed point 1902 engaged with the flange 1942 can intentionally be adjusted to create a specific gap size. the adjustability of the gap 1943 can provide another degree of freedom to tune the interface between the transmission core 1852 and the feed point 1902 . although not shown in figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 , an opposite end of the transmission core 1852 of cable 1850 can be coupled to a waveguide device such as depicted in figs. 18s and 18t utilizing another flange 1942 and similar coupling techniques. the waveguide device can be used for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves along the transmission core 1852 . depending on the operational parameters of the electromagnetic waves (e.g., operating frequency, wave mode, etc.), the electromagnetic waves can propagate within the transmission core 1852 , on an outer surface of the transmission core 1852 , or partly within the transmission core 1852 and the outer surface of the transmission core 1852 . when the waveguide device is configured as a transmitter, the signals generated thereby induce electromagnetic waves that propagate along the transmission core 1852 and transition to the feed point 1902 at the junction therebetween. the electromagnetic waves then propagate from the feed point 1902 into the dielectric antenna 1901 becoming wireless signals at the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 . a frame 1982 can be used to surround all or at least a substantial portion of the outer surfaces of the dielectric antenna 1901 (except the aperture 1903 ) to improve transmission or reception of and/or reduce leakage of the electromagnetic waves as they propagate towards the aperture 1903 . in some embodiments, a portion 1984 of the frame 1982 can extend to the feed point 1902 as shown in fig. 19 p 2 to prevent leakage on the outer surface of the feed point 1902 . the frame 1982 , for example, can be constructed of materials (e.g., conductive or carbon materials) that reduce leakage of the electromagnetic waves. the shape of the frame 1982 can vary based on a shape of the dielectric antenna 1901 . for example, the frame 1852 can have a flared straight-surface shape as shown in figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 4 . alternatively, the frame 1852 can have a flared parabolic-surface shape as shown in figs. 19 p 5 - 19 p 8 . it will be appreciated that the frame 1852 can have other shapes. the aperture 1903 can be of different shapes and sizes. in one embodiment, for example, the aperture 1903 can utilize a lens having a convex structure 1983 of various dimensions as shown in figs. 19 p 1 , 19 p 4 , and 19 p 6 - 19 p 8 . in other embodiments, the aperture 1903 can have a flat structure 1985 of various dimensions as shown in figs. 19 p 2 and 19 p 5 . in yet other embodiments, the aperture 1903 can utilize a lens having a pyramidal structure 1986 as shown in figs. 19 p 3 and 19 q 1 . the lens of the aperture 1903 can be an integral part of the dielectric antenna 1901 or can be a component that is coupled to the dielectric antenna 1901 as shown in fig. 19c . additionally, the lens of the aperture 1903 can be constructed with the same or a different material than the dielectric antenna 1902 . also, in some embodiments, the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 can extend outside the frame 1982 as shown in figs. 19 p 7 - 19 p 8 or can be confined within the frame 1982 as shown in figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 6 . in one embodiment, the dielectric constant of the lens of the apertures 1903 shown in figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 can be configured to be substantially similar or different from that of the dielectric antenna 1901 . additionally, one or more internal portions of the dielectric antenna 1901 , such as section 1986 of fig. 19 p 4 , can have a dielectric constant that differs from that of the remaining portions of the dielectric antenna. the surface of the lens of the apertures 1903 shown in figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 can have a smooth surface or can have ridges such as shown in fig. 19e to reduce surface reflections of the electromagnetic waves as previously described. depending on the shape of the dielectric antenna 1901 , the frame 1982 can be of different shapes and sizes as shown in the front views depicted in figs. 19 q 1 , 19 q 2 and 19 q 3 . for example, the frame 1982 can have a pyramidal shape as shown in fig. 19 q 1 . in other embodiments, the frame 1982 can have a circular shape as depicted in fig. 19 q 2 . in yet other embodiments, the frame 1982 can have an elliptical shape as depicted in fig. 19 q 3 . the embodiments of figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 and 19 q 1 - 19 q 3 can be combined in whole or in part with each other to create other embodiments contemplated by the subject disclosure. additionally, the embodiments of figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 and 19 q 1 - 19 q 3 can be combined with other embodiments of the subject disclosure. for example, the multi-antenna assembly of fig. 20f can be adapted to utilize any one of the embodiments of figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 and 19 q 1 - 19 q 3 . additionally, multiple instances of a multi-antenna assembly adapted to utilize one of the embodiments of figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 19 q 1 - 19 q 3 can be stacked on top of each other to form a phased array that functions similar to the phased array of fig. 19o . in other embodiments, absorption sheets 1932 can be added to the dielectric antenna 1901 as shown in fig. 19i to control the widths of near-field and far-field signals. other combinations of the embodiments of figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 and 19 q 1 - 19 q 3 and the embodiments of the subject disclosure are contemplated. turning now to fig. 19r , a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric antenna 1901 is shown. the dielectric antenna 1901 has a feedline 1902 . the feedline 1902 can be constructed of a dielectric material with a similar or the same dielectric constant as the dielectric antenna 1901 . in the illustration of fig. 19r , the feedline 1902 can connect to or be an integral part of the dielectric antenna 1901 at an interface 1991 . if an outer surface of the interface 1991 has an edge with a vertex (e.g., 10 degrees) that results in a sharp corner, wireless signals may be absorbed at the sharp edge of interface 1991 , which can adversely affect the performance of the dielectric antenna 1901 . similarly, in a flared or cone structured dielectric antenna 1901 as shown in fig. 19r , the interface 1992 between the cone structure and the aperture 1903 can have an edge with a large vertex (e.g., 60 degrees) that results in a sharp corner. wireless signals may be absorbed at the sharp corner of interface 1992 , which may be outside a reception area of the aperture 1903 for receiving desired wireless signals. the same issue applies to any sharp corners of a pyramidal dielectric antenna as shown in figs. 19n and 19 q 1 , or other dielectric antenna structures. wireless signals absorbed by a dielectric antenna 1901 (and/or extensions thereof such as the feedline 1902 ) at interfaces with sharp corners can decrease the power gain of the dielectric antenna 1901 . in one embodiment, the power gain of the dielectric antenna 1901 can be determined according to a front-to-back ratio (fbr). in one embodiment, fbr can be measured as the ratio of a first signal strength of wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 when the dielectric antenna 1901 is aligned in a first position to a second signal strength of wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 when the dielectric antenna 1901 is aligned in a second position. for example, suppose the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 is pointed in an easterly direction, which may be a desirable direction for operation of the dielectric antenna 1901 . fbr can be measured by measuring a first signal strength of wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 when the dielectric antenna 1901 is aligned in an easterly direction to a second signal strength of wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 when the dielectric antenna 1901 is aligned in a westerly direction. the wireless signals can be generated by a source (e.g., a transmitting device) that generates wireless signals directed towards the dielectric antenna 1901 (e.g., a westerly direction) whether the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 is pointing towards the source (i.e., in an easterly direction) or pointing away from the source (i.e., in a westerly direction). when the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 is pointed towards the source, it would be desirable for the first signal strength of the wireless signals to be high. when the aperture 1903 of the dielectric antenna 1901 is aligned in a westerly direction (i.e., away from the source), it would be desirable for the second signal strength of the wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 to be as low as possible. if the second signal strength is low, it is indicative that the absorption of wireless signals from surfaces of the dielectric antenna 1901 other than the aperture 1903 are low. consequently, the lower the second signal strength is, the higher the resulting fbr measurement. to test the dielectric antenna 1901 in multiple positions, the dielectric antenna 1901 can be coupled to a mechanism that enables a spatial repositioning of the dielectric antenna 1901 . in one embodiment, the mechanism may be a gimbal such as shown in fig. 19m , which can provide a roll, yaw and/or pitch adjustment utilizing electromechanical motors. other mechanisms that can provide a means for adjusting a spatial adjustment of the dielectric antenna 1901 are contemplated by the subject disclosure. it will be appreciated that fbr can also be measured in other ways. suppose, for example, that a dielectric antenna has a fixed position that cannot be changed such as in a pie-shaped mounting structure of antennas shown in fig. 20f . in this instance, fbr can be measured by obtaining a measure of wireless signals received by first and second dielectric antennas in the pie-shaped structure that are pointing in opposite directions. for example, suppose a first source is generating wireless signals directed in a westerly direction towards a first dielectric antenna 1901 having an aperture 1903 pointed in an easterly direction. the fbr of the first dielectric antenna 1901 can be measured by obtaining from the first dielectric antenna 1901 a first signal strength of wireless signals generated by the source. similarly, a second signal strength of wireless signals from the source can be obtained from a second dielectric antenna 1901 having an aperture 1903 that points in a westerly direction (i.e., opposite of the first source). the fbr of the first dielectric antenna 1901 can be measured from the ratio of the first signal strength of the wireless signals received by the first dielectric antenna to the second signal strength of the wireless signals received by the second dielectric antenna. similarly, the fbr of the second dielectric antenna 1901 can be measured from a signal strength of wireless signals received by the second dielectric antenna to a signal strength of wireless signals received by the first dielectric antenna from a second source that generates wireless signals directed in an easterly direction (i.e., towards the second dielectric antenna). it will be further appreciated that measurements other than fbr can also be obtained to determine a performance of a dielectric antenna. for example, the dielectric antenna 1901 can be maintained in one spatial position. in this configuration, a receiver of the dielectric antenna can be configured to measure a first signal strength of first wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 when the dielectric antenna 1901 is aligned in one position (e.g., easterly direction) to a second signal strength of second wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 while the dielectric antenna 1901 remains in the same position. the first and second wireless signals can be from the same source or different sources. it is further noted that the feedline 1902 can be coupled to a cable 1850 with a corresponding core 1852 , cladding 1804 , and jacket 1806 as shown in fig. 18a . the core 1852 can be a dielectric core 1802 having a similar or a same dielectric constant as the feedline 1902 . the core 1852 can be coupled to a waveguide system 1602 for transmitting or receiving electromagnetic waves that propagate along the core 1852 . in this configuration, the waveguide system 1602 can perform an fbr measurement by measuring a signal strength of electromagnetic waves generated from wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 in opposite spatial positions as described earlier. to improve fbr of a dielectric antenna 1901 , the dielectric antenna 1901 can be configured so that structurally sharp corners are substantially removed. in one embodiment, a junction between the feedline 1902 and the dielectric antenna 1901 represented by interface 1991 can be reshaped with a smooth outer surface 1991 ′. the sharp corner between the aperture 1903 and the cone structure of the dielectric antenna 1901 can also be reshaped with a smooth outer surface 1992 ′. smoother surfaces are less likely to cause wireless signals to be absorbed by the dielectric antenna 1901 and/or the feedline 1902 . smooth surfaces such as described can be created from a redesigned molding tool, sanding of an unfinished dielectric antenna 1901 with a feedline 1902 , or by other suitable means. it will be appreciated that extent to which an angle of a vertex of an edge is sufficiently sharp to cause noticeable absorption of wireless signals may be a design parameter that may vary depending on an expected performance of a specific dielectric antenna. accordingly, the vertex angles provided above are illustrations and may vary from one dielectric antenna design to another. in any case, smoothing out an edge of a vertex having an angle that causes a noticeable impact in the performance of the dielectric antenna can be mitigated by smoothing the edge of the vertex by adapting the molding of the dielectric antenna, filling the vertex with a materials, sanding the edge to remove the vertex, and so on. in other embodiments, fbr can be improved by placing a shield on surfaces with sharp corners. the shield can be constructed of a carbon, metallic, or other material that reflects and/or prevents unwanted wireless signals from entering the dielectric antenna 1901 and/or feedline 1902 where sharp corners exist. the shield can be placed manually or with machinery on an outer surface of the corners. alternatively, the shield can be applied as a sprayed material that covers the outer surfaces of the sharp corners. in yet other embodiments, the dielectric antenna 1901 can be constructed with a frame 1982 of a metallic, carbon, or other material that prevents unwanted wireless signals from entering the dielectric antenna 1901 as shown in figs. 19 p 1 - 19 p 8 and 19 q 1 - 19 q 3 . in yet other embodiments, suppose that instead of a single dielectric antenna 1901 as shown in fig. 19r , the performance of an array of dielectric antennas 1901 as shown in fig. 19o has an undesired fbr measurement. further suppose the array of dielectric antennas 1901 is coupled to a waveguide system 1602 that utilizes a plurality of mmics 1870 such as shown in fig. 18p that couple to a plurality of feedlines of the array of dielectric antennas 1901 via a plurality of dielectric cores. further assume that the plurality of mmics 1870 each have a phase shifter 1974 as shown in fig. 19o . in this instance, the fbr of the array of dielectric antennas can be improved by adjusting a phase of several mmics utilized by the waveguide system 1602 for receiving electromagnetic waves generated from wireless signals received by the array of dielectric antennas 1901 via several cores 1852 coupled to the array of dielectric antennas 1901 . configuring a receiver of a corresponding mmic 1870 of the waveguide system 1602 with an adjusted phase may under certain circumstances reduce a reception of undesired wireless signals by the array of dielectric antennas 1901 . an adjusted phase may also align with nulls in the unwanted wireless signals, thereby reducing reception in certain areas outside a reception area of the aperture 1903 of a corresponding plurality of dielectric antennas 1901 of the array such as, for example, the posterior regions (or other areas) of the corresponding plurality of dielectric antennas 1901 , which in turn improves the fbr measure of the array of dielectric antennas 1901 . in other embodiments, the performance of a dielectric antenna having an undesirable fbr can be improved by adjusting the spatial position of the dielectric antenna 1901 . this can be accomplished with a mechanism such as by attaching the dielectric antenna 1901 to a gimbal such as shown in fig. 19m that can be controlled by electromechanical devices such as linear motors that can control pitch, roll, yaw, or combinations thereof. by moving the spatial positioning of the dielectric antenna 1901 , the dielectric antenna 1901 can positioned in an area where a null or low intensity region of wireless signals exists that may be absorbed by a surface of the dielectric antenna 1901 other than the aperture 1903 . it will be appreciated that any combination of the aforementioned embodiments for improving fbr can be used. method 1993 of fig. 19s provides a non-limiting illustration for mitigating a decline in fbr. method 1993 can begin at step 1994 where a waveguide system 1602 measures fbr of a dielectric antenna according to one or more of techniques previously described in the subject disclosure. at step 1995 , the waveguide system 1602 can determine if the fbr has declined by comparing the measure of fbr at step 1994 to an fbr threshold. the fbr threshold can be established by the service provider to achieve a desired performance of the dielectric antenna 1901 . if the fbr of the dielectric antenna 1901 has not fallen below a desired fbr threshold, then the waveguide system 1602 can continue monitoring fbr performance at steps 1994 - 1195 . if the fbr of the dielectric antenna 1901 has fallen below a desired fbr threshold, the waveguide system 1602 can be configured at step 1196 to adjust an operational characteristic of the dielectric antenna 1901 to mitigate the decline in fbr. this can be performed by adjusting a phase of one or more receivers of the waveguide system 1602 as described earlier, and/or by adjusting the spatial alignment of the dielectric antenna with an electromechanical gimbal. the waveguide system 1602 can be configured to perform steps 1994 - 1196 until the fbr increases above the fbr threshold. the process of changing the phase of the one or more receivers of the waveguide system 1602 and/or spatial alignment of the dielectric antenna 1901 can result in a suppression or reduction in signal intensity of wireless signals received by the dielectric antenna 1901 in certain regions (e.g., posterior region) and/or increasing a signal intensity of wireless signals received in other regions of the dielectric antenna 1901 such as the reception area of the aperture 1903 (or anterior region) of the dielectric antenna 1901 . method 1993 can be applied to phased-array configurations of the dielectric antenna (e.g., fig. 19o ) as well as to dielectric antennas of various structural shapes (e.g., pyramidal, or other suitable shapes). while for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes are shown and described as a series of blocks in fig. 19s , it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methods described herein. turning now to figs. 20a and 20b , block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of the cable 1850 of fig. 18a used for inducing guided electromagnetic waves on power lines supported by utility poles are shown. in one embodiment, as depicted in fig. 20a , a cable 1850 can be coupled at one end to a microwave apparatus that launches guided electromagnetic waves within one or more inner layers of cable 1850 utilizing, for example, the hollow waveguide 1808 shown in figs. 18a-18c . the microwave apparatus can utilize a microwave transceiver such as shown in fig. 10a for transmitting or receiving signals from cable 1850 . the guided electromagnetic waves induced in the one or more inner layers of cable 1850 can propagate to an exposed stub of the cable 1850 located inside a horn antenna (shown as a dotted line in fig. 20a ) for radiating the electromagnetic waves via the horn antenna. the radiated signals from the horn antenna in turn can induce guided electromagnetic waves that propagate longitudinally on power line such as a medium voltage (mv) power line. in one embodiment, the microwave apparatus can receive ac power from a low voltage (e.g., 220v) power line. alternatively, the horn antenna can be replaced with a stub antenna as shown in fig. 20b to induce guided electromagnetic waves that propagate longitudinally on a power line such as the mv power line or to transmit wireless signals to other antenna system(s). in an alternative embodiment, the hollow horn antenna shown in fig. 20a can be replaced with a solid dielectric antenna such as the dielectric antenna 1901 of fig. 19a , or the pyramidal-shaped horn antenna 1901 ′ of fig. 19n . in this embodiment the horn antenna can radiate wireless signals directed to another horn antenna such as the bidirectional horn antennas 2040 shown in fig. 20c . in this embodiment, each horn antenna 2040 can transmit wireless signals to another horn antenna 2040 or receive wireless signals from the other horn antenna 2040 as shown in fig. 20c . such an arrangement can be used for performing bidirectional wireless communications between antennas. although not shown, the horn antennas 2040 can be configured with an electromechanical device to steer a direction of the horn antennas 2040 . in alternate embodiments, first and second cables 1850 a′ and 1850 b′ can be coupled to the microwave apparatus and to a transformer 2052 , respectively, as shown in figs. 20a and 20b . the first and second cables 1850 a′ and 1850 b′ can be represented by, for example, cable 1820 or cable 1830 of figs. 18b and 18c , respectively, each having a conductive core. a first end of the conductive core of the first cable 1850 a′ can be coupled to the microwave apparatus for propagating guided electromagnetic waves launched therein. a second end of the conductive core of the first cable 1850 a′ can be coupled to a first end of a conductive coil of the transformer 2052 for receiving the guided electromagnetic waves propagating in the first cable 1850 a′ and for supplying signals associated therewith to a first end of a second cable 1850 b′ by way of a second end of the conductive coil of the transformer 2052 . a second end of the second cable 1850 b′ can be coupled to the horn antenna of fig. 20a or can be exposed as a stub antenna of fig. 20b for inducing guided electromagnetic waves that propagate longitudinally on the mv power line. in an embodiment where cable 1850 , 1850 a′ and 1850 b′ each comprise multiple instances of transmission mediums 1800 , 1820 , and/or 1830 , a poly-rod structure of antennas 1855 can be formed such as shown in fig. 18k . each antenna 1855 can be coupled, for example, to a horn antenna assembly as shown in fig. 20a or a pie-pan antenna assembly (not shown) for radiating multiple wireless signals. alternatively, the antennas 1855 can be used as stub antennas in fig. 20b . the microwave apparatus of figs. 20a-20b can be configured to adjust the guided electromagnetic waves to beam steer the wireless signals emitted by the antennas 1855 . one or more of the antennas 1855 can also be used for inducing guided electromagnetic waves on a power line. turning now to fig. 20c , a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a communication network 2000 in accordance with various aspects described herein is shown. in one embodiment, for example, the waveguide system 1602 of fig. 16a can be incorporated into network interface devices (nids) such as nids 2010 and 2020 of fig. 20c . a nid having the functionality of waveguide system 1602 can be used to enhance transmission capabilities between customer premises 2002 (enterprise or residential) and a pedestal 2004 (sometimes referred to as a service area interface or sai). in one embodiment, a central office 2030 can supply one or more fiber cables 2026 to the pedestal 2004 . the fiber cables 2026 can provide high-speed full-duplex data services (e.g., 1-100 gbps or higher) to mini-dslams 2024 located in the pedestal 2004 . the data services can be used for transport of voice, internet traffic, media content services (e.g., streaming video services, broadcast tv), and so on. in prior art systems, mini-dslams 2024 typically connect to twisted pair phone lines (e.g., twisted pairs included in category 5e or cat. 5e unshielded twisted-pair (utp) cables that include an unshielded bundle of twisted pair cables, such as 24 gauge insulated solid wires, surrounded by an outer insulating sheath), which in turn connect to the customer premises 2002 directly. in such systems, dsl data rates taper off at 100 mbps or less due in part to the length of legacy twisted pair cables to the customer premises 2002 among other factors. the embodiments of fig. 20c , however, are distinct from prior art dsl systems. in the illustration of fig. 20c , a mini-dslam 2024 , for example, can be configured to connect to nid 2020 via cable 1850 (which can represent in whole or in part any of the cable embodiments described in relation to figs. 18a-18d and 18f-18l singly or in combination). utilizing cable 1850 between customer premises 2002 and a pedestal 2004 , enables nids 2010 and 2020 to transmit and receive guide electromagnetic waves for uplink and downlink communications. based on embodiments previously described, cable 1850 can be exposed to rain, or can be buried without adversely affecting electromagnetic wave propagation either in a downlink path or an uplink path so long as the electric field profile of such waves in either direction is confined at least in part or entirely within inner layers of cable 1850 . in the present illustration, downlink communications represents a communication path from the pedestal 2004 to customer premises 2002 , while uplink communications represents a communication path from customer premises 2002 to the pedestal 2004 . in an embodiment where cable 1850 comprises one of the embodiments of figs. 18g-18h , cable 1850 can also serve the purpose of supplying power to the nid 2010 and 2020 and other equipment of the customer premises 2002 and the pedestal 2004 . in customer premises 2002 , dsl signals can originate from a dsl modem 2006 (which may have a built-in router and which may provide wireless services such as wifi to user equipment shown in the customer premises 2002 ). the dsl signals can be supplied to nid 2010 by a twisted pair phone 2008 . the nid 2010 can utilize the integrated waveguide 1602 to launch within cable 1850 guided electromagnetic waves 2014 directed to the pedestal 2004 on an uplink path. in the downlink path, dsl signals generated by the mini-dslam 2024 can flow through a twisted pair phone line 2022 to nid 2020 . the waveguide system 1602 integrated in the nid 2020 can convert the dsl signals, or a portion thereof, from electrical signals to guided electromagnetic waves 2014 that propagate within cable 1850 on the downlink path. to provide full duplex communications, the guided electromagnetic waves 2014 on the uplink can be configured to operate at a different carrier frequency and/or a different modulation approach than the guided electromagnetic waves 2014 on the downlink to reduce or avoid interference. additionally, on the uplink and downlink paths, the guided electromagnetic waves 2014 are guided by a core section of cable 1850 , as previously described, and such waves can be configured to have a field intensity profile that confines the guide electromagnetic waves in whole or in part in the inner layers of cable 1850 . although the guided electromagnetic waves 2014 are shown outside of cable 1850 , the depiction of these waves is for illustration purposes only. for this reason, the guided electromagnetic waves 2014 are drawn with “hash marks” to indicate that they are guided by the inner layers of cable 1850 . on the downlink path, the integrated waveguide system 1602 of nid 2010 receives the guided electromagnetic waves 2014 generated by nid 2020 and converts them back to dsl signals conforming to the requirements of the dsl modem 2006 . the dsl signals are then supplied to the dsl modem 2006 via a set of twisted pair wires of phone line 2008 for processing. similarly, on the uplink path, the integrated waveguide system 1602 of nid 2020 receives the guided electromagnetic waves 2014 generated by nid 2010 and converts them back to dsl signals conforming to the requirements of the mini-dslam 2024 . the dsl signals are then supplied to the mini-dslam 2024 via a set of twisted pair wires of phone line 2022 for processing. because of the short length of phone lines 2008 and 2022 , the dsl modem 2008 and the mini-dslam 2024 can send and receive dsl signals between themselves on the uplink and downlink at very high speeds (e.g., 1 gbps to 60 gbps or more). consequently, the uplink and downlink paths can in most circumstances exceed the data rate limits of traditional dsl communications over twisted pair phone lines. typically, dsl devices are configured for asymmetric data rates because the downlink path usually supports a higher data rate than the uplink path. however, cable 1850 can provide much higher speeds both on the downlink and uplink paths. with a firmware update, a legacy dsl modem 2006 such as shown in fig. 20c can be configured with higher speeds on both the uplink and downlink paths. similar firmware updates can be made to the mini-dslam 2024 to take advantage of the higher speeds on the uplink and downlink paths. since the interfaces to the dsl modem 2006 and mini-dslam 2024 remain as traditional twisted pair phone lines, no hardware change is necessary for a legacy dsl modem or legacy mini-dslam other than firmware changes and the addition of the nids 2010 and 2020 to perform the conversion from dsl signals to guided electromagnetic waves 2014 and vice-versa. the use of nids enables a reuse of legacy modems 2006 and mini-dslams 2024 , which in turn can substantially reduce installation costs and system upgrades. for new construction, updated versions of mini-dslams and dsl modems can be configured with integrated waveguide systems to perform the functions described above, thereby eliminating the need for nids 2010 and 2020 with integrated waveguide systems. in this embodiment, an updated version of modem 2006 and updated version of mini-dslam 2024 would connect directly to cable 1850 and communicate via bidirectional guided electromagnetic wave transmissions, thereby averting a need for transmission or reception of dsl signals using twisted pair phone lines 2008 and 2022 . in an embodiment where use of cable 1850 between the pedestal 2004 and customer premises 2002 is logistically impractical or costly, nid 2010 can be configured instead to couple to a cable 1850 ′ (similar to cable 1850 of the subject disclosure) that originates from a waveguide 108 on a utility pole 118 , and which may be buried in soil before it reaches nid 2010 of the customer premises 2002 . cable 1850 ′ can be used to receive and transmit guided electromagnetic waves 2014 ′ between the nid 2010 and the waveguide 108 . waveguide 108 can connect via waveguide 106 , which can be coupled to base station 104 . base station 104 can provide data communication services to customer premises 2002 by way of its connection to central office 2030 over fiber 2026 ′. similarly, in situations where access from the central office 2026 to pedestal 2004 is not practical over a fiber link, but connectivity to base station 104 is possible via fiber link 2026 ′, an alternate path can be used to connect to nid 2020 of the pedestal 2004 via cable 1850 ″ (similar to cable 1850 of the subject disclosure) originating from pole 116 . cable 1850 ″ can also be buried before it reaches nid 2020 . turning now to figs. 20d-20f , block diagrams of example, non-limiting embodiments of antenna mounts that can be used in the communication network 2000 of fig. 20c (or other suitable communication networks) in accordance with various aspects described herein are shown. in some embodiments, an antenna mount 2052 can be coupled to a medium voltage power line by way of an inductive power supply that supplies energy to one or more waveguide systems (not shown) integrated in the antenna mount 2052 as depicted in fig. 20d . the antenna mount 2052 can include an array of dielectric antennas 1901 (e.g., 16 antennas) such as shown by the top and side views depicted in fig. 20f . the dielectric antennas 1901 shown in fig. 20f can be small in dimension as illustrated by a picture comparison between groups of dielectric antennas 1901 and a conventional ballpoint pen. in other embodiments, a pole mounted antenna 2054 can be used as depicted in fig. 20d . in yet other embodiments, an antenna mount 2056 can be attached to a pole with an arm assembly as shown in fig. 20e . in other embodiments, an antenna mount 2058 , depicted in fig. 20e , can be placed on a top portion of a pole coupled to a cable 1850 such as the cables as described in the subject disclosure. the array of dielectric antennas 1901 in any of the antenna mounts of figs. 20d-20e can include one or more waveguide systems as described in the subject disclosure by way of figs. 1-20 . the waveguide systems can be configured to perform beam steering with the array of dielectric antennas 1901 (for transmission or reception of wireless signals). alternatively, each dielectric antenna 1901 can be utilized as a separate sector for receiving and transmitting wireless signals. in other embodiments, the one or more waveguide systems integrated in the antenna mounts of figs. 20d-20e can be configured to utilize combinations of the dielectric antennas 1901 in a wide range of multi-input multi-output (mimo) transmission and reception techniques. the one or more waveguide systems integrated in the antenna mounts of figs. 20d-20e can also be configured to apply communication techniques such as siso, simo, miso, siso, signal diversity (e.g., frequency, time, space, polarization, or other forms of signal diversity techniques), and so on, with any combination of the dielectric antennas 1901 in any of the antenna mounts of figs. 20d-20e . in yet other embodiments, the antenna mounts of figs. 20d-20e can be adapted with two or more stacks of the antenna arrays shown in fig. 20f . figs. 21a and 21b describe embodiments for downlink and uplink communications. method 2100 of fig. 21a can begin with step 2102 where electrical signals (e.g., dsl signals) are generated by a dslam (e.g., mini-dslam 2024 of pedestal 2004 or from central office 2030 ), which are converted to guided electromagnetic waves 2014 at step 2104 by nid 2020 and which propagate on a transmission medium such as cable 1850 for providing downlink services to the customer premises 2002 . at step 2108 , the nid 2010 of the customer premises 2002 converts the guided electromagnetic waves 2014 back to electrical signals (e.g., dsl signals) which are supplied at step 2110 to customer premises equipment (cpe) such as dsl modem 2006 over phone line 2008 . alternatively, or in combination, power and/or guided electromagnetic waves 2014 ′ can be supplied from a power line 1850 ′ of a utility grid (having an inner waveguide as illustrated in fig. 18g or 18h ) to nid 2010 as an alternate or additional downlink (and/or uplink) path. at step 2122 of method 2120 of fig. 21b , the dsl modem 2006 can supply electrical signals (e.g., dsl signals) via phone line 2008 to nid 2010 , which in turn at step 2124 , converts the dsl signals to guided electromagnetic waves directed to nid 2020 by way of cable 1850 . at step 2128 , the nid 2020 of the pedestal 2004 (or central office 2030 ) converts the guided electromagnetic waves 2014 back to electrical signals (e.g., dsl signals) which are supplied at step 2129 to a dslam (e.g., mini-dslam 2024 ). alternatively, or in combination, power and guided electromagnetic waves 2014 ′ can be supplied from a power line 1850 ′ of a utility grid (having an inner waveguide as illustrated in fig. 18g or 18h ) to nid 2020 as an alternate or additional uplink (and/or downlink) path. turning now to fig. 21c , a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method 2130 for inducing and receiving electromagnetic waves on a transmission medium is shown. at step 2132 , the waveguides 1865 and 1865 ′ of figs. 18n-18t can be configured to generate first electromagnetic waves from a first communication signal (supplied, for example, by a communication device such as a base station), and induce at step 2134 the first electromagnetic waves with “only” a fundamental wave mode at an interface of the transmission medium. in an embodiment, the interface can be an outer surface of the transmission medium as depicted in figs. 18q and 18r . in another embodiment, the interface can be an inner layer of the transmission medium as depicted in figs. 18s and 18t . at step 2136 , the waveguides 1865 and 1865 ′ of figs. 18n-18t can be configured to receive second electromagnetic waves at an interface of a same or different transmission medium described in fig. 21c . in an embodiment, the second electromagnetic waves can have “only” a fundamental wave mode. in other embodiments, the second electromagnetic waves may have a combination of wave modes such as a fundamental and non-fundamental wave modes. at step 2138 , a second communication signal can be generated from the second electromagnetic waves for processing by, for example, a same or different communication device. the embodiments of figs. 21c and 21d can be applied to any embodiments described in the subject disclosure. turning now to fig. 21d , a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method 2140 for inducing and receiving electromagnetic waves on a transmission medium is shown. at step 2142 , the waveguides 1865 and 1865 ′ of figs. 18n-18w can be configured to generate first electromagnetic waves from a first communication signal (supplied, for example, by a communication device), and induce at step 2144 second electromagnetic waves with “only” a non-fundamental wave mode at an interface of the transmission medium. in an embodiment, the interface can be an outer surface of the transmission medium as depicted in figs. 18q and 18r . in another embodiment, the interface can be an inner layer of the transmission medium as depicted in figs. 18s and 18t . at step 2146 , the waveguides 1865 and 1865 ′ of figs. 18n-18w can be configured to receive electromagnetic waves at an interface of a same or different transmission medium described in fig. 21e . in an embodiment, the electromagnetic waves can have “only” a non-fundamental wave mode. in other embodiments, the electromagnetic waves may have a combination of wave modes such as a fundamental and non-fundamental wave modes. at step 2148 , a second communication signal can be generated from the electromagnetic waves for processing by, for example, a same or different communication device. the embodiments of figs. 21e and 21f can be applied to any embodiments described in the subject disclosure. fig. 21e illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method 2150 for radiating signals from a dielectric antenna such as those shown in figs. 19a and 19n . method 2150 can begin with step 2152 where a transmitter such as waveguide system 1865 ′ of fig. 18t generates first electromagnetic waves including a first communication signal. the first electromagnetic waves in turn induce at step 2153 second electromagnetic waves on a core 1852 of a cable 1850 coupled to a feed point of any of the dielectric antenna described in the subject disclosure. the second electromagnetic waves are received at the feed point at step 2154 and propagate at step 2155 to a proximal portion of the dielectric antenna. at step 2156 , the second electromagnetic waves continue to propagate from the proximal portion of the dielectric antenna to an aperture of the antenna and thereby cause at step 2157 wireless signals to be radiated as previously described in relation to figs. 19a-19n . fig. 21f illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method 2160 for receiving wireless signals at a dielectric antenna such as the dielectric antennas of fig. 19a or 19n . method 2160 can begin with step 2161 where the aperture of the dielectric antenna receives wireless signals. at step 2162 , the wireless signals induce electromagnetic waves that propagate from the aperture to the feed point of the dielectric antenna. the electromagnetic waves once received at the feed point at step 2163 , propagate at step 2164 to the core of the cable coupled to the feed point. at step 2165 , a receiver such as the waveguide system 1865 ′ of fig. 18t receives the electromagnetic waves and generates therefrom at step 2166 a second communication signal. methods 2150 and 2160 can be used to adapt the dielectric antennas of figs. 19a, 19c, 19e, 19g-19i, and 19l-19o for bidirectional wireless communications with other dielectric antennas such as the dielectric antennas 2040 shown in fig. 20c , and/or for performing bidirectional wireless communications with other communication devices such as a portable communication devices (e.g., cell phones, tablets, laptops), wireless communication devices situated in a building (e.g., a residence), and so on. a microwave apparatus such as shown in fig. 20a can be configured with one or more cables 1850 that couple to a plurality of dielectric antennas 2040 as shown in fig. 20c . in some embodiments, the dielectric antennas 2040 shown in fig. 20c can be configured with yet more dielectric antennas (e.g., 19 c, 19 e, 19 g- 19 i, and 19 l- 19 o) to further expand the region of wireless communications by such antennas. methods 2150 and 2160 can be further adapted for use with the phased array 1976 of dielectric antennas 1901 of fig. 19o by applying incremental phase delays to portions of the antennas to steer far-field wireless signals emitted. methods 2150 and 2160 can also be adapted for adjusting the far-field wireless signals generated by the dielectric antenna 1901 and/or an orientation of the dielectric antenna 1901 utilizing the gimbal depicted in fig. 19m (which may have controllable actuators) to improve reception of the far-field wireless signals by a remote system (such as another dielectric antenna 1901 coupled to a waveguide system). additionally, the methods 2150 and 2160 can be adapted to receive instructions, messages or wireless signals from the remote system to enable the waveguide system receiving such signals by way of its dielectric antenna 1901 to perform adjustments of the far-field signals. while for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes are shown and described as a series of blocks in figs. 21a-21f , it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methods described herein. fig. 21g illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method 2170 for detecting and mitigating disturbances occurring in a communication network, such as, for example, the system of figs. 16a and 16b . method 2170 can begin with step 2172 where a network element, such as the waveguide system 1602 of figs. 16a-16b , can be configured to monitor degradation of guided electromagnetic waves on an outer surface of a transmission medium, such as power line 1610 . a signal degradation can be detected according to any number of factors including without limitation, a signal magnitude of the guided electromagnetic waves dropping below a certain magnitude threshold, a signal to noise ratio (snr) dropping below a certain snr threshold, a quality of service (qos) dropping below one or more thresholds, a bit error rate (ber) exceeding a certain ber threshold, a packet loss rate (plr) exceeding a certain plr threshold, a ratio of reflected electromagnetic waves to forward electromagnetic waves exceeding a certain threshold, an unexpected change or alteration to a wave mode, a spectral change in the guided electromagnetic waves indicating an object or objects are causing a propagation loss or scattering of the guided electromagnetic waves (e.g., water accumulation on an outer surface of the transmission medium, a splice in the transmission medium, a broken tree limb, etc.), or any combinations thereof. a sensing device such as, the disturbance sensor 1604 b of fig. 16a , can be adapted to perform one or more of the above signal measurements and determine thereby whether the electromagnetic waves are experiencing signal degradation. other sensing devices suitable for performing the above measurements are contemplated by the subject disclosure. if signal degradation is detected at step 2174 , the network element can proceed to step 2176 where it can determine which object or objects may be causing the degradation, and once detected, report the detected object(s) to the network management system 1601 of figs. 16a-16b . object detection can be accomplished by spectral analysis or other forms of signal analysis, environmental analysis (e.g., barometric readings, rain detection, etc.), or other suitable techniques for detecting foreign objects that may adversely affect propagation of electromagnetic waves guided by the transmission medium. for example, the network element can be configured to generate spectral data derived from an electromagnetic wave received by the network element. the network element can then compare the spectral data to a plurality of spectral profiles stored in its memory. the plurality of spectral profiles can be pre-stored in a memory of the network element, and can be used to characterize or identify obstructions that may cause a propagation loss or signal degradation when such obstructions are present on an outer surface of the transmission medium. for example, an accumulation of water on an outer surface of a transmission medium, such as a thin layer of water and/or water droplets, may cause a signal degradation in electromagnetic waves guided by the transmission medium that may be identifiable by a spectral profile comprising spectral data that models such an obstruction. the spectral profile can be generated in a controlled environment (such as a laboratory or other suitable testing environment) by collecting and analyzing spectral data generated by test equipment (e.g., a waveguide system with spectrum analysis capabilities) when receiving electromagnetic waves over an outer surface of a transmission medium that has been subjected to water (e.g., simulated rain water). an obstruction such as water can generate a different spectral signature than other obstructions (e.g., a splice between transmission mediums). a unique spectral signature can be used to identify certain obstructions over others. with this technique, spectral profiles can be generated for characterizing other obstructions such as a fallen tree limb on the transmission medium, a splice, and so on. in addition to spectral profiles, thresholds can be generated for different metrics such as snr, ber, plr, and so on. these thresholds can be chosen by a service provider according to desired performance measures for a communication network that utilizing guided electromagnetic waves for transport of data. some obstructions may also be detected by other methods. for example, rain water may be detected by a rain detector coupled to a network element, fallen tree limbs may be detected by a vibration detector coupled to the network element, and so on. if a network element does not have access to equipment to detect objects that may be causing a degradation of electromagnetic waves, then the network element can skip step 2176 and proceed to step 2178 where it notifies one or more neighboring network elements (e.g., other waveguide system(s) 1602 in a vicinity of the network element) of the detected signal degradation. if signal degradation is significant, the network element can resort to a different medium for communicating with neighboring network element(s), such as, for example, wireless communications. alternatively, the network element can substantially reduce the operating frequency of the guided electromagnetic waves (e.g., from 40 ghz to 1 ghz), or communicate with neighboring network elements utilizing other guided electromagnetic waves operating at a low frequency, such as a control channel (e.g., 1 mhz). a low frequency control channel may be much less susceptible to interference by the object(s) causing the signal degradation at much higher operating frequencies. once an alternate means of communication is established between network elements, at step 2180 the network element and neighboring network elements can coordinate a process to adjust the guided electromagnetic waves to mitigate the detected signal degradation. the process can include, for example, a protocol for choosing which of the network elements will perform the adjustments to the electromagnetic waves, the frequency and magnitude of adjustments, and goals to achieve a desired signal quality (e.g., qos, ber, plr, snr, etc.). if, for example, the object causing the signal degradation is water accumulation on the outer surface of the transmission medium, the network elements can be configured to adjust a polarization of the electrical fields (e-fields) and/or magnetic fields (h-fields) of the electromagnetic waves to attain a radial alignment of the e-fields as shown in fig. 21h . in particular, fig. 21h presents a block diagram 2101 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an alignment of e-fields of an electromagnetic wave to mitigate propagation losses due to water accumulation on a transmission medium in accordance with various aspects described herein. in this example, the longitudinal section of a cable, such as an insulated metal cable implementation of transmission medium 125 , is presented along with field vectors that illustrate the e-fields associated with guided electromagnetic waves that propagate at 40 ghz. stronger e-fields are presented by darker field vectors relative to weaker e-fields. in one embodiment, an adjustment in polarization can be accomplished by generating a specific wave mode of the electromagnetic waves (e.g., transverse magnetic (tm) mode, transverse electric (te) mode, transverse electromagnetic (tem) mode, or a hybrid of a tm mode and te mode also known as an he mode). assuming, for example, that the network element comprises the waveguide system 1865 ′ of fig. 18w , an adjustment in a polarization of e-fields can be accomplished by configuring two or more mmic's 1870 to alter a phase, frequency, amplitude or combinations thereof of the electromagnetic waves generated by each mmic 1870 . certain adjustments may cause, for example, the e-fields in the region of the water film shown in fig. 21h to align perpendicularly to the surface of the water. electric fields that are perpendicular (or approximately perpendicular) to the surface of water will induce weaker currents in the water film than e-fields parallel to the water film. by inducing weaker currents, the electromagnetic waves propagating longitudinally will experience less propagation loss. additionally, it is also desirable for the concentration of the e-fields to extend above the water film into the air. if the concentration of e-fields in the air remains high and the majority of the total field strength is in the air instead of being concentrated in the region of the water and the insulator, then propagation losses will also be reduced. for example, e-fields of electromagnetic waves that are tightly bound to an insulation layer such as, goubau waves (or tm00 waves—see block diagram 2131 of fig. 21k ), will experience higher propagation losses even though the e-fields may be perpendicular (or radially aligned) to the water film because more of the field strength is concentrated in the region of the water. accordingly, electromagnetic waves with e-fields perpendicular (or approximately perpendicular) to a water film having a higher proportion of the field strength in a region of air (i.e., above the water film) will experience less propagation loss than tightly bound electromagnetic waves having more field strength in the insulating or water layers or electromagnetic waves having e-fields in the direction of propagation within the region of the water film that generate greater losses. fig. 21h depicts, in a longitudinal view of an insulated conductor, e-field for tm01 electromagnetic waves operating at 40 ghz. figs. 21i and 21j , in contrast, depict cross-sectional views 2111 and 2121 , respectively, of the insulated conductor of fig. 21h illustrating the field strength of e-fields in the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic waves (i.e., e-fields directed out of the page of figs. 21i and 21j ). the electromagnetic waves shown in figs. 21i and 21j have a tm01 wave mode at 45 ghz and 40 ghz, respectively. fig. 21i shows that the intensity of the e-fields in the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic waves is high in a region between the outer surface of the insulation and the outer surface of the water film (i.e., the region of the water film). the high intensity is depicted by a light color (the lighter the color the higher the intensity of the e-fields directed out of the page). fig. 21i illustrates that there is a high concentration of e-fields polarized longitudinally in the region of the water film, which causes high currents in the water film and consequently high propagation losses. thus, under certain circumstances, electromagnetic waves at 45 ghz (having a tm01 wave mode) are less suitable to mitigate rain water or other obstructions located on the outer surface of the insulated conductor. in contrast, fig. 21j shows that the intensity of the e-fields in the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic waves is weaker in the region of the water film. the lower intensity is depicted by the darker color in the region of the water film. the lower intensity is a result of the e-fields being polarized mostly perpendicular or radial to the water film. the radially aligned e-fields also are highly concentrated in the region of air as shown in fig. 21h . thus, electromagnetic waves at 40 ghz (having a tm01 wave mode) produce e-fields that induce less current in the water film than 45 ghz waves with the same wave mode. accordingly, the electromagnetic waves of fig. 21j exhibit properties more suitable for reducing propagation losses due to a water film or droplets accumulating on an outer surface of an insulated conductor. since the physical characteristics of a transmission medium can vary, and the effects of water or other obstructions on the outer surface of the transmission medium may cause non-linear effects, it may not always be possible to precisely model all circumstances so as to achieve the e-field polarization and e-field concentration in air depicted in fig. 21h on a first iteration of step 2182 . to increase a speed of the mitigation process, a network element can be configured to choose from a look-up table at step 2186 a starting point for adjusting electromagnetic waves. in one embodiment, entries of the look-up table can be searched for matches to a type of object detected at step 2176 (e.g., rain water). in another embodiment, the look-up table can be searched for matches to spectral data derived from the affected electromagnetic wave received by the network elements. table entries can provide specific parameters for adjusting electromagnetic waves (e.g., frequency, phase, amplitude, wave mode, etc.) to achieve at least a coarse adjustment that achieves similar e-field properties as shown in fig. 21h . a coarse adjustment can serve to improve the likelihood of converging on a solution that achieves the desirable propagation properties previously discussed in relation to figs. 21h and 21j . once a coarse adjustment is made at step 2186 , the network element can determine at step 2184 whether the adjustment has improved signal quality to a desirable target. step 2184 can be implemented by a cooperative exchange between network elements. for example, suppose the network element at step 2186 generates an adjusted electromagnetic wave according to parameters obtained from the look-up table and transmits the adjusted electromagnetic wave to a neighboring network element. at step 2184 the network element can determine whether the adjustment has improved signal quality by receiving feedback from a neighboring network element receiving the adjusted electromagnetic waves, analyzing the quality of the received waves according to agreed target goals, and providing the results to the network element. similarly, the network element can test adjusted electromagnetic waves received from neighboring network elements and can provide feedback to the neighboring network elements including the results of the analysis. while a particular search algorithm is discussed above, other search algorithms such as a gradient search, genetic algorithm, global search or other optimization techniques can likewise be employed. accordingly, steps 2182 , 2186 and 2184 represent an adjustment and testing process performed by the network element and its neighbor(s). with this in mind, if at step 2184 a network element (or its neighbors) determine that signal quality has not achieved one or more desired parametric targets (e.g., snr, ber, plr, etc.), then incremental adjustments can begin at step 2182 for each of the network element and its neighbors. at step 2182 , the network element (and/or its neighbors) can be configured to adjust a magnitude, phase, frequency, wave mode and/or other tunable features of the electromagnetic waves incrementally until a target goal is achieved. to perform these adjustments, a network element (and its neighbors) can be configured with the waveguide system 1865 ′ of fig. 18w . the network element (and its neighbors) can utilize two or more mmic's 1870 to incrementally adjust one or more operational parameters of the electromagnetic waves to achieve e-fields polarized in a particular direction (e.g., away from the direction of propagation in the region of the water film). the two or more mmic's 1870 can also be configured to incrementally adjust one or more operational parameters of the electromagnetic waves that achieve e-fields having a high concentration in a region of air (outside the obstruction). the iteration process can be a trial-and-error process coordinated between network elements to reduce a time for converging on a solution that improves upstream and downstream communications. as part of the coordination process, for example, one network element can be configured to adjust a magnitude but not a wave mode of the electromagnetic waves, while another network element can be configured to adjust the wave mode and not the magnitude. the number of iterations and combination of adjustments to achieve desirable properties in the electromagnetic waves to mitigate obstructions on an outer surface of a transmission medium can be established by a service provider according to experimentation and/or simulations and programmed into the network elements. once the network element(s) detect at step 2184 that signal quality of upstream and downstream electromagnetic waves has improved to a desirable level that achieves one or more parametric targets (e.g. snr, ber, plr, etc.), the network elements can proceed to step 2188 and resume communications according to the adjusted upstream and downstream electromagnetic waves. while communications take place at step 2188 , the network elements can be configured to transmit upstream and downstream test signals based on the original electromagnetic waves to determine if the signal quality of such waves has improved. these test signals can be transmitted at periodic intervals (e.g., once every 30 seconds or other suitable periods). each network element can, for example, analyze spectral data of the received test signals to determine if they achieve a desirable spectral profile and/or other parametric target (e.g. snr, ber, plr, etc.). if the signal quality has not improved or has improved nominally, the network elements can be configured to continue communications at step 2188 utilizing the adjusted upstream and downstream electromagnetic waves. if, however, signal quality has improved enough to revert back to utilizing the original electromagnetic waves, then the network element(s) can proceed to step 2192 to restore settings (e.g., original wave mode, original magnitude, original frequency, original phase, original spatial orientation, etc.) that produce the original electromagnetic waves. signal quality may improve as a result of a removal of the obstruction (e.g., rain water evaporates, field personnel remove a fallen tree limb, etc.). at step 2194 , the network elements can initiate communications utilizing the original electromagnetic waves and perform upstream and downstream tests. if the network elements determine at step 2196 from tests performed at step 2194 that signal quality of the original electromagnetic waves is satisfactory, then the network elements can resume communications with the original electromagnetic waves and proceed to step 2172 and subsequent steps as previously described. a successful test can be determined at step 2196 by analyzing test signals according to parametric targets associated with the original electromagnetic waves (e.g., ber, snr, plr, etc.). if the tests performed at step 2194 are determined to be unsuccessful at step 2196 , the network element(s) can proceed to steps 2182 , 2186 and 2184 as previously described. since a prior adjustment to the upstream and downstream electromagnetic waves may have already been determined successfully, the network element(s) can restore the settings used for the previously adjusted electromagnetic waves. accordingly, a single iteration of any one of steps 2182 , 2186 and 2184 may be sufficient to return to step 2188 . it should be noted that in some embodiments restoring the original electromagnetic waves may be desirable if, for example, data throughput when using the original electromagnetic waves is better than data throughput when using the adjusted electromagnetic waves. however, when data throughput of the adjusted electromagnetic waves is better or substantially close to the data throughput of the original electromagnetic waves, the network element(s) may instead be configured to continue from step 2188 . it is also noted that although figs. 21h and 21k describe a tm01 wave mode, other wave modes (e.g., he waves, te waves, tem waves, etc.) or combination of wave modes may achieve the desired effects shown in fig. 21h . accordingly, a wave mode singly or in combination with one or more other wave modes may generate electromagnetic waves with e-field properties that reduce propagation losses as described in relation to figs. 21h and 21j . such wave modes are therefore contemplated as possible wave modes the network elements can be configured to produce. it is further noted that method 2170 can be adapted to generate at steps 2182 or 2186 other wave modes that may not be subject to a cutoff frequency. for example, fig. 21 l depicts a block diagram 2141 of an example, non-limiting embodiment of electric fields of a hybrid wave in accordance with various aspects described herein. waves having an he mode have linearly polarized e-fields which point away from a direction of propagation of electromagnetic waves and can be perpendicular (or approximately perpendicular) to a region of obstruction (e.g., water film shown in figs. 21h-21j ). waves with an he mode can be configured to generate e-fields that extend substantially outside of an outer surface of an insulated conductor so that more of the total accumulated field strength is in air. accordingly, some electromagnetic waves having an he mode can exhibit properties of a large wave mode with e-fields orthogonal or approximately orthogonal to a region of obstruction. as described earlier, such properties can reduce propagation losses. electromagnetic waves having an he mode also have the unique property that they do not have a cutoff frequency (i.e., they can operate near dc) unlike other wave modes which have non-zero cutoff frequencies. turning now to fig. 21m , a block diagram 2151 illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of electric field characteristics of a hybrid wave versus a goubau wave in accordance with various aspects described herein is shown. diagram 2153 shows a distribution of energy between he11 mode waves and goubau waves for an insulated conductor. the energy plots of diagram 2153 assume that the amount of power used to generate the goubau waves is the same as the he11 waves (i.e., the area under the energy curves is the same). in the illustration of diagram 2153 , goubau waves have a steep drop in power when goubau waves extend beyond the outer surface of an insulated conductor, while he11 waves have a substantially lower drop in power beyond the insulation layer. consequently, goubau waves have a higher concentration of energy near the insulation layer than he11 waves. diagram 2155 depicts similar goubau and he11 energy curves when a water film is present on the outer surface of the insulator. the difference between the energy curves of diagrams 2153 and 2155 is that the drop in power for the goubau and the he11 energy curves begins on an outer edge of the insulator for diagram 2153 and on an outer edge of the water film for diagram 2155 . the energy curves diagrams 2153 and 2155 , however, depict the same behavior. that is, the electric fields of goubau waves are tightly bound to the insulation layer, which when exposed to water results in greater propagation losses than electric fields of he11 waves having a higher concentration outside the insulation layer and the water film. these properties are depicted in the he11 and goubau diagrams 2157 and 2159 , respectively. by adjusting an operating frequency of he11 waves, e-fields of he11 waves can be configured to extend substantially above a thin water film as shown in block diagram 2161 of fig. 21n having a greater accumulated field strength in areas in the air when compared to fields in the insulator and a water layer surrounding the outside of the insulator. fig. 21n depicts a wire having a radius of 1 cm and an insulation radius of 1.5 cm with a dielectric constant of 2.25. as the operating frequency of he11 waves is reduced, the e-fields extend outwardly expanding the size of the wave mode. at certain operating frequencies (e.g., 3 ghz) the wave mode expansion can be substantially greater than the diameter of the insulated wire and any obstructions that may be present on the insulated wire. by having e-fields that are perpendicular to a water film and by placing most of its energy outside the water film, he11 waves have less propagation loss than goubau waves when a transmission medium is subjected to water or other obstructions. although goubau waves have radial e-fields which are desirable, the waves are tightly coupled to the insulation layer, which results in the e-fields being highly concentrated in the region of an obstruction. consequently, goubau waves are still subject to high propagation losses when an obstruction such as a water film is present on the outer surface of an insulated conductor. turning now to figs. 22a and 22b , block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a waveguide system 2200 for launching hybrid waves in accordance with various aspects described herein is shown. the waveguide system 2200 can comprise probes 2202 coupled to a slideable or rotatable mechanism 2204 that enables the probes 2202 to be placed at different positions or orientations relative to an outer surface of an insulated conductor 2208 . the mechanism 2204 can comprise a coaxial feed 2206 or other coupling that enables transmission of electromagnetic waves by the probes 2202 . the coaxial feed 2206 can be placed at a position on the mechanism 2204 so that the path difference between the probes 2202 is one-half a wavelength or some odd integer multiple thereof. when the probes 2202 generate electromagnetic signals of opposite phase, electromagnetic waves can be induced on the outer surface of the insulated conductor 2208 having a hybrid mode (such as an he11 mode). the mechanism 2204 can also be coupled to a motor or other actuator (not shown) for moving the probes 2202 to a desirable position. in one embodiment, for example, the waveguide system 2200 can comprise a controller that directs the motor to rotate the probes 2202 (assuming they are rotatable) to a different position (e.g., east and west) to generate electromagnetic waves that have a horizontally polarized he11 mode as shown in a block diagram 2300 of fig. 23 . to guide the electromagnetic waves onto the outer surface of the insulated conductor 2208 , the waveguide system 2200 can further comprise a tapered horn 2210 shown in fig. 22b . the tapered horn 2110 can be coaxially aligned with the insulated conductor 2208 . to reduce the cross-sectional dimension of the tapered horn 2210 , an additional insulation layer (not shown) can placed on the insulated conductor 2208 . the additional insulation layer can be similar to the tapered insulation layer 1879 shown in figs. 18q and 18r . the additional insulation layer can have a tapered end that points away from the tapered horn 2210 . the tapered insulation layer 1879 can reduce a size of an initial electromagnetic wave launched according to an he11 mode. as the electromagnetic waves propagate towards the tapered end of the insulation layer, the he11 mode expands until it reaches its full size as shown in fig. 23 . in other embodiments, the waveguide system 2200 may not need to use the tapered insulation layer 1879 . fig. 23 illustrates that he11 mode waves can be used to mitigate obstructions such as rain water. for example, suppose that rain water has caused a water film to surround an outer surface of the insulated conductor 2208 as shown in fig. 23 . further assume that water droplets have collected at the bottom of the insulated conductor 2208 . as illustrated in fig. 23 , the water film occupies a small fraction of the total he11 wave. also, by having horizontally polarized he11 waves, the water droplets are in a least-intense area of the he11 waves reducing losses caused by the droplets. consequently, the he11 waves experience much lower propagation losses than goubau waves or waves having a mode that is tightly coupled to the insulated conductor 2208 and thus greater energy in the areas occupied by the water. it is submitted that the waveguide system 2200 of figs. 22a-22b can be replaced with other waveguide systems of the subject disclosure capable of generating electromagnetic waves having an he mode. for example, the waveguide system 1865 ′ of fig. 18w can be configured to generate electromagnetic waves having an he mode. in an embodiment, two or more mmic's 1870 of the waveguide system 1865 ′ can be configured to generate electromagnetic waves of opposite phase to generate polarized e-fields such as those present in an he mode. in another embodiment, different pairs of mmic's 1870 can be selected to generate he waves that are polarized at different spatial positions (e.g., north and south, west and east, northwest and southeast, northeast and southeast, or other sub-fractional coordinates). additionally, the waveguide systems of figs. 18n-18w can be configured to launch electromagnetic waves having an he mode onto the core 1852 of one or more embodiments of cable 1850 suitable for propagating he mode waves. although he waves can have desirable characteristics for mitigating obstructions on a transmission medium, it is submitted that certain wave modes having a cutoff frequency (e.g., te modes, tm modes, tem modes or combinations thereof) may also exhibit waves that are sufficiently large and have polarized e-fields that are orthogonal (or approximately orthogonal) to a region of an obstruction enabling their use for mitigating propagation losses caused by the obstruction. method 2070 can be adapted, for example, to generate such wave modes from a look-up table at step 2086 . wave modes having a cutoff frequency that exhibit, for example, a wave mode larger than the obstruction and polarized e-fields perpendicular (or approximately perpendicular) to the obstruction can be determined by experimentation and/or simulation. once a combination of parameters (e.g., magnitude, phase, frequency, wave mode(s), spatial positioning, etc.) for generating one or more waves with cutoff frequencies having low propagation loss properties is determined, the parametric results for each wave can be stored in a look-up table in a memory of a waveguide system. similarly, wave modes with cutoff frequencies exhibiting properties that reduce propagation losses can also be generated iteratively by any of the search algorithms previously described in the process of steps 2082 - 2084 . while for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes are shown and described as a series of blocks in fig. 21g , it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methods described herein. referring now to fig. 24 , there is illustrated a block diagram of a computing environment in accordance with various aspects described herein. in order to provide additional context for various embodiments of the embodiments described herein, fig. 24 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment 2400 in which the various embodiments of the subject disclosure can be implemented. while the embodiments have been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments can be also implemented in combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software. generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices. as used herein, a processing circuit includes processor as well as other application specific circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit, state machine, programmable gate array or other circuit that processes input signals or data and that produces output signals or data in response thereto. it should be noted that while any functions and features described herein in association with the operation of a processor could likewise be performed by a processing circuit. the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, as used in the claims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity only and doesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. for instance, “a first determination,” “a second determination,” and “a third determination,” does not indicate or imply that the first determination is to be made before the second determination, or vice versa, etc. the illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. in a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which can comprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows. computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. by way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implemented in connection with any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or unstructured data. computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to, random access memory (ram), read only memory (rom), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (eeprom), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory (cd-rom), digital versatile disk (dvd) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to store desired information. in this regard, the terms “tangible” or “non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory or computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per se. computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the information stored by the medium. communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and comprises any information delivery or transport media. the term “modulated data signal” or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. by way of example, and not limitation, communication media comprise wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, rf, infrared and other wireless media. with reference again to fig. 24 , the example environment 2400 for transmitting and receiving signals via or forming at least part of a base station (e.g., base station devices 1504 , macrocell site 1502 , or base stations 1614 ) or central office (e.g., central office 1501 or 1611 ). at least a portion of the example environment 2400 can also be used for transmission devices 101 or 102 . the example environment can comprise a computer 2402 , the computer 2402 comprising a processing unit 2404 , a system memory 2406 and a system bus 2408 . the system bus 2408 couple's system components including, but not limited to, the system memory 2406 to the processing unit 2404 . the processing unit 2404 can be any of various commercially available processors. dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures can also be employed as the processing unit 2404 . the system bus 2408 can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. the system memory 2406 comprises rom 2410 and ram 2412 . a basic input/output system (bios) can be stored in a non-volatile memory such as rom, erasable programmable read only memory (eprom), eeprom, which bios contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 2402 , such as during startup. the ram 2412 can also comprise a high-speed ram such as static ram for caching data. the computer 2402 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (hdd) 2414 (e.g., eide, sata), which internal hard disk drive 2414 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy disk drive (fdd) 2416 , (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette 2418 ) and an optical disk drive 2420 , (e.g., reading a cd-rom disk 2422 or, to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such as the dvd). the hard disk drive 2414 , magnetic disk drive 2416 and optical disk drive 2420 can be connected to the system bus 2408 by a hard disk drive interface 2424 , a magnetic disk drive interface 2426 and an optical drive interface 2428 , respectively. the interface 2424 for external drive implementations comprises at least one or both of universal serial bus (usb) and institute of electrical and electronics engineers (ieee) 1394 interface technologies. other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described herein. the drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. for the computer 2402 , the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. although the description of computer-readable storage media above refers to a hard disk drive (hdd), a removable magnetic diskette, and a removable optical media such as a cd or dvd, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the example operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein. a number of program modules can be stored in the drives and ram 2412 , comprising an operating system 2430 , one or more application programs 2432 , other program modules 2434 and program data 2436 . all or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the ram 2412 . the systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems. examples of application programs 2432 that can be implemented and otherwise executed by processing unit 2404 include the diversity selection determining performed by transmission device 101 or 102 . a user can enter commands and information into the computer 2402 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 2438 and a pointing device, such as a mouse 2440 . other input devices (not shown) can comprise a microphone, an infrared (ir) remote control, a joystick, a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. these and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 2404 through an input device interface 2442 that can be coupled to the system bus 2408 , but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an ieee 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (usb) port, an ir interface, etc. a monitor 2444 or other type of display device can be also connected to the system bus 2408 via an interface, such as a video adapter 2446 . it will also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 2444 can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display, a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving display information associated with computer 2402 via any communication means, including via the internet and cloud-based networks. in addition to the monitor 2444 , a computer typically comprises other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc. the computer 2402 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 2448 . the remote computer(s) 2448 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically comprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 2402 , although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device 2450 is illustrated. the logical connections depicted comprise wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (lan) 2452 and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (wan) 2454 . such lan and wan networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications network, e.g., the internet. when used in a lan networking environment, the computer 2402 can be connected to the local network 2452 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 2456 . the adapter 2456 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the lan 2452 , which can also comprise a wireless ap disposed thereon for communicating with the wireless adapter 2456 . when used in a wan networking environment, the computer 2402 can comprise a modem 2458 or can be connected to a communications server on the wan 2454 or has other means for establishing communications over the wan 2454 , such as by way of the internet. the modem 2458 , which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 2408 via the input device interface 2442 . in a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 2402 or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 2450 . it will be appreciated that the network connections shown are example and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used. the computer 2402 can be operable to communicate with any wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and telephone. this can comprise wireless fidelity (wi-fi) and bluetooth® wireless technologies. thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices. wi-fi can allow connection to the internet from a couch at home, a bed in a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. wi-fi is a wireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enables such devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out; anywhere within the range of a base station. wi-fi networks use radio technologies called ieee 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, ag etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. a wi-fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the internet, and to wired networks (which can use ieee 802.3 or ethernet). wi-fi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 ghz radio bands for example or with products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10baset wired ethernet networks used in many offices. fig. 25 presents an example embodiment 2500 of a mobile network platform 2510 that can implement and exploit one or more aspects of the disclosed subject matter described herein. in one or more embodiments, the mobile network platform 2510 can generate and receive signals transmitted and received by base stations (e.g., base station devices 1504 , macrocell site 1502 , or base stations 1614 ), central office (e.g., central office 1501 or 1611 ), or transmission device 101 or 102 associated with the disclosed subject matter. generally, wireless network platform 2510 can comprise components, e.g., nodes, gateways, interfaces, servers, or disparate platforms, that facilitate both packet-switched (ps) (e.g., internet protocol (ip), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (atm)) and circuit-switched (cs) traffic (e.g., voice and data), as well as control generation for networked wireless telecommunication. as a non-limiting example, wireless network platform 2510 can be included in telecommunications carrier networks, and can be considered carrier-side components as discussed elsewhere herein. mobile network platform 2510 comprises cs gateway node(s) 2522 which can interface cs traffic received from legacy networks like telephony network(s) 2540 (e.g., public switched telephone network (pstn), or public land mobile network (plmn)) or a signaling system #7 (ss7) network 2570 . circuit switched gateway node(s) 2522 can authorize and authenticate traffic (e.g., voice) arising from such networks. additionally, cs gateway node(s) 2522 can access mobility, or roaming, data generated through ss7 network 2570 ; for instance, mobility data stored in a visited location register (vlr), which can reside in memory 2530 . moreover, cs gateway node(s) 2522 interfaces cs-based traffic and signaling and ps gateway node(s) 2518 . as an example, in a 3gpp umts network, cs gateway node(s) 2522 can be realized at least in part in gateway gprs support node(s) (ggsn). it should be appreciated that functionality and specific operation of cs gateway node(s) 2522 , ps gateway node(s) 2518 , and serving node(s) 2516 , is provided and dictated by radio technology(ies) utilized by mobile network platform 2510 for telecommunication. in addition to receiving and processing cs-switched traffic and signaling, ps gateway node(s) 2518 can authorize and authenticate ps-based data sessions with served mobile devices. data sessions can comprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to the wireless network platform 2510 , like wide area network(s) (wans) 2550 , enterprise network(s) 2570 , and service network(s) 2580 , which can be embodied in local area network(s) (lans), can also be interfaced with mobile network platform 2510 through ps gateway node(s) 2518 . it is to be noted that wans 2550 and enterprise network(s) 2560 can embody, at least in part, a service network(s) like ip multimedia subsystem (ims). based on radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) 2517 , packet-switched gateway node(s) 2518 can generate packet data protocol contexts when a data session is established; other data structures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can be generated. to that end, in an aspect, ps gateway node(s) 2518 can comprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (ttg) in 3gpp umts network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetized communication with disparate wireless network(s), such as wi-fi networks. in embodiment 2500 , wireless network platform 2510 also comprises serving node(s) 2516 that, based upon available radio technology layer(s) within technology resource(s) 2517 , convey the various packetized flows of data streams received through ps gateway node(s) 2518 . it is to be noted that for technology resource(s) 2517 that rely primarily on cs communication, server node(s) can deliver traffic without reliance on ps gateway node(s) 2518 ; for example, server node(s) can embody at least in part a mobile switching center. as an example, in a 3gpp umts network, serving node(s) 2516 can be embodied in serving gprs support node(s) (sgsn). for radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s) 2514 in wireless network platform 2510 can execute numerous applications that can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows, and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format . . . ) such flows. such application(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (for example, provisioning, billing, customer support . . . ) provided by wireless network platform 2510 . data streams (e.g., content(s) that are part of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to ps gateway node(s) 2518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a data session, and to serving node(s) 2516 for communication thereafter. in addition to application server, server(s) 2514 can comprise utility server(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, an operations and maintenance server, a security server that can implement at least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as other security mechanisms, and the like. in an aspect, security server(s) secure communication served through wireless network platform 2510 to ensure network's operation and data integrity in addition to authorization and authentication procedures that cs gateway node(s) 2522 and ps gateway node(s) 2518 can enact. moreover, provisioning server(s) can provision services from external network(s) like networks operated by a disparate service provider; for instance, wan 2550 or global positioning system (gps) network(s) (not shown). provisioning server(s) can also provision coverage through networks associated to wireless network platform 2510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same service provider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown in fig. 1(s) that enhance wireless service coverage by providing more network coverage. repeater devices such as those shown in figs. 7, 8, and 9 also improve network coverage in order to enhance subscriber service experience by way of ue 2575 . it is to be noted that server(s) 2514 can comprise one or more processors configured to confer at least in part the functionality of macro network platform 2510 . to that end, the one or more processor can execute code instructions stored in memory 2530 , for example. it is should be appreciated that server(s) 2514 can comprise a content manager 2515 , which operates in substantially the same manner as described hereinbefore. in example embodiment 2500 , memory 2530 can store information related to operation of wireless network platform 2510 . other operational information can comprise provisioning information of mobile devices served through wireless platform network 2510 , subscriber databases; application intelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates, flat-rate programs, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s) consistent with telecommunication protocols for operation of disparate radio, or wireless, technology layers; and so forth. memory 2530 can also store information from at least one of telephony network(s) 2540 , wan 2550 , enterprise network(s) 2570 , or ss7 network 2560 . in an aspect, memory 2530 can be, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as a remotely connected memory store. in order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter, fig. 25 , and the following discussion, are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented. while the subject matter has been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on a computer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination with other program modules. generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks and/or implement particular abstract data types. fig. 26 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 2600 . the communication device 2600 can serve as an illustrative embodiment of devices such as mobile devices and in-building devices referred to by the subject disclosure (e.g., in figs. 15, 16a and 16b ). the communication device 2600 can comprise a wireline and/or wireless transceiver 2602 (herein transceiver 2602 ), a user interface (ui) 2604 , a power supply 2614 , a location receiver 2616 , a motion sensor 2618 , an orientation sensor 2620 , and a controller 2606 for managing operations thereof. the transceiver 2602 can support short-range or long-range wireless access technologies such as bluetooth®, zigbee®, wifi, dect, or cellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (bluetooth® and zigbee® are trademarks registered by the bluetooth® special interest group and the zigbee® alliance, respectively). cellular technologies can include, for example, cdma-1×, umts/hsdpa, gsm/gprs, tdma/edge, ev/do, wimax, sdr, lte, as well as other next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise. the transceiver 2602 can also be adapted to support circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as pstn), packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as tcp/ip, voip, etc.), and combinations thereof. the ui 2604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 2608 with a navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or a navigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device 2600 . the keypad 2608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of the communication device 2600 or an independent device operably coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a usb cable) or a wireless interface supporting for example bluetooth®. the keypad 2608 can represent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a qwerty keypad with alphanumeric keys. the ui 2604 can further include a display 2610 such as monochrome or color lcd (liquid crystal display), oled (organic light emitting diode) or other suitable display technology for conveying images to an end user of the communication device 2600 . in an embodiment where the display 2610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all of the keypad 2608 can be presented by way of the display 2610 with navigation features. the display 2610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a user interface for detecting user input. as a touch screen display, the communication device 2600 can be adapted to present a user interface having graphical user interface (gui) elements that can be selected by a user with a touch of a finger. the touch screen display 2610 can be equipped with capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology to detect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on a portion of the touch screen display. this sensing information can be used to control the manipulation of the gui elements or other functions of the user interface. the display 2610 can be an integral part of the housing assembly of the communication device 2600 or an independent device communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a cable) or a wireless interface. the ui 2604 can also include an audio system 2612 that utilizes audio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard in proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphone for hands free operation). the audio system 2612 can further include a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. the audio system 2612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. the ui 2604 can further include an image sensor 2613 such as a charged coupled device (ccd) camera for capturing still or moving images. the power supply 2614 can utilize common power management technologies such as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulation technologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energy to the components of the communication device 2600 to facilitate long-range or short-range portable communications. alternatively, or in combination, the charging system can utilize external power sources such as dc power supplied over a physical interface such as a usb port or other suitable tethering technologies. the location receiver 2616 can utilize location technology such as a global positioning system (gps) receiver capable of assisted gps for identifying a location of the communication device 2600 based on signals generated by a constellation of gps satellites, which can be used for facilitating location services such as navigation. the motion sensor 2618 can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motion of the communication device 2600 in three-dimensional space. the orientation sensor 2620 can utilize orientation sensing technology such as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device 2600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations in degrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics). the communication device 2600 can use the transceiver 2602 to also determine a proximity to a cellular, wifi, bluetooth®, or other wireless access points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signal strength indicator (rssi) and/or signal time of arrival (toa) or time of flight (tof) measurements. the controller 2606 can utilize computing technologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (dsp), programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits, and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as flash, rom, ram, sram, dram or other storage technologies for executing computer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by the aforementioned components of the communication device 2600 . other components not shown in fig. 26 can be used in one or more embodiments of the subject disclosure. for instance, the communication device 2600 can include a slot for adding or removing an identity module such as a subscriber identity module (sim) card or universal integrated circuit card (uicc). sim or uicc cards can be used for identifying subscriber services, executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so on. in the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “data store,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprising the memory. it will be appreciated that the memory components described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile and nonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. further, nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (rom), programmable rom (prom), electrically programmable rom (eprom), electrically erasable rom (eeprom), or flash memory. volatile memory can comprise random access memory (ram), which acts as external cache memory. by way of illustration and not limitation, ram is available in many forms such as synchronous ram (sram), dynamic ram (dram), synchronous dram (sdram), double data rate sdram (ddr sdram), enhanced sdram (esdram), synchlink dram (sldram), and direct rambus ram (drram). additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methods herein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising, these and any other suitable types of memory. moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., pda, phone, smartphone, watch, tablet computers, netbook computers, etc.), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. the illustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network; however, some if not all aspects of the subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. in a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificial intelligence (ai) to facilitate automating one or more features described herein. for example, artificial intelligence can be used in optional training controller 230 evaluate and select candidate frequencies, modulation schemes, mimo modes, and/or guided wave modes in order to maximize transfer efficiency. the embodiments (e.g., in connection with automatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a maximum value/benefit after addition to an existing communication network) can employ various ai-based schemes for carrying out various embodiments thereof. moreover, the classifier can be employed to determine a ranking or priority of the each cell site of the acquired network. a classifier is a function that maps an input attribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, . . . , xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is, f(x)=confidence (class). such classification can employ a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysis utilities and costs) to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed. a support vector machine (svm) is an example of a classifier that can be employed. the svm operates by finding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which the hypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from the non-triggering events. intuitively, this makes the classification correct for testing data that is near, but not identical to training data. other directed and undirected model classification approaches comprise, e.g., naïve bayes, bayesian networks, decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification models providing different patterns of independence can be employed. classification as used herein also is inclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop models of priority. as will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generic training data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing ue behavior, operator preferences, historical information, receiving extrinsic information). for example, svms can be configured via a learning or training phase within a classifier constructor and feature selection module. thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automatically learn and perform a number of functions, including but not limited to determining according to a predetermined criteria which of the acquired cell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which of the acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existing communication network coverage, etc. as used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, the terms “component,” “system” and the like are intended to refer to, or comprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to an operational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, wherein the entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. as an example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. by way of illustration and not limitation, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. one or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. in addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. the components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the internet with other systems via the signal). as another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by a software or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part of the software or firmware application. as yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts, the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to execute software or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality of the electronic components. while various components have been illustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiple components can be implemented as a single component, or a single component can be implemented as multiple components, without departing from example embodiments. further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method, apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. the term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communications media. for example, computer readable storage media can include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (cd), digital versatile disk (dvd)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive). of course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications can be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments. in addition, the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to mean serving as an instance or illustration. any embodiment or design described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. as used in this application, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. that is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “x employs a or b” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. that is, if x employs a; x employs b; or x employs both a and b, then “x employs a or b” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. in addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. moreover, terms such as “user equipment,” “mobile station,” “mobile,” subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal,” “handset,” “mobile device” (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to a wireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wireless communication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video, sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. the foregoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with reference to the related drawings. furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer” and the like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless context warrants particular distinctions among the terms. it should be appreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automated components supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacity to make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms), which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth. as employed herein, the term “processor” can refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited to comprising, single-core processors; single-processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (asic), a digital signal processor (dsp), a field programmable gate array (fpga), a programmable logic controller (plc), a complex programmable logic device (cpld), a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. processors can exploit nano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance performance of user equipment. a processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units. as used herein, terms such as “data storage,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprising the memory. it will be appreciated that the memory components or computer-readable storage media, described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. what has been described above includes mere examples of various embodiments. it is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present embodiments are possible. accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/or claimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. in addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue” indication. the “start” and “continue” indications reflect that the steps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used in conjunction with other routines. in this context, “start” indicates the beginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by other activities not specifically shown. further, the “continue” indication reflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/or may be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. further, while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, other orderings are likewise possible provided that the principles of causality are maintained. as may also be used herein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupled to”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/or indirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. such items and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions, communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functional blocks, and/or devices. as an example of indirect coupling, a signal conveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one or more intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format of information in a signal, while one or more elements of the information in the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can be recognized by the second item. in a further example of indirect coupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the second item, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more intervening items. although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments described or shown by the subject disclosure. the subject disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure. for instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can be combined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. in one or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can also be negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or without replacement by another structural and/or functional feature. the steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure can be performed in any order. the steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure can be performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions of the subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from other steps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. further, more than or less than all of the features described with respect to an embodiment can also be utilized.
|
068-330-613-886-457
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
A47F11/10,G09F3/20
| 2002-11-07T00:00:00 |
2002
|
[
"A47",
"G09"
] |
portable, stand-alone, shelf-mounted promotional device
|
a stand-alone, promotional device is suspended from a lip of a shelf in a display rack to attract a consumer's attention to merchandise on the shelf.
|
1 . a portable, stand-alone, promotional device for ready mounting on, and removal from, a support, the device comprising: a) a housing; b) an electrically energizable, sensory indicator supported by the housing, for attracting attention when energized; c) a battery supported by the housing and electrically connected to the indicator for energizing the indicator; and d) a flange on the housing, for suspending the housing, the indicator and the battery from the support. 2 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the indicator includes a plurality of light sources on a front wall of the housing. 3 . the device of claim 2 , and further comprising a controller connected to the battery and the light sources, for energizing the light sources to emit light in a control pattern. 4 . the device of claim 3 , wherein the controller automatically switches the light sources on and off to make the light sources flash. 5 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the battery has a weight and is located within the housing below the flange to press the flange against the support due to the weight of the battery. 6 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the housing has a planar front wall on which the indicator is mounted, and wherein the flange suspends the front wall to lie in a vertical plane. 7 . the device of claim 1 , wherein the housing is constituted of a paper material, and wherein the flange includes a stiffener of a stiff material stronger than the paper material. 8 . a portable, stand-alone, promotional device for ready mounting on, and removal from, a shelf having a raised edge, the device comprising: a) a housing; b) an electrically energizable, sensory indicator supported by the housing, for attracting attention when energized; c) a battery supported by the housing and electrically connected to the indicator for energizing the indicator; and d) a flange on the housing, for suspending the housing, the indicator and the battery from the raised edge of the shelf. 9 . the device of claim 8 , wherein the housing has a planar front wall on which the indicator is mounted, a planar top wall and a planar bottom wall in mutual parallelism and between which the front wall extends, and an inclined planar rear wall extending between the top and bottom walls at an acute angle of elevation relative to the bottom wall. 10 . the device of claim 9 , wherein the flange includes a planar suspension portion integral with the top wall, and a stiffener having a stiffening portion in surface area contact with the suspension portion.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention generally relates to merchandise display racks having shelves for access to and display of merchandise and, more particularly, to promotional devices for attracting a customer's attention to such shelf-mounted merchandise. 2. description of the related art merchandise is often displayed on shelves in display racks at retail sites. items stored on the top and bottom shelves of a rack, or at the rear of the shelves, are often not readily accessible to, and are at least partially hidden from the view of, the average consumer. to promote accessibility and display, some racks utilize tilted shelves on which to present the items. the tilted shelves typically have raised front edges to prevent the items from sliding off the tilted shelves. as advantageous as these known display racks are, retailers often promote their items to increase sales. signs and animated advertising fixtures are prevalent. often such promotional devices have components which require electrical energy and, hence, are hard-wired or plugged into electrical outlets. this results in a permanent installation, that is, one not readily movable to a different shelf, rack or location at the retail site. summary of the invention objects of the invention accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to readily move a stand-alone, promotional device for attracting a consumer's attention to shelf-mounted merchandise. more particularly, it is an object of the present invention to reliably hold the promotional device in position on a shelf, including a tilted shelf. still another object of the present invention is to more readily attract a consumer to merchandise, especially positioned in less accessible locations on a display rack. features of the invention in keeping with the above objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a portable, stand-alone, promotional device for ready mounting on, and removal from, a support, especially a shelf having a raised front edge or lip. the shelf may be horizontal or tilted relative to the floor. the device includes a housing, an electrically energizable, sensory indicator supported by the housing and operable for attracting attention when energized, a battery supported by the housing and electrically connected to the indicator for energizing the same, and a flange on the housing for suspending the housing, the indicator and the battery from the support. preferably, the indicator includes a set of flashing lights, especially light emitting diodes, which draw little electrical current. in the case of a horizontal shelf having a vertical lip, the flange is preferably a right-angled hook. in the case of a tilted shelf having an inclined lip, the flange is similarly inclined and hooks onto the lip. the indicator is preferably mounted on a front wall of the housing and, once the flange is hooked onto the lip, the front wall may either lie in a vertical plane or in an inclined plane, and faces a consumer to attract his or her attention. the novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. the invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a device according to this invention mounted on a tilted shelf shown in a cut-away, sectional view; fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2 - 2 of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of fig. 1 mounted on a tilted shelf with a different tilt angle; fig. 4 is a front elevational view taken on line 4 - 4 of fig. 3 ; and fig. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a device according to this invention mounted on a horizontal shelf. detailed description of the preferred embodiments referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally identifies a portable, stand-alone, promotional device in accordance with this invention for ready mounting on, and removal from, a support, such as a planar shelf 12 having a raised, planar, front edge or lip 14 . the shelf may be tilted at various tilt angles (figs. 1 - 4 ), or horizontal ( fig. 5 ), relative to the floor. the lip, preferably but not necessarily, forms a right angle relative to the respective shelf. the shelf is part of a display rack which preferably has a plurality of such shelves stacked in mutual parallelism, one above another. merchandise is supported by the shelves for display to a consumer. the promotional device 10 is, as described below, suspended from the shelf and is operative to attract the attention of the consumer to the merchandise on display. as shown in fig. 2 , the promotional device 10 includes a housing having a planar top wall 16 , a planar bottom wall 18 parallel to the top wall, a planar front wall 20 extending perpendicularly to the top and bottom walls, and a planar inclined rear wall 22 between the top and bottom walls. the housing has a right trapezoidal cross-section. a planar flange 24 is integral with the top wall of the housing and preferably is double-walled. the flange 24 is inclined and has an acute angle of depression relative to the top wall. the flange 24 also forms an acute angle with the rear wall. a u-shaped stiffener 26 strengthens the flange and includes a first stiffening portion 28 located and adhered in the space between the double walls of the flange, and a second stiffening portion 30 adhered to an interior surface of the rear wall. the stiffener is constituted of a material, for example, metal, which is more rigid than the material, for example, paper, constituting the housing. the metal stiffener is preferably bendable, and the paper used for the housing is preferably a heavyweight paper or cardboard. an electrically energizable, sensory indicator is supported by the housing and includes, for example, a plurality of light sources 32 , 34 , 36 extending through apertures in the front wall, and a controller 38 for energizing the sources. a battery pack 40 is mounted within the housing, preferably on the bottom wall, and is connected to the controller for powering the same and causing the sources to emit light in a control pattern. preferably, the sources are switched on and off and flash in a random or predetermined pattern. the flashing is performed continuously, that is, as long as the battery pack is connected. if desired, an on/off switch can be provided. to minimize power drain on the battery pack, the sources are light emitting diodes which are pulsed at a low duty cycle. sensory indicators, other than lights, can be used. for example, an annunciator can be employed to emit sounds from a speaker, or an oil-or wax-based, aroma emitter can be used to emit scents. in use, the device 10 is suspended by its flange on the lip anywhere lengthwise of the lip on any selected shelf. a plurality of devices 10 can be suspended on the same shelf, or on different shelves. the battery pack, being the heaviest component, presses the flange onto the lip for a more secure anchorage. no screws, adhesives or analogous fasteners are employed. each suspended device remains in place by gravity and the frictional engagement between the flange and the lip. in one embodiment, as illustrated in figs. 1 - 2 , the front wall 20 lies in a vertical plane. as shown in figs. 3 - 4 , the front wall 20 lies in a rearwardly inclined plane to better be viewed by a consumer when the device is suspended from a low shelf. the positioning of the front wall depends on the angle of depression selected for the flange which, in turn, is dependent on the angle of the lip. for a horizontal shelf having a vertical lip, as depicted in fig. 5 , the housing has a generally rectangular cross-section, and the flange 42 is parallel to the rear wall 44 which, in turn, is parallel to the front wall 46 . as before, the housing is detachably mounted on the lip and securely held in place. it will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, also may find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above. while the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a portable, stand-alone, shelf-mounted promotional device, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims. what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims.
|
068-998-995-318-649
|
US
|
[
"US",
"FR"
] |
G21C3/34,G21C7/10,G21C3/32,G21C17/00
| 2006-11-01T00:00:00 |
2006
|
[
"G21"
] |
nuclear fuel assembly
|
a nuclear fuel assembly having an instrumentation tube having an insert that centers the in-core instrumentation while permitting bugling or welding of the instrumentation tube wall to a grid strap to obtain a rigid connection there between at any elevation along the instrumentation tube.
|
1 . a nuclear reactor fuel assembly comprising: a top nozzle; a bottom nozzle; a plurality of elongated control rod guide thimbles respectively attached at a first end to the top nozzle and at a second end to the bottom nozzle; a plurality of elongated fuel rods supporting fissile material there within, the fuel rods extending parallel to the control rod guide thimbles, between the top nozzle and the bottom nozzle; a plurality of transverse grids arranged in a spaced tandem array between the top nozzle and the bottom nozzle, the grids respectively forming a lattice to latterly support the fuel rods in a spaced orderly array, the grids being attached to and supported axially by the control rod guide thimbles; at least one elongated instrumentation tube extending and captured between the top nozzle and the bottom nozzle, the control rod guide thimbles, fuel rods and the instrumentation tube having parallel axes extending along their elongated dimension, the instrumentation tube being adapted to receive an in-core instrumentation that extends along a substantial axial length of the instrumentation tube, the in-core instrumentation remaining fixed during reactor operation; and an instrumentation tube insert that extends within and substantially along the elongated dimension of the instrumentation tube, the insert having an inside narrow-most diameter at a plurality of axial locations along the length of the insert that closely approximates the outside diameter of the in-core instrumentation so as to maintain the in-core instrumentation centered in the instrumentation tube, the inside narrow-most diameter being supported a fixed distance from an inside diameter of the instrumentation tube at spaced segmented locations along an interior and substantially along the elongated dimension of the instrumentation tube, the insert being adapted to center the in-core instrumentation. 2 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 1 wherein the insert comprises a spiral coil spring. 3 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 2 wherein an outside diameter of the spring closely matches the inside diameter of the instrumentation tube and an inside diameter of the spring closely matches the outside diameter of the in-core instrumentation. 4 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 2 wherein the spring has a first and second end and a central axial region and has a close pitch at the first and second end and a larger pitch in the central axial region sized to preclude snagging of the in-core instrument. 5 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 4 wherein the spring has an approximately one inch (2.54 cm) pitch in the central axial region. 6 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 2 wherein the insert further comprises an instrument thimble tube having an outside diameter that closely approximates an inside diameter of the spring and the instrument thimble tube having an inside diameter that closely approximates the outside diameter of the in-core instrumentation. 7 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 6 wherein the instrument thimble tube has an end that flairs radially outward to retain the spring. 8 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 1 wherein the insert has an oval cross section at a plurality of locations along its axial dimension wherein a major outside diameter of the oval cross section approximates the inside diameter of the instrumentation tube and wherein a minor inside diameter of the oval cross section substantially approximates the outside diameter of the in-core instrumentation. 9 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 8 wherein the major diameter of the oval cross section is rotated relative to the axis of the instrumentation tube at different elevations along the axis of the instrumentation tube. 10 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 9 wherein the rotation is 90 degrees between adjacent oval cross sections. 11 . the nuclear fuel assembly of claim 1 wherein the outside diameter of the in-core instrumentation is approximately equal to or greater than 0.266 in. (0.676 cm)
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention pertains in general to nuclear reactor fuel assemblies and more particularly to a pressurized water reactor nuclear fuel assembly instrumentation thimble. 2. background a typical pressurized water reactor includes a reactor vessel which contains nuclear fuel, a coolant, typically a water based solution, which is heated by the nuclear fuel, and means for monitoring and controlling the nuclear reaction. the reactor vessel is cylindrical, and is provided with a hemispherical bottom and a hemispherical top which is removable. the hot water coolant solution is conveyed from and returned to the vessel by a reactor coolant system which includes one or more reactor coolant loops (usually three or four loops, depending upon the power generating capacity of the reactor). each loop includes a pipeline to convey hot water from the reactor vessel to a steam generator, a pipeline to convey the water from the steam generator back to the reactor vessel, and a pump. the steam generator is essentially a heat exchanger which transfers heat from the reactant coolant system to water from a source that is isolated from the reactor coolant system; the resulting steam is conveyed to a turbine to generate electricity. during operation of the reactor, the water in the vessel and coolant system is maintained at a high pressure to keep it from boiling as it is heated by the nuclear fuel. nuclear fuel is supplied to the reactor in the form of a number of fuel assemblies, that are supported within a reactor core by upper and lower traversely extending core support plates. conventional designs of fuel assemblies include a plurality of fuel rods and control rod guide thimbles which are hollowed tubes held in an organized array by grids spaced along the fuel assembly length and attached to the control rod guide thimbles. the guide thimbles are structural members which also provide channels for neutron absorber rods, burnable poison rods or neutron source assemblies which are all vehicles for controlling the reactivity of the reactor. top and bottom nozzles on opposite ends thereof are secured to the guide thimbles; thereby forming an integral fuel assembly. the grids, as is known in the relevant art, are used to precisely maintain the spacing between the fuel rods in the reactor core, resist rod vibration, provide lateral support for the fuel rods and, to some extent, vertically restrain the rods against longitudinal movement. one type of conventional grid design includes a plurality of interleaved straps that together form an egg-crate configuration having a plurality of roughly square cells which individually accept the fuel rods therein. depending upon the configuration of the control rod guide thimbles, the guide thimbles can either be received in cells that are either sized the same as those that receive the fuel rods therein, or can be received in relatively larger thimble cells defined in the interleaved straps. typically at least one instrumentation tube is provided that extends through at least one cell, typically the center cell, in each strap and is captured between the top and bottom nozzles. the instrumentation tube, like the control rod guide thimbles, is attached to each of the grid cells through which it passes by a mechanical connection formed by bulging or welding. a number of measuring instruments are employed within the reactor core to promote safety and to permit proper control of the nuclear reaction. among other instruments, neutron flux detectors are stationarily positioned within the instrumentation tubes within the core for that purpose. for a proper flux reading of the neutron activity within the region of the corresponding fuel assembly it is important that the flux detectors be centrally positioned around the longitudinal axis of the instrumentation tube. centering of the in-core instrumentation is required to ensure the detector responses are consistent from location to location within the core. one existing instrumentation tube design is illustrated in fig. 1 . fig. 1 shows the instrumentation tube 10 extending between the upper or top nozzle 12 and the bottom nozzle 14 . an in-core instrument 16 extends through the interior of the instrument tube 10 spanning between the top nozzle 12 and lower or bottom nozzle 14 . dimples 18 formed by crimping the instrumentation tube at a number of diametrically opposed points around its circumference, center the in-core instrumentation 16 within the tube 10 . typically the dimples are provided at a number of elevations along the instrumentation tube 10 , with subsequent dimples being rotated 90 degrees as shown in the top section of the instrumentation tube 10 shown in fig. 2 . however the dimples preclude the bulging of the instrumentation tube to a spacer grid at the dimple elevations and also are limited in their ability to center smaller outside diameter in-core instrumentation within the instrumentation tube. accordingly, a new instrumentation tube design is desired that will center the in-core instrumentation while providing a smooth wall, non dimpled, outside circumference that may be either welded or bulged to the spacer grids. furthermore, it is an object of this invention to provide such an in-core instrumentation tube that can center any size in-core instrumentation within the instrumentation tube. summary of the invention the foregoing objects are achieved by an improved nuclear fuel assembly having a top nozzle, a bottom nozzle and a plurality of elongated control rod guide thimbles respectively attach at a first end to the top nozzle and at a second end to the bottom nozzle. a plurality of elongated fuel rods supporting fissile material there within extend parallel to the control rod guide thimbles, between the top nozzle and the bottom nozzle. a plurality of traversed grids are arranged in a spaced tandem array between the top nozzle and the bottom nozzle. the grids respectively form a lattice to latterly support the fuel rods in a spaced orderly array. the grids are attached to and are supported axially by the control rod guide thimbles. at least one elongated instrumentation tube extends and is captured between the top nozzle and the bottom nozzle. the control rod guide thimbles, fuel rods and the instrumentation tube have parallel axes extending along their elongated dimension. the instrumentation tube is adapted to receive an in-core instrumentation that extends along a substantial axial length of the instrumentation tube. the in-core instrumentation remains fixed during reactor operation. an instrumentation tube insert extends within and substantially along the elongated dimension of the instrumentation tube. the insert has an inside narrow most diameter at a plurality of axial locations along the length of the insert that closely approximates the outside diameter of the in-core instrumentation so as to maintain the in-core instrumentation centered in the instrumentation tube. the inside narrow most diameter is supported at a fixed distance from an inside diameter of the instrumentation tube at spaced segmented locations along the interior of the instrumentation tube. the insert is adaptable to center in-core instrumentation with the smallest practical outside diameter without substantially increasing the neutron capture cross section of the instrumentation tube. in one embodiment the insert is a spiral spring that has an outside diameter that closely matches the inside diameter of the instrumentation tube and an inside diameter that substantially closely matches the outside diameter of the in-core instrumentation. desirably the spring has a closed pitch at each end and an appropriate pitch to preclude snagging of the in-core instrument, e.g., a pitch of approximately 1″ (2.54 cm), in an intermediate region below and above both end portions of the spring. in another embodiment, the inside diameter of the spring circumscribes the outside diameter of an instrumentation thimble tube that has an inside diameter which substantially matches the outside diameter of the in-core instrumentation. the instrument thimble tube extends within the spring spanning the length of the instrumentation tube. in another embodiment the instrumentation thimble tube is flared outward at its lower end towards the wall of the instrumentation tube to retain the spring between the instrument thimble tube and the instrumentation tube. in another embodiment the insert has an oval cross section at a plurality of locations along its axial dimension. the major outside diameter of the oval cross section approximates the inside diameter of the instrumentation tube and the minor inside diameter of the oval cross section substantially approximates the outside diameter of the in-core instrumentation. desirably, the oval cross section is rotated relative to the axis of the instrumentation tube at different elevations along the axial length of the instrumentation tube. desirably, the rotation is 90 degrees between adjacent oval cross sections. brief description of the drawings a further understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: fig. 1 is a sectional view of a prior art instrumentation tube supported between the top nozzle and bottom nozzle of a pressurized water reactor fuel assembly; fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of fig. 1 taken at an elevation above two orthogonal pairs of dimples; fig. 3 is an elevational view, partially in section, of a fuel assembly in which is incorporated the preferred embodiment of the instrument tube of the present invention, the assembly being illustrated in vertically shorten form, with parts broken away for clarity; fig. 4 is a sectional view of an instrument tube of one embodiment of this invention captured between a section of the top nozzle and bottom nozzle of a pressurized water reactor fuel assembly; fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of fig. 4 taken approximately along the mid section of the instrument tube: fig. 6 is a sectional view of an instrument tube captured between the top nozzle and bottom nozzle illustrating a second embodiment of this invention: fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of fig. 6 taken approximately at mid plane along the longitudinal length of the instrumentation tube: and figs. 8 a , 8 b and 8 c are schematic views of a third embodiment of the instrumentation tube of this invention. description of the preferred embodiments referring now to the drawings and particularly to fig. 3 , there is shown an elevational view of a nuclear reactor fuel assembly, represented in vertically shorten form and being generally designated by reference character 20 . the fuel assembly 20 is the type used in a pressurized water reactor and has a structural skeleton which, at its lower end, includes a bottom nozzle 14 . the bottom nozzle 14 supports the fuel assembly 20 on a lower core support plate 22 in the core region of the nuclear reactor (not shown). in addition to the bottom nozzle 14 , the structural skeleton of the fuel assembly 20 also includes a top nozzle 12 at its upper end and a number of guide tubes or thimbles 24 , which extend longitudinally between the bottom and top nozzles 14 and 12 and at the opposite ends are rigidly attached thereto. the fuel assembly 20 further includes a plurality of traverse grids 26 , that are axially spaced along, and mounted to, the guide thimble tubes 24 and an organized array of elongated fuel rods 28 traversely spaced and supported by the grids 26 . also, the fuel assembly 20 includes an instrumentation tube 10 located in the center thereof, which extends and is captured between the bottom and top nozzles 14 and 12 . with such an arrangement of parts, fuel assembly 20 forms an integral unit capable of being conveniently handled without damaging the assembled parts. as mentioned above, the fuel rods 28 in the array shown in the assembly 20 are held in space relationship with one another by the grids 26 spaced along the fuel assembly length. each fuel rod 28 includes nuclear fuel pellets 30 and is closed at its opposite ends by upper and lower end plugs 32 and 34 . the pellets 30 are maintained in a stack by plenum spring 36 dispose between the upper end plug 32 and the top of the pellet stack. the fuel pellets 30 , composed of a fissel material, are responsible for creating the reactive power of the reactor. a liquid moderator/coolant such as water or water containing boron, is pumped upwardly through a plurality of flow openings in the lower core plate 22 to the fuel assembly. the bottom nozzle 14 of the fuel assembly 20 passes the coolant upwardly through the guide tubes 24 and along the fuel rods 28 of the assembly in order to extract heat generated therein for the production of useful work. to control the fission process, a number of control rods 38 are recipically movable in the guide thimbles 24 located at predetermined positions in the fuel assembly 20 . specifically, a rod cluster control mechanism 40 positioned above the top nozzle 12 supports the control rods 38 . the control mechanism has an internally threaded cylindrical member 42 which functions as a drive rod, with a plurality radially extending flukes or arms 44 . each arm 44 is interconnect to control rod 38 such that the control rod mechanism 40 is operable to move the control rods vertically in the guide thimbles 24 to thereby control the fission process in the fuel assembly 20 , all in a well known manner. the grids 26 are mechanically attached to the control rod guide thimbles 24 and the instrumentation tube 10 by welding, or preferably by bulging. bulging is particularly desirable where welding dissimilar materials is difficult. as previously mentioned with regards to fig. 1 the prior art configuration for centering the in-core instrumentation employing dimples made it difficult to fasten the instrumentation tube 10 to the grids 26 at the dimple elevations. this was particularly true at the lower most grid 26 . this invention overcomes this difficulty by providing a smooth wall instrumentation tube that can be readily welded or bulged to make a rigid connection with the grid strap while retaining the capability of centering the in-core instrumentation within the instrumentation tube as will be explained hereafter. a first preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in fig. 4 . in accordance with this invention a smooth wall instrumentation tube 10 is provided. in this example an instrumentation tube having an inside diameter of 0.900 inch (2.29 cm) is employed though it should be appreciated that the size of the instrumentation tube may vary from reactor to reactor without impacting on the concept of this invention. a coiled thimble spring 46 is closely received within the inside diameter of the instrumentation tube 10 . the thimble spring 46 preferably spans the elongated axial dimension of the instrument tube 10 and is captured between the bottom nozzle 14 and the top nozzle 12 . in this example the thimble spring 46 preferably has an outside diameter of 0.860 inch (2.18 cm) and the spring wire diameter is 0.156 inch (0.40 cm). the dimensions of the thimble spring 46 may vary without detracting from the concept of this invention so long as the thimble spring is sized to center the in-core instrument. by being “centered” it means that the in-core instrument centering devices. i.e. the thimble springs, are sized to limit radial movement of the in-core instrument within the instrument tube 10 , such that the functional criterion for the in-core instrument is satisfied. desirably, the spring has a closed pitch at each end, i.e., adjacent spiral coil turns approximately touch, and a larger pitch, e.g., 1 inch (2.54 cm) pitch, in the central axial region 48 , i.e., the coil repeats a 360 degree rotation every pitch of axial length along the instrumentation tube. the size of the pitch may vary and is selected so as to preclude snagging of the in-core instrument. the in-core instrumentation 16 is received within the annular, central opening of the thimble spring 46 and spans between the fuel assembly top nozzle 12 and bottom nozzle 14 . the diameter of the spring can be changed to accommodate different size in-core instrumentation. thus, employing the concept of this invention, the walls of the instrumentation tube 10 can be bulged to create a mechanical connection with the grid strap without adversely affecting the centering of the in-core instrumentation. preferably, the bulging occurs on portions of the inter-circumference of the instrumentation tube 10 where the spring is not located or, the bulging process can be performed before the spring is inserted. fig. 5 is a cross section taken along the mid span of the instrumentation tube 10 that shows the relevant positioning of the instrument tube walls and spring relative to the in-core instrumentation 16 . preferably, the instrument tube is constructed from zircaloy and the spring is construction from stainless steel though it should be appreciated that other reactor core materials may similarly be employed, i.e., relatively high temperature materials having a relatively low neutron capture cross-section that can withstand the reactor core environment. a second embodiment, which is a variation on the embodiment just described with regards to figs. 4 and 5 is illustrated in figs. 6 and 7 . like reference characters are used for the corresponding components between the two embodiments, though it should be appreciated that the dimensions of some of those components may vary from one embodiment to the other. as stated previously the dimensions are provided merely as an example and are not critical so long as the foregoing criteria are satisfied. the embodiment shown in fig. 6 includes the same smooth walled instrument tube with an inside diameter of 0.900 inches (2.29 cm) and an outside diameter of 0.980 inches (2.49 cm) that is captured between the top nozzle 12 and bottom nozzle 14 as previously stated with regard to the embodiment shown in fig. 4 . a thimble spring 46 is closely received within the instrumentation tube 10 with a closed pitch at either end and a larger pitch, e.g., 1 inch pitch in the intermediate region as mentioned previously. the spring shown in fig. 6 has a slightly smaller outside diameter of 0.848 inches (2.15 cm), but as previously mentioned that is not critical. a thimble tube 50 is closely received within the annular opening of the spring and spans the axial length of the instrumentation tube 10 from the top surface of the bottom nozzle to the top end of the instrumentation tube received within the top nozzle 12 . the thimble tube is flared at its lower end 52 and captures the thimble spring 46 between the outside surface of the thimble tube 50 and the interior surface of the instrument tube 10 . the thimble tube is sized to center the in-core instrument, e.g., an inside diameter of 0.552 inch (1.40 cm) and an outside diameter of 0.626 inch (1.59 cm). the thimble spring 46 is in close proximity to the inner wall of the instrument tube 10 and acts as a spacer between the instrument tube 10 and the thimble tube 50 . the thimble tube 50 provides the guide path for the in-core instrumentation 16 , which is inserted into the fuel assembly instrument tube 10 from the bottom of the reactor before operation of the reactor is started and is withdrawn before the fuel assembly is moved. in one embodiment the in-core instrumentation thimble assembly 50 is captured between the top and bottom nozzles 12 , 14 and may be retained in the instrument tube 10 by preloaded the thimble spring 46 within the instrument tube 10 . the thimble tube 50 and thimble spring 46 may be sized to accommodate any size in-core instrumentation. the dimples in the prior art instrument tube previously employed for centering the in-core instrumentation are at their limit and can only center the larger outside diameter designed in-core instruments. thus, the improvement of this invention can center in-core instruments over any outside diameter range that can be accommodated by the inside diameter of the instrumentation tube and can operate with both bulged and welded instrument tube to fuel rod spacer grid connections. a third embodiment of this invention is illustrated in fig. 8 and employs an alignment tube 54 that is inserted into a smooth, non dimpled, instrumentation tube 10 . the alignment tube 54 contains pairs of ovalized regions 56 , 58 that are oriented orthogonally to one another, thereby locally reducing the effective inside diameter (the minor diameter) of the tube 54 . the ovalized tube 54 can center the smaller diameter in-core instruments as well as support the preferred bulged instrument tube-to-spacer grid connection. the ovalized regions 56 , 58 , shown in cross section in figs. 8 b and 8 c , perform the function previously served by the dimples in the prior art instrument tube, i.e., center the in-core instrument within the instrumentation tube. the outside and inside diameters of the alignment insert tube 54 is selected such that when ovalized, the major outside diameter of the oval region would center the tube within the instrumentation tube while the minor diameter would center the in-core instrumentation which is inserted within the alignment tube 54 . as with the prior art dimpled design, the use of orthogonal pairs of ovalized sections limits the positioning of the in-core instruments in both orthogonal directions. use of the ovalized tube offers two distinct advantages over the current dimple design; in that the non dimpled instrumentation tube 10 is compatible with both bulging and welding for attaching the grids 26 to guide thimble tubes 24 and the ovalized tube concept is compatible with smaller in-core instrumentation diameters than can be accommodated by a dimpled instrumentation tube, due to material deformation limitation of the dimples. the ovalization approach does not suffer from the material limitation since the ovalization process induces significantly less strain in the tube for a given effective diameter than the dimple tube concept. orthogonally oriented pairs of ovalized regions 56 , 58 could be located on the same spacing as the current dimples, however, the spacing is not restricted by the spacer grid locations as the dimples are, so there is added flexibility in spacing the ovalized regions. securing the ovalized alignment tube 54 within the instrumentation tube 10 could be accomplished in a variety of ways including bugling the two tubes together at the top or the bottom, threading the ovalized tube to the lower end fitting via an end plug, or preloading the tube against the top and bottom nozzles with a helical spring which is also contained within the instrumentation tube 10 . accordingly, a number of embodiments have been described, in accordance with this invention, that enable centering of in-core instruments of the narrow-most practical diameter while still enabling a rigid connection between the grid straps and the instrumentation tube by bugling or welding. while the specific embodiments have been described in detail it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various other modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. accordingly, the particular embodiments disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention, which is to be given the full breath of the appended claims and any and all equivalence thereof.
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071-789-164-860-59X
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G06F21/62,G06F9/54,G06F16/25,G06F21/53,H04L9/30,H04L9/32,H04L29/06,H04L29/08
| 2018-01-22T00:00:00 |
2018
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[
"G06",
"H04"
] |
technologies for integrating and sandboxing web resources
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systems, methods, and computer-readable media for integrating web resources are provided. a resource provider proxy service (rpps) may download and cache whitelisted resources from a third party service (3ps). once whitelisted resources are downloaded to the rpps from the 3ps, a secure endpoint service may expose the resources to applications running on user systems. the resources served to the user system applications may be virtually isolated from one another in separate domains using a sandboxing framework. other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
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1. one or more non-transitory computer-readable media (ntcrm) having instructions to cause a computing server, in response to execution of the instructions by a hardware processor of the computing server to provide a resource provider proxy service (rpps) for a multi-tenant database, to: maintain a configuration object having descriptions of one or more domains of one or more third party services (3ps) that are valid for the rpps to respectively obtain resources of the 3ps for various user systems of various tenants of the multi-tenant database, the descriptions of the one or more domains of the one or more 3ps being consistent with corresponding content security policies (csp) of the user systems specifying 3ps domains which resources may be consumed by applications of the user systems, the configuration object further including access information for manifests associated with sets of the 3ps resources to be respectively served as single objects to the user systems, and each manifest having metadata of one of the sets of 3ps resources to be served as a single object; identify and access a manifest among the manifests for one of the user systems, using the access information of the identified manifest indicated by the configuration object; obtain, from one or more of the one or more domains of the one or more 3ps, a set of 3ps resources indicated by the accessed manifest to be served as a single object; and serve the single object including the obtained set of 3ps resources, wherein individual resources of the served 3ps resources are executed independently on the one user system from other resources. 2. the ntcrm of claim 1 , wherein the rpps is to: navigate to access the manifest the accessed manifest being hosted by the 3ps; identify from the accessed manifest a resource name of each resource of the set of 3ps resources to be served as a single object. 3. the ntcrm of claim 2 , wherein to obtain the set of 3ps resources from the one or more domains of the one or more 3ps, the rpps is to: obtain, from the one or more domains of the one or more 3ps, each resource having a resource name that matches a resource name indicated by the accessed manifest. 4. the ntcrm of claim 3 , wherein the rpps is to further: generate, for each obtained 3ps resource, a first hash using a hashing algorithm; determine, for each obtained 3ps resource, a second hash of a resource signature indicated by the accessed manifest; and control storage, in a web cache system, of the obtained 3ps resources having a first hash that matches a corresponding second hash. 5. the ntcrm of claim 4 , wherein, to determine the second hash, the rpps is to: decrypt the resource signature of each obtained 3ps resource using a public key indicated by the accessed manifest. 6. the ntcrm of claim 4 , wherein the rpps is to further: generate, for the 3ps resources to be stored in the web cache system, a timestamp; and control storage of the timestamp in the web cache system or in a memory location that is separate from the web cache system. 7. the ntcrm of claim 6 , wherein the timestamp is to indicate a time at which the 3ps resources to be stored in the web cache system were obtained from the one or more domains of the one or more 3ps, a time at which the 3ps resources to be stored in the web cache system are verified, or a time at which the 3ps resources to be stored in the web cache system are stored in the web cache system. 8. the ntcrm of claim 5 , wherein the rpps is to further: determine, prior to serving the single object, whether the set of 3ps resources are stored in the web cache system; and serve the set of 3ps resources from the web cache system without generating a signature for each 3ps resource when the set of 3ps resources are stored in the web cache system. 9. the ntcrm of claim 1 , wherein the rpps is to further: receive, from the one user system, a request for the single object; authenticate the one user system; and establish a secure encrypted link with the one user system upon proper authentication of the one user system. 10. the ntcrm of claim 1 , wherein the rpps is to further: generate individual sandboxes for individual resources of the set of 3ps resources; and generate the single object to include the individual sandboxes. 11. the ntcrm of claim 10 , wherein, to generate the individual sandboxes, the rpps is to further: generate secure versions of the individual resources. 12. an application server comprising: a processor system including a hardware processor, and a communication system coupled to the processor system to operate a resource provider proxy service (rpps) for a multi-tenant database to: maintain a configuration object having a description of one or more domains of one or more third party services (3ps) that are valid for the rpps to respectively obtain resources of the 3ps for various user systems of various tenants of the multi-tenant database, the description of the one or more domains of the one or more 3ps being consistent with content security policies (csp) of the user systems specifying 3ps domains which resources may be consumed by applications of the user systems, the configuration object further including access information for manifests associated with sets of the 3ps resources to be respectively served as single objects to the user systems, and each manifest having metadata of one of the sets of 3ps resources to be served as a single object; identify 3ps resources that have names that match resource names indicated by the one manifest for one of the user systems; identify a single object having the identified 3ps resources to be served to the one user system, wherein individual resources of the identified 3ps resources are to be executed or rendered independently on the one user system from other resources; access the one manifest using an address indicated by the configuration object, the manifest being hosted by a server of one of the one or more third party service (3ps); obtain, from the one or more domains of the one or more 3ps, the 3ps resources with names matching the resource names indicated by the one manifest; and serve the single object including the obtained 3ps resources into a sandboxed environment of the one user system, wherein individual resources of the served resources are executed or rendered in a browser or application container on the one user system, independently from other resources. 13. the application server of claim 12 , further comprising: a memory system including a cache system, and wherein the rpps is to: generate a first hash using a hashing algorithm for each of the obtained 3ps resources; determine a second hash for each of the obtained 3ps resources indicated by the manifest; and control storage, in the cache system, of the 3ps resources having one of the first hashes that matches a corresponding one of the second hashes. 14. the application server of claim 13 , wherein, to determine the second hash, the rpps is to: identify a resource signature of each of the obtained 3ps resources, the resource signature being indicated by the one manifest; identify a public key associated with the 3ps, the public key being indicated by the one manifest; and decrypt the resource signature of each of the obtained 3ps resources using the public key, and decryption of the resource signature is to produce the second hash of each of the obtained 3ps resources. 15. the application server of claim 13 , wherein the rpps is to: generate a timestamp for each of the 3ps resources to be stored in the cache system; and control storage of the timestamp in the cache system or in a memory location that is separate from the cache system, wherein the timestamp is to indicate a time at which the 3ps resources to be stored in the web cache system were obtained, a time at which the 3ps resources to be stored in the web cache system are verified, or a time at which the 3ps resources to be stored in the web cache system are stored in the web cache system.
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copyright notice a portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. the copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the united states patent and trademark office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. technical field one or more implementations relate generally to database systems and computer networks, and in particular to systems and methods for integrating multiple web resources into a single object or document. background in multi-tenant database systems, customer organizations (also referred to as “tenants”, “orgs”, “tenant orgs”, “tenants/orgs”, or the like) may share database resources in one logical database. the databases themselves are typically shared, and each tenant is typically associated with an organization identifier (org id) column or field that may be used to identify rows or records belonging to each tenant. users of a multi-tenant database system (e.g., a tenant/organization (org) or developers associated with the tenant) may develop applications or platforms that interact or integrate with the multi-tenant database system and utilize data from an associated tenant space. the applications/platforms may obtain data from the associated tenant space to render/display visual representations of relevant tenant data. in some cases, the applications/platforms may utilize tenant data for interacting with clients, and may include program code or script(s) that call an application programming interface (api) to obtain and manipulate data, create and execute the sending of various messages based on various triggering events, and/or other like functions. some orgs may provide multiple resources, applications, or platforms that correspond with different services or products. at least some of these orgs may wish to integrate multiple resources or applications (or micro-applications) into a same web object (e.g., a webpage, a web application, etc.) even though these resources and/or applications may be hosted by multiple separate servers. in addition, some orgs may wish to integrate content items served from various content providers or partner companies separate from the org into the single web object or application. examples of such resources/applications may include social network widgets, advertising network content, or the like. as tenants/orgs increasingly develop applications that rely on multiple content and resource sources, webpage sizes continues to rise and content/resources may be served to user systems that are not fully controlled by the multi-tenant database system. this may cause security and performance related issues to arise. the conventional solution for incorporating multiple webpages into a single web object is to use the hypertext markup language (html) inline frames (iframe). iframes allow a browser window to be split into multiple segments where each segment can display different documents or resources from the same or different servers. this may allow a main window/iframe running a main application to be isolated from third party code running in other secondary windows/iframes. additionally, the third party code may be prevented from accessing main window domain session cookies and session information. iframes also have a sandbox attribute that allows a developer to define restrictions for the type of content that may be displayed in an iframe. however, integration is difficult when using iframes because each frame runs in its own context and requires an api to allow different iframes (and content therein) to communicate with one another. furthermore, the use of iframes may also reduce performance of code execution and graphics rendering. brief description of the drawings the included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve to provide examples of possible structures and operations for the disclosed inventive systems, apparatus, methods and computer-readable storage media. these drawings in no way limit any changes in form and detail that may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed implementations. fig. 1a shows a block diagram of an example environment in which an on-demand database service can be used according to some implementations. fig. 1b shows a block diagram of example implementations of elements of fig. 1a and example interconnections between these elements according to some implementations. fig. 2a shows a system diagram of example architectural components of an on-demand database service environment according to some implementations. fig. 2b shows a system diagram further illustrating example architectural components of an on-demand database service environment according to some implementations. fig. 3 shows an arrangement in which various embodiments discussed herein may be practiced. fig. 4 shows an example process for practicing the various embodiments discussed herein. fig. 5 shows an example caching process for consuming resources in accordance with various example embodiments. fig. 6 illustrates a process for creating a digital signature, and authenticating and verifying the digital signature, in accordance with various embodiments. detailed description embodiments discussed herein provide mechanisms to integrate multiple web resources or documents into a single browser window. various embodiments provide for the integration of web resources into a single browser window without using hypertext markup language (html) inline frames (iframes). in embodiments, a resource provider proxy service (rpps) may download and cache whitelisted resources from a third party service (3ps). in some embodiments, the rpps may be a content delivery network (cdn) servlet or virtual cdn proxy server running on a web server, an application (app) server, or other like device(s). once whitelisted resources are downloaded to the rpps from the 3ps, a secure endpoint service may serve/expose the resources to user systems running web apps. in this way, the web apps can have sandboxed resources using a content security policy (csp), which only allows specified domains to be connected to the rpps. since the csp restricts resources to be consumed only from the specified domains, the embodiments allow orgs/developers to control the particular content that can be run inside the web apps. furthermore, little to no browser changes are required to implement this aspect of the embodiments since modern browser specifications impose csp restrictions and make sure that only specified domain resources are consumed. when 3ps resources are loaded on the user system, the resources may be virtually isolated from one another in separate domains using a sandboxing framework. examples of systems, apparatus, computer-readable storage media, and methods according to the disclosed implementations are described in this section. these examples are being provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of the disclosed implementations. it will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that the disclosed implementations may be practiced without some or all of the specific details provided. in other instances, certain process or method operations, also referred to herein as “blocks,” have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring of the disclosed implementations. other implementations and applications are also possible, and as such, the following examples should not be taken as definitive or limiting either in scope or setting. in the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific implementations. although these disclosed implementations are described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the implementations, it is to be understood that these examples are not limiting, such that other implementations may be used and changes may be made to the disclosed implementations without departing from their spirit and scope. for example, the blocks of the methods shown and described herein are not necessarily performed in the order indicated in some other implementations. in some other implementations, the disclosed methods may include more or fewer blocks than are described. as another example, some blocks described herein as separate blocks may be combined in some other implementations. conversely, what may be described herein as a single block may be implemented in multiple blocks in some other implementations. additionally, the conjunction “or” is intended herein in the inclusive sense where appropriate unless otherwise indicated; that is, the phrase “a, b or c” is intended to include the possibilities of “a,” “b,” “c,” “a and b,” “b and c,” “a and c” and “a, b and c.” some implementations may refer to the term “tenant,” which may include a group of users who share common access with specific privileges to a software instance. a multi-tenant architecture, such as those discussed herein, may provide a tenant with a dedicated share of a software instance typically including one or more of tenant specific data, user management, tenant-specific functionality, configuration, customizations, non-functional properties, associated applications, etc. multi-tenancy contrasts with multi-instance architectures, where separate software instances operate on behalf of different tenants. as used herein, the term an “instance” may refer to a concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during execution of program code, and the terms “instantiate”, “instantiation”, and the like may refer to the creation of an instance. as used herein, an “object” may refer to an instance of a class, and may include one or more variables, data structures, functions, methods, database elements, etc. and may have a memory location and a value that are referenced by an identifier. as used herein, the term “computing resource”, “hardware resource”, etc., may refer to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, and/or physical or virtual component within a particular device, such as computer devices, mechanical devices, memory space, processor/cpu time and/or processor/cpu usage, hardware time or usage, electrical power, input/output operations, ports or network sockets, channel/link allocation, throughput, and/or the like. as used herein, the term “network resource” may refer to computing resources that are accessible by computer devices via a communications network. as used herein, the term “web resource” or the like may refer to any resource that is accessible or retrievable from a remote system or device. examples of web resources may include any hardware/computing resources, network resources, software resources, and resources created or developed for web/distributed applications. as used herein, the term “web resource” may refer to both the resource itself and the address (e.g., uniform resource locator (url)) used to access/retrieve the web resource. in some implementations, the users described herein are users (or “members”) of an interactive online “enterprise social network,” also referred to herein as an “enterprise social networking system,” an “enterprise collaborative network,” or more simply as an “enterprise network.” such online enterprise networks are increasingly becoming a common way to facilitate communication among people, any of whom can be recognized as enterprise users. one example of an online enterprise social network is chatter®, provided by salesforce.com, inc. of san francisco, calif. salesforce.com, inc. is a provider of enterprise social networking services, customer relationship management (crm) services and other database management services, any of which can be accessed and used in conjunction with the techniques disclosed herein in some implementations. these various services can be provided in a cloud computing environment as described herein, for example, in the context of a multi-tenant database system. some of the described techniques or processes can be implemented without having to install software locally, that is, on computing devices of users interacting with services available through the cloud. while the disclosed implementations may be described with reference to chatter® and more generally to enterprise social networking, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the disclosed techniques are neither limited to chatter® nor to any other services and systems provided by salesforce.com, inc. and can be implemented in the context of various other database systems such as cloud-based systems that are not part of a multi-tenant database system or which do not provide enterprise social networking services. example system overview fig. 1a shows a block diagram of an example of an environment 10 in which an on-demand database service can be used in accordance with some implementations. the environment 10 includes user systems 12 , a network 14 , a database system 16 (also referred to herein as a “cloud-based system”), a processor system 17 , an application platform 18 , a network interface 20 , tenant database 22 for storing tenant data 23 , system database 24 for storing system data 25 , program code 26 for implementing various functions of the system 16 , and process space 28 for executing database system processes and tenant-specific processes, such as running applications as part of an application hosting service. in some other implementations, environment 10 may not have all of these components or systems, or may have other components or systems instead of, or in addition to, those listed above. in embodiments, the tenant data storage 22 , the system data storage 24 , and/or some other data store (not shown) may include extract-load-transform (elt) data or extract-transform-load (etl) data, which may be raw data extracted from various sources and normalized (e.g., indexed, partitioned, augmented, canonicalized, etc.) for analysis and other transformations. in some embodiments, the raw data may be loaded into the tenant data storage 22 , the system data storage 24 , and/or some other data store (not shown) and stored as key-value pairs, which may allow the data to be stored in a mostly native form without requiring substantial normalization or formatting. in some implementations, the environment 10 is an environment in which an on-demand database service exists. an on-demand database service, such as that which can be implemented using the system 16 , is a service that is made available to users outside of the enterprise(s) that own, maintain or provide access to the system 16 . as described above, such users generally do not need to be concerned with building or maintaining the system 16 . instead, resources provided by the system 16 may be available for such users' use when the users need services provided by the system 16 ; that is, on the demand of the users. some on-demand database services can store information from one or more tenants into tables of a common database image to form a multi-tenant database system (mts). the term “multi-tenant database system” can refer to those systems in which various elements of hardware and software of a database system may be shared by one or more customers or tenants. for example, a given application server may simultaneously process requests for a great number of customers, and a given database table may store rows of data such as feed items for a potentially much greater number of customers. a database image can include one or more database objects. a relational database management system (rdbms) or the equivalent can execute storage and retrieval of information against the database object(s). application platform 18 can be a framework that allows the applications of system 16 to execute, such as the hardware or software infrastructure of the system 16 . in some implementations, the application platform 18 enables the creation, management and execution of one or more applications developed by the provider of the on-demand database service, users accessing the on-demand database service via user systems 12 , or third party application developers accessing the on-demand database service via user systems 12 . in some implementations, the system 16 implements a web-based customer relationship management (crm) system. for example, in some such implementations, the system 16 includes application servers configured to implement and execute crm software applications as well as provide related data, code, forms, renderable web pages and documents and other information to and from user systems 12 and to store to, and retrieve from, a database system related data, objects, and web page content. in some mts implementations, data for multiple tenants may be stored in the same physical database object in tenant database 22 . in some such implementations, tenant data is arranged in the storage medium(s) of tenant database 22 so that data of one tenant is kept logically separate from that of other tenants so that one tenant does not have access to another tenant's data, unless such data is expressly shared. the system 16 also implements applications other than, or in addition to, a crm application. for example, the system 16 can provide tenant access to multiple hosted (standard and custom) applications, including a crm application. user (or third party developer) applications, which may or may not include crm, may be supported by the application platform 18 . the application platform 18 manages the creation and storage of the applications into one or more database objects and the execution of the applications in one or more virtual machines in the process space of the system 16 . the applications of the application platform 18 may be developed with server-side programming languages, such as php, java and/or java server pages (jsp), node.js, asp.net, and/or any other like technology that renders html. the applications may be built using a platform-specific and/or proprietary development tool and/or programming languages, such as salesforce® apex and/or the like. according to some implementations, each system 16 is configured to provide web pages, forms, applications, data and media content to user (client) systems 12 to support the access by user systems 12 as tenants of system 16 . as such, system 16 provides security mechanisms to keep each tenant's data separate unless the data is shared. if more than one mts is used, they may be located in close proximity to one another (for example, in a server farm located in a single building or campus), or they may be distributed at locations remote from one another (for example, one or more servers located in city a and one or more servers located in city b). as used herein, each mts could include one or more logically or physically connected servers distributed locally or across one or more geographic locations. additionally, the term “server” is meant to refer to a computing device or system, including processing hardware and process space(s), an associated storage medium such as a memory device or database, and, in some instances, a database application (for example, oodbms or rdbms) as is well known in the art. it should also be understood that “server system” and “server” are often used interchangeably herein. similarly, the database objects described herein can be implemented as part of a single database, a distributed database, a collection of distributed databases, a database with redundant online or offline backups or other redundancies, etc., and can include a distributed database or storage network and associated processing intelligence. the network 14 can be or include any network or combination of networks of systems or devices that communicate with one another. for example, the network 14 can be or include any one or any combination of a local area network (lan), a wireless lan (wlan), wide area network (wan), telephone network, wireless network, cellular network, point-to-point network, star network, token ring network, hub network, or other appropriate configuration including proprietary and/or enterprise networks, or combinations thereof. the network 14 can include a transfer control protocol and internet protocol (tcp/ip) network, such as the global internetwork of networks often referred to as the “internet” (with a capital “i”). the internet will be used in many of the examples herein. however, it should be understood that the networks that the disclosed implementations can use are not so limited, although tcp/ip is a frequently implemented protocol. the network 14 may comprise one or more network elements, each of which may include one or more processors, communications systems (e.g., including network interface controllers, one or more transmitters/receivers connected to one or more antennas, etc.), and computer readable media. examples of such network elements may include wireless aps (waps), a home/business server (with or without radio frequency (rf) communications circuitry), routers, switches, hubs, radio beacons, (macro or small-cell) base stations, servers (e.g., stand-alone, rack-mounted, blade, etc.), and/or any other like devices/systems. connection to the network 14 may be via a wired or a wireless connection using one or more of the various communication protocols discussed infra. as used herein, a wired or wireless communication protocol may refer to a set of standardized rules or instructions implemented by a communication device/system to communicate with other devices, including instructions for packetizing/depacketizing data, modulating/demodulating signals, implementation of protocols stacks, and the like. connection to the network 14 may require that the various devices and network elements execute software routines which enable, for example, the seven layers of the open systems interconnection (osi) model of computer networking or equivalent in a wireless network. the user systems 12 can communicate with system 16 using tcp/ip and, at a higher network level, other common internet protocols to communicate, such as hypertext transfer protocol (http), file transfer protocol (ftp), andrew file system (afs), wireless application protocol (wap), session initiation protocol (sip) with real-time transport protocol (rtp or secure rtp (srtp), websocket protocol, etc. in an example where http is used, each user system 12 can include an http client commonly referred to as a “web browser” or simply a “browser” for sending and receiving http signals to and from an http server (also referred to as a “web server”) of the system 16 . in this example, each user system 12 may send and receive http messages where a header of each message includes various operating parameters and the body of the such messages may include html, extensible markup language (xml), java script object notion (json), cascading stylesheets (css), javaserver pages (jsp), messagepack™, apache® thrift, abstract syntax notation one (asn.1), google® protocol buffers (protobuf), database objects, or some other like object(s)/document(s). such an http server can be implemented as the sole network interface 20 between the system 16 and the network 14 , but other techniques can be used in addition to or instead of these techniques. in some implementations, the network interface 20 between the system 16 and the network 14 includes load sharing functionality, such as round-robin http request distributors to balance loads and distribute incoming http requests evenly over a number of servers. in mts implementations, each of the servers can have access to the mts data; however, other alternative configurations may be used instead. the user systems 12 can be implemented as any computing device(s) or other data processing apparatus or systems usable by users to access the database system 16 . for example, any of user systems 12 can be a desktop computer, a work station, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a handheld computing device (e.g., personal data assistants (pdas), pagers, portable media player, etc.), a mobile cellular phone (for example, a “smartphone”), or any other wifi-enabled device, wap-enabled device, or other computing device capable of interfacing directly or indirectly to the internet or other network (e.g., network 14 ). the terms “user system”, “computing device”, “computer system”, or the like may be used interchangeably herein with one another and with the term “computer.” as described above, each user system 12 typically executes an http client, for example, a web browsing (or simply “browsing”) program, such as a web browser based on the webkit platform, microsoft's internet explorer browser, apple's safari, google's chrome, opera's browser, or mozilla's firefox browser, and/or the like, to execute and render web applications allowing a user (for example, a subscriber of on-demand services provided by the system 16 ) of the user system 12 to access, process and view information, pages, interfaces, and applications available to it from the system 16 over the network 14 . in other implementations, each user system 12 may operate a user (or third party) application designed to interact with applications of the application platform 18 allowing a user (for example, a subscriber of on-demand services provided by the system 16 ) of the user system 12 to access, process and view information, pages and applications available to it from the system 16 over the network 14 . in some cases, an owner/operator of database system 16 may have pre-built the web or user applications for use by clients, customers, and/or agents of a tenant organization (org) to access a tenant space or enterprise social network of that tenant org. in some cases, developers associated with a tenant org may build custom application(s) for interacting with the tenant data. the user (or third party) application(s) may be native application(s) (e.g., executed and rendered in an application container) or hybrid application(s) (e.g., web applications being executed/rendered in an application container or skeleton). the user (or third party) application(s) may be platform-specific, or developed to operate on a particular type of user system 12 or a particular (hardware and/or software) configuration of a user system 12 . the term “platform-specific” may refer to the platform implemented by the user system 12 , the platform implemented by the database system 16 , and/or a platform of a third party system. in an example, the user systems 12 may implement web, user, or third party applications to request and obtain data from database system 16 , and render graphical user interfaces (guis) in an application container or browser. in some implementations, the guis may include a data analytics gui, such as salesforce® wave™ dashboard, which may provide visual representations of data residing in an enterprise cloud or in an on-demand services environment (e.g., a tenant space within database system 16 ). the guis may include one or more components (e.g., graphical control elements (gces), tabs, reports, dashboards, widgets, pages, etc.). examples of such components may include audio/video calling components, messaging components (e.g., chat, instant messaging, short message service (sms)/multimedia messaging service (mms) messaging, emailing, etc.), and visualization components. the visualization components may enable a user of a user system 12 to select visualization parameters (also referred to as “lens parameters” or “filters”) for displaying data from one or more datasets. a dataset may be a specific view or transformation of data from one or more data sources (e.g., a tenant space of database 22 , etc.). the visualization parameters may include, for example, a selection of data or data type to display from one or more datasets; a particular graph, chart, or map in which to view the selected data; color schemes for the graphs/charts/maps; a position or orientation of the graphs/charts/maps within a particular gui, etc. the graphs/charts/maps to be displayed may be referred to as a “lens” or a “dashboard”. a lens may be a particular view of data from one or more datasets, and a dashboard may be a collection of lenses. in some implementations, a gui may display lenses, dashboards, and/or control panels to alter or rearrange the lenses/dashboards. furthermore, the various application(s) discussed herein may also enable the user system 12 to provide authentication credentials (e.g., user identifier (user id), password, personal identification number (pin), digital certificates, etc.) to the database system 16 so that the database system 16 may authenticate the identity of a user of the user system 12 . the web, user, or third party application(s) discussed herein may be a software, program code, logic modules, application packages, etc. that are built using website development tools and/or programming languages, such as html, css, javascript, jquery, and the like; and/or using platform-specific development tools and/or programming languages (e.g., salesforce® apex, salesforce® visualforce®, salesforce® lightning®, salesforce® wave™ dashboard designer, salesforce® force.com® ide, android® studio™ integrated development environment (ide), apple® ios® software development kit (sdk), etc.). furthermore, such applications may utilize a suitable querying language to query and store information in an associated tenant space, such as structure query language (sql), object query language (oql), salesforce® oql (soql), salesforce® object search language (sosl), salesforce® analytics query language (saql), and/or other like query languages. each user system 12 typically includes an operating system (os) to manage computer hardware and software resources, and provide common services for various applications. the os may include one or more drivers and/or apis that provide an interface to hardware devices thereby enabling the os and applications to access hardware functions. in some embodiments, the os may include middleware that may connect two or more separate applications or connect applications with underlying hardware components beyond those available from os and/or the drivers/apis. the os may be a general purpose operating system or an operating system specifically written for and tailored to the user system 12 . each user system 12 also typically includes one or more user input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch pad, a touch screen, a pen or stylus or the like, for interacting with a gui provided by the browser on a display (for example, a monitor screen, liquid crystal display (lcd), light-emitting diode (led) display, among other possibilities) of the user system 12 in conjunction with pages, forms, applications and other information provided by the system 16 or other systems or servers. for example, the user interface device can be used to access data and applications hosted by system 16 , and to perform searches on stored data, and otherwise allow a user to interact with various gui pages that may be presented to a user. as discussed above, implementations are suitable for use with the internet, although other networks can be used instead of or in addition to the internet, such as an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (vpn), a non-tcp/ip based network, any lan or wan or the like. the users of user systems 12 may differ in their respective capacities, and the capacity of a particular user system 12 can be entirely determined by permissions (permission levels) for the current user of such user system. for example, where a salesperson is using a particular user system 12 to interact with the system 16 , that user system can have the capacities allotted to the salesperson. however, while an administrator is using that user system 12 to interact with the system 16 , that user system can have the capacities allotted to that administrator. where a hierarchical role model is used, users at one permission level can have access to applications, data, and database information accessible by a lower permission level user, but may not have access to certain applications, database information, and data accessible by a user at a higher permission level. thus, different users generally will have different capabilities with regard to accessing and modifying application and database information, depending on the users' respective security or permission levels (also referred to as “authorizations”). according to some implementations, each user system 12 and some or all of its components are operator-configurable using applications, such as a browser, including computer code executed using one or more central processing units (cpus) and/or other like computer processing devices (see e.g., processor system 12 b of fig. 1b ). similarly, the system 16 (and additional instances of an mts, where more than one is present) and all of its components can be operator-configurable using application(s) including computer code to run using the processor system 17 , which may include one or more cpus/processors. examples of the processors/cpus of processor system 17 may include one or multiple intel pentium® or xeon® processors, one or more amd epyc® processors, or the like. the system 16 includes tangible computer-readable media having non-transitory instructions stored thereon/in that are executable by or used to program a server (e.g., the app servers 100 or other servers discussed herein) or other computing system (or collection of such servers or computing systems) to perform some of the implementation of processes described herein. for example, computer program code 26 can implement instructions for operating and configuring the system 16 to intercommunicate and to process web pages, applications and other data and media content as described herein. in some implementations, the computer code 26 can be downloadable and stored on a hard disk, but the entire program code, or portions thereof, also can be stored in any other volatile or non-volatile memory medium or device as is well known, such as a rom or ram, or provided on any media capable of storing program code, such as any type of rotating media including floppy disks, optical discs, digital versatile disks (dvd), compact disks (cd), microdrives, and magneto-optical disks, and magnetic or optical cards, nanosystems (including molecular memory ics), or any other type of computer-readable medium or device suitable for storing instructions or data. additionally, the entire program code, or portions thereof, may be transmitted and downloaded from a software source over a transmission medium, for example, over the internet, or from another server, as is well known, or transmitted over any other existing network connection as is well known (for example, extranet, vpn, lan, etc.) using any communication medium and protocols (for example, tcp/ip, http, https, ethernet, etc.) as are well known. it will also be appreciated that computer code for the disclosed implementations can be realized in any programming language that can be executed on a server or other computing system such as, for example, c, c++, html, any other markup language, java™, javascript, activex, any other scripting language, such as vbscript, and many other programming languages as are well known may be used. (java™ is a trademark of sun microsystems, inc.). fig. 1b shows a block diagram of example implementations of elements of fig. 1a and example interconnections between these elements according to some implementations. that is, fig. 1b also illustrates environment 10 , but fig. 1b , various elements of the system 16 and various interconnections between such elements are shown with more specificity according to some more specific implementations. additionally, in fig. 1b , the user system 12 includes a processor system 12 a, a memory system 12 b, an input system 12 c, an output system 12 d, and a communications system 12 e. the processor system 12 a can include any suitable combination of one or more processors, such as one or more central processing units (cpus) including single-core or multi-core processors (such as those discussed herein), one or more graphics processing units (gpus), one or more field-programmable gate arrays (fpgas), or any other electronic circuitry capable of executing program code and/or software modules to perform arithmetic, logical, and/or input/output operations. as examples, the processor system 12 a may include intel® pentium® or core™ based processor(s); advanced micro devices (amd) ryzen® processor(s) or accelerated processing units (apus); a5-a9 processor(s) from apple® inc., snapdragon™ processor(s) from qualcomm® technologies, inc., texas instruments, inc.® open multimedia applications platform (omap)™ processor(s); or the like. the memory system 12 b can include any suitable combination of one or more memory devices, such as volatile storage devices (e.g., random access memory (ram), dynamic ram (dram), etc.) and non-volatile memory device (e.g., read only memory (rom), flash memory, etc.). the memory system 12 b may store program code for various applications (such as the various application discussed herein) for carrying out the procedures, processes, methods, etc. of the embodiments discussed herein, as well as an operating system (os) and one or more databases. the os may manage computer hardware and software resources, and provide common services for the applications via one or more drivers and/or apis that provide an interface to hardware devices thereby enabling the os and applications to access hardware functions. the memory system 12 b may also include middleware that may connect two or more separate applications or connect applications with underlying hardware components beyond those available from os and/or the drivers/apis. the os may be a general-purpose operating system or an operating system specifically written for and tailored to the user system 12 . the input system 12 c can include any suitable combination of input devices, such as one or more touchscreen interfaces, keyboards, mice, trackballs, scanners, cameras, or interfaces to networks. the output system 12 d can include any suitable combination of output devices, such as one or more display devices, printers, or interfaces to networks. the communications system 12 e may include circuitry for communicating with a wireless network or wired network. communications system 12 e may be used to establish a link 15 (also referred to as “channel 15 ,” ‘networking layer tunnel 15 ,” and the like) through which the user system 12 may communicate with the database system 16 . communications system 12 e may include one or more processors (e.g., baseband processors, network interface controllers, etc.) that are dedicated to a particular wireless communication protocol (e.g., wi-fi and/or ieee 802.11 protocols), a cellular communication protocol (e.g., long term evolution (lte) and the like), a wireless personal area network (wpan) protocol (e.g., ieee 802.15.4-802.15.5 protocols, bluetooth or bluetooth low energy (ble), etc.), and/or a wired communication protocol (e.g., ethernet, fiber distributed data interface (fddi), point-to-point (ppp), etc.). the communications system 12 e may also include hardware devices that enable communication with wireless/wired networks and/or other user systems 12 using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a solid or non-solid medium. such hardware devices may include switches; filters; amplifiers; antenna elements; wires, ports/receptacles/jacks/sockets, and plugs; and the like to facilitate the communications over the air or through a wire by generating or otherwise producing radio waves to transmit data to one or more other devices, and converting received signals into usable information, such as digital data, which may be provided to one or more other components of user system 12 . to communicate (e.g., transmit/receive) with the database system 16 , the user system 12 using the communications system 12 e may establish link 15 with network interface 20 of the database system 16 . in fig. 1b , the network interface 20 is implemented as a set of http application servers 100 1 - 100 n . each application server 100 (also referred to herein as an “app server”, an “application programming interface (api) server”, a “worker node”, and/or the like) is configured to communicate with tenant database 22 and the tenant data 23 therein, as well as system database 24 and the system data 25 therein, to serve requests received from the user systems 12 . the tenant data 23 can be divided into individual tenant storage spaces 112 , which can be physically or logically arranged or divided. within each tenant storage space 112 , user storage 114 and application metadata 116 can similarly be allocated for each user. for example, a copy of a user's most recently used (mru) items can be stored to user storage 114 . similarly, a copy of mru items for an entire organization that is a tenant can be stored to tenant storage space 112 . the process space 28 includes system process space 102 , individual tenant process spaces 104 and a tenant management process space 110 . the application platform 18 includes an application setup mechanism 38 that supports application developers' creation and management of applications. such applications and others can be saved as metadata into tenant database 22 by save routines 36 for execution by subscribers as one or more tenant process spaces 104 managed by tenant management process 110 , for example. invocations to such applications can be coded using pl/soql 34 , which provides a programming language style interface extension to api 32 . a detailed description of some pl/soql language implementations is discussed in commonly assigned u.s. pat. no. 7,730,478, titled method and system for allowing access to developed applications via a multi-tenant on-demand database service, by craig weissman, issued on jun. 1, 2010, and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. invocations to applications can be detected by one or more system processes, which manage retrieving application metadata 116 for the subscriber making the invocation and executing the metadata as an application in a virtual machine. the system 16 of fig. 1b also includes a user interface (ui) 30 and an api 32 to system 16 resident processes to users or developers at user systems 12 . in some other implementations, the environment 10 may not have the same elements as those listed above or may have other elements instead of, or in addition to, those listed above. each application server 100 can be communicably coupled with tenant database 22 and system database 24 , for example, having access to tenant data 23 and system data 25 , respectively, via a different network connection 15 . for example, one application server 100 1 can be coupled via the network 14 (for example, the internet), another application server 100 n-1 can be coupled via a direct network link 15 , and another application server 100 n can be coupled by yet a different network connection 15 . transfer control protocol and internet protocol (tcp/ip) are examples of typical protocols that can be used for communicating between application servers 100 and the system 16 . however, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that other transport protocols can be used to optimize the system 16 depending on the network interconnections used. in some implementations, each application server 100 is configured to handle requests for any user associated with any organization that is a tenant of the system 16 . in this regard, each application server 100 may be configured to perform various database functions (e.g., indexing, querying, etc.) as well as formatting obtained data (e.g., elt data, etl data, etc.) for various user interfaces to be rendered by the user systems 12 . because it can be desirable to be able to add and remove application servers 100 from the server pool at any time and for various reasons, in some implementations there is no server affinity for a user or organization to a specific application server 100 . in some such implementations, an interface system implementing a load balancing function (for example, an f5 big-ip load balancer) is communicably coupled between the application servers 100 and the user systems 12 to distribute requests to the application servers 100 . in one implementation, the load balancer uses a least-connections algorithm to route user requests to the application servers 100 . other examples of load balancing algorithms, such as round robin and observed-response-time, also can be used. for example, in some instances, three consecutive requests from the same user could hit three different application servers 100 , and three requests from different users could hit the same application server 100 . in this manner, by way of example, system 16 can be a multi-tenant system in which system 16 handles storage of, and access to, different objects, data and applications across disparate users and organizations. in one example storage use case, one tenant can be a company that employs a sales force where each salesperson uses system 16 to manage aspects of their sales. a user can maintain contact data, leads data, customer follow-up data, performance data, goals and progress data, etc., all applicable to that user's personal sales process (for example, in tenant database 22 ). in an example of a mts arrangement, because all of the data and the applications to access, view, modify, report, transmit, calculate, etc., can be maintained and accessed by a user system 12 having little more than network access, the user can manage his or her sales efforts and cycles from any of many different user systems. for example, when a salesperson is visiting a customer and the customer has internet access in their lobby, the salesperson can obtain critical updates regarding that customer while waiting for the customer to arrive in the lobby. while each user's data can be stored separately from other users' data regardless of the employers of each user, some data can be organization-wide data shared or accessible by several users or all of the users for a given organization that is a tenant. thus, there can be some data structures managed by system 16 that are allocated at the tenant level while other data structures can be managed at the user level. because an mts can support multiple tenants including possible competitors, the mts can have security protocols that keep data, applications, and application use separate. also, because many tenants may opt for access to an mts rather than maintain their own system, redundancy, up-time, and backup are additional functions that can be implemented in the mts. in addition to user-specific data and tenant-specific data, the system 16 also can maintain system level data usable by multiple tenants or other data. such system level data can include industry reports, news, postings, and the like that are sharable among tenants. in some implementations, the user systems 12 (which also can be client systems) communicate with the application servers 100 to request and update system-level and tenant-level data from the system 16 . such requests and updates can involve sending one or more queries to tenant database 22 or system database 24 . the system 16 (for example, an application server 100 in the system 16 ) can automatically generate one or more sql statements (for example, one or more sql queries) designed to access the desired information. system database 24 can generate query plans to access the requested data from the database. the term “query plan” generally refers to one or more operations used to access information in a database system. each database can generally be viewed as a collection of objects, such as a set of logical tables, containing data fitted into predefined or customizable categories. as used herein, a “database object”, “data object”, or the like may refer to any representation of information in a database that is in the form of an object or tuple, and may include variables, data structures, functions, methods, classes, database records, database fields, database entities, associations between data and database entities (also referred to as a “relation”), and the like. a “table” is one representation of a data object, and may be used herein to simplify the conceptual description of objects and custom objects according to some implementations. it should be understood that “table” and “data(base) object” may be used interchangeably herein. each table generally contains one or more data categories logically arranged as columns or fields in a viewable schema. each row or element of a table can contain an instance of data for each category defined by the fields. for example, a crm database can include a table that describes a customer with fields for basic contact information such as name, address, phone number, fax number, etc. another table can describe a purchase order, including fields for information such as customer, product, sale price, date, etc. in some mts implementations, standard entity tables can be provided for use by all tenants. for crm database applications, such standard entities can include tables for case, account, contact, lead, and opportunity data objects, each containing pre-defined fields. as used herein, the term “entity” also may be used interchangeably with “object” and “table.” in some mts implementations, tenants are allowed to create and store custom objects, or may be allowed to customize standard entities or objects, for example by creating custom fields for standard objects, including custom index fields. commonly assigned u.s. pat. no. 7,779,039, titled custom entities and fields in a multi-tenant database system, by weissman et al., issued on aug. 17, 2010, and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety and for all purposes, teaches systems and methods for creating custom objects as well as customizing standard objects in a multi-tenant database system. in some implementations, for example, all custom entity data rows are stored in a single multi-tenant physical table, which may contain multiple logical tables per organization. it is transparent to customers that their multiple “tables” are in fact stored in one large table or that their data may be stored in the same table as the data of other customers. fig. 2a shows a system diagram illustrating example architectural components of an on-demand database service environment 200 according to some implementations. a client machine communicably connected with the cloud 204 , generally referring to one or more networks in combination, as described herein, can communicate with the on-demand database service environment 200 via one or more edge routers 208 and 212 . a client machine can be any of the examples of user systems 12 described above. the edge routers can communicate with one or more core switches 220 and 224 through a firewall 216 . the core switches can communicate with a load balancer 228 , which can distribute server load over different pods, such as the pods 240 and 244 . the pods 240 and 244 , which can each include one or more servers or other computing resources, can perform data processing and other operations used to provide on-demand services. communication with the pods can be conducted via pod switches 232 and 236 . components of the on-demand database service environment can communicate with database storage 256 through a database firewall 248 and a database switch 252 . as shown in figs. 2a and 2b , accessing an on-demand database service environment can involve communications transmitted among a variety of different hardware or software components. further, the on-demand database service environment 200 is a simplified representation of an actual on-demand database service environment. for example, while only one or two devices of each type are shown in figs. 2a and 2b , some implementations of an on-demand database service environment can include anywhere from one to several devices of each type. also, the on-demand database service environment need not include each device shown in figs. 2a and 2b , or can include additional devices not shown in figs. 2a and 2b . additionally, it should be appreciated that one or more of the devices in the on-demand database service environment 200 can be implemented on the same physical device or on different hardware. some devices can be implemented using hardware or a combination of hardware and software. thus, terms such as “data processing apparatus,” “machine,” “server” and “device” as used herein are not limited to a single hardware device, rather references to these terms can include any suitable combination of hardware and software configured to provide the described functionality. the cloud 204 is intended to refer to a data network or multiple data networks, often including the internet. client machines communicably connected with the cloud 204 can communicate with other components of the on-demand database service environment 200 to access services provided by the on-demand database service environment. for example, client machines can access the on-demand database service environment to retrieve, store, edit, or process information. in some implementations, the edge routers 208 and 212 route packets between the cloud 204 and other components of the on-demand database service environment 200 . for example, the edge routers 208 and 212 can employ the border gateway protocol (bgp). the bgp is the core routing protocol of the internet. the edge routers 208 and 212 can maintain a table of ip networks or ‘prefixes’, which designate network reachability among autonomous systems on the internet. in some implementations, the firewall 216 can protect the inner components of the on-demand database service environment 200 from internet traffic. the firewall 216 can block, permit, or deny access to the inner components of the on-demand database service environment 200 based upon a set of rules and other criteria. the firewall 216 can act as one or more of a packet filter, an application gateway, a stateful filter, a proxy server, or any other type of firewall. in some implementations, the core switches 220 and 224 are high-capacity switches that transfer packets within the on-demand database service environment 200 . the core switches 220 and 224 can be configured as network bridges that quickly route data between different components within the on-demand database service environment. in some implementations, the use of two or more core switches 220 and 224 can provide redundancy or reduced latency. in some implementations, the pods 240 and 244 perform the core data processing and service functions provided by the on-demand database service environment. each pod can include various types of hardware or software computing resources. an example of the pod architecture is discussed in greater detail with reference to fig. 2b . in some implementations, communication between the pods 240 and 244 is conducted via the pod switches 232 and 236 . the pod switches 232 and 236 can facilitate communication between the pods 240 and 244 and client machines communicably connected with the cloud 204 , for example via core switches 220 and 224 . also, the pod switches 232 and 236 may facilitate communication between the pods 240 and 244 and the database storage 256 . in some implementations, the load balancer 228 can distribute workload between the pods 240 and 244 . balancing the on-demand service requests between the pods can assist in improving the use of resources, increasing throughput, reducing response times, or reducing overhead. the load balancer 228 may include multilayer switches to analyze and forward traffic. in some implementations, access to the database storage 256 is guarded by a database firewall 248 . the database firewall 248 can act as a computer application firewall operating at the database application layer of a protocol stack. the database firewall 248 can protect the database storage 256 from application attacks such as structure query language (sql) injection, database rootkits, and unauthorized information disclosure. in some implementations, the database firewall 248 includes a host using one or more forms of reverse proxy services to proxy traffic before passing it to a gateway router. the database firewall 248 can inspect the contents of database traffic and block certain content or database requests. the database firewall 248 can work on the sql application level atop the tcp/ip stack, managing applications' connection to the database or sql management interfaces as well as intercepting and enforcing packets traveling to or from a database network or application interface. in some implementations, communication with the database storage 256 is conducted via the database switch 252 . the multi-tenant database storage 256 can include more than one hardware or software components for handling database queries. accordingly, the database switch 252 can direct database queries transmitted by other components of the on-demand database service environment (for example, the pods 240 and 244 ) to the correct components within the database storage 256 . in some implementations, the database storage 256 is an on-demand database system shared by many different organizations as described above with reference to figs. 1a and 1b . fig. 2b shows a system diagram further illustrating example architectural components of an on-demand database service environment according to some implementations. the pod 244 can be used to render services to a user of the on-demand database service environment 200 . in some implementations, each pod includes a variety of servers or other systems. the pod 244 includes one or more content batch servers 264 , content search servers 268 , query servers 282 , file force servers 286 , access control system (acs) servers 280 , batch servers 284 , and app servers 288 . the pod 244 also can include database instances 290 , quick file systems (qfs) 292 , and indexers 294 . in some implementations, some or all communication between the servers in the pod 244 can be transmitted via the switch 236 . in some implementations, the app servers 288 include a hardware or software framework dedicated to the execution of procedures (for example, programs, routines, scripts) for supporting the construction of applications provided by the on-demand database service environment 200 via the pod 244 . in some implementations, the hardware or software framework of an app server 288 is configured to execute operations of the services described herein, including performance of the blocks of various methods or processes described herein. in some alternative implementations, two or more app servers 288 can be included and cooperate to perform such methods, or one or more other servers described herein can be configured to perform the disclosed methods. in various implementations, the app servers 288 may be the same or similar to the app servers 100 discussed herein. the content batch servers 264 can handle requests internal to the pod. some such requests can be long-running or not tied to a particular customer. for example, the content batch servers 264 can handle requests related to log mining, cleanup work, and maintenance tasks. the content search servers 268 can provide query and indexer functions. for example, the functions provided by the content search servers 268 can allow users to search through content stored in the on-demand database service environment. the file servers 286 can manage requests for information stored in the file storage 298 . the file storage 298 can store information such as documents, images, and basic large objects (blobs). by managing requests for information using the file force servers 286 , the image footprint on the database can be reduced. the query servers 282 can be used to retrieve information from one or more file systems. for example, the query system 282 can receive requests for information from the app servers 288 and transmit information queries to the nfs 296 located outside the pod. the pod 244 can share a database instance 290 configured as a multi-tenant environment in which different organizations share access to the same database. additionally, services rendered by the pod 244 may call upon various hardware or software resources. in some implementations, the acs servers 280 control access to data, hardware resources, or software resources. in some implementations, the batch servers 284 process batch jobs, which are used to run tasks at specified times. for example, the batch servers 284 can transmit instructions to other servers, such as the app servers 288 , to trigger the batch jobs. in some implementations, a qfs 292 is an open source file system available from sun microsystems® of santa clara, calif. the qfs can serve as a rapid-access file system for storing and accessing information available within the pod 244 . the qfs 292 can support some volume management capabilities, allowing many disks to be grouped together into a file system. file system metadata can be kept on a separate set of disks, which can be useful for streaming applications where long disk seeks cannot be tolerated. thus, the qfs system can communicate with one or more content search servers 268 or indexers 294 to identify, retrieve, move, or update data stored in the network file systems 296 or other storage systems. in some implementations, one or more query servers 282 communicate with the nfs 296 to retrieve or update information stored outside of the pod 244 . the nfs 296 can allow servers located in the pod 244 to access information to access files over a network in a manner similar to how local storage is accessed. in some implementations, queries from the query servers 282 are transmitted to the nfs 296 via the load balancer 228 , which can distribute resource requests over various resources available in the on-demand database service environment. the nfs 296 also can communicate with the qfs 292 to update the information stored on the nfs 296 or to provide information to the qfs 292 for use by servers located within the pod 244 . in some implementations, the pod includes one or more database instances 290 . the database instance 290 can transmit information to the qfs 292 . when information is transmitted to the qfs, it can be available for use by servers within the pod 244 without using an additional database call. in some implementations, database information is transmitted to the indexer 294 . indexer 294 can provide an index of information available in the database 290 or qfs 292 . the index information can be provided to file force servers 286 or the qfs 292 . web resource integration and sandboxing embodiments fig. 3 shows an arrangement 300 in which an app server 100 of the database system 16 may interact with a user system 12 and a third party service (3ps) 370 via a proxy 375 in accordance with various embodiments. in fig. 3 , like numbered items are as described with respect to figs. 1a-2b (although not all items shown by figs. 1a-2b are shown by fig. 3 ). in the example shown by fig. 3 , the app server 100 may include a processor system 100 a, which may be the same or similar to processor system 17 and/or processor system 12 a discussed previously; memory system 100 b, which may be the same or similar to program code 26 and/or memory system 12 b discussed previously; and a communication system 100 e, which may be the same or similar to network interface 20 and/or communication system 12 e discussed previously. referring to the user system 12 , the memory system may include application (app) 340 . app 340 may be a web, native, or hybrid application designed to run on the user system 12 , and used to access and manipulate tenant data as discussed previously. the app 340 may also access the resource 315 via app server 100 in a same or similar manner as discussed previously. for example, the processor system 12 a implementing the app 340 may be capable generating a request 325 for an object 316 , and may control sending of the request 325 to the app server 100 . in response, the app server 100 may send a response 327 including the requested object 316 to the user system 12 . the object 316 included in the response 327 may include, for example, one or more resources 315 including program code (e.g. javascript code, ajax code, etc.), web objects (e.g., html, xml, json, css, messagepack™, apache® thrift, asn.1, google® protobuf, or the like or other like documents; and/or content including audio, image, video, etc.), database objects (dbos) (e.g., datasets, fields, records, data elements, data values, etc.), and/or the like. upon receipt of the response 327 , the app 340 may control execution, rendering or display of the object 316 in an application container or browser. the request 325 and response 327 may be any suitable message type or format, such as an http message, a session initiation protocol (sip) message, real-time transport protocol (rtp) message, extensible messaging and presence protocol (xmpp) message, and/or the like. in embodiments, the app 340 may be configured to consume content only from tenant org domains (e.g., a domain of 3ps 370 ). in such embodiments, the application container or browser of the user system 12 may enforce content restrictions to all the usages which are not specified/whitelisted by a content security policy (csp) 341 . the csp 341 may be a configuration, policy, or other like document that allows website/platform owners/operators to declare approved origins of content or resources 315 that browsers and/or application containers are allowed to load for that website/platform. as examples, covered resource types may include, inter alia, javascript, css, html frames, web workers (e.g., javascript running in the background and independently of an html page), fonts, images, embeddable objects such as java applets, activex, audio and video files, and other html5 features. csps is a very widely used tool in any web applications for security content boundaries. various rules in this policy ensures that browser ensures only allowed network traffic and content consumption an example csp 341 of the app 340 is shown by table 1. table 1example csp 341policy directivefeature usage1content-security-policy2base-uri3block-all-mixed-content4child-src5connect-srcallows network traffic to be connected6default-src7disown-opener8font-srcallow font to be downloaded.9form-action10frame-ancestors11frame-src12img-srcallow image to be download.13manifest-src14media-srcallow media content to download.15navigation-to16object-src17plugin-types18referrer19report-sample20report-to21report-uri22require-sri-for23sandbox24script-srcallow 3ps 370 script code to executed.25strict-dynamic26style-srcallow 3ps 370 style code to executed.27upgrade-insecure-requests28worker-src in the example of table 1, the csp 341 allows network traffic to be connected to the user system 12 , and allows fonts, images, and media to be downloaded to the user system 12 . additionally, the csp 341 of app 340 only allows for javascript (‘script-src’) and css (‘style-src’) of the main domain of 3ps 370 to be executed within the browser or application container of app 340 . in this case, the application container or browser may make sure that javascript and css content will only be served from the 3ps 370 main domain and not from any other domain(s). the script-src and style-src policy directives may be the most insecure policy directives listed in table 1. as mentioned previously, these directives allow the browser or application container to run any 3ps 370 content in the browser or application container. if the app 340 opens up these two policy directives with 3ps 370 content, it may be difficult to restrict security of the app 340 because code of the 3ps 370 may access the app 340 cookies and session data. according to various embodiments, script-src, style-src, and/or other resource 315 types may be restricted to be consumed only from main application domain. as further discussed infra, the user system 12 may consume resources 315 from the rpps 305 because the rpps 305 may be hosted in the app 340 domain and may authenticate trusted resources 315 integrity. moreover, once the 3ps 370 resources 315 are consumed by the user system 12 from the rpps 305 , those resources 315 may only be used within corresponding sandbox environments. these sandbox environments may only allow a very limited subset of api access to the resources 315 , which are secure to use and may not compromise the resources 315 . the 3ps 370 may be a user/tenant of the database system 16 (e.g., a tenant/organization (org) or developers associated with the tenant) that may develop applications and/or platforms that interact and/or integrate with the database system 16 and utilize data from an associated tenant space in tenant db 22 . the 3ps 370 may develop and/or generate various web resources 315 (also referred to as “resources 315 ”) that utilize data obtained from an associated tenant space to render/display visual representations of relevant tenant data. when the resources 315 are obtained and rendered in/by an application 340 container or browser of the user system 12 , the resources 315 may provide components (gces, widgets, tabs, reports, dashboards, pages, etc.) that allow the user of the user system 12 to access, render, and manipulate data in the tenant space. for ease of illustration, fig. 3 shows the 3ps 370 as a single entity; however, in various implementations the 3ps 370 may comprise one or multiple hardware devices (e.g., one or more servers and/or storage devices), where different sets or groupings of devices may provide different resources 315 for different applications or platforms. issues may arise when the 3ps 370 wishes to integrate some or all of these resources 315 into a same web object or webpage even though these resources 315 may be provided by different sets/groups of devices. this is because resource integration is difficult when using html inline frames (iframes) because each iframe runs in its own context and requires an api to allow different iframes (and content therein) to communicate with one another. issues may also arise when the 3ps 370 would like to provide bug fixes, feature updates, branding, etc. to their resources 315 in alignment with a regular release cycle, which may be more frequent than release cycles of the database system 16 . this is because user systems 12 can execute code hosted by the 3ps 370 (including code provided by other systems/platforms separate from the 3ps 370 ), which is not controlled by the database system 16 and may lead to security breaches. in embodiments, the app server 100 may implement a resource provider proxy service (rpps) 305 to proxy the resources 315 from resources of the database system 16 . referring to the app server 100 , the memory system 100 b may store program code of the rpps 305 (and elements/components therein) to implement the various mechanisms, functions, processes, etc. for integrating and sandboxing resources 315 as described herein. in some implementations, the program code may comprise software, modules, logic, programs, servlets, applets, apps, and/or other executable code for causing the processor system 100 a to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. in one example, the rpps 305 may comprise one or more content delivery network (cdn) servlets or a virtual cdn proxy servers (collectively referred to as “cdns”, “cdn servers”, or the like). these cdn servers may offload resources 315 from cdns associated with the 3ps 370 to a main domain or tenant space of the 3ps 370 in the database system 16 . in this way, the resources 315 may be served by the app server 100 from the 3ps 370 main domain, and the app 340 does not need to consume content from the cdns associated with the 3ps 370 . these proxy servers however will serve only trusted signed content. further description about this proxy cdn servers are mentioned below in embodiments, the rpps 305 may implement a user system end-point service (ueps) 306 to serve and/or expose 3ps 370 services (e.g., including one or more resources 315 ) to user systems 12 running the app 340 over secure link 15 s . the secure link 15 s may be a secure version of the network connection 15 discussed previously, which may be used for communicating the requests 325 and responses 327 . the ueps 306 may create an endpoint in the app 340 , which may allow the rpps 305 to service requests 325 . in some implementations, the ueps 306 may only service valid requests 325 based on correct session cookies, and may send http error codes in responses 327 where a request 325 is invalid. in some implementations, the ueps 306 may expose valid request attributes so that caller can be easily distinguished and identified. the ueps 306 may enable the app 340 to be served within object 316 having sandboxed resources 315 using a csp, which only allows specified domains (e.g., the 3ps 370 and/or other tenant/orgs of the database system 16 ) to be connected to the rpps 305 . since the csp restricts resources to be consumed only from the specified domains, the embodiments allow orgs/developers to control the particular content that can be run inside the app 340 . furthermore, where browsers are used, little to no changes are required to implement such embodiments since modern browsers impose csp restrictions and make sure that only specified domain resources are consumed. once the object 316 is loaded on the user system 12 , the resources 315 making up the object 316 may be virtually isolated from one another in separate domains using a sandboxing framework or some other suitable mechanism. in one example, the resources 315 may be sandboxed using eval( ) function in javascript. in another example, the resources 315 may be sandboxed using the salesforce® lockerservice framework, which provides client side javascript sandboxing by isolating individual components in their own containers or wrappers, and only allowing components to access one another using supported apis. for instance, lockerservice implicitly enables javascript es5 strict mode, and only allows a component to traverse a document object model (dom) and access elements created by a component in the same namespace. additionally, lockerservice applies restrictions to global references by providing secure versions of non-intrinsic objects, such as window. these secure objects may be referred to as “secure wrappers”, “wrappers”, or the like. a component can interact with a secure wrapper in the same way as with the non-intrinsic object, but the secure wrappers filters access to the object and its properties and expose only a subset of the api of the underlying objects. other sandboxing frameworks may be used in other embodiments, such as browser or client-side sandboxing frameworks (e.g., jsand, ecmascript (ses), conscript, contego, webjail, nx framework, joshuawise, self-protecting javascript (spjs), adsentry, web workers, web components, etc.); server-side third party code enforcement sandboxing frameworks may be used (e.g., adsafe, adsafety, and facebook js), which require third party code to conform with various policies or structures; server-side code transformation sandboxing frameworks (e.g., google® caja, jacaranda, websandbox, etc.), which statically analyze and rewrite third party code on the server side into a safe version; and/or other server-side code transformation sandboxing frameworks (e.g., browsershield, browser-enforced embedded policies (beep), etc.), which instrument third party code with extra checks that mediate access to certain functionality. in embodiments, the rpps 305 may also implement a 3ps end-point service (3eps) 307 to connect with server(s) of the 3ps 370 , caching resources 315 , managing 3ps 370 authenticity/authorization, etc. over a secure link 15 s that is the same or similar to the secure link 15 s between the app server 100 and user system 12 . examples of the secure links 15 s may include, inter alia, transport layer security (tls), secure sockets layer (ssl), http secure (https), or some other suitable secure channel or tunnel mechanism. the rpps 305 may also include or implement a caching mechanism to obtain and store 3ps 370 resources 315 to avoid unnecessary resource 315 fetching from the 3ps 370 and to serve existing and/or new user requests more efficiently. the caching mechanism may include any suitable system, program code, etc. that, upon receipt, temporarily stores requested resources 315 in cache 322 . the caching mechanism may include aspects of web caching mechanisms and database (db) caching mechanisms. a web caching mechanism may temporarily store web objects, and a db caching mechanism may temporarily store dbos from a multi-tier, multi-tenant db system, such as db system 16 . in some implementations, various components throughout the delivery path (e.g., intermediate nodes or hops), including proxy 375 may also cache items to speed up subsequent requests 320 , subject to the caching policies for the resources 315 . as an example, the caching mechanism may cache responses 327 to requests 325 and specific resources 315 associated with the requests 325 according to certain rules, policies, configurations, etc. when an object 316 includes a reference or link to the cached resources 315 , the caching mechanism may redirect subsequent requests 325 for those resources 315 from the originating location of the requested resources 315 (e.g., a url of one or more servers of the 3ps 370 ) to the cache 322 of the app server 100 , or to another app server 100 that is closest to the user system 12 . in various embodiments, the caching mechanism of the rpps 305 may deliver or serve an object 316 to the user system 12 , which includes or otherwise integrates various resources 315 . for example, the object 316 may be a web document that embeds, references, or otherwise incorporates one or more external resources 315 (e.g., using the source (src) attribute in the script, embed, image (img), audio, and/or video html tags; using the relationship (rel) attribute in the anchor (a), link, and/or area html tags; using the open( ) method in ajax or xmlhttprequest (xhr); using loadstrings, loadjson, loadxml, loadtable in p5.js of the processing programming language; using doc.load(xml) or variants thereof in salesforce® apex; and/or the like), and the external resources 315 may be served to the user system 12 from the cache 322 rather than from the 3ps 370 and/or partner service providers. in some embodiments, such as when the object 316 includes code (e.g., javascript or the like) for providing streaming services (e.g., for calling or video conferencing applications, interactive gaming applications, etc.), external references 315 may be served from the 3ps 370 during a loading or rendering process of the object 316 . in these embodiments, the rpps 305 may instruct the 3eps 307 to establish an endpoint with the 3ps 370 to ensure that 3ps 370 traffic is communicated to the user system 12 and/or that user system 12 traffic is communicated to the 3ps 370 . to cache the resources 315 , the rpps 305 may generate a request 320 for various resources 315 , and may send the request 320 to the proxy 375 for delivery to the 3ps 370 . the proxy 375 may forward the request 320 to the 3ps 370 . in response to receipt of the request 320 , the 3ps 370 may generate a response 321 that includes the requested resources 315 , which may be sent to the proxy 375 and delivered to the app server 100 . upon receipt of the response 321 , the rpps 305 may store the obtained resources 315 in cache 322 . in some implementations, the caching mechanism may store resources 315 for a period of time (e.g., a number of hours, days, weeks, months, etc.), which may be predefined or configured (e.g., indicated by the aforementioned caching policies). in these cases, the caching mechanism may control storage of the resources in cache 322 , as well as generate and control storage of a time stamp (in the cache 322 or some other memory location) to indicate a receipt time of the resources 315 . additionally, upon receipt of a valid request 325 for external resource(s) 315 of an object 316 , the caching mechanism may check the time stamp of the requested resource(s) 315 , and the caching mechanism may then serve the requested resource(s) 315 from the cache 322 if the time stamp is less than the cache time period. otherwise, the rpps 305 may send a request 320 to the 3ps 370 for the requested resource(s) 315 if the time stamp is greater than or equal to the cache time period. the cache 322 may be any dedicated (physical or logical) memory area or region that may be used to store resources 315 . in most embodiments, the cache 322 may be a web/db caching system implemented by the database system 16 , a virtual proxy server, or the like. in these embodiments, the cache 322 may be a reserved section (or set of memory locations) of the memory system 100 b. in some implementations, the cache 322 may include or may be embodied as one or more cache memory devices that the processor system 100 a can access more quickly than other types of memory (for example, such as an on-die cache, an on-processor cache, or an off-die cache that resides on same system on chip (soc), system in package (sip) as the processor system 100 a). in embodiments the rpps 305 may only obtain (and cache) resources 315 from known endpoints that are specified/defined in/by a configuration object 310 (also referred to as a “whitelist”). the configuration object 310 may describe the resources 315 that are valid for the rpps 305 to consume and how to consume such resources 315 . for example, the configuration object 310 may indicate a file path to a manifest file for the resources 315 hosted by the 3ps 370 , a domain name system (dns) lookup/resolution for the manifest file path and pointing to the servers of the 3ps 370 , name(s) of the resources 315 , version number(s) of the resources 315 , and the like. in embodiments, each component of an app 340 may have a corresponding configuration object 310 , which indicates resource(s) 315 to be consumed for that component and a css for that component. an example configuration object 310 is shown by table 1. table 2example configuration object 310resourceobjectname: “initjsproduction”,manifest: https://<hostname>/production/manifest.xml,name: <resourcenametofindinmanifest>,version: <versionnumber>resourceobjectname: “initjsstaging”,manifest: https://<hostname>/latest/manifest.xml,name: <resourcenametofindinmanifest>,version: <versionnumber> in table 2, the “resourceobjectname” field may indicate a name of resource(s) 315 of the 3ps 370 . in some implementations, the name of resource(s) 315 may be a code name for the resource(s) 315 used by the rpps 305 . the “manifest” field may indicate a path to a manifest file 311 for the resource(s) 315 . this file path may be an http secure (https) path or url of the manifest file 311 hosted by the 3ps 370 . in this example, the manifest file is in xml, however, the manifest 311 may be in any other suitable format such as json, messagepack™, apache® thrift, asn.1, google® protobuf, or the like. the “name” field may indicate a name of the resource(s) 315 to find from the manifest file 311 , which may be useful when the manifest file 311 indicates multiple resources 315 with different names. the “version” field may indicate a desired version of the resource(s) 315 to consume. although not shown by table 2, the configuration object 310 may also include a “dnsmanifest” field to indicate a dns lookup/resolution for the manifest file path, which may point to the 3ps 370 servers. the manifest file 311 may include metadata or other like information for a group of resources 315 that are part of a coherent unit, such as a single web object to be served to a user system 12 . the manifest file 311 may include or indicate a list of resources 315 including version numbers, an address of each listed resource 315 , a signature for each listed resource 315 , a public key to be used with a signing algorithm in order to decode valid resources 315 . in some implementations, the metadata of the manifest file 311 may also include structure or assembly information detailing how the resources 315 are to be structured and synchronized together. an example manifest file 311 is shown by table 3. table 3example manifest file 311{publickeyinfo: {value: “<publickey>”},component1: {initjs: {[{version: ″1.2.3″,url: ″https://abc.xyz.com/v123/widget.js″,signature: ″<signature>″},{version: ″2.3.4″,url: ″https://abc.xyz.com/v234/widget.js″,signature: ″<signature>″},{version: ″3.4.5″,url: ″https://abc.xyz.com/v345/widget.js″,signature: ″<signature>″}]},componentcss: {[{version: ″1.2.3″,url: ″https://abc.xyz.com/v123/widget.css″,signature: ″<signature>″},{version: ″2.3.4″,url: ″https://abc.xyz.com/v234/widget.css″,signature: ″<signature>″},{version: ″3.4.5″,url: ″https://abc.xyz.com/v345/widget.css″,signature: ″<signature>″}]}}} in table 3, the “publickeyinfo” field may indicate or include a public key to be used with a signing algorithm in order to decode valid resources 315 . the manifest file 311 also includes a list of resources 315 , which as listed by table 3 are “component1” and “componentcss”. each of the listed components may include one or multiple urls for accessing a resource 315 and may list a corresponding version number and a corresponding signature. in the example of table 3, the component1 includes urls for accessing three different versions of a initjs resource and the componentcss includes urls for accessing three different versions of a css to be used in conjunction with the component1. with respect to the listed signatures, when a resource 315 is downloaded to the rpps 305 , the rpps 305 may construct a signature using a suitable security algorithm and the public key indicated by the manifest 315 . the rpps 305 may compare the constructed signature with a signature indicated by the manifest 311 , and if the signatures match, then the rpps 305 may store the resource in the cache 322 and may serve the resource 315 to the user system 12 . the signatures may be generated using any suitable cryptographic algorithm and/or hashing function including, inter alia, elliptic curve cryptography (ecc), elliptic curve cryptography digital signature algorithm (ecdsa), rivest-shamir-adleman (rsa) cryptography, advanced encryption system (aes) algorithm, a triple data encryption algorithm (3des), a secure hash algorithm (sha), and the like. the user systems 12 and app server 100 of arrangement 300 may operate according to the procedure discussed with regard to fig. 4 . figs. 4-7 illustrates various processes for practicing the example embodiments discussed herein. for illustrative purposes, the operations of processes of figs. 4-7 are described as being performed by elements/components/devices shown and described with regard to figs. 1a-3 ; however, other computing devices may operate the depicted processes in a multitude of implementations, arrangements, and/or environments. in embodiments, the processes may be embodied as program code stored in a memory system, which when executed by a processor system of a computer system, causes the computer system to perform the various operations of such processes. while particular examples and orders of operations are illustrated in figs. 4-7 , in various embodiments, these operations may be re-ordered, separated into additional operations, combined, or omitted altogether. fig. 4 illustrates a process 400 for serving resources 315 in accordance with various embodiments. process 400 may begin at operation 402 where the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to read a configuration object 310 and identify a manifest 311 indicated by the configuration object 310 . in some embodiments, multiple configuration objects 310 may be statically loaded upon execution of the app 340 by user system 12 . at operation 404 , the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to fetch the identified manifest file 311 , and at operation 406 , the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to receive the manifest 311 from the 3ps 370 . in embodiments, the rpps 305 may control the communication system 100 e of the app server 100 to navigate to a location of the manifest 311 hosted by the 3ps 370 , and/or to send a request 320 to the 3ps 370 for the manifest 311 , which may include a url or other like address of the manifest 311 hosted by the 3ps 370 . in embodiments, the rpps 305 may parse the manifest file 311 from the 3ps 370 and extract resource configuration information (e.g., url(s) of the resource(s) 315 , version number(s), signature(s) of the resource(s) 315 , and public key information) from the manifest 311 . although not shown by fig. 4 , the rpps 305 may issue an error message (including suitable error codes to indicate a reason for the error) to the 3ps 370 upon obtaining an invalid manifest file 311 or if an error occurs in obtaining the manifest file 311 . at operation 408 , the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to obtain resources 315 from the 370 using the information contained in the manifest 311 . in embodiments, the rpps 305 may download resources 315 using the address indicated by the manifest 311 when the resources 315 have a name that is included or indicated by both the configuration object 310 and the manifest 311 . when the resources 315 are obtained from the 3ps 370 , the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to perform process 500 , where the rpps 305 may verify the resources 315 indicated by the manifest 311 and may store the verified resources in the cache 322 . process 500 may be an authentication (integrity check) procedure for the resources 315 , where the rpps 305 hashes the obtained resources 315 and uses a public key indicated by the manifest 311 to decrypt signatures associated with the resources 315 (“resource signatures”). the decrypted resource signatures may be matched with the hashed resources 315 , where successful match(es) may indicate that the resource(s) 315 are verified as originating from the 3ps 370 and where not tampered with during transit to the app server 100 . once verified, the rpps 305 may store the verified resource(s) 315 in the cache 322 with a time stamp of the verification and/or receipt of the resource(s) 315 and/or the rpps 305 may replace a cache entry for those resources 315 . process 500 is discussed in more detail with regard to fig. 5 . after performing process 500 , the rpps 305 may proceed to perform serving process 598 , which includes operations 410 - 426 . at operation 410 , the rpps 305 may obtain a request 325 for resource(s) 315 from the app 340 implemented by the user system 12 . at operation 412 , the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 and/or the ueps 306 to authenticate the user system 12 , and the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to identify the requested object 316 in the cache 322 . if the requested object 316 is stored in the cache 322 , the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to proceed to operation 414 to send a response 327 with an object 316 to the app 340 implemented by the user system 12 . at operation 416 , the user system 12 may implement the app 340 to load and render the object 316 , which, as discussed previously, may include references or embed external resource(s) 315 . at operation 418 , the user system 12 implementing the app 340 may send an object-resources indicator to the rpps 305 to request external resources 315 to be loaded/rendered in the object 316 . in response, at operation 420 the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to send the resources 315 indicated by the object-resources indicator to the app 349 . at operation 422 , the user system 12 may implement the app 340 to load/render the obtained resources 315 in a window or screen of the object 316 . in embodiments, operations 418 - 422 may take place while the app 340 loads/renders the object 316 and/or in response to various user interactions with the object 316 and/or app 340 (e.g., mouse clicks, mouse-overs, key strokes, touchscreen gestures, etc.). additionally, at operation 422 , upon loading/rendering the various resource(s) 315 , the browser or application container may sandbox or otherwise isolate the various resource(s) 315 from one another. in a first example, the object 316 may include an html tag with the src attribute that has a url as a value (e.g., <img src=“url”>). in this example the src attribute may instruct the browser or application container of the app 340 to send an http message (e.g., get method) to the app server 100 to request the resource 315 located at the url, and the rpps 305 may serve the requested resource 315 from the cache 322 to the app 340 . in the first example, the url may be a relative url (e.g., pointing to a location within a domain of the object, like src “image.jpg”) or an absolute url (e.g., pointing to a location outside of the object's domain, like src=“https://<hostname>/image.jpg”). in a second example, the object 316 may include javascript or other like code that obtains and sends back information (e.g., in an get or post method http message) that is not typically included in an http header, such as an indication that the object 316 is being loaded/rendered, one or more resources 315 to be loaded in the object 316 , user agent information, and/or various user system related information. in response, the rpps 305 may serve the requested resource(s) 315 from the cache 322 to the app 340 . referring back to operation 412 , if the requested object 316 is not in the cache 322 , at operation 424 the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to issue a cache miss indication to the 3ps 370 , and at operation 422 , the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to send a response 327 with an error message (e.g., a suitable http error code or the like) to indicate that the requested object 316 is not available. after operation 418 or 422 , process 400 may end or repeat as necessary. fig. 5 illustrates an example caching process 500 for consuming resources 315 from a tenant org (e.g., 3ps 370 ) in accordance with various example embodiments. in embodiments, process 500 may be performed by the rpps 305 during the process 400 of fig. 4 as discussed previously. process 500 may begin at operation 505 where a processor system 100 a of the app server 100 may implement the rpps 305 to identify a configuration object 310 , a manifest 311 indicated by the configuration object 310 , and resource(s) 315 indicated by the configuration object 310 . at operation 510 , the processor system 100 a may implement the rpps 305 to identify resource(s) 315 indicated by the manifest 311 . at opening loop operation 515 , the processor system 100 a may implement the rpps 305 to process each resource 315 indicated by the configuration object 310 in turn. at operation 520 , the processor system 100 a may implement the rpps 305 to determine whether the resource 315 indicated by the configuration object 310 is also indicated by the manifest 311 . if the resource 315 is not indicated by both the configuration object 310 and the manifest 311 , the rpps 305 may proceed to operation 545 to process a next listed resource 315 , if any. if at operation 520 the rpps 305 determines that the resource 315 is indicated by both the configuration object 310 and the manifest 311 , then the rpps 305 may proceed to operation 525 to obtain the resource 315 from the 3ps 370 . in embodiments, the rpps 305 may obtain the resource 315 , for example, by controlling the communication system 100 e to send a request 320 to the 3ps 370 via proxy 375 and controlling the communication system 100 e to receive a response 321 with the resource 315 from the 3ps 370 via proxy 375 (not shown by fig. 5 ). in some embodiments, the rpps 305 may wait until all resources 315 are processed and send a batch request 320 for multiple resources 315 rather than sending individual requests for individual resources 315 . at operation 525 , the processor system 100 a may implement the rpps 305 to hash the obtained resource 315 and decrypt the resource signature using a public key indicated by the manifest 311 . in some implementations, the resource signature may be listed in the manifest 311 . in other implementations, the rpps 305 may perform an api call to the 3ps 370 to obtain the resource signature, and may issue an error in case the 3ps 370 cannot provide a proper signature. at operation 535 , the processor system 100 a may implement the rpps 305 to determine whether the hashed resource 315 matches the decrypted resource signature. if the hash and signature do not match, the processor system 100 a may implement the rpps 305 to discard the resource 315 and proceed to operation 545 to process a net resource 315 , if any. if the hash and signature do match, at operation 540 the processor system 100 a may implement the rpps 305 to generate a timestamp and store the resource 315 in the cache 322 . the timestamp may be a time of receipt of the resource 315 , a time that the resource 315 was verified (e.g., when operation 535 is performed), or a time when the resource 315 is stored in cache 322 . additionally, at operation 540 the rpps 305 may generate and store other information associated with the resource 315 , such as a resource identifier, address information, request 325 /response 327 information, or the like. this information may be stored in the cache 322 or in a separate database object. after the verified resource 315 is stored in the cache 322 , at operation 545 , the processor system 100 a may implement the rpps 305 to process a next listed resource 315 , if any. after all listed resources 315 have been processed, the processor system 100 a may proceed to operation 550 to end or repeat process 500 as necessary. fig. 6 illustrates a process 600 for creating a digital signature, and authenticating and verifying the digital signature in accordance with various embodiments. process 600 is a cryptographically based signature assurance scheme and is used in the context of public key infrastructure (pm) in which a public key used in the signature scheme is tied or bound to a particular resource 315 . process 600 may be used to provide the app server 100 (or rpps 305 ) with assurance that a resource 315 is obtained from a trusted source (e.g., the 3ps 370 ) and that the resource 315 has not been tampered or altered during transfer of the resource 315 to the app server 100 . in this regard, the app server 100 (or rpps 305 ) may use process 600 to verify the integrity of the resource 315 , the authenticity of the source (e.g., the 3ps 370 ), and that the resource 315 is permitted to be served to user systems 12 . referring now to fig. 6 , process 600 may begin at node 1 where the 3ps 370 may generate a public-private key pair, including public key 605 and private (secret) key 610 . the keys 605 and 610 may be used for encrypting/decrypting resource 315 hashes. in one example, the public-private key pair may be an rsa-2048 key pair, where each key comprises 2048 bits ( 617 decimal digits), and may be generated using suitable unix utilities. some other suitable cryptographic key generation mechanism may be used in other embodiments. at node 2 , the 3ps 370 may calculate a cryptographic hash 615 (also referred to as a “hash signature” or the like) using a resource 315 file as an input to a suitable hash function. in one example, the hash function may be an sha-256 algorithm, and the 3ps 370 may produce a hash 615 having 256 bits using this function. some other suitable cryptographic hash function may be used in other embodiments. at node 3 , the 3ps 370 may generate a digital signature 620 by encrypting the hash 615 using the private key 610 . at node 4 , the 3ps 370 may generate the manifest 311 to indicate the public key 605 , an address of the (unencrypted and unhashed) resource 315 , and the digital signature 620 . at node 5 the rpps 305 may obtain the manifest 311 and the resource 315 . the manifest 311 and resource 315 may be published and/or accessed as discussed previously. at node 6 , may and may calculate a hash 615 x by hashing the obtained resource 315 using the same hashing algorithm used by the 3ps 370 to generate the hash 615 . at node 7 , the rpps 305 may decrypt the digital signature 620 using the public key 605 to obtain the hash 615 y. at node 8 , the rpps 305 may compare hash 615 x with the hash 615 y. if the two hashes 615 x and 615 y do not match, then the resource 315 may have been changed after signing or the digital signature 620 may not have been generated using the private key 610 . in this way, the hash 615 calculated from the resource 315 may provide proof of integrity of the resource 315 , and the encryption of the hash 615 with the private key 610 may provide proof of authenticity of the identity of the 3ps 370 . nodes 6 - 8 of process 600 may correspond with operations 530 - 535 of process 500 depicted by fig. 5 . in some embodiments, the rpps 305 may store the public key 605 indicated by the manifest 311 in cache 322 , and upon additional requests for the resource 315 (or an object 316 referencing or otherwise including the resource 315 ), the rpps 305 may ensure that the exported public key 605 matches with the cached version. if the public key 605 is later changed, the rpps 305 may re-obtain resources 315 and authenticate the resources using the new public key 605 (e.g., by re-performing nodes 5 - 8 ). the specific details of the specific aspects of implementations disclosed herein may be combined in any suitable manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed implementations. however, other implementations may be directed to specific implementations relating to each individual aspect, or specific combinations of these individual aspects. additionally, while the disclosed examples are often described herein with reference to an implementation in which an on-demand database service environment is implemented in a system having an application server providing a front end for an on-demand database service capable of supporting multiple tenants, the present implementations are not limited to multi-tenant databases or deployment on application servers. implementations may be practiced using other database architectures, i.e., oracle®, db2® by ibm and the like without departing from the scope of the implementations claimed. it should also be understood that some of the disclosed implementations can be embodied in the form of various types of hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof, including in the form of control logic, and using such hardware or software in a modular or integrated manner. other ways or methods are possible using hardware and a combination of hardware and software. additionally, any of the software components or functions described in this application can be implemented as software code to be executed by one or more processors using any suitable computer language such as, for example, java, c++ or perl using, for example, existing or object-oriented techniques. the software code can be stored as a computer- or processor-executable instructions or commands on a physical non-transitory computer-readable medium. examples of suitable media include random access memory (ram), read only memory (rom), magnetic media such as a hard-drive or a floppy disk, or an optical medium such as a compact disk (cd) or dvd (digital versatile disk), flash memory, and the like, or any combination of such storage or transmission devices. computer-readable media encoded with the software/program code may be packaged with a compatible device or provided separately from other devices (for example, via internet download). any such computer-readable medium may reside on or within a single computing device or an entire computer system, and may be among other computer-readable media within a system or network. a computer system, or other computing device, may include a monitor, printer, or other suitable display for providing any of the results mentioned herein to a user. while some implementations have been described herein, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. thus, the breadth and scope of the present application should not be limited by any of the implementations described herein, but should be defined only in accordance with the following and later-submitted claims and their equivalents.
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072-136-024-760-691
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US
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[
"US"
] |
E02F3/96,E02F3/43,E02F9/20,E02F9/26
| 2018-03-27T00:00:00 |
2018
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[
"E02"
] |
controlling mobile machines with a robotic attachment
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a robotic machine includes at least one sensor coupled to the robotic machine configured to generate a signal indicative of a worksurface for which a worksurface operation is to be conducted. the robotic machine also includes a machine and robotic control system configured to receive the signal indicative of the worksurface, identify the worksurface operation to be conducted, and generate control signals for an end effector of the robotic machine to carry out the identified worksurface operation.
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1 . a mobile robotic machine, comprising: a mobile machine having a steering and propulsion system controllable by an operator to drive the mobile machine and a first actuator; a robotic attachment operably coupled to the mobile machine and being positioned by the first actuator, the robotic attachment having an end effector that fits a plurality of different tools; a sensor that generates a sensor signal indicative of a characteristic of a worksurface on which a worksurface operation is to be performed using the plurality of different tools, each tool performing a corresponding tool operation, in an operation sequence, and to generate a sensor signal indicative of the characteristic of the worksurface; and a machine and robotic control system, that receives an indication of the worksurface operation to be performed and the sensor signal and generates a control signal to control the end effector to use each of the plurality of different tools, in the operation sequence, to perform the worksurface operation on the worksurface. 2 . the robotic machine of claim 1 wherein the end effector comprises: a tool changer system that carries the plurality of different tools for use by the end effector. 3 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 2 wherein the machine and robotic control system comprises: tool selection logic configured to select one of the plurality of different tools and generate a tool selection signal indicative of the selected tool. 4 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 3 wherein the tool changer system is configured to automatically change a tool being used by the end effector to the selected tool based on the tool selection signal. 5 . the robotic machine of claim 4 wherein the machine and robotic control system comprises: tool path generation logic configured to receive the indication of the worksurface operation and the tool selection signal and determine a tool path over which the selected tool is to pass when performing its corresponding tool operation, and to generate a tool path signal indicative of the tool path. 6 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 5 wherein the machine and robotic control system comprises: tool positioner logic configured to receive the tool path signal and generate a position control signal to control the actuator and the robotic attachment to move the selected tool along the tool path. 7 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 6 and further comprising: tool control logic configured to generate a tool operation control signal to operate the tool as the tool is moved along the travel path, to perform its corresponding tool operation. 8 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 1 wherein the machine and robotic control system comprises: a handheld control system configured to receive a user input signal generated by user actuation of a user input mechanism on a handheld controller and generate a control signal for the first actuator to position the robotic attachment relative to the worksurface such that the sensor generates the sensor signal indicative of the characteristic of the worksurface. 9 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 8 wherein the handheld control system comprises: mapping logic configured to receive the user input signal and access a control map that maps the user input signal to a control signal output, to identify a control signal value based on the control signal output, the handheld control system generating the control signal based on the identified control signal value. 10 . a mobile robotic machine, comprising: a mobile machine having a frame, a propulsion system coupled to the frame and controllable by an operator to drive the mobile machine, a first actuator that drives movement of a portion of the mobile machine relative to the frame and a second actuator; a robotic attachment operably coupled to the mobile machine and being positioned by the movement of second actuator, the robotic attachment having an end effector that fits a tool; a position sensing system, that generates position sensor signals indicative of a position of the robotic attachment relative to the mobile machine and a position of the mobile machine; and a storage control system configured to receive a return-to-storage user input and, based on the return-to-storage user input, automatically controls the first and second actuators to move the mobile machine and the robotic attachment into a predefined storage position. 11 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 10 wherein the robotic attachment comprises: a robotic control actuator that controls movement of a portion of the robotic attachment. 12 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 11 wherein the storage control system is configured to control the robotic control actuator to move the robotic attachment into the predefined storage position. 13 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 12 wherein the storage control system is configured to automatically control the propulsion system to move the mobile machine to the predefined storage position. 14 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 12 wherein the storage control system is configured to receive a return-to-operating user input and, based on the return-to-operating user input, automatically controls the first and second actuators to move the mobile machine and the robotic attachment into a predefined operating position. 15 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 12 wherein the storage control system comprises: storage position identification logic configured to access stored position information that defines the predefined storage position, to identify the predefined storage position; and path identification logic configured to identify a current position of the mobile machine and the robotic attachment and, based on the current position and the predefined storage position, generate a control signal to control the first and second actuators to move the robotic attachment along a travel path to the predefined storage position. 16 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 15 wherein the storage control system comprises: an object sensor configured to sense object presence proximate the travel path; object detection logic configured to detect whether a portion of the mobile machine and robotic attachment will contact the detected object and generate a contact signal indicative of the detected contact; and a control signal generator configured to generate a control signal to control at least one of the first actuator or the second actuator or the propulsion system based on the contact signal. 17 . the mobile robotic machine of claim 11 wherein the storage control system comprises: a handheld control system configured to receive the return-to-storage user input from a handheld controller and to automatically control the first and second actuators. 18 . a method of operating a mobile machine, the method comprising: generating a sensor signal indicative of a characteristic of a worksurface on which a worksurface operation is to be performed using a plurality of different tools carried by an end effector on a robotic attachment that is mounted to the mobile machine, each tool performing a corresponding tool operation, in an operation sequence, to perform the worksurface operation; identifying the worksurface operation to be performed; automatically identifying a given tool, of the plurality of different tools, that is to perform its corresponding operation on the worksurface, based on the worksurface operation identified; automatically generating a tool changer control signal to control a tool changer on the robotic attachment to couple the given tool to the end effector; and automatically generating a tool operation signal to control the end effector to operate the given tool to perform its corresponding tool operation. 19 . the method of operating a mobile machine of claim 18 wherein generating a sensor signal indicative of a characteristic of the worksurface comprises: sensing a position of the given tool relative to a position of the worksurface; generating a position signal indicative of the sensed position of the given tool relative to the position of the worksurface; sensing a condition of the worksurface, the condition being indicative of whether the given tool has completed its corresponding tool operation; and generating a condition signal indicative of the sensed condition of the worksurface. 20 . the method of operating a mobile machine of claim 19 and further comprising: determining that the given tool has completed its corresponding tool operation on the worksurface based on the position signal and the condition signal; automatically identifying a next tool, of the plurality of different tools, to perform a next tool operation in the operation sequence; automatically generating the tool changer control signal to control the tool changer on the robotic attachment to couple the next tool to the end effector; and automatically generating the tool operation signal to control the end effector to operate the next tool to perform its corresponding tool operation.
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field of the description the present description relates to controlling a mobile machine with a robotic attachment. more specifically, the present description relates to controlling a high precision robotic machine using a machine and robotic control system to perform a worksite operation. background there are many different types of work machines. some such work machines include agricultural machines, construction machines, forestry machines, turf management machines, among others. many of these pieces of mobile equipment have mechanisms that are controlled by the operator in performing operations. for instance, a construction machine can have multiple different mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic and electro-mechanical subsystems, among others, all of which can be operated by the operator. construction machines are often tasked with transporting material across a worksite, or into or out of a worksite, in accordance with a worksite operation. different worksite operations may include moving material from one location to another or leveling a worksite, etc. during a worksite operation, a variety of construction machines may be used, including articulated dump trucks, wheel loaders, graders, and excavators, among others. worksite operations may involve a large number of steps or phases and may be quite complex. robotic heads can also be attached to work machines in order to modify or incorporate additional functionality into the work machines. by way of example, in construction operations, a robotic head with an end effector in the form of a material dispenser can replace a bucket on an excavator. once attached, the work machine can dispense material in accordance with a worksite operation. the discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. summary a robotic machine includes at least one sensor coupled to the robotic machine configured to generate a signal indicative of a worksurface for which a worksurface operation is to be conducted. the robotic machine also includes a machine and robotic control system configured to receive the signal indicative of the worksurface, identify the worksurface operation to be conducted, and generate control signals for an end effector of the robotic machine to carry out the identified worksurface operation. this summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. this summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a pictorial illustration showing one example of a mobile machine with which a robotic attachment may be used. fig. 2 is pictorial illustration showing a robotic machine architecture in which a robotic machine, with a machine and robotic control system, is coupled to an external sensor system, a remote system and a transport machine. fig. 3 is a pictorial illustration showing a robotic attachment illustrated in fig. 2 in more detail. fig. 4a is a block diagram of a robotic machine coupled to a machine and robotic control system. fig. 4b is a block diagram of a robotic machine which includes a mobile machine coupled to a robotic attachment through a link. fig. 5 is a block diagram of a handheld controller that may be used to control a robotic machine using a machine and robotic control system. fig. 6 is a block diagram of a tool changer system that may be used to carry out a worksurface operation using a machine and robotic control system. fig. 7 is a block diagram of a machine and robotic control system that may be used to control a robotic machine. figs. 8a-8b are flow diagrams showing one example operation of controlling a robotic machine using a machine and robotic control system illustrated in fig. 7 . fig. 9 is a flow diagram showing one example operation of controlling a robotic machine in accordance with a tuckpointing operation using a machine and robotic control system illustrated in fig. 7 . fig. 10 is a flow diagram showing one example operation of controlling a robotic machine using a handheld controller and a machine and robotic control system illustrated in figs. 5 and 7 respectively. fig. 11 is a flow diagram showing one example operation of storing a robotic machine using a machine and robotic control system illustrated in fig. 7 . fig. 12 is a flow diagram showing one example operation of returning a robotic machine to an operating position using a machine and robotic control system illustrated in fig. 7 . fig. 13 is a block diagram showing one example of a computing environment that can be used in the architecture illustrated in previous figs. detailed description in order to successfully complete a worksite operation, it may be necessary to convert a mobile machine into a high-precision robotic machine. such worksite operations can include forestry operations, construction operations, agricultural operations, turf management operations, etc. additionally, this may include a variety of mobile machines such as excavators, knuckle boom loaders, and other machines. for example, in a forestry operation, a robotic attachment can be attached to a mobile machine, such as an excavator or knuckle boom loader, and used for debarking, processing wood, felling, etc. however, a robotic attachment is often designed with an end effector that carries out a singular function within the context of a worksite operation. in one example, this may include an end effector in the form of a material dispenser that can be used to dispense material (such as mortar) in accordance with the worksite operation. as an end effector is typically configured for a singular function, it may often be desired that a number of different robotic attachments are used to perform the worksite operation. furthermore, controlling the end effector of the robotic machine is often a manual process that requires a user of a mobile machine to correctly position and control the end effector. however, this often leads to error as an operator has to precisely position and operate the end effector along a worksurface in order to successfully complete the worksite operation. for purposes of the present disclosure, a worksurface will be defined as an area within a worksite on which an operation is to be conducted. additionally, after a worksite operation is completed, it is often important that a robotic machine is stored correctly in a proper transport/storage position so as to avoid damage to the end effector and/or other components of the robotic attachment. to position a robotic machine at a transport/storage position, a user is often tasked with moving various linkages of a mobile machine to correctly position the robotic machine for storage. in one example, this includes positioning the robotic machine on a transport machine that transports the robotic machine to a different location. the present description proceeds with respect to a machine and robotic control system that allows for automatic or semi-automatic control of a robotic attachment, that includes an end effector in the form of a tool-changer system, and/or a mobile machine. additionally, the machine and robotic control system allows for control of the robotic attachment and/or mobile machine using a handheld controller, while also automatically or semi-automatically positioning the robotic machine and/or mobile machine in a transport/storage position after a worksite operation is completed. furthermore, when a large load is anticipated or desired to be imparted on the robotic attachment, the machine and robotic control system can generate a control signal to rigidize or secure a number of stronger, more robust, adjustable length members on the robotic attachment to shunt the load from impacts that would otherwise be imparted on finer, lower strength, adjustable length members on the robotic attachment. fig. 1 is a pictorial illustration showing one example of a mobile machine with which a robotic attachment (shown in fig. 2 ) may be used. while mobile machine 100 is illustratively shown as an excavator, it is to be understood that many other mobile machines may be used in accordance with the present description. mobile machine 100 illustratively includes a frame 102 pivotally mounted, via a swing pivot 108 , to an undercarriage 104 with tracks 106 . mobile machine 100 includes a number of linkages (e.g. a movable portion positioned between two joints) that are controlled by a number of actuators. by way of example, this can include a boom 114 and/or an arm 118 controlled by electric or hydraulic actuators (e.g. cylinders 116 , 120 and 122 ). as illustratively shown, frame 102 supports a cab 110 , an engine assembly 112 , a counterweight compartment 126 , boom 114 movably coupled to frame 102 , arm 118 attached to an end of boom 114 , and a bucket 124 attached to an end of arm 118 . in operation, a position of boom 114 relative to frame 102 is controlled by cylinder 116 . a position of arm 118 , relative to boom 114 , is controlled by cylinder 122 . additionally, a position of bucket 124 , relative to arm 118 , is controlled by cylinder 120 . an operator in cab 110 illustratively actuates user input mechanisms to control cylinders 116 , 120 and 122 as well as to control other actuators (such as to swing cab 110 , to move and steer machine 100 , etc.) fig. 2 is pictorial illustration showing a robotic machine architecture in which a robotic machine 200 , with a machine and robotic control system 214 , is coupled to an external sensor system 210 , a remote system 216 and a transport machine 204 over network 212 . as illustratively shown, robotic machine 200 includes mobile machine 100 coupled to a robotic attachment 202 . while robotic machine 200 is coupled to external sensor system 210 , remote system 216 and transport machine 204 , it is contemplated that, in some examples, robotic machine 200 may be coupled to a subset of these systems and/or machines, or, alternatively, additional systems and/or machines. remote system(s) 216 can include a wide variety of different remote systems (or a plurality of remote systems) including a remote computing system accessible by the other items in fig. 2 (e.g., by robotic machine 200 , external sensor system 210 , and/or transport machine 204 ). network 212 can be any of a wide variety of different types of networks, such as a wide area network, a local area network, a near field communication network, a cellular network, or any of a wide variety of other wired or wireless networks or combinations of networks. additionally, transport machine 204 can be a wide variety of different transport machines configured to transport and/or store robotic machine 200 . in one example, transport machine 204 can include a trailer 208 , with cradles 206 , for storing robotic machine 200 during transport. in operation, upon coupling robotic attachment 202 to mobile machine 100 , machine and robotic control system 214 can automatically or semi-automatically control robotic machine 200 . in one example, this includes generating control signals for an end effector of robotic attachment 202 to carry out an identified worksurface operation which can include a construction operation, forestry operation, etc. additionally, this may include controlling various actuators on mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 to position robotic machine 200 at a transport/storage position on transport machine 204 . in other examples, machine and robotic control system 214 can control robotic attachment 202 based on a received user input through a handheld controller, or other user interface device. this will be discussed further with respect to fig. 7 . it will be noted that, in one example, mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 may have their own machine and robotic control system 214 which can communicate with one or more remote systems 216 and/or external sensor system 210 . additionally, parts of machine and robotic control system 214 can be disposed on mobile machine 100 , on robotic attachment 202 and/or a central system. for purposes of the present discussion, it will be assumed that machine and robotic control system 214 is a system on mobile machine 100 that controls robotic machine 200 as will be discussed further, again with respect to fig. 7 . fig. 3 is a pictorial illustration showing one example of robotic attachment 202 illustrated in fig. 2 in more detail. as illustratively shown, robotic attachment 202 includes a stewart platform 302 , sensor(s) 306 and an end effector 304 with a tool changer system 314 . in one example, stewart platform 302 is a robotic platform with multiple strong, robust hydraulic or electric cylinders 308 and fine, low strength hydraulic or electric cylinders 309 between a platform base 310 and a platform table 312 . in operation, cylinders 308 can float while cylinders 309 can drive precise movements of end effector 304 . however, when a load or impact is imparted on attachment 202 (either unexpectedly or expectedly, as part of an operation), machine and robotic control system 214 can generate control signals to lock the stronger hydraulic and/or electric cylinders 308 in place while the finer, lower strength cylinders 309 are allowed to float between platform base 310 and platform table 312 . by locking cylinders 308 , the impact can be shunted using cylinders 308 and corresponding actuators thereby protecting the smaller, higher precision cylinders 309 and/or actuators. while robotic attachment 202 includes stewart platform 302 , with multiple cylinders 308 , 309 , and end effector 304 , and with tool changer system 314 , it is expressly contemplated that other types of robotic attachments 202 can be used in accordance with the present description, depending on a worksite operation. in operation, stewart platform 302 allows for end effector 304 to be moved in multiple degrees of freedom. sensor(s) 306 can include a wide variety of sensors which may include cameras and other optical/vision sensors, distance measurement sensor(s), etc. in operation, sensor signals can be generated and provided to machine and robotic control system 214 in order to generate control signals for end effector 304 , other components of robotic attachment 202 and/or mobile machine 100 . this will be discussed further with respect to fig. 7 . briefly, however, sensor(s) 306 can include one or more optical sensors that generate signals indicative of a worksurface for which a worksite operation is to be conducted. the sensor signals can be provided to machine and robotic control system 214 and used to identify the worksurface, and, based on the identified worksurface, identify a worksurface operation that end effector 304 is to perform. end effector 304 can then be controlled autonomously through machine and robotic control system 214 to perform that operation. fig. 4a is a block diagram of robotic machine 200 coupled to machine and robotic control system 214 . as illustratively shown, robotic machine 200 includes mobile machine 100 coupled to robotic attachment 202 through a link 444 . in operation, machine and robotic control system 214 can be used to generate control signals for a variety of subsystems of machine 200 . machine and robotic control system 214 illustratively includes end effector control system 415 , handheld control system 417 , storage control system 419 , among a variety of other systems 423 . in operation, end effector control system 415 can generate control signals for end effector 304 and actuator(s) on mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 , respectively, based on an identified worksurface operation. in one example, end effector control system 415 can autonomously or semi-autonomously carry out the identified worksurface operation as will be discussed with respect to figs. 6 and 7 . additionally, handheld control system 417 allows an operator 425 to control robotic machine 200 through a handheld controller 436 . for example, upon receiving an operator input through handheld controller 436 , handheld control system 417 will identify a control signal based on the input and will generate the control signal for the subsystem of machine 200 . furthermore, after a worksite operation is completed, storage control system 419 can autonomously or semi-autonomously generate control signals for the actuator(s) and/or steering and propulsion system of machine 200 to position machine 200 at a storage/transport position. this will be discussed further with respect to fig. 7 . fig. 4b is a block diagram of robotic machine 200 which includes mobile machine 100 coupled to robotic attachment 202 via a link 444 , in more detail. additionally, as illustratively shown, mobile machine 100 , robotic attachment 202 , external sensor system 210 and remote system(s) 216 are communicatively coupled over network 212 . mobile machine 100 illustratively includes processor(s)/controller(s) 402 , controllable subsystem(s) 430 , machine and robotic control system 214 , a communication system 404 , a user interface device 406 , a power source 410 , a data store 411 , user interface logic 408 , positioning system 448 , control system 409 , sensor(s) 416 , and a wide variety of other items 412 . before describing the operation of robotic attachment 202 and machine and robotic control system 214 in more detail, a brief description of some of the items in mobile machine 100 , and their operation, will first be provided. control system 409 can generate control signals for controlling a variety of different controllable subsystem(s) 430 , which may include actuator(s) 432 , steering and propulsion system 427 , or other subsystems 434 , based on sensor signals generated by sensor(s) 416 , based on feedback received from remote system(s) 216 and/or machine and robotic control system 214 , based on operator inputs received through user interface device 406 within cab 110 , or it can generate control signals in a wide variety of other ways as well. other subsystems 434 can include a wide variety of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, computer implemented and other systems that relate to the movement of mobile machine 100 , the operation that is performed, and other controllable features. actuator(s) 432 can include a wide variety of different types of actuator(s) configured to receive a control signal and drive linkage motion on mobile machine 100 and/or other movement of mobile machine 100 which may include movement of boom 114 , arm 118 , frame 102 and/or an end effector such as bucket 124 , among a variety of other linkages and components. they can also be used to drive positioning of robotic attachment (or robotic head) 202 . actuator(s) 432 can include motor(s), control valve(s), pump control(s), hydraulic actuator(s), electric linear actuator(s), among a variety of other actuator(s). communication system 404 can include one or more communication systems that allow components of mobile machine 100 to communicate with each other (such as over a controller-area-network (can) bus or otherwise) while also allowing mobile machine 100 to communicate with remote system(s) 216 , external sensor system(s) 210 , transport machine 204 and/or robotic attachment 202 over network 212 . user interface device 406 can include a handheld controller 436 , display devices 438 , haptic devices 440 and a variety of other devices such as mechanical or electrical devices (e.g., a steering wheel, joysticks, pedals, levers, buttons, etc.), audio devices, etc. in one example, user interface logic 408 generates an operator display on user interface device 406 which can include a display device that is integrated into operator compartment 110 of mobile machine 100 , or it can be a separate display on a separate device that can be carried by an operator (such as a laptop computer, a mobile device, etc.). in operation, handheld controller 436 can be used to control a variety of components within mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 . for example, a user input can be received through handheld controller 436 and machine and robotic control system 214 can generate control signals based on the received user input. this will be discussed further with respect to fig. 5 . power source 410 can be a wide variety of power sources configured to supply power to various components and subsystems within mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 . power source 410 can include an engine, a battery, generators, alternators, etc. in operation, power source 410 can be used to provide electrical, mechanical, hydraulic or other power to various components within robotic attachment 202 via link 444 . data store 411 can store any or all data pertaining to an operation of mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 . in one example, data store 411 can include transport/storage positioning information for mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 , which, in one example, includes dimensional information for positioning linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 in a transport/storage position. additionally, transport/storage information can include various control signal information defining control signals that can be generated to position robotic machine 200 in the storage/transport position. in one example, transport/storage positioning information can be based on a type of robotic attachment 202 , transport machine 204 and mobile machine 100 . in operation, machine and robotic control system 214 can access the transport/storage positioning information and can control various actuator(s) of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 to position various linkages at their respective transport/storage positions based on the storage/transport information. in one example, transport and storage positioning information may be provided to data store 411 via a user input (such as by manually controlling machine 100 and attachment 202 to move them to their transport/storage position and providing a user input indicating this, so the position can be stored, or obtained from remote system(s) 216 . data store 411 may also include worksurface operational information for end effector 304 of robotic attachment 202 . for example, tool changer system 314 may include a large variety of tools configured to carry out a number of worksurface operations. in this example, worksurface operational information can include information defining how to control each tool, categorized based on a worksurface operation it performs. additionally, worksurface operational information can include a variety of worksurface operations categorized based on a type of worksurface. in operation, machine and robotic control system 214 can identify a worksurface operation, from received sensor signals and worksurface operational information, and can identify a number of tools that will be used in performing the identified worksurface operation. system 214 can also obtain tool path information for each tool, an operating order (or sequence) for the tools indicating what order the tools will be used in, durational information indicating how long each tool will be used, etc. based on the received worksurface operational information, machine and robotic control system 214 can control tool changer system 314 to carry out the identified worksurface operation. for example, for an identified tuck-pointing operation, worksurface operational information can indicate that the steps include removing old mortar, washing out a joint, applying new mortar, striking the new mortar, brushing down the mortar and acid washing the brick faces. additionally, the worksurface operational information can indicate that the tuck-pointing operation includes using a variety of tools of an end effector such as a chisel, a saw, a vacuum, a water source, a mortar source, a striking knife, a brush, a liquid source, etc. to complete the tuck-pointing operation. this is discussed in greater detail below with respect to fig. 9 . while worksurface operational information includes information for a tuck-pointing operation, information for a variety of other worksurface operations can be stored as well. data store 411 can also include handheld control information that, in one example, maps a user input from a handheld controller to an operational/positional change within mobile machine 100 or robotic attachment 202 . for example, handheld control information can include control maps that map user input mechanisms, on handheld controller 436 , to control outputs that control actuators that move linkages or other items of mobile machine 100 . this will be discussed further with respect to figs. 5 and 7 . sensor(s) 416 generate sensor signals which can be used by machine and robotic control system 214 to control mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . sensor(s) 416 can include pin rotation encoders 418 , inertial measurement units 422 , range measurement sensors 424 , visual sensors 426 , position sensing sensors 469 , among a variety of other sensors 428 . inertial measurement units 422 can include accelerometer(s), gyroscopes, magnetometer(s), among a variety of other sensors. range measurement sensors 424 can be radar-based sensors, lidar-based sensors, ultra-wideband radiation sensors, ultrasonic radiation sensors, among a variety of other sensors. in one example, sensor signal(s) can be received by machine and robotic control system 214 and used to identify a current position of linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . based on accessed transport/storage position information and the current position, machine and robotic control system 214 can identify a path for each of the linkages that will position the linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 at the transport/storage position. this may include moving mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 onto a transport machine. additionally, the sensor signal(s) can also provide an indication or characteristic of a worksurface on which a worksurface operation is to be conducted. this is discussed in greater detail below with respect to figs. 6 and 7 . positioning system 448 can include one or more of a global positioning system (gps) receiver, a loran system, a dead reckoning system, a cellular triangulation system, or other positioning system that identifies a position of mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 , or individual parts of them. this may include x-axis, y-axis and z-axis coordinate information relative to a known coordinate system, a geographic position, or a system that derives a position of robotic attachment 202 from a known position of mobile machine 100 , as examples. machine and robotic control system 214 is configured to control mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 in a variety of ways. in one example, machine and robotic control system 214 can generate control signals that control end effector 304 to carry out a worksurface operation. the control signals can control actuator(s) 432 to position various linkages of mobile machine 100 , or mobile machine 100 itself, at a transport/storage position. additionally, machine and robotic control system 214 can generate control signals based on received user inputs from handheld controller 436 as will be discussed later. in other examples, machine and robotic control system 214 can stabilize a variety of actuator(s) that, in one example, control cylinder(s) 308 to make them rigid so that they shunt impacts imparted on attachment 202 from more sensitive actuators 309 on attachment 202 . mobile machine 100 can be coupled to robotic attachment 202 via one or more links 444 . links 444 can include a mechanical linkage so that robotic attachment 202 is physically coupled to mobile machine 100 . it can also include other links (such as a cable harness, wireless links, etc.) for transmitting electronic data, power, hydraulic fluid under pressure, pneumatic power, or a wide variety of other things. now turning to robotic attachment 202 , robotic attachment 202 illustratively includes processor(s)/controller(s) 446 , a communication system 450 , a positioning system 452 , control system 455 , data store 458 , actuators 308 and 309 , sensor(s) 306 , controllable subsystems 464 , among a variety of other components 462 . a brief description of some of the items in robotic attachment 202 , and their operation, will now be provided. control system 455 of robotic attachment 202 can generate control signals for controlling a variety of different controllable subsystems 464 , which, in one example, can include actuators 308 and 309 that move end effector 304 and/or stewart platform 302 . controllable subsystem(s) 464 can include actuator(s) 451 and a wide variety of other mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, computer implemented and other systems 466 of robotic attachment 202 that relate to the movement of robotic attachment 202 , the operation that is performed, and other controllable features. actuator(s) 451 can drive linkage movement of robotic attachment 202 and may include similar or different actuator(s) than actuator(s) 432 on mobile machine 100 . control system 455 can generate control signals based on received sensor signals, based on feedback received from mobile machine 100 , remote system(s) 216 , external sensor system(s) 210 , machine and robotic control system 214 , based on operator inputs received through user interface device 454 , or it can generate control signals in a wide variety of other ways as well. communication system 450 can include one or more communication systems that allow components of robotic attachment 202 to be communicatively coupled to each other while also allowing robotic attachment 202 to be communicatively coupled to mobile machine 100 . in other examples, communication system 450 allows robotic attachment 202 to communicate with mobile machine 100 , external sensor system(s) 210 and/or remote system(s) 216 over network 212 . positioning system 452 can include one or more of a global positioning system (gps) receiver, a loran system, a dead reckoning system, a cellular triangulation system, or other positioning system that enables machine and robotic control system 214 to identify a location of mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 . this may include x-axis, y-axis and z-axis coordinate information in a known coordinate system or a geographic position. additionally, in one example, machine and robotic control system 214 can drive a position of attachment 202 by determining an offset between mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 using the received information from positioning system 452 . data store 458 can store any or all data pertaining to operation of robotic attachment 202 and/or data pertaining to mobile machine 100 . this may be similar to, or different than, the data stored within data store 411 . additionally, data within data store 458 may be indexed based on a particular type of mobile machine 100 that attachment 202 is connected to, based on the type of robotic attachment 202 , based on the type of transport machine 204 , or the type of worksurface operation, etc. in operation, data within data store 458 can be used by machine and robotic control system 214 to control mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 as will be discussed later. sensor(s) 306 can include a wide variety of different sensors which may be optical devices, various image sensors and image processing components, distance measuring sensor(s), vision sensor(s), among a variety of other sensor(s). sensor(s) 306 can be positioned on various components of robotic attachment 202 which may include end effector 304 and/or stewart platform 302 . in one example of a worksurface operation, an operator can provide an input identifying what worksurface operation is to be performed. in another example, machine and robotic control system 214 can receive sensor signals from sensor(s) 306 and can identify a worksurface operation based on the received sensor signals. this may include receiving sensor signals from a vision sensor coupled to end effector 304 , and through signal analysis, determining a worksurface operation to be performed on a worksurface adjacent to, or facing, end effector 304 . based on the identified worksurface operation, machine and robotic control system 214 can generate control signals to control end effector 304 to carry out the identified worksurface operation. additionally, sensor signal(s) from sensor(s) 306 can also be used in positioning robotic machine 200 at a transport/storage position by allowing machine and robotic control system 214 to determine a current position of linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . sensor signals can be used in a variety of other ways as well. turning to external sensor system(s) 210 , external sensor system(s) 210 are configured to provide positional information indicating a position of robotic attachment 202 to machine and robotic control system 214 . external sensor system(s) 210 can include a laser system (or other optical or image-based system) 468 , a global positioning system 470 with real time kinematic functionality, among a wide variety of other systems 472 . in one example, laser system 468 can include the use of cameras, infrared radiation, lidar, total stations with prisms, and other similar devices. in operation, positional information generated from external sensor system(s) 210 are received by machine and robotic control system 214 and used to determine a current position of robotic attachment 202 so that the system 214 can learn how to control robotic attachment 202 . fig. 5 is a block diagram of handheld controller 436 that may be used to control robotic attachment 202 and mobile machine 100 using machine and robotic control system 214 . handheld controller 436 illustratively includes user input mechanisms 522 , power source 518 , communication system 520 , processor(s)/controller(s) 522 , user interface logic 524 , user interface device 532 , among a variety of other components 528 . in operation, an operator can provide a user input through user input mechanisms 522 to control a variety of subcomponents of robotic attachment 202 and mobile machine 100 using machine and robotic control system 214 . for example, upon receiving a user input via user input mechanisms 522 , communication system 520 can then communicate that user input to machine and robotic control system 214 . system 214 can then access a map that maps the received user input to a control signal for a controllable subsystem on mobile machine 100 or robotic attachment 202 . machine and robotic control system 214 then generates the control signal to control an actuator or other subcomponent of mobile machine 100 or robotic attachment 202 based on the user input. this will be discussed in detail with respect to fig. 7 . however, one operation using handheld controller 436 to control end effector 304 of robotic attachment 202 will now be discussed for the sake of example. in this example, handheld controller 436 includes a left analog stick 502 , a right analog stick 502 , left bumpers 504 (with an upper, left bumper and lower, left bumper), buttons 508 , and right bumpers 504 (with an upper, right bumper and lower, right bumper). in operation, sensor(s) 306 can include a camera(s) on end effector 304 configured to provide signals, indicative of a near real-time visual feed showing a worksurface facing end effector 304 , to display device 438 within operator cab 110 . while viewing the generated display, an operator of robotic machine 200 can provide user inputs, through user input mechanisms 522 , to machine and robotic control system 214 to modify a position of end effector 304 and to control operation of a tool carried by end effector 304 . for example, each of user input mechanisms 522 can be mapped to specific actuator(s) 432 that, upon receiving a control signal, will drive a positional change of end effector 304 or control its operation of an attached tool. the mappings can be stored in a control map in data stores 411 , 458 and/or remote system(s) 216 . the control map can thus indicate a relationship between a received user input, via a user input mechanism 522 , such as analog stick 502 , and an actuator control signal. for example, left analog stick 502 can be mapped to a specific actuator 432 that will drive movement of end effector 304 along a z-axis and x-axis. additionally, right analog stick 502 can be mapped to a specific actuator 432 that will drive rotational movement of end effector 304 about an x-axis and y-axis. upper and lower left bumpers 504 can be mapped to a specific actuator 432 that will drive movement of end effector 304 along a y-axis, and upper and lower right bumpers 504 can be mapped to a specific actuator 432 that will drive rotation of end effector 304 about the z-axis. however, while a user-input mechanism is mapped to a specific actuator 432 that drives movement of end effector 304 , it is also contemplated that a user-input mechanism can be mapped to a plurality of actuator(s) 432 that drive positional movement of end effector 304 and its operation of a tool (such as turning it on and off, controlling its speed, etc.). buttons 508 (or other user input mechanisms) on handheld controller 436 can be used to actuate various functions of end effector 304 . for example, pressing a button 508 on handheld controller 436 may actuate a tool on tool changer system 314 . it is also contemplated that analog sticks 502 , or other user input mechanisms 522 , may have multiple levels of sensitivity that can be changed using machine and robotic control system 214 . in one example, a lowest sensitivity setting can indicate a slower positional change for end effector 304 , given a user input. additionally, middle sensitivity settings can involve controlling both actuator(s) 432 of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 to change positions more quickly than the lowest sensitivity given the user input. a maximum level of sensitivity can be used to drive a highest rate of movement of actuator(s) 432 given the user input. furthermore, user inputs may be received continuously, in a pulsed manner, or sporadically. in one example, user inputs received continuously may be mapped as velocity commands, pulsed inputs may indicate incremental changes in a position of end effector 304 , and sporadic inputs may be determined to be indicative of a singular positional change. however, this is but an example only. in other examples, user input mechanisms 522 can be mapped to a variety of other controllable subsystems within mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 beyond actuator(s) 432 . communication system 520 can include one or more communication systems that allow components of handheld controller 436 to be communicatively coupled to each other while also allowing handheld controller 436 to be communicatively coupled to machine and robotic control system 214 . in one example, communication system 520 includes a near field communication system that allows handheld controller 436 to communicate with machine and robotic control system 214 wirelessly. however, other communication systems can be used as well. additionally, handheld controller 436 can be wired to machine and robotic control system 214 as well. power source 518 is configured to supply power to any or all components within handheld controller 436 . in one example, handheld controller 436 can be wirelessly connected to machine and robotic control system 214 . in this example, power source 518 can include batteries or other power sources. however, it is also contemplated that handheld controller 436 may receive power from mobile machine 100 . user interface logic 524 is configured to receive a signal from machine and robotic control system 214 and generate a control signal for, in one example, user interface devices 532 . user interface devices 532 can include display devices, speakers (or other audible devices), vibrational components (or other haptic devices), lights, etc. within handheld controller 436 . in one example, upon receiving various user inputs through user input mechanisms 522 , machine and robotic control system 214 may generate a signal for user interface logic 524 to generate a display on user interface device 532 . fig. 6 is a block diagram of tool changer system 314 that may be used to carry out a worksurface operation using machine and robotic control system 214 . in one example, end effector 304 includes tool changer system 314 with processor(s)/controller(s) 628 , a communication system 630 , tool(s) 600 , a storage mechanism 622 , a tool changer mechanism 626 , and a tool control system 632 among a variety of other systems and components 624 . in operation, tool changer system 314 receives signals from machine and robotic control system 214 and carries out an identified worksurface operation as will be discussed further with respect to fig. 7 . communication system 630 can include one or more communication systems that allow components of tool changer system 314 to be communicatively coupled to each other while also allowing tool changer system 314 to be communicatively coupled to machine and robotic control system 214 . in the example shown in fig. 6 , tools(s) 600 illustratively include a sprayer 602 , a brick jointer 606 , a trowel 610 , an air source 614 , a saw 618 , a brush 604 , a grout bag 608 , a water source 612 , and a chisel 616 among a variety of other tools 620 . tool(s) 600 can be used to carry out an identified worksurface operation such as a tuck-pointing operation. in other examples, the tools 600 are those appropriate to other operations such as planting operations, demolition operations, etc. additionally, storage mechanism 622 can include a variety of storage mechanisms to store tool(s) 600 . in one example, storage mechanism 622 can include individual storage compartments for tool(s) 600 . in operation, upon receiving a signal from machine and robotic control system 214 , tool changer mechanism 626 can select a particular tool 600 , from storage mechanism 622 , in order to perform a corresponding tool operation which may be part of a worksurface operation. once selected, a signal from machine and robotic control system 214 can be provided to tool control system 632 to operate the selected tool over an identified tool path as determined by machine and robotic control system 214 . after operating the tool along the tool path, machine and robotic control system 214 can control tool changer mechanism 626 to return the selected tool to the holder in storage mechanism 622 and select a different tool 600 , from storage mechanism 622 , and generate signals to operate that tool on a different or same portion of the worksurface. this will be also discussed further with respect to fig. 7 . fig. 7 is a block diagram of machine and robotic control system 214 that may be used to control robotic machine 200 . machine and robotic control system 202 illustratively includes processor(s)/controller(s) 744 , a communication system 746 , data store 750 , actuator control logic 702 , an end effector control system 415 , a handheld control system 417 , a storage control system 419 , stabilization logic 748 , and it can include a variety of other systems and components 752 . actuator control logic 702 generates control signal(s) for actuator(s) 432 of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 based on signals provided from end effector control system 415 , handheld control system 417 , storage control system 419 , stabilization logic 748 , etc. data store 750 can store any or all data pertaining to an operation and/or position of robotic attachment 202 and/or mobile machine 100 . this may be similar to, or different than, the data stored within data stores 411 and 458 . communication system 746 can include one or more communication systems that allow components of machine and robotic control system 202 to be communicatively coupled to each other while also allowing the components to be communicatively coupled to mobile machine 100 , robotic attachment 202 , remote system(s) 216 , transport machine 204 and/or external sensor system(s) 210 . end effector control system 415 is configured to identify a worksurface operation to be performed based on received sensor signals or based on an operator input or otherwise. then, based on the identified worksurface operation, system 415 controls tool changer system 314 to select the tools used to perform the worksurface operation. end effector control system 415 includes work area identification logic 706 , tool path determination logic 708 , tool positioner logic 710 , tool selection logic 712 , tool control logic 716 and it can include a variety of other systems and components 716 . in operation, by way of overview, work area identification logic 706 receives sensor signals from sensor(s) 306 and 416 indicative of characteristics of a worksurface. in one example, sensor(s) 306 can include a camera, stereo cameras, or other visual sensors on end effector 304 configured to generate signals indicative of a location and condition of a worksurface adjacent to end effector 304 . based on the received sensor signals, work area identification logic 706 can identify the worksurface and a worksurface operation. for example, work area identification logic 706 can utilize image processing techniques to identify the worksurface. in this example, an image analysis of the worksurface can indicate that the worksurface includes a brick wall. once identified, work area identification logic 706 can access and utilize worksurface information from any or all data stores 411 , 458 and 750 to identify the worksurface operation to be performed, or where on the worksurface the operation is to be performed. in one example, the worksurface operation to be performed is a tuck-pointing operation for the brick wall. however, in other examples, a worksurface operation may be identified by a user input. upon identifying the worksurface operation for the worksurface, work area identification logic 706 generates an output for tool path determination logic 708 indicative of a location of the identified worksurface. tool path determination logic 708 , in response to the output from work area identification logic 706 , identifies which tools to use to perform the worksite operation, the order or sequence in which those tools are used, and determines a tool path for each of the tools in order to complete the worksurface operation. in one example, this includes obtaining end effector control information from data store(s) 411 , 458 and 750 and/or remote system(s) 216 and determining, based on that control information, which tools are used to complete the worksurface operation. upon determining which tools are used, the sequence of tools, and the tool paths they are to follow, tool path determination logic 708 provides an output to tool selection logic 712 , tool positioner logic 710 and tool control logic 714 indictive of the tools to use, the order they are to be used in, and tool paths they are to follow. tool selection logic 712 , upon receiving an indication from tool path determination logic 708 , generates a control signal for tool changer mechanism 626 to select a tool to perform a corresponding tool operation in order to perform the overall worksurface operation. upon receiving the control signal, tool changer mechanism 626 can select a particular tool within storage mechanism 622 . tool positioner logic 710 can receive the output from tool path determination logic 708 and determine whether the selected tool is in a correct position relative to the identified tool path. in one example, this includes receiving sensor signals from one or more sensor(s) 306 , 416 to determine whether the selected tool is at a correct position. for example, sensor(s) 306 can include distance measuring sensor(s) on end effector 304 that are configured to measure a distance between the selected tool and the worksurface. the distance can then be provided to tool positioner logic 710 and used to determine whether the selected tool is too far or too close to the worksurface or at a correct location on the surface, etc. if tool positioner logic 710 determines that the tool is not positioned correctly, an indication can be provided to actuator control logic 702 to drive linkage movement of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 to correctly position the selected tool so that it follows the tool path. once the tool is correctly positioned, an indication can be provided from tool positioner logic 710 to tool control logic 714 indicating that the tool is correctly positioned on the tool path. tool control logic 714 , upon receiving the indication, can generate control signals for control system 632 to operate the tool along the tool path. additionally, in some examples, tool control logic 714 can generate signals for actuator control logic 702 to drive linkage movement to maintain the tool on the tool path (or to move it along the tool path) during operation of the tool. after operating the tool along the tool path, tool control logic 714 can determine whether the individual tool operation is completed. if so, tool control logic 714 can generate an indication to tool selection logic 712 to select a next tool, in the sequence of tools, used in performing the worksurface operation. however, if the tool operation is not completed, tool control logic 714 can continue to control the tool along the tool path. logic 714 can also notify an operator of robotic machine 200 . handheld control system 417 is configured to receive user inputs from handheld controller 436 and generate control signals to control controllable subsystem(s) 430 and/or controllable subsystem(s) 464 based on the user input. handheld control system 417 includes mapping logic 736 , subsystem control logic 738 , retrieval logic 740 , among a variety of other components and systems 742 . in operation, upon receiving a user input through handheld controller 436 , mapping logic 736 accesses any or all data stores 411 , 458 , 750 , and/or remote system(s) 216 to identify a control signal for a subsystem of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 corresponding to the user input. in one example, a subsystem can include actuator(s) 432 , 308 configured to drive linkage movement of mobile machine 100 or robotic attachment 202 . the subsystems can include other things as well. to identify a control signal, mapping logic 736 can access control mappings (or a control map), within data stores 411 , 458 , 750 , that indicate a relationship between the user input and a control signal for a subsystem of mobile machine 100 or robotic attachment 202 . in one example, a control map can indicate that a user input corresponds to a directional change for end effector 304 . based on the directional change in the control map, mapping logic 736 identifies the control signals that will control the relevant actuator(s) 432 to drive a movement of end effector 304 in the desired direction. upon identifying a control signal for a subsystem 430 , 464 , mapping logic 736 generates an output for subsystem control logic 738 that uses that output to generate the desired control signal. however, if a control map is not found within data stores 411 , 458 and 750 , mapping logic 736 can use retrieval logic 740 to access remote system(s) 216 to obtain a control map. if no map can be found, mapping logic 736 can generate a user interface display indicating that no map was found. subsystem control logic 738 , in response to the output received from mapping logic 736 , generates a control signal for the particular subsystem(s) 430 , 464 . in one example, this can include controlling actuator control logic 702 to generate actuator control signals for actuator(s) 432 . however, it is contemplated that subsystem control logic 738 can generate control signals for a variety of other controllable subsystems in addition to, or different from, actuator(s) 432 . in this manner, handheld controller 436 , along with handheld control system 417 , can be used by an operator to control mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 . after a worksurface or worksite operation is completed, storage control system 419 is configured to position mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 at a transport/storage position. in one example, a transport/storage position may include positioning robotic machine 200 on transport machine 204 . storage control system 419 includes storage position identification logic 722 , object detection logic 724 , path identification logic 726 , position return logic 730 , among a variety of other logic 732 . in operation, storage position identification logic 722 can identify a transport/storage position for mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . in one example, this includes accessing any, or all of, data stores 411 , 458 and 750 to obtain transport/storage positioning information for mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . transport/storage positioning information can include positioning information that identifies how the linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 are to be positioned relative to one another (or relative to transport machine 204 ) for storage or transport. alternatively, transport/storage positioning information may include control signal information for actuator(s) 432 and steering and propulsion system 427 that can be used to control actuators 432 and machine 200 itself to correctly position the machine and its linkages at the storage/transport position. in one example, a storage/transport position may be different for each robotic machine 200 depending on a type of mobile machine 100 , the type of robotic attachment 202 and the type of transport machine 204 . in this example, transport/storage positioning information may be indexed based on a type of mobile machine 100 , the type of robotic attachment 202 and/or the type of transport machine 204 . storage position identification logic 722 may then identify a type of mobile machine 100 , robotic attachment 202 and transport machine 204 based on a user input, based on data within data stores 411 , 458 , 750 , or based on sensor signals from sensors 416 , 306 . once the storage/transport position for linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 are identified, an indication of this is generated and provided to path identification logic 726 . path identification logic 726 , upon receiving the indication, determines a current position of linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 based on sensor signals from sensor(s) 306 , 416 . path identification logic 726 then identifies a difference between the current position and the transport/storage position. path identification logic 726 also identifies a path for each linkage, which will move the linkage to the respective transport/storage position. in other examples, it is contemplated that storage position identification logic 722 can control actuator control logic 702 to generate control signals to move the linkages to their transport/storage position without first identifying a path for linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . in either example, path identification logic 726 controls actuator control logic 702 to generate actuator control signals to move the linkages to their respective transport/storage position. for example, actuator control logic 702 can generate control signals for actuator(s) 432 that drive movement of boom 114 , arm 118 , swing pivot 108 , etc. in one example, this includes positioning linkages of mobile machine 100 so robotic attachment 202 rests in a cradle 206 on transport machine 204 so that end effector 304 is securely stored for transport. lockouts can also be engaged on transport machine 204 or machine 102 , in one example. position return logic 730 identifies and stores a return-to-operation position for mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . in one example, a return-to-operation position corresponds to a position that mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 were in just prior to being moved to a storage/transport position. in operation, prior to storing mobile machine 100 , a user can provide a user input indicating a desired return-to-operation position. position return logic 730 can then retrieve the stored return-to-operation position information for mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 and can control actuator control logic 702 to generate control signals to position mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 at the return-to-operation position. in one example, return-to-operation positional information can be determined based on sensor signals received from sensor(s) 306 , 416 . during movement of machine 200 itself and linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 , object detection logic 724 can detect whether an object is in the way of, or impeding, movement of machine 100 or linkages of mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 . in one example, this is determined based on signals received from sensor(s) 416 , 306 . if an object is detected, object detection logic 724 can notify an operator of mobile machine 100 and/or stop movement of linkages of mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 . machine and robotic control system 214 also illustratively includes stabilization logic 748 . stabilization logic 748 , in one example, generates control signals to lock the bigger, stronger, cylinders 308 in place when a load is imparted on attachment 202 . in one example, by locking the bigger, stronger cylinders 308 , the cylinders 308 shunt the load around the smaller, more precise cylinders 309 , thereby protecting them. stabilization logic 748 can generate control signals in response to a received user input, and/or sensor signals received from sensor(s) 416 , 306 indicating a load is to be imparted on attachment 202 . figs. 8a-8b are flow diagrams showing one example controlling a robotic machine using a machine and robotic control system 214 illustrated in fig. 7 . the operation shown in figs. 8a-8b is an example in which tool changer system 314 of robotic attachment 202 is controlled to select different tools using machine and robotic control system 214 . while it is discussed in the context of operating and obtaining data relative to tool changer system 314 , this is just one example. further, while the operation will be described in accordance with mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 , it is to be understood that other mobile machines and robotic attachments can be used as well. processing begins at block 802 where robotic machine 200 is operating. robotic machine 200 includes mobile machine 100 coupled to robotic attachment 202 through link 444 . in one example, robotic machine 200 can be running after an operator provides inputs to begin operation of robotic machine 200 . this can be done in a variety of ways. for instance, the operator can provide initial machine settings based on a worksite operation. alternatively, the operator can input these settings based upon his or her own prior experience and knowledge. the settings can be made manually, such as through mechanical or other user input mechanisms, or they can be made automatically by the machine itself, or they can be input in a different way, such as through a touch screen or other user input mechanism. while robotic machine 200 is running, sensor signals are received by work area identification logic 706 as indicated by block 804 . in one example, sensor signals can be generated by sensors 306 , as indicated by block 806 , or sensor(s) 416 , as indicated by block 808 . sensor(s) 306 can include an optical sensor, as indicated by block 812 , among a variety of other sensor(s), such as a distance measurement sensor, as indicated by block 814 . these are examples only. processing turns to block 816 where work area identification logic 706 identifies a worksurface based on the received sensor signals. in one example, the worksurface can include an area adjacent to robotic attachment 202 , as detected by optical sensor(s) 306 , on which a worksurface operation is to be performed. based on the identified worksurface, or based on an operator input, work area identification logic 706 determines a worksurface operation for the worksurface. determining a worksurface operation can include accessing and utilizing worksurface information from any or all data stores 411 , 458 and 750 to identify the worksurface operation. in other examples, a user input can indicate a desired worksurface operation as indicated by block 862 . a worksurface operation can include a construction operation, as indicated by block 818 , a forestry operation, as indicated by block 819 , an agricultural operation, as indicated by block 822 , or any other operation as indicated by block 828 . for example, a construction operation may include a tuck-pointing operation for the identified worksurface, as indicated by block 824 , or any other construction operation as indicated by block 826 . upon identifying a worksurface operation for the worksurface, a worksurface output that identifies the location of the worksurface and the operation to be performed, can be generated by work area identification logic 706 and provided to tool path determination logic 708 . at block 830 , tool path determination logic 708 receives the worksurface output and determines the tool(s) and tool paths for tool(s) 600 in tool changer system 314 that will be used to complete the worksurface operation. in one example, this includes determining a tool path for a singular tool 600 , as indicated by block 838 , or determining a sequence of different tools that will be used, along with a tool path for each tool in the sequence as indicated in block 840 . to determine the tool(s) and tool paths, tool path determination logic 708 can obtain worksurface operational data within any or all data stores 411 , 458 , and 750 , as indicated by block 846 . the worksurface operational data can include information identifying the tools for the worksurface operation and operational information for each tool. however, tool path determination logic 708 can also access remote system(s) 216 in other examples, as indicated by block 848 . based on the tool(s) 600 and tool path(s), processing turns to block 832 where tool selection logic 712 generates a tool selection output for tool changer system 314 to select a tool to perform the identified worksurface operation. once the tool selection output is received by tool changer system 314 , tool changer mechanism 626 selects the appropriate tool. once selected, processing turns to block 834 where tool positioner logic 710 receives sensor signals from any or all of sensor(s) 306 , 416 indicative of a current position of the selected tool. this can include optical sensor(s), distance measurement sensor(s), etc. tool positioner logic 710 determines whether the current position of the selected tool is on the tool path. if the current position of the tool is different from the tool path, tool position logic 710 controls actuator control logic 702 to control actuators to position the tool on the tool path. in one example, this includes generating actuator control signals for actuator(s) on mobile machine 100 that drive linkage movement on mobile machine 100 , as indicated by block 850 . they can drive movement of linkages on robotic attachment 202 , as indicated by block 852 , or on other systems as indicated by 854 . once correctly positioned on the tool path, as determined by tool positioner logic 710 , processing turns to block 836 where tool control logic 714 generates control signals for tool control system 632 to operate the selected tool on the tool path. in one example, this also includes controlling actuator control logic 702 to generate control signals for actuator(s) of mobile machine 100 , as indicated by block 856 , robotic attachment 202 , as indicated by block 858 , or other subsystems to modify a position of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 to ensure the tool follows the tool path as it is operating. after operating the selected tool along the tool path, tool control logic 714 determines whether the tool operation is complete, as indicated by block 842 . in one example, tool control logic 714 can receive sensor signals from sensors 306 , 416 to determine whether the tool operation is complete. as an example, assume the selected tool is a chisel that is used to remove mortar. the sensor information may include, for instance, a visual input that is subjected to image processing to, for example, ensure that mortar is removed from the worksurface. however, a user input may also be received indicating the tool operation is complete. if not, processing proceeds back to block 834 where tool positioner logic 710 ensures that the tool continues to be operated on the tool path. if this tool operation is complete, processing proceeds to block 844 where tool path determination logic 708 determines whether the entire worksurface operation is also completed. if the entire worksurface operation is completed, at block 844 , processing subsequently ends. however, if the worksurface operation is not completed, processing reverts to block 832 where tool selection logic 712 generates a tool output for tool changer mechanism 626 to select the next tool in the sequence of tools that are used to perform the worksurface operation. fig. 9 is a flow diagram showing one example operation of controlling a robotic machine to perform a tuckpointing operation using a machine and robotic control system 214 illustrated in fig. 7 . processing begins at block 902 where work area identification logic 706 identifies a worksurface operation, that includes a tuck-pointing operation, for an identified worksurface that includes a brick wall. work area identification logic 706 can identify the worksurface based on sensor signals received from any or all of sensor(s) 306 , 416 . additionally, the tuck-pointing operation can be identified based on a received user input or otherwise. in one example, a tuck-pointing operation can include using a variety of tools to remove old mortar, as indicated by block 904 , wash out a joint, as indicated by block 906 , apply new mortar, as indicated by block 908 , strike mortar, as indicated by block 910 , brush down mortar, as indicated by block 912 , acid wash brick faces, as indicated by block 914 , among a variety of other steps as indicated by block 916 . upon identifying the tuck-pointing operation for the brick wall, processing proceeds to block 918 where tool path determination logic 708 determines tool(s) 600 , tool sequence, and corresponding tool paths that will be used to complete the tuck-pointing operation. this includes determining tool paths for a chisel/saw, as indicated by block 920 , an air source, as indicated by block 922 , a water source, as indicated by block 924 , a trowel, as indicated by block 926 , a grout bag, as indicated by block 928 , a brick jointer, as indicated by block 930 , a brush, as indicated by block 932 , a sprayer, as indicated by block 934 , among other tools as indicated by block 936 . upon identifying the tools, tool sequence, and tool path(s), processing turns to block 938 where tool selection logic 712 generates an output for tool changer mechanism 626 to select a tool to perform the tuck-pointing operation. in one example, this includes selecting a chisel/saw to remove old mortar in accordance with the first step in a tuck-pointing operation. once the output is received, tool changer mechanism 626 selects the chisel/saw from the storage mechanism 622 . tool positioner logic 710 then determines a current position of the selected tool as indicated by block 940 . in one example, a current position of the selected tool can be determined based on sensor signal(s), as indicated by block 942 , indicative of a position of the mortar to be removed from the worksurface (identified, for example, from a visual image), and a current position of the chisel/saw. if the chisel/saw is not in a position to perform its operation, as indicated by the tool path, tool positioner logic 710 controls actuator control logic 702 to drive movement of linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 to position the chisel/saw in the proper position and to move it along the tool path. once the chisel/saw is positioned in the right position, processing turns to block 946 where tool control logic 714 controls tool control system 632 to operate the chisel/saw to remove old mortar as the first step in the tuck-pointing operation. in one example, tool control logic 714 can also control actuator control logic 702 to generate actuator control signals to drive linkage movement of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 to ensure the chisel/saw is moved along the tool path. the tool path can be updated based on sensor signals (such as image signals or position signals) so the tool follows the mortar line on the worksurface. tool control logic 714 determines whether the selected tool operation, where old mortar is removed, is complete as indicated by block 948 . if the tool operation is not complete, processing turns back to block 940 where tool positioner logic 710 continues to ensure that the chisel/saw is moved along the correct path. if the tool operation is complete, processing turns to block 950 where tool path determination logic 708 determines whether the entire tuck-pointing operation is complete. if tool path determination logic 708 determines that the tuck-pointing operation is not complete after the current tool operation (e.g. after the chisel/saw has removed the old mortar), processing turns to block 938 where tool selection logic 712 generates a signal for tool changer mechanism 626 to select the next tool in the sequence of tools used to perform the tuck-pointing operation. the newly selected tool 600 can then be controlled along the identified tool path(s) to perform the next step in the tuck-pointing operation. if, at block 950 , tool path determination logic 708 determines that the tuck-pointing operation is complete, processing subsequently ends. fig. 10 is a flow diagram showing one example operation of controlling a robotic machine using a handheld controller 436 and a machine and robotic control system 214 illustrated in figs. 5 and 7 , respectively. processing begins at block 1002 where robotic machine 200 is operating in accordance with operating inputs received from an operator of robotic machine 200 . during an operation of robotic machine 200 , sensor signals are generated from sensor 306 on robotic attachment 202 and provided to user interface device 406 as indicated by block 1004 . user interface device 406 can include display device 438 , within cab 110 , as indicated by block 1006 , or, alternatively, display devices located out-of-cab or on a device (such as a mobile device) carried by the operator, as indicated by block 1008 . however, other user interface devices can be used as well as indicated by block 1010 . additionally, sensor 306 can include an optical sensor (e.g., a camera), as indicated by block 1014 , positioned on end effector 304 , as indicated by block 1016 , configured to generate signals indicative of an area adjacent to, or being operated on by, end effector 304 . upon receiving the sensor signals from sensor 306 , processing turns to block 1012 where user interface device 406 generates a display based on the received sensor signals from sensor 306 . in one example, the display includes a live view of a worksite area adjacent to end effector 304 . once a display is generated, processing turns to block 1018 where mapping logic 736 receives a user input from user input mechanisms 522 of handheld controller 436 . in one example, a user input can be received from analog stick(s) 502 , as indicated by block 1042 , buttons(s) 508 , as indicated by block 1044 , among a variety of other input mechanisms, as indicated by block 1046 , on handheld controller 436 . additionally, while a user input is received after generating a display, it is expressly contemplated that a user input can be received at any point during operation of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 even if a display is not generated on display device 438 . however, in this example, the display can provide a reference feed to an operator of robotic machine 200 in controlling mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 and can further be used as feedback in controlling mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . based on the user input, processing turns to block 1020 where mapping logic 736 identifies a control signal to generate that will control subsystems 430 , 464 of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 , respectively, based on the user input. in one example, identifying a control signal to generate based on the user input includes obtaining one or more control maps (or those maps may be pre-loaded), as indicated by block 1022 , from any or all data stores 411 , 458 , 750 , as indicated by block 1024 , or from remote system(s) 216 , as indicated by block 1026 , or other systems, as indicated by block 1028 . the control maps, in one example, can indicate a relationship between the received user input from user input mechanisms 522 and a corresponding control signal that should be generated in response to that user input, to control subsystems 430 , 464 of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . for example, assume that a user input was received based on the user actuating analog stick 502 on handheld controller 436 . then, a control map can indicate that the user input through analog stick 502 corresponds to a control signal that is used to control cylinder 116 to modify a position of boom 114 in a particular direction. alternatively, if a user input was received through button(s) 508 , a control map can indicate that a corresponding control signal should be generated to control some movement or operation of end effector 304 of robotic attachment 202 . the control maps can indicate a position change for components of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 , as indicated by block 1032 , an operation change, as indicated by block 1034 , or other changes as indicated by block 1036 . also, the control signals can be generated, using the control map, to control end effector 304 , as indicated by block 1030 , subsystems of mobile machine 100 , as indicated by block 1038 , and subsystems of robotic attachment 202 , as indicated by block 1040 . upon identifying a command, processing turns to block 1048 where subsystem control logic 738 generates a control signal indicated by the identified control map. in one example, subsystem control logic 738 can control actuator control logic 702 to generate actuator control signals for actuators 432 , as indicated by block 1050 . however, other control signals for subsystems 430 and 464 can be generated based on the corresponding command as indicated by block 1052 . processing proceeds to block 1054 where mapping logic 736 determines if there are additional user inputs received. if so, processing proceeds back to block 1020 where mapping logic 736 identifies a corresponding command for mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 . if no further user inputs are received, processing subsequently ends. fig. 11 is a flow diagram showing one example operation of storing a robotic machine using a machine and robotic control system 214 illustrated in fig. 7 . processing begins at block 1102 where robotic machine 200 is operator based on operating inputs received from an operator of robotic machine 200 . operator inputs can be received through user interface device 406 in one example. during an operation of robotic machine 200 , processing turns to block 1104 where a user input is received indicating robotic machine 200 is to be positioned at a transport/storage position. in one example, a storage position can include a position that machine 200 is to be in when on transport machine 204 , where robotic machine 200 engages lockouts, or a variety of other storage/transport positions. upon receiving the user input to move to the transport/storage position, processing turns to block 1110 where storage position identification logic 722 identifies the storage/transport position for robotic machine 200 . in one example, the storage/transport position can be identified using position information that identifies the storage/transport position for end effector 304 , as indicated by block 1112 , for robotic attachment 202 , as indicated by block 1114 , and/or for mobile machine 100 , as indicated by block 1116 . a variety of other information can be used as well, as indicated by block 1118 . the position information can be stored within any or all data stores 411 , 458 , 750 and/or remote system(s) 216 . position information can include linkage positioning information for linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 that, in one example, includes information for positioning boom 114 , arm 118 and/or end effector 304 at their respective storage/transport positions. additionally, position information can include linkage position information or geographic position information that defines how mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 should be positioned on transport machine 204 , as indicated by block 1120 , or other machines as indicated by block 1122 . once a transport/storage position is identified, processing turns to block 1124 where path identification logic 726 identifies a current position of linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 , and of machine 200 itself, based on sensor signals received from sensors located on robotic attachment 202 , as indicated by block 1126 , or on mobile machine 100 , as indicated by block 1128 . at block 1132 , path identification logic 726 identifies a path for various linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 to position the linkages at the storage/transport position. for example, path identification logic 726 can determine that machine 200 must be driven onto machine 204 . it may know the position and orientation of machine 204 from its own sensors and/or from sensors on machine 204 . it can thus control the machine 200 to automatically drive it onto machine 204 . logic 726 can also determine, for example, that swing pivot 108 is to be pivoted to a certain position or orientation and boom 114 needs to be lowered so robotic attachment 202 engages cradles 206 of transport machine 204 . in response to identifying a path for machine 200 and linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 , processing turns to block 1134 where actuator control logic 702 generates actuator control signals for actuator(s) 432 or 464 to drive movement of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . additionally, control signals can be generated for steering and propulsion system 427 to move machine 200 . while machine 200 is moving and while linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 are moving, object detection logic 724 determines whether there are any objects impeding movement of the machine 200 or the linkages (or in the imminent path of movement), as indicated by block 1136 . this can include generating a user interface display, as indicated by block 1138 , or any other alerts/notifications as indicated by block 1140 . if an object is impeding movement of the linkages or machine 200 (or in their path), processing reverts back to block 1124 where a new path of the linkages is identified using path identification logic 726 . the new path or new position is identified to avoid any objects. if no object is detected, processing proceeds to block 1142 where path identification logic 726 determines whether a transport/storage position is achieved. in one example, the storage/transport position includes engaging lockouts on machine 200 so that it cannot inadvertently be started or moved on transport machine 204 , and so that it is maintained in a safe transport state, as indicated by block 1142 . also, in one example, determining whether machine 200 is in the transport/storage position includes receiving sensor signals from sensor(s) 306 , 416 to determine whether the robotic machine 200 is correctly positioned at the transport/storage position. if so, processing subsequently ends. if not, processing reverts back to block 1124 where path identification logic 726 determines how to move machine 200 or linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 to attain the transport/storage position. fig. 12 is a flow diagram showing one example operation of returning a robotic machine 200 from the transport/storage position to an operating position (either automatically or semi-automatically) using a machine and robotic control system 214 illustrated in fig. 7 . by automatically, it is meant that the operation or function is performed without further operator involvement, except, perhaps, to initiate or approve the operation or function. processing begins at block 1202 where robotic machine 200 is operating in accordance with operating inputs received from an operator of robotic machine 200 . during operation of robotic machine 200 , processing proceeds to block 1204 where a user input is received indicating robotic machine 200 is to be positioned at a return-to-operation position. in one example, a return-to-operation position corresponds to an operation position for robotic machine 200 just prior to robotic machine 200 being positioned at a storage/transport position. it can also be a position that is marked by the operator. for instance, when machine 200 is in an operating position, the operator may actuate a user input mechanism which causes the system to save the current position and orientation of machine 200 , and its actuators, as an operating position. upon receiving the user input indicating machine 200 is to return to the operating position, processing turns to block 1206 where position return logic 730 identifies the return-to-operation position for robotic machine 200 . the return-to-operation information can be stored in any or all data stores 411 , 458 and 750 , as indicated by block 1208 , and/or remote system(s) 216 as indicated by block 1210 . in one example, the return-to-operation position corresponds to an operating position of robotic machine 200 just prior to robotic machine 200 being positioned at a storage/transport position, as indicated by block 1212 . once the return-to-operation position is identified, processing proceeds to block 1214 where path identification logic 726 determines a current position of machine 200 and the linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 based on sensor signals received from sensor(s) 306 , 416 . in one example, a current position corresponds to a storage/transport position for the linkages of mobile machine 100 and robotic attachment 202 . path identification logic 726 then identifies a travel path for machine 200 and a linkage path for the linkages to position machine 200 and its linkages (such as boom 114 , arm 118 , etc.) at the return-to-operation position as indicated by block 1216 . based on the travel path and linkage paths, actuator control logic 702 generates control signals for actuator(s) 432 , as indicated by block 1218 , to position machine 200 and the linkages at the return-to-operation position. in one example, this includes generating control signals for steering and propulsion system 427 . additionally, during movement of the machine and the linkages, object detection logic 724 determines whether any objects are in those paths or impeding movement of the machine or the linkages, as indicated by block 1220 , using sensor(s) 306 , 416 . if any objects are detected, processing reverts back to block 1214 where path identification logic 726 identifies a different path for the machine or the linkages of mobile machine 100 and/or robotic attachment 202 so the object(s) can be avoided. if not, processing proceeds to block 1222 where path identification logic 726 determines whether robotic machine 200 is at the return-to-operation position. in one example, path identification logic 726 can receive sensor signals from sensor(s) 306 , 416 to determine whether robotic machine 200 is at the return-to-operation position, as indicated by block 1224 , or, alternatively, can receive a user input indicating robotic machine 200 is at the return-to-operation position as indicated by block 1226 . however, other information can be used as well to determine whether robotic machine 200 is correctly at the return-to-operation position as indicated by block 1228 . if robotic machine 200 is correctly positioned, processing subsequently ends. if not, processing reverts back to block 1214 where path identification logic 726 continues to identify the path to get there. fig. 13 is a block diagram showing one example of a computing environment that can be used in the architecture illustrated in previous figs. with reference to fig. 13 , an example system for implementing some examples includes a general-purpose computing device in the form of a computer 1310 . components of computer 1310 may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit 1320 (which can comprise processors or servers from previous figures), a system memory 1330 , and a system bus 1321 that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit 1320 . the system bus 1321 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. memory and programs described with respect to figs. 4-7 can be deployed in corresponding portions of fig. 13 . computer 1310 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 1310 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. by way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. computer storage media is different from, and does not include, a modulated data signal or carrier wave. it includes hardware storage media including both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, ram, rom, eeprom, flash memory or other memory technology, cd-rom, digital versatile disks (dvd) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computer 1310 . communication media may embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. the term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. the system memory 1330 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (rom) 1331 and random access memory (ram) 1332 . a basic input/output system 1333 (bios), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 1310 , such as during start-up, is typically stored in rom 1331 . ram 1332 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 1320 . by way of example, and not limitation, fig. 13 illustrates operating system 1334 , application programs 1335 , other program modules 1336 , and program data 1337 . the computer 1310 may also include other removable/non-removable volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. by way of example only, fig. 13 illustrates a hard disk drive 1341 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, and an optical disk drive 1355 , and nonvolatile optical disk 1356 . the hard disk drive 1341 is typically connected to the system bus 1321 through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 1340 , and optical disk drive 1355 are typically connected to the system bus 1321 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 1350 . alternatively, or in addition, the functionality described herein can be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. for example, and without limitation, illustrative types of hardware logic components that can be used include field-programmable gate arrays (fpgas), application-specific integrated circuits (e.g., asics), application-specific standard products (e.g., assps), system-on-a-chip systems (socs), complex programmable logic devices (cplds), etc. the drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in fig. 13 , provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer 1310 . in fig. 13 , for example, hard disk drive 1341 is illustrated as storing operating system 1344 , application programs 1345 , other program modules 1346 , and program data 1347 . note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system 1334 , application programs 1335 , other program modules 1336 , and program data 1337 . a user may enter commands and information into the computer 1310 through input devices such as a keyboard 1362 , a microphone 1363 , and a pointing device 1361 , such as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. other input devices (not shown) may include a joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. these and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 1320 through a user input interface 1360 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures. a visual display 1391 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 1321 via an interface, such as a video interface 1390 . in addition to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers 1397 and printer 1396 , which may be connected through an output peripheral interface 1395 . the computer 1310 is operated in a networked environment using logical connections (such as a local area network—lan, or wide area network wan) to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 1380 . when used in a lan networking environment, the computer 1310 is connected to the lan 1371 through a network interface or adapter 1370 . when used in a wan networking environment, the computer 1310 typically includes a modem 1372 or other means for establishing communications over the wan 1373 , such as the internet. in a networked environment, program modules may be stored in a remote memory storage device. fig. 13 illustrates, for example, that remote application programs 1385 can reside on remote computer 1380 . it should also be noted that the different examples described herein can be combined in different ways. that is, parts of one or more examples can be combined with parts of one or more other examples. all of this is contemplated herein. example 1 is a mobile robotic machine, comprising: a mobile machine having a propulsion system controllable by an operator to drive the mobile machine and a first actuator;a robotic attachment operably coupled to the mobile machine and being positioned by the first actuator, the robotic attachment having an end effector that fits a plurality of different tools;a sensor that generates a sensor signal indicative of a characteristic of a worksurface on which a worksurface operation is to be performed using the plurality of different tools, each tool performing a corresponding tool operation, in an operation sequence, and to generate a sensor signal indicative of the characteristic of the worksurface; anda machine and robotic control system, that receives an indication of the worksurface operation to be performed and the sensor signal and generates a control signal to control the end effector to use each of the plurality of different tools, in the operation sequence, to perform the worksurface operation on the worksurface. example 2 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the end effector comprises: a tool changer system that carries the plurality of different tools for use by the end effector. example 3 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the machine and robotic control system comprises: tool selection logic configured to select one of the plurality of different tools and generate a tool selection signal indicative of the selected tool. example 4 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the tool changer system is configured to automatically change a tool being used by the end effector to the selected tool based on the tool selection signal. example 5 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the machine and robotic control system comprises: tool path generation logic configured to receive the indication of the worksurface operation and the tool selection signal and determine a tool path over which the selected tool is to pass when performing its corresponding tool operation, and to generate a tool path signal indicative of the tool path. example 6 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the machine and robotic control system comprises: tool positioner logic configured to receive the tool path signal and generate a position control signal to control the actuator and the robotic attachment to move the selected tool along the tool path. example 7 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples and further comprising: tool control logic configured to generate a tool operation control signal to operate the tool as the tool is moved along the travel path, to perform its corresponding tool operation. example 8 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the machine and robotic control system comprises: a handheld control system configured to receive a user input signal generated by user actuation of a user input mechanism on a handheld controller and generate a control signal for the first actuator to position the robotic attachment relative to the worksurface such that the sensor generates the sensor signal indicative of the characteristic of the worksurface. example 9 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the handheld control system comprises: mapping logic configured to receive the user input signal and access a control map that maps the user input signal to a control signal output, to identify a control signal value based on the control signal output, the handheld control system generating the control signal based on the identified control signal value. example 10 is a mobile robotic machine, comprising: a mobile machine having a frame, a propulsion system coupled to the frame and controllable by an operator to drive the mobile machine, a first actuator that drives movement of a portion of the mobile machine relative to the frame and a second actuator;a robotic attachment operably coupled to the mobile machine and being positioned by the movement of second actuator, the robotic attachment having an end effector that fits a tool;a position sensing system, that generates position sensor signals indicative of a position of the robotic attachment relative to the mobile machine and a position of the mobile machine; anda storage control system configured to receive a return-to-storage user input and, based on the return-to-storage user input, automatically controls the first and second actuators to move the mobile machine and the robotic attachment into a predefined storage position. example 11 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the robotic attachment comprises: a robotic control actuator that controls movement of a portion of the robotic attachment. example 12 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the storage control system is configured to control the robotic control actuator to move the robotic attachment into the predefined storage position. example 13 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the storage control system is configured to automatically control the propulsion system to move the mobile machine to the predefined storage position. example 14 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the storage control system is configured to receive a return-to-operating user input and, based on the return-to-operating user input, automatically controls the first and second actuators to move the mobile machine and the robotic attachment into a predefined operating position. example 15 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the storage control system comprises: storage position identification logic configured to access stored position information that defines the predefined storage position, to identify the predefined storage position; andpath identification logic configured to identify a current position of the mobile machine and the robotic attachment and, based on the current position and the predefined storage position, generate a control signal to control the first and second actuators to move the robotic attachment along a travel path to the predefined storage position. example 16 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the storage control system comprises: an object sensor configured to sense object presence proximate the travel path;object detection logic configured to detect whether a portion of the mobile machine and robotic attachment will contact the detected object and generate a contact signal indicative of the detected contact; anda control signal generator configured to generate a control signal to control at least one of the first actuator or the second actuator or the propulsion system based on the contact signal. example 17 is the mobile robotic machine of any or all previous examples wherein the storage control system comprises: a handheld control system configured to receive the return-to-storage user input from a handheld controller and to automatically control the first and second actuators. example 18 is a method of operating a mobile machine, the method comprising: generating a sensor signal indicative of a characteristic of a worksurface on which a worksurface operation is to be performed using a plurality of different tools carried by an end effector on a robotic attachment that is mounted to the mobile machine, each tool performing a corresponding tool operation, in an operation sequence, to perform the worksurface operation;identifying the worksurface operation to be performed;automatically identifying a given tool, of the plurality of different tools, that is to perform its corresponding operation on the worksurface, based on the worksurface operation identified;automatically generating a tool changer control signal to control a tool changer on the robotic attachment to couple the given tool to the end effector; andautomatically generating a tool operation signal to control the end effector to operate the given tool to perform its corresponding tool operation. example 19 is the method of any or all previous examples wherein generating a sensor signal indicative of a characteristic of the worksurface comprises: sensing a position of the given tool relative to a position of the worksurface;generating a position signal indicative of the sensed position of the given tool relative to the position of the worksurface;sensing a condition of the worksurface, the condition being indicative of whether the given tool has completed its corresponding tool operation; andgenerating a condition signal indicative of the sensed condition of the worksurface. example 20 is the method of any or all previous examples and further comprising: determining that the given tool has completed its corresponding tool operation on the worksurface based on the position signal and the condition signal;automatically identifying a next tool, of the plurality of different tools, to perform a next tool operation in the operation sequence;automatically generating the tool changer control signal to control the tool changer on the robotic attachment to couple the next tool to the end effector; andautomatically generating the tool operation signal to control the end effector to operate the next tool to perform its corresponding tool operation.
|
072-366-780-683-269
|
US
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[
"RU",
"US",
"CN",
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D21C3/22,C13K13/00,C13K1/02,C08H7/00,C13K1/04,C13K1/00,C08H8/00,C12P7/10,D21C1/02,D21C1/10,D21C1/00,D21C11/00,C12P7/64,D21F1/66,D21C3/24
| 2010-01-19T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"D21",
"C13",
"C08",
"C12"
] |
production of fermentable sugars and lignin from biomass using supercritical fluids
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methods are disclosed for the continuous treatment of biomass comprising a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction; and a hydrolysis step, wherein said solid matrix formed in said pretreatment step is contacted with a second supercritical or near-supercritical fluid to produce a second liquid fraction and a insoluble lignin-containing fraction. also disclosed are apparatuses for the continuous conversion of biomass comprising a pretreatment reactor and a hydrolysis reactor associated with said pretreatment reactor.
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1 . a method for the continuous treatment of biomass comprising: a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction; wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; and a hydrolysis step, wherein said solid matrix is contacted with a second supercritical or near-critical fluid to produce a second liquid fraction and an insoluble lignin-containing fraction; wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohols. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid and said second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises less than about 10% carbon dioxide. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said pretreatment step occurs at a temperature and pressure below the critical point of at least one component of said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid. 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said pretreatment step is performed at a temperature of about 150° c. to about 300° c. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said pretreatment step is performed at a pressure of about 50 bar to about 115 bar. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said biomass has a residence time of about 1 minute to about 5 minutes in said pretreatment step. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said first liquid fraction comprises xylo-oligosaccharides. 8 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said second supercritical or near-supercritical fluid does not include an acid. 9 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said solid matrix has a residence time of about 1 second to about 30 seconds in said hydrolysis step. 10 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature and pressure above the critical point of at least one component of said second supercritical or near-critical fluid. 11 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature from about 275° c. to about 450° c. 12 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure of about 200 bar to about 250 bar. 13 . the method of claim 1 , wherein said solid matrix is kept at a temperature of about 185° c. or higher from the beginning of said pretreatment step through at least the end of said hydrolysis step. 14 . the method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said lignin fraction and said second liquid fraction is cooled to a temperature of about 180° c. to about 240° c. 15 . the method of claim 14 , further comprising flash cooling at least one of said lignin fraction and said second liquid fraction. 16 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: a second hydrolysis step wherein said second liquid fraction is contacted with a first hot compressed water, or a third near-critical or sub-critical fluid, to produce a third liquid fraction comprising glucose monomers; wherein said third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water; and optionally, wherein said first hot compressed water or said third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises acid. 17 . the method of claim 16 , wherein said second hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 220° c. to about 320° c. 18 . the method of claim 16 , wherein said second hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure of about 30 bar to about 90 bar. 19 . the method of claim 16 , wherein said acid is present in an amount less than about 1%. 20 . the method of claim 16 , wherein said acid is present and is selected from the group consisting of hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, and combinations thereof. 21 . the method of claim 16 , wherein said second liquid fraction has a residence time of about 1 second to about 30 seconds in said second hydrolysis step. 22 . the method of claim 16 , wherein said second hydrolysis step employs said first hot compressed water; said first hot compressed water has a temperature of about 50° c. to about 250° c. and a pressure sufficient to maintain said first hot compressed water in a liquid state; and said first hot compressed water comprises acid. 23 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: a xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step, wherein said first liquid fraction is contacted with a second hot compressed water, or a fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid, to produce a fourth liquid fraction comprising xylose monomers; wherein said fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water; and optionally, wherein said second hot compressed water or said fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises acid. 24 . the method of claim 23 , wherein said acid is present and is selected from the group consisting of hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, and combinations thereof. 25 . the method of claim 23 , wherein said acid is present in an amount less than about 1%. 26 . the method of claim 23 , wherein said xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 220° c. to about 320° c. 27 . the method of claim 23 , wherein said xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure of about 30 bar to about 90 bar. 28 . the method of claim 23 , wherein said first liquid fraction has a residence time of about 1 second to about 30 seconds in said xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step. 29 . the method of claim 23 , wherein said xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step employs said second hot compressed water; said second hot compressed water has a temperature of about 50° c. to about 250° c. and a pressure sufficient to maintain said second hot compressed water in a liquid state; and said second hot compressed water comprises acid. 30 . a method of processing biomass comprising: a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a pretreated slurry comprising a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction comprising xylo-oligosaccharides; wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; a first separation step, wherein said solid matrix and said first liquid fraction are separated; a first hydrolysis step, wherein said solid matrix is contacted with a second supercritical or near-critical fluid to form an insoluble lignin-containing fraction and a second liquid fraction comprising cello-oligosaccharides; wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; a second separation step, wherein said insoluble lignin-containing fraction and said second liquid fraction are separated; and a second hydrolysis step, wherein said second liquid fraction is contacted with a third near-critical or sub-critical fluid to form a product comprising glucose monomers; wherein said third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, acid. 31 . the method of claim 30 , further comprising: a third hydrolysis step, wherein said first liquid fraction is contacted with a fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid to form a second product comprising xylose monomers; wherein said fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, acid.
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cross reference to related applications this application is a continuation of u.s. application ser. no. 13/522,918 filed jul. 18, 2012, which claims the benefit of international patent application no. pct/us2011/021726 filed jan. 19, 2011, which claims the benefit of u.s. application no. 61/296,101 filed jan. 19, 2010, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. field of the invention the present invention generally relates to supercritical or near-supercritical treatment of biomass. more particularly, it relates to processes for treating biomass to produce fermentable sugars and lignin using supercritical, near-supercritical, and/or subcritical fluids. background of the invention biomass, especially lignocellulosic biomass, is an important raw material and can be processed into fuels or industrial chemicals. current art technologies are very time consuming and hence, capital intensive. supercritical solvents, such as supercritical water and supercritical carbon dioxide, have been used in extracting various substances and facilitating chemical reactions. the useful applications of these value-added products increase the importance of supercritical fluid technology. modifications to prior art techniques are needed to improve the efficiency of converting of biomass from renewable resources and/or waste materials to more valuable products. the methods and apparatus of the present invention are directed toward these, as well as other, important ends. summary of the invention in one embodiment, the invention is directed to methods for the continuous treatment of biomass, comprising: a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction; wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; andwherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; and a hydrolysis step, wherein said solid matrix is contacted with a second supercritical or near-supercritical fluid to produce a second liquid fraction (including soluble sugars and soluble lignin) and a insoluble lignin-containing fraction; wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; andwherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohols. in another embodiment, the invention is directed to methods for the continuous treatment of biomass, comprising: a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction; wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; andwherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; and a first hydrolysis step, wherein said solid matrix is contacted with a second supercritical or near-supercritical fluid to produce a second liquid fraction (including soluble sugars and soluble lignin) and a insoluble lignin-containing fraction; wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ;wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohols; a second hydrolysis step wherein said second liquid fraction is contacted with a third near-critical or sub-critical fluid to produce a third liquid fraction comprising glucose monomers; wherein said third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, acid. in yet another embodiment, the invention is directed to methods for the continuous treatment of biomass, comprising: a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction; wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; a hydrolysis step; wherein said solid matrix is contacted with a second supercritical or near-supercritical fluid to produce a second liquid fraction (including soluble sugars and soluble lignin, if present) and a insoluble lignin-containing fraction; wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohols; and a xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step, wherein said first liquid fraction is contacted with a fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid to produce a fourth liquid fraction comprising xylose monomers. in another embodiment, the present invention is directed to methods for the continuous treatment of biomass, comprising: a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a pretreated slurry comprising a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction comprising xylo-oligosaccharides; a first separation step, wherein said solid matrix and said first liquid fraction are separated; a first hydrolysis step, wherein said solid matrix is contacted with a second supercritical or near-critical fluid to form a insoluble lignin-containing fraction and a second liquid fraction comprising cello-oligosaccharides; a second separation step, wherein said insoluble lignin-containing fraction and said second liquid fraction are separated; and a second hydrolysis step, wherein said second liquid fraction is contacted with a third near-critical or sub-critical fluid to form a product comprising glucose monomers; and optionally, a third hydrolysis step, wherein said first liquid fraction is contacted with a fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid to form a second product comprising xylose monomers. in yet other embodiments, the invention is directed to methods of increasing the level of xylose produced from biomass, comprising: fractionating said biomass to form: a solid fraction comprising: cellulose; andinsoluble lignin; anda first liquid fraction at a first temperature and at a first pressure comprising: a soluble c 5 saccharide selected from the group consisting of xylo-oligosaccharides, xylose, and mixtures thereof; separating said solid fraction from said first liquid fraction at a second pressure; wherein said first pressure and said second pressure are substantially the same; adding to said first liquid fraction an aqueous acid to increase the level of said soluble c 5 saccharide in said liquid fraction to form a second liquid fraction at a second temperature; and optionally, hydrolyzing said second liquid fraction to form xylose. in another embodiment, the invention is directed apparatus adapted for continuously converting biomass comprising a pretreatment reactor and a hydrolysis reactor associated with said pretreatment reactor. brief description of the drawings the accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. in the drawings: fig. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the method of the present invention. fig. 2 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the biomass pretreatment portion of the present invention. fig. 3 depicts a schematic representation of introduction of biomass into a pretreatment reactor by extrusion according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4 is a cutaway representation of a twin-screw extruder useful to introduce biomass into a pretreatment reactor in one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5 shows typical yields (as a percentage of theoretical maxima for each component) for certain components of the resulting mixture obtained from pretreatment of biomass according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 6 depicts a schematic representation of solid-liquid separation achieved by use of an extruder according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 7 depicts a schematic representation of treatment of a solid matrix produced from pretreatment of biomass according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 8 shows one example in schematic form of incorporation of a solid matrix produced by pretreatment of biomass into a treatment reactor using an extruder and an eductor according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 9 depicts a conical treatment reactor according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 10 depicts a continuously stirred treatment reactor according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 11 depicts an alternative embodiment of a continuously stirred treatment reactor according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 12 shows yields (as a percentage of theoretical maxima for each component) for certain components of a mixture produced by treatment of a pretreated solid matrix at 377° c. as a function of residence time according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 13 shows typical glucose monomer yields (as a percentage of the theoretical maximum glucose yield) as a function of hydrolysis temperature according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 14 shows total xylose monomer yields (as a percentage of the theoretical maximum xylose yield) as a function of hydrolysis temperature at various residence times according to one embodiment of the present invention (continuous pretreatment of biomass). fig. 15 shows xylose monomer yields (as a percentage of the theoretical maximum xylose yield) as a function of hydrolysis temperature at various residence times with varying levels of sulfuric acid according to one embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the invention as employed above and throughout the disclosure, the following terms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have the following meanings as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. while the present invention is capable of being embodied in various forms, the description below of several embodiments is made with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. headings are provided for convenience only and are not to be construed to limit the invention in any manner. embodiments illustrated under any heading may be combined with embodiments illustrated under any other heading. the use of numerical values in the various quantitative values specified in this application, unless expressly indicated otherwise, are stated as approximations as though the minimum and maximum values within the stated ranges were both preceded by the word “about.” in this manner, slight variations from a stated value can be used to achieve substantially the same results as the stated value. also, the disclosure of ranges is intended as a continuous range including every value between the minimum and maximum values recited as well as any ranges that can be formed by such values. also disclosed herein are any and all ratios (and ranges of any such ratios) that can be formed by dividing a recited numeric value into any other recited numeric value. accordingly, the skilled person will appreciate that many such ratios, ranges, and ranges of ratios can be unambiguously derived from the numerical values presented herein and in all instances such ratios, ranges, and ranges of ratios represent various embodiments of the present invention. as used herein, the term “substantial free of” refers to a composition having less than about 1% by weight, preferably less than about 0.5% by weight, and more preferably less than about 0.1% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition, of the stated material. biomass biomass is a renewable energy source generally comprising carbon-based biological material derived from recently-living organisms. the organisms may have been plants, animals, fungi, etc. examples of biomass include without limitation wood, municipal solid waste, manufacturing waste, food waste, black liquor (a byproduct of wood pulping processes), etc. fossil fuels are generally not considered biomass even though ultimately derived from carbon-based biological material. the term “biomass” as used herein does not include fossil fuel sources. biomass can be processed to yield many different chemicals. generally, biomass can be converted using thermal processes, chemical processes, enzymatic processes, or combinations thereof. supercritical, sub-critical, and near-critical fluids a supercritical fluid is a fluid at a temperature above its critical temperature and at a pressure above its critical pressure. a supercritical fluid exists at or above its “critical point,” the point of highest temperature and pressure at which the liquid and vapor (gas) phases can exist in equilibrium with one another. above critical pressure and critical temperature, the distinction between liquid and gas phases disappears. a supercritical fluid possesses approximately the penetration properties of a gas simultaneously with the solvent properties of a liquid. accordingly, supercritical fluid extraction has the benefit of high penetrability and good solvation. reported critical temperatures and pressures include: for pure water, a critical temperature of about 374.2° c., and a critical pressure of about 221 bar. carbon dioxide has a critical point of about 31° c. and about 72.9 atmospheres (about 1072 psig). ethanol has a critical point of about 243° c. and about 63 atmospheres. methanol has a critical point of about 239° c. (512.8 k) and about 1174.0 psia (80.9 bar). the critical point for other alcohols can be ascertained from the literature or experimentally. near-critical water has a temperature at or above about 300° c. and below the critical temperature of water (374.2° c.), and a pressure high enough to ensure that all fluid is in the liquid phase. sub-critical water has a temperature of less than about 300° c. and a pressure high enough to ensure that all fluid is in the liquid phase. sub-critical water temperature may be greater than about 250° c. and less than about 300° c., and in many instances sub-critical water has a temperature between about 250° c. and about 280° c. the term “hot compressed water” is used interchangeably herein for water that is at or above its critical state, or defined herein as near-critical or sub-critical, or any other temperature above about 50° c. but less than subcritical and at pressures such that water is in a liquid state as used herein, a fluid which is “supercritical” (e.g. supercritical water, supercritical ethanol, supercritical co 2 , etc.) indicates a fluid which would be supercritical if present in pure form under a given set of temperature and pressure conditions. for example, “supercritical water” indicates water present at a temperature of at least about 374.2° c. and a pressure of at least about 221 bar, whether the water is pure water, or present as a mixture (e.g. water and ethanol, water and co 2 , etc). thus, for example, “a mixture of sub-critical water and supercritical carbon dioxide” indicates a mixture of water and carbon dioxide at a temperature and pressure above that of the critical point for carbon dioxide but below the critical point for water, regardless of whether the supercritical phase contains water and regardless of whether the water phase contains any carbon dioxide. for example, a mixture of sub-critical water and supercritical co 2 may have a temperature of about 250° c. to about 280° c. and a pressure of at least about 225 bar. as used herein, “c 1 -c 5 alcohol” indicates an alcohol comprising 1 to 5 carbon atoms. examples of c 1 -c 5 alcohols include, but are not limited to, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, s-butanol, t-butanol, i-butanol, n-pentanol, 2-pentanol, 3-pentanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 2-methyl-2-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-2-butanol, and 2,2-dimethyl-1-propanol. mixtures of one or more of these alcohols may be used. as used herein, “solid matrix” indicates a composition comprising a solid or particulate component. as used herein, “liquid fraction” indicates a liquid comprising at least one component of which is a product of a reaction or treatment step. for example and without limitation, a liquid fraction after a hydrolysis step may include a product of the hydrolysis step with unreacted components and/or one or more additional products or by-products of the hydrolysis step and/or one or more products of a prior treatment step. as used herein, “continuous” indicates a process which is uninterrupted for its duration, or interrupted, paused or suspended only momentarily relative to the duration of the process. treatment of biomass is “continuous” when biomass is fed into the apparatus without interruption or without a substantial interruption, or processing of said biomass is not done in a batch process. as used herein, “resides” indicates the length of time which a given portion or bolus of material is within a reaction zone or reactor vessel. the “residence time,” as used herein, including the examples and data, are reported at ambient conditions and are not necessarily actual time elapsed. fig. 1 shows a schematic of one embodiment of a method of the invention of converting lignocellulosic biomass 102 to xylose (solution form) 107 , glucose (solution form 115 ), and lignin (solid form) 116 . lignocellulosic biomass 102 is pretreated in a pretreatment reactor 101 using hot compressed water (hcw) 103 (where the hot compressed water is under sub-critical conditions) and, optionally, supercritical co 2 104 to hydrolyze hemicellulose to hemicellulosic sugars, e.g., xylose and xylo-oligosaccharides. the resultant slurry 105 is subjected to solid/liquid (s/l) separation 106 ; the liquid phase contains hemicellulosic sugars and the solid phase contains mostly glucan and lignin. optionally, acid 108 , preferably, an inorganic acid (such as sulfuric acid), may be added separately or as part of quenching fluid, not shown. the yields of hemicellulosic sugars in the liquor and of glucan and lignin in the solid phase are typically ≧80%, ≧90%, and ≧90% (of theoretical), respectively. this solid matrix 109 is mixed with water, and optionally preheated, then subjected to hydrolysis in a hydrolysis reactor 110 using supercritical and near-critical fluids. supercritical water (scw) 111 and supercritical co 2 112 (and optionally acid 113 ) act upon glucan to selectively hydrolyze it while majority of the lignin stays insoluble. after solid/liquid separation 114 , liquid phase containing hexose sugars 115 and solid phase containing mostly lignin 116 are obtained. optionally, an acid 113 , preferably an inorganic acid (such as sulfuric acid), can be added as well that enhances cellulose hydrolysis while retarding lignin solubilization. the lignin serves as fuel 117 (such as used in a boiler, not shown) whereas hexose and pentose sugars are feedstocks for fermentations and in deriving high-value intermediates and chemicals. pretreatment of biomass in one embodiment of a method of the present invention, biomass is subjected to continuous treatment comprising a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction. in another embodiment, the supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, carbon dioxide, and is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohols. in another embodiment, the supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and carbon dioxide. in embodiments of the present invention where the supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises carbon dioxide, the amount of carbon dioxide present may be less than about 10%, less than about 9%, less than about 8%, less than about 7%, less than about 6%, less than about 5%, less than about 4%, less than about 3%, less than about 2%, or less than about 1%. in another embodiment, the supercritical or near-critical fluid does not include carbon dioxide. in another embodiment, the supercritical or near-critical fluid does not include an alcohol. in another embodiment, the pretreatment step occurs at a temperature and pressure above the critical point of at least one component of a fluid. in another embodiment, the pretreatment step occurs at a temperature and pressure above the critical point of all components of the fluid. in another embodiment, the pretreatment step occurs at a temperature from about 180° c. to about 260° c., for example, from about 185° c. to about 255° c., from about 190° c. to about 250° c., from about 195° c. to about 245° c., from about 200° c. to about 240° c., from about 205° c. to about 235° c., from about 210° c. to about 230° c., from about 215° c. to about 225° c., about 180° c., about 185° c., about 190° c., about 195° c., about 200° c., about 205° c., about 210° c., about 215° c., about 220° c., about 225° c., about 230° c., about 235° c., about 240° c., about 245° c., about 250° c., about 255° c., or about 260° c. in another embodiment, the pretreatment step occurs at a pressure from about 50 bar to about 110 bar, for example, from about 50 bar to about 110 bar, from about 60 bar to about 105 bar, from about 70 bar to about 100 bar, from about 80 bar to about 95 bar, about 50 bar, about 55 bar, about 60 bar, about 65 bar, about 70 bar, about 75 bar, about 80 bar, about 85 bar, about 90 bar, about 95 bar, about 100 bar, about 105 bar, or about 110 bar. in another embodiment, the pretreatment step occurs at a temperature from about 180° c. to about 260° c. and at a pressure from about 50 bar to about 110 bar. in another embodiment, the pretreatment step occurs at a temperature from about 230° c. to about 240° c. and at a pressure of about 50 bar. in another embodiment, the biomass resides in the pretreatment step for about 1 to about 5 minutes, for example, about 1 minute, about 1.1 minutes, about 1.2 minutes, about 1.3 minutes, about 1.4 minutes, about 1.5 minutes, about 1.6 minutes, about 1.7 minutes, about 1.8 minutes, about 1.9 minutes, about 2 minutes 2.1 minutes, about 2.2 minutes, about 2.3 minutes, about 2.4 minutes, about 2.5 minutes, about 2.6 minutes, about 2.7 minutes, about 2.8 minutes, about 2.9 minutes, about 3 minutes, about 3.1 minutes, about 3.2 minutes, about 3.3 minutes, about 3.4 minutes, about 3.5 minutes, about 3.6 minutes, about 3.7 minutes, about 3.8 minutes, about 3.9 minutes, about 4 minutes, about 4.1 minutes, about 4.2 minutes, about 4.3 minutes, about 4.4 minutes, about 4.5 minutes, about 4.6 minutes, about 4.7 minutes, about 4.8 minutes, about 4.9 minutes, or about 5 minutes. in one embodiment, the products of the pretreatment step are cooled after completion of the pretreatment step. cooling may be accomplished by any means known in the art including, without limitation, direct cooling, indirect cooling, passive cooling, etc. the term “direct cooling” as used herein indicates that a cooling fluid is contacted or mixed with the products of the pretreatment step, wherein the cooling fluid has a lower temperature than the products of the pretreatment step. for example and without limitation, direct cooling may be accomplished by contacting the products of the pretreatment step with a cooling fluid comprising water, wherein the cooling fluid has a lower temperature than the products of the pretreatment step. in direct cooling embodiments, the cooling fluid is in direct contact with and may mix with the products of the pretreatment step. in contrast, the term “indirect cooling” as used herein indicates that cooling is accomplished by means wherein the products of the pretreatment step are not contacted with or mixed with a cooling fluid. for example and without limitation, indirect cooling may be accomplished by cooling at least a portion of the vessel in which the products of the pretreatment step are located. in indirect cooling embodiments, the products of the pretreatment step are not directly in contact with, and therefore do not mix with, the cooling fluid. the term “passive cooling” as used herein indicates that the temperature of the pretreated biomass is reduced without contacting the pretreated biomass with a cooling fluid. for example and without limitation, pretreated biomass may be passively cooled by storing the pretreated biomass in a holding tank or reservoir for a period of time during which the temperature of the pretreated biomass lowers in response to ambient temperature conditions. alternatively, pretreated biomass may be passively cooled by passing the pretreated biomass through a tube or other conveying means en route to a second treatment reactor wherein the tube or other conveying means is not cooled by contact with a cooling fluid. the term “cooling fluid” as used herein includes solids, liquids, gases, and combinations thereof. in either direct or indirect cooling embodiments, cooling may be accomplished by means other than use of a cooling fluid, for example by induction. the term “heat exchange” as used herein includes direct cooling, indirect cooling, passive cooling, and combinations thereof. solid-liquid separation of pretreated biomass in one embodiment, the pretreated biomass comprises a solid matrix and a liquid fraction. the solid fraction may comprise, for example, cellulose and lignin, while the liquid fraction may comprise, for example, xylo-oligosaccharides. in one embodiment, the solid fraction and the liquid fraction are separated. separation may occur, for example, by filtration, centrifugation, extrusion, etc. in one embodiment, the solid fraction and liquid fraction are separated by extrusion. this is shown generally in fig. 6 , where a motor 602 is used to drive extruder screws 601 within an extruder barrel 603 to move slurry from pretreatment or cellulose hydrolysis 604 within the extruder. a dynamic plug 605 of extruded material is formed, creating a low pressure zone prior to the plug and a high pressure zone beyond the plug in the extruder barrel. the liquid fraction is squeezed from the wet extruded material 606 prior to the dynamic plug 605 . the solid fraction 607 (for example, at ˜45% solids) exits through the extruder. the pitch of a screw is defined as the distance between one crest of the screw thread to the next crest of the screw thread. the term “variable-pitch screw” indicates a screw with threads having more than one pitch along the axis. thus according to one embodiment, an extruder for separating the solid matrix and the liquid fraction comprises a plurality of variable-pitch screws. in one embodiment, the screw(s) of the extruder are driven by one or more motors. hydrolysis of pretreated solid matrix in one embodiment, the solid matrix formed during pretreatment is subjected to further processing. in one embodiment, the solid matrix is contacted with a second supercritical or near-critical fluid. in a related embodiment, the second supercritical or near-critical fluid is the same as the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid used during the pretreatment step. in another embodiment the second supercritical or near-critical fluid is different from the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid used during the pretreatment step. for example and without limitation, the second supercritical or near-critical fluid may comprise one or more additional components or one or more fewer components compared to the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid. alternatively, the second supercritical or near-critical fluid may comprise the same components as the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid, but in a ratio different than that of the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid. in another embodiment, the second supercritical or near-critical fluid has the same components as the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid, optionally in the same ratios, but is used at a temperature and/or pressure different than the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid. in a related embodiment, the temperature and pressure of the second supercritical or near-critical fluid differs from that of the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid such that one or more components of the second supercritical or near-critical fluid are in a different state than they are in when in the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid. for example and without limitation, the first and second supercritical or near-critical fluids may each comprise water and carbon dioxide, but the temperature and pressure of the first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid is such that both components are in the supercritical state, while the temperature and pressure of the second supercritical or near-critical fluid is such that the water is in a near-critical or subcritical state. in one embodiment, the second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, carbon dioxide, and is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohols. in another embodiment, the second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and carbon dioxide. in embodiments of the present invention where the second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises carbon dioxide, the amount of carbon dioxide present may be less than about 10%, less than about 9%, less than about 8%, less than about 7%, less than about 6%, less than about 5%, less than about 4%, less than about 3%, less than about 2%, or less than about 1%. in another embodiment, the second supercritical or near-critical fluid does not include carbon dioxide. in one embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 45 seconds. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 30 seconds. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 20 seconds. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 15 seconds. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 10 seconds. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 5 seconds. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 4 seconds. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 3 seconds. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 2 seconds. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of less than about 1 second. in another embodiment, the solid matrix has a residence time in the hydrolysis step of about 1 second, about 1.1 seconds, about 1.2 seconds, about 1.3 seconds, about 1.4 seconds, about 1.5 seconds, about 1.6 seconds, about 1.7 seconds, about 1.8 seconds, about 1.9 seconds, or about 2 seconds. in one embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature above the critical temperature of one or more components of the second supercritical or near-critical fluid. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 275° c. to about 450° c. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 300° c. to about 440° c. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 320° c. to about 420° c. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 340° c. to about 400° c. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 350° c. to about 390° c. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 360° c. to about 380° c. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 370° c. to about 380° c. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 377° c. in one embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure above the critical pressure of one or more components of the second supercritical or near-critical fluid. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure of about 200 bar to about 250 bar. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure of about 210 bar to about 240 bar. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure of about 220 bar to about 230 bar. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure of about 200 bar, about 205 bar, about 210 bar, about 215 bar, about 220 bar, about 225 bar, about 230 bar, about 235 bar, about 240 bar, about 245 bar, or about 250 bar. in one embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature and pressure above the critical temperature and critical pressure, respectively, of one or more components of the second supercritical or near-critical fluid. in another embodiment, the hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 300° c. to about 440° c. and a pressure of about 200 bar to about 250 bar. in one embodiment, the solid matrix is fed into a hydrolysis or treatment reactor by an extruder. in a related embodiment, the extruder comprises one to a plurality of screws. in a related embodiment, the extruder consists of two screws (a “twin-screw extruder”). in another embodiment, the extruder comprises a plurality of variable-pitch screws. in one embodiment, the solid matrix is fed into a hydrolysis reactor (not shown) by an eductor associated with the hydrolysis reactor. in one embodiment, steam 803 is used to propel or draw the solid matrix 801 through the eductor 802 and into the hydrolysis reactor (not shown), as shown, for example, in fig. 8 , using an extruder 805 to move the solids feed 804 into the eductor 802 . in one embodiment, hydrolysis occurs in a hydrolysis reactor. in one embodiment, the hydrolysis reactor comprises a conical reactor 901 , such as shown in fig. 9 . in another embodiment the hydrolysis reactor comprises a tank reactor. in one embodiment, the contents of the hydrolysis reactor are stirred during hydrolysis. in a related embodiment, the hydrolysis reactor contents are stirred continuously. the term “stirred continuously” or alternatively “continuously stirred” as used herein indicates that the contents of the reactor are agitated, mixed, etc. during most of the hydrolysis step, during substantially all of the hydrolysis step, or during all of the hydrolysis step. brief or intermittent periods of time during which the reactor contents are not stirred fall within the meaning of “stirred continuously” and “continuously stirred” as used herein. agitation or stirring may be accomplished by any means known in the art including, without limitation, mechanical agitation or stirring, by vibrations, or by non-uniform injection of the supercritical fluid into the hydrolysis reactor. in one embodiment, stirring is accomplished by an impeller associated with a motor 903 . in a related embodiment, the impeller is associated with a shaft 904 which in turn is associated with a motor 903 . in a related embodiment, the impeller is helically associated with the shaft. in another embodiment, the impeller is circumferentially associated with the shaft. in a related embodiment, the impeller comprises a helical impeller 1001 , as shown, for example, in fig. 10 . in another embodiment, the impeller comprises flexible blades 1002 . in another embodiment, the impeller comprises a plurality of blades, as shown, for example, in fig. 11 with impeller blades 1101 a , 1101 b , 1101 c , 1101 d , and 1101 e . in another embodiment, the impeller comprises a plurality of helical blades. in one embodiment, the hydrolysis reactor comprises a tube (i.e., a tubular hydrolysis reactor). in a related embodiment, the tubular hydrolysis reactor is an extruder. in a related embodiment, the extruder comprises a screw. in another embodiment, the extruder comprises a plurality of screws. in another embodiment, the one or more screws of the extruder are variable pitch screws. in another embodiment, the one or more screws of the extruder are associated with one or more motors. in an embodiment wherein the extruder comprises two or more screws, said screws co-rotate. in an embodiment wherein the extruder includes two screws (a “twin-screw extruder”), said screws 601 co-rotate, as shown in fig. 6 . in an embodiment in which the extruder is a twin-screw extruder, said screws counter-rotate. in one embodiment, the solid matrix is maintained at a temperature of at least about 175° c., at least about 180° c., at least about 185° c., at least about 190° c., at least about 195° c., or at least about 200° c. from the beginning of the pretreatment step through at least the end of the hydrolysis step. the term “maintained at a temperature of at least” as used herein indicates that the temperature of the solid matrix does not drop significantly below the specified temperature. in one embodiment, hydrolysis of the solid matrix according to a process of the present invention produces at least a lignin-insoluble fraction and a second liquid fraction (including soluble sugars and soluble lignin, if present). in one embodiment, the second liquid fraction comprises glucose, cello-oligosaccharides, and soluble lignin, if present. in one embodiment, the lignin-insoluble fraction comprises insoluble lignin. in another embodiment, the second liquid fraction comprises glucose and cello-oligosaccharides and the lignin-insoluble fraction comprises insoluble lignin. in one embodiment, at least one of the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are cooled after the hydrolysis step. in one embodiment, cooling occurs before the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are separated. in another embodiment, cooling occurs after the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are separated. in another embodiment, at least a portion of the cooling step occurs concomitantly with separation of the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction. in one embodiment, one or more of the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are cooled to a temperature of about 180° c. to about 240° c., about 185° c. to about 235° c., about 190° c. to about 230° c., about 195° c. to about 225° c., about 200° c. to about 220° c., about 205° c. to about 215° c., about 180° c., about 185° c., about 190° c., about 195° c., about 200° c., about 205° c., about 210° c., about 215° c., about 220° c., about 225° c., about 230° c., about 235° c., or about 240° c. in one embodiment, one or more of the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are flash cooled. in another embodiment, one or more of the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are flash cooled to a temperature of about 20° c. to about 90° c., about 25° c. to about 85° c., about 30° c. to about 80° c., about 35° c. to about 75° c., about 40° c. to about 70° c., about 45° c. to about 65° c., about 50° c. to about 60° c., about 20° c., about 25° c., about 30° c., about 35° c., about 40° c., about 45° c., about 50° c., about 55° c., about 60° c., about 65° c., about 70° c., about 75° c., about 80° c., about 85° c., or about 90° c. in one embodiment, one or more of the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are flash cooled after the hydrolysis step but before any separation step. in a related embodiment, one or more of the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are flash cooled without any initial cooling after hydrolysis. in another embodiment, one or more of the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are flash cooled after first separating the lignin-insoluble fraction from the second liquid fraction. in another embodiment, at least a portion of the flash cooling step occurs concomitantly with a separation step. in another embodiment, one or more of the lignin-insoluble fraction and the second liquid fraction are flash cooled after first cooling to a temperature of about 180° c. to about 240° c., about 185° c. to about 235° c., about 190° c. to about 230° c., about 195° c. to about 225° c., about 200° c. to about 220° c., about 205° c. to about 215° c., about 180° c., about 185° c., about 190° c., about 195° c., about 200° c., about 205° c., about 210° c., about 215° c., about 220° c., about 225° c., about 230° c., about 235° c., or about 240° c. cooling and/or flash cooling may be accomplished by any means known in the art including, without limitation, drawing or removing water from the mixture, rapidly decreasing the pressure exerted on the mixture, contacting the mixture with a relatively cooler gas, liquid or other material, etc. separation of hydrolyzed mixture in one embodiment, the lignin-insoluble fraction and second liquid fraction are separated by extrusion. in a related embodiment, extrusion occurs in an extruder. in a related embodiment, an extruder used to separate the lignin-insoluble fraction and second liquid fraction comprises one to a plurality of screws. in a related embodiment, the extruder includes two screws. this is shown generally in fig. 6 , where a motor 602 is used to drive extruder screws 601 within an extruder barrel 603 to move slurry from pretreatment or cellulose hydrolysis 604 within the extruder. a dynamic plug 605 of extruded material is formed, creating a low pressure zone prior to the plug and a high pressure zone beyond the plug in the extruder barrel. the liquid fraction is squeezed from the wet extruded material 606 prior to the dynamic plug 605 . the solid fraction 606 (for example, at ˜45% solids) exits through the extruder. in one embodiment, an extruder for separating the solid matrix and the liquid fraction may comprise one to a plurality of variable-pitch screws. in one embodiment, the screw(s) of the extruder are rotatably associated with, or driven by, one or more motors. in one embodiment, the temperature of the pretreated biomass is maintained above about 185° c. through the hydrolysis step, and then the temperature is reduced to about 220° c. before flash cooling the hydrolyzed slurry by quickly reducing the pressure to about atmospheric pressure. in a related embodiment, separation of the lignin-insoluble fraction from the second liquid fraction is achieved by skimming or filtration. in a related embodiment, the temperature of the hydrolyzed slurry is reduced such that the lignin precipitates. in a related embodiment, lignin precipitates without the addition of a precipitation or flocculating agent. in another embodiment, the pressure exerted on the products of the hydrolysis step is reduced to about 105 kpa or less, or about 101.325 kpa or less after the hydrolysis step. hydrolysis of cello-oligosaccharides one embodiment includes a second hydrolysis step wherein the second liquid fraction is contacted with a third near-critical or sub-critical fluid to produce a third liquid fraction comprising glucose monomers. in one embodiment the second hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature that is greater than the critical temperature of at least one component of the fluid. in another embodiment, the second hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 220° c. to about 320° c., about 230° c. to about 310° c., about 240° c. to about 300° c., about 250° c. to about 290° c., about 260° c. to about 280° c., about 220° c., about 230° c., about 240° c., about 250° c., about 260° c., about 270° c., about 280° c., about 290° c., about 300° c., about 310° c., or about 320° c. in one embodiment, the second hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure greater than the critical pressure of at least one component of the fluid. in another embodiment, the second hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure of about 30 bar to about 90 bar, about 35 bar to about 85 bar, about 40 bar to about 80 bar, about 45 bar to about 75 bar, about 50 bar to about 70 bar, about 55 bar to about 65 bar, about 30 bar, about 35 bar, about 40 bar, about 45 bar, about 50 bar, about 55 bar, about 60 bar, about 65 bar, about 70 bar, about 75 bar, about 80 bar, about 85 bar, or about 90 bar. in one embodiment, the second hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature and pressure greater than the critical temperature and critical pressure, respectively, of one or more components of the fluid. in another embodiment, the second hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 220° c. to about 320° c., about 230° c. to about 310° c., about 240° c. to about 300° c., about 250° c. to about 290° c., about 260° c. to about 280° c., about 220° c., about 230° c., about 240° c., about 250° c., about 260° c., about 270° c., about 280° c., about 290° c., about 300° c., about 310° c., or about 320° c., and a pressure of about 30 bar to about 90 bar, about 35 bar to about 85 bar, about 40 bar to about 80 bar, about 45 bar to about 75 bar, about 50 bar to about 70 bar, about 55 bar to about 65 bar, about 30 bar, about 35 bar, about 40 bar, about 45 bar, about 50 bar, about 55 bar, about 60 bar, about 65 bar, about 70 bar, about 75 bar, about 80 bar, about 85 bar, or about 90 bar. in one embodiment, the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water. in another embodiment, the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid further comprises acid (either an inorganic acid or an organic acid). in another embodiment, the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid further comprises carbon dioxide. in another embodiment, the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water and acid. in another embodiment, the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises an alcohol. in another embodiment, the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid does not include an alcohol. in another embodiment, the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water, carbon dioxide, and an acid. in embodiments where the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises an acid, the amount of acid may be present in an amount from about 0.1% to about 2%, about 0.1% to about 1.5%, about 0.1% to about 1%, about 0.1% to about 0.5%, about 0.1% to about 0.4%, about 0.1% to about 0.3%, about 0.1% to about 0.2%, about 0.5% to about 2%, about 0.5% to about 1.5%, about 0.5% to about 1%, less than about 2%, less than about 1.5%, less than about 1%, less than about 0.5%, less than about 0.4%, less than about 0.3%, less than about 0.2%, or less than about 0.1%. in another embodiment, the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises a catalytic amount of acid. in embodiments where the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises an acid (either an inorganic acid or an organic acid). suitable inorganic acids include, but are not limited to: sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid. suitable organic acids include, but are not limited to, aliphatic carboxylic acids (such as acetic acid and formic acid), aromatic carboxylic acids (such as benzoic acid and salicylic acid), dicarboxylic acids (such as oxalic acid, phthalic acid, sebacic acid, and adipic acid), aliphatic fatty acids (such as oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid), aromatic fatty acids (such as phenylstearic acid), and amino acids. the acid may be selected from the group consisting of hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, and combinations thereof. in embodiments where the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises carbon dioxide, the amount of carbon dioxide present may be less than about 10%, less than about 9%, less than about 8%, less than about 7%, less than about 6%, less than about 5%, less than about 4%, less than about 3%, less than about 2%, or less than about 1%, by weight, based on the weight of the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid. in another embodiment, the third near-critical or sub-critical fluid does not include carbon dioxide. in one embodiment, the second liquid fraction has a residence time in the second hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 30 seconds, about 1 second to about 25 seconds, about 1 second to about 20 seconds, about 1 second to about 15 seconds, about 1 second to about 10 seconds, about 1 second to about 5 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 30 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 25 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 20 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 15 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 1 second, about 1.1 seconds, about 1.2 seconds, about 1.3 seconds, about 1.4 seconds, about 1.5 seconds, about 1.6 seconds, about 1.7 seconds, about 1.8 seconds, about 1.9 seconds, about 2 seconds, about 2.1 seconds, about 2.2 seconds, about 2.3 seconds, about 2.4 seconds, about 2.5 seconds, about 2.6 seconds, about 2.7 seconds, about 2.8 seconds, about 2.9 seconds, about 3 seconds, about 4 seconds, about 5 seconds, about 6 seconds, about 7 seconds, about 8 seconds, about 9 seconds, about 10 seconds, about 15 seconds, about 20 seconds, about 25 seconds, or about 30 seconds. in one embodiment, the products of the second hydrolysis step are cooled after completion of the hydrolysis step. cooling may be accomplished by any means known in the art including, without limitation, direct cooling, indirect cooling, passive cooling, etc. the term “direct cooling” as used herein indicates that a cooling fluid is contacted or mixed with the products of the second hydrolysis step, wherein the cooling fluid has a lower temperature than the products of the second hydrolysis step. for example and without limitation, direct cooling may be accomplished by contacting the products of the second hydrolysis step with a cooling fluid comprising water, wherein the cooling fluid has a lower temperature than the products of the second hydrolysis step. in direct cooling embodiments, the cooling fluid is in direct contact with and may mix with the products of the second hydrolysis step. in contrast, the term “indirect cooling” as used herein indicates that cooling is accomplished by means wherein the products of the second hydrolysis step are not contacted with or mixed with a cooling fluid. for example and without limitation, indirect cooling may be accomplished by cooling at least a portion of the vessel in which the products of the second hydrolysis step are located. in indirect cooling embodiments, the products of the second hydrolysis step are not directly in contact with, and therefore do not mix with, the cooling fluid. the term “passive cooling” as used herein indicates that the temperature of the pretreated biomass is reduced without contacting the pretreated biomass with a cooling fluid. for example and without limitation, the products of the second hydrolysis step may be passively cooled by storing the products in a holding tank or reservoir for a period of time during which the temperature of the products lowers in response to ambient temperature conditions. alternatively, the products of the second hydrolysis step may be passively cooled by passing the products through a tube or other conveying means wherein the tube or other conveying means is not cooled by contact with a cooling fluid. the term “cooling fluid” as used herein includes solids, liquids, gases, and combinations thereof. in either direct or indirect cooling embodiments, cooling may be accomplished by means other than use of a cooling fluid, for example by induction. the term “heat exchange” as used herein includes direct cooling, indirect cooling, and combinations thereof. in one embodiment, the third liquid fraction comprises glucose. in one embodiment, the third liquid fraction comprises glycolaldehyde. in a related embodiment, glycolaldehyde is present in the third liquid fraction in an amount of at least about 5%, at least about 10%, at least about 12%, at least about 15%, at least about 20%, at least about 25%, at least about 30%, at least about 35%, at least about 40%, at least about 45%, at least about 50%, at least about 55%, at least about 60%, at least about 65%, at least about 70%, at least about 75%, at least about 80%, at least about 85%, at least about 90%, at least about 95%, or about 100% of the theoretical maximum yield of glycolaldehyde. in one embodiment, glycolaldehyde is present in the third liquid fraction in an amount less than the amount of glucose present in the third liquid fraction. in one embodiment, glycolaldehyde is present in the third liquid fraction in an amount greater than the amount of glucose present in the third liquid fraction hydrolysis of xylo-oligosaccharides in one embodiment, the first liquid fraction formed by pretreatment of biomass is contacted with a fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid to produce a fourth liquid fraction comprising xylose monomers. in one embodiment, the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water. in another embodiment, the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises carbon dioxide. in another embodiment, the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water and carbon dioxide. in another embodiment, the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises an alcohol. in another embodiment, the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid does not include an alcohol. in another embodiment, the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises an acid. in another embodiment, the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water, carbon dioxide, and an acid. in embodiments where the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises carbon dioxide, the amount of carbon dioxide present may be less than about 10%, less than about 9%, less than about 8%, less than about 7%, less than about 6%, less than about 5%, less than about 4%, less than about 3%, less than about 2%, or less than about 1%. in another embodiment, the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid does not include carbon dioxide. in embodiments where the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises an acid, the amount of acid may be present in an amount from about 0.1% to about 2%, about 0.1% to about 1.5%, about 0.1% to about 1%, about 0.1% to about 0.5%, about 0.1% to about 0.4%, about 0.1% to about 0.3%, about 0.1% to about 0.2%, about 0.5% to about 2%, about 0.5% to about 1.5%, about 0.5% to about 1%, less than about 2%, less than about 1.5%, less than about 1%, less than about 0.5%, less than about 0.4%, less than about 0.3%, less than about 0.2%, or less than about 0.1%. in another embodiment, the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises a catalytic amount of acid. in embodiments where the fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises an acid (either an inorganic acid or an organic acid). suitable inorganic acids include, but are not limited to: sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid. suitable organic acids include, but are not limited to, aliphatic carboxylic acids (such as acetic acid and formic acid), aromatic carboxylic acids (such as benzoic acid and salicylic acid), dicarboxylic acids (such as oxalic acid, phthalic acid, sebacic acid, and adipic acid), aliphatic fatty acids (such as oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid), aromatic fatty acids (such as phenylstearic acid), and amino acids. the acid may be selected from the group consisting of hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, and combinations thereof. in one embodiment, the first liquid fraction has a residence time in the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step of about 1 second to about 30 seconds, about 1 second to about 25 seconds, about 1 second to about 20 seconds, about 1 second to about 15 seconds, about 1 second to about 10 seconds, about 1 second to about 5 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 30 seconds, about 2 seconds to about 25 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 25 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 20 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 15 seconds, about 5 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 10 seconds to about 15 seconds, about 1 second, about 1.1 seconds, about 1.2 seconds, about 1.3 seconds, about 1.4 seconds, about 1.5 seconds, about 1.6 seconds, about 1.7 seconds, about 1.8 seconds, about 1.9 seconds, about 2 seconds, about 2.1 seconds, about 2.2 seconds, about 2.3 seconds, about 2.4 seconds, about 2.5 seconds, about 2.6 seconds, about 2.7 seconds, about 2.8 seconds, about 2.9 seconds, about 3 seconds, about 4 seconds, about 5 seconds, about 6 seconds, about 7 seconds, about 8 seconds, about 9 seconds, about 10 seconds, about 15 seconds, about 20 seconds, about 25 seconds, or about 30 seconds. in one embodiment the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature that is greater than the critical temperature of at least one component of the fourth fluid. in another embodiment, the second hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 220° c. to about 320° c., about 230° c. to about 310° c., about 240° c. to about 300° c., about 250° c. to about 290° c., about 260° c. to about 280° c., about 220° c., about 230° c., about 240° c., about 250° c., about 260° c., about 270° c., about 280° c., about 290° c., about 300° c., about 310° c., or about 320° c. in one embodiment, the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure greater than the critical pressure of at least one component of the fourth fluid. in another embodiment, the second hydrolysis step occurs at a pressure of about 30 bar to about 90 bar, about 35 bar to about 85 bar, about 40 bar to about 80 bar, about 45 bar to about 75 bar, about 50 bar to about 70 bar, about 55 bar to about 65 bar, about 30 bar, about 35 bar, about 40 bar, about 45 bar, about 50 bar, about 55 bar, about 60 bar, about 65 bar, about 70 bar, about 75 bar, about 80 bar, about 85 bar, or about 90 bar. in one embodiment, the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature and pressure greater than the critical temperature and critical pressure, respectively, of one or more components of the fourth fluid. in another embodiment, the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step occurs at a temperature of about 220° c. to about 320° c., about 230° c. to about 310° c., about 240° c. to about 300° c., about 250° c. to about 290° c., about 260° c. to about 280° c., about 220° c., about 230° c., about 240° c., about 250° c., about 260° c., about 270° c., about 280° c., about 290° c., about 300° c., about 310° c., or about 320° c., and a pressure of about 30 bar to about 90 bar, about 35 bar to about 85 bar, about 40 bar to about 80 bar, about 45 bar to about 75 bar, about 50 bar to about 70 bar, about 55 bar to about 65 bar, about 30 bar, about 35 bar, about 40 bar, about 45 bar, about 50 bar, about 55 bar, about 60 bar, about 65 bar, about 70 bar, about 75 bar, about 80 bar, about 85 bar, or about 90 bar. in one embodiment, the products of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step are cooled after completion of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step. cooling may be accomplished by any means known in the art including, without limitation, direct cooling or indirect cooling. the term “direct cooling” as used herein indicates that a cooling fluid is contacted or mixed with the products of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step, wherein the cooling fluid has a lower temperature than the products of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step. for example and without limitation, direct cooling may be accomplished by contacting the products of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step with a cooling fluid comprising water, wherein the cooling fluid has a lower temperature than the products of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step. in direct cooling embodiments, the cooling fluid is in direct contact with and may mix with the products of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step. in contrast, the term “indirect cooling” as used herein indicates that cooling is accomplished by means wherein the products of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step are not contacted with or mixed with a cooling fluid. for example and without limitation, indirect cooling may be accomplished by cooling at least a portion of the vessel in which the products of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step are located. in indirect cooling embodiments, the products of the xylo-oligosaccharide hydrolysis step are not directly in contact with, and therefore do not mix with, the cooling fluid. the term “cooling fluid” as used herein includes solids, liquids, gases, and combinations thereof. in either direct or indirect cooling embodiments, cooling may be accomplished by means other than use of a cooling fluid, for example by induction. the term “heat exchange” as used herein includes direct cooling, indirect cooling, and combinations thereof. additional embodiments in one embodiment, the method of treating biomass comprises: a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a pretreated slurry comprising a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction comprising xylo-oligosaccharides; wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; a first separation step, wherein said solid matrix and said first liquid fraction are separated; a first hydrolysis step, wherein said solid matrix is contacted with a second supercritical or near-critical fluid to form a insoluble lignin-containing fraction and a second liquid fraction comprising cello-oligosaccharides; wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; a second separation step, wherein said insoluble lignin-containing fraction and said second liquid fraction are separated; and a second hydrolysis step, wherein said second liquid fraction is contacted with a third near-critical or sub-critical fluid to form a product comprising glucose monomers; wherein said third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, acid, preferably an inorganic acid. in another embodiment, the method of treating biomass comprises: a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a pretreated slurry comprising a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction comprising xylo-oligosaccharides; wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; a first separation step, wherein said solid matrix and said first liquid fraction are separated; a first hydrolysis step, wherein said solid matrix is contacted with a second supercritical or near-critical fluid to form a insoluble lignin-containing fraction and a second liquid fraction comprising cello-oligosaccharides; wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 ; and wherein said second supercritical or near-critical fluid is substantially free of c 1 -c 5 alcohol; a second separation step, wherein said insoluble lignin-containing fraction and said second liquid fraction are separated; and a second hydrolysis step, wherein said second liquid fraction is contacted with a third near-critical or sub-critical fluid to form a product comprising glucose monomers; wherein said third near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, co 2 . a third hydrolysis step, wherein said first liquid fraction is contacted with a fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid to form a second product comprising xylose monomers; wherein said fourth near-critical or sub-critical fluid comprises water and, optionally, acid, preferably inorganic acid. in yet other embodiments, the invention is directed to methods of increasing the level of xylose produced from biomass, comprising: fractionating said biomass to form: a solid fraction comprising: cellulose; andinsoluble lignin; anda first liquid fraction at a first temperature and at a first pressure comprising: a soluble c 5 saccharide selected from the group consisting of xylo-oligosaccharides, xylose, and mixtures thereof;separating said solid fraction from said first liquid fraction at a second pressure; wherein said first pressure and said second pressure are substantially the same (preferably, said second temperature is less than said first temperature); adding to said first liquid fraction an aqueous acid to increase the level of said soluble c 5 saccharide in said liquid fraction to form a second liquid fraction at a second temperature; and optionally, hydrolyzing said second liquid fraction to form xylose. in certain embodiments, said xylo-oligosaccharides in said first liquid fraction have about 2 mer units to about 25 mer units; and said xylo-oligosaccharades in said second liquid fraction have about 2 mer units to about 15 mer units. in certain preferred embodiments, the yield of said xylose is at least 70% of theoretical yield. in certain embodiments, said aqueous acid is selected from the group consisting of an organic acid and an inorganic acid. suitable inorganic acids include, but are not limited to: sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid. suitable organic acids include, but are not limited to, aliphatic carboxylic acids (such as acetic acid and formic acid), aromatic carboxylic acids (such as benzoic acid and salicylic acid), dicarboxylic acids (such as oxalic acid, phthalic acid, sebacic acid, and adipic acid), aliphatic fatty acids (such as oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid), aromatic fatty acids (such as phenylstearic acid), and amino acids. the acid may be selected from the group consisting of hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, and combinations thereof. preferably, said inorganic acid is dilute sulfuric acid. the amount of acid may be present in an amount from about 0.1% to about 2%, about 0.1% to about 1.5%, about 0.1% to about 1%, about 0.1% to about 0.5%, about 0.1% to about 0.4%, about 0.1% to about 0.3%, about 0.1% to about 0.2%, about 0.5% to about 2%, about 0.5% to about 1.5%, about 0.5% to about 1%, less than about 2%, less than about 1.5%, less than about 1%, less than about 0.5%, less than about 0.4%, less than about 0.3%, less than about 0.2%, or less than about 0.1%. in yet other embodiments, the invention is directed to methods of increasing the level of glucose produced from lignocellulolosic biomass, comprising: providing a fractionated biomass (preferably, under pressure greater than ambient), comprising: a first solid fraction comprising: cellulose; andinsoluble lignin; anda first liquid fraction; mixing said solid fraction with water to form a slurry; pre-heating said slurry to a temperature less than critical point of water; contacting said slurry with a second reaction fluid to form: a second solid fraction comprising: insoluble lignin; anda second liquid fraction comprising: a saccharide selected from the group consisting of cello-oligosaccharides, glucose, and mixtures thereof;wherein said second reaction fluid comprises water and, optionally, carbon dioxide, said second reaction fluid having a temperature and a pressure above the critical point of water and of carbon dioxide; and reducing the temperature of said reaction mixture to a temperature below the critical point of water; and optionally, hydrolyzing said second liquid fraction to form glucose. preferably, the method is continuous. in certain embodiments, reducing the temperature of said reaction mixture to a temperature below the critical point of water comprises contacting said reaction mixture with a composition comprising water. in other embodiments, the temperature of said reaction mixture to a temperature below the critical point of water comprises contacting said reaction mixture with a composition comprising water and acid at a level less than about 10%, preferably less than about 5%, more preferably less than about 2%, and even more preferably, less than about 1%, by weight, based on the total weight of said composition. in certain embodiments, said fractionated biomass is prepared by contacting said biomass with a first reaction fluid, comprising water and, optionally, carbon dioxide, said first reaction fluid having a temperature and a pressure above the critical point of carbon dioxide, and at least one of said temperature and said pressure of said first reactive fluid being below the critical temperature and the critical temperature of water. in certain embodiments, said pre-heating is carried out at a temperature of about 245° c. to about 255° c. and a pressure of about 200 bar to about 260 bar. in certain embodiments, said contacting said slurry with a second reaction fluid is carried out at a temperature of about 358° c. to about 380° c. and a pressure of about 200 bar to about 260 bar. in certain embodiments, said reducing the temperature of said reaction mixture is carried out at a temperature of about 260° c. to about 280° c. and a pressure of about 200 bar to about 260 bar. in certain preferred embodiments, the yield of said glucose is at least about 63% of theoretical yield. in certain aspects, the method yields a composition, comprising: glucose of at least about 63%, by weight, based on the total weight of the composition; water; less than about 13.0% glycolaldehyde, by weight, based on the total weight of the composition; less than about 2.0% glycolic acid, by weight, based on the total weight of the composition; and wherein said glucose is extracted from biomass using supercritical fluid extraction. in one embodiment, an extruder is used for one or more of: a conveyer, a reactor, and a heat exchanger for one or more of the biomass pretreatment and a hydrolysis steps. in one embodiment, an extruder is used as a conveyer, a reactor, and a heat exchanger. in one embodiment, a first extruder is used as a conveyer, reactor, and/or a heat exchanger for biomass pretreatment, and a second extruder is used as a conveyer, reactor, and/or a heat exchanger for a hydrolysis step. in a related embodiment, a third extruder is used as a conveyer, reactor, and/or a heat exchanger for a second hydrolysis step. in one embodiment, an extruder comprises one or more screws. in another embodiment, an extruder comprises two screws. in another embodiment, an extruder comprises more than two screws. in another embodiment, two or more screws of an extruder co-rotate. in a related embodiment, the two or more screws counter-rotate. apparatus fig. 1 shows a schematic of one embodiment of the apparatus of the invention for converting lignocellulosic biomass 102 to xylose (solution form) 107 , glucose (solution form 115 ), and lignin (solid form) 116 . lignocellulosic biomass 102 is pretreated in a pretreatment reactor 101 using hot compressed water (hcw) 103 (where the hot compressed water is under sub-critical conditions) and, optionally supercritical co 2 104 to hydrolyze hemicellulose to hemicellulosic sugars, e.g., xylose and xylo-oligosaccharides. the resultant slurry 105 is subjected to solid/liquid (s/l) separation 106 ; the liquid phase contains hemicellulosic sugars and the solid phase contains mostly glucan and insoluble lignin. optionally, acid 108 , preferably, inorganic acid (such as sulfuric acid), may be added separately or as part of quenching fluid, not shown. the yields of hemicellulosic sugars in the liquor and of glucan and lignin in the solid phase are typically ≧80%, ≧90%, and ≧90% (of theoretical), respectively. this solid matrix 109 is mixed with water, and optionally preheated, then subjected to hydrolysis in a hydrolysis reactor 110 using supercritical and near-critical fluids. supercritical water (scw) 111 and supercritical co 2 112 (and optionally acid 113 ) act upon glucan to selectively hydrolyze it while majority of the lignin stays insoluble. after solid/liquid separation 114 , liquid phase containing hexose sugars 115 and solid phase containing mostly lignin 116 are obtained. optionally, an acid 113 , preferably an inorganic acid (such as sulfuric acid), can be added as well that enhances cellulose hydrolysis while retarding lignin solubilization. the lignin serves as fuel 117 (such as used in a boiler, not shown) whereas hexose and pentose sugars are feedstocks fermentations and in deriving high-value intermediates and chemicals. in one embodiment, an apparatus for converting biomass comprises (a) a pretreatment reactor and (b) a hydrolysis reactor. in a related embodiment, the hydrolysis reactor is associated with the pretreatment reactor. in a related embodiment, the hydrolysis reactor is associated with the pretreatment reactor and is adapted such that pretreated biomass is conveyed from the pretreatment reactor to the hydrolysis reactor. in a related embodiment, biomass is conveyed from the pretreatment reactor to the hydrolysis reactor using an extruder, an eductor, or a pump. in one embodiment an extruder delivers pretreated biomass from the pretreatment reactor to the hydrolysis reactor. in a related embodiment, the extruder comprises a screw rotatably associated with a motor. in another related embodiment, the extruder comprises two screws (a “twin-screw extruder”). in one embodiment, the extruder has variable-pitch screws. in one embodiment, a first reactor is adapted to feed one or more products of a first reaction to a second reactor. for example and without limitation, a pretreatment reactor is adapted to feed a solid matrix into a hydrolysis reactor. in one embodiment, the first reactor is adapted such that one or more reacted products is continuously fed into a second reactor. in a related embodiment, an extruder is associated with the first reactor, said extruder adapted to feed one or more reacted products into a second reactor. in a related embodiment, the extruder is a twin-screw extruder. in another embodiment, the first reactor comprises an extruder. in a related embodiment, at least a portion of the extruder is adapted to separate two or more reacted products. for example and without limitation, a pretreatment reactor comprising an extruder is adapted such that at least a portion of the extruder separates pretreated biomass into a first liquid fraction and a solid matrix; and said extruder is further adapted to feed said solid matrix into a hydrolysis reactor. in another embodiment, an eductor is associated with the pretreatment reactor and is adapted to feed one or more reaction products from a first reactor into a second reactor. in a related embodiment, steam is used to force said one or more reaction products from the first reactor into the second reactor. in a related embodiment, the eductor comprises a steam inlet through which a relatively high pressure of steam is introduced, and wherein the one or more reaction products from the first reactor is transferred to the second reactor in response to an elevated pressure of steam in the eductor. in one embodiment, a reactor comprises an extruder in which at least a portion of a reaction occurs. in a related embodiment, the extruder is a twin-screw extruder, optionally with variable-pitch screws. in one embodiment, a reactor is adapted to separate the products of the reaction that occurs in the reactor. for example and without limitation, a hydrolysis reactor is adapted to separate a second liquid fraction and a insoluble lignin-containing fraction after hydrolysis of solid matrix occurs in the hydrolysis reactor. in a related embodiment, a reactor comprises an extruder in which at least a portion of a reaction occurs and in which at least a portion of the reacted products are separated into their component parts. this is shown generally in fig. 3 , where a motor 301 is used to drive an extruder screw 303 within an extruder barrel 305 to move biomass (not shown) that is fed through the biomass feed 307 . a dynamic plug 311 of extruded biomass is formed, creating a low pressure zone 315 prior to the plug and a high pressure zone 317 beyond the plug in the extruder barrel. wetting fluid 309 , in this case water, is added to the extruder barrel. the liquid fraction is squeezed from the wet extruded biomass (squeezate liquor 313 ) prior to the dynamic plug. the solid fraction 323 (for example, at 45-50% solids) exits through the discharge valve 319 into a reactor 321 for further treatment. in a related embodiment, extrusion occurs in an extruder. in a related embodiment, an extruder used to separate the solid fraction and liquid fraction comprises one to a plurality of screws. in a related embodiment, the extruder includes two screws (a “twin-screw extruder”), as shown in fig. 4 with an extruder-type reactor 402 with twin screws 404 a and 404 b that move the biomass that is introduced via the biomass feed 406 through the extruder, process it before it exits the extruder, and is controlled by a pressure control valve 405 . in another embodiment, the reactor comprises a drain through which a liquid fraction exits the reactor. in one embodiment, a reactor comprises a water inlet which is adapted to allow water to be introduced or injected into the reactor. the reactor may be used for pretreatment of biomass, hydrolysis of a solid matrix, hydrolysis of a liquid fraction, etc. in a related embodiment, water is introduced into the reactor through the water inlet to quench a pretreatment or hydrolysis reaction. in a related embodiment, water is introduced through a water inlet after at least a portion of the contents have been reacted (e.g., pretreated or hydrolyzed). in an embodiment where the reactor comprises an extruder, said reactor has a reaction zone defined as the portion of the length of the extruder in which the pretreatment or hydrolysis reaction occurs. in such an embodiment biomass, solid matrix, or a liquid fraction enters the reaction zone at a first end and pretreatment or hydrolysis occurs as the material is forced through the reaction zone towards a second end. in another embodiment, a water inlet is positioned on an extruder-type reactor at least halfway between said first end and said second end, at least ⅝ of the way between said first end and said second end, at least ⅔ of the way between said first end and said second end, at least ¾ of the way between said first end and said second end, or at least ⅞ of the way between said first end and said second end. in one embodiment, a reactor comprises a plurality of units 401 a , 401 b , 401 c , and 401 d , adapted to allow water to be introduced or injected into the reactor, for example, as shown in fig. 4 . the reactor may be used for pretreatment of biomass, hydrolysis of a solid matrix, hydrolysis of a liquid fraction, etc. in a related embodiment, water is introduced into the reactor through at least one of the plurality of water injection units to adjust at least one of the temperature and pressure of the reactor. in a related embodiment, said water injection units are associated along the length of an extruder-type reactor 402 , as shown in fig. 4 . in another related embodiment, a fluid comprising water and at least one other component is introduced into the reactor through at least one of the plurality of water injection units. in another embodiment, the fluid comprising water has at least one of a known temperature and a known pressure. in one embodiment, a reactor comprises one or more temperature control units 403 a , 403 b , 403 c , and 403 d adapted to monitor the temperature of a reaction which occurs in the reactor, for example, as shown in fig. 4 . the reactor may be used for pretreatment of biomass, hydrolysis of a solid matrix, hydrolysis of a liquid fraction, etc. in a related embodiment, said temperature control units are associated with one or more water injection units. in a related embodiment, the temperature control units are adapted such that when the temperature of the reaction falls outside a predetermined temperature range, said temperature control units cause one or more water injection units to allow introduction of a fluid. in a related embodiment, the temperature and/or pressure of the fluid to be injected into the reactor is known. in another related embodiment, any one of a plurality of temperature control units is associated with a single water injection unit. in another related embodiment, any one of a plurality of water injection units is associated with a single temperature control unit. in another embodiment, any one of a plurality of temperature control units is associated with one of a plurality of water injection units and vice versa. in one embodiment, a pretreatment reactor comprises a conical reactor 901 , such as shown in fig. 9 . in addition to use as a pretreatment reactor, the reactor may be alternatively be used for hydrolysis of a solid matrix, hydrolysis of a liquid fraction, etc. in a related embodiment, the conical reactor comprises a conical-shaped reaction vessel defined by an axis, a radius, and an inner periphery; and a mixing mechanism (for example, impeller 902 and motor 903 . in a related embodiment, the mixing mechanism comprises an arm which rotates about the axis of the conical reactor and substantially parallel with the radius of the conical reactor, a first motor operatively associated with said arm, an impeller defined by an impeller axis and associated with said arm and with a second motor, whereby the impeller rotates about its own impeller axis and substantially parallel to the inner periphery of the conical reactor. in a related embodiment, the first and second motors comprise a single motor. in another related embodiment, the impeller further comprises an impeller shaft extending substantially along the impeller axis and at least one impeller blade circumferentially associated with said impeller shaft. in a related embodiment, the impeller comprises one impeller blade. in a related embodiment, said impeller blade is helically associated with the impeller shaft. in one embodiment, the apparatus for converting biomass comprises: a pretreatment reactor adapted to pretreat biomass; a first hydrolysis reactor associated with said pretreatment reactor and adapted to hydrolyze a solid matrix formed in the pretreatment reactor; a second hydrolysis reactor associated with said pretreatment reactor and adapted to hydrolyze a first liquid fraction formed in the pretreatment reactor; and optionally, a third hydrolysis reactor associated with said first hydrolysis reactor and adapted to hydrolyze a second liquid fraction formed in said first hydrolysis reactor. the present invention is further defined in the following examples, in which all parts and percentages are by weight, unless otherwise stated. it should be understood that these examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only and are not to be construed as limiting in any manner. from the above discussion and these examples, one skilled in the art can ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention, and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions. examples example 1 continuous pretreatment of biomass a continuous pilot-scale system with a 100 kg/d (dry basis) capacity was used. a schematic of the pretreatment setup is shown in fig. 2 . biomass slurry in water 201 is fed into a furnace 203 and heated. optionally, carbon dioxide 205 is introduced as a supercritical fluid with supercritical co 2 being a catalyst into the pretreatment reactor 207 . after pretreatment, the fractionated biomass is cooled by the introduction of cooling fluid 209 , such as water (with or without acid, preferably an inorganic acid). the liquid fraction 215 containing the xylose is separated using a solid/liquid separator 211 from the solid fraction 213 containing cellulose and lignin. experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 220-250° c., pressure of 100 bar and residence times of 1-1.6 minutes. fig. 14 shows yields on incoming feed basis; the feed containing ˜35% glucan, ˜18% xylan and ˜30% lignin (mixed hardwoods). example 2 continuous cellulose hydrolysis using supercritical and near-critical water a continuous pilot-scale system with a 100 kg/d (dry basis) capacity was used. schematic of the cellulose hydrolysis setup is shown in fig. 7 . the pretreated biomass slurry 701 is first preheated in a furnace 702 then directly subjected to hydrolysis in a hydrolysis reactor 707 using supercritical and near-critical fluids. supercritical water (scw) 705 (prepared by heating a water stream 703 in a furnace 704 under pressure) and supercritical co 2 706 (and optionally acid, not shown) act upon glucan to selectively hydrolyze it while majority of the lignin stays insoluble. the hydrolyzed slurry is quenched with, for example, water quench 708 (with or without dilute acid, preferably an inorganic acid, such as sulfuric acid) to slow the down the hydrolysis reaction and prevent the formation of degradation products. the use of acid in the quench also hydrolyzes the cello-oligosaccharides to glucose monomers. the hydrolyzed slurry is further cooled with cooling fluid, such as water 709 . after solid/liquid separation 710 , liquid phase containing hexose sugars 711 and solid phase containing mostly lignin 712 are obtained. experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 360-374° c., pressure of 225 bar and residence time of 1 s. co 2 was introduced into the slurry (4 wt %), supercritical co 2 being a catalyst. the temperature is maintained for a desired residence time by directly quenching the reaction by injection of cold water. table 1 and table 2 show yields on incoming feed basis; the feed containing ˜55% glucan and ˜40% lignin (pretreated solids), for residence times of 1 s and 1.2 s, respectively. all yields are % of theoretical and refer to those in the liquor except for lignin which is in the solid phase. cellulose hydrolysis and lignin solubilization are inversely correlated. glycolaldehyde and glycolic acid are also produced in meaningful quantities and can be separated as valuable products. table 1results from continuous cellulose hydrolysisglucosetotal c6glycolal-glycolicotherlignintemperaturepressureoligomersugardehydeacidacidsrecovery(° c.)(bar)(%)(%)(%)(%)(%)(%)353 ± 2.5222 ± 5.759.560.67.4na8.050-70364 ± 2.5224 ± 7.459.160.18.61.97.950-70367 ± 2.0226 ± 7.063.063.810.93.712.450-70370 ± 2.2231 ± 7.15960.512.81.613.450-70preheat stage: 250° c./20 scellulose hydrolysis stage: 2 s example 3 continuous conversion of xylo-oligosaccharides (×0s)-to-xylose monomers using acid and hot compressed water a continuous system with a 10 kg/d (dry basis) capacity was used. schematic of the setup was similar to that shown in fig. 2 . xylose liquor produced from a pretreatment operation similar to example 1 was used as starting material. experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 180-240° c., pressure of 100 bar and residence time of 1-3 s. h 2 so 4 at 0.1%-0.2% (ph=1.7-2.0) was introduced into the liquor as a catalyst. results show that ˜90% monomeric xylose yield can be achieved in 1 s using 0.2% acid ( fig. 15 ). example 4 continuous conversion of cello-oligosaccharides (cos)-to-glucose monomers using acid and hot compressed water a continuous system with a 10 kg/d (dry basis) capacity was used. a schematic of the setup was similar to that shown in fig. 2 . slurry produced from a cellulose hydrolysis operation similar to example 2 was filtered and the resulting liquor was used as starting material. experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 200-260° c., pressure of 100 bar and residence time of 1-3 s. h 2 so 4 at 0.2% or oxalic acid at 0.25% was introduced into the liquor as a catalyst. results show that ˜90% monomeric glucose yield can be achieved in 1 s using 0.1% sulfuric acid, as shown in fig. 13 . example 5 effect of cellulose hydrolysis residence time on production of glucose and byproducts continuous cellulose hydrolysis was carried out at 377° c. on the solid matrix prepared by the pretreatment step described above at different residence times (1.6 s, 5 s, 7 s, and 10 s). yields (as a percentage of theoretical maxima for each component) were measured for certain components (glucose, glucose post hydrolysis (ph), glycolaldehyde (gla), and sum of glucose (ph) and gla. the results are shown in fig. 12 , where glucose is shown as a diamond, glucose ph is shown as a triangle, glycolaldehyde (gla) is shown as a square, and sum of glucose (ph) and gla is shown as an x. as residence time increases, the level of total glucose (glucose ph) decreases and the level of glycolaldehyde increases. thus, it is possible to tune the process to yield more sugar (glucose) or to yield more byproducts (such as glycolaldehyde). glycolaldehyde may be easily hydrogenated to mono-ethylene glycol (meg), using raney nickel catalyst, for example. in addition, glycolic acid, glycerolaldehyde, lactic acid, and acetic acid are generated, which may be isolated using, for example, liquid-liquid extraction. ethanol fermentation was conducted using glucose liquor produced from the 1.6 s residence time. the liquor, after treatment with activated carbon and overliming treatments, was fermentable to high yields. the results are shown in table 2. table 2ethanol fermentation using glucose liquortime (hours)ethanol (% yield)24674885 example 6 effect of co2 on production of glucose and byproducts continuous cellulose hydrolysis with and without co 2 was carried out at 377° c. with a 1.6 s residence time on the solid matrix prepared by the pretreatment step described above. the results are shown in table 3. table 3effect of co 2level of co 25%0%glucose as is (%)3.13.8glucose total (%)64.866.8glycolaldehyde (%)9.28.8glycolic acid and glycolaldehyde (%)1.72.4lactic acid (%)2.11.7formic acid (%)3.22.8acetic acid (%)2.21.7lignin recovery (%)70.269.7 as can be seen, the difference of the various levels of products and byproducts produced by the continuous cellulose hydrolysis with and without co2 were statistically insignificant. thus, it appears that there is no beneficial effect for glucose yield, byproduct yield, or lignin recovery. accordingly, it would be beneficial to avoid the cost of co 2 pumping, co 2 compression for recycling, and the additional complexity of including co 2 under supercritical conditions. example 7 effect of co2 in pretreatment step pretreatment of biomass with co 2 was carried out at about 230° c. to 240° c. with about 1.5 minutes residence time. the results are shown in fig. 5 this data shows that there was good xylose recovery in the liquor and glucan recovery in the solids. while the preferred forms of the invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made that will achieve some of the advantages of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. therefore, the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by the claims to be appended. when ranges are used herein for physical properties, such as molecular weight, or chemical properties, such as chemical formulae, all combinations, and subcombinations of ranges specific embodiments therein are intended to be included. the disclosures of each patent, patent application, and publication cited or described in this document are hereby incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous changes and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention and that such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. it is, therefore, intended that the appended claims cover all such equivalent variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
|
074-549-301-524-59X
|
US
|
[
"US",
"CN",
"EP",
"WO"
] |
H04R3/00,H04R17/02,H04R23/02,H04R29/00,H04R23/00
| 2015-12-15T00:00:00 |
2015
|
[
"H04"
] |
absolute sensitivity of a mems microphone with capacitive and piezoelectric electrodes
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microphone systems and methods of determining absolute sensitivities of a mems microphone. the microphone system includes a speaker, the mems microphone, and a controller. the speaker is configured to generate acoustic pressure. the mems microphone includes a capacitive electrode, a backplate, and a piezoelectric electrode. the capacitive electrode is configured such that the acoustic pressure causes a first movement and to generate a first mechanical pressure. the piezoelectric electrode is coupled to the capacitive electrode and is configured to generate a first piezoelectric response signal based on the acoustic pressure. the piezoelectric electrode is further configured to generate a second piezoelectric response signal based on the first mechanical pressure. the controller is configured to determine a first capacitive response based on the first movement and determine an absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode based on the first capacitive response, the first piezoelectric response signal, and the second piezoelectric response signal.
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1. a microphone system comprising: a speaker configured to generate an acoustic pressure based on a speaker control signal; a mems microphone including a capacitive electrode, the capacitive electrode configured such that the acoustic pressure causes a first movement of the capacitive electrode, the capacitive electrode configured to generate a first mechanical pressure based on a capacitive control signal, a backplate positioned on a first side of the capacitive electrode, and a piezoelectric electrode coupled to the capacitive electrode, the piezoelectric electrode configured to generate a first piezoelectric response signal based on the acoustic pressure, and generate a second piezoelectric response signal based on the first mechanical pressure; and a controller coupled to the speaker, the capacitive electrode, the backplate, and the piezoelectric electrode, the controller configured to generate the speaker control signal, determine a first capacitive response based on the first movement of the capacitive electrode; generate the capacitive control signal, and determine an absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode based on the first capacitive response, the first piezoelectric response signal, and the second piezoelectric response signal. 2. the microphone system according to claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric electrode is further configured to generate a second mechanical pressure based on a piezoelectric control signal. 3. the microphone system according to claim 2 , wherein the capacitive electrode is further configured such that the second mechanical pressure causes a second movement of the capacitive electrode. 4. the microphone system according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to: generate the piezoelectric control signal, determine a second capacitive response based on the second movement of the capacitive electrode, and determine an absolute sensitivity of the piezoelectric electrode based on the first capacitive response, the second capacitive response, and the first piezoelectric response signal. 5. the microphone system according to claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric electrode is positioned on a second side of the capacitive electrode, wherein the second side of the capacitive electrode is opposite from the first side of the capacitive electrode. 6. the microphone system according to claim 1 , wherein the first capacitive response includes a first voltage difference between the capacitive electrode and the backplate caused by the first movement. 7. the microphone system according to claim 4 , wherein the first capacitive response includes a first voltage difference between the capacitive electrode and the backplate caused by the first movement, wherein the second capacitive response includes a second voltage difference between the capacitive electrode and the backplate caused by the second movement. 8. the microphone system according to claim 1 , wherein the first piezoelectric response signal and the second piezoelectric response signal are voltage signals. 9. the microphone system according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitive control signal is a current signal. 10. the microphone system according to claim 4 , wherein the capacitive control signal and the piezoelectric control signal are current signals. 11. a method of determining absolute sensitivities of a mems microphone, the mems microphone including a capacitive electrode, a backplate, and a piezoelectric electrode coupled to the capacitive electrode, the method comprising: generating, by a speaker, an acoustic pressure based on a speaker control signal; determining, by a controller, a first capacitive response of the capacitive electrode in response to the acoustic pressure; determining, by the controller, a first piezoelectric response of the piezoelectric electrode in response to the acoustic pressure; generating, by the capacitive electrode, a first mechanical pressure based on a capacitive control signal; determining, by the controller, a second piezoelectric response of the piezoelectric electrode in response to the first mechanical pressure; and determining, by the controller, an absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode based on the first capacitive response, the first piezoelectric response, and the second piezoelectric response. 12. the method according to claim 11 , further comprising: generating, by the piezoelectric electrode, a second mechanical pressure based on a piezoelectric control signal; determining, by the controller, a second capacitive response of the capacitive electrode in response to the second mechanical pressure; and determining, by the controller, an absolute sensitivity of the piezoelectric electrode based on the first capacitive response, the second capacitive response, and the first piezoelectric response. 13. the method according to claim 11 , wherein the acoustic pressure causes a first movement of the capacitive electrode. 14. the method according to claim 13 , wherein determining the first capacitive response includes determining a first voltage difference between the capacitive electrode and the backplate caused by the first movement. 15. the method according to claim 12 , wherein the acoustic pressure causes a first movement of the capacitive electrode, wherein the second mechanical pressure causes a second movement of the capacitive electrode. 16. the method according to claim 15 , wherein determining the first capacitive response includes determining a first voltage difference between the capacitive electrode and the backplate caused by the first movement, wherein determining the second capacitive response includes determining a second voltage difference between the capacitive electrode and the backplate caused by the second movement. 17. the method according to claim 11 , further comprising: generating, by the controller, the speaker control signal; and generating, by the controller, the capacitive control signal. 18. the method according to claim 12 , further comprising: generating, by the controller, the speaker control signal; generating, by the controller, the capacitive control signal; and generating, by the controller, the piezoelectric control signal. 19. a microphone system comprising: a speaker configured to generate an acoustic pressure based on a speaker control signal; a mems microphone including a movable membrane having a piezoelectric electrode and a capacitive electrode, the capacitive electrode configured such that the acoustic pressure causes a first movement of the capacitive electrode, the capacitive electrode configured to generate a first mechanical pressure based on a capacitive control signal, and the piezoelectric electrode configured to generate a first piezoelectric response signal based on the acoustic pressure and generate a second piezoelectric response signal based on the first mechanical pressure, and a backplate positioned on the capacitive electrode; a controller coupled to the speaker, the capacitive electrode, the backplate, and the piezoelectric electrode, the controller configured to generate the speaker control signal, determine a first capacitive response based on the first movement of the capacitive electrode; generate the capacitive control signal, and determine an absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode based on the first capacitive response, the first piezoelectric response signal, and the second piezoelectric response signal.
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background embodiments of the disclosure relate to micro-electro-mechanical system (mems) microphones with both capacitive and piezoelectric electrodes. the absolute sensitivity of an electrode in a mems microphone is the electrical response of the electrode's output to a given standard acoustic input. allowable product variation of absolute sensitivities in mems microphones is, in general, decreasing. in addition, allowable testing time to determine the absolute sensitivities in mems microphones is also decreasing. summary coupling a piezoelectric electrode to a capacitive electrode in a mems microphone adds a second reciprocal sensor which can be used to determine the absolute sensitivity. thus, one embodiment provides a microphone system. the microphone system includes a speaker, a mems microphone, and a controller. the speaker is configured to generate an acoustic pressure based on a speaker control signal. the mems microphone includes a capacitive electrode, a backplate, and a piezoelectric electrode. the capacitive electrode is configured such that the acoustic pressure causes a first movement of the capacitive electrode. the capacitive electrode is also configured to generate a first mechanical pressure based on a capacitive control signal. the backplate is positioned on a first side of the capacitive electrode. the piezoelectric electrode is coupled to the capacitive electrode. the piezoelectric electrode is configured to generate a first piezoelectric response signal based on the acoustic pressure. the piezoelectric electrode is further configured to generate a second piezoelectric response signal based on the first mechanical pressure. the controller is coupled to the speaker, the capacitive electrode, the backplate, and the piezoelectric electrode. the controller is configured to generate the speaker control signal. the controller is also configured to determine a first capacitive response based on the first movement of the capacitive electrode. the controller is further configured to generate the capacitive control signal. the controller is also configured to determine an absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode based on the first capacitive response, the first piezoelectric response signal, and the second piezoelectric response signal. another embodiment provides a method of determining absolute sensitivities of a mems microphone. the mems microphone includes a capacitive electrode, a backplate, and a piezoelectric electrode. the piezoelectric electrode is coupled to the capacitive electrode. the method includes generating, by a speaker, an acoustic pressure based on a speaker control signal. the method further includes determining, by a controller, a first capacitive response of the capacitive electrode in response to the acoustic pressure. the method also includes determining, by the controller, a first piezoelectric response of the piezoelectric electrode in response to the acoustic pressure. the method further includes, generating, by the capacitive electrode, a first mechanical pressure based on a capacitive control signal. the method also includes determining, by the controller, a second piezoelectric response of the piezoelectric electrode in response to the first mechanical pressure. the method further includes determining, by the controller, an absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode based on the first capacitive response, the first piezoelectric response, and the second piezoelectric response. yet another embodiment provides a microphone system. the microphone system includes a speaker, a mems microphone, and a controller. the speaker is configured to generate an acoustic pressure based on a speaker control signal. the mems microphone includes a movable membrane and a backplate. the movable membrane includes a piezoelectric electrode and a capacitive electrode. the capacitive electrode is configured such that the acoustic pressure causes a first movement of the capacitive electrode. the capacitive electrode is also configured to generate a first mechanical pressure based on a capacitive control signal. the piezoelectric electrode is configured to generate a first piezoelectric response signal based on the acoustic pressure. the piezoelectric electrode is further configured to generate a second piezoelectric response signal based on the first mechanical pressure. the backplate is positioned on the capacitive electrode. the controller is coupled to the speaker, the capacitive electrode, the backplate, and the piezoelectric electrode. the controller is configured to generate the speaker control signal. the controller is also configured to determine a first capacitive response based on the first movement of the capacitive electrode. the controller is further configured to generate the capacitive control signal. the controller is also configured to determine an absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode based on the first capacitive response, the first piezoelectric response signal, and the second piezoelectric response signal. other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a mems microphone, in accordance with some embodiments. fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a mems microphone and a speaker, in accordance with some embodiments. fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a mems microphone, in accordance with some embodiments. fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a mems microphone, in accordance with some embodiments. fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a microphone system, in accordance with some embodiments. fig. 6 is a flowchart of determining absolute sensitivities of a mems microphone, in accordance with some embodiments. detailed description before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. the disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. the use of “including,” “comprising” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. the terms “mounted,” “connected” and “coupled” are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mounting, connecting and coupling. further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and can include electrical connections or couplings, whether direct or indirect. also, electronic communications and notifications may be performed using other known means including direct connections, wireless connections, etc. in addition, the terms “positive” and “negative” are used to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any such attribute of the entity or action. it should also be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of other structural components may be utilized to implement the disclosure. furthermore, and as described in subsequent paragraphs, the specific configurations illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify embodiments of the disclosure. alternative configurations are possible. in some embodiments, a mems microphone 100 includes, among other components, a movable membrane 103 . in the example illustrated, the movable membrane 103 includes a capacitive electrode 105 having a first side 107 and a second side 108 . the capacitive electrode 105 is also a movable membrane. the movable membrane 103 also includes a piezoelectric electrode 115 . a fixed member (i.e., a backplate 110 ) and a barrier 120 are provided in the mems microphone 100 . the second side 108 of the capacitive electrode 105 is opposite from the first side 107 of the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, the backplate 110 is positioned on the first side 107 of the capacitive electrode 105 , as illustrated in figs. 1-4 . in other embodiments, the backplate 110 is positioned on the second side 108 of the capacitive electrode 105 . the barrier 120 isolates a first side 125 and a second side 130 of the mems microphone 100 . in some embodiments, the capacitive electrode 105 is kept at a reference voltage and a bias voltage is applied to the backplate 110 to generate an electric sense field 135 between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 . in other embodiments, the backplate 110 is kept at a reference voltage and a bias voltage is applied to the capacitive electrode 105 to generate the electric sense field 135 between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 . in some embodiments, the reference voltage is a ground reference voltage (i.e., approximately 0 volts). in other embodiments, the reference voltage is a non-zero voltage. the electric sense field 135 is illustrated in figs. 1 and 2 as a plurality of diagonal lines. deflection of the capacitive electrode 105 in the directions of arrow 145 and 150 modulates the electric sense field 135 between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 . a voltage difference between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 varies based on the electric sense field 135 . as illustrated in fig. 2 , acoustic pressure 140 acting on the second side 108 of the capacitive electrode 105 causes a first movement (e.g., deflection) of the capacitive electrode 105 in the direction of arrow 150 . the acoustic pressure 140 is illustrated in fig. 2 as a plurality of wavy arrows in the direction of arrow 150 . the acoustic pressure 140 is generated by a transducer 155 . the transducer 155 may be a receiver, a speaker, and the like. although one speaker is illustrated, more than one speaker may be used, depending on the application. the transducer 155 generates the acoustic pressure 140 based on a received speaker control signal. the first movement of the capacitive electrode 105 modulates the electric sense field 135 between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 . a first voltage difference between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 varies based on the first movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, a capacitive control signal is applied to the capacitive electrode 105 . the capacitive control signal causes the capacitive electrode 105 to generate a first mechanical pressure 160 , as illustrated in fig. 3 . the first mechanical pressure 160 is illustrated in fig. 3 as a plurality of straight arrows in the direction of arrow 145 . in some embodiments, the capacitive control signal is a current signal. in one embodiment, the piezoelectric electrode 115 is a layer or material that uses the piezoelectric effect to measure changes in pressure or force by converting them to an electrical charge. in some embodiments, the piezoelectric electrode 115 includes aluminum nitride (aln). in other embodiments, the piezoelectric electrode 115 includes zinc oxide (zno). in other embodiments, the piezoelectric electrode 115 includes lead zirconate titanate (pzt). the piezoelectric electrode 115 generates piezoelectric response signals in response to pressure (e.g., acoustic, mechanical) being applied to the piezoelectric electrode 115 . in some embodiments, the piezoelectric electrode 115 is formed on the capacitive electrode 105 by a suitable deposition technique (e.g., atomic layer deposition), and defines a fabricated piezoelectric membrane. the piezoelectric electrode 115 is coupled to the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, the piezoelectric electrode 115 is coupled to the second side 108 of the capacitive electrode 105 , as illustrated in figs. 1-4 . in other embodiments, the piezoelectric electrode 115 is coupled to the first side 107 of the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, the piezoelectric electrode 115 is formed on either side of the capacitive electrode 105 by a deposition technique. the piezoelectric electrode 115 is configured to receive the acoustic pressure 140 . the piezoelectric electrode 115 generates a first piezoelectric response signal in response to the acoustic pressure 140 . the piezoelectric electrode 115 generates a second piezoelectric response signal in response to the first mechanical pressure 160 exerted by the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, the first and second piezoelectric response signals are voltage signals. in some embodiments, a piezoelectric control signal is applied to the piezoelectric electrode 115 . the piezoelectric control signal causes a shape of the piezoelectric electrode 115 to change. the shape change results in the piezoelectric electrode 115 generating a second mechanical pressure 165 , as illustrated in fig. 4 . the second mechanical pressure 165 is illustrated in fig. 4 as a plurality of straight arrows in the direction of arrow 150 . in some embodiments, the piezoelectric control signal is a current signal. the second mechanical pressure 165 generated by the shape change of the piezoelectric electrode 115 in turn causes a second movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . similar to the first movement, the second movement of the capacitive electrode 105 modulates the electric sense field 135 between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 . a second voltage difference between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 varies based on the second movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, the piezoelectric material is deposited on the second side 108 of the movable membrane so as to form the piezoelectric electrode 115 . the first side 107 of the movable membrane defines the capacitive electrode 105 . the piezoelectric electrode 115 generates the first response signal in response to the acoustic pressure 140 . the piezoelectric electrode 115 generates the second piezoelectric signal in response to the first mechanical pressure 160 exerted by the capacitive electrode 105 . the second mechanical pressure 165 generated by the shape change of the piezoelectric electrode 115 , in turn, causes a second movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . similar to the first movement, the second movement of the capacitive electrode 105 modulates the electric sense field 135 between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 . a second voltage difference between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 varies based on the second movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, a microphone system 200 includes, among other components, the mems microphone 100 , the transducer 155 , a controller 205 , and a power supply 210 , as illustrated in fig. 5 . in some embodiments, the controller 205 includes a plurality of electrical and electronic components that provide power, operational control, and protection to the components and modules within the controller 205 , the mems microphone 100 , the transducer 155 , and/or the microphone system 200 . for example, the controller 205 includes, among other components, a processing unit 215 (e.g., a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or another suitable programmable device), a memory or computer readable media 220 , input interfaces 225 , and output interfaces 230 . the processing unit 215 includes, among other components, a control unit 235 , an arithmetic logic unit (alu) 240 , and a plurality of registers 245 (shown as a group of registers in fig. 5 ), and is implemented using a known computer architecture, such as a modified harvard architecture, a von neumann architecture, etc. the processing unit 215 , the computer readable media 220 , the input interfaces 225 , and the output interfaces 230 , as well as the various modules connected to the controller 205 are connected by one or more control and/or data buses (e.g., common bus 250 ). the control and/or data buses are shown generally in fig. 5 for illustrative purposes. the use of one or more control and/or data buses for the interconnection between and communication among the various modules and components would be known to a person skilled in the art in view of the invention described herein. in some embodiments, the controller 205 is implemented partially or entirely on a semiconductor chip, is a field-programmable gate array (fpga), is an application specific integrated circuit (asic), or is a similar device. the computer readable media 220 includes, for example, a program storage area and a data storage area. the program storage area and the data storage area can include combinations of different types of memory, such as read-only memory (rom), random access memory (ram) (e.g., dynamic ram [dram], synchronous dram [sdram], etc.), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (eeprom), flash memory, a hard disk, an sd card, or other suitable magnetic, optical, physical, or electronic memory devices or data structures. the processing unit 215 is connected to the computer readable media 220 and executes software instructions that are capable of being stored in a ram of the computer readable media 220 (e.g., during execution), a rom of the computer readable media 220 (e.g., on a generally permanent basis), or another non-transitory computer readable medium such as another memory or a disc. software included in some embodiments of the microphone system 200 can be stored in the computer readable media 220 of the controller 205 . the software includes, for example, firmware, one or more applications, program data, filters, rules, one or more program modules, and other executable instructions. the controller 205 is configured to retrieve from memory and execute, among other things, instructions related to the control processes and methods described herein. in other constructions, the controller 205 includes additional, fewer, or different components. the controller 205 is coupled to the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 . as described herein, the acoustic pressure 140 generated by the transducer 155 causes the first movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . the controller 205 determines a first capacitive response of the capacitive electrode 105 in response to the acoustic pressure 140 being applied. the first capacitive response is based on the first movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, the controller 205 determines the first voltage difference between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 caused by the first movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . further, the controller 205 determines the first capacitive response based on the first voltage difference. also, as described herein, the second mechanical pressure 165 , generated by the piezoelectric electrode 115 , causes a second movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . the controller 205 determines a second capacitive response of the capacitive electrode 105 in response to the second mechanical pressure 165 being applied. the second capacitive response is based on the second movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, the controller 205 determines the second voltage difference between the capacitive electrode 105 and the backplate 110 caused by the second movement of the capacitive electrode 105 . further, the controller 205 determines the second capacitive response based on the second voltage difference. the controller 205 also generates and applies the capacitive control signal to the capacitive electrode 105 . the controller 205 is also coupled to the piezoelectric electrode 115 . the controller 205 receives the first and second piezoelectric response signals generated by the piezoelectric electrode 115 . in some embodiments, the controller 205 generates and applies the piezoelectric control signal to the piezoelectric electrode 115 . the controller 205 is further coupled to the transducer 155 . the controller 205 generates and applies the speaker control signal to the transducer 155 . the power supply 210 supplies a nominal ac or dc voltage to the controller 205 and/or other components of the microphone system 200 . the power supply 210 is powered by one or more batteries or battery packs. the power supply 210 is also configured to supply lower voltages to operate circuits and components within the microphone system 200 . in some embodiments, the power supply 210 generates, among other things, the speaker control signal, the piezoelectric control signal, and the capacitive control signal. in some embodiments, the power supply 210 is powered by mains power having nominal line voltages between, for example, 100v and 240v ac and frequencies of approximately 50-60 hz. in one embodiment, the controller 205 determines absolute sensitivities of the capacitive electrode 105 and the piezoelectric electrode 115 using a reciprocity technique. the reciprocity technique includes a plurality of measurements. a first measurement includes the controller 205 applying the speaker control signal to the transducer 155 and determining the first capacitive response of the capacitive electrode 105 . a second measurement includes the controller 205 applying the speaker control signal to the transducer 155 and determining the first piezoelectric response (e.g., the first piezoelectric response signal) of the piezoelectric electrode 115 . a third measurement includes the controller 205 applying a capacitive control signal to the capacitive electrode 105 and determining the second piezoelectric response (e.g., the second piezoelectric response signal) of the piezoelectric electrode 115 . in some embodiments, a fourth measurement includes the controller 205 applying the piezoelectric control signal to the piezoelectric electrode 115 and determining the second capacitive response of the capacitive electrode 105 . the first and second measurements can be used with the following equations: v c1 =m c ×p s (1) wherein, v c1 =first capacitive response of the capacitive electrode 105 ,m c =absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode 105 , andp s =acoustic pressure 140 applied to the capacitive electrode 105 by the transducer 155 in response to the speaker control signal. v p1 =m p ×p s (2)wherein, v p1 =first piezoelectric response of the piezoelectric electrode 115 ,m p =absolute sensitivity of the piezoelectric electrode 115 , andp s =acoustic pressure 140 applied to the piezoelectric electrode 115 by the transducer 155 in response to the speaker control signal. the same amount of acoustic pressure 140 is applied by the transducer 155 to the capacitive electrode 105 and the piezoelectric electrode 115 . therefore, equations 1 and 2 can be combined to form the follow equation: m p =m c ×( v p1 /v c1 ) (3). the third measurement can be used with following equation: m p ×m o =(1/ z m )×( v p2 /l c ) (4) wherein, z m =mechanical transfer impedance,v p2 =second piezoelectric response of the piezoelectric electrode 115 , andl c =capacitive control signal. the mechanical transfer impedance is a system variable that is determined based on the construction on the mems microphone 100 . in some embodiments, the mechanical transfer impedance is substantially equal to one. equations 3 and 4 can be combined to form the following equation to determine the absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode 105 : ( m c ) 2 =( v c1 /v p1 )×(1/ z m )×( v p2 /l c ) (5). the fourth measurement can be used with the following equation: m p ×m o =(1/ z m )×( v c2 /l p ) (6) wherein, v c2 second capacitive response of the capacitive electrode 105 , andl p =piezoelectric control signal. equations 3 and 6 can be combined to form the following equation to determine the absolute sensitivity of the piezoelectric electrode 115 : ( m p ) 2 =( v p1 /v c1 )×(1/ z m )×( v c2 /l p ) (7). fig. 6 illustrates a process 300 (or method) for determining the absolute sensitivities of the capacitive electrode 105 and the piezoelectric electrode 115 . various steps described herein with respect to the process 300 are capable of being executed simultaneously, in parallel, or in an order that differs from the illustrated serial manner of execution. the process 300 may also be capable of being executed using fewer steps than are shown in the illustrated embodiment. as will be explained in greater detail, portions of the process 300 can be implemented in software executed by the controller 205 . the process 300 begins with the generation of acoustic pressure 140 by the transducer 155 (step 305 ). in some embodiments, the transducer 155 generates the acoustic pressure 140 in response to receiving the speaker control signal from the controller 205 . the controller 205 determines the first capacitive response of the capacitive electrode 105 in response to the acoustic pressure 140 (step 310 ). the controller 205 also determines the first piezoelectric response of the piezoelectric electrode 115 in response to the acoustic pressure 140 (step 315 ). next, the capacitive electrode 105 generates the first mechanical pressure 160 (step 320 ). in some embodiments, the capacitive electrode 105 generates the first mechanical pressure 160 in response to receiving the capacitive control signal. the controller 205 determines the second piezoelectric response of the piezoelectric electrode 115 in response to the first mechanical pressure 160 (step 325 ). next, the piezoelectric electrode 115 generates the second mechanical pressure 165 (step 330 ). in some embodiments, the piezoelectric electrode 115 generates the second mechanical pressure 165 in response to receiving the piezoelectric control signal. the controller 205 determines the second capacitive response of the capacitive electrode 105 in response to the second mechanical pressure 165 (step 335 ). at step 340 , the controller 205 then determines the absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode 105 . in some embodiments, the controller 205 determines the absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode 105 based on the first capacitive response, the first piezoelectric response, and the second piezoelectric response. in some embodiments, the controller 205 determines the absolute sensitivity of the capacitive electrode 105 according to equation 5, described herein. at step 345 , the controller 205 determines the absolute sensitivity of the piezoelectric electrode 115 . in some embodiments, the controller 205 determines the absolute sensitivity of the piezoelectric electrode 115 based on the first capacitive response, the second capacitive response, and the first piezoelectric response. in some embodiments, the controller 205 determines the absolute sensitivity of the piezoelectric electrode 115 according to equation 7, described herein. thus, the disclosure provides, among other things, microphone systems and methods of determining absolute sensitivities on a mems microphone. various features and advantages of the disclosure are set forth in the following claims.
|
074-897-002-582-125
|
US
|
[
"JP",
"AU",
"EP",
"US",
"CN",
"CA",
"WO"
] |
A61N1/05,A61N1/36,A61N1/362,A61N1/37,A61N1/372,A61N1/378
| 2013-09-06T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"A61"
] |
systems and methods for reducing electromagnetic field-induced heating from an implantable pulse generator
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an implantable control module for an implantable electrical stimulation system includes a housing with at least a portion of the exterior forming a metallic structure and at least a portion of the interior defining a sealed compartment. the control module further includes an electronic subassembly disposed in the sealed compartment; a connector assembly coupled to the housing and denning a port for receiving a lead; connector contacts disposed in the port to electrically couple with terminals of the lead; feedthrough interconnects extending from the connector assembly into the sealed compartment and coupling the connected contacts to the electronic subassembly; and a coil disposed within or on the housing and configured and arranged to be shorted when an external electromagnetic field is applied in order to resist generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the exterior of the sealed housing in response to the external electromagnetic field.
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1. an implantable control module for an implantable electrical stimulation system and configured and arranged to electrically couple to a lead, the control module comprising: a housing having an interior and an exterior, wherein at least a portion of the exterior is a metallic structure and at least a portion of the interior defines a sealed compartment; an electronic subassembly disposed in the sealed compartment in the interior of the housing; a connector assembly coupled to the exterior of the housing, the connector assembly defining a port configured and arranged for receiving the lead; a plurality of connector contacts disposed in the port, the connector contacts configured and arranged to electrically couple with terminals of the lead when the lead is operationally received by the port; a plurality of feedthrough interconnects extending from the connector assembly into the sealed compartment of the interior of the housing, the plurality of feedthrough interconnects electrically coupling the plurality of connector contacts to the electronic subassembly; and a coil disposed within or on the housing and configured and arranged to be shorted when an external electromagnetic field is applied in order to resist generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the exterior of the sealed housing in response to the external electromagnetic field. 2. the control module of claim 1 , wherein the coil is permanently shorted. 3. the control module of claim 1 , wherein the coil is configured and arranged to become shorted upon application of an external electromagnetic field exceeding a threshold field strength. 4. the control module of claim 3 , further comprising a sensor operatively coupled to the coil and configured and arranged to sense a presence of an electromagnetic field. 5. the control module of claim 1 , wherein the coil is configured and arranged to become shorted in response to user initiation. 6. the control module of claim 5 , wherein the coil is configured and arranged to become shorted in response to user initiation using a wireless command signal. 7. the control module of claim 1 , wherein the coil is disposed within the sealed compartment. 8. the control module of claim 1 , wherein the housing has at least one housing wall and the coil is disposed within the at least one housing wall. 9. the control module of claim 1 , wherein the coil is disposed on an exterior of the housing. 10. the control module of claim 1 , wherein the coil is also configured and arranged for reception of signals from an external device and the coil is coupled to the electronic subassembly to provide the signals from the external device to the electronic subassembly. 11. the control module of claim 1 , further comprising a power source, wherein the coil is also configured and arranged for reception of signals from an external device and delivering those signals to the power source to charge the power source. 12. the control module of claim 1 , wherein the coils has two ends that are shorted to ground with one of the two ends shorted through a tuning capacitor. 13. a system for electrical stimulation, the system comprising the control module of claim 1 ; and a lead electrically coupleable to the control module, the lead comprising a lead body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a longitudinal length, a plurality of electrodes disposed on the distal end of the lead body, a plurality of terminals disposed on the proximal end of the lead body and configured and arranged for electrically coupling with the connector contacts of the control module when the lead is operationally received by the port, and a plurality of conductors electrically coupling the plurality of electrodes to the terminals. 14. a method of operating an electrical stimulation system, the method comprising: providing the control module of claim 1 implanted in a patient and electrically coupled to an implantable electrical stimulation lead; applying an external electromagnetic field from a magnetic resonance imager to the control module; and resisting generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the housing of the control module utilizing the coil, which is shorted, to produce a magnetic flux opposing the external electromagnetic field. 15. the method of claim 14 , further comprising, after applying the external electromagnetic field and prior to resisting generation of an eddy current, shorting the coil. 16. the method of claim 14 , further comprising, after applying the external electromagnetic field and prior to resisting generation of an eddy current, sensing the electromagnetic field using a sensor coupled to the control module. 17. an implantable control module for an implantable electrical stimulation system and configured and arranged to electrically couple to a lead, the control module comprising: a housing having an interior and an exterior, wherein at least a portion of the exterior is a metallic structure and at least a portion of the interior defines a sealed compartment; an electronic subassembly disposed in the sealed compartment in the interior of the housing; a connector assembly coupled to the exterior of the housing, the connector assembly defining a port configured and arranged for receiving the lead; a plurality of connector contacts disposed in the port, the connector contacts configured and arranged to electrically couple with terminals of the lead when the lead is operationally received by the port; a plurality of feedthrough interconnects extending from the connector assembly into the sealed compartment of the interior of the housing, the plurality of feedthrough interconnects electrically coupling the plurality of connector contacts to the electronic subassembly; a coil disposed within or on the housing; and a signal generator disposed within the housing and electrically coupled to the coil and configured and arranged to generate an opposing flux within the coil in response to an external electromagnetic field to resist generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the exterior of the sealed housing. 18. the control module of claim 17 , further comprising a sensor operatively coupled to the signal generator and configured and arranged to sense a presence of an electromagnetic field. 19. the control module of claim 18 , wherein the sensor is configured and arranged to determine a phase and an amplitude of the electromagnetic field. 20. a method of operating an electrical stimulation system, the method comprising: providing the control module of claim 17 implanted in a patient and electrically coupled to an implantable electrical stimulation lead; applying an external electromagnetic field from a magnetic resonance imager to the control module; and resisting generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the housing of the control module by applying a current from the signal generator to the coil to produce a magnetic flux opposing the external electromagnetic field.
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cross-reference to related applications this application claims the benefit under 35 u.s.c. §119(e) of u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 61/874,835, filed sep. 6, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference. field the present invention is directed to the area of implantable electrical stimulation systems and methods of making and using the systems. the present invention is also directed to methods and systems for reducing heating from the implantable pulse generator of systems during exposure of patients to applied electromagnetic fields, as well as methods of making and using the electrical stimulation systems. background implantable electrical stimulation systems have proven therapeutic in a variety of diseases and disorders. for example, spinal cord stimulation systems have been used as a therapeutic modality for the treatment of chronic pain syndromes. peripheral nerve stimulation has been used to treat chronic pain syndrome and incontinence, with a number of other applications under investigation. functional electrical stimulation systems have been applied to restore some functionality to paralyzed extremities in spinal cord injury patients. stimulators have been developed to provide therapy for a variety of treatments. a stimulator can include a control module (with a pulse generator), one or more leads, and an array of stimulator electrodes on each lead. the stimulator electrodes are in contact with or near the nerves, muscles, or other tissue to be stimulated. the pulse generator in the control module generates electrical pulses that are delivered by the electrodes to body tissue. conventional implanted electrical stimulation systems are often incompatible with magnetic resonance imaging (“mri”) due to the large radio frequency (“rf”) pulses used during mri. the rf pulses can generate transient signals in the conductors and electrodes of an implanted lead and on a metal case of an implantable pulse generator. these signals can have deleterious effects including, for example, unwanted heating of the tissue causing tissue damage, induced currents in the lead, or premature failure of electronic components. brief summary one embodiment is an implantable control module for an implantable electrical stimulation system and configured and arranged to electrically couple to a lead. the control module includes a housing having an interior and an exterior. at least a portion of the exterior is a metallic structure and at least a portion of the interior defines a sealed compartment. the control module further includes an electronic subassembly disposed in the sealed compartment in the interior of the housing; a connector assembly coupled to the exterior of the housing and defining a port for receiving the lead; connector contacts disposed in the port to electrically couple with terminals of the lead when the lead is operationally received by the port; feedthrough interconnects extending from the connector assembly into the sealed compartment of the interior of the housing and coupling the connector contacts to the electronic subassembly; and a coil disposed within or on the housing and configured and arranged to be shorted when an external electromagnetic field is applied in order to resist generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the exterior of the sealed housing in response to the external electromagnetic field. a further embodiment is a method of operating an electrical stimulation system. the method includes providing the control module describe above implanted in a patient and electrically coupled to an implantable electrical stimulation lead; applying an external electromagnetic field from a magnetic resonance imager to the control module; and resisting generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the housing of the control module utilizing the coil, which is shorted, to produce a magnetic flux opposing the external electromagnetic field. another embodiment is an implantable control module for an implantable electrical stimulation system to electrically couple to a lead. the control module includes a housing having an interior and an exterior. at least a portion of the exterior is a metallic structure and at least a portion of the interior defines a sealed compartment. the control module further includes an electronic subassembly disposed in the sealed compartment in the interior of the housing; a connector assembly coupled to the exterior of the housing and defining a port for receiving the lead; connector contacts disposed in the port to electrically couple with terminals of the lead when the lead is operationally received by the port; feedthrough interconnects extending from the connector assembly into the sealed compartment of the interior of the housing for electrically coupling the connector contacts to the electronic subassembly; a coil disposed within or on the housing; and a signal generator disposed within the housing and electrically coupled to the coil to generate an opposing flux within the coil in response to an external electromagnetic field to resist generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the exterior of the sealed housing. a further embodiment is a method of operating an electrical stimulation system. the method includes providing the control module described immediately above implanted in a patient and electrically coupled to an implantable electrical stimulation lead; applying an external electromagnetic field from a magnetic resonance imager to the control module; and resisting generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the housing of the control module by applying a current from the signal generator to the coil to produce a magnetic flux opposing the external electromagnetic field. yet another embodiment is a kit including either of the control modules described above and a lead coupleable to the control module. the lead including a lead body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a longitudinal length, electrodes disposed on the distal end of the lead body, terminals disposed on the proximal end of the lead body for electrically coupling with the connector contact of the control module when the lead is operationally received by the port, and conductors electrically coupling the electrodes to the terminals. brief description of the drawings non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings. in the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures unless otherwise specified. for a better understanding of the present invention, reference will be made to the following detailed description, which is to be read in association with the accompanying drawings, wherein: fig. 1 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of an electrical stimulation system that includes a paddle lead with a paddle body coupled to a control module via lead bodies, according to the invention; fig. 2 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of an electrical stimulation system that includes a percutaneous lead coupled to the control module of fig. 1 , according to the invention; fig. 3a is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a connector assembly disposed in the control module of fig. 1 , the connector assembly configured and arranged to receive the proximal portion of one of the lead bodies of fig. 1 , according to the invention; fig. 3b is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a plurality of connector assemblies disposed in the control module of fig. 1 , the connector assemblies configured and arranged to receive the proximal portions of the lead bodies of fig. 1 , according to the invention; fig. 3c is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a proximal portion of one of the lead bodies of fig. 1 , a lead extension, and the control module of fig. 1 , the lead extension configured and arranged to couple the lead body to the control module, according to the invention; fig. 4 is a schematic overview of one embodiment of components of a stimulation system, including an electronic subassembly disposed within a control module, according to the invention; fig. 5 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a control module and a lead, the control module including a coil within or on the housing of the control module, according to the invention; fig. 6a is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a control module and a lead, the control module including a coil patterned on the housing of the control module, according to the invention; fig. 6b is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a control module and a lead, the control module including a coil shorted to ground through a tuning capacitor, according to the invention; and fig. 7 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a control module and a lead, the control module including a coil within or on the housing of the control module and an active signal generator coupled to the coil, according to the invention. detailed description the present invention is directed to the area of implantable electrical stimulation systems and methods of making and using the systems. the present invention is also directed to impedance circuitries for modifying impedances of electrical paths of systems during exposure of patients to applied electromagnetic fields, as well as methods of making and using the impedance circuitries and electrical stimulation systems. suitable implantable electrical stimulation systems include, but are not limited to, an electrode lead (“lead”) with one or more electrodes disposed on a distal end of the lead and one or more terminals disposed on one or more proximal ends of the lead. leads include, for example, percutaneous leads, paddle leads, and cuff leads. examples of electrical stimulation systems with leads are found in for example, u.s. pat. nos. 6,181,969; 6,516,227; 6,609,029; 6,609,032; 6,741,892; 7,244,150; 7,672,734; 7,761,165; 7,949,395; and 7,974,706; and u.s. patent applications publication nos. 2005/0165465, 2007/0150036; 2007/0219595; and 2008/0071320, all of which are incorporated by reference. fig. 1 illustrates schematically one embodiment of an electrical stimulation system 100 . the electrical stimulation system includes a control module (e.g., a stimulator or pulse generator) 102 , a paddle body 104 , and one or more lead bodies 106 coupling the control module 102 to the paddle body 104 . the paddle body 104 and the one or more lead bodies 106 form a lead. the paddle body 104 typically includes an array of electrodes 134 . the control module 102 typically includes an electronic subassembly 110 and an optional power source 120 disposed in a sealed housing 114 . in fig. 1 , two lead bodies 106 are shown coupled to the control module 102 . the control module 102 typically includes one or more connector assemblies 144 into which the proximal end of the one or more lead bodies 106 can be plugged to make an electrical connection via connector contacts (e.g., 316 in figs. 3a-3b ; and 340 of fig. 3c ) disposed in the connector assembly 144 and terminals (e.g., 310 in figs. 3a-3c ) on each of the one or more lead bodies 106 . the connector contacts are coupled to the electronic subassembly 110 and the terminals are coupled to the electrodes 134 . in fig. 1 , two connector assemblies 144 are shown. the one or more connector assemblies 144 may be disposed in a header 150 . the header 150 provides a protective covering over the one or more connector assemblies 144 . the header 150 may be formed using any suitable process including, for example, casting, molding (including injection molding), and the like. in addition, one or more lead extensions 324 (see fig. 3c ) can be disposed between the one or more lead bodies 106 and the control module 102 to extend the distance between the one or more lead bodies 106 and the control module 102 . it will be understood that the electrical stimulation system can include more, fewer, or different components and can have a variety of different configurations including those configurations disclosed in the electrical stimulation system references cited herein. for example, instead of a paddle body 104 , the electrodes 134 can be disposed in an array at or near the distal end of the lead body 106 forming a percutaneous lead, as illustrated in fig. 2 . a percutaneous lead may be isodiametric along the length of the lead body 106 . the electrical stimulation system or components of the electrical stimulation system, including one or more of the lead bodies 106 , the control module 102 , and, in the case of a paddle lead, the paddle body 104 , are typically implanted into the body of a patient. the electrical stimulation system can be used for a variety of applications including, but not limited to, spinal cord stimulation, brain stimulation, neural stimulation, muscle stimulation, cardiac stimulation, and the like. the electrodes 134 can be formed using any conductive, biocompatible material. examples of suitable materials include metals, alloys, conductive polymers, conductive carbon, and the like, as well as combinations thereof. in at least some embodiments, one or more of the electrodes 134 are formed from one or more of: platinum, platinum iridium, palladium, titanium, or rhenium. the number of electrodes 134 in the array of electrodes 134 may vary. for example, there can be two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, or more electrodes 134 . as will be recognized, other numbers of electrodes 134 may also be used. as will be recognized, other numbers of electrodes 134 may also be used. in fig. 1 , sixteen electrodes 134 are shown. the electrodes 134 can be formed in any suitable shape including, for example, round, oval, triangular, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, or the like. the electrodes of the paddle body 104 or one or more lead bodies 106 are typically disposed in, or separated by, a non-conductive, biocompatible material including, for example, silicone, polyurethane, and the like or combinations thereof. the paddle body 104 and one or more lead bodies 106 may be formed in the desired shape by any process including, for example, molding (including injection molding), casting, and the like. electrodes and connecting wires can be disposed onto or within a paddle body either prior to or subsequent to a molding or casting process. the non-conductive material typically extends from the distal end of the lead to the proximal end of each of the one or more lead bodies 106 . the non-conductive, biocompatible material of the paddle body 104 and the one or more lead bodies 106 may be the same or different. the paddle body 104 and the one or more lead bodies 106 may be a unitary structure or can be formed as two separate structures that are permanently or detachably coupled together. terminals (e.g., 310 in figs. 3a-3c ) are typically disposed at the proximal end of the one or more lead bodies 106 for connection to corresponding conductive contacts (e.g., 316 in figs. 3a-3b ; and 340 of fig. 3c ) in connector assemblies (e.g., 144 in figs. 1-3c ) disposed on, for example, the control module 102 (or to other devices, such as conductive contacts on a lead extension, an operating room cable, a splitter, an adaptor, or the like). conductive wires (not shown) extend from the terminals (e.g., 310 in figs. 3a-3c ) to the electrodes 134 . typically, one or more electrodes 134 are electrically coupled to a terminal (e.g., 310 in figs. 3a-3c ). in some embodiments, each terminal (e.g., 310 in figs. 3a-3c ) is only coupled to one electrode 134 . the conductive wires may be embedded in the non-conductive material of the lead or can be disposed in one or more lumens (not shown) extending along the lead. in some embodiments, there is an individual lumen for each conductive wire. in other embodiments, two or more conductive wires may extend through a lumen. there may also be one or more lumens (not shown) that open at, or near, the proximal end of the lead, for example, for inserting a stylet rod to facilitate placement of the lead within a body of a patient. additionally, there may also be one or more lumens (not shown) that open at, or near, the distal end of the lead, for example, for infusion of drugs or medication into the site of implantation of the paddle body 104 . in at least one embodiment, the one or more lumens may be flushed continually, or on a regular basis, with saline, epidural fluid, or the like. in at least some embodiments, the one or more lumens can be permanently or removably sealable at the distal end. as discussed above, the one or more lead bodies 106 may be coupled to the one or more connector assemblies 144 disposed on the control module 102 . the control module 102 can include any suitable number of connector assemblies 144 including, for example, two three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or more connector assemblies 144 . it will be understood that other numbers of connector assemblies 144 may be used instead. in fig. 1 , each of the two lead bodies 106 includes eight terminals that are shown coupled with eight conductive contacts disposed in a different one of two different connector assemblies 144 . a plurality of connector contacts, such as connector contact 116 (see, fig. 2 ), are disposed in the connector assembly 144 and are configured and arranged for coupling with terminals (not shown) disposed on a lead when the lead is disposed in the connector assembly 444 . in fig. 2 , the connector assembly 144 is shown having eight connector contacts 116 . it will be understood that any suitable number of connector contacts 116 may be utilized including, for example, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, fourteen, sixteen, twenty, twenty-four, thirty-two, or more connector contacts 116 . the connector contacts 116 are electrically coupled to the electronic subassembly 110 via a plurality of feedthrough interconnects 126 ( fig. 2 ) that extend into the sealed housing 114 . in at least some embodiments, leads are coupled to connectors disposed on control modules. fig. 3a is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of a single connector assembly 144 disposed on the control module 102 . fig. 3b is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of a plurality of connector assemblies 144 disposed on the control module 102 . in at least some embodiments, the control module 102 includes two connector assemblies 144 . in at least some embodiments, the control module 102 includes four connector assemblies 144 . in figs. 3a and 3b , the proximal ends 306 of one or more lead bodies 106 are shown configured and arranged for insertion to the control module 102 . in figs. 3a and 3b , the one or more connector assemblies 144 are disposed in the header 150 . in at least some embodiments, the header 150 defines one or more ports 304 into which a proximal end 306 of the one or more lead bodies 106 with terminals 310 can be inserted, as shown by directional arrows 312 , in order to gain access to the connector contacts disposed in the one or more connector assemblies 144 . the one or more connector assemblies 144 each include a connector housing 314 and a plurality of connector contacts 316 disposed therein. typically, the connector housing 314 defines a port (not shown) that provides access to the plurality of connector contacts 316 . in at least some embodiments, one or more of the connector assemblies 144 further includes a retaining element 318 configured and arranged to fasten the corresponding lead body 308 to the connector assembly 144 when the lead body 106 is inserted into the connector assembly 144 to prevent undesired detachment of the lead body 106 from the connector assembly 144 . for example, the retaining element 318 may include an aperture through which a fastener (e.g., a set screw, pin, or the like) may be inserted and secured against an inserted lead body or lead extension. when the one or more lead bodies 106 are inserted into the one or more ports 304 the connector contacts 316 can be aligned with the terminals 310 disposed on the one or more lead bodies 106 to electrically couple the control module 102 to the electrodes ( 134 of fig. 1 ) disposed at a distal end of the one or more lead bodies 106 . examples of connector assemblies in control modules are found in, for example, u.s. pat. no. 7,244,150 and u.s. patent application publication no. 2008/0071320, which are incorporated by reference. in fig. 3c , a lead extension connector assembly 322 is disposed on a lead extension 324 . the lead extension connector assembly 322 is shown disposed at a distal end 326 of the lead extension 324 . the lead extension connector assembly 322 includes a contact housing 328 . the contact housing 328 defines at least one port 330 into which a proximal end 306 of the lead body 106 with terminals 310 can be inserted, as shown by directional arrow 338 . the lead extension connector assembly 322 also includes a plurality of connector contacts 340 . when the lead body 106 is inserted into the port 330 , the connector contacts 340 disposed in the contact housing 328 can be aligned with the terminals 310 on the lead body 106 to electrically couple the lead extension 324 to the electrodes ( 134 of fig. 1 ) disposed at a distal end (not shown) of the lead body 106 . the proximal end of a lead extension can be similarly configured and arranged as a proximal end of a lead body. the lead extension 324 may include a plurality of conductive wires (not shown) that electrically couple the connector contacts 340 to a proximal end 348 of the lead extension 324 that is opposite to the distal end 326 . the conductive wires disposed in the lead extension 324 can be electrically coupled to a plurality of terminals (not shown) disposed on the proximal end 348 of the lead extension 324 . in at least some embodiments, the proximal end 348 of the lead extension 324 is configured and arranged for insertion into a lead extension connector assembly disposed in another lead extension. in other embodiments (as shown in fig. 3c ), the proximal end 348 of the lead extension 324 is configured and arranged for insertion into the connector assembly 144 disposed on the control module 102 . fig. 4 is a schematic overview of one embodiment of components of an electrical stimulation system 400 including an electronic subassembly 410 disposed within a control module. it will be understood that the electrical stimulation system can include more, fewer, or different components and can have a variety of different configurations including those configurations disclosed in the stimulator references cited herein. some of the components (for example, power source 412 , antenna 418 , receiver 402 , and processor 404 ) of the electrical stimulation system can be positioned on one or more circuit hoards or similar carriers within a sealed housing of an implantable pulse generator, if desired. any power source 412 can be used including, for example, a battery such as a primary battery or a rechargeable battery. examples of other power sources include super capacitors, nuclear or atomic batteries, mechanical resonators, infrared collectors, thermally-powered energy sources, flexural powered energy sources, bioenergy power sources, fuel cells, bioelectric cells, osmotic pressure pumps, and the like including the power sources described in u.s. patent application publication no. 2004/0059392, incorporated herein by reference. as another alternative, power can be supplied by an external power source through inductive coupling via the optional antenna 418 or a secondary antenna. the external power source can be in a device that is mounted on the skin of the user or in a unit that is provided near the user on a permanent or periodic basis. if the power source 412 is a rechargeable battery, the battery may be recharged using the optional antenna 418 , if desired. power can be provided to the battery for recharging by inductively coupling the battery through the antenna to a recharging unit 416 external to the user. examples of such arrangements can be found in the references identified above. in one embodiment, electrical current is emitted by the electrodes 134 on the paddle or lead body to stimulate nerve fibers, muscle fibers, or other body tissues near the electrical stimulation system. a processor 404 is generally included to control the timing and electrical characteristics of the electrical stimulation system. for example, the processor 404 can, if desired, control one or more of the timing, frequency, strength, duration, and waveform of the pulses. in addition, the processor 404 can select which electrodes can be used to provide stimulation, if desired. in some embodiments, the processor 404 may select which electrode(s) are cathodes and which electrode(s) are anodes. in some embodiments, the processor 404 may be used to identify which electrodes provide the most useful stimulation of the desired tissue. any processor can be used and can be as simple as an electronic device that, for example, produces pulses at a regular interval or the processor can be capable of receiving and interpreting instructions from an external programming unit 408 that, for example, allows modification of pulse characteristics. in the illustrated embodiment, the processor 404 is coupled to a receiver 402 which, in turn, is coupled to the optional antenna 418 . this allows the processor 404 to receive instructions from an external source to, for example, direct the pulse characteristics and the selection of electrodes, if desired. in one embodiment, the antenna 418 is capable of receiving signals (e.g., rf signals) from an external telemetry unit 406 which is programmed by a programming unit 408 . the programming unit 408 can be external to, or part of, the telemetry unit 406 . the telemetry unit 406 can be a device that is worn on the skin of the user or can be carried by the user and can have a form similar to a pager, cellular phone, or remote control, if desired. as another alternative, the telemetry unit 406 may not be worn or carried by the user but may only be available at a home station or at a clinician's office. the programming unit 408 can be any unit that can provide information to the telemetry unit 406 for transmission to the electrical stimulation system 400 . the programming unit 408 can be part of the telemetry unit 406 or can provide signals or information to the telemetry unit 406 via a wireless or wired connection. one example of a suitable programming unit is a computer operated by the user or clinician to send signals to the telemetry unit 406 . the signals sent to the processor 404 via the antenna 418 and receiver 402 can be used to modify or otherwise direct the operation of the electrical stimulation system. for example, the signals may be used to modify the pulses of the electrical stimulation system such as modifying one or more of pulse duration, pulse frequency, pulse waveform, and pulse strength. the signals may also direct the electrical stimulation system 400 to cease operation, to start operation, to start charging the battery, or to stop charging the battery. in other embodiments, the stimulation system does not include an antenna 418 or receiver 402 and the processor 404 operates as programmed. optionally, the electrical stimulation system 400 may include a transmitter (not shown) coupled to the processor 404 and the antenna 418 for transmitting signals back to the telemetry unit 406 or another unit capable of receiving the signals. for example, the electrical stimulation system 400 may transmit signals indicating whether the electrical stimulation system 400 is operating properly or not or indicating when the battery needs to be charged or the level of charge remaining in the battery. the processor 404 may also be capable of transmitting information about the pulse characteristics so that a user or clinician can determine or verify the characteristics. a conventional electrical stimulation system may be potentially unsafe for use with magnetic resonance imaging (“mri”) due to the effects of electromagnetic fields (e.g., radiofrequency fields) in an mri environment. a common mechanism for causing the electrical interactions between the electrical stimulation system and radiofrequency (“rf”) irradiation or magnetic field and magnetic field gradients is common-mode coupling of the applied electromagnetic fields to metal portions of the electrical stimulation system. this can include metal portions of the housing 114 as the housing may be made of metal or include one or more metallic structures, such as electrodes on the housing. common-mode induced currents can reach amplitudes of greater than one ampere in mri environments. such currents can cause heating and potentially disruptive voltages within electronic circuits, such as electronic circuits disposed within the electronic subassembly. the heating of the metallic components of the housing of the control module can cause tissue burning or damage. the electromagnetic fields, which produce magnetic flux, can, for example, induce eddy currents in the metal housing or other metallic structures of the housing. the eddy currents give rise to resistive heating in the metallic structures of the housing. the heating may damage surrounding tissue. eddy currents could also cause heating of the battery or other components in the control module which may result in damage to the control module or surrounding tissue. to address this, one or more coils can be placed in the control module and shorted so that the magnetic flux arising from an external electromagnetic field will induce a current in the coil that will produce an opposing magnetic flux. as an alternative, a signal generator can be attached to the coil to generate the opposing magnetic flux. these arrangements can reduce the total magnetic flux to which the metallic structures of the housing of the control module is subjected and result in smaller eddy currents, or even the absence of eddy currents. the coil may generate some resistive heating, but such heating will generally be less than that which would be generated from the metallic structures of the housing of the control module without the coil, because the coil will typically have lower resistance. fig. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a control module 502 and a lead 504 . the control module 502 includes a housing 514 , header 550 , one or more connector assemblies 544 in the header, and one or more connector contacts 516 in the connector assemblies. the control module 502 can also include any of the elements described about with respect to the control modules illustrated in figs. 1-4 . the control module 502 also includes a coil 560 that is provided within or on the housing 514 . the coil 560 is made of a conductive material, such as a metal or alloy, that is preferably biocompatible. the coil 560 has one or more loops. for example, the coil can have one, two, three, four, five, six, ten, twelve, twenty, fifty, one hundred, or more loops. the coil 560 can be placed anywhere within or on the housing 514 . in some embodiments, the coil 560 is molded into the material that forms the wall of the housing 514 . in some embodiments, the coil 560 is disposed in the sealed compartment within the housing. for example, the coil 560 can be attached to the interior surface of the housing 514 or can be attached to a circuit board or other portion of the electronic subassembly 110 (see, fig. 1 ). in some embodiments, the coil 560 is placed on the exterior surface of the housing 514 . the coil 560 is placed within or on the housing 514 at a position where an external electromagnetic field (e.g., a rf field or a magnetic field or a magnetic field gradient) can induce a current in the coil. it is believed that the induced current will generate a magnetic flux that opposes the magnetic flux of the electromagnetic field, thereby reducing the or eliminating the total magnetic flux to which the control module is subjected. this can reduce or eliminate eddy currents in the metallic portions of the control module (particularly, those metallic portions on the exterior surface of the housing 514 .) it will be understood that a control module can include more than one coil 560 . for example, the control module can include one, two, three, four, or more coils 560 to reduce or eliminated eddy currents in the metallic portions of the control module. in some embodiments, the two ends of the coil 560 are permanently shorted. the ends of the coil 560 are shorted to permit an electromagnetic field to induce current to flow within the coil. alternatively, the ends of the coil 560 are shorted only under particular circumstances. such an arrangement may be useful to, for example, avoid the coil 560 interfering with communications between the control module 502 and an external device. in embodiments in which the coil 560 is disposed on an exterior of the housing 514 or within the material of the housing, leads from the ends of the coil to circuitry within the housing (preferably, using hermetic feedthrough interconnects) may be provided to control shorting or opening of the ends of the coil. in at least some embodiments, the ends of the coil 560 may be shorted upon initiation by a user or practitioner. for example, the user or practitioner may transmit wirelessly) or otherwise send a command signal to the control module 502 that directs the control module to short the ends of the coil 560 . a second signal from the user or practitioner may direct the short circuit to be opened (i.e., unshorted). alternatively or additionally, the short circuit between ends of the coil 560 may be opened after a predetermined period of time, the duration of which may be user-programmable. this arrangement can be particularly useful for a user that is to have an mri procedure performed. the user or a practitioner can direct that the coil 560 be shorted during the mri procedure when the control module will be subjected to rf fields and large magnetic and magnetic gradient fields. in at least some embodiments, the control module 502 or another device coupled to the control module may include an optional sensor 562 to detect the presence of an external electromagnetic field. if the electromagnetic field exceeds a threshold level, the control module 502 may be directed to short the ends of the coil 560 . the threshold level may be permanently set or may be programmable. again, this arrangement can be particularly useful for a user that is to have an mri procedure performed. the threshold level can be set so that the rf field or magnetic field associated with the mri procedure triggers shorting of the ends of the coil 560 . optionally, the sensor 762 may also detect when the external electromagnetic field drops below a threshold level and then direct the short circuit between ends of the coil 560 to be opened. in some embodiments, the coil 560 may also be used for other tasks. for example, the coil 560 may be used as the antenna 418 of fig. 4 . thus, the coil could be used for recharging the power source 412 (see, fig. 4 ) or to receive signals from, or send signals to, a telemetry unit 406 (see, fig. 4 ) or programming unit 408 (see, fig. 4 ) or any combination thereof. in at least some embodiments, an optional switch may be provided to automatically, or at user request, switch the coil from use as an antenna to use as a coil to generate an opposing flux. fig. 6a illustrates another embodiment of a control module 602 and a lead 604 . the control module 602 includes a housing 614 , header 650 , one or more connector assemblies 644 in the header, and one or more connector contacts 616 in the connector assemblies. the control module 602 can also include any of the elements described about with respect to the control modules illustrated in figs. 1-5 . the control module 602 also includes a coil 660 that is patterned onto the housing 614 . the coil 660 is made of a conductive material, such as a metal or alloy, that is preferably biocompatible. the coil 660 has one or more loops. for example, the coil can have one, two, three, four, five, six, ten, twelve, twenty, fifty, one hundred, or more loops. the coil 660 can be patterned onto the housing 614 using any suitable technique including, but not limited to, photolithographic or printing methods. the coil 660 can be patterned on the exterior surface of the housing 614 (as illustrated in fig. 6 ) or on the interior surface of the housing. fig. 6a also illustrates an optional shorting element 662 which electrically couples the ends of the coil 660 . this shorting element 662 is insulated from the intermediate loops of the coil. alternatively, the coil 660 can be permanently or temporarily (i.e., non-permanently) shorted using any of the arrangements and techniques described above with respect to coil 560 of fig. 5 . fig. 6b illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the ends of the coil 660 are both shorted to ground with one end shorted through a tuning capacitor 664 (or other tuning circuit). the tuning capacitor can be selected so that the combination of coil and capacitor (e.g., a lc circuit) are tuned to a particular frequency. that frequency can be, for example, any suitable frequency associated with the mri system or operation. for example, the frequency could be an mri rf frequency, such as 64 mhz for a 1.5 t mri magnet or 128 mhz for a 3 t mri magnet. alternatively, the frequency could be associated with the mri gradient field such as a center frequency, or any other frequency, in the range of frequencies associated with the mri gradient field. alternatively, a set of two or more different capacitors can be provided so that the coil arrangement can be tuned to different frequencies. selection of the appropriate capacitor can be automatic (e.g., using a magnetic field sensor that senses, for example, field frequency or frequency range or strength) or can be initiated by the user who sends a command to the control module to select one of the capacitors, or any combination thereof. it will be understood that the use of one or more tuning capacitors (or other tuning circuitry) can be integrated with any of the coils described herein including those illustrated in figs. 5 , 6 a, and 7 . instead of, or in addition to, relying on the induction of current in the coil, a coil can be coupled to an active signal generator to produce the opposing magnetic flux. fig. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a control module 702 and a lead 704 . the control module 702 includes a housing 714 , header 750 , one or more connector assemblies 744 in the header, and one or more connector contacts 716 in the connector assemblies. the control module 702 can also include any of the elements described about with respect to the control modules illustrated in figs. 1-6 . the control module 702 also includes a coil 760 within or on the housing 714 . the coil 760 can be any of the coils discussed above with respect to figs. 5 and 6 . the coil 760 is made of a conductive material, such as a metal or alloy, that is preferably biocompatible. the coil 760 has one or more loops. for example, the coil can have one, two, three, four, five, six, ten, twelve, twenty, fifty, one hundred, or more loops. the control module 702 also includes an active signal generator 766 . the active signal generator provides current to the coil 760 to generate the opposing flux in order to reduce the effects from an external electromagnetic field. in some embodiments, the active signal generator may be directed to generate an opposing flux that cancels all or nearly all (e.g., at least 75%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99%) of the incoming flux from the external electromagnetic field. the signal generator 766 may utilize a processor 404 (see, fig. 4 ) of the control module 702 or it may have its own processor for directing the generation of the opposing flux in the coil 760 . in at least some embodiments, the signal generator 766 can be activated upon initiation by a user or practitioner. for example, the user or practitioner may transmit or otherwise send a signal to the control module 702 that directs that the signal generator to provide a current to the coil 760 . a second signal from the user or practitioner may deactivate the signal generator. alternatively or additionally, the signal generator may be activated for only a predetermined period of time, the duration of which may be user-programmable. this arrangement can be particularly useful for a user that is to have an mri procedure performed. the user or a practitioner can direct that the activation of the signal generator 766 during the mri procedure when the control module will be subjected to rf fields and large magnetic and magnetic gradient fields. in at least some embodiments, the control module 702 or another device coupled to the control module may include an optional sensor 762 to detect the presence of an external electromagnetic field. in some embodiments, the sensor 762 can detect a magnitude or phase (or both magnitude and phase) of the electromagnetic field or the flux generated by the electromagnetic field. if the electromagnetic field exceeds a threshold level, the signal generator 766 may be activated to send current through the coil 560 to generate the opposing flux. the threshold level may be permanently set or may be programmable. again, this arrangement can be particularly useful for a user that is to have an mri procedure performed. the threshold level can be set so that the rf field or magnetic field associated with the mri procedure triggers the signal generator 766 . optionally, the sensor 762 may also detect when the external electromagnetic field drops below a threshold level and then direct the signal generator 766 to be deactivated. in some embodiments, the coil 760 may also be used for other tasks. for example, the coil 760 may be used as the antenna 418 of fig. 4 . thus, the coil could be used for recharging the power source 412 (see, fig. 4 ) or to receive signals from, or send signals to, a telemetry unit 406 (see, fig. 4 ) or programming unit 408 (see. fig. 4 ) or any combination thereof. in at least some embodiments, an optional switch may be provided to automatically, or at user request, switch the coil from use as an antenna to use as a coil to generate an opposing flux. the above specification, examples and data provide a description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention also resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
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075-530-801-170-480
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G10H3/18
| 1988-07-14T00:00:00 |
1988
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[
"G10"
] |
omniplanar pickup for musical instruments
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a pickup responsive in all planes of vibration of a vibrating element of a musical instrument uses two transducers, each maximally responsive in a different plane of vibration. the transducer signals are dephased with respect to each other in order to reduce and possibly eliminate the additive and substractive tendencies of the common portion of the signals when they are combined to produce the pickup signal. the signals may be dephased using a phase shifting network or device, or by using different types of transducers (i.e.: position-sensing for the first transducer and velocity-sensing for the second transducer) which produce signals which are already dephased and thus only require to be combined in order to produce the claimed response.
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1. a pickup for detecting planar vibrations of a vibrating element of a musical instrument, comprising: first transducer means maximally responsive in a first plane of vibration of said vibrating element for producing a first transducer signal, second transducer means maximally responsive in a second plane of vibration of said vibrating element different from said first plane of vibration, for producing a second transducer signal, means to phase shift said first and second transducer signal thereby creating a phase shift between said first and said second transducer signal wherein a sensitivity in a third plane of vibration of said vibrating element is increased, and a means to combine said phase shifted said first and said second transducer signals and produce a joint transducer signal therefrom, whereby said pickup is simultaneously responsive to all of said planar vibrations of said vibrating element. 2. the pickup of claim 1 wherein (a) said first plane of vibration is approximately perpendicular to (a) said second plane of vibration. 3. the pickup of claim 1 wherein a single transducer element common to said first and to said second transducer means produces a composite transducer signal composed of successive increments of said first and of said second transducer signals. 4. the pickup of claim 1 wherein said phase shift produced between said first and said second transducer signals has a magnitude which is effectively equal to approximately 90 degrees. 5. the pickup of claim 1 wherein (a) said phase shift is (created minimally at one frequency) produced at a plurality of frequencies of said vibration of said vibrating element. 6. the pickup of claim 1 wherein (a) said phase shift is (created minimally at the) produced at a fundamental frequency of vibration of said vibrating element. 7. the pickup of claim 1 wherein a said transducer means includes a part of said means to produce said phase shift. 8. the pickup of claim 1 wherein (at least a part of) said means to (create) produce a said phase shift is comprised of a position-sensing said first transducer means (effectively responsive to the position of said vibrating element) and a velocity-sensing said second transducer means (effectively responsive to the velocity of said vibrating element). 9. the pickup of claim (1) 8 wherein (the magnitude of) said first transducer signal has a magnitude which is effectively (indicative of the instantaneous) proportional to a displacement of said vibrating element in (a first) said first plane of vibration, and wherein (the magnitude of) said second transducer signal has a magnitude which is effectively (indicative of the instantaneous) proportional to a velocity of said vibrating element in (a) said second plane of vibration.
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background art transducers of many kinds are commonly used in connection with musical instruments in order to allow them to be amplified, recorded or to remotely control a second instrument. many musical instruments have one or more vibrating elements such as a reed, a membrane or a string. reeds and membranes generally vibrate in a fixed plane of vibration but vibrating strings and other rod-like vibrating elements usually vibrate in different planes. the string of a bowed instrument characteristically vibrates in a plane parallel to the surface of the bow. the string of a plucked instrument will start vibrating in a plane parallel to the direction of plucking but will change its plane of vibration. characteristically, the plane of vibration of the string of a plucked or hammered instrument will constantly change and if it is permitted to vibrate long enough without being damped or replayed, the string will vibrate in constantly changing planes through 360 degrees. pickups of the prior art typically produce a signal, the strength of which is proportional to the vector of the plane of vibration of the vibrating element in the direction of maximum sensitivity of the pickup. to attain natural reproduction of the sound produced by a vibrating element of a musical instrument, the amplitude of the pickup signal should be the same for a given amplitude of vibration, irrespectively of the plane of vibration of the vibrating element. virtually all contact and proximity transducers of the prior art have heretofore exhibited a significantly different response to the vibrations of a vibrating element in various planes of vibration. u.s. pat. no. 3,301,936 issued to carman et al describes a mechanico-electrical pickup for an instrument string having maximum sensitivity in the direction of the axis of the string. such a pickup responds to changes in the tension of the string and although it responds equally in all planes of vibration, the signal produced in response to a simple vibration of the string will be an octave above the frequency of this simple vibration. this occurs because changes in the tension of the string occur at twice the rate of the string vibration. such frequency doubling tends to give the pickup a thin sound and is not desirable from a musical standpoint. it is generally agreed to in the prior art that a pickup should accurately transduce the fundamental frequency of the monitored vibrations in order to produce a natural sounding tone signal. a first problem exists when using pickups of the prior art in a stringed instrument such as a bass guitar, that "dead notes" are sometimes encountered because the pickups fail to respond in the plane in which the fundamental frequency of the remanent string vibrations has settled shortly after the attack of a played note. a second problem exists with virtually any pickup of the prior art, that the direction of excitation of the string influences the sound of the attack of the note to a high degree. a third problem exists when detecting the fundamental frequency of the played note using pickups of the prior art for the purpose of controlling a second instrument such as a music synthesizer, that these pickups tend to produce either a very reduced amplitude or a frequency doubling effect in response to string vibrations in certain planes, which makes the detection significantly more difficult if not impossible to perform in these instances. it is therefore a broad object of the present invention to provide a pickup for a stringed instrument which responds approximately equally in all planes of vibration of a vibrating element. it is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a pickup which accurately transduces the frequencies of vibration of the vibrating element, irrespectively of the plane of such vibrations. it is a further object of the present invention to provide a pickup for an instrument string which is approximately equally responsive in all directions of excitation of the vibrating element. it is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pickup which produces a strong fundamental frequency corresponding to that of the vibrations of the vibrating element. summary of the invention this invention is a pickup for a musical instrument that transduces the vibrations of a vibrating element to strong signals that are characteristic of those vibrations both in amplitude and in frequency in all planes of vibration. the pickup of this invention minimally employs two transducers positioned and oriented in a manner to be maximally responsive in different planes of vibration of the monitored vibrating element. the individual transducer signals are phase shifted with respect to each other to prevent cancellations which would otherwise occur between the two signals when they are of equal magnitude and of opposite polarity as a result of certain modes of vibration of the monitored vibrating element. the phase shifted transducer signals are combined to produce a joint signal. the joint signal is the pickup signal. when the transducers of the pickup respond maximally in perpendicular planes of vibration of the vibrating element while the phase difference between the two combined transducer signals is effectively equal to about 90 degrees, the pickup has equal sensitivity in all planes of vibration of the monitored vibrating element. a pickup according to the present invention may monitor a plurality of vibrating elements. to provide a phase difference between the two transducer signals of the pickup, a "constant phase shift" network is preferred. this type of network is well known to persons of ordinary skill in the art filter design; it usually consists of a pair of all-pass filters having different turnover frequencies. although about 90 degrees of phase shift between the two transducer signals is preferable from the standpoint of omniplanar performance, any degree of phase shift other than 0 degrees, 180 degrees and all integer multiples thereof between the two transducer signals will tend to reduce the substractive and additive effects between the two combined transducer signals to a certain degree. although it is preferable for the phase shift network to have constant phase shift over the entire audio range, the present invention requires only that a phase shift exist at the fundamental frequency of vibration of the vibrating element. this is musically acceptable since harmonics usually evolve over time in a different manner than the corresponding fundamental frequency of vibration during a played note. in a first embodiment, a pickup according to the present invention has two pressure transducer elements located under a string receiving element which supports a contacting string. the transducer elements produce separate signals which are passed through a constant phase shift network in order to dephase the signals by a constant 90 degrees over the entire frequency range of the string vibrations. the dephased signals are resistively summed to produce a joint signal. in a second embodiment, a pickup according to the present invention has a pair of coils positioned transversely under a plurality of strings. a number of staggered magnetic polepieces are placed alternately in the coils. the coils respond in different planes of vibration of each string and produce composite string signals when a plurality of strings are played. the signals from the coils are passed through a phase shift network and the phase shifted signals are summed to produce the pickup signal. in a third embodiment, the signal from a pressure transducer maximally responsive in a first plane of vibration of a vibrating string is mixed with the signal from a magnetic pickup maximally responsive in a second plane of vibration of the string. a phase difference exists between the two signals as a result of using transducers of different types responsive to different qualities of the string movements. in a fourth embodiment, a vibrating string is located between a single light-sensitive element and a pair of light sources respectively positioned and oriented in a manner to render the light-sensitive element responsive to a first plane of string vibration when the first light source is powered and responsive in a second plane of string vibration when the second light source is powered. the light sources are alternately powered at a fast rate, causing two multiplexed transducer signals to be generated by the light-sensitive element. the multiplexed transducer signals are synchronously de-multiplexed into two discrete transducer signals which are phase shifted using a phase shifting network, and then summed in the time domain to produce a pickup signal. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a diagram of a first embodiment of a pickup according to the present invention which includes an elevation view of a portion of the bridge of a guitar supporting a mechanico-electrical transducer assembly. fig. 2 is an electrical diagram of the constant phase shift network used in the embodiment of fig. 1. fig. 3 is a diagram of a second embodiment of a pickup according to the present invention which includes a top view of a pair of electromagnetic transducers located under the strings of a bass guitar. fig. 4 is a diagram of a third embodiment of a pickup according to the present invention which uses a piezoresistive pressure transducer and an electromagnetic proximity-gradient transducer. fig. 5 is a side view of an instrument string showing the relative position of the transducers used in the embodiment of fig. 4. fig. 6 is a diagram of a fourth embodiment of a pickup according to the present invention which illustrates the positional relationships between a vibrating string, a light-sensitive element and a pair of light sources. detailed description of the preferred embodiments referring now to fig. 1 of the drawings, a pickup according to the present invention comprises a string receiving element 2 which transmits the vibrations of a vibrating string 1 to a pair of underlying pressure transducer elements 3 and 4, responsive in the tickness mode and having approximately equal sensitivity. the pressure transducer elements 3 and 4 are supported by a hard and massive bridge 5 of a guitar. the pressure transducer elements 3 and 4 are positioned and oriented with respect to the vibrating string 1 so as to be maximally responsive in orthogonal planes of string vibration. pressure transducer element 4 which produces signal a is connected through a conductor 7 to a first input 20 of a constant phase shift network 9. pressure transducer element 3 which produces signal b is connected through a conductor 8 to the second input 21 of the constant phase shift network 9. electrically conductive string receiving element 2 is grounded through a conductor 6 in order to provide a ground connection g to each of the pressure transducer elements 3 and 4 and thus allow the transducer signals a and b to be ground referenced as it is normally the case. the constant phase shift network 9 dephases the transducer signals a and b and produces the corresponding separate phase shifted signals c and d which are dephased with respect to each other by approximately 90 degrees over a wide range of frequencies. signal a is dephased into signal c and signal b is correspondingly dephased into signal d. signals c and d appearing at the outputs 22 and 23 of the constant phase shift network 9 are combined by passing them through equal value summing resistors 10 and 11 which are connected together to produce a joint signal e. the joint signal e is a ground g referenced pickup signal. fig. 2 illustrates the elements composing the constant phase shift network 9 of the embodiment of fig. 1. the constant phase shift network 9 is formed of two separate circuit branches of similar construction and which have a flat frequency response, but which dephase the signals passing through them by different amounts. in a first circuit branch, a first input 20 of the network 9 is connected to a buffer amplifier 18 which is followed by a first group of all-pass filters 12, 13 and 14, the output of all-pass filter 14 being the first output 22 of the constant phase shift network 9. in a second circuit branch, a second input 21 of the constant phase shift network 9 is connected to a buffer amplifier 19 which is followed by a second group of all-pass filters 15, 16 and 17, the output of all-pass filter 17 being the second output 23 of the constant phase shift network 9. the turnover frequencies of the all-pass filters 12-17 are such that a 90 degree phase shift is created over a wide range of frequencies between the outputs 22 and 23 of the constant phase shift network 9. capacitors c1-c6 are equal value components and they are given a nominal value of 0.0033 microfarad. a set of values for r1-r6 along with the corresponding turnover frequencies of the all-pass filters 12-17 of the network 9 are given in table 1. resistors 24-35 are all equal value components and are given an arbitrary value of 10k ohms. resistors 36 and 37 are input biasing resistors and they are given an arbitrary value of 10m ohms. the operational amplifiers 38-43 used in the all-pass filters 12-17 are of conventional design, having high gain, high input impedance and low output impedance, and they may be any of the commonly available types such as 741, 5534 or tl071. such all-pass filters and their arrangement to produce constant phase shift networks are well known to those skilled in the art of filter design and need not be discussed in further depth. table 1 ______________________________________ 90.degree. .+-. 1.degree. phase shift between 100hz and 1000hz 6 all-pass stages c1-c6 = .0033 uf ______________________________________ r1 16.2k 2977hz r2 118k 408.5hz r3 511k 94.38hz r4 54.9k 878.5hz r5 237k 203.0hz r6 1.74m 27.72hz ______________________________________ other means to dephase the transducer signals a and b such as phase transformers, time delay devices, etc. may be used in the present invention which requires that a phase shift exist between the transducer signals a and b, minimally at one frequency of string vibration, this frequency being preferably the fundamental frequency of vibration of the string 1. the presence of any effective amount of phase shift other than 0 degree, 180 degrees or any integer multiple thereof between the transducer signals a and b will reduce the additive and substractive tendencies of their common components by a certain amount, and thus will enable the pickup to respond in all planes of vibration of the string 1 by preventing the creation of a plane of zero joint signal response. as the effective amount of phase shift between the transducer signals a and b approaches some optimal value, the additive and substractive tendencies of the transducer signals a and b are virtually eliminated. fig. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a magnetic pickup according to the present invention. the pickup is composed of a pair of electromagnetic transducers 48 and 49 positioned in the usual beneath the ferrous strings 44-47 of a bass guitar. electromagnetic transducers 48 and 49 have magnetic polepieces 50-57 located near the strings 44-47. polepiece 50 of transducer 49 is positioned on one side of string 44 while polepiece 51 of transducer 48 is positioned on the other side of string 44; the other polepieces 52-57 of transducers 48 and 49 are likewise positioned with respect to strings 45-47. it can be seen that each string 44-47 vibrates in the vicinity of a pair of polepieces 50-57 located in different electromagnetic transducers 48 and 49. in this manner, the electromagnetic transducers 48 and 49 are maximally responsive in different planes of vibration of the strings 44-47. electromagnetic transducers 48 which produces signal f is connected through a conductor 58 to a first input 62 of a constant phase shift network 64 similar to that figs. 1 and 2. electromagnetic transducer 49 which produces signal h is connected through a conductor 61 to a second input 63 of the constant phase shift network 64. when more than one string 44-47 is vibrating, transducer signals f and h are composite string signals. the electromagnetic transducers 48 and 49 are grounded respectively through conductors 59 and 60 in order to allow the transducer signals f and h to be ground referenced in the usual manner. the transducer signals f and h are dephased, in a manner similar to that described in the embodiment of fig. 1, by a constant phase shift network 64. signals j and k appearing at the outputs 65 and 66 of the constant phase shift network 64 are phase shifted with respect to each other by about 90 degrees over a wide range of frequencies. the dephased transducer signals j and k are then combined through equal value summing resistors 67 and 68 which are connected together to produce a joint signal l. signal l is a ground referenced pickup signal. in fig. 4, a pickup according to the present invention comprises a piezoresistive pressure transducer element 71 biased by a constant current source 69, and an electromagnetic proximity transducer 72 of conventional design. the pressure transducer 71 which produces transducer signal m is buffered using a first voltage follower amplifier 73 which produces buffered transducer signal p. the electromagnetic transducer 72 which produces transducer signal n is buffered by a second voltage follower amplifier 74 which produces buffered transducer signal q. a phase difference or phase shift exists between the transducer signals m and n by virtue of the different manner in which each transducer 71 and 72 monitors the vibrations of an associated string 70. the pressure transducer 71 effectively monitors the position of the string 70 since the transducer signal m, caused by the forces exerted on the pressure transducer 71 by the string 70, is effectively in phase with the instantaneous position of the string 70. the electromagnetic transducer, on the other hand, responds to the instantaneous velocity of a monitored segment of the string 70. since the velocity of the monitored segment of the string 70 reaches a minimum instantaneous value when its displacement reaches a maximum instantaneous value, it can be realized that the signal n from the electromagnetic transducer 72 is naturally dephased with respect to the signal m from the pressure transducer 71. any suitable signal dephasing means may be used if it is found desirable to dephase the transducer signals m and n any further with respect to each other in order to improve the planar response of the pickup. if the transducers 71 and 72 have different sensitivities to the string vibrations or if they have a different frequency response with respect to each other, either or both transducers 71 and/or 72 may be equalized to compensate for such response differences. depending on the device or network producing it, such equalization can be made to introduce a desirable amount of phase shift between the transducer signals m and n or between the buffered transducer signals p and q. the buffered transducer signals p and q are combined using a pair of summing resistors 75 and 76 which are connected together to produce a joint signal r. the joint signal r is the pickup signal. fig. 5 shows the physical arrangement of the transducers 71 and 72 of the embodiment of fig. 4 in a side view where the horizontal plane is defined as being generally parallel to the top surface 77 of the body 78 of the instrument. the pressure transducer 71 is located on the bridge 80 of the instrument and serves to define one end of the vibating portion of the string 70 where it is maximally responsive to string vibrations occurring in the vertical plane. the electromagnetic transducer 72 is located near the string 70, at a distance from the pressure transducer 71, where it is positioned and oriented with respect to the string 70 so as to be maximally responsive to vibrations of the string 70 occuring in the horizontal plane. the electrical connections from the transducers 71 and 72 have been omitted for clarity. in fig. 6, a pickup according to the present invention is composed of a light sensitive element 85 located near a vibrating string 81 seen in cross-section, and of a pair of directional light sources 82 and 83 which are alternately powered at a fast rate. a high frequency oscillator 84 producing a square wave signal s having a pulse width of approximately 50% is used to drive the first light source 82. the square wave signal s from the oscillator 84 is also used to drive an inverter 86 which powers the second light source 83. the light sources 82 and 83 are positioned and oriented with respect to the string 81 and with respect to the light sensitive element 85 in such a manner that the light sensitive element 85 is maximally responsive in a first plane of string 81 vibration when the first light source 82 is powered, and maximally responsive in a second plane of string 81 vibration when the second light source 83 is powered. since the light sources 82 and 83 are alternately powered at a fast rate, the resulting signal t from the light sensitive element 85 is a composite or "multiplexed" signal t which actually contains successively alternating increments of two distinct transducer signals u and v. this is possible because the first light source 82 and the light sensitive element 85 effectively form a first transducer during a first half cycle of the square wave s from the oscillator 84, after which the second light source 83 and the light sensitive element 85 effectively form a second transducer during the second half-cycle of the square wave s, and so on in an alternating manner for as long as the operation of the oscillator 84 is maintained. the composite transducer signal t from the light sensitive element 85 is de-multiplexed using a synchronous electronic toggle switch 87 driven by the oscillator 84. the switch 87 produces two separate transducer signals u and v which are dephased using a phase shift network 88 of the type generally described in fig. 2 and which produces the corresponding dephased transducer signals w and x. the dephased transducer signals w and x are re-multiplexed into a composite dephased transducer signal y using a second synchronous electronic toggle switch 89 also driven by the oscillator 84. the composite signal y is averaged using an averaging network 90 which effectively sums the successive increments of the multiplexed signals w and x contained therein, in the time domain. the averaging network 90 produces an averaged signal z. the averaging network 90 may consist solely of a capacitive shunt of small reactance value if the resistance of the switch 89 is significant. the averaged signal z is the pickup signal. still other variations will suggest themselves to persons of ordinary skill in the art. for example, other types of transducers may be used together or in combinations other than those described; the transducer signals may be transmitted, stored, circulated, transposed or otherwise acted upon to create a phase shift for the purpose of the present invention without departing from its true scope and spirit. it is intended therefore that the foregoing description be considered as exemplary only and that the scope of the present invention be ascertained by the following claims.
|
075-911-745-058-935
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
G06F21/00,G06K19/073
| 2003-10-03T00:00:00 |
2003
|
[
"G06"
] |
memory module
|
embodiments of the present invention provide a memory module. the memory module includes an adapter region for interfacing the memory module with a host electronic device, a memory component, and an on-card intelligent controller. a fingerprint data security system is in communication with the on-card intelligent controller, configured to identify a user before allowing access to the memory module.
|
1 . a memory module compatible for use with a host electronic device, the memory module comprising: a memory component; an on-board intelligent controller; and a fingerprint data security system in communication with the on-board intelligent controller configured to identify a user before enabling access to the memory module. 2 . the memory module of claim 1 , where the memory component is an atomic resolution storage device. 3 . the memory module of claim 2 , the atomic resolution storage device comprising a plurality of field emitters, a storage medium located in proximity to the field emitters, and micromover for moving the field emitters relative to the storage medium. 4 . the memory module of claim 1 , further comprising an adapter region for interfacing the memory module with the host electronic device; 5 . the memory module of claim 1 , further comprising a power source. 6 . the memory module of claim 1 , wherein the memory module is a removable memory, and wherein the on-board intelligent controller controls access to the removable memory. 7 . the memory module of claim 1 , wherein the on-board intelligent controller includes the fingerprint data security system. 8 . the memory module of claim 1 , wherein the on-board intelligent controller stores fingerprint data in the memory component. 9 . the memory module of claim 8 , wherein the on-board intelligent controller receives the fingerprint data from a network site via the host electronic device. 10 . a memory module compatible for use with a host electronic device, the memory module comprising: a memory component; an on-board intelligent controller; and a fingerprint data security system in communication with the on-board intelligent controller configured to identify a user before enabling access to the memory module, wherein the fingerprint data security system comprises an authorized fingerprint list and a requesting fingerprint list. 11 . the memory module of claim 10 , wherein the fingerprint data security system comprises a fingerprint analysis system, and wherein the on-board intelligent controller compares the requesting fingerprint with the authorized fingerprint list via the fingerprint analysis system. 12 . the memory module of claim 10 , wherein the memory component comprises a nonvolatile memory, and wherein the on-board intelligent controller stores the authorized fingerprint list in the nonvolatile memory. 13 . the memory module of claim 10 , wherein the memory component comprises a volatile memory, and wherein the on-board controller stores the requesting fingerprint in the volatile memory. 14 . the memory module of claim 10 , wherein the authorized fingerprint list comprises at least one authorized fingerprint. 15 . a memory module compatible for use with a host electronic device, the memory module comprising: a memory component; an on-board intelligent controller; and a fingerprint data security system in communication with the on-board intelligent controller configured to identify a user before enabling access to the memory module where, the fingerprint data security system includes a fingerprint reader. 16 . the memory module of claim 15 , wherein the fingerprint reader receives a user's fingerprint and generates a requesting fingerprint representative of the user's fingerprint. 17 . the memory module of claim 15 , wherein the fingerprint reader includes a sensing window for receiving a user's fingerprint. 18 . the memory module of claim 17 , wherein the user's finger covers at least a portion of the sensing window. 19 . the memory module of claim 18 , where the user's finger covers a portion of the sensing window when the user holds the memory module. 20 . the memory module of claim 15 , where the memory module is a memory card. 21 . a method of protecting information stored on a memory card, the method comprising: comparing an electronic fingerprint stored on the memory card to a later received electronic fingerprint; determining access based on a comparison of the first electronic fingerprint with the received electronic fingerprint; and granting access to the memory card if the stored electronic fingerprint matches the received electronic fingerprint. 22 . the method of claim 21 , wherein comparing the stored electronic fingerprint comprises using an on-card data security system. 23 . the method of claim 21 , wherein comparing the stored electronic fingerprint comprises using a fingerprint reader to receive the received electronic fingerprint. 24 . the method of claim 22 , wherein using a fingerprint reader comprises using a sensing window to receive the received electronic fingerprint. 25 . the method of claim 21 , comprising receiving the stored electronic fingerprint from a network site via a host electronic device. 26 . the method of claim 21 , comprises receiving the stored electronic fingerprint comprising defining an authorized fingerprint list to include the stored electronic fingerprint. 27 . the method of claim 21 , comprising receiving the stored electronic fingerprint comprising storing the stored electronic fingerprint on the memory card. 28 . the method of claim 21 , wherein comparing the stored electronic fingerprint to the received electronic fingerprint includes storing the received electronic fingerprint on the memory card. 29 . the method of claim 21 , wherein determining access based on the comparison of the stored electronic fingerprint to the received electronic fingerprint comprises determining access via an on-card intelligent controller. 30 . a memory card compatible for use with a host electronic device, the memory card comprising: an adapter region for interfacing the memory module with the host electronic device; an on-card intelligent controller; a memory component, comprising an atomic resolution storage device configured to communicate with the on-card intelligent controller as a redundant array of independent storage devices, where the atomic resolution storage device is a non-volatile memory component including a plurality of electron emitters, a media having media partitions, and a plurality of micromovers wherein each micromover is independently operable to move a media partition relative to one or more electron emitters for reading and writing data at the media; and a fingerprint data security system in communication with the on-card intelligent controller configured to identify a user before allowing access to the memory card. 31 . a mobile computing system, comprising: a mobile computing device; a memory module in communication with the mobile computing device comprising: a memory component, an on-board intelligent controller, and a data security system in communication with the on-board intelligent controller configured to identify a user before allowing access to the memory module. 32 . the system of claim 31 , further comprising: an adapter region for interfacing the memory module with the mobile computing device. 33 . the system of claim 31 , wherein the memory module is a form factor memory card. 34 . the mobile computing device of claim 30 , wherein the mobile computing device is a personal digital assistant. 35 . a computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions for performing a method of protecting information stored on a memory module, the instructions comprising: logic for comparing an electronic fingerprint stored in the memory module to a received electronic fingerprint; logic for determining access based on a comparison of the stored electronic fingerprint with the received electronic fingerprint; and logic for granting access to the memory memory module if the stored electronic fingerprint matches the received electronic fingerprint.
|
background of the invention the need for portability and ease in capturing and saving information from various locations away from a user's office or work has resulted in a proliferation of portable electronic devices, such as digital cameras, personal digital assistants, and notebook computers. with the proliferation of portable electronic devices, the use of form factor cards adapted for use with these devices is steadily increasing as well. the term “form factor card” is a general term often used to describe a memory card, such as sony memory stick or compactflash card, but also applies to cards that perform other functions, including input/output (i/o) cards such as serial cards, ethernet cards, fax/modem cards, and multimedia cards. as this technology evolves, the amount of information that can be saved on form factor cards also increases enabling people to store everything from business records to medical files. the ability to store this kind of sensitive information inherently increases the need for security and restricted access to the information stored on portable computing devices. traditionally, passwords have been used to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to the sensitive information on such devices. even when the passwords are stored in an encrypted file on a portable electronic device such as a personal digital assistant (“pda”), for example, the information is only secure as long as the form factor card on which the information is stored remains in the pda. as soon as the form factor card is removed from the pda and transferred to another pda, the passwords may be read by anyone who wants access to the information stored on the form factor card. summary of the invention embodiments of the present invention provide a memory module. in one embodiment, the memory module includes an adapter region for interfacing the memory module with a host electronic device, a memory component, and an on-card intelligent controller. a fingerprint data security system is provided in communication with the on-card intelligent controller, configured to identify a user before enabling access to the memory module. brief description of the drawings embodiments of the invention are better understood with reference to the following drawings. the elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. like reference numerals designate corresponding similar parts. fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a computing system comprising a memory module having a fingerprint data security system according to the present invention. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a fingerprint data security system. fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a memory card having a fingerprint data security system including a sensing window, according to the present invention. fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a user initializing a memory card according to the present invention. fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a memory card having a fingerprint data security system inserted within a host electronic device. fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a memory component storing fingerprint data for use with a memory card. fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of a memory card according to the present invention inserted within a host electronic device. fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a method of restricting access to a memory card according to the present invention. detailed description fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a computer system 10 according to the present invention. computer system 10 includes a memory module or card having an on-card fingerprint data security system for restricting access to storage locations on the memory card. computer system 10 provides a secure method of storing information. in one embodiment, computer system 10 includes a host electronic device 12 and a memory module or memory card 14 . host electronic device 12 is a device utilizing a memory card (e.g., digital cameras, digital camcorders, personal digital assistants, laptops, and notebook computers or other mobile computing devices). in one exemplary embodiment, host electronic device 12 is a personal digital assistant or “pda,” as is known in the art, and includes a display 13 . in one embodiment, memory card 14 comprises a fingerprint data security system 16 and housing 18 . data security system 16 is located on memory card 14 and is used to restrict a user's access to memory card 14 . in one embodiment, access to memory card 14 includes reading, storing (i.e., writing), or modifying information on memory card 14 via host electronic device 12 . memory card 14 is insertable in different pdas or other host devices. fingerprint data security system 16 is part of memory card 14 . regardless of a host device, restricted access is maintained to information stored on memory card 14 . in one embodiment, prior to use in host electronic device 12 , an authorized user's biometric fingerprint data (i.e., fingerprint) is stored on memory card 14 via data security system 16 . thus, memory card 14 is irrefutably bound to the authorized user who initialized memory card 14 by storing a representation of a unique biometric of the authorized user on memory card 14 . more than one fingerprint may be stored on memory card 14 to enable multiple users to interact with memory card 14 via host electronic device 12 . once memory card 14 is initialized by the authorized user, host electronic device 12 may be used to store information on memory card 14 . in one embodiment, for example, the authorized user may store current medical files (e.g., most recent chest x-ray, mammogram, etc.) that would be useful in an emergency. in another embodiment, the authorized user may store his/her financial records on memory card 14 . if memory card 14 is lost, stolen, or removed from host electronic device 12 by an unauthorized user, memory card 14 will not function unless a user's fingerprint matches one of the authorized users' fingerprints stored on memory card 14 . in another embodiment, memory card 14 may be programmed to permit itself to be initialized only once. if anyone, including an authorized user, attempts to initialize memory card 14 a second time, memory card 14 will not perform such initialization. thus, only the authorized user who first initialized memory card 14 is permitted to access memory card 14 . in another embodiment, authorized use is tied to groups of data stored on memory card 14 . thus, the user's access to memory card 14 via host electronic device 12 may be restricted by enabling access to one set of information stored on memory card 14 , while still restricting access to another set of information stored on memory card 14 . in another embodiment, the user's access is restricted to read-only access to the information stored on memory card 14 thereby preventing unauthorized modification of the information accessed by the user. fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of data security system 16 for use with memory security system 10 according to the present invention. in one embodiment, data security system 16 comprises a sensing window 20 , a fingerprint reader 22 , and fingerprint analysis system 24 . sensing window 20 senses the user's fingerprint when the user places a finger on sensing window 20 to cover a portion of sensing window 20 . when sensing window 20 senses the user's fingerprint, sensing window 20 interacts with fingerprint reader 22 to generate an electronic fingerprint (i.e., biometric data) representative of the user's fingerprint. the electronic fingerprint is stored on memory card 14 . fingerprint analysis system 24 compares fingerprints received with any stored on memory card 14 to authenticate the identity of the user and determine appropriate access to memory card 14 that should be granted. in one embodiment, memory card 14 restricts access by disabling interaction between host electronic device 12 and memory card 14 . in another embodiment, memory card 14 limits access to a memory card 14 via host electronic device 12 . fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of memory card 14 according to the present invention. in one embodiment, memory card 14 is a form factor card, comprising housing 18 and a sensing window 20 . sensing window 20 constitutes part of a fingerprint reader that is configured to generate an electronic fingerprint when the user places a finger on sensing window 20 . in one embodiment, sensing window 20 is located along the surface of housing 18 of memory card 14 such that a user's finger will naturally at least partially cover sensing window 20 when the user holds memory card 14 in his/her hand to install memory card 14 into host electronic device 12 . in another embodiment, sensing window 20 is maintained outside of a host device after insertion of memory card 14 into the host device. this configuration enables user authorization or “initialization” of memory card 14 to take place after insertion of memory card 14 into the host device. fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of the user initializing memory card 14 . the user initializes memory card 14 by storing the user's unique biometric (e.g., a fingerprint) on memory card 14 . to store the fingerprint, the user holds memory card 14 such that the user's finger 23 covers a portion of sensing window 20 . in one embodiment, the user's finger is a thumb. in another embodiment, the user's finger is an index finger. in one embodiment, when the user first holds memory card 14 , the user's fingerprint is automatically captured and stored on memory card 14 prior to the user installing memory card 14 into host electronic device 12 . the terms “capturing” or “receiving” a fingerprint as used herein means capturing an image or data about the fingerprint, or both. in one embodiment, sensing window 20 includes a matrix of columns and rows of pixels that each can detect contact with a ridge of the user's fingertip. when the user's finger is placed over sensing window 20 , memory card 14 generates an electronic fingerprint representative of the user's fingerprint via data security system 16 and stores the electronic fingerprint on memory card 14 . once the user's identity has been authenticated via data security system 16 of memory card 14 , memory card 14 notifies host electronic device 12 to enable the user to access memory card 14 . in one embodiment, the user's fingerprint can be identified by detecting the presence and location of a number of characteristics. in one embodiment, fingerprint analysis system 24 detects the presence and location of deltas, as are known in the art. for example, deltas formed where three fingerprint ridge lines almost come together are analyzed in relation to the center of the fingerprint impression known in the art as the core. in another embodiment, other characteristics such as the distance between ridges, etc., can be detected. in another embodiment, when the user grasps memory card 14 , oils from the user's finger 22 are left on sensing window 20 of memory card 14 creating a print. when memory card 14 is installed in host electronic device 12 , the memory card 14 translates the print left on sensing window 20 by the user's finger 22 into the electronic fingerprint stored on memory card 14 . other suitable print identification methods for use with the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art after reading the present application. additionally, the memory card can be powered via the host electronic device 12 . thus, memory card 12 does not need a separate (i.e., independent) power source to capture the user's fingerprint. in one embodiment, if fingerprint system 16 does not receive the user's fingerprint prior to memory card 14 being installed in host electronic device 12 , memory card 14 will not initialize to enable the user to access memory card 14 . in another embodiment, memory card 14 is first installed in host electronic device 12 . the user's fingerprint is downloaded into host electronic device 12 . host electronic device 12 then transfers the user's fingerprint to memory card 14 as part of a process of initializing memory card 14 . when memory card 14 is removed from host electronic device 12 , the user's fingerprint received by sensing window 20 when memory card 14 is reinstalled in another host electronic device 12 must match the user's fingerprint that was stored on memory card 14 . in one embodiment, the user's finger print or fingerprint data is stored on a remote system and is obtained via a communication link. the communication link, as used herein, is defined to include an internet communication link (e.g., the internet), an intranet communication link or other high-speed communication link. in one preferred embodiment, the communication link includes an internet communication link. it is understood that the use of other network communication links is within the scope of the present invention. fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of memory card 14 , according to the present invention as inserted within host electronic device 12 . in one embodiment, memory card 14 is a form factor card, as is known in the art, which is installed and engaged by host electronic device 12 . in one embodiment, memory card 14 comprises data security system 16 , sensing window 20 , on-card, intelligent controller 26 , a memory component 28 , data channels 30 , control channels 32 , and an electrical interface 34 for connection to host electronic device 12 . in one embodiment, memory card 14 is a compact flash storage card designed according to the cft and compact flash specification of compact flash association (www.compactflash.org). the cft and compact flash specification is herein incorporated by reference. on-card intelligent controller 26 processes signals from data security system 16 to generate the electronic fingerprint and store the electronic fingerprint in the form of fingerprint data 36 in memory component 28 . on-card intelligent controller 26 communicates with host electronic device 12 , including display 13 , via electrical interface 34 and interface channels 38 and 40 . on-card intelligent controller 26 also manages interface protocols with host electronic device 12 , data storage and retrieval, diagnostics, defect handling, error correction, and power management and clock control functions. in one embodiment, on-card intelligent controller 26 is a microprocessor. in one embodiment, interface channels 40 transfer data between host electronic device 12 and memory card 14 . in the installed position, as illustrated in fig. 1 , host interface channels 40 are engaged with electrical interface 34 . host interface channels (i.e., bus) 40 transfer data between host electronic device 12 and memory card 14 and provide electrical power to memory card 14 via electrical interface 34 and interface channels 38 . fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of memory component 28 storing fingerprint data 36 . in one embodiment, memory component 28 includes a nonvolatile memory 42 and a volatile memory 44 . suitable memory includes, but is not limited to, flash memory and magnetic random access memory (mram), atomic resolution storage devices, or other persistent storage device such as a micro disk drive. fingerprint data 36 is stored in both nonvolatile memory 42 and volatile memory 44 . in one embodiment, fingerprint data 36 comprises an authorized fingerprint list 46 that contains a first authorized fingerprint 48 and a second authorized fingerprint 50 , and a request fingerprint 52 . when memory card 14 is first initialized, authorized fingerprint list 46 , including first authorized fingerprint 48 and second authorized fingerprint 50 , is stored in non-volatile memory 42 . if memory card 14 is removed from host electronic device 12 , requesting fingerprint 52 may be received via sensing window 20 of data security system 16 before the user installs memory card 14 into another host electronic device 12 . once requesting fingerprint 52 is received, it is translated into an electronic fingerprint by fingerprint reader 22 and stored in volatile memory 44 of memory component 28 . on-card intelligent controller 26 interacts with memory component 28 via data security system 16 to compare requesting fingerprint 52 with authorized fingerprint list 42 stored in nonvolatile memory 42 when memory card 14 was first initialized by the user. if requesting fingerprint 52 matches first authorized fingerprint 48 or second authorized fingerprint 50 on authorized fingerprint list 46 , on-card intelligent controller 26 determines the appropriate access to memory card 14 based on the comparison and enables the user to access memory card 14 . in one embodiment, memory card 14 is configured to delay informing host electronic device 12 that memory card 14 is ready for engagement until memory card 14 has established the user's identity. the particular manner in which engagement of memory card 14 by host electronic device 12 can be suspended so that memory card 14 can establish the user's identity depends on an operating system software and/or host electronic device 12 interface. in one embodiment, host electronic device 12 waits for confirmation that memory card 14 installed in host electronic device 12 is ready for further interaction with the operating system software of host electronic device 12 before host electronic device attempts to identify memory card 14 . fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of host electronic device 12 having memory card 14 according to the present invention. in this embodiment, memory module 14 is a form factor card that is installed and engaged by host electronic device 12 . in one embodiment, memory card 14 comprises on-card intelligent controller 26 , data security system 16 , memory component 28 , data channels 30 , control channels 32 , electrical interface 34 for connection to host electronic device 12 and a power source 54 . when memory card 14 receives the user's fingerprint, e.g., via sensing window 20 , memory card 14 translates the user's fingerprint into an electronic fingerprint and stores the electronic fingerprint in memory component 28 via on-card intelligent controller 26 . memory card 14 is not dependent on host electronic device 12 for electrical power needed to capture and store the user's fingerprint on memory card 14 due to on-board power source 54 . when memory card 14 is installed in host electronic device 12 , on-card intelligent controller 26 of memory card 14 uses power from host electronic device 12 to authenticate the user's identity. once the user's identity has been authenticated, memory card 14 sends a signal to host electronic device 12 that memory card 14 is ready to interact with host electronic device 12 to enable the user to access memory card 14 via host electronic device 12 . fig. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a method of protecting information stored on memory card 14 . the method of protecting information stored on memory card 14 , according to the present invention, is generally illustrated at 100 . reference is also made to figs. 1-7 . at 202 , memory card 14 receives a first electronic fingerprint (e.g., a whole fingerprint or portion of a fingerprint). in one embodiment, memory card 14 receives the first electronic finger print via data security system 16 when the user places a finger on sensing window 20 to cover a portion of sensing window 20 of memory card 14 . fingerprint reader 22 of data security system 16 translates the user's fingerprint into the first electronic fingerprint and stores the first electronic fingerprint (similar to authorized fingerprints 48 and 50 ) in authorized fingerprint list 46 . in another embodiment, memory card 14 is first installed in host electronic device 12 and host electronic device 12 transfer's the first electronic fingerprint (similar to authorized fingerprints 48 and 50 ) to memory card 14 from a website. at 204 , on-card intelligent controller 26 compares the first electronic fingerprint (e.g., authorized fingerprints 48 and 50 ) with a second electronic fingerprint (e.g., requesting fingerprint 52 ). in one embodiment, if memory card 14 is removed from host electronic device 12 , the user places his/her finger on sensing window 20 prior to reinstalling memory card 14 into host electronic device 12 , or after installation but before memory card 14 grants access. on-card intelligent controller compares the first electronic fingerprint with the second electronic fingerprint via fingerprint analysis system 24 of data security system 16 (or vice versa) to identify the user and determine whether to enable access to memory card 14 . at 206 , memory card 14 determines access based on the comparison of the first fingerprint to the second fingerprint. in one embodiment, for example, the user may be authorized to access only limited information on memory card 14 . in another embodiment, the user may be authorized to read the information stored on memory card 14 , but not authorized to modify the viewed information stored on memory card 14 . at 208 , memory card 14 enables access to memory card 14 if the user's identity is authenticated via data security system 16 . in one embodiment, the user's identity is authenticated when the first fingerprint stored on memory card 14 when the user initialized memory card 14 matches the second fingerprint provided by the user when the user wishes to interact with memory card 14 to access, store or modify the information on memory card 14 after reinstallation of memory card 14 into another host electronic device 12 . thus, if memory card 14 is lost, stolen, or removed, an unauthorized user cannot gain access to memory card 14 by simply inserting memory card 14 into another host electronic device. other additional restrictions may be utilized to limit access to information on memory card 14 once authenticated and installed into a host device. for example, re-authentication may be required after a predefined amount of time has passed and the memory card is still inserted into the host device. one exemplary embodiment of a memory card 14 comprises an atomic resolution storage device configured for use in memory card 14 having a fingerprint data security system according to the present invention, and capable of storing megabytes to gigabytes of information in a small storage area. for a further discussion of one embodiment of a suitable atomic resolution storage device, see u.s. pat. no. 5,557,596, entitled, “ultra-high density storage device”, by gibson et al. and assigned to hewlett-packard company, and u.s. patent application ser. no. 09/617,876, by si-ty lam et al., filed jul. 17, 2000, entitled “self-aligned electron source device” both of which incorporated herein by reference.
|
076-257-037-995-402
|
GB
|
[
"US",
"GB",
"JP",
"CN",
"WO",
"EP"
] |
A61B34/30,B25J17/02,F16H19/00,B25J9/10,B25J18/04,B25J17/00,A61B17/00,B25J9/18,B25J19/00
| 2015-07-22T00:00:00 |
2015
|
[
"A61",
"B25",
"F16"
] |
drive mechanisms for robot arms
|
a robot arm comprising a joint mechanism for articulating one limb of the arm relative to another limb of the arm about two non-parallel rotation axes, the mechanism comprising: an intermediate carrier attached to a first one of the limbs by a first revolute joint having a pitch rotation axis and to a second one of the limbs by a second revolute joint having a yaw rotation axis; a first drive gear disposed about the pitch rotation axis, the first drive gear being fast with the carrier; a second drive gear disposed about the yaw rotation axis, the second drive gear being fast with the second one of the limbs; a first drive shaft for driving the first drive gear to rotate about the pitch rotation axis, the first drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs and having a first shaft gear thereon, the first shaft gear being arranged to engage the first drive gear; a second drive shaft for driving the second drive gear to rotate about the yaw rotation axis, the second drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs and having a second shaft gear thereon; and an intermediate gear train borne by the carrier and coupling the second shaft gear to the second drive gear.
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1 . a robot arm comprising a joint mechanism for articulating one limb of the arm relative to another limb of the arm about two non-parallel rotation axes, the mechanism comprising: an intermediate carrier attached to a first one of the limbs by a first revolute joint having a pitch rotation axis and to a second one of the limbs by a second revolute joint having a yaw rotation axis; a first drive gear disposed about the pitch rotation axis, the first drive gear being fast with the carrier; a second drive gear disposed about the yaw rotation axis, the second drive gear being fast with the second one of the limbs; a first drive shaft for driving the first drive gear to rotate about the pitch rotation axis, the first drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs and having a first shaft gear thereon, the first shaft gear being arranged to engage the first drive gear; a second drive shaft for driving the second drive gear to rotate about the yaw rotation axis, the second drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs and having a second shaft gear thereon; and an intermediate gear train borne by the carrier and coupling the second shaft gear to the second drive gear. 2 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intermediate gear train comprises a first intermediate gear disposed about the pitch rotation axis, the first intermediate gear being arranged to engage the second shaft gear. 3 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising a control unit arranged to respond to command signals commanding motion of the robot arm by driving the first and second drive shafts to rotate, the control unit being configured to, when the robot arm is commanded to articulate about the pitch axis without articulating about the yaw axis, drive the first shaft to rotate to cause articulation about the pitch axis and also drive the second shaft to rotate in such a way as to negate parasitic articulation about the yaw axis. 4 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intermediate gear train comprises a plurality of interlinked gears arranged to rotate about axes parallel with the pitch rotation axis. 5 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intermediate gear train comprises an intermediate shaft arranged to rotate about an axis parallel with the pitch rotation axis, the intermediate shaft having a third shaft gear thereon, the third shaft gear being arranged to engage the second drive gear. 6 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the intermediate gear train comprises a plurality of interlinked gears arranged to rotate about axes parallel with the pitch rotation axis and wherein the interlinked gears are on one side of a plane perpendicular to the pitch axis and containing the teeth of the first drive gear, and at least part of the third shaft gear is on the other side of that plane. 7 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the third shaft gear is a worm gear. 8 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first and second shaft gears is/are worm gears. 9 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first drive gears is/are bevel gear(s). 10 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 9 , wherein one or both of the first drive gears is/are skew axis gear(s). 11 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first drive gear is a part-circular gear. 12 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 11 , wherein at least part of the second drive gear intersects a circle about the pitch axis that is coincident with the radially outermost part of the first drive gear. 13 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the intermediate gear train comprises an intermediate shaft arranged to rotate about an axis parallel with the pitch rotation axis, the intermediate shaft having a third shaft gear thereon, the third shaft gear being arranged to engage the second drive gear and wherein at least part of the intermediate shaft intersects a circle about the pitch axis that is coincident with the radially outermost part of the first drive gear. 14 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pitch and yaw axes are orthogonal. 15 . a robot arm as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pitch and yaw axes intersect each other.
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cross-reference to related application this application claims the benefit under 35 u.s.c. §119 of united kingdom patent application no. 1512959.6 filed on jul. 22, 2015 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. this application also relates to u.s. patent application ser. no. ______ entitled drive mechanisms for robot arms (attorney docket no. c2200-700711), by thomas bates jackson, luke david ronald hares, keith marshall and steven james randle, filed on even date herewith, and u.s. patent application ser. no. ______ entitled drive mechanisms for robot arms (attorney docket no. c2200-700712), by thomas bates jackson, luke david ronald hares, keith marshall and steven james randle, filed on even date herewith. all of these related applications are incorporated herein by reference. background this invention relates to drive arrangements for robot joints, with particular relevance to robot wrists. robots that are required to manipulate objects, which may for example be industrial or surgical robots, frequently have an arm composed of rigid elements which are linked together in series by a number of flexible joints. the joints could be of any type but are typically revolute joints, or a combination of revolute and prismatic joints. the arm extends from a base, whose location might be fixed or moveable, and terminates in a tool or an attachment for a tool. the tool could, for example be a gripping, cutting, illuminating, irradiating or imaging tool. the final joint in the arm may be termed the wrist. the wrist may permit motion about only a single axis, or it may be a complex or compound articulation, which permits rotation about multiple axes. as disclosed in our co-pending patent application pct/gb2014/053523, the wrist may provide two roll joints whose axes are generally longitudinal to the arm, separated by two pitch/yaw joints, whose axes are generally transverse to the arm. in the case of a surgical robot there are a number of important criteria that influence the design of the distal joint(s) of the arm. 1. it is desirable for the arm, and particularly its distal portion where the wrist is located, to be small in size. that allows multiple such robot arms to work in close proximity and hence opens up a wider range of surgical procedures that the arm can perform. 2. it is desirable for the outer profile of the distal portion of the arm to be circularly symmetrical about the length of the arm. this allows the distal portion to be rotated longitudinally without having to be repositioned if it is close to another robot, to some other equipment or to the patient. 3. it is desirably for the joints to be capable of delivering a high torque, so that they can carry heavier tools and deliver high acceleration to the tool tip. 4. it is desirable for the joints to be stiff, with little or no backlash or elasticity, so that when a tool tip has been positioned it will be fixed in position. a conventional approach to minimising backlash is to designate one or more gear elements as sacrificial, but this requires a high level of maintenance, and can result in worn gear particles being liberated within the arm. 5. it is desirable for all articulations to have position and force/torque sensors, so that the control mechanism can take data from those sensors. 6. it is desirable for the distal portion of the robot arm to be as light as possible, to reduce the force that must be exerted by more proximal joints of the robot arm. 7. a typical robot arm carries cables that provide power to its drive motors and perhaps to a tool, and carry signals back from sensors such as position, torque and imaging sensors. it is desirable for the arm to include a path for such cables to pass in the interior of the arm. 8. it is desirable for there to be a method of cooling for the motors driving the distal joints of the robot arm and payload or tool. the number of important criteria makes it difficult to design an arm that best balances all the requirements. one particular problem is how to fit the motors and gearing into the wrist of a robot arm. the arrangement should be compact but also allow for high stiffness and torque transfer. many existing designs compromise one of these criteria. there is a need for an improved drive arrangement for a joint of a robot arm. summary according to the present invention there is provided a robot arm comprising a joint mechanism for articulating one limb of the arm relative to another limb of the arm about two non-parallel rotation axes, the mechanism comprising: an intermediate carrier attached to a first one of the limbs by a first revolute joint having a first rotation axis and to a second one of the limbs by a second revolute joint having a second rotation axis; a first drive gear disposed about the first rotation axis, the first drive gear being fast with the carrier; a second drive gear disposed about the second rotation axis, the second drive gear being fast with the second one of the limbs; a first drive shaft for driving the first drive gear to rotate about the first rotation axis, the first drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs and having a first shaft gear thereon, the first shaft gear being arranged to engage the first drive gear; a second drive shaft for driving the second drive gear to rotate about the second rotation axis, the second drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs and having a second shaft gear thereon; and an intermediate gear train borne by the carrier and coupling the second shaft gear to the second drive gear. the intermediate gear train may comprise a first intermediate gear disposed about the first rotation axis, the first intermediate gear being arranged to engage the second shaft gear. the first intermediate gear may be rotatable about the first rotation axis. the robot arm may further comprise a control unit arranged to respond to command signals commanding motion of the robot arm by driving the first and second drive shafts to rotate. the control unit may be configured to, when the robot arm is commanded to articulate about the first axis without articulating about the second axis, drive the first shaft to rotate to cause articulation about the first axis and also drive the second shaft to rotate in such a way as to negate parasitic articulation about the second axis. the control unit may be configured to perform that action automatically. the intermediate gear train may comprise a plurality of interlinked gears arranged to rotate about axes parallel with the first rotation axis. the intermediate gear train may comprise an intermediate shaft arranged to rotate about an axis parallel with the first rotation axis. the intermediate shaft may have a third shaft gear thereon, the third shaft gear being arranged to engage the second drive gear. the interlinked gears are on one side of a plane perpendicular to the first axis and containing the teeth of the first drive gear, and at least part of the third shaft gear is on the other side of that plane. the third shaft gear may be a worm gear: i.e. a gear whose tooth/teeth follow a helical path. one or both of the first and second shaft gears may be worm gears. one or both of the first drive gears may be bevel gear(s): i.e. gears whose pitch surface is a straight-sided or curved cone and/or whose teeth are arranged on such a cone. the tooth lines may be straight or curved. one or both of the first drive gears may be skew axis gear(s). the first drive gear may be a part-circular gear. at least part of the second drive gear may intersect a circle about the first axis that is coincident with the radially outermost part of the first drive gear. at least part of the intermediate shaft may intersect a circle about the first axis that is coincident with the radially outermost part of the first drive gear. according to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a robot arm comprising a joint mechanism for articulating one limb of the arm relative to another limb of the arm about two non-parallel rotation axes, the mechanism comprising: an intermediate carrier attached to a first one of the limbs by a first revolute joint having a first rotation axis and to a second one of the limbs by a second revolute joint having a second rotation axis; a first drive gear disposed about the first rotation axis, the first drive gear being fast with the carrier; a second drive gear disposed about the second rotation axis, the second drive gear being fast with the second one of the limbs; a first drive shaft for driving the first drive gear to rotate about the first rotation axis, the first drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs and having a first shaft gear thereon, the first shaft gear being arranged to engage the first drive gear; a second drive shaft for driving the second drive gear to rotate about the second rotation axis, the second drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs on a first side of a plane containing the second rotation axis and extending through that plane to the second side of that plane; and an intermediate linkage that meshes with the second drive shaft on the second side of the plane and that couples the second shaft gear to the second drive gear. the second shaft may comprise a flexible element. the flexible element is located on the first rotation axis. the flexible element may be a universal joint. the second shaft is coupled to the carrier by a revolute joint on the second side of the said plane. the second drive shaft may have a second shaft gear on the second side of the said plane. the intermediate linkage may comprise an intermediate shaft having a first intermediate gear that meshes with the second shaft gear and a second intermediate gear that meshes with the second drive gear. the second drive shaft may be arranged to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the second rotation axis. the second intermediate gear may be a worm gear. the first shaft gear may be a worm gear. one or both of the first drive gears may be bevel gear(s). one or both of the first drive gears may be skew axis gear(s). the first drive gear may be a part-circular gear. at least part of the second drive gear may intersect a circle about the first axis that is coincident with the radially outermost part of the first drive gear. according to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a robot arm comprising a joint mechanism for articulating one limb of the arm relative to another limb of the arm about two non-parallel rotation axes, the mechanism comprising: an intermediate carrier attached to a first one of the limbs by a first revolute joint having a first rotation axis and to a second one of the limbs by a second revolute joint having a second rotation axis; a first drive gear disposed about the first rotation axis, the first drive gear being fast with the carrier; a second drive gear disposed about the second rotation axis, the second drive gear being fast with the second one of the limbs; a first drive shaft for driving the first drive gear to rotate about the first rotation axis, the first drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs and having a first shaft gear thereon, the first shaft gear being arranged to engage the first drive gear; a second drive shaft for driving the second drive gear to rotate about the second rotation axis, the second drive shaft extending along the first one of the limbs and having a second shaft gear thereon, the second shaft gear being arranged to engage the second drive gear; the second drive shaft comprising a prismatic joint whereby the length of the shaft can vary in response to motion of the carrier about the first axis. the prismatic joint may be a sliding splined coupling. the second dive shaft may comprise a first flexible joint on one side of the prismatic joint and a second flexible joint on the other side of the prismatic joint. the second drive shaft may be connected by a revolute joint to the carrier on the opposite side of the second flexible joint to the prismatic joint. one or both of the first and second shaft gears may be worm gears. one or both of the first drive gears may be bevel gear(s). one or both of the first drive gears may be skew axis gear(s). the first drive gear may be a part-circular gear. at least part of the second drive gear may intersect a circle about the first axis that is coincident with the radially outermost part of the first drive gear. the first and second axes may be orthogonal. the first and second axes may intersect each other. brief description of the drawings the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. in the drawings: fig. 1 is a general representation of a surgical robot arm. fig. 2 shows in more detail the rotation axes at the wrist of the arm of fig. 1 . fig. 3 shows part of a first wrist mechanism from distally and one side. fig. 4 shows part of the first wrist mechanism from distally and the other side. fig. 5 shows part of a second wrist mechanism from proximally and one side. fig. 6 shows part of the second wrist mechanism from distally and one side. fig. 7 shows a third wrist mechanism from distally and one side. fig. 8 shows the third wrist mechanism from distally and the other side. fig. 9 shows the third wrist mechanism in section on a central longitudinal plane viewed from one side. fig. 10 shows the third wrist mechanism in section on a central longitudinal plane viewed from the other side. fig. 11 illustrates communication paths in a robot arm. fig. 12 shows a terminal module for a robot arm in longitudinal cross-section. detailed description the wrist mechanisms to be described below have been found to provide compact and mechanically advantageous arrangements for at least some of the joints of a robot wrist, or for other applications. fig. 1 shows a surgical robot having an arm 1 which extends from a base 2 . the arm comprises a number of rigid limbs 3 . the limbs are coupled by revolute joints 4 . the most proximal limb 3 a is coupled to the base by joint 4 a. it and the other limbs are coupled in series by further ones of the joints 4 . a wrist 5 is made up of four individual revolute joints. the wrist 5 couples one limb ( 3 b ) to the most distal limb ( 3 c ) of the arm. the most distal limb 3 c carries an attachment 8 for a surgical instrument or tool 9 . each joint 4 of the arm has one or more motors 6 which can be operated to cause rotational motion at the respective joint, and one or more position and/or torque sensors 7 which provide information regarding the current configuration and/or load at that joint. for clarity, only some of the motors and sensors are shown in fig. 1 . the arm may be generally as described in our co-pending patent application pct/gb2014/053523. the attachment point 8 for a tool can suitably comprise any one or more of: (i) a formation permitting a tool to be mechanically attached to the arm, (ii) an interface for communicating electrical and/or optical power and/or data to and/or from the tool, and (iii) a mechanical drive for driving motion of a part of a tool. in general it is preferred that the motors are arranged proximally of the joints whose motion they drive, so as to improve weight distribution. as discussed below, controllers for the motors, torque sensors and encoders are distributed with the arm. the controllers are connected via a communication bus to control unit 10 . a control unit 10 comprises a processor 11 and a memory 12 . memory 12 stores in a non-transient way software that is executable by the processor to control the operation of the motors 6 to cause the arm 1 to operate in the manner described herein. in particular, the software can control the processor 11 to cause the motors (for example via distributed controllers) to drive in dependence on inputs from the sensors 7 and from a surgeon command interface 13 . the control unit 10 is coupled to the motors 6 for driving them in accordance with outputs generated by execution of the software. the control unit 10 is coupled to the sensors 7 for receiving sensed input from the sensors, and to the command interface 13 for receiving input from it. the respective couplings may, for example, each be electrical or optical cables, or may be provided by a wireless connection. the command interface 13 comprises one or more input devices whereby a user can request motion of the arm in a desired way. the input devices could, for example, be manually operable mechanical input devices such as control handles or joysticks, or contactless input devices such as optical gesture sensors. the software stored in memory 12 is configured to respond to those inputs and cause the joints of the arm to move accordingly, in compliance with a pre-determined control strategy. the control strategy may include safety features which moderate the motion of the arm in response to command inputs. thus, in summary, a surgeon at the command interface 13 can control the robot arm 1 to move in such a way as to perform a desired surgical procedure. the control unit 10 and/or the command interface 13 may be remote from the arm 1 . fig. 2 shows the wrist 5 of the robot in more detail. the wrist comprises four revolute joints 300 , 301 , 302 , 303 . the joints are arranged in series, with a rigid part of the arm extending from each joint to the next. the most proximal joint 300 of the wrist joins arm part 4 b to arm part 310 . joint 300 has a “roll” rotation axis 304 , which is directed generally along the extent of the limb 4 b of the arm that is immediately proximal of the articulations of the wrist. the next most distal joint 301 of the wrist joins arm part 310 to arm part 311 . joint 301 has a “pitch” rotation axis 305 which is perpendicular to axis 304 in all configurations of joints 300 and 301 . the next most distal joint 302 of the wrist joins arm part 310 to arm part 311 . joint 302 has a “yaw” rotation axis 306 which is perpendicular to axis 305 in all configurations of joints 301 and 302 . in some configurations of the wrist, axis 306 is also perpendicular to axis 304 . the next most distal joint of the wrist 303 joins arm part 311 to arm part 4 c. joint 303 has a “roll” rotation axis 307 which is perpendicular to axis 306 in all configurations of joints 302 and 303 . in some configurations of the wrist, axis 307 is also perpendicular to axis 305 and parallel with (and preferably collinear with) axis 304 . it is preferable for axes 305 and 306 to intersect each other, since this gives a particularly compact configuration. joints 300 and 303 may be positioned so that axes 304 and 307 can pass through the intersection of axes 305 , 306 for some configurations of the wrist. this design of wrist is advantageous in that it allows a wide range of movement from a tool attached to the attachment point 8 at the distal end of arm part 4 c, but with the wrist being capable of being assembled in a relatively compact form and without there being singularities at certain parts of the range of motion that could demand excessively high rates of motion at individual joints. figs. 3 and 4 show one example of a mechanism suitable for implementing part of the wrist 5 of the arm 1 of fig. 1 . figs. 3 and 4 concentrate (as to figs. 5 to 10 ) on the mechanism associated with the joints designated 301 and 302 in fig. 2 . in the region of the wrist 5 the rigid arm parts 310 , 311 have hollow outer shells or casings 310 ′, 310 ″, 311 ′. the shells define the majority of the exterior surface of the arm, and include a void which is partly or fully encircled by the exterior wall of the respective shell and within which the motors, sensors, cables and other components of the arm can be housed. the shells could be formed of a metal, for example an aluminium alloy or steel, or from a composite, for example a fibre-reinforced resin composite such as carbon fibre reinforced resin. the shells constitute part of the rigid structure of the arm parts that attaches between the respective joints. the shells may contain a structural framework as shown later in relation to the embodiment of fig. 7 . in figs. 3 and 4 , for clarity the shell of arm part 310 is shown in two parts: 310 ′ and 310 ″, both of which are drawn in outline and exploded from each other. the shells of arm parts 4 b and 4 c are omitted, as is the mechanism associated with joints 300 and 303 . the shell of arm part 311 is shown in part, the majority extending from spur 311 ′. the shell of arm part 310 (constituted by shell parts 310 ′ and 310 ″) and the shell of arm part 311 (which extends from spur 311 ′) are movable with respect to each other about two rotation axes, shown at 20 and 21 . these correspond to axes 305 , 306 of fig. 2 . axes 20 and 21 are orthogonal. axes 20 and 21 intersect. a central coupler 28 is mounted to arm part 310 by bearings 29 , 30 . the coupler extends between the bearings 29 , 30 . the bearings 29 , 30 hold the coupler fast with arm part 310 except that they permit relative rotation of the coupler and that arm part about axis 20 , thus defining a revolute joint corresponding to joint 301 of fig. 2 . a further bearing 31 attaches the distal shell connector spur 311 ′ to the coupler 28 . bearing 31 holds the distal shell connector spur 311 ′ fast with the coupler 28 except for permitting relative motion of the spur and the coupler about axis 21 , thus defining a revolute joint corresponding to joint 302 of fig. 2 . thus coupler 28 is fast with the arm part 310 about axis 21 . coupler 28 is also fast with the arm part 311 about axis 20 . that is, the mechanism is arranged so that coupler 28 and arm part 310 cannot undergo relative rotation or motion about axis 21 ; and coupler 28 and arm part 311 cannot undergo relative rotation or motion about axis 20 . two electric motors 24 , 25 (see fig. 4 ) are mounted in arm part 310 . the motors drive respective drive shafts 26 , 27 which extend into the midst of the wrist mechanism. shaft 26 drives rotation about axis 20 . shaft 27 drives rotation about axis 21 . drive shaft 26 terminates at its distal end in a worm gear 32 . the worm gear 32 engages a bevel gear 33 which is fast with the coupler 28 . drive shaft 27 terminates at its distal end in a worm gear 34 . the worm gear 34 engages a gear train shown generally at 35 which terminates in a further worm gear 36 . worm-form pinion gear 36 engages a hypoid-toothed bevel gear 37 which is fast with the distal shell connector 311 ′. in this example, the gear 33 is directly attached to the coupler 28 . that is, the coupler 28 abuts the gear 33 . gear 33 is therefore mounted to the coupler 28 . the distal shell connector spur 311 ′ is also directly attached to the gear 37 . thus the gear 37 may abut the connector spur 311 ′. shafts 26 and 27 are parallel. they both extend along the arm part 310 . in particular, shafts 26 and 27 extend in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm part 310 . the shafts could be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm part 310 , or they could be mounted at an angle to the general longitudinal direction of the arm part 310 . for example, the arm part 310 may taper in the direction from the proximal end towards the distal end, and the shafts 26 and 27 may extend in a direction that is parallel to the taper angle of the arm part. worms 32 and 34 are attached to the drive shafts 26 and 27 respectively and so may be referred to as shaft gears. rotation of gear 33 drives rotation of arm part 311 relative to arm part 310 about axis 20 , and thus gear 33 may be referred to as a drive gear. similarly, rotation of gear 37 drives rotation of arm part 311 relative to arm part 310 about axis 21 , and thus gear 37 may also be referred to as a drive gear. gear 33 is formed as a sector gear: that is its operative arc (defined in the example of figs. 3 and 4 by the arc of its teeth) is less than 360°. the gear train 35 is borne by the coupler 28 . the gear train comprises an input gear 38 which engages the worm 34 . input gear 38 is located with its rotation axis relative to the coupler 28 being coincident with axis 20 . that means that the input gear can continue to engage the worm 34 irrespective of the configuration of the coupler 28 relative to arm part 310 about axis 20 . a series of further gears whose axes are parallel with axis 20 transfer drive from the input gear 38 to an output gear 39 on a shaft 40 whose rotation axis relative to the carrier 28 is parallel with but offset from axis 20 . shaft 40 terminates in the worm 36 . shaft 40 extends parallel to axis 20 . the gears of gear train 35 , together with shaft 40 , are borne by the coupler 28 . the operation of the wrist mechanism will now be described. for motion about axis 20 , motor 24 is operated to drive shaft 26 to rotate relative to arm part 310 . this drives the bevel gear 33 and hence coupler 28 and distal shell spur 311 ′ to rotate about axis 20 relative to arm part 310 . for motion about axis 21 , motor 25 is operated to drive shaft 27 to rotate relative to arm part 310 . this drives the bevel gear 37 and hence distal shell connector 311 ′ to rotate about axis 21 relative to arm part 310 . it will be observed that if drive shaft 26 is rotated, driving the coupler 28 to rotate, whilst drive shaft 27 remains stationary then gear 38 will also rotate relative to the coupler 28 , causing parasitic motion of the distal shell connector spur 311 ′ about axis 21 . to prevent this, the control system 10 of the arm is configured so that when required there is compensatory motion of drive shaft 27 in tandem with motion of drive shaft 26 so as to isolate motion about axis 21 from motion about axis 20 . for example, if it is required to cause relative motion of shells 310 , 311 about only axis 20 then motor 24 is operated to cause that motion whilst motor 25 is simultaneously operated in such a way as to prevent input gear 38 from rotating relative to carrier 28 . various aspects of the mechanism shown in figs. 3 and 4 are advantageous in helping to make the mechanism particularly compact. 1. it is convenient for bevel gear 33 to be of part-circular form: i.e. its teeth do not encompass a full circle. for example, gear 33 may encompass less than 270° or less than 180° or less than 90°. this allows at least part of the other bevel gear 37 to be located in such a way that it intersects a circle coincident with gear 33 , about the axis of gear 33 and having the same radius as the outermost part of gear 33 . whilst this feature can be of assistance in reducing the size of a range of compound joints, it is of particular significance in a wrist of the type shown in fig. 2 , comprising a pair of roll joints with a pair of pitch/yaw joints between them, since in a joint of that type there is a degree of redundancy among the pitch/yaw joints and hence a wide range of positions of the distal end of the arm can be reached even if motion about axis 20 is restricted. 2. it is convenient if the part gear 33 serves rotation about the axis 20 by which the carrier 28 is pivoted to the next-most-proximal arm part 310 , as opposed to rotation about axis 21 , since the part gear can also be cut away to accommodate shaft 40 intersecting the said circle. that saves space by permitting the worm 36 to be located on the opposite side of bevel gear 33 to the gear train 35 . however, in other designs the part gear could serve rotation about axis 21 , so gear 37 could be of part-circular form. 3. it is convenient if the worms 32 , 34 are located on the opposite side of axis 20 to bevel gear 37 : i.e. that there is a plane containing axis 20 on one side of which are the worms 32 , 34 and on the other side of which is the bevel gear 37 . this helps to provide a compact packaging arrangement. thus, both worms 32 and 34 are located on a single side of a plane containing axis 20 that is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm part 310 . 4. it is convenient if the worm 34 is located on the opposite side of bevel gear 33 from worm 36 and/or that the gear train 35 is located exclusively on the opposite side of bevel gear 33 from worm 36 . this again helps to provide a compact packaging arrangement. that is, the gear train 35 (including all its interlinked gears such as gears 38 and 39 ) may be located on one side of the gear 33 . put another way, gear train 35 (including its interlinked gears) and the gear 33 are located on opposite sides of a plane parallel to both axis 21 and the longitudinal direction of arm part 310 . that plane may contain the axis 21 . 5. the gears 33 and/or 37 are conveniently provided as bevel gears since that permits them to be driven from worms located within the plan of their respective external radii. however, they could be externally toothed gears engaged on their outer surfaces by the worms 32 , 34 or by radially toothed gears. 6. the bevel gear 33 is conveniently located so as to be interposed between worms 32 and 34 . this helps the packaging of the motors 24 , 25 . 7. the bevel gears and the worm gears that mate with them can conveniently be of hypoid or skew axis, e.g. spiroid®, form. these gears allow for relatively high torque capacity in a relatively compact form. figs. 5 and 6 show a second form of wrist mechanism suitable for providing joints 301 , 302 in a wrist of the type shown in fig. 2 . as shown in fig. 5 the wrist comprises a pair of rigid external shells 310 ′, 311 ′ which define the exterior surfaces of arm parts 310 , 311 respectively of fig. 2 . 310 ′ is the more proximal of the shells. the arm parts formed of the shells 310 ′, 311 ′ can pivot relative to each other about axes 62 , 63 , which correspond respectively to axes 305 , 306 of fig. 2 . axes 62 , 63 are orthogonal. axes 62 , 63 intersect. the shells 310 ′, 311 ′ define the exterior of the arm in the region of the wrist and are hollow, to accommodate a rotation mechanism and space for passing cables etc., as will be described in more detail below. the shells could be formed of a metal, for example an aluminium alloy or steel, or from a composite, for example a fibre-reinforced resin composite such as carbon fibre. the shells constitute the principal rigid structure of the arm parts that attaches between the respective joints. fig. 6 shows the same mechanism from distally and one side, with the shell 311 ′ removed for clarity. shell 310 ′ is coupled to shell 311 ′ by a cruciform coupler 64 . the coupler has a central tube 65 which defines a duct through its centre, running generally along the length of the arm. extending from the tube are first arms 66 , 67 and second arms 68 , 69 . each of the shells 310 ′, 311 ′ is attached to the coupler 64 by a revolute joint: i.e. in such a way that it is confined to be able to move relative to the coupler only by rotation about a single axis. the first arms 66 , 67 attach to shell 310 ′ by bearings 70 , 71 which permit rotation between those first arms and the shell 310 ′ about axis 62 . the second arms 68 , 69 attach to shell 311 ′ by bearings 72 , 73 which permit rotation between those second arms and the shell 311 ′ about axis 63 . a first bevel gear 74 is concentric with the first arms 66 , 67 . the first bevel gear is fast with the coupler 64 and rotationally free with respect to the proximal one of the two shells 310 ′. a second bevel gear 75 is concentric with the second arms 68 , 69 . the second bevel gear is fast with the distal one of the two shells 311 ′ and rotationally free with respect to the coupler 64 . the pair of arms 66 , 67 of the coupler are perpendicular to the pair of arms 68 , 69 . arms 66 and 67 lie on the rotation axis 62 ; and arms 68 and 69 lie on the rotation axis 63 . the coupler 64 is directly attached to the gear 74 . thus the coupler 64 abuts gear 74 . coupler 64 (and hence gear 74 ) can rotate relative to the arm part 310 about axis 62 . however, the coupler 64 and gear 74 are fast with the arm part 310 about the axis 63 such that there can be no relative motion or rotation between the coupler 64 and arm part 310 about axis 63 . the bevel gear 75 may be mounted directly to the arm part 311 . the bevel gear 75 can rotate with respect to the coupler 64 (and hence arm part 310 ) about axis 63 . however, the gear 75 is fast with the coupler 64 about axis 62 . that is, there can be no relative rotation or motion between coupler 64 and gear 75 about axis 62 . two shafts 76 , 77 operate the motion of the compound joint. the shafts extend into the central region of the joint from within the proximal one of the shells 310 ′. each shaft is attached at its proximal end to the shaft of a respective electric motor (not shown), the housings of the motors being fixed to the interior of the proximal shell 310 ′. in this way the shafts 76 , 77 can be driven by the motors to rotate with respect to the proximal shell 310 ′. shaft 76 and its associated motor operate motion about axis 62 . shaft 76 terminates at its distal end in a worm gear 78 which engages bevel gear 74 . rotation of shaft 76 causes rotation of the bevel gear 74 relative to shell 310 ′ about axis 62 . bevel gear 74 is fast with the coupler 64 , which in turn carries the distal shell 311 ′. thus rotation of shaft 76 causes relative rotation of the shells 310 ′, 311 ′ about axis 62 . shaft 77 and its associated motor operate motion about axis 63 . in order to do that it has ultimately to drive bevel gear 75 by means of a worm gear 79 carried by the coupler 64 . rotation of that worm gear can cause relative rotation of the coupler and the distal shell 311 ′. to achieve this, drive is transmitted from the shaft 77 through a pair of gears 80 , 81 borne by the carrier 64 to a shaft bearing the worm gear 79 . shaft 77 approaches the carrier 64 from the proximal side. the gears 80 , 81 are located on the distal side of the coupler. gears 80 , 81 and 79 are thus fast with the coupler 64 about axes 62 and 63 . the shaft 77 passes through the duct defined by tube 65 in the centre of the coupler. to accommodate motion of the coupler 64 relative to the first shell 310 ′ the shaft 77 has a universal or hooke's joint 82 along its length. the universal joint 82 lies on axis 62 . instead of a hooke's joint the shaft could have another form of flexible coupling, for example an elastic coupling (which could be integral with the shaft) or a form of constant velocity joint. worm 78 is attached to drive shaft 76 and so may be referred to as a shaft gear. rotation of gear 74 drives rotation of the arm part 311 relative to the arm part 310 about axis 62 , and thus gear 74 may be referred to as a drive gear. similarly, rotation of gear 75 drives rotation of arm part 311 relative to arm part 310 about axis 63 , and so gear 75 may also be referred to as a drive gear. shaft 77 traverses a plane that contains rotation axis 63 . the plane additionally contains rotation axis 62 . thus the shaft 77 comprises a proximal portion that is proximal of that plane, and a distal portion that is distal of that plane. the proximal portion of the shaft 77 is attached or otherwise coupled to the motor. the distal portion of the shaft attaches to the gear 80 . gear 80 is therefore located on the distal side of that plane. gear 80 may also be referred to as a shaft gear. the proximal and distal portions of the shaft 77 may be separated by the hooke's joint 82 . the hooke's joint permits the proximal and distal portions of the shaft 77 to rotate with each other such that rotation of the proximal portion is coupled to the distal portion. since the distal portion of shaft 77 is attached to gear 80 , it follows that gear 80 is rotationally fast with shaft 77 . gear 80 engages, or meshes with, gear 81 . in this example gears 80 and 81 are spur gears. gears 80 and 81 have parallel but offset rotation axes. the rotation axis of gear 80 is collinear with the rotation axis of the distal portion of shaft 77 . worm 79 is arranged to rotate in response to a rotation of gear 81 . worm 79 may be rotationally fast with gear 81 such that a rotation of gear 81 causes a corresponding rotation of worm 79 . worm 79 may have a rotation axis that is collinear with the rotation axis of gear 81 . thus gears 80 and 81 operate to couple rotation of shaft 77 to rotation of gear 79 about a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the distal portion of shaft 77 . the rotation axis of worm 79 is not parallel and does not intersect the rotation axis of gear 75 (axis 63 ). gear 75 is therefore a skew-axis gear. similarly, the rotation axes of worm 78 and gear 74 are non-parallel and non-intersecting. thus gear 74 is also a skew-axis gear. it is observed that rotation of the shaft 76 , which causes the coupler 64 to rotate about axis 62 , may cause gears 80 and 81 (and thus worm gear 79 ) to rotate when the shaft 77 is held stationary, causing parasitic motion of the distal shell 311 ′ relative to the shell 310 ′ about the rotation axis 63 . this is because the rotation of the coupler 64 about axis 62 driven by the rotation of the shaft 77 needs to be accommodated by the hooke's joint 82 , and that rotation of the coupler 64 may cause a parasitic rotation of the hooke's joint about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 77 . any such parasitic rotation of the hooke's joint may cause a consequent rotation of gears 80 and 81 , and thus rotation of the bevel gear 75 . such parasitic motion may be prevalent if the hinge axes of the hooke's joint are not perpendicular to each other, and/or if one of the hinge axes is not parallel and coincident with the rotation axis 62 . to prevent this parasitic motion, the control system 10 may be configured to drive compensatory motion of the shaft 77 in tandem with motion of the shaft 76 so as to isolate motion about axis 62 from motion about axis 63 . thus the control system 10 may be arranged to operate the motor to drive rotation of shaft 76 to cause rotation of arm part 311 ′ relative to arm part 310 ′ about axis 63 whilst simultaneously operating the motor to drive shaft 77 to rotate in such a way as to prevent parasitic rotation about axis 63 . the control system 10 may be configured to operate in this manner when the robot arm is commanded to articulate about axis 62 without articulating about axis 63 . the control system 10 may also be configured to drive rotation of shafts 76 and/or 77 in such a way as to reduce irregularities (i.e. increase smoothness) in the rotation of the hooke's joint 82 . the hooke's joint may experience irregularities in its rotation when it is off axis, i.e. when arm part 311 ′ is pitched relative to arm part 310 ′ about axis 62 . thus when the arm part 311 ′ is commanded to articulate relative to arm part 310 ′ about axis 63 when arm part 311 ′ is pitched relative to arm part 310 ′ about axis 62 , the control system may operate to drive the rotation of shaft 77 in such a way as to maintain a smooth or consistent rotation speed of the hooke's joint 82 . this may help to provide a smooth and/or consistent rotation about axis 63 . this mechanism has been found to be capable of providing a particularly compact, light and rigid drive arrangement for rotation about axes 62 and 63 without the components of the mechanism unduly restricting motion of the shells. it permits both motors to be housed in the proximal shell which reduces distal weight. various aspects of the mechanism shown in figs. 5 and 6 are advantageous in helping to make the mechanism particularly compact. 1. it is convenient for bevel gear 74 to be of part-circular form: i.e. its teeth do not encompass a full circle. for example, gear 74 may encompass less than 270° or less than 180° or less than 90°. this allows at least part of the other bevel gear 75 to be located in such a way that it intersects a circle coincident with gear 74 , about the axis of gear 74 and having the same radius as the outermost part of gear 74 . whilst this feature can be of assistance in reducing the size of a range of compound joints, it is of particular significance in a wrist of the type shown in fig. 2 , comprising a pair of roll joints with a pair of pitch/yaw joints between them, since in a joint of that type there is a degree of redundancy among the pitch/yaw joints and hence a wide range of positions of the distal end of the arm can be reached even if motion about axis 62 is restricted. as shown in fig. 6 , the bevel gear 74 is of reduced radius in the region not encompassed by its teeth. part-circular bevel gears of the other embodiments may be formed in the same manner. 2. the gears 74 and/or 75 are conveniently provided as bevel gears since that permits them to be driven from worms located within the plan of their respective external radii. however, they could be externally toothed gears engaged on their outer surfaces by the worms 76 , 79 , or by radially toothed gears. 4. the bevel gears and the worm gears that mate with them can conveniently be of skew axis, e.g. spiroid®, form. these allow for relatively high torque capacity in a relatively compact form. figs. 7 to 10 illustrate another form of wrist mechanism. in these figures the shells of arm parts 310 , 311 are omitted, exposing the structure within the arm parts. proximal arm part 310 has a structural framework 100 , which is shown in outline in some of the figures. distal arm part 311 has a structural framework 101 . arm parts 310 and 311 are rotatable relative to each other about axes 102 , 103 , which correspond to axes 305 , 306 respectively of fig. 2 . a carrier 104 couples the arm parts 310 , 311 together. carrier 104 is attached by bearings 105 , 190 to arm part 310 . those bearings define a revolute joint about axis 102 between arm part 310 and the carrier 104 . carrier 104 is attached by bearing 106 to arm part 311 . those bearings define a revolute joint about axis 103 between arm part 311 and the carrier 104 . a first bevel gear 107 about axis 102 is fast with the carrier 104 . a second bevel gear 108 about axis 103 is fast with arm part 311 . the carrier 104 can therefore rotate relative to the arm part 310 about axis 102 . however, the carrier 104 is otherwise fast with the arm part 310 and in particular is fast about axis 103 . thus the carrier 104 is not permitted to undergo relative rotation with respect to arm part 310 about axis 103 . the second bevel gear 108 can rotate relative to the carrier 104 about axis 103 . the second bevel gear 108 (and hence the arm part 311 ) may be fast with the carrier about axis 102 . thus the second bevel gear 108 is permitted to undergo relative rotation with respect to the carrier 104 about axis 103 but is not permitted to undergo relative rotation with respect to the carrier about axis 102 . axes 102 and 103 are in this example perpendicular, but in general are two non-parallel axes. they may be substantially orthogonal to each other. the axes are substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction of the arm part 310 in at least one configuration of the joints 301 and 302 . in the arrangement shown, one such configuration is when arm part 311 is not articulated with respect to arm part 310 . in the context of a cartesian coordinate system. axis 102 may be considered as a “pitch” rotation axis and axis 103 as a “yaw” rotation axis. as with the other mechanisms described herein, the carrier 104 is located inboard of the limbs 310 , 311 . two motors 109 , 110 are fixed to the framework 100 of arm part 310 . motor 109 drives a shaft 111 . shaft 111 is rigid and terminates in a worm 118 which engages bevel gear 107 . when motor 109 is operated, shaft 111 rotates relative to the proximal arm part 310 , driving bevel gear 107 and hence coupler 104 and arm part 311 to rotate relative to arm part 310 about axis 102 . motor 110 drives a shaft 112 . shaft 112 has a worm 113 near its distal end which engages bevel gear 108 . to accommodate motion of bevel gear 108 relative to motor 110 when the coupler 104 moves about axis 102 shaft 112 includes a pair of universal joints 114 , 115 and a splined coupler 116 which accommodates axial extension and retraction of shaft 112 . the final part of shaft 112 is mounted to the coupler 104 by bearing 117 . the splined coupler 116 is an example of a prismatic joint. the distal part of the shaft 112 that is mounted to the carrier 104 by bearing 117 is fast with the worm 113 (shown most clearly in fig. 10 ). the bearing 117 defines a revolute joint located on the opposite side of the universal joint 115 to the coupler 116 . this revolute joint permits the distal part of the shaft 112 to rotate relative to the carrier 104 . the distal part of the shaft 112 extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis 102 in all rotational positions of the carrier, and is rotatable with respect to the carrier 104 about an axis perpendicular to axis 102 . it can be seen with reference to fig. 7 that the shaft 112 traverses a plane containing axis 102 that is transverse to the longitudinal direction of the arm part 310 . in this example the distal part of the shaft 112 is directly attached to the worm 113 and so extends between the worm and the carrier 104 . the distal part of the shaft 112 is mounted to the carrier 104 so as to securely engage the worm 113 with the bevel gear 108 when the carrier 104 is articulated about the axis 102 . the universal joints 114 and 115 of shaft 112 are located on opposing sides of the coupler 116 . both universal joints are located proximally of the rotation axes 102 and 103 . the universal joints 114 , 115 and the coupler 116 are arranged to permit the carrier 104 to rotate relative to arm part 310 about axis 102 . bevel gear 107 is disposed about axis 102 . that is, gear 107 has as its rotation axis the axis 102 . the rotation of gear 107 about axis 102 drives rotation of the arm part 311 relative to the arm part 310 . gear 107 may therefore be referred to as a drive gear. bevel gear 108 is disposed about axis 103 . thus bevel gear 108 has as its rotation axis the axis 103 . the rotation of gear 108 about axis 103 drives rotation of the arm part 311 relative to the arm part 310 about axis 310 . gear 108 may therefore also be referred to as a drive gear. shaft 111 extends along the longitudinal direction of the arm part 310 . the longitudinal axis of shaft 111 may be perpendicular to axis 102 in all rotational positions of the carrier 104 about axes 102 and 103 . the shaft 111 (and the affixed worm 118 ) rotate about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 111 . this rotation axis is non-parallel and non-intersecting with the rotational axis 102 of the gear 107 . gear 107 is therefore a skew axis gear. both worms 113 and 118 may be located on a single side of a plane containing axis 103 that is transverse to the longitudinal direction of the arm part 311 when that arm part is aligned with arm part 310 about axis 103 , in other words when arm part 311 is not in yaw relative to arm part 310 . in particular, both worms may be located on the proximal side of that plane. however, the worms 113 and 118 may be located on opposing sides of a plane containing axis 102 that is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm part 311 . due to the operation of the universal joints 114 and 115 and the coupler 116 , the worm gears 113 and 118 undergo rotation with respect to each other about axis 102 when the carrier 104 is articulated about axis 102 . when arm part 310 is aligned with arm part 311 about axis 102 (i.e., when arm part 311 is not in pitch relative to arm part 310 ), then worm gear 113 and the distal part of shaft 112 are parallel to worm gear 118 and shaft 111 . in all other configurations of the arm parts about axis 102 , worm gear 113 and the distal part of shaft 112 are non-parallel to worm gear 118 and shaft 111 . worms 113 and 118 are each attached to respective drive shafts 112 and 111 and so may be referred to as shaft gears. operation of the joint mechanism will now be described. to drive articulations about axis 102 , motor 109 is operated to rotate the drive shaft 111 about its longitudinal axis. because the shaft gear 118 is attached to the shaft 111 , rotation of shaft 111 causes gear 118 to also rotate about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 111 . shaft gear 118 engages the drive gear 107 , causing it to rotate about axis 102 relative to the arm part 310 . carrier 104 is fast with the drive gear 107 , and thus rotation of drive gear 107 causes carrier 104 to rotate about axis 102 relative to arm part 310 . the rotation of carrier 104 about axis 102 drives the articulation of arm part 311 relative to arm part 310 about axis 102 . rotation of the carrier 104 about axis 102 causes articulations of universal joints 114 and 115 and the prismatic joint 116 to accommodate the rotation of shaft gear 113 relative to shaft gear 118 about axis 102 . to drive articulations about axis 103 , motor 110 is operated to rotate the drive shaft 112 . rotation of the proximal end of drive shaft 112 is coupled to the rotation of the shaft gear 113 via the universal joints 114 and 115 (and the coupler 116 ). shaft gear 113 engages the bevel gear 108 . thus rotation of shaft gear 113 drives rotation of gear 108 about axis 103 relative to the carrier 104 . bevel gear 108 is fast with the arm part 311 , and thus rotation of gear 108 causes arm part 311 to be articulated with respect to arm part 310 about axis 103 . rotation of drive shaft 111 whilst shaft 112 is kept stationary may cause parasitic motion of arm part 311 about axis 103 . this is because the rotation of the carrier 104 about axis 102 may cause a rotation of the universal joints 114 and 115 which drives rotation of worm 113 and thus bevel 108 . to prevent this parasitic motion, control system 10 may be arranged to operate the motor 109 to drive rotation of shaft 111 to cause the rotation of arm part 311 relative to arm part 310 about axis 102 whilst simultaneously operating the motor 110 to drive rotation of shaft 112 in such a way as to prevent parasitic rotation about axis 103 . the control system 10 may be configured to operate in this manner when the robot arm is commanded to articulate about axis 102 without articulating about axis 103 . control system 10 may also be configured to drive rotation of shaft 112 in such a way as to reduce irregularities in the rotation of universal joints 114 and 115 . the hooke's joints may experience irregular or inconsistent rotation when they are off-axis., i.e. when arm part 311 is in pitch relative to arm part 310 . thus when the arm part 311 is commanded to articulate relative to arm part 310 about axis 103 when arm part 311 is in pitch relative to arm part 310 , the control system 10 may operate to drive the rotation of shaft 112 in such a way as to maintain a smooth or consistent rotation speed of the hooke's joints 114 and 115 . this may help to provide a smooth and/or consistent rotation about axis 103 . various aspects of the mechanism shown in figs. 7 to 10 are advantageous in helping to make the mechanism particularly compact. for example: it is convenient for bevel gear 107 to be of part-circular form: i.e. its teeth do not encompass a full circle. for example, gear 107 may encompass less than 270° or less than 180° or less than 90°. this allows at least part of the other bevel gear 108 to be located in such a way that it intersects a circle coincident with gear 107 , about the axis of gear 107 and having the same radius as the outermost part of gear 107 . whilst this feature can be of assistance in reducing the size of a range of compound joints, it is of particular significance in a wrist of the type shown in fig. 2 , comprising a pair of roll joints with a pair of pitch/yaw joints between them, since in a joint of that type there is a degree of redundancy among the pitch/yaw joints and hence a wide range of positions of the distal end of the arm can be reached even if motion about axis 102 is restricted. it is convenient if the worms 118 and 113 are located on opposite sides of the bevel gear 107 . in other words, bevel gear 107 may be interposed between the worms 113 and 118 . this may help to provide a compact packaging arrangement. the gears 107 and/or 108 are conveniently provided as bevel gears since that permits them to be driven from worms located within the plan of their respective external radii. however, they could be externally toothed gears engaged on their outer surfaces by the worms attached to shafts 111 , 112 , or by externally toothed gears. the bevel gears and the worm gears that mate with them can conveniently be of skew axis, e.g. spiroid®, form. these allow for relatively high torque capacity in a relatively compact form. various changes can be made to the mechanisms described above. for example, and without limitation: the axes corresponding to axes 305 , 306 need not intersect and need not be orthogonal. in general, the axes corresponding to axes 305 and 306 are two non-parallel rotation axes. they may be substantially perpendicular to each other in all configurations of the joints 301 and 302 . each axis may be substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction of the arm part 310 in at least one configuration of the joints 301 and 302 . one such configuration is when arm part 311 is neither in pitch or yaw relative to arm part 310 .the axes corresponding to axes 305 and 306 are non-parallel but need not be orthogonal to each other. axis 305 is non-parallel to axis 304 but need not be orthogonal to it. axis 306 is non-parallel to axis 307 but need not be orthogonal to it.the axes corresponding to axes 304 and 307 need not be parallel and collinear; they could be parallel but no collinear. for example, arm part 3 b could be cranked relative to arm part 3 c.the bevel gears or their outer toothed gear equivalents need not be driven by worms. they could be driven by other gears. they could for example be driven by pinions.thus the drive gears may be bevel gears or other types of ring gear, such as externally toothed gears, i.e. gears with teeth extending in the radial direction. the shaft gears could be worms or other types of gears such as pinions, e.g. bevel gears.either or both bevel gears could be part gears. more generally, either or both drive gears could be part gears.in the examples given above, the mechanisms form part of a wrist for a robot arm. the mechanisms could be used for other applications, for example for other parts of robot arms, for robot tools, and for non-robotic applications such as control heads for cameras. as discussed above with reference to fig. 1 , each joint is provided with a torque sensor which senses the torque applied about the axis of that joint. data from the torque sensors is provided to the control unit 10 for use in controlling the operation of the arm. figs. 9 and 10 shows one of the torque sensors and its mounting arrangement in cross-section. torque sensor 150 measures the torque applied about axis 103 : that is from carrier 104 to distal arm frame 101 . as described above, bevel gear 108 is fast with frame 101 and rotatable about axis 103 with respect to the carrier 104 . bevel gear 108 comprises a radially extending gear portion 151 , from which its gear teeth 152 extend in an axial direction, and an axially extending neck 153 . the neck, the radially extending gear portion and the teeth are integral with each other. the interior and exterior walls of the neck 153 are of circularly cylindrical profile. a pair of roller or ball bearing races 106 , 154 fit snugly around the exterior of the neck. the bearings sit in cups in the carrier 104 and hold the neck 153 in position relative to the carrier whilst permitting rotation of the bevel gear 108 relative to the carrier about axis 103 . the torque sensor 150 has a radially extending top flange 155 , an axially elongate torsion tube 156 which extends from the top flange, and an internally threaded base 157 at the end of the torsion tube opposite the flange. the top flange 155 abuts the gear portion 151 of the bevel gear 108 . the top flange is held fast with the gear portion by bolts 158 . the torsion tube 156 extends inside the neck 153 of the bevel gear 108 . the exterior wall of the torsion tube is of circularly cylindrical profile. the exterior of the base 157 is configured with a splined structure which makes positive engagement with a corresponding structure in the frame 101 so as to hold the two in fixed relationship about axis 103 . a bolt 159 extends through the frame 101 and into the base 157 to clamp them together. thus, it is the torque sensor 150 that attaches the bevel gear 108 to the arm frame 101 , and the torque applied about axis 103 is applied through the torque sensor. the torsion tube has a hollow interior and a relatively thin wall to its torsion tube 150 . when torque is applied through the torque sensor there is slight torsional distortion of the torsion tube. the deflection of the torsion tube is measured by strain gauges 160 fixed to the interior wall of the torsion tube. the strain gauges form an electrical output indicative of the torsion, which provides a representation of the torque about axis 103 . the strain gauges could be of another form: for example optical interference strain gauges which provide an optical output. in order to get the most accurate output from the torque sensor, torque transfer from the bevel gear 108 to the frame 101 in a way that bypasses the torsion tube 156 should be avoided. for that reason, it is preferred to reduce friction between the neck 153 of the bevel gear 108 and the base 157 of the torque sensor. one possibility is to provide a gap between the neck of the bevel gear and both the base of the torque sensor and the torsion tube. however, that could permit shear forces to be applied to the torsion tube in a direction transverse to axis 103 , which would itself reduce the accuracy of the torque sensor by exposing the strain gauges 160 to other than torsional forces. another option is to introduce a bearing race between the interior of the neck of bevel gear 108 and the exterior of the base 157 of the torque sensor. however, that would substantially increase the volume occupied by the mechanism. instead, the arrangement shown in fig. 8 has been shown to give good results. a sleeve or bushing 161 is provided around the torsion tube 156 and within the neck 153 of the bevel gear 108 . the sleeve is sized so that it makes continuous contact with the interior wall of the neck 153 and with the exterior wall of the torsion tube 156 , which is also of circularly cylindrical profile. the whole of the interior surface of the sleeve makes contact with the exterior of the torsion tube 156 . the whole of the exterior surface of the sleeve makes contact with the interior surface of the neck 153 . the sleeve is constructed so that it applies relatively little friction between the neck and the torsion tube: for instance the sleeve may be formed of or coated with a low-friction or self-lubricating material. the sleeve is formed of a substantially incompressible material so that it can prevent deformation of the torque sensor under shear forces transverse to the axis 103 . for example, the sleeve may be formed of or coated with a plastics material such as nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe), polyethylene (pe) or acetal (e.g. delrin®), or of graphite or a metal impregnated with lubricant. for easy assembly of the mechanism, and to hold the sleeve 161 in place, the interior wall of the neck 153 of the bevel gear 108 is stepped inwards at 162 , near its end remote from the radially extending gear portion 151 . when the sleeve 161 is located between the neck 153 and the torsion tube 156 , and the head 155 of the torque sensor is bolted to the gear portion 151 the sleeve is held captive both radially (between the torsion tube and the neck) and axially (between the head 155 of the torque sensor and the step 162 of the interior surface of the neck 153 of the bevel gear). it is preferred that the internal radius of the neck 153 in the region 163 beyond the step 162 is such that the internal surface of the neck in that region is spaced from the torque sensor 150 , preventing frictional torque transfer between the two. similar arrangements can be used for the torque sensor about the other axis 102 of the embodiment of figs. 7 to 10 , and for the torque sensors of the embodiments of the other figures. hall effect sensors are used to sense the rotational position of the joints. each position sensor comprises a ring of material arranged around one of the rotation axes. the ring has a series of regularly spaced alternating north and south magnetic poles. adjacent to the ring is a sensor chip with a sensor array comprising multiple hall effect devices which can detect the magnetic field and measure the position of the magnetic poles on the ring relative to the sensor array so as to provide a multi-bit output indicative of that relative position. the rings of magnetic poles are arranged such that each position of the respective joint within a 360° range is associated with a unique set of outputs from the pair of magnetic sensors. this may be achieved by providing different numbers of poles on each ring and making the numbers of poles the rings co-prime to each other. hall effect position sensors employing this general principle are known for use in robotics and for other applications. more specifically, associated with each joint is a pair of alternatingly magnetised rings, and associated sensors. each ring is arranged concentrically about the axis of its respective joint. the rings are fast with an element on one side of the joint and the sensors are fast with an element on the other side of the joint, with the result that there is relative rotational motion of each ring and its respective sensor when there is rotation of the robot arm about the respective joint. each individual sensor measures where between a pair of poles the associated ring is positioned relative to the sensor. it cannot be determined from the output of an individual sensor which of the pole pairs on the ring is above the sensor. thus the individual sensors can only be used in a relative fashion and would require calibration at power up to know the absolute position of the joint. however by using a pair of rings designed so that the numbers of pole pairs in each ring has no common factors it is possible to combine the inter-pole pair measurement from both sensors and work out the absolute position of the joint without calibration. the magnetic rings and sensors are shown in figs. 7 to 10 . for the joint that provides rotation about axis 102 position is sensed by means of magnetic rings 200 and 201 and sensors 202 and 203 . for the joint that provides rotation about axis 103 position is sensed by means of magnetic rings 210 , 211 , sensor 212 and a further sensor that is not shown. magnetic ring 200 is fast with carrier 104 and mounted on one side of the carrier. magnetic ring 201 is fast with carrier 104 and mounted on the other side of the carrier to magnetic ring 200 . the magnetic rings 200 , 201 are planar, and arranged perpendicular to and centred on axis 102 . sensors 202 and 203 are fast with the frame 100 of the arm part 310 . sensor 202 is mounted so as to be adjacent to a side of ring 200 . sensor 203 is mounted so as to be adjacent to a side of ring 201 . cables 204 , 205 carry the signals from the sensors 202 , 203 . magnetic ring 210 is fast with carrier 104 and mounted on one side of a flange 220 of the carrier. magnetic ring 211 is fast with carrier 104 and mounted on the other side of the flange 220 to magnetic ring 200 . the magnetic rings 210 , 211 are planar, and arranged perpendicular to and centred on axis 103 . sensor 212 and the other sensor for rotation about axis 103 are fast with the frame 101 of the arm part 311 . sensor 212 is mounted so as to be adjacent to a side of ring 210 . the other sensor is mounted so as to be adjacent to a side of ring 211 . thus, in the arrangement of figs. 7 to 10 , rotation about each of the axes 102 , 103 is sensed by means of two multipole magnetic rings, each with a respective associated sensor. each sensor generates a multi-bit signal representing the relative position of the nearest poles on the respective ring to the sensor. by arranging for the numbers of poles on the two rings to be co-prime the outputs of the sensors are in combination indicative of the configuration of the joint within a 360° range. this permits the rotation position of the joint to be detected within that range. furthermore, in the arrangement of figs. 7 to 10 the two rings associated with each joint (i.e. rings 200 , 201 on the one hand and rings 210 , 211 on the other hand) are located so as to be substantially offset from each other along the axis of the respective joint. ring 200 is located near the bearing 190 on one side of the body of carrier 104 whereas ring 201 is located near bearing 105 on the opposite side of the carrier 104 . ring 210 is located on one side of the flange 220 whereas ring 211 is located on the other side of the flange 220 . each ring is made of a sheet of material which is flat in a plane perpendicular to the axis about which the ring is disposed. the magnetic rings of each pair (i.e. rings 200 , 201 on the one hand and rings 210 , 211 on the other hand) are spaced from each other in the direction along their respective axes by a distance greater than 5 and more preferably greater than 10 or greater than 20 times the thickness of the rings of the pair. conveniently, the rings of a pair can be on opposite sides of the respective joint, as with rings 200 , 201 . conveniently the carrier 104 to which the both rings of a pair are attached extends radially outwardly so as to lie at a radial location that is between the rings when viewed in a plane containing the respective rotation axis. thus, for example, flange 220 lies radially between rings 210 and 211 . conveniently the respective joint can be supported or defined by two bearings, one on either side of the joint along the respective axis, and at extreme locations on the joint, and the or each ring for that joint can overlap a respective one of the bearings in a plane perpendicular to the axis. conveniently the sensors for the rings can be mounted on an arm part that is articulated by the joint. the sensors can be mounted on opposite sides of the arm part. by spacing the rings apart the packaging of the joint and/or of the arm part where the associated sensors are mounted can be greatly improved. spacing the rings apart allows for more opportunities to locate the rings at a convenient location, and allows the sensors to be spaced apart, which can itself provide packaging advantages. it is preferred that the joint is sufficiently stiff in comparison to the number of magnetic poles on the rings that torsion of the joint under load will not adversely affect measurement. for example it is preferred that the joint is sufficiently stiff that under its maximum rated operating load the elements of the joint cannot twist so much that it can cause a change in the order of magnetic transitions at the sensors, even though they are spaced apart. that permits direction to be detected, in addition to motion, for all load conditions. arm part 311 is distal of arm part 310 . arm part 310 is proximal of the joint about axes 102 and 103 shown in figs. 7 to 10 . as discussed with reference to fig. 1 , data from the torque sensors and the position sensors to be fed back to the control unit 10 . it is desirable for that data to be passed by wired connections that run through the arm itself. each arm part comprises a circuit board. figs. 7 to 10 show a circuit board 250 carried by arm part 311 . each circuit board includes a data encoder/decoder (e.g. integrated circuit 251 ). the encoder/decoder converts signals between formats used locally to the respective arm part and a format used for data transmission along the arm. for example: (a) locally to the arm part the position sensors may return position readings as they are passed by magnetic pole transitions, the torque sensor may return an analogue or digital signal indicative of the currently sensed torque and the drive motors may require a pulse width modulated drive signal; whereas (b) for data transmission along the arm a generic data transmission protocol, which may be a packet data protocol such as ethernet, can be used. thus the encoders/decoders can receive data packets conveyed along the arm from the control unit 10 and interpret their data to form control signals for any local motor, and can receive locally sensed data and convert it into packetised form for transmission to the control unit. the circuit boards along the arm can be chained together by communication cables, so that communications from a relatively distal board go via the more proximal boards. in general it is desirable not to feed data from one component of the arm to a more distal component of the arm. doing so would involve cables running unnecessarily distally in the arm, increasing distally distributed weight; and since the circuit boards are chained together once data has been sent to a relatively distal board the next most proximal board will handle the data anyway in order to forward it. the compound joint about axes 102 , 103 has rotary position sensors 202 , 203 (for rotation about axis 102 ) and 212 (for rotation about axis 103 ). sensors 202 , 203 are mounted on the frame 100 of the arm part 310 that is proximal of the joint whose motion is measured by the sensor. data from position sensors 202 , 203 is fed along cables 204 , 205 which lead along arm part 310 proximally of the sensors. sensor 202 is mounted on the frame 101 of the arm part 311 . data from position sensor 202 is fed along a cable to circuit board 250 on the same arm part. in each case the data is not passed to a more distal element of the arm than the one where the data was collected. the compound joint about axes 102 , 103 has torque sensors 150 (for rotation about axis 103 ) and 191 (for rotation about axis 102 ). data sensed by torque sensors 150 , 191 is carried in native form to circuit board 250 by flexible cables. at circuit board 250 the encoder/decoder 251 encodes the sensed data, e.g. to ethernet packets, and transmits it to the control unit 10 . thus, rather than being fed to the circuit board of the more proximal arm part 310 for encoding, the data from the torque sensors is passed to the circuit board of the more distal arm part for encoding, and then from that circuit board it is passed by cables in a distal direction along the arm. this arrangement is illustrated in fig. 11 . arm part 310 comprises circuit board 195 which receives data from position sensor 202 and provides command data to motors 109 , 110 . arm part 311 comprises circuit board 250 which receives data from position sensor 212 and torque sensors 150 , 191 . circuit board 250 encodes that sensed data and passes it over a data bus 196 to circuit board 195 , which forwards it on towards control unit 10 via a link 197 . position sensor 202 is connected directly by a cable to circuit board 195 . position sensor 212 and torque sensors 150 , 191 are connected directly by cables to circuit board 195 . as illustrated in fig. 2 , arm part 4 c is borne by arm part 311 and can be rotated relative to arm part 4 c about axis 307 . fig. 12 shows a cross-section through a module that comprises arm part 4 c. the module has a base 400 and a side-wall 440 which is fast with the base. base 400 attaches to the end face 401 of the distal end of arm part 311 . (see fig. 7 ). arm part 4 c is indicated generally at 403 . arm part 4 c is rotatable relative to the base about an axis 402 corresponding to axis 307 of fig. 2 . to that end, arm part 4 c is mounted to the side-wall 440 by bearings 430 , 431 which define a revolute joint between side wall 440 and arm part 4 c about axis 402 . arm part 4 c has a housing 404 which houses its internal components. those components include a circuit board 405 and motors 406 , 407 . motors 406 , 407 are fixed to the housing 404 so they cannot rotate relative to it. the housing 404 is free to rotate relative to the base 400 by means of the bearings 430 , 431 . a channel 408 runs through the interior of the module to accommodate a communication cable (not shown) passing from circuit board 250 to circuit board 405 . the communication cable carries signals which, when decoded by an encoder/decoder of circuit board 405 , cause it to issue control signals to control the operation of motors 406 , 407 . motor 406 drives rotation of arm part 4 c relative to arm part 311 . thus, motor 406 drives rotation of housing 404 relative to base 400 . base 400 has a central boss 410 . a torque sensor generally of the type discussed in relation to figs. 9 and 10 is attached to the boss 410 . the torque sensor has an integral member comprising a base 411 , a torsion tube 412 and a radially extending head 413 . the base 411 of the torque sensor is fast with the boss 410 of the base 400 . as with the torque sensor of figs. 9 and 10 , a sleeve 421 extends around the torsion tube of the torque sensor to protect it from shear forces and to reduce friction between it and the surrounding component, which is the base 400 . an internally toothed gear 420 is fast with the head 413 of the torque sensor. motor 406 drives a shaft 414 which carries a pinion gear 415 . pinion gear 415 engages the internal gear 420 . thus, when the motor 406 is operated it drives the pinion gear 415 to rotate and this causes the arm part 4 c, of which the motor 406 is part, to rotate about axis 402 . the resulting torque about axis 402 is transmitted to the base 400 through the torsion tube 412 of the torque sensor, allowing that torque to be measured by strain gauges attached to the torsion tube. the interface 8 for attachment to an instrument is shown in fig. 12 . the shaft 440 of motor 407 is exposed at the interface for providing drive to an instrument. torque data from the torque sensor 411 , 412 , 413 is passed to circuit board 250 on arm part 311 for encoding. the rotational position of arm part 4 c can be sensed by a sensor 445 carried by arm part 4 c and which detects transitions between magnetic poles on rings 446 , 447 mounted on the interior of housing 404 . data from sensor 445 is passed to circuit board 405 of arm part 4 c for encoding. the motors that drive rotation about joints 102 and 103 are mounted proximally of those joints, in arm part 310 . as discussed above, this improves weight distribution by avoiding weight being placed nearer to the distal end of the arm. in contrast, the motor that drives rotation of arm part 4 c is mounted in arm part 4 c rather than in arm part 311 . although this might be seen as disadvantageous due to it requiring motor 406 to be mounted more distally, it has been found that this allows for arm part 311 to be especially compact. motor 406 can be packaged in arm part 4 c in parallel with the motor(s) (e.g. 407 ) which provide drive to the instrument: i.e. so that the motors intersect a common plane perpendicular to the axis 402 . that means that incorporation of motor 406 in arm part 4 c need not make arm part 4 c substantially longer. instead of toothed gears, the drive of the joints could be by frictional means. the applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, to the extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried out based on the present specification as a whole in the light of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art, irrespective of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein, and without limitation to the scope of the claims. the applicant indicates that aspects of the present invention may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features. in view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.
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077-004-829-519-317
|
EP
|
[
"EP",
"AU",
"WO",
"JP",
"KR"
] |
H01G9/20,H01L51/42,H01L51/44,H01L31/0256
| 2013-05-06T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"H01"
] |
organic-inorganic perovskite based solar cell
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the present invention provides a solid state solar cell comprising a transparent conducting support layer, on which a nanostructured, surface-increasing, mesoporous scaffold structure is provided, wherein an organic-inorganic perovskite layer is provided on said scaffold structure, and wherein a counter electrode is provided in electric contact with said perovskite layer. the mesoporous scaffold preferably comprises a doped semiconductor material, in particular doped tio
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1. a solar cell (1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6) comprising a current collector (2), a surface-increasing structure (3) comprising a doped semiconductor material, one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layer (4), and a counter electrode and/or metal layer (6). 2. the solar cell of claim 1, wherein one or more intermediate layer (5) is provided between said one or more perovskite layer (4) and said counter electrode and/or metal layer (6), wherein said intermediate layer comprises one or more selected from (a) a hole transport material and (b) a protective and/or metal oxide layer, (c) an ionic liquid/melt. 3. the solar cell of claim 2, wherein said intermediate layer (5) comprises (a) a hole transport material selected from organic and inorganic hole transport materials. 4. the solar cell of any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein said intermediate layer (5) comprises one or more organic hole transport materials. 5. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said perovskite layer is provided between said surface-increasing structure and said counter electrode and/or metal layer (6), and/or on said surface-increasing structure (3). 6. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said doped semiconductor material is selected from doped si, sic^, tic^, ai2o3, ζγ ( ¾, hfc^, snc^, i^c^, zno, w0 3 , nb 2 0 5 , ln 2 0 3 , bi 2 0 3 , y 2 0 3 , pr 2 0 3 , ce0 2 and other rare earth metal oxides, cds, zns, pbs, bi 2 s 3 , cdse, cdte, mgti0 3 , srti0 3 , bati0 3 , al 2 ti0 5 , bi 4 ti 3 0i 2 and other titanates, casn0 3 , srsn0 3 , basnc^, bi 2 sn 3 0 9 , z^snc^, znsn0 3 and other stannates, cazr0 3 , srzr0 3 , bazr0 3 , bi 4 zr 3 0i 2 and other zirconates, combinations of two or more of the aforementioned and other multi-element oxides containing at least two of alkaline metal, alkaline earth metal elements, al, ga, in, si, ge, sn, pb, sb, bi, sc, y, la or any other lanthanide, ti, zr, hf, nb, ta, mo, w, ni or cu. 7. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more dopants present in said doped semiconductor material is selected from ta^+, nb 5+ , la- 5-1- , a +, ga- 5-1- and y 3+ . 8. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more dopant present in said doped semiconductor material is present at a percentage of 0.01 to 5%, said percentage being the molar percentage of said dopant with respect to atoms other than oxygen, sulfur and/or selenium, as applicable, in said semiconductor material. 9. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said surface-increasing structure (3) is provided on said current collector (2) or on a second and/or underlayer (10), said second and/or underlayer (10) being optionally provided on said current collector (2). 10. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, having a flat configuration with two major, opposing sides, a first side (7) and a second side (8), wherein said current collector (2), said surface-increasing structure (3) comprising a doped semiconductor material, said one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layer (4), and said a counter electrode and/or metal layer (6) are provided in the form of layers, arranged in this order (2)- (3)-(4)-(6) in a direction extending from said first side to said second side of said solar cell, wherein one or more additional layers are optionally provided between said current collector and said surface-increasing structure, and/or between said perovskite layer and said counter electrode. 11. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said organic-inorganic perovskite layer (4) comprises a perovskite- structure of the formula (i), (ii) , (iii), or (iv) below, or a mixture comprising two or more perovskites- structures of the formulae (i), (ii) , (iii), or (iv) below: a 2 mx 4 (i) amx 3 (ii) anx 4 (iii) bmx 4 (iv) wherein, a and a' are organic, monovalent cations selected independently selected from primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary organic ammonium compounds, including n-containing heterorings and ring systems, a and a' having from 1 to 60 carbons and 1 to 20 heteroatoms; b is an organic, bivalent cation selected from primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary organic ammonium compounds having from 1 to 60 carbons and 2 to 20 heteroatoms and having two positively charged nitrogen atoms; m is a divalent metal cation selected from the group consisting of cu 2+ , ni 2+ , co 2+ , fe 2+ , mn 2+ , cr^, pd 2+ , cd 2+ , ge 2+ , sn 2+ , pb 2+ , eu 2+ , or yb 2+ ; n is selected from the group of bi 3+ and sb 3+ ; and the three or four x are independently selected from ci " , br " , γ, ncs " , cn " , and nco " . 12. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said organic-inorganic perovskite layer (4) comprises a perovskite-structure of any one of the formulae (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix), (x) and (xi) below, and/or a mixture comprising two or more perovskite- structures of formulae (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix), (x) and (xi) below: apbx 3 (v) asnx 3 (vi) abi x 4 (vii) aa'pbx 4 (viii) aa'snx 4 (ix) bpbx 4 (x) bsnx 4 (xi) wherein a, a', b and x are as defined above. 13. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the surface area per gram ratio of said surface-increasing structure (3) is in the range of 20 to 200 m7g, preferably 30 to 150 m 2 /g, and most preferably 60 to 120 m 2 /g. 14. the solar cell of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said surface-increasing structure (3) comprises and/or is prepared from nanoparticles, such as nanosheets, nanocolumns and/or nanotubes comprising said doped semiconductor material. 15. a method of preparing a solid state solar cell (1), the method comprising the steps of: providing a current collector (2) and a layer (3) comprising a doped semiconductor material in electric contact with said current collector; - applying one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layer (4) on said doped semiconductor material; and, applying a counter electrode (6).
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organic-inorganic perovskite based solar cell technical field 5 the present invention relates to a solar cell, to a heterojunction, and to methods for preparing the solar cell and the heterojunction. technical background and the problem underlying the invention 10 the conversion of solar energy to electrical current using thin film third generation photovoltaics (pv) is being widely explored for the last two decades. the sandwich/monolithic-type pv devices, consisting of a mesoporous photoanode with an organic/inorganic light harvester, redox electrolyte/solid-state hole conductor, and counter electrode, have gained significant interest due to the ease of fabrication, flexibility in the 15 selection of materials and cost effective production (gratzel, acc. chem. res. 2009, 42, 1788-1798; hagfeldt et al., chem. rev. 2010, 110, 6595-6663). recently, bulk layers of organometallic halide perovskite based on tin (cssnx 3 , chung et al., nature. 2012, 485, 486-489) or lead (ch 3 nh 3 pbx 3, kojima et al., j. am. chem. soc. 2009, 131, 6050-6051; etgar et al., j. am. chem. soc. 2012, 134, 17396-17399; kim et al., sci. rep. 2012, 2, 20 591: 1-7; lee et al., science 2012, 338, 643-647) have been introduced as the light harvester. the lead perovskite shows a power conversion efficiency (pce) of 6.54% in liquid electrolyte based devices (im et al., nanoscale 2011, 3, 4088-4093), while 12.3% in solid state devices (noh et al., nano lett. 2013, 13, 1764-1769; ball et al., environ sci. 2013, 6, 1739-1743). 25 european patent application ep2693503 al discloses a solid-state solar cell comprising a conducting support layer, a surface-increasing scaffold structure, one or more organic- inorganic perovskite layers provided on the scaffold structure and a counter electrode. in the solar cells reported in this reference, remarkable conversion efficiencies were achieved in 30 absence of organic hole transporting material or a liquid electrolyte, which rendered the latter optional. the optimal protocol for the deposition of ch 3 nh 3 pbx 3 on ti0 2 is achieved by the spin- coating of the precursor (ch 3 nh 3 x and pbx 2 , x = ci, br, i) solution on the mesoporous ti0 2 film, followed by low temperature annealing step. the annealing process results in a crystalline ch 3 nh 3 pbx 3 (kojima et al.; lee et al.; noh et al.). the present invention addresses disadvantages of devices comprising liquid electrolytes, such as the problem of solvent evaporation and the penetration of water into the solar cell caused by difficulty in long-term sealing especially in temperature cyclic tests. the present invention also addresses disadvantages of incomplete pore filling which is observed in devices comprising organic hole conductors. in particular, the hole conductor tends not to penetrate equally through the mesoporous film of sensitized solar cells using a porous semiconductor anode. furthermore, the present invention addresses the problem of low hole mobility observed with conductors used in the prior art, which is low compared to liquid electrolytes. it is a further objective of the invention to provide solar cells, in particular solid state solar cells having yet higher conversion efficiencies than prior art devices. a light to electrical power energy conversion efficiency (η) of about 10% was suggested to be a level necessary for commercial use. the invention seeks to provide an efficient solar cell that can be prepared rapidly in an efficient reproducible way, using readily available, low-cost materials, using a short manufacturing procedure based on industrially known manufacturing steps. the present invention addresses the problems of stability observed with certain sensitized solar cells. summary of the invention remarkably, the present inventors provided novel solar cells. the solar cells differ from previously known solar cells, in particular by way of their simple structure. the novel solar cells generally comprise readily available materials and can be fabricated in an economic manner. the solar cell of this invention can avoid disadvantages encountered in prior art devices. in an aspect, the present invention provides a solar cell comprising a current collector, a surface-increasing structure and one or more perovskite layer. in an aspect, the present invention provides a solar cell comprising a current collector, a surface-increasing structure comprising a doped semiconductor material, one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layer, and a counter electrode and/or metal layer. in an aspect, the present invention provides a solar cell comprising a current collector, a surface-increasing structure comprising a doped semiconductor material, one or more perovskite layer, and a counter electrode and/or metal layer in electric contact with said perovskite layer. in an aspect, the present invention provides a solid-state solar cell comprising a current collector, a surface-increasing structure, one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layer, and a counter electrode and/or metal layer in electric contact with said perovskite layer. in an aspect, the present invention provides a solid-state solar cell comprising a current collector, a surface-increasing structure comprising a doped semiconductor material, one or more perovskite layer, said perovskite layer being provided on said surface-increasing structure, said solid-state solar cell further comprising a counter electrode and/or metal layer in electric contact with said perovskite layer. in an aspect, the present invention provides a solar cell having a flat configuration with two major, opposing sides, a first side and a second side, wherein said current collector, said surface-increasing structure comprising a doped semiconductor material, said one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layer, and said a counter electrode and/or metal layer are provided in the form of layers, arranged in this order in a direction extending from said first side to said second side of said solar cell. in an aspect, the present invention provides a solid state heterojunction comprising a layer comprising a doped semiconductor material and a layer comprising an organic-inorganic perovskite layer. the invention also provides a photovoltaic device, in particular a solar cell, comprising the heterojunction of the invention. in an aspect, the present invention provides a method of preparing a solid state solar cell, the method comprising the steps of: providing a current collector and a layer comprising a doped semiconductor material in electric contact with said current collector; - applying one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layer on said doped semiconductor material; and, applying a counter electrode. in an aspect, the present invention provides a method of preparing a heterojunction comprising the step of applying one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layers on a nanostructured layer comprising a doped semiconductor. further aspects and preferred embodiments of the invention are defined herein below and in the appended claims. further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the skilled person from the description of the preferred embodiments given below. brief description of the drawings figure 1 shows current-voltage characteristics of a solar cell according to an embodiment of the invention (0.5 y-tio 2 , closed squares) in comparison to a prior art solar cell (ti0 2 , open squares) under 100 mw cm " photon flux (1 sun). figure 2 shows the incident photo-to-electron conversion efficiency spectra of a solar cell according to an embodiment of the invention (0.5 y-tio 2 , closed squares) in comparison to a prior art solar cell (ti0 2 , open squares). figures 3 a to 3 g schematically show the structure of solar cells according to embodiments of the present invention. detailed description of the preferred embodiments the present invention provides heterojunctions, solar cells and methods of fabricating the heterojunctions and the solar cells. the heterojunction of the invention may be used in a solar cell, in particular in the solar cell of the invention. herein below, the devices of the invention and their fabrication are described in more detail. the heterojunctions and solar cells of the invention are preferably flat devices when considered on a macroscopic scale. according to a preferred embodiment, they are layered and/or comprise and/or consist essentially of a plurality of layers. in view of their flat configuration, the devices of the invention preferably have two opposing sides, a first side and a second side, said opposing sides preferably making up the majority of the macroscopic surface of the device of the invention. for the purpose of the present specification, the expression "comprise" and its various grammatical forms, such as "comprising", etc., is intended to mean "includes, amongst other". it is not intended to mean "consists only of". according to an embodiment, the solar cell of the invention preferably comprises a current collector. the current collector may be provided in the form of a layer, for example. the current collector preferably forms a continuous layer. the current collector is preferably adapted to collect the current (and/or electrons) generated by the solar cell and to conduct it to an external circuit. the current collector preferably provides the electric front contact of the solar cell. the current collector thus preferably comprises a conducting or semiconducting material, such as a conducting organic material or a conducting inorganic material, such as a metal, doped metal, a conducting metal oxide or doped metal oxide, for example. as shall be shown further below, in some preferred embodiments, the current collector comprises a material selected from indium doped tin oxide (ito), fluorine doped tin oxide (fto), zno- ga 2 0 3 , zno-al 2 0 3 , tin oxide, antimony doped tin oxide (ato), srge0 3 and zinc oxide, or combinations thereof. the current collector is preferably arranged to collect and conduct the current generated in the working electrode or photoanode. therefore, the current collector is preferably in electric contact with the working electrode or photoanode. for the purpose of the present specification, the expression "in electric contact with" means that electrons or holes can get from one layer to the other layer with which it is in electric contact, at least in one direction. in particular, considering the electron flow in the operating device exposed to electromagnetic radiation, layers through which electrons and/or holes are flowing are considered to be in electric contact. the expression "in electric contact with" does not necessarily mean that electrons and/or holes can freely move in any direction between the layers. according to an embodiment, the solar cell of the invention preferably comprises one or more support layer. the support layer preferably provides the physical support of the device. furthermore, the support layer preferably provides a protection with respect to physical damage and thus delimits the solar cell with respect to the outside, for example on at least one of the two major sides of the solar cell. according to an embodiment, the solar cell may be constructed by applying the different layers in a sequence of steps, one after the other, onto the support layer. the support layer may thus also serve as a starting support for the fabrication of the solar cell. support layers may be provided on only one or on both opposing sides of the solar cell. the support layer, if present, is preferably transparent, so as to let light pass through the solar cell. of course, if the support layer is provided on the side of the solar cell that is not directly exposed to light to be converted to electrical energy, the support does not necessarily have to be transparent. however, any support layer provided on the side that is designed and/or adapted to be exposed to light for the purpose of energy conversion is preferably transparent. "transparent" means transparent to at least a part, preferably a major part of the visible light. preferably, the conducting support layer is substantially transparent to all wavelengths or types of visible light. furthermore, the conducting support layer may be transparent to non-visible light, such as uv and ir radiation, for example. conveniently, and in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a conducting support layer is provided, said conducting support layer serving as support as described above as well as current collector. the conducting support layer thus replaces or contains the support layer and the current collector. the conducting support layer is preferably transparent. examples of conducting support layers are conductive glass or conductive plastic, which are commercially available. for example, the conducting support layer comprises a material selected from indium doped tin oxide (ito), fluorine doped tin oxide (fto), zno-ga 2 03, zno-al 2 0 3 , tin oxide, antimony doped tin oxide (ato), srge0 3 and zinc oxide, coated on a transparent substrate, such as plastic or glass. according to another embodiment, the current collector may also be provided by a conductive metal foil, such as a titanium, molybdenum or zinc foil, for example. non- transparent conductive materials may be used as current collectors in particular on the side of the device that is not exposed to the light to be captured by the device. such metal foils have been used as current collectors, for example, in flexible devices, such as those disclosed by ito et al., chem. commun. 2006, 4004-4006. according to an embodiment, the heterojunction and the solar cell of the invention comprise a surface-increasing structure. preferably, said surface increasing structure comprises, consists essentially of or consists of a doped semiconductor material. the surface-increasing structure is preferably applied so as to form a layer on the macroscopic scale, for example. the surface-increasing structure may be provided directly on and in physical contact with said current collector. according to another and preferred embodiment, the surface increasing structure is provided on an underlayer, which may be a compact or electric contact and/or metal oxide layer, as will be described elsewhere in this specification. preferably, the surface-increasing structure is in electric contact with the current collector layer. the surface-increasing structure may also be referred to as "scaffold structure" in this specification or as "surface-increasing scaffold", for example. according to an embodiment of the solar cell and the heterojunction of the invention, the surface-increasing structure is nanostructured and/or nanoporous. the surface-increasing structure is thus preferably structured on a nanoscale. the structures of said surface increasing structure increase the effective surface compared to the surface of the solar cell. the surface-increasing structure may be made from a large variety of different materials and from combinations of different materials. according to a preferred embodiment, the surface- increasing structure comprises a doped material. according to an embodiment, the surface- increasing scaffold structure of the solar cell and/or the heterojunction of the invention comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of one selected from the group of: a doped semiconductor material, a doped conducting material, a doped insulator and combinations of two or more of the aforementioned. the distinction between "semiconductors" and "insulators" is not that sharp. with bulk, i.e. non-nanoparticulate matter, materials with a band gap of greater than 3 ev are generally considered insulators. for the purpose of this specification, the term "doped semiconductor" shall be applied broadly and include doped materials with band gaps of the undoped materials being substantially greater than 3 ev and the term "insulator" shall be applied for materials with band gaps of the undoped materials being substantially greater than 3.5 ev. according to an embodiment, said surface-increasing structure is made from and/or comprises one selected from a doped metal oxide, for example a doped transition metal oxide. according to an embodiment, the doped material of the surface-increasing structure comprises, consists essentially of or consists of one or more selected from the group consisting of doped si, si0 2 , ti0 2 , a1 2 0 3 , zr0 2 , hf0 2 , sn0 2 , fe 2 0 3 , zno, w0 3 , nb 2 0 5 , in 2 0 3 , bi 2 0 3 , y 2 0 3 , pr 2 0 3 , ce0 2 and other rare earth metal oxides, cds, zns, pbs, bi 2 s 3 , cdse, cdte, mgti0 3 , srti0 3 , bati0 3 , al 2 ti0 5 , bi 4 ti 3 0i 2 and other titanates, casn0 3 , srsn0 3 , basn0 3 , bi 2 sn 3 0 9 , zn 2 snc"4, znsn0 3 and other stannates, cazr0 3 , srzr0 3 , bazr0 3 , bi 4 zr 3 0i 2 and other zirconates, combinations of two or more of the aforementioned and other multi-element oxides containing at least two of alkaline metal, alkaline earth metal elements, al, ga, in, si, ge, sn, pb, sb, bi, sc, y, la or any other lanthanide, ti, zr, hf, nb, ta, mo, w, ni or cu. si, fe 2 0 3 , cds, pbs, bi 2 s 3 , cdse, cdte, are colored semiconductors and are less preferred in accordance with embodiments according to the present invention. w0 3 , bi 2 0 3 , are yellowish. in accordance with the invention, colourless to slightly yellow materials with a band gap of greater than 2.7 ev are preferred. colourless materials with a band gap of greater than 3 ev are more preferred, ti0 2 is most preferred. according to a preferred embodiment, the surface-increasing structure comprises, consists essentially of or consists of one or more selected from doped ti0 2 , sn0 2 , zno, w0 3 , nb 2 05, srti0 3 , and combinations thereof, for example. still more preferred doped semiconductor materials are doped τί(¾, snc^, zno, ν¾2θ5 and srti03, for example. according to a most preferred embodiment, the surface increasing structure comprises doped τί(¾, in particular τί(¾ doped with one or more selected from ta 5 +, nb 5 +, la + , al + , ga + and y + . according to an embodiment, one or more dopant present in said doped semiconductor material is present at a percentage of 0.01% to 5%, preferably 0.05 to 4%, more preferably 0.1 to 3%, even more preferably 0.2 to 2%, and most preferably 0.3 to 1%. the percentage is the molar percentage of said dopant with respect to atoms other than those of group 16 or 6a (oxygen, sulfur, selenium and/or tellurium atoms) or phosphorus atoms, as applicable, in said semiconductor material. in particular, said percentage is the molar percentage of said dopant with respect to metal and/or transition metal atoms in said semiconductor material. more specifically, said percentage is the molar percentage of said dopant with respect to atoms selected from al, si, ge, ti, sb, sn, fe, zn, w, nb, cd, pb, bi, cd, cd, sr, ga, in, cu, sc, zr, hf, y, ta, mo, ni, la or any other lanthanide in general, alkaline metal in general, alkaline earth metal elements in general. for example, a 0.5% y 3+ dopant in tic^ means that one y 3+ ion is present for 200 atoms of ti in said doped tic^. for example, 0.5% y 3+ doped srtic^ means that one y 3+ ion is present for 100 atoms of sr and 100 atoms of ti. according to an embodiment, the doped semiconductor material of the surface-increasing structure is selected in accordance with its conduction band energy level. preferably, the conduction band energy level of the doped semiconductor material is below the energy level of the photoexited electron of the organic-inorganic perovskite material disclosed elsewhere in this specification. in accordance with this particular embodiment, the doped semiconductor material is capable of receiving an electron from the photoexited perovskite and to transport this electron to the current collector, or to the underlayer, if applicable. the doped semiconductor material preferably constitutes the working electrode and/or as photoanode of the solar cell of the invention. according to an embodiment, the doped semiconductor material and the organic-inorganic perovskite material constitute and/or function together as the photoanode and/or as working electrode of the solar cell of the invention. in accordance with this embodiment, the surface-increasing layer not only increases the active surface and/or may serve a support for the perovskite layer, but in addition works as a working electrode and/or photoanode. according to another embodiment, the surface-increasing structure and the doped semiconductor material are not capable of receiving an electron from the perovskite material. this may apply if the conduction band energy of the material forming the surface-increasing structure is not capable of receiving an electron from the photoexited perovskite material. in accordance with this embodiment, the purpose of the surface-increasing structure is basically and/or exclusively to increase the surface and/or to provide a support layer for the perovskite layer. in case the surface-increasing structure is made from and/or comprises an "insulator" material, an electric connection between following and preceding layers, for example the perovskite layer and the current collector should be warranted. this may be achieved, for example, by allowing the perovskite layer being in direct contact with the current collector, or, if present, with the underlayer, which may be provided on the current collector. in this regard, it is noted that the surface-increasing structure does not necessarily have to form a layer that completely covers the surface of the current collector or, if present of the underlayer. the surface-increasing structure may be formed by nanoparticles that are applied on the current collector or on said underlayer, wherein said latter layer, as applicable, does not need to be covered completely by said nanoparticles. the perovskite material may thus be in direct physical contact with said current collector or said underlayer. in accordance with the invention, one can also envisage an "insulator" scaffold structure, which is coated with a layer of an electrically conducting and/or semiconducting material, for example with a doped semiconductor material as disclosed herein. the coating is preferably sufficiently thin so as to substantially retain the original nanostructured and/or nanoporous structure of the surface-increasing scaffold structure. for example, the electrically conducting and/or semiconducting coating may be in electric contact with said current collector and/or underlayer. according to an embodiment, the surface-increasing structure of the solar cell and/or heterojunction of the invention comprises and/or consists of nanoparticles. the nanoparticles are preferably applied and/or fixed on said current collector and/or on an underlayer, if present. the expression "nanoparticles" encompasses particles or particulate elements, which may have any form, in particular also so-called nanosheets, nanocolumns and/or nanotubes, for example. nanosheets made from anatase ti0 2 have been reported by etgar et al., adv. mater. 2012, 24, 2202-2206, for example. preferably, the nanoparticles comprise or consist essentially of said doped semiconductor material. the surface increasing structure may also be prepared by screen printing or spin coating, for example as is conventional for the preparation of porous semiconductor (e.g. tic^) surfaces in heterojunction solar cells, see for example, noh et al., nano lett. 2013, 7, 486-491 or etgar et al., adv. mater. 2012, 24, 2202-2206. nanoporous semiconductor structures and surfaces have been disclosed, for example, in ep 0333641 and ep 0606453. according to an embodiment of the invention, said surface-increasing structure comprises and/or is prepared from nanoparticles, in particular nanosheets, nanocolumns and/or nanotubes, which nanoparticles are preferably further annealed. the nanoparticles preferably have average dimensions and/or sizes in the range of 2 to 300 nm, preferably 3 to 200 nm, even more preferably 4 to 150 nm, and most preferably 5 to 100 nm. "dimension" or "size" with respect to the nanoparticles means here extensions in any direction of space, preferably the average maximum extension of the nanoparticles. in case of substantially spherical or ellipsoid particles, the average diameter is preferably referred to. in case of, nanosheets, the indicated dimensions refer to the length and thickness. preferably, the size of the nanoparticles is determined by transmission electron microscopy (tem) and selected area electron diffraction (saed) as disclosed by etgar et al., adv. mater. 2012, 24, 2202-2206. according to an embodiment, the surface-increasing structure is nanostructured and/or nanoporous. according to an embodiment, the surface-increasing structure and/or said doped semiconductor material is mesoporous and/or mesoscopic. according to an embodiment, the surface-increasing structure and/or said doped semiconductor material is nanocrystalline. according to an embodiment, the surface area per gram ratio of said surface-increasing structure is in the range of 20 to 800 m 27g, preferably 25 to 300 m 27g, more preferably 30 to 150 m 2 /g, and most preferably 60 to 120 m 2 /g. the surface per gram ratio may be determined the bet gas adsorption method. according to an embodiment, said surface-increasing structure forms a continuous and/or complete, or, alternatively, a non-continuous and/or non-complete layer on said support layer. according to an embodiment, said surface increasing structure forms a layer having an overall thickness of 10 to 3000 nm, preferably 12 to 2000 nm, preferably 15 to 1000 nm, more preferably 20 to 500 nm, still more preferably 50 to 400 nm and most preferably 100 to 300 nm. for the purpose of this specification, a "continuous layer" or a "complete layer" is a layer that covers an adjacent layer, such as the conductive support layer, completely so that there can be no physical contact between the perovskite layer (or, if applicable, the protective layer) and the conductive support, or the underlayer, if applicable. if the surface increasing layer is non-continuously and/or non-completely provided on said conductive support layer, the perovskite layer does or could get in direct contact with said current collector and/or underlayer. according to an embodiment, the heterojunction and/or solar cells of the invention comprise a perovskite layer, in particular an organic-inorganic perovskite layer. the heterojunction and/or solar cell may comprise one or more perovskite layers, which may each be composed of the same or of different perovskite materials as disclosed elsewhere in this specification. "perovskite", for the purpose of this specification, refers to the "perovskite structure" and not to the specific perovskite mineral cati0 3 . the term "perovskite" includes structures where the ideal cubic unit cell is distorted to some extent. for the purpose of this specification, "perovskite" encompasses and preferably relates to any material that has the same type of crystal structure as calcium titanium oxide and of materials in which the bivalent cation is replaced by two separate monovalent cations. the perovskite structure has the general stoichiometry amx 3 , where "a" and "m" are cations and "x" is an anion. the "a" and "m" cations can have a variety of charges and in the original perovskite mineral (catic^), the a cation is divalent and the m cation is tetravalent. for the purpose of this invention, the perovskite formulae includes structures having three (3) or four (4) anions, which may be the same or different, one or two (2) organic cations, and a metal atom carrying two or three positive charges, in accordance with the formulae presented elsewhere in this specification. organic-inorganic perovskites are hybrid materials exhibiting combined properties of organic composites and inorganic crystalline materials. the inorganic component forms a framework bound by covalent and ionic interactions, which provide high carrier mobility. the organic component helps in the self-assembly process of those materials, it also enables the hybrid materials to be deposited by low-cost technique as other organic materials. an additional property of the organic component is to tailor the electronic properties of the organic-inorganic material by adjusting its dimensionality and the electronic coupling between the inorganic sheets. the structure of some of the organic-inorganic perovskites are analogous to multilayer quantum well structures, with semiconducting inorganic sheets alternating with organic layers having a large energy gap. for example, the conduction band of the inorganic layers is substantially below that of the organic layers, and the valence band of the inorganic layers is similarly above that of the organic layers. therefore, the inorganic sheets may act as quantum wells for both electrons and holes. another option is when the band gaps for the organic and inorganic layers can be offset, leading to a type ii hetero structure in which the wells for the electrons and holes are in different layers. such structures of the organic-inorganic perovskites permit their use as light absorbers, which can inject electrons to the surface increasing structure, underlayer and/or the current collector and at the same time transport photogenerated charge carriers over considerable distances of several hundred nanometers or over a micron. this latter feature is entirely different from dye solar cells, where photogenerated carriers need to be transported over a one molecular layer only, i.e. over a distance of 1-2 nm only. according to an embodiment, the organic-inorganic perovskite material that is used in the one or more perovskite layer preferably comprises a perovskite- structure of the formula (i), (ii) , (iii), or (iv) below, or a mixture comprising two or more perovskites-structures of the formulae (i), (ii) , (iii), or (iv) below: aa'mx 4 (i) amx 3 (ii) anx 4 (iii) bmx 4 (iv) wherein a and a' are monovalent organic cations and b is a bivalent organic cation. preferably, a, a' and b are independently selected from hydrocarbons comprising up to 60 carbons, and from 1 to 20 heteroatoms (for a and a') and 2 to 20 heteroatoms (for b), in particular one or two positively charged nitrogen atoms, respectively, besides possibly further heteroatoms selected from n, p, o and s. in an embodiment, said further heteroatoms are selected from n, o and s. furthermore, a, a' and b may be partially or totally halogenated, independently of said 1 to 20 heteroatoms. m is a metal atom, which may be selected from the group consisting of cu , ni , co , fe 2+ , mn 2+ , cr^, pd 2+ , zn 2+ , cd 2+ , ge 2+ , sn 2+ , pb 2+ , eu 2+ , yb 2+ , and a combination thereof, said combination comprising two or more of said metal cations. in an embodiment, said metal m is selected from the group consisting of cu 2+ , ni 2+ , co 2+ , fe 2+ , mn 2+ , cr 2+ , pd 2+ , zn 2+ , cd 2+ , ge 2+ , sn 2+ , pb 2+ , eu 2+ , yb 2+ and combinations of two or more thereof. preferably, m is sn 2+ or pb 2+ . n is a trivalent metal, which is preferably selected from the group of bi 3+ and sb 3+ . x is an anionic compound, and is preferably selected independently from ci " , br " , γ, ncs " , cn " , nco " , and combinations thereof. as there may be three x in formulae (ii), the perovskite material may comprise combinations of different halogens. for example, "x3" may be selected from i 2 ci- 5 -, iibr- 5" , c l^ ' , b^i- 5 -, for example. the four anions in "x4" may also be a combination of different halogens. preferably, x is br " or γ. according to a preferred embodiment, all anions in "x3" and "x4" are identical. according to a preferred embodiment, said organic-inorganic perovskite layer comprises a perovskite- structure of the formula (i), (ii), (iii) and/or (iv) below, aa'mx 4 (i) amx 3 (π) anx 4 (hi) bmx 4 (iv) wherein, a and a' are organic, monovalent cations that are independently selected from primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary organic ammonium compounds, including n-containing heterorings and ring systems, a and a' having independently from 1 to 60 carbons and 1 to 20 heteroatoms; b is an organic, bivalent cation selected from primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary organic ammonium compounds having from 1 to 60 carbons and 2-20 heteroatoms and having two positively charged nitrogen atoms; m is a divalent metal cation selected from the group consisting of cu , ni , co , fe , mn 2+ , cr 2+ , pd 2+ , zn 2+ , cd 2+ , ge 2+ , sn 2+ , pb 2+ , eu 2+ , yb 2+ , and a combination of two or more of said metal cations; nn iiss sseelleecctteedd ffrroomm tthhee group of bi 3+ and sb 3+ ; and, the three or four x are independently selected from ci " , br " , γ, ncs " , cn " , and nco " . in an embodiment, said m is a divalent metal cation selected from the group consisting of cu 2+ , ni 2+ , co 2+ , fe 2+ , mn 2+ , cr 2+ , pd 2+ , cd 2+ , ge 2+ , sn 2+ , pb 2+ , eu 2+ , yb 2+ and a combination of two or more of said metal cations. m and n are preferably metal ions that can preferably adopt an octahedral anion coordination. according to an embodiment, x is selected from br " and γ. according to an embodiment, m is sn 2+ and/or pb 2+ . according to an embodiment, x is selected from br " and γ and m is sn 2+ and/or pb 2+ . according to an embodiment, a and a' are identical, resulting in perovskite of the formulae a 2 mx 4 , a 2 pbx 4 , a 2 snx 4 , for formulae (i), (viii) and (ix), for example. preferably, a and a' are identical and all x are identical. according to a preferred embodiment, the perovskite material has the structure selected from one or more of formulae (i) to (iii), preferably (ii). according to a preferred embodiment, said organic-inorganic perovskite layer (4) comprises a perovskite- structure of any one of the formulae (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix) and (x), and/or a mixture comprising two or more perovskite- structures of formulae (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix), (x) and (xi) below: apbx 3 (v) asnx 3 (vi) abix 4 (vii) aa'pbx 4 (viii) aa'snx 4 (ix) bpbx 4 (x) bsnx 4 (xi) wherein a, a', b and x are as defined elsewhere in this specification. preferably, x is selected from br " and γ, most preferably x is γ. according to a preferred embodiment, said organic-inorganic perovskite layer comprises perovskite- structure of the formulae (v) to (ix), more preferably (v) and/or (vi) above. according to an embodiment, a and a', in particular in any one of formulae (i) to (iii), and (v) to (ix), are monovalent cations selected independently from any one of the compounds of formulae (1) to (8) below: (i) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) wherein, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from c1-c15 organic substituents comprising from 0 to 15 heteroatoms. according to an embodiment of said ci -ci 5 organic substituent any one, several or all hydrogens in said substituent may be replaced by halogen and said organic substituent may comprise up to fifteen (15) n, p, s or o heteroatoms, preferably n, s or o heteroatoms, and wherein, in any one of the compounds (2) to (8), the two or more of substituents present (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 , as applicable) may be covalently connected to each other to form a substituted or unsubstituted ring or ring system. preferably, in a chain of atoms of said ci -ci 5 organic substituent, any heteroatom is connected to at least one carbon atom. preferably, neighboring heteroatoms are absent and/or heteroatom-heteroatom bonds are absent in said ci -ci 5 organic substituent comprising from 0 to 15 heteroatoms. according to an embodiment any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c15 aliphatic and c3 to c15 aromatic or heteroaromatic substituents, wherein any one, several or all hydrogens in said substituent may be replaced by halogen and wherein, in any one of the compounds (2) to (8), the two or more of the substituents present may be covalently connected to each other to form a substituted or unsubstituted ring or ring system. according to an embodiment, b is a bivalent cation selected from any one of the compounds of formulae (9) and (10) below: wherein, in the compound of formula (9), l is absent or an organic linker structure having 1 to 10 carbons and 0 to 5 heteroatoms selected from n, p, s, and/or o, preferably from n, s and/or o, wherein any one, several or all hydrogens in said l may be replaced by halogen; wherein any one of ri and r 2 is independently selected from any one of the substituents (20) to (25) below: r v (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) wherein the dotted line in the substituents (20) to (25) represents the bond by which said substituent is connected to the linker structure l; wherein r 1 , r2 , and r 3 are independently as defined above with respect to the compounds of formulae (1) to (8); wherein ri and r 2 , if they are both different from substituent (20), may be covalently connected to each other by way of their substituents r 1 , r2 , and r 3 , as applicable, and wherein any one of r 1 , r2 , and r 3 , if present, may be covalently connected to l or the ring structure of compound (10), independently from whether said substituent is present on ri or r 2 ; and wherein, in the compound of formula (10), the circle containing said two positively charged nitrogen atoms represents an aromatic ring or ring system comprising 4 to 15 carbon atoms and 2 to 7 heteroatoms, wherein said nitrogen atoms are ring heteroatoms of said ring or ring system, and wherein the remaining of said heteroatoms may be selected independently from n, o and s and wherein r 5 and r 6 are independently selected from h and from substituents as r 1 to r 4 . halogens substituting hydrogens totally or partially may also be present in addition to and/or independently of said 2 to 7 heteroatoms. preferably, if the number of carbons is in l is impair, the number of heteroatoms is smaller than the number of carbons. preferably, in the ring structure of formula (10), the number of ring heteroatoms is smaller than the number of carbon atoms. according to an embodiment, l is absent or an aliphatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic linker structure having from 1 to 10 carbons. if l is absent, said substituents ri and r 2 are connected via an n-n bond, as illustrated by compound (34) below. according to an embodiment, in the compound of formula (9), l is an organic linker structure having 1 to 8 carbons and from 0 to 4 n, p, s and/or o heteroatoms, preferably n, s and/or o heteroatoms, wherein any one, several or all hydrogens in said l may be replaced by halogen. preferably, l is an aliphatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic linker structure having 1 to 8 carbons, wherein any one, several or all hydrogens in said l may be replaced by halogen. according to an embodiment, in the compound of formula (9), l is an organic linker structure having 1 to 6 carbons and from 0 to 3 n, p, s and/or o heteroatoms, n, s and/or o heteroatoms wherein any one, several or all hydrogens in said l may be replaced by halogen. preferably, l is an aliphatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic linker structure having 1 to 6 carbons, wherein any one, several or all hydrogens in said l may be replaced by halogen. according to an embodiment, in the compound of formula (9), said linker l is free of any o, p or s heteroatoms, preferably free of any o, n or s. according to an embodiment, l is free of n, p, o and/or s heteroatoms, preferably free of n, o and/or s. according to an embodiment, in the compound of formula (10), the circle containing said two positively charged nitrogen atoms represents an aromatic ring or ring system comprising 4 to 10 carbon atoms and 2 to 5 heteroatoms (including said two ring n-atoms). according to an embodiment, said ring or ring system in the compound of formula (10) is free of any o, p or s heteroatoms, preferably free of any o or s heteroatoms. according to an embodiment, said ring or ring system in the compound of formula (10) is free of any further n, p, o and/or s heteroatoms, preferably free of any n, o and/or s heteroatoms, besides said two n-ring atoms. this does not preclude the possibility of hydrogens being substituted by halogens. as the skilled person will understand, if an aromatic linker, compound, substituent or ring comprises 4 carbons, it comprises at least 1 ring heteroatom, so as to provide said aromatic compound. according to an embodiment, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c8 organic substituents comprising, from 0 to 4 n, p, s and/or o heteroatoms, preferably 0 to 4 n, s and/or o heteroatoms, wherein, independently of said n, s or o heteroatoms, any one, several or all hydrogens in said substituent may be replaced by halogen, and wherein two or more of substituents present on the same cation may be covalently connected to each other to form a substituted or unsubstituted ring or ring system. preferably, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c8 aliphatic, c3 to c8 heteroaromatic and c6 to c8 aromatic substituents, wherein said heteroaromatic and aromatic substituents may be further substituted. according to an embodiment, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c6 organic substituents comprising, from 0 to 3 n, p, s and/or o heteroatom, preferably 0 to 3 n, s and/or o heteroatom, wherein, independently of said n, p, s or o heteroatoms, as applicable, any one, several or all hydrogens in said substituent may be replaced by halogen, and wherein two or more of substituents present on the same cation may be covalently connected to each other to form a substituted or unsubstituted ring or ring system. preferably, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c6 aliphatic, c3 to c6 heteroaromatic and c6 to c6 aromatic substituents, wherein said heteroaromatic and aromatic substituents may be further substituted. according to an embodiment, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c4, preferably ci to c3 and most preferably ci to c2 aliphatic substituents wherein any one, several or all hydrogens in said substituent may be replaced by halogen and wherein two or more of substituents present on the same cation may be covalently connected to each other to form a substituted or unsubstituted ring or ring system. according to an embodiment, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to cio alkyl, c2 to cio alkenyl, c2 to cio alkynyl, c4 to cio heteroaryl and c6 to cio aryl, wherein said alkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl, if they comprise 3 or more carbons, may be linear, branched or cyclic, wherein said heteroaryl and aryl may be substituted or unsubstituted, and wherein several or all hydrogens in r x -r 4 may be replaced by halogen. according to an embodiment, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c8 alkyl, c2 to c8 alkenyl, c2 to c8 alkynyl, c4 to c8 heteroaryl and c6 to c8 aryl, wherein said alkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl, if they comprise 3 or more carbons, may be linear, branched or cyclic, wherein said heteroaryl and aryl may be substituted or unsubstituted, and wherein several or all hydrogens in r x -r 4 may be replaced by halogen. according to an embodiment, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c6 alkyl, c2 to c6 alkenyl, c2 to c6 alkynyl, c4 to c6 heteroaryl and c6 aryl, wherein said alkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl, if they comprise 3 or more carbons, may be linear, branched or cyclic, wherein said heteroaryl and aryl may be substituted or unsubstituted, and wherein several or all hydrogens in r x -r 4 may be replaced by halogen. according to an embodiment, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c4 alkyl, c2 to c4 alkenyl and c2 to c4 alkynyl, wherein said alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl, if they comprise 3 or more carbons, may be linear, branched or cyclic, and wherein several or all hydrogens in r -r 4 may be replaced by halogen. according to an embodiment, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c3, preferably ci to c2 alkyl, c2 to c3, preferably c2 alkenyl and c2 to c3, preferably c2 alkynyl, wherein said alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl, if they comprise 3 or more carbons, may be linear, branched or cyclic, and wherein several or all hydrogens in r -r 4 may be replaced by halogen. according to an embodiment, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is independently selected from ci to c4, more preferably ci to c3 and even more preferably ci to c2 alkyl. most preferably, any one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 are methyl. again, said alkyl may be completely or partially halogenated. according to an embodiment, a, a' and b are monovalent (a, a') and bivalent (b) cations, respectively, selected from substituted and unsubstituted c5 to c6 rings comprising one, two or more nitrogen heteroatoms, wherein one (for a and a') or two (for b) of said nitrogen atoms is/are positively charged. substituents of such rings may be selected from halogen and from ci to c4 alkyls, c2 to c4 alkenyls and c2 to c4 alkynyls as defined above, preferably from ci to c3 alkyls, c3 alkenyls and c3 alkynyls as defined above. said ring may comprise further heteroatoms, which may be selected from o, p, n and s, preferably from o, n and s. bivalent organic cations b comprising two positively charged ring n-atoms are exemplified, for example, by the compound of formula (10) above. such rings may be aromatic or aliphatic, for example. a, a' and b may also comprise a ring system comprising two or more rings, at least one of which being from substituted and unsubstituted c5 to c6 ring as defined as above. the elliptically drawn circle in the compound of formulae (10) may also represent a ring system comprising, for example, two or more rings, but preferably two rings. also if a and/or a' comprises two rings, further ring heteroatoms may be present, which are preferably not charged, for example. according to an embodiment, however, the organic cations a, a' and b comprise one (for a, a'), two (for b) or more nitrogen atom(s) but are free of any o, p or s or any other heteroatom, preferably from any o or s heteroatom, with the exception of halogens, which may substitute one or more hydrogen atoms in cation a and/or b. a and a' preferably comprise one positively charged nitrogen atom. b preferably comprises two positively charged nitrogen atoms. a, a' and b may be selected from the exemplary rings or ring systems of formulae (30) and (32) (33) (34) 1 2 in which r and r are, independently, as defined above, and r 3 , r4, r5, r 6 , r7, rs, r9 and rio are independently selected from h, halogen and substituents as defined above for r 1 to r 4 . preferably, r 3 -rio are selected from h and halogen, most preferably h. in the organic cations a, a' and b, hydrogens may be substituted by halogens, such as f, ci, i, and br, preferably f or ci. such a substitution is expected to reduce the hygroscopic properties of the perovskite layer or layers and may thus provide a useful option for the purpose of the present specification. in an embodiment, the perovskite material is of ambipolar nature or optionally p-doped or n- doped and can optionally be a ferroelectric material. in the methods of the invention, the perovskite layer may be applied by any one or more selected from drop casting, spin-coating, dip-coating, curtain coating, spray-coating, ink jet coating, and slot die coating for example. according to an embodiment, the solar cell and/or heterojunction of the invention comprises two or more successive organic-inorganic perovskite layers, wherein said successive perovskite layers may be composed identically or wherein two or more of said layers may have a different molecular structure and/or composition. in this way, the different functions of light absorbing and/or charge carrier transporting, which may be achieved by the perovskite layers, may be optimized and/or fine-tuned. in particular, the perovskite layer that is in contact with the surface-increasing structure, is preferably optimized with respect to its properties as a light absorber. on the other hand, the same or another perovskite layer or layers may be provided, according with some embodiments of this invention, to be in contact with the counter electrode, if an intermediate layer is absent. if there are several, different perovskite layers, the different perovskite structures may be of a different composition. any one or more of a, a', b, m, n or x in the structures of formulae (i) to (ix) may be changed in order to provide a different perovskite layer having different properties, as desired. in particular, a, b, m, n or x may be changed in a subsequent layer, in order to adjust the band gaps of the material. different layers comprising different perovskite structures, but preferably still within the general formulae (i) to (xi), may in particular be useful to optimize a respective layer to its function (light absorber or charge carrier conductor). the solar cell of the invention preferably comprises a counter electrode and/or metal layer. the counter electrode faces the inorganic-organic perovskite layer or, if present, the intermediate layer towards the inside of the cell. the counter electrode may form the outmost layer and thus one of the outer surfaces of the cell. it is also possible that a substrate is present on one side of the solar cell (figs. 3 a- 3 e, for example). the counter electrode generally comprises a material that is suitable to provide electrons and/or fill holes towards the inside of the device. this material may be a catalytically active material. the counter electrode may, for example, comprise one or more materials selected from (the group consisting of) pt, au, ni, cu, ag, in, ru, pd, rh, ir, os, c, including carbon nanotubes, grapheme and graphene oxide, conductive polymer and a combination of two or more of the aforementioned, for example. conductive polymers may be selected from polymers comprising polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, polybenzene, polyethylenedioxythiophene, polypropylenedioxy-thiophene, polyacetylene, and combinations of two or more of the aforementioned, for example. the counter electrode may be applied as is conventional, for example by thermal or electron beam evaporation, sputtering or a printing or spraying process of the counter electrode material, optionally dispersed or dissolved in a water or solvent-based carrier medium, onto the perovskite layer or onto the intermediate layer, if present, and optionally following by a chemical development and/or annealing step. the counter electrode is preferably connected to a current collector, which is then connected to the external circuit. as detailed with respect to the first side of the device, a conductive support such as conductive glass or plastic may be electrically connected to the counter electrode on the second side (as illustrated in fig. 3 g). according to an embodiment, the device may have two opposed support layers, which encase the solar cell, for example. the solar cell of the invention is preferably a solid state solar cell. by avoiding an electrolyte, the disadvantages of electrolytes, such as loss due to solvent evaporation, electrolyte leakage, disadvantages associated with the use of redox shuttles, for example, can be avoided. the solar cell of the invention is preferably a hetero junction solar cell, in which said organic-inorganic perovskite is and/or functions as a light absorber and charge carrier transporter. according to an embodiment, the said surface-increasing structure of said solar cell is nanoporous and said at least one organic-inorganic perovskite layer acts as a light absorber and/or as a charge carrier transporter. in case there are several organic-inorganic perovskite layers, one layer may act as a light absorber and another layer as a charge carrier transporter. according to an embodiment, the solar cell comprises one or more additional layers. additional layers may be provided, for example, between said current collector and said surface-increasing structure and/or between said perovskite layer and said counter electrode. for example, the solar cell comprises one or more selected from an intermediate layer and an electric contact and/or metal oxide layer. according to a preferred embodiment, the solar cell of the invention comprises one or more intermediate layer, wherein said one or more said intermediate layer is provided between said one or more perovskite layer and said counter electrode and/or metal layer. preferably, said intermediate layer comprises one or more selected from (a) a hole transport material and (b) a protective and/or metal oxide layer, (c) an ionic liquid. preferably, on one of its two sides and/or surfaces, in particular the side oriented towards said first side of said solar cell, said intermediate layer is in electric contact with said perovskite layer. preferably, said intermediate layer is in direct or physical contact with said perovskite layer. on the other side, preferably facing said second side of said solar cell, said intermediate layer is preferably in electric contact with said counter electrode. preferably, said intermediate layer is in direct physical contact with said counter electrode. by "hole transport material", "hole transporting material", "charge transporting material", "organic hole transport material" and "inorganic hole transport material", and the like, is meant any material or composition wherein charges are transported by electron or hole movement (electronic motion) across said material or composition. the "hole transport material" is thus an electrically conductive material. such hole transport materials, etc., are different from electrolytes. in the latter, charges are transported by diffusion of molecules. according to a preferred embodiment of the solar cell of the invention, said intermediate layer comprises a hole transport material selected from organic and inorganic hole transport materials. according to a preferred embodiment, said intermediate layer comprises an organic hole transport material. preferably, the solar cell of the invention comprises an organic hole transport material, situated between said one or more perovskite layer and said counter electrode. the skilled person is aware of a large variety of organic hole transport materials, such as the conducting polymers disclosed elsewhere in this specification. for example, in wo2007107961, liquid and non-liquid organic hole conductors are disclosed, which may be used for the purpose of the present invention. also in ep 1160888 and other publications such as hsu et al., phys. chem. chem. phys., 2012, 14, 14099-14109, organic hole transport materials ("organic electrically conducting agent") are disclosed. preferred hole transport materials for the purpose of the present invention are spiro- ometad (2,2 7,7'-tetrakis-n,n-di-p-methoxyphenylamine-9,9'-spirobifluorene) and ptaa (poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine]). it is noted that the term "organic" in expressions "organic hole transport material", "organic hole transport layer", "organic charge transport material" and the like does not exclude the presence of further components. further components may be selected from (a) one or more dopants, (b) one or more solvents, (c) one or more other additives such as ionic compounds, and (d) combinations of the aforementioned components, for example. in the organic charge transport material, such further components may be present in amounts of 0-30wt. , 0- 20wt.%, 0-10wt.%, most preferably 0-5wt.%. examples of ionic compounds that may be present in organic hole transport materials are tbapf 6 , nacf 3 s0 3 , licf 3 s0 3 , lic10 4 and li[(cf 3 s0 2 ) 2 n. according to another embodiment, the intermediate layer comprises and/or consists essentially of an inorganic hole transport material. a wide variety of inorganic hole transport materials is commercially available. non-limiting examples of inorganic hole transport materials are cuncs, cul, nio, cua10 2 and cssni 3 . the inorganic hole transport material may or may not be doped and may be mixed with an organic hole transport material as described above. according to an embodiment, the intermediate layer, for example said organic or inorganic hole transport material, removes holes from the perovskite material and/or provides new electrons from the counter electrode to the sensitizer. in other terms, the hole transport material transports electrons from the counter electrode to the perovskite material layer. the intermediate layer be comprise and/or consist essentially of a protective layer. according to an embodiment, the protective layer preferably comprises a metal oxide. in particular, the protective layer may comprise or consist essentially of a material selected from mg-oxide, hf-oxide, ga-oxide, in-oxide, nb-oxide, ti-oxide, ta-oxide, y-oxide and zr-oxide. ga-oxide is a preferred material for said protective layer. the protective layer preferably has a thickness of not more than 5 nm, preferably 4 nm or less, even more preferably 3 nm or less, and most preferably 2 nm or less. according to preferred embodiments, the protective layer has a thickness of 1.5 nm or less, and even 1 nm or less. said metal "protective layer" is preferably a "buffer layer". according to an embodiment, of the solar cell and/or heterojunction of the invention said protective layer is provided by atomic layer deposition (ald). for example, 2 to 7 layers are deposited by ald so as to provide said protective layer. accordingly, said protective layer is preferably a metal oxide multilayer. according to an embodiment, the protective layer is as disclosed in wo 2013084029 al, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. according to another embodiment, the intermediate layer is an ionic liquid or and ionic melt. exemplary liquids and melts are disclosed in ep1819005 and wo2009/083901a1. according to another embodiment, the intermediate layer is absent and said counter electrode and/or metal layer is in direct contact with said perovskite layer and/or not separated by any further layer or medium from said perovskite layer. according to a preferred embodiment, the solar cell of the invention comprises an underlayer and/or metal oxide layer. preferably, the underlayer is provided between the current collector (on said first side) and said surface-increasing structure. preferably, the underlayer and/or metal oxide layer is conductive. the underlayer is preferably made from a dense or compact semiconductor material and is thus also referred to as dense or compact semiconductor layer. the underlayer may facilitate the application of the surface increasing layer. said underlayer and/or metal oxide layer preferably has a thickness of 1-120 nm (nanometer), preferably 5 to 110 nm, even more preferably 6 to 105 nm, most preferably 10 to 100 nm, in particular 10-60 nm. the underlayer may be applied, for example, by atomic layer deposition (ald). in this case, the thickness of this layer is preferably 1 nm to 25 nm, more preferably 5 nm to 20 nm. the underlayer may also be deposited by spray pyrolysis or by a printing process, for example in this case, the thickness is preferably from 10 nm to 120 nm, preferably 20 to 100 nm, for example. the underlayer may comprise the same semiconductor material, doped or non-doped, as disclosed with respect to the surface increasing structure elsewhere in this specification. the underlayer may be selected from materials independently from the surface increasing structure. preferably, the underlayer does not contain a doped material, or contains a material that is not doped to the same extent or in the same manner as the doped semiconductor material that is preferably comprised in the surface increasing layer. preferably, underlayer is conducting and/or a semiconductor. according to another embodiment, the underlayer comprises or consists of a material selected, independently, from the same doped materials as specified with respect to the surface-increasing structure. according to an embodiment, the underlayer comprises, with respect to the elemental composition, the same material as the surface increasing structure. preferably, the underlayer is not doped but otherwise comprises the same semiconductor material as the surface-increasing layer/doped semiconductor material. preferably, the underlayer comprises or consists of tic^, preferably non-doped. according to an embodiment, the underlayer is preferably a dense or compact layer, in contrast or compared to the surface increasing layer. accordingly, the material in the underlayer is denser than in the surface increasing layer. preferably, the underlayer does not result in such a significant increase of the surface as in case of the surface increasing layer. schematically, the solar cell of the invention preferably comprises at least three or more of the following layers, preferably in this order and/or direction from a first side (7) to a second side (8) of the device. reference numerals are found in figures 3 a to 3 g: (12) an optional support layer; (2) a current collector layer; (10) an optional underlayer; (3) a surface increasing structure; (4) a perovskite layer; (4.1-4.n) optional n further perovskite layers, n being 0 or an integer of 1 to 10; (5) an optional intermediate layer; (6) a counter electrode; (2.2) an optional current collector layer: (12.2) an optional support layer. the following preferred embodiments comprise the layers, structures and or components as specified, in the indicated order from the first side 7 to the second side 8 of the device: below, embodiments #1 to #32 of solar cells of the invention are listed. these embodiments comprise or consist essentially of the layers as specified by the respective reference numeral, preferably in the indicated order from the first side to the second side of the device. #1: (2)-(3)-(4)-(6) (fig. 3 a); #2: (2)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6) (fig. 3 b); #3: (2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(6); #4: (12)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(6) (fig. 3 c); #5: (2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6) (fig. 3 d); #6: (12)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6); #7: (12)-(2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(6) (fig. 3 e); #8: (12)-(2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6); #9: (2)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(2.2) #10 (2)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(12.2) (fig. 3 f); #11 (2)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(2.2) #12 (2)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(12.2); #13 (2)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(2.2)-(12.2) (fig. 3 g); #14 (2)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(2.2)-(12.2); #15 (12)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(2.2) #16 (12)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(12.2); #17 (12)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(2.2) #18 (12)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(12.2); #19 (12)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(2.2)-(12.2); #20 (12)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(2.2)-(12.2); #21: (2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(2.2) #22: (2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(12.2); #23 (2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)- (2.2) #24: (2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(12.2); #25 (2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(2.2)-(12.2); #26 (2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(2.2)-(12.2); #27 (12)-(2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(2.2) #28 (12)-(2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(12.2); #29 (12)-(2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(2.2) #30 (12)-(2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(12.2); #31 (12)-(2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(6)-(2.2)-(12.2); #32 (12)-(2)-(10)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6)-(2.2)-(12.2). the 32 embodiments depicted above do not preclude the presence of further optional layers, for example between the layers mentioned above, as may be deemed useful. such additional layers may physically separate otherwise adjacent layers. for example, additional protective layers may be present, for example between the surface-increasing structure and the perovskite layer. the direction from the first side to the second side of the solar cells of the invention, exemplified by (2)— >(3)— >(4)— >(6) (embodiment #1) is preferably the direction of the flow of holes in the solar cell of the invention, whereas the electrons flow in the opposed direction. the method of the invention comprises the step of applying one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layer on said surface increasing structure. the perovskite layer may be applied by any suitable process. according to an embodiment, the one or more perovskite layers are applied by any one or a combination of drop casting, spin-coating, dip-coating, curtain- coating, spray-coating, ink jet coating, and slot die coating for example. according to an embodiment, the method of the invention comprises or consists essentially of the steps of providing a conducting and/or current collector layer, applying a surface- increasing structure on said current collector layer and/or on an optional underlayer provided on said current collector layer; applying one or more organic-inorganic perovskite layer on said surface-increasing structure; and, applying a counter electrode. preferably, these steps are conducted in this order, with further or other steps being conducted before, after, in between and/or in parallel to these steps, without changing the order of the steps. if the solar cell comprises an intermediate layer, such as an organic hole transport material, the intermediate layer is preferably applied onto said perovskite layer and/or before applying said counter electrode. herein below, for the purpose of illustration, several preferred embodiments of solar cells of the invention are discussed with reference to the schematic drawings shown in figures 3 a to 3 g. these figures do not limit the scope of this invention, which is defined by the appended claims. as the figures are not drawn to scale, they are not suitable to illustrate the actual or relative thickness of the layers and components. however, the figures illustrate the sequence and/or positions of layers, and also show possibilities of combining layers in the solar cell of the invention. unless further layers are present, the figures also show which layer is in physical contact with which other layer. figures 3 a to 3 g show exemplary solar cells 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 of the present invention. the same layers have the same reference numbers throughout these figures. the solar cell shown in figure 3 a is encompassed by embodiment #1 disclosed above. reference numeral 2 represents a current collector and/or a conductive layer. one side of said current collector 2 is oriented towards the bottom and/or outside of the cell and thus forms the first side 7 of the solar cell. the surface increasing structure 3 is provided on said current collector 2. in the preferred embodiments, the surface increasing structure comprises or consists of a doped semiconductor material, such as doped tic^. reference numeral 4 represents the perovskite layer, which is in direct contact with and/or on the surface increasing layer 3. the counter electrode 6, which may exemplary be made from a metal, provides the upper or second side 8 of the solar cell, oriented to the outside of the cell. towards the inside, the counter electrode 6 is in direct contact with the perovskite layer 4. an intermediate layer 5 is absent in the solar cell shown in figure 3 a. the perovskite layer 4 serves as light absorber and as charge transport material. upon illumination, electrons are exited in the perovskite layer and injected into the doped semiconductor material of the surface increasing structure 3. from there, the electrons are pushed via the current collector 2 to an external circuit (not shown). new electrons are taken from the external circuit (not shown) connected to the counter electrode 6, which injects the electrons into the perovskite layer 4, thereby closing the electric circuit. the embodiment shown in figure 3 b shows solar cell 1.1, encompassed by embodiment #2 above. this cell differs from the embodiment of figure 3 a in that an additional intermediate layer 5 is provided between said perovskite layer 4 and said counter electrode 6. preferably, the intermediate layer is a hole transport material, such as an organic hole transport material, and transports holes from the perovskite layer 4 to the counter electrode 6. the embodiment shown in figure 3 c shows a solar cell 1.2 that differs from the embodiment of figure 3 a in that a support layer 12 is provided. layer 12 is preferably transparent. it forms the border to the outside at the first side 7 of the solar cell. current collector 2 and support layer 12 together may form a conducting glass or plastic layer 13, such as fto-glass, and the like. the solar cell 1.3 shown in figure 3 d comprises an electric contact and/or metal oxide layer 10, between the current collector layer 2 and the surface increasing layer 3. at this occasion, it is mentioned that the surface increasing layer may not completely cover said underlayer 10, so that the perovskite layer may come in contact with said underlayer. the electric contact/dense semiconductor layer 10 may be applied onto the current collector layer as described elsewhere in this specification, and surface increasing structure 3 is applied onto the underlayer 10. solar cell 1.4 shown in figure 3 e (embodiment #7 above) comprises a transparent support layer 12, forming a conductive support layer 13 together with current collector 2. an underlayer 10 and an intermediate layer 5 are present. the intermediate layer preferably comprises an organic hole transport material. this embodiment thus combines structures described in figures 3 a to 3 d above. the schematic construction shown in figure 3 e corresponds to the solar cell described in the examples further below. figure 3 f shows solar cell 1.5, which comprises a support layer 12.2 on the top of the cell. figure 3 g shows solar cell 1.6 comprising a support layer 12.2 as shown in figure 3 f, wherein a current collector layer 2.2 is present between the support layer 12.2 and the counter electrode 6. a conductive support layer 13.2, for example made from conductive plastic or conductive glass is present on the second side 8 of this solar side. the present invention will now be further illustrated by way of experimental examples. these examples do not limit the scope of this invention, which is defined by the appended claims. examples: solar cell preparation procedure 0.5 y-tio 2 was obtained as described in by chandiran et al. j. phys. chem. c. 2011, 115, 9232-9240. a precursor solution of perovskite was prepared by mixing ch 3 nh 3 i and pbl 2 at a 1: 1 mole ratio in gbl at 60°c for 12h, which was used for the in situ formation of ch 3 nh 3 pm 3 . fluorine-doped tin oxide (fto) conductive glass (tec 7, νω/sq, pilkington) was cleaned with 2% hellmanex® aqueous solution, acetone, and ethanol, respectively. a 10 nm compact ti0 2 layer was deposited by atomic layer deposition. the mesoporous film was prepared by spin-coating the ti0 2 or 0.5 y-tio 2 paste at 2000 rpm for 30 s, which was then sintered at 500°c for 30 min in air. the prepared perovskite precursor solution was dropped on the semiconductor surface, spin-coating at 1500 rpm for 30 s in a dry air box. the film coated on the ti0 2 or 0.5 y-tio 2 changed its color with annealing under air for 10 min at 100°c, indicating the formation of ch 3 nh 3 pbi 3 . a mixture consisting of 0.06 m (2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(n,n-di-p-methoxyphenyl amine)-9,9- spirobifluorene) (spiro-ometad), 0.03 m lithium bis (trifluoro methyl sulfonyl)imide (litfsi), 0.2 m 4-tert-butylpyridine (tbp), and 1% of fk209 co dopant in chlorobenzene, was spin-coated on the top of the perovskite layer with the spin speed of 4000 rpm. finally, 70 nm of gold was deposited as the electrical back contact by thermal evaporation under a pressure of 5 x 10 "6 torr. methodology for photovoltaic characterization the current-voltage characteristics were measured by applying an external potential bias to the device, and recording the generated photocurrent with a keithley model 2400 digital source meter. a 450 w xenon lamp (oriel) was used as the light source, equipped with a schott k133 tempax sunlight filter to reduce the mismatch between the simulated light and am 1.5g standard. ipce spectra were measured with a 300 w xenon lamp (ilc technology). the light passed through a gemini- 180 double monochromator (jobin yvon ltd) before illuminating onto the device. the spectra were recorded with a keithley 2400 source meter under a constant white light bias of around 5 mw/cm . both were measured by using a mask with an area of 0.285 cm . comparative example a prior art photovoltaic device with a ti0 2 photoanode based on the structure fto/10 nm compact ti0 2 / mesoporous ti0 2 / ch 3 nh 3 pbi 3 / spiro-ometad/ au was constructed based on above solar cell preparation procedure. the open squares in figure 1 show the current- voltage i-v characteristics measured under am 1.5g illumination (100 mw/cm ) and the open squares in figure 2 the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (ipce) spectrum of the corresponding heterojunction solar cell.. example in accordance with an embodiment of the invention a photovoltaic device according to the present invention with a 0.5 y-tio 2 photoanode based on the structure fto/lonm compact t1o 2 / mesoporous 0.5 y-tio 2 / ch 3 nh 3 pm 3 / spiro-ometad/ au was constructed based on above solar cell preparation procedure. the closed squares in figure 1 show the current- voltage i-v characteristics measured under am 1.5g illumination (100 mw/cm ) and the closed squares in figure 2 the incident photo-to- current conversion efficiency (ipce) spectrum of the corresponding heterojunction solar cell. figure 1 and table 1 shows that devices according to the present invention show particularly high photocurrents. figure 2 reveals that increased device performance occurs over a large fraction of the visible light spectrum. doping of ti0 2 and other large band gap semiconductors is largely used to extend the photoresponse in photocatalysis and in photoelectrochemical devices (dou et al., chem. mater., 2011, 23, 3938-3945, hong et al., j. solid state chem., 2011, 184, 2244-2249). however, y-doping of ti0 2 results in only a relatively minor extension of light absorption into the visible part of the spectrum (chandiran et al. j. phys. chem. c. 2011, 115, 9232-9240). hence the increase of the photoresponse over virtually the entire visible spectrum is unexpected and not due to the same mechanisms as with photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical devices according to prior art. table 1: photovoltaic characteristic of perovskite based devices based on ti0 2 and 0.5%y- photoanode sun jsc (ma/cm2) voc (mv) ff pce (%) material intensity ti0 2 1 sun 15.8 942 0.70 10.5 0.5%y-tio 2 1 sun 18.1 945 0.66 11.2
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077-754-164-963-298
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JP
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[
"US",
"JP"
] |
G03G13/20,G03G15/00,G03G15/01,G03G15/20
| 1996-04-10T00:00:00 |
1996
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[
"G03"
] |
image forming apparatus and fixing device therefor
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in an image forming apparatus, a fixing device fixes a toner image transferred to a sheet, but held in an unstable state, temporarily on the sheet by a johnson rahbeck effect. the fixed image firmly adhere to the sheet and is free from disturbance or suffers from a minimum of disturbance.
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1. a method of fixing a toner image on a recording medium by using a johnson rahbeck effect, wherein the johnson rahbeck effect is provided by a conductive electrode contacting a rear of the recording medium carrying the toner image on a front and an array of conductive needle electrodes adjoining, but spaced from, said front such that a current flows between said conductive electrode and said array via a gap. 2. a method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the current is derived from one of an ac voltage, a dc voltage, and an ac biased dc voltage. 3. a method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the toner image is formed on the recording medium by a developing liquid. 4. a method of fixing a toner image on a recording medium by using a johnson rahbeck effect, wherein the johnson rahbeck effect is provided by a conductive electrode contacting a rear of the recording medium carrying the toner image on a front and a conductive flat electrode having a wedge-like cross section, and wherein an edge of said flat electrode adjoins, but is spaced from, said front such that a current flows between said conductive electrode and said flat electrode via a gap. 5. a method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the current is derived from one of an ac voltage, a dc voltage, and an ac biased dc voltage. 6. a method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the toner image is formed on the recording medium by a developing liquid. 7. a method of fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium, comprising the steps of: (a) fixing the toner image temporarily on the recording medium by using a johnson rahbeck effect; and (b) fixing the toner image on the recording medium by fusion; wherein step (a) comprises (c) causing a conductive electrode to contact a rear of the recording medium carrying the toner image on a front, (d) locating an array of conductive needle electrodes in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, said front, and (e) causing a current to flow between said conductive electrode and said array via a gap, whereby the johnson rahbeck effect is provided. 8. a method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the toner image is formed on the recording medium by one of development using a developing liquid or development using a dry developer. 9. a method as claimed in claim 7, wherein in step (e) the current is derived from one of an ac voltage, a dc voltage, and an ac biased dc voltage. 10. a method of fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium, comprising the steps of: (a) fixing the toner image temporarily on the recording medium by using a johnson rahbeck effect; and (b) fixing the toner image on the recording medium by fusion; wherein step (a) comprises (c) causing a conductive electrode to contact a rear of the recording medium carrying the toner image on a front, (d) locating an edge of a conductive flat electrode having a wedge-like cross-section in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, said front, and (e) causing a current to flow between said conductive electrode and said flat electrode via a gap, whereby the johnson rahbeck effect is provided. 11. a method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the toner image is formed on the recording medium by one of development using a developing liquid or development using a dry developer. 12. a method as claimed in claim 10, wherein in step (e) the current is derived from one of an ac voltage, a dc voltage, and an ac biased dc voltage. 13. a method of fixing a plurality of toner images sequentially formed on a single recording medium, comprising the steps of: (a) fixing, by using a johnson rahbeck effect, each toner image temporarily on the recording medium every time the toner image is formed on the recording medium; and (b) fixing, after fixing a last toner image temporarily, all toner images on the recording medium by fusion; wherein step (a) comprises (c) causing a conductive electrode to contact a rear of the recording medium carrying the toner image on a front, (d) locating an array of conductive needle electrodes in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, said front, and (e) causing a current to flow between said conductive electrode and said array via a gap, whereby the johnson rahbeck effect is provided. 14. a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein in step (e) the current is derived from one of an ac voltage, a dc voltage, and an ac biased dc voltage. 15. a method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the toner image is formed on the recording medium by one of development using a developing liquid or development using a dry developer. 16. a method of fixing a plurality of toner images sequentially formed on a single recording medium, comprising the steps of: (a) fixing, by using a johnson rahbeck effect, each toner image temporarily on the recording medium every time the toner image is formed on the recording medium; and (b) fixing, after fixing a last toner image temporarily, all toner images on the recording medium by fusion; wherein step (a) comprises (c) causing a conductive electrode to contact a rear of the recording medium carrying the toner image on a front, (d) locating an edge of a conductive flat electrode having a wedge-like cross section in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, said front, and (e) causing a current to flow between said conductive electrode and said flat electrode via a gap, whereby the johnson rahbeck effect is provided. 17. a method as claimed in claim 16, wherein in step (e) the current is derived from one of an ac voltage, a dc voltage, and an ac biased dc voltage. 18. a method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the toner image is formed on the recording medium by one of development using a developing liquid or development using a dry developer. 19. a method of fixing a toner image on a recording medium by using a johnson rahbeck effect, wherein the johnson rahbeck effect is provided by a conductive electrode contacting a rear of the recording medium carrying the toner image on a front and a conductive member adjoining, but spaced from, said front such that a current flows between said conductive electrode and said conductive member via a gap. 20. a method as claimed in claim 19, wherein said conductive member is selected from the group consisting of a conductive roller and a conductive brush. 21. a method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the toner image is formed on the recording medium by a developing liquid. 22. a method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the current is derived from one of an ac voltage, a dc voltage, and an ac biased dc voltage. 23. a method of fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium, comprising the steps of: (a) fixing the toner image temporarily on the recording medium by using a johnson rahbeck effect; and (b) fixing the toner image on the recording medium by fusion; wherein step (a) comprises (c) causing a conductive electrode to contact a rear of the recording medium carrying the toner image on a front, (d) locating a conductive member in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, said front, and (e) causing a current to flow between said conductive electrode and said conductive member via a gap, whereby the johnson rahbeck effect is provided. 24. a method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said conductive member is selected from the group consisting of a conductive roller and a conductive brush. 25. a method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the toner image is formed on the recording medium by one of development using a liquid or development using a dry developer. 26. a method as claimed in claim 24, wherein in step (d) the current is derived from one of an ac voltage, a dc voltage, and an ac biased dc voltage. 27. a method of fixing a plurality of toner images sequentially formed on a single recording medium, comprising the steps of: (a) fixing, by using a johnson rahbeck effect, each toner image temporarily on the recording medium every time the toner image is formed on the recording medium; and (b) fixing, after fixing a last toner image temporarily, all toner images on the recording medium by fusion; wherein step (a) comprises (c) causing a conductive electrode to contact a rear of the recording medium carrying the toner image on a front, (d) locating a conductive member in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, said front, and (e) causing a current to flow between said conductive electrode and said conductive member via a gap, whereby the johnson rahbeck effect is provided. 28. a method as claimed in claim 27, wherein said conductive member is selected from the group consisting of a conductive roller and a conductive brush. 29. a method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the toner image is formed on the recording medium by a developing liquid. 30. a method as claimed in claim 28, wherein in step (d) the current is derived from one of an ac voltage, a dc voltage, and an ac biased dc voltage.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and, more particularly, to a fixing device therefor. 2. discussion of the background an image forming process of the kind electrostatically forming a latent image on an image carrier, developing the latent image to produce a corresponding toner image, and fixing the toner image on a sheet or similar recording medium has been customary with an analog or a digital copier, optical printer, electrostatic printer or similar image forming apparatus. the prerequisite with this kind of process is that the toner image be surely fixed on the sheet; otherwise, the toner image would come off the sheet easily when physically rubbed against some member. generally, the latent image is developed by either one of a system using a dry or powdery developer and a system using a developing liquid. some toner applicable to the system using a developing liquid is capable of firmly adhering to the sheet without resorting to fixation. usually, however, the toner, whether it be dry or wet, must be fixed by fusion. even the toner not needing fixation remains unstable until a toner image formed on the sheet has been dried and firmly adhered to the sheet. during this period, it is likely that the toner image is disfigured. summary of the invention it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fixing device capable of surely fixing a toner image on a recording medium. it is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming unit including a fixing device capable of surely fixing a toner image on a recording medium. in accordance with the present invention, a method of fixing a toner image on a recording medium fixes the toner image by using a johnson rahbeck effect. also, in accordance with the present invention, a method of fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium includes the steps of fixing the toner image temporarily on the recording medium by using the johnson rahbeck effect, and fixing the toner image on the recording medium by fusion. further, in accordance with the present invention, a device of fixing a toner image on a recording medium has at least one preliminary fixing section arranged on a sheet transport path, for fixing a toner image temporarily on the recording medium by the johnson rahbeck effect, and a fixing section for fixing at least one toner image undergone preliminary fixation by fusion. moreover, in accordance with the present invention, an image forming unit includes an image carrier. a latent image forming section electrostatically forms a latent image on the image carrier in accordance with image data. a developing section develops the latent image to thereby produce a corresponding toner image. a transferring section transfers the toner image from the image carrier to a recording medium. a preliminary fixing section fixes the toner image temporarily on the recording medium by the johnson rahbeck effect. brief description of the drawings the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings in which: figs. 1a and 1b are views for describing the principle of the present invention and a fixing method embodying the present invention; figs. 2, 3a and 3b show a fixing device also embodying the present invention; figs. 4-8 show embodiments of the fixing method of the present invention; figs. 9-11 show other embodiments of the fixing device of the present invention; fig. 12 shows an image forming unit also embodying the present invention; and figs. 13 and 14 show image forming apparatuses also embodying the present invention. in the drawings, identical reference numerals designate identical structural elements. description of the preferred embodiments the principle of the present invention will be described first. a fixing method of the present invention is characterized in that it fixes a toner image on a sheet or similar recording medium by using a johnson rahbeck effect. assume that fine conductive particles are carried on a support in a layer, and that a current is forced to flow through the layer and support in the thicknesswise direction. then, a noticeable voltage drop occurs at the interface between the support and the layer and the interface between the particles within the layer due to contact resistance, forming electric double layers at the interfaces. as a result, the support and particles and the particles themselves firmly adhere to each other due to electrostatic forces. this phenomenon is referred to as the johnson and rahbeck effect. as shown in fig. 1a, assume that a conductive roller or counter electrode 2 contacts the rear of a sheet or support 1 carrying a toner image 10 on its front on a sheet transport path, and that a corona charger 22 effects corona discharge in front of the sheet 1. then, a current is forced to flow in the widthwise direction of the sheet 1 via the toner image 10. consequently, as fig. 1b models, positive and negative charges accumulate at the interface between toner or fine particles 10a and the sheet 1 and the interface between the fine particles 10a. this causes intense electrostatic coupling forces to act between the particles 10a and between the particles 10a and the sheet 1. as a result, the particles 10a intensely cohere and firmly adhere to the sheet 1. this can be used to fix the toner image 10 on the sheet 1. even when the toner image 10 is formed by a developing liquid consisting of toner and a dielectric liquid, the johnson rahbeck effect is also available. if the volume resistivity of the support and that of the toner are low, the above charges cancel each other and disappear in a short period of time, causing the adhesion based on the johnson and rahbeck effect to be lost. however, because the sheet and toner usually have a volume resistivity as high as 10.sup.-8 .omega.cm to 10.sup.-12 .omega.cm each, the adhesion and cohesion based on the johnson and rahbeck effect continues over a relatively long period of time. even when the toner image is formed on the sheet by the toner of a developing liquid not needing fixation, as mentioned earlier, it can be fixed on the sheet by the johnson and rahbeck effect. specifically, when the toner image formed by such a kind of toner is fixed on the sheet, the intense adhesion derived from the above effect obviates disturbance to the image and other defects while the toner image is unstable, i.e., until it firmly adheres to the sheet due to the evaporation and drying of the liquid. when the toner, whether it be wet or dry, forming the toner image on the sheet needs fixation, it may be sequentially fixed by a preliminary fixing step using the johnson and rahbeck effect and a fixing step using fusion. assume that a plurality of toner images are sequentially formed on a single sheet one above the other, as in a multicolor mode, color mode, or image combination mode. then, the preliminary fixing step using the johnson and rahbeck effect may be executed every time one toner image is formed on the sheet. in such a case, after the last toner image has undergone preliminary fixation, all the toner images will be collectively fixed by fusion; that is, the fixation may be implemented as one or more preliminary fixing steps and a single fixing step or fusing step. this can be done with any one of the dry toner and wet toner. some different configurations are available for achieving the johnson and rahbeck effect, as follows. in a first configuration, a conductive electrode is held in contact with the rear of a sheet carrying a toner image on its front, while a conductive roller is held in contact with the front of the sheet. in this condition, a current is caused to flow between the conductive electrode and the conductive roller. in a second configuration, while the conductive electrode is held in contact with the rear of the sheet, corona discharge is effected at the front of the sheet. in a third configuration, while the conductive electrode is held in contact with the rear of the sheet, a conductive roller is located in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, the front of the sheet; a current is caused to flow between the conductive electrode and the conductive roller via a gap. in a fourth configuration, while the conductive electrode is held in contact with the rear of the sheets, an array of conductive needle electrodes are located in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, the front of the sheet; a current is caused to flow between the conductive electrode and the array via a gap. in a fifth configuration, while the conductive electrode is held in contact with the rear of the sheet, the edge of a conductive flat electrode having a wedge-like cross-section is located in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, the front of the sheet; a current is caused to flow between the conductive electrode and the flat electrode via a gap. in a sixth configuration, while the conductive electrode is held in contact with the rear of the sheet, the end of a conductive brush is located in the vicinity of, but at a distance from, the front of the sheet; a current is caused to flow between the conductive electrode and the conductive brush via a gap. the current may be derived from any one of an ac voltage, dc voltage and ac-biased dc voltage. to form the toner image on the sheet, the toner image formed on the image carrier may be transferred to the sheet either directly or by way of an intermediate transfer medium. alternatively, the latent image may be transferred to the sheet and then developed. further, the latent image may be directly formed on the sheet by, e.g., selective charging using an array of needle electrodes, and then developed. fig. 1a shows a fixing method in accordance with the present invention. as shown, a conductive electrode in the form of a roller 2 contacts and rolls on the rear of a sheet 1 carrying a toner image 10 on its front and being conveyed along a preselected path. a corona charger 22 charges the sheet 1 at the front side by corona discharge, so that a current is forced to flow in the thicknesswise direction of the sheet 1 via the toner image 10. as a result, the toner image 10 is firmly adhered to the sheet 1 by the johnson rahbeck effect. as long as toner particles constituting the toner image 10 are of the kind not needing fusion, the above adhesion suffices. specifically, during an unstable period up to the time when the toner image 10 firmly adheres to the sheet 1 due to drying, the johnson rahbeck effect insures the adhesion of the image 10 to the sheet 1 and thereby obviates disturbance to the image 10 and other defects effectively. a usual non-coated sheet used as a recording medium has gaps of about several ten microns between fibers, as measured on its surface. the non-coated sheet has a volume resistivity of about 10.sup.-8 .omega.cm to 10.sup.-12 .omega.cm, as stated earlier. further, the toner has a particle size of several microns to several ten microns. under these conditions, the johnson rahbeck effect is exhibited to a desirable extent. fig. 2 shows a basic arrangement of a fixing device embodying the present invention. as shown, the conductive roller 2 and corona charger 22 face each other with the intermediary of the sheet 1, and operate in the manner described with reference to fig. 1a. the roller 2 and corona charger 22 constitute a preliminary fixing section. with the corona charger 22, it is possible to causes a current to flow uniformly in the widthwise direction of the sheet 1, i.e., the direction parallel to the sheet surface and perpendicular to the direction of sheet feed indicated by an arrow in fig. 2. a pair of rollers 3 are positioned downstream of the cooperative roller 2 and corona charger 22 in the direction of sheet transport. the rollers 3 constitute a fixing section in combination and convey the sheet 1 by nipping it therebetween. one roller 3 contacting the front of the sheet 1 is a heat roller while the other roller 3 contacting the rear of the sheet 1 is a press roller. the rollers 3 heat and press the sheet 1 and toner image 10 carried thereon, thereby fixing the image 10 on the sheet 1 by fusion. any suitable conventional means, not shown, may be used to convey the sheet 1. when an image carrier is implemented as a photoconductive drum, the fixing section following the preliminary fixing section cannot, in many cases, be located in the vicinity of the drum. in such a case, the sheet 1 with the toner image 10 is often conveyed over a substantial distance between an image transfer section to the fixing section. in this condition, it is likely that the unstable toner image is disfigured due to, e.g., its contact with various members while the sheet 1 is conveyed over the above distance. the preliminary fixing section shown in fig. 2 fixes the toner image 10 temporarily on the sheet and thereby reduces or obviates the disturbance to the toner image 10 effectively. figs. 3a and 3b show the basic configuration of another embodiment of the present invention. as shown in fig. 3a, the embodiment includes a transfer belt 7 implemented by an about several ten microns thick film of polyester or similar resin. the transfer belt 7 forms a part of a sheet transport path. the sheet 1 is guided by guides 73 toward the belt 7 from below the belt 7, as viewed in fig. 3a. when the sheet 1 touches down at the lower end portion of the right run of the belt 7, as viewed in fig. 3a, the belt 7 guides the sheet 1 upward. the belt 7 is passed over a driven pulley 71 and a drive pulley 72. the drive pulley 72 is rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in fig. 3a, in order to drive the belt 7 counterclockwise. photoconductive drums or image carriers 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d are sequentially arranged from the bottom to the top, as viewed in fig. 3a, at predetermined intervals at the right-hand side of the belt 7. transfer chargers 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are respectively located to face the drums 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d with the intermediary of the belt 7. four preliminary fixing sections 200a, 200b, 200c and 200d are sequentially arranged along the belt or sheet transport path 7. the preliminary fixing sections 200a-200d are respectively positioned downstream of the drums 4a-4d with respect to the direction in which the belt 7 runs. the heat roller 3 and press roller 3 constituting the fixing section are located in the vicinity of the upper end of the belt 7. because the preliminary fixing sections 200a-200d are identical in construction, let the following description concentrate on the section 200b by way of example. as shown in fig. 3b, the preliminary fixing section 200b has a conductive roller or electrode 2b and a corona charger 22b. the conductive roller 2b rolls on the rear of the belt 7 while the corona charger 22b faces the roller 2b with the intermediary of the belt 7. when the sheet 1 touches down at the belt 7, the belt 7 conveys the sheet 1 to a first image transfer position where a transfer charger 5a is located. the transfer charger 5a transfers a magenta toner image from the drum 4a to the sheet 1. then, the preliminary fixing section 200a fixes the toner image temporarily on the sheet 1 by the johnson rahbeck effect. when the sheet 1 is brought to a second image transfer position by the belt 7, a cyan toner image is transferred from the drum 4b to the sheet 1 over the magenta toner image. subsequently, as shown in fig. 3b, the corona charger 22b included at the second preliminary fixing section 200b fixes the cyan toner image on the sheet 1 by corona discharge. in the same manner, a yellow toner image is transferred from the image carrier 4c to the sheet 1 at a third image transfer position, and is then temporarily fixed by the third preliminary fixing section 200c. finally, a black toner image is transferred from the drum 4d to the sheet at a fourth image transfer position, and is then temporarily fixed by the fourth preliminary fixing section 200d. thereafter, the sheet 1 is separated from the belt 7 and has its composite or color toner image fixed thereon by the rollers or fixing section 3. in the illustrative embodiment, a current for the preliminary fixation is caused to flow through the belt 7. in this respect, the belt 7 should preferably be formed of a material having a medium resistance, i.e., 10.sup.13 .omega.cm or below. this embodiment is advantageous over the conventional fixing system fixing a toner image by fusion every time it is transferred at each of the first to fourth image transfer positions, as follows. because the conventional system repeats fusion four consecutive times, it needs a great amount of energy for fixation. by contrast, the embodiment effects fusion only once for four consecutive times of image transfer, needing a minimum of energy for fixation. moreover, fusion effected for each image transfer is apt to disfigure the image due to pressure. in the illustrative embodiment, the preliminary fixation causes no members to contact the image, and therefore reduces the disturbance to the image effectively. in addition, in the conventional system, the water content of the sheet varies due to fusion and makes it difficult to control image transfer parameters at the subsequent image transfer stage. it is to be noted if the fourth image transfer position assigned to the drum 4d is brought closer to the roller pair or fixing section 3, the fourth preliminary fixing section 200d is omissible. reference will be made to figs. 4-11 for describing other alternative embodiments of the present invention. as shown in fig. 4, the conductive roller or electrode 2 rolls on the rear of the sheet 1 being conveyed while another conductive roller 21 rolls on the front of the sheet 1 carrying the toner image 10. a current is caused to flow between the two rollers 2 and 21 in order to cause the johnson rahbeck effect to occur. in this case, a part of the toner deposits on the roller 21 contacting the front of the sheet 1. in order to reduce the toner to deposit on the roller 21 and to facilitate the removal of such toner, it may be desirable to form the roller 21 of a material having low surface energy and/or to clean the roller 21 by use of a blade, urethan roller or similar cleaning means. the embodiment shown in fig. 5 is similar to the embodiment of fig. 4 except that a conductive roller 23 is substituted for the conductive roller 21. as shown, the roller 23 is spaced from the sheet 10 being conveyed. a current is caused to flow between the rollers 2 and 23 via the gap existing between them, causing the johnson rahbeck effect to occur. because the roller 23 does not contact the toner image, it does not disturb the toner image at all in the event of preliminary fixation. the embodiment shown in fig. 6 is similar to the embodiment of fig. 5 except that conductive needle electrodes 24 (only one is visible) are substituted for the roller 23. the needle electrodes 24 are arranged in an array in the widthwise direction of the sheet 1, i.e., perpendicularly to the sheet surface of fig. 6. the tips of the needle electrodes 24 are spaced from the sheet 1 being conveyed. a current is caused to flow between the conductive roller 2 and the needle electrode array 24 via the gap existing between them, causing the johnson rahbeck effect to occur. in the embodiment shown in fig. 7, a conductive flat electrode 25 having a wedge-like cross-section has its edge located in the vicinity of, but spaced from, the sheet 10 being conveyed. a current is caused to flow between the roller 2 and the electrode 25 via the gap existing between them, causing the johnson rahbeck effect to occur. further, in the embodiment shown in fig. 8, a conductive brush 26 faces the front of the sheet 1 such that its end adjoins the front of the sheet 1 at a preselected distance. a current is caused to flow between the conductive roller 2 and the brush 26 via the gap existing between them, causing the johnson rahbeck effect to occur. the needle electrode array 24 of fig. 6, the flat electrode 25 of fig. 7 and the conductive brush 26 of fig. 8 each has a simple configuration and can be implemented at low cost. referring to figs. 9-11, specific fixing devices for practicing the methods described with reference to figs. 1a, 1b, 2, 3a and 3b will be described. the device shown in fig. 9 is usable when the current for causing the johnson rahbeck effect to occur is derived from an ac voltage. as shown, a dc voltage source 51 applies a dc voltage to the conductive roller 2 while an ac voltage source 52 applies an ac voltage to the corona charger 22. the conductive roller 2 may be connected to ground in order to omit the ac power source 51. however, the ac voltage applied to the roller 2 allows the potential of the toner image 10 formed on the sheet 1 to be controlled. this obviates, when the fixing device is followed by an image transferring step, reverse transfer of the toner from the sheet 1 to an image carrier or an intermediate transfer body during the image transferring step. assume that the conductive roller 21 or 23, needle electrode array 24, flat electrode 25 or conductive brush 26 is located at the front of the sheet 1. then, an ac voltage and a dc bias voltage (including ground potential) may be respectively applied to the conductive roller 2 and the electrode facing the toner image (e.g. roller 21 or 23). the device shown in fig. 10 is usable when the current for causing the johnson rahbeck effect to occur is derived from a dc voltage. as shown, a dc voltage source 53 applies a dc voltage to the corona charger 22 while the dc voltage source 51 applies the dc voltage to the conductive roller 2. again, the conductive roller 2 may be connected to ground in order to omit the ac power source 51. however, the ac voltage applied to the roller 2 allows the load of the voltage source to be adjusted or reduced effectively. assume that the conductive roller 21 or 23, needle electrode array 24, flat electrode 25 or conductive brush 26 is located at the front of the sheet 1. then, an ac voltage and a dc bias voltage (including ground potential) may be respectively applied to the conductive roller 2 and the electrode facing the toner image (e.g. roller 21 or 23). when only a dc voltage is used to force a current to flow, as shown and described, the potential of the toner image 10 can be controlled with ease. therefore, the polarity of the toner image 10 which has undergone preliminarily fixation may be so controlled as to obviate reverse transfer at the next image transfer position (assuming that image transfer is effected twice or more). the device shown in fig. 11 is usable when the current for causing the johnson rahbeck effect to occur is derived from an ac biased dc voltage. as shown, the ac voltage output from the ac voltage source 52 is superposed on the dc voltage output from the dc voltage source 53 and then applied to the corona charger 22. the dc voltage source 51 applies the dc voltage to the conductive roller 21, as in the previous arrangements. again, the conductive roller 2 may be connected to ground in order to omit the ac power source 51. however, the ac voltage applied to the roller 2 allows the load of the voltage source to be adjusted or reduced effectively. further, the ac biased dc voltage is used to force a current to flow, as shown and described, the potential of the toner image 10 can also be controlled with ease. therefore, the polarity of the toner image 10 which has undergone preliminarily fixation may be so controlled as to obviate reverse transfer at the next image transfer position (assuming that image transfer is effected twice or more). referring to fig. 12, an image forming unit also embodying the present invention is shown. as shown, the image forming unit, generally 41, includes a photoconductive drum or image carrier 4. latent image forming means has a cleaning blade 31-1, a charger 31-2, and an optical writing unit 31-6. developing means has a developing device 31-4 storing a developing liquid, and a squeeze roller 31-5. image transferring means is constituted by a transfer charger 5. preliminary fixing means consists of the conductive roller 2 and corona charger 22. conveying means conveys the sheet 1 by way of the fixing section and preliminary fixing section. the conveying means includes conveyor rollers 60 and 63 and guides 61 and 62. a casing 410 accommodates the above structural members. while the drum 4 is rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in fig. 12, the cleaning blade 31-1 cleans the surface of the drum 4. the charger 31-2 charges the cleaned surface of the drum 4 uniformly. the writing unit 31-6 optically scans with a beam 31-3 the charged surface of the drum 4 in order to form a latent image thereon. the developing device 31-4 develops the latent image with the developing liquid so as to produce a corresponding toner image. the squeeze roller 31-5 removes any excessive part of the developing liquid. when the sheet 1 is introduced into the casing 410, the conveyor rollers 60 and guides 61 drive the sheet 1 to an image transfer position. at this position, the transfer charger transfers the toner image from the drum 4 to the sheet 1. the guides 62 guide the sheet 1 coming out of the image transfer position to the preliminary fixing means or preliminary fixing position where the conductive roller 2 and corona charger 22 are located. after the toner image has been fixed temporarily on the sheet 1 at the above position, the sheet 1 is driven out of the casing 410 by the rollers 63. fig. 13 shows an image forming apparatus also embodying the present invention and implemented as a bicolor image forming apparatus operable in a duplex or two-side mode. as shown, image forming units 41a, 41b, 41c and 41d are sequentially arranged along the sheet transport path. the heat roller 3 and press roller 3 constitute the fixing section using fusion, and fix the toner image on the sheet 1 coming out of the last image forming unit 41d. toner images are alternately formed on the front and the rear of the sheet 1 by the image forming units 41a-41d. the sheet 1 coming out of the image forming unit 4d carries bicolor toner images on both sides thereof and has the toner images fixed by the fixing section 3. fig. 14 shows another embodiment of the image forming apparatus in accordance with the present invention and also implemented as a bicolor image forming apparatus operable in a duplex mode. as shown, two image forming devices are arranged one after the other along the sheet transport path. one image forming device consists of the image forming units 41a and 41c and a fixing section implemented by a pair of rollers 3a. the other image forming device consists of the image forming units 41b and 41d and a fixing section implemented by a pair of rollers 3b. in operation, the image forming units 41a and 41c form a bicolor toner image on one side or front of the sheet 1 in a preliminarily fixed state. then, the rollers 3a fix the bicolor toner image on the sheet 1 by fusion. subsequently, the other image forming units 41b and 41d form a bicolor toner image on the other side or rear of the sheet 1 also in a preliminarily fixed state, and then the rollers 3b fix it on the sheet 1 by fusion. of course, the four image forming units may be so located as to face the front of the sheet 1 in order to form a color image on the sheet 1. alternatively, one image forming unit may be located at each of the front and rear of the sheet 1 and operated in a monocolor duplex mode. in this manner, a suitable number of image forming units may be arranged at one side or both sides of the sheet 1, as desired. also, an optical writing unit associated with each image forming unit may be implemented as an independent unit. in the embodiments shown and described, the image forming units include conveying means. alternatively, in the case where a recording medium in the form of a webbing is paid out from a roll and cut at a preselected length when driven out of the apparatus, independent conveying means may be provided, in which case the conveying means of the image forming units is not essential. while the foregoing embodiments have concentrated on a developing device using a developing liquid, the present invention is, of course, practicable with various kinds of dry developers. when a toner image is formed on a sheet by a developing liquid, the fixation using the johnson rahbeck effect enhances the degree of oil supply to the sheet due to forced current flow and thereby promotes the solidification of the toner image, as determined by experiments. it will therefore be seen that the method of the present invention stabilizes a temporarily fixed toner image particularly when the toner image is formed by a developing liquid. in summary, in accordance with the present invention, a toner image transferred to a sheet, but held in an unstable state, can firmly adhere to the sheet due to the johnson rahbeck effect and is free from disturbance or suffers from a minimum of disturbance. various modifications will become possible for those skilled in the art after receiving the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope thereof.
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077-933-250-484-115
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MX
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B09B3/00,E04B2/02,B29B17/00,B29B/
| 2002-03-08T00:00:00 |
2002
|
[
"B09",
"E04",
"B29"
] |
inorganic waste-recycling machine and method for the production of a mouldable paste having various uses
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this invention refers to a machine and a process for recycling inorganic and organic trash and obtention of a molding paste for different usages, this machine is formed basically by; one hydraulic piston, a pushing plate, a receptor camera, one reactor, one pump and a heater equipment. likewise, said machine is involved in a process, which stages are essential in order to obtain the hot molding paste with the adequate characteristics; that when cooling, is transformed into products substituting wood and materials for construction; such as bricks, vaults, floors, paving blocks, tiles, floor edges, etc. this products will not be corrupted by humidity or moth, do not become rotten and can be cut, machined, etc. this machines does not require water in its industrial process, nor requires to wash the trash that is processed, does not pollute, has a low operation cost, since it is efficient and can be operated by just one person. this invention will benefit people and environment, since trash can be re-used and will avoid the use of and end with natural resources.
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1 . a machine to recycle inorganic and organic waste to obtain a moldable paste for diverse uses which comprises a reactor characterized because this reactor or furnace is formed by hallow walls divided into two chambers through which the heating element (heated oil) flows from one to the other passing through the connecting pipes which are arranged in several layers therefore transmitting the heat to the raw materials (inorganic and organic waste) in a uniform manner, softening and agglutinating it and forcing the paste to follow various trajectories until it is expulsed through the exit of the reactor. 2 . a machine to recycle inorganic and organic waste to obtain a moldable paste for diverse uses which comprises a reactor or furnace as described on claim 1 , which is characterized by the fact that both chambers forming a hollow wall are communicated by means of pipes or internal conducts arranged en diametrical form, this means, across the whole cavity of the reactor or furnace following the “communicating vessel principle” 3 . a machine to recycle inorganic and organic waste to obtain a moldable paste for diverse uses which comprises a reactor or furnace as described on claim 1 , characterized by the fact that the two chambers that form the hollow wall of the reactor or furnace have a greater enough cross sectional area, therefore forcing to the heating element (heated oil) which flows in a closed circuit, to always circulate trough the totality of the internal connecting pipes and therefore not only trough the hallow walls of the reactors chamber, allowing by this, that the raw materials (inorganic and organic waste) which has not been in contact with the heated reactors walls, get in contact in the central part of the reactor with the heated connecting pipes arranged in several layers and in diametric form, therefore ensuring a uniform transference of the heat from the heating element (heated oil) to the totality of the raw materials (inorganic and organic waste) present inside the reactor. 4 . a machine to recycle inorganic and organic waste to obtain a moldable paste for diverse uses which comprises a reactor or furnace as described on claim 1 , characterized by disposition of the two chambers formed by the reactor's hallow walls and the connecting pipes arranged in layers in diametric form which force the heating element (heated oil) to flow in uniform manner through the complete reactor's body, ensuring a uniform heat transference from the heating element (heated oil) to the totality of the raw materials (inorganic and organic waste) present inside the reactor. 5 . a machine to recycle inorganic and organic waste to obtain a moldable paste for diverse uses which comprises a reactor or furnace as described on claim 1 , characterized by the act that the disposition of the connecting pipes which cross the reactor chamber is such that forces the raw materials to describe a trajectory in labyrinth form similar to a mixing action. 6 . a machine to recycle inorganic and organic waste to obtain a moldable paste for diverse uses which comprises a reactor or furnace as described on claim 1 , characterized by the fact that the reactor transforms the raw materials (organic and inorganic waste by applying heat, into a dough like paste, softening, agglutinating and homogenizing all the raw materials (organic and inorganic waste), which is then evacuated through the opening in the extreme of the reactor. 7 . a machine to recycle inorganic and organic waste to obtain a moldable paste for diverse uses, as described in the precedent claims 1 to 6 , which is characterized by the fact that the moldable dough like paste here by obtained and evacuated through the opening in the extreme of the reactor, once cold becomes solid and possesses excellent mechanical properties. 8 . process to recycle inorganic and organic waste to obtain a moldable dough like paste to produce useful materials utilizing the machine described in claim 1 , characterized by the following stages: first stage: by means of the screw conveyor the inorganic and organic waste is introduced in the following proportions: 80% plastics of any type, form or quality and 20% sponge, rubber, synthetic fivers, glass, metallic burs, fiver glass, paints, gluing materials and metallic pins; this 20% may contain up to 50% of polystyrene foam articles, and also this 20% may contain up to 50% (10% of the whole raw material's mix) of organic waste: second stage: mechanical, eolic, pneumatic or hydraulic force is applied to push the raw materials (inorganic and organic waste) into the receiving chamber and finally to the inside of the reactor: third stage: heating of the raw material (inorganic and organic waste) by means of the reactor's heating element (heated oil) which transfers its heat to the raw materials transforming this inorganic and organic waste into a soft and homogeneous moldable dough like paste, which once processed and still hot is evacuated through the opening in the most extreme part of the reactor; fourth stage: the final products are obtained when the moldable dough like paste is ejected or evacuated through the opening in the extreme of the reactor and is allowed to fill open molds that once they are full, the paste on them is pressed to fill the entire cavity of the mold as well to eliminate the excess of plastic taking the advantage that the plastic continues hot, therefore achieving an excellent finished surface and a higher mechanical strength; the cooling of the pieces will vary accordingly with the size and thickness of the pieces being molded. 9 . a moldable dough like paste for diverse uses, which is obtained according to the process described in claim 8 , characterized by being formed by 80% plastics of any type, form or quality, and 20% of rubber, sponge, synthetic fivers, glass, metallic burs, fiver glass, paints, gluing materials and metallic pins; this 20% may contain up to 50% of polystyrene foam articles (which is up to 10% of the whole waste mix), and can also contain up to 50% of organic waste (which is a 10% of the whole waste mix). 10 . the products obtained from the moldable paste for diverse uses, according to claim 9 , which are characterized by having a high mechanical resistance making them useful as construction materials. 11 . a machine to recycle inorganic and organic waste to obtain a moldable dough like paste for diverse uses which comprises: a chassis or supporting structure, a control panel, a hydraulic piston, a pushing plate, a feeding screw conveyor, a receiving chamber, a flanged union, a pump, a discharge opening, some connecting pipes, a sensor with thermometer, heating equipment, a sensor with purge, a compensation tank to maintain the system at atmospheric pressure, a venting orifice with cap, some sensors, and a reactor or furnace which is characterized by its advanced and novel disposition or arrangement of all its elements.
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technical field this invention refers to a machine and a process for recycling inorganic and organic trash and transformation of it in a molding paste for different usages, such as wood substitutions and construction materials. background of the invention currently, the conventional methods for the treatment of wastes generated in metropolitan areas, municipalities, towns and ranches, as well as tourist areas, naval, military, agricultural, commercial, roads, etc., are based mainly, in the separation of the same, according to its origin, in other words, all the foregoing wastes are transformed in organic and inorganic trash, the first one, is commonly reincorporated to the nature that gave its origin, by means of the natural biodegradation process. in regards to inorganic trash, it is generally divided in metallic or non metallic, plastics of all kind, forms and characteristics, glass, fibers and synthetic litters, rubber, etc; in commercial amounts, ecologically and economically significant, same that the recycling industry reincorporates, as raw materials for industrial processes in order to be processed again. the great worldwide problem regarding the re-usage of inorganic wastes, can be considerably reduced by means of adequate machinery and processes, therefore, analyzing the foregoing problem, it was developed a machine, a process and a product, this last one as a result of processing trash and which is transformed in different useful items. this machine, is efficient and represents a safe of volume, space and energy, which is automated in all of its working stages, it can be operated by just one person, does not require water in its process, characteristic that conventional recycling machines lack, likewise, this machine does not need special or environmental hygiene conditions, this machine also reduces the size of its raw material (inorganic trash) 50 times or more its volume and its technological characteristics allow it to become useful and long lasting products, for people, ecology, industry, commerce, etc., since it advantageously substitutes wood because it is not harmed by humidity or moth, do not get rotten; and can manufacture materials for construction such as bricks, vaults, floors, paving blocks; as well as columns, racks, staves, boards, planks, walls, beams, mudsills, divisions, parts for wood, automobile, craft and naval industry, as well as furniture, taps, sewers, frames, doors, windows, mallets, trash cans, flower stands, benches and vaults, among others. these products when substituting natural resources, contribute to reduce their exploitation, improve the environment, avoid cutting of trees, less alteration of the environment, and therefore, require less trash deposits. at the moment it is known the method and apparatus to treat contaminated plastic waste, comprising the densifying of plastic waste by making it to pass through a heating zone to produce contaminated molten plastic as described on patent application nr. wo92/08590. the machine of the patent wo92/08590 utilizes as heating elements only electric resistors embedded in the walls of the so called melting chamber (the manufacturing of this melting chamber is by casting process with the electric resistors placed in the casting mold) also counts with electric resistor embedded in the central piece called “spider, this manufacturing characteristics make the machine more complicated to manufacture and there fore more expensive. we utilize heated oil as heating element which flows around and trough the raw materials (inorganic and organic waste) by means of the two chambers that form the hallow walls and the connecting pipes; on patent wo92/08590 electric resistors are used as heating elements, this means that the two machines use completely different heating elements. in the machine with patent wo92/08590, the molten plastic flows by the influence of the gravity, in ours, due to the type of raw material which the machine is capable to process, it requires a mechanical force to push the raw materials into the reactor: the source of this mechanical force can be also, hydraulic, pneumatic, eolic, o by the use of a screw conveyor, those devises needed to apply this force, are not claimed as our invention. also our machine is conceived to process a mixture of inorganic and organic waste containing as minimum 80% plastics of any type, form or quality and 20% sponge, rubber, synthetic fivers, glass, metallic burs, fiver glass, paints, gluing materials and metallic pins; this 20% may contain up to 50% of polystyrene foam articles, and also this 20% may contain up to 50% (10% of the whole raw material's mix) of organic waste. the machine of patent wo92/08590 is conceived only for the purpose of densifying; ours is conceived for densifying and as well for producing useful materials for the construction industry. also a machine under request is known patent wo02/38276, which has a similar device (hydraulic piston with pushing plate in the end of the rod) in our invention, we don't pretend to claim the piston and the pushing plate as our invention. description the characteristics of this new machine and its process are clearly shown in the following description and in the figure attached hereto. each one of its parts has a reference number in order to be compared to the figure. fig. 1 . is a general view of the machine, with each one of its parts. fig. 2 is a three-dimensional view of the reactor ( 8 ) must be observed that its walls are formed by chambers ( 21 ) and ( 22 ). fig. 3 is a plant view of the reactor. the machine for recycling inorganic trash is conformed by one metallic structure or chassis ( 1 ) that is used as general support for the equipment, including a control switchboard ( 2 ) where the electromechanical elements that govern the equipment are installed and as required, they accomplish their function automatically, semi-automatically or manually, depending on the stage of the process. this switchboard ( 2 ) controls the filling of raw material, the ignition, the operation temperature and each one of the stages of the process; it controls the heat level for the ignition of the cool system in regular temperature, in this case the switchboard ( 2 ) is built with electromechanical devices in order to govern the operation of the machine and it can be governed by computer as well. the machine has an hydraulic piston ( 3 ) which is the one that generates the force and the pressure; and for achieving it, the piston ( 3 ) in its movil part has a pushing plate ( 4 ) made up of steel, strong enough in order for the pressure of the piston ( 3 ) not to deform it, the piston ( 3 ) can be substituted by a force input, either mechanical, pneumatic, aeolian, hydraulic, transporter worm or spindle; the pushing plate ( 4 ) is a steel plate which shape will depend on the form of the receptor camera ( 6 ) of the raw material, in which case it is of circular form, it transmits the mechanical force that the piston applies ( 3 ), pressing and carrying the raw material towards the camera ( 6 ). raw material is deposited previously under the pushing plate ( 4 ) by a feeder worm ( 5 ); it is formed by a metallic tube; the worm ( 5 ) helps to introduce to the camera ( 6 ) the raw material that is processed; said worm ( 5 ) is connected in its other edge to a feeder system of raw material, this latter one is not part of the machine. the reception camera of the raw material ( 6 ) is a tube or a container in which the raw material is deposited to be processed and inside it, the piston delivers its force ( 3 ) in order to push with the pushing plate ( 4 ) the raw material that is being processed and introduces it into the reactor ( 8 ), likewise, the camera ( 6 ) has a flange ( 7 ) in its edge, which is a ring of steel, attached to the receptor camera ( 6 ) and helps to join the camera ( 6 ) with the reactor ( 8 ). the reactor ( 8 ), is the newest and most important part of the machine, that consists in an equipment of cone shape, made up of steel, however, it can be made up of brass or aluminum, which walls are formed by two chambers ( 21 ) and ( 22 ) which in term, these walls ( 19 ) are hallow, in other words, it has double wall, through the interior wall some conducts are connected ( 20 ) that can be rounded, triangular, squared, in other words, they can be polygonal, in this case, the conducts ( 20 ) are triangular. through this conducts ( 20 ) and the hollow walls ( 19 ) it is circulating, like connecting cells, the heating element, hot oil, pushed by a pump ( 9 ). the reactor ( 8 ) is the equipment within which it is carried out a transfer of heat within a range of 250 to 350 centigrade degree between the walls ( 19 ) of the chambers ( 21 ) & ( 22 ) and the conducts ( 20 ) and the raw material. it is not determined an exact level of temperature, since the raw material is of all kinds, forms and characteristics, the points of softening vary too much. the reactor ( 8 ), transforms the raw material by means of the heat, into a puddle mass, softening, agglutinating y homogenizing all of the materials, which once they have passed through the reactor, and still hot, are vacated through an exit overture ( 10 ) that is located in the farthest edge of the reactor ( 8 ). the hot and puddle mass, when exiting, falls and fills the molds ( 11 ) which will give strength and mechanical resistance to the mass, in order to convert it in the previously selected products. the molds ( 11 ) are of different forms according to the piece or product that is required to be manufactured; the molds are not part of the machine, but are a necessary part in order to explain the functioning of the machine. -however, oil can be substituted, which is the heating element, by other components such as steam or hot air. the reactor ( 8 ), is of cone shape in order to allow the entrance of the raw material in its natural form, in other words, voluminous and with many hollows; however, the materials, when being softened and agglutinated because of the heat, will make the spaces disappear as raw material enters in it, in other words, it will be compacted; the cone shape is essential in order to form a molding paste, when compacted. in the reactor ( 8 ) it is achieved a uniform distribution of the heat, which transmits the heat to the raw material through all sides, however, such enters into the reactor ( 8 ) in a regular temperature, therefore, when being in contact with is corresponding connecting pipes ( 20 ) and the hollow walls ( 19 ) forming the chambers ( 21 ) and ( 22 ) that trough its interior flows the heating element, the raw material cools it; this is the reason why the pump ( 9 ) makes the heating element flow, forcing it to pass through the heater equipment ( 14 ), which increases again its temperature and such, once hot, continues its way, circulating, continuing its cycle in order to be introduced constantly through the chambers ( 21 ) and ( 22 ) of the walls ( 19 ) and the connecting pipes ( 20 ) of the reactor ( 8 ) the raw material circulates through them in a labyrinthine form, and hence it is able to soften and homogenize itself as well as to form a molding paste which exits through the overture ( 10 ) continuously. the pump ( 9 ) makes that the heating element circulates through the tubes ( 12 ), through the conducts ( 19 ) and walls ( 20 ), in other words, the tubes ( 12 ) are the means through which the heating means are circulating between the heater equipment ( 14 ) and the pump ( 9 ); in this form a sensor with thermometer ( 13 ) detects the temperature variations in the oil in order to maintain it at all times at the optimum operation temperature which is connected by tubes ( 12 ) with the heater equipment ( 14 ); the sensor ( 13 ) sends signals to the heater equipment ( 14 ) in order to maintain the temperature in the specific needs that are to be required. since the heater equipment ( 14 ) is the one that heats and reheats the oil that is circulating, this equipment can also work with: gas, carbon, diesel, fuel oil or logs. the machine also has a sensor or draining ( 15 ) that is connected by the tubes ( 12 ) to the rest of the machine, this sensor or draining ( 15 ) is an electro mechanic device which detects if the level of cool oil at a regular temperature is in an optimum condition, in order to turn on the machine, since if the oil is under its level, the machine will not turn on. the machine has as well installed a compensation tank ( 16 ) which is connected to the rest of the equipment through the tubes ( 12 ); the function of the compensation tank ( 16 ) is to absorb the enlargement carried out in the oil due to a natural reason when heating. such shall has a volume of at least, two times the volume of operating cool oil, likewise, it is connected to a tube with a hole of vent with cap ( 17 ) in order to discharge into a container as a safety measure, if the enlargement of the oil is too high, disconnecting the system through this hole ( 17 ); the necessary air enters and exits in order to maintain the atmosphere's pressure to the heater element. the machine has also some sensors ( 18 ) that are two; the first one helps to detect the moment in which it is required to ignite or stop the feeder worm ( 5 ), when such is full or empty the receptor camera( 6 ) as the case may be. the second sensor ( 18 ), which is the sensor for ignition and turning off the stroke, controls the various positions of operation of the plate ( 4 ), in order to control the moment of re-initiation of the new operation cycle, and when a cycle is concluded, it sends a signal for initiation of the following cycle. it is important to mention; that this machine is so versatile, that can function from an inclination angle between 30 and up to 90 degrees. logically when being at 90 degrees it will be more efficient, since it will take advantage of the gravity. the essential components of the referred machine, are connected between them mechanically. the raw material, regardless of its characteristics, always process it with the same feasibility and efficiency and; its product always results with the same qualities. dimensions of the machine: diametrically and longitudinally, will depend on the volume that is intended to be processed, for example, we have the following prototype; the dimensions of the model with a capacity for processing a volume of approximately 300 kg. per hour are: ten tons in the piston ( 3 ); pushing plate ( 4 ) of 80 cm of diameter and 5 cm of thickness, receptor camera ( 6 ) of eighty centimeters of diameter by one meter of length; and the reactor ( 8 ) of cone shape, with entrance diameter of eighty cm. by eighty centimeters of length, with exit overture ( 10 ) of 15 cm. all of this components are made up of steel. however, scale models can be manufactured, with a capacity of 5 tons per hour. the structure or chassis ( 1 ) is designed in order to support all of the components and that such work vertically, likewise, the machine can be installed and operated, either in the same place where the trash is generated or in the same public or private trash dump, or even be portable. other qualities are: that 90% of the components of the machine, does not require of machined, since they are of structural and roller kind. it does not have wear out parts and, therefore, the useful life of the machine will be longer. its manufacture, maintenance and operation cost are much more economic than the conventional recycling equipments; and the raw material, is like flaws for other recycling equipments, in this machine, such is its raw material for its processes and afterwards it will be its product, since regardless of the kind of raw material introduced in the machine, it works with the same efficiency and the resulting product is obtained with the same qualities and properties. the machine has been described up to this point, however, this invention refers also to a process, since such is involved to the functioning of the machine in order to obtain the molding paste, product of this invention, which has the following stages: first stage, recollection of inorganic trash, which is the raw material to be processed, it does not require previous cleaning but has to be: plastics, regardless its type, form, size, color, use or quality, physical state, new, used for domestic purposes or industrial ones, in amounts no less than 80%, the other 20% is composed by other materials, such as rubber, foam rubber, synthetic fabrics, burrs, glass, staples, paint, barren rocks, tags, glues or hasps. this mix of trash can contain up to 50% of dry ice in its different presentations.the great amount of trash, can be polluted up to 10% with organic trash, which could be composed of paper, sawdust, tree leaves, grass, cotton in its different presentations, wood spalls, liquid residuals, food, earth, soot and dust. due to the fact that the dimensions of the raw material to be processed are so different, for example: when transformed into disposable items, the chairs, tables or large carafe, pads or switchboards and auto parts, etc., when being voluminous, makes necessary, in order for the production to be efficient, to fragment all raw material and pass it through a screen ( 21 ).the second stage is the introduction of the raw material once fragmented into the machine, through the feeder worm ( 5 ); the machine turns on through the control switchboard ( 2 ), it is verified by means of the sensor or draining ( 15 ), if the level of the heating element is in an optimum point for operation, and the pushing plate in the top ( 4 ), the machine turns on, heats the heating element by means of the heater equipment ( 14 ), makes it circulate by means of a pump ( 9 ) through the tubes ( 12 ) that connect such with the reactor ( 8 ). the feeder worm ( 5 ) takes the raw material and introduce it under the pushing plate ( 4 ). the pushing plate ( 4 ) transmits the mechanical force that is applied to the piston ( 3 ) pushing and carrying the raw material to the interior of the camera ( 6 ), once inside it, continues to be pushed and compressed by the pushing plate ( 4 ) until it begins to be introduced into the reactor ( 8 ). the reactor ( 8 ) has the function to transform the raw material by means of heat, in a puddle mass, agglutinating and homogenizing all of the materials, which once processed and still hot and in a form of paste, are vacated through the exit overture ( 10 ) located in the edge of the same.third stage: the puddle mass when exiting, fills the molds ( 11 ). the paste in the molds ( 11 ) remains in excess in the top, therefore, it is necessary to press it when it is still hot. when this part of the material is pressed, the remaining hollows if any, are filled and with such it can be obtained a better finishing and a higher mechanic resistance in the products. the cooling process of the products will depend on the size and thickness of the pieces. for example, a 2 cm-thick piece by 10 cm-width and one meter-long, will take approximately 10 minutes to cool. a sleeper will take 40 minutes to cool. the product, once cooled has a mechanic resistance towards compression that varies form 70 to 100 kg/cm2. per square centimeter. among the new elements of this process are: that it does not require water in any of its stages, nor any other element but heat and strength, neither it requires that the raw material that is being processed has to be washed or cleaned, not even the place where the machine has to operate. it does not require special hygienic conditions. likewise, it does not pollute the environment, since it does not produce residuals of any type or kind. the versatility of the raw material, the design, functioning, way of process, molding paste and the final products that can be manufactured by such, are the new element of this invention, since converts mixed and polluted trash, into new products, which can be commercialized. as described above, the machine and the process together converts the wastes into a hot molding paste, the paste is formed by: 80% plastics, 20% of other inorganic wastes, such as rubber, staples, etc.; and up to 10% can be organic trash which can contain the rest of the wastes, that when cooling, is transformed in wood substitutes and construction materials, for example: bricks, vaults, floors, paving blocks, tiles, floor edges, columns, racks, staves, ground-sills, boards, planks and walls, as well as beams, mudsills, divisions, parts for furniture and automobile industry, sewers, frames, doors, windows, mallets, cans, benches, ornament items, etc. all of these products generally will be formed by a single piece, however, if being doors or frames, they will be of two or more pieces, but most of the times, when exiting the molds, they will be ready to be assembled. such will depend on the design and characteristics of the mold where the mass will be poured. likewise, the final products made up of this molding pastes based on inorganic waste, has the following qualities: are not rotten by humidity, moth, are not corrupted and can be cut, machined, shaped, brushed, filed, drilled, painted, sandpapered and polished; mended, assembled, screwed, glued, tapped and recycled. on the other hand, this products can be painted, however the natural colors of these new products will have the predominant colors of the raw material. another advantage of this products is that they do not need any other element, but heat and pressure, in order to be resistant and to have the desired form, it does not need time for forging, nor elements such as glues, solvents, substances or chemical products. it is so versatile that a lot of raw material which is introduced in order to be processed, will be ready to be used in one hour, therefore, it is quick, easy and economic.
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079-076-729-743-464
|
TW
|
[
"US",
"TW",
"EP",
"JP",
"KR"
] |
H01T13/20,H01T13/32,H01T13/46,F02P13/00
| 2009-11-16T00:00:00 |
2009
|
[
"H01",
"F02"
] |
spark plug with receiving end of ground elbow set above discharge terminal of central electrode and located by one side of central electrode extension line
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a spark plug include an insulator, a central electrode, which is in the form of a bar received in the insulator, a metal case, which surrounds the insulator and is grounded, and a ground elbow fixed to the metal case. the central electrode includes a discharge terminal exposed outside the insulator and defining an extension line as an imaginary line extending from the discharge terminal along a central axis of the central electrode. the ground elbow has a connection end and an opposite, sharp-tip-like receiving end. the connection end is fixed to the metal case. the receiving end is set close to but spaced from the discharge terminal and is locate by one side of the extension line.
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1. a spark plug, comprising: an insulator; a central electrode, which is in the form of a bar received in the insulator and comprising an end face located outside the insulator for forming a discharge terminal, an extension line being defined as a line extending from the end face of the central electrode along a central axis of the central electrode; a metal case, which surrounds the insulator and is grounded; and at least one ground elbow, which has a connection end and an opposite, sharp-tip-like receiving end, the connection end being fixed to the metal case, the receiving end being set close to but spaced from the end face of the central electrode, wherein the receiving end of the ground elbow is set above the end face of the central electrode in a partly overlapping fashion and located by one side of the extension line. 2. the spark plug according to claim 1 , wherein the ground elbow is of an l-shape, and the connection end of the ground elbow is fixed to an end face of the metal case that is adjacent to the end face of the central electrode. 3. the spark plug according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving end of the ground elbow forms a sharp tip located close to and spaced from the end face of the central electrode. 4. the spark plug according to claim 2 , wherein the receiving end of the ground elbow forms a sharp tip located close to and spaced from the end face of the central electrode. 5. the spark plug according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of ground elbows, each of which comprises a connection end and an opposite, sharp-tip-like receiving end, the connection end being fixed to the metal case, the receiving end being set close to but spaced from the end face of the central electrode and being set above the end face of the central electrode in a partly overlapping fashion and located by one side of the extension line. 6. the spark plug according to claim 5 , wherein each of the ground elbows is of an l-shape or a j-shape, the connection end of each of the ground elbows being fixed to an end face of the metal case that is adjacent to the end face of the central electrode. 7. the spark plug according to claim 5 , wherein the receiving end of each of the ground elbows forms a sharp tip located close to and spaced from the end face of the central electrode. 8. the spark plug according to claim 6 , wherein the receiving end of each of the ground elbows forms a sharp tip located close to and spaced from the end face of the central electrode.
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technical field of the invention the present invention generally relates to a spark plug, and more particularly to a spark plug for use in the operation of vehicle engine. description of the prior art the operation of an engine is realized by successively supplying high voltage pulses to electrodes of spark plugs, making the plugs repeatedly discharging electricity for ignition of an air-fuel mixture contained inside a cylinder for generating explosion to provide energy for power output of the engine. referring to fig. 1 , a conventional spark plug 9 is constructed so that a slender central electrode 91 is received through a ceramic insulator 92 . an outer circumference of the insulator 92 is tightly wrapped by a ground metal case 93 . the metal case 93 forms an external thread 931 , so that the spark plug 9 can be securely mounted to a cylinder head of an engine with the external thread 931 . the metal case 93 has a top to which a ground elbow 932 (or multiple ground elbows) is welded. when the metal conductor 91 receives a high-voltage electric pulse, a spark is generated and travels between a discharge terminal 911 of the central electrode 91 and the ground elbow 932 to thereby ignite a fuel-air mixture contained inside the cylinder. the minimum distance between the discharge terminal 911 of the central electrode 91 and the ground elbow 932 is often referred to as a spark plug gap. proper setting of the spark plug gap is vital to the performance of the spark plug. this, however, is often overlooked by general people. when the gap is not properly set (namely being of different spacing) and thus results in approximately 2% miss of sparking of the spark plug, although a driver is not likely to percept abnormality of the vehicle, yet the exhaust gas of the vehicle contains about double the amount of hydrocarbons, which leads to air pollution and also causes a waste of fuel. to install a spark plug 9 , the ground elbow 932 is set facing downward. further, during the operation of an engine, the spark plug 9 is in a high temperature condition. thus, for long term operation, the gravity of the portion of the ground elbow 932 that is located under the discharge terminal 911 gradually increases the height l 1 of the ground elbow 932 , making it stretched to a 90-degree bend. further, the gravity and the material softening due to being heated lead to a gradual expansion of the spark plug gap to around 100-130 degrees. when the expansion reaches a predetermined level, electric discharge no longer occurs in the spark plug 9 , leading to failure or miss of sparking. summary of the invention thus, an objective of the present invention is to provide a spark plug that reduces sparking failure rate. to achieve the above objective, according to the present invention, a spark plug comprises an insulator, a central electrode, which is in the form of a bar received in the insulator, a metal case, which surrounds the insulator and is grounded, and a ground elbow fixed to the metal case. the central electrode comprises a discharge terminal exposed outside the insulator and defining an extension line as an imaginary line extending from the discharge terminal along a central axis of the central electrode. the ground elbow has a connection end and an opposite, sharp-tip-like receiving end. the connection end is fixed to the metal case. the receiving end is set close to but spaced from the discharge terminal and is locate by one side of the extension line. preferably, the receiving end of the present invention set above the centrally-located discharge terminal in a partly overlapping fashion, or is set by an outer circumference of the discharge terminal. the efficacy of the present invention is that the edge of the sparking terminal of the ground elbow is set close to the discharge terminal of the central electrode, so that, based on the point discharge principle, by making the discharge terminal and the electricity receiving terminal both in sharp tip like configuration, the spark plug according to the present invention can easily generate sparking between the discharge terminal and the sparking terminal and thereby lower the sparking failure rate and the chance of malfunctioning. the foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. to fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts. many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional spark plug. fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a spark plug according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. fig. 3 is a partly side elevational view of the spark plug according to the present invention, showing the position and shape of a receiving end of a ground elbow. fig. 4 is a schematic top plan view of a spark plug according to the present invention, showing an alternate configuration of the spark plug containing two ground elbows that have receiving ends partly overlapping but spaced from a discharge terminal. fig. 5 is a schematic top plan view of a spark plug according to the present invention, showing another alternate configuration of the spark plug containing four ground elbows that have receiving ends partly overlapping but spaced from a discharge terminal. fig. 6 is a partly side elevational view of a spark plug according to the present invention, showing the positions and shapes of receiving ends of ground elbows, in which the receiving ends are located on opposite sides of the discharge terminal. fig. 7 is a schematic top plan view of a spark plug according to the present invention, showing a further alternate configuration of the spark plug containing four ground elbows that have receiving ends located by an outer circumference of a discharge terminal. detailed description of the preferred embodiments the following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. referring to fig. 2 , a spark plug constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, generally designate at 10 , comprises a tubular ceramic insulator 3 , a bar-like central electrode 2 received in the insulator 3 , a metal case 4 surrounding the insulator 3 and grounded, and a ground elbow 1 fixed to the metal case 4 , preferably by welding. the central electrode 2 comprises a discharge terminal 21 exposed outside the insulator 3 , whereby when a vehicle engine is started or is in operation, a distributor (not shown) of the vehicle supplies a high voltage to the central electrode 2 to generate sparks and thus driving the operation of the engine. to simplify the description that will be given, an extension line 23 is first defined as an imaginary line extending from the discharge terminal 21 along a central axis of the central electrode 2 . in the instant embodiment, the metal case 4 that surrounds the insulator 3 has an outer circumference forming an external thread 41 , which allows the spark plug 10 to be threadingly fixed to a cylinder head (not shown) of the vehicle engine and forming a grounding connection with the vehicle body. referring to figs. 2 and 3 , in the instant embodiment, the ground elbow 1 is of an l-shape (or a j-shape), comprising a connection end 11 and an opposite, sharp-tip-like receiving end 12 . the connection end 11 is fixed to an end face 42 of the metal case 4 that is adjacent to the discharge terminal 21 of the central electrode 2 . the receiving end 12 is set above, in a partly overlapping but spaced fashion, the discharge terminal 21 , and the receiving end 12 is located by one side of the extension line 23 . in other words, as compared to the conventional spark plug 9 shown in fig., where the extension line 94 intersects and extends through the ground elbow 932 , the extension line 23 according to the instant embodiment of the present invention does not intersect and extend through the receiving end 12 of the ground elbow 1 , and is instead located in front of the receiving end 12 . the regular way of installing a spark plug 10 is to make the ground elbow 1 facing downward. this, together with the high temperature induced in the operation of the engine, will gradually increase the height l 2 of the ground elbow 1 . however, a comparison between the conventional ground elbow 932 shown in fig. 1 and the ground elbow 2 according to the instant embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 2 clearly shows that the length of the portion of the conventional ground elbow 932 that is located above the discharge terminal 911 is much greater than that of the portion of the ground elbow 1 according to the instant embodiment of the present invention that is located above the discharge terminal 911 . thus, with width, thickness, and material being identical, the conventional ground elbow 932 is of a greater weight than the ground elbow 1 according to the present invention. consequently, the increase of the height l 1 of the conventional ground elbow 932 will be of a greater rate than that of the increase of the height l 2 of the ground elbow 1 according to the present invention, making the expansion of gap of the conventional spark plug faster than the spark plug of the present invention. in other words, the spark plug 10 according to the instant embodiment of the present invention has a longer period of time of normal operation and thus a longer lifespan than the conventional ones. it is noted that in the instant embodiment, the receiving end 12 is formed as a sharp tip configuration, comprising a sharp tip 121 located close to the discharge terminal 21 . when a high voltage is supplied to the central electrode 2 , the receiving end 12 induces and accumulates a large number of electrical charges. since the sharp tip 121 has a surface curvature that is greater than other portions, the sharp tip 121 of the receiving end 12 can collect denser electrical charges, making it much easier for the discharge terminal 21 to discharge electrical current to the sharp tip 121 and thus generates sparking. an electrical charge carrying object showing denser electrical charges at a portion of greater surface curvature is appreciated through the discussion of point discharge principle. this is well known to those having ordinary skills and no detailed discussion is needed herein. referring to figs. 4 and 5 , in the instant embodiment, the number of the ground elbow 1 included in the spark plug is one. however, it is also feasible to increase the number of ground elbow for a spark plug to form a dual-ground or multi-ground configuration of spark plug. fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a dual-ground spark plug configuration comprising two ground elbows 1 ′ and fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a multi-ground spark plug configuration comprising four ground elbows 1 ″. further, the receiving end 12 may also be arranged to face an outer circumference of the discharge terminal 21 , as shown in fig. 6 , wherein a dual-ground spark plug comprising two ground elbows 1 ″ and the receiving ends 12 of the two ground elbows 1 ″ are located at equal distance from the discharge terminal 21 is shown. fig. 7 schematically illustrates a multi-ground spark plug that has four ground elbows 1 ″ having receiving ends 12 located at equal distance from an outer circumference of the discharge terminal 21 . in summary, according to the point discharge principle, by placing the sharp tip 121 of the receiving end 12 of the ground elbow 1 ( 1 ′, 1 ″) close to the discharge terminal 21 of the central electrode 2 , the spark plug 10 according to the present invention can more easily generate sparking between the discharge terminal 21 and the receiving end 12 and thus the sparking failure rate is reduced, leading to an increases of outputs of horsepower and torque, lowering of the amount of hydrocarbons contained in exhaust gas, and reduction of fuel consumption. further, since the receiving end 12 of the ground elbow 1 is shorter and sharper than the conventional ones, the expansion or elongation rate is smaller than the conventional spark plug. as a result, the period of time of normal operation for the spark plug 10 is made longer, and the spark plug 10 can generate sparking for engine operation with only a voltage level of 8000-10000 volts so that the lifespan is extended as compared to the conventional spark plugs. it will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above. while certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
|
081-019-612-291-653
|
US
|
[
"US",
"CA"
] |
G01R31/02,G01R31/327
| 1998-12-18T00:00:00 |
1998
|
[
"G01"
] |
arc fault detector device with two stage arc sensing
|
an arc fault detector for detecting an arc fault in electric power lines includes a two stage arc sensor. the first stage is a current transformer designed for high sensitivity to arc faults but which may saturate and lose detection capability during arc currents at 75a and higher. the second arc fault sensor, which does not saturate, stage senses the voltage across the impedance of the primary of the current transformer, or senses the voltage across the resistance of a section of the load carrying bus which forms the connection through the detector device, or of both, during an arc fault.
|
1. an arc fault detector comprising: 2. the arc fault detector of claim 1 in which the first sensor comprises a transformer. 3. the arc fault detector of claim 2 in which the transformer comprises a transformer having a line of the circuit being protected as a primary winding of the transformer. 4. the arc fault detector of claim 1 in which the detector comprises a summing amplifier connected to the first sensor and the second sensor. 5. the arc fault detector of claim 2 in which the transformer comprises a toroidal transformer. 6. the arc fault detector of claim 4 comprising a threshold detector connected to the summing amplifier. 7. the arc fault detector of claim 6 comprising a circuit interrupter connected to the threshold detector. 8. the arc fault detector of claim 1 comprising a first resistor connected in series with the first sensor, and a second resistor connected in series with the second sensor. 9. the arc fault detector of claim 2 in which the transformer comprises a saturable transformer, and the second sensor is responsive to currents above which saturation of the transformer occurs to produce a second signal of sufficient magnitude for producing an arc fault signal from the detector. 10. the arc fault detector of claim 2 in which the first sensor is responsive to arcs of sufficiently small magnitude for producing a signal of sufficient magnitude for producing an arc fault signal from the detector in the absence of a signal from the second sensor. 11. the arc fault detector of claim 1 in which the section of a line includes a bi-metallic element having a resistance thereacross. 12. the arc fault detector of claim 1 comprising a circuit interrupter connected to the detector.
|
field of the invention this invention relates generally to an arc fault detection device, and more particularly to an arc fault detection device comprising a two stage arc sensor. the first stage is a current transformer designed for high sensitivity but which may saturate during high level arc fault currents causing the loss of the secondary arc sense signal. the second arc fault sensor stage senses the voltage dropped across the impedance of the primary of the current transformer, or the voltage dropped across the resistance of a section of the load carrying bus which forms the power connection through the detector device, or the voltage drop across both. background of the invention a percentage of fires each year are caused by electrical branch circuit line arcing which is of a duration, and at a level, which does not activate the thermal or magnetic trip elements in conventional circuit breakers in time to prevent a fire. description of the prior art arc detection is an enhancement to thermal magnetic overload detection typically used in circuit breakers, which alone may not detect and respond to arc faults. a number of devices for detecting arc faults and methods of detection have been used in the past. these include the use of e and b field arc sensors, detecting the amplitude of the rate of change of current signals when an arc fault occurs, the use of non-overlapping band pass filters to detect white noise characteristic of arcs, and detecting the disappearance of signals indicating the presence of arcs near zero current crossings. while some of these techniques are more or less effective, they require relatively sophisticated arc sensors and circuits. heretofore, most arc detection circuits have been incorporated in circuit breakers. there is a need for simple economical arc fault detectors that can be included in wiring devices such as receptacles, plugs or in-line devices, and that offer the same protection as an arc fault detector incorporated in a circuit breaker, but at lower cost. there is a need for an arc fault circuit detector in wiring devices that can be provided at a reduced cost compared with arc fault circuit detecting circuit breakers that is comparable to the reduction in cost between ground fault interrupting receptacles and ground fault interrupting circuit breakers. this invention relates to an arc fault detector with a two stage arc sensor which permits a much smaller and less expensive current transformer sensor without sacrificing the detectors ability to respond to a broad range of arc fault currents. this allows a less expensive and smaller overall circuit which can be constructed to fit into a wiring sized device and which may also permit a dual purpose arc and ground fault detection circuit. summary of the invention it is an object of this invention to provide an arc fault circuit interrupter that employs an electrical circuit that is simple enough, inexpensive enough and small enough to be included in wiring devices. it is another object of this invention to provide an arc fault circuit interrupter that is sensitive to relatively low amplitude series arc faults of at least 5 amps of arc current, typically in series with the load and commonly referred to as type a arc faults. it is another object of this invention to provide an arc fault circuit interrupter that detects parallel or line to line arcs, producing currents of 75 amps or more, commonly referred to as type b arc faults. briefly stated, and in accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, an arc fault detector for detecting electric power lines includes a two stage arc sensor. the first stage is a current transformer designed for high sensitivity to arc faults but which may saturate and lose detection capability during arc currents at 75a and higher. the second arc fault sensor stage senses the voltage across the impedance of the primary of the current transformer, or senses the voltage across the resistance of a section of the load carrying bus which forms the connection through the detector device, or of both, during an arc fault, which does not saturate. brief description of the drawings the novel aspects of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. the invention itself, together with further objects and advantages thereof may be more readily comprehended by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which: the drawing is a schematic diagram of the arc fault detector with two stage arc sensor. fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the arc fault detector with two stage arc sensor. detailed description of the preferred embodiment referring now to the drawing, an arc fault circuit interrupter of the present invention is illustrated in schematic form. the arc fault circuit interrupter shown in the drawing is formed from small inexpensive components that can be easily integrated into an electrical receptacle, plug, or in-line device. the circuit is designed so that it can be manufactured in the same form as the ground fault circuit interrupter devices shown in u.s. pat. nos. 5,594,358 and 5,510,760, for example. the arc fault circuit interrupter of the drawing protects an electrical circuit including at least a neutral conductor 6 and a line conductor 7 . a ground may also be present and the arc fault circuit interrupter of the drawing will detect arcs occurring between the line conductor and ground, the neutral conductor and ground, or the line and neutral conductors. a circuit interrupter 45 is connected in series with the line, between the power source and the load 52 . a contactor or similar device may be employed, which includes a first set of contacts connected to the neutral conductor 6 and to the load by way of conductor 50 , and a second set of contacts connected to the line conductor 7 , and to the load by conductor 51 . preferably, the first and second contacts are spring loaded by a mouse trap type arrangement, controlled by trip mechanism 44 . when the trip mechanism is activated, the spring loaded contacts are open and latch in an open condition until they are manually reset. a device of this type is per se well known, and is shown, for example, in u.s. pat. no. 5,510,760. in particular this embodiment incorporates a two stage arc sensor. the first sensor 1 is a current transformer which can be configured to respond to arc steps in current, or to the arc rf noise generated by the arc, or both. sensor 1 may be designed of a physically small core, with a core type or number of secondary turns, which gives good sensitivity, but which may saturate and lose signal during arcs above a predetermined level. in order to detect arc currents above the predetermined level of sensor 1 , a second sensor 2 is constructed of a section of the conductor which carries current through the detector from the line supply side to the contactor 45 . this conductor section may be the wire that passes from node 12 , to circuit ground reference 14 , or any other section of the conductor, which has one end of the section connected to input 20 of summer amplifier 18 and the other end of the section connected to the circuit reference. if the section of conductor used for sensor 2 is part of the current transformer primary, then that section is included in the impedance of the primary winding. as an example, the conductor section between node 12 and circuit reference 14 constitutes the primary winding. the wire section from node 16 to node 14 would be only resistive. as an alternative, the section may include a bi-metallic element having a resistance thereacross. summer amplifier 18 is a summing amplifier which sums the voltage produced at the secondary of transformer sensor 1 , applied to the summer input 22 of summer amplifier 18 , with the voltage detected across the predetermined section of conductor comprising sensor 2 . with low level arc faults, such as those in series with the load, transformer sensor 1 produces most of the arc signal output with little arc signal contribution from the voltage across the conductor wire section sensor 2 . at an intermediate arc current, both the secondary of sensor 1 and the voltage drop across the conductor section comprising sensor 1 will produce signal which is summed by amplifier 18 . the phase of both sensor voltages is connected for primarily adding. for large arc currents, the predominate arc signal source is the voltage across the conductor section. when the amplitude and type of arc signal produced at the output of amplifier 18 is of the correct type, signal detector block 26 responds to the arc signal and activates scr 41 , which activates in turn, solenoid 43 , mechanism 44 , and contactor 45 , which disconnects the arc fault. block 24 shows the dc supply for the arc fault detector. while the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. in addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation of material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention. therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
|
082-593-902-152-910
|
CN
|
[
"EP",
"WO",
"US"
] |
H04W72/0446,H04W72/04
| 2020-04-15T00:00:00 |
2020
|
[
"H04"
] |
conflicting resource determination method, terminal, and network device
|
the present invention provides a method for determining a conflicting resource, a terminal, and a network device, where the method applied to the terminal includes: determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are a conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time of an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells.
|
a method for determining a conflicting resource, applied to a terminal and characterized by comprising: determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the plurality of serving cells comprise the secondary cells , and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, wherein the activation information comprises at least one of following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, wherein the states of the secondary cells comprise: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time of an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. the method according to claim 1, wherein the different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells comprise: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, wherein there are configurations of serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. the method according to claim 1, wherein the time resource comprises at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe. the method according to claim 1, wherein the determining, based on activation information of the secondary cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal comprises: determining, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the activated cells comprise: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and an activated secondary cells. the method according to claim 4, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of following: uplink-sending configuration information of an activated uplink bandwidth part bwp; downlink-receiving configuration information of an activated downlink bwp; uplink-sending configuration information of serving cells; downlink-receiving configuration information of serving cells; configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; and configuration information of flexible resources. the method according to claim 5, wherein the uplink-sending configuration information comprises at least one of following configuration information: a physical random access channel prach, a sounding reference signal srs, a physical uplink shared channel pusch, and a physical uplink control channel pucch; and the downlink-receiving configuration information comprises at least one of following configuration information: a physical downlink shared channel pdsch, a channel state information reference signal csi-rs, and a physical downlink control channel pdcch. the method according to claim 1, wherein configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells. the method according to claim 1, wherein for the deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells, all time resources of the deactivated secondary cell are flexible time resources. the method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells. the method according to claim 9, wherein the reference serving cell is: a cell with the lowest index value in activated cells of the plurality of service cells, wherein the activated cells comprises: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. the method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the plurality of serving cells are in one frequency band or in one frequency band combination. the method according to claim 4 or 10, wherein in a case that the terminal receives the activation command, the activated secondary cell comprises a secondary cell activated by the activation command; or in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command, the activated secondary cell does not comprise a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command. the method according to claim 4 or 10, wherein in a case that the terminal receives the activation command: in a first time, the activated secondary cell comprises a secondary cell activated by the activation command; and/or in a second time, the activated secondary cell does not comprise a secondary cell activated by the activation command, wherein a difference between the first time and a receiving time of the activation command is greater than or equal to t1 time, a difference between the second time and the receiving time of the activation command is less than or equal to the t 1 time, and the t 1 time is a delay for activating the secondary cell. the method according to claim 13, wherein time resources of the secondary cell activated by the activation command at the second time are flexible time resources. the method according to claim 4 or 10, wherein in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command: in a third time, the activated secondary cell comprises a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command; and/or in a fourth time, the activated secondary cell does not comprise a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command, wherein a difference between the third time and a receiving time of the deactivation command is less than or equal to t2 time, a difference between the fourth time and the receiving time of the deactivation command is greater than or equal to the t2 time, and the t2 time is a delay for deactivating the secondary cell. the method according to claim 15, wherein time resources of the secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command at the fourth time are flexible time resources. the method according to claim 1, wherein all time resources of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells are flexible time resources, wherein the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state and activated bwp is adormant bwp. the method according to claim 17, wherein the all time resources comprise: downlink time resources and uplink time resources configured on a network side. the method according to claim 1, wherein in a case of determining a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used; or a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells is determined based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, the activated cells comprise: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells; and/or configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells; or it is determined, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the activated cells comprise: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells, wherein the dormant secondary cell whose state is active state, and an activated bwp is secondary cells of a dormant bwp. the method according to claim 19, wherein the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell comprises at least one of following: configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; configuration of pdcch monitoring; transmission configuration of a semi-persistent scheduling sps pdsch; transmission configuration of a configured grant pusch; transmission configuration of a prach; transmission configuration of a csi-rs; transmission configuration of an srs; and transmission configuration of a pucch. the method according to claim 20, wherein the csi-rs is not used for at least one of following: radio resource management rrm measurement, beam failure detection bfd, and channel state information csi measurement. the method according to claim 20, wherein the srs is an srs with a cycle less than or equal to a cycle threshold, and the cycle threshold is preset or indicated by a network. a method for determining a conflicting resource, applied to a network device and comprising: determining, based on activation information of secondary cells of a terminal, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the plurality of serving cells comprise the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, wherein the activation information comprises at least one of following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, wherein the states of the secondary cells comprise: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time for the terminal to receive an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. the method according to claim 23, wherein the different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells comprise: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, wherein there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of the another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of the other serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of the serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of the serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. the method according to claim 23, wherein the time resource comprises at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe. the method according to claim 23, wherein the determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal comprises: determining, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the activated cells comprise: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. the method according to claim 26, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of following: uplink-sending configuration information of activated uplink bandwidth parts bwps; downlink-receiving configuration information of an activated downlink bwps; uplink-sending configuration information of serving cells; downlink-receiving configuration information of serving cells; configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; and configuration information of flexible resources. the method according to claim 27, wherein the uplink-sending configuration information comprises at least one of following configuration information: a physical random access channel prach, a sounding reference signal srs, a physical uplink shared channel pusch, and a physical uplink control channel pucch; and the downlink-receiving configuration information comprises at least one of following configuration information: a physical downlink shared channel pdsch, a channel state information reference signal csi-rs, and a physical downlink control channel pdcch. the method according to claim 23, wherein configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells. the method according to claim 23, wherein for the deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells, all time resources of the deactivated secondary cell are flexible time resource symbols. the method according to claim 23, further comprising: determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells. the method according to claim 31, wherein the reference serving cell is: a cell with the lowest index value in activated cells of the plurality of service cells, wherein the activated cells comprise: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. the method according to claim 31 or 32, wherein the plurality of serving cells are in one frequency band or in one frequency band combination. the method according to claim 26 or 32, wherein in a case that the terminal receives the activation command, the activated secondary cell comprises a secondary cell activated by the activation command; or in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command, the activated secondary cell does not comprise a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command. the method according to claim 26 or 32, wherein in a case that the terminal receives the activation command: in a first time, the activated secondary cell comprises a secondary cell activated by the activation command; and/or in a second time, the activated secondary cell does not comprise a secondary cell activated by the activation command, wherein a difference between the first time and a receiving time of the activation command is greater than or equal to a t1 time, a difference between the second time and the receiving time of the activation command is less than or equal to the t 1 time, and the t1 time is a delay for activating the secondary cell. the method according to claim 35, wherein time resources of the secondary cell activated by the activation command at the second time are flexible time resources. the method according to claim 26 or 32, wherein in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command: in a third time, the activated secondary cell comprises a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command; and/or in a fourth time, the activated secondary cell does not comprise a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command, wherein a difference between the third time and a receiving time of the deactivation command is less than or equal to t2 time, a difference between the fourth time and the receiving time of the deactivation command is greater than or equal to the t2 time, and the t2 time is a delay for deactivating the secondary cell. the method according to claim 37, wherein time resources of the secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command at the fourth time are flexible time resources. the method according to claim 23, wherein all time resources of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells are flexible time resources, wherein the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. the method according to claim 39, wherein the all time resources comprise: downlink time resources and uplink time resources configured on the network side. the method according to claim 23, wherein in a case that the terminal determines a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used; or the terminal determines, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, the activated cells comprise: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are a non-dormant secondary cells; and/or configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells; or the terminal determines, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the activated cells comprise: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells, wherein the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. the method according to claim 41, wherein the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell comprises at least one of following: configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; configuration of pdcch monitoring; transmission configuration of a semi-persistent scheduling sps pdsch; transmission configuration of a configured grant pusch; transmission configuration of a prach; transmission configuration of a csi-rs; transmission configuration of an srs; and transmission configuration of a pucch. the method according to claim 42, wherein the csi-rs is not used for at least one of following: radio resource management rrm measurement, beam failure detection bfd, and channel state information csi measurement. the method according to claim 42, wherein the srs is an srs with a cycle greater than or equal to a cycle threshold, and the cycle threshold is preset or indicated by a network. a terminal, comprising: a first determining module, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the plurality of serving cells comprise the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, wherein the activation information comprises at least one of following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, wherein the states of the secondary cells comprise: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time of an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. the terminal according to claim 45, wherein the different time resources configured for uplink and downlink of different serving cells comprise: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, wherein there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources, and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. the terminal according to claim 45, wherein the time resource comprises at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe. the terminal according to claim 45, wherein the determining, based on activation information of the secondary cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal comprises: determining, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the activated cells comprise: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. the terminal according to claim 45, wherein the terminal further comprises a determining module, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells. the terminal according to claim 49, wherein the reference serving cell is: a cell with the lowest index value in activated cells of the plurality of service cells, wherein the activated cells comprises: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. a network device, comprising: a second determining module, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells of a terminal, whether there are the conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the plurality of serving cells comprise the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refers to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink in different serving cells, wherein the activation information comprises at least one of following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, wherein the states of the secondary cells comprise: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time for the terminal to receive an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. the network device according to claim 51, wherein the different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells comprise: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, wherein there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending in a serving cell and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. the network device according to claim 51, wherein the time resource comprises at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe. the network device according to claim 51, wherein the determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal comprises: determining, based on configuration information of an activated cell in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, wherein the activated cells comprise: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. a terminal, comprising a memory, a processor, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the program is executed by the processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource according to any one of claims 1 to 22 are implemented. a network device, comprising: a memory, a processor, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the program is executed by the processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource according to any one of claims 23 to 44 are implemented. a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource according to any one of claims 1 to 22 are implemented, or when the computer program is executed by a processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource according to any one of claims 23 to 44 are implemented.
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cross-reference to related applications this application claims priority to chinese patent application no. 202010296709.6 filed in china on april 15, 2020 , chinese patent application no. 202010345796.x filed in china on april 27, 2020 , and chinese patent application no.202010414589.5 filed in china on may 15, 2020 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. technical field the present invention relates to field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method for determining a conflicting resource, a terminal, and a network device. background in some communication systems (for example, the 5g communication system), a terminal is supported in simultaneously accessing a plurality of serving cells, and time resources configured for the terminal in different serving cells may be the same or different. in this way, when the terminal performs transmission in the plurality of serving cells, a transmission conflict may occur. therefore, how to determine whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal is a technical problem that needs to be urgently resolved currently. summary embodiments of the present invention provide a method for determining a conflicting resource, a terminal, and a network device to solve the problem of how to determine whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal. according to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for determining a conflicting resource, applied to a terminal and including: determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resource refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time of an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. according to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for determining a conflicting resource, applied to a network device and including: determining, based on activation information of secondary cells of a terminal, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active state or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time for the terminal to receive an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. according to a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a terminal, including: a first determining module, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or a deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time of an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. according to a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a network device, including: a second determining module, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells of a terminal, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cell, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time for the terminal to receive an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. according to a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a terminal, including: a memory, a processor, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, where when the program is executed by the processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource provided in the first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention are implemented. according to a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device, including a memory, a processor, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, where when the program is executed by the processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource provided in the second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention are implemented. according to a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource provided in the first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention are implemented, or when the computer program is executed by a processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource provided in the second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention are implemented. in the embodiments of the present invention, it is determined, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refers to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time of an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. in this way, it may be determined whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal. brief description of drawings fig. 1 is a structural diagram of a network system to which the embodiments of the present invention can be applied; fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for determining a conflicting resource according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3 is a flowchart of another method for determining a conflicting resource according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a structural diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 5 is a structural diagram of another terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is a structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 is a structural diagram of another network device according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 is a structural diagram of another terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 9 is a structural diagram of another network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. description of embodiments the following clearly and completely describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. apparently, the described embodiments are some rather than all of the embodiments of the present invention. all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention. the term "include" and any other variants in the specification and claims of this application mean to cover the non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a list of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units, but may include other steps or units not expressly listed or inherent to such a process, method, product, or device. in addition, "and/or" used in the specification and claims means at least one of connected objects. for example, a and/or b represents the following three cases: only a exists, only b exists, and both a and b exist. in the embodiments of the present invention, the term such as "exemplary" or "for example" is used to represent an example, an instance, or a description. any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. to be precise, the use of the term such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present a related concept in a specific manner. embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. the method for determining a conflicting resource, the terminal, and the network device provided in the embodiments of the present invention may be applied to a wireless communications system. the wireless communications system may be a new radio (new radio, nr) system or another system such as an evolved long term evolution (evolved long term evolution, elte) system, a long term evolution (long term evolution, lte) system, or a subsequent evolved communications system. further, the method for determining a conflicting resource, the terminal, and the network device may be applied to an unlicensed band (unlicensed band) in the foregoing wireless communications system. referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a structural diagram of a network system to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. as shown in fig. 1 , the network system includes a terminal 11 and a network device 12, where the terminal 11 may be user equipment (user equipment, ue) or other terminal side devices such as a mobile phone, a tablet personal computer (tablet personal computer), a laptop computer (laptop computer), a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, pda), a mobile internet device (mobile internet device, mid), a wearable device (wearable device), or a robot. it should be noted that a specific type of the terminal 11 is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention. the network device 12 may be a 4g base station, a 5g base station, a base station of a later version, or a base station in another communications system, or may be referred to as a nodeb, an evolved nodeb, a transmission reception point (transmission reception point, trp), an access point (access point, ap), or another word in the field. the network device is not limited to a specific technical term provided that a same technical effect is achieved. in addition, the network device 12 may be a master node (master node, mn), or a secondary node (secondary node, sn). it should be noted that in the embodiments of the present invention, only the 5g base station is used as an example, but a specific type of the network device is not limited. referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for determining a conflicting resource according to an embodiment of the present invention. the method is applied to a terminal. as shown in fig. 2 , the method includes the following steps. step 201. determine, based on activation information of secondary cells (scells), whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time of an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. there may be one or more secondary cells described above. in addition, the plurality of serving cells may be serving cells of a plurality of network devices, or may be a plurality of serving cells of a same network device. that the uplink and the downlink of different serving cells are configured with different time resources may be, on the same time resource, a serving cell may be configured with a downlink time resource, and another serving cell may be configured with an uplink time resource, or on the same time resource, a serving cell may be configured with downlink receiving, and another serving cell may be configured with uplink sending. as a result, a half duplex (half duplex) terminal cannot perform transmission simultaneously with the plurality of serving cells on the time resource, and thus a conflict occurs. the determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal may be, determining a state of each secondary cell based on the activation information of the secondary cell, and then determining, based on the state of each secondary cell, whether there is a conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, or determining, based on a state of each secondary cell and a primary cell, whether there is a conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, for example, it can be determined whether downlink transmission configuration of secondary cells conflict with uplink and downlink transmission configuration of other cells, and it can be determined whether uplink and downlink transmission configuration of secondary cells conflict with uplink/downlink/flexible resource configuration of other cells. for example, a time resource a of an activated secondary cell is the downlink time resource, and the time resource a of another activated secondary cell is the uplink time resource. therefore, the time resource a is determined to be the conflicting time resource. in addition, the determining whether there are conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal may be, determining there are conflicting time resources, and determining which time resources the conflicting time resources are. in this embodiment of the present invention, the time resource may include at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe, such as an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (orthogonal frequency division multiplex, ofdm) symbol. certainly, this is not limited. for example, the time resource may be a time resource newly defined in a subsequent protocol, such as a time resource smaller than a symbol. it should be noted that the conflicting time resource may be one or more time resources. the foregoing terminal may be a half duplex (half duplex) terminal. optionally, the terminal may meet at least one of the following conditions: the network configures the terminal with a plurality of serving cells and an enabled half duplex behavior; the terminal does not have a capability to perform sending and receiving simultaneously on a plurality of serving cells; a capability of the terminal to report supporting a half duplex terminal behavior; and the terminal is not configured to monitor a downlink control information format (dci format) 2-0. in this embodiment of the present invention, it can be determined whether there is a conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, so that the terminal may select to perform transmission in the conflicting time resource, so as to avoid the conflict, improve the transmission performance of the terminal. in addition, it can be determined whether the transmission can be performed on the plurality of serving cells, so as to make full use of resources on each serving cell. in addition, the determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal can have a same understanding of sending and receiving between the network device and the terminal as for the conflicting time resource, thus improving the uplink and downlink resource utilization, and avoiding excessive discarding of uplink and downlink transmission. as an optional implementation, the different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells include: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, where there are configurations of serving cells being uplink time resources, and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. the first time resource may be understood as being configured as the uplink time resource in some serving cells, and configured as the downlink time resource in other serving cells; the second time resource may be understood as being configured as the uplink sending in some serving cells, and configured as downlink receiving in other serving cells; the third time resource may be understood as being configured as the uplink sending in some serving cells, and configured as the downlink resource in other serving cells; and the fourth time resource may be understood as being configured as the uplink resource in some serving cells, and configured as the downlink receiving in other serving cells. in this implementation, resources with uplink and downlink time conflicting can be determined, and resources with uplink and downlink transmission conflicting can also be determined. that is, the conflict is that uplink and downlink symbols or uplink and downlink transmissions configured for different serving cells on the same time resource are opposite, or the uplink and downlink transmissions do not match the uplink and downlink symbols. as an optional implementation, the determining, based on activation information of the secondary cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal includes: determining, based on configuration information of an activated cell in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. the activated secondary cell is determined based on the activation information of the secondary cell. in this implementation, it is determined, only based on the configuration information of the activated cell, whether there is a conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, and configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell is not used to determine whether there is a time resource conflict in uplink and downlink of a plurality of serving cells. it can be avoided that the network device and the terminal do not have a same understanding of the conflicting time resource, thereby improving resource utilization and transmission performance. optionally, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: uplink-sending configuration information of an activated uplink bandwidth part bwp; downlink-receiving configuration information of an activated downlink bwp; uplink-sending configuration information of serving cells; downlink-receiving configuration information of serving cells; configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; and configuration information of flexible resources. it should be noted that content of configuration information of different activated cells may be the same or different, where the content herein refers to at least one of the foregoing items. for example, the configuration information of some activated cells includes configuration information of a flexible resource, while configuration information of other activated cells does not include the configuration information of the flexible resource. in addition, the uplink-sending configuration information of the serving cell and the downlink-receiving configuration information of the serving cell can be understood as the uplink-sending configuration information and the downlink-receiving configuration information of the activated cell, because the activated cell is the serving cell. in addition, the configuration information may be rrc configuration information, and certainly, may also be other configuration information, which is not limited. in addition, the activated uplink bwp may be a dormant uplink bwp (dormant bwp) or a non-dormant uplink bwp, and the activated downlink bwp may be a dormant downlink bwp (dormant bwp) or a non-dormant downlink bwp. further, the configuration information for the dormant downlink bwp may be at least one of the following configuration information: a csi-rs and a synchronization signal block (synchronization signal block, ssb). the csi-rs may include at least one of the following: a csi-rs used for bfd and a csi-rs used for csi measurement. the uplink resource, the downlink resource, and the flexible resource may be an uplink symbol, a downlink symbol, and a flexible symbol, or may be an uplink slot, a downlink slot, and a flexible slot, or may be an uplink subframe, a downlink subframe, and a flexible subframe. in addition, the uplink-sending configuration information may include at least one of the following configuration information: a physical random access channel (prach), a sounding reference signal (srs), a physical uplink shared channel (pusch), and a physical uplink control channel(pucch); and the downlink-receiving configuration information may include at least one of the following configuration information: a physical downlink shared channel pdsch), a channel state information reference signal (csi- rs) , and a physical downlink control channel (pdcch). optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command, the activated secondary cell may include a secondary cell activated by the activation command; or in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command, the activated secondary cell may not include a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command. for example, if a secondary cell is an activated serving cell, an rrc configuration of at least one of the downlink receiving configured for the activated downlink bwp of the activated scell, the uplink sending configured for the activated uplink bwp, the downlink receiving configured for the scell, the uplink sending configured for the scell, the uplink time resource, the downlink time resource, and the flexible time resource configured for the scell may be used to determine whether there is a conflict between the secondary cell and other serving cells. for another example, if a secondary cell is a deactivated serving cell, it is not determined whether there is a conflict in the resources of the serving cell. or if a secondary cell is a deactivated serving cell, the ue considers that all symbols on the deactivated serving cell are flexible symbols. for example, for the deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells, all time resources of the deactivated secondary cell are flexible time resources. the time resource herein can be symbols, slots, or subframes. since in each time resource, only cells configured by the high-layer signaling with uplink sending or downlink receiving, or configured by the high-layer signaling with the downlink or uplink time resource are used to determine whether there is a conflict in the plurality of serving cells, that is, the flexible time resource configured by the high-layer signaling is not considered. if a symbol of a serving cell is configured as a flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling, the cell is not considered in determining the reference serving cell. the determining the reference serving cell includes determining a cell with the lowest cell index value in the plurality of serving cells, that is, the cell whose symbol is configured as the flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling is not considered in determining the cell with the lowest cell index value. the ue configures the high-layer signaling on the time resource with uplink sending or downlink receiving, or configures the high-layer signaling to determine the reference serving cell in the cell of the downlink or uplink time resource. further, if a symbol of a serving cell is configured as a flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling, the serving cell does not determine, on the symbol, whether there is a conflicting time resource between the serving cell and the reference serving cell or other serving cells. in this way, as for the deactivated secondary cell, if the ue assumes that the time resource on the serving cell is a flexible time resource, according to the foregoing rules, the secondary cell may not be considered in determining the reference serving cell. further, the secondary cell does not determine whether there is a conflicting time resource between the secondary cell and the reference serving cell or other serving cells. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command: in a first time, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; and/or in a second time, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell activated by the activation command, where a difference between the first time and a receiving time of the activation command is greater than or equal to t1 time, a difference between the second time and the receiving time of the activation command is less than or equal to the t 1 time, and the t1 time is a delay for activating the secondary cell. in this implementation, the activated cell that is used to determine the conflicting time resource can be accurately determined based on the t1 time, which can more effectively ensure that the network device and the terminal have a same understanding for the conflicting time resource. for example, the terminal receives the mac-ce indicating the activation of the secondary cell, and after the t1 time, the terminal uses an rrc configuration of at least one of the downlink receiving configured for the activated downlink bwp of the activated scell, the uplink sending configured for the activated uplink bwp, the downlink receiving configured for the scell, the uplink sending configured for the scell, the uplink time resource, the downlink time resource, and the flexible time resource configured for the scell to determine whether there is a conflict between the secondary cell and other serving cells. when it is determined whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells before the t1 time, the secondary cell is considered to be a deactivated cell. optionally, a time resource of the secondary cell activated by the activation command at the second time is a flexible time resource. for example, if the terminal considers that the time resource of the deactivated secondary cell is a flexible time resource, the terminal considers that the time resource of the secondary cell is a flexible time resource before the t1 time. since in each time resource, only cells configured by the high-layer signaling with uplink sending or downlink receiving, or configured by the high-layer signaling with the downlink or uplink time resource are used to determine whether there is a conflict in the plurality of serving cells, that is, the flexible time resource configured by the high-layer signaling is not considered. if a symbol of a serving cell is configured as a flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling, the cell is not considered in determining the reference serving cell. the determining the reference serving cell includes determining a cell with the lowest cell index value in the plurality of serving cells, that is, the cell whose symbol is configured as the flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling is not considered in determining the cell with the lowest cell index value. the ue configures the high-layer signaling on the time resource with uplink sending or downlink receiving, or configures the high-layer signaling to determine the reference serving cell in the cell of the downlink or uplink time resource. further, if a symbol of a serving cell is configured as a flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling, the serving cell does not determine, on the symbol, whether there is a conflicting time resource between the serving cell and the reference serving cell or other serving cells. in this way, as for the deactivated secondary cell, if the ue assumes that the time resource on the serving cell is a flexible time resource, according to the foregoing rules, the secondary cell may not be considered in determining the reference serving cell before the t1 time. further, the secondary cell does not determine whether there is a conflicting time resource between the secondary cell and the reference serving cell or other serving cells. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command: in a third time, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command; and/or in a fourth time, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command, where a difference between the third time and a receiving time of the deactivation command is less than or equal to a t2 time, a difference between the fourth time and the receiving time of the deactivation command is greater than or equal to the t2 time, and the t2 time is a delay for deactivating the secondary cell. in this implementation, the deactivated cell that is not used to determine the conflicting time resource can be accurately determined based on the t2 time, which can more effectively ensure that the network device and the terminal have a same understanding for the conflicting time resource. for example, the terminal receives the mac-ce indicating the deactivation of the secondary cell, and after the t2 time, the terminal stops using an rrc configuration of at least one of the downlink receiving configured for the activated downlink bwp of the activated secondary cell, the uplink sending configured for the activated uplink bwp, the downlink receiving configured for the scell, the uplink sending configured for the scell, the uplink time resource, the downlink time resource, and the flexible time resource configured for the scell to determine whether there is a conflict between the secondary cell and other serving cells. when it is determined whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells before the t2 time, the secondary cell is considered to be an activated cell. optionally, a time resources of the secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command at the fourth time are flexible time resources. for example, if the terminal considers that the time resource of the deactivated secondary cell is a flexible time resource, the terminal considers that the time resource of the secondary cell is a flexible time resource after the t2 time. since in each time resource, only cells configured by the high-layer signaling with uplink sending or downlink receiving, or configured by the high-layer signaling with the downlink or uplink time resource are used to determine whether there is a conflict in the plurality of serving cells, that is, the flexible time resource configured by the high-layer signaling is not considered. if a symbol of a serving cell is configured as a flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling, the cell is not considered in determining the reference serving cell. the determining the reference serving cell includes determining a cell with the lowest cell index value in the plurality of serving cells, that is, the cell whose symbol is configured as the flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling is not considered in determining the cell with the lowest cell index value. the ue configures the high-layer signaling on the time resource with uplink sending or downlink receiving, or configures the high-layer signaling to determine the reference serving cell in the cell of the downlink or uplink time resource. further, if a symbol of a serving cell is configured as a flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling, the serving cell does not determine, on the symbol, whether there is a conflicting time resource between the serving cell and the reference serving cell or other serving cells. in this way, as for the deactivated secondary cell, if the ue assumes that the time resource on the serving cell is a flexible time resource, according to the foregoing rules, configuration on the secondary cell may not be considered in determining the reference serving cell after the t2 time. further, the secondary cell does not determine whether there is a conflicting time resource between the secondary cell and the reference serving cell or other cells. as an optional implementation, configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells. in this implementation, it is determined, only based on the configuration information of the activated cell, whether there is a conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, and configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell is not used to determine whether there is a time resource conflict in uplink and downlink of a plurality of serving cells. it can be avoided that the network device and the terminal do not have a same understanding of the conflicting time resource, thereby improving resource utilization and transmission performance. as an optional implementation, the method further includes: determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell (reference cell) in the plurality of serving cells. in this implementation, it is determined, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells. in this way, it can be ensured that the network device and the terminal have a same understanding of the reference serving cell. optionally, the reference serving cell is: a cell with the lowest index value in activated cells of the plurality of service cells, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. it should be noted that, for the activated secondary cell herein, reference may be made to the determination of the activated cell for determining the conflicting time resource. details are not described herein again. optionally, the plurality of serving cells are in one frequency band or in one frequency band combination. in this implementation, the conflicting time resource among a plurality of serving cells in a same frequency band may be determined, and the reference serving cell may be determined. moreover, the conflicting time resource among a plurality of serving cells in a same frequency band combination may be determined, and the reference serving cell may be determined. as an optional implementation, the terminal may perform the following actions for the foregoing conflicting time resource: if at least one of these time resources is a downlink time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling on the reference serving cell, or is indicated by the high-layer signaling for receiving the pdcch, the pdsch, or the csi-rs on the reference serving cell, the pucch, the pusch, or the prach is not sent on a time resource of other serving cells; and if a time resource in time resources of other serving cells is a downlink time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling on the reference serving cell, or is indicated by the high-layer signaling for receiving the pdcch, the pdsch, or the csi-rs on the reference serving cell, the srs is not sent on a time resource of other serving cells. if at least one time resource in time resources of other serving cells is an uplink time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling on the reference serving cell, or is indicated by the high-layer signaling for sending the srs, the pucch, the pusch, or the prach on the reference serving cell, the pdcch, the pdsch, or the csi-rs indicated by the high-layer signaling is not received on a time resource of other serving cells; the time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling as downlink on other serving cells, and indicated by the high-layer signaling to transmit the srs, the pucch, the pusch, or the prach on the reference serving cell is the flexible time resource; and the time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling as uplink on other serving cells, and indicated by the high-layer signaling to receive the pdcch, the pdsch, or the csi on the reference serving cell is the flexible time resource. as an optional implementation, all time resources of a dormant secondary cell (dormant scell) in the plurality of serving cells are flexible time resources, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp (dormant bwp). the time resource herein can be symbols, slots, or subframes. since in each time resource, only cells configured by the high-layer signaling with uplink sending or downlink receiving, or configured by the high-layer signaling with the downlink or uplink time resource are used to determine whether there is a conflict in the plurality of serving cells, that is, the flexible time resource configured by the high-layer signaling is not considered. if a symbol of a serving cell is configured as a flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling, the cell is not considered in determining the reference serving cell. the determining the reference serving cell includes determining a cell with the lowest cell index value in the plurality of serving cells, that is, the cell whose symbol is configured as the flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling is not considered in determining the cell with the lowest cell index value. the ue configures the high-layer signaling on the time resource with uplink sending or downlink receiving, or configures the high-layer signaling to determine the reference serving cell in the cell of the downlink or uplink time resource. further, if a symbol of a serving cell is configured as a flexible symbol by the high-layer signaling, and there is no high-layer signaling to configure uplink sending or downlink receiving on this symbol, the serving cell does not determine, on the symbol, whether there is a conflicting time resource between the serving cell and the reference serving cell or other serving cells. in this way, as for the dormant cell, the ue assumes that the time resource on the serving cell is a flexible time resource. optionally, the all the time resources include: downlink time resources and uplink time resources configured on a network side. the downlink time resource and the uplink time resource configured on the network side may be the downlink time resource and the uplink time resource configured by the high-layer signaling. for example, even if the symbol of the dormant serving cell is configured by the high-layer signaling as the downlink time resource or the uplink time resource, the ue ignores these configurations, and assumes that these time resources are flexible time resources. according to the foregoing rules, the secondary cell may not be considered in determining the reference serving cell. further, the secondary cell does not determine whether there is a conflicting time resource between the secondary cell and the reference serving cell or other serving cells. as an optional implementation, in a case of determining a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, configuration information of a dormant secondary cell (dormant scell) in the plurality of serving cells is not used; or a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells is determined based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells, where the dormant secondary cell (dormant scell) whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp (dormant bwp). the configuration information of the foregoing activated cell may be all or a part of the configuration information of the activated cell. in this implementation, the reference serving cell may be determined not based on the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell. as an optional implementation, configuration information of a dormant secondary cell (dormant scell) in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells; or it is determined, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells, where the configuration information of the foregoing activated cells may be all or a part of the configuration information of the activated cells. the dormant secondary cell (dormant scell) is in an active state, and an activated bwp is secondary cells of a dormant bwp (dormant bwp). in this embodiment, it may be determined, not based on the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell, whether there is a conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal. optionally, the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell includes at least one of the following: configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; configuration of pdcch monitoring; transmission configuration of a semi-persistent scheduling (sps) pdsch; transmission configuration of a configured grant (configured grant) pusch; transmission configuration of a prach; transmission configuration of a csi-rs; transmission configuration of an srs; and transmission configuration of a pucch. optionally, the csi-rs is not used for at least one of the following: radio resource management (rrm) measurement, beam failure detection (bfd), and channel state information (csi) measurement. in this implementation, the csi-rs may be a csi-rs used for other purposes other than rrm measurement, bfd, and csi measurement, so that the transmission configuration of the csi-rs used for the rrm measurement, bfd, and csi measurement can be used for determining the serving reference cell and determining whether there is a conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal. optionally, the srs is an srs with a cycle less than or equal to a cycle threshold, and the cycle threshold is preset or indicated by a network. the foregoing preset may be pre-agreed in the protocol or pre-set by the terminal. in addition, the transmission configuration of the srs whose cycle is greater than a cycle threshold may be used to determine the serving reference cell and to determine whether there is a conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal. referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a flowchart of another method for determining a conflicting resource according to an embodiment of the present invention. the method is applied to a network device. as shown in fig. 3 , the method includes the following steps. step 301. determine, based on activation information of secondary cells of a terminal, whether there are the conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time for the terminal to receive an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. optionally, the different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells include: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, where there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of the another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of the other serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of the serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of the serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. optionally, the time resource includes at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe. optionally, the determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal includes: determining, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: uplink-sending configuration information of activated uplink bandwidth parts (bwps); downlink-receiving configuration information of activated downlink bwps; uplink-sending configuration information of serving cells; downlink-receiving configuration information of serving cells; configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; and configuration information of flexible resources. optionally, the uplink-sending configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical random access channel (prach), a sounding reference signal (srs), a physical uplink shared channel (pusch), and a physical uplink control channel (pucch); and the downlink-receiving configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch), a channel state information reference signal (csi-rs), and a physical downlink control channel (pdcch). optionally, configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, for the deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells, all time resources of the deactivated secondary cell are flexible time resource symbols. optionally, the method further includes: determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, the reference serving cell is: a cell with the lowest index value in activated cells of the plurality of service cells, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the plurality of serving cells are in one frequency band or in one frequency band combination. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; or in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command: in a first time, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; and/or in a second time, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell activated by the activation command, where a difference between the first time and a receiving time of the activation command is greater than or equal to t1 time, a difference between the second time and the receiving time of the activation command is less than or equal to the t1 time, and the t1 time is a delay for activating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell activated by the activation command at the second time are flexible time resources. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command: in a third time, the activated secondary cell includes secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command; and/or in a fourth time, the activated secondary cell does not include secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command, where a difference between the third time and a receiving time of the deactivation command is less than or equal to t2 time, a difference between the fourth time and the receiving time of the deactivation command is greater than or equal to the t2 time, and the t2 time is a delay for deactivating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command at the fourth time are flexible time resources. optionally, all time resources of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells are flexible time resources, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, the all the time resources include: downlink time resources and uplink time resources configured on the network side. optionally, in a case that the terminal determines a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used; or the terminal determines, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells; and/or configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells; or the terminal determines, based on configuration information of an activated cell in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell includes at least one of the following: configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; configuration of pdcch monitoring; transmission configuration of a semi-persistent scheduling (sps) pdsch; transmission configuration of a configured grant pusch; transmission configuration of a prach; transmission configuration of a csi-rs; transmission configuration of an srs; and transmission configuration of a pucch. optionally, the csi-rs is not used for at least one of the following: radio resource management (rrm) measurement, beam failure detection (bfd), and channel state information (csi) measurement. optionally, the srs is an srs with a cycle greater than or equal to a cycle threshold, and the cycle threshold is preset or indicated by a network. it should be noted that this embodiment is used as an implementation of the network device side corresponding to the embodiment shown in fig. 2 . for a specific implementation, refer to the related descriptions of the embodiment shown in fig. 2 . to avoid repeated descriptions, details are not described again in this embodiment. in this embodiment, it may also be determined whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal. the method for determining a conflicting resource provided in this embodiment of the present invention is illustrated below with a plurality of embodiments: embodiment 1: if the network is configured with a plurality of serving cells, and there is a deactivated serving cell, the terminal only uses the uplink and downlink transmission configuration of the activated scell, or the uplink and downlink resource configuration to determine whether there is a conflict in the uplink and downlink of the plurality of serving cells (namely, the conflicting time resource described above). the uplink and downlink transmission configuration of the deactivated scell, or the uplink and downlink resource configuration is not used to determine whether there is a conflict in the uplink and downlink of the plurality of serving cells (namely, the conflicting time resource described above). embodiment 2: in this embodiment, in a frequency band (frequency band) all serving cells are scells, which are specifically as follows: if all cells are activated scells, a cell with the lowest serving cell scell index (serving cell scell index) in the plurality of serving cells is the reference cell. if the inactive scell is included, a cell with the lowest index in the activated scells is the reference cell. for example, in a frequency band, if there are 3 scells, index values are n1, n2, and n3, where n1<n2<n3, if all three scells are activated scells, a cell with the index value n1 is the reference cell; and if the scell n1 is a deactivated cell, n2 is a reference scell. embodiment 3: after receiving the activation or deactivation command of the scell, the terminal determines the conflict time resource based on the activation delay of the scell, which are specifically as follows: if the terminal receives the mac-ce indicating the activation of the scell, and after the t1 time, the terminal uses an rrc configuration of at least one of the downlink receiving configured for the activated downlink bwp of the activated scell, the uplink sending configured for the activated uplink bwp, the downlink receiving configured for the scell, the uplink sending configured for the scell, the uplink time resource, the downlink time resource, and the flexible time resource configured for the scell to determine whether there is a conflict between the secondary cell and other serving cells; and before the t1 time, the scell is considered to be a deactivated cell, and the uplink and downlink transmission configuration or uplink and downlink resource configuration on the scell is not used to determine whether there is a conflict among a plurality of serving cells. after the scell activation command (scell activation command) is received in the slot n, the t1 may be related to the harq feedback time t harq , the scell activation delay t activation , and the csi reporting time t csi reporting . for example, the terminal needs to be able to report valid csi and perform scell activation no later than the slot n + . that is the t1 is , and nr slot length is a quantity of slots included in 1 ms. t harq is a time between downlink data transmission (dl data transmission) and harq feedback in ms, t csi reporting is a delay including the uncertainty of receiving a first csi-rs resource, the processing delay of csi reporting, and the delay corresponding to the uncertainty of obtaining the first csi reporting resource. as for the delay t activation for activating the scell, t activation varies with different scenarios and configurations. for example, it may be related to at least one of the following factors: whether the scell is a known scell; the ss block based rrm measurement timing configuration (ss block based rrm measurement timing configuration, smtc) cycle configuration; whether the ue is configured with cyclical or semi-persistent csi reporting; the frequency band of the scell; and whether the band to which the scell belongs has an activated cell. for example, if the activated scell is a known scell and belongs to the frequency range fr1, t activation may be equal to t first ssb + 5 ms in a case that the measurement cycle (measurement cycle) of the secondary cell is less than or equal to 160 ms; and in a case that the measurement cycle of the secondary cell is greater than 160 ms, t activation may be equal to t smtc_ma x + t rs + 5 ms. in addition, if the activated scell is an unknown scell and belongs to the frequency range fr1, in a case that the scell is detected once, t activation may be equal to 2 × t smtc_max + 2 × t rs + 5 ms. in addition, if the activated secondary cell belongs to the frequency range fr2, and there is at least one activated serving cell in the frequency band of fr2, and the following conditions are met, t activation may be equal to t first ssb + 5 ms. in a case that the scell is detected once, t activation may be equal to 2 × t smtc_max + 2 × t rs + 5 ms. if the activated scell belongs to fr2, and there is at least one activated serving cell on the band of fr2, and the following conditions are met, tactivation time is t first ssb + 5 ms: configures smtc of the scell. the activated ssbs on other scells and the ssb on this scell can guarantee spatial quasi-co-location, where the t smtc_max is: the maximum value of the smtc cycle corresponding to a plurality of secondary cells; the t first ssb is: a time from the next ssb after n + t harq + 3 ms; and the t rs is: if the smtc configuration of the secondary cell is received in the signaling of adding the secondary cell, t rs is the smtc cycle. otherwise, t rs is the smtc cycle configured by the high-layer signaling measobjectnr with the same frequency of the ssb and with the same subcarrier interval. embodiment 4: if the terminal receives the mac-ce indicating the deactivation of the scell, and after the t2 time, the terminal stops using an rrc configuration of at least one of the downlink receiving configured for the activated downlink bwp of the activated scell, the uplink sending configured for the activated uplink bwp, the downlink receiving configured for the scell, the uplink sending configured for the scell, the uplink time resource, the downlink time resource, and the flexible time resource configured for the scell to determine whether there is a conflict between the secondary cell and other serving cells; and when it is determined whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells before the t2 time, the scell is considered to be an activated cell, where: the t2 may be n + t_harq + x ms, where x is greater than or equal to 0; and tharq is a time between dl data transmission and harq feedback. embodiment 5: except that the scell may be in the active and deactivated states, the activated bwp of the activated scell may be the dormant bwp. in a case that the activated bwp is the dormant bwp, the terminal may only need to perform at least one of the following operations on the bwp: beam failure detection (beam failure detection) and csi measurement, and other rrc configurations do not take effect. for example, the rach configuration, the srs configuration, the pucch configuration, the configured grant (configured grant) pusch configuration, the pdcch search space set (search space set) configuration, the semi-persistent scheduling (semi-persistent scheduling, sps) pdsch configuration, and the like. when the terminal determines whether there is a conflict in the uplink and downlink configurations of the plurality of serving cells, for the scell whose activated bwp is the dormant bwp, the ue can still use the configuration information of the downlink bwp, (for example, the rrc configuration), and the following downlink configuration may be used only to determine whether there is a conflict on corresponding resources between the serving cell and other serving cells: the csi-rs and/or the ssb. the csi-rs may include at least one of the following: a csi-rs used for bfd and a csi-rs used for csi measurement. alternatively, the terminal uses other downlink bwps other than the dormant bwp or the uplink and downlink transmissions configured for the uplink bwp to determine whether there is an uplink and downlink configuration conflict between the serving cell and other serving cells. the bwp may be at least one of the following: a first non-dormant bwp (first non-dormant bwp); a first active downlink bwp (first active downlink bwp); and the bwp indicated by the network side through rrc signaling. the bwp may be a downlink bwp, and correspondingly, the uplink bwp is an uplink bwp with the same downlink bwp id. the first-non-dormant-bwp is configured by the network, and when the terminal receives the dci indicating that the activated bwp of the scell is the dormant bwp, the ue uses the bwp as the activated dl bwp. the firstactivedownlinkbwp is configured by the network, and when the scell is activated, the ue uses the bwp as the activated bwp. the terminal uses the downlink configuration in first-non-dormant-bwp or firstactivedownlinkbwp as the downlink configuration of the scell for activating the downlink bwp as the dormant bwp, the configuration of the uplink bwp with the same bwp id is used as the uplink configuration of the scell for activating the uplink bwp as the dormant bwp, and the uplink and downlink configuration is used as the configuration of the serving cell to determine whether there is an uplink and downlink conflict between the serving cell and other serving cells. alternatively, the network may indicate a bwp-id through the rrc, and the ue uses the configuration of the uplink bwp or the downlink bwp corresponding to the id as the configuration of the serving cell to determine whether there is an uplink and downlink conflict between the serving cell and other serving cells. embodiment 6: the network may configure a plurality of serving cells for the terminal, where the activation bwp of at least one scell is the dormant bwp, and the terminal does not have pdsch configuration information on the dormant bwp, or the pdsch configuration information is obtained, but the configuration information is not used. the configuration information includes information such as pdsch time domain resource allocation. when the harq-ack feedback configured by the network for the terminal uses the harq-ack codebook of type-1 (type-1), (namely, the semi-static codebook), the terminal may determine, based on configuration of the time domain resource allocation of the pdsch in the activated downlink bwp of the activated bwp in each serving cell, a pdsch occasion, and determine an harq-ack codebook. further, when the activated downlink bwp of one or more serving cells of the ue is the dormant bwp, there is no pdsch occasion on the serving cell in the harq-ack codebook because there is no pdsch configuration, or the pdsch configuration is not used. in this way, a bit length in the harq-ack codebook fed back by the terminalis reduced, which can improve the transmission performance of the harq-ack feedback, or reduce the resources occupied by the harq-ack feedback bit. alternatively, when the activated downlink bwp of one or more serving cells of the terminalis the dormant bwp, the ue uses the pdsch configuration of other downlink bwps other than the dormant bwp to determine the pdsch occasion, and determine the harq-ack codebook based on the occasion. the following pdsch configuration of the downlink bwp of the serving cell may be used: first-non-dormant-bwp firstactivedownlinkbwp the bwp indicated by the network through rrc signaling the first-non-dormant-bwp is configured by the network, and when the ue receives the dci indicating that the activated bwp of the scell is the dormant bwp, the ue uses the bwp as the activated dl bwp. the firstactivedownlinkbwp is configured by the network, and when the scell is activated, the ue uses the bwp as the activated bwp. the ue uses the pdsch configuration in first-non-dormant-bwp or firstactivedownlinkbwp as the pdsch configuration of the scell to activate the downlink bwp to the dormant bwp, and is used to determine the harq-ack codebook. alternatively, the network may indicate a bwp through rrc, and the ue uses the pdsch configuration in the bwp as the pdsch configuration of the scell to activate the downlink bwp to the dormant bwp, and is used to determine the harq-ack codebook. the determining the harq-ack codebook is to determine the length of the harq-ack codebook, the order of bits in the codebook and other information. embodiment 7: except that the scell may be in the active and deactivated states, the activated bwp of the activated scell may be the dormant bwp. in a case that the activated bwp is the dormant bwp, the terminal may only need to perform at least one of the following operations on the bwp: beam failure detection (beam failure detection) and csi measurement. preferably, some srss are sent, and other rrc configurations do not take effect. for example, the rach configuration, the srs configuration, the pucch configuration, the configured grant (configured grant) pusch configuration, the pdcch search space set (search space set) configuration, the semi-persistent scheduling (semi-persistent scheduling, sps) pdsch configuration, and the like. preferably, for srs sending, only some srss may be supported in being sent, for example, the srs with a cycle greater than a preset value or a configured value may be sent. when the terminal determines whether there is a conflict in the uplink and downlink configurations of a plurality of serving cells, for the scell in which the bwp is activated to the dormant bwp, the ue ignores the uplink symbol or the downlink symbol configured by the rrc, and the ue assumes that all symbols of the scell in which the bwp is activated to the dormant bwp are flexible symbols. if there is no sending or receiving configured by the valid rrc for the symbol of the scell, for the scell, since it is assumed to be a flexible symbol, the serving cell is not used as the serving cell in determining the reference cell. a reference serving cell is determined in other cells determined to be downlink symbols or uplink symbols. if the symbol of the scell includes the uplink sending or downlink receiving configured by the valid rrc, if the valid rrc configuration includes downlink transmission, the symbol is determined as the downlink symbol; and if the valid rrc configuration includes uplink transmission, the symbol is determined as the uplink symbol. the uplink sending configured by the rrc includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical random access channel (prach), a sounding reference signal (srs), a physical uplink shared channel (pusch), and a physical uplink control channel (pucch); and the downlink receiving configured by the rrc includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch), a channel state information reference signal (csi-rs), and a physical downlink control channel (pdcch). on each symbol, based on whether the symbol in the plurality of serving cells is the uplink symbol or the downlink symbol, the reference cell in the plurality of serving cells is first determined, and the reference cell is the serving cell with the lowest serving cell index (number). the plurality of serving cells include a primary cell, a primary secondary cell, or an activated secondary cell. after the reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells is determined, it is determined, based on the configuration or scheduling of the reference serving cell and other serving cells, a serving cell to perform sending or receiving. the following are included: if at least one of these time resources is a downlink time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling on the reference serving cell, or is indicated by the high-layer signaling for receiving the pdcch, the pdsch, or the csi-rs on the reference serving cell, the pucch, the pusch, or the prach is not sent on a time resource of other serving cells; and if a time resource in time resources of other serving cells is a downlink time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling on the reference serving cell, or is indicated by the high-layer signaling for receiving the pdcch, the pdsch, or the csi-rs on the reference serving cell, the srs is not sent on a time resource of other serving cells. if at least one time resource in time resources of other serving cells is an uplink time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling on the reference serving cell, or is indicated by the high-layer signaling for sending the srs, the pucch, the pusch, or the prach on the reference serving cell, the pdcch, the pdsch, or the csi-rs indicated by the high-layer signaling is not received on a time resource of other serving cells; the time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling as downlink on other serving cells, and indicated by the high-layer signaling to transmit the srs, the pucch, the pusch, or the prach on the reference serving cell is the flexible time resource; and the time resource indicated by the high-layer signaling as uplink on other serving cells, and indicated by the high-layer signaling to receive the pdcch, the pdsch, or the csi on the reference serving cell is the flexible time resource. this embodiment of the present invention may be specifically implemented as follows: determining whether there is a conflict between the configured serving cells based on the actually activated scell, and determining a corresponding terminal behavior; and determining the reference cell in each frequency band or each frequency band combination based on the actual activated scell. after receiving the activation or deactivation command of a scell, before the maximum delay of activation or deactivation, the ue assumes that the scell is a deactivated cell or an activated cell, and determines whether there is an uplink and downlink conflict between serving cells. in this way, the terminal may determine whether there is a conflict among a plurality of serving cells based on the activated scell, thus improving the uplink and downlink resource utilization, and avoiding excessive discarding of uplink and downlink transmission. in addition, in the process of activating or deactivating the scell, the maximum delay is used as an effective time of the uplink and downlink configuration of the scell, so as to avoid fuzzy understanding for the uplink and downlink configuration between the network device and the terminal. referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a structural diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. as shown in fig. 4 , the terminal 400 includes: a first determining module 401, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states. optionally, the different time resources configured for uplink and downlink of different serving cells include: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, where there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources, and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. optionally, the time resource includes at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe. optionally, the determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal includes: determining, based on configuration information of an activated cell in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: uplink-sending configuration information of an activated uplink bandwidth part bwp; downlink-receiving configuration information of an activated downlink bwp; uplink-sending configuration information of serving cells; downlink-receiving configuration information of serving cells; configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; and configuration information of flexible resources. optionally, the uplink-sending configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical random access channel (prach), a sounding reference signal (srs), a physical uplink shared channel (pusch), and a physical uplink control channel (pucch); and the downlink-receiving configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch), a channel state information reference signal (csi-rs), and a physical downlink control channel (pdcch). optionally, configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, for the deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells, all time resources of the deactivated secondary cell are flexible time resource symbols. optionally, as shown in fig. 5 , the terminal 400 further includes: a determining module 402, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, the reference serving cell is: a cell with the lowest index value in activated cells of the plurality of service cells, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the plurality of serving cells are in one frequency band or in one frequency band combination. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; or in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command: in a first time, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; and/or in a second time, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell activated by the activation command, where a difference between the first time and a receiving time of the activation command is greater than or equal to t1 time, a difference between the second time and the receiving time of the activation command is less than or equal to the t 1 time, and the t1 time is a delay for activating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell activated by the activation command at the second time are flexible time resources. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command: in a third time, the activated secondary cell includes secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command; and/or in a fourth time, the activated secondary cell does not include secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command, where a difference between the third time and a receiving time of the deactivation command is less than or equal to a t2 time, a difference between the fourth time and the receiving time of the deactivation command is greater than or equal to the t2 time, and the t2 time is a delay for deactivating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command at the fourth time are flexible time resources. optionally, all time resources of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells are flexible time resources, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, the all time resources include: downlink time resources and uplink time resources configured on a network side. optionally, in a case of determining a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used; or a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells is determined based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells; and/or configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells; or it is determined, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cell, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell includes at least one of the following: configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; configuration of pdcch monitoring; transmission configuration of a semi-persistent scheduling (sps) pdsch; transmission configuration of a configured grant pusch; transmission configuration of a prach; transmission configuration of a csi-rs; transmission configuration of an srs; and transmission configuration of a pucch. optionally, the csi-rs is not used for at least one of the following: radio resource management (rrm) measurement, beam failure detection (bfd), and channel state information (csi) measurement. optionally, the srs is an srs with a cycle less than or equal to a cycle threshold, and the cycle threshold is preset or indicated by a network. the terminal provided in this embodiment of the present invention can implement the processes implemented by the terminal in the method embodiment in fig. 2 . to avoid repetition, details are not described herein again, and it may be determined whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal. referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. as shown in fig. 6 , a network device 600 includes: a second determining module 601, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells of a terminal, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states. optionally, the different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells include: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, where there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of the another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of the other serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of the serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of the serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. optionally, the time resource includes at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe. optionally, the determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal includes: determining, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: uplink-sending configuration information of an activated uplink bandwidth part bwp; downlink-receiving configuration information of an activated downlink bwps; uplink-sending configuration information of serving cells; downlink-receiving configuration information of serving cells; configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; and configuration information of flexible resources. optionally, the uplink-sending configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical random access channel (prach), a sounding reference signal (srs), a physical uplink shared channel (pusch), and a physical uplink control channel (pucch); and the downlink-receiving configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch), a channel state information reference signal (csi-rs), and a physical downlink control channel (pdcch). optionally, configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, for the deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells, all time resources of the deactivated secondary cell are flexible time resource symbols. optionally, as shown in fig. 7 , the network device 600 further includes: a determining module 602, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, the reference serving cell is: a cell with the lowest index value in activated cells of the plurality of service cells, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the plurality of serving cells are in one frequency band or in one frequency band combination. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; or in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command: in a first time, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; and/or in a second time, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell activated by the activation command, where a difference between the first time and a receiving time of the activation command is greater than or equal to t1 time, a difference between the second time and the receiving time of the activation command is less than or equal to the t1 time, and the t1 time is a delay for activating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell activated by the activation command at the second time are flexible time resources. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command: in a third time, the activated secondary cell includes secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command; and/or in a fourth time, the activated secondary cell does not include secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command, where a difference between the third time and a receiving time of the deactivation command is less than or equal to t2 time, a difference between the fourth time and the receiving time of the deactivation command is greater than or equal to the t2 time, and the t2 time is a delay for deactivating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command at the fourth time are flexible time resources. optionally, all time resources of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells are flexible time resources, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, the all time resources include: downlink time resources and uplink time resources configured on the network side. optionally, in a case that the terminal determines a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used; or the terminal determines, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are a non-dormant secondary cells; and/or configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells; or the terminal determines, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell includes at least one of the following: configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; configuration of pdcch monitoring; transmission configuration of a semi-persistent scheduling (sps) pdsch; transmission configuration of a configured grant pusch; transmission configuration of a prach; transmission configuration of a csi-rs; transmission configuration of an srs; and transmission configuration of a pucch. optionally, the csi-rs is not used for at least one of the following: radio resource management (rrm) measurement, beam failure detection (bfd), and channel state information (csi) measurement. optionally, the srs is an srs with a cycle greater than or equal to a cycle threshold, and the cycle threshold is preset or indicated by a network. the network device provided in this embodiment of the present invention can implement the processes implemented by the network device in the method embodiment in fig. 3 . to avoid repetition, details are not described herein again, and it can be determined whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal. fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a hardware structure of another terminal implementing the various embodiments of the present invention. as shown in fig. 8 , the terminal 800 includes, but is not limited to: a radio frequency unit 801, a network module 802, an audio output unit 803, an input unit 804, a sensor 805, a display unit 806, a user input unit 807, an interface unit 808, a memory 809, a processor 810, a power supply 811, and the like. a person skilled in the art can understand that a structure of the terminal shown in fig. 8 does not constitute a limitation on the terminal, where the terminal may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine some components, or have different component arrangements. in this embodiment of the present invention, the terminal includes but is not limited to a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a palmtop computer, an in-vehicle terminal, a robot, a wearable device, a pedometer, and the like. the processor 810 is configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cell and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time of an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. optionally, the different time resources configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells include: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, where there are configurations of serving cells being uplink time resources, and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of another serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of another serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. optionally, the time resource includes at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe. optionally, the determining, based on activation information of the secondary cells, whether there are the conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal includes: determining, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: uplink-sending configuration information of an activated uplink bandwidth part bwp; downlink-receiving configuration information of an activated downlink bwp; uplink-sending configuration information of serving cells; downlink-receiving configuration information of serving cells; configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; and configuration information of flexible resources. optionally, the uplink-sending configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical random access channel (prach), a sounding reference signal (srs), a physical uplink shared channel (pusch), and a physical uplink control channel (pucch); and the downlink-receiving configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch), a channel state information reference signal (csi-rs), and a physical downlink control channel (pdcch). optionally, configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, for the deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells, all time resources of the deactivated secondary cell are flexible time resource symbols. optionally, the processor 810 is further configured to: determine, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, the reference serving cell is: a cell with the lowest index value in activated cells of the plurality of service cells, where the activated cells includes: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the plurality of serving cells are in one frequency band or in one frequency band combination. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; or in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command: in a first time, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; and/or in a second time, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell activated by the activation command, where a difference between the first time and a receiving time of the activation command is greater than or equal to t1 time, a difference between the second time and the receiving time of the activation command is less than or equal to the t1 time, and the t1 time is a delay for activating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell activated by the activation command at the second time are flexible time resources. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command: in a third time, the activated secondary cell includes secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command; and/or in a fourth time, the activated secondary cell does not include secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command, where a difference between the third time and a receiving time of the deactivation command is less than or equal to a t2 time, a difference between the fourth time and the receiving time of the deactivation command is greater than or equal to the t2 time, and the t2 time is a delay for deactivating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command at the fourth time are flexible time resources. optionally, all time resources of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells are flexible time resources, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, all the time resources include: downlink time resources and uplink time resources configured on the network side. optionally, in a case of determining a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used; or a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells is determined based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells; and/or configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells; or it is determined, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell includes at least one of the following: configuration information of an uplink resources; configuration information of a downlink resources; configuration of pdcch monitoring; transmission configuration of a semi-persistent scheduling sps pdsch; transmission configuration of a configured grant pusch; transmission configuration of a prach; transmission configuration of a csi-rs; transmission configuration of an srs; and transmission configuration of a pucch. optionally, the csi-rs is not used for at least one of the following: radio resource management (rrm) measurement, beam failure detection (bfd), and channel state information (csi) measurement. optionally, the srs is an srs with a cycle less than or equal to a cycle threshold, and the cycle threshold is preset or indicated by a network. the foregoing terminal may determine whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal. it should be understood that, in this embodiment of the present invention, the radio frequency unit 801 may be configured to receive and send information or a signal in a call process. specifically, after receiving downlink data from a base station, the radio frequency unit 801 sends the downlink data to the processor 810 for processing. in addition, the radio frequency unit 801 sends uplink data to the base station. usually, the radio frequency unit 801 includes but is not limited to an antenna, at least one amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low noise amplifier, a duplexer, and the like. in addition, the radio frequency unit 801 may communicate with a network and another device through a wireless communication system. the terminal provides wireless broadband internet access to a user through the network module 802, for example, helps the user receive and send e-mails, browse web pages, access streaming media, and the like. the audio output unit 803 may convert audio data received by the radio frequency unit 801 or the network module 802 or stored in the memory 809 into an audio signal, and output the audio signal into sound. in addition, the audio output unit 803 can also provide audio output related to a specific function performed by the terminal 800 (for example, call signal receiving sound or message receiving sound). the audio output unit 803 includes a speaker, a buzzer, a receiver, and the like. the input unit 804 is configured to receive an audio signal or a video signal. the input unit 804 may include a graphics processing unit (graphics processing unit, gpu) 8041 and a microphone 8042. the graphics processing unit 8041 processes image data of a static picture or a video obtained by an image capture apparatus (such as a camera) in a video capture mode or an image capture mode. a processed image frame may be displayed on the display unit 806. the image frame processed by the graphics processing unit 8041 may be stored in the memory 809 (or another storage medium) or sent via the radio frequency unit 801 or the network module 802. the microphone 8042 may receive a sound and can process such sound into audio data. processed audio data may be converted, in a call mode, into a format that can be sent to a mobile communication base station by using the radio frequency unit 801 for output. the terminal 800 further includes at least one sensor 805, such as a light sensor, a motion sensor, and other sensors. specifically, the light sensor includes an ambient light sensor and a proximity sensor. the ambient light sensor may adjust luminance of the display panel 8061 based on brightness of ambient light. the proximity sensor may turn off the display panel 8061 and/or backlight when the terminal 800 is moved to an ear. as a motion sensor, an accelerometer sensor can detect magnitude of acceleration in various directions (usually three axes), can detect magnitude and the direction of gravity when stationary, can be configured to identify terminal postures (such as horizontal and vertical screen switch, related games, and magnetometer posture calibration), can perform functions related to vibration identification (such as a pedometer and a knock), and the like. the sensor 805 may further include a fingerprint sensor, a pressure sensor, an iris sensor, a molecular sensor, a gyroscope, a barometer, a hygrometer, a thermometer, an infrared sensor, or the like. details are not described herein. the display unit 806 is configured to display information entered by a user or information provided for a user. the display unit 806 may include a display panel 8061, and the display panel 8061 may be configured in a form of a liquid crystal display (liquid crystal display, lcd), an organic light-emitting diode (organic light-emitting diode, oled), or the like. the user input unit 807 may be configured to receive input numeric or character information, and generate key signal inputs related to user settings and function control of the terminal. specifically, the user input unit 807 includes a touch panel 8071 and another input device 8072. the touch panel 8071, also called a touch screen, may collect a touch operation of the user on or near the touch panel 8071 (for example, the user uses any suitable object or accessory such as a finger or a stylus to operate on or near the touch panel 8071). the touch panel 8071 may include two parts: a touch detection apparatus and a touch controller. the touch detection apparatus detects a touch location of the user, detects a signal brought by the touch operation, and sends the signal to the touch controller. the touch controller receives touch information from the touch detection apparatus, converts the touch information into touch point coordinates, sends the touch point coordinates to the processor 810, and receives and executes a command sent by the processor 810. in addition, the touch panel 8071 may be implemented in various types such as a resistor, a capacitor, an infrared ray, or a surface acoustic wave. in addition to the touch panel 8071, the user input unit 807 may further include the another input device 8072. specifically, the another input device 8072 may include but is not limited to a physical keyboard, function keys (such as a volume control key and a switch key), a trackball, a mouse, and a joystick. details are not described herein. further, the touch panel 8071 may cover the display panel 8061. when detecting a touch operation on or near the touch panel 8071, the touch panel transmits the touch operation to the processor 810 to determine a type of a touch event. then, the processor 810 provides a corresponding visual output on the display panel 8061 based on the type of the touch event. although in fig. 8 , the touch panel 8071 and the display panel 8061 are configured as two independent components to implement input and output functions of the terminal, in some embodiments, the touch panel 8071 and the display panel 8061 may be integrated to implement the input and output functions of the terminal. details are not limited herein. the interface unit 808 is an interface connecting an external apparatus to the terminal 800. for example, the external apparatus may include a wired or wireless headphone port, an external power (or battery charger) port, a wired or wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting an apparatus provided with a recognition module, an audio input/output (i/o) port, a video i/o port, an earphone port, and the like. the interface unit 808 may be configured to receive an input (for example, data information or power) from an external apparatus and transmit the received input to one or more elements in the terminal 800, or transmit data between the terminal 800 and the external apparatus. the memory 809 may be configured to store software programs and various data. the memory 809 may mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area. the program storage area may store an operating system, an application program required by at least one function (such as a sound playback function and an image playback function), and the like. the data storage area may store data (such as audio data and a phone book) created based on use of the mobile phone, and the like. in addition, the memory 809 may include a high-speed random access memory or a nonvolatile memory, for example, at least one disk storage device, a flash memory, or another volatile solid-state storage device. the processor 810 is a control center of the terminal, and connects all parts of the entire terminal by using various interfaces and lines. by running or executing a software program and/or a module stored in the memory 809 and invoking data stored in the memory 809, the processor performs various functions of the terminal and data processing, to perform overall monitoring on the terminal. the processor 810 may include one or more processing units. preferably, an application processor and a modem processor may be integrated into the processor 810. the application processor mainly processes an operating system, a user interface, an application, and the like. the modem processor mainly processes wireless communications. it can be understood that, alternatively, the modem processor may not be integrated into the processor 810. the terminal 800 may further include a power supply 811 (such as a battery) that supplies power to each component. preferentially, the power supply 811 may be logically connected to the processor 810 by using a power management system, to implement functions such as charging, discharging, and power consumption management by using the power management system. in addition, the terminal 800 includes some function modules not shown, and details are not described herein. preferably, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a terminal, including a processor 810, a memory 809, a computer program stored in the memory 809 and executable on the processor 810. when the computer program is executed by the processor 810, processes of the method embodiment for determining a conflicting resource are implemented, and a same technical effect can be achieved. to avoid repetition, details are not described herein again. referring to fig. 9, fig. 9 is a structural diagram of another network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. as shown in fig. 9 , the network device 900 includes: a processor 901, a transceiver 902, a memory 903, and a bus interface: the processor 901, configured to determine, based on activation information of secondary cells of a terminal, whether there are conflicting time resources in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the plurality of serving cells include the secondary cells, and the conflicting time resources refer to: different time resources are configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells, where the activation information includes at least one of the following: states of the secondary cells and a command receiving time, where the states of the secondary cells include: active states or deactivated states; and the command receiving time is a receiving time for the terminal to receive an activation command or a deactivation command of the secondary cells. optionally, the different time resources configured for uplink and downlink respectively in different serving cells include: at least one of a first time resource, a second time resource, a third time resource, and a fourth time resource, where there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of the another serving cells being downlink time resources in first time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of the other serving cells being downlink receiving in the second time resource both; there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink sending and configurations of the serving cells being downlink time resources in the third time resource both; and there are configurations of the serving cells being uplink time resources and configurations of the serving cells being downlink receiving in the fourth time resource both. optionally, the time resource includes at least one of the following: a symbol, a slot, and a subframe. optionally, the determining, based on activation information of secondary cells, whether there are the conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal includes: determining, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resource in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: uplink-sending configuration information of an activated uplink bandwidth part (bwp); downlink-receiving configuration information of activated downlink bwps; uplink-sending configuration information of serving cells; downlink-receiving configuration information of serving cells; configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; and configuration information of flexible resources. optionally, the uplink-sending configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical random access channel (prach), a sounding reference signal (srs), a physical uplink shared channel (pusch), and a physical uplink control channel (pucch); and the downlink-receiving configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch), a channel state information reference signal (csi-rs), and a physical downlink control channel (pdcch). optionally, configuration information of a deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, for the deactivated secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells, all time resources of the deactivated secondary cell are flexible time resource symbols. optionally, the processor 901 is further configured to: determine, based on activation information of secondary cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells. optionally, the reference serving cell is: a cell with the lowest index value in activated cells of the plurality of service cells, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells; or a primary cell and activated secondary cells. optionally, the plurality of serving cells are in one frequency band or in one frequency band combination. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; or in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the activation command: in a first time, the activated secondary cell includes a secondary cell activated by the activation command; and/or in a second time, the activated secondary cell does not include a secondary cell activated by the activation command, where a difference between the first time and a receiving time of the activation command is greater than or equal to t1 time, a difference between the second time and the receiving time of the activation command is less than or equal to the t1 time, and the t1 time is a delay for activating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell activated by the activation command at the second time are flexible time resources. optionally, in a case that the terminal receives the deactivation command: in a third time, the activated secondary cell includes secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command; and/or in a fourth time, the activated secondary cell does not include secondary cells deactivated by the deactivation command, where a difference between the third time and a receiving time of the deactivation command is less than or equal to t2 time, a difference between the fourth time and the receiving time of the deactivation command is greater than or equal to the t2 time, and the t2 time is a delay for deactivating the secondary cell. optionally, time resources of the secondary cell deactivated by the deactivation command at the fourth time are flexible time resources. optionally, all time resources of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells are flexible time resources, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, all the time resources include: downlink time resources and uplink time resources configured on the network side. optionally, in a case that the terminal determines a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used; or the terminal determines, based on configuration information of activated cells in the plurality of serving cells, a reference serving cell in the plurality of serving cells, the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cell are a non-dormant secondary cells; and/or configuration information of a dormant secondary cell in the plurality of serving cells is not used to determine whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells; or the terminal determines, based on configuration information of an activated cell in the plurality of serving cells, whether there are the conflicting time resources in the plurality of serving cells of the terminal, where the activated cells include: activated secondary cells, or a primary cell and activated secondary cells, and the activated secondary cells are non-dormant secondary cells, where the dormant secondary cell whose state is an active state, and activated bwp is a dormant bwp. optionally, the configuration information of the dormant secondary cell includes at least one of the following: configuration information of uplink resources; configuration information of downlink resources; configuration of pdcch monitoring; transmission configuration of a semi-persistent scheduling sps pdsch; transmission configuration of a configured grant pusch; transmission configuration of a prach; transmission configuration of a csi-rs; transmission configuration of an srs; and transmission configuration of a pucch. optionally, the csi-rs is not used for at least one of the following: radio resource management (rrm) measurement, beam failure detection (bfd), and channel state information (csi) measurement. optionally, the srs is an srs with a cycle greater than or equal to a cycle threshold, and the cycle threshold is preset or indicated by a network. the foregoing network device may determine, based on the activation information of the secondary cell of the terminal, whether there is a conflicting time resource in a plurality of serving cells of the terminal. the transceiver 902 is configured to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 901. the transceiver 902 includes at least two antenna ports. in fig. 9 , a bus architecture may include any quantity of interconnected buses and bridges, and is specifically linked by various circuits of one or more processors represented by the processor 901 and a memory represented by the memory 903. the bus architecture may further link various other circuits such as a peripheral device, a voltage regulator, and a power management circuit together. these are all well-known in the art, and therefore are not further described in this specification. the bus interface provides interfaces. the transceiver 902 may be a plurality of elements, in other words, includes a transmitter and a receiver, and provides a unit configured to communicate with various other apparatuses on a transmission medium. for different user equipment, the user interface 904 may further be an interface that can be externally or internally connected to a required device. the connected device includes but is not limited to a keypad, a display, a loudspeaker, a microphone, a joystick, and the like. the processor 901 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and common processing, and the memory 903 may store data used when the processor 901 performs an operation. preferably, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a network device, including a processor 901, a memory 903, and a computer program stored in the memory 903 and executable on the processor 901. when the computer program is executed by the processor 901, processes of the method embodiment for determining a conflicting resource are implemented, and a same technical effect can be achieved. to avoid repetition, details are not described herein again. an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium. the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource that is applied to the terminal and that is provided in the embodiments of the present invention are implemented, or when the computer program is executed by a processor, steps of the method for determining a conflicting resource that is applied to the network device and that is provided in the embodiments of the present invention are implemented, and a same technical effect can be achieved. to avoid repetition, details are not described herein again. the computer-readable storage medium is, for example, a read-only memory (read-only memory, rom), a random access memory (random access memory, ram), a magnetic disk, or an optical disc. it should be noted that, in this specification, the terms "include", "comprise", or their any other variant is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, a method, an article, or an apparatus that includes a list of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements which are not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. an element limited by "includes a ..." does not, without more constraints, preclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element. based on the descriptions of the foregoing implementations, a person skilled in the art may clearly understand that the method in the foregoing embodiment may be implemented by software in addition to a necessary universal hardware platform or by hardware only. in most circumstances, the former is a preferred implementation. based on such an understanding, the technical solutions of the present invention essentially or the part contributing to the prior art may be implemented in a form of a software product. the computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as a rom/ram, a hard disk, or an optical disc), and includes several instructions for instructing a terminal (which may be mobile phone, a computer, a server, an air conditioner, a network device, or the like) to perform the methods described in the embodiments of the present invention. the embodiments of the present invention are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above specific implementations, and the above specific implementations are only illustrative and not restrictive. under the enlightenment of the present invention, those of ordinary skill in the art can make many forms without departing from the purpose of the present invention and the protection scope of the claims, all of which fall within the protection of the present invention.
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086-211-126-702-084
|
US
|
[
"WO",
"US"
] |
A63F9/24,A63F13/12
| 2006-02-07T00:00:00 |
2006
|
[
"A63"
] |
wager gaming network with wireless hotspots
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embodiments of a wager gaming network that includes handheld wager gaming units and hotspots are described herein. in one embodiment, a method includes receiving, in a handheld wager gaming unit, a wager associated with a wagering game. the method can also include wirelessly connecting the handheld wager gaming unit to a wireless access point in a wager gaming network. the method can also include transmitting, via the wireless access point, information from the handheld wager gaming unit to a device on the wager gaming network.
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1 . a gaming system comprising: a handheld wagering game machine in communication with a community game controller over a wireless network, the handheld wagering game machine configured to present a wagering game, and the community game controller configured to conduct a community game with the handheld wagering game machine in response to a triggering event, wherein the handheld wagering game machine is configured to: detect a loss of network connectivity; and in response to the loss of network connectivity, conduct an unconnected game operation continuing the community game. 2 . the gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the handheld wagering game machine is configured to conduct the unconnected game operation by simulating at least a portion of the community game. 3 . the gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the handheld wagering game machine is configured to conduct the unconnected game operation by presenting a game event separate from the community game, for presentation at the handheld wagering game machine. 4 . the gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the handheld wagering game machine is configured to provide the second wagering game without disturbing the operation of the handheld wagering game machine as the handheld wagering game machine moves from a first wireless access point to a second wireless access point. 5 . the gaming system of claim 1 , wherein results of the community game are presented on an overhead display. 6 . the gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the handheld wagering game machine is configured to communicate a player selection for the community game to the community game controller. 7 . the gaming system of claim 1 , comprising a freestanding wagering game machine in communication with the community game controller, the freestanding wagering game machine configured to present a second wagering game, and the community game controller configured to conduct the community game with the freestanding wagering game machine in response to the triggering event. 8 . a method comprising: conducting a wagering game by a handheld wagering game machine, the handheld wagering game machine in communication with a community game controller over a wireless network, the community game controller configured to conduct a community game with the handheld wagering game machine in response to a triggering event; detecting a loss of network connectivity; and in response to the loss of network connectivity, conducting an unconnected game operation continuing the community game. 9 . the method of claim 8 , wherein conducting the unconnected game operation comprises simulating at least a portion of the community game. 10 . the method of claim 8 , wherein conducting the unconnected game operation comprises presenting a game event by the handheld wagering game machine, the game event being separate from the community game. 11 . the method of claim 10 , wherein the game event comprises a bonus event. 12 . the method of claim 8 , comprising providing the wagering game without disturbing the operation of the handheld wagering game machine as the handheld wagering game machine moves from a first wireless access point to a second wireless access point. 13 . the method of claim 8 , comprising presenting results of the community game on an overhead display. 14 . the method of claim 8 , comprising receiving a player selection by the handheld wagering game machine, and communicating the player selection for the community game to the community game controller. 15 . the method of claim 8 , comprising conducting a second wagering game with a freestanding wagering game machine in communication with the community game controller, the community game controller configured to conduct the community game with the freestanding wagering game machine in response to the triggering event. 16 . a non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions, which when executed by a handheld wagering game machine, cause the handheld wagering game machine to: establish a connection with a community game controller over a wireless network, the community game controller configured to conduct a community game with the handheld wagering game machine in response to a triggering event; conduct a wagering game; detect a loss of network connectivity; and in response to the loss of network connectivity, conduct an unconnected game operation continuing the community game. 17 . the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions to conduct the unconnected game operation comprise instructions to simulate at least a portion of the community game. 18 . the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein instructions to conduct the unconnected game operation comprise instructions to present a game event by the handheld wagering game machine, the game event being separate from the community game. 19 . the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the game event comprises a bonus event. 20 . the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , comprising instructions to provide the wagering game without disturbing the operation of the handheld wagering game machine as the handheld wagering game machine moves from the first wireless access point to a second wireless access point. 21 . the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , comprising instructions to present results of the community game on an overhead display. 22 . the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , comprising instructions to receive a player selection and communicate the player selection for the community game to the community game controller. 23 . the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , comprising instructions to conduct a second wagering game with a freestanding wagering game machine in communication with the community game controller, the community game controller configured to conduct the community game with the freestanding wagering game machine in response to the triggering event.
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related applications this patent application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/278,617, filed on jul. 7, 2009, which is a u.s. national stage filing under 35 u.s.c. 371 from international patent application serial no. pct/us2007/003341, filed feb. 7, 2007, and published on aug. 16, 2007 as wo 2007/092542 a2 and republished as wo 2007/092542 a3, which claims the priority benefit of u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 60/743,245 filed feb. 7, 2006 and entitled “system and method for creating a wager gaming wireless hotspot”, and of u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 60/744,645 filed apr. 11, 2006 and entitled “wager gaming network with wireless hotspots”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. limited copyright waiver a portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. the copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the patent and trademark office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. copyright 2006, 2007, wms gaming, inc. field embodiments of the inventive subject matter relate generally to wager gaming networks, and more particularly to wager gaming networks including wireless hotspots. background wager gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. generally, the popularity of such machines depends on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same for believed to be the same), players are most likely attracted to the most entertaining and exciting of the machines. consequently, shrewd operators strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available because such machines attract frequent play and increase profitability for the operator. in the competitive wager gaming machine industry, there is a continuing need for manufacturers to produce new game types or to enhance entertainment and excitement associated with existing wager gaming machines. brief description of the figures the present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which: fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating hotspots in a wager gaming network, according to embodiments of the invention; fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a wager gaming network with hotspots, according to embodiments of the invention; fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example handheld wager gaming unit architecture, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 4a is a top-side view of a handheld wager gaming unit, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 4b is a bottom-side view of a handheld wager gaming unit, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating operations performed by a handheld wager gaming device, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating operations for conducting wagering games and participating in network-based community games using a handheld wager gaming unit, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating operations for conducting community games, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating operations for providing wireless access for handheld wager gaming units, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating operations for issuing, receiving, and refreshing handheld wager gaming units, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 10 is a perspective view of a locking device for securing handheld wager gaming units in a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 11 is a side view of a locking device for securing handheld wager gaming units in a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 12 is a bottom view of a locking device for securing handheld wager gaming units in a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 13 is a perspective view of a mechanism for securing a handheld wager gaming units to a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 14 is a side view of a locking mechanism and socket for securing a handheld wager gaming unit to a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 15a is a side view of a latching mechanism for securing a handheld wager gaming unit to a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 15b is a side view of a handheld wager gaming unit mating with a wager gaining station's latches, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 15c is side view of a handheld wager gaming unit mated to a wager gaming station's latches, according to example embodiments of the invention; fig. 16 is a perspective view of a handheld wager gaming unit lock box for securing a handheld wager gaming unit in a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention; and fig. 17 is a perspective view of a wager gaming machine, according to example embodiments of the invention. description of the embodiments systems and methods for a wager gaming network with hotspots are described herein. this description of the embodiments is divided into six sections. the first section provides an introduction to embodiments of the invention. the second section describes an example operating environment, the third section describes example operations performed by embodiments of the invention, and the fourth section describes security features of some embodiments. the fifth section describes an example wagering game machine, whereas the sixth section presents some general comments. introduction this section introduces embodiments of a wager gaining network that includes handheld wager gaining units and hotspots. in one embodiment, handheld wager gaming units can connect to a wager gaming network through one or more wireless access points. using the wireless access points, the handheld wager gaining units can wirelessly communicate with various wager gaming network devices. consequently, players can wirelessly participate in community games and obtain online information (e.g., show times, casino maps, etc.). some embodiments enable players to roam about wager gaming environments, as the handheld wager gaming units can include logic for seamlessly switching between hotspots. therefore, embodiments of the wager gaming network can facilitate mobile wager gaming and wireless access to network-based games and services. fig. 1 describes these features in more detail. fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating hotspots in a wager gaming network, according to embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 1 , the wager gaming network 100 includes a handheld wager gaming unit 102 , wireless access points 104 , community game controller 106 , and information server 112 . in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming unit 102 can conduct wagering games (e.g., video slots, poker, keno, bingo, roulette, blackjack, etc.) while moving about a casino floor. in addition to conducting wagering games, the handheld wager gaming unit 102 can wirelessly connect to the wager gaming network 100 through the wireless access points 104 . while connected, the handheld wager gaming unit 102 can participate in community games and receive online information. the handheld wager gaming unit 102 may also be used for non-gaming purposes such as for entertainment or instruction, especially when the gaming unit 102 is located in areas where wager-based gaming is prohibited. as an instruction or teaching aid, the gaming unit 102 may display a tutorial for educating novice gamblers on how to use the gaining unit 102 itself and how to play wagering games. such tutorials may alternatively be presented on a display at the wager gaming stations 216 (see fig. 2 ) from which the gaming units 102 are checked out. in order to provide wireless connectivity in multiple locations, the wager gaming network 100 includes multiple wireless access points 104 . each wireless access point 104 provides wireless connectivity for a particular transmission area (see transmission areas 108 and 110 ). in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming unit 102 can seamlessly move between transmission areas 108 and 110 while maintaining (or appearing to maintain) connectivity to the wager gaming network 100 . as shown in fig. 1 , the handheld wager gaining unit 102 can move from transmission area 110 to transmission area 108 , seamlessly switching its connection between the wireless access points 104 . the handheld wager gaming unit 102 may switch between wireless access points when it detects low signal strength. in the following sections, this description will describe these and other embodiments of the invention in greater detail. example operating environment this section describes an example operating environment in which embodiments of the invention can be practiced. this section will first present an example wager gaming network and then an example machine architecture. example network fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a wager gaming network with hotspots, according to embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 2 , the wager gaming network 200 includes a wager gaming controller 202 connected to a wager gaming management system 204 and workstations 214 . the wager gaming controller 202 is also connected to a community game controller 208 , which is connected to an overhead display 210 and a plurality of wager gaming machines 212 . the wager gaming network 200 also includes wager gaming stations 216 and handheld wager gaming units 218 . some of the wager gaming stations 216 are suited for installation at fixed locations, whereas others are suited for mobility. for example, the wager gaming stations 216 can include wheels, motors, etc. (not shown) for moving to different locations about a casino (e.g., near a bar). the wager gaming stations 216 can include wireless access points 206 that enable the handheld wager gaming units 218 to wirelessly communicate with the wager gaming network devices (e.g., community game controller 208 ). in one embodiment, because the wagering game stations 216 include the wireless access points 206 , the wagering game stations 216 can define a space in which the handheld wager gaming units 218 can present wagering games. the wager gaming stations 216 can be repositioned about a casino to define different wager gaming areas. in one embodiment, the wireless access points 206 can be separate from the wager gaming stations 216 . in one embodiment, where the wireless access points are not included in the wager gaming stations 216 , the wireless access points 216 are hotspots for the handheld wager gaming units 218 . in another embodiment, if the wireless access points 206 are included in the wager gaming stations 216 , the wager gaming stations 218 form wireless hot spots for the handheld wager gaming units 218 . in one embodiment, the wireless access points 206 can employ the 802.11g, 802.11b, or other suitable wireless communication protocols. in one embodiment, the wireless access points 206 can be linksys wap54g wireless-g access points, available from linksys, a division of cisco systems of santa clara, calif. in another embodiment, the wireless access points 206 can include any suitable wireless access point technology. the wager gaming stations 216 can contain the handheld wager gaming units 218 . in one embodiment, the wager gaming stations 216 also include receptacles 220 for securely storing, recharging, sanitizing, and updating the handheld wager gaming units 218 . in one embodiment, the wager gaming stations 216 can include any of the wager gaming network components, such as the wager gaming controller 202 . wager gaming stations will be described in greater detail below. the handheld wager gaming units 218 can present wagering games, participate in community games, and connect with wager gaming network devices to receive information and services. handheld wager gaming units will be described in greater detail below. the wager gaming controller 202 can store and disseminate software updates to the handheld wager gaming units 218 when they are docked in the receptacles 220 . in one embodiment, these updates can be disseminated through wired or wireless links. the software updates can include configuration information (e.g., device drivers, wagering game code, etc.) and wager gaming content. the wager gaming content can include audio and video content (e.g., new bonus events, wagering game episodes), pay tables, etc. additionally, the wager gaming controller 202 can perform operations associated with presenting wagering games on the handheld wager gaming units 218 and/or the wagering game 212 . in one embodiment, the wager gaming controller 202 can be stored on a casino floor or in a segregated and secure area/room. the wager gaming management system 204 can record information about the handheld wager gaming units 218 , such as payout frequencies, payout amounts, games played, etc. the workstations 214 provide an administrator interface to the wager gaming controller 202 , and wager gaming management system 204 . thus, system administrators can use the workstations 214 to configure and/or access information stored in the wager gaming controller 202 , the wager gaming management system 204 , and the wager gaming units 218 . this description continues with a discussion of wireless communications and an example handheld wager gaming unit architecture. wireless communications in some embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 may communicate orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (ofdm) communication signals over a multicarrier communication channel. the multicarrier communication channel can be within a predetermined frequency spectrum and can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers. in some embodiments, the multicarrier signals can be defined by closely spaced ofdm subcarriers. each subcarrier can have a null at substantially a center frequency of the other subcarriers and/or each subcarrier can have an integer number of cycles within a symbol period, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. in some embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate in accordance with a broadband multiple access technique, such as orthogonal frequency division multiple access (ofdma), although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. in some embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate using spread-spectrum signals, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. in some embodiments, any of wireless access points 104 and 206 can be part of a communication station, such as wireless local area network (wlan) communication station including a wireless fidelity (wifi) communication station, or a wlan access point (ap). in these embodiments, handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can be part of a mobile station, such as wlan mobile station or a wifi mobile station, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. in some other embodiments, any of wireless access points 104 and 206 can be part of a broadband wireless access (bwa) network communication station, such as a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (wimax) communication station, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect as wireless access points 104 and 206 can be part of almost any wireless communication devices. in these embodiments, handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can be part of a bwa network communication station, such as a wimax communication station, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. in some embodiments, any of handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can part of a portable wireless communication device, such as a personal digital assistant (pda), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, a television, a medical device (e,g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), or other device that can receive and/or transmit information wirelessly. in some embodiments, the frequency spectrums for the communication signals transmitted and received by wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can comprise either a 5 gigahertz (ghz) frequency spectrum or a 2.4 ghz frequency spectrum. in these embodiments, the 5 ghz frequency spectrum can include frequencies ranging from approximately 4.9 to 5.9 ghz, and the 2.4 ghz spectrum can include frequencies ranging from approximately 2.3 to 2.5 ghz, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect, as other frequency spectrums are also equally suitable. in some bwa network embodiments, the frequency spectrum for the communication signals can comprise frequencies between 2 and 11 ghz, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. in some embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate rf signals in accordance with specific communication standards, such as the institute of electrical and electronics engineers (ieee) standards including ieee 802.11(a), 802.11(b), 802.11(g), 802.11(h) and/or 802.11(n) standards and/or proposed specifications for wireless local area networks, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect as they can also be suitable to transmit and/or receive communications in accordance with other techniques and standards. in some bwa network embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate rf signals in accordance with the ieee 802.16-2004 and the ieee 802.16(e) standards for wireless metropolitan area networks (wmans) including variations and evolutions thereof, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect as they can also be suitable to transmit and/or receive communications in accordance with other techniques and standards. for more information with respect to the ieee 802.11 and ieee 802.16 standards, please refer to “ieee standards for information technology—telecommunications and information exchange between systems”—local area networks—specific requirements—part 11 “wireless lan medium access control (mac) and physical layer (phy), iso/iec 8802-11: 1999”, and metropolitan area networks—specific requirements—part 16: “air interface for fixed broadband wireless access systems,” may 2005 and related amendments/versions. in some embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can include one or more antennas (not shown). these antennas can comprise directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of the rf signals. in some multiple-input, multiple-output (mimo) embodiments, two or more antennas can be used. in some embodiments, instead of two or more antennas, a single antenna with multiple apertures can be used. in these multiple aperture embodiments, each aperture can be considered a separate antenna. in some multi-antenna embodiments, each antenna can be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that can result between each of the antennas and another wireless communication device. in some multi-antenna embodiments, the antennas of a device can be separated by up to 1/10 of a wavelength or more, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. in some embodiments, handoffs between different wireless access points 104 and one of handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can be performed based on a signal-to-noise ratio (snr), a signal-to-noise and interference ratio (snip), a bit-error rate (ber), or an energy per received bit, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. in some embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate in accordance with standards such as the pan-european mobile system standard referred to as the global system for mobile communications (gsm). in some embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can also communicate in accordance with packet radio services such as the general packet radio service (gprs) packet data communication service. in some embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate in accordance with the universal mobile telephone system (umts) for the next generation of gsm, which can, for example, implement communication techniques in accordance with 2.5g and third generation (3g) wireless standards (see 3gpp technical specification, version 3.2.0, march 2000). in some of these embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can provide packet data services (pds) utilizing packet data protocols (pdp). in other embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate in accordance with other standards or other air-interfaces including interfaces compatible with the enhanced data for gsm evolution (edge) standards (see 3gpp technical specification, version 3.2.0, march 2000), although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. in other embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate in accordance with a short-range wireless standard, such as the bluetooth™ short-range digital communication protocol. bluetooth™ wireless technology is a de facto standard, as well as a specification for small-form factor, low-cost, short-range radio links between mobile pcs, mobile phones and other portable devices. (bluetooth is a trademark owned by bluetooth sig, inc.) in other embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate in accordance with an ultra-wideband (uwb) communication technique where a carrier frequency is not used. in other embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate in accordance with an analog communication technique. in other embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate in accordance with an optical communication technique, such as the infrared data association (irda) standard. in some embodiments, wireless access points 104 and 206 and handheld wager gaming units 102 and 218 can communicate in accordance with the home-rf standard which can be in accordance with a home-rf working group (hrfwg) standard, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this respect. example handheld wager gaming unit architecture fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example handheld wager gaming unit architecture, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 3 , the handheld wager gaming unit 306 includes a central processing unit (cpu) 326 connected to main memory 328 . the cpu 326 is also connected to an input/output (i/o) bus 322 , which is connected to a power supply 332 . the i/o bus 322 facilitates communication between and distributes power to the wager gaming machine's components. in one embodiment, the power supply 332 includes a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel cadmium battery. the i/o bus 322 is connected to a game presentation unit 308 that can receive data indicating wagers and present wagering games, such as video poker, video black jack, video slots, video lottery, etc. the i/o bus 322 is also connected to a wireless communication unit 324 , which includes logic for communicating to wireless access points and/or other external systems. the wireless communication unit 324 can work in concert with an authentication unit 334 , which includes logic for authenticating user and network credentials. additionally, the i/o bus 322 is connected to a primary display 310 , value input device 314 , player input device(s) 316 , information reader 318 , wager input unit 320 , and storage unit 330 . in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming unit 306 can include additional peripheral devices and/or more than one of each component shown in fig. 3 . for example, in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming unit 306 can include multiple wireless communication units 324 and multiple cpus 326 . in one embodiment, any of the components can be combined or divided. additionally, in one embodiment, the components of the wager gaming unit 306 can be interconnected according to any suitable interconnection architecture (e.g., bus architecture, directly connected, hypercube, etc.). in one embodiment, any of the components of the handheld wager gaming unit 306 (e.g., the game presentation unit 308 ) can include hardware, firmware, and/or software for performing the operations described herein. in one embodiment, any of the handheld wager gaming unit's components (e.g., the game presentation unit 308 ) can be embodied as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, where the instructions are executable on the cpu 326 . machine-readable media can include any mechanism that provides (i.e., stores and/or transmits) information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a handheld wager gaming unit, computer, etc.). for example, tangible machine-readable media includes read only memory (rom), random access memory (ram), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory machines, etc. machine-readable media also includes any media suitable for transmitting software over a network. while fig. 3 describes an example handheld wager gaming unit architecture, this discussion continues with an example embodiment of a handheld wager gaining unit. example handheld wager gaining unit fig. 4a is a top-side view of a handheld wager gaming unit, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 4a , the handheld wager gaming unit 400 includes a housing 402 for containing internal hardware and/or software such as that described above vis-à-vis fig. 3 . in one embodiment, the housing has a form factor similar to a tablet pc, while other embodiments have different form factors. for example, the handheld wager gaming unit 400 can exhibit smaller form factors, similar to those associated with personal digital assistants. in one embodiment, a handle 404 is attached to the housing 402 . additionally, the housing can store a foldout stand 410 , which can hold the handheld wager gaming unit 400 upright or semi-upright on a table or other flat surface. the handheld wager gaming unit 400 includes several input/output devices. in particular, the handheld wager gaming unit 400 includes buttons 420 , audio jack 408 , speaker 414 , display 416 , biometric device 406 , wireless transmission devices 412 and 424 , microphone 418 , and card reader 422 . additionally, the handheld wager gaming unit can include tilt, orientation, ambient light, or other environmental sensors. in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming unit 400 uses the biometric device 406 for authenticating players, whereas it uses the display 416 and speakers 414 for presenting wagering game results and other information (e.g., credits, progressive jackpots, etc.). the handheld wager gaming unit 400 can also present audio through the audio jack 408 or through a wireless link such as bluetooth. in one embodiment, the wireless communication unit 412 can include infrared wireless communications technology for receiving wagering game content while docked in a wager gaming station 216 . the wireless communication unit 424 can include an 802.11g transceiver for connecting to and exchanging information with wireless access points 206 . the wireless communication unit 424 can include a bluetooth transceiver for exchanging information with other bluetooth enabled devices. fig. 4b is a bottom-side view of a handheld wager gaming unit, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 4b , the handheld wager gaming unit 400 includes a docking port 426 . in one embodiment, the docking port 426 can include surface-contact charging pads or other facilities for recharging the handheld wager gaming unit's battery (not shown). the docking port 426 can also include a network interface (e.g., ethernet interface) through which a wager gaming station 216 can communicate with and test the handheld wager gaming unit 400 . in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming unit 400 is constructed from damage resistant materials, such as polymer plastics. portions of the handheld wager gaming unit 400 can be constructed from non-porous plastics which exhibit antimicrobial qualities. also, the unit 400 can be liquid resistant for easy cleaning and sanitization. while this section has described components of a wager gaming network, the next section describes operations performed by the wager gaming network components. example operations this section describes operations performed by embodiments of the invention. in the discussion below, the flow diagrams will be described with reference to the block diagrams presented above. in certain embodiments, the operations are performed by instructions residing on machine-readable media (e.g., software), while in other embodiments, the operations are performed by hardware and/or other logic (e.g., digital logic). in some embodiments the operations are performed in series, while in other embodiments, the operations can be performed in parallel. this section begins with a discussion of figs. 5 and 6 , which describe operations performed by embodiments of a handheld wager gaming device. in particular, fig. 5 describes operations for connecting to wireless access points and authenticating wagering game players. fig. 6 describes operations for conducting wagering games and participating in community games. fig. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating connection and authentication operations of a handheld wager gaming unit, according to example embodiments of the invention. the flow 500 commences at block 502 . at block 502 , a handheld wager gaming unit's wireless communication unit 324 determines whether there are one or more wireless networks access points 206 available. in one embodiment, the wireless communication unit 324 passively scans the air for wi-fi beacons broadcast by each wireless access point 206 . other embodiments use other suitable methods for detecting wireless connectivity. if no wireless access points are available, the flow continues at block 504 . otherwise, the flow continues at block 506 . at block 504 , the wireless communication unit 324 presents an indication, on its primary display 310 , that no wireless access points 206 are available. the flow continues at block 502 . at block 506 , the wireless communication unit 324 determines that it will connect to a wireless access point 206 . in one embodiment, if more than one wireless access point 206 is available, the wireless communication unit 324 will choose the wireless access point 206 associated with the strongest signal. the flow continues at block 508 . at block 508 , the wireless communication unit 324 transmits a request to connect to the wireless access point 206 . in one embodiment, the request includes credentials identifying the handheld wager gaming unit 306 . in one embodiment, the authentication unit 334 provides the credentials to the wireless communication unit 324 . the flow continues at block 510 . at block 510 , the wireless communication unit 324 receives authorization to connect to the wireless access point 206 . the flow continues at block 512 . at block 512 , the wireless communication unit 324 exchanges information with devices on the wager gaming network 200 . for example, the wireless communication unit 324 can receive from the community game controller 208 information about community games. from block 512 , the flow can continue in parallel at block 516 , block 520 , and block 602 of fig. 6 . at block 516 , the authentication unit 334 determines whether it needs to authenticate a player. in one embodiment, the authentication unit 334 can periodically authenticate players in between wagering games. in one embodiment, the authentication unit 334 authenticates players in response to signals received through the wireless communication unit 324 , if authentication is needed, the flow continues at block 518 . at block 518 , the authentication unit 334 authenticates the user. in one embodiment, the authentication unit 334 can collect a player's biometric information, (e.g., fingerprint) and compare it to trusted biometric information. in an alternate embodiment, the authentication unit 334 can collect a player's biometric information and forward this information to a central server or other device for authentication. in one embodiment, the authentication process includes verifying a player's age and identity. if the authentication is successful, the flow continues at block 512 . otherwise, the flow ends. at block 520 , the wireless communication unit 324 determines whether the wireless access point 206 is still within range. if the wireless access point 206 is not within range, the flow continues at block 504 . otherwise, the flow continues at block 512 . fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating operations for conducting wagering games and participating in network-based community games using a handheld wager gaming unit, according to example embodiments of the invention. the flow 600 begins at block 602 . at block 602 , a handheld wager gaming unites value input device 314 receives data indicating a wager associated with a wagering game. in one embodiment, the value input device 314 notifies the game presentation unit 308 of the wagering game data. the flow continues at block 603 . at block 603 , the handheld wager gaming unit's wireless communication unit 324 exchanges wagering game data with the wagering game controller 202 . in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming unit transmits the data collected at block 602 , while receiving data indicating intermediate and/or final results of the wagering game. the flow continues at block 604 . at block 604 , the game presentation unit 308 presents the wagering game. for example, the game presentation unit 308 uses the wagering game data (e.g., intermediate and/or final game results) received at block 603 in presenting a slots game. based on the wagering game data, the game presentation unit 308 presents the wagering game on the primary display 310 and displays winning credits on the credit meter. although blocks 602 , 603 , and 604 describe embodiments in which the handheld wager gaming device presents wagering games based on results determined at the wager gaming controller 202 , other embodiments of the handheld wager gaming unit 306 themselves determine the wagering game results. the flow continues at block 606 . at block 606 , the game presentation unit 308 determines whether it can participate in a community game event. in one embodiment, if a wagering game results in a particular outcome, the game presentation unit 308 can participate in a community game. if there is a community game event, the flow continues at block 608 . otherwise, the flow continues at “b”, which passes into flow 500 's block 512 (see fig. 5 ). at block 608 , the wireless communication unit 324 determines whether there is an active network connection. in one embodiment, there is an active network connection if the wireless communication unit 324 has already connected to a wireless access point 206 (see block 510 of fig. 5 ) and is within transmission range. if there is an active network connection, the flow continues at block 610 . otherwise, the flow continues at block 612 . at block 610 , the game presentation unit 308 participates in the community game event. in one embodiment, the game presentation unit 308 uses the wireless communication unit 324 to exchange community game information with a community game controller 208 . in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming unit 306 transmits player selections to the community game controller 208 , while receiving and presenting community game results. in another embodiment, community game results are presented on the community game controller's overhead display 210 . the flow continues at “b”, which passes into flow 500 's block 512 (see fig. 5 ). at block 612 , because there is not an active network connection, the game presentation unit 308 determines whether it can perform unconnected community game operations. if the game presentation unit 308 can perform unconnected community game operations the flow continues at block 614 . otherwise the flow continues at block 616 . at block 614 , the game presentation unit 308 performs unconnected community game operations. in one embodiment, the game presentation unit 308 simulates a community game. in another embodiment, the game presentation unit 308 conducts a non-community bonus event. the flow continues at “b”, which passes into flow 500 's block 512 (see fig. 5 ). at block 616 , the wireless communication unit 324 notifies the player about an inactive network connection. the flow continues at block 608 , while figs. 5 and 6 describe operations performed by embodiments of a handheld wager gaming unit, this description continues with a discussion about operations for conducting a community game. fig. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating operations for conducting community games, according to example embodiments of the invention. the flow 700 begins at block 702 . at block 702 , the community game controller 208 receives community gaming information originating from a handheld wager gaming unit 218 . the community game controller 208 receives the community gaming information through a wireless access point 206 . in one embodiment, the community gaming information can include a request to participate in a community game, player selections associated with a community game, etc. the flow continues at block 704 . at block 704 , the community game controller 208 conducts a community game. the flow continues at block 706 . at block 706 , the community game controller 208 transmits community game information destined for the handheld wager gaming unit 218 . in one embodiment, the community game information travels over the wager gaming network through the wireless access point 206 to the handheld wager gaming unit 218 . in one embodiment, the wager gaming information can include final or intermediate community game results, requests for player input, etc. from block 706 , the flow ends. fig. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating operations for providing wireless access for handheld wager gaming units, according to example embodiments of the invention. the flow 800 begins at block 802 . at block 802 , a wireless access point 206 transmits a network identifier associated with the wager gaming network 200 . the flow continues at block 804 . at block 804 , the wireless access point 206 receives from a handheld wager gaming unit 218 a request to connect to the wager gaming network 200 . in one embodiment, the request includes credentials for identifying the handheld wager gaming unit 218 (e.g., digital certificates or other suitable authentication information). the flow continues at block 806 . at block 806 , the wireless access point 206 attempts to authenticate the handheld wager gaming unit 218 . in one embodiment, the wireless access point 206 attempts to authenticate a digital certificate received at block 804 . in one embodiment, the wireless access point 206 authenticates the handheld wager gaming unit 218 with assistance from other wager gaming network devices, such as the wager gaming controller 202 . the flow continues at block 808 . at block 808 , the wireless access point 206 determines whether authentication was successful. if the authentication was successful, the flow continues at block 810 . otherwise, the flow continues at block 814 . at block 810 , the wireless access point 206 transmits authorization to the handheld wager gaming unit 218 . the flow continues at block 812 . at block 812 , the wireless access point 206 passes wager gaming information between the handheld wager gaming unit 218 and other wager gaming network devices. in one embodiment, the operations at blocks 802 through 810 are transparent to players. thus, players can switch between wireless access points 206 without disturbing on-going community games. as a result, the wager gaming information exchanged at block 810 can be associated with community games already in progress. in another embodiment, the wager gaming information can relate to new community games or requests for information (e.g., show times, reservations, etc.). from block 812 , the flow ends. at block 814 , because the authentication was unsuccessful, the wireless access point 206 transmits an unsuccessful authentication message. from block 814 , the flow ends. this description will continue with a discussion of operations for checking-in and checking-out handheld wager gaming units. in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming units are tested, recharged, and sanitized between lending sessions. a discussion of fig. 9 is next. fig. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating operations for issuing, receiving, and refreshing handheld wager gaming units, according to example embodiments of the invention. the flow 900 begins at block 902 . at block 902 , a wager gaming station 216 receives a request to check-out a handheld wager gaming unit 218 . the wager gaming station 216 can select a particular handheld wager gaming unit 218 or it can allow the customer to select a unit 218 . the flow continues at block 904 . at block 904 , the wager gaming station 216 determines whether the handheld wager gaming unit is ready for use. in one embodiment, the wager gaming station 216 determines whether processes for sanitization, battery charging, and software updating have completed. if the handheld wager gaming unit is ready for use, the flow continues at block 908 . otherwise, the flow continues at block 906 . at block 906 , the wager gaming station 216 presents an indication that the handheld wager gaming unit cannot be issued. in one embodiment, the wager gaming station 216 illuminates certain lights or presents a message on a video device. from block 906 , the flow ends. at block 908 , the wager gaming station 216 collects the borrower's identification information. in one embodiment, the wager gaming station 216 receives and stores biometric information associated with a player who is checking out the handheld wager gaming unit 216 . the flow continues at block 910 . at block 910 , the wager gaming station 216 stores the borrower identification information. in one embodiment, the wager gaming station 216 creates an association between the harrower identification information and the handheld wager gaming unit 218 . the flow continues at block 912 . at block 912 , the wager gaming station 216 releases or delivers the handheld wager gaming unit to a player. in one embodiment, the wager gaming station 216 releases a security mechanism, allowing the player to remove the handheld wager gaming unit 218 from the wager gaming station 216 . the flow continues at block 914 . at block 914 , the wager gaming station 216 receives the handheld wager gaming unit. the wager gaming station 216 can receive the handheld wager gaming unit 218 after a player has finished a wager gaming session. the flow continues at block 916 . at block 916 , the wager gaming station 216 determines whether the handheld wager gaming unit needs service. in one embodiment, the wager gaming station 216 runs a test suite to determine whether the handheld wager gaming unit's components (e.g., display, buttons, etc.) are functioning properly. if the handheld unit needs service, the flow continues at block 918 . otherwise, the flow continues at block 920 . at block 918 , because the handheld wager gaming unit is not functioning properly, the wager gaming station 216 notifies an attendant. the flow continues at block 920 . at block 920 , the wager gaming station 216 refreshes the handheld wager gaming unit 218 . in one embodiment, the wager gaming station 216 recharges the handheld unit's batteries and updates its software. the wager gaming station can sanitize the handheld wager gaming unit 218 . in one embodiment, the wager gaming station 216 submerses the handheld wager gaming unit 218 in an ozone bath. in an another embodiment, the wager gaming station 216 applies an antimicrobial cleaner to the handheld unit 218 . from block 920 the flow ends. in one embodiment, the request can come in the form of a player swiping a “check-out card” through a game station card reader (not shown). the request can also come in the form of a pass code entry or button actuation. example wager gaming station security features this section describes several devices for securing handheld wager gaming units in wager gaming stations. in particular, figs. 10-12 present a restraint-type security device, figs. 13 and 14 present a plug-and-socket-type security device, figs. 15a-c present a latching-type security device, and fig. 16 presents a box-type security device. this description continues with a discussion of fig. 10 . fig. 10 is a perspective view of a locking device for securing handheld wager gaming units in a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 10 , one embodiment of the locking device 1000 includes an upper restraint 1002 and lower restraint 1004 for receiving a handheld wager gaming unit 1006 . in one embodiment, either or both of the restraints 1002 and 1004 are slide-mounted, enabling them to slide tightly around a handheld wager gaming unit 1006 . after sliding around the handheld wager gaming unit 1006 , the restraints 1002 and 1004 can lock into place, securing the handheld wager gaming unit 1006 from theft or unauthorized removal. fig. 11 is a side view of a locking device for securing handheld wager gaming units in a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 11 , the locking device 1100 includes a sliding apparatus 1102 , which enables a lower restraint 1108 to adjust to a size suitable for securing the handheld wager gaming unit 1104 . in one embodiment, the sliding apparatus 1102 is connected to a support plate 1110 , which is connected to a support member 1106 of the wager gaming station. in one embodiment, the sliding apparatus includes electronic components (e.g., a motor) for adjusting the lower restraint 1108 . the electronic components can be remotely activated by a computer or other electronic device. fig. 12 is a bottom view of a locking device for securing handheld wager gaming units in a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 12 , the locking device 1200 can securely support and contain a handheld wager gaining unit 1202 . in one embodiment, the handheld wager gaming unit 1202 includes a foot 1206 , which prevents the handheld wager gaming unit 1202 from sliding out of the locking device 1200 . in another embodiment, a locking device 1200 envelops the handheld wager gaming unit 1202 such that it cannot slide out from the locking device 1200 . this description will now discuss a plug-and-socket-type security device. fig. 13 is a perspective view of a mechanism for securing a handheld wager gaming units to a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 13 , a locking mechanism 1302 is mounted on a plate 1304 , which can receive and support a handheld wager gaming unit 1308 . the handheld wager gaming unit 1308 includes a socket 1306 for mating to the locking mechanism 1302 . the locking mechanism 1302 can include threads that intertwine with threads in the socket 1306 . additionally, the locking mechanism 1302 can include a motor to tighten the threads, as the locking mechanism 1302 mates with the socket 1306 . in one embodiment, the locking mechanism 1302 includes a latch or other device for coupling it to the handheld wager gaming unit's socket 1306 . embodiments of the socket and locking mechanism are described in more detail in fig. 14 . fig. 14 is a side view of a locking mechanism and socket for securing a handheld wager gaming unit to a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 14 , the locking mechanism 1404 includes threads 1410 , contact switch 1412 and motor 1408 . the locking mechanism 1404 and motor 1408 can be mounted on a plate 1406 , which is connected to a wager gaming station (not shown). in fig. 14 , a handheld wager gaming unit 1414 includes a socket 1402 , which can receive the locking mechanism 1404 . in one embodiment, the socket 1402 includes threads which can mate with the locking mechanism's threads 1410 . the contact switch 1412 and motor 1408 can be used for turning the locking mechanism's threads 1410 in order to securely couple the locking mechanism 1404 with the socket 1402 . in one embodiment, the motor 1408 can be activated to release a handheld wager gaming unit 1414 as a result of computerized operations, such as electronically authenticating a prospective user of the handheld wager gaming unit 1412 . this description continues with another mechanism for securing a handheld wager gaming unit to a wager gaming station. fig. 15a is next. fig. 15a is a side view of a latching mechanism for securing a handheld wager gaming unit to a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 15a , a wager gaming station (not shown) can include a plate 1508 and latches 1504 for supporting and securing a handheld wager gaming unit 1502 to the wager gaming station. each latch 1504 can be connected to a spring 1506 , which enables the latch 1504 mate to a ridge 1510 of the handheld wager gaming device 1502 . figs. 15b and 15c describe the mating in more detail. fig. 15b is a side view of a handheld wager gaming unit mating with a wager gaming station's latches, according to example embodiments of the invention. when the handheld wager gaming unit 1502 is pressed onto the plate 1508 the latches 1504 adjust outward to mate with the handheld wager gaming unit's ridges 1510 . fig. 15c is side view of a handheld wager gaming unit mated to a wager gaming station's latches, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown, after pressing the handheld wager gaming unit 1502 onto the plate 1508 , the latches 1504 can lock into position, securing the handheld wager gaming unit 1502 to the wager gaming station's plate 1508 . this description continues with yet another means by which a wager gaming station can secure a handheld wager gaining unit. a discussion of fig. 16 is next. fig. 16 is a perspective view of a handheld wager gaming unit lock box for securing a handheld wager gaming unit in a wager gaming station, according to example embodiments of the invention. as shown in fig. 16 , a handheld wager gaming unit lock box 1600 includes a door 1602 connected to a body 1604 . the door 1602 includes a key lock 1608 . the handheld wager gaming unit lock box 1600 is sized to fully enclose the handheld wager gaming unit 1606 . after the handheld wager gaming unit 1606 is inserted into the handheld wager gaming unit lock box 1600 , the door 1602 can close and the key lock 1608 can secure the door 1602 shut. in one embodiment, the door 1602 can include other locking mechanisms, such as combination locks, electronic locks, latches. etc. in one embodiment, the door can automatically open and close in response to electronic signals and/or computer operations. example wager gaming machine this section presents embodiments of an example wager gaming machine. fig. 17 is a perspective view of a wager gaming machine, according to example embodiments of the invention. referring to fig. 17 , a wager gaming machine 1700 is used in gaming establishments, such as casinos. according to embodiments, the wager gaming machine 1700 can be any type of wager gaming machine and can have varying structures and methods of operation. for example, the wager gaming machine 1700 can be an electromechanical wager gaming machine configured to play mechanical slots, or it can be an electronic wager gaming machine configured to play video casino games, such as blackjack, slots, keno, poker, blackjack, roulette, etc. the wager gaming machine 1700 comprises a housing 1712 and includes input devices, including value input devices 1718 and a player input device 1724 . for output, the wager gaming machine 1700 includes a primary display 1714 for displaying information about a basic wagering game. the primary display 1714 can also display information about a bonus wagering game and a progressive wagering game. the wager gaming machine 1700 also includes a secondary display 1716 for displaying wagering game events, wagering game outcomes, and/or signage information. while some components of the wager gaming machine 1700 are described herein, numerous other elements can exist and can be used in any number or combination to create varying forms of the wager gaming machine 1700 . the value input devices 1718 can take any suitable form and can be located on the front of the housing 1712 . the value input devices 1718 can receive currency and/or credits inserted by a player. the value input devices 1718 can include coin acceptors for receiving coin currency and bill acceptors for receiving paper currency. furthermore, the value input devices 1718 can include ticket readers or barcode scanners for reading information stored on vouchers, cards, or other tangible portable storage devices. the vouchers or cards can authorize access to central accounts, which can transfer money to the wager gaming machine 1700 . the player input device 1724 comprises a plurality of push buttons on a button panel 1726 for operating the wager gaming machine 1700 . in addition, or alternatively, the player input device 1724 can comprise a touch screen 1728 mounted over the primary display 1714 and/or secondary display 1716 . the various components of the wager gaming machine 1700 can be connected directly to, or contained within, the housing 1712 . alternatively, some of the wager gaming machine's components can be located outside of the housing 1712 , while being communicatively coupled with the wager gaming machine 1700 using any suitable wired or wireless communication technology. the operation of the basic wagering game can be displayed to the player on the primary display 1714 . the primary display 1714 can also display a bonus game associated with the basic wagering game. the primary display 1714 can include a cathode ray tube (crt), a high resolution liquid crystal display (lcd), a plasma display, light emitting diodes (leds), or any other type of display suitable for use in the wager gaming machine 1700 . alternatively, the primary display 1714 can include a number of mechanical reels to display the outcome. in fig. 17 , the wager gaming machine 1700 is an “upright” version in which the primary display 1714 is oriented vertically relative to the player. alternatively, the wager gaming machine can be a “slant-top” version in which the primary display 1714 is slanted at about a thirty-degree angle toward the player of the wager gaming machine 1700 . in yet another embodiment, the wager gaming machine 1700 can be a bartop model, a mobile handheld model, or a workstation console model. a player begins playing a basic wagering game by making a wager via the value input device 1718 . the player can initiate play by using the player input device's buttons or touch screen 1728 . the basic game can include arranging a plurality of symbols along a payline 1732 , which indicates one or more outcomes of the basic game. such outcomes can be randomly selected in response to player input. at least one of the outcomes, which can include any variation or combination of symbols, can trigger a bonus game. in some embodiments, the wager gaming machine 1700 can also include an information reader 1752 , which can include a card reader, ticket reader, bar code scanner, rfid transceiver, or computer readable storage medium interface. in some embodiments, the information reader 1752 can be used to award complimentary services, restore game assets, track player habits, etc. general in the detailed description, reference is made to specific examples by way of drawings and illustrations. these examples are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the inventive subject matter, and serve to illustrate how the inventive subject matter may be applied to various purposes or embodiments. other embodiments are included within the inventive subject matter, as logical, mechanical, electrical, and other changes may be made to the example embodiments described herein. features or limitations of various embodiments described herein, however essential to the example embodiments in which they are incorporated, do not limit the inventive subject matter as a whole, and any reference to the invention, its elements, operation, and application are not limiting as a whole, but serve only to define these example embodiments. the detailed description does not, therefore, limit embodiments of the invention, which are defined only by the appended claims. each of the embodiments described herein are contemplated as falling within the inventive subject matter, which is set forth in the following claims.
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089-307-570-765-730
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G06F12/0871,G06F3/06,G06F12/0873
| 2017-09-21T00:00:00 |
2017
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[
"G06"
] |
dynamic premigration throttling for tiered storage
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a dynamic premigration protocol is implemented in response to a secondary tier returning to an operational state and an amount of data associated with a premigration queue of a primary tier exceeding a first threshold. the dynamic premigration protocol can comprise at least a temporary premigration throttling level. an original premigration protocol is implemented in response to an amount of data associated with the premigration queue decreasing below the first threshold.
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1. a method comprising: in response to a secondary tier of a hierarchical data storage system returning to an operational state from a degraded state, wherein a mode of the hierarchical data storage system is host peak write mode, and further in response to an amount of data associated with a premigration queue associated with a primary tier of the hierarchical data storage system exceeding an original throttling threshold associated with an original premigration throttling protocol: maintaining the hierarchical data storage system using a dynamic premigration throttling protocol associated with a dynamic throttling threshold that is greater than the original throttling threshold, and wherein the dynamic throttling threshold decreases when the amount of data associated with the premigration queue decreases below the dynamic throttling threshold; in response to maintaining the hierarchical data storage system using the dynamic premigration throttling protocol, and in response to the amount of data in the premigration queue being less than the original throttling threshold, maintaining the hierarchical data storage system using the original premigration throttling protocol, wherein: the original throttling threshold indicates an original amount of data associated with the premigration queue at which the hierarchical data storage system performs premigration operations; the dynamic premigration throttling protocol comprises delaying writing respective portions of data to the primary tier by a delay time that is proportional to an excessive amount of data associated with the premigration queue in excess of the dynamic throttling threshold; and changing the mode of the hierarchical data storage system from the host peak write mode to a premigration priority mode in response to the amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding a priority level, wherein the dynamic premigration throttling protocol comprises the priority level. 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and an accumulated amount of data that accumulates in the premigration queue while the secondary tier is in the degraded state. 3. the method of claim 1 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and a current amount of data associated with the premigration queue. 4. the method of claim 1 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and an accumulated amount of data that accumulates in the premigration queue while the secondary tier is in the degraded state. 5. the method of claim 1 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and a current amount of data associated with the premigration queue. 6. the method of claim 1 , further comprising: in response to the amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding the dynamic throttling threshold, delaying respective portions of data being written to the primary tier and transferring respective portions of the amount of data associated with the premigration queue from the primary tier to the secondary tier. 7. the method of claim 1 , wherein the primary tier comprises a disk storage system, and wherein the secondary tier comprises a tape storage system. 8. a hierarchical data storage system comprising: a data manager communicatively coupled to a primary tier of the hierarchical data storage system, wherein a mode of the hierarchical data storage system is host peak write mode, a premigration queue associated with the primary tier of the hierarchical data storage system, and a secondary tier of the hierarchical data storage system, the data manager comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising: in response to the secondary tier returning to an operational state from a degraded state, and further in response to an amount of data associated with the premigration queue associated with the primary tier exceeding an original throttling threshold associated with an original premigration throttling protocol: maintaining the hierarchical data storage system using a dynamic premigration throttling protocol associated with a dynamic throttling threshold that is greater than the original throttling threshold, and wherein the dynamic throttling threshold decreases when the amount of data associated with the premigration queue decreases below the dynamic throttling threshold; in response to maintaining the hierarchical data storage system using the dynamic premigration throttling protocol, and in response to the amount of data associated with the premigration queue being less than the original throttling threshold, maintaining the hierarchical data storage system using the original premigration throttling protocol, wherein: the original throttling threshold indicates an original amount of data associated with the premigration queue at which the hierarchical data storage system performs premigration operations; the dynamic premigration throttling protocol comprises delaying writing respective portions of data to the primary tier by a delay time that is proportional to an excessive amount of data associated with the premigration queue in excess of the dynamic throttling threshold; and changing the mode of the hierarchical data storage system from the host peak write mode to a premigration priority mode in response to the amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding a priority level, wherein the dynamic premigration throttling protocol comprises the priority level. 9. the hierarchical data storage system of claim 8 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and an accumulated amount of data that accumulates in the premigration queue while the secondary tier is in the degraded state. 10. the hierarchical data storage system of claim 8 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and a current amount of data associated with the premigration queue. 11. the hierarchical data storage system of claim 8 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and an accumulated amount of data that accumulates in the premigration queue while the secondary tier is in the degraded state. 12. the hierarchical data storage system of claim 8 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and a current amount of data associated with the premigration queue. 13. the hierarchical data storage system of claim 8 , further comprising: in response to the amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding the dynamic throttling threshold, delaying respective portions of data being written to the primary tier and transferring respective portions of the amount of data associated with the premigration queue from the primary tier to the secondary tier. 14. the hierarchical data storage system of claim 8 , wherein the primary tier comprises a disk storage system, and wherein the secondary tier comprises a tape storage system. 15. a computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising: in response to a secondary tier of a hierarchical data storage system returning to an operational state from a degraded state, wherein a mode of the hierarchical data storage system is host peak write mode, and further in response to an amount of data associated with a premigration queue associated with a primary tier of the hierarchical data storage system exceeding an original throttling threshold associated with an original premigration throttling protocol: maintaining the hierarchical data storage system using a dynamic premigration throttling protocol associated with a dynamic throttling threshold that is greater than the original throttling threshold, and wherein the dynamic throttling threshold decreases when the amount of data associated with the premigration queue decreases below the dynamic throttling threshold; in response to maintaining the hierarchical data storage system using the dynamic premigration throttling protocol, and in response to the amount of data associated with the premigration queue being less than the original throttling threshold, maintaining the hierarchical data storage system using the original premigration throttling protocol, wherein: the original throttling threshold indicates an original amount of data associated with the premigration queue at which the hierarchical data storage system performs premigration operations; the dynamic premigration throttling protocol comprises delaying writing respective portions of data to the primary tier by a delay time that is proportional to an excessive amount of data associated with the premigration queue in excess of the dynamic throttling threshold; and changing the mode of the hierarchical data storage system from the host peak write mode to a premigration priority mode in response to the amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding a priority level, wherein the dynamic premigration throttling protocol comprises the priority level. 16. the computer program product of claim 15 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and an accumulated amount of data that accumulates in the premigration queue while the secondary tier is in the degraded state. 17. the computer program product of claim 15 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and a current amount of data associated with the premigration queue. 18. the computer program product of claim 15 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and an accumulated amount of data that accumulates in the premigration queue while the secondary tier is in the degraded state. 19. the computer program product of claim 15 , wherein an initial value of the dynamic throttling threshold comprises a sum of the original throttling threshold and a current amount of data associated with the premigration queue. 20. the computer program product of claim 15 , further comprising: in response to the amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding the dynamic throttling threshold, delaying respective portions of data being written to the primary tier and transferring respective portions of the amount of data associated with the premigration queue from the primary tier to the secondary tier.
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background the present disclosure relates to data storage systems, and, more specifically, to premigration throttling for tiered data storage systems. summary aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward a method comprising, in response to a secondary tier of a hierarchical data storage system returning to an operational state from a degraded state, and further in response to a first amount of data in a premigration queue associated with a primary tier of the hierarchical data storage system exceeding a first threshold, implementing a modified premigration throttling level. the modified premigration throttling level comprises an amount of data associated with the premigration queue at which the hierarchical data storage system delays, by a delay time proportional to an amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding the modified premigration throttling level, respective portions of data being written to the primary tier. the method can further comprise, in response to a second amount of data associated with the premigration queue being less than the first amount of data and greater than the first threshold, implementing an updated modified premigration throttling level, where the updated modified premigration throttling level is less than the modified premigration throttling level and greater than an original premigration throttling level. the method can further comprise, in response to a third amount of data associated with the premigration queue being less than the first threshold, implementing the original premigration throttling level. aspects of the present disclosure are further directed toward a system comprising a data manager communicatively coupled to a first storage, a premigration queue associated with the first storage, and a second storage, the data manager comprising a processor and a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising, in response to the second storage transitioning to an operational state from a non-operational state, and further in response to a first amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding a first threshold, implementing a modified premigration throttling level. the modified premigration throttling level comprises an amount of data associated with the premigration queue at which the data manager delays, by a delay time proportional to an amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding the modified premigration throttling level, respective portions of data being written to the first storage. the method can further comprise, in response to a second amount of data associated with the premigration queue of the first storage being below the first amount of data and above the first threshold, implementing a second modified premigration throttling level, where the second modified premigration throttling level is less than the modified premigration throttling level and greater than an original premigration throttling level. the method can further comprise, in response to a third amount of data associated with the premigration queue being below the first threshold, implementing the original premigration throttling level. aspects of the present disclosure are further directed toward a computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising determining a secondary tier of a hierarchical storage system is in a degraded state, where a premigration throttling level is inactive while the secondary tier is in the degraded state. the method can further comprise monitoring a premigration queue associated with data written to a primary tier of the hierarchical storage system. the method can further comprise implementing a temporary premigration throttling level in response to the secondary tier transitioning to an operational state and further in response to a first amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding a first threshold. the temporary premigration throttling level comprises an amount of data associated with the premigration queue of the primary tier at which the hierarchical storage system delays, by a delay time proportional to an amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding the temporary premigration throttling level, respective portions of data being written to the primary tier. the method can further comprise updating the temporary premigration throttling level in response to a second amount of data associated with the premigration queue being less than the first amount of data. the method can further comprise implementing an original premigration throttling level in response to a third amount of data associated with the premigration queue being less than the first threshold. brief description of the drawings the drawings included in the present application are incorporated into, and form part of, the specification. they illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. the drawings are only illustrative of certain embodiments and do not limit the disclosure. fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example data storage environment in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. fig. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for implementing a modified premigration protocol in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. fig. 3 illustrates an example premigration protocol graph in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for modifying and updating a premigration protocol in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. fig. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a data manager in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. while the present disclosure is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. it should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the present disclosure to the particular embodiments described. on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. detailed description aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward data storage systems, and, more specifically, to premigration throttling for tiered data storage systems. a multi-tiered data storage system can include at least a primary tier configured for host writes and a secondary tier configured for archival storage. data can be written to the primary tier and transferred from a premigration queue of the primary tier to the secondary tier according to various data storage system modes. one example data storage system mode is host peak write mode. host peak write mode can cause the data storage system to write data to the primary tier from a host, and the written data can be accumulated in (e.g., monitored by, summarized by, and/or organized by) a premigration queue. a data storage system can be in host peak write mode while an amount of data associated with the premigration queue is below a premigration priority level (e.g., a pmprior value, or a first threshold). another example data storage system mode is premigration priority mode. premigration priority mode can cause the data storage system to both write data from the host to the primary tier and transfer data from the primary tier to a secondary tier. a data storage system can be in premigration priority mode while the amount of data associated with the premigration queue is above the premigration priority level and below a premigration throttling level. another example data storage system mode is premigration throttling mode. premigration throttling mode can cause the data storage system to transfer data from the premigration queue to the secondary tier and delay (e.g., throttle) respective portions (e.g., each 32 kilobyte increment) of host writes to the primary tier by a given time. in some embodiments, the given time delay of respective portions is proportional to an amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeding a premigration throttling level. a data storage system can be in premigration throttling mode when the amount of data associated with the premigration queue is above a premigration throttling level (e.g., a pmthlvl value, or a second threshold). the premigration throttling level can be associated with a slope defined by the premigration throttling level at zero throttling delay and a maximum amount of data allowed to be associated with the premigration queue at a maximum throttling delay. thus, the more the amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeds the premigration throttling level, the larger a delay will be applied to respective host writes. the secondary tier of a data storage system can occasionally be offline or exhibit degraded functionality as a result of, for example, hardware maintenance, software maintenance, power outages, and/or connectivity disruptions. when the secondary tier is offline and/or exhibiting degraded functionality, and when the premigration queue exceeds the premigration throttling level, the data storage system can unnecessarily throttle the host writes (e.g., the excess resources such as cache and processor cycles gained by applying the premigration throttling cannot be used to increase a transfer rate of data from the primary tier to the secondary tier because the secondary tier is non-operational). to overcome this problem, a user can disable the premigration throttling level while the secondary tier is non-operational. for example, in some tiered storage systems, a user can utilize a “premigration throttling on physical library degraded” (prethdeg) function to render a premigration throttling level inactive while the secondary tier exhibits degraded functionality. disadvantageously, when the secondary tier regains operational functionality, the accumulated data associated with the premigration queue can significantly exceed the premigration throttling level and cause significant throttling of host writes. to mitigate significant host write delays upon a secondary tier of a data storage system returning to functionality, aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward a dynamic premigration protocol (also referred to herein as a modified premigration protocol, a temporary premigration protocol, and/or an updated premigration protocol). the dynamic premigration protocol can include at least one of a dynamic premigration priority level, a dynamic premigration throttling level, a dynamic maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue, and a dynamic premigration throttling slope. advantageously, aspects of the present disclosure can reduce host write delays to a primary tier in response to a secondary tier of a data storage system returning to an operational state from a non-operational (or degraded) state by implementing a dynamic premigration protocol that modifies aspects of the original premigration protocol. in addition, aspects of the present disclosure advantageously update the modified premigration protocol as the amount of data associated with the premigration queue changes. thus, the modified premigration protocol can incrementally return to the original premigration protocol as data associated with the premigration queue decreases. the aforementioned advantages are example advantages, and embodiments of the present disclosure exist that can realize all, some, or none of the aforementioned advantages. fig. 1 illustrates a data storage environment 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. data storage environment 100 includes a hierarchical data storage system 102 comprising a data manager 104 , a primary tier 106 , and a secondary tier 108 . the hierarchical data storage system 102 is communicatively coupled to a host 112 via a physical or virtual network 150 . although a single hierarchical data storage system 102 is shown, in some embodiments multiple data storage systems are communicatively coupled via network 150 or a different network. furthermore, although a primary tier 106 and secondary tier 108 are shown, any number of tiers can reside within hierarchical data storage system 102 . furthermore, although data manager 104 , primary tier 106 , and secondary tier 108 are shown physically integrated within hierarchical data storage system 102 , the data manager 104 , primary tier 106 , and secondary tier 108 can alternatively be distant from one another and communicatively coupled by a network such as network 150 . in some embodiments, hierarchical data storage system 102 is an international business machines corporation (ibm) ts7700 enterprise storage system. however, it is to be understood that the hierarchical data storage system 102 can be implemented using other storage systems, in other embodiments. primary tier 106 can receive data from host 112 . for example, primary tier 106 can receive host writes from host 112 . in some embodiments, primary tier 106 comprises a disk subsystem. as understood by one of skill in the art, a disk subsystem can include one or more hard-disk drives, one or more solid-state drives, or a combination of hard-disk drives and solid-state drives. in some embodiments, primary tier 106 is a virtualized storage system. in some embodiments, primary tier 106 is an external storage system (e.g., an external, network-based storage system). primary tier 106 can be communicatively coupled to a premigration queue 110 that stores accumulated host writes ready for migration to secondary tier 108 . in some embodiments, premigration queue 110 can comprise an ordered list of volumes moved from (or configured to be moved from) primary tier 106 to secondary tier 108 . although the present disclosure may discuss data stored in premigration queue 110 , in some embodiments, premigration queue 110 only stores identification of volumes of data stored in primary tier 106 and ready for migration to secondary tier 108 . thus, references to amounts of data in premigration queue 110 can mean amounts of data associated with premigration queue 110 , where the associated data can comprise volumes/amounts of data residing in primary tier 106 and ready for migration to secondary tier 108 . the premigration queue 110 can be associated with a premigration priority level (e.g., pmprior), a premigration throttling level (e.g., pmthlvl), a maximum throttling level, a maximum premigration queue size, and a premigration throttling slope. the premigration priority level can be an amount of data associated with the premigration queue 110 at which the data manager 104 transitions from host peak write mode to premigration priority mode. the premigration priority level can be configured in gigabyte (gb) increments. for example, the premigration priority level can be 1600 gb. the premigration throttling level can be an amount of data associated with the premigration queue 110 at which the data manager 104 transitions from a premigration priority mode to a premigration throttling mode. the premigration throttling level can be configured in gb increments. for example, the premigration throttling level can be 2000 gb. the maximum throttling level can be a maximum time delay for each increment of data being written to the primary tier 106 . for example, the maximum throttling level can be a maximum amount of time to delay each 32 kb increment of data being written to the primary tier 106 from host 112 . the maximum premigration queue size can be a maximum amount of data allowed to be associated with the premigration queue. in embodiments where the hierarchical data storage system 102 is an ibm ts7700 data storage system, the maximum premigration queue size can be defined by feature code (fc) 5274 where each configured fc5274 can correspond to, for example one terabyte (tb) of premigration queue capacity. secondary tier 108 can receive data transferred from primary tier 106 and archive the transferred data. in some embodiments, secondary tier 108 comprises a tape storage system. as understood by one of skill in the art, a tape storage system can include one or more tape drives that read and write data on a magnetic tape. in some embodiments, secondary tier 108 comprises a virtualized tape storage system. in some embodiments, secondary tier 108 comprises external storage (e.g., an external, network-based storage). in some embodiments, secondary tier 108 exhibits decreased write speed relative to primary tier 106 . in some embodiments, the secondary tier 108 exhibits increased storage capacity relative to primary tier 106 . in some embodiments, the secondary tier 108 exhibits a decreased cost per unit of storage relative to the primary tier 106 . in some embodiments, primary tier 106 differs from secondary tier 108 by a performance metric in at least one of speed, storage, cost, compatibility, and security. host 112 can be, for example, a computer, a laptop, a desktop, a server, a user device, or a different data processing system capable of sending data for storage in the primary tier 106 via the network 150 . data manager 104 is configured to manage data received from host 112 by the primary tier 106 and subsequently transferred to the secondary tier 108 based on information stored in premigration queue 110 . in some embodiments, data manager 104 generates a modified premigration protocol comprising at least one of a modified premigration priority level, a modified premigration throttling level, a modified maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue, and/or a modified premigration throttling slope in response to the secondary tier 108 returning from a degraded state and the premigration queue 110 exceeding a first threshold (e.g., the original premigration priority level). example functionality of data manager 104 is described in more detail hereinafter with respect to figs. 2-4 , and an example structure of data manager 104 is described in further detail hereinafter with respect to fig. 5 . although hierarchical data storage system 102 is shown as a single, physical entity, in some embodiments, hierarchical data storage system 102 can be fully or partially virtualized such that at least a portion of the resources associated with hierarchical data storage system 102 are distributed amongst multiple nodes and configured to function similar to a single node or a co-located set of nodes. furthermore, some aspects of the storage can be a first type of storage configured to function in a similar manner as a second type of storage (e.g., virtualized tape storage). fig. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for implementing a modified premigration protocol in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. in some embodiments, the method 200 is performed by a processor executing computer-readable instructions. in some embodiments, the method 200 is performed by a data manager such as data manager 104 of fig. 1 . for clarity, the method 200 will be described as being performed by a data manager, however, the method 200 can likewise be executed by alternative configurations of one or more hardware components. in operation 202 , the data manager monitors a secondary tier of a tiered data storage system and a premigration queue associated with a primary tier of the tiered storage system. in some embodiments, the secondary tier is consistent with secondary tier 108 of fig. 1 , the primary tier is consistent with primary tier 106 of fig. 1 , and the premigration queue is consistent with premigration queue 110 of fig. 1 . in operation 204 , the data manager determines the secondary tier transitions from a degraded state (e.g., a non-operational state, or a state of decreased functionality) to an operational state. the secondary tier can be in a degraded state, for example, while hardware and/or software is repaired, upgraded, replaced, or otherwise maintained. in other examples, the secondary tier can be in a degraded state if power is lost to the secondary tier, or communication between the primary tier and the secondary tier, or between the data manager and the secondary tier, is limited or disconnected. in operation 204 , the data manager can further determine an amount of data associated with the premigration queue exceeds a first threshold. in some embodiments, the first threshold is an original premigration priority level. in operation 206 , the data manager implements a modified premigration protocol. in some embodiments, a modified premigration protocol comprises at least one of a modified premigration throttling level, a modified premigration throttling slope, a modified maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue, and a modified premigration priority level. the modified premigration protocol is described in more detail hereinafter. in operation 208 , the data manager determines an amount of data associated with the premigration queue is less than the first amount of data and greater than the first threshold. the data manager can review the amount of data associated with the premigration queue every time interval. for example, the data manager can review the amount of data associated with the premigration queue every five, ten, twenty, thirty, or sixty seconds. in some embodiments, the time interval can be at most five, ten, twenty, thirty, or sixty seconds. in some embodiments, the time interval can be at least five, ten, twenty, thirty, or sixty seconds. in operation 210 , the data manager implements an updated modified premigration protocol. the updated modified premigration protocol can comprise at least one of an updated modified premigration throttling level, an updated modified premigration throttling slope, an updated modified maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue, and an updated modified premigration priority level. aspects of the updated modified premigration protocol can decrease in value relative to the modified premigration protocol. for example, an updated modified premigration throttling level can be less than the modified premigration throttling level, both of which can be greater than the original premigration throttling level. in operation 212 , the data manager can determine the amount of data associated with the premigration queue is less than the first threshold. in some embodiments, the first threshold is the original premigration priority level. in operation 214 , the data manager can implement the original premigration protocol in response to the amount of data associated with the premigration queue being less than the first threshold. the original premigration protocol can comprise at least one of an original premigration throttling level, an original premigration throttling slope, an original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue, and an original premigration priority level. fig. 3 illustrates a graph of an example original, temporary, and updated premigration protocol in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. premigration protocol graph 300 is presented for illustrative purposes and is not necessarily drawn to scale. embodiments of the present disclosure exist with similar and/or dissimilar points, lines, distances, and angles than those illustrated in premigration protocol graph 300 . premigration protocol graph 300 can include x-axis 302 indicating an amount of data in a premigration queue (e.g., premigration queue 110 of fig. 1 ). in some embodiments, x-axis 302 is measured in bytes. premigration protocol graph 300 further comprises y-axis 304 indicating a premigration throttling level. y-axis 304 can indicate a delay per host write size. for example, y-axis 304 can be measured in milliseconds delay per 32 kb portion of a host write. premigration protocol graph 300 can further comprise an automatically defined or manually configured original premigration priority level (pmprior) 306 indicating an amount of data associated with the premigration queue at which the data storage system transitions from a host peak write mode to a premigration priority mode. premigration priority level 306 can be measured in gigabytes (gb) of unpremigrated data. for example, premigration priority level 306 can be 1600 gb. when the premigration queue exceeds the premigration priority threshold, the data manager can begin increasing the number of premigration tasks allowed to compete with host input/output (i/o) operations for computational resources such as cache and processor cycles. premigration protocol graph 300 can further comprise an automatically defined or manually configured premigration throttling (pmthlvl) level 308 indicating an amount of data associated with the premigration queue at which the data storage system transitions from the premigration priority mode to a premigration throttling mode. an amount of premigration throttling (indicated by the y-axis 304 ) can be defined by the original premigration throttling slope 314 which is defined by the original premigration throttling level 308 , an automatically defined or manually configured maximum premigration throttling level 312 , and an automatically defined or manually configured original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 310 . in some embodiments, original premigration throttling slope 314 is defined as a slope between a point defined by the original premigration throttling level 308 on the x-axis 302 and zero on the y-axis 304 and another point defined by the original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 310 on the x-axis 302 and the maximum premigration throttling level 312 on the y-axis 304 . in some embodiments, the original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 310 can be configured by feature code (fc) 5274 of the tiered data storage system utilizing premigration protocol graph 300 (e.g., each enabled fc 5274 can allow 1 terabyte (tb) of data to reside in the premigration queue). in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a temporary premigration protocol can be implemented in response to a secondary tier of the storage system returning from a degraded state and an amount of premigration data associated with the premigration queue exceeding a first threshold (e.g., the first threshold can be an original premigration priority level 306 or an original premigration throttling level 308 ). the temporary premigration protocol can comprise at least one of a temporary premigration priority level (pmpr_tmp) 316 , a temporary premigration throttling level (pmth_tmp) 318 , a temporary premigration throttling slope 322 , and a temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 320 . in some embodiments, the temporary premigration priority level 316 can be the sum of the original premigration priority level 306 and an amount of data queued while the secondary tier was in a degraded state. in some embodiments, the temporary premigration priority level 316 can be the sum of the original premigration priority level 306 and the amount of data currently in the premigration queue. in some embodiments, the temporary premigration priority level 316 can be the sum of the original premigration priority level 306 and the lesser of the amount of data queued while the secondary tier was in a degraded state and the amount of data currently in the premigration queue. in some embodiments, the temporary premigration throttling level 318 can be the sum of the original premigration throttling level 308 plus an amount of data queued while the secondary tier was in the degraded state. in some embodiments, the temporary premigration throttling level 318 can be the sum of the original premigration throttling level 308 plus an amount of data currently in the premigration queue. in some embodiments, the temporary premigration throttling level 318 can be the sum of the original premigration throttling level 308 plus the lesser of an amount of data queued while the secondary tier was in a degraded state and the amount of data currently in the premigration queue. in some embodiments, the temporary premigration throttling slope can be a slope defined by a first point at the temporary premigration throttling level 318 and zero on the y-axis 304 and a second point at a temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 320 on the x-axis 302 and the maximum premigration throttling level 312 on the y-axis 304 . in some embodiments, the temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 320 is the result of the temporary premigration throttling level 318 plus the original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 310 minus the original premigration throttling level 308 . in other words, the temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 320 can be the sum of the original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 310 and a difference between the temporary premigration throttling level 318 and the original premigration throttling level 308 . in some embodiments, temporary premigration priority level 316 and temporary premigration throttling level 318 will be maximized in the first iteration of calculations upon return of the secondary tier to a fully operational status. thus, as the data manager iterates through temporary premigration protocols (e.g., described in further detail hereinafter with respect to fig. 4 ), only those updated temporary premigration protocols (such as updated temporary premigration priority level 326 , updated temporary premigration throttling level 328 , updated temporary premigration throttling slope 332 , and updated temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 330 ) having decreased values relative to the currently implemented values will be applied. such a configuration enables a growing premigration queue to be downsized by throttling host writes if the premigration queue continues to grow after implementing the temporary premigration protocol when the secondary tier returns to a fully operational state. an example of aspects of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to various amounts of data in premigration queue 324 a- 324 e. the first amount of data in premigration queue 324 a can exceed a first threshold (e.g., original premigration priority level 306 ) after a secondary tier returns to functionality. in response, the data manager implements a temporary premigration protocol comprising at least one of a temporary premigration priority level 316 , a temporary premigration throttling level 318 , a temporary premigration throttling slope 322 , and a temporary maximum amount of data in premigration queue 320 . since the temporary premigration priority level 316 is larger than the first amount of data associated with the premigration queue 324 a, the data manager can function in host peak write mode. in some cases, data can continue to be written to the primary tier. this can create a second amount of data associated with the premigration queue 324 b. second amount of data 324 b can exceed the temporary premigration priority level 316 , and the data manager can transition to premigration priority mode. in some cases, data can continue to be written to the primary tier and a third amount of data associated with the premigration queue 324 c can exceed the temporary premigration throttling level 318 . in response, the data manager can transition to premigration throttling mode and throttle the host writes by an amount determined by the temporary premigration throttling slope 322 . in some embodiments, a fourth amount of data associated with the premigration queue 324 d can be reduced below the temporary premigration priority level 316 but above the original premigration priority level 306 . in response, the data manager can implement an updated temporary premigration protocol including at least one of an updated temporary premigration priority level 326 , an updated temporary premigration throttling level 328 , an updated temporary premigration throttling slope 332 , and an updated temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 330 . in some embodiments, a fifth amount of data associated with the premigration queue 324 e can be less than an original premigration priority level 306 . in response, the data manager can implement an original premigration protocol comprising at least one of the original premigration priority level 306 , the original premigration throttling level 308 , the original premigration throttling slope 314 , and the original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue 310 . although only one updated temporary premigration protocol is shown, any number of updated temporary premigration protocols are possible. in some embodiments, each subsequent updated temporary premigration protocol is to the left of the previous temporary premigration protocol in the premigration protocol graph 300 (e.g., each subsequent premigration protocol has decreasing values approaching the original premigration protocol). although only one original maximum premigration throttling level 312 is shown, some embodiments include a modified maximum premigration throttling level and one or more updated modified premigration throttling levels. fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for modifying and/or updating a premigration protocol in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. in various embodiments, the method 400 can be executed by a processor executing instructions, or by a data manager such as data manager 104 of fig. 1 . for clarity, the method 400 will be described as being performed by a data manager, however, the method 400 can likewise be executed by alternative configurations of one or more hardware components. in operation 402 , the data manager determines a secondary tier becomes operational from a non-operational or degraded state. in operation 404 , the data manager determines if a “premigration throttling on physical library degraded” (prethdeg) function is enabled or disabled. the prethdeg function allows a user to disable (e.g., by disabling the prethdeg function) the premigration priority level and the premigration throttling level until the secondary tier returns to an operational state. the prethdeg function advantageously allows a tiered data storage system to operate in host peak write mode while the secondary tier is non-operational. this avoids useless throttling (e.g., if the prethdeg function were enabled and the premigration queue exceeded the premigration throttling threshold, then the tiered data storage system would transition to premigration throttling mode and delay host writes to the primary tier even though the tiered data storage would be unable to use the excess computational resources to transfer data from the primary tier to the secondary tier because of the degraded functionality of the secondary tier). if the prethdeg function is enabled, the data manager proceeds to operation 406 and implements the original premigration protocol. namely, the data manager implements the original premigration priority level, the original premigration throttling level, the original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue, and/or the original premigration throttling slope in operation 406 . if the prethdeg function is disabled, the data manager proceeds to operation 408 and determines if an amount of data in a premigration queue of the primary tier is larger than the original premigration priority level (pmprior). if the amount of data associated with the premigration queue is less than the original premigration priority level, then the data manager proceeds to operation 406 and implements the original premigration protocol. if the amount of data associated with the premigration queue is larger than the original premigration priority level, then the data manager proceeds to operation 410 and determines if the amount of data associated with the premigration queue is less than the amount of data queued during the degraded secondary tier. if the amount of data queued during the degraded secondary tier is larger than the amount of data associated with the premigration queue, then the data manager proceeds to operation 414 and defines at least one of a temporary premigration priority level and a temporary premigration throttling level based on the current amount of data associated with the premigration queue. in some embodiments, in operation 414 the data manager defines a temporary premigration priority level as the sum of the original premigration priority level and the current amount of data associated with the premigration queue. in some embodiments, in operation 414 the data manager defines a temporary premigration throttling level as the sum of the original premigration throttling level and the current amount of data associated with the premigration queue. in some embodiments, in operation 414 the data manager further defines a temporary premigration throttling slope and a temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue. the temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue can be the modified premigration throttling level plus the original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue minus the original premigration throttling level. in some embodiments, the modified premigration throttling slope can be defined as a line connecting a first point defined at the temporary premigration throttling level on an x-axis and zero premigration throttle on a y-axis, and a second point defined by the temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue on the x-axis and the maximum premigration throttle on the y-axis. returning again to operation 410 , if the data manager determines that the data queued during the degraded secondary tier is less than the data associated with the premigration queue, then the data manager proceeds to operation 412 . in operation 412 the data manager defines a temporary premigration priority level and a temporary premigration throttling level. in some embodiments, the temporary premigration priority level defined in operation 412 comprises the sum of the amount of data queued during the degraded secondary tier plus the original premigration priority level. in some embodiments, the temporary premigration throttling level comprises the sum of the original premigration throttling level and the amount of data queued during the degraded secondary tier. in some embodiments, in operation 412 the data manager further defines a temporary premigration throttling slope. the temporary premigration throttling slope can be a line defined by two points, where the first point comprises the temporary premigration throttling level on an x-axis and a zero premigration throttle value on a y-axis, and where the second point comprises a temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue on the x-axis and a maximum premigration throttle on the y-axis. in some embodiments, the temporary maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue is the result of the temporary premigration throttling level plus the original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue minus the original premigration throttling level. after completing either operation 412 or operation 414 , the data manager proceeds to operation 416 and implements the temporary premigration protocol. the data manager iterates again to operation 408 to determine if the data associated with the premigration queue is greater than the original premigration priority level. for every iteration where the data manager determines the data associated with the premigration queue is greater than the original premigration priority level, the data manager can update the temporary premigration protocol in operations 410 and 414 (using the current amount of data associated with the premigration queue) and implement the updated temporary premigration protocol in operation 416 . thus, operation 410 ensures each iteration of updated temporary premigration protocol is less than or equal to the first temporary premigration protocol. the data manager can proceed to operation 408 from operation 416 every predetermined time interval. for example, the data manager can wait 30 seconds before returning to operation 408 from operation 416 . in various embodiments, the data manager waits at most 30 seconds before returning to operation 408 , or the data manager waits at least 30 seconds before returning to operation 408 . fig. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a data manager 500 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. in some embodiments, data manager 500 is consistent with data manager 104 of fig. 1 . data manager 500 can implement various premigration protocols of a tiered storage system such as premigration protocols illustrated in fig. 3 . in various embodiments, data manager 500 can perform, or provide executable instructions for the performance of, the methods described in figs. 2 and 4 . the data manager 500 can include a memory 525 , storage 530 , an interconnect (e.g., bus) 520 , one or more cpus 505 (also referred to as processors 505 herein), an i/o device interface 510 , i/o devices 512 , and a network interface 515 . each cpu 505 retrieves and executes programming instructions stored in the memory 525 or storage 530 . the interconnect 520 is used to move data, such as programming instructions, between the cpus 505 , i/o device interface 510 , storage 530 , network interface 515 , and memory 525 . the interconnect 520 can be implemented using one or more busses. the cpus 505 can be a single cpu, multiple cpus, or a single cpu having multiple processing cores in various embodiments. in some embodiments, a cpu 505 can be a digital signal processor (dsp). memory 525 is generally included to be representative of a random access memory (e.g., static random access memory (sram), dynamic random access memory (dram), or flash). the storage 530 is generally included to be representative of a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive, solid state device (ssd), removable memory cards, optical storage, or flash memory devices. in an alternative embodiment, the storage 530 can be replaced by storage area-network (san) devices, the cloud, or other devices connected to the data manager 500 via the i/o devices interface 510 or a network 550 via the network interface 515 . in some embodiments, the memory 525 stores instructions 560 and the storage 530 stores original premigration protocol 532 , the modified premigration protocol 534 , and one or more updated modified premigration protocol(s) 536 . however, in various embodiments, the instructions 560 , original premigration protocol 532 , modified premigration protocol 534 , and updated modified premigration protocol(s) 536 are stored partially in memory 525 and partially in storage 530 , or they are stored entirely in memory 525 or entirely in storage 530 , or they are accessed over a network 550 via the network interface 515 . the original premigration protocol 532 can comprise at least one of an original premigration priority level, an original premigration throttling level, an original maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue, an original premigration throttling slope, and an original maximum throttle level. the modified premigration protocol 534 can comprise at least one of a modified premigration priority level, a modified premigration throttling level, a modified maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue, a modified premigration throttling slope, and an original maximum throttle level or a modified maximum throttle level. the updated modified premigration protocol 536 can comprise at least one updated modified premigration protocol. each updated modified premigration protocol can comprise at least one of an updated modified premigration priority level, an updated modified premigration throttling level, an updated modified maximum amount of data associated with the premigration queue, an updated modified premigration throttling slope, and an original maximum throttle level or an updated modified maximum throttle level. the instructions 560 are processor executable instructions including premigration instructions 562 . premigration instructions 562 can include instructions to execute the methods shown in figs. 2 and 4 , to generate the graph shown in fig. 3 , and to generate and/or implement the original premigration protocol 532 , the modified premigration protocol 534 , and/or one or more updated modified premigration protocol(s) 536 . in various embodiments, the i/o devices 512 can include an interface capable of presenting information and receiving input. for example, i/o devices 512 can present information to a user interacting with data manager 500 and receive input from a user. data manager 500 is connected to the network 550 via the network interface 515 . in some embodiments, network 550 is consistent with network 150 of fig. 1 . embodiments of the present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product at any possible technical detail level of integration. the computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention. the computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. the computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. a non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (ram), a read-only memory (rom), an erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom or flash memory), a static random access memory (sram), a portable compact disc read-only memory (cd-rom), a digital versatile disk (dvd), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. a computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire. computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. the network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. a network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device. computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (isa) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as smalltalk, c++, or the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the “c” programming language or similar programming languages. the computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. in the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (lan) or a wide area network (wan), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the internet using an internet service provider). in some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (fpga), or programmable logic arrays (pla) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention. aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions. these computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. these computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. the computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. the flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. in this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or subset of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. for example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. it will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. while it is understood that the process software (e.g., any of the instructions stored in instructions 560 of fig. 5 and/or any software configured to perform any subset of the methods described with respect to figs. 2 and 4 ) may be deployed by manually loading it directly in the client, server, and proxy computers via loading a storage medium such as a cd, dvd, etc., the process software may also be automatically or semi-automatically deployed into a computer system by sending the process software to a central server or a group of central servers. the process software is then downloaded into the client computers that will execute the process software. alternatively, the process software is sent directly to the client system via e-mail. the process software is then either detached to a directory or loaded into a directory by executing a set of program instructions that detaches the process software into a directory. another alternative is to send the process software directly to a directory on the client computer hard drive. when there are proxy servers, the process will select the proxy server code, determine on which computers to place the proxy servers' code, transmit the proxy server code, and then install the proxy server code on the proxy computer. the process software will be transmitted to the proxy server, and then it will be stored on the proxy server. embodiments of the present invention may also be delivered as part of a service engagement with a client corporation, nonprofit organization, government entity, internal organizational structure, or the like. these embodiments may include configuring a computer system to perform, and deploying software, hardware, and web services that implement, some or all of the methods described herein. these embodiments may also include analyzing the client's operations, creating recommendations responsive to the analysis, building systems that implement subsets of the recommendations, integrating the systems into existing processes and infrastructure, metering use of the systems, allocating expenses to users of the systems, and billing, invoicing, or otherwise receiving payment for use of the systems.
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090-991-926-429-869
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US
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[
"US"
] |
F23N1/00,F23K5/00,F23K5/10,F23N3/00
| 2014-12-30T00:00:00 |
2014
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[
"F23"
] |
apparatus and method for operating a gas-fired burner on liquid fuels
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an apparatus and method for operating a gas-fired burner on a liquid fuel. the apparatus integrates a catalytic liquid fuel reformer with a flame burner designed for operation on a gaseous fuel of high wobbe index, e.g., natural gas. the method involves reacting a mixture of a liquid fuel and oxidant in a catalytic reformer to obtain a gaseous reformate having a low wobbe index; and thereafter combusting the gaseous reformate, optionally augmented with liquid co-fuel and oxidant, in the gas-fired burner under diffusion flame conditions. the invention allows commercial gas-fired appliances, such as stoves, ovens, ranges, grills, griddles, stock pot burners, clothes dryers, hot water heaters, and boilers to be operated on a liquid fuel, which offers advantages in logistics and camp operations.
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1. a burner system comprising: (a) a reformer configured under operative conditions to exhaust a gaseous reformate having a wobbe index greater than 145 btu/scf (5.4 mj/nm 3 ) and less than 700 btu/scf (26.0 mj/nm 3 ), comprising: (i) a housing defining a reforming chamber; (ii) a first inlet configured to input a liquid fuel into the reforming chamber; (iii) a second inlet configured to input an oxidant into the reforming chamber; (iv) a reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic metals supported thereon, the metal substrate being disposed within the reforming chamber and fluidly coupled to the first and second inlets for inputting the fuel and oxidant, respectively; and (v) an outlet for exhausting a reformate from the reforming chamber, the outlet being fluidly coupled to the metal substrate; (b) a connecting member comprising an inlet end and an outlet end, wherein the inlet end of the connecting member is fluidly coupled to the outlet of the reformer, and wherein the outlet end of the connecting member is fluidly coupled to an inlet of a gas-fired burner; and (c) the gas-fired burner configured to operate with a gaseous fuel having a wobbe index in a range from 1,250 to 2,300 btu/scf (46.6-85.7 mj/nm 3 ), the burner comprising; (i) the inlet fluidly coupled to the outlet end of the connecting member; and (ii) one or more orifices downstream of the burner inlet, the orifices configured to support flame combustion. 2. the burner system of claim 1 wherein the connecting member and the burner each individually excludes an inlet for inputting a supply of oxidant in premix with fuel. 3. the burner system of claim 2 wherein the one or more orifices of the burner open to ambient environs. 4. the burner system of claim 2 wherein the burner is enclosed within a housing defining a combustion chamber, such that the one or more orifices of the burner open to the combustion chamber, and wherein the housing comprises an inlet configured to input a supply of oxidant and further comprises an outlet configured to exhaust a gaseous combustion product. 5. the burner system of claim 2 wherein the reticulated metal substrate comprises an ultra-short-channel-length metal substrate having a channel length ranging from 25 microns to 500 microns. 6. the burner system of claim 5 wherein the metal substrate is provided in a coiled configuration having an inner diameter and an outer diameter and a radial flow path from the inner diameter to the outer diameter, and wherein an ignition source is located within the inner diameter of the coiled configuration. 7. an appliance having as a constituent part the burner system of claim 2 . 8. the burner system of claim 1 wherein the connecting member further comprises a first auxiliary inlet for feeding a liquid co-fuel into the connecting member and further comprises a second auxiliary inlet for feeding an oxidant into the connecting member. 9. the burner system of claim 8 wherein the first auxiliary inlet further comprises a heat-conductive mesh disposed transversely across the first auxiliary inlet at the inlet intersection with the connecting member. 10. the burner system of claim 8 wherein the connecting member further comprises a supplementary igniter disposed proximate to the first auxiliary and second auxiliary inlets. 11. the burner system of claim 8 wherein the one or more orifices of the burner open to ambient environs. 12. the burner system of claim 8 wherein the burner is enclosed within a housing defining a combustion chamber, such that the one or more orifices of the burner open to the combustion chamber, and wherein the housing comprises an inlet configured to input a supply of oxidant to the combustion chamber, and further comprises an outlet configured to exhaust a gaseous combustion product from the combustion chamber. 13. the burner system of claim 8 wherein the reticulated metal substrate comprises an ultra-short-channel-length metal substrate having a channel length ranging from 25 microns to 500 microns. 14. the burner system of claim 13 wherein the metal substrate is provided in a coiled configuration having an inner diameter and an outer diameter and a radial flow path from the inner diameter to the outer diameter, and wherein an ignition source is located within the inner diameter of the coiled configuration. 15. an appliance having as a constituent part the burner system of claim 8 . 16. a process of operating a gas-fired burner on a liquid fuel, the process comprising: (a) feeding a supply of liquid fuel and a supply of oxidant into a reformer in a fuel-rich fuel/oxidant ratio, the reformer comprising a reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon; (b) contacting the supply of oxidant and the liquid fuel with the reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon, under reaction conditions sufficient to produce a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen, the gaseous reformate having a wobbe index greater than about 145 btu/scf (5.4 mj/nm 3 ) and less than about 700 btu/scf (26.0 mj/nm 3 ); (c) feeding the gaseous reformate into an inlet of the gas-fired burner in absence of premixed oxidant, the burner configured to receive a gaseous fuel having a wobbe index in a range from about 1,250 to about 2,300 btu/scf (46.6-85.7 mj/nm 3 ); (d) at one or more orifices of the burner, igniting the gaseous reformate under non-premixed diffusion flame combustion conditions so as to produce a combustion product stream. 17. the method of claim 16 wherein the liquid fuel fed to the reformer comprises a liquid hydrocarbon derived from fossil fuels, biomass, and synthetic processes including fischer-tropsch processes; and the oxidant fed to the reformer is selected from molecular oxygen, mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen, and mixtures of oxygen with an inert gas. 18. the method of claim 16 wherein the liquid fuel fed to the reformer is a liquid distillate fuel selected from the group consisting of kerosene, diesel, jp-8, jp-10, jet-a, and mixtures thereof; and wherein the oxidant is air. 19. the method of claim 16 wherein the reticulated metal substrate comprises an ultra-short-channel-length metal mesh substrate having a channel length in a range from 25 microns to 500 microns having one or more group viii elements deposited thereon. 20. the method of claim 16 wherein the liquid fuel to the reformer is diesel or jp-8 and wherein the gas-fired burner is configured to operate on methane or natural gas. 21. a method of operating a gas-fired burner on a liquid fuel, the process comprising: (a) feeding a liquid fuel and a first supply of oxidant into a reformer in a fuel-rich fuel/oxidant ratio, the reformer comprising a reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon; (b) contacting the liquid fuel and the first supply of oxidant with the reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon, under reaction conditions sufficient to produce a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen, the gaseous reformate having a wobbe index greater than about 145 btu/ft 3 (5.4 mj/nm 3 ) and less than about 700 btu/scf (26.0 mj/nm 3 ); (c) feeding the gaseous reformate, a liquid co-fuel, and a second supply of oxidant into a connecting member wherein the liquid co-fuel is vaporized; (d) transmitting a resulting mixture comprising the gaseous reformate, the vaporized liquid co-fuel, and the second supply of oxidant from the connecting member into a gas-fired burner, the burner configured to receive a gaseous fuel having a wobbe index in a range from about 1,250 to about 2,300 btu/scf (46.6-85.7 mj/nm 3 ); and (e) at one or more orifices of the gas-fired burner, igniting the mixture under diffusion flame conditions sufficient to produce a combustion product stream. 22. the method of claim 21 wherein the liquid fuel fed to the reformer and the liquid co-fuel are each individually selected from the group consisting of liquid hydrocarbons derived from fossil fuels, biomass, and fischer-tropsch processes; and the first and second supplies of oxidant are each individually selected from the group consisting of molecular oxygen, mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen, and mixtures of oxygen with an inert gas. 23. the method of claim 21 wherein the liquid fuel fed to the reformer and the liquid co-fuel are each a liquid distillate fuel selected individually from the group consisting of kerosene, diesel, jp-8, jp-10, jet-a, and mixtures thereof; and wherein the first and second supplies of oxidant are air. 24. the method of claim 21 wherein the liquid co-fuel fed to the connecting member is provided in an amount ranging from greater than 2 percent to less than 75 percent, by weight, based on the total fuel fed to the burner including reformate and liquid co-fuel. 25. the method of claim 21 wherein the reticulated metal substrate comprises an ultra-short-channel-length metal mesh having a channel length in a range from 25 microns to 500 microns having one or more group viii elements deposited thereon. 26. the process of claim 21 wherein the liquid fuel fed to the reformer is diesel or jp-8; wherein the liquid co-fuel fed to the connecting member is diesel or jp-8; and wherein the gas-fired burner is configured to operate on natural gas.
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cross-reference to related application this application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/097,830, filed dec. 30, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. government rights this invention was made with support from the u.s. government, department of defense, under contract nos. w911qy-10-c-0025 and w911qy-13-p-0223. the u.s. government holds certain rights in this invention. field of the invention the present invention pertains to a burner system and a method for operating a gas-fired burner on a liquid fuel. more specifically, this invention pertains to an appliance incorporating the burner system, wherein a gas-fired burner is adapted for use with a liquid fuel. background of the invention as known in the art, gas-fired burners are used for non-propulsion applications including residential, business, logistics, and camp purposes. as used herein, the term “logistics” refers to military and/or battlefield operations; while the term “camp” or “camping” refers to civilian operations at locations lacking a power grid, for example, recreational, marine, rescue, refugee, and emergency operations where a power grid is temporarily out of service or where no power grid exists. as used herein, the term “gas-fired burner” refers to a heat-producing burner that generates heat through flame combustion of a fuel existing in a gaseous state of matter at standard atmospheric temperature and pressure. such gaseous fuels include methane, natural gas, ethane, propane, and butane. the gas-fired burner is further characterized as “static” in that it does not involve materially significant moving parts or reciprocating motion, in contrast to a burner employed for propulsion purposes, such as those found in internal combustion engines and gas turbines. static gas-fired burners are employed in incinerators as well as in commercial appliances, such as stoves, ovens, ranges, grills, griddles, stock pot burners, clothes dryers, hot water heaters, boilers, and the like. static gas-fired burners of the type found in commercial appliances combust gaseous fuels, such as natural gas, methane, ethane, propane, or butane. a supply of the gaseous fuel is required to be available at the location of the appliance. transportation of the gaseous fuel to the required location is burdensome and costly, particularly under logistics and camp operations. moreover, under certain circumstances transportation of gaseous fuels can be restricted. in contrast, liquid distillate fuels, such as diesel and jp-8, are readily available at essentially all locations, including remote logistics and camp operations, as preferred fuels for propulsion purposes, namely, for transportation vehicles. moreover, liquid distillate fuels have an advantage of a higher energy density per unit volume and further advantages in being less volatile and safer to handle, as compared to gaseous fuels. consequently, it would be desirable to operate static gas-fired burners and commercial appliances utilizing static gas-fired burners on a readily available liquid fuel, such as diesel or jp-8, so as to avoid transporting a gaseous fuel to the location of the burner or appliance. one problem with the above concept involves the fact that gas-fired burners are designed for a specific gaseous fuel at a designated supply pressure to achieve a select energy output. variations in any of fuel composition, or fuel supply pressure, or a ratio of fuel to air supplied to the burner can produce variations in energy output. in turn, variations in energy output, for example those greater than about +/−10 percent, can produce undesirable effects, for instance, thermal inefficiency and flame instability, the latter evidenced by a flickering yellow flame. in addition, ignition of the fuel may be hampered. for this reason gas-fired burners used in commercial appliances are designed for use with a particular wobbe index gaseous fuel and cannot be operated on gaseous fuels having a significantly different wobbe index. the wobbe index or wobbe number is an indicator of the interchangeability of fuel gases and is calculated as shown in the equation below: i w =v c /( g s ) 1/2 where v c is the heating value or calorific value of the gaseous fuel and g s is the specific gravity of the gaseous fuel. industry typically calculates a higher wobbe index using a higher heating or higher calorific value of the fuel, wherein the higher heating or higher calorific value is defined as the gross heat output on fully combusting the fuel to carbon dioxide and water. a lower wobbe index is calculated using the lower heating or lower calorific value of the fuel, wherein the lower heating or lower calorific value is defined as the gross heat output minus the heat of vaporization of water. unless otherwise specified, wobbe index values provided herein refer to the higher wobbe index. moreover, any reference hereinafter to “low” or “high” wobbe index refers to relative numerical values of the higher wobbe index. the specific gravity of the gaseous fuel is defined as a ratio of the density of the gaseous fuel compared to the density of a reference substance, specifically, the density of air, taken as 1.2 g/cm 3 as measured at 20° c. and 101 kpa. the wobbe index is commonly expressed in british thermal units per normal cubic foot (btu/scf) or megajoules per normal cubic meter (mj/nm 3 ); and in this sense can be considered a measure of energy density. typically, the wobbe index is not applicable to liquid fuels. the wobbe index for natural gas generally ranges from 1,250 to 1,440 btu/scf (44.6-53.6 mj/nm 3 ); whereas the wobbe indices for propane and butane are typically about 1,882 btu/scf (70.1 mj/nm 3 ) and 2,251 btu/scf (83.8 mj/nm 3 ). gaseous fuels having a wobbe index outside these ranges cannot be easily substituted for the aforementioned specified fuel without burdensome design modifications to the burner. by manner of explanation, burners configured for commercial appliances are typically designed for a fuel of specific wobbe index, for example, the wobbe index of natural gas. in a “partially-aerated” burner the natural gas is pre-mixed with a gaseous oxidant, such as air, and fed at an acceptable velocity to an orifice of the burner, where the mixture is ignited and burned as in a premixed diffusion flame combustion. substituting a gaseous fuel having a lower wobbe index for natural gas results in a lower thermal input (or lower “firing rate”) into the appliance, proportional to a ratio of the two wobbe indices (i.e., ratio of the wobbe index of the gaseous fuel substitute to the wobbe index of natural gas). in order to compensate for the lower firing rate, the diameter of the orifice can be modified to allow more flow for a given pressure. this modification will increase the volumetric flow of fuel through the system and allow a higher firing rate with the lower wobbe index fuel. partially-aerated burners typically include shutters to allow adjustment of premix flow into the burner orifice, which provides for some interchangeability of fuels of similar wobbe index, such as from natural gas to propane. the resulting flame, with appropriate level of premix (typically, 25-50 percent of air required for stoichiometric reaction), then with the appropriate addition of secondary air via diffusion at the orifice of the burner (resulting in total air flow of 40-80 percent in excess of stoichiometric) will result in a stable and clean (i.e., low emission, low particulate) flame. disadvantageously, gaseous fuels with a very low wobbe index, for example, below 1,000 btu/scf (<37.3 mj/nm 3 ) cannot be accommodated with the typical levels of adjustability built into commercial burners. significantly higher velocities through the burner inlet entrain significantly higher quantities of air, which causes a lean condition. the resulting flame is highly unstable and difficult to ignite. as a further disadvantage, a gas-fired burner cannot be operated directly on a liquid fuel. transport and combustion of liquid fuels require entirely different design mechanisms from those used with gaseous fuels. to be specific, liquid fuels are susceptible to gravitational factors, require vaporization prior to mixing with air, and may be chemically incompatible with seals and other materials inside the appliance. u.s. pat. nos. 7,976,594 and 8,795,398 disclose an apparatus and method for reforming a liquid distillate fuel, such as kerosene, diesel, and jp-8. the apparatus comprises an ultra-short-channel-length metal substrate provided in a coiled configuration having a radial flow path from an inner diameter to an outer diameter. supplies of liquid fuel and oxidant, typically air, are taught to be contacted with the coiled substrate; and catalytic partial oxidation (cpox) occurs therein to produce a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide. u.s. pat. nos. 7,913,484 and 8,387,380 disclose a catalytic burner comprising an ultra-short-channel-length metal mesh substrate. the burner is taught to be employed for full combustion of a liquid distillate fuel to produce thermal energy, which is captured as heat in the head of a stirling engine. patent application publication us 2011/0165300a1 discloses a cooking appliance constructed with a catalytic burner comprised of an ultra-short-channel-length metal substrate, which is conductively contacted by means of a heat spreader to a heat conductive surface. the burner is operated under full combustion conditions to produce thermal energy, which is captured on the conductive surface for cooking applications. the art would benefit from discovery of an apparatus and a method of operating a gas-fired burner, for example, a natural gas-fired burner, on a liquid fuel, such as those liquid distillate fuels used for propulsion purposes. with such a discovery, the burden and cost of transporting two fuels, i.e., a liquid propulsion fuel and a non-propulsion gaseous fuel, to remote locations would be avoided. only one liquid fuel would be provided for both propulsion and non-propulsion applications; and the gaseous fuels commonly used in static gas-fired burners would be employed as a matter of choice, rather than necessity. the benefits would be particularly advantageous in logistics and camp operations. summary of the invention we have now discovered unexpectedly that a low wobbe index gaseous fuel, prepared by reforming a liquid fuel into a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen, can be employed to fire a gas-fired burner configured for a high wobbe index fuel, even as oxidant flow is reduced and fuel supply pressure is maintained at an acceptable level for the burner design. the discovery resides in coupling a liquid fuel reformer to the gas-fired burner through a connecting member of specific design. in one embodiment, this invention provides a burner system comprising: (a) a reformer configured under operative conditions to exhaust a gaseous reformate having a wobbe index greater than about 145 btu/scf (5.4 mj/nm 3 ) and less than about 700 btu/scf (20.0 mj/nm 3 ), comprising: (i) a housing defining a reforming chamber;(ii) a first inlet configured to input a liquid fuel into the reforming chamber;(iii) a second inlet configured to input an oxidant into the reforming chamber;(iv) a reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic metals supported thereon, the metal substrate being disposed within the reforming chamber and fluidly coupled to the first and second inlets for inputting the fuel and oxidant, respectively;(iv) an outlet for exhausting a reformate from the reforming chamber, the outlet being fluidly coupled to the metal substrate;(b) a connecting member comprising an inlet end and an outlet end, wherein the inlet end of the connecting member is fluidly coupled to the outlet of the reformer, and wherein the outlet end of the connecting member is fluidly coupled to an inlet of a gas-fired burner; and(c) the gas-fired burner configured to operate with a gaseous fuel having a wobbe index in a range from about 1,250 btu/scf (46.6 mj/nm 3 ) to about 2,300 btu/scf (85.7 mj/nm 3 ), the burner comprising; (i) the inlet fluidly coupled to the outlet end of the connecting member; and(ii) one or more orifices downstream of the burner inlet, the orifices configured to support flame combustion. in another embodiment of the burner system of this invention, the connecting member is configured to transmit the gaseous reformate directly to the gas-fired burner with exclusion of co-fueling additional fuel and oxidant to the burner. in this embodiment, the connecting member excludes any inlet except for the aforesaid inlet coupled to the outlet of the reformer. moreover, any oxidant inlet that provides oxidant premix with the reformed fuel (reformate), in advance of the burner orifice, is closed off. operationally, this design involves feeding the gaseous reformate directly into one or more orifices of the burner in absence of premixed oxidant; and thereafter, allowing combustion to occur under non-premixed diffusion flame conditions. normally the burner would not function without a premixed inlet stream, or would function poorly with high emissions or unstable flames (the flames would lift off the burner tubes typically) due to a low flame speed of typical appliance fuel/gas mixtures. surprisingly, we have discovered that the low wobbe reformate exhibited a stable, well attached, easily ignited, and low-emission flame under non-premixed diffusion flame conditions. in another embodiment, the connecting member is outfitted with the inlet end for receiving the gaseous reformate, a first auxiliary inlet for feeding into the connecting member a supply of liquid co-fuel, a second auxiliary inlet for feeding into the connecting member a supply of oxidant, and the outlet end for transporting a mixture of gaseous reformate, vaporized liquid co-fuel, and oxidant to the burner. in this design, the connecting member further comprises a mesh extending transversely across the first auxiliary inlet, which functions to disperse the liquid co-fuel and facilitate its vaporization. operationally, the mixture of gaseous reformate, vaporized liquid co-fuel, and additional oxidant are fed to the burner, ignited, and combusted in a pre-mixed diffusion flame combustion at one or more orifices of the burner. in another embodiment of this invention, the one or more orifices of the burner are not enclosed within a burner housing, but rather the orifices open to ambient environs so as to provide an unenclosed flame. in this embodiment, ambient air is provided as a supply of oxidant setting up a diffusion flame combustion zone at the one or more orifices. in another embodiment, the one or more orifices of the burner are enclosed within a burner housing. in this embodiment, the burner housing further comprises an inlet configured to input a supply of oxidant to a flame combustion zone at the one or more orifices; and the burner housing further comprises an outlet configured to exhaust combustion products from within the housing. it should be appreciated that commercial gas-fired burners may employ plastic parts at or around the gaseous fuel and oxidant inlets. these plastic parts may not be sufficiently heat resistant to withstand contact with hot reformate exiting the liquid fuel reformer. accordingly, in the novel burner system of this invention any plastic part(s) present in the burner as purchased can be removed and replaced with one or more heat resistant metal parts. as an alternative to replacing burner parts, the burner system of this invention further comprises a heat exchanger configured to cool the gaseous reformate exiting the reformer prior to entry into the burner. accordingly, in this alternative embodiment, the connecting member is integrated into a heat exchanger configured in such a manner that heat in the reformate is transferred to a heat exchange fluid, thereby cooling the reformate before it enters the burner. in another aspect, the reticulated metal substrate in any of the aforementioned embodiments is provided in a coiled configuration having an inner diameter and an outer diameter and a radial flow path from the inner diameter to the outer diameter. in yet another aspect, the reticulated metal substrate in any of the aforementioned embodiments is provided in a planar perforated sheet or a stack of planar perforated sheets. in still another aspect, this invention provides for a first method of operating a gas-fired burner on a liquid fuel, the process comprising: (a) feeding a supply of liquid fuel and a supply of oxidant into a reformer in a fuel-rich fuel/oxidant ratio, the reformer comprising a reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon;(b) contacting the supply of oxidant and the liquid fuel with the reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon, under reaction conditions sufficient to produce a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen, the gaseous reformate having a wobbe index greater than about 145 btu/scf (5.4 mj/nm 3 ) and less than about 700 btu/scf (26.0 mj/nm 3 );(c) feeding the gaseous reformate into an inlet of the gas-fired burner in absence of premixed oxidant, the burner configured to receive a gaseous fuel having a wobbe index ranging from about 1,250 btu/scf (46.6 mj/nm 3 ) to about 2,300 btu/scf (85.7 mj/nm 3 );(d) at one or more orifices of the burner, igniting the gaseous reformate under non-premixed diffusion flame combustion conditions so as to produce a combustion product stream. in another aspect, this invention provides for a second method of operating a gas-fired burner on a liquid fuel, the process comprising: (a) feeding a liquid fuel and a first supply of oxidant into a reformer in a fuel-rich fuel/oxidant ratio, the reformer comprising a reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon;(b) contacting the liquid fuel and the first supply of oxidant with the reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon, under reaction conditions sufficient to produce a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen, the gaseous reformate having a wobbe index greater than about 145 btu/scf (5.4 mj/nm 3 ) and less than about 700 btu/scf (26.0 mj/nm 3 );(c) feeding the gaseous reformate, a liquid co-fuel, and a second supply of oxidant into a connecting member wherein the liquid co-fuel is vaporized;(d) transmitting a resulting mixture comprising the gaseous reformate, the vaporized liquid co-fuel, and the second supply of oxidant into a gas-fired burner, the burner configured to receive a gaseous fuel having a wobbe index in a range from about 1,250 btu/scf (46.6 mj/nm 3 ) to about 2,300 btu/scf (85.7 mj/nm 3 ); and(e) at one or more orifices of the gas-fired burner, igniting the mixture comprising the gaseous reformate, the vaporized liquid co-fuel, and the second supply of oxidant under diffusion flame conditions sufficient to produce a combustion product stream. it is known that hydrogen has a high flame speed of up to 2.8 meters per second (2.8 m/s) versus 0.3 m/s for natural gas; yet for many reasons hydrogen is not typically used in appliances. bottled hydrogen is more expensive and less safe to handle, as compared with bottled natural gas or propane. the present inventors appreciated, however, that a high flame speed gas, like that of hydrogen, allows flames to be well anchored (stable) in a diffusion flame mode. (the term “diffusion flame” means that a balance of air or oxidant required for complete combustion of the fuel stream is obtained via diffusion from ambient environs at the orifice(s) of the burner.) the reformer in this invention converts the liquid fuel into a high flame speed mixture by partial oxidation of the liquid fuel into a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which in this invention is fed into the gas-fired burner providing for advantageous flame stabilization and in some embodiments increased fuel energy density. thus, in this invention a gaseous reformate having a low wobbe index, optionally augmented with a supply of liquid co-fuel, is unexpectedly and advantageously substituted in conventional gas-fired burners designed to operate on a gaseous fuel having a high wobbe index. advantageously, commercial appliances employing the conventional gas-fired burner can be operated on a liquid fuel without burdensome design modifications to the burner. drawings fig. 1 illustrates a conventional gas-fired burner. fig. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus of this invention comprising a gas-fired burner coupled to a reformer for operation on a liquid fuel. fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of an apparatus of this invention comprising a gas-fired burner coupled to a reformer for operation on a liquid fuel. fig. 4 illustrates a graph plotting composition of a gasified jp-8 fuel as a function of time in a reforming process adaptable to the apparatus and method of this invention. fig. 5 illustrates a graph plotting temperature as a function of time in an apparatus and method of this invention, wherein a natural-gas fired griddle is operated on liquid jp-8 fuel. detailed description of the invention fig. 1 illustrates a prior art natural gas-fired burner system 100 typically found in a small appliance, such as a stove, oven, range, grill, griddle, stock pot burner, clothes dryer, hot water heater, or boiler. as seen, burner system 100 is adapted with a housing 1 , a combustion chamber 2 , a burner 3 , an inlet 4 for feeding a supply of natural gas to burner 3 , and one or more inlets 5 for feeding a supply of air to burner 3 for premixing with the fuel. within the burner the premixed flow of fuel and air is provided generally in a fuel to air ratio greater than a stoichiometric ratio (>1/1), wherein the term “stoichiometric” refers to the ratio (1/1) at which air is provided in an exact amount so as to combust all of the fuel to a mixture of carbon dioxide and water. at a fuel/air ratio greater than stoichiometric (>1/1), typically employing only about 25 to 50 percent of air needed for full combustion, the premixed flow of fuel and air is considered “fuel-rich” and the burner is considered to be “partially-aerated”. the fuel-air premixture is ignited in burner 3 at orifice 6 by means of igniter 9 . as the combustion requires additional air for completion, it is provided via one or more air inlets 7 provided in housing 1 , feeding air into combustion chamber 2 . a combustion product stream exhausts chamber 2 via exhaust outlet 8 . typically, natural gas has a wobbe index of between 1,250 to 1,440 btu/scf (44.6 to 53.6 mj/nm 3 ). in contrast, we recognized that a stoichiometric mixture of natural gas and air has a wobbe index of only about 135 btu/scf (5.0 mj/nm 3 ), the air reducing the inherent energy density of the fuel by a full order of magnitude. nevertheless, it was discovered that despite the lower wobbe index of the stoichiometric mixture of natural gas and air, the mixture produces upon combustion a stable blue flame. we further recognized that the wobbe index of a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide diluted with nitrogen, but absent oxygen, is about 200 btu/scf (7.5 mj/nm 3 ), which lies far below the wobbe index of natural gas alone but closer to the wobbe index of a stoichiometric mixture of premixed natural gas and air. it should be appreciated that the lower wobbe index of the reformate results from its different chemical composition as compared with natural gas and a dilution factor from the presence of nitrogen. we further observed that when a reformate comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen is premixed with additional air for combustion, a stable flame cannot be supported in a burner designed for natural gas. we postulated that the wobbe index of the premixed mixture of reformate and air fell too far below the operational wobbe range of the burner, although such a theory is not to be limiting of this invention. thus, it was expected that a low wobbe gaseous reformate could not be substituted for a high wobbe natural gas in a small gas-fired burner. subsequently, we unexpectedly discovered the apparatus and method described herein, wherein a low wobbe index gaseous reformate is substituted successfully for a high wobbe index gaseous fuel in an existing gas-fired burner, in one instance when the reformate is not premixed with oxidant. in another instance, the reformate is augmented with liquid fuel and premixed with oxidant to achieve stable operation of the gas-fired burner. we inventors further discovered that the wobbe index alone does not provide sufficient insight regarding other important combustion properties, such as flame speed, flame stability, and diffusivity, upon which the operability of combustion systems strongly depends. we postulate that hydrogen in a gaseous reformate provides a high flame speed and a high diffusivity that compensates for the low wobbe index of the reformate, yielding a stable blue flame in the apparatus of the invention. the invention makes it possible to reform a liquid fuel under partial oxidation conditions with air or essentially pure oxygen into a gaseous reformate of specific wobbe index and comprising hydrogen, and to substitute the gaseous reformate for natural gas or other gaseous fuels for stable operation in a small gas-fired burner. accordingly, fig. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus of the invention comprising a gas-fired burner system 200 , which can be integrated into a small commercial appliance and operated on a liquid fuel. as seen, burner system 200 is adapted with a reformer 18 , a gas-fired burner 30 , a burner housing 10 , and a combustion chamber 20 . the reformer 18 is comprised of an inlet 13 for feeding a supply of liquid fuel into reformer 18 , an inlet 15 for feeding a supply of an oxidant into reformer 18 , a reticulated metal substrate 19 positioned within the reformer and having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon, and an outlet 25 for exhausting a gaseous reformate stream therefrom. burner system 200 further comprises burner 30 secured to the burner housing 10 , the burner 30 comprising an inlet 40 for receiving the gaseous reformate and an orifice 60 opening into combustion chamber 20 . under operating conditions, a flame is present at orifice 60 . burner 30 is coupled via connecting member 35 to reformer 18 , such that outlet 25 of the reformer 18 is fluidly connected at an inlet end to connecting member 35 , which member is also fluidly connected at its outlet end to inlet 40 of burner 30 . combustion chamber 20 further comprises an inlet 70 for feeding a supply of oxidant into the combustion chamber 20 and an outlet 80 for exhausting a combustion product stream. in fig. 2 it is noted that other than inlet 40 , burner 30 does not contain any other inlet for inputting a supply of oxidant or fuel. likewise, connecting member 35 , which fluidly connects reformer 18 to burner 30 , also excludes an inlet for inputting additional oxidant and/or fuel. the flows of liquid fuel and air are provided to the reformer in a fuel-rich fuel to oxidant ratio, such that there is a deficit of oxidant and therefore only partial combustion of the fuel. a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide exits reformer 18 and is fully combusted in the combustion chamber 20 to carbon dioxide and water. full combustion requires a make-up oxidant to complete the combustion, which is provided via inlet 70 . the reformate-air mixture is ignited via ignition device 90 and combusted at orifice 60 of burner 30 in a non-premixed diffusion flame. as illustrated in fig. 2 , the ignition device 90 is secured to burner 30 in close proximity to orifice 60 . a combustion product stream exhausts the combustion chamber 20 via outlet 80 . another embodiment of an apparatus of this invention is envisioned in fig. 3 , as illustrated in burner system 300 . as seen, burner system 300 combines a gas-fired burner 30 with a reformer 18 . reformer 18 is comprised of an inlet 13 for feeding a supply of liquid fuel and an inlet 15 for feeding a supply of an oxidant into reformer 18 , a reticulated metal substrate 19 disposed within the reformer and having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon, and an outlet 25 for exhausting a gaseous reformate therefrom. burner system 300 further comprises a gas-fired burner 30 comprising an inlet 40 for receiving the gaseous reformate and an orifice 60 at which flame combustion occurs. burner 30 is coupled via connecting member 35 to reformer 18 , such that outlet 25 of reformer 18 is fluidly connected to connecting member 35 through its inlet end, and inlet 40 of burner 30 is fluidly connected to connecting member 35 through its outlet end. connecting member 35 further comprises a first auxiliary inlet 45 for feeding a liquid co-fuel, a second auxiliary inlet 49 for feeding additional oxidant, and a supplementary igniter 94 within connecting member 35 disposed in close proximity to the first and second auxiliary inlets 45 and 49 . the first auxiliary inlet 45 is further configured with a heat-conductive mesh 47 disposed transversely across the flow path of inlet 45 at the intersection with connecting member 35 . the mesh 47 functions to disperse the liquid co-fuel over a larger surface area and thereby facilitate its vaporization. further with respect to fig. 3 , under operative conditions flows of liquid fuel and air are provided to reformer 18 in a fuel-rich fuel to oxidant ratio, as noted hereinbefore. a gaseous reformate comprising hydrogen and typically carbon monoxide exits reformer 18 passing into connecting member 35 , where the reformate is mixed with vaporized liquid co-fuel and additional oxidant fed through auxiliary inlets 45 and 49 , respectively. in one operative embodiment, the resulting mixture of the reformate, vaporized liquid co-fuel, and additional oxidant are ignited in flame combustion via igniter 90 at orifice 60 of burner 30 . full combustion requires a make-up oxidant to complete the combustion, which is provided via inlet 49 as well as by diffusion of ambient air around orifice 60 . in another operative embodiment, the mixture of reformate, vaporized liquid co-fuel and oxidant are ignited via auto-ignition or via supplementary igniter 94 in a flame combustion within connecting member 35 . in this embodiment, the connecting member 35 may further comprise a restriction to hold the flame. the combustion is finished off at orifice 60 of the burner, with the make-up oxidant derived from ambient environs. in both operative embodiments, a combustion product stream exhausts directly to ambient environs. although not shown in fig. 3 , the burner 30 may be enclosed within a housing like the type illustrated in fig. 2 (# 10 ). the fuel supplied to the reformer comprises any liquid fuel derived from petroleum fossil fuels, biomass, or synthetic fuel sources. preferred is a liquid distillate fuel. normally, the distillate fuel is found in a liquid state within a temperature range from about −45° c. to about +140° c. at 1 atmosphere pressure. the boiling point or distillation point is fuel specific, but typically ranges from about 160° c. to about 350° c. the fuel can consist of a single hydrocarbon component; but more typically, the fuel comprises a complex mixture of paraffinic, cycloaliphatic, and aromatic hydrocarbons as known in the art. suitable liquid fuels supplied to the reformer include, without limitation, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jp-8, jp-10, and jet-a, as well as biodiesel, such as ethanol and butanol, and liquid hydrocarbon fuels obtained from synthetic sources including fisher-tropsch processes. preferred liquid distillate fuels include diesel, kerosene, jp-8, jp-10, jet a, and mixtures thereof. the oxidant supplied to the reformer comprises any chemical capable of partially oxidizing the liquid fuel selectively to hydrogen and other partially oxidized products, for example, carbon monoxide. (a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide is recognized as “syngas”.) suitable oxidants include, without limitation, molecular oxygen, mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen including air, and mixtures of oxygen and one or more inert gases, such helium and argon. in most applications, air is the preferred oxidant. the liquid fuel and oxidant are provided to the reformer in a “fuel-rich” ratio such that there is insufficient amount of oxidant to convert all of the fuel to complete oxidation products, namely, carbon dioxide and water. viewed another way, the quantities of liquid fuel and oxidant are best described in terms of an o:c ratio, wherein “o” refers to atoms of oxygen in the oxidant and “c” refers to atoms of carbon in the liquid fuel. generally, the o:c ratio of the oxidant-fuel mixture fed to the reformer is greater than about 0.5:1 and less than about 1.1:1, the precise range being dependent upon the liquid fuel employed. the reforming aspect of this invention desirably involves “dry reforming,” wherein the liquid fuel and oxidant are contacted in the absence of external co-fed water and/or steam. in this instance, the term “external co-fed water and/or steam” refers to importing and co-feeding a supply of water or steam into the reformer from an external source, e.g., water tank, steam generator, steam vaporizer, or some combination thereof. while the invention does not prohibit co-feeding water and/or steam to the reforming process, and while reformate yields are often enhanced by the addition of co-fed water or steam, in the present application co-feeding water and/or steam might present certain disadvantages. for one, providing a supply tank of water or a water vaporizer or steam generator would be burdensome or impractical in logistics and camp operations. the reformer used in this invention comprises any reformer of the types described in the following patent publications: u.s. pat. no. 7,976,594; u.s. pat. no. 8,557,189; wo 2004/060546; and us 2011/0061299, incorporated herein by reference. such a reformer comprises an inlet for feeding a supply of liquid fuel, an inlet for feeding a supply of oxidant, a mixer where the liquid fuel and oxidant are mixed, a catalytic reaction zone comprising a reticulated metal substrate having one or more catalytic elements supported thereon, and an outlet for exhausting the gasified reformate. details of the reformer are presented hereinafter; additional details are found in the aforementioned references. according to the process of the invention, the liquid fuel is fed into the reformer, preferably the mixer unit via any known method, for example, via a nozzle, atomizer, vaporizer, injector, mass flow meter, or any other suitable flow control device. an injector can also be used to quantify or meter the liquid fuel to the reformer. likewise, the oxidant is fed into the mixer via any known method, for example, via a nozzle, injector, or orifice, and controlled by a mass flow meter or other means. the mixer can further comprise swirler vanes and baffles to facilitate atomization and mixing of the liquid fuel and oxidant. one preferred mixer system comprises a pulsed electromagnetic liquid fuel injector and a pulsed oxidant injector, which feed fuel and oxidant, respectively, into an atomizer that thoroughly atomizes the liquid fuel and mixes it with the oxidant. this combined dual injector-atomizer device is described in u.s. pat. no. 8,439,990, incorporated herein by reference. the liquid fuel is typically fed to the mixer at ambient temperature without preheating. the oxidant is generally fed into the mixer at the same temperature as the liquid fuel, but can be fed at a temperature hotter or colder as desired. in one embodiment, the oxidant is fed to the mixer at ambient temperature, i.e., the same temperature as the liquid fuel. in another embodiment, the oxidant is preheated prior to being fed into the reformer. heat generated in the catalytic reaction zone (i.e., at the substrate) is sufficient to support fuel vaporization at a level required for stable partial oxidation throughout the substrate. as a consequence, the reformer and reforming process of the present invention provide gasification of liquid fuel without a requirement for supplying external heat or steam to the reformer. the catalytic reaction zone of the reformer comprises a reticulated metal substrate disposed therein onto which a catalyst is supported, such substrate configured to provide thorough mixing of the fuel and oxidant passing there through. as used herein, the term “reticulated” refers to a screen, mesh, or net-like structure, which is a substantially two-dimensional structure such that one dimension is significantly shorter than the other two dimensions. generally, the substrate comprises a reticulated metal mesh, such as a net or screen, comprising a plurality of pores or channels. the substrate material of construction comprises any metal capable of withstanding the temperature at which the reformer operates. suitable materials include stainless steel and nickel-chromium alloys of acceptable temperature durability. in one embodiment the substrate is suitably provided in a coiled configuration of cylindrical shape having an inner diameter and a larger outer diameter, such that reactants flowing there through move along a radial flow path from an inlet at the inner diameter to an outlet at the outer diameter. the reticulated metal substrate provided in coiled configuration provides for a plurality of void volumes in random order, that is, empty spaces with essentially no regularity along the flow path from inlet to outlet. in a preferred embodiment, the substrate comprises a microlith® brand ultra-short-channel-length metal mesh substrate, available from precision combustion, inc., north haven, conn., usa. a description of the ultra-short-channel-length metal mesh substrate is found, for example, in u.s. pat. no. 5,051,241, incorporated herein by reference. generally, the mesh comprises ultra-short-channel-length, low thermal mass metal monoliths, which contrast with prior art monoliths having longer channel lengths. for purposes of this invention, the term “ultra-short-channel-length” refers to a channel length in a range from about 25 microns (μm) (0.001 inch) to about 500 μm (0.02 inch). in contrast, the term “long channels” pertaining to prior art monoliths refers to channel lengths greater than about 5 mm (0.20 inch) upwards of 127 mm (5 inches). the term “channel length” is taken as the distance along a pore or channel measured from an inlet on one side to an outlet on the other side. in the case of the metal mesh substrate of this invention, the channel length refers to the ultra-short distance from an inlet on one side of the mesh to an outlet on the other side of the mesh, which is distinguished from and not to be confused with the overall length of the radial flow path from the inlet at the inner diameter to the outlet at the outer diameter of the coiled mesh. in another embodiment, the channel length is not longer than the diameter of the metal elements from which the substrate is constructed; thus in this embodiment, the channel length ranges from 25 μm (0.001 inch) up to about 100 μm (0.004 inch), and preferably not more than about 350 μm (0.012 inch). in view of the ultra-short channel length, the contact time of fuel and oxidant reactants with the metal mesh advantageously ranges from about 5 milliseconds (5 msec) to about 350 msec. the microlith® brand ultra-short-channel-length metal substrate typically comprises from about 100 to about 1,000 or more flow channels per square centimeter. microlith® brand catalyst substrates can be in the form of woven wire screens, pressed metal screens; or they can be manufactured by perforation and expansion of a thin metal sheet as disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 6,156,444, incorporated herein by reference. the microlith® brand ultra-short-channel-length metal mesh substrate facilitates packing more active surface area into a smaller volume and provides increased reactive area and lower pressure drop, as compared with prior art monolithic substrates. whereas in prior art honeycomb monoliths having conventional long channels where a fully developed boundary layer is present over a considerable length of the channels; in contrast, the ultra-short-channel-length characteristic of the metal substrate of this invention avoids boundary layer buildup. since heat and mass transfer coefficients depend on boundary layer thickness, avoiding boundary layer buildup enhances transport properties. the advantages of employing the ultra-short-channel-length metal substrate, such as the microlith® brand thereof, to control and limit the development of a boundary layer of a fluid passing there through is described in u.s. pat. no. 7,504,047, which is a continuation-in-part of u.s. pat. no. 6,746,657 to castaldi, both patents incorporated herein by reference. among other advantages, the preferred microlith® brand substrate provides for light-weight portable size, a low pressure drop, a high throughput, a high yield of hydrogen-containing reformate, a low yield of coke and coke precursors, and an acceptably long catalyst lifetime, as compared with prior art substrates. the reticulated metal substrate supports a reforming catalyst capable of facilitating partial oxidation reactions, wherein a liquid hydrocarbon fuel is reformed to a partially-oxidized reformate product, namely synthesis gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide. where air is employed as an oxidant, nitrogen will be carried into the reformate. a suitable reforming catalyst comprises one or more of the metals of group viii of the periodic table of the elements. the group viii elements include iron, cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, and mixtures thereof. the deposition of the group viii metal(s) onto the substrate can be implemented by methods well known in the art. alternatively, finished catalysts comprising group viii metal(s) deposited and bound to the microlith® brand ultra-short-channel-length metal mesh substrate can be purchased from precision combustion, inc., north haven, conn. the reforming process operates at a temperature greater than about 700° c. and less than about 1,100° c. for the purposes of this invention, the operating pressure ranges from about 1 psig or less, for example, from about 0.5 psig (3.5 kpa) to about 1 psig (6.9 kpa). the combined flow of liquid fuel and oxidant into the reformer is provided to produce an acceptable conversion of fuel to synthesis gas. the gaseous reformate exiting the reformer comprises hydrogen and typically also carbon monoxide, and will comprise nitrogen when air is employed as the oxidant. since the reformer is run fuel-rich, oxidant, preferably oxygen, is typically not detectable in the gaseous reformate. if a small quantity of oxygen should be present in the reformate, that quantity of oxygen is well less than the lower limit of oxidant used in premix conditions, that being less than 20 percent, preferably, less than 10 percent and lower, of the stoichiometric ratio required for complete combustion. the reformate is typically characterized by a wobbe index greater than about 145 btu/scf (5.4 mj/nm 3 ), preferably, equal to or greater than about 190 btu/scf (7.1 mj/nm 3 ). likewise, the reformate is characterized by a wobbe index typically less than about 700 btu/scf (26.0 mj/nm 3 ), preferably, less than about 325 btu/scf (12.1 mj/nm 3 ), more preferably, equal to or less than about 250 btu/scf (9.3 mj/nm 3 ). in the apparatus of this invention, there is no necessity to provide a bank of storage vessels to store the reformate until called for by the burner. instead, the gaseous reformate is produced on demand and fed directly into the burner in accordance with the apparatus design of this invention. the connecting member, which structurally comprises any conventional conduit, pipe, or flow path capable of transporting a fluid, functions to transfer the gaseous reformate exiting the reformer into the gas-fired burner. in this regard, the connecting member should be constructed from a material sufficient to withstand the temperature of the gaseous reformate, such materials to include without limitation steel, stainless steel, aluminum, iron-chromium-nickel alloys, brass, and any heat-resistant ceramic, such as alumina and silicon nitride. where the inlet to the burner and other burner parts are not sufficiently heat resistant to withstand the high temperature of the reformate, it is desirable to replace the heat-sensitive part(s) with a more heat resistant material. alternatively, the temperature of the reformate can be reduced prior to entry to the burner. in this instance, the connecting member can be integrated into a conventional heat exchanger as known to the skilled person, such that heat of reaction inherent to the reformate passing through the connecting member is transmitted into a heat exchange fluid, thereby cooling the reformate before it contacts heat sensitive burner parts. in another embodiment, with reference to fig. 3 , additional liquid fuel and oxidant are co-fed into the reformate prior to its entry into the burner. adding extra fuel to the reformate (referred to as “co-fueling” or “fuel augmentation”) increases the energy density of the fuel and thereby boosts the energy output of the burner. for this purpose, the connecting member is additionally fitted with a first auxiliary inlet 45 to input a liquid co-fuel and a second auxiliary inlet 49 to input additional oxidant. in this embodiment the oxidant inlet(s) on the burner can be either open or closed; but preferably, they are closed, meaning plugged off. the closed design offers better control over the total flow of auxiliary oxidant fed to the burner; additionally reformate is blocked from leaking out of the burner system. preferably, the liquid co-fuel is selected from the liquid fuels specified hereinbefore. more preferably, the liquid co-fuel is the same liquid fuel as that fed to the reformer. when employing the first auxiliary inlet to feed liquid co-fuel, it is necessary to vaporize the liquid co-fuel as it enters the gaseous reformate stream. towards this end, the first auxiliary inlet is fitted at the inlet to the connecting member 35 with a heat-conductive mesh 47 that allows for distribution of the liquid co-fuel over the surface of the mesh, thereby increasing surface area of the liquid co-fuel and facilitating its vaporization. preferably, the heat-conductive mesh comprises a metal or metal alloy sufficiently durable to withstand the temperature of the reformate. the term “heat-conductive” means that the mesh is capable of transferring heat from a point of entry to other points throughout the mesh. metals typically are heat-conductive; therefore, the mesh is preferably selected from stainless steel, a nickel-steel alloy, a nickel-chromium alloy (for example, inconel® nickel-chromium), or any other heat resistant alloy. the mesh itself comprises a net-like structure comprised of a web of metallic wires, threads, or fibers in-between which is a plurality of openings, i.e., void spaces. the mesh can be fabricated as a monolithic metal net, a non-woven mat, or fabricated from a plurality of metal elements woven or brazed together. the diameter of the threads, fibers, or wires advantageously ranges from about 0.0005 inch (12.7 μm) to about 0.02 inch (508 μm). the openings or void spaces between the threads, fibers, or wires can take any shape including, for example, square, rectangular, circular, elliptical, diamond, or hexagonal, and any suitable size, preferably, ranging from about 0.0007 inch to about 0.020 inch (17.8 μm to about 508 μm) in length, diameter, or longest dimension. the mesh can be provided as a substantially flat surface (screen), or alternatively, in any other appropriate shape, for example, a circular band, a dome, a bowl, a donut, or a stack of donuts. the mesh functions to break-up the liquid co-fuel into smaller droplets and disperse the droplets via wicking over the mesh surface to facilitate vaporization and ignition. heat-conductive meshes are commercially available from mcmaster-carr, robinsville, n.j. even as the mesh facilitates vaporization, heat is required to vaporize the liquid co-fuel. during start-up of the burner system heat can be provided via the supplemental igniter 94 , such as a glow plug or spark plug, disposed within the connecting member in proximity to the first and second auxiliary inlets. if start-up from cold conditions produces smoke, soot, or coking from unconverted hydrocarbons exiting the reformer or from the liquid co-fuel itself, the ignition device 94 within the connecting member 35 can be used to ignite a flame within the connecting member, which functions to clean-up the fuel stream to the burner and reduce smoke and transient emissions. additionally, the flame can be used to speed the system start-up. it is not desirable, however, to power the ignition device 94 within connecting member 35 continuously during steady state operation; therefore, the ignition device disposed within the connecting member is typically de-energized once the flame is ignited. during steady state operation, heat for vaporization of the liquid co-fuel should be acquired from a source other than the ignition device 94 . where the heat is derived depends upon where in the connecting member the first and second auxiliary inlets are positioned. if the first auxiliary inlet ( fig. 3 , # 45 ) is disposed nearer to the outlet 25 of the reformer 18 , heat for vaporization of the liquid co-fuel is obtained from the heated reformate stream exiting the reformer. if the first auxiliary inlet ( fig. 3 , # 45 ) is disposed nearer to the inlet 40 of the burner 30 or if the outlet end of connecting member 35 is itself positioned within burner 30 , then heat for vaporization is obtained not only from the reformate but also from heat of combustion within the burner. a flame within connecting member 35 also provides heat for vaporization of the liquid co-fuel. it should be appreciated that the quantity of liquid co-fuel relative to quantity of gaseous reformate fed to the burner affects the performance of the burner. generally, when running in fuel augmentation mode, the quantity of liquid co-fuel is greater than 2 percent, preferably, greater than about 5 percent, more preferably, greater than about 20 percent, and even more desirably greater than about 30 percent, by weight, based on the total weight of the fuel fed to the burner, the total fuel to include gaseous reformate and liquid co-fuel. generally, the quantity of liquid co-fuel is less than about 75 percent, preferably, less than about 70 percent, by weight, based on the total weight of the fuel fed to the burner. the quantity of auxiliary oxidant added to the connecting member at the co-fueling stage is sufficient to maintain an acceptable, and preferably, high quality flame at the burner head, optimally, a stable blue flame. all unconverted hydrocarbons and partially converted combustion products are fully combusted at the orifice(s) of the burner in a diffusion flame combustion, which draws the required balance of oxidant air from ambient environs. the burner itself comprises any gas-fired burner designed for static, heat-producing purposes, such as the burners employed in well-known commercial appliances, non-limiting examples of which include gas-fired burners adapted to a stove, oven, range, grill, griddle, stock pot burner, clothes dryer, hot water heater, or boiler. other suitable gas-fired burners include those used in incinerators. such gas-fired burners operate on fuels existing in a gaseous state of matter at standard atmospheric temperature and pressure, such fuel exemplified by methane, natural gas, ethane, propane, or butane. gas-fired burners of this type are designed and configured for a specific fuel having a specified range of wobbe index. as mentioned before, natural gas has a wobbe index ranging from about 1,250 to 1,440 btu/scf (44.6-53.6 mj/nm 3 ); whereas the wobbe indices for propane and butane are typically about 1,882 btu/scf (70.1 mj/nm 3 ) and about 2,251 btu/scf (83.8 mj/nm 3 , plus or minus about 100 btu/scf (+/−3.7 btu/scf) depending upon geographic origin of the gaseous resource. accordingly, the gas-fired burners suitable for this invention more generically encompass burners designed for a broad range of wobbe index from about 1,250 to about 2,300 btu/scf (46.6-85.7 mj/nm 3 ). such burners are commercially available from viking range, l.l.c., greenwood, miss. among other suppliers. the gas-fired burner typically comprises an inlet configured to input the gaseous fuel, one or more inlets to input a portion of the oxidant, typically through a venturi design, and one or more orifices at which the gaseous fuel is ignited and combusted in a premixed diffusion flame. in a first embodiment, the burner is not enclosed by a housing, such that the balance of oxidant required for complete combustion of the fuel is supplied via diffusion of ambient air in the environs of the one or more orifices. in this first embodiment, combustion products exhaust into the environment. in another embodiment, the burner is enclosed within a burner housing. in this embodiment, the balance of oxidant required for complete combustion is supplied via diffusion from the surrounding environment through an inlet in the housing; and a combustion product stream exhausts via an outlet in the housing, as shown in fig. 2 . the mixture of gaseous reformate and oxidant is ignited with a conventional pilot device positioned near each burner orifice, as is known for commercial gas-fired burners. as noted hereinabove and in fig. 1 ( 5 ), commercial partially-aerated burners are manufactured with one or more inlets for feeding oxidant into the burner, so as to premix the gaseous fuel and oxidant prior to ignition. the premix oxidant (“primary oxidant”) is often drawn through a venturi by means of entrainment by high velocity fuel flow through the inlet of the burner, which generates a low pressure region located adjacent to the primary oxidant inlet. the oxidant inlet generally comprises an adjustable valve comprising shutters or louvers, so as to control the quantity of oxidant entering the burner. even when the valve is completely turned down, a small portion of air can still enter the burner due to manufacturing tolerances. as mentioned hereinbefore, it is desirable for each valve at the burner oxidant inlet to be removed and replaced with a solid tight-fitting plug that blocks essentially all air from entering the burner through the valve. compare, for example, prior art shown in fig. 1 having oxidant inlet 5 in burner 3 versus the invention as illustrated in fig. 2 having no oxidant inlet drawing oxidant into connecting member 35 or burner 30 . the materials of construction of the reformer, burner, connecting member, inlets and outlets, and any other individual components of the apparatus of this invention are suitably comprised of any material of construction that can withstand the temperature and chemicals to which the part is to be exposed. suitable, non-limiting materials of construction include steel, stainless steel, aluminum, iron-chromium-nickel alloys, and brass. all inlets and outlets are of conventional design as known in the art. the one or more orifices of the burner are typically designed for specific velocity of gases flowing there through, so as to provide a stable flame speed and propagation and to prevent unstable flame blow-off or suck-in. the following embodiments are presented as illustrations of the invention; however, the invention should not be limited thereto. embodiments example 1 (e-1) a reformer to be employed in an apparatus and method of this invention was evaluated to understand the wobbe index of a gaseous reformate produced. the reformer was sized for a 5 kw th input of jp-8 liquid fuel. accordingly, the reformer was comprised of a microlith® brand metal mesh substrate onto which a rhodium-based catalysi was supported (precision combustion, inc., north haven, conn.). the metal mesh was rolled into a cylindrical coiled configuration and positioned within a closed reformer housing containing an inlet for feeding a supply of liquid fuel, an inlet for feeding a supply of air, and an outlet for exhausting a catalytic partial oxidation product stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen. a glow plug was positioned within the inner diameter of the coil for aiding in the vaporization of the liquid fuel. as a general procedure the glow plug was energized; a flow of liquid fuel was initiated; then a flow of air was initiated in a fuel-rich ratio of fuel to air, specifically, 0.80/1 to 0.95/1. the flows of fuel and air were directed axially into the inner diameter of the coiled mesh; and then the flows passed radially from the inner diameter to the outer diameter of the coil before exiting the housing. once the catalytic coil reached a temperature sufficient to maintain catalytic partial oxidation of the fuel, the glow plug was de-energized. the composition of the exhaust stream was analyzed using gas chromatography. results over the first 60 minutes of operation are shown in fig. 4 , with the first few points up to 10-15 minutes illustrating start-up. as seen, the exhaust consisted mainly of nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon monoxide. based on the composition of the exhaust stream, a higher wobbe index was calculated using the equation at para. [0007] hereinabove, where the specific gravity of the fuel was taken as the density of the exhaust gas composition as compared to the density of air, the latter taken as 1.2 g/ml at 20° c. and 101 kpa. at steady state the composition of the gasified reformate equated to a higher wobbe index in a range from about 203 btu/scf to 236 btu/scf. table 1 illustrates the composition of the gaseous reformate at a variety of fuel flows ranging from 3.0 g/min to 8.9 g/min. the higher wobbe index for typical natural gas, with higher heating value of 1,040 btu/scf (38.8 mj/nm 3 ) and specific gravity of 0.6, was calculated to be 1,343 btu/scf (50.1 mj/nm 3 ). by comparison, the wobbe index for the syngas reformate produced in the reformer was evaluated to range from 15 to 18 percent of that for natural gas. table 1reformate composition for 5 kw th reformerthermalhigher wobbeinputindexfuelbtu/hrreformate composition (mole % dry basis)btu/sefg/min(kj/hr)h 2o 2n 2ch 4coco 2c 2 h 4c 2 h 6c 3 h 6c 3 h 8(mj/nm 3 )3.07,43817.6nd 155.41.3920.62.901.440.170.4740.0009203.3(7,847)(7.6)5.012,38620.0nd 152.51.6020.83.171.350.170.3950.0004214.8(13,067)(8.0)7.117,36822.3nd 150.11.4322.22.391.070.180.3260.0002222.8(18,323)(8.3)8.921,87218.9nd 152.61.8121.72.062.100.220.5460.0030235.6(23,075)(8.8)1 nd = not detectable. example 2 (e-2) a reformer was constructed and operated in a manner similar to the one described in example 1, with the exception that the reformer was sized for a liquid fuel input of 14 kw th . likewise, a microlith® brand metal mesh substrate (precision combustion, inc.) was employed, shaped into a cylindrical coiled configuration having an inner diameter and an outer diameter and a rhodium catalyst supported thereon. the composition of the exhaust stream was analyzed using gas chromatography. the exhaust consisted mainly of nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon monoxide. based on the composition of the exhaust stream, a higher wobbe index was calculated using the equation on para. [0007] hereinabove, where the specific gravity of the fuel was calculated as the density of the exhaust gas composition versus the density of air, the latter taken as 1.2 g/ml at 20° c. and 101 kpa. table 2 illustrates the composition of the gaseous reformate at a variety of fuel flows ranging from 6 g/min to 20 g/min. as seen, the composition of the gasified fuel at steady state conditions equated to a higher wobbe index between 199 and 223 btu/scf (7.4-8.3 mj/nm 3 ). by contrast, the higher wobbe index for natural gas is about 1,343 btu/scf (50.1 mj/nm 3 ). by comparison, the wobbe index for the syngas reformate of e-2 was evaluated as only 15 to 17 percent of that for natural gas. despite the differences found in e-1 and e-2 between the wobbe index of the reformate and that of natural gas, the reformate was surprisingly found to be a suitable substitute for use in a natural gas appliance, as illustrated in the examples hereinbelow. table 2exhaust gas composition for 14 kw th reformerthermalhigher wobbeinputindexfuelbtu/hrreformate composition (mole % dry basis) 1btu/sef(g/min)(kj/hr)h 2o 2n 2ch 4coco 2c 2 h 4c 2 h 6c 3 h 6c 3 h 8(mj/nm 3 )614,74014.38nd 159.021.9718.203.701.870.210.637nd 1198.8(15,551)(7.4)717,19716.06nd 156.911.8019.713.251.600.180.500nd 1201.2(18,143)(7.5)819,65416.96nd 155.451.9520.282.841.760.200.562nd 1215.0(20,735)(8.0)1126,81024.21nd 1249.020.9223.451.870.430.09nd 1nd 1208.3(28,285)(7.8)1741,43322.61nd 149.991.3122.412.031.460.19nd 1nd 1222.8(43,712)(8.3)1946,30821.23nd 151.251.3621.952.151.870.20nd 1nd 1222.4(48,855)(8.3)2051,39420.63nd 151.841.3721.822.152.000.20nd 1nd 1221.4(54,221)(8.3)1 nd = not detectable. example 3 (e-3) a griddle (vulcan 24 rrg), designed for operation on natural gas, was connected to a reformer in accordance with this invention and operated on liquid distillate fuel. the griddle as obtained commercially comprised a standard gas burner closely similar to the type shown in fig. 1 , comprising the burner 3 , an inlet 4 for feeding a supply of gaseous fuel, an inlet 5 for feeding air into premixture with the fuel, and a u-shaped tube comprised of a plurality of orifices 6 at which combustion occurred. the burner did not comprise a housing 20 , air inlet 7 , or exhaust outlet 8 ; but rather orifice 60 was simply open to ambient environs. the burner was modified to seal off inlet(s) 5 with a metal plug. by so doing, the griddle burner adopted the design of fig. 2 , illustrating burner 30 , fuel inlet 40 , and orifice 60 . the griddle so modified was connected to the reformer of example 2, illustrated in fig. 2 with reformer body 18 , liquid fuel inlet 13 , air inlet 15 , catalytic reaction zone comprising microlith® brand metal mesh substrate 19 (precision combustion, inc.) and outlet 25 . a connecting member 35 , comprised of a stainless steel metal pipe, was connected at its inlet end to the outlet 25 of the reformer and connected at its outlet end to the burner inlet 40 . gaseous reformate exiting the reformer at outlet 25 was fed into the connecting member 35 , and thence directly, without premixing air, into inlet 40 of griddle burner 30 . no air was premixed with the gaseous reformate. the reformer was fed with liquid jp-8 fuel and air and operated as described in example 2 hereinabove to produce syngas reformate, which was combusted in the griddle burner in a non-premixed diffusion flame. the additional air needed for full combustion of the reformate fed to the burner was obtained from ambient air in the vicinity of the burner orifices. fig. 5 illustrates a graph of surface temperature of the griddle as a function of time. the griddle burner was lit with the burner igniter once the reformate reached a thermal input of 36,600 btu/hr (38,613 kj/hr). the system was maintained at 36,600 btu/hr for 20 minutes as the griddle surface warmed up, after which the system was transitioned to 24,400 btu/hr (25,742 kj/hr). with no load on the griddle surface, its temperature steadied out at an average of 249° c. (480° f.). while this temperature is relatively high for many cooking applications, the surface temperature fell when a thermal load was placed on the griddle. if necessary, the thermal input can be increased to about 49,000 btu/hr (51,695 kj/hr) to maintain a target temperature while cooking. throughout the test, a stable blue flame was observed as the commercial gas-fired griddle was operated on liquid distillate fuel. example 4 (e-4) an embodiment of the apparatus of this invention was constructed from a reformer comprising a microlith® brand ultra-short-channel-length metal mesh substrate, as detailed in example 1, and a commercial gas-fired stock-pot burner (radiance corporation, tast-18s stockpot burner) designed for operation on natural gas. the stock-pot burner was constructed with an inlet for feeding the natural gas, an inlet for feeding air, and a plurality of orifices where combustion occurred. the connection between the reformer and the burner was made in accordance with the design of fig. 2 ; wherein gaseous reformate exiting the reformer 18 was fed into connecting member 35 and directly therefrom to the fuel inlet of the burner 30 . the air inlet of the burner (equivalent of # 5 , fig. 1 ) was plugged, such that no air was premixed with the reformate. the reformer had a maximum fueling capacity of 40,000 btu/hr (42,200 kj/hr) of jp-8 fuel. a stock pot filled with water was positioned on top of the burner. the water temperature was conventionally monitored. the reformer was fueled with liquid jp-8 fuel and operated as in e-2. the gaseous reformate exiting the reformer was ignited and combusted in the burner. a stable blue flame was observed throughout the test. other test results are summarized in table 3. as seen, the heat input of the reformate fuel to the stockpot burner was 39,161 btu (41,315 kj), of which 21.0 percent was transferred to water in the stock pot. table 3stock-pot burner test resultse-4ce-1reformatenatural gasbtubtuheat input(kj)(kj)heat input of fuel 139,16179,000(41,315)(83,345)heat input to water 28,21413,056(8,666)(13,774)burner efficiency21.0%16.5%1 calculated on lower heating value and quantity of jp-8 fuel fed to reformer.2 calculated on weight of water, specific heat of water, and rise in temperature of water. comparative experiment 1 (ce-1) for comparative purposes, the stock pot burner (radiance brand tast-18s) of example 4 was operated on natural gas in the manner intended by the manufacturer. specifically, the burner was constructed as in fig. 1 with a fuel inlet 4 and conventional air regulating louvers 5 through which natural gas and air, respectively, were input and premixed. the mixture of natural gas and air was burned conventionally in burner 6 ; and heat generated from the burner was used to raise the temperature of a stock pot of water identical to the one used in example 4. as expected, under natural gas operation, a stable blue flame was observed throughout the test. results are shown in table 3. as seen, the heat input from operation with natural gas was 79,000 btu (83,345 kj), of which 16.5 percent of the heat input was employed to raise the temperature of the water. when e-4 was compared with ce-1, it was seen that the heat input from natural gas fed to the burner was twice the heat input from reformate fed to the burner. this result, however, relates to the fact that heat output from the reformer was limited by the size of the reformer. a larger reformer would allow for a higher throughput of fuel and a higher output of heat. more importantly, the burner efficiency (21.0%) of the apparatus of the invention (e-4) operating on syngas reformate compared favorably with the burner efficiency (16.5%) when the burner was operated on natural gas. example 5 (e-5) a commercial tankless hot water heater designed for conventional operation on natural gas was modified and operated in accordance with this invention. the commercial tankless hot water heater (marey heater corp. model powergas 5l ng) comprising a natural gas-fired burner was connected to the reformer of example 4 in the manner illustrated in fig. 2 . the fuel inlet 40 of the burner 30 was drilled out to a larger diameter to accommodate the reformate flow from the reformer 18 . an air inlet (equivalent of # 5 , fig. 1 ) into the burner was plugged up such that no air was premixed with the reformate entering the burner. no other modifications were made to the controls of the burner. the reformer was started up as detailed in example 4; and the reformate exiting the reformer was fed via connecting member 35 directly without any premixed air into the burner of the tankless hot water heater. a stable blue flame was observed throughout the test. the tankless hot water heater was operated successfully on syngas reformate as an alternative to natural gas. example 6 (e-6) a commercial natural gas clothes dryer appliance is adapted with a catalytic liquid fuel reformer in the manner shown in fig. 2 ; and the resulting apparatus is operated in accordance with this invention. the reformer is constructed and operated similarly to the one used in example 4 hereinabove. the reformer is started up on jp-8 fuel; and the syngas reformate of low wobbe index exiting the reformer is fed directly without any premixed air into the burner of the clothes dryer. no modifications are made to the controls of the dryer, other than that the air inlet into the burner is plugged up such that no air is premixed with the syngas reformate. a stable blue flame is observed throughout the test. the reformate-fired clothes dryer of this invention saves significant fuel consumption as compared to currently fielded electric dryers. as an example, consider a remotely-located containerized batch laundry unit (cbl) equipped with two commercial electric dryers, where each dryer requires 30 kwe to create hot air and to operate tumbler rotation and controls. this necessitates a 60 kwe generator with 58 kwe used for hot air generation. based on roughly 31 percent efficiency for electrical generation, 16 kg of jp-8 fuel must be provided per hour to the generator to generate the hot air electrically. the embodiment of this example provides for a jp-8 liquid fueled dryer for generating the hot air, replacing the 60 kwe generator with a 2 kwe generator and a 96 kwth reformer, and reducing the jp-8 requirement to 8 kg/hr, a 50 percent fuel saving. in a typical 600 person camp, dryers operate 15 hours a day. this invention reduces jp-8 consumption by 111 kg/day (37 gal/day) and eliminates the need for the larger 60 kwe generator. additionally, the approach enables operation of commercial gas dryers on jp-8 fuel, minimizing retrofitting, acquisition and maintenance costs. using basic assumptions and the dryer manufacturer's specification, a fuel savings of approximately 3.7 kg/hr per dryer can be realized. for every two dryers running at 15 hr/day, a daily savings of 111 kg of fuel (˜37 gallons) are realized. example 7 (e-7) a burner system was fabricated in accordance with the invention by connecting a griddle (vulcan 24 rrg) designed for operation on natural gas to a fuel reformer. with reference to fig. 3 , the commercial griddle comprised a burner 30 , a stock igniter 90 , a fuel inlet 40 , and a u-shaped tube comprised of a plurality of orifices 60 where flame combustion occurred. the combustor was fitted via connecting member 35 to a reformer 18 comprised of a liquid fuel inlet 13 , an air inlet 15 , catalytic reaction zone comprising microlith® brand ultra-short-channel-length metal mesh substrate 19 (precision combustion, inc.), and reformate outlet 25 . the connecting member 35 , comprised of a stainless steel metal pipe, was connected at its inlet end to the outlet 25 of the reformer and connected at its outlet end to the burner inlet 40 . the connecting member 35 was fitted with an auxiliary air inlet 49 , a liquid distillate co-fuel inlet 45 , and a supplemental igniter 94 positioned near the inlets 45 / 49 for liquid co-fuel and auxiliary air. a metal screen 47 was positioned transversely at the intersection of the liquid co-fuel inlet 45 and connecting member 49 to facilitate heat transfer from hot reformate exiting the reformer, thereby facilitating vaporization of the liquid co-fuel. the reformer was fed with liquid jp-8 fuel (3.5 g/min) and air and operated under fuel-rich conditions at a temperature ranging from 950° c. to 1,000° c. and at atmospheric pressure to produce syngas reformate exiting the reformer 18 at outlet 25 . liquid jp-8 (7.0 g/min) was co-fueled onto the metal screen 49 where it vaporized and passed into the connecting member 35 . (the total fuel flow into the system was 10.5 g/min, of which only 33.33 percent was fuel fed to the reformer and 66.67 percent was liquid co-fuel fed to the connecting member.) additional air was fed through inlet 49 into the connecting member 35 , in a quantity sufficient to maintain a blue flame at the burner orifices 60 . the mixture of gaseous reformate, vaporized co-fuel and auxiliary air were fed from the connecting member 35 via inlet 40 into the griddle burner 30 . the mixture auto-ignited within the connecting member 35 , and the resulting flame within the connecting member 35 facilitated start-up and maintenance of a clean, smokeless flame at the burner orifices 60 . fuel gas samples taken at inlet 40 into the burner 30 were analyzed by gas chromatography with following results: hydrogen, 19.45 percent; nitrogen, 56.34 percent; methane, 0.06 percent; carbon monoxide, 21.60 percent; carbon dioxide, 2.37 percent; and ethane, 0.18 percent, by volume. concentrations of oxygen, ethylene, propylene, propane, and acetylene at inlet 40 to the burner 30 fell below detectable limits. while the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
|
091-225-197-137-826
|
US
|
[
"WO",
"EP",
"JP",
"MX",
"US",
"CN",
"BR"
] |
A61B17/072,A61B17/00,A61B17/29,B22F3/22,B23K26/21
| 2017-06-27T00:00:00 |
2017
|
[
"A61",
"B22",
"B23"
] |
surgical anvil manufacturing methods
|
a method for manufacturing a surgical stapling anvil is disclosed. the method comprises the steps of manufacturing a first anvil member and a second anvil member. the first anvil member comprises a tissue-facing surface comprising a plurality of staple forming pockets defined therein and a longitudinal cavity comprising anvil ledges configured to be engaged by anvil-camming portions of a firing member of a surgical stapling instrument. the method further comprises the steps of polishing the ledges of the first anvil member and welding the first anvil member and the second anvil member together.
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what is claimed is: 1. a method for manufacturing a surgical stapling anvil, wherein said method comprises the steps of: manufacturing a first anvil member and a second anvil member, wherein said first anvil member comprises: a tissue-facing surface comprising a plurality of staple forming pockets defined therein; and a longitudinal cavity comprising anvil ledges configured to be engaged by anvil- camming portions of a firing member of a surgical stapling instrument; polishing said ledges of said first anvil member; and welding said first anvil member and said second anvil member together. 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein said manufacturing step comprises a metal injection molding process. 3. the method of claim 1 , wherein said welding step comprises a laser welding process. 4. the method of claim 1 , wherein said manufacturing step comprises an electrochemical machining process. 5. the method of claim 1 , wherein said manufacturing step comprises: metal injection molding said first anvil member; and stamping said staple forming pockets into said tissue-facing surface. 6. the method of claim 5, wherein said manufacturing step further comprises metal injection molding said second anvil member. 7. the method of claim 1 , wherein each said ledge comprises a first zone and a second zone, wherein said first zone is configured to be contacted by said anvil-camming portions of said firing member, wherein said second zone extends laterally with respect to said first zone, and wherein said polishing step further comprises polishing said first zone and said second zone. 8. a method for manufacturing a surgical fastening anvil, wherein said method comprises the steps of: manufacturing an anvil body portion and an anvil cap member, wherein said anvil body portion comprises: a planar tissue-facing surface comprising a plurality of fastener-forming pockets defined therein; a longitudinal slot; and cam surfaces flanking said longitudinal slot and configured to be engaged by anvil-camming portions of a firing member of a surgical fastening instrument; polishing said cam surfaces of said anvil body portion; and welding said anvil body portion and said anvil cap member together. 9. the method of claim 8, wherein said manufacturing step comprises a metal injection molding process. 10. the method of claim 8, wherein said welding step comprises a laser welding process. 1 1 . the method of claim 8, wherein said manufacturing step comprises an electrochemical machining process. 12. the method of claim 8, wherein said manufacturing step comprises: metal injection molding said anvil body portion; and stamping said fastener-forming pockets into said tissue-facing surface. 13. an end effector system for use with a surgical instrument, wherein said end effector system comprises: an anvil comprising a first stiffness; a staple cartridge channel configured to receive a staple cartridge therein, wherein said staple cartridge channel comprises a second stiffness; and structural means for balancing said second stiffness relative to said first stiffness. 14. the end effector system of claim 13, wherein said first stiffness and said second stiffness comprise a ratio of between 1 :3 and 1 :1 . 15. the end effector system of claim 13, wherein said structural means comprises taking material away from said channel and adding material to said anvil. 16. the end effector system of claim 13, wherein said channel comprises channel walls comprising: a proximal zone, wherein said channel walls comprise a first width in said proximal zone; and a distal zone, wherein said channel walls comprise a second width in said distal zone, wherein said second width is greater than said first width, and wherein said anvil comprises a proximal anvil portion configured to surround said channel walls in said proximal zone when said end effector system is in a fully clamped configuration. 17. the end effector system of claim 16, wherein said anvil and said channel define a clamped diameter when said end effector is in a clamped configuration, wherein said proximal anvil portion comprises a volume of material configured to occupy a void defined as the space beyond said first width but within said clamped diameter. 18. the end effector system of claim 16, wherein said proximal anvil portion comprises ledges and said walls in said proximal zone each comprise a ledge, and wherein said ledges of said walls are configured to face said ledges of said proximal anvil portion when said end effector system is in said full clamped configuration. 19. the end effector system of claim 13, wherein said channel comprises a proximal cutout portion, wherein said anvil comprises a proximal anvil portion configured to surround the proximal cutout portion when said end effector system is in a fully clamped configuration. 20. the end effector system of claim 19, further comprising a clamped diameter, wherein said proximal anvil portion comprises a volume of material configured to occupy a void defined as the space defined by a cutout of said proximal cutout portion.
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title surgical anvil manufacturing methods background [0001] the present invention relates to surgical instruments and, in various arrangements, to surgical stapling and cutting instruments and staple cartridges for use therewith that are designed to staple and cut tissue. brief description of the drawings [0002] various features of the embodiments described herein, together with advantages thereof, may be understood in accordance with the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows: [0003] fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a surgical system comprising a handle assembly and multiple interchangeable surgical tool assemblies that may be used therewith; [0004] fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the interchangeable surgical tool assemblies of fig. 1 operably coupled to the handle assembly of fig. 1 ; [0005] fig. 3 is an exploded assembly view of portions of the handle assembly and interchangeable surgical tool assembly of figs. 1 and 2; [0006] fig. 4 is a perspective view of another one of the interchangeable surgical tool assemblies depicted in fig. 1 ; [0007] fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 4; [0008] fig. 6 is another partial cross-sectional view of a portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of figs. 4 and 5; [0009] fig. 7 is an exploded assembly view of a portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of figs. 4-6; [0010] fig. 7a is an enlarged top view of a portion of an elastic spine assembly of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 7; [0011] fig. 8 is an exploded assembly view of a portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of figs. 4-7; [0012] fig. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a surgical end effector portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of figs. 4-8; [0013] fig. 10 is an exploded assembly view of the surgical end effector portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly depicted in fig. 9; [0014] fig. 1 1 is a perspective view, a side elevational view and a front elevational view of a firing member that may be employed in the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of figs. 4- 10; [0015] fig. 12 is a perspective view of an anvil that may be employed in the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of figs. 4-1 1 ; [0016] fig. 13 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of the anvil of fig. 12; [0017] fig. 14 is a bottom view of the anvil of figs. 12 and 13; [0018] fig. 15 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of a portion of a surgical end effector and shaft portion of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly of fig. 4 with an unspent surgical staple cartridge properly seated within an elongate channel of the surgical end effector; [0019] fig. 16 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of the surgical end effector and shaft portion of fig. 15 after the surgical staple cartridge has been fired during a staple firing stroke and a firing member being retracted to a starting position after the staple firing stroke; [0020] fig. 17 is another cross-sectional side elevational view of the surgical end effector and shaft portion of fig. 16 after the firing member has been fully retracted back to its starting position; [0021] fig. 18 is a top cross-sectional view of the surgical end effector and shaft portion depicted in fig. 15 with the unspent surgical staple cartridge properly seated with the elongate channel of the surgical end effector; [0022] fig. 19 is another top cross-sectional view of the surgical end effector of fig. 15 with a fired surgical staple cartridge mounted therein illustrating the firing member retained in a locked position; [0023] fig. 20 is a partial cross-sectional view of portions of the anvil and elongate channel of the interchangeable tool assembly of fig. 4; [0024] fig. 21 is an exploded side elevational view of portions of the anvil and elongate channel of fig. 20; [0025] fig. 22 is a rear perspective view of an anvil mounting portion of an anvil in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0026] fig. 23 is a rear perspective view of an anvil mounting portion of another anvil in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0027] fig. 24 is a rear perspective view of an anvil mounting portion of another anvil in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0028] fig. 25 is a perspective view of an anvil in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0029] fig. 26 is an exploded perspective view of the anvil of fig. 25; [0030] fig. 27 is a cross-sectional end view of the anvil of fig. 25; [0031] fig. 28 is a perspective view of another anvil in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0032] fig. 29 is an exploded perspective view of the anvil embodiment of fig. 28; [0033] fig. 30 is a top view of a distal end portion of an anvil body portion of the anvil of fig. 28; [0034] fig. 31 is a top view of a distal end portion of an anvil body portion of another anvil in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0035] fig. 32 is a cross-sectional end perspective view of the anvil of fig. 31 ; [0036] fig. 33 is a cross-sectional end perspective view of another anvil in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0037] fig. 34 provides a comparison between a first embodiment of an anvil and a second embodiment of an anvil; [0038] fig. 35 is a cross-sectional view of an end effector comprising the second anvil embodiment of fig. 34; [0039] fig. 36 is a partial cross-sectional view of the first anvil embodiment of fig. 34 and a firing member configured to engage the first anvil embodiment; [0040] fig. 37 is a partial elevational view of the firing member of fig. 36; [0041] fig. 38 is an illustration depicting stress concentrations in the first anvil embodiment of fig. 34 and the firing member of fig. 36; [0042] fig. 39 is an another illustration depicting stress concentrations in the firing member of fig. 36; [0043] fig. 40 is a perspective view of a firing member in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0044] fig. 41 is a side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 40; [0045] fig. 42 is a front elevational view of the firing member of fig. 40; [0046] fig. 43 is a partial perspective view of a firing member in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0047] fig. 44 is a partial side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 43; [0048] fig. 45 is a partial front elevational view of the firing member of fig. 43; [0049] fig. 46 is a partial perspective view of a firing member in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0050] fig. 47 is a partial side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 46; [0051] fig. 48 is a partial front elevational view of the firing member of fig. 46; [0052] fig. 49 is a partial perspective view of a firing member in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0053] fig. 50 is a partial side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 49; [0054] fig. 51 is a partial front elevational view of the firing member of fig. 49; [0055] fig. 52 is a partial perspective view of a firing member in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0056] fig. 53 is a partial side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 52; [0057] fig. 54 is a partial front elevational view of the firing member of fig. 52; [0058] fig. 55 is a partial perspective view of a firing member in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0059] fig. 56 is a partial side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 55; [0060] fig. 57 is a partial front elevational view of the firing member of fig. 55; [0061] fig. 58 is a partial perspective view of a firing member in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0062] fig. 59 is a partial side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 58; [0063] fig. 60 is a partial front elevational view of the firing member of fig. 58; [0064] fig. 61 is a partial perspective view of a firing member in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0065] fig. 62 is a partial side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 61 ; [0066] fig. 63 is a partial front elevational view of the firing member of fig. 61 ; [0067] fig. 64 is a partial perspective view of a firing member in accordance with at least one embodiment; [0068] fig. 65 is a partial side elevational view of the firing member of fig. 64; [0069] fig. 66 is another partial perspective view of the firing member of fig. 64; [0070] fig. 67 is a partial front elevational view of the firing member of fig. 64; [0071] fig. 68 is a schematic depicting the energy needed to advance firing members disclosed herein through staple firing strokes; [0072] fig. 69 is a detail view of a lateral projection extending from the firing member of fig. 43 schematically illustrating the interaction between the lateral projection and an anvil in a flexed condition; [0073] fig. 70 is a detail view of a lateral projection extending from the firing member of fig. 58 schematically illustrating the interaction between the lateral projection and an anvil in a flexed condition; [0074] fig. 71 is a detail view of a lateral projection extending from the firing member of fig. 58 schematically illustrating the interaction between the lateral projection and an anvil another flexed condition; [0075] fig. 72 is a perspective view of an anvil of a surgical stapling instrument comprising an anvil body and an anvil cap; [0076] fig. 73 is an exploded view of the anvil of fig. 72; [0077] fig. 74 is a partial, cross-sectional view of a welded, anvil comprising vertical welding surfaces; [0078] fig. 75 is a partial, cross-sectional view of a welded, anvil comprising horizontal welding surfaces; [0079] fig. 76 is a partial, cross-sectional view of a welded, anvil comprising angular welding surfaces; [0080] fig. 77 is a cross-sectional view an anvil comprising an anvil body and an anvil cap, wherein the anvil body and the anvil cap are welded to each other; [0081] fig. 78 is a micrograph of a surgical stapling anvil comprising a first anvil member and a second anvil member, wherein the first anvil member and the second anvil member are welded to each other; [0082] fig. 79 is a cross-sectional view of a surgical stapling anvil comprising an anvil body and an anvil cap; [0083] fig. 80 is a chart representing four different surgical stapling anvil arrangements subject to two different load scenarios comprising deflection and stress data for a first scenario and stress data for a second scenario; [0084] fig. 81 is a perspective view of an anvil comprising a first anvil member and a second anvil member, wherein the anvil members comprise a weld configuration configured to increase overall weld depth; [0085] fig. 82 is a cross-sectional view of the surgical stapling anvil of fig. 81 prior to welding taken along line 82-82 in fig. 81 ; [0086] fig. 83 is a cross-sectional view of the surgical stapling anvil of fig. 81 after welding taken along line 83-83 in fig. 81 ; [0087] fig. 84 is a cross-sectional view of a surgical stapling anvil comprising a first anvil member and a second anvil member welded to each other; [0088] fig. 85 is a partial cross-sectional, partially exploded view of the surgical stapling anvil of fig. 84; [0089] fig. 86 is a cross-sectional view of a surgical stapling anvil comprising a first anvil member and a second anvil member welded to each other, wherein the anvil members comprise interlocking features; [0090] fig. 87 is a cross-sectional view of a surgical stapling anvil comprising a first anvil member and a second anvil member welded to each other, wherein the anvil members comprise interlocking features; [0091] fig. 88 is a perspective view of an end effector assembly illustrated in an open configuration; [0092] fig. 89 is a perspective view of the end effector assembly of fig. 88 illustrated in a closed configuration; [0093] fig. 90 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end effector assembly of fig. 88 taken along line 90-90 in fig. 88; [0094] fig. 91 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end effector assembly of fig. 88 taken along line 91 -91 in fig. 89; [0095] fig. 92 is a cross-sectional view of the end effector assembly of fig. 88 taken along line 92-92 in fig. 89; [0096] fig. 93 is a perspective view of a staple cartridge channel comprising a channel body and a channel cap welded thereto; [0097] fig. 94 is an exploded view of the staple cartridge channel of fig. 93; [0098] fig. 95 is a cross-sectional view of a staple cartridge channel comprising a first channel member and a second channel member welded to each other; [0099] fig. 96 is a perspective view of a firing member for use with a surgical instrument, wherein the firing member comprises a first jaw-coupling member and a second jaw-coupling member; [0100] fig. 97 is a perspective view of another firing member for use with a surgical instrument, wherein the firing member comprises a first jaw-coupling member and a second jaw- coupling member; [0101] fig. 98 is a front view of the firing member of fig. 96; [0102] fig. 99 is an elevational view of the firing member of fig. 96; [0103] fig. 100 is a front view of the firing member of fig. 97; [0104] fig. 101 is an elevational view of the firing member of fig. 97; [0105] fig. 102 is a partial elevational view of the firing member of fig. 96; [0106] fig. 103 is a partial elevational view of the firing member of fig. 97; [0107] fig. 104 is a cross-sectional view of a stapling system comprising the firing member of fig. 97; [0108] fig. 105 is a cross-sectional view of a stapling system comprising the firing member of fig. 96; [0109] fig. 106 is a partial cross-sectional view of an anvil and the firing member of the stapling system of fig. 105; [0110] fig. 107 is a partial cross-sectional view of an anvil and the firing member of the stapling system of fig. 104; [0111] fig. 108 is a stress analysis of the anvil of the stapling system of fig. 105; [0112] fig. 109 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a staple forming pocket arrangement comprising a proximal forming pocket and a distal forming pocket, wherein each forming pocket comprises a forming surface having an entry zone and an exit zone comprising different radii of curvature; [0113] fig. 1 10 is a plan view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 109; [0114] fig. 1 1 1 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 109 taken along line 1 1 1 -1 1 1 in fig. 1 10; [0115] fig. 1 12 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 109 taken along line 1 12-1 12 in fig. 1 10; [0116] fig. 1 13 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 109 taken along line 1 13-1 13 in fig. 1 10; [0117] fig. 1 14 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 109 taken along line 1 14-1 14 in fig. 1 10; [0118] fig. 1 15 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a staple forming pocket arrangement comprising a proximal forming pocket, a distal forming pocket, and primary sidewalls, wherein each forming pocket comprises a pair of contoured sidewalls; [0119] fig. 1 16 is a plan view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 1 15; [0120] fig. 1 17 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 1 15 taken along line 1 17-1 17 in fig. 1 16; [0121] fig. 1 18 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 1 15 taken along line 1 18-1 18 in fig. 1 16; [0122] fig. 1 19 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 1 15 taken along line 1 19-1 19 in fig. 1 16; [0123] fig. 120 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 1 15 taken along line 120-120 in fig. 1 16; [0124] fig. 121 depicts a staple formed with the forming pocket arrangement of fig. 1 15 in a fully formed configuration, wherein the staple contacted the forming pockets in an aligned state; [0125] fig. 122 depicts a staple formed with the forming pocket arrangement of fig. 1 15 in a fully formed configuration, wherein the staple contacted the forming pockets in a misaligned state; [0126] fig. 123 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a staple forming pocket arrangement comprising a proximal forming pocket and a distal forming pocket; [0127] fig. 124 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a portion of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 123; [0128] fig. 125 is a plan view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 123; [0129] fig. 126 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 123 taken along line 126-126 in fig. 125; [0130] fig. 127 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 123 taken along line 127-127 in the entry zone of the distal forming pocket of fig. 125; [0131] fig. 128 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 123 taken along line 128-128 in the transition zone of the distal forming pocket in fig. 125; [0132] fig. 129 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 123 taken along line 129-129 in the exit zone of the distal forming pocket of fig. 125; [0133] fig. 129a is a partial negative view of a forming pocket of the staple forming pocket arrangements of fig. 123, wherein the partial negative view comprises various slices taken in multiple planes along the forming pocket which are perpendicular to a tissue-facing surface of the staple forming pocket arrangement and a pocket axis of the staple forming pocket arrangement; [0134] fig. 129b is a table comprising the dimensions of the slices of fig. 129a which are labeled in fig. 129a; [0135] fig. 129c is a cross-sectional view of the forming pocket arrangement of fig. 123 taken along a pocket axis of the forming pocket arrangement of fig. 123, wherein various dimensions of the forming pocket arrangement are labeled thereon; [0136] fig. 130 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a staple forming pocket arrangement comprising a proximal forming pocket and a distal forming pocket; [0137] fig. 131 is a plan view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 130; [0138] fig. 132 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 130 taken along line 132-132 in fig. 131 ; [0139] fig. 133 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 130 taken along line 133-133 in the entry zone of the distal forming pocket of fig. 131 ; [0140] fig. 134 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 130 taken along line 134-134 in the transition zone of the distal forming pocket of fig. 131 ; [0141] fig. 135 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 130 taken along line 135-135 in the exit forming zone of the distal forming pocket of fig. 131 ; [0142] fig. 135a is a partial negative view of a forming pocket of the staple forming pocket arrangements of fig. 130, wherein the partial negative view comprises various slices taken in multiple planes along the forming pocket which are perpendicular to a tissue-facing surface of the staple forming pocket arrangement and a pocket axis of the staple forming pocket arrangement; [0143] fig. 135b is a table comprising the dimensions of the slices of fig. 135a which are labeled in fig. 135a; [0144] fig. 135c is a cross-sectional view of the forming pocket arrangement of fig. 130 taken along a pocket axis of the forming pocket arrangement of fig. 130, wherein various dimensions of the forming pocket arrangement are labeled thereon; [0145] fig. 136 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a staple forming pocket arrangement comprising a proximal forming pocket and a distal forming pocket; [0146] fig. 137 is a plan view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 136; [0147] fig. 138 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 136 taken along line 138-138 in fig. 137; [0148] fig. 139 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 136 taken along line 139-139 in the entry forming zone of the distal forming pocket of fig. 137; [0149] fig. 140 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 136 taken along line 140-140 in the entry forming zone of the distal forming pocket of fig. 137; [0150] fig. 141 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 136 taken along line 141-141 in the transition zone of the distal forming pocket of fig. 137; [0151] fig. 142 is a cross-sectional view of the staple forming pocket arrangement of fig. 136 taken along line 142-142 in the exit forming zone of the distal forming pocket of fig. 137; [0152] fig. 142a is a partial negative view of a forming pocket of the staple forming pocket arrangements of fig. 136, wherein the partial negative view comprises various slices taken in multiple planes along the forming pocket which are perpendicular to a tissue-facing surface of the staple forming pocket arrangement and a pocket axis of the staple forming pocket arrangement; [0153] fig. 142b is a table comprising the dimensions of the slices of fig. 142a which are labeled in fig. 142a; [0154] fig. 142c is a cross-sectional view of the forming pocket arrangement of fig. 136 taken along a pocket axis of the forming pocket arrangement of fig. 136, wherein various dimensions of the forming pocket arrangement are labeled thereon; [0155] fig. 143 is a plan view of a staple formed with the forming pocket arrangement of fig. 130 in a fully formed configuration, wherein the staple contacted the forming pockets in a misaligned state; [0156] fig. 144 is an elevation view of the staple of fig. 143; [0157] fig. 145 is a cross-sectional elevation view of a surgical end effector with various components removed depicting an anvil and a staple cartridge having a plurality of staples, further depicting the end effector in a closed position in which a uniform tissue gap is defined between the staple cartridge and the anvil, and further depicting the staples fired from the staple cartridge and formed to a uniform height by forming pockets in the anvil; [0158] fig. 146 is a cross-sectional elevation view of a surgical end effector with various components removed depicting an anvil and a staple cartridge having a plurality of staples, wherein the anvil comprises a stepped tissue compression surface, further depicting the end effector in a closed position in which a variable tissue gap is defined between the staple cartridge and the anvil, and further depicting the staples fired from the staple cartridge and formed to a uniform height by forming pockets in the anvil; [0159] fig. 147 is a cross-sectional elevation view of a surgical end effector with various components removed depicting an anvil and a staple cartridge having a plurality of staples and a stepped tissue compression surface, further depicting the end effector in a closed position in which a variable tissue gap is defined between the staple cartridge and the anvil, and further depicting the staples fired from the staple cartridge and formed to a uniform height by forming pockets in the anvil; [0160] fig. 148 is a cross-sectional elevation view of a surgical end effector with various components removed depicting an anvil and a staple cartridge having a plurality of staples, wherein the anvil and the staple cartridge comprise stepped tissue compression surfaces, further depicting the end effector in a closed position in which a variable tissue gap is defined between the staple cartridge and the anvil, and further depicting the staples fired from the staple cartridge and formed to a uniform height by forming pockets in the anvil; [0161] fig. 149 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of an articulation joint for a surgical tool assembly with various components removed depicting the articulation joint in an unarticulated position; [0162] fig. 150 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of the articulation joint of fig. 149 in the unarticulated configuration; [0163] fig. 151 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of the articulation joint of fig. 149 in a partially articulated configuration; [0164] fig. 152 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of the articulation joint of fig. 149 in a fully articulated configuration; and [0165] fig. 152a is a detail view of a reinforcement feature of the articulation joint of fig. 149 in the fully articulated configuration of fig. 152. [0166] corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. the exemplifications set out herein illustrate various embodiments of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. detailed description [0167] applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on even date herewith and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no. entitled surgical anvil arrangements; attorney docket no. end8168usnp/170080; u.s. patent application serial no. entitled surgical anvil arrangements; attorney docket no. end8170usnp/170081 ; u.s. patent application serial no. entitled surgical anvil arrangements; attorney docket no. end8164usnp/170082; u.s. patent application serial no. entitled surgical firing member arrangements; attorney docket no. end8169usnp/170083; u.s. patent application serial no. entitled staple forming pocket arrangements; attorney docket no. end8167usnp/170085; u.s. patent application serial no. entitled staple forming pocket arrangements; attorney docket no. end8232usnp/170086; u.s. patent application serial no. entitled surgical end effectors and anvils; attorney docket no. end8166usnp/170087; and u.s. patent application serial no. entitled articulation systems for surgical instruments; attorney docket no. end8171 usnp/170088. [0168] applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on december 21 , 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,185, entitled surgical stapling instruments and replaceable tool assemblies thereof; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,230, entitled articulatable surgical stapling instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,221 , entitled lockout arrangements for surgical end effectors; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,209, entitled surgical end effectors and firing members thereof; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386, 198, entitled lockout arrangements for surgical end effectors and replaceable tool assemblies; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,240, entitled surgical end effectors and adaptable firing members therefor; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,939, entitled staple cartridges and arrangements of staples and staple cavities therein; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,941 , entitled surgical tool assemblies with clutching arrangements for shifting between closure systems with closure stroke reduction features and articulation and firing systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,943, entitled surgical stapling instruments and staple-forming anvils; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,950, entitled surgical tool assemblies with closure stroke reduction features; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,945, entitled staple cartridges and arrangements of staples and staple cavities therein; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,946, entitled surgical stapling instruments and staple-forming anvils; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,951 , entitled surgical instruments with jaw opening features for increasing a jaw opening distance; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,953, entitled methods of stapling tissue; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,954, entitled firing members with non- parallel jaw engagement features for surgical end effectors; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,955, entitled surgical end effectors with expandable tissue stop arrangements; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,948, entitled surgical stapling instruments and staple-forming anvils; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,956, entitled surgical instruments with positive jaw opening features; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,958, entitled surgical instruments with lockout arrangements for preventing firing system actuation unless an unspent staple cartridge is present; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,947, entitled staple cartridges and arrangements of staples and staple cavities therein; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,896, entitled method for resetting a fuse of a surgical instrument shaft; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,898, entitled staple forming pocket arrangement to accommodate different types of staples; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,899, entitled surgical instrument comprising improved jaw control; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,901 , entitled staple cartridge and staple cartridge channel comprising windows defined therein; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,902, entitled surgical instrument comprising a cutting member; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,904, entitled staple firing member comprising a missing cartridge and/or spent cartridge lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,905, entitled firing assembly comprising a lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,907, entitled surgical instrument system comprising an end effector lockout and a firing assembly lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,908, entitled firing assembly comprising a fuse; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,909, entitled firing assembly comprising a multiple failed-state fuse; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,920, entitled staple forming pocket arrangements; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,913, entitled anvil arrangements for surgical staple/fasteners; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914, entitled method of deforming staples from two different types of staple cartridges with the same surgical stapling instrument; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,893, entitled bilaterally asymmetric staple forming pocket pairs; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,929, entitled closure members with cam surface arrangements for surgical instruments with separate and distinct closure and firing systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385, 91 1 , entitled surgical staple/fasteners with independently actuatable closing and firing systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,927, entitled surgical stapling instruments with smart staple cartridges; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,917, entitled staple cartridge comprising staples with different clamping breadths; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,900, entitled staple forming pocket arrangements comprising primary sidewalls and pocket sidewalls; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,931 , entitled no-cartridge and spent cartridge lockout arrangements for surgical staple/fasteners; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,915, entitled firing member pin angle; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,897, entitled staple forming pocket arrangements comprising zoned forming surface grooves; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,922, entitled surgical instrument with multiple failure response modes; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,924, entitled surgical instrument with primary and safety processors; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,912, entitled surgical instruments with jaws that are pivotable about a fixed axis and include separate and distinct closure and firing systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,910, entitled anvil having a knife slot width; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,906, entitled firing member pin configurations; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,188, entitled stepped staple cartridge with asymmetrical staples; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,192, entitled stepped staple cartridge with tissue retention and gap setting features; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,206, entitled staple cartridge with deformable driver retention features; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,226, entitled durability features for end effectors and firing assemblies of surgical stapling instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,222, entitled surgical stapling instruments having end effectors with positive opening features; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/386,236, entitled connection portions for deposable loading units for surgical stapling instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,887, entitled method for attaching a shaft assembly to a surgical instrument and, alternatively, to a surgical robot; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,889, entitled shaft assembly comprising a manually-operable retraction system for use with a motorized surgical instrument system; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,890, entitled shaft assembly comprising separately actuatable and retractable systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,891 , entitled shaft assembly comprising a clutch configured to adapt the output of a rotary firing member to two different systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,892, entitled surgical system comprising a firing member rotatable into an articulation state to articulate an end effector of the surgical system; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,894, entitled shaft assembly comprising a lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,895, entitled shaft assembly comprising first and second articulation lockouts; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,916, entitled surgical stapling systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,918, entitled surgical stapling systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,919, entitled surgical stapling systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,921 , entitled surgical staple/fastener cartridge with movable camming member configured to disengage firing member lockout features; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,923, entitled surgical stapling systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,925, entitled jaw actuated lock arrangements for preventing advancement of a firing member in a surgical end effector unless an unfired cartridge is installed in the end effector; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,926, entitled axially movable closure system arrangements for applying closure motions to jaws of surgical instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,928, entitled protective cover arrangements for a joint interface between a movable jaw and actuator shaft of a surgical instrument; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,930, entitled surgical end effector with two separate cooperating opening features for opening and closing end effector jaws; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,932, entitled articulatable surgical end effector with asymmetric shaft arrangement; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,933, entitled articulatable surgical instrument with independent pivotable linkage distal of an articulation lock; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,934, entitled articulation lock arrangements for locking an end effector in an articulated position in response to actuation of a jaw closure system; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,935, entitled laterally actuatable articulation lock arrangements for locking an end effector of a surgical instrument in an articulated configuration; and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,936, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with articulation stroke amplification features. [0169] applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on june 24, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191 ,775, entitled staple cartridge comprising wire staples and stamped staples; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191 ,807, entitled stapling system for use with wire staples and stamped staples; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191 ,834, entitled stamped staples and staple cartridges using the same; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191 ,788, entitled staple cartridge comprising overdriven staples; and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/191 ,818, entitled staple cartridge comprising offset longitudinal staple rows. [0170] applicant of the present application owns the following u.s. patent applications that were filed on june 24, 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: u.s. design patent application serial no. 29/569,218, entitled surgical fastener; u.s. design patent application serial no. 29/569,227, entitled surgical fastener; u.s. design patent application serial no. 29/569,259, entitled surgical fastener cartridge; and u.s. design patent application serial no. 29/569,264, entitled surgical fastener cartridge. [0171] applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on april 1 , 2016 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,325, entitled method for operating a surgical stapling system; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,321 , entitled modular surgical stapling system comprising a display; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,326, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a display including a re-orientable display field; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,263, entitled surgical instrument handle assembly with reconfigurable grip portion; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,262, entitled rotary powered surgical instrument with manually actuatable bailout system; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,277, entitled surgical cutting and stapling end effector with anvil concentric drive member; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,296, entitled interchangeable surgical tool assembly with a surgical end effector that is selectively rotatable about a shaft axis; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,258, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a shiftable transmission; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,278, entitled surgical stapling system configured to provide selective cutting of tissue; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,284, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a contourable shaft; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,295, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a tissue compression lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,300, entitled surgical stapling system comprising an unclamping lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,196, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a jaw closure lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,203, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a jaw attachment lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,210, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a spent cartridge lockout; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,324, entitled surgical instrument comprising a shifting mechanism; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,335, entitled surgical stapling instrument comprising multiple lockouts; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,339, entitled surgical stapling instrument; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,253, entitled surgical stapling system configured to apply annular rows of staples having different heights; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,304, entitled surgical stapling system comprising a grooved forming pocket; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,331 , entitled anvil modification members for surgical staple/fasteners; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,336, entitled staple cartridges with atraumatic features; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,312, entitled circular stapling system comprising an incisable tissue support; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,309, entitled circular stapling system comprising rotary firing system; and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/089,349, entitled circular stapling system comprising load control. [0172] applicant of the present application also owns the u.s. patent applications identified below which were filed on december 31 , 2015 which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/984,488, entitled mechanisms for compensating for battery pack failure in powered surgical instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/984,525, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/984,552, entitled surgical instruments with separable motors and motor control circuits. [0173] applicant of the present application also owns the u.s. patent applications identified below which were filed on february 9, 2016 which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,220, entitled surgical instrument with articulating and axially translatable end effector; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,228, entitled surgical instruments with multiple link articulation arrangements; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,196, entitled surgical instrument articulation mechanism with slotted secondary constraint; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,206, entitled surgical instruments with an end effector that is highly articulatable relative to an elongate shaft assembly; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,215, entitled surgical instruments with non-symmetrical articulation arrangements; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,227, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with single articulation link arrangements; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,235, entitled surgical instruments with tensioning arrangements for cable driven articulation systems; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,230, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with off-axis firing beam arrangements; and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,245, entitled surgical instruments with closure stroke reduction arrangements. [0174] applicant of the present application also owns the u.s. patent applications identified below which were filed on february 12, 2016 which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 15/043,254, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/043,259, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments; u.s. patent application serial no. 15/043,275, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments; and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/043,289, entitled mechanisms for compensating for drivetrain failure in powered surgical instruments. [0175] applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on june 18, 2015 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,925, entitled surgical end effectors with positive jaw opening arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0367256; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,941 , entitled surgical end effectors with dual cam actuated jaw closing features, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0367248; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,914, entitled movable firing beam support arrangements for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0367255; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,900, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with composite firing beam structures with center firing support member for articulation support, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0367254; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,885, entitled dual articulation drive system arrangements for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0367246; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,876, entitled push/pull articulation drive systems for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0367245. [0176] applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on march 6, 2015 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,746, entitled powered surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256184; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,795, entitled multiple level thresholds to modify operation of powered surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/02561 185; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,832, entitled adaptive tissue compression techniques to adjust closure rates for multiple tissue types, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256154; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,935, entitled overlaid multi sensor radio frequency (rf) electrode system to measure tissue compression, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256071 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,831 , entitled monitoring speed control and precision incrementing of motor for powered surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256153; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,859, entitled time dependent evaluation of sensor data to determine stability, creep, and viscoelastic elements of measures, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256187; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,817, entitled interactive feedback system for powered surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256186; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,844, entitled control techniques and sub-processor contained within modular shaft with select control processing from handle, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256155; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,837, entitled smart sensors with local signal processing, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256163; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,765, entitled system for detecting the mis-insertion of a staple cartridge into a surgical staple/fastener, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256160; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,799, entitled signal and power communication system positioned on a rotatable shaft, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256162; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/640,780, entitled surgical instrument comprising a lockable battery housing, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0256161. [0177] applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on february 27, 2015, and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,576, entitled surgical instrument system comprising an inspection station, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249919; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,546, entitled surgical apparatus configured to assess whether a performance parameter of the surgical apparatus is within an acceptable performance band, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249915; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,560, entitled surgical charging system that charges and/or conditions one or more batteries, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249910; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,566, entitled charging system that enables emergency resolutions for charging a battery, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249918; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,555, entitled system for monitoring whether a surgical instrument needs to be serviced, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249916; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,542, entitled reinforced battery for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249908; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,548, entitled power adapter for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249909; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,526, entitled adaptable surgical instrument handle, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249945; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,541 , entitled modular stapling assembly, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249927; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/633,562, entitled surgical apparatus configured to track an end-of-life parameter, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0249917. [0178] applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on december 18, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/574,478, entitled surgical instrument systems comprising an articulatable end effector and means for adjusting the firing stroke of a firing member, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174977; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/574,483, entitled surgical instrument assembly comprising lockable systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174969; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,139, entitled drive arrangements for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174978; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,148, entitled locking arrangements for detachable shaft assemblies with articulatable surgical end effectors, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174976; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,130, entitled surgical instrument with an anvil that is selectively movable about a discrete non-movable axis relative to a staple cartridge, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174972; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,143, entitled surgical instruments with improved closure arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174983; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,1 17, entitled surgical instruments with articulatable end effectors and movable firing beam support arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174975; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/575,154, entitled surgical instruments with articulatable end effectors and improved firing beam support arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174973; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/574,493, entitled surgical instrument assembly comprising a flexible articulation system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174970; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/574,500, entitled surgical instrument assembly comprising a lockable articulation system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0174971 . [0179] applicant of the present application owns the following patent applications that were filed on march 1 , 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,295, entitled articulatable surgical instruments with conductive pathways for signal communication, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0246471 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,323, entitled rotary powered articulation joints for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0246472; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,338, entitled thumbwheel switch arrangements for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0249557; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,499, entitled electromechanical surgical device with signal relay arrangement, now u.s. patent no. 9,358,003; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,460, entitled multiple processor motor control for modular surgical instruments, now u.s. patent no. 9,554,794; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,358, entitled joystick switch assemblies for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent no. 9,326,767; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,481 , entitled sensor straightened end effector during removal through trocar, now u.s. patent no. 9,468,438; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,518, entitled control methods for surgical instruments with removable implement portions, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0246475; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,375, entitled rotary powered surgical instruments with multiple degrees of freedom, now u.s. patent no. 9,398,91 1 ; and u.s. patent application serial no. 13/782,536, entitled surgical instrument soft stop, now u.s. patent no. 9,307,986. [0180] applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on march 14, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,097, entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising a firing drive, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263542; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803, 193, entitled control arrangements for a drive member of a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent no. 9,332,987; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,053, entitled interchangeable shaft assemblies for use with a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263564; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086, entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising an articulation lock, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,210, entitled sensor arrangements for absolute positioning system for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263538; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,148, entitled multi-function motor for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263554; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,066, entitled drive system lockout arrangements for modular surgical instruments, now u.s. patent no. 9,629,623; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,1 17, entitled articulation control system for articulatable surgical instruments, now u.s. patent no. 9,351 ,726; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,130, entitled drive train control arrangements for modular surgical instruments, now u.s. patent no. 9,351 ,727; and u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,159, entitled method and system for operating a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0277017. [0181] applicant of the present application also owns the following patent application that was filed on march 7, 2014 and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/200,1 1 1 , entitled control systems for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent no. 9,629,629. [0182] applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on march 26, 2014 and are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226, 106, entitled power management control systems for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272582; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,099, entitled sterilization verification circuit, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272581 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,094, entitled verification of number of battery exchanges/procedure count, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272580; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226, 1 17, entitled power management through sleep options of segmented circuit and wake up control, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272574; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,075, entitled modular powered surgical instrument with detachable shaft assemblies, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272579; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,093, entitled feedback algorithms for manual bailout systems for surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272569; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,1 16, entitled surgical instrument utilizing sensor adaptation, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272571 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,071 , entitled surgical instrument control circuit having a safety processor, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272578; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,097, entitled surgical instrument comprising interactive systems, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272570; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,126, entitled interface systems for use with surgical instruments, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272572; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226, 133, entitled modular surgical instrument system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272557; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,081 , entitled systems and methods for controlling a segmented circuit, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0277471 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,076, entitled power management through segmented circuit and variable voltage protection, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0280424; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,1 1 1 , entitled surgical stapling instrument system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272583; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,125, entitled surgical instrument comprising a rotatable shaft, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0280384. [0183] applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on september 5, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,103, entitled circuitry and sensors for powered medical device, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066912; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,1 19, entitled adjunct with integrated sensors to quantify tissue compression, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066914; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/478,908, entitled monitoring device degradation based on component evaluation, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066910; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/478,895, entitled multiple sensors with one sensor affecting a second sensor's output or interpretation, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066909; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,1 10, entitled polarity of hall magnet to detect misloaded cartridge, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066915; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,098, entitled smart cartridge wake up operation and data retention, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/006691 1 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479,1 15, entitled multiple motor control for powered medical device, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066916; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/479, 108, entitled local display of tissue parameter stabilization, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2016/0066913. [0184] applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on april 9, 2014 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,590, entitled motor driven surgical instruments with lockable dual drive shafts, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305987; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,581 , entitled surgical instrument comprising a closing drive and a firing drive operated from the same rot atable output, now u.s. patent 9,649,1 10; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,595, entitled surgical instrument shaft including switches for controlling the operation of the surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305988; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,588, entitled powered linear surgical staple/fastener, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0309666; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,591 , entitled transmission arrangement for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305991 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,584, entitled modular motor driven surgical instruments with alignment features for aligning rotary drive shafts with surgical end effector shafts, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305994; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,587, entitled powered surgical staple/fastener, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0309665; u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,586, entitled drive system decoupling arrangement for a surgical instrument, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305990; and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/248,607, entitled modular motor driven surgical instruments with status indication arrangements, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0305992. [0185] applicant of the present application also owns the following patent applications that were filed on april 16, 2013 and which are each herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety: u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,365, entitled surgical instrument with multiple functions performed by a single motor; u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,376, entitled linear cutter with power; u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,382, entitled linear cutter with motor and pistol grip; u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,385, entitled surgical instrument handle with multiple actuation motors and motor control; and u.s. provisional patent application serial no. 61/812,372, entitled surgical instrument with multiple functions performed by a single motor. [0186] numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the embodiments as described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. well-known operations, components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described in the specification. the reader will understand that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and illustrative. variations and changes thereto may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. [0187] the terms "comprise" (and any form of comprise, such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any form of have, such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of include, such as "includes" and "including") and "contain" (and any form of contain, such as "contains" and "containing") are open-ended linking verbs. as a result, a surgical system, device, or apparatus that "comprises," "has," "includes" or "contains" one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. likewise, an element of a system, device, or apparatus that "comprises," "has," "includes" or "contains" one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. [0188] the terms "proximal" and "distal" are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating the handle portion of the surgical instrument. the term "proximal" refers to the portion closest to the clinician and the term "distal" refers to the portion located away from the clinician. it will be further appreciated that, for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as "vertical", "horizontal", "up", and "down" may be used herein with respect to the drawings. however, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and/or absolute. [0189] various exemplary devices and methods are provided for performing laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgical procedures. however, the reader will readily appreciate that the various methods and devices disclosed herein can be used in numerous surgical procedures and applications including, for example, in connection with open surgical procedures. as the present detailed description proceeds, the reader will further appreciate that the various instruments disclosed herein can be inserted into a body in any way, such as through a natural orifice, through an incision or puncture hole formed in tissue, etc. the working portions or end effector portions of the instruments can be inserted directly into a patient's body or can be inserted through an access device that has a working channel through which the end effector and elongate shaft of a surgical instrument can be advanced. [0190] a surgical stapling system can comprise a shaft and an end effector extending from the shaft. the end effector comprises a first jaw and a second jaw. the first jaw comprises a staple cartridge. the staple cartridge is insertable into and removable from the first jaw; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which a staple cartridge is not removable from, or at least readily replaceable from, the first jaw. the second jaw comprises an anvil configured to deform staples ejected from the staple cartridge. the second jaw is pivotable relative to the first jaw about a closure axis; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which the first jaw is pivotable relative to the second jaw. the surgical stapling system further comprises an articulation joint configured to permit the end effector to be rotated, or articulated, relative to the shaft. the end effector is rotatable about an articulation axis extending through the articulation joint. other embodiments are envisioned which do not include an articulation joint. [0191] the staple cartridge comprises a cartridge body. the cartridge body includes a proximal end, a distal end, and a deck extending between the proximal end and the distal end. in use, the staple cartridge is positioned on a first side of the tissue to be stapled and the anvil is positioned on a second side of the tissue. the anvil is moved toward the staple cartridge to compress and clamp the tissue against the deck. thereafter, staples removably stored in the cartridge body can be deployed into the tissue. the cartridge body includes staple cavities defined therein wherein staples are removably stored in the staple cavities. the staple cavities are arranged in six longitudinal rows. three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a first side of a longitudinal slot and three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a second side of the longitudinal slot. other arrangements of staple cavities and staples may be possible. [0192] the staples are supported by staple drivers in the cartridge body. the drivers are movable between a first, or unfired position, and a second, or fired, position to eject the staples from the staple cavities. the drivers are retained in the cartridge body by a retainer which extends around the bottom of the cartridge body and includes resilient members configured to grip the cartridge body and hold the retainer to the cartridge body. the drivers are movable between their unfired positions and their fired positions by a sled. the sled is movable between a proximal position adjacent the proximal end and a distal position adjacent the distal end. the sled comprises a plurality of ramped surfaces configured to slide under the drivers and lift the drivers, and the staples supported thereon, toward the anvil. [0193] further to the above, the sled is moved distally by a firing member. the firing member is configured to contact the sled and push the sled toward the distal end. the longitudinal slot defined in the cartridge body is configured to receive the firing member. the anvil also includes a slot configured to receive the firing member. the firing member further comprises a first cam which engages the first jaw and a second cam which engages the second jaw. as the firing member is advanced distally, the first cam and the second cam can control the distance, or tissue gap, between the deck of the staple cartridge and the anvil. the firing member also comprises a knife configured to incise the tissue captured intermediate the staple cartridge and the anvil. it is desirable for the knife to be positioned at least partially proximal to the ramped surfaces such that the staples are ejected ahead of the knife. [0194] fig. 1 depicts a motor-driven surgical system 10 that may be used to perform a variety of different surgical procedures. as can be seen in that figure, one example of the surgical system 10 includes four interchangeable surgical tool assemblies 100, 200, 300, and 1000 that are each adapted for interchangeable use with a handle assembly 500. each interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100, 200, 300, and 1000 may be designed for use in connection with the performance of one or more specific surgical procedures. in another surgical system embodiment, the interchangeable surgical tool assemblies may be effectively employed with a tool drive assembly of a robotically controlled or automated surgical system. for example, the surgical tool assemblies disclosed herein may be employed with various robotic systems, instruments, components and methods such as, but not limited to, those disclosed in u.s. patent no. 9,072,535, entitled surgical stapling instruments with rotatable staple deployment arrangements, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. [0195] fig. 2 illustrates one form of an interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 that is operably coupled to the handle assembly 500. fig. 3 illustrates attachment of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 to the handle assembly 500. the attachment arrangement and process depicted in fig. 3 may also be employed in connection with attachment of any of the interchangeable surgical tool assemblies 100, 200, 300, and 1000 to a tool drive portion or tool drive housing of a robotic system. the handle assembly 500 may comprise a handle housing 502 that includes a pistol grip portion 504 that can be gripped and manipulated by the clinician. as will be briefly discussed below, the handle assembly 500 operably supports a plurality of drive systems that are configured to generate and apply various control motions to corresponding portions of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100, 200, 300, and/or 1000 that is operably attached thereto. [0196] referring now to fig. 3, the handle assembly 500 may further include a frame 506 that operably supports the plurality of drive systems. for example, the frame 506 can operably support a first or closure drive system, generally designated as 510, which may be employed to apply closing and opening motions to the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100, 200, 300, and 1000 that is operably attached or coupled to the handle assembly 500. in at least one form, the closure drive system 510 may include an actuator in the form of a closure trigger 512 that is pivotally supported by the frame 506. such an arrangement enables the closure trigger 512 to be manipulated by a clinician such that, when the clinician grips the pistol grip portion 504 of the handle assembly 500, the closure trigger 512 may be pivoted from a starting or "unactuated" position to an "actuated" position and more particularly to a fully compressed or fully actuated position. in various forms, the closure drive system 510 further includes a closure linkage assembly 514 that is pivotally coupled to the closure trigger 512 or otherwise operably interfaces therewith. as will be discussed in further detail below, the closure linkage assembly 514 includes a transverse attachment pin 516 that facilitates attachment to a corresponding drive system on the surgical tool assembly. to actuate the closure drive system, the clinician depresses the closure trigger 512 towards the pistol grip portion 504. as described in further detail in u.s. patent application serial no. 14/226,142, entitled surgical instrument comprising a sensor system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, the closure drive system is configured to lock the closure trigger 512 into the fully depressed or fully actuated position when the clinician fully depresses the closure trigger 512 to attain the full closure stroke. when the clinician desires to unlock the closure trigger 512 to permit the closure trigger 512 to be biased to the unactuated position, the clinician simply activates a closure release button assembly 518 which enables the closure trigger to return to unactuated position. the closure release button 518 may also be configured to interact with various sensors that communicate with a microcontroller 520 in the handle assembly 500 for tracking the position of the closure trigger 512. further details concerning the configuration and operation of the closure release button assembly 518 may be found in u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575. [0197] in at least one form, the handle assembly 500 and the frame 506 may operably support another drive system referred to herein as a firing drive system 530 that is configured to apply firing motions to corresponding portions of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly that is attached thereto. as was described in detail in u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575, the firing drive system 530 may employ an electric motor (not shown in figs. 1 - 3) that is located in the pistol grip portion 504 of the handle assembly 500. in various forms, the motor may be a dc brushed driving motor having a maximum speed of approximately 25,000 rpm, for example. in other arrangements, the motor may include a brushless motor, a cordless motor, a synchronous motor, a stepper motor, or any other suitable electric motor. the motor may be powered by a power source 522 that in one form may comprise a removable power pack. the power pack may support a plurality of lithium ion ("li") or other suitable batteries therein. a number of batteries may be connected in series may be used as the power source 522 for the surgical system 10. in addition, the power source 522 may be replaceable and/or rechargeable. [0198] the electric motor is configured to axially drive a longitudinally movable drive member 540 in distal and proximal directions depending upon the polarity of the voltage applied to the motor. for example, when the motor is driven in one rotary direction, the longitudinally movable drive member 540 the will be axially driven in the distal direction "dd". when the motor is driven in the opposite rotary direction, the longitudinally movable drive member 540 will be axially driven in a proximal direction "pd". the handle assembly 500 can include a switch 513 which can be configured to reverse the polarity applied to the electric motor by the power source 522 or otherwise control the motor. the handle assembly 500 can also include a sensor or sensors that are configured to detect the position of the drive member 540 and/or the direction in which the drive member 540 is being moved. actuation of the motor can be controlled by a firing trigger 532 (fig. 1 ) that is pivotally supported on the handle assembly 500. the firing trigger 532 may be pivoted between an unactuated position and an actuated position. the firing trigger 532 may be biased into the unactuated position by a spring or other biasing arrangement such that, when the clinician releases the firing trigger 532, the firing trigger 532 may be pivoted or otherwise returned to the unactuated position by the spring or biasing arrangement. in at least one form, the firing trigger 532 can be positioned "outboard" of the closure trigger 512 as was discussed above. as discussed in u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575, the handle assembly 500 may be equipped with a firing trigger safety button to prevent inadvertent actuation of the firing trigger 532. when the closure trigger 512 is in the unactuated position, the safety button is contained in the handle assembly 500 where the clinician cannot readily access the safety button and move it between a safety position preventing actuation of the firing trigger 532 and a firing position wherein the firing trigger 532 may be fired. as the clinician depresses the closure trigger 512, the safety button and the firing trigger 532 pivot downwardly where they can then be manipulated by the clinician. [0199] in at least one form, the longitudinally movable drive member 540 may have a rack of teeth formed thereon for meshing engagement with a corresponding drive gear arrangement that interfaces with the motor. further details regarding those features may be found in u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575. in at least one form, the handle assembly 500 also includes a manually-actuatable "bailout" assembly that is configured to enable the clinician to manually retract the longitudinally movable drive member 540 should the motor become disabled. the bailout assembly may include a lever or bailout handle assembly that is stored within the handle assembly 500 under a releasable door 550. the lever is configured to be manually pivoted into ratcheting engagement with the teeth in the drive member 540. thus, the clinician can manually retract the drive member 540 by using the bailout handle assembly to ratchet the drive member 5400 in the proximal direction "pd". u.s. patent application serial no. 12/249, 1 17, entitled powered surgical cutting and stapling apparatus with manually retractable firing system, now u.s. patent no. 8,608,045, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses bailout arrangements that may also be employed with the various surgical tool assemblies disclosed herein. [0200] turning now to fig. 2, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 includes a surgical end effector 1 10 that comprises a first jaw and a second jaw. in one arrangement, the first jaw comprises an elongate channel 1 12 that is configured to operably support a surgical staple cartridge 1 16 therein. the second jaw comprises an anvil 1 14 that is pivotally supported relative to the elongate channel 1 12. the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 also includes a lockable articulation joint 120 which can be configured to releasably hold the end effector 1 10 in a desired position relative to a shaft axis sa. details regarding various constructions and operation of the end effector 1 10, the articulation joint 120 and the articulation lock are set forth in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086, entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising an articulation lock, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 , which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. as can be further seen in figs. 2 and 3, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 can include a proximal housing or nozzle 130 and a closure tube assembly 140 which can be utilized to close and/or open the anvil 1 14 of the end effector 1 10. as discussed in u.s. patent application publication no. 2015/0272575, the closure tube assembly 140 is movably supported on a spine 145 which supports an articulation driver arrangement 147 configured to apply articulation motions to the surgical end effector 1 10. the spine 145 is configured to, one, slidably support a firing bar 170 therein and, two, slidably support the closure tube assembly 140 which extends around the spine 145. in various circumstances, the spine 145 includes a proximal end that is rotatably supported in a chassis 150. see fig. 3. in one arrangement, for example, the proximal end of the spine 145 is attached to a spine bearing that is configured to be supported within the chassis 150. such an arrangement facilitates the rotatable attachment of the spine 145 to the chassis 150 such that the spine 145 may be selectively rotated about a shaft axis sa relative to the chassis 150. [0201] still referring to fig. 3, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 includes a closure shuttle 160 that is slidably supported within the chassis 150 such that the closure shuttle 160 may be axially moved relative to the chassis 150. as can be seen in fig. 3, the closure shuttle 160 includes a pair of proximally-protruding hooks 162 that are configured to be attached to the attachment pin 516 that is attached to the closure linkage assembly 514 in the handle assembly 500. a proximal closure tube segment 146 of the closure tube assembly 140 is rotatably coupled to the closure shuttle 160. thus, when the hooks 162 are hooked over the pin 516, actuation of the closure trigger 512 will result in the axial movement of the closure shuttle 160 and, ultimately, the closure tube assembly 140 on the spine 145. a closure spring may also be journaled on the closure tube assembly 140 and serves to bias the closure tube assembly 140 in the proximal direction "pd" which can serve to pivot the closure trigger 512 into the unactuated position when the shaft assembly 100 is operably coupled to the handle assembly 500. in use, the closure tube assembly 140 is translated distally (direction dd) to close the anvil 1 14 in response to the actuation of the closure trigger 512. the closure tube assembly 140 includes a distal closure tube segment 142 that is pivotally pinned to a distal end of a proximal closure tube segment 146. the distal closure tube segment 142 is configured to axially move with the proximal closure tube segment 146 relative to the surgical end effector 1 10. when the distal end of the distal closure tube segment 142 strikes a proximal surface or ledge 1 15 on the anvil 1 14, the anvil 1 14 is pivoted closed. further details concerning the closure of anvil 1 14 may be found in the aforementioned u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 and will be discussed in further detail below. as was also described in detail in u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 , the anvil 1 14 is opened by proximally translating the distal closure tube segment 142. the distal closure tube segment 142 has a horseshoe aperture 143 therein that defines a downwardly extending return tab that cooperates with an anvil tab 1 17 formed on the proximal end of the anvil 1 14 to pivot the anvil 1 14 back to an open position. in the fully open position, the closure tube assembly 140 is in its proximal-most or unactuated position. [0202] as was also indicated above, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 further includes a firing bar 170 that is supported for axial travel within the shaft spine 145. the firing bar 170 includes an intermediate firing shaft portion that is configured to be attached to a distal cutting portion or knife bar that is configured for axial travel through the surgical end effector 1 10. in at least one arrangement, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 includes a clutch assembly which can be configured to selectively and releasably couple the articulation driver to the firing bar 170. further details regarding the clutch assembly features and operation may be found in u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 . as discussed in u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 , distal movement of the firing bar 170 can move the articulation driver arrangement 147 distally and, correspondingly, proximal movement of the firing bar 170 can move the articulation driver arrangement 147 proximally when the clutch assembly is in its engaged position. when the clutch assembly is in its disengaged position, movement of the firing bar 170 is not transmitted to the articulation driver arrangement 147 and, as a result, the firing bar 170 can move independently of the articulation driver arrangement 147. the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 may also include a slip ring assembly which can be configured to conduct electrical power to and/or from the end effector 1 10 and/or communicate signals to and/or from the end effector 1 10. further details regarding the slip ring assembly may be found in u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541. u.s. patent application serial no. 13/800,067, entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263552 is incorporated by reference in its entirety. u.s. patent no. 9,345,481 , entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, is also hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. [0203] still referring to fig. 3, the chassis 150 has one or more tapered attachment portions 152 formed thereon that are adapted to be received within corresponding dovetail slots 507 formed within a distal end of the frame 506. each dovetail slot 507 may be tapered or, stated another way, may be somewhat v-shaped to seatingly receive the tapered attachment portions 152 therein. as can be further seen in fig. 3, a shaft attachment lug 172 is formed on the proximal end of the firing shaft 170. when the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 is coupled to the handle assembly 500, the shaft attachment lug 172 is received in a firing shaft attachment cradle 542 formed in the distal end of the longitudinally movable drive member 540. the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 also employs a latch system 180 for releasably latching the shaft assembly 100 to the frame 506 of the handle assembly 500. in at least one form, the latch system 180 includes a lock member or lock yoke 182 that is movably coupled to the chassis 150, for example. the lock yoke 182 includes two proximally protruding lock lugs 184 that are configured for releasable engagement with corresponding lock detents or grooves 509 in the distal attachment flange of the frame 506. in various forms, the lock yoke 182 is biased in the proximal direction by spring or biasing member. actuation of the lock yoke 182 may be accomplished by a latch button 186 that is slidably mounted on a latch actuator assembly that is mounted to the chassis 150. the latch button 186 may be biased in a proximal direction relative to the lock yoke 182. as will be discussed in further detail below, the lock yoke 182 may be moved to an unlocked position by biasing the latch button 186 the in distal direction dd which also causes the lock yoke 182 to pivot out of retaining engagement with the distal attachment flange of the frame 506. when the lock yoke 182 is in retaining engagement with the distal attachment flange of the frame 506, the lock lugs 184 are retainingly seated within the corresponding lock detents or grooves 509 in the distal end of the frame 506. further details concerning the latching system may be found in u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 . [0204] to attach the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 to the handle assembly 500 a clinician may position the chassis 150 of the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 above or adjacent to the distal end of the frame 506 such that the tapered attachment portions 152 formed on the chassis 150 are aligned with the dovetail slots 507 in the frame 506. the clinician may then move the surgical tool assembly 100 along an installation axis ia that is perpendicular to the shaft axis sa to seat the tapered attachment portions 152 in operable engagement with the corresponding dovetail receiving slots 507 in the distal end of the frame 506. in doing so, the shaft attachment lug 172 on the firing shaft 170 will also be seated in the cradle 542 in the longitudinally movable drive member 540 and the portions of pin 516 on the closure link 514 will be seated in the corresponding hooks 162 in the closure shuttle 160. as used herein, the term "operable engagement" in the context of two components means that the two components are sufficiently engaged with each other so that, upon application of an actuation motion thereto, the components carry out their intended action, function, and/or procedure. [0205] returning now to fig. 1 , the surgical system 10 includes four interchangeable surgical tool assemblies 100, 200, 300, and 1000 that may each be effectively employed with the same handle assembly 500 to perform different surgical procedures. the construction of an exemplary form of interchangeable surgical tool assembly 100 was briefly discussed above and is discussed in further detail in u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 . various details regarding interchangeable surgical tool assemblies 200 and 300 may be found in the various u.s. patent applications which have been incorporated by reference herein. various details regarding interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 will be discussed in further detail below. [0206] as illustrated in fig. 1 , each of the surgical tool assemblies 100, 200, 300, and 1000 includes a pair of jaws wherein at least one of the jaws is movable to capture, manipulate, and/or clamp tissue between the two jaws. the movable jaw is moved between open and closed positions upon the application of closure and opening motions applied thereto from the handle assembly or the robotic or automated surgical system to which the surgical tool assembly is operably coupled. in addition, each of the illustrated interchangeable surgical tool assemblies includes a firing member that is configured to cut tissue and fire staples from a staple cartridge that is supported in one of the jaws in response to firing motions applied thereto by the handle assembly or robotic system. each surgical tool assembly may be uniquely designed to perform a specific procedure, for example, to cut and fasten a particular type of and thickness of tissue within a certain area in the body. the closing, firing and articulation control systems in the handle assembly 500 or robotic system may be configured to generate axial control motions and/or rotary control motions depending upon the type of closing, firing, and articulation system configurations that are employed in the surgical tool assembly. in one arrangement, one of the closure system control components moves axially from an unactuated position to its fully actuated position when a closure control system in the handle assembly or robotic system is fully actuated. the axial distance that the closure tube assembly moves between its unactuated position to its fully actuated position may be referred to herein as its "closure stroke length". similarly, one of the firing system control components moves axially from its unactuated position to its fully actuated or fired position when a firing system in the handle assembly or robotic system is fully actuated. the axial distance that the longitudinally movable drive member moves between its unactuated position and its fully fired position may be referred to herein as its "firing stroke length". for those surgical tool assemblies that employ articulatable end effector arrangements, the handle assembly or robotic system may employ articulation control components that move axially through an "articulation drive stroke length". in many circumstances, the closure stroke length, the firing stroke length, and the articulation drive stroke length are fixed for a particular handle assembly or robotic system. thus, each of the surgical tool assemblies must be able to accommodate control movements of the closure, firing, and/or articulation components through each of their entire stroke lengths without placing undue stress on the surgical tool components which might lead to damage the surgical tool assembly. [0207] turning now to figs. 4-10, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 includes a surgical end effector 1 100 that comprises an elongate channel 1 102 that is configured to operably support a staple cartridge 1 1 10 therein. the end effector 1 100 may further include an anvil 1 130 that is pivotally supported relative to the elongate channel 1 102. the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 may further include an articulation joint 1200 and an articulation lock 1210 (figs. 5 and 8-10) which can be configured to releasably hold the end effector 1 100 in a desired articulated position relative to a shaft axis sa. details regarding the construction and operation of the articulation lock 1210 may be found in in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086, entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising an articulation lock, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 , the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. additional details concerning the articulation lock may also be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,196, filed february 9, 2016, entitled surgical instrument articulation mechanism with slotted secondary constraint, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. as can be seen in fig. 7, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 can further include a proximal housing or nozzle 1300 comprised of nozzle portions 1302, 1304 as well as an actuator wheel portion 1306 that is configured to be coupled to the assembled nozzle portions 1302, 1304 by snaps, lugs, and/or screws, for example. the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 can further include a closure tube assembly 1400 which can be utilized to close and/or open the anvil 1 130 of the end effector 1 100 as will be discussed in further detail below. primarily referring now to figs. 8 and 9, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 can include a spine assembly 1500 which can be configured to support the articulation lock 1210. the spine assembly 1500 comprises an "elastic" spine or frame member 1510 which will be described in further detail below. a distal end portion 1522 of the elastic spine member 1510 is attached to a distal frame segment 1560 that operably supports the articulation lock 1210 therein. as can be seen in figs. 7 and 8, the spine assembly 1500 is configured to, one, slidably support a firing member assembly 1600 therein and, two, slidably support the closure tube assembly 1400 which extends around the spine assembly 1500. the spine assembly 1500 can also be configured to slidably support a proximal articulation driver 1700. [0208] as can be seen in fig. 10, the distal frame segment 1560 is pivotally coupled to the elongate channel 1 102 by an end effector mounting assembly 1230. in one arrangement, the distal end 1562 of the distal frame segment 1560 has a pivot pin 1564 formed thereon, for example. the pivot pin 1564 is adapted to be pivotally received within a pivot hole 1234 formed in pivot base portion 1232 of the end effector mounting assembly 1230. the end effector mounting assembly 1230 is attached to the proximal end 1 103 of the elongate channel 1 102 by a spring pin 1 108 or other suitable member. the pivot pin 1564 defines an articulation axis b-b that is transverse to the shaft axis sa. see fig. 4. such an arrangement facilitates pivotal travel (i.e., articulation) of the end effector 1 100 about the articulation axis b-b relative to the spine assembly 1500. [0209] still referring to fig. 10, the articulation driver 1700 has a distal end 1702 that is configured to operably engage the articulation lock 1210. the articulation lock 1210 includes an articulation frame 1212 that is adapted to operably engage a drive pin 1238 on the pivot base portion 1232 of the end effector mounting assembly 1230. in addition, a cross-link 1237 may be linked to the drive pin 1238 and articulation frame 1212 to assist articulation of the end effector 1 100. as indicated above, further details regarding the operation of the articulation lock 1210 and the articulation frame 1212 may be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541. further details regarding the end effector mounting assembly and a crosslink may be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,245, filed february 9, 2016, entitled surgical instruments with closure stroke reduction arrangements, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. in various circumstances, the elastic spine member 1510 includes a proximal end 1514 which is rotatably supported in a chassis 1800. in one arrangement, the proximal end 1514 of the elastic spine member 1510 has a thread 1516 formed thereon for threaded attachment to a spine bearing that is configured to be supported within the chassis 1800, for example. such an arrangement facilitates rotatable attachment of the elastic spine member 1510 to the chassis 1800 such that the spine assembly 1500 may be selectively rotated about a shaft axis sa relative to the chassis 1800. [0210] referring primarily to fig. 7, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 includes a closure shuttle 1420 that is slidably supported within the chassis 1800 such that the closure shuttle 1420 may be axially moved relative to the chassis 1800. in one form, the closure shuttle 1420 includes a pair of proximally-protruding hooks 1421 that are configured to be attached to the attachment pin 516 that is attached to the closure linkage assembly 514 of the handle assembly 500 as was discussed above. a proximal end 1412 of a proximal closure tube segment 1410 is rotatably coupled to the closure shuttle 1420. for example, a u-shaped connector 1424 is inserted into an annular slot 1414 in the proximal end 1412 of the proximal closure tube segment 1410 and is retained within vertical slots 1422 in the closure shuttle 1420. see fig. 7. such an arrangement serves to attach the proximal closure tube segment 1410 to the closure shuttle 1420 for axial travel therewith while enabling the closure tube assembly 1400 to rotate relative to the closure shuttle 1420 about the shaft axis sa. a closure spring is journaled on the proximal end 1412 of the proximal closure tube segment 1410 and serves to bias the closure tube assembly 1400 in the proximal direction pd which can serve to pivot the closure trigger 512 on the handle assembly 500 (fig. 3) into the unactuated position when the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 is operably coupled to the handle assembly 500. [0211] as indicated above, the illustrated interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 includes an articulation joint 1200. other interchangeable surgical tool assemblies, however, may not be capable of articulation. as can be seen in fig. 10, upper and lower tangs 1415, 1416 protrude distally from a distal end of the proximal closure tube segment 1410 which are configured to be movably coupled to an end effector closure sleeve or distal closure tube segment 1430 of the closure tube assembly 1400. as can be seen in fig. 10, the distal closure tube segment 1430 includes upper and lower tangs 1434, 1436 that protrude proximally from a proximal end thereof. an upper double pivot link 1220 includes proximal and distal pins that engage corresponding holes in the upper tangs 1415, 1434 of the proximal closure tube segment 1410 and distal closure tube segment 1430, respectively. similarly, a lower double pivot link 1222 includes proximal and distal pins that engage corresponding holes in the lower tangs 1416 and 1436 of the proximal closure tube segment 1410 and distal closure tube segment 1430, respectively. as will be discussed in further detail below, distal and proximal axial translation of the closure tube assembly 1400 will result in the closing and opening of the anvil 1 130 relative to the elongate channel 1 102. [0212] as mentioned above, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 further includes a firing member assembly 1600 that is supported for axial travel within the spine assembly 1500. the firing member assembly 1600 includes an intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 that is configured to be attached to a distal cutting portion or knife bar 1610. the firing member assembly 1600 may also be referred to herein as a "second shaft" and/or a "second shaft assembly". as can be seen in figs. 7-10, the intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 may include a longitudinal slot 1604 in the distal end thereof which can be configured to receive a tab on the proximal end of the knife bar 1610. the longitudinal slot 1604 and the proximal end of the knife bar 1610 can be sized and configured to permit relative movement therebetween and can comprise a slip joint 1612. the slip joint 1612 can permit the intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 of the firing member assembly 1600 to be moved to articulate the end effector 1 100 without moving, or at least substantially moving, the knife bar 1610. once the end effector 1 100 has been suitably oriented, the intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 can be advanced distally until a proximal sidewall of the longitudinal slot 1604 comes into contact with the tab on the knife bar 1610 to advance the knife bar 1610 and fire the staple cartridge 1 1 10 positioned within the elongate channel 1 102. as can be further seen in figs. 8 and 9, the elastic spine member 1520 has an elongate opening or window 1525 therein to facilitate the assembly and insertion of the intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 into the elastic spine member 1520. once the intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 has been inserted therein, a top frame segment 1527 may be engaged with the elastic spine member 1520 to enclose the intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 and knife bar 1610 therein. further description of the operation of the firing member assembly 1600 may be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 . [0213] further to the above, the interchangeable tool assembly 1000 can include a clutch assembly 1620 which can be configured to selectively and releasably couple the articulation driver 1700 to the firing member assembly 1600. in one form, the clutch assembly 1620 includes a lock collar, or sleeve 1622, positioned around the firing member assembly 1600 wherein the lock sleeve 1622 can be rotated between an engaged position in which the lock sleeve 1622 couples the articulation driver 1700 to the firing member assembly 1600 and a disengaged position in which the articulation driver 1700 is not operably coupled to the firing member assembly 1600. when the lock sleeve 1622 is in its engaged position, distal movement of the firing member assembly 1600 can move the articulation driver 1700 distally and, correspondingly, proximal movement of the firing member assembly 1600 can move the articulation driver 1700 proximally. when the lock sleeve 1622 is in its disengaged position, movement of the firing member assembly 1600 is not transmitted to the articulation driver 1700 and, as a result, the firing member assembly 1600 can move independently of the articulation driver 1700. in various circumstances, the articulation driver 1700 can be held in position by the articulation lock 1210 when the articulation driver 1700 is not being moved in the proximal or distal directions by the firing member assembly 1600. [0214] referring primarily to fig. 7, the lock sleeve 1622 can comprise a cylindrical, or an at least substantially cylindrical, body including a longitudinal aperture 1624 defined therein configured to receive the firing member assembly 1600. the lock sleeve 1622 can comprise diametrically-opposed, inwardly-facing lock protrusions 1626, 1628 and an outwardly-facing lock member 1629. the lock protrusions 1626, 1628 can be configured to be selectively engaged with the intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 of the firing member assembly 1600. more particularly, when the lock sleeve 1622 is in its engaged position, the lock protrusions 1626, 1628 are positioned within a drive notch 1605 defined in the intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 such that a distal pushing force and/or a proximal pulling force can be transmitted from the firing member assembly 1600 to the lock sleeve 1622. when the lock sleeve 1622 is in its engaged position, the second lock member 1629 is received within a drive notch 1704 defined in the articulation driver 1700 such that the distal pushing force and/or the proximal pulling force applied to the lock sleeve 1622 can be transmitted to the articulation driver 1700. in effect, the firing member assembly 1600, the lock sleeve 1622, and the articulation driver 1700 will move together when the lock sleeve 1622 is in its engaged position. on the other hand, when the lock sleeve 1622 is in its disengaged position, the lock protrusions 1626, 1628 may not be positioned within the drive notch 1605 of the intermediate firing shaft portion 1602 of the firing member assembly 1600 and, as a result, a distal pushing force and/or a proximal pulling force may not be transmitted from the firing member assembly 1600 to the lock sleeve 1622. correspondingly, the distal pushing force and/or the proximal pulling force may not be transmitted to the articulation driver 1700. in such circumstances, the firing member assembly 1600 can be slid proximally and/or distally relative to the lock sleeve 1622 and the proximal articulation driver 1700. the clutching assembly 1620 further includes a switch drum 1630 that interfaces with the lock sleeve 1622. further details concerning the operation of the switch drum and lock sleeve 1622 may be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 , and serial no. 15/019,196. the switch drum 1630 can further comprise at least partially circumferential openings 1632, 1634 defined therein which can receive circumferential mounts 1305 that extend from the nozzle halves 1302, 1304 and permit relative rotation, but not translation, between the switch drum 1630 and the proximal nozzle 1300. see fig. 6. rotation of the nozzle 1300 to a point where the mounts reach the end of their respective slots 1632, 1634 in the switch drum 1630 will result in rotation of the switch drum 1630 about the shaft axis sa. rotation of the switch drum 1630 will ultimately result in the movement of the lock sleeve 1622 between its engaged and disengaged positions. thus, in essence, the nozzle 1300 may be employed to operably engage and disengage the articulation drive system with the firing drive system in the various manners described in further detail in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 , and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,196, which have each been herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety. [0215] in the illustrated arrangement, the switch drum 1630 includes a an l-shaped slot 1636 that extends into a distal opening 1637 in the switch drum 1630. the distal opening 1637 receives a transverse pin 1639 of a shifter plate 1638. in one example, the shifter plate 1638 is received within a longitudinal slot that is provided in the lock sleeve 1622 to facilitate the axial movement of the lock sleeve 1622 when engaged with the articulation driver 1700. further details regarding the operation of the shifter plate and shift drum arrangements may be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 14/868,718, filed september 28, 2015, entitled surgical stapling instrument with shaft release, powered firing and powered articulation, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2017/0086823, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. [0216] as also illustrated in figs. 7 and 8, the interchangeable tool assembly 1000 can comprise a slip ring assembly 1640 which can be configured to conduct electrical power to and/or from the end effector 1 100, and/or communicate signals to and/or from the end effector 1 100, back to a microprocessor in the handle assembly or robotic system controller, for example. further details concerning the slip ring assembly 1640 and associated connectors may be found in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/803,086, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263541 , and u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019, 196 which have each been herein incorporated by reference in their respective entirety as well as in u.s. patent application serial no. 13/800,067, entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263552, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. as also described in further detail in the aforementioned patent applications that have been incorporated by reference herein, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 can also comprise at least one sensor that is configured to detect the position of the switch drum 1630. [0217] referring again to fig. 7, the chassis 1800 includes one or more tapered attachment portions 1802 formed thereon that are adapted to be received within corresponding dovetail slots 507 formed within the distal end portion of the frame 506 of the handle assembly 500 as was discussed above. as can be further seen in fig. 7, a shaft attachment lug 1605 is formed on the proximal end of the intermediate firing shaft 1602. as will be discussed in further detail below, the shaft attachment lug 1605 is received in a firing shaft attachment cradle 542 that is formed in the distal end of the longitudinal drive member 540 when the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 is coupled to the handle assembly 500. see fig. 3. [0218] various interchangeable surgical tool assemblies employ a latch system 1810 for removably coupling the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 to the frame 506 of the handle assembly 500. in at least one form, as can be seen in fig. 7, the latch system 1810 includes a lock member or lock yoke 1812 that is movably coupled to the chassis 1800. the lock yoke 1812 has a u-shape with two spaced downwardly extending legs 1814. the legs 1814 each have a pivot lug formed thereon that are adapted to be received in corresponding holes 1816 formed in the chassis 1800. such an arrangement facilitates the pivotal attachment of the lock yoke 1812 to the chassis 1800. the lock yoke 1812 may include two proximally protruding lock lugs 1818 that are configured for releasable engagement with corresponding lock detents or grooves 509 in the distal end of the frame 506 of the handle assembly 500. see fig. 3. in various forms, the lock yoke 1812 is biased in the proximal direction by a spring or biasing member 1819. actuation of the lock yoke 1812 may be accomplished by a latch button 1820 that is slidably mounted on a latch actuator assembly 1822 that is mounted to the chassis 1800. the latch button 1820 may be biased in a proximal direction relative to the lock yoke 1812. the lock yoke 1812 may be moved to an unlocked position by biasing the latch button 1820 the in distal direction which also causes the lock yoke 1812 to pivot out of retaining engagement with the distal end of the frame 506. when the lock yoke 1812 is in retaining engagement with the distal end of the frame 506, the lock lugs 1818 are retainingly seated within the corresponding lock detents or grooves 509 in the distal end of the frame 506. [0219] in the illustrated arrangement, the lock yoke 1812 includes at least one and preferably two lock hooks 1824 that are adapted to contact corresponding lock lug portions 1426 that are formed on the closure shuttle 1420. when the closure shuttle 1420 is in an unactuated position, the lock yoke 1812 may be pivoted in a distal direction to unlock the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 from the handle assembly 500. when in that position, the lock hooks 1824 do not contact the lock lug portions 1426 on the closure shuttle 1420. however, when the closure shuttle 1420 is moved to an actuated position, the lock yoke 1812 is prevented from being pivoted to an unlocked position. stated another way, if the clinician were to attempt to pivot the lock yoke 1812 to an unlocked position or, for example, the lock yoke 1812 was in advertently bumped or contacted in a manner that might otherwise cause it to pivot distally, the lock hooks 1824 on the lock yoke 1812 will contact the lock lugs 1426 on the closure shuttle 1420 and prevent movement of the lock yoke 1812 to an unlocked position. [0220] still referring to fig. 10, the knife bar 1610 may comprise a laminated beam structure that includes at least two beam layers. such beam layers may comprise, for example, stainless steel bands that are interconnected by, for example, welds and/or pins at their proximal ends and/or at other locations along the length of the bands. in alternative embodiments, the distal ends of the bands are not connected together to allow the laminates or bands to splay relative to each other when the end effector is articulated. such an arrangement permits the knife bar 1610 to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate articulation of the end effector. various laminated knife bar arrangements are disclosed in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,245. as can also be seen in fig. 10, a middle support member 1614 is employed to provide lateral support to the knife bar 1610 as it flexes to accommodate articulation of the surgical end effector 1 100. further details concerning the middle support member and alternative knife bar support arrangements are disclosed in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,245. as can also be seen in fig. 10, a firing member or knife member 1620 is attached to the distal end of the knife bar 1610. [0221] fig. 1 1 illustrates one form of a firing member 1660 that may be employed with the interchangeable tool assembly 1000. the firing member 1660 comprises a body portion 1662 that includes a proximally extending connector member 1663 that is configured to be received in a correspondingly shaped connector opening 1614 in the distal end of the knife bar 1610. see fig. 10. the connector 1663 may be retained within the connector opening 1614 by friction, welding, and/or a suitable adhesive, for example. referring to figs. 15-17, the body portion 1662 protrudes through an elongate slot 1 104 in the elongate channel 1 102 and terminates in a foot member 1664 that extends laterally on each side of the body portion 1662. as the firing member 1660 is driven distally through the surgical staple cartridge 1 1 10, the foot member 1664 rides within a passage in the elongate channel 1 102 that is located under the surgical staple cartridge 1 1 10. as can be seen in fig. 1 1 , the firing member 1660 may further include laterally protruding central tabs, pins, or retainer features 1680. as the firing member 1660 is driven distally through the surgical staple cartridge 1 1 10, the central retainer features 1680 ride on the inner surface 1 106 of the elongate channel 1 102. the body portion 1662 of the firing member 1660 further includes a tissue cutting edge or feature 1666 that is disposed between a distally protruding shoulder 1665 and a distally protruding top nose portion 1670. as can be further seen in fig. 1 1 , the firing member 1660 may further include two laterally extending top tabs, pins or anvil engagement features 1665. see figs. 13 and 14. as the firing member 1660 is driven distally, a top portion of the body 1662 extends through a centrally disposed anvil slot 1 138 (fig. 14) and the top anvil engagement features 1672 ride on corresponding ledges 1 136 formed on each side of the anvil slot 1 134. [0222] returning to fig. 10, the firing member 1660 is configured to operably interface with a sled 1 120 that is supported within the body 1 1 1 1 of the surgical staple cartridge 1 1 10. the sled 1 120 is slidably displaceable within the surgical staple cartridge body 1 1 1 1 from a proximal starting position adjacent the proximal end 1 1 12 of the cartridge body 1 1 1 1 to an ending position adjacent a distal end 1 1 13 of the cartridge body 1 1 1 1 . the cartridge body 1 1 1 1 operably supports therein a plurality of staple drivers (not shown in fig. 10) that are aligned in rows on each side of a centrally disposed slot 1 1 14. the centrally disposed slot 1 1 14 enables the firing member 1660 to pass therethrough and cut the tissue that is clamped between the anvil 1 130 and the staple cartridge 1 1 10. the drivers are associated with corresponding pockets 1 1 15 that open through the upper deck surface of the cartridge body. each of the staple drivers supports one or more surgical staples or fasteners thereon. the sled 1 120 includes a plurality of sloped or wedge-shaped cams 1 122 wherein each cam 1 122 corresponds to a particular line of fasteners or drivers located on a side of the slot 1 1 14. in the illustrated example, one cam 1 122 is aligned with one line of "double" drivers that each support two staples or fasteners thereon and another cam 1 122 is aligned with another line of "single" drivers on the same side of the slot 1 1 14 that each support a single surgical staple or fastener thereon. thus, in the illustrated example, when the surgical staple cartridge 1 1 10 is "fired", there will be three lines of staples on each lateral side of the tissue cut line. however, other cartridge and driver configurations could also be employed to fire other staple/fastener arrangements. the sled 1 120 has a central body portion 1 124 that is configured to be engaged by the shoulder 1665 of the firing member 1660. when the firing member 1660 is fired or driven distally, the firing member 1660 drives the sled 1 120 distally as well. as the firing member 1660 moves distally through the cartridge 1 1 10, the tissue cutting feature 1666 cuts the tissue that is clamped between the anvil assembly 1 130 and the cartridge 1 1 10 and, also, the sled 1 120 drives the drivers upwardly in the cartridge which drive the corresponding staples or fasteners into forming contact with the anvil assembly 1 130. [0223] in embodiments where the firing member includes a tissue cutting surface, it may be desirable for the elongate shaft assembly to be configured in such a way so as to prevent the inadvertent advancement of the firing member unless an unspent staple cartridge is properly supported in the elongate channel 1 102 of the surgical end effector 1 100. if, for example, no staple cartridge is present at all and the firing member is distally advanced through the end effector, the tissue would be severed, but not stapled. similarly, if a spent staple cartridge (i.e., a staple cartridge wherein at least some of the staples have already been fired therefrom) is present in the end effector and the firing member is advanced, the tissue would be severed, but may not be completely stapled, if at all. it will be appreciated that such occurrences could lead to undesirable results during the surgical procedure. u.s. patent no. 6,988,649 entitled surgical stapling instrument having a spent cartridge lockout, u.s. patent no. 7,044,352 entitled surgical stapling instrument having a single lockout mechanism for prevention of firing, and u.s. patent no. 7,380,695 entitled surgical stapling instrument having a single lockout mechanism for prevention of firing, and u.s. patent application serial no. 14/742,933, entitled surgical stapling instruments with lockout arrangements for preventing firing system actuation when a cartridge is spent or missing each disclose various firing member lockout arrangements. each of those references is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. [0224] an "unfired", "unspent", "fresh" or "new" fastener cartridge 1 1 10 means that the fastener cartridge 1 1 10 has all of its fasteners in their "ready-to-be-fired positions". the new cartridge 1 1 10 is seated within the elongate channel 1 102 and may be retained therein by snap features on the cartridge body that are configured to retainingly engage corresponding portions of the elongate channel 1 102. figs. 15 and 18 illustrate a portion of the surgical end effector 1 100 with a new or unfired surgical staple cartridge 1 1 10 seated therein. as can be seen in figs. 15 and 18, the sled 1 120 is in its starting position. to prevent the firing system from being activated and, more precisely, to prevent the firing member 1660 from being distally driven through the end effector 1 1 10 unless an unfired or new surgical staple cartridge has been properly seated within the elongate channel 1 102, the interchangeable surgical tool assembly 1000 employs a firing member lockout system generally designated as 1650. [0225] referring now to figs. 10 and 15-19, the firing member lockout system 1650 includes a movable lock member 1652 that is configured to retainingly engage the firing member 1660 when a new surgical staple cartridge 1 1 10 is not seated properly within the elongate channel 1 102. more specifically, the lock member 1652 comprises at least one laterally moving locking portion 1654 that is configured to retainingly engage a corresponding portion of the firing member 1660 when the sled 1 120 is not present within the cartridge 1 1 10 in its starting position. in fact, the lock member 1652 employs two laterally moving locking portions 1654 which each engage a laterally extending portion of the firing member 1660. other lockout arrangements can be used. [0226] the lock member 1652 comprises a generally u-shaped spring member where each laterally movable leg or locking portion 1654 extends from a central spring portion 1653 and is configured to move in lateral directions represented by "l" in figs. 18 and 19. it will be appreciated that the term "lateral directions" refers to directions that are transverse to the shaft axis sa (fig. 2). the spring or lock member 1652 may be fabricated from high strength spring steel and/or a similar material, for example. the central spring portion 1653 is seated within a slot 1236 in the end effector mounting assembly 1230. see fig. 10. as can be seen in figs. 15-17, each of the laterally movable legs or locking portions 1654 has a distal end 1656 with a locking window 1658 therein. when the locking member 1652 is in a locked position, the central retainer feature 1680 on each lateral side of the firing member 1660 extends into corresponding locking windows 1658 defined in the locking portions 1654 to retainingly prevent the firing member from being distally, or axially, advanced. [0227] operation of the firing member lock out system will be explained with reference to figs. 15-19. figs. 15 and 18 illustrate a portion of the surgical end effector 1 100 with a new unfired cartridge 1 1 10 properly installed therein. as can be seen in figs. 15 and 18, the sled 1 120 includes an unlocking feature 1 126 that corresponds to each of the laterally movable locking portions 1654. an unlocking feature 1 126 is provided on or extends proximally from each of the central wedge-shaped cams 1 122. in alternative arrangements, the unlocking feature 1 126 may comprise a proximally protruding portion of the corresponding wedge-shaped cam 1 122. as can be seen in fig. 18, the unlocking features 1 124 engage and bias the corresponding locking portions 1654 laterally in a direction that is transverse to the shaft axis sa (fig. 2) when the sled 1 120 is in its starting position. when the locking portions 1654 are in such unlocked orientations, the central retainer features 1680 are not in retaining engagement with the locking windows 1658. in such instances, the firing member 1660 may be distally, or axially, advanced (fired). however, when a cartridge is not present in the elongate channel 1 102 or the sled 1 120 has been moved out of its starting position (meaning the cartridge is partially or completely fired), the locking portions 1654 spring laterally into retaining engagement with the firing member 1660. in such instances, referring to fig. 19, the firing member 1660 cannot be moved distally. [0228] figs. 16 and 17 illustrate the retraction of the firing member 1660 back to its starting, or unfired, position after performing a staple firing stroke as discussed above. fig. 16 depicts the initial reengagement of the retaining features 1680 into their corresponding locking windows 1658. fig. 17 illustrates the retaining feature in its locked position when the firing member 1660 has been fully retracted back to its starting position. to assist in the lateral displacement of the locking portions 1654 when they are contacted by the proximally moving retaining features 1680, each of the retaining features 1680 may be provided with a proximally-facing, laterally- tapered end portion. such a lockout system prevents the actuation of the firing member 1660 when a new unfired cartridge is not present or when a new unfired cartridge is present, but has not been properly seated in the elongate channel 1 102. in addition, the lockout system may prevent the clinician from distally advancing the firing member in the case where a spent or partially fired cartridge has been inadvertently properly seated within the elongate channel. another advantage that may be provided by the lockout system 1650 is that, unlike other firing member lock out arrangements that require movement of the firing member into and out of alignment with the corresponding slots/passages in the staple cartridge, the firing member 1660 remains in alignment with the cartridge passages while in the locked and unlocked positions. the locking portions 1654 are designed to move laterally into and out of engagement with corresponding sides of the firing member. such lateral movement of the locking portions or portion is distinguishable from other locking arrangements that move in vertical directions to engage and disengage portions of the firing member. [0229] returning to figs. 13 and 14, the anvil 1 130 includes an elongate anvil body portion 1 132 and a proximal anvil mounting portion 1 150. the elongate anvil body portion 1 132 includes an outer surface 1 134 that defines two downwardly extending tissue stop members 1 136 that are adjacent to the proximal anvil mounting portion 1 150. the elongate anvil body portion 1 132 also includes an underside 1 135 that defines an elongate anvil slot 1 138. in the illustrated arrangement shown in fig. 14, the anvil slot 1 138 is centrally disposed in the underside 1 135. the underside 1 135 includes three rows 1 140, 1 141 , 1 142 of staple forming pockets 1 143, 1 144 and 1 145 located on each side of the anvil slot 1 138. adjacent each side of the anvil slot 1 138 are two elongate anvil passages 1 146. each passage 1 146 has a proximal ramp portion 1 148. see fig. 13. as the firing member 1660 is advanced distally, the top anvil engagement features 1632 initially enter the corresponding proximal ramp portions 1 148 and into the corresponding elongate anvil passages 1 146. [0230] turning to figs. 12 and 13, the anvil slot 1 138, as well as the proximal ramp portion 1 148, extend into the anvil mounting portion 1 150. stated another way, the anvil slot 1 138 divides or bifurcates the anvil mounting portion 1 150 into two anvil attachment flanges 1 151 . the anvil attachments flanges 1 151 are coupled together at their proximal ends by a connection bridge 1 153. the connection bridge 1 153 supports the anvil attachment flanges 1 151 and can serve to make the anvil mounting portion 1 150 more rigid than the mounting portions of other anvil arrangements which are not connected at their proximal ends. as can also be seen in figs. 12 and 14, the anvil slot 1 138 has a wide portion 1 139 to accommodate the top portion including the top anvil engagement features 1632, of the firing member 1660 when the firing member 1660 is in its proximal unfired position. [0231] as can be seen in figs. 13 and 20-24, each of the anvil attachment flanges 1 151 includes a transverse mounting hole 1 156 that is configured to receive a pivot pin 1 158 (figs. 10 and 20) therethrough. the anvil mounting portion 1 150 is pivotally pinned to the proximal end 1 103 of the elongate channel 1 102 by the pivot pin 1 158 which extends through mounting holes 1 107 in the proximal end 1 103 of the elongate channel 1 102 and the mounting hole 1 156 in anvil mounting portion 1 150. such an arrangement pivotally affixes the anvil 1 130 to the elongate channel 1 102 s that the anvil 1 130 can be pivoted about a fixed anvil axis a-a which is transverse to the shaft axis sa. see fig. 5. the anvil mounting portion 1 150 also includes a cam surface 1 152 that extends from a centralized firing member parking area 1 154 to the outer surface 1 134 of the anvil body portion 1 132. [0232] further to the above, the anvil 1 130 is movable between an open position and closed positions by axially advancing and retracting the distal closure tube segment 1430, as discussed further below. a distal end portion of the distal closure tube segment 1430 has an internal cam surface formed thereon that is configured to engage the cam surface 1552, or cam surfaces formed on the anvil mounting portion 1 150, and move the anvil 1 130. fig. 22 illustrates a cam surface 1 152a formed on the anvil mounting portion 1 150 so as to establish a single contact path 1 155a with the internal cam surface 1444, for example, on the distal closure tube segment 1430. fig. 23 illustrates a cam surface 1 152b that is configured relative to the internal cam surface 1444 on the distal closure tube segment to establish two separate and distinct arcuate contact paths 1 155b between the cam surface 1 152 on the anvil mounting portion 1 150 and internal cam surface 1444 on the distal closure tube segment 1430. in addition to other potential advantages discussed herein, such an arrangement may better distribute the closure forces from the distal closure tube segment 1430 to the anvil 1 130. fig. 24 illustrates a cam surface 1 152c that is configured relative to the internal cam surface 1444 of the distal closure tube segment 1430 to establish three distinct zones of contact 1 155c and 1 155d between the cam surfaces on the anvil mounting portion 1 150 and the distal closure tube segment 1430. the zones 1 155c, 1 155d establish larger areas of camming contact between the cam surface or cam surfaces on the distal closure tube segment 1430 and the anvil mounting portion 1 150 and may better distribute the closure forces to the anvil 1 130. [0233] as the distal closure tube segment 1430 cammingly engages the anvil mounting portion 1 150 of the anvil 1 130, the anvil 1 130 is pivoted about the anvil axis aa (fig. 5) which results in the pivotal movement of the distal end of the end 1 133 of elongate anvil body portion 1 132 toward the surgical staple cartridge 1 1 10 and the distal end 1 105 of the elongate channel 1 102. as the anvil body portion 1 132 begins to pivot, it contacts the tissue that is to be cut and stapled which is now positioned between the underside 1 135 of the elongate anvil body portion 1 132 and the deck 1 1 16 of the surgical staple cartridge 1 1 10. as the anvil body portion 1 132 is compressed onto the tissue, the anvil 1 130 may experience considerable amounts of resistive forces and/or bending loads, for example. these resistive forces are overcome as the distal closure tube 1430 continues its distal advancement. however, depending upon their magnitudes and points of application to the anvil body portion 1 132, these resistive forces could tend to cause portions of the anvil 1 130 to flex away from the staple cartridge 1 1 10 which may generally be undesirable. for example, such flexure may cause misalignment between the firing member 1660 and the passages 1 148, 1 146 within the anvil 1 130. in instances wherein the flexure is excessive, such flexure could significantly increase the amount of firing force required to fire the instrument (i.e., drive the firing member 1660 through the tissue from its starting to ending position). such excessive firing force may result in damage to the end effector, the firing member, the knife bar, and/or the firing drive system components, for example. thus, it may be advantageous for the anvil to be constructed so as to resist such flexure. [0234] figs. 25-27 illustrate an anvil 1 130' that includes features that improve the stiffness of the anvil body and its resistance to flexure forces that may be generated during the closing and/or firing processes. the anvil 1 130' may otherwise be identical in construction to the anvil 1 130 described above except for the differences discussed herein. as can be seen in figs. 25- 27, the anvil 1 130' has an elongate anvil body 1 132' that has an upper body portion 1 165 that and anvil cap 1 170 attached thereto. the anvil cap 1 170 is roughly rectangular in shape and has an outer cap perimeter 1 172, although the anvil cap 1 170 can have any suitable shape. the perimeter 1 172 of the anvil cap 1 170 is configured to be inserted into a correspondingly- shaped opening 1 137 formed in the upper body portion 1 165 and positioned against axially extending internal ledge portions 1 139 formed therein. see fig. 27. the internal ledge portions 1 139 are configured to support the corresponding long sides 1 177 of the anvil cap 1 170. in an alternative embodiment, the anvil cap 1 170 may be slid onto the internal ledges 1 139 through an opening in the distal end 1 133 of the anvil body 1 132'. in yet another embodiment, no internal ledge portions are provided. the anvil body 1 132' and the anvil cap 1 170 may be fabricated from suitable metal that is conducive to welding. a first weld 1 178 may extend around the entire cap perimeter 1 172 of the anvil cap 1 170 or it may only be located along the long sides 1 177 of the anvil cap 1 170 and not the distal end 1 173 and/or proximal end 1 175 thereof. the first weld 1 178 may be continuous or it may be discontinuous or intermittent. in those embodiments where the first weld 1 178 is discontinuous or intermittent, the weld segments may be equally distributed along the long sides 1 177 of the anvil cap 1 170, more densely spaced closer to the distal ends of the long sides 1 177, and/or more densely spaced closer to the proximal ends of the long sides 1 177. in certain arrangements, the weld segments may be more densely spaced in the center areas of the long sides 1 177 of the anvil cap 1 170. [0235] figs. 28-30 illustrate an anvil cap 1 170' that is configured to be mechanically interlocked to the anvil body 1 132' as well as welded to the upper body portion 1 165. in this embodiment, a plurality of retention formations 1 182 are defined in the wall 1 180 of the upper body portion 1 165 that defines opening 1 137. as used in this context, the term "mechanically interlocked" means that the anvil cap will remain affixed to the elongate anvil body regardless of the orientation of the elongate anvil body and without any additional retaining or fastening such as welding and/or adhesive, for example. the retention formations 1 182 may protrude inwardly into the opening 1 137 from the opening wall 1 180, although any suitable arrangement can be used. the retention formations 1 182 may be integrally formed into the wall 1 180 or otherwise be attached thereto. the retention formations 1 182 are designed to frictionally engage a corresponding portion of the anvil cap 1 170' when the anvil cap 1 170' is installed in the opening 1 137 to frictionally retain the anvil cap 1 170' therein. the retention formations 1 182 protrude inwardly into the opening 1 137 and are configured to be frictionally received within a correspondingly shaped engagement area 1 184 formed in the outer perimeter 1 172' of the anvil cap 1 170'. the retention formations 1 182 only correspond to the long sides 1 177' of the anvil cap 1 170' and are not provided in the portions of the wall 1 180 that correspond to the distal end 1 173 or proximal end 1 175 of the anvil cap 1 170'. in alternative arrangements, the retention formations 1 182 may also be provided in the portions of the wall 1 180 that correspond to the distal end 1 173 and proximal end 1 175 of the anvil cap 1 170' as well as the long sides 1 177' thereof. in still other arrangements, the retention formations 1 182 may only be provided in the portions of the wall 1 180 that correspond to one or both of the distal and proximal ends 1 173, 1 175 of the anvil cap 1 170'. in still other arrangements, the retention formations 1 182 may be provided in the portions of the wall 1 180 corresponding to the long sides 1 177' and only one of the proximal and distal ends 1 173, 1 175 of the anvil cap 1 170'. it will be further understood that the retention protrusions in all of the foregoing embodiments may be alternatively formed on the anvil cap with the engagement areas being formed in the elongate anvil body. [0236] in the embodiment illustrated in figs. 28-30, the retention formations 1 182 are equally spaced or equally distributed along the wall portions 1 180 of the anvil cap 1 170'. in alternative embodiments, the retention formations 1 182 may be more densely spaced closer to the distal ends of the long sides 1 177' or more densely spaced closer to the proximal ends of the long sides 1 177'. stated another way, the spacing between those retention formations adjacent the distal end, the proximal end or both the distal and proximal ends may be less than the spacing of the formations located in the central portion of the anvil cap 1 170'. in still other arrangements, the retention formations 1 182 may be more densely spaced in the center areas of the long sides 1 177' of the anvil cap 1 170'. in some alternative embodiments, the correspondingly shaped engagement areas 1 184 may not be provided in the outer perimeter 1 172' or in portions of the outer perimeter 1 172' of the anvil cap 1 170'. in other embodiments, the retention formations and correspondingly-shaped engagement areas may be provided with different shapes and sizes. in alternative arrangements, the retention formations may be sized relative to the engagement areas so that there is no interference fit therebetween. in such arrangements, the anvil cap may be retained in position by welding, and/or an adhesive, for example. [0237] in the illustrated example, a weld 1 178' extends around the entire perimeter 1 172' of the anvil cap 1 170'. alternatively, the weld 1 178' is located along the long sides 1 177' of the anvil cap 1 170' and not the distal end 1 173 and/or proximal end 1 175 thereof. the weld 1 178' may be continuous or it may be discontinuous or intermittent. in those embodiments where the weld 1 178' is discontinuous or intermittent, the weld segments may be equally distributed along the long sides 1 177' of the anvil cap 1 170' or the weld segments may be more densely spaced closer to the distal ends of the long sides 1 177' or more densely spaced closer to the proximal ends of the long sides 1 177'. in still other arrangements, the weld segments may be more densely spaced in the center areas of the long sides 1 177' of the anvil cap 1 170'. [0238] figs. 31 and 32 illustrate another anvil arrangement 1 130" that has an anvil cap 1 170" attached thereto. the anvil cap 1 170" is roughly rectangular in shape and has an outer cap perimeter 1 172"; however, the anvil cap 1 170" can comprise of any suitable configuration. the outer cap perimeter 1 172" is configured to be inserted into a correspondingly-shaped opening 1 137" in upper body portion 1 165 of the anvil body 1 132" and received on axially extending internal ledge portions 1 139" and 1 190" formed therein. see fig. 32. the ledge portions 1 139" and 1 190" are configured to support the corresponding long sides 1 177" of the anvil cap 1 170". in an alternative embodiment, the anvil cap 1 170" is slid onto the internal ledges 1 139" and 1 190" through an opening in the distal end 1 133" of the anvil body 1 132'. the anvil body 1 132" and the anvil cap 1 170" may be fabricated from metal material that is conducive to welding. a first weld 1 178" may extend around the entire perimeter 1 172" of the anvil cap 1 170" or it may only be located along the long sides 1 177" of the anvil cap 1 170" and not the distal end 1 173" and/or proximal end thereof. the weld 1 178" may be continuous or it may be discontinuous or intermittent. it will be appreciated that the continuous weld embodiment has more weld surface area due to the irregularly shape perimeter of the anvil cap 1 170" as compared to the embodiments with a straight perimeter sides such as the anvil caps shown in fig. 26, for example. in those embodiments where the weld 1 178" is discontinuous or intermittent, the weld segments may be equally distributed along the long sides 1 177" of the anvil cap 1 170" or the weld segments may be more densely spaced closer to the distal ends of the long sides 1 177" or more densely spaced closer to the proximal ends of the long sides 1 177". in still other arrangements, the weld segments may be more densely spaced in the center areas of the long sides 1 177" of the anvil cap 1 170". [0239] still referring to figs. 31 and 32, the anvil cap 1 170" may be additionally welded to the anvil body 1 132" by a plurality of second discrete "deep" welds 1 192". for example, each weld 1 192" may be placed at the bottom of a corresponding hole or opening 1 194" provided through the anvil cap 1 170" so that a discrete weld 1 192" may be formed along the portion of the anvil body 1 132" between the ledges 1 190" and 1 139". see fig. 32. the welds 1 192" may be equally distributed along the long sides 1 177" of the anvil cap 1 170" or the welds 1 192" may be more densely spaced closer to the distal ends of the long sides 1 177" or more densely spaced closer to the proximal ends of the long sides 1 177". in still other arrangements, the welds 1 192" may be more densely spaced in the center areas of the long sides 1 177" of the anvil cap 1 170". [0240] fig. 33 illustrates another anvil cap 1 170"' that is configured to be mechanically interlocked to the anvil body 1 132"' as well as welded to the upper body portion 1 165. in this embodiment, a tongue-and-groove arrangement is employed along each long side 1 177"' of the anvil cap 1 170"'. in particular, a laterally extending continuous or intermittent tab 1 195"' protrudes from each of the long sides 1 177"' of the anvil cap 1 170"'. each tab 1 195" corresponds to an axial slot 1 197"' formed in the anvil body 1 132"'. the anvil cap 1 170"' is slid in from an opening in the distal end of the anvil body 1 132"' to "mechanically" affix the anvil cap to the anvil body 1 132"'. the tabs 1 195"' and slots 1 197"' may be sized relative to each other to establish a sliding frictional fit therebetween. in addition, the anvil cap 1 170"' may be welded to the anvil body 1 132"'. the anvil body 1 132"' and the anvil cap 1 170"' may be fabricated from metal that is conducive to welding. the weld 1 178"' may extend around the entire perimeter 1 172"' of the anvil cap 1 170"' or it may only be located along the long sides 1 177"' of the anvil cap 1 170"'. the weld 1 178"' may be continuous or it may be discontinuous or intermittent. in those embodiments where the weld 1 178"' is discontinuous or intermittent, the weld segments may be equally distributed along the long sides 1 177"' of the anvil cap 1 170"' or the weld segments may be more densely spaced closer to the distal ends of the long sides 1 177"' or more densely spaced closer to the proximal ends of the long sides 1 177"'. in still other arrangements, the weld segments may be more densely spaced in the center areas of the long sides 1 177"' of the anvil cap 1 170"'. [0241] the anvil embodiments described herein with anvil caps may provide several advantages. one advantage for example, may make the anvil and firing member assembly process easier. that is, the firing member may be installed through the opening in the anvil body while the anvil is attached to the elongate channel. another advantage is that the upper cap may improve the anvil's stiffness and resistance to the above-mentioned flexure forces that may be experienced when clamping tissue. by resisting such flexure, the frictional forces normally encountered by the firing member 1660 may be reduced. thus, the amount of firing force required to drive the firing member from its starting to ending position in the surgical staple cartridge may also be reduced. [0242] fig. 34 provides a side-by-side comparison of two anvils. a portion of a first anvil 2030 of an end effector 2000 is depicted in the right half of fig. 34 and a portion of a second anvil 2030' of an end effector 2000' is depicted in the left half of fig. 34. the anvil 2030 comprises a first longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032a, a second longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032b, and a third longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032c. the anvil 2030 further comprises a longitudinal slot 2033 which is configured to receive a firing member, such as firing member 2040, for example, as the firing member is advanced through a staple firing stroke. the first longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032a is positioned intermediate the longitudinal slot 2033 and the second longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032b, and the second longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032b is positioned intermediate the first longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032a and the third longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032c. as a result, the first longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032a comprises an inner row, the third longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032c comprises an outer row, and the second longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032b comprises a middle or intermediate row. [0243] similar to the above, the anvil 2030' comprises a first longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032a, a second longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032b, and a third longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032c. the anvil 2030' further comprises a longitudinal slot 2033' which is configured to receive a firing member, such as firing member 2040', for example, as the firing member is advanced through a staple firing stroke. the first longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032a is positioned intermediate the longitudinal slot 2033' and the second longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032b, and the second longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032b is positioned intermediate the first longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032a and the third longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032c. as a result, the first longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032a comprises an inner row, the third longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032c comprises an outer row, and the second longitudinal row of forming pockets 2032b comprises a middle or intermediate row. [0244] the anvil 2030 comprises a flat, or an at least substantially flat, tissue engaging surface 2031 . the forming pockets 2032a, 2032b, and 2032c are defined in the flat surface 2031 . the flat surface 2031 does not have steps defined therein; however, embodiments are envisioned in which the anvil 2030 can comprise a stepped tissue engaging surface. for instance, the anvil 2030' comprises a stepped tissue engaging surface 2031 '. in this embodiment, the forming pockets 2032a and 2032b are defined in a lower step and the forming pockets 2032c are defined in an upper step. [0245] the firing member 2040' comprises a coupling member 2042' including a cutting portion 2041. the cutting portion 2041 is configured and arranged to incise tissue captured between the anvil 2030' and a staple cartridge 2010 (fig. 35), for example. the firing member 2040' is configured to push a sled having inclined surfaces distally during a staple firing stroke. the inclined surfaces are configured to lift staple drivers within the staple cartridge 2010 to form staples 2020 against the anvil 2030' and eject the staples 2020 from the staple cartridge 2010. the coupling member 2042' comprises projections, or cams, 2043' extending laterally therefrom which are configured to engage the anvil 2030' during the staple firing stroke. referring to fig. 37, the projections 2043' are comprised of longitudinally elongate shoulders extending from the coupling member 2042'. in other embodiments, the projections 2043' comprise a cylindrical pin which extends through the coupling member 2042'. in any event, the projections 2043' have flat lateral sides, or ends, 2047'. [0246] the longitudinal slot 2033' comprises lateral portions 2033γ extending laterally from a central portion 2033c' which are configured to receive the projections 2043'. as illustrated in fig. 34, the lateral portions 2033γ of the longitudinal slot 2033' have a rectangular, or at least substantially rectangular, configuration having sharp corners. each lateral portion 2033γ of the slot 2033' comprises a longitudinal cam surface 2035' configured to be engaged by the projections 2043'during the staple firing stroke. each longitudinal cam surface 2035' is defined on the upper side of a ledge 2037' which extends longitudinally along the slot 2033'. each longitudinal ledge 2037' comprises a beam including a fixed end attached to the main body portion of the anvil 2030' and a free end configured to move relative to the fixed end. as such, each longitudinal ledge 2037' can comprise a cantilever beam. [0247] the coupling member 2042' further comprises a foot, or cam, 2044 (fig. 35) configured to engage the staple cartridge 2010, or a jaw supporting the staple cartridge 2010, during the staple firing stroke. moreover, the projections 2043' and the foot 2044 co-operate to position the anvil 2030' and the staple cartridge 2010 relative to one another. when the anvil 2030' is movable relative to the staple cartridge 2010, the coupling member 2042' can cam the anvil 2030' into position relative to the staple cartridge 2010. when the staple cartridge 2010, or the jaw supporting the staple cartridge 2010, is movable relative to the anvil 2030', the coupling member 2042' can cam the staple cartridge 2010 into position relative to the anvil 2030'. [0248] further to the above, the firing member 2040 comprises a coupling member 2042 including a cutting portion 2041. the cutting portion 2041 is configured and arranged to incise tissue captured between the anvil 2030 and a staple cartridge 2010 (fig. 35). the firing member 2040 is configured to push a sled having inclined surfaces distally during a staple firing stroke. the inclined surfaces are configured to lift staple drivers within the staple cartridge 2010 to form staples 2020 against the anvil 2030 and eject the staples 2020 from the staple cartridge 2010. the coupling member 2042 comprises projections, or cams, 2043 extending laterally therefrom which are configured to engage the anvil 2030 during the staple firing stroke. the projections 2043 have curved, or rounded, lateral sides, or ends, 2047. the lateral ends 2047 of the projections 2043 are entirely curved or fully-rounded. each lateral end 2047 comprises an arcuate profile extending between a top surface of a projection 2043 and a bottom surface of the projection 2043. in other embodiments, the lateral ends 2047 of the projections 2043 are only partially curved. [0249] the longitudinal slot 2033 comprises lateral portions 20331 extending laterally from a central portion 2033c which are configured to receive the projections 2043. each lateral portion 20331 of the slot 2033 comprises a longitudinal cam surface 2035 configured to be engaged by the projections 2043 during the staple firing stroke. each longitudinal cam surface 2035 is defined on the upper side of a ledge 2037 which extends longitudinally along the slot 2033. each longitudinal ledge 2037 comprises a beam including a fixed end attached to the main body portion of the anvil 2030 and a free end configured to move relative to the fixed end. as such, each longitudinal ledge 2037 can comprise a cantilever beam. as illustrated in fig. 34, the lateral portions of the longitudinal slot 2033 comprise a curved, or rounded, profile which match, or at least substantially match, the curved ends 2047 of the projections 2043. [0250] the coupling member 2042 further comprises a foot, or cam, 2044 (fig. 35) configured to engage the staple cartridge 2010, or a jaw supporting the staple cartridge 2010, during the staple firing stroke. moreover, the projections 2043 and the foot 2044 co-operate to position the anvil 2030 and the staple cartridge 2010 relative to one another. when the anvil 2030 is movable relative to the staple cartridge 2010, the coupling member 2042 can cam the anvil 2030 into position relative to the staple cartridge 2010. when the staple cartridge 2010, or the jaw supporting the staple cartridge 2010, is movable relative to the anvil 2030, the coupling member 2042 can cam the staple cartridge 2010 into position relative to the anvil 2030. [0251] referring again to fig. 34, the lateral portions 2033i' of the longitudinal slot 2033' extend a distance 2034' from a centerline cl of the anvil 2030'. the lateral portions 2033γ extend over, or behind, the forming pockets 2032a in the anvil 2030'. as illustrated in fig. 34, the lateral ends of the lateral portions 2033γ are aligned with the outer edges of the forming pockets 2032a. other embodiments are envisioned in which the lateral portions 2033γ extend laterally beyond the forming pockets 2032a, for example. that said, referring to fig. 36, the ledges 2037' of the anvil 2030' are long and, in certain instances, the ledges 2037' can deflect significantly under load. in some instances, the ledges 2037' can deflect downwardly such that a large portion of the drive surfaces 2045' defined on the bottom of the projections 2043' are not in contact with the cam surfaces 2035'. in such instances, the contact between the projections 2043' and the cam surfaces 2035' can be reduced to a point, such as point 2047', for example. in some instances, the contact between the projections 2043' and the cam surfaces 2035' can be reduced to a longitudinally extending line, which may appear to be a point when viewed from the distal end of the end effector, as illustrated in fig. 36. [0252] moreover, referring again to fig. 34, the projections 2043' extend over, or behind, the forming pockets 2032a in the anvil 2030'. the lateral ends of the projections 2043' extend over a longitudinal centerline 2062a of the forming pockets 2032a. other embodiments are envisioned in which the lateral ends of the projections 2043' are aligned with the longitudinal centerline 2062a of the forming pockets 2032a. certain embodiments are envisioned in which the lateral ends of the projections 2043' do not extend to the longitudinal centerline 2062a of the forming pockets 2032a. in any event, referring again to fig. 36, the projections 2043' can deflect upwardly, especially when the projections 2043' are long, such that a large portion of the drive surfaces 2045' of the projections 2043' are not in contact with the cam surfaces 2035'. this condition can further exacerbate the condition discussed above in connection with the ledges 2037'. that being said, the projections 2043' may be able to better control the staple formation process occurring in the forming pockets 2032a, and/or the forming pockets 2032b and 2032c, when the projections 2043' extend to the outer edge of the forming pockets 2032a or beyond, for instance. [0253] further to the above, the ledges 2037' and the projections 2043' can deflect in a manner which causes the load flowing between the firing member 2040' and the anvil 2030' to be applied at the inner ends of ledges 2037'. as illustrated in fig. 36, the contact points 2048' are at or near the inner ends of the ledges 2037'. the deflection of the ledges 2037', and the projections 2043', is the same or similar to that of cantilever beams. as the reader should appreciate, the deflection of a cantilever beam is proportional to the cube of the beam length when the load is applied at the end of the cantilever beam. in any event, gaps between the ledges 2037' and the projections 2043' can be created when the ledges 2037' and/or the projections 2043' deflect. such gaps between portions of the ledges 2037' and the projections 2043' means that the forces flowing therebetween will flow through very small areas which will, as a result, increase the stress and strain experienced by the ledges 2037' and projections 2043'. this interaction is represented by stress risers, or concentrations, 2039' and 2049' in figs. 38 and 39 where stress risers 2039' are present in the ledges 2037' and stress risers 2049' are present at the interconnection between the projections 2043' and the coupling member 2042'. other stress risers, or concentrations, may be present but, as discussed below, it is desirable to reduce or eliminate such stress risers. [0254] referring again to figs. 34 and 35, the lateral portions 20331 of the longitudinal slot 2033 each extend a distance 2034 from a centerline cl of the anvil 2030. the distance 2034 is shorter than the distance 2034'. nonetheless, the lateral portions 20331 extend over, or behind, the forming pockets 2032a in the anvil 2030. as illustrated in fig. 34, the lateral ends of the lateral portions 20331 are not aligned with the outer edges of the forming pockets 2032a. moreover, the lateral ends of the lateral portions 20331 do not extend beyond the outer edges of the forming pockets 2032a; however, the lateral portions 20331 extend over the longitudinal centerlines 2062a of the forming pockets 2032a. further to the above, the ledges 2037 are shorter than the ledges 2037'. as such, the ledges 2037 will experience less deflection, stress, and strain than the ledges 2037' for a given force applied thereto. [0255] other embodiments are envisioned in which the lateral portions 20331 of the slot 2033 do not extend to the longitudinal centerline 2062a of the forming pockets 2032a. in certain embodiments, the lateral portions 20331 do not extend laterally over or overlap the forming pockets 2032a. such shorter lateral portions 20331, further to the above, can reduce the deflection, stress, and strain in the ledges 2037. owing to the reduced deflection of the ledges 2037, the drive surfaces 2045 defined on the bottom of the projections 2043 can remain in contact with the cam surfaces 2035 of the ledges 2037. in such instances, the contact area between the projections 2043 and the cam surfaces 2035 can be increased as compared to the contact area between the projections 2043' and the cam surfaces 2035'. [0256] further to the above, the cross-sectional thickness of the ledges 2037 isn't constant, unlike the ledges 2037' which have a constant cross-sectional thickness. the ledges 2037 have a tapered cross-sectional thickness where the base of each ledge 2037 is wider than its inner end owing to the rounded lateral ends of the lateral slot portions 20331. such a configuration can serve to stiffen or strengthen the ledges 2037 and reduce the deflection, stress, and strain of the ledges 2037 as compared to the ledges 2037'. in at least one instance, a portion of a ledge 2037 is tapered while another portion of the ledge 2037 has a constant cross-sectional thickness. in at least one other instance, the entirety of a ledge 2037 can be tapered such that none of the cross-sectional thickness is constant. [0257] moreover, referring again to figs. 34 and 35, the projections 2043 extend over, or behind, the forming pockets 2032a in the anvil 2030. the lateral ends of the projections 2043 do not extend over the longitudinal centerline 2062a of the forming pockets 2032a. other embodiments are envisioned in which the lateral ends of the projections 2043 are aligned with the longitudinal centerline 2062a of the forming pockets 2032a. certain embodiments are envisioned in which the lateral ends of the projections 2043 do not extend over the forming pockets 2032a at all. in any event, the upward deflection of the projections 2043 may be less than the projections 2043' and, as a result, a larger contact area can be present between the drive surfaces 2045 and the cam surfaces 2035. [0258] further to the above, the ledges 2037 and the projections 2043 can deflect in a manner which causes the load flowing between the firing member 2040 and the anvil 2030 to be applied laterally along the lengths of the ledges 2037 instead of at a single point and/or at end of the ledges 2037. as a result, the forces flowing therebetween will flow through larger areas which will, as a result, reduce the stress and strain experienced by the ledges 2037 and projections 2043 which can reduce or eliminate the stress risers discussed above in connection with the ledges 2037' and the projections 2043', for example. [0259] referring again to fig. 35, the foot 2044 of the coupling member 2042 is wider than the projections 2033. stated another way, the lateral width of the foot 2044 is wider than the width between the lateral ends of the projections 2033. in such instances, the foot 2044 can deflect or strain more than the projections and, as a result, the deflection of the projections 2033 can be reduced. alternative embodiments are envisioned in which the lateral width of the foot 2044 is the same as or less than the width between the lateral ends of the projections 2033; however, such embodiments can be otherwise configured to provide the desired deflection and/or strain within the projections 2033. [0260] as discussed above, an end effector can comprise an anvil, for example, which is movable between an open position and a closed position. in some instances, the anvil is moved toward its closed position by a firing member, such as firing member 2040 or 2040', for example, when the firing member is moved distally. in other instances, the anvil is moved toward its closed position prior to the firing member being advanced distally to perform a staple firing stroke. in either event, the anvil may not move into its entirely closed position until the firing member approaches or reaches the end of its staple firing stroke. as a result, the anvil is progressively closed by the firing member. in at least one such instance, the anvil may progressively close owing to thick tissue captured between the anvil and the staple cartridge. in some instances, the anvil may actually deflect or deform during the staple firing stroke of the firing member. such circumstances are generally controlled, however, by the upper projections and the bottom foot of the firing member. [0261] turning now to fig. 37, the drive surfaces 2045' defined on the projections 2043' are flat, or at least substantially flat. moreover, the drive surfaces 2045' are configured to flushingly engage the flat, or at least substantially flat, cam surfaces 2035' defined on the anvil 2030' when the anvil 2030' is in a completely closed position. stated another way, the drive surfaces 2045' engage the cam surfaces 2035' in a face-to-face relationship when the anvil 2030' is in a completely flat orientation. a flat orientation of the anvil 2030' is depicted in phantom in fig. 37. in such instances, the drive surfaces 2045' are parallel, or at least substantially parallel, to the longitudinal path of the firing member 2040' during the staple firing stroke. as discussed above, however, the anvil 2030' may progressively close during the firing stroke and, as a result, the anvil 2030' may not always be in an entirely closed position. as a result, the drive surfaces 2045' may not always be aligned with the cam surfaces 2035' and, in such instances, the projections 2043' may gouge into the ledges 2037' of the anvil 2030. fig. 37 depicts such instances with solid lines. [0262] further to the above, the drive surfaces 2045' of the projections 2043' and/or the cam surfaces 2035' defined on the ledges 2037' can plastically deform if the firing member 2040' has to progressively close the anvil 2030' into its entirely closed position. in certain instances, the cam surfaces 2035' can gall, for example, which can increase the force needed to complete the staple firing stroke. more specifically, plastic strain of the projections 2043' and/or the anvil ledges 2037' can cause energy losses as the metal is deformed beyond the plastic limits. at that point, galling occurs and the frictional co-efficient of the coupling increases substantially. the energy losses can be in the order of about 10%-30%, for example, which can increase the force needed to fire the firing member in the order of about 10%-30%. moreover, the force needed to complete subsequent staple firing strokes with the end effector 2000' may increase in such instances in the event that the end effector 2000' is reused. [0263] turning now to figs. 40-42, a firing member 2140 comprises a firing bar and a coupling member 2142 attached to the firing bar. the coupling member 2142 comprises a connector 2148 which connects the coupling member 2142 to the firing bar. the coupling member 2142 further comprises a cutting member 2041 configured to incise the tissue of a patient during a staple firing stroke. the coupling member 2142 also comprises projections 2143 configured to engage an anvil, such as anvil 2030 or 2030', for example, and, in addition, a foot 2144 configured to engage a staple cartridge jaw during the staple firing stroke. each projection 2143 comprises a drive surface 2145 defined on the bottom side thereof. each projection 2143 further comprises a proximally-extending cam transition 2147 and a radiused- transition 2149 extending around the perimeter of the projection 2143. the coupling member 2142 further comprises intermediate projections 2146 extending laterally therefrom which are configured to prevent the firing member 2140 from performing the staple firing stroke when an unspent staple cartridge is not positioned in front of the firing member 2140 at the outset of the staple firing stroke. [0264] further to the above, the drive surfaces 2145 of the projections 2143 are not parallel to the longitudinal path 2160 of the firing member 2140. rather, the drive surfaces 2145 extend transversely to the longitudinal path 2160. in at least one instance, the distal end of each drive surface 2145 is positioned further away from the longitudinal path 2160 than the proximal end. such an arrangement can reduce or eliminate the problems described above in connection with the progressive closure of the anvil 2130. more specifically, in at least one instance, if the anvil 2130 will move through a range of motion between about 4 degrees and about 0 degrees with respect to the longitudinal path 2160 during the progressive closure, then the drive surface 2145 could be oriented at about 2 degrees with respect to the longitudinal path 2160, for example, which represents the midpoint in the range of progressive closure. other embodiments are possible. for instance, if the anvil 2130 will move through a range of motion between about 1 degree and about 0 degrees with respect to the longitudinal path 2160 during the progressive closure, then the drive surfaces 2145 could be oriented at about 1 degree with respect to the longitudinal path 2160, for example, which represents the upper bound in the range of progressive closure. in various instances, the firing member 2140 may be required to progressively close the anvil 2130 through a 5 degree range of motion, for example. in other instances, the firing member 2140 may be required to progressively the anvil 2130 through a 10 degree range of motion, for example. in some instances, the anvil 2130 may not reach its completely closed position and, as a result, the progressive closure of the anvil 2130 may not reach 0 degrees. [0265] further to the above, the drive surface 2145 of the projection 2143 is not parallel to the drive surface of the foot 2144. referring primarily to fig. 41 , the drive surface 2145 extends along an axis 2183 and the drive surface of the foot 2144 extends along an axis 2184. in at least one instance, the drive surface 2145 is oriented at an about 0.5 degree angle with respect to the drive surface of the foot 2144, for example. other instances are envisioned in which the drive surface 2145 is oriented at an about 1 degree angle with respect to the drive surface of the foot 2144, for example. certain instances are envisioned in which the drive surface 2145 is oriented between about 0.5 degrees and about 5 degrees with respect to the drive surface of the foot 2144, for example. the drive surface of the foot 2144 is parallel to the longitudinal path 2160; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which the drive surface of the foot 2144 is not parallel to the longitudinal path 2160. [0266] the examples provided above were discussed in connection with a movable anvil; however, it should be understood that the teachings of such examples could be adapted to any suitable movable jaw, such as a movable staple cartridge jaw, for example. similarly, the examples provided elsewhere in this application could be adapted to any movable jaw. [0267] turning now to figs. 43-45, a firing member 2240 comprises a firing bar and a coupling member 2242 attached to the firing bar. the coupling member 2242 comprises a connector 2148 which connects the coupling member 2242 to the firing bar. the coupling member 2242 further comprises a cutting member 2041 configured to incise the tissue of a patient during a staple firing stroke. the coupling member 2242 also comprises projections 2243 configured to engage an anvil, such as anvil 2030 or 2030', for example, and, in addition, a foot 2144 configured to engage a staple cartridge jaw during the staple firing stroke. each projection 2243 comprises a drive surface 2245 defined on the bottom side thereof. each projection 2243 further comprises a radiused-transition 2249 extending around the perimeter thereof. the coupling member 2242 further comprises intermediate projections 2146 extending laterally therefrom which are configured to prevent the firing member 2240 from performing the staple firing stroke when an unspent staple cartridge is not positioned in front of the firing member 2240 at the outset of the staple firing stroke. [0268] further to the above, each projection 2243 comprises a leading, or proximal, end 2251 configured to engage the anvil and, in addition, a trailing end. the leading end of each projection 2243 is different than the lagging, or trailing, end of the projection 2243. the leading end 2251 comprises a radius which extends from the bottom drive surface 2245 of the projection 2243 to a location positioned above a longitudinal centerline 2250 of the projection 2243. the leading end 2251 comprises a single radius of curvature; however, the leading end 2251 can be comprised of more than one radius of curvature. each projection 2243 further comprises a radiused edge 2259 between the radiused leading end 2251 and the top surface of the projection 2243. the radius of curvature of the edge 2259 is smaller than the radius of curvature of the leading end 2251 . other embodiments are envisioned in which the entirety of, or at least a portion of, the leading end 2251 is linear. in any event, the configuration of the leading end 2251 can shift the force, or load, transmitted between the firing member 2240 and the anvil away from the leading end 2251 toward the trailing end of the projection 2243. stated another way, the configuration of the leading end 2251 may prevent the leading end 2251 from becoming the focal point of the transmitted force between the firing member 2240 and the anvil. such an arrangement can prevent or reduce the possibility of the firing member 2240 becoming stuck against the anvil and can reduce the force required to move the firing member 2240 distally. [0269] turning now to figs. 46-48, a firing member 2340 comprises a firing bar and a coupling member 2342 attached to the firing bar. the coupling member 2342 comprises a connector 2148 which connects the coupling member 2342 to the firing bar. the coupling member 2342 further comprises a cutting member 2041 configured to incise the tissue of a patient during a staple firing stroke. the coupling member 2342 also comprises projections 2343 configured to engage an anvil, such as anvil 2030 or 2030', for example, and, in addition, a foot 2144 configured to engage a staple cartridge jaw during the staple firing stroke. each projection 2343 comprises a drive surface defined on the bottom side thereof. each projection 2343 further comprises a radiused-transition 2349 extending around the perimeter thereof. the coupling member 2342 further comprises intermediate projections 2146 extending laterally therefrom which are configured to prevent the firing member 2340 from performing the staple firing stroke when an unspent staple cartridge is not positioned in front of the firing member 2340 at the outset of the staple firing stroke. [0270] further to the above, each projection 2343 comprises a radiused leading end 2351 . the leading end 2351 is similar to the leading end 2251 and comprises a curved surface which extends across the centerline 2350 of the projection 2343. the leading end 2251 has a different configuration than the trailing end of the projection 2243. each projection 2343 further comprises a lateral side, or end, 2352. each lateral end 2352 comprises a flat surface which is positioned intermediate radiused, or curved, edges 2347. a first radiused edge 2347 is positioned intermediate a top surface of the projection 2343 and the lateral end 2352 and, in addition, a second radiused edge 2347 is positioned intermediate a bottom surface of the projection 2343 and the lateral end 2352. [0271] turning now to figs. 49-51 , a firing member 2440 comprises a firing bar and a coupling member 2442 attached to the firing bar. the coupling member 2442 comprises a connector 2148 which connects the coupling member 2442 to the firing bar. the coupling member 2442 further comprises a cutting member 2041 configured to incise the tissue of a patient during a staple firing stroke. the coupling member 2442 also comprises projections 2443 configured to engage an anvil, such as anvil 2030 or 2030', for example, and, in addition, a foot 2144 configured to engage a staple cartridge jaw during the staple firing stroke. each projection 2443 comprises a drive surface 2445 defined on the bottom side thereof. each projection 2443 further comprises a radiused-transition extending around the perimeter thereof. the coupling member 2442 further comprises intermediate projections 2146 extending laterally therefrom which are configured to prevent the firing member 2440 from performing the staple firing stroke when an unspent staple cartridge is not positioned in front of the firing member 2440 at the outset of the staple firing stroke. [0272] further to the above, the lateral sides, or ends, of each projection 2443 are defined by more than one radius of curvature. each projection 2443 comprises a first radius of curvature 2447a extending from the bottom drive surface 2445 and a second radius of curvature 2447b extending from the top surface of the projection 2443. the first radius of curvature 2447a is different than the second radius of curvature 2447b. for instance, the first radius of curvature 2447a is larger than the second radius of curvature 2447b; however, the curvatures 2447a and 2447b can comprise any suitable configuration. referring primarily to fig. 51 , the first radius of curvature 2447a extends upwardly past a centerline 2450 of the projection 2443. [0273] turning now to figs. 52-54, a firing member 2540 comprises a firing bar and a coupling member 2542 attached to the firing bar. the coupling member 2542 comprises a connector 2148 which connects the coupling member 2542 to the firing bar. the coupling member 2542 further comprises a cutting member 2041 configured to incise the tissue of a patient during a staple firing stroke. the coupling member 2542 also comprises projections 2543 configured to engage an anvil, such as anvil 2030 or 2030', for example, and, in addition, a foot 2144 configured to engage a staple cartridge jaw during the staple firing stroke. each projection 2543 comprises a drive surface defined on the bottom side thereof. each projection 2543 further comprises a radiused-transition extending around the perimeter thereof. the coupling member 2542 further comprises intermediate projections 2146 extending laterally therefrom which are configured to prevent the firing member 2540 from performing the staple firing stroke when an unspent staple cartridge is not positioned in front of the firing member 2540 at the outset of the staple firing stroke. [0274] further to the above, each projection 2543 comprises a lateral side, or end, 2552 which is flat, or at least substantially flat. each projection 2543 further comprises a radiused transition 2547 extending around the lateral end 2552. each projection 2543 is symmetrical, or at least substantially symmetrical, about a longitudinal centerline which extends through the lateral end 2552. moreover, the top surface and the bottom surface of each projection 2543 are parallel to one another. [0275] referring primarily to fig. 53, the leading end 2551 of each projection 2543 is positioned distally with respect to a cutting edge 2042 of the cutting portion 2041 . the trailing end 2559 of each projection 2543 is positioned proximally with respect to the cutting edge 2042. as a result, the projections 2043 longitudinally span the cutting edge 2042. in such instances, the firing member 2540 can hold the anvil and the staple cartridge together directly at the location in which the tissue is being cut. [0276] turning now to figs. 55-57, a firing member 2640 comprises a firing bar and a coupling member 2642 attached to the firing bar. the coupling member 2642 comprises a connector 2148 which connects the coupling member 2642 to the firing bar. the coupling member 2642 further comprises a cutting member 2041 configured to incise the tissue of a patient during a staple firing stroke. the coupling member 2642 also comprises projections 2643 configured to engage an anvil, such as anvil 2030 or 2030', for example, and, in addition, a foot 2144 configured to engage a staple cartridge jaw during the staple firing stroke. each projection 2643 comprises a drive surface 2645 defined on the bottom side thereof. each projection 2643 further comprises a radiused-transition 2649 extending around the perimeter thereof. the coupling member 2642 further comprises intermediate projections 2146 extending laterally therefrom which are configured to prevent the firing member 2640 from performing the staple firing stroke when an unspent staple cartridge is not positioned in front of the firing member 2640 at the outset of the staple firing stroke. [0277] further to the above, each projection 2643 further comprises a lateral end 2652, a bottom drive surface 2645, and a top surface 2647. the bottom drive surface 2645 is flat and is parallel to the longitudinal firing path 2660 of the firing member 2640. referring primarily to fig. 57, the top surface 2647 is flat, but not parallel to the longitudinal firing path 2660. moreover, the top surface 2647 is not parallel to the bottom surface 2645. as a result, each projection 2643 is asymmetrical. in fact, the orientation of the top surface 2647 shifts the moment of inertia of the projection 2643 above the lateral end 2652. such an arrangement can increase the bending stiffness of the projections 2643 which can reduce the deflection of the projections 2643. [0278] turning now to figs. 58-60, a firing member 2740 comprises a firing bar and a coupling member 2742 attached to the firing bar. the coupling member 2742 comprises a connector 2148 which connects the coupling member 2742 to the firing bar. the coupling member 2742 further comprises a cutting member 2041 configured to incise the tissue of a patient during a staple firing stroke. the coupling member 2742 also comprises projections 2743 configured to engage an anvil, such as anvil 2030 or 2030', for example, and, in addition, a foot 2144 configured to engage a staple cartridge jaw during the staple firing stroke. each projection 2743 comprises a drive surface defined on the bottom side thereof. the coupling member 2742 further comprises intermediate projections 2146 extending laterally therefrom which are configured to prevent the firing member 2740 from performing the staple firing stroke when an unspent staple cartridge is not positioned in front of the firing member 2740 at the outset of the staple firing stroke. [0279] further to the above, each projection 2743 comprises a first, or leading, portion 2753a and a second, or lagging, portion 2753b positioned distally behind the leading portion 2753a. the leading portion 2753a comprises a curved lead-in surface 2751 defined on the distal end thereof which is configured to initially engage the anvil. the leading portion 2753a further comprises a first, or leading, drive surface 2745a defined on the bottom side thereof. similarly, the lagging portion 2753b comprises a second, or lagging, drive surface 2745b defined on the bottom side thereof. each projection 2743 further comprises a transition 2752 defined between the leading portion 2753a and the lagging portion 2753b. [0280] as the firing member 2740 is advanced distally, further to the above, the drive surfaces 2745a and 2745b can co-operate to engage and position the anvil. in certain embodiments, the drive surfaces 2745a and 2745b define a drive plane which is parallel, or at least substantially parallel, to the longitudinal path 2760 of the firing member 2740 during the staple firing stroke. in some instances, however, only the leading drive surface 2745a may engage the cam surface defined on the anvil. such instances can arise when the firing member 2740 progressively closes the anvil, for example. [0281] in other embodiments, referring to figs. 69 and 71 , the leading drive surface 2745a is positioned above the lagging drive surface 2745b. stated another way, the leading drive surface 2745a is positioned further away from the longitudinal path 2760 than the lagging drive surface 2745b such that both drive surfaces 2745a and 2745b remain in contact with the anvil during the staple firing stroke. in at least one instance, the drive surfaces 2745a and 2745b can define a drive plane which is transverse to the longitudinal path 2760. in certain instances, a 1 degree angle, for example, can be defined between the drive plane and the longitudinal path 2760. in various instances, the leading drive surface 2745a is positioned vertically above the lagging drive surface 2745b by approximately 0.001 ", for example. in other embodiments, the leading drive surface 2745a is positioned vertically above the lagging drive surface 2745b by approximately 0.002", for example. in certain instances, the leading drive surface 2745a is positioned above the lagging drive surface 2745b a distance which is between about 0.001 " and about 0.002", for example [0282] in certain instances, referring again to fig. 70, only the lagging drive surfaces 2745b may be in contact with the cam surfaces of the anvil when the firing member 2740 progressively closes the anvil. in such instances, the leading drive surfaces 2745a are not in contact with the cam surfaces of the anvil. such an arrangement can reduce the plastic deformation of the projections 2743 and reduce to force needed to advance the firing member 2740 distally as compared to when only the leading drive surfaces 2745a are in contact with the cam surfaces of the anvil. when the anvil begins to flex owing to the staple forming load being applied to the anvil, in some instances, the anvil can flex upwardly into contact with the leasing drive surfaces 2745a as illustrated in fig. 71 . [0283] the leading portion 2753a is thicker than the lagging portion 2753b. stated another way, the leading portion 2753a has a larger bending moment of inertia than the lagging portion 2753b which can resist the upward bending of the projection 2743. as a result, the lagging portion 2753b can deflect upwardly more than the leading portion 2753a. in such instances, it is more likely that both portions 2753a and 2753b of the projections 2743 can remain in contact with the anvil during the staple firing stroke even though the firing member 2740 is being used to progressively close the anvil. moreover, the leading portion 2753a also has a larger shear thickness than the lagging portion 2753b which can better resist shear forces transmitted through the projections 2743. the leading portion 2753a is often exposed to greater shear forces than the lagging portion 2753b and, as a result, can benefit from the increased shear thickness. if it is believed that the lagging portion 2753b may experience greater shear forces than the leading projection 2753a, then the lagging portion 2753b can have a greater shear thickness than the leading portion 2753a, for example. [0284] turning now to figs. 61 -63, a firing member 2840 comprises a firing bar and a coupling member 2842 attached to the firing bar. the coupling member 2842 comprises a connector 2148 which connects the coupling member 2842 to the firing bar. the coupling member 2842 further comprises a cutting member 2041 configured to incise the tissue of a patient during a staple firing stroke. the coupling member 2842 also comprises projections configured to engage an anvil, such as anvil 2030 or 2030', for example, and, in addition, a foot 2144 configured to engage a staple cartridge jaw during the staple firing stroke. as described in greater detail below, each projection comprises a drive surface defined on the bottom side thereof. the coupling member 2842 further comprises intermediate projections 2146 extending laterally therefrom which are configured to prevent the firing member 2840 from performing the staple firing stroke when an unspent staple cartridge is not positioned in front of the firing member 2840 at the outset of the staple firing stroke. [0285] further to the above, each side of the coupling member comprises a first, or leading, projection 2843d and a second, or lagging, projection 2843p positioned behind the leading projection 2843d. the leading projection 2843d comprises a curved lead-in surface 2851 d defined on the distal end thereof which is configured to initially engage the anvil. the leading projection 2843d further comprises a first, or leading, drive surface 2845d defined on the bottom side thereof. similarly, the lagging projection 2843p comprises a curved lead-in surface 2851 p defined on the distal end thereof which is configured to engage the anvil. the lagging projection 2843p further comprises a second, or lagging, drive surface 2845p defined on the bottom side thereof. [0286] as the firing member 2840 is advanced distally, further to the above, the drive surfaces 2845d and 2845p can co-operate to engage and position the anvil. in certain embodiments, the drive surfaces 2845d and 2845p define a drive plane which is parallel, or at least substantially parallel, to the longitudinal path 2860 of the firing member 2840 during the staple firing stroke. in other embodiments, the leading drive surface 2845d is positioned above the lagging drive surface 2845p. stated another way, the leading drive surface 2845d is positioned further away from the longitudinal path 2860 than the lagging drive surface 2845p. in at least one instance, the drive surfaces 2845d and 2845p can define a drive plane which is transverse to the longitudinal path 2860. in certain instances, a 1 degree angle, for example, can be defined between the drive plane and the longitudinal path 2860. [0287] further to the above, the leading projections 2843d and the lagging projections 2843p can move relative to each other. in various instances, a leading projection 2843d and a lagging projection 2843p on one side of the coupling member 2842 can move independently of one another. such an arrangement can allow the projections 2843d and 2843p to independently adapt to the orientation of the anvil, especially when the firing member 2840 is used to progressively close the anvil. as a result, both of the projections 2843d and 2843p can remain engaged with the anvil such that forces flow between the firing member 2840 and the anvil at several locations and that the plastic deformation of the projections is reduced. [0288] fig. 68 depicts the energy required for a first firing member to complete a firing stroke, labeled as 2090', and a second firing member to complete a firing stroke, labeled as 3090. the firing stroke 2090' represents a condition in which significant plastic deformation and galling is occurring. the firing stroke 3090 represents an improvement over the firing stroke 2090' in which the deformation of the firing member and anvil ledge is mostly elastic. it is believed that, in certain instances, the plastic strain experienced by the firing member and/or anvil can be reduced by about 40%-60%, for example, by employing the teachings disclosed herein. [0289] the various embodiments described herein can be utilized to balance the loads transmitted between a firing member and an anvil. such embodiments can also be utilized to balance the loads transmitted between a firing member and a staple cartridge jaw. in either event, the firing member can be designed to provide a desired result but it should be understood that such a desired result may not be achieved in some circumstances owing to manufacturing tolerances of the stapling instrument and/or the variability of the tissue thickness captured within the end effector, for example. in at least one instance, the upper projections and/or the bottom foot of the firing member, for example, can comprise wearable features which are configured to allow the firing member to define a balanced interface with the anvil. [0290] further to the above, referring now to figs. 64-67, a firing member 2940 comprises lateral projections 2943. each projection 2943 comprises longitudinal ridges 2945 extending from the bottom thereof. the ridges 2945 are configured to plastically deform and/or smear when the firing member 2940 is advanced distally to engage the anvil. the ridges 2945 are configured to quickly wear in, or take a set, so as to increase the contact area between the projections 2943 and the anvil and provide better load balancing between the firing member 2940 and the anvil. such an arrangement can be especially useful when the end effector is used to perform several staple firing strokes. in addition to or in lieu of the above, one or more wearable pads can be attached to the projections of the firing member which can be configured to plastically deform. [0291] figs. 72 and 73 depict a surgical stapling anvil, or anvil jaw, 3100 for use with a surgical stapling instrument. the anvil 3100 is configured to deform staples during a surgical stapling procedure. the anvil 3100 comprises an anvil body 3101 and an anvil cap 31 10. the anvil body 3101 and the anvil cap 31 10 are welded together. the anvil body 3101 comprises a proximal portion 3102 comprising a coupling portion 3103. the coupling portion 3103 is configured to be assembled to an end effector of a surgical stapling instrument to permit rotation of the anvil jaw 3000 relative to a corresponding jaw such as, for example, a staple cartridge jaw. embodiments are envisioned where the anvil jaw is fixed relative to the staple cartridge jaw and, in such instances, the staple cartridge jaw can rotate relative to the anvil jaw. the anvil body 3101 further comprises a distal tip portion 3104, outer edges 3107, and a planar, tissue- facing surface 3106. the tissue-facing surface 3106 comprises staple-forming pockets defined therein configured to deform staples during a surgical stapling procedure. the anvil body 3101 further comprises a longitudinal cavity, or aperture, 3105 configured to receive the anvil cap 31 10 therein. as discussed in greater detail below, the longitudinal cavity 3105 can comprise corresponding surfaces configured to mate with corresponding surfaces of the anvil cap 31 10 during assembly. certain surfaces may be configured for welding while others may be configured only for alignment during assembly. [0292] the anvil cap 31 10 comprises a proximal end 31 1 1 , a distal end 31 12, and a continuous perimeter, or edge, 31 13. when the anvil body 3101 and the anvil cap 31 10 are assembled and/or welded together, the edge 31 13 may be flush, or substantially flush, with the top surface 3108 of the anvil body 3101 so as to provide a smooth upper surface of the surgical stapling anvil 3100 although a step in the seam therebetween may be possible. further to the above, the anvil cap 31 10 comprises a rounded upper surface 31 14. the upper surface 31 14 can be contoured and/or rounded, for example, in order to provide a continuous, curved upper surface of the surgical stapling anvil 3100 when the anvil body 3101 and the anvil cap 31 10 are welded together. in various instances, the continuous edge 31 13 is a feature configured for welding, as discussed below. [0293] the two-piece surgical stapling anvil 3100 can permit the polishing of internal surfaces within the anvil 3100 during manufacturing. manufacturing these parts can include processes resulting in a less than desirable surface finish of various surfaces within the anvil. improving the finish of various internal surfaces can reduce internal frictional forces between the anvil and a staple firing member passing therethrough. reducing the internal frictional forces can reduce the force required for the firing member to move through its staple-firing stroke. reducing the force required for a firing member to move through its staple-firing stroke can result in the reduction of the size of certain components resulting in the reduction of overall instrument size which is desirable. such an arrangement can also reduce the number of instances of instrument failure. that said, there are challenges to a two-piece welded anvil. for example, a two-piece welded anvil may deflect more than a unitary anvil in some instances. in other words, a two-piece anvil may be less stiff than a unitary anvil and less resistant to bending. in addition, lateral deflection, or rotation, of the sides of an anvil away from a firing member or longitudinal instrument axis can cause staples to deform improperly. such deflection can result in a vertical expansion of the overall system resulting formed staples with a formed height which is not the intended formed height. moreover, such deflection may permit a firing member to vertically tear through an anvil of which it is camming. also, transverse deflection, or rotation, may require more firing force to be applied to the firing member complete its firing stroke. for example, the distal portion of an anvil may deflect away from the staple cartridge due to the application of tissue-induced pressure. minimizing this deflection can be important to create properly formed staples. the above being said, the presence of both transverse and lateral deflection can have a compounding effect. in fact, transverse deflection can induce lateral deflection of the anvil. [0294] fig. 74 depicts a portion of a surgical stapling anvil 3200 comprising an anvil body 3210 and an anvil cap 3220 welded to the anvil body 3210 with a weld 3201. although only a portion of the surgical stapling anvil 3200 is illustrated, it should be understood that a mirrored portion of the illustrated portion exists to complete the surgical stapling anvil 3200. the illustrated and mirrored portions will be discussed concurrently going forward. the anvil body 3210 comprises a tissue-facing surface 321 1 comprising a plurality of staple-forming pockets 3212 defined therein, ledges 3215 comprising camming surfaces 3216 configured the be contacted by the anvil-camming features of a firing member of a surgical stapling instrument, and a longitudinal slot 3213 configured to receive the firing member therethrough. the anvil body 3210 further comprises outer edges 3214. the ledges 3215 are configured to bear, or support, a distributed load force 3231 applied by a firing member as the firing member moves through a staple-firing stroke. the anvil body 3210 further comprises a ledge 3217 configured to hold the anvil cap 3220 during welding. the ledge 3217 can aid in assembly and can ensure the proper alignment of the anvil cap 3220 and the anvil body 3210. the ledge 3217 can also act as a feature to improve overall anvil stiffness. the anvil cap 3220 comprises an upper portion 3223, a lower portion 3221 , and a ledge 3224 configured to rest on the ledge 3217 before, during, and after welding. [0295] the upper portion 3223 of the anvil cap 3220 and the anvil body 3210 are welded together with the weld 3201 . welding access is provided by beveled edges on one or both of the anvil body 3210 and the anvil cap 3220. in this instance, the weld surfaces of the anvil body 3210 and the anvil cap 3220 are vertical and, as a result, the weld 3201 is vertical. the weld 3201 comprises a weld length, or depth, labeled by 3202. the weld depth 3202 is about 0.030 inches, for example. notably, the weld 3201 does not penetrate the anvil 3200 to the horizontal surfaces of the ledges 3217, 3224. with this arrangement, the anvil body 3210 will tend to rotationally deflect about the pivot axis p owing to the combination of forces applied to the anvil body 3210 by the firing member and the tissue. as the firing member cams the surfaces 3216 by pressing on the ledges 3215, represented by distributed load force 3231 , and the tissue and the cartridge push on the tissue-facing surface 321 1 , represented by distributed load force 3232, both sides of the anvil body 3210 (only one shown in fig. 74) may tend to rotate about a pivot axis p and deflect vertically and/or outwardly with respect to the firing member and the anvil cap 3220. this deflection, represented by deflection 3233, is permitted due to the lack of weld penetration from the provided weld arrangement. in some instances, the anvil body 3210 and the anvil cap 3220 may spread apart at an non-welded portion, or seam, 3204 having a length 3203. [0296] fig. 75 depicts a portion of a surgical stapling anvil 3300 comprising an anvil body 3310 and an anvil cap 3320 welded to the anvil body 3310 with a weld 3301. although only a portion of the surgical stapling anvil 3300 is illustrated, it should be understood that a mirrored portion of the illustrated portion exists to complete the surgical stapling anvil 3300. the illustrated and mirrored portions will be discussed concurrently going forward. the anvil body 3310 comprises a tissue-facing surface 331 1 comprising a plurality of staple-forming pockets 3312 defined therein, ledges 3315 comprising camming surfaces 3316 configured to be contacted by the anvil-camming features of a firing member of a surgical stapling instrument, and a longitudinal slot 3313 configured to receive a firing member therethrough. the anvil body 3310 further comprises outer edges 3314. the ledges 3315 are configured to bear, or support, a distributed load force 3331 applied by the firing member as the firing member moves through a staple-firing stroke. the anvil body 3310 further comprises an upper portion 3317 extending from the slot 3313 to the outer edge 3314. the anvil cap 3320 comprises an upper portion 3323, a lower portion 3321 , and a ledge 3224 configured to rest on the upper portion 3317 before, during, and after welding. [0297] the ledge 3324 of the anvil cap 3320 and the upper portion 3317 of the anvil body 3310 are welded together with the weld 3301. welding access is provided by a beveled edge of the anvil cap 3320. in this instance, the weld surfaces of the anvil body 3310 and the anvil cap 3320 are horizontal and, as a result, the weld 3301 is horizontal. the weld 3301 comprises a weld length, or depth, labeled by 3302. the weld depth 3302 is about 0.030 inches, for example. such a weld depth 3302, however, creates a non-welded portion 3304 having a non- welded width 3303. the non-welded width is about 0.080 inches, for example. with this arrangement, the anvil body 3310 will tend to rotationally deflect about the pivot axis p and the upper portion 3317 and the ledge 3324 will tend to compress during deflection. however, a non-welded width 3303 extends between the slot 3313 and beyond the second row of staple- forming pockets 3312. in various instances, the combination of forces applied to the anvil body 3310 by the firing member and the tissue can generate a deflection indicated by deflection 3333. as the firing member cams the anvil 3300 toward the opposing staple cartridge by pressing on the ledges 3315, represented by distributed load force 3331 , and as the tissue and the staple cartridge push on the tissue-facing surface 331 1 , represented by distributed load force 3332, both sides of the anvil body 3310 (only one shown in fig. 75) may tend to rotate and deflect vertically and/or outwardly with respect to the firing member. this deflection 3333 occurs due to the lack of weld penetration, the significant non-welded width 3304, as well as the horizontal weld arrangement 3301 . [0298] fig. 76 depicts a portion of a surgical stapling anvil 3400 comprising an anvil body 3410 and an anvil cap 3420 welded to the anvil body 3410 with a weld 3401 . although only a portion of the surgical stapling anvil 3400 is illustrated, it should be understood that a mirrored portion of the illustrated portion exists to complete the surgical stapling anvil 3400. the illustrated and mirrored portions will be discussed concurrently going forward. the anvil body 3410 comprises a tissue-facing surface 341 1 comprising a plurality of staple-forming pockets 3412 defined therein, ledges 3415 comprising camming surfaces 3416 configured to be contacted by the anvil-camming features of a firing member of a surgical stapling instrument, and a longitudinal slot 3413 configured to receive the firing member therethrough. the anvil body 3410 further comprises outer edges 3414. the ledges 3415 are configured to bear, or support, a distributed load force 3431 applied by the firing member as the firing member moves through a staple-firing stroke. the anvil body 3410 further comprises a ledge 3417 configured to hold the anvil cap 3420 during welding. the ledge 3417 can aid in assembling the cap 3420 and the body 3410 and can ensure the proper alignment of the anvil cap 3420 and the anvil body 3410. the ledge 3417 can also improve the overall anvil stiffness of the anvil 3400. the anvil cap 3420 comprises an upper portion 3423, a lower portion 3421 , and a ledge 3424 configured to rest on the ledge 3417 before, during, and after welding. [0299] the upper portion 3423 of the anvil cap 3420 and the anvil body 3410 are welded together with the weld 3401 . welding access is provided by beveled edges of on or both of the anvil body 3410 and the anvil cap 3420. in this instance, the weld surfaces of the anvil body 3410 and the anvil cap 3420 are angled and, as a result, the weld 3401 is angled. the weld 3401 comprises a weld length, or depth, labeled by 3402. the weld depth 3402 is about 0.030 inches, for example. notably, the weld 3401 does not penetrate the anvil 3400 to the horizontal surfaces of the ledges 3417, 3424 and, with this arrangement, the anvil body 3410 will tend to rotationally deflect about the pivot axis p. specifically, the combination of forces applied to the anvil body 3410 by the firing member and the tissue can generate deflection represented by deflection 3433. as the firing member cams the anvil 3400 toward the opposing staple cartridge by pressing on the ledges 3415, represented by distributed load force 3431 , and the tissue and the staple cartridge push on the tissue-facing surface 341 1 , represented by distributed load force 3432, both sides of the anvil body 3410 (only one shown in fig. 76) may tend to rotate about the pivot axis p. however, the angled weld surfaces will tend to compress as both sides of the anvil body 3410 rotate which may limit the amount of deflection that the anvil 3400 experiences. the anvil body 3410 and the anvil cap 3420 may tend to compress at a non- welded portion 3404 having a length 3403, resulting in a very strong interconnection between the cap 3420 and the body 3410. [0300] fig. 77 depicts a surgical stapling anvil 3500 for use with a surgical stapling instrument. the anvil 3500 comprises an anvil body 3510 and an anvil cap 3520. the anvil body 3510 comprises a tissue-facing surface 351 1 comprising a plurality of staple-forming pockets 3512 defined therein, ledges 3515 comprising camming surfaces 3516 configured to be engaged by anvil-camming features of a firing member of the surgical stapling instrument, and a longitudinal slot 3513 configured to receive a firing member therethrough. the ledges 3415 are configured to bear, or support, a distributed load force applied by a firing member as the firing member moves through a staple-firing stroke. the anvil body 3510 further comprises ledges 3517 configured to hold the anvil cap 3520 in place during welding. the ledge 3517 can aid in assembling the cap 3520 and the anvil body 3510 and can ensure the proper alignment of the anvil cap 3520 and the anvil body 3510. the ledge 3517 can also improve the overall stiffness of the anvil 3500. the anvil cap 3520 comprises an upper portion 3523, a lower portion 3521 , and ledges 3524 configured to rest on the ledges 3517 before, during, and after welding. [0301] the upper portion 3523 of the anvil cap 3520 and the anvil body 3510 are welded together with welds 3501. only one weld 3501 is illustrated to provide clarity of the relationship of the anvil body 3510 and the anvil cap 3520 before and after welding. in this instance, the weld surfaces of the anvil body 3510 and the anvil cap 3520 are angled and, as a result, the welds 3501 are angled. each weld 3501 comprises a weld length, or depth, labeled by 3502. the weld depth, or penetration, 3502 can be between about 0.015 inches and about 0.040 inches. in certain instances, the weld depth is 0.030 inches, for example. notably, the welds 3501 penetrate the anvil 3500 to the horizontal surfaces of the ledges 3517, 3524. providing angled weld surfaces that are configured to match weld penetration depth can aid in preventing anvil deflection rotationally as well as vertically. in other words, having welds with a weld penetration depth equal to or greater than that of the length of the angled weld surfaces can increase the moment of inertia and the overall stiffness of the anvil 3500. in other instances, the weld depth 3502 may be less than the length of the angled weld surfaces, or mated length. suitable welding techniques are used to weld any of the anvils disclosed herein. in some instances a gap is present between adjacent weld surfaces which is configured to receive weld material. in some instances, a gap is not provided. in at least one such instance, the angled weld surfaces are laser welded. [0302] fig. 78 is a micrograph of an anvil 3600 comprising an anvil body portion 3610 and an upper anvil portion 3620. the anvil body portion 3610 comprises a tissue-facing surface 361 1 comprising a plurality of staple forming pockets 3612 defined therein, a longitudinal cavity 3613 configured to receive a firing member of a surgical instrument therethrough, and ledges 3615 configured to be engaged by a firing member during a staple firing stroke. the anvil body portion 3610 and the upper anvil portion 3620 are welded to each other with welds 3601 - each comprising a weld penetration length 3602. notably, the welds 3601 do not penetrate the anvil 3600 to the horizontal surfaces 3617 of the upper ledges 3616 of the anvil body portion 3610. [0303] the anvil 3600 comprises a massive non-welded width 3606 and, also, a massive a slot cavity width 3605. the non-welded width 3606 is about 125% of the cavity width 3605. the non-welded width 3606 is so wide, in fact, that the intermediate forming pocket rows 3612b and the inner forming pocket rows 3612a are defined within the non-welded width 3606. similarly, the inner forming pockets 3612a and a portion of the intermediate forming pockets 3612b are defined with the slot cavity width 3605. moreover, an inner boundary axis 3619 of the intermediate rows of forming pockets 3612b is defined within both the non-welded width 3606 and the slot cavity width 3605. such an arrangement can significantly deflect the anvil 3600 when clamping tissue and/or as the firing member moves through its staple firing stroke. such deflections can be a result of the lack of weld penetration depth as well as a relatively large non- welded width 3605 relative to the slot width 3606. [0304] fig. 79 depicts an anvil 3700 comprising an anvil body portion 3710 and an anvil cap 3720. the anvil body portion 3710 comprises a planar, tissue-facing surface 371 1 including a plurality of staple-forming pockets comprising inner staple-forming pockets 3712a, intermediate staple-forming pockets 3712b, and outer staple-forming pockets 3712c. the body portion 3710 further comprises a longitudinal cavity, or slot, 3713 configured to receive a firing member therethrough, anvil-camming ledges 3715 defining radial cam surfaces 3714 configured to be engaged by a firing member as the firing member moves through its staple-firing stroke, and ledges 3716 configured to hold the anvil cap 3730. the slot 3713 comprises a first portion 3713a configured to receive a cutting member of the firing member therethrough and a second portion 3713b configured to receive an upper, camming portion of the firing member therethrough. the first portion 3713a comprises a width that is less than the width of the second portion 3713b. [0305] the anvil cap 3720 comprises a y-shaped cross section. the anvil cap 3720 comprises a lower portion 3721 configured to be received within the slot 3713 defining a first mating region and an upper portion 3723 configured to be welded to the anvil body 3710. the upper portion 3723 comprises ledges, or shoulders, 3724 comprising horizontal alignment surfaces configured to rest on corresponding horizontal alignment surfaces of the ledges 3716. this interface defines a second mating region which is perpendicular, or at least substantially perpendicular, to the first mating region. the horizontal alignment surfaces are at least substantially parallel to the tissue-facing surface 371 1 . the upper portion 3723 is flared with respect to the lower portion 3721 and comprises angled weld surfaces 3725 configured to be welded to corresponding angled weld surfaces 3717 of the anvil body 3710 defining a third mating region. the welds comprise weld penetration lengths equal to the length of the angled weld surfaces 3725, 3717. [0306] the anvil 3700 comprises a non-welded width 3706 and a slot width 3705. the non- welded width 3706 is no greater than about 105% of the slot width 3705. a central plane axis "ca" is defined as the geometric center of the anvil 3700. the non-welded width 3706, i.e., the width between the welds, defines an outer boundary axis 3731 which is a first distance 3731 d from the central axis ca. the inner staple-forming pockets 3712a define a row axis 3732 which is a second distance 3732d from the central axis ca. the second distance 3732d is less than the first distance 3731 d. as a result, all, or at least a portion of, the inner staple-forming pockets 3712a are defined within the non-welded width 3706. in other instances, the inner staple-forming pockets 3712a are positioned entirely outside of the non-welded width 3706. in such instances, the first width 3731 d is less than the second width 3732d. in certain instances, the outer boundary axis 3731 does not extend beyond an inner boundary axis of the inner staple forming pockets 3712a. the inner staple-forming pockets 3712a also define an outer boundary axis 3733 which is a third distance 3733d from the central axis ca. the third distance 3733d is greater than the first distance 3731 d and the second distance 3732d. in other instances, the inner staple-forming pockets 3712a are entirely positioned within the non-welded width 3706. in such instances, the second distance 3732d and the third distance 3733d are less than the first distance 3731 d. [0307] the intermediate staple-forming pockets 3712b define an inner boundary axis 3734 which is a fourth distance 3734d from the central axis. the fourth distance 3734d is greater than the first distance 3731 d, the second distance 3732d, and the third distance 3733d. in other words, the non-welded width 3706 does not extend to the intermediate staple-forming pockets 3712b. minimizing the first distance 3731 d, or the distance that the outer boundary axis 3731 d extends from the central axis ca, can increase the overall stiffness of the anvil 3700 to reduce the longitudinal and rotational, or torsional, bending, or deflection, of the anvil 3700. [0308] fig. 80 is a chart 3800 representing four different surgical stapling anvil arrangements subject to two different load scenarios. model a is a one-piece, or mono-block, anvil. model b is a two-piece anvil comprising an anvil body and an anvil cap welded to the anvil body. the anvil cap comprises an upper welded portion comprising a non-welded width wider than 105% of the slot width. like model b, model c is a two-piece anvil comprising an anvil body and an anvil cap welded to the anvil body. the anvil cap comprises a non-welded width of about 105% of the slot width. however, the angle of the angular weld surfaces, which are defined between the anvil cap and the anvil body, of model c prevents a weld depth from being formed that extends the entire length of the angular weld surfaces. in at least one instance, the weld depth is less than 0.03 inches, for example. model d represents the anvil 3700. the anvil cap comprises a non-welded width of about 105% of the slot width and the angle of the angular weld surfaces of model d allows a weld depth to be created that fuses the entire length of the angular weld surfaces. in at least one instance, the weld depth is at least 0.03 inches, for example. as a result, the distal tip deflection of the anvil 3700 is less than the distal tip deflection of the anvils of model a, model b, and model c. also, the overall stress in the ledges of model b, model c, and model d is less than the ledges of model a. [0309] figs. 81-83 depict an anvil 3900 for use with a surgical stapling instrument. the anvil 3900 is configured to deform staples during a surgical stapling procedure. the anvil 3900 comprises an anvil body 3910 and an anvil cap 3920. the anvil body 3910 and the anvil cap 3920 are welded together. the anvil body 3910 comprises a proximal portion 3912 comprising a coupling portion configured to be assembled to an end effector of a surgical stapling instrument to permit rotation of the anvil jaw 3900 relative to a corresponding jaw such as, for example, a staple cartridge jaw. embodiments are envisioned where the anvil jaw is fixed relative to the staple cartridge jaw and, in such instance, the staple cartridge jaw can rotate relative to the anvil jaw. the anvil body 3910 further comprises a distal tip portion 3914 and a planar, tissue-facing surface 391 1 . the tissue-facing surface 391 1 comprises staple-forming pockets 3912 defined therein which are configured to deform staples during a surgical stapling procedure. the anvil body 3910 comprises a longitudinal slot 3913 configured to receive a firing member of the surgical instrument therethrough. the anvil body 3910 further comprises camming features 3914 including radial camming surfaces 3915 configured to be engaged by anvil-camming portions of the firing member during its staple firing stroke. [0310] referring to fig. 81 , the anvil cap 3920 comprises a plurality of shallow-weld zones 3930 each comprising a zone length 3930l, and a plurality of deep-weld zones 3940, each comprising a zone length 3940l. the zone lengths 3930l, 3940l are equal; however, in other instances, the zone lengths 3930l, 3940l are different. each shallow-weld zone 3930 of the cap 3920 comprises an upper portion 3933 and a lower portion 3931. the upper portions 3933 comprise flared body portions 3934 including welding surfaces 3935. the flared body portions 3934 are configured to rest on alignment ledges 3916 of the anvil body 3910 while the welding surfaces 3935 are configured to engage, or mate, with corresponding angled welding surfaces 3917 of the anvil body 3910 (fig. 82). each deep-weld zone 3940 comprises an upper portion 3943 and a lower portion 3941 . the lower portion 3941 is accessible via a window 3945 extending through the upper portion 3943 of the deep weld zone 3940. the upper portions 3942 comprise alignment ledges 3944, accessible via the weld access region 3945, which are configured to rest on corresponding alignment ledges 3418 of the anvil body 3910. the alignment ledges 3916 are first distance from the tissue-facing surface 391 1 and the alignment ledges 3944 are a second distance from the tissue-facing surface 391 1 . the first distance is greater than the second distance. in other instances, the first distance and the second distance are equal. [0311] the welding surfaces 3935, 3917 discussed above are configured to be welded together to weld the shallow-weld zones 3930 to the anvil body 3910 with a weld 3936 comprising a weld root 3937 (fig. 83). the weld root 3937 is configured to penetrate at least to the horizontal surface of the ledge 3916. the deep-weld zones 3940 are configured to be welded to the anvil body 3910 with a weld 3946 comprising a weld root 3947 (fig. 83). the weld access region 3945 permits a deep weld, welding the lower portion 3941 to the anvil body 3910. during welding, the entire ledge 3946 may be fused with the anvil body 3910. while the weld lengths 3938, 3948 may be similar, if not equal, the effective, or net, weld depth between the anvil cap 3920 and the anvil body 3910 increases by providing both shallow-weld zones 3930 and deep-weld zones 3940. the weld depth can be defined as the distance between an edge 3921 of an upper surface 3901 of the anvil to the weld root of the respective weld. alternating the shallow-weld zones 3930 and the deep-weld zones 3940 can permit shallow and deep welds on both sides of the anvil 3900 along the longitudinal length of the anvil 3900 and create a robust connection between the anvil cap 3920 and the anvil body 3910. [0312] the shallow-weld zones 3930 and the deep-weld zones 3940 are configured increase the overall weld depth along the length of the anvil 3900. the location, longitudinal length, and quantity of shallow-weld zones 3930 and deep-weld zones 3940 can be varied to change, or tune, the stiffness of the anvil 3900 along its length. for example, the shallow-weld zones 3930 comprise a first stiffness and the deep-weld zones 3940 comprise a second stiffness which is different than the first stiffness. such an arrangement can also permit the use of a single-depth welder to make the welds 3936, 3946, which can simplify manufacturing. in addition to these welds, a filler weld may be applied to fill the access regions 3945 after the welds 3946 have been made to increase stiffness of the anvil 3900 and reduce the likelihood of rotational deflection within the anvil 3900. embodiments are envisioned where, instead of having longitudinally alternating zones having deep welds on both sides of the anvil and zones having shallow welds on both sides of the anvil (fig. 81), the anvil comprises a plurality of zones extending a length l where each zone comprises a shallow weld and a deep weld on opposite sides of the anvil. for example, each zone comprises a shallow weld extending along a length l of the zone on one side of the anvil and a deep weld extending along the length l of the zone on the other side of the anvil. moreover, in addition to having different lengths, the plurality of zones may alternate which side the shallow weld and the deep weld are made. as a result, such an anvil would comprise of both a shallow weld and a deep weld along the entire length of the anvil. [0313] various surgical stapling anvils disclosed herein can be manufactured using a variety of processes. for example, the anvil body portion and/or the anvil cap portions can be manufactured using a metal injection molding process. the anvil body portion and/or the anvil cap portions can also be manufactured using a machining process. in at least one instance, one of the anvil body portion and the anvil cap is manufactured using a metal injection molding process and the other one of the anvil body portion and the anvil cap is entirely manufactured using a machining process. in certain instances, electrochemical machining processes may be used to form anvil body portion, the anvil cap portion, or both the anvil body portion and the anvil cap portion. molding processes may permit fillets to be easily incorporated into the geometries of the anvil cap and/or anvil body. such fillets can reduce stress concentrations at locations where otherwise distinct vertices, or corners, would exist. [0314] a method for manufacturing a surgical stapling anvil such as those disclosed herein may comprise various steps. one step of manufacturing an anvil comprises manufacturing an anvil body portion and an anvil cap member. another step of manufacturing an anvil comprises polishing anvil-camming surfaces of the anvil body portion. in various instances, any internal surface which may contact any portion of a firing member can be polished. another step of manufacturing an anvil comprises welding the anvil body portion and the anvil cap member together. the welding step may comprise, for example, a laser welding process. yet another step of manufacturing an anvil comprises stamping staple-forming, or fastener forming, pockets into a tissue-facing surface of the anvil body portion. [0315] further to the above, the polishing step can involve polishing various zones of the anvil-camming surfaces, or ledges. the ledges can comprise a first zone and a second zone, wherein the first zone is configured to be contacted by the anvil-camming portions of a firing member and the second zone extends laterally beyond the first zone. under normal firing circumstances, the firing member would only contact the first ledge zone and not the second ledge zone. under abnormal firing circumstances, however, a portion of the firing member may contact the second zone. thus, it can be advantageous to ensure that both the first zone and the second zone of the ledges are polished to reduce the likelihood of galling on the ledges when contacted by the firing member. [0316] figs. 84 and 85 depict an anvil 4000 comprising an anvil body 4010 and an anvil cap 4020. the anvil body 4010 comprises a tissue-facing surface 401 1 and a plurality of staple forming pockets 4012 defined in the tissue-facing surface 401 1 . the anvil 4000 comprises a longitudinal cavity 4013 configured to receive a firing member of surgical instrument therethrough. the cavity 4013 comprises anvil-camming surfaces 4015 defined by ledges 4014 of the anvil body 4010. the firing member is configured to cam the ledges 4014 as the firing member is moved through a firing stroke. the anvil cap 4020 is welded to the anvil body 4010. a welder, such as a laser welder, for example, is permitted access to the anvil body 4010 and the anvil cap 4020 via welder access regions 4005. the welder access regions 4005 comprise openings, or beveled edges, to provide space for a welder to access the location to be welded. larger welder access regions can ensure deeper weld penetration depth. [0317] the anvil 4000 comprises primary welds 4001 and a secondary filler weld 4003. although only one secondary filler weld 4003 is illustrated, the anvil 4000 may comprise secondary filler weld on top of, or above, all existing primary welds. the filler weld 4003 provides additional stiffness to the anvil 4000 over the longitudinal length of the anvil 4000 and also aids in preventing rotational skew, or torsional bending, or twist, of the anvil sides. moreover, the filler weld 4003 increases the overall weld penetration depth into the anvil 4000 which increases the stiffness of the anvil 4000. the primary welds 4001 fuse corresponding angular surfaces of the anvil body 4010 and the anvil cap 4020. more specifically, the anvil body 4010 comprises a first angular surface 4019 configured to mate with a first angular surface 4029 of the anvil cap 4020, a first horizontal surface 4018 configured to mate with a first horizontal surface 4028 of the anvil cap 4020, a second angular surface 4017 configured to mate with a second angular surface 4027 of the anvil cap 4020, and a second horizontal surface 4016 configured to mate with a second horizontal surface, or bottom surface, 4026 of the anvil cap 4020. during manufacturing, a welder may be selected and configured to fuse the first angular surfaces 4019, 4029 together. [0318] the additional angular surfaces 4017, 4027 and the horizontal surfaces 4016, 4018, 4026, 4028 are configured to aid the assembly of the anvil body 4010 and the anvil cap 4020 prior to welding during manufacturing. for example, when preparing the anvil body 4010 and the anvil cap 4020 for welding, the additional surfaces may aid in aligning the anvil body 4010 and the anvil 4020 for welding. the second horizontal surface 4016 provides a defined depth for the anvil cap 4020. in other words, the second horizontal surface 4016 defines the lowest, seatable position that the bottom surface 4026 can sit relative to the anvil body 4010. [0319] fig. 86 depicts an anvil 4100 comprising a first anvil member, or anvil body portion, 41 10 and a second anvil member, or anvil cap, 4130. the first anvil member 41 10 comprises a tissue-facing surface 41 1 1 comprising a plurality of staple-forming pockets 41 12 defined therein. the first anvil member 41 10 also comprises a longitudinal cavity 41 13 configured to receive a firing member of a surgical instrument therethrough. the first anvil member 41 10 further comprises anvil-camming ledges 41 14 defining anvil-camming surfaces 41 15 configured to be engaged by the firing member as the firing member moves through a firing stroke. [0320] the first anvil member 41 10 and the second anvil member 4130 comprise interlocking features configured to increase the overall stiffness of the anvil 4100 and reduce transverse, tissue-induced bending of the anvil 4100 away from an opposing staple cartridge when the anvil 4100 is clamped against the staple cartridge. the first anvil member 41 10 comprises horizontally-extending interlocking features 41 17 received within corresponding interlocking apertures 4137 of the second anvil member 4130. the first anvil member 41 10 also comprises vertically-extending interlocking features 41 16 received within corresponding apertures 4136 of the second anvil member 4130. in various instances, the interlocking features 41 16, 41 17 may require the anvil 4100 to be assembled in only a longitudinal direction prior to being welded together. for example, the second anvil member 4130 may be slid longitudinally relative to the first anvil member in a longitudinal direction to assemble the first anvil member 41 10 and the second anvil member 4130. [0321] the first anvil member 41 10 and the second anvil member 4130 are welded to each other with exterior welds 4101 and interior welds 4103. welds 4101 , 4103 may comprise laser welds, for example. the exterior welds 4101 are located in the outer, lateral portions 4105 of the anvil 4100. the interior welds 4103 are located in the longitudinal cavity 41 13 which is defined by the first anvil member 41 10 and the second anvil member 4130. a laser welder, for example, can access the longitudinal cavity 41 13 through the opening, or aperture, defined between the camming ledges 41 14 to form the interior welds 4103. in various instances, the opening defined by the camming ledges 41 14 is sized to permit welder access specifically for the interior welds 4103. such an arrangement having interior welds, exterior welds, and interlocking features can increase the overall strength of an anvil as well as reduce transverse deflection and/or torsional deflection. the interlocking features can also provide a fixed holding surface so that, while one of the first anvil member and the second anvil member is grounded during the weld preparation process, the other one of the first anvil member and the second anvil member is limited to one plane of motion. such an arrangement can ensure that the first anvil member and the second anvil member do not move relative to each other prior to, and/or during, the welding process. [0322] referring now to fig. 87, an anvil 4200 comprises an anvil body 4210 and an anvil cap 4220. the anvil body 4210 comprises a planar, tissue-contacting surface 421 1 including a plurality of staple-forming pockets 4212 defined therein. the anvil body 4210 also comprises a longitudinal cavity 4213 configured to receive a firing member of a surgical instrument therethrough. the anvil body 4210 further comprises anvil-camming ledges 4214 defining anvil- camming surfaces 4215 configured to be engaged by the firing member as the firing member moves through a firing stroke. [0323] the anvil cap 4220 is positioned within the longitudinal cavity 4213 and is welded to the anvil body 4210 with welds 4201 . the welds 4201 may comprise laser welds, for example. the anvil cap 4220 comprises lateral projections, or interlocking features, 4221 configured to be received within apertures 4216 of the anvil body 4210. the welds 4201 comprise a weld depth that does not penetrate into the projections 4221 , however, embodiments are envisioned where the welds 4201 extend to the projections 4221 or into the projections 4221 . [0324] figs. 88-92 depict a surgical stapling assembly 4300 comprising a welded anvil which employs another arrangement to aid in the prevention of, and/or the limiting of, the longitudinal bending of the welded anvil. the surgical stapling assembly 4300 comprises an anvil jaw 4340 comprising an anvil body 4350 and an anvil cap 4360, a cartridge channel jaw 4330 configured to receive a staple cartridge within a cartridge-receiving aperture 4333 thereof, and a closure mechanism 4310 configured to pivot the anvil jaw 4340 relative to the cartridge channel jaw 4330 with a cam mechanism. that said, embodiments are envisioned where the cartridge channel jaw 4330 is pivoted relative to the anvil jaw 4340. the anvil body 4350 comprises a tissue facing surface 4351 comprising a plurality of staple forming pockets defined therein which are configured to deform the staples ejected from a surgical staple cartridge. the stapling assembly 4300 further comprises a firing member 4370 configured to move longitudinally within a slot 4357 of the anvil jaw 4340 and within a slot 4331 of the cartridge channel jaw 4330 to deploy a plurality of staples stored within a staple cartridge and configured to cut tissue captured between the anvil jaw 4340 and the cartridge channel jaw 4330 during a firing stroke. [0325] the surgical stapling assembly 4300 comprises means for improving the overall stiffness and strength of the anvil jaw 4340 by reducing the stiffness of the cartridge channel jaw 4330. the cartridge channel comprises channel walls 4334 comprising proximal wall portions 4335 and distal wall portions 4337. the anvil jaw 4340 is configured to hug, or surround the cartridge channel jaw 4330, specifically the proximal wall portions 4335, when the anvil jaw 4340 is pivoted toward the cartridge channel jaw 4330. the anvil body 4350 comprises proximal surrounding portions 4352 configured to hug, or surround, the proximal wall portions 4335 as the anvil jaw 4340 is pivoted from an open configuration (fig. 88) into a closed configuration (fig. 89) by the closure mechanism 4310. the proximal surrounding portions 4352 further comprise tissue stops 4359 configured to limit the proximal movement of tissue into the surgical stapling assembly 4300. [0326] the proximal surrounding portions 4352 comprise a lower portion 4354, an upper portion 4353, and a ledge 4356 defined therebetween. the lower portions 4354 are configured to overlap the proximal wall portions 4335 when the stapling assembly 4300 is in the closed configuration (fig. 91 , e.g.). the upper portions 4353 are thicker, or larger, than the lower portions 4354; however, the upper portions 4353 and the lower portions 4354 can have any suitable configuration. collectively, the thicker upper portions 4353 and the lower portions 4354 are configured to increase the overall stiffness and moment of inertia of the anvil jaw 4340. the ledges 4336 of the channel jaw 4330 face corresponding ledges 4356 of the proximal surrounding portions 4352 when the stapling assembly 4300 is in the closed configuration. [0327] referring primarily to fig. 92, the proximal wall portions 4335 comprise a cutout comprising a wall thickness that is less than that of the distal wall portions 4337. the proximal wall portions 4335 also comprise a smaller height than distal wall portions 4337 (fig. 91 ). providing thinner and smaller walls in the proximal portion of the cartridge channel jaw 4330 allows for more space for the proximal surrounding portion 4352 of the anvil jaw 4340 to be thicker and, overall, larger, thus increasing the stiffness of the anvil jaw 4340. in previous designs, the cartridge channel jaw of a stapling assembly comprised a substantially greater stiffness than the anvil of the stapling assembly. the present arrangement sacrifices some of the stiffness of the cartridge channel jaw to stiffen the anvil jaw by removing material from the cartridge channel jaw and adding the material to the anvil jaw all while maintaining a desirable instrument diameter. in various instances, a desired instrument diameter can be 5mm, 8mm, or 12 mm, for example. as a result of the above, the proximal surrounding portions 4352 comprise a volume of material configured to occupy a void defined as the space beyond the proximal wall portions 4335 but within the instrument diameter. [0328] further to the above, the anvil jaw 4340 comprises a first stiffness and the cartridge channel jaw 4330 comprises a second stiffness. the stapling assembly 4300 comprises structural means for reducing the second stiffness to increase the first stiffness. in various instances, the first stiffness and the second stiffness comprise a ratio of between about 1 :3 and about 1 : 1 . in some instances, the first stiffness and the second stiffness comprise a ratio of about 1 :3. in other instances, the first stiffness and the second stiffness comprise a ratio of about 1 : 1 . [0329] referring now to figs. 93-95, a cartridge channel jaw 4400 comprises a body portion 4410 and a cap portion 4430. the body portion 4410 comprises a longitudinal cavity 4415 (fig. 94) configured to receive the cap portion 4430. such an arrangement can permit the polishing of various internal surfaces of the channel jaw 4400 during manufacturing to reduce the force to advance, or fire, a firing member through a surgical instrument. the cartridge channel jaw 4400 comprises a staple cartridge-receiving cavity 4401 defined by channel walls 441 1 of the body portion 4410 which is configured to receive a staple cartridge therein, a proximal portion 4405 configured to be coupled to an instrument shaft, and a distal portion 4407. a replaceable staple cartridge is configured to be inserted, or installed, into the cartridge channel jaw 4400. referring to fig. 95, the body portion 4410 further comprises a longitudinal aperture 4413 configured to receive a portion of a firing member of a surgical instrument therethrough as the firing member moves through a staple firing stroke. [0330] the longitudinal cavity 4415 of the body portion 4410 defines ledges 4413 (fig. 95) which are configured to hold the cap portion 4430 in place relative the body portion 4410 for welding. the cap portion 4430 comprises cap walls 4433 and is welded to the body portion 4410 with welds 4409. the welds 4409 may comprise laser welds, for example. the cap portion 4430 and the ledges 4413 of the body portion 4410 define a longitudinal slot 4403 configured to slidingly receive a portion of the firing member. the longitudinal slot 4403 is polished prior to welding the cap portion 4430 to the body portion 4410. in various instances, the entirety of the longitudinal slot 4403 is polished. for example, the internal surfaces of the cap portion 4430 as well as the ledges 4413 are polished. polishing the ledges 4413 can be advantageous such that, as the firing member moves through its staple firing stroke, the polished ledges 4413 can reduce friction between the cartridge channel jaw 4400 and the firing member and, therefore, galling of the surfaces which would increase the force to fire the surgical instrument. in other instances, only certain surfaces of the cap portion 4430 are polished. in such instances, only the horizontal surface 4435 of the cap portion 4430 and the ledges 4413 may be polished. [0331] figs. 96-107 compare two different firing members 4500, 4600 for use with surgical stapling systems 4800, 4700, respectively. the firing member 4500 (fig. 96) comprises a body 4510 comprising a proximal connection portion 4512 and a cutting member 451 1 configured to cut tissue during a staple-firing stroke. the firing member 4500 further comprises a channel jaw-coupling member 4520 and a anvil jaw-coupling member 4530 configured to hold an anvil jaw and a channel jaw relative to each other during a staple-firing stroke of the firing member 4500. similarly, the firing member 4600 (fig. 97) comprises a body 4610 comprising a proximal connection portion 4612, a cutting member 461 1 configured to cut tissue during a staple-firing stroke, and a lockout feature 4615. the firing member 4600 further comprises a channel jaw-coupling member 4620 and a anvil jaw-coupling member 4630 configured to hold an anvil jaw and a channel jaw relative to each other during a staple-firing stroke of the firing member 4600. [0332] referring now to figs. 98 and 99, the anvil jaw-coupling member 4530 of the firing member 4500 comprises lateral projections, or anvil-camming features, 4531 extending from lateral sides of the body 4510. the projections are filleted relative to the body 4510 with fillets 4532. the projections 4531 also comprise outer, rounded corners 4533. the anvil, jaw- coupling member 4530 defines an upper, planar surface 4534. each projection 4531 comprises a lateral width, or thickness, 4545 and a vertical thickness 4541 . the lateral width 4545 is defined as the distance between the body 4510 and an outer edge 4536 of the projection 4531 . the lateral projections 4531 define a projection axis 4543 which is angled at about one degree relative to a horizontal surface of firing member 4500 such as, for example, an upper camming surface 4521 of the channel jaw-coupling member 4520. angling the projections 4531 may reduce galling of the contact surfaces. the lateral projections 4531 further comprise a longitudinal length 4542 (fig. 102) defined as the distance between a leading edge 4535 of the projection 4531 and a trailing edge 4537 of the projection 4531 . [0333] the longitudinal length 4542 and the vertical thickness 4541 of the lateral projections 4531 comprise a ratio of between about 2.5: 1 and about 20: 1 , for example. in certain instances, the longitudinal length 4542 and the vertical thickness 4541 comprise a ratio of between about 5: 1 and about 10: 1 . in some instances, the longitudinal length 4542 and the vertical thickness 4541 comprise a ratio of about 5: 1 . in various instances, the vertical thickness 4541 and the lateral width 4545 comprise a ratio of between about 1 :2 and about 1 : 1 , for example. in certain instances, the vertical thickness 4541 and the lateral width 4545 comprise a ratio of about 1 : 1 . these arrangements reduce ledge deflection and, in turn, reduce the deflection of the projections 4531 of the firing member 4500. these arrangements also encourage pure shear as the main source of deflection which increases the ability of the projections to resist deformation. arrangements where bending of the projections is the main source of deflection may result in a greater likelihood of plastic deformation of the projections. [0334] referring now to figs. 100 and 101 , the anvil jaw-coupling member 4630 comprises lateral projections, or anvil-camming features, 4631 extending from lateral sides of the body 4610. each projection 4631 comprises a lateral width, or thickness, 4645 and a vertical thickness 4641 . the lateral width 4645 is defined as the distance between the body 4610 and an outer edge 4636 of the projection 4631 . the lateral projections 4631 further comprise a longitudinal length 4642 (fig. 103) defined as the distance between a leading edge 4635 of the projection 4631 and a trailing edge 4637 of the projection 4631 . the longitudinal length 4542 is greater than the longitudinal length 4642. [0335] turning now to fig. 104, a stapling system 4700 comprises an end effector for use with a surgical instrument which includes an anvil jaw 4750, a cartridge channel jaw 4780, and a staple cartridge 4710 installed within the cartridge channel jaw 4780. the stapling system 4700 also comprises the firing member 4600, discussed above. the staple cartridge 4710 comprises a plurality of staples removably stored within staple cavities 4712 of the staple cartridge 4710 configured to be fired by the firing member 4600, a cartridge deck, or tissue-facing surface, 471 1 , and a longitudinal slot 4713 configured to receive the firing member 4600 therethrough. the anvil jaw 4750 comprises a tissue-facing surface 4751 comprising a plurality of staple- forming pockets 4752 configured to deform the staples, an anvil slot 4753 configured to receive the jaw-coupling member 4630 of the firing member 4600 therethrough, and camming ledges 4755 configured to be engaged by the projections 4631 of the firing member 4600 as the firing member 4600 moves through its staple firing stroke. the channel 4780 comprises channel walls 4781 , a longitudinal slot, or cavity, 4785 configured to receive the jaw-coupling member 4620 therethrough, and camming ledges 4783 configured to be engaged by the jaw-coupling member 4620 as the firing member 4600 moves through its staple-firing stroke. in this scenario, the projections 4631 act as cantilever beams resulting in much less force required to bend the projections 4631 than in the system described below. [0336] turning now to fig. 105, a stapling system 4800 comprises an end effector for use with a surgical instrument comprising the anvil jaw 3700, the cartridge channel jaw 4400, and a staple cartridge 4810 installed within the cartridge channel jaw 4400. the system 4800 also comprises the firing member 4500. the staple cartridge 4810 comprises a plurality of staples removably stored within staple cavities 4812 of the staple cartridge 4810 configured to be fired by the firing member 4500, a cartridge deck, or tissue-facing surface, 481 1 , and a longitudinal slot 4813 configured to receive the firing member 4500 therethrough. the anvil slot 3713 is configured to receive the jaw-coupling member 4530 of the firing member 4500 therethrough and the camming ledges 3715 are configured to be engaged by the projections 4531 as the firing member 4500 moves through its staple firing stroke. in such instances, the rounded edges 4533 of the projections 4531 are configured to engage the radiused portions 3714 of the camming ledges 3715. the longitudinal slot 4403 of channel jaw 4400 is configured to receive the jaw-coupling member 4520 therethrough and the camming ledges 4413 are configured to be engaged by the jaw-coupling member 4520 as the firing member 4500 moves through its staple- firing stroke. in this scenario, the main source of deflection of the projections 4531 is caused by shear stress requiring a much greater force to deform the projections 4531 than the force required to deform the projections 4631 of the system 4700 illustrated in fig. 104. [0337] turning now to figs. 106 and 107, a comparison of the deflection of the ledges of each stapling system 4700, 4800 is illustrated. an identical firing load is applied to the stapling systems 4700, 4800 illustrated in figs. 106 and 107. in fig. 106, the system 4800 is illustrated with a deflection 4801 . in fig. 107, the system 4700 is illustrated with a deflection 4701 which is greater than the deflection 4801 . this difference can be due, in part, to the lack of stiffness of the projections 4631 , the geometry of the ledges 4755 and their lack of ability to resist bending, the increased stiffness of the projections 4531 , and/or the geometry of the ledges 3715 and their ability to resist bending, among other things. for instance, the stapling system 4800 places the projections 4531 and the ledges 3715 primarily in shear increasing their ability to resist deformation. moreover, rounding the projections and shortening the width of the projections of the firing member increases stiffness of the corresponding jaw-coupling member as well as the anvil due to the fact that more material of the anvil is permitted. [0338] in certain instances, balancing the stiffnesses of the ledge 3715 and the projections 4531 will balance the magnitude of deflection of the ledge 3715 and the magnitude of deflection of the projection 4531 during a firing stroke of the firing member. as a result of such balanced deflections, neither the ledge nor the projection will dominate each other in terms of deflection and, thus, neither the ledge nor the projection will cause the other to plastically deform substantially more than the other and possibly not at all, during the firing stroke. in various instances, the stiffness of the ledge is equal to, substantially equal to, or less than the stiffness of the projection. in certain instances, the height, or vertical thickness, of the ledge is substantially similar to the height, or vertical thickness, of the projection. in addition to, or in lieu of, providing balanced geometries of the ledge and the projection, the materials of the ledge and the projection can be selected based on yield strength and/or hardness values, for example. having materials with similar yield strengths and/or hardness values of the materials can encourage equal, or balanced, deflection of the ledge and the projection. [0339] fig. 108 is a stress and strain analysis 4900 of the anvil 3700 comprising a weld 3701 during the advancement of the firing member 4500. as can be seen in fig. 108, the combination of the application of a distributed load 4903 by the firing member 4500 to the ledges 3715 and the application of a distributed load 4905 by the tissue and cartridge 4810 to the tissue-facing surface 371 1 results in a deflection 4901 and a stress profile as illustrated. the stress analysis shows low stress regions 4907, medium stress regions 4908, and high stress regions 4909. notably, the stress at and near the weld 3701 is evenly distributed and does not localize, or concentrate, at or near the weld 3701 . [0340] in various designs, a t-shaped cutter bit is used to machine the slot in the anvil and/or channel that receives the jaw-coupling members of a firing member. this method of machining can cause bit chatter which can roughen the surface of the slots cut with the t-shaped cutter bit. in two-piece anvil and channel designs, a standard cutter bit can be used eliminating this issue to provide a better surface finish and resulting in a reduced force to fire the firing member. [0341] another way to reduce the force to fire may include coating at least the polished surfaces of the anvil with a material to reduce the coefficient of friction of those surfaces. such a coating can comprise medcoat 2000, for example. [0342] during manufacturing of various welded anvil designs disclosed herein, x-ray techniques may be employed to verify weld depth and/or weld integrity to reduce faulty resultant welds from passing a quality control test lacking an x-ray step. another quality control step may include a batch destructive test where an anvil is sliced and then analyzed to ensure proper weld depth and/or weld integrity. [0343] various materials to increase strength and/or provide desirable weld materials may be used in the manufacturing of various two-piece anvil designs disclosed herein. for example, a tungsten-rhenium alloy may be used for the anvil cap material. in various instances, a w-3, w- 5, w-25, or w-26 tungsten-rhenium alloy may be used for the anvil cap material. in some instances, a silver-nickel clad may be used for the anvil cap and a 416 stainless steel or 17-4 stainless steel may be used for the anvil body, for example. [0344] as discussed above, the anvil body and the anvil cap may comprise different materials. these materials can be selected based on weldability and/or strength, for example. in addition to weldability and strength, another material selection process may factor in hardness. this can be particularly important for the anvil-camming ledges of the anvil body. in some instances, the material selected for the anvil body can comprise of a hardness value which is greater than the hardness value of the anvil cap. the anvil-camming ledges may then be less resistant to galling than if the anvil body and the anvil cap were both manufactured using a softer material. [0345] in certain instances, the rows of forming pockets may be stamped into the tissue-facing surface of the anvil. in such instances, a slit, or notch, may be cut into the tissue-facing surface to provide space for material to move toward, or into, during the stamping process. this may permit all of the forming pocket rows to comprise forming pockets having equal pocket depths where stamping the pockets without the precut slit may make equal pocket depths amongst the rows difficult. [0346] figs. 109-1 14 depict a forming pocket arrangement 10200 that is configured to deform a staple during a surgical stapling procedure. the forming pocket arrangement 10200 and various alternative forming pocket arrangements are further described in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914, entitled method of deforming staples from two different types of staple cartridges with the same surgical stapling instrument, which was filed december 21 , 2016. u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914 is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. the forming pocket arrangement 10200 comprises a proximal forming pocket 10210 and a distal forming pocket 10230 defined in a planar, or tissue-engaging, surface 10207 of an anvil 10201. the pockets 10210, 10230 are aligned along a longitudinal pocket axis 10203 of the forming pocket arrangement 10200. a staple is intended to be formed along the pocket axis 10203 by the forming pocket arrangement 10200 when deployed from a staple cartridge. referring to figs. 1 10 and 1 1 1 , the forming pocket arrangement 10200 further comprises a bridge portion 10205 defined between the forming pockets 10210, 10230. in this instance, the bridge portion 10205 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 10207 of the anvil 10201 . the bridge portion 10205 comprises a bridge width "w and a bridge depth "d". the bridge depth "d" is the distance that the bridge portion 10205 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 10207. the forming pocket arrangement 10200 comprises a center "c" defined within the bridge portion 10205. the forming pocket arrangement 10200 is bilaterally symmetric with respect to the bridge portion 10205, bilaterally symmetric with respect to pocket axis 10203, and rotationally symmetric with respect to the center "c". [0347] the forming pocket arrangement 10200 further comprises a pair of primary sidewalls 10208 extending from the planar surface 10207 of the anvil 10201 toward the pockets 10210, 10230 and the bridge portion 10205. the primary sidewalls 10208 are angled at angle θ 2 (fig. 1 12) with respect to the planar surface 10207 of the anvil 10201 . the forming pocket arrangement 10200 further comprises edge features 10215, 10235 which provide a transition feature between the outer edges of the pockets 10210, 10230 and the planar surface 10207, between the longitudinal edges of the pockets 10210, 10230 and the primary sidewalls 10208, and between the inner edges of pockets 10210, 10230 and the bridge portion 10205. these edges 10215, 10235 can be rounded, and/or chamfered, for example. the edge features 10215, 10235 may help prevent staple tips from sticking. [0348] the forming pocket 10210 comprises a pair of pocket sidewalls 10213 and the forming pocket 10230 comprises a pair of pocket sidewalls 10233. the pocket sidewalls 10213, 10233 are configured to direct the staple tips and the legs of the staples toward the forming surfaces of the pockets 10210, 10230 in the event that the staple tips and/or the legs of the staples initially strike the sidewalls 10213, 10233 of the pockets 10210, 10230. the sidewalls 10213, 10233 extend from the transition edges 10215, 10235 toward the forming surfaces of each pocket 10210, 10230. the sidewalls 10213, 10233 of the forming pockets 10210, 10230 are angled with respect to the planar surface 10207 of the anvil 10201 at angle θ-ι (fig. 1 13) in order to direct, or channel, the legs and/or the staple tips of the staples toward the forming surfaces of the pockets 10210, 10230. the sidewalls 10213, 10233 are configured to encourage the staple tips and/or the legs of the staples to form along the pocket axis 10203 as the staples are formed against the forming surfaces of the pockets 10210, 10230. collectively, the primary sidewalls 10208 and the pocket sidewalls 10213, 10233 can provide a funnel-like configuration for directing staple tips. referring to figs. 1 12 and 1 13, the angle is greater than the angle θ 2 . [0349] the pockets 10210, 10230 further comprise transition edges 10214, 10234 which provide a transition feature between the pocket sidewalls 10213, 10233 and the forming surfaces, as discussed in greater detail below. in various instances, the transition edges 10214, 10234 can comprise a similar profile as the transition edges 10215, 10235. in other instances, the transition edges 10214, 10234 can comprise a different profile than the transition edges 10215, 10235. that said, the edges 10214, 10234 can be rounded, or chamfered, for example. the edges 10214, 10234 comprise a first end where the edges 10214, 10234 meet the outer ends of the pockets 10210, 10230 and a second end where the edges 10214, 10234 approach the bridge portion 10205, or the inner ends of the pockets 10210, 10230. the edges 10214, 10234 may transition into the transition edges 10215, 10235 near the bridge portion 10205. the edge features 10214, 10234 may also help prevent staple tips from sticking in the pockets 10210, 10230 when forming. [0350] referring again to fig. 1 10, the forming surfaces of the pockets 10210, 10230 comprise an entry zone forming surface 1021 1 , 10231 and an exit zone forming surface 10212, 10232, respectively. in this instance, the amount of surface area of the forming surfaces that the entry zone forming surfaces 1021 1 , 10231 cover is greater than the amount of surface area of the forming surfaces that the exit zone forming surfaces 10212, 10232 cover. as a result, the entry zone forming surfaces 1021 1 , 10231 do not transition to the exit zone forming surfaces 10212, 10232 in the center of each pocket 10210, 10230. rather, the transition points where the entry zones 1021 1 , 10231 transition to the exit zones 10212, 10232 are closer to the bridge portion 10205. the transitions between the entry zone forming surfaces 1021 1 , 10231 and the exit zone forming surfaces 10212, 10232 define a valley, or trough of each pocket 10210, 10230. the valleys of the forming pockets 10210, 10230 define a portion, or segment, of the forming surfaces having the greatest vertical distance from the planar surface 10207. [0351] referring to fig. 1 1 1 , the forming surfaces of each pocket 10210, 10230 comprise more than one radius of curvature. specifically, the pocket 10210 comprises an entry radius of curvature 10217 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 1021 1 and an exit radius of curvature 10218 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 10212. similarly, the pocket 10230 comprises an entry radius of curvature 10237 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 10231 and an exit radius of curvature 10238 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 10232. in this instance, the entry radii of curvature 10217, 10237 are larger than the exit radii of curvature 10218, 10238, respectively. specific relationships between the radii of curvature and various pocket features along with some potential advantages and patterns of the specific relationships are further described in u.s. patent application no. 15/385,914. [0352] in addition to defining the transition points where the entry zones transition to the exit zones, the valleys of the forming pockets 10210, 10230 also define the narrowest portion of the forming surfaces of each pocket 10210, 10230. the outer edges of each pocket 10210, 10230, also referred to as entry edges because they define the beginning of the entry zone forming surfaces 1021 1 , 10231 , comprise an entry width. the inner edges of each pocket 10210, 10230, also referred to as exit edges because they define the end of the exit zone forming surfaces 10212, 10232, comprise an exit width. in this instance, the entry width is greater than the exit width. also, the exit width is greater than the valley width, or the narrowest portion of the forming surfaces. fig. 1 13 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming pocket 10230 taken along line 1 13-1 13 in fig. 1 10. this view illustrates the valley, or trough, of the distal forming pocket 10230. this valley, or trough, is also the transition between the entry zone forming surface 10231 and the exit zone forming surface 10232. fig. 1 12 illustrates a cross- sectional view of the distal forming pocket 10230 taken along line 1 12-1 12 in fig. 1 10 which is located within the exit zone forming surface 10232 of the forming pocket 10230. fig. 1 14 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming pocket 10230 taken along line 1 14-1 14 in fig. 1 10 which is within the entry zone forming surface 10232 of the distal forming pocket 10230. [0353] the forming pocket arrangement 10200, and various other forming pocket arrangements disclosed herein, are configured to be used with staples with various diameters. the diameters of staples to be used with the forming pocket arrangement 10200 can vary between about 0.0079 inches and about 0.0094 inches, for example. additionally, the entry radius of curvature and the exit radius of curvature of each forming surface comprise a ratio of about 1 .5: 1 to about 3: 1 when the entry radius is between about 8x the staple diameter and 10x the staple diameter, for example. in at least one instance, the entry radius of curvature and the exit radius of curvature of each forming surface comprise a ratio of about 2:1 when the entry radius is 9x the staple diameter, for example. in other instances, the entry radius of curvature and the exit radius of curvature of each forming surface comprise a ratio of about 1.5:1 to about 3: 1 when the entry radius is above about 0.6x the staple crown length and the ridge, or bridge, width is less than 1x the staple diameter, for example. in at least one instance, the entry radius of curvature and the exit radius of curvature of each forming surface comprise a ratio of about 2:1 when the entry radius is above about 0.6x the staple crown length and the ridge, or bridge, width is less than 1x the staple diameter. the exit radius of curvature is between about 4x the staple diameter and about 6x diameter, for example. in at least one instance, the exit radius of curvature is about 4.5x the staple diameter. [0354] figs. 1 15-120 depict a forming pocket arrangement 10500 that is configured to deform a staple during a surgical stapling procedure. the forming pocket arrangement 10500 and various alternative forming pocket arrangements are further described in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914, entitled method of deforming staples from two different types of staple cartridges with the same surgical stapling instrument, which was filed december 21 , 2016. u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914 is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. the forming pocket arrangement 10500 comprises a proximal forming pocket 10510 and a distal forming pocket 10530 defined in a planar, or tissue-contacting, surface 10507 of an anvil 10501 . the pockets 10510, 10530 are aligned along a longitudinal pocket axis 10503 of the forming pocket arrangement 10500. a staple is intended to be formed along the pocket axis 10503 by the forming pocket arrangement 10500 when deployed from a staple cartridge. referring to figs. 1 16 and 1 17, the forming pocket arrangement 10500 further comprises a bridge portion 10505 defined between the forming pockets 10510, 10530. in this instance, the bridge portion 10505 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 10507 of the anvil 10501 . the bridge portion 10505 comprises a bridge width "w and a bridge depth "d". the bridge portion 10505 is substantially v-shaped with a rounded bottom portion. the bridge depth "d" is the distance that the bottom portion of the bridge portion 10505 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 10507. the forming pocket arrangement 10500 comprises a center "c" defined within the bridge portion 10505. the forming pocket arrangement 10500 is bilaterally symmetric with respect to the bridge portion 10505, bilaterally symmetric with respect to pocket axis 10503, and rotationally symmetric with respect to the center "c". [0355] the forming pocket arrangement 10500 further comprises a pair of primary sidewalls 10508 extending from the planar surface 10507 of the anvil 10501 toward the pockets 10510, 10530 and the bridge portion 10505. the primary sidewalls 10508 are angled at angle θ- \ (fig. 1 18) with respect to the planar surface 10507 of the anvil 10501 . the primary sidewalls 10508 comprise inner edges that are curved, or contoured, with respect to the pockets 10510, 10530. [0356] the forming pocket 10510 comprises a pair of pocket sidewalls 10513 and the forming pocket 10530 comprises a pair of pocket sidewalls 10533. the pocket sidewalls 10513, 10533 comprise curved, or contoured, profiles and are configured to direct the staple tips and the legs of the staples toward the forming surfaces of the pockets 10510, 10530 as well as help control the forming process of the staples. the sidewalls 10513, 10533 extend from the primary sidewalls 10508 and the planar surface 10507 toward the forming surfaces of each pocket 10510, 10530. the sidewalls 10513, 10533 are configured to encourage the staple tips and/or the legs of the staples to form along the pocket axis 10503 as the staples are formed against the forming surfaces of the pockets 10510, 10530. collectively, the primary sidewalls 10508 and the pocket sidewalls 10513, 10533 cooperate to funnel corresponding staple tips toward the lateral center of each pocket 10510, 10530. discussed in greater detail below, the sidewalls 10513, 10533 comprise entry portions and exit portions where the entry portions comprise a less aggressive channeling configuration than the exit portions. [0357] referring again to fig. 1 16, the forming surfaces of the pockets 10510, 10530 comprise an entry zone forming surface 1051 1 , 10531 and an exit zone forming surface 10512, 10532, respectively. the entry zone forming surfaces 1051 1 , 10531 coincide with the less aggressive channeling portions of the sidewalls 10513, 10533. similarly, the exit zone forming surfaces 10512, 10532 coincide with the more aggressive channeling portions of the sidewalls 10513, 10533. the pockets 10510, 10530 further comprise a forming, or guiding, groove 10515, 10535, also referred to as a tip control channel, extending the entire longitudinal length of each pocket 10510, 10530 and positioned centrally with respect to the outer lateral edges of the pockets 10510, 10530. the grooves 10515, 10535 are narrower at the outer longitudinal edges of the pockets 10510, 10530 than the inner longitudinal edges of the pockets 10510, 10530. the grooves 10515, 10535 meet at the bridge portion 10505 to encourage the staple tips, and staple legs, to contact each other during the forming process, as further discussed in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914. in some instances, grooves defined in the forming surfaces of forming pockets can have a similar effect in staple forming as more aggressively-angled exit walls and/or narrowly-configured exit walls. [0358] referring to fig. 1 17, the forming surfaces of each pocket 10510, 10530 comprise more than one radius of curvature. specifically, the pocket 10510 comprises an entry radius of curvature 10517 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 1051 1 and an exit radius of curvature 10518 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 10512. similarly, the pocket 10530 comprises an entry radius of curvature 10537 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 10531 and an exit radius of curvature 10538 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 10532. in this instance, the entry radii of curvature 10517, 10537 are larger than the exit radii of curvature 10518, 10538. specific relationships between the radii of curvature and various pocket features along with some potential advantages and patterns of the specific relationships are further described in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914. [0359] referring now to figs. 1 18-120, the outer longitudinal edges of each pocket 10510, 10530 are referred to as entry edges because they define the beginning of the entry zone forming surfaces 1051 1 , 10531 . the entry edges comprise an entry width which is the largest width of the forming surfaces of each pocket 10510, 10530. the inner edges of each pocket 10510, 10530 are referred to as exit edges because they define the end of the exit zone forming surfaces 10512, 10532. the exit edges comprise an exit width, also referred to as the bridge width "w, which is the narrowest section of the forming surfaces of each pocket 10510, 10530. the transitions between entry and exit zones comprise a transition width which is less than the entry width but greater than the exit width. fig. 1 19 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming pocket 10530 taken along line 1 19-1 19 in fig. 1 16. this view is taken near the valley, or trough, of the distal forming pocket 10530. this valley, or trough, is also the transition between the entry zone forming surface 10531 and the exit zone forming surface 10532. in various instances, the transition between entry and exit zones does not occur at the valley, or trough, of the pocket. fig. 1 18 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the distal forming pocket 10530 taken along line 1 18-1 18 in fig. 1 16 which is located within the exit zone forming surface 10532 of the forming pocket 10530. fig. 120 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming pocket 10530 taken along line 120-120 in fig. 1 16 which is within the entry zone forming surface 10532 of the distal forming pocket 10530. the sidewalls 10533 are illustrated in this figure as linear, or at least substantially linear, and are angled at angle θ 2 (fig. 120) with respect to the planar surface 10507. angle θ 2 is greater than angle θ- \ (fig. 1 18). [0360] figs. 121 and 122 depict staples formed with the forming pocket arrangement 10500 where one staple was aligned with the pocket axis 10503 of the forming pocket arrangement 10500 and the other staple was misaligned with the pocket axis 10503 of the forming pocket arrangement 10500. fig. 121 depicts a side view 13100 and a bottom view 13100' of a staple 13101 in a fully-formed configuration formed with the forming pocket arrangement 10500. this staple 13101 was aligned with the pocket axis 10503 of the forming pocket arrangement 10500 during the forming process. the tips 13104 of the staple legs 13103 struck the forming pocket arrangement 10500 along the pocket axis 10503. [0361] the staple 13101 comprises a first tip alignment axis ta1 , a second tip alignment axis ta2, and a crown alignment axis ca. when aligned with the pocket axis 10503, the staple 13101 forms such that the second tip alignment axis ta2 and the crown alignment axis ca are substantially aligned or, in other words, the staple 13101 assumes a substantially planar configuration. the force to fire the staple 13101 is illustrated in the graph 131 10. [0362] fig. 122 depicts a side view 13120 and a bottom view 13120' of a staple 13121 in a fully formed configuration formed with the forming pocket arrangement 10500. this staple 13121 was misaligned with the pocket axis 10503 of the forming pocket arrangement 10500 during the forming process. the staple 13121 was driven off plane with respect to the pocket axis 10503. the tips 13124 of the staple legs 13123 did not strike the forming pocket arrangement 10500 along the pocket axis 10503 nor was the crown, or base, 13122 of the staple 13121 aligned with the pocket axis 10503 during forming. [0363] the staple 13121 comprises a first tip alignment axis ta1 , a second tip alignment axis ta2, and a crown alignment axis ca. when misaligned with the pocket axis 10503, the staple 13121 forms such that the second tip alignment axis ta2 and the crown alignment axis ca are substantially aligned with each other or, in other words, the staple 13121 assumes a substantially planar configuration. compared to fig. 121 where the staple 13101 was aligned with the pocket axis 10503, the staple 13121 forms into a fully-formed configuration that may be more acceptable to a surgeon to more adequately seal tissue than staples formed with other forming pocket arrangements which form in a misaligned state. [0364] figs. 123-129 depict a forming pocket arrangement 6500 that is configured to deform a staple during a surgical stapling procedure. the forming pocket arrangement 6500 comprises a proximal forming cup, or pocket, 6510 and a distal forming cup, or pocket, 6530 defined in a planar, or tissue-contacting, surface 6507 of an anvil 6501 . the tissue-contacting surface 6507 of the anvil 6501 can be configured to compress tissue against a staple cartridge when the anvil 6501 is clamped or closed relative to the staple cartridge. each cup 6510, 6530 is defined by a boundary surface as further described herein. the cups 6510, 6530 are aligned along a pocket axis 6503 of the forming pocket arrangement 6500. a staple is intended to be formed along the pocket axis 6503 by the forming pocket arrangement 6500 when deployed from a staple cartridge. for example, a first leg of the staple is formed by the proximal forming cup 6510 and a second leg of the staple is formed by the distal forming cup 6530. in such instances, the first leg of the staple is aligned with a portion of the proximal forming cup 6510 and the second leg of the staple is aligned with a portion of the distal forming cup 6530 when the anvil 6501 is clamped relative to the staple cartridge. [0365] referring to figs. 125 and 126, the forming pocket arrangement 6500 further comprises a bridge portion 6505 defined between the forming cups 6510, 6530. in this instance, the bridge portion 6505 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 6507 of the anvil 6501 . the bridge portion 6505 comprises a bridge width bw and a bridge depth bd (fig. 129). the bridge depth bd is the distance that the bottom portion of the bridge portion 6505 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 6507. the bridge width bw is the width of the pocket arrangement 6500 between the cups 6510, 6530. in this instance, the bridge width bw is the narrowest section of the forming surfaces of each cup 6510, 6530. the forming pocket arrangement 6500 comprises a center c (figs. 123-125) defined within the bridge portion 6505. the forming pocket arrangement 6500 is bilaterally symmetric with respect to the bridge portion 6505, bilaterally symmetric with respect to pocket axis 6503, and rotationally symmetric with respect to the center c. [0366] the forming pocket arrangement 6500 further comprises a pair of primary sidewalls 6508 extending from the planar surface 6507 of the anvil 6501 toward the cups 6510, 6530 and the bridge portion 6505. the primary sidewalls 6508 are angled at an angle θ- \ (figs. 127-129) with respect to the planar surface 6507 of the anvil 6501. the cups 6510, 6530 define a perimeter 6520 and the inner edges of the primary sidewalls 6508 extend between the planar surface 6507 and the perimeter 6520 of the cups 6510, 6530. referring primarily to fig. 125, the inner edges of the primary sidewalls 6508 are curved, or contoured, with respect to the cups 6510, 6530. [0367] in certain instances, the forming pocket arrangement 6500 may not include the primary sidewalls 6508. in such instances, the cups 6510, 6530 can extend directly to the planar surface 6507 and the perimeter 6520 of the cups 6510, 6530 can be defined in the planar surface 6507. [0368] referring again to figs. 125 and 126, the proximal forming cup 6510 comprises a pair of cup sidewalls 6513 and the distal forming cup 6530 comprises a pair of cup sidewalls 6533. the cup sidewalls 6513, 6533 comprise curved, or contoured, profiles and are configured to direct the staple tips and the legs of the staples toward the forming surfaces of the cups 6510, 6530 as well as help control the forming process of the staples. the sidewalls 6513, 6533 extend from the primary sidewalls 6508 and the planar surface 6507 toward the forming surfaces of each cup 6510, 6530. the sidewalls 6513, 6533 are configured to encourage the staple tips and/or the legs of the staples to form along the pocket axis 6503 as the staples are formed against the forming surfaces of the cups 6510, 6530. collectively, the primary sidewalls 6508 and the cup sidewalls 6513, 6533 cooperate to funnel corresponding staple tips toward the lateral center of each cup 6510, 6530. an inflection surface, or bottom surface, 6514, 6534 extends along the lateral center of each respective cup 6510, 6530 intermediate the respective sidewalls 6513, 6533. [0369] referring still to fig. 125, the forming surfaces of the cups 6510, 6530 comprise an entry zone forming surface 651 1 , 6531 , respectively, and an exit zone forming surface 6512, 6532, respectively. the entry zone forming surfaces 651 1 , 6531 can coincide with less aggressive channeling portions of the sidewalls 6513, 6533. similarly, the exit zone forming surfaces 6512, 6532 can coincide with more aggressive channeling portions of the sidewalls 6513, 6533. [0370] referring primarily now to fig. 126, the forming surfaces of each cup 6510, 6530 are defined by a depth profile or contour. the proximal forming cup 6510 includes the depth profile 6522, and the distal forming cup 6530 includes the depth profile 6542. the depth profiles 6522, 6542 define the depth of the cups 6510, 6530, respectively, along the length thereof. the cups 6510, 6530 reach a maximum cup depth cd within their respective transition zones 6509, 6529, which are further described below. the cup depth cd of the pockets 6510, 6530 can be between 0.3 and 0.5 millimeters, for example. for example, the cup depth cd can be 0.4 millimeters. in other instances, the cup depth cd can be less than 0.3 millimeters or more than 0.5 millimeters, for example. [0371] the depth profiles 6522, 6542 are curved profiles, which are devoid of linear portions. moreover, the depth profiles 6522, 6542 can comprise one or more radii of curvature. specifically, the depth profile 6522 of the proximal forming cup 6510 comprises an entry radius of curvature 6517 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 651 1 and an exit radius of curvature 6518 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 6512. similarly, the depth profile 6542 of the distal forming cup 6530 comprises an entry radius of curvature 6537 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 6531 and an exit radius of curvature 6538 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 6532. in this instance, the entry radii of curvature 6517, 6537 are larger than the exit radii of curvature 6518, 6538. specific relationships between the entry zone and exit zone radii of curvature and various pocket features along with some potential advantages and patterns of the specific relationships are further described in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914. [0372] the outer longitudinal edges of each cup 6510, 6530 are referred to as entry edges because they define the beginning of the entry zone forming surfaces 651 1 , 6531. the entry edges comprise an entry width which is the largest width of the forming surfaces of each cup 6510, 6530. the inner edges of each cup 6510, 6530 are referred to as exit edges because they define the end of the exit zone forming surfaces 6512, 6532. the exit edges comprise an exit width, also referred to as the bridge width bw (fig. 129) which is the narrowest section of the forming surfaces of each cup 6510, 6530. a transition zone 6509, 6529 is positioned intermediate the entry zone and exit zone of each cup. the transition zones 6509, 6529 have a transition width which is less than the entry width but greater than the exit width. the transition zones 6509, 6529 include an inflection portion of the respective depth profiles 6522, 6542 and, thus, include the deepest portion of each cup 6510, 6530. in various instances, the transition zones 6509, 6529 comprise the majority of the length of each cup 6510, 6530. more specifically, the length of the transition zone 6509, 6529 can be greater than the combined length of the respective entry zone and exit zone of each cup 6510, 6530. the transition zones 6509, 6529 can extend along the tapered or narrowing section of each cup 6510, 6530. for example, each transition zone 6509, 6529 can extend inward from the widest section of the respective cup 6510, 6530 toward the bridge 6505. [0373] fig. 128 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming cup 6530 taken along line 128- 128 in fig. 125. this view is taken near the valley, or trough, of the distal forming cup 6530. this valley, or trough, is also the transition between the entry zone forming surface 6531 and the exit zone forming surface 6532. in various instances, the transition between entry and exit zones does not occur at the valley, or trough, of the cup. fig. 129 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the distal forming cup 6530 taken along line 129-129 in fig. 125 which is located within the exit zone forming surface 6532 of the distal forming cup 6530. fig. 127 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming cup 6530 taken along line 127-127 in fig. 125 which is within the entry zone forming surface 6532 of the distal forming cup 6530. [0374] referring primarily to figs. 127-129, the pair of cup sidewalls 6533 of the distal forming cup 6530 includes a first sidewall 6533a and a second sidewall 6533b. the first and second sidewalls 6533a, 6533b are opposing sidewalls which extend toward each other from laterally- opposed sides of the distal forming cup 6530. the inflection surface, or bottom surface, 6534 of the distal forming cup 6530 is positioned between the first and second sidewalls 6533a, 6533b. the bottom surface 6534 of the distal forming cup 6530 is an entirely-curved, non-flat surface. in other words, the bottom surface 6534 is devoid of flat, planar surfaces. the bottom surface 6534 can define one or more radii of curvature. for example, at various longitudinal positions along the pocket axis 6503, the bottom surface 6534 defines different radii of curvature. a tangent to the bottom surface 6534 at the lateral center of the cup 6530 is parallel to the planar surface 6507 along the length thereof. [0375] in various instances, the curvature of the bottom surface 6534 can be dimensioned such that the staple leg does not travel along a flat surface during the staple forming process. in such instances, the bottom surface 6543 can encourage the staple to form into a more planar formed configuration than staples formed along flat bottom surfaces, especially when the staples are misaligned with the pocket axis 6503 during formation. the curvature of the bottom surface 6543 can be dimensioned such that the bottom surface 6543 provides a plurality of contact surfaces for the staple leg. for example, the radius of curvature of the bottom surface 6534 can be less than the radius of curvature of the staple leg. [0376] the cup sidewalls 6513, 6533 are entirely-curved, non-flat surfaces. in other words, the cup sidewalls 6513, 6533 are devoid of flat, planar surfaces. referring again to figs. 127-129, the sidewalls 6533a, 6533b define one or more radii of curvature. for example, at various longitudinal positions along the pocket axis 6503, the sidewalls 6533a, 6533b define different radii of curvature. the entirely-curved contours of the cup sidewalls 6513, 6533 and the bottom surface 6534 can define curvilinear boundary surfaces of the cups 6510, 6530. the cups 6513, 6533 can be entirely-curved and devoid of flat, planar surfaces. [0377] the sidewalls 6533a, 6533b are oriented at an entry angle θ 2 relative to the tissue- contacting surface 6507 at various transverse cross-sections of the distal forming cup 6530. more specifically, a tangent t to each sidewall 6533a, 6533b at the perimeter 6520 of the distal forming cup 6530 is oriented at the angle θ 2 relative to the tissue-contacting surface 6507 in figs. 127-129. the entry angle θ 2 is constant within the transition forming zone 6529 (figs. 125 and 126) and along the majority of the length of the distal forming cup 6530. though the tangent to such sidewalls is oriented at a constant angle along the length, or substantial length, of the cups 6510, 6530, the radius of curvature and the length of the arcs defining the sidewalls can vary as the depth and width of the cups varies along the length thereof. in various instances, the angle θ 2 can be between 55 degrees and 80 degrees, for example. for example, in figs. 127-129, the angle θ 2 is 80 degrees. in other instances, the angle θ 2 can be less than 55 degrees or more than 80 degrees. the sidewalls 6533a, 6533b are non-vertical sidewalls and, thus, the angle 9 2 of the tangent t along the perimeter 6520 can be less than 90 degrees, for example. [0378] a datum point at the transition between the sidewalls 6533a, 6533b and the bottom surface 6534 is indicated for illustrative purposes in figs. 127-129. for example, the curved boundary surface of the distal forming cup 6530 includes a datum point a at the transition between the sidewall 6533a and the bottom surface 6534. at each longitudinal position along the cup 6530, the first sidewall 6533a and the second sidewall 6533b define a sidewall radius of curvature 6543 and the bottom surface 6534 defines a bottom radius of curvature 6544. the bottom radius of curvature 6544 can be different than the sidewall radius of curvature 6543. the transition between radii of curvature at the datum point a comprises a smooth, non-abrupt transition. [0379] a datum line b is also depicted in figs. 127-129 for illustrative purposes. the datum line b extends between the first datum point a and the perimeter 6520 of the distal forming cup 6530. the datum line b is oriented at an angle θ 3 in figs. 127-129. the angle 9 3 can determine where the curved sidewall 6533a meets the curved bottom surface 6534. moreover, the steepness of the sidewall 6533a can be impacted by the angle θ 3 . for example, for a constant angle θ 2 , an increase in the angle θ 3 can result in a deeper and narrower cup. in certain instances, the angle 9 3 can be limited by a desirable minimum pocket width in the deepest portion of the cup. for example, the desirable minimum pocket width can be a requirement of the tooling process for the anvil 6501 and/or necessitated by the width of the staple wire. [0380] the angle θ 3 is constant within the transition forming surface zone 6529 (fig. 126) and along the majority of the length of the distal forming cup 6530. in various instances, the angle 9 3 can be less than the angle θ 2 . the angle θ 3 in figs. 127-129 is approximately 55 degrees, for example. in other instances, the angle θ 3 can be less than 55 degrees or more than 80 degrees, for example. though the angles θ 2 and θ 3 are constant along the length of the distal forming cup 6530, or at least along the substantial length of the distal forming cup 6530, the radius of curvature and the length of the arcs defining the sidewalls 6533a, 6533b varies as the depth and width of the distal forming cup 6530 varies along the length thereof. [0381] the angle θ 2 relative to a tissue-contacting surface can comprise a relatively steep angle. for example, the angle θ 2 can be greater than the angles θ- \ and θ 3 . the steepness of the angle 9 2 can encourage the staple to form along the pocket axis. moreover, a constant angle 9 2 along the length of the distal forming cup 6530 can encourage a misaligned staple leg to move from the perimeter toward the lateral center or axis 6503 of the cup 6530. as described herein, the depth of the pocket can vary along the length thereof. however, maintaining a constant angle θ 2 can encourage a misaligned staple leg to move from the perimeter toward the lateral center of the distal forming cup 6530 even in shallower regions of the cup 6530. [0382] in certain instances, the maximum cup depth cd can vary between staple-forming pockets and/or arrangements in an anvil. for example, different depths can be utilized to form staples to different heights and/or to form staples driven by drivers having different heights, as further described herein. the depth of the pockets can vary across the rows of pockets and/or within one or more rows of pockets, for example. deeper pockets can provide increased control over staple formation; however, the depth of the pockets can be limited by anvil tooling constraints and the geometry of the staples. in instances in which certain pockets are shallower than other pockets, the sidewalls of the shallower pockets can be oriented at the same entry angle θ 2 as the deeper pockets to encourage the staples formed by the shallower pockets to form along the pocket axis. [0383] fig. 129a is a partial negative view of various slices of a forming pocket of the forming pocket arrangement 6500. the dimensions of the various slices are labeled thereon. the slices are of only a single sidewall of the forming pocket and are taken in planes along the forming pocket which are perpendicular to the tissue-contacting surface 6507 and the pocket axis 6503. each slice comprises a width "x", a height "y", an upper radius of curvature "ra", and a lower radius of curvature "rb". the width "x" is defined as the x-component of the distance between the perimeter 6520 of the forming pocket and the bottom radius of curvature 6544 of the forming pocket. the height "y" is defined as the y-component of the distance between the perimeter 6520 of the forming pocket and the bottom radius of curvature 6544 of the forming pocket. the upper radius of curvature "ra" is defined as the radius of curvature of an upper portion of the sidewall. the lower radius of curvature "rb" is defined as the radius of curvature of an lower portion of the sidewall. each dimension includes a number indicating which slice the dimension corresponds to. for example, slice 1 includes a width "x-i", a height "yi", an upper radius of curvature "ra^', and a lower radius of curvature "rb '. fig. 129b is a table 6550 comprising the dimensions of the slices 1-12 of fig. 129a, in at least one embodiment. [0384] fig. 129c is a cross-sectional view of the forming pocket arrangement 6500 taken along the pocket axis 6503. fig. 129c includes various dimensions of the distal forming pocket 6530 of forming pocket arrangement 6500. the length of the forming pocket 6530 is 1 .90mm, for example. the depth of the forming pocket 6530 is 0.40mm, for example. in certain instances, the distal forming pocket 6530 comprises three radii of curvature: an entry radius of curvature which is 1.90mm, a first exit radius of curvature which is 1 .00mm, and a second exit radius of curvature which is 0.10mm, for example. the width of the bridge portion of the distal forming pocket 6530 is defined, in this instance, as the distance between the center of the forming pocket arrangement 6500 and the inner-most edge of the first exit radius of curvature (the edge of the first exit radius of curvature closest to the center of the forming pocket arrangement 6500) is 0.10mm, for example. the bridge depth is 0.05mm, for example. [0385] figs. 130-135 depict another forming pocket arrangement 6600 in the anvil 6501 . the forming pocket arrangement 6600 is configured to deform a staple during a surgical stapling procedure, and comprises a proximal forming cup, or pocket, 6610 and a distal forming cup, or pocket, 6630 defined in the planar, or tissue-contacting, surface 6507 of the anvil 6501 . the forming pocket arrangement 6600 can be similar in many respects to the forming pocket arrangement 6500. for example, sidewalls of the staple-forming cups 6610, 6630 can intersect the planar surface 6507 at the same constant entry angle θ 2 along the length thereof. though the sidewall entry angles 9 2 can be the same for cups 6610 and 6630 as for cups 6510 and 6530 (figs. 123-129), the maximum cup depth cd can be different, as further described herein. in such instances, the sidewalls of the shallower pockets can define the same entry angle θ 2 as the sidewalls of the deeper pockets, which can encourage proper, planar formation of the staples formed by the different depth pockets. [0386] in other instances, the forming pocket arrangement 6600 can be defined in a different anvil. for example, the anvil 6501 may not include different forming pocket arrangements. rather, an anvil, such as the anvil 6501 , can consist of uniform or identical forming pocket arrangements, for example. in certain instances, the forming pocket arrangement 6600 can be the only forming pocket arrangement in a particular anvil. [0387] each cup 6610, 6630 is defined by a boundary surface as further described herein. the cups 6610, 6630 are aligned along a pocket axis 6603 of the forming pocket arrangement 6600. a staple is intended to be formed along the pocket axis 6603 by the forming pocket arrangement 6600 when deployed from a staple cartridge. for example, a first leg of the staple can be formed by the proximal forming cup 6610 and a second leg of the staple can be formed by the distal forming cup 6630. in such instances, the first leg of the staple is aligned with a portion of the proximal forming cup 6610 and the second leg of the staple is aligned with a portion of the distal forming cup 6630 when the anvil 6501 is clamped relative to the staple cartridge. [0388] referring to figs. 131 and 132, the forming pocket arrangement 6600 further comprises a bridge portion 6605 defined between the forming cups 6610, 6630. the bridge portion 6605 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 6507 of the anvil 6501 , however, the bridge portion 6605 can be flush with the planar surface 6507. the bridge portion 6605 comprises a bridge width bw and a bridge depth bd (fig. 135). the bridge depth bd is the distance that the bottom portion of the bridge portion 6605 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 6507. the bridge width bw is the width of the pocket arrangement 6600 between the cups 6610, 6630. in this instance, the bridge width bw is the narrowest section of the forming surfaces of each cup 6610, 6630. the forming pocket arrangement 6600 comprises a center c (figs. 130 and 131) defined within the bridge portion 6605. the forming pocket arrangement 6600 is bilaterally symmetric with respect to the bridge portion 6605, bilaterally symmetric with respect to pocket axis 6603, and rotationally symmetric with respect to the center c. [0389] the forming pocket arrangement 6605 further comprises a pair of primary sidewalls 6608 extending from the planar surface 6507 of the anvil 6501 toward the cups 6610, 6630 and the bridge portion 6605. the primary sidewalls 6608 are angled at an angle θ- \ (figs. 133-135) with respect to the planar surface 6507 of the anvil 6501. the cups 6610, 6630 define a perimeter 6620 and the inner edges of the primary sidewalls 6608 extend between the planar surface 6507 and the perimeter 6620 of the cups 6610, 6630. referring primarily to fig. 131 , the inner edges of the primary sidewalls 6608 are curved, or contoured, with respect to the cups 6610, 6630. [0390] in certain instances, the forming pocket arrangement 6600 may not include the primary sidewalls 6608. in such instances, the cups 6610, 6630 can extend directly to the planar surface 6507 and the perimeter 6620 of the cups 6610, 6630 can be defined in the planar surface 6507. [0391] referring again to figs. 131 and 132, the proximal forming cup 6610 comprises a pair of cup sidewalls 6613 and the distal forming cup 6630 comprises a pair of cup sidewalls 6633. the cup sidewalls 6613, 6633 comprise curved, or contoured, profiles and are configured to direct the staple tips and the legs of the staples toward the forming surfaces of the cups 6610, 6630 as well as help control the forming process of the staples. the sidewalls 6613, 6633 extend from the primary sidewalls 6608 and the planar surface 6507 toward the forming surfaces of each cup 6610, 6630. the sidewalls 6613, 6633 are configured to encourage the staple tips and/or the legs of the staples to form along the pocket axis 6603 as the staples are formed against the forming surfaces of the cups 6610, 6630. collectively, the primary sidewalls 6608 and the cup sidewalls 6613, 6633 cooperate to funnel corresponding staple tips toward the lateral center of each cup 6610, 6630. an inflection surface, or bottom surface, 6614, 6634 extends along the lateral center of each respective cup 6610, 6630 intermediate the respective sidewalls 6613, 6633. [0392] referring still to fig. 131 , the forming surfaces of the cups 6610, 6630 comprise an entry zone forming surface 661 1 , 6631 , respectively, and an exit zone forming surface 6612, 6632, respectively. the entry zone forming surfaces 661 1 , 6631 can coincide with less aggressive channeling portions of the sidewalls 6613, 6633. similarly, the exit zone forming surfaces 6612, 6632 can coincide with more aggressive channeling portions of the sidewalls 6613, 6633. [0393] referring primarily now to fig. 132, the forming surfaces of each cup 6610, 6630 are defined by a depth profile or contour. the proximal forming cup 6610 includes the depth profile 6622, and the distal forming cup 6630 includes the depth profile 6642. the depth profiles 6622, 6642 define the depth of the cups 6610, 6630, respectively, along the length thereof. the cups 6610, 6630 reach a maximum cup depth cd within their respective transition zone 6609, 6629, which are further described below. the cup depth cd of the pockets 6610, 6630 can be between 0.2 and 0.4 millimeters, for example. for instance, the cup depth cd can be 0.3 millimeters. in other instances, the cup depth cd can be less than 0.2 millimeters or more than 0.4 millimeters. [0394] the cup depth cd of the cups 6610, 6630 is less than the cup depth cd of the cups 6510, 6530 (fig. 126). for example, the cup depth cd of the cups 6610, 6630 can be 0.2 millimeters less than the cup depth cd of the cups 6510, 6530. in certain instances, the cup depth cd of the cups 6610, 6630 can be 0.1 millimeters to 0.3 millimeters less than the cup depth cd of the cups 6510, 6530. the cup depth cd of the cups 6510, 6530 can be 25% to 50% greater than the cup depth cd of the cups 6610, 6630. for example, the cup depth cd of the cups 6510, 6530 can be 40% greater than the cup depth cd of the cups 6610, 6630. in various instances, the difference between the cup depth cd of the pocket forming arrangements 6500 and 6600 can be selected to be equal to, or substantially equal to, the diameter of a staple formed by the pocket forming arrangements 6500, 6600. [0395] the depth profiles 6622, 6642 are curved profiles, which are devoid of linear portions. moreover, the depth profiles 6622, 6642 can comprise one or more radii of curvature. in this instance, the depth profiles 6622, 6642 include more than one radius of curvature. specifically, the depth profile 6622 of the proximal forming cup 6610 comprises an entry radius of curvature 6617 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 661 1 and an exit radius of curvature 6618 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 6612. similarly, the depth profile 6642 of the distal forming cup 6630 comprises an entry radius of curvature 6637 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 6631 and an exit radius of curvature 6638 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 6632. in this instance, the entry radii of curvature 6617, 6637 are larger than the exit radii of curvature 6618, 6638. specific relationships between the entry and exit radii of curvature and various pocket features along with some potential advantages and patterns of the specific relationships are further described in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914. [0396] the outer longitudinal edges of each cup 6610, 6630 are referred to as entry edges because they define the beginning of the entry zone forming surfaces 661 1 , 6631. the entry edges comprise an entry width which is the largest width of the forming surfaces of each cup 6610, 6630. the inner edges of each cup 6610, 6630 are referred to as exit edges because they define the end of the exit zone forming surfaces 6612, 6632. the exit edges comprise an exit width, also referred to as the bridge width bw (fig. 135) which is the narrowest section of the forming surfaces of each cup 6610, 6630. a transition zone 6609, 6629 is positioned intermediate the entry zone and exit zone of each cup. the transition zones 6609, 6629 have a transition width which is less than the entry width but greater than the exit width. the transition zones 6609, 6629 include an inflection portion of the respective depth profiles 6622, 6642 and, thus, include the deepest portion of each cup 6610, 6630. in various instances, the transition zones 6609, 6629 comprise the majority of the length of each cup 6610, 6630. more specifically, the length of the transition zone 6609, 6629 can be greater than the combined length of the respective entry zone and exit zone of each cup 6610, 6630. the transition zones 6609, 6629 can extend along the tapered or narrowing section of each cup 6610, 6630. for example, each transition zone 6609, 6629 can extend inward from the widest section of the respective cup 6610, 6630 toward the bridge 6605. [0397] fig. 134 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming cup 6630 taken along line 134- 134 in fig. 131 . this view is taken near the valley, or trough, of the distal forming cup 6630. this valley, or trough, is also the transition between the entry zone forming surface 6631 and the exit zone forming surface 6632. in various instances, the transition between entry and exit zones does not occur at the valley, or trough, of the cup. fig. 135 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the distal forming cup 6630 taken along line 135-135 in fig. 131 which is located within the exit zone forming surface 6632 of the forming cup 6630. fig. 133 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming cup 6630 taken along line 133-133 in fig. 131 which is located within the entry zone forming surface 6632 of the distal forming cup 6630. [0398] referring primarily to figs. 133-135, the pair of cup sidewalls 6633 of the distal forming cup 6630 includes a first sidewall 6633a and a second sidewall 6633b. the first and second sidewalls 6633a, 6633b are opposing sidewalls which extend toward each other from laterally- opposed sides of the distal forming cup 6630. the inflection surface, or bottom surface, 6634 of the distal forming cup 6630 is positioned between the first and second sidewalls 6633a, 6633b. the bottom surface 6634 of the distal forming cup 6630 is an entirely-curved, non-flat surface. in other words, the bottom surface 6634 is devoid of flat, planar surfaces. the bottom surface 6634 can define one or more radii of curvature. for example, at various longitudinal positions along the pocket axis 6603, the bottom surface 6634 defines different radii of curvature. a tangent to the bottom surface 6634 at the lateral center of the cup 6630 is parallel to the planar surface 6507 along the length thereof. [0399] in various instances, the curvature of the bottom surface 6634 can be dimensioned such that the staple leg does not travel along a flat surface during the staple forming process. in such instances, the bottom surface 6643 can encourage staples to form into a more planar formed configuration than staples formed along flat bottom surfaces, especially when the staples are misaligned with the pocket axis 6603 during formation. the curvature of the bottom surface 6643 can be dimensioned such that the bottom surface 6643 provides a plurality of contact surfaces for the staple leg. for example, the radius of curvature of the bottom surface 6634 can be less than the radius of curvature of the staple leg. [0400] the cup sidewalls 6613, 6633 are entirely-curved, non-flat surfaces. in other words, the cup sidewalls 6613, 6633 are devoid of flat, planar surfaces. referring again to figs. 133-135, the sidewalls 6633a, 6633b define one or more radii of curvature. for example, at various longitudinal positions along the pocket axis 6603, the sidewalls 6633a, 6633b define different radii of curvature. the entirely-curved contours of the cup sidewalls 6613, 6633 and the bottom surface 6634 can define curvilinear boundary surfaces of the cups 6610, 6630. the cups 6613, 6633 can be entirely-curved and devoid of flat, planar surfaces. [0401] the sidewalls 6633a, 6633b are oriented at an entry angle θ 2 relative to the tissue- contacting surface 6507 at various transverse cross-sections of the distal forming cup 6630. more specifically, a tangent t to each sidewall 6633a, 6633b at the perimeter 6620 of the distal forming cup 6630 is oriented at the angle θ 2 relative to the tissue-contacting surface 6507 in figs. 133-135. the entry angle θ 2 is constant within the transition forming surface zone 6629 (figs. 131 and 132) and along the majority of the length of the distal forming cup 6630. in various instances, the angle 9 2 can be between 55 degrees and 80 degrees, for example. for instance, in figs. 133-135, the angle θ 2 is 80 degrees. in other instances, the angle θ 2 can be less than 55 degrees or more than 80 degrees. the sidewalls 6633a, 6633b are non-vertical sidewalls and, thus, the angle θ 2 of the tangent t along the perimeter 6620 can be less than 90 degrees, for example. [0402] a datum point at the transition between the sidewalls 6633a, 6633b and the bottom surface 6634 is indicated for illustrative purposes in figs. 133-135. for example, the curved boundary surface of the distal forming cup 6630 includes a datum point a at the transition between the sidewall 6633a and the bottom surface 6634. at each longitudinal position along the cup 6630, the first sidewall 6633a and the second sidewall 6633b define a sidewall radius of curvature 6643 and the bottom surface 6634 defines a bottom radius of curvature 6644. the bottom radius of curvature 6644 can be different than the sidewall radius of curvature 6643. the transition between radii of curvature at the datum point a comprises a smooth, non-abrupt transition. [0403] a datum line b is also depicted in figs. 133-135 for illustrative purposes. the datum line b extends between the first datum point a and the perimeter 6620 of the distal forming cup 6630. the datum line b is oriented at an angle θ 3 in figs. 133-135. the angle θ 3 is constant within the transition forming surface zone 6629 (fig. 132) and along the majority of the length of the distal forming cup 6630. in various instances, the angle 9 3 can be less than the angle θ 2 . the angle θ 3 in figs. 133-135 is approximately 55 degrees, for example. in other instances, the angle θ 3 can be less than 55 degrees or more than 80 degrees. though the angles θ 2 and θ 3 are constant along the length of the distal forming cup 6630, or at least along the substantial length of the distal forming cup 6630, the radius of curvature and the length of the arcs defining the sidewalls 6633a, 6633b varies as the depth and width of the distal forming cup 6630 varies along the length thereof. [0404] the angle θ 2 relative to a tissue-contacting surface can comprise a relatively steep angle. for example, the angle θ 2 can be greater than the angles θ- \ and θ 3 . the steepness of the angle θ 2 can encourage the staple to form along the pocket axis. a constant angle θ 2 can encourage a misaligned staple leg to move from the perimeter toward the lateral center or axis 6603 of the distal forming cup 6630. as described herein, the depth of the pocket can vary along the length thereof. however, maintaining a constant angle θ 2 can encourage a misaligned staple leg to move from the perimeter toward the lateral center of the distal forming cup 6630 even in shallower regions of the cup 6630. [0405] pocket arrangements having different cup depths cd can be dimensioned to have the same angles θ 2 and θ 3 . for example, though the cup depth cd of the cups 6610, 6630 (fig. 132) is less than the cup depth cd of the cups 6510, 6530 (fig. 126), the angles θ 2 and θ 3 can be the same. in at least one instance, the angle θ 2 can be 80 degrees and the angle θ 3 can be 55 degrees for both forming pocket arrangements 6500 and 6600. in instances in which the tissue-contacting surface 6507 comprises a planar surface, the pocket forming arrangement 6600 can be configured to form staples to a reduced height in comparison to the pocket forming arrangement 6500. for example, a staple formed by the pocket forming arrangement 6600 can be shorter than an identical staple formed by the pocket forming arrangement 6500. in certain instances, variations to the formed height of the staples can be desirable to control the tissue compression and/or fluid flow between the anvil and the staple cartridge, for example. though variations to the cup depth cd can be configured to control the formed height of the staples, maintaining constant entrance angles θ 2 along the length, or at least a substantial portion of the length, of the different cups can be configured to ensure that even the shorter formed staples are formed to a more consistent, planar configuration, which is desirable in certain instances. [0406] figs. 143 and 144 depict a staple 6701 formed with the forming pocket arrangement 6600 (figs. 130-135) where the staple 6701 was aligned with the pocket axis 6603 of the forming pocket arrangement 6600 during the forming process. fig. 143 depicts a top view of the staple 6701 in a fully-formed configuration and fig. 144 depicts a side view of the staple 6701 in the fully-formed configuration. the staple includes a base 6702 and staple legs 6703 that extend from the base 6702. the base 6702 is aligned with the pocket axis 6603 and the tips 6704 of the staple legs 6703 strike the forming pocket arrangement 6600 along the pocket axis 6603. [0407] the staple 6701 comprises a centerline cl (fig. 144) which transects the base 6702 and extends vertically intermediate the unformed staple legs 6703. as the staple 6701 is formed to the fully-formed configuration, the tips 6704 of the staple legs 6703 are bent toward the centerline cl and toward the base 6702. the staple legs 6703 are formed such that the staple 6701 defines a height h (fig. 144) when in the fully-formed configuration. the height h can be less than the height of the staple 6701 if it had been formed with the forming pocket arrangement 6500 (figs. 123-129) because the cup depth cd of the cups 6610, 6630 (fig. 132) is less than the cup depth cd of the cups 6510, 6530 (fig. 126). [0408] to achieve the shorter height h, a portion of the staples legs 6703 can deflect laterally relative to the centerline cl and/or the tips 6704 of the staple legs 6702 can extend up to and/or below the base 6704. comparatively, if the staple 6701 had been formed with the forming pocket arrangement 6500 having the deeper cup depth cd, the staple legs 6703 may not deflect laterally relative to the centerline cl and/or the tips 6704 of the staple legs 6702 may not overlap the base 6704 (see, e.g., staple 13100 (fig. 121 )). referring to fig. 144, a portion of each staple leg 6703 crosses the centerline cl and the tips 6704 of the staple legs 6702 extend past, or below, a tissue-compressing surface of the base 6702. moreover, the staple 6701 comprises a first tip alignment axis ta1 , a second tip alignment axis ta2, and a crown alignment axis ca. when aligned with the pocket axis 6603, the staple 6701 forms such that the first tip alignment axis ta1 and the second tip alignment axis ta2 are laterally offset and equidistant (d) from the crown alignment axis ca. the distance d can be approximately equal to the diameter of the staple 6701. as a result of the above, the staple 6701 assumes a substantially planar configuration; however, the tips 6704 are slightly overlapping and offset from the base 6702 to achieve the shorter height h. [0409] fig. 135a is a partial negative view of various slices of a forming pocket of the forming pocket arrangement 6600. the dimensions of the various slices are labeled thereon. the slices are of only a single sidewall of the forming pocket and are taken in planes along the forming pocket which are perpendicular to the tissue-contacting surface 6507 and the pocket axis 6603. each slice comprises a width "x", a height "y", an upper radius of curvature "ra", and a lower radius of curvature "rb". the width "x" is defined as the x-component of the distance between the perimeter 6620 of the forming pocket and the bottom radius of curvature 6644 of the forming pocket. the height "y" is defined as the y-component of the distance between the perimeter 6620 of the forming pocket and the bottom radius of curvature 6644 of the forming pocket. the upper radius of curvature "ra" is defined as the radius of curvature of an upper portion of the sidewall. the lower radius of curvature "rb" is defined as the radius of curvature of an lower portion of the sidewall. each dimension includes a number indicating which slice the dimension corresponds to. for example, slice 1 includes a width "x^, a height "yi", an upper radius of curvature "ra^', and a lower radius of curvature "rb '. fig. 135b is a table 6650 comprising the dimensions of the slices 1-12 of fig. 135a, in at least one embodiment. [0410] fig. 135c is a cross-sectional view of the forming pocket arrangement 6600 taken along the pocket axis 6603. fig. 135c includes various dimensions of the distal forming pocket 6630 of forming pocket arrangement 6600. the length of the forming pocket 6630 is 1 .90mm, for example. the depth of the forming pocket 6630 is 0.30mm, for example. in certain instances, the distal forming pocket 6630 comprises three radii of curvature: an entry radius of curvature which is 2.90mm, a first exit radius of curvature which is 0.70mm, and a second exit radius of curvature which is 0.10mm, for example. the width of the bridge portion of the distal forming pocket 6630 is defined, in this instance, as the distance between the center of the forming pocket arrangement 6600 and the inner-most edge of the first exit radius of curvature (the edge of the first exit radius of curvature closest to the center of the forming pocket arrangement 6600) is 0.10mm, for example. the bridge depth is 0.05mm, for example. [0411] figs. 136-142 depict a forming pocket arrangement 6800 that is configured to deform a staple during a surgical stapling procedure. the forming pocket arrangement 6800 comprises a proximal forming cup, or pocket, 6810 and a distal forming cup, or pocket, 6830 defined in a planar, or tissue-contacting, surface 6807 of an anvil 6801 . the tissue-contacting surface 6807 of the anvil 6801 is configured to compress tissue against a staple cartridge when the anvil 6801 is clamped or closed relative to the staple cartridge. the forming pocket arrangement 6800 can be similar in many respects to the forming pocket arrangement 6500. for example, sidewalls of the staple-forming cups 6810, 6830 intersect the planar surface 6807 at a constant angle along the length thereof. each cup 6810, 6830 is defined by a boundary surface as further described herein. the cups 6810, 6830 are aligned along a pocket axis 6803 of the forming pocket arrangement 6800. a staple is intended to be formed along the pocket axis 6803 by the forming pocket arrangement 6800 when deployed from a staple cartridge. in at least one such instance, a first leg of the staple can be formed by the proximal forming cup 6810 and a second leg of the staple can be formed by the distal forming cup 6830. in such instances, the first leg of the staple is aligned with a portion of the proximal forming cup 6810 and the second leg of the staple is aligned with a portion of the distal forming cup 6830 when the anvil 6801 is clamped relative to the staple cartridge. [0412] referring to figs. 137 and 138, the forming pocket arrangement 6800 further comprises a bridge portion 6805 defined between the forming cups 6810, 6830. the bridge portion 6805 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 6807 of the anvil 6801 ; however, the bridge portion 6805 can be flush with the planar surface 6807 in other embodiments. the bridge portion 6805 comprises a bridge width bw and a bridge depth bd (fig. 142). the bridge depth bd is the distance that the bottom portion of the bridge portion 6805 is recessed with respect to the planar surface 6807. the bridge width bw is the width of the pocket arrangement 6800 between the cups 6810, 6830. in this instance, the bridge width bw is the narrowest section of the forming surfaces of each cup 6810, 6830. the forming pocket arrangement 6800 comprises a center c (figs. 136 and 137) defined within the bridge portion 6805. the forming pocket arrangement 6800 is bilaterally symmetric with respect to the bridge portion 6805, bilaterally symmetric with respect to pocket axis 6803, and rotationally symmetric with respect to the center c. [0413] the forming pocket arrangement 6800 further comprises a pair of primary sidewalls 6808 extending from the planar surface 6807 of the anvil 6801 toward the cups 6810, 6830 and the bridge portion 6805. the primary sidewalls 6808 are angled at angle θ- \ (fig. 139) with respect to the planar surface 6807 of the anvil 6801 . the cups 6810, 6830 define a perimeter 6820 and the inner edges of the primary sidewalls 6808 extend between the planar surface 6807 and the perimeter 6820 of the cups 6810, 6830. referring primarily to fig. 137, the inner edges of the primary sidewalls 6808 are curved, or contoured, with respect to the cups 6810, 6830. in certain instances, the forming pocket arrangement 6800 may not include the primary sidewalls 6808. in such instances, the cups 6810, 6830 can extend directly to the planar surface 6807 and the perimeter 6820 of the cups 6810, 6830 can be defined in the planar surface 6807. [0414] referring again to figs. 137 and 138, the proximal forming cup 6810 comprises a pair of cup sidewalls 6813 and the distal forming cup 6830 comprises a pair of cup sidewalls 6833. the cup sidewalls 6813, 6833 comprise curved, or contoured, profiles and are configured to direct the staple tips and the legs of the staples toward the forming surfaces of the cups 6810, 6830 as well as help control the forming process of the staples. the sidewalls 6813, 6833 extend from the primary sidewalls 6808 and the planar surface 6807 toward the forming surfaces of each cup 6810, 6830. the sidewalls 6813, 6833 are configured to encourage the staple tips and/or the legs of the staples to form along the pocket axis 6803 as the staples are formed against the forming surfaces of the cups 6810, 6830. collectively, the primary sidewalls 6808 and the cup sidewalls 6813, 6833 cooperate to funnel corresponding staple tips toward the lateral center of each cup 6810, 6830. an inflection surface, or bottom surface, 6814, 6834 extends along the lateral center of each respective cup 6810, 6830 intermediate the respective sidewalls 6813, 6833. [0415] referring still to fig. 137, the forming surfaces of the cups 6810, 6830 comprise an entry zone forming surface 681 1 , 6831 , respectively, and an exit zone forming surface 6812, 6832, respectively. the entry zone forming surfaces 681 1 , 6831 can coincide with less aggressive channeling portions of the sidewalls 6813, 6833. similarly, the exit zone forming surfaces 6812, 6832 can coincide with more aggressive channeling portions of the sidewalls 6813, 6833. [0416] referring primarily now to fig. 138, the forming surfaces of each cup 6810, 6830 are defined by a depth profile or contour. the proximal forming cup 6810 includes the depth profile 6822, and the distal forming cup 6830 includes the depth profile 6842. the depth profiles 6822, 6842 define the depth of the cups 6810, 6830, respectively, along the length thereof. the cups 6810, 6830 reach a maximum cup depth cd within their respective transition zone 6809, 6829, which are further described below. the cup depth cd of the pockets 6810, 6830 can be between 0.4 and 0.6 millimeters, for example. for instance, the cup depth cd can be 0.5 millimeters. in other instances, the cup depth cd can be less than 0.4 millimeters or more than 0.6 millimeters. [0417] the depth profiles 6822, 6842 are curved profiles which are devoid of linear portions. moreover, the depth profiles 6822, 6842 can comprise one or more radii of curvature. in this instance, the depth profiles 6822, 6842 include more than one radius of curvature. specifically, the depth profile 6822 of the proximal forming cup 6810 comprises an entry radius of curvature 6817 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 681 1 and an exit radius of curvature 6818 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 6812. similarly, the depth profile 6842 of the distal forming cup 6830 comprises an entry radius of curvature 6837 corresponding to the entry zone forming surface 6831 and an exit radius of curvature 6838 corresponding to the exit zone forming surface 6832. in this instance, the entry radii of curvature 6817, 6837 are larger than the exit radii of curvature 6818, 6838. specific relationships between the entry and exit radii of curvature and various pocket features along with some potential advantages and patterns of the specific relationships are further described in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/385,914. [0418] the outer longitudinal edges of each cup 6810, 6830 are referred to as entry edges because they define the beginning of the entry zone forming surfaces 681 1 , 6831. the entry edges comprise an entry width which is the largest width of the forming surfaces of each cup 6810, 6830. the inner edges of each cup 6810, 6830 are referred to as exit edges because they define the end of the exit zone forming surfaces 6812, 6832. the exit edges comprise an exit width, also referred to as the bridge width bw (fig. 142) which is the narrowest section of the forming surfaces of each cup 6810, 6830. a transition zone 6809, 6829 is positioned intermediate the entry zone and exit zone of each cup. the transition zones 6809, 6829 have a transition width which is less than the entry width but greater than the exit width. the transition zones 6809, 6829 include an inflection portion of the respective depth profiles 6822, 6842 and, thus, include the deepest portion of each cup 6810, 6830. in various instances, the transition zones 6809, 6829 comprise the majority of the length of each cup 6810, 6830. more specifically, the length of the transition zone 6809, 6829 can be greater than the combined length of the respective entry zone and exit zone of each cup 6810, 6830. the transition zones 6809, 6829 can extend along the tapered or narrowing section of each cup 6810, 6830. for example, each transition zone 6809, 6829 can extend inward from the widest section of the respective cup 6810, 6830 toward the bridge 6805. [0419] fig. 141 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming cup 6830 taken along line 141 - 141 in fig. 137. this view is taken near the valley, or trough, of the distal forming cup 6830. this valley, or trough, is also the transition between the entry zone forming surface 6831 and the exit zone forming surface 6832. in various instances, the transition between entry and exit zones does not occur at the valley, or trough, of the cup. fig. 142 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the distal forming cup 6830 taken along line 142-142 in fig. 137 which is located within the exit zone forming surface 6832 of the forming cup 6830. fig. 139 is a cross-sectional view of the distal forming cup 6830 taken along line 139-139 in fig. 137, and fig. 140 is a cross- sectional view of the distal forming cup 6830 taken along line 140-140 in fig. 137, which are both within the entry zone forming surface 6832 of the distal forming cup 6830. [0420] referring primarily to figs. 139-142, the pair of cup sidewalls 6833 of the distal forming cup 6830 includes a first sidewall 6833a and a second sidewall 6833b. the first and second sidewalls 6833a, 6833b are opposing sidewalls which extend toward each other from laterally- opposed sides of the distal forming cup 6830. the inflection surface, or bottom surface, 6834 of the distal forming cup 6830 is positioned between the first and second sidewalls 6833a, 6833b. the bottom surface 6834 of the distal forming cup 6830 is an entirely-curved, non-flat surface. in other words, the bottom surface 6834 is devoid of flat, planar surfaces. the bottom surface 6834 can define one or more radii of curvature. for example, at various longitudinal positions along the pocket axis 6803, the bottom surface 6834 defines different radii of curvature. a tangent to the bottom surface 6834 at the lateral center of the cup 6830 is parallel to the planar surface 6807 along the length thereof. [0421] in various instances, the curvature of the bottom surface 6834 can be dimensioned such that the staple leg does not travel along a flat surface during the staple forming process. in such instances, the bottom surface 6843 can encourage staples to form into a more planar formed configuration than staples formed with flat bottom surfaces, especially when the staples are misaligned with the pocket axis 6803 during formation. the curvature of the bottom surface 6843 can be dimensioned such that the bottom surface 6843 provides a plurality of contact surfaces for the staple leg. for example, the radius of curvature of the bottom surface 6834 can be less than the radius of curvature of the staple leg. [0422] the cup sidewalls 6813, 6833 are entirely-curved, non-flat surfaces. in other words, the cup sidewalls 6813, 6833 are devoid of flat, planar surfaces. the sidewalls 6833a, 6833b define one or more radii of curvature. for example, at various longitudinal positions along the pocket axis 6803, the sidewalls 6833a, 6833b define different radii of curvature. the entirely- curved contours of the cup sidewalls 6813, 6833 and the bottom surface 6834 can define curvilinear boundary surfaces of the cups 6810, 6830. the cups 6813, 6833 can be entirely- curved and devoid of flat, planar surfaces. [0423] the sidewalls 6833a, 6833b are oriented at an entry angle θ 2 relative to the tissue- contacting surface 6807 at various transverse cross-sections of the distal forming cup 6830. more specifically, a tangent t to each sidewall 6833a, 6833b at the perimeter 6820 of the distal forming cup 6830 is oriented at the angle θ 2 relative to the tissue-contacting surface 6807 in figs. 139-142. the entry angle θ 2 is constant within the transition forming surface zone 6829 (figs. 137 and 139) and along the majority of the length of the distal forming cup 6830. in various instances, the angle 9 2 can be between 55 degrees and 80 degrees, for example. for instance, in figs. 139-142, the angle θ 2 is 80 degrees. in other instances, the angle θ 2 can be less than 55 degrees or more than 80 degrees. the sidewalls 6833a, 6833b are non-vertical sidewalls and, thus, the angle θ 2 of the tangent t along the perimeter 6820 can be less than 90 degrees, for example. [0424] a datum point at the transition between the sidewalls 6833a, 6833b and the bottom surface 6834 is indicated for illustrative purposes in figs. 139-142. for example, the curved boundary surface of the distal forming cup 6830 includes a datum point a at the transition between the sidewall 6833a and the bottom surface 6834. at each longitudinal position along the cup 6530, the first sidewall 6833a and the second sidewall 6833b define a sidewall radius of curvature 6843 and the bottom surface 6834 defines a bottom radius of curvature 6844. the bottom radius of curvature 6844 can be different than the sidewall radius of curvature 6843. the transition between radii of curvature at the datum point a comprises a smooth, non-abrupt transition. [0425] a datum line b is also depicted in figs. 139-142 for illustrative purposes. the datum line b extends between the first datum point a and the perimeter 6820 of the distal forming cup 6830. the datum line b is oriented at an angle θ 3 in figs. 139-142. the angle θ 3 changes along the length of the distal forming cup 6830. in various instances, the angle 9 3 can be less than the angle θ 2 along the length of the distal forming cup 6830. the angle θ 3 can increase then decrease as the sidewalls 6833a, 6833b extend inward toward the center c. for example, the angle θ 3 can increase from the entry edge of the cup 6830 toward the transition zone 6829, remain constant within the transition zone 6829, and decrease from the transition zone 6829 toward the exit edges of the cup 6830. in the depicted embodiment, the angle θ 3 is 45 degrees in fig. 139, the angle θ 3 · is 55 degrees in fig. 140, the angle 9 3 - is 70 degrees in fig. 141 , and the angle θ 3 - is 55 degrees in fig. 142, for example. though the angles θ 2 and θ 3 are constant within the transition zone 6829 of the distal forming cup 6830, the radius of curvature and the length of the arcs defining the sidewalls 6833a, 6833b varies as the depth and width of the distal forming cup 6830 varies along the length thereof. [0426] the angle θ 2 relative to a tissue-contacting surface can comprise a relatively steep angle. for example, the angle θ 2 can be greater than the variable angle θ 3 . the steepness of the angle θ 2 can encourage the staple to form along the pocket axis. a constant angle θ 2 can encourage a misaligned staple leg to move from the perimeter toward the lateral center of the cup. in various instances, the angle θ 2 can be constant and steep within the exit zone, which can improve staple formation quality. additionally or alternatively, the angle 9 2 can be constant in the transition zone. as described herein, the depth of the pocket can vary along the length thereof. however, maintaining a constant angle θ 2 can encourage a misaligned staple leg to move from the perimeter toward the lateral center of the cup even in shallower regions of the cup. furthermore, the maximum cup depth cd in certain anvils can vary between pockets in the anvil. for example, different depths can be utilized to form staples to different heights and/or to form staples driven by drivers having different heights, as further described herein. in such instances, a constant angle 9 2 can encourage the staples formed by the shallower pockets to form along the pocket axis. [0427] in certain instances, an anvil for a surgical end effector can include staple forming pockets of different depths. for example, the depth of staple forming pockets can vary between rows of forming pockets and/or longitudinally along the length of a row of forming pockets. such depth differences can be selected to accommodate variations in the displacement of staple drivers within a staple cartridge during a staple firing stroke, variations in the overdrive distance of the fired staples, and/or the position of the anvil relative to the staple cartridge. additionally or alternatively, depth differences between staple forming pockets can correspond to different tissue gaps between stepped tissue compression surfaces on the anvil and/or a staple cartridge. for example, to form staples to the same formed height when the staples are driven by drivers having different lift lengths that result in different amounts of staple overdrive, a depth difference between staple forming pockets can be selected that corresponds to the different stroke lengths and the different amounts of staple overdrive. in other instances, different depth staple forming pockets in an anvil can be selected to form staples to different formed heights, which may be desirable in certain instances to vary the compression of stapled tissue and/or to accommodate for variations in tissue thickness. [0428] fig. 142a is a partial negative view of various slices of a forming pocket of the forming pocket arrangement 6800. the dimensions of the various slices are labeled thereon. the slices are of only a single sidewall of the forming pocket and are taken in planes along the forming pocket which are perpendicular to the tissue-contacting surface 6807 and the pocket axis 6803. each slice comprises a width "x", a height "y", an upper radius of curvature "ra", and a lower radius of curvature "rb". the width "x" is defined as the x-component of the distance between the perimeter 6820 of the forming pocket and the bottom radius of curvature 6844 of the forming pocket. the height "y" is defined as the y-component of the distance between the perimeter 6820 of the forming pocket and the bottom radius of curvature 6844 of the forming pocket. the upper radius of curvature "ra" is defined as the radius of curvature of an upper portion of the sidewall. the lower radius of curvature "rb" is defined as the radius of curvature of an lower portion of the sidewalk each dimension includes a number indicating which slice the dimension corresponds to. for example, slice 1 includes a width "x^, a height "yi", an upper radius of curvature "ra^', and a lower radius of curvature "r h". fig. 142b is a table 6850 comprising the dimensions of the slices 1-12 of fig. 142a, in at least one embodiment. [0429] fig. 142c is a cross-sectional view of the forming pocket arrangement 6800 taken along the pocket axis 6803. fig. 142c includes various dimensions of the distal forming pocket 6830 of forming pocket arrangement 6800. the length of the forming pocket 6830 is 1 .90mm, for example. the depth of the forming pocket 6830 is 0.50mm, for example. in certain instances, the distal forming pocket 6830 comprises three radii of curvature: an entry radius of curvature which is 1.40mm, a first exit radius of curvature which is 0.80mm, and a second exit radius of curvature which is 0.10mm, for example. the width of the bridge portion of the distal forming pocket 6830 is defined, in this instance, as the distance between the center of the forming pocket arrangement 6800 and the inner-most edge of the first exit radius of curvature (the edge of the first exit radius of curvature closest to the center of the forming pocket arrangement 6800) is 0.10mm, for example. the bridge depth is 0.15mm, for example. [0430] referring now to fig. 145, a surgical end effector 7000 comprising an anvil 7001 and a staple cartridge 7060 having a plurality of staples 7080 is depicted. the end effector 7000 is in a closed, or clamped, position. more specifically, the anvil 7001 can be pivoted relative to the staple cartridge 7060 to move the end effector 7000 to the closed position and clamp tissue between the anvil 7001 and the staple cartridge 7060. in other instances, the anvil 7001 can be fixed and the staple cartridge 7060 can pivot relative to the anvil 7001 to move the end effector 7000 to the closed position and, in still other instances, both the anvil 7001 and the staple cartridge 7060 can be configured to pivot to move the end effector 7000 toward the closed position. [0431] in the closed position, a uniform tissue gap tg is defined between the staple cartridge 7060 and the anvil 7001 . in other words, the tissue gap tg is constant laterally across the end effector 7000. the staple cartridge 7060 includes a planar, or substantially flat, tissue compression surface, or deck, 7062, and the anvil 7001 also includes a planar, or substantially flat, tissue compression surface 7007. neither the deck 7062 of the staple cartridge 7060 nor the tissue compression surface 7007 of the anvil 7001 includes a stepped surface having longitudinal steps between adjacent longitudinal portions. in other instances, as described herein, the deck of a staple cartridge and/or the tissue compression surface of an anvil can include a stepped profile. [0432] the staple cartridge 7060 includes a staple cartridge body 7064 having a longitudinal slot 7065 and a plurality of staple cavities 7066 defined therein. the slot 7065 extends along a central, longitudinal axis of the staple cartridge 7060. each staple cavity 7066 comprises an opening in the deck 7062. the staple cavities 7066 are arranged in a plurality of longitudinally extending rows 7068 including a first row, or outer row, 7068a, a second row, or intermediate row, 7068b, and a third row, or inner row, 7068c on each side of the slot 7065. in other instances, the staple cartridge 7060 can have fewer than or more than six rows of staple cavities 7066. for example, a staple cartridge can have two staple cavity rows on each side of the longitudinal slot 7065. [0433] a staple 7080 is removably stored in each staple cavity 7066, and each staple 7080 is supported by a staple driver 7070. in various instances, a staple driver 7070 can support and fire more than one staple 7080. for example, a driver may be configured to simultaneously fire staples from adjacent rows of staple cavities in a staple cartridge. the deck 7062 includes cavity extenders 7061 that protrude from the deck 7062 toward the tissue compression surface 7007 of the anvil 7001 . the cavity extenders 7061 are positioned around at least a portion of the staple cavities 7066 and can guide the staples 7080 above the deck 7062. the cavities extenders 7061 can also be configured to engage or grip tissue and/or support the staples 7080 and/or the drivers 7070 during firing. in other instances, the deck 7062 can be devoid of cavity extenders and can comprise a smooth tissue-contacting surface, for example. [0434] the staples 7080 in fig. 145 are depicted in a formed configuration in which the staples 7080 fired from the cavities 7066 across the rows 7068a, 7068b, 7068c on both sides of the slot 7065 have been formed to the same height h. forming staples to a uniform height can tightly cinch the tissue and reduce bleeding therefrom. [0435] the drivers 7070 are movably positioned in the cavities 7066. during a firing stroke, a firing member is configured to lift the drivers 7070 toward the anvil 7001 , which drives the staples 7080 supported on the drivers 7070 into forming engagement with the anvil 7001 . each staple 7080 is driven into forming contact with a staple forming pocket arrangement 7002, 7004 defined in the planar surface 7007 of the anvil 7001. the staple forming pocket arrangements 7002, 7004 are arranged in a plurality of longitudinally extending rows 7003 including a first row, or outer row, 7003a, a second row, or intermediate row, 7003b, and a third row, or inner row, 7003c on both lateral sides of the anvil 7001 . each row of staple cavities 7066 is aligned with a row 7003 of staple forming pocket arrangements 7002, 7004. as described with respect to various staple forming pockets arrangements disclosed herein, the staple forming pocket arrangements 7002, 7004 can each include a pair of forming pockets or cups, e.g., a proximal cup and a distal cup, and each cup can be positioned to receive a staple leg when the staple 7080 is driven into forming contact with the anvil 7001 . [0436] the anvil 7001 includes two different staple forming pocket arrangements. more specifically, the anvil 7001 includes a first staple forming pocket arrangement 7002 comprising a first geometry and a second staple forming pocket arrangement 7004 comprising a second geometry. the first staple forming pocket arrangements 7002 are aligned with the outermost row 7068a of staple cavities 7066 on both sides of the slot 7065, and the second staple forming pocket arrangements 7004 are aligned with the rows 7068b, 7068c of staple cavities 7066 on both sides of the slot 7065. the cups of the first staple forming pocket arrangement 7002 define a cup depth cd- \ relative to the anvil planar surface 7007 and the cups of the second staple forming pocket arrangement 7004 define a cup depth cd 2 relative to the anvil planar surface 7007. the cup depth cd- \ of the outer staple forming pocket arrangements 7002 is greater than the cup depth cd 2 of the inner staple forming pocket arrangements 7004. as a result, the deeper staple forming pockets of the first arrangement 7002 are positioned laterally outboard of the shallower staple forming pockets of the second arrangement 7004, although any suitable arrangement can be used. [0437] in various instances, the first staple forming pocket arrangements 7002 can be the same as or similar to the staple forming pocket arrangement 6800 (figs. 136-142) and the second staple forming pocket arrangements 7004 can be the same as or similar to the staple forming pocket arrangement 6600 (figs. 130-136). though the depth of the cups is different between the first forming pocket arrangement 7002 and the second forming pocket arrangement 7004, the sidewalls of the cups can intersect the planar surface 7007 at the same angle, i.e., a tangent to the sidewalls can be maintained at constant entry angle, along the length of the cups in each arrangement 7002, 7004 or at least along the majority of the length of the cups in each arrangement 7002, 7004. as described herein, a steep constant angle sidewall is configured to facilitate planar formation of the staples 7080, including staples that are misaligned with the central axis of the arrangement 7002, 7004. [0438] in the fired position depicted in fig. 145, the staples 7080 have been overdriven with respect to the staple cartridge body 7064. more specifically, the staple-supporting surface of each driver 7070 has been driven past the staple cartridge body 7064 such that the staples 7080 are completely removed from the cartridge body 7064 during firing. when overdriven, the cradle, or bottommost surface, of each staple 7080 is positioned above the deck 7062 and/or above the cavity extenders 7061 protruding from the deck 7062. the overdrive feature of the drivers 7070 can be configured to fully eject the fired staples 7080 from the staple cartridge 7060 and to facilitate the release of stapled tissue from the end effector 7000, for example. stated another way, the overdrive feature of the drivers 7070 can push the tissue away from the deck 7067 [0439] in various instances, different staples can be overdriven by different amounts. for example, the staples 7080 fired from the outer rows 7068a of staple cavities 7066 are overdriven a first distance d- \ relative to the deck surface 7062 and the staples 7080 fired from the intermediate and inner rows 7068b, 7068c of staple cavities 7066 are overdriven a second distance d 2 relative to the deck surface 7062. the distances d- \ and d 2 in fig. 145 are the distances between the cradle of the staples 7080 and the planar deck surface 7062. in other instances, the overdrive distance can be measured between the support surfaces of the staple cradles and the uppermost surface of the adjacent cavity extenders 7061 . [0440] to achieve the different overdrive distances d- \ and d 2 in fig. 145, the stroke length of the drivers 7070 can be different. for example, the firing element can be configured to lift the drivers 7070 supporting staples 7080 in the outer rows 7068a a first distance and the drivers 7070 supporting the staples 7080 in the inner rows 7068b, 7068c a second distance. in certain instances, the geometry of the sled can be selected to control the different stroke lengths of the drivers 7070. additionally or alternatively, the geometry of the drivers 7070, such as the driver's height, for example, can be selected to control the different overdrive distances. [0441 ] for each formed staple 7080 in fig. 145, the sum of the tissue gap and the cup depth is equal to the sum of the overdrive distance and the staple height. for example: tg + cd 1 = d 1 + h; and tg + cd 2 = d 2 + h. stated differently, for each formed staple, the height of the staple h equals the tissue gap tg plus the cup depth cd minus the overdrive distance d. h = tg + cd 1 - d 1 ; and h = tg + cd 2 - d 2 . in instances in which the height of the staple h and the tissue gap tg are constant laterally across the end effector 7000, as depicted in fig. 145, the different cup depths correspond to different overdrive distances. for example, to ensure the anvil 7001 is compatible with the staple cartridge 7060, the staple forming pocket arrangements 7002, 7004 and cup depths cd^ cd 2 thereof can be selected to accommodate the different overdrive distances d 2 . for example, the difference between the cup depth cd^ and the cup depth cd 2 can be configured to accommodate the difference in overdrive distances d- \ and d 2 : cd 1 - cd 2 = ό - ό 2 . more specifically, if the difference between the overdrive distances and d 2 is 0.38 millimeters, for example, the difference between the cup depths cdt and cd 2 can also be 0.38 millimeters. in certain instances, the difference in overdrive distances and cup depths can be between 0.2 millimeters and 1 millimeter, for example. the corresponding difference between the overdrive distances and d 2 and the cup depths cd-i and cd 2 is configured to form the staples 7080 to the same formed height h laterally across the end effector 7000. regardless of the cup depth, the sidewalls of the cups can be designed to intersect the tissue compression surface 7007 of the anvil 7001 at a constant angle to encourage the planar formation of the staples 7080, including misaligned staples, as further described herein. [0442] in certain instances, surgical instruments and/or subassemblies thereof can be modular. different types of staple cartridges can be compatible with more than one anvil and/or different types of anvils can be compatible with more than one staple cartridge. for example, the staple cartridge 7060, which is compatible with the anvil 7001 having a flat tissue compression surface 7007 (see, e.g. fig. 145) can also be compatible with a stepped anvil. an end effector that includes the staple cartridge 7060 and a compatible stepped anvil can define a laterally variable tissue gap tg; however, such an end effector can still be configured to form staples to a constant formed height. in such instances, the different overdrive distances d- \ and d 2 can correspond to different heights of an anvil's stepped tissue compression surface. [0443] referring now to fig. 146, an end effector 7100 is depicted with the staple cartridge 7060 and an anvil 7101 . the end effector 7100 is in a closed or clamped position. in use, the anvil 7101 can be pivoted relative to the staple cartridge 7060 to move the end effector 7100 to the closed position and clamp tissue between the anvil 7101 and the staple cartridge 7060. in other instances, the anvil 7101 can be fixed and the staple cartridge 7060 can pivot relative to the anvil 7101 to move the end effector 7100 to the closed position and, in still other instances, both the anvil 7101 and the staple cartridge 7060 can be configured to pivot the end effector 7100 toward the closed position. [0444] the anvil 7101 includes a stepped tissue compression surface 7107 having longitudinal steps between adjacent longitudinal portions. more specifically, the anvil 7101 includes a plurality of longitudinal portions 71 10 including a first portion, or outer portion, 71 10a and a second portion, or inner portion, 71 10b on each lateral side of the anvil 7101 . a step 71 12 is positioned between the outer portion 7100a and the inner portion 7100b. the step 71 12 extends parallel to rows of staple forming pocket arrangements 7102 defined in the surface 7107 and extends along an axis positioned intermediate adjacent rows of staple forming pocket arrangements 7102. [0445] the step 71 12 comprises a height h ste p, which corresponds to the height difference between the first longitudinal portion 71 10a and the second longitudinal portion 71 10b of the tissue compression surface 7107. because the staple cartridge 7060 includes a non-stepped deck 7062, the height h ste p corresponds to the variation in tissue gap between the staple cartridge 7060 and the anvil 7101 when the end effector 7100 is in the closed position. a first tissue gap tg- \ is defined between the first portion 71 10a and the staple cartridge 7060 and a second tissue gap tg 2 is defined between the second portion 71 10b and the staple cartridge 7060. the tissue gap tg-i is greater than the tissue gap tg 2 . it can be desirable to provide greater tissue compression adjacent to the slot 7065 and/or along the inner portion 71 10b of the anvil 7101 than along the lateral sides of the end effector 7100. in other instances, the anvil 7101 can include additional longitudinal portions having steps therebetween and, in such instances, may define additional, different tissue gaps when the end effector 7100 is in the closed position. [0446] the staples 7080 in fig. 146 are depicted in the formed configuration in which the staples 7080 fired from the rows 7068a, 7068b, 7068c of staple cavities 7066 on both sides of the slot 7065 have been formed to the same height h. during a staple firing stroke, a firing member is configured to lift the drivers 7070 toward the anvil 7101 , which drives the staples 7080 supported on the drivers 7070 into forming engagement with the anvil 7101 . more specifically, each staple 7080 is driven into forming contact with one of the staple forming pocket arrangements 7102 defined in the tissue compression surface 7107 of the anvil 7101 . the staple forming pocket arrangements 7102 are arranged in a plurality of longitudinally extending rows 7103 including a first row, or outer row, 7103a, a second row, or intermediate row, 7103b, and a third row, or inner row, 7103c on both sides of the anvil 7101 . the first longitudinal portion 71 10a includes the first row 7103a, and the second longitudinal portion 71 10b includes the second and third rows 7103b, 7103c. each row 7068 of staple cavities 7066 is aligned with a row 7103 of staple forming pocket arrangements 7102. as described with respect to the various staple forming pockets arrangements disclosed herein, each staple forming pocket arrangement 7102 includes a pair of forming pockets or cups, e.g., a proximal cup and a distal cup, and each cup is positioned to receive a staple leg when the staple 7080 is driven into forming contact with the anvil 7101 . [0447] the staple forming pocket arrangements 7102 define a cup depth cd relative to the tissue compression surface 7107. in various instances, the staple forming pocket arrangements 7102 are the same as or similar to the staple forming pocket arrangement 6600 (figs. 130- 135). in such instances, the sidewalls of the cups can intersect the tissue compression surface 7107 at a constant angle, i.e. , a tangent to the sidewalls can be maintained at constant entry angle, along the length of the cups or at least along the majority of the length of the cups. a steep constant angle sidewall along the length of the cups is configured to facilitate planar formation of the staples 7080, including staples that are misaligned with the central axis of the staple forming arrangement 7102. [0448] for each formed staple 7080 in fig. 146, the sum of the tissue gap and the cup depth is equal to the sum of the overdrive distance and the staple height. for example: tg 1 + cd = d 1 + h; and tg 2 + cd = d 2 + h. stated differently, for each formed staple, the height of the staple h equals the tissue gap tg plus the cup depth cd minus the overdrive distance d. h = tg 1 + cd - di , and h = tg 2 + cd - d 2 . in instances in which the height h of the staple and the cup depth cd are constant laterally across the end effector 7100, as depicted in fig. 146, the height of the tissue compression surface 7107 can vary, i.e., define a stepped profile, which corresponds to the different overdrive distances. for example, the difference between the tissue gap tg- \ and the tissue gap tg 2 can be configured to accommodate the difference in overdrive distances d- \ and d 2 : tg 1 - tg 2 = d 1 - d 2 . stated differently, the height h ste p of the step 71 12 between the longitudinal portions 71 10a, 71 10b can be equal to the difference in overdrive distances and d 2 : h s tep = d-i— d 2 . for example, if the difference between the overdrive distances d- \ and d 2 is 0.38 millimeters, the height h ste p of the step 71 12 can also be 0.38 millimeters, for example. in certain instances, the difference in overdrive distances and the tissue gap can be between 0.2 millimeters and 1 millimeter. corresponding difference between the overdrive distances d- \ and d 2 and the height of the longitudinal portions 71 10a, 71 10b can be configured to form the staples 7080 to the same formed height h laterally across the end effector 7100. [0449] above certain threshold loads, the anvil 7101 may be prone to bending along the step 71 12 such that the tissue gap along the lateral sides of the anvil 7101 is greater than the tissue gap tg depicted in fig. 146. as a result, the anvil 7001 (fig. 145) may be stiffer than the anvil 7101 because the anvil 7001 comprises a planar, or non-stepped, tissue compression surface 7007. the anvil 7001 can be more rigid and, thus, less prone to bending and/or deflecting when subjected to high compression loads during clamping and/or firing. [0450] in various instances, it can be desirable to utilize an anvil having a planar, or non- stepped, tissue compression surface, such as the anvil 7001 , to minimize deflection of the anvil along the lateral sides thereof. in certain instances, a variable tissue gap can also be desirable to control tissue flow and/or the quantity of tissue compressed and ultimately captured by the end effector. for example, a smaller outer tissue gap and larger inner tissue gap can allow the end effector to capture a greater quantity of tissue adjacent to the outline, which may improve hemostasis. the smaller outside tissue gap may improve control over tissue flow and ensure that the lateral sides of the end effector effectively grip and engage the target tissue. moreover, the larger inside tissue gap may allow the end effector to capture a larger, e.g., thicker, piece of tissue. [0451 ] an exemplary variable tissue gap end effector 7200 is depicted in fig. 147. the end effector 7200 includes the anvil 7001 having a planar, or non-stepped, tissue compression surface 7007 (see also fig. 145) and a staple cartridge 7260 having a stepped deck 7262. though the tissue gap varies laterally across the end effector 7200, the end effector 7200 can be configured to form staples 7280 to a constant formed height. for example, different staple overdrive distances can correspond to the different tissue gaps and/or different staple forming arrangements having different cup depths, as further described herein. [0452] referring still to fig. 147, the end effector 7200 is in a closed or clamped position. in use, the anvil 7001 can be pivoted relative to the staple cartridge 7260 to move the end effector 7200 to the closed position and clamp tissue between the anvil 7001 and the staple cartridge 7260. in other instances, the anvil 7001 can be fixed and the staple cartridge 7260 can pivot relative to the anvil 7001 to move the end effector 7200 to the closed position and, in still other instances, both the anvil 7001 and the staple cartridge 7260 can be configured to pivot to move the end effector 7200 toward the closed position. [0453] the staple cartridge 7260 includes a staple cartridge body 7264 having a longitudinal slot 7265 and a plurality of staple cavities 7266 defined therein. staples 7280 are moveably positioned in the staple cavities 7266. the slot 7265 can extend along a central, longitudinal axis of the staple cartridge 7260. each staple cavity 7266 comprises an opening in the deck 7262. the staple cavities 7266 are arranged in a plurality of longitudinally extending rows 7268 including a first row, or outer row, 7268a, a second row, or intermediate row, 7268b, and a third row, or inner row, 7268c on each side of the slot 7265. in other instances, the staple cartridge 7260 can have fewer than or more than six rows of staple cavities 7266. for example, a staple cartridge can have two staple cavity rows on each side of a longitudinal slot. [0454] each staple 7280 is supported by a staple driver 7270. in various instances, a staple driver 7270 can support and fire more than one staple 7280. for example, a driver may be configured to fire staples from adjacent rows of staple cavities in a staple cartridge. the deck 7262 includes cavity extenders 7261 that protrude from the deck 7262 toward the tissue compression surface 7007 of the anvil 7001 . the cavity extenders 7261 are positioned around at least a portion of the staple cavities 7266 and can guide the staples as they are ejected from the staple cavities 7266. the cavities extenders 7261 may also be configured to engage or grip tissue and/or support the staples 7280 and/or the drivers 7270 during firing, for example. in other instances, the deck 7262 can be devoid of cavity extenders and can comprise a smooth tissue-contacting surface, for example. [0455] the staples 7280 in fig. 147 are depicted in a formed configuration in which the staples 7280 fired from the cavities 7266 across the rows 7268a, 7268b, 7268c on both sides of the slot 7265 have been formed to the same height h. in certain instances, it can be advantageous to form staples across multiple rows to tightly cinch the tissue and reduce bleeding therefrom. [0456] the drivers 7270 are movably positioned in the cavities 7266. during a firing stroke, a firing member is configured to lift the drivers 7270 toward the anvil 7001 , which drives the staples 7280 supported on the drivers 7070 into forming engagement with the anvil 7001 . each staple 7280 is driven into forming contact with a staple forming pocket arrangement 7002, 7004. each row 7268 of staple cavities 7266 is aligned with a row 7003 of staple forming pocket arrangements 7002, 7004. the first staple forming pocket arrangements 7002 are aligned with the outermost row 7268a of staple cavities 7266 on each side of the slot 7265, and the second staple forming pocket arrangements 7004 are aligned with the innermost rows 7268b, 7268c of staple cavities 7266 on each side of the slot 7265. [0457] the staple cartridge 7260 includes a stepped deck 7262 having longitudinal steps between adjacent longitudinal portions. more specifically, the staple cartridge 7260 includes a plurality of longitudinal portions 7263 including a first portion, or outer portion, 7263a and a second portion, or inner portion, 7263b on each side of a slot 7260. a step 7267 is positioned between the outer portion 7263a and the inner portion 7263b. the step 7267 extends parallel to rows 7268 of staple cavities 7266 defined in the deck 7262 and extends along an axis positioned intermediate adjacent rows 7268 of staple cavities 7266. [0458] the step 7267 comprises a height h ste p, which corresponds to the height difference between the first longitudinal portion 7263a and the second longitudinal portion 7263b of the deck 7262. moreover, because the anvil 7001 includes a non-stepped tissue compression surface 7007, the height h ste p corresponds to the variation in tissue gap between the staple cartridge 7260 and the anvil 7001 when the end effector 7200 is in the closed position. a first tissue gap tg- \ is defined between the first portion 7263a and the anvil 7001 and a second tissue gap tg 2 is defined between the second portion 7263b and the anvil 7001 . the tissue gap tg 2 is greater than the tissue gap tg- \ . it is desirable in certain instances to provide greater tissue compression adjacent to the lateral sides of the end effector 7200 than along a central inner portion of the end effector 7200, as further described herein. in other instances, the staple cartridge 7260 can include additional longitudinal portions having steps therebetween and, in such instances, may define additional, different tissue gaps when the end effector 7200 is in the closed position. [0459] in the fired positions depicted in fig. 147, the staples 7280 have been overdriven with respect to the staple cartridge body 7264. more specifically, the staple-supporting surface of each driver 7270 has been driven past the staple cartridge body 7264 such that the staples 7280 are completely removed from the cartridge body 7264 during firing. the cradle, or bottommost surface, of each staple 7280 is positioned above the deck 7262. the cradles of certain staples 7280 are also positioned above the cavity extenders 7261 protruding from the deck 7262 and the cradles of other staples 7280 are positioned below and/or flush with the cavity extenders 7261 . the overdrive feature of the drivers 7270 can be configured to fully detach the fired staples 7280 from the staple cartridge 7260 and to facilitate the release of stapled tissue from the end effector 7200. [0460] in various instances, different staples can be overdriven by different amounts. for example, the staples 7280 fired from the outer rows 7268a of staple cavities 7266 are overdriven a first distance the staples 7280 fired from the intermediate rows 7268b of staple cavities 7266 are overdriven a second distance d 2 relative to the cartridge body 7264, and the staples 7280 fired from the inner rows 7268c of staple cavities 7266 are overdriven a third distance d 3 relative to the cartridge body 7264. the distances d 2 , and d 3 in fig. 147 are the distances between the cradle of the staples 7280 and the adjacent portion of the deck surface 7262. [0461 ] to achieve the different overdrive distances d 2 , and d 3 in fig. 147, the stroke length of the drivers 7270 can be different. for example, the firing element can be configured to lift the drivers 7270 supporting staples 7280 in the outer rows 7268a a first distance, to lift the drivers 7070 supporting the staples 7280 in the intermediate row 7268b a second distance, and to lift the drivers 7270 supporting the staples 7280 in the inner rows 7268c a third distance. in certain instances, the geometry of the firing element can be selected to control the different stroke lengths of the drivers 7270. additionally or alternatively, the geometry of the drivers 7270, such as the driver's height, for example, can be selected to control the different overdrive distances. the different overdrive distances d 2 , and d 3 in fig. 147 can also be controlled by the different heights of the stepped deck 7262. [0462] as described herein with respect to the end effector 7000 (fig. 145), when the tissue gap is constant between rows of staples, different cup depths can be configured to accommodate for variations in overdrive distance such that the staples are formed to the same formed height. for example, referring again to fig. 147, the tissue gap tg- \ is constant between the first and second rows 6268a, 6268b of staple cavities 6266 and, in such instances, the different cup depths cd- \ and cd 2 are configured to accommodate for the variations in overdrive distances d- \ and d 2 . moreover, as described with respect to the end effector 7100 (fig. 146), when the tissue gap varies between rows of staples, the tissue gap differential can correspond to variations in overdrive distance such that staples are formed to the same formed height. for example, referring again to fig. 147, the height h ste p of the step 7267 corresponds to the difference between the overdrive distances d 2 and d 3 . [0463] in various instances, the staple cartridge 7260 can also be compatible with an anvil having a stepped tissue compression surface, such as the anvil 7101 (fig. 146). in such instances, the different overdrive distances d 2 , and d 3 can correspond to different tissue gaps between the anvil's stepped tissue compression surface 7107 and the staple cartridge's stepped deck 7262. an end effector 7300 that includes the staple cartridge 7260 and the anvil 7101 is depicted in fig. 148. as further described herein, the end effector 7300 is configured to form staples to a constant formed height across multiple rows. [0464] owing to the two stepped surfaces 7107 and 7262 in fig. 148, the end effector 7300 defines a plurality of tissue gaps between the anvil 7101 and the staple cartridge 7260. a first tissue gap tg- \ is defined between the first portion 7263a of the deck 7262 and the first portion 71 10a of the tissue compression surface 7107, a second tissue gap tg 2 is defined between the first portion 7263a of the deck 7262 and the second portion 71 10b of the tissue compression surface 7107, and a third tissue gap tg 3 is defined between the second portion 7263b of the deck 7262 and the second portion 71 10b of the tissue compression surface 7107. the outer rows 7268a of staple cavities 7266 and the outer rows 7103a of staple forming pockets 7102 are aligned with the first tissue gap tg^ the intermediate rows 7268b of staple cavities 7266 and the intermediate rows 7103b of staple forming pockets 7102 are aligned with the second tissue gap tg 2 , and the inner rows 7268c of staple cavities 7266 and the inner rows 7103c of staple forming pockets 7102 are aligned with the third tissue gap tg 3 . as described with respect to the end effector 7100 (fig. 146), when the tissue gap varies between rows of staples, the tissue gap differential can correspond to variations in overdrive distance such that staples are formed to the same formed height. for example, referring again to fig. 148, the height h ste p of the anvil step 71 12 corresponds to the difference between the overdrive distances d- \ and d 2 and the height h step of the cartridge step 7267 corresponds to the difference between the overdrive distances d 2 and d 3 . [0465] as described herein, a surgical tool assembly can include a shaft portion and an articulatable end effector portion. for example, an articulation assembly can be positioned intermediate the shaft portion and the end effector portion, and the articulation assembly can enable the end effector portion to articulate at an articulation joint relative to the shaft portion. various articulation assemblies are further described herein and in u.s. patent application serial no. 15/019,245, filed february 9, 2016, entitled surgical instruments with closure stroke reduction arrangements, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. [0466] an exemplary surgical tool assembly 8000 having an articulation joint 8200 is depicted in figs. 149-152. the surgical tool assembly 8000 includes a shaft 8010 and an end effector 8100. the shaft 8010 includes a closure tube assembly 8040 having a distal closure tube insert 8042. the closure tube assembly 8040 is similar in many respects to the closure tube assembly 140 (see, e.g. fig. 2), for example, which is further described herein. the shaft 8010 also includes an articulation drive system 8201 configured to articulate the end effector 8100 relative to the shaft 8010. the articulation joint 8200 is positioned intermediate the shaft 8010 and the end effector 8100 such that articulation motions generated by the articulation drive system 8201 articulate the end effector 8100 about an articulation axis b-b (figs. 150-152) relative to the shaft 8010. [0467] the articulation drive system 8201 includes an articulation rod 8202 including a distal end 8204. the articulation drive system 8201 also includes an articulation link 8206 comprising a proximal end 8208 coupled to the distal end 8204 of the articulation rod 8202. the articulation rod 8202 extends longitudinally through the shaft portion 8010. in at least one instance, the articulation rod 8202 can be collinear with a central, longitudinal axis l (figs. 150-152) of the shaft portion 8010 that extends through the articulation axis b-b, although the articulation rod 8202 can be offset from the longitudinal axis l in other embodimetns. the distal end 8204 of the articulation rod 8202 includes an extension 8205 extending laterally relative to the central, longitudinal axis l. for example, the extension 8205 extends away from the central, longitudinal axis l. as further described herein, the lateral offset of the extension 8205 relative to the axis l is configured to obtain the desired angular orientation of the articulation link 8206. the articulation rod 8202 is configured to move axially along the central, longitudinal axis l to affect the articulation motions of the end effector 8100. more specifically, displacement of the articulation rod 8202 in the distal direction (dd) is configured to articulate the end effector 8100 clockwise, and displacement of the articulation rod 8202 in the proximal direction (pd) is configured to articulate the end effector 8100 counterclockwise, for example. [0468] the end effector 8100 is articulatable between a first fully articulated configuration and a second fully articulated configuration. the first fully articulated configuration can correspond to the full extent of clockwise rotation, for example, and the second fully articulated configuration can correspond to the full extent of counterclockwise rotation, for example. an unarticulated, or linear, configuration of the end effector 8100 can be positioned intermediate the first fully articulated configuration and the second fully articulated position. in various instances, the unarticulated configuration can be equidistant between the first and second fully articulated configurations. in other instances, based on the geometry of the end effector 8100 and the shaft 8010, a greater degree of articulation can be permitted in one rotational direction. the end effector 8100 can be articulatable through a range of motion comprising at least 120 degrees, for example. in other instances, the end effector 8100 can be configured to articulate through less than 120 degrees. for instance, the end effector 8100 can be configured to articulate about 90 degrees. [0469] the articulation link 8206 is a crosslink, which is similar in certain respects to the crosslink 1237 (fig. 10), for example. the articulation link 8206 is angularly oriented relative to the central, longitudinal axis l. more specifically, the articulation link 8206 traverses the central, longitudinal axis l such that the proximal end 8208 of the articulation link 8206 is positioned on a first side of the central, longitudinal axis l, and a distal end 8210 of the articulation link 8206 is positioned on a second, opposite side of the central, longitudinal axis l. in various instances, the angular orientation of the articulation link 8206 can be configured to improve the mechanical advantage of the articulation drive system 8201. as the articulation rod 8202 moves axially relative to the central, longitudinal axis l, the articulation link 8206 is also displaced relative to the central, longitudinal axis l. for example, referring to figs. 150-152, as the articulation joint 8200 is moved from an unarticulated configuration (fig. 150) to a first articulated configuration (fig. 151 ) and to a second articulated configuration (fig. 152), the articulation rod 8202 and the articulation link 8206 are displaced distally. as further described herein, the first articulated configuration corresponds to a partially articulated configuration and the second articulated configuration corresponds to a fully articulated configuration of the surgical tool assembly 8000. [0470] in certain instances, the articulation drive system 8201 may not include the articulation link 8206. for example, the articulation rod 8202 can be pivotably coupled to the end effector 8100. in certain instances, the distal end portion of the articulation rod 8202 can define a contour and/or offset such that the distal end of the articulation rod 8202 is laterally offset from the proximal end and/or from the central, longitudinal axis l. [0471] referring still to figs. 149-152, the distal end 8210 of the articulation link 8206 is pivotably coupled to the end effector portion 8100 of the surgical tool assembly 8000 at a pivot joint 821 1 . for example, the distal end 8210 is coupled to a proximal portion, or extension, 8103 of the end effector's elongate channel or retainer portion 8102 at a pivot axis a-a (figs. 150-152) through the pivot joint 821 1 . owing to the orientation of the articulation link 8206, the pivot axis a-a is laterally offset from the central, longitudinal axis l and from the articulation axis b-b. the distal end 8210 of the articulation link 8206 is coupled to the proximal extension 8103 such that the pivot axis a-a extends through the proximal extension 8103. [0472] as the articulation rod 8202 and the articulation link 8206 are moved, e.g. pushed, in the distal direction (dd), the elongate channel 8102 is pivoted in the clockwise direction at the pivot axis a-a. in various instances, the end effector 8100 can encounter resistance to the articulation thereof and the articulation link 8206 can be subjected to a compressive load as the articulation drive system 8201 seeks to overcome the resistance. in certain instances, when exposed to a load above a threshold load, the articulation bar 8202 and/or the articulation link 8206 may be prone to bending, buckling, and/or backing up from the desired articulated position. stated another way, the articulation link 8206 can be susceptible to lateral bowing under increased compressive loads. to counter or resist bowing and/or de-articulation of the compressed articulation bar 8202 and/or articulation link 8206 under high compressive loads, the articulation system 8201 can include a reinforcement or anti-backup feature. [0473] a reinforcement feature 8220 is depicted in figs. 149-152. the reinforcement feature 8220 includes a brace 8106 on the end effector 8100, which is operably configured to engage a recess or notch 8226 in the articulation link 8206 in certain instances. the brace 8106 is disengaged from the recess 8226 during the majority of the articulation motion (see figs. 149-151 ); however, in the fully articulated configuration of fig. 152, the brace 8106 is received within the recess or pocket 8226, and portions of the brace 8106 are in abutting contact with the sidewalls of the recess 8226. the brace 8106 comprises a post that protrudes from the proximal end of the elongate channel 8102 and the recess 8226 defines a pocket that is aligned with the brace 8106 such that the brace 8226 moves into the pocket when the end effector 8100 is articulated into its fully articulated configuration (fig. 152). in such instances, the brace 8106 provides a stopping surface that prevents further clockwise articulation of the end effector 8100 beyond the fully articulated configuration. [0474] moreover, in the fully articulated configuration of fig. 152, the brace 8106 is configured to exert a counter-bowing and anti-backup force on the articulation link 8206. more specifically, when a force is applied to the end effector 8100, such as an externally-applied force opposing the articulation motion of the articulation drive system 8201 , the more engagement between the recess 8226 and the brace 8106 is configured to resist de-articulation and/or bowing of the articulation link 8206. for example, the recess 8226 can apply a resistive, anti- backup force to the brace 8016 in response to a de-articulation force being applied to the fully articulated end effector 8100. [0475] in various instances, the reinforcement feature 8220 can include at least one pair of opposing planar surfaces or "flats" to transfer forces between the brace 8106 and the recess 8226. for example, the recess 8226 can define an inner surface having at least one flat or planar surface and the brace 8106 can define an outer surface having at least one flat or planar surface. the planar surface(s) can be complementary such that they are positioned in abutting contact when the end effector 8100 is in the fully articulated configuration. for example, the recess 8226 can fit around portions of the brace 8106 like a wrench fits on the head of a bolt. abutting planar surfaces are configured to provide force-transfer surfaces for the reinforcement feature 8220 and counter rotation of the brace 8106 within the recess 8226. the brace 8106 and the recess 8226 have asymmetric profiles. however, the brace 8106 and the recess 8226 can have symmetric outer profiles in other instances. [0476] referring primarily to fig. 152a, a detail view of the reinforcement feature 8220 of fig. 152 is depicted. the recess 8226 includes an inner surface 8228 having a plurality of planar surface 8230a, 8230b, 8230c. moreover, the brace 8106 includes an outer surface 8108 having a plurality of complementary planar surfaces 81 10a, 81 10b, 8210b. the planar surface(s) 8230a, 8230b of the recess 8226 can abut the corresponding planar surface(s) 8210a, 8210b of the brace 8226 to hold the brace 8106 within the recess 8226. moreover, when the brace 8106 is received within the recess 8226, the planar surfaces can be oriented to resist de-articulation and/or and exert counter-bowing forces on the articulation link 8206. in various instances, the inner surface 8228 of the recess 8226 and the outer surface 8108 of the brace 8106 can also include contoured and/or rounded surfaces adjacent to and/or intermediate the planar surfaces. [0477] in various instances, the articulation system 8201 can include a plurality of reinforcement features 8220. for example, the articulation system 8201 can include a recess similar to the recess 8226 toward the proximal end 8208 of the articulation link 8206. such a recess can be configured to engage a grounding feature on the end effector 8100 and/or provide a positive stopping surface when the end effector 8100 is fully articulated in a counterclockwise direction, for example. [0478] many of the surgical instrument systems described herein are motivated by an electric motor; however, the surgical instrument systems described herein can be motivated in any suitable manner. in various instances, the surgical instrument systems described herein can be motivated by a manually-operated trigger, for example. in certain instances, the motors disclosed herein may comprise a portion or portions of a robotically controlled system. moreover, any of the end effectors and/or tool assemblies disclosed herein can be utilized with a robotic surgical instrument system. u.s. patent application serial no. 13/1 18,241 , entitled surgical stapling instruments with rotatable staple deployment arrangements, now u.s. patent no. 9,072,535, for example, discloses several examples of a robotic surgical instrument system in greater detail. [0479] the surgical instrument systems described herein have been described in connection with the deployment and deformation of staples; however, the embodiments described herein are not so limited. various embodiments are envisioned which deploy fasteners other than staples, such as clamps or tacks, for example. moreover, various embodiments are envisioned which utilize any suitable means for sealing tissue. for instance, an end effector in accordance with various embodiments can comprise electrodes configured to heat and seal the tissue. also, for instance, an end effector in accordance with certain embodiments can apply vibrational energy to seal the tissue. [0480] the entire disclosures of: u.s. patent no. 5,403,312, entitled electrosurgical hemostatic device, which issued on april 4, 1995; u.s. patent no. 7,000,818, entitled surgical stapling instrument having separate distinct closing and firing systems, which issued on february 21 , 2006; u.s. patent no. 7,422,139, entitled motor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument with tactile position feedback, which issued on september 9, 2008; u.s. patent no. 7,464,849, entitled electro-mechanical surgical instrument with closure system and anvil alignment components, which issued on december 16, 2008; u.s. patent no. 7,670,334, entitled surgical instrument having an articulating end effector, which issued on march 2, 2010; u.s. patent no. 7,753,245, entitled surgical stapling instruments, which issued on july 13, 2010; u.s. patent no. 8,393,514, entitled selectively orientable implantable fastener cartridge, which issued on march 12, 2013; u.s. patent application serial no. 1 1/343,803, entitled surgical instrument having recording capabilities; now u.s. patent no. 7,845,537; u.s. patent application serial no. 12/031 ,573, entitled surgical cutting and fastening instrument having rf electrodes, filed february 14, 2008; u.s. patent application serial no. 12/031 ,873, entitled end effectors for a surgical cutting and stapling instrument, filed february 15, 2008, now u.s. patent no. 7,980,443; u.s. patent application serial no. 12/235,782, entitled motor-driven surgical cutting instrument, now u.s. patent no. 8,210,41 1 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 12/249,1 17, entitled powered surgical cutting and stapling apparatus with manually retractable firing system, now u.s. patent no. 8,608,045; u.s. patent application serial no. 12/647, 100, entitled motor-driven surgical cutting instrument with electric actuator directional control assembly, filed december 24, 2009; now u.s. patent no. 8,220,688; u.s. patent application serial no. 12/893,461 , entitled staple cartridge, filed september 29, 2012, now u.s. patent no. 8,733,613; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/036,647, entitled surgical stapling instrument, filed february 28, 201 1 , now u.s. patent no. 8,561 ,870; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/1 18,241 , entitled surgical stapling instruments with rotatable staple deployment arrangements, now u.s. patent no. 9,072,535; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/524,049, entitled articulatable surgical instrument comprising a firing drive, filed on june 15, 2012; now u.s. patent no. 9, 101 ,358; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/800,025, entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, filed on march 13, 2013, now u.s. patent no. 9,345,481 ; u.s. patent application serial no. 13/800,067, entitled staple cartridge tissue thickness sensor system, filed on march 13, 2013, now u.s. patent application publication no. 2014/0263552; u.s. patent application publication no. 2007/0175955, entitled surgical cutting and fastening instrument with closure trigger locking mechanism, filed january 31 , 2006; and u.s. patent application publication no. 2010/0264194, entitled surgical stapling instrument with an articulatable end effector, filed april 22, 2010, now u.s. patent no. 8,308,040, are hereby incorporated by reference herein. [0481] although various devices have been described herein in connection with certain embodiments, modifications and variations to those embodiments may be implemented. particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. thus, the particular features, structures, or characteristics illustrated or described in connection with one embodiment may be combined in whole or in part, with the features, structures or characteristics of one ore more other embodiments without limitation. also, where materials are disclosed for certain components, other materials may be used. furthermore, according to various embodiments, a single component may be replaced by multiple components, and multiple components may be replaced by a single component, to perform a given function or functions. the foregoing description and following claims are intended to cover all such modification and variations. [0482] the devices disclosed herein can be designed to be disposed of after a single use, or they can be designed to be used multiple times. in either case, however, a device can be reconditioned for reuse after at least one use. reconditioning can include any combination of the steps including, but not limited to, the disassembly of the device, followed by cleaning or replacement of particular pieces of the device, and subsequent reassembly of the device. in particular, a reconditioning facility and/or surgical team can disassemble a device and, after cleaning and/or replacing particular parts of the device, the device can be reassembled for subsequent use. those skilled in the art will appreciate that reconditioning of a device can utilize a variety of techniques for disassembly, cleaning/replacement, and reassembly. use of such techniques, and the resulting reconditioned device, are all within the scope of the present application. [0483] the devices disclosed herein may be processed before surgery. first, a new or used instrument may be obtained and, when necessary, cleaned. the instrument may then be sterilized. in one sterilization technique, the instrument is placed in a closed and sealed container, such as a plastic or tyvek bag. the container and instrument may then be placed in a field of radiation that can penetrate the container, such as gamma radiation, x-rays, and/or high-energy electrons. the radiation may kill bacteria on the instrument and in the container. the sterilized instrument may then be stored in the sterile container. the sealed container may keep the instrument sterile until it is opened in a medical facility. a device may also be sterilized using any other technique known in the art, including but not limited to beta radiation, gamma radiation, ethylene oxide, plasma peroxide, and/or steam. [0484] while this invention has been described as having exemplary designs, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. this application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. [0485] any patent, publication, or other disclosure material, in whole or in part, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein is incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated materials do not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure. as such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material.
|
093-538-045-527-796
|
DE
|
[
"ES",
"DE",
"US",
"PL",
"BR",
"EP",
"DK",
"WO"
] |
A23G9/06,A23G9/20,A23G9/48,A23G9/12
| 2010-04-22T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"A23"
] |
method for producing ice cream
|
a method for producing ice cream includes combining ingredients to form a premix; supplying a cryogenic medium to the premix; and cooling the premix to a temperature below 0° c. during the prefreezing, lump additives which have previously been cooled to a temperature of less than −2° c. are added to the premix.
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1 - 9 . (canceled) 10 . a method for producing ice cream, comprising: combining ingredients to form a premix; supplying a cryogenic medium to the premix for prefreezing the premix to a temperature below 0° c.; and adding lump additives having a temperature of between −2° c. and −7° c. to the premix during the prefreezing. 11 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising adding the lump additives to the premix when a viscosity of the premix prevents the lump additives from both of rising and settling out of said premix. 12 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the premix comprises a viscosity between 300 and 2000 mpa s when adding the lump additives. 13 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the cryogenic medium comprises liquid nitrogen for the prefreezing. 14 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising adding fruit pieces to the premix. 15 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising adding food pieces to the premix. 16 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising adding inedible additives to the premix. 17 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the lump additives are larger than 5 mm in size. 18 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the lump additives are between 5 mm and 50 mm in size.
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the invention relates to a method for producing ice cream and frozen desserts from ingredients combined in a premix with a cryogenic medium. industrial production of ice cream and other frozen desserts is generally performed in several steps. first, some or all of the ingredients are combined in accordance with the desired recipe to form a so-called premix. the premix is then homogenized and pasteurized before being stored temporarily in aging tanks. next the premix is whipped with air and prefrozen to a soft cream consistency, packaged in the desired portion units and/or drums and finally deep-frozen and hardened in a freezing tunnel. the whipping and prefreezing of the premix are usually performed in so-called double-jacketed coolers. the premix is introduced into the interior of the cooler and is cooled by a refrigerant flowing in the annular gap of the double jacket. the premix freezes on the inside surface of the cooler and forms a thin layer of ice, which is constantly scraped off by a scraping tool rotating in the interior of the cooler. the water content in the premix is therefore frozen to form small ice crystals, which determine to a significant extent the feel of the ice cream and/or other frozen dessert in one's mouth, the creaminess and the texture of the ice cream. in this conventional process, it has not previously been possible to add whole fruit, such as berries, large pieces of fruit or fruit particles to the premix, for example. the fruit or pieces of fruit would be damaged by the rotating scraping tool and would be pulverized into fruit puree and/or the pieces would clog the nozzle at the end of the scraping cooler. introducing frozen fruit pieces into the frozen premix at the end of the scraping cooler also leads to deformation of the fruit pieces and the ice mass. therefore with the methods known in the past, fruit pieces can only be scattered on the surface of the ice cream and/or frozen dessert after whipping and prefreezing. de 10 2006 019 700 a1 describes a method for cryogenic production of ice cream and/or frozen dessert. in this method, the premix is whipped and prefrozen in a mixer to which cryogenic nitrogen is supplied. liquid nitrogen is sprayed directly into the ice mass and cools it to the extent that it freezes. the nitrogen evaporates in the process and the ice mass is whipped at the same time by the resulting gas bubbles. even with this production process, it has so far been impossible to introduce lumpy additives such as pieces of fruit into the ice cream and/or frozen dessert. if the pieces of fruit are added to the premix as additional ingredients, they settle out at the bottom during the prefreezing, regardless of the viscosity of the premix. a uniform distribution of the fruit pieces in the ice mass is completely or mostly impossible. objects and summary of the invention the object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method for producing an ice cream and/or frozen dessert which contains additives in large pieces, in particular substances having a sensitive shape, such as pieces of fruit. the piece additives should not be damaged and should be distributed as uniformly as possible in the end product. this object is achieved by a method for producing ice cream and/or frozen dessert from ingredients, such that the ingredients are combined to form a premix and the premix is prefrozen, so that a cryogenic medium is supplied to the premix in prefreezing and the premix is cooled to a temperature below 0° c. this method is characterized in that additives of large pieces are added to the premix during the prefreezing after having been cooled to a temperature of less than −2° c. before being added to the premix. the method according to the invention makes it possible to add and incorporate additives in large pieces into ice cream and/or frozen desserts. lump additives are understood to refer to non-pasty compositions, solids, particles or lump products. in particular additives which readily lose their shape or are damaged under ambient conditions, i.e., at a temperature of 20° c. and a standard pressure of 1 bar under the influence of external mechanical forces, in particular compressive forces or sharing forces. this refers in particular to additives which would be destroyed mechanically under the conditions prevailing in a scraping cooler for production of ice cream and/or frozen dessert. lump additives in the sense of this invention include for example fruit, pieces of fruit, nuts or pieces of nuts. all types of additives that would be destroyed by the beater shaft of the scraper cooler, that could damage the scraper cooler or would clog up the nozzle at the end of the scraper cooler can be regarded as lump additives according to the present invention. in the brighter sense this would include not only foodstuffs but also objects such as surprise articles or children's toys which are to be introduced into the ice cream and/or frozen dessert. the lump additives are preferably more than 5 mm in size, especially between 5 mm and 50 mm, especially preferably between 10 mm and 25 mm. in other words the lump additives have an extent of more than 5 mm, preferably between 5 mm and 50 mm, especially preferably between 10 mm and 25 mm in at least one direction. the term “ice cream” and/or “frozen dessert” should be understood below to refer to products which are intended for human consumption and are produced from an emulsion of fat and protein with the addition of other ingredients or from a mixture of water, sugar and other ingredients, then treated by freezing and converted to a solid or pasty condition. ice cream and frozen desserts are classified in various categories according to the fat content. depending on the fat content, ice cream may be declared as ice milk (fat content less than 9%), ice cream (fat content more than 10%) or as a gourmet and/or premium variety (fat content 12-13%). the fat may be of animal or vegetable origin. the present invention relates not only to the production of the aforementioned types of ice milk, ice cream and gourmet and/or premium varieties but also to the production of other types of ice desserts such as sorbet, sherbet, frozen yogurt, ice pops and/or pasty compositions in general, which are consumed in the frozen or partially frozen condition. the invention relates to the industrial production of ice cream and/or frozen desserts as described in the introduction. according to the invention, the ingredients for the frozen dessert are mixed together to form the so-called premix. the premix is optionally homogenized and pasteurized and then prefrozen. for prefreezing, a cryogenic medium is added to the premix, so the premix comes in contact with the cryogenic medium. when the cryogenic medium comes in contact with the premix, the cryogenic medium evaporates or sublimes and withdraws heat from the premix. the resulting gases, which are extremely cold, further cool the premix. very high freezing rates and thus greatly shortened freezing times are obtained due to the use of cryogenic media as the refrigerant and due to the direct heat exchange between the premix and the cryogenic medium. in this way, very small micro-ice crystals are formed, so that the mouth feel and creaminess of the ice cream and/or frozen dessert are improved. the cryogenic medium may be sprayed onto the premix or preferably introduced directly into the premix. the cryogenic medium is advantageously sprayed directly into the premix from underneath or from the side. when the cryogenic medium comes in contact with the premix, the cryogenic medium evaporates or sublimes, resulting in a great deal of turbulence in the premix. an intense heat exchange then takes place. the gaseous cryogenic medium is mixed with the premix and therefore ensures the desired whipping of the premix at the same time. according to the invention, lump additives are introduced into the premix during this prefreezing. to do so, the additives are cooled to a temperature below −2° c. and are added to the premix in this cooled state. this ensures that the ice mass, which is already partially frozen and/or the partially frozen premix will not be further heated or even thawed due to the additives that have been added. furthermore, the dimensional stability of the additives is significantly increased by precooling them, so that they are not damaged in the premix. solid lumps of food items or objects that are to be introduced into the ice cream or frozen dessert according to the invention are precooled before being introduced into the premix in order to prevent heating of the premix. the liquid, pasty and non-lump additives of the ice cream and/or frozen dessert, such as water, milk, fat or sugar are first processed to form a premix, and then lump additives are added to the premix in the manner according to the invention during prefreezing. in a preferred embodiment, the lump additives are cooled to a temperature between −2° c. and −7° c. before being added to the premix. this ensures that the additives do not introduce any unwanted heat in to the premix, as described above. furthermore, the additives must not be too cold because otherwise water could crystallize on the additives and freeze out. the claimed temperature range of −2° c. to −7° c. has proven to be a good compromise on the whole. the additives should ultimately be distributed in the ice cream as uniformly as possible. it is therefore advantageous to add the lump additives to the premix at a point in time when the viscosity of the premix is so high that the additives neither rise to the top nor settle out in the premix. the additives to be added to the ice cream and/or frozen dessert are preferably introduced into the surface of the premix through chutes or tubes and are uniformly undermixed by means of slow-running mixing tools, which are optionally present in the refrigerated volume. depending on which type of additives are to be added to the premix, it is advantageous if the premix has a viscosity between 300 mpa s and 2000 mpa s at the time when the lump additives are added. the premix is first cooled by supplying the cryogenic medium until its viscosity has increased into the aforementioned range. then the additives are added. the point in time of adding the lump additives can be determined, for example, by continuous measurement of the viscosity of the premix by means of a viscometer, i.e., a measurement instrument for determining the viscosity of the premix or by measuring the power consumption by the drive motor of the mixing tools. as soon as the viscosity of the premix is high enough, the additives are added. it is also possible to determine the relationship between the quantity of the premix, the addition of cryogenic medium (quantity, duration, rate) and the viscosity of the premix one time. then on the basis of these data, the point in time when the viscosity is in the aforementioned range and the additives can be added can be determined for a given quantity of premix to be cooled and for a certain flow rate of cryogenic medium. this point in time can also be determined more specifically as a function of the size, shape and density of the additives. gaseous or especially preferably liquid nitrogen is advantageously used as the cryogenic medium. nitrogen is an inert gas which displaces the oxygen in the container holding the premix. this suppresses oxidative changes in aroma and taste and furthermore, the low-oxygen deep-cold environment has an inhibiting effect on the growth of microorganisms. it is fundamentally also possible to use carbon dioxide in gaseous, liquid or solid form as the cryogenic medium. however, carbon dioxide can alter the ph of the ice mass, so that gaseous nitrogen or in particular liquid nitrogen is preferred. however, carbon dioxide may also be used in a targeted manner for cooling and foaming to produce a “tingling effect” in the mouth and on the tongue when the ice mass is eaten. the present invention is suitable in particular for introducing fruit pieces or whole fruits into ice cream. fruit or fruit pieces added to the premix according to the invention can be found undamaged and uniformly distributed in the ice cream end product. fruit or fruit pieces such as cherries, strawberries, blackberries or raspberries remain attractive. there is no separation of the fruit from the remaining ice mass. besides fruit, other pleasure-enhancing consumable foods such as chocolate, chewing gum, candy and the like may be mixed into the ice. the present invention is also suitable, not least of all for introducing non-food items such as small toys into the ice cream or frozen dessert. brief description of the drawing the present invention as well as additional details of the invention are explained in greater detail below on the basis of the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawing, in which: the figure shows a device for implementing the method according to the invention. detailed description of the invention the invention relates to a method for producing ice cream. depending on the ice cream recipe, some or all of the liquid, pasty or non-lump additives are processed to form a premix. additives that are larger than 10 mm in at least one direction are not added to the premix in this phase. the premix is then homogenized, pasteurized and optionally stored temporarily. for prefreezing, the premix 1 is placed in a mixer 2 , as shown in the figure. the premix 1 is cooled and prefrozen in the mixer 2 by direct heat exchange with a refrigerant. to do so, liquid nitrogen is introduced as a refrigerant into the mixer 2 through a bottom feed system 3 . the bottom feed system 3 has a liquid nitrogen inlet 4 with a control valve 5 . the liquid nitrogen feed 4 ends in one or more outlets 6 which protrude into the interior of the mixer 2 and a defined quantity of liquid nitrogen can be injected directly into the premix mass 1 through these outlets. the outlets 6 may be arranged in the bottom of the mixer 2 as shown in the figure and/or they may be located in the side walls of the mixer 2 in the area near the bottom. one to ten outlets 6 are preferably provided, especially preferably two to eight outlets 6 . the liquid nitrogen supplied cools the premix 1 so that it is prefrozen. the nitrogen evaporates in this process and the resulting nitrogen gas rises in the premix 1 so that the premix is whipped. the nitrogen gas leaves the mixer 2 through an outlet opening 8 in the cover 7 . furthermore, a slow-speed stirrer 11 , which is driven by a motor 12 , is provided in the mixer 2 . the stirrer 11 circulates the premix 1 in the mixer 2 , thereby ensuring uniform cooling of the premix 1 by the liquid nitrogen supplied. finally, the cover 7 has a feed pipe 9 for supplying lump additives 10 to the premix 1 . after filling the mixer 2 with the premix 1 , liquid nitrogen is introduced into the premix 1 through the bottom feed system 3 . the premix 1 is circulated by means of the stirrer 11 so that the entire premix 1 comes in contact with the nitrogen uniformly and is cooled. the premix 1 is cooled by the supply of liquid nitrogen to the extent that its temperature is below 0° c. and its viscosity increases to a value between 300 mpa s and 2000 mpa s. only then are the additives 10 added. the lump additives 10 are cooled to a temperature between −3° c. and −5° c. before being incorporated into the premix 1 . this ensures that the additives 10 will not introduced any unwanted heat into the premix 1 and thaw the premix 1 while on the other hand they will not be too cold, so that water or other ingredients in the premix 1 could crystallize and freeze out. the precise point in time for adding the additives 10 is determined as a function of the size, shape and density of the additives 10 . the additives 10 should not collect at the bottom of the mixer 2 or rise to the top in the premix 1 after being incorporated into the premix 1 . depending on the type of additives 10 , this therefore yields an optimal viscosity range for adding the additives 10 to the premix 1 . the viscosity of the premix 1 is determined in the present example by measuring the power consumption of the drive motor 12 of the stirrer 11 . the additives 10 are added as soon as the viscosity of the premix 1 is high enough. a predetermined quantity of lump additives 10 , for example, fruit pieces is supplied through the feed tube 9 to the mixer 2 . the additives 10 fall onto the premix 1 through the feed tube 9 and are distributed uniformly in the premix 1 by the stirrer 11 . through the supply of additional liquid nitrogen, the premix 1 is prefrozen with the additives 10 , which are then uniformly distributed in the mix.
|
093-894-765-253-86X
|
EP
|
[
"US",
"EP",
"JP",
"WO",
"KR",
"CN"
] |
B60L1/00,B60H1/00,B60L5/36,B60L11/18,B60L15/20,B60L50/15,B60L50/30,B60M1/12,B60L5/00,B60L5/19,B60L9/00,H02J7/00,H02J7/02,B60L50/50
| 2013-05-08T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"B60",
"H02"
] |
energy management system for a non-railbound vehicle
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an energy management system is provided for a hybrid electric or electric vehicle including an electrical power collector for intermittently collecting electrical power from an external power supply track during driving of the vehicle. the energy management system is arranged to distribute electrical power from the electrical power collector to at least one electrical auxiliary load of the vehicle when collecting electrical power from the external power supply track. the enemy management system includes a control unit configured to control operating characteristics of the at least one auxiliary load depending on if the vehicle operates in a power collecting mode or in a non-power collecting mode.
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1. energy management system for a hybrid electric or electric vehicle comprising an electrical power collector adapted to intermittently collect electrical power from an external power supply track during driving of the vehicle, the energy management system is arranged to distribute electrical power from the electrical power collector to at least one electrical auxiliary load of the vehicle when collecting electrical power from the external power supply track, wherein the energy management system comprises a control unit configured to control operating characteristic of the at least one auxiliary load when the vehicle operates in a power collecting mode, in which electrical power is collected from the external supply track during driving of the vehicle, and when the vehicle operates in a non-power collecting mode, in which electrical power is not collected during driving of the vehicle, wherein the energy management system comprises vehicle relative position determining means that is arranged to determine the vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability, and the energy management system is arranged to, when the vehicle operates in a power collecting mode: calculate an estimated first time period required for charging an energy storage device associated with the at least one electrical auxiliary load of the vehicle to a predetermined maximal level; estimate a second time period until the power collector will disconnect from the external power supply track based on the determined vehicle position in relation to an end point of power supply track, and compare the first and second time periods, and, when the first time period is larger than the second time period, the control unit is arranged to increase the total power consumption level of the at least one auxiliary load, compared with the total power consumption level of the at least one auxiliary load when operating the vehicle in corresponding circumstances in the non-power collecting mode, such that the associated energy storage device will attain, the predetermined maximal level at the time of disconnection from the external power supply track; wherein the energy storage device comprises an air storage tank and is charged by filling the air storage tank with compressed air, or comprises an hydraulic accumulator and is charged by filling the hydraulic accumulator with pressurised hydraulic fluid, or comprises a cargo refrigerator compartment and is charged by, lowering the temperature of the cargo refrigerator compartment, or comprises the temperature in a driver's cabin and is charged by increasing or decreasing the temperature of the driver's cabin depending on the circumstances. 2. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle relative position determining means comprises any of a global positioning system in combination with geographical power supply track installation information, a dedicated short-range communication system (dsrc) for communication with the power supply track installation, or radio-frequency identification (rfid) technology or similar transmitter/responder technology for determining the availability of power supply track at present vehicle position. 3. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to estimate a time period until the electrical power collector will start collecting electrical power based on determined vehicle position in relation to a start point of power supply track. 4. energy management system according to claim 3 , wherein control unit is configured to control operating characteristic of the at least one auxiliary load when the estimated time period until the electrical power collector will start collecting electrical power from the external power supply track is within a predetermined time window. 5. energy management system according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit is configured to decrease the total power consumption level of the at least one auxiliary load when, the estimated time period until the electrical power collector will start collecting electrical power from the external power supply track is within a predetermined time window, compared with the total power consumption level of the at least one auxiliary load when operating the vehicle in corresponding circumstances outside the predetermined time window. 6. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is arranged to prioritise supply of electrical energy from the electrical power collector to an electrical traction machine of the vehicle, and to limit the supply of electrical energy from the electrical power collector to the at least one electrical auxiliary load to prevent that a maximal permitted power transmission level of the power collector or a maximal permitted electrical load level of the power supply track is exceeded. 7. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical auxiliary load is formed by an electrical heating device for heating an electrical storage system, a driver's cabin, a vehicle seating, a vehicle window, a vehicle steering wheel, or a vehicle side mirror. 8. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the one electrical auxiliary load is formed by an electrical machine driving an air compressor unit/pump. 9. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the one electrical auxiliary load is formed by an electrical machine driving a compressor unit of a vehicle air conditioning system. 10. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the one electrical auxiliary load is formed by a vehicle electrical power take-off for operating at least one electrical load. 11. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the one electrical auxiliary load is formed by an electrical machine driving a water cooling system or air cooling system of the vehicle. 12. the energy management system a cording to claim 1 , wherein the one electrical auxiliary load is formed by an electrical machine driving a hydraulic pump of a hydraulic system. 13. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic system comprises a hydraulic motor for propulsion of the vehicle, a hydraulic cylinder for operating an implement of the vehicle, a hydraulic cylinder for steering of an articulated vehicle, or a hydraulic accumulator for temporarily storing hydraulic energy. 14. the energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical power collector is arranged to collect electrical power while being in sliding contact with an electrical conductor of the power supply track, or by inductive coupling between the electrical power collector and the power supply track. 15. method for controlling operating characteristic of at least, one auxiliary load of a hybrid electric or electric vehicle comprising an electrical power collector for intermittently collecting electrical power from an external power supply track during driving of the vehicle, wherein electrical power may be distributed from the electrical power collector to the at least one electrical auxiliary load of the vehicle when collecting electrical power from the external power supply track, the method comprising the steps of determining when the vehicle operates in a power collecting mode, in which electrical power is collected from the external supply track during driving of the vehicle, and when the vehicle operates in a non-power collecting mode, in which electrical power is not collected during driving; and controlling operating characteristics of the at least one auxiliary load when the vehicle operates in the power collecting mode or in the non-power collecting mode; comprising, when the vehicle is in the power collecting mode: determining vehicle position in relation to the power supply track; calculating an estimated first time period required for charging an energy storage device associated with the at least one electrical auxiliary load of the vehicle to a predetermined maximal level; estimating a time period until the power collector will disconnect from the external power supply track based on the determined vehicle position in relation to an, end point of the power supply track; comparing the first and second time periods, and, when the first time period is larger than the second time period, increasing the total power consumption level of the at least one auxiliary load when operating the vehicle in the power collecting mode, compared with the total power consumption level of the at least one auxiliary load when operating the vehicle in corresponding circumstances in the non-power collecting mode, such that the associated energy storage device will attain the predetermined maximal level at the time of disconnection from the external power supply track; wherein the energy storage device comprises an air storage tank, and the charging, of the energy storage device comprises filling the air storage tank with compressed air, or the energy storage device comprises an hydraulic accumulator and the charging of the energy storage device comprises filling the hydraulic accumulator with pressurised hydraulic fluid, or the energy storage device comprises a cargo refrigerator compartment and the charging of the energy storage device comprises lowering the temperature of the cargo refrigerator compartment, or the energy storage device comprises a driver's cabin, and the charging of the energy storage device comprises increasing or decreasing the temperature of the driver's cabin depending on the circumstances. 16. method according to claim 15 , comprising the step of estimating a time period until the electrical power collector will start collecting electrical power based on determined vehicle position in relation a to start point of the power supply track. 17. method according to claim 16 , comprising the step of controlling operating characteristic of the at least one auxiliary load when the estimated time period until the electrical power collector will start collecting electrical power from the external power supply track is within a predetermined time window. 18. method according to claim 16 , comprising decreasing the total power consumption level of the at least one auxiliary load when the estimated time period until the electrical power collector will start collecting electrical power from the external power supply track is within a predetermined time window, compared with the total power consumption level of the at least cane auxiliary load when operating the vehicle in corresponding circumstances outside the predetermined time window. 19. method according to claim 15 , comprising the step of prioritising supply of electrical energy from the electrical power collector to an electrical traction machine the vehicle, and limiting the supply of electrical energy from the electrical power collector to the at least one electrical auxiliary load to prevent that a maximal permitted power transmission level of the power collector or a maximal permitted electrical load level of the power supply track is exceeded. 20. method according to claim 15 , comprising the step of collecting electrical power using the electrical power collector while being in sliding contact with an electrical conductor of the power supply track, or by inductive coupling between the electrical power collector and the power supply track.
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background and summary this disclosure relates to an energy management system for a hybrid electric or electric non-railbound vehicle comprising an electrical power collector for intermittently collecting electrical power from an external power supply track during driving of the vehicle, wherein the energy management system is arranged to distribute electrical power from the electrical power collector to at least one electrical auxiliary load of the vehicle when collecting electrical power from the external power supply track. the disclosure also relates to a method for controlling operating characteristic of at least one auxiliary load of a hybrid electric or electric vehicle comprising an electrical power collector for intermittently collecting electrical power from an external power supply track during driving of the vehicle. the vehicle propulsion system and corresponding method may be implemented in many types of road and off-road vehicles, such as trucks, busses, cars, construction vehicles, and the like. hybrid-electric vehicles having a combustion engine and an electrical traction machine have a limited driving range and it is known for example from fr2809998 to provide the hybrid-electric vehicle with an electrical power collector for collecting electrical power from an external power supply track, thereby enabling the vehicle to be driven in a pure electric mode. this aspect consequently increases the propulsion flexibility, increases the driving range and reduces emissions. known energy management systems for this type of vehicles are however still not fully developed and further improvements in performance and cost-saving are possible. it is desirable to provide an improved energy management system for a hybrid electric or electric non-railbound vehicle comprising an electrical power collector for intermittently collecting electrical power from an external power supply track during driving of the vehicle. the disclosure concerns an energy management system for a hybrid electric or electric vehicle comprising an electrical power collector for intermittently collecting electrical power from an external power supply track during driving of the vehicle, the energy management system is arranged to distribute electrical power from the electrical power collector to at least one electrical auxiliary load of the vehicle when collecting electrical power from the external power supply track. the disclosure is characterized in that the energy management system comprises a control unit configured to control operating characteristic of the at least one auxiliary load depending on if the vehicle operates in a power collecting mode or in a non-power collecting mode. the disclosure also concerns a method for controlling operating characteristic of at least one auxiliary load of a hybrid electric or electric vehicle comprising an electrical power collector for intermittently collecting electrical power from an external power supply track during driving of the vehicle, wherein electrical power may be distributed from the electrical power collector to the at least one electrical auxiliary load of the vehicle when collecting electrical power from the external power supply track, the method comprising the steps of determining if the vehicle operates in a power collecting mode or in as non-power collecting mode; andcontrolling operating characteristic of the at least one auxiliary load depending on if the vehicle operates in a power collecting mode or in a non-power collecting mode. energy management during slide-in driving is about using the available energy in the most efficient way in order to fulfil the vehicle needs to be able to perform the propulsion and to run auxiliaries in a satisfactory way. different energy handling strategies is possible depending on the conditions of the vehicle as well as of how the vehicle is equipped. this invention is about how to utilize the available grid energy in a more efficient way which means that you may in the long run save fuel and/or battery energy/usage. the core of the disclosure is to control the operating characteristic of the vehicle auxiliary loads depending on whether the vehicle collects electrical power from the external grid or not. the thought behind the control strategy is that energy supplied from the power supply track can be regarded as having a lower cost per energy unit compared with energy taken from a vehicle on-board combustion engine or an on-board electrical storage system, such as batteries or super capacitors. the lower cost is partly due to the low efficiency of the conventional gasoline or diesel combustion engines, which effectively use only about 15%-20% of the fuel energy content for propulsion and powering auxiliaries. electric drive vehicles however, due to the high efficiency of the electrical motor, typically have on-board efficiencies of around 80%. also, by using electrical energy from the power supply track instead from the on-board battery eliminates any charge and discharge energy losses that otherwise inherently occurs when using the on-board battery. conventional powering an electrical propulsion system and electrical auxiliary loads using electrical power from the power supply track when available results in a first energy saving effect. this disclosure aims at further increasing the first energy saving effect by specific control the energy usage of the auxiliary devices, depending on if the vehicle operates in a power collecting mode or in a non-power collecting mode. the specific control enables improved energy efficiency. for example, based on the fact that energy from the power supply track has a lower cost, the inventive control strategy may involve using the auxiliary load relatively more when the system is connected to the external power supply track, compared with a normal usage level during driving in corresponding circumstances and without collecting power from the grid. this strategy will result in overall reduced energy consumption if the auxiliary loads are associated with some kind of energy storage capacity. if for example the auxiliary load is an electrical motor driving an air compressor unit for filling the vehicle air tanks, the relatively cheap energy from the power supply track may be excessively used in a power collecting mode for temporarily storing the relatively low-cost energy on the vehicle for later use. important is also that the energy storage system does not exhibit a significant energy-loss at charging, storing and discharging phases, because this aspect may then consume the cost-saving effect of the disclosure. for example, temporarily lowering the temperature in a storage compartment of a refrigerator truck will generally result in an increased energy loss due to increased thermal loss through the walls of the storage compartment. consequently, most preferably, the additional energy from the power supply track is stored and subsequently used without significantly increasing the total amount of power consumption. the control unit may be configured to increase the total power consumption level of the at least one auxiliary load when operating the vehicle in a power collecting mode, compared with the total power consumption level of said at least one auxiliary load when operating the vehicle in corresponding circumstances in a non-power collecting mode. this control strategy delivers the desired improved energy efficiency discussed above. the energy management system may be arranged to charge an energy storage devices associated with the at least one electrical auxiliary load of the vehicle to a predetermined maximal level when collecting electrical power from the external power supply track. charging the energy storage device using relatively low-cost energy from the external power supply track enables storage of that low-cost energy on-board the vehicle for later use, thereby reducing the level of energy required from the on-board combustion engine, such that overall fuel-efficiency is improved. the energy storage devices may be charged by filling an air storage tank with compressed air, filling a hydraulic accumulator with pressurised hydraulic fluid, lowering the temperature of a cargo refrigerator compartment, or by increasing or decreasing the temperature of a driver's cabin depending on the circumstances the energy management system may comprise vehicle relative position determining means arranged to determine vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability. the vehicle relative position determining means may be relatively simple and capable of only detecting availability of the power supply track at the current position of the vehicle. a more complex vehicle relative position determining means may have capacity of also calculating the distance and/or time remaining until reaching a start point of a power supply track segment, and/or calculating the distance and/or time remaining until reaching an end point of a power supply track segment. with knowledge of the vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability more intelligent control of the electrical auxiliary loads of the vehicle is enabled. the vehicle relative position determining means may comprise any of a global positioning system (gps) in combination with geographical power supply track installation information, a dedicated short-range communication system (dsrc) for communication with the power track installation, or radio-frequency identification (rfid) technology or similar transmitter/responder technology for determining the availability of power supply track at present vehicle position. the control unit may be configured to estimate a time period until the electrical power collector will start collecting electrical power based on determined vehicle position in relation to start point of power supply track availability. thereby more intelligent control of the electrical auxiliary loads of the vehicle is enabled. for example, the control unit may be configured to control operating characteristic of the at least one auxiliary load depending also on if the estimated time period until the electrical power collector will start collecting electrical power from the external power supply track is within a predetermined time window. in particular, the control unit may be configured to decrease the total power consumption level of the at least one auxiliary load when the estimated time period until the electrical power collector will start collecting electrical power from the external power supply track is within a predetermined time window, compared with the total power consumption level of said at least one auxiliary load when operating the vehicle in corresponding circumstances outside said predetermined time window. thereby relatively expansive energy from the combustion engine may be replaced by relatively low-cost energy from the power supply track. furthermore, the control unit may be configured to estimate a time period until the power collector will disconnect from the external power supply track based on determined vehicle position in relation to end point of power supply track availability. thereby more intelligent control of the electrical auxiliary loads of the vehicle is enabled. for example, the control unit may be arranged to, upon collecting electrical power from the external power supply track during driving of the vehicle, coordinate operation of the at least one electrical auxiliary load with the estimated time period until the power collector will disconnect from the external power supply track and the energy charge level of the associated energy storage device, for enabling the associated energy storage device to attain the predetermined maximal level at time of disconnection from the external power supply track. thereby a maximal energy saving effect is realised. the control unit may be arranged to prioritise supply of electrical energy from the electrical power collector to an electrical traction machine of the vehicle, and to limit the supply of electrical energy from the electrical power collector to the at least one electrical auxiliary load to prevent that a maximal permitted power transmission level of the power collector or a maximal permitted electrical load level of the power supply track is exceeded. the propulsion function of the vehicle is prioritised because propulsion generally corresponds to the largest load of the vehicle, and replacing the largest load with low-cost energy from the power supply track generally results in the largest cost savings. the electrical auxiliary load may be formed by an electrical heating device for heating an electrical storage system, a driver's cabin, a vehicle seating, a vehicle window, a vehicle steering wheel, or a vehicle side mirror. an electrical heating device may also be considered as an energy storage device but with a relatively high energy loss rate. the electrical auxiliary load may be formed by any of an electrical machine driving an air compressor unit/pump, an electrical machine driving as compressor unit of a vehicle air conditioning system, a vehicle electrical power take-off for operating at least one electrical load located on the vehicle or a trailer connected to the vehicle, or an electrical machine driving, a water cooling system or air cooling system of the vehicle. the electrical auxiliary load may be formed by an electrical machine driving a hydraulic pump of a hydraulic system. the hydraulic system may comprise a hydraulic motor for propulsion of the vehicle, a hydraulic cylinder for operating an implement of the vehicle, a hydraulic cylinder for steering of an articulated vehicle, or a hydraulic accumulator for temporarily storing hydraulic energy. the electrical power collector may be arranged to collect electrical power while being in sliding contact with an electrical conductor of the power supply track, or by inductive coupling between the electrical power collector and the power supply track. in addition to above, the disclosure concerns a corresponding method. brief description of drawings in the detailed description of the disclosure given below reference is made to the following figure, in which: fig. 1 shows a vehicle electrically connected to an overhead power supply track; fig. 2 shows a vehicle electrically connected to an embedded power supply track; fig. 3 shows a simplified and schematic layout of the energy management system according to the disclosure; fig. 4 shows a more detailed schematic layout of the energy management system according to the disclosure; fig. 5 shows an exemplary travel path with a section having power supply track installation; fig. 6-8 shows schematically control strategies for controlling operating characteristics of the auxiliary load. detailed description various aspects of the disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings to illustrate and not to limit the disclosure, wherein like designations denote like elements, and variations of the inventive aspects are not restricted to the specifically shown embodiments, but are applicable on other variations of the disclosure. fig. 1 shows a typical example where the present disclosure advantageously can be implemented. a non-railbound vehicle 1 , such as a truck, having a hybrid electric or pure electric propulsion system is illustrated being slidingly connected to an external power supply track 2 by means of a power collector 3 fastened to the vehicle 1 . the power supply track 2 is normally not available over the entire travel path of the vehicle 1 and the power collector 3 of the vehicle 1 must consequently be configured for intermittently collecting electrical power from the power supply track 2 at those segments of the travel path where the power supply track 2 is available. the electrical power collector 3 is configured for collecting electrical power from the external power supply track 2 during driving and stiilstand of the vehicle 1 . the electrical power collector 3 is further preferably arranged to initiate and end collection of electrical power from the external power supply track 2 both during driving and still stand of the vehicle 1 . the power supply track 2 comprises at least two separate conductors for supplying dc or ac to the vehicle 1 . when the power supply track 2 is located above the vehicle 1 , as in fig. 1 , electrical power collector 3 may be designed as a pantograph. two separate pantographs arranged side-by-side may be arranged to individually contact one of two separate conductors. an alternative arrangement of the power supply track 2 is shown in fig. 2 , where the power supply track 2 is provided embedded in the road, and where a sliding electrical, contact may be established between a power collector 3 mounted under the vehicle 1 and the power supply track 2 . this solution has a relatively low installation cost, is robust and enables all types of vehicles to connected to the power supply track, irrespective of the height of the vehicle. however, the disclosure encompasses also other power supply track solutions, such as a power supply track being located sideways of the vehicle 1 . similarly, the electrical power collector 3 may alternatively be arranged to collect electrical power by inductive coupling between the electrical power collector and the power supply track, located for example embedded in the ground. inductive coupling is based on an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. energy is sent through an inductive coupling to an electrical device, which can then use that energy to propel the vehicle propulsion system. an energy management system for a hybrid electric or electric vehicle according the present disclosure is schematically illustrated in fig. 3 . the energy management system comprises an electrical power collector 3 for intermittently collecting electrical power from an external power supply track 2 during driving of the vehicle 1 . the energy management system is arranged to distribute electrical power from the electrical power collector 3 to at least one electrical auxiliary load 4 of the vehicle when collecting electrical power from the external power supply track 2 , where distribution is handled by a converter and distribution system 6 . the energy management system further comprises a control unit 5 configured to control operating, characteristic of the at least one auxiliary load 4 depending on if the vehicle operates in a power collecting mode or in a non-power collecting mode. the energy management system comprises a vehicle relative position determining means 7 for determining vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability. the position determining means typically comprises a global positioning system gps for determining present geographic positioning information. in addition, the control unit 5 may also have access to stored data concerning geographical location of power supply track installations, such that the control unit 5 can calculate present vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability. the stored data may be stored on the vehicle, or stored on a stationary server or the like and made available by communication means, such as telematics. the stored data concerning location of the geographical power supply track installation may be provided from a supplier, or simply collected by a self-learning system that registers power supply track availability during the first time of registering the power supply track. a plurality of vehicles may then also internally share the registered geographical position of the power supply track. moreover, with knowledge about the future travel path the control unit 5 can also calculate future vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability. for determining if an external power supply track 2 is available at the present vehicle position, the system may further, or alternatively, include a dedicated short-range communication means for communicating with the power supply track installation, a radio-frequency identification (rfid) technology, or any other similar transmitter/responder technology. the electrical auxiliary load 4 may be formed by many different types of electrical loads norm ally available on hybrid electric and electric vehicles. for example, the electric auxiliary load 4 may be formed by an electrical heating device. the heating device may for example be suitable for heating an electrical storage system, such as a battery and/or a capacitor. alternatively, the heating device may for example be suitable for heating a driver's cabin, a vehicle seating, a vehicle window, a vehicle steering wheel, or a vehicle side mirror. using an electrical heating device to an excessive degree during a connected mode results generally in a reduced need to use the heating device for a certain time period after disconnection from the power supply track, due to the relatively high thermal charge level immediately after charging using power from the electrical power collector. thereby a cost saving effect may be attained. the electrical auxiliary load 4 may alternatively be formed by an electrical machine driving an air compressor unit. compressed air is generally frequently used in commercial vehicles, for example for the braking system, for air suspension system, and for different types of actuating systems, such as for opening doors in buses. the air compressor may be powered by an electrical machine forming an auxiliary load. the electrical auxiliary load 4 may be formed by an electrical machine driving a compressor unit of a vehicle air conditioning system. most modern vehicles have an air conditioning system for controlling and regulating temperature of the air within the drive's cabin. special commercial vehicles, such as trucks transporting perishable freight at relatively low temperatures, may also have a large refrigerator compartment for the freight, which compartment needs a large air conditioning system for attaining the required low temperature. a heat pump for compressing a working fluid is an essential part of the air condition and refrigerator system, which heat pump may be powered by an electrical machine forming an auxiliary load. if for example the truck pulls a trailer having a refrigerator compartment, then the electrical auxiliary load may be formed by a vehicle electrical power take-off, which supplies electrical power for operating at least one electrical load of the trailer. the electrical auxiliary load 4 may alternatively be formed by an electrical machine driving a water cooling system or air cooling system of the vehicle. many components of the vehicle gets very warm during use of the vehicle and need cooling for avoiding damage or degraded performance. for example, the engine cooling means may be powered by an electrical machine thrilling an auxiliary load, as well as cooling means for an electrical storage system and/or high power components of a hybrid electric vehicle. the cooling means may be a water cooling pump and an air ventilator. the electrical auxiliary load 4 may be formed by an electrical machine driving a hydraulic pump of a hydraulic system. hydraulic systems are common in construction equipment vehicles, such as wheel loaders, excavators, articulated haulers, and the like. the hydraulic system are often used for propulsion, steering and motion of any implement associated with the construction equipment vehicle. a fixed or variable displacement hydraulic pump is commonly used as hydraulic motor for pressurising the hydraulic fluid of the system, and an electrical machine may be used for powering the hydraulic pump. a hydraulic accumulator may also be included in the hydraulic system for temporarily storing hydraulic energy. fig. 4 discloses a more detailed exemplary layout of an energy management system of a hybrid electric vehicle according to the disclosure. the powertrain comprises a combustion engine 10 drivingly connected to driven wheels 11 via a master clutch 12 , which may be an automated friction clutch according to known art. an electric machine 13 is arranged downstream of said master clutch 12 for vehicle propulsion, either jointly with the combustion engine 10 or alone. said electric machine 13 has a capacity of functioning as a generator for recuperating kinetcal energy during braking and storing the electrical energy in a high voltage electrical storage system 14 , having for example an operating voltage of several hundred volts. the high voltage electrical storage system 14 can for example comprise an electric battery and/or a super capacitor, which can be charged or discharged and transmit electric power to and from the electric machine 13 via an ac/dc power converter 20 . the electric machine 13 is further drivingly connected to a transmission 15 , for example a step geared automatic transmission. the transmission 15 is subsequently connected with said driven wheels 11 via a propeller shaft 16 . the vehicle propulsion system is configured to operate the combustion engine 10 when the propulsion system is in a non-collecting mode, i.e. when the vehicle 1 does not collect electrical power from the power supply track 2 , and to operate the at least one electrical traction machine 13 in a collecting mode, i.e. when the power collector of the vehicle collects electrical power from the power supply track 2 . an electrical power collector 3 arranged for collecting electrical power from the external power supply track 2 is coupled to high voltage electrical storage system 14 via an electrical power transformer unit 21 . the electrical power at the external power supply track 2 may have a significantly higher voltage than the voltage level of the high voltage electrical storage system 14 , thereby requiring a power transformer unit 21 . the hybrid electric vehicle often additionally comprises a low voltage electrical storage system 22 of about 12-48 volt which is connected to the high voltage electrical storage system 14 via a dc/dc converter 23 . at least one vehicle system electronic control unit 24 is provided for controlling the parts of the hybrid electric propulsion system. a vehicle relative position determining means 7 may be provided in form of a gps 27 and a storage device 28 having stored data concerning geographical location of power supply track installations. the energy management system according to the disclosure may of course alternatively with small modifications be used for pure electric vehicle with an electrical storage system as well even if a detailed layout for a pure electrical vehicle is not included in the disclosure. in fig. 4 a first electrical auxiliary load 25 is connected to the low voltage electrical storage system 22 and a second electrical auxiliary load 26 is connected to the high voltage electrical storage system 14 . obviously, a plurality of electrical auxiliary loads may be connected to each of the low and high voltage electrical storage systems 22 , 14 . most auxiliary loads will likely be connected to the low voltage electrical storage system 22 due to the relatively low power of the auxiliary load, thereby not requiring a more costly high power connection to the high voltage electrical storage system 14 . however, certain high power auxiliary loads are better served being connected to the high voltage electrical storage system because this enables a higher output power and lower current levels, such that thinner and less costly power supply cables may be used. the energy management system may have different control strategies for achieving a high cost saving, dependent on the complexity of the energy management system. examples of the control strategies of the energy management system will hereinafter be described with reference to figs. 5-8 . fig. 5 illustrates a typical travel path 50 for a vehicle having a travel direction according to arrow 54 . the travel path 50 comprises a first geographical point 51 denoting a start of a power supply track section 53 , and a second geographical point 52 denoting an end of the power supply track section 53 . the first and second geographical points 51 , 52 may be defined in terms of latitude and longitude, or similar systems for determining absolute geographical position. the length of the power supply track section 53 may vary to a large extent but will likely not be shorter than about 500 meters for system to bring any substantial improved performance. power supply track sections 53 having a length of several kilometers up to several tens of kilometers are considered appropriate. a less complex vehicle relative position determining means may only be able to determine power supply track availability at present vehicle position, i.e. without necessarily taking into account the present geographical position of the vehicle. this type of vehicle relative position determining means may consequently be able to detect when a power supply track 2 is available and not available, without knowledge of future power supply track availability. the vehicle relative position determining means may for example comprise at least one sensor device that can detect the presence of the power supply track 2 . the sensor device may for example comprise one or more cameras for visually identifying the power supply track, sensor devices sensitive to magnetic fields, radar units. the sensor device may alternatively be a dedicated short-range communication means that interact with the power supply track installation. a control strategy for controlling the operating characteristics of an auxiliary device 25 , 26 of the energy management system using the less complex vehicle relative position determining means is schematically illustrated in conjunction with fig. 5 and fig. 6 . in a first step 61 of the control method the system investigates if the power collector 3 is collecting electrical energy to the vehicle, typically for operating the main electric propulsion machine 13 of the vehicle. a vehicle having an energy management system according to the disclosure and travelling in the direction of arrow 54 in fig. 5 will first upon reaching the first geographical point 51 determine availability of the power supply track 2 , because the system lacks means to perform estimations of future supply track availability. upon determining availability of the power supply track 2 the vehicle will start collecting electrical power from the power supply track 2 using the power collector 3 , the combustion engine 10 will be stopped and the vehicle propulsion system is propelled by the electrical traction machine 13 . in response to this action the energy management system will go to a second step 62 of the method in fig. 6 , where the control unit 24 controls the auxiliary load 25 , 26 according to a high consumption mode. a high consumption mode may typically involve adjustment of the control parameters associated with each of the auxiliary loads 25 , 26 to realise a temporarily higher energy consumption of the auxiliary load 25 , 26 . for example, the temperature target level of the driver's cabin and/or a refrigerator compartment may be increased or decreased one or a few degrees, depending on the circumstances, such that the electrical motor driving the air conditioning unit and refrigeration unit exhibits at least a temporarily increased workload. the minimum air pressure level that triggers operation of the air compressor may be increased, such that the electrical machine driving the air compressor pump exhibits at least a temporarily increased workload. a minimum charge level of a hydraulic accumulator may be increased, such that an electrical motor driving a hydraulic pump for charging the hydraulic accumulator exhibits at least a temporarily increased workload. electrical heating functions that are currently intermittently or continuously operating may be adjusted to have a higher target value. thereafter the energy management system will go to a third step 63 of the method in fig. 6 for determining when power collection from the grid is stopped. upon passing the second geographical point 52 the vehicle relative position determining means will determine lack of power supply track 2 , and in response thereto the combustion engine 10 will be started and the vehicle propulsion system is propelled by the combustion engine 10 . upon determining that the power collection from the power supply track 2 is stopped, the energy management system will go to a fourth step 64 , where the control unit 24 controls the auxiliary load 25 , 26 according to a normal consumption mode again. a more complex but also more efficient control strategy is disclosed in fig. 7 in conjunction with fig. 5 . the vehicle relative position determining means is here able to determine vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability for a certain future time period. for example, a dedicated short-range communication system (dsrc) of the vehicle may communicate with the power track installation for providing forecast information about the distance to the start and/or end of the power track. at least one communication point 55 along the travel path 50 ahead of the power supply track section 53 may supply information concerning length to start and/or end point 51 , 52 of the power supply track. alternatively, the vehicle relative position determining means is able to determine vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability for a complete planned travel path. this may be realised by determining the complete planned travel path of the vehicle, for example based on driver input, determining present vehicle geographical position based on a global positioning system (gps) or similar system, and using stored data concerning geographical position of power supply track installations. with information about the vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability for a certain future time period, the control unit 24 may be arranged to control operation of the heating system based thereon. as an alternative to gps and dsrc, travel path recognition based on travel path characteristic may be implemented, or the use the radio-frequency identification (reid) technology or similar transmitter/responder technology. in a first step 71 of the control strategy, the vehicle has past the start point 51 of the power supply track section 53 , operates in a power collecting mode with the combustion engine 10 in a stopped mode and approaches the end of the power supply track 2 . the control unit 24 is arranged to calculate an estimated first time period t 1 required for charging auxiliary load to attain a predetermined maximal level. the estimated first time period t 1 will thus be individual for each auxiliary load 25 , 26 and may also change over time. due care to the upcoming road conditions are also advantageously taken into account when estimating the first time period t 1 to foresee any potential electrical power supply shortage from the power supply track 2 , for example during uphill road segments, and/or due to an estimated simultaneous operation of multiple auxiliary loads 25 , 26 . travel path elevation data may thus be required to determine to the geographical points where power supply shortage from the power supply track is likely to occur. additional data, such as present vehicle total weight, may advantageously be provided to improve calculation of possible power supply shortage from the power supply track 2 . at a second step 72 the control unit is arranged to calculate an estimated second time period t 2 to restart of the engine 10 . this calculation may be based on the remaining road distance between the present vehicle location and to the endpoint 52 of the power supply track, historical values for traveling said distance and/or the present and estimated speed of the vehicle. at a third step 73 the control unit compares the first and second time periods t 1 , t 2 and decides to proceed to a fourth step 74 if the first time period t 1 is larger than the second time period t 2 . otherwise it will return to the first step 71 . at a fourth step 74 , corresponding to an intermediate geographical point 56 in fig. 5 , the control unit 24 starts to control the auxiliary load 25 , 26 according to a high consumption mode, identical to the second step 62 of fig. 6 , such that the auxiliary load will attain a predetermined maximal level when the vehicle reaches the endpoint 52 . also the remaining fifth and sixth steps 75 , 76 of the present control strategy are identical to the corresponding third and fourth steps 63 , 64 of the previously described control strategy associated with fig. 6 . the present control strategy has the advantage of not controlling the auxiliary load 25 , 26 according to a high consumption mode more than necessary to avoid increased energy losses that are caused by operating the auxiliary load in the high consumption mode, such as for example increased heat losses. another more complex but also more efficient control strategy is disclosed in fig. 8 in conjunction with fig. 5 . the vehicle relative position determining means is also here able to determine vehicle position in relation to power supply track availability for a certain future time period. at a first step 81 of the control strategy, before the vehicle has reached the start point 51 of the power supply track section 53 , where the vehicle is operating in the non-collecting mode and with the combustion engine 10 in an operating state, the control unit calculates an estimate time period remaining until the vehicle starts collecting power from the power supply track 2 . the control unit 24 also compares this estimated time period with a predetermined time window. the predetermined time window can be different for each individual load, because each individual load has different operating characteristics. if power will be collected from the grid within the predetermined time window the control strategy goes to a second step 82 involving control of the auxiliary load 25 , 26 according to low consumption mode. by delaying certain operation of the auxiliary load a certain time period until more low-cost electrical energy is available via the power supply track, a cost saving effect can be accomplished. a low consumption mode may typically involve adjustment of the control parameters associated with each of the auxiliary loads 25 , 26 to realise a temporarily lower energy consumption of the auxiliary load. for example, the temperature target level of the driver's cabin and/or a refrigerator compartment may be increased or decreased one or a few degrees, depending on the circumstances, such that the electrical motor driving the air conditioning unit and refrigeration unit exhibits at least a temporarily a decreased workload. the maximum air pressure level of the compressed air tanks that triggers end of operation of the air compressor during refill of the air tanks may be decreased, and refill may possibly be delayed if no safety risk is incurred, such that the electrical machine driving the air compressor pump exhibits at least a temporarily a decreased workload. also the maximum charge level of a hydraulic accumulator may be decreased, and charging of the hydraulic accumulator by means of the electrical motor may possibly be delayed if no safety risk is incurred, such that an electrical motor driving a hydraulic pump for charging the hydraulic accumulator exhibits at least a temporarily increased workload. electrical heating functions that are currently intermittently or continuously operating may be adjusted to have a lower target value. upon reaching the first geographical point 51 and upon determining availability of the power supply track 2 the control unit 24 will in a third step 83 determine that electrical power is collected from the power supply track 2 using the power collector 3 . as a result, the control unit 24 controls the combustion engine 10 to stop and use of the electrical traction machine 13 for propulsion, as well as entering a fourth step 84 of the control strategy. the fourth to sixth step 84 , 85 , 86 of the strategy are identical to the second to fourth steps 62 , 63 , 64 of the control strategy disclosed in the context of fig. 6 , and reference is given to that text. reference signs mentioned in the claims should not be seen as limiting the extent of the matter protected by the claims, and their sole function is to make claims easier to understand. as will be realised, the disclosure is capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the scope of the appended claims. accordingly, the drawings and the description thereto are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not restrictive.
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094-086-781-141-316
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PH
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[
"WO",
"PH"
] |
F03D7/02,F03D1/00,F03D1/02,F03D1/04,F03D1/06,F03D7/04
| 2013-10-10T00:00:00 |
2013
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[
"F03"
] |
counter rotating wind turbine generator in the perimeter
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the present invention relates to a wind turbine machine comprising a supporting means, a pair of spaced apart counter rotatable front and rear rotors being rotatably supported on said supporting means, said front and rear rotors being adapted to counter rotate correspondingly to a first and second wind loads, a plurality of spaced apart front and rear blades being rotatably secured correspondingly within said front and rear rotors, a generator means being provided between of said front and rear rotors, and a blade pitching means being configured to operate on said front and rear rotors and said blades to control the speed of rotation of said front and rear rotors. the front rotor has a tunneling mechanism directly coupled to the front rotor and a diffuser mechanism for the rear rotor. the blades are made of hollow inflatable materials filled with air with pitching mechanism, making the present invention lighter than the conventional blades design.
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claims: 1. a wind turbine machine comprising: a supporting means; a pair of spaced apart counter rotatable front and rear rotors being rotatably supported on said supporting means, said front and rear rotors being adapted to counter rotate correspondingly to a first and second wind loads; a plurality of spaced apart front and rear blades being rotatably secured correspondingly within said front and rear rotors; a generator means being provided between of said front and rear rotors; and a blade pitching means being configured to operate on said front and rear rotors and said blades to control the speed of rotation of said front and rear rotors. 2. a wind turbine machine according to claim 1, wherein each of said rotor comprising a hollow circular frame, a hub and a plurality of spokes extending between said frame and said hub. 3. a wind turbine machine according to claim 1, wherein each of said front and rear blades are secured to said spokes. 4. a wind turbine machine according to claim 3, wherein said frame comprising a top wall, an adjoining bottom wall extending from said top wall and an inner side wall perimeter formed between said top wall and bottom wall. 5. a wind turbine machine according to claim 4, wherein said generator means is provided between the opposed inner facing side perimeter walls of said front and rear rotors. 6. a wind turbine machine according to claim 5, wherein the inner side wall perimeter of one of said rotors is provided with spaced apart grooves on the surface thereof. 7. a wind turbine machine according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein said generator means comprising a plurality of spaced apart magnets secured on said grooves on one of said rotors and a plurality of corresponding coils provided on the inner side wall perimeter of the other opposing rotor and facing said magnets such that the counter rotation of said rotors will generate electrical power. 8. a wind turbine machine according to claim 1, wherein said first wind load is a low wind speed and said second wind load is a predetermined wind speed. 9. a wind turbine machine according to claim 8, wherein said front rotor is configured to rotate at said low wind speed and said rear rotor being configured to counter rotate at said predetermined wind speed, or said rear rotor is configured to rotate at predetermined wind speed and rear rotor being configured to counter rotate at low wind speed condition. 10. a wind turbine machine according to claim 7, wherein power is immediately generated when the one of the rotors rotate and the other rotor remains stationary. 11. a wind turbine machine according to claims 1 or 3, wherein said wherein blade pitching means comprising a control means defined by interconnected movable elements engagely configured with said spokes and said front and rear blades to allow each of said blades to pitch its angle during the harnessing of wind power from the rotation of said blades. 12. a wind turbine machine according to claim 11, wherein said control means is provided within said frame and operably configured on the front and rear blades, said control means being adapted to prevent unwanted movement of the blade pitch until it reaches the predetermined wind velocity with respect to the rotational revolution. 13. a wind turbine machine according to claim 12, wherein said control means comprising a base having adjoining horizontal and vertical members, an actuating means supported on said base and a retractable means provided on said vertical member of said base and operably connected to said actuating means. 14. a wind turbine machine according to claim 13, wherein said actuating means comprising a pair of engageable gears defined by an upper and lower horizontal gear and a vertical gear correspondingly supported on said base, an intermediary gear engagebly connected to said lower horizontal gear and front and rear blades and said retractable means. 15. a wind turbine machine according to claim 14, wherein said retractable means comprising a spring actuated retractable arm connected to said vertical bevel gear and disposed on the opposite side of the vertical member of said base. 16. a wind turbine machine according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of detachable auxiliary blades provided on the top wall of said rotors, said auxiliary blades being rotatably secured with said front and rear blades. 17. a wind turbine machine according to claims 1 or 16, further detachable auxiliary blades being rotatably secured to said pitching means. 18. a wind turbine machine according to claim 1, wherein a deflector is provided on along the horizontal axis of said hub to deflect the wind loads entering the front and rear blades. 19. a wind turbine machine according to claims 1 or 3, wherein said blade pitching means comprising inflatable front and rear blades rotatably secured to said spokes and a control means being operably configured to said inflatable blades. 20. a wind turbine machine according to claim 19, wherein said control means is a closed pneumatic system comprising a cylinder provided within said frame, an actuating means being provided within said cylinder and a tube interconnecting said cylinder to said inflatable front and rear blades and extending within said cylinder. 21. a wind turbine machine according to claim 20, wherein said actuating means is a retractable spring element having a top surface and provided within said cylinder, said top surface being operably connected to said tube such that when centrifugal force is applied the spring element will move upward along the inner walls of said cylinder to allow the pitching of the blades by deflating the blades. 22. a wind turbine machine according to claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of each front and rear rotors gradually increases to their respective outer diameters to form a shroud portion to efficiently capture wind power. 23. a method of installation for blades structure using inflatable rigid materials on the rotor, where initially the blades are deflated when installed and inflated to form as a blades comprising the steps of: installing the deflated blade materials to the portion of the rotor; connecting an air pump to said deflate blade materials; inflating said blade materials inflated blades; removing the air pump from the inflated blades; installing said inflated blades to a pitching pneumatic means. 24. a method of installation for blades structure according claim 23, wherein said pitching pneumatic means comprising a cylinder provided within said frame, an actuating means being provided within said cylinder and a tube interconnecting said cylinder to said inflatable front and rear blades and extending within said cylinder. 25. a method of installation for blades structure according claim 24, wherein said actuating means is a retractable spring element having a top surface and provided within said cylinder, said top surface being operably connected to said tube such that when centrifugal force is applied the spring element will move upward along the inner walls of said cylinder to allow the pitching of the blades by deflating the blades.
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s p e c i f i c a t i o n counter rotating wind turbine generator in the perimeter technical field the present invention relates in general to wind turbines, but more particularly to a variable speed wind turbine machine with a generator provided on the perimeter having counter rotating rotors and a pitching means and dispenses the use of a conventional gearbox background of the invention there are numerous attempts made to try to increase wind turbine performance potential beyond the "betz" limit. one example is using two rotors in counter rotation, this increase the power extraction from the wind since the wind will be captured by the two rotors. however, most of this wind turbine machines use gearbox to capture and generate power from low wind speed to high wind speed condition. the use of gearbox has disadvantages due to its inefficiency, wear and tear that adds to maintenance cost of the wind turbine. there are other wind turbine that uses counter rotation of rotor, however, they also uses gearbox that has disadvantages mentioned above. some wind turbine uses gearless mechanism that has the capability to run at low wind speed condition but has limited capability when the turbine runs at high wind speed condition. other prior art wind turbine technology is putting the generator in the perimeter, done by the "windtronics honeywell" wind turbine. this turbine is able to run in low wind speed, however, it has limited capability on high wind speed condition since they don't have a pitching mechanism. furthermore, the wind power varies so greatly that the turbine must be able to generate power in light winds and withstand the loads in much stronger winds. therefore, above the optimum wind speed, the blades are typically pitched either into the wind (feathering) or away from the wind (active stall) to reduce the generated power and regulate the loads. if pitching mechanism is not available, the rotor will continue to increase its revolution above its rated design, thus it will be damaged due to centrifugal force that will acts on the body. pitching mechanism of the blades is mostly done by the motor or through hydraulics, requiring active sensor and power source to turn the blades from the hub which is typically expensive. we need to invent a pitching mechanism that will not need to use power supply but will be triggered automatically. the conventional blade technology today uses materials like fiber glass, carbon fiber or materials that can withstand the load of the wind. the weight of the blades for the mw level wind turbine weighs not lesser than 36,000kgs. this requires a massive amount of power just to pitch the blade or to transport and install the blades. we need a new design so that we can make the blades easier to transport and install, has the capability to withstand the wind while having it cost efficient. thus, a need exists for a wind turbine that can efficiently capture power from low wind speed to high wind speed condition that has mechanical stability. summary of the invention to solve the technical problems of the existing wind turbine machines, it is, therefore, the main object of the present invention to provide for a novel wind turbine machine that can efficiently capture more efficient power ranging from low wind speed to high wind speed conditions with added mechanical without the use of a gear box and is provided with a pitching means that will not need to use power supply but will be triggered automatically. the technical features of the present invention are the following: 1. counter rotating wind turbine having the generator in the perimeter- allows more power extraction from the wind. the rotors to be designed as front rotor use to low wind speed and rear rotor in high wind speed thus the coefficient of performance of each rotor overlaps increasing efficiency to the designed parameters of the wind; allows the betz limit to be possibly extracted from the wind, thus, captures maximum power from the wind; mechanically more stable since the rotor counter rotates. the front rotor has shrouding mechanism that draws in the wind from the surrounding environment; to accelerate the wind speed going on from the turbine blades that allows the turbine to capture power from low wind speed condition. the rear rotor has diffuser system and is set to cut in at predetermined wind load, thus will yield to more generated energy. the pitch of the front rotor to the rear rotor is reverse so that the rotor counter rotates; the rear rotor has different pitch angle compared to the front rotor. 2. automatic blade pitch mechanism with add-on blades allows no power source to pitch the blade but triggered through centrifugal force thus preventing over speed of the rotors and maximum revolution per minute can be designed. when the wind turbine operates above the optimum wind speed, the blades are typically pitched to reduce the generated power and regulate the loads caused by the wind and the centrifugal force that acts on the body. the add-on blades is the extended blades of the turbine, can be installed and uninstall easily, located from the perimeter to the outer extension that allows more power to be extracted without the significant increase of cost. the wind turbine of the present invention is versatile that it can deliver power at a broader range of operation to increase energy production. the wind turbine machine of the present invention has a better inertia when compared with the conventional three blade wind turbines, thus when sudden wind gust occurs, the fluctuation of the voltage and power which might be damaged the electronic components are prevented. another object of the present invention is to provide for a wind turbine efficient power generation from low wind speed to high wind speed while preventing damage on its operation. these and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the ensuing detailed description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings. brief description of the drawings figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention for a wind turbine; figure 2 is a front view thereof; figure 3 is a side view thereof; figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line a-a of figure 1; figure 5 is a sectional view of taken along line b-b of figure 1; figure 6 is an exploded view showing the pitching means of the present invention; figure 7 is a side perspective showing the details of the pitching means of the present invention; figure 8 is side perspective showing the details of the pitching means of the present invention; figure 9 is a side view showing another embodiment of the present invention; and figures 10 and 11a and lib show another embodiment of the pitching means according to the present invention is a detailed view of the pitching means of the present invention; and detailed description before describing the present utility model in detail, it is to be that the phraseologies and terminologies used herein are for the purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting. referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate the components or elements throughout the ensuing enabling description, the present invention provides for a wind turbine designated as 10. referring now to the drawings, more particularly figures 1, 2 and 3, the wind turbine 10 in accordance with the present invention generally comprises of a pair of spaced apart counter rotatable front rotor 11 and rear rotor 12 rotatably supported on a supporting means 13 and a plurality of spaced apart front blades 14 and rear blades 15 rotatably secured correspondingly within the front rotor 11 and rear rotor 12. the front rotor 11 and rear rotor 12 are adapted and configured to counter rotate correspondingly to a first and second wind loads as shown by arrows rl and r2, respectively. also, in accordance with the present invention, the first wind load is a low wind speed and the second wind load is a predetermined wind speed. as shown in figure 3 of the drawings, the supporting means 13 preferably comprises of a base 13a, a rotatable mast 13b which is capable of rotating at 360 degrees with respect to the base 13a when subjected to various wind loads and a horizontal shaft 13c secured to the mast 13b. the base 13a is preferably provided with a detachable mechanism (not shown) to facilitate the transportability and repositioning of the turbine machine 10 in various locations where the desired wind loads can be attained. referring now to figures 1, 4, 6 and 7, each of the front rotor 11 and rear rotor 12, respectively, comprises of hollow circular frames 11a, 12a, a common coaxial central hubs "h" and a plurality of spokes "s" extending between frames 11a, 12a and the central hub "h". the central hubs "h" has a horizontal axis defined by the bore "o". the horizontal shaft 13c of the rotatable mast 13b extends through the coaxial central hubs "h" through the bore "o" and rotatably supported by means of a pair of bearings 13d and 13d' provided on the hubs "h" to allow and efficiently enable the counter rotation of the front and rear rotors 11 and 12 and their simultaneous rotations relative to the base 13a when the corresponding wind loads are applied thereon. as further shown in the drawings, the frames 11a, 12a respectively, are formed by a top walls lib, 12b, an adjoining bottom walls 11c, 12c extending from the top walls lib, 12b and an inner side wall perimeter lid, 12d formed between the top walls lib, 12b and bottom walls 11c, 12c. the inner side wall perimeter of one of the rotors is provided with spaced apart grooves on the surface thereof. in accordance with the present invention, inner side wall perimeter lid of the front rotor 11 is provided with spaced apart grooves 16 on the surface thereof. and the frames 11a, 12aa are further provided with holes lie, 12e on the respective top and bottom walls thereof to accommodate the spokes "s" from the hubs "h" and extend through the respective top and bottom walls of the rotors for the purpose of installing the front blades 14 and rear blades 15 and to rigidify the structure of the rotors, among others. in accordance with the present invention, a generator means "g" is provided between the counter rotatable front and rear rotors 11, 12, more particularly between the opposed inner facing side wall perimeters lid and 12d of the front and rear rotors 11 and 12, respectively. the generator means "g" includes a plurality of spaced apart magnets 17 secured on grooves 16 provided on the inner side wall perimeter lid of front rotor 11 and a plurality of corresponding coils 18 provided on the inner side wall perimeter 12d of the opposing rotor 12. as further shown in figures 6 and 7, the coils 18 are disposed facing magnets 17 such that the counter rotation of the front rotor 11 and rear rotor 12 as the corresponding first and second wind loads are applied thereto will generate electrical power. the electrical power that is harnessed and captured by the generator means "g" that is a result of the counter rotating front rotor 11 and rear rotor 12 as initiated by the variable wind loads captured by the front blades 14 and rear blades 15 is transferred from the generator's coil to a conventional slip ring. it must also be appreciated for one skilled in the art that power is immediately generated when the one of the rotors rotate and the other rotor remains stationary. in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the disposition of the magnets 17 and coils 18 may also be interchanged, for instance, the magnets 17 may be provided on the rear rotor 12 and the coils 18 on the front rotor 11. in this alternative embodiment, the grooves 16 are now provided on the inner side wall perimeter 12d of the rear rotor 12 to accommodate the magnets 17. again, in accordance with the present invention, the front rotor 11 is configured to rotate at a low wind speed and the rear rotor 12 is configured to counter rotate at a predetermined wind speed. when the front rotor 11 and rear rotor 12 counter rotates with respect to each other, the coefficient of performance of both the front and rear rotors overlaps with each other to generate power at optimum level that is more powerful than conventional turbines. conventional turbines generally have single and fix coefficients. furthermore, providing and disposing the turbine generator means "g" on the opposing inner side wall perimeters lid and 12d of the front rotor 11 and rear rotor 12, respectively, greatly enhances the aerodynamic properties of the wind turbine machine 10 such as, focusing the wind to enter the rotor thus allowing the power to be efficiently captured. the front rotor has wind inlet shroud mechanism to focus the wind coupled directly to the front rotor. the rear rotor has d iff user mechanism coupled to the rear rotor. combination of such mechanism allows the wind turbine to funnel and diffuse the wind while in counter rotation or even in single rotation of rotor, making the power extraction efficient. the present invention for the wind turbine also dispenses with the use of a gear box assembly, which is often used in conventional wind turbines. eliminating the use of a gearbox significantly improves the start up wind speed and thus allowing the front rotor 11 to rotate from a low wind speed. both of the front rotor 11 and rear rotors 12 are configured to counter rotate correspondingly to any given first and second wind loads. preferably, the first wind load is a low wind speed and the second wind load is a predetermined wind speed. in the present invention, the front rotor 11 is configured to rotate at low wind speed while the rear rotor 12 is configured to counter rotate at the predetermined wind speed. the rotor, can also be designed in a manner that the front will rotate at predetermined wind speed, while the rear rotor rotates at low wind speed. the a plurality of front blades 14 and rear blades 15 are rotatably secured correspondingly to the front rotor 11 and rear rotor 12 to capture the wind energy to be converted to mechanical and generate electrical energy. referring now to figures 6, 7 and 8, the present invention of a wind turbine machine 10 further comprises of a blade pitching means "p" configured to operate on the front rotor 11, rear rotor 12 and the corresponding front blade 14 and rear blade 15 to control the speed of rotation of front and rear rotors 11 and 12. the blade pitching means "p" or automatic blade pitch mechanism uses air pressure triggered by centrifugal force to pitch the counter rotating front blades 14 and rear blades 15. the purpose of the blade pitching means "p" is to prevent over speed rotation of the either front and rear rotors 11 and 12 during high wind speed while allowing power extraction during low wind speed. it is designed and constructed to pitch the front blades 14 and rear blades 15 without requiring motors or other power sources, and instead uses automatic blade pitch mechanism uses air pressure triggered by centrifugal force to pitch the counter rotating front blades 14 and rear blades 15. the purpose of the blade pitching means "p" is to prevent over speed rotation of the either front and rear rotors 11 and 12 during high wind speed while allowing power extraction during low wind speed. it is designed and constructed to pitch the front blades 14 and rear blades 15 without requiring motors or other power sources, and instead uses the centrifugal force resulting from the rotation of the rotors caused by the wind speed to trigger the pitching of the blades. when the rotor 15 and 16 rotate to a predetermined wind speed above the optimum wind speed, the tendency is for the body to move away from the center forming a centrifugal force which acts on the body. referring again to figures 6, 7 and 8, the blade pitching means "p" comprises a control means "c" defined by interconnected movable elements engagely configured about the spokes "s" and the counter rotatable front and rear blades 14, 15 to allow each of blades to pitch its angle during the harnessing of wind power from the rotation thereof. the spokes "s" are fixedly secured between the hubs "h" and the walls of the rotors 11 and 12. the control means "c" is provided within the frames 11a, 12a and is operabiy configured on the front and rear blades 14, 15. the control means "c" is adapted to prevent unwanted movement of the blade pitch until it reaches the predetermined wind velocity with respect to the rotational revolution. more particularly, the control means "c" includes a base 19 having adjoining horizontal member 19a and vertical member 19b, an actuating means 20 supported on the base 19 and a retractable means 21 provided on the vertical member 19b of base 19. the retractable means 21 is preferably a spring actuated retractable arm 22 and or spring actuated cylinder and operabiy connected to the actuating means 20. more particularly, the actuating means 20 as further shown in figure 8 includes a pair of engageable gears 23 defined by an upper horizontal gear 23a and lower horizontal gear 23b having a coaxial bore 23c and an engageable vertical gear 24 both correspondingly supported on the base 19. member 19b of the base 19. in this configuration the retractable arm 22 can be made to pivot in a resting position 27a to a retracted position 27b as shown in figure 4. hence, the retractable arm 22 as shown in figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are all in retracted position 27b. the movement of the retractable arms 22 from a resting position 27a to a retracted position 27b is due to the centrifugal forces that are developed in the area where the control means "c" is disposed. thus, when gush of strong wind above the required wind loads enter the counter rotatable front and rear blades 14, 15, a centrifugal force is developed to actuate and move the retractable arms 22 in an adjusting manner from a resting position 27a to a retracted position 27b and simultaneously allowing the counter rotatable front and rear blades 14, 15 to pitch at various angles in order to prevent damage of the body. in another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of spaced apart detachable auxiliary blades 28 are provided on the top wall lib, 12b of the front and rear rotors 11, 12. the auxiliary blades 28 are rotatably secured to the front and rear blades 14, 15 and to the control mean "c" of the pitching means "p". as shown in the drawings, each of the front blade 14 and rear blade 15, and auxiliary blades 28 are provided with folds at the edges thereof forming a fluted portion "f" thereon. the front blade 14 and rear blade 15, and auxiliary blades 28 are secured to the spokes "s" by securing the spokes "s" through the fluted portions "f" of the blades 14, 15 and 28. the spokes may be fixed or rotatable between the hub h and the frame to the rotor. furthermore the spokes maybe disposed randomly in a fixed or random manner between the hub and the frame to the rotor. since the spokes "s" may be rotatably or fixed secured to the control means "c" more particularly, the spokes "s" extends though the upper horizontal gear 23a and lower horizontal gear 23b via a coaxial bore 23c provided thereon, the blades 14, 15 and 28 will counter rotate and pitch if necessary when the first and second wind loads in accordance with the present invention is introduced. still, in another embodiment of the present invention as shown in figure 9, a deflector 29 is provided on rotors along the horizontal axis of said hub "h" to deflect the various wind loads entering the front and rear blades. in this way, uniform wind loads will only introduced to the rotors. and to further protect the generator means "g", peripheral protective cover 30 is provided on the space formed between the inner side wall perimeters lid and 12d of the rotors 11 and 12, respectively. in another embodiment of the present invention as shown in figure 10, a blade pitching means pi is provided and comprises of an inflatable front blades and rear blades 31 rotatably secured to the spokes "s" and a control means ci operably configured to the inflatable blades 31. the control means ci is a closed pneumatic system which includes a cylinder 32 provided within the frame 11a and lib of the front and rear rotors 11 and 12, an actuating means 33 provided within the cylinder 32 and a tube 34 interconnecting the cylinder 32 to the inflatable front and rear blades 31. as shown in the drawings, the tube 34 extends from a orifice 31a on the wall of the blades passing through a orifice 32a on the cylinder 32 up the top of the actuating means 33. preferably, actuating means in the present invention is a retractable spring element 35 having a top surface 35a and is provided within the cylinder 32. referring now to figure 11a and lib, the top surface 35sa of the spring element 35 is operably connected to the tube 34 such that when centrifugal force "f" is applied the spring element 35 will move upwards from a retracted position v along the inner walls of the cylinder 32 (as shown in figure lib) to a stretched position (figure 11a) to allow the pitching of the blades 31 at various angles 3 by deflating the air inside the blades 31. in another embodiment of the present invention, the single tube 34 may be interconnected to all or any desired number of inflated blades 31 provided in the rotor the blades are preferably made of rigid inflatable materials to allow the blades to be weightless for easy installation. the blades are installed by initially putting the blades structure deflated (without air inside the blade), the blades will be inflated so that the blades will be structured to capture power from the wind. more particularly, the cylinder 32 of herein closed pneumatic system originally has no air inside and the spring element 35 gives the cylinder 32 ability to pitch the blades 31 to capture power from low wind speed condition. when the rotor starts to rotate, the centrifugal force initiates, and the tendency of the cylinder 32 is to move away from the center of the machine. thus, the cylinder 32 moves away making the air enter through the orifice 31a and 32a of the cylinder 32 from the inflated blades 31 and thus making the blades pitch its angle in blade 31' position since the air goes to the cylinder 32 via the upward movement of the spring element 35 as pushed by the air coming from the blades 31 as shown in figure 11a. at this pitching position the blades begin to deflate. when the rotations slows, the spring element 35 inside the cylinder retracts making the air push from the cylinder 32 back to the holes to the blades 31 passing from orifice 32a and 31a and making the blades restructure to its original position as shown in figure lib. both the pitching means "p" and "pi" can also be combined and installed together within the frames 11a and 12a of the front and rear rotors 11 and 12 as shown in figure 10. we have a method of installation for blades structure using inflatable rigid materials on the rotor, where initially the blades are deflated when installed and inflated to form as a blades comprising the steps of: installing the deflated blade materials to the portion of the rotor; connecting an air pump to said deflate blade materials; inflating said blade materials inflated blades; removing the air pump from the inflated blades and installing said inflated blades to a pitching pneumatic means. this pitching pneumatic means are referred to the same means described in pi. in operation, low speed wind load is introduce to the front rotor 11 and the predetermined wind load to the rear rotor 12 to induce the counter rotation of the rotors and produce electrical power. the front and rear rotors 11 and 12 will capture power from the wind. when the wind initially passes to the front rotor 11 by means of blades 14, the front rotor 11 will capture power from the wind. and when the wind passes to the rear rotor 12 via blades 15, the rear rotor 12 will capture the remaining power from the wind. thus, the total power that is captured from the wind using the blade and rotor configuration of the present invention is more efficient. the betz limit states that the ideal power that can be captured in the wind is 59.3%. based on this, the blades can be designed to capture the power from the betz limit in order to prevent turbulence. when the wind is low, the front rotor 11 via blades 14 will rotate producing power from the low wind speed. on the other hand, the rear rotor 12 via blades 15 counter rotates to a predetermined wind speed that can be set according with the present invention. each of the front and rear rotors 11 and 12 have different coefficients of performance and when the rotors counter rotate optimal power from the wind is efficiently captured. in case of wind loads are introduced above the required wind loads, the blade pitching means will operates on both low wind speed and high wind speed conditions as herein described below. 1. for low wind speed condition the counter rotatable front and rear blades 14 and 15 will captures wind power even at low wind speed and feathers during high wind speed. during low wind speed, the high pressure of air inside the control means "c" will automatically make the blades pitch its angle to harness wind power as previously described. the spring 21 prevents a centrifugal mass in the front and rear rotors 11 and 12 to cause unwanted movement of blade pitch until it reaches to the predetermined wind velocity (during high wind speed) with respect to the rotational revolution. 2. for high wind speed when the centrifugal force is present and activates the blade pitch mechanism, it decreases the pressure from air. when the wind speed increases, the blades 14 and 15 will keep adjusting its position (forward and backward) via the control means "c" as previously described. the pitch of the blades will protect the wind turbine from over speed rotation and the maximum speed (rpm) of the rotors 11 and 12 can be set and designed to be able to operate even at extreme wind speed revolutions. this can be easily attained by the control means "c". moreover, as shown in figure 1, the inner diameter of each rotor 11 and 12 gradually increases to their respective outer diameters which generally form a shroud portion llf and 12f to efficiently capture wind power. the front rotor as a inlet and rear rotor as diffuser. additional advantages and modifications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art in view of these teachings. the present invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative contrivances, and illustrative examples shown and described herein. accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the general concept as defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
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094-302-807-459-124
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
C08J9/28
| 2009-09-30T00:00:00 |
2009
|
[
"C08"
] |
polyimide aerogels with three-dimensional cross-linked structure
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a method for creating a three dimensional cross-linked polyimide structure includes dissolving a diamine, a dianhydride, and a triamine in a solvent, imidizing a polyamic acid gel by heating the gel, extracting the gel in a second solvent, supercritically drying the gel, and removing the solvent to create a polyimide aerogel.
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1. an aerogel consisting of a porous cross-linked polyimide network comprising a plurality of anhydride end-capped polyamic acid oligomers, wherein the oligomers (i) comprise oligomers having repeating units of a dianhydride and a diamine that have terminal anhydride groups, (ii) are cross-linked after the oligomers are formed via a cross-linking agent, comprising three or more amine groups, at a balanced stoichiometry of the amine groups to the terminal anhydride groups, and (iv) have been imidized to yield the porous cross-linked polyimide network. 2. the aerogel of claim 1 , wherein the dianhydride is selected from the group consisting of benzophenone-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic dianhydride, 2,2′-bis(3,4′-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride, and biphenyl-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic dianhydride. 3. the aerogel of claim 1 , wherein the diamine is selected from the group consisting of 3,4-oxydianiline, 4,4′-oxydianiline, p-phenylene diamine, 2,2′-dimethylbenzidine, bisaniline-p-xylidene, 4,4′-bis(4-aminophenoxy)biphenyl, and 2,2′-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]propane. 4. the aerogel of claim 1 , wherein the diamine comprises (i) 4,4′-oxydianiline and (ii) p-phenylene diamine or 2,2′-dimethylbenzidine. 5. the aerogel of claim 1 , wherein the cross-linking agent is selected from the group consisting of a triamine, an aliphatic amine comprising three or more amines, an aliphatic triamine, an aromatic amine comprising three or more amine groups, an aromatic triamine, 1,3,5-tri(aminophenoxy)benzene, a silica cage structure decorated with three or more amines. 6. the aerogel of claim 1 , wherein the oligomer has been chemically imidized to completion. 7. the aerogel of claim 1 , wherein the oligomer has been thermally imidized to completion. 8. the aerogel of claim 1 , wherein the aerogel was obtained by supercritical fluid extraction. 9. the aerogel claim 1 , wherein the aerogel has a density of 0.077 to 0.3 g/cm 3 . 10. the aerogel of claim 1 , wherein the aerogel has a porosity of 80 to 95%.
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cross-reference to related applications this application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/571,049 filed sep. 30, 2009, pending. origin of the invention the invention described herein was made by employees of the united states government and may be manufactured and used by or for the government for government purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefore. background field this invention generally relates to polyimide aerogels, and more particularly to polyimide aerogels with three-dimensional covalently bonded cross-linked structure. definitions aerogels—a unique material for providing such properties because of their extremely low density and small pore sizes. anhydride—a functional derivative of a carboxylic acid in which the oh of the carboxyl group has been replaced by —coor. backbone—the series of covalently bonded atoms that together create the continuous chain of the molecule. diamine—a type of polyamine with exactly two amino groups. dianhydride—any compound containing two anhydride groups. oligomer—an oligomer consists of a limited number of monomer units, in contrast to a polymer that, at least in principle, consists of an unlimited number of monomers. polyamic acid—intermediate polymer in the production of polyimide made by the reaction of diamine with a cyclic dianhydride. polyimide (sometimes abbreviated pi)—the polymeric product of dehydration of the polyamic acid, the structure shown below being one example. supercritical fluid—any substance at a temperature and pressure above its critical point. it can diffuse through solids like a gas, and dissolve materials like a liquid. additionally, close to the critical point, small changes in pressure or temperature result in large changes in density. supercritical fluid extraction (sfe)—the process of separating one component (the extractant) from another (the matrix) using supercritical fluids as the extracting solvent. extraction is usually from a solid matrix, but can also be from liquids. triamine—a type of polyamine with exactly three amino groups. description of related art thermosetting polyimides are commercially available as uncured resins, stock shapes, thin sheets, laminates, and machines parts. thermoplastic polyimides are very often called pseudothermoplastic. there are two general types of polyimides. one type, so-called linear polyimides, is made by combining imides into long chains. aromatic heterocyclic polyimides are the other usual kind, where r′ and r″ are two carbon atoms of an aromatic ring. examples of polyimide films include apical, kapton, upilex, vtec pi, norton th and kaptrex. polyimides have been in mass production since 1955. typical monomers include pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4′-oxydianiline. lightweight, low density structures are desired for acoustic and thermal insulation for aerospace structures, habitats, and astronaut equipment and aeronautic applications. aerogel is a manufactured material with the lowest bulk density of any known porous solid. it is derived from a gel in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas. the result is an extremely low-density solid with several properties, most notably its effectiveness as a thermal insulator and its extremely low density. it is nicknamed frozen smoke, solid smoke, or blue smoke due to its translucent nature and the way light scatters in the material; however, it feels like expanded polystyrene to the touch. aerogels are produced by extracting the liquid component of a gel through supercritical drying. this allows the liquid to be slowly drawn off without causing the solid matrix in the gel to collapse from capillary action, as would happen with conventional evaporation. the first aerogels were produced from silica gels. plain silica aerogels are brittle. reinforcing the aerogel structure with polymer provide improvements in strength while maintaining low density and pore structure. degradation of polymers used in cross-linking tend to limit use temperatures to below 150° c. polyimide aerogels can be fabricated from linear polyimides by allowing a low concentration polyimide/polyamic acid solution to gel, followed by heating to complete imidization and subsequent supercritical fluid extraction. polyimide aerogels prepared in this way from, for example, oxydianiline (oda) and pyrolimellitic dianhydride have high surface areas, low density, low thermal conductivity, and good ductility. however, gels shrink substantially during supercritical fluid extraction. sfe can be used as a sample preparation step for analytical purposes, or on a larger scale to either strip unwanted material from a product (e.g. decaffeination) or collect a desired product (e.g. essential oils). carbon dioxide (co 2 ) is the most used supercritical fluid, sometimes modified by co-solvents such as ethanol or methanol. extraction conditions for supercritical co 2 are above the critical temperature of 31° c. and critical pressure of 74 bar. addition of modifiers may slightly alter this. the discussion below will mainly refer to extraction with co 2 , except where specified. supercritical fluids are suitable as a substitute for organic solvents in a range of industrial and laboratory processes. carbon dioxide and water are the most commonly used supercritical fluids, being used for decaffeination and power generation respectively. in addition, there is no surface tension in a supercritical fluid, as there is no liquid/gas phase boundary. by changing the pressure and temperature of the fluid, the properties can be “tuned” to be more liquid or more gas like. one of the most important properties is the solubility of material in the fluid. solubility in a supercritical fluid tends to increase with density of the fluid (at constant temperature). since density increases with pressure, then solubility also tends to increase with pressure. the relationship with temperature is a little more complicated. at constant density, solubility will increase with temperature. however, close to the critical point, the density can drop sharply with a slight increase in temperature. therefore, close to the critical temperature, solubility often drops with increasing temperature, then rises again. all supercritical fluids are completely miscible with each other so for a mixture a single phase can be guaranteed if the critical point of the mixture is exceeded. the critical point of a binary mixture can be estimated as the arithmetic mean of the critical temperatures and pressures of the two components, t c(mix) =(mole fraction a )× t c a +(mole fraction b )× t c b for greater accuracy, the critical point can be calculated using equations of state or group contribution methods. other properties, such as density, can also be calculated using equations of state. aerogels are solid materials that consist of a highly porous network of micro-sized and meso-sized pores. the pores of an aerogel can frequently account for over 90% of the volume when the density of the aerogel about 0.05 gram/cc. aerogels are generally prepared by a supercritical drying technique to remove the solvent from a gel (a solid network that encapsulates its solvent) such that no solvent evaporation can occur and consequently no contraction of the gel can be brought by capillary forces at its surface. therefore, aerogel preparation through a sol-gel process proceeds in 3 steps: dissolution of the solute in a solvent, formation of the sol, formation of the gel, and solvent removal by either supercritical drying technique or any other method that removes solvent from the gel without causing pore collapse. typically, the synthesis of polyimide gels at very low solute concentration is the first step in the preparation of polyimide aerogels. precursor poly(amic acids) are imidized in solution at elevated temperatures, some polyimides will gel as the reaction solution is quenched from the high reaction temperature to ambient temperature. however, solution imidization at elevated temperatures is accompanied by hydration leading to depolymerization of the poly(amic acids) and results in a weakened gel. such gels do not have sufficient mechanical strength to yield low-density polyimide aerogels. it has been reported that chemical imidization of some poly(amic acids) at a solute concentration above 10 to 15% (wt./wt.) produces gels probably induced by intermolecular cross-linking. such gels are mechanically weak and the high solute concentrations are not feasible for producing a low-density aerogel. (where did this come from?) reinforcing of polymers and polymer matrix composites has conventionally been done by the inclusion of particles or fibers into the polymer matrix. the adhesion between the matrix and the reinforcing materials has typically been weak, limiting the performance of the reinforced system compared to its theoretical performance. fibers are often used with a coating which is intended to become involved with the polymer matrix, strengthening the interface between matrix and reinforcement. these interface modifiers have met with varied degrees of success, with the end result that the interface between the reinforcement and the matrix is still a weak spot, particularly for high-temperature materials such as polyimides. summary polyimide aerogels with three-dimensional covalently bonded cross-linked structure which are made using linear oligomeric segments of polyimide and linked with one of the following into a three dimensional structure: trifunctional aliphatic or aromatic triamines; latent reactive endcaps such as nadic anhydride or phenylethynylphenyl amine; silica or silsesquioxane cage structures decorated with amine. drying the gels supercritically maintains the solid structure of the gel, creating a polyimide aerogel with improved mechanical properties over linear polyimide aerogels. at least one of the embodiments provides for the manufacture of small (micro to nano-scale) particles of silica or other ceramic materials which are covalently bonded to a polymer fragment. other benefits and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon reading and understanding of the following detailed specification. detailed description in one embodiment, a polyimide aerogel fabricated by using tri, tetra, or polyfunctional units in the structure to create a three-dimensional covalently bonded network. such cross-linked polyimides typically have a higher glass transition temperature above 300 to 400° c. the reinforcement provided by the three-dimensional network should improve mechanical stability, and prevent shrinkage on supercritical fluid extraction. one example of this embodiment uses 1,3,5-(triaminophenoxy)benzene (tab) with diamines and dianhydride to form the three-dimensional polyimide according to scheme 1. gelation of the polyamic acid occurs rapidly in 5-10 w/w % solutions when n=1 to 10. subsequent heating with or without catalysts to affect imidization followed by supercritical fluid extraction gives three-dimensional polyamide aerogel structures. example 1 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (btda), 3,4-oxydianiline (oda), 1,3,5-tris-(4-aminophenoxy)benzene (tab) are used to make three dimensional cross-linked aerogels using n-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (nmp), dimethylformamide (dmf), or dimethylacetamide (dmac) as solvent. 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]-octane (dabco) is used as catalyst for imidization. poly amic acid solution was prepared as a 10% (w/w) solution of diamine, dianhydride, and triamine dissolved in 20 ml dmf. btda (1.1761 g), oda (0.3654 g), and small amount of dabco were placed into a 125 ml glass vial, which was capped. into a second 125 ml glass vial, tab (0.4860 g) was measured and the vial was capped. the vials were placed into a glovebox, and 10 ml of dry dmf was pipetted into each glass vial to dissolve the contents. once all solutions were completely dissolved, tab solution was added to the btda/oda/dabco solution and the new solution was mixed quickly and poured into glass molds. poly amic acid gels formed in less than one minute. the molds containing poly amic acid gels were placed into an oven at 115° c. for 8½ hours to imidize the gels. imidized gels were extracted into a solution of 25% acetone in dmf and soaked for twenty-four hours. solution was drained and replaced with 50% acetone in dmf and soaked for twenty-fours. this was repeated at 75% acetone in dmf and 100% acetone. polyimide gels were dried supercritically using an applied separations supercritical dryer. acetone was replaced with liquid co 2 , then temperature and pressure were increased until co 2 became supercritical. all solvent was removed, producing polyimide aerogels with no shrinkage and having a density of 0.09 g/cm3 and surface areas from nitrogen sorption spectroscopy of 400 m 2 /g. solid nmr, ftir, dsc, and tga confirmed that imidization was complete. young's modulus of compression for the aerogels was 0.6 mpa. example 2 btda (0.961 g) and oda (0.448 g) were dissolved in 12 ml of dmf solvent was added to dissolve the solutes. in tube b, tab (0.199 g) was dissolved in 2.24 ml dmf. the two solutions were quickly mixed at room temperature after dissolving. the mixture was poured into a mold made by cutting the end off of a twenty ml disposable syringe. polyamic acid gel was formed in 30 seconds. the gel was extracted into a solvent solution that contained 4 ml of acetic anhydride, 3.4 ml of pyridine, and 72.60 ml of dmf. after aging in this solvent solution overnight, the polyamic acid gel was imidized in the oven at 115° c. for 8.5 hours. the polyimide wet-gel was first washed in 100% dmf, then 75%/25% dmf/acetone, followed by 50%/50% dmf/acetone, then 25%/75% dmf/acetone, and finally 100% acetone in twenty four hour increments. after the final solvent exchange, the polyimide wet-gel was supercritical dried in the co 2 supercritical dryer. the resulting aerogel had a density of 0.077 g/cm 3 . young's modulus of compression for the aerogel was 0.6 mpa. example 3 for a polyimide aerogel with oligomer length between tab cross-links of n=3, biphenyl 3,4,3′,4′tetracarboxylic dianhydride (bpda) (0.82 g) and bis(aminophenyl)xylylene (bax) (0.60 g) were dissolved in 12 ml of nmp solvent. tab (0.180 g) was dissolved in 1.13 ml nmp. the two solutions were quickly mixed at room temperature after dissolving. the mixture was poured into a mold made by cutting the end off of a twenty ml disposable syringe. polyamic acid gel was formed in 20 seconds. the gel was extracted into a solvent solution that contained 4 ml of acetic anhydride, 3.4 ml of pyridine, and 72.60 ml of nmp. after aging in this solvent solution overnight, the polyamic acid gel was imidized in the oven at 170° c. for 4 hours. the polyimide wet-gel was first washed in 100% nmp, then 75%/25% nmp/acetone, followed by 50%/50% nmp/acetone, then 25%/75% nmp/acetone, and finally 100% acetone in twenty four hour increments. after the final solvent exchange, the polyimide wet-gel was supercritical dried in the co 2 supercritical dryer. the resulting aerogel had a density of 0.8 g/cm 3 . example 4 for a polyimide aerogel with oligomers length of n=5 between tab cross-links, btda (0.564 g) and bax (0.421 g) were dissolved in 8 ml of dmf solvent in tube a. in tube b, tab (0.078 g) was dissolved in 1.49 ml dmf. the two solutions were quickly mixed at room temperature after dissolving. the mixture was poured into a mold made by cutting the end off of a twenty ml disposable syringe. polyamic acid gel was formed in 43 seconds. the gel was extracted into a solvent solution that contained 4 ml of acetic anhydride, 3.4 ml of pyridine, and 72.60 ml of dmf. after aging in this solvent solution overnight, the polyamic acid gel was imidized in the oven at 115° c. for 8.5 hours. the polyimide wet-gel was first washed in 100% dmf, then 75%/25% dmf/acetone, followed by 50%/50% dmf/acetone, then 25%/75% dmf/acetone, and finally 100% acetone in twenty four hour increments. after the final solvent exchange, the polyimide wet-gel was supercritical dried in the co 2 supercritical dryer. the resulting aerogel had a density of 0.9 g/cm 3 . in another embodiment, cross-linking of the polyimide can be carried out by capping long chain oligomers with latent reactive endcaps such as nadic anhydride or phenylethynlyphenylamine, and after supercritical fluid extraction, the cross-linking is carried out on a post cure of the dried gels. in one embodiment, nadic anhydride is used as the endcaps as shown in scheme 2. nadic capped polyimide oligomers of n=4 to 20 gel within 15 to 50 minutes. supercritical fluid extraction and subsequent heating of the aerogel to 300-315° c. causes the nadic groups to cross-link as shown, giving a stable network structure. example 5 for n=10 oligomer from scheme 2, bpda (4.0940 g) and bax (4.4753 g) were heated and stirred in 20 ml n-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (nmp) to dissolve. in the meantime, nadic anhydride (0.4569 g) was dissolved in 5 ml nmp. when the mixture of bpda and bax was cooled down, the solutions combined in one clean and dried 50 ml volumetric flask, and the volumetric flask was filled to 50 ml with nmp and shaken to mix the solution. the solution in the volumetric was combined with acetic anhydride (10 ml) and pyridine (5 ml) and poured into molds. gelation occurred within 30 minutes. gels were extracted into clean nmp and heated in oven at 110° c. for 8.5 hours. afterwards, gel solvent is exchanged gradually into acetone as previously described. supercritical drying yields aerogels with density of 0.12 g/cm 3 . subsequent heating of aerogel to 300° c. causes nadic endcaps to cross-link as shown in scheme 2. in another embodiment, polyimide or polyamic acid can be capped with trialkoxy silanes which can be co-reacted with small amounts of tetraalkoxy silanes to form regions of covalently bonded silica crosslinks as shown in scheme 3. in this case, n=1 to 10 polyimide oligomers combined with pre-hydrolyzed tetraethyl orthosilicate (teos) and base catalyst. in another embodiment, similar to that shown in scheme 3, teos can be replaced with polysilsesquioxane cages (poss) decorated with surface amines to co-react with anhydride capped polyimide/polyamic acid. in this case, anhydride capped polyimide or polyamic acid oligomers of n=1 to 10 can be reacted with triamino- or tetraamino-poss at room temperature. gelation occurs in 5 to 50 minutes, followed by heating to 110° c. with catalyst or 180° c. without catalyst to imidize. notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. any numerical value, however, inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. the embodiments have been described, hereinabove. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above methods and apparatuses may incorporate changes and modifications without departing from the general scope of this invention. it is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
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095-929-329-844-84X
|
JP
|
[
"US",
"CN",
"JP",
"EP"
] |
C09D11/00,B41J2/175,C09D11/328,B41M5/00,C09D11/36,B41J2/01,C09B67/20,C09B47/26,C09D11/02
| 2012-04-13T00:00:00 |
2012
|
[
"C09",
"B41"
] |
ink, ink cartridge and ink jet recording method
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the invention provides an ink containing a coloring material and a water-soluble organic solvent, wherein the coloring material is a compound represented by the following general formula (1), and the water-soluble organic solvent includes an alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms: wherein rings a, b, c and d each indicated by a broken line are, independently of one another, a benzene ring or a nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is more than 0.0 and 3.0 or less, the remainder is the benzene ring, r 1 is an alkyl group, r 2 is an alkylene group, x is an anilino group having one or more sulfonic groups, m is more than 0.0 and less than 3.9, n is 0.1 or more and less than 4.0, and the sum of m and n is 1.0 or more and less than 4.0.
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1 . an ink comprising a coloring material and a water-soluble organic solvent, wherein; the coloring material comprises a compound represented by the following general formula (1), and the water-soluble organic solvent comprises an alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms: wherein rings a, b, c and d each indicated by a broken line are, independently of one another, a benzene ring or a nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is more than 0.0 and 3.0 or less, the remainder is the benzene ring, r 1 is an alkyl group, r 2 is an alkylene group, x is an anilino group having one or more sulfonic groups, with the proviso that x may have one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of a carboxy group, a phosphoric group, a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group, an alkylcarbonylamino group, a ureido group, a nitro group and a halogen atom, m is more than 0.0 and less than 3.9, n is 0.1 or more and less than 4.0, and the sum of m and n is 1.0 or more and less than 4.0. 2 . the ink according to claim 1 , wherein the content (% by mass) of the alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms based on the total mass of the ink is 1.0 time or more and 10.0 times or less in terms of mass ratio with respect to the content (% by mass) of the coloring material. 3 . the ink according to claim 1 , wherein the alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms has a hydroxy group at both terminals of an alkyl group. 4 . the ink according to claim 1 , wherein the alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms is at least one of 1,5-pentanediol and 1,6-hexanediol. 5 . the ink according to claim 1 , wherein the ink further contains bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfone. 6 . the ink according to claim 1 , wherein the coloring material comprises a compound represented by the following general formula (2): wherein rings a, b, c and d each indicated by a broken line are, independently of one another, a benzene ring or a nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is more than 0.0 and 3.0 or less, the remainder is the benzene ring, m's are, independently of each other, a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, ammonium or organic ammonium, m is more than 0.0 and less than 3.9, n is 0.1 or more and less than 4.0, and the sum of m and n is 1.0 or more and less than 4.0. 7 . the ink according to claim 1 , wherein when the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is a pyridine ring with the position of the nitrogen atom in the pyridine ring as position 1, fused ring positions of the pyridine ring with the porphyrazine ring in the general formula (1) are positions 2 and 3 or positions 3 and 4. 8 . an ink cartridge comprising an ink and an ink storage portion storing the ink, wherein the ink comprises the ink according to claim 1 . 9 . an ink jet recording method comprising ejecting an ink from a recording head of an ink jet system to record an image on a recording medium, wherein the ink comprises the ink according to claim 1 .
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to an ink, an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording method. 2. description of the related art an ink jet recording method is such a recording method that minute droplets of an ink are applied to a recording medium such as plain paper to form an image, and is rapidly spread owing to low price of an apparatus itself and improvement of recording speed. in general, a recorded article obtained by the ink jet recording method is low in fastness properties of an image thereof compared with a silver salt photograph. in particular, when the recorded article is exposed to light, temperature, heat or environmental gas present in air, such as an ozone gas for a long period of time, there is a problem that a coloring material of the recorded article is deteriorated to easily cause change in color tone or fading of the image. since the change in color tone or fading of the image is caused especially by a cyan ink low in ozone resistance among respective inks of cyan, yellow and magenta as a main factor, there are a great number of proposals for improving the ozone resistance of the cyan ink. for example, there are proposals for improving the ozone resistance of an image by devising the structure of a phthalocyanine compound often used as a coloring material of the cyan ink (see international publication no. 2004/087815 and international publication no. 2007/091631). as another problem in the cyan ink using the phthalocyanine compound, metallic luster, what is called a bronzing phenomenon, caused by high aggregation property of the phthalocyanine compound is mentioned. when the bronzing phenomenon is caused, the optical reflecting properties of the image are changed, and so the color developability and hue thereof look markedly poor to cause lowering of image quality. the bronzing phenomenon is considered to be caused by aggregation of the coloring material on the surface of a recording medium or in the neighborhood thereof due to the high aggregation property of the coloring material and lowering of permeability of an ink into the recording medium when the ink is applied to the recording medium. in order to inhibit the occurrence of the bronzing phenomenon, it has been proposed to add a polyhydric alcohol or an ether compound to an ink containing, for example, a copper phthalocyanine compound (see japanese patent application laid-open no. 2005-350565). summary of the invention the present inventors have carried out an investigation mainly as to the proposals described in international publication no. 2004/087815, international publication no. 2007/091631 and japanese patent application laid-open no. 2005-350565 for the purpose of providing a cyan ink improved in both ozone resistance and bronzing resistance and capable of recording an image in which these properties are achieved at the same time. however, all the inks described in international publication no. 2004/087815, international publication no. 2007/091631 and japanese patent application laid-open no. 2005-350565 have not led to recording of an image excellent in ozone resistance and bronzing resistance. for example, when the phthalocyanine compound described in international publication no. 2004/087815 or international publication no. 2007/091631 has been used, the bronzing resistance of an image recorded has fallen within an allowable range, but the ozone resistance thereof has been insufficient. even when the ink described in japanese patent application laid-open no. 2005-350565 has been used, the ozone resistance of an image recorded has not been said to be sufficient. in addition, it has been found that in this case, the sticking resistance of the ink becomes insufficient according to the kind of the polyhydric alcohol. accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink capable of recording an image excellent in ozone resistance and bronzing resistance and excellent in sticking resistance. another object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording method using the above-described ink. the above objects can be achieved by the present invention described below. that is, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink comprising a coloring material and a water-soluble organic solvent, wherein the coloring material contains a compound represented by the following general formula (1), and the water-soluble organic solvent contains an alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms. wherein rings a, b, c and d each indicated by a broken line are, independently of one another, a benzene ring or a nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is more than 0.0 and 3.0 or less, the remainder is the benzene ring, r 1 is an alkyl group, r 2 is an alkylene group, x is an anilino group having one or more sulfonic groups, with the proviso that x may have one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of a carboxy group, a phosphoric group, a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group, an alkylcarbonylamino group, a ureido group, a nitro group and a halogen atom, m is more than 0.0 and less than 3.9, n is 0.1 or more and less than 4.0, and the sum of m and n is 1.0 or more and less than 4.0. according to the present invention, there can be provided an ink capable of recording an image excellent in ozone resistance and bronzing resistance and excellent in sticking resistance. in addition, according to the present invention, there can also be provided an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording method using this ink. further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a sectional view schematically illustrating an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. figs. 2a and 2b schematically illustrate an exemplary ink jet recording apparatus used in an ink jet recording method according to the present invention, in which fig. 2a is a perspective view illustrating a principal part of the ink jet recording apparatus, and fig. 2b is a perspective view illustrating a head cartridge. description of the embodiments preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail in accordance with the accompanying drawings. incidentally, when a compound is a salt, the salt present in an ink in a state of being dissociated into ions. in the present invention, however, this is referred to as “containing a salt” for the sake of convenience. although a compound represented by the general formula (1) is a mixture as described below, the compound is represented by the general formula (1) as a structure of a typical example of the mixture for the sake of convenience. the numbers of the respective rings and substituents are indicated as average values thereof. this coloring material is a water-soluble dye exhibiting a cyan color and may be favorably used as a coloring material for a cyan ink or for color adjustment of another color ink. incidentally, in the present specification, the compound represented by the general formula (1) may be simply described as “coloring material” collectively in some cases for the sake of convenience. the ink according to the present invention contains the compound represented by the general formula (1) as a coloring material and a water-soluble organic solvent including an alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms. with the ink according to the present invention adopting such composition, the coloring material is caused to penetrate into a deep portion of a recording medium by utilizing the permeability of the alkanediol upon recording of an image, whereby the coloring material can be uniformly distributed in the recording medium and an ink receiving layer thereof. in addition, as described below, the compound represented by the general formula (1) is excellent in the resistance to an ozone gas owing to its high aggregation property. therefore, the use of the ink according to the present invention enables recording an image excellent in ozone resistance and bronzing resistance compared with the case where a conventional ink is used. the present inventors have considered that it is important to enhance the aggregation property of a coloring material for improving the ozone resistance of an image recorded with a cyan ink and carried out various investigations as to the structure of the coloring material. as a result, it has been found that since the compound represented by the general formula (1) is high in aggregation property, the ozone resistance of an image recorded with an ink containing this compound as a coloring material is improved. in addition, the present inventors have evaluated the bronzing resistance of an image recorded with the ink containing the compound represented by the general formula (1) as the coloring material. as a result, it has been found that the bronzing resistance of the image recorded is not at a sufficient level. the bronzing phenomenon is a phenomenon caused by the situation that a coloring material is topically present on the surface of a recording medium and in the neighborhood thereof. it is thus considered that the bronzing resistance of the image recorded with the ink containing, as the coloring material, the compound represented by the general formula (1) which is high in aggregation property has become insufficient. thus, in order to solve the problem that the bronzing resistance of the image recorded with the ink containing the compound represented by the general formula (1) as the coloring material is lowered, the present inventors have carried out a further investigation. as a result, it has been found that an alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms is caused to be contained together with the compound represented by the general formula (1), whereby an image improved in both ozone resistance and bronzing resistance can be recorded. the present inventors presume the reason why both ozone resistance and bronzing resistance of the image recorded are improved to be as follows. since the alkanediol is a compound with two hydroxy groups bonded to an alkyl chain that is a main chain, it exhibits behavior like a surfactant. however, the surface tension of the resulting ink is not lowered in excess. therefore, the alkanediol is caused to be contained in the ink, whereby proper permeability and leveling property can be imparted to the ink. in particular, when the compound represented by the general formula (1) and the alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms are caused to be contained in the ink, a balance between permeability and leveling property in the ink is optimized, and the sticking resistance of the ink is not impaired. therefore, the compound represented by the general formula (1) that is a coloring material easily penetrates into a recording medium in a state of being uniformly distributed in the recording medium and an ink receiving layer thereof. as a result, it is considered that the ozone resistance and bronzing resistance of the image are improved. incidentally, the permeability of the ink can be improved by using a surfactant. however, the surface tension or sticking resistance of the ink may be lowered in excess in some cases. it is thus necessary to use the alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms. ink the respective components constituting the ink according to the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail. coloring material the ink according to the present invention is required to contain, as a coloring material, a compound represented by the following general formula (1): wherein rings a, b, c and d each indicated by a broken line are, independently of one another, a benzene ring or a nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is more than 0.0 and 3.0 or less, the remainder is the benzene ring, r 1 is an alkyl group, r 2 is an alkylene group, x is an anilino group having one or more sulfonic groups, with the proviso that x may have one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of a carboxy group, a phosphoric group, a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group, an alkylcarbonylamino group, a ureido group, a nitro group and a halogen atom, m is more than 0.0 and less than 3.9, n is 0.1 or more and less than 4.0, and the sum of m and n is 1.0 or more and less than 4.0. in the general formula (1), the number of the nitrogen atom contained as a ring forming atom in the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring of the rings a, b, c and d each indicated by the broken line is generally 1 or 2, preferably 1. as specific examples of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, pyridine containing one nitrogen atom as well as pyrazine, pyridazine and pyrimidine containing two nitrogen atoms may be mentioned. among these, the pyridine ring is particularly favorable. no particular limitation is imposed on a fused ring position of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring with the porphyrazine ring. for example, when the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring of the rings a, b, c and d is a pyridine ring and the position of the nitrogen atom is regarded as position 1, a fused ring is favorably formed at positions 2 and 3 or positions 3 and 4, particularly favorably at positions 3 and 4. the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring of the rings a, b, c and d is more than 0.0 and 3.0 or less, favorably 0.2 or more and 2.0 or less, more favorably 0.5 or more and 1.7 or less, particularly favorably 0.7 or more and 1.5 or less. the remainder of the rings a, b, c and d is the benzene ring. the number of the benzene ring of the rings a, b, c and d is 1.0 or more and less than 4.0, favorably 2.0 or more and 3.8 or less, more favorably 2.3 or more and 3.5 or less, particularly favorably 2.5 or more and 3.3 or less. incidentally, in the present specification, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is described by rounding off to one decimal place unless expressly noted. however, when the number of the pyridine ring is 1.35, the number of the benzene ring is 2.65, and both are rounded off to one decimal place, the former is 1.4, the latter is 2.7, and the total of both becomes larger than 4.0 of the total of the rings. in such a case, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is omitted below two decimal places for the sake of convenience, only the number of the benzene ring is rounded off, and thus the former and the latter are described as 1.3 and 2.7, respectively. in addition, m and n in the general formula (1) are also described by rounding off to one decimal place in principle. however, when the total of both of them exceeds the theoretical value, m is omitted below two decimal places, and only n is rounded off to express them. as the alkyl group indicated by r 1 in the general formula (1) includes a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group. among these, a linear or branched alkyl group is favorable, and a linear alkyl group is more favorable. the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl group is generally 1 or more and 6 or less, favorably 1 or more and 4 or less, more favorably 1 or more and 3 or less. as specific examples of the alkyl group, linear alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl and n-pentyl, n-hexyl; branched alkyl groups such as isopropyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, t-butyl, isopentyl and isohexyl; and cyclic alkyl groups such as cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl may be mentioned. among these, a methyl, ethyl or isopropyl group is favorable, a methyl or ethyl group is more favorable, and a methyl group is particularly favorable. the alkylene group indicated by r 2 in the general formula (1) includes a linear, branched or cyclic alkylene group. among these, a linear or branched alkylene group is favorable, and a linear alkylene group is more favorable. the number of carbon atoms in the alkylene group is generally 2 or more and 12 or less, favorably 2 or more and or less, more favorably 2 or more and 4 or less, particularly favorably 2 or more and 3 or less. as specific examples of the alkylene group, linear alkylene groups such as ethylene, propylene, butylene, pentylene, hexylene, heptylene, octylene, nonylene, decylene, undecylene and dodecylene; branched alkylene groups such as 2-methylethylene; and cyclic alkylene groups such as cyclopropylenediyl, 1,2- or 1,3-cyclopentylenediyl and 1,2-, 1,3- or 1,4-cyclohexylenediyl may be mentioned. among these, a methylene, ethylene or propylene group is favorable, an ethylene or propylene group is more favorable, and an ethylene group is particularly favorable. the anilino group having one or more sulfonic groups, indicated by x in the general formula (1) includes an anilino group having generally one to three, favorably one or two, more favorably two sulfonic groups. as specific examples of the anilino group having one or more sulfonic groups, anilino groups having one sulfonic group, such as 2-sulfoanilino, 3-sulfoanilino and 4-sulfoanilino; anilino groups having two sulfonic groups, such as 2,3-disulfoanilino, 2,4-disulfoanilino, 2,5-disulfoanilino, 3,4-disulfoanilino and 3,5-disulfoanilino; and anilino groups having three sulfonic groups, such as 2,3,4-trisulfoanilino, 2,3,5-trisulfoanilino, 2,3,6-trisulfoanilino and 3,4,5-trisulfoanilino may be mentioned. among these, a 2,5-disulfoanilino group is particularly favorable. when the anilino group having one or more sulfonic groups, indicated by x in the general formula (1) further has another substituent than the sulfonic group, the number of another substituent than the sulfonic group is generally 1 or 2, favorably 1. the kind of the substituent may be either single or plural. as examples of another substituent than the sulfonic group, a carboxy group, a phosphoric group, a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group, an alkylcarbonylamino group, an ureido group, a nitro group and a halogen atom may be mentioned. specific examples of another substituent than the sulfonic group that the anilino group having one or more sulfonic groups, indicated by x may have are mentioned below. the alkoxy group includes a linear, branched or cyclic alkoxy group. a linear or branched alkoxy group is favorable, and a linear alkoxy group is more favorable. the number of carbon atoms in the alkoxy group is generally 1 or more and 6 or less, favorably 1 or more and 4 or less, more favorably 1 or more and 3 or less. as specific examples of the alkoxy group, linear alkoxy groups such as methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, n-butoxy, n-pentoxy and n-hexyloxy; branched alkoxy groups such as isopropoxy, isobutoxy, sec-butoxy, t-butoxy, isopentyloxy and isohexyloxy; and cyclic alkoxy groups such as cyclopropoxy, cyclopentoxy and cyclohexyloxy may be mentioned. among these, a methoxy, ethoxy or isopropoxy is favorable, and a methoxy group is more favorable. the alkylcarbonylamino group includes a linear or branched alkylcarbonylamino group, and a linear alkylcarbonylamino group is favorable. the number of carbon atoms in an alkyl portion of this alkylcarbonylamino group is generally 1 or more and 6 or less, favorably 1 or more and 4 or less, more favorably 1 or more and 3 or less. as specific examples of the alkylcarbonylamino group, linear alkylcarbonylamino groups such as methylcarbonylamino(acetylamino), ethylcarbonylamino, n-propylcarbonylamino and n-butylcarbonylamino; and branched alkylcarbonylamino groups such as isopropylcarbonylamino may be mentioned. among these, an acetylamino group is favorable. the ureido group includes an unsubstituted ureido group, an alkylureido group or an arylureido group. as specific examples of the alkylureido and arylureido group, alkylureido groups such as methylureido, ethylureido, n,n-dimethylureido and n,n-dibutylureido; and arylureido groups such as phenylureido may be mentioned. among these, an unsubstituted ureido group is favorable. the halogen atom includes a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom, a bromine atom or an iodine atom. among these, a chlorine atom is favorable. m, n and the sum of m and n in the general formula (1) are each an average value. m indicates the substitution number of the unsubstituted sulfamoyl group and is more than 0.0 and less than 3.9. n indicates the substitution number of the substituted sulfamoyl group and is 0.1 or more and less than 4.0. the sum of m and n is 1.0 or more and less than 4.0. when the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring of the rings a, b, c and d is 0.2 or more and 2.0 or less and the number of the benzene ring is 2.0 or more and 3.8 or less, it is favorable that m is 1.8 or more and 3.6 or less, n is 0.2 or more and 2.0 or less, and the sum of m and n is 2.0 or more and 3.8 or less. when the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring of the rings a, b, c and d is 0.3 or more and 1.5 or less and the number of the benzene ring is 2.5 or more and 3.7 or less, it is favorable that m is 2.2 or more and 3.0 or less, n is 0.3 or more and 1.5 or less, and the sum of m and n is 2.5 or more and 3.7 or less. in addition, when the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring of the rings a, b, c and d is 0.5 or more and 1.2 or less and the number of the benzene ring is 2.8 or more and 3.5 or less, it is favorable that m is 2.1 or more and 3.1 or less, n is 0.4 or more and 1.4 or less, and the sum of m and n is 2.8 or more and 3.5 or less. since the aggregation property of the compound represented by the general formula (1) tends to become high as the value m increases, the ozone resistance of an image recorded tends to be improved, while a bronzing phenomenon tends to easily occur. thus, it is favorable that the values m and n are suitably adjusted while taking the ozone resistance and bronzing resistance of the image recorded into consideration to select a well-balanced ratio between them. incidentally, the unsubstituted sulfamoyl group and the substituted sulfamoyl group whose substitution numbers are indicated by m and n, respectively, are each a group introduced into the benzene ring of the rings a, b, c and d. that is, both the unsubstituted sulfamoyl group and the substituted sulfamoyl group are not introduced into the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring of the rings a, b, c and d. the compound represented by the general formula (1) may be a free acid form (h form) or may form a salt (salt form) by an acidic group such as a sulfonic group in the molecule. as a counter ion when the salt is formed, a cation such as an alkali metal; ammonia (nh 3 ); or organic ammonium may be mentioned. as specific example of the alkali metal, lithium, sodium and potassium may be mentioned. as specific examples of the organic ammonium, alkylamines having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, such as methylamine and ethylamine; mono-, di- or tri-alkanolamines having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, monoisopropanolamine, diisopropanolamine and triisopropanolamine may be mentioned. incidentally, m in a case where a compound represented by a general formula (2) which will be described subsequently is a salt form may also be selected from the above-described cations such as the alkali metal; ammonia (nh 3 ); and organic ammonium. as favorable specific examples of the salt of the compound represented by the general formula (1), a salt with an alkali metal such as sodium, potassium or lithium; a salt with a mono-, di- or tri-alkanolamine having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, monoisopropanolamine, diisopropanolamine or triisopropanolamine; and an ammonium (nh 4 + ) salt may be mentioned. when the compound represented by the general formula (1) is a salt form, physical natures of such a compound, such as solubility, and the performance (in particular, performance as to fastness properties of an image recorded) of an ink containing the salt as a coloring material may vary in some cases according to the kind of the counter ion of the salt. therefore, the kind of the salt is favorably selected according to the intended performance of the resulting ink. incidentally, in order to change the compound from the free acid form to the salt form, it is only necessary to add a material forming such a cation as mentioned above (for example, an alkali metal hydroxide) so as to adjust the ph of a liquid containing the compound into an alkaline range. in order to change the compound from the salt form to the free acid form, it is only necessary to add an acid so as to adjust the ph of a liquid containing the compound to an acidic range. in addition, in order to change a particular salt form to another salt form, it is only necessary to conduct ion exchange. as a more favorable specific example of the coloring material contained in the ink according to the present invention, a compound represented by the follow general formula (2) may be mentioned. wherein rings a, b, c and d each indicated by a broken line are, independently of one another, a benzene ring or a nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is more than 0.0 and 3.0 or less, the remainder is the benzene ring, m's are, independently of each other, a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, ammonium or organic ammonium, m is more than 0.0 and less than 3.9, n is 0.1 or more and less than 4.0, and the sum of m and n is 1.0 or more and less than 4.0. favorable specific examples of the compound represented by the general formula (1) are shown in table 1. quite naturally, the compound represented by the general formula (1) and used as a coloring material in the ink according to the present invention is not limited to the exemplified compounds shown in table 1 so far as such a compound is included in the structure of the general formula (1) and the definition thereof. in addition, as well known by a person skilled in the art, a phthalocyanine type porphyrazine compound such as the compound represented by the general formula (1) is generally present in a state of a mixture containing a plurality of isomers, and can exhibit the effect thereof even when used in that state. however, in the present invention, a typical one structural formula is described without distinguishing the plurality of the isomers for the sake of convenience. incidentally, values m and n in table 1 are expressed by rounding them off for the purpose of avoiding complication. therefore, m in table 1 is expressed as “0” for the sake of convenience. however, this is a problem of computation process and of course means that m in the general formula (1) is more than 0.0. table 1exemplified compounds of the general formula (1)exemplifiedcompoundabcdexr 1mn13,4-pdbzbzbzel2,5-disulfoanilinome2123,4-pdbzbzbzel2,4-disulfoanilinome2133,4-pdbzbzbzel2-sulfoanilinome2143,4-pdbzbzbzel3-sulfoanilinome2153,4-pdbzbzbzel4-sulfoanilinome2163,4-pdbzbzbzel2,5-disulfoanilinoet2173,4-pdbzbzbzel2,5-disulfoanilinoi-pr2183,4-pdbzbzbzel4-methoxy-2-sulfoanilinome2193,4-pdbzbzbzel4-nitro-2-sulfoanilinome21103,4-pdbzbzbzel2-chloro-5-sulfoanilinome21113,4-pdbz3,4-pdbzel3-(aminocarbonylamino)-5-sulfoanilinome1112bz3,4-pd3,4-pd3,4-pdel2,5-disulfoanilinome0113bz3,4-pd3,4-pdbzel2,5-disulfoanilinome11143,4-pdbzbzbzppl2-hydroxy-3-acetylamino-5-sulfoanilinome21153,4-pdbz3,4-pdbzppl3-carbonyl-4-hydroxy-5-sulfoanilinome11163,4-pdbz3,4-pd3,4-pdppl3-methyl-6-methoxy-4-sulfoanilinome01173,4-pdbzbzbzel5-phosphono-2-sulfoanilinome213,4-pd: 3,4-pyrido (pyridine ring fused at positions 3 and 4)bz: benzoel: ethyleneppl: propyleneme: methylet: ethyli-pr: isopropyl. the compound represented by the general formula (1) can be synthesized by, for example, reacting a compound represented by the following general formula (ii) with an organic amine represented by the following general formula (iii) in the presence of ammonia or an ammonia generating source. the compound represented by the general formula (ii) can be obtained by, for example, chloro-sulfonylating a compound represented by the following general formula (i): wherein rings a, b, c and d each indicated by a broken line are, independently of one another, a benzene ring or a nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is more than 0.0 and 3.0 or less, and the remainder is the benzene ring. wherein rings a, b, c and d have the same meaning as the rings a, b, c and d in the general formula (i), and n is 1.0 or more and less than 4.0. wherein r 1 is an alkyl group, r 2 is an alkylene group, and x is an anilino group having one or more sulfonic groups, with the proviso that x may have one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of a carboxy group, a phosphoric group, a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group, an alkylcarbonylamino group, a ureido group, a nitro group and a halogen atom. the compound represented by the general formula (i) can be obtained according to a publicly known process or a process equivalent thereto. as examples of the publicly known process, may be mentioned the processes disclosed in international publication no. 2007/091631, international publication no. 2007/116933 and international publication no. 2008/111635. a favorable process for chlorosulfonylating the compound represented by the general formula (i) includes a process in which the compound represented by the general formula (i) is added to chlorosulfonic acid to conduct a reaction, and a chlorinating agent is then further added to conduct a reaction. when the compound represented by the general formula (i) is reacted with chlorosulfonic acid, a compound in which a chlorosulfonyl group and a sulfonic group have been randomly substituted is obtained, and it is thus difficult to obtain the intended compound represented by the general formula (ii) with high selectivity. therefore, it is favorable that after the compound represented by the general formula (i) is reacted with chlorosulfonic acid, a chlorinating agent is further added to convert the sulfonic group substituted to a chlorosulfonyl group. when the compound represented by the general formula (i) is chlorosulfonylated, chlorosulfonic acid is used in an amount of generally 3 to 20 times, favorably 5 to 10 times of the mass of the compound represented by the general formula (i). the reaction temperature is generally 100° c. to 150° c., favorably 120 to 150° c. the reaction time is generally 1 to 10 hours though it varies according to conditions such as the reaction temperature. examples of the chlorinating agent include thionyl chloride, sulfuryl chloride, phosphorus trichloride, phosphorus pentachloride and phosphorus oxychloride. among these chlorinating agents, thionyl chloride is favorable. the amount of the chlorinating agent added is generally 6 to 40 mol, favorably 9 to 20 mol per mol of the compound represented by the general formula (1) though it varies according to the kind thereof. the reaction temperature is generally 30° c. to 100° c., favorably 50 to 90° c. the reaction time is generally 1 to 10 hours though it varies according to conditions such as the reaction temperature. the organic amine represented by the general formula (iii) can be synthesized according to the following process. first, 5 to 60 mol of a compound represented by “r 1 —oh” (a monohydric alcohol), 1 mol of 2,4,6-trichloro-s-triazine (cyanul chloride) and 0.8 to 1.2 mol of sodium hydrogencarbonate are reacted to obtain a reaction liquid containing a primary condensate. the reaction temperature is generally 5 to 70° c., and the reaction time is generally to 12 hours. incidentally, the resultant primary condensate is isolated as solids such as wet cake from the reaction liquid by a proper method such as salting out, and the thus-obtained primary condensate may also be used to the next reaction. then, the resultant reaction liquid containing the primary condensate or the wet cake (favorably, the reaction liquid) is added to an aqueous solution of 0.9 to 1.5 mol of aniline having one or more sulfonic groups corresponding to x. the ph of the reaction liquid is adjusted to generally 4 to 10 with an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide to conduct a reaction, thereby obtaining a secondary condensate. the reaction temperature is generally 5 to 80° c., favorably 5 to 40° c., and the reaction time is generally 0.5 to 12 hours. one mol of the resultant secondary condensate is reacted with 1 to 50 mol of a compound represented by “h 2 n—r 2 —nh 2 ” (an alkylenediamine), whereby the organic amine represented by the general formula (iii) can be obtained. the ph upon the reaction is generally 4 to 7. the reaction temperature is generally 5 to 90° c., favorably 40 to 90° c., and the reaction time is generally 0.5 to 8 hours. an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide or an alkali metal carbonate such as sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate may be used for ph adjustment upon the respective condensation reactions. incidentally, the order of the condensation reactions may be suitably determined according to the reactivity of the compound reacted with cyanul chloride. the compound represented by the general formula (ii) is reacted with the organic amine represented by the general formula (iii) in the presence of ammonia or an ammonia generating source in, for example, water, whereby the intended compound represented by the general formula (1) can be obtained. the ph upon the reaction is generally 8 to 10. the reaction temperature is generally 5 to 70° c., favorably 5 to 40° c., and the reaction time is generally 1 to 20 hours. as ammonia, aqueous ammonia or a water-miscible organic solvent containing ammonia gas may be used. as specific examples of a water-soluble organic solvent used in the preparation of the water-miscible organic solvent containing ammonia gas, dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide may be mentioned. the aqueous ammonia or water-miscible organic solvent containing ammonia gas includes that prepared by a publicly known method such as blowing of ammonia gas into water or a water-soluble organic solvent, or a commercially available product. as the ammonia generating source, a chemical substance which generates ammonia by neutralization or decomposition may be used. as examples of such a chemical substance, ammonium salts which generate ammonia by neutralization, such as ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate; and substances which generate ammonia by thermal decomposition, such as urea may be mentioned. among these, ammonia is favorably used in the form of aqueous ammonia. in particular, concentrated aqueous ammonia available as a commercial product (marketed as about 28% by mass aqueous ammonia) or aqueous ammonia obtained by diluting this concentrated aqueous ammonia with water as needed is favorably used. further, the use of the concentrated aqueous ammonia is favorable because the amount of the reaction liquid can be lessened. the amount of the organic amine represented by the general formula (iii) used is generally about 1 molar equivalent of a theoretical value (the calculated moles of the organic amine represented by the general formula (iii) that are required to obtain the intended value for n in the general formula (1)) with respect to one mole of the compound represented by the general formula (ii). however, the amount is suitably adjusted according to the reactivity of the organic amine and reaction conditions and is generally 1 to 3 molar equivalents, favorably 1 to 2 molar equivalents of the theoretical value. when the compound represented by the general formula (ii) is reacted with the organic amine represented by the general formula (iii) in water, it is theoretically considered that a part of the chlorosulfonyl group in the general formula (ii) is hydrolyzed into a sulfonic group. that is, it is theoretically considered that a compound with a part of the “—so 2 nh 2 ” group in the general formula (1) converted to a sulfonic group is mingled in the intended compound represented by the general formula (1). however, it is generally difficult to distinguish the “—so 2 nh 2 ” group from the sulfonic group by mass analysis that is one of general analyzing methods for the phthalocyanine type porphyrazine compound. from such a reason, in the present specification, other chlorosulfonyl groups in the general formula (ii) than that reacted with the organic amine represented by the general formula (iii) are all expressed as being converted to the “—so 2 nh 2 ” group. examples of a method for isolating the compound represented by the general formula (1) from the reaction liquid in the final step of the above-described synthetic process include methods such as acid deposition (a method of depositing a compound by adding an acid), salting out and acidic salting out to combine them. the salting out is favorably conducted in an acidic to alkaline range, more favorably in a range of ph 1 to 11. no particular limitation is imposed on the temperature upon the salting out. however, the reaction liquid is heated to generally 40 to 80° c., favorably 40 to 60° c. after the heating, for example, sodium chloride is favorably added to conduct the salting out. a favorable method for isolating the compound represented by the general formula (1) is such an acidic salting out process that salting out is conducted under very acidic conditions of ph 1. the phthalocyanine type porphyrazine compound is classified into three kinds of compounds: α-position substitution form, β-position substitution form and α-position and β-position mixed substitution form, according to the substitution position of the substituent. the compound represented by the general formula (1) has a particular number (indicated as an average value) of benzene rings for the rings a, b, c and d. therefore, the compound represented by the general formula (1) may also be classified into three kinds of substitution forms according to the substitution position of the substituent of the benzene ring like the phthalocyanine type porphyrazine compound. the compound represented by the general formula (1) may be classified into the α-position and β-position mixed substitution form. no particular limitation is imposed on the content (% by mass) of the compound represented by the general formula (1) in the ink so far as it falls within a range satisfying reliability as an ink jet ink, such as ejection properties. in the present invention, the content (% by mass) of the compound represented by the general formula (1) in the ink is favorably 0.01% by mass or more and 10.0% by mass or less based on the total mass of the ink. verification method of coloring material in order to verify whether the coloring material used in the present invention is contained in the ink or not, the following verification methods (1) to (3) using high performance liquid chromatography (hplc) can be applied. (1) retention time of a peak (2) maximum absorption wavelength for the peak in (1) (3) m/z (posi) and m/z (nega) of a mass spectrum for the peak in (1) alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms the ink according to the present invention is required to contains a water-soluble organic solvent including an alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms. if the number of carbon atoms in the alkanediol is 3 or less, the permeability of the ink into a recording medium becomes insufficient, and so the bronzing resistance of an image recorded is not improved. if the number of carbon atoms in the alkanediol is 7 or more on the other hand, the permeability of the ink becomes sufficient, but there is a possibility that the ink may be thickened or the coloring material may be deposited when water is evaporated, so that the sticking resistance of the ink becomes insufficient. the content (% by mass) of the alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms in the ink is favorably 0.1% by mass or more and 50.0% by mass or less based on the total mass of the ink. as favorable specific examples of the alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,2-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol, 1,2-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol and 1,2-hexanediol may be mentioned. among these, alkanediols having a hydroxy group at both terminals of the alkyl group (main chain) are favorable, and 1,5-pentanediol and 1,6-hexanediol are particularly favorable. the alkanediols having 4 to 6 carbon atoms may be used either singly or in any combination thereof. the content (% by mass) of the alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms based on the total mass of the ink is favorably 1.0 time or more and 10.0 times or less in terms of mass ratio with respect to the content (% by mass) of the coloring material. that is, “content (% by mass) of alkanediol”/“content (% by mass) of coloring material” is favorably 1.0 time or more and 10.0 times or less. if the above-described mass ratio is less than 1.0 time, the permeability of the ink into a recording medium becomes insufficient, so that the bronzing resistance of an image recorded may not be sufficiently achieved in some cases. if the mass ratio is more than 10.0 times on the other hand, the viscosity of the ink is increased, and the permeability of the ink into the recording medium is lowered, so that the bronzing resistance of the image may not be sufficiently achieved in some cases. aqueous medium an aqueous solvent that is water or a mixed solvent of water and a water-soluble organic solvent may be used in the ink according to the present invention. deionized water (ion-exchanged water) is favorably used as the water. the content (% by mass) of water in the ink is favorably 10.0% by mass or more and 90.0% by mass or less based on the total mass of the ink. no particular limitation is imposed on the water-soluble organic solvent so far as the solvent is soluble in water, alcohols, another polyhydric alcohols, polyglycols, glycol ethers, nitrogen-containing polar solvents and sulfur-containing polar solvents may be used. the content (% by mass) of the water-soluble organic solvent in the ink is favorably 5.0% by mass or more and 90.0% by mass or less, more favorably 10.0% by mass or more and 50.0% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the ink. incidentally, the range of the content of the water-soluble organic solvent is a value including the alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms and bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfone usable as needed. if the content of the water-soluble organic solvent is below or beyond the above-described range, the ejection stability of the resulting ink may not be sufficiently achieved at a high level in some cases. bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfone bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfone is favorably further contained in the ink according to the present invention. bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfone is contained, whereby the sticking resistance of the ink can be more improved. the present inventors presume the reason why such an effect is achieved to be as follows. bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfone has an effect to improve the solubility of the compound represented by the general formula (1) in the ink. it is thus considered that when a recording head is left to stand in an environment of high temperature and low humidity (for example, 35° c. in temperature and 15% in relative humidity), in which water easily evaporates, deposition of the coloring material in the neighborhood of an ejection orifice of the recording head is inhibited to more improve the sticking resistance of the ink. the content (% by mass) of bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfone in the ink is favorably 1.0% by mass or more and 10.0% by mass or less based on the total mass of the ink. other additives the ink according to the present invention may contain a water-soluble organic compound which is solid at ordinary temperature, such as a polyhydric alcohol such as trimethylolpropane or trimethylolethane, urea, or a urea derivative such as ethyleneurea, in addition to the above-described components as needed. in addition, the ink according to the present invention may also contain various additives such as a surfactant, a ph adjustor, a rust preventive, a preservative, a mildewproofing agent, an antioxidant, an anti-reducing agent, an evaporation accelerator, a chelating agent and a water-soluble polymer as needed. the ink according to the present invention favorably has proper physical property values because the ink is applied to an ink jet system. therefore, the surface tension of the ink at 25° c. is favorably 10 mn/m or more and 60 mn/m or less, more favorably 20 mn/m or more and 60 mn/m or less, particularly favorably 30 mn/m or more and 40 mn/m or less. the viscosity of the ink at 25° c. is favorably 1.0 mpa·s or more and 5.0 mpa·s or less, more favorably 1.0 mpa·s or more and 3.0 mpa·s or less. other inks in order to record a full-color image, the ink according to the present invention may be used in combination with other inks having a hue different from the ink according to the present invention. as examples of the other inks, may be mentioned at least one ink selected from the group consisting of black, cyan, magenta, yellow, red, green and blue inks. what is called a light color ink having substantially the same hue as such an ink may also be further used in combination. coloring materials used in the other inks and light color ink may be publicly known dyes or newly synthesized dyes. ink cartridge the ink cartridge according to the present invention is provided with an ink and an ink storage portion storing this ink. the ink stored in the ink storage portion is the above-described ink according to the present invention. fig. 1 is a sectional view schematically illustrating an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. as illustrated in fig. 1 , an ink supply port 12 for supplying an ink to a recording head is provided in a bottom of the ink cartridge. the interior of the ink cartridge is the ink storage portion storing the ink. the ink storage portion is made up by an ink storage chamber 14 and an absorber storage chamber 16 , and these chambers are communicated with each other through a communication port 18 . the absorber storage chamber 16 is communicated with the ink supply port 12 . a liquid ink 20 is stored in the ink storage chamber 14 , and absorbers 22 and 24 holding the ink in an impregnated state are stored in the absorber storage chamber 16 . the ink storage portion may also be so constructed that the whole amount of the ink stored is held by the absorber without providing the ink storage chamber. in addition, the ink storage portion may also be so constructed that the whole amount of the ink is stored in a liquid state without having the absorber. further, the ink cartridge may also be constructed so as to have an ink storage portion and a recording head. ink jet recording method the ink jet recording method according to the present invention is a method of ejecting the above-described ink according to the present invention by a recording head of an ink jet system to record an image on a recording medium. systems for ejecting the ink include a system in which mechanical energy is applied to the ink and a system in which thermal energy is applied to the ink. in the present invention, the system in which the thermal energy is applied to the ink to eject the ink is particularly favorably adopted. steps of the ink jet recording method may be those publicly known except that the ink according to the present invention is used. figs. 2a and 2b schematically illustrate an exemplary ink jet recording apparatus used in the ink jet recording method according to the present invention, in which fig. 2a is a perspective view illustrating a principal part of the ink jet recording apparatus, and fig. 2b is a perspective view illustrating a head cartridge. in the ink jet recording apparatus, a conveyance unit (not illustrated) for conveying a recording medium 32 and a carriage shaft 34 are provided. a head cartridge 36 can be installed on the carriage shaft 34 . the head cartridge 36 is provided with recording heads 38 and 40 and is so constructed that an ink cartridge 42 is set. inks (not illustrated) are ejected toward the recording medium 32 from the recording heads 38 and 40 while the head cartridge 36 is being carried in a main scanning direction along the carriage shaft 34 . the recording medium 32 is then conveyed in a sub scanning direction by the conveyance unit (not illustrated), whereby an image is recorded on the recording medium 32 . examples the present invention will hereinafter be described in more detail by the following examples and comparative examples. however, the present invention is not limited by the following examples unless going beyond the gist of the present invention. incidentally, all designations of “part” or “parts” and “%” as to amounts of components described below are based on mass unless expressly noted. synthesis of coloring material although all compounds obtained by a synthetic process described below and represented by the general formula (1) are mixtures containing a plurality of isomers, such a mixture containing a plurality of isomers is described as “compound” unless expressly noted. that is, “compound” contains regioisomers of the compound; regioisomers in terms of the position of the nitrogen atom in the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, isomers in which the ratio (benzene ring)/(nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring) as indicated by the rings a, b, c and d in the general formula (1) differs, and α/β regioisomers on the benzene ring of the substituted or unsubstituted sulfamoyl group. as described above, it is extremely difficult to isolate a specific compound from a mixture of these isomers and determine the structure thereof, and so an example among possible isomers is taken as a representative example for the sake of convenience, and the structural formula thereof is described. in addition, the numbers of the benzene ring and the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, and the substitution numbers (m, n and the sum of m and n) are each indicated as an average value. with respect to the compounds obtained according to the synthetic process described below, mass analysis, icp emission spectrometry and absorbance measurement were conducted to determine the structures thereof. incidentally, respective operations such as a reaction and crystallization were conducted under stirring unless expressly noted. in addition, “leocol” used in a synthetic reaction is a surfactant (trade name “leocol td-90”, product of lion corporation). a maximum absorption wavelength (λ max ) is a measured value measured in an aqueous solution of ph 6 to 9, and an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide was used for ph adjustment. incidentally, when a necessary amount of an intended compound was not obtained by one run of synthesis, the same operation was repeated until the necessary amount of the intended compound was obtained. mass analysis with respect to the respective compounds synthesized, mass analysis was conducted under the following conditions. ionization method: ei method mass analyzer: trade name “ssq-7000” (manufactured by thermo quest co., ltd.) ion source temperature: 230° c. degree of vacuum: about 8 mtorr icp emission spectrometry with respect to respective compounds containing copper, the content of copper was analyzed according to icp emission spectrometry. specifically, the analysis was conducted in the following manner. after about 0.1 g of an analytical sample was precisely weighed, and this sample was dissolved in pure water, the resultant solution was quantified in a 100-ml messflask. after 1 ml of this solution was taken to put it in a 50-ml messflask by means of a whole pipette, a fixed amount of y (yttrium) was further added as an internal standard substance. after the volume of the solution was quantified to 50 ml with pure water, the content of copper in the solution was determined by the icp emission spectrometry. incidentally, an icp emission spectrometer (trade name “sps3100”, manufactured by sii nano technology inc.) was used as the analytical apparatus. absorbance measurement with respect to the respective compounds synthesized, the absorbance was measured. measuring conditions of the absorbance are shown below. spectrophotometer: automatic recording spectrophotometer (trade name “u-3300”, manufactured by hitachi ltd.) measuring cell: 1-cm quartz cell sampling interval: 0.1 nm scanning speed: 30 nm/min number of measurements: 5 times on the average synthesis of compound a synthesis of compound (a-1) to 400 parts of sulfolane were added 44.4 parts of phthalic anhydride, 16.7 parts of cinchomeronic acid, 144 parts of urea, 13.4 parts of copper(ii) chloride and 2.0 parts of ammonium molybdate, and the resultant mixture was heated to 200° c. to conduct a reaction for 5 hours at the same temperature. after completion of the reaction, the resultant reaction liquid was cooled to 65° c., 80 parts of dmf (n,n-dimethylformamide) was added, and solids deposited were separated by filtration. the resultant solids were washed with 220 parts of dmf to obtain 112.1 parts of a wet cake. after the resultant wet cake was added to 340 parts of dmf and heated to 110° c., and stirring was conducted for 1 hour at the same temperature, solids were separated by filtration and washed with 300 parts of water to obtain a wet cake. after the resultant wet cake was added to 300 parts of 5% hydrochloric acid and heated to 60° c., and stirring was conducted for 1 hour at the same temperature, solids were separated by filtration and washed with 300 parts of water to obtain a wet cake. after the resultant wet cake was added to 300 parts of 5% aqueous ammonia, and the resultant mixture was stirred for 1 hour at 60° c., solids were separated by filtration and washed with 300 parts of water to obtain 138.2 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was dried at 80° c. to obtain compound (a-1) as blue solids. synthesis of compound (a-2) after compound (a-1) was gradually added to 46.2 parts of chlorosulfonic acid at room temperature so as not to exceed 60° c., a reaction was conducted for 4 hours at 140° c. to obtain a reaction liquid. after the resultant reaction liquid was cooled to 70° c., 17.9 parts of thionyl chloride was added dropwise over 30 minutes, and a reaction was conducted additionally for 3 hours at 70° c. after a reaction liquid was cooled to a temperature not higher than 30° c., the reaction liquid was slowly poured into 800 parts of iced water, solids deposited were separated by filtration and washed with 200 parts of cold water to obtain 33.0 parts of a wet cake of compound (a-2). synthesis of compound (a-3) to 160 parts of methanol were added 36.8 parts of cyanul chloride, 4 parts of leocol and 16.8 parts of sodium hydrogencarbonate, and a reaction was conducted for 1 hour at a temperature not higher than 30° c. to obtain a reaction liquid containing a primary condensate. to 280 parts of water were added 56.1 parts of 2,5-disulfoaniline and 32 parts of a 25% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, thereby adjusting a ph to 3 to 5. the reaction liquid containing the primary condensate obtained in the above-described manner was gradually added to this liquid, and a reaction was further conducted overnight while adjusting the ph to 6 to 7 with a 25% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, thereby obtaining a reaction liquid containing a secondary condensate. after 360 parts of hydrochloric acid and 125 parts of iced water were added to the resultant reaction liquid, and the resultant mixture was cooled to 0° c., 120 parts of ethylenediamine was further added dropwise. a reaction was conducted for 2.5 hours at 80° c. while adjusting the ph to 5 to 7 by adding a 25% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide to the resultant liquid, thereby obtaining a reaction liquid containing a tertiary condensate. the ph was adjusted to 1.0 by adding 55 parts of hydrochloric acid to the resultant reaction liquid. the amount of the liquid at this time was 1,000 parts. to the resultant liquid 200 parts of sodium chloride was added, stirring was conducted for 30 minutes, and solids deposited were separated by filtration to obtain 183 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was added to 1,000 parts of water, and the ph was adjusted to 9.0 with a 25% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide to obtain a liquid. the ph was adjusted to 1.0 by adding 55 parts of hydrochloric acid to the resultant liquid. the amount of the liquid at this time was 1,400 parts. to this liquid was added 280 parts of sodium chloride, stirring was conducted for 30 minutes at room temperature and additionally for 30 minutes at 0° c., and solids deposited were separated by filtration to obtain 60 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was added to a mixed liquid of 224 parts of methanol and 56 parts of water to prepare a suspension. after the suspension was stirred for 1 hour at 50° c., solids were separated by filtration to obtain a 51.3 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was dried to obtain 37.0 parts of compound (a-3) as white powder. synthesis of compound a to 120 parts of iced water 33.0 parts of the wet cake of compound (a-2) was added, and stirring was conducted for 10 minutes at a temperature not higher than 5° c. to obtain a suspension. on the other hand, 2.1 parts of the white powder of compound (a-3) was dissolved in a mixed liquid of 1 part of 28% aqueous ammonia and 40 parts of water to obtain a solution. the resultant solution was added to the above-described suspension while keeping at a temperature not higher than 10° c., and a reaction was conducted while keeping at ph 9.0 with 28% aqueous ammonia. the resultant reaction liquid was heated to 20° c. while keeping at the same ph, so as to conduct a reaction additionally for 8 hours at the same temperature. the amount of the reaction liquid at this time was 225 parts. after this reaction liquid was heated to 50° c., 33.8 parts of sodium chloride was added, and stirring was conducted for 30 minutes, concentrated hydrochloric acid was added to adjust the ph to 1.0 over 20 minutes. solids deposited were separated by filtration and washed with 100 parts of a 10% aqueous solution of sodium chloride to obtain 62.3 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was added to 200 parts of water, and the ph was adjusted to 9.0 with a 25% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide to obtain a liquid. the amount of the liquid at this time was 275 parts. after this liquid was heated to 50° c., 22.5 parts of sodium chloride was added, and stirring was conducted for 30 minutes, the ph was adjusted to 1.0 over 20 minutes with concentrated hydrochloric acid, and solids deposited were separated by filtration. the solids were washed with 100 parts of a 10% aqueous solution of sodium chloride to obtain 37.1 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was added to a mixed liquid of 160 parts of ethanol and 40 parts of water to prepare a suspension. after this suspension was stirred for 1 hour at 50° c., solids were separated by filtration to obtain a 32.0 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was dried to obtain 10.0 parts of compound a represented by the following formula (a) as blue powder. the λ max of the resultant compound a was 605 nm. the number of the benzene ring in compound a was 3.0, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring was 1.0, and m, n and the sum of m and n fell within respective ranges of 0<m<3.9, 0.1≦n<4.0, and 1.0≦m+n<4.0. taking other analytical results into account, it is considered that values of m: about 2.8, n: about 0.2 and m+n: about 3.0 are close to the synthesized compound a (mixture). the resultant compound a was used in preparation of an ink by converting a counter ion of the acidic groups to a sodium ion with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. synthesis of compound b synthesis of compound (b-1) to 220 parts of ethanol were added 36.8 parts of cyanul chloride, 4 parts of leocol and 16.8 parts of sodium hydrogencarbonate, and a reaction was conducted for 1 hour at a temperature not higher than 30° c. to obtain a reaction liquid containing a primary condensate. to 280 parts of water were added 56.1 parts of 2,5-disulfoaniline and 32 parts of a 25% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, thereby adjusting the ph to 3 to 5. the reaction liquid containing the primary condensate obtained in the above-described manner was gradually added to this liquid, and a reaction was further conducted overnight while adjusting the ph to 6 to 7 with a 25% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, thereby obtaining a reaction liquid containing a secondary condensate. after 360 parts of hydrochloric acid and 125 parts of iced water were added to the resultant reaction liquid, and the resultant mixture was cooled to 0° c., 120 parts of ethylenediamine was further added dropwise. a reaction was conducted for 2.5 hours at 80° c. while adjusting the ph to 5 to 6 by adding a 25% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide to the resultant liquid, thereby obtaining a reaction liquid containing a tertiary condensate. the ph was adjusted to 1.0 by adding 55 parts of hydrochloric acid to the resultant reaction liquid. the amount of the liquid at this time was 1,000 parts. to the resultant liquid 200 parts of sodium chloride was added, stirring was conducted for 30 minutes, and solids deposited were separated by filtration to obtain 183 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was added to 1,000 parts of water, and the ph was adjusted to 9.0 with a 25% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide to obtain a liquid. the ph was adjusted to 1.0 by adding 55 parts of hydrochloric acid to the resultant liquid. the amount of the liquid at this time was 1,400 parts. to this liquid 280 parts of sodium chloride was added, stirring was conducted for 30 minutes at room temperature and additionally for 30 minutes at 0° c., and solids deposited were separated by filtration to obtain 60 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was added to a mixed liquid of 224 parts of methanol and 56 parts of water to prepare a suspension. after the suspension was stirred for 1 hour at 50° c., solids were separated by filtration to obtain a 51.3 parts of a wet cake. the resultant wet cake was dried to obtain 37.0 parts of compound (b-1) as white powder. synthesis of compound b ten parts of compound b represented by the following formula (b) was obtained as blue powder in the same manner as in the above-described synthesis of compound a except that compound (a-3) was changed to compound (b-1). the λ max of the resultant compound b was 607 nm. the number of the benzene ring in compound b was 3.0, the number of the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring was 1.0, and m, n and the sum of m and n fell within respective ranges of 0<m<3.9, 0.1≦n<4.0, and 1.0≦m+n<4.0. taking other analytical results into account, it is considered that values of m: about 2.8, n: about 0.2 and m+n: about 3.0 are close to the synthesized compound b (mixture). the resultant compound b was used in preparation of an ink by converting a counter ion to the acidic groups to a sodium ion with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. synthesis of compound c compound c represented by the following formula (c) was synthesized according to the synthetic process described on page 35 of international publication no. 2007/091631. when m and n in compound c are shown as average values, m was 2.4, and n was 0.6. this compound c is a comparative compound of the compound represented by the general formula (1). the resultant compound c was used in preparation of an ink by converting a counter ion of the acidic groups to a sodium ion with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. synthesis of compound d compound d represented by the following formula (d) was synthesized according to the synthetic process of the compound of the formula (9) described on pages 53 to 54 of international publication no. 2004/087815. in compound d, m was 2.0 to 3.5, and n was 0.5 to 2.0. this compound d is a comparative compound of the compound represented by the general formula (1). the resultant compound d was used in preparation of an ink by converting a counter ion of the acidic groups to a sodium ion with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. preparation of inks examples 1 to 12 and comparative examples 1 to 9 after the respective components (unit: %) shown in upper parts of tables 2-1 to 2-3 were mixed and sufficiently stirred, the resultant respective mixtures were filtered under pressure through a filter having a pore size of 0.20 μm, thereby preparing respective inks. incidentally, “acetylenol e100” in tables 2-1 to 2-3 is a trade name of a nonionic surfactant (product of kawaken fine chemicals co., ltd.) in a lower part in each of tables 2-1 to 2-3, the value (content (%) of alkanediol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms)/(content (%) of coloring material) was shown as “mass ratio (times)”. table 2-1compositions and characteristics of inksexample123456compound a (na salt)4.04.04.04.04.04.0compound b (na salt)compound c (na salt)compound d (na salt)1,5-pentanediol8.03.64.040.040.41,6-hexanediol8.01,4-butanediol3,-methyl-1,5-pentanediol1,2-hexanediol1,3-propanediol1,7-heptanediol1,2,6-hexanetriolethylene glycol10.010.010.010.010.010.0diethylene glycol10.010.010.010.010.010.0bis(2-hydroxyethyl) sulfone5.05.05.05.05.05.0acetylenol e1001.01.01.01.01.01.0ion-exchanged water62.062.066.466.030.029.6mass ratio (times)2.02.00.91.010.010.1 table 2-2compositions and characteristics of inksexample789101112compound a (na salt)4.04.04.04.0compound b (na salt)4.04.0compound c (na salt)compound d (na salt)1,5-pentanediol8.08.01,6-hexanediol1,4-butanediol8.040.43,-methyl-1,5-pentanediol8.01,2-hexanediol8.01,3-propanediol1,7-heptanediol1,2,6-hexanetriolethylene glycol10.010.010.010.010.010.0diethylene glycol10.010.010.010.010.010.0bis(2-hydroxyethyl) sulfone5.05.05.05.0acetylenol e1001.01.01.01.01.01.0ion-exchanged water62.062.062.067.062.034.6mass ratio (times)2.02.02.02.02.010.1 table 2-3compositions and characteristics of inkscomparative example123456789compound a (na salt)4.04.04.04.04.0compound b (na salt)compound c (na salt)4.04.0compound d (na salt)4.04.01,5-pentanediol8.08.01,6-hexanediol1,4-butanediol3,-methyl-1,5-pentanediol1,2-hexanediol1,3-propanediol8.01,7-heptanediol8.01,2,6-hexanetriol8.0ethylene glycol10.010.010.010.010.010.010.010.010.0diethylene glycol10.010.010.010.010.010.010.010.010.0bis(2-hydroxyethyl)5.05.05.05.05.05.05.05.05.0sulfoneacetylenol e1001.01.01.01.01.01.01.01.01.2ion-exchanged water70.070.062.062.070.062.062.062.069.8mass ratio (times)————0.00.00.00.00.0 evaluation each of the inks obtained above was charged into an ink cartridge, and the ink cartridge was installed in an ink jet recording apparatus (trade name “pixus pro 9000 mark ii”, manufactured by canon inc.) in which an ink is ejected from a recording head by the action of thermal energy. in this embodiment, a solid image recorded by applying 22 ng of an ink to a unit region of 1/600 inch× 1/600 inch is defined as “recording duty of 100%”. in the present invention, in the evaluation criteria of the following respective evaluation items, c was regarded as an unacceptable level, and aa, a and b were regarded as an acceptable level. evaluation results are shown in table 3. bronzing resistance solid images of respective gradations with the recording duty changed from 10% to 180% in an increment of 10% were recorded on a recording medium (trade name “canon photographic paper-gloss pro [platinum grade] pt101”, product of canon inc.) by means of the above-described ink jet recording apparatus to obtain a recorded article. a solid image whose recording duty was 60% in the resulting recorded article was visually observed to make evaluation as to bronzing resistance according to the following evaluation criteria. aa: no bronzing phenomenon occurred a: glare from yellow to red tint somewhat occurred according to an angle at which the image was observed b: glare from yellow to red tint slightly occurred c: glare from yellow to red tint considerably occurred ozone resistance solid images of respective gradations with the recording duty changed from 10% to 180% in an increment of 10% were recorded on a recording medium (trade name “canon photographic paper-gloss pro [platinum grade] pt101”, product of canon inc.) by means of the above-described ink jet recording apparatus to obtain a recorded article. a spectrophotometer (trade name “spectrolino”, manufactured by gretag macbeth co.) was used to measure an optical density of a cyan component of the solid image of each gradation in the resultant recorded article under conditions of a light source of d50 and a visual field of 2°, thereby specifying a solid image whose optical density was 1.0. this recorded article was put in an ozone fadeometer (trade name “oms-h”, manufactured by suga test instruments co.) and exposed to ozone for 20 hours under conditions of an intrachamber temperature of 40° c., a relative humidity of 55% and an ozone gas concentration of ppm. thereafter, the optical density of the cyan component of the same solid image as specified above was measured again. the residual ratio (%) of the optical density was calculated according to ((optical density after exposure)/(optical density before exposure)×100) to make evaluation as to ozone resistance according to the following evaluation criteria. a: the residual ratio of the optical density was 80% or more b: the residual ratio of the optical density was 70% or more and less than 80% c: the residual ratio of the optical density was less than 70% sticking resistance the above-described ink jet recording apparatus was used to record a nozzle check pattern after a recovery operation (cleaning) was preliminarily conducted. thereafter, a power cable was pulled out in the course where a carriage was operated, whereby a state where a recording head is not capped was created. in this state, the ink jet recording apparatus was left to stand for 14 days under conditions of a temperature of 35° c. and a relative humidity of 15%. thereafter, this ink jet recording apparatus was left to stand for 6 hours under conditions of a temperature of 25° c. to return the temperature of the apparatus to ordinary temperature. this ink jet recording apparatus was used to record a nozzle check pattern of pixus pro 9000 mark ii while conducting a recovery operation, and the resultant nozzle check pattern was visually observed to make evaluation as to sticking resistance according to the following evaluation criteria. a: the nozzle check pattern could be normally recorded by one to two recovery operations b: the nozzle check pattern could be normally recorded by three to four recovery operations c: the nozzle check pattern could not be normally recorded ever after the recovery operation was conducted five times or more table 3evaluation resultsbronzingozonestickingresistanceresistanceresistanceexample1aaaa2aaaa3baa4aaaa5aaaa6baa7aaa8aaa9aaa10aaab11aaba12bbbcomparative1aacaexample2aaca3aaca4aaca5caa6caa7caa8aac9caa while the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. the scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions. this application claims the benefit of japanese patent application no. 2012-092383, filed apr. 13, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
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099-299-970-177-159
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US
|
[
"CN",
"US",
"EP"
] |
H03F3/45,H03G3/30,H03F3/393
| 2017-06-07T00:00:00 |
2017
|
[
"H03"
] |
differential amplifier with modified common mode rejection, and circuit with improved common mode rejection ratio
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the present disclosure relates to a differential amplifier with modified common mode rejection, and a circuit with an improved common mode rejection ratio. an amplifier circuit having improved commonmode rejection is provided. this can be achieved by estimating the common mode value of an input signal and using this to adjust a target common mode voltage at the output of the amplifier. this can help avoid the differential gain becoming modified by the common mode voltage.
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1. a fedback defined differential amplifier comprising: an impedance network coupled to a gain block, wherein a gain of the differential amplifier is set by the impedance network coupled to the gain block; and a target output common mode voltage input node of the gain block configured to receive, via a feed forward path, an input signal to set a target common mode output voltage of the differential amplifier, wherein the gain block is configured to generate a common mode voltage at an output of the differential amplifier as a function of the received input signal that represents a common mode signal at differential inputs of the differential amplifier, and wherein the target common mode output voltage is configured to track changes in the common mode signal at the differential inputs. 2. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a common mode input voltage is formed using a potential divider within the feed forward path. 3. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the potential divider comprises resistors. 4. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a current source is used to modify the output of the potential divider. 5. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the potential divider comprises switched capacitors. 6. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the differential amplifier is a continuous time differential amplifier. 7. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gain block has a first input, a second input, a first output and a second output, and where a first input node is connected to the first input by a first resistor (r 1 ) of the impedance network, the first input is connected to the first output by a second resistor (r 2 ) of the impedance network, a second input node is connected to the second input by a third resistor (r 3 ) of the impedance network and the second input is connected to the second output by a fourth resistor (r 4 ) of the impedance network, and wherein the ratios of the resistor sizes control the differential gain of the amplifier. 8. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 1 , in combination with a second amplifier arranged to receive the output from the differential amplifier, wherein the second amplifier has a substantially static target common mode output voltage. 9. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 1 , in combination with a differential analog to digital converter. 10. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 1 , in combination with a circuit for converting the output to a single ended output. 11. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 1 , in combination with a differential current measurement circuit comprising a differential current sensor providing first and second signal to inputs of the differential amplifier. 12. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 11 , in combination with the differential current measurement circuit comprising a transducer. 13. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 12 , in combination with the differential current measurement circuit including a differentially coupled rogowski coil. 14. the feedback defined differential amplifier as claimed in claim 1 , in combination with a current measurement circuit including a current sensor including a shunt, and the differential amplifier is responsive to a voltage difference developed across the shunt. 15. a method of improving the common mode rejection performance of a feedback defined differential amplifier having an impedance network coupled to a gain block and having a control node for controlling a target common mode output voltage of a differential output of the differential amplifier, wherein a gain of the differential amplifier is set by the impedance network coupled to the gain block, the method comprising: feeding forward a control signal to the target common mode voltage control node of the gain block to set the target common mode output voltage of the differential amplifier; and generating a common mode voltage at the output of the differential amplifier as a function of the control signal that represents a common mode signal at differential inputs of the differential amplifier, wherein the target common mode output voltage is configured to track changes in the common mode signal at the differential inputs. 16. the method as claimed in claim 15 , in which a portion of the common mode signal is used to form the target common mode output voltage. 17. the method as claimed in claim 15 , in which all of the common mode signal is used to form the target common mode output voltage. 18. the method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising adding a fixed voltage to the signal used to form the target common mode output voltage so as to perform voltage domain transformation. 19. a feedback defined differential amplifier comprising: an impedance network coupled to a gain block, wherein a gain of the differential amplifier is set by the impedance network coupled to the gain block; and a target output common mode voltage input node of the gain block configured to receive, via a feed forward path, an input signal to set a target common mode output voltage of the differential amplifier; and means for generating a common mode voltage an output of the differential amplifier as a function of the received input signal that represents a common mode signal at differential inputs of the differential amplifier, wherein the target common mode voltage is configured to track changes in the common mode signal at the differential inputs. 20. the feedback defined differential amplifier of claim 19 , in combination with a differential analog to digital converter.
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the present disclosure relates to a differential amplifier having two outputs and an improved common mode rejection performance, wherein differences between the voltages at the output nodes are substantially unaffected by changes in a common mode input voltage. background it is known that differential amplifiers should receive first and second signals at their respective first and second inputs and to generate an output which is solely a function of the difference between the first and second signals. if the signals have a common mode component, then the value of this common mode component should not affect the output from an ideal differential amplifier. however, in real devices component mismatch means that the devices deviate from the ideal response characteristic and that the output shows some dependence on the common mode input voltage. there is therefore a need to improve the performance of circuits using differential amplifiers. the amount by which a common mode input signal manifests itself as a change in the output signal is often referred to as the common mode rejection ratio. it is, in essence, a measure of how well the amplifier avoids mixing the common mode signal with the differential signal. nomenclature often the term “amplifier” is used to refer to a circuit that provides gain. sometimes the term is used to denote a circuit or gain block having a very high but not necessarily well controlled gain, such as an operational amplifier 2 , as shown in fig. 1a . sometimes the term is used to encompass an arrangement where the gain block/operational amplifier 2 is provided inside a feedback loop where the overall gain of the amplifier is defined by the feedback loop, as shown in fig. 1 b. herein when we specifically wish to distinguish between the configurations shown in figs. 1a and 1b , then things like the arrangement of fig. 1a will be referred to as gain block, and things like the arrangement of fig. 1b will be referred to as “feedback defined amplifiers”. summary of the disclosure according to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a differential amplifier having a feed forward path for adjusting a target common mode output voltage as a function of the common mode component of the input signal. the feed-forward path may be formed internally within a gain block or by components around the gain block. the differential amplifier can comprise a gain block having a differential input and a differential output. the gain of the differential amplifier can be set by a feedback network around the gain block. the feedback network can be a resistor based network. however in other embodiments the feedback network may include other components in addition to or in place of resistors. the other components may be operated in continuous time (unswitched) or discrete time (switched) modes. in an embodiment there is provided a resistor based feedback defined differential amplifier having a fully differential output, and having means for adjusting a target common mode output voltage to track changes in a common mode input signal. a resistor based feedback defined differential amplifier has certain advantages, such as it operates in continuous time and can be configured to have a low input impedance. these features are not available with chopped amplifiers based on switched capacitor technologies. however such resistor based technologies are more susceptible to gain errors due to component mismatching. resistors formed on an integrated circuit may still suffer from fabrication errors resulting from slight differences in the lithography, slight variations in the amount that they are etched or the amount of material deposited or other manufacturing errors. furthermore such resistors may then be subject to thermal gradients as a result of the operation of the circuit in which they are placed which means that the resistors might, in use, operate at different temperatures. furthermore, the process of packaging an integrated circuit can stress the silicon die which can also give rise to changes in resistance of supposedly matched resistors. all these affects can give rise to a resistive mismatch in the gain setting network around a resistor controlled differential amplifier. a resistance mismatch of a relatively modest amount can give rise to significant reduction in the common mode rejection ratio of the amplifier. advantageously the gain block, for example an operational amplifier, is associated with a circuit which modifies the target output common mode voltage as a function of the input common mode voltage. the circuit may also apply a voltage so as to shift the voltage domain (common mode voltage) between the input and output voltage ranges of the differential amplifier. according to a second aspect of this disclosure there is provided a method of improving the linearity of a differential amplifier in the presence of a common mode input signal component, the differential amplifier having a control node for controlling a target common mode output voltage of a differential output of the amplifier, the method comprising feeding forward a control signal to the target common mode voltage control node as a function of the input common mode voltage. although the issues of component mismatch in the context of adversely affecting the common mode rejection performance, i.e. converting the common mode signal into a differential signal component, will be discussed in detail with respect to feedback defined amplifiers where the feedback loop is primarily defined by resistors, the same issues arise where the feedback loop is defined by capacitors or other components. brief description of the drawings embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1a schematically represents a gain block in the form of a differential operational amplifier having a single output, and fig. 1b illustrates the use of the differential operational amplifier within a feedback defined amplifier circuit; fig. 2 schematically illustrates a circuit for a feedback defined differential amplifier with a single output; figs. 3a and 3b illustrate a circuit equivalence between two representations of voltages v 1 and v 2 to illustrate how a common mode voltage is defined; fig. 4 schematically illustrates the circuit diagram for a fully differential amplifier, namely one having differential inputs and differential outputs; fig. 5 schematically shows a simplified circuit diagram of a single stage differential amplifier as the type shown in fig. 1 for the purposes of introducing the modifications made to such an amplifier to make it fully differential; fig. 6 schematically illustrates a simplified circuit diagram of a fully differential amplifier including a common mode output voltage controller; fig. 7 illustrates a circuit diagram of a feedback defined amplifier where the gain of the amplifier is set by resistors r 1 to r 4 of a feedback network and the output common mode voltage is controlled by a voltage fed to the common mode control terminal of the amplifier; fig. 8 schematically illustrates an amplifier where the common mode input voltage is used to modify the target common mode output voltage in accordance with teachings of this disclosure; fig. 9 shows an embodiment of a two stage amplifier where the first stage common mode voltage control based on the common mode input voltage; fig. 10 shows a measurement system in conjunction with an amplifier constituting an embodiment of this disclosure; fig. 11 is a circuit diagram of an input common mode voltage tracking circuit including an offset generator; fig. 12 is a circuit diagram of a switched capacitor based input common mode voltage tracking circuit; fig. 13 shows how the circuit of fig. 12 may be arranged to add an offset voltage; fig. 14 shows a further embodiment of a feedback defined amplifier operating in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure; fig. 15 shows a further embodiment of a feedback defined amplifier operating in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure; and fig. 16 shows a further embodiment with a discrete time common mode voltage modification circuit following the fully differential amplifier. description of some embodiments fig. 1a schematically illustrates the circuit diagram for a differential amplifier having a single output. as known to the person skilled in the art the differential amplifier 2 has an inverting input 4 and a non-inverting input 6 . the difference between those inputs is gained up by the internal gain of the amplifier 2 and the output is provided at a voltage at a single output 8 . typically the internal gain of the amplifier is in the order often thousand to ten million times or more. in order to make amplifiers having their modest gains, a feedback loop generally comprising first and second resistors is provided as known to the person skilled in the art. fig. 1b shows the provision of a feedback loop formed by resistors r 1 and r 2 around the operational amplifier/gain block 2 such that the resistors define the gain of the amplifier, generally designated 10 . the circuit arrangement of fig. 1b can be modified as shown in fig. 2 to provide a differential amplifier which accepts input voltage v 1 and v 2 and provides a single output voltage vout. the ratio of the resistor associated with each input set the gain of the amplifier. if there is a mismatch in the ratios then a change in a common mode voltage vcm propagates through the amplifier to look like a change resulting from a change to the differential input voltage. as shown in fig. 3a , the voltage v 1 and v 2 can be regarded as originating from a signal source 11 comprising first and second voltage sources v 1 and v 2 referenced to a common node, such as ground. however an equivalent representation is shown in fig. 3b where a voltage source provides a common mode voltage vcm representing the average of v 1 and v 2 , and then a further voltage vi is added to it to create v 1 and the same voltage vi is subtracted from vcm to make v 2 . in an ideal differential feedback defined amplifier for convenience v 1 and v 2 will be referred to vin − and vin + . considering the amplifier of fig. 2 in greater detail, its common mode rejection ratio could be tested by shorting vin − to vin + and then sweeping that input over a voltage range. ideally the output voltage vout would not change as the common mode input voltage swept over the input range. in general one can write an equation linking the change in output voltage to the change in input voltages in terms of a common mode gain gcm and a differential gain gdiff. the gain is written in small signal form (changing output voltage versus change in input voltage) as opposed to the ratio of the input and output voltages as the difference amplifier may also be used to perform a voltage translation to its input and output domains. thus the gain could be written as the common mode rejection ratio, cmrr, can then be expressed as the ratio of these terms in decibels. the common mode rejection ratio is an important amplifier parameter. one approach of using a differential amplifier is to reject common mode signals such that a common mode voltage, or rather the target common mode voltage, at the output of the amplifier is unchanging, i.e. gcm tends to zero. however, as will be shown later this approach of thinking about common mode rejection is disadvantageous in the context of some differential dual ended (e.g. two inputs and two outputs) amplifier designs. differential amplifiers having dual ended (differential outputs) also can be provided. fig. 4 schematically illustrates the symbol for such an amplifier. here the amplifier generally designated 12 has an inverting input 14 and a non-inverting input 16 and provides signals on first and second outputs 20 and 22 . such an amplifier also generally includes an output voltage common mode control terminal 24 . the output voltage common mode control terminal 24 receives a common mode target voltage which is used to control the amplifier such that the average of the signals from the first and second outputs 20 and 22 matches the voltage supplied at common mode target voltage setting input pin/node 24 . for convenience, it is worth considering how the differential input stage of the amplifier 2 shown in fig. 1a is modified in broad terms to arrive at the amplifier shown in fig. 4 . fig. 5 shows a simplified example of a single stage differential amplifier gain block having a single ended output, i.e. it represents one possible embodiment of the circuit shown in fig. 1 . the circuit shown in fig. 5 comprises first and second n-type mosfet transistors 30 and 32 having their sources connected together and to a current sink 34 . the gate of the first transistor 30 acts as the non-inverting input 6 and the gate of the second transistor 32 acts as the inverting input 4 . the transistors pass current through respective active loads which in this example are formed by two p-type mosfets 36 and 38 . each of the p-type mosfets 36 and 38 have their source terminal connected to the positive supply rail v dd . the gates are also connected together. the drain of the transistor 36 is connected to the drain of the transistor 30 . the drain of transistor 38 is connected to the drain of transistor 32 . the drain of transistor 36 is also connected to the gates of the transistors 36 and 38 . thus transistor 36 is in a “diode connected” configuration and the current passing through it is mirrored by transistor 38 . an output signal is derived from the drain of transistor 38 . thus the arrangement shown in fig. 5 has a differential input and a single ended output. this circuit can easily be modified as shown in fig. 6 to provide a differential output. the arrangement shown in fig. 6 sets out the circuit diagram of an embodiment of the amplifier 12 of fig. 4 . the circuit comprises a differential amplifier gain block, generally designated 50 but based on the arrangement shown in fig. 5 , together with an error amplifier generally designated 52 . comparing fig. 6 with fig. 5 it can be seen that the first and second n-type transistors 30 and 32 still have their sources connected to the current sink 34 . furthermore the transistors 30 and 32 are still in series with p-type transistors 36 and 38 . the p-type transistors 36 and 38 still have sources connected to v dd and they still have their gates connected together. however, transistor 36 is no longer diode connected and instead both transistors 36 and 38 receive a shared control signal from the error amplifier 52 . a first output node o 1 is still formed at the drain of transistor 32 . however a new differential output node designated o 2 is now formed at the drain of transistor 30 . in principle if all the transistors were completely matched, then the transistors 36 and 38 could be biased to a fixed voltage and an amplifier having a differential input and a differential output would result. however such an arrangement is not stable in the face of component or temperature variation and has the potential to lock up. therefore in order to control the common mode output voltage, and indeed to enable the common mode output voltage to be set to a desired value some further components are provided. the further components are in the form of a differential error amplifier 52 . it comprises a differential input stage comprising n-type transistors 70 and 72 which have their sources connected together and to a current sink 74 . each of the transistors 70 and 72 has a load connected between its drain and the positive supply rail v dd . in principle the load can be formed by resistors but it is more convenient for loads to be formed by diode connected p-type mosfets 76 and 78 . the gates of the p-type mosfet transistors 36 and 38 are connected to an error amplifier output node 80 formed at the drain of the n-type transistor 70 . the target common mode output voltage voutcm can be supplied to the gate of the first transistor 70 of the error amplifier 52 . the instantaneous common mode voltage of the outputs o 1 and o 2 of the amplifier 50 are provided to the gate of a second transistor 72 of the error amplifier 52 . the common mode voltage is formed by placing a resistive potential divider between the outputs nodes o 1 and o 2 . the potential divider comprises resistors 100 and 102 which are of equal value. thus the resistors form an average of the output voltages at o 1 and o 2 at a node 104 between resistors 100 and 102 and connected to the gate of the transistor 72 . the resistors values are selected to be moderately large such that they do not adversely affect the operation of the amplifier 50 . if the common mode voltage of the outputs o 1 and o 2 is above voutcm then it can be seen that more current flows to a transistor 72 and less current flows through transistor 70 . this causes the voltage of the drain of the transistor 70 to rise and therefore the gate voltages of the transistor 36 and 38 also rise. this in turn causes them to act as current sources passing a reduced amount of current. the current flowing through the amplifier stage 50 as a whole is set by the current sink 34 and hence the voltage at nodes o 1 and o 2 tends to fall. similarly if the common mode output voltage is too low then transistor 70 tends to pass more current than transistor 72 and as a result its drain voltage decreases. this in turn causes transistors 36 and 38 to pass more current allowing the voltages at the nodes o 1 and o 2 to be increased. thus the function of the circuit is to act as a differential amplifier where the difference between the voltages of the gates 30 and 32 is amplified and presented at the output nodes o 1 and o 2 but where the output common mode voltage at nodes o 1 and o 2 corresponds to the voltage voutcm as set at the input to transistor 70 . other amplifier topologies are known and the internal configuration of the differential gain block is not part of the inventive concept set out in this disclosure. the differential input differential output amplifier of fig. 5 and fig. 6 is generally connected within a circuit arrangement as shown in fig. 7 where the differential gain is set by the interaction of resistors r 1 and r 2 and r 3 and r 4 . as will be shown below, the operation of the feedback defined amplifier shown in fig. 7 is similar to the operation of single ended operational amplifiers known to the person skilled in the art, and as illustrated in fig. 1b . however there are some nuances in the circuit design and in particular the effect of component mismatch, i.e. the ratio of resistor r 2 to r 1 being slightly different to the ratio of resistor r 4 to r 3 . this, as might be expected, gives rise to a change in the differential gain of the amplifier. however, as will also be shown, it gives rise to a degradation in the common mode rejection ratio of the amplifier. the inventor realized that an improved common mode rejection could be achieved by deliberately modifying the target common mode output voltage. this is true even though the change in common mode output voltage is larger than in certain other systems, and on the basis of the way that engineers may think about common mode rejection the circuits disclosed herein look as if they have a reduced cmrr. in embodiments of this disclosure, the common mode input signal value is formed and is deliberately fed forward to the target output common mode voltage control node in order to vary the target common mode voltage at the output of the amplifier. this behavior is counterintuitive as it would be expected to degrade the amplifier performance rather than improve it as it results in the common mode gain tending towards unity. however, as will be shown below, the actual performance of a dual ended differential input amplifier is quite complex and the subtleties of its operation are often overlooked or simply not appreciated by engineers. circuit analysis of a fully differential amplifier is similar to that of a normal single output differential amplifier, except that it is significantly more difficult. some additional complexity arises due to the additional feedback paths. using the nodes identified in fig. 7 , then for the voltage vn we can see that similarly for ease of writing the equations, let hence we can rewrite vn and vp as vn=v in − (1−α)+ v out·α equation 6 vp=v in + (1−β)+ v out·β equation 7 we can also introduce the differential gain of the amplifier as g(f) v out + −v out − =g ( f )( vp−vn ) equation 8 combining equations 6 and 7 with equation 8 v out + (1+ g ( f )α)− v out − (1+ g ( f )β)= g ( f ){ v in + (1−β)− v in − (1−α)} equation 9 this is still cumbersome, but further progress can be made by noting that ½( v out + +v out − )= v outcm equation 10 so v out − =2 v outcm− v out + equation 11 now we can rewrite equation 9 as using the normal assumptions of very high gain within the gain block such that g ( f )α>>1 and g ( f )β>>1 then equation 12 can be reduced to similarly if we define the output differential signal as if the resistors are matched, such that r 1 =r 3 and r 2 =r 4 then α=β. this allows simplification of equation 16 since if α=β then the term “2vout(β−α)” always evaluates to zero. assume the resistors are perfectly matched so that we can replace β by α, so however we can also see that if there is a small mismatch, say by a factor of 0.001 such that β=1.001α, then two things can be observed. 1) firstly the differential gain charges slightly as the first portion of equation 16 becomes thus there is a gain error that is proportional to vin + −vin − and independent of the common mode voltage. 2) the second portion of equation 16 no longer evaluates to zero, i.e. in this example thus the differential gain has a component that varies with the common mode output voltage. vout − diff=0.0005voutcm equation 22 now it can be observed that the input signals vin + and vin − can be related to each other by introducing a common mode input voltage vincm and an input differential voltage vindiff. ∴ v in + =v incm+½ v indiff v in − =v incm−½ v indiff equation 23 if we return to equation 20 and rewrite using equation 23 which can be expanded to it can be seen that the mismatch at the inputs introduce a gain error due to the common mode component which in turn can be considered as giving rise to an error voltage verror at the outputs. v error=−2 v incm×0.0005 equation 26 this can be compared with the worked example of the modification as a result of the output common mode voltage from equation 22 v out − diff(error)=0.0005 ×v outcm it can be seen that the effect resistor of mismatch can be reduced if the input common mode voltage is fed forward and used to adjust the target common mode voltage at the output. fig. 8 schematically illustrates an embodiment of this disclosure in which the arrangement shown in fig. 7 is adapted by the inclusion of a common mode input voltage feed forward circuit 120 . the common mode feed forward circuit 120 receives an indication of the input signals vin − and vin + and uses them to form a modified output voltage common mode target value voutcm. in the discussion of fig. 2 , and with the aid of figs. 3a and 3b it was noted that in an ideal differential feedback defined amplifier. the present inventor has realized that in the presence of component mismatch it is better to allow an effective common mode gain to approach unity. this however, at first sight gives rise to a degraded common mode rejection radio using the definitions of equation 1, even though it reduces the mixing of the differential output signal component with the common mode output signal component. fig. 9 schematically illustrates an arrangement in which the offset voltage tracking circuit 120 merely comprises first and second resistors 160 and 170 which act to form an estimate of the common mode voltage signal at the signal inputs vin + and vin − of the circuit. here the common mode estimate of the input voltage is fed directly to the amplifier's target common mode output voltage control pin 24 . thus, as opposed to other circuits where this is a dc value, the arrangement shown in fig. 9 the signal supplied to the output voltage common mode control pin is deliberately varying. however, as will be appreciated by the preceding analysis, this approach reduces the impact of the common mode voltage and the differential gain at the outputs o 1 and o 2 even if it results in a common mode variation of those voltages. thus an attempt has not been made to fix the common mode voltage at the outputs to a static value but instead it is deliberately allowed to wander as a function of the common mode input voltage. this approach improves the common mode rejection performance of the amplifier. the amplifier stage can be followed by a further amplifier 180 having its own common mode output voltage control terminal which in this instance may be set to a static, i.e. substantially unchanging, voltage v t . thus the second amplifier stage 180 can undertake the task of transforming the differential output voltage into a domain where it has a known and fixed common mode output component. alternatively, the second stage 180 may also be provided with a variable common mode output target value. the second stage may or may not be followed by a third stage which might also have a variable common mode voltage output target value or may have a fixed value. there is a choice of how much of the common mode input voltage signal is feed forward to the amplifier's output voltage common mode control pin. thus the variation between the input common mode voltage and a desired output common mode target may be formed and that variation may be forwarded in its entirety or merely in part. such a choice may be made to trade off common mode rejection against amplifier headroom. the disclosed technique passes on the common mode signal to be handled later in the chain, but if the gain stage has a positive gain, for example say of 100, then the cmrr limitation of the next element in the chain when input referred to before this invention has effectively improved by a factor of 100, as the differential signal has been amplified, but the common mode signal gain has remained unity. it is thus possible to provide an improved differential amplifier with significantly improved common mode rejection ratios. in testing an amplifier having an inherent common mode rejection ratio of 60 db was modified by the feed forward circuit to exhibit an effective common mode rejection ratio of limited by the common mode rejection ratio of the adc measuring the output which had around −120 db cmrr. fig. 10 shows an example of an amplifier in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure receiving a signal from a differential rogowski type coil 200 . the amplifier generally designated 220 amplifies the differential signal from the rogowski coil 200 and supplies it to a differential analog to digital converter 222 . the amplifier 220 is configured as an inverting amplifier and its gain set by the ratio of its input resistance to the feedback resistances. in this scenario the input resistance comprises at least two resistors one of which r c is the resistance of the respective coil of the differential rogowski coil sensor. the or each other resistor may be an on-chip resistor which advantageously has a lower temperature coefficient resistance than that of the rogowski coil. the at least one other resistor has a resistance r in . in the example shown in fig. 10 the coil resistance is represented by resistors 224 a and 224 b . the on-chip input resistance in this example is formed by three series connected resistors 226 a , 228 a and 230 a with similar resistors designated “b” in the other channel of the differential amplifiers. capacitors 232 , 234 a and 234 b are coupled to the nodes between each pair of the resistors so as to provide low pass filtering. the low pass filtering is important because the response of the rogowski coil depends on and hence has a high pass response. low pass filtering protects the input stage from being overdriven or saturated in the presence of high frequency harmonics in the current being measured. the filters also provide an anti-aliasing function. in this example the output nodes of the amplifier are connected to resistors 240 a and 240 b which at as the major contribution in defining the amplifier output resistance. the output resistors can form a potential divider with resistors 242 a and 242 b connected to ground in order to level shift and attenuate the output, while alternatively a single resistor can be connected between resistors 242 a and 242 b. furthermore, the input signals at nodes inn and inp are provided to a common mode controller 250 which, as described hereinbefore, could simply be two resistors forming a potential divider. the common mode controller 250 sets the target common mode output voltage of the amplifier 12 . thus this circuit can take a small input signal from the rogowski coil sensor and amplify it whilst also exhibiting enhanced immunity to common mode signals. although the common mode output voltage may not be static due to the action of the common mode controller 250 , the differential analog to digital converter 252 can deal with that feature of the output of the amplifier and provide an output code which is independent of the common mode output voltage from the amplifier 12 . the configuration of resistors described herein also forms two potential dividers which can act to reduce the gain of the amplifier slightly as the temperature increases. explicitly, if the temperature coefficients of the resistors on-chip are less than the temperature coefficient resistance of the coil, then the overall amplifier gain decreases or at least can be arranged to decrease slightly as the temperature increases. this effect can be used to compensate for thermal expansion of a substrate carrying the rogowski coil or of the coil itself. the increasing volume of the coil as a function of temperature means that the output voltage of the coil for a given magnetic field acting at the coil also increases with increasing temperature. thus these two effects can be balanced out. thus the circuit shown in fig. 9 can provide some temperature compensation for gain as the volume of the sensor coil increases as well as providing for improved common mode rejection. the amplifier need not be limited to measuring currents by way of the voltage developed across a rogowski coil. the input could come from shunt resistors, capacitive sensors, biomedical sensors or indeed any sensors having a differential output. similarly the amplifier response does not need to be a low pass filter response, and gain adjustment as a function of temperature as described above need not be performed. fig. 11 illustrates a further variation of a common mode voltage feed forward circuit 300 to be included within block 120 which allows for an offset to be included. an offset may be useful when the input and the output need to be at different levels, for example the sensor may be at ground and the designer may wish the output voltage to be centered around vdd/2 to maximize signal swing. resistors 302 and 304 are arranged in series between the input nodes vin − and vin + so as to form a potential divider. however in order to provide an offset of the current source (or current sink) 306 is also provided and connected to a node 308 between the resistor 302 and 304 . resistors 302 and 304 have an equal value of rcm and the voltage offset amounts to 0.5 rcm ioff. input common mode voltage estimating circuits may also be formed using capacitors as shown in fig. 12 . here a first sampling capacitor 320 is in series connection with a first sampling switch 322 between a first one of the inputs, for example vin − and a reference node 330 which may be held at a local ground. similarly a second sampling capacitor 332 is provided in series with a second sampling switch 334 between the other input, for example vin + and the reference node 330 . the switches 322 and 332 are driven by a suitable switch control signal, such as a square wave or similar derived from a clock. a further capacitor 340 can be selectively connected to a node 321 intermediate the first capacitor 320 and its switch 322 by way of a further switch 342 . similarly the capacitor 340 can also be connected to a node 333 intermediate the second sampling capacitor 332 and the sampling switch 334 by way of switch 344 . the switches 322 and 334 are driven on a first phase of a control clock φ so as to sample the input signals vin − and vin + onto the sampling capacitors. the switches 342 and 344 can be regarded as charge transfer switches which are driven in anti-phase with the sampling switches 322 and 334 . thus, in a first phase of operation the switches 322 and 334 close so as to sample the input voltages onto the capacitors 320 and 332 . in a second phase of operation the sampling switches open and the charge transfer switches 342 and 344 close such that charge redistributes between the sampling capacitors 330 and 332 and a common mode voltage storage capacitor 340 . repeated operation of the circuit results in the voltage across the capacitor 340 representing the common mode voltage of the inputs vin − and vin + . the capacitor 340 is connected to the common mode output voltage node 24 . the arrangement shown in fig. 12 can be modified to add an offset voltage from an offset voltage generator 350 . such an arrangement is shown in fig. 13 . like parts are designated with like reference numerals. it can be seen, by comparing figs. 12 and 13 , that the circuit of fig. 12 is modified by the inclusion of extra sampling switches 322 ′ and 334 ′ between the respective sampling capacitors 320 and 332 and the reference node 330 . additionally extra charge transfer switches 342 ′ and 344 ′ are now provided to connect the lower plate of the storage capacitor 340 to circuit nodes 321 ′ formed between the first sampling capacitor 320 and the sampling switch 322 ′ and also to node 333 ′ formed between the second sampling capacitor 332 and the additional sampling switch 334 ′. these additional switches allow the sampling capacitors 320 and 332 to be completely isolated from the signal path such that when they charge share with the storage capacitor 340 they are also floating such that an additional voltage provided by the voltage generator 350 can impressed upon the output voltage provided at output node 360 . the amplifier, such as the arrangement of fig. 8 , need not be a feedback defined amplifier where the feedback components only comprise resistors. thus, as shown in fig. 14 the input resistors r 1 and r 3 have been replaced by capacitors 370 and 372 . the capacitors may or may not be provided with sampling switches 374 and 376 . this is a choice whether the input is to be continuously sampled or discretely sampled. similarly, the feedback resistors may also be replaced by capacitors and/or resistor and capacitor combinations thereby giving a filter response. similarly, the feedback defined amplifier may be provided with input and output chopping circuits as shown in fig. 15 . the operation of the chopping circuits 380 allows the inputs and outputs to be swapped from side to side within the amplifier so as to reduce the effects of internal amplifier offsets. the common mode estimation circuit 120 could equally be before the first chop switches 380 , as opposed to after them. as noted before the common mode voltage at the output of the amplifier 12 varies more in systems in accordance with the present disclosure compared to prior art amplifier arrangements. however this variation avoids corruption of the differential gain by factors depending on the common mode voltage. it is therefore beneficial to follow the amplifier by circuits which have good common mode rejection ratios thereby allowing the voltage to be reliably translated to a fixed common mode reference voltage. this can be achieved by a relatively simple capacitor sampling circuit as shown in fig. 16 . here capacitors 400 and 402 are provided in series with the output nodes o 1 and o 2 of the amplifier 12 . the capacitors are preceded by input sampling switches 410 and 412 and followed by output gating switches 420 and 422 . the switch 420 operates in anti-phase with the switch 410 . similarly the switch 422 operates in anti-phase with the switch 412 . the switches 410 and 412 are active (low impedance) when a clock signal φ is asserted and the switches 420 and 422 are active when the signal φ is not asserted. shorting switches 432 are provided either side of the capacitors 400 and 402 . switch 430 is open circuit when the switches 410 and 412 are closed. similarly switch 432 is open circuit when the switches 420 and 422 are closed. operation of the switches allows the common mode component from the output of the amplifier 12 to be rejected. furthermore if either of the output nodes 440 and 442 are held at a fixed voltage then the action of the charge sharing around the capacitors is such that the voltage at the other node for example 440 , represents only the gained up differential voltage from the input nodes to the amplifier 12 . it is thus possible to mitigate the effect of component mismatch within the feedback defined amplifier. the embodiments described herein are, as noted before, not intending to be limiting and features of one embodiment may be combined with features of another. the claims presented herein are in single dependency format suitable for filing at the uspto. however it is to be understood that each dependent claim can be dependent on one or more preceding claims unless that is clearly technically infeasible.
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099-351-140-937-257
|
US
|
[
"US",
"WO"
] |
B31B13/00,A61F13/49,A61F13/15
| 2010-12-20T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"B31",
"A61"
] |
method and apparatus for assembling and folding absorbent articles
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aspects of the methods herein relate to the fabrication of diaper pants wherein side panels connected with the first waist region of a discrete chassis are conveyed in a first direction until a second waist region advances past a nip. the crotch region of the chassis is then redirected into the nip, folding the chassis to position the second waist region into a facing relationship with the first waist region. the folded chassis is then conveyed in a second direction with the side panels positioned on panel conveyors extending laterally outward from the first waist region. as the folded chassis travels in the second direction, the panel conveyors twist to position end regions of the side panels to connect with the second waist region of the folded chassis. the side panels and the waist regions of the folded chassis may also be compressed between the panel conveyors and a roller.
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1 . a method for assembling disposable diaper pants, each diaper pant comprising a chassis, a first side panel, and a second side panel, each chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, each chassis having a first waist region longitudinally opposed to a second waist region, and a crotch region located between the first and second waist regions, and having a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the first and second side panels joining the first waist region and the second waist region to form a waist opening and a pair of leg openings, the method comprising the steps of: connecting first end regions of the first and second side panels with the first waist region of the chassis; conveying the chassis in a first direction, wherein the backsheet is in direct contact with a moving surface of a first chassis conveyor, and wherein the first and second side panels extend laterally outward from the first waist region with the first side panel positioned on a moving surface of a first panel conveyor and the second side panel positioned on a moving surface of a second panel conveyor; advancing the second waist region of the chassis past a nip defined between the first chassis conveyor and a second chassis conveyor; folding the chassis to position the second waist region into a facing relationship with the first waist region by redirecting the crotch region of the chassis into the nip; conveying the folded chassis in a second direction between the first chassis conveyor and the second chassis conveyor, wherein the first and second side panels extend laterally outward from the first waist region with the first side panel positioned on the moving surface of the first panel conveyor and the second side panel positioned on the moving surface of the second panel conveyor; twisting the first and second panel conveyors to position second end regions of the first and second side panels in contact with the second waist region of the chassis; connecting the second end regions of the first and second side panels with the second waist region of the chassis. 2 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of conveying the folded chassis in a third direction from the first roller to a second roller. 3 . the method of claim 2 , further comprising the step of untwisting the first and second panel conveyors between the first and second rollers. 4 . the method of claim 3 , wherein the folded chassis advances in the third direction while being held between the first and second chassis conveyors. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the second end regions of the first and second side panels are permanently connected with the second waist region. 6 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of compressing the second end regions of the first and second side panels and the second waist region between the moving surface of the first and second panel conveyors and a first roller. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the second end regions of the first and second side panels are refastenably connected with the second waist region. 8 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the first end regions of the first and second side panels are permanently connected with the first waist region. 9 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the first end regions of the first and second side panels are refastenably connected with the first waist region. 10 . the method of claim 1 , comprising applying vacuum forces to the first and second side panels to hold the first and second side panels in contact with the first and second panel conveyors. 11 . the method of claim 10 , wherein the vacuum forces are applied only to the second end regions of the first and second side panels. 12 . a method for assembling disposable diaper pants, each diaper pant comprising a chassis, a first side panel, and a second side panel, each chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, each chassis having a first waist region longitudinally opposed to a second waist region, and a crotch region located between the first and second waist regions, and having a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the first and second side panels joining the first waist region and the second waist region to form a waist opening and a pair of leg openings, the method comprising the steps of: connecting first end regions of the first and second side panels with the first waist region of the chassis; conveying the chassis, first side panel, and second side panel in a first direction on a carrier; advancing the second waist region of the chassis past a nip defined between a first chassis conveyor and a second chassis conveyor; transferring the chassis from: the carrier to the first and second chassis conveyor, the first side panel to a first panel conveyor, and the second side panel to a second panel conveyor, wherein the backsheet is in direct contact with a moving surface of the first chassis conveyor, and wherein the first and second side panels extend laterally outward from the first waist region with the first side panel positioned on a moving surface of the first panel conveyor and the second side panel positioned on a moving surface of the second panel conveyor; folding the chassis to position the second waist region into a facing relationship with the first waist region by redirecting the crotch region of the chassis into the nip; conveying the folded chassis in a second direction between the first chassis conveyor and the second chassis conveyor, wherein the first and second side panels extend laterally outward from the first waist region with the first side panel positioned on the moving surface of the first panel conveyor and the second side panel positioned on the moving surface of the second panel conveyor; twisting the first and second panel conveyors to position second end regions of the first and second side panels in contact with the second waist region of the chassis; connecting the second end regions of the first and second side panels with the second waist region of the chassis. 13 . the method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of compressing the second end regions of the first and second side panels and the second waist region between the moving surface of the first and second panel conveyors and a first roller. 14 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the carrier comprises a belt. 15 . the method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of conveying the folded chassis in a third direction from the first roller to a second roller. 16 . the method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of untwisting the first and second panel conveyors between the first and second rollers. 17 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the second end regions of the first and second side panels are permanently connected with the second waist region. 18 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the second end regions of the first and second side panels are refastenably connected with the second waist region. 19 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the first end regions of the first and second side panels are permanently connected with the first waist region. 20 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the first end regions of the first and second side panels are refastenably connected with the first waist region.
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cross reference to related application this application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 61/424,720, filed on dec. 20, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference. field of the invention the present disclosure relates to methods for manufacturing diaper pants having first and second side panels connecting opposing waist regions of a chassis, and more particularly, to methods for folding a chassis and connecting side panels with opposing waist regions. background of the invention along an assembly line, various types of articles, such as for example, diapers and other absorbent articles, may be assembled by adding components to and/or otherwise modifying an advancing, continuous web of material. for example, in some processes, advancing webs of material are combined with other advancing webs of material. in other examples, individual components created from advancing webs of material are combined with advancing webs of material, which in turn, are then combined with other advancing webs of material. in some cases, individual components created from advancing web or webs are combined with other individual components created from other advancing web or webs. webs of material and component parts used to manufacture diapers may include: backsheets, topsheets, leg cuffs, waist caps, absorbent core components, front and/or back ears, fastening components, and various types of elastic webs and components such as leg elastics, barrier leg cuff elastics, stretch side panels, and waist elastics. once the desired component parts are assembled, the advancing web(s) and component parts are subjected to a final knife cut to separate the web(s) into discrete diapers or other absorbent articles. after the final knife cut, absorbent articles may also undergo a folding process prior to packaging. diaper pants may also include additional manufacturing steps not used in the manufacture of conventional taped diapers. for example, diaper pants may include side panels that connect front and rear waist regions with each other. thus, after being folded into a u about a lateral centerline in the same or similar way as conventional diapers, the side panels on diaper pants may connect the front and rear waist regions to form a waist opening and a pair of leg openings. some currently available folding and side panel connection apparatuses and processes involve mechanisms with complex multi-station folding and side panel seaming devices. relatively less complex apparatuses and methods for chassis folding and side panel connections may be desirable. summary of the invention the present disclosure relates to methods for manufacturing diaper pants. aspects of the methods according to the present disclosure relate to the fabrication of diaper pants wherein first and second side panels connected with the first waist region of a discrete chassis are conveyed in a first direction until a second waist region advances past a nip. the crotch region of the chassis is then redirected into the nip, thus folding the chassis to position the second waist region into a facing relationship with the first waist region. the folded chassis is then conveyed in a second direction with the first and second side panels positioned on first and second panel conveyors extending laterally outward from the first waist region. as the folded chassis travels in the second direction, the first and second panel conveyors twist to position end regions of the side panels in contact with and/or connect with the second waist region of the folded chassis. in some embodiments, the end regions of the side panels and the waist regions of the folded chassis may also be compressed between the first and second panel conveyors and a roller. in one form, a method may be configured for assembling disposable diaper pants, each diaper pant including a chassis, a first side panel, and a second side panel, each chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, each chassis having a first waist region longitudinally opposed to a second waist region, and a crotch region located between the first and second waist regions, and having a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the first and second side panels joining the first waist region and the second waist region to form a waist opening and a pair of leg openings. the method includes the steps of: connecting first end regions of the first and second side panels with the first waist region of the chassis; conveying the chassis in a first direction, wherein the backsheet is in direct contact with a moving surface of a first chassis conveyor, and wherein the first and second side panels extend laterally outward from the first waist region with the first side panel positioned on a moving surface of a first panel conveyor and the second side panel positioned on a moving surface of a second panel conveyor; advancing the second waist region of the chassis past a nip defined between the first chassis conveyor and a second chassis conveyor; folding the chassis to position the second waist region into a facing relationship with the first waist region by redirecting the crotch region of the chassis into the nip; conveying the folded chassis in a second direction between the first chassis conveyor and the second chassis conveyor, wherein the first and second side panels extend laterally outward from the first waist region with the first side panel positioned on the moving surface of the first panel conveyor and the second side panel positioned on the moving surface of the second panel conveyor; twisting the first and second panel conveyors to position second end regions of the first and second side panels in contact with the second waist region of the chassis; connecting the second end regions of the first and second side panels with the second waist region of the chassis; and compressing the second end regions of the first and second side panels and the second waist region between the moving surface of the first and second panel conveyors and a first roller. in another form, a method may be configured for assembling disposable diaper pants, each diaper pant comprising a chassis, a first side panel, and a second side panel, each chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, each chassis having a first waist region longitudinally opposed to a second waist region, and a crotch region located between the first and second waist regions, and having a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the first and second side panels joining the first waist region and the second waist region to form a waist opening and a pair of leg openings. the method includes the steps of: connecting first end regions of the first and second side panels with the first waist region of the chassis; conveying the chassis, first side panel, and second side panel in a first direction on a carrier; advancing the second waist region of the chassis past a nip defined between a first chassis conveyor and a second chassis conveyor; transferring the chassis from: the carrier to the first and second chassis conveyor, the first side panel to a first panel conveyor, and the second side panel to a second panel conveyor, wherein the backsheet is in direct contact with a moving surface of the first chassis conveyor, and wherein the first and second side panels extend laterally outward from the first waist region with the first side panel positioned on a moving surface of the first panel conveyor and the second side panel positioned on a moving surface of the second panel conveyor; folding the chassis to position the second waist region into a facing relationship with the first waist region by redirecting the crotch region of the chassis into the nip; conveying the folded chassis in a second direction between the first chassis conveyor and the second chassis conveyor, wherein the first and second side panels extend laterally outward from the first waist region with the first side panel positioned on the moving surface of the first panel conveyor and the second side panel positioned on the moving surface of the second panel conveyor; twisting the first and second panel conveyors to position second end regions of the first and second side panels in contact with the second waist region of the chassis; connecting the second end regions of the first and second side panels with the second waist region of the chassis. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refastenable pant diaper in a pre-fastened configuration. fig. 2 is a partially cut away plan view of the diaper pant shown in fig. 1 with side panels connected with the a waist region and extending laterally outward from the chassis. fig. 3 is a view of the diaper shown in fig. 2 with the chassis folded about a lateral axis. fig. 4 is a view of the diaper shown in fig. 3 with the side panels folded and connected with an opposing waist region of the chassis. fig. 5 is a right side isometric view of a converting apparatus configured to fold the chassis of a pant diaper and connect side panels with opposing waist regions. fig. 6 is a left side isometric view of the converting apparatus of fig. 5 . fig. 7 is a left side view of the converting apparatus of fig. 6 . fig. 8 is a front side view of the converting apparatus of fig. 6 . fig. 9 is a top side view of the converting apparatus of fig. 6 . fig. 10 is a left side view of a second embodiment of the converting apparatus. detailed description of the invention the following term explanations may be useful in understanding the present disclosure: “absorbent article” is used herein to refer to consumer products whose primary function is to absorb and retain soils and wastes. “diaper” is used herein to refer to an absorbent article generally worn by infants and incontinent persons about the lower torso. the term “disposable” is used herein to describe absorbent articles which generally are not intended to be laundered or otherwise restored or reused as an absorbent article (e.g., they are intended to be discarded after a single use and may also be configured to be recycled, composted or otherwise disposed of in an environmentally compatible manner). the term “disposed” is used herein to mean that an element(s) is formed (joined and positioned) in a particular place or position as a macro-unitary structure with other elements or as a separate element joined to another element. as used herein, the term “joined” encompasses configurations whereby an element is directly secured to another element by affixing the element directly to the other element, and configurations whereby an element is indirectly secured to another element by affixing the element to intermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the other element. “longitudinal” means a direction running substantially perpendicular from a waist edge to a longitudinally opposing waist edge of an absorbent article when the article is in a flat out, uncontracted state, or from a waist edge to the bottom of the crotch, i.e. the fold line, in a bi-folded article. directions within 45 degrees of the longitudinal direction are considered to be “longitudinal.” “lateral” refers to a direction running from a longitudinally extending side edge to a laterally opposing longitudinally extending side edge of an article and generally at a right angle to the longitudinal direction. directions within 45 degrees of the lateral direction are considered to be “lateral.” the term “substrate” is used herein to describe a material which is primarily two-dimensional (i.e. in an xy plane) and whose thickness (in a z direction) is relatively small (i.e. 1/10 or less) in comparison to its length (in an x direction) and width (in a y direction). non-limiting examples of substrates include a web, layer or layers or fibrous materials, nonwovens, films and foils such as polymeric films or metallic foils. these materials may be used alone or may comprise two or more layers laminated together. as such, a web is a substrate. the term “nonwoven” refers herein to a material made from continuous (long) filaments (fibers) and/or discontinuous (short) filaments (fibers) by processes such as spunbonding, meltblowing, carding, and the like. nonwovens do not have a woven or knitted filament pattern. the term “machine direction” (md) is used herein to refer to the direction of material flow through a process. in addition, relative placement and movement of material can be described as flowing in the machine direction through a process from upstream in the process to downstream in the process. the term “cross direction” (cd) is used herein to refer to a direction that is generally perpendicular to the machine direction. the term “pant” (also referred to as “training pant”, “pre-closed diaper”, “diaper pant”, “pant diaper”, and “pull-on diaper”) refers herein to disposable absorbent articles having a continuous perimeter waist opening and continuous perimeter leg openings designed for infant or adult wearers. a pant can be configured with a continuous or closed waist opening and at least one continuous, closed, leg opening prior to the article being applied to the wearer. the present disclosure relates to methods for manufacturing absorbent articles, and in particular, methods for making diaper pants. as discussed in more detail below, diaper pants may include a chassis having a first waist region, a longitudinally opposed second waist region, and a crotch region located between the first and second waist regions. the chassis may also include a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, wherein the longitudinal axis extends through the first and second waist regions. each diaper pant may further include a first side panel and a second side panel connected with the first waist region and the second waist region defining a waist opening and leg openings. aspects of the methods according to the present disclosure relate to the fabrication of diaper pants wherein first and second side panels connected with the first waist region of a discrete chassis are conveyed in a first direction until a second waist region advances past a nip. the crotch region of the chassis is then redirected into the nip, thus folding the chassis to position the second waist region into a facing relationship with the first waist region. the folded chassis is then conveyed in a second direction with the first and second side panels positioned on first and second panel conveyors extending laterally outward from the first waist region. as the folded chassis travels in the second direction, the first and second panel conveyors twist to position end regions of the side panels in contact with and/or connect with the second waist region of the folded chassis. in some embodiments, the end regions of the side panels and the waist regions of the folded chassis may also be compressed between the first and second panel conveyors and a roller. the following provides a general description of various types of diaper pants that may be produced with the methods and apparatuses disclosed herein to help provide additional context to the subsequent discussion of the process embodiments. figs. 1 and 2 show an example of a pant diaper 100 that may be constructed in accordance with the methods disclosed herein. in particular, fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a pant diaper 100 in a pre-fastened configuration, and fig. 2 shows a plan view of the pant diaper 100 with the portion of the diaper that faces toward a wearer oriented towards the viewer. the pant diaper 100 shown in figs. 1 and 2 includes a chassis 102 , a first side panel 112 , and a second side panel 114 . with continued reference to fig. 2 , the chassis 102 includes a first waist region 116 , a second waist region 118 , and a crotch region 120 disposed intermediate the first and second waist regions. the first waist region 116 may be configured as a back waist region, and the second waist region 118 may be configured as a front waist region. in some embodiments, the length of each of the front waist region, back waist region, and crotch region may be approximately ⅓ of the length of the absorbent article 100 . the diaper 100 may also include a laterally extending front waist edge 120 in the front waist region 118 and a longitudinally opposing and laterally extending back waist edge 122 in the back waist region 116 . to provide a frame of reference for the present discussion, the diaper 100 and chassis 102 of fig. 2 is shown with a longitudinal axis 124 and a lateral axis 126 . in some embodiments, the longitudinal axis 124 may extend through the front waist edge 120 and through the back waist edge 122 . and the lateral axis 126 may extend through a first longitudinal or right side edge 128 and through a midpoint of a second longitudinal or left side edge 130 of the chassis 102 . as shown in figs. 1 and 2 , the pant diaper 100 may include an inner, body facing surface 132 , and an outer, garment facing surface 134 . the chassis 102 may include a backsheet 136 and a topsheet 138 . an absorbent assembly 140 including an absorbent core 142 may be disposed between a portion of the topsheet 138 and the backsheet 136 . as discussed in more detail below, the diaper 100 may also include other features, such as leg elastics and/or leg cuffs to enhance the fit around the legs of the wearer. as shown in fig. 2 , the periphery of the chassis 102 may be defined by the first longitudinal side edge 128 , a second longitudinal side edge 130 ; a first laterally extending end edge 144 disposed in the first waist region 116 ; and a second laterally extending end edge 146 disposed in the second waist region 118 . both side edges 128 and 130 extend longitudinally between the front waist edge 120 and the back waist edge 122 . the laterally extending end edges 144 and 146 of the chassis may form a portion of the laterally extending front waist edge 120 in the front waist region 116 and a portion of the longitudinally opposing and laterally extending back waist edge 122 in the back waist region 118 . when the pant diaper 100 is worn on the lower torso of a wearer, the front waist edge 120 and the back waist edge 122 of the chassis 102 may encircle a portion of the waist of the wearer. at the same time, the chassis side edges 128 and 130 may encircle at least a portion of the legs of the wearer. and the crotch region 120 may be generally positioned between the legs of the wearer with the absorbent core 142 extending from the front waist region 118 through the crotch region 120 to the back waist region 116 . it is to also be appreciated that a portion or the whole of the diaper 100 may also be made laterally extensible. the additional extensibility may help allow the diaper 100 to conform to the body of a wearer during movement by the wearer. the additional extensibility may also help, for example, allow the user of the diaper 100 including a chassis 102 having a particular size before extension to extend the front waist region 118 , the back waist region 116 , or both waist regions of the diaper 100 and/or chassis 102 to provide additional body coverage for wearers of differing size, i.e., to tailor the diaper to an individual wearer. such extension of the waist region or regions may give the absorbent article a generally hourglass shape, so long as the crotch region is extended to a relatively lesser degree than the waist region or regions, and may impart a tailored appearance to the article when it is worn. as previously mentioned, the pant diaper 100 may include a backsheet 136 . the backsheet 136 may also define the outer surface 134 of the chassis 102 . the backsheet 136 may be impervious to fluids (e.g., menses, urine, and/or runny feces) and may be manufactured from a thin plastic film, although other flexible liquid impervious materials may also be used. the backsheet 136 may prevent the exudates absorbed and contained in the absorbent core from wetting articles which contact the diaper 100 , such as bedsheets, pajamas and undergarments. the backsheet 136 may also comprise a woven or nonwoven material, polymeric films such as thermoplastic films of polyethylene or polypropylene, and/or a multi-layer or composite materials comprising a film and a nonwoven material (e.g., having an inner film layer and an outer nonwoven layer). the backsheet may also comprise an elastomeric film. an example backsheet 140 may be a polyethylene film having a thickness of from about 0.012 mm (0.5 mils) to about 0.051 mm (2.0 mils). exemplary polyethylene films are manufactured by clopay corporation of cincinnati, ohio, under the designation br-120 and br-121 and by tredegar film products of terre haute, ind., under the designation xp-39385. the backsheet 136 may also be embossed and/or matte-finished to provide a more clothlike appearance. further, the backsheet 136 may permit vapors to escape from the absorbent core (i.e., the backsheet is breathable) while still preventing exudates from passing through the backsheet 136 . the size of the backsheet 136 may be dictated by the size of the absorbent core 142 and/or particular configuration or size of the diaper 100 . also described above, the pant diaper 100 may include a topsheet 138 . the topsheet 138 may also define all or part of the inner surface 132 of the chassis 102 . the topsheet 138 may be compliant, soft feeling, and non-irritating to the wearer's skin. it may be elastically stretchable in one or two directions. further, the topsheet 138 may be liquid pervious, permitting liquids (e.g., menses, urine, and/or runny feces) to penetrate through its thickness. a topsheet 138 may be manufactured from a wide range of materials such as woven and nonwoven materials; apertured or hydroformed thermoplastic films; apertured nonwovens, porous foams; reticulated foams; reticulated thermoplastic films; and thermoplastic scrims. woven and nonwoven materials may comprise natural fibers such as wood or cotton fibers; synthetic fibers such as polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene fibers; or combinations thereof. if the topsheet 138 includes fibers, the fibers may be spunbond, carded, wet-laid, meltblown, hydroentangled, or otherwise processed as is known in the art. topsheets 138 may be selected from high loft nonwoven topsheets, apertured film topsheets and apertured nonwoven topsheets. apertured film topsheets may be pervious to bodily exudates, yet substantially non-absorbent, and have a reduced tendency to allow fluids to pass back through and rewet the wearer's skin. exemplary apertured films may include those described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,628,097; 5,916,661; 6,545,197; and 6,107,539. as mentioned above, the pant diaper 100 may also include an absorbent assembly 140 that is joined to the chassis 102 . as shown in fig. 2 , the absorbent assembly 140 may have a laterally extending front edge 148 in the front waist region 116 and may have a longitudinally opposing and laterally extending back edge 150 in the back waist region 118 . the absorbent assembly may have a longitudinally extending right side edge 152 and may have a laterally opposing and longitudinally extending left side edge 154 , both absorbent assembly side edges 152 and 154 may extend longitudinally between the front edge 148 and the back edge 150 . the absorbent assembly 140 may additionally include one or more absorbent cores 142 or absorbent core layers. the absorbent core 142 may be at least partially disposed between the topsheet 138 and the backsheet 136 and may be formed in various sizes and shapes that are compatible with the diaper 100 . exemplary absorbent structures for use as the absorbent core of the present disclosure are described in u.s. pat. nos. 4,610,678; 4,673,402; 4,888,231; and 4,834,735. some absorbent core embodiments may comprise fluid storage cores that contain reduced amounts of cellulosic airfelt material. for instance, such cores may comprise less than about 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 5%, or even 1% of cellulosic airfelt material. such a core may comprises primarily absorbent gelling material in amounts of at least about 60%, 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or even about 100%, where the remainder of the core comprises a microfiber glue (if applicable). such cores, microfiber glues, and absorbent gelling materials are described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,599,335; 5,562,646; 5,669,894; and 6,790,798 as well as u.s. patent publication nos. 2004/0158212 and 2004/0097895. as previously mentioned, the diapers 100 may also include elasticized leg cuffs 156 . it is to be appreciated that the leg cuffs 156 can be and are sometimes also referred to as leg bands, side flaps, barrier cuffs, elastic cuffs or gasketing cuffs. the elasticized leg cuffs 156 may be configured in various ways to help reduce the leakage of body exudates in the leg regions. example leg cuffs 156 may include those described in u.s. pat. nos. 3,860,003; 4,909,803; 4,695,278; 4,795,454; 4,704,115; 4,909,803; and u.s. patent publication no. 2009/0312730a1. as mentioned above, pant diapers may be manufactured and provided to consumers in a configuration wherein the front waist region and the back waist region are pre-fastened or connected to each other as packaged, prior to being applied to the wearer. for example, the pant diaper 100 may be folded about a lateral centerline with the interior surface 132 of the first waist region 118 in surface to surface contact with the interior surface 132 of the second waist region 116 . as such, pant diapers may have a continuous perimeter waist opening 157 and continuous perimeter leg openings 158 designed for infant or adult wearers, such as shown in fig. 1 . as discussed in more detail below, a diaper pant can be preformed by various techniques including, but not limited to, joining together portions of the diaper using refastenable and/or permanent closure members (e.g., seams, heat bonds, pressure welds, adhesives, cohesive bonds, mechanical fasteners, etc.). in addition, pant diapers can be preformed anywhere along the circumference of the waist region (e.g., side fastened or connected, front waist fastened or connected, rear waist fastened or connected). as previously mentioned, pant diapers may be configured with side panels connected with the chassis in one or both of the waist regions. for example, the pant diaper 100 shown in figs. 1 and 2 includes a first side panel 112 and a second side panel 114 . the first and second side panels 112 , 114 are connected with the first waist region 116 and the second waist region 118 . it is to be appreciated that the first side panel 112 and/or the second side panel 114 may be permanently and/or refastenably connected with the chassis 102 . for example, in some embodiments, the first side panel 112 and the second side panel 114 are permanently connected with the first waist region 116 and the second waist region 118 . in some embodiments, the first side panel 112 and the second side panel 114 are refastenably connected with the first waist region 116 and permanently connected with the second waist region 118 . in other embodiments, the first side panel 112 and the second side panel 114 are permanently connected with the first waist region 116 and refastenably connected with the second waist region 118 . in yet other embodiments, the first side panel 112 and the second side panel 114 are refastenably connected with the first waist region 116 and the second waist region 118 . as such, it is to be appreciated that the side panels 112 , 114 may be connected with the chassis in various ways. for example, the proximal regions and/or distal regions of the side panels disposed in one or both of the waist regions may be permanently bonded, releasably connected, and/or refastenably connected with the chassis and/or each other, with for example, adhesives, cohesives, thermal bonding, ultrasonic bonding, mechanical bonding and mechanical fastening e.g. hook and loop type fasteners, macrofasteners, buttons, snaps, tab and slot fasteners, tape fasteners, adhesive fasteners, cohesive fasteners, magnetic fasteners, hermaphrodidic fasteners, and the like. for example, one or more fastener elements may be located on the side panels and may be adapted to refastenably connect with one or more corresponding fastening elements located in the first or second waist regions or alternatively the fastener elements may be adapted to refastenably connect with one or more components of the absorbent article including the side panels. as shown in figs. 1 and 2 , the first side panel 112 and the second side panel 114 each include a first surface 160 defining an inner, body facing surface, and an opposing second surface 162 , defining an outer, garment facing surface. the perimeter of the first and second side panels may each be defined by a first edge 164 , a second edge 166 , a third edge 168 , and a fourth edge 170 . as such, the first and second side panels 112 , 114 may also each include a first end region 172 extending along the first edge 164 , a second end region 174 extending along the second edge 166 , and a central region 176 between the first and second end regions 172 , 174 . the first end regions 172 of the first and second side panels 112 , 114 may be connected with the first waist region 116 of the chassis 102 , and the second end regions 174 of the first and second side panels 112 , 114 may be connected with the second waist region 118 of the chassis 102 . it should also be appreciated that either end regions 172 , 174 of the side panels 112 , 114 may be connected with either the inner, body facing surface 132 or the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the chassis 102 along either the first or second waist regions 116 , 118 . it should be appreciated that although the absorbent article 100 shown in figs. 1 and 2 includes side panels 112 , 114 defined by two separate and discrete pieces of material connected with the second waist region 118 , the absorbent article may be configured with first and second side panels 112 , 114 defined by opposing end regions of a continuous belt that is connected with the chassis 102 along the second waist region 118 . it should also be appreciated that such a continuous belt may be connected with either the inner, body facing surface 132 or the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the chassis 102 along the second waist region 118 . the side panels may also be defined by the combination of two or more discrete pieces of material. the side panels 112 , 114 may be substantially rectangular in shape or the side panels may be shaped in such a way as to provide an integral tab for ease of opening and refastening. the side panels may also be extensible in at least the lateral direction. the side panels may also be elastically extensible in the lateral direction. furthermore, the side panels may be elastically extensible in both the longitudinal and lateral directions. the side panels may comprise a film, a nonwoven or a combination of film and nonwoven. the side panels may also comprise a plurality of strand-like filaments and a nonwoven. the strand-like elements may also be elastically extensible in at least the lateral direction. it is to be appreciated that the side panels 112 , 114 may include various types of materials, such as disclosed with respect to the elastic belts described in u.s. pat. no. 7,569,039, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. for example, the side panels may include plastic films; apertured plastic films; nonwoven or nonwoven webs of natural materials (e.g., wood or cotton fibers); synthetic fibers (e.g. polyolefins, polyamides, polyester, polyethylene, and/or polypropylene fibers); or combinations of natural and/or synthetic fibers; or coated woven or nonwoven webs. in some embodiment, the side panels may include a stretchable nonwoven. in other embodiments, the side panels may include an inner hydrophobic non-stretchable nonwoven material and an outer hydrophobic, non-stretchable nonwoven material. in addition, the side panels may include waist elastic material and side elastic material including one or more of elastic elements such as strand or panels extending in a transverse direction. the side panel elastic material may also be interposed between an outer layer and inner layer. it should also be appreciated that the side panels in one waist region may have the same lateral extent from the side edge of the chassis to the distal edge of the side panel as the longitudinally opposed side panels in the opposite waist region or alternatively the side panels disposed in a first waist region may have different lateral extent as measured from the side edge of the chassis to the distal edge of the side panel than the side panels disposed in a second waist region. as previously mentioned, the apparatuses and methods according to the present disclosure may be utilized to assemble and fold pant diapers 100 . more particularly, the methods and apparatuses may be configured to advance a chassis 102 having first and second side panels 112 , 114 connected with the first or second waist region 116 , 118 ; fold the chassis 102 along a lateral axis; and fold and connect the first and second side panels 112 , 114 with the opposing waist region of the chassis 102 . the following discussion of the methods and apparatus will also refer to figs. 2-4 , which show a pant diaper 100 in different stages of assembly. as mentioned above, fig. 2 shows a plan view of the pant diaper 100 with the inner, body facing surface 132 of the chassis oriented towards the viewer. the first end regions 172 of the first and second side panels 112 , 114 are connected with the first waist region 116 of the chassis 102 . and the first and second side panels 112 , 114 extend laterally outward from the chassis 102 to the second end regions 174 . fig. 3 shows the pant diaper 100 of fig. 2 after the chassis 102 has been folded along a lateral axis 126 to bring the first waist region 116 and the second waist region 118 into a facing relationship. and fig. 4 shows the pant diaper 100 of fig. 3 after the first and second side panels 112 , 114 have been folded around central regions 176 and the second end regions 174 have been connected with the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the chassis 102 in the second waist region 118 . figs. 5-9 show a various views of a converting apparatus 300 adapted to manufacture pant diapers 100 . the method of operation of the converting apparatus 300 may be described with reference to the various components of pant diapers 100 described above and shown in figs. 1-4 . as shown in figs. 5-9 , a pant diaper 100 including a chassis 102 , a first side panel 112 , and a second side panel 114 are conveyed in a first machine direction md 1 with the chassis 102 in a flat out, uncontracted state with the side panels 112 , 114 extending laterally outward in a cross direction cd from the first waist region 116 . at this point in the process, only the first end regions 172 of the side panels 112 , 114 are connected with the chassis 102 . the pant diaper 100 is advanced in the first direction md 1 so that the second waist region 118 of the chassis 102 advances past a nip 302 . the crotch region 120 is redirected into the nip 302 , causing the chassis 102 to fold about a lateral axis 126 in the crotch region 120 to place the first and second waist regions 116 , 118 into a facing relationship. more particularly, the chassis 102 is folded such that the inner surface 132 of the chassis 102 in the first waist region 116 is placed in a facing relationship with the inner surface 132 of the chassis 102 in the second waist region 118 . from the nip 302 , the folded chassis 102 is conveyed in a second machine direction md 2 . as the chassis 102 advances in the second machine direction md 2 , the first and second side panels 112 , 114 are folded around central regions 176 to place the second end regions 174 of the side panels 112 , 114 into contact with and to connect with the second waist region 118 of the chassis 102 . the pant diaper 100 is then redirected to advance in a third machine direction md 3 . as discussed in more detail below, as the pant diaper 100 is redirected from the second direction md 2 to the third direction md 3 , the connections between second end regions 174 of the side panels 112 , 114 and the second waist region 118 may be compressed between a roller and belts. the converting apparatus 300 includes a plurality of conveyors arranged to convey the pant diaper in the aforementioned machine directions, fold the chassis, as well as fold and connect the side panels with the folded chassis. with reference to figs. 5-9 , the converting apparatus 300 may include a first panel conveyor 304 , a second panel conveyor 306 , a first chassis conveyor 308 , and a second chassis conveyor 310 . the panel conveyors 304 , 306 and the first chassis conveyor 308 may each include a belt 312 routed in an endless loop around four rollers 314 . and the first chassis conveyor 308 is located between the panel conveyors 304 , 306 in the cross direction cd. the second chassis conveyor 310 may include a belt 312 routed in an endless loop around six rollers 315 . as discussed in more detail below, the first and second chassis conveyors 308 , 310 help support, convey, and fold the chassis, while the panel conveyors 304 , 306 help support, convey, and fold the side panels 112 , 114 . in order to overcome problems associated with the uncontrolled movement of the chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 during conveyance, the conveyors 304 , 306 , 310 , 312 may include a vacuum system in communication with a porous belt or other foraminous surface that allows the suction force of the vacuum system to be exerted on chassis and/or side panels. as shown in figs. 5-9 , the belts 312 of the first chassis conveyor 308 and the panel conveyors 304 , 306 extend along the first machine direction md 1 to a first roller 314 a. the three belts 312 of the conveyors 304 , 306 , 308 partially wrap around the first roller 314 a and extend in the second machine direction md 2 and partially wrap around a second roller 314 b. from the second roller 314 b, the three belts 312 of the conveyors 304 , 306 , 308 extend in the third machine direction md 3 and partially wrap around a third roller 314 c. from the third roller 314 c, the three belts 312 of the conveyors 304 , 306 , 308 extend to and partially wrap around a fourth roller 314 d. from the fourth roller 314 d, the three belts of the conveyors 304 , 306 , 308 again extend in the first machine direction md 1 . each belt 312 of the conveyors 304 , 306 , 308 includes a first surface 316 and a second surface 318 opposite the first surface 316 . the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the first chassis conveyor 308 is positioned to engage and convey the chassis 102 , and the second surface of the 318 of the belt 312 of the first chassis conveyor is positioned to engage the outer surfaces of the four rollers 314 . the first surfaces 316 of the belts 312 of the panel conveyors 304 , 306 are positioned to engage and convey the first and second side panels 112 , 114 . the panel conveyors 304 , 306 are also configured to fold the first and second side panels 112 , 114 while the chassis 102 is conveyed in the second machine direction md 2 . more particularly, the belts 312 of the first and second panel conveyors 304 , 306 are twisted 180° in a first twist direction between the first roller 314 a and the second roller 314 b. thus, the travel paths of the first surfaces 316 of the belts 312 the first and second panel conveyors 304 , 306 causes the side panels 112 , 114 to fold around the central regions 176 and position the second end regions 174 of the side panels 112 , 114 in contact with the second waist region 118 of the chassis 102 . as such, the second surfaces 318 of the belts 312 of the first and second conveyors 304 , 306 engage the outer surface of the first roller 314 a, and the first surfaces 316 of the belts 312 the first and second conveyors 304 , 306 engage the outer surface of the second roller 314 b. the twist is then removed from the belts 312 of the side panel conveyors 304 , 306 along the third machine direction md 3 . more particularly, the belts 312 of the first and second panel conveyors 304 , 306 are twisted 180° in a second direction (opposite the first twist direction) between the second roller 314 b and the third roller 314 c. as such, the second surfaces 318 of belts 312 of the first and second conveyors 304 , 306 engage the outer surface of the third roller 314 c as well as the fourth roller 314 d. it is to be appreciated that the first chassis conveyor 308 and the panel conveyors 304 , 306 can each be arranged and configured other ways than shown in figs. 5-9 . for example, the conveyors 304 , 306 , 308 can include more than one belt and may include different numbers of rollers arranged in different ways. as shown in figs. 5-9 , the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 extends along a first direction d 1 to a first roller 315 a. as shown in figs. 5-7 , first direction d 1 may be opposite the first machine direction md 1 . the distance between the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 at the first roller 315 a and the belt 312 of the first chassis conveyor 308 at the first roller 314 a defines nip 302 . the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 partially wraps around the first roller 315 a and extends in the second machine direction md 2 and partially wraps around a second roller 315 b. from the second roller 315 b, the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 extends to and partially wraps around a third roller 315 c. from the third roller 315 c, the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 extends in the third machine direction md 3 and partially wrap around a fourth roller 315 d. from the fourth roller 315 d, the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 extends to and partially wraps around a fifth roller 314 e and extends to and partially wraps around a sixth roller 315 f. from the sixth roller 314 f, the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 again extends in the first machine direction d 1 . the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 also includes a first surface 316 and a second surface 318 opposite the first surface 316 . the first surface 316 of the second chassis conveyor 310 is positioned to engage and convey the chassis 102 along the second machine direction md 2 and the third machine direction md 3 . the first surface 316 of the second chassis conveyor 310 is also positioned to engage outer surfaces of the roller 315 c. and the second surface of the 318 of the second chassis conveyor 310 is positioned to engage the outer surfaces of the rollers 315 a, 315 b, 315 d, 315 e, 315 f. it is to be appreciated that the second chassis conveyor 310 can be arranged and configured other ways than shown in figs. 5-9 . for example, the second chassis conveyor 310 can include more than one belt and may include different numbers of rollers arranged in different ways. the following description of the operation of the apparatus 300 is made with reference to figs. 1-9 . in an upstream manufacturing process, first end regions 172 of first and second side panels 112 , 114 are connected with the first waist region 116 of the chassis 102 . it is to be appreciated that in different embodiments, the first end regions 172 of the side panels 112 , 114 may be connected with either the inner, body facing surface 132 or the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the chassis 102 in the first waist region 116 . in addition, as discussed above, the first end regions 172 of the side panels 112 , 114 may be connected with the chassis 102 in various ways, such as refastenably and/or permanently. the chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 may be transferred to the apparatus 300 proximate the roller 314 d. as shown in figs. 5-7 , the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the chassis 102 is positioned in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the first chassis conveyor 308 . portions of the chassis 102 extending along the first and second side edges 128 , 130 are positioned in contact with the first surfaces 316 of the belts 312 of the first and second panel conveyors 304 , 306 , respectively. the first and second side panels 112 , 114 extend outwardly in the cross direction cd from the first waist region 116 of the chassis 102 . as such, the second surface 162 of the first side panel 112 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the first panel conveyor 304 , and the second surface 162 of the second side panel 114 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the second panel conveyor 306 . the first chassis conveyor 308 and the panel conveyors 304 , 306 convey the chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 in a laid out, flat configuration such as shown in fig. 2 in the first machine direction md 1 until the second waist region 118 advances past the nip 302 . once the second waist region 118 of the chassis 102 advances past the nip 302 , a tucking mechanism 320 may redirect the crotch region 120 of the chassis 102 into the nip 302 . as the crotch region 120 is redirected into the nip 302 , the chassis 102 is folded about a lateral axis 126 wherein the inner, body facing surfaces of the first waist region 116 and the second waist region 118 are brought into a facing relationship. the tucking mechanism 320 is schematically represented in figs. 7 and 8 . it is to be appreciated that various configurations of tucking mechanisms may be used. for example, tucking mechanism 320 may include one or more blades 322 rotated by a motor 324 , wherein the rotating blade(s) is positioned to contact the inner, body facing surface 132 of the chassis 102 in the crotch region 120 , thus redirecting the chassis 102 into the nip 302 . various examples of tucking mechanism configurations are disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 4,519,596; 4,650,173; 6,708,855; and 7,617,656, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. from the first rollers 314 a, 315 a, the folded chassis 102 begins to travel in the second machine direction md 2 in a folded configuration such as shown in fig. 3 . as such, the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the first waist region 116 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the first chassis conveyor 306 , and the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the second waist region 118 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 . in addition, portions of the chassis 102 extending along the first and second side edges 128 , 130 from the crotch region 120 to the first waist region 116 are positioned in contact with the first surfaces 316 of the belts 312 of the first and second panel conveyors 304 , 306 , respectively. the first and second side panels 112 , 114 continue to extend outwardly in the cross direction cd from the first waist region 116 of the chassis 102 . as such, the second surface 162 of the first side panel 112 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the first panel conveyor 304 , and the second surface 162 of the second side panel 114 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the second panel conveyor 306 . as the chassis 102 and the side panels 112 , 114 advance in the second machine direction, md 2 , the chassis 102 is maintained in a folded configuration by the distance between the belts 312 of the first and second chassis conveyors 308 , 310 . and the panel conveyors 304 , 306 fold the first and second side panels 112 , 114 . as previously mentioned, the belts 312 of the first and second panel conveyors 304 , 306 are twisted 180° in the first twist direction between the first roller 314 a and the second roller 314 b. thus, as the chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 travel in the second machine direction md 2 , the first surfaces 316 of the belts 312 the first and second panel conveyors 304 , 306 twist and fold the side panels 112 , 114 around the central regions 176 to position the second end regions 174 of the side panels 112 , 114 in contact with and to connect with the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the second waist region 118 of the chassis 102 . as discussed above, the second end regions 174 of the side panels 112 , 114 may be connected with the chassis 102 in various ways, such as refastenably and/or permanently. thus, as the chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 are placed in a folded configuration such as shown in fig. 4 before advancing to the second roller 314 b. after the side panels 112 , 114 are folded and before advancing to the second roller 314 b, the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the first waist region 116 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the first chassis conveyor 306 , and the outer, garment facing surface 134 of the second waist region 118 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the second chassis conveyor 310 . in addition, portions of the chassis 102 extending along the first and second side edges 128 , 130 from the crotch region 120 to the second waist region 118 are positioned in contact with the first surfaces 316 of the belts 312 of the first and second panel conveyors 304 , 306 , respectively. further, the second surface 162 of the first side panel 112 between the central region 176 and the second end region 174 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the first panel conveyor 304 , and the second surface 162 of the second side panel 114 between the central region 176 and the second end region 174 is in contact with the first surface 316 of the belt 312 of the second panel conveyor 306 . thus, the end regions 172 , 174 of the first side panel 112 and the portions of the chassis 102 extending along the first side edge 128 from the crotch region 120 to the waist regions 116 , 118 are advanced between the first surface 316 of the first panel conveyor 304 and outer surface of the second roller 314 b. similarly, the end regions 172 , 174 of the second side panel 112 and the portions of the chassis 102 extending along the second side edge 130 from the crotch region 120 to the waist regions 116 , 118 are advanced between the first surface 316 of the second panel conveyor 304 and outer surface of the second roller 314 b. as such, the connections between the side panels 112 , 114 and the chassis 102 are compressed between the second roller 314 b and the belts 312 of the panel conveyors 304 , 306 . such compression may help to secure the connections between the side panels 112 , 114 and the chassis 102 . from the second roller 314 b, the folded chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 travel in the third machine direction md 3 and are discharged from the apparatus 300 . as previously mentioned, the belts 312 of the first and second panel conveyors 304 , 306 are twisted 180° in a second direction (opposite the first twist direction) between the second roller 314 b and the third roller 314 c to remove the twists from the belts 312 . it is to be appreciated converting apparatus 300 may be configured in various ways to accommodate a transport the chassis to the nip 302 in various ways. for example, fig. 10 shows an arrangement wherein the converting apparatus 300 includes a carrier 400 that conveys the chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 in a laid out, flat configuration such as shown in fig. 2 in the first machine direction md 1 until the second waist region 118 advances past the nip 302 . once the second waist region 118 of the chassis 102 advances past the nip 302 , the chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 are transferred from the carrier 400 to the first panel conveyor 304 , second panel conveyor 306 , first chassis conveyor 308 , and a second chassis conveyor 310 . in particular, the first waist region 116 of the chassis 102 is transferred from the carrier 400 to the first chassis conveyer 304 ; the side panels 112 , 114 are transferred from the carrier 400 to the first and second side conveyors 306 , 308 ; and the second waist region 118 of the chassis 102 is transferred to from the carrier 400 to the second chassis conveyor 310 . and a tucking mechanism 320 may redirect the crotch region 120 of the chassis 102 into the nip 302 . the carrier 400 is schematically represented in fig. 10 in the form of a belt 402 wrapped around four rollers 404 . the chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 may be held on the belt 402 with vacuum before being transferred to the first panel conveyor 304 , second panel conveyor 306 , first chassis conveyor 308 , and second chassis conveyor 310 adjacent the nip 302 as discussed above. although a single belt is shown in fig. 10 , it is to be appreciated that in some embodiments, the carrier 400 includes more than one belt. it should also be appreciated that in some embodiments the carrier 400 may be configured as a rotating drum. in such an embodiment, the chassis 102 and side panels 112 , 114 may be held to the outer surface of the drum with vacuum before being transferred to the first panel conveyor 304 , second panel conveyor 306 , first chassis conveyor 308 , and second chassis conveyor 310 adjacent the nip 302 as discussed above. the tucking mechanism 320 is schematically represented in fig. 10 . it is to be appreciated that various configurations of tucking mechanisms may be used. for example, tucking mechanism 320 may include one or more blades 322 rotated by a motor 324 , wherein the rotating blade(s) is positioned to contact the inner, body facing surface 132 of the chassis 102 in the crotch region 120 , thus redirecting the chassis 102 into the nip 302 . various examples of tucking mechanism configurations are disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 4,519,596; 4,650,173; 6,708,855; and 7,617,656, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. in some embodiments, the tucking mechanism 320 contacts and pushes the inner, body facing surface 132 of the chassis 102 in the crotch region 120 through a hole in the belt 402 to redirect the chassis 102 into the nip 302 . in carrier embodiments configured as a drum, the tucking mechanism 320 may contact and push the inner, body facing surface 132 of the chassis 102 in the crotch region 120 through a hole in the outer radial surface of the drum to redirect the chassis 102 into the nip 302 . the dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. for example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.” every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. the citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern. while particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
|
101-476-222-123-109
|
EP
|
[
"WO"
] |
H02J11/00,H02M5/08
| 2010-09-16T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"H02"
] |
power supply arrangement for a substation
|
the present invention concerns a power supply arrangement (18) for a substation, where this power supply arrangement comprises a group of reactive voltage dividing elements (20, 22, 24) connected to a first ac power line (10) that transports ac power to or from the substation and a first transformer (26) having a primary winding (pw) and a secondary winding (sw). the primary winding is connected in parallel with at least one (24) of the voltage dividing elements and the secondary winding is coupled to the substation for providing ac power for powering devices (36) of the substation. this arrangement allows cost savings in relation to transformers, especially at high voltages.
|
claims 1. a power supply arrangement (18) for a substation (12), said power supply arrangement comprising: a group (21) of reactive voltage dividing elements (20, 22, 24) connected to a first ac power line (10), said first ac power line transporting ac power to or from said substation, and - a first transformer (26) having a primary winding (pw) and a secondary winding (sw) , wherein said primary winding is connected in parallel with at least one (24) of the voltage dividing elements and said secondary winding is coupled to the substation for providing ac power for powering devices (36) of the substation . 2. a power supply arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a second transformer (34) with a primary winding coupled to the secondary winding of the first transformer and a secondary winding coupled to the substation for supplying power to devices of this substation . 3. a power supply arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the secondary winding of the first transformer is joined to the primary winding of the second transformer via a second power line (30) and further comprising a group of reactive power compensation elements (32) connected to the second power line. 4. a power supply arrangement according to any previous claim, wherein the power lines are three-phase power lines comprising three phase voltage conductors, and wherein there are three groups of voltage diving elements, each connected to a corresponding phase voltage conductor of the first power line, and wherein transformers of the arrangement are three phase transformers with one primary winding and one secondary winding per phase. 5. a power supply arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the secondary windings of the first transformer are y-connected, thereby providing a neutral point, which neutral point is coupled to ground. 6. a power supply arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the coupling to ground includes a resistor (28) . 7. a power supply arrangement according to any of claims 1 - 6, wherein a group of reactive voltage dividing elements is connected between the first power line and ground. 8. a power supply arrangement according to any previous claim, wherein the reactive voltage dividing elements are capacitive voltage dividing elements. 9. a power supply arrangement according to any of claims 1 - 7, wherein the reactive voltage dividing elements are inductive voltage dividing elements. 10. a power supply arrangement according to any previous claim, wherein the voltage dividing elements are part of a filter for filtering away frequency components that differ from the fundamental frequency of the ac voltage of the first power line. 11. a power supply arrangement according to any of claims 1 - 9, wherein the voltage dividing elements are part of a reactive compensation device. 12. a power supply arrangement according to any previous claim, wherein the relationship between voltage dividing elements of a group connected in parallel with a primary winding of the first transformer and the whole group is set according to the rated energy requirements of the devices in the substation being powered. 13. a power supply arrangement according to any previous claim, wherein the relationship between voltage dividing elements of a group connected in parallel with a primary winding of the first transformer and the whole group is set according to the reactive power rating of the group, the voltage of the first ac power line and the required active power. 14. a power supply arrangement according to any previous claim, wherein the relationship between voltage dividing elements of a group connected in parallel with a primary winding of the first transformer provides a voltage u2 to the first transformer that is the voltage ul of the first power line divided by a factor of f, where f is in the range of 1.2 - 80. 15. a power supply arrangement according to any of claims 1 - 13, wherein the relationship between voltage dividing elements of a group connected in parallel with a primary winding of the first transformer provides a voltage u2 to the first transformer that is the voltage ul of the first power line divided by a factor of f, where f is in the range of 1.6 - 40. 16. a power supply arrangement according to any of claims 1 - 13, wherein the relationship between voltage dividing elements of a group connected in parallel with a primary winding of the first transformer provides a voltage u2 to the first transformer that is the voltage ul of the first power line divided by a factor of f, where f is in the range of 1.6 - 8.
|
power supply arrangement for a substation field of invention the present invention relates to power supply of devices in substations. more particularly the present invention relates to a power supply arrangement for such a substation. background substations are used as interfaces between different parts of power transmission systems and as interfaces between different types of power transmission systems. the transmission system is the high voltage (hv) or extra high voltage (ehv) backbone of a power distribution system and has a high level of reliability and availability. a substation may be connected to an ac power line and include devices such as converters, for instance for converting between ac and dc or from ac to ac. they may also or instead include transformers. a substation is thus involved in the transfer of electrical power. however, the substation involved in this transmission of electrical power also needs to be supplied with electrical power in order to perform a number of activities, such as protection and control of transformers and converters. there are also other devices in a substation needing such power supply, for instance cooling devices such as fluid pumps and valves. because of the reliability requirements of the power transmission system also the power supply of the substation has to be reliable. as the substation is transferring power, it is then of interest to tap off some of this power from the ac power line in order to operate the various devices of the substation, i.e. in order to supply these devices with power for their operation. this may be needed if there is no local power distribution system at hand or if there is such a local power distribution system at hand that has too low reliability. furthermore, due to the importance of the substations in the electric transmission system, redundancy is often needed. there is therefore a need for two independent sources of auxiliary power, where the local power distribution system may be one and a tap off arrangement may be another. it is also possible with two separate tap off arrangements . a tapping off of power can be performed using a transformer rated for the full high voltage of the power transmission system, for instance an additional transformer connected to the ac power line. if the substation comprises a transformer employed in the transfer of power it is also possible to tap off such power using an additional auxiliary power winding on this transformer. however, the voltage used in the power transmission system is high. in these circumstances it may not be a good solution to use an additional transformer for the high transmission system voltage, because the cost of the additional transformer in relation to the power obtained may simply be too high. the use of a transformer for the full voltage in the substation may for a number of reasons also be less interesting. one reason is that it may not be needed for other purposes. when the substation is not feeding any network of lower order, no transformer may be needed for the main purpose of the substation of transmitting power at the high voltage level. it may also be of interest to avoid using such a transformer even when there is one present in the substation, for instance in order to keep the energy tapping technique uninfluenced by the configuration of this transformer. it is therefore of interest to obtain another way to tap off power from a power line than through using a transformer connected to the power line of the transmission system. the present invention is directed towards solving this problem. summary of the invention one object of the present invention is to provide a power supply arrangement for a substation, which taps off power from an ac power line without the use of a transformer connected to this power line. this object is according to the present invention obtained through a power supply arrangement for a substation, where the power supply arrangement comprises : a group of reactive voltage dividing elements connected to a first ac power line, where the first ac power line transports ac power to or from the substation, and - a first transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, wherein the primary winding is connected in parallel with at least one of the voltage dividing elements and the secondary winding is coupled to the substation for providing ac power for powering devices of the substation . the expression "coupled" used is intended to cover the possibility of an indirect electrical connection between two elements. there may thus be one or more elements placed between two elements defined as being coupled to each other. the expression "connected" is on the other hand intended to mean a direct galvanic connection of two entities to each other without any entity between them. the present invention has a number of advantages. it allows the use of smaller transformers in the tapping off of power from an ac power line. in this way an economical power supply arrangement can be obtained. this is done through using reactive voltage dividing elements, which are often present for other reasons. brief description of the drawings the present invention will in the following be described with reference being made to the accompanying drawings, where fig. 1 schematically shows a single line diagram of a first power line connected to a substation together with a power supply arrangement according to the invention connected between the first power line and the substation, and fig. 2 schematically shows a single line diagram of one embodiment of the power supply arrangement together with the first power line and a load. detailed description of the invention the environment in which the power supply arrangement according to the present invention may be provided will now first be described followed by a description of a power supply arrangement according to one embodiment of the invention. the invention concerns the tapping off of power from a power line in a power transmission system to a substation using a group of reactive voltage dividing elements. large reactive voltage dividing elements are normally present in relation to for instance high voltage direct current (hvdc) stations. they may as an example be used in order to generate reactive power. therefore the present invention is particularly suited for being employed in relation to an hvdc substation. it should however be realized that the invention is not limited to hvdc substations. in fig. 1 there is shown a single line diagram of environment in which a power supply arrangement according to the invention may be provided. in fig there can be seen a first ac power line 10 being connected to the ac side of a converter 16 for conversion between ac and dc. this converter 16 also has a dc side to which a dc power line 14 is connected. the converter 16 is here a part of a substation 12, which substation 12 is indicated through a dashed box. in the drawing there is also a power supply arrangement 18 according to the invention, which power supply arrangement 18 is connected to the first ac power line 10 as well as to the substation 12. the first ac power line 10 transports ac power to or from the substation 12. the functioning of the arrangement 18 is to tap some of this ac power from the first power line 10 and use this tapped-off power for operating devices of the substation 12. in the exemplifying environment the substation 12 is furthermore used for conversion between a high ac voltage and a high dc voltage. the first ac power line 10 may therefore be a power line in a high voltage ac power transmission system, while the dc power line may be a part of a high voltage direct current power transmission system (hvdc) . as can be seen in fig. 1, the first ac power line 10 is directly connected to the converter 16. this means that in the exemplifying environment shown in fig. 1, no high voltage transformer is needed for the converter. it lacks a transformer between converter 16 and first ac power line 10. however, it should be realized that this is no requirement, but the power supply arrangement can be used also with substations that include such transformers in the path between the first ac power line 10 and the dc power line. it should here be realized that it is also possible that other types of converters are used instead of the converter 16, such as ac/ac converters. it should thus be realized that the power supply arrangement 18 according to the present invention is not limited to be used in the type of environment shown in fig. 1. from the foregoing discussion it is also evident that the substation may be a part of or an interface to a power transmission system. fig. 2 shows a single line diagram of a power supply arrangement 18 according to a first embodiment of the invention being connected between the first power line 10 and a load 36, where the load 36 may be one or more of the devices in the substation of fig. 1. in fig. 2 there is a first group 21 of reactive voltage dividing elements connected to the first power line 10. they are also connected to ground and therefore connected between the first power line 10 and ground. as an example the group 21 here includes a first, second and third reactive voltage dividing element 20, 22 and 24 connected in series between the first power line 10 and ground. it should here be realized that the number of elements shown are only three in order to better describe the invention. the group 21 may and normally does include many more elements. in this first embodiment of the invention the reactive voltage dividing elements are all capacitors. in alternative variations of the invention, they may be reactors. the power supply arrangement 18 also comprises a first transformer 26 that is rated for a lower voltage than the transmission system voltage used on the first ac power line. the first transformer 26, has a primary winding pw connected in parallel with at least one of these voltage dividing elements, which may be in parallel with one of them. in this first embodiment it is connected to only one such element, which element is the third element 24 closest to ground. this is the most practical element to use because the potential of the series connection will be lowest here. the first transformer 26 has a secondary winding sw. in this first embodiment of the invention the secondary winding sw has a first end coupled to ground and a second end connected to a second power line 30, which second power line 30 in turn leads to a second transformer 34 and more particularly to a primary side of the second transformer 34. the second transformer 34 also has a secondary side, which in turn is connected to the load 36. in this way it can be seen that the secondary winding sw of the first transformer 26 is coupled to the substation for providing ac power for powering devices in the substation, which devices are exemplified by the load 36. it can also be seen that the primary side of the second transformer 34 is coupled to the secondary winding sw of the first transformer 26 and the secondary side of the second transformer 34 coupled to the substation for supplying power to the devices of this substation. in this first embodiment of the invention there is furthermore a group of reactive power compensation elements 32, here in the form of a series connection of reactive power compensation elements 32 connected to the second power line 30. the series connection has a first end connected to the second power line 30 as well as a second end, which second end will be described in more detail later. this series connection of reactive power compensation elements could be provided through capacitors connected in series and selectably connected into the series connection in order to provide a variable reactive compensation circuit. the first and second power lines 10 and 30 shown in fig. 2 are furthermore three-phase power lines, which means that they will according to the first embodiment of the invention have three phase voltage conductors, i.e. three conductors intended for carrying phase voltages. this also means that in this first embodiment there will be one group of voltage dividing elements between one phase voltage conductor of the first power line 10 and ground as well as one series connection of reactive compensation elements connected to each phase voltage conductor of the second power line 30. this also means that the first transformer 26 is in fact a three phase transformer having three primary windings and three secondary windings. also the second transformer 34 is a three-phase transformer having three primary windings on the primary side and three secondary windings on the secondary side. in this first embodiment of the invention the primary windings of both the first and second transformers are delta connected, which is indicated with a d in the second transformer, while the secondary windings are y- connected, indicated with a y in the second transformer. in fig. 2 the first transformer 26 is shown as only having a single primary winding pw and a single secondary winding sw even though it is a three-phase transformer. this is done in order to clarify the relationship between the primary windings and the voltage dividing elements to which they are connected. since the secondary windings of the first and second transformers are y-connected, they both have a neutral point. these neutral points are here furthermore coupled to ground, where the neutral point of the secondary windings of the second transformer is directly connected to ground, while the neutral point of the secondary windings of the first transformer is connected to ground via a resistor 28. this is shown in fig. 2 through marking the junction between the first end of the secondary winding sw of the first transformer 26 and the resistor 28 and indicating two other connections leading to this junction. these two other connections then lead to the second ends of the other secondary windings. it should here be realized that this is just one example of how the first transformer may be connected. several other possible configurations exist. also the second ends of the three groups of reactive power compensation elements are connected to each other. this is in fig. 2 also indicated through the second end of the shown group of reactive compensation elements being connected to a junction. two conductors are here shown as connected to this junction. these two conductors are intended to indicate that the second ends of the two other groups of reactive elements associated with the other phase voltage conductors are connected to this point, which in turn is grounded. in this way the reactive compensation elements are y- connected with isolated neutral point. as can also be seen in fig. 2, the first power line 10 has a first voltage ul, which is divided down to a second voltage u2 by the third voltage dividing element 24. this is in turn transformed into a third voltage u3 by the first transformer 26. finally the third voltage u3 is transformed to a fourth voltage u4 by the second transformer 34. the functioning of the power supply arrangement 18 according to the first embodiment will now be described in more detail . it is of interest to supply the devices of a substation with power through tapping off power from the first ac power line. this may be of interest for a number of reasons, such as the absence of a power distribution system or utility grid in the vicinity of the substation or if there is a local power distribution system present, which however is unstable. the power supply arrangement may here be a main or a redundant power supply arrangement . as mentioned earlier, this tapping off of power can be done using a transformer connected to the first ac power line 10, i.e. a transformer rated to the voltage of this first ac power line 10. in the exemplifying environment provided here the first ac power line 10 is provided in a high voltage ac system where the first voltage ul may as an example be 400 kv. typically this voltage may be in an interval of 300 - 800 kv. at these voltage levels such a transformer is big and also expensive. furthermore, in the example given in fig. 1, the substation 12 lacks such a main transformer. thus, there is no transformer involved in the transmission of power from the first ac power line 10 to the dc power line 14. there is thus no transformer placed between the first ac power line 10 and the converter 16. this means that the costs involved with providing a separate transformer for supply of power to the devices of the substation are high and therefore an alternative solution is desired. in the exemplifying power supply arrangement of the first embodiment this is solved through providing the group 21 of reactive voltage dividing elements 20, 22, 24, which divide the first voltage by a factor f in order to obtain a second voltage u2 and connecting the first transformer to this second voltage u2 in order to supply the required power. the second voltage u2 may here be a voltage that is set according to the power supply requirements of the substation 12. it has to be high enough to be able to supply the energy required. this means that the relationship between the voltage dividing elements of the group connected in parallel with the primary winding of the first transformer and the whole group 21 is set according to the rated energy requirements of the devices in the substation that are to be powered. this means that in the first embodiment the relationship between the third voltage dividing element 24 and the whole group 21 is set according to the reactive power rating, mvar rating, of the group 21 and here the rating of the total capacitance of the series-connected group, the size of the voltage ul and the required active power. the factor f may here be in the range of 1.2 - 80. this range may be even further limited to the range of 1.6 - 40 and selected according to the power supply requirements. it may be even further limited to the range of 1.6 - 8 and thus as an example have any of the values of 1.6, 3.1, 5.7 or 8 in order to provide a second voltage u2 of 50 kv, 70 kv, 130 kv or 245kv when the first voltage ul is 400 kv. these specific voltages are suitable because they are standard values often used. in the first embodiment of the invention the first transformer 26 then transforms the second voltage u2 to an intermediate voltage, the third voltage u3, which in the first embodiment is a voltage of 10 kv. this voltage is also a standard local power distribution system voltage. this means that standard transformers operating on the exemplifying second voltages u2 mentioned above and the exemplifying third voltage u3 of 10 kv are provided. these are readily available and a good selection when economy is of importance. it should here be mentioned that the value of the third voltage u3 is a mere example. this particular value is no requirement. the third voltage u3 may for instance be in the range of 3 - 40 kv and thus be a fraction of the first voltage ul, and the relationship that may be in the range of 1/266 - 1/8. the second transformer 34 then transforms the third voltage u3 to the fourth voltage u4, which is a voltage required for the devices of the substation. this fourth voltage u4 can as an example be 400 v, which is a type of voltage normally provided in a power distribution system or utility grid. during the supply of power the group of reactive compensation elements 32 may also be selectively connected to the second power line 30 in order to perform reactive compensation of the load 36 and perhaps also voltage control. the resistor 28 is here used for limiting the current in case of faults and may be omitted if this functionality is not desirable. in this way economical power supply is provided. it could seem like the costs are not lowered through the described solution, since transformers are still used together with added reactive voltage dividing elements and thereby the number of elements used in the power supply seem to increase. however this is in reality a chimera. reactive voltage dividing elements are normally present for other reasons, such as for being parts of reactive compensation devices or filters, for instance filters for filtering away harmonic components of the ac voltage of the first power line 10. this means that the additional reactive voltage dividing elements are actually obtained at no extra cost while allowing a smaller transformer to be used because of the voltage division. the reactive voltage dividing elements are thus put to dual use, i.e. to both act as voltage dividing element and filter element. the reactive voltage dividing elements may thus be part of a filter for filtering away frequency components that differ from the fundamental frequency of the ac voltage of the first power line. there are a number of variations that are possible to make of the present invention apart from those already mentioned. the reactive power compensation elements were above described as being connected in a y- connection in relation to the second power line. it should be realized that each group may here instead be connected in a delta-configuration. it is in fact possible that reactive compensation is not needed and therefore these elements may furthermore be completely omitted . it is also possible to omit the second transformer. if for instance the required power is so low that a low second voltage can be used, for instance a voltage of 1 kv in relation to the example of 400 kv, then it is possible to use only one transformer that directly converters from the second voltage to the fourth voltage . it should also be realized that the primary windings of each transformer may be y-connected instead and/or the secondary winding of each transformer may be delta connected instead. the invention may in fact be implemented in a single-phase system, in which case neither delta- nor y-connections are used. the devices that need to be supplied with power can include control and protection computers for the valves. however the devices requiring most energy are normally devices used for cooling such as fans and pumps . it was above mentioned that the invention is advantageous when the substation is a substation lacking a transformer operating at the voltage of the first ac power line. however, the power supply arrangement may also be combined with a transformer used in the transmission of power over this first ac power line without tapping off power from this power transmission transformer. this may be of interest when the configuration of the power supply transformer is to be different from the configuration of the power transmission transformer. the power transmission transformer may in some instances require to have a delta-connection on the side facing the converter, which may give rise to problems when also tapping off power for power supply. this is avoided with the present solution, since the first transformer used in the power supply arrangement can be configured independently of the configuration of such a power transmission transformer. from the foregoing discussion it is evident that the present invention can be varied in a multitude of ways. it should for instance be realized that other voltage and potential levels than the above described may be used. it is also evident that the reactive voltage dividing elements may be reactors instead of capacitors. it shall consequently be realized that the present invention is only to be limited by the following claims.
|
103-247-085-792-966
|
CA
|
[
"US",
"CA"
] |
E21B36/04,E21B43/24,E21B43/30,E21B49/00
| 1990-02-12T00:00:00 |
1990
|
[
"E21"
] |
in-situ tuned microwave oil extraction process
|
a method of creating a protocol for oil extraction or for enhancing oil extraction from oil reservoirs. a process of devising and applying a customized electromagnetic irradiation protocol to individual reservoirs. reservoir samples are tested to determine their content, molecular resonance frequencies and the effects of electromagnetic field on their compounds. electromagnetic field frequencies, intensities, wave forms and durations necessary to heat and/or crack individual molecules and produce plasma torches is determined. equipment are selected and installed according to the results of the laboratory tests and the geophysics of the mine. dielectric constant of the formation is reduced by draining the water and drying it with electromagnetic energy. a combination of the effects of microwave flooding, plasma torch activation, molecular cracking and selective heating are used to heat the oil within the reservoir, by controlling frequency, intensity, duration, direction and wave form of the electromagnetic field. conditions of there servoir are continuously monitored during production to act as feedback for modification of the irradiation protocol.
|
1. an in-situ method for partially refining and extracting petroleum from a petroleum bearing reservoir by irradiation of the reservoir with electromagnetic energy of high frequency of mainly microwave region, comprising: (a) ascertaining geophysical data and water content of the petroleum bearing reservoir; (b) taking at least one core sample of the reservoir; (c) testing the core sample to determine the respective amounts of constituent hydrocarbons in the petroleum, the molecular resonance frequencies of the respective constituent hydrocarbons, and the change in properties and responses of the respective constituent hydrocarbons to various frequencies, intensities, durations and wave forms of electromagnetic field energy applied to the hydrocarbons; (d) developing a strategy for the application of electromagnetic energy to a selected constituent hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir based on the results of the core sample tests and the geophysical data and water content of the reservoir; (e) excavating at least one canal or well in the reservoir for draining water from the reservoir and collecting hydrocarbons from the reservoir; (f) generating electromagnetic waves of mainly microwave frequency range and deploying the electromagnetic waves to the reservoir to irradiate a selected constituent hydrocarbon or a group of constituent hydrocarbons within the reservoir and thereby produce one or more of microwave flooding, plasma torch, molecular cracking and selective heating of the pre-determined hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir, to increase temperature and reduce viscosity of the selected constituent hydrocarbon or groups of constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir so that they flow into the underground canal or well; and (g) removing the treated selected constituent hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons from the canal or well. 2. the method of claim 1 wherein the developed strategy includes reducing the dielectric constant of the hydrocarbon in the reservoir to increase the depth of penetration of microwaves by draining water and by irradiating the reservoir with microwaves from a microwave source within the reservoir to dry water nearest the microwave source, and sequentially continue this method to the next closest region to the microwave source, until such time that as the dielectric constant of a significant portion of the reservoir is reduced and greater depth of penetration of microwaves in the reservoir is achieved. 3. the method of claim wherein the developed strategy includes controlling the intensity, direction and duration of the generated electromagnetic wave irradiation with frequencies corresponding to the molecular resonance frequencies of selected constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir, to thereby heat the hydrocarbons within the reservoir so that the hydrocarbons nearest the source of irradiation are heated and are evaporated or experience reduced viscosity so that the hydrocarbons flow into the collection canal or well under vapour pressure or gravity. 4. the method of claim 1 wherein electromagnetic waves of a predetermined substantially pure frequency corresponding to the molecular resonance frequency of a constituent hydrocarbon within the reservoir as determined by the core testing, are generated, and with a controlled intensity corresponding to such frequency. 5. the method of claim 4 wherein the predetermined substantially pure frequency and intensity correspond to the molecular resonance frequency and intensity at which the selected constituent hydrocarbon molecular cracking. 6. the method of claim 4 wherein the predetermined substantially pure frequency and intensity correspond to the molecular resonance frequency and intensity at which the selected constituent hydrocarbon within the reservoir enters an exothermic plasma phase. 7. the method of claim 4 wherein microwaves of at least one pre-determined frequency are generated to heat a selected hydrocarbon, thereby increasing its temperature and lowering its viscosity. 8. the method of claim 7 wherein irradiation microwaves are directionally controlled by a parabolic or directional antenna to provide selective heating of selected regions of the reservoir. 9. the method of claim 4 wherein the intensity, duration and direction of irradiation of at least one high intensity microwave of a frequency corresponding to the molecular resonance frequency of at least one selected constituent hydrocarbon within the reservoir is controlled to initiate a plasma torch effect in pre-determined locations within the reservoir. 10. the method of claim 9 wherein at least two high intensity microwaves are generated from separate microwave sources and focused on a selected region of the reservoir, the union of the irradiation from the two sources producing a high energy zone in the reservoir where plasma torches are activated. 11. the method of claim 1 wherein the duration, intensity and frequency of the microwaves is controlled to initially lower the viscosity of heavier selected constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir, and subsequently heat lighter selected constituent hydrocarbon in the reservoir to produce high pressure gaseous compounds which generate a pressure gradient that moves the heavier selected constituent hydrocarbons into the well or canal. 12. the method of claim 1 wherein the testing includes spectrometry of the constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir to determine the molecular resonance frequencies of the hydrocarbons. 13. the method of claim 1 wherein the testing involves exposing the core sample to an electromagnetic field of mainly microwave frequency range to determine chemical reactions and byproducts of the constituent hydrocarbons. 14. the method of claim 1 wherein the testing determines the frequency, intensity and wave form variation that induces molecular cracking of the hydrocarbons within the core sample. 15. the method of claim 1 wherein at least one electromagnetic wave generator above the reservoir generates the electromagnetic waves, the generator converting low frequency electrical energy to high frequency electromagnetic energy, and the electromagnetic energy is transferred to the reservoir by wave guides and reflectors to irradiate the selected constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir. 16. the method of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic waves are generated by a generator which transfers low frequency electrical energy to a down hole device which converts the energy to high frequency electromagnetic energy to irradiate selected constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir. 17. the method of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic waves are generated by a plurality of low power microwave generators which are placed in one or more groups above the reservoir or in a well to irradiate selected constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir. 18. the method of claim 1 wherein the area above the reservoir is covered by microwave reflective foil to reflect the electromagnetic radiation to the reservoir. 19. the method of claim 1 wherein two adjacent networks of electromagnetic irradiation are generated by two separate groups of microwave generators and the networks are utilized to have a cumulative effect. 20. the method of claim 1 wherein the reservoir is a tar sands deposit. 21. the method of claim 1 wherein the reservoir is an oil shale reservoir. 22. the method of claim 1 wherein the reservoir is a partially depleted petroleum reservoir. 23. an in-situ method for partially refining and extracting petroleum from a petroleum bearing reservoir by irradiation of the reservoir with electromagnetic energy of high frequency of mainly microwave region, comprising: (a) ascertaining geophysical data and water content of the petroleum bearing reservoir; (b) taking at least one core sample of the reservoir; (c) testing the core sample to determine the respective amounts of constituent hydrocarbons in the petroleum, the molecular resonance frequencies of the respective constituent hydrocarbons, and the change in properties and responses of the respective constituent hydrocarbons to various frequencies, intensities, durations and wave forms of electromagnetic field energy applied to the hydrocarbons; (d) developing a strategy for the application of electromagnetic energy to a selected constituent hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir based on the results of the core sample tests and the geophysical data and water content of the reservoir; (e) excavating at least one canal or well in the reservoir; (f) draining water from the reservoir to reduce the dielectric constant of the hydrocarbon in the reservoir thereby increasing the depth of penetration of microwaves which are subsequently directed to the reservoir; (g) generating electromagnetic waves of mainly microwave frequency range and deploying the electromagnetic waves to he reservoir to irradiate a selected constituent hydrocarbon or a group of constituent hydrocarbons within the reservoir and thereby produce one or more of microwave flooding, plasma torch, molecular cracking and selective heating of the pre-determined hydrocarbon or group of constituent in the reservoir, to increase temperature and reduce viscosity of the selected constituent hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir so that they flow into the underground canal or well; and (h) removing the treated selected constituent hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons from the canal or well. 24. an in-situ method for partially refining and extracting petroleum from a petroleum bearing reservoir by irradiation of the reservoir with electromagnetic energy of high frequency of mainly microwave region, comprising: (a) ascertaining geophysical data and water content of the petroleum bearing reservoir; (b) taking at least one core sample of the reservoir; (c) testing the core sample to determine the respective amounts of constituent hydrocarbons in the petroleum, the molecular resonance frequencies of the respective constituent hydrocarbons, and the change in properties and response of the respective constituent hydrocarbons to various frequencies, intensities, durations and wave forms of electromagnetic field energy applied to the hydrocarbons; (d) developing a strategy for the application of electromagnetic energy to a selected constituent hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir based on the results of the core sample tests and the geophysical data and water content of the reservoir; (e) excavating at least one canal or well in the reservoir for draining water from the reservoir and collecting hydrocarbons from the reservoir (f) covering an area above the reservoir with microwave reflective foil to reflect electromagnetic radiation to the reservoir; (g) generating electromagnetic waves of mainly microwave frequency range and deploying the electromagnetic waves to the reservoir to irradiate a selected constituent hydrocarbon or a group of constituent hydrocarbons within the reservoir and thereby produce one or more of microwave flooding, plasma torch, molecular cracking and selective heating of the selected constituent hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir, to increase temperature and reduce viscosity of the selected constituent hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons in the reservoir so that they flow into the underground canal or well; and (h) removing the treated selected constituent hydrocarbon or group of constituent hydrocarbons from the canal or well. 25. an in-situ method for partially refining and extracting petroleum from a petroleum bearing reservoir by irradiation of the reservoir with electromagnetic energy of high frequency of mainly microwave region, comprising: (a) ascertaining geophysical data and water content of the petroleum bearing reservoir; (b) taking at least one core sample of the reservoir; (c) testing the core sample to determine the amount of a selected constituent hydrocarbon contained in the petroleum; (d) determining the molecular resonance frequency of the selected constituent hydrocarbon; (e) developing a strategy for the application of electromagnetic energy to the selected constituent hydrocarbon in the reservoir based on the results of the core sample tests and the geophysical data and water content of the reservoir; (f) excavating at least one canal or well in the reservoir for collecting the selected hydrocarbon from the reservoir; (g) generating electromagnetic waves having a frequency generally identical to the molecular resonance frequency of the selected constituent hydrocarbon and deploying the electromagnetic waves to the reservoir to irradiate a selected constituent hydrocarbon within the reservoir and thereby producing one or more of microwave flooding, plasma torch, molecular cracking and selective heating of the selected hydrocarbon in the reservoir, thereby increasing a temperature and reducing a viscosity of the selected constituent hydrocarbon in the reservoir so that it flows into the underground canal or well; and (h) removing the selected constituent hydrocarbon from the canal or well.
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field of the invention this invention relates to a method of oil extraction or enhancing oil extraction from oil reservoirs with particular application for extraction from tar sands and oil shale reservoirs. background of the invention in the prior art, various aspects of application of electromagnetic energy to oil extraction have been explored. u.s. pat. nos. 2,757,783; 3,133,592; 4,140,180; 4,193,448; 4,620,593; 4,638,863; 4,678,034; and 4,743,725 have mainly dealt with development of specific apparatus for reducing viscosity by using standard microwave generators. u.s. pat. nos. 4,067,390; 4,485,868; 4,485,869; 4,638,863; and 4,817,711 propose methods of applying microwaves to heat the reservoir and extract oil. all of these methods are concerned with fixed frequencies and one specific technique of extraction. in order to provide an industrially acceptable solution, there is still a need for approaching this problem with a global outlook. since each reservoir has its own specific and individual characteristics, it requires a unique and customized protocol for oil extraction. use of microwave irradiation technology in oil reservoir extraction had limitations such as depth of penetration and efficiency. it had been believed that because of the high frequencies of microwaves and the high dielectric constant of the reservoirs, much of the microwave energy is absorbed within a short distance. thus microwaves had been considered to offer limited solution for these purposes. an important area that all previous approaches have failed to recognize is the consequences of manipulation of electromagnetic field frequency at a molecular level. current techniques have not properly addressed the efficiency and consequently the economic feasibility of a microwave process for a specific oil reservoir. summary of the invention this invention is directed to a process of developing and applying unique irradiation protocols specific and customized to the requirements of individual reservoirs. briefly the invention is a process of devising and applying an electromagnetic irradiation protocol customized to each reservoir. this protocol controls frequency, intensity, wave form, duration and direction of irradiation of electromagnetic energy in such a way that it generates and utilizes the desired combination of effects defined as microwave flooding, selective heating, molecular cracking and plasma torch activation, under controlled conditions in time and space within the reservoir. utilizing these effects makes this process the first economically feasible application of electromagnetic energy to extract oil from reservoirs. the invention is directed to an in-situ method for partially refining and extracting petroleum from a petroleum bearing reservoir by irradiation of the reservoir with electromagnetic energy of high frequency of mainly microwave region, comprising: (a) taking at least one core sample of the reservoir; (b) testing the core sample to determine the respective amounts of constituent hydrocarbons in the petroleum, the molecular resonance frequencies of the hydrocarbons, the change in properties and responses to various frequencies, intensities, durations, and wave forms of electromagnetic field energy applied to the hydrocarbons; (c) developing a strategy for the application of electromagnetic energy to the reservoir based on the results of core sample tests and geophysical data and water content of the reservoir; (d) excavating at least one canal or well in the reservoir for draining water from the reservoir and collecting hydrocarbons from the reservoir; (e) generating electromagnetic waves of mainly microwave frequency range and deploying the electromagnetic waves to the reservoir to irradiate the hydrocarbons within the reservoir and thereby produce one or more of microwave flooding, plasma torch, molecular cracking and selective heating of pre-determined hydrocarbons in the reservoir, to increase temperature and reduce viscosity of the hydrocarbons in the reservoir; and (f) removing the treated hydrocarbons from the underground canal or well. brief description of the drawings in drawings which illustrate specific embodiments of the invention, but which should not be construed as restricting or limiting the scope of the invention in any way: fig. 1 is a schematic flow chart diagram outlining the major steps of the process of the invention in devising and applying an irradiation protocol to the reservoir. fig. 2 is a representation of a drainage network with vertical wells in a petroleum reservoir. fig. 3 is a representation of a drainage network with near horizontal underground canals in a petroleum reservoir. fig. 4 is a representation of a drainage network with directionally controlled drilled wells and canals in a petroleum reservoir. fig. 5 is a representation of microwave irradiation of a reservoir by using a surface generator with wave guides and reflectors. fig. 6 is a representation of direct microwave irradiation of a reservoir by using a down hole generator. fig. 7 is a representation of direct microwave irradiation of a reservoir by using distributed underground sources. fig. 8 is a schematic representation of the test and feedback being transformed to control parameters which themselves produce heating and partial refining effects. fig. 9 is a representation of the nature of microwave flooding underground in a petroleum reservoir. fig. 10 is a graph of relative dielectric constant vs. water content of a petroleum reservoir. fig. 11 is a representation of an efficient layout of adjacent underground canal networks to contribute to each other's effect. fig. 12 is a graph of intensity vs. frequency wave length for four different hydrocarbons showing the molecular resonance frequencies as peaks. description of the preferred embodiment the subject invention involves a process of oil extraction using electromagnetic energy which exploits the effects of variation of field intensity frequency corresponding to the natural frequency of the constituent hydrocarbons within the reservoir in increasing efficiency of the process. the protocol development involves study of the reservoir through core samples as well as topographic and geophysical data. the core samples are tested to determine their content, as well as their molecular natural frequencies and effects of e.m. waves on them with respect to physical and chemical changes that can be manipulated. based on the results of these studies, an extensive network of wells and canals are developed to be used for water drainage, housing of equipment, and collection of heated oil. the dielectric constant of the reservoir is reduced by initially draining the water, and eventually evaporating the remaining moisture by using microwaves. a customized irradiation protocol is developed which requires independent control of frequency, intensity, wave form, duration and direction of electromagnetic irradiation. throughout the irradiation phase, temperature distribution, pressure gradients and dielectric constant of the reservoir are monitored to act as feedback for modification of the protocol. through this control a combination of microwave flooding, molecular cracking, plasma torch initiation, and partial liquefaction through selective heating is obtained which can efficiently heat the reservoir to extract oil. theoretically, the application of high frequency electromagnetic energy affects a petroleum bearing reservoir in the following manner. through the rapidly fluctuating electromagnetic field, polar molecules are rotated by the external torque on their dipole moment. molecules with their molecular resonance frequencies closer to a harmonic of that of the field energy, absorb more energy. this provides a means of manipulating the reservoir by exciting different molecules at different frequencies, to achieve more efficient extraction. referring to the drawings, fig. 1 is a flow chart of a process of devising and applying an irradiation protocol that outlines as an example the major steps required in customizing and applying the method of the invention to oil (petroleum) reservoirs. as shown in fig. 1, initially reservoir samples are taken and tested. simultaneously, the geophysical nature of the reservoir as well as its water content are determined through field tests and surveys. based on the results of these tests, an application strategy is designed. this application strategy includes site design consisting of access road, installations, water drainage and oil extraction network, as well as an irradiation protocol. the type of drainage network and irradiation protocol selected determine the type and quantity of equipment to be assembled. then equipment is installed and irradiation operation and extraction begins. throughout the operation, attention is given to the feedo back from the reservoir and the extracted material. based on the feedback, both irradiation protocol and the equipment are constantly modified. the following describes the steps of fig. 1 in greater detail. the first step in devising the customized irradiation protocol is to perform a number of tests on the reservoir samples. these tests include experiments to determine the effects of various frequencies, intensities, wave forms and durations of application of electromagnetic field on reservoir samples. attention is given to the resultant physical and chemical reactions, including the onset of cracking of larger molecule hydrocarbon chains into smaller ones. furthermore, tests are done to determine the molecular resonance frequencies of constituent hydrocarbons of the reservoir samples. one such relevant test is microwave spectroscopy. field tests include determination of the geophysical nature of the mine, as well as the water content of the reservoir. based on these results, an application strategy is designed. the first part of this strategy involves selection of equipment and design of underground canals and wells in the reservoir. the underground canals and wells form an extensive network which is used for three purposes. firstly, to act as a drainage system for much of the water content of the reservoir. secondly, during production stages, the network acts as housing for equipment such as microwave generators, wave guides, reflectors, data collection and feedback transducers and instruments. thirdly, the network acts as a collection system for extraction of oil from the reservoir. some typical reservoir networks are shown in figs. 2, 3, 4. these figures show some of the options available in developing such a network. different reservoirs with different depths and geology require different approaches to such development. fig. 2 shows a series of vertical wells 21. fig. 3 shows a central well 22 with an underground gallery 23 from which a series of near horizontal canals 24 emerge. these canals 24 span the cross sectional area of a part of the reservoir and act as both drainage canals and as collection canals. fig. 4 represents an inverted umbrella or mushroom network which is useful for locations where underground galleries are too costly or impractical to build. these canals 25 converge to a central vertical collection well 22 extending to the surface. the design of the network depends on both topographical and geophysical data as well as the type of equipment to be installed. the second part of the application strategy is to devise a customized irradiation protocol based on the results of the laboratory tests, and geophysical data and the water content of the reservoir. this protocol outlines a set of guidelines about choosing appropriate frequencies of electromagnetic field to be applied, controlling the time and duration of their application, field intensities, wave forms and direction of irradiation. in this way, this o invention enables control of the heating process with respect to time, in appropriate and predetermined locations within the reservoir. at the same time, control over frequencies and intensities determines the compounds within the reservoir that absorb most of the irradiated energy at that time. the design of the irradiation protocol also includes selecting and assembling appropriate equipment. as shown in fig. 5, the microwave generators 27 may be required to remain above ground, and through the use of wave guides 26 and reflectors 28 transmit microwave energy down the well 22, to irradiate the reservoir 30. alternatively as in fig. 6, there may be down-hole generators 31. a further alternative is a series of lower power microwave generators 35 which act as a number of distributed sources as shown in fig. 7. in this case, the underground canals may be of two groups. one for drainage purposes 24, and the other for equipment housing 34. in the latter two cases, illustrated in figs. 6 and 7, low frequency electrical energy is transferred from an electrical source 33 to the underground generators 31, 35 through the use of electrical cables 32. it is there that the electrical energy is converted to high frequency electromagnetic waves. in all cases the well 22 is lined with a microwave transparent casing 29. the next stage is to install the equipment on surface and within the underground network of canals and wells. furthermore, there may be a need to use reflectors or diffusers. the nature of required irradiation determines the types of reflectors or diffusers that should be used. for example, if small area irradiation is required, parabolic reflectors are used, whereas if large volume irradiation is required, diffusers and dispersing reflectors are used. furthermore, by means of reflectors, direction of irradiation can be controlled, thus adding targeting abilities to the process. in the case of distributed source, since numerous generators of identical specifications are manufactured, each generator will cost much less. in addition, the whole system becomes more reliable since failure of one generator eliminates only a small part of the generating power at that frequency, whereas with the higher power generators, one failure eliminates one frequency. after a stage of substantial water drainage is conducted, production begins. microwave irradiation proceeds according to the devised protocol. generally, as shown in fig. 8, the five parameters of frequency, intensity, wave form, duration and direction of irradiation are controlled in such a manner that within various predetermined parts of the reservoir, desired physical and chemical reactions take place. the application phase of the irradiation protocol includes the following: lowering the dielectric constant of the reservoir by draining the water through the network as a pre-production step; drying the formation by microwave flooding; activating plasma torches in various parts of the reservoir to generate heat; exposing some heavier hydrocarbons to specific frequencies which cause them to undergo molecular cracking into lighter hydrocarbons; and manipulating parts of the reservoir with various frequencies of electromagnetic field at predetermined intensities to produce the desired selective heating effect. meanwhile, through the use of transducers within the reservoir, and by testing the extracted material, a feedback loop is completed. data such as temperature distribution, pressure gradients and dielectric constant of the reservoir are monitored in order to modify and update the irradiation protocol, and to modity or include any necessary equipment. the electromagnetic wave generators used in the invention are of two types. initially klystrons which can be tuned to the frequencies near or equal to that of the molecular resonance frequencies of the hydrocarbon fluids are used. these klystrons operate until they are fine tuned to more exact operational frequencies. after the fine tuning is completed, magnetrons that produce those fine tuned frequencies are produced and replace the klystrons. magnetrons are more efficient and economical but do not give the variable frequency range that is produced by klystrons. it must be noted that in particular cases, it may be more economical and convenient to use klystrons for all parts of the operation. this is particularly the case if the molecular resonance frequencies of a number of hydrocarbons present in that reservoir falls within a small frequency band. each major step of the production phase is described below in more detail. a high dielectric constant of the reservoir was a major cause of short depth of penetration. in this invention, by draining much of the free water within the reservoir through the drainage network of canals and wells, and evaporating the remaining moisture by microwave flooding, the dielectric constant is lowered and depth of penetration increased. microwave flooding is commenced by activating electromagnetic waves corresponding to the molecular resonance frequency of water with 2.45 ghz or 8915 mhz magnetrons. as a result of heating by this process, the water layer nearest the source of irradiation is evaporated. after this stage, microwave flooding corresponding to the natural frequencies of major hydrocarbons begins. this process heats the oil nearest the source within the formation. the heating process reduces the viscosity of the oil. in certain cases, gases and lighter hydrocarbons may be heated further to generate a positive vapour pressure gradient that pushes the liquefied oil from the reservoir into the network. after drainage of this fluid, the zone which was drained remains permeable and transparent to microwaves. the microwaves then start acting on the adjacent region 37 of the reservoir, as shown in fig. 9. this figure shows the depleted zone 36 nearest the microwave source 31, and adjacent the active region 37 where the formation undergoes heating, and further unaffected zones which have to wait until the microwave flooding reaches them. in reality, as water evaporates, the dielectric constant of the reservoir is greatly reduced. this reduction as can be seen from the graph in fig. 10, increases the depth of microwave penetration, thus enabling the 2.45 ghz microwaves to gradually reach the regions further from the source. in this way, there is always some water vapour pressure generated behind the region in which petroleum is being heated. thus, there is constantly a positive pressure gradient to push the heated oil towards the collection network of canals and wells. a progressive drainage of the reservoir takes place. under certain conditions, when the hydrocarbons within the formation are exposed to high intensity microwaves, they enter an exothermic plasma phase. this well known phenomenon is referred to as plasma torch activation. during this phase, molecules undergo exothermic chemical gaseous decomposition which creates a source of heat from within the reservoir. the parameters of frequency and field intensity required to trigger plasma torch in any particular reservoir are determined from laboratory tests. therefore, in the irradiation protocol, strategic locations are determined for the activation of plasma torches to aid in heating the formation. this is generally done by using one high intensity microwave source which uses reflectors for focusing the radiation into a high energy controlled volume. alternatively, this is achieved by using a number of high intensity microwave sources that irradiate predetermined locations from different directions. the cross section of their irradiation paths exposes the formation to the required energy level, which activates plasma torches. when heavier molecule hydrocarbon chains are exposed to certain harmonics of their natural frequency, they become so agitated that the molecular chain breaks into smaller chains. this chemical decomposition is referred to as molecular cracking. during the operation, at predetermined times, the heavier molecules within the reservoir may be exposed to such frequencies of electromagnetic field energy at intensities that cause them to undergo molecular cracking. in this way, more viscous, heavier hydrocarbon molecules are broken into lighter, more fluid hydrocarbons. thus the quality of the extracted oil becomes lighter. this process is particularly useful for tar sand and oil shale deposits where the petroleum is of a heavy grade. while the depth of penetration is increased, electromagnetic wave sources of various frequencies are activated according to the results of the laboratory tests and the irradiation protocol. each frequency corresponds to the natural frequency of the molecules of one hydrocarbon. thus irradiation of the reservoir at that frequency causes the hydrocarbon molecules with that particular natural frequency to resonate. in this way, desireable hydrocarbons are exposed to and thus absorb more energy. therefore, partial liquefaction and thus partial in-situ refining is achieved before the oil leaves the reservoir. also, when necessary, the same technique can be used to evaporate lighter oils or agitate gases to generate a larger positive pressure gradient in order to facilitate the flow of liquefied hydrocarbons into the collection network. for example, microwave frequencies that excite heavier hydrocarbons may be used for a long duration initially. when their viscosity is lowered sufficiently, a short duration of another microwave frequency that excites gaseous compounds is used at high intensities to create a pressure gradient which forces the heavier hydrocarbons into the collection wells. furthermore, water, which acts as a hindrance and a problem in other techniques, can be used to advantage in this case. if a little moisture is still present in the reservoir, during the pressure building phase of the protocol, water molecules may be excited to such an extent that they produce vapour (steam) which adds to the desired pressure gradient. a microwave reflective foil 39 as shown in fig. 9, may be used to cover the surface of some reservoirs. this foil 39 has two major benefits: it prevents addition of precipitated water to the reservoir and thereby reduces the energy needed to dry the newly precipitated water. it also reflects the microwaves that reach the surface back down to the reservoir. this action increases efficiency as well as prevents possible environmental hazards. as shown in fig. 11, within a reservoir, a complex interconnecting set of underground canal and well networks may be designed. these networks are designed in such a way that the radiation from one area 38 may penetrate the region covered by another and vice versa. in this way, the energy that would otherwise have been wasted by heating the formation outside the collection zone, falls within the collection zone of an adjacent network 38, thus increasing the efficiency. finally, fig. 12 shows the spectrometry results of four specific hydrocarbons. this spectroscopy pinpoints the molecular resonance frequencies of these four hydrocarbons. most of the time, by knowing the compounds present, these frequencies can be determined by looking up tables of results. however, in some cases it may be required to perform spectrographic tests on core samples of the reservoir or particular compounds of the core samples in order to have results. example in an experiment performed in middleborough, mass., in november, 1988, 2.2 lb. samples of oil shale were irradiated by using a 1500 w magnetron, and the following facts were observed. initially, the water in the shale absorbed heat, caused expansion, and caused cracking of the shale structure, until the water was evaporated. in a next phase, sulphurous gases were emitted, followed by the emission of petroleum gases, which were larger in volume than the petroleum evaporation due to thermal heating of the same volume in a control sample. the colour of the shale changed from a light grey to a shiny tar black, as the oil was exuded from the shale. as will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.
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104-658-170-550-788
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US
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[
"US"
] |
C23C16/48,C23C16/32,C23C16/34,C23C16/40,C23C16/455,H01L21/02,H05H1/24
| 2008-11-14T00:00:00 |
2008
|
[
"C23",
"H01",
"H05"
] |
method of forming insulation film by modified peald
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a method of forming an insulation film by alternating multiple times, respectively, a process of adsorbing a precursor onto a substrate and a process of treating the adsorbed surface using reactant gas and a plasma, wherein a plasma is applied in the process of supplying the precursor.
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1 . a method of forming an insulation film by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (peald), comprising: (i) introducing a precursor into a reaction space where a substrate is placed; (ii) treating the precursor with a plasma; (iii) adsorbing the plasma-treated precursor onto a surface of the substrate; (iv) treating the adsorbed surface using a reactant gas and a plasma to form and fix a film, wherein steps (i) to (iv) constitute one cycle; and (v) repeating the one cycle multiple times until an atomic layer of a desired thickness is obtained. 2 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein no reactant gas is supplied in steps (i) to (iii). 3 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein a purge process is conducted between step (iii) and step (iv). 4 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the precursor is at least one type of compound containing silicon. 5 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the insulation film is constituted by a silicon compound. 6 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the reactant gas is no 2 , o 2 , h 2 , co 2 , n 2 o, n 2 and/or nh 3 . 7 . the method according to claim 5 , wherein the silicon compound is sio, sin, sic, sion, sicon, sico, sibn, sibo or sicn. 8 . the method according to claim 4 , wherein the compound containing silicon is an aminosilane compound. 9 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the reactant gas is also supplied in steps (i) to (iii). 10 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein rf power generating the plasma in step (ii) is lower than rf power generating the plasma in step (iv). 11 . the method according to claim 10 , wherein the rf power generating the plasma in step (ii) is less than 1/10 of the rf power generating the plasma in step (iv). 12 . the method according to claim 10 , wherein the rf power generating the plasma in step (ii) is less than 0.07 w/cm 2 per area of the substrate. 13 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the process pressures in steps (i) to (iv) are in a range of 50 to 2000 pa. 14 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the plasmas in steps (ii) and (iv) are generated in a gap between capacitively-coupled parallel plate electrodes. 15 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein in the one cycle, a duration of step (ii) is 0.2 to 5 seconds, a duration of step (iv) is 0.2 to 5 seconds, and an interval between step (ii) and step (iv) is 0 to 5 seconds.
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cross reference to related applications this application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 61/114,847, filed nov. 14, 2008, and the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. background 1. field of the invention the present invention generally relates to a method of forming an insulation film by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (peald). 2. description of the related art ald is a method of forming a film that offers a great coverage, but it presents a challenge in terms of throughput. on the other hand, cvd can achieve high film growth rates, but its coverage is not as good as what can be achieved with ald. conventional peald is a method whereby the first key material is adsorbed to the surface of the target and then a reactant gas that has been activated by a plasma is supplied to cause surface reaction with the adsorbed material (refer to us2005/0037154 a1, for example). since what is occurring is surface reaction, height gaps are covered effectively and a good coverage can be achieved. however, this reaction only involves the adsorbed material and thus the film growth rate is low. in particular, the first material is sometimes a polymer material, in which case there are unfavorable three-dimensional shapes that keep the adsorption amount low. fig. 1 ( a ) shows a sequence of first material, reactant gas and plasma application as a comparative example in this disclosure. summary in some embodiments of the present invention, the film growth rate is increased while maintaining a good coverage, to achieve a high throughput. in other words, the material is broken down using a plasma into, say, a more active material having a smaller molecular weight and thereby increase the amount of material adsorbed to the surface, because then the film growth rate of ald can be raised. in addition, the key operating principle of ald is that material molecules are chemically adsorbed to the surface in a single layer until saturation. this is why a good coverage is achieved. here, the intention is to partially activate the material, lowering the molecular size, and raise the adsorption amount. it should be noted, however, that the material may be adsorbed in multiple layers in some embodiments. under the method of forming a film proposed in some embodiments of the present invention, the precursor (also referred to as first material) is partially activated by use of a plasma, which means that the molecular weight of the material is lowered and the material is partially activated, and consequently more of this material thus activated is adsorbed to the surface. in the above, not all of the material is activated, and there are various species in terms of the activation degree, some of which are activated and some of which are not activated (the overall activation degree depends on plasma power), and in terms of the molecular size. if the activation degree of the material is high, the material may be adsorbed in multiple layers before the surface is sufficiently saturated, reducing the coverage property of deposition. in order to improve the coverage and the deposition rate, various species are generated wherein the material is partially decomposed and is partially activated by a plasma. thereafter, a reactant gas that has been activated using a plasma is supplied to cause reaction with the first material now adsorbed to the surface to form and fix a film. in ald, without the reaction with the reactant gas, the adsorbed material does not form a film. by the reaction with the reactant gas, a film is formed and fixed so that films can be stacked through multiple film-forming cycles to obtain a target film having a desired thickness. this sequence in a representative embodiment is shown in fig. 1( b ). as for applications, this method can be favorably applied to a gate spacer sin film (at a film thickness of 25 nm, for example), among others, because it can achieve an insulation film offering good coverage. for example, the peald (plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition) film growth rate of sin film based on a prior art is 0.05 nm/cycle or less. if the thickness of the target sin film to be used as a gate spacer is 25 nm, for example, 500 cycles are required (tae-ho yoon et al., “low temperature plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of silicon nitride,” abstract of ald conference 2008, hodson c., “silicon nitride and silicon oxide thin film by plasma ald,” abstract of ald conference 2008). more cycles means lower throughput. the sequence conforming to an embodiment of the present invention can achieve a film growth rate of approx. 0.15 nm/cycle based on a similar combination of material and reactant gas. this means that 167 cycles are needed to form a film of 25 nm in thickness, which is a significant improvement in throughput. in a typical embodiment, a method of forming an insulation film by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (peald) comprises: (i) introducing a precursor into a reaction space where a substrate is placed; (ii) treating the precursor with a plasma; (iii) adsorbing the plasma-treated precursor onto a surface of the substrate (without forming and fixing a film); (iv) treating the adsorbed surface using a reactant gas and a plasma to form and fix a film, wherein steps (i) to (iv) constitute one cycle; and (v) repeating the one cycle multiple times until an atomic layer of a desired thickness (e.g., less than 100 nm, depending on the application; e.g., about 30 nm as a gate spacer) is obtained. in some embodiments, no reactant gas is supplied in steps (i) to (iii). in some embodiment, the reactant gas is also supplied in steps (i) to (iii), wherein in order to control reactivity between the precursor and the reactant gas, a slow reaction compound such as non-metal, silicon-based compounds (as compared with metal-based compounds) is used as the precursor, and a less reactive gas such as nitrogen or nitrogen-containing gas (as compared with oxygen gas) is used as the reactant gas, thereby reducing generation of particles and efficiently removing unwanted deposition by cleaning. in the above embodiments, the slow reaction compound can be decomposed to smaller molecules and excited by a plasma, thereby enhancing adsorption of the smaller molecules onto a surface of the substrate. in some embodiments, a purge process is conducted between step (iii) and step (iv). in some embodiment, rf power generating the plasma in step (ii) is lower than rf power generating the plasma in step (iv). for example, the rf power generating the plasma in step (ii) may be 1 to 100 w for a 300-mm substrate, and the rf power generating the plasma in step (iv) may be more than 100 w for a 300-mm substrate. in an embodiment, the rf power generating the plasma in step (ii) is less than about 1/10 of the rf power generating the plasma in step (iv). in an embodiment, the rf power generating the plasma in step (ii) is less than about 0.07 w/cm2 per area of the substrate (less than 50 w for a 300-mm substrate). if the rf power generating the plasma in step (ii) is high, multiple sub-layers may be adsorbed on the surface, thereby increasing the deposition rate, but diminishing step coverage. in some embodiment, the plasmas in steps (ii) and (iv) are generated in a gap between capacitively-coupled parallel plate electrodes. in this disclosure, “gas” may include vaporized solid and/or liquid and may be constituted by a mixture of gases. in this disclosure, the precursor, the reactant gas, and the rare gas may be different from each other or mutually exclusive in terms of gas types, i.e., there is no overlap of gases among these categories. further, in this disclosure, any ranges indicated may include or exclude the endpoints. for purposes of summarizing aspects of the invention and the advantages achieved over the related art, certain objects and advantages of the invention are described in this disclosure. of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. further aspects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows. brief description of the drawings these and other features of this invention will now be described with reference to the drawings of preferred embodiments which are intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention. the drawings are oversimplified for illustrative purposes and are not necessarily to scale. fig. 1( a ) shows a film formation cycle according to a conventional method. fig. 1( b ) shows a film formation cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 is a schematic view of an apparatus useable in an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between thickness and cycle number according to an embodiment of the present invention (marked “b”) and according to a conventional method (marked “a”). fig. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between growth rate per cycle (gpc) and rf power applied during the precursor supply cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between coverage (a ratio of film thickness on the side wall of a trench to film thickness on the top surface) and rf power applied during the precursor supply cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 6 shows modified film formation cycles according to embodiments (1) to (8) of the present invention. fig. 7 shows modified film formation cycles according to embodiments (9) to (16) of the present invention. detailed description the present invention relates to peald; however, in conventional peald, applying a plasma to the precursor has never been considered. this is because the first step of ald which is the process of adsorbing a material (precursor) to a surface of the target is not a process of forming a film; but it is a process of substantially or nearly self-adsorption and self-saturation of the material (i.e., a non-film forming process) that adsorbs the precursor material onto a surface of a substrate. thus, even when the amount of the precursor supply increases more than a certain amount, the amount adsorbed will not increase and adsorption will stop at the level where the surface is saturated. this saturation process leads to a good coverage; however, the film growth rate is very low because the activity of the precursor is low. in an embodiment of the present invention, by treating a precursor with a plasma in the process of adsorption to the surface, the molecular weight of the precursor is lowered and the decomposed precursor is excited, enabling an increase in the adsorbed amount. materials for ald tend to have high molecular weights, causing three-dimensional interference on a surface that keeps the adsorption amount low. therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention, some molecules of the precursor are made smaller by applying a plasma (the adsorption species are formed in a gas phase), obtaining greater adsorption on the surface. as a result, the film growth rate is enabled to rise. however, if the molecules are highly activated, multi-layer adsorption occurs in some cases, increasing the film growth rate, but the coverage deteriorates. in some embodiments, the precursor is partially activated by a plasma so that some precursor species are non-activated or slightly activated, resulting in saturated adsorption and good coverage, and some precursor species are more activated, resulting in unsaturated adsorption, high deposition rate, and low coverage. by manipulating plasma power, the activation degree can be controlled, thereby obtaining a desired coverage and deposition rate. precursor species which reach the substrate surface are adsorbed thereon. in peald, the material which has adsorbed on surface is reacted with a reactant, changing the adsorbed precursor material to a film-forming substance, and ultimately the deposition or formation of film. in some embodiments, the precursor is excited by increasing the power of applied rf, which sometimes causes not single-layer but multilayer adsorption. the higher the rf power, the more the molecules are decomposed and activated. active molecules sometimes cause multi-layer adsorption, increasing deposition rate but lowering the coverage. rf power is applied to the extent that some precursor species remain non-activated or slightly activated, achieving good coverage. good coverage depends on the number of activated precursor species and their degrees of activation. to have good coverage (e.g., 80% or more), it is desirable to keep the power of applied rf low (e.g., for a substrate having a diameter of 300 mm, under 100 w, 80 w, 50 w, 30 w, and even under 10 w,) for adsorbing in the surface. in some embodiments of the present invention, a silicon group material (or silicon-containing or silicon-based material) is used as a precursor. the silicon group material has a high gas phase pressure, is a stable material, and easy to use compared to a metal material which is used in the conventional peald. in addition, the silicon group insulation film is easy to clean and removable by cleaning before it peels (sin, sio, sicn, etc. can be removed with nf3 radicals, o2 radicals, etc.). moreover the reaction is moderate even when applying a plasma in the silicon group material. therefore, silicon group material can be supplied simultaneously with a reactant (especially with reactant n2, n2o, etc., but not o2 etc., which has high reactivity), and even when a plasma is applied, the mixture does not causes the generation of particles or clogging of the showerhead. the embodiments presented herein include those specified below. it should be noted, however, that the present invention is not at all limited to these embodiments: 1) a method of forming an insulation film by alternating multiple times, respectively, a process of adsorbing a precursor onto a substrate and a process of treating the adsorbed surface using a reactant gas and a plasma, wherein a plasma is applied in the process of supplying the precursor. 2) a method according to 1), wherein a reactant gas is not supplied in the precursor adsorption process. 3) a method according to 1) or 2), wherein a purge process is provided between the precursor adsorption process and plasma treatment process using a reactant gas. 4) a method according to any one of 1) to 3), wherein the precursor is at least one type of material selected from the group that includes silicon. 5) a method according to any one of 1) to 4), wherein the insulation film is constituted by a silicon compound. 6) a method according to any one of 1) to 5), wherein the reactant gas is no 2 , o 2 , h 2 , co 2 , n 2 o, n 2 and/or nh 3 . 7) a method according to 5), wherein the silicon compound is sio, sin, sic, sion, sicon, sico, sibn, sibo or sicn. 8) a method according to 4), wherein the compound containing silicon is one of the aminosilane group. 9) a method according to any one of 1) to 8), wherein a reactant gas is also supplied in the precursor adsorption process. 10) a method according to 1), wherein the plasma power in the precursor adsorption process is lower than in the plasma treatment process using a reactant gas. 11) a method according to any one of 1) to 10), wherein the process pressures in the precursor adsorption process and plasma treatment process using a reactant gas are in a range of 50 to 2000 pa. 12) a method according to any one of 1) to 11), wherein radio frequency waves are applied to the gap between the parallel plate electrodes to generate a plasma. 13) a method according to 12), wherein the high-frequency power applied in the precursor adsorption process is 1 to 500 w. 14) a method according to 13), wherein the high-frequency power applied in the precursor adsorption process is 1 to 100 w (in some embodiments it is under 80 w, 50 w, or 30 w). in the embodiment of 2) above, reaction between the material and reactant gas in the gas phase can be suppressed because no reactant gas is supplied. accordingly, a reactant gas is not supplied in the material supply process if the reactivity of material and reactant gas is high. this is because such high reactivity may result in generation of particles. in the embodiment of 9) above, continuously supplying a reactant gas all the times improves throughput. no time for reactant purge is required, and thus, the cycle time can be shortened. in some cases, the embodiment of 9) improves the film growth rate. however, simultaneous supply of material and reactant gas followed by plasma application causes the material and reactant gas to react in the gas phase. to cause adsorption reaction to occur as close as possible onto the surface, therefore, reaction in the gas phase should be suppressed to an appropriate degree. if reaction progresses excessively in the gas phase, the film growth rate will rise but the coverage will drop. the coverage depends on the rf power as well as concentrations of material and reactant gas. if the reactivity of material and reactant gas is high, however, supplying the two simultaneously may result in particle generation. the range of how much reactant gas should be supplied, ratio of reactant gas and material gas and other conditions in the embodiment of 9) above vary according to the types of material and reactant gas. when 3dmas is used as the material, representative ranges of reactant gas flow rates are 0 to 900 sccm for n 2 ; 0 to 500 sccm for h 2 ; and 0 to 300 sccm for nh 3 in an embodiment. if the material is 3dmas-cl, it reacts with h 2 in the gas phase to generate particles. among these, h 2 , for example, can be used effectively by supplying it in the reactant gas process, but not in the material supply process. as for n 2 gas, in an embodiment it makes little difference whether or not n 2 gas is supplied in the material supply process. in the case of nh 3 , too much supply of nh 3 in the material supply process lowers the coverage in an embodiment. in an embodiment, the amount of material supply is estimated to be approx. 1 to 30 sccm. in the embodiment of 1) above, representative examples of temperature range, range of processing time and flow rate range of precursor are shown below. the temperature range is 500° c. or below in an embodiment where the base method is peald involving application of plasma. in the case of thermal ald where a plasma is not applied, on the other hand, high temperatures of 500° c. or above are required. the use of plasma makes the temperature range of the process to be low, such as 500° c. or below. in addition, a representative temperature range is 200 to 400° c. in the case of sin film. with sio film, a representative temperature range is from room temperature to 400° c. lower temperatures provide an advantage from the viewpoint of application requirements. as for processing time, representative settings are 0.1 to 10 sec in the material supply process, 0 to 2 sec during purge and 0.5 to 10 sec in the reactant gas supply process. rf is applied in the material supply process. typically when 3dmas is used as the material, 100 to 500 sccm of carrier gas is used and the flow rate of 3dmas is estimated to be 1 to 30 sccm. the same applies when head is used. the processing time mentioned above refers to the time during which precursor is supplied and radio frequency waves are applied. in the embodiment of 1) above, representative examples of temperature range, range of processing time and flow rate range of precursor for plasma treatment using a reactant gas are shown below. in an embodiment, only one plasma processing temperature is required regardless of the type of precursor adsorption process, where this one temperature is normally 500° c. or below or preferably 200 to 400° c. the plasma treatment time using a reactant gas is typically 0.5 to 10 sec. the flow rate of reactant gas is approx. 100 to 1000 sccm for h 2 and also 100 to 1000 sccm for n 2 , for example. the processing time mentioned above refers to the time during which a reactant gas is supplied and radio frequency waves are also applied. in the embodiment of 3) above, representative examples of type of gas, flow rate range of gas, range of purge processing time and pressure are shown below. in the purge process, material is not supplied but inert gas, such as ar, is supplied by approx. 100 to 3000 sccm. a reactant gas may be used in the purge process in some embodiments. typically the purge time is 0 to 2 sec, while the pressure is typically 200 to 500 pa, or approx. 50 to 2000 pa in other embodiments. note that typically evacuation is not performed after the purge. the purge time above refers to the time during which the atmosphere is exhausted while gas is still being supplied. in the embodiment of 3) above, conversely a purge process may be provided in the same manner between the plasma treatment process using a reactant gas and the precursor adsorption process. however, this purge can be omitted in some cases. the chances of this purge being omitted without presenting problems are high, so long as all gases used in the plasma treatment process using a reactant gas and in the material adsorption process are the same, except for the material gas(es). in the embodiment of 10) above, desirably the rf power should be 100 w or less in the material supply process and 100 w or more when a plasma is applied under reactant gas. the plasma power affects the film growth rate/coverage in the material supply process, while in the reactant gas supply process it is considered to affect the film quality primarily and film growth rate to some extent. accordingly, the plasma power can be adjusted as deemed appropriate. in an embodiment, the rf power in the precursor adsorption process may be 5 to 50% (in some embodiments it may be under 20% or 10%) of the rf power used in the plasma treatment process. in the embodiment of 13) above, fig. 4 shows the rf power dependence of film growth rate until 100 w. here, it should be noted that the film growth rate still maintains high dependence on the rf power at 100 w or more. however, the coverage drops at such high rf power levels ( fig. 5 ) and thus this rf power range is not used, which is a key difference between this embodiment and normal pecvd. in relation to the embodiment of 13) above, the plasma power is typically 100 to 2000 w, or preferably 100 to 1000 w, in the plasma treatment process using a reactant gas. in the embodiment of 12) above, typically the radio frequency range is around 13.56 mhz. in other embodiments, frequencies in a range of 400 khz to 3 ghz may be used. in an embodiment of the present invention, head (si 2 [nhc 2 h 6 ] 6 ), 3dmascl (si[n(ch 3 ) 2 ] 3 cl), 3emas (h 2 si[n(c 2 h 5 )ch 3 ] 3 ), 4dmas (si[n(c 2 h 6 ) 2 ] 4 ), 4deas (si[n(c 2 h 6 ) 2 ] 4 ) and other materials belonging to the aminosilane group can be used as the first material (precursor). other materials that can be used include sih 4 , si 2 h 6 , tsa ([sih 3 ] 3 n), hcds (si 2 cl 6 ), si 3 h 8 , tics (si[nco] 4 ), tbos (si[otbu] 3 oh), tdmhys (si[nhme 2 ] 4 ), among others. only one type of precursor may be used alone, or two or more types may be combined together. in an embodiment of the present invention, the reactant gas may be n 2 , h 2 , o 2 , nh 3 , ch 3 , co, c 2 h 6 , co 2 , n 2 o, b 2 h 6 , etc., (only one type of reactant gas may be used alone, or two or more types may be combined together). depending on the reactant gas(es) used, such films as sin, sio, sion, sicn, sic, sico, sicon, sion, sibn, sibo, etc., can be formed. figs. 6 ( 1 ) to ( 8 ) and figs. 7 ( 9 ) to ( 16 ) shows examples of sequences in other embodiments. in those figures, the region defined by 2 vertical dashed lines represents one cycle. ( 1 ) no purge process is provided after the reactant gas supply process. ( 2 ) reactant gas is supplied after the material gas supply process, after which rf is applied. ( 3 ) ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) are combined. ( 4 ) supply of reactant gas is started after the purge process following the completion of material gas supply process, after which rf is applied. ( 5 ) reactant gas is supplied during the cycle process. ( 6 ) reactant gas is supplied during the cycle process, and no purge is performed after the application of high rf power. ( 7 ) reactant gas is supplied during the cycle process, and no purge process is provided. ( 8 ) reactant gas is supplied during the cycle process, no purge process is provided, and the rf power is constant. ( 9 ) supply of reactant gas is started in the middle of the material supply process. ( 10 ) supply of reactant gas is started in the middle of the material supply process, and no purge is performed before the material supply process. ( 11 ) supply of reactant gas is started in the middle of the material supply process, and no purge is performed. ( 12 ) application of rf power is always on and the power is changed successively. ( 13 ) reactant gas is supplied during the material supply process. ( 14 ) rf is applied in the middle of the material supply process. ( 15 ) rf is applied in the middle of the material supply process, and no purge process is provided. ( 16 ) rf is applied only at the beginning of the material supply process, a purge process is provided, and rf is applied after the supply of reactant gas. in the above, in one cycle in some embodiments, a duration of a precursor pulse overlapped by an rf pulse may be in a range of 0.2 to 5 seconds (preferably 0.2 to 2 seconds), a duration of a reactant pulse overlapped by an rf pulse without a precursor pulse may be in a range of 0.2 to 5 seconds (preferably 0.2 to 2 seconds), and an interval between the duration of the precursor pulse overlapped by the rf pulse and the duration of the reactant pulse overlapped by the rf pulse may be in an range of 0 to 5 seconds (preferably more than 0 but less than 2 seconds). in the present disclosure where conditions and/or structures are not specified, the skilled artisan in the art can readily provide such conditions and/or structures, in view of the present disclosure, as a matter of routine experimentation. also, in the present disclosure, the numerical numbers applied in specific embodiments can be modified by a range of at least ±50% in other embodiments, and the ranges applied in embodiments may include or exclude the endpoints. examples example 1 in this example, the apparatus shown in the schematic diagram of fig. 2 was used to form a film. this apparatus comprises a reactor 11 which can be retained in a vacuum state, susceptor 1 with heating mechanism used to hold a wafer on top, shower head 2 which provides a mechanism for supplying gas, rf application mechanism 5 that generates a plasma between the shower head and susceptor, material gas supply line 8 equipped with an open/close valve 3 connected to the shower head 2 , reactant gas supply line 9 equipped with another open/close valve 4 , exhaust line 10 used to exhaust the atmosphere inside the reactor 11 , and vacuum pump 6 connected after the exhaust line via a pressure control valve 7 , among others. note that a purge gas line (not illustrated) is also connected to the shower head 2 just like the reactant gas supply line 9 . a si wafer (300 mm in diameter) is heated to 400° c., and then head si 2 [nhc 2 h 6 ] 6 being the first material, n 2 being the reactant gas, as well as ar being the carrier gas and purge gas, are introduced, with the reactor pressure adjusted to approx. 400 pa. the material carrier gas (any gas can be used as long as it is inert; ar was used in this example, but the carrier gas may be the same as or different from the purge gas) was adjusted to a flow rate of 300 sccm (which resulted in a material gas flow rate of approx. 1 to 30 sccm), while the flow rate of reactant gas n 2 was adjusted to 500 sccm. ar purge gas was introduced (1 slm) and the pressure was retained at a specified level for 1 min, after which material head was supplied together with carrier gas (by precursor pulses) for 1 sec. subsequently, the material supply was stopped and the purge process was provided (for 1 sec). then, the reactant gas n 2 was introduced (in the reactant step) for 1 sec, after which the supply of reactant gas was stopped and the purge process was implemented (for 0.5 sec). rf (13.56 mhz) was applied by 30 w in the material supply process and by 500 w in the reactant gas supply process. for comparison purposes, a similar operation was performed without applying rf in the aforementioned material supply process. fig. 1 ( a ) shows the sequence in the comparative example, while fig. 1 ( b ) shows the sequence in the present example. fig. 3 shows the thickness of sin film formed per cycle in each of these examples. in sequence a in the comparative example, the thickness of film formed per cycle was 0.03 nm, while it was 0.10 nm in sequence b in the present example. also note that in sequence b in the present example, changing the rf power in the material supply process changes the film growth rate. fig. 4 shows the relationship of rf power applied in the material supply process vs. film growth rate per cycle (gpc). the film growth rate has dependence on the rf power, where increasing the rf power increases the gpc film growth speed. at the same time, however, increasing the rf power negatively affects the coverage (film thickness on the side walls and top of trenches). fig. 5 shows the rf power dependence of coverage (for trenches with an aspect ratio (depth/opening width) of 3). as shown, higher rf power results in lower coverage. to maintain a high film growth rate while keeping the coverage at 50% or more, it is appropriate to adjust the plasma power to 100 w or less in the first material supply process. for example, assuming that a side coverage of 90% or more is desired for trenches with an aspect ratio (depth/opening width) of 3, if the rf power is 50 w or less, the required film can be formed at a growth rate of up to 0.1 nm/cycle. if the desired coverage is 85% or more, the required film can be formed at a growth rate of up to 0.15 nm/cycle with a rf power of 100 w or less. as explained above, the method explained herein can increase the film growth rate and thereby improve the throughput to the extent that the coverage, which is a function of the rf power, is acceptable. furthermore, the film formed according to the present example was confirmed to have a minimum plasma damage and the uniformity of film thickness was also excellent at 1σ=1.0%. it should be noted that an appropriate film forming pressure is 50 pa to 2 kpa, partly because a plasma can be maintained at pressures in this range and partly because the coverage becomes higher as the pressure increases. example 2 in accordance with example 1, a sio 2 film was formed using bdeas(bis(diethylamino)silane, sih 2 [n(c 2 h 5 ) 2 ] 2 as the first material and o 2 (900 sccm, supplied for 1 sec) as the reactant gas. therefore, when a conventional peald sequence ( fig. 1 ( a )), was used, the film growth rate was 0.1 nm/cycle. on the other hand, use of a sequence ( fig. 1 ( b )) similar to the one explained in example 1, where rf was applied by 10 w in the material supply process and by 300 w in the reactant gas supply process boosted the film growth rate to 0.25 nm/cycle. a good coverage was also achieved (98%). however, application of 80 w in the aforementioned material supply process resulted in a film growth rate of 1 nm/cycle and the coverage also dropped (80%). further, the film growth rate increased to 5 nm/cycle when rf was applied by 20 w in the first material process while o 2 , being the reactant gas, was being supplied (by 300 sccm). however, this led to generation of particles also at the shower head which is the gas introduction mechanism. this is probably because reaction occurring in the gas phase resulted in a cvd reaction. example 3 in accordance with example 1, a film was formed in the same manner as in example 1, except that 3emas (tris(ethylmethylamino)silane, h 2 si[n(c 2 h 5 )ch 3 ] 3 was used as the first material, 3emas was supplied simultaneously with the first reactant gas n 2 (300 sccm), rf was applied by 30 w, and then rf was turned off and the atmosphere was purged, followed by supply of the second reactant gas h 2 (500 sccm) and application of rf by 500 w. as a result, or specifically as a result of applying the reactant gases and rf in the first material supply process, the film growth rate increased (achieved film growth rate=0.1 nm/cycle). example 4 in accordance with example 1, 4dmas (tetra(dimethylamino)silane, si[n(c 2 h 6 ) 2 ] 4 was used as the first material and n 2 o was used as the reactant gas. when 3dmas and n 2 o were supplied simultaneously, rf was applied by 10 w, after which rf was turned off and the supply of 3dmas was stopped, followed by a purge time and application of rf by 500 w, a sion film was formed at a film growth rate of 0.3 nm/cycle. it will be understood by those of skill in the art that numerous and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. therefore, it should be clearly understood that the forms of the present invention are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
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104-983-169-158-980
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US
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[
"AU",
"JP",
"EP",
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G16H20/17,G16H10/60,G16H40/63,A61G12/00,A61M5/142,G06Q30/00,G06Q30/018,G16H40/67,A61M5/178
| 2013-08-30T00:00:00 |
2013
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system and method of monitoring and managing a remote infusion regimen
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system and method of monitoring and managing a remote infusion regimen a method and system for monitoring and managing a remote infusion regimen where a prescribed infusion regimen is provided and compared to subsequent infusion event data to determine if the data falls within predetermined parameters. if the data does not fall within predetermined parameters a monitoring technician, supportive caregiver, patient or some combination thereof are immediately notified so that corrective action may be taken.
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1 . a system for monitoring and managing remote compliance with an infusion regimen, comprising: a controller having a processor and database that are connected to an electronic network; a patient record stored in the database having a prescribed infusion regimen; an infusion pump located remotely to the controller and connected to an electronic device that transmits infusion event data via the electronic network to the controller where the transmitted data is stored and compared to the prescribed infusion regimen. 2 . the system of claim 1 further comprising a notification that is transmitted to at least one of a supportive caregiver, a monitoring nurse, or a technician when the transmitted infusion event data is not within predetermined compliance requirements. 3 . the system of claim 1 wherein the electronic device has a database that stores the infusion event data. 4 . the system of claim 1 wherein the database includes patient outcome information that is linked to therapeutic approaches. 5 . the system of claim 1 wherein transmission of infusion event data is linked to a billing system to ensure charge capture. 6 . a method of monitoring and managing remote compliance with an infusion regiment, comprising the steps of: prescribing a remote infusion regimen; storing the prescribed remote infusion regimen in a patient record of a database of a controller having a processing unit and a display; capturing data on a remote electronic device of an infusion event for a patient using an infusion pump; transmitting and then storing the captured infusion event data to the database of the controller via an electronic network; comparing the transmitted infusion event data with the prescribed infusion regimen; and transmitting a notification to a monitoring caregiver based upon the comparison. 7 . the method of claim 6 further comprising the step of transmitting a notification to a supportive caregiver from the controller via the electronic network when the transmitted infusion data is not compliant with the prescribed infusion regimen. 8 . the method of claim 6 further comprising the step of transmitting the infusion event data to a database of an infusion pump manufacturer via the electronic network to allow development of improved pump usage statistics. 9 . the method of claim 6 wherein the captured infusion event data is stored in a database on the electronic device of the supportive caregiver. 10 . a system for monitoring and managing remote compliance with an infusion regimen, comprising: an infusion pump having a processor and a database wherein the database includes a prescribed infusion regimen and stores infusion event data; an electronic device disposed within an infusion pump and connected to an electronic network; a controller having a processing unit, a database, and a display that receives infusion event data from the electronic device via the electronic network and compares the transmitted event data with the prescribed infusion regimen to determine compliance. 11 . the system of claim 10 wherein the controller provides a notification to a monitoring caregiver when the infusion event data is not in compliance. 12 . the system of claim 10 wherein the infusion pump provides a code to a patient on completion of an infusion event which the patient provides to a monitoring caregiver following a successful infusion event. 13 . the system of claim 10 wherein the controller on the infusion pump compares infusion event data with predetermined anticipated data to determine compliance. 14 . the system of claim 10 having a pharmacy system interface to capture orders. 15 . the system of claim 10 wherein the monitoring caregiver display provides on-screen triage of multiple remote infusion activity.
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background of the invention this invention is directed to a system and method that automates compliance of use of an infusion pump and more particularly a system and method that increases the probability that a prescribed infusion regimen is followed. ambulatory pumps are used on patients that can actively ambulate, which presents unique challenges in the care and management of patients. within a healthcare setting, patients on ambulatory pumps remain under observation which limits non-compliance opportunities. in the home or other alternate site locations it becomes difficult to monitor and enforce patient compliance with prescribed infusion protocols. home infusion patients generally prefer to be home versus the hospital in many cases, but can become non-compliant with infusion plans due to the technical challenges of managing infusions, a desire to skip or terminate treatments, or inadvertent misses. compliance with prescribed infusion plans is particularly important in the home setting as there is typically an expense associated with incorrectly followed infusion schedules. antibiotics, the most ubiquitous home infusion medication class, are typically effective only if completed in a full protocol. the patient who feels better on day three or four and subsequently fails to complete a planned seven day infusion regimen will likely require a hospital re-admission, often through the emergency room, thereby negating the financial benefits and patient preference benefits of out-of-hospital infusion strategies. such non-compliance becomes noteworthy not only to the patient but to the hospital as well as the payer/insurer, who generally supports alternate care strategies in order to avoid or truncate hospitalizations. other medications delivered at home include medical necessities such as tpn, protein-derived therapeutics (which are typically very expensive), and oncolytics. all of these medications' effectiveness are dictated by timely and complete compliance. payers generally will continue to be very invested in paying for home infusions that are in fact correctly administered. further, discharging hospitals are growing more invested in post-discharge patient outcomes through pay-for-performance incentives and re-admission metrics are growing in importance through accountable care evolution. in the past, compliance with home infusion plans has been loosely monitored through phone calls to patients or caregivers to ask about compliance. further, compliance has been indirectly monitored through observation of appropriate re-order needs for iv medications and infusion supplies. also, home nursing visits could be used to apply either of the two above techniques as well as ascertain probability of compliance based on patient condition. finally, pump infusion and event history downloads can be used to note likely compliance. these techniques provide some guidance but do not offer a full perspective on patient compliance as phone inquiries can be misleading, medication inventory can be manipulated, home nurse visits may be infrequent, and pump activity downloads provide ex-post facto compliance datum but certainly are not timely enough to be actively useful. therefore, a need exists in the art for a system and method that addresses these deficiencies. an objective of the present invention is to provide a system and method that fully automates compliance monitoring and management of an infusion pump regimen. another objective of the present invention is to provide a system and method to link a prescribed infusion regiment to what is actually carried out by the home patient. a still further objective of the present invention is to provide a system and method that increases the probability that a patient follows a prescribed infusion regimen. yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a system and method that increases the probability that an incomplete or incorrect regimen is addressed early in the non-compliance cycle. still, another objective of the present invention is to provide a system and method that captures value for a patient, a payer, an alternate site caregiver, and a discharging hospital. one more objective of the present invention is to provide a system and method that increases motivation to use pumps for home infusions, whereby pumps can generally provide a safer means of controlled medication infusion than gravity infusions and provide a means by which to electronically capture the medication delivery details. these and other objectives will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art based upon the following written description, drawings, and claims. summary of the invention a system and method for monitoring and managing remote compliance with an infusion regimen includes a healthcare provider having a controller with a processing unit, a database and a display. the database includes a plurality of patient records that include prescribed infusion regimens and patient outcome data. a patient is provided medication, an infusion pump, and one or more infusion sets in order to perform an infusion event at a remote location. upon completing an infusion event, infusion event data is captured and transmitted to the healthcare provider where the data is stored in the patient outcome data and compared to the prescribed infusion regimen to determine if the data is within predetermined parameters. notification is then provided to a monitoring technician and the patient. further, the anticipated infusion schedule is automatically monitored in order to trigger messaging or notification to the healthcare provider and/or patient in the event that appropriate infusion confirmation is not provided to match the infusion schedule within an appropriate time window. alternatively, the prescribed infusion regimen is downloaded to the infusion pump. the infusion event data from an infusion event is captured and compared with anticipatory infusion event data within the pump. if successful, the patient and/or supportive caregiver are provided with a code which is transmitted to the healthcare provider. if not within predetermined parameters an alarm or other notification is provided to the patient and/or supportive caregiver. this alarm or notification can be transmitted automatically through cellular communications, internet communications, or other means. alternatively, the prescribed infusion regimen is downloaded to the infusion pump. the infusion event data from an infusion event is captured and compared with anticipatory infusion event data within the pump. if the infusion schedule is not followed, the patient and/or supportive caregiver are messaged to initiate the infusion or to facilitate communication between the patient and caregiver. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic view of a system for managing and monitoring a remote infusion regimen; fig. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for managing and monitoring a remote infusion regimen; and fig. 3 is a flow diagram of a method for managing and monitoring a remote infusion regimen. detailed description of the preferred embodiments referring to the figures a system and method of monitoring and managing a remote infusion regimen 10 includes a monitoring healthcare provider 12 such as a discharging hospital, having a controller 14 with a processing unit 16 , a database 18 , and a display 20 . the database 18 includes a plurality of patient records 22 and therapeutic approaches 24 . included in the patient record 22 is personal information 26 related to the patient 28 , an infusion regimen 30 that has been prescribed by the healthcare facility 12 , and patient outcome data 32 . once the patient 28 has been prescribed an infusion regimen 30 , which may consist of one or many infusions, the patient 28 is discharged from the healthcare facility 12 . medications 34 , an infusion pump 36 , and one or more pump tubing infusion sets 38 are provided to the patient 28 for remote use in the patient's home or other remote location 40 . a monitoring clinician 41 such as a nurse, case manager or similar healthcare technician visits the remote location to train infusion techniques to the patient and/or a supportive caregiver 42 which includes a friend, a family member, or other individual who will initiate an infusion event 44 . with each infusion event 44 , infusion event data 46 is captured by an electronic device 48 connected to the infusion pump 36 . infusion event data includes, but is not limited to, start time, end time, medication, flow rate events, alarms, and the like. infusion event data 46 may also include infusion set disconnections from the bag or patient. the electronic device 48 includes a cellular telephone, wi-fi, cable, modem link or the like and any combination of the above. in one embodiment, the electronic device 48 includes a processing unit 50 , and a database 52 . the electronic device may be separate from the infusion pumps or could be integrated within the infusion pump. once the infusion event data 46 is captured in real time, the data 46 is transmitted from the electronic device 48 , via an electronic network, to the controller 14 , where the data 46 is stored in the patient outcome data 32 in the patient record 22 . the infusion event data 46 may also be stored on the database 52 of electronic device 48 or transferred to the patient record 22 in packets or through post infusion events. the transmitted infusion event data 46 is compared by the processing unit 16 to the prescribed infusion regimen 30 to determine if the infusion event 44 is in compliance with the prescribed infusion regimen 30 . the results of the comparison are stored in the patient record 22 and shown on display 20 . the display 20 may show information related to a single patient record 22 , or may provide an on-screen triage of multiple home patients for a dashboard-type snapshot of infusion activity. in addition, if no infusion event data 46 is transmitted within a predetermined time period, this information is recorded in the patient record 22 and shown on display 22 . if the comparison of the infusion event data 46 with the prescribed infusion regimen 30 is not within pre-established parameters or if no infusion data 46 has been transmitted within a predetermined time period, the monitoring technician 41 is notified automatically by the controller 14 either through the display 20 , or a communication to the monitoring technician's electronic device 53 such as by e-mail or text message. in addition, the patient 28 and/or supportive caregiver 42 may also be notified by the controller 14 via the electronic network by a communication to the electronic device 48 . further, the prescribed infusion regimen would be monitored automatically to identify missed infusions or incomplete infusions (i.e., those started but not successfully completed) or highly problematic infusions consisting of numerous alarms or inconsistencies. upon notification, a skipped infusion or truncated regimen is immediately known, providing the opportunity to notify the patient 28 , send out a nurse 41 , or respond in another manner. in addition to notification, the controller automatically generates a report on patient compliance against an approved prescribed regimen or clinical pathway for the payer, hospital, caregiver, and physician. the transmitted infusion event data 46 may also be tied to a billing system 54 for the healthcare provider 12 to ensure charge capture, and may be linked to the electronic device 55 of a manufacturer 56 to allow for development of improved pump usage statistics. also, the patient record 22 has an interface 58 to capture orders from computerized physician order entry (cpoe) and/or pharmacy systems and an interface 60 for the electronic medical record (emr) to log therapies. in an alternative embodiment, the prescribed infusion regimen 30 is downloaded and stored in an electronic device 59 that includes a communication engine, wireless card or the like that is within the infusion pump 36 and the monitoring technician 41 is provided remote access through an electronic network to the infusion event data 46 that is stored on a database 61 within pump 36 . also, the pump would be provided with one or more predetermined codes 62 that are provided to the patient 28 and/or the supportive caregiver 42 upon completion of a successful infusion event 44 which is then provided to the monitoring technician 41 either through the electronic network such as by e-mail or through a telephone call. the monitoring technician has access to the predetermined code 62 which is stored in the patient record 22 and can monitor the remote infusion event 44 when the code is received. in addition, the infusion event data 46 is compared to anticipated infusion data 64 that is stored on the infusion pump 36 , with subsequent infusion event data 46 download or exception reporting to the patient record 22 or other caregiver-accessible database 52 . when the infusion event data is not within pre-established parameters of prescribed or anticipated infusion regimens an on-pump alarm 66 is activated. thus, patients 28 are notified immediately if they are not performing infusions within the allotted time, at appropriate start times, or the like. accordingly, a method and system of monitoring and managing the compliance of a remote infusion regimen has been disclosed that at the very least, meets the stated objectives.
|
105-879-953-361-719
|
JP
|
[
"US",
"JP"
] |
H03F3/30
| 1990-07-16T00:00:00 |
1990
|
[
"H03"
] |
class-ab push-pull drive circuit
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a class-ab push-pull drive circuit comprises a p channel mos transistor having a source connected with a dc power source, a drain connected with an output terminal and a control electrode coupled with an input terminal through a voltage-to-current converter and a current-to-voltage converter and an n channel mos transistor having a source grounded, a drain connected with the output terminal and a control electrode coupled with the input terminal. conversion characteristics of the converters are so set that a potential difference between the control electrodes of the transistors is kept constant independently of the voltage of an input signal. thus, the rise and fall of voltage at the output terminal during the conducting state of respective transistors is decreased. in addition, a push-pull drive operation by the transistors can be achieved in accordance with the input signal.
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1. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit, comprising: first and second power terminals for applying different first and second power potentials, respectively; input and output terminals supplied with input and output signals, respectively; a first transistor one electrode of which is connected to said output terminal, the other electrode of which is connected to said first power terminal, and a control electrode of which is coupled to said input terminal and is supplied with voltage corresponding to voltage of said input signal, conduction of the first transistor being controlled in accordance with a potential difference between the control electrode thereof and the other electrode thereof; a second transistor opposite in polarity to said first transistor, one electrode of which is connected to said output terminal, and the other electrode of which is connected to said second power terminal, conduction of the second transistor being controlled in accordance with a potential difference between a control electrode thereof and the other electrode thereof; a voltage-to-current converter coupled to said input terminal for generating current corresponding to the voltage of said input signal; and a current-to-voltage converter connected between an output of said voltage-to-current converter and the control electrode of said second transistor for converting said current into voltage to supply the voltage to the control electrode of said second transistor, wherein conversion characteristics of said voltage-to-current converter and said current-to-voltage converter are established so that a potential difference between the control electrodes of said first and second transistors is held constant independently of the voltage of said input signal. 2. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a buffer circuit connected between said input terminal and said control electrode of said first transistor as well as said voltage-to-current converter for buffering said input signal to supply the input signal to said control electrode of said first transistor and said voltage-to-current converter. 3. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit in accordance with claim 2, wherein said buffer circuit comprises a third transistor having one electrode connected with said second power terminals, the other electrode connected with said voltage-to-current converter and a control electrode connected with said input terminal. 4. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit in accordance with claim 3, wherein said buffer circuit further comprises a constant current source and a fourth transistor having one electrode connected with said first power terminal through said constant current source, the other electrode connected with said other electrode of said third transistor and a control electrode connected with said other electrode of oneself and said control electrode of said first transistor. 5. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit in accordance with claim 1, wherein said voltage-to-current converter comprises a resistor and a third transistor having one electrode connected with said current-to-voltage converter, the other electrode connected with said first power terminal through said resistor and a control electrode coupled with said input terminal. 6. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit in accordance with claim 1, wherein said voltage-to-current converter comprises a first resistor, a third transistor having one electrode coupled with said input terminal through said first resistor, the other electrode coupled with said first power terminal and a control electrode connected with said one electrode of oneself, and a fourth transistor having one electrode connected with said current-to-voltage converter, the other electrode coupled with said first power terminal and a control electrode connected with said control electrode of said third transistor. 7. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit in accordance with claim 6, wherein said voltage-to-current converter further comprises a second resistor connected between said other electrode of said third transistor and said first power terminal and a third resistor connected between said other electrode of said fourth transistor and said first power terminal. 8. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit in accordance with claim 1, wherein said current-to-voltage converter comprises a resistor, a third transistor having one electrode connected with said voltage-to-current converter through said resistor, the other electrode connected with said second power terminal and a control electrode, and a fourth transistor having one electrode connected with said first power terminal, the other electrode connected with said control electrode of said third transistor and a control electrode connected with said voltage-to-current converter. 9. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit in accordance with claim 8, wherein said current-to-voltage converter further comprises a constant current source connected between said control electrode of said third transistor and said second power source. 10. a class-ab push-pull drive circuit in accordance with claim 9, further comprising another constant current source connected between said control electrode of said fourth transistor and said first power terminal.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a class-ab push-pull drive circuit used for an audio circuit and the like and more particularly to the expansion of an operating range of an output voltage thereof. 2. description of the prior art fig. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional push-pull drive circuit. as shown in fig. 3, an input terminal 1 is connected to the gate of an n channel mos transistor q.sub.10. the source of the transistor q.sub.10 is grounded, and the drain thereof is connected to the gate of a p channel mos transistor q.sub.1 and to the drain of a p channel mos transistor q.sub.9 in which the gate and the drain are connected in common. the source of the transistor q.sub.9 is connected to the source of an n channel mos transistor q.sub.8. the drain of the transistor q.sub.8 is connected to the gate of an n channel mos transistor q.sub.2 and to one end of a resistor r.sub.3. the and gate of trasistor q.sub.8 is connected to the other end of the resistor r.sub.3. the other end of the resistor r.sub.3 is connected through a constant current source i.sub.4 to the positive side of a dc power source 3. the negative side of the dc power source 3 is grounded. the source of the transistor q.sub.1 is connected to an output terminal 2, and the drain thereof is grounded. the source of the transistor q.sub.2 is connected to the output terminal 2, and the drain thereof is connected to the positive side of the dc power source 3. if a gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.8 is designated by v.sub.gs8, a gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.9 by v.sub.gs9, drain currents of the transistors q.sub.8 and q.sub.9 by i.sub.b4, a gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.2 by v.sub.gs2, a drain current thereof by i.sub.d2, a gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.1 by v.sub.gs1, and a drain current thereof by i.sub.d1, the following equations hold: ##equ1## where .beta..sub.8 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.8, .beta..sub.9 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.9, .beta..sub.2 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.2, .beta..sub.1 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.1, v.sub.thon is a threshold voltage of the n channel transistors, and v.sub.thop is a threshold voltage of the p channel transistors. with respect to a potential difference between the gate of the transistor q.sub.2 and the gate of the transistor q.sub.3, the following equation holds: v.sub.gs2 +v.sub.gs1 =v.sub.gs8 +v.sub.gs9 -r.sub.3 i.sub.b4( 5) where r.sub.3 is a resistance value of the resistor r.sub.3, and i.sub.b4 is a bias current from the constant current source i.sub.4. as is obvious from the equations (5), (1) and (2), the potential difference between the gates of the transistors q.sub.1 and q.sub.2 can be held constant by setting r.sub.3 and i.sub.b4 appropriately. when the equations (1), (2), (3) and (4) are substituted in the equation (5), the following equation holds: ##equ2## where i.sub.b3 is a constant bias current supplied from a constant current source i.sub.3. the value on the right side of the equation (6) is constant independently of the drain currents i.sub.d1 and i.sub.d2 of the transistors q.sub.1 and q.sub.2 in an output stage. accordingly, it can be expressed as follows: ##equ3## if the current which flows from the drain of the transistor q.sub.2 to the drain of the transistor q.sub.1, while no load current is present in the output terminal 2, is designated by i.sub.idle, i.sub.idle =i.sub.d1 =i.sub.d2 the following equation holds: ##equ4## this current value can be held sufficiently small by increasing the resistance value r.sub.3. when load is connected to the output terminal 2 and an outflow current i.sub.source is present, the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs2 of the transistor q.sub.2 is increased. in such a case, because the voltage between the gates of the transistors q.sub.1 and q.sub.2 is constant as expressed by the equation (5), the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs1 of the transistor q.sub.1 is decreased and, as a result, the drain current i.sub.d1 of the transistor q.sub.1 is decreased. in this state, if the drain current i.sub.d1 of the transistor q.sub.1 is disregarded, an increasable maximum voltage v.sub.2max of the output terminal 2 can be found by the following equations: ##equ5## where e is a voltage value of the dc power source 3. in a normal enhancement cmos structure, v.sub.thon is about 0.8v. for sufficient current flow in the transistor q.sub.2, .sqroot.2i.sub.source /.beta..sub.2 must be about 0.5 v. according to the equation (10), the increasable maximum voltage v.sub.2max of the output terminal 2 is less than the voltage value obtained by subtracting 1.3 v from the source voltage e. when a load is connected to the output terminal 2 and an inflow current i.sub.sink is present, the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs1 of the transistor q.sub.1 is increased. also in this case, because the voltage between the gates of the transistors q.sub.2 and q.sub.1 is constant as expressed by the equation (5), the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs2 of the transistor q.sub.2 is decreased and, as a result, the drain current i.sub.d2 of the transistor q.sub.2 is decreased. in this state, if the drain current i.sub.d2 of the transistor q.sub.2 is disregarded, an decreasable minimum voltage v.sub.2min of the output terminal 2 can be found by the following equations: ##equ6## in the normal enhancement cmos structure, v.sub.thop is about 0.8 v. for sufficient current flow in the transistor q.sub.1, .sqroot.2i.sub.sink /.beta..sub.1 must be about 0.5 v. according to the equation (12), the decreasable minimum voltage v.sub.2min of the output terminal 2 is more than 1.3 v. in the conventional class-ab push-pull drive circuit as constructed above, the attainable maximum and minimum output voltages from the output terminal 2 are (e-1.3)v and 1.3 v respectively, and therefore there has been a problem that the operating range of the output voltage is narrow. summary of the invention according to the present invention, a class-ab push-pull drive circuit comprises first and second power terminals for applying different first and second power potentials, respectively. input and output terminals are supplied with input and output signals, respectively, and a first transistor is provided, having one electrode connected to the output terminal, another electrode connected to the first power terminal, and a control electrode coupled to the input terminal and supplied with a the voltage corresponding to voltage of the input signal. conduction of the first transistor is controlled in accordance with a potential difference between the control electrode thereof and the other electrode thereof. a second transistor opposite in polarity to the first transistor, having one electrode connected to the output terminal, and another electrode connected to the second power terminal. conduction of the second transistor is controlled in accordance with a potential difference between a control electrode thereof and the other electrode thereof. a voltage-to-current converter is coupled to the input terminal for generating current corresponding to the voltage of the input signal, and a current-to-voltage converter is connected between an output of the voltage-to-current converter and the control electrode of the second transistor for converting the current into voltage to supply the voltage to the control electrode of the second transistor. conversion characteristics of the voltage-to-current converter and the current-to-voltage converter are established so that a potential difference between the control electrodes of the first and second transistors is held constant independently of the voltage of the input signal. the first and second transistors according to the present invention are opposite in polarity to each other. the conduction of the transistors is controlled in accordance with the potential difference between the control electrodes and the other electrodes, respectively. the respective other electrodes thereof are connected to the first and second power terminals. therefore, the rise and fall of voltage at the output terminal during the respective conducting states of the first and second transistors is reduced. furthermore, the conversion characteristics of the voltage-to-current converter and the current-to-voltage converter are established so that the potential difference between the control electrodes of the first and second transistors is held constant independently of the voltage of the input signal. therefore a push-pull drive operation by the first and second transistors can be achieved in accordance with the input signal. accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a class-ab push-pull drive circuit having a wide operating range of an output voltage. these and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing one preferred embodiment of a class-ab push-pull drive circuit according to the present invention; fig. 2 is a circuit diagram showing another preferred embodiment of the class-ab push-pull drive circuit according to the present invention; and fig. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional class-ab push-pull drive circuit. detailed description of the preferred embodiments fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing one preferred embodiment of a class-ab push-pull drive circuit according to the present invention. the class-ab push-pull drive circuit comprises a buffer circuit 11, a voltage-to-current converter 12 and a current-to-voltage converter 13. the buffer circuit 11 is composed of an n channel mos transistor q.sub.3, a p channel mos transistor q.sub.4 and a constant current source i.sub.1. the gate of the transistor q.sub.3 is connected to an input terminal 1, the source thereof is connected to the source of the transistor q.sub.4, and the drain thereof is connected to the positive side of a dc power source 3. the gate and drain of the transistor q.sub.4 are grounded in common. the common gate and drain of the transistor q.sub.4 are connected to the gate of an n channel mos transistor q.sub.11 and grounded through the constant current source i.sub.1. the current-to-voltage converter 12 is composed of an n channel mos transistor q.sub.5 and a resistor r.sub.1. the gate of the transistor q.sub.5 is connected to the source of the transistor q.sub.3 in the buffer circuit 11, and the source thereof is grounded through the resistor r.sub.1. the current-to-voltage converter 13 is composed of p channel mos transistors q.sub.6 and q.sub.7, a constant current source i.sub.2, and a resistor r.sub.2. the source of the transistor q.sub.6 is connected to the positive side of the dc power source 3, and the drain thereof is connected to the gate of a p channel mos transistor q.sub.12 and to one end of the resistor r.sub.2. the other end of the resistor r.sub.2 is connected to the gate of the transistor q.sub.7 and to the drain of the transistor q.sub.5 in the voltage-to-current converter 12 and is grounded through a constant current source i.sub.3. the source of the transistor q.sub.7 is connected to the gate of the transistor q.sub.6 and to the positive side of the dc power source 3 through the constant current source i.sub.2, with the drain thereof grounded. the drain of the transistor q.sub.11 is connected to an output terminal 2, and the source thereof is grounded. the drain of the transistor q.sub.12 is connected to the output terminal 2, and the source thereof is connected to the positive side of the dc power source 3. the negative side of the dc power source 3 is grounded. in this preferred embodiment, the p channel transistor q.sub.12 is provided between the output terminal 2 and the dc power source 3 and the n channel transistor q.sub.11 is provided between the output terminal 2 and the ground as drive transistors in an output stage. the buffer circuit 11, the voltage-to-current converter 12 and the current-to-voltage converter 13 are provided so that a potential difference between the bases of the transistors q.sub.11 and q.sub.12 is held constant at all times independently of the input voltage of the input terminal 1. the buffer circuit 11 converts an input signal with high impedance into a signal with low impedance and supplies the gate of the transistor q.sub.11 with voltage corresponding to the input voltage of the input terminal 1. the current-to-voltage converter 12 generates current corresponding to the input voltage. this current is converted into voltage again by the current-to-voltage converter 13, which outputs such voltage that decreases (or increases) a gate-source voltage v.sub.gs12 of the transistor q.sub.12 correspondingly when the input voltage is increased (or decreased) and a gate-source voltage v.sub.gs11 of the transistor q.sub.11 is increased (or decreased). thereby (v.sub.gs11 +v.sub.gs12) is held constant at all times, and the potential difference between the gates of the transistors q.sub.11 and q.sub.12 (i.e., e-(v.sub.gs11 +v.sub.gs12)) is also held constant at all times. if a gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.4 is designated by v.sub.gs4, a drain current thereof by i.sub.b1 (a bias current from the constant current source i.sub.1), the gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.11 by v.sub.gs11, a drain current thereof by i.sub.d11, a gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.5 by v.sub.gs5, a drain current thereof by i.sub.d5, a gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.7 by v.sub.gs7, a drain current thereof by i.sub.b2 (a bias current from the constant current source i.sub.2), a gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.6 by v.sub.gs6, a drain current thereof by i.sub.d6, the gate-source voltage of the transistor q.sub.12 by v.sub.gs12, a drain current thereof by i.sub.d12, a gate potential of the transistor q.sub.5 by v.sub.a, and a bias current from the constant current source i.sub.3 by i.sub.b3, the following equations hold: ##equ7## where .beta..sub.4 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.4, .beta..sub.11 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.11, .beta..sub.5 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.5, .beta..sub.6 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.6, .beta..sub.7 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.7, .beta..sub.12 is a constant determined by the configuration of the transistor q.sub.12, v.sub.thon is a threshold voltage of the n channel transistors, and v.sub.thop is a threshold voltage of the p channel transistors. from the equations (19) and (20), the following equations hold: ##equ8## where r.sub.1 and r.sub.2 are resistance values of the resistors r.sub.1 and r.sub.2, respectively. here, i.sub.d6 =i.sub.d5 +i.sub.b3, and thereby the following equation is obtained from the equations (21) and (22): v.sub.gs12 =v.sub.gs6 +v.sub.gs7 -(r.sub.2 /r.sub.1).multidot.(v.sub.gs11 +v.sub.gs4 -v.sub.gs5)-r.sub.2 i.sub.b3 (23) on the other hand, the equations (13) to (18) are transformed into the following equations: ##equ9## letting r.sub.1 =r.sub.2 for simplification, the equation (23) can be transformed into the following equation: v.sub.gs11 +v.sub.gs12 =v.sub.gs6 +v.sub.gs7 -v.sub.gs4 +v.sub.gs5 -r.sub.2 i.sub.b3 (30) since i.sub.b1 and i.sub.b2 are constant bias currents supplied from the constant current sources i.sub.1 and i.sub.2 respectively, v.sub.gs4 and v.sub.gs7 are constant from the equations (24) and (28). assuming that the change of i.sub.d5 is small, v.sub.gs5 and v.sub.gs6 are approximately constant from the equations (26) and (27). by setting r.sub.2 i.sub.b3 appropriately, (v.sub.gs11 +v.sub.gs12) can be held constant at all times. the potential difference between the gates of the transistors q.sub.11 and q.sub.12, which is e-(v.sub.gs11 +v.sub.gs12), can be held constant at all times by holding (v.sub.gs11 +v.sub.gs12) constant. when the equations (24) to (29) are substituted in the equation (17), the following equation holds: ##equ10## letting r.sub.1 =r.sub.2 for simplification as described above, the following equation holds: ##equ11## assuming that the change of i.sub.d5 is small as above-mentioned, ##equ12## can be obtained because the value on the right side of the equation (33) is approximately constant. if current which flows from the drain of the transistor q.sub.2 to the drain of the transistor q.sub.1, while no load current is present in the output terminal 2, is designated by i.sub.idle, i.sub.idle =i.sub.d11 =i.sub.d12 and the following equation holds from the equation (33): ##equ13## this current value can be held sufficiently small by increasing r.sub.2 i.sub.b3. when a load is connected to the output terminal 2 and an outflow current i.sub.source is present, the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs12 of the transistor q.sub.12 is increased. in such a case, because the potential difference between the gates of the transistors q.sub.11 and q.sub.12 is approximately constant, as expressed by the equation (30), the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs11 of the transistor q.sub.11 is decreased and, as a result, the drain current i.sub.d11 of the transistor q.sub.11 is decreased. in this state, an increasable maximum voltage v.sub.2max of the output terminal 2 can be expressed by the following equation: v.sub.2max =e-v.sub.12sat (36) where v.sub.12sat is a saturation voltage of the transistor q.sub.12. this saturation voltage v.sub.12sat can be sufficiently small (e.g., 0.2 v or less). hence, according to the drive circuit of this preferred embodiment, the voltage is operable up to a value much higher than the maximum voltage of the conventional circuit of fig. 3 expressed by the equation (10). when load is connected to the output terminal 2 and an inflow current i.sub.sink is present, the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs11 of the transistor q.sub.11 is increased. in such a case, because the potential difference between the gates of the transistors q.sub.11 and q.sub.12 is approximately constant as expressed by the equation (30), the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs12 of the transistor q.sub.12 is decreased and, as a result, the drain current i.sub.d12 of the transistor q.sub.12 is decreased. in this state, a decreasable minimum voltage v.sub.2min of the output terminal 2 can be expressed by the following equation: v.sub.2min =v.sub.11sat (37) where v.sub.11sat is a saturation voltage of the transistor q.sub.11. this saturation voltage v.sub.11sat can be sufficiently small (e.g., 0.2 v or less). hence, according to the drive circuit of this preferred embodiment, the voltage is operable to a value much lower than the minimum voltage of the conventional circuit of fig. 3 expressed by the equation (12). according to this preferred embodiment, the attainable maximum and minimum output voltages of the output terminal 2 are (e-0.2)v and 0.2 v respectively, and thus an advantage is that the operating range of the output voltage is sufficiently wide in comparison with the conventional circuit. fig. 2 is a circuit diagram showing another preferred embodiment of the class-ab push-pull drive circuit according to the present invention. in this preferred embodiment, the voltage-to-current converter 12 comprises resistors r.sub.4 to r.sub.6 and a current mirror circuit composed of n channel mos transistors q.sub.21 and q.sub.22. the gate and drain of the transistor q.sub.21 are connected in common, and the common junction is connected through the resistor r.sub.6 to the source of the transistor q.sub.3 in the buffer circuit 11. the source of the transistor q.sub.21 is grounded through the resistor r.sub.4. the gate of the transistor q.sub.22 is connected to the gate of the transistor q.sub.21, the drain thereof is connected to the common junction of the resistor r.sub.2 and the gate of the transistor q.sub.7 in the current-to-voltage converter 13, and the source thereof is grounded through the resistor r.sub.5. other structure of this preferred embodiment is similar to that of the circuit of fig. 1. in the circuit structure according to this preferred embodiment, the gate voltage of the transistor q.sub.22 is adapted to be decreased so that the transistor q.sub.22 connected to the current-to-voltage converter 13 can be operated on a lower power voltage in comparison with the transistor q.sub.5 in the circuit of fig. 1. in the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, conversion characteristics of the voltage-to-current converter 12 and the current-to-voltage converter 13 are established so that the increase (or decrease) in the input voltage causes the current in the voltage-to-current converter 12 to increase (or decrease) and accordingly the output voltage of the current-to-voltage converter 13 supplied with that current decreases (or increases) the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs12 of the transistor q.sub.12. however, the conversion characteristics of the voltage-to-current converter 12 and the current-to-voltage converter 13 may be established so that the increase (or decrease) in the input voltage causes the current in the voltage-to-current converter 12 to decrease (or increase) and accordingly the output voltage of the current-to-voltage converter 13 supplied with that current decreases (or increases) the gate-source voltage v.sub.gs12 of the transistor q.sub.12. furthermore, in the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, the drive circuit may be constituted so that, by reversing the potential e of the dc power source 3 and the ground potential, the respective transistors q.sub.3 to q.sub.7, q.sub.11, q.sub.12, q.sub.21 and q.sub.22 are reversed in polarity of p and n channels. although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation. the spirit and scope of the present invention should be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.
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109-163-759-522-672
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NL
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E04F15/02,E04F15/10,E04F13/076,E04F13/077,E04F13/18,E04F13/08
| 2018-10-26T00:00:00 |
2018
|
[
"E04"
] |
panel, in particular a floor panel or wall panel, and panel covering
|
a panel comprising a centrally located core, at least one first coupling part and at least one second coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core, which first coupling part comprises an upward tongue, at least one upward flank lying at a distance from the upward tongue and an upward groove formed in between the upward tongue and the upward flank wherein the upward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of a downward tongue of a second coupling part of an adjacent panel: which second coupling part comprises a downward tongue, at least one downward flank lying at a distance from the downward tongue, and a downward groove formed in between the downward tongue and the downward flank, wherein the downward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of an upward tongue of a first coupling part of an adjacent panel.
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1 . a panel, in particular a floor panel, ceiling panel, or wall panel, comprising: a centrally located core provided with an upper side and a lower side, which core defines a plane; at least one first coupling part and at least one second coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core, which first coupling part comprises: an upward tongue, at least one upward flank lying at a distance from the upward tongue, and an upward groove formed in between the upward tongue and the upward flank wherein the upward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of a downward tongue of a second coupling part of an adjacent panel, at least one first locking element, provided at a distant side of the upward tongue facing away from the upward flank; wherein at least a part of a proximal side of the upward tongue, facing the upward flank, is upwardly inclined towards the upward flank, which second coupling part comprises: a downward tongue, at least one downward flank lying at a distance from the downward tongue, and a downward groove formed in between the downward tongue and the downward flank, wherein the downward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of an upward tongue of a first coupling part of an adjacent panel; at least one second locking element adapted for co-action with a first locking element of an adjacent panel, said second locking element being provided at the downward flank, wherein at least a part of a proximal side of the downward tongue, facing the upward flank, is downwardly inclined towards the downward flank, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that in coupled condition a pretension is existing, which forces the respective panels at the respective edges towards each other to secure a tight seam between the panels, wherein this is performed by applying overlapping contours of the downward tongue and the upward groove and/or overlapping contours of the upward tongue and the downward groove, and wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that the two of such panels can be coupled to each other by means of a vertical movement, such that, in coupled condition, wherein, in coupled condition, at least a part of the downward tongue of the second coupling part is inserted in the upward groove of the first coupling part, such that the downward tongue is clamped by the first coupling part and/or the upward tongue is clamped by the second coupling part, and wherein the upward tongue is oversized with respect to the downward groove and/or wherein the downward tongue is oversized with respect to the upward groove; and wherein a distal side of the downward tongue and the upward flank define contact surfaces for creating said tight seam between adjacent panels in coupled condition, wherein said contact surfaces are entirely positioned above a highest point of the upward tongue. 2 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein a part of a side of the downward tongue facing away from the downward flank is provided with a third locking element, in the form of an outward bulge, adapted for co-action with a fourth locking element, in the form of a recess, of an adjacent panel; and wherein at least a part of the upward flank is provided with a fourth locking element, in the form of a recess, adapted for co-action with the third locking element, in the form of an outward bulge, of an adjacent panel. 3 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the first locking element comprises a bulge, and wherein the second locking element comprises a recess. 4 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein in a coupled state of adjacent panels, the upward tongue and the downward flank are in contact at mating surfaces immediately adjacent and below the coupled first locking element and the second locking element. 5 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the width of the upward tongue is oversized with respect to the width of the downward groove. 6 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the maximum width of the upward tongue exceeds the maximum width of the downward groove. 7 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the seam defines a vertical plane, wherein the downward tongue is entirely situated at the same side of said vertical plane. 8 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the contact surface of said downward tongue defines an extremity of the second coupling part. 9 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein in coupled condition of adjacent panels, a distance is present in between said upward flank and said downward tongue directly below said co-acting contact surfaces. 10 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein said contact surfaces are entirely positioned above a highest point of the downward groove. 11 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the width of the downward tongue is oversized with respect to the width of the upward groove. 12 . the panel according to claim 11 , wherein the maximum width of the downward tongue exceeds the maximum width of the upward groove. 13 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the downward tongue is equal to or smaller than the height of the upward groove. 14 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the upward tongue is at least 3%, or at least 5% oversized with respect to the downward groove. 15 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein a lower side of the first coupling part is provided with a recessed portion configured to allow downward bending of the upward tongue, such that the upward groove is widened to facilitate coupling of two panels. 16 . the panel according to claim 11 , wherein, in a coupled state of adjacent panels, the upward tongue of the coupled first coupling part is bent outwardly and the upward groove of said first coupling part is widened compared to the uncoupled state of said first coupling part. 17 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein during coupling the upward tongue bends downwardly, and then returns in the direction of its initial position. 18 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the upper side of the upward tongue is inclined, and runs downward from the proximal side of the upward tongue, facing toward the upward flank, towards the distant side of the upward tongue, facing away from the upward flank. 19 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are integrally formed with the core. 20 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are made of a flexible material or of a semi-rigid material. 21 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the core comprises a plurality of layers. 22 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the panel comprises a plurality of first coupling parts and a plurality of second coupling parts. 23 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the panel has a polygonal shape, a square shape or rectangular shape. 24 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the panel has a parallelogramical shape, wherein two pairs of adjacent edges enclose an acute angle, and wherein two pairs of other adjacent edges enclose a obtuse angle. 25 . the panel according to claim 1 , wherein the panel comprises at least one third coupling part and at least one fourth coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core, wherein the third coupling part comprises: a sideward tongue extending in a direction substantially parallel to the upper side of the core, at least one second downward flank lying at a distance from the sideward tongue, and a second downward groove formed between the sideward tongue and the second downward flank, wherein the fourth coupling part comprises: a second groove configured for accommodating at least a part of the sideward tongue of the third coupling part of an adjacent panel, said second groove being defined by an upper lip and a lower lip, wherein said lower lip is provided with an upward locking element, wherein the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part are configured such that two of such panels can be coupled to each other by means of a turning movement, wherein, in coupled condition: at least a part of the sideward tongue of a first panel is inserted into the second groove of an adjacent, second panel, and wherein at least a part of the upward locking element of said second panel is inserted into the second downward groove of said first panel. 26 . the panel according to claim 25 , wherein the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part are configured such that a coupled condition is substantially free of pretension between the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part. 27 . a covering, a floor covering, ceiling covering, or wall covering, comprising a plurality of mutually coupled panels according to claim 1 .
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cross-reference to related applications this application is the united states national phase of international application no. pct/ep2019/076442 filed sep. 30, 2019, and claims priority to the netherlands patent application no. 2021886 filed oct. 26, 2018 and the u.s. application ser. no. 17/288,011 filed sep. 30, 2019, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. background of the invention field of the invention the present invention relates to a panel, in particular a floor panel, ceiling panel, or a wall panel. the invention also relates to a covering, in particular a floor covering, ceiling covering, or wall covering, comprising a plurality of mutually coupled panels according to the invention. description of related art the last decade has seen enormous advance in the market for laminate for hard floor covering. it is known to install floor panels on a underlying floor in various ways. it is, for example, known that the floor panels are attached at the underlying floor, either by gluing or by nailing them on. this technique has a disadvantage that is rather complicated and that subsequent changes can only be made by breaking out the floor panels. according to an alternative installation method, the floor panels are installed loosely onto the subflooring, whereby the floor panels mutually match into each other by means of a tongue and groove coupling, whereby mostly they are glued together in the tongue and groove, too. the floor obtained in this manner, also called a floating parquet flooring, has as an advantage that it is easy to install and that the complete floor surface can move which often is convenient in order to receive possible expansion and shrinkage phenomena. a disadvantage with a floor covering of the above-mentioned type, above all, if the floor panels are installed loosely onto the subflooring, consists in that during the expansion of the floor and its subsequent shrinkage, the floor panels themselves can drift apart, as a result of which undesired gaps can be formed, for example, if the glue connection breaks. in order to remedy this disadvantage, techniques have already been through of whereby connection elements made of metal are provided between the single floor panels in order to keep them together. such connection elements, however, are rather expensive to make and, furthermore, their provision or the installation thereof is a time-consuming occupation. floor panels having complementarily shaped coupling parts at opposing panel edges are also known. these known panels are typically rectangular and have complementarily shaped angling-down coupling parts at opposing long panel edges and complementarily shaped fold-down coupling parts at opposing short panel edges. installation of these known floor panels is based upon the so-called fold-down technique, wherein the long edge of a first panel to be installed is firstly coupled to or inserted into the long edge of an already installed second panel in a first row, after which the short edge of the first panel is coupled to the short edge of an already installed third panel in a second row during lowering (folding down) the first panel, which installation fulfils the targeted requirement of a simple installation. in this manner a floor covering consisting of a plurality of parallel oriented rows of mutually coupled floor panels can be realized. wo2017/115202 for example describes a floor panel for forming a floor covering, wherein the floor covering consists of floor panels, which, on at least one pair of edges, are provided with coupling parts, that these coupling parts substantially are manufactured from the material of the floor panel, and that these coupling parts are configured such that two such floor panels, at said pair of edges, can be installed and locked to each other by means of a downward movement and/or by means of the fold-down principle. summary of the invention it is an object of the invention to provide a panel, wherein multiple panels can be mutually coupled in an improved manner. according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a panel according to the preamble, comprising: a centrally located core provided with an upper side and a lower side, which core defines a plane; at least one first coupling part and at least one second coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core, which first coupling part comprises: an upward tongue, at least one upward flank lying at a distance from the upward tongue, and an upward groove formed in between the upward tongue and the upward flank wherein the upward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of a downward tongue of a second coupling part of an adjacent panel, wherein at least a part of a proximal side of the upward tongue, facing the upward flank, is upwardly inclined towards the upward flank, which second coupling part comprises: a downward tongue, at least one downward flank lying at a distance from the downward tongue, and a downward groove formed in between the downward tongue and the downward flank, wherein the downward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of an upward tongue of a first coupling part of an adjacent panel; wherein at least a part of a proximal side of the downward tongue, facing the upward flank, is downwardly inclined towards the downward flank, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that in coupled condition a pretension is existing, which forces the respective panels at the respective edges towards each other, wherein this preferably is performed by applying overlapping contours of the first coupling part and the second coupling part, in particular overlapping contours of downward tongue and the upward groove and/or overlapping contours of the upward tongue and the downward groove, and wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that the two of such panels can be coupled to each other by means of a fold-down movement and/or a vertical movement, such that, in coupled condition, wherein, in coupled condition, at least a part of the downward tongue of the second coupling part is inserted in the upward groove of the first coupling part, such that the downward tongue is clamped by the first coupling part and/or the upward tongue is clamped by the second coupling part and wherein the upward tongue is oversized with respect to the downward groove. according to a second aspect, the invention relates to a panel according to the preamble, comprising: a centrally located core provided with an upper side and a lower side, which core defines a plane; at least one first coupling part and at least one second coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core, which first coupling part comprises: an upward tongue, at least one upward flank lying at a distance from the upward tongue, an upward groove formed in between the upward tongue and the upward flank wherein the upward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of a downward tongue of a second coupling part of an adjacent panel, and at least one first locking element, preferably provided at a distant side of the upward tongue facing away from the upward flank, which second coupling part comprises: a downward tongue, at least one downward flank lying at a distance from the downward tongue, a downward groove formed in between the downward tongue and the downward flank, wherein the downward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of an upward tongue of a first coupling part of an adjacent panel, and at least one second locking element adapted for co-action with a first locking element of an adjacent panel, said second locking element preferably being provided at the downward flank, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that in coupled condition a pretension is existing, which forces the respective panels at the respective edges towards each other, wherein this preferably is performed by applying overlapping contours of the first coupling part and the second coupling part, in particular overlapping contours of the downward tongue and the upward groove and/or overlapping contours of the upward tongue and the downward groove, and wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that the two of such panels can be coupled to each other by means of a fold-down movement and/or a vertical movement, such that, in coupled condition, wherein, in coupled condition, at least a part of the downward tongue of the second coupling part is inserted in the upward groove of the first coupling part, such that the downward tongue is clamped by first coupling part, such that at least a part of the second coupling part is clamped by the first coupling part and/or at least a part of the first coupling part is clamped by the second coupling part, and wherein the upward tongue is oversized with respect to the downward groove. the pretension referred to means that the coupling parts exert forces onto each other in coupled condition, which are such that the coupling parts, and hence the respective panels at the respective edges are forced (pushed) towards each other, wherein the first coupling part and the complementary second coupling part mutually cooperate in a clamping manner. this will significantly improve the stability and reliability of the coupling of the first coupling part and the second coupling part, and will prevent the coupling parts from drifting apart (which would create a gap in between adjacent panels), while maintaining the big advantage that the panels are configured to be coupled by means of a fold-down movement and/or vertical movement, also referred to as a scissoring movement or zipping movement, and hence by using the user-friendly fold-down technology. the pretension is preferably realized by using overlapping contours of the first coupling part and the second coupling part, in particular overlapping contours of the downward tongue and the upward groove and/or overlapping contours of the upward tongue and the downward groove. overlapping contours doesn't mean that the complete contour should overlap, and merely requires that at least of part of the (outer) contour of the first coupling part overlaps with at least a part of the (outer) contour of the second coupling part. the contours are typically compared by considering the contours of the first coupling part and the second coupling part from a side view (or cross-sectional view). by applying overlapping contours, the first coupling part and/or the second coupling part will typically remain (elastically) deformed, in particular squeezed and/or bent, in a coupled state, provided the desired stability of the coupling. normally, with overlapping contours the downward tongue will be (slightly) oversized with respect to the upward groove, and/or the upward tongue will be (slightly) oversized with respect to the downward groove. however, it should be understood that overlapping contours may also be realized in another manner, for example by applying overlapping first and second locking elements. during coupling of the panels, the upward tongue may be (elastically) deformed, in particular squeezed and/or bent. bending will take place from its initial position (slightly) in outward direction, away from the upward flank. a bent state of the upward tongue may remain in the coupled state of two panels. the bending angle of the proximal side of the upward tongue, facing the upward flank, will commonly be restricted and situated in between 0 and 2 degrees. the oversize should be sufficiently large to realize the desired pretension, which pretension normally takes place already at a minimum oversize, though should at the other hand preferably be sufficiently limited to allow and secure proper and user-friendly installation. preferably, the width of the downward tongue is oversized with respect to the width of the upward groove. this oversize is typically in the order magnitude of 0.05-0.5 mm. the maximum width of the downward tongue preferably exceeds the maximum width of the upward groove. this will commonly further contribute to keeping the panels push to each other to keep the coupling, and hence the seam, as tight (free of play) as possible. in order to secure the panels in a single (horizontal) plane, it is advantageous in case the height of the downward tongue is equal to or smaller than the height of the upward groove. the upward tongue is oversized with respect to the downward groove. the width of the upward tongue is oversized with respect to the width of the downward groove. here, the maximum width of the upward tongue exceeds the maximum width of the downward groove, which also leads to pretension between the first coupling part and second coupling part. however, in this case it is preferred that the downward groove is not widened during coupling, or at least does not remain widened in coupled condition, in order to secure a tight seam between the panels and the prevent an offset between the panels. in case the panels edges are chamfered, in particular bevelled, a small offset will not be visible though, which therefore allow a small offset (due to (slight) widening of the downward groove and upward bending of the downward tongue in coupled condition). the height of the upward tongue is preferably equal to or smaller than the height of the downward groove. this will facilitate the keep coupled panels are the same level (within a joint (horizontal plane). this oversize, preferably the (maximum) width oversize and/or the cross-sectional surface area oversize, of the upward tongue with respect to the downward groove is typically in the order magnitude of 0.05-0.5 mm. this would result in an acceptable extend of pretension wherein, in a coupled condition, the respective panels at the respective edges are forced towards each other, wherein the first coupling part and the complementary second coupling part mutually cooperate in a clamping manner without causing significant (undesired) material stress. it is however also conceivable that the oversize of the tongue is in the order of magnitude of 0.5 to 1.0 mm, or wherein the oversize is over 1 mm. when the oversize is over 1 mm it might be desirable to use a slightly flexible (semi-rigid) core material. the oversized tongue may possibly slightly deform during coupling and/or in the coupling condition. it is for example also conceivable that at least a part of the upward tongue is at least 3%, and preferably at least 5% oversized with respect to at least a part of the downward groove, in particular at least of part of the downward groove which is configured to co-act with said oversized part of the upward tongue (in coupled condition of adjacent panels). this can be in the width direction, and/or this can be a cross-sectional surface area oversize, but may also be the case for the tongue as a whole. the upward tongue can also be oversized with respect to the downwards groove in a vertical direction, preferably such that, in a coupled condition, the oversized upward tongue is slightly forced in a downward direction by the downward groove. this is in particular possible if a recessed portion is present underneath the upward tongue which provides room for the upward tongue to bend downwards. in a non-coupled condition of panel having such configuration, the overlap of the contours of the upward tongue with respect to the downward groove can be relatively large. the locking elements of the coupling parts contribute to the locking of coupled panels. the cooperation of the tongues and the grooves for instance contributes to a horizontal locking, or locking in the plane of the coupled panels. the first and second locking elements typically contribute either to the vertical locking, or locking in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the coupled panels, or they contribute to rotational locking, such that two panels cannot be swivelled free, or that such swivelling is reduced. in a preferred embodiment, a lower side of the first coupling part is provided with a recessed portion configured to allow downward bending of the upward tongue, preferably such that the upward groove is widened to facilitate coupling of two panels. by providing the recessed portion, a space is created underneath the first coupling part which allows and facilitates downward bending (deflection) of the upward tongue can be taken up by tongue material during coupling. this deflection of the upward tongue allows the upward groove to widen at least during coupling, which larger upward groove facilitates coupling of two panels into each other. this widened state of the upward groove and bent state of the upward tongue may remain in coupled state of adjacent panels. typically, during coupling of the panels, the upward tongue may bend downwardly into the recessed portion, and then returns at least partially in the direction of its initial position. in a coupled state of the first coupling part and the second coupling part of adjacent panels, the coupling parts typically force the panels towards each other under a tension force exerted by at least one of the coupling parts. this tension force forces coupled panels together, or towards each other, and thus increases the locking of coupled panels. in case the upward tongue remains in bended state in a coupled condition of adjacent panels, at least a part of the upward tongue will be situated slightly lower than the initial position of the upward tongue in uncoupled state. the difference in height between the initial position (in uncoupled state) and the bended position (in coupled state) may be between 0.1 and 5 mm, typically between 0.2 and 2 mm. the recessed portion may for instance be formed by a milled out groove, that when the panel is placed on a horizontal subfloor or surface, also extends in horizontal direction. alternatively, the groove extends from a distance of the bottom side of the panel. typically, the first coupling part comprises a lower bridge connected to the core of the panel, wherein the upward tongue is connected to said lower bridge and extends in upward direction with respect to said lower bridge. the recessed portion, preferably a chamfered portion, may be positioned underneath the upward tongue only. however, it is commonly more preferred in case the recessed portion is positioned underneath both at least a part of the upward tongue and at least a part of the lower bridge, preferably at least half of the width of the lower bridge. this latter embodiment will commonly facilitate bending of the upward tongue with respect to the lower bridge. the recessed portion normally extends to the distal side of the upward tongue, facing away from the upward flank. in cross-sectional view of the panel, the recessed portion may have a substantially rectangular cross section. with cross sectional view, a view is intended that is taken along one of the main directions of the panel. panels, or floor panels, tend to have a square or rectangular shape, wherein the cross sectional view is taken along one of the centre lines of the panel. such shape is relatively easy to produce, for instance by milling out a portion of the panel with conventional milling techniques. this milled out part of the panel may be used as resource in the production of future panels. however, it is also imaginable that the recessed portion is a chamfered portion having an (upwardly) inclined surface with respect to the plane defined by the panel. typically this chamfered portion and (a remaining part of) the lower side of the panel mutually enclose an obtuse angle, which is commonly more robust, and hence less fragile and vulnerable compared to material surfaces enclosing an acute angle and/or a perpendicular. the inward transition from the recessed portion to (a remaining part of) the lower side of the panel may at least be partially curved, or the inward transition from the recessed portion to the core of the panel may be square. a curved transition of the recessed portion allows for a smooth transition between the recessed portion and the core, wherein forces exerted on the panel may be transferred rather smoothly as well. on the other hand, a square transition is relatively easy to manufacture. in a preferred embodiment the—normally sole (and hence complete)—upper side of the upward tongue is downwardly inclined from the proximal side of the upward tongue, facing the upward flank, towards the distal side of the upward tongue, facing away from the upward flank. preferably, at least a part of, and preferably the complete, upper side of the downward groove is inclined downwardly towards the downward flank. preferably, both inclinations mutually enclose an angle between (and including) 0 and 5 degrees. the inclination of the upper side of the upward tongue is preferably situated between 15 and 45 degrees, more preferably between 25 and 35 degrees, and is most preferably about 30 degrees, with respect to a horizontal plane (being a plane defined by the panel). the inclination of the upper side of the upward tongue is preferably constant, which means the upper side has a substantially flat orientation. preferably, the upper side of the downward groove has a, preferably likewise (compared to the inclination of the upper side of the upward tongue) inclining orientation, which is more preferably upward in the direction of downward tongue. as already indicated above, typically the first coupling part comprises a lower bridge connected to the core of the panel, wherein the upward tongue is connected to said lower bridge and extends in upward direction with respect to said lower bridge. an upper side of the lower bridge defines a lower side of the upward groove. also typically, the second coupling part comprises an upper bridge connecting the core with the downward tongue, wherein the downward tongue extends downwardly with respect to said upper bridge. a lower side of the upper bridge defines an upper side of the downward groove. applying an inclined upper side of the downward groove will result in a varying thickness of the upper bridge, as seen from the core in the direction of the downward tongue. this position-dependent bridge thickness, wherein the bridge thickness is preferably relatively large close to the core and relatively small close to the downward tongue, bridge thickness has multiple advantages. the thicker part of the upper bridge, close to the core, provides the bridge more and sufficient strength and robustness, while the thinner part of the upper bridge, close to the sideward tongue and/or downward tongue, forms the weakest point of the bridge and will therefore be decisive for the location of first deformation (pivoting point) during coupling. since this point of deformation is located close to the downward tongue the amount of material to be deformed to be able to insert the downward tongue into the upward groove of an adjacent panel can be kept to a minimum. less deformation leads to less material stress which is in favour of the life span of the coupling part(s) and hence of the panel(s). in the coupled state of adjacent panels, the upper side of the first downward recess or second downward recess could be at least partially, and preferably substantially completely, supported by the upper side of the upward locking element, which provides additionally strength to the coupling as such. to this end, it is advantageous that the inclination of the upper side of the downward groove substantially corresponds to the inclination of the upper side of the upward tongue. this means that the inclination of the upper side of the downward is preferably situated between 15 and 45 degrees, more preferably between 25 and 35 degrees, and is most preferably about 30 degrees, with respect to a horizontal plane. this inclination may be either flat or rounded, or eventually hooked. the first locking element comprises a bulge, and the second locking element comprises a bulge. the bulge is commonly adapted to be at least partially received in the recess of an adjacent coupled panel for the purpose of realizing a locked coupling, preferably a vertically locked coupling. it is also conceivable that the first locking element and the second locking are not formed by a bulge-recess combination, but by another combination of co-acting profiled surfaces and/or high-friction contact surfaces. in this latter embodiment, the at least one locking element of the first locking element and second locking element may be formed by a (flat of otherwise shaped) contact surface composed of a, optionally separate, plastic material configured to generate friction with the other locking element of another panel in engaged (coupled) condition. examples of plastics suitable to generate friction include: acetal (pom), being rigid and strong with good creep resistance. it has a low coefficient of friction, remains stable at high temperatures, and offers good resistance to hot water;nylon (pa), which absorbs more moisture than most polymers, wherein the impact strength and general energy absorbing qualities actually improve as it absorbs moisture. nylons also have a low coefficient of friction, good electrical properties, and good chemical resistance;polyphthalamide (ppa). this high performance nylon has through improved temperature resistance and lower moisture absorption. it also has good chemical resistance;polyetheretherketone (peek), being a high temperature thermoplastic with good chemical and flame resistance combined with high strength. peek is a favourite in the aerospace industry;polyphenylene sulphide (pps), offering a balance of properties including chemical and high-temperature resistance, flame retardance, flowability, dimensional stability, and good electrical properties;polybutylene terephthalate (pbt), which is dimensionally stable and has high heat and chemical resistance with good electrical properties;thermoplastic polyimide (tpi) being inherently flame retardant with good physical, chemical, and wear-resistance properties.polycarbonate (pc), having good impact strength, high heat resistance, and good dimensional stability. pc also has good electrical properties and is stable in water and mineral or organic acids; andpolyetherimide (pei), maintaining strength and rigidity at elevated temperatures. it also has good long-term heat resistance, dimensional stability, inherent flame retardance, and resistance to hydrocarbons, alcohols, and halogenated solvents. preferably, at least in an uncoupled condition of the panel, the first locking element is positioned at a higher level than the second locking element. preferably, a centre line (centre axis) of the first locking element is positioned at a higher level than a centre line (centre axis) of the second locking element. hence, preferably, at least in an uncoupled condition of the panel, the first locking element and the second locking element have an offset position. in coupled condition of the panel with another panel, the first locking element of a first panel may be positioned at substantially the same level as the second locking element of an adjacent panel. here, it is imaginable that said locking element and said second locking element are still (slightly) offset with respect to each other, though commonly the distance between the centre line (centre axis) of said first locking element and the centre line (centre axis) of said second locking element will decrease during coupling, wherein said distance will be smaller (or even zero) in coupled condition compared to the initial uncoupled condition of the panels. in a preferred embodiment, a part of a side of the downward tongue facing away from the downward flank is provided with a third locking element, for instance in the form of an outward bulge or a recess, adapted for co-action with a fourth locking element, for instance in the form, respectively, of a recess or an outward bulge, of an adjacent panel; and wherein at least a part of the upward flank is provided with a fourth locking element, for instance in the form of a recess or an outward bulge, adapted for co-action with the third locking element, for instance in the form of an outward bulge or a recess, of an adjacent panel. also this third and fourth locking element may contribute to improve the vertical locking between coupled panels. it is imaginable that the third and fourth locking elements and the first and second locking elements are applied in a panel according to the invention. it is also imaginable that instead of the first and second locking elements, the panel comprises the third and fourth locking elements. the alternative positioning of the third and fourth locking elements, compared to the first and second locking elements, has the advantage that the locking elements are positioned close to the upper seam formed between adjacent panels, which contributes to the stabilization of said seam, and which counteracts that panels will vertically shift with respect to each other close to the seam. it is indicated that a plurality of first locking elements, second locking element, third locking elements, and/or fourth locking elements may be applied. more preferably, the co-action between the third locking element and the fourth locking element for creating a vertical locking effect in coupled condition of two panels, which co-action creating vertical locking typically takes place at lower side of the third locking element and a lower side of the fourth locking element, defines a tangent t 1 which encloses an angle a 1 with a plane defined by the panel, which angle a 1 is smaller than an angle a 2 enclosed by said plane defined by the panel and a tangent t 2 defined by a co-action between an inclined part of a proximal side of the upward tongue facing toward upward flank, and an inclined part of a proximal side of the downward tongue facing toward the downward flank. here, preferably, the greatest difference between angle a 1 and angle a 2 is situated between 5 and 20 degrees. it is preferable that said third locking element and said fourth locking element are positioned closer to the upper side of the panel compared to an upper side of the upward tongue. this will reduce the maximum deformation of one or more coupling parts, whereas the connection process and deformation process can be executed in successive steps. less deformation leads to less material stress which is in favour of the life span of the coupling parts and hence of the panel(s). preferably, at least a part of the first coupling part and/or at least a part of second coupling part of each panel is integrally connected to the core layer. in this case one-piece panels are formed, which are relatively easy and cost-efficient to produce. it is conceivable that the core has a thickness, which thickness is the distance between the upper side and the lower side of the core. a further embodiment of the panel is conceivable wherein the side of the upward tongue facing away from the upward flank is located at a distance from the upward flank, wherein the distance is less than the thickness of the core and wherein the recess portion extends at least 75% of the distance (d), and preferably extends over the complete distance. by having the distance between the outside of the upward tongue and the upward flank arranged to be less than the thickness of the core, a relative short protruding element is produced, which limits the vulnerability of the coupling parts. on the other hand, by having the recessed portion to extend over a large portion of the distance, several benefits may be achieved. for one, this allows for relative much material savings. the material which is removed in order to form the recessed portion can be recycled in new panels, and by removing more material, more material can be reintroduced in the system. secondly, the relatively large recess allows a gradual bending of the upward tongue, as the bending can be spread out over a larger surface area. the panel according to the invention may be rigid or may be flexible (resilient), or slightly flexible (semi-rigid). each panel panels are typically is made as one of the following kinds: as a laminate floor panel; as a so-called “resilient floor panel”; a “lvt” (luxury vinyl panel) panel or “vct panel” (vinyl composition panel) or comparable thereto panel on the basis of another synthetic material than vinyl; a floor panel with a first synthetic material-based, preferably foamed, substrate layer (core layer), with thereon a preferably thinner second substrate layer (second core layer) of or on the basis of vinyl or another synthetic material; as a floor panel with a hard synthetic material-based substrate. in case a relatively rigid material is used for manufacturing the panel, and in particular the coupling parts, the material should allow (slight) deformation in order to couple adjacent panels in such a way that a pretension will be created between the coupled coupling parts of said panels. this is in particular beneficial for the embodiment according to the present invention wherein the upward tongue is oversized with respect to the downward groove and/or wherein the downward tongue is oversized with respect to the width of the upward groove. the core may be formed of a single material (single core layer). however, typically, the core comprises a plurality of core layers. different core layers may have the same composition, although it is more preferred that at least two different core layers have different compositions, in order to improve the overall properties of the core. at least one core layer may be made of a composite of at least one polymer and at least one non-polymeric material. the composite of the core layer preferably comprises one or more fillers, wherein at least one filler is selected from the group consisting of: talc, chalk, wood, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, calcined clay, porcelain, a(nother) mineral filler, and a(nother) natural filler. the filler may be formed by fibres and/or may be formed by dust-like particles. here, the expression “dust” is understood as small dust-like particles (powder), like wood dust, cork dust, or non-wood dust, like mineral dust, stone powder, in particular cement. the average particle size of the dust is preferably between 14 and 20 micron, more preferably between 16 and 18 micron. the primary role of this kind of filler is to provide the core layer sufficient hardness. this will typically also improve the impact strength of the core layer and of the panel(s) as such. the weight content of this kind of filler in the composite is preferably between 35 and 75%, more preferably between 40 and 48% in case the composite is a foamed (expanded) composite, and more preferably between 65 and 70% in case the composite is a non-foamed (solid) composite. polymer materials suitable for forming at least a part of at least one core layer may include polyurethane (pur), polyamide copolymers, polystyrene (ps), polyvinyl chloride (pvc), polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (pet), polyisocyanurate (pir), and polyethylene (pe) plastics, all of which have good moulding processability. the at least one polymer included in the core layer may either may be solid or may be foamed (expanded). preferably, chlorinated pvc (cpvc) and/or chlorinated polyethylene (cpe) and/or another chlorinated thermoplastic material is/are used to further improve the hardness and rigidity of the core layers, and of the panels as such, reducing the vulnerability of the—optionally pointed—corners of each panel. polyvinyl chloride (pvc) materials are especially suitable for forming the core layer because they are chemically stable, corrosion resistant, and have excellent flame-retardant properties. the plastic material used as plastic material in the core layer is preferably free of any plasticizer in order to increase the desired rigidity of the core layer, which is, moreover, also favourable from an environmental point of view. the core layer may also at least partially be composed of a, preferably pvc-free, thermoplastic composition. this thermoplastic composition may comprise a polymer matrix comprising (a) at least one ionomer and/or at least one acid copolymer; and (b) at least one styrenic thermoplastic polymer, and, optionally, at least one filler. an ionomer is understood as being a copolymer that comprises repeat units of electrically neutral and ionized units. ionized units of ionomers may be in particular carboxylic acid groups that are partially neutralized with metal cations. ionic groups, usually present in low amounts (typically less than 15 mol % of constitutional units), cause micro-phase separation of ionic domains from the continuous polymer phase and act as physical crosslinks. the result is an ionically strengthened thermoplastic with enhanced physical properties compared to conventional plastics. in an alternative configuration of the panel according to the invention, the panel comprises a substantially rigid core layer at least partially made of a non-foamed (solid) composite comprising at least one plastic material and at least one filler. a solid core layer may lead to an improved panel strength, and hence a reduced vulnerability of the pointed vertexes, and may further improve the suitability to use the panels to realize a chevron pattern. a drawback of applying a solid composite in the core layer instead of a foamed composite in the core layer is that the panel weight will increase (in case core layers of identical thicknesses would be applied), which may lead to higher handling costs, and higher material costs. preferably, the composite of the core layer comprises at least one filler of the core layer is selected from the group consisting of: a salt, a stearate salt, calcium stearate, and zinc stearate. stearates have the function of a stabilizer, and lead to a more beneficial processing temperature, and counteract decomposition of components of the composite during processing and after processing, which therefore provide long-term stability. instead of or in addition to a stearate, for example calcium zinc may also be used as stabilizer. the weight content of the stabilizer(s) in the composite will preferably be between 1 and 5%, and more preferably between 1.5 and 4%. the composite of the core layer preferably comprises at least one impact modifier comprising at least one alkyl methacrylates, wherein said alkyl methacrylate is preferably chosen from the group consisting of: methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, propyl methacrylate, isopropyl methacrylate, t-butyl methacrylate and isobutyl methacrylate. the impact modifier typically improves the product performance, in particular the impact resistance. moreover, the impact modifier typically toughens the core layer and can therefore also be seen as toughening agent, which further reduces the risk of breakage. often, the modifier also facilitates the production process, for example, as already addressed above, in order to control the formation of the foam with a relatively consistent (constant) foam structure. the weight content of the impact modifier in the composite will preferably be between 1 and 9%, and more preferably between 3 and 6%. preferably, the substantially complete core layer is formed by either a foamed composite or a non-foamed (solid) composite. at least one plastic material used in the core layer is preferably free of any plasticizer in order to increase the desired rigidity of the core layer, which is, moreover, also favourable from an environmental point of view. the core layer and/or another layer of the panel may comprise wood-based material, for example, mdf, hdf, wood dust, prefabricated wood, more particularly so-called engineered wood. this wood-based material may be part of a composite material of the core layer. the density of the core layer typically varies from about 0.1 to 1.5 grams/cm3, preferably from about 0.2 to 1.4 grams/cm3, more preferably from about 0.3 to 1.3 grams/cm3, even more preferably from about 0.4 to 1.2 grams/cm3, even more preferably from about 0.5 to 1.2 grams/cm3, and most preferably from about 0.6 to 1.2 grams/cm3. the polymer used in the core layer and/or the core layer as such preferably has an elastic modulus of more than 700 mpa (at a temperature of 23 degrees celsius and a relative humidity of 50%). this will commonly sufficiently rigidity to the core layer, and hence to the parallelogrammatic/rhombic panel as such. preferably, the base layer comprises at least one foaming agent. the at least one foaming agent takes care of foaming of the base layer, which will reduce the density of the base layer. this will lead to light weight panels, which are lighter weight in comparison with panel which are dimensionally similar and which have a non-foamed base layer. the preferred foaming agent depends on the (thermo)plastic material used in the base layer, as well as on the desired foam ratio, foam structure, and preferably also the desired (or required) foam temperature to realise the desired foam ratio and/or foam structure. to this end, it may be advantageous to apply a plurality of foaming agents configured to foam the base layer at different temperatures, respectively. this will allow the foamed base layer to be realized in a more gradual, and more controller manner. examples of two different foaming agents which may be present (simultaneously) in the base layer are azidicarbonamide and sodium bicarbonate. in this respect, it is often also advantageous to apply at least one modifying agent, such as methyl methacrylate (mma), in order to keep the foam structure relatively consistent throughout the base layer. the core preferably has a thickness of at least 3 mm, preferably at least 4 mm, and still more preferably at least 5 mm. the panel thickness is typically situated in between 3 and 10 mm, preferably in between 4 and 8 mm. the density of the core preferably varies along the height of the core. this may positively influence the acoustic (sound-dampening) properties of the panels as such. preferably, at a top section and/or a bottom section of at least one foamed core layer a crust layer may be formed. this at least one crust layer may form integral part of the core layer. more preferably, both the top section and the bottom section of the core layer form a crust layer enclosing the foam structure. the crust layer is a relatively closed (reduced porosity, preferably free of bubbles (cells)), and hence forms a relatively rigid (sub)layer, compared to the more porous foam structure. commonly, though not necessary, the crust layer is formed by sealing (searing) the bottom and top surface of the core layer. preferably the thickness of each crust layer is between 0.01 and 1 mm, preferably between 0.1 and 0.8 mm. a too thick crust will lead to a higher average density of the core layer which increases both the costs and the rigidity of the core layer. the thickness of the core layer (core layer) as such is preferably between 2 and 10 mm, more preferably between 3 and 8 mm, and is typically approximately 4 or 5 mm. preferably, a top section and/or a bottom section of the (composite) core layer forms a crust layer having a porosity which is less than the porosity of the closed cell foam plastic material of the core layer, wherein the thickness of each crust layer is preferably between 0.01 and 1 mm, preferably between 0.1 and 0.8 mm. preferably, each panel comprises at least one backing layer affixed to a bottom side of the core layer, wherein said at least one backing layer at least partially made of a flexible material, preferably an elastomer. the thickness of the backing layer typically varies from about 0.1 to 2.5 mm. non-limiting examples of materials whereof the backing layer can be made of are polyethylene, cork, polyurethane and ethylene-vinyl acetate. the thickness of a polyethylene backing layer is for example typically 2 mm or smaller. the backing layer commonly provides additional robustness and impact resistances to each panel as such, which increases the durability of the panels. moreover, the (flexible) backing layer may increase the acoustic (sound-dampening) properties of the panels. in a particular embodiment, the core layer is composed of a plurality of separate core layer segments affixed to said at least one backing layer, preferably such that said core layer segments are mutually hingeable. the lightweight features of the panels are advantageous for obtaining a secure bond when installing the panel on vertical wall surfaces. it is also especially easy to install the panel at vertical corners, such as at inside corners of intersecting walls, pieces of furniture, and at outside corners, such as at entry ways. an inside or outside corner installation is accomplished by forming a groove in the core layer of the panel to facilitate bending or folding of the panel. each panel may comprises at least one reinforcing layer. at least one reinforcing layer may be situated in between the core and an upper substrate affixed to the core. at least one reinforcing layer may be situated in between two core layers. the application of a reinforcing layer may lead to further improvement of the rigidity of the panel as such. this may also lead to improvement of the acoustic (sound-dampening) properties of the panels. the reinforcement layer may comprise a woven or non-woven fibre material, for example a glass fibre material. they may have a thickness of 0.2-0.4 mm. it is also conceivable that each panel comprises a plurality of the (commonly thinner) core layer stacked on top of each other, wherein at least one reinforcing layer is situated in between two adjacent core layers. preferably, the density of the reinforcing layer is preferably situated between 1.000 and 2.000 kg/m3, preferably between 1.400- and 1.900 kg/m3, and more preferably between 1.400-1.700 kg/m3. each panel preferably comprises an upper substrate affixed—directly or indirectly—to an upper side the core, wherein said upper substrate preferably comprises a decorative layer. the upper substrate is preferably at least partially made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of: metals, alloys, macromolecular materials such as vinyl monomer copolymers and/or homopolymers; condensation polymers such as polyesters, polyamides, polyimides, epoxy resins, phenol-formaldehyde resins, urea formaldehyde resins; natural macromolecular materials or modified derivatives thereof such as plant fibres, animal fibres, mineral fibres, ceramic fibres and carbon fibres. here, the vinyl monomer copolymers and/or homo-polymers are preferably selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (pvc), polystyrene, polymethacrylates, polyacrylates, polyacrylamides, abs, (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) copolymers, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymers, polyvinylidene chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, hexafluoropropene, and styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers, and derivates thereof. the upper substrate most preferably comprises polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride (pvc). the polyethylene can be low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, high density polyethylene or ultra-high density polyethylene. the upper substrate layer can also include filler materials and other additives that improve the physical properties and/or chemical properties and/or the processability of the product. these additives include known toughening agents, plasticizing agents, reinforcing agents, anti-mildew (antiseptic) agents, flame-retardant agents, and the like. the upper substrate typically comprises a decorative layer and an abrasion resistant wear layer covering said decorative layer, wherein a top surface of said wear layer is the top surface of said panel, and wherein the wear layer is a transparent material, such that decorative layer is visible through the transparent wear layer. preferably, each panel comprises an upper substrate affixed—either directly or indirectly—to an upper side of the core, wherein said upper substrate preferably comprises a veneer layer. said veneer layer preferably has a mohs hardness of greater than 3. said veneer layer preferably has a thickness of between 2 and 8 mm. said veneer layer being dimensioned so as not to overlie the supporting core and/or the coupling parts. the veneer layer is preferably composed of a material selected from the group consisting of natural stone, marble, granite, slate, glass, and ceramics. more preferably, the veneer layer is a ceramic of a type selected from the group consisting of monocuttura ceramic, monoporosa ceramic, porcelain ceramic, or multi-casted ceramic. preferably, the veneer layer has a breaking modulus greater than 10 n/mm2, more preferably greater than 30 n/mm2. the thickness of the upper substrate typically varies from about 0.1 to 3.5 mm, preferably from about 0.5 to 3.2 mm, more preferably from about 1 to 3 mm, and most preferably from about 2 to 2.5 mm. the thickness ratio of the base layer to the upper substrate commonly varies from about 1 to 15:0.1 to 3.5, preferably from about 1.5 to 10:0.5 to 3.2, more preferably from about 1.5 to 8:1 to 3, and most preferably from about 2 to 8:2 to 2.5, respectively. each panel may comprise an adhesive layer to affix the upper substrate, directly or indirectly, onto the base layer. the adhesive layer can be any well-known bonding agent or binder capable of bonding together the upper substrate and the base layer, for example polyurethanes, epoxy resins, polyacrylates, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, and the like. preferably, the adhesive layer is a hot-melt bonding agent. the decorative layer or design layer, which may be part of the upper substrate as mentioned above, can comprise any suitable known plastic material such as a known formulation of pvc resin, stabilizer, plasticizer and other additives that are well known in the art. the design layer can be formed with or printed with printed patterns, such as wood grains, metal or stone design and fibrous patterns or three-dimensional figures. thus the design layer can provide the panel with a three dimensional appearance that resembles heavier products such as granite, stone or metal. the thickness of the design layer typically varies from about 0.01 to 0.1 mm, preferably from about 0.015 to 0.08 mm, more preferably from about 0.2 to 0.7 mm, and most preferably from about 0.02 to 0.5 mm. the wear layer that typically forms the upper surface of the panel can comprise any suitable known abrasion-resistant material, such as an abrasion-resistant macromolecular material coated onto the laver beneath it, or a known ceramic bead coating. if the wear layer is furnished in layer form, it can be bonded to the layer beneath it. the wear layer can also comprise an organic polymer layer and/or inorganic material layer, such as an ultraviolet coating or a combination of another organic polymer layer and an ultraviolet coating. for example, an ultraviolet paint capable of improving the surface scratch resistance, glossiness, antimicrobial resistance and other properties of the product. other organic polymers including polyvinyl chloride resins or other polymers such as vinyl resins, and a suitable amount of plasticizing agent and other processing additives can be included, as needed. in a preferred embodiment, at least one panel comprises a plurality of strip shaped upper substrates directly or indirectly affixed to an upper side the base layer, wherein said upper substrate are arranged side by side in the same plane, preferably in a parallel configuration. here, the plurality of upper substrates preferably substantially completely cover the upper surface of the base layer, and more preferably extend from the first edge to the second edge of the panel. each of the plurality of upper substrates comprises a decorative layer, wherein the decorative layers of at least two adjacently arranged upper substrates preferably have different appearances. the application of a plurality of strip shaped upper substrates, are arranged side by side in the same plane and directly or indirectly affixed to the base layer will create the attractive aesthetical effect that the chevron panels is defined by the strip shaped upper substrates as such, while having the advantages that during installation merely the panels as such will have to be coupled rather than the strip shaped upper substrate, which would be time-consuming and expensive. the panel may comprise a plurality of first coupling parts and a plurality of second coupling parts. more in particular, each panel edge may be provided with either a first coupling or a second coupling part. preferably, the first coupling part and/or the second coupling part are made of a flexible material, a semi-rigid material, and/or a rather rigid material which stills exhibits sufficient deformation to allow smooth coupling and the creation of pretension between the coupling parts in coupled state. the panel according to the invention typically has a square, rectangular, triangular, hexagon, octagon, or other polygonal shape. however, other shapes, like a parallelogramical shape, are also imaginable. preferably, in case of a panel with an even number of edges, the number of first coupling parts equals the number of second coupling parts. in case the panel has a parallelogramical shape, two pairs of adjacent edges enclose an acute angle, and wherein two pairs of other adjacent edges enclose a obtuse angle. these panels allow the creation of a so-called chevron pattern. the acute angle is typically situated between 30 and 60 degrees, and is preferably substantially 45 degrees. the obtuse angle is typically situated between 120 and 150 degrees, and is preferably substantially 135 degrees. preferably, for creating a chevron pattern, two different types of panels (a and b respectively), both according to the invention, are used, wherein the coupling parts of one panel type (a) are arranged in a mirror-inverted manner relative to the corresponding coupling parts of the other panel type (b). distinctive visual markings, for example coloured labels, symbolic labels, (pre-attached) differently coloured backing layers, and/or text labels, may be applied to different panel types to allow a user to easily recognize the different panels types during installation. preferably the visual markings are not visible in a coupled condition of the panels (from a top view). a visual marking may, for example, be applied onto the upper side of the upward tongue and/or inside the upward groove and/or inside the downward groove. it is imaginable that a covering, consisting of panels according to the invention, comprises more than two different types of panels. in a preferred embodiment of the panel according to the invention, the panel comprises at least one third coupling part and at least one fourth coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core, wherein the third coupling part comprises: a sideward tongue extending in a direction substantially parallel to the upper side of the panel, at least one second downward flank lying at a distance from the sideward tongue, and a second downward groove formed between the sideward tongue and the second downward flank, wherein the fourth coupling part comprises: a second groove configured for accommodating at least a part of the sideward tongue of the third coupling part of an adjacent panel, said second groove being defined by an upper lip and a lower lip, wherein said lower lip is provided with an upward locking element, wherein the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part are configured such that two of such panels can be coupled to each other by means of a turning movement, also referred to as a rotation movement or angling down movement, wherein, in coupled condition: at least a part of the sideward tongue of a first panel is inserted into the second groove of an adjacent, second panel, and wherein at least a part of the upward locking element of said second panel is inserted into the second downward groove of said first panel. since the third coupling part is configured to be coupled to the fourth coupling part by means of a turning movement, also referred to as a rotational movement or angling down movement, and since the first coupling part is configured to be coupled to the second coupling part by means of a fold-down movement and/or vertical movement, also referred to as a scissoring movement or zipping movement, the panels according to the invention can still be installed by using the user-friendly fold-down installation technology. the advantages achieved by the couplings thus in general lie in an improved panel with improved coupling parts, wherein the advantage of a simple manufacture, by making use of easy to manufacture coupling parts, namely, because they do not necessarily have to make use of separate connection pieces, the advantage that the panels preferably can be installed according to the user-friendly fold-down principle, and the advantage of offering a relatively reliable and durable coupling, are combined. preferably, the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part are configured such that a coupled condition is substantially free of pretension between the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part. this may facilitate the coupling of the panels as such. the contact surface between the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part, in coupled condition, is preferably larger than the contact surface between the first coupling part and the second coupling part, in coupled condition. preferably, the connection (coupling) between the first coupling part and the second coupling part leads to a firmer engagement per unit edge length in the longitudinal direction of the seam between two panels and parallel to the plane of the panel(s) than the connection (coupling) between the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part, in particular due to the pretension between the first coupling part and the second coupling part. at least a part of the proximal side of the upward tongue may be inclined upwardly towards the upward flank, wherein the angle enclosed between the plane of the panel and the inclined part of the side of the upward tongue facing the upward flank lies between 90 and 45 degrees, in particular between 90 and 60 degrees, more in particular between 90 and 80 degrees. this inward inclination of the proximal side of the upward tongue, facing the upward flank, results in a so-called “closed-groove” locking system. in this arrangement, the 90 degree value of the claim is not part of the range. the claimed ranges indicate that the angle between the inclined part and the vertical are between 0 and 45 degrees, in particular 0 and 30 degrees, and more in particular between 0 and 10 degrees. as an exemplary value, this angle is about 2.5 degrees, which is thus the amount or value to which extent the inclined part is inclined inwards, towards the core. such closed groove system is relatively difficult to coupled, since the coupling parts will need to at least temporarily deform during coupling. the benefit of such system however is that the inclined parts do contribute to a vertical locking of panels in coupled condition. at least a part of the proximal side of the upward tongue may be inclined upwardly away from the upward flank, wherein the angle enclosed between the plane of the panel and the inclined part of the side of the upward tongue facing the upward flank lies between 90 and 180 degrees, in particular between 90 and 120 degrees, more in particular between 90 and 100 degrees. this results in a so-called “open-groove” system. compared to the closed groove system, such open groove systems are relatively easy to couple, though will typically have a decreased vertical locking effect. the invention also relates to a covering, in particular a floor covering, ceiling covering, or wall covering, comprising a plurality of mutually coupled panels according to the invention. the lightweight features of the panels are advantageous for obtaining a secure bond when installing the panel on vertical wall surfaces. it is also especially easy to install the panel at vertical corners, such as at inside corners of intersecting walls, pieces of furniture, and at outside corners, such as at entry ways. the ordinal numbers used in this document, like “first”, “second”, “third”, and “fourth” are used only for identification purposes. hence, for example, the use of the expressions “third locking element” and “fourth locking element” does therefore not necessarily require the co-presence of a “first locking element” and a “second locking element”. the panels according to the invention may also be referred to as tiles or boards. the core layer may also be referred to as core layer. the coupling parts may also be referred to as coupling profiles or as connecting profiles. by “complementary” coupling parts is meant that these coupling parts can cooperate with each other. however, to this end, the complementary coupling parts do not necessarily have to have complementary forms. by locking in “vertical direction” is meant locking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the panel. by locking in “horizontal direction” is meant locking in a direction perpendicular to the respective coupled edges of two panels and parallel to or falling together with the plane defined by the panels. in case in this document reference is made to a “floor panel” or “floor panel”, these expressions may be replaced by expressions like “panel”, “wall panel”, “ceiling panel”, “covering panel”. in the context of this document, the expressions “foamed composite” and “foamed plastic material” (or “foam plastic material”) are interchangeable, wherein in fact the foamed composite comprises a foamed mixture comprising at least one (thermos)plastic material and at least one filler (non-polymeric material). embodiments of the invention are presented in the following non-limitative exemplary clauses. 1. panel, in particular a floor panel, ceiling panel, or wall panel, comprising: a centrally located core provided with an upper side and a lower side, which core defines a plane;at least one first coupling part and at least one second coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core,which first coupling part comprises: an upward tongue,at least one upward flank lying at a distance from the upward tongue, andan upward groove formed in between the upward tongue and the upward flank wherein the upward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of a downward tongue of a second coupling part of an adjacent panel,wherein at least a part of a proximal side of the upward tongue, facing the upward flank, is upwardly inclined towards the upward flank,which second coupling part comprises: a downward tongue,at least one downward flank lying at a distance from the downward tongue, anda downward groove formed in between the downward tongue and the downward flank, wherein the downward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of an upward tongue of a first coupling part of an adjacent panel;wherein at least a part of a proximal side of the downward tongue, facing the upward flank, is downwardly inclined towards the downward flank, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that in coupled condition a pretension is existing, which forces the respective panels at the respective edges towards each other, wherein this is performed by applying overlapping contours of the first coupling part and the second coupling part, in particular overlapping contours of the downward tongue and the upward groove and/or overlapping contours of the upward tongue and the downward groove, and wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that the two of such panels can be coupled to each other by means of a fold-down movement and/or a vertical movement, such that, in coupled condition, wherein, in coupled condition, at least a part of the downward tongue of the second coupling part is inserted in the upward groove of the first coupling part, such that the downward tongue is clamped by the first coupling part and/or the upward tongue is clamped by the second coupling part. 2. panel, in particular a floor panel, ceiling panel, or wall panel, preferably a panel according to clause 1, comprising: a centrally located core provided with an upper side and a lower side, which core defines a plane;at least one first coupling part and at least one second coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core,which first coupling part comprises: an upward tongue,at least one upward flank lying at a distance from the upward tongue,an upward groove formed in between the upward tongue and the upward flank wherein the upward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of a downward tongue of a second coupling part of an adjacent panel, andat least one first locking element, preferably provided at a distant side of the upward tongue facing away from the upward flank,which second coupling part comprises: a downward tongue,at least one downward flank lying at a distance from the downward tongue,a downward groove formed in between the downward tongue and the downward flank, wherein the downward groove is adapted to receive at least a part of an upward tongue of a first coupling part of an adjacent panel, andat least one second locking element adapted for co-action with a first locking element of an adjacent panel, said second locking element preferably being provided at the downward flank, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that in coupled condition a pretension is existing, which forces the respective panels at the respective edges towards each other, wherein this preferably is performed by applying overlapping contours of the first coupling part and the second coupling part, in particular overlapping contours of the downward tongue and the upward groove and/or overlapping contours of the upward tongue and the downward groove, and wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are configured such that the two of such panels can be coupled to each other by means of a fold-down movement and/or a vertical movement, such that, in coupled condition, wherein, in coupled condition, at least a part of the downward tongue of the second coupling part is inserted in the upward groove of the first coupling part, such that the downward tongue is clamped by first coupling part, such that at least a part of the second coupling part is clamped by the first coupling part and/or at least a part of the first coupling part is clamped by the second coupling part. 3. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the downward tongue is oversized with respect to the upward groove. 4. panel according to clause 3, wherein the width of the downward tongue is oversized with respect to the width of the upward groove. 5. panel according to clause 4, wherein the maximum width of the downward tongue exceeds the maximum width of the upward groove. 6. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the height of the downward tongue is equal to or smaller than the height of the upward groove. 7. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the upward tongue is oversized with respect to the downward groove. 8. panel according to clause 7, wherein the width of the upward tongue is oversized with respect to the width of the downward groove. 9. panel according to clause 8, wherein the maximum width of the upward tongue exceeds the maximum width of the downward groove. 10. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the height of the upward tongue is equal to or smaller than the height of the downward groove. 11. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein a lower side of the first coupling part is provided with a recessed portion configured to allow downward bending of the upward tongue, preferably such that the upward groove is widened to facilitate coupling of two panels. 12. panel according to any of clause 11, wherein, in a coupled state of adjacent panels, the upward tongue of the coupled first coupling part is bent outwardly and the upward groove of said first coupling part is widened compared to the uncoupled state of said first coupling part. 13. panel according to any of clauses 11-12, wherein, in cross-sectional view of the panel, the recessed portion has a substantially rectangular shape or inclined shape. 14. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the first coupling part comprises a lower bridge connected to the core of the panel, wherein the upward tongue is connected to said lower bridge and extends in upward direction with respect to said lower bridge. 15. panel according to one of clauses 12-13 and clause 14, wherein the recessed portion is provided underneath both at least a part of the upward tongue and at least a part of the lower bridge. 16. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein during coupling the upward tongue bends downwardly, and then returns in the direction of its initial position. 17. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the upper side of the upward tongue is inclined, and runs downward from the proximal side of the upward tongue, facing toward the upward flank, towards the distant side of the upward tongue, facing away from the upward flank. 18. panel according to the any of the preceding clauses, wherein the first locking element comprises a bulge and/or a recess, and wherein the second locking element comprises a bulge and/or a recess. 19. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein a part of a side of the downward tongue facing away from the downward flank is provided with a third locking element, for instance in the form of an outward bulge or a recess, adapted for co-action with a fourth locking element, for instance in the form of a recess or an outward bulge, of an adjacent panel; and wherein at least a part of the upward flank is provided with a fourth locking element, for instance in the form of a recess or an outward bulge, adapted for co-action with the third locking element, for instance in the form of an outward bulge or a recess, of an adjacent panel. 20. panel according to clause 19, wherein instead of the first and second locking elements, the panel comprises the third and fourth locking elements. 21. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are integrally formed with the core. 22. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are made of a flexible material or of a semi-rigid material. 23. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the core comprises a plurality of layers. 24. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the panel comprises a plurality of first coupling parts and a plurality of second coupling parts. 25. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the first coupling part and the second coupling part are made of a flexible material or of a semi-rigid material. 26. panel according to one of the foregoing clauses, wherein the panel has a polygonal shape, in particular a square shape and/or rectangular shape. 27. panel according to one of the foregoing clauses, wherein the panel has a parallelogramical shape, wherein two pairs of adjacent edges enclose an acute angle, and wherein two pairs of other adjacent edges enclose a obtuse angle. 28. panel according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the panel comprises at least one third coupling part and at least one fourth coupling part connected respectively to opposite edges of the core, wherein the third coupling part comprises: a sideward tongue extending in a direction substantially parallel to the upper side of the core,at least one second downward flank lying at a distance from the sideward tongue, anda second downward groove formed between the sideward tongue and the second downward flank, wherein the fourth coupling part comprises: a second groove configured for accommodating at least a part of the sideward tongue of the third coupling part of an adjacent panel, said second groove being defined by an upper lip and a lower lip, wherein said lower lip is provided with an upward locking element, wherein the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part are configured such that two of such panels can be coupled to each other by means of a turning movement, wherein, in coupled condition: at least a part of the sideward tongue of a first panel is inserted into the second groove of an adjacent, second panel, and wherein at least a part of the upward locking element of said second panel is inserted into the second downward groove of said first panel. 29. panel according to clause 28, wherein the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part are configured such that a coupled condition is substantially free of pretension between the third coupling part and the fourth coupling part. 30. covering, in particular a floor covering, ceiling covering, or wall covering, comprising a plurality of mutually coupled panels according to any of clauses 1-29. brief description of the drawings the invention will now be elucidated on the basis of non-limitative exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the following figures. corresponding elements are denoted in the figures by corresponding reference numbers. in the figures: fig. 1a shows a schematic representation of a panel according to the invention, fig. 1b shows a schematic representation of another panel according to the invention, fig. 2a shows a cross-section of a panel as shown in figs. 1a and 1b taken along line a-a, fig. 2b shows a cross-section of a panel as shown in figs. 1a and 1b taken along line b-b, fig. 3a shows a cross-section of two panels as shown in figs. 1a and 1b , being coupled together at a first and a second coupling part respectively, and fig. 3b shows a cross-section of the two panels as shown in fig. 3a in a coupled position. description of the invention fig. 1a shows a schematic representation of a panel ( 100 ) according to the invention, having a polygonal shape. in this specific embodiment, the panel ( 100 ) has a rectangular upper side ( 102 ) and lower side ( 103 ) and comprises two pairs of opposite edges ( 104 , 105 ). each two adjacent edges hereby enclose a right angle ( 106 ). a first coupling part ( 107 ) and a second coupling part ( 108 ) are respectively connected to a different edge of one pair of opposite edges ( 104 ). the panel ( 100 ) is further provided with a third coupling part ( 109 ) and a fourth coupling part ( 110 ), respectively connected to a different edge of the other pair of opposite edges ( 105 ). fig. 1b shows a schematic representation of another panel ( 101 ) according to the invention, being parallelogram-shaped. the panel ( 101 ) has a parallelogram-shaped upper side ( 102 ) and lower side ( 103 ) and comprises two pairs of opposite edges ( 104 , 105 ). two pairs of adjacent edges hereby enclose an acute angle ( 111 ), wherein the other two pairs of adjacent edges enclose an obtuse angle ( 112 ). fig. 2a shows a cross-section of a panel ( 100 , 101 ) as shown in figs. 1a and 1b taken along line a-a. the panel ( 100 , 101 ) comprises a centrally located core ( 113 ), defining the upper side ( 102 ) and the lower side ( 103 ) of the panel ( 100 , 102 ). connected to the core ( 113 ) at opposite edges ( 104 ) of the panel ( 100 , 101 ) are the first coupling part ( 107 ) and the second coupling part ( 108 ). the first coupling part ( 107 ) comprises an upward tongue ( 114 ), an upward flank ( 115 ) lying at a distance from the upward tongue ( 114 ), an upward groove ( 116 ) formed in between the upward tongue ( 114 ) and the upward flank ( 115 ). the upper side ( 117 ) of the upward tongue ( 114 ) is inclined such that it runs downward from a proximal side ( 118 ) of the upward tongue ( 114 ), facing the upward flank ( 115 ) towards a distant side ( 119 ) of the upward tongue ( 114 ) facing away from the upward flank ( 115 ). the upward tongue ( 114 ) is connected to a lower bridge ( 120 ) that is connected to the core ( 113 ) of the panel ( 100 , 101 ). the upward tongue ( 114 ) hereby extends in an upward direction with respect to the lower bridge ( 120 ). a part of the proximal side ( 118 ) of the upward tongue ( 114 ) is upwardly inclined towards the upward flank ( 115 ). at the distant side ( 119 ) of the upward tongue ( 114 ) the upward tongue ( 114 ) is further provided with a first locking element ( 121 ), which takes the form of an outward bulge. additionally, a fourth locking element ( 122 ), also in the form of an outward bulge, is provided on the upward flank ( 115 ). a lower side ( 123 ) of the first coupling part ( 107 ) is provided with a recessed portion ( 124 ) which provides room for the upward tongue ( 114 ) to bend downwards. in the depicted panel ( 100 , 101 ), the recessed portion ( 124 ) is provided underneath both the upward tongue ( 114 ) and the lower bridge ( 120 ). the second coupling part ( 108 ) comprises a downward tongue ( 125 ), at least one downward flank ( 126 ) lying at a distance from the downward tongue ( 125 ) and a downward groove ( 127 ) formed in between the downward tongue ( 125 ) and the downward flank ( 126 ). a part of a proximal side ( 128 ) of the downward tongue ( 125 ), facing the downward flank ( 126 ), is downwardly inclined towards the downward flank ( 126 ). the downward flank ( 126 ) is further provided with a second locking element ( 129 ) adapted for co-action with a first locking element ( 121 ) of an adjacent panel ( 100 , 101 ). a distal side ( 130 ) of the downward tongue ( 125 ), facing away from the downward flank ( 126 ), is additionally provided with a third locking element ( 131 ), taking the form of a recess. the third locking element ( 131 ) is adapted for co-action with a fourth locking element ( 122 ) of an adjacent panel ( 100 , 101 ). fig. 2b shows a cross-section of a panel ( 100 , 101 ) as shown in figs. 1a and 1b taken along line b-b. the centrally located core ( 113 ) of the panel ( 100 , 101 ) is again visible, defining the upper side ( 102 ) and the lower side ( 103 ) of the panel ( 100 , 101 ). connected to the core ( 113 ) at opposite edges ( 105 ) of the panel ( 100 , 101 ) are the third coupling part ( 109 ) and the fourth coupling part ( 110 ). the third coupling part ( 109 ) comprises a sideward tongue ( 132 ) extending in a direction substantially parallel to the upper side ( 102 ) of the panel ( 100 , 101 ), at least one second downward flank ( 133 ) lying at a distance from the sideward tongue ( 132 ), and a second downward groove ( 134 ) formed between the sideward tongue ( 132 ) and the second downward flank ( 133 ). the fourth coupling part ( 110 ) comprises a second groove ( 135 ) configured for accommodating at least a part of the sideward tongue ( 132 ) of the third coupling part ( 109 ) of an adjacent panel ( 100 , 101 ), said second groove ( 135 ) being defined by an upper lip ( 136 ) and a lower lip ( 137 ), wherein said lower lip ( 137 ) is provided with an upward locking element ( 138 ). fig. 3a shows a cross-section of two panels ( 100 , 101 ) as shown in figs. 1a and 1b , being coupled together at a first coupling part ( 107 ) and a second coupling part ( 108 ) respectively. due to the shown configuration of the first coupling part ( 107 ) and the second coupling part ( 108 ), the two panels ( 100 , 101 ) are coupled to each other by means of a fold-down movement and/or a vertical movement. this movement allows the downward tongue ( 125 ) of the second coupling part ( 108 ) to be inserted in the upward groove ( 116 ) of the first coupling part ( 107 ), which goes along with a downward bending of the upward tongue ( 114 ), as a result of which the upward groove ( 116 ) is widened. as can be seen in fig. 3b , the upward tongue ( 114 ) will after that return in the direction of its initial position. fig. 3b shows a cross-section of the two panels ( 100 , 101 ) as shown in fig. 3a in a coupled position, wherein the downward tongue ( 125 ) is clamped by the first coupling part ( 107 ) and/or the upward tongue ( 114 ) is clamped by the second coupling part ( 108 ). as the first coupling part ( 107 ) and the second coupling part ( 108 ) have overlapping contours, a pretension exists within said coupling parts ( 107 , 108 ) that forces the two panels ( 100 , 101 ) and their edges ( 104 ) towards each other. specifically, the downward tongue ( 125 ) is oversized with respect to the upward groove ( 116 ) wherein the maximum width ( 139 ) of the downward tongue ( 125 ) exceeds the maximum width ( 140 ) of the upward groove ( 116 ). additionally, the upward tongue ( 114 ) is oversized with respect to the downward groove ( 127 ) wherein the maximum width ( 141 ) of the upward tongue ( 114 ) exceeds the maximum width ( 142 ) of the downward groove ( 127 ). to ensure a level connection of the upper sides ( 102 ) of the respective panels ( 100 , 101 ), the height ( 143 ) of the downward tongue ( 125 ) is however equal to (or smaller than) the height ( 144 ) of the upward groove ( 116 ) and the height ( 145 ) of the upward tongue ( 114 ) is equal to (or smaller than) the height ( 146 ) of the downward groove ( 127 ).
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109-435-282-260-981
|
KR
|
[
"US"
] |
B60K11/04
| 2005-09-22T00:00:00 |
2005
|
[
"B60"
] |
structure of carrier
|
a structure of a carrier is disclosed. the structure includes an upper frame; side frames in a pair formed downwardly from both sides of the upper frame; and center frames, each of which has one end connected to the central portion of the upper frame and the other end slantingly connected to the corresponding one of the side frames. since the center frames are slantingly installed and support the upper frame and the side frames, the structure of the carrier has reduced weight and enables the maintenance of sufficient rigidity.
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1 . a structure of a carrier comprising: an upper frame; side frames in a pair formed downwardly from both sides of the upper frame; and center frames, each of which has one end connected to the central portion of the upper frame and the other end slantingly connected to the corresponding one of the side frames. 2 . the structure as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the center frames are made of metal by press molding. 3 . the structure as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the center frames are made of plastic and formed integrally with the carrier by injection molding. 4 . the structure as set forth in claim 1 , wherein: mounting portions for mounting a cooling module thereon are formed at the side frames; and bonding portions are formed on both side surfaces of a cooling module at positions corresponding to the mounting portions so that the mounting portions are connected to the bonding portions. 5 . the structure as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the mounting portions have connection planes protruding from the side surfaces of the side frames, and connection holes, into which connection protrusions of the bonding portions are inserted, are formed through the connection planes. 6 . the structure as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the mounting portions are made of steel and are formed integrally with the side frames by molding. 7 . the structure as set forth in claim 6 , wherein a plurality of ribs made of plastic for supporting the mounting portions are formed on the side frames. 8 . the structure as set forth in claim 4 , wherein: each of the mounting portions comprises: a connection plane having a connection hole, into which a connection protrusion of the corresponding one of the bonding portions is inserted; and a plurality of ribs extended from the lower surface of the connection plane for supporting the connection plane; and the mounting portions are made of plastic and formed on the side surfaces of the side frames by injection molding. 9 . the structure as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the mounting portions are made of steel and are formed integrally with the side frames by molding.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to the structure of a carrier, which does not have a lower frame, and has sufficient rigidity maintained through the center frames slantingly extended from the center of an upper frame to side frames, thereby having light weight and enabling the maintenance of sufficient rigidity. 2. description of the related art generally, a vehicle body forms the external appearance of a vehicle, and comprises a vehicle chamber, an engine room, a trunk, a fender, etc. the above vehicle body is divided into a front body, a central body, and a rear body in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. a carrier for assembling head lamps, a radiator, a condenser, and a bumper is installed on the front body. fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional carrier for vehicles. as shown in fig. 1 , a front end module (fem) technique, which assembles head lamps, a radiator, a condenser, and a bumper with a vehicle body panel into one unit so as to improve assembly efficiency in manufacturing, reduces the number of components to be assembled, so as to shorten the time taken to assemble the carrier, and assures an assembling degree of the carrier, is applied to the carrier. that is, the carrier 10 is generally divided into head lamp mounting portions 11 for mounting head lamps thereon, and a cooling module mounting portion 12 for mounting a cooling module thereon, such as a radiator and a condenser, on the front surface thereof. the cooling module mounting portion 12 comprises an upper frame 13 , a center frame 14 extended downwardly from the central portion of the upper frame 13 for mounting a horn speaker of the vehicle thereon, a lower frame 15 formed at the lower portion of the cooling module mounting portion 12 for mounting a bumper and a fog light thereon, and side frames 16 , each of which has one end connected to the corresponding one of both ends of the lower frame 15 and the other end connected to the corresponding one of both ends of the upper frame 13 . the cooling module is fixedly connected to the lower frame 15 of the carrier 10 . more specifically, a pair of connection plates 17 protrudes from the lower frame 15 , and connection holes 18 , into which protrusions of the cooling module are inserted, are respectively formed through the connection plates 17 . the head lamp mounting portions 11 are formed at both sides of the upper frame 13 . one end of each of the head lamp mounting portions 11 is connected to the upper frame 13 , and the other end of each of the head lamp mounting portions 11 is connected to the corresponding one of the side frames 16 . a hydride-type carrier, which is made of steel and plastic by molding, has recently been employed. the weight of the carrier is generally 4.5˜5.5 kg. the carrier has a considerably heavy weight, thus lowering fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle. further, since many raw materials are required to manufacture the carrier, when the costs of the raw materials are increased, the carrier has high production costs, thus causing a burden in the manufacture of the carrier. summary of the invention therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide the structure of a carrier, which has a reduced weight and enables the maintenance of sufficient rigidity. in accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a structure of a carrier comprising: an upper frame; side frames in a pair formed downwardly from both sides of the upper frame; and center frames, each of which has one end connected to the central portion of the upper frame and the other end slantingly connected to the corresponding one of the side frames. in order to reduce the total weight of the carrier, the structure of the carrier of the present invention does not have a lower frame, and allows the center frames, slantingly installed, to support the upper frame and the side frames. brief description of the drawings the above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional carrier for vehicles; fig. 2 is a perspective view of a carrier for vehicles in accordance with the present invention; fig. 3 is a perspective view of the carrier, in which mounting portions are respectively formed on side frames; fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating ribs for supporting the mounting portion shown in fig. 3 ; and fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating another mounting portion formed on the side frame of the carrier in accordance with the present invention. description of the preferred embodiments now, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings. this embodiment does not limit the scope and spirit of the invention, but has been made only for a better understanding of the present invention. in the following description of the present invention, some parts, which are substantially the same as conventional parts, are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings. fig. 2 is a perspective view of a carrier for vehicles in accordance with the present invention, fig. 3 is a perspective view of the carrier, in which mounting portions are respectively formed on side frames, fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating ribs for supporting the mounting portion shown in fig. 3 , and fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating another mounting portion formed on the side frame of the carrier in accordance with the present invention. as shown in figs. 2 to 5 , the carrier 40 comprises an upper frame 31 , side frames 32 , and center frames 43 . more specifically, the side frames 32 in a pair are extended downwardly from the center of the upper frame 31 , and are separated from each other by a designated distance. the center frames 43 in a pair are extended from the central portion of the upper frame 31 . one end of each of the center frames 43 is connected to the central portion of the upper frame 31 , and the other end of each of the center frames 43 is connected to the corresponding one of the side frames 32 in a pair. that is, the center frames 43 are connected to the corresponding side frames 32 such that the center frames 43 meet the upper frame 31 at a designated angle. the center frames 43 disperse force, applied to the upper frame 31 , to the side frames 32 . thereby, the carrier 40 does not require a lower frame, as being provided in the conventional carrier 10 shown in fig. 1 . the carrier 40 has a reduced weight by omitting the lower frame, but maintains rigidity by means of the dispersion of force. the center frames 43 are made of metal having high rigidity by press molding. here, installation holes are formed through the upper frame 31 and the side frames 32 , and connection holes coinciding with the installation holes are formed through both ends of the center frames 43 , thereby connecting the center frames 43 to the upper frame 31 and the side frames 32 by bolts. recently, as hybrid-type carriers have been manufactured, the center frames 43 may be made of plastic and be formed integrally with the carrier 40 by injection molding. the upper ends of the center frames 43 may be integrally interconnected, or be separated from each other. mounting portions 50 for mounting a cooling module 60 thereon are respectively formed on the side surfaces of the side frames 32 . the cooling module 60 comprises a radiator, a condenser, a fan, and an intercooler, and serves to cool a heated engine of the vehicle. bonding portions 61 are formed on both side surfaces of the cooling module 60 at positions corresponding to the mounting portions 50 . each of the mounting portions 50 comprises a connection plane 51 extended horizontally from the side surface of each of the side frames 32 , and a connection hole 52 formed through the connection plane 51 . connection protrusions 62 , which are formed on the bonding portions 61 of the cooling module 60 , are inserted into the connection holes 52 , thereby allowing the mounting portions 50 of the side frames 32 to support the cooling module 60 . as shown in fig. 4 , the mounting portions 50 are made of steel, and are formed integrally with the side frames 32 by molding. in order to reduce the total weight of the carrier 40 , each of the mounting portions 50 is provided with an opened surface and has a hollow structure. the mounting portions 50 have the hollow structure, thus having low strength. thus, a plurality of ribs 53 made of plastic are formed inside the mounting portions 50 of the side frames 32 . further, as shown in fig. 5 , the connection planes 51 provided with the connection holes 52 , into which the connection protrusions 62 of the bonding portions 61 are inserted, are formed on the upper ends of the mounting portions 50 , and a plurality of the ribs 53 for supporting the connection planes 51 are extended from the lower surfaces of the connection planes 51 . here, the mounting portions 50 are made of plastic, and formed on the side surfaces of the side frames 32 by injection molding. now, the function and effects of the above structure of the carrier of the present invention will be described, as follows. the center frames 43 , which are slantingly extended from the central portion of the upper frame 31 in the opposite directions and are connected to the side frames 32 , disperse force, applied from the upper part to the carrier 40 . accordingly, the structure of the carrier 40 of the present invention, which does not have a lower frame, maintains the rigidity of the carrier 40 and decreases the weight of the carrier 40 . that is, although the carrier 40 does not comprise a lower frame as being provided in the conventional carrier, the load of the upper frame 31 is dispersed through the center frames 43 in a pair, and, when an external impact is applied to the carrier 40 , the connection structure among the frames 41 , 42 , and 43 rapidly disperses the impact. the center frames 43 may be made of metal or plastic by molding. in the case that the center frames 43 are made of metal by molding, since the center frames 43 can be formed integrally with the carrier 30 by injection molding, the productivity of the carrier 40 is improved and the weight of the carrier 40 is decreased. the mounting portions 50 are formed on the side frames 32 of the above carrier 40 , and the connection protrusions 62 formed on the bonding portions 61 of the cooling module 60 are inserted into the connection holes 52 formed through the connection planes 51 of the mounting portions 50 by dampers 63 made of rubber. thereby, the gravity centers of the side frames 32 and the gravity centers of the mounting portions 50 for supporting the load of the cooling module 60 are close, the mounting portions 50 can stably support the cooling module 60 . the number of the ribs formed by molding is decreased due to the increase of the rigidity of the mounting portions 50 , thereby simplifying the molding process of the carrier 40 and decreasing the weight of the carrier 40 . as apparent from the above description, the present invention provides the structure of a carrier, which disperses force, applied from the upper part to the carrier, through center frames slantingly extended from the central portion of upper frame 31 in opposite directions and connected to side frames, thereby enabling the maintenance of rigidity without a lower frame. mounting portions are formed on the side frames, and bonding portions of a cooling module, which is mounted on the mounting portions, are formed on side surfaces of the cooling module, thereby causing the gravity centers of the side frames and the gravity centers of the mounting portion to be close and increasing the rigidity of the carrier. the addition of unnecessary ribs is not required due to the increase of rigidity, thereby decreasing the weight of the carrier. accordingly, the structure of the carrier of the present invention, which does not comprise a lower frame, has a reduced weight, improves fuel consumption efficiency of a vehicle, and reduces production costs of the carrier. although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
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110-466-292-742-068
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
H01Q21/30,H01Q9/04,H01Q15/00
| 2020-09-03T00:00:00 |
2020
|
[
"H01"
] |
shaped reflector dual s-band and ka-band high gain antenna
|
an apparatus for space and terrestrial communication applications includes a ka-band horn combined with a s-band cross-polarization cup. the s-band cross-polarization cup is placed around a neck of the ka-band horn in a form of a collar.
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1. an antenna for use in space and terrestrial communication applications, comprising: a ka-band horn with an outer circular wall with a predetermined diameter combined with a s-band cross-polarization cup, wherein the s-band cross-polarization cup is placed around a neck of the ka-band horn in a form of a collar, whereby said collar includes a circumferential choke slot in a cylindrical side of the ka-band horn resulting in a constant antenna footprint and increased beam width with a reduced outer circular wall diameter. 2. the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ka-band feed horn is configured to illuminate a frequency selective surface (fss), the fss being highly reflective, and the highly reflective fss is configured to illuminate a primary reflector, producing a coherent, narrow ka-band beam. 3. the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ka-band feed horn improves on a standard potter horn with significant lower sidelobe and cross-polarization level performance by employing a modified smooth s-curved interior profile. 4. the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the s-band cross-polarization cup is configured to reduce a cross-polarization in the s-band by cancelling reflections back to a s-band feed antenna that reflects off a central part of the reflector, the ka-band horn and a support structure of the reflector. 5. a high gain dual s- and ka-band circularly polarized antenna (“antenna”) for space and terrestrial communications, the antenna comprising: a primary reflector and a secondary reflector designed and shaped for optimal ka-band gain while a frequency selective surface on the secondary reflector provides reflectivity at ka-band, wherein the primary reflector is a cassegrain-based ka-band reflector with an outer circular wall with a predetermined diameter, and the secondary reflector is a ka-band reflector combined with a s-band cross-polarization cup, wherein the s-band cross-polarization cup is placed around a neck of the ka-band horn in a form of a collar, whereby said collar includes a circumferential choke slot in a cylindrical side of the ka-band horn resulting in a constant antenna footprint and increased beam width with a reduced outer circular wall diameter. 6. the antenna of claim 5 , wherein the secondary reflector and the frequency selective surface may is configured to act as a dielectric radome for a s-band feed antenna. 7. the antenna of claim 5 , wherein the second reflector and the frequency selective surface are supported by struts, positioning a s-band feed phase center at the primary reflector focus. 8. the antenna of claim 7 , wherein the struts supporting the second reflector and the frequency selective surface force the frequency selective surface to act as a secondary reflector for the antenna. 9. the antenna of claim 5 , further comprising: a ka-band feed horn phase center is positioned at a ka-band secondary focal point. 10. the antenna of claim 5 , wherein the primary reflector is configured to illuminate the frequency selective surface. 11. the antenna of claim 10 , wherein the illumination causes a reflection from frequency selective surface or the secondary reflector illuminating the primary reflector, thereby producing a coherent, narrow ka-band beam. 12. the antenna of claim 5 , wherein the primary reflector and secondary reflector are shaped to provide an aperture wavefront of uniform phase and amplitude, for optimal aperture efficiency. 13. the antenna of claim 5 , wherein a shape of the secondary reflector diverts radiation energy away from a central part of the primary reflector. 14. the antenna of claim 5 , wherein the secondary reflector comprises a s-band cross-polarization cup configured to reduce antenna cross-polarization in the s-band. 15. the antenna of claim 14 , wherein the reduction of the antenna cross-polarization in the s-band is achieved by cancelling reflections back to a s-band feed antenna that reflects off a central part of the secondary reflector, the primary reflector and support structures. 16. the antenna of claim 5 , wherein a curvature, and a lip along an edge, of the cup increases a stiffness compared to a flat annular disk with a same diameter and mass.
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statement of federal rights the invention described herein was made by employees of the united states government and may be manufactured and used by or for the government for government purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefore. field the present invention relates to antennas, and more particularly, to a dual s-band and ka-band, circularly polarized high gain antenna (hga). background a large diameter, dual frequency, circularly polarized reflector antenna with an as low as possible depth was required. thus, the reflector f/d ratio (the focal length divided by the reflector diameter) required had to be close to 0.25, as that provides the overall minimum antenna depth, with the prime reflector focus near the aperture plane. the consequence is a relatively large primary reflector depth requirement, about equal to the overall antenna depth. the current antenna invention is inspired by prior art, in particular the smaller lunar reconnaissance orbiter (lro) hga, where the low frequency feed antenna is placed at the primary reflector feed, and the high frequency system includes a secondary reflector with the high frequency feed antenna placed at one of the foci of the secondary reflector. the secondary reflector, which is reflective over the high frequency band, is essentially transparent to the low frequency band, by means of a frequency selective surface (fss) that also acts as a radome for the low frequency feed antenna. the low f/d ratio required a low frequency feed antenna that has a relatively wide beam with low cross-polarization covering the full hemisphere, to fully illuminate the primary reflector. current state of the art, such a s s-band feed antennas of the lro hga and the global precipitation measurement mission (gpm) hga do not have wide enough beams. although the latter has the desired low cross-polarization over a wide angular range, a feed antenna with a higher front to back ratio (i.e. the amount of radiation energy radiated forward versus the energy radiated backward) than either of these prior art could provide, was also desired. the lro antenna's secondary reflector was relatively small and of low curvature depth, which simplified fabrication of the fss, as it could be approximated with two conical sections with minimal deviation from the desired curvature. for the current invention, a larger secondary reflector with a deeper profile was required, which could not be divided into just a few conical segments without significantly larger deviations from the ideal curvature. the lro hga high frequency feed antenna employed a relatively expensive, corrugated horn antenna, with very few vendors prepared to take on the challenge of fabricating it, and who required long lead times. other easier to fabricate prior art horn antennas include the potter horn, but it has a narrower bandwidth, and typically higher sidelobes and cross-polarization. therefore, as the current antenna invention cannot be based directly on any prior art without introducing new modifications and inventions, there is a need for an alternative high gain antenna. summary certain embodiments of the present invention may provide solutions to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully identified, appreciated, or solved by current antenna technologies. for example, some embodiments of the present invention pertain to a high gain antenna. in an embodiment, an apparatus for space and terrestrial communication applications includes a ka-band horn combined with a s-band cross-polarization cup. the s-band cross-polarization cup is placed around a neck of the ka-band horn in a form of a collar. brief description of the drawings in order that the advantages of certain embodiments of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. while it should be understood that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a dual frequency reflector antenna, according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a conventional s-band feed antenna. fig. 3 is an image of a ka-band feed horn, according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4 is an image illustrating a ka-band horn combined with a s-band cross-polarization cup, according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a frequency selective surface, according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a side view of a dual frequency reflector antenna, according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 7 is a graph illustrating active reflection coefficient s11 at one of the internal feed points, according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 8a and fig. 8b illustrates the improvement in performance as well as ease of fabrication of an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the embodiments some embodiments generally pertain to a high gain dual s- and ka-band, circularly polarized antenna for space and terrestrial communication applications. for purposes of simplicity, the high gain dual s- and ka-band, circularly polarized antenna will be referred to as “antenna”. the antenna may include an integrated prime-fed s-band and cassegrain-based ka-band reflector system. the cassegrain primary and secondary reflectors are designed and shaped for optimal ka-band gain, while a frequency selective surface on the secondary reflector provides reflectivity at ka-band. the secondary reflector and frequency selective surface may act as a dielectric radome for the s-band feed antenna. in some embodiments, the antenna is suited for lunar missions and beyond, or in long range terrestrial communications, where the large distances and high data rates require an antenna with as much high gain as possible within given size constraints. some embodiments include an improved s-band feed antenna and cross-polarization compensation, improved ka-band horn, and special shaping of the secondary reflector for easy of fabrication, all of which will be described in more detail below. some embodiments were motivated by the communications requirements for the roman space telecope (rst) mission, which may send an infrared space telescope to orbit at the earth-sun l2 lagrange point 1.5 million km from earth. as noted above, the antenna requires as much high antenna gain as possible, especially at the ka-band, while meeting size constraints imposed by the launch vehicle, the practical mounting considerations and antenna steering capabilities of the spacecraft. further, some embodiments were inspired by the lunar reconnaissance orbiter (lro) and cassini missions, which similarly employed multi-band high gain communication antennas. fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a dual frequency reflector antenna 100 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. in some embodiments, s-band feed antenna 102 and frequency selective surface (fss) 104 are supported by struts 106 , positioning s-band feed phase center at the primary reflector focus, and forcing fss 104 to act as a secondary reflector for the cassegrain-based ka-band dual-reflector system, while acting as a transparent radome for the s-band feed. also, in this embodiment, ka-band feed horn 108 phase center is positioned at the ka-band system's secondary focal point. for ka-band operation, ka-band feed horn 108 illuminates fss 104 , which in this frequency band is highly reflective. the reflection from fss 104 (or the secondary reflector) illuminates the primary reflector, which then produces a coherent, narrow ka-band beam. the primary and secondary reflectors are not paraboloid and hyperboloid surfaces respectively as in a standard cassegrain system. instead, these reflectors are shaped to provide an aperture wavefront of uniform phase and amplitude, for optimal aperture efficiency. for even higher efficiency, the secondary reflector shaping also diverts radiation energy away from the central part of the primary reflector that would otherwise have been obstructed by the secondary reflector itself. s-band feed antenna fig. 2 illustrates a s-band feed antenna 200 , which is based on prior art described in more detail in u.s. patent application publication no. 2013/0050048. s-band feed antenna 200 has low cross-polarization over a wide field of view due to the use of spherical domed resonant elements surrounded by a circular wall featuring finger-like protrusions. for simplicity, antenna 200 has a reactive feed mechanism that produces circular polarization from a single input port. some embodiments, however, improve on the prior art's front to back ratio, i.e. the amount of radiation energy radiated forward versus the energy radiated backward. a significantly higher front to back ratio is achieved in these embodiments by the introduction of a circumferential choke slot in the cylindrical side of the antenna, without increasing the antenna footprint. the antenna beam width is also increased by reducing the diameter of the outer circular wall diameter. the frequency bandwidth over which the improved front to back ratio is effective, is increased by the use of notches in the choke wall. ka-band feed horn fig. 3 is an image of a ka-band feed horn 300 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. although ka-band feed horn 300 is derived from a potter horn design, described in p.d. potter—a new horn antenna with suppressed sidelobes and equal beamwidths—jpl technical report no. 32-354, feb. 25, 1963. ka-band feed horn 300 in some embodiments improves on the standard potter horn with significant lower sidelobe and cross-polarization level performance. this is achieved by employing a modified smooth s-curved interior profile, instead of the conical plus short cylindrical section that is typical of the standard potter horn. normally, a corrugated horn has been used to achieve the lower required sidelobes. a corrugated horn also has the added advantage of a wider frequency band of operation than a standard potter horn, but for some applications, the narrower potter horn bandwidth suffices. the smooth interior walled potter horn is simpler and less expensive to fabricate than a corrugated horn. therefore, the modified potter horn embodiment with its low side-lobe performance is desirable for relatively narrow band applications. s-band cross-polarization cup some embodiments utilize a s-band cross-polarization cup to reduce the antenna cross-polarization in the s-band. this is achieved by cancelling reflections back to the s-band feed antenna that reflects off the central part of the reflector, the ka-band horn and its support structure. without the s-band cross-polarization cup, interaction of these reflections with the s-band feed results in increased s-band cross-polarization. this is especially relevant if the feed antenna has a simple reactive feed structure as opposed to a dual polarization feed mechanism that would have allowed the reflections to be absorbed into a terminating load instead of being re-radiated. a cross-polarization cancellation cup has been used in the lro and gpm high gain antennas, and in other embodiments. some embodiments may combine the cross-polarization cup with the ka-band horn geometry. see, for example, fig. 4 , which is an image 400 illustrating a ka-band horn 300 combined with a s-band cross-polarization cup 405 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. in some embodiments, cup 405 is placed around a neck of the ka-band horn 300 in the form of a collar. this allows cup 405 and horn 300 to be fabricated together, simplifying the overall fabrication and assembly process. the curvature of cup 405 is used for mechanical strength reasons. the operation of cup 405 is solely governed by its diameter and position with respect to the horn aperture. the curvature, and the lip along the edge, of cup 405 greatly increases the stiffness compared to a flat annular disk with the same diameter and mass. primary reflector and fss shaping the typical shaping algorithms that modifies the standard cassegrain reflector system for optimized gain, leads to smoothly curved reflector surfaces. the fabrication of a fss that conforms to the required curved secondary surface is very problematic. some embodiments overcome this problem by breaking the fss up into multiple conical sections that approaches the ideal optimized shape. see fig. 5 , which is a diagram 500 illustrating a frequency selective surface—broken into three conical sections. in fig. 5 , the design employs hexagonal ring resonators to be printed on kapton sheets and folded into three conical parts for co-assembly with a non-conductive fiber reinforced prepreg, such as kevlar fiber reinforced cyanate ester prepreg. to facilitate fabrication, the ideal, optimally shaped secondary curvature was approximated by conical sections, aiming for minimal deviation. this causes a phase error distribution in the aperture, as well as negligible amplitude errors. the phase errors are countered by re-shaping the primary reflector curvature, restoring the uniform aperture phase distribution. going into more detail, as shown in fig. 5 , there may be multiple sections—cone #1, cone #2, and cone #3. for each conical section, the fss metallic features are precision-etched onto thin flat sheets, that are curved into the required conical shapes when attached to the dielectric support structure. the conical sectioned approximations (to the ideal secondary surface), shown for a 20 wavelength diameter fss, kept the deviations from the ideal surface to less than 0.03 wavelength. these would cause amplitude and phase errors in the antenna aperture wavefront, but reshaping of the primary surface compensates for the phase errors. the loss in gain due to the remaining amplitude errors can be kept to a negligible quantity less than 0.1 db, by using enough segments in the curvature approximation. the reflected phase and amplitude response of an fss in general varies somewhat depending on the polarization and the wave's angle of incidence. each point on the fss in this case experience different but predictable incident wave angles. therefore, the fss's resonant components are sized and shaped accordingly to provide a response with minimal phase and amplitude errors for both polarizations over the whole surface. fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a side view of a dual frequency reflector antenna 600 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. in this embodiment, a s-band cross polarization cup 605 is coupled to or attached around ka-band horn 610 . s-band cross polarization cup 605 may cancel reflected energy from primary reflector 620 and ka-band horn 610 structure, which arrives at the s-band feed antenna cross-polarized, and are thus rejected and re-radiated coherently, increasing cross-polarization in the main beam region. for example, by scattering the reflections away from s-band feed 615 , s-band cross-polarization cup 605 increases the co-polarization sidelobe energy somewhat, while preserving good axial ratio at boresight. in some embodiments, s-band cross polarization cup 605 is designed experimentally, or by way of simulations, by monitoring the boresight radiated cross-polarization in a transmit mode setup. if the s-band feed's circular polarization is created by 3 or more phased internal feed points, then a computationally more efficient technique in a simulation environment is by monitoring the s-band feed's active s11 reflection coefficient at one of the internal feed points in the presence of the primary reflector assembly. the reflected energy at the internal feed points leads to zero combined energy exiting the feed port, but re-combines as re-radiated cross-polarization. fig. 7 is a graph 700 illustrating active reflection coefficient s11 at one of the internal feed points, according to an embodiment of the present invention. the reflection coefficient s11 represents per definition the fraction of energy that would be reflected back to the input port, but it also represents the fraction of energy that would eventually be radiated as cross-polarization in this case, which is explained as follows. since the internal feed points are phased to provide circular polarization, the reflected energy arrives out of phase at the input port, and is once more reflected back to the feed points. it arrives with three times the amount of the original phasing—which is exactly the phase configuration for the opposite handed circular polarization, and is therefore radiated as cross-polarized energy. in the graph, “free-space” curve 705 represents the internal port reflection s11, and hence the fraction of radiated cross-polarization energy when the antenna is placed in a free-space environment. similarly, “without cup” curve 710 represents the cross-polarized radiated energy in the presence of the high gain antenna assembly, when a “cross-polarization” cup is absent. the “with cup” curve 715 represents the cross-polarized radiated energy in the presence of the high gain antenna assembly, but with an optimized “cross-polarization” cup installed. therefore, graph 700 shows that the cross-polarization cup in the hga environment restores the radiated cross-polarization energy of the s-band feed antenna similar to the low levels it exhibits in a free space environment. these embodiments may be used to exploit feed antennas, i.e., the ka-band horn and/or the s-band feed antenna, where robust mechanical properties and low electrical losses are premium such as antennas for spacecraft or vehicles, where high vibration environment require these properties. these antennas may also be scaled to operate at frequency bands other than ka-band or s-band. the high gain antenna system can be commercially applied in terrestrial situations, where high data rate communications are required between line-of-site points such as in the telecommunications industry. fig. 8a is a graph 800 a illustrating radiation patterns of the ka-band potter horn with an optimally shaped internal profile for improved sidelobe and cross-polarization performance, according to an embodiment of the present invention. internal corners are also rounded for ease of fabrication. fig. 8b is a graph 800 b illustrating the radiation patterns of a conventional ka-band potter horn with the same beam width and gain as the horn in fig. 8a , but showing higher sidelobes and cross-polarization levels even after optimization. the standard potter horn assumes sharp internal corners that may be difficult to fabricate, especially in the case of very high frequency applications. comparison of graph 800 a of fig. 8a and graph 800 b of fig. 8b thereby illustrates the improvement in performance as well as ease of fabrication of an embodiment of the present invention. it will be readily understood that the components of various embodiments of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations with variations on the materials indicated. thus, the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention, as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention. the features, structures, or characteristics of the invention described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. for example, reference throughout this specification to “certain embodiments,” “some embodiments,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. thus, appearances of the phrases “in certain embodiments,” “in some embodiment,” “in other embodiments,” or similar language throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. it should be noted that reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment. furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. in other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention. one having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the invention as discussed above may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. therefore, although the invention has been described based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention. in order to determine the metes and bounds of the invention, therefore, reference should be made to the appended claims.
|
110-626-339-624-350
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
H01R13/639
| 1989-01-11T00:00:00 |
1989
|
[
"H01"
] |
connection box for decoration lighting strings
|
a connection box for the connection of two short strings of decoration lights into a long one, comprises an elongated tray body with u shaped cross-section and having longitudinal channels provided therein for the conductors of the light strings entering from respective end to be connected. piers and ribs are disposed within the tray to ensure the gripping of the connection conductors. a cover with catch means is provided on top of the tray.
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1. a connection box of plastic material for use in in-situ electrical connection of two short strings of decoration light into a longer string comprising: an elongated tray of u-shaped cross-section having longitudinal walls, a floor, open ends and longitudinal channels for entry and passage of the conductors of the light strings, said tray having an open top; a cover plate for the closure of said open top; two metallic terminal plates passing through each open end of said tray for connection with said conductors; said channels within the tray being formed by piers and blocks arranged on the floor of said tray, clearance therebetween being provided for the insertion of said terminal plates; horizontal ribs (211, 211') disposed under said cover plate and on the floor of said tray (122, 122'7) for engagement with said terminal plates; vertical ribs disposed along the inner longitudinal walls of said tray for tightly squeezing said conductors. 2. the connection box according to claim 1 wherein said tray has two blocks (15 and 15') disposed transversely with respect to the longitudinal walls (11, 13) and opposite to each other, two piers (14 and 14') located along the longitudinal central plane of said tray, said blocks (15 and 15') having inner vertical walls (151, 151'), said piers (14, 14') forming a clearance space (16) ,therebetween and having vertical walls (141, 141'), tops (142, 142'), grooves,(143, 143') in said tops, and longitudinal walls (145, 145'), said terminal plates being held in the channels formed between said inner vertical walls of said blocks disposed transversely with respect to the longitudinal walls of the tray (151, 151') and said longitudinal walls of said piers (145, 145') when said cover is in the closed position. 3. the connection box according to claim 2 wherein grooves on said piers engage with said horizontal ribs (211, 211') under the cover plate. 4. the connection box according to claim 3 wherein said terminal plates are of rectangular shape having projections (32, 32') on both sides, one projection abutting one of said horizontal ribs under the cover plate (211), the other projection abutting one of said horizontal rib (122) on the floor of the tray. 5. the connection box according to claim 1 wherein at both ends of the floor of said tray, recesses (121, 121') are provided and at the corresponding location under the cover plate, hook-like catchers (221, 221') are extended downwardly for insertion into said recesses to ensure the closure of the connection box. 6. the connection box according to claim 1 wherein said terminal plates are connected to a single conductor wire or double conductor wires, and the short elementary strings are connected and related to the final length in a parallel or series manner. 7. the connection box according to claim 1 which serves for the connection of two strings and other boxes are added in the n number, and the total number of strings is n+1, the strings are extended to a new length, the final length of the strings containing n boxes is (n+1) elementary strings.
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the present invention relates generally to a connection box and more particularly to a connection box for electrical connection of two short strings of decoration lights into a long one. in the field of manufacturing of decoration lights, such as christmas light strings, a long string of say, one hundred lights and longer are usually called for. such a long string often causes trouble both in manufacturing as well as in packing and transportation. of course a long string resulting from the connection of at least two strings of shorter length can solve the problem. however, the lack of a readily provided connection box has not made such idea practical. therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a connection box for use in the connection of two shorter strings of decoration lights into a longer one. the box comprises generally a body of an elongated tray having a u shaped cross-section, and a cover is provided at the top. a downwardly disposed hook at each end under the cover serves to catch and hold a recess located at corresponding position of the tray bottom. the tray is open ended to enable the passage of the conductors of the light strings to be connected inside the box body. mainly, each box serves for the connection of two elementary strings, and with the addition of a further box, the string may be extended to a new length until it reached the final length. in other words, the number of elementary strings in the final length containing n boxes shall be n+1. theoretically, n can be of no limit. another object of the present invention is to provide a body of a tray of a connection box with piers and blocks which constitute the channels for the communication of conductors of the strings to be connected via engagement of terminals provided at each end of the conductor. still another object of the present invention is to provide ribs to restrict the motion of the end conductors so that the contact connected conductors are not pulled to become loose when subjected to foreign forces . other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent through the following description in conjunction with the annexed drawings, of which: fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the connection box of the present invention; fig. 2 is a front view of the longitudinal section along line ii--ii in fig. 3, a top view of the embodiments; fig. 3 is a top view of the embodiment with the cover off, of a two-wire systems; fig. 4 is similar to fig. 3, yet of a three-wire system with individual terminals; fig. 5 is similar to fig. 4, with a two-wire conductor sharing one terminal; fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the application to a three-wire system where two shorter strings of light b are connected into a longer one through a connection box according to the present invention; fig. 7 is similar to fig. 6 but with a two-wire system. now referring to figs. 1 and 2, the connection box of the present invention comprises mainly a body 10 and a cover 20. the body 10 is formed like a tray having a u-shaped cross-section with two vertical walls 11, 13 and a horizontal bottom 12 which joins the vertical walls. at each end of the bottom 12, a recess 121 is disposed to serve as a catcher to the cover which will be detailed later. on the upper surface of the bottom 12, there are disposed along a longitudinal center plane, next to the recesses 121 at both ends, two symmetrical piers 14--14' with a recess 16 between. in a lateral center plane on the bottom 12, a couple of block piers 15--15' are oppositely disposed transversely with respect to the gap 16 between them. piers 15--15' are also integrally formed with the respective vertical walls 11, 13, while piers 14--14' are of odd shape having end face 141, top faces 142 which are discontinued with a groove 143 disposed in between two sections, the top face 142 being extended to an inclined surface 144, also longitudinal faces 145--145'. on the bottom 12, aligned with groove 143 of the pier 14, are horizontal rib sections 122--122(122'--122'), standing along the vertical wall 11, 13 and the respective vertical ribs 111--111', 131--131'. the piers and ribs are provided to facilitate the connection of conductor (wires) to ensure the accuracy so that the conductors as connected would not be pulled apart from the connector upon subjecting to foreign forces. cover 20 serves to close up the open top of the tray-like body 10 of the connector. at each end on the undersurface of the cover plate 21, a hook like catcher 221 is extended downwardly corresponding to the position of the recess 121, so as to be gripped in it to assure a proper closure of the cover. disposed under the cover plate 21 there is also a pair of horizontal ribs 211--211' for the purpose of engaging the same into grooves 143--143' on the piers 14, so that the positions of the ribs and the grooves correspond. between the pair of ribs 211--211', there is a block 212 formed integrally under the cover plate 21. having walls tapered downwardly, the block 212 is gripped tightly within the recess 16 surrounded by the piers 15--15' and 14--14'. now referring to fig. 2, this is a front view of the longitudinal section taken along line ii--ii in fig. 3 which is a top view showing one of the applications. a metal terminal plate 31 with two projections 32--32' is disposed along two sides and a wrap-around connection piece 33 is provided to clamp a conductor 34 which may be constituted of a single wire 34s or a double wire 34d. the terminal plate 31 is led in through the open end of the u shaped tray body (in fig. 2, the right-hand end) into the longitudinal channel within the body. being inserted into the clearance between the wall 151 of the pier block 15 and the wall 145' of the pier 14, with the cover plate 21 in a closed position, the terminal plate 31 having its projection 32 abutting horizontal rib 211 under the cover plate 21 and projection 32' abutting horizontal rib 122 on the upper surface of the bottom 12, is not pulled out of the right end of the channel of the tray body. the above clearance is designed to take at least two terminal plates, one entering from the right hand end as shown and the other from the left hand end (not shown in fig. 2 for clarity). the terminal plate from the left hand is likewise prevented by the ribs 221 and 122' from being pulled out from right. in fig. 3 only one vertical rib 111 is shown which prevents the conductor wire 34 to shift laterally and to give dual assurance to the preciseness of the connection. rib 111 may also be omitted when the related conductor wire is of the 34d type (double wire with single terminal plate) since the double-wire would occupy sufficient space to be well fixed without rib 111, such as shown in enlarged top view of the open top connector in figs. 4 and 5, in which only ribs 111, 131 are disposed diagonally for those single wire conductors 34s--34s. a top view of the embodiment as shown in fig. 2 is schematically illustrated in fig. 3, where single to single connection (referred to as two-wire system) of conductor pairs 34s--34s is applied, four vertical ribs 111--111', 131--131' are all provided. in fig. 4, a connection of pairs of single to double referred to as three wire system 34s--34d--34s is shown. in this embodiment, the double wire conductor 34d is composed of two single terminal wires with terminal plates placed back to back. vertical ribs corresponding to where 34d is located are all omitted. fig. 5 is substantially the same as fig. 4, except that the double wire conductor 34d' incorporates two wires into only one terminal plate. figs. 6 and 7 show respectively the application in the connection of s type to s type and s to d (or d') type, with shorter strings, a, a' and b, b' to be connected. at the ends of the longer string a--a', b--b', adapter means such as plug or socket may be provided to facilitate possible extension. the connection box aforesaid may be made of plastics material, and the terminals may be made of metal plate. it is to be understood that the description by way of a few embodiments serves only for illustration and not limitation. without departing from the spirit and inventive concept of this application, those skilled in the art can see the scope to be extended to a system of more than three wires and the provision of the piers, blocks as well as ribs can be of forms modified from the present invention, and the shape is not limited to the rectangular ones as herein mentioned. the present invention makes the in-situ connection of two shorter strings of decoration light into a longer string possible. the problems in packing and handling derived from the direct manufacturing of long strings are hereby eliminated.
|
111-290-760-602-139
|
US
|
[
"US",
"JP",
"WO"
] |
H01L23/40
| 1984-07-06T00:00:00 |
1984
|
[
"H01"
] |
heat sink for integrated circuit package
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a heat exchange attachment device for integrated circuits is presented which eliminates any need for contact with adhesive pastes or solder. a snap-on holding piece permits a finned cooling unit to be threaded through an aluminum base plate attached to the pin grid array package so that a threaded shaft of the cooling unit may be screwed into adjustable contact with a beryllium oxide disk mounted on the integrated circuit package.
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1. a heat exchange device for an ic pin chip package comprising: (a) gripping means for attachment to said chip package and having a central aperture, wherein said gripping means includes: (a1) a flexible planar area around said central aperture; (a2) first and second legs extending at right angles to said planar area, said legs acting to grip said chip package; (b) cover unit means including: (b1) a beryllium oxide disk connected to the top of said chip package; (b2) a metallic base plate for covering the top of said chip package, and having a threaded central aperture; (c) metallic fin means having a threaded extension cylinder for insertion through said gripping means and said metallic base plate for contact with said beryllium oxide disk. 2. the device of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second legs include: (a) a strip foot extending inwardly at right angles to each of said legs for grasping said chip package. 3. the device of claim 2, wherein each said strip foot includes: serrated edge cut-outs for avoidance of contact with pins situated on the underside of said chip package. 4. in a heat sink apparatus for an integrated circuit pin chip array package, wherein each package supports a centrally located beryllium disk attached to the top of said chip package, the combination comprising: (a) gripping means having two legs for clasping said chip package and including: (a1) a first central aperture for enabling passage of a threaded extension cylinder; (b) a metallic base plate for covering the top of said chip package and including: (b1) a second central aperture above said beryllium disk and including internal circumferential threads for engaging said threaded extension cylinder; (c) metallic cooling fin means which includes: (c1) said threaded extension cylinder for insertion through said gripping means and for threaded engagement through said metallic base plate for physical contact with said beryllium oxide disk. 5. the combination of claim 4, wherein said two legs of said gripping means each include: (a) feet extension strips for attachment to the underside of said pin grid package. 6. the combination of claim 5, wherein each of said feet extension strips include: (a) serrated cut-outs for non-interference with pin arrays on the underside of said pin grid package. 7. in a heat sink apparatus for integrated circuit chip packages having a centrally located beryllium oxide disk attached to the top of said chip package, the combination comprising: (a) a snap-on unit for attachment to an ic package, said unit including: (a1) a flexible planar area having a central aperture and two opposite ends wherein each end supports a lip extension at right angles to said planar area, said lip extension being capable of gripping said chip package; (b) metallic cooling fin means having a threaded extension means for screw attachment to a base plate; (c) a metallic base for covering said ic chip package and including: (c1) a central aperture having a threaded internal circumference for screw-attachment of said threaded extension means. 8. in a heat sink apparatus for an integrated circuit chip package with conductive pins on the underside, and having an outer heat-conductive jacket, the combination comprising: (a) a snap-on unit for attachment to said chip package, said unit including: (a1) a flexible planar area having a central aperture and two opposite ends wherein each end supports a lip extension means at right angles to said planar area, said lip extension means being capable of gripping said chip package; (a2) first and second lip extension means wherein each said lip extension means includes: (a2a) an upper lip section responsive to finger pressure for flexing outwardly a lower lip section; (a2b) said lower lip section for returning to and holding a fixed position against said integrated circuit chip package, and wherein each said lower lip section includes: (i) a strip foot extending inwardly and parallel to said planar area, said strip foot having a series of cut-outs for avoidance of contact with conductive pins on the underside of said chip package; (b) heat conductive cooling fin means having a threaded extension means for screw attachment to a base plate; (c) a heat conductive base plate for contacting said jacket of said chip package and including: (c1) a central aperture having a threaded internal circumference for screw-attachment of said threaded extension means.
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background of the invention one of the basic and recurring problems in the present day electronic industry involves the dissipation of heat from highly concentrated pin grid arrays packaged rather densely on printed circuit boards. the generally known means for dissipating the heat generated in these concentrated spatial areas is by the attachment of heat sinks to the pin grid array package. there are presently two basic methods whereby heat sinks are attached to a pin grid array package in the present art. these methods are (1) to solder a heat sink to the metalized surface of a pin grid array package, and (2) to attach a heat sink with an adhesive paste or fluid). there are some major disadvantages in each of these presently used methods. those heat sinks that are soldered to the pin grid array package are generally required to have relatively small contact area between the package and the heat sink. this is due to the thermal coefficient of expansion of the different materials used and which are thus mismatched in their coefficient of expansion. for example, the normal materials which are used such as beryllium oxide, and copper, or aluminum, each have a different coefficient of expansion. however, this requirement of a small contact area operates to limit the conduction path for heat to be transferred over to the heat sink. when a heat sink is attached by means of adhesive paste or adhesive solutions, the thermal expansion mismatch problem is generally eliminated. however, there is a disadvantage to the adhesives in that they are considered to be unreliable in certain circumstances and when a failure occurs, the failure of the heat sink will cause failure of the integrated circuits and thus present a considerable risk to the integrated circuit and surrounding circuitry when adhesives are used as a means of heat sink attachment. for example, a varying number of heat cycles or a number of thermal shocks or a number of actual physical shocks may operated to break or disconnect the adhesive solution and thus prevent the heat sink from having sufficient contact to dissipate the heat, causing the loss of the integrated circuits. with the basic consideration that a mechanical system of holding the heat sink to a chip is much more reliable than either solder or adhesive connection, it was felt possible to design and build an unusually large conduction path without incurring the thermal expansion mismatch problem. further, the mechanical connection also permits an adjustable pressure to be developed between the heat sink and the pin grid package which can also be helpful to improve the heat transfer factors. accordingly, the presently described heat sink configuration was developed to overcome the limitations of previous methods of attaching heat sinks to a pin grid array. summary of the invention the present heat sink attachment embodiment involves a clip-on plastic holding piece, which holding piece has two opposite cantilevered sides whereby the thumb and forefinger can be used to expand the distance of the lower extremities of the holding piece so that the holding piece can be snapped around a pin grid array package. the pin grid array package has centrally mounted on its top a beryllium oxide disk over which resides an aluminum base plate having a threaded aperture in its central area. then a set of aluminum cooling fins having a threaded shaft can be placed through a central aperture of the plastic holding piece to thread its way through the aluminum base plate and on to the beryllium oxide disk, thus forming a stable and effective heat transfer system for heat generated within the pin grid array package. while one make of integrated circuit package is manufactured with a beryllium oxide contact plate (which is basically a ceramic having metallic heat transfer conductivity), other makes of integrated circuit packages may have top-contact plates of aluminum oxide, copper or other heat conductive material. some ic packages merely have an alumina jacket. in any case, the described heat sink device can be simply attached to the ic package to provide efficient heat transfer from the package. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 shows an exploded view of a schematic drawing which illustrates the various components of the improved heat sink attachment package. fig. 2 is a isometric drawing which illustrates the completed package as assembled around the pin grid array and ready to function as a heat dissipation device. description of the preferred embodiment the heat sink attachment configuration described herein allows a large conduction path for a pin grid array without incurring any thermal expansion mismatch problem. further, the mechanical bond is a highly reliable method of attachment, in addition to the fact that the mechanical contact pressure between the heat sink and the package can be made adjustable. referring to fig. 1, there is shown a pin grid array package 30 having underlying pins 30.sub.p with the top surface being centrally mounted with a beryllium oxide disk 30.sub.d. then for placement on to the top of the pin grid array package, there is shown an aluminum base plate 25 having a centrally raised boss 25.sub.f and a central aperture having a threaded internal circumference. the pin grid array package 30 and the aluminum base plate 25 are mounted on the underside of the plastic holding piece or retainer 20. the plastic holding piece 20 is made up of a horizontal central plane 20.sub.g at the ends of which are connected two vertical end planes 20.sub.b and 20.sub.c. the lower portions of these vertical end planes will each have a foot area 20.sub.d into which there are serrated openings 20.sub.e which can snap around the underbody pins 30.sub.p. the plastic holding piece 20 is preferably made of a polycarbonate plastic having 30% glass fiber such as plastics of the type called "lexan". the structure of the plastic holding piece is such that the thumb and forefinger can grip the upper portions of the vertical end planes 20.sub.b and 20.sub.c in order to cause an extension of the distance between the two foot areas 20.sub.d and 20.sub.d ', thus to permit the plastic holding piece to be placed around the pin grid array package so that it may snap into place and thus hold the grid array package. the horizontal base 20.sub.g of the plastic holding piece 20 has a central portion which is cut out to form the aperture 20.sub.a. this aperture may be circular, rectangular or other formed shape. the cooling unit 12 may preferably be embodied as cylindrical aluminum cooling fins 12.sub.a, 12.sub.b, 12.sub.c and the unit may have an elongated shaft which is threaded and shown as 12.sub.t. fig. 2 shows a completely assembled embodiment of the presently described heat sink attachment. the cylindrical cooling fins and the cooling unit 12 have been screwed down through the aperture 20.sub.a and through the raised boss 25.sub.f in order to contact the beryllium oxide disk 30.sub.d. a screw driver slot 12.sub.s is provided for the cooling unit 12 in order to permit screw driver adjustment of the tension involved as the cooling unit 12 resides in the plastic holding piece. thus, in fig. 2 there is now seen the plastic holding piece 20 gripping the pin grid array package 30 and the aluminum base plate 25 which resides above it. thus, the complete package is now attached and functionally operable for dissipation of heat from the pin grid array 30, whereby the heat can be transferred very efficiently from the beryllium oxide disk 30.sub.d through the aluminum base plate 25 and on to the threaded shaft 12.sub.t on to the cooling fins 12. in high density packaging applications there is a very limited volume allotment for heat exchange and heat dissipation devices because of the proximity of printed circuit boards one to another in electronic cabinetry. thus, it is a factor of importance that the size and volume constraints be considered so that it is possible to provide devices which give the most effective cooling area for a given volume. generally, the heat that is transferred from pin grid array devices is placed into some sort of a heat sink whereby the ambient air which is blown over the heat sink may serve to dissipate the heat that has accumulated. one of the major problems involved in heat sinks or heat exchange devices is the transfer of heat factor. the heat exchange attachment device 10 of the present disclosure is most suitable for forced air cooling in that the finned areas of the cooling unit 12 present a minimally resistive surface to the flow of air. the aluminum base plate 25 can be called a "reaction plate" in the sense that it provides a spring action which helps to apply pressure on the beryllium oxide plate 30.sub.d and on the cylindrical extension 12.sub.t. thus, it helps maintain good contact during heat cycling and it helps inhibit the loosening of the fin unit 12 and its threaded extension 12.sub.t. the heat exchange attachment unit of the present invention may be designed in several size configurations in order to snap on to different size pin grid array packages. further, the cooling unit 12 can be designed to have one fin, two fins, three fins or even another type of configuration whereby fins are presented to the bypassing air for cooling, yet at the same time the cooling unit provides the threaded connecting screw 12.sub.t which can be adjusted to contact the beryllium oxide heat disk with a varying pressure according as the slot 12.sub.s is used to apply torque to the cooling device. while the preferred embodiment is illustrative of the features of this disclosure, other embodiments are possible which also fall within the scope of the following claims recited hereinbelow.
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