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null | we have developed a strategy for endosomal release of membrane impermeable molecules . this strategy involves the reversible inactivation of a membrane active or membrane lysing agent . the reversible inactivation of the membrane active agent is accomplished by attaching an inhibitor or plurality of inhibitors to the membrane active agent by a bond or plurality of bonds that cleave in the environment of an endosome . the inhibitor prevents the agent from lysing the cytoplasmic membrane and thereby causing cell death . the inhibitor is removed from the agent in the acidic environment of the endosome by cleavage of a labile bond , thereby allowing the membrane active agent to disrupt the endosomal membrane to effect release of endosomal contents into the cytoplasm . a key component to limiting membrane activity to the endosome is the labile bond , which must be stable under extracellular conditions , but very unstable in the endosomal vesicle . in particular , we have focused on the identification of bonds that are cleaved in an acidic environment . acidification is a characteristic of the endosome environment that is commonly exploited by viral and non - viral delivery vehicles . agents which rely on protonation to become membrane active , such as polypropylacrylic acid and peptide derivatives of the viral coat protein hemagluttinin , have a serious flaw . activation of the agent causes partial disruption of the endosome , thus destroying the ph gradient and leading to inactivation of the membrane active agent . this cycle can limit the effectiveness of the membrane active agent in delivery of macromolecules to the cell cytoplasm . in contrast , the invention as described herein , results in essentially irreversible reactivation on membrane active agents upon exposure to an acidic ph environment . an important consideration in selecting labile bonds for use in cellular delivery systems is the kinetics of bond cleavage upon exposure of the bond to acidic ph . the kinetics of endosome acidification and maturation of the endosome to a lysosome are very rapid compared to the rates of cleavage for most of the acid - labile bonds reported in the literature . once endocytosis occurs , the ph drops from the extracellular ph ( about 7 . 4 ) to ph about 5 in roughly 10 min . endosomal contents are quickly exposed to active lysosomal enzymes and degradation of the molecule to be delivered may occur . therefore , bonds that are cleaved in within minutes in the ph range 5 - 7 are preferred . a well - studied ph - labile bond is the maleamate bond , which is derived from the reaction of an amine and a maleic anhydride or maleic anhydride derivative ( fig1 ). the rate of maleamate cleavage is dependent upon the structure of the maleic anhydride used to form the maleamate . in general , disubstituted maleamates are more labile than monosubstituted maleamates , which are more labile than unsubstituted maleamates . the monosubstituted maleamates are the most studied members of this family , and have half - lives of hours at ph & lt ; 5 . according to literature , disubstitution of the maleamate results in about two orders of magnitude increase in the rate of cleavage . we have found that the disubstituted maleamate bond derived from dimethylmaleic anhydride ( r 1 and r 2 = ch 3 in fig1 ) has a half - life of about 2 min at ph 5 . this rate is on the same order as endosome maturation . in contrast , we have found that monosubstituted maleamate bonds derived from methylmaleic anhydride ( r 1or2 = h and r 2or1 = ch 3 in fig1 ) have a half - life of cleavage of about 300 min ( 5 hours ) at ph 5 . to increase charge and solubility , derivatives of dimethyl maleic anhydrides , such as 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride (( naganawa et al . 1994 ; carboxylated dimethylmaleic anhydride or cdm ) may be used ( fig2 ). the ability of a disubstituted maleic anhydride to reversibly inhibit membrane activity of the peptide melittin until reaching the acidic environment of the endosome was reported by us ( rozema et al . 2003 ). we demonstrated the ability of the reversibly inhibited melittin to deliver the membrane impermeable molecules polyethyleneglycol and an oligonucleotide to the cell cytoplasm . in these examples of delivery , the delivery reagent ( cdm - modified melittin ) and compound were not connected or associated with each other , but independently delivered to common endocytic compartments in the cell . for delivery of membrane impermeable molecules to the cytoplasm of cells in vivo , there must be an association between the molecule and the delivery agent . we now provide membrane active agents that may be noncovalently associated with or covalently linked to the membrane impermeable molecule for delivery of the molecule to the cytoplasm of a cell . dna can be condensed with an excess of polycation in aqueous solutions to form nanoparticles with positive surface charge . this phenomenon is critical not only to chromatin and viral assembly , but also is important in the construction of gene delivery vehicles . the positive charge surplus contained in polycation - condensed dna complex can be used to deposit a layer of polyanions on the surface dna / polycation complex resulting in negatively charge particles ( or complexes ) in a process termed recharging ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 328 , 975 ). negatively charged particles may reduce nonspecific interactions that cationic particles have with serum proteins , cell surfaces , and the extracellular matrix . recharging is a two - step process . in step one , the dna or other polynucleotide is condensed by addition of an excess of polycation to form a positively - charged polynucleotide nanoparticle . typical polynucleotide delivery formulations stop at this point and add the nanoparticle to the cell . in the recharging process , a third polyion ( a polyanion ) is added to the positively - charged polycation / polynucleotide particle to make a ternary complex that has a neutral to negative surface charge . under proper formulation conditions , the particles are small (& lt ; 150 nm ), and are termed nanoparticles . negatively charged complexes should be better able to circulate and target specific cells in vivo by reducing non - specific interactions with negatively charged cells surfaces , serum proteins , and the extracellular matrix . in order for the reversibly - masked membrane active agent to facilitate the delivery polynucleotides or other membrane impermeable molecules to cells , the masked membrane active agent must be associated with the molecule . small membrane active agents with low overall charge , such as the membrane lytic peptide melittin , can form particles with polynucleotides . however , these particles are large (& gt ; 150 nm ) and unstable ( i . e ., they increase in size in the presence of physiological concentrations of salt ). larger membrane active polymers can be used to form small , stable particles with polynucleotides . we have previously synthesized membrane active polymers composed of amines and alkyl groups via copolymerization of various alkyl vinyl ethers with an amine - protected monomer ( amphiphilic polyvinylether polycations ; fig3 and u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 772 , 502 , incorporated herein by reference ). as an example , a 50 : 50 mixture of alkyl groups and amines yields polymers containing ethyl ( peave ), propyl ( ppave ), and butyl ( pbave ) groups using trifluoride etherate as an initiator . deprotection of the amine - protecting phthalimide groups results in water soluble polymers with molecular weight about 20 , 000 daltons . the butyl - containing polymer pbave was found to be about 60 % as hemolytic as melittin when assayed for red blood cell lytic activity . reversible inhibition of pbave can be accomplished by cdm modification . incubation of the modified polymer at ph 5 restored lytic ability with a half - life of about 10 min . therefore , the membrane activity of the polymer pbave can be controlled by modification of the polymer with cdm . under basic conditions the polymer is not membrane lytic . upon acidification , the cdm inhibitor is cleaved from the polymer and membrane activity of the polymer is restored ( fig4 ). the endosomolytic activity of cdm - pbave is demonstrated by its ability to deliver a polynucleotide to cells ( see example 5 below ). cdm and cdm derivatives can be used to modify any amine - containing membrane active polymer . in addition to masking the membrane activity of an amine - containing polymer , modification of a polymer with the cdm maleic anhydride derivative further reversibly converts positive charges on the polymer to negatively charged carboxyl groups . thus , a polycation can be converted to a polyanion . following condensation of a polynucleotide with a first polycation to form a small binary complex or particle , a polyanion may then be used to recharge the binary complex and form a ternary complex or particle which has a less positive or more negative surface charge than the binary complex . in recharging a polynucleotide - containing particle with a cdm - modified second polycation , the recharging layer is acid - labile . exposure of this recharged nanoparticle to acidic conditions results in cleavage of the cdm groups from the polyanion with concomitant loss of negative charge from the recharging polymer . reversion of the polyanion to a membrane active polycation ( second polycation ) can have several effects including : destabilization of the particle , release of membrane active agent in the endocytic vesicle , and increased interaction of the first polycation with the endocytic vesicle membrane . the first polycation can also be a membrane active polymer and may further be of the same species as the membrane active second polycation . disruption of the endosome by the membrane active polymer ( s ) results in cytoplasmic delivery of the polynucleotide or other molecule present originally present in the recharged particle . we have shown that endosomolysis can be achieved by reversibly modifying a membrane active peptide such as melittin with maleic anhydride derivatives ( rozema et al . 2003 ; u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 444 , 662 ). cdm - melittin &# 39 ; s ability to delivery macromolecules polyethylene glycol and an uncharged oligonucleotide analog has been shown . however , in order to incorporate masked membrane active agents into polynucleotide - delivery vectors we synthesized polymers of sufficient size and charge to be formulated into stable polynucleotide - containing nanoparticles . as an example , the polycation pbave was synthesized and demonstrated to have both membrane activity and the ability to form small , stable particles with dna . masking of pbave &# 39 ; s membrane activity by reaction with cdm resulted in a polyanion that can be used to recharge dna / polycation particles to make small , negatively - charged , acid - labile nanoparticles . nanoparticles composed of dna : pbave : cdm - pbave were formulated at a 10 : 20 : 80 weight ratio and applied to cultured mouse liver cells ( hepa - 1clc7 ) in tissue culture in the presence of dmem and 10 % serum . the dna used in the delivery formulations was pciluc , which contains a gene encoding luciferase . the transfection ability of the complexes was determined by measuring the relative light units of luciferase produced by cells that had been treated with pciluc - containing nanoparticles . as a control for the reversibly inhibited membrane active polymer ( cdm - pbave ), particles were also constructed using succinylated - pbave ( s - pbave ) and cis - aconitylated - pbave ( a - pbave ). cis - aconitic anhydride is a monosubstituted maleic anhydride derivative that has a carboxylate ( ch 2 co 2 h ) substituent on the maleic anhydride . succinylation is irreversible and cis - aconitylation cleaves with a half - life of about 300 min at ph 5 . there is a dependence of transfection on the liability of the group used to modify / inhibit the membrane active agent pbave . the reversibly - masked , membrane active polymers cdm - pbave and a - pbave were able to transfect cells while the irreversibly modified polymer ( s - pbave ) was inactive . in addition , the nanoparticles containing cdm - pbave ( disubstituted maleamate bonds ) had 30 - fold more transfection activity than nanoparticles formed with a - pbave ( monosubstituted maleamate bonds ). the increase in transfection ability of the cdm - pbave containing particles is most likely related to the greater lability of the cdm disubstituted maleic anhydride derivative relative to the cis - aconitic monosubstituted maleic anhydride derivative . similar results are expected for other amine - containing membrane active polymers . in addition to the stability of particles due to the electrostatic forces between polycation and polyanion , the stability of the particle may also be enhanced by the formation of the covalent bonds , i . e . crossslinking , between the polymers . however , irreversible crosslinking of the polycation and polyanion results in particles that are ineffective for delivery of biologically active nucleic acids . in order to give the particles the stability of crosslinking while still providing the particles with intracellular instability , the polycation and polyanion of a nanoparticle can covalently linked via a plurality of acid labile maleamate bonds . in order to couple a cdm - based polyanion with a polyamine , it is necessary to use a crosslinking group that can react with amines only after the anhydride has reacted to form the cdm - based maleamate group . this selectivity in reaction is required because both formation of the maleamate and crosslinking between polyanion and polycation involve reactions with amines . as a consequence , in order to selectively couple a cdm - based polyanion and polyamine , there must be selectivity of the amine reactions . a method to accomplish this selectivity is to provide , on a cdm derivative , a functional group for crosslinking that is less reactive than the anhydride group involved in maleamate formation . such a functional group is a thioester . a thioester is moderately amine - reactive relative to an anhydride . using a thioester derivative of cdm , it is possible to link two amines together via a ph - labile maleamate bond ( fig5 ). in addition to the maleamate bond , other ph labile bonds may be incorporated into crosslinking reagents including acetals , enol ethers , and hydrazones . in particular , acetals derived from benzaldehyde and benzaldehyde derivatives are very ph labile . in addition to increasing stability in the presence of salt , targeting of particles in vivo requires that nonspecific interactions , with serum component and non - targeted cells , be reduced . in order to reduce such interactions with delivery vehicles , many researchers have attached polyethylene glycol ( peg ) ( kircheis et al . 2001 ; woodle et al . 1992 ), an uncharged water - soluble polymer , to nucleic acid containing particles . however , peg also decreases the transfection competency of particles . in order to gain the benefits of pegylation while maintaining transfection ability , we have synthesized a variety of dimethylmaleic anhydride - derived pegylation reagents . attachment of a plurality of dimethylmaleic anhydride groups to a single peg group allows for the formation of a plurality of reversible covalent bonds with the particle thereby increasing the stability of a particle ( fig6 ). a plurality of peg groups can be covalently attached to a particle . membrane active — membrane active polymers or compounds are molecules that are able to alter membrane structure . this change in structure can be shown by the compound inducing one or more of the following effects upon a membrane : an alteration that allows small molecule permeability , pore formation in the membrane , a fusion and / or fission of membranes , an alteration that allows large molecule permeability , or a dissolving of the membrane . this alteration can be functionally defined by the compound &# 39 ; s activity in at least one the following assays : red blood cell lysis ( hemolysis ), liposome leakage , liposome fusion , cell fusion , cell lysis and endosomal release . polymer — a polymer is a molecule built up by repetitive bonding together of smaller units called monomers . a polymer can be linear , branched network , star , comb , or ladder types of polymer . a polymer can be a homopolymer in which a single monomer is used or can be copolymer in which two or more monomers are used . the main chain of a polymer is composed of the atoms whose bonds are required for propagation of polymer length . for example in poly - l - lysine , the carbonyl carbon , α - carbon , and α - amine groups are required for the length of the polymer and are therefore main chain atoms . the side chain of a polymer is composed of the atoms whose bonds are not required for propagation of polymer length . for example in poly - l - lysine , the β , γ , δ and ε - carbons , an ε - nitrogen are not required for the propagation of the polymer and are therefore side chain atoms . polycation — a polycation can be a polymer possessing net positive charge , for example poly - l - lysine hydrobromide or a histone . the polymeric polycation can contain monomer units that are charge positive , charge neutral , or charge negative , however , the net charge of the polymer must be positive . a polycation also can be a non - polymeric molecule that contains two or more positive charges . polyanion — a polyanion can be a polymer containing a net negative charge , for example polyglutamic acid . the polymeric polyanion can contain monomer units that are charge negative , charge neutral , or charge positive , however , the net charge on the polymer must be negative . a polyanion can also be a non - polymeric molecule that contains two or more negative charges . other components of the monomers and polymers : polymers may have functional groups that enhance their utility . these groups can be incorporated into monomers prior to polymer formation or attached to the polymer after its formation . functional groups may be selected from the list consisting of : targeting groups , interaction modifiers , steric stabilizers , and membrane active compounds , affinity groups and reactive groups . targeting groups — targeting groups , or ligands , are used for targeting the polymer or polymer complex to cells , to specific cells , to tissues or to specific locations in a cell . targeting groups enhance the association of molecules with a cell . examples of targeting groups include those that target to the asialoglycoprotein receptor by using asialoglycoproteins or galactose residues . other proteins such as insulin , egf , or transferrin can be used for targeting . other targeting groups include molecules that interact with membranes such as fatty acids , cholesterol , dansyl compounds , and amphotericin derivatives . a variety of ligands have been used to target drugs and genes to cells and to specific cellular receptors . the ligand may seek a target within the cell membrane , on the cell membrane or near a cell . binding of a ligand to a receptor may initiate endocytosis . steric stabilizer — a steric stabilizer is a long chain hydrophilic group that prevents aggregation of final polymer by sterically hindering particle to particle electrostatic interactions . examples include : alkyl groups , peg chains , polysaccharides , hydrogen molecules , alkyl amines . interaction modifier — an interaction modifier changes the way that a molecule interacts with itself or other molecules , relative to molecule containing no interaction modifier . the result of this modification is that self - interactions or interactions with other molecules are either increased or decreased . for example cell targeting signals are interaction modifiers with change the interaction between a molecule and a cell or cellular component . polyethylene glycol is an interaction modifier that decreases interactions between molecules and themselves and with other molecules . a labile linkage is a chemical compound that contains a labile bond and provides a link or spacer between two other groups . the groups that are linked may be chosen from compounds such as biologically active compounds , membrane active compounds , compounds that inhibit membrane activity , functional reactive groups , monomers , and cell targeting signals . the spacer group may contain chemical moieties chosen from a group that includes alkanes , alkenes , esters , ethers , glycerol , amide , saccharides , polysaccharides , and heteroatoms such as oxygen , sulfur , or nitrogen . the spacer may be electronically neutral , may bear a positive or negative charge , or may bear both positive and negative charges with an overall charge of neutral , positive or negative . ph - labile refers to the selective breakage of a covalent bond under acidic conditions ( ph & lt ; 7 ). that is , the ph - labile bond may be broken under acidic conditions in the presence of other covalent bonds without their breakage . the term ph - labile includes both linkages and bonds that are ph - labile , very ph - labile , and extremely ph - labile . ph - labile refers to the selective breakage of a covalent bond under acidic conditions ( ph & lt ; 7 ). a ph - labile bond may be broken under acidic conditions in the presence of other covalent bonds without their breakage . for the purposes of the present invention , a bond is considered very ph - labile if the half - life for cleavage at ph 5 is less than 45 minutes . for the purposes of the present invention , a bond is considered extremely ph - labile if the half - life for cleavage at ph 5 is less than 15 minutes . targeting groups — targeting groups , or ligands , are used for targeting the polymer or polymer complex to cells , to specific cells , to tissues or to specific locations in a cell . targeting groups enhance the association of molecules with a cell . examples of targeting groups include those that target to the asialoglycoprotein receptor by using asialoglycoproteins or galactose residues . other proteins such as insulin , egf , or transferrin can be used for targeting . other targeting groups include molecules that interact with membranes such as fatty acids , cholesterol , dansyl compounds , and amphotericin derivatives . a variety of ligands have been used to target drugs and genes to cells and to specific cellular receptors . the ligand may seek a target within the cell membrane , on the cell membrane or near a cell . binding of a ligand to a receptor may initiate endocytosis . polynucleotide — the term polynucleotide , or nucleic acid or polynucleic acid , is a term of art that refers to a polymer containing at least two nucleotides . nucleotides are the monomeric units of polynucleotide polymers . polynucleotides with less than 120 monomeric units are often called oligonucleotides . natural nucleic acids have a deoxyribose - or ribose - phosphate backbone . an artificial or synthetic polynucleotide is any polynucleotide that is polymerized in vitro or in a cell free system and contains the same or similar bases but may contain a backbone of a type other than the natural ribose - phosphate backbone . these backbones include : pnas ( peptide nucleic acids ), phosphorothioates , phosphorodiamidates , morpholinos , and other variants of the phosphate backbone of native nucleic acids . bases include purines and pyrimidines , which further include the natural compounds adenine , thymine , guanine , cytosine , uracil , inosine , and natural analogs . synthetic derivatives of purines and pyrimidines include , but are not limited to , modifications which place new reactive groups such as , but not limited to , amines , alcohols , thiols , carboxylates , and alkylhalides . the term base encompasses any of the known base analogs of dna and rna . the term polynucleotide includes deoxyribonucleic acid ( dna ) and ribonucleic acid ( rna ) and combinations of dna , rna and other natural and synthetic nucleotides . a polynucleotide can be delivered to a cell to express an exogenous nucleotide sequence , to inhibit , eliminate , augment , or alter expression of an endogenous nucleotide sequence , or to affect a specific physiological characteristic not naturally associated with the cell . a polynucleotide - based gene expression inhibitor comprises any polynucleotide containing a sequence whose presence or expression in a cell causes the degradation of or inhibits the function , transcription , or translation of a gene in a sequence - specific manner . polynucleotide - based expression inhibitors may be selected from the group comprising : sirna , microrna , interfering rna or rnai , dsrna , ribozymes , antisense polynucleotides , and dna expression cassettes encoding sirna , microrna , dsrna , ribozymes or antisense nucleic acids . sirna comprises a double stranded structure typically containing 15 - 50 base pairs and preferably 19 - 25 base pairs and having a nucleotide sequence identical or nearly identical to an expressed target gene or rna within the cell . an sirna may be composed of two annealed polynucleotides or a single polynucleotide that forms a hairpin structure . micrornas ( mrnas ) are small noncoding polynucleotides , about 22 nucleotides long , that direct destruction or translational repression of their mrna targets . antisense polynucleotides comprise sequence that is complimentary to an gene or mrna . antisense polynucleotides include , but are not limited to : morpholinos , 2 ′- o - methyl polynucleotides , dna , rna and the like . the polynucleotide - based expression inhibitor may be polymerized in vitro , recombinant , contain chimeric sequences , or derivatives of these groups . the polynucleotide - based expression inhibitor may contain ribonucleotides , deoxyribonucleotides , synthetic nucleotides , or any suitable combination such that the target rna and / or gene is inhibited . transfection — the process of delivering a polynucleotide to a cell has been commonly termed transfection or the process of transfecting and also it has been termed transformation . the term transfecting as used herein refers to the introduction of a polynucleotide or other biologically active compound into cells . the polynucleotide may be used for research purposes or to produce a change in a cell that can be therapeutic . the delivery of a polynucleotide can lead to modification of the genetic material present in the target cell . a transfection reagent or delivery vehicle is a compound or compounds that bind ( s ) to or complex ( es ) with oligonucleotides and polynucleotides , and mediates their entry into cells . application ser . nos . 10 / 619 , 778 and 10 / 816 , 081 are incorporated herein by reference . synthesis of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( carboxydimethylmaleic anhydride or cdm ). to a suspension of sodium hydride ( 0 . 58 g , 25 mmol ) in 50 ml anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added triethyl - 2 - phosphonopropionate ( 7 . 1 g , 30 mmol ). after evolution of hydrogen gas had stopped , dimethyl - 2 - oxoglutarate ( 3 . 5 g , 20 mmol ) in 10 ml anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added and stirred for 30 minutes . water , 10 ml , was then added and the tetrahydrofuran was removed by rotary evaporation . the resulting solid and water mixture was extracted with 3 × 50 ml ethyl ether . the ether extractions were combined , dried with magnesium sulfate , and concentrated to a light yellow oil . the oil was purified by silica gel chromatography elution with 2 : 1 ether : hexane to yield 4 g ( 82 % yield ) of pure triester . the 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride was then formed by dissolving of this triester into 50 ml of a 50 / 50 mixture of water and ethanol containing 4 . 5 g ( 5 equivalents ) of potassium hydroxide . this solution was heated to reflux for 1 hour . the ethanol was then removed by rotary evaporation and the solution was acidified to ph 2 with hydrochloric acid . this aqueous solution was then extracted with 200 ml ethyl acetate , which was isolated , dried with magnesium sulfate , and concentrated to a white solid . this solid was then recrystallized from dichloromethane and hexane to yield 2 g ( 80 % yield ) of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride . synthesis of cdm thioester . to a solution of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( 30 mg , 0 . 16 mmol ) in 5 ml methylene chloride was added oxalyl chloride ( 200 mg , 10 eq ) and dimethylformamide ( 1 μl ). the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at which time the excess oxalyl chloride and methylene chloride were removed by rotary evaporation to yield the acid chloride , a clear oil . the acid chloride was dissolved in 1 ml of methylene chloride . to this solution was added 2 equivalents thioglycolic acid , and pyridine ( 20 μl , 1 . 5 eq ) in 10 ml of methylene chloride . the solution was then stirred overnight . the solvent was then removed and the resulting solid was dissolved into 5 ml of water and purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . synthesis of polyvinylethers . 2 - vinyloxy ethyl phathalimide ( 1 g , 4 . 6 mmol ) was added to a oven dried round bottom flask under a blanket of nitrogen in anhydrous dichloromethane to this solution was added ethyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 332 g , 4 . 6 mmol ), propyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 396 g , 4 . 6 mmol ) or butyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 460 g , 4 . 6 mmol ). these solutions were then brought to − 78 ° c . and bf 3 — oet 2 ( 0 . 065 g , 0 . 46 mmol ) is added and the reaction is allowed to proceed for 2 hours at − 78 ° c . the polymerization is then stopped by the addition of 50 / 50 mixture of ammonium hydroxide in methanol . the solvents are then removed by rotary evaporation . the polymer is then dissolved in 30 ml of 1 , 4 - dioxane / methanol ( 2 / 1 ). to this solution was added hydrazine ( 0 . 147 g , 46 mmol ) and the mixture was heated to reflux for 3 hours . the solvents are then removed by rotary evaporation and the resulting solid was then brought up in 20 ml of 0 . 5m hcl and refluxed for 15 minutes , diluted with 20 ml distilled water , and refluxed for additional hour . this solution was then neutralized with naoh cooled to room temperature and transfer to 3 , 500 molecular cellulose tubing and dialyzed for 24 h ( 2 × 20 l ) against distilled water , and freeze dried . hemolysis by melittin , pea ve , ppave , pbave , and cdm - modified pbave . the membrane activity of the amphiphilic cation polymers was tested according to published procedure . 10 8 red blood cells were added to 500 μl of phosphate buffer . to this solution was added 20 μg of melittin , peave , ppave , pbave , or cdm - pbave , which was made by acylation of pbave with 2 eq . of cdm relative to amines . the samples were incubated for 15 min at 37 ° c ., then spun for 1 min at 15 , 000 rcf . lysis was be determined by measuring the absorbance of the supernatant at 541 nm . percent hemolysis was calculated assuming 100 % lysis to be the absorbance of hemoglobin released upon addition of deionized water . all of the polymers were determined to be hemolytic , with pbave and melittin being the most lytic . cdm - modified polymer pbave was not hemolytic until acidification . induction of luciferase upon delivery of oligonucleotide . hela luc / 705 cells ( gene tools , philomath oreg .) were grown under conditions used for hela cells . the cells were plated in 24 - well culture dishes at a density of 3 × 10 6 cells / well and incubated for 24 hours . media was replaced with 1 . 0 ml dmem containing 10 % fetal bovine serum and 2 . 5 nmol pmo ( cct ctt acc tca gtt aca att tat a , seq id 1 , gene tools , philomath , oreg .) either with or without 20 μg of cdm - modified pbave . the cells were then incubated for 48 hours in a humidified , 5 % co 2 incubator at 37 ° c . the cells were harvested and the lysates assayed for luciferase expression using a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer . addition of cdm - modified pbave resulted in a 2 - 3 fold increase in luciferase activity . transfection with acid - labile dna particles : hepa cells ( a mouse hepatocyte cell line ) were cultured in 1 ml dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle media containing 10 % fetal bovine serum using 12 - well plates . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 10 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . as controls for the ph - labile cdm modification , polyanions were generated from the polyamines using succinic anhydride , which irreversibly modifies the amine , and aconitic anhydride , which reversibly modifies the amine but is much slower to cleave than cdm , to form s - pbave and a - pbave respectively . the nanoparticles , 2 μg of dna , were then added ( 200 μl ) to the cells . the cells were incubated for 48 h . the cells were harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for two separate wells of cells . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units dna : pbve : cdm - pbave 1 , 875 , 801 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml dna : pbve : s - pbave 195 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml dna : pbve : a - pbave 68 , 549 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml naked dna 200 transfection with recharged acid - labile particles in vivo . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 30 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . the nanoparticles , 9 μg of dna , were then injected into the tail vein ( 300 μl ) of mice . 24 hours postinjection , the mice were sacrificed , their livers harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for a group of three mice . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units dna : pbve : cdm - pbave 30 , 123 30 : 60 : 240 μg / ml naked dna 1 , 021 particle sizing in the absence and presence of salt and ζ - potential measurement . nanoparticles between dna and peave and cdm / cdm - thioester - modified peave were formulated in 20 mm hepes buffer ph 7 . 5 according to the weight ratios presented above at a dna concentration of 10 μg / ml . for the cdm / cdm - thioester modified polymers , cdm - thioester was mixed was cdm at a 9 : 1 weight ratio before mixing with the polymer . the size of the nanoparticles and the z - potential were determined by light scattering at 532 nm using a brookhaven instruments corporation , zetaplus particle sizer , i90 . the salt stability of the nanoparticles was assessed by addition of sodium chloride to 150 mm and measurement of size after 10 min . particles size ( nm ) in size ( nm ) in polymer wt . ratios ( μg / ml ) 20 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 150 mm nacl dna : peave : cdm - peave 10 : 20 : 100 90 - 110 & gt ; 1000 5 : 10 : 100 90 - 130 & gt ; 1000 dna : peave : cdm / cdmthioester - peave 10 : 20 : 100 90 - 110 114 5 : 10 : 100 90 - 130 118 transfection of cdm - thioester crosslinked dna particles . hepa cells ( a mouse hepatocyte cell line ) were cultured in 1 ml dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle media containing 10 % fetal bovine serum using 12 - well plates . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 10 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . for the cdm / cdm - thioester modified polymers , cdm - thioester was mixed was cdm at a 9 : 1 weight ratio before mixing with the polymer . the nanoparticles , 2 μg of dna , were then added ( 200 μl ) to the cells . the cells were incubated for 48 h . the cells were harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for two separate wells of cells . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units ( rlu ) dna : pbave : cdm - pbave 774 , 432 10 : 40 : 100 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm - pbave 4 , 967 , 879 10 : 20 : 50 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm / cdm - thioester - pbave 1 , 040 , 076 10 : 40 : 100 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm / cdm - thioester - pbave 2 , 276 , 733 10 : 20 : 50 μg / ml synthesis of amino polyethylene glycol monomethyl ethers . to a 10 wt % solution of monomethyl ether peg of various molecular weights in methylene chloride is added 3 equivalents of mesyl chloride and triethylamine . after stirring overnight , the solution is washed with an equal volume of nahco 3 saturated water . the organic layer is then dried with sodium sulfate and the peg is precipitated out of solution by the addition of 9 volume equivalents of diethyl ether . the peg mesylate is allowed to precipitate out overnight at − 78 ° c . the peg mesylate is then dissolved to 15 wt % in water and 10 equivalents of amine ( ethylene diamine or tris ( 2 - aminoethyl ) amine ). the reaction is allowed to proceed for 48 hours and the amine - modified peg is purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . synthesis of cdm - peg derivatives . to a solution of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( 30 mg , 0 . 16 mmol ) in 5 ml methylene chloride was added oxalyl chloride ( 200 mg , 10 eq ) and dimethylformamide ( 1 μl ). the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at which time the excess oxalyl chloride and methylene chloride were removed by rotary evaporation to yield the acid chloride , a clear oil . the acid chloride was dissolved in 1 ml of methylene chloride . to this solution was added 2 equivalents amino polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether of various molecular weights , and pyridine ( 20 μl , 1 . 5 eq ) in 10 ml of methylene chloride . the solution was then stirred overnight . the solvent was then removed and the resulting solid was dissolved into 5 ml of water and purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . particle size in the absence and presence of salt and ζ - potential measurement . nanoparticles between 10 μg / ml dna and 20 μg / ml pbave were formulated in 20 mm hepes buffer ph 7 . 5 . to this solution was added nothing or 100 μg cdm - peg 2 ( the molecular weight of the peg was 1100 ). the size of the nanoparticles and was determined by light scattering at 532 nm using a brookhaven instruments corporation , zetaplus particle sizer , i90 . the salt stability of the nanoparticles was assessed by addition of sodium chloride to 150 mm and measurement of size after 10 min . without addition of cdm - peg 2 the dna / polycation particles grew from 100 to & gt ; 1000 nm upon addition of sodium chloride . upon modification with cdm - peg2 , this increase in particle size did not occur in the presence of salt . condensation and decondensation of dna upon addition of salt and polyacrylic acid . dna was labeled with tetramethylrhodamine labelit dna labeling reagent ( mirus corporation ) at a 1 : 1 dna : labelit weight ratio according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocol . a solution of 1 μg / ml of tetramethylrhodamine - labeled dna was condensed by the addition of 10 μg / ml of pbave in the presence of taps buffer ph 9 . to this solution was added various amounts of cdm - peg 2 and cdm - peg 3 . to the solution was then added nacl bring the concentration to 150 mm . finally polyacrylic acid was added to 100 μg / ml . after the addition of each reagent , the fluorescence of the rhodamine was measured using a varian spectrofluorometer exciting at 555 nm and measure emission at 575 nm . a decrease in fluorescence is indicative of dna condensation , while an increase indicates a decondensation of dna . fluorescence sample relative dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 40 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 2 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 75 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 40 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 3 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 79 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 150 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 3 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 56 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 95 the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . furthermore , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described . therefore , all suitable modifications and equivalents fall within the scope of the invention . | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 9a26c957d7b5ce01dd4c12362aee3a9329f76d5073f5679ade4a3381eba2e801 | 0.275391 | 0.003174 | 0.386719 | 0.000261 | 0.176758 | 0.004211 |
null | we have developed a strategy for endosomal release of membrane impermeable molecules . this strategy involves the reversible inactivation of a membrane active or membrane lysing agent . the reversible inactivation of the membrane active agent is accomplished by attaching an inhibitor or plurality of inhibitors to the membrane active agent by a bond or plurality of bonds that cleave in the environment of an endosome . the inhibitor prevents the agent from lysing the cytoplasmic membrane and thereby causing cell death . the inhibitor is removed from the agent in the acidic environment of the endosome by cleavage of a labile bond , thereby allowing the membrane active agent to disrupt the endosomal membrane to effect release of endosomal contents into the cytoplasm . a key component to limiting membrane activity to the endosome is the labile bond , which must be stable under extracellular conditions , but very unstable in the endosomal vesicle . in particular , we have focused on the identification of bonds that are cleaved in an acidic environment . acidification is a characteristic of the endosome environment that is commonly exploited by viral and non - viral delivery vehicles . agents which rely on protonation to become membrane active , such as polypropylacrylic acid and peptide derivatives of the viral coat protein hemagluttinin , have a serious flaw . activation of the agent causes partial disruption of the endosome , thus destroying the ph gradient and leading to inactivation of the membrane active agent . this cycle can limit the effectiveness of the membrane active agent in delivery of macromolecules to the cell cytoplasm . in contrast , the invention as described herein , results in essentially irreversible reactivation on membrane active agents upon exposure to an acidic ph environment . an important consideration in selecting labile bonds for use in cellular delivery systems is the kinetics of bond cleavage upon exposure of the bond to acidic ph . the kinetics of endosome acidification and maturation of the endosome to a lysosome are very rapid compared to the rates of cleavage for most of the acid - labile bonds reported in the literature . once endocytosis occurs , the ph drops from the extracellular ph ( about 7 . 4 ) to ph about 5 in roughly 10 min . endosomal contents are quickly exposed to active lysosomal enzymes and degradation of the molecule to be delivered may occur . therefore , bonds that are cleaved in within minutes in the ph range 5 - 7 are preferred . a well - studied ph - labile bond is the maleamate bond , which is derived from the reaction of an amine and a maleic anhydride or maleic anhydride derivative ( fig1 ). the rate of maleamate cleavage is dependent upon the structure of the maleic anhydride used to form the maleamate . in general , disubstituted maleamates are more labile than monosubstituted maleamates , which are more labile than unsubstituted maleamates . the monosubstituted maleamates are the most studied members of this family , and have half - lives of hours at ph & lt ; 5 . according to literature , disubstitution of the maleamate results in about two orders of magnitude increase in the rate of cleavage . we have found that the disubstituted maleamate bond derived from dimethylmaleic anhydride ( r 1 and r 2 = ch 3 in fig1 ) has a half - life of about 2 min at ph 5 . this rate is on the same order as endosome maturation . in contrast , we have found that monosubstituted maleamate bonds derived from methylmaleic anhydride ( r 1or2 = h and r 2or1 = ch 3 in fig1 ) have a half - life of cleavage of about 300 min ( 5 hours ) at ph 5 . to increase charge and solubility , derivatives of dimethyl maleic anhydrides , such as 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride (( naganawa et al . 1994 ; carboxylated dimethylmaleic anhydride or cdm ) may be used ( fig2 ). the ability of a disubstituted maleic anhydride to reversibly inhibit membrane activity of the peptide melittin until reaching the acidic environment of the endosome was reported by us ( rozema et al . 2003 ). we demonstrated the ability of the reversibly inhibited melittin to deliver the membrane impermeable molecules polyethyleneglycol and an oligonucleotide to the cell cytoplasm . in these examples of delivery , the delivery reagent ( cdm - modified melittin ) and compound were not connected or associated with each other , but independently delivered to common endocytic compartments in the cell . for delivery of membrane impermeable molecules to the cytoplasm of cells in vivo , there must be an association between the molecule and the delivery agent . we now provide membrane active agents that may be noncovalently associated with or covalently linked to the membrane impermeable molecule for delivery of the molecule to the cytoplasm of a cell . dna can be condensed with an excess of polycation in aqueous solutions to form nanoparticles with positive surface charge . this phenomenon is critical not only to chromatin and viral assembly , but also is important in the construction of gene delivery vehicles . the positive charge surplus contained in polycation - condensed dna complex can be used to deposit a layer of polyanions on the surface dna / polycation complex resulting in negatively charge particles ( or complexes ) in a process termed recharging ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 328 , 975 ). negatively charged particles may reduce nonspecific interactions that cationic particles have with serum proteins , cell surfaces , and the extracellular matrix . recharging is a two - step process . in step one , the dna or other polynucleotide is condensed by addition of an excess of polycation to form a positively - charged polynucleotide nanoparticle . typical polynucleotide delivery formulations stop at this point and add the nanoparticle to the cell . in the recharging process , a third polyion ( a polyanion ) is added to the positively - charged polycation / polynucleotide particle to make a ternary complex that has a neutral to negative surface charge . under proper formulation conditions , the particles are small (& lt ; 150 nm ), and are termed nanoparticles . negatively charged complexes should be better able to circulate and target specific cells in vivo by reducing non - specific interactions with negatively charged cells surfaces , serum proteins , and the extracellular matrix . in order for the reversibly - masked membrane active agent to facilitate the delivery polynucleotides or other membrane impermeable molecules to cells , the masked membrane active agent must be associated with the molecule . small membrane active agents with low overall charge , such as the membrane lytic peptide melittin , can form particles with polynucleotides . however , these particles are large (& gt ; 150 nm ) and unstable ( i . e ., they increase in size in the presence of physiological concentrations of salt ). larger membrane active polymers can be used to form small , stable particles with polynucleotides . we have previously synthesized membrane active polymers composed of amines and alkyl groups via copolymerization of various alkyl vinyl ethers with an amine - protected monomer ( amphiphilic polyvinylether polycations ; fig3 and u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 772 , 502 , incorporated herein by reference ). as an example , a 50 : 50 mixture of alkyl groups and amines yields polymers containing ethyl ( peave ), propyl ( ppave ), and butyl ( pbave ) groups using trifluoride etherate as an initiator . deprotection of the amine - protecting phthalimide groups results in water soluble polymers with molecular weight about 20 , 000 daltons . the butyl - containing polymer pbave was found to be about 60 % as hemolytic as melittin when assayed for red blood cell lytic activity . reversible inhibition of pbave can be accomplished by cdm modification . incubation of the modified polymer at ph 5 restored lytic ability with a half - life of about 10 min . therefore , the membrane activity of the polymer pbave can be controlled by modification of the polymer with cdm . under basic conditions the polymer is not membrane lytic . upon acidification , the cdm inhibitor is cleaved from the polymer and membrane activity of the polymer is restored ( fig4 ). the endosomolytic activity of cdm - pbave is demonstrated by its ability to deliver a polynucleotide to cells ( see example 5 below ). cdm and cdm derivatives can be used to modify any amine - containing membrane active polymer . in addition to masking the membrane activity of an amine - containing polymer , modification of a polymer with the cdm maleic anhydride derivative further reversibly converts positive charges on the polymer to negatively charged carboxyl groups . thus , a polycation can be converted to a polyanion . following condensation of a polynucleotide with a first polycation to form a small binary complex or particle , a polyanion may then be used to recharge the binary complex and form a ternary complex or particle which has a less positive or more negative surface charge than the binary complex . in recharging a polynucleotide - containing particle with a cdm - modified second polycation , the recharging layer is acid - labile . exposure of this recharged nanoparticle to acidic conditions results in cleavage of the cdm groups from the polyanion with concomitant loss of negative charge from the recharging polymer . reversion of the polyanion to a membrane active polycation ( second polycation ) can have several effects including : destabilization of the particle , release of membrane active agent in the endocytic vesicle , and increased interaction of the first polycation with the endocytic vesicle membrane . the first polycation can also be a membrane active polymer and may further be of the same species as the membrane active second polycation . disruption of the endosome by the membrane active polymer ( s ) results in cytoplasmic delivery of the polynucleotide or other molecule present originally present in the recharged particle . we have shown that endosomolysis can be achieved by reversibly modifying a membrane active peptide such as melittin with maleic anhydride derivatives ( rozema et al . 2003 ; u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 444 , 662 ). cdm - melittin &# 39 ; s ability to delivery macromolecules polyethylene glycol and an uncharged oligonucleotide analog has been shown . however , in order to incorporate masked membrane active agents into polynucleotide - delivery vectors we synthesized polymers of sufficient size and charge to be formulated into stable polynucleotide - containing nanoparticles . as an example , the polycation pbave was synthesized and demonstrated to have both membrane activity and the ability to form small , stable particles with dna . masking of pbave &# 39 ; s membrane activity by reaction with cdm resulted in a polyanion that can be used to recharge dna / polycation particles to make small , negatively - charged , acid - labile nanoparticles . nanoparticles composed of dna : pbave : cdm - pbave were formulated at a 10 : 20 : 80 weight ratio and applied to cultured mouse liver cells ( hepa - 1clc7 ) in tissue culture in the presence of dmem and 10 % serum . the dna used in the delivery formulations was pciluc , which contains a gene encoding luciferase . the transfection ability of the complexes was determined by measuring the relative light units of luciferase produced by cells that had been treated with pciluc - containing nanoparticles . as a control for the reversibly inhibited membrane active polymer ( cdm - pbave ), particles were also constructed using succinylated - pbave ( s - pbave ) and cis - aconitylated - pbave ( a - pbave ). cis - aconitic anhydride is a monosubstituted maleic anhydride derivative that has a carboxylate ( ch 2 co 2 h ) substituent on the maleic anhydride . succinylation is irreversible and cis - aconitylation cleaves with a half - life of about 300 min at ph 5 . there is a dependence of transfection on the liability of the group used to modify / inhibit the membrane active agent pbave . the reversibly - masked , membrane active polymers cdm - pbave and a - pbave were able to transfect cells while the irreversibly modified polymer ( s - pbave ) was inactive . in addition , the nanoparticles containing cdm - pbave ( disubstituted maleamate bonds ) had 30 - fold more transfection activity than nanoparticles formed with a - pbave ( monosubstituted maleamate bonds ). the increase in transfection ability of the cdm - pbave containing particles is most likely related to the greater lability of the cdm disubstituted maleic anhydride derivative relative to the cis - aconitic monosubstituted maleic anhydride derivative . similar results are expected for other amine - containing membrane active polymers . in addition to the stability of particles due to the electrostatic forces between polycation and polyanion , the stability of the particle may also be enhanced by the formation of the covalent bonds , i . e . crossslinking , between the polymers . however , irreversible crosslinking of the polycation and polyanion results in particles that are ineffective for delivery of biologically active nucleic acids . in order to give the particles the stability of crosslinking while still providing the particles with intracellular instability , the polycation and polyanion of a nanoparticle can covalently linked via a plurality of acid labile maleamate bonds . in order to couple a cdm - based polyanion with a polyamine , it is necessary to use a crosslinking group that can react with amines only after the anhydride has reacted to form the cdm - based maleamate group . this selectivity in reaction is required because both formation of the maleamate and crosslinking between polyanion and polycation involve reactions with amines . as a consequence , in order to selectively couple a cdm - based polyanion and polyamine , there must be selectivity of the amine reactions . a method to accomplish this selectivity is to provide , on a cdm derivative , a functional group for crosslinking that is less reactive than the anhydride group involved in maleamate formation . such a functional group is a thioester . a thioester is moderately amine - reactive relative to an anhydride . using a thioester derivative of cdm , it is possible to link two amines together via a ph - labile maleamate bond ( fig5 ). in addition to the maleamate bond , other ph labile bonds may be incorporated into crosslinking reagents including acetals , enol ethers , and hydrazones . in particular , acetals derived from benzaldehyde and benzaldehyde derivatives are very ph labile . in addition to increasing stability in the presence of salt , targeting of particles in vivo requires that nonspecific interactions , with serum component and non - targeted cells , be reduced . in order to reduce such interactions with delivery vehicles , many researchers have attached polyethylene glycol ( peg ) ( kircheis et al . 2001 ; woodle et al . 1992 ), an uncharged water - soluble polymer , to nucleic acid containing particles . however , peg also decreases the transfection competency of particles . in order to gain the benefits of pegylation while maintaining transfection ability , we have synthesized a variety of dimethylmaleic anhydride - derived pegylation reagents . attachment of a plurality of dimethylmaleic anhydride groups to a single peg group allows for the formation of a plurality of reversible covalent bonds with the particle thereby increasing the stability of a particle ( fig6 ). a plurality of peg groups can be covalently attached to a particle . membrane active — membrane active polymers or compounds are molecules that are able to alter membrane structure . this change in structure can be shown by the compound inducing one or more of the following effects upon a membrane : an alteration that allows small molecule permeability , pore formation in the membrane , a fusion and / or fission of membranes , an alteration that allows large molecule permeability , or a dissolving of the membrane . this alteration can be functionally defined by the compound &# 39 ; s activity in at least one the following assays : red blood cell lysis ( hemolysis ), liposome leakage , liposome fusion , cell fusion , cell lysis and endosomal release . polymer — a polymer is a molecule built up by repetitive bonding together of smaller units called monomers . a polymer can be linear , branched network , star , comb , or ladder types of polymer . a polymer can be a homopolymer in which a single monomer is used or can be copolymer in which two or more monomers are used . the main chain of a polymer is composed of the atoms whose bonds are required for propagation of polymer length . for example in poly - l - lysine , the carbonyl carbon , α - carbon , and α - amine groups are required for the length of the polymer and are therefore main chain atoms . the side chain of a polymer is composed of the atoms whose bonds are not required for propagation of polymer length . for example in poly - l - lysine , the β , γ , δ and ε - carbons , an ε - nitrogen are not required for the propagation of the polymer and are therefore side chain atoms . polycation — a polycation can be a polymer possessing net positive charge , for example poly - l - lysine hydrobromide or a histone . the polymeric polycation can contain monomer units that are charge positive , charge neutral , or charge negative , however , the net charge of the polymer must be positive . a polycation also can be a non - polymeric molecule that contains two or more positive charges . polyanion — a polyanion can be a polymer containing a net negative charge , for example polyglutamic acid . the polymeric polyanion can contain monomer units that are charge negative , charge neutral , or charge positive , however , the net charge on the polymer must be negative . a polyanion can also be a non - polymeric molecule that contains two or more negative charges . other components of the monomers and polymers : polymers may have functional groups that enhance their utility . these groups can be incorporated into monomers prior to polymer formation or attached to the polymer after its formation . functional groups may be selected from the list consisting of : targeting groups , interaction modifiers , steric stabilizers , and membrane active compounds , affinity groups and reactive groups . targeting groups — targeting groups , or ligands , are used for targeting the polymer or polymer complex to cells , to specific cells , to tissues or to specific locations in a cell . targeting groups enhance the association of molecules with a cell . examples of targeting groups include those that target to the asialoglycoprotein receptor by using asialoglycoproteins or galactose residues . other proteins such as insulin , egf , or transferrin can be used for targeting . other targeting groups include molecules that interact with membranes such as fatty acids , cholesterol , dansyl compounds , and amphotericin derivatives . a variety of ligands have been used to target drugs and genes to cells and to specific cellular receptors . the ligand may seek a target within the cell membrane , on the cell membrane or near a cell . binding of a ligand to a receptor may initiate endocytosis . steric stabilizer — a steric stabilizer is a long chain hydrophilic group that prevents aggregation of final polymer by sterically hindering particle to particle electrostatic interactions . examples include : alkyl groups , peg chains , polysaccharides , hydrogen molecules , alkyl amines . interaction modifier — an interaction modifier changes the way that a molecule interacts with itself or other molecules , relative to molecule containing no interaction modifier . the result of this modification is that self - interactions or interactions with other molecules are either increased or decreased . for example cell targeting signals are interaction modifiers with change the interaction between a molecule and a cell or cellular component . polyethylene glycol is an interaction modifier that decreases interactions between molecules and themselves and with other molecules . a labile linkage is a chemical compound that contains a labile bond and provides a link or spacer between two other groups . the groups that are linked may be chosen from compounds such as biologically active compounds , membrane active compounds , compounds that inhibit membrane activity , functional reactive groups , monomers , and cell targeting signals . the spacer group may contain chemical moieties chosen from a group that includes alkanes , alkenes , esters , ethers , glycerol , amide , saccharides , polysaccharides , and heteroatoms such as oxygen , sulfur , or nitrogen . the spacer may be electronically neutral , may bear a positive or negative charge , or may bear both positive and negative charges with an overall charge of neutral , positive or negative . ph - labile refers to the selective breakage of a covalent bond under acidic conditions ( ph & lt ; 7 ). that is , the ph - labile bond may be broken under acidic conditions in the presence of other covalent bonds without their breakage . the term ph - labile includes both linkages and bonds that are ph - labile , very ph - labile , and extremely ph - labile . ph - labile refers to the selective breakage of a covalent bond under acidic conditions ( ph & lt ; 7 ). a ph - labile bond may be broken under acidic conditions in the presence of other covalent bonds without their breakage . for the purposes of the present invention , a bond is considered very ph - labile if the half - life for cleavage at ph 5 is less than 45 minutes . for the purposes of the present invention , a bond is considered extremely ph - labile if the half - life for cleavage at ph 5 is less than 15 minutes . targeting groups — targeting groups , or ligands , are used for targeting the polymer or polymer complex to cells , to specific cells , to tissues or to specific locations in a cell . targeting groups enhance the association of molecules with a cell . examples of targeting groups include those that target to the asialoglycoprotein receptor by using asialoglycoproteins or galactose residues . other proteins such as insulin , egf , or transferrin can be used for targeting . other targeting groups include molecules that interact with membranes such as fatty acids , cholesterol , dansyl compounds , and amphotericin derivatives . a variety of ligands have been used to target drugs and genes to cells and to specific cellular receptors . the ligand may seek a target within the cell membrane , on the cell membrane or near a cell . binding of a ligand to a receptor may initiate endocytosis . polynucleotide — the term polynucleotide , or nucleic acid or polynucleic acid , is a term of art that refers to a polymer containing at least two nucleotides . nucleotides are the monomeric units of polynucleotide polymers . polynucleotides with less than 120 monomeric units are often called oligonucleotides . natural nucleic acids have a deoxyribose - or ribose - phosphate backbone . an artificial or synthetic polynucleotide is any polynucleotide that is polymerized in vitro or in a cell free system and contains the same or similar bases but may contain a backbone of a type other than the natural ribose - phosphate backbone . these backbones include : pnas ( peptide nucleic acids ), phosphorothioates , phosphorodiamidates , morpholinos , and other variants of the phosphate backbone of native nucleic acids . bases include purines and pyrimidines , which further include the natural compounds adenine , thymine , guanine , cytosine , uracil , inosine , and natural analogs . synthetic derivatives of purines and pyrimidines include , but are not limited to , modifications which place new reactive groups such as , but not limited to , amines , alcohols , thiols , carboxylates , and alkylhalides . the term base encompasses any of the known base analogs of dna and rna . the term polynucleotide includes deoxyribonucleic acid ( dna ) and ribonucleic acid ( rna ) and combinations of dna , rna and other natural and synthetic nucleotides . a polynucleotide can be delivered to a cell to express an exogenous nucleotide sequence , to inhibit , eliminate , augment , or alter expression of an endogenous nucleotide sequence , or to affect a specific physiological characteristic not naturally associated with the cell . a polynucleotide - based gene expression inhibitor comprises any polynucleotide containing a sequence whose presence or expression in a cell causes the degradation of or inhibits the function , transcription , or translation of a gene in a sequence - specific manner . polynucleotide - based expression inhibitors may be selected from the group comprising : sirna , microrna , interfering rna or rnai , dsrna , ribozymes , antisense polynucleotides , and dna expression cassettes encoding sirna , microrna , dsrna , ribozymes or antisense nucleic acids . sirna comprises a double stranded structure typically containing 15 - 50 base pairs and preferably 19 - 25 base pairs and having a nucleotide sequence identical or nearly identical to an expressed target gene or rna within the cell . an sirna may be composed of two annealed polynucleotides or a single polynucleotide that forms a hairpin structure . micrornas ( mrnas ) are small noncoding polynucleotides , about 22 nucleotides long , that direct destruction or translational repression of their mrna targets . antisense polynucleotides comprise sequence that is complimentary to an gene or mrna . antisense polynucleotides include , but are not limited to : morpholinos , 2 ′- o - methyl polynucleotides , dna , rna and the like . the polynucleotide - based expression inhibitor may be polymerized in vitro , recombinant , contain chimeric sequences , or derivatives of these groups . the polynucleotide - based expression inhibitor may contain ribonucleotides , deoxyribonucleotides , synthetic nucleotides , or any suitable combination such that the target rna and / or gene is inhibited . transfection — the process of delivering a polynucleotide to a cell has been commonly termed transfection or the process of transfecting and also it has been termed transformation . the term transfecting as used herein refers to the introduction of a polynucleotide or other biologically active compound into cells . the polynucleotide may be used for research purposes or to produce a change in a cell that can be therapeutic . the delivery of a polynucleotide can lead to modification of the genetic material present in the target cell . a transfection reagent or delivery vehicle is a compound or compounds that bind ( s ) to or complex ( es ) with oligonucleotides and polynucleotides , and mediates their entry into cells . application ser . nos . 10 / 619 , 778 and 10 / 816 , 081 are incorporated herein by reference . synthesis of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( carboxydimethylmaleic anhydride or cdm ). to a suspension of sodium hydride ( 0 . 58 g , 25 mmol ) in 50 ml anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added triethyl - 2 - phosphonopropionate ( 7 . 1 g , 30 mmol ). after evolution of hydrogen gas had stopped , dimethyl - 2 - oxoglutarate ( 3 . 5 g , 20 mmol ) in 10 ml anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added and stirred for 30 minutes . water , 10 ml , was then added and the tetrahydrofuran was removed by rotary evaporation . the resulting solid and water mixture was extracted with 3 × 50 ml ethyl ether . the ether extractions were combined , dried with magnesium sulfate , and concentrated to a light yellow oil . the oil was purified by silica gel chromatography elution with 2 : 1 ether : hexane to yield 4 g ( 82 % yield ) of pure triester . the 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride was then formed by dissolving of this triester into 50 ml of a 50 / 50 mixture of water and ethanol containing 4 . 5 g ( 5 equivalents ) of potassium hydroxide . this solution was heated to reflux for 1 hour . the ethanol was then removed by rotary evaporation and the solution was acidified to ph 2 with hydrochloric acid . this aqueous solution was then extracted with 200 ml ethyl acetate , which was isolated , dried with magnesium sulfate , and concentrated to a white solid . this solid was then recrystallized from dichloromethane and hexane to yield 2 g ( 80 % yield ) of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride . synthesis of cdm thioester . to a solution of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( 30 mg , 0 . 16 mmol ) in 5 ml methylene chloride was added oxalyl chloride ( 200 mg , 10 eq ) and dimethylformamide ( 1 μl ). the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at which time the excess oxalyl chloride and methylene chloride were removed by rotary evaporation to yield the acid chloride , a clear oil . the acid chloride was dissolved in 1 ml of methylene chloride . to this solution was added 2 equivalents thioglycolic acid , and pyridine ( 20 μl , 1 . 5 eq ) in 10 ml of methylene chloride . the solution was then stirred overnight . the solvent was then removed and the resulting solid was dissolved into 5 ml of water and purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . synthesis of polyvinylethers . 2 - vinyloxy ethyl phathalimide ( 1 g , 4 . 6 mmol ) was added to a oven dried round bottom flask under a blanket of nitrogen in anhydrous dichloromethane to this solution was added ethyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 332 g , 4 . 6 mmol ), propyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 396 g , 4 . 6 mmol ) or butyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 460 g , 4 . 6 mmol ). these solutions were then brought to − 78 ° c . and bf 3 — oet 2 ( 0 . 065 g , 0 . 46 mmol ) is added and the reaction is allowed to proceed for 2 hours at − 78 ° c . the polymerization is then stopped by the addition of 50 / 50 mixture of ammonium hydroxide in methanol . the solvents are then removed by rotary evaporation . the polymer is then dissolved in 30 ml of 1 , 4 - dioxane / methanol ( 2 / 1 ). to this solution was added hydrazine ( 0 . 147 g , 46 mmol ) and the mixture was heated to reflux for 3 hours . the solvents are then removed by rotary evaporation and the resulting solid was then brought up in 20 ml of 0 . 5m hcl and refluxed for 15 minutes , diluted with 20 ml distilled water , and refluxed for additional hour . this solution was then neutralized with naoh cooled to room temperature and transfer to 3 , 500 molecular cellulose tubing and dialyzed for 24 h ( 2 × 20 l ) against distilled water , and freeze dried . hemolysis by melittin , pea ve , ppave , pbave , and cdm - modified pbave . the membrane activity of the amphiphilic cation polymers was tested according to published procedure . 10 8 red blood cells were added to 500 μl of phosphate buffer . to this solution was added 20 μg of melittin , peave , ppave , pbave , or cdm - pbave , which was made by acylation of pbave with 2 eq . of cdm relative to amines . the samples were incubated for 15 min at 37 ° c ., then spun for 1 min at 15 , 000 rcf . lysis was be determined by measuring the absorbance of the supernatant at 541 nm . percent hemolysis was calculated assuming 100 % lysis to be the absorbance of hemoglobin released upon addition of deionized water . all of the polymers were determined to be hemolytic , with pbave and melittin being the most lytic . cdm - modified polymer pbave was not hemolytic until acidification . induction of luciferase upon delivery of oligonucleotide . hela luc / 705 cells ( gene tools , philomath oreg .) were grown under conditions used for hela cells . the cells were plated in 24 - well culture dishes at a density of 3 × 10 6 cells / well and incubated for 24 hours . media was replaced with 1 . 0 ml dmem containing 10 % fetal bovine serum and 2 . 5 nmol pmo ( cct ctt acc tca gtt aca att tat a , seq id 1 , gene tools , philomath , oreg .) either with or without 20 μg of cdm - modified pbave . the cells were then incubated for 48 hours in a humidified , 5 % co 2 incubator at 37 ° c . the cells were harvested and the lysates assayed for luciferase expression using a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer . addition of cdm - modified pbave resulted in a 2 - 3 fold increase in luciferase activity . transfection with acid - labile dna particles : hepa cells ( a mouse hepatocyte cell line ) were cultured in 1 ml dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle media containing 10 % fetal bovine serum using 12 - well plates . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 10 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . as controls for the ph - labile cdm modification , polyanions were generated from the polyamines using succinic anhydride , which irreversibly modifies the amine , and aconitic anhydride , which reversibly modifies the amine but is much slower to cleave than cdm , to form s - pbave and a - pbave respectively . the nanoparticles , 2 μg of dna , were then added ( 200 μl ) to the cells . the cells were incubated for 48 h . the cells were harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for two separate wells of cells . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units dna : pbve : cdm - pbave 1 , 875 , 801 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml dna : pbve : s - pbave 195 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml dna : pbve : a - pbave 68 , 549 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml naked dna 200 transfection with recharged acid - labile particles in vivo . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 30 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . the nanoparticles , 9 μg of dna , were then injected into the tail vein ( 300 μl ) of mice . 24 hours postinjection , the mice were sacrificed , their livers harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for a group of three mice . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units dna : pbve : cdm - pbave 30 , 123 30 : 60 : 240 μg / ml naked dna 1 , 021 particle sizing in the absence and presence of salt and ζ - potential measurement . nanoparticles between dna and peave and cdm / cdm - thioester - modified peave were formulated in 20 mm hepes buffer ph 7 . 5 according to the weight ratios presented above at a dna concentration of 10 μg / ml . for the cdm / cdm - thioester modified polymers , cdm - thioester was mixed was cdm at a 9 : 1 weight ratio before mixing with the polymer . the size of the nanoparticles and the z - potential were determined by light scattering at 532 nm using a brookhaven instruments corporation , zetaplus particle sizer , i90 . the salt stability of the nanoparticles was assessed by addition of sodium chloride to 150 mm and measurement of size after 10 min . particles size ( nm ) in size ( nm ) in polymer wt . ratios ( μg / ml ) 20 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 150 mm nacl dna : peave : cdm - peave 10 : 20 : 100 90 - 110 & gt ; 1000 5 : 10 : 100 90 - 130 & gt ; 1000 dna : peave : cdm / cdmthioester - peave 10 : 20 : 100 90 - 110 114 5 : 10 : 100 90 - 130 118 transfection of cdm - thioester crosslinked dna particles . hepa cells ( a mouse hepatocyte cell line ) were cultured in 1 ml dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle media containing 10 % fetal bovine serum using 12 - well plates . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 10 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . for the cdm / cdm - thioester modified polymers , cdm - thioester was mixed was cdm at a 9 : 1 weight ratio before mixing with the polymer . the nanoparticles , 2 μg of dna , were then added ( 200 μl ) to the cells . the cells were incubated for 48 h . the cells were harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for two separate wells of cells . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units ( rlu ) dna : pbave : cdm - pbave 774 , 432 10 : 40 : 100 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm - pbave 4 , 967 , 879 10 : 20 : 50 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm / cdm - thioester - pbave 1 , 040 , 076 10 : 40 : 100 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm / cdm - thioester - pbave 2 , 276 , 733 10 : 20 : 50 μg / ml synthesis of amino polyethylene glycol monomethyl ethers . to a 10 wt % solution of monomethyl ether peg of various molecular weights in methylene chloride is added 3 equivalents of mesyl chloride and triethylamine . after stirring overnight , the solution is washed with an equal volume of nahco 3 saturated water . the organic layer is then dried with sodium sulfate and the peg is precipitated out of solution by the addition of 9 volume equivalents of diethyl ether . the peg mesylate is allowed to precipitate out overnight at − 78 ° c . the peg mesylate is then dissolved to 15 wt % in water and 10 equivalents of amine ( ethylene diamine or tris ( 2 - aminoethyl ) amine ). the reaction is allowed to proceed for 48 hours and the amine - modified peg is purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . synthesis of cdm - peg derivatives . to a solution of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( 30 mg , 0 . 16 mmol ) in 5 ml methylene chloride was added oxalyl chloride ( 200 mg , 10 eq ) and dimethylformamide ( 1 μl ). the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at which time the excess oxalyl chloride and methylene chloride were removed by rotary evaporation to yield the acid chloride , a clear oil . the acid chloride was dissolved in 1 ml of methylene chloride . to this solution was added 2 equivalents amino polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether of various molecular weights , and pyridine ( 20 μl , 1 . 5 eq ) in 10 ml of methylene chloride . the solution was then stirred overnight . the solvent was then removed and the resulting solid was dissolved into 5 ml of water and purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . particle size in the absence and presence of salt and ζ - potential measurement . nanoparticles between 10 μg / ml dna and 20 μg / ml pbave were formulated in 20 mm hepes buffer ph 7 . 5 . to this solution was added nothing or 100 μg cdm - peg 2 ( the molecular weight of the peg was 1100 ). the size of the nanoparticles and was determined by light scattering at 532 nm using a brookhaven instruments corporation , zetaplus particle sizer , i90 . the salt stability of the nanoparticles was assessed by addition of sodium chloride to 150 mm and measurement of size after 10 min . without addition of cdm - peg 2 the dna / polycation particles grew from 100 to & gt ; 1000 nm upon addition of sodium chloride . upon modification with cdm - peg2 , this increase in particle size did not occur in the presence of salt . condensation and decondensation of dna upon addition of salt and polyacrylic acid . dna was labeled with tetramethylrhodamine labelit dna labeling reagent ( mirus corporation ) at a 1 : 1 dna : labelit weight ratio according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocol . a solution of 1 μg / ml of tetramethylrhodamine - labeled dna was condensed by the addition of 10 μg / ml of pbave in the presence of taps buffer ph 9 . to this solution was added various amounts of cdm - peg 2 and cdm - peg 3 . to the solution was then added nacl bring the concentration to 150 mm . finally polyacrylic acid was added to 100 μg / ml . after the addition of each reagent , the fluorescence of the rhodamine was measured using a varian spectrofluorometer exciting at 555 nm and measure emission at 575 nm . a decrease in fluorescence is indicative of dna condensation , while an increase indicates a decondensation of dna . fluorescence sample relative dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 40 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 2 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 75 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 40 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 3 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 79 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 150 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 3 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 56 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 95 the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . furthermore , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described . therefore , all suitable modifications and equivalents fall within the scope of the invention . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 9a26c957d7b5ce01dd4c12362aee3a9329f76d5073f5679ade4a3381eba2e801 | 0.404297 | 0.139648 | 0.476563 | 0.121582 | 0.243164 | 0.208984 |
null | we have developed a strategy for endosomal release of membrane impermeable molecules . this strategy involves the reversible inactivation of a membrane active or membrane lysing agent . the reversible inactivation of the membrane active agent is accomplished by attaching an inhibitor or plurality of inhibitors to the membrane active agent by a bond or plurality of bonds that cleave in the environment of an endosome . the inhibitor prevents the agent from lysing the cytoplasmic membrane and thereby causing cell death . the inhibitor is removed from the agent in the acidic environment of the endosome by cleavage of a labile bond , thereby allowing the membrane active agent to disrupt the endosomal membrane to effect release of endosomal contents into the cytoplasm . a key component to limiting membrane activity to the endosome is the labile bond , which must be stable under extracellular conditions , but very unstable in the endosomal vesicle . in particular , we have focused on the identification of bonds that are cleaved in an acidic environment . acidification is a characteristic of the endosome environment that is commonly exploited by viral and non - viral delivery vehicles . agents which rely on protonation to become membrane active , such as polypropylacrylic acid and peptide derivatives of the viral coat protein hemagluttinin , have a serious flaw . activation of the agent causes partial disruption of the endosome , thus destroying the ph gradient and leading to inactivation of the membrane active agent . this cycle can limit the effectiveness of the membrane active agent in delivery of macromolecules to the cell cytoplasm . in contrast , the invention as described herein , results in essentially irreversible reactivation on membrane active agents upon exposure to an acidic ph environment . an important consideration in selecting labile bonds for use in cellular delivery systems is the kinetics of bond cleavage upon exposure of the bond to acidic ph . the kinetics of endosome acidification and maturation of the endosome to a lysosome are very rapid compared to the rates of cleavage for most of the acid - labile bonds reported in the literature . once endocytosis occurs , the ph drops from the extracellular ph ( about 7 . 4 ) to ph about 5 in roughly 10 min . endosomal contents are quickly exposed to active lysosomal enzymes and degradation of the molecule to be delivered may occur . therefore , bonds that are cleaved in within minutes in the ph range 5 - 7 are preferred . a well - studied ph - labile bond is the maleamate bond , which is derived from the reaction of an amine and a maleic anhydride or maleic anhydride derivative ( fig1 ). the rate of maleamate cleavage is dependent upon the structure of the maleic anhydride used to form the maleamate . in general , disubstituted maleamates are more labile than monosubstituted maleamates , which are more labile than unsubstituted maleamates . the monosubstituted maleamates are the most studied members of this family , and have half - lives of hours at ph & lt ; 5 . according to literature , disubstitution of the maleamate results in about two orders of magnitude increase in the rate of cleavage . we have found that the disubstituted maleamate bond derived from dimethylmaleic anhydride ( r 1 and r 2 = ch 3 in fig1 ) has a half - life of about 2 min at ph 5 . this rate is on the same order as endosome maturation . in contrast , we have found that monosubstituted maleamate bonds derived from methylmaleic anhydride ( r 1or2 = h and r 2or1 = ch 3 in fig1 ) have a half - life of cleavage of about 300 min ( 5 hours ) at ph 5 . to increase charge and solubility , derivatives of dimethyl maleic anhydrides , such as 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride (( naganawa et al . 1994 ; carboxylated dimethylmaleic anhydride or cdm ) may be used ( fig2 ). the ability of a disubstituted maleic anhydride to reversibly inhibit membrane activity of the peptide melittin until reaching the acidic environment of the endosome was reported by us ( rozema et al . 2003 ). we demonstrated the ability of the reversibly inhibited melittin to deliver the membrane impermeable molecules polyethyleneglycol and an oligonucleotide to the cell cytoplasm . in these examples of delivery , the delivery reagent ( cdm - modified melittin ) and compound were not connected or associated with each other , but independently delivered to common endocytic compartments in the cell . for delivery of membrane impermeable molecules to the cytoplasm of cells in vivo , there must be an association between the molecule and the delivery agent . we now provide membrane active agents that may be noncovalently associated with or covalently linked to the membrane impermeable molecule for delivery of the molecule to the cytoplasm of a cell . dna can be condensed with an excess of polycation in aqueous solutions to form nanoparticles with positive surface charge . this phenomenon is critical not only to chromatin and viral assembly , but also is important in the construction of gene delivery vehicles . the positive charge surplus contained in polycation - condensed dna complex can be used to deposit a layer of polyanions on the surface dna / polycation complex resulting in negatively charge particles ( or complexes ) in a process termed recharging ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 328 , 975 ). negatively charged particles may reduce nonspecific interactions that cationic particles have with serum proteins , cell surfaces , and the extracellular matrix . recharging is a two - step process . in step one , the dna or other polynucleotide is condensed by addition of an excess of polycation to form a positively - charged polynucleotide nanoparticle . typical polynucleotide delivery formulations stop at this point and add the nanoparticle to the cell . in the recharging process , a third polyion ( a polyanion ) is added to the positively - charged polycation / polynucleotide particle to make a ternary complex that has a neutral to negative surface charge . under proper formulation conditions , the particles are small (& lt ; 150 nm ), and are termed nanoparticles . negatively charged complexes should be better able to circulate and target specific cells in vivo by reducing non - specific interactions with negatively charged cells surfaces , serum proteins , and the extracellular matrix . in order for the reversibly - masked membrane active agent to facilitate the delivery polynucleotides or other membrane impermeable molecules to cells , the masked membrane active agent must be associated with the molecule . small membrane active agents with low overall charge , such as the membrane lytic peptide melittin , can form particles with polynucleotides . however , these particles are large (& gt ; 150 nm ) and unstable ( i . e ., they increase in size in the presence of physiological concentrations of salt ). larger membrane active polymers can be used to form small , stable particles with polynucleotides . we have previously synthesized membrane active polymers composed of amines and alkyl groups via copolymerization of various alkyl vinyl ethers with an amine - protected monomer ( amphiphilic polyvinylether polycations ; fig3 and u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 772 , 502 , incorporated herein by reference ). as an example , a 50 : 50 mixture of alkyl groups and amines yields polymers containing ethyl ( peave ), propyl ( ppave ), and butyl ( pbave ) groups using trifluoride etherate as an initiator . deprotection of the amine - protecting phthalimide groups results in water soluble polymers with molecular weight about 20 , 000 daltons . the butyl - containing polymer pbave was found to be about 60 % as hemolytic as melittin when assayed for red blood cell lytic activity . reversible inhibition of pbave can be accomplished by cdm modification . incubation of the modified polymer at ph 5 restored lytic ability with a half - life of about 10 min . therefore , the membrane activity of the polymer pbave can be controlled by modification of the polymer with cdm . under basic conditions the polymer is not membrane lytic . upon acidification , the cdm inhibitor is cleaved from the polymer and membrane activity of the polymer is restored ( fig4 ). the endosomolytic activity of cdm - pbave is demonstrated by its ability to deliver a polynucleotide to cells ( see example 5 below ). cdm and cdm derivatives can be used to modify any amine - containing membrane active polymer . in addition to masking the membrane activity of an amine - containing polymer , modification of a polymer with the cdm maleic anhydride derivative further reversibly converts positive charges on the polymer to negatively charged carboxyl groups . thus , a polycation can be converted to a polyanion . following condensation of a polynucleotide with a first polycation to form a small binary complex or particle , a polyanion may then be used to recharge the binary complex and form a ternary complex or particle which has a less positive or more negative surface charge than the binary complex . in recharging a polynucleotide - containing particle with a cdm - modified second polycation , the recharging layer is acid - labile . exposure of this recharged nanoparticle to acidic conditions results in cleavage of the cdm groups from the polyanion with concomitant loss of negative charge from the recharging polymer . reversion of the polyanion to a membrane active polycation ( second polycation ) can have several effects including : destabilization of the particle , release of membrane active agent in the endocytic vesicle , and increased interaction of the first polycation with the endocytic vesicle membrane . the first polycation can also be a membrane active polymer and may further be of the same species as the membrane active second polycation . disruption of the endosome by the membrane active polymer ( s ) results in cytoplasmic delivery of the polynucleotide or other molecule present originally present in the recharged particle . we have shown that endosomolysis can be achieved by reversibly modifying a membrane active peptide such as melittin with maleic anhydride derivatives ( rozema et al . 2003 ; u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 444 , 662 ). cdm - melittin &# 39 ; s ability to delivery macromolecules polyethylene glycol and an uncharged oligonucleotide analog has been shown . however , in order to incorporate masked membrane active agents into polynucleotide - delivery vectors we synthesized polymers of sufficient size and charge to be formulated into stable polynucleotide - containing nanoparticles . as an example , the polycation pbave was synthesized and demonstrated to have both membrane activity and the ability to form small , stable particles with dna . masking of pbave &# 39 ; s membrane activity by reaction with cdm resulted in a polyanion that can be used to recharge dna / polycation particles to make small , negatively - charged , acid - labile nanoparticles . nanoparticles composed of dna : pbave : cdm - pbave were formulated at a 10 : 20 : 80 weight ratio and applied to cultured mouse liver cells ( hepa - 1clc7 ) in tissue culture in the presence of dmem and 10 % serum . the dna used in the delivery formulations was pciluc , which contains a gene encoding luciferase . the transfection ability of the complexes was determined by measuring the relative light units of luciferase produced by cells that had been treated with pciluc - containing nanoparticles . as a control for the reversibly inhibited membrane active polymer ( cdm - pbave ), particles were also constructed using succinylated - pbave ( s - pbave ) and cis - aconitylated - pbave ( a - pbave ). cis - aconitic anhydride is a monosubstituted maleic anhydride derivative that has a carboxylate ( ch 2 co 2 h ) substituent on the maleic anhydride . succinylation is irreversible and cis - aconitylation cleaves with a half - life of about 300 min at ph 5 . there is a dependence of transfection on the liability of the group used to modify / inhibit the membrane active agent pbave . the reversibly - masked , membrane active polymers cdm - pbave and a - pbave were able to transfect cells while the irreversibly modified polymer ( s - pbave ) was inactive . in addition , the nanoparticles containing cdm - pbave ( disubstituted maleamate bonds ) had 30 - fold more transfection activity than nanoparticles formed with a - pbave ( monosubstituted maleamate bonds ). the increase in transfection ability of the cdm - pbave containing particles is most likely related to the greater lability of the cdm disubstituted maleic anhydride derivative relative to the cis - aconitic monosubstituted maleic anhydride derivative . similar results are expected for other amine - containing membrane active polymers . in addition to the stability of particles due to the electrostatic forces between polycation and polyanion , the stability of the particle may also be enhanced by the formation of the covalent bonds , i . e . crossslinking , between the polymers . however , irreversible crosslinking of the polycation and polyanion results in particles that are ineffective for delivery of biologically active nucleic acids . in order to give the particles the stability of crosslinking while still providing the particles with intracellular instability , the polycation and polyanion of a nanoparticle can covalently linked via a plurality of acid labile maleamate bonds . in order to couple a cdm - based polyanion with a polyamine , it is necessary to use a crosslinking group that can react with amines only after the anhydride has reacted to form the cdm - based maleamate group . this selectivity in reaction is required because both formation of the maleamate and crosslinking between polyanion and polycation involve reactions with amines . as a consequence , in order to selectively couple a cdm - based polyanion and polyamine , there must be selectivity of the amine reactions . a method to accomplish this selectivity is to provide , on a cdm derivative , a functional group for crosslinking that is less reactive than the anhydride group involved in maleamate formation . such a functional group is a thioester . a thioester is moderately amine - reactive relative to an anhydride . using a thioester derivative of cdm , it is possible to link two amines together via a ph - labile maleamate bond ( fig5 ). in addition to the maleamate bond , other ph labile bonds may be incorporated into crosslinking reagents including acetals , enol ethers , and hydrazones . in particular , acetals derived from benzaldehyde and benzaldehyde derivatives are very ph labile . in addition to increasing stability in the presence of salt , targeting of particles in vivo requires that nonspecific interactions , with serum component and non - targeted cells , be reduced . in order to reduce such interactions with delivery vehicles , many researchers have attached polyethylene glycol ( peg ) ( kircheis et al . 2001 ; woodle et al . 1992 ), an uncharged water - soluble polymer , to nucleic acid containing particles . however , peg also decreases the transfection competency of particles . in order to gain the benefits of pegylation while maintaining transfection ability , we have synthesized a variety of dimethylmaleic anhydride - derived pegylation reagents . attachment of a plurality of dimethylmaleic anhydride groups to a single peg group allows for the formation of a plurality of reversible covalent bonds with the particle thereby increasing the stability of a particle ( fig6 ). a plurality of peg groups can be covalently attached to a particle . membrane active — membrane active polymers or compounds are molecules that are able to alter membrane structure . this change in structure can be shown by the compound inducing one or more of the following effects upon a membrane : an alteration that allows small molecule permeability , pore formation in the membrane , a fusion and / or fission of membranes , an alteration that allows large molecule permeability , or a dissolving of the membrane . this alteration can be functionally defined by the compound &# 39 ; s activity in at least one the following assays : red blood cell lysis ( hemolysis ), liposome leakage , liposome fusion , cell fusion , cell lysis and endosomal release . polymer — a polymer is a molecule built up by repetitive bonding together of smaller units called monomers . a polymer can be linear , branched network , star , comb , or ladder types of polymer . a polymer can be a homopolymer in which a single monomer is used or can be copolymer in which two or more monomers are used . the main chain of a polymer is composed of the atoms whose bonds are required for propagation of polymer length . for example in poly - l - lysine , the carbonyl carbon , α - carbon , and α - amine groups are required for the length of the polymer and are therefore main chain atoms . the side chain of a polymer is composed of the atoms whose bonds are not required for propagation of polymer length . for example in poly - l - lysine , the β , γ , δ and ε - carbons , an ε - nitrogen are not required for the propagation of the polymer and are therefore side chain atoms . polycation — a polycation can be a polymer possessing net positive charge , for example poly - l - lysine hydrobromide or a histone . the polymeric polycation can contain monomer units that are charge positive , charge neutral , or charge negative , however , the net charge of the polymer must be positive . a polycation also can be a non - polymeric molecule that contains two or more positive charges . polyanion — a polyanion can be a polymer containing a net negative charge , for example polyglutamic acid . the polymeric polyanion can contain monomer units that are charge negative , charge neutral , or charge positive , however , the net charge on the polymer must be negative . a polyanion can also be a non - polymeric molecule that contains two or more negative charges . other components of the monomers and polymers : polymers may have functional groups that enhance their utility . these groups can be incorporated into monomers prior to polymer formation or attached to the polymer after its formation . functional groups may be selected from the list consisting of : targeting groups , interaction modifiers , steric stabilizers , and membrane active compounds , affinity groups and reactive groups . targeting groups — targeting groups , or ligands , are used for targeting the polymer or polymer complex to cells , to specific cells , to tissues or to specific locations in a cell . targeting groups enhance the association of molecules with a cell . examples of targeting groups include those that target to the asialoglycoprotein receptor by using asialoglycoproteins or galactose residues . other proteins such as insulin , egf , or transferrin can be used for targeting . other targeting groups include molecules that interact with membranes such as fatty acids , cholesterol , dansyl compounds , and amphotericin derivatives . a variety of ligands have been used to target drugs and genes to cells and to specific cellular receptors . the ligand may seek a target within the cell membrane , on the cell membrane or near a cell . binding of a ligand to a receptor may initiate endocytosis . steric stabilizer — a steric stabilizer is a long chain hydrophilic group that prevents aggregation of final polymer by sterically hindering particle to particle electrostatic interactions . examples include : alkyl groups , peg chains , polysaccharides , hydrogen molecules , alkyl amines . interaction modifier — an interaction modifier changes the way that a molecule interacts with itself or other molecules , relative to molecule containing no interaction modifier . the result of this modification is that self - interactions or interactions with other molecules are either increased or decreased . for example cell targeting signals are interaction modifiers with change the interaction between a molecule and a cell or cellular component . polyethylene glycol is an interaction modifier that decreases interactions between molecules and themselves and with other molecules . a labile linkage is a chemical compound that contains a labile bond and provides a link or spacer between two other groups . the groups that are linked may be chosen from compounds such as biologically active compounds , membrane active compounds , compounds that inhibit membrane activity , functional reactive groups , monomers , and cell targeting signals . the spacer group may contain chemical moieties chosen from a group that includes alkanes , alkenes , esters , ethers , glycerol , amide , saccharides , polysaccharides , and heteroatoms such as oxygen , sulfur , or nitrogen . the spacer may be electronically neutral , may bear a positive or negative charge , or may bear both positive and negative charges with an overall charge of neutral , positive or negative . ph - labile refers to the selective breakage of a covalent bond under acidic conditions ( ph & lt ; 7 ). that is , the ph - labile bond may be broken under acidic conditions in the presence of other covalent bonds without their breakage . the term ph - labile includes both linkages and bonds that are ph - labile , very ph - labile , and extremely ph - labile . ph - labile refers to the selective breakage of a covalent bond under acidic conditions ( ph & lt ; 7 ). a ph - labile bond may be broken under acidic conditions in the presence of other covalent bonds without their breakage . for the purposes of the present invention , a bond is considered very ph - labile if the half - life for cleavage at ph 5 is less than 45 minutes . for the purposes of the present invention , a bond is considered extremely ph - labile if the half - life for cleavage at ph 5 is less than 15 minutes . targeting groups — targeting groups , or ligands , are used for targeting the polymer or polymer complex to cells , to specific cells , to tissues or to specific locations in a cell . targeting groups enhance the association of molecules with a cell . examples of targeting groups include those that target to the asialoglycoprotein receptor by using asialoglycoproteins or galactose residues . other proteins such as insulin , egf , or transferrin can be used for targeting . other targeting groups include molecules that interact with membranes such as fatty acids , cholesterol , dansyl compounds , and amphotericin derivatives . a variety of ligands have been used to target drugs and genes to cells and to specific cellular receptors . the ligand may seek a target within the cell membrane , on the cell membrane or near a cell . binding of a ligand to a receptor may initiate endocytosis . polynucleotide — the term polynucleotide , or nucleic acid or polynucleic acid , is a term of art that refers to a polymer containing at least two nucleotides . nucleotides are the monomeric units of polynucleotide polymers . polynucleotides with less than 120 monomeric units are often called oligonucleotides . natural nucleic acids have a deoxyribose - or ribose - phosphate backbone . an artificial or synthetic polynucleotide is any polynucleotide that is polymerized in vitro or in a cell free system and contains the same or similar bases but may contain a backbone of a type other than the natural ribose - phosphate backbone . these backbones include : pnas ( peptide nucleic acids ), phosphorothioates , phosphorodiamidates , morpholinos , and other variants of the phosphate backbone of native nucleic acids . bases include purines and pyrimidines , which further include the natural compounds adenine , thymine , guanine , cytosine , uracil , inosine , and natural analogs . synthetic derivatives of purines and pyrimidines include , but are not limited to , modifications which place new reactive groups such as , but not limited to , amines , alcohols , thiols , carboxylates , and alkylhalides . the term base encompasses any of the known base analogs of dna and rna . the term polynucleotide includes deoxyribonucleic acid ( dna ) and ribonucleic acid ( rna ) and combinations of dna , rna and other natural and synthetic nucleotides . a polynucleotide can be delivered to a cell to express an exogenous nucleotide sequence , to inhibit , eliminate , augment , or alter expression of an endogenous nucleotide sequence , or to affect a specific physiological characteristic not naturally associated with the cell . a polynucleotide - based gene expression inhibitor comprises any polynucleotide containing a sequence whose presence or expression in a cell causes the degradation of or inhibits the function , transcription , or translation of a gene in a sequence - specific manner . polynucleotide - based expression inhibitors may be selected from the group comprising : sirna , microrna , interfering rna or rnai , dsrna , ribozymes , antisense polynucleotides , and dna expression cassettes encoding sirna , microrna , dsrna , ribozymes or antisense nucleic acids . sirna comprises a double stranded structure typically containing 15 - 50 base pairs and preferably 19 - 25 base pairs and having a nucleotide sequence identical or nearly identical to an expressed target gene or rna within the cell . an sirna may be composed of two annealed polynucleotides or a single polynucleotide that forms a hairpin structure . micrornas ( mrnas ) are small noncoding polynucleotides , about 22 nucleotides long , that direct destruction or translational repression of their mrna targets . antisense polynucleotides comprise sequence that is complimentary to an gene or mrna . antisense polynucleotides include , but are not limited to : morpholinos , 2 ′- o - methyl polynucleotides , dna , rna and the like . the polynucleotide - based expression inhibitor may be polymerized in vitro , recombinant , contain chimeric sequences , or derivatives of these groups . the polynucleotide - based expression inhibitor may contain ribonucleotides , deoxyribonucleotides , synthetic nucleotides , or any suitable combination such that the target rna and / or gene is inhibited . transfection — the process of delivering a polynucleotide to a cell has been commonly termed transfection or the process of transfecting and also it has been termed transformation . the term transfecting as used herein refers to the introduction of a polynucleotide or other biologically active compound into cells . the polynucleotide may be used for research purposes or to produce a change in a cell that can be therapeutic . the delivery of a polynucleotide can lead to modification of the genetic material present in the target cell . a transfection reagent or delivery vehicle is a compound or compounds that bind ( s ) to or complex ( es ) with oligonucleotides and polynucleotides , and mediates their entry into cells . application ser . nos . 10 / 619 , 778 and 10 / 816 , 081 are incorporated herein by reference . synthesis of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( carboxydimethylmaleic anhydride or cdm ). to a suspension of sodium hydride ( 0 . 58 g , 25 mmol ) in 50 ml anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added triethyl - 2 - phosphonopropionate ( 7 . 1 g , 30 mmol ). after evolution of hydrogen gas had stopped , dimethyl - 2 - oxoglutarate ( 3 . 5 g , 20 mmol ) in 10 ml anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added and stirred for 30 minutes . water , 10 ml , was then added and the tetrahydrofuran was removed by rotary evaporation . the resulting solid and water mixture was extracted with 3 × 50 ml ethyl ether . the ether extractions were combined , dried with magnesium sulfate , and concentrated to a light yellow oil . the oil was purified by silica gel chromatography elution with 2 : 1 ether : hexane to yield 4 g ( 82 % yield ) of pure triester . the 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride was then formed by dissolving of this triester into 50 ml of a 50 / 50 mixture of water and ethanol containing 4 . 5 g ( 5 equivalents ) of potassium hydroxide . this solution was heated to reflux for 1 hour . the ethanol was then removed by rotary evaporation and the solution was acidified to ph 2 with hydrochloric acid . this aqueous solution was then extracted with 200 ml ethyl acetate , which was isolated , dried with magnesium sulfate , and concentrated to a white solid . this solid was then recrystallized from dichloromethane and hexane to yield 2 g ( 80 % yield ) of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride . synthesis of cdm thioester . to a solution of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( 30 mg , 0 . 16 mmol ) in 5 ml methylene chloride was added oxalyl chloride ( 200 mg , 10 eq ) and dimethylformamide ( 1 μl ). the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at which time the excess oxalyl chloride and methylene chloride were removed by rotary evaporation to yield the acid chloride , a clear oil . the acid chloride was dissolved in 1 ml of methylene chloride . to this solution was added 2 equivalents thioglycolic acid , and pyridine ( 20 μl , 1 . 5 eq ) in 10 ml of methylene chloride . the solution was then stirred overnight . the solvent was then removed and the resulting solid was dissolved into 5 ml of water and purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . synthesis of polyvinylethers . 2 - vinyloxy ethyl phathalimide ( 1 g , 4 . 6 mmol ) was added to a oven dried round bottom flask under a blanket of nitrogen in anhydrous dichloromethane to this solution was added ethyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 332 g , 4 . 6 mmol ), propyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 396 g , 4 . 6 mmol ) or butyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 460 g , 4 . 6 mmol ). these solutions were then brought to − 78 ° c . and bf 3 — oet 2 ( 0 . 065 g , 0 . 46 mmol ) is added and the reaction is allowed to proceed for 2 hours at − 78 ° c . the polymerization is then stopped by the addition of 50 / 50 mixture of ammonium hydroxide in methanol . the solvents are then removed by rotary evaporation . the polymer is then dissolved in 30 ml of 1 , 4 - dioxane / methanol ( 2 / 1 ). to this solution was added hydrazine ( 0 . 147 g , 46 mmol ) and the mixture was heated to reflux for 3 hours . the solvents are then removed by rotary evaporation and the resulting solid was then brought up in 20 ml of 0 . 5m hcl and refluxed for 15 minutes , diluted with 20 ml distilled water , and refluxed for additional hour . this solution was then neutralized with naoh cooled to room temperature and transfer to 3 , 500 molecular cellulose tubing and dialyzed for 24 h ( 2 × 20 l ) against distilled water , and freeze dried . hemolysis by melittin , pea ve , ppave , pbave , and cdm - modified pbave . the membrane activity of the amphiphilic cation polymers was tested according to published procedure . 10 8 red blood cells were added to 500 μl of phosphate buffer . to this solution was added 20 μg of melittin , peave , ppave , pbave , or cdm - pbave , which was made by acylation of pbave with 2 eq . of cdm relative to amines . the samples were incubated for 15 min at 37 ° c ., then spun for 1 min at 15 , 000 rcf . lysis was be determined by measuring the absorbance of the supernatant at 541 nm . percent hemolysis was calculated assuming 100 % lysis to be the absorbance of hemoglobin released upon addition of deionized water . all of the polymers were determined to be hemolytic , with pbave and melittin being the most lytic . cdm - modified polymer pbave was not hemolytic until acidification . induction of luciferase upon delivery of oligonucleotide . hela luc / 705 cells ( gene tools , philomath oreg .) were grown under conditions used for hela cells . the cells were plated in 24 - well culture dishes at a density of 3 × 10 6 cells / well and incubated for 24 hours . media was replaced with 1 . 0 ml dmem containing 10 % fetal bovine serum and 2 . 5 nmol pmo ( cct ctt acc tca gtt aca att tat a , seq id 1 , gene tools , philomath , oreg .) either with or without 20 μg of cdm - modified pbave . the cells were then incubated for 48 hours in a humidified , 5 % co 2 incubator at 37 ° c . the cells were harvested and the lysates assayed for luciferase expression using a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer . addition of cdm - modified pbave resulted in a 2 - 3 fold increase in luciferase activity . transfection with acid - labile dna particles : hepa cells ( a mouse hepatocyte cell line ) were cultured in 1 ml dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle media containing 10 % fetal bovine serum using 12 - well plates . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 10 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . as controls for the ph - labile cdm modification , polyanions were generated from the polyamines using succinic anhydride , which irreversibly modifies the amine , and aconitic anhydride , which reversibly modifies the amine but is much slower to cleave than cdm , to form s - pbave and a - pbave respectively . the nanoparticles , 2 μg of dna , were then added ( 200 μl ) to the cells . the cells were incubated for 48 h . the cells were harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for two separate wells of cells . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units dna : pbve : cdm - pbave 1 , 875 , 801 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml dna : pbve : s - pbave 195 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml dna : pbve : a - pbave 68 , 549 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml naked dna 200 transfection with recharged acid - labile particles in vivo . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 30 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . the nanoparticles , 9 μg of dna , were then injected into the tail vein ( 300 μl ) of mice . 24 hours postinjection , the mice were sacrificed , their livers harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for a group of three mice . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units dna : pbve : cdm - pbave 30 , 123 30 : 60 : 240 μg / ml naked dna 1 , 021 particle sizing in the absence and presence of salt and ζ - potential measurement . nanoparticles between dna and peave and cdm / cdm - thioester - modified peave were formulated in 20 mm hepes buffer ph 7 . 5 according to the weight ratios presented above at a dna concentration of 10 μg / ml . for the cdm / cdm - thioester modified polymers , cdm - thioester was mixed was cdm at a 9 : 1 weight ratio before mixing with the polymer . the size of the nanoparticles and the z - potential were determined by light scattering at 532 nm using a brookhaven instruments corporation , zetaplus particle sizer , i90 . the salt stability of the nanoparticles was assessed by addition of sodium chloride to 150 mm and measurement of size after 10 min . particles size ( nm ) in size ( nm ) in polymer wt . ratios ( μg / ml ) 20 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 150 mm nacl dna : peave : cdm - peave 10 : 20 : 100 90 - 110 & gt ; 1000 5 : 10 : 100 90 - 130 & gt ; 1000 dna : peave : cdm / cdmthioester - peave 10 : 20 : 100 90 - 110 114 5 : 10 : 100 90 - 130 118 transfection of cdm - thioester crosslinked dna particles . hepa cells ( a mouse hepatocyte cell line ) were cultured in 1 ml dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle media containing 10 % fetal bovine serum using 12 - well plates . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 10 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . for the cdm / cdm - thioester modified polymers , cdm - thioester was mixed was cdm at a 9 : 1 weight ratio before mixing with the polymer . the nanoparticles , 2 μg of dna , were then added ( 200 μl ) to the cells . the cells were incubated for 48 h . the cells were harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for two separate wells of cells . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units ( rlu ) dna : pbave : cdm - pbave 774 , 432 10 : 40 : 100 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm - pbave 4 , 967 , 879 10 : 20 : 50 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm / cdm - thioester - pbave 1 , 040 , 076 10 : 40 : 100 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm / cdm - thioester - pbave 2 , 276 , 733 10 : 20 : 50 μg / ml synthesis of amino polyethylene glycol monomethyl ethers . to a 10 wt % solution of monomethyl ether peg of various molecular weights in methylene chloride is added 3 equivalents of mesyl chloride and triethylamine . after stirring overnight , the solution is washed with an equal volume of nahco 3 saturated water . the organic layer is then dried with sodium sulfate and the peg is precipitated out of solution by the addition of 9 volume equivalents of diethyl ether . the peg mesylate is allowed to precipitate out overnight at − 78 ° c . the peg mesylate is then dissolved to 15 wt % in water and 10 equivalents of amine ( ethylene diamine or tris ( 2 - aminoethyl ) amine ). the reaction is allowed to proceed for 48 hours and the amine - modified peg is purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . synthesis of cdm - peg derivatives . to a solution of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( 30 mg , 0 . 16 mmol ) in 5 ml methylene chloride was added oxalyl chloride ( 200 mg , 10 eq ) and dimethylformamide ( 1 μl ). the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at which time the excess oxalyl chloride and methylene chloride were removed by rotary evaporation to yield the acid chloride , a clear oil . the acid chloride was dissolved in 1 ml of methylene chloride . to this solution was added 2 equivalents amino polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether of various molecular weights , and pyridine ( 20 μl , 1 . 5 eq ) in 10 ml of methylene chloride . the solution was then stirred overnight . the solvent was then removed and the resulting solid was dissolved into 5 ml of water and purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . particle size in the absence and presence of salt and ζ - potential measurement . nanoparticles between 10 μg / ml dna and 20 μg / ml pbave were formulated in 20 mm hepes buffer ph 7 . 5 . to this solution was added nothing or 100 μg cdm - peg 2 ( the molecular weight of the peg was 1100 ). the size of the nanoparticles and was determined by light scattering at 532 nm using a brookhaven instruments corporation , zetaplus particle sizer , i90 . the salt stability of the nanoparticles was assessed by addition of sodium chloride to 150 mm and measurement of size after 10 min . without addition of cdm - peg 2 the dna / polycation particles grew from 100 to & gt ; 1000 nm upon addition of sodium chloride . upon modification with cdm - peg2 , this increase in particle size did not occur in the presence of salt . condensation and decondensation of dna upon addition of salt and polyacrylic acid . dna was labeled with tetramethylrhodamine labelit dna labeling reagent ( mirus corporation ) at a 1 : 1 dna : labelit weight ratio according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocol . a solution of 1 μg / ml of tetramethylrhodamine - labeled dna was condensed by the addition of 10 μg / ml of pbave in the presence of taps buffer ph 9 . to this solution was added various amounts of cdm - peg 2 and cdm - peg 3 . to the solution was then added nacl bring the concentration to 150 mm . finally polyacrylic acid was added to 100 μg / ml . after the addition of each reagent , the fluorescence of the rhodamine was measured using a varian spectrofluorometer exciting at 555 nm and measure emission at 575 nm . a decrease in fluorescence is indicative of dna condensation , while an increase indicates a decondensation of dna . fluorescence sample relative dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 40 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 2 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 75 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 40 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 3 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 79 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 150 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 3 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 56 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 95 the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . furthermore , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described . therefore , all suitable modifications and equivalents fall within the scope of the invention . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 9a26c957d7b5ce01dd4c12362aee3a9329f76d5073f5679ade4a3381eba2e801 | 0.404297 | 0.002884 | 0.476563 | 0.00014 | 0.243164 | 0.004211 |
null | we have developed a strategy for endosomal release of membrane impermeable molecules . this strategy involves the reversible inactivation of a membrane active or membrane lysing agent . the reversible inactivation of the membrane active agent is accomplished by attaching an inhibitor or plurality of inhibitors to the membrane active agent by a bond or plurality of bonds that cleave in the environment of an endosome . the inhibitor prevents the agent from lysing the cytoplasmic membrane and thereby causing cell death . the inhibitor is removed from the agent in the acidic environment of the endosome by cleavage of a labile bond , thereby allowing the membrane active agent to disrupt the endosomal membrane to effect release of endosomal contents into the cytoplasm . a key component to limiting membrane activity to the endosome is the labile bond , which must be stable under extracellular conditions , but very unstable in the endosomal vesicle . in particular , we have focused on the identification of bonds that are cleaved in an acidic environment . acidification is a characteristic of the endosome environment that is commonly exploited by viral and non - viral delivery vehicles . agents which rely on protonation to become membrane active , such as polypropylacrylic acid and peptide derivatives of the viral coat protein hemagluttinin , have a serious flaw . activation of the agent causes partial disruption of the endosome , thus destroying the ph gradient and leading to inactivation of the membrane active agent . this cycle can limit the effectiveness of the membrane active agent in delivery of macromolecules to the cell cytoplasm . in contrast , the invention as described herein , results in essentially irreversible reactivation on membrane active agents upon exposure to an acidic ph environment . an important consideration in selecting labile bonds for use in cellular delivery systems is the kinetics of bond cleavage upon exposure of the bond to acidic ph . the kinetics of endosome acidification and maturation of the endosome to a lysosome are very rapid compared to the rates of cleavage for most of the acid - labile bonds reported in the literature . once endocytosis occurs , the ph drops from the extracellular ph ( about 7 . 4 ) to ph about 5 in roughly 10 min . endosomal contents are quickly exposed to active lysosomal enzymes and degradation of the molecule to be delivered may occur . therefore , bonds that are cleaved in within minutes in the ph range 5 - 7 are preferred . a well - studied ph - labile bond is the maleamate bond , which is derived from the reaction of an amine and a maleic anhydride or maleic anhydride derivative ( fig1 ). the rate of maleamate cleavage is dependent upon the structure of the maleic anhydride used to form the maleamate . in general , disubstituted maleamates are more labile than monosubstituted maleamates , which are more labile than unsubstituted maleamates . the monosubstituted maleamates are the most studied members of this family , and have half - lives of hours at ph & lt ; 5 . according to literature , disubstitution of the maleamate results in about two orders of magnitude increase in the rate of cleavage . we have found that the disubstituted maleamate bond derived from dimethylmaleic anhydride ( r 1 and r 2 = ch 3 in fig1 ) has a half - life of about 2 min at ph 5 . this rate is on the same order as endosome maturation . in contrast , we have found that monosubstituted maleamate bonds derived from methylmaleic anhydride ( r 1or2 = h and r 2or1 = ch 3 in fig1 ) have a half - life of cleavage of about 300 min ( 5 hours ) at ph 5 . to increase charge and solubility , derivatives of dimethyl maleic anhydrides , such as 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride (( naganawa et al . 1994 ; carboxylated dimethylmaleic anhydride or cdm ) may be used ( fig2 ). the ability of a disubstituted maleic anhydride to reversibly inhibit membrane activity of the peptide melittin until reaching the acidic environment of the endosome was reported by us ( rozema et al . 2003 ). we demonstrated the ability of the reversibly inhibited melittin to deliver the membrane impermeable molecules polyethyleneglycol and an oligonucleotide to the cell cytoplasm . in these examples of delivery , the delivery reagent ( cdm - modified melittin ) and compound were not connected or associated with each other , but independently delivered to common endocytic compartments in the cell . for delivery of membrane impermeable molecules to the cytoplasm of cells in vivo , there must be an association between the molecule and the delivery agent . we now provide membrane active agents that may be noncovalently associated with or covalently linked to the membrane impermeable molecule for delivery of the molecule to the cytoplasm of a cell . dna can be condensed with an excess of polycation in aqueous solutions to form nanoparticles with positive surface charge . this phenomenon is critical not only to chromatin and viral assembly , but also is important in the construction of gene delivery vehicles . the positive charge surplus contained in polycation - condensed dna complex can be used to deposit a layer of polyanions on the surface dna / polycation complex resulting in negatively charge particles ( or complexes ) in a process termed recharging ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 328 , 975 ). negatively charged particles may reduce nonspecific interactions that cationic particles have with serum proteins , cell surfaces , and the extracellular matrix . recharging is a two - step process . in step one , the dna or other polynucleotide is condensed by addition of an excess of polycation to form a positively - charged polynucleotide nanoparticle . typical polynucleotide delivery formulations stop at this point and add the nanoparticle to the cell . in the recharging process , a third polyion ( a polyanion ) is added to the positively - charged polycation / polynucleotide particle to make a ternary complex that has a neutral to negative surface charge . under proper formulation conditions , the particles are small (& lt ; 150 nm ), and are termed nanoparticles . negatively charged complexes should be better able to circulate and target specific cells in vivo by reducing non - specific interactions with negatively charged cells surfaces , serum proteins , and the extracellular matrix . in order for the reversibly - masked membrane active agent to facilitate the delivery polynucleotides or other membrane impermeable molecules to cells , the masked membrane active agent must be associated with the molecule . small membrane active agents with low overall charge , such as the membrane lytic peptide melittin , can form particles with polynucleotides . however , these particles are large (& gt ; 150 nm ) and unstable ( i . e ., they increase in size in the presence of physiological concentrations of salt ). larger membrane active polymers can be used to form small , stable particles with polynucleotides . we have previously synthesized membrane active polymers composed of amines and alkyl groups via copolymerization of various alkyl vinyl ethers with an amine - protected monomer ( amphiphilic polyvinylether polycations ; fig3 and u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 772 , 502 , incorporated herein by reference ). as an example , a 50 : 50 mixture of alkyl groups and amines yields polymers containing ethyl ( peave ), propyl ( ppave ), and butyl ( pbave ) groups using trifluoride etherate as an initiator . deprotection of the amine - protecting phthalimide groups results in water soluble polymers with molecular weight about 20 , 000 daltons . the butyl - containing polymer pbave was found to be about 60 % as hemolytic as melittin when assayed for red blood cell lytic activity . reversible inhibition of pbave can be accomplished by cdm modification . incubation of the modified polymer at ph 5 restored lytic ability with a half - life of about 10 min . therefore , the membrane activity of the polymer pbave can be controlled by modification of the polymer with cdm . under basic conditions the polymer is not membrane lytic . upon acidification , the cdm inhibitor is cleaved from the polymer and membrane activity of the polymer is restored ( fig4 ). the endosomolytic activity of cdm - pbave is demonstrated by its ability to deliver a polynucleotide to cells ( see example 5 below ). cdm and cdm derivatives can be used to modify any amine - containing membrane active polymer . in addition to masking the membrane activity of an amine - containing polymer , modification of a polymer with the cdm maleic anhydride derivative further reversibly converts positive charges on the polymer to negatively charged carboxyl groups . thus , a polycation can be converted to a polyanion . following condensation of a polynucleotide with a first polycation to form a small binary complex or particle , a polyanion may then be used to recharge the binary complex and form a ternary complex or particle which has a less positive or more negative surface charge than the binary complex . in recharging a polynucleotide - containing particle with a cdm - modified second polycation , the recharging layer is acid - labile . exposure of this recharged nanoparticle to acidic conditions results in cleavage of the cdm groups from the polyanion with concomitant loss of negative charge from the recharging polymer . reversion of the polyanion to a membrane active polycation ( second polycation ) can have several effects including : destabilization of the particle , release of membrane active agent in the endocytic vesicle , and increased interaction of the first polycation with the endocytic vesicle membrane . the first polycation can also be a membrane active polymer and may further be of the same species as the membrane active second polycation . disruption of the endosome by the membrane active polymer ( s ) results in cytoplasmic delivery of the polynucleotide or other molecule present originally present in the recharged particle . we have shown that endosomolysis can be achieved by reversibly modifying a membrane active peptide such as melittin with maleic anhydride derivatives ( rozema et al . 2003 ; u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 444 , 662 ). cdm - melittin &# 39 ; s ability to delivery macromolecules polyethylene glycol and an uncharged oligonucleotide analog has been shown . however , in order to incorporate masked membrane active agents into polynucleotide - delivery vectors we synthesized polymers of sufficient size and charge to be formulated into stable polynucleotide - containing nanoparticles . as an example , the polycation pbave was synthesized and demonstrated to have both membrane activity and the ability to form small , stable particles with dna . masking of pbave &# 39 ; s membrane activity by reaction with cdm resulted in a polyanion that can be used to recharge dna / polycation particles to make small , negatively - charged , acid - labile nanoparticles . nanoparticles composed of dna : pbave : cdm - pbave were formulated at a 10 : 20 : 80 weight ratio and applied to cultured mouse liver cells ( hepa - 1clc7 ) in tissue culture in the presence of dmem and 10 % serum . the dna used in the delivery formulations was pciluc , which contains a gene encoding luciferase . the transfection ability of the complexes was determined by measuring the relative light units of luciferase produced by cells that had been treated with pciluc - containing nanoparticles . as a control for the reversibly inhibited membrane active polymer ( cdm - pbave ), particles were also constructed using succinylated - pbave ( s - pbave ) and cis - aconitylated - pbave ( a - pbave ). cis - aconitic anhydride is a monosubstituted maleic anhydride derivative that has a carboxylate ( ch 2 co 2 h ) substituent on the maleic anhydride . succinylation is irreversible and cis - aconitylation cleaves with a half - life of about 300 min at ph 5 . there is a dependence of transfection on the liability of the group used to modify / inhibit the membrane active agent pbave . the reversibly - masked , membrane active polymers cdm - pbave and a - pbave were able to transfect cells while the irreversibly modified polymer ( s - pbave ) was inactive . in addition , the nanoparticles containing cdm - pbave ( disubstituted maleamate bonds ) had 30 - fold more transfection activity than nanoparticles formed with a - pbave ( monosubstituted maleamate bonds ). the increase in transfection ability of the cdm - pbave containing particles is most likely related to the greater lability of the cdm disubstituted maleic anhydride derivative relative to the cis - aconitic monosubstituted maleic anhydride derivative . similar results are expected for other amine - containing membrane active polymers . in addition to the stability of particles due to the electrostatic forces between polycation and polyanion , the stability of the particle may also be enhanced by the formation of the covalent bonds , i . e . crossslinking , between the polymers . however , irreversible crosslinking of the polycation and polyanion results in particles that are ineffective for delivery of biologically active nucleic acids . in order to give the particles the stability of crosslinking while still providing the particles with intracellular instability , the polycation and polyanion of a nanoparticle can covalently linked via a plurality of acid labile maleamate bonds . in order to couple a cdm - based polyanion with a polyamine , it is necessary to use a crosslinking group that can react with amines only after the anhydride has reacted to form the cdm - based maleamate group . this selectivity in reaction is required because both formation of the maleamate and crosslinking between polyanion and polycation involve reactions with amines . as a consequence , in order to selectively couple a cdm - based polyanion and polyamine , there must be selectivity of the amine reactions . a method to accomplish this selectivity is to provide , on a cdm derivative , a functional group for crosslinking that is less reactive than the anhydride group involved in maleamate formation . such a functional group is a thioester . a thioester is moderately amine - reactive relative to an anhydride . using a thioester derivative of cdm , it is possible to link two amines together via a ph - labile maleamate bond ( fig5 ). in addition to the maleamate bond , other ph labile bonds may be incorporated into crosslinking reagents including acetals , enol ethers , and hydrazones . in particular , acetals derived from benzaldehyde and benzaldehyde derivatives are very ph labile . in addition to increasing stability in the presence of salt , targeting of particles in vivo requires that nonspecific interactions , with serum component and non - targeted cells , be reduced . in order to reduce such interactions with delivery vehicles , many researchers have attached polyethylene glycol ( peg ) ( kircheis et al . 2001 ; woodle et al . 1992 ), an uncharged water - soluble polymer , to nucleic acid containing particles . however , peg also decreases the transfection competency of particles . in order to gain the benefits of pegylation while maintaining transfection ability , we have synthesized a variety of dimethylmaleic anhydride - derived pegylation reagents . attachment of a plurality of dimethylmaleic anhydride groups to a single peg group allows for the formation of a plurality of reversible covalent bonds with the particle thereby increasing the stability of a particle ( fig6 ). a plurality of peg groups can be covalently attached to a particle . membrane active — membrane active polymers or compounds are molecules that are able to alter membrane structure . this change in structure can be shown by the compound inducing one or more of the following effects upon a membrane : an alteration that allows small molecule permeability , pore formation in the membrane , a fusion and / or fission of membranes , an alteration that allows large molecule permeability , or a dissolving of the membrane . this alteration can be functionally defined by the compound &# 39 ; s activity in at least one the following assays : red blood cell lysis ( hemolysis ), liposome leakage , liposome fusion , cell fusion , cell lysis and endosomal release . polymer — a polymer is a molecule built up by repetitive bonding together of smaller units called monomers . a polymer can be linear , branched network , star , comb , or ladder types of polymer . a polymer can be a homopolymer in which a single monomer is used or can be copolymer in which two or more monomers are used . the main chain of a polymer is composed of the atoms whose bonds are required for propagation of polymer length . for example in poly - l - lysine , the carbonyl carbon , α - carbon , and α - amine groups are required for the length of the polymer and are therefore main chain atoms . the side chain of a polymer is composed of the atoms whose bonds are not required for propagation of polymer length . for example in poly - l - lysine , the β , γ , δ and ε - carbons , an ε - nitrogen are not required for the propagation of the polymer and are therefore side chain atoms . polycation — a polycation can be a polymer possessing net positive charge , for example poly - l - lysine hydrobromide or a histone . the polymeric polycation can contain monomer units that are charge positive , charge neutral , or charge negative , however , the net charge of the polymer must be positive . a polycation also can be a non - polymeric molecule that contains two or more positive charges . polyanion — a polyanion can be a polymer containing a net negative charge , for example polyglutamic acid . the polymeric polyanion can contain monomer units that are charge negative , charge neutral , or charge positive , however , the net charge on the polymer must be negative . a polyanion can also be a non - polymeric molecule that contains two or more negative charges . other components of the monomers and polymers : polymers may have functional groups that enhance their utility . these groups can be incorporated into monomers prior to polymer formation or attached to the polymer after its formation . functional groups may be selected from the list consisting of : targeting groups , interaction modifiers , steric stabilizers , and membrane active compounds , affinity groups and reactive groups . targeting groups — targeting groups , or ligands , are used for targeting the polymer or polymer complex to cells , to specific cells , to tissues or to specific locations in a cell . targeting groups enhance the association of molecules with a cell . examples of targeting groups include those that target to the asialoglycoprotein receptor by using asialoglycoproteins or galactose residues . other proteins such as insulin , egf , or transferrin can be used for targeting . other targeting groups include molecules that interact with membranes such as fatty acids , cholesterol , dansyl compounds , and amphotericin derivatives . a variety of ligands have been used to target drugs and genes to cells and to specific cellular receptors . the ligand may seek a target within the cell membrane , on the cell membrane or near a cell . binding of a ligand to a receptor may initiate endocytosis . steric stabilizer — a steric stabilizer is a long chain hydrophilic group that prevents aggregation of final polymer by sterically hindering particle to particle electrostatic interactions . examples include : alkyl groups , peg chains , polysaccharides , hydrogen molecules , alkyl amines . interaction modifier — an interaction modifier changes the way that a molecule interacts with itself or other molecules , relative to molecule containing no interaction modifier . the result of this modification is that self - interactions or interactions with other molecules are either increased or decreased . for example cell targeting signals are interaction modifiers with change the interaction between a molecule and a cell or cellular component . polyethylene glycol is an interaction modifier that decreases interactions between molecules and themselves and with other molecules . a labile linkage is a chemical compound that contains a labile bond and provides a link or spacer between two other groups . the groups that are linked may be chosen from compounds such as biologically active compounds , membrane active compounds , compounds that inhibit membrane activity , functional reactive groups , monomers , and cell targeting signals . the spacer group may contain chemical moieties chosen from a group that includes alkanes , alkenes , esters , ethers , glycerol , amide , saccharides , polysaccharides , and heteroatoms such as oxygen , sulfur , or nitrogen . the spacer may be electronically neutral , may bear a positive or negative charge , or may bear both positive and negative charges with an overall charge of neutral , positive or negative . ph - labile refers to the selective breakage of a covalent bond under acidic conditions ( ph & lt ; 7 ). that is , the ph - labile bond may be broken under acidic conditions in the presence of other covalent bonds without their breakage . the term ph - labile includes both linkages and bonds that are ph - labile , very ph - labile , and extremely ph - labile . ph - labile refers to the selective breakage of a covalent bond under acidic conditions ( ph & lt ; 7 ). a ph - labile bond may be broken under acidic conditions in the presence of other covalent bonds without their breakage . for the purposes of the present invention , a bond is considered very ph - labile if the half - life for cleavage at ph 5 is less than 45 minutes . for the purposes of the present invention , a bond is considered extremely ph - labile if the half - life for cleavage at ph 5 is less than 15 minutes . targeting groups — targeting groups , or ligands , are used for targeting the polymer or polymer complex to cells , to specific cells , to tissues or to specific locations in a cell . targeting groups enhance the association of molecules with a cell . examples of targeting groups include those that target to the asialoglycoprotein receptor by using asialoglycoproteins or galactose residues . other proteins such as insulin , egf , or transferrin can be used for targeting . other targeting groups include molecules that interact with membranes such as fatty acids , cholesterol , dansyl compounds , and amphotericin derivatives . a variety of ligands have been used to target drugs and genes to cells and to specific cellular receptors . the ligand may seek a target within the cell membrane , on the cell membrane or near a cell . binding of a ligand to a receptor may initiate endocytosis . polynucleotide — the term polynucleotide , or nucleic acid or polynucleic acid , is a term of art that refers to a polymer containing at least two nucleotides . nucleotides are the monomeric units of polynucleotide polymers . polynucleotides with less than 120 monomeric units are often called oligonucleotides . natural nucleic acids have a deoxyribose - or ribose - phosphate backbone . an artificial or synthetic polynucleotide is any polynucleotide that is polymerized in vitro or in a cell free system and contains the same or similar bases but may contain a backbone of a type other than the natural ribose - phosphate backbone . these backbones include : pnas ( peptide nucleic acids ), phosphorothioates , phosphorodiamidates , morpholinos , and other variants of the phosphate backbone of native nucleic acids . bases include purines and pyrimidines , which further include the natural compounds adenine , thymine , guanine , cytosine , uracil , inosine , and natural analogs . synthetic derivatives of purines and pyrimidines include , but are not limited to , modifications which place new reactive groups such as , but not limited to , amines , alcohols , thiols , carboxylates , and alkylhalides . the term base encompasses any of the known base analogs of dna and rna . the term polynucleotide includes deoxyribonucleic acid ( dna ) and ribonucleic acid ( rna ) and combinations of dna , rna and other natural and synthetic nucleotides . a polynucleotide can be delivered to a cell to express an exogenous nucleotide sequence , to inhibit , eliminate , augment , or alter expression of an endogenous nucleotide sequence , or to affect a specific physiological characteristic not naturally associated with the cell . a polynucleotide - based gene expression inhibitor comprises any polynucleotide containing a sequence whose presence or expression in a cell causes the degradation of or inhibits the function , transcription , or translation of a gene in a sequence - specific manner . polynucleotide - based expression inhibitors may be selected from the group comprising : sirna , microrna , interfering rna or rnai , dsrna , ribozymes , antisense polynucleotides , and dna expression cassettes encoding sirna , microrna , dsrna , ribozymes or antisense nucleic acids . sirna comprises a double stranded structure typically containing 15 - 50 base pairs and preferably 19 - 25 base pairs and having a nucleotide sequence identical or nearly identical to an expressed target gene or rna within the cell . an sirna may be composed of two annealed polynucleotides or a single polynucleotide that forms a hairpin structure . micrornas ( mrnas ) are small noncoding polynucleotides , about 22 nucleotides long , that direct destruction or translational repression of their mrna targets . antisense polynucleotides comprise sequence that is complimentary to an gene or mrna . antisense polynucleotides include , but are not limited to : morpholinos , 2 ′- o - methyl polynucleotides , dna , rna and the like . the polynucleotide - based expression inhibitor may be polymerized in vitro , recombinant , contain chimeric sequences , or derivatives of these groups . the polynucleotide - based expression inhibitor may contain ribonucleotides , deoxyribonucleotides , synthetic nucleotides , or any suitable combination such that the target rna and / or gene is inhibited . transfection — the process of delivering a polynucleotide to a cell has been commonly termed transfection or the process of transfecting and also it has been termed transformation . the term transfecting as used herein refers to the introduction of a polynucleotide or other biologically active compound into cells . the polynucleotide may be used for research purposes or to produce a change in a cell that can be therapeutic . the delivery of a polynucleotide can lead to modification of the genetic material present in the target cell . a transfection reagent or delivery vehicle is a compound or compounds that bind ( s ) to or complex ( es ) with oligonucleotides and polynucleotides , and mediates their entry into cells . application ser . nos . 10 / 619 , 778 and 10 / 816 , 081 are incorporated herein by reference . synthesis of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( carboxydimethylmaleic anhydride or cdm ). to a suspension of sodium hydride ( 0 . 58 g , 25 mmol ) in 50 ml anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added triethyl - 2 - phosphonopropionate ( 7 . 1 g , 30 mmol ). after evolution of hydrogen gas had stopped , dimethyl - 2 - oxoglutarate ( 3 . 5 g , 20 mmol ) in 10 ml anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added and stirred for 30 minutes . water , 10 ml , was then added and the tetrahydrofuran was removed by rotary evaporation . the resulting solid and water mixture was extracted with 3 × 50 ml ethyl ether . the ether extractions were combined , dried with magnesium sulfate , and concentrated to a light yellow oil . the oil was purified by silica gel chromatography elution with 2 : 1 ether : hexane to yield 4 g ( 82 % yield ) of pure triester . the 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride was then formed by dissolving of this triester into 50 ml of a 50 / 50 mixture of water and ethanol containing 4 . 5 g ( 5 equivalents ) of potassium hydroxide . this solution was heated to reflux for 1 hour . the ethanol was then removed by rotary evaporation and the solution was acidified to ph 2 with hydrochloric acid . this aqueous solution was then extracted with 200 ml ethyl acetate , which was isolated , dried with magnesium sulfate , and concentrated to a white solid . this solid was then recrystallized from dichloromethane and hexane to yield 2 g ( 80 % yield ) of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride . synthesis of cdm thioester . to a solution of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( 30 mg , 0 . 16 mmol ) in 5 ml methylene chloride was added oxalyl chloride ( 200 mg , 10 eq ) and dimethylformamide ( 1 μl ). the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at which time the excess oxalyl chloride and methylene chloride were removed by rotary evaporation to yield the acid chloride , a clear oil . the acid chloride was dissolved in 1 ml of methylene chloride . to this solution was added 2 equivalents thioglycolic acid , and pyridine ( 20 μl , 1 . 5 eq ) in 10 ml of methylene chloride . the solution was then stirred overnight . the solvent was then removed and the resulting solid was dissolved into 5 ml of water and purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . synthesis of polyvinylethers . 2 - vinyloxy ethyl phathalimide ( 1 g , 4 . 6 mmol ) was added to a oven dried round bottom flask under a blanket of nitrogen in anhydrous dichloromethane to this solution was added ethyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 332 g , 4 . 6 mmol ), propyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 396 g , 4 . 6 mmol ) or butyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 460 g , 4 . 6 mmol ). these solutions were then brought to − 78 ° c . and bf 3 — oet 2 ( 0 . 065 g , 0 . 46 mmol ) is added and the reaction is allowed to proceed for 2 hours at − 78 ° c . the polymerization is then stopped by the addition of 50 / 50 mixture of ammonium hydroxide in methanol . the solvents are then removed by rotary evaporation . the polymer is then dissolved in 30 ml of 1 , 4 - dioxane / methanol ( 2 / 1 ). to this solution was added hydrazine ( 0 . 147 g , 46 mmol ) and the mixture was heated to reflux for 3 hours . the solvents are then removed by rotary evaporation and the resulting solid was then brought up in 20 ml of 0 . 5m hcl and refluxed for 15 minutes , diluted with 20 ml distilled water , and refluxed for additional hour . this solution was then neutralized with naoh cooled to room temperature and transfer to 3 , 500 molecular cellulose tubing and dialyzed for 24 h ( 2 × 20 l ) against distilled water , and freeze dried . hemolysis by melittin , pea ve , ppave , pbave , and cdm - modified pbave . the membrane activity of the amphiphilic cation polymers was tested according to published procedure . 10 8 red blood cells were added to 500 μl of phosphate buffer . to this solution was added 20 μg of melittin , peave , ppave , pbave , or cdm - pbave , which was made by acylation of pbave with 2 eq . of cdm relative to amines . the samples were incubated for 15 min at 37 ° c ., then spun for 1 min at 15 , 000 rcf . lysis was be determined by measuring the absorbance of the supernatant at 541 nm . percent hemolysis was calculated assuming 100 % lysis to be the absorbance of hemoglobin released upon addition of deionized water . all of the polymers were determined to be hemolytic , with pbave and melittin being the most lytic . cdm - modified polymer pbave was not hemolytic until acidification . induction of luciferase upon delivery of oligonucleotide . hela luc / 705 cells ( gene tools , philomath oreg .) were grown under conditions used for hela cells . the cells were plated in 24 - well culture dishes at a density of 3 × 10 6 cells / well and incubated for 24 hours . media was replaced with 1 . 0 ml dmem containing 10 % fetal bovine serum and 2 . 5 nmol pmo ( cct ctt acc tca gtt aca att tat a , seq id 1 , gene tools , philomath , oreg .) either with or without 20 μg of cdm - modified pbave . the cells were then incubated for 48 hours in a humidified , 5 % co 2 incubator at 37 ° c . the cells were harvested and the lysates assayed for luciferase expression using a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer . addition of cdm - modified pbave resulted in a 2 - 3 fold increase in luciferase activity . transfection with acid - labile dna particles : hepa cells ( a mouse hepatocyte cell line ) were cultured in 1 ml dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle media containing 10 % fetal bovine serum using 12 - well plates . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 10 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . as controls for the ph - labile cdm modification , polyanions were generated from the polyamines using succinic anhydride , which irreversibly modifies the amine , and aconitic anhydride , which reversibly modifies the amine but is much slower to cleave than cdm , to form s - pbave and a - pbave respectively . the nanoparticles , 2 μg of dna , were then added ( 200 μl ) to the cells . the cells were incubated for 48 h . the cells were harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for two separate wells of cells . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units dna : pbve : cdm - pbave 1 , 875 , 801 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml dna : pbve : s - pbave 195 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml dna : pbve : a - pbave 68 , 549 10 : 20 : 80 μg / ml naked dna 200 transfection with recharged acid - labile particles in vivo . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 30 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . the nanoparticles , 9 μg of dna , were then injected into the tail vein ( 300 μl ) of mice . 24 hours postinjection , the mice were sacrificed , their livers harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for a group of three mice . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units dna : pbve : cdm - pbave 30 , 123 30 : 60 : 240 μg / ml naked dna 1 , 021 particle sizing in the absence and presence of salt and ζ - potential measurement . nanoparticles between dna and peave and cdm / cdm - thioester - modified peave were formulated in 20 mm hepes buffer ph 7 . 5 according to the weight ratios presented above at a dna concentration of 10 μg / ml . for the cdm / cdm - thioester modified polymers , cdm - thioester was mixed was cdm at a 9 : 1 weight ratio before mixing with the polymer . the size of the nanoparticles and the z - potential were determined by light scattering at 532 nm using a brookhaven instruments corporation , zetaplus particle sizer , i90 . the salt stability of the nanoparticles was assessed by addition of sodium chloride to 150 mm and measurement of size after 10 min . particles size ( nm ) in size ( nm ) in polymer wt . ratios ( μg / ml ) 20 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 150 mm nacl dna : peave : cdm - peave 10 : 20 : 100 90 - 110 & gt ; 1000 5 : 10 : 100 90 - 130 & gt ; 1000 dna : peave : cdm / cdmthioester - peave 10 : 20 : 100 90 - 110 114 5 : 10 : 100 90 - 130 118 transfection of cdm - thioester crosslinked dna particles . hepa cells ( a mouse hepatocyte cell line ) were cultured in 1 ml dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle media containing 10 % fetal bovine serum using 12 - well plates . pbave nanoparticles were formulated according the reported ratios with plasmid dna pciiuc ( 10 μg / ml , pciiuc ; prepared according to published procedure in 0 . 5 ml of 5 mm hepes ph 7 . 5 . for the cdm / cdm - thioester modified polymers , cdm - thioester was mixed was cdm at a 9 : 1 weight ratio before mixing with the polymer . the nanoparticles , 2 μg of dna , were then added ( 200 μl ) to the cells . the cells were incubated for 48 h . the cells were harvested and assayed for luciferase expression as previously reported . a lumat lb 9507 ( eg & amp ; g berthold , bad - wildbad , germany ) luminometer was used . the amount of transfection is average transfection for two separate wells of cells . amount of luciferase in picograms = 5 . 1 × 10 − 5 ( rlu )+ 3 . 683 . formulation relative light units ( rlu ) dna : pbave : cdm - pbave 774 , 432 10 : 40 : 100 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm - pbave 4 , 967 , 879 10 : 20 : 50 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm / cdm - thioester - pbave 1 , 040 , 076 10 : 40 : 100 μg / ml dna : pbave : cdm / cdm - thioester - pbave 2 , 276 , 733 10 : 20 : 50 μg / ml synthesis of amino polyethylene glycol monomethyl ethers . to a 10 wt % solution of monomethyl ether peg of various molecular weights in methylene chloride is added 3 equivalents of mesyl chloride and triethylamine . after stirring overnight , the solution is washed with an equal volume of nahco 3 saturated water . the organic layer is then dried with sodium sulfate and the peg is precipitated out of solution by the addition of 9 volume equivalents of diethyl ether . the peg mesylate is allowed to precipitate out overnight at − 78 ° c . the peg mesylate is then dissolved to 15 wt % in water and 10 equivalents of amine ( ethylene diamine or tris ( 2 - aminoethyl ) amine ). the reaction is allowed to proceed for 48 hours and the amine - modified peg is purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . synthesis of cdm - peg derivatives . to a solution of 2 - propionic - 3 - methylmaleic anhydride ( 30 mg , 0 . 16 mmol ) in 5 ml methylene chloride was added oxalyl chloride ( 200 mg , 10 eq ) and dimethylformamide ( 1 μl ). the reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at which time the excess oxalyl chloride and methylene chloride were removed by rotary evaporation to yield the acid chloride , a clear oil . the acid chloride was dissolved in 1 ml of methylene chloride . to this solution was added 2 equivalents amino polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether of various molecular weights , and pyridine ( 20 μl , 1 . 5 eq ) in 10 ml of methylene chloride . the solution was then stirred overnight . the solvent was then removed and the resulting solid was dissolved into 5 ml of water and purified using reverse - phase hplc using a 0 . 1 % tfa water / acetonitrile gradient . particle size in the absence and presence of salt and ζ - potential measurement . nanoparticles between 10 μg / ml dna and 20 μg / ml pbave were formulated in 20 mm hepes buffer ph 7 . 5 . to this solution was added nothing or 100 μg cdm - peg 2 ( the molecular weight of the peg was 1100 ). the size of the nanoparticles and was determined by light scattering at 532 nm using a brookhaven instruments corporation , zetaplus particle sizer , i90 . the salt stability of the nanoparticles was assessed by addition of sodium chloride to 150 mm and measurement of size after 10 min . without addition of cdm - peg 2 the dna / polycation particles grew from 100 to & gt ; 1000 nm upon addition of sodium chloride . upon modification with cdm - peg2 , this increase in particle size did not occur in the presence of salt . condensation and decondensation of dna upon addition of salt and polyacrylic acid . dna was labeled with tetramethylrhodamine labelit dna labeling reagent ( mirus corporation ) at a 1 : 1 dna : labelit weight ratio according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocol . a solution of 1 μg / ml of tetramethylrhodamine - labeled dna was condensed by the addition of 10 μg / ml of pbave in the presence of taps buffer ph 9 . to this solution was added various amounts of cdm - peg 2 and cdm - peg 3 . to the solution was then added nacl bring the concentration to 150 mm . finally polyacrylic acid was added to 100 μg / ml . after the addition of each reagent , the fluorescence of the rhodamine was measured using a varian spectrofluorometer exciting at 555 nm and measure emission at 575 nm . a decrease in fluorescence is indicative of dna condensation , while an increase indicates a decondensation of dna . fluorescence sample relative dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 40 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 2 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 75 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 40 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 3 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 79 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 150 μg peg ( 1100 )- cdm 3 0 . 3 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 56 dna alone 1 . 0 + pbave 0 . 2 + 150 mm nacl 0 . 3 + 100 μg / ml pacac 0 . 95 the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . furthermore , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described . therefore , all suitable modifications and equivalents fall within the scope of the invention . | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 9a26c957d7b5ce01dd4c12362aee3a9329f76d5073f5679ade4a3381eba2e801 | 0.219727 | 0.332031 | 0.193359 | 0.225586 | 0.129883 | 0.318359 |
null | the general path planner program is the heart of the system . it performs the algorithmic processing of the data input through the graphical interface . a block diagram of the general path planner is presented in fig1 which illustrates the interaction of the several code groups required to implement the system . the executive code group 10 , the communications code group 20 , the messages code group 30 , the path solver code group 40 , the world - view code group 50 , and the gui / output code group 60 . each of these groups performs one or more related tasks within the system . the overall architecture of the system is a single threaded , message - driven server architecture . each message received is processed in turn , without threading . output is sent back through the use of an observer design pattern , much like java = s generator - listener mechanisms for guis . the system uses a command design pattern , where messages contain their handling code as methods . the system may be implemented on a platform such as the java skd 1 . 4 and the basic path planning algorithms are variants of the rapidly - explored random trees algorithm described by s . m . lavalle in a paper titled , “ rapidly - exploring random trees : a new tool for path planning ,” published as tr 98 - 11 by the computer science dept ., iowa state university , in october 1998 . the paper is incorporated herein by reference . the executive code group 10 is the container classes for all of the statically - held objects in the system . the objects in this group act as traffic cops to the other code groups , and initialize objects that require initialization at startup time . the communications code group 20 handles all i / o for the system . it contains an incoming message queue which is polled to see if new messages have arrived . once messages arrive , they are executed in the order they arrive , one at a time . the communications group also holds all of the output message generators that the system creates . these message generators send the output messages created by the system to registered listeners as soon as the output message arrives . input messages contain their handling code in an overridden execute abstract method . in this way , new input message types , i . e . commands , can be added easily by creating a new message class and defining the code to handle that message . messages also contain a halt method , which will be called if a special halt method is called on the path planning component . the halt method can be used to safely stop current message execution . the path solvers code group 40 represents path - planning package interfaces that the system can use . in the preferred embodiment the path - planning solvers are based on rrt algorithms . the solver is able to set its state using a world - view object plan given a set of way points and halt its planning if has to . also included in this group is a reflective method to set a planner = s parameters when given a list of parameter names and values . the set parameters method looks for methods in the planner class which have “ set ” prepended to the parameter name and take the object corresponding to the parameter name as the sole argument . it then executes that method on the passed - in argument object . the world - view code group 50 is in charge of holding a database of world objects , such as mines , bathymetry data , shorelines , etc . the world - view interface is fairly empty , and only has a clear method on it . in the preferred embodiment the only world - view implementation is the mines only world - view , which is simply a list of mine locations and probabilities on the plane . this preferred embodiment is presented as exemplary , additional embodiments are anticipated to expand the versatility of the system . the output code group 60 is in charge of supplying output to interested parties . it uses the observer design pattern , and is modeled after java awt = s event system . there are message event generators for each type of output method produced , and listener interfaces that listening classes must implement to receive the output . there are two generators : a generator for path solutions , and a generator for algorithm progress messages . the preceding code groups are operational in any one of three different modes or use cases which are defined by the input message type . the use cases are : administrative use - case , state use - case , and path query . to perform a use - case , a corresponding message is sent to the system through the communications group . the administrative use - case is intended to be used to send high - level commands to the system . it operates reflectively so that an administrative message is created with a string representing one of the methods defined on the administrative message class . when sent to the system , the method named by the string will be invoked inside the system . current administrative messages include : printing the administrative message ( a debugging tool ), printing the world - view , clearing the world - view , and exiting the program . new commands can be added by simply adding a method to the administrative class . the state use - case message is used to update the current state held in the system = s world - view . simple - state , a subclass of state use , is used with the mines - only world - view , and contains a list of added or a list of deleted mines ( but not both ). to execute this use - case , the simple - state message either adds or deletes its contents to the world - view , as appropriate . the path query message defines the use - case of requesting a path solution by the system . it is parameterized by the name of the algorithm desired , algorithm parameters , and a list of waypoints to be followed for the path . the first waypoint is the start point and the last waypoint is the goal point . if less than two waypoints are present , behavior is undefined . the path query execution involves the following steps : 1 ) a path planner solver is fetched or created for the desired algorithm . 2 ) the planner is loaded with the current world - view state . 3 ) any parameters present are loaded into the algorithm . 4 ) the planning algorithm is executed with the passed waypoints . 5 ) if a solution is returned , it is sent to the solution event generator in the communications code group 20 . the gui incorporates a means for linking designated portions of a display with an electronic address . it provides an interface with the multi - algorithm capabilities of the general path planner architecture while providing an interactive view of plan progress and an intuitive means to design world - view configurations . the gui performs its tasks sequentially . the gui uses a component based design and performs in collaboration with the general path planner and the separate gui components through message passing . several dialogs are used to perform more complex configurations while the most common actions are laid out in toolbar fashion along the left side of the gui as illustrated in fig2 . the gui user is first presented with an area 71 defined by coordinates and representing an open expanse of ocean on which the user may create minefields . the user may place and remove mines 72 on the minefield with mine editing tools 62 and 63 on a tool bar 61 . in addition to the manual method of mine layout , the user may generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area 71 . minefields can be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the toolbar , 61 of fig2 , is like that of a typical drawing program , with buttons depicting various tasks that interact with the canvas . the add mine , remove mine , and mine line buttons , 62 through 64 respectively , provide direct manipulation of mines 72 in the field 71 . the mine line tool 64 allows the user to click and drag , creating an elongated randomized field of mines . the thickness and density of this line is configured from the mine line preferences dialog accessed from the edit menu . once the line is dragged on the area map view 71 , mines 72 are randomly placed in the box defined by the line = s endpoints and thickness setting . in addition to these direct methods of mine layout , the new minefield dialog in the file menu allows the user to generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area . minefields can then be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the mine probability slider , 65 , at the end of the toolbar modifies the probability of subsequent mines added to the canvas . the minefield is rendered differently for each algorithm available by a reflectively loaded minefield renderer class . in this way the characteristics of the risk function for each algorithm can be displayed . once a minefield is loaded , waypoints 73 can be placed in sequential order from route start 74 to route end 75 using the waypoint tool . the algorithm menu allows the user to select an algorithm for use with the minefield . here , the options associated with each algorithm are reflectively selected from the algorithm = s implementation of the path planner solver abstract class . the world - view and waypoints generated from the gui are able to be sent to any of the planners such that multiple plans may be generated for the same minefield . once the algorithm is properly configured , the start button sends a path query message to the selected planner and a plan is generated . if the show progress check box is activated in the algorithm menu , algorithm - specific progress information will be presented in the navigation box . the progress animation can be saved to disk as a series of images if the option is selected in the algorithm menu . in addition , messages about plan progress will be printed in the lower text window . after the algorithm has completed , the result will be displayed as a route 76 over the area 71 . for example , in fig2 , the rrt algorithm has produced a plan , 76 , which is colored according to the speed of each path segment . statistics about the current solution are displayed in the lower right panel . these statistics include the computed risk of the final path found by the algorithm , the time the path would take to follow , and other statistics about the solution . when the rrt algorithm is implemented as a solver for the general path planner two main code groups are employed , the tree algorithm code group and the models and actions code group . the tree algorithm code group runs the rrt algorithm proper and the models and actions code group determines the state space and robot / ship properties that will be used when running the algorithm . the tree algorithm code group implements the rrt tree algorithm proper . this algorithm is a space - filling randomized algorithm . the algorithm produces a tree in the state - space of the problem . after each iteration , the algorithm attempts add a node which minimizes the distance from any point in the state space to a point on the tree . finding the optimal point to add at each iteration exactly is prohibitively expensive , so the rrt algorithm approximates this by choosing a point with some randomness . the pseudocode for the algorithm is as follows : 1 . choose a random point r in state space with some random point generator . 2 . choose the closest existing tree node to r , call it t . 3 . for each possible legal extension of the tree from r , find the closest point to t , call it t — 0 . 4 . add t — 0 to the tree . 5 . repeat these steps until the space is filled enough . for path planning , the tree starts at the starting point of the plan . the algorithm stops when the tree is less than some critical distance to the goal point . since the tree is rooted at the start point , the path can then be reconstructed by following the ancestors of the node closest to the goal back to the root . the models and actions code group allows for wide flexibility in the type of path planning done by the rrt algorithm . the model interface is the entity which all models will implement . this interface has three important purposes : 1 ) defining appropriate geometries for the model , 2 ) defining a random state space point generator , and 3 ) selecting the “ best ” action for a given point in the state space . the rrt code group uses a concrete models methods to build the rrt tree in an appropriate manner . actions are model - specific actuations that can be perform and which extend from an abstract class named action . models are loaded with a set of actions on instantiation . each concrete action must define what will happen to the state space if the action is applied for a certain amount of time . this is known as the “ integration ” method . three different models for generating obstacle space geometries are available . they are : the ship model , the bull = s eye model and the cone model . the basic ship model uses java awt shape classes to define the obstacles in the minefield as keep - out regions . mines are added as circular shapes whose radii depend on the probability of the existence of a mine . the greater the probability of the existence of a mine , the greater the radius of the circle defining the obstacle space . it selects the best action by integrating each action over a small unit time and selecting the point closest to the goal point which does not collide with any obstacle . in this model , distance is taken to be the four - dimensional euclidian distance in planar space and planar velocity . the bull = s eye model is similar to the ship model except it contains a second , larger set of obstacles superimposed over the smaller obstacles . it has a radius which is a function of the probability of a mine plus an added factor to increase the radius . if no action can be found using the more conservative obstacles , an action is searched for using the more liberal obstacles . mines are added as a bull &# 39 ; s eye of two concentric circles . the cone model uses a half - space of three - dimensional obstacles in the dimensions of x , y and speed . the actions are again checked for collisions with the obstacles , this time in three dimensions . mines are added as cones with a circle of baseline keep - out region at no speed and a linearly increasing radius as the objects speed increases , see fig3 . the baseline keep - out region size depends on the probability of the mine but the cone = s slope is fixed for each instantiation of the model . this model is the default model used in the general path planner . in an alternate rrt variant using the cone model , when the path gets within a certain distance of the goal , the rrt random point selection is chosen close to the goal . this is the “ goal directed ” rrt variant . changing a model &# 39 ; s actions dramatically changes the algorithm operation . two types of actions are available : point - robot actions and ship - like actions . the point - robot actions integrate by applying a simple x - y force . for example , one could create a point - robot action which applies a east - facing force of 10 meters per second squared to the planned object . ship - like actions take an approximation of rudder position and forward throttle , and integrate an approximate new position using these parameters . with ship - like actions , the turning radius of the generated path , 66 of fig2 , may be limited to that of the planned - for object . the system performs the following steps when generating a route through a minefield : 2 ) populate the area with obstacle spaces defined as coordinate bound areas through which the route may not pass ; 3 ) establish the coordinates of a route start point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 4 ) establish the coordinates of a route end point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 5 ) generate a series of connected vectors between the start and end points which do not pass through the coordinate bound areas of the obstacle spaces ; 6 ) establish at least one set of parameters defining the coordinates for a waypoint along the route and on one of the vectors ; 7 ) define a path created by the connected vectors as the route through the minefield . while preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described , variations and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , we do not wish to be limited thereto and ask that the scope and breadth of this invention be determined from the claims which follow rather than the above description . | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | d4e702fd789716cf6d7a00deba0f5b88831a75119d79df8bffb88259aab8f7c4 | 0.003174 | 0.009399 | 0.001137 | 0.00038 | 0.00885 | 0.011658 |
null | the general path planner program is the heart of the system . it performs the algorithmic processing of the data input through the graphical interface . a block diagram of the general path planner is presented in fig1 which illustrates the interaction of the several code groups required to implement the system . the executive code group 10 , the communications code group 20 , the messages code group 30 , the path solver code group 40 , the world - view code group 50 , and the gui / output code group 60 . each of these groups performs one or more related tasks within the system . the overall architecture of the system is a single threaded , message - driven server architecture . each message received is processed in turn , without threading . output is sent back through the use of an observer design pattern , much like java = s generator - listener mechanisms for guis . the system uses a command design pattern , where messages contain their handling code as methods . the system may be implemented on a platform such as the java skd 1 . 4 and the basic path planning algorithms are variants of the rapidly - explored random trees algorithm described by s . m . lavalle in a paper titled , “ rapidly - exploring random trees : a new tool for path planning ,” published as tr 98 - 11 by the computer science dept ., iowa state university , in october 1998 . the paper is incorporated herein by reference . the executive code group 10 is the container classes for all of the statically - held objects in the system . the objects in this group act as traffic cops to the other code groups , and initialize objects that require initialization at startup time . the communications code group 20 handles all i / o for the system . it contains an incoming message queue which is polled to see if new messages have arrived . once messages arrive , they are executed in the order they arrive , one at a time . the communications group also holds all of the output message generators that the system creates . these message generators send the output messages created by the system to registered listeners as soon as the output message arrives . input messages contain their handling code in an overridden execute abstract method . in this way , new input message types , i . e . commands , can be added easily by creating a new message class and defining the code to handle that message . messages also contain a halt method , which will be called if a special halt method is called on the path planning component . the halt method can be used to safely stop current message execution . the path solvers code group 40 represents path - planning package interfaces that the system can use . in the preferred embodiment the path - planning solvers are based on rrt algorithms . the solver is able to set its state using a world - view object plan given a set of way points and halt its planning if has to . also included in this group is a reflective method to set a planner = s parameters when given a list of parameter names and values . the set parameters method looks for methods in the planner class which have “ set ” prepended to the parameter name and take the object corresponding to the parameter name as the sole argument . it then executes that method on the passed - in argument object . the world - view code group 50 is in charge of holding a database of world objects , such as mines , bathymetry data , shorelines , etc . the world - view interface is fairly empty , and only has a clear method on it . in the preferred embodiment the only world - view implementation is the mines only world - view , which is simply a list of mine locations and probabilities on the plane . this preferred embodiment is presented as exemplary , additional embodiments are anticipated to expand the versatility of the system . the output code group 60 is in charge of supplying output to interested parties . it uses the observer design pattern , and is modeled after java awt = s event system . there are message event generators for each type of output method produced , and listener interfaces that listening classes must implement to receive the output . there are two generators : a generator for path solutions , and a generator for algorithm progress messages . the preceding code groups are operational in any one of three different modes or use cases which are defined by the input message type . the use cases are : administrative use - case , state use - case , and path query . to perform a use - case , a corresponding message is sent to the system through the communications group . the administrative use - case is intended to be used to send high - level commands to the system . it operates reflectively so that an administrative message is created with a string representing one of the methods defined on the administrative message class . when sent to the system , the method named by the string will be invoked inside the system . current administrative messages include : printing the administrative message ( a debugging tool ), printing the world - view , clearing the world - view , and exiting the program . new commands can be added by simply adding a method to the administrative class . the state use - case message is used to update the current state held in the system = s world - view . simple - state , a subclass of state use , is used with the mines - only world - view , and contains a list of added or a list of deleted mines ( but not both ). to execute this use - case , the simple - state message either adds or deletes its contents to the world - view , as appropriate . the path query message defines the use - case of requesting a path solution by the system . it is parameterized by the name of the algorithm desired , algorithm parameters , and a list of waypoints to be followed for the path . the first waypoint is the start point and the last waypoint is the goal point . if less than two waypoints are present , behavior is undefined . the path query execution involves the following steps : 1 ) a path planner solver is fetched or created for the desired algorithm . 2 ) the planner is loaded with the current world - view state . 3 ) any parameters present are loaded into the algorithm . 4 ) the planning algorithm is executed with the passed waypoints . 5 ) if a solution is returned , it is sent to the solution event generator in the communications code group 20 . the gui incorporates a means for linking designated portions of a display with an electronic address . it provides an interface with the multi - algorithm capabilities of the general path planner architecture while providing an interactive view of plan progress and an intuitive means to design world - view configurations . the gui performs its tasks sequentially . the gui uses a component based design and performs in collaboration with the general path planner and the separate gui components through message passing . several dialogs are used to perform more complex configurations while the most common actions are laid out in toolbar fashion along the left side of the gui as illustrated in fig2 . the gui user is first presented with an area 71 defined by coordinates and representing an open expanse of ocean on which the user may create minefields . the user may place and remove mines 72 on the minefield with mine editing tools 62 and 63 on a tool bar 61 . in addition to the manual method of mine layout , the user may generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area 71 . minefields can be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the toolbar , 61 of fig2 , is like that of a typical drawing program , with buttons depicting various tasks that interact with the canvas . the add mine , remove mine , and mine line buttons , 62 through 64 respectively , provide direct manipulation of mines 72 in the field 71 . the mine line tool 64 allows the user to click and drag , creating an elongated randomized field of mines . the thickness and density of this line is configured from the mine line preferences dialog accessed from the edit menu . once the line is dragged on the area map view 71 , mines 72 are randomly placed in the box defined by the line = s endpoints and thickness setting . in addition to these direct methods of mine layout , the new minefield dialog in the file menu allows the user to generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area . minefields can then be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the mine probability slider , 65 , at the end of the toolbar modifies the probability of subsequent mines added to the canvas . the minefield is rendered differently for each algorithm available by a reflectively loaded minefield renderer class . in this way the characteristics of the risk function for each algorithm can be displayed . once a minefield is loaded , waypoints 73 can be placed in sequential order from route start 74 to route end 75 using the waypoint tool . the algorithm menu allows the user to select an algorithm for use with the minefield . here , the options associated with each algorithm are reflectively selected from the algorithm = s implementation of the path planner solver abstract class . the world - view and waypoints generated from the gui are able to be sent to any of the planners such that multiple plans may be generated for the same minefield . once the algorithm is properly configured , the start button sends a path query message to the selected planner and a plan is generated . if the show progress check box is activated in the algorithm menu , algorithm - specific progress information will be presented in the navigation box . the progress animation can be saved to disk as a series of images if the option is selected in the algorithm menu . in addition , messages about plan progress will be printed in the lower text window . after the algorithm has completed , the result will be displayed as a route 76 over the area 71 . for example , in fig2 , the rrt algorithm has produced a plan , 76 , which is colored according to the speed of each path segment . statistics about the current solution are displayed in the lower right panel . these statistics include the computed risk of the final path found by the algorithm , the time the path would take to follow , and other statistics about the solution . when the rrt algorithm is implemented as a solver for the general path planner two main code groups are employed , the tree algorithm code group and the models and actions code group . the tree algorithm code group runs the rrt algorithm proper and the models and actions code group determines the state space and robot / ship properties that will be used when running the algorithm . the tree algorithm code group implements the rrt tree algorithm proper . this algorithm is a space - filling randomized algorithm . the algorithm produces a tree in the state - space of the problem . after each iteration , the algorithm attempts add a node which minimizes the distance from any point in the state space to a point on the tree . finding the optimal point to add at each iteration exactly is prohibitively expensive , so the rrt algorithm approximates this by choosing a point with some randomness . the pseudocode for the algorithm is as follows : 1 . choose a random point r in state space with some random point generator . 2 . choose the closest existing tree node to r , call it t . 3 . for each possible legal extension of the tree from r , find the closest point to t , call it t — 0 . 4 . add t — 0 to the tree . 5 . repeat these steps until the space is filled enough . for path planning , the tree starts at the starting point of the plan . the algorithm stops when the tree is less than some critical distance to the goal point . since the tree is rooted at the start point , the path can then be reconstructed by following the ancestors of the node closest to the goal back to the root . the models and actions code group allows for wide flexibility in the type of path planning done by the rrt algorithm . the model interface is the entity which all models will implement . this interface has three important purposes : 1 ) defining appropriate geometries for the model , 2 ) defining a random state space point generator , and 3 ) selecting the “ best ” action for a given point in the state space . the rrt code group uses a concrete models methods to build the rrt tree in an appropriate manner . actions are model - specific actuations that can be perform and which extend from an abstract class named action . models are loaded with a set of actions on instantiation . each concrete action must define what will happen to the state space if the action is applied for a certain amount of time . this is known as the “ integration ” method . three different models for generating obstacle space geometries are available . they are : the ship model , the bull = s eye model and the cone model . the basic ship model uses java awt shape classes to define the obstacles in the minefield as keep - out regions . mines are added as circular shapes whose radii depend on the probability of the existence of a mine . the greater the probability of the existence of a mine , the greater the radius of the circle defining the obstacle space . it selects the best action by integrating each action over a small unit time and selecting the point closest to the goal point which does not collide with any obstacle . in this model , distance is taken to be the four - dimensional euclidian distance in planar space and planar velocity . the bull = s eye model is similar to the ship model except it contains a second , larger set of obstacles superimposed over the smaller obstacles . it has a radius which is a function of the probability of a mine plus an added factor to increase the radius . if no action can be found using the more conservative obstacles , an action is searched for using the more liberal obstacles . mines are added as a bull &# 39 ; s eye of two concentric circles . the cone model uses a half - space of three - dimensional obstacles in the dimensions of x , y and speed . the actions are again checked for collisions with the obstacles , this time in three dimensions . mines are added as cones with a circle of baseline keep - out region at no speed and a linearly increasing radius as the objects speed increases , see fig3 . the baseline keep - out region size depends on the probability of the mine but the cone = s slope is fixed for each instantiation of the model . this model is the default model used in the general path planner . in an alternate rrt variant using the cone model , when the path gets within a certain distance of the goal , the rrt random point selection is chosen close to the goal . this is the “ goal directed ” rrt variant . changing a model &# 39 ; s actions dramatically changes the algorithm operation . two types of actions are available : point - robot actions and ship - like actions . the point - robot actions integrate by applying a simple x - y force . for example , one could create a point - robot action which applies a east - facing force of 10 meters per second squared to the planned object . ship - like actions take an approximation of rudder position and forward throttle , and integrate an approximate new position using these parameters . with ship - like actions , the turning radius of the generated path , 66 of fig2 , may be limited to that of the planned - for object . the system performs the following steps when generating a route through a minefield : 2 ) populate the area with obstacle spaces defined as coordinate bound areas through which the route may not pass ; 3 ) establish the coordinates of a route start point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 4 ) establish the coordinates of a route end point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 5 ) generate a series of connected vectors between the start and end points which do not pass through the coordinate bound areas of the obstacle spaces ; 6 ) establish at least one set of parameters defining the coordinates for a waypoint along the route and on one of the vectors ; 7 ) define a path created by the connected vectors as the route through the minefield . while preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described , variations and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , we do not wish to be limited thereto and ask that the scope and breadth of this invention be determined from the claims which follow rather than the above description . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Physics'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | d4e702fd789716cf6d7a00deba0f5b88831a75119d79df8bffb88259aab8f7c4 | 0.001282 | 0.048096 | 0.000179 | 0.046631 | 0.013245 | 0.084961 |
null | the general path planner program is the heart of the system . it performs the algorithmic processing of the data input through the graphical interface . a block diagram of the general path planner is presented in fig1 which illustrates the interaction of the several code groups required to implement the system . the executive code group 10 , the communications code group 20 , the messages code group 30 , the path solver code group 40 , the world - view code group 50 , and the gui / output code group 60 . each of these groups performs one or more related tasks within the system . the overall architecture of the system is a single threaded , message - driven server architecture . each message received is processed in turn , without threading . output is sent back through the use of an observer design pattern , much like java = s generator - listener mechanisms for guis . the system uses a command design pattern , where messages contain their handling code as methods . the system may be implemented on a platform such as the java skd 1 . 4 and the basic path planning algorithms are variants of the rapidly - explored random trees algorithm described by s . m . lavalle in a paper titled , “ rapidly - exploring random trees : a new tool for path planning ,” published as tr 98 - 11 by the computer science dept ., iowa state university , in october 1998 . the paper is incorporated herein by reference . the executive code group 10 is the container classes for all of the statically - held objects in the system . the objects in this group act as traffic cops to the other code groups , and initialize objects that require initialization at startup time . the communications code group 20 handles all i / o for the system . it contains an incoming message queue which is polled to see if new messages have arrived . once messages arrive , they are executed in the order they arrive , one at a time . the communications group also holds all of the output message generators that the system creates . these message generators send the output messages created by the system to registered listeners as soon as the output message arrives . input messages contain their handling code in an overridden execute abstract method . in this way , new input message types , i . e . commands , can be added easily by creating a new message class and defining the code to handle that message . messages also contain a halt method , which will be called if a special halt method is called on the path planning component . the halt method can be used to safely stop current message execution . the path solvers code group 40 represents path - planning package interfaces that the system can use . in the preferred embodiment the path - planning solvers are based on rrt algorithms . the solver is able to set its state using a world - view object plan given a set of way points and halt its planning if has to . also included in this group is a reflective method to set a planner = s parameters when given a list of parameter names and values . the set parameters method looks for methods in the planner class which have “ set ” prepended to the parameter name and take the object corresponding to the parameter name as the sole argument . it then executes that method on the passed - in argument object . the world - view code group 50 is in charge of holding a database of world objects , such as mines , bathymetry data , shorelines , etc . the world - view interface is fairly empty , and only has a clear method on it . in the preferred embodiment the only world - view implementation is the mines only world - view , which is simply a list of mine locations and probabilities on the plane . this preferred embodiment is presented as exemplary , additional embodiments are anticipated to expand the versatility of the system . the output code group 60 is in charge of supplying output to interested parties . it uses the observer design pattern , and is modeled after java awt = s event system . there are message event generators for each type of output method produced , and listener interfaces that listening classes must implement to receive the output . there are two generators : a generator for path solutions , and a generator for algorithm progress messages . the preceding code groups are operational in any one of three different modes or use cases which are defined by the input message type . the use cases are : administrative use - case , state use - case , and path query . to perform a use - case , a corresponding message is sent to the system through the communications group . the administrative use - case is intended to be used to send high - level commands to the system . it operates reflectively so that an administrative message is created with a string representing one of the methods defined on the administrative message class . when sent to the system , the method named by the string will be invoked inside the system . current administrative messages include : printing the administrative message ( a debugging tool ), printing the world - view , clearing the world - view , and exiting the program . new commands can be added by simply adding a method to the administrative class . the state use - case message is used to update the current state held in the system = s world - view . simple - state , a subclass of state use , is used with the mines - only world - view , and contains a list of added or a list of deleted mines ( but not both ). to execute this use - case , the simple - state message either adds or deletes its contents to the world - view , as appropriate . the path query message defines the use - case of requesting a path solution by the system . it is parameterized by the name of the algorithm desired , algorithm parameters , and a list of waypoints to be followed for the path . the first waypoint is the start point and the last waypoint is the goal point . if less than two waypoints are present , behavior is undefined . the path query execution involves the following steps : 1 ) a path planner solver is fetched or created for the desired algorithm . 2 ) the planner is loaded with the current world - view state . 3 ) any parameters present are loaded into the algorithm . 4 ) the planning algorithm is executed with the passed waypoints . 5 ) if a solution is returned , it is sent to the solution event generator in the communications code group 20 . the gui incorporates a means for linking designated portions of a display with an electronic address . it provides an interface with the multi - algorithm capabilities of the general path planner architecture while providing an interactive view of plan progress and an intuitive means to design world - view configurations . the gui performs its tasks sequentially . the gui uses a component based design and performs in collaboration with the general path planner and the separate gui components through message passing . several dialogs are used to perform more complex configurations while the most common actions are laid out in toolbar fashion along the left side of the gui as illustrated in fig2 . the gui user is first presented with an area 71 defined by coordinates and representing an open expanse of ocean on which the user may create minefields . the user may place and remove mines 72 on the minefield with mine editing tools 62 and 63 on a tool bar 61 . in addition to the manual method of mine layout , the user may generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area 71 . minefields can be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the toolbar , 61 of fig2 , is like that of a typical drawing program , with buttons depicting various tasks that interact with the canvas . the add mine , remove mine , and mine line buttons , 62 through 64 respectively , provide direct manipulation of mines 72 in the field 71 . the mine line tool 64 allows the user to click and drag , creating an elongated randomized field of mines . the thickness and density of this line is configured from the mine line preferences dialog accessed from the edit menu . once the line is dragged on the area map view 71 , mines 72 are randomly placed in the box defined by the line = s endpoints and thickness setting . in addition to these direct methods of mine layout , the new minefield dialog in the file menu allows the user to generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area . minefields can then be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the mine probability slider , 65 , at the end of the toolbar modifies the probability of subsequent mines added to the canvas . the minefield is rendered differently for each algorithm available by a reflectively loaded minefield renderer class . in this way the characteristics of the risk function for each algorithm can be displayed . once a minefield is loaded , waypoints 73 can be placed in sequential order from route start 74 to route end 75 using the waypoint tool . the algorithm menu allows the user to select an algorithm for use with the minefield . here , the options associated with each algorithm are reflectively selected from the algorithm = s implementation of the path planner solver abstract class . the world - view and waypoints generated from the gui are able to be sent to any of the planners such that multiple plans may be generated for the same minefield . once the algorithm is properly configured , the start button sends a path query message to the selected planner and a plan is generated . if the show progress check box is activated in the algorithm menu , algorithm - specific progress information will be presented in the navigation box . the progress animation can be saved to disk as a series of images if the option is selected in the algorithm menu . in addition , messages about plan progress will be printed in the lower text window . after the algorithm has completed , the result will be displayed as a route 76 over the area 71 . for example , in fig2 , the rrt algorithm has produced a plan , 76 , which is colored according to the speed of each path segment . statistics about the current solution are displayed in the lower right panel . these statistics include the computed risk of the final path found by the algorithm , the time the path would take to follow , and other statistics about the solution . when the rrt algorithm is implemented as a solver for the general path planner two main code groups are employed , the tree algorithm code group and the models and actions code group . the tree algorithm code group runs the rrt algorithm proper and the models and actions code group determines the state space and robot / ship properties that will be used when running the algorithm . the tree algorithm code group implements the rrt tree algorithm proper . this algorithm is a space - filling randomized algorithm . the algorithm produces a tree in the state - space of the problem . after each iteration , the algorithm attempts add a node which minimizes the distance from any point in the state space to a point on the tree . finding the optimal point to add at each iteration exactly is prohibitively expensive , so the rrt algorithm approximates this by choosing a point with some randomness . the pseudocode for the algorithm is as follows : 1 . choose a random point r in state space with some random point generator . 2 . choose the closest existing tree node to r , call it t . 3 . for each possible legal extension of the tree from r , find the closest point to t , call it t — 0 . 4 . add t — 0 to the tree . 5 . repeat these steps until the space is filled enough . for path planning , the tree starts at the starting point of the plan . the algorithm stops when the tree is less than some critical distance to the goal point . since the tree is rooted at the start point , the path can then be reconstructed by following the ancestors of the node closest to the goal back to the root . the models and actions code group allows for wide flexibility in the type of path planning done by the rrt algorithm . the model interface is the entity which all models will implement . this interface has three important purposes : 1 ) defining appropriate geometries for the model , 2 ) defining a random state space point generator , and 3 ) selecting the “ best ” action for a given point in the state space . the rrt code group uses a concrete models methods to build the rrt tree in an appropriate manner . actions are model - specific actuations that can be perform and which extend from an abstract class named action . models are loaded with a set of actions on instantiation . each concrete action must define what will happen to the state space if the action is applied for a certain amount of time . this is known as the “ integration ” method . three different models for generating obstacle space geometries are available . they are : the ship model , the bull = s eye model and the cone model . the basic ship model uses java awt shape classes to define the obstacles in the minefield as keep - out regions . mines are added as circular shapes whose radii depend on the probability of the existence of a mine . the greater the probability of the existence of a mine , the greater the radius of the circle defining the obstacle space . it selects the best action by integrating each action over a small unit time and selecting the point closest to the goal point which does not collide with any obstacle . in this model , distance is taken to be the four - dimensional euclidian distance in planar space and planar velocity . the bull = s eye model is similar to the ship model except it contains a second , larger set of obstacles superimposed over the smaller obstacles . it has a radius which is a function of the probability of a mine plus an added factor to increase the radius . if no action can be found using the more conservative obstacles , an action is searched for using the more liberal obstacles . mines are added as a bull &# 39 ; s eye of two concentric circles . the cone model uses a half - space of three - dimensional obstacles in the dimensions of x , y and speed . the actions are again checked for collisions with the obstacles , this time in three dimensions . mines are added as cones with a circle of baseline keep - out region at no speed and a linearly increasing radius as the objects speed increases , see fig3 . the baseline keep - out region size depends on the probability of the mine but the cone = s slope is fixed for each instantiation of the model . this model is the default model used in the general path planner . in an alternate rrt variant using the cone model , when the path gets within a certain distance of the goal , the rrt random point selection is chosen close to the goal . this is the “ goal directed ” rrt variant . changing a model &# 39 ; s actions dramatically changes the algorithm operation . two types of actions are available : point - robot actions and ship - like actions . the point - robot actions integrate by applying a simple x - y force . for example , one could create a point - robot action which applies a east - facing force of 10 meters per second squared to the planned object . ship - like actions take an approximation of rudder position and forward throttle , and integrate an approximate new position using these parameters . with ship - like actions , the turning radius of the generated path , 66 of fig2 , may be limited to that of the planned - for object . the system performs the following steps when generating a route through a minefield : 2 ) populate the area with obstacle spaces defined as coordinate bound areas through which the route may not pass ; 3 ) establish the coordinates of a route start point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 4 ) establish the coordinates of a route end point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 5 ) generate a series of connected vectors between the start and end points which do not pass through the coordinate bound areas of the obstacle spaces ; 6 ) establish at least one set of parameters defining the coordinates for a waypoint along the route and on one of the vectors ; 7 ) define a path created by the connected vectors as the route through the minefield . while preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described , variations and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , we do not wish to be limited thereto and ask that the scope and breadth of this invention be determined from the claims which follow rather than the above description . | Should this patent be classified under 'Physics'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | d4e702fd789716cf6d7a00deba0f5b88831a75119d79df8bffb88259aab8f7c4 | 0.000553 | 0.000191 | 0.000246 | 0.000062 | 0.003601 | 0.000534 |
null | the general path planner program is the heart of the system . it performs the algorithmic processing of the data input through the graphical interface . a block diagram of the general path planner is presented in fig1 which illustrates the interaction of the several code groups required to implement the system . the executive code group 10 , the communications code group 20 , the messages code group 30 , the path solver code group 40 , the world - view code group 50 , and the gui / output code group 60 . each of these groups performs one or more related tasks within the system . the overall architecture of the system is a single threaded , message - driven server architecture . each message received is processed in turn , without threading . output is sent back through the use of an observer design pattern , much like java = s generator - listener mechanisms for guis . the system uses a command design pattern , where messages contain their handling code as methods . the system may be implemented on a platform such as the java skd 1 . 4 and the basic path planning algorithms are variants of the rapidly - explored random trees algorithm described by s . m . lavalle in a paper titled , “ rapidly - exploring random trees : a new tool for path planning ,” published as tr 98 - 11 by the computer science dept ., iowa state university , in october 1998 . the paper is incorporated herein by reference . the executive code group 10 is the container classes for all of the statically - held objects in the system . the objects in this group act as traffic cops to the other code groups , and initialize objects that require initialization at startup time . the communications code group 20 handles all i / o for the system . it contains an incoming message queue which is polled to see if new messages have arrived . once messages arrive , they are executed in the order they arrive , one at a time . the communications group also holds all of the output message generators that the system creates . these message generators send the output messages created by the system to registered listeners as soon as the output message arrives . input messages contain their handling code in an overridden execute abstract method . in this way , new input message types , i . e . commands , can be added easily by creating a new message class and defining the code to handle that message . messages also contain a halt method , which will be called if a special halt method is called on the path planning component . the halt method can be used to safely stop current message execution . the path solvers code group 40 represents path - planning package interfaces that the system can use . in the preferred embodiment the path - planning solvers are based on rrt algorithms . the solver is able to set its state using a world - view object plan given a set of way points and halt its planning if has to . also included in this group is a reflective method to set a planner = s parameters when given a list of parameter names and values . the set parameters method looks for methods in the planner class which have “ set ” prepended to the parameter name and take the object corresponding to the parameter name as the sole argument . it then executes that method on the passed - in argument object . the world - view code group 50 is in charge of holding a database of world objects , such as mines , bathymetry data , shorelines , etc . the world - view interface is fairly empty , and only has a clear method on it . in the preferred embodiment the only world - view implementation is the mines only world - view , which is simply a list of mine locations and probabilities on the plane . this preferred embodiment is presented as exemplary , additional embodiments are anticipated to expand the versatility of the system . the output code group 60 is in charge of supplying output to interested parties . it uses the observer design pattern , and is modeled after java awt = s event system . there are message event generators for each type of output method produced , and listener interfaces that listening classes must implement to receive the output . there are two generators : a generator for path solutions , and a generator for algorithm progress messages . the preceding code groups are operational in any one of three different modes or use cases which are defined by the input message type . the use cases are : administrative use - case , state use - case , and path query . to perform a use - case , a corresponding message is sent to the system through the communications group . the administrative use - case is intended to be used to send high - level commands to the system . it operates reflectively so that an administrative message is created with a string representing one of the methods defined on the administrative message class . when sent to the system , the method named by the string will be invoked inside the system . current administrative messages include : printing the administrative message ( a debugging tool ), printing the world - view , clearing the world - view , and exiting the program . new commands can be added by simply adding a method to the administrative class . the state use - case message is used to update the current state held in the system = s world - view . simple - state , a subclass of state use , is used with the mines - only world - view , and contains a list of added or a list of deleted mines ( but not both ). to execute this use - case , the simple - state message either adds or deletes its contents to the world - view , as appropriate . the path query message defines the use - case of requesting a path solution by the system . it is parameterized by the name of the algorithm desired , algorithm parameters , and a list of waypoints to be followed for the path . the first waypoint is the start point and the last waypoint is the goal point . if less than two waypoints are present , behavior is undefined . the path query execution involves the following steps : 1 ) a path planner solver is fetched or created for the desired algorithm . 2 ) the planner is loaded with the current world - view state . 3 ) any parameters present are loaded into the algorithm . 4 ) the planning algorithm is executed with the passed waypoints . 5 ) if a solution is returned , it is sent to the solution event generator in the communications code group 20 . the gui incorporates a means for linking designated portions of a display with an electronic address . it provides an interface with the multi - algorithm capabilities of the general path planner architecture while providing an interactive view of plan progress and an intuitive means to design world - view configurations . the gui performs its tasks sequentially . the gui uses a component based design and performs in collaboration with the general path planner and the separate gui components through message passing . several dialogs are used to perform more complex configurations while the most common actions are laid out in toolbar fashion along the left side of the gui as illustrated in fig2 . the gui user is first presented with an area 71 defined by coordinates and representing an open expanse of ocean on which the user may create minefields . the user may place and remove mines 72 on the minefield with mine editing tools 62 and 63 on a tool bar 61 . in addition to the manual method of mine layout , the user may generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area 71 . minefields can be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the toolbar , 61 of fig2 , is like that of a typical drawing program , with buttons depicting various tasks that interact with the canvas . the add mine , remove mine , and mine line buttons , 62 through 64 respectively , provide direct manipulation of mines 72 in the field 71 . the mine line tool 64 allows the user to click and drag , creating an elongated randomized field of mines . the thickness and density of this line is configured from the mine line preferences dialog accessed from the edit menu . once the line is dragged on the area map view 71 , mines 72 are randomly placed in the box defined by the line = s endpoints and thickness setting . in addition to these direct methods of mine layout , the new minefield dialog in the file menu allows the user to generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area . minefields can then be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the mine probability slider , 65 , at the end of the toolbar modifies the probability of subsequent mines added to the canvas . the minefield is rendered differently for each algorithm available by a reflectively loaded minefield renderer class . in this way the characteristics of the risk function for each algorithm can be displayed . once a minefield is loaded , waypoints 73 can be placed in sequential order from route start 74 to route end 75 using the waypoint tool . the algorithm menu allows the user to select an algorithm for use with the minefield . here , the options associated with each algorithm are reflectively selected from the algorithm = s implementation of the path planner solver abstract class . the world - view and waypoints generated from the gui are able to be sent to any of the planners such that multiple plans may be generated for the same minefield . once the algorithm is properly configured , the start button sends a path query message to the selected planner and a plan is generated . if the show progress check box is activated in the algorithm menu , algorithm - specific progress information will be presented in the navigation box . the progress animation can be saved to disk as a series of images if the option is selected in the algorithm menu . in addition , messages about plan progress will be printed in the lower text window . after the algorithm has completed , the result will be displayed as a route 76 over the area 71 . for example , in fig2 , the rrt algorithm has produced a plan , 76 , which is colored according to the speed of each path segment . statistics about the current solution are displayed in the lower right panel . these statistics include the computed risk of the final path found by the algorithm , the time the path would take to follow , and other statistics about the solution . when the rrt algorithm is implemented as a solver for the general path planner two main code groups are employed , the tree algorithm code group and the models and actions code group . the tree algorithm code group runs the rrt algorithm proper and the models and actions code group determines the state space and robot / ship properties that will be used when running the algorithm . the tree algorithm code group implements the rrt tree algorithm proper . this algorithm is a space - filling randomized algorithm . the algorithm produces a tree in the state - space of the problem . after each iteration , the algorithm attempts add a node which minimizes the distance from any point in the state space to a point on the tree . finding the optimal point to add at each iteration exactly is prohibitively expensive , so the rrt algorithm approximates this by choosing a point with some randomness . the pseudocode for the algorithm is as follows : 1 . choose a random point r in state space with some random point generator . 2 . choose the closest existing tree node to r , call it t . 3 . for each possible legal extension of the tree from r , find the closest point to t , call it t — 0 . 4 . add t — 0 to the tree . 5 . repeat these steps until the space is filled enough . for path planning , the tree starts at the starting point of the plan . the algorithm stops when the tree is less than some critical distance to the goal point . since the tree is rooted at the start point , the path can then be reconstructed by following the ancestors of the node closest to the goal back to the root . the models and actions code group allows for wide flexibility in the type of path planning done by the rrt algorithm . the model interface is the entity which all models will implement . this interface has three important purposes : 1 ) defining appropriate geometries for the model , 2 ) defining a random state space point generator , and 3 ) selecting the “ best ” action for a given point in the state space . the rrt code group uses a concrete models methods to build the rrt tree in an appropriate manner . actions are model - specific actuations that can be perform and which extend from an abstract class named action . models are loaded with a set of actions on instantiation . each concrete action must define what will happen to the state space if the action is applied for a certain amount of time . this is known as the “ integration ” method . three different models for generating obstacle space geometries are available . they are : the ship model , the bull = s eye model and the cone model . the basic ship model uses java awt shape classes to define the obstacles in the minefield as keep - out regions . mines are added as circular shapes whose radii depend on the probability of the existence of a mine . the greater the probability of the existence of a mine , the greater the radius of the circle defining the obstacle space . it selects the best action by integrating each action over a small unit time and selecting the point closest to the goal point which does not collide with any obstacle . in this model , distance is taken to be the four - dimensional euclidian distance in planar space and planar velocity . the bull = s eye model is similar to the ship model except it contains a second , larger set of obstacles superimposed over the smaller obstacles . it has a radius which is a function of the probability of a mine plus an added factor to increase the radius . if no action can be found using the more conservative obstacles , an action is searched for using the more liberal obstacles . mines are added as a bull &# 39 ; s eye of two concentric circles . the cone model uses a half - space of three - dimensional obstacles in the dimensions of x , y and speed . the actions are again checked for collisions with the obstacles , this time in three dimensions . mines are added as cones with a circle of baseline keep - out region at no speed and a linearly increasing radius as the objects speed increases , see fig3 . the baseline keep - out region size depends on the probability of the mine but the cone = s slope is fixed for each instantiation of the model . this model is the default model used in the general path planner . in an alternate rrt variant using the cone model , when the path gets within a certain distance of the goal , the rrt random point selection is chosen close to the goal . this is the “ goal directed ” rrt variant . changing a model &# 39 ; s actions dramatically changes the algorithm operation . two types of actions are available : point - robot actions and ship - like actions . the point - robot actions integrate by applying a simple x - y force . for example , one could create a point - robot action which applies a east - facing force of 10 meters per second squared to the planned object . ship - like actions take an approximation of rudder position and forward throttle , and integrate an approximate new position using these parameters . with ship - like actions , the turning radius of the generated path , 66 of fig2 , may be limited to that of the planned - for object . the system performs the following steps when generating a route through a minefield : 2 ) populate the area with obstacle spaces defined as coordinate bound areas through which the route may not pass ; 3 ) establish the coordinates of a route start point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 4 ) establish the coordinates of a route end point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 5 ) generate a series of connected vectors between the start and end points which do not pass through the coordinate bound areas of the obstacle spaces ; 6 ) establish at least one set of parameters defining the coordinates for a waypoint along the route and on one of the vectors ; 7 ) define a path created by the connected vectors as the route through the minefield . while preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described , variations and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , we do not wish to be limited thereto and ask that the scope and breadth of this invention be determined from the claims which follow rather than the above description . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | d4e702fd789716cf6d7a00deba0f5b88831a75119d79df8bffb88259aab8f7c4 | 0.005066 | 0.000123 | 0.002258 | 0.000179 | 0.012451 | 0.002258 |
null | the general path planner program is the heart of the system . it performs the algorithmic processing of the data input through the graphical interface . a block diagram of the general path planner is presented in fig1 which illustrates the interaction of the several code groups required to implement the system . the executive code group 10 , the communications code group 20 , the messages code group 30 , the path solver code group 40 , the world - view code group 50 , and the gui / output code group 60 . each of these groups performs one or more related tasks within the system . the overall architecture of the system is a single threaded , message - driven server architecture . each message received is processed in turn , without threading . output is sent back through the use of an observer design pattern , much like java = s generator - listener mechanisms for guis . the system uses a command design pattern , where messages contain their handling code as methods . the system may be implemented on a platform such as the java skd 1 . 4 and the basic path planning algorithms are variants of the rapidly - explored random trees algorithm described by s . m . lavalle in a paper titled , “ rapidly - exploring random trees : a new tool for path planning ,” published as tr 98 - 11 by the computer science dept ., iowa state university , in october 1998 . the paper is incorporated herein by reference . the executive code group 10 is the container classes for all of the statically - held objects in the system . the objects in this group act as traffic cops to the other code groups , and initialize objects that require initialization at startup time . the communications code group 20 handles all i / o for the system . it contains an incoming message queue which is polled to see if new messages have arrived . once messages arrive , they are executed in the order they arrive , one at a time . the communications group also holds all of the output message generators that the system creates . these message generators send the output messages created by the system to registered listeners as soon as the output message arrives . input messages contain their handling code in an overridden execute abstract method . in this way , new input message types , i . e . commands , can be added easily by creating a new message class and defining the code to handle that message . messages also contain a halt method , which will be called if a special halt method is called on the path planning component . the halt method can be used to safely stop current message execution . the path solvers code group 40 represents path - planning package interfaces that the system can use . in the preferred embodiment the path - planning solvers are based on rrt algorithms . the solver is able to set its state using a world - view object plan given a set of way points and halt its planning if has to . also included in this group is a reflective method to set a planner = s parameters when given a list of parameter names and values . the set parameters method looks for methods in the planner class which have “ set ” prepended to the parameter name and take the object corresponding to the parameter name as the sole argument . it then executes that method on the passed - in argument object . the world - view code group 50 is in charge of holding a database of world objects , such as mines , bathymetry data , shorelines , etc . the world - view interface is fairly empty , and only has a clear method on it . in the preferred embodiment the only world - view implementation is the mines only world - view , which is simply a list of mine locations and probabilities on the plane . this preferred embodiment is presented as exemplary , additional embodiments are anticipated to expand the versatility of the system . the output code group 60 is in charge of supplying output to interested parties . it uses the observer design pattern , and is modeled after java awt = s event system . there are message event generators for each type of output method produced , and listener interfaces that listening classes must implement to receive the output . there are two generators : a generator for path solutions , and a generator for algorithm progress messages . the preceding code groups are operational in any one of three different modes or use cases which are defined by the input message type . the use cases are : administrative use - case , state use - case , and path query . to perform a use - case , a corresponding message is sent to the system through the communications group . the administrative use - case is intended to be used to send high - level commands to the system . it operates reflectively so that an administrative message is created with a string representing one of the methods defined on the administrative message class . when sent to the system , the method named by the string will be invoked inside the system . current administrative messages include : printing the administrative message ( a debugging tool ), printing the world - view , clearing the world - view , and exiting the program . new commands can be added by simply adding a method to the administrative class . the state use - case message is used to update the current state held in the system = s world - view . simple - state , a subclass of state use , is used with the mines - only world - view , and contains a list of added or a list of deleted mines ( but not both ). to execute this use - case , the simple - state message either adds or deletes its contents to the world - view , as appropriate . the path query message defines the use - case of requesting a path solution by the system . it is parameterized by the name of the algorithm desired , algorithm parameters , and a list of waypoints to be followed for the path . the first waypoint is the start point and the last waypoint is the goal point . if less than two waypoints are present , behavior is undefined . the path query execution involves the following steps : 1 ) a path planner solver is fetched or created for the desired algorithm . 2 ) the planner is loaded with the current world - view state . 3 ) any parameters present are loaded into the algorithm . 4 ) the planning algorithm is executed with the passed waypoints . 5 ) if a solution is returned , it is sent to the solution event generator in the communications code group 20 . the gui incorporates a means for linking designated portions of a display with an electronic address . it provides an interface with the multi - algorithm capabilities of the general path planner architecture while providing an interactive view of plan progress and an intuitive means to design world - view configurations . the gui performs its tasks sequentially . the gui uses a component based design and performs in collaboration with the general path planner and the separate gui components through message passing . several dialogs are used to perform more complex configurations while the most common actions are laid out in toolbar fashion along the left side of the gui as illustrated in fig2 . the gui user is first presented with an area 71 defined by coordinates and representing an open expanse of ocean on which the user may create minefields . the user may place and remove mines 72 on the minefield with mine editing tools 62 and 63 on a tool bar 61 . in addition to the manual method of mine layout , the user may generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area 71 . minefields can be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the toolbar , 61 of fig2 , is like that of a typical drawing program , with buttons depicting various tasks that interact with the canvas . the add mine , remove mine , and mine line buttons , 62 through 64 respectively , provide direct manipulation of mines 72 in the field 71 . the mine line tool 64 allows the user to click and drag , creating an elongated randomized field of mines . the thickness and density of this line is configured from the mine line preferences dialog accessed from the edit menu . once the line is dragged on the area map view 71 , mines 72 are randomly placed in the box defined by the line = s endpoints and thickness setting . in addition to these direct methods of mine layout , the new minefield dialog in the file menu allows the user to generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area . minefields can then be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the mine probability slider , 65 , at the end of the toolbar modifies the probability of subsequent mines added to the canvas . the minefield is rendered differently for each algorithm available by a reflectively loaded minefield renderer class . in this way the characteristics of the risk function for each algorithm can be displayed . once a minefield is loaded , waypoints 73 can be placed in sequential order from route start 74 to route end 75 using the waypoint tool . the algorithm menu allows the user to select an algorithm for use with the minefield . here , the options associated with each algorithm are reflectively selected from the algorithm = s implementation of the path planner solver abstract class . the world - view and waypoints generated from the gui are able to be sent to any of the planners such that multiple plans may be generated for the same minefield . once the algorithm is properly configured , the start button sends a path query message to the selected planner and a plan is generated . if the show progress check box is activated in the algorithm menu , algorithm - specific progress information will be presented in the navigation box . the progress animation can be saved to disk as a series of images if the option is selected in the algorithm menu . in addition , messages about plan progress will be printed in the lower text window . after the algorithm has completed , the result will be displayed as a route 76 over the area 71 . for example , in fig2 , the rrt algorithm has produced a plan , 76 , which is colored according to the speed of each path segment . statistics about the current solution are displayed in the lower right panel . these statistics include the computed risk of the final path found by the algorithm , the time the path would take to follow , and other statistics about the solution . when the rrt algorithm is implemented as a solver for the general path planner two main code groups are employed , the tree algorithm code group and the models and actions code group . the tree algorithm code group runs the rrt algorithm proper and the models and actions code group determines the state space and robot / ship properties that will be used when running the algorithm . the tree algorithm code group implements the rrt tree algorithm proper . this algorithm is a space - filling randomized algorithm . the algorithm produces a tree in the state - space of the problem . after each iteration , the algorithm attempts add a node which minimizes the distance from any point in the state space to a point on the tree . finding the optimal point to add at each iteration exactly is prohibitively expensive , so the rrt algorithm approximates this by choosing a point with some randomness . the pseudocode for the algorithm is as follows : 1 . choose a random point r in state space with some random point generator . 2 . choose the closest existing tree node to r , call it t . 3 . for each possible legal extension of the tree from r , find the closest point to t , call it t — 0 . 4 . add t — 0 to the tree . 5 . repeat these steps until the space is filled enough . for path planning , the tree starts at the starting point of the plan . the algorithm stops when the tree is less than some critical distance to the goal point . since the tree is rooted at the start point , the path can then be reconstructed by following the ancestors of the node closest to the goal back to the root . the models and actions code group allows for wide flexibility in the type of path planning done by the rrt algorithm . the model interface is the entity which all models will implement . this interface has three important purposes : 1 ) defining appropriate geometries for the model , 2 ) defining a random state space point generator , and 3 ) selecting the “ best ” action for a given point in the state space . the rrt code group uses a concrete models methods to build the rrt tree in an appropriate manner . actions are model - specific actuations that can be perform and which extend from an abstract class named action . models are loaded with a set of actions on instantiation . each concrete action must define what will happen to the state space if the action is applied for a certain amount of time . this is known as the “ integration ” method . three different models for generating obstacle space geometries are available . they are : the ship model , the bull = s eye model and the cone model . the basic ship model uses java awt shape classes to define the obstacles in the minefield as keep - out regions . mines are added as circular shapes whose radii depend on the probability of the existence of a mine . the greater the probability of the existence of a mine , the greater the radius of the circle defining the obstacle space . it selects the best action by integrating each action over a small unit time and selecting the point closest to the goal point which does not collide with any obstacle . in this model , distance is taken to be the four - dimensional euclidian distance in planar space and planar velocity . the bull = s eye model is similar to the ship model except it contains a second , larger set of obstacles superimposed over the smaller obstacles . it has a radius which is a function of the probability of a mine plus an added factor to increase the radius . if no action can be found using the more conservative obstacles , an action is searched for using the more liberal obstacles . mines are added as a bull &# 39 ; s eye of two concentric circles . the cone model uses a half - space of three - dimensional obstacles in the dimensions of x , y and speed . the actions are again checked for collisions with the obstacles , this time in three dimensions . mines are added as cones with a circle of baseline keep - out region at no speed and a linearly increasing radius as the objects speed increases , see fig3 . the baseline keep - out region size depends on the probability of the mine but the cone = s slope is fixed for each instantiation of the model . this model is the default model used in the general path planner . in an alternate rrt variant using the cone model , when the path gets within a certain distance of the goal , the rrt random point selection is chosen close to the goal . this is the “ goal directed ” rrt variant . changing a model &# 39 ; s actions dramatically changes the algorithm operation . two types of actions are available : point - robot actions and ship - like actions . the point - robot actions integrate by applying a simple x - y force . for example , one could create a point - robot action which applies a east - facing force of 10 meters per second squared to the planned object . ship - like actions take an approximation of rudder position and forward throttle , and integrate an approximate new position using these parameters . with ship - like actions , the turning radius of the generated path , 66 of fig2 , may be limited to that of the planned - for object . the system performs the following steps when generating a route through a minefield : 2 ) populate the area with obstacle spaces defined as coordinate bound areas through which the route may not pass ; 3 ) establish the coordinates of a route start point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 4 ) establish the coordinates of a route end point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 5 ) generate a series of connected vectors between the start and end points which do not pass through the coordinate bound areas of the obstacle spaces ; 6 ) establish at least one set of parameters defining the coordinates for a waypoint along the route and on one of the vectors ; 7 ) define a path created by the connected vectors as the route through the minefield . while preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described , variations and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , we do not wish to be limited thereto and ask that the scope and breadth of this invention be determined from the claims which follow rather than the above description . | Should this patent be classified under 'Physics'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | d4e702fd789716cf6d7a00deba0f5b88831a75119d79df8bffb88259aab8f7c4 | 0.000553 | 0.006683 | 0.000231 | 0.005554 | 0.003601 | 0.036133 |
null | the general path planner program is the heart of the system . it performs the algorithmic processing of the data input through the graphical interface . a block diagram of the general path planner is presented in fig1 which illustrates the interaction of the several code groups required to implement the system . the executive code group 10 , the communications code group 20 , the messages code group 30 , the path solver code group 40 , the world - view code group 50 , and the gui / output code group 60 . each of these groups performs one or more related tasks within the system . the overall architecture of the system is a single threaded , message - driven server architecture . each message received is processed in turn , without threading . output is sent back through the use of an observer design pattern , much like java = s generator - listener mechanisms for guis . the system uses a command design pattern , where messages contain their handling code as methods . the system may be implemented on a platform such as the java skd 1 . 4 and the basic path planning algorithms are variants of the rapidly - explored random trees algorithm described by s . m . lavalle in a paper titled , “ rapidly - exploring random trees : a new tool for path planning ,” published as tr 98 - 11 by the computer science dept ., iowa state university , in october 1998 . the paper is incorporated herein by reference . the executive code group 10 is the container classes for all of the statically - held objects in the system . the objects in this group act as traffic cops to the other code groups , and initialize objects that require initialization at startup time . the communications code group 20 handles all i / o for the system . it contains an incoming message queue which is polled to see if new messages have arrived . once messages arrive , they are executed in the order they arrive , one at a time . the communications group also holds all of the output message generators that the system creates . these message generators send the output messages created by the system to registered listeners as soon as the output message arrives . input messages contain their handling code in an overridden execute abstract method . in this way , new input message types , i . e . commands , can be added easily by creating a new message class and defining the code to handle that message . messages also contain a halt method , which will be called if a special halt method is called on the path planning component . the halt method can be used to safely stop current message execution . the path solvers code group 40 represents path - planning package interfaces that the system can use . in the preferred embodiment the path - planning solvers are based on rrt algorithms . the solver is able to set its state using a world - view object plan given a set of way points and halt its planning if has to . also included in this group is a reflective method to set a planner = s parameters when given a list of parameter names and values . the set parameters method looks for methods in the planner class which have “ set ” prepended to the parameter name and take the object corresponding to the parameter name as the sole argument . it then executes that method on the passed - in argument object . the world - view code group 50 is in charge of holding a database of world objects , such as mines , bathymetry data , shorelines , etc . the world - view interface is fairly empty , and only has a clear method on it . in the preferred embodiment the only world - view implementation is the mines only world - view , which is simply a list of mine locations and probabilities on the plane . this preferred embodiment is presented as exemplary , additional embodiments are anticipated to expand the versatility of the system . the output code group 60 is in charge of supplying output to interested parties . it uses the observer design pattern , and is modeled after java awt = s event system . there are message event generators for each type of output method produced , and listener interfaces that listening classes must implement to receive the output . there are two generators : a generator for path solutions , and a generator for algorithm progress messages . the preceding code groups are operational in any one of three different modes or use cases which are defined by the input message type . the use cases are : administrative use - case , state use - case , and path query . to perform a use - case , a corresponding message is sent to the system through the communications group . the administrative use - case is intended to be used to send high - level commands to the system . it operates reflectively so that an administrative message is created with a string representing one of the methods defined on the administrative message class . when sent to the system , the method named by the string will be invoked inside the system . current administrative messages include : printing the administrative message ( a debugging tool ), printing the world - view , clearing the world - view , and exiting the program . new commands can be added by simply adding a method to the administrative class . the state use - case message is used to update the current state held in the system = s world - view . simple - state , a subclass of state use , is used with the mines - only world - view , and contains a list of added or a list of deleted mines ( but not both ). to execute this use - case , the simple - state message either adds or deletes its contents to the world - view , as appropriate . the path query message defines the use - case of requesting a path solution by the system . it is parameterized by the name of the algorithm desired , algorithm parameters , and a list of waypoints to be followed for the path . the first waypoint is the start point and the last waypoint is the goal point . if less than two waypoints are present , behavior is undefined . the path query execution involves the following steps : 1 ) a path planner solver is fetched or created for the desired algorithm . 2 ) the planner is loaded with the current world - view state . 3 ) any parameters present are loaded into the algorithm . 4 ) the planning algorithm is executed with the passed waypoints . 5 ) if a solution is returned , it is sent to the solution event generator in the communications code group 20 . the gui incorporates a means for linking designated portions of a display with an electronic address . it provides an interface with the multi - algorithm capabilities of the general path planner architecture while providing an interactive view of plan progress and an intuitive means to design world - view configurations . the gui performs its tasks sequentially . the gui uses a component based design and performs in collaboration with the general path planner and the separate gui components through message passing . several dialogs are used to perform more complex configurations while the most common actions are laid out in toolbar fashion along the left side of the gui as illustrated in fig2 . the gui user is first presented with an area 71 defined by coordinates and representing an open expanse of ocean on which the user may create minefields . the user may place and remove mines 72 on the minefield with mine editing tools 62 and 63 on a tool bar 61 . in addition to the manual method of mine layout , the user may generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area 71 . minefields can be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the toolbar , 61 of fig2 , is like that of a typical drawing program , with buttons depicting various tasks that interact with the canvas . the add mine , remove mine , and mine line buttons , 62 through 64 respectively , provide direct manipulation of mines 72 in the field 71 . the mine line tool 64 allows the user to click and drag , creating an elongated randomized field of mines . the thickness and density of this line is configured from the mine line preferences dialog accessed from the edit menu . once the line is dragged on the area map view 71 , mines 72 are randomly placed in the box defined by the line = s endpoints and thickness setting . in addition to these direct methods of mine layout , the new minefield dialog in the file menu allows the user to generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area . minefields can then be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the mine probability slider , 65 , at the end of the toolbar modifies the probability of subsequent mines added to the canvas . the minefield is rendered differently for each algorithm available by a reflectively loaded minefield renderer class . in this way the characteristics of the risk function for each algorithm can be displayed . once a minefield is loaded , waypoints 73 can be placed in sequential order from route start 74 to route end 75 using the waypoint tool . the algorithm menu allows the user to select an algorithm for use with the minefield . here , the options associated with each algorithm are reflectively selected from the algorithm = s implementation of the path planner solver abstract class . the world - view and waypoints generated from the gui are able to be sent to any of the planners such that multiple plans may be generated for the same minefield . once the algorithm is properly configured , the start button sends a path query message to the selected planner and a plan is generated . if the show progress check box is activated in the algorithm menu , algorithm - specific progress information will be presented in the navigation box . the progress animation can be saved to disk as a series of images if the option is selected in the algorithm menu . in addition , messages about plan progress will be printed in the lower text window . after the algorithm has completed , the result will be displayed as a route 76 over the area 71 . for example , in fig2 , the rrt algorithm has produced a plan , 76 , which is colored according to the speed of each path segment . statistics about the current solution are displayed in the lower right panel . these statistics include the computed risk of the final path found by the algorithm , the time the path would take to follow , and other statistics about the solution . when the rrt algorithm is implemented as a solver for the general path planner two main code groups are employed , the tree algorithm code group and the models and actions code group . the tree algorithm code group runs the rrt algorithm proper and the models and actions code group determines the state space and robot / ship properties that will be used when running the algorithm . the tree algorithm code group implements the rrt tree algorithm proper . this algorithm is a space - filling randomized algorithm . the algorithm produces a tree in the state - space of the problem . after each iteration , the algorithm attempts add a node which minimizes the distance from any point in the state space to a point on the tree . finding the optimal point to add at each iteration exactly is prohibitively expensive , so the rrt algorithm approximates this by choosing a point with some randomness . the pseudocode for the algorithm is as follows : 1 . choose a random point r in state space with some random point generator . 2 . choose the closest existing tree node to r , call it t . 3 . for each possible legal extension of the tree from r , find the closest point to t , call it t — 0 . 4 . add t — 0 to the tree . 5 . repeat these steps until the space is filled enough . for path planning , the tree starts at the starting point of the plan . the algorithm stops when the tree is less than some critical distance to the goal point . since the tree is rooted at the start point , the path can then be reconstructed by following the ancestors of the node closest to the goal back to the root . the models and actions code group allows for wide flexibility in the type of path planning done by the rrt algorithm . the model interface is the entity which all models will implement . this interface has three important purposes : 1 ) defining appropriate geometries for the model , 2 ) defining a random state space point generator , and 3 ) selecting the “ best ” action for a given point in the state space . the rrt code group uses a concrete models methods to build the rrt tree in an appropriate manner . actions are model - specific actuations that can be perform and which extend from an abstract class named action . models are loaded with a set of actions on instantiation . each concrete action must define what will happen to the state space if the action is applied for a certain amount of time . this is known as the “ integration ” method . three different models for generating obstacle space geometries are available . they are : the ship model , the bull = s eye model and the cone model . the basic ship model uses java awt shape classes to define the obstacles in the minefield as keep - out regions . mines are added as circular shapes whose radii depend on the probability of the existence of a mine . the greater the probability of the existence of a mine , the greater the radius of the circle defining the obstacle space . it selects the best action by integrating each action over a small unit time and selecting the point closest to the goal point which does not collide with any obstacle . in this model , distance is taken to be the four - dimensional euclidian distance in planar space and planar velocity . the bull = s eye model is similar to the ship model except it contains a second , larger set of obstacles superimposed over the smaller obstacles . it has a radius which is a function of the probability of a mine plus an added factor to increase the radius . if no action can be found using the more conservative obstacles , an action is searched for using the more liberal obstacles . mines are added as a bull &# 39 ; s eye of two concentric circles . the cone model uses a half - space of three - dimensional obstacles in the dimensions of x , y and speed . the actions are again checked for collisions with the obstacles , this time in three dimensions . mines are added as cones with a circle of baseline keep - out region at no speed and a linearly increasing radius as the objects speed increases , see fig3 . the baseline keep - out region size depends on the probability of the mine but the cone = s slope is fixed for each instantiation of the model . this model is the default model used in the general path planner . in an alternate rrt variant using the cone model , when the path gets within a certain distance of the goal , the rrt random point selection is chosen close to the goal . this is the “ goal directed ” rrt variant . changing a model &# 39 ; s actions dramatically changes the algorithm operation . two types of actions are available : point - robot actions and ship - like actions . the point - robot actions integrate by applying a simple x - y force . for example , one could create a point - robot action which applies a east - facing force of 10 meters per second squared to the planned object . ship - like actions take an approximation of rudder position and forward throttle , and integrate an approximate new position using these parameters . with ship - like actions , the turning radius of the generated path , 66 of fig2 , may be limited to that of the planned - for object . the system performs the following steps when generating a route through a minefield : 2 ) populate the area with obstacle spaces defined as coordinate bound areas through which the route may not pass ; 3 ) establish the coordinates of a route start point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 4 ) establish the coordinates of a route end point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 5 ) generate a series of connected vectors between the start and end points which do not pass through the coordinate bound areas of the obstacle spaces ; 6 ) establish at least one set of parameters defining the coordinates for a waypoint along the route and on one of the vectors ; 7 ) define a path created by the connected vectors as the route through the minefield . while preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described , variations and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , we do not wish to be limited thereto and ask that the scope and breadth of this invention be determined from the claims which follow rather than the above description . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | d4e702fd789716cf6d7a00deba0f5b88831a75119d79df8bffb88259aab8f7c4 | 0.005066 | 0.001869 | 0.002258 | 0.000345 | 0.012451 | 0.008057 |
null | the general path planner program is the heart of the system . it performs the algorithmic processing of the data input through the graphical interface . a block diagram of the general path planner is presented in fig1 which illustrates the interaction of the several code groups required to implement the system . the executive code group 10 , the communications code group 20 , the messages code group 30 , the path solver code group 40 , the world - view code group 50 , and the gui / output code group 60 . each of these groups performs one or more related tasks within the system . the overall architecture of the system is a single threaded , message - driven server architecture . each message received is processed in turn , without threading . output is sent back through the use of an observer design pattern , much like java = s generator - listener mechanisms for guis . the system uses a command design pattern , where messages contain their handling code as methods . the system may be implemented on a platform such as the java skd 1 . 4 and the basic path planning algorithms are variants of the rapidly - explored random trees algorithm described by s . m . lavalle in a paper titled , “ rapidly - exploring random trees : a new tool for path planning ,” published as tr 98 - 11 by the computer science dept ., iowa state university , in october 1998 . the paper is incorporated herein by reference . the executive code group 10 is the container classes for all of the statically - held objects in the system . the objects in this group act as traffic cops to the other code groups , and initialize objects that require initialization at startup time . the communications code group 20 handles all i / o for the system . it contains an incoming message queue which is polled to see if new messages have arrived . once messages arrive , they are executed in the order they arrive , one at a time . the communications group also holds all of the output message generators that the system creates . these message generators send the output messages created by the system to registered listeners as soon as the output message arrives . input messages contain their handling code in an overridden execute abstract method . in this way , new input message types , i . e . commands , can be added easily by creating a new message class and defining the code to handle that message . messages also contain a halt method , which will be called if a special halt method is called on the path planning component . the halt method can be used to safely stop current message execution . the path solvers code group 40 represents path - planning package interfaces that the system can use . in the preferred embodiment the path - planning solvers are based on rrt algorithms . the solver is able to set its state using a world - view object plan given a set of way points and halt its planning if has to . also included in this group is a reflective method to set a planner = s parameters when given a list of parameter names and values . the set parameters method looks for methods in the planner class which have “ set ” prepended to the parameter name and take the object corresponding to the parameter name as the sole argument . it then executes that method on the passed - in argument object . the world - view code group 50 is in charge of holding a database of world objects , such as mines , bathymetry data , shorelines , etc . the world - view interface is fairly empty , and only has a clear method on it . in the preferred embodiment the only world - view implementation is the mines only world - view , which is simply a list of mine locations and probabilities on the plane . this preferred embodiment is presented as exemplary , additional embodiments are anticipated to expand the versatility of the system . the output code group 60 is in charge of supplying output to interested parties . it uses the observer design pattern , and is modeled after java awt = s event system . there are message event generators for each type of output method produced , and listener interfaces that listening classes must implement to receive the output . there are two generators : a generator for path solutions , and a generator for algorithm progress messages . the preceding code groups are operational in any one of three different modes or use cases which are defined by the input message type . the use cases are : administrative use - case , state use - case , and path query . to perform a use - case , a corresponding message is sent to the system through the communications group . the administrative use - case is intended to be used to send high - level commands to the system . it operates reflectively so that an administrative message is created with a string representing one of the methods defined on the administrative message class . when sent to the system , the method named by the string will be invoked inside the system . current administrative messages include : printing the administrative message ( a debugging tool ), printing the world - view , clearing the world - view , and exiting the program . new commands can be added by simply adding a method to the administrative class . the state use - case message is used to update the current state held in the system = s world - view . simple - state , a subclass of state use , is used with the mines - only world - view , and contains a list of added or a list of deleted mines ( but not both ). to execute this use - case , the simple - state message either adds or deletes its contents to the world - view , as appropriate . the path query message defines the use - case of requesting a path solution by the system . it is parameterized by the name of the algorithm desired , algorithm parameters , and a list of waypoints to be followed for the path . the first waypoint is the start point and the last waypoint is the goal point . if less than two waypoints are present , behavior is undefined . the path query execution involves the following steps : 1 ) a path planner solver is fetched or created for the desired algorithm . 2 ) the planner is loaded with the current world - view state . 3 ) any parameters present are loaded into the algorithm . 4 ) the planning algorithm is executed with the passed waypoints . 5 ) if a solution is returned , it is sent to the solution event generator in the communications code group 20 . the gui incorporates a means for linking designated portions of a display with an electronic address . it provides an interface with the multi - algorithm capabilities of the general path planner architecture while providing an interactive view of plan progress and an intuitive means to design world - view configurations . the gui performs its tasks sequentially . the gui uses a component based design and performs in collaboration with the general path planner and the separate gui components through message passing . several dialogs are used to perform more complex configurations while the most common actions are laid out in toolbar fashion along the left side of the gui as illustrated in fig2 . the gui user is first presented with an area 71 defined by coordinates and representing an open expanse of ocean on which the user may create minefields . the user may place and remove mines 72 on the minefield with mine editing tools 62 and 63 on a tool bar 61 . in addition to the manual method of mine layout , the user may generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area 71 . minefields can be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the toolbar , 61 of fig2 , is like that of a typical drawing program , with buttons depicting various tasks that interact with the canvas . the add mine , remove mine , and mine line buttons , 62 through 64 respectively , provide direct manipulation of mines 72 in the field 71 . the mine line tool 64 allows the user to click and drag , creating an elongated randomized field of mines . the thickness and density of this line is configured from the mine line preferences dialog accessed from the edit menu . once the line is dragged on the area map view 71 , mines 72 are randomly placed in the box defined by the line = s endpoints and thickness setting . in addition to these direct methods of mine layout , the new minefield dialog in the file menu allows the user to generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area . minefields can then be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the mine probability slider , 65 , at the end of the toolbar modifies the probability of subsequent mines added to the canvas . the minefield is rendered differently for each algorithm available by a reflectively loaded minefield renderer class . in this way the characteristics of the risk function for each algorithm can be displayed . once a minefield is loaded , waypoints 73 can be placed in sequential order from route start 74 to route end 75 using the waypoint tool . the algorithm menu allows the user to select an algorithm for use with the minefield . here , the options associated with each algorithm are reflectively selected from the algorithm = s implementation of the path planner solver abstract class . the world - view and waypoints generated from the gui are able to be sent to any of the planners such that multiple plans may be generated for the same minefield . once the algorithm is properly configured , the start button sends a path query message to the selected planner and a plan is generated . if the show progress check box is activated in the algorithm menu , algorithm - specific progress information will be presented in the navigation box . the progress animation can be saved to disk as a series of images if the option is selected in the algorithm menu . in addition , messages about plan progress will be printed in the lower text window . after the algorithm has completed , the result will be displayed as a route 76 over the area 71 . for example , in fig2 , the rrt algorithm has produced a plan , 76 , which is colored according to the speed of each path segment . statistics about the current solution are displayed in the lower right panel . these statistics include the computed risk of the final path found by the algorithm , the time the path would take to follow , and other statistics about the solution . when the rrt algorithm is implemented as a solver for the general path planner two main code groups are employed , the tree algorithm code group and the models and actions code group . the tree algorithm code group runs the rrt algorithm proper and the models and actions code group determines the state space and robot / ship properties that will be used when running the algorithm . the tree algorithm code group implements the rrt tree algorithm proper . this algorithm is a space - filling randomized algorithm . the algorithm produces a tree in the state - space of the problem . after each iteration , the algorithm attempts add a node which minimizes the distance from any point in the state space to a point on the tree . finding the optimal point to add at each iteration exactly is prohibitively expensive , so the rrt algorithm approximates this by choosing a point with some randomness . the pseudocode for the algorithm is as follows : 1 . choose a random point r in state space with some random point generator . 2 . choose the closest existing tree node to r , call it t . 3 . for each possible legal extension of the tree from r , find the closest point to t , call it t — 0 . 4 . add t — 0 to the tree . 5 . repeat these steps until the space is filled enough . for path planning , the tree starts at the starting point of the plan . the algorithm stops when the tree is less than some critical distance to the goal point . since the tree is rooted at the start point , the path can then be reconstructed by following the ancestors of the node closest to the goal back to the root . the models and actions code group allows for wide flexibility in the type of path planning done by the rrt algorithm . the model interface is the entity which all models will implement . this interface has three important purposes : 1 ) defining appropriate geometries for the model , 2 ) defining a random state space point generator , and 3 ) selecting the “ best ” action for a given point in the state space . the rrt code group uses a concrete models methods to build the rrt tree in an appropriate manner . actions are model - specific actuations that can be perform and which extend from an abstract class named action . models are loaded with a set of actions on instantiation . each concrete action must define what will happen to the state space if the action is applied for a certain amount of time . this is known as the “ integration ” method . three different models for generating obstacle space geometries are available . they are : the ship model , the bull = s eye model and the cone model . the basic ship model uses java awt shape classes to define the obstacles in the minefield as keep - out regions . mines are added as circular shapes whose radii depend on the probability of the existence of a mine . the greater the probability of the existence of a mine , the greater the radius of the circle defining the obstacle space . it selects the best action by integrating each action over a small unit time and selecting the point closest to the goal point which does not collide with any obstacle . in this model , distance is taken to be the four - dimensional euclidian distance in planar space and planar velocity . the bull = s eye model is similar to the ship model except it contains a second , larger set of obstacles superimposed over the smaller obstacles . it has a radius which is a function of the probability of a mine plus an added factor to increase the radius . if no action can be found using the more conservative obstacles , an action is searched for using the more liberal obstacles . mines are added as a bull &# 39 ; s eye of two concentric circles . the cone model uses a half - space of three - dimensional obstacles in the dimensions of x , y and speed . the actions are again checked for collisions with the obstacles , this time in three dimensions . mines are added as cones with a circle of baseline keep - out region at no speed and a linearly increasing radius as the objects speed increases , see fig3 . the baseline keep - out region size depends on the probability of the mine but the cone = s slope is fixed for each instantiation of the model . this model is the default model used in the general path planner . in an alternate rrt variant using the cone model , when the path gets within a certain distance of the goal , the rrt random point selection is chosen close to the goal . this is the “ goal directed ” rrt variant . changing a model &# 39 ; s actions dramatically changes the algorithm operation . two types of actions are available : point - robot actions and ship - like actions . the point - robot actions integrate by applying a simple x - y force . for example , one could create a point - robot action which applies a east - facing force of 10 meters per second squared to the planned object . ship - like actions take an approximation of rudder position and forward throttle , and integrate an approximate new position using these parameters . with ship - like actions , the turning radius of the generated path , 66 of fig2 , may be limited to that of the planned - for object . the system performs the following steps when generating a route through a minefield : 2 ) populate the area with obstacle spaces defined as coordinate bound areas through which the route may not pass ; 3 ) establish the coordinates of a route start point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 4 ) establish the coordinates of a route end point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 5 ) generate a series of connected vectors between the start and end points which do not pass through the coordinate bound areas of the obstacle spaces ; 6 ) establish at least one set of parameters defining the coordinates for a waypoint along the route and on one of the vectors ; 7 ) define a path created by the connected vectors as the route through the minefield . while preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described , variations and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , we do not wish to be limited thereto and ask that the scope and breadth of this invention be determined from the claims which follow rather than the above description . | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | d4e702fd789716cf6d7a00deba0f5b88831a75119d79df8bffb88259aab8f7c4 | 0.003174 | 0.000066 | 0.001137 | 0.000012 | 0.009155 | 0.000418 |
null | the general path planner program is the heart of the system . it performs the algorithmic processing of the data input through the graphical interface . a block diagram of the general path planner is presented in fig1 which illustrates the interaction of the several code groups required to implement the system . the executive code group 10 , the communications code group 20 , the messages code group 30 , the path solver code group 40 , the world - view code group 50 , and the gui / output code group 60 . each of these groups performs one or more related tasks within the system . the overall architecture of the system is a single threaded , message - driven server architecture . each message received is processed in turn , without threading . output is sent back through the use of an observer design pattern , much like java = s generator - listener mechanisms for guis . the system uses a command design pattern , where messages contain their handling code as methods . the system may be implemented on a platform such as the java skd 1 . 4 and the basic path planning algorithms are variants of the rapidly - explored random trees algorithm described by s . m . lavalle in a paper titled , “ rapidly - exploring random trees : a new tool for path planning ,” published as tr 98 - 11 by the computer science dept ., iowa state university , in october 1998 . the paper is incorporated herein by reference . the executive code group 10 is the container classes for all of the statically - held objects in the system . the objects in this group act as traffic cops to the other code groups , and initialize objects that require initialization at startup time . the communications code group 20 handles all i / o for the system . it contains an incoming message queue which is polled to see if new messages have arrived . once messages arrive , they are executed in the order they arrive , one at a time . the communications group also holds all of the output message generators that the system creates . these message generators send the output messages created by the system to registered listeners as soon as the output message arrives . input messages contain their handling code in an overridden execute abstract method . in this way , new input message types , i . e . commands , can be added easily by creating a new message class and defining the code to handle that message . messages also contain a halt method , which will be called if a special halt method is called on the path planning component . the halt method can be used to safely stop current message execution . the path solvers code group 40 represents path - planning package interfaces that the system can use . in the preferred embodiment the path - planning solvers are based on rrt algorithms . the solver is able to set its state using a world - view object plan given a set of way points and halt its planning if has to . also included in this group is a reflective method to set a planner = s parameters when given a list of parameter names and values . the set parameters method looks for methods in the planner class which have “ set ” prepended to the parameter name and take the object corresponding to the parameter name as the sole argument . it then executes that method on the passed - in argument object . the world - view code group 50 is in charge of holding a database of world objects , such as mines , bathymetry data , shorelines , etc . the world - view interface is fairly empty , and only has a clear method on it . in the preferred embodiment the only world - view implementation is the mines only world - view , which is simply a list of mine locations and probabilities on the plane . this preferred embodiment is presented as exemplary , additional embodiments are anticipated to expand the versatility of the system . the output code group 60 is in charge of supplying output to interested parties . it uses the observer design pattern , and is modeled after java awt = s event system . there are message event generators for each type of output method produced , and listener interfaces that listening classes must implement to receive the output . there are two generators : a generator for path solutions , and a generator for algorithm progress messages . the preceding code groups are operational in any one of three different modes or use cases which are defined by the input message type . the use cases are : administrative use - case , state use - case , and path query . to perform a use - case , a corresponding message is sent to the system through the communications group . the administrative use - case is intended to be used to send high - level commands to the system . it operates reflectively so that an administrative message is created with a string representing one of the methods defined on the administrative message class . when sent to the system , the method named by the string will be invoked inside the system . current administrative messages include : printing the administrative message ( a debugging tool ), printing the world - view , clearing the world - view , and exiting the program . new commands can be added by simply adding a method to the administrative class . the state use - case message is used to update the current state held in the system = s world - view . simple - state , a subclass of state use , is used with the mines - only world - view , and contains a list of added or a list of deleted mines ( but not both ). to execute this use - case , the simple - state message either adds or deletes its contents to the world - view , as appropriate . the path query message defines the use - case of requesting a path solution by the system . it is parameterized by the name of the algorithm desired , algorithm parameters , and a list of waypoints to be followed for the path . the first waypoint is the start point and the last waypoint is the goal point . if less than two waypoints are present , behavior is undefined . the path query execution involves the following steps : 1 ) a path planner solver is fetched or created for the desired algorithm . 2 ) the planner is loaded with the current world - view state . 3 ) any parameters present are loaded into the algorithm . 4 ) the planning algorithm is executed with the passed waypoints . 5 ) if a solution is returned , it is sent to the solution event generator in the communications code group 20 . the gui incorporates a means for linking designated portions of a display with an electronic address . it provides an interface with the multi - algorithm capabilities of the general path planner architecture while providing an interactive view of plan progress and an intuitive means to design world - view configurations . the gui performs its tasks sequentially . the gui uses a component based design and performs in collaboration with the general path planner and the separate gui components through message passing . several dialogs are used to perform more complex configurations while the most common actions are laid out in toolbar fashion along the left side of the gui as illustrated in fig2 . the gui user is first presented with an area 71 defined by coordinates and representing an open expanse of ocean on which the user may create minefields . the user may place and remove mines 72 on the minefield with mine editing tools 62 and 63 on a tool bar 61 . in addition to the manual method of mine layout , the user may generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area 71 . minefields can be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the toolbar , 61 of fig2 , is like that of a typical drawing program , with buttons depicting various tasks that interact with the canvas . the add mine , remove mine , and mine line buttons , 62 through 64 respectively , provide direct manipulation of mines 72 in the field 71 . the mine line tool 64 allows the user to click and drag , creating an elongated randomized field of mines . the thickness and density of this line is configured from the mine line preferences dialog accessed from the edit menu . once the line is dragged on the area map view 71 , mines 72 are randomly placed in the box defined by the line = s endpoints and thickness setting . in addition to these direct methods of mine layout , the new minefield dialog in the file menu allows the user to generate a uniform random distribution of mines throughout the area . minefields can then be saved and loaded from the file menu as well . the mine probability slider , 65 , at the end of the toolbar modifies the probability of subsequent mines added to the canvas . the minefield is rendered differently for each algorithm available by a reflectively loaded minefield renderer class . in this way the characteristics of the risk function for each algorithm can be displayed . once a minefield is loaded , waypoints 73 can be placed in sequential order from route start 74 to route end 75 using the waypoint tool . the algorithm menu allows the user to select an algorithm for use with the minefield . here , the options associated with each algorithm are reflectively selected from the algorithm = s implementation of the path planner solver abstract class . the world - view and waypoints generated from the gui are able to be sent to any of the planners such that multiple plans may be generated for the same minefield . once the algorithm is properly configured , the start button sends a path query message to the selected planner and a plan is generated . if the show progress check box is activated in the algorithm menu , algorithm - specific progress information will be presented in the navigation box . the progress animation can be saved to disk as a series of images if the option is selected in the algorithm menu . in addition , messages about plan progress will be printed in the lower text window . after the algorithm has completed , the result will be displayed as a route 76 over the area 71 . for example , in fig2 , the rrt algorithm has produced a plan , 76 , which is colored according to the speed of each path segment . statistics about the current solution are displayed in the lower right panel . these statistics include the computed risk of the final path found by the algorithm , the time the path would take to follow , and other statistics about the solution . when the rrt algorithm is implemented as a solver for the general path planner two main code groups are employed , the tree algorithm code group and the models and actions code group . the tree algorithm code group runs the rrt algorithm proper and the models and actions code group determines the state space and robot / ship properties that will be used when running the algorithm . the tree algorithm code group implements the rrt tree algorithm proper . this algorithm is a space - filling randomized algorithm . the algorithm produces a tree in the state - space of the problem . after each iteration , the algorithm attempts add a node which minimizes the distance from any point in the state space to a point on the tree . finding the optimal point to add at each iteration exactly is prohibitively expensive , so the rrt algorithm approximates this by choosing a point with some randomness . the pseudocode for the algorithm is as follows : 1 . choose a random point r in state space with some random point generator . 2 . choose the closest existing tree node to r , call it t . 3 . for each possible legal extension of the tree from r , find the closest point to t , call it t — 0 . 4 . add t — 0 to the tree . 5 . repeat these steps until the space is filled enough . for path planning , the tree starts at the starting point of the plan . the algorithm stops when the tree is less than some critical distance to the goal point . since the tree is rooted at the start point , the path can then be reconstructed by following the ancestors of the node closest to the goal back to the root . the models and actions code group allows for wide flexibility in the type of path planning done by the rrt algorithm . the model interface is the entity which all models will implement . this interface has three important purposes : 1 ) defining appropriate geometries for the model , 2 ) defining a random state space point generator , and 3 ) selecting the “ best ” action for a given point in the state space . the rrt code group uses a concrete models methods to build the rrt tree in an appropriate manner . actions are model - specific actuations that can be perform and which extend from an abstract class named action . models are loaded with a set of actions on instantiation . each concrete action must define what will happen to the state space if the action is applied for a certain amount of time . this is known as the “ integration ” method . three different models for generating obstacle space geometries are available . they are : the ship model , the bull = s eye model and the cone model . the basic ship model uses java awt shape classes to define the obstacles in the minefield as keep - out regions . mines are added as circular shapes whose radii depend on the probability of the existence of a mine . the greater the probability of the existence of a mine , the greater the radius of the circle defining the obstacle space . it selects the best action by integrating each action over a small unit time and selecting the point closest to the goal point which does not collide with any obstacle . in this model , distance is taken to be the four - dimensional euclidian distance in planar space and planar velocity . the bull = s eye model is similar to the ship model except it contains a second , larger set of obstacles superimposed over the smaller obstacles . it has a radius which is a function of the probability of a mine plus an added factor to increase the radius . if no action can be found using the more conservative obstacles , an action is searched for using the more liberal obstacles . mines are added as a bull &# 39 ; s eye of two concentric circles . the cone model uses a half - space of three - dimensional obstacles in the dimensions of x , y and speed . the actions are again checked for collisions with the obstacles , this time in three dimensions . mines are added as cones with a circle of baseline keep - out region at no speed and a linearly increasing radius as the objects speed increases , see fig3 . the baseline keep - out region size depends on the probability of the mine but the cone = s slope is fixed for each instantiation of the model . this model is the default model used in the general path planner . in an alternate rrt variant using the cone model , when the path gets within a certain distance of the goal , the rrt random point selection is chosen close to the goal . this is the “ goal directed ” rrt variant . changing a model &# 39 ; s actions dramatically changes the algorithm operation . two types of actions are available : point - robot actions and ship - like actions . the point - robot actions integrate by applying a simple x - y force . for example , one could create a point - robot action which applies a east - facing force of 10 meters per second squared to the planned object . ship - like actions take an approximation of rudder position and forward throttle , and integrate an approximate new position using these parameters . with ship - like actions , the turning radius of the generated path , 66 of fig2 , may be limited to that of the planned - for object . the system performs the following steps when generating a route through a minefield : 2 ) populate the area with obstacle spaces defined as coordinate bound areas through which the route may not pass ; 3 ) establish the coordinates of a route start point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 4 ) establish the coordinates of a route end point within the area and outside the coordinate bound areas defining obstacle spaces ; 5 ) generate a series of connected vectors between the start and end points which do not pass through the coordinate bound areas of the obstacle spaces ; 6 ) establish at least one set of parameters defining the coordinates for a waypoint along the route and on one of the vectors ; 7 ) define a path created by the connected vectors as the route through the minefield . while preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described , variations and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , we do not wish to be limited thereto and ask that the scope and breadth of this invention be determined from the claims which follow rather than the above description . | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | d4e702fd789716cf6d7a00deba0f5b88831a75119d79df8bffb88259aab8f7c4 | 0.003174 | 0.07373 | 0.001137 | 0.122559 | 0.00885 | 0.149414 |
null | the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 illustrate an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a top view for the general structure of the apparatus and fig2 is a cross sectional side view for the state where an automatic paper feeding unit ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; asf &# 34 ;) is installed in the apparatus . the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can handle , as recording media , cut sheet paper , such as normal recording paper and post cards , and continuous sheet paper , such as fanfold paper . usually , cut sheet paper is supplied either by an asf or manually . since the asf has two bins 30a and 30b , as is shown in fig2 cassettes holding sheets of two different sizes , for example , can be set up at the same time and employed as desired by a user . the feeding mechanisms of the bins 30a and 30b are identical . more specifically , a plurality of cut sheets ( not shown in fig2 ) that are stacked on pressing plates 31a and 31b are forced by springs 32a and 32b toward pickup rollers 33a and 33b , respectively . as the pickup roller 33a or 33b is rotated in consonance with a feeding start command , the sheets are separated and fed one by one . when cut sheet paper is employed as a recording medium , a resist roller 11 is set so that it can urge a feeding roller 10 by the manipulation of a release lever ( not shown ). the cut sheet that is supplied by the asf is fed to a recording area along a feeding path that is formed around the feeding roller 10 as it is rotated . in the recording area , a paper pressing plate 12 is forced toward the feeding roller 10 by the elasticity of leaf springs . here , the feeding force further acts on the cut sheet , which is fed between an ink jet head 20j and a platen 24 . this feeding is performed intermittently for each scan by the ink jet head 20j , which will be described later , and the feeding distance corresponds to the row length , in a cut sheet feeding direction , of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles that are provided in the ink jet head 20j . the cut sheet , which is fed every scan and on which recording is performed by the discharge of ink from the ink jet head 20j , is fed gradually upward within the apparatus and is finally discharged in consonance with the rotations of an assist roller 13 and a discharge roller 14 ( and spurs 13a and 14a that are pressed by the respective rollers 13 and 14 ). the asf is not employed for continuous sheet paper . a continuous sheet that is supplied through a paper supply port 35 is fed by driving a pin tractor 3 . the resist roller 11 is released by the release lever so that it is not pushed toward the feeding roller 10 . the continuous sheet that is fed up to the recording area is shifted intermittently with every scan of the ink jet head 20j , in the same manner as is performed for the cut sheets , and is gradually transported upward within the apparatus . recording is performed during this period . an asf motor 26 ( see fig1 ), which is provided in the apparatus body at the home position , is employed to drive a pickup roller of the asf or an absorption pump in a capping unit 25 . the driving power required for the feeding process of a recording medium , such as the drive force of the feeding roller 10 , can be acquired via a gear row 41 ( see fig1 ) from an lf motor ( not shown ), which is located at the position opposite to the home position . fig3 is a block diagram that mainly illustrates the control arrangement of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 . a control circuit board 100 , a print circuit board , is installed in the bottom of the apparatus body , as is shown in fig2 . an mpu 101 , a gate array ( ga ) 102 , a dynamic ram ( dram ) 103 , and a mask rom ( mask rom ) 107 are provided on the control circuit board 100 . further , motor drivers , i . e ., a carriage motor driver ( cr motor driver ) 104 , a paper feeding motor driver ( lf motor driver ) 105 , and an asf motor driver 106 , are provided on the control circuit board 100 . at the same time , a centronics interface ( if ) circuit board 110 , which is formed as a print circuit board , is connected to the control circuit board 100 to enable the reception of recording data from a host device . the mpu 101 of the control circuit board 100 executes data processing for the entire apparatus , the mask rom 107 is employed to store the procedures , and the dram 103 is employed as a work area for the above data processing . various circuits that are involved in the process performed by the mpu 101 are packaged in the gate array 102 . the mpu 101 converts image data , which are transferred from the host device via the i / f 110 , into data that are employed by the ink jet head 20j to form an image by ink ejection , and then transfers the resultant data to the driver of the ink jet head 20j by the ejection timing of the ink jet head 20j . further , the mpu 101 drives motors 22 , 28 and 26 via the drivers 104 , 105 and 106 , respectively . the cr motor 22 is driven based on linear encoder information acquired via a carriage 21 , while the ejection timing is controlled . in addition , the mpu 101 executes a process for key entry and information display on a front panel 130 and a process in consonance with detection information that is received from a home position ( hp ) sensor 38 , a tractor ( rrl ) sensor 36 , a paper ( pe ) sensor , and a paper type discrimination sensor 37a . the structure of a paper feeding ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; lf &# 34 ;) mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 will now be explained . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , the release lever 251 is set to a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig4 through 6 , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 5 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig5 ). likewise , an auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves upward and downward , is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by an auxiliary roller spring 248 , which is provided in the resist roller holder 5 ( see fig5 ). fig1 is a top view illustrating the cam structure of the release shaft shown in fig5 . a pinch roller 12 , which is supported by a shaft 223a , is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent by a protrusion 241c of a release shaft 241 , and generates a pressing force by the spring elasticity against its support point 246a . the positional relationship between cams 241b and 241c of the release shaft 241 is as shown in fig1 . the cams 241b and 241c are so located that they do not interfere with each other . under these conditions , the drive force of the lf motor 28 is transferred to the feeding roller 10 and the discharge roller 14 ( see fig6 ). the drive force imparted the feeding roller 10 is transferred via the series that comprises an lf motor gear 231 , an deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 233 , and to a feeding roller gear 234 , which is inserted into the feeding roller 10 , so that the feeding roller 10 is rotated . the drive force to the discharge roller 14 is transferred via the series that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 235 to a discharge roller gear 236 , which engages the discharge roller 14 , so that the discharge roller 14 is rotated . since the feeding roller 10 employed in this embodiment is elongated in the main scanning direction , distortion can be completely eliminated for a large sized sheet . in addition , the rotation speed of the discharge roller 14 is higher than that of the feeding roller 10 in this embodiment to ensure that at a recording position a recording medium will be flat . more specifically , with a feeding roller diameter of φ38 . 808 ( 0 , - 0 . 06 ), a discharge roller diameter of φ15 . 515 (± 0 . 03 ), a deceleration rate of the feeding roller of 1 / 36 , and a deceleration rate of the discharge roller of 1 / 15 , the rotation speed of the discharge roller is increased about 1 % ( 0 . 08 % to 1 . 19 % while considering crossing ). as for the transfer of the drive force of the lf motor 28 to the pin tractor 233 , the drive force is transferred via the lf motor gear 231 and the deceleration gear 232 to the lf deceleration gear 233 , and not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a frame 2 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 , which is shown in fig6 b . the clutch gear 237 is , however , separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 252b of a slide cam 252 that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig7 a gear 241a of the release shaft 241 , which engages a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig8 its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 5 down to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . a rotation support point 22a of the resist roller holder 5 is provided on the side of the pinch roller holder 223 . even when the auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves up and down , also moves in a direction where it separates from the feeding roller 11 , it merely weakens the pressing force to the feeding roller 10 because of the auxiliary roller spring 248 . further pressure by the protrusion 241c on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force of the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . as is described above , even in the continuous sheet select state , the pressing forces of the pinch roller 12 and the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 are not set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the individual reasons will now be explained . as for the reduced pressure by the pinch roller on the feeding roller 10 , although the accuracy in feeding continuous sheet paper is controlled by the pin tractor 3 , the pinch roller 12 is sometimes separated from the surface of the feeding roller 10 at page boundaries ( perforations ), and proper pressure is therefore required to prevent this phenomenon . as for the reduced pressure exerted by the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 , it is necessary to decrease the allowable difference , of a paper position that is detected by a paper sensor , that is caused by a weight percentage of a sheet ( represented by grammage or ream weight ) or by a thickness difference in paper types . as is shown in fig1 , depending on the thickness of a sheet , some sheets are fed while wrapped around the feeding roller 10 , and other sheets are fed along a feeding roller opposing portion 4a of a paper pan 4 . supposing that an interval between the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller opposing portion 4a of the paper pan 4 is l , an allowable feeding difference may be a maximum 2l . supposing that a detection position of a flag 37b of the paper sensor 37 is p and a contact point of the auxiliary roller 16 and the feeding roller 10 is q , the auxiliary roller is so positioned that p is always located downstream of q in a paper feeding direction . when the paper sensor detects a sheet , the sheet is always located on the feeding roller 10 and the allowable detection difference can be reduced . in this embodiment , the pressure force of the pinch roller 12 exerted on the feeding roller 10 is 1200 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 200 g in the continuous sheet select mode . the pressure force of the auxiliary roller 16 exerted on the feeding roller is 75 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 20 g in the continuous sheet select mode . further , the recording apparatus in this embodiment is so designed that the pressure can be varied as needed . in other words , the apparatus comprises pressure adjusting means . the pressure adjusting means includes a mechanism that selects a position at which pressure is released and a position at which pressure is gradually increased from the release position . the pressure adjusting means may also have a mechanism wherein one end of a helical coil spring , for example , which applies pressure to the pinch roller , contacts the external surface of a rotary shaft , which has a notch , and the other end of the coil spring is secured ; and wherein as the shaft is rotated , the contact position is altered either to the external surface of the shaft or the notch to select the release position or the pressure position . the drive force of the lf motor 28 in the continuous sheet select mode is transferred individually toward the feeding roller 10 , the discharge roller 14 , and the pin tractor 3 . since the transfer to the feeding roller 10 and to the discharge roller 14 is the same as is performed in the cut sheet select mode , no explanation for it will be given . as for the pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred from the row that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , the lf deceleration gear 233 , and the clutch gear 237 to a tractor gear 238 that engages a tractor shaft 15 , which is in turn rotated to transfer the drive force to the pin tractor 3 ( see fig9 a and 9b ). more specifically , although the clutch gear 237 is pressed toward the frame 2 side by the clutch spring 247 , in the continuous sheet select mode the clutch gear 237 is coupled with the lf deceleration gear 233 and to the tractor gear 238 by the cam 252c of the slide cam 252 . simultaneously , the side portion of the slide cam 252 acts on the tractor sensor 209 , and the sheet select mode is changed from the cut sheet select mode to the continuous sheet select mode . as is described above , according to the present invention , a recording medium can be maintained flat both during the feeding and the recording regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and paper distortion can be prevented , so that high quality image recording can be provided . further , according to the present invention , a constant print start position can be maintained regardless of the paper type , such as cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper . in addition , according to the present invention , the feeding of a thick recording medium , such as a post card , is ensured . the ink jet head 20j has 128 ink ejection nozzles arranged in one row . when the ink jet head 20j is attached to the carriage 21 , the arrangement of the nozzles is along the above described direction in which a recording medium is fed ( hereafter , this will be referred to as a sub scan direction ). the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can perform full color recording with yellow ( y ), magenta ( m ), cyan ( c ) and black ( bk ) ink , and monochrome recording with bk ink . in the arrangement for performing full color recording , the ink jet head 20j and ink tanks 20t , in which colored inks , y , m , c , and bk are respectively retained , are provided individually detachable from the carriage 21 . when y ink runs out or when the replacement of a tank is required , the pertinent tank can be replaced with another ink tank , or when the ink jet head 20j must be replaced , only the ink jet head need be changed . with the above described structure , 128 ink ejection nozzles of the ink jet head 20j are assigned to each ink by the predetermined counts , and ink chambers and ink supply paths are individually formed in consonance with the assignments . in the arrangement for performing monochrome recording , the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t for bk ink are integrally formed as one unit , which is provided detachable from the carriage 21 . the carriage 21 to which the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t are attached can be shifted by the drive force produced by a carriage motor 22 that is transferred via a belt 23 , which is connected to part of the carriage 21 , as is shown in fig1 . by engaging a guide shaft 21a and a guide piece 21b , which are located in the horizontal direction in fig2 to slide freely , the carriage 21 can be shifted along the guide shaft 21a and the guide piece 21b , and accordingly scanning for recording is possible . when no recording is performed , the carriage 21 is shifted back to a home position that is to the left in fig1 and the face of the ink jet head 20j in which the ink ejection nozzles are arranged is capped with a capping unit 25 . the data for shifting the carriage 21 are detected by an encoder film 27 , which is provided in parallel to the guide shaft 21a , and optical or magnetic encoder devices 51a and 51b ( see fig2 ) that are attached to the carriage 21 to sandwich the encoder film 27 . an electric signal is transmitted from the apparatus body to the ink jet head 20j via a flexible circuit board 44 . in this embodiment , to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat even downstream along the feeding path from the recording position , a first spur is positioned opposite the discharge roller 14 with a recording medium between them , a second spur is positioned upstream along the feeding path from the first spur and downstream from the feeding roller 10 , and the discharge roller 14 , discharge means consisting of the two spurs , and a platen are located in the same plane . as another arrangement to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat , a plurality of spurs are located at matrix positions in the main scan direction ( the direction that is perpendicular to the feeding path ). the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the same reference numbers are used to denote the components in this embodiment that correspond to or are identical with those in the first embodiment , and no explanation for them will be given here . in the second embodiment , as is shown in fig1 , a sheet is held on a feeding roller 10 by a resist roller 11 and a pinch roller 12 . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , a release lever 251 is set in a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 through 15b , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 222 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig1 ). the pinch roller 12 is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent at a protrusion 242b of a pinch roller release shaft 242 and generates pressing force by the spring elasticity at its support point 246a . as for the transfer of the drive force of an lf motor 28 to a pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred via an lf motor gear 231 and a deceleration gear 232 to an lf deceleration gear 233 , but not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a chassis 1 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 that is shown in fig1 b . the clutch gear 237 , however , is separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 251c of a slide cam 251b that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 , a gear 241a of the resist roller release shaft 241 and a gear 242a of the pinch roller release shaft 242 , both of which engage a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , are rotated together in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the resist roller release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig1 , its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 222 to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . as the pinch roller release shaft 242 is rotated , the pressure exerted by the protrusion 242b on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force exerted by the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . a reflective sensor 52 ( see fig1 ) is provided in part of the apparatus body , and is employed to read bar code information that adheres to an ink tank 20t or an ink jet head 20j . the ink tank 20t or the ink jet head 20j can thus be identified . the structure of a paper pan unit in this embodiment will now be explained while referring to fig1 . members and items in the unit are for a coupled driving feeding mechanism , and include a paper pan 221 , the resist roller 11 , the resist roller holder 222 , the resist roller 245 , the resist roller release shaft 241 , the pinch roller 12 , the pinch roller holder 223 , the pinch roller spring 246 , the pinch roller release shaft 242 , and a paper sensor 37 that will be described later . the unit is installed in the frame 2 from the bottom as viewed in fig1 . with this unit , ( 1 ) the assembly of the entire apparatus is easier , ( 2 ) the maintenance can be improved because of easy replacement of items , and ( 3 ) the number of assembly procedures can be reduced . since all the unit items are of the coupled driving type , the feeding accuracy of the unit does not differ from that when the items are formed as a unit . more specifically , as the drive transfer system , which includes the lf motor 28 , and the feeding roller 10 are integrally formed in the apparatus body , the normal rotation of the feeding roller 10 is constantly maintained , and the coupled driving unit , which forces a recording medium into contact with the feeding roller 10 to generate the drive force , does not interfere with the rotation of the feeding roller 10 . the structure of the paper sensor in this embodiment will now be described while referring to fig2 and 21 . the paper sensor 37 is located in the vicinity of the feeding path under the feeding roller 10 , as is shown in fig2 and 21 . the interval l from the position where the power sensor 37 detects a recording medium to the pinch roller 12 is determined to be twice a recording width in the feeding direction ( the sub scan direction ), which the ink jet head 20j can record by one scanning . in this embodiment two level buffers for image recording data are provided to develop and process the recording data at high speed . more specifically , while recording data in the buffer at the first stage are to be recorded , recording data necessary for the next scanning are developed in the second stage buffer , so that time required for data development does not directly affect the scanning time for the ink jet head 20j . after the paper sensor 37 has detected the absence of a recording medium along the feeding path , a recording area that is at least twice a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for the recording buffers , i . e ., for one scanning recording , must be left in a recording medium . since in this embodiment a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for one scanning , is 8 . 96 mm ( 1 / 360 inches × 127 dots ), with l of 27 . 5 mm , the above described requirement is satisfied . further , the paper sensor 37 in this embodiment is positioned 1 / 2 ( 50 mm ) of the short side of a post card away from the paper reference position , so as to detect all types of paper . a paper type discrimination sensor 37a is positioned 335 mm away from the paper reference position and located at the same position as that of the paper sensor 37 , as viewed in the cross section of the apparatus , so as to distinguish 80 digits of continuous sheet paper from 136 digits . it should be noted that data that extend beyond a determined width for a recording region are discarded . the feature of the lf motor 28 of the embodiment will now be described . the diameter of the lf motor 28 in the embodiment is designed smaller than that of the feeding roller 10 . the reason for that setting is explained below . [ lf motor having a smaller diameter than that of a feeding roller ] torque that is required for the acceleration of a motor is acquired by the following expression . tf is generated by the friction of the driving mechanism , and is characterized by the mechanical structure . when the frequency fn is reached , the activation frequency f0 , and the acceleration time tn are set to constant values and the mechanism is driven by a motor that has an identical step angle , the required torque τ is subject to the driving mechanism inertia j . the driving mechanism inertia j is the sum of the rotor inertia jr of the motor and inertia jm of the other driving mechanism , and the required torque is therefore subject to the motor - rotor inertia jr . although in general a high output = a high performance , since actually a large motor uses a lot of torque to drive the rotor of the motor , torque ( output ) that is supplied to the operation of the driving mechanism is reduced considerably more than was expected . the following means are useful to reduce the rotor inertia of the motor . ( iv ) do not provide magnetic powder for a portion that does not face a stator ; and further , an advantage of a compact motor is that the maximum response frequency is high . in this embodiment , fn = 1800 [ pps ], f0 = 600 [ pps ], tn = 16 . 758 [ m . sec ], and a motor of θ = 7 . 5 [°] is employed . further , a 2 -- 2 phase exciting driving system is adopted to improve the angle accuracy . therefore , a large motor has a low performance relative to a response frequency , and taking the specification of a product into account , employing a compact motor is more advantageous . in this embodiment , with an external size φ35 × thickness of 15 and with rotor material : nd - fe - b , rotor inertia jr = 2 . 5 [ g . cm ] is acquired and the motor driving is performed at a high speed and with a high output . an ink jet recording system of the present invention comprises means ( e . g ., electrothermal energy conversion device or laser light ) for generating thermal energy that is employed to perform ink ejection , and provides excellent effects where the ink status is varied by employing the thermal energy . this system can perform more delicate recording with a higher density . for the specific arrangement and the principle , it is preferable to employ the basic principle that is disclosed in the specifications of , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 723 , 129 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 740 , 796 . this system is applicable for both a so - called on - demand type and a continuous type . the system is especially effective with the ondemand type because at least one drive signal that corresponds to the image recording data , and that gives a rapid temperature rise which exceeds nucleate boiling , is supplied to an electrothermal energy conversion device that is positioned relative to a liquid ( ink ) bearing sheet and a liquid path . the thermal energy is thus generated by the electrothermal energy conversion device , and film boiling is effected on a thermally affected face of a recording head , so that bubbles in liquid ( ink ) can be formed in one - to - one correspondence with the drive signal . in consonance with the growth or shrinkage of the bubbles , liquid ( ink ) is discharged via an ejection opening and at least one droplet is formed . when the drive signal has a pulse form , the size of the bubble is immediately and properly altered , so that liquid ( ink ) which has an especially excellent response can be preferably ejected . an appropriate pulse drive signal is described in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 463 , 359 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 345 , 262 . with the employment of the conditions that are described in the specification of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 313 , 124 , which relates to the temperature rising rate on the thermally affected face , even more excellent recording can be performed . besides the arrangement of a recording head , disclosed in the above described specifications , wherein the ejection ports , the liquid path , and the electrothermal energy conversion device are combined , the present invention also includes the arrangement disclosed in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 558 , 333 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 459 , 600 , wherein a thermally acting portion is located in a curved area . in addition , the effects of the present invention can be obtained in the arrangements disclosed in japanese patent application laid - oden no . 59 - 123670 wherein a common slit serves as an ejection portion for a plurality of electrothermal energy conversion devices ; and in japanese patent application laid - open no . 59 - 138461 wherein an opening in which a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed corresponds to an ejection portion . in other words , according to the present invention , recording is ensured to be efficiently performed regardless of the shape of a recording head . the present invention is also applicable to a recording head of a full line type whose length corresponds to the maximum width of a recording medium that a recording apparatus can handle . such a recording head may be a combination of a plurality of recording heads to attain the length , or may be one integrally formed recording head . moreover , the present invention is effective for the above described serial type recording head , a recording head that is fixed to the apparatus body , a replaceable , chip type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus body or can receive ink from the apparatus body , or a cartridge type recording head for which an ink tank is integrally formed . it is desirable that ejection recover means for a recording head , and extra auxiliary means be provided as additional components of the recording apparatus arrangement because the effect of the present invention can be provided more steadily . more specifically , capping means for a recording head , cleaning means , pressurizing or absorption means , extra heating means provided by employing an electrothermal energy conversion device or another heating device , or a combination of the two , and extra ejection means for discharging ink that is not required for the recording can be employed . although only one recording head is provided for a single ink , a plurality of recording heads may be mounted that correspond to a plurality of inks for which recording colors and densities differ . more specifically , the present invention is effective not only for the apparatus that has a recording mode with only a main color , black , but also for an apparatus that provides at least one full color mode , which has different color combinations or color mixture , with either an integrally formed recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads . further , although ink has been explained as a liquid in the above described embodiments of the present invention , ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that melts or liquefies at room temperature may be employed . or , since an ink jet system generally maintains the temperature of ink within the range of 30 ° c . to 70 ° c . to hold the viscosity of ink within the steady ejection range , ink may be used that liquefies at the time of the execution of a recording signal . in addition , to aggressively prevent the temperature from rising due to thermal energy by employing that energy to liquefy solid ink , or to prevent the evaporation of ink , ink may be employed that solidifies while it settles down and is liquefied by heating . the present invention is available for ink that is liquefied by the application of thermal energy , such as ink that is liquefied by providing thermal energy in consonance with a recording signal and is then discharged , or ink that becomes solid by the time it reaches a recording medium . the ink in this case may be formed opposite an electrothermal energy conversion device while it is held as a liquid or a solid in a porous sheet recess or a through hole , as is described in japanese patent application laid - open no . 54 - 56847 or japanese patent application laid - open no . 60 - 71260 . in the present invention , the above described film boiling system is the most effective for these ink types . further , an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is employed as an image output terminal for a data processing apparatus , such as a computer , a copy machine that is combined with a reader , or a facsimile that has a communication function . as described above , the present invention ensures that a recording medium can be maintained flat during the feeding process and during the recording process , regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and can prevent distortion and thus provide high quality image recording . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | f9fb0706400f3b39c533515afd7f33df296e188317e69d5829f49bd9f0962639 | 0.088867 | 0.010681 | 0.061035 | 0.000149 | 0.091309 | 0.00885 |
null | the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 illustrate an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a top view for the general structure of the apparatus and fig2 is a cross sectional side view for the state where an automatic paper feeding unit ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; asf &# 34 ;) is installed in the apparatus . the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can handle , as recording media , cut sheet paper , such as normal recording paper and post cards , and continuous sheet paper , such as fanfold paper . usually , cut sheet paper is supplied either by an asf or manually . since the asf has two bins 30a and 30b , as is shown in fig2 cassettes holding sheets of two different sizes , for example , can be set up at the same time and employed as desired by a user . the feeding mechanisms of the bins 30a and 30b are identical . more specifically , a plurality of cut sheets ( not shown in fig2 ) that are stacked on pressing plates 31a and 31b are forced by springs 32a and 32b toward pickup rollers 33a and 33b , respectively . as the pickup roller 33a or 33b is rotated in consonance with a feeding start command , the sheets are separated and fed one by one . when cut sheet paper is employed as a recording medium , a resist roller 11 is set so that it can urge a feeding roller 10 by the manipulation of a release lever ( not shown ). the cut sheet that is supplied by the asf is fed to a recording area along a feeding path that is formed around the feeding roller 10 as it is rotated . in the recording area , a paper pressing plate 12 is forced toward the feeding roller 10 by the elasticity of leaf springs . here , the feeding force further acts on the cut sheet , which is fed between an ink jet head 20j and a platen 24 . this feeding is performed intermittently for each scan by the ink jet head 20j , which will be described later , and the feeding distance corresponds to the row length , in a cut sheet feeding direction , of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles that are provided in the ink jet head 20j . the cut sheet , which is fed every scan and on which recording is performed by the discharge of ink from the ink jet head 20j , is fed gradually upward within the apparatus and is finally discharged in consonance with the rotations of an assist roller 13 and a discharge roller 14 ( and spurs 13a and 14a that are pressed by the respective rollers 13 and 14 ). the asf is not employed for continuous sheet paper . a continuous sheet that is supplied through a paper supply port 35 is fed by driving a pin tractor 3 . the resist roller 11 is released by the release lever so that it is not pushed toward the feeding roller 10 . the continuous sheet that is fed up to the recording area is shifted intermittently with every scan of the ink jet head 20j , in the same manner as is performed for the cut sheets , and is gradually transported upward within the apparatus . recording is performed during this period . an asf motor 26 ( see fig1 ), which is provided in the apparatus body at the home position , is employed to drive a pickup roller of the asf or an absorption pump in a capping unit 25 . the driving power required for the feeding process of a recording medium , such as the drive force of the feeding roller 10 , can be acquired via a gear row 41 ( see fig1 ) from an lf motor ( not shown ), which is located at the position opposite to the home position . fig3 is a block diagram that mainly illustrates the control arrangement of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 . a control circuit board 100 , a print circuit board , is installed in the bottom of the apparatus body , as is shown in fig2 . an mpu 101 , a gate array ( ga ) 102 , a dynamic ram ( dram ) 103 , and a mask rom ( mask rom ) 107 are provided on the control circuit board 100 . further , motor drivers , i . e ., a carriage motor driver ( cr motor driver ) 104 , a paper feeding motor driver ( lf motor driver ) 105 , and an asf motor driver 106 , are provided on the control circuit board 100 . at the same time , a centronics interface ( if ) circuit board 110 , which is formed as a print circuit board , is connected to the control circuit board 100 to enable the reception of recording data from a host device . the mpu 101 of the control circuit board 100 executes data processing for the entire apparatus , the mask rom 107 is employed to store the procedures , and the dram 103 is employed as a work area for the above data processing . various circuits that are involved in the process performed by the mpu 101 are packaged in the gate array 102 . the mpu 101 converts image data , which are transferred from the host device via the i / f 110 , into data that are employed by the ink jet head 20j to form an image by ink ejection , and then transfers the resultant data to the driver of the ink jet head 20j by the ejection timing of the ink jet head 20j . further , the mpu 101 drives motors 22 , 28 and 26 via the drivers 104 , 105 and 106 , respectively . the cr motor 22 is driven based on linear encoder information acquired via a carriage 21 , while the ejection timing is controlled . in addition , the mpu 101 executes a process for key entry and information display on a front panel 130 and a process in consonance with detection information that is received from a home position ( hp ) sensor 38 , a tractor ( rrl ) sensor 36 , a paper ( pe ) sensor , and a paper type discrimination sensor 37a . the structure of a paper feeding ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; lf &# 34 ;) mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 will now be explained . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , the release lever 251 is set to a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig4 through 6 , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 5 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig5 ). likewise , an auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves upward and downward , is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by an auxiliary roller spring 248 , which is provided in the resist roller holder 5 ( see fig5 ). fig1 is a top view illustrating the cam structure of the release shaft shown in fig5 . a pinch roller 12 , which is supported by a shaft 223a , is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent by a protrusion 241c of a release shaft 241 , and generates a pressing force by the spring elasticity against its support point 246a . the positional relationship between cams 241b and 241c of the release shaft 241 is as shown in fig1 . the cams 241b and 241c are so located that they do not interfere with each other . under these conditions , the drive force of the lf motor 28 is transferred to the feeding roller 10 and the discharge roller 14 ( see fig6 ). the drive force imparted the feeding roller 10 is transferred via the series that comprises an lf motor gear 231 , an deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 233 , and to a feeding roller gear 234 , which is inserted into the feeding roller 10 , so that the feeding roller 10 is rotated . the drive force to the discharge roller 14 is transferred via the series that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 235 to a discharge roller gear 236 , which engages the discharge roller 14 , so that the discharge roller 14 is rotated . since the feeding roller 10 employed in this embodiment is elongated in the main scanning direction , distortion can be completely eliminated for a large sized sheet . in addition , the rotation speed of the discharge roller 14 is higher than that of the feeding roller 10 in this embodiment to ensure that at a recording position a recording medium will be flat . more specifically , with a feeding roller diameter of φ38 . 808 ( 0 , - 0 . 06 ), a discharge roller diameter of φ15 . 515 (± 0 . 03 ), a deceleration rate of the feeding roller of 1 / 36 , and a deceleration rate of the discharge roller of 1 / 15 , the rotation speed of the discharge roller is increased about 1 % ( 0 . 08 % to 1 . 19 % while considering crossing ). as for the transfer of the drive force of the lf motor 28 to the pin tractor 233 , the drive force is transferred via the lf motor gear 231 and the deceleration gear 232 to the lf deceleration gear 233 , and not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a frame 2 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 , which is shown in fig6 b . the clutch gear 237 is , however , separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 252b of a slide cam 252 that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig7 a gear 241a of the release shaft 241 , which engages a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig8 its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 5 down to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . a rotation support point 22a of the resist roller holder 5 is provided on the side of the pinch roller holder 223 . even when the auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves up and down , also moves in a direction where it separates from the feeding roller 11 , it merely weakens the pressing force to the feeding roller 10 because of the auxiliary roller spring 248 . further pressure by the protrusion 241c on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force of the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . as is described above , even in the continuous sheet select state , the pressing forces of the pinch roller 12 and the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 are not set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the individual reasons will now be explained . as for the reduced pressure by the pinch roller on the feeding roller 10 , although the accuracy in feeding continuous sheet paper is controlled by the pin tractor 3 , the pinch roller 12 is sometimes separated from the surface of the feeding roller 10 at page boundaries ( perforations ), and proper pressure is therefore required to prevent this phenomenon . as for the reduced pressure exerted by the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 , it is necessary to decrease the allowable difference , of a paper position that is detected by a paper sensor , that is caused by a weight percentage of a sheet ( represented by grammage or ream weight ) or by a thickness difference in paper types . as is shown in fig1 , depending on the thickness of a sheet , some sheets are fed while wrapped around the feeding roller 10 , and other sheets are fed along a feeding roller opposing portion 4a of a paper pan 4 . supposing that an interval between the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller opposing portion 4a of the paper pan 4 is l , an allowable feeding difference may be a maximum 2l . supposing that a detection position of a flag 37b of the paper sensor 37 is p and a contact point of the auxiliary roller 16 and the feeding roller 10 is q , the auxiliary roller is so positioned that p is always located downstream of q in a paper feeding direction . when the paper sensor detects a sheet , the sheet is always located on the feeding roller 10 and the allowable detection difference can be reduced . in this embodiment , the pressure force of the pinch roller 12 exerted on the feeding roller 10 is 1200 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 200 g in the continuous sheet select mode . the pressure force of the auxiliary roller 16 exerted on the feeding roller is 75 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 20 g in the continuous sheet select mode . further , the recording apparatus in this embodiment is so designed that the pressure can be varied as needed . in other words , the apparatus comprises pressure adjusting means . the pressure adjusting means includes a mechanism that selects a position at which pressure is released and a position at which pressure is gradually increased from the release position . the pressure adjusting means may also have a mechanism wherein one end of a helical coil spring , for example , which applies pressure to the pinch roller , contacts the external surface of a rotary shaft , which has a notch , and the other end of the coil spring is secured ; and wherein as the shaft is rotated , the contact position is altered either to the external surface of the shaft or the notch to select the release position or the pressure position . the drive force of the lf motor 28 in the continuous sheet select mode is transferred individually toward the feeding roller 10 , the discharge roller 14 , and the pin tractor 3 . since the transfer to the feeding roller 10 and to the discharge roller 14 is the same as is performed in the cut sheet select mode , no explanation for it will be given . as for the pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred from the row that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , the lf deceleration gear 233 , and the clutch gear 237 to a tractor gear 238 that engages a tractor shaft 15 , which is in turn rotated to transfer the drive force to the pin tractor 3 ( see fig9 a and 9b ). more specifically , although the clutch gear 237 is pressed toward the frame 2 side by the clutch spring 247 , in the continuous sheet select mode the clutch gear 237 is coupled with the lf deceleration gear 233 and to the tractor gear 238 by the cam 252c of the slide cam 252 . simultaneously , the side portion of the slide cam 252 acts on the tractor sensor 209 , and the sheet select mode is changed from the cut sheet select mode to the continuous sheet select mode . as is described above , according to the present invention , a recording medium can be maintained flat both during the feeding and the recording regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and paper distortion can be prevented , so that high quality image recording can be provided . further , according to the present invention , a constant print start position can be maintained regardless of the paper type , such as cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper . in addition , according to the present invention , the feeding of a thick recording medium , such as a post card , is ensured . the ink jet head 20j has 128 ink ejection nozzles arranged in one row . when the ink jet head 20j is attached to the carriage 21 , the arrangement of the nozzles is along the above described direction in which a recording medium is fed ( hereafter , this will be referred to as a sub scan direction ). the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can perform full color recording with yellow ( y ), magenta ( m ), cyan ( c ) and black ( bk ) ink , and monochrome recording with bk ink . in the arrangement for performing full color recording , the ink jet head 20j and ink tanks 20t , in which colored inks , y , m , c , and bk are respectively retained , are provided individually detachable from the carriage 21 . when y ink runs out or when the replacement of a tank is required , the pertinent tank can be replaced with another ink tank , or when the ink jet head 20j must be replaced , only the ink jet head need be changed . with the above described structure , 128 ink ejection nozzles of the ink jet head 20j are assigned to each ink by the predetermined counts , and ink chambers and ink supply paths are individually formed in consonance with the assignments . in the arrangement for performing monochrome recording , the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t for bk ink are integrally formed as one unit , which is provided detachable from the carriage 21 . the carriage 21 to which the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t are attached can be shifted by the drive force produced by a carriage motor 22 that is transferred via a belt 23 , which is connected to part of the carriage 21 , as is shown in fig1 . by engaging a guide shaft 21a and a guide piece 21b , which are located in the horizontal direction in fig2 to slide freely , the carriage 21 can be shifted along the guide shaft 21a and the guide piece 21b , and accordingly scanning for recording is possible . when no recording is performed , the carriage 21 is shifted back to a home position that is to the left in fig1 and the face of the ink jet head 20j in which the ink ejection nozzles are arranged is capped with a capping unit 25 . the data for shifting the carriage 21 are detected by an encoder film 27 , which is provided in parallel to the guide shaft 21a , and optical or magnetic encoder devices 51a and 51b ( see fig2 ) that are attached to the carriage 21 to sandwich the encoder film 27 . an electric signal is transmitted from the apparatus body to the ink jet head 20j via a flexible circuit board 44 . in this embodiment , to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat even downstream along the feeding path from the recording position , a first spur is positioned opposite the discharge roller 14 with a recording medium between them , a second spur is positioned upstream along the feeding path from the first spur and downstream from the feeding roller 10 , and the discharge roller 14 , discharge means consisting of the two spurs , and a platen are located in the same plane . as another arrangement to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat , a plurality of spurs are located at matrix positions in the main scan direction ( the direction that is perpendicular to the feeding path ). the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the same reference numbers are used to denote the components in this embodiment that correspond to or are identical with those in the first embodiment , and no explanation for them will be given here . in the second embodiment , as is shown in fig1 , a sheet is held on a feeding roller 10 by a resist roller 11 and a pinch roller 12 . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , a release lever 251 is set in a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 through 15b , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 222 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig1 ). the pinch roller 12 is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent at a protrusion 242b of a pinch roller release shaft 242 and generates pressing force by the spring elasticity at its support point 246a . as for the transfer of the drive force of an lf motor 28 to a pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred via an lf motor gear 231 and a deceleration gear 232 to an lf deceleration gear 233 , but not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a chassis 1 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 that is shown in fig1 b . the clutch gear 237 , however , is separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 251c of a slide cam 251b that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 , a gear 241a of the resist roller release shaft 241 and a gear 242a of the pinch roller release shaft 242 , both of which engage a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , are rotated together in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the resist roller release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig1 , its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 222 to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . as the pinch roller release shaft 242 is rotated , the pressure exerted by the protrusion 242b on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force exerted by the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . a reflective sensor 52 ( see fig1 ) is provided in part of the apparatus body , and is employed to read bar code information that adheres to an ink tank 20t or an ink jet head 20j . the ink tank 20t or the ink jet head 20j can thus be identified . the structure of a paper pan unit in this embodiment will now be explained while referring to fig1 . members and items in the unit are for a coupled driving feeding mechanism , and include a paper pan 221 , the resist roller 11 , the resist roller holder 222 , the resist roller 245 , the resist roller release shaft 241 , the pinch roller 12 , the pinch roller holder 223 , the pinch roller spring 246 , the pinch roller release shaft 242 , and a paper sensor 37 that will be described later . the unit is installed in the frame 2 from the bottom as viewed in fig1 . with this unit , ( 1 ) the assembly of the entire apparatus is easier , ( 2 ) the maintenance can be improved because of easy replacement of items , and ( 3 ) the number of assembly procedures can be reduced . since all the unit items are of the coupled driving type , the feeding accuracy of the unit does not differ from that when the items are formed as a unit . more specifically , as the drive transfer system , which includes the lf motor 28 , and the feeding roller 10 are integrally formed in the apparatus body , the normal rotation of the feeding roller 10 is constantly maintained , and the coupled driving unit , which forces a recording medium into contact with the feeding roller 10 to generate the drive force , does not interfere with the rotation of the feeding roller 10 . the structure of the paper sensor in this embodiment will now be described while referring to fig2 and 21 . the paper sensor 37 is located in the vicinity of the feeding path under the feeding roller 10 , as is shown in fig2 and 21 . the interval l from the position where the power sensor 37 detects a recording medium to the pinch roller 12 is determined to be twice a recording width in the feeding direction ( the sub scan direction ), which the ink jet head 20j can record by one scanning . in this embodiment two level buffers for image recording data are provided to develop and process the recording data at high speed . more specifically , while recording data in the buffer at the first stage are to be recorded , recording data necessary for the next scanning are developed in the second stage buffer , so that time required for data development does not directly affect the scanning time for the ink jet head 20j . after the paper sensor 37 has detected the absence of a recording medium along the feeding path , a recording area that is at least twice a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for the recording buffers , i . e ., for one scanning recording , must be left in a recording medium . since in this embodiment a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for one scanning , is 8 . 96 mm ( 1 / 360 inches × 127 dots ), with l of 27 . 5 mm , the above described requirement is satisfied . further , the paper sensor 37 in this embodiment is positioned 1 / 2 ( 50 mm ) of the short side of a post card away from the paper reference position , so as to detect all types of paper . a paper type discrimination sensor 37a is positioned 335 mm away from the paper reference position and located at the same position as that of the paper sensor 37 , as viewed in the cross section of the apparatus , so as to distinguish 80 digits of continuous sheet paper from 136 digits . it should be noted that data that extend beyond a determined width for a recording region are discarded . the feature of the lf motor 28 of the embodiment will now be described . the diameter of the lf motor 28 in the embodiment is designed smaller than that of the feeding roller 10 . the reason for that setting is explained below . [ lf motor having a smaller diameter than that of a feeding roller ] torque that is required for the acceleration of a motor is acquired by the following expression . tf is generated by the friction of the driving mechanism , and is characterized by the mechanical structure . when the frequency fn is reached , the activation frequency f0 , and the acceleration time tn are set to constant values and the mechanism is driven by a motor that has an identical step angle , the required torque τ is subject to the driving mechanism inertia j . the driving mechanism inertia j is the sum of the rotor inertia jr of the motor and inertia jm of the other driving mechanism , and the required torque is therefore subject to the motor - rotor inertia jr . although in general a high output = a high performance , since actually a large motor uses a lot of torque to drive the rotor of the motor , torque ( output ) that is supplied to the operation of the driving mechanism is reduced considerably more than was expected . the following means are useful to reduce the rotor inertia of the motor . ( iv ) do not provide magnetic powder for a portion that does not face a stator ; and further , an advantage of a compact motor is that the maximum response frequency is high . in this embodiment , fn = 1800 [ pps ], f0 = 600 [ pps ], tn = 16 . 758 [ m . sec ], and a motor of θ = 7 . 5 [°] is employed . further , a 2 -- 2 phase exciting driving system is adopted to improve the angle accuracy . therefore , a large motor has a low performance relative to a response frequency , and taking the specification of a product into account , employing a compact motor is more advantageous . in this embodiment , with an external size φ35 × thickness of 15 and with rotor material : nd - fe - b , rotor inertia jr = 2 . 5 [ g . cm ] is acquired and the motor driving is performed at a high speed and with a high output . an ink jet recording system of the present invention comprises means ( e . g ., electrothermal energy conversion device or laser light ) for generating thermal energy that is employed to perform ink ejection , and provides excellent effects where the ink status is varied by employing the thermal energy . this system can perform more delicate recording with a higher density . for the specific arrangement and the principle , it is preferable to employ the basic principle that is disclosed in the specifications of , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 723 , 129 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 740 , 796 . this system is applicable for both a so - called on - demand type and a continuous type . the system is especially effective with the ondemand type because at least one drive signal that corresponds to the image recording data , and that gives a rapid temperature rise which exceeds nucleate boiling , is supplied to an electrothermal energy conversion device that is positioned relative to a liquid ( ink ) bearing sheet and a liquid path . the thermal energy is thus generated by the electrothermal energy conversion device , and film boiling is effected on a thermally affected face of a recording head , so that bubbles in liquid ( ink ) can be formed in one - to - one correspondence with the drive signal . in consonance with the growth or shrinkage of the bubbles , liquid ( ink ) is discharged via an ejection opening and at least one droplet is formed . when the drive signal has a pulse form , the size of the bubble is immediately and properly altered , so that liquid ( ink ) which has an especially excellent response can be preferably ejected . an appropriate pulse drive signal is described in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 463 , 359 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 345 , 262 . with the employment of the conditions that are described in the specification of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 313 , 124 , which relates to the temperature rising rate on the thermally affected face , even more excellent recording can be performed . besides the arrangement of a recording head , disclosed in the above described specifications , wherein the ejection ports , the liquid path , and the electrothermal energy conversion device are combined , the present invention also includes the arrangement disclosed in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 558 , 333 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 459 , 600 , wherein a thermally acting portion is located in a curved area . in addition , the effects of the present invention can be obtained in the arrangements disclosed in japanese patent application laid - oden no . 59 - 123670 wherein a common slit serves as an ejection portion for a plurality of electrothermal energy conversion devices ; and in japanese patent application laid - open no . 59 - 138461 wherein an opening in which a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed corresponds to an ejection portion . in other words , according to the present invention , recording is ensured to be efficiently performed regardless of the shape of a recording head . the present invention is also applicable to a recording head of a full line type whose length corresponds to the maximum width of a recording medium that a recording apparatus can handle . such a recording head may be a combination of a plurality of recording heads to attain the length , or may be one integrally formed recording head . moreover , the present invention is effective for the above described serial type recording head , a recording head that is fixed to the apparatus body , a replaceable , chip type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus body or can receive ink from the apparatus body , or a cartridge type recording head for which an ink tank is integrally formed . it is desirable that ejection recover means for a recording head , and extra auxiliary means be provided as additional components of the recording apparatus arrangement because the effect of the present invention can be provided more steadily . more specifically , capping means for a recording head , cleaning means , pressurizing or absorption means , extra heating means provided by employing an electrothermal energy conversion device or another heating device , or a combination of the two , and extra ejection means for discharging ink that is not required for the recording can be employed . although only one recording head is provided for a single ink , a plurality of recording heads may be mounted that correspond to a plurality of inks for which recording colors and densities differ . more specifically , the present invention is effective not only for the apparatus that has a recording mode with only a main color , black , but also for an apparatus that provides at least one full color mode , which has different color combinations or color mixture , with either an integrally formed recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads . further , although ink has been explained as a liquid in the above described embodiments of the present invention , ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that melts or liquefies at room temperature may be employed . or , since an ink jet system generally maintains the temperature of ink within the range of 30 ° c . to 70 ° c . to hold the viscosity of ink within the steady ejection range , ink may be used that liquefies at the time of the execution of a recording signal . in addition , to aggressively prevent the temperature from rising due to thermal energy by employing that energy to liquefy solid ink , or to prevent the evaporation of ink , ink may be employed that solidifies while it settles down and is liquefied by heating . the present invention is available for ink that is liquefied by the application of thermal energy , such as ink that is liquefied by providing thermal energy in consonance with a recording signal and is then discharged , or ink that becomes solid by the time it reaches a recording medium . the ink in this case may be formed opposite an electrothermal energy conversion device while it is held as a liquid or a solid in a porous sheet recess or a through hole , as is described in japanese patent application laid - open no . 54 - 56847 or japanese patent application laid - open no . 60 - 71260 . in the present invention , the above described film boiling system is the most effective for these ink types . further , an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is employed as an image output terminal for a data processing apparatus , such as a computer , a copy machine that is combined with a reader , or a facsimile that has a communication function . as described above , the present invention ensures that a recording medium can be maintained flat during the feeding process and during the recording process , regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and can prevent distortion and thus provide high quality image recording . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | f9fb0706400f3b39c533515afd7f33df296e188317e69d5829f49bd9f0962639 | 0.084961 | 0.053467 | 0.034668 | 0.018311 | 0.134766 | 0.040771 |
null | the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 illustrate an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a top view for the general structure of the apparatus and fig2 is a cross sectional side view for the state where an automatic paper feeding unit ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; asf &# 34 ;) is installed in the apparatus . the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can handle , as recording media , cut sheet paper , such as normal recording paper and post cards , and continuous sheet paper , such as fanfold paper . usually , cut sheet paper is supplied either by an asf or manually . since the asf has two bins 30a and 30b , as is shown in fig2 cassettes holding sheets of two different sizes , for example , can be set up at the same time and employed as desired by a user . the feeding mechanisms of the bins 30a and 30b are identical . more specifically , a plurality of cut sheets ( not shown in fig2 ) that are stacked on pressing plates 31a and 31b are forced by springs 32a and 32b toward pickup rollers 33a and 33b , respectively . as the pickup roller 33a or 33b is rotated in consonance with a feeding start command , the sheets are separated and fed one by one . when cut sheet paper is employed as a recording medium , a resist roller 11 is set so that it can urge a feeding roller 10 by the manipulation of a release lever ( not shown ). the cut sheet that is supplied by the asf is fed to a recording area along a feeding path that is formed around the feeding roller 10 as it is rotated . in the recording area , a paper pressing plate 12 is forced toward the feeding roller 10 by the elasticity of leaf springs . here , the feeding force further acts on the cut sheet , which is fed between an ink jet head 20j and a platen 24 . this feeding is performed intermittently for each scan by the ink jet head 20j , which will be described later , and the feeding distance corresponds to the row length , in a cut sheet feeding direction , of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles that are provided in the ink jet head 20j . the cut sheet , which is fed every scan and on which recording is performed by the discharge of ink from the ink jet head 20j , is fed gradually upward within the apparatus and is finally discharged in consonance with the rotations of an assist roller 13 and a discharge roller 14 ( and spurs 13a and 14a that are pressed by the respective rollers 13 and 14 ). the asf is not employed for continuous sheet paper . a continuous sheet that is supplied through a paper supply port 35 is fed by driving a pin tractor 3 . the resist roller 11 is released by the release lever so that it is not pushed toward the feeding roller 10 . the continuous sheet that is fed up to the recording area is shifted intermittently with every scan of the ink jet head 20j , in the same manner as is performed for the cut sheets , and is gradually transported upward within the apparatus . recording is performed during this period . an asf motor 26 ( see fig1 ), which is provided in the apparatus body at the home position , is employed to drive a pickup roller of the asf or an absorption pump in a capping unit 25 . the driving power required for the feeding process of a recording medium , such as the drive force of the feeding roller 10 , can be acquired via a gear row 41 ( see fig1 ) from an lf motor ( not shown ), which is located at the position opposite to the home position . fig3 is a block diagram that mainly illustrates the control arrangement of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 . a control circuit board 100 , a print circuit board , is installed in the bottom of the apparatus body , as is shown in fig2 . an mpu 101 , a gate array ( ga ) 102 , a dynamic ram ( dram ) 103 , and a mask rom ( mask rom ) 107 are provided on the control circuit board 100 . further , motor drivers , i . e ., a carriage motor driver ( cr motor driver ) 104 , a paper feeding motor driver ( lf motor driver ) 105 , and an asf motor driver 106 , are provided on the control circuit board 100 . at the same time , a centronics interface ( if ) circuit board 110 , which is formed as a print circuit board , is connected to the control circuit board 100 to enable the reception of recording data from a host device . the mpu 101 of the control circuit board 100 executes data processing for the entire apparatus , the mask rom 107 is employed to store the procedures , and the dram 103 is employed as a work area for the above data processing . various circuits that are involved in the process performed by the mpu 101 are packaged in the gate array 102 . the mpu 101 converts image data , which are transferred from the host device via the i / f 110 , into data that are employed by the ink jet head 20j to form an image by ink ejection , and then transfers the resultant data to the driver of the ink jet head 20j by the ejection timing of the ink jet head 20j . further , the mpu 101 drives motors 22 , 28 and 26 via the drivers 104 , 105 and 106 , respectively . the cr motor 22 is driven based on linear encoder information acquired via a carriage 21 , while the ejection timing is controlled . in addition , the mpu 101 executes a process for key entry and information display on a front panel 130 and a process in consonance with detection information that is received from a home position ( hp ) sensor 38 , a tractor ( rrl ) sensor 36 , a paper ( pe ) sensor , and a paper type discrimination sensor 37a . the structure of a paper feeding ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; lf &# 34 ;) mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 will now be explained . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , the release lever 251 is set to a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig4 through 6 , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 5 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig5 ). likewise , an auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves upward and downward , is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by an auxiliary roller spring 248 , which is provided in the resist roller holder 5 ( see fig5 ). fig1 is a top view illustrating the cam structure of the release shaft shown in fig5 . a pinch roller 12 , which is supported by a shaft 223a , is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent by a protrusion 241c of a release shaft 241 , and generates a pressing force by the spring elasticity against its support point 246a . the positional relationship between cams 241b and 241c of the release shaft 241 is as shown in fig1 . the cams 241b and 241c are so located that they do not interfere with each other . under these conditions , the drive force of the lf motor 28 is transferred to the feeding roller 10 and the discharge roller 14 ( see fig6 ). the drive force imparted the feeding roller 10 is transferred via the series that comprises an lf motor gear 231 , an deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 233 , and to a feeding roller gear 234 , which is inserted into the feeding roller 10 , so that the feeding roller 10 is rotated . the drive force to the discharge roller 14 is transferred via the series that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 235 to a discharge roller gear 236 , which engages the discharge roller 14 , so that the discharge roller 14 is rotated . since the feeding roller 10 employed in this embodiment is elongated in the main scanning direction , distortion can be completely eliminated for a large sized sheet . in addition , the rotation speed of the discharge roller 14 is higher than that of the feeding roller 10 in this embodiment to ensure that at a recording position a recording medium will be flat . more specifically , with a feeding roller diameter of φ38 . 808 ( 0 , - 0 . 06 ), a discharge roller diameter of φ15 . 515 (± 0 . 03 ), a deceleration rate of the feeding roller of 1 / 36 , and a deceleration rate of the discharge roller of 1 / 15 , the rotation speed of the discharge roller is increased about 1 % ( 0 . 08 % to 1 . 19 % while considering crossing ). as for the transfer of the drive force of the lf motor 28 to the pin tractor 233 , the drive force is transferred via the lf motor gear 231 and the deceleration gear 232 to the lf deceleration gear 233 , and not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a frame 2 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 , which is shown in fig6 b . the clutch gear 237 is , however , separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 252b of a slide cam 252 that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig7 a gear 241a of the release shaft 241 , which engages a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig8 its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 5 down to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . a rotation support point 22a of the resist roller holder 5 is provided on the side of the pinch roller holder 223 . even when the auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves up and down , also moves in a direction where it separates from the feeding roller 11 , it merely weakens the pressing force to the feeding roller 10 because of the auxiliary roller spring 248 . further pressure by the protrusion 241c on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force of the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . as is described above , even in the continuous sheet select state , the pressing forces of the pinch roller 12 and the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 are not set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the individual reasons will now be explained . as for the reduced pressure by the pinch roller on the feeding roller 10 , although the accuracy in feeding continuous sheet paper is controlled by the pin tractor 3 , the pinch roller 12 is sometimes separated from the surface of the feeding roller 10 at page boundaries ( perforations ), and proper pressure is therefore required to prevent this phenomenon . as for the reduced pressure exerted by the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 , it is necessary to decrease the allowable difference , of a paper position that is detected by a paper sensor , that is caused by a weight percentage of a sheet ( represented by grammage or ream weight ) or by a thickness difference in paper types . as is shown in fig1 , depending on the thickness of a sheet , some sheets are fed while wrapped around the feeding roller 10 , and other sheets are fed along a feeding roller opposing portion 4a of a paper pan 4 . supposing that an interval between the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller opposing portion 4a of the paper pan 4 is l , an allowable feeding difference may be a maximum 2l . supposing that a detection position of a flag 37b of the paper sensor 37 is p and a contact point of the auxiliary roller 16 and the feeding roller 10 is q , the auxiliary roller is so positioned that p is always located downstream of q in a paper feeding direction . when the paper sensor detects a sheet , the sheet is always located on the feeding roller 10 and the allowable detection difference can be reduced . in this embodiment , the pressure force of the pinch roller 12 exerted on the feeding roller 10 is 1200 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 200 g in the continuous sheet select mode . the pressure force of the auxiliary roller 16 exerted on the feeding roller is 75 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 20 g in the continuous sheet select mode . further , the recording apparatus in this embodiment is so designed that the pressure can be varied as needed . in other words , the apparatus comprises pressure adjusting means . the pressure adjusting means includes a mechanism that selects a position at which pressure is released and a position at which pressure is gradually increased from the release position . the pressure adjusting means may also have a mechanism wherein one end of a helical coil spring , for example , which applies pressure to the pinch roller , contacts the external surface of a rotary shaft , which has a notch , and the other end of the coil spring is secured ; and wherein as the shaft is rotated , the contact position is altered either to the external surface of the shaft or the notch to select the release position or the pressure position . the drive force of the lf motor 28 in the continuous sheet select mode is transferred individually toward the feeding roller 10 , the discharge roller 14 , and the pin tractor 3 . since the transfer to the feeding roller 10 and to the discharge roller 14 is the same as is performed in the cut sheet select mode , no explanation for it will be given . as for the pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred from the row that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , the lf deceleration gear 233 , and the clutch gear 237 to a tractor gear 238 that engages a tractor shaft 15 , which is in turn rotated to transfer the drive force to the pin tractor 3 ( see fig9 a and 9b ). more specifically , although the clutch gear 237 is pressed toward the frame 2 side by the clutch spring 247 , in the continuous sheet select mode the clutch gear 237 is coupled with the lf deceleration gear 233 and to the tractor gear 238 by the cam 252c of the slide cam 252 . simultaneously , the side portion of the slide cam 252 acts on the tractor sensor 209 , and the sheet select mode is changed from the cut sheet select mode to the continuous sheet select mode . as is described above , according to the present invention , a recording medium can be maintained flat both during the feeding and the recording regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and paper distortion can be prevented , so that high quality image recording can be provided . further , according to the present invention , a constant print start position can be maintained regardless of the paper type , such as cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper . in addition , according to the present invention , the feeding of a thick recording medium , such as a post card , is ensured . the ink jet head 20j has 128 ink ejection nozzles arranged in one row . when the ink jet head 20j is attached to the carriage 21 , the arrangement of the nozzles is along the above described direction in which a recording medium is fed ( hereafter , this will be referred to as a sub scan direction ). the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can perform full color recording with yellow ( y ), magenta ( m ), cyan ( c ) and black ( bk ) ink , and monochrome recording with bk ink . in the arrangement for performing full color recording , the ink jet head 20j and ink tanks 20t , in which colored inks , y , m , c , and bk are respectively retained , are provided individually detachable from the carriage 21 . when y ink runs out or when the replacement of a tank is required , the pertinent tank can be replaced with another ink tank , or when the ink jet head 20j must be replaced , only the ink jet head need be changed . with the above described structure , 128 ink ejection nozzles of the ink jet head 20j are assigned to each ink by the predetermined counts , and ink chambers and ink supply paths are individually formed in consonance with the assignments . in the arrangement for performing monochrome recording , the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t for bk ink are integrally formed as one unit , which is provided detachable from the carriage 21 . the carriage 21 to which the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t are attached can be shifted by the drive force produced by a carriage motor 22 that is transferred via a belt 23 , which is connected to part of the carriage 21 , as is shown in fig1 . by engaging a guide shaft 21a and a guide piece 21b , which are located in the horizontal direction in fig2 to slide freely , the carriage 21 can be shifted along the guide shaft 21a and the guide piece 21b , and accordingly scanning for recording is possible . when no recording is performed , the carriage 21 is shifted back to a home position that is to the left in fig1 and the face of the ink jet head 20j in which the ink ejection nozzles are arranged is capped with a capping unit 25 . the data for shifting the carriage 21 are detected by an encoder film 27 , which is provided in parallel to the guide shaft 21a , and optical or magnetic encoder devices 51a and 51b ( see fig2 ) that are attached to the carriage 21 to sandwich the encoder film 27 . an electric signal is transmitted from the apparatus body to the ink jet head 20j via a flexible circuit board 44 . in this embodiment , to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat even downstream along the feeding path from the recording position , a first spur is positioned opposite the discharge roller 14 with a recording medium between them , a second spur is positioned upstream along the feeding path from the first spur and downstream from the feeding roller 10 , and the discharge roller 14 , discharge means consisting of the two spurs , and a platen are located in the same plane . as another arrangement to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat , a plurality of spurs are located at matrix positions in the main scan direction ( the direction that is perpendicular to the feeding path ). the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the same reference numbers are used to denote the components in this embodiment that correspond to or are identical with those in the first embodiment , and no explanation for them will be given here . in the second embodiment , as is shown in fig1 , a sheet is held on a feeding roller 10 by a resist roller 11 and a pinch roller 12 . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , a release lever 251 is set in a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 through 15b , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 222 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig1 ). the pinch roller 12 is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent at a protrusion 242b of a pinch roller release shaft 242 and generates pressing force by the spring elasticity at its support point 246a . as for the transfer of the drive force of an lf motor 28 to a pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred via an lf motor gear 231 and a deceleration gear 232 to an lf deceleration gear 233 , but not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a chassis 1 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 that is shown in fig1 b . the clutch gear 237 , however , is separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 251c of a slide cam 251b that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 , a gear 241a of the resist roller release shaft 241 and a gear 242a of the pinch roller release shaft 242 , both of which engage a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , are rotated together in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the resist roller release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig1 , its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 222 to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . as the pinch roller release shaft 242 is rotated , the pressure exerted by the protrusion 242b on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force exerted by the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . a reflective sensor 52 ( see fig1 ) is provided in part of the apparatus body , and is employed to read bar code information that adheres to an ink tank 20t or an ink jet head 20j . the ink tank 20t or the ink jet head 20j can thus be identified . the structure of a paper pan unit in this embodiment will now be explained while referring to fig1 . members and items in the unit are for a coupled driving feeding mechanism , and include a paper pan 221 , the resist roller 11 , the resist roller holder 222 , the resist roller 245 , the resist roller release shaft 241 , the pinch roller 12 , the pinch roller holder 223 , the pinch roller spring 246 , the pinch roller release shaft 242 , and a paper sensor 37 that will be described later . the unit is installed in the frame 2 from the bottom as viewed in fig1 . with this unit , ( 1 ) the assembly of the entire apparatus is easier , ( 2 ) the maintenance can be improved because of easy replacement of items , and ( 3 ) the number of assembly procedures can be reduced . since all the unit items are of the coupled driving type , the feeding accuracy of the unit does not differ from that when the items are formed as a unit . more specifically , as the drive transfer system , which includes the lf motor 28 , and the feeding roller 10 are integrally formed in the apparatus body , the normal rotation of the feeding roller 10 is constantly maintained , and the coupled driving unit , which forces a recording medium into contact with the feeding roller 10 to generate the drive force , does not interfere with the rotation of the feeding roller 10 . the structure of the paper sensor in this embodiment will now be described while referring to fig2 and 21 . the paper sensor 37 is located in the vicinity of the feeding path under the feeding roller 10 , as is shown in fig2 and 21 . the interval l from the position where the power sensor 37 detects a recording medium to the pinch roller 12 is determined to be twice a recording width in the feeding direction ( the sub scan direction ), which the ink jet head 20j can record by one scanning . in this embodiment two level buffers for image recording data are provided to develop and process the recording data at high speed . more specifically , while recording data in the buffer at the first stage are to be recorded , recording data necessary for the next scanning are developed in the second stage buffer , so that time required for data development does not directly affect the scanning time for the ink jet head 20j . after the paper sensor 37 has detected the absence of a recording medium along the feeding path , a recording area that is at least twice a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for the recording buffers , i . e ., for one scanning recording , must be left in a recording medium . since in this embodiment a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for one scanning , is 8 . 96 mm ( 1 / 360 inches × 127 dots ), with l of 27 . 5 mm , the above described requirement is satisfied . further , the paper sensor 37 in this embodiment is positioned 1 / 2 ( 50 mm ) of the short side of a post card away from the paper reference position , so as to detect all types of paper . a paper type discrimination sensor 37a is positioned 335 mm away from the paper reference position and located at the same position as that of the paper sensor 37 , as viewed in the cross section of the apparatus , so as to distinguish 80 digits of continuous sheet paper from 136 digits . it should be noted that data that extend beyond a determined width for a recording region are discarded . the feature of the lf motor 28 of the embodiment will now be described . the diameter of the lf motor 28 in the embodiment is designed smaller than that of the feeding roller 10 . the reason for that setting is explained below . [ lf motor having a smaller diameter than that of a feeding roller ] torque that is required for the acceleration of a motor is acquired by the following expression . tf is generated by the friction of the driving mechanism , and is characterized by the mechanical structure . when the frequency fn is reached , the activation frequency f0 , and the acceleration time tn are set to constant values and the mechanism is driven by a motor that has an identical step angle , the required torque τ is subject to the driving mechanism inertia j . the driving mechanism inertia j is the sum of the rotor inertia jr of the motor and inertia jm of the other driving mechanism , and the required torque is therefore subject to the motor - rotor inertia jr . although in general a high output = a high performance , since actually a large motor uses a lot of torque to drive the rotor of the motor , torque ( output ) that is supplied to the operation of the driving mechanism is reduced considerably more than was expected . the following means are useful to reduce the rotor inertia of the motor . ( iv ) do not provide magnetic powder for a portion that does not face a stator ; and further , an advantage of a compact motor is that the maximum response frequency is high . in this embodiment , fn = 1800 [ pps ], f0 = 600 [ pps ], tn = 16 . 758 [ m . sec ], and a motor of θ = 7 . 5 [°] is employed . further , a 2 -- 2 phase exciting driving system is adopted to improve the angle accuracy . therefore , a large motor has a low performance relative to a response frequency , and taking the specification of a product into account , employing a compact motor is more advantageous . in this embodiment , with an external size φ35 × thickness of 15 and with rotor material : nd - fe - b , rotor inertia jr = 2 . 5 [ g . cm ] is acquired and the motor driving is performed at a high speed and with a high output . an ink jet recording system of the present invention comprises means ( e . g ., electrothermal energy conversion device or laser light ) for generating thermal energy that is employed to perform ink ejection , and provides excellent effects where the ink status is varied by employing the thermal energy . this system can perform more delicate recording with a higher density . for the specific arrangement and the principle , it is preferable to employ the basic principle that is disclosed in the specifications of , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 723 , 129 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 740 , 796 . this system is applicable for both a so - called on - demand type and a continuous type . the system is especially effective with the ondemand type because at least one drive signal that corresponds to the image recording data , and that gives a rapid temperature rise which exceeds nucleate boiling , is supplied to an electrothermal energy conversion device that is positioned relative to a liquid ( ink ) bearing sheet and a liquid path . the thermal energy is thus generated by the electrothermal energy conversion device , and film boiling is effected on a thermally affected face of a recording head , so that bubbles in liquid ( ink ) can be formed in one - to - one correspondence with the drive signal . in consonance with the growth or shrinkage of the bubbles , liquid ( ink ) is discharged via an ejection opening and at least one droplet is formed . when the drive signal has a pulse form , the size of the bubble is immediately and properly altered , so that liquid ( ink ) which has an especially excellent response can be preferably ejected . an appropriate pulse drive signal is described in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 463 , 359 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 345 , 262 . with the employment of the conditions that are described in the specification of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 313 , 124 , which relates to the temperature rising rate on the thermally affected face , even more excellent recording can be performed . besides the arrangement of a recording head , disclosed in the above described specifications , wherein the ejection ports , the liquid path , and the electrothermal energy conversion device are combined , the present invention also includes the arrangement disclosed in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 558 , 333 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 459 , 600 , wherein a thermally acting portion is located in a curved area . in addition , the effects of the present invention can be obtained in the arrangements disclosed in japanese patent application laid - oden no . 59 - 123670 wherein a common slit serves as an ejection portion for a plurality of electrothermal energy conversion devices ; and in japanese patent application laid - open no . 59 - 138461 wherein an opening in which a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed corresponds to an ejection portion . in other words , according to the present invention , recording is ensured to be efficiently performed regardless of the shape of a recording head . the present invention is also applicable to a recording head of a full line type whose length corresponds to the maximum width of a recording medium that a recording apparatus can handle . such a recording head may be a combination of a plurality of recording heads to attain the length , or may be one integrally formed recording head . moreover , the present invention is effective for the above described serial type recording head , a recording head that is fixed to the apparatus body , a replaceable , chip type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus body or can receive ink from the apparatus body , or a cartridge type recording head for which an ink tank is integrally formed . it is desirable that ejection recover means for a recording head , and extra auxiliary means be provided as additional components of the recording apparatus arrangement because the effect of the present invention can be provided more steadily . more specifically , capping means for a recording head , cleaning means , pressurizing or absorption means , extra heating means provided by employing an electrothermal energy conversion device or another heating device , or a combination of the two , and extra ejection means for discharging ink that is not required for the recording can be employed . although only one recording head is provided for a single ink , a plurality of recording heads may be mounted that correspond to a plurality of inks for which recording colors and densities differ . more specifically , the present invention is effective not only for the apparatus that has a recording mode with only a main color , black , but also for an apparatus that provides at least one full color mode , which has different color combinations or color mixture , with either an integrally formed recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads . further , although ink has been explained as a liquid in the above described embodiments of the present invention , ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that melts or liquefies at room temperature may be employed . or , since an ink jet system generally maintains the temperature of ink within the range of 30 ° c . to 70 ° c . to hold the viscosity of ink within the steady ejection range , ink may be used that liquefies at the time of the execution of a recording signal . in addition , to aggressively prevent the temperature from rising due to thermal energy by employing that energy to liquefy solid ink , or to prevent the evaporation of ink , ink may be employed that solidifies while it settles down and is liquefied by heating . the present invention is available for ink that is liquefied by the application of thermal energy , such as ink that is liquefied by providing thermal energy in consonance with a recording signal and is then discharged , or ink that becomes solid by the time it reaches a recording medium . the ink in this case may be formed opposite an electrothermal energy conversion device while it is held as a liquid or a solid in a porous sheet recess or a through hole , as is described in japanese patent application laid - open no . 54 - 56847 or japanese patent application laid - open no . 60 - 71260 . in the present invention , the above described film boiling system is the most effective for these ink types . further , an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is employed as an image output terminal for a data processing apparatus , such as a computer , a copy machine that is combined with a reader , or a facsimile that has a communication function . as described above , the present invention ensures that a recording medium can be maintained flat during the feeding process and during the recording process , regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and can prevent distortion and thus provide high quality image recording . | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is 'Textiles; Paper' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | f9fb0706400f3b39c533515afd7f33df296e188317e69d5829f49bd9f0962639 | 0.036133 | 0.277344 | 0.011658 | 0.061768 | 0.048828 | 0.267578 |
null | the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 illustrate an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a top view for the general structure of the apparatus and fig2 is a cross sectional side view for the state where an automatic paper feeding unit ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; asf &# 34 ;) is installed in the apparatus . the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can handle , as recording media , cut sheet paper , such as normal recording paper and post cards , and continuous sheet paper , such as fanfold paper . usually , cut sheet paper is supplied either by an asf or manually . since the asf has two bins 30a and 30b , as is shown in fig2 cassettes holding sheets of two different sizes , for example , can be set up at the same time and employed as desired by a user . the feeding mechanisms of the bins 30a and 30b are identical . more specifically , a plurality of cut sheets ( not shown in fig2 ) that are stacked on pressing plates 31a and 31b are forced by springs 32a and 32b toward pickup rollers 33a and 33b , respectively . as the pickup roller 33a or 33b is rotated in consonance with a feeding start command , the sheets are separated and fed one by one . when cut sheet paper is employed as a recording medium , a resist roller 11 is set so that it can urge a feeding roller 10 by the manipulation of a release lever ( not shown ). the cut sheet that is supplied by the asf is fed to a recording area along a feeding path that is formed around the feeding roller 10 as it is rotated . in the recording area , a paper pressing plate 12 is forced toward the feeding roller 10 by the elasticity of leaf springs . here , the feeding force further acts on the cut sheet , which is fed between an ink jet head 20j and a platen 24 . this feeding is performed intermittently for each scan by the ink jet head 20j , which will be described later , and the feeding distance corresponds to the row length , in a cut sheet feeding direction , of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles that are provided in the ink jet head 20j . the cut sheet , which is fed every scan and on which recording is performed by the discharge of ink from the ink jet head 20j , is fed gradually upward within the apparatus and is finally discharged in consonance with the rotations of an assist roller 13 and a discharge roller 14 ( and spurs 13a and 14a that are pressed by the respective rollers 13 and 14 ). the asf is not employed for continuous sheet paper . a continuous sheet that is supplied through a paper supply port 35 is fed by driving a pin tractor 3 . the resist roller 11 is released by the release lever so that it is not pushed toward the feeding roller 10 . the continuous sheet that is fed up to the recording area is shifted intermittently with every scan of the ink jet head 20j , in the same manner as is performed for the cut sheets , and is gradually transported upward within the apparatus . recording is performed during this period . an asf motor 26 ( see fig1 ), which is provided in the apparatus body at the home position , is employed to drive a pickup roller of the asf or an absorption pump in a capping unit 25 . the driving power required for the feeding process of a recording medium , such as the drive force of the feeding roller 10 , can be acquired via a gear row 41 ( see fig1 ) from an lf motor ( not shown ), which is located at the position opposite to the home position . fig3 is a block diagram that mainly illustrates the control arrangement of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 . a control circuit board 100 , a print circuit board , is installed in the bottom of the apparatus body , as is shown in fig2 . an mpu 101 , a gate array ( ga ) 102 , a dynamic ram ( dram ) 103 , and a mask rom ( mask rom ) 107 are provided on the control circuit board 100 . further , motor drivers , i . e ., a carriage motor driver ( cr motor driver ) 104 , a paper feeding motor driver ( lf motor driver ) 105 , and an asf motor driver 106 , are provided on the control circuit board 100 . at the same time , a centronics interface ( if ) circuit board 110 , which is formed as a print circuit board , is connected to the control circuit board 100 to enable the reception of recording data from a host device . the mpu 101 of the control circuit board 100 executes data processing for the entire apparatus , the mask rom 107 is employed to store the procedures , and the dram 103 is employed as a work area for the above data processing . various circuits that are involved in the process performed by the mpu 101 are packaged in the gate array 102 . the mpu 101 converts image data , which are transferred from the host device via the i / f 110 , into data that are employed by the ink jet head 20j to form an image by ink ejection , and then transfers the resultant data to the driver of the ink jet head 20j by the ejection timing of the ink jet head 20j . further , the mpu 101 drives motors 22 , 28 and 26 via the drivers 104 , 105 and 106 , respectively . the cr motor 22 is driven based on linear encoder information acquired via a carriage 21 , while the ejection timing is controlled . in addition , the mpu 101 executes a process for key entry and information display on a front panel 130 and a process in consonance with detection information that is received from a home position ( hp ) sensor 38 , a tractor ( rrl ) sensor 36 , a paper ( pe ) sensor , and a paper type discrimination sensor 37a . the structure of a paper feeding ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; lf &# 34 ;) mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 will now be explained . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , the release lever 251 is set to a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig4 through 6 , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 5 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig5 ). likewise , an auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves upward and downward , is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by an auxiliary roller spring 248 , which is provided in the resist roller holder 5 ( see fig5 ). fig1 is a top view illustrating the cam structure of the release shaft shown in fig5 . a pinch roller 12 , which is supported by a shaft 223a , is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent by a protrusion 241c of a release shaft 241 , and generates a pressing force by the spring elasticity against its support point 246a . the positional relationship between cams 241b and 241c of the release shaft 241 is as shown in fig1 . the cams 241b and 241c are so located that they do not interfere with each other . under these conditions , the drive force of the lf motor 28 is transferred to the feeding roller 10 and the discharge roller 14 ( see fig6 ). the drive force imparted the feeding roller 10 is transferred via the series that comprises an lf motor gear 231 , an deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 233 , and to a feeding roller gear 234 , which is inserted into the feeding roller 10 , so that the feeding roller 10 is rotated . the drive force to the discharge roller 14 is transferred via the series that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 235 to a discharge roller gear 236 , which engages the discharge roller 14 , so that the discharge roller 14 is rotated . since the feeding roller 10 employed in this embodiment is elongated in the main scanning direction , distortion can be completely eliminated for a large sized sheet . in addition , the rotation speed of the discharge roller 14 is higher than that of the feeding roller 10 in this embodiment to ensure that at a recording position a recording medium will be flat . more specifically , with a feeding roller diameter of φ38 . 808 ( 0 , - 0 . 06 ), a discharge roller diameter of φ15 . 515 (± 0 . 03 ), a deceleration rate of the feeding roller of 1 / 36 , and a deceleration rate of the discharge roller of 1 / 15 , the rotation speed of the discharge roller is increased about 1 % ( 0 . 08 % to 1 . 19 % while considering crossing ). as for the transfer of the drive force of the lf motor 28 to the pin tractor 233 , the drive force is transferred via the lf motor gear 231 and the deceleration gear 232 to the lf deceleration gear 233 , and not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a frame 2 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 , which is shown in fig6 b . the clutch gear 237 is , however , separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 252b of a slide cam 252 that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig7 a gear 241a of the release shaft 241 , which engages a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig8 its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 5 down to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . a rotation support point 22a of the resist roller holder 5 is provided on the side of the pinch roller holder 223 . even when the auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves up and down , also moves in a direction where it separates from the feeding roller 11 , it merely weakens the pressing force to the feeding roller 10 because of the auxiliary roller spring 248 . further pressure by the protrusion 241c on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force of the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . as is described above , even in the continuous sheet select state , the pressing forces of the pinch roller 12 and the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 are not set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the individual reasons will now be explained . as for the reduced pressure by the pinch roller on the feeding roller 10 , although the accuracy in feeding continuous sheet paper is controlled by the pin tractor 3 , the pinch roller 12 is sometimes separated from the surface of the feeding roller 10 at page boundaries ( perforations ), and proper pressure is therefore required to prevent this phenomenon . as for the reduced pressure exerted by the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 , it is necessary to decrease the allowable difference , of a paper position that is detected by a paper sensor , that is caused by a weight percentage of a sheet ( represented by grammage or ream weight ) or by a thickness difference in paper types . as is shown in fig1 , depending on the thickness of a sheet , some sheets are fed while wrapped around the feeding roller 10 , and other sheets are fed along a feeding roller opposing portion 4a of a paper pan 4 . supposing that an interval between the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller opposing portion 4a of the paper pan 4 is l , an allowable feeding difference may be a maximum 2l . supposing that a detection position of a flag 37b of the paper sensor 37 is p and a contact point of the auxiliary roller 16 and the feeding roller 10 is q , the auxiliary roller is so positioned that p is always located downstream of q in a paper feeding direction . when the paper sensor detects a sheet , the sheet is always located on the feeding roller 10 and the allowable detection difference can be reduced . in this embodiment , the pressure force of the pinch roller 12 exerted on the feeding roller 10 is 1200 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 200 g in the continuous sheet select mode . the pressure force of the auxiliary roller 16 exerted on the feeding roller is 75 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 20 g in the continuous sheet select mode . further , the recording apparatus in this embodiment is so designed that the pressure can be varied as needed . in other words , the apparatus comprises pressure adjusting means . the pressure adjusting means includes a mechanism that selects a position at which pressure is released and a position at which pressure is gradually increased from the release position . the pressure adjusting means may also have a mechanism wherein one end of a helical coil spring , for example , which applies pressure to the pinch roller , contacts the external surface of a rotary shaft , which has a notch , and the other end of the coil spring is secured ; and wherein as the shaft is rotated , the contact position is altered either to the external surface of the shaft or the notch to select the release position or the pressure position . the drive force of the lf motor 28 in the continuous sheet select mode is transferred individually toward the feeding roller 10 , the discharge roller 14 , and the pin tractor 3 . since the transfer to the feeding roller 10 and to the discharge roller 14 is the same as is performed in the cut sheet select mode , no explanation for it will be given . as for the pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred from the row that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , the lf deceleration gear 233 , and the clutch gear 237 to a tractor gear 238 that engages a tractor shaft 15 , which is in turn rotated to transfer the drive force to the pin tractor 3 ( see fig9 a and 9b ). more specifically , although the clutch gear 237 is pressed toward the frame 2 side by the clutch spring 247 , in the continuous sheet select mode the clutch gear 237 is coupled with the lf deceleration gear 233 and to the tractor gear 238 by the cam 252c of the slide cam 252 . simultaneously , the side portion of the slide cam 252 acts on the tractor sensor 209 , and the sheet select mode is changed from the cut sheet select mode to the continuous sheet select mode . as is described above , according to the present invention , a recording medium can be maintained flat both during the feeding and the recording regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and paper distortion can be prevented , so that high quality image recording can be provided . further , according to the present invention , a constant print start position can be maintained regardless of the paper type , such as cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper . in addition , according to the present invention , the feeding of a thick recording medium , such as a post card , is ensured . the ink jet head 20j has 128 ink ejection nozzles arranged in one row . when the ink jet head 20j is attached to the carriage 21 , the arrangement of the nozzles is along the above described direction in which a recording medium is fed ( hereafter , this will be referred to as a sub scan direction ). the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can perform full color recording with yellow ( y ), magenta ( m ), cyan ( c ) and black ( bk ) ink , and monochrome recording with bk ink . in the arrangement for performing full color recording , the ink jet head 20j and ink tanks 20t , in which colored inks , y , m , c , and bk are respectively retained , are provided individually detachable from the carriage 21 . when y ink runs out or when the replacement of a tank is required , the pertinent tank can be replaced with another ink tank , or when the ink jet head 20j must be replaced , only the ink jet head need be changed . with the above described structure , 128 ink ejection nozzles of the ink jet head 20j are assigned to each ink by the predetermined counts , and ink chambers and ink supply paths are individually formed in consonance with the assignments . in the arrangement for performing monochrome recording , the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t for bk ink are integrally formed as one unit , which is provided detachable from the carriage 21 . the carriage 21 to which the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t are attached can be shifted by the drive force produced by a carriage motor 22 that is transferred via a belt 23 , which is connected to part of the carriage 21 , as is shown in fig1 . by engaging a guide shaft 21a and a guide piece 21b , which are located in the horizontal direction in fig2 to slide freely , the carriage 21 can be shifted along the guide shaft 21a and the guide piece 21b , and accordingly scanning for recording is possible . when no recording is performed , the carriage 21 is shifted back to a home position that is to the left in fig1 and the face of the ink jet head 20j in which the ink ejection nozzles are arranged is capped with a capping unit 25 . the data for shifting the carriage 21 are detected by an encoder film 27 , which is provided in parallel to the guide shaft 21a , and optical or magnetic encoder devices 51a and 51b ( see fig2 ) that are attached to the carriage 21 to sandwich the encoder film 27 . an electric signal is transmitted from the apparatus body to the ink jet head 20j via a flexible circuit board 44 . in this embodiment , to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat even downstream along the feeding path from the recording position , a first spur is positioned opposite the discharge roller 14 with a recording medium between them , a second spur is positioned upstream along the feeding path from the first spur and downstream from the feeding roller 10 , and the discharge roller 14 , discharge means consisting of the two spurs , and a platen are located in the same plane . as another arrangement to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat , a plurality of spurs are located at matrix positions in the main scan direction ( the direction that is perpendicular to the feeding path ). the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the same reference numbers are used to denote the components in this embodiment that correspond to or are identical with those in the first embodiment , and no explanation for them will be given here . in the second embodiment , as is shown in fig1 , a sheet is held on a feeding roller 10 by a resist roller 11 and a pinch roller 12 . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , a release lever 251 is set in a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 through 15b , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 222 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig1 ). the pinch roller 12 is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent at a protrusion 242b of a pinch roller release shaft 242 and generates pressing force by the spring elasticity at its support point 246a . as for the transfer of the drive force of an lf motor 28 to a pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred via an lf motor gear 231 and a deceleration gear 232 to an lf deceleration gear 233 , but not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a chassis 1 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 that is shown in fig1 b . the clutch gear 237 , however , is separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 251c of a slide cam 251b that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 , a gear 241a of the resist roller release shaft 241 and a gear 242a of the pinch roller release shaft 242 , both of which engage a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , are rotated together in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the resist roller release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig1 , its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 222 to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . as the pinch roller release shaft 242 is rotated , the pressure exerted by the protrusion 242b on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force exerted by the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . a reflective sensor 52 ( see fig1 ) is provided in part of the apparatus body , and is employed to read bar code information that adheres to an ink tank 20t or an ink jet head 20j . the ink tank 20t or the ink jet head 20j can thus be identified . the structure of a paper pan unit in this embodiment will now be explained while referring to fig1 . members and items in the unit are for a coupled driving feeding mechanism , and include a paper pan 221 , the resist roller 11 , the resist roller holder 222 , the resist roller 245 , the resist roller release shaft 241 , the pinch roller 12 , the pinch roller holder 223 , the pinch roller spring 246 , the pinch roller release shaft 242 , and a paper sensor 37 that will be described later . the unit is installed in the frame 2 from the bottom as viewed in fig1 . with this unit , ( 1 ) the assembly of the entire apparatus is easier , ( 2 ) the maintenance can be improved because of easy replacement of items , and ( 3 ) the number of assembly procedures can be reduced . since all the unit items are of the coupled driving type , the feeding accuracy of the unit does not differ from that when the items are formed as a unit . more specifically , as the drive transfer system , which includes the lf motor 28 , and the feeding roller 10 are integrally formed in the apparatus body , the normal rotation of the feeding roller 10 is constantly maintained , and the coupled driving unit , which forces a recording medium into contact with the feeding roller 10 to generate the drive force , does not interfere with the rotation of the feeding roller 10 . the structure of the paper sensor in this embodiment will now be described while referring to fig2 and 21 . the paper sensor 37 is located in the vicinity of the feeding path under the feeding roller 10 , as is shown in fig2 and 21 . the interval l from the position where the power sensor 37 detects a recording medium to the pinch roller 12 is determined to be twice a recording width in the feeding direction ( the sub scan direction ), which the ink jet head 20j can record by one scanning . in this embodiment two level buffers for image recording data are provided to develop and process the recording data at high speed . more specifically , while recording data in the buffer at the first stage are to be recorded , recording data necessary for the next scanning are developed in the second stage buffer , so that time required for data development does not directly affect the scanning time for the ink jet head 20j . after the paper sensor 37 has detected the absence of a recording medium along the feeding path , a recording area that is at least twice a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for the recording buffers , i . e ., for one scanning recording , must be left in a recording medium . since in this embodiment a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for one scanning , is 8 . 96 mm ( 1 / 360 inches × 127 dots ), with l of 27 . 5 mm , the above described requirement is satisfied . further , the paper sensor 37 in this embodiment is positioned 1 / 2 ( 50 mm ) of the short side of a post card away from the paper reference position , so as to detect all types of paper . a paper type discrimination sensor 37a is positioned 335 mm away from the paper reference position and located at the same position as that of the paper sensor 37 , as viewed in the cross section of the apparatus , so as to distinguish 80 digits of continuous sheet paper from 136 digits . it should be noted that data that extend beyond a determined width for a recording region are discarded . the feature of the lf motor 28 of the embodiment will now be described . the diameter of the lf motor 28 in the embodiment is designed smaller than that of the feeding roller 10 . the reason for that setting is explained below . [ lf motor having a smaller diameter than that of a feeding roller ] torque that is required for the acceleration of a motor is acquired by the following expression . tf is generated by the friction of the driving mechanism , and is characterized by the mechanical structure . when the frequency fn is reached , the activation frequency f0 , and the acceleration time tn are set to constant values and the mechanism is driven by a motor that has an identical step angle , the required torque τ is subject to the driving mechanism inertia j . the driving mechanism inertia j is the sum of the rotor inertia jr of the motor and inertia jm of the other driving mechanism , and the required torque is therefore subject to the motor - rotor inertia jr . although in general a high output = a high performance , since actually a large motor uses a lot of torque to drive the rotor of the motor , torque ( output ) that is supplied to the operation of the driving mechanism is reduced considerably more than was expected . the following means are useful to reduce the rotor inertia of the motor . ( iv ) do not provide magnetic powder for a portion that does not face a stator ; and further , an advantage of a compact motor is that the maximum response frequency is high . in this embodiment , fn = 1800 [ pps ], f0 = 600 [ pps ], tn = 16 . 758 [ m . sec ], and a motor of θ = 7 . 5 [°] is employed . further , a 2 -- 2 phase exciting driving system is adopted to improve the angle accuracy . therefore , a large motor has a low performance relative to a response frequency , and taking the specification of a product into account , employing a compact motor is more advantageous . in this embodiment , with an external size φ35 × thickness of 15 and with rotor material : nd - fe - b , rotor inertia jr = 2 . 5 [ g . cm ] is acquired and the motor driving is performed at a high speed and with a high output . an ink jet recording system of the present invention comprises means ( e . g ., electrothermal energy conversion device or laser light ) for generating thermal energy that is employed to perform ink ejection , and provides excellent effects where the ink status is varied by employing the thermal energy . this system can perform more delicate recording with a higher density . for the specific arrangement and the principle , it is preferable to employ the basic principle that is disclosed in the specifications of , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 723 , 129 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 740 , 796 . this system is applicable for both a so - called on - demand type and a continuous type . the system is especially effective with the ondemand type because at least one drive signal that corresponds to the image recording data , and that gives a rapid temperature rise which exceeds nucleate boiling , is supplied to an electrothermal energy conversion device that is positioned relative to a liquid ( ink ) bearing sheet and a liquid path . the thermal energy is thus generated by the electrothermal energy conversion device , and film boiling is effected on a thermally affected face of a recording head , so that bubbles in liquid ( ink ) can be formed in one - to - one correspondence with the drive signal . in consonance with the growth or shrinkage of the bubbles , liquid ( ink ) is discharged via an ejection opening and at least one droplet is formed . when the drive signal has a pulse form , the size of the bubble is immediately and properly altered , so that liquid ( ink ) which has an especially excellent response can be preferably ejected . an appropriate pulse drive signal is described in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 463 , 359 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 345 , 262 . with the employment of the conditions that are described in the specification of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 313 , 124 , which relates to the temperature rising rate on the thermally affected face , even more excellent recording can be performed . besides the arrangement of a recording head , disclosed in the above described specifications , wherein the ejection ports , the liquid path , and the electrothermal energy conversion device are combined , the present invention also includes the arrangement disclosed in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 558 , 333 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 459 , 600 , wherein a thermally acting portion is located in a curved area . in addition , the effects of the present invention can be obtained in the arrangements disclosed in japanese patent application laid - oden no . 59 - 123670 wherein a common slit serves as an ejection portion for a plurality of electrothermal energy conversion devices ; and in japanese patent application laid - open no . 59 - 138461 wherein an opening in which a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed corresponds to an ejection portion . in other words , according to the present invention , recording is ensured to be efficiently performed regardless of the shape of a recording head . the present invention is also applicable to a recording head of a full line type whose length corresponds to the maximum width of a recording medium that a recording apparatus can handle . such a recording head may be a combination of a plurality of recording heads to attain the length , or may be one integrally formed recording head . moreover , the present invention is effective for the above described serial type recording head , a recording head that is fixed to the apparatus body , a replaceable , chip type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus body or can receive ink from the apparatus body , or a cartridge type recording head for which an ink tank is integrally formed . it is desirable that ejection recover means for a recording head , and extra auxiliary means be provided as additional components of the recording apparatus arrangement because the effect of the present invention can be provided more steadily . more specifically , capping means for a recording head , cleaning means , pressurizing or absorption means , extra heating means provided by employing an electrothermal energy conversion device or another heating device , or a combination of the two , and extra ejection means for discharging ink that is not required for the recording can be employed . although only one recording head is provided for a single ink , a plurality of recording heads may be mounted that correspond to a plurality of inks for which recording colors and densities differ . more specifically , the present invention is effective not only for the apparatus that has a recording mode with only a main color , black , but also for an apparatus that provides at least one full color mode , which has different color combinations or color mixture , with either an integrally formed recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads . further , although ink has been explained as a liquid in the above described embodiments of the present invention , ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that melts or liquefies at room temperature may be employed . or , since an ink jet system generally maintains the temperature of ink within the range of 30 ° c . to 70 ° c . to hold the viscosity of ink within the steady ejection range , ink may be used that liquefies at the time of the execution of a recording signal . in addition , to aggressively prevent the temperature from rising due to thermal energy by employing that energy to liquefy solid ink , or to prevent the evaporation of ink , ink may be employed that solidifies while it settles down and is liquefied by heating . the present invention is available for ink that is liquefied by the application of thermal energy , such as ink that is liquefied by providing thermal energy in consonance with a recording signal and is then discharged , or ink that becomes solid by the time it reaches a recording medium . the ink in this case may be formed opposite an electrothermal energy conversion device while it is held as a liquid or a solid in a porous sheet recess or a through hole , as is described in japanese patent application laid - open no . 54 - 56847 or japanese patent application laid - open no . 60 - 71260 . in the present invention , the above described film boiling system is the most effective for these ink types . further , an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is employed as an image output terminal for a data processing apparatus , such as a computer , a copy machine that is combined with a reader , or a facsimile that has a communication function . as described above , the present invention ensures that a recording medium can be maintained flat during the feeding process and during the recording process , regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and can prevent distortion and thus provide high quality image recording . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | f9fb0706400f3b39c533515afd7f33df296e188317e69d5829f49bd9f0962639 | 0.078125 | 0.047363 | 0.039063 | 0.142578 | 0.130859 | 0.152344 |
null | the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 illustrate an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a top view for the general structure of the apparatus and fig2 is a cross sectional side view for the state where an automatic paper feeding unit ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; asf &# 34 ;) is installed in the apparatus . the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can handle , as recording media , cut sheet paper , such as normal recording paper and post cards , and continuous sheet paper , such as fanfold paper . usually , cut sheet paper is supplied either by an asf or manually . since the asf has two bins 30a and 30b , as is shown in fig2 cassettes holding sheets of two different sizes , for example , can be set up at the same time and employed as desired by a user . the feeding mechanisms of the bins 30a and 30b are identical . more specifically , a plurality of cut sheets ( not shown in fig2 ) that are stacked on pressing plates 31a and 31b are forced by springs 32a and 32b toward pickup rollers 33a and 33b , respectively . as the pickup roller 33a or 33b is rotated in consonance with a feeding start command , the sheets are separated and fed one by one . when cut sheet paper is employed as a recording medium , a resist roller 11 is set so that it can urge a feeding roller 10 by the manipulation of a release lever ( not shown ). the cut sheet that is supplied by the asf is fed to a recording area along a feeding path that is formed around the feeding roller 10 as it is rotated . in the recording area , a paper pressing plate 12 is forced toward the feeding roller 10 by the elasticity of leaf springs . here , the feeding force further acts on the cut sheet , which is fed between an ink jet head 20j and a platen 24 . this feeding is performed intermittently for each scan by the ink jet head 20j , which will be described later , and the feeding distance corresponds to the row length , in a cut sheet feeding direction , of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles that are provided in the ink jet head 20j . the cut sheet , which is fed every scan and on which recording is performed by the discharge of ink from the ink jet head 20j , is fed gradually upward within the apparatus and is finally discharged in consonance with the rotations of an assist roller 13 and a discharge roller 14 ( and spurs 13a and 14a that are pressed by the respective rollers 13 and 14 ). the asf is not employed for continuous sheet paper . a continuous sheet that is supplied through a paper supply port 35 is fed by driving a pin tractor 3 . the resist roller 11 is released by the release lever so that it is not pushed toward the feeding roller 10 . the continuous sheet that is fed up to the recording area is shifted intermittently with every scan of the ink jet head 20j , in the same manner as is performed for the cut sheets , and is gradually transported upward within the apparatus . recording is performed during this period . an asf motor 26 ( see fig1 ), which is provided in the apparatus body at the home position , is employed to drive a pickup roller of the asf or an absorption pump in a capping unit 25 . the driving power required for the feeding process of a recording medium , such as the drive force of the feeding roller 10 , can be acquired via a gear row 41 ( see fig1 ) from an lf motor ( not shown ), which is located at the position opposite to the home position . fig3 is a block diagram that mainly illustrates the control arrangement of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 . a control circuit board 100 , a print circuit board , is installed in the bottom of the apparatus body , as is shown in fig2 . an mpu 101 , a gate array ( ga ) 102 , a dynamic ram ( dram ) 103 , and a mask rom ( mask rom ) 107 are provided on the control circuit board 100 . further , motor drivers , i . e ., a carriage motor driver ( cr motor driver ) 104 , a paper feeding motor driver ( lf motor driver ) 105 , and an asf motor driver 106 , are provided on the control circuit board 100 . at the same time , a centronics interface ( if ) circuit board 110 , which is formed as a print circuit board , is connected to the control circuit board 100 to enable the reception of recording data from a host device . the mpu 101 of the control circuit board 100 executes data processing for the entire apparatus , the mask rom 107 is employed to store the procedures , and the dram 103 is employed as a work area for the above data processing . various circuits that are involved in the process performed by the mpu 101 are packaged in the gate array 102 . the mpu 101 converts image data , which are transferred from the host device via the i / f 110 , into data that are employed by the ink jet head 20j to form an image by ink ejection , and then transfers the resultant data to the driver of the ink jet head 20j by the ejection timing of the ink jet head 20j . further , the mpu 101 drives motors 22 , 28 and 26 via the drivers 104 , 105 and 106 , respectively . the cr motor 22 is driven based on linear encoder information acquired via a carriage 21 , while the ejection timing is controlled . in addition , the mpu 101 executes a process for key entry and information display on a front panel 130 and a process in consonance with detection information that is received from a home position ( hp ) sensor 38 , a tractor ( rrl ) sensor 36 , a paper ( pe ) sensor , and a paper type discrimination sensor 37a . the structure of a paper feeding ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; lf &# 34 ;) mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 will now be explained . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , the release lever 251 is set to a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig4 through 6 , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 5 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig5 ). likewise , an auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves upward and downward , is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by an auxiliary roller spring 248 , which is provided in the resist roller holder 5 ( see fig5 ). fig1 is a top view illustrating the cam structure of the release shaft shown in fig5 . a pinch roller 12 , which is supported by a shaft 223a , is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent by a protrusion 241c of a release shaft 241 , and generates a pressing force by the spring elasticity against its support point 246a . the positional relationship between cams 241b and 241c of the release shaft 241 is as shown in fig1 . the cams 241b and 241c are so located that they do not interfere with each other . under these conditions , the drive force of the lf motor 28 is transferred to the feeding roller 10 and the discharge roller 14 ( see fig6 ). the drive force imparted the feeding roller 10 is transferred via the series that comprises an lf motor gear 231 , an deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 233 , and to a feeding roller gear 234 , which is inserted into the feeding roller 10 , so that the feeding roller 10 is rotated . the drive force to the discharge roller 14 is transferred via the series that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 235 to a discharge roller gear 236 , which engages the discharge roller 14 , so that the discharge roller 14 is rotated . since the feeding roller 10 employed in this embodiment is elongated in the main scanning direction , distortion can be completely eliminated for a large sized sheet . in addition , the rotation speed of the discharge roller 14 is higher than that of the feeding roller 10 in this embodiment to ensure that at a recording position a recording medium will be flat . more specifically , with a feeding roller diameter of φ38 . 808 ( 0 , - 0 . 06 ), a discharge roller diameter of φ15 . 515 (± 0 . 03 ), a deceleration rate of the feeding roller of 1 / 36 , and a deceleration rate of the discharge roller of 1 / 15 , the rotation speed of the discharge roller is increased about 1 % ( 0 . 08 % to 1 . 19 % while considering crossing ). as for the transfer of the drive force of the lf motor 28 to the pin tractor 233 , the drive force is transferred via the lf motor gear 231 and the deceleration gear 232 to the lf deceleration gear 233 , and not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a frame 2 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 , which is shown in fig6 b . the clutch gear 237 is , however , separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 252b of a slide cam 252 that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig7 a gear 241a of the release shaft 241 , which engages a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig8 its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 5 down to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . a rotation support point 22a of the resist roller holder 5 is provided on the side of the pinch roller holder 223 . even when the auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves up and down , also moves in a direction where it separates from the feeding roller 11 , it merely weakens the pressing force to the feeding roller 10 because of the auxiliary roller spring 248 . further pressure by the protrusion 241c on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force of the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . as is described above , even in the continuous sheet select state , the pressing forces of the pinch roller 12 and the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 are not set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the individual reasons will now be explained . as for the reduced pressure by the pinch roller on the feeding roller 10 , although the accuracy in feeding continuous sheet paper is controlled by the pin tractor 3 , the pinch roller 12 is sometimes separated from the surface of the feeding roller 10 at page boundaries ( perforations ), and proper pressure is therefore required to prevent this phenomenon . as for the reduced pressure exerted by the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 , it is necessary to decrease the allowable difference , of a paper position that is detected by a paper sensor , that is caused by a weight percentage of a sheet ( represented by grammage or ream weight ) or by a thickness difference in paper types . as is shown in fig1 , depending on the thickness of a sheet , some sheets are fed while wrapped around the feeding roller 10 , and other sheets are fed along a feeding roller opposing portion 4a of a paper pan 4 . supposing that an interval between the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller opposing portion 4a of the paper pan 4 is l , an allowable feeding difference may be a maximum 2l . supposing that a detection position of a flag 37b of the paper sensor 37 is p and a contact point of the auxiliary roller 16 and the feeding roller 10 is q , the auxiliary roller is so positioned that p is always located downstream of q in a paper feeding direction . when the paper sensor detects a sheet , the sheet is always located on the feeding roller 10 and the allowable detection difference can be reduced . in this embodiment , the pressure force of the pinch roller 12 exerted on the feeding roller 10 is 1200 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 200 g in the continuous sheet select mode . the pressure force of the auxiliary roller 16 exerted on the feeding roller is 75 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 20 g in the continuous sheet select mode . further , the recording apparatus in this embodiment is so designed that the pressure can be varied as needed . in other words , the apparatus comprises pressure adjusting means . the pressure adjusting means includes a mechanism that selects a position at which pressure is released and a position at which pressure is gradually increased from the release position . the pressure adjusting means may also have a mechanism wherein one end of a helical coil spring , for example , which applies pressure to the pinch roller , contacts the external surface of a rotary shaft , which has a notch , and the other end of the coil spring is secured ; and wherein as the shaft is rotated , the contact position is altered either to the external surface of the shaft or the notch to select the release position or the pressure position . the drive force of the lf motor 28 in the continuous sheet select mode is transferred individually toward the feeding roller 10 , the discharge roller 14 , and the pin tractor 3 . since the transfer to the feeding roller 10 and to the discharge roller 14 is the same as is performed in the cut sheet select mode , no explanation for it will be given . as for the pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred from the row that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , the lf deceleration gear 233 , and the clutch gear 237 to a tractor gear 238 that engages a tractor shaft 15 , which is in turn rotated to transfer the drive force to the pin tractor 3 ( see fig9 a and 9b ). more specifically , although the clutch gear 237 is pressed toward the frame 2 side by the clutch spring 247 , in the continuous sheet select mode the clutch gear 237 is coupled with the lf deceleration gear 233 and to the tractor gear 238 by the cam 252c of the slide cam 252 . simultaneously , the side portion of the slide cam 252 acts on the tractor sensor 209 , and the sheet select mode is changed from the cut sheet select mode to the continuous sheet select mode . as is described above , according to the present invention , a recording medium can be maintained flat both during the feeding and the recording regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and paper distortion can be prevented , so that high quality image recording can be provided . further , according to the present invention , a constant print start position can be maintained regardless of the paper type , such as cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper . in addition , according to the present invention , the feeding of a thick recording medium , such as a post card , is ensured . the ink jet head 20j has 128 ink ejection nozzles arranged in one row . when the ink jet head 20j is attached to the carriage 21 , the arrangement of the nozzles is along the above described direction in which a recording medium is fed ( hereafter , this will be referred to as a sub scan direction ). the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can perform full color recording with yellow ( y ), magenta ( m ), cyan ( c ) and black ( bk ) ink , and monochrome recording with bk ink . in the arrangement for performing full color recording , the ink jet head 20j and ink tanks 20t , in which colored inks , y , m , c , and bk are respectively retained , are provided individually detachable from the carriage 21 . when y ink runs out or when the replacement of a tank is required , the pertinent tank can be replaced with another ink tank , or when the ink jet head 20j must be replaced , only the ink jet head need be changed . with the above described structure , 128 ink ejection nozzles of the ink jet head 20j are assigned to each ink by the predetermined counts , and ink chambers and ink supply paths are individually formed in consonance with the assignments . in the arrangement for performing monochrome recording , the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t for bk ink are integrally formed as one unit , which is provided detachable from the carriage 21 . the carriage 21 to which the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t are attached can be shifted by the drive force produced by a carriage motor 22 that is transferred via a belt 23 , which is connected to part of the carriage 21 , as is shown in fig1 . by engaging a guide shaft 21a and a guide piece 21b , which are located in the horizontal direction in fig2 to slide freely , the carriage 21 can be shifted along the guide shaft 21a and the guide piece 21b , and accordingly scanning for recording is possible . when no recording is performed , the carriage 21 is shifted back to a home position that is to the left in fig1 and the face of the ink jet head 20j in which the ink ejection nozzles are arranged is capped with a capping unit 25 . the data for shifting the carriage 21 are detected by an encoder film 27 , which is provided in parallel to the guide shaft 21a , and optical or magnetic encoder devices 51a and 51b ( see fig2 ) that are attached to the carriage 21 to sandwich the encoder film 27 . an electric signal is transmitted from the apparatus body to the ink jet head 20j via a flexible circuit board 44 . in this embodiment , to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat even downstream along the feeding path from the recording position , a first spur is positioned opposite the discharge roller 14 with a recording medium between them , a second spur is positioned upstream along the feeding path from the first spur and downstream from the feeding roller 10 , and the discharge roller 14 , discharge means consisting of the two spurs , and a platen are located in the same plane . as another arrangement to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat , a plurality of spurs are located at matrix positions in the main scan direction ( the direction that is perpendicular to the feeding path ). the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the same reference numbers are used to denote the components in this embodiment that correspond to or are identical with those in the first embodiment , and no explanation for them will be given here . in the second embodiment , as is shown in fig1 , a sheet is held on a feeding roller 10 by a resist roller 11 and a pinch roller 12 . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , a release lever 251 is set in a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 through 15b , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 222 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig1 ). the pinch roller 12 is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent at a protrusion 242b of a pinch roller release shaft 242 and generates pressing force by the spring elasticity at its support point 246a . as for the transfer of the drive force of an lf motor 28 to a pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred via an lf motor gear 231 and a deceleration gear 232 to an lf deceleration gear 233 , but not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a chassis 1 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 that is shown in fig1 b . the clutch gear 237 , however , is separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 251c of a slide cam 251b that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 , a gear 241a of the resist roller release shaft 241 and a gear 242a of the pinch roller release shaft 242 , both of which engage a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , are rotated together in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the resist roller release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig1 , its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 222 to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . as the pinch roller release shaft 242 is rotated , the pressure exerted by the protrusion 242b on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force exerted by the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . a reflective sensor 52 ( see fig1 ) is provided in part of the apparatus body , and is employed to read bar code information that adheres to an ink tank 20t or an ink jet head 20j . the ink tank 20t or the ink jet head 20j can thus be identified . the structure of a paper pan unit in this embodiment will now be explained while referring to fig1 . members and items in the unit are for a coupled driving feeding mechanism , and include a paper pan 221 , the resist roller 11 , the resist roller holder 222 , the resist roller 245 , the resist roller release shaft 241 , the pinch roller 12 , the pinch roller holder 223 , the pinch roller spring 246 , the pinch roller release shaft 242 , and a paper sensor 37 that will be described later . the unit is installed in the frame 2 from the bottom as viewed in fig1 . with this unit , ( 1 ) the assembly of the entire apparatus is easier , ( 2 ) the maintenance can be improved because of easy replacement of items , and ( 3 ) the number of assembly procedures can be reduced . since all the unit items are of the coupled driving type , the feeding accuracy of the unit does not differ from that when the items are formed as a unit . more specifically , as the drive transfer system , which includes the lf motor 28 , and the feeding roller 10 are integrally formed in the apparatus body , the normal rotation of the feeding roller 10 is constantly maintained , and the coupled driving unit , which forces a recording medium into contact with the feeding roller 10 to generate the drive force , does not interfere with the rotation of the feeding roller 10 . the structure of the paper sensor in this embodiment will now be described while referring to fig2 and 21 . the paper sensor 37 is located in the vicinity of the feeding path under the feeding roller 10 , as is shown in fig2 and 21 . the interval l from the position where the power sensor 37 detects a recording medium to the pinch roller 12 is determined to be twice a recording width in the feeding direction ( the sub scan direction ), which the ink jet head 20j can record by one scanning . in this embodiment two level buffers for image recording data are provided to develop and process the recording data at high speed . more specifically , while recording data in the buffer at the first stage are to be recorded , recording data necessary for the next scanning are developed in the second stage buffer , so that time required for data development does not directly affect the scanning time for the ink jet head 20j . after the paper sensor 37 has detected the absence of a recording medium along the feeding path , a recording area that is at least twice a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for the recording buffers , i . e ., for one scanning recording , must be left in a recording medium . since in this embodiment a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for one scanning , is 8 . 96 mm ( 1 / 360 inches × 127 dots ), with l of 27 . 5 mm , the above described requirement is satisfied . further , the paper sensor 37 in this embodiment is positioned 1 / 2 ( 50 mm ) of the short side of a post card away from the paper reference position , so as to detect all types of paper . a paper type discrimination sensor 37a is positioned 335 mm away from the paper reference position and located at the same position as that of the paper sensor 37 , as viewed in the cross section of the apparatus , so as to distinguish 80 digits of continuous sheet paper from 136 digits . it should be noted that data that extend beyond a determined width for a recording region are discarded . the feature of the lf motor 28 of the embodiment will now be described . the diameter of the lf motor 28 in the embodiment is designed smaller than that of the feeding roller 10 . the reason for that setting is explained below . [ lf motor having a smaller diameter than that of a feeding roller ] torque that is required for the acceleration of a motor is acquired by the following expression . tf is generated by the friction of the driving mechanism , and is characterized by the mechanical structure . when the frequency fn is reached , the activation frequency f0 , and the acceleration time tn are set to constant values and the mechanism is driven by a motor that has an identical step angle , the required torque τ is subject to the driving mechanism inertia j . the driving mechanism inertia j is the sum of the rotor inertia jr of the motor and inertia jm of the other driving mechanism , and the required torque is therefore subject to the motor - rotor inertia jr . although in general a high output = a high performance , since actually a large motor uses a lot of torque to drive the rotor of the motor , torque ( output ) that is supplied to the operation of the driving mechanism is reduced considerably more than was expected . the following means are useful to reduce the rotor inertia of the motor . ( iv ) do not provide magnetic powder for a portion that does not face a stator ; and further , an advantage of a compact motor is that the maximum response frequency is high . in this embodiment , fn = 1800 [ pps ], f0 = 600 [ pps ], tn = 16 . 758 [ m . sec ], and a motor of θ = 7 . 5 [°] is employed . further , a 2 -- 2 phase exciting driving system is adopted to improve the angle accuracy . therefore , a large motor has a low performance relative to a response frequency , and taking the specification of a product into account , employing a compact motor is more advantageous . in this embodiment , with an external size φ35 × thickness of 15 and with rotor material : nd - fe - b , rotor inertia jr = 2 . 5 [ g . cm ] is acquired and the motor driving is performed at a high speed and with a high output . an ink jet recording system of the present invention comprises means ( e . g ., electrothermal energy conversion device or laser light ) for generating thermal energy that is employed to perform ink ejection , and provides excellent effects where the ink status is varied by employing the thermal energy . this system can perform more delicate recording with a higher density . for the specific arrangement and the principle , it is preferable to employ the basic principle that is disclosed in the specifications of , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 723 , 129 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 740 , 796 . this system is applicable for both a so - called on - demand type and a continuous type . the system is especially effective with the ondemand type because at least one drive signal that corresponds to the image recording data , and that gives a rapid temperature rise which exceeds nucleate boiling , is supplied to an electrothermal energy conversion device that is positioned relative to a liquid ( ink ) bearing sheet and a liquid path . the thermal energy is thus generated by the electrothermal energy conversion device , and film boiling is effected on a thermally affected face of a recording head , so that bubbles in liquid ( ink ) can be formed in one - to - one correspondence with the drive signal . in consonance with the growth or shrinkage of the bubbles , liquid ( ink ) is discharged via an ejection opening and at least one droplet is formed . when the drive signal has a pulse form , the size of the bubble is immediately and properly altered , so that liquid ( ink ) which has an especially excellent response can be preferably ejected . an appropriate pulse drive signal is described in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 463 , 359 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 345 , 262 . with the employment of the conditions that are described in the specification of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 313 , 124 , which relates to the temperature rising rate on the thermally affected face , even more excellent recording can be performed . besides the arrangement of a recording head , disclosed in the above described specifications , wherein the ejection ports , the liquid path , and the electrothermal energy conversion device are combined , the present invention also includes the arrangement disclosed in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 558 , 333 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 459 , 600 , wherein a thermally acting portion is located in a curved area . in addition , the effects of the present invention can be obtained in the arrangements disclosed in japanese patent application laid - oden no . 59 - 123670 wherein a common slit serves as an ejection portion for a plurality of electrothermal energy conversion devices ; and in japanese patent application laid - open no . 59 - 138461 wherein an opening in which a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed corresponds to an ejection portion . in other words , according to the present invention , recording is ensured to be efficiently performed regardless of the shape of a recording head . the present invention is also applicable to a recording head of a full line type whose length corresponds to the maximum width of a recording medium that a recording apparatus can handle . such a recording head may be a combination of a plurality of recording heads to attain the length , or may be one integrally formed recording head . moreover , the present invention is effective for the above described serial type recording head , a recording head that is fixed to the apparatus body , a replaceable , chip type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus body or can receive ink from the apparatus body , or a cartridge type recording head for which an ink tank is integrally formed . it is desirable that ejection recover means for a recording head , and extra auxiliary means be provided as additional components of the recording apparatus arrangement because the effect of the present invention can be provided more steadily . more specifically , capping means for a recording head , cleaning means , pressurizing or absorption means , extra heating means provided by employing an electrothermal energy conversion device or another heating device , or a combination of the two , and extra ejection means for discharging ink that is not required for the recording can be employed . although only one recording head is provided for a single ink , a plurality of recording heads may be mounted that correspond to a plurality of inks for which recording colors and densities differ . more specifically , the present invention is effective not only for the apparatus that has a recording mode with only a main color , black , but also for an apparatus that provides at least one full color mode , which has different color combinations or color mixture , with either an integrally formed recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads . further , although ink has been explained as a liquid in the above described embodiments of the present invention , ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that melts or liquefies at room temperature may be employed . or , since an ink jet system generally maintains the temperature of ink within the range of 30 ° c . to 70 ° c . to hold the viscosity of ink within the steady ejection range , ink may be used that liquefies at the time of the execution of a recording signal . in addition , to aggressively prevent the temperature from rising due to thermal energy by employing that energy to liquefy solid ink , or to prevent the evaporation of ink , ink may be employed that solidifies while it settles down and is liquefied by heating . the present invention is available for ink that is liquefied by the application of thermal energy , such as ink that is liquefied by providing thermal energy in consonance with a recording signal and is then discharged , or ink that becomes solid by the time it reaches a recording medium . the ink in this case may be formed opposite an electrothermal energy conversion device while it is held as a liquid or a solid in a porous sheet recess or a through hole , as is described in japanese patent application laid - open no . 54 - 56847 or japanese patent application laid - open no . 60 - 71260 . in the present invention , the above described film boiling system is the most effective for these ink types . further , an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is employed as an image output terminal for a data processing apparatus , such as a computer , a copy machine that is combined with a reader , or a facsimile that has a communication function . as described above , the present invention ensures that a recording medium can be maintained flat during the feeding process and during the recording process , regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and can prevent distortion and thus provide high quality image recording . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | f9fb0706400f3b39c533515afd7f33df296e188317e69d5829f49bd9f0962639 | 0.088867 | 0.005066 | 0.061035 | 0.000444 | 0.091309 | 0.05835 |
null | the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 illustrate an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a top view for the general structure of the apparatus and fig2 is a cross sectional side view for the state where an automatic paper feeding unit ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; asf &# 34 ;) is installed in the apparatus . the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can handle , as recording media , cut sheet paper , such as normal recording paper and post cards , and continuous sheet paper , such as fanfold paper . usually , cut sheet paper is supplied either by an asf or manually . since the asf has two bins 30a and 30b , as is shown in fig2 cassettes holding sheets of two different sizes , for example , can be set up at the same time and employed as desired by a user . the feeding mechanisms of the bins 30a and 30b are identical . more specifically , a plurality of cut sheets ( not shown in fig2 ) that are stacked on pressing plates 31a and 31b are forced by springs 32a and 32b toward pickup rollers 33a and 33b , respectively . as the pickup roller 33a or 33b is rotated in consonance with a feeding start command , the sheets are separated and fed one by one . when cut sheet paper is employed as a recording medium , a resist roller 11 is set so that it can urge a feeding roller 10 by the manipulation of a release lever ( not shown ). the cut sheet that is supplied by the asf is fed to a recording area along a feeding path that is formed around the feeding roller 10 as it is rotated . in the recording area , a paper pressing plate 12 is forced toward the feeding roller 10 by the elasticity of leaf springs . here , the feeding force further acts on the cut sheet , which is fed between an ink jet head 20j and a platen 24 . this feeding is performed intermittently for each scan by the ink jet head 20j , which will be described later , and the feeding distance corresponds to the row length , in a cut sheet feeding direction , of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles that are provided in the ink jet head 20j . the cut sheet , which is fed every scan and on which recording is performed by the discharge of ink from the ink jet head 20j , is fed gradually upward within the apparatus and is finally discharged in consonance with the rotations of an assist roller 13 and a discharge roller 14 ( and spurs 13a and 14a that are pressed by the respective rollers 13 and 14 ). the asf is not employed for continuous sheet paper . a continuous sheet that is supplied through a paper supply port 35 is fed by driving a pin tractor 3 . the resist roller 11 is released by the release lever so that it is not pushed toward the feeding roller 10 . the continuous sheet that is fed up to the recording area is shifted intermittently with every scan of the ink jet head 20j , in the same manner as is performed for the cut sheets , and is gradually transported upward within the apparatus . recording is performed during this period . an asf motor 26 ( see fig1 ), which is provided in the apparatus body at the home position , is employed to drive a pickup roller of the asf or an absorption pump in a capping unit 25 . the driving power required for the feeding process of a recording medium , such as the drive force of the feeding roller 10 , can be acquired via a gear row 41 ( see fig1 ) from an lf motor ( not shown ), which is located at the position opposite to the home position . fig3 is a block diagram that mainly illustrates the control arrangement of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 . a control circuit board 100 , a print circuit board , is installed in the bottom of the apparatus body , as is shown in fig2 . an mpu 101 , a gate array ( ga ) 102 , a dynamic ram ( dram ) 103 , and a mask rom ( mask rom ) 107 are provided on the control circuit board 100 . further , motor drivers , i . e ., a carriage motor driver ( cr motor driver ) 104 , a paper feeding motor driver ( lf motor driver ) 105 , and an asf motor driver 106 , are provided on the control circuit board 100 . at the same time , a centronics interface ( if ) circuit board 110 , which is formed as a print circuit board , is connected to the control circuit board 100 to enable the reception of recording data from a host device . the mpu 101 of the control circuit board 100 executes data processing for the entire apparatus , the mask rom 107 is employed to store the procedures , and the dram 103 is employed as a work area for the above data processing . various circuits that are involved in the process performed by the mpu 101 are packaged in the gate array 102 . the mpu 101 converts image data , which are transferred from the host device via the i / f 110 , into data that are employed by the ink jet head 20j to form an image by ink ejection , and then transfers the resultant data to the driver of the ink jet head 20j by the ejection timing of the ink jet head 20j . further , the mpu 101 drives motors 22 , 28 and 26 via the drivers 104 , 105 and 106 , respectively . the cr motor 22 is driven based on linear encoder information acquired via a carriage 21 , while the ejection timing is controlled . in addition , the mpu 101 executes a process for key entry and information display on a front panel 130 and a process in consonance with detection information that is received from a home position ( hp ) sensor 38 , a tractor ( rrl ) sensor 36 , a paper ( pe ) sensor , and a paper type discrimination sensor 37a . the structure of a paper feeding ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; lf &# 34 ;) mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 will now be explained . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , the release lever 251 is set to a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig4 through 6 , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 5 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig5 ). likewise , an auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves upward and downward , is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by an auxiliary roller spring 248 , which is provided in the resist roller holder 5 ( see fig5 ). fig1 is a top view illustrating the cam structure of the release shaft shown in fig5 . a pinch roller 12 , which is supported by a shaft 223a , is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent by a protrusion 241c of a release shaft 241 , and generates a pressing force by the spring elasticity against its support point 246a . the positional relationship between cams 241b and 241c of the release shaft 241 is as shown in fig1 . the cams 241b and 241c are so located that they do not interfere with each other . under these conditions , the drive force of the lf motor 28 is transferred to the feeding roller 10 and the discharge roller 14 ( see fig6 ). the drive force imparted the feeding roller 10 is transferred via the series that comprises an lf motor gear 231 , an deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 233 , and to a feeding roller gear 234 , which is inserted into the feeding roller 10 , so that the feeding roller 10 is rotated . the drive force to the discharge roller 14 is transferred via the series that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 235 to a discharge roller gear 236 , which engages the discharge roller 14 , so that the discharge roller 14 is rotated . since the feeding roller 10 employed in this embodiment is elongated in the main scanning direction , distortion can be completely eliminated for a large sized sheet . in addition , the rotation speed of the discharge roller 14 is higher than that of the feeding roller 10 in this embodiment to ensure that at a recording position a recording medium will be flat . more specifically , with a feeding roller diameter of φ38 . 808 ( 0 , - 0 . 06 ), a discharge roller diameter of φ15 . 515 (± 0 . 03 ), a deceleration rate of the feeding roller of 1 / 36 , and a deceleration rate of the discharge roller of 1 / 15 , the rotation speed of the discharge roller is increased about 1 % ( 0 . 08 % to 1 . 19 % while considering crossing ). as for the transfer of the drive force of the lf motor 28 to the pin tractor 233 , the drive force is transferred via the lf motor gear 231 and the deceleration gear 232 to the lf deceleration gear 233 , and not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a frame 2 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 , which is shown in fig6 b . the clutch gear 237 is , however , separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 252b of a slide cam 252 that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig7 a gear 241a of the release shaft 241 , which engages a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig8 its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 5 down to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . a rotation support point 22a of the resist roller holder 5 is provided on the side of the pinch roller holder 223 . even when the auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves up and down , also moves in a direction where it separates from the feeding roller 11 , it merely weakens the pressing force to the feeding roller 10 because of the auxiliary roller spring 248 . further pressure by the protrusion 241c on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force of the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . as is described above , even in the continuous sheet select state , the pressing forces of the pinch roller 12 and the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 are not set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the individual reasons will now be explained . as for the reduced pressure by the pinch roller on the feeding roller 10 , although the accuracy in feeding continuous sheet paper is controlled by the pin tractor 3 , the pinch roller 12 is sometimes separated from the surface of the feeding roller 10 at page boundaries ( perforations ), and proper pressure is therefore required to prevent this phenomenon . as for the reduced pressure exerted by the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 , it is necessary to decrease the allowable difference , of a paper position that is detected by a paper sensor , that is caused by a weight percentage of a sheet ( represented by grammage or ream weight ) or by a thickness difference in paper types . as is shown in fig1 , depending on the thickness of a sheet , some sheets are fed while wrapped around the feeding roller 10 , and other sheets are fed along a feeding roller opposing portion 4a of a paper pan 4 . supposing that an interval between the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller opposing portion 4a of the paper pan 4 is l , an allowable feeding difference may be a maximum 2l . supposing that a detection position of a flag 37b of the paper sensor 37 is p and a contact point of the auxiliary roller 16 and the feeding roller 10 is q , the auxiliary roller is so positioned that p is always located downstream of q in a paper feeding direction . when the paper sensor detects a sheet , the sheet is always located on the feeding roller 10 and the allowable detection difference can be reduced . in this embodiment , the pressure force of the pinch roller 12 exerted on the feeding roller 10 is 1200 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 200 g in the continuous sheet select mode . the pressure force of the auxiliary roller 16 exerted on the feeding roller is 75 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 20 g in the continuous sheet select mode . further , the recording apparatus in this embodiment is so designed that the pressure can be varied as needed . in other words , the apparatus comprises pressure adjusting means . the pressure adjusting means includes a mechanism that selects a position at which pressure is released and a position at which pressure is gradually increased from the release position . the pressure adjusting means may also have a mechanism wherein one end of a helical coil spring , for example , which applies pressure to the pinch roller , contacts the external surface of a rotary shaft , which has a notch , and the other end of the coil spring is secured ; and wherein as the shaft is rotated , the contact position is altered either to the external surface of the shaft or the notch to select the release position or the pressure position . the drive force of the lf motor 28 in the continuous sheet select mode is transferred individually toward the feeding roller 10 , the discharge roller 14 , and the pin tractor 3 . since the transfer to the feeding roller 10 and to the discharge roller 14 is the same as is performed in the cut sheet select mode , no explanation for it will be given . as for the pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred from the row that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , the lf deceleration gear 233 , and the clutch gear 237 to a tractor gear 238 that engages a tractor shaft 15 , which is in turn rotated to transfer the drive force to the pin tractor 3 ( see fig9 a and 9b ). more specifically , although the clutch gear 237 is pressed toward the frame 2 side by the clutch spring 247 , in the continuous sheet select mode the clutch gear 237 is coupled with the lf deceleration gear 233 and to the tractor gear 238 by the cam 252c of the slide cam 252 . simultaneously , the side portion of the slide cam 252 acts on the tractor sensor 209 , and the sheet select mode is changed from the cut sheet select mode to the continuous sheet select mode . as is described above , according to the present invention , a recording medium can be maintained flat both during the feeding and the recording regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and paper distortion can be prevented , so that high quality image recording can be provided . further , according to the present invention , a constant print start position can be maintained regardless of the paper type , such as cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper . in addition , according to the present invention , the feeding of a thick recording medium , such as a post card , is ensured . the ink jet head 20j has 128 ink ejection nozzles arranged in one row . when the ink jet head 20j is attached to the carriage 21 , the arrangement of the nozzles is along the above described direction in which a recording medium is fed ( hereafter , this will be referred to as a sub scan direction ). the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can perform full color recording with yellow ( y ), magenta ( m ), cyan ( c ) and black ( bk ) ink , and monochrome recording with bk ink . in the arrangement for performing full color recording , the ink jet head 20j and ink tanks 20t , in which colored inks , y , m , c , and bk are respectively retained , are provided individually detachable from the carriage 21 . when y ink runs out or when the replacement of a tank is required , the pertinent tank can be replaced with another ink tank , or when the ink jet head 20j must be replaced , only the ink jet head need be changed . with the above described structure , 128 ink ejection nozzles of the ink jet head 20j are assigned to each ink by the predetermined counts , and ink chambers and ink supply paths are individually formed in consonance with the assignments . in the arrangement for performing monochrome recording , the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t for bk ink are integrally formed as one unit , which is provided detachable from the carriage 21 . the carriage 21 to which the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t are attached can be shifted by the drive force produced by a carriage motor 22 that is transferred via a belt 23 , which is connected to part of the carriage 21 , as is shown in fig1 . by engaging a guide shaft 21a and a guide piece 21b , which are located in the horizontal direction in fig2 to slide freely , the carriage 21 can be shifted along the guide shaft 21a and the guide piece 21b , and accordingly scanning for recording is possible . when no recording is performed , the carriage 21 is shifted back to a home position that is to the left in fig1 and the face of the ink jet head 20j in which the ink ejection nozzles are arranged is capped with a capping unit 25 . the data for shifting the carriage 21 are detected by an encoder film 27 , which is provided in parallel to the guide shaft 21a , and optical or magnetic encoder devices 51a and 51b ( see fig2 ) that are attached to the carriage 21 to sandwich the encoder film 27 . an electric signal is transmitted from the apparatus body to the ink jet head 20j via a flexible circuit board 44 . in this embodiment , to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat even downstream along the feeding path from the recording position , a first spur is positioned opposite the discharge roller 14 with a recording medium between them , a second spur is positioned upstream along the feeding path from the first spur and downstream from the feeding roller 10 , and the discharge roller 14 , discharge means consisting of the two spurs , and a platen are located in the same plane . as another arrangement to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat , a plurality of spurs are located at matrix positions in the main scan direction ( the direction that is perpendicular to the feeding path ). the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the same reference numbers are used to denote the components in this embodiment that correspond to or are identical with those in the first embodiment , and no explanation for them will be given here . in the second embodiment , as is shown in fig1 , a sheet is held on a feeding roller 10 by a resist roller 11 and a pinch roller 12 . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , a release lever 251 is set in a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 through 15b , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 222 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig1 ). the pinch roller 12 is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent at a protrusion 242b of a pinch roller release shaft 242 and generates pressing force by the spring elasticity at its support point 246a . as for the transfer of the drive force of an lf motor 28 to a pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred via an lf motor gear 231 and a deceleration gear 232 to an lf deceleration gear 233 , but not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a chassis 1 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 that is shown in fig1 b . the clutch gear 237 , however , is separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 251c of a slide cam 251b that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 , a gear 241a of the resist roller release shaft 241 and a gear 242a of the pinch roller release shaft 242 , both of which engage a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , are rotated together in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the resist roller release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig1 , its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 222 to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . as the pinch roller release shaft 242 is rotated , the pressure exerted by the protrusion 242b on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force exerted by the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . a reflective sensor 52 ( see fig1 ) is provided in part of the apparatus body , and is employed to read bar code information that adheres to an ink tank 20t or an ink jet head 20j . the ink tank 20t or the ink jet head 20j can thus be identified . the structure of a paper pan unit in this embodiment will now be explained while referring to fig1 . members and items in the unit are for a coupled driving feeding mechanism , and include a paper pan 221 , the resist roller 11 , the resist roller holder 222 , the resist roller 245 , the resist roller release shaft 241 , the pinch roller 12 , the pinch roller holder 223 , the pinch roller spring 246 , the pinch roller release shaft 242 , and a paper sensor 37 that will be described later . the unit is installed in the frame 2 from the bottom as viewed in fig1 . with this unit , ( 1 ) the assembly of the entire apparatus is easier , ( 2 ) the maintenance can be improved because of easy replacement of items , and ( 3 ) the number of assembly procedures can be reduced . since all the unit items are of the coupled driving type , the feeding accuracy of the unit does not differ from that when the items are formed as a unit . more specifically , as the drive transfer system , which includes the lf motor 28 , and the feeding roller 10 are integrally formed in the apparatus body , the normal rotation of the feeding roller 10 is constantly maintained , and the coupled driving unit , which forces a recording medium into contact with the feeding roller 10 to generate the drive force , does not interfere with the rotation of the feeding roller 10 . the structure of the paper sensor in this embodiment will now be described while referring to fig2 and 21 . the paper sensor 37 is located in the vicinity of the feeding path under the feeding roller 10 , as is shown in fig2 and 21 . the interval l from the position where the power sensor 37 detects a recording medium to the pinch roller 12 is determined to be twice a recording width in the feeding direction ( the sub scan direction ), which the ink jet head 20j can record by one scanning . in this embodiment two level buffers for image recording data are provided to develop and process the recording data at high speed . more specifically , while recording data in the buffer at the first stage are to be recorded , recording data necessary for the next scanning are developed in the second stage buffer , so that time required for data development does not directly affect the scanning time for the ink jet head 20j . after the paper sensor 37 has detected the absence of a recording medium along the feeding path , a recording area that is at least twice a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for the recording buffers , i . e ., for one scanning recording , must be left in a recording medium . since in this embodiment a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for one scanning , is 8 . 96 mm ( 1 / 360 inches × 127 dots ), with l of 27 . 5 mm , the above described requirement is satisfied . further , the paper sensor 37 in this embodiment is positioned 1 / 2 ( 50 mm ) of the short side of a post card away from the paper reference position , so as to detect all types of paper . a paper type discrimination sensor 37a is positioned 335 mm away from the paper reference position and located at the same position as that of the paper sensor 37 , as viewed in the cross section of the apparatus , so as to distinguish 80 digits of continuous sheet paper from 136 digits . it should be noted that data that extend beyond a determined width for a recording region are discarded . the feature of the lf motor 28 of the embodiment will now be described . the diameter of the lf motor 28 in the embodiment is designed smaller than that of the feeding roller 10 . the reason for that setting is explained below . [ lf motor having a smaller diameter than that of a feeding roller ] torque that is required for the acceleration of a motor is acquired by the following expression . tf is generated by the friction of the driving mechanism , and is characterized by the mechanical structure . when the frequency fn is reached , the activation frequency f0 , and the acceleration time tn are set to constant values and the mechanism is driven by a motor that has an identical step angle , the required torque τ is subject to the driving mechanism inertia j . the driving mechanism inertia j is the sum of the rotor inertia jr of the motor and inertia jm of the other driving mechanism , and the required torque is therefore subject to the motor - rotor inertia jr . although in general a high output = a high performance , since actually a large motor uses a lot of torque to drive the rotor of the motor , torque ( output ) that is supplied to the operation of the driving mechanism is reduced considerably more than was expected . the following means are useful to reduce the rotor inertia of the motor . ( iv ) do not provide magnetic powder for a portion that does not face a stator ; and further , an advantage of a compact motor is that the maximum response frequency is high . in this embodiment , fn = 1800 [ pps ], f0 = 600 [ pps ], tn = 16 . 758 [ m . sec ], and a motor of θ = 7 . 5 [°] is employed . further , a 2 -- 2 phase exciting driving system is adopted to improve the angle accuracy . therefore , a large motor has a low performance relative to a response frequency , and taking the specification of a product into account , employing a compact motor is more advantageous . in this embodiment , with an external size φ35 × thickness of 15 and with rotor material : nd - fe - b , rotor inertia jr = 2 . 5 [ g . cm ] is acquired and the motor driving is performed at a high speed and with a high output . an ink jet recording system of the present invention comprises means ( e . g ., electrothermal energy conversion device or laser light ) for generating thermal energy that is employed to perform ink ejection , and provides excellent effects where the ink status is varied by employing the thermal energy . this system can perform more delicate recording with a higher density . for the specific arrangement and the principle , it is preferable to employ the basic principle that is disclosed in the specifications of , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 723 , 129 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 740 , 796 . this system is applicable for both a so - called on - demand type and a continuous type . the system is especially effective with the ondemand type because at least one drive signal that corresponds to the image recording data , and that gives a rapid temperature rise which exceeds nucleate boiling , is supplied to an electrothermal energy conversion device that is positioned relative to a liquid ( ink ) bearing sheet and a liquid path . the thermal energy is thus generated by the electrothermal energy conversion device , and film boiling is effected on a thermally affected face of a recording head , so that bubbles in liquid ( ink ) can be formed in one - to - one correspondence with the drive signal . in consonance with the growth or shrinkage of the bubbles , liquid ( ink ) is discharged via an ejection opening and at least one droplet is formed . when the drive signal has a pulse form , the size of the bubble is immediately and properly altered , so that liquid ( ink ) which has an especially excellent response can be preferably ejected . an appropriate pulse drive signal is described in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 463 , 359 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 345 , 262 . with the employment of the conditions that are described in the specification of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 313 , 124 , which relates to the temperature rising rate on the thermally affected face , even more excellent recording can be performed . besides the arrangement of a recording head , disclosed in the above described specifications , wherein the ejection ports , the liquid path , and the electrothermal energy conversion device are combined , the present invention also includes the arrangement disclosed in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 558 , 333 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 459 , 600 , wherein a thermally acting portion is located in a curved area . in addition , the effects of the present invention can be obtained in the arrangements disclosed in japanese patent application laid - oden no . 59 - 123670 wherein a common slit serves as an ejection portion for a plurality of electrothermal energy conversion devices ; and in japanese patent application laid - open no . 59 - 138461 wherein an opening in which a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed corresponds to an ejection portion . in other words , according to the present invention , recording is ensured to be efficiently performed regardless of the shape of a recording head . the present invention is also applicable to a recording head of a full line type whose length corresponds to the maximum width of a recording medium that a recording apparatus can handle . such a recording head may be a combination of a plurality of recording heads to attain the length , or may be one integrally formed recording head . moreover , the present invention is effective for the above described serial type recording head , a recording head that is fixed to the apparatus body , a replaceable , chip type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus body or can receive ink from the apparatus body , or a cartridge type recording head for which an ink tank is integrally formed . it is desirable that ejection recover means for a recording head , and extra auxiliary means be provided as additional components of the recording apparatus arrangement because the effect of the present invention can be provided more steadily . more specifically , capping means for a recording head , cleaning means , pressurizing or absorption means , extra heating means provided by employing an electrothermal energy conversion device or another heating device , or a combination of the two , and extra ejection means for discharging ink that is not required for the recording can be employed . although only one recording head is provided for a single ink , a plurality of recording heads may be mounted that correspond to a plurality of inks for which recording colors and densities differ . more specifically , the present invention is effective not only for the apparatus that has a recording mode with only a main color , black , but also for an apparatus that provides at least one full color mode , which has different color combinations or color mixture , with either an integrally formed recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads . further , although ink has been explained as a liquid in the above described embodiments of the present invention , ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that melts or liquefies at room temperature may be employed . or , since an ink jet system generally maintains the temperature of ink within the range of 30 ° c . to 70 ° c . to hold the viscosity of ink within the steady ejection range , ink may be used that liquefies at the time of the execution of a recording signal . in addition , to aggressively prevent the temperature from rising due to thermal energy by employing that energy to liquefy solid ink , or to prevent the evaporation of ink , ink may be employed that solidifies while it settles down and is liquefied by heating . the present invention is available for ink that is liquefied by the application of thermal energy , such as ink that is liquefied by providing thermal energy in consonance with a recording signal and is then discharged , or ink that becomes solid by the time it reaches a recording medium . the ink in this case may be formed opposite an electrothermal energy conversion device while it is held as a liquid or a solid in a porous sheet recess or a through hole , as is described in japanese patent application laid - open no . 54 - 56847 or japanese patent application laid - open no . 60 - 71260 . in the present invention , the above described film boiling system is the most effective for these ink types . further , an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is employed as an image output terminal for a data processing apparatus , such as a computer , a copy machine that is combined with a reader , or a facsimile that has a communication function . as described above , the present invention ensures that a recording medium can be maintained flat during the feeding process and during the recording process , regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and can prevent distortion and thus provide high quality image recording . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Physics'? | 0.25 | f9fb0706400f3b39c533515afd7f33df296e188317e69d5829f49bd9f0962639 | 0.078125 | 0.1875 | 0.039063 | 0.026733 | 0.130859 | 0.246094 |
null | the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 illustrate an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a top view for the general structure of the apparatus and fig2 is a cross sectional side view for the state where an automatic paper feeding unit ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; asf &# 34 ;) is installed in the apparatus . the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can handle , as recording media , cut sheet paper , such as normal recording paper and post cards , and continuous sheet paper , such as fanfold paper . usually , cut sheet paper is supplied either by an asf or manually . since the asf has two bins 30a and 30b , as is shown in fig2 cassettes holding sheets of two different sizes , for example , can be set up at the same time and employed as desired by a user . the feeding mechanisms of the bins 30a and 30b are identical . more specifically , a plurality of cut sheets ( not shown in fig2 ) that are stacked on pressing plates 31a and 31b are forced by springs 32a and 32b toward pickup rollers 33a and 33b , respectively . as the pickup roller 33a or 33b is rotated in consonance with a feeding start command , the sheets are separated and fed one by one . when cut sheet paper is employed as a recording medium , a resist roller 11 is set so that it can urge a feeding roller 10 by the manipulation of a release lever ( not shown ). the cut sheet that is supplied by the asf is fed to a recording area along a feeding path that is formed around the feeding roller 10 as it is rotated . in the recording area , a paper pressing plate 12 is forced toward the feeding roller 10 by the elasticity of leaf springs . here , the feeding force further acts on the cut sheet , which is fed between an ink jet head 20j and a platen 24 . this feeding is performed intermittently for each scan by the ink jet head 20j , which will be described later , and the feeding distance corresponds to the row length , in a cut sheet feeding direction , of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles that are provided in the ink jet head 20j . the cut sheet , which is fed every scan and on which recording is performed by the discharge of ink from the ink jet head 20j , is fed gradually upward within the apparatus and is finally discharged in consonance with the rotations of an assist roller 13 and a discharge roller 14 ( and spurs 13a and 14a that are pressed by the respective rollers 13 and 14 ). the asf is not employed for continuous sheet paper . a continuous sheet that is supplied through a paper supply port 35 is fed by driving a pin tractor 3 . the resist roller 11 is released by the release lever so that it is not pushed toward the feeding roller 10 . the continuous sheet that is fed up to the recording area is shifted intermittently with every scan of the ink jet head 20j , in the same manner as is performed for the cut sheets , and is gradually transported upward within the apparatus . recording is performed during this period . an asf motor 26 ( see fig1 ), which is provided in the apparatus body at the home position , is employed to drive a pickup roller of the asf or an absorption pump in a capping unit 25 . the driving power required for the feeding process of a recording medium , such as the drive force of the feeding roller 10 , can be acquired via a gear row 41 ( see fig1 ) from an lf motor ( not shown ), which is located at the position opposite to the home position . fig3 is a block diagram that mainly illustrates the control arrangement of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 . a control circuit board 100 , a print circuit board , is installed in the bottom of the apparatus body , as is shown in fig2 . an mpu 101 , a gate array ( ga ) 102 , a dynamic ram ( dram ) 103 , and a mask rom ( mask rom ) 107 are provided on the control circuit board 100 . further , motor drivers , i . e ., a carriage motor driver ( cr motor driver ) 104 , a paper feeding motor driver ( lf motor driver ) 105 , and an asf motor driver 106 , are provided on the control circuit board 100 . at the same time , a centronics interface ( if ) circuit board 110 , which is formed as a print circuit board , is connected to the control circuit board 100 to enable the reception of recording data from a host device . the mpu 101 of the control circuit board 100 executes data processing for the entire apparatus , the mask rom 107 is employed to store the procedures , and the dram 103 is employed as a work area for the above data processing . various circuits that are involved in the process performed by the mpu 101 are packaged in the gate array 102 . the mpu 101 converts image data , which are transferred from the host device via the i / f 110 , into data that are employed by the ink jet head 20j to form an image by ink ejection , and then transfers the resultant data to the driver of the ink jet head 20j by the ejection timing of the ink jet head 20j . further , the mpu 101 drives motors 22 , 28 and 26 via the drivers 104 , 105 and 106 , respectively . the cr motor 22 is driven based on linear encoder information acquired via a carriage 21 , while the ejection timing is controlled . in addition , the mpu 101 executes a process for key entry and information display on a front panel 130 and a process in consonance with detection information that is received from a home position ( hp ) sensor 38 , a tractor ( rrl ) sensor 36 , a paper ( pe ) sensor , and a paper type discrimination sensor 37a . the structure of a paper feeding ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; lf &# 34 ;) mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 will now be explained . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , the release lever 251 is set to a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig4 through 6 , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 5 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig5 ). likewise , an auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves upward and downward , is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by an auxiliary roller spring 248 , which is provided in the resist roller holder 5 ( see fig5 ). fig1 is a top view illustrating the cam structure of the release shaft shown in fig5 . a pinch roller 12 , which is supported by a shaft 223a , is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent by a protrusion 241c of a release shaft 241 , and generates a pressing force by the spring elasticity against its support point 246a . the positional relationship between cams 241b and 241c of the release shaft 241 is as shown in fig1 . the cams 241b and 241c are so located that they do not interfere with each other . under these conditions , the drive force of the lf motor 28 is transferred to the feeding roller 10 and the discharge roller 14 ( see fig6 ). the drive force imparted the feeding roller 10 is transferred via the series that comprises an lf motor gear 231 , an deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 233 , and to a feeding roller gear 234 , which is inserted into the feeding roller 10 , so that the feeding roller 10 is rotated . the drive force to the discharge roller 14 is transferred via the series that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 235 to a discharge roller gear 236 , which engages the discharge roller 14 , so that the discharge roller 14 is rotated . since the feeding roller 10 employed in this embodiment is elongated in the main scanning direction , distortion can be completely eliminated for a large sized sheet . in addition , the rotation speed of the discharge roller 14 is higher than that of the feeding roller 10 in this embodiment to ensure that at a recording position a recording medium will be flat . more specifically , with a feeding roller diameter of φ38 . 808 ( 0 , - 0 . 06 ), a discharge roller diameter of φ15 . 515 (± 0 . 03 ), a deceleration rate of the feeding roller of 1 / 36 , and a deceleration rate of the discharge roller of 1 / 15 , the rotation speed of the discharge roller is increased about 1 % ( 0 . 08 % to 1 . 19 % while considering crossing ). as for the transfer of the drive force of the lf motor 28 to the pin tractor 233 , the drive force is transferred via the lf motor gear 231 and the deceleration gear 232 to the lf deceleration gear 233 , and not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a frame 2 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 , which is shown in fig6 b . the clutch gear 237 is , however , separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 252b of a slide cam 252 that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig7 a gear 241a of the release shaft 241 , which engages a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig8 its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 5 down to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . a rotation support point 22a of the resist roller holder 5 is provided on the side of the pinch roller holder 223 . even when the auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves up and down , also moves in a direction where it separates from the feeding roller 11 , it merely weakens the pressing force to the feeding roller 10 because of the auxiliary roller spring 248 . further pressure by the protrusion 241c on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force of the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . as is described above , even in the continuous sheet select state , the pressing forces of the pinch roller 12 and the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 are not set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the individual reasons will now be explained . as for the reduced pressure by the pinch roller on the feeding roller 10 , although the accuracy in feeding continuous sheet paper is controlled by the pin tractor 3 , the pinch roller 12 is sometimes separated from the surface of the feeding roller 10 at page boundaries ( perforations ), and proper pressure is therefore required to prevent this phenomenon . as for the reduced pressure exerted by the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 , it is necessary to decrease the allowable difference , of a paper position that is detected by a paper sensor , that is caused by a weight percentage of a sheet ( represented by grammage or ream weight ) or by a thickness difference in paper types . as is shown in fig1 , depending on the thickness of a sheet , some sheets are fed while wrapped around the feeding roller 10 , and other sheets are fed along a feeding roller opposing portion 4a of a paper pan 4 . supposing that an interval between the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller opposing portion 4a of the paper pan 4 is l , an allowable feeding difference may be a maximum 2l . supposing that a detection position of a flag 37b of the paper sensor 37 is p and a contact point of the auxiliary roller 16 and the feeding roller 10 is q , the auxiliary roller is so positioned that p is always located downstream of q in a paper feeding direction . when the paper sensor detects a sheet , the sheet is always located on the feeding roller 10 and the allowable detection difference can be reduced . in this embodiment , the pressure force of the pinch roller 12 exerted on the feeding roller 10 is 1200 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 200 g in the continuous sheet select mode . the pressure force of the auxiliary roller 16 exerted on the feeding roller is 75 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 20 g in the continuous sheet select mode . further , the recording apparatus in this embodiment is so designed that the pressure can be varied as needed . in other words , the apparatus comprises pressure adjusting means . the pressure adjusting means includes a mechanism that selects a position at which pressure is released and a position at which pressure is gradually increased from the release position . the pressure adjusting means may also have a mechanism wherein one end of a helical coil spring , for example , which applies pressure to the pinch roller , contacts the external surface of a rotary shaft , which has a notch , and the other end of the coil spring is secured ; and wherein as the shaft is rotated , the contact position is altered either to the external surface of the shaft or the notch to select the release position or the pressure position . the drive force of the lf motor 28 in the continuous sheet select mode is transferred individually toward the feeding roller 10 , the discharge roller 14 , and the pin tractor 3 . since the transfer to the feeding roller 10 and to the discharge roller 14 is the same as is performed in the cut sheet select mode , no explanation for it will be given . as for the pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred from the row that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , the lf deceleration gear 233 , and the clutch gear 237 to a tractor gear 238 that engages a tractor shaft 15 , which is in turn rotated to transfer the drive force to the pin tractor 3 ( see fig9 a and 9b ). more specifically , although the clutch gear 237 is pressed toward the frame 2 side by the clutch spring 247 , in the continuous sheet select mode the clutch gear 237 is coupled with the lf deceleration gear 233 and to the tractor gear 238 by the cam 252c of the slide cam 252 . simultaneously , the side portion of the slide cam 252 acts on the tractor sensor 209 , and the sheet select mode is changed from the cut sheet select mode to the continuous sheet select mode . as is described above , according to the present invention , a recording medium can be maintained flat both during the feeding and the recording regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and paper distortion can be prevented , so that high quality image recording can be provided . further , according to the present invention , a constant print start position can be maintained regardless of the paper type , such as cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper . in addition , according to the present invention , the feeding of a thick recording medium , such as a post card , is ensured . the ink jet head 20j has 128 ink ejection nozzles arranged in one row . when the ink jet head 20j is attached to the carriage 21 , the arrangement of the nozzles is along the above described direction in which a recording medium is fed ( hereafter , this will be referred to as a sub scan direction ). the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can perform full color recording with yellow ( y ), magenta ( m ), cyan ( c ) and black ( bk ) ink , and monochrome recording with bk ink . in the arrangement for performing full color recording , the ink jet head 20j and ink tanks 20t , in which colored inks , y , m , c , and bk are respectively retained , are provided individually detachable from the carriage 21 . when y ink runs out or when the replacement of a tank is required , the pertinent tank can be replaced with another ink tank , or when the ink jet head 20j must be replaced , only the ink jet head need be changed . with the above described structure , 128 ink ejection nozzles of the ink jet head 20j are assigned to each ink by the predetermined counts , and ink chambers and ink supply paths are individually formed in consonance with the assignments . in the arrangement for performing monochrome recording , the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t for bk ink are integrally formed as one unit , which is provided detachable from the carriage 21 . the carriage 21 to which the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t are attached can be shifted by the drive force produced by a carriage motor 22 that is transferred via a belt 23 , which is connected to part of the carriage 21 , as is shown in fig1 . by engaging a guide shaft 21a and a guide piece 21b , which are located in the horizontal direction in fig2 to slide freely , the carriage 21 can be shifted along the guide shaft 21a and the guide piece 21b , and accordingly scanning for recording is possible . when no recording is performed , the carriage 21 is shifted back to a home position that is to the left in fig1 and the face of the ink jet head 20j in which the ink ejection nozzles are arranged is capped with a capping unit 25 . the data for shifting the carriage 21 are detected by an encoder film 27 , which is provided in parallel to the guide shaft 21a , and optical or magnetic encoder devices 51a and 51b ( see fig2 ) that are attached to the carriage 21 to sandwich the encoder film 27 . an electric signal is transmitted from the apparatus body to the ink jet head 20j via a flexible circuit board 44 . in this embodiment , to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat even downstream along the feeding path from the recording position , a first spur is positioned opposite the discharge roller 14 with a recording medium between them , a second spur is positioned upstream along the feeding path from the first spur and downstream from the feeding roller 10 , and the discharge roller 14 , discharge means consisting of the two spurs , and a platen are located in the same plane . as another arrangement to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat , a plurality of spurs are located at matrix positions in the main scan direction ( the direction that is perpendicular to the feeding path ). the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the same reference numbers are used to denote the components in this embodiment that correspond to or are identical with those in the first embodiment , and no explanation for them will be given here . in the second embodiment , as is shown in fig1 , a sheet is held on a feeding roller 10 by a resist roller 11 and a pinch roller 12 . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , a release lever 251 is set in a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 through 15b , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 222 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig1 ). the pinch roller 12 is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent at a protrusion 242b of a pinch roller release shaft 242 and generates pressing force by the spring elasticity at its support point 246a . as for the transfer of the drive force of an lf motor 28 to a pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred via an lf motor gear 231 and a deceleration gear 232 to an lf deceleration gear 233 , but not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a chassis 1 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 that is shown in fig1 b . the clutch gear 237 , however , is separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 251c of a slide cam 251b that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 , a gear 241a of the resist roller release shaft 241 and a gear 242a of the pinch roller release shaft 242 , both of which engage a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , are rotated together in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the resist roller release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig1 , its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 222 to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . as the pinch roller release shaft 242 is rotated , the pressure exerted by the protrusion 242b on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force exerted by the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . a reflective sensor 52 ( see fig1 ) is provided in part of the apparatus body , and is employed to read bar code information that adheres to an ink tank 20t or an ink jet head 20j . the ink tank 20t or the ink jet head 20j can thus be identified . the structure of a paper pan unit in this embodiment will now be explained while referring to fig1 . members and items in the unit are for a coupled driving feeding mechanism , and include a paper pan 221 , the resist roller 11 , the resist roller holder 222 , the resist roller 245 , the resist roller release shaft 241 , the pinch roller 12 , the pinch roller holder 223 , the pinch roller spring 246 , the pinch roller release shaft 242 , and a paper sensor 37 that will be described later . the unit is installed in the frame 2 from the bottom as viewed in fig1 . with this unit , ( 1 ) the assembly of the entire apparatus is easier , ( 2 ) the maintenance can be improved because of easy replacement of items , and ( 3 ) the number of assembly procedures can be reduced . since all the unit items are of the coupled driving type , the feeding accuracy of the unit does not differ from that when the items are formed as a unit . more specifically , as the drive transfer system , which includes the lf motor 28 , and the feeding roller 10 are integrally formed in the apparatus body , the normal rotation of the feeding roller 10 is constantly maintained , and the coupled driving unit , which forces a recording medium into contact with the feeding roller 10 to generate the drive force , does not interfere with the rotation of the feeding roller 10 . the structure of the paper sensor in this embodiment will now be described while referring to fig2 and 21 . the paper sensor 37 is located in the vicinity of the feeding path under the feeding roller 10 , as is shown in fig2 and 21 . the interval l from the position where the power sensor 37 detects a recording medium to the pinch roller 12 is determined to be twice a recording width in the feeding direction ( the sub scan direction ), which the ink jet head 20j can record by one scanning . in this embodiment two level buffers for image recording data are provided to develop and process the recording data at high speed . more specifically , while recording data in the buffer at the first stage are to be recorded , recording data necessary for the next scanning are developed in the second stage buffer , so that time required for data development does not directly affect the scanning time for the ink jet head 20j . after the paper sensor 37 has detected the absence of a recording medium along the feeding path , a recording area that is at least twice a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for the recording buffers , i . e ., for one scanning recording , must be left in a recording medium . since in this embodiment a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for one scanning , is 8 . 96 mm ( 1 / 360 inches × 127 dots ), with l of 27 . 5 mm , the above described requirement is satisfied . further , the paper sensor 37 in this embodiment is positioned 1 / 2 ( 50 mm ) of the short side of a post card away from the paper reference position , so as to detect all types of paper . a paper type discrimination sensor 37a is positioned 335 mm away from the paper reference position and located at the same position as that of the paper sensor 37 , as viewed in the cross section of the apparatus , so as to distinguish 80 digits of continuous sheet paper from 136 digits . it should be noted that data that extend beyond a determined width for a recording region are discarded . the feature of the lf motor 28 of the embodiment will now be described . the diameter of the lf motor 28 in the embodiment is designed smaller than that of the feeding roller 10 . the reason for that setting is explained below . [ lf motor having a smaller diameter than that of a feeding roller ] torque that is required for the acceleration of a motor is acquired by the following expression . tf is generated by the friction of the driving mechanism , and is characterized by the mechanical structure . when the frequency fn is reached , the activation frequency f0 , and the acceleration time tn are set to constant values and the mechanism is driven by a motor that has an identical step angle , the required torque τ is subject to the driving mechanism inertia j . the driving mechanism inertia j is the sum of the rotor inertia jr of the motor and inertia jm of the other driving mechanism , and the required torque is therefore subject to the motor - rotor inertia jr . although in general a high output = a high performance , since actually a large motor uses a lot of torque to drive the rotor of the motor , torque ( output ) that is supplied to the operation of the driving mechanism is reduced considerably more than was expected . the following means are useful to reduce the rotor inertia of the motor . ( iv ) do not provide magnetic powder for a portion that does not face a stator ; and further , an advantage of a compact motor is that the maximum response frequency is high . in this embodiment , fn = 1800 [ pps ], f0 = 600 [ pps ], tn = 16 . 758 [ m . sec ], and a motor of θ = 7 . 5 [°] is employed . further , a 2 -- 2 phase exciting driving system is adopted to improve the angle accuracy . therefore , a large motor has a low performance relative to a response frequency , and taking the specification of a product into account , employing a compact motor is more advantageous . in this embodiment , with an external size φ35 × thickness of 15 and with rotor material : nd - fe - b , rotor inertia jr = 2 . 5 [ g . cm ] is acquired and the motor driving is performed at a high speed and with a high output . an ink jet recording system of the present invention comprises means ( e . g ., electrothermal energy conversion device or laser light ) for generating thermal energy that is employed to perform ink ejection , and provides excellent effects where the ink status is varied by employing the thermal energy . this system can perform more delicate recording with a higher density . for the specific arrangement and the principle , it is preferable to employ the basic principle that is disclosed in the specifications of , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 723 , 129 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 740 , 796 . this system is applicable for both a so - called on - demand type and a continuous type . the system is especially effective with the ondemand type because at least one drive signal that corresponds to the image recording data , and that gives a rapid temperature rise which exceeds nucleate boiling , is supplied to an electrothermal energy conversion device that is positioned relative to a liquid ( ink ) bearing sheet and a liquid path . the thermal energy is thus generated by the electrothermal energy conversion device , and film boiling is effected on a thermally affected face of a recording head , so that bubbles in liquid ( ink ) can be formed in one - to - one correspondence with the drive signal . in consonance with the growth or shrinkage of the bubbles , liquid ( ink ) is discharged via an ejection opening and at least one droplet is formed . when the drive signal has a pulse form , the size of the bubble is immediately and properly altered , so that liquid ( ink ) which has an especially excellent response can be preferably ejected . an appropriate pulse drive signal is described in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 463 , 359 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 345 , 262 . with the employment of the conditions that are described in the specification of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 313 , 124 , which relates to the temperature rising rate on the thermally affected face , even more excellent recording can be performed . besides the arrangement of a recording head , disclosed in the above described specifications , wherein the ejection ports , the liquid path , and the electrothermal energy conversion device are combined , the present invention also includes the arrangement disclosed in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 558 , 333 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 459 , 600 , wherein a thermally acting portion is located in a curved area . in addition , the effects of the present invention can be obtained in the arrangements disclosed in japanese patent application laid - oden no . 59 - 123670 wherein a common slit serves as an ejection portion for a plurality of electrothermal energy conversion devices ; and in japanese patent application laid - open no . 59 - 138461 wherein an opening in which a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed corresponds to an ejection portion . in other words , according to the present invention , recording is ensured to be efficiently performed regardless of the shape of a recording head . the present invention is also applicable to a recording head of a full line type whose length corresponds to the maximum width of a recording medium that a recording apparatus can handle . such a recording head may be a combination of a plurality of recording heads to attain the length , or may be one integrally formed recording head . moreover , the present invention is effective for the above described serial type recording head , a recording head that is fixed to the apparatus body , a replaceable , chip type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus body or can receive ink from the apparatus body , or a cartridge type recording head for which an ink tank is integrally formed . it is desirable that ejection recover means for a recording head , and extra auxiliary means be provided as additional components of the recording apparatus arrangement because the effect of the present invention can be provided more steadily . more specifically , capping means for a recording head , cleaning means , pressurizing or absorption means , extra heating means provided by employing an electrothermal energy conversion device or another heating device , or a combination of the two , and extra ejection means for discharging ink that is not required for the recording can be employed . although only one recording head is provided for a single ink , a plurality of recording heads may be mounted that correspond to a plurality of inks for which recording colors and densities differ . more specifically , the present invention is effective not only for the apparatus that has a recording mode with only a main color , black , but also for an apparatus that provides at least one full color mode , which has different color combinations or color mixture , with either an integrally formed recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads . further , although ink has been explained as a liquid in the above described embodiments of the present invention , ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that melts or liquefies at room temperature may be employed . or , since an ink jet system generally maintains the temperature of ink within the range of 30 ° c . to 70 ° c . to hold the viscosity of ink within the steady ejection range , ink may be used that liquefies at the time of the execution of a recording signal . in addition , to aggressively prevent the temperature from rising due to thermal energy by employing that energy to liquefy solid ink , or to prevent the evaporation of ink , ink may be employed that solidifies while it settles down and is liquefied by heating . the present invention is available for ink that is liquefied by the application of thermal energy , such as ink that is liquefied by providing thermal energy in consonance with a recording signal and is then discharged , or ink that becomes solid by the time it reaches a recording medium . the ink in this case may be formed opposite an electrothermal energy conversion device while it is held as a liquid or a solid in a porous sheet recess or a through hole , as is described in japanese patent application laid - open no . 54 - 56847 or japanese patent application laid - open no . 60 - 71260 . in the present invention , the above described film boiling system is the most effective for these ink types . further , an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is employed as an image output terminal for a data processing apparatus , such as a computer , a copy machine that is combined with a reader , or a facsimile that has a communication function . as described above , the present invention ensures that a recording medium can be maintained flat during the feeding process and during the recording process , regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and can prevent distortion and thus provide high quality image recording . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | f9fb0706400f3b39c533515afd7f33df296e188317e69d5829f49bd9f0962639 | 0.078125 | 0.009155 | 0.039063 | 0.000687 | 0.130859 | 0.001457 |
null | the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 illustrate an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a top view for the general structure of the apparatus and fig2 is a cross sectional side view for the state where an automatic paper feeding unit ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; asf &# 34 ;) is installed in the apparatus . the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can handle , as recording media , cut sheet paper , such as normal recording paper and post cards , and continuous sheet paper , such as fanfold paper . usually , cut sheet paper is supplied either by an asf or manually . since the asf has two bins 30a and 30b , as is shown in fig2 cassettes holding sheets of two different sizes , for example , can be set up at the same time and employed as desired by a user . the feeding mechanisms of the bins 30a and 30b are identical . more specifically , a plurality of cut sheets ( not shown in fig2 ) that are stacked on pressing plates 31a and 31b are forced by springs 32a and 32b toward pickup rollers 33a and 33b , respectively . as the pickup roller 33a or 33b is rotated in consonance with a feeding start command , the sheets are separated and fed one by one . when cut sheet paper is employed as a recording medium , a resist roller 11 is set so that it can urge a feeding roller 10 by the manipulation of a release lever ( not shown ). the cut sheet that is supplied by the asf is fed to a recording area along a feeding path that is formed around the feeding roller 10 as it is rotated . in the recording area , a paper pressing plate 12 is forced toward the feeding roller 10 by the elasticity of leaf springs . here , the feeding force further acts on the cut sheet , which is fed between an ink jet head 20j and a platen 24 . this feeding is performed intermittently for each scan by the ink jet head 20j , which will be described later , and the feeding distance corresponds to the row length , in a cut sheet feeding direction , of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles that are provided in the ink jet head 20j . the cut sheet , which is fed every scan and on which recording is performed by the discharge of ink from the ink jet head 20j , is fed gradually upward within the apparatus and is finally discharged in consonance with the rotations of an assist roller 13 and a discharge roller 14 ( and spurs 13a and 14a that are pressed by the respective rollers 13 and 14 ). the asf is not employed for continuous sheet paper . a continuous sheet that is supplied through a paper supply port 35 is fed by driving a pin tractor 3 . the resist roller 11 is released by the release lever so that it is not pushed toward the feeding roller 10 . the continuous sheet that is fed up to the recording area is shifted intermittently with every scan of the ink jet head 20j , in the same manner as is performed for the cut sheets , and is gradually transported upward within the apparatus . recording is performed during this period . an asf motor 26 ( see fig1 ), which is provided in the apparatus body at the home position , is employed to drive a pickup roller of the asf or an absorption pump in a capping unit 25 . the driving power required for the feeding process of a recording medium , such as the drive force of the feeding roller 10 , can be acquired via a gear row 41 ( see fig1 ) from an lf motor ( not shown ), which is located at the position opposite to the home position . fig3 is a block diagram that mainly illustrates the control arrangement of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 . a control circuit board 100 , a print circuit board , is installed in the bottom of the apparatus body , as is shown in fig2 . an mpu 101 , a gate array ( ga ) 102 , a dynamic ram ( dram ) 103 , and a mask rom ( mask rom ) 107 are provided on the control circuit board 100 . further , motor drivers , i . e ., a carriage motor driver ( cr motor driver ) 104 , a paper feeding motor driver ( lf motor driver ) 105 , and an asf motor driver 106 , are provided on the control circuit board 100 . at the same time , a centronics interface ( if ) circuit board 110 , which is formed as a print circuit board , is connected to the control circuit board 100 to enable the reception of recording data from a host device . the mpu 101 of the control circuit board 100 executes data processing for the entire apparatus , the mask rom 107 is employed to store the procedures , and the dram 103 is employed as a work area for the above data processing . various circuits that are involved in the process performed by the mpu 101 are packaged in the gate array 102 . the mpu 101 converts image data , which are transferred from the host device via the i / f 110 , into data that are employed by the ink jet head 20j to form an image by ink ejection , and then transfers the resultant data to the driver of the ink jet head 20j by the ejection timing of the ink jet head 20j . further , the mpu 101 drives motors 22 , 28 and 26 via the drivers 104 , 105 and 106 , respectively . the cr motor 22 is driven based on linear encoder information acquired via a carriage 21 , while the ejection timing is controlled . in addition , the mpu 101 executes a process for key entry and information display on a front panel 130 and a process in consonance with detection information that is received from a home position ( hp ) sensor 38 , a tractor ( rrl ) sensor 36 , a paper ( pe ) sensor , and a paper type discrimination sensor 37a . the structure of a paper feeding ( hereafter referred to as an &# 34 ; lf &# 34 ;) mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 will now be explained . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , the release lever 251 is set to a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig4 through 6 , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 5 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig5 ). likewise , an auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves upward and downward , is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by an auxiliary roller spring 248 , which is provided in the resist roller holder 5 ( see fig5 ). fig1 is a top view illustrating the cam structure of the release shaft shown in fig5 . a pinch roller 12 , which is supported by a shaft 223a , is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent by a protrusion 241c of a release shaft 241 , and generates a pressing force by the spring elasticity against its support point 246a . the positional relationship between cams 241b and 241c of the release shaft 241 is as shown in fig1 . the cams 241b and 241c are so located that they do not interfere with each other . under these conditions , the drive force of the lf motor 28 is transferred to the feeding roller 10 and the discharge roller 14 ( see fig6 ). the drive force imparted the feeding roller 10 is transferred via the series that comprises an lf motor gear 231 , an deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 233 , and to a feeding roller gear 234 , which is inserted into the feeding roller 10 , so that the feeding roller 10 is rotated . the drive force to the discharge roller 14 is transferred via the series that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , and an lf deceleration gear 235 to a discharge roller gear 236 , which engages the discharge roller 14 , so that the discharge roller 14 is rotated . since the feeding roller 10 employed in this embodiment is elongated in the main scanning direction , distortion can be completely eliminated for a large sized sheet . in addition , the rotation speed of the discharge roller 14 is higher than that of the feeding roller 10 in this embodiment to ensure that at a recording position a recording medium will be flat . more specifically , with a feeding roller diameter of φ38 . 808 ( 0 , - 0 . 06 ), a discharge roller diameter of φ15 . 515 (± 0 . 03 ), a deceleration rate of the feeding roller of 1 / 36 , and a deceleration rate of the discharge roller of 1 / 15 , the rotation speed of the discharge roller is increased about 1 % ( 0 . 08 % to 1 . 19 % while considering crossing ). as for the transfer of the drive force of the lf motor 28 to the pin tractor 233 , the drive force is transferred via the lf motor gear 231 and the deceleration gear 232 to the lf deceleration gear 233 , and not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a frame 2 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 , which is shown in fig6 b . the clutch gear 237 is , however , separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 252b of a slide cam 252 that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig7 a gear 241a of the release shaft 241 , which engages a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig8 its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 5 down to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . a rotation support point 22a of the resist roller holder 5 is provided on the side of the pinch roller holder 223 . even when the auxiliary roller 16 , which is held by the resist roller holder 5 so that it moves up and down , also moves in a direction where it separates from the feeding roller 11 , it merely weakens the pressing force to the feeding roller 10 because of the auxiliary roller spring 248 . further pressure by the protrusion 241c on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force of the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . as is described above , even in the continuous sheet select state , the pressing forces of the pinch roller 12 and the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 are not set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the individual reasons will now be explained . as for the reduced pressure by the pinch roller on the feeding roller 10 , although the accuracy in feeding continuous sheet paper is controlled by the pin tractor 3 , the pinch roller 12 is sometimes separated from the surface of the feeding roller 10 at page boundaries ( perforations ), and proper pressure is therefore required to prevent this phenomenon . as for the reduced pressure exerted by the auxiliary roller 16 on the feeding roller 10 , it is necessary to decrease the allowable difference , of a paper position that is detected by a paper sensor , that is caused by a weight percentage of a sheet ( represented by grammage or ream weight ) or by a thickness difference in paper types . as is shown in fig1 , depending on the thickness of a sheet , some sheets are fed while wrapped around the feeding roller 10 , and other sheets are fed along a feeding roller opposing portion 4a of a paper pan 4 . supposing that an interval between the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller opposing portion 4a of the paper pan 4 is l , an allowable feeding difference may be a maximum 2l . supposing that a detection position of a flag 37b of the paper sensor 37 is p and a contact point of the auxiliary roller 16 and the feeding roller 10 is q , the auxiliary roller is so positioned that p is always located downstream of q in a paper feeding direction . when the paper sensor detects a sheet , the sheet is always located on the feeding roller 10 and the allowable detection difference can be reduced . in this embodiment , the pressure force of the pinch roller 12 exerted on the feeding roller 10 is 1200 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 200 g in the continuous sheet select mode . the pressure force of the auxiliary roller 16 exerted on the feeding roller is 75 g in the cut sheet select mode , and 20 g in the continuous sheet select mode . further , the recording apparatus in this embodiment is so designed that the pressure can be varied as needed . in other words , the apparatus comprises pressure adjusting means . the pressure adjusting means includes a mechanism that selects a position at which pressure is released and a position at which pressure is gradually increased from the release position . the pressure adjusting means may also have a mechanism wherein one end of a helical coil spring , for example , which applies pressure to the pinch roller , contacts the external surface of a rotary shaft , which has a notch , and the other end of the coil spring is secured ; and wherein as the shaft is rotated , the contact position is altered either to the external surface of the shaft or the notch to select the release position or the pressure position . the drive force of the lf motor 28 in the continuous sheet select mode is transferred individually toward the feeding roller 10 , the discharge roller 14 , and the pin tractor 3 . since the transfer to the feeding roller 10 and to the discharge roller 14 is the same as is performed in the cut sheet select mode , no explanation for it will be given . as for the pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred from the row that comprises the lf motor gear 231 , the deceleration gear 232 , the lf deceleration gear 233 , and the clutch gear 237 to a tractor gear 238 that engages a tractor shaft 15 , which is in turn rotated to transfer the drive force to the pin tractor 3 ( see fig9 a and 9b ). more specifically , although the clutch gear 237 is pressed toward the frame 2 side by the clutch spring 247 , in the continuous sheet select mode the clutch gear 237 is coupled with the lf deceleration gear 233 and to the tractor gear 238 by the cam 252c of the slide cam 252 . simultaneously , the side portion of the slide cam 252 acts on the tractor sensor 209 , and the sheet select mode is changed from the cut sheet select mode to the continuous sheet select mode . as is described above , according to the present invention , a recording medium can be maintained flat both during the feeding and the recording regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and paper distortion can be prevented , so that high quality image recording can be provided . further , according to the present invention , a constant print start position can be maintained regardless of the paper type , such as cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper . in addition , according to the present invention , the feeding of a thick recording medium , such as a post card , is ensured . the ink jet head 20j has 128 ink ejection nozzles arranged in one row . when the ink jet head 20j is attached to the carriage 21 , the arrangement of the nozzles is along the above described direction in which a recording medium is fed ( hereafter , this will be referred to as a sub scan direction ). the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment can perform full color recording with yellow ( y ), magenta ( m ), cyan ( c ) and black ( bk ) ink , and monochrome recording with bk ink . in the arrangement for performing full color recording , the ink jet head 20j and ink tanks 20t , in which colored inks , y , m , c , and bk are respectively retained , are provided individually detachable from the carriage 21 . when y ink runs out or when the replacement of a tank is required , the pertinent tank can be replaced with another ink tank , or when the ink jet head 20j must be replaced , only the ink jet head need be changed . with the above described structure , 128 ink ejection nozzles of the ink jet head 20j are assigned to each ink by the predetermined counts , and ink chambers and ink supply paths are individually formed in consonance with the assignments . in the arrangement for performing monochrome recording , the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t for bk ink are integrally formed as one unit , which is provided detachable from the carriage 21 . the carriage 21 to which the ink jet head 20j and the ink tank 20t are attached can be shifted by the drive force produced by a carriage motor 22 that is transferred via a belt 23 , which is connected to part of the carriage 21 , as is shown in fig1 . by engaging a guide shaft 21a and a guide piece 21b , which are located in the horizontal direction in fig2 to slide freely , the carriage 21 can be shifted along the guide shaft 21a and the guide piece 21b , and accordingly scanning for recording is possible . when no recording is performed , the carriage 21 is shifted back to a home position that is to the left in fig1 and the face of the ink jet head 20j in which the ink ejection nozzles are arranged is capped with a capping unit 25 . the data for shifting the carriage 21 are detected by an encoder film 27 , which is provided in parallel to the guide shaft 21a , and optical or magnetic encoder devices 51a and 51b ( see fig2 ) that are attached to the carriage 21 to sandwich the encoder film 27 . an electric signal is transmitted from the apparatus body to the ink jet head 20j via a flexible circuit board 44 . in this embodiment , to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat even downstream along the feeding path from the recording position , a first spur is positioned opposite the discharge roller 14 with a recording medium between them , a second spur is positioned upstream along the feeding path from the first spur and downstream from the feeding roller 10 , and the discharge roller 14 , discharge means consisting of the two spurs , and a platen are located in the same plane . as another arrangement to ensure that a recording medium will be maintained flat , a plurality of spurs are located at matrix positions in the main scan direction ( the direction that is perpendicular to the feeding path ). the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the same reference numbers are used to denote the components in this embodiment that correspond to or are identical with those in the first embodiment , and no explanation for them will be given here . in the second embodiment , as is shown in fig1 , a sheet is held on a feeding roller 10 by a resist roller 11 and a pinch roller 12 . when cut sheet paper is selected as a recording medium , a release lever 251 is set in a cut sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 through 15b , and then the resist roller 11 that is held by a resist roller holder 222 is pressed against the long feeding roller 10 by a resist roller spring 245 ( see fig1 ). the pinch roller 12 is held by a pinch roller holder 223 , and is pressed against the feeding roller 10 by a pinch roller spring 246 ( see fig5 ). the pinch roller spring 246 is bent at a protrusion 242b of a pinch roller release shaft 242 and generates pressing force by the spring elasticity at its support point 246a . as for the transfer of the drive force of an lf motor 28 to a pin tractor 3 , the drive force is transferred via an lf motor gear 231 and a deceleration gear 232 to an lf deceleration gear 233 , but not up to the pin tractor 3 because the transfer between the lf deceleration gear 233 and a clutch gear 237 is cut off . more specifically , the clutch gear 237 is pushed toward a chassis 1 side ( in a direction where the lf deceleration gear 233 is connected ) by a clutch spring 247 that is shown in fig1 b . the clutch gear 237 , however , is separated from the lf deceleration gear 233 against the urging force exerted by a cam 251c of a slide cam 251b that interlocks with the release lever 251 . the arrangement of the lf driving mechanism when continuous sheet paper is selected will now be described . when the release lever 251 is pulled down to set the apparatus in the continuous sheet select state , as is shown in fig1 , a gear 241a of the resist roller release shaft 241 and a gear 242a of the pinch roller release shaft 242 , both of which engage a gear 251a of the release lever 251 , are rotated together in the direction indicated by the arrow a . as the resist roller release shaft 241 is rotated , as is shown in fig1 , its protrusion 241b pushes the resist roller holder 222 to separate the resist roller 11 from the feeding roller 10 and to remove the resist roller 11 from the paper feeding path . as the pinch roller release shaft 242 is rotated , the pressure exerted by the protrusion 242b on the pinch roller spring 246 is released , and the pressing force exerted by the pinch roller 12 on the feeding roller 10 is accordingly reduced . a reflective sensor 52 ( see fig1 ) is provided in part of the apparatus body , and is employed to read bar code information that adheres to an ink tank 20t or an ink jet head 20j . the ink tank 20t or the ink jet head 20j can thus be identified . the structure of a paper pan unit in this embodiment will now be explained while referring to fig1 . members and items in the unit are for a coupled driving feeding mechanism , and include a paper pan 221 , the resist roller 11 , the resist roller holder 222 , the resist roller 245 , the resist roller release shaft 241 , the pinch roller 12 , the pinch roller holder 223 , the pinch roller spring 246 , the pinch roller release shaft 242 , and a paper sensor 37 that will be described later . the unit is installed in the frame 2 from the bottom as viewed in fig1 . with this unit , ( 1 ) the assembly of the entire apparatus is easier , ( 2 ) the maintenance can be improved because of easy replacement of items , and ( 3 ) the number of assembly procedures can be reduced . since all the unit items are of the coupled driving type , the feeding accuracy of the unit does not differ from that when the items are formed as a unit . more specifically , as the drive transfer system , which includes the lf motor 28 , and the feeding roller 10 are integrally formed in the apparatus body , the normal rotation of the feeding roller 10 is constantly maintained , and the coupled driving unit , which forces a recording medium into contact with the feeding roller 10 to generate the drive force , does not interfere with the rotation of the feeding roller 10 . the structure of the paper sensor in this embodiment will now be described while referring to fig2 and 21 . the paper sensor 37 is located in the vicinity of the feeding path under the feeding roller 10 , as is shown in fig2 and 21 . the interval l from the position where the power sensor 37 detects a recording medium to the pinch roller 12 is determined to be twice a recording width in the feeding direction ( the sub scan direction ), which the ink jet head 20j can record by one scanning . in this embodiment two level buffers for image recording data are provided to develop and process the recording data at high speed . more specifically , while recording data in the buffer at the first stage are to be recorded , recording data necessary for the next scanning are developed in the second stage buffer , so that time required for data development does not directly affect the scanning time for the ink jet head 20j . after the paper sensor 37 has detected the absence of a recording medium along the feeding path , a recording area that is at least twice a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for the recording buffers , i . e ., for one scanning recording , must be left in a recording medium . since in this embodiment a recording width in the feeding direction , which is available for one scanning , is 8 . 96 mm ( 1 / 360 inches × 127 dots ), with l of 27 . 5 mm , the above described requirement is satisfied . further , the paper sensor 37 in this embodiment is positioned 1 / 2 ( 50 mm ) of the short side of a post card away from the paper reference position , so as to detect all types of paper . a paper type discrimination sensor 37a is positioned 335 mm away from the paper reference position and located at the same position as that of the paper sensor 37 , as viewed in the cross section of the apparatus , so as to distinguish 80 digits of continuous sheet paper from 136 digits . it should be noted that data that extend beyond a determined width for a recording region are discarded . the feature of the lf motor 28 of the embodiment will now be described . the diameter of the lf motor 28 in the embodiment is designed smaller than that of the feeding roller 10 . the reason for that setting is explained below . [ lf motor having a smaller diameter than that of a feeding roller ] torque that is required for the acceleration of a motor is acquired by the following expression . tf is generated by the friction of the driving mechanism , and is characterized by the mechanical structure . when the frequency fn is reached , the activation frequency f0 , and the acceleration time tn are set to constant values and the mechanism is driven by a motor that has an identical step angle , the required torque τ is subject to the driving mechanism inertia j . the driving mechanism inertia j is the sum of the rotor inertia jr of the motor and inertia jm of the other driving mechanism , and the required torque is therefore subject to the motor - rotor inertia jr . although in general a high output = a high performance , since actually a large motor uses a lot of torque to drive the rotor of the motor , torque ( output ) that is supplied to the operation of the driving mechanism is reduced considerably more than was expected . the following means are useful to reduce the rotor inertia of the motor . ( iv ) do not provide magnetic powder for a portion that does not face a stator ; and further , an advantage of a compact motor is that the maximum response frequency is high . in this embodiment , fn = 1800 [ pps ], f0 = 600 [ pps ], tn = 16 . 758 [ m . sec ], and a motor of θ = 7 . 5 [°] is employed . further , a 2 -- 2 phase exciting driving system is adopted to improve the angle accuracy . therefore , a large motor has a low performance relative to a response frequency , and taking the specification of a product into account , employing a compact motor is more advantageous . in this embodiment , with an external size φ35 × thickness of 15 and with rotor material : nd - fe - b , rotor inertia jr = 2 . 5 [ g . cm ] is acquired and the motor driving is performed at a high speed and with a high output . an ink jet recording system of the present invention comprises means ( e . g ., electrothermal energy conversion device or laser light ) for generating thermal energy that is employed to perform ink ejection , and provides excellent effects where the ink status is varied by employing the thermal energy . this system can perform more delicate recording with a higher density . for the specific arrangement and the principle , it is preferable to employ the basic principle that is disclosed in the specifications of , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 723 , 129 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 740 , 796 . this system is applicable for both a so - called on - demand type and a continuous type . the system is especially effective with the ondemand type because at least one drive signal that corresponds to the image recording data , and that gives a rapid temperature rise which exceeds nucleate boiling , is supplied to an electrothermal energy conversion device that is positioned relative to a liquid ( ink ) bearing sheet and a liquid path . the thermal energy is thus generated by the electrothermal energy conversion device , and film boiling is effected on a thermally affected face of a recording head , so that bubbles in liquid ( ink ) can be formed in one - to - one correspondence with the drive signal . in consonance with the growth or shrinkage of the bubbles , liquid ( ink ) is discharged via an ejection opening and at least one droplet is formed . when the drive signal has a pulse form , the size of the bubble is immediately and properly altered , so that liquid ( ink ) which has an especially excellent response can be preferably ejected . an appropriate pulse drive signal is described in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 463 , 359 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 345 , 262 . with the employment of the conditions that are described in the specification of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 313 , 124 , which relates to the temperature rising rate on the thermally affected face , even more excellent recording can be performed . besides the arrangement of a recording head , disclosed in the above described specifications , wherein the ejection ports , the liquid path , and the electrothermal energy conversion device are combined , the present invention also includes the arrangement disclosed in the specifications of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 558 , 333 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 459 , 600 , wherein a thermally acting portion is located in a curved area . in addition , the effects of the present invention can be obtained in the arrangements disclosed in japanese patent application laid - oden no . 59 - 123670 wherein a common slit serves as an ejection portion for a plurality of electrothermal energy conversion devices ; and in japanese patent application laid - open no . 59 - 138461 wherein an opening in which a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed corresponds to an ejection portion . in other words , according to the present invention , recording is ensured to be efficiently performed regardless of the shape of a recording head . the present invention is also applicable to a recording head of a full line type whose length corresponds to the maximum width of a recording medium that a recording apparatus can handle . such a recording head may be a combination of a plurality of recording heads to attain the length , or may be one integrally formed recording head . moreover , the present invention is effective for the above described serial type recording head , a recording head that is fixed to the apparatus body , a replaceable , chip type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus body or can receive ink from the apparatus body , or a cartridge type recording head for which an ink tank is integrally formed . it is desirable that ejection recover means for a recording head , and extra auxiliary means be provided as additional components of the recording apparatus arrangement because the effect of the present invention can be provided more steadily . more specifically , capping means for a recording head , cleaning means , pressurizing or absorption means , extra heating means provided by employing an electrothermal energy conversion device or another heating device , or a combination of the two , and extra ejection means for discharging ink that is not required for the recording can be employed . although only one recording head is provided for a single ink , a plurality of recording heads may be mounted that correspond to a plurality of inks for which recording colors and densities differ . more specifically , the present invention is effective not only for the apparatus that has a recording mode with only a main color , black , but also for an apparatus that provides at least one full color mode , which has different color combinations or color mixture , with either an integrally formed recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads . further , although ink has been explained as a liquid in the above described embodiments of the present invention , ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that melts or liquefies at room temperature may be employed . or , since an ink jet system generally maintains the temperature of ink within the range of 30 ° c . to 70 ° c . to hold the viscosity of ink within the steady ejection range , ink may be used that liquefies at the time of the execution of a recording signal . in addition , to aggressively prevent the temperature from rising due to thermal energy by employing that energy to liquefy solid ink , or to prevent the evaporation of ink , ink may be employed that solidifies while it settles down and is liquefied by heating . the present invention is available for ink that is liquefied by the application of thermal energy , such as ink that is liquefied by providing thermal energy in consonance with a recording signal and is then discharged , or ink that becomes solid by the time it reaches a recording medium . the ink in this case may be formed opposite an electrothermal energy conversion device while it is held as a liquid or a solid in a porous sheet recess or a through hole , as is described in japanese patent application laid - open no . 54 - 56847 or japanese patent application laid - open no . 60 - 71260 . in the present invention , the above described film boiling system is the most effective for these ink types . further , an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is employed as an image output terminal for a data processing apparatus , such as a computer , a copy machine that is combined with a reader , or a facsimile that has a communication function . as described above , the present invention ensures that a recording medium can be maintained flat during the feeding process and during the recording process , regardless of whether the recording medium is cut sheet paper or continuous sheet paper , and can prevent distortion and thus provide high quality image recording . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | f9fb0706400f3b39c533515afd7f33df296e188317e69d5829f49bd9f0962639 | 0.086426 | 0.214844 | 0.034668 | 0.102539 | 0.134766 | 0.134766 |
null | fig1 shows an engine 10 having an exhaust system 12 . the engine 10 is disposed in fluid communication with a fuel reservoir 14 via fuel supply line 16 a and fuel return line 16 b . the exhaust system 12 has a plurality of diesel particulate filters (“ dpfs ”) including a first dpf 18 a and a second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes an exhaust manifold 20 , and a turbocharger 22 disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold 20 . the turbocharger 22 may be directly connected to the exhaust manifold 20 . exhaust flows from the turbocharger 22 via a first portion 24 a of an exhaust pipe 24 . the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 runs from an outlet of the turbocharger 22 to a flow control valve 26 . the flow control valve 26 is adapted to control the flow of exhaust to a second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 forms a plurality of fluid flow paths . as shown in fig1 , the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe is generally y - shaped and forms a first passage leading to the first dpf 18 a and a second passage leading to the second dpf 18 b . the flow control valve 26 may be positioned to generally three positions to allow exhaust gas to flow in generally three ways : to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b ; to the first dpf 18 a ; or the second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes a turbocharger bypass 28 that connects the exhaust manifold 20 to the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass 28 includes a bypass valve 30 that is adapted to allow exhaust gas to flow to either the first dpf 18 a , or the second dpf 18 b without passing through the turbocharger 22 . the bypass valve 30 may also be closed to prevent exhaust that has not passed through the turbocharger 22 from entering the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . exhaust that passes through the turbocharger bypass 28 generally has a higher temperature than exhaust that passes through the turbocharger 22 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 additionally has a first fuel dosing input 32 a and a second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b are adapted to supply fuel from the fuel reservoir 14 to the exhaust system 12 during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b to assist in combusting the particulate matter during the regeneration . downstream of the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b of the exhaust system 12 is a third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 recombines the exhaust flow from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 is also generally y - shaped . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 runs to an exhaust mixer 34 . the exhaust mixer 34 is adapted to cause turbulent flow such that exhaust that has passed through the first dpf 18 a mixes thoroughly with exhaust gas that has passed through the second dpf 18 b . therefore , exhaust leaving the exhaust mixer 34 will generally be of the average temperature of exhaust passing through the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b when exhaust is flowing through both dpfs 18 a , 18 b . while the engine 10 is operating normally , exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 20 through the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is closed during normal engine operation , such that no exhaust flows through the turbocharger bypass 28 . additionally , no fuel is provided to the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b during normal engine operations . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the first dpf 18 a . during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the second dpf 18 b . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the first dpf 18 a from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the first dpf 18 a , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the first dpf 18 a . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the first dpf 18 a to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the first fuel dosing input 32 a even during idle loading . similarly , during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the second dpf 18 b , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the second dpf 18 b . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the second dpf 18 b to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the second fuel dosing input 32 b even during idle loading . the first and second dpfs 18 a , 18 b are generally each about 70 % the size of a single dpf that would be required for the exhaust system 12 . while two dpfs are shown in fig1 , it is contemplated that the number of dpfs used may increase . the greater the number of dpfs utilized in an exhaust system , the smaller each individual dpf may be . for example , if three dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 60 % the size of single dpf that would otherwise be needed , and if four dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 50 % of the size of a single dpf . if more than two dpfs are utilized , additional flow control valves and portions of the exhaust pipe will be required to control the flow of exhaust to specific dpfs . the use of more than two dpfs helps to keep exhaust temperatures from rising to a temperature that may cause damage during high load dpf regeneration , while also ensuring that exhaust temperatures will remain high enough for dpf regeneration to occur under idle loads . | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | be2d18330f85126cf1cc789f76bcb73642679d7e52d622bd0677bce32d58613f | 0.017456 | 0.007355 | 0.002625 | 0.000261 | 0.028442 | 0.007355 |
null | fig1 shows an engine 10 having an exhaust system 12 . the engine 10 is disposed in fluid communication with a fuel reservoir 14 via fuel supply line 16 a and fuel return line 16 b . the exhaust system 12 has a plurality of diesel particulate filters (“ dpfs ”) including a first dpf 18 a and a second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes an exhaust manifold 20 , and a turbocharger 22 disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold 20 . the turbocharger 22 may be directly connected to the exhaust manifold 20 . exhaust flows from the turbocharger 22 via a first portion 24 a of an exhaust pipe 24 . the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 runs from an outlet of the turbocharger 22 to a flow control valve 26 . the flow control valve 26 is adapted to control the flow of exhaust to a second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 forms a plurality of fluid flow paths . as shown in fig1 , the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe is generally y - shaped and forms a first passage leading to the first dpf 18 a and a second passage leading to the second dpf 18 b . the flow control valve 26 may be positioned to generally three positions to allow exhaust gas to flow in generally three ways : to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b ; to the first dpf 18 a ; or the second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes a turbocharger bypass 28 that connects the exhaust manifold 20 to the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass 28 includes a bypass valve 30 that is adapted to allow exhaust gas to flow to either the first dpf 18 a , or the second dpf 18 b without passing through the turbocharger 22 . the bypass valve 30 may also be closed to prevent exhaust that has not passed through the turbocharger 22 from entering the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . exhaust that passes through the turbocharger bypass 28 generally has a higher temperature than exhaust that passes through the turbocharger 22 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 additionally has a first fuel dosing input 32 a and a second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b are adapted to supply fuel from the fuel reservoir 14 to the exhaust system 12 during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b to assist in combusting the particulate matter during the regeneration . downstream of the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b of the exhaust system 12 is a third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 recombines the exhaust flow from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 is also generally y - shaped . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 runs to an exhaust mixer 34 . the exhaust mixer 34 is adapted to cause turbulent flow such that exhaust that has passed through the first dpf 18 a mixes thoroughly with exhaust gas that has passed through the second dpf 18 b . therefore , exhaust leaving the exhaust mixer 34 will generally be of the average temperature of exhaust passing through the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b when exhaust is flowing through both dpfs 18 a , 18 b . while the engine 10 is operating normally , exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 20 through the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is closed during normal engine operation , such that no exhaust flows through the turbocharger bypass 28 . additionally , no fuel is provided to the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b during normal engine operations . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the first dpf 18 a . during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the second dpf 18 b . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the first dpf 18 a from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the first dpf 18 a , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the first dpf 18 a . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the first dpf 18 a to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the first fuel dosing input 32 a even during idle loading . similarly , during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the second dpf 18 b , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the second dpf 18 b . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the second dpf 18 b to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the second fuel dosing input 32 b even during idle loading . the first and second dpfs 18 a , 18 b are generally each about 70 % the size of a single dpf that would be required for the exhaust system 12 . while two dpfs are shown in fig1 , it is contemplated that the number of dpfs used may increase . the greater the number of dpfs utilized in an exhaust system , the smaller each individual dpf may be . for example , if three dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 60 % the size of single dpf that would otherwise be needed , and if four dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 50 % of the size of a single dpf . if more than two dpfs are utilized , additional flow control valves and portions of the exhaust pipe will be required to control the flow of exhaust to specific dpfs . the use of more than two dpfs helps to keep exhaust temperatures from rising to a temperature that may cause damage during high load dpf regeneration , while also ensuring that exhaust temperatures will remain high enough for dpf regeneration to occur under idle loads . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | be2d18330f85126cf1cc789f76bcb73642679d7e52d622bd0677bce32d58613f | 0.008606 | 0.008301 | 0.002396 | 0.003601 | 0.026367 | 0.015869 |
null | fig1 shows an engine 10 having an exhaust system 12 . the engine 10 is disposed in fluid communication with a fuel reservoir 14 via fuel supply line 16 a and fuel return line 16 b . the exhaust system 12 has a plurality of diesel particulate filters (“ dpfs ”) including a first dpf 18 a and a second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes an exhaust manifold 20 , and a turbocharger 22 disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold 20 . the turbocharger 22 may be directly connected to the exhaust manifold 20 . exhaust flows from the turbocharger 22 via a first portion 24 a of an exhaust pipe 24 . the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 runs from an outlet of the turbocharger 22 to a flow control valve 26 . the flow control valve 26 is adapted to control the flow of exhaust to a second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 forms a plurality of fluid flow paths . as shown in fig1 , the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe is generally y - shaped and forms a first passage leading to the first dpf 18 a and a second passage leading to the second dpf 18 b . the flow control valve 26 may be positioned to generally three positions to allow exhaust gas to flow in generally three ways : to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b ; to the first dpf 18 a ; or the second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes a turbocharger bypass 28 that connects the exhaust manifold 20 to the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass 28 includes a bypass valve 30 that is adapted to allow exhaust gas to flow to either the first dpf 18 a , or the second dpf 18 b without passing through the turbocharger 22 . the bypass valve 30 may also be closed to prevent exhaust that has not passed through the turbocharger 22 from entering the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . exhaust that passes through the turbocharger bypass 28 generally has a higher temperature than exhaust that passes through the turbocharger 22 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 additionally has a first fuel dosing input 32 a and a second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b are adapted to supply fuel from the fuel reservoir 14 to the exhaust system 12 during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b to assist in combusting the particulate matter during the regeneration . downstream of the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b of the exhaust system 12 is a third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 recombines the exhaust flow from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 is also generally y - shaped . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 runs to an exhaust mixer 34 . the exhaust mixer 34 is adapted to cause turbulent flow such that exhaust that has passed through the first dpf 18 a mixes thoroughly with exhaust gas that has passed through the second dpf 18 b . therefore , exhaust leaving the exhaust mixer 34 will generally be of the average temperature of exhaust passing through the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b when exhaust is flowing through both dpfs 18 a , 18 b . while the engine 10 is operating normally , exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 20 through the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is closed during normal engine operation , such that no exhaust flows through the turbocharger bypass 28 . additionally , no fuel is provided to the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b during normal engine operations . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the first dpf 18 a . during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the second dpf 18 b . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the first dpf 18 a from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the first dpf 18 a , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the first dpf 18 a . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the first dpf 18 a to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the first fuel dosing input 32 a even during idle loading . similarly , during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the second dpf 18 b , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the second dpf 18 b . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the second dpf 18 b to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the second fuel dosing input 32 b even during idle loading . the first and second dpfs 18 a , 18 b are generally each about 70 % the size of a single dpf that would be required for the exhaust system 12 . while two dpfs are shown in fig1 , it is contemplated that the number of dpfs used may increase . the greater the number of dpfs utilized in an exhaust system , the smaller each individual dpf may be . for example , if three dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 60 % the size of single dpf that would otherwise be needed , and if four dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 50 % of the size of a single dpf . if more than two dpfs are utilized , additional flow control valves and portions of the exhaust pipe will be required to control the flow of exhaust to specific dpfs . the use of more than two dpfs helps to keep exhaust temperatures from rising to a temperature that may cause damage during high load dpf regeneration , while also ensuring that exhaust temperatures will remain high enough for dpf regeneration to occur under idle loads . | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | be2d18330f85126cf1cc789f76bcb73642679d7e52d622bd0677bce32d58613f | 0.017456 | 0.027588 | 0.002625 | 0.004608 | 0.028442 | 0.037842 |
null | fig1 shows an engine 10 having an exhaust system 12 . the engine 10 is disposed in fluid communication with a fuel reservoir 14 via fuel supply line 16 a and fuel return line 16 b . the exhaust system 12 has a plurality of diesel particulate filters (“ dpfs ”) including a first dpf 18 a and a second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes an exhaust manifold 20 , and a turbocharger 22 disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold 20 . the turbocharger 22 may be directly connected to the exhaust manifold 20 . exhaust flows from the turbocharger 22 via a first portion 24 a of an exhaust pipe 24 . the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 runs from an outlet of the turbocharger 22 to a flow control valve 26 . the flow control valve 26 is adapted to control the flow of exhaust to a second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 forms a plurality of fluid flow paths . as shown in fig1 , the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe is generally y - shaped and forms a first passage leading to the first dpf 18 a and a second passage leading to the second dpf 18 b . the flow control valve 26 may be positioned to generally three positions to allow exhaust gas to flow in generally three ways : to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b ; to the first dpf 18 a ; or the second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes a turbocharger bypass 28 that connects the exhaust manifold 20 to the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass 28 includes a bypass valve 30 that is adapted to allow exhaust gas to flow to either the first dpf 18 a , or the second dpf 18 b without passing through the turbocharger 22 . the bypass valve 30 may also be closed to prevent exhaust that has not passed through the turbocharger 22 from entering the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . exhaust that passes through the turbocharger bypass 28 generally has a higher temperature than exhaust that passes through the turbocharger 22 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 additionally has a first fuel dosing input 32 a and a second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b are adapted to supply fuel from the fuel reservoir 14 to the exhaust system 12 during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b to assist in combusting the particulate matter during the regeneration . downstream of the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b of the exhaust system 12 is a third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 recombines the exhaust flow from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 is also generally y - shaped . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 runs to an exhaust mixer 34 . the exhaust mixer 34 is adapted to cause turbulent flow such that exhaust that has passed through the first dpf 18 a mixes thoroughly with exhaust gas that has passed through the second dpf 18 b . therefore , exhaust leaving the exhaust mixer 34 will generally be of the average temperature of exhaust passing through the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b when exhaust is flowing through both dpfs 18 a , 18 b . while the engine 10 is operating normally , exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 20 through the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is closed during normal engine operation , such that no exhaust flows through the turbocharger bypass 28 . additionally , no fuel is provided to the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b during normal engine operations . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the first dpf 18 a . during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the second dpf 18 b . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the first dpf 18 a from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the first dpf 18 a , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the first dpf 18 a . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the first dpf 18 a to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the first fuel dosing input 32 a even during idle loading . similarly , during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the second dpf 18 b , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the second dpf 18 b . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the second dpf 18 b to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the second fuel dosing input 32 b even during idle loading . the first and second dpfs 18 a , 18 b are generally each about 70 % the size of a single dpf that would be required for the exhaust system 12 . while two dpfs are shown in fig1 , it is contemplated that the number of dpfs used may increase . the greater the number of dpfs utilized in an exhaust system , the smaller each individual dpf may be . for example , if three dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 60 % the size of single dpf that would otherwise be needed , and if four dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 50 % of the size of a single dpf . if more than two dpfs are utilized , additional flow control valves and portions of the exhaust pipe will be required to control the flow of exhaust to specific dpfs . the use of more than two dpfs helps to keep exhaust temperatures from rising to a temperature that may cause damage during high load dpf regeneration , while also ensuring that exhaust temperatures will remain high enough for dpf regeneration to occur under idle loads . | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | be2d18330f85126cf1cc789f76bcb73642679d7e52d622bd0677bce32d58613f | 0.017456 | 0.014038 | 0.002625 | 0.011353 | 0.028442 | 0.194336 |
null | fig1 shows an engine 10 having an exhaust system 12 . the engine 10 is disposed in fluid communication with a fuel reservoir 14 via fuel supply line 16 a and fuel return line 16 b . the exhaust system 12 has a plurality of diesel particulate filters (“ dpfs ”) including a first dpf 18 a and a second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes an exhaust manifold 20 , and a turbocharger 22 disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold 20 . the turbocharger 22 may be directly connected to the exhaust manifold 20 . exhaust flows from the turbocharger 22 via a first portion 24 a of an exhaust pipe 24 . the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 runs from an outlet of the turbocharger 22 to a flow control valve 26 . the flow control valve 26 is adapted to control the flow of exhaust to a second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 forms a plurality of fluid flow paths . as shown in fig1 , the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe is generally y - shaped and forms a first passage leading to the first dpf 18 a and a second passage leading to the second dpf 18 b . the flow control valve 26 may be positioned to generally three positions to allow exhaust gas to flow in generally three ways : to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b ; to the first dpf 18 a ; or the second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes a turbocharger bypass 28 that connects the exhaust manifold 20 to the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass 28 includes a bypass valve 30 that is adapted to allow exhaust gas to flow to either the first dpf 18 a , or the second dpf 18 b without passing through the turbocharger 22 . the bypass valve 30 may also be closed to prevent exhaust that has not passed through the turbocharger 22 from entering the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . exhaust that passes through the turbocharger bypass 28 generally has a higher temperature than exhaust that passes through the turbocharger 22 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 additionally has a first fuel dosing input 32 a and a second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b are adapted to supply fuel from the fuel reservoir 14 to the exhaust system 12 during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b to assist in combusting the particulate matter during the regeneration . downstream of the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b of the exhaust system 12 is a third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 recombines the exhaust flow from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 is also generally y - shaped . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 runs to an exhaust mixer 34 . the exhaust mixer 34 is adapted to cause turbulent flow such that exhaust that has passed through the first dpf 18 a mixes thoroughly with exhaust gas that has passed through the second dpf 18 b . therefore , exhaust leaving the exhaust mixer 34 will generally be of the average temperature of exhaust passing through the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b when exhaust is flowing through both dpfs 18 a , 18 b . while the engine 10 is operating normally , exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 20 through the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is closed during normal engine operation , such that no exhaust flows through the turbocharger bypass 28 . additionally , no fuel is provided to the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b during normal engine operations . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the first dpf 18 a . during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the second dpf 18 b . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the first dpf 18 a from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the first dpf 18 a , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the first dpf 18 a . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the first dpf 18 a to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the first fuel dosing input 32 a even during idle loading . similarly , during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the second dpf 18 b , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the second dpf 18 b . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the second dpf 18 b to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the second fuel dosing input 32 b even during idle loading . the first and second dpfs 18 a , 18 b are generally each about 70 % the size of a single dpf that would be required for the exhaust system 12 . while two dpfs are shown in fig1 , it is contemplated that the number of dpfs used may increase . the greater the number of dpfs utilized in an exhaust system , the smaller each individual dpf may be . for example , if three dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 60 % the size of single dpf that would otherwise be needed , and if four dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 50 % of the size of a single dpf . if more than two dpfs are utilized , additional flow control valves and portions of the exhaust pipe will be required to control the flow of exhaust to specific dpfs . the use of more than two dpfs helps to keep exhaust temperatures from rising to a temperature that may cause damage during high load dpf regeneration , while also ensuring that exhaust temperatures will remain high enough for dpf regeneration to occur under idle loads . | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Is 'Fixed Constructions' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | be2d18330f85126cf1cc789f76bcb73642679d7e52d622bd0677bce32d58613f | 0.00193 | 0.03064 | 0.000881 | 0.008301 | 0.007568 | 0.028442 |
null | fig1 shows an engine 10 having an exhaust system 12 . the engine 10 is disposed in fluid communication with a fuel reservoir 14 via fuel supply line 16 a and fuel return line 16 b . the exhaust system 12 has a plurality of diesel particulate filters (“ dpfs ”) including a first dpf 18 a and a second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes an exhaust manifold 20 , and a turbocharger 22 disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold 20 . the turbocharger 22 may be directly connected to the exhaust manifold 20 . exhaust flows from the turbocharger 22 via a first portion 24 a of an exhaust pipe 24 . the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 runs from an outlet of the turbocharger 22 to a flow control valve 26 . the flow control valve 26 is adapted to control the flow of exhaust to a second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 forms a plurality of fluid flow paths . as shown in fig1 , the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe is generally y - shaped and forms a first passage leading to the first dpf 18 a and a second passage leading to the second dpf 18 b . the flow control valve 26 may be positioned to generally three positions to allow exhaust gas to flow in generally three ways : to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b ; to the first dpf 18 a ; or the second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes a turbocharger bypass 28 that connects the exhaust manifold 20 to the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass 28 includes a bypass valve 30 that is adapted to allow exhaust gas to flow to either the first dpf 18 a , or the second dpf 18 b without passing through the turbocharger 22 . the bypass valve 30 may also be closed to prevent exhaust that has not passed through the turbocharger 22 from entering the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . exhaust that passes through the turbocharger bypass 28 generally has a higher temperature than exhaust that passes through the turbocharger 22 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 additionally has a first fuel dosing input 32 a and a second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b are adapted to supply fuel from the fuel reservoir 14 to the exhaust system 12 during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b to assist in combusting the particulate matter during the regeneration . downstream of the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b of the exhaust system 12 is a third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 recombines the exhaust flow from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 is also generally y - shaped . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 runs to an exhaust mixer 34 . the exhaust mixer 34 is adapted to cause turbulent flow such that exhaust that has passed through the first dpf 18 a mixes thoroughly with exhaust gas that has passed through the second dpf 18 b . therefore , exhaust leaving the exhaust mixer 34 will generally be of the average temperature of exhaust passing through the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b when exhaust is flowing through both dpfs 18 a , 18 b . while the engine 10 is operating normally , exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 20 through the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is closed during normal engine operation , such that no exhaust flows through the turbocharger bypass 28 . additionally , no fuel is provided to the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b during normal engine operations . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the first dpf 18 a . during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the second dpf 18 b . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the first dpf 18 a from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the first dpf 18 a , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the first dpf 18 a . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the first dpf 18 a to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the first fuel dosing input 32 a even during idle loading . similarly , during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the second dpf 18 b , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the second dpf 18 b . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the second dpf 18 b to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the second fuel dosing input 32 b even during idle loading . the first and second dpfs 18 a , 18 b are generally each about 70 % the size of a single dpf that would be required for the exhaust system 12 . while two dpfs are shown in fig1 , it is contemplated that the number of dpfs used may increase . the greater the number of dpfs utilized in an exhaust system , the smaller each individual dpf may be . for example , if three dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 60 % the size of single dpf that would otherwise be needed , and if four dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 50 % of the size of a single dpf . if more than two dpfs are utilized , additional flow control valves and portions of the exhaust pipe will be required to control the flow of exhaust to specific dpfs . the use of more than two dpfs helps to keep exhaust temperatures from rising to a temperature that may cause damage during high load dpf regeneration , while also ensuring that exhaust temperatures will remain high enough for dpf regeneration to occur under idle loads . | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | 0.25 | be2d18330f85126cf1cc789f76bcb73642679d7e52d622bd0677bce32d58613f | 0.017456 | 0.115723 | 0.002625 | 0.371094 | 0.028442 | 0.226563 |
null | fig1 shows an engine 10 having an exhaust system 12 . the engine 10 is disposed in fluid communication with a fuel reservoir 14 via fuel supply line 16 a and fuel return line 16 b . the exhaust system 12 has a plurality of diesel particulate filters (“ dpfs ”) including a first dpf 18 a and a second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes an exhaust manifold 20 , and a turbocharger 22 disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold 20 . the turbocharger 22 may be directly connected to the exhaust manifold 20 . exhaust flows from the turbocharger 22 via a first portion 24 a of an exhaust pipe 24 . the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 runs from an outlet of the turbocharger 22 to a flow control valve 26 . the flow control valve 26 is adapted to control the flow of exhaust to a second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 forms a plurality of fluid flow paths . as shown in fig1 , the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe is generally y - shaped and forms a first passage leading to the first dpf 18 a and a second passage leading to the second dpf 18 b . the flow control valve 26 may be positioned to generally three positions to allow exhaust gas to flow in generally three ways : to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b ; to the first dpf 18 a ; or the second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes a turbocharger bypass 28 that connects the exhaust manifold 20 to the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass 28 includes a bypass valve 30 that is adapted to allow exhaust gas to flow to either the first dpf 18 a , or the second dpf 18 b without passing through the turbocharger 22 . the bypass valve 30 may also be closed to prevent exhaust that has not passed through the turbocharger 22 from entering the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . exhaust that passes through the turbocharger bypass 28 generally has a higher temperature than exhaust that passes through the turbocharger 22 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 additionally has a first fuel dosing input 32 a and a second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b are adapted to supply fuel from the fuel reservoir 14 to the exhaust system 12 during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b to assist in combusting the particulate matter during the regeneration . downstream of the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b of the exhaust system 12 is a third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 recombines the exhaust flow from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 is also generally y - shaped . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 runs to an exhaust mixer 34 . the exhaust mixer 34 is adapted to cause turbulent flow such that exhaust that has passed through the first dpf 18 a mixes thoroughly with exhaust gas that has passed through the second dpf 18 b . therefore , exhaust leaving the exhaust mixer 34 will generally be of the average temperature of exhaust passing through the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b when exhaust is flowing through both dpfs 18 a , 18 b . while the engine 10 is operating normally , exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 20 through the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is closed during normal engine operation , such that no exhaust flows through the turbocharger bypass 28 . additionally , no fuel is provided to the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b during normal engine operations . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the first dpf 18 a . during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the second dpf 18 b . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the first dpf 18 a from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the first dpf 18 a , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the first dpf 18 a . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the first dpf 18 a to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the first fuel dosing input 32 a even during idle loading . similarly , during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the second dpf 18 b , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the second dpf 18 b . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the second dpf 18 b to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the second fuel dosing input 32 b even during idle loading . the first and second dpfs 18 a , 18 b are generally each about 70 % the size of a single dpf that would be required for the exhaust system 12 . while two dpfs are shown in fig1 , it is contemplated that the number of dpfs used may increase . the greater the number of dpfs utilized in an exhaust system , the smaller each individual dpf may be . for example , if three dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 60 % the size of single dpf that would otherwise be needed , and if four dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 50 % of the size of a single dpf . if more than two dpfs are utilized , additional flow control valves and portions of the exhaust pipe will be required to control the flow of exhaust to specific dpfs . the use of more than two dpfs helps to keep exhaust temperatures from rising to a temperature that may cause damage during high load dpf regeneration , while also ensuring that exhaust temperatures will remain high enough for dpf regeneration to occur under idle loads . | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | be2d18330f85126cf1cc789f76bcb73642679d7e52d622bd0677bce32d58613f | 0.017944 | 0.029785 | 0.002625 | 0.001328 | 0.028442 | 0.000418 |
null | fig1 shows an engine 10 having an exhaust system 12 . the engine 10 is disposed in fluid communication with a fuel reservoir 14 via fuel supply line 16 a and fuel return line 16 b . the exhaust system 12 has a plurality of diesel particulate filters (“ dpfs ”) including a first dpf 18 a and a second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes an exhaust manifold 20 , and a turbocharger 22 disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold 20 . the turbocharger 22 may be directly connected to the exhaust manifold 20 . exhaust flows from the turbocharger 22 via a first portion 24 a of an exhaust pipe 24 . the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 runs from an outlet of the turbocharger 22 to a flow control valve 26 . the flow control valve 26 is adapted to control the flow of exhaust to a second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 forms a plurality of fluid flow paths . as shown in fig1 , the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe is generally y - shaped and forms a first passage leading to the first dpf 18 a and a second passage leading to the second dpf 18 b . the flow control valve 26 may be positioned to generally three positions to allow exhaust gas to flow in generally three ways : to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b ; to the first dpf 18 a ; or the second dpf 18 b . the exhaust system 12 includes a turbocharger bypass 28 that connects the exhaust manifold 20 to the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass 28 includes a bypass valve 30 that is adapted to allow exhaust gas to flow to either the first dpf 18 a , or the second dpf 18 b without passing through the turbocharger 22 . the bypass valve 30 may also be closed to prevent exhaust that has not passed through the turbocharger 22 from entering the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . exhaust that passes through the turbocharger bypass 28 generally has a higher temperature than exhaust that passes through the turbocharger 22 . the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 additionally has a first fuel dosing input 32 a and a second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b are adapted to supply fuel from the fuel reservoir 14 to the exhaust system 12 during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b to assist in combusting the particulate matter during the regeneration . downstream of the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b of the exhaust system 12 is a third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 recombines the exhaust flow from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 is also generally y - shaped . the third portion 24 c of the exhaust pipe 24 runs to an exhaust mixer 34 . the exhaust mixer 34 is adapted to cause turbulent flow such that exhaust that has passed through the first dpf 18 a mixes thoroughly with exhaust gas that has passed through the second dpf 18 b . therefore , exhaust leaving the exhaust mixer 34 will generally be of the average temperature of exhaust passing through the first dpf 18 a , and the second dpf 18 b when exhaust is flowing through both dpfs 18 a , 18 b . while the engine 10 is operating normally , exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 20 through the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is closed during normal engine operation , such that no exhaust flows through the turbocharger bypass 28 . additionally , no fuel is provided to the fuel dosing inputs 32 a , 32 b during normal engine operations . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the first dpf 18 a . during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under normal or higher loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to both the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a mixes with the exhaust from the second dpf 18 b within the exhaust mixer 34 , such that at the temperature of exhaust at an output of the exhaust mixer is generally the average temperature of the exhaust from the first dpf 18 a and the second dpf 18 b . therefore , the temperature of the exhaust leaving the mixer 34 is significantly lower than the exhaust leaving the second dpf 18 b . during regeneration of the first dpf 18 a when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the first dpf 18 a from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the first dpf 18 a via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the first dpf 18 a , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the first dpf 18 a . fuel is provided to the first dpf 18 a from the fuel reservoir 14 from the first fuel dosing input 32 a . the fuel that enters the first dpf 18 a from the first fuel dosing input 32 a ignites and raises the temperature within the first dpf 18 a such that particulate matter within the first dpf 18 a combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the first dpf 18 a to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the first fuel dosing input 32 a even during idle loading . similarly , during regeneration of the second dpf 18 b when the engine is operating under idle or light loads , exhaust gas flows from the turbocharger 22 and into the first portion 24 a of the exhaust pipe 24 . the flow control valve 26 is positioned to allow exhaust gas to flow to only the second dpf 18 b from the second portion 24 b of the exhaust pipe 24 . the turbocharger bypass valve 30 is positioned to allow exhaust to flow to the second dpf 18 b via the turbocharger bypass 28 . as exhaust is only flowing through the second dpf 18 b , additional back pressure formed within the exhaust pipe 24 raises the temperature of the exhaust , and causes additional flow through the turbocharger bypass 28 , additionally raising the temperature of the exhaust gas within the second dpf 18 b . fuel is provided to the second dpf 18 b from the fuel reservoir 14 from the second fuel dosing input 32 b . the fuel that enters the second dpf 18 b from the second fuel dosing input 32 b ignites and raises the temperature within the second dpf 18 b such that particulate matter within the second dpf 18 b combusts . the use of the flow control valve 26 and the turbocharger bypass 28 raises the temperature of the exhaust within the second dpf 18 b to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the fuel from the second fuel dosing input 32 b even during idle loading . the first and second dpfs 18 a , 18 b are generally each about 70 % the size of a single dpf that would be required for the exhaust system 12 . while two dpfs are shown in fig1 , it is contemplated that the number of dpfs used may increase . the greater the number of dpfs utilized in an exhaust system , the smaller each individual dpf may be . for example , if three dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 60 % the size of single dpf that would otherwise be needed , and if four dpfs are utilized , each dpf is about 50 % of the size of a single dpf . if more than two dpfs are utilized , additional flow control valves and portions of the exhaust pipe will be required to control the flow of exhaust to specific dpfs . the use of more than two dpfs helps to keep exhaust temperatures from rising to a temperature that may cause damage during high load dpf regeneration , while also ensuring that exhaust temperatures will remain high enough for dpf regeneration to occur under idle loads . | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | be2d18330f85126cf1cc789f76bcb73642679d7e52d622bd0677bce32d58613f | 0.001984 | 0.233398 | 0.000881 | 0.376953 | 0.007568 | 0.207031 |
null | referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views , and more specifically to fig1 - 5 , 15 and 16 thereof , there is shown an endoscope 10 for a patient . the endoscope 10 comprises means 102 for producing light , such as a light source 51 . the endoscope 10 comprises an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 adapted to be disposed in the patient . the optical fiber array 28 transmits the light from the producing means , preferably including a light source 51 , into the patient , and transmits the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the light producing means 102 . the endoscope 10 comprises a detector d for receiving the light from the array 28 and analyzing the light . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the detector d . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a tube 53 about which the plurality of optical fibers 8 are disposed . the tube 53 preferably has grooves 54 that extend longitudinally along the tube 53 , as shown in fig1 . one of the plurality of optical fibers 8 is disposed in each of the grooves 54 . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a probe tip 55 , as shown in fig1 , having a reflector 56 disposed in each groove which reflects light from the optical fiber 8 in the groove when the reflector 56 is in the patient and reflects light from the patient to the optical fiber 8 when the array 28 is in the patient . the light source 51 preferably includes a coherent light source 51 and means 57 for guiding the light from the light source 51 to the plurality of optical fibers 8 of the array 28 . preferably , the optical fiber 8 is single mode , has a core 118 with cladding 120 disposed about the core 118 , and has a lens 122 at its tip which focuses the light from the core 118 to the reflector 56 and light from the reflector 56 to the core 118 , as shown in fig1 and 13 . the array 28 preferably includes a transparent cover 7 . preferably , the light source 51 comprises an input arm 58 , the array 28 comprises a sample arm 59 , the detector d comprises a reference arm 60 and a detector arm 61 ; and the input arm 58 , the detector arm 61 , the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 together form an interferometer . the reference arm 60 preferably uses rsod to introduce depth scanning and dispersion compensation to the interferometer . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes an opto - coupler 62 which optically couples corresponding optical fibers 8 of the input arm 58 , sample arm 59 , reference arm 60 and detecting arm together . the detector d preferably determines structural information about the patient from the intensity of an interference signal from reflected light from corresponding fibers of the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 having a same bypass length . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a scanning head 1 which holds n optical fibers 8 , where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer , as shown in fig1 - 22 c . the n optical fibers 8 are preferably arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a mechanism 134 for moving the scanning head 1 so each of the optical fibers 8 scan an angular range of n / 360 degrees . the moving mechanism 134 preferably includes a mechanism 9 for linear motion which causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the linear motion mechanism 9 includes a fiber shaft holder having a shaft channel 31 extending axially along the holder , and n fiber channels 32 are arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 , and a twisting shaft that fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel , the holder rotates . the scanning head 1 preferably has a socket head that conforms with the shaft and causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a guide wire holder 2 disposed on the scanning probe 50 which receives and follows a guide wire when the guard wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possible gu tract . a guide wire is not necessary in the gi tract . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a spring disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber shaft holder which forces the shaft back after the shaft has moved forward . the present invention pertains to a method for imaging a vessel , gu , gi or biliary tract of a patient . the method comprises the steps of transmitting light from a light source 51 into an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 in the patient . there is the step of transmitting the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . there is the step of receiving the light from the array 28 at a detector d . there is the step of analyzing the light with the detector d . preferably , there are the steps of reflecting light from each optical fiber 8 with a corresponding reflector 56 associated with the fiber , and reflecting light from the patient to the associated fiber with a reflector 56 . there is preferably the step of moving each of n optical fibers 8 comprising the optical fiber array 28 an angular range of n / 360 degrees . preferably , there is the step of applying a linear motion to cause each of the n optical fibers 8 of the optical fiber array 28 to move the angular range . the step of applying the linear motion preferably includes the step of moving axially forward in parallel with the n optical fibers 8 a twisting shaft through a shaft channel 31 extending axially along a fiber shaft holder having n fiber channels 32 arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 which causes the holder to rotate . each of the n optical fibers 8 is disposed in a respective fiber channel 32 of the n fiber channels 32 . the twisting shaft fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel . preferably , there is the step of guiding the optical fiber array 28 along a guide wire which is received by a guide wire holder 2 when the guide wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possibly gu system , but not in the gi tract . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the means for analyzing is preferably described in the figures , where polarization is found in fig3 , position in fig1 - 30 , space in fig3 , and angle in fig3 . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . in the operation of the invention , a near infrared broadband light source 51 sends a light beam into the input arm 58 of the array 28 type interferometer . the beam profile from the light source 51 is a circular gaussion . the optics before connector 1 makes the beam profile linear and focuses it into the connector 1 . the array 28 type interferometer consists of multiple fiber - based interferometer that has four fiber arms connected to an opto - coupler 62 . incoming light into the input arm 58 is divided to the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . in the sample arm 59 , optical fibers 8 are distributed like an annular ring , and light will be focused at the target vessel perpendicular to the optical axis . in the reference arm 60 , rsod introduces depth scanning and dispersion compensation . when the reflected light from both arms have the same light path length , strictly speaking within a coherence length , interference occurs . the intensity of the interference signal represents the structural information of a sample . more specifically , in regard to the input arm 58 , and referring to fig1 and 3 , a single beam comes out of s 1 and will be collimated by l 1 . at this point , the beam diameter is big enough to project across all of c 1 &# 39 ; s area , but the beam is still circular . cl 1 and cl 2 , circular lenses , change the beam profile to a linear shape , which means that the beam is not circular anymore , but it looks narrow from fig2 and the same shape with the beam after l 1 on fig3 . ml 1 focuses all light onto c 1 . light source s 1 has a fiber tip from which light departs into air . l 1 is a collimating lens 122 , so the fiber tip of the light source 51 should be located at the back of the focal point of l 1 in order to collimate the light . cl 1 , 2 are cylindrical lenses . separation between two is the sum of each cylindrical lens 122 focal length . they work as a telescope which decrease beam size only in one direction . in other words , the size of the beam does not change from fig3 . ml 1 is a micro lens array 28 , which has a lot of small lenses . each of the small lenses is positioned to have a focal point at each fiber entrance of c 1 . c 1 should be located at the focal point of ml 1 . all micro lenses have same focal length . c 1 is a linear fiber array 28 . in an alternative embodiment of the input arm 58 , as shown in fig4 , known as a fiber based solution : light source s 1 is connected to a single mode fiber , which is connected to fiber splitter ( 50 : 50 ), s 1 . the first fiber splitter is 1 by 2 . each output end of the 1 * 2 fiber splitter is connected to 1 * 4 splitter , sp 1 . each output end of the 1 * 4 splitter , 2 nd layer , is connected to another 1 * 4 splitter , 3 rd layer , sp 2 . at the output of the 3 rd layer , the number of fiber is 32 . 32 fiber comprises a linear fiber array 28 , sp 3 . each fiber is a single mode fiber , which can have a different cutoff frequency . the cutoff frequency is dependent on the center wavelength of the light source 51 . usually , 850 nm or 1300 nm of center wavelength for the light source 51 are used . each fiber is attached to another so that all together they form a linear fiber array 28 . c 1 is connected to multiple interferometers . each interferometer consists of four fiber arms and opto - coupler 62 . at each end of each arm , there is a linear array 28 fiber connector ( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 c 4 ). incoming light will be divided by the opto - coupler 62 into the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . with respect to the sample arm 59 , this sample arm 59 , as shown in fig5 , 7 , 8 and 17 , goes into the target vessel . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which is of an annular shape at the other end . the total length of the arm will be around 2 ˜ 3 m . when the light leaves the annular tip f , it will be collimated by l 1 and then reflected by l 2 outward from the probe . reflected light from tissue will follow back to l 2 and l 1 and be gathered by the fiber tip . later , two reflected lights from the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively , will make interference , which will be detected by the array 28 detector d at the detection arm . the sample arm 59 is supposed to go through a target vessel , gi , gu or biliary tract . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which has an annular shape at the other end ( probe tip 55 ) ( fig8 ). total length of the sample arm 59 is about 1 . 5 m . the fiber array 28 will be molded by a transparent cover 7 material ( ex : silicon resin or polymers ). at the annular probe tip f shown in fig9 , each fiber is glued at a groove of a cylindrical polymer tube 53 . the shape of each groove is shown at fig1 and 11 . each groove end has a reflector 56 which is 45 ° oblique to axial direction . the groove will be made by micro fabrication technique . each fiber has a lens 122 at the tip , which can be manufactured by splicing a multimode fiber with the same diameter of the cladding 120 of the single mode fiber and then melting the end of multimode fiber in order to get curvature ( fig1 and 13 ). when the light leaves the fiber tip , the light will be reflected outward by the reflector 56 at the end of the groove , and then will be focused at the target tissue area . reflected light from the tissue will follow back the same path as the incoming light , and go to the detection arm . micromachining or micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) and nanotechnology are becoming increasingly popular for the development of improved biomaterials and devices ( macilwain c ., “ us plans large funding boost to support nanotechnology boom ,” nature , 1999 ; 400 : 95 , incorporated by reference herein ). similar to manufacturing methods used for computer microchips , mems processes combine etching and / or material deposition and photolithographic - patterning techniques to develop ultrasmall devices ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ). mems has been proven promising in medicine for its small mass and volume , low cost , and high functionality . successful mems devices in medicine include smart sensor for cataract removal , silicon neurowells , microneedles for gene and drug delivery , and dna arrays ( polla , d . l ., erdman , a . g ., robbins , w . p ., markus , d . t ., diaz - diaz , j ., rizq , r ., nam , y ., brickner , h . t ., wang , a ., krulevitch , p ., “ microdevices in medicine ,” annu . rev . biomed . eng ., 2000 ; 02 : 551 - 76 ; mcallister et al ., 2000 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein ). however , most of the mems processes are planar in nature for two - dimension ( 2d ) micro - features and primary for processing silicon material . other micromachining processes include laser beam micromachining ( lbm ), micro - electrical discharge machine ( micro - edm ), and electron beam machining ( ebm ) ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 ), incorporated by reference herein . micro - fabrication and micro - device development using metals , metal alloys , silicon , glass , and polymers are described in the following . ( chen , s . c ., cahill , d . g ., and grigoropoulos , c . p ., “ transient melting and deformation in pulsed laser surface micro - modification of ni - p disks ,” j . heat transfer , vol . 122 ( no . 1 ), pp . 107 - 12 , 2000 ; kancharla , v . and chen , s . c ., “ fabrication of biodegradable microdevices by laser micromachining of biodegradable polymers ,” biomedical microdevices , 2002 , vol . 4 ( 2 ): 105 - 109 ; chen , s . c ., kancharla , v ., and lu , y ., “ laser - based microscale patterning of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications ,” in press , international j . nano technology , 2002 ; zheng , w . and chen , s . c ., “ continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” transactions of namrc / sme , vol . 30 , pp . 551 - 555 , 2002 ; chen , s . c ., “ design and analysis of a heat conduction - based , continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” becon , 2002 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein ). for the array 28 , a stainless steel cylinder is chosen with a diameter of 1 . 5 mm as the base material . the diameter is 1 . 0 mmm for vascular applications , larger for gu , gi and biliary applications , up to 3 . 0 mm , if desired . both the micro - grooves 54 ( or micro - channels of 200 microns wide ) and the reflecting surfaces are machined by micro - electrical discharge machining ( micro - edm ) or micro - milling using focused ion machined tool . to enhance the reflectivity of the reflecting surface , the stainless steel cylinder are coated with evaporated aluminum using electron - beam evaporation . in regard to the reference arm 60 , shown in fig1 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 4 , and be spectrally distributed by a grating ( g 1 ) and will be focused to a mirror ( ga 1 ). by vibrating ga 1 , the light path length will be changed in order to achieve depth scanning . there are many options to build the reference arm 60 applying existing techniques . a very simple form of the reference arm 60 has just a mirror attached onto a voice coil that is driven by a function generator with sine wave . the light reflects back by the mirror and the mirror position changes the light path length . this path length change provides depth scanning of the target tissue because interference occurs only when both arms have the same light path length . preferably , the reference arm 60 is more complicated than the simple one . that is called rapid - scanning optical delay ( rsod ) which can provide fast depth scanning and dispersion compensation . linear array type beam launches from c 4 , and is collimated by l 1 . a mirror ( m 1 ) reflects the beam to a grating ( g 1 ) which spectrally distributes the broadband source light . spectrally distributed light will be focused on a galvono - scanning mirror ( ga 1 ) by a lens ( l 2 ). separation between g 1 and l 2 determines the amount of chromatic dispersion degree so any material dispersion can be compensated for usually caused by fibers . the beam offset from the scanning mirror center determines the fringe frequency that will show up after interfering two reflected lights . the reflected light from the ga 1 goes to l 2 , g 1 , and to m 2 . and then the light reflected following back incoming path and will be coupled back to c 4 . referring to the detection arm , as shown in fig1 and 16 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 3 , and is circular . combination of cl 1 and cl 2 makes the beam look linear in one plane ( horizontal ). micro - lens array ml 1 makes the light focus on the array 28 detector d . as shown in fig1 , 19 a , and 19 b , the scanning probe 50 is comprised of a scanning head 1 , a fiber - shaft holder 3 , a twisted shaft 4 , a transparent cover 7 , a guide wire holder 2 , and a mechanism 9 for linear motion . in this embodiment , the scanning head 1 is adapted to hold a fiber bunch that contain 20 optical fibers 8 , which are arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . in operation , each of the fibers is set to scan an angular range of 18 degrees ( 360 °÷ 20 = 18 °). reflective surfaces 11 are formed on the scanning head 1 and are oriented 45 ° degrees to the central axis of each respective optical fibers 8 , such that they would guide the light from the fiber bunch and direct the light through the transparent cover 7 . the scanning head 1 is designed to provide an 18 degrees &# 39 ; back - and - forth rotation . the back - and - forth rotation realizes the scanning function required by the oct system . the mechanism of this back - and forth rotation is described below . the fiber - shaft holder is substantially a multi - tubular structure . it is formed with one shaft channel 31 extending along the central axis of the fiber - shaft holder and 20 fiber channels 32 arranged around the fiber - shaft holder 3 in parallel . the optical fibers 8 extend through respective fiber channels 32 . the shaft channel 31 has a round cross - sectional area . at the upper end of the shaft channel 31 , the shaft channel 31 is an opening , but the geometry of the opening is reduced from the round cross - sectional area to a rectangular cross - sectional hole 311 . the reason for this structural design will be described along with the description of the twisted shaft 4 . the twisted shaft 4 has a rectangular cross - section area , which is identical in geometry to the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 . indicated by its name , the shaft 4 is partially twisted along the shaft central axis and can be divided into a non - twisted part 41 and a twisted part 42 . in assembly , the shaft 4 is passed through the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 , and it is enabled to slide back - and - forth via the rectangular cross - sectional hole . the relative motion of the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 form the mechanism that realizes a back - and - forth rotation . the reason is that when the twisted part 42 of the shaft 4 slides through the rectangular cross - sectional hole , the shaft 4 itself is forced to rotate along the shaft central axis to fit the matching of both the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 . particularly , the shaft 4 and the holder 3 compose a mechanism 9 that can transmit a linear motion into a rotational motion . the description is now focused on the scanning head 1 . the scanning head 1 has a rectangular socket 12 , which has a cross - section area identical to that of the twisted shaft 4 . the rectangular socket 12 provides a channel covering the non - twisted part 41 of the twisted shaft 4 and lets the non - twisted part 41 exert the back - and forth motion inside the rectangular socket 12 . the moving range of the shaft 4 is constrained such that the twisted part 42 does not pass into the scanning head &# 39 ; s rectangular socket 12 ( that will result in a geometric mismatch ), but the twisted part 42 only interacts with the fiber - shaft holder &# 39 ; s rectangular cross - sectional hole . according to the description above , the motion of the shaft 4 is comprised of a linear component ( v ) and an angular component ( ω ). referring to the geometry of the rectangular socket 12 and non - twisted part 41 of the shaft 4 , the shaft motion &# 39 ; s linear component ( v ) would not contribute to the motion of the scanning head 1 ( regardless of the friction between the surfaces ), but the angular component ( ω ) does . the scanning head 1 rotates back and forth with the rotational motion of the twisted shaft 4 , which in turn results from the twisted shaft &# 39 ; s linear back - and - forth movement relative to the fiber - shaft holder 3 . as a result , the scanning head 1 provides a back - and - forth rotational motion transmitted from the back and forth linear motion provided by the twisted shaft 4 . a guide wire holder 2 is a module used to guide the scanning probe 50 toward the investigated section of the detected blood vessel , biliary duct , and possibly gu application . for the gi tract , a guide wire is generally not used . in operation , a guide wire 01 , or “ guide tissue ”, is previously disposed along a specific route of human vessels , such that a track for the scanning probe 50 of the oct system can be formed . the guide wire holder 2 constrains the scanning probe 50 such that it can only slide along the track formed by the guide wire 01 . the scanning probe 50 is therefore guided to the patient section to be investigated . guide wire holder 2 and holder 5 function as bearings of the scanning head 1 . they constrain the movement of the scanning head 1 and stabilize it . as well , a compressive spring 6 is disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly compressed in assembly , such that it pushes the scanning head 1 against the holder 5 and eliminates any potential axial movement of the scanning head 1 that may result in axial positioning errors ( δd ). it is preferable that the spring 6 supplies torque between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 has its both ends , respectively , fixed on the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly twisted in assembly . by this means , the spring can provide a torque to the back - and - forth rotational mechanism , such that the backlash ( resulting from , for example , the tolerance between the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the shaft ) of the rotational mechanism , as well as the resultant angular positioning errors ( δθ ), are eliminated . note that , the cross - section geometry of the shaft channel 31 is circular . with respect to the shaft channel 31 , the twisted shaft 4 is formed with a cylinder part 43 at its end of the twisted part 42 . the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 performs a motion like a piston . in an upward movement of the twisted shaft 4 , due to the geometric difference , the cylinder part 43 would be blocked at the edge 33 of the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 and provide an upper stopper for the twisted shaft 4 . on the other hand , a lower stopper 34 is placed to block the cylinder part 43 in a downward movement . the function of the upper and lower stoppers is helpful in controlling the movement of the twisted shaft 4 , as well as controlling the angular motion of the scanning head 1 . there are many methods in the prior art that are able to provide the power for the mechanism to push and pull the twisted shaft 4 to generate the linear movement . however , hydraulic force , particularly fluidic pressure , is preferred due to the following advantages : 1 . electricity is not required to be transmitted into the scanning head 1 to energize a hydraulic linear mechanism 9 . some of the mechanisms , such as electromagnetic systems ( or more particularly , some micro - motors ), require not only electricity to be energized , but also additional components , e . g ., coils or magnets , installed to the scanning head 1 to transform the electrical energy into mechanical momentum . the use of electricity is not preferable for medical issues ; and the requirement of additional components would increase the technical difficulty in manufacturing and the complexity of the whole system . some of the other mechanisms , like those comprising piezoelectric materials , can be composed with little space and simple structure , but they still need to receive a large voltage to generate the required momentum . 2 . a hydraulic mechanism 9 takes little space . the structure of the hydraulic mechanism 9 is illustrated in fig1 a and 18 b . the hydraulic mechanism 9 can be simply a liquid conduit that guides liquid , such as water , to push or pull the piston system comprised of the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 . considering that leakage through the gap of a piston system may result in undesirable problems , the hydraulic mechanism 9 is , preferably , comprised of a micro - balloon 91 made by a polymeric thin film . as shown in fig1 a and 18 b , the twisted shaft 4 is in its lower position when the balloon 91 is flat ( fig1 a ). as water is pumped into the piston system , the balloon 91 becomes turgid , and the twisted shaft 4 is pushed toward its upper position with an 18 degree spin ( fig1 b ). the required back - and forth motion can be generated by switching the flat and turgid states of the micro - balloon 91 . for a single fiber oct system , a scan rate of 6 rev / sec ( 6 hz ) is satisfactory [ andrew m . rollins et al ., “ real - time in vivo imaging of human gastrointestinal ultrastructure by use of endoscopic optical coherence tomography with a novel efficient interferometer design ”, optics letters , vol . 24 , no . 19 , oct . 1 , 1999 , incorporated by reference herein ]. that means in one second the oct system should be able to provide at least 6 pictures illustrating the cross - sectional data of the vessel . the scanning probe 50 has 20 fibers , so the satisfactory scan rate can be reduced to 0 . 3 hz ( 6 ÷ 20 = 0 . 3 ), which is much slower and much easier to be realized by the hydraulic actuating system . ideally , 15 pictures / sec . is required for optimal image resolution . rather than continuous rotation , the scanning probe 50 operates in a back - and - forth manner , so that the angular speed of the scanning head 1 will not be constant even when the whole system reaches its steady state . during operation , therefore , detecting the angle of the scanning head 1 , as well as figuring out the angular position that the scanned data belongs to , are important issues . the angle of the scanning head 1 can be simply approximated by comparing the output effort of the pumping system with a reference curve obtained from previous experiments . more precise detection can be reached by the analysis of the feedback of the optical signals . for example , analyzing the light doppler effect [ volker westphal at al ., “ real - time , high velocity - resolution color doppler optical coherence tomography ”, optics letters , vol . 27 , no . 1 , jan 1 , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ] of the feedback signals is another method . the twisted shaft 4 can be formed by precise cnc machining that is well known in the industry . a thin round shaft , minimum diameter 1 . 0 mm , may be used as the intrinsic material before the machining . for production , two ends of the round shaft are clamped , its central portion is precisely milled and four orthogonal planes on the central portion are generated . the planes define the rectangular cross - section of the twisted shaft 4 ( forming a long shaft in this step ), as shown in fig2 a . following the milling , one of the two clamps holding the shaft is rotated relative to the other clamp to twist the shaft a specific angle about its central axis . the twisted part of the twisted shaft 4 being formed . following the twisting step , the rotated clamp is released to free the elastic distortion of the shaft ( with its plastic distortion remaining ), and then the clamp is tightened again . at the next step , as shown by fig2 b , the shaft is milled again at one side of its still - round portion , thereby generating another rectangular portion that is untwisted . the cylindrical portion ( serves as a piston ) is formed from the round portion of the shaft . a precise lathering could further be used to fix the central axis and diameter of the cylindrical part . as shown in fig2 c , only a short portion of the shaft is required . the excess portion of the shaft part is cut off . as shown in fig2 a , the fiber - shaft holder 3 can be combined with two parts , a and b . the part a is actually the body of the catheter . the cross - section of the catheter is shown in fig2 b ; the catheter could be manufactured by the cable extrusion technique that generally is applied in fiber optics industry [ refer to the homepage of optical cable corporation .] note that the central channel of the catheter is used to be the conduit for the guidance of actuating liquid mentioned previously . there are also several conduits used to guide air flowing in and out the probing tip to balance the air pressure inside the oct system ( during operation , the free volume inside the probing tip changes while the twisted shaft 4 is moving ). the diameter of the conduit is equal to that of the cylinder part 43 of the twisted shaft 4 . part b in fig2 a is simply a plate having fiber holding edges ( b 1 ) and a rectangular central opening ( b 2 ). this part could be made from metal by using punching technology as is commonly applied in the industry . in assembly , part a and part b are connected with glue such as epoxy . the lower stopper , which is required to constrain the twisted shaft 4 at its lower position , is formed together with the formation of the micro - balloon . micro - molding with polymeric material ( such as sbs ) could be used to fabricate the scanning head 1 . the process of micro - molding requires a set of micro - molds . in this case , the fiber grooves 54 and the reflective surface 11 at the end of the fiber grooves 54 can be realized by a set of micro - molds comprised of 18 edges ( fig2 a ), each of which has the geometry shown in fig6 b . as well , the central rectangular channel could be molded by a rectangular shaft made by the equipment for the fabrication of the twisted shaft 4 . for the convenience of assembly , the scanning head 1 could be previously provided with the geometry shown in fig2 c . the excess parts of the scanning head 1 would provide guidance and help with the alignment for the optical fibers 8 . uv glue could be used to fix the position of the optical fibers 8 . the excess portion of the scanning head 1 could be cut off after the assembly of the optical fibers 8 . in another embodiment , laser beams heat at least three different locations on the surface of the micro - mirror 210 , which is shown as a disk in fig2 - 25 , successively . the micro - mirror 210 will provide a wabling corresponding to this kind of un - symmetric heating process , and an incident light ( other than the heating laser ) can be redirected in a swaying manner . the heating process corresponds to the rotation period of the micro - mirror 210 as required . the micro - mirror 210 comprises two layers : a first layer 212 and a second layer 214 ( fig2 ). at least one of the two layers can generate structural deformation ( contraction or expansion ) by the application of laser light . if the case is that both of the layers are deformable by laser light , the sensitivities of the two layers to a same laser light would be set different to each others . fig2 shows the perspective view of the micro - mirror 210 . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated with a laser beam , there will be expansion or contraction in the layers . because the expansion or contraction within the layers is of different degrees ( only one layer is deformed or the two layers are deformed with different degrees ), the structure of the whole micro - mirror 210 will be twisted . for example , in fig2 , when the section marked with the pie is irradiated with a laser beam , there is a deformation generated as shown in fig2 . the material of the first and second layers 212 , 214 could be metals or photosensitive polymers . in the case of metal layers , for example , the first layer 212 is poly - silicon and the second layer 214 is gold . the mechanism of the expansion or contraction within the layers is thermal expansion . the metals will absorb the energy of a laser beam and be heated . due to different thermal expansion coefficients of the two layers , the structure will be twisted or bent . this will result in turning the mirror , as shown in fig2 . in the case of photosensitive polymers , for example , liquid crystal materials , the mechanism of the expansion or contraction inside the layers is a phase change of the materials . under the irradiation of a laser beam , the molecules of the polymeric materials will undergo phase change , wherein the chemical structures of the materials are deformed , and a structural deformation occurs . next , similar to the case of metal layers , the degrees of deformation of the two layers are different , and there will be a twisting or bending effect in the structure of the micro - mirror 210 , and the effect in fig2 is reached . when the structure is twisted or bent by the application of laser energy , the surface of the mirror , shown in fig2 , can be tiled to a specific direction . therefore , one can control the direction of the micro - mirror 210 by controlling the laser energy input . the way to control the application of the laser light is to select the location on the micro - mirror 210 to be irradiated by the laser beam , and control the intensity of the laser . by controlling the location , one can control the tilting direction of the mirror ; and by controlling the intensity , one can control the tilting angle of the micro - mirror 210 . referring to fig2 and fig2 , by continuously changing the laser - shining location ( fig2 ), the tilting direction of the micro - mirror 210 can be continuously changed ( fig2 ). that is , the micro - mirror 210 could be rotated by changing the location of the laser - shining . this is the mechanism for the rotation of the laser - actuated micro - mirror 210 . as to the assembly of the whole oct system ( fig2 ), the micro - mirror 210 is mounted on a base 21 b connected to the tip end of the probe cover . there is no object between the fibers and the mirror . fiber 1 , which is used to guide the detecting light , is the same fiber used in other embodiments of the oct probe . the detecting light is redirected by the tilting surface of the micro - mirror 210 , such that it can scan around by means of the tilting and rotating mirror . the fibers 2 are used to guide the actuating - laser light . as shown , at least three fibers 2 are needed . the fibers 2 fire lasers in turns , such that they can generate continuous tilting effect as shown in fig2 and fig2 . the other features of the laser - actuating oct probe are the same as those described in other embodiments . for instance , the fiber , and fibers 2 are disposed in a fiber shaft holder 3 . after the fabrication by semiconductor technique , which is well known by those skillful in the art , the mirror is formed on a substrate ( usually silicon substrate ). the substrate material forms the base . then a small piece is cut from the base that carries the mirror from the substrate with a dicer . the small piece is mounted on to the tip &# 39 ; s end by glue ( epoxy , for example ). only one fiber 1 is enough to transmit the detecting light in this embodiment . during operation , a circular scanning profile of the detecting laser is realized . in this embodiment , illustrated in fig3 , the detecting laser is not centered to the mirror &# 39 ; s center . instead , the following remain constant : ( 1 ) d , the distance between the mirror center and the axis of the detecting light . ( 2 ) alfa , the angle between the mirror surface and the axis of the detecting light . an open - loop system is used for position feedback to properly arrange the periodical change of the laser powers from the three fibers 2 to realize the constant alfa and d . the position control is more complex than single - fiber 2 actuation . particularly , the micro - mirror 210 needs a period of time to respond mechanically to the laser energy coming from the fiber 2 . even though it is known when and which of the fibers 2 are firing the laser power , the exact direction of the mirror surface information cannot be assured . the absolute position of the mirror is actually not necessary . instead , speed - control is used to control the rotation of the scanning mirror . for example , in the case of the mirror driven by a transmission cable rotated from outside , the exact position of the mirror ( which may be affected by a delay of cable transmission due to the cable &# 39 ; s compliance ) is not of concern ; the rotation period of the mirror is controlled so that the “ relative position ” of the mirror is known . after receiving a continuous data stream from the reflected detecting laser , the cross - section image of the vessel is constructed by simply matching the data series to the rotating period . in this embodiment , the operation will be similar . what is different is that the micro - mirror 210 is not actuated by a rotator but by three bimorph heat - deformable cantilever beams . this makes the control more complex . if only one of the fiber 2 fires at one time , it will be very different if not impossible for the mirror to scan a circular profile needed . instead , the three fibers 2 are needed to fire together , with different powers , to bend the three cantilevers at different status at one time to match a circular scanning profile . the three cantilevers are actuated individually by the three fibers 2 such that they cooperate with specific bending patterns that realize a circular scanning profile on the wall of the vessel . in an alternative embodiment regarding the micro - mirror 210 , the fibers 1 and the fibers 2 are reversed so healing energy comes from a single fiber 2 disposed preferably along the central axis of the tube . the plurality of fibers 1 are disposed about the circumference of the tube . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated by the laser beam from the fiber 2 , the laser energy causes the mirror to bend . by changing the intensity of the laser or pulsing the laser , motion can be imported to the micro - mirror 210 which wires the probe tip to which it is attached , to move back and forth , and thus the plurality of fibers 1 for scanning the interior of the area of the patient in question . thermal expansion material normally can generate ˜ 5 % of elongation for a temperature rise of 100 ° c . the length of the material inside the oct is originally 20 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of 1 mm . polymers , including photosensitive polymers and shape memory polymers are able to generate & gt ; 100 % of photo - induced elongations or shrinkages . the material inside the oct is originally 1 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of another 1 mm . optical tomographic instrumentation may be specified by spectrally resolved bandwidth , which is equivalent to number of spectrally resolvable cells . each spectrally resolvable cell has a width δν , such that number of cells resolvable by the instrument is n instrument = δν / δν , where δν is the available optical bandwidth of source light . the range of group - time delays the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is given by : δτ instrument = 1 / δν . the smallest resolvable group - time delay the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is δτ coherence = 1 / δν . number of spectrally resolvable cells the optical tomographic instrument may resolve is given by : for 1 oct a - scan into the object being imaged , the requirement for number of spectrally resolvable cells is − n a - scan = δz / l c , lc ˜ c g / δv , δz = imaging depth , l c ( coherence length ), and c g is the group velocity of light in the object . where δτ a - scan = δz / c g is the round - trip propagation time for light to propagate from the most superficial and deepest position ( to be imaged ) in the object . for some optical tomographic imaging instruments ( e . g ., those that employ narrow linewidth tunable laser sources or high resolution spectrometers ), the above condition can be stated in three manners : a ) the number of spectrally resolvable cells for the instrument ( n instrument ) is much greater than that required for one a - scan ( n a - scan ); 2 ) the range of group time delays the instrumentation is capable of resolving ( δτ instrument ) is much greater than the group - time delay for a single a - scan ( δτ a - scan ); 3 ) available optical bandwidth of source light ( δν ) is much greater than spectral width of each resolvable cell of the instrumentation ( δν ). because the instrument can resolve many more cells than that required for one a - scan , multiplexing techniques are presented here to efficiently utilize the information carrying capacity ( bandwidth ) afforded by optical tomographic imaging instruments . selection criteria of multiplexing techniques employed may be derived in part by the ratio n instrument / n a - scan = δτ instrument / δτ a - scan = δν / δν . larger ratios provide a wider selection of possible multiplexing techniques and more candidate domains ( polarization , space , angle , temporal ) to multiplex into . moreover , multiplexing spectral information into just one domain ( e . g . spatial ) is not the only envisioned approach . generally , additional spectral information may be resolved into multiple domains ( e . g ., polarization and spatial ). a . polarization : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the polarization domain using a system indicated in fig3 . at least two incident polarization states 90 ° apart on the poincare sphere are input into the interferometer . the polarization signature of the light reflected from the sample , such as a vessel wall or nerve fiber layer , is compared to known polarization signatures of materials , such as plaques or a diseased nerve fiber layer . the reflected light and thus the material from which it was reflected is then identified . the fiber delivery system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , can be used . the theory of operation of this approach is described using mueller matrices or the spectrally - resolved jones calculus . by inserting a fospi in the detection path of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( sd - oct ) instrumentation , the full set of stokes parameters of light backscattered at the specific depth in the specimen can be obtained without any other polarization controlling components in reference / sample / detection path of the interferometer and the prior knowledge of the polarization state of the light incident on the sample . in this configuration , two factors determine the spectral modulation . one is optical path length difference between the reference and sample surface , ( δ ( ν )), introduced by the common - path sdoct and the other is phase retardations , φ 1 ( ν ) and φ 2 ( ν ) generated by the retarder system in the fospi . therefore , output from the presented single channel polarization sensitive ( ps ) sd - oct in the time - delay domain is the convolution of the output from fospi and that from sd - oct . where the first two terms are the stokes parameters of light from the reference and sample path , respectively , and the last term is the contribution of interference . consider the birefringent sample with phase retardation δ and fast - axis oriented at angle of α . then , the stokes parameters of the light from the sample ( s i , 2 ) and interference ( s i , i ) are calculated in terms of the stokes parameters of light from the reference , s 0 , 1 , s 1 , 1 , s 2 , 1 , s 3 , 1 . s 1 , 2 r s 2 ( cos 2 2α + cos δ sin 2 2α ) s 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 2 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 2 , 2 = r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( sin 2 2α + cosδ cos 2 2α ) s 2 , 1 + r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 3 , 2 = r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 1 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ cos2 αs 2 , 1 + r s 2 cosδs 3 , 1 ( 1 ) s 0 , i = 2 r s cos δcos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) s 1 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 2 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 3 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 ) ( 2 ) with a reflection coefficient of the sample r s and an optical path length difference between the sample and reference path δ . here , the terms including trigonometric functions of δ represent the interference between the light from reference and sample paths . the measured intensity from sdoct passing through the fospi for a birefringent sample , then , is i out , i ( v ) = r s cos δ cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ - φ 2 ) ] + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ + φ 2 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 - φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 - φ 1 ) ] - 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] ( 3 ) for the interference signal . fourier transform of equation ( 3 ) gives seven components in the positive optical path length difference domain which are centered at δ , δ ± φ 2 , δ ±( φ 2 − φ 1 ), δ ±( φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . inverse fourier transforms of each component are as follows . δ : 1 2 r s ⅇ ⅈδ { cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 - i sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) } ( 4 ) δ + φ 2 : 1 4 r s ⅇ ⅈφ 2 ⅇ ⅈδ { ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 } ( 5 ) δ + φ 2 - φ 1 : 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 - φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 - s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 6 ) δ + φ 2 + φ 1 : - 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 + φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 7 ) comparing with equation ( 2 ), real part of equation ( 4 ) gives s 0 , i / 4 and real part of equation of ( 5 ) after shifting the phase by − φ 2 gives s 1 , i / 8 . likewise , s 2 , i / 8 and s 3 , i / 8 can be obtained by taking the real part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) and the imaginary part of addition of ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) after the appropriate phase shift , −( φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( φ 2 + φ 1 ) for ( 6 ) and ( 7 ), respectively . moreover , simple arithmetic gives phase retardation due to the birefringence of the sample , δ , without knowledge of incident polarization state . the real part of ( 4 ), imaginary part of ( 5 ), the imaginary part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) are 1 2 r s cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 ( 8 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 9 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 10 ) after the phase shift by − δ , −( δ + φ 2 ), −( δ + φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . with a trigonometric identity , the following can be obtained tan δ 2 = 2 ( 9 ) 2 + ( 10 ) 2 ( 8 ) . ( 11 ) phase retardation due to birefringence [ fig3 ] and fast - axis angle [ fig3 ] of the birefringent sample were estimated from interference between the back surface of the glass window and the back surface of the birefringent sample by using eqs . above . for this measurement , the birefringent sample was rotated in 5 ° increments from 0 ° to 90 °. an estimated single - pass phase retardation of 34 . 06 °± 2 . 68 ° is consistent with a value deduced from the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specification ( 31 . 4 °). the estimated fast - axis angle is shown in fig4 ( b ) and is plotted with respect to orientation of the birefringent sample . b . space or lateral position : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the space or lateral position domain using a system indicated below . 1 . existing multifiber approach : ( described above ) 2 . spatially scanned light : the schematic of the experimental setup of a fiber - based spatially multiplexed swept source oct ( sm - ss - oct ) system is depicted in fig3 using the system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , where the top is preferably rotated at least 100 times for each position . a tunable laser and spectrum analyzer ( tlsa 1000 , precision photonics , inc .) that operates in the 1520 - 1620 nm wavelength range ( λ 0 = 1570 nm ) with fwhm spectral line width specified at 150 khz is used as the illuminating source and is equipped with an optical isolator to protect the laser from spurious reflections . the laser output is coupled into one arm of a 2 × 2 fiber - based coupler ( interferometer ). the 50 %- 50 % coupler splits this beam into two nearly equal parts , used in the reference and sample arms , respectively . the reference arm has a fixed path length , and simply consists of a fixed mirror that reflects the entire light incident upon it back into the fiber - based coupler . the light exiting the sample arm of the interferometer is collimated , and scanned across the sample by a scanning galvanometer and a focusing lens . the scanning galvanometer and focusing lens is used to rapidly scan the lateral positions of the tissue . the tlsa 1000 completes one complete wavelength sweep in approximately one second . within this time , the galvanometer is programmed to sweep all lateral positions of the tissue several hundred times . light returning from the sample interferes with the light from the fixed reference in the fiber - based interferometer , and the resultant spectral interference signal ( due to path length variations between sample and reference reflections ) is detected by a photodetector placed in the detection arm of the system . the electrical output is digitized , and a non - uniform fourier transform ( nuft ) of each a - line spectral data gives the depth profile of the sample reflectance . fig3 and 35 are images of a 100 micron thick slide recorded with the spatially multiplexed oct system . the images are of the same object ( microscope cover glass ) only for one image ( fig3 ) the intensity of the light returning from the sample is displayed on a linear greyscale while in the other image ( fig3 ) is displayed according to logarithm of the intensity . c . angle : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the angle domain using a system indicated in fig3 . fig3 depicts a multi fiber angle - domain oct system . the output of the frequency - swept source a is split into n fibers through the splitter b . the light passes through the circulators c , is collimated , focused through a lens , contacts the tissue , and then is reflected into any of the multiplicity of fibers . a reference reflector for each path is introduced into each fiber segment . for example , the reference reflector can be positioned at the terminal end of each fiber segment . for each i &# 39 ; th input fiber segment , interference is formed between light backscattered from the tissue and into the j &# 39 ; th fiber and the reference reflection from the j &# 39 ; th fiber . for n fibers , n 2 interference fringes are formed each corresponding to an incident ( α i ) and backscattered angle ( β j ). light intensity in the spectral domain is then converted to a voltage through a photoreceiver , which outputs to an adc board , which is read into a computer . this system allows phase - sensitive angle resolved imaging of discrete light paths in and out - of the specimen . using a space - spatial frequency transformation ( e . g ., two - dimensional fourier transformation ) lateral structures can be imaged with sub - wavelength resolution . d . space - angle combinations ( e . g . x dimension − space , y dimension − angle ): the space and angle dimensions may be combined to form systems that use the additional spectral cells image both space and angles . for example , additional spectral cells may be used to record position information in one dimension ( e . g . x ) and angle information in the orthogonal dimension ( y ). although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | c21c63da958ce05d46aef54e3350f77aa1adac7d89f4fcdb7b7057ce8cf13287 | 0.291016 | 0.396484 | 0.03418 | 0.648438 | 0.206055 | 0.478516 |
null | referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views , and more specifically to fig1 - 5 , 15 and 16 thereof , there is shown an endoscope 10 for a patient . the endoscope 10 comprises means 102 for producing light , such as a light source 51 . the endoscope 10 comprises an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 adapted to be disposed in the patient . the optical fiber array 28 transmits the light from the producing means , preferably including a light source 51 , into the patient , and transmits the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the light producing means 102 . the endoscope 10 comprises a detector d for receiving the light from the array 28 and analyzing the light . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the detector d . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a tube 53 about which the plurality of optical fibers 8 are disposed . the tube 53 preferably has grooves 54 that extend longitudinally along the tube 53 , as shown in fig1 . one of the plurality of optical fibers 8 is disposed in each of the grooves 54 . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a probe tip 55 , as shown in fig1 , having a reflector 56 disposed in each groove which reflects light from the optical fiber 8 in the groove when the reflector 56 is in the patient and reflects light from the patient to the optical fiber 8 when the array 28 is in the patient . the light source 51 preferably includes a coherent light source 51 and means 57 for guiding the light from the light source 51 to the plurality of optical fibers 8 of the array 28 . preferably , the optical fiber 8 is single mode , has a core 118 with cladding 120 disposed about the core 118 , and has a lens 122 at its tip which focuses the light from the core 118 to the reflector 56 and light from the reflector 56 to the core 118 , as shown in fig1 and 13 . the array 28 preferably includes a transparent cover 7 . preferably , the light source 51 comprises an input arm 58 , the array 28 comprises a sample arm 59 , the detector d comprises a reference arm 60 and a detector arm 61 ; and the input arm 58 , the detector arm 61 , the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 together form an interferometer . the reference arm 60 preferably uses rsod to introduce depth scanning and dispersion compensation to the interferometer . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes an opto - coupler 62 which optically couples corresponding optical fibers 8 of the input arm 58 , sample arm 59 , reference arm 60 and detecting arm together . the detector d preferably determines structural information about the patient from the intensity of an interference signal from reflected light from corresponding fibers of the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 having a same bypass length . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a scanning head 1 which holds n optical fibers 8 , where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer , as shown in fig1 - 22 c . the n optical fibers 8 are preferably arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a mechanism 134 for moving the scanning head 1 so each of the optical fibers 8 scan an angular range of n / 360 degrees . the moving mechanism 134 preferably includes a mechanism 9 for linear motion which causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the linear motion mechanism 9 includes a fiber shaft holder having a shaft channel 31 extending axially along the holder , and n fiber channels 32 are arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 , and a twisting shaft that fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel , the holder rotates . the scanning head 1 preferably has a socket head that conforms with the shaft and causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a guide wire holder 2 disposed on the scanning probe 50 which receives and follows a guide wire when the guard wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possible gu tract . a guide wire is not necessary in the gi tract . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a spring disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber shaft holder which forces the shaft back after the shaft has moved forward . the present invention pertains to a method for imaging a vessel , gu , gi or biliary tract of a patient . the method comprises the steps of transmitting light from a light source 51 into an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 in the patient . there is the step of transmitting the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . there is the step of receiving the light from the array 28 at a detector d . there is the step of analyzing the light with the detector d . preferably , there are the steps of reflecting light from each optical fiber 8 with a corresponding reflector 56 associated with the fiber , and reflecting light from the patient to the associated fiber with a reflector 56 . there is preferably the step of moving each of n optical fibers 8 comprising the optical fiber array 28 an angular range of n / 360 degrees . preferably , there is the step of applying a linear motion to cause each of the n optical fibers 8 of the optical fiber array 28 to move the angular range . the step of applying the linear motion preferably includes the step of moving axially forward in parallel with the n optical fibers 8 a twisting shaft through a shaft channel 31 extending axially along a fiber shaft holder having n fiber channels 32 arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 which causes the holder to rotate . each of the n optical fibers 8 is disposed in a respective fiber channel 32 of the n fiber channels 32 . the twisting shaft fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel . preferably , there is the step of guiding the optical fiber array 28 along a guide wire which is received by a guide wire holder 2 when the guide wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possibly gu system , but not in the gi tract . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the means for analyzing is preferably described in the figures , where polarization is found in fig3 , position in fig1 - 30 , space in fig3 , and angle in fig3 . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . in the operation of the invention , a near infrared broadband light source 51 sends a light beam into the input arm 58 of the array 28 type interferometer . the beam profile from the light source 51 is a circular gaussion . the optics before connector 1 makes the beam profile linear and focuses it into the connector 1 . the array 28 type interferometer consists of multiple fiber - based interferometer that has four fiber arms connected to an opto - coupler 62 . incoming light into the input arm 58 is divided to the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . in the sample arm 59 , optical fibers 8 are distributed like an annular ring , and light will be focused at the target vessel perpendicular to the optical axis . in the reference arm 60 , rsod introduces depth scanning and dispersion compensation . when the reflected light from both arms have the same light path length , strictly speaking within a coherence length , interference occurs . the intensity of the interference signal represents the structural information of a sample . more specifically , in regard to the input arm 58 , and referring to fig1 and 3 , a single beam comes out of s 1 and will be collimated by l 1 . at this point , the beam diameter is big enough to project across all of c 1 &# 39 ; s area , but the beam is still circular . cl 1 and cl 2 , circular lenses , change the beam profile to a linear shape , which means that the beam is not circular anymore , but it looks narrow from fig2 and the same shape with the beam after l 1 on fig3 . ml 1 focuses all light onto c 1 . light source s 1 has a fiber tip from which light departs into air . l 1 is a collimating lens 122 , so the fiber tip of the light source 51 should be located at the back of the focal point of l 1 in order to collimate the light . cl 1 , 2 are cylindrical lenses . separation between two is the sum of each cylindrical lens 122 focal length . they work as a telescope which decrease beam size only in one direction . in other words , the size of the beam does not change from fig3 . ml 1 is a micro lens array 28 , which has a lot of small lenses . each of the small lenses is positioned to have a focal point at each fiber entrance of c 1 . c 1 should be located at the focal point of ml 1 . all micro lenses have same focal length . c 1 is a linear fiber array 28 . in an alternative embodiment of the input arm 58 , as shown in fig4 , known as a fiber based solution : light source s 1 is connected to a single mode fiber , which is connected to fiber splitter ( 50 : 50 ), s 1 . the first fiber splitter is 1 by 2 . each output end of the 1 * 2 fiber splitter is connected to 1 * 4 splitter , sp 1 . each output end of the 1 * 4 splitter , 2 nd layer , is connected to another 1 * 4 splitter , 3 rd layer , sp 2 . at the output of the 3 rd layer , the number of fiber is 32 . 32 fiber comprises a linear fiber array 28 , sp 3 . each fiber is a single mode fiber , which can have a different cutoff frequency . the cutoff frequency is dependent on the center wavelength of the light source 51 . usually , 850 nm or 1300 nm of center wavelength for the light source 51 are used . each fiber is attached to another so that all together they form a linear fiber array 28 . c 1 is connected to multiple interferometers . each interferometer consists of four fiber arms and opto - coupler 62 . at each end of each arm , there is a linear array 28 fiber connector ( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 c 4 ). incoming light will be divided by the opto - coupler 62 into the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . with respect to the sample arm 59 , this sample arm 59 , as shown in fig5 , 7 , 8 and 17 , goes into the target vessel . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which is of an annular shape at the other end . the total length of the arm will be around 2 ˜ 3 m . when the light leaves the annular tip f , it will be collimated by l 1 and then reflected by l 2 outward from the probe . reflected light from tissue will follow back to l 2 and l 1 and be gathered by the fiber tip . later , two reflected lights from the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively , will make interference , which will be detected by the array 28 detector d at the detection arm . the sample arm 59 is supposed to go through a target vessel , gi , gu or biliary tract . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which has an annular shape at the other end ( probe tip 55 ) ( fig8 ). total length of the sample arm 59 is about 1 . 5 m . the fiber array 28 will be molded by a transparent cover 7 material ( ex : silicon resin or polymers ). at the annular probe tip f shown in fig9 , each fiber is glued at a groove of a cylindrical polymer tube 53 . the shape of each groove is shown at fig1 and 11 . each groove end has a reflector 56 which is 45 ° oblique to axial direction . the groove will be made by micro fabrication technique . each fiber has a lens 122 at the tip , which can be manufactured by splicing a multimode fiber with the same diameter of the cladding 120 of the single mode fiber and then melting the end of multimode fiber in order to get curvature ( fig1 and 13 ). when the light leaves the fiber tip , the light will be reflected outward by the reflector 56 at the end of the groove , and then will be focused at the target tissue area . reflected light from the tissue will follow back the same path as the incoming light , and go to the detection arm . micromachining or micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) and nanotechnology are becoming increasingly popular for the development of improved biomaterials and devices ( macilwain c ., “ us plans large funding boost to support nanotechnology boom ,” nature , 1999 ; 400 : 95 , incorporated by reference herein ). similar to manufacturing methods used for computer microchips , mems processes combine etching and / or material deposition and photolithographic - patterning techniques to develop ultrasmall devices ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ). mems has been proven promising in medicine for its small mass and volume , low cost , and high functionality . successful mems devices in medicine include smart sensor for cataract removal , silicon neurowells , microneedles for gene and drug delivery , and dna arrays ( polla , d . l ., erdman , a . g ., robbins , w . p ., markus , d . t ., diaz - diaz , j ., rizq , r ., nam , y ., brickner , h . t ., wang , a ., krulevitch , p ., “ microdevices in medicine ,” annu . rev . biomed . eng ., 2000 ; 02 : 551 - 76 ; mcallister et al ., 2000 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein ). however , most of the mems processes are planar in nature for two - dimension ( 2d ) micro - features and primary for processing silicon material . other micromachining processes include laser beam micromachining ( lbm ), micro - electrical discharge machine ( micro - edm ), and electron beam machining ( ebm ) ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 ), incorporated by reference herein . micro - fabrication and micro - device development using metals , metal alloys , silicon , glass , and polymers are described in the following . ( chen , s . c ., cahill , d . g ., and grigoropoulos , c . p ., “ transient melting and deformation in pulsed laser surface micro - modification of ni - p disks ,” j . heat transfer , vol . 122 ( no . 1 ), pp . 107 - 12 , 2000 ; kancharla , v . and chen , s . c ., “ fabrication of biodegradable microdevices by laser micromachining of biodegradable polymers ,” biomedical microdevices , 2002 , vol . 4 ( 2 ): 105 - 109 ; chen , s . c ., kancharla , v ., and lu , y ., “ laser - based microscale patterning of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications ,” in press , international j . nano technology , 2002 ; zheng , w . and chen , s . c ., “ continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” transactions of namrc / sme , vol . 30 , pp . 551 - 555 , 2002 ; chen , s . c ., “ design and analysis of a heat conduction - based , continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” becon , 2002 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein ). for the array 28 , a stainless steel cylinder is chosen with a diameter of 1 . 5 mm as the base material . the diameter is 1 . 0 mmm for vascular applications , larger for gu , gi and biliary applications , up to 3 . 0 mm , if desired . both the micro - grooves 54 ( or micro - channels of 200 microns wide ) and the reflecting surfaces are machined by micro - electrical discharge machining ( micro - edm ) or micro - milling using focused ion machined tool . to enhance the reflectivity of the reflecting surface , the stainless steel cylinder are coated with evaporated aluminum using electron - beam evaporation . in regard to the reference arm 60 , shown in fig1 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 4 , and be spectrally distributed by a grating ( g 1 ) and will be focused to a mirror ( ga 1 ). by vibrating ga 1 , the light path length will be changed in order to achieve depth scanning . there are many options to build the reference arm 60 applying existing techniques . a very simple form of the reference arm 60 has just a mirror attached onto a voice coil that is driven by a function generator with sine wave . the light reflects back by the mirror and the mirror position changes the light path length . this path length change provides depth scanning of the target tissue because interference occurs only when both arms have the same light path length . preferably , the reference arm 60 is more complicated than the simple one . that is called rapid - scanning optical delay ( rsod ) which can provide fast depth scanning and dispersion compensation . linear array type beam launches from c 4 , and is collimated by l 1 . a mirror ( m 1 ) reflects the beam to a grating ( g 1 ) which spectrally distributes the broadband source light . spectrally distributed light will be focused on a galvono - scanning mirror ( ga 1 ) by a lens ( l 2 ). separation between g 1 and l 2 determines the amount of chromatic dispersion degree so any material dispersion can be compensated for usually caused by fibers . the beam offset from the scanning mirror center determines the fringe frequency that will show up after interfering two reflected lights . the reflected light from the ga 1 goes to l 2 , g 1 , and to m 2 . and then the light reflected following back incoming path and will be coupled back to c 4 . referring to the detection arm , as shown in fig1 and 16 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 3 , and is circular . combination of cl 1 and cl 2 makes the beam look linear in one plane ( horizontal ). micro - lens array ml 1 makes the light focus on the array 28 detector d . as shown in fig1 , 19 a , and 19 b , the scanning probe 50 is comprised of a scanning head 1 , a fiber - shaft holder 3 , a twisted shaft 4 , a transparent cover 7 , a guide wire holder 2 , and a mechanism 9 for linear motion . in this embodiment , the scanning head 1 is adapted to hold a fiber bunch that contain 20 optical fibers 8 , which are arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . in operation , each of the fibers is set to scan an angular range of 18 degrees ( 360 °÷ 20 = 18 °). reflective surfaces 11 are formed on the scanning head 1 and are oriented 45 ° degrees to the central axis of each respective optical fibers 8 , such that they would guide the light from the fiber bunch and direct the light through the transparent cover 7 . the scanning head 1 is designed to provide an 18 degrees &# 39 ; back - and - forth rotation . the back - and - forth rotation realizes the scanning function required by the oct system . the mechanism of this back - and forth rotation is described below . the fiber - shaft holder is substantially a multi - tubular structure . it is formed with one shaft channel 31 extending along the central axis of the fiber - shaft holder and 20 fiber channels 32 arranged around the fiber - shaft holder 3 in parallel . the optical fibers 8 extend through respective fiber channels 32 . the shaft channel 31 has a round cross - sectional area . at the upper end of the shaft channel 31 , the shaft channel 31 is an opening , but the geometry of the opening is reduced from the round cross - sectional area to a rectangular cross - sectional hole 311 . the reason for this structural design will be described along with the description of the twisted shaft 4 . the twisted shaft 4 has a rectangular cross - section area , which is identical in geometry to the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 . indicated by its name , the shaft 4 is partially twisted along the shaft central axis and can be divided into a non - twisted part 41 and a twisted part 42 . in assembly , the shaft 4 is passed through the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 , and it is enabled to slide back - and - forth via the rectangular cross - sectional hole . the relative motion of the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 form the mechanism that realizes a back - and - forth rotation . the reason is that when the twisted part 42 of the shaft 4 slides through the rectangular cross - sectional hole , the shaft 4 itself is forced to rotate along the shaft central axis to fit the matching of both the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 . particularly , the shaft 4 and the holder 3 compose a mechanism 9 that can transmit a linear motion into a rotational motion . the description is now focused on the scanning head 1 . the scanning head 1 has a rectangular socket 12 , which has a cross - section area identical to that of the twisted shaft 4 . the rectangular socket 12 provides a channel covering the non - twisted part 41 of the twisted shaft 4 and lets the non - twisted part 41 exert the back - and forth motion inside the rectangular socket 12 . the moving range of the shaft 4 is constrained such that the twisted part 42 does not pass into the scanning head &# 39 ; s rectangular socket 12 ( that will result in a geometric mismatch ), but the twisted part 42 only interacts with the fiber - shaft holder &# 39 ; s rectangular cross - sectional hole . according to the description above , the motion of the shaft 4 is comprised of a linear component ( v ) and an angular component ( ω ). referring to the geometry of the rectangular socket 12 and non - twisted part 41 of the shaft 4 , the shaft motion &# 39 ; s linear component ( v ) would not contribute to the motion of the scanning head 1 ( regardless of the friction between the surfaces ), but the angular component ( ω ) does . the scanning head 1 rotates back and forth with the rotational motion of the twisted shaft 4 , which in turn results from the twisted shaft &# 39 ; s linear back - and - forth movement relative to the fiber - shaft holder 3 . as a result , the scanning head 1 provides a back - and - forth rotational motion transmitted from the back and forth linear motion provided by the twisted shaft 4 . a guide wire holder 2 is a module used to guide the scanning probe 50 toward the investigated section of the detected blood vessel , biliary duct , and possibly gu application . for the gi tract , a guide wire is generally not used . in operation , a guide wire 01 , or “ guide tissue ”, is previously disposed along a specific route of human vessels , such that a track for the scanning probe 50 of the oct system can be formed . the guide wire holder 2 constrains the scanning probe 50 such that it can only slide along the track formed by the guide wire 01 . the scanning probe 50 is therefore guided to the patient section to be investigated . guide wire holder 2 and holder 5 function as bearings of the scanning head 1 . they constrain the movement of the scanning head 1 and stabilize it . as well , a compressive spring 6 is disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly compressed in assembly , such that it pushes the scanning head 1 against the holder 5 and eliminates any potential axial movement of the scanning head 1 that may result in axial positioning errors ( δd ). it is preferable that the spring 6 supplies torque between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 has its both ends , respectively , fixed on the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly twisted in assembly . by this means , the spring can provide a torque to the back - and - forth rotational mechanism , such that the backlash ( resulting from , for example , the tolerance between the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the shaft ) of the rotational mechanism , as well as the resultant angular positioning errors ( δθ ), are eliminated . note that , the cross - section geometry of the shaft channel 31 is circular . with respect to the shaft channel 31 , the twisted shaft 4 is formed with a cylinder part 43 at its end of the twisted part 42 . the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 performs a motion like a piston . in an upward movement of the twisted shaft 4 , due to the geometric difference , the cylinder part 43 would be blocked at the edge 33 of the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 and provide an upper stopper for the twisted shaft 4 . on the other hand , a lower stopper 34 is placed to block the cylinder part 43 in a downward movement . the function of the upper and lower stoppers is helpful in controlling the movement of the twisted shaft 4 , as well as controlling the angular motion of the scanning head 1 . there are many methods in the prior art that are able to provide the power for the mechanism to push and pull the twisted shaft 4 to generate the linear movement . however , hydraulic force , particularly fluidic pressure , is preferred due to the following advantages : 1 . electricity is not required to be transmitted into the scanning head 1 to energize a hydraulic linear mechanism 9 . some of the mechanisms , such as electromagnetic systems ( or more particularly , some micro - motors ), require not only electricity to be energized , but also additional components , e . g ., coils or magnets , installed to the scanning head 1 to transform the electrical energy into mechanical momentum . the use of electricity is not preferable for medical issues ; and the requirement of additional components would increase the technical difficulty in manufacturing and the complexity of the whole system . some of the other mechanisms , like those comprising piezoelectric materials , can be composed with little space and simple structure , but they still need to receive a large voltage to generate the required momentum . 2 . a hydraulic mechanism 9 takes little space . the structure of the hydraulic mechanism 9 is illustrated in fig1 a and 18 b . the hydraulic mechanism 9 can be simply a liquid conduit that guides liquid , such as water , to push or pull the piston system comprised of the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 . considering that leakage through the gap of a piston system may result in undesirable problems , the hydraulic mechanism 9 is , preferably , comprised of a micro - balloon 91 made by a polymeric thin film . as shown in fig1 a and 18 b , the twisted shaft 4 is in its lower position when the balloon 91 is flat ( fig1 a ). as water is pumped into the piston system , the balloon 91 becomes turgid , and the twisted shaft 4 is pushed toward its upper position with an 18 degree spin ( fig1 b ). the required back - and forth motion can be generated by switching the flat and turgid states of the micro - balloon 91 . for a single fiber oct system , a scan rate of 6 rev / sec ( 6 hz ) is satisfactory [ andrew m . rollins et al ., “ real - time in vivo imaging of human gastrointestinal ultrastructure by use of endoscopic optical coherence tomography with a novel efficient interferometer design ”, optics letters , vol . 24 , no . 19 , oct . 1 , 1999 , incorporated by reference herein ]. that means in one second the oct system should be able to provide at least 6 pictures illustrating the cross - sectional data of the vessel . the scanning probe 50 has 20 fibers , so the satisfactory scan rate can be reduced to 0 . 3 hz ( 6 ÷ 20 = 0 . 3 ), which is much slower and much easier to be realized by the hydraulic actuating system . ideally , 15 pictures / sec . is required for optimal image resolution . rather than continuous rotation , the scanning probe 50 operates in a back - and - forth manner , so that the angular speed of the scanning head 1 will not be constant even when the whole system reaches its steady state . during operation , therefore , detecting the angle of the scanning head 1 , as well as figuring out the angular position that the scanned data belongs to , are important issues . the angle of the scanning head 1 can be simply approximated by comparing the output effort of the pumping system with a reference curve obtained from previous experiments . more precise detection can be reached by the analysis of the feedback of the optical signals . for example , analyzing the light doppler effect [ volker westphal at al ., “ real - time , high velocity - resolution color doppler optical coherence tomography ”, optics letters , vol . 27 , no . 1 , jan 1 , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ] of the feedback signals is another method . the twisted shaft 4 can be formed by precise cnc machining that is well known in the industry . a thin round shaft , minimum diameter 1 . 0 mm , may be used as the intrinsic material before the machining . for production , two ends of the round shaft are clamped , its central portion is precisely milled and four orthogonal planes on the central portion are generated . the planes define the rectangular cross - section of the twisted shaft 4 ( forming a long shaft in this step ), as shown in fig2 a . following the milling , one of the two clamps holding the shaft is rotated relative to the other clamp to twist the shaft a specific angle about its central axis . the twisted part of the twisted shaft 4 being formed . following the twisting step , the rotated clamp is released to free the elastic distortion of the shaft ( with its plastic distortion remaining ), and then the clamp is tightened again . at the next step , as shown by fig2 b , the shaft is milled again at one side of its still - round portion , thereby generating another rectangular portion that is untwisted . the cylindrical portion ( serves as a piston ) is formed from the round portion of the shaft . a precise lathering could further be used to fix the central axis and diameter of the cylindrical part . as shown in fig2 c , only a short portion of the shaft is required . the excess portion of the shaft part is cut off . as shown in fig2 a , the fiber - shaft holder 3 can be combined with two parts , a and b . the part a is actually the body of the catheter . the cross - section of the catheter is shown in fig2 b ; the catheter could be manufactured by the cable extrusion technique that generally is applied in fiber optics industry [ refer to the homepage of optical cable corporation .] note that the central channel of the catheter is used to be the conduit for the guidance of actuating liquid mentioned previously . there are also several conduits used to guide air flowing in and out the probing tip to balance the air pressure inside the oct system ( during operation , the free volume inside the probing tip changes while the twisted shaft 4 is moving ). the diameter of the conduit is equal to that of the cylinder part 43 of the twisted shaft 4 . part b in fig2 a is simply a plate having fiber holding edges ( b 1 ) and a rectangular central opening ( b 2 ). this part could be made from metal by using punching technology as is commonly applied in the industry . in assembly , part a and part b are connected with glue such as epoxy . the lower stopper , which is required to constrain the twisted shaft 4 at its lower position , is formed together with the formation of the micro - balloon . micro - molding with polymeric material ( such as sbs ) could be used to fabricate the scanning head 1 . the process of micro - molding requires a set of micro - molds . in this case , the fiber grooves 54 and the reflective surface 11 at the end of the fiber grooves 54 can be realized by a set of micro - molds comprised of 18 edges ( fig2 a ), each of which has the geometry shown in fig6 b . as well , the central rectangular channel could be molded by a rectangular shaft made by the equipment for the fabrication of the twisted shaft 4 . for the convenience of assembly , the scanning head 1 could be previously provided with the geometry shown in fig2 c . the excess parts of the scanning head 1 would provide guidance and help with the alignment for the optical fibers 8 . uv glue could be used to fix the position of the optical fibers 8 . the excess portion of the scanning head 1 could be cut off after the assembly of the optical fibers 8 . in another embodiment , laser beams heat at least three different locations on the surface of the micro - mirror 210 , which is shown as a disk in fig2 - 25 , successively . the micro - mirror 210 will provide a wabling corresponding to this kind of un - symmetric heating process , and an incident light ( other than the heating laser ) can be redirected in a swaying manner . the heating process corresponds to the rotation period of the micro - mirror 210 as required . the micro - mirror 210 comprises two layers : a first layer 212 and a second layer 214 ( fig2 ). at least one of the two layers can generate structural deformation ( contraction or expansion ) by the application of laser light . if the case is that both of the layers are deformable by laser light , the sensitivities of the two layers to a same laser light would be set different to each others . fig2 shows the perspective view of the micro - mirror 210 . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated with a laser beam , there will be expansion or contraction in the layers . because the expansion or contraction within the layers is of different degrees ( only one layer is deformed or the two layers are deformed with different degrees ), the structure of the whole micro - mirror 210 will be twisted . for example , in fig2 , when the section marked with the pie is irradiated with a laser beam , there is a deformation generated as shown in fig2 . the material of the first and second layers 212 , 214 could be metals or photosensitive polymers . in the case of metal layers , for example , the first layer 212 is poly - silicon and the second layer 214 is gold . the mechanism of the expansion or contraction within the layers is thermal expansion . the metals will absorb the energy of a laser beam and be heated . due to different thermal expansion coefficients of the two layers , the structure will be twisted or bent . this will result in turning the mirror , as shown in fig2 . in the case of photosensitive polymers , for example , liquid crystal materials , the mechanism of the expansion or contraction inside the layers is a phase change of the materials . under the irradiation of a laser beam , the molecules of the polymeric materials will undergo phase change , wherein the chemical structures of the materials are deformed , and a structural deformation occurs . next , similar to the case of metal layers , the degrees of deformation of the two layers are different , and there will be a twisting or bending effect in the structure of the micro - mirror 210 , and the effect in fig2 is reached . when the structure is twisted or bent by the application of laser energy , the surface of the mirror , shown in fig2 , can be tiled to a specific direction . therefore , one can control the direction of the micro - mirror 210 by controlling the laser energy input . the way to control the application of the laser light is to select the location on the micro - mirror 210 to be irradiated by the laser beam , and control the intensity of the laser . by controlling the location , one can control the tilting direction of the mirror ; and by controlling the intensity , one can control the tilting angle of the micro - mirror 210 . referring to fig2 and fig2 , by continuously changing the laser - shining location ( fig2 ), the tilting direction of the micro - mirror 210 can be continuously changed ( fig2 ). that is , the micro - mirror 210 could be rotated by changing the location of the laser - shining . this is the mechanism for the rotation of the laser - actuated micro - mirror 210 . as to the assembly of the whole oct system ( fig2 ), the micro - mirror 210 is mounted on a base 21 b connected to the tip end of the probe cover . there is no object between the fibers and the mirror . fiber 1 , which is used to guide the detecting light , is the same fiber used in other embodiments of the oct probe . the detecting light is redirected by the tilting surface of the micro - mirror 210 , such that it can scan around by means of the tilting and rotating mirror . the fibers 2 are used to guide the actuating - laser light . as shown , at least three fibers 2 are needed . the fibers 2 fire lasers in turns , such that they can generate continuous tilting effect as shown in fig2 and fig2 . the other features of the laser - actuating oct probe are the same as those described in other embodiments . for instance , the fiber , and fibers 2 are disposed in a fiber shaft holder 3 . after the fabrication by semiconductor technique , which is well known by those skillful in the art , the mirror is formed on a substrate ( usually silicon substrate ). the substrate material forms the base . then a small piece is cut from the base that carries the mirror from the substrate with a dicer . the small piece is mounted on to the tip &# 39 ; s end by glue ( epoxy , for example ). only one fiber 1 is enough to transmit the detecting light in this embodiment . during operation , a circular scanning profile of the detecting laser is realized . in this embodiment , illustrated in fig3 , the detecting laser is not centered to the mirror &# 39 ; s center . instead , the following remain constant : ( 1 ) d , the distance between the mirror center and the axis of the detecting light . ( 2 ) alfa , the angle between the mirror surface and the axis of the detecting light . an open - loop system is used for position feedback to properly arrange the periodical change of the laser powers from the three fibers 2 to realize the constant alfa and d . the position control is more complex than single - fiber 2 actuation . particularly , the micro - mirror 210 needs a period of time to respond mechanically to the laser energy coming from the fiber 2 . even though it is known when and which of the fibers 2 are firing the laser power , the exact direction of the mirror surface information cannot be assured . the absolute position of the mirror is actually not necessary . instead , speed - control is used to control the rotation of the scanning mirror . for example , in the case of the mirror driven by a transmission cable rotated from outside , the exact position of the mirror ( which may be affected by a delay of cable transmission due to the cable &# 39 ; s compliance ) is not of concern ; the rotation period of the mirror is controlled so that the “ relative position ” of the mirror is known . after receiving a continuous data stream from the reflected detecting laser , the cross - section image of the vessel is constructed by simply matching the data series to the rotating period . in this embodiment , the operation will be similar . what is different is that the micro - mirror 210 is not actuated by a rotator but by three bimorph heat - deformable cantilever beams . this makes the control more complex . if only one of the fiber 2 fires at one time , it will be very different if not impossible for the mirror to scan a circular profile needed . instead , the three fibers 2 are needed to fire together , with different powers , to bend the three cantilevers at different status at one time to match a circular scanning profile . the three cantilevers are actuated individually by the three fibers 2 such that they cooperate with specific bending patterns that realize a circular scanning profile on the wall of the vessel . in an alternative embodiment regarding the micro - mirror 210 , the fibers 1 and the fibers 2 are reversed so healing energy comes from a single fiber 2 disposed preferably along the central axis of the tube . the plurality of fibers 1 are disposed about the circumference of the tube . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated by the laser beam from the fiber 2 , the laser energy causes the mirror to bend . by changing the intensity of the laser or pulsing the laser , motion can be imported to the micro - mirror 210 which wires the probe tip to which it is attached , to move back and forth , and thus the plurality of fibers 1 for scanning the interior of the area of the patient in question . thermal expansion material normally can generate ˜ 5 % of elongation for a temperature rise of 100 ° c . the length of the material inside the oct is originally 20 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of 1 mm . polymers , including photosensitive polymers and shape memory polymers are able to generate & gt ; 100 % of photo - induced elongations or shrinkages . the material inside the oct is originally 1 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of another 1 mm . optical tomographic instrumentation may be specified by spectrally resolved bandwidth , which is equivalent to number of spectrally resolvable cells . each spectrally resolvable cell has a width δν , such that number of cells resolvable by the instrument is n instrument = δν / δν , where δν is the available optical bandwidth of source light . the range of group - time delays the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is given by : δτ instrument = 1 / δν . the smallest resolvable group - time delay the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is δτ coherence = 1 / δν . number of spectrally resolvable cells the optical tomographic instrument may resolve is given by : for 1 oct a - scan into the object being imaged , the requirement for number of spectrally resolvable cells is − n a - scan = δz / l c , lc ˜ c g / δv , δz = imaging depth , l c ( coherence length ), and c g is the group velocity of light in the object . where δτ a - scan = δz / c g is the round - trip propagation time for light to propagate from the most superficial and deepest position ( to be imaged ) in the object . for some optical tomographic imaging instruments ( e . g ., those that employ narrow linewidth tunable laser sources or high resolution spectrometers ), the above condition can be stated in three manners : a ) the number of spectrally resolvable cells for the instrument ( n instrument ) is much greater than that required for one a - scan ( n a - scan ); 2 ) the range of group time delays the instrumentation is capable of resolving ( δτ instrument ) is much greater than the group - time delay for a single a - scan ( δτ a - scan ); 3 ) available optical bandwidth of source light ( δν ) is much greater than spectral width of each resolvable cell of the instrumentation ( δν ). because the instrument can resolve many more cells than that required for one a - scan , multiplexing techniques are presented here to efficiently utilize the information carrying capacity ( bandwidth ) afforded by optical tomographic imaging instruments . selection criteria of multiplexing techniques employed may be derived in part by the ratio n instrument / n a - scan = δτ instrument / δτ a - scan = δν / δν . larger ratios provide a wider selection of possible multiplexing techniques and more candidate domains ( polarization , space , angle , temporal ) to multiplex into . moreover , multiplexing spectral information into just one domain ( e . g . spatial ) is not the only envisioned approach . generally , additional spectral information may be resolved into multiple domains ( e . g ., polarization and spatial ). a . polarization : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the polarization domain using a system indicated in fig3 . at least two incident polarization states 90 ° apart on the poincare sphere are input into the interferometer . the polarization signature of the light reflected from the sample , such as a vessel wall or nerve fiber layer , is compared to known polarization signatures of materials , such as plaques or a diseased nerve fiber layer . the reflected light and thus the material from which it was reflected is then identified . the fiber delivery system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , can be used . the theory of operation of this approach is described using mueller matrices or the spectrally - resolved jones calculus . by inserting a fospi in the detection path of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( sd - oct ) instrumentation , the full set of stokes parameters of light backscattered at the specific depth in the specimen can be obtained without any other polarization controlling components in reference / sample / detection path of the interferometer and the prior knowledge of the polarization state of the light incident on the sample . in this configuration , two factors determine the spectral modulation . one is optical path length difference between the reference and sample surface , ( δ ( ν )), introduced by the common - path sdoct and the other is phase retardations , φ 1 ( ν ) and φ 2 ( ν ) generated by the retarder system in the fospi . therefore , output from the presented single channel polarization sensitive ( ps ) sd - oct in the time - delay domain is the convolution of the output from fospi and that from sd - oct . where the first two terms are the stokes parameters of light from the reference and sample path , respectively , and the last term is the contribution of interference . consider the birefringent sample with phase retardation δ and fast - axis oriented at angle of α . then , the stokes parameters of the light from the sample ( s i , 2 ) and interference ( s i , i ) are calculated in terms of the stokes parameters of light from the reference , s 0 , 1 , s 1 , 1 , s 2 , 1 , s 3 , 1 . s 1 , 2 r s 2 ( cos 2 2α + cos δ sin 2 2α ) s 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 2 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 2 , 2 = r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( sin 2 2α + cosδ cos 2 2α ) s 2 , 1 + r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 3 , 2 = r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 1 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ cos2 αs 2 , 1 + r s 2 cosδs 3 , 1 ( 1 ) s 0 , i = 2 r s cos δcos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) s 1 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 2 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 3 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 ) ( 2 ) with a reflection coefficient of the sample r s and an optical path length difference between the sample and reference path δ . here , the terms including trigonometric functions of δ represent the interference between the light from reference and sample paths . the measured intensity from sdoct passing through the fospi for a birefringent sample , then , is i out , i ( v ) = r s cos δ cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ - φ 2 ) ] + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ + φ 2 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 - φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 - φ 1 ) ] - 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] ( 3 ) for the interference signal . fourier transform of equation ( 3 ) gives seven components in the positive optical path length difference domain which are centered at δ , δ ± φ 2 , δ ±( φ 2 − φ 1 ), δ ±( φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . inverse fourier transforms of each component are as follows . δ : 1 2 r s ⅇ ⅈδ { cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 - i sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) } ( 4 ) δ + φ 2 : 1 4 r s ⅇ ⅈφ 2 ⅇ ⅈδ { ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 } ( 5 ) δ + φ 2 - φ 1 : 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 - φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 - s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 6 ) δ + φ 2 + φ 1 : - 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 + φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 7 ) comparing with equation ( 2 ), real part of equation ( 4 ) gives s 0 , i / 4 and real part of equation of ( 5 ) after shifting the phase by − φ 2 gives s 1 , i / 8 . likewise , s 2 , i / 8 and s 3 , i / 8 can be obtained by taking the real part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) and the imaginary part of addition of ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) after the appropriate phase shift , −( φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( φ 2 + φ 1 ) for ( 6 ) and ( 7 ), respectively . moreover , simple arithmetic gives phase retardation due to the birefringence of the sample , δ , without knowledge of incident polarization state . the real part of ( 4 ), imaginary part of ( 5 ), the imaginary part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) are 1 2 r s cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 ( 8 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 9 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 10 ) after the phase shift by − δ , −( δ + φ 2 ), −( δ + φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . with a trigonometric identity , the following can be obtained tan δ 2 = 2 ( 9 ) 2 + ( 10 ) 2 ( 8 ) . ( 11 ) phase retardation due to birefringence [ fig3 ] and fast - axis angle [ fig3 ] of the birefringent sample were estimated from interference between the back surface of the glass window and the back surface of the birefringent sample by using eqs . above . for this measurement , the birefringent sample was rotated in 5 ° increments from 0 ° to 90 °. an estimated single - pass phase retardation of 34 . 06 °± 2 . 68 ° is consistent with a value deduced from the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specification ( 31 . 4 °). the estimated fast - axis angle is shown in fig4 ( b ) and is plotted with respect to orientation of the birefringent sample . b . space or lateral position : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the space or lateral position domain using a system indicated below . 1 . existing multifiber approach : ( described above ) 2 . spatially scanned light : the schematic of the experimental setup of a fiber - based spatially multiplexed swept source oct ( sm - ss - oct ) system is depicted in fig3 using the system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , where the top is preferably rotated at least 100 times for each position . a tunable laser and spectrum analyzer ( tlsa 1000 , precision photonics , inc .) that operates in the 1520 - 1620 nm wavelength range ( λ 0 = 1570 nm ) with fwhm spectral line width specified at 150 khz is used as the illuminating source and is equipped with an optical isolator to protect the laser from spurious reflections . the laser output is coupled into one arm of a 2 × 2 fiber - based coupler ( interferometer ). the 50 %- 50 % coupler splits this beam into two nearly equal parts , used in the reference and sample arms , respectively . the reference arm has a fixed path length , and simply consists of a fixed mirror that reflects the entire light incident upon it back into the fiber - based coupler . the light exiting the sample arm of the interferometer is collimated , and scanned across the sample by a scanning galvanometer and a focusing lens . the scanning galvanometer and focusing lens is used to rapidly scan the lateral positions of the tissue . the tlsa 1000 completes one complete wavelength sweep in approximately one second . within this time , the galvanometer is programmed to sweep all lateral positions of the tissue several hundred times . light returning from the sample interferes with the light from the fixed reference in the fiber - based interferometer , and the resultant spectral interference signal ( due to path length variations between sample and reference reflections ) is detected by a photodetector placed in the detection arm of the system . the electrical output is digitized , and a non - uniform fourier transform ( nuft ) of each a - line spectral data gives the depth profile of the sample reflectance . fig3 and 35 are images of a 100 micron thick slide recorded with the spatially multiplexed oct system . the images are of the same object ( microscope cover glass ) only for one image ( fig3 ) the intensity of the light returning from the sample is displayed on a linear greyscale while in the other image ( fig3 ) is displayed according to logarithm of the intensity . c . angle : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the angle domain using a system indicated in fig3 . fig3 depicts a multi fiber angle - domain oct system . the output of the frequency - swept source a is split into n fibers through the splitter b . the light passes through the circulators c , is collimated , focused through a lens , contacts the tissue , and then is reflected into any of the multiplicity of fibers . a reference reflector for each path is introduced into each fiber segment . for example , the reference reflector can be positioned at the terminal end of each fiber segment . for each i &# 39 ; th input fiber segment , interference is formed between light backscattered from the tissue and into the j &# 39 ; th fiber and the reference reflection from the j &# 39 ; th fiber . for n fibers , n 2 interference fringes are formed each corresponding to an incident ( α i ) and backscattered angle ( β j ). light intensity in the spectral domain is then converted to a voltage through a photoreceiver , which outputs to an adc board , which is read into a computer . this system allows phase - sensitive angle resolved imaging of discrete light paths in and out - of the specimen . using a space - spatial frequency transformation ( e . g ., two - dimensional fourier transformation ) lateral structures can be imaged with sub - wavelength resolution . d . space - angle combinations ( e . g . x dimension − space , y dimension − angle ): the space and angle dimensions may be combined to form systems that use the additional spectral cells image both space and angles . for example , additional spectral cells may be used to record position information in one dimension ( e . g . x ) and angle information in the orthogonal dimension ( y ). although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | c21c63da958ce05d46aef54e3350f77aa1adac7d89f4fcdb7b7057ce8cf13287 | 0.291016 | 0.18457 | 0.03418 | 0.550781 | 0.206055 | 0.176758 |
null | referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views , and more specifically to fig1 - 5 , 15 and 16 thereof , there is shown an endoscope 10 for a patient . the endoscope 10 comprises means 102 for producing light , such as a light source 51 . the endoscope 10 comprises an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 adapted to be disposed in the patient . the optical fiber array 28 transmits the light from the producing means , preferably including a light source 51 , into the patient , and transmits the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the light producing means 102 . the endoscope 10 comprises a detector d for receiving the light from the array 28 and analyzing the light . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the detector d . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a tube 53 about which the plurality of optical fibers 8 are disposed . the tube 53 preferably has grooves 54 that extend longitudinally along the tube 53 , as shown in fig1 . one of the plurality of optical fibers 8 is disposed in each of the grooves 54 . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a probe tip 55 , as shown in fig1 , having a reflector 56 disposed in each groove which reflects light from the optical fiber 8 in the groove when the reflector 56 is in the patient and reflects light from the patient to the optical fiber 8 when the array 28 is in the patient . the light source 51 preferably includes a coherent light source 51 and means 57 for guiding the light from the light source 51 to the plurality of optical fibers 8 of the array 28 . preferably , the optical fiber 8 is single mode , has a core 118 with cladding 120 disposed about the core 118 , and has a lens 122 at its tip which focuses the light from the core 118 to the reflector 56 and light from the reflector 56 to the core 118 , as shown in fig1 and 13 . the array 28 preferably includes a transparent cover 7 . preferably , the light source 51 comprises an input arm 58 , the array 28 comprises a sample arm 59 , the detector d comprises a reference arm 60 and a detector arm 61 ; and the input arm 58 , the detector arm 61 , the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 together form an interferometer . the reference arm 60 preferably uses rsod to introduce depth scanning and dispersion compensation to the interferometer . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes an opto - coupler 62 which optically couples corresponding optical fibers 8 of the input arm 58 , sample arm 59 , reference arm 60 and detecting arm together . the detector d preferably determines structural information about the patient from the intensity of an interference signal from reflected light from corresponding fibers of the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 having a same bypass length . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a scanning head 1 which holds n optical fibers 8 , where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer , as shown in fig1 - 22 c . the n optical fibers 8 are preferably arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a mechanism 134 for moving the scanning head 1 so each of the optical fibers 8 scan an angular range of n / 360 degrees . the moving mechanism 134 preferably includes a mechanism 9 for linear motion which causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the linear motion mechanism 9 includes a fiber shaft holder having a shaft channel 31 extending axially along the holder , and n fiber channels 32 are arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 , and a twisting shaft that fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel , the holder rotates . the scanning head 1 preferably has a socket head that conforms with the shaft and causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a guide wire holder 2 disposed on the scanning probe 50 which receives and follows a guide wire when the guard wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possible gu tract . a guide wire is not necessary in the gi tract . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a spring disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber shaft holder which forces the shaft back after the shaft has moved forward . the present invention pertains to a method for imaging a vessel , gu , gi or biliary tract of a patient . the method comprises the steps of transmitting light from a light source 51 into an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 in the patient . there is the step of transmitting the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . there is the step of receiving the light from the array 28 at a detector d . there is the step of analyzing the light with the detector d . preferably , there are the steps of reflecting light from each optical fiber 8 with a corresponding reflector 56 associated with the fiber , and reflecting light from the patient to the associated fiber with a reflector 56 . there is preferably the step of moving each of n optical fibers 8 comprising the optical fiber array 28 an angular range of n / 360 degrees . preferably , there is the step of applying a linear motion to cause each of the n optical fibers 8 of the optical fiber array 28 to move the angular range . the step of applying the linear motion preferably includes the step of moving axially forward in parallel with the n optical fibers 8 a twisting shaft through a shaft channel 31 extending axially along a fiber shaft holder having n fiber channels 32 arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 which causes the holder to rotate . each of the n optical fibers 8 is disposed in a respective fiber channel 32 of the n fiber channels 32 . the twisting shaft fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel . preferably , there is the step of guiding the optical fiber array 28 along a guide wire which is received by a guide wire holder 2 when the guide wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possibly gu system , but not in the gi tract . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the means for analyzing is preferably described in the figures , where polarization is found in fig3 , position in fig1 - 30 , space in fig3 , and angle in fig3 . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . in the operation of the invention , a near infrared broadband light source 51 sends a light beam into the input arm 58 of the array 28 type interferometer . the beam profile from the light source 51 is a circular gaussion . the optics before connector 1 makes the beam profile linear and focuses it into the connector 1 . the array 28 type interferometer consists of multiple fiber - based interferometer that has four fiber arms connected to an opto - coupler 62 . incoming light into the input arm 58 is divided to the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . in the sample arm 59 , optical fibers 8 are distributed like an annular ring , and light will be focused at the target vessel perpendicular to the optical axis . in the reference arm 60 , rsod introduces depth scanning and dispersion compensation . when the reflected light from both arms have the same light path length , strictly speaking within a coherence length , interference occurs . the intensity of the interference signal represents the structural information of a sample . more specifically , in regard to the input arm 58 , and referring to fig1 and 3 , a single beam comes out of s 1 and will be collimated by l 1 . at this point , the beam diameter is big enough to project across all of c 1 &# 39 ; s area , but the beam is still circular . cl 1 and cl 2 , circular lenses , change the beam profile to a linear shape , which means that the beam is not circular anymore , but it looks narrow from fig2 and the same shape with the beam after l 1 on fig3 . ml 1 focuses all light onto c 1 . light source s 1 has a fiber tip from which light departs into air . l 1 is a collimating lens 122 , so the fiber tip of the light source 51 should be located at the back of the focal point of l 1 in order to collimate the light . cl 1 , 2 are cylindrical lenses . separation between two is the sum of each cylindrical lens 122 focal length . they work as a telescope which decrease beam size only in one direction . in other words , the size of the beam does not change from fig3 . ml 1 is a micro lens array 28 , which has a lot of small lenses . each of the small lenses is positioned to have a focal point at each fiber entrance of c 1 . c 1 should be located at the focal point of ml 1 . all micro lenses have same focal length . c 1 is a linear fiber array 28 . in an alternative embodiment of the input arm 58 , as shown in fig4 , known as a fiber based solution : light source s 1 is connected to a single mode fiber , which is connected to fiber splitter ( 50 : 50 ), s 1 . the first fiber splitter is 1 by 2 . each output end of the 1 * 2 fiber splitter is connected to 1 * 4 splitter , sp 1 . each output end of the 1 * 4 splitter , 2 nd layer , is connected to another 1 * 4 splitter , 3 rd layer , sp 2 . at the output of the 3 rd layer , the number of fiber is 32 . 32 fiber comprises a linear fiber array 28 , sp 3 . each fiber is a single mode fiber , which can have a different cutoff frequency . the cutoff frequency is dependent on the center wavelength of the light source 51 . usually , 850 nm or 1300 nm of center wavelength for the light source 51 are used . each fiber is attached to another so that all together they form a linear fiber array 28 . c 1 is connected to multiple interferometers . each interferometer consists of four fiber arms and opto - coupler 62 . at each end of each arm , there is a linear array 28 fiber connector ( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 c 4 ). incoming light will be divided by the opto - coupler 62 into the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . with respect to the sample arm 59 , this sample arm 59 , as shown in fig5 , 7 , 8 and 17 , goes into the target vessel . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which is of an annular shape at the other end . the total length of the arm will be around 2 ˜ 3 m . when the light leaves the annular tip f , it will be collimated by l 1 and then reflected by l 2 outward from the probe . reflected light from tissue will follow back to l 2 and l 1 and be gathered by the fiber tip . later , two reflected lights from the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively , will make interference , which will be detected by the array 28 detector d at the detection arm . the sample arm 59 is supposed to go through a target vessel , gi , gu or biliary tract . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which has an annular shape at the other end ( probe tip 55 ) ( fig8 ). total length of the sample arm 59 is about 1 . 5 m . the fiber array 28 will be molded by a transparent cover 7 material ( ex : silicon resin or polymers ). at the annular probe tip f shown in fig9 , each fiber is glued at a groove of a cylindrical polymer tube 53 . the shape of each groove is shown at fig1 and 11 . each groove end has a reflector 56 which is 45 ° oblique to axial direction . the groove will be made by micro fabrication technique . each fiber has a lens 122 at the tip , which can be manufactured by splicing a multimode fiber with the same diameter of the cladding 120 of the single mode fiber and then melting the end of multimode fiber in order to get curvature ( fig1 and 13 ). when the light leaves the fiber tip , the light will be reflected outward by the reflector 56 at the end of the groove , and then will be focused at the target tissue area . reflected light from the tissue will follow back the same path as the incoming light , and go to the detection arm . micromachining or micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) and nanotechnology are becoming increasingly popular for the development of improved biomaterials and devices ( macilwain c ., “ us plans large funding boost to support nanotechnology boom ,” nature , 1999 ; 400 : 95 , incorporated by reference herein ). similar to manufacturing methods used for computer microchips , mems processes combine etching and / or material deposition and photolithographic - patterning techniques to develop ultrasmall devices ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ). mems has been proven promising in medicine for its small mass and volume , low cost , and high functionality . successful mems devices in medicine include smart sensor for cataract removal , silicon neurowells , microneedles for gene and drug delivery , and dna arrays ( polla , d . l ., erdman , a . g ., robbins , w . p ., markus , d . t ., diaz - diaz , j ., rizq , r ., nam , y ., brickner , h . t ., wang , a ., krulevitch , p ., “ microdevices in medicine ,” annu . rev . biomed . eng ., 2000 ; 02 : 551 - 76 ; mcallister et al ., 2000 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein ). however , most of the mems processes are planar in nature for two - dimension ( 2d ) micro - features and primary for processing silicon material . other micromachining processes include laser beam micromachining ( lbm ), micro - electrical discharge machine ( micro - edm ), and electron beam machining ( ebm ) ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 ), incorporated by reference herein . micro - fabrication and micro - device development using metals , metal alloys , silicon , glass , and polymers are described in the following . ( chen , s . c ., cahill , d . g ., and grigoropoulos , c . p ., “ transient melting and deformation in pulsed laser surface micro - modification of ni - p disks ,” j . heat transfer , vol . 122 ( no . 1 ), pp . 107 - 12 , 2000 ; kancharla , v . and chen , s . c ., “ fabrication of biodegradable microdevices by laser micromachining of biodegradable polymers ,” biomedical microdevices , 2002 , vol . 4 ( 2 ): 105 - 109 ; chen , s . c ., kancharla , v ., and lu , y ., “ laser - based microscale patterning of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications ,” in press , international j . nano technology , 2002 ; zheng , w . and chen , s . c ., “ continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” transactions of namrc / sme , vol . 30 , pp . 551 - 555 , 2002 ; chen , s . c ., “ design and analysis of a heat conduction - based , continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” becon , 2002 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein ). for the array 28 , a stainless steel cylinder is chosen with a diameter of 1 . 5 mm as the base material . the diameter is 1 . 0 mmm for vascular applications , larger for gu , gi and biliary applications , up to 3 . 0 mm , if desired . both the micro - grooves 54 ( or micro - channels of 200 microns wide ) and the reflecting surfaces are machined by micro - electrical discharge machining ( micro - edm ) or micro - milling using focused ion machined tool . to enhance the reflectivity of the reflecting surface , the stainless steel cylinder are coated with evaporated aluminum using electron - beam evaporation . in regard to the reference arm 60 , shown in fig1 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 4 , and be spectrally distributed by a grating ( g 1 ) and will be focused to a mirror ( ga 1 ). by vibrating ga 1 , the light path length will be changed in order to achieve depth scanning . there are many options to build the reference arm 60 applying existing techniques . a very simple form of the reference arm 60 has just a mirror attached onto a voice coil that is driven by a function generator with sine wave . the light reflects back by the mirror and the mirror position changes the light path length . this path length change provides depth scanning of the target tissue because interference occurs only when both arms have the same light path length . preferably , the reference arm 60 is more complicated than the simple one . that is called rapid - scanning optical delay ( rsod ) which can provide fast depth scanning and dispersion compensation . linear array type beam launches from c 4 , and is collimated by l 1 . a mirror ( m 1 ) reflects the beam to a grating ( g 1 ) which spectrally distributes the broadband source light . spectrally distributed light will be focused on a galvono - scanning mirror ( ga 1 ) by a lens ( l 2 ). separation between g 1 and l 2 determines the amount of chromatic dispersion degree so any material dispersion can be compensated for usually caused by fibers . the beam offset from the scanning mirror center determines the fringe frequency that will show up after interfering two reflected lights . the reflected light from the ga 1 goes to l 2 , g 1 , and to m 2 . and then the light reflected following back incoming path and will be coupled back to c 4 . referring to the detection arm , as shown in fig1 and 16 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 3 , and is circular . combination of cl 1 and cl 2 makes the beam look linear in one plane ( horizontal ). micro - lens array ml 1 makes the light focus on the array 28 detector d . as shown in fig1 , 19 a , and 19 b , the scanning probe 50 is comprised of a scanning head 1 , a fiber - shaft holder 3 , a twisted shaft 4 , a transparent cover 7 , a guide wire holder 2 , and a mechanism 9 for linear motion . in this embodiment , the scanning head 1 is adapted to hold a fiber bunch that contain 20 optical fibers 8 , which are arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . in operation , each of the fibers is set to scan an angular range of 18 degrees ( 360 °÷ 20 = 18 °). reflective surfaces 11 are formed on the scanning head 1 and are oriented 45 ° degrees to the central axis of each respective optical fibers 8 , such that they would guide the light from the fiber bunch and direct the light through the transparent cover 7 . the scanning head 1 is designed to provide an 18 degrees &# 39 ; back - and - forth rotation . the back - and - forth rotation realizes the scanning function required by the oct system . the mechanism of this back - and forth rotation is described below . the fiber - shaft holder is substantially a multi - tubular structure . it is formed with one shaft channel 31 extending along the central axis of the fiber - shaft holder and 20 fiber channels 32 arranged around the fiber - shaft holder 3 in parallel . the optical fibers 8 extend through respective fiber channels 32 . the shaft channel 31 has a round cross - sectional area . at the upper end of the shaft channel 31 , the shaft channel 31 is an opening , but the geometry of the opening is reduced from the round cross - sectional area to a rectangular cross - sectional hole 311 . the reason for this structural design will be described along with the description of the twisted shaft 4 . the twisted shaft 4 has a rectangular cross - section area , which is identical in geometry to the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 . indicated by its name , the shaft 4 is partially twisted along the shaft central axis and can be divided into a non - twisted part 41 and a twisted part 42 . in assembly , the shaft 4 is passed through the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 , and it is enabled to slide back - and - forth via the rectangular cross - sectional hole . the relative motion of the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 form the mechanism that realizes a back - and - forth rotation . the reason is that when the twisted part 42 of the shaft 4 slides through the rectangular cross - sectional hole , the shaft 4 itself is forced to rotate along the shaft central axis to fit the matching of both the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 . particularly , the shaft 4 and the holder 3 compose a mechanism 9 that can transmit a linear motion into a rotational motion . the description is now focused on the scanning head 1 . the scanning head 1 has a rectangular socket 12 , which has a cross - section area identical to that of the twisted shaft 4 . the rectangular socket 12 provides a channel covering the non - twisted part 41 of the twisted shaft 4 and lets the non - twisted part 41 exert the back - and forth motion inside the rectangular socket 12 . the moving range of the shaft 4 is constrained such that the twisted part 42 does not pass into the scanning head &# 39 ; s rectangular socket 12 ( that will result in a geometric mismatch ), but the twisted part 42 only interacts with the fiber - shaft holder &# 39 ; s rectangular cross - sectional hole . according to the description above , the motion of the shaft 4 is comprised of a linear component ( v ) and an angular component ( ω ). referring to the geometry of the rectangular socket 12 and non - twisted part 41 of the shaft 4 , the shaft motion &# 39 ; s linear component ( v ) would not contribute to the motion of the scanning head 1 ( regardless of the friction between the surfaces ), but the angular component ( ω ) does . the scanning head 1 rotates back and forth with the rotational motion of the twisted shaft 4 , which in turn results from the twisted shaft &# 39 ; s linear back - and - forth movement relative to the fiber - shaft holder 3 . as a result , the scanning head 1 provides a back - and - forth rotational motion transmitted from the back and forth linear motion provided by the twisted shaft 4 . a guide wire holder 2 is a module used to guide the scanning probe 50 toward the investigated section of the detected blood vessel , biliary duct , and possibly gu application . for the gi tract , a guide wire is generally not used . in operation , a guide wire 01 , or “ guide tissue ”, is previously disposed along a specific route of human vessels , such that a track for the scanning probe 50 of the oct system can be formed . the guide wire holder 2 constrains the scanning probe 50 such that it can only slide along the track formed by the guide wire 01 . the scanning probe 50 is therefore guided to the patient section to be investigated . guide wire holder 2 and holder 5 function as bearings of the scanning head 1 . they constrain the movement of the scanning head 1 and stabilize it . as well , a compressive spring 6 is disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly compressed in assembly , such that it pushes the scanning head 1 against the holder 5 and eliminates any potential axial movement of the scanning head 1 that may result in axial positioning errors ( δd ). it is preferable that the spring 6 supplies torque between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 has its both ends , respectively , fixed on the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly twisted in assembly . by this means , the spring can provide a torque to the back - and - forth rotational mechanism , such that the backlash ( resulting from , for example , the tolerance between the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the shaft ) of the rotational mechanism , as well as the resultant angular positioning errors ( δθ ), are eliminated . note that , the cross - section geometry of the shaft channel 31 is circular . with respect to the shaft channel 31 , the twisted shaft 4 is formed with a cylinder part 43 at its end of the twisted part 42 . the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 performs a motion like a piston . in an upward movement of the twisted shaft 4 , due to the geometric difference , the cylinder part 43 would be blocked at the edge 33 of the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 and provide an upper stopper for the twisted shaft 4 . on the other hand , a lower stopper 34 is placed to block the cylinder part 43 in a downward movement . the function of the upper and lower stoppers is helpful in controlling the movement of the twisted shaft 4 , as well as controlling the angular motion of the scanning head 1 . there are many methods in the prior art that are able to provide the power for the mechanism to push and pull the twisted shaft 4 to generate the linear movement . however , hydraulic force , particularly fluidic pressure , is preferred due to the following advantages : 1 . electricity is not required to be transmitted into the scanning head 1 to energize a hydraulic linear mechanism 9 . some of the mechanisms , such as electromagnetic systems ( or more particularly , some micro - motors ), require not only electricity to be energized , but also additional components , e . g ., coils or magnets , installed to the scanning head 1 to transform the electrical energy into mechanical momentum . the use of electricity is not preferable for medical issues ; and the requirement of additional components would increase the technical difficulty in manufacturing and the complexity of the whole system . some of the other mechanisms , like those comprising piezoelectric materials , can be composed with little space and simple structure , but they still need to receive a large voltage to generate the required momentum . 2 . a hydraulic mechanism 9 takes little space . the structure of the hydraulic mechanism 9 is illustrated in fig1 a and 18 b . the hydraulic mechanism 9 can be simply a liquid conduit that guides liquid , such as water , to push or pull the piston system comprised of the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 . considering that leakage through the gap of a piston system may result in undesirable problems , the hydraulic mechanism 9 is , preferably , comprised of a micro - balloon 91 made by a polymeric thin film . as shown in fig1 a and 18 b , the twisted shaft 4 is in its lower position when the balloon 91 is flat ( fig1 a ). as water is pumped into the piston system , the balloon 91 becomes turgid , and the twisted shaft 4 is pushed toward its upper position with an 18 degree spin ( fig1 b ). the required back - and forth motion can be generated by switching the flat and turgid states of the micro - balloon 91 . for a single fiber oct system , a scan rate of 6 rev / sec ( 6 hz ) is satisfactory [ andrew m . rollins et al ., “ real - time in vivo imaging of human gastrointestinal ultrastructure by use of endoscopic optical coherence tomography with a novel efficient interferometer design ”, optics letters , vol . 24 , no . 19 , oct . 1 , 1999 , incorporated by reference herein ]. that means in one second the oct system should be able to provide at least 6 pictures illustrating the cross - sectional data of the vessel . the scanning probe 50 has 20 fibers , so the satisfactory scan rate can be reduced to 0 . 3 hz ( 6 ÷ 20 = 0 . 3 ), which is much slower and much easier to be realized by the hydraulic actuating system . ideally , 15 pictures / sec . is required for optimal image resolution . rather than continuous rotation , the scanning probe 50 operates in a back - and - forth manner , so that the angular speed of the scanning head 1 will not be constant even when the whole system reaches its steady state . during operation , therefore , detecting the angle of the scanning head 1 , as well as figuring out the angular position that the scanned data belongs to , are important issues . the angle of the scanning head 1 can be simply approximated by comparing the output effort of the pumping system with a reference curve obtained from previous experiments . more precise detection can be reached by the analysis of the feedback of the optical signals . for example , analyzing the light doppler effect [ volker westphal at al ., “ real - time , high velocity - resolution color doppler optical coherence tomography ”, optics letters , vol . 27 , no . 1 , jan 1 , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ] of the feedback signals is another method . the twisted shaft 4 can be formed by precise cnc machining that is well known in the industry . a thin round shaft , minimum diameter 1 . 0 mm , may be used as the intrinsic material before the machining . for production , two ends of the round shaft are clamped , its central portion is precisely milled and four orthogonal planes on the central portion are generated . the planes define the rectangular cross - section of the twisted shaft 4 ( forming a long shaft in this step ), as shown in fig2 a . following the milling , one of the two clamps holding the shaft is rotated relative to the other clamp to twist the shaft a specific angle about its central axis . the twisted part of the twisted shaft 4 being formed . following the twisting step , the rotated clamp is released to free the elastic distortion of the shaft ( with its plastic distortion remaining ), and then the clamp is tightened again . at the next step , as shown by fig2 b , the shaft is milled again at one side of its still - round portion , thereby generating another rectangular portion that is untwisted . the cylindrical portion ( serves as a piston ) is formed from the round portion of the shaft . a precise lathering could further be used to fix the central axis and diameter of the cylindrical part . as shown in fig2 c , only a short portion of the shaft is required . the excess portion of the shaft part is cut off . as shown in fig2 a , the fiber - shaft holder 3 can be combined with two parts , a and b . the part a is actually the body of the catheter . the cross - section of the catheter is shown in fig2 b ; the catheter could be manufactured by the cable extrusion technique that generally is applied in fiber optics industry [ refer to the homepage of optical cable corporation .] note that the central channel of the catheter is used to be the conduit for the guidance of actuating liquid mentioned previously . there are also several conduits used to guide air flowing in and out the probing tip to balance the air pressure inside the oct system ( during operation , the free volume inside the probing tip changes while the twisted shaft 4 is moving ). the diameter of the conduit is equal to that of the cylinder part 43 of the twisted shaft 4 . part b in fig2 a is simply a plate having fiber holding edges ( b 1 ) and a rectangular central opening ( b 2 ). this part could be made from metal by using punching technology as is commonly applied in the industry . in assembly , part a and part b are connected with glue such as epoxy . the lower stopper , which is required to constrain the twisted shaft 4 at its lower position , is formed together with the formation of the micro - balloon . micro - molding with polymeric material ( such as sbs ) could be used to fabricate the scanning head 1 . the process of micro - molding requires a set of micro - molds . in this case , the fiber grooves 54 and the reflective surface 11 at the end of the fiber grooves 54 can be realized by a set of micro - molds comprised of 18 edges ( fig2 a ), each of which has the geometry shown in fig6 b . as well , the central rectangular channel could be molded by a rectangular shaft made by the equipment for the fabrication of the twisted shaft 4 . for the convenience of assembly , the scanning head 1 could be previously provided with the geometry shown in fig2 c . the excess parts of the scanning head 1 would provide guidance and help with the alignment for the optical fibers 8 . uv glue could be used to fix the position of the optical fibers 8 . the excess portion of the scanning head 1 could be cut off after the assembly of the optical fibers 8 . in another embodiment , laser beams heat at least three different locations on the surface of the micro - mirror 210 , which is shown as a disk in fig2 - 25 , successively . the micro - mirror 210 will provide a wabling corresponding to this kind of un - symmetric heating process , and an incident light ( other than the heating laser ) can be redirected in a swaying manner . the heating process corresponds to the rotation period of the micro - mirror 210 as required . the micro - mirror 210 comprises two layers : a first layer 212 and a second layer 214 ( fig2 ). at least one of the two layers can generate structural deformation ( contraction or expansion ) by the application of laser light . if the case is that both of the layers are deformable by laser light , the sensitivities of the two layers to a same laser light would be set different to each others . fig2 shows the perspective view of the micro - mirror 210 . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated with a laser beam , there will be expansion or contraction in the layers . because the expansion or contraction within the layers is of different degrees ( only one layer is deformed or the two layers are deformed with different degrees ), the structure of the whole micro - mirror 210 will be twisted . for example , in fig2 , when the section marked with the pie is irradiated with a laser beam , there is a deformation generated as shown in fig2 . the material of the first and second layers 212 , 214 could be metals or photosensitive polymers . in the case of metal layers , for example , the first layer 212 is poly - silicon and the second layer 214 is gold . the mechanism of the expansion or contraction within the layers is thermal expansion . the metals will absorb the energy of a laser beam and be heated . due to different thermal expansion coefficients of the two layers , the structure will be twisted or bent . this will result in turning the mirror , as shown in fig2 . in the case of photosensitive polymers , for example , liquid crystal materials , the mechanism of the expansion or contraction inside the layers is a phase change of the materials . under the irradiation of a laser beam , the molecules of the polymeric materials will undergo phase change , wherein the chemical structures of the materials are deformed , and a structural deformation occurs . next , similar to the case of metal layers , the degrees of deformation of the two layers are different , and there will be a twisting or bending effect in the structure of the micro - mirror 210 , and the effect in fig2 is reached . when the structure is twisted or bent by the application of laser energy , the surface of the mirror , shown in fig2 , can be tiled to a specific direction . therefore , one can control the direction of the micro - mirror 210 by controlling the laser energy input . the way to control the application of the laser light is to select the location on the micro - mirror 210 to be irradiated by the laser beam , and control the intensity of the laser . by controlling the location , one can control the tilting direction of the mirror ; and by controlling the intensity , one can control the tilting angle of the micro - mirror 210 . referring to fig2 and fig2 , by continuously changing the laser - shining location ( fig2 ), the tilting direction of the micro - mirror 210 can be continuously changed ( fig2 ). that is , the micro - mirror 210 could be rotated by changing the location of the laser - shining . this is the mechanism for the rotation of the laser - actuated micro - mirror 210 . as to the assembly of the whole oct system ( fig2 ), the micro - mirror 210 is mounted on a base 21 b connected to the tip end of the probe cover . there is no object between the fibers and the mirror . fiber 1 , which is used to guide the detecting light , is the same fiber used in other embodiments of the oct probe . the detecting light is redirected by the tilting surface of the micro - mirror 210 , such that it can scan around by means of the tilting and rotating mirror . the fibers 2 are used to guide the actuating - laser light . as shown , at least three fibers 2 are needed . the fibers 2 fire lasers in turns , such that they can generate continuous tilting effect as shown in fig2 and fig2 . the other features of the laser - actuating oct probe are the same as those described in other embodiments . for instance , the fiber , and fibers 2 are disposed in a fiber shaft holder 3 . after the fabrication by semiconductor technique , which is well known by those skillful in the art , the mirror is formed on a substrate ( usually silicon substrate ). the substrate material forms the base . then a small piece is cut from the base that carries the mirror from the substrate with a dicer . the small piece is mounted on to the tip &# 39 ; s end by glue ( epoxy , for example ). only one fiber 1 is enough to transmit the detecting light in this embodiment . during operation , a circular scanning profile of the detecting laser is realized . in this embodiment , illustrated in fig3 , the detecting laser is not centered to the mirror &# 39 ; s center . instead , the following remain constant : ( 1 ) d , the distance between the mirror center and the axis of the detecting light . ( 2 ) alfa , the angle between the mirror surface and the axis of the detecting light . an open - loop system is used for position feedback to properly arrange the periodical change of the laser powers from the three fibers 2 to realize the constant alfa and d . the position control is more complex than single - fiber 2 actuation . particularly , the micro - mirror 210 needs a period of time to respond mechanically to the laser energy coming from the fiber 2 . even though it is known when and which of the fibers 2 are firing the laser power , the exact direction of the mirror surface information cannot be assured . the absolute position of the mirror is actually not necessary . instead , speed - control is used to control the rotation of the scanning mirror . for example , in the case of the mirror driven by a transmission cable rotated from outside , the exact position of the mirror ( which may be affected by a delay of cable transmission due to the cable &# 39 ; s compliance ) is not of concern ; the rotation period of the mirror is controlled so that the “ relative position ” of the mirror is known . after receiving a continuous data stream from the reflected detecting laser , the cross - section image of the vessel is constructed by simply matching the data series to the rotating period . in this embodiment , the operation will be similar . what is different is that the micro - mirror 210 is not actuated by a rotator but by three bimorph heat - deformable cantilever beams . this makes the control more complex . if only one of the fiber 2 fires at one time , it will be very different if not impossible for the mirror to scan a circular profile needed . instead , the three fibers 2 are needed to fire together , with different powers , to bend the three cantilevers at different status at one time to match a circular scanning profile . the three cantilevers are actuated individually by the three fibers 2 such that they cooperate with specific bending patterns that realize a circular scanning profile on the wall of the vessel . in an alternative embodiment regarding the micro - mirror 210 , the fibers 1 and the fibers 2 are reversed so healing energy comes from a single fiber 2 disposed preferably along the central axis of the tube . the plurality of fibers 1 are disposed about the circumference of the tube . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated by the laser beam from the fiber 2 , the laser energy causes the mirror to bend . by changing the intensity of the laser or pulsing the laser , motion can be imported to the micro - mirror 210 which wires the probe tip to which it is attached , to move back and forth , and thus the plurality of fibers 1 for scanning the interior of the area of the patient in question . thermal expansion material normally can generate ˜ 5 % of elongation for a temperature rise of 100 ° c . the length of the material inside the oct is originally 20 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of 1 mm . polymers , including photosensitive polymers and shape memory polymers are able to generate & gt ; 100 % of photo - induced elongations or shrinkages . the material inside the oct is originally 1 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of another 1 mm . optical tomographic instrumentation may be specified by spectrally resolved bandwidth , which is equivalent to number of spectrally resolvable cells . each spectrally resolvable cell has a width δν , such that number of cells resolvable by the instrument is n instrument = δν / δν , where δν is the available optical bandwidth of source light . the range of group - time delays the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is given by : δτ instrument = 1 / δν . the smallest resolvable group - time delay the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is δτ coherence = 1 / δν . number of spectrally resolvable cells the optical tomographic instrument may resolve is given by : for 1 oct a - scan into the object being imaged , the requirement for number of spectrally resolvable cells is − n a - scan = δz / l c , lc ˜ c g / δv , δz = imaging depth , l c ( coherence length ), and c g is the group velocity of light in the object . where δτ a - scan = δz / c g is the round - trip propagation time for light to propagate from the most superficial and deepest position ( to be imaged ) in the object . for some optical tomographic imaging instruments ( e . g ., those that employ narrow linewidth tunable laser sources or high resolution spectrometers ), the above condition can be stated in three manners : a ) the number of spectrally resolvable cells for the instrument ( n instrument ) is much greater than that required for one a - scan ( n a - scan ); 2 ) the range of group time delays the instrumentation is capable of resolving ( δτ instrument ) is much greater than the group - time delay for a single a - scan ( δτ a - scan ); 3 ) available optical bandwidth of source light ( δν ) is much greater than spectral width of each resolvable cell of the instrumentation ( δν ). because the instrument can resolve many more cells than that required for one a - scan , multiplexing techniques are presented here to efficiently utilize the information carrying capacity ( bandwidth ) afforded by optical tomographic imaging instruments . selection criteria of multiplexing techniques employed may be derived in part by the ratio n instrument / n a - scan = δτ instrument / δτ a - scan = δν / δν . larger ratios provide a wider selection of possible multiplexing techniques and more candidate domains ( polarization , space , angle , temporal ) to multiplex into . moreover , multiplexing spectral information into just one domain ( e . g . spatial ) is not the only envisioned approach . generally , additional spectral information may be resolved into multiple domains ( e . g ., polarization and spatial ). a . polarization : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the polarization domain using a system indicated in fig3 . at least two incident polarization states 90 ° apart on the poincare sphere are input into the interferometer . the polarization signature of the light reflected from the sample , such as a vessel wall or nerve fiber layer , is compared to known polarization signatures of materials , such as plaques or a diseased nerve fiber layer . the reflected light and thus the material from which it was reflected is then identified . the fiber delivery system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , can be used . the theory of operation of this approach is described using mueller matrices or the spectrally - resolved jones calculus . by inserting a fospi in the detection path of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( sd - oct ) instrumentation , the full set of stokes parameters of light backscattered at the specific depth in the specimen can be obtained without any other polarization controlling components in reference / sample / detection path of the interferometer and the prior knowledge of the polarization state of the light incident on the sample . in this configuration , two factors determine the spectral modulation . one is optical path length difference between the reference and sample surface , ( δ ( ν )), introduced by the common - path sdoct and the other is phase retardations , φ 1 ( ν ) and φ 2 ( ν ) generated by the retarder system in the fospi . therefore , output from the presented single channel polarization sensitive ( ps ) sd - oct in the time - delay domain is the convolution of the output from fospi and that from sd - oct . where the first two terms are the stokes parameters of light from the reference and sample path , respectively , and the last term is the contribution of interference . consider the birefringent sample with phase retardation δ and fast - axis oriented at angle of α . then , the stokes parameters of the light from the sample ( s i , 2 ) and interference ( s i , i ) are calculated in terms of the stokes parameters of light from the reference , s 0 , 1 , s 1 , 1 , s 2 , 1 , s 3 , 1 . s 1 , 2 r s 2 ( cos 2 2α + cos δ sin 2 2α ) s 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 2 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 2 , 2 = r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( sin 2 2α + cosδ cos 2 2α ) s 2 , 1 + r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 3 , 2 = r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 1 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ cos2 αs 2 , 1 + r s 2 cosδs 3 , 1 ( 1 ) s 0 , i = 2 r s cos δcos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) s 1 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 2 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 3 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 ) ( 2 ) with a reflection coefficient of the sample r s and an optical path length difference between the sample and reference path δ . here , the terms including trigonometric functions of δ represent the interference between the light from reference and sample paths . the measured intensity from sdoct passing through the fospi for a birefringent sample , then , is i out , i ( v ) = r s cos δ cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ - φ 2 ) ] + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ + φ 2 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 - φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 - φ 1 ) ] - 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] ( 3 ) for the interference signal . fourier transform of equation ( 3 ) gives seven components in the positive optical path length difference domain which are centered at δ , δ ± φ 2 , δ ±( φ 2 − φ 1 ), δ ±( φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . inverse fourier transforms of each component are as follows . δ : 1 2 r s ⅇ ⅈδ { cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 - i sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) } ( 4 ) δ + φ 2 : 1 4 r s ⅇ ⅈφ 2 ⅇ ⅈδ { ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 } ( 5 ) δ + φ 2 - φ 1 : 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 - φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 - s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 6 ) δ + φ 2 + φ 1 : - 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 + φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 7 ) comparing with equation ( 2 ), real part of equation ( 4 ) gives s 0 , i / 4 and real part of equation of ( 5 ) after shifting the phase by − φ 2 gives s 1 , i / 8 . likewise , s 2 , i / 8 and s 3 , i / 8 can be obtained by taking the real part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) and the imaginary part of addition of ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) after the appropriate phase shift , −( φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( φ 2 + φ 1 ) for ( 6 ) and ( 7 ), respectively . moreover , simple arithmetic gives phase retardation due to the birefringence of the sample , δ , without knowledge of incident polarization state . the real part of ( 4 ), imaginary part of ( 5 ), the imaginary part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) are 1 2 r s cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 ( 8 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 9 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 10 ) after the phase shift by − δ , −( δ + φ 2 ), −( δ + φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . with a trigonometric identity , the following can be obtained tan δ 2 = 2 ( 9 ) 2 + ( 10 ) 2 ( 8 ) . ( 11 ) phase retardation due to birefringence [ fig3 ] and fast - axis angle [ fig3 ] of the birefringent sample were estimated from interference between the back surface of the glass window and the back surface of the birefringent sample by using eqs . above . for this measurement , the birefringent sample was rotated in 5 ° increments from 0 ° to 90 °. an estimated single - pass phase retardation of 34 . 06 °± 2 . 68 ° is consistent with a value deduced from the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specification ( 31 . 4 °). the estimated fast - axis angle is shown in fig4 ( b ) and is plotted with respect to orientation of the birefringent sample . b . space or lateral position : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the space or lateral position domain using a system indicated below . 1 . existing multifiber approach : ( described above ) 2 . spatially scanned light : the schematic of the experimental setup of a fiber - based spatially multiplexed swept source oct ( sm - ss - oct ) system is depicted in fig3 using the system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , where the top is preferably rotated at least 100 times for each position . a tunable laser and spectrum analyzer ( tlsa 1000 , precision photonics , inc .) that operates in the 1520 - 1620 nm wavelength range ( λ 0 = 1570 nm ) with fwhm spectral line width specified at 150 khz is used as the illuminating source and is equipped with an optical isolator to protect the laser from spurious reflections . the laser output is coupled into one arm of a 2 × 2 fiber - based coupler ( interferometer ). the 50 %- 50 % coupler splits this beam into two nearly equal parts , used in the reference and sample arms , respectively . the reference arm has a fixed path length , and simply consists of a fixed mirror that reflects the entire light incident upon it back into the fiber - based coupler . the light exiting the sample arm of the interferometer is collimated , and scanned across the sample by a scanning galvanometer and a focusing lens . the scanning galvanometer and focusing lens is used to rapidly scan the lateral positions of the tissue . the tlsa 1000 completes one complete wavelength sweep in approximately one second . within this time , the galvanometer is programmed to sweep all lateral positions of the tissue several hundred times . light returning from the sample interferes with the light from the fixed reference in the fiber - based interferometer , and the resultant spectral interference signal ( due to path length variations between sample and reference reflections ) is detected by a photodetector placed in the detection arm of the system . the electrical output is digitized , and a non - uniform fourier transform ( nuft ) of each a - line spectral data gives the depth profile of the sample reflectance . fig3 and 35 are images of a 100 micron thick slide recorded with the spatially multiplexed oct system . the images are of the same object ( microscope cover glass ) only for one image ( fig3 ) the intensity of the light returning from the sample is displayed on a linear greyscale while in the other image ( fig3 ) is displayed according to logarithm of the intensity . c . angle : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the angle domain using a system indicated in fig3 . fig3 depicts a multi fiber angle - domain oct system . the output of the frequency - swept source a is split into n fibers through the splitter b . the light passes through the circulators c , is collimated , focused through a lens , contacts the tissue , and then is reflected into any of the multiplicity of fibers . a reference reflector for each path is introduced into each fiber segment . for example , the reference reflector can be positioned at the terminal end of each fiber segment . for each i &# 39 ; th input fiber segment , interference is formed between light backscattered from the tissue and into the j &# 39 ; th fiber and the reference reflection from the j &# 39 ; th fiber . for n fibers , n 2 interference fringes are formed each corresponding to an incident ( α i ) and backscattered angle ( β j ). light intensity in the spectral domain is then converted to a voltage through a photoreceiver , which outputs to an adc board , which is read into a computer . this system allows phase - sensitive angle resolved imaging of discrete light paths in and out - of the specimen . using a space - spatial frequency transformation ( e . g ., two - dimensional fourier transformation ) lateral structures can be imaged with sub - wavelength resolution . d . space - angle combinations ( e . g . x dimension − space , y dimension − angle ): the space and angle dimensions may be combined to form systems that use the additional spectral cells image both space and angles . for example , additional spectral cells may be used to record position information in one dimension ( e . g . x ) and angle information in the orthogonal dimension ( y ). although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | c21c63da958ce05d46aef54e3350f77aa1adac7d89f4fcdb7b7057ce8cf13287 | 0.291016 | 0.351563 | 0.03418 | 0.867188 | 0.206055 | 0.542969 |
null | referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views , and more specifically to fig1 - 5 , 15 and 16 thereof , there is shown an endoscope 10 for a patient . the endoscope 10 comprises means 102 for producing light , such as a light source 51 . the endoscope 10 comprises an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 adapted to be disposed in the patient . the optical fiber array 28 transmits the light from the producing means , preferably including a light source 51 , into the patient , and transmits the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the light producing means 102 . the endoscope 10 comprises a detector d for receiving the light from the array 28 and analyzing the light . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the detector d . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a tube 53 about which the plurality of optical fibers 8 are disposed . the tube 53 preferably has grooves 54 that extend longitudinally along the tube 53 , as shown in fig1 . one of the plurality of optical fibers 8 is disposed in each of the grooves 54 . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a probe tip 55 , as shown in fig1 , having a reflector 56 disposed in each groove which reflects light from the optical fiber 8 in the groove when the reflector 56 is in the patient and reflects light from the patient to the optical fiber 8 when the array 28 is in the patient . the light source 51 preferably includes a coherent light source 51 and means 57 for guiding the light from the light source 51 to the plurality of optical fibers 8 of the array 28 . preferably , the optical fiber 8 is single mode , has a core 118 with cladding 120 disposed about the core 118 , and has a lens 122 at its tip which focuses the light from the core 118 to the reflector 56 and light from the reflector 56 to the core 118 , as shown in fig1 and 13 . the array 28 preferably includes a transparent cover 7 . preferably , the light source 51 comprises an input arm 58 , the array 28 comprises a sample arm 59 , the detector d comprises a reference arm 60 and a detector arm 61 ; and the input arm 58 , the detector arm 61 , the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 together form an interferometer . the reference arm 60 preferably uses rsod to introduce depth scanning and dispersion compensation to the interferometer . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes an opto - coupler 62 which optically couples corresponding optical fibers 8 of the input arm 58 , sample arm 59 , reference arm 60 and detecting arm together . the detector d preferably determines structural information about the patient from the intensity of an interference signal from reflected light from corresponding fibers of the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 having a same bypass length . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a scanning head 1 which holds n optical fibers 8 , where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer , as shown in fig1 - 22 c . the n optical fibers 8 are preferably arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a mechanism 134 for moving the scanning head 1 so each of the optical fibers 8 scan an angular range of n / 360 degrees . the moving mechanism 134 preferably includes a mechanism 9 for linear motion which causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the linear motion mechanism 9 includes a fiber shaft holder having a shaft channel 31 extending axially along the holder , and n fiber channels 32 are arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 , and a twisting shaft that fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel , the holder rotates . the scanning head 1 preferably has a socket head that conforms with the shaft and causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a guide wire holder 2 disposed on the scanning probe 50 which receives and follows a guide wire when the guard wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possible gu tract . a guide wire is not necessary in the gi tract . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a spring disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber shaft holder which forces the shaft back after the shaft has moved forward . the present invention pertains to a method for imaging a vessel , gu , gi or biliary tract of a patient . the method comprises the steps of transmitting light from a light source 51 into an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 in the patient . there is the step of transmitting the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . there is the step of receiving the light from the array 28 at a detector d . there is the step of analyzing the light with the detector d . preferably , there are the steps of reflecting light from each optical fiber 8 with a corresponding reflector 56 associated with the fiber , and reflecting light from the patient to the associated fiber with a reflector 56 . there is preferably the step of moving each of n optical fibers 8 comprising the optical fiber array 28 an angular range of n / 360 degrees . preferably , there is the step of applying a linear motion to cause each of the n optical fibers 8 of the optical fiber array 28 to move the angular range . the step of applying the linear motion preferably includes the step of moving axially forward in parallel with the n optical fibers 8 a twisting shaft through a shaft channel 31 extending axially along a fiber shaft holder having n fiber channels 32 arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 which causes the holder to rotate . each of the n optical fibers 8 is disposed in a respective fiber channel 32 of the n fiber channels 32 . the twisting shaft fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel . preferably , there is the step of guiding the optical fiber array 28 along a guide wire which is received by a guide wire holder 2 when the guide wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possibly gu system , but not in the gi tract . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the means for analyzing is preferably described in the figures , where polarization is found in fig3 , position in fig1 - 30 , space in fig3 , and angle in fig3 . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . in the operation of the invention , a near infrared broadband light source 51 sends a light beam into the input arm 58 of the array 28 type interferometer . the beam profile from the light source 51 is a circular gaussion . the optics before connector 1 makes the beam profile linear and focuses it into the connector 1 . the array 28 type interferometer consists of multiple fiber - based interferometer that has four fiber arms connected to an opto - coupler 62 . incoming light into the input arm 58 is divided to the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . in the sample arm 59 , optical fibers 8 are distributed like an annular ring , and light will be focused at the target vessel perpendicular to the optical axis . in the reference arm 60 , rsod introduces depth scanning and dispersion compensation . when the reflected light from both arms have the same light path length , strictly speaking within a coherence length , interference occurs . the intensity of the interference signal represents the structural information of a sample . more specifically , in regard to the input arm 58 , and referring to fig1 and 3 , a single beam comes out of s 1 and will be collimated by l 1 . at this point , the beam diameter is big enough to project across all of c 1 &# 39 ; s area , but the beam is still circular . cl 1 and cl 2 , circular lenses , change the beam profile to a linear shape , which means that the beam is not circular anymore , but it looks narrow from fig2 and the same shape with the beam after l 1 on fig3 . ml 1 focuses all light onto c 1 . light source s 1 has a fiber tip from which light departs into air . l 1 is a collimating lens 122 , so the fiber tip of the light source 51 should be located at the back of the focal point of l 1 in order to collimate the light . cl 1 , 2 are cylindrical lenses . separation between two is the sum of each cylindrical lens 122 focal length . they work as a telescope which decrease beam size only in one direction . in other words , the size of the beam does not change from fig3 . ml 1 is a micro lens array 28 , which has a lot of small lenses . each of the small lenses is positioned to have a focal point at each fiber entrance of c 1 . c 1 should be located at the focal point of ml 1 . all micro lenses have same focal length . c 1 is a linear fiber array 28 . in an alternative embodiment of the input arm 58 , as shown in fig4 , known as a fiber based solution : light source s 1 is connected to a single mode fiber , which is connected to fiber splitter ( 50 : 50 ), s 1 . the first fiber splitter is 1 by 2 . each output end of the 1 * 2 fiber splitter is connected to 1 * 4 splitter , sp 1 . each output end of the 1 * 4 splitter , 2 nd layer , is connected to another 1 * 4 splitter , 3 rd layer , sp 2 . at the output of the 3 rd layer , the number of fiber is 32 . 32 fiber comprises a linear fiber array 28 , sp 3 . each fiber is a single mode fiber , which can have a different cutoff frequency . the cutoff frequency is dependent on the center wavelength of the light source 51 . usually , 850 nm or 1300 nm of center wavelength for the light source 51 are used . each fiber is attached to another so that all together they form a linear fiber array 28 . c 1 is connected to multiple interferometers . each interferometer consists of four fiber arms and opto - coupler 62 . at each end of each arm , there is a linear array 28 fiber connector ( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 c 4 ). incoming light will be divided by the opto - coupler 62 into the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . with respect to the sample arm 59 , this sample arm 59 , as shown in fig5 , 7 , 8 and 17 , goes into the target vessel . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which is of an annular shape at the other end . the total length of the arm will be around 2 ˜ 3 m . when the light leaves the annular tip f , it will be collimated by l 1 and then reflected by l 2 outward from the probe . reflected light from tissue will follow back to l 2 and l 1 and be gathered by the fiber tip . later , two reflected lights from the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively , will make interference , which will be detected by the array 28 detector d at the detection arm . the sample arm 59 is supposed to go through a target vessel , gi , gu or biliary tract . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which has an annular shape at the other end ( probe tip 55 ) ( fig8 ). total length of the sample arm 59 is about 1 . 5 m . the fiber array 28 will be molded by a transparent cover 7 material ( ex : silicon resin or polymers ). at the annular probe tip f shown in fig9 , each fiber is glued at a groove of a cylindrical polymer tube 53 . the shape of each groove is shown at fig1 and 11 . each groove end has a reflector 56 which is 45 ° oblique to axial direction . the groove will be made by micro fabrication technique . each fiber has a lens 122 at the tip , which can be manufactured by splicing a multimode fiber with the same diameter of the cladding 120 of the single mode fiber and then melting the end of multimode fiber in order to get curvature ( fig1 and 13 ). when the light leaves the fiber tip , the light will be reflected outward by the reflector 56 at the end of the groove , and then will be focused at the target tissue area . reflected light from the tissue will follow back the same path as the incoming light , and go to the detection arm . micromachining or micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) and nanotechnology are becoming increasingly popular for the development of improved biomaterials and devices ( macilwain c ., “ us plans large funding boost to support nanotechnology boom ,” nature , 1999 ; 400 : 95 , incorporated by reference herein ). similar to manufacturing methods used for computer microchips , mems processes combine etching and / or material deposition and photolithographic - patterning techniques to develop ultrasmall devices ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ). mems has been proven promising in medicine for its small mass and volume , low cost , and high functionality . successful mems devices in medicine include smart sensor for cataract removal , silicon neurowells , microneedles for gene and drug delivery , and dna arrays ( polla , d . l ., erdman , a . g ., robbins , w . p ., markus , d . t ., diaz - diaz , j ., rizq , r ., nam , y ., brickner , h . t ., wang , a ., krulevitch , p ., “ microdevices in medicine ,” annu . rev . biomed . eng ., 2000 ; 02 : 551 - 76 ; mcallister et al ., 2000 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein ). however , most of the mems processes are planar in nature for two - dimension ( 2d ) micro - features and primary for processing silicon material . other micromachining processes include laser beam micromachining ( lbm ), micro - electrical discharge machine ( micro - edm ), and electron beam machining ( ebm ) ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 ), incorporated by reference herein . micro - fabrication and micro - device development using metals , metal alloys , silicon , glass , and polymers are described in the following . ( chen , s . c ., cahill , d . g ., and grigoropoulos , c . p ., “ transient melting and deformation in pulsed laser surface micro - modification of ni - p disks ,” j . heat transfer , vol . 122 ( no . 1 ), pp . 107 - 12 , 2000 ; kancharla , v . and chen , s . c ., “ fabrication of biodegradable microdevices by laser micromachining of biodegradable polymers ,” biomedical microdevices , 2002 , vol . 4 ( 2 ): 105 - 109 ; chen , s . c ., kancharla , v ., and lu , y ., “ laser - based microscale patterning of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications ,” in press , international j . nano technology , 2002 ; zheng , w . and chen , s . c ., “ continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” transactions of namrc / sme , vol . 30 , pp . 551 - 555 , 2002 ; chen , s . c ., “ design and analysis of a heat conduction - based , continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” becon , 2002 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein ). for the array 28 , a stainless steel cylinder is chosen with a diameter of 1 . 5 mm as the base material . the diameter is 1 . 0 mmm for vascular applications , larger for gu , gi and biliary applications , up to 3 . 0 mm , if desired . both the micro - grooves 54 ( or micro - channels of 200 microns wide ) and the reflecting surfaces are machined by micro - electrical discharge machining ( micro - edm ) or micro - milling using focused ion machined tool . to enhance the reflectivity of the reflecting surface , the stainless steel cylinder are coated with evaporated aluminum using electron - beam evaporation . in regard to the reference arm 60 , shown in fig1 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 4 , and be spectrally distributed by a grating ( g 1 ) and will be focused to a mirror ( ga 1 ). by vibrating ga 1 , the light path length will be changed in order to achieve depth scanning . there are many options to build the reference arm 60 applying existing techniques . a very simple form of the reference arm 60 has just a mirror attached onto a voice coil that is driven by a function generator with sine wave . the light reflects back by the mirror and the mirror position changes the light path length . this path length change provides depth scanning of the target tissue because interference occurs only when both arms have the same light path length . preferably , the reference arm 60 is more complicated than the simple one . that is called rapid - scanning optical delay ( rsod ) which can provide fast depth scanning and dispersion compensation . linear array type beam launches from c 4 , and is collimated by l 1 . a mirror ( m 1 ) reflects the beam to a grating ( g 1 ) which spectrally distributes the broadband source light . spectrally distributed light will be focused on a galvono - scanning mirror ( ga 1 ) by a lens ( l 2 ). separation between g 1 and l 2 determines the amount of chromatic dispersion degree so any material dispersion can be compensated for usually caused by fibers . the beam offset from the scanning mirror center determines the fringe frequency that will show up after interfering two reflected lights . the reflected light from the ga 1 goes to l 2 , g 1 , and to m 2 . and then the light reflected following back incoming path and will be coupled back to c 4 . referring to the detection arm , as shown in fig1 and 16 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 3 , and is circular . combination of cl 1 and cl 2 makes the beam look linear in one plane ( horizontal ). micro - lens array ml 1 makes the light focus on the array 28 detector d . as shown in fig1 , 19 a , and 19 b , the scanning probe 50 is comprised of a scanning head 1 , a fiber - shaft holder 3 , a twisted shaft 4 , a transparent cover 7 , a guide wire holder 2 , and a mechanism 9 for linear motion . in this embodiment , the scanning head 1 is adapted to hold a fiber bunch that contain 20 optical fibers 8 , which are arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . in operation , each of the fibers is set to scan an angular range of 18 degrees ( 360 °÷ 20 = 18 °). reflective surfaces 11 are formed on the scanning head 1 and are oriented 45 ° degrees to the central axis of each respective optical fibers 8 , such that they would guide the light from the fiber bunch and direct the light through the transparent cover 7 . the scanning head 1 is designed to provide an 18 degrees &# 39 ; back - and - forth rotation . the back - and - forth rotation realizes the scanning function required by the oct system . the mechanism of this back - and forth rotation is described below . the fiber - shaft holder is substantially a multi - tubular structure . it is formed with one shaft channel 31 extending along the central axis of the fiber - shaft holder and 20 fiber channels 32 arranged around the fiber - shaft holder 3 in parallel . the optical fibers 8 extend through respective fiber channels 32 . the shaft channel 31 has a round cross - sectional area . at the upper end of the shaft channel 31 , the shaft channel 31 is an opening , but the geometry of the opening is reduced from the round cross - sectional area to a rectangular cross - sectional hole 311 . the reason for this structural design will be described along with the description of the twisted shaft 4 . the twisted shaft 4 has a rectangular cross - section area , which is identical in geometry to the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 . indicated by its name , the shaft 4 is partially twisted along the shaft central axis and can be divided into a non - twisted part 41 and a twisted part 42 . in assembly , the shaft 4 is passed through the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 , and it is enabled to slide back - and - forth via the rectangular cross - sectional hole . the relative motion of the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 form the mechanism that realizes a back - and - forth rotation . the reason is that when the twisted part 42 of the shaft 4 slides through the rectangular cross - sectional hole , the shaft 4 itself is forced to rotate along the shaft central axis to fit the matching of both the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 . particularly , the shaft 4 and the holder 3 compose a mechanism 9 that can transmit a linear motion into a rotational motion . the description is now focused on the scanning head 1 . the scanning head 1 has a rectangular socket 12 , which has a cross - section area identical to that of the twisted shaft 4 . the rectangular socket 12 provides a channel covering the non - twisted part 41 of the twisted shaft 4 and lets the non - twisted part 41 exert the back - and forth motion inside the rectangular socket 12 . the moving range of the shaft 4 is constrained such that the twisted part 42 does not pass into the scanning head &# 39 ; s rectangular socket 12 ( that will result in a geometric mismatch ), but the twisted part 42 only interacts with the fiber - shaft holder &# 39 ; s rectangular cross - sectional hole . according to the description above , the motion of the shaft 4 is comprised of a linear component ( v ) and an angular component ( ω ). referring to the geometry of the rectangular socket 12 and non - twisted part 41 of the shaft 4 , the shaft motion &# 39 ; s linear component ( v ) would not contribute to the motion of the scanning head 1 ( regardless of the friction between the surfaces ), but the angular component ( ω ) does . the scanning head 1 rotates back and forth with the rotational motion of the twisted shaft 4 , which in turn results from the twisted shaft &# 39 ; s linear back - and - forth movement relative to the fiber - shaft holder 3 . as a result , the scanning head 1 provides a back - and - forth rotational motion transmitted from the back and forth linear motion provided by the twisted shaft 4 . a guide wire holder 2 is a module used to guide the scanning probe 50 toward the investigated section of the detected blood vessel , biliary duct , and possibly gu application . for the gi tract , a guide wire is generally not used . in operation , a guide wire 01 , or “ guide tissue ”, is previously disposed along a specific route of human vessels , such that a track for the scanning probe 50 of the oct system can be formed . the guide wire holder 2 constrains the scanning probe 50 such that it can only slide along the track formed by the guide wire 01 . the scanning probe 50 is therefore guided to the patient section to be investigated . guide wire holder 2 and holder 5 function as bearings of the scanning head 1 . they constrain the movement of the scanning head 1 and stabilize it . as well , a compressive spring 6 is disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly compressed in assembly , such that it pushes the scanning head 1 against the holder 5 and eliminates any potential axial movement of the scanning head 1 that may result in axial positioning errors ( δd ). it is preferable that the spring 6 supplies torque between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 has its both ends , respectively , fixed on the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly twisted in assembly . by this means , the spring can provide a torque to the back - and - forth rotational mechanism , such that the backlash ( resulting from , for example , the tolerance between the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the shaft ) of the rotational mechanism , as well as the resultant angular positioning errors ( δθ ), are eliminated . note that , the cross - section geometry of the shaft channel 31 is circular . with respect to the shaft channel 31 , the twisted shaft 4 is formed with a cylinder part 43 at its end of the twisted part 42 . the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 performs a motion like a piston . in an upward movement of the twisted shaft 4 , due to the geometric difference , the cylinder part 43 would be blocked at the edge 33 of the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 and provide an upper stopper for the twisted shaft 4 . on the other hand , a lower stopper 34 is placed to block the cylinder part 43 in a downward movement . the function of the upper and lower stoppers is helpful in controlling the movement of the twisted shaft 4 , as well as controlling the angular motion of the scanning head 1 . there are many methods in the prior art that are able to provide the power for the mechanism to push and pull the twisted shaft 4 to generate the linear movement . however , hydraulic force , particularly fluidic pressure , is preferred due to the following advantages : 1 . electricity is not required to be transmitted into the scanning head 1 to energize a hydraulic linear mechanism 9 . some of the mechanisms , such as electromagnetic systems ( or more particularly , some micro - motors ), require not only electricity to be energized , but also additional components , e . g ., coils or magnets , installed to the scanning head 1 to transform the electrical energy into mechanical momentum . the use of electricity is not preferable for medical issues ; and the requirement of additional components would increase the technical difficulty in manufacturing and the complexity of the whole system . some of the other mechanisms , like those comprising piezoelectric materials , can be composed with little space and simple structure , but they still need to receive a large voltage to generate the required momentum . 2 . a hydraulic mechanism 9 takes little space . the structure of the hydraulic mechanism 9 is illustrated in fig1 a and 18 b . the hydraulic mechanism 9 can be simply a liquid conduit that guides liquid , such as water , to push or pull the piston system comprised of the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 . considering that leakage through the gap of a piston system may result in undesirable problems , the hydraulic mechanism 9 is , preferably , comprised of a micro - balloon 91 made by a polymeric thin film . as shown in fig1 a and 18 b , the twisted shaft 4 is in its lower position when the balloon 91 is flat ( fig1 a ). as water is pumped into the piston system , the balloon 91 becomes turgid , and the twisted shaft 4 is pushed toward its upper position with an 18 degree spin ( fig1 b ). the required back - and forth motion can be generated by switching the flat and turgid states of the micro - balloon 91 . for a single fiber oct system , a scan rate of 6 rev / sec ( 6 hz ) is satisfactory [ andrew m . rollins et al ., “ real - time in vivo imaging of human gastrointestinal ultrastructure by use of endoscopic optical coherence tomography with a novel efficient interferometer design ”, optics letters , vol . 24 , no . 19 , oct . 1 , 1999 , incorporated by reference herein ]. that means in one second the oct system should be able to provide at least 6 pictures illustrating the cross - sectional data of the vessel . the scanning probe 50 has 20 fibers , so the satisfactory scan rate can be reduced to 0 . 3 hz ( 6 ÷ 20 = 0 . 3 ), which is much slower and much easier to be realized by the hydraulic actuating system . ideally , 15 pictures / sec . is required for optimal image resolution . rather than continuous rotation , the scanning probe 50 operates in a back - and - forth manner , so that the angular speed of the scanning head 1 will not be constant even when the whole system reaches its steady state . during operation , therefore , detecting the angle of the scanning head 1 , as well as figuring out the angular position that the scanned data belongs to , are important issues . the angle of the scanning head 1 can be simply approximated by comparing the output effort of the pumping system with a reference curve obtained from previous experiments . more precise detection can be reached by the analysis of the feedback of the optical signals . for example , analyzing the light doppler effect [ volker westphal at al ., “ real - time , high velocity - resolution color doppler optical coherence tomography ”, optics letters , vol . 27 , no . 1 , jan 1 , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ] of the feedback signals is another method . the twisted shaft 4 can be formed by precise cnc machining that is well known in the industry . a thin round shaft , minimum diameter 1 . 0 mm , may be used as the intrinsic material before the machining . for production , two ends of the round shaft are clamped , its central portion is precisely milled and four orthogonal planes on the central portion are generated . the planes define the rectangular cross - section of the twisted shaft 4 ( forming a long shaft in this step ), as shown in fig2 a . following the milling , one of the two clamps holding the shaft is rotated relative to the other clamp to twist the shaft a specific angle about its central axis . the twisted part of the twisted shaft 4 being formed . following the twisting step , the rotated clamp is released to free the elastic distortion of the shaft ( with its plastic distortion remaining ), and then the clamp is tightened again . at the next step , as shown by fig2 b , the shaft is milled again at one side of its still - round portion , thereby generating another rectangular portion that is untwisted . the cylindrical portion ( serves as a piston ) is formed from the round portion of the shaft . a precise lathering could further be used to fix the central axis and diameter of the cylindrical part . as shown in fig2 c , only a short portion of the shaft is required . the excess portion of the shaft part is cut off . as shown in fig2 a , the fiber - shaft holder 3 can be combined with two parts , a and b . the part a is actually the body of the catheter . the cross - section of the catheter is shown in fig2 b ; the catheter could be manufactured by the cable extrusion technique that generally is applied in fiber optics industry [ refer to the homepage of optical cable corporation .] note that the central channel of the catheter is used to be the conduit for the guidance of actuating liquid mentioned previously . there are also several conduits used to guide air flowing in and out the probing tip to balance the air pressure inside the oct system ( during operation , the free volume inside the probing tip changes while the twisted shaft 4 is moving ). the diameter of the conduit is equal to that of the cylinder part 43 of the twisted shaft 4 . part b in fig2 a is simply a plate having fiber holding edges ( b 1 ) and a rectangular central opening ( b 2 ). this part could be made from metal by using punching technology as is commonly applied in the industry . in assembly , part a and part b are connected with glue such as epoxy . the lower stopper , which is required to constrain the twisted shaft 4 at its lower position , is formed together with the formation of the micro - balloon . micro - molding with polymeric material ( such as sbs ) could be used to fabricate the scanning head 1 . the process of micro - molding requires a set of micro - molds . in this case , the fiber grooves 54 and the reflective surface 11 at the end of the fiber grooves 54 can be realized by a set of micro - molds comprised of 18 edges ( fig2 a ), each of which has the geometry shown in fig6 b . as well , the central rectangular channel could be molded by a rectangular shaft made by the equipment for the fabrication of the twisted shaft 4 . for the convenience of assembly , the scanning head 1 could be previously provided with the geometry shown in fig2 c . the excess parts of the scanning head 1 would provide guidance and help with the alignment for the optical fibers 8 . uv glue could be used to fix the position of the optical fibers 8 . the excess portion of the scanning head 1 could be cut off after the assembly of the optical fibers 8 . in another embodiment , laser beams heat at least three different locations on the surface of the micro - mirror 210 , which is shown as a disk in fig2 - 25 , successively . the micro - mirror 210 will provide a wabling corresponding to this kind of un - symmetric heating process , and an incident light ( other than the heating laser ) can be redirected in a swaying manner . the heating process corresponds to the rotation period of the micro - mirror 210 as required . the micro - mirror 210 comprises two layers : a first layer 212 and a second layer 214 ( fig2 ). at least one of the two layers can generate structural deformation ( contraction or expansion ) by the application of laser light . if the case is that both of the layers are deformable by laser light , the sensitivities of the two layers to a same laser light would be set different to each others . fig2 shows the perspective view of the micro - mirror 210 . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated with a laser beam , there will be expansion or contraction in the layers . because the expansion or contraction within the layers is of different degrees ( only one layer is deformed or the two layers are deformed with different degrees ), the structure of the whole micro - mirror 210 will be twisted . for example , in fig2 , when the section marked with the pie is irradiated with a laser beam , there is a deformation generated as shown in fig2 . the material of the first and second layers 212 , 214 could be metals or photosensitive polymers . in the case of metal layers , for example , the first layer 212 is poly - silicon and the second layer 214 is gold . the mechanism of the expansion or contraction within the layers is thermal expansion . the metals will absorb the energy of a laser beam and be heated . due to different thermal expansion coefficients of the two layers , the structure will be twisted or bent . this will result in turning the mirror , as shown in fig2 . in the case of photosensitive polymers , for example , liquid crystal materials , the mechanism of the expansion or contraction inside the layers is a phase change of the materials . under the irradiation of a laser beam , the molecules of the polymeric materials will undergo phase change , wherein the chemical structures of the materials are deformed , and a structural deformation occurs . next , similar to the case of metal layers , the degrees of deformation of the two layers are different , and there will be a twisting or bending effect in the structure of the micro - mirror 210 , and the effect in fig2 is reached . when the structure is twisted or bent by the application of laser energy , the surface of the mirror , shown in fig2 , can be tiled to a specific direction . therefore , one can control the direction of the micro - mirror 210 by controlling the laser energy input . the way to control the application of the laser light is to select the location on the micro - mirror 210 to be irradiated by the laser beam , and control the intensity of the laser . by controlling the location , one can control the tilting direction of the mirror ; and by controlling the intensity , one can control the tilting angle of the micro - mirror 210 . referring to fig2 and fig2 , by continuously changing the laser - shining location ( fig2 ), the tilting direction of the micro - mirror 210 can be continuously changed ( fig2 ). that is , the micro - mirror 210 could be rotated by changing the location of the laser - shining . this is the mechanism for the rotation of the laser - actuated micro - mirror 210 . as to the assembly of the whole oct system ( fig2 ), the micro - mirror 210 is mounted on a base 21 b connected to the tip end of the probe cover . there is no object between the fibers and the mirror . fiber 1 , which is used to guide the detecting light , is the same fiber used in other embodiments of the oct probe . the detecting light is redirected by the tilting surface of the micro - mirror 210 , such that it can scan around by means of the tilting and rotating mirror . the fibers 2 are used to guide the actuating - laser light . as shown , at least three fibers 2 are needed . the fibers 2 fire lasers in turns , such that they can generate continuous tilting effect as shown in fig2 and fig2 . the other features of the laser - actuating oct probe are the same as those described in other embodiments . for instance , the fiber , and fibers 2 are disposed in a fiber shaft holder 3 . after the fabrication by semiconductor technique , which is well known by those skillful in the art , the mirror is formed on a substrate ( usually silicon substrate ). the substrate material forms the base . then a small piece is cut from the base that carries the mirror from the substrate with a dicer . the small piece is mounted on to the tip &# 39 ; s end by glue ( epoxy , for example ). only one fiber 1 is enough to transmit the detecting light in this embodiment . during operation , a circular scanning profile of the detecting laser is realized . in this embodiment , illustrated in fig3 , the detecting laser is not centered to the mirror &# 39 ; s center . instead , the following remain constant : ( 1 ) d , the distance between the mirror center and the axis of the detecting light . ( 2 ) alfa , the angle between the mirror surface and the axis of the detecting light . an open - loop system is used for position feedback to properly arrange the periodical change of the laser powers from the three fibers 2 to realize the constant alfa and d . the position control is more complex than single - fiber 2 actuation . particularly , the micro - mirror 210 needs a period of time to respond mechanically to the laser energy coming from the fiber 2 . even though it is known when and which of the fibers 2 are firing the laser power , the exact direction of the mirror surface information cannot be assured . the absolute position of the mirror is actually not necessary . instead , speed - control is used to control the rotation of the scanning mirror . for example , in the case of the mirror driven by a transmission cable rotated from outside , the exact position of the mirror ( which may be affected by a delay of cable transmission due to the cable &# 39 ; s compliance ) is not of concern ; the rotation period of the mirror is controlled so that the “ relative position ” of the mirror is known . after receiving a continuous data stream from the reflected detecting laser , the cross - section image of the vessel is constructed by simply matching the data series to the rotating period . in this embodiment , the operation will be similar . what is different is that the micro - mirror 210 is not actuated by a rotator but by three bimorph heat - deformable cantilever beams . this makes the control more complex . if only one of the fiber 2 fires at one time , it will be very different if not impossible for the mirror to scan a circular profile needed . instead , the three fibers 2 are needed to fire together , with different powers , to bend the three cantilevers at different status at one time to match a circular scanning profile . the three cantilevers are actuated individually by the three fibers 2 such that they cooperate with specific bending patterns that realize a circular scanning profile on the wall of the vessel . in an alternative embodiment regarding the micro - mirror 210 , the fibers 1 and the fibers 2 are reversed so healing energy comes from a single fiber 2 disposed preferably along the central axis of the tube . the plurality of fibers 1 are disposed about the circumference of the tube . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated by the laser beam from the fiber 2 , the laser energy causes the mirror to bend . by changing the intensity of the laser or pulsing the laser , motion can be imported to the micro - mirror 210 which wires the probe tip to which it is attached , to move back and forth , and thus the plurality of fibers 1 for scanning the interior of the area of the patient in question . thermal expansion material normally can generate ˜ 5 % of elongation for a temperature rise of 100 ° c . the length of the material inside the oct is originally 20 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of 1 mm . polymers , including photosensitive polymers and shape memory polymers are able to generate & gt ; 100 % of photo - induced elongations or shrinkages . the material inside the oct is originally 1 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of another 1 mm . optical tomographic instrumentation may be specified by spectrally resolved bandwidth , which is equivalent to number of spectrally resolvable cells . each spectrally resolvable cell has a width δν , such that number of cells resolvable by the instrument is n instrument = δν / δν , where δν is the available optical bandwidth of source light . the range of group - time delays the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is given by : δτ instrument = 1 / δν . the smallest resolvable group - time delay the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is δτ coherence = 1 / δν . number of spectrally resolvable cells the optical tomographic instrument may resolve is given by : for 1 oct a - scan into the object being imaged , the requirement for number of spectrally resolvable cells is − n a - scan = δz / l c , lc ˜ c g / δv , δz = imaging depth , l c ( coherence length ), and c g is the group velocity of light in the object . where δτ a - scan = δz / c g is the round - trip propagation time for light to propagate from the most superficial and deepest position ( to be imaged ) in the object . for some optical tomographic imaging instruments ( e . g ., those that employ narrow linewidth tunable laser sources or high resolution spectrometers ), the above condition can be stated in three manners : a ) the number of spectrally resolvable cells for the instrument ( n instrument ) is much greater than that required for one a - scan ( n a - scan ); 2 ) the range of group time delays the instrumentation is capable of resolving ( δτ instrument ) is much greater than the group - time delay for a single a - scan ( δτ a - scan ); 3 ) available optical bandwidth of source light ( δν ) is much greater than spectral width of each resolvable cell of the instrumentation ( δν ). because the instrument can resolve many more cells than that required for one a - scan , multiplexing techniques are presented here to efficiently utilize the information carrying capacity ( bandwidth ) afforded by optical tomographic imaging instruments . selection criteria of multiplexing techniques employed may be derived in part by the ratio n instrument / n a - scan = δτ instrument / δτ a - scan = δν / δν . larger ratios provide a wider selection of possible multiplexing techniques and more candidate domains ( polarization , space , angle , temporal ) to multiplex into . moreover , multiplexing spectral information into just one domain ( e . g . spatial ) is not the only envisioned approach . generally , additional spectral information may be resolved into multiple domains ( e . g ., polarization and spatial ). a . polarization : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the polarization domain using a system indicated in fig3 . at least two incident polarization states 90 ° apart on the poincare sphere are input into the interferometer . the polarization signature of the light reflected from the sample , such as a vessel wall or nerve fiber layer , is compared to known polarization signatures of materials , such as plaques or a diseased nerve fiber layer . the reflected light and thus the material from which it was reflected is then identified . the fiber delivery system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , can be used . the theory of operation of this approach is described using mueller matrices or the spectrally - resolved jones calculus . by inserting a fospi in the detection path of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( sd - oct ) instrumentation , the full set of stokes parameters of light backscattered at the specific depth in the specimen can be obtained without any other polarization controlling components in reference / sample / detection path of the interferometer and the prior knowledge of the polarization state of the light incident on the sample . in this configuration , two factors determine the spectral modulation . one is optical path length difference between the reference and sample surface , ( δ ( ν )), introduced by the common - path sdoct and the other is phase retardations , φ 1 ( ν ) and φ 2 ( ν ) generated by the retarder system in the fospi . therefore , output from the presented single channel polarization sensitive ( ps ) sd - oct in the time - delay domain is the convolution of the output from fospi and that from sd - oct . where the first two terms are the stokes parameters of light from the reference and sample path , respectively , and the last term is the contribution of interference . consider the birefringent sample with phase retardation δ and fast - axis oriented at angle of α . then , the stokes parameters of the light from the sample ( s i , 2 ) and interference ( s i , i ) are calculated in terms of the stokes parameters of light from the reference , s 0 , 1 , s 1 , 1 , s 2 , 1 , s 3 , 1 . s 1 , 2 r s 2 ( cos 2 2α + cos δ sin 2 2α ) s 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 2 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 2 , 2 = r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( sin 2 2α + cosδ cos 2 2α ) s 2 , 1 + r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 3 , 2 = r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 1 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ cos2 αs 2 , 1 + r s 2 cosδs 3 , 1 ( 1 ) s 0 , i = 2 r s cos δcos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) s 1 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 2 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 3 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 ) ( 2 ) with a reflection coefficient of the sample r s and an optical path length difference between the sample and reference path δ . here , the terms including trigonometric functions of δ represent the interference between the light from reference and sample paths . the measured intensity from sdoct passing through the fospi for a birefringent sample , then , is i out , i ( v ) = r s cos δ cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ - φ 2 ) ] + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ + φ 2 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 - φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 - φ 1 ) ] - 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] ( 3 ) for the interference signal . fourier transform of equation ( 3 ) gives seven components in the positive optical path length difference domain which are centered at δ , δ ± φ 2 , δ ±( φ 2 − φ 1 ), δ ±( φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . inverse fourier transforms of each component are as follows . δ : 1 2 r s ⅇ ⅈδ { cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 - i sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) } ( 4 ) δ + φ 2 : 1 4 r s ⅇ ⅈφ 2 ⅇ ⅈδ { ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 } ( 5 ) δ + φ 2 - φ 1 : 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 - φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 - s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 6 ) δ + φ 2 + φ 1 : - 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 + φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 7 ) comparing with equation ( 2 ), real part of equation ( 4 ) gives s 0 , i / 4 and real part of equation of ( 5 ) after shifting the phase by − φ 2 gives s 1 , i / 8 . likewise , s 2 , i / 8 and s 3 , i / 8 can be obtained by taking the real part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) and the imaginary part of addition of ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) after the appropriate phase shift , −( φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( φ 2 + φ 1 ) for ( 6 ) and ( 7 ), respectively . moreover , simple arithmetic gives phase retardation due to the birefringence of the sample , δ , without knowledge of incident polarization state . the real part of ( 4 ), imaginary part of ( 5 ), the imaginary part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) are 1 2 r s cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 ( 8 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 9 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 10 ) after the phase shift by − δ , −( δ + φ 2 ), −( δ + φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . with a trigonometric identity , the following can be obtained tan δ 2 = 2 ( 9 ) 2 + ( 10 ) 2 ( 8 ) . ( 11 ) phase retardation due to birefringence [ fig3 ] and fast - axis angle [ fig3 ] of the birefringent sample were estimated from interference between the back surface of the glass window and the back surface of the birefringent sample by using eqs . above . for this measurement , the birefringent sample was rotated in 5 ° increments from 0 ° to 90 °. an estimated single - pass phase retardation of 34 . 06 °± 2 . 68 ° is consistent with a value deduced from the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specification ( 31 . 4 °). the estimated fast - axis angle is shown in fig4 ( b ) and is plotted with respect to orientation of the birefringent sample . b . space or lateral position : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the space or lateral position domain using a system indicated below . 1 . existing multifiber approach : ( described above ) 2 . spatially scanned light : the schematic of the experimental setup of a fiber - based spatially multiplexed swept source oct ( sm - ss - oct ) system is depicted in fig3 using the system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , where the top is preferably rotated at least 100 times for each position . a tunable laser and spectrum analyzer ( tlsa 1000 , precision photonics , inc .) that operates in the 1520 - 1620 nm wavelength range ( λ 0 = 1570 nm ) with fwhm spectral line width specified at 150 khz is used as the illuminating source and is equipped with an optical isolator to protect the laser from spurious reflections . the laser output is coupled into one arm of a 2 × 2 fiber - based coupler ( interferometer ). the 50 %- 50 % coupler splits this beam into two nearly equal parts , used in the reference and sample arms , respectively . the reference arm has a fixed path length , and simply consists of a fixed mirror that reflects the entire light incident upon it back into the fiber - based coupler . the light exiting the sample arm of the interferometer is collimated , and scanned across the sample by a scanning galvanometer and a focusing lens . the scanning galvanometer and focusing lens is used to rapidly scan the lateral positions of the tissue . the tlsa 1000 completes one complete wavelength sweep in approximately one second . within this time , the galvanometer is programmed to sweep all lateral positions of the tissue several hundred times . light returning from the sample interferes with the light from the fixed reference in the fiber - based interferometer , and the resultant spectral interference signal ( due to path length variations between sample and reference reflections ) is detected by a photodetector placed in the detection arm of the system . the electrical output is digitized , and a non - uniform fourier transform ( nuft ) of each a - line spectral data gives the depth profile of the sample reflectance . fig3 and 35 are images of a 100 micron thick slide recorded with the spatially multiplexed oct system . the images are of the same object ( microscope cover glass ) only for one image ( fig3 ) the intensity of the light returning from the sample is displayed on a linear greyscale while in the other image ( fig3 ) is displayed according to logarithm of the intensity . c . angle : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the angle domain using a system indicated in fig3 . fig3 depicts a multi fiber angle - domain oct system . the output of the frequency - swept source a is split into n fibers through the splitter b . the light passes through the circulators c , is collimated , focused through a lens , contacts the tissue , and then is reflected into any of the multiplicity of fibers . a reference reflector for each path is introduced into each fiber segment . for example , the reference reflector can be positioned at the terminal end of each fiber segment . for each i &# 39 ; th input fiber segment , interference is formed between light backscattered from the tissue and into the j &# 39 ; th fiber and the reference reflection from the j &# 39 ; th fiber . for n fibers , n 2 interference fringes are formed each corresponding to an incident ( α i ) and backscattered angle ( β j ). light intensity in the spectral domain is then converted to a voltage through a photoreceiver , which outputs to an adc board , which is read into a computer . this system allows phase - sensitive angle resolved imaging of discrete light paths in and out - of the specimen . using a space - spatial frequency transformation ( e . g ., two - dimensional fourier transformation ) lateral structures can be imaged with sub - wavelength resolution . d . space - angle combinations ( e . g . x dimension − space , y dimension − angle ): the space and angle dimensions may be combined to form systems that use the additional spectral cells image both space and angles . for example , additional spectral cells may be used to record position information in one dimension ( e . g . x ) and angle information in the orthogonal dimension ( y ). although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | c21c63da958ce05d46aef54e3350f77aa1adac7d89f4fcdb7b7057ce8cf13287 | 0.243164 | 0.067383 | 0.056641 | 0.570313 | 0.285156 | 0.094238 |
null | referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views , and more specifically to fig1 - 5 , 15 and 16 thereof , there is shown an endoscope 10 for a patient . the endoscope 10 comprises means 102 for producing light , such as a light source 51 . the endoscope 10 comprises an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 adapted to be disposed in the patient . the optical fiber array 28 transmits the light from the producing means , preferably including a light source 51 , into the patient , and transmits the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the light producing means 102 . the endoscope 10 comprises a detector d for receiving the light from the array 28 and analyzing the light . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the detector d . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a tube 53 about which the plurality of optical fibers 8 are disposed . the tube 53 preferably has grooves 54 that extend longitudinally along the tube 53 , as shown in fig1 . one of the plurality of optical fibers 8 is disposed in each of the grooves 54 . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a probe tip 55 , as shown in fig1 , having a reflector 56 disposed in each groove which reflects light from the optical fiber 8 in the groove when the reflector 56 is in the patient and reflects light from the patient to the optical fiber 8 when the array 28 is in the patient . the light source 51 preferably includes a coherent light source 51 and means 57 for guiding the light from the light source 51 to the plurality of optical fibers 8 of the array 28 . preferably , the optical fiber 8 is single mode , has a core 118 with cladding 120 disposed about the core 118 , and has a lens 122 at its tip which focuses the light from the core 118 to the reflector 56 and light from the reflector 56 to the core 118 , as shown in fig1 and 13 . the array 28 preferably includes a transparent cover 7 . preferably , the light source 51 comprises an input arm 58 , the array 28 comprises a sample arm 59 , the detector d comprises a reference arm 60 and a detector arm 61 ; and the input arm 58 , the detector arm 61 , the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 together form an interferometer . the reference arm 60 preferably uses rsod to introduce depth scanning and dispersion compensation to the interferometer . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes an opto - coupler 62 which optically couples corresponding optical fibers 8 of the input arm 58 , sample arm 59 , reference arm 60 and detecting arm together . the detector d preferably determines structural information about the patient from the intensity of an interference signal from reflected light from corresponding fibers of the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 having a same bypass length . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a scanning head 1 which holds n optical fibers 8 , where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer , as shown in fig1 - 22 c . the n optical fibers 8 are preferably arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a mechanism 134 for moving the scanning head 1 so each of the optical fibers 8 scan an angular range of n / 360 degrees . the moving mechanism 134 preferably includes a mechanism 9 for linear motion which causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the linear motion mechanism 9 includes a fiber shaft holder having a shaft channel 31 extending axially along the holder , and n fiber channels 32 are arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 , and a twisting shaft that fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel , the holder rotates . the scanning head 1 preferably has a socket head that conforms with the shaft and causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a guide wire holder 2 disposed on the scanning probe 50 which receives and follows a guide wire when the guard wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possible gu tract . a guide wire is not necessary in the gi tract . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a spring disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber shaft holder which forces the shaft back after the shaft has moved forward . the present invention pertains to a method for imaging a vessel , gu , gi or biliary tract of a patient . the method comprises the steps of transmitting light from a light source 51 into an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 in the patient . there is the step of transmitting the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . there is the step of receiving the light from the array 28 at a detector d . there is the step of analyzing the light with the detector d . preferably , there are the steps of reflecting light from each optical fiber 8 with a corresponding reflector 56 associated with the fiber , and reflecting light from the patient to the associated fiber with a reflector 56 . there is preferably the step of moving each of n optical fibers 8 comprising the optical fiber array 28 an angular range of n / 360 degrees . preferably , there is the step of applying a linear motion to cause each of the n optical fibers 8 of the optical fiber array 28 to move the angular range . the step of applying the linear motion preferably includes the step of moving axially forward in parallel with the n optical fibers 8 a twisting shaft through a shaft channel 31 extending axially along a fiber shaft holder having n fiber channels 32 arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 which causes the holder to rotate . each of the n optical fibers 8 is disposed in a respective fiber channel 32 of the n fiber channels 32 . the twisting shaft fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel . preferably , there is the step of guiding the optical fiber array 28 along a guide wire which is received by a guide wire holder 2 when the guide wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possibly gu system , but not in the gi tract . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the means for analyzing is preferably described in the figures , where polarization is found in fig3 , position in fig1 - 30 , space in fig3 , and angle in fig3 . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . in the operation of the invention , a near infrared broadband light source 51 sends a light beam into the input arm 58 of the array 28 type interferometer . the beam profile from the light source 51 is a circular gaussion . the optics before connector 1 makes the beam profile linear and focuses it into the connector 1 . the array 28 type interferometer consists of multiple fiber - based interferometer that has four fiber arms connected to an opto - coupler 62 . incoming light into the input arm 58 is divided to the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . in the sample arm 59 , optical fibers 8 are distributed like an annular ring , and light will be focused at the target vessel perpendicular to the optical axis . in the reference arm 60 , rsod introduces depth scanning and dispersion compensation . when the reflected light from both arms have the same light path length , strictly speaking within a coherence length , interference occurs . the intensity of the interference signal represents the structural information of a sample . more specifically , in regard to the input arm 58 , and referring to fig1 and 3 , a single beam comes out of s 1 and will be collimated by l 1 . at this point , the beam diameter is big enough to project across all of c 1 &# 39 ; s area , but the beam is still circular . cl 1 and cl 2 , circular lenses , change the beam profile to a linear shape , which means that the beam is not circular anymore , but it looks narrow from fig2 and the same shape with the beam after l 1 on fig3 . ml 1 focuses all light onto c 1 . light source s 1 has a fiber tip from which light departs into air . l 1 is a collimating lens 122 , so the fiber tip of the light source 51 should be located at the back of the focal point of l 1 in order to collimate the light . cl 1 , 2 are cylindrical lenses . separation between two is the sum of each cylindrical lens 122 focal length . they work as a telescope which decrease beam size only in one direction . in other words , the size of the beam does not change from fig3 . ml 1 is a micro lens array 28 , which has a lot of small lenses . each of the small lenses is positioned to have a focal point at each fiber entrance of c 1 . c 1 should be located at the focal point of ml 1 . all micro lenses have same focal length . c 1 is a linear fiber array 28 . in an alternative embodiment of the input arm 58 , as shown in fig4 , known as a fiber based solution : light source s 1 is connected to a single mode fiber , which is connected to fiber splitter ( 50 : 50 ), s 1 . the first fiber splitter is 1 by 2 . each output end of the 1 * 2 fiber splitter is connected to 1 * 4 splitter , sp 1 . each output end of the 1 * 4 splitter , 2 nd layer , is connected to another 1 * 4 splitter , 3 rd layer , sp 2 . at the output of the 3 rd layer , the number of fiber is 32 . 32 fiber comprises a linear fiber array 28 , sp 3 . each fiber is a single mode fiber , which can have a different cutoff frequency . the cutoff frequency is dependent on the center wavelength of the light source 51 . usually , 850 nm or 1300 nm of center wavelength for the light source 51 are used . each fiber is attached to another so that all together they form a linear fiber array 28 . c 1 is connected to multiple interferometers . each interferometer consists of four fiber arms and opto - coupler 62 . at each end of each arm , there is a linear array 28 fiber connector ( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 c 4 ). incoming light will be divided by the opto - coupler 62 into the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . with respect to the sample arm 59 , this sample arm 59 , as shown in fig5 , 7 , 8 and 17 , goes into the target vessel . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which is of an annular shape at the other end . the total length of the arm will be around 2 ˜ 3 m . when the light leaves the annular tip f , it will be collimated by l 1 and then reflected by l 2 outward from the probe . reflected light from tissue will follow back to l 2 and l 1 and be gathered by the fiber tip . later , two reflected lights from the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively , will make interference , which will be detected by the array 28 detector d at the detection arm . the sample arm 59 is supposed to go through a target vessel , gi , gu or biliary tract . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which has an annular shape at the other end ( probe tip 55 ) ( fig8 ). total length of the sample arm 59 is about 1 . 5 m . the fiber array 28 will be molded by a transparent cover 7 material ( ex : silicon resin or polymers ). at the annular probe tip f shown in fig9 , each fiber is glued at a groove of a cylindrical polymer tube 53 . the shape of each groove is shown at fig1 and 11 . each groove end has a reflector 56 which is 45 ° oblique to axial direction . the groove will be made by micro fabrication technique . each fiber has a lens 122 at the tip , which can be manufactured by splicing a multimode fiber with the same diameter of the cladding 120 of the single mode fiber and then melting the end of multimode fiber in order to get curvature ( fig1 and 13 ). when the light leaves the fiber tip , the light will be reflected outward by the reflector 56 at the end of the groove , and then will be focused at the target tissue area . reflected light from the tissue will follow back the same path as the incoming light , and go to the detection arm . micromachining or micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) and nanotechnology are becoming increasingly popular for the development of improved biomaterials and devices ( macilwain c ., “ us plans large funding boost to support nanotechnology boom ,” nature , 1999 ; 400 : 95 , incorporated by reference herein ). similar to manufacturing methods used for computer microchips , mems processes combine etching and / or material deposition and photolithographic - patterning techniques to develop ultrasmall devices ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ). mems has been proven promising in medicine for its small mass and volume , low cost , and high functionality . successful mems devices in medicine include smart sensor for cataract removal , silicon neurowells , microneedles for gene and drug delivery , and dna arrays ( polla , d . l ., erdman , a . g ., robbins , w . p ., markus , d . t ., diaz - diaz , j ., rizq , r ., nam , y ., brickner , h . t ., wang , a ., krulevitch , p ., “ microdevices in medicine ,” annu . rev . biomed . eng ., 2000 ; 02 : 551 - 76 ; mcallister et al ., 2000 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein ). however , most of the mems processes are planar in nature for two - dimension ( 2d ) micro - features and primary for processing silicon material . other micromachining processes include laser beam micromachining ( lbm ), micro - electrical discharge machine ( micro - edm ), and electron beam machining ( ebm ) ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 ), incorporated by reference herein . micro - fabrication and micro - device development using metals , metal alloys , silicon , glass , and polymers are described in the following . ( chen , s . c ., cahill , d . g ., and grigoropoulos , c . p ., “ transient melting and deformation in pulsed laser surface micro - modification of ni - p disks ,” j . heat transfer , vol . 122 ( no . 1 ), pp . 107 - 12 , 2000 ; kancharla , v . and chen , s . c ., “ fabrication of biodegradable microdevices by laser micromachining of biodegradable polymers ,” biomedical microdevices , 2002 , vol . 4 ( 2 ): 105 - 109 ; chen , s . c ., kancharla , v ., and lu , y ., “ laser - based microscale patterning of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications ,” in press , international j . nano technology , 2002 ; zheng , w . and chen , s . c ., “ continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” transactions of namrc / sme , vol . 30 , pp . 551 - 555 , 2002 ; chen , s . c ., “ design and analysis of a heat conduction - based , continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” becon , 2002 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein ). for the array 28 , a stainless steel cylinder is chosen with a diameter of 1 . 5 mm as the base material . the diameter is 1 . 0 mmm for vascular applications , larger for gu , gi and biliary applications , up to 3 . 0 mm , if desired . both the micro - grooves 54 ( or micro - channels of 200 microns wide ) and the reflecting surfaces are machined by micro - electrical discharge machining ( micro - edm ) or micro - milling using focused ion machined tool . to enhance the reflectivity of the reflecting surface , the stainless steel cylinder are coated with evaporated aluminum using electron - beam evaporation . in regard to the reference arm 60 , shown in fig1 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 4 , and be spectrally distributed by a grating ( g 1 ) and will be focused to a mirror ( ga 1 ). by vibrating ga 1 , the light path length will be changed in order to achieve depth scanning . there are many options to build the reference arm 60 applying existing techniques . a very simple form of the reference arm 60 has just a mirror attached onto a voice coil that is driven by a function generator with sine wave . the light reflects back by the mirror and the mirror position changes the light path length . this path length change provides depth scanning of the target tissue because interference occurs only when both arms have the same light path length . preferably , the reference arm 60 is more complicated than the simple one . that is called rapid - scanning optical delay ( rsod ) which can provide fast depth scanning and dispersion compensation . linear array type beam launches from c 4 , and is collimated by l 1 . a mirror ( m 1 ) reflects the beam to a grating ( g 1 ) which spectrally distributes the broadband source light . spectrally distributed light will be focused on a galvono - scanning mirror ( ga 1 ) by a lens ( l 2 ). separation between g 1 and l 2 determines the amount of chromatic dispersion degree so any material dispersion can be compensated for usually caused by fibers . the beam offset from the scanning mirror center determines the fringe frequency that will show up after interfering two reflected lights . the reflected light from the ga 1 goes to l 2 , g 1 , and to m 2 . and then the light reflected following back incoming path and will be coupled back to c 4 . referring to the detection arm , as shown in fig1 and 16 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 3 , and is circular . combination of cl 1 and cl 2 makes the beam look linear in one plane ( horizontal ). micro - lens array ml 1 makes the light focus on the array 28 detector d . as shown in fig1 , 19 a , and 19 b , the scanning probe 50 is comprised of a scanning head 1 , a fiber - shaft holder 3 , a twisted shaft 4 , a transparent cover 7 , a guide wire holder 2 , and a mechanism 9 for linear motion . in this embodiment , the scanning head 1 is adapted to hold a fiber bunch that contain 20 optical fibers 8 , which are arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . in operation , each of the fibers is set to scan an angular range of 18 degrees ( 360 °÷ 20 = 18 °). reflective surfaces 11 are formed on the scanning head 1 and are oriented 45 ° degrees to the central axis of each respective optical fibers 8 , such that they would guide the light from the fiber bunch and direct the light through the transparent cover 7 . the scanning head 1 is designed to provide an 18 degrees &# 39 ; back - and - forth rotation . the back - and - forth rotation realizes the scanning function required by the oct system . the mechanism of this back - and forth rotation is described below . the fiber - shaft holder is substantially a multi - tubular structure . it is formed with one shaft channel 31 extending along the central axis of the fiber - shaft holder and 20 fiber channels 32 arranged around the fiber - shaft holder 3 in parallel . the optical fibers 8 extend through respective fiber channels 32 . the shaft channel 31 has a round cross - sectional area . at the upper end of the shaft channel 31 , the shaft channel 31 is an opening , but the geometry of the opening is reduced from the round cross - sectional area to a rectangular cross - sectional hole 311 . the reason for this structural design will be described along with the description of the twisted shaft 4 . the twisted shaft 4 has a rectangular cross - section area , which is identical in geometry to the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 . indicated by its name , the shaft 4 is partially twisted along the shaft central axis and can be divided into a non - twisted part 41 and a twisted part 42 . in assembly , the shaft 4 is passed through the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 , and it is enabled to slide back - and - forth via the rectangular cross - sectional hole . the relative motion of the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 form the mechanism that realizes a back - and - forth rotation . the reason is that when the twisted part 42 of the shaft 4 slides through the rectangular cross - sectional hole , the shaft 4 itself is forced to rotate along the shaft central axis to fit the matching of both the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 . particularly , the shaft 4 and the holder 3 compose a mechanism 9 that can transmit a linear motion into a rotational motion . the description is now focused on the scanning head 1 . the scanning head 1 has a rectangular socket 12 , which has a cross - section area identical to that of the twisted shaft 4 . the rectangular socket 12 provides a channel covering the non - twisted part 41 of the twisted shaft 4 and lets the non - twisted part 41 exert the back - and forth motion inside the rectangular socket 12 . the moving range of the shaft 4 is constrained such that the twisted part 42 does not pass into the scanning head &# 39 ; s rectangular socket 12 ( that will result in a geometric mismatch ), but the twisted part 42 only interacts with the fiber - shaft holder &# 39 ; s rectangular cross - sectional hole . according to the description above , the motion of the shaft 4 is comprised of a linear component ( v ) and an angular component ( ω ). referring to the geometry of the rectangular socket 12 and non - twisted part 41 of the shaft 4 , the shaft motion &# 39 ; s linear component ( v ) would not contribute to the motion of the scanning head 1 ( regardless of the friction between the surfaces ), but the angular component ( ω ) does . the scanning head 1 rotates back and forth with the rotational motion of the twisted shaft 4 , which in turn results from the twisted shaft &# 39 ; s linear back - and - forth movement relative to the fiber - shaft holder 3 . as a result , the scanning head 1 provides a back - and - forth rotational motion transmitted from the back and forth linear motion provided by the twisted shaft 4 . a guide wire holder 2 is a module used to guide the scanning probe 50 toward the investigated section of the detected blood vessel , biliary duct , and possibly gu application . for the gi tract , a guide wire is generally not used . in operation , a guide wire 01 , or “ guide tissue ”, is previously disposed along a specific route of human vessels , such that a track for the scanning probe 50 of the oct system can be formed . the guide wire holder 2 constrains the scanning probe 50 such that it can only slide along the track formed by the guide wire 01 . the scanning probe 50 is therefore guided to the patient section to be investigated . guide wire holder 2 and holder 5 function as bearings of the scanning head 1 . they constrain the movement of the scanning head 1 and stabilize it . as well , a compressive spring 6 is disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly compressed in assembly , such that it pushes the scanning head 1 against the holder 5 and eliminates any potential axial movement of the scanning head 1 that may result in axial positioning errors ( δd ). it is preferable that the spring 6 supplies torque between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 has its both ends , respectively , fixed on the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly twisted in assembly . by this means , the spring can provide a torque to the back - and - forth rotational mechanism , such that the backlash ( resulting from , for example , the tolerance between the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the shaft ) of the rotational mechanism , as well as the resultant angular positioning errors ( δθ ), are eliminated . note that , the cross - section geometry of the shaft channel 31 is circular . with respect to the shaft channel 31 , the twisted shaft 4 is formed with a cylinder part 43 at its end of the twisted part 42 . the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 performs a motion like a piston . in an upward movement of the twisted shaft 4 , due to the geometric difference , the cylinder part 43 would be blocked at the edge 33 of the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 and provide an upper stopper for the twisted shaft 4 . on the other hand , a lower stopper 34 is placed to block the cylinder part 43 in a downward movement . the function of the upper and lower stoppers is helpful in controlling the movement of the twisted shaft 4 , as well as controlling the angular motion of the scanning head 1 . there are many methods in the prior art that are able to provide the power for the mechanism to push and pull the twisted shaft 4 to generate the linear movement . however , hydraulic force , particularly fluidic pressure , is preferred due to the following advantages : 1 . electricity is not required to be transmitted into the scanning head 1 to energize a hydraulic linear mechanism 9 . some of the mechanisms , such as electromagnetic systems ( or more particularly , some micro - motors ), require not only electricity to be energized , but also additional components , e . g ., coils or magnets , installed to the scanning head 1 to transform the electrical energy into mechanical momentum . the use of electricity is not preferable for medical issues ; and the requirement of additional components would increase the technical difficulty in manufacturing and the complexity of the whole system . some of the other mechanisms , like those comprising piezoelectric materials , can be composed with little space and simple structure , but they still need to receive a large voltage to generate the required momentum . 2 . a hydraulic mechanism 9 takes little space . the structure of the hydraulic mechanism 9 is illustrated in fig1 a and 18 b . the hydraulic mechanism 9 can be simply a liquid conduit that guides liquid , such as water , to push or pull the piston system comprised of the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 . considering that leakage through the gap of a piston system may result in undesirable problems , the hydraulic mechanism 9 is , preferably , comprised of a micro - balloon 91 made by a polymeric thin film . as shown in fig1 a and 18 b , the twisted shaft 4 is in its lower position when the balloon 91 is flat ( fig1 a ). as water is pumped into the piston system , the balloon 91 becomes turgid , and the twisted shaft 4 is pushed toward its upper position with an 18 degree spin ( fig1 b ). the required back - and forth motion can be generated by switching the flat and turgid states of the micro - balloon 91 . for a single fiber oct system , a scan rate of 6 rev / sec ( 6 hz ) is satisfactory [ andrew m . rollins et al ., “ real - time in vivo imaging of human gastrointestinal ultrastructure by use of endoscopic optical coherence tomography with a novel efficient interferometer design ”, optics letters , vol . 24 , no . 19 , oct . 1 , 1999 , incorporated by reference herein ]. that means in one second the oct system should be able to provide at least 6 pictures illustrating the cross - sectional data of the vessel . the scanning probe 50 has 20 fibers , so the satisfactory scan rate can be reduced to 0 . 3 hz ( 6 ÷ 20 = 0 . 3 ), which is much slower and much easier to be realized by the hydraulic actuating system . ideally , 15 pictures / sec . is required for optimal image resolution . rather than continuous rotation , the scanning probe 50 operates in a back - and - forth manner , so that the angular speed of the scanning head 1 will not be constant even when the whole system reaches its steady state . during operation , therefore , detecting the angle of the scanning head 1 , as well as figuring out the angular position that the scanned data belongs to , are important issues . the angle of the scanning head 1 can be simply approximated by comparing the output effort of the pumping system with a reference curve obtained from previous experiments . more precise detection can be reached by the analysis of the feedback of the optical signals . for example , analyzing the light doppler effect [ volker westphal at al ., “ real - time , high velocity - resolution color doppler optical coherence tomography ”, optics letters , vol . 27 , no . 1 , jan 1 , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ] of the feedback signals is another method . the twisted shaft 4 can be formed by precise cnc machining that is well known in the industry . a thin round shaft , minimum diameter 1 . 0 mm , may be used as the intrinsic material before the machining . for production , two ends of the round shaft are clamped , its central portion is precisely milled and four orthogonal planes on the central portion are generated . the planes define the rectangular cross - section of the twisted shaft 4 ( forming a long shaft in this step ), as shown in fig2 a . following the milling , one of the two clamps holding the shaft is rotated relative to the other clamp to twist the shaft a specific angle about its central axis . the twisted part of the twisted shaft 4 being formed . following the twisting step , the rotated clamp is released to free the elastic distortion of the shaft ( with its plastic distortion remaining ), and then the clamp is tightened again . at the next step , as shown by fig2 b , the shaft is milled again at one side of its still - round portion , thereby generating another rectangular portion that is untwisted . the cylindrical portion ( serves as a piston ) is formed from the round portion of the shaft . a precise lathering could further be used to fix the central axis and diameter of the cylindrical part . as shown in fig2 c , only a short portion of the shaft is required . the excess portion of the shaft part is cut off . as shown in fig2 a , the fiber - shaft holder 3 can be combined with two parts , a and b . the part a is actually the body of the catheter . the cross - section of the catheter is shown in fig2 b ; the catheter could be manufactured by the cable extrusion technique that generally is applied in fiber optics industry [ refer to the homepage of optical cable corporation .] note that the central channel of the catheter is used to be the conduit for the guidance of actuating liquid mentioned previously . there are also several conduits used to guide air flowing in and out the probing tip to balance the air pressure inside the oct system ( during operation , the free volume inside the probing tip changes while the twisted shaft 4 is moving ). the diameter of the conduit is equal to that of the cylinder part 43 of the twisted shaft 4 . part b in fig2 a is simply a plate having fiber holding edges ( b 1 ) and a rectangular central opening ( b 2 ). this part could be made from metal by using punching technology as is commonly applied in the industry . in assembly , part a and part b are connected with glue such as epoxy . the lower stopper , which is required to constrain the twisted shaft 4 at its lower position , is formed together with the formation of the micro - balloon . micro - molding with polymeric material ( such as sbs ) could be used to fabricate the scanning head 1 . the process of micro - molding requires a set of micro - molds . in this case , the fiber grooves 54 and the reflective surface 11 at the end of the fiber grooves 54 can be realized by a set of micro - molds comprised of 18 edges ( fig2 a ), each of which has the geometry shown in fig6 b . as well , the central rectangular channel could be molded by a rectangular shaft made by the equipment for the fabrication of the twisted shaft 4 . for the convenience of assembly , the scanning head 1 could be previously provided with the geometry shown in fig2 c . the excess parts of the scanning head 1 would provide guidance and help with the alignment for the optical fibers 8 . uv glue could be used to fix the position of the optical fibers 8 . the excess portion of the scanning head 1 could be cut off after the assembly of the optical fibers 8 . in another embodiment , laser beams heat at least three different locations on the surface of the micro - mirror 210 , which is shown as a disk in fig2 - 25 , successively . the micro - mirror 210 will provide a wabling corresponding to this kind of un - symmetric heating process , and an incident light ( other than the heating laser ) can be redirected in a swaying manner . the heating process corresponds to the rotation period of the micro - mirror 210 as required . the micro - mirror 210 comprises two layers : a first layer 212 and a second layer 214 ( fig2 ). at least one of the two layers can generate structural deformation ( contraction or expansion ) by the application of laser light . if the case is that both of the layers are deformable by laser light , the sensitivities of the two layers to a same laser light would be set different to each others . fig2 shows the perspective view of the micro - mirror 210 . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated with a laser beam , there will be expansion or contraction in the layers . because the expansion or contraction within the layers is of different degrees ( only one layer is deformed or the two layers are deformed with different degrees ), the structure of the whole micro - mirror 210 will be twisted . for example , in fig2 , when the section marked with the pie is irradiated with a laser beam , there is a deformation generated as shown in fig2 . the material of the first and second layers 212 , 214 could be metals or photosensitive polymers . in the case of metal layers , for example , the first layer 212 is poly - silicon and the second layer 214 is gold . the mechanism of the expansion or contraction within the layers is thermal expansion . the metals will absorb the energy of a laser beam and be heated . due to different thermal expansion coefficients of the two layers , the structure will be twisted or bent . this will result in turning the mirror , as shown in fig2 . in the case of photosensitive polymers , for example , liquid crystal materials , the mechanism of the expansion or contraction inside the layers is a phase change of the materials . under the irradiation of a laser beam , the molecules of the polymeric materials will undergo phase change , wherein the chemical structures of the materials are deformed , and a structural deformation occurs . next , similar to the case of metal layers , the degrees of deformation of the two layers are different , and there will be a twisting or bending effect in the structure of the micro - mirror 210 , and the effect in fig2 is reached . when the structure is twisted or bent by the application of laser energy , the surface of the mirror , shown in fig2 , can be tiled to a specific direction . therefore , one can control the direction of the micro - mirror 210 by controlling the laser energy input . the way to control the application of the laser light is to select the location on the micro - mirror 210 to be irradiated by the laser beam , and control the intensity of the laser . by controlling the location , one can control the tilting direction of the mirror ; and by controlling the intensity , one can control the tilting angle of the micro - mirror 210 . referring to fig2 and fig2 , by continuously changing the laser - shining location ( fig2 ), the tilting direction of the micro - mirror 210 can be continuously changed ( fig2 ). that is , the micro - mirror 210 could be rotated by changing the location of the laser - shining . this is the mechanism for the rotation of the laser - actuated micro - mirror 210 . as to the assembly of the whole oct system ( fig2 ), the micro - mirror 210 is mounted on a base 21 b connected to the tip end of the probe cover . there is no object between the fibers and the mirror . fiber 1 , which is used to guide the detecting light , is the same fiber used in other embodiments of the oct probe . the detecting light is redirected by the tilting surface of the micro - mirror 210 , such that it can scan around by means of the tilting and rotating mirror . the fibers 2 are used to guide the actuating - laser light . as shown , at least three fibers 2 are needed . the fibers 2 fire lasers in turns , such that they can generate continuous tilting effect as shown in fig2 and fig2 . the other features of the laser - actuating oct probe are the same as those described in other embodiments . for instance , the fiber , and fibers 2 are disposed in a fiber shaft holder 3 . after the fabrication by semiconductor technique , which is well known by those skillful in the art , the mirror is formed on a substrate ( usually silicon substrate ). the substrate material forms the base . then a small piece is cut from the base that carries the mirror from the substrate with a dicer . the small piece is mounted on to the tip &# 39 ; s end by glue ( epoxy , for example ). only one fiber 1 is enough to transmit the detecting light in this embodiment . during operation , a circular scanning profile of the detecting laser is realized . in this embodiment , illustrated in fig3 , the detecting laser is not centered to the mirror &# 39 ; s center . instead , the following remain constant : ( 1 ) d , the distance between the mirror center and the axis of the detecting light . ( 2 ) alfa , the angle between the mirror surface and the axis of the detecting light . an open - loop system is used for position feedback to properly arrange the periodical change of the laser powers from the three fibers 2 to realize the constant alfa and d . the position control is more complex than single - fiber 2 actuation . particularly , the micro - mirror 210 needs a period of time to respond mechanically to the laser energy coming from the fiber 2 . even though it is known when and which of the fibers 2 are firing the laser power , the exact direction of the mirror surface information cannot be assured . the absolute position of the mirror is actually not necessary . instead , speed - control is used to control the rotation of the scanning mirror . for example , in the case of the mirror driven by a transmission cable rotated from outside , the exact position of the mirror ( which may be affected by a delay of cable transmission due to the cable &# 39 ; s compliance ) is not of concern ; the rotation period of the mirror is controlled so that the “ relative position ” of the mirror is known . after receiving a continuous data stream from the reflected detecting laser , the cross - section image of the vessel is constructed by simply matching the data series to the rotating period . in this embodiment , the operation will be similar . what is different is that the micro - mirror 210 is not actuated by a rotator but by three bimorph heat - deformable cantilever beams . this makes the control more complex . if only one of the fiber 2 fires at one time , it will be very different if not impossible for the mirror to scan a circular profile needed . instead , the three fibers 2 are needed to fire together , with different powers , to bend the three cantilevers at different status at one time to match a circular scanning profile . the three cantilevers are actuated individually by the three fibers 2 such that they cooperate with specific bending patterns that realize a circular scanning profile on the wall of the vessel . in an alternative embodiment regarding the micro - mirror 210 , the fibers 1 and the fibers 2 are reversed so healing energy comes from a single fiber 2 disposed preferably along the central axis of the tube . the plurality of fibers 1 are disposed about the circumference of the tube . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated by the laser beam from the fiber 2 , the laser energy causes the mirror to bend . by changing the intensity of the laser or pulsing the laser , motion can be imported to the micro - mirror 210 which wires the probe tip to which it is attached , to move back and forth , and thus the plurality of fibers 1 for scanning the interior of the area of the patient in question . thermal expansion material normally can generate ˜ 5 % of elongation for a temperature rise of 100 ° c . the length of the material inside the oct is originally 20 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of 1 mm . polymers , including photosensitive polymers and shape memory polymers are able to generate & gt ; 100 % of photo - induced elongations or shrinkages . the material inside the oct is originally 1 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of another 1 mm . optical tomographic instrumentation may be specified by spectrally resolved bandwidth , which is equivalent to number of spectrally resolvable cells . each spectrally resolvable cell has a width δν , such that number of cells resolvable by the instrument is n instrument = δν / δν , where δν is the available optical bandwidth of source light . the range of group - time delays the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is given by : δτ instrument = 1 / δν . the smallest resolvable group - time delay the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is δτ coherence = 1 / δν . number of spectrally resolvable cells the optical tomographic instrument may resolve is given by : for 1 oct a - scan into the object being imaged , the requirement for number of spectrally resolvable cells is − n a - scan = δz / l c , lc ˜ c g / δv , δz = imaging depth , l c ( coherence length ), and c g is the group velocity of light in the object . where δτ a - scan = δz / c g is the round - trip propagation time for light to propagate from the most superficial and deepest position ( to be imaged ) in the object . for some optical tomographic imaging instruments ( e . g ., those that employ narrow linewidth tunable laser sources or high resolution spectrometers ), the above condition can be stated in three manners : a ) the number of spectrally resolvable cells for the instrument ( n instrument ) is much greater than that required for one a - scan ( n a - scan ); 2 ) the range of group time delays the instrumentation is capable of resolving ( δτ instrument ) is much greater than the group - time delay for a single a - scan ( δτ a - scan ); 3 ) available optical bandwidth of source light ( δν ) is much greater than spectral width of each resolvable cell of the instrumentation ( δν ). because the instrument can resolve many more cells than that required for one a - scan , multiplexing techniques are presented here to efficiently utilize the information carrying capacity ( bandwidth ) afforded by optical tomographic imaging instruments . selection criteria of multiplexing techniques employed may be derived in part by the ratio n instrument / n a - scan = δτ instrument / δτ a - scan = δν / δν . larger ratios provide a wider selection of possible multiplexing techniques and more candidate domains ( polarization , space , angle , temporal ) to multiplex into . moreover , multiplexing spectral information into just one domain ( e . g . spatial ) is not the only envisioned approach . generally , additional spectral information may be resolved into multiple domains ( e . g ., polarization and spatial ). a . polarization : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the polarization domain using a system indicated in fig3 . at least two incident polarization states 90 ° apart on the poincare sphere are input into the interferometer . the polarization signature of the light reflected from the sample , such as a vessel wall or nerve fiber layer , is compared to known polarization signatures of materials , such as plaques or a diseased nerve fiber layer . the reflected light and thus the material from which it was reflected is then identified . the fiber delivery system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , can be used . the theory of operation of this approach is described using mueller matrices or the spectrally - resolved jones calculus . by inserting a fospi in the detection path of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( sd - oct ) instrumentation , the full set of stokes parameters of light backscattered at the specific depth in the specimen can be obtained without any other polarization controlling components in reference / sample / detection path of the interferometer and the prior knowledge of the polarization state of the light incident on the sample . in this configuration , two factors determine the spectral modulation . one is optical path length difference between the reference and sample surface , ( δ ( ν )), introduced by the common - path sdoct and the other is phase retardations , φ 1 ( ν ) and φ 2 ( ν ) generated by the retarder system in the fospi . therefore , output from the presented single channel polarization sensitive ( ps ) sd - oct in the time - delay domain is the convolution of the output from fospi and that from sd - oct . where the first two terms are the stokes parameters of light from the reference and sample path , respectively , and the last term is the contribution of interference . consider the birefringent sample with phase retardation δ and fast - axis oriented at angle of α . then , the stokes parameters of the light from the sample ( s i , 2 ) and interference ( s i , i ) are calculated in terms of the stokes parameters of light from the reference , s 0 , 1 , s 1 , 1 , s 2 , 1 , s 3 , 1 . s 1 , 2 r s 2 ( cos 2 2α + cos δ sin 2 2α ) s 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 2 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 2 , 2 = r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( sin 2 2α + cosδ cos 2 2α ) s 2 , 1 + r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 3 , 2 = r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 1 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ cos2 αs 2 , 1 + r s 2 cosδs 3 , 1 ( 1 ) s 0 , i = 2 r s cos δcos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) s 1 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 2 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 3 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 ) ( 2 ) with a reflection coefficient of the sample r s and an optical path length difference between the sample and reference path δ . here , the terms including trigonometric functions of δ represent the interference between the light from reference and sample paths . the measured intensity from sdoct passing through the fospi for a birefringent sample , then , is i out , i ( v ) = r s cos δ cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ - φ 2 ) ] + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ + φ 2 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 - φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 - φ 1 ) ] - 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] ( 3 ) for the interference signal . fourier transform of equation ( 3 ) gives seven components in the positive optical path length difference domain which are centered at δ , δ ± φ 2 , δ ±( φ 2 − φ 1 ), δ ±( φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . inverse fourier transforms of each component are as follows . δ : 1 2 r s ⅇ ⅈδ { cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 - i sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) } ( 4 ) δ + φ 2 : 1 4 r s ⅇ ⅈφ 2 ⅇ ⅈδ { ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 } ( 5 ) δ + φ 2 - φ 1 : 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 - φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 - s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 6 ) δ + φ 2 + φ 1 : - 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 + φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 7 ) comparing with equation ( 2 ), real part of equation ( 4 ) gives s 0 , i / 4 and real part of equation of ( 5 ) after shifting the phase by − φ 2 gives s 1 , i / 8 . likewise , s 2 , i / 8 and s 3 , i / 8 can be obtained by taking the real part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) and the imaginary part of addition of ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) after the appropriate phase shift , −( φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( φ 2 + φ 1 ) for ( 6 ) and ( 7 ), respectively . moreover , simple arithmetic gives phase retardation due to the birefringence of the sample , δ , without knowledge of incident polarization state . the real part of ( 4 ), imaginary part of ( 5 ), the imaginary part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) are 1 2 r s cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 ( 8 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 9 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 10 ) after the phase shift by − δ , −( δ + φ 2 ), −( δ + φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . with a trigonometric identity , the following can be obtained tan δ 2 = 2 ( 9 ) 2 + ( 10 ) 2 ( 8 ) . ( 11 ) phase retardation due to birefringence [ fig3 ] and fast - axis angle [ fig3 ] of the birefringent sample were estimated from interference between the back surface of the glass window and the back surface of the birefringent sample by using eqs . above . for this measurement , the birefringent sample was rotated in 5 ° increments from 0 ° to 90 °. an estimated single - pass phase retardation of 34 . 06 °± 2 . 68 ° is consistent with a value deduced from the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specification ( 31 . 4 °). the estimated fast - axis angle is shown in fig4 ( b ) and is plotted with respect to orientation of the birefringent sample . b . space or lateral position : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the space or lateral position domain using a system indicated below . 1 . existing multifiber approach : ( described above ) 2 . spatially scanned light : the schematic of the experimental setup of a fiber - based spatially multiplexed swept source oct ( sm - ss - oct ) system is depicted in fig3 using the system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , where the top is preferably rotated at least 100 times for each position . a tunable laser and spectrum analyzer ( tlsa 1000 , precision photonics , inc .) that operates in the 1520 - 1620 nm wavelength range ( λ 0 = 1570 nm ) with fwhm spectral line width specified at 150 khz is used as the illuminating source and is equipped with an optical isolator to protect the laser from spurious reflections . the laser output is coupled into one arm of a 2 × 2 fiber - based coupler ( interferometer ). the 50 %- 50 % coupler splits this beam into two nearly equal parts , used in the reference and sample arms , respectively . the reference arm has a fixed path length , and simply consists of a fixed mirror that reflects the entire light incident upon it back into the fiber - based coupler . the light exiting the sample arm of the interferometer is collimated , and scanned across the sample by a scanning galvanometer and a focusing lens . the scanning galvanometer and focusing lens is used to rapidly scan the lateral positions of the tissue . the tlsa 1000 completes one complete wavelength sweep in approximately one second . within this time , the galvanometer is programmed to sweep all lateral positions of the tissue several hundred times . light returning from the sample interferes with the light from the fixed reference in the fiber - based interferometer , and the resultant spectral interference signal ( due to path length variations between sample and reference reflections ) is detected by a photodetector placed in the detection arm of the system . the electrical output is digitized , and a non - uniform fourier transform ( nuft ) of each a - line spectral data gives the depth profile of the sample reflectance . fig3 and 35 are images of a 100 micron thick slide recorded with the spatially multiplexed oct system . the images are of the same object ( microscope cover glass ) only for one image ( fig3 ) the intensity of the light returning from the sample is displayed on a linear greyscale while in the other image ( fig3 ) is displayed according to logarithm of the intensity . c . angle : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the angle domain using a system indicated in fig3 . fig3 depicts a multi fiber angle - domain oct system . the output of the frequency - swept source a is split into n fibers through the splitter b . the light passes through the circulators c , is collimated , focused through a lens , contacts the tissue , and then is reflected into any of the multiplicity of fibers . a reference reflector for each path is introduced into each fiber segment . for example , the reference reflector can be positioned at the terminal end of each fiber segment . for each i &# 39 ; th input fiber segment , interference is formed between light backscattered from the tissue and into the j &# 39 ; th fiber and the reference reflection from the j &# 39 ; th fiber . for n fibers , n 2 interference fringes are formed each corresponding to an incident ( α i ) and backscattered angle ( β j ). light intensity in the spectral domain is then converted to a voltage through a photoreceiver , which outputs to an adc board , which is read into a computer . this system allows phase - sensitive angle resolved imaging of discrete light paths in and out - of the specimen . using a space - spatial frequency transformation ( e . g ., two - dimensional fourier transformation ) lateral structures can be imaged with sub - wavelength resolution . d . space - angle combinations ( e . g . x dimension − space , y dimension − angle ): the space and angle dimensions may be combined to form systems that use the additional spectral cells image both space and angles . for example , additional spectral cells may be used to record position information in one dimension ( e . g . x ) and angle information in the orthogonal dimension ( y ). although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | c21c63da958ce05d46aef54e3350f77aa1adac7d89f4fcdb7b7057ce8cf13287 | 0.390625 | 0.086426 | 0.064453 | 0.003479 | 0.353516 | 0.396484 |
null | referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views , and more specifically to fig1 - 5 , 15 and 16 thereof , there is shown an endoscope 10 for a patient . the endoscope 10 comprises means 102 for producing light , such as a light source 51 . the endoscope 10 comprises an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 adapted to be disposed in the patient . the optical fiber array 28 transmits the light from the producing means , preferably including a light source 51 , into the patient , and transmits the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the light producing means 102 . the endoscope 10 comprises a detector d for receiving the light from the array 28 and analyzing the light . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the detector d . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a tube 53 about which the plurality of optical fibers 8 are disposed . the tube 53 preferably has grooves 54 that extend longitudinally along the tube 53 , as shown in fig1 . one of the plurality of optical fibers 8 is disposed in each of the grooves 54 . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a probe tip 55 , as shown in fig1 , having a reflector 56 disposed in each groove which reflects light from the optical fiber 8 in the groove when the reflector 56 is in the patient and reflects light from the patient to the optical fiber 8 when the array 28 is in the patient . the light source 51 preferably includes a coherent light source 51 and means 57 for guiding the light from the light source 51 to the plurality of optical fibers 8 of the array 28 . preferably , the optical fiber 8 is single mode , has a core 118 with cladding 120 disposed about the core 118 , and has a lens 122 at its tip which focuses the light from the core 118 to the reflector 56 and light from the reflector 56 to the core 118 , as shown in fig1 and 13 . the array 28 preferably includes a transparent cover 7 . preferably , the light source 51 comprises an input arm 58 , the array 28 comprises a sample arm 59 , the detector d comprises a reference arm 60 and a detector arm 61 ; and the input arm 58 , the detector arm 61 , the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 together form an interferometer . the reference arm 60 preferably uses rsod to introduce depth scanning and dispersion compensation to the interferometer . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes an opto - coupler 62 which optically couples corresponding optical fibers 8 of the input arm 58 , sample arm 59 , reference arm 60 and detecting arm together . the detector d preferably determines structural information about the patient from the intensity of an interference signal from reflected light from corresponding fibers of the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 having a same bypass length . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a scanning head 1 which holds n optical fibers 8 , where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer , as shown in fig1 - 22 c . the n optical fibers 8 are preferably arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a mechanism 134 for moving the scanning head 1 so each of the optical fibers 8 scan an angular range of n / 360 degrees . the moving mechanism 134 preferably includes a mechanism 9 for linear motion which causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the linear motion mechanism 9 includes a fiber shaft holder having a shaft channel 31 extending axially along the holder , and n fiber channels 32 are arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 , and a twisting shaft that fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel , the holder rotates . the scanning head 1 preferably has a socket head that conforms with the shaft and causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a guide wire holder 2 disposed on the scanning probe 50 which receives and follows a guide wire when the guard wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possible gu tract . a guide wire is not necessary in the gi tract . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a spring disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber shaft holder which forces the shaft back after the shaft has moved forward . the present invention pertains to a method for imaging a vessel , gu , gi or biliary tract of a patient . the method comprises the steps of transmitting light from a light source 51 into an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 in the patient . there is the step of transmitting the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . there is the step of receiving the light from the array 28 at a detector d . there is the step of analyzing the light with the detector d . preferably , there are the steps of reflecting light from each optical fiber 8 with a corresponding reflector 56 associated with the fiber , and reflecting light from the patient to the associated fiber with a reflector 56 . there is preferably the step of moving each of n optical fibers 8 comprising the optical fiber array 28 an angular range of n / 360 degrees . preferably , there is the step of applying a linear motion to cause each of the n optical fibers 8 of the optical fiber array 28 to move the angular range . the step of applying the linear motion preferably includes the step of moving axially forward in parallel with the n optical fibers 8 a twisting shaft through a shaft channel 31 extending axially along a fiber shaft holder having n fiber channels 32 arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 which causes the holder to rotate . each of the n optical fibers 8 is disposed in a respective fiber channel 32 of the n fiber channels 32 . the twisting shaft fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel . preferably , there is the step of guiding the optical fiber array 28 along a guide wire which is received by a guide wire holder 2 when the guide wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possibly gu system , but not in the gi tract . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the means for analyzing is preferably described in the figures , where polarization is found in fig3 , position in fig1 - 30 , space in fig3 , and angle in fig3 . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . in the operation of the invention , a near infrared broadband light source 51 sends a light beam into the input arm 58 of the array 28 type interferometer . the beam profile from the light source 51 is a circular gaussion . the optics before connector 1 makes the beam profile linear and focuses it into the connector 1 . the array 28 type interferometer consists of multiple fiber - based interferometer that has four fiber arms connected to an opto - coupler 62 . incoming light into the input arm 58 is divided to the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . in the sample arm 59 , optical fibers 8 are distributed like an annular ring , and light will be focused at the target vessel perpendicular to the optical axis . in the reference arm 60 , rsod introduces depth scanning and dispersion compensation . when the reflected light from both arms have the same light path length , strictly speaking within a coherence length , interference occurs . the intensity of the interference signal represents the structural information of a sample . more specifically , in regard to the input arm 58 , and referring to fig1 and 3 , a single beam comes out of s 1 and will be collimated by l 1 . at this point , the beam diameter is big enough to project across all of c 1 &# 39 ; s area , but the beam is still circular . cl 1 and cl 2 , circular lenses , change the beam profile to a linear shape , which means that the beam is not circular anymore , but it looks narrow from fig2 and the same shape with the beam after l 1 on fig3 . ml 1 focuses all light onto c 1 . light source s 1 has a fiber tip from which light departs into air . l 1 is a collimating lens 122 , so the fiber tip of the light source 51 should be located at the back of the focal point of l 1 in order to collimate the light . cl 1 , 2 are cylindrical lenses . separation between two is the sum of each cylindrical lens 122 focal length . they work as a telescope which decrease beam size only in one direction . in other words , the size of the beam does not change from fig3 . ml 1 is a micro lens array 28 , which has a lot of small lenses . each of the small lenses is positioned to have a focal point at each fiber entrance of c 1 . c 1 should be located at the focal point of ml 1 . all micro lenses have same focal length . c 1 is a linear fiber array 28 . in an alternative embodiment of the input arm 58 , as shown in fig4 , known as a fiber based solution : light source s 1 is connected to a single mode fiber , which is connected to fiber splitter ( 50 : 50 ), s 1 . the first fiber splitter is 1 by 2 . each output end of the 1 * 2 fiber splitter is connected to 1 * 4 splitter , sp 1 . each output end of the 1 * 4 splitter , 2 nd layer , is connected to another 1 * 4 splitter , 3 rd layer , sp 2 . at the output of the 3 rd layer , the number of fiber is 32 . 32 fiber comprises a linear fiber array 28 , sp 3 . each fiber is a single mode fiber , which can have a different cutoff frequency . the cutoff frequency is dependent on the center wavelength of the light source 51 . usually , 850 nm or 1300 nm of center wavelength for the light source 51 are used . each fiber is attached to another so that all together they form a linear fiber array 28 . c 1 is connected to multiple interferometers . each interferometer consists of four fiber arms and opto - coupler 62 . at each end of each arm , there is a linear array 28 fiber connector ( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 c 4 ). incoming light will be divided by the opto - coupler 62 into the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . with respect to the sample arm 59 , this sample arm 59 , as shown in fig5 , 7 , 8 and 17 , goes into the target vessel . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which is of an annular shape at the other end . the total length of the arm will be around 2 ˜ 3 m . when the light leaves the annular tip f , it will be collimated by l 1 and then reflected by l 2 outward from the probe . reflected light from tissue will follow back to l 2 and l 1 and be gathered by the fiber tip . later , two reflected lights from the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively , will make interference , which will be detected by the array 28 detector d at the detection arm . the sample arm 59 is supposed to go through a target vessel , gi , gu or biliary tract . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which has an annular shape at the other end ( probe tip 55 ) ( fig8 ). total length of the sample arm 59 is about 1 . 5 m . the fiber array 28 will be molded by a transparent cover 7 material ( ex : silicon resin or polymers ). at the annular probe tip f shown in fig9 , each fiber is glued at a groove of a cylindrical polymer tube 53 . the shape of each groove is shown at fig1 and 11 . each groove end has a reflector 56 which is 45 ° oblique to axial direction . the groove will be made by micro fabrication technique . each fiber has a lens 122 at the tip , which can be manufactured by splicing a multimode fiber with the same diameter of the cladding 120 of the single mode fiber and then melting the end of multimode fiber in order to get curvature ( fig1 and 13 ). when the light leaves the fiber tip , the light will be reflected outward by the reflector 56 at the end of the groove , and then will be focused at the target tissue area . reflected light from the tissue will follow back the same path as the incoming light , and go to the detection arm . micromachining or micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) and nanotechnology are becoming increasingly popular for the development of improved biomaterials and devices ( macilwain c ., “ us plans large funding boost to support nanotechnology boom ,” nature , 1999 ; 400 : 95 , incorporated by reference herein ). similar to manufacturing methods used for computer microchips , mems processes combine etching and / or material deposition and photolithographic - patterning techniques to develop ultrasmall devices ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ). mems has been proven promising in medicine for its small mass and volume , low cost , and high functionality . successful mems devices in medicine include smart sensor for cataract removal , silicon neurowells , microneedles for gene and drug delivery , and dna arrays ( polla , d . l ., erdman , a . g ., robbins , w . p ., markus , d . t ., diaz - diaz , j ., rizq , r ., nam , y ., brickner , h . t ., wang , a ., krulevitch , p ., “ microdevices in medicine ,” annu . rev . biomed . eng ., 2000 ; 02 : 551 - 76 ; mcallister et al ., 2000 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein ). however , most of the mems processes are planar in nature for two - dimension ( 2d ) micro - features and primary for processing silicon material . other micromachining processes include laser beam micromachining ( lbm ), micro - electrical discharge machine ( micro - edm ), and electron beam machining ( ebm ) ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 ), incorporated by reference herein . micro - fabrication and micro - device development using metals , metal alloys , silicon , glass , and polymers are described in the following . ( chen , s . c ., cahill , d . g ., and grigoropoulos , c . p ., “ transient melting and deformation in pulsed laser surface micro - modification of ni - p disks ,” j . heat transfer , vol . 122 ( no . 1 ), pp . 107 - 12 , 2000 ; kancharla , v . and chen , s . c ., “ fabrication of biodegradable microdevices by laser micromachining of biodegradable polymers ,” biomedical microdevices , 2002 , vol . 4 ( 2 ): 105 - 109 ; chen , s . c ., kancharla , v ., and lu , y ., “ laser - based microscale patterning of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications ,” in press , international j . nano technology , 2002 ; zheng , w . and chen , s . c ., “ continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” transactions of namrc / sme , vol . 30 , pp . 551 - 555 , 2002 ; chen , s . c ., “ design and analysis of a heat conduction - based , continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” becon , 2002 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein ). for the array 28 , a stainless steel cylinder is chosen with a diameter of 1 . 5 mm as the base material . the diameter is 1 . 0 mmm for vascular applications , larger for gu , gi and biliary applications , up to 3 . 0 mm , if desired . both the micro - grooves 54 ( or micro - channels of 200 microns wide ) and the reflecting surfaces are machined by micro - electrical discharge machining ( micro - edm ) or micro - milling using focused ion machined tool . to enhance the reflectivity of the reflecting surface , the stainless steel cylinder are coated with evaporated aluminum using electron - beam evaporation . in regard to the reference arm 60 , shown in fig1 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 4 , and be spectrally distributed by a grating ( g 1 ) and will be focused to a mirror ( ga 1 ). by vibrating ga 1 , the light path length will be changed in order to achieve depth scanning . there are many options to build the reference arm 60 applying existing techniques . a very simple form of the reference arm 60 has just a mirror attached onto a voice coil that is driven by a function generator with sine wave . the light reflects back by the mirror and the mirror position changes the light path length . this path length change provides depth scanning of the target tissue because interference occurs only when both arms have the same light path length . preferably , the reference arm 60 is more complicated than the simple one . that is called rapid - scanning optical delay ( rsod ) which can provide fast depth scanning and dispersion compensation . linear array type beam launches from c 4 , and is collimated by l 1 . a mirror ( m 1 ) reflects the beam to a grating ( g 1 ) which spectrally distributes the broadband source light . spectrally distributed light will be focused on a galvono - scanning mirror ( ga 1 ) by a lens ( l 2 ). separation between g 1 and l 2 determines the amount of chromatic dispersion degree so any material dispersion can be compensated for usually caused by fibers . the beam offset from the scanning mirror center determines the fringe frequency that will show up after interfering two reflected lights . the reflected light from the ga 1 goes to l 2 , g 1 , and to m 2 . and then the light reflected following back incoming path and will be coupled back to c 4 . referring to the detection arm , as shown in fig1 and 16 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 3 , and is circular . combination of cl 1 and cl 2 makes the beam look linear in one plane ( horizontal ). micro - lens array ml 1 makes the light focus on the array 28 detector d . as shown in fig1 , 19 a , and 19 b , the scanning probe 50 is comprised of a scanning head 1 , a fiber - shaft holder 3 , a twisted shaft 4 , a transparent cover 7 , a guide wire holder 2 , and a mechanism 9 for linear motion . in this embodiment , the scanning head 1 is adapted to hold a fiber bunch that contain 20 optical fibers 8 , which are arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . in operation , each of the fibers is set to scan an angular range of 18 degrees ( 360 °÷ 20 = 18 °). reflective surfaces 11 are formed on the scanning head 1 and are oriented 45 ° degrees to the central axis of each respective optical fibers 8 , such that they would guide the light from the fiber bunch and direct the light through the transparent cover 7 . the scanning head 1 is designed to provide an 18 degrees &# 39 ; back - and - forth rotation . the back - and - forth rotation realizes the scanning function required by the oct system . the mechanism of this back - and forth rotation is described below . the fiber - shaft holder is substantially a multi - tubular structure . it is formed with one shaft channel 31 extending along the central axis of the fiber - shaft holder and 20 fiber channels 32 arranged around the fiber - shaft holder 3 in parallel . the optical fibers 8 extend through respective fiber channels 32 . the shaft channel 31 has a round cross - sectional area . at the upper end of the shaft channel 31 , the shaft channel 31 is an opening , but the geometry of the opening is reduced from the round cross - sectional area to a rectangular cross - sectional hole 311 . the reason for this structural design will be described along with the description of the twisted shaft 4 . the twisted shaft 4 has a rectangular cross - section area , which is identical in geometry to the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 . indicated by its name , the shaft 4 is partially twisted along the shaft central axis and can be divided into a non - twisted part 41 and a twisted part 42 . in assembly , the shaft 4 is passed through the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 , and it is enabled to slide back - and - forth via the rectangular cross - sectional hole . the relative motion of the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 form the mechanism that realizes a back - and - forth rotation . the reason is that when the twisted part 42 of the shaft 4 slides through the rectangular cross - sectional hole , the shaft 4 itself is forced to rotate along the shaft central axis to fit the matching of both the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 . particularly , the shaft 4 and the holder 3 compose a mechanism 9 that can transmit a linear motion into a rotational motion . the description is now focused on the scanning head 1 . the scanning head 1 has a rectangular socket 12 , which has a cross - section area identical to that of the twisted shaft 4 . the rectangular socket 12 provides a channel covering the non - twisted part 41 of the twisted shaft 4 and lets the non - twisted part 41 exert the back - and forth motion inside the rectangular socket 12 . the moving range of the shaft 4 is constrained such that the twisted part 42 does not pass into the scanning head &# 39 ; s rectangular socket 12 ( that will result in a geometric mismatch ), but the twisted part 42 only interacts with the fiber - shaft holder &# 39 ; s rectangular cross - sectional hole . according to the description above , the motion of the shaft 4 is comprised of a linear component ( v ) and an angular component ( ω ). referring to the geometry of the rectangular socket 12 and non - twisted part 41 of the shaft 4 , the shaft motion &# 39 ; s linear component ( v ) would not contribute to the motion of the scanning head 1 ( regardless of the friction between the surfaces ), but the angular component ( ω ) does . the scanning head 1 rotates back and forth with the rotational motion of the twisted shaft 4 , which in turn results from the twisted shaft &# 39 ; s linear back - and - forth movement relative to the fiber - shaft holder 3 . as a result , the scanning head 1 provides a back - and - forth rotational motion transmitted from the back and forth linear motion provided by the twisted shaft 4 . a guide wire holder 2 is a module used to guide the scanning probe 50 toward the investigated section of the detected blood vessel , biliary duct , and possibly gu application . for the gi tract , a guide wire is generally not used . in operation , a guide wire 01 , or “ guide tissue ”, is previously disposed along a specific route of human vessels , such that a track for the scanning probe 50 of the oct system can be formed . the guide wire holder 2 constrains the scanning probe 50 such that it can only slide along the track formed by the guide wire 01 . the scanning probe 50 is therefore guided to the patient section to be investigated . guide wire holder 2 and holder 5 function as bearings of the scanning head 1 . they constrain the movement of the scanning head 1 and stabilize it . as well , a compressive spring 6 is disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly compressed in assembly , such that it pushes the scanning head 1 against the holder 5 and eliminates any potential axial movement of the scanning head 1 that may result in axial positioning errors ( δd ). it is preferable that the spring 6 supplies torque between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 has its both ends , respectively , fixed on the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly twisted in assembly . by this means , the spring can provide a torque to the back - and - forth rotational mechanism , such that the backlash ( resulting from , for example , the tolerance between the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the shaft ) of the rotational mechanism , as well as the resultant angular positioning errors ( δθ ), are eliminated . note that , the cross - section geometry of the shaft channel 31 is circular . with respect to the shaft channel 31 , the twisted shaft 4 is formed with a cylinder part 43 at its end of the twisted part 42 . the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 performs a motion like a piston . in an upward movement of the twisted shaft 4 , due to the geometric difference , the cylinder part 43 would be blocked at the edge 33 of the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 and provide an upper stopper for the twisted shaft 4 . on the other hand , a lower stopper 34 is placed to block the cylinder part 43 in a downward movement . the function of the upper and lower stoppers is helpful in controlling the movement of the twisted shaft 4 , as well as controlling the angular motion of the scanning head 1 . there are many methods in the prior art that are able to provide the power for the mechanism to push and pull the twisted shaft 4 to generate the linear movement . however , hydraulic force , particularly fluidic pressure , is preferred due to the following advantages : 1 . electricity is not required to be transmitted into the scanning head 1 to energize a hydraulic linear mechanism 9 . some of the mechanisms , such as electromagnetic systems ( or more particularly , some micro - motors ), require not only electricity to be energized , but also additional components , e . g ., coils or magnets , installed to the scanning head 1 to transform the electrical energy into mechanical momentum . the use of electricity is not preferable for medical issues ; and the requirement of additional components would increase the technical difficulty in manufacturing and the complexity of the whole system . some of the other mechanisms , like those comprising piezoelectric materials , can be composed with little space and simple structure , but they still need to receive a large voltage to generate the required momentum . 2 . a hydraulic mechanism 9 takes little space . the structure of the hydraulic mechanism 9 is illustrated in fig1 a and 18 b . the hydraulic mechanism 9 can be simply a liquid conduit that guides liquid , such as water , to push or pull the piston system comprised of the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 . considering that leakage through the gap of a piston system may result in undesirable problems , the hydraulic mechanism 9 is , preferably , comprised of a micro - balloon 91 made by a polymeric thin film . as shown in fig1 a and 18 b , the twisted shaft 4 is in its lower position when the balloon 91 is flat ( fig1 a ). as water is pumped into the piston system , the balloon 91 becomes turgid , and the twisted shaft 4 is pushed toward its upper position with an 18 degree spin ( fig1 b ). the required back - and forth motion can be generated by switching the flat and turgid states of the micro - balloon 91 . for a single fiber oct system , a scan rate of 6 rev / sec ( 6 hz ) is satisfactory [ andrew m . rollins et al ., “ real - time in vivo imaging of human gastrointestinal ultrastructure by use of endoscopic optical coherence tomography with a novel efficient interferometer design ”, optics letters , vol . 24 , no . 19 , oct . 1 , 1999 , incorporated by reference herein ]. that means in one second the oct system should be able to provide at least 6 pictures illustrating the cross - sectional data of the vessel . the scanning probe 50 has 20 fibers , so the satisfactory scan rate can be reduced to 0 . 3 hz ( 6 ÷ 20 = 0 . 3 ), which is much slower and much easier to be realized by the hydraulic actuating system . ideally , 15 pictures / sec . is required for optimal image resolution . rather than continuous rotation , the scanning probe 50 operates in a back - and - forth manner , so that the angular speed of the scanning head 1 will not be constant even when the whole system reaches its steady state . during operation , therefore , detecting the angle of the scanning head 1 , as well as figuring out the angular position that the scanned data belongs to , are important issues . the angle of the scanning head 1 can be simply approximated by comparing the output effort of the pumping system with a reference curve obtained from previous experiments . more precise detection can be reached by the analysis of the feedback of the optical signals . for example , analyzing the light doppler effect [ volker westphal at al ., “ real - time , high velocity - resolution color doppler optical coherence tomography ”, optics letters , vol . 27 , no . 1 , jan 1 , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ] of the feedback signals is another method . the twisted shaft 4 can be formed by precise cnc machining that is well known in the industry . a thin round shaft , minimum diameter 1 . 0 mm , may be used as the intrinsic material before the machining . for production , two ends of the round shaft are clamped , its central portion is precisely milled and four orthogonal planes on the central portion are generated . the planes define the rectangular cross - section of the twisted shaft 4 ( forming a long shaft in this step ), as shown in fig2 a . following the milling , one of the two clamps holding the shaft is rotated relative to the other clamp to twist the shaft a specific angle about its central axis . the twisted part of the twisted shaft 4 being formed . following the twisting step , the rotated clamp is released to free the elastic distortion of the shaft ( with its plastic distortion remaining ), and then the clamp is tightened again . at the next step , as shown by fig2 b , the shaft is milled again at one side of its still - round portion , thereby generating another rectangular portion that is untwisted . the cylindrical portion ( serves as a piston ) is formed from the round portion of the shaft . a precise lathering could further be used to fix the central axis and diameter of the cylindrical part . as shown in fig2 c , only a short portion of the shaft is required . the excess portion of the shaft part is cut off . as shown in fig2 a , the fiber - shaft holder 3 can be combined with two parts , a and b . the part a is actually the body of the catheter . the cross - section of the catheter is shown in fig2 b ; the catheter could be manufactured by the cable extrusion technique that generally is applied in fiber optics industry [ refer to the homepage of optical cable corporation .] note that the central channel of the catheter is used to be the conduit for the guidance of actuating liquid mentioned previously . there are also several conduits used to guide air flowing in and out the probing tip to balance the air pressure inside the oct system ( during operation , the free volume inside the probing tip changes while the twisted shaft 4 is moving ). the diameter of the conduit is equal to that of the cylinder part 43 of the twisted shaft 4 . part b in fig2 a is simply a plate having fiber holding edges ( b 1 ) and a rectangular central opening ( b 2 ). this part could be made from metal by using punching technology as is commonly applied in the industry . in assembly , part a and part b are connected with glue such as epoxy . the lower stopper , which is required to constrain the twisted shaft 4 at its lower position , is formed together with the formation of the micro - balloon . micro - molding with polymeric material ( such as sbs ) could be used to fabricate the scanning head 1 . the process of micro - molding requires a set of micro - molds . in this case , the fiber grooves 54 and the reflective surface 11 at the end of the fiber grooves 54 can be realized by a set of micro - molds comprised of 18 edges ( fig2 a ), each of which has the geometry shown in fig6 b . as well , the central rectangular channel could be molded by a rectangular shaft made by the equipment for the fabrication of the twisted shaft 4 . for the convenience of assembly , the scanning head 1 could be previously provided with the geometry shown in fig2 c . the excess parts of the scanning head 1 would provide guidance and help with the alignment for the optical fibers 8 . uv glue could be used to fix the position of the optical fibers 8 . the excess portion of the scanning head 1 could be cut off after the assembly of the optical fibers 8 . in another embodiment , laser beams heat at least three different locations on the surface of the micro - mirror 210 , which is shown as a disk in fig2 - 25 , successively . the micro - mirror 210 will provide a wabling corresponding to this kind of un - symmetric heating process , and an incident light ( other than the heating laser ) can be redirected in a swaying manner . the heating process corresponds to the rotation period of the micro - mirror 210 as required . the micro - mirror 210 comprises two layers : a first layer 212 and a second layer 214 ( fig2 ). at least one of the two layers can generate structural deformation ( contraction or expansion ) by the application of laser light . if the case is that both of the layers are deformable by laser light , the sensitivities of the two layers to a same laser light would be set different to each others . fig2 shows the perspective view of the micro - mirror 210 . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated with a laser beam , there will be expansion or contraction in the layers . because the expansion or contraction within the layers is of different degrees ( only one layer is deformed or the two layers are deformed with different degrees ), the structure of the whole micro - mirror 210 will be twisted . for example , in fig2 , when the section marked with the pie is irradiated with a laser beam , there is a deformation generated as shown in fig2 . the material of the first and second layers 212 , 214 could be metals or photosensitive polymers . in the case of metal layers , for example , the first layer 212 is poly - silicon and the second layer 214 is gold . the mechanism of the expansion or contraction within the layers is thermal expansion . the metals will absorb the energy of a laser beam and be heated . due to different thermal expansion coefficients of the two layers , the structure will be twisted or bent . this will result in turning the mirror , as shown in fig2 . in the case of photosensitive polymers , for example , liquid crystal materials , the mechanism of the expansion or contraction inside the layers is a phase change of the materials . under the irradiation of a laser beam , the molecules of the polymeric materials will undergo phase change , wherein the chemical structures of the materials are deformed , and a structural deformation occurs . next , similar to the case of metal layers , the degrees of deformation of the two layers are different , and there will be a twisting or bending effect in the structure of the micro - mirror 210 , and the effect in fig2 is reached . when the structure is twisted or bent by the application of laser energy , the surface of the mirror , shown in fig2 , can be tiled to a specific direction . therefore , one can control the direction of the micro - mirror 210 by controlling the laser energy input . the way to control the application of the laser light is to select the location on the micro - mirror 210 to be irradiated by the laser beam , and control the intensity of the laser . by controlling the location , one can control the tilting direction of the mirror ; and by controlling the intensity , one can control the tilting angle of the micro - mirror 210 . referring to fig2 and fig2 , by continuously changing the laser - shining location ( fig2 ), the tilting direction of the micro - mirror 210 can be continuously changed ( fig2 ). that is , the micro - mirror 210 could be rotated by changing the location of the laser - shining . this is the mechanism for the rotation of the laser - actuated micro - mirror 210 . as to the assembly of the whole oct system ( fig2 ), the micro - mirror 210 is mounted on a base 21 b connected to the tip end of the probe cover . there is no object between the fibers and the mirror . fiber 1 , which is used to guide the detecting light , is the same fiber used in other embodiments of the oct probe . the detecting light is redirected by the tilting surface of the micro - mirror 210 , such that it can scan around by means of the tilting and rotating mirror . the fibers 2 are used to guide the actuating - laser light . as shown , at least three fibers 2 are needed . the fibers 2 fire lasers in turns , such that they can generate continuous tilting effect as shown in fig2 and fig2 . the other features of the laser - actuating oct probe are the same as those described in other embodiments . for instance , the fiber , and fibers 2 are disposed in a fiber shaft holder 3 . after the fabrication by semiconductor technique , which is well known by those skillful in the art , the mirror is formed on a substrate ( usually silicon substrate ). the substrate material forms the base . then a small piece is cut from the base that carries the mirror from the substrate with a dicer . the small piece is mounted on to the tip &# 39 ; s end by glue ( epoxy , for example ). only one fiber 1 is enough to transmit the detecting light in this embodiment . during operation , a circular scanning profile of the detecting laser is realized . in this embodiment , illustrated in fig3 , the detecting laser is not centered to the mirror &# 39 ; s center . instead , the following remain constant : ( 1 ) d , the distance between the mirror center and the axis of the detecting light . ( 2 ) alfa , the angle between the mirror surface and the axis of the detecting light . an open - loop system is used for position feedback to properly arrange the periodical change of the laser powers from the three fibers 2 to realize the constant alfa and d . the position control is more complex than single - fiber 2 actuation . particularly , the micro - mirror 210 needs a period of time to respond mechanically to the laser energy coming from the fiber 2 . even though it is known when and which of the fibers 2 are firing the laser power , the exact direction of the mirror surface information cannot be assured . the absolute position of the mirror is actually not necessary . instead , speed - control is used to control the rotation of the scanning mirror . for example , in the case of the mirror driven by a transmission cable rotated from outside , the exact position of the mirror ( which may be affected by a delay of cable transmission due to the cable &# 39 ; s compliance ) is not of concern ; the rotation period of the mirror is controlled so that the “ relative position ” of the mirror is known . after receiving a continuous data stream from the reflected detecting laser , the cross - section image of the vessel is constructed by simply matching the data series to the rotating period . in this embodiment , the operation will be similar . what is different is that the micro - mirror 210 is not actuated by a rotator but by three bimorph heat - deformable cantilever beams . this makes the control more complex . if only one of the fiber 2 fires at one time , it will be very different if not impossible for the mirror to scan a circular profile needed . instead , the three fibers 2 are needed to fire together , with different powers , to bend the three cantilevers at different status at one time to match a circular scanning profile . the three cantilevers are actuated individually by the three fibers 2 such that they cooperate with specific bending patterns that realize a circular scanning profile on the wall of the vessel . in an alternative embodiment regarding the micro - mirror 210 , the fibers 1 and the fibers 2 are reversed so healing energy comes from a single fiber 2 disposed preferably along the central axis of the tube . the plurality of fibers 1 are disposed about the circumference of the tube . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated by the laser beam from the fiber 2 , the laser energy causes the mirror to bend . by changing the intensity of the laser or pulsing the laser , motion can be imported to the micro - mirror 210 which wires the probe tip to which it is attached , to move back and forth , and thus the plurality of fibers 1 for scanning the interior of the area of the patient in question . thermal expansion material normally can generate ˜ 5 % of elongation for a temperature rise of 100 ° c . the length of the material inside the oct is originally 20 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of 1 mm . polymers , including photosensitive polymers and shape memory polymers are able to generate & gt ; 100 % of photo - induced elongations or shrinkages . the material inside the oct is originally 1 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of another 1 mm . optical tomographic instrumentation may be specified by spectrally resolved bandwidth , which is equivalent to number of spectrally resolvable cells . each spectrally resolvable cell has a width δν , such that number of cells resolvable by the instrument is n instrument = δν / δν , where δν is the available optical bandwidth of source light . the range of group - time delays the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is given by : δτ instrument = 1 / δν . the smallest resolvable group - time delay the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is δτ coherence = 1 / δν . number of spectrally resolvable cells the optical tomographic instrument may resolve is given by : for 1 oct a - scan into the object being imaged , the requirement for number of spectrally resolvable cells is − n a - scan = δz / l c , lc ˜ c g / δv , δz = imaging depth , l c ( coherence length ), and c g is the group velocity of light in the object . where δτ a - scan = δz / c g is the round - trip propagation time for light to propagate from the most superficial and deepest position ( to be imaged ) in the object . for some optical tomographic imaging instruments ( e . g ., those that employ narrow linewidth tunable laser sources or high resolution spectrometers ), the above condition can be stated in three manners : a ) the number of spectrally resolvable cells for the instrument ( n instrument ) is much greater than that required for one a - scan ( n a - scan ); 2 ) the range of group time delays the instrumentation is capable of resolving ( δτ instrument ) is much greater than the group - time delay for a single a - scan ( δτ a - scan ); 3 ) available optical bandwidth of source light ( δν ) is much greater than spectral width of each resolvable cell of the instrumentation ( δν ). because the instrument can resolve many more cells than that required for one a - scan , multiplexing techniques are presented here to efficiently utilize the information carrying capacity ( bandwidth ) afforded by optical tomographic imaging instruments . selection criteria of multiplexing techniques employed may be derived in part by the ratio n instrument / n a - scan = δτ instrument / δτ a - scan = δν / δν . larger ratios provide a wider selection of possible multiplexing techniques and more candidate domains ( polarization , space , angle , temporal ) to multiplex into . moreover , multiplexing spectral information into just one domain ( e . g . spatial ) is not the only envisioned approach . generally , additional spectral information may be resolved into multiple domains ( e . g ., polarization and spatial ). a . polarization : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the polarization domain using a system indicated in fig3 . at least two incident polarization states 90 ° apart on the poincare sphere are input into the interferometer . the polarization signature of the light reflected from the sample , such as a vessel wall or nerve fiber layer , is compared to known polarization signatures of materials , such as plaques or a diseased nerve fiber layer . the reflected light and thus the material from which it was reflected is then identified . the fiber delivery system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , can be used . the theory of operation of this approach is described using mueller matrices or the spectrally - resolved jones calculus . by inserting a fospi in the detection path of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( sd - oct ) instrumentation , the full set of stokes parameters of light backscattered at the specific depth in the specimen can be obtained without any other polarization controlling components in reference / sample / detection path of the interferometer and the prior knowledge of the polarization state of the light incident on the sample . in this configuration , two factors determine the spectral modulation . one is optical path length difference between the reference and sample surface , ( δ ( ν )), introduced by the common - path sdoct and the other is phase retardations , φ 1 ( ν ) and φ 2 ( ν ) generated by the retarder system in the fospi . therefore , output from the presented single channel polarization sensitive ( ps ) sd - oct in the time - delay domain is the convolution of the output from fospi and that from sd - oct . where the first two terms are the stokes parameters of light from the reference and sample path , respectively , and the last term is the contribution of interference . consider the birefringent sample with phase retardation δ and fast - axis oriented at angle of α . then , the stokes parameters of the light from the sample ( s i , 2 ) and interference ( s i , i ) are calculated in terms of the stokes parameters of light from the reference , s 0 , 1 , s 1 , 1 , s 2 , 1 , s 3 , 1 . s 1 , 2 r s 2 ( cos 2 2α + cos δ sin 2 2α ) s 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 2 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 2 , 2 = r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( sin 2 2α + cosδ cos 2 2α ) s 2 , 1 + r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 3 , 2 = r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 1 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ cos2 αs 2 , 1 + r s 2 cosδs 3 , 1 ( 1 ) s 0 , i = 2 r s cos δcos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) s 1 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 2 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 3 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 ) ( 2 ) with a reflection coefficient of the sample r s and an optical path length difference between the sample and reference path δ . here , the terms including trigonometric functions of δ represent the interference between the light from reference and sample paths . the measured intensity from sdoct passing through the fospi for a birefringent sample , then , is i out , i ( v ) = r s cos δ cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ - φ 2 ) ] + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ + φ 2 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 - φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 - φ 1 ) ] - 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] ( 3 ) for the interference signal . fourier transform of equation ( 3 ) gives seven components in the positive optical path length difference domain which are centered at δ , δ ± φ 2 , δ ±( φ 2 − φ 1 ), δ ±( φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . inverse fourier transforms of each component are as follows . δ : 1 2 r s ⅇ ⅈδ { cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 - i sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) } ( 4 ) δ + φ 2 : 1 4 r s ⅇ ⅈφ 2 ⅇ ⅈδ { ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 } ( 5 ) δ + φ 2 - φ 1 : 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 - φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 - s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 6 ) δ + φ 2 + φ 1 : - 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 + φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 7 ) comparing with equation ( 2 ), real part of equation ( 4 ) gives s 0 , i / 4 and real part of equation of ( 5 ) after shifting the phase by − φ 2 gives s 1 , i / 8 . likewise , s 2 , i / 8 and s 3 , i / 8 can be obtained by taking the real part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) and the imaginary part of addition of ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) after the appropriate phase shift , −( φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( φ 2 + φ 1 ) for ( 6 ) and ( 7 ), respectively . moreover , simple arithmetic gives phase retardation due to the birefringence of the sample , δ , without knowledge of incident polarization state . the real part of ( 4 ), imaginary part of ( 5 ), the imaginary part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) are 1 2 r s cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 ( 8 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 9 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 10 ) after the phase shift by − δ , −( δ + φ 2 ), −( δ + φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . with a trigonometric identity , the following can be obtained tan δ 2 = 2 ( 9 ) 2 + ( 10 ) 2 ( 8 ) . ( 11 ) phase retardation due to birefringence [ fig3 ] and fast - axis angle [ fig3 ] of the birefringent sample were estimated from interference between the back surface of the glass window and the back surface of the birefringent sample by using eqs . above . for this measurement , the birefringent sample was rotated in 5 ° increments from 0 ° to 90 °. an estimated single - pass phase retardation of 34 . 06 °± 2 . 68 ° is consistent with a value deduced from the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specification ( 31 . 4 °). the estimated fast - axis angle is shown in fig4 ( b ) and is plotted with respect to orientation of the birefringent sample . b . space or lateral position : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the space or lateral position domain using a system indicated below . 1 . existing multifiber approach : ( described above ) 2 . spatially scanned light : the schematic of the experimental setup of a fiber - based spatially multiplexed swept source oct ( sm - ss - oct ) system is depicted in fig3 using the system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , where the top is preferably rotated at least 100 times for each position . a tunable laser and spectrum analyzer ( tlsa 1000 , precision photonics , inc .) that operates in the 1520 - 1620 nm wavelength range ( λ 0 = 1570 nm ) with fwhm spectral line width specified at 150 khz is used as the illuminating source and is equipped with an optical isolator to protect the laser from spurious reflections . the laser output is coupled into one arm of a 2 × 2 fiber - based coupler ( interferometer ). the 50 %- 50 % coupler splits this beam into two nearly equal parts , used in the reference and sample arms , respectively . the reference arm has a fixed path length , and simply consists of a fixed mirror that reflects the entire light incident upon it back into the fiber - based coupler . the light exiting the sample arm of the interferometer is collimated , and scanned across the sample by a scanning galvanometer and a focusing lens . the scanning galvanometer and focusing lens is used to rapidly scan the lateral positions of the tissue . the tlsa 1000 completes one complete wavelength sweep in approximately one second . within this time , the galvanometer is programmed to sweep all lateral positions of the tissue several hundred times . light returning from the sample interferes with the light from the fixed reference in the fiber - based interferometer , and the resultant spectral interference signal ( due to path length variations between sample and reference reflections ) is detected by a photodetector placed in the detection arm of the system . the electrical output is digitized , and a non - uniform fourier transform ( nuft ) of each a - line spectral data gives the depth profile of the sample reflectance . fig3 and 35 are images of a 100 micron thick slide recorded with the spatially multiplexed oct system . the images are of the same object ( microscope cover glass ) only for one image ( fig3 ) the intensity of the light returning from the sample is displayed on a linear greyscale while in the other image ( fig3 ) is displayed according to logarithm of the intensity . c . angle : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the angle domain using a system indicated in fig3 . fig3 depicts a multi fiber angle - domain oct system . the output of the frequency - swept source a is split into n fibers through the splitter b . the light passes through the circulators c , is collimated , focused through a lens , contacts the tissue , and then is reflected into any of the multiplicity of fibers . a reference reflector for each path is introduced into each fiber segment . for example , the reference reflector can be positioned at the terminal end of each fiber segment . for each i &# 39 ; th input fiber segment , interference is formed between light backscattered from the tissue and into the j &# 39 ; th fiber and the reference reflection from the j &# 39 ; th fiber . for n fibers , n 2 interference fringes are formed each corresponding to an incident ( α i ) and backscattered angle ( β j ). light intensity in the spectral domain is then converted to a voltage through a photoreceiver , which outputs to an adc board , which is read into a computer . this system allows phase - sensitive angle resolved imaging of discrete light paths in and out - of the specimen . using a space - spatial frequency transformation ( e . g ., two - dimensional fourier transformation ) lateral structures can be imaged with sub - wavelength resolution . d . space - angle combinations ( e . g . x dimension − space , y dimension − angle ): the space and angle dimensions may be combined to form systems that use the additional spectral cells image both space and angles . for example , additional spectral cells may be used to record position information in one dimension ( e . g . x ) and angle information in the orthogonal dimension ( y ). although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | c21c63da958ce05d46aef54e3350f77aa1adac7d89f4fcdb7b7057ce8cf13287 | 0.291016 | 0.78125 | 0.03418 | 0.84375 | 0.206055 | 0.746094 |
null | referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views , and more specifically to fig1 - 5 , 15 and 16 thereof , there is shown an endoscope 10 for a patient . the endoscope 10 comprises means 102 for producing light , such as a light source 51 . the endoscope 10 comprises an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 adapted to be disposed in the patient . the optical fiber array 28 transmits the light from the producing means , preferably including a light source 51 , into the patient , and transmits the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the light producing means 102 . the endoscope 10 comprises a detector d for receiving the light from the array 28 and analyzing the light . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the detector d . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a tube 53 about which the plurality of optical fibers 8 are disposed . the tube 53 preferably has grooves 54 that extend longitudinally along the tube 53 , as shown in fig1 . one of the plurality of optical fibers 8 is disposed in each of the grooves 54 . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a probe tip 55 , as shown in fig1 , having a reflector 56 disposed in each groove which reflects light from the optical fiber 8 in the groove when the reflector 56 is in the patient and reflects light from the patient to the optical fiber 8 when the array 28 is in the patient . the light source 51 preferably includes a coherent light source 51 and means 57 for guiding the light from the light source 51 to the plurality of optical fibers 8 of the array 28 . preferably , the optical fiber 8 is single mode , has a core 118 with cladding 120 disposed about the core 118 , and has a lens 122 at its tip which focuses the light from the core 118 to the reflector 56 and light from the reflector 56 to the core 118 , as shown in fig1 and 13 . the array 28 preferably includes a transparent cover 7 . preferably , the light source 51 comprises an input arm 58 , the array 28 comprises a sample arm 59 , the detector d comprises a reference arm 60 and a detector arm 61 ; and the input arm 58 , the detector arm 61 , the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 together form an interferometer . the reference arm 60 preferably uses rsod to introduce depth scanning and dispersion compensation to the interferometer . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes an opto - coupler 62 which optically couples corresponding optical fibers 8 of the input arm 58 , sample arm 59 , reference arm 60 and detecting arm together . the detector d preferably determines structural information about the patient from the intensity of an interference signal from reflected light from corresponding fibers of the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 having a same bypass length . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a scanning head 1 which holds n optical fibers 8 , where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer , as shown in fig1 - 22 c . the n optical fibers 8 are preferably arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a mechanism 134 for moving the scanning head 1 so each of the optical fibers 8 scan an angular range of n / 360 degrees . the moving mechanism 134 preferably includes a mechanism 9 for linear motion which causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the linear motion mechanism 9 includes a fiber shaft holder having a shaft channel 31 extending axially along the holder , and n fiber channels 32 are arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 , and a twisting shaft that fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel , the holder rotates . the scanning head 1 preferably has a socket head that conforms with the shaft and causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a guide wire holder 2 disposed on the scanning probe 50 which receives and follows a guide wire when the guard wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possible gu tract . a guide wire is not necessary in the gi tract . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a spring disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber shaft holder which forces the shaft back after the shaft has moved forward . the present invention pertains to a method for imaging a vessel , gu , gi or biliary tract of a patient . the method comprises the steps of transmitting light from a light source 51 into an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 in the patient . there is the step of transmitting the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . there is the step of receiving the light from the array 28 at a detector d . there is the step of analyzing the light with the detector d . preferably , there are the steps of reflecting light from each optical fiber 8 with a corresponding reflector 56 associated with the fiber , and reflecting light from the patient to the associated fiber with a reflector 56 . there is preferably the step of moving each of n optical fibers 8 comprising the optical fiber array 28 an angular range of n / 360 degrees . preferably , there is the step of applying a linear motion to cause each of the n optical fibers 8 of the optical fiber array 28 to move the angular range . the step of applying the linear motion preferably includes the step of moving axially forward in parallel with the n optical fibers 8 a twisting shaft through a shaft channel 31 extending axially along a fiber shaft holder having n fiber channels 32 arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 which causes the holder to rotate . each of the n optical fibers 8 is disposed in a respective fiber channel 32 of the n fiber channels 32 . the twisting shaft fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel . preferably , there is the step of guiding the optical fiber array 28 along a guide wire which is received by a guide wire holder 2 when the guide wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possibly gu system , but not in the gi tract . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the means for analyzing is preferably described in the figures , where polarization is found in fig3 , position in fig1 - 30 , space in fig3 , and angle in fig3 . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . in the operation of the invention , a near infrared broadband light source 51 sends a light beam into the input arm 58 of the array 28 type interferometer . the beam profile from the light source 51 is a circular gaussion . the optics before connector 1 makes the beam profile linear and focuses it into the connector 1 . the array 28 type interferometer consists of multiple fiber - based interferometer that has four fiber arms connected to an opto - coupler 62 . incoming light into the input arm 58 is divided to the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . in the sample arm 59 , optical fibers 8 are distributed like an annular ring , and light will be focused at the target vessel perpendicular to the optical axis . in the reference arm 60 , rsod introduces depth scanning and dispersion compensation . when the reflected light from both arms have the same light path length , strictly speaking within a coherence length , interference occurs . the intensity of the interference signal represents the structural information of a sample . more specifically , in regard to the input arm 58 , and referring to fig1 and 3 , a single beam comes out of s 1 and will be collimated by l 1 . at this point , the beam diameter is big enough to project across all of c 1 &# 39 ; s area , but the beam is still circular . cl 1 and cl 2 , circular lenses , change the beam profile to a linear shape , which means that the beam is not circular anymore , but it looks narrow from fig2 and the same shape with the beam after l 1 on fig3 . ml 1 focuses all light onto c 1 . light source s 1 has a fiber tip from which light departs into air . l 1 is a collimating lens 122 , so the fiber tip of the light source 51 should be located at the back of the focal point of l 1 in order to collimate the light . cl 1 , 2 are cylindrical lenses . separation between two is the sum of each cylindrical lens 122 focal length . they work as a telescope which decrease beam size only in one direction . in other words , the size of the beam does not change from fig3 . ml 1 is a micro lens array 28 , which has a lot of small lenses . each of the small lenses is positioned to have a focal point at each fiber entrance of c 1 . c 1 should be located at the focal point of ml 1 . all micro lenses have same focal length . c 1 is a linear fiber array 28 . in an alternative embodiment of the input arm 58 , as shown in fig4 , known as a fiber based solution : light source s 1 is connected to a single mode fiber , which is connected to fiber splitter ( 50 : 50 ), s 1 . the first fiber splitter is 1 by 2 . each output end of the 1 * 2 fiber splitter is connected to 1 * 4 splitter , sp 1 . each output end of the 1 * 4 splitter , 2 nd layer , is connected to another 1 * 4 splitter , 3 rd layer , sp 2 . at the output of the 3 rd layer , the number of fiber is 32 . 32 fiber comprises a linear fiber array 28 , sp 3 . each fiber is a single mode fiber , which can have a different cutoff frequency . the cutoff frequency is dependent on the center wavelength of the light source 51 . usually , 850 nm or 1300 nm of center wavelength for the light source 51 are used . each fiber is attached to another so that all together they form a linear fiber array 28 . c 1 is connected to multiple interferometers . each interferometer consists of four fiber arms and opto - coupler 62 . at each end of each arm , there is a linear array 28 fiber connector ( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 c 4 ). incoming light will be divided by the opto - coupler 62 into the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . with respect to the sample arm 59 , this sample arm 59 , as shown in fig5 , 7 , 8 and 17 , goes into the target vessel . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which is of an annular shape at the other end . the total length of the arm will be around 2 ˜ 3 m . when the light leaves the annular tip f , it will be collimated by l 1 and then reflected by l 2 outward from the probe . reflected light from tissue will follow back to l 2 and l 1 and be gathered by the fiber tip . later , two reflected lights from the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively , will make interference , which will be detected by the array 28 detector d at the detection arm . the sample arm 59 is supposed to go through a target vessel , gi , gu or biliary tract . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which has an annular shape at the other end ( probe tip 55 ) ( fig8 ). total length of the sample arm 59 is about 1 . 5 m . the fiber array 28 will be molded by a transparent cover 7 material ( ex : silicon resin or polymers ). at the annular probe tip f shown in fig9 , each fiber is glued at a groove of a cylindrical polymer tube 53 . the shape of each groove is shown at fig1 and 11 . each groove end has a reflector 56 which is 45 ° oblique to axial direction . the groove will be made by micro fabrication technique . each fiber has a lens 122 at the tip , which can be manufactured by splicing a multimode fiber with the same diameter of the cladding 120 of the single mode fiber and then melting the end of multimode fiber in order to get curvature ( fig1 and 13 ). when the light leaves the fiber tip , the light will be reflected outward by the reflector 56 at the end of the groove , and then will be focused at the target tissue area . reflected light from the tissue will follow back the same path as the incoming light , and go to the detection arm . micromachining or micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) and nanotechnology are becoming increasingly popular for the development of improved biomaterials and devices ( macilwain c ., “ us plans large funding boost to support nanotechnology boom ,” nature , 1999 ; 400 : 95 , incorporated by reference herein ). similar to manufacturing methods used for computer microchips , mems processes combine etching and / or material deposition and photolithographic - patterning techniques to develop ultrasmall devices ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ). mems has been proven promising in medicine for its small mass and volume , low cost , and high functionality . successful mems devices in medicine include smart sensor for cataract removal , silicon neurowells , microneedles for gene and drug delivery , and dna arrays ( polla , d . l ., erdman , a . g ., robbins , w . p ., markus , d . t ., diaz - diaz , j ., rizq , r ., nam , y ., brickner , h . t ., wang , a ., krulevitch , p ., “ microdevices in medicine ,” annu . rev . biomed . eng ., 2000 ; 02 : 551 - 76 ; mcallister et al ., 2000 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein ). however , most of the mems processes are planar in nature for two - dimension ( 2d ) micro - features and primary for processing silicon material . other micromachining processes include laser beam micromachining ( lbm ), micro - electrical discharge machine ( micro - edm ), and electron beam machining ( ebm ) ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 ), incorporated by reference herein . micro - fabrication and micro - device development using metals , metal alloys , silicon , glass , and polymers are described in the following . ( chen , s . c ., cahill , d . g ., and grigoropoulos , c . p ., “ transient melting and deformation in pulsed laser surface micro - modification of ni - p disks ,” j . heat transfer , vol . 122 ( no . 1 ), pp . 107 - 12 , 2000 ; kancharla , v . and chen , s . c ., “ fabrication of biodegradable microdevices by laser micromachining of biodegradable polymers ,” biomedical microdevices , 2002 , vol . 4 ( 2 ): 105 - 109 ; chen , s . c ., kancharla , v ., and lu , y ., “ laser - based microscale patterning of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications ,” in press , international j . nano technology , 2002 ; zheng , w . and chen , s . c ., “ continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” transactions of namrc / sme , vol . 30 , pp . 551 - 555 , 2002 ; chen , s . c ., “ design and analysis of a heat conduction - based , continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” becon , 2002 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein ). for the array 28 , a stainless steel cylinder is chosen with a diameter of 1 . 5 mm as the base material . the diameter is 1 . 0 mmm for vascular applications , larger for gu , gi and biliary applications , up to 3 . 0 mm , if desired . both the micro - grooves 54 ( or micro - channels of 200 microns wide ) and the reflecting surfaces are machined by micro - electrical discharge machining ( micro - edm ) or micro - milling using focused ion machined tool . to enhance the reflectivity of the reflecting surface , the stainless steel cylinder are coated with evaporated aluminum using electron - beam evaporation . in regard to the reference arm 60 , shown in fig1 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 4 , and be spectrally distributed by a grating ( g 1 ) and will be focused to a mirror ( ga 1 ). by vibrating ga 1 , the light path length will be changed in order to achieve depth scanning . there are many options to build the reference arm 60 applying existing techniques . a very simple form of the reference arm 60 has just a mirror attached onto a voice coil that is driven by a function generator with sine wave . the light reflects back by the mirror and the mirror position changes the light path length . this path length change provides depth scanning of the target tissue because interference occurs only when both arms have the same light path length . preferably , the reference arm 60 is more complicated than the simple one . that is called rapid - scanning optical delay ( rsod ) which can provide fast depth scanning and dispersion compensation . linear array type beam launches from c 4 , and is collimated by l 1 . a mirror ( m 1 ) reflects the beam to a grating ( g 1 ) which spectrally distributes the broadband source light . spectrally distributed light will be focused on a galvono - scanning mirror ( ga 1 ) by a lens ( l 2 ). separation between g 1 and l 2 determines the amount of chromatic dispersion degree so any material dispersion can be compensated for usually caused by fibers . the beam offset from the scanning mirror center determines the fringe frequency that will show up after interfering two reflected lights . the reflected light from the ga 1 goes to l 2 , g 1 , and to m 2 . and then the light reflected following back incoming path and will be coupled back to c 4 . referring to the detection arm , as shown in fig1 and 16 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 3 , and is circular . combination of cl 1 and cl 2 makes the beam look linear in one plane ( horizontal ). micro - lens array ml 1 makes the light focus on the array 28 detector d . as shown in fig1 , 19 a , and 19 b , the scanning probe 50 is comprised of a scanning head 1 , a fiber - shaft holder 3 , a twisted shaft 4 , a transparent cover 7 , a guide wire holder 2 , and a mechanism 9 for linear motion . in this embodiment , the scanning head 1 is adapted to hold a fiber bunch that contain 20 optical fibers 8 , which are arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . in operation , each of the fibers is set to scan an angular range of 18 degrees ( 360 °÷ 20 = 18 °). reflective surfaces 11 are formed on the scanning head 1 and are oriented 45 ° degrees to the central axis of each respective optical fibers 8 , such that they would guide the light from the fiber bunch and direct the light through the transparent cover 7 . the scanning head 1 is designed to provide an 18 degrees &# 39 ; back - and - forth rotation . the back - and - forth rotation realizes the scanning function required by the oct system . the mechanism of this back - and forth rotation is described below . the fiber - shaft holder is substantially a multi - tubular structure . it is formed with one shaft channel 31 extending along the central axis of the fiber - shaft holder and 20 fiber channels 32 arranged around the fiber - shaft holder 3 in parallel . the optical fibers 8 extend through respective fiber channels 32 . the shaft channel 31 has a round cross - sectional area . at the upper end of the shaft channel 31 , the shaft channel 31 is an opening , but the geometry of the opening is reduced from the round cross - sectional area to a rectangular cross - sectional hole 311 . the reason for this structural design will be described along with the description of the twisted shaft 4 . the twisted shaft 4 has a rectangular cross - section area , which is identical in geometry to the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 . indicated by its name , the shaft 4 is partially twisted along the shaft central axis and can be divided into a non - twisted part 41 and a twisted part 42 . in assembly , the shaft 4 is passed through the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 , and it is enabled to slide back - and - forth via the rectangular cross - sectional hole . the relative motion of the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 form the mechanism that realizes a back - and - forth rotation . the reason is that when the twisted part 42 of the shaft 4 slides through the rectangular cross - sectional hole , the shaft 4 itself is forced to rotate along the shaft central axis to fit the matching of both the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 . particularly , the shaft 4 and the holder 3 compose a mechanism 9 that can transmit a linear motion into a rotational motion . the description is now focused on the scanning head 1 . the scanning head 1 has a rectangular socket 12 , which has a cross - section area identical to that of the twisted shaft 4 . the rectangular socket 12 provides a channel covering the non - twisted part 41 of the twisted shaft 4 and lets the non - twisted part 41 exert the back - and forth motion inside the rectangular socket 12 . the moving range of the shaft 4 is constrained such that the twisted part 42 does not pass into the scanning head &# 39 ; s rectangular socket 12 ( that will result in a geometric mismatch ), but the twisted part 42 only interacts with the fiber - shaft holder &# 39 ; s rectangular cross - sectional hole . according to the description above , the motion of the shaft 4 is comprised of a linear component ( v ) and an angular component ( ω ). referring to the geometry of the rectangular socket 12 and non - twisted part 41 of the shaft 4 , the shaft motion &# 39 ; s linear component ( v ) would not contribute to the motion of the scanning head 1 ( regardless of the friction between the surfaces ), but the angular component ( ω ) does . the scanning head 1 rotates back and forth with the rotational motion of the twisted shaft 4 , which in turn results from the twisted shaft &# 39 ; s linear back - and - forth movement relative to the fiber - shaft holder 3 . as a result , the scanning head 1 provides a back - and - forth rotational motion transmitted from the back and forth linear motion provided by the twisted shaft 4 . a guide wire holder 2 is a module used to guide the scanning probe 50 toward the investigated section of the detected blood vessel , biliary duct , and possibly gu application . for the gi tract , a guide wire is generally not used . in operation , a guide wire 01 , or “ guide tissue ”, is previously disposed along a specific route of human vessels , such that a track for the scanning probe 50 of the oct system can be formed . the guide wire holder 2 constrains the scanning probe 50 such that it can only slide along the track formed by the guide wire 01 . the scanning probe 50 is therefore guided to the patient section to be investigated . guide wire holder 2 and holder 5 function as bearings of the scanning head 1 . they constrain the movement of the scanning head 1 and stabilize it . as well , a compressive spring 6 is disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly compressed in assembly , such that it pushes the scanning head 1 against the holder 5 and eliminates any potential axial movement of the scanning head 1 that may result in axial positioning errors ( δd ). it is preferable that the spring 6 supplies torque between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 has its both ends , respectively , fixed on the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly twisted in assembly . by this means , the spring can provide a torque to the back - and - forth rotational mechanism , such that the backlash ( resulting from , for example , the tolerance between the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the shaft ) of the rotational mechanism , as well as the resultant angular positioning errors ( δθ ), are eliminated . note that , the cross - section geometry of the shaft channel 31 is circular . with respect to the shaft channel 31 , the twisted shaft 4 is formed with a cylinder part 43 at its end of the twisted part 42 . the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 performs a motion like a piston . in an upward movement of the twisted shaft 4 , due to the geometric difference , the cylinder part 43 would be blocked at the edge 33 of the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 and provide an upper stopper for the twisted shaft 4 . on the other hand , a lower stopper 34 is placed to block the cylinder part 43 in a downward movement . the function of the upper and lower stoppers is helpful in controlling the movement of the twisted shaft 4 , as well as controlling the angular motion of the scanning head 1 . there are many methods in the prior art that are able to provide the power for the mechanism to push and pull the twisted shaft 4 to generate the linear movement . however , hydraulic force , particularly fluidic pressure , is preferred due to the following advantages : 1 . electricity is not required to be transmitted into the scanning head 1 to energize a hydraulic linear mechanism 9 . some of the mechanisms , such as electromagnetic systems ( or more particularly , some micro - motors ), require not only electricity to be energized , but also additional components , e . g ., coils or magnets , installed to the scanning head 1 to transform the electrical energy into mechanical momentum . the use of electricity is not preferable for medical issues ; and the requirement of additional components would increase the technical difficulty in manufacturing and the complexity of the whole system . some of the other mechanisms , like those comprising piezoelectric materials , can be composed with little space and simple structure , but they still need to receive a large voltage to generate the required momentum . 2 . a hydraulic mechanism 9 takes little space . the structure of the hydraulic mechanism 9 is illustrated in fig1 a and 18 b . the hydraulic mechanism 9 can be simply a liquid conduit that guides liquid , such as water , to push or pull the piston system comprised of the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 . considering that leakage through the gap of a piston system may result in undesirable problems , the hydraulic mechanism 9 is , preferably , comprised of a micro - balloon 91 made by a polymeric thin film . as shown in fig1 a and 18 b , the twisted shaft 4 is in its lower position when the balloon 91 is flat ( fig1 a ). as water is pumped into the piston system , the balloon 91 becomes turgid , and the twisted shaft 4 is pushed toward its upper position with an 18 degree spin ( fig1 b ). the required back - and forth motion can be generated by switching the flat and turgid states of the micro - balloon 91 . for a single fiber oct system , a scan rate of 6 rev / sec ( 6 hz ) is satisfactory [ andrew m . rollins et al ., “ real - time in vivo imaging of human gastrointestinal ultrastructure by use of endoscopic optical coherence tomography with a novel efficient interferometer design ”, optics letters , vol . 24 , no . 19 , oct . 1 , 1999 , incorporated by reference herein ]. that means in one second the oct system should be able to provide at least 6 pictures illustrating the cross - sectional data of the vessel . the scanning probe 50 has 20 fibers , so the satisfactory scan rate can be reduced to 0 . 3 hz ( 6 ÷ 20 = 0 . 3 ), which is much slower and much easier to be realized by the hydraulic actuating system . ideally , 15 pictures / sec . is required for optimal image resolution . rather than continuous rotation , the scanning probe 50 operates in a back - and - forth manner , so that the angular speed of the scanning head 1 will not be constant even when the whole system reaches its steady state . during operation , therefore , detecting the angle of the scanning head 1 , as well as figuring out the angular position that the scanned data belongs to , are important issues . the angle of the scanning head 1 can be simply approximated by comparing the output effort of the pumping system with a reference curve obtained from previous experiments . more precise detection can be reached by the analysis of the feedback of the optical signals . for example , analyzing the light doppler effect [ volker westphal at al ., “ real - time , high velocity - resolution color doppler optical coherence tomography ”, optics letters , vol . 27 , no . 1 , jan 1 , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ] of the feedback signals is another method . the twisted shaft 4 can be formed by precise cnc machining that is well known in the industry . a thin round shaft , minimum diameter 1 . 0 mm , may be used as the intrinsic material before the machining . for production , two ends of the round shaft are clamped , its central portion is precisely milled and four orthogonal planes on the central portion are generated . the planes define the rectangular cross - section of the twisted shaft 4 ( forming a long shaft in this step ), as shown in fig2 a . following the milling , one of the two clamps holding the shaft is rotated relative to the other clamp to twist the shaft a specific angle about its central axis . the twisted part of the twisted shaft 4 being formed . following the twisting step , the rotated clamp is released to free the elastic distortion of the shaft ( with its plastic distortion remaining ), and then the clamp is tightened again . at the next step , as shown by fig2 b , the shaft is milled again at one side of its still - round portion , thereby generating another rectangular portion that is untwisted . the cylindrical portion ( serves as a piston ) is formed from the round portion of the shaft . a precise lathering could further be used to fix the central axis and diameter of the cylindrical part . as shown in fig2 c , only a short portion of the shaft is required . the excess portion of the shaft part is cut off . as shown in fig2 a , the fiber - shaft holder 3 can be combined with two parts , a and b . the part a is actually the body of the catheter . the cross - section of the catheter is shown in fig2 b ; the catheter could be manufactured by the cable extrusion technique that generally is applied in fiber optics industry [ refer to the homepage of optical cable corporation .] note that the central channel of the catheter is used to be the conduit for the guidance of actuating liquid mentioned previously . there are also several conduits used to guide air flowing in and out the probing tip to balance the air pressure inside the oct system ( during operation , the free volume inside the probing tip changes while the twisted shaft 4 is moving ). the diameter of the conduit is equal to that of the cylinder part 43 of the twisted shaft 4 . part b in fig2 a is simply a plate having fiber holding edges ( b 1 ) and a rectangular central opening ( b 2 ). this part could be made from metal by using punching technology as is commonly applied in the industry . in assembly , part a and part b are connected with glue such as epoxy . the lower stopper , which is required to constrain the twisted shaft 4 at its lower position , is formed together with the formation of the micro - balloon . micro - molding with polymeric material ( such as sbs ) could be used to fabricate the scanning head 1 . the process of micro - molding requires a set of micro - molds . in this case , the fiber grooves 54 and the reflective surface 11 at the end of the fiber grooves 54 can be realized by a set of micro - molds comprised of 18 edges ( fig2 a ), each of which has the geometry shown in fig6 b . as well , the central rectangular channel could be molded by a rectangular shaft made by the equipment for the fabrication of the twisted shaft 4 . for the convenience of assembly , the scanning head 1 could be previously provided with the geometry shown in fig2 c . the excess parts of the scanning head 1 would provide guidance and help with the alignment for the optical fibers 8 . uv glue could be used to fix the position of the optical fibers 8 . the excess portion of the scanning head 1 could be cut off after the assembly of the optical fibers 8 . in another embodiment , laser beams heat at least three different locations on the surface of the micro - mirror 210 , which is shown as a disk in fig2 - 25 , successively . the micro - mirror 210 will provide a wabling corresponding to this kind of un - symmetric heating process , and an incident light ( other than the heating laser ) can be redirected in a swaying manner . the heating process corresponds to the rotation period of the micro - mirror 210 as required . the micro - mirror 210 comprises two layers : a first layer 212 and a second layer 214 ( fig2 ). at least one of the two layers can generate structural deformation ( contraction or expansion ) by the application of laser light . if the case is that both of the layers are deformable by laser light , the sensitivities of the two layers to a same laser light would be set different to each others . fig2 shows the perspective view of the micro - mirror 210 . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated with a laser beam , there will be expansion or contraction in the layers . because the expansion or contraction within the layers is of different degrees ( only one layer is deformed or the two layers are deformed with different degrees ), the structure of the whole micro - mirror 210 will be twisted . for example , in fig2 , when the section marked with the pie is irradiated with a laser beam , there is a deformation generated as shown in fig2 . the material of the first and second layers 212 , 214 could be metals or photosensitive polymers . in the case of metal layers , for example , the first layer 212 is poly - silicon and the second layer 214 is gold . the mechanism of the expansion or contraction within the layers is thermal expansion . the metals will absorb the energy of a laser beam and be heated . due to different thermal expansion coefficients of the two layers , the structure will be twisted or bent . this will result in turning the mirror , as shown in fig2 . in the case of photosensitive polymers , for example , liquid crystal materials , the mechanism of the expansion or contraction inside the layers is a phase change of the materials . under the irradiation of a laser beam , the molecules of the polymeric materials will undergo phase change , wherein the chemical structures of the materials are deformed , and a structural deformation occurs . next , similar to the case of metal layers , the degrees of deformation of the two layers are different , and there will be a twisting or bending effect in the structure of the micro - mirror 210 , and the effect in fig2 is reached . when the structure is twisted or bent by the application of laser energy , the surface of the mirror , shown in fig2 , can be tiled to a specific direction . therefore , one can control the direction of the micro - mirror 210 by controlling the laser energy input . the way to control the application of the laser light is to select the location on the micro - mirror 210 to be irradiated by the laser beam , and control the intensity of the laser . by controlling the location , one can control the tilting direction of the mirror ; and by controlling the intensity , one can control the tilting angle of the micro - mirror 210 . referring to fig2 and fig2 , by continuously changing the laser - shining location ( fig2 ), the tilting direction of the micro - mirror 210 can be continuously changed ( fig2 ). that is , the micro - mirror 210 could be rotated by changing the location of the laser - shining . this is the mechanism for the rotation of the laser - actuated micro - mirror 210 . as to the assembly of the whole oct system ( fig2 ), the micro - mirror 210 is mounted on a base 21 b connected to the tip end of the probe cover . there is no object between the fibers and the mirror . fiber 1 , which is used to guide the detecting light , is the same fiber used in other embodiments of the oct probe . the detecting light is redirected by the tilting surface of the micro - mirror 210 , such that it can scan around by means of the tilting and rotating mirror . the fibers 2 are used to guide the actuating - laser light . as shown , at least three fibers 2 are needed . the fibers 2 fire lasers in turns , such that they can generate continuous tilting effect as shown in fig2 and fig2 . the other features of the laser - actuating oct probe are the same as those described in other embodiments . for instance , the fiber , and fibers 2 are disposed in a fiber shaft holder 3 . after the fabrication by semiconductor technique , which is well known by those skillful in the art , the mirror is formed on a substrate ( usually silicon substrate ). the substrate material forms the base . then a small piece is cut from the base that carries the mirror from the substrate with a dicer . the small piece is mounted on to the tip &# 39 ; s end by glue ( epoxy , for example ). only one fiber 1 is enough to transmit the detecting light in this embodiment . during operation , a circular scanning profile of the detecting laser is realized . in this embodiment , illustrated in fig3 , the detecting laser is not centered to the mirror &# 39 ; s center . instead , the following remain constant : ( 1 ) d , the distance between the mirror center and the axis of the detecting light . ( 2 ) alfa , the angle between the mirror surface and the axis of the detecting light . an open - loop system is used for position feedback to properly arrange the periodical change of the laser powers from the three fibers 2 to realize the constant alfa and d . the position control is more complex than single - fiber 2 actuation . particularly , the micro - mirror 210 needs a period of time to respond mechanically to the laser energy coming from the fiber 2 . even though it is known when and which of the fibers 2 are firing the laser power , the exact direction of the mirror surface information cannot be assured . the absolute position of the mirror is actually not necessary . instead , speed - control is used to control the rotation of the scanning mirror . for example , in the case of the mirror driven by a transmission cable rotated from outside , the exact position of the mirror ( which may be affected by a delay of cable transmission due to the cable &# 39 ; s compliance ) is not of concern ; the rotation period of the mirror is controlled so that the “ relative position ” of the mirror is known . after receiving a continuous data stream from the reflected detecting laser , the cross - section image of the vessel is constructed by simply matching the data series to the rotating period . in this embodiment , the operation will be similar . what is different is that the micro - mirror 210 is not actuated by a rotator but by three bimorph heat - deformable cantilever beams . this makes the control more complex . if only one of the fiber 2 fires at one time , it will be very different if not impossible for the mirror to scan a circular profile needed . instead , the three fibers 2 are needed to fire together , with different powers , to bend the three cantilevers at different status at one time to match a circular scanning profile . the three cantilevers are actuated individually by the three fibers 2 such that they cooperate with specific bending patterns that realize a circular scanning profile on the wall of the vessel . in an alternative embodiment regarding the micro - mirror 210 , the fibers 1 and the fibers 2 are reversed so healing energy comes from a single fiber 2 disposed preferably along the central axis of the tube . the plurality of fibers 1 are disposed about the circumference of the tube . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated by the laser beam from the fiber 2 , the laser energy causes the mirror to bend . by changing the intensity of the laser or pulsing the laser , motion can be imported to the micro - mirror 210 which wires the probe tip to which it is attached , to move back and forth , and thus the plurality of fibers 1 for scanning the interior of the area of the patient in question . thermal expansion material normally can generate ˜ 5 % of elongation for a temperature rise of 100 ° c . the length of the material inside the oct is originally 20 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of 1 mm . polymers , including photosensitive polymers and shape memory polymers are able to generate & gt ; 100 % of photo - induced elongations or shrinkages . the material inside the oct is originally 1 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of another 1 mm . optical tomographic instrumentation may be specified by spectrally resolved bandwidth , which is equivalent to number of spectrally resolvable cells . each spectrally resolvable cell has a width δν , such that number of cells resolvable by the instrument is n instrument = δν / δν , where δν is the available optical bandwidth of source light . the range of group - time delays the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is given by : δτ instrument = 1 / δν . the smallest resolvable group - time delay the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is δτ coherence = 1 / δν . number of spectrally resolvable cells the optical tomographic instrument may resolve is given by : for 1 oct a - scan into the object being imaged , the requirement for number of spectrally resolvable cells is − n a - scan = δz / l c , lc ˜ c g / δv , δz = imaging depth , l c ( coherence length ), and c g is the group velocity of light in the object . where δτ a - scan = δz / c g is the round - trip propagation time for light to propagate from the most superficial and deepest position ( to be imaged ) in the object . for some optical tomographic imaging instruments ( e . g ., those that employ narrow linewidth tunable laser sources or high resolution spectrometers ), the above condition can be stated in three manners : a ) the number of spectrally resolvable cells for the instrument ( n instrument ) is much greater than that required for one a - scan ( n a - scan ); 2 ) the range of group time delays the instrumentation is capable of resolving ( δτ instrument ) is much greater than the group - time delay for a single a - scan ( δτ a - scan ); 3 ) available optical bandwidth of source light ( δν ) is much greater than spectral width of each resolvable cell of the instrumentation ( δν ). because the instrument can resolve many more cells than that required for one a - scan , multiplexing techniques are presented here to efficiently utilize the information carrying capacity ( bandwidth ) afforded by optical tomographic imaging instruments . selection criteria of multiplexing techniques employed may be derived in part by the ratio n instrument / n a - scan = δτ instrument / δτ a - scan = δν / δν . larger ratios provide a wider selection of possible multiplexing techniques and more candidate domains ( polarization , space , angle , temporal ) to multiplex into . moreover , multiplexing spectral information into just one domain ( e . g . spatial ) is not the only envisioned approach . generally , additional spectral information may be resolved into multiple domains ( e . g ., polarization and spatial ). a . polarization : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the polarization domain using a system indicated in fig3 . at least two incident polarization states 90 ° apart on the poincare sphere are input into the interferometer . the polarization signature of the light reflected from the sample , such as a vessel wall or nerve fiber layer , is compared to known polarization signatures of materials , such as plaques or a diseased nerve fiber layer . the reflected light and thus the material from which it was reflected is then identified . the fiber delivery system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , can be used . the theory of operation of this approach is described using mueller matrices or the spectrally - resolved jones calculus . by inserting a fospi in the detection path of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( sd - oct ) instrumentation , the full set of stokes parameters of light backscattered at the specific depth in the specimen can be obtained without any other polarization controlling components in reference / sample / detection path of the interferometer and the prior knowledge of the polarization state of the light incident on the sample . in this configuration , two factors determine the spectral modulation . one is optical path length difference between the reference and sample surface , ( δ ( ν )), introduced by the common - path sdoct and the other is phase retardations , φ 1 ( ν ) and φ 2 ( ν ) generated by the retarder system in the fospi . therefore , output from the presented single channel polarization sensitive ( ps ) sd - oct in the time - delay domain is the convolution of the output from fospi and that from sd - oct . where the first two terms are the stokes parameters of light from the reference and sample path , respectively , and the last term is the contribution of interference . consider the birefringent sample with phase retardation δ and fast - axis oriented at angle of α . then , the stokes parameters of the light from the sample ( s i , 2 ) and interference ( s i , i ) are calculated in terms of the stokes parameters of light from the reference , s 0 , 1 , s 1 , 1 , s 2 , 1 , s 3 , 1 . s 1 , 2 r s 2 ( cos 2 2α + cos δ sin 2 2α ) s 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 2 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 2 , 2 = r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( sin 2 2α + cosδ cos 2 2α ) s 2 , 1 + r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 3 , 2 = r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 1 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ cos2 αs 2 , 1 + r s 2 cosδs 3 , 1 ( 1 ) s 0 , i = 2 r s cos δcos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) s 1 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 2 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 3 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 ) ( 2 ) with a reflection coefficient of the sample r s and an optical path length difference between the sample and reference path δ . here , the terms including trigonometric functions of δ represent the interference between the light from reference and sample paths . the measured intensity from sdoct passing through the fospi for a birefringent sample , then , is i out , i ( v ) = r s cos δ cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ - φ 2 ) ] + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ + φ 2 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 - φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 - φ 1 ) ] - 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] ( 3 ) for the interference signal . fourier transform of equation ( 3 ) gives seven components in the positive optical path length difference domain which are centered at δ , δ ± φ 2 , δ ±( φ 2 − φ 1 ), δ ±( φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . inverse fourier transforms of each component are as follows . δ : 1 2 r s ⅇ ⅈδ { cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 - i sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) } ( 4 ) δ + φ 2 : 1 4 r s ⅇ ⅈφ 2 ⅇ ⅈδ { ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 } ( 5 ) δ + φ 2 - φ 1 : 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 - φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 - s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 6 ) δ + φ 2 + φ 1 : - 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 + φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 7 ) comparing with equation ( 2 ), real part of equation ( 4 ) gives s 0 , i / 4 and real part of equation of ( 5 ) after shifting the phase by − φ 2 gives s 1 , i / 8 . likewise , s 2 , i / 8 and s 3 , i / 8 can be obtained by taking the real part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) and the imaginary part of addition of ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) after the appropriate phase shift , −( φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( φ 2 + φ 1 ) for ( 6 ) and ( 7 ), respectively . moreover , simple arithmetic gives phase retardation due to the birefringence of the sample , δ , without knowledge of incident polarization state . the real part of ( 4 ), imaginary part of ( 5 ), the imaginary part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) are 1 2 r s cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 ( 8 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 9 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 10 ) after the phase shift by − δ , −( δ + φ 2 ), −( δ + φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . with a trigonometric identity , the following can be obtained tan δ 2 = 2 ( 9 ) 2 + ( 10 ) 2 ( 8 ) . ( 11 ) phase retardation due to birefringence [ fig3 ] and fast - axis angle [ fig3 ] of the birefringent sample were estimated from interference between the back surface of the glass window and the back surface of the birefringent sample by using eqs . above . for this measurement , the birefringent sample was rotated in 5 ° increments from 0 ° to 90 °. an estimated single - pass phase retardation of 34 . 06 °± 2 . 68 ° is consistent with a value deduced from the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specification ( 31 . 4 °). the estimated fast - axis angle is shown in fig4 ( b ) and is plotted with respect to orientation of the birefringent sample . b . space or lateral position : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the space or lateral position domain using a system indicated below . 1 . existing multifiber approach : ( described above ) 2 . spatially scanned light : the schematic of the experimental setup of a fiber - based spatially multiplexed swept source oct ( sm - ss - oct ) system is depicted in fig3 using the system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , where the top is preferably rotated at least 100 times for each position . a tunable laser and spectrum analyzer ( tlsa 1000 , precision photonics , inc .) that operates in the 1520 - 1620 nm wavelength range ( λ 0 = 1570 nm ) with fwhm spectral line width specified at 150 khz is used as the illuminating source and is equipped with an optical isolator to protect the laser from spurious reflections . the laser output is coupled into one arm of a 2 × 2 fiber - based coupler ( interferometer ). the 50 %- 50 % coupler splits this beam into two nearly equal parts , used in the reference and sample arms , respectively . the reference arm has a fixed path length , and simply consists of a fixed mirror that reflects the entire light incident upon it back into the fiber - based coupler . the light exiting the sample arm of the interferometer is collimated , and scanned across the sample by a scanning galvanometer and a focusing lens . the scanning galvanometer and focusing lens is used to rapidly scan the lateral positions of the tissue . the tlsa 1000 completes one complete wavelength sweep in approximately one second . within this time , the galvanometer is programmed to sweep all lateral positions of the tissue several hundred times . light returning from the sample interferes with the light from the fixed reference in the fiber - based interferometer , and the resultant spectral interference signal ( due to path length variations between sample and reference reflections ) is detected by a photodetector placed in the detection arm of the system . the electrical output is digitized , and a non - uniform fourier transform ( nuft ) of each a - line spectral data gives the depth profile of the sample reflectance . fig3 and 35 are images of a 100 micron thick slide recorded with the spatially multiplexed oct system . the images are of the same object ( microscope cover glass ) only for one image ( fig3 ) the intensity of the light returning from the sample is displayed on a linear greyscale while in the other image ( fig3 ) is displayed according to logarithm of the intensity . c . angle : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the angle domain using a system indicated in fig3 . fig3 depicts a multi fiber angle - domain oct system . the output of the frequency - swept source a is split into n fibers through the splitter b . the light passes through the circulators c , is collimated , focused through a lens , contacts the tissue , and then is reflected into any of the multiplicity of fibers . a reference reflector for each path is introduced into each fiber segment . for example , the reference reflector can be positioned at the terminal end of each fiber segment . for each i &# 39 ; th input fiber segment , interference is formed between light backscattered from the tissue and into the j &# 39 ; th fiber and the reference reflection from the j &# 39 ; th fiber . for n fibers , n 2 interference fringes are formed each corresponding to an incident ( α i ) and backscattered angle ( β j ). light intensity in the spectral domain is then converted to a voltage through a photoreceiver , which outputs to an adc board , which is read into a computer . this system allows phase - sensitive angle resolved imaging of discrete light paths in and out - of the specimen . using a space - spatial frequency transformation ( e . g ., two - dimensional fourier transformation ) lateral structures can be imaged with sub - wavelength resolution . d . space - angle combinations ( e . g . x dimension − space , y dimension − angle ): the space and angle dimensions may be combined to form systems that use the additional spectral cells image both space and angles . for example , additional spectral cells may be used to record position information in one dimension ( e . g . x ) and angle information in the orthogonal dimension ( y ). although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | c21c63da958ce05d46aef54e3350f77aa1adac7d89f4fcdb7b7057ce8cf13287 | 0.388672 | 0.043945 | 0.064453 | 0.003082 | 0.353516 | 0.015442 |
null | referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views , and more specifically to fig1 - 5 , 15 and 16 thereof , there is shown an endoscope 10 for a patient . the endoscope 10 comprises means 102 for producing light , such as a light source 51 . the endoscope 10 comprises an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 adapted to be disposed in the patient . the optical fiber array 28 transmits the light from the producing means , preferably including a light source 51 , into the patient , and transmits the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the light producing means 102 . the endoscope 10 comprises a detector d for receiving the light from the array 28 and analyzing the light . the plurality of the optical fibers 8 of the array 28 is in optical communication with the detector d . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a tube 53 about which the plurality of optical fibers 8 are disposed . the tube 53 preferably has grooves 54 that extend longitudinally along the tube 53 , as shown in fig1 . one of the plurality of optical fibers 8 is disposed in each of the grooves 54 . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a probe tip 55 , as shown in fig1 , having a reflector 56 disposed in each groove which reflects light from the optical fiber 8 in the groove when the reflector 56 is in the patient and reflects light from the patient to the optical fiber 8 when the array 28 is in the patient . the light source 51 preferably includes a coherent light source 51 and means 57 for guiding the light from the light source 51 to the plurality of optical fibers 8 of the array 28 . preferably , the optical fiber 8 is single mode , has a core 118 with cladding 120 disposed about the core 118 , and has a lens 122 at its tip which focuses the light from the core 118 to the reflector 56 and light from the reflector 56 to the core 118 , as shown in fig1 and 13 . the array 28 preferably includes a transparent cover 7 . preferably , the light source 51 comprises an input arm 58 , the array 28 comprises a sample arm 59 , the detector d comprises a reference arm 60 and a detector arm 61 ; and the input arm 58 , the detector arm 61 , the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 together form an interferometer . the reference arm 60 preferably uses rsod to introduce depth scanning and dispersion compensation to the interferometer . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes an opto - coupler 62 which optically couples corresponding optical fibers 8 of the input arm 58 , sample arm 59 , reference arm 60 and detecting arm together . the detector d preferably determines structural information about the patient from the intensity of an interference signal from reflected light from corresponding fibers of the sample arm 59 and the reference arm 60 having a same bypass length . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a scanning head 1 which holds n optical fibers 8 , where n is greater than or equal to 2 and is an integer , as shown in fig1 - 22 c . the n optical fibers 8 are preferably arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a mechanism 134 for moving the scanning head 1 so each of the optical fibers 8 scan an angular range of n / 360 degrees . the moving mechanism 134 preferably includes a mechanism 9 for linear motion which causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the linear motion mechanism 9 includes a fiber shaft holder having a shaft channel 31 extending axially along the holder , and n fiber channels 32 are arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 , and a twisting shaft that fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel , the holder rotates . the scanning head 1 preferably has a socket head that conforms with the shaft and causes the scanning head 1 to rotate . preferably , the probe tip 55 includes a guide wire holder 2 disposed on the scanning probe 50 which receives and follows a guide wire when the guard wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possible gu tract . a guide wire is not necessary in the gi tract . preferably , the endoscope 10 includes a spring disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber shaft holder which forces the shaft back after the shaft has moved forward . the present invention pertains to a method for imaging a vessel , gu , gi or biliary tract of a patient . the method comprises the steps of transmitting light from a light source 51 into an optical fiber array 28 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 8 in the patient . there is the step of transmitting the light reflected by the patient out of the patient . there is the step of receiving the light from the array 28 at a detector d . there is the step of analyzing the light with the detector d . preferably , there are the steps of reflecting light from each optical fiber 8 with a corresponding reflector 56 associated with the fiber , and reflecting light from the patient to the associated fiber with a reflector 56 . there is preferably the step of moving each of n optical fibers 8 comprising the optical fiber array 28 an angular range of n / 360 degrees . preferably , there is the step of applying a linear motion to cause each of the n optical fibers 8 of the optical fiber array 28 to move the angular range . the step of applying the linear motion preferably includes the step of moving axially forward in parallel with the n optical fibers 8 a twisting shaft through a shaft channel 31 extending axially along a fiber shaft holder having n fiber channels 32 arranged around the holder in parallel with the shaft channel 31 which causes the holder to rotate . each of the n optical fibers 8 is disposed in a respective fiber channel 32 of the n fiber channels 32 . the twisting shaft fits in and conforms with the shaft channel 31 , as the shaft moves in the channel . preferably , there is the step of guiding the optical fiber array 28 along a guide wire which is received by a guide wire holder 2 when the guide wire is in a blood vessel , biliary tract , and possibly gu system , but not in the gi tract . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the means for analyzing is preferably described in the figures , where polarization is found in fig3 , position in fig1 - 30 , space in fig3 , and angle in fig3 . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to an apparatus for studying an object . the apparatus comprises means for producing light . the apparatus comprises means for analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization , space , position or angle . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on polarization . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on space . the present invention pertains to a method for studying an object . the method comprises the steps of producing light . the method comprises the steps of analyzing the light that has reflected from the object based on angle . in the operation of the invention , a near infrared broadband light source 51 sends a light beam into the input arm 58 of the array 28 type interferometer . the beam profile from the light source 51 is a circular gaussion . the optics before connector 1 makes the beam profile linear and focuses it into the connector 1 . the array 28 type interferometer consists of multiple fiber - based interferometer that has four fiber arms connected to an opto - coupler 62 . incoming light into the input arm 58 is divided to the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . in the sample arm 59 , optical fibers 8 are distributed like an annular ring , and light will be focused at the target vessel perpendicular to the optical axis . in the reference arm 60 , rsod introduces depth scanning and dispersion compensation . when the reflected light from both arms have the same light path length , strictly speaking within a coherence length , interference occurs . the intensity of the interference signal represents the structural information of a sample . more specifically , in regard to the input arm 58 , and referring to fig1 and 3 , a single beam comes out of s 1 and will be collimated by l 1 . at this point , the beam diameter is big enough to project across all of c 1 &# 39 ; s area , but the beam is still circular . cl 1 and cl 2 , circular lenses , change the beam profile to a linear shape , which means that the beam is not circular anymore , but it looks narrow from fig2 and the same shape with the beam after l 1 on fig3 . ml 1 focuses all light onto c 1 . light source s 1 has a fiber tip from which light departs into air . l 1 is a collimating lens 122 , so the fiber tip of the light source 51 should be located at the back of the focal point of l 1 in order to collimate the light . cl 1 , 2 are cylindrical lenses . separation between two is the sum of each cylindrical lens 122 focal length . they work as a telescope which decrease beam size only in one direction . in other words , the size of the beam does not change from fig3 . ml 1 is a micro lens array 28 , which has a lot of small lenses . each of the small lenses is positioned to have a focal point at each fiber entrance of c 1 . c 1 should be located at the focal point of ml 1 . all micro lenses have same focal length . c 1 is a linear fiber array 28 . in an alternative embodiment of the input arm 58 , as shown in fig4 , known as a fiber based solution : light source s 1 is connected to a single mode fiber , which is connected to fiber splitter ( 50 : 50 ), s 1 . the first fiber splitter is 1 by 2 . each output end of the 1 * 2 fiber splitter is connected to 1 * 4 splitter , sp 1 . each output end of the 1 * 4 splitter , 2 nd layer , is connected to another 1 * 4 splitter , 3 rd layer , sp 2 . at the output of the 3 rd layer , the number of fiber is 32 . 32 fiber comprises a linear fiber array 28 , sp 3 . each fiber is a single mode fiber , which can have a different cutoff frequency . the cutoff frequency is dependent on the center wavelength of the light source 51 . usually , 850 nm or 1300 nm of center wavelength for the light source 51 are used . each fiber is attached to another so that all together they form a linear fiber array 28 . c 1 is connected to multiple interferometers . each interferometer consists of four fiber arms and opto - coupler 62 . at each end of each arm , there is a linear array 28 fiber connector ( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 c 4 ). incoming light will be divided by the opto - coupler 62 into the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively . with respect to the sample arm 59 , this sample arm 59 , as shown in fig5 , 7 , 8 and 17 , goes into the target vessel . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which is of an annular shape at the other end . the total length of the arm will be around 2 ˜ 3 m . when the light leaves the annular tip f , it will be collimated by l 1 and then reflected by l 2 outward from the probe . reflected light from tissue will follow back to l 2 and l 1 and be gathered by the fiber tip . later , two reflected lights from the sample and reference arms 59 , 60 , respectively , will make interference , which will be detected by the array 28 detector d at the detection arm . the sample arm 59 is supposed to go through a target vessel , gi , gu or biliary tract . c 2 is connected to a linear fiber array 28 which has an annular shape at the other end ( probe tip 55 ) ( fig8 ). total length of the sample arm 59 is about 1 . 5 m . the fiber array 28 will be molded by a transparent cover 7 material ( ex : silicon resin or polymers ). at the annular probe tip f shown in fig9 , each fiber is glued at a groove of a cylindrical polymer tube 53 . the shape of each groove is shown at fig1 and 11 . each groove end has a reflector 56 which is 45 ° oblique to axial direction . the groove will be made by micro fabrication technique . each fiber has a lens 122 at the tip , which can be manufactured by splicing a multimode fiber with the same diameter of the cladding 120 of the single mode fiber and then melting the end of multimode fiber in order to get curvature ( fig1 and 13 ). when the light leaves the fiber tip , the light will be reflected outward by the reflector 56 at the end of the groove , and then will be focused at the target tissue area . reflected light from the tissue will follow back the same path as the incoming light , and go to the detection arm . micromachining or micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) and nanotechnology are becoming increasingly popular for the development of improved biomaterials and devices ( macilwain c ., “ us plans large funding boost to support nanotechnology boom ,” nature , 1999 ; 400 : 95 , incorporated by reference herein ). similar to manufacturing methods used for computer microchips , mems processes combine etching and / or material deposition and photolithographic - patterning techniques to develop ultrasmall devices ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ). mems has been proven promising in medicine for its small mass and volume , low cost , and high functionality . successful mems devices in medicine include smart sensor for cataract removal , silicon neurowells , microneedles for gene and drug delivery , and dna arrays ( polla , d . l ., erdman , a . g ., robbins , w . p ., markus , d . t ., diaz - diaz , j ., rizq , r ., nam , y ., brickner , h . t ., wang , a ., krulevitch , p ., “ microdevices in medicine ,” annu . rev . biomed . eng ., 2000 ; 02 : 551 - 76 ; mcallister et al ., 2000 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein ). however , most of the mems processes are planar in nature for two - dimension ( 2d ) micro - features and primary for processing silicon material . other micromachining processes include laser beam micromachining ( lbm ), micro - electrical discharge machine ( micro - edm ), and electron beam machining ( ebm ) ( madou , m ., “ fundamentals of microfabrication ,” crc press : boca raton , 2002 ), incorporated by reference herein . micro - fabrication and micro - device development using metals , metal alloys , silicon , glass , and polymers are described in the following . ( chen , s . c ., cahill , d . g ., and grigoropoulos , c . p ., “ transient melting and deformation in pulsed laser surface micro - modification of ni - p disks ,” j . heat transfer , vol . 122 ( no . 1 ), pp . 107 - 12 , 2000 ; kancharla , v . and chen , s . c ., “ fabrication of biodegradable microdevices by laser micromachining of biodegradable polymers ,” biomedical microdevices , 2002 , vol . 4 ( 2 ): 105 - 109 ; chen , s . c ., kancharla , v ., and lu , y ., “ laser - based microscale patterning of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications ,” in press , international j . nano technology , 2002 ; zheng , w . and chen , s . c ., “ continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” transactions of namrc / sme , vol . 30 , pp . 551 - 555 , 2002 ; chen , s . c ., “ design and analysis of a heat conduction - based , continuous flow , nano - liter scale polymerase chain reaction system ,” becon , 2002 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein ). for the array 28 , a stainless steel cylinder is chosen with a diameter of 1 . 5 mm as the base material . the diameter is 1 . 0 mmm for vascular applications , larger for gu , gi and biliary applications , up to 3 . 0 mm , if desired . both the micro - grooves 54 ( or micro - channels of 200 microns wide ) and the reflecting surfaces are machined by micro - electrical discharge machining ( micro - edm ) or micro - milling using focused ion machined tool . to enhance the reflectivity of the reflecting surface , the stainless steel cylinder are coated with evaporated aluminum using electron - beam evaporation . in regard to the reference arm 60 , shown in fig1 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 4 , and be spectrally distributed by a grating ( g 1 ) and will be focused to a mirror ( ga 1 ). by vibrating ga 1 , the light path length will be changed in order to achieve depth scanning . there are many options to build the reference arm 60 applying existing techniques . a very simple form of the reference arm 60 has just a mirror attached onto a voice coil that is driven by a function generator with sine wave . the light reflects back by the mirror and the mirror position changes the light path length . this path length change provides depth scanning of the target tissue because interference occurs only when both arms have the same light path length . preferably , the reference arm 60 is more complicated than the simple one . that is called rapid - scanning optical delay ( rsod ) which can provide fast depth scanning and dispersion compensation . linear array type beam launches from c 4 , and is collimated by l 1 . a mirror ( m 1 ) reflects the beam to a grating ( g 1 ) which spectrally distributes the broadband source light . spectrally distributed light will be focused on a galvono - scanning mirror ( ga 1 ) by a lens ( l 2 ). separation between g 1 and l 2 determines the amount of chromatic dispersion degree so any material dispersion can be compensated for usually caused by fibers . the beam offset from the scanning mirror center determines the fringe frequency that will show up after interfering two reflected lights . the reflected light from the ga 1 goes to l 2 , g 1 , and to m 2 . and then the light reflected following back incoming path and will be coupled back to c 4 . referring to the detection arm , as shown in fig1 and 16 , light is collimated by l 1 after leaving connector c 3 , and is circular . combination of cl 1 and cl 2 makes the beam look linear in one plane ( horizontal ). micro - lens array ml 1 makes the light focus on the array 28 detector d . as shown in fig1 , 19 a , and 19 b , the scanning probe 50 is comprised of a scanning head 1 , a fiber - shaft holder 3 , a twisted shaft 4 , a transparent cover 7 , a guide wire holder 2 , and a mechanism 9 for linear motion . in this embodiment , the scanning head 1 is adapted to hold a fiber bunch that contain 20 optical fibers 8 , which are arranged around the scanning head 1 in parallel and equal spacing . in operation , each of the fibers is set to scan an angular range of 18 degrees ( 360 °÷ 20 = 18 °). reflective surfaces 11 are formed on the scanning head 1 and are oriented 45 ° degrees to the central axis of each respective optical fibers 8 , such that they would guide the light from the fiber bunch and direct the light through the transparent cover 7 . the scanning head 1 is designed to provide an 18 degrees &# 39 ; back - and - forth rotation . the back - and - forth rotation realizes the scanning function required by the oct system . the mechanism of this back - and forth rotation is described below . the fiber - shaft holder is substantially a multi - tubular structure . it is formed with one shaft channel 31 extending along the central axis of the fiber - shaft holder and 20 fiber channels 32 arranged around the fiber - shaft holder 3 in parallel . the optical fibers 8 extend through respective fiber channels 32 . the shaft channel 31 has a round cross - sectional area . at the upper end of the shaft channel 31 , the shaft channel 31 is an opening , but the geometry of the opening is reduced from the round cross - sectional area to a rectangular cross - sectional hole 311 . the reason for this structural design will be described along with the description of the twisted shaft 4 . the twisted shaft 4 has a rectangular cross - section area , which is identical in geometry to the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 . indicated by its name , the shaft 4 is partially twisted along the shaft central axis and can be divided into a non - twisted part 41 and a twisted part 42 . in assembly , the shaft 4 is passed through the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 , and it is enabled to slide back - and - forth via the rectangular cross - sectional hole . the relative motion of the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 form the mechanism that realizes a back - and - forth rotation . the reason is that when the twisted part 42 of the shaft 4 slides through the rectangular cross - sectional hole , the shaft 4 itself is forced to rotate along the shaft central axis to fit the matching of both the surfaces of the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the twisted shaft 4 . particularly , the shaft 4 and the holder 3 compose a mechanism 9 that can transmit a linear motion into a rotational motion . the description is now focused on the scanning head 1 . the scanning head 1 has a rectangular socket 12 , which has a cross - section area identical to that of the twisted shaft 4 . the rectangular socket 12 provides a channel covering the non - twisted part 41 of the twisted shaft 4 and lets the non - twisted part 41 exert the back - and forth motion inside the rectangular socket 12 . the moving range of the shaft 4 is constrained such that the twisted part 42 does not pass into the scanning head &# 39 ; s rectangular socket 12 ( that will result in a geometric mismatch ), but the twisted part 42 only interacts with the fiber - shaft holder &# 39 ; s rectangular cross - sectional hole . according to the description above , the motion of the shaft 4 is comprised of a linear component ( v ) and an angular component ( ω ). referring to the geometry of the rectangular socket 12 and non - twisted part 41 of the shaft 4 , the shaft motion &# 39 ; s linear component ( v ) would not contribute to the motion of the scanning head 1 ( regardless of the friction between the surfaces ), but the angular component ( ω ) does . the scanning head 1 rotates back and forth with the rotational motion of the twisted shaft 4 , which in turn results from the twisted shaft &# 39 ; s linear back - and - forth movement relative to the fiber - shaft holder 3 . as a result , the scanning head 1 provides a back - and - forth rotational motion transmitted from the back and forth linear motion provided by the twisted shaft 4 . a guide wire holder 2 is a module used to guide the scanning probe 50 toward the investigated section of the detected blood vessel , biliary duct , and possibly gu application . for the gi tract , a guide wire is generally not used . in operation , a guide wire 01 , or “ guide tissue ”, is previously disposed along a specific route of human vessels , such that a track for the scanning probe 50 of the oct system can be formed . the guide wire holder 2 constrains the scanning probe 50 such that it can only slide along the track formed by the guide wire 01 . the scanning probe 50 is therefore guided to the patient section to be investigated . guide wire holder 2 and holder 5 function as bearings of the scanning head 1 . they constrain the movement of the scanning head 1 and stabilize it . as well , a compressive spring 6 is disposed between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly compressed in assembly , such that it pushes the scanning head 1 against the holder 5 and eliminates any potential axial movement of the scanning head 1 that may result in axial positioning errors ( δd ). it is preferable that the spring 6 supplies torque between the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 has its both ends , respectively , fixed on the scanning head 1 and the fiber - shaft holder 3 . the spring 6 is mildly twisted in assembly . by this means , the spring can provide a torque to the back - and - forth rotational mechanism , such that the backlash ( resulting from , for example , the tolerance between the rectangular cross - sectional hole and the shaft ) of the rotational mechanism , as well as the resultant angular positioning errors ( δθ ), are eliminated . note that , the cross - section geometry of the shaft channel 31 is circular . with respect to the shaft channel 31 , the twisted shaft 4 is formed with a cylinder part 43 at its end of the twisted part 42 . the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 performs a motion like a piston . in an upward movement of the twisted shaft 4 , due to the geometric difference , the cylinder part 43 would be blocked at the edge 33 of the rectangular cross - sectional hole of the fiber - shaft holder 3 and provide an upper stopper for the twisted shaft 4 . on the other hand , a lower stopper 34 is placed to block the cylinder part 43 in a downward movement . the function of the upper and lower stoppers is helpful in controlling the movement of the twisted shaft 4 , as well as controlling the angular motion of the scanning head 1 . there are many methods in the prior art that are able to provide the power for the mechanism to push and pull the twisted shaft 4 to generate the linear movement . however , hydraulic force , particularly fluidic pressure , is preferred due to the following advantages : 1 . electricity is not required to be transmitted into the scanning head 1 to energize a hydraulic linear mechanism 9 . some of the mechanisms , such as electromagnetic systems ( or more particularly , some micro - motors ), require not only electricity to be energized , but also additional components , e . g ., coils or magnets , installed to the scanning head 1 to transform the electrical energy into mechanical momentum . the use of electricity is not preferable for medical issues ; and the requirement of additional components would increase the technical difficulty in manufacturing and the complexity of the whole system . some of the other mechanisms , like those comprising piezoelectric materials , can be composed with little space and simple structure , but they still need to receive a large voltage to generate the required momentum . 2 . a hydraulic mechanism 9 takes little space . the structure of the hydraulic mechanism 9 is illustrated in fig1 a and 18 b . the hydraulic mechanism 9 can be simply a liquid conduit that guides liquid , such as water , to push or pull the piston system comprised of the cylinder part 43 and the shaft channel 31 . considering that leakage through the gap of a piston system may result in undesirable problems , the hydraulic mechanism 9 is , preferably , comprised of a micro - balloon 91 made by a polymeric thin film . as shown in fig1 a and 18 b , the twisted shaft 4 is in its lower position when the balloon 91 is flat ( fig1 a ). as water is pumped into the piston system , the balloon 91 becomes turgid , and the twisted shaft 4 is pushed toward its upper position with an 18 degree spin ( fig1 b ). the required back - and forth motion can be generated by switching the flat and turgid states of the micro - balloon 91 . for a single fiber oct system , a scan rate of 6 rev / sec ( 6 hz ) is satisfactory [ andrew m . rollins et al ., “ real - time in vivo imaging of human gastrointestinal ultrastructure by use of endoscopic optical coherence tomography with a novel efficient interferometer design ”, optics letters , vol . 24 , no . 19 , oct . 1 , 1999 , incorporated by reference herein ]. that means in one second the oct system should be able to provide at least 6 pictures illustrating the cross - sectional data of the vessel . the scanning probe 50 has 20 fibers , so the satisfactory scan rate can be reduced to 0 . 3 hz ( 6 ÷ 20 = 0 . 3 ), which is much slower and much easier to be realized by the hydraulic actuating system . ideally , 15 pictures / sec . is required for optimal image resolution . rather than continuous rotation , the scanning probe 50 operates in a back - and - forth manner , so that the angular speed of the scanning head 1 will not be constant even when the whole system reaches its steady state . during operation , therefore , detecting the angle of the scanning head 1 , as well as figuring out the angular position that the scanned data belongs to , are important issues . the angle of the scanning head 1 can be simply approximated by comparing the output effort of the pumping system with a reference curve obtained from previous experiments . more precise detection can be reached by the analysis of the feedback of the optical signals . for example , analyzing the light doppler effect [ volker westphal at al ., “ real - time , high velocity - resolution color doppler optical coherence tomography ”, optics letters , vol . 27 , no . 1 , jan 1 , 2002 , incorporated by reference herein ] of the feedback signals is another method . the twisted shaft 4 can be formed by precise cnc machining that is well known in the industry . a thin round shaft , minimum diameter 1 . 0 mm , may be used as the intrinsic material before the machining . for production , two ends of the round shaft are clamped , its central portion is precisely milled and four orthogonal planes on the central portion are generated . the planes define the rectangular cross - section of the twisted shaft 4 ( forming a long shaft in this step ), as shown in fig2 a . following the milling , one of the two clamps holding the shaft is rotated relative to the other clamp to twist the shaft a specific angle about its central axis . the twisted part of the twisted shaft 4 being formed . following the twisting step , the rotated clamp is released to free the elastic distortion of the shaft ( with its plastic distortion remaining ), and then the clamp is tightened again . at the next step , as shown by fig2 b , the shaft is milled again at one side of its still - round portion , thereby generating another rectangular portion that is untwisted . the cylindrical portion ( serves as a piston ) is formed from the round portion of the shaft . a precise lathering could further be used to fix the central axis and diameter of the cylindrical part . as shown in fig2 c , only a short portion of the shaft is required . the excess portion of the shaft part is cut off . as shown in fig2 a , the fiber - shaft holder 3 can be combined with two parts , a and b . the part a is actually the body of the catheter . the cross - section of the catheter is shown in fig2 b ; the catheter could be manufactured by the cable extrusion technique that generally is applied in fiber optics industry [ refer to the homepage of optical cable corporation .] note that the central channel of the catheter is used to be the conduit for the guidance of actuating liquid mentioned previously . there are also several conduits used to guide air flowing in and out the probing tip to balance the air pressure inside the oct system ( during operation , the free volume inside the probing tip changes while the twisted shaft 4 is moving ). the diameter of the conduit is equal to that of the cylinder part 43 of the twisted shaft 4 . part b in fig2 a is simply a plate having fiber holding edges ( b 1 ) and a rectangular central opening ( b 2 ). this part could be made from metal by using punching technology as is commonly applied in the industry . in assembly , part a and part b are connected with glue such as epoxy . the lower stopper , which is required to constrain the twisted shaft 4 at its lower position , is formed together with the formation of the micro - balloon . micro - molding with polymeric material ( such as sbs ) could be used to fabricate the scanning head 1 . the process of micro - molding requires a set of micro - molds . in this case , the fiber grooves 54 and the reflective surface 11 at the end of the fiber grooves 54 can be realized by a set of micro - molds comprised of 18 edges ( fig2 a ), each of which has the geometry shown in fig6 b . as well , the central rectangular channel could be molded by a rectangular shaft made by the equipment for the fabrication of the twisted shaft 4 . for the convenience of assembly , the scanning head 1 could be previously provided with the geometry shown in fig2 c . the excess parts of the scanning head 1 would provide guidance and help with the alignment for the optical fibers 8 . uv glue could be used to fix the position of the optical fibers 8 . the excess portion of the scanning head 1 could be cut off after the assembly of the optical fibers 8 . in another embodiment , laser beams heat at least three different locations on the surface of the micro - mirror 210 , which is shown as a disk in fig2 - 25 , successively . the micro - mirror 210 will provide a wabling corresponding to this kind of un - symmetric heating process , and an incident light ( other than the heating laser ) can be redirected in a swaying manner . the heating process corresponds to the rotation period of the micro - mirror 210 as required . the micro - mirror 210 comprises two layers : a first layer 212 and a second layer 214 ( fig2 ). at least one of the two layers can generate structural deformation ( contraction or expansion ) by the application of laser light . if the case is that both of the layers are deformable by laser light , the sensitivities of the two layers to a same laser light would be set different to each others . fig2 shows the perspective view of the micro - mirror 210 . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated with a laser beam , there will be expansion or contraction in the layers . because the expansion or contraction within the layers is of different degrees ( only one layer is deformed or the two layers are deformed with different degrees ), the structure of the whole micro - mirror 210 will be twisted . for example , in fig2 , when the section marked with the pie is irradiated with a laser beam , there is a deformation generated as shown in fig2 . the material of the first and second layers 212 , 214 could be metals or photosensitive polymers . in the case of metal layers , for example , the first layer 212 is poly - silicon and the second layer 214 is gold . the mechanism of the expansion or contraction within the layers is thermal expansion . the metals will absorb the energy of a laser beam and be heated . due to different thermal expansion coefficients of the two layers , the structure will be twisted or bent . this will result in turning the mirror , as shown in fig2 . in the case of photosensitive polymers , for example , liquid crystal materials , the mechanism of the expansion or contraction inside the layers is a phase change of the materials . under the irradiation of a laser beam , the molecules of the polymeric materials will undergo phase change , wherein the chemical structures of the materials are deformed , and a structural deformation occurs . next , similar to the case of metal layers , the degrees of deformation of the two layers are different , and there will be a twisting or bending effect in the structure of the micro - mirror 210 , and the effect in fig2 is reached . when the structure is twisted or bent by the application of laser energy , the surface of the mirror , shown in fig2 , can be tiled to a specific direction . therefore , one can control the direction of the micro - mirror 210 by controlling the laser energy input . the way to control the application of the laser light is to select the location on the micro - mirror 210 to be irradiated by the laser beam , and control the intensity of the laser . by controlling the location , one can control the tilting direction of the mirror ; and by controlling the intensity , one can control the tilting angle of the micro - mirror 210 . referring to fig2 and fig2 , by continuously changing the laser - shining location ( fig2 ), the tilting direction of the micro - mirror 210 can be continuously changed ( fig2 ). that is , the micro - mirror 210 could be rotated by changing the location of the laser - shining . this is the mechanism for the rotation of the laser - actuated micro - mirror 210 . as to the assembly of the whole oct system ( fig2 ), the micro - mirror 210 is mounted on a base 21 b connected to the tip end of the probe cover . there is no object between the fibers and the mirror . fiber 1 , which is used to guide the detecting light , is the same fiber used in other embodiments of the oct probe . the detecting light is redirected by the tilting surface of the micro - mirror 210 , such that it can scan around by means of the tilting and rotating mirror . the fibers 2 are used to guide the actuating - laser light . as shown , at least three fibers 2 are needed . the fibers 2 fire lasers in turns , such that they can generate continuous tilting effect as shown in fig2 and fig2 . the other features of the laser - actuating oct probe are the same as those described in other embodiments . for instance , the fiber , and fibers 2 are disposed in a fiber shaft holder 3 . after the fabrication by semiconductor technique , which is well known by those skillful in the art , the mirror is formed on a substrate ( usually silicon substrate ). the substrate material forms the base . then a small piece is cut from the base that carries the mirror from the substrate with a dicer . the small piece is mounted on to the tip &# 39 ; s end by glue ( epoxy , for example ). only one fiber 1 is enough to transmit the detecting light in this embodiment . during operation , a circular scanning profile of the detecting laser is realized . in this embodiment , illustrated in fig3 , the detecting laser is not centered to the mirror &# 39 ; s center . instead , the following remain constant : ( 1 ) d , the distance between the mirror center and the axis of the detecting light . ( 2 ) alfa , the angle between the mirror surface and the axis of the detecting light . an open - loop system is used for position feedback to properly arrange the periodical change of the laser powers from the three fibers 2 to realize the constant alfa and d . the position control is more complex than single - fiber 2 actuation . particularly , the micro - mirror 210 needs a period of time to respond mechanically to the laser energy coming from the fiber 2 . even though it is known when and which of the fibers 2 are firing the laser power , the exact direction of the mirror surface information cannot be assured . the absolute position of the mirror is actually not necessary . instead , speed - control is used to control the rotation of the scanning mirror . for example , in the case of the mirror driven by a transmission cable rotated from outside , the exact position of the mirror ( which may be affected by a delay of cable transmission due to the cable &# 39 ; s compliance ) is not of concern ; the rotation period of the mirror is controlled so that the “ relative position ” of the mirror is known . after receiving a continuous data stream from the reflected detecting laser , the cross - section image of the vessel is constructed by simply matching the data series to the rotating period . in this embodiment , the operation will be similar . what is different is that the micro - mirror 210 is not actuated by a rotator but by three bimorph heat - deformable cantilever beams . this makes the control more complex . if only one of the fiber 2 fires at one time , it will be very different if not impossible for the mirror to scan a circular profile needed . instead , the three fibers 2 are needed to fire together , with different powers , to bend the three cantilevers at different status at one time to match a circular scanning profile . the three cantilevers are actuated individually by the three fibers 2 such that they cooperate with specific bending patterns that realize a circular scanning profile on the wall of the vessel . in an alternative embodiment regarding the micro - mirror 210 , the fibers 1 and the fibers 2 are reversed so healing energy comes from a single fiber 2 disposed preferably along the central axis of the tube . the plurality of fibers 1 are disposed about the circumference of the tube . when the micro - mirror 210 is irradiated by the laser beam from the fiber 2 , the laser energy causes the mirror to bend . by changing the intensity of the laser or pulsing the laser , motion can be imported to the micro - mirror 210 which wires the probe tip to which it is attached , to move back and forth , and thus the plurality of fibers 1 for scanning the interior of the area of the patient in question . thermal expansion material normally can generate ˜ 5 % of elongation for a temperature rise of 100 ° c . the length of the material inside the oct is originally 20 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of 1 mm . polymers , including photosensitive polymers and shape memory polymers are able to generate & gt ; 100 % of photo - induced elongations or shrinkages . the material inside the oct is originally 1 mm , which can therefore generate a thermal elongation of another 1 mm . optical tomographic instrumentation may be specified by spectrally resolved bandwidth , which is equivalent to number of spectrally resolvable cells . each spectrally resolvable cell has a width δν , such that number of cells resolvable by the instrument is n instrument = δν / δν , where δν is the available optical bandwidth of source light . the range of group - time delays the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is given by : δτ instrument = 1 / δν . the smallest resolvable group - time delay the optical tomographic instrument can resolve is δτ coherence = 1 / δν . number of spectrally resolvable cells the optical tomographic instrument may resolve is given by : for 1 oct a - scan into the object being imaged , the requirement for number of spectrally resolvable cells is − n a - scan = δz / l c , lc ˜ c g / δv , δz = imaging depth , l c ( coherence length ), and c g is the group velocity of light in the object . where δτ a - scan = δz / c g is the round - trip propagation time for light to propagate from the most superficial and deepest position ( to be imaged ) in the object . for some optical tomographic imaging instruments ( e . g ., those that employ narrow linewidth tunable laser sources or high resolution spectrometers ), the above condition can be stated in three manners : a ) the number of spectrally resolvable cells for the instrument ( n instrument ) is much greater than that required for one a - scan ( n a - scan ); 2 ) the range of group time delays the instrumentation is capable of resolving ( δτ instrument ) is much greater than the group - time delay for a single a - scan ( δτ a - scan ); 3 ) available optical bandwidth of source light ( δν ) is much greater than spectral width of each resolvable cell of the instrumentation ( δν ). because the instrument can resolve many more cells than that required for one a - scan , multiplexing techniques are presented here to efficiently utilize the information carrying capacity ( bandwidth ) afforded by optical tomographic imaging instruments . selection criteria of multiplexing techniques employed may be derived in part by the ratio n instrument / n a - scan = δτ instrument / δτ a - scan = δν / δν . larger ratios provide a wider selection of possible multiplexing techniques and more candidate domains ( polarization , space , angle , temporal ) to multiplex into . moreover , multiplexing spectral information into just one domain ( e . g . spatial ) is not the only envisioned approach . generally , additional spectral information may be resolved into multiple domains ( e . g ., polarization and spatial ). a . polarization : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the polarization domain using a system indicated in fig3 . at least two incident polarization states 90 ° apart on the poincare sphere are input into the interferometer . the polarization signature of the light reflected from the sample , such as a vessel wall or nerve fiber layer , is compared to known polarization signatures of materials , such as plaques or a diseased nerve fiber layer . the reflected light and thus the material from which it was reflected is then identified . the fiber delivery system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , can be used . the theory of operation of this approach is described using mueller matrices or the spectrally - resolved jones calculus . by inserting a fospi in the detection path of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( sd - oct ) instrumentation , the full set of stokes parameters of light backscattered at the specific depth in the specimen can be obtained without any other polarization controlling components in reference / sample / detection path of the interferometer and the prior knowledge of the polarization state of the light incident on the sample . in this configuration , two factors determine the spectral modulation . one is optical path length difference between the reference and sample surface , ( δ ( ν )), introduced by the common - path sdoct and the other is phase retardations , φ 1 ( ν ) and φ 2 ( ν ) generated by the retarder system in the fospi . therefore , output from the presented single channel polarization sensitive ( ps ) sd - oct in the time - delay domain is the convolution of the output from fospi and that from sd - oct . where the first two terms are the stokes parameters of light from the reference and sample path , respectively , and the last term is the contribution of interference . consider the birefringent sample with phase retardation δ and fast - axis oriented at angle of α . then , the stokes parameters of the light from the sample ( s i , 2 ) and interference ( s i , i ) are calculated in terms of the stokes parameters of light from the reference , s 0 , 1 , s 1 , 1 , s 2 , 1 , s 3 , 1 . s 1 , 2 r s 2 ( cos 2 2α + cos δ sin 2 2α ) s 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 2 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 2 , 2 = r s 2 ( 1 − cos δ ) sin2α cos2 αs 1 , 1 + r s 2 ( sin 2 2α + cosδ cos 2 2α ) s 2 , 1 + r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 3 , 1 s 3 , 2 = r s 2 sin δ sin2 αs 1 , 1 − r s 2 sin δ cos2 αs 2 , 1 + r s 2 cosδs 3 , 1 ( 1 ) s 0 , i = 2 r s cos δcos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) s 1 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 2 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) + 2 r s sin δ sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 s 3 , i = 2 r s cos δ ( sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 ) ( 2 ) with a reflection coefficient of the sample r s and an optical path length difference between the sample and reference path δ . here , the terms including trigonometric functions of δ represent the interference between the light from reference and sample paths . the measured intensity from sdoct passing through the fospi for a birefringent sample , then , is i out , i ( v ) = r s cos δ cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 + r s sin δ sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ - φ 2 ) ] + 1 2 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 sin ( δ + φ 2 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] + 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 - φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ - φ 2 - φ 1 ) ] - 1 4 r s [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) cos ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) + { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } sin ( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ) ] ( 3 ) for the interference signal . fourier transform of equation ( 3 ) gives seven components in the positive optical path length difference domain which are centered at δ , δ ± φ 2 , δ ±( φ 2 − φ 1 ), δ ±( φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . inverse fourier transforms of each component are as follows . δ : 1 2 r s ⅇ ⅈδ { cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 - i sin δ 2 ( cos 2 α s 1 , 1 + sin 2 α s 2 , 1 ) } ( 4 ) δ + φ 2 : 1 4 r s ⅇ ⅈφ 2 ⅇ ⅈδ { ( cos δ 2 s 1 , 1 - sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 } ( 5 ) δ + φ 2 - φ 1 : 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 - φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 - s 1 , 1 ) + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 - cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 6 ) δ + φ 2 + φ 1 : - 1 8 r s ⅇ ⅈ ( φ 2 + φ 1 ) ⅇ ⅈδ [ ( cos δ 2 s 2 , 1 + sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 3 , 1 ) - i { sin δ 2 sin 2 α ( s 0 , 1 + s 1 , 1 ) - sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 2 , 1 + cos δ 2 s 3 , 1 } ] ( 7 ) comparing with equation ( 2 ), real part of equation ( 4 ) gives s 0 , i / 4 and real part of equation of ( 5 ) after shifting the phase by − φ 2 gives s 1 , i / 8 . likewise , s 2 , i / 8 and s 3 , i / 8 can be obtained by taking the real part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) and the imaginary part of addition of ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) after the appropriate phase shift , −( φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( φ 2 + φ 1 ) for ( 6 ) and ( 7 ), respectively . moreover , simple arithmetic gives phase retardation due to the birefringence of the sample , δ , without knowledge of incident polarization state . the real part of ( 4 ), imaginary part of ( 5 ), the imaginary part of subtraction of ( 7 ) from ( 6 ) are 1 2 r s cos δ 2 s 0 , 1 ( 8 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 cos 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 9 ) - 1 4 r s sin δ 2 sin 2 α s 0 , 1 ( 10 ) after the phase shift by − δ , −( δ + φ 2 ), −( δ + φ 2 − φ 1 ) and −( δ + φ 2 + φ 1 ), respectively . with a trigonometric identity , the following can be obtained tan δ 2 = 2 ( 9 ) 2 + ( 10 ) 2 ( 8 ) . ( 11 ) phase retardation due to birefringence [ fig3 ] and fast - axis angle [ fig3 ] of the birefringent sample were estimated from interference between the back surface of the glass window and the back surface of the birefringent sample by using eqs . above . for this measurement , the birefringent sample was rotated in 5 ° increments from 0 ° to 90 °. an estimated single - pass phase retardation of 34 . 06 °± 2 . 68 ° is consistent with a value deduced from the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specification ( 31 . 4 °). the estimated fast - axis angle is shown in fig4 ( b ) and is plotted with respect to orientation of the birefringent sample . b . space or lateral position : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the space or lateral position domain using a system indicated below . 1 . existing multifiber approach : ( described above ) 2 . spatially scanned light : the schematic of the experimental setup of a fiber - based spatially multiplexed swept source oct ( sm - ss - oct ) system is depicted in fig3 using the system described in pct patent application number pct / us2004 / 012773 , incorporated by reference herein , where the top is preferably rotated at least 100 times for each position . a tunable laser and spectrum analyzer ( tlsa 1000 , precision photonics , inc .) that operates in the 1520 - 1620 nm wavelength range ( λ 0 = 1570 nm ) with fwhm spectral line width specified at 150 khz is used as the illuminating source and is equipped with an optical isolator to protect the laser from spurious reflections . the laser output is coupled into one arm of a 2 × 2 fiber - based coupler ( interferometer ). the 50 %- 50 % coupler splits this beam into two nearly equal parts , used in the reference and sample arms , respectively . the reference arm has a fixed path length , and simply consists of a fixed mirror that reflects the entire light incident upon it back into the fiber - based coupler . the light exiting the sample arm of the interferometer is collimated , and scanned across the sample by a scanning galvanometer and a focusing lens . the scanning galvanometer and focusing lens is used to rapidly scan the lateral positions of the tissue . the tlsa 1000 completes one complete wavelength sweep in approximately one second . within this time , the galvanometer is programmed to sweep all lateral positions of the tissue several hundred times . light returning from the sample interferes with the light from the fixed reference in the fiber - based interferometer , and the resultant spectral interference signal ( due to path length variations between sample and reference reflections ) is detected by a photodetector placed in the detection arm of the system . the electrical output is digitized , and a non - uniform fourier transform ( nuft ) of each a - line spectral data gives the depth profile of the sample reflectance . fig3 and 35 are images of a 100 micron thick slide recorded with the spatially multiplexed oct system . the images are of the same object ( microscope cover glass ) only for one image ( fig3 ) the intensity of the light returning from the sample is displayed on a linear greyscale while in the other image ( fig3 ) is displayed according to logarithm of the intensity . c . angle : the additional spectral cells may be used to record information in the angle domain using a system indicated in fig3 . fig3 depicts a multi fiber angle - domain oct system . the output of the frequency - swept source a is split into n fibers through the splitter b . the light passes through the circulators c , is collimated , focused through a lens , contacts the tissue , and then is reflected into any of the multiplicity of fibers . a reference reflector for each path is introduced into each fiber segment . for example , the reference reflector can be positioned at the terminal end of each fiber segment . for each i &# 39 ; th input fiber segment , interference is formed between light backscattered from the tissue and into the j &# 39 ; th fiber and the reference reflection from the j &# 39 ; th fiber . for n fibers , n 2 interference fringes are formed each corresponding to an incident ( α i ) and backscattered angle ( β j ). light intensity in the spectral domain is then converted to a voltage through a photoreceiver , which outputs to an adc board , which is read into a computer . this system allows phase - sensitive angle resolved imaging of discrete light paths in and out - of the specimen . using a space - spatial frequency transformation ( e . g ., two - dimensional fourier transformation ) lateral structures can be imaged with sub - wavelength resolution . d . space - angle combinations ( e . g . x dimension − space , y dimension − angle ): the space and angle dimensions may be combined to form systems that use the additional spectral cells image both space and angles . for example , additional spectral cells may be used to record position information in one dimension ( e . g . x ) and angle information in the orthogonal dimension ( y ). although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims . | Is 'Human Necessities' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | c21c63da958ce05d46aef54e3350f77aa1adac7d89f4fcdb7b7057ce8cf13287 | 0.05835 | 0.192383 | 0.003479 | 0.161133 | 0.075684 | 0.289063 |
null | as shown in fig1 incoming speech from telephone equipment 101 is transmitted over analog twisted pair lines 103 to one of a plurality of linecards 105 which form a proprietary or switch specific barrier at central office 107 . one known such switch specific barrier is a dms - 100 . after processing the information in the switch specific barrier at central office 107 , the speech can be routed over t1 carrier facilities to another central office 111 where another switch specific barrier having linecards 113 can then route the speech from phone equipment 101 over analog switched pair 115 to a receiving phone equipment 117 . as previously discussed , in north america t1 carrier facilities 109 are operated at 1 . 544 mbps in which 24 8 - bit speech words are transmitted in a single 125 μs frame . thus , 192 information bits are transmitted at 8 kilohertz in the 125 μs frame . in addition , a framing bit is also included in the 125 μs frame , thus resulting in 193 bits being transmitted in a 125 μs frame . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to north american t1 carrier facilities but can be applied to other carrier facilities using other data rates and formats employed throughout the world . it should also be noted that , as shown in fig1 incoming speech may originate at another end of the system , such as phone equipment 119 , so that it is transmitted over analog lines 121 through linecards 113 and over carrier facilities 109 to central office 107 . here this speech information could then be routed by linecards 105 over analog lines 123 to telephone equipment 125 . the emergence of the integrated services digital network ( isdn ) as an important telecommunication means has resulted in isdn equipment 201 being connected to linecards , e . g . 203 in central office 205 over a 192 kbps link in which two b channels and one d channel are connected to each linecard . there are three channels operating on the 192 kbps link . each of the two b channels operates at 64 kbps , the d channel has a 16 kbps capability . in addition , as previously discussed , a t1 transmission line operates at 1 . 544 mbps . this accommodates 24 8 - bit speech words per 125 μs frame so that 24 pieces of standard phone equipment can be multiplexed on a single t1 carrier facility . however , each isdn equipment conventionally occupies three 64 kbps channels resulting in a 192 kbps band width . this allows only eight isdn devices to be accommodated by a single t1 carrier facility . this is illustrated in fig3 which shows that isdn devices 301 can be connected to multiplexer 303 and transmitted to a central office switch 305 over t1 carrier facilities 307 . the t1 carrier facilities 307 can accommodate 24 64 kbps channels . since each isdn device conventionally requires three channels , eight isdn devices can be accommodated on the t1 carrier facility 307 communicating with central office switch 305 . fig4 shows a configuration in a central office 401 in which multiplexer 417 receives information from linecards 409 , 411 , and 415 which are connected to telephone equipment 403 , 405 and 407 , respectively . multiplexer 417 receives information from the linecards and formats it for transmission to the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 . the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 is designed to accommodate the number of channels desired by the designer . since information must be provided to switch matrix 419 in the 64 kbps format , multiplexer 417 must operate to provide the 16 kbps d channel isdn information in the same 64 kbps format . this presents no problem for the two isdn b channels . however , since the d channels operate at 16 kbps transmitting information in the 64 kbps format requires duplicating the d channel information so that the same information is transmitted four times . this wastes capacity and is obviously undesirable . fig5 illustrates a switch matrix 419 designed to switch 1 , 000 channels . a frame pulse on signal line 501 activates channel counter 503 whose output on signal line 507 is incremented in response to a clock 505 . each incremented output of the channel counter on output line 507 provides an address code to data memory 509 and connection memory 511 . fig6 illustrates how a 125 μs frame is channelized into one thousand 125 nanosecond channels . eight - bit entities are transmitted in each 125 nanosecond time increment . thus , speech information received as 8 - bit entities on line 513 is sequentially clocked into the data memory so that one 8 - bit entity is stored for each increment of the channel counter . for the data memory 509 , output signal on line 507 from the channel counter 503 points to the address where the received information 513 is to be stored . linecard controller 515 provides information to connection memory 511 concerning the destination of the information , such as speech data and control information , stored in the data memory 509 . thus , each increment of the channel counter provides an address of the connection memory at which the destination of the information stored at the corresponding address in the data memory is identified . it should be noted that 8 - bit entities of information can be stored in data memory 509 at sequential addresses for plain old telephone service ( pots ) and for the b channels of isdn devices . however , since the d channels of isdn devices are transmitted at only 16 kilobits per second , which is 1 / 4 the 64 kbps data rate of pulse code modulated speech information in line 513 , only two bits are required for each d - channel . in order to conform to the 64 kbps format , the d channel information is therefore duplicated so that eight bits of information are transmitted on the channel . during the first half cycle of a clock , incoming speech on signal line 513 is placed in memory . during the second half cycle of a clock , the connection memory is accessed to identify the destination of the information stored in the data memory at the address defined by the channel counter . for example , speech information can be transmitted over data output line 519 while destination information is transmitted over line 521 to routing circuit 523 . it should be noted that the routing circuit 523 can be replaced by using the data output of the connection memory as an address input to the data memory . fig7 illustrates how this can be accomplished . in this configuration , channel counter 701 clocked by clock 703 produces outputs on line 705 which are provided to multiplexers 707 and 709 . multiplexer 709 provides address information on line 711 to connection memory 713 . this information can be the output from the channel counter 705 or a microprocessor address on line 715 which is provided by a linecard controller , e . g . 515 , used to program the routing information into the connection memory . it should be noted that linecard controller 515 is used to completely define in the connection memory the routing information for each channel . data memory 717 receives its address information from the output of multiplexer 707 on line 719 . line 719 contains either the channel counter output on line 705 or latched connection memory information on line 721 . line 721 is defined by the output of latch 723 which is connected to the data output 725 of connection memory 713 . the output of multiplexers 707 and 709 depends on the status of clocks 727 and 729 . during the first half clock cycle , input pulse code modulated ( pcm ) information or speech information received on signal line 731 is transmitted through data line 733 and read into data memory 717 . this is accomplished by activating multiplexer 707 to put the channel count on line 705 as the address on signal 719 of the data memory . the speech or pulse code modulated information is then read into the data memory 717 . in addition , signal line 711 is also clocked so that the address on connection memory 713 corresponds to the output of channel counter 701 on signal lines 705 . thus , during the first half clock cycle the connection memory data output , which defines the destination of the speech at the address location on line 711 is latched into latch 723 . during the second half clock cycle , address line 719 is then switched via clock 727 so that multiplexer 707 provides the information on signal line 721 to the address input of the data memory 717 . as a result , during the second half of the clock cycle pulse code modulated information is transmitted on data line 733 from the address defined by connection memory 713 to the channel corresponding to the channel counter value . fig8 a illustrates a series of incoming 8 - bit entities which are sequentially provided from each of the linecards . the location of each entity is determined by the sequential nature of channel counter 503 . thus , 8 - bit entity a is placed into memory in the first sequential location , the second 8 - bit entity b is placed into the second sequential location , and so on . this occurs for each of the channels in a 125 μs frame . as shown in fig8 a , entities a - e and g are 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech . entity f represents the d channel information from the first isdn device defined by an operator to linecard controller 515 . it should be noted that operator interface 525 provides an individual operator a means for defining to linecard controller 515 the nature of each of the linecards operating at a particular switching station . thus , in the example shown in fig8 a - 9c channels a , b , and c could be accommodating plain old telephone service ( pots ) while channels d and e represent b channels for the first isdn device . channel f represents the d channel information for the first isdn device . as previously discussed , the d channels of isdn devices operate at 16 kbps while the remaining channels operate at 64 kbps . the switching device , such as 64 kbps switch 419 , requires a consistent format . since the d channels operate at only 1 / 4 the data rate of the other channels , and since each channel is 8 bits , only 2 bits are required to transmit the d channel information , which typically control information for the isdn device . however , in order to maintain a consistent 64 kbps format , the two d channel bits are duplicated so that 8 bits are stored in the data memory . the 8 bits are then transmitted in accordance with the information programmed into the connection memory , e . g . 511 or 713 , so that the 8 bits are transmitted through the switch matrix . this is shown in fig8 b where channel f , which is stored at location 6 , contains d channel information for the first isdn device , the d1 channel . data stream h stored at location 8 contains d channel information for the second isdn device , the d2 channel . fig8 b shows that the d1 information is routed to location 100 while the d2 information is routed to location 210 . in this example of a conventional system all 8 bits would then be transmitted in order to be routed to the appropriate location . thus , to accommodate the d1 and d2 channels , 16 bits are transmitted , even though 12 of the transmitted bits merely duplicate the basic information required . only four of the 16 bits actually need to be transmitted to provide the proper control to the first and second isdn devices . this principle is true for any number of isdn devices and as the number of isdn channels in a frame increases , the penalty for transmitting redundant information also increases . fig8 c illustrates one way in which the outgoing information can be packed to avoid the transmission of redundant information . fig8 c shows that when the first isdn d channel is encountered , d channel information for additional isdn devices which can be accommodated by the number of bits in the channel is also transmitted . thus , in the example shown in fig8 the 2 bits required for transmitting d1 channel information are followed by transmitting 2 bits for the d2 channel information . because 8 bits can be transmitted in a channel , this approach could be extended to d3 and d4 channels , as required and remain transparent to other devices in the system . additional isdn devices , e . g . d - channels d5 - d8 , could be accommodated as another eight bit entity formed by string the 8 bit d channel information together in sequence . in cases where 8 bits are not required , e . g . only two isdn channels to be transmitted , the &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ; bits can be ignored . since the d1 and d2 channel information has been transmitted when the address counter is at location 100 , 2 bits of d1 channel information and 2 bits of d2 channel information are transmitted . as previously noted , if 2 bits of d3 information and 2 bits of d4 information were available , these would also be transmitted so that a maximum of an 8 bit entity would be transmitted at one time . the advantage to transmitting the d channel control information in this fashion is that the information is required only once per frame . thus , when channel counter 513 increments to location 210 , the d2 channel information need not be transmitted . location 210 instead becomes available to accommodate an additional pulse code modulated information channel . as a result , the information carrying capacity of the system is increased without necessitating construction of additional transmission capability . for example , as previously discussed , a t1 carrier facility accommodates 24 64 kbps channels with each channel transmitting 8 - bit information entities at 8 kilohertz . when isdn devices are involved , only 8 devices are available , since each isdn device consumes three channels . by eliminating the transmission of redundant information , additional channels become available so that a single t1 carrier facility can handle up to ten isdn devices . as discussed above , efficiency can be achieved by viewing the information transmitted on the system as individual entities whose bit length is equal to the smallest number of bits which are required for fundamental control of the devices on the system . each of these entities is called nyblet . in the above case , 2 bits are needed to provide d channel control information . this is because information transmitted on the d channels is at 16 kbps and is only one - fourth the information rate of the transmission channel which is 64 kbps . thus , even though information is transmitted as 8 - bit speech entities , only one - fourth of these 8 bits , i . e ., or 2 bits , is required for d channel control information . since the individual nyblet entity is now 2 bits , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech entity is formed by a sequential series of four 2 - bit nyblets . thus , pulse code modulated speech information can be easily reconstructed in a manner transparent to external devices because four 2 - bit information entities transmitted in sequence are no different to external devices from a single 8 - bit entity . the efficiency is achieved in the transmission of control information on the isdn d channels . this is because instead of transmitting duplicate information , such as d1 - d1 - d1 - d1 , d2 - d2 -, d2 - d2 , d3 - d3 - d3 - d3 , d4 - d4 - d4 - d4 , the information is now transmitted as d1 - d2 - d3 - d4 . control information for four isdn channels is transmitted in a manner compatible with a single 8 - bit entity , rather than requiring four individual 8 - bit entities . as previously discussed , this releases other channels for transmission of additional information . fig9 illustrates how this can be accomplished . as previously discussed , the 1 , 000 channel connection memory required 1 , 000 address locations with each address location containing an 8 - bit word . the 8 - bit word could be either 8 bits of pulse code modulated speech or redundant d channel control information . as shown in fig9 one approach is to replace this memory with another memory only 2 bits wide and having 4 , 000 locations . using this approach , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated entity can be created by stringing together four sequential 2 - bit entities and transmitting them one after the other . since two bit entities rather than 8 bit entities are now being switched , the clock rate for channel counter 503 must be accelerated by four times . however , to devices connected to the system the arrangement of the memory is transparent , since each device sees the correct information appear at the correct time as determined by a clock signal . it should be noted that the information is stored in 2 - bit entities blindly so that the data memory still contains duplicate or redundant copies of the d channel information for each of the isdn devices . thus , 8 - bit speech information and d channel control information is stored in the same manner as in conventional systems , even though it is stored as 2 - bit entities rather than 8 - bit entities . the connection memory now provides routing information in a manner consistent with the alteration of the data memory . for example , the connection memory contains 4 , 000 2 - bit entities to route incoming and outgoing speech from one linecard to another . in this case for a data transmission channel such as a pots device or an isdn b channel , the routing information in the connection memory is programmed such that four 2 - bit entities are routed to the same channel . thus , the bits are easily assembled into an 8 - bit entity . for the d channel control information for isdn devices , the first entry contains the address of the d1 information . the next entries in the connection memory contain the addresses of the d2 , d3 and d4 information , respectively . this is possible because channels are defined by an operator through the operator interface 525 via the line card controller 515 . as a result , at all times it is possible to determine which d channel information is to be transmitted and the location in the connection memory of the remaining d channel information by knowing the current count of channel counter 503 . fig1 illustrates an alternative memory organization method in which the data memory is organized into individual 2 - bit banks . thus , for example , 1 , 000 channels of 8 - bit data memory words can be stored as 1 , 000 entries of banks 0 - 3 . by accessing each bank of the data memory for each count of the channel counter , it is possible to access the information as 2 - bit nyblets while maintaining the same channel count as in conventional systems . the advantage of transmitting information in nyblets is that pulse code modulated information , such as speech , and d channel control information for isdn devices can be transmitted in the same manner in a way that is transparent to the overall system . in addition , since the d channel information can be packed into 8 - bit sequences , with each sequence having 2 bits corresponding to one of four isdn d channels or four isdn devices , it is possible to transmit 16 kbps information in a 64 kbps environment . this releases other information channels , thereby increasing the data transmission capacity of the overall system in taking full advantage of the capabilities of t1 carrier facilities . it should be pointed out that the above invention has been described for isdn devices in a 64 kbps environment . however , nyblets of any particular length can be used to allow transmission of lower data rate information in a higher data rate environment by employing the same approach . moreover , the above method and structure in terms of the organization of nyblets and data and connection memories is not restricted to telephone applications . the method and structure could be applied to any data communications requirement involving the transmission of lower data rate information of higher data rate channels . while several embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications , and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention , following in general the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as to come within knowledge or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and falling within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | bfabfd72b996aa19a8bb30af6509f4755e3aee9d30140a606cd5c46e522a8c38 | 0.265625 | 0.017944 | 0.000534 | 0.000075 | 0.144531 | 0.006683 |
null | as shown in fig1 incoming speech from telephone equipment 101 is transmitted over analog twisted pair lines 103 to one of a plurality of linecards 105 which form a proprietary or switch specific barrier at central office 107 . one known such switch specific barrier is a dms - 100 . after processing the information in the switch specific barrier at central office 107 , the speech can be routed over t1 carrier facilities to another central office 111 where another switch specific barrier having linecards 113 can then route the speech from phone equipment 101 over analog switched pair 115 to a receiving phone equipment 117 . as previously discussed , in north america t1 carrier facilities 109 are operated at 1 . 544 mbps in which 24 8 - bit speech words are transmitted in a single 125 μs frame . thus , 192 information bits are transmitted at 8 kilohertz in the 125 μs frame . in addition , a framing bit is also included in the 125 μs frame , thus resulting in 193 bits being transmitted in a 125 μs frame . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to north american t1 carrier facilities but can be applied to other carrier facilities using other data rates and formats employed throughout the world . it should also be noted that , as shown in fig1 incoming speech may originate at another end of the system , such as phone equipment 119 , so that it is transmitted over analog lines 121 through linecards 113 and over carrier facilities 109 to central office 107 . here this speech information could then be routed by linecards 105 over analog lines 123 to telephone equipment 125 . the emergence of the integrated services digital network ( isdn ) as an important telecommunication means has resulted in isdn equipment 201 being connected to linecards , e . g . 203 in central office 205 over a 192 kbps link in which two b channels and one d channel are connected to each linecard . there are three channels operating on the 192 kbps link . each of the two b channels operates at 64 kbps , the d channel has a 16 kbps capability . in addition , as previously discussed , a t1 transmission line operates at 1 . 544 mbps . this accommodates 24 8 - bit speech words per 125 μs frame so that 24 pieces of standard phone equipment can be multiplexed on a single t1 carrier facility . however , each isdn equipment conventionally occupies three 64 kbps channels resulting in a 192 kbps band width . this allows only eight isdn devices to be accommodated by a single t1 carrier facility . this is illustrated in fig3 which shows that isdn devices 301 can be connected to multiplexer 303 and transmitted to a central office switch 305 over t1 carrier facilities 307 . the t1 carrier facilities 307 can accommodate 24 64 kbps channels . since each isdn device conventionally requires three channels , eight isdn devices can be accommodated on the t1 carrier facility 307 communicating with central office switch 305 . fig4 shows a configuration in a central office 401 in which multiplexer 417 receives information from linecards 409 , 411 , and 415 which are connected to telephone equipment 403 , 405 and 407 , respectively . multiplexer 417 receives information from the linecards and formats it for transmission to the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 . the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 is designed to accommodate the number of channels desired by the designer . since information must be provided to switch matrix 419 in the 64 kbps format , multiplexer 417 must operate to provide the 16 kbps d channel isdn information in the same 64 kbps format . this presents no problem for the two isdn b channels . however , since the d channels operate at 16 kbps transmitting information in the 64 kbps format requires duplicating the d channel information so that the same information is transmitted four times . this wastes capacity and is obviously undesirable . fig5 illustrates a switch matrix 419 designed to switch 1 , 000 channels . a frame pulse on signal line 501 activates channel counter 503 whose output on signal line 507 is incremented in response to a clock 505 . each incremented output of the channel counter on output line 507 provides an address code to data memory 509 and connection memory 511 . fig6 illustrates how a 125 μs frame is channelized into one thousand 125 nanosecond channels . eight - bit entities are transmitted in each 125 nanosecond time increment . thus , speech information received as 8 - bit entities on line 513 is sequentially clocked into the data memory so that one 8 - bit entity is stored for each increment of the channel counter . for the data memory 509 , output signal on line 507 from the channel counter 503 points to the address where the received information 513 is to be stored . linecard controller 515 provides information to connection memory 511 concerning the destination of the information , such as speech data and control information , stored in the data memory 509 . thus , each increment of the channel counter provides an address of the connection memory at which the destination of the information stored at the corresponding address in the data memory is identified . it should be noted that 8 - bit entities of information can be stored in data memory 509 at sequential addresses for plain old telephone service ( pots ) and for the b channels of isdn devices . however , since the d channels of isdn devices are transmitted at only 16 kilobits per second , which is 1 / 4 the 64 kbps data rate of pulse code modulated speech information in line 513 , only two bits are required for each d - channel . in order to conform to the 64 kbps format , the d channel information is therefore duplicated so that eight bits of information are transmitted on the channel . during the first half cycle of a clock , incoming speech on signal line 513 is placed in memory . during the second half cycle of a clock , the connection memory is accessed to identify the destination of the information stored in the data memory at the address defined by the channel counter . for example , speech information can be transmitted over data output line 519 while destination information is transmitted over line 521 to routing circuit 523 . it should be noted that the routing circuit 523 can be replaced by using the data output of the connection memory as an address input to the data memory . fig7 illustrates how this can be accomplished . in this configuration , channel counter 701 clocked by clock 703 produces outputs on line 705 which are provided to multiplexers 707 and 709 . multiplexer 709 provides address information on line 711 to connection memory 713 . this information can be the output from the channel counter 705 or a microprocessor address on line 715 which is provided by a linecard controller , e . g . 515 , used to program the routing information into the connection memory . it should be noted that linecard controller 515 is used to completely define in the connection memory the routing information for each channel . data memory 717 receives its address information from the output of multiplexer 707 on line 719 . line 719 contains either the channel counter output on line 705 or latched connection memory information on line 721 . line 721 is defined by the output of latch 723 which is connected to the data output 725 of connection memory 713 . the output of multiplexers 707 and 709 depends on the status of clocks 727 and 729 . during the first half clock cycle , input pulse code modulated ( pcm ) information or speech information received on signal line 731 is transmitted through data line 733 and read into data memory 717 . this is accomplished by activating multiplexer 707 to put the channel count on line 705 as the address on signal 719 of the data memory . the speech or pulse code modulated information is then read into the data memory 717 . in addition , signal line 711 is also clocked so that the address on connection memory 713 corresponds to the output of channel counter 701 on signal lines 705 . thus , during the first half clock cycle the connection memory data output , which defines the destination of the speech at the address location on line 711 is latched into latch 723 . during the second half clock cycle , address line 719 is then switched via clock 727 so that multiplexer 707 provides the information on signal line 721 to the address input of the data memory 717 . as a result , during the second half of the clock cycle pulse code modulated information is transmitted on data line 733 from the address defined by connection memory 713 to the channel corresponding to the channel counter value . fig8 a illustrates a series of incoming 8 - bit entities which are sequentially provided from each of the linecards . the location of each entity is determined by the sequential nature of channel counter 503 . thus , 8 - bit entity a is placed into memory in the first sequential location , the second 8 - bit entity b is placed into the second sequential location , and so on . this occurs for each of the channels in a 125 μs frame . as shown in fig8 a , entities a - e and g are 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech . entity f represents the d channel information from the first isdn device defined by an operator to linecard controller 515 . it should be noted that operator interface 525 provides an individual operator a means for defining to linecard controller 515 the nature of each of the linecards operating at a particular switching station . thus , in the example shown in fig8 a - 9c channels a , b , and c could be accommodating plain old telephone service ( pots ) while channels d and e represent b channels for the first isdn device . channel f represents the d channel information for the first isdn device . as previously discussed , the d channels of isdn devices operate at 16 kbps while the remaining channels operate at 64 kbps . the switching device , such as 64 kbps switch 419 , requires a consistent format . since the d channels operate at only 1 / 4 the data rate of the other channels , and since each channel is 8 bits , only 2 bits are required to transmit the d channel information , which typically control information for the isdn device . however , in order to maintain a consistent 64 kbps format , the two d channel bits are duplicated so that 8 bits are stored in the data memory . the 8 bits are then transmitted in accordance with the information programmed into the connection memory , e . g . 511 or 713 , so that the 8 bits are transmitted through the switch matrix . this is shown in fig8 b where channel f , which is stored at location 6 , contains d channel information for the first isdn device , the d1 channel . data stream h stored at location 8 contains d channel information for the second isdn device , the d2 channel . fig8 b shows that the d1 information is routed to location 100 while the d2 information is routed to location 210 . in this example of a conventional system all 8 bits would then be transmitted in order to be routed to the appropriate location . thus , to accommodate the d1 and d2 channels , 16 bits are transmitted , even though 12 of the transmitted bits merely duplicate the basic information required . only four of the 16 bits actually need to be transmitted to provide the proper control to the first and second isdn devices . this principle is true for any number of isdn devices and as the number of isdn channels in a frame increases , the penalty for transmitting redundant information also increases . fig8 c illustrates one way in which the outgoing information can be packed to avoid the transmission of redundant information . fig8 c shows that when the first isdn d channel is encountered , d channel information for additional isdn devices which can be accommodated by the number of bits in the channel is also transmitted . thus , in the example shown in fig8 the 2 bits required for transmitting d1 channel information are followed by transmitting 2 bits for the d2 channel information . because 8 bits can be transmitted in a channel , this approach could be extended to d3 and d4 channels , as required and remain transparent to other devices in the system . additional isdn devices , e . g . d - channels d5 - d8 , could be accommodated as another eight bit entity formed by string the 8 bit d channel information together in sequence . in cases where 8 bits are not required , e . g . only two isdn channels to be transmitted , the &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ; bits can be ignored . since the d1 and d2 channel information has been transmitted when the address counter is at location 100 , 2 bits of d1 channel information and 2 bits of d2 channel information are transmitted . as previously noted , if 2 bits of d3 information and 2 bits of d4 information were available , these would also be transmitted so that a maximum of an 8 bit entity would be transmitted at one time . the advantage to transmitting the d channel control information in this fashion is that the information is required only once per frame . thus , when channel counter 513 increments to location 210 , the d2 channel information need not be transmitted . location 210 instead becomes available to accommodate an additional pulse code modulated information channel . as a result , the information carrying capacity of the system is increased without necessitating construction of additional transmission capability . for example , as previously discussed , a t1 carrier facility accommodates 24 64 kbps channels with each channel transmitting 8 - bit information entities at 8 kilohertz . when isdn devices are involved , only 8 devices are available , since each isdn device consumes three channels . by eliminating the transmission of redundant information , additional channels become available so that a single t1 carrier facility can handle up to ten isdn devices . as discussed above , efficiency can be achieved by viewing the information transmitted on the system as individual entities whose bit length is equal to the smallest number of bits which are required for fundamental control of the devices on the system . each of these entities is called nyblet . in the above case , 2 bits are needed to provide d channel control information . this is because information transmitted on the d channels is at 16 kbps and is only one - fourth the information rate of the transmission channel which is 64 kbps . thus , even though information is transmitted as 8 - bit speech entities , only one - fourth of these 8 bits , i . e ., or 2 bits , is required for d channel control information . since the individual nyblet entity is now 2 bits , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech entity is formed by a sequential series of four 2 - bit nyblets . thus , pulse code modulated speech information can be easily reconstructed in a manner transparent to external devices because four 2 - bit information entities transmitted in sequence are no different to external devices from a single 8 - bit entity . the efficiency is achieved in the transmission of control information on the isdn d channels . this is because instead of transmitting duplicate information , such as d1 - d1 - d1 - d1 , d2 - d2 -, d2 - d2 , d3 - d3 - d3 - d3 , d4 - d4 - d4 - d4 , the information is now transmitted as d1 - d2 - d3 - d4 . control information for four isdn channels is transmitted in a manner compatible with a single 8 - bit entity , rather than requiring four individual 8 - bit entities . as previously discussed , this releases other channels for transmission of additional information . fig9 illustrates how this can be accomplished . as previously discussed , the 1 , 000 channel connection memory required 1 , 000 address locations with each address location containing an 8 - bit word . the 8 - bit word could be either 8 bits of pulse code modulated speech or redundant d channel control information . as shown in fig9 one approach is to replace this memory with another memory only 2 bits wide and having 4 , 000 locations . using this approach , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated entity can be created by stringing together four sequential 2 - bit entities and transmitting them one after the other . since two bit entities rather than 8 bit entities are now being switched , the clock rate for channel counter 503 must be accelerated by four times . however , to devices connected to the system the arrangement of the memory is transparent , since each device sees the correct information appear at the correct time as determined by a clock signal . it should be noted that the information is stored in 2 - bit entities blindly so that the data memory still contains duplicate or redundant copies of the d channel information for each of the isdn devices . thus , 8 - bit speech information and d channel control information is stored in the same manner as in conventional systems , even though it is stored as 2 - bit entities rather than 8 - bit entities . the connection memory now provides routing information in a manner consistent with the alteration of the data memory . for example , the connection memory contains 4 , 000 2 - bit entities to route incoming and outgoing speech from one linecard to another . in this case for a data transmission channel such as a pots device or an isdn b channel , the routing information in the connection memory is programmed such that four 2 - bit entities are routed to the same channel . thus , the bits are easily assembled into an 8 - bit entity . for the d channel control information for isdn devices , the first entry contains the address of the d1 information . the next entries in the connection memory contain the addresses of the d2 , d3 and d4 information , respectively . this is possible because channels are defined by an operator through the operator interface 525 via the line card controller 515 . as a result , at all times it is possible to determine which d channel information is to be transmitted and the location in the connection memory of the remaining d channel information by knowing the current count of channel counter 503 . fig1 illustrates an alternative memory organization method in which the data memory is organized into individual 2 - bit banks . thus , for example , 1 , 000 channels of 8 - bit data memory words can be stored as 1 , 000 entries of banks 0 - 3 . by accessing each bank of the data memory for each count of the channel counter , it is possible to access the information as 2 - bit nyblets while maintaining the same channel count as in conventional systems . the advantage of transmitting information in nyblets is that pulse code modulated information , such as speech , and d channel control information for isdn devices can be transmitted in the same manner in a way that is transparent to the overall system . in addition , since the d channel information can be packed into 8 - bit sequences , with each sequence having 2 bits corresponding to one of four isdn d channels or four isdn devices , it is possible to transmit 16 kbps information in a 64 kbps environment . this releases other information channels , thereby increasing the data transmission capacity of the overall system in taking full advantage of the capabilities of t1 carrier facilities . it should be pointed out that the above invention has been described for isdn devices in a 64 kbps environment . however , nyblets of any particular length can be used to allow transmission of lower data rate information in a higher data rate environment by employing the same approach . moreover , the above method and structure in terms of the organization of nyblets and data and connection memories is not restricted to telephone applications . the method and structure could be applied to any data communications requirement involving the transmission of lower data rate information of higher data rate channels . while several embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications , and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention , following in general the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as to come within knowledge or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and falling within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims . | Is 'Electricity' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | bfabfd72b996aa19a8bb30af6509f4755e3aee9d30140a606cd5c46e522a8c38 | 0.166016 | 0.202148 | 0.002319 | 0.051758 | 0.149414 | 0.146484 |
null | as shown in fig1 incoming speech from telephone equipment 101 is transmitted over analog twisted pair lines 103 to one of a plurality of linecards 105 which form a proprietary or switch specific barrier at central office 107 . one known such switch specific barrier is a dms - 100 . after processing the information in the switch specific barrier at central office 107 , the speech can be routed over t1 carrier facilities to another central office 111 where another switch specific barrier having linecards 113 can then route the speech from phone equipment 101 over analog switched pair 115 to a receiving phone equipment 117 . as previously discussed , in north america t1 carrier facilities 109 are operated at 1 . 544 mbps in which 24 8 - bit speech words are transmitted in a single 125 μs frame . thus , 192 information bits are transmitted at 8 kilohertz in the 125 μs frame . in addition , a framing bit is also included in the 125 μs frame , thus resulting in 193 bits being transmitted in a 125 μs frame . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to north american t1 carrier facilities but can be applied to other carrier facilities using other data rates and formats employed throughout the world . it should also be noted that , as shown in fig1 incoming speech may originate at another end of the system , such as phone equipment 119 , so that it is transmitted over analog lines 121 through linecards 113 and over carrier facilities 109 to central office 107 . here this speech information could then be routed by linecards 105 over analog lines 123 to telephone equipment 125 . the emergence of the integrated services digital network ( isdn ) as an important telecommunication means has resulted in isdn equipment 201 being connected to linecards , e . g . 203 in central office 205 over a 192 kbps link in which two b channels and one d channel are connected to each linecard . there are three channels operating on the 192 kbps link . each of the two b channels operates at 64 kbps , the d channel has a 16 kbps capability . in addition , as previously discussed , a t1 transmission line operates at 1 . 544 mbps . this accommodates 24 8 - bit speech words per 125 μs frame so that 24 pieces of standard phone equipment can be multiplexed on a single t1 carrier facility . however , each isdn equipment conventionally occupies three 64 kbps channels resulting in a 192 kbps band width . this allows only eight isdn devices to be accommodated by a single t1 carrier facility . this is illustrated in fig3 which shows that isdn devices 301 can be connected to multiplexer 303 and transmitted to a central office switch 305 over t1 carrier facilities 307 . the t1 carrier facilities 307 can accommodate 24 64 kbps channels . since each isdn device conventionally requires three channels , eight isdn devices can be accommodated on the t1 carrier facility 307 communicating with central office switch 305 . fig4 shows a configuration in a central office 401 in which multiplexer 417 receives information from linecards 409 , 411 , and 415 which are connected to telephone equipment 403 , 405 and 407 , respectively . multiplexer 417 receives information from the linecards and formats it for transmission to the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 . the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 is designed to accommodate the number of channels desired by the designer . since information must be provided to switch matrix 419 in the 64 kbps format , multiplexer 417 must operate to provide the 16 kbps d channel isdn information in the same 64 kbps format . this presents no problem for the two isdn b channels . however , since the d channels operate at 16 kbps transmitting information in the 64 kbps format requires duplicating the d channel information so that the same information is transmitted four times . this wastes capacity and is obviously undesirable . fig5 illustrates a switch matrix 419 designed to switch 1 , 000 channels . a frame pulse on signal line 501 activates channel counter 503 whose output on signal line 507 is incremented in response to a clock 505 . each incremented output of the channel counter on output line 507 provides an address code to data memory 509 and connection memory 511 . fig6 illustrates how a 125 μs frame is channelized into one thousand 125 nanosecond channels . eight - bit entities are transmitted in each 125 nanosecond time increment . thus , speech information received as 8 - bit entities on line 513 is sequentially clocked into the data memory so that one 8 - bit entity is stored for each increment of the channel counter . for the data memory 509 , output signal on line 507 from the channel counter 503 points to the address where the received information 513 is to be stored . linecard controller 515 provides information to connection memory 511 concerning the destination of the information , such as speech data and control information , stored in the data memory 509 . thus , each increment of the channel counter provides an address of the connection memory at which the destination of the information stored at the corresponding address in the data memory is identified . it should be noted that 8 - bit entities of information can be stored in data memory 509 at sequential addresses for plain old telephone service ( pots ) and for the b channels of isdn devices . however , since the d channels of isdn devices are transmitted at only 16 kilobits per second , which is 1 / 4 the 64 kbps data rate of pulse code modulated speech information in line 513 , only two bits are required for each d - channel . in order to conform to the 64 kbps format , the d channel information is therefore duplicated so that eight bits of information are transmitted on the channel . during the first half cycle of a clock , incoming speech on signal line 513 is placed in memory . during the second half cycle of a clock , the connection memory is accessed to identify the destination of the information stored in the data memory at the address defined by the channel counter . for example , speech information can be transmitted over data output line 519 while destination information is transmitted over line 521 to routing circuit 523 . it should be noted that the routing circuit 523 can be replaced by using the data output of the connection memory as an address input to the data memory . fig7 illustrates how this can be accomplished . in this configuration , channel counter 701 clocked by clock 703 produces outputs on line 705 which are provided to multiplexers 707 and 709 . multiplexer 709 provides address information on line 711 to connection memory 713 . this information can be the output from the channel counter 705 or a microprocessor address on line 715 which is provided by a linecard controller , e . g . 515 , used to program the routing information into the connection memory . it should be noted that linecard controller 515 is used to completely define in the connection memory the routing information for each channel . data memory 717 receives its address information from the output of multiplexer 707 on line 719 . line 719 contains either the channel counter output on line 705 or latched connection memory information on line 721 . line 721 is defined by the output of latch 723 which is connected to the data output 725 of connection memory 713 . the output of multiplexers 707 and 709 depends on the status of clocks 727 and 729 . during the first half clock cycle , input pulse code modulated ( pcm ) information or speech information received on signal line 731 is transmitted through data line 733 and read into data memory 717 . this is accomplished by activating multiplexer 707 to put the channel count on line 705 as the address on signal 719 of the data memory . the speech or pulse code modulated information is then read into the data memory 717 . in addition , signal line 711 is also clocked so that the address on connection memory 713 corresponds to the output of channel counter 701 on signal lines 705 . thus , during the first half clock cycle the connection memory data output , which defines the destination of the speech at the address location on line 711 is latched into latch 723 . during the second half clock cycle , address line 719 is then switched via clock 727 so that multiplexer 707 provides the information on signal line 721 to the address input of the data memory 717 . as a result , during the second half of the clock cycle pulse code modulated information is transmitted on data line 733 from the address defined by connection memory 713 to the channel corresponding to the channel counter value . fig8 a illustrates a series of incoming 8 - bit entities which are sequentially provided from each of the linecards . the location of each entity is determined by the sequential nature of channel counter 503 . thus , 8 - bit entity a is placed into memory in the first sequential location , the second 8 - bit entity b is placed into the second sequential location , and so on . this occurs for each of the channels in a 125 μs frame . as shown in fig8 a , entities a - e and g are 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech . entity f represents the d channel information from the first isdn device defined by an operator to linecard controller 515 . it should be noted that operator interface 525 provides an individual operator a means for defining to linecard controller 515 the nature of each of the linecards operating at a particular switching station . thus , in the example shown in fig8 a - 9c channels a , b , and c could be accommodating plain old telephone service ( pots ) while channels d and e represent b channels for the first isdn device . channel f represents the d channel information for the first isdn device . as previously discussed , the d channels of isdn devices operate at 16 kbps while the remaining channels operate at 64 kbps . the switching device , such as 64 kbps switch 419 , requires a consistent format . since the d channels operate at only 1 / 4 the data rate of the other channels , and since each channel is 8 bits , only 2 bits are required to transmit the d channel information , which typically control information for the isdn device . however , in order to maintain a consistent 64 kbps format , the two d channel bits are duplicated so that 8 bits are stored in the data memory . the 8 bits are then transmitted in accordance with the information programmed into the connection memory , e . g . 511 or 713 , so that the 8 bits are transmitted through the switch matrix . this is shown in fig8 b where channel f , which is stored at location 6 , contains d channel information for the first isdn device , the d1 channel . data stream h stored at location 8 contains d channel information for the second isdn device , the d2 channel . fig8 b shows that the d1 information is routed to location 100 while the d2 information is routed to location 210 . in this example of a conventional system all 8 bits would then be transmitted in order to be routed to the appropriate location . thus , to accommodate the d1 and d2 channels , 16 bits are transmitted , even though 12 of the transmitted bits merely duplicate the basic information required . only four of the 16 bits actually need to be transmitted to provide the proper control to the first and second isdn devices . this principle is true for any number of isdn devices and as the number of isdn channels in a frame increases , the penalty for transmitting redundant information also increases . fig8 c illustrates one way in which the outgoing information can be packed to avoid the transmission of redundant information . fig8 c shows that when the first isdn d channel is encountered , d channel information for additional isdn devices which can be accommodated by the number of bits in the channel is also transmitted . thus , in the example shown in fig8 the 2 bits required for transmitting d1 channel information are followed by transmitting 2 bits for the d2 channel information . because 8 bits can be transmitted in a channel , this approach could be extended to d3 and d4 channels , as required and remain transparent to other devices in the system . additional isdn devices , e . g . d - channels d5 - d8 , could be accommodated as another eight bit entity formed by string the 8 bit d channel information together in sequence . in cases where 8 bits are not required , e . g . only two isdn channels to be transmitted , the &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ; bits can be ignored . since the d1 and d2 channel information has been transmitted when the address counter is at location 100 , 2 bits of d1 channel information and 2 bits of d2 channel information are transmitted . as previously noted , if 2 bits of d3 information and 2 bits of d4 information were available , these would also be transmitted so that a maximum of an 8 bit entity would be transmitted at one time . the advantage to transmitting the d channel control information in this fashion is that the information is required only once per frame . thus , when channel counter 513 increments to location 210 , the d2 channel information need not be transmitted . location 210 instead becomes available to accommodate an additional pulse code modulated information channel . as a result , the information carrying capacity of the system is increased without necessitating construction of additional transmission capability . for example , as previously discussed , a t1 carrier facility accommodates 24 64 kbps channels with each channel transmitting 8 - bit information entities at 8 kilohertz . when isdn devices are involved , only 8 devices are available , since each isdn device consumes three channels . by eliminating the transmission of redundant information , additional channels become available so that a single t1 carrier facility can handle up to ten isdn devices . as discussed above , efficiency can be achieved by viewing the information transmitted on the system as individual entities whose bit length is equal to the smallest number of bits which are required for fundamental control of the devices on the system . each of these entities is called nyblet . in the above case , 2 bits are needed to provide d channel control information . this is because information transmitted on the d channels is at 16 kbps and is only one - fourth the information rate of the transmission channel which is 64 kbps . thus , even though information is transmitted as 8 - bit speech entities , only one - fourth of these 8 bits , i . e ., or 2 bits , is required for d channel control information . since the individual nyblet entity is now 2 bits , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech entity is formed by a sequential series of four 2 - bit nyblets . thus , pulse code modulated speech information can be easily reconstructed in a manner transparent to external devices because four 2 - bit information entities transmitted in sequence are no different to external devices from a single 8 - bit entity . the efficiency is achieved in the transmission of control information on the isdn d channels . this is because instead of transmitting duplicate information , such as d1 - d1 - d1 - d1 , d2 - d2 -, d2 - d2 , d3 - d3 - d3 - d3 , d4 - d4 - d4 - d4 , the information is now transmitted as d1 - d2 - d3 - d4 . control information for four isdn channels is transmitted in a manner compatible with a single 8 - bit entity , rather than requiring four individual 8 - bit entities . as previously discussed , this releases other channels for transmission of additional information . fig9 illustrates how this can be accomplished . as previously discussed , the 1 , 000 channel connection memory required 1 , 000 address locations with each address location containing an 8 - bit word . the 8 - bit word could be either 8 bits of pulse code modulated speech or redundant d channel control information . as shown in fig9 one approach is to replace this memory with another memory only 2 bits wide and having 4 , 000 locations . using this approach , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated entity can be created by stringing together four sequential 2 - bit entities and transmitting them one after the other . since two bit entities rather than 8 bit entities are now being switched , the clock rate for channel counter 503 must be accelerated by four times . however , to devices connected to the system the arrangement of the memory is transparent , since each device sees the correct information appear at the correct time as determined by a clock signal . it should be noted that the information is stored in 2 - bit entities blindly so that the data memory still contains duplicate or redundant copies of the d channel information for each of the isdn devices . thus , 8 - bit speech information and d channel control information is stored in the same manner as in conventional systems , even though it is stored as 2 - bit entities rather than 8 - bit entities . the connection memory now provides routing information in a manner consistent with the alteration of the data memory . for example , the connection memory contains 4 , 000 2 - bit entities to route incoming and outgoing speech from one linecard to another . in this case for a data transmission channel such as a pots device or an isdn b channel , the routing information in the connection memory is programmed such that four 2 - bit entities are routed to the same channel . thus , the bits are easily assembled into an 8 - bit entity . for the d channel control information for isdn devices , the first entry contains the address of the d1 information . the next entries in the connection memory contain the addresses of the d2 , d3 and d4 information , respectively . this is possible because channels are defined by an operator through the operator interface 525 via the line card controller 515 . as a result , at all times it is possible to determine which d channel information is to be transmitted and the location in the connection memory of the remaining d channel information by knowing the current count of channel counter 503 . fig1 illustrates an alternative memory organization method in which the data memory is organized into individual 2 - bit banks . thus , for example , 1 , 000 channels of 8 - bit data memory words can be stored as 1 , 000 entries of banks 0 - 3 . by accessing each bank of the data memory for each count of the channel counter , it is possible to access the information as 2 - bit nyblets while maintaining the same channel count as in conventional systems . the advantage of transmitting information in nyblets is that pulse code modulated information , such as speech , and d channel control information for isdn devices can be transmitted in the same manner in a way that is transparent to the overall system . in addition , since the d channel information can be packed into 8 - bit sequences , with each sequence having 2 bits corresponding to one of four isdn d channels or four isdn devices , it is possible to transmit 16 kbps information in a 64 kbps environment . this releases other information channels , thereby increasing the data transmission capacity of the overall system in taking full advantage of the capabilities of t1 carrier facilities . it should be pointed out that the above invention has been described for isdn devices in a 64 kbps environment . however , nyblets of any particular length can be used to allow transmission of lower data rate information in a higher data rate environment by employing the same approach . moreover , the above method and structure in terms of the organization of nyblets and data and connection memories is not restricted to telephone applications . the method and structure could be applied to any data communications requirement involving the transmission of lower data rate information of higher data rate channels . while several embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications , and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention , following in general the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as to come within knowledge or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and falling within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | bfabfd72b996aa19a8bb30af6509f4755e3aee9d30140a606cd5c46e522a8c38 | 0.271484 | 0.001282 | 0.000534 | 0.000014 | 0.144531 | 0.001366 |
null | as shown in fig1 incoming speech from telephone equipment 101 is transmitted over analog twisted pair lines 103 to one of a plurality of linecards 105 which form a proprietary or switch specific barrier at central office 107 . one known such switch specific barrier is a dms - 100 . after processing the information in the switch specific barrier at central office 107 , the speech can be routed over t1 carrier facilities to another central office 111 where another switch specific barrier having linecards 113 can then route the speech from phone equipment 101 over analog switched pair 115 to a receiving phone equipment 117 . as previously discussed , in north america t1 carrier facilities 109 are operated at 1 . 544 mbps in which 24 8 - bit speech words are transmitted in a single 125 μs frame . thus , 192 information bits are transmitted at 8 kilohertz in the 125 μs frame . in addition , a framing bit is also included in the 125 μs frame , thus resulting in 193 bits being transmitted in a 125 μs frame . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to north american t1 carrier facilities but can be applied to other carrier facilities using other data rates and formats employed throughout the world . it should also be noted that , as shown in fig1 incoming speech may originate at another end of the system , such as phone equipment 119 , so that it is transmitted over analog lines 121 through linecards 113 and over carrier facilities 109 to central office 107 . here this speech information could then be routed by linecards 105 over analog lines 123 to telephone equipment 125 . the emergence of the integrated services digital network ( isdn ) as an important telecommunication means has resulted in isdn equipment 201 being connected to linecards , e . g . 203 in central office 205 over a 192 kbps link in which two b channels and one d channel are connected to each linecard . there are three channels operating on the 192 kbps link . each of the two b channels operates at 64 kbps , the d channel has a 16 kbps capability . in addition , as previously discussed , a t1 transmission line operates at 1 . 544 mbps . this accommodates 24 8 - bit speech words per 125 μs frame so that 24 pieces of standard phone equipment can be multiplexed on a single t1 carrier facility . however , each isdn equipment conventionally occupies three 64 kbps channels resulting in a 192 kbps band width . this allows only eight isdn devices to be accommodated by a single t1 carrier facility . this is illustrated in fig3 which shows that isdn devices 301 can be connected to multiplexer 303 and transmitted to a central office switch 305 over t1 carrier facilities 307 . the t1 carrier facilities 307 can accommodate 24 64 kbps channels . since each isdn device conventionally requires three channels , eight isdn devices can be accommodated on the t1 carrier facility 307 communicating with central office switch 305 . fig4 shows a configuration in a central office 401 in which multiplexer 417 receives information from linecards 409 , 411 , and 415 which are connected to telephone equipment 403 , 405 and 407 , respectively . multiplexer 417 receives information from the linecards and formats it for transmission to the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 . the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 is designed to accommodate the number of channels desired by the designer . since information must be provided to switch matrix 419 in the 64 kbps format , multiplexer 417 must operate to provide the 16 kbps d channel isdn information in the same 64 kbps format . this presents no problem for the two isdn b channels . however , since the d channels operate at 16 kbps transmitting information in the 64 kbps format requires duplicating the d channel information so that the same information is transmitted four times . this wastes capacity and is obviously undesirable . fig5 illustrates a switch matrix 419 designed to switch 1 , 000 channels . a frame pulse on signal line 501 activates channel counter 503 whose output on signal line 507 is incremented in response to a clock 505 . each incremented output of the channel counter on output line 507 provides an address code to data memory 509 and connection memory 511 . fig6 illustrates how a 125 μs frame is channelized into one thousand 125 nanosecond channels . eight - bit entities are transmitted in each 125 nanosecond time increment . thus , speech information received as 8 - bit entities on line 513 is sequentially clocked into the data memory so that one 8 - bit entity is stored for each increment of the channel counter . for the data memory 509 , output signal on line 507 from the channel counter 503 points to the address where the received information 513 is to be stored . linecard controller 515 provides information to connection memory 511 concerning the destination of the information , such as speech data and control information , stored in the data memory 509 . thus , each increment of the channel counter provides an address of the connection memory at which the destination of the information stored at the corresponding address in the data memory is identified . it should be noted that 8 - bit entities of information can be stored in data memory 509 at sequential addresses for plain old telephone service ( pots ) and for the b channels of isdn devices . however , since the d channels of isdn devices are transmitted at only 16 kilobits per second , which is 1 / 4 the 64 kbps data rate of pulse code modulated speech information in line 513 , only two bits are required for each d - channel . in order to conform to the 64 kbps format , the d channel information is therefore duplicated so that eight bits of information are transmitted on the channel . during the first half cycle of a clock , incoming speech on signal line 513 is placed in memory . during the second half cycle of a clock , the connection memory is accessed to identify the destination of the information stored in the data memory at the address defined by the channel counter . for example , speech information can be transmitted over data output line 519 while destination information is transmitted over line 521 to routing circuit 523 . it should be noted that the routing circuit 523 can be replaced by using the data output of the connection memory as an address input to the data memory . fig7 illustrates how this can be accomplished . in this configuration , channel counter 701 clocked by clock 703 produces outputs on line 705 which are provided to multiplexers 707 and 709 . multiplexer 709 provides address information on line 711 to connection memory 713 . this information can be the output from the channel counter 705 or a microprocessor address on line 715 which is provided by a linecard controller , e . g . 515 , used to program the routing information into the connection memory . it should be noted that linecard controller 515 is used to completely define in the connection memory the routing information for each channel . data memory 717 receives its address information from the output of multiplexer 707 on line 719 . line 719 contains either the channel counter output on line 705 or latched connection memory information on line 721 . line 721 is defined by the output of latch 723 which is connected to the data output 725 of connection memory 713 . the output of multiplexers 707 and 709 depends on the status of clocks 727 and 729 . during the first half clock cycle , input pulse code modulated ( pcm ) information or speech information received on signal line 731 is transmitted through data line 733 and read into data memory 717 . this is accomplished by activating multiplexer 707 to put the channel count on line 705 as the address on signal 719 of the data memory . the speech or pulse code modulated information is then read into the data memory 717 . in addition , signal line 711 is also clocked so that the address on connection memory 713 corresponds to the output of channel counter 701 on signal lines 705 . thus , during the first half clock cycle the connection memory data output , which defines the destination of the speech at the address location on line 711 is latched into latch 723 . during the second half clock cycle , address line 719 is then switched via clock 727 so that multiplexer 707 provides the information on signal line 721 to the address input of the data memory 717 . as a result , during the second half of the clock cycle pulse code modulated information is transmitted on data line 733 from the address defined by connection memory 713 to the channel corresponding to the channel counter value . fig8 a illustrates a series of incoming 8 - bit entities which are sequentially provided from each of the linecards . the location of each entity is determined by the sequential nature of channel counter 503 . thus , 8 - bit entity a is placed into memory in the first sequential location , the second 8 - bit entity b is placed into the second sequential location , and so on . this occurs for each of the channels in a 125 μs frame . as shown in fig8 a , entities a - e and g are 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech . entity f represents the d channel information from the first isdn device defined by an operator to linecard controller 515 . it should be noted that operator interface 525 provides an individual operator a means for defining to linecard controller 515 the nature of each of the linecards operating at a particular switching station . thus , in the example shown in fig8 a - 9c channels a , b , and c could be accommodating plain old telephone service ( pots ) while channels d and e represent b channels for the first isdn device . channel f represents the d channel information for the first isdn device . as previously discussed , the d channels of isdn devices operate at 16 kbps while the remaining channels operate at 64 kbps . the switching device , such as 64 kbps switch 419 , requires a consistent format . since the d channels operate at only 1 / 4 the data rate of the other channels , and since each channel is 8 bits , only 2 bits are required to transmit the d channel information , which typically control information for the isdn device . however , in order to maintain a consistent 64 kbps format , the two d channel bits are duplicated so that 8 bits are stored in the data memory . the 8 bits are then transmitted in accordance with the information programmed into the connection memory , e . g . 511 or 713 , so that the 8 bits are transmitted through the switch matrix . this is shown in fig8 b where channel f , which is stored at location 6 , contains d channel information for the first isdn device , the d1 channel . data stream h stored at location 8 contains d channel information for the second isdn device , the d2 channel . fig8 b shows that the d1 information is routed to location 100 while the d2 information is routed to location 210 . in this example of a conventional system all 8 bits would then be transmitted in order to be routed to the appropriate location . thus , to accommodate the d1 and d2 channels , 16 bits are transmitted , even though 12 of the transmitted bits merely duplicate the basic information required . only four of the 16 bits actually need to be transmitted to provide the proper control to the first and second isdn devices . this principle is true for any number of isdn devices and as the number of isdn channels in a frame increases , the penalty for transmitting redundant information also increases . fig8 c illustrates one way in which the outgoing information can be packed to avoid the transmission of redundant information . fig8 c shows that when the first isdn d channel is encountered , d channel information for additional isdn devices which can be accommodated by the number of bits in the channel is also transmitted . thus , in the example shown in fig8 the 2 bits required for transmitting d1 channel information are followed by transmitting 2 bits for the d2 channel information . because 8 bits can be transmitted in a channel , this approach could be extended to d3 and d4 channels , as required and remain transparent to other devices in the system . additional isdn devices , e . g . d - channels d5 - d8 , could be accommodated as another eight bit entity formed by string the 8 bit d channel information together in sequence . in cases where 8 bits are not required , e . g . only two isdn channels to be transmitted , the &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ; bits can be ignored . since the d1 and d2 channel information has been transmitted when the address counter is at location 100 , 2 bits of d1 channel information and 2 bits of d2 channel information are transmitted . as previously noted , if 2 bits of d3 information and 2 bits of d4 information were available , these would also be transmitted so that a maximum of an 8 bit entity would be transmitted at one time . the advantage to transmitting the d channel control information in this fashion is that the information is required only once per frame . thus , when channel counter 513 increments to location 210 , the d2 channel information need not be transmitted . location 210 instead becomes available to accommodate an additional pulse code modulated information channel . as a result , the information carrying capacity of the system is increased without necessitating construction of additional transmission capability . for example , as previously discussed , a t1 carrier facility accommodates 24 64 kbps channels with each channel transmitting 8 - bit information entities at 8 kilohertz . when isdn devices are involved , only 8 devices are available , since each isdn device consumes three channels . by eliminating the transmission of redundant information , additional channels become available so that a single t1 carrier facility can handle up to ten isdn devices . as discussed above , efficiency can be achieved by viewing the information transmitted on the system as individual entities whose bit length is equal to the smallest number of bits which are required for fundamental control of the devices on the system . each of these entities is called nyblet . in the above case , 2 bits are needed to provide d channel control information . this is because information transmitted on the d channels is at 16 kbps and is only one - fourth the information rate of the transmission channel which is 64 kbps . thus , even though information is transmitted as 8 - bit speech entities , only one - fourth of these 8 bits , i . e ., or 2 bits , is required for d channel control information . since the individual nyblet entity is now 2 bits , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech entity is formed by a sequential series of four 2 - bit nyblets . thus , pulse code modulated speech information can be easily reconstructed in a manner transparent to external devices because four 2 - bit information entities transmitted in sequence are no different to external devices from a single 8 - bit entity . the efficiency is achieved in the transmission of control information on the isdn d channels . this is because instead of transmitting duplicate information , such as d1 - d1 - d1 - d1 , d2 - d2 -, d2 - d2 , d3 - d3 - d3 - d3 , d4 - d4 - d4 - d4 , the information is now transmitted as d1 - d2 - d3 - d4 . control information for four isdn channels is transmitted in a manner compatible with a single 8 - bit entity , rather than requiring four individual 8 - bit entities . as previously discussed , this releases other channels for transmission of additional information . fig9 illustrates how this can be accomplished . as previously discussed , the 1 , 000 channel connection memory required 1 , 000 address locations with each address location containing an 8 - bit word . the 8 - bit word could be either 8 bits of pulse code modulated speech or redundant d channel control information . as shown in fig9 one approach is to replace this memory with another memory only 2 bits wide and having 4 , 000 locations . using this approach , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated entity can be created by stringing together four sequential 2 - bit entities and transmitting them one after the other . since two bit entities rather than 8 bit entities are now being switched , the clock rate for channel counter 503 must be accelerated by four times . however , to devices connected to the system the arrangement of the memory is transparent , since each device sees the correct information appear at the correct time as determined by a clock signal . it should be noted that the information is stored in 2 - bit entities blindly so that the data memory still contains duplicate or redundant copies of the d channel information for each of the isdn devices . thus , 8 - bit speech information and d channel control information is stored in the same manner as in conventional systems , even though it is stored as 2 - bit entities rather than 8 - bit entities . the connection memory now provides routing information in a manner consistent with the alteration of the data memory . for example , the connection memory contains 4 , 000 2 - bit entities to route incoming and outgoing speech from one linecard to another . in this case for a data transmission channel such as a pots device or an isdn b channel , the routing information in the connection memory is programmed such that four 2 - bit entities are routed to the same channel . thus , the bits are easily assembled into an 8 - bit entity . for the d channel control information for isdn devices , the first entry contains the address of the d1 information . the next entries in the connection memory contain the addresses of the d2 , d3 and d4 information , respectively . this is possible because channels are defined by an operator through the operator interface 525 via the line card controller 515 . as a result , at all times it is possible to determine which d channel information is to be transmitted and the location in the connection memory of the remaining d channel information by knowing the current count of channel counter 503 . fig1 illustrates an alternative memory organization method in which the data memory is organized into individual 2 - bit banks . thus , for example , 1 , 000 channels of 8 - bit data memory words can be stored as 1 , 000 entries of banks 0 - 3 . by accessing each bank of the data memory for each count of the channel counter , it is possible to access the information as 2 - bit nyblets while maintaining the same channel count as in conventional systems . the advantage of transmitting information in nyblets is that pulse code modulated information , such as speech , and d channel control information for isdn devices can be transmitted in the same manner in a way that is transparent to the overall system . in addition , since the d channel information can be packed into 8 - bit sequences , with each sequence having 2 bits corresponding to one of four isdn d channels or four isdn devices , it is possible to transmit 16 kbps information in a 64 kbps environment . this releases other information channels , thereby increasing the data transmission capacity of the overall system in taking full advantage of the capabilities of t1 carrier facilities . it should be pointed out that the above invention has been described for isdn devices in a 64 kbps environment . however , nyblets of any particular length can be used to allow transmission of lower data rate information in a higher data rate environment by employing the same approach . moreover , the above method and structure in terms of the organization of nyblets and data and connection memories is not restricted to telephone applications . the method and structure could be applied to any data communications requirement involving the transmission of lower data rate information of higher data rate channels . while several embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications , and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention , following in general the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as to come within knowledge or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and falling within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims . | Is 'Electricity' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | bfabfd72b996aa19a8bb30af6509f4755e3aee9d30140a606cd5c46e522a8c38 | 0.161133 | 0.000315 | 0.002319 | 0.000003 | 0.15625 | 0.002808 |
null | as shown in fig1 incoming speech from telephone equipment 101 is transmitted over analog twisted pair lines 103 to one of a plurality of linecards 105 which form a proprietary or switch specific barrier at central office 107 . one known such switch specific barrier is a dms - 100 . after processing the information in the switch specific barrier at central office 107 , the speech can be routed over t1 carrier facilities to another central office 111 where another switch specific barrier having linecards 113 can then route the speech from phone equipment 101 over analog switched pair 115 to a receiving phone equipment 117 . as previously discussed , in north america t1 carrier facilities 109 are operated at 1 . 544 mbps in which 24 8 - bit speech words are transmitted in a single 125 μs frame . thus , 192 information bits are transmitted at 8 kilohertz in the 125 μs frame . in addition , a framing bit is also included in the 125 μs frame , thus resulting in 193 bits being transmitted in a 125 μs frame . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to north american t1 carrier facilities but can be applied to other carrier facilities using other data rates and formats employed throughout the world . it should also be noted that , as shown in fig1 incoming speech may originate at another end of the system , such as phone equipment 119 , so that it is transmitted over analog lines 121 through linecards 113 and over carrier facilities 109 to central office 107 . here this speech information could then be routed by linecards 105 over analog lines 123 to telephone equipment 125 . the emergence of the integrated services digital network ( isdn ) as an important telecommunication means has resulted in isdn equipment 201 being connected to linecards , e . g . 203 in central office 205 over a 192 kbps link in which two b channels and one d channel are connected to each linecard . there are three channels operating on the 192 kbps link . each of the two b channels operates at 64 kbps , the d channel has a 16 kbps capability . in addition , as previously discussed , a t1 transmission line operates at 1 . 544 mbps . this accommodates 24 8 - bit speech words per 125 μs frame so that 24 pieces of standard phone equipment can be multiplexed on a single t1 carrier facility . however , each isdn equipment conventionally occupies three 64 kbps channels resulting in a 192 kbps band width . this allows only eight isdn devices to be accommodated by a single t1 carrier facility . this is illustrated in fig3 which shows that isdn devices 301 can be connected to multiplexer 303 and transmitted to a central office switch 305 over t1 carrier facilities 307 . the t1 carrier facilities 307 can accommodate 24 64 kbps channels . since each isdn device conventionally requires three channels , eight isdn devices can be accommodated on the t1 carrier facility 307 communicating with central office switch 305 . fig4 shows a configuration in a central office 401 in which multiplexer 417 receives information from linecards 409 , 411 , and 415 which are connected to telephone equipment 403 , 405 and 407 , respectively . multiplexer 417 receives information from the linecards and formats it for transmission to the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 . the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 is designed to accommodate the number of channels desired by the designer . since information must be provided to switch matrix 419 in the 64 kbps format , multiplexer 417 must operate to provide the 16 kbps d channel isdn information in the same 64 kbps format . this presents no problem for the two isdn b channels . however , since the d channels operate at 16 kbps transmitting information in the 64 kbps format requires duplicating the d channel information so that the same information is transmitted four times . this wastes capacity and is obviously undesirable . fig5 illustrates a switch matrix 419 designed to switch 1 , 000 channels . a frame pulse on signal line 501 activates channel counter 503 whose output on signal line 507 is incremented in response to a clock 505 . each incremented output of the channel counter on output line 507 provides an address code to data memory 509 and connection memory 511 . fig6 illustrates how a 125 μs frame is channelized into one thousand 125 nanosecond channels . eight - bit entities are transmitted in each 125 nanosecond time increment . thus , speech information received as 8 - bit entities on line 513 is sequentially clocked into the data memory so that one 8 - bit entity is stored for each increment of the channel counter . for the data memory 509 , output signal on line 507 from the channel counter 503 points to the address where the received information 513 is to be stored . linecard controller 515 provides information to connection memory 511 concerning the destination of the information , such as speech data and control information , stored in the data memory 509 . thus , each increment of the channel counter provides an address of the connection memory at which the destination of the information stored at the corresponding address in the data memory is identified . it should be noted that 8 - bit entities of information can be stored in data memory 509 at sequential addresses for plain old telephone service ( pots ) and for the b channels of isdn devices . however , since the d channels of isdn devices are transmitted at only 16 kilobits per second , which is 1 / 4 the 64 kbps data rate of pulse code modulated speech information in line 513 , only two bits are required for each d - channel . in order to conform to the 64 kbps format , the d channel information is therefore duplicated so that eight bits of information are transmitted on the channel . during the first half cycle of a clock , incoming speech on signal line 513 is placed in memory . during the second half cycle of a clock , the connection memory is accessed to identify the destination of the information stored in the data memory at the address defined by the channel counter . for example , speech information can be transmitted over data output line 519 while destination information is transmitted over line 521 to routing circuit 523 . it should be noted that the routing circuit 523 can be replaced by using the data output of the connection memory as an address input to the data memory . fig7 illustrates how this can be accomplished . in this configuration , channel counter 701 clocked by clock 703 produces outputs on line 705 which are provided to multiplexers 707 and 709 . multiplexer 709 provides address information on line 711 to connection memory 713 . this information can be the output from the channel counter 705 or a microprocessor address on line 715 which is provided by a linecard controller , e . g . 515 , used to program the routing information into the connection memory . it should be noted that linecard controller 515 is used to completely define in the connection memory the routing information for each channel . data memory 717 receives its address information from the output of multiplexer 707 on line 719 . line 719 contains either the channel counter output on line 705 or latched connection memory information on line 721 . line 721 is defined by the output of latch 723 which is connected to the data output 725 of connection memory 713 . the output of multiplexers 707 and 709 depends on the status of clocks 727 and 729 . during the first half clock cycle , input pulse code modulated ( pcm ) information or speech information received on signal line 731 is transmitted through data line 733 and read into data memory 717 . this is accomplished by activating multiplexer 707 to put the channel count on line 705 as the address on signal 719 of the data memory . the speech or pulse code modulated information is then read into the data memory 717 . in addition , signal line 711 is also clocked so that the address on connection memory 713 corresponds to the output of channel counter 701 on signal lines 705 . thus , during the first half clock cycle the connection memory data output , which defines the destination of the speech at the address location on line 711 is latched into latch 723 . during the second half clock cycle , address line 719 is then switched via clock 727 so that multiplexer 707 provides the information on signal line 721 to the address input of the data memory 717 . as a result , during the second half of the clock cycle pulse code modulated information is transmitted on data line 733 from the address defined by connection memory 713 to the channel corresponding to the channel counter value . fig8 a illustrates a series of incoming 8 - bit entities which are sequentially provided from each of the linecards . the location of each entity is determined by the sequential nature of channel counter 503 . thus , 8 - bit entity a is placed into memory in the first sequential location , the second 8 - bit entity b is placed into the second sequential location , and so on . this occurs for each of the channels in a 125 μs frame . as shown in fig8 a , entities a - e and g are 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech . entity f represents the d channel information from the first isdn device defined by an operator to linecard controller 515 . it should be noted that operator interface 525 provides an individual operator a means for defining to linecard controller 515 the nature of each of the linecards operating at a particular switching station . thus , in the example shown in fig8 a - 9c channels a , b , and c could be accommodating plain old telephone service ( pots ) while channels d and e represent b channels for the first isdn device . channel f represents the d channel information for the first isdn device . as previously discussed , the d channels of isdn devices operate at 16 kbps while the remaining channels operate at 64 kbps . the switching device , such as 64 kbps switch 419 , requires a consistent format . since the d channels operate at only 1 / 4 the data rate of the other channels , and since each channel is 8 bits , only 2 bits are required to transmit the d channel information , which typically control information for the isdn device . however , in order to maintain a consistent 64 kbps format , the two d channel bits are duplicated so that 8 bits are stored in the data memory . the 8 bits are then transmitted in accordance with the information programmed into the connection memory , e . g . 511 or 713 , so that the 8 bits are transmitted through the switch matrix . this is shown in fig8 b where channel f , which is stored at location 6 , contains d channel information for the first isdn device , the d1 channel . data stream h stored at location 8 contains d channel information for the second isdn device , the d2 channel . fig8 b shows that the d1 information is routed to location 100 while the d2 information is routed to location 210 . in this example of a conventional system all 8 bits would then be transmitted in order to be routed to the appropriate location . thus , to accommodate the d1 and d2 channels , 16 bits are transmitted , even though 12 of the transmitted bits merely duplicate the basic information required . only four of the 16 bits actually need to be transmitted to provide the proper control to the first and second isdn devices . this principle is true for any number of isdn devices and as the number of isdn channels in a frame increases , the penalty for transmitting redundant information also increases . fig8 c illustrates one way in which the outgoing information can be packed to avoid the transmission of redundant information . fig8 c shows that when the first isdn d channel is encountered , d channel information for additional isdn devices which can be accommodated by the number of bits in the channel is also transmitted . thus , in the example shown in fig8 the 2 bits required for transmitting d1 channel information are followed by transmitting 2 bits for the d2 channel information . because 8 bits can be transmitted in a channel , this approach could be extended to d3 and d4 channels , as required and remain transparent to other devices in the system . additional isdn devices , e . g . d - channels d5 - d8 , could be accommodated as another eight bit entity formed by string the 8 bit d channel information together in sequence . in cases where 8 bits are not required , e . g . only two isdn channels to be transmitted , the &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ; bits can be ignored . since the d1 and d2 channel information has been transmitted when the address counter is at location 100 , 2 bits of d1 channel information and 2 bits of d2 channel information are transmitted . as previously noted , if 2 bits of d3 information and 2 bits of d4 information were available , these would also be transmitted so that a maximum of an 8 bit entity would be transmitted at one time . the advantage to transmitting the d channel control information in this fashion is that the information is required only once per frame . thus , when channel counter 513 increments to location 210 , the d2 channel information need not be transmitted . location 210 instead becomes available to accommodate an additional pulse code modulated information channel . as a result , the information carrying capacity of the system is increased without necessitating construction of additional transmission capability . for example , as previously discussed , a t1 carrier facility accommodates 24 64 kbps channels with each channel transmitting 8 - bit information entities at 8 kilohertz . when isdn devices are involved , only 8 devices are available , since each isdn device consumes three channels . by eliminating the transmission of redundant information , additional channels become available so that a single t1 carrier facility can handle up to ten isdn devices . as discussed above , efficiency can be achieved by viewing the information transmitted on the system as individual entities whose bit length is equal to the smallest number of bits which are required for fundamental control of the devices on the system . each of these entities is called nyblet . in the above case , 2 bits are needed to provide d channel control information . this is because information transmitted on the d channels is at 16 kbps and is only one - fourth the information rate of the transmission channel which is 64 kbps . thus , even though information is transmitted as 8 - bit speech entities , only one - fourth of these 8 bits , i . e ., or 2 bits , is required for d channel control information . since the individual nyblet entity is now 2 bits , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech entity is formed by a sequential series of four 2 - bit nyblets . thus , pulse code modulated speech information can be easily reconstructed in a manner transparent to external devices because four 2 - bit information entities transmitted in sequence are no different to external devices from a single 8 - bit entity . the efficiency is achieved in the transmission of control information on the isdn d channels . this is because instead of transmitting duplicate information , such as d1 - d1 - d1 - d1 , d2 - d2 -, d2 - d2 , d3 - d3 - d3 - d3 , d4 - d4 - d4 - d4 , the information is now transmitted as d1 - d2 - d3 - d4 . control information for four isdn channels is transmitted in a manner compatible with a single 8 - bit entity , rather than requiring four individual 8 - bit entities . as previously discussed , this releases other channels for transmission of additional information . fig9 illustrates how this can be accomplished . as previously discussed , the 1 , 000 channel connection memory required 1 , 000 address locations with each address location containing an 8 - bit word . the 8 - bit word could be either 8 bits of pulse code modulated speech or redundant d channel control information . as shown in fig9 one approach is to replace this memory with another memory only 2 bits wide and having 4 , 000 locations . using this approach , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated entity can be created by stringing together four sequential 2 - bit entities and transmitting them one after the other . since two bit entities rather than 8 bit entities are now being switched , the clock rate for channel counter 503 must be accelerated by four times . however , to devices connected to the system the arrangement of the memory is transparent , since each device sees the correct information appear at the correct time as determined by a clock signal . it should be noted that the information is stored in 2 - bit entities blindly so that the data memory still contains duplicate or redundant copies of the d channel information for each of the isdn devices . thus , 8 - bit speech information and d channel control information is stored in the same manner as in conventional systems , even though it is stored as 2 - bit entities rather than 8 - bit entities . the connection memory now provides routing information in a manner consistent with the alteration of the data memory . for example , the connection memory contains 4 , 000 2 - bit entities to route incoming and outgoing speech from one linecard to another . in this case for a data transmission channel such as a pots device or an isdn b channel , the routing information in the connection memory is programmed such that four 2 - bit entities are routed to the same channel . thus , the bits are easily assembled into an 8 - bit entity . for the d channel control information for isdn devices , the first entry contains the address of the d1 information . the next entries in the connection memory contain the addresses of the d2 , d3 and d4 information , respectively . this is possible because channels are defined by an operator through the operator interface 525 via the line card controller 515 . as a result , at all times it is possible to determine which d channel information is to be transmitted and the location in the connection memory of the remaining d channel information by knowing the current count of channel counter 503 . fig1 illustrates an alternative memory organization method in which the data memory is organized into individual 2 - bit banks . thus , for example , 1 , 000 channels of 8 - bit data memory words can be stored as 1 , 000 entries of banks 0 - 3 . by accessing each bank of the data memory for each count of the channel counter , it is possible to access the information as 2 - bit nyblets while maintaining the same channel count as in conventional systems . the advantage of transmitting information in nyblets is that pulse code modulated information , such as speech , and d channel control information for isdn devices can be transmitted in the same manner in a way that is transparent to the overall system . in addition , since the d channel information can be packed into 8 - bit sequences , with each sequence having 2 bits corresponding to one of four isdn d channels or four isdn devices , it is possible to transmit 16 kbps information in a 64 kbps environment . this releases other information channels , thereby increasing the data transmission capacity of the overall system in taking full advantage of the capabilities of t1 carrier facilities . it should be pointed out that the above invention has been described for isdn devices in a 64 kbps environment . however , nyblets of any particular length can be used to allow transmission of lower data rate information in a higher data rate environment by employing the same approach . moreover , the above method and structure in terms of the organization of nyblets and data and connection memories is not restricted to telephone applications . the method and structure could be applied to any data communications requirement involving the transmission of lower data rate information of higher data rate channels . while several embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications , and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention , following in general the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as to come within knowledge or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and falling within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | bfabfd72b996aa19a8bb30af6509f4755e3aee9d30140a606cd5c46e522a8c38 | 0.271484 | 0.049561 | 0.000534 | 0.004761 | 0.144531 | 0.043457 |
null | as shown in fig1 incoming speech from telephone equipment 101 is transmitted over analog twisted pair lines 103 to one of a plurality of linecards 105 which form a proprietary or switch specific barrier at central office 107 . one known such switch specific barrier is a dms - 100 . after processing the information in the switch specific barrier at central office 107 , the speech can be routed over t1 carrier facilities to another central office 111 where another switch specific barrier having linecards 113 can then route the speech from phone equipment 101 over analog switched pair 115 to a receiving phone equipment 117 . as previously discussed , in north america t1 carrier facilities 109 are operated at 1 . 544 mbps in which 24 8 - bit speech words are transmitted in a single 125 μs frame . thus , 192 information bits are transmitted at 8 kilohertz in the 125 μs frame . in addition , a framing bit is also included in the 125 μs frame , thus resulting in 193 bits being transmitted in a 125 μs frame . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to north american t1 carrier facilities but can be applied to other carrier facilities using other data rates and formats employed throughout the world . it should also be noted that , as shown in fig1 incoming speech may originate at another end of the system , such as phone equipment 119 , so that it is transmitted over analog lines 121 through linecards 113 and over carrier facilities 109 to central office 107 . here this speech information could then be routed by linecards 105 over analog lines 123 to telephone equipment 125 . the emergence of the integrated services digital network ( isdn ) as an important telecommunication means has resulted in isdn equipment 201 being connected to linecards , e . g . 203 in central office 205 over a 192 kbps link in which two b channels and one d channel are connected to each linecard . there are three channels operating on the 192 kbps link . each of the two b channels operates at 64 kbps , the d channel has a 16 kbps capability . in addition , as previously discussed , a t1 transmission line operates at 1 . 544 mbps . this accommodates 24 8 - bit speech words per 125 μs frame so that 24 pieces of standard phone equipment can be multiplexed on a single t1 carrier facility . however , each isdn equipment conventionally occupies three 64 kbps channels resulting in a 192 kbps band width . this allows only eight isdn devices to be accommodated by a single t1 carrier facility . this is illustrated in fig3 which shows that isdn devices 301 can be connected to multiplexer 303 and transmitted to a central office switch 305 over t1 carrier facilities 307 . the t1 carrier facilities 307 can accommodate 24 64 kbps channels . since each isdn device conventionally requires three channels , eight isdn devices can be accommodated on the t1 carrier facility 307 communicating with central office switch 305 . fig4 shows a configuration in a central office 401 in which multiplexer 417 receives information from linecards 409 , 411 , and 415 which are connected to telephone equipment 403 , 405 and 407 , respectively . multiplexer 417 receives information from the linecards and formats it for transmission to the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 . the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 is designed to accommodate the number of channels desired by the designer . since information must be provided to switch matrix 419 in the 64 kbps format , multiplexer 417 must operate to provide the 16 kbps d channel isdn information in the same 64 kbps format . this presents no problem for the two isdn b channels . however , since the d channels operate at 16 kbps transmitting information in the 64 kbps format requires duplicating the d channel information so that the same information is transmitted four times . this wastes capacity and is obviously undesirable . fig5 illustrates a switch matrix 419 designed to switch 1 , 000 channels . a frame pulse on signal line 501 activates channel counter 503 whose output on signal line 507 is incremented in response to a clock 505 . each incremented output of the channel counter on output line 507 provides an address code to data memory 509 and connection memory 511 . fig6 illustrates how a 125 μs frame is channelized into one thousand 125 nanosecond channels . eight - bit entities are transmitted in each 125 nanosecond time increment . thus , speech information received as 8 - bit entities on line 513 is sequentially clocked into the data memory so that one 8 - bit entity is stored for each increment of the channel counter . for the data memory 509 , output signal on line 507 from the channel counter 503 points to the address where the received information 513 is to be stored . linecard controller 515 provides information to connection memory 511 concerning the destination of the information , such as speech data and control information , stored in the data memory 509 . thus , each increment of the channel counter provides an address of the connection memory at which the destination of the information stored at the corresponding address in the data memory is identified . it should be noted that 8 - bit entities of information can be stored in data memory 509 at sequential addresses for plain old telephone service ( pots ) and for the b channels of isdn devices . however , since the d channels of isdn devices are transmitted at only 16 kilobits per second , which is 1 / 4 the 64 kbps data rate of pulse code modulated speech information in line 513 , only two bits are required for each d - channel . in order to conform to the 64 kbps format , the d channel information is therefore duplicated so that eight bits of information are transmitted on the channel . during the first half cycle of a clock , incoming speech on signal line 513 is placed in memory . during the second half cycle of a clock , the connection memory is accessed to identify the destination of the information stored in the data memory at the address defined by the channel counter . for example , speech information can be transmitted over data output line 519 while destination information is transmitted over line 521 to routing circuit 523 . it should be noted that the routing circuit 523 can be replaced by using the data output of the connection memory as an address input to the data memory . fig7 illustrates how this can be accomplished . in this configuration , channel counter 701 clocked by clock 703 produces outputs on line 705 which are provided to multiplexers 707 and 709 . multiplexer 709 provides address information on line 711 to connection memory 713 . this information can be the output from the channel counter 705 or a microprocessor address on line 715 which is provided by a linecard controller , e . g . 515 , used to program the routing information into the connection memory . it should be noted that linecard controller 515 is used to completely define in the connection memory the routing information for each channel . data memory 717 receives its address information from the output of multiplexer 707 on line 719 . line 719 contains either the channel counter output on line 705 or latched connection memory information on line 721 . line 721 is defined by the output of latch 723 which is connected to the data output 725 of connection memory 713 . the output of multiplexers 707 and 709 depends on the status of clocks 727 and 729 . during the first half clock cycle , input pulse code modulated ( pcm ) information or speech information received on signal line 731 is transmitted through data line 733 and read into data memory 717 . this is accomplished by activating multiplexer 707 to put the channel count on line 705 as the address on signal 719 of the data memory . the speech or pulse code modulated information is then read into the data memory 717 . in addition , signal line 711 is also clocked so that the address on connection memory 713 corresponds to the output of channel counter 701 on signal lines 705 . thus , during the first half clock cycle the connection memory data output , which defines the destination of the speech at the address location on line 711 is latched into latch 723 . during the second half clock cycle , address line 719 is then switched via clock 727 so that multiplexer 707 provides the information on signal line 721 to the address input of the data memory 717 . as a result , during the second half of the clock cycle pulse code modulated information is transmitted on data line 733 from the address defined by connection memory 713 to the channel corresponding to the channel counter value . fig8 a illustrates a series of incoming 8 - bit entities which are sequentially provided from each of the linecards . the location of each entity is determined by the sequential nature of channel counter 503 . thus , 8 - bit entity a is placed into memory in the first sequential location , the second 8 - bit entity b is placed into the second sequential location , and so on . this occurs for each of the channels in a 125 μs frame . as shown in fig8 a , entities a - e and g are 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech . entity f represents the d channel information from the first isdn device defined by an operator to linecard controller 515 . it should be noted that operator interface 525 provides an individual operator a means for defining to linecard controller 515 the nature of each of the linecards operating at a particular switching station . thus , in the example shown in fig8 a - 9c channels a , b , and c could be accommodating plain old telephone service ( pots ) while channels d and e represent b channels for the first isdn device . channel f represents the d channel information for the first isdn device . as previously discussed , the d channels of isdn devices operate at 16 kbps while the remaining channels operate at 64 kbps . the switching device , such as 64 kbps switch 419 , requires a consistent format . since the d channels operate at only 1 / 4 the data rate of the other channels , and since each channel is 8 bits , only 2 bits are required to transmit the d channel information , which typically control information for the isdn device . however , in order to maintain a consistent 64 kbps format , the two d channel bits are duplicated so that 8 bits are stored in the data memory . the 8 bits are then transmitted in accordance with the information programmed into the connection memory , e . g . 511 or 713 , so that the 8 bits are transmitted through the switch matrix . this is shown in fig8 b where channel f , which is stored at location 6 , contains d channel information for the first isdn device , the d1 channel . data stream h stored at location 8 contains d channel information for the second isdn device , the d2 channel . fig8 b shows that the d1 information is routed to location 100 while the d2 information is routed to location 210 . in this example of a conventional system all 8 bits would then be transmitted in order to be routed to the appropriate location . thus , to accommodate the d1 and d2 channels , 16 bits are transmitted , even though 12 of the transmitted bits merely duplicate the basic information required . only four of the 16 bits actually need to be transmitted to provide the proper control to the first and second isdn devices . this principle is true for any number of isdn devices and as the number of isdn channels in a frame increases , the penalty for transmitting redundant information also increases . fig8 c illustrates one way in which the outgoing information can be packed to avoid the transmission of redundant information . fig8 c shows that when the first isdn d channel is encountered , d channel information for additional isdn devices which can be accommodated by the number of bits in the channel is also transmitted . thus , in the example shown in fig8 the 2 bits required for transmitting d1 channel information are followed by transmitting 2 bits for the d2 channel information . because 8 bits can be transmitted in a channel , this approach could be extended to d3 and d4 channels , as required and remain transparent to other devices in the system . additional isdn devices , e . g . d - channels d5 - d8 , could be accommodated as another eight bit entity formed by string the 8 bit d channel information together in sequence . in cases where 8 bits are not required , e . g . only two isdn channels to be transmitted , the &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ; bits can be ignored . since the d1 and d2 channel information has been transmitted when the address counter is at location 100 , 2 bits of d1 channel information and 2 bits of d2 channel information are transmitted . as previously noted , if 2 bits of d3 information and 2 bits of d4 information were available , these would also be transmitted so that a maximum of an 8 bit entity would be transmitted at one time . the advantage to transmitting the d channel control information in this fashion is that the information is required only once per frame . thus , when channel counter 513 increments to location 210 , the d2 channel information need not be transmitted . location 210 instead becomes available to accommodate an additional pulse code modulated information channel . as a result , the information carrying capacity of the system is increased without necessitating construction of additional transmission capability . for example , as previously discussed , a t1 carrier facility accommodates 24 64 kbps channels with each channel transmitting 8 - bit information entities at 8 kilohertz . when isdn devices are involved , only 8 devices are available , since each isdn device consumes three channels . by eliminating the transmission of redundant information , additional channels become available so that a single t1 carrier facility can handle up to ten isdn devices . as discussed above , efficiency can be achieved by viewing the information transmitted on the system as individual entities whose bit length is equal to the smallest number of bits which are required for fundamental control of the devices on the system . each of these entities is called nyblet . in the above case , 2 bits are needed to provide d channel control information . this is because information transmitted on the d channels is at 16 kbps and is only one - fourth the information rate of the transmission channel which is 64 kbps . thus , even though information is transmitted as 8 - bit speech entities , only one - fourth of these 8 bits , i . e ., or 2 bits , is required for d channel control information . since the individual nyblet entity is now 2 bits , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech entity is formed by a sequential series of four 2 - bit nyblets . thus , pulse code modulated speech information can be easily reconstructed in a manner transparent to external devices because four 2 - bit information entities transmitted in sequence are no different to external devices from a single 8 - bit entity . the efficiency is achieved in the transmission of control information on the isdn d channels . this is because instead of transmitting duplicate information , such as d1 - d1 - d1 - d1 , d2 - d2 -, d2 - d2 , d3 - d3 - d3 - d3 , d4 - d4 - d4 - d4 , the information is now transmitted as d1 - d2 - d3 - d4 . control information for four isdn channels is transmitted in a manner compatible with a single 8 - bit entity , rather than requiring four individual 8 - bit entities . as previously discussed , this releases other channels for transmission of additional information . fig9 illustrates how this can be accomplished . as previously discussed , the 1 , 000 channel connection memory required 1 , 000 address locations with each address location containing an 8 - bit word . the 8 - bit word could be either 8 bits of pulse code modulated speech or redundant d channel control information . as shown in fig9 one approach is to replace this memory with another memory only 2 bits wide and having 4 , 000 locations . using this approach , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated entity can be created by stringing together four sequential 2 - bit entities and transmitting them one after the other . since two bit entities rather than 8 bit entities are now being switched , the clock rate for channel counter 503 must be accelerated by four times . however , to devices connected to the system the arrangement of the memory is transparent , since each device sees the correct information appear at the correct time as determined by a clock signal . it should be noted that the information is stored in 2 - bit entities blindly so that the data memory still contains duplicate or redundant copies of the d channel information for each of the isdn devices . thus , 8 - bit speech information and d channel control information is stored in the same manner as in conventional systems , even though it is stored as 2 - bit entities rather than 8 - bit entities . the connection memory now provides routing information in a manner consistent with the alteration of the data memory . for example , the connection memory contains 4 , 000 2 - bit entities to route incoming and outgoing speech from one linecard to another . in this case for a data transmission channel such as a pots device or an isdn b channel , the routing information in the connection memory is programmed such that four 2 - bit entities are routed to the same channel . thus , the bits are easily assembled into an 8 - bit entity . for the d channel control information for isdn devices , the first entry contains the address of the d1 information . the next entries in the connection memory contain the addresses of the d2 , d3 and d4 information , respectively . this is possible because channels are defined by an operator through the operator interface 525 via the line card controller 515 . as a result , at all times it is possible to determine which d channel information is to be transmitted and the location in the connection memory of the remaining d channel information by knowing the current count of channel counter 503 . fig1 illustrates an alternative memory organization method in which the data memory is organized into individual 2 - bit banks . thus , for example , 1 , 000 channels of 8 - bit data memory words can be stored as 1 , 000 entries of banks 0 - 3 . by accessing each bank of the data memory for each count of the channel counter , it is possible to access the information as 2 - bit nyblets while maintaining the same channel count as in conventional systems . the advantage of transmitting information in nyblets is that pulse code modulated information , such as speech , and d channel control information for isdn devices can be transmitted in the same manner in a way that is transparent to the overall system . in addition , since the d channel information can be packed into 8 - bit sequences , with each sequence having 2 bits corresponding to one of four isdn d channels or four isdn devices , it is possible to transmit 16 kbps information in a 64 kbps environment . this releases other information channels , thereby increasing the data transmission capacity of the overall system in taking full advantage of the capabilities of t1 carrier facilities . it should be pointed out that the above invention has been described for isdn devices in a 64 kbps environment . however , nyblets of any particular length can be used to allow transmission of lower data rate information in a higher data rate environment by employing the same approach . moreover , the above method and structure in terms of the organization of nyblets and data and connection memories is not restricted to telephone applications . the method and structure could be applied to any data communications requirement involving the transmission of lower data rate information of higher data rate channels . while several embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications , and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention , following in general the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as to come within knowledge or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and falling within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | bfabfd72b996aa19a8bb30af6509f4755e3aee9d30140a606cd5c46e522a8c38 | 0.265625 | 0.000431 | 0.000534 | 0.000017 | 0.144531 | 0.002045 |
null | as shown in fig1 incoming speech from telephone equipment 101 is transmitted over analog twisted pair lines 103 to one of a plurality of linecards 105 which form a proprietary or switch specific barrier at central office 107 . one known such switch specific barrier is a dms - 100 . after processing the information in the switch specific barrier at central office 107 , the speech can be routed over t1 carrier facilities to another central office 111 where another switch specific barrier having linecards 113 can then route the speech from phone equipment 101 over analog switched pair 115 to a receiving phone equipment 117 . as previously discussed , in north america t1 carrier facilities 109 are operated at 1 . 544 mbps in which 24 8 - bit speech words are transmitted in a single 125 μs frame . thus , 192 information bits are transmitted at 8 kilohertz in the 125 μs frame . in addition , a framing bit is also included in the 125 μs frame , thus resulting in 193 bits being transmitted in a 125 μs frame . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to north american t1 carrier facilities but can be applied to other carrier facilities using other data rates and formats employed throughout the world . it should also be noted that , as shown in fig1 incoming speech may originate at another end of the system , such as phone equipment 119 , so that it is transmitted over analog lines 121 through linecards 113 and over carrier facilities 109 to central office 107 . here this speech information could then be routed by linecards 105 over analog lines 123 to telephone equipment 125 . the emergence of the integrated services digital network ( isdn ) as an important telecommunication means has resulted in isdn equipment 201 being connected to linecards , e . g . 203 in central office 205 over a 192 kbps link in which two b channels and one d channel are connected to each linecard . there are three channels operating on the 192 kbps link . each of the two b channels operates at 64 kbps , the d channel has a 16 kbps capability . in addition , as previously discussed , a t1 transmission line operates at 1 . 544 mbps . this accommodates 24 8 - bit speech words per 125 μs frame so that 24 pieces of standard phone equipment can be multiplexed on a single t1 carrier facility . however , each isdn equipment conventionally occupies three 64 kbps channels resulting in a 192 kbps band width . this allows only eight isdn devices to be accommodated by a single t1 carrier facility . this is illustrated in fig3 which shows that isdn devices 301 can be connected to multiplexer 303 and transmitted to a central office switch 305 over t1 carrier facilities 307 . the t1 carrier facilities 307 can accommodate 24 64 kbps channels . since each isdn device conventionally requires three channels , eight isdn devices can be accommodated on the t1 carrier facility 307 communicating with central office switch 305 . fig4 shows a configuration in a central office 401 in which multiplexer 417 receives information from linecards 409 , 411 , and 415 which are connected to telephone equipment 403 , 405 and 407 , respectively . multiplexer 417 receives information from the linecards and formats it for transmission to the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 . the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 is designed to accommodate the number of channels desired by the designer . since information must be provided to switch matrix 419 in the 64 kbps format , multiplexer 417 must operate to provide the 16 kbps d channel isdn information in the same 64 kbps format . this presents no problem for the two isdn b channels . however , since the d channels operate at 16 kbps transmitting information in the 64 kbps format requires duplicating the d channel information so that the same information is transmitted four times . this wastes capacity and is obviously undesirable . fig5 illustrates a switch matrix 419 designed to switch 1 , 000 channels . a frame pulse on signal line 501 activates channel counter 503 whose output on signal line 507 is incremented in response to a clock 505 . each incremented output of the channel counter on output line 507 provides an address code to data memory 509 and connection memory 511 . fig6 illustrates how a 125 μs frame is channelized into one thousand 125 nanosecond channels . eight - bit entities are transmitted in each 125 nanosecond time increment . thus , speech information received as 8 - bit entities on line 513 is sequentially clocked into the data memory so that one 8 - bit entity is stored for each increment of the channel counter . for the data memory 509 , output signal on line 507 from the channel counter 503 points to the address where the received information 513 is to be stored . linecard controller 515 provides information to connection memory 511 concerning the destination of the information , such as speech data and control information , stored in the data memory 509 . thus , each increment of the channel counter provides an address of the connection memory at which the destination of the information stored at the corresponding address in the data memory is identified . it should be noted that 8 - bit entities of information can be stored in data memory 509 at sequential addresses for plain old telephone service ( pots ) and for the b channels of isdn devices . however , since the d channels of isdn devices are transmitted at only 16 kilobits per second , which is 1 / 4 the 64 kbps data rate of pulse code modulated speech information in line 513 , only two bits are required for each d - channel . in order to conform to the 64 kbps format , the d channel information is therefore duplicated so that eight bits of information are transmitted on the channel . during the first half cycle of a clock , incoming speech on signal line 513 is placed in memory . during the second half cycle of a clock , the connection memory is accessed to identify the destination of the information stored in the data memory at the address defined by the channel counter . for example , speech information can be transmitted over data output line 519 while destination information is transmitted over line 521 to routing circuit 523 . it should be noted that the routing circuit 523 can be replaced by using the data output of the connection memory as an address input to the data memory . fig7 illustrates how this can be accomplished . in this configuration , channel counter 701 clocked by clock 703 produces outputs on line 705 which are provided to multiplexers 707 and 709 . multiplexer 709 provides address information on line 711 to connection memory 713 . this information can be the output from the channel counter 705 or a microprocessor address on line 715 which is provided by a linecard controller , e . g . 515 , used to program the routing information into the connection memory . it should be noted that linecard controller 515 is used to completely define in the connection memory the routing information for each channel . data memory 717 receives its address information from the output of multiplexer 707 on line 719 . line 719 contains either the channel counter output on line 705 or latched connection memory information on line 721 . line 721 is defined by the output of latch 723 which is connected to the data output 725 of connection memory 713 . the output of multiplexers 707 and 709 depends on the status of clocks 727 and 729 . during the first half clock cycle , input pulse code modulated ( pcm ) information or speech information received on signal line 731 is transmitted through data line 733 and read into data memory 717 . this is accomplished by activating multiplexer 707 to put the channel count on line 705 as the address on signal 719 of the data memory . the speech or pulse code modulated information is then read into the data memory 717 . in addition , signal line 711 is also clocked so that the address on connection memory 713 corresponds to the output of channel counter 701 on signal lines 705 . thus , during the first half clock cycle the connection memory data output , which defines the destination of the speech at the address location on line 711 is latched into latch 723 . during the second half clock cycle , address line 719 is then switched via clock 727 so that multiplexer 707 provides the information on signal line 721 to the address input of the data memory 717 . as a result , during the second half of the clock cycle pulse code modulated information is transmitted on data line 733 from the address defined by connection memory 713 to the channel corresponding to the channel counter value . fig8 a illustrates a series of incoming 8 - bit entities which are sequentially provided from each of the linecards . the location of each entity is determined by the sequential nature of channel counter 503 . thus , 8 - bit entity a is placed into memory in the first sequential location , the second 8 - bit entity b is placed into the second sequential location , and so on . this occurs for each of the channels in a 125 μs frame . as shown in fig8 a , entities a - e and g are 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech . entity f represents the d channel information from the first isdn device defined by an operator to linecard controller 515 . it should be noted that operator interface 525 provides an individual operator a means for defining to linecard controller 515 the nature of each of the linecards operating at a particular switching station . thus , in the example shown in fig8 a - 9c channels a , b , and c could be accommodating plain old telephone service ( pots ) while channels d and e represent b channels for the first isdn device . channel f represents the d channel information for the first isdn device . as previously discussed , the d channels of isdn devices operate at 16 kbps while the remaining channels operate at 64 kbps . the switching device , such as 64 kbps switch 419 , requires a consistent format . since the d channels operate at only 1 / 4 the data rate of the other channels , and since each channel is 8 bits , only 2 bits are required to transmit the d channel information , which typically control information for the isdn device . however , in order to maintain a consistent 64 kbps format , the two d channel bits are duplicated so that 8 bits are stored in the data memory . the 8 bits are then transmitted in accordance with the information programmed into the connection memory , e . g . 511 or 713 , so that the 8 bits are transmitted through the switch matrix . this is shown in fig8 b where channel f , which is stored at location 6 , contains d channel information for the first isdn device , the d1 channel . data stream h stored at location 8 contains d channel information for the second isdn device , the d2 channel . fig8 b shows that the d1 information is routed to location 100 while the d2 information is routed to location 210 . in this example of a conventional system all 8 bits would then be transmitted in order to be routed to the appropriate location . thus , to accommodate the d1 and d2 channels , 16 bits are transmitted , even though 12 of the transmitted bits merely duplicate the basic information required . only four of the 16 bits actually need to be transmitted to provide the proper control to the first and second isdn devices . this principle is true for any number of isdn devices and as the number of isdn channels in a frame increases , the penalty for transmitting redundant information also increases . fig8 c illustrates one way in which the outgoing information can be packed to avoid the transmission of redundant information . fig8 c shows that when the first isdn d channel is encountered , d channel information for additional isdn devices which can be accommodated by the number of bits in the channel is also transmitted . thus , in the example shown in fig8 the 2 bits required for transmitting d1 channel information are followed by transmitting 2 bits for the d2 channel information . because 8 bits can be transmitted in a channel , this approach could be extended to d3 and d4 channels , as required and remain transparent to other devices in the system . additional isdn devices , e . g . d - channels d5 - d8 , could be accommodated as another eight bit entity formed by string the 8 bit d channel information together in sequence . in cases where 8 bits are not required , e . g . only two isdn channels to be transmitted , the &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ; bits can be ignored . since the d1 and d2 channel information has been transmitted when the address counter is at location 100 , 2 bits of d1 channel information and 2 bits of d2 channel information are transmitted . as previously noted , if 2 bits of d3 information and 2 bits of d4 information were available , these would also be transmitted so that a maximum of an 8 bit entity would be transmitted at one time . the advantage to transmitting the d channel control information in this fashion is that the information is required only once per frame . thus , when channel counter 513 increments to location 210 , the d2 channel information need not be transmitted . location 210 instead becomes available to accommodate an additional pulse code modulated information channel . as a result , the information carrying capacity of the system is increased without necessitating construction of additional transmission capability . for example , as previously discussed , a t1 carrier facility accommodates 24 64 kbps channels with each channel transmitting 8 - bit information entities at 8 kilohertz . when isdn devices are involved , only 8 devices are available , since each isdn device consumes three channels . by eliminating the transmission of redundant information , additional channels become available so that a single t1 carrier facility can handle up to ten isdn devices . as discussed above , efficiency can be achieved by viewing the information transmitted on the system as individual entities whose bit length is equal to the smallest number of bits which are required for fundamental control of the devices on the system . each of these entities is called nyblet . in the above case , 2 bits are needed to provide d channel control information . this is because information transmitted on the d channels is at 16 kbps and is only one - fourth the information rate of the transmission channel which is 64 kbps . thus , even though information is transmitted as 8 - bit speech entities , only one - fourth of these 8 bits , i . e ., or 2 bits , is required for d channel control information . since the individual nyblet entity is now 2 bits , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech entity is formed by a sequential series of four 2 - bit nyblets . thus , pulse code modulated speech information can be easily reconstructed in a manner transparent to external devices because four 2 - bit information entities transmitted in sequence are no different to external devices from a single 8 - bit entity . the efficiency is achieved in the transmission of control information on the isdn d channels . this is because instead of transmitting duplicate information , such as d1 - d1 - d1 - d1 , d2 - d2 -, d2 - d2 , d3 - d3 - d3 - d3 , d4 - d4 - d4 - d4 , the information is now transmitted as d1 - d2 - d3 - d4 . control information for four isdn channels is transmitted in a manner compatible with a single 8 - bit entity , rather than requiring four individual 8 - bit entities . as previously discussed , this releases other channels for transmission of additional information . fig9 illustrates how this can be accomplished . as previously discussed , the 1 , 000 channel connection memory required 1 , 000 address locations with each address location containing an 8 - bit word . the 8 - bit word could be either 8 bits of pulse code modulated speech or redundant d channel control information . as shown in fig9 one approach is to replace this memory with another memory only 2 bits wide and having 4 , 000 locations . using this approach , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated entity can be created by stringing together four sequential 2 - bit entities and transmitting them one after the other . since two bit entities rather than 8 bit entities are now being switched , the clock rate for channel counter 503 must be accelerated by four times . however , to devices connected to the system the arrangement of the memory is transparent , since each device sees the correct information appear at the correct time as determined by a clock signal . it should be noted that the information is stored in 2 - bit entities blindly so that the data memory still contains duplicate or redundant copies of the d channel information for each of the isdn devices . thus , 8 - bit speech information and d channel control information is stored in the same manner as in conventional systems , even though it is stored as 2 - bit entities rather than 8 - bit entities . the connection memory now provides routing information in a manner consistent with the alteration of the data memory . for example , the connection memory contains 4 , 000 2 - bit entities to route incoming and outgoing speech from one linecard to another . in this case for a data transmission channel such as a pots device or an isdn b channel , the routing information in the connection memory is programmed such that four 2 - bit entities are routed to the same channel . thus , the bits are easily assembled into an 8 - bit entity . for the d channel control information for isdn devices , the first entry contains the address of the d1 information . the next entries in the connection memory contain the addresses of the d2 , d3 and d4 information , respectively . this is possible because channels are defined by an operator through the operator interface 525 via the line card controller 515 . as a result , at all times it is possible to determine which d channel information is to be transmitted and the location in the connection memory of the remaining d channel information by knowing the current count of channel counter 503 . fig1 illustrates an alternative memory organization method in which the data memory is organized into individual 2 - bit banks . thus , for example , 1 , 000 channels of 8 - bit data memory words can be stored as 1 , 000 entries of banks 0 - 3 . by accessing each bank of the data memory for each count of the channel counter , it is possible to access the information as 2 - bit nyblets while maintaining the same channel count as in conventional systems . the advantage of transmitting information in nyblets is that pulse code modulated information , such as speech , and d channel control information for isdn devices can be transmitted in the same manner in a way that is transparent to the overall system . in addition , since the d channel information can be packed into 8 - bit sequences , with each sequence having 2 bits corresponding to one of four isdn d channels or four isdn devices , it is possible to transmit 16 kbps information in a 64 kbps environment . this releases other information channels , thereby increasing the data transmission capacity of the overall system in taking full advantage of the capabilities of t1 carrier facilities . it should be pointed out that the above invention has been described for isdn devices in a 64 kbps environment . however , nyblets of any particular length can be used to allow transmission of lower data rate information in a higher data rate environment by employing the same approach . moreover , the above method and structure in terms of the organization of nyblets and data and connection memories is not restricted to telephone applications . the method and structure could be applied to any data communications requirement involving the transmission of lower data rate information of higher data rate channels . while several embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications , and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention , following in general the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as to come within knowledge or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and falling within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | bfabfd72b996aa19a8bb30af6509f4755e3aee9d30140a606cd5c46e522a8c38 | 0.229492 | 0.060059 | 0.001755 | 0.002625 | 0.259766 | 0.038574 |
null | as shown in fig1 incoming speech from telephone equipment 101 is transmitted over analog twisted pair lines 103 to one of a plurality of linecards 105 which form a proprietary or switch specific barrier at central office 107 . one known such switch specific barrier is a dms - 100 . after processing the information in the switch specific barrier at central office 107 , the speech can be routed over t1 carrier facilities to another central office 111 where another switch specific barrier having linecards 113 can then route the speech from phone equipment 101 over analog switched pair 115 to a receiving phone equipment 117 . as previously discussed , in north america t1 carrier facilities 109 are operated at 1 . 544 mbps in which 24 8 - bit speech words are transmitted in a single 125 μs frame . thus , 192 information bits are transmitted at 8 kilohertz in the 125 μs frame . in addition , a framing bit is also included in the 125 μs frame , thus resulting in 193 bits being transmitted in a 125 μs frame . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to north american t1 carrier facilities but can be applied to other carrier facilities using other data rates and formats employed throughout the world . it should also be noted that , as shown in fig1 incoming speech may originate at another end of the system , such as phone equipment 119 , so that it is transmitted over analog lines 121 through linecards 113 and over carrier facilities 109 to central office 107 . here this speech information could then be routed by linecards 105 over analog lines 123 to telephone equipment 125 . the emergence of the integrated services digital network ( isdn ) as an important telecommunication means has resulted in isdn equipment 201 being connected to linecards , e . g . 203 in central office 205 over a 192 kbps link in which two b channels and one d channel are connected to each linecard . there are three channels operating on the 192 kbps link . each of the two b channels operates at 64 kbps , the d channel has a 16 kbps capability . in addition , as previously discussed , a t1 transmission line operates at 1 . 544 mbps . this accommodates 24 8 - bit speech words per 125 μs frame so that 24 pieces of standard phone equipment can be multiplexed on a single t1 carrier facility . however , each isdn equipment conventionally occupies three 64 kbps channels resulting in a 192 kbps band width . this allows only eight isdn devices to be accommodated by a single t1 carrier facility . this is illustrated in fig3 which shows that isdn devices 301 can be connected to multiplexer 303 and transmitted to a central office switch 305 over t1 carrier facilities 307 . the t1 carrier facilities 307 can accommodate 24 64 kbps channels . since each isdn device conventionally requires three channels , eight isdn devices can be accommodated on the t1 carrier facility 307 communicating with central office switch 305 . fig4 shows a configuration in a central office 401 in which multiplexer 417 receives information from linecards 409 , 411 , and 415 which are connected to telephone equipment 403 , 405 and 407 , respectively . multiplexer 417 receives information from the linecards and formats it for transmission to the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 . the 64 kbps switch matrix 419 is designed to accommodate the number of channels desired by the designer . since information must be provided to switch matrix 419 in the 64 kbps format , multiplexer 417 must operate to provide the 16 kbps d channel isdn information in the same 64 kbps format . this presents no problem for the two isdn b channels . however , since the d channels operate at 16 kbps transmitting information in the 64 kbps format requires duplicating the d channel information so that the same information is transmitted four times . this wastes capacity and is obviously undesirable . fig5 illustrates a switch matrix 419 designed to switch 1 , 000 channels . a frame pulse on signal line 501 activates channel counter 503 whose output on signal line 507 is incremented in response to a clock 505 . each incremented output of the channel counter on output line 507 provides an address code to data memory 509 and connection memory 511 . fig6 illustrates how a 125 μs frame is channelized into one thousand 125 nanosecond channels . eight - bit entities are transmitted in each 125 nanosecond time increment . thus , speech information received as 8 - bit entities on line 513 is sequentially clocked into the data memory so that one 8 - bit entity is stored for each increment of the channel counter . for the data memory 509 , output signal on line 507 from the channel counter 503 points to the address where the received information 513 is to be stored . linecard controller 515 provides information to connection memory 511 concerning the destination of the information , such as speech data and control information , stored in the data memory 509 . thus , each increment of the channel counter provides an address of the connection memory at which the destination of the information stored at the corresponding address in the data memory is identified . it should be noted that 8 - bit entities of information can be stored in data memory 509 at sequential addresses for plain old telephone service ( pots ) and for the b channels of isdn devices . however , since the d channels of isdn devices are transmitted at only 16 kilobits per second , which is 1 / 4 the 64 kbps data rate of pulse code modulated speech information in line 513 , only two bits are required for each d - channel . in order to conform to the 64 kbps format , the d channel information is therefore duplicated so that eight bits of information are transmitted on the channel . during the first half cycle of a clock , incoming speech on signal line 513 is placed in memory . during the second half cycle of a clock , the connection memory is accessed to identify the destination of the information stored in the data memory at the address defined by the channel counter . for example , speech information can be transmitted over data output line 519 while destination information is transmitted over line 521 to routing circuit 523 . it should be noted that the routing circuit 523 can be replaced by using the data output of the connection memory as an address input to the data memory . fig7 illustrates how this can be accomplished . in this configuration , channel counter 701 clocked by clock 703 produces outputs on line 705 which are provided to multiplexers 707 and 709 . multiplexer 709 provides address information on line 711 to connection memory 713 . this information can be the output from the channel counter 705 or a microprocessor address on line 715 which is provided by a linecard controller , e . g . 515 , used to program the routing information into the connection memory . it should be noted that linecard controller 515 is used to completely define in the connection memory the routing information for each channel . data memory 717 receives its address information from the output of multiplexer 707 on line 719 . line 719 contains either the channel counter output on line 705 or latched connection memory information on line 721 . line 721 is defined by the output of latch 723 which is connected to the data output 725 of connection memory 713 . the output of multiplexers 707 and 709 depends on the status of clocks 727 and 729 . during the first half clock cycle , input pulse code modulated ( pcm ) information or speech information received on signal line 731 is transmitted through data line 733 and read into data memory 717 . this is accomplished by activating multiplexer 707 to put the channel count on line 705 as the address on signal 719 of the data memory . the speech or pulse code modulated information is then read into the data memory 717 . in addition , signal line 711 is also clocked so that the address on connection memory 713 corresponds to the output of channel counter 701 on signal lines 705 . thus , during the first half clock cycle the connection memory data output , which defines the destination of the speech at the address location on line 711 is latched into latch 723 . during the second half clock cycle , address line 719 is then switched via clock 727 so that multiplexer 707 provides the information on signal line 721 to the address input of the data memory 717 . as a result , during the second half of the clock cycle pulse code modulated information is transmitted on data line 733 from the address defined by connection memory 713 to the channel corresponding to the channel counter value . fig8 a illustrates a series of incoming 8 - bit entities which are sequentially provided from each of the linecards . the location of each entity is determined by the sequential nature of channel counter 503 . thus , 8 - bit entity a is placed into memory in the first sequential location , the second 8 - bit entity b is placed into the second sequential location , and so on . this occurs for each of the channels in a 125 μs frame . as shown in fig8 a , entities a - e and g are 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech . entity f represents the d channel information from the first isdn device defined by an operator to linecard controller 515 . it should be noted that operator interface 525 provides an individual operator a means for defining to linecard controller 515 the nature of each of the linecards operating at a particular switching station . thus , in the example shown in fig8 a - 9c channels a , b , and c could be accommodating plain old telephone service ( pots ) while channels d and e represent b channels for the first isdn device . channel f represents the d channel information for the first isdn device . as previously discussed , the d channels of isdn devices operate at 16 kbps while the remaining channels operate at 64 kbps . the switching device , such as 64 kbps switch 419 , requires a consistent format . since the d channels operate at only 1 / 4 the data rate of the other channels , and since each channel is 8 bits , only 2 bits are required to transmit the d channel information , which typically control information for the isdn device . however , in order to maintain a consistent 64 kbps format , the two d channel bits are duplicated so that 8 bits are stored in the data memory . the 8 bits are then transmitted in accordance with the information programmed into the connection memory , e . g . 511 or 713 , so that the 8 bits are transmitted through the switch matrix . this is shown in fig8 b where channel f , which is stored at location 6 , contains d channel information for the first isdn device , the d1 channel . data stream h stored at location 8 contains d channel information for the second isdn device , the d2 channel . fig8 b shows that the d1 information is routed to location 100 while the d2 information is routed to location 210 . in this example of a conventional system all 8 bits would then be transmitted in order to be routed to the appropriate location . thus , to accommodate the d1 and d2 channels , 16 bits are transmitted , even though 12 of the transmitted bits merely duplicate the basic information required . only four of the 16 bits actually need to be transmitted to provide the proper control to the first and second isdn devices . this principle is true for any number of isdn devices and as the number of isdn channels in a frame increases , the penalty for transmitting redundant information also increases . fig8 c illustrates one way in which the outgoing information can be packed to avoid the transmission of redundant information . fig8 c shows that when the first isdn d channel is encountered , d channel information for additional isdn devices which can be accommodated by the number of bits in the channel is also transmitted . thus , in the example shown in fig8 the 2 bits required for transmitting d1 channel information are followed by transmitting 2 bits for the d2 channel information . because 8 bits can be transmitted in a channel , this approach could be extended to d3 and d4 channels , as required and remain transparent to other devices in the system . additional isdn devices , e . g . d - channels d5 - d8 , could be accommodated as another eight bit entity formed by string the 8 bit d channel information together in sequence . in cases where 8 bits are not required , e . g . only two isdn channels to be transmitted , the &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ; bits can be ignored . since the d1 and d2 channel information has been transmitted when the address counter is at location 100 , 2 bits of d1 channel information and 2 bits of d2 channel information are transmitted . as previously noted , if 2 bits of d3 information and 2 bits of d4 information were available , these would also be transmitted so that a maximum of an 8 bit entity would be transmitted at one time . the advantage to transmitting the d channel control information in this fashion is that the information is required only once per frame . thus , when channel counter 513 increments to location 210 , the d2 channel information need not be transmitted . location 210 instead becomes available to accommodate an additional pulse code modulated information channel . as a result , the information carrying capacity of the system is increased without necessitating construction of additional transmission capability . for example , as previously discussed , a t1 carrier facility accommodates 24 64 kbps channels with each channel transmitting 8 - bit information entities at 8 kilohertz . when isdn devices are involved , only 8 devices are available , since each isdn device consumes three channels . by eliminating the transmission of redundant information , additional channels become available so that a single t1 carrier facility can handle up to ten isdn devices . as discussed above , efficiency can be achieved by viewing the information transmitted on the system as individual entities whose bit length is equal to the smallest number of bits which are required for fundamental control of the devices on the system . each of these entities is called nyblet . in the above case , 2 bits are needed to provide d channel control information . this is because information transmitted on the d channels is at 16 kbps and is only one - fourth the information rate of the transmission channel which is 64 kbps . thus , even though information is transmitted as 8 - bit speech entities , only one - fourth of these 8 bits , i . e ., or 2 bits , is required for d channel control information . since the individual nyblet entity is now 2 bits , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated speech entity is formed by a sequential series of four 2 - bit nyblets . thus , pulse code modulated speech information can be easily reconstructed in a manner transparent to external devices because four 2 - bit information entities transmitted in sequence are no different to external devices from a single 8 - bit entity . the efficiency is achieved in the transmission of control information on the isdn d channels . this is because instead of transmitting duplicate information , such as d1 - d1 - d1 - d1 , d2 - d2 -, d2 - d2 , d3 - d3 - d3 - d3 , d4 - d4 - d4 - d4 , the information is now transmitted as d1 - d2 - d3 - d4 . control information for four isdn channels is transmitted in a manner compatible with a single 8 - bit entity , rather than requiring four individual 8 - bit entities . as previously discussed , this releases other channels for transmission of additional information . fig9 illustrates how this can be accomplished . as previously discussed , the 1 , 000 channel connection memory required 1 , 000 address locations with each address location containing an 8 - bit word . the 8 - bit word could be either 8 bits of pulse code modulated speech or redundant d channel control information . as shown in fig9 one approach is to replace this memory with another memory only 2 bits wide and having 4 , 000 locations . using this approach , an 8 - bit pulse code modulated entity can be created by stringing together four sequential 2 - bit entities and transmitting them one after the other . since two bit entities rather than 8 bit entities are now being switched , the clock rate for channel counter 503 must be accelerated by four times . however , to devices connected to the system the arrangement of the memory is transparent , since each device sees the correct information appear at the correct time as determined by a clock signal . it should be noted that the information is stored in 2 - bit entities blindly so that the data memory still contains duplicate or redundant copies of the d channel information for each of the isdn devices . thus , 8 - bit speech information and d channel control information is stored in the same manner as in conventional systems , even though it is stored as 2 - bit entities rather than 8 - bit entities . the connection memory now provides routing information in a manner consistent with the alteration of the data memory . for example , the connection memory contains 4 , 000 2 - bit entities to route incoming and outgoing speech from one linecard to another . in this case for a data transmission channel such as a pots device or an isdn b channel , the routing information in the connection memory is programmed such that four 2 - bit entities are routed to the same channel . thus , the bits are easily assembled into an 8 - bit entity . for the d channel control information for isdn devices , the first entry contains the address of the d1 information . the next entries in the connection memory contain the addresses of the d2 , d3 and d4 information , respectively . this is possible because channels are defined by an operator through the operator interface 525 via the line card controller 515 . as a result , at all times it is possible to determine which d channel information is to be transmitted and the location in the connection memory of the remaining d channel information by knowing the current count of channel counter 503 . fig1 illustrates an alternative memory organization method in which the data memory is organized into individual 2 - bit banks . thus , for example , 1 , 000 channels of 8 - bit data memory words can be stored as 1 , 000 entries of banks 0 - 3 . by accessing each bank of the data memory for each count of the channel counter , it is possible to access the information as 2 - bit nyblets while maintaining the same channel count as in conventional systems . the advantage of transmitting information in nyblets is that pulse code modulated information , such as speech , and d channel control information for isdn devices can be transmitted in the same manner in a way that is transparent to the overall system . in addition , since the d channel information can be packed into 8 - bit sequences , with each sequence having 2 bits corresponding to one of four isdn d channels or four isdn devices , it is possible to transmit 16 kbps information in a 64 kbps environment . this releases other information channels , thereby increasing the data transmission capacity of the overall system in taking full advantage of the capabilities of t1 carrier facilities . it should be pointed out that the above invention has been described for isdn devices in a 64 kbps environment . however , nyblets of any particular length can be used to allow transmission of lower data rate information in a higher data rate environment by employing the same approach . moreover , the above method and structure in terms of the organization of nyblets and data and connection memories is not restricted to telephone applications . the method and structure could be applied to any data communications requirement involving the transmission of lower data rate information of higher data rate channels . while several embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications , and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention , following in general the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as to come within knowledge or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and falling within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | bfabfd72b996aa19a8bb30af6509f4755e3aee9d30140a606cd5c46e522a8c38 | 0.229492 | 0.263672 | 0.001755 | 0.324219 | 0.245117 | 0.273438 |
null | the present invention is directed to providing a voltage reference circuit that can be used to generate various selected reference voltage values with temperature independence , and embodies an improved circuit architecture combining a commonly used band - gap voltage reference circuit with a cascode current mirror to cancel the temperature coefficient of the preferred reference voltage . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 the circuit includes a combination of cmos and bipolar transistors and a number of resistors connected between a supply voltage v cc , typically of a value of 3 . 3 or 5 v , and ground . the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion involves three pmos transistors , p1 , p2 , and p3 , connected to supply voltage v cc and with their gates coupled to operational amplifier 10 and 11 . p1 and p2 are also coupled to an operational amplifier 12 and respectively to resistor r1 and pnp transistor q1 , and pnp transistor q2 , which transistors have their bases grounded . p3 is connected between supply voltage v cc and nmos transistor n1 , which is coupled to ground through resistor r2 and the base of pnp transistor q3 . ( transistor 11 can be replaced with a resistor ). the band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , typically of a value of about 1 . 26 v , is connected via the emitter of pnp transistor q3 . the cascode current mirror portion of the circuit for outputting the selectable voltage reference v ref includes a pair of matching pmos transistors p4 and p5 , connected between supply voltage v cc and a pair of matching nmos transistors n2 and n3 with commonly connected gates . p4 and p5 have their gates commonly connected to the gate of pnp transistor p6 , which is connected between supply voltage v cc and the reference voltage v ref output 14 as well as to ground through resistor r4 . transistor n2 is coupled to band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , and to ground through transistor q3 , while its matching transistor n3 is coupled to ground through resistor r3 . as indicated the values of the matching sets of transistors are n2 = n3 and p4 = p5 . the value of p6 may be equal to that of p5 , or p5 × n where n is an integer multiple related to the values of resistors r3 and r4 , but in either event 0 & lt ; v ref & lt ; v cc . an analysis of the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion shows that the grids of transistors p1 , p2 and p3 are all connected to the amplifier 12 output terminals and thus their respective current i1 , i2 and i3 are equal . furthermore , based on the characteristics of the feedback operational amplifier , v1 = v2 . thus , ## equ1 ## where , v be1 , v be2 and v be3 are the base - emitter voltages of transistors q 1 , q 2 and q 3 and have negative temperature coefficients . v t is the thermal voltage with a positive temperature coefficient . m is the ratio of the emitter areas of pnp transistors q 1 and q 2 . i s0 is the emitter unit area current dependant on the si material used . v bg is the band - gap reference voltage independent of temperature . an analysis of the cascade current mirror circuit portion shows that voltages v bg and v 5 are equal . moreover , their respective passing current i 4 and i 5 are equal . in addition , due to the connection of grid terminal of p5 and p6 , current i 5 and i 6 are equal . based on the above relationship , the following equations can be derived . ## equ2 ## based on equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), in the present invention novel circuit , the desired reference voltage v ref is a function of the temperature independent band - gap voltage v bg and is therefore also temperature independent . its value is a function of the values of resistors r 3 and r 4 from which it can be varied . while the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner , it should be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in a nature of words of description rather than of limitation . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art will readily apply these teachings to other possible variations of the invention . the embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | c7d276f70a6ad83b62e4677642274140c369c9e498ba439d3e946c7611eb6b02 | 0.177734 | 0.001137 | 0.095215 | 0.000055 | 0.112793 | 0.002319 |
null | the present invention is directed to providing a voltage reference circuit that can be used to generate various selected reference voltage values with temperature independence , and embodies an improved circuit architecture combining a commonly used band - gap voltage reference circuit with a cascode current mirror to cancel the temperature coefficient of the preferred reference voltage . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 the circuit includes a combination of cmos and bipolar transistors and a number of resistors connected between a supply voltage v cc , typically of a value of 3 . 3 or 5 v , and ground . the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion involves three pmos transistors , p1 , p2 , and p3 , connected to supply voltage v cc and with their gates coupled to operational amplifier 10 and 11 . p1 and p2 are also coupled to an operational amplifier 12 and respectively to resistor r1 and pnp transistor q1 , and pnp transistor q2 , which transistors have their bases grounded . p3 is connected between supply voltage v cc and nmos transistor n1 , which is coupled to ground through resistor r2 and the base of pnp transistor q3 . ( transistor 11 can be replaced with a resistor ). the band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , typically of a value of about 1 . 26 v , is connected via the emitter of pnp transistor q3 . the cascode current mirror portion of the circuit for outputting the selectable voltage reference v ref includes a pair of matching pmos transistors p4 and p5 , connected between supply voltage v cc and a pair of matching nmos transistors n2 and n3 with commonly connected gates . p4 and p5 have their gates commonly connected to the gate of pnp transistor p6 , which is connected between supply voltage v cc and the reference voltage v ref output 14 as well as to ground through resistor r4 . transistor n2 is coupled to band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , and to ground through transistor q3 , while its matching transistor n3 is coupled to ground through resistor r3 . as indicated the values of the matching sets of transistors are n2 = n3 and p4 = p5 . the value of p6 may be equal to that of p5 , or p5 × n where n is an integer multiple related to the values of resistors r3 and r4 , but in either event 0 & lt ; v ref & lt ; v cc . an analysis of the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion shows that the grids of transistors p1 , p2 and p3 are all connected to the amplifier 12 output terminals and thus their respective current i1 , i2 and i3 are equal . furthermore , based on the characteristics of the feedback operational amplifier , v1 = v2 . thus , ## equ1 ## where , v be1 , v be2 and v be3 are the base - emitter voltages of transistors q 1 , q 2 and q 3 and have negative temperature coefficients . v t is the thermal voltage with a positive temperature coefficient . m is the ratio of the emitter areas of pnp transistors q 1 and q 2 . i s0 is the emitter unit area current dependant on the si material used . v bg is the band - gap reference voltage independent of temperature . an analysis of the cascade current mirror circuit portion shows that voltages v bg and v 5 are equal . moreover , their respective passing current i 4 and i 5 are equal . in addition , due to the connection of grid terminal of p5 and p6 , current i 5 and i 6 are equal . based on the above relationship , the following equations can be derived . ## equ2 ## based on equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), in the present invention novel circuit , the desired reference voltage v ref is a function of the temperature independent band - gap voltage v bg and is therefore also temperature independent . its value is a function of the values of resistors r 3 and r 4 from which it can be varied . while the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner , it should be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in a nature of words of description rather than of limitation . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art will readily apply these teachings to other possible variations of the invention . the embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | c7d276f70a6ad83b62e4677642274140c369c9e498ba439d3e946c7611eb6b02 | 0.179688 | 0.000519 | 0.095215 | 0.000062 | 0.112793 | 0.004211 |
null | the present invention is directed to providing a voltage reference circuit that can be used to generate various selected reference voltage values with temperature independence , and embodies an improved circuit architecture combining a commonly used band - gap voltage reference circuit with a cascode current mirror to cancel the temperature coefficient of the preferred reference voltage . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 the circuit includes a combination of cmos and bipolar transistors and a number of resistors connected between a supply voltage v cc , typically of a value of 3 . 3 or 5 v , and ground . the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion involves three pmos transistors , p1 , p2 , and p3 , connected to supply voltage v cc and with their gates coupled to operational amplifier 10 and 11 . p1 and p2 are also coupled to an operational amplifier 12 and respectively to resistor r1 and pnp transistor q1 , and pnp transistor q2 , which transistors have their bases grounded . p3 is connected between supply voltage v cc and nmos transistor n1 , which is coupled to ground through resistor r2 and the base of pnp transistor q3 . ( transistor 11 can be replaced with a resistor ). the band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , typically of a value of about 1 . 26 v , is connected via the emitter of pnp transistor q3 . the cascode current mirror portion of the circuit for outputting the selectable voltage reference v ref includes a pair of matching pmos transistors p4 and p5 , connected between supply voltage v cc and a pair of matching nmos transistors n2 and n3 with commonly connected gates . p4 and p5 have their gates commonly connected to the gate of pnp transistor p6 , which is connected between supply voltage v cc and the reference voltage v ref output 14 as well as to ground through resistor r4 . transistor n2 is coupled to band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , and to ground through transistor q3 , while its matching transistor n3 is coupled to ground through resistor r3 . as indicated the values of the matching sets of transistors are n2 = n3 and p4 = p5 . the value of p6 may be equal to that of p5 , or p5 × n where n is an integer multiple related to the values of resistors r3 and r4 , but in either event 0 & lt ; v ref & lt ; v cc . an analysis of the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion shows that the grids of transistors p1 , p2 and p3 are all connected to the amplifier 12 output terminals and thus their respective current i1 , i2 and i3 are equal . furthermore , based on the characteristics of the feedback operational amplifier , v1 = v2 . thus , ## equ1 ## where , v be1 , v be2 and v be3 are the base - emitter voltages of transistors q 1 , q 2 and q 3 and have negative temperature coefficients . v t is the thermal voltage with a positive temperature coefficient . m is the ratio of the emitter areas of pnp transistors q 1 and q 2 . i s0 is the emitter unit area current dependant on the si material used . v bg is the band - gap reference voltage independent of temperature . an analysis of the cascade current mirror circuit portion shows that voltages v bg and v 5 are equal . moreover , their respective passing current i 4 and i 5 are equal . in addition , due to the connection of grid terminal of p5 and p6 , current i 5 and i 6 are equal . based on the above relationship , the following equations can be derived . ## equ2 ## based on equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), in the present invention novel circuit , the desired reference voltage v ref is a function of the temperature independent band - gap voltage v bg and is therefore also temperature independent . its value is a function of the values of resistors r 3 and r 4 from which it can be varied . while the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner , it should be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in a nature of words of description rather than of limitation . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art will readily apply these teachings to other possible variations of the invention . the embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | c7d276f70a6ad83b62e4677642274140c369c9e498ba439d3e946c7611eb6b02 | 0.099609 | 0.000246 | 0.0065 | 0.000278 | 0.119141 | 0.001808 |
null | the present invention is directed to providing a voltage reference circuit that can be used to generate various selected reference voltage values with temperature independence , and embodies an improved circuit architecture combining a commonly used band - gap voltage reference circuit with a cascode current mirror to cancel the temperature coefficient of the preferred reference voltage . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 the circuit includes a combination of cmos and bipolar transistors and a number of resistors connected between a supply voltage v cc , typically of a value of 3 . 3 or 5 v , and ground . the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion involves three pmos transistors , p1 , p2 , and p3 , connected to supply voltage v cc and with their gates coupled to operational amplifier 10 and 11 . p1 and p2 are also coupled to an operational amplifier 12 and respectively to resistor r1 and pnp transistor q1 , and pnp transistor q2 , which transistors have their bases grounded . p3 is connected between supply voltage v cc and nmos transistor n1 , which is coupled to ground through resistor r2 and the base of pnp transistor q3 . ( transistor 11 can be replaced with a resistor ). the band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , typically of a value of about 1 . 26 v , is connected via the emitter of pnp transistor q3 . the cascode current mirror portion of the circuit for outputting the selectable voltage reference v ref includes a pair of matching pmos transistors p4 and p5 , connected between supply voltage v cc and a pair of matching nmos transistors n2 and n3 with commonly connected gates . p4 and p5 have their gates commonly connected to the gate of pnp transistor p6 , which is connected between supply voltage v cc and the reference voltage v ref output 14 as well as to ground through resistor r4 . transistor n2 is coupled to band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , and to ground through transistor q3 , while its matching transistor n3 is coupled to ground through resistor r3 . as indicated the values of the matching sets of transistors are n2 = n3 and p4 = p5 . the value of p6 may be equal to that of p5 , or p5 × n where n is an integer multiple related to the values of resistors r3 and r4 , but in either event 0 & lt ; v ref & lt ; v cc . an analysis of the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion shows that the grids of transistors p1 , p2 and p3 are all connected to the amplifier 12 output terminals and thus their respective current i1 , i2 and i3 are equal . furthermore , based on the characteristics of the feedback operational amplifier , v1 = v2 . thus , ## equ1 ## where , v be1 , v be2 and v be3 are the base - emitter voltages of transistors q 1 , q 2 and q 3 and have negative temperature coefficients . v t is the thermal voltage with a positive temperature coefficient . m is the ratio of the emitter areas of pnp transistors q 1 and q 2 . i s0 is the emitter unit area current dependant on the si material used . v bg is the band - gap reference voltage independent of temperature . an analysis of the cascade current mirror circuit portion shows that voltages v bg and v 5 are equal . moreover , their respective passing current i 4 and i 5 are equal . in addition , due to the connection of grid terminal of p5 and p6 , current i 5 and i 6 are equal . based on the above relationship , the following equations can be derived . ## equ2 ## based on equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), in the present invention novel circuit , the desired reference voltage v ref is a function of the temperature independent band - gap voltage v bg and is therefore also temperature independent . its value is a function of the values of resistors r 3 and r 4 from which it can be varied . while the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner , it should be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in a nature of words of description rather than of limitation . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art will readily apply these teachings to other possible variations of the invention . the embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Is 'Textiles; Paper' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | c7d276f70a6ad83b62e4677642274140c369c9e498ba439d3e946c7611eb6b02 | 0.099609 | 0.000055 | 0.0065 | 0.000018 | 0.119141 | 0.002319 |
null | the present invention is directed to providing a voltage reference circuit that can be used to generate various selected reference voltage values with temperature independence , and embodies an improved circuit architecture combining a commonly used band - gap voltage reference circuit with a cascode current mirror to cancel the temperature coefficient of the preferred reference voltage . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 the circuit includes a combination of cmos and bipolar transistors and a number of resistors connected between a supply voltage v cc , typically of a value of 3 . 3 or 5 v , and ground . the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion involves three pmos transistors , p1 , p2 , and p3 , connected to supply voltage v cc and with their gates coupled to operational amplifier 10 and 11 . p1 and p2 are also coupled to an operational amplifier 12 and respectively to resistor r1 and pnp transistor q1 , and pnp transistor q2 , which transistors have their bases grounded . p3 is connected between supply voltage v cc and nmos transistor n1 , which is coupled to ground through resistor r2 and the base of pnp transistor q3 . ( transistor 11 can be replaced with a resistor ). the band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , typically of a value of about 1 . 26 v , is connected via the emitter of pnp transistor q3 . the cascode current mirror portion of the circuit for outputting the selectable voltage reference v ref includes a pair of matching pmos transistors p4 and p5 , connected between supply voltage v cc and a pair of matching nmos transistors n2 and n3 with commonly connected gates . p4 and p5 have their gates commonly connected to the gate of pnp transistor p6 , which is connected between supply voltage v cc and the reference voltage v ref output 14 as well as to ground through resistor r4 . transistor n2 is coupled to band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , and to ground through transistor q3 , while its matching transistor n3 is coupled to ground through resistor r3 . as indicated the values of the matching sets of transistors are n2 = n3 and p4 = p5 . the value of p6 may be equal to that of p5 , or p5 × n where n is an integer multiple related to the values of resistors r3 and r4 , but in either event 0 & lt ; v ref & lt ; v cc . an analysis of the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion shows that the grids of transistors p1 , p2 and p3 are all connected to the amplifier 12 output terminals and thus their respective current i1 , i2 and i3 are equal . furthermore , based on the characteristics of the feedback operational amplifier , v1 = v2 . thus , ## equ1 ## where , v be1 , v be2 and v be3 are the base - emitter voltages of transistors q 1 , q 2 and q 3 and have negative temperature coefficients . v t is the thermal voltage with a positive temperature coefficient . m is the ratio of the emitter areas of pnp transistors q 1 and q 2 . i s0 is the emitter unit area current dependant on the si material used . v bg is the band - gap reference voltage independent of temperature . an analysis of the cascade current mirror circuit portion shows that voltages v bg and v 5 are equal . moreover , their respective passing current i 4 and i 5 are equal . in addition , due to the connection of grid terminal of p5 and p6 , current i 5 and i 6 are equal . based on the above relationship , the following equations can be derived . ## equ2 ## based on equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), in the present invention novel circuit , the desired reference voltage v ref is a function of the temperature independent band - gap voltage v bg and is therefore also temperature independent . its value is a function of the values of resistors r 3 and r 4 from which it can be varied . while the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner , it should be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in a nature of words of description rather than of limitation . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art will readily apply these teachings to other possible variations of the invention . the embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | c7d276f70a6ad83b62e4677642274140c369c9e498ba439d3e946c7611eb6b02 | 0.177734 | 0.002975 | 0.095215 | 0.002121 | 0.112793 | 0.029785 |
null | the present invention is directed to providing a voltage reference circuit that can be used to generate various selected reference voltage values with temperature independence , and embodies an improved circuit architecture combining a commonly used band - gap voltage reference circuit with a cascode current mirror to cancel the temperature coefficient of the preferred reference voltage . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 the circuit includes a combination of cmos and bipolar transistors and a number of resistors connected between a supply voltage v cc , typically of a value of 3 . 3 or 5 v , and ground . the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion involves three pmos transistors , p1 , p2 , and p3 , connected to supply voltage v cc and with their gates coupled to operational amplifier 10 and 11 . p1 and p2 are also coupled to an operational amplifier 12 and respectively to resistor r1 and pnp transistor q1 , and pnp transistor q2 , which transistors have their bases grounded . p3 is connected between supply voltage v cc and nmos transistor n1 , which is coupled to ground through resistor r2 and the base of pnp transistor q3 . ( transistor 11 can be replaced with a resistor ). the band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , typically of a value of about 1 . 26 v , is connected via the emitter of pnp transistor q3 . the cascode current mirror portion of the circuit for outputting the selectable voltage reference v ref includes a pair of matching pmos transistors p4 and p5 , connected between supply voltage v cc and a pair of matching nmos transistors n2 and n3 with commonly connected gates . p4 and p5 have their gates commonly connected to the gate of pnp transistor p6 , which is connected between supply voltage v cc and the reference voltage v ref output 14 as well as to ground through resistor r4 . transistor n2 is coupled to band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , and to ground through transistor q3 , while its matching transistor n3 is coupled to ground through resistor r3 . as indicated the values of the matching sets of transistors are n2 = n3 and p4 = p5 . the value of p6 may be equal to that of p5 , or p5 × n where n is an integer multiple related to the values of resistors r3 and r4 , but in either event 0 & lt ; v ref & lt ; v cc . an analysis of the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion shows that the grids of transistors p1 , p2 and p3 are all connected to the amplifier 12 output terminals and thus their respective current i1 , i2 and i3 are equal . furthermore , based on the characteristics of the feedback operational amplifier , v1 = v2 . thus , ## equ1 ## where , v be1 , v be2 and v be3 are the base - emitter voltages of transistors q 1 , q 2 and q 3 and have negative temperature coefficients . v t is the thermal voltage with a positive temperature coefficient . m is the ratio of the emitter areas of pnp transistors q 1 and q 2 . i s0 is the emitter unit area current dependant on the si material used . v bg is the band - gap reference voltage independent of temperature . an analysis of the cascade current mirror circuit portion shows that voltages v bg and v 5 are equal . moreover , their respective passing current i 4 and i 5 are equal . in addition , due to the connection of grid terminal of p5 and p6 , current i 5 and i 6 are equal . based on the above relationship , the following equations can be derived . ## equ2 ## based on equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), in the present invention novel circuit , the desired reference voltage v ref is a function of the temperature independent band - gap voltage v bg and is therefore also temperature independent . its value is a function of the values of resistors r 3 and r 4 from which it can be varied . while the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner , it should be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in a nature of words of description rather than of limitation . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art will readily apply these teachings to other possible variations of the invention . the embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following claims . | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | c7d276f70a6ad83b62e4677642274140c369c9e498ba439d3e946c7611eb6b02 | 0.092773 | 0.000191 | 0.028442 | 0.000109 | 0.084961 | 0.006287 |
null | the present invention is directed to providing a voltage reference circuit that can be used to generate various selected reference voltage values with temperature independence , and embodies an improved circuit architecture combining a commonly used band - gap voltage reference circuit with a cascode current mirror to cancel the temperature coefficient of the preferred reference voltage . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 the circuit includes a combination of cmos and bipolar transistors and a number of resistors connected between a supply voltage v cc , typically of a value of 3 . 3 or 5 v , and ground . the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion involves three pmos transistors , p1 , p2 , and p3 , connected to supply voltage v cc and with their gates coupled to operational amplifier 10 and 11 . p1 and p2 are also coupled to an operational amplifier 12 and respectively to resistor r1 and pnp transistor q1 , and pnp transistor q2 , which transistors have their bases grounded . p3 is connected between supply voltage v cc and nmos transistor n1 , which is coupled to ground through resistor r2 and the base of pnp transistor q3 . ( transistor 11 can be replaced with a resistor ). the band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , typically of a value of about 1 . 26 v , is connected via the emitter of pnp transistor q3 . the cascode current mirror portion of the circuit for outputting the selectable voltage reference v ref includes a pair of matching pmos transistors p4 and p5 , connected between supply voltage v cc and a pair of matching nmos transistors n2 and n3 with commonly connected gates . p4 and p5 have their gates commonly connected to the gate of pnp transistor p6 , which is connected between supply voltage v cc and the reference voltage v ref output 14 as well as to ground through resistor r4 . transistor n2 is coupled to band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , and to ground through transistor q3 , while its matching transistor n3 is coupled to ground through resistor r3 . as indicated the values of the matching sets of transistors are n2 = n3 and p4 = p5 . the value of p6 may be equal to that of p5 , or p5 × n where n is an integer multiple related to the values of resistors r3 and r4 , but in either event 0 & lt ; v ref & lt ; v cc . an analysis of the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion shows that the grids of transistors p1 , p2 and p3 are all connected to the amplifier 12 output terminals and thus their respective current i1 , i2 and i3 are equal . furthermore , based on the characteristics of the feedback operational amplifier , v1 = v2 . thus , ## equ1 ## where , v be1 , v be2 and v be3 are the base - emitter voltages of transistors q 1 , q 2 and q 3 and have negative temperature coefficients . v t is the thermal voltage with a positive temperature coefficient . m is the ratio of the emitter areas of pnp transistors q 1 and q 2 . i s0 is the emitter unit area current dependant on the si material used . v bg is the band - gap reference voltage independent of temperature . an analysis of the cascade current mirror circuit portion shows that voltages v bg and v 5 are equal . moreover , their respective passing current i 4 and i 5 are equal . in addition , due to the connection of grid terminal of p5 and p6 , current i 5 and i 6 are equal . based on the above relationship , the following equations can be derived . ## equ2 ## based on equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), in the present invention novel circuit , the desired reference voltage v ref is a function of the temperature independent band - gap voltage v bg and is therefore also temperature independent . its value is a function of the values of resistors r 3 and r 4 from which it can be varied . while the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner , it should be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in a nature of words of description rather than of limitation . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art will readily apply these teachings to other possible variations of the invention . the embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Physics'? | 0.25 | c7d276f70a6ad83b62e4677642274140c369c9e498ba439d3e946c7611eb6b02 | 0.177734 | 0.117676 | 0.095215 | 0.328125 | 0.112793 | 0.099609 |
null | the present invention is directed to providing a voltage reference circuit that can be used to generate various selected reference voltage values with temperature independence , and embodies an improved circuit architecture combining a commonly used band - gap voltage reference circuit with a cascode current mirror to cancel the temperature coefficient of the preferred reference voltage . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig1 the circuit includes a combination of cmos and bipolar transistors and a number of resistors connected between a supply voltage v cc , typically of a value of 3 . 3 or 5 v , and ground . the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion involves three pmos transistors , p1 , p2 , and p3 , connected to supply voltage v cc and with their gates coupled to operational amplifier 10 and 11 . p1 and p2 are also coupled to an operational amplifier 12 and respectively to resistor r1 and pnp transistor q1 , and pnp transistor q2 , which transistors have their bases grounded . p3 is connected between supply voltage v cc and nmos transistor n1 , which is coupled to ground through resistor r2 and the base of pnp transistor q3 . ( transistor 11 can be replaced with a resistor ). the band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , typically of a value of about 1 . 26 v , is connected via the emitter of pnp transistor q3 . the cascode current mirror portion of the circuit for outputting the selectable voltage reference v ref includes a pair of matching pmos transistors p4 and p5 , connected between supply voltage v cc and a pair of matching nmos transistors n2 and n3 with commonly connected gates . p4 and p5 have their gates commonly connected to the gate of pnp transistor p6 , which is connected between supply voltage v cc and the reference voltage v ref output 14 as well as to ground through resistor r4 . transistor n2 is coupled to band - gap voltage reference v bg output 13 , and to ground through transistor q3 , while its matching transistor n3 is coupled to ground through resistor r3 . as indicated the values of the matching sets of transistors are n2 = n3 and p4 = p5 . the value of p6 may be equal to that of p5 , or p5 × n where n is an integer multiple related to the values of resistors r3 and r4 , but in either event 0 & lt ; v ref & lt ; v cc . an analysis of the band - gap voltage reference circuit portion shows that the grids of transistors p1 , p2 and p3 are all connected to the amplifier 12 output terminals and thus their respective current i1 , i2 and i3 are equal . furthermore , based on the characteristics of the feedback operational amplifier , v1 = v2 . thus , ## equ1 ## where , v be1 , v be2 and v be3 are the base - emitter voltages of transistors q 1 , q 2 and q 3 and have negative temperature coefficients . v t is the thermal voltage with a positive temperature coefficient . m is the ratio of the emitter areas of pnp transistors q 1 and q 2 . i s0 is the emitter unit area current dependant on the si material used . v bg is the band - gap reference voltage independent of temperature . an analysis of the cascade current mirror circuit portion shows that voltages v bg and v 5 are equal . moreover , their respective passing current i 4 and i 5 are equal . in addition , due to the connection of grid terminal of p5 and p6 , current i 5 and i 6 are equal . based on the above relationship , the following equations can be derived . ## equ2 ## based on equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), in the present invention novel circuit , the desired reference voltage v ref is a function of the temperature independent band - gap voltage v bg and is therefore also temperature independent . its value is a function of the values of resistors r 3 and r 4 from which it can be varied . while the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner , it should be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in a nature of words of description rather than of limitation . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art will readily apply these teachings to other possible variations of the invention . the embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following claims . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | c7d276f70a6ad83b62e4677642274140c369c9e498ba439d3e946c7611eb6b02 | 0.203125 | 0.589844 | 0.090332 | 0.206055 | 0.147461 | 0.404297 |
null | in fig1 to 3 , an illustrative embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is indicated overall by reference number 10 . the arrangement 10 comprises a syringe barrel 12 with a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 ( see fig2 ). a backstop 18 for a plunger stopper 20 ( fig3 ) arranged in the syringe barrel 12 is provided at the proximal end 14 . in the illustrative embodiment , backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 together form a proximal closure element , which in fig3 is indicated overall by reference number 22 . a closure cap 24 known per se is arranged at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel . instead of this , however , it would also be possible to fit here , for example , an adapter for a needle , or a needle with a needle guard cap . in addition , the closure cap at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 can also have a shape other than the one shown here . reference number 26 indicates a connection element which has a pot - like configuration in the present illustrative embodiment . it encloses the syringe barrel 12 and the closure cap 24 arranged at its distal end 16 and , in the area of the proximal end 14 , it is connected to the backstop 18 in a manner described in more detail below . together , the proximal closure element 22 ( here with backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 ), the distal closure element ( here the closure cap 24 ) and the connection element 26 form a tamper - evident closure for the syringe barrel 12 . in this illustrative embodiment , the backstop 18 is a separate structural part which is secured on the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , the backstop 18 has a wall 28 in the form of a cylinder shell which firmly engages around the syringe barrel 12 in the area of its proximal end 14 . a lateral opening area 30 of the wall 28 is dimensioned in such a way that the backstop 18 can be pushed from the side onto the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 in the manner of a snap - fit connection . at the upper end of the wall 28 , the backstop 18 has two laterally protruding plate areas 32 , 34 which form a finger support for the person using the syringe . the backstop 18 shown is thus intended principally for syringe barrels in which a finger support of this kind is not formed on the syringe barrel . in principle , however , the present invention can also be used in such syringe barrels , the backstop 18 then being designed without or with correspondingly modified plate areas 32 , 34 . laterally from the syringe barrel 12 , a claw - like catch hook 36 , 38 is arranged on each of the two plate areas 32 , 34 . the catch hooks 36 , 38 point radially towards one another . their free ends are also inclined towards the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 . the clear distance between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 , is indicated by d in fig3 . this corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the plunger stopper 20 , so that the plunger stopper 20 , upon withdrawal from the syringe barrel 12 , comes into contact with the catch hooks 36 , 38 . if the plunger stopper 20 is then withdrawn further from the syringe barrel 12 , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 narrows because of the selected inclination . the holding pressure on the plunger stopper 20 increases , so that complete removal of the plunger stopper 20 from the syringe barrel 12 is prevented . in the presently preferred illustrative embodiment shown , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 is approximately identical to the clear internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . in other words , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 do not jut into a projected circular line corresponding to the internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . however , since the plunger stopper 20 in the syringe barrel is pressed radially together in order to achieve good lateral sealing on the inside wall of the barrel , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 can nevertheless reliably secure the plunger stopper 20 . this particular type of configuration of the backstop 18 is the subject of a parallel plate application ( filed on the same date and claiming priority from german patent application de 10 204 009 919 . 7 ) assigned to the present assignee , which is incorporated here by reference . however , it is not essential for realizing the claiming invention set out herein , i . e . the present arrangement can in principle also be realized with other types of backstops , such as are known , for example , from the prior art mentioned in the introduction . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has a pot - like configuration , the syringe barrel 12 engaging with its distal closure cap 24 into the “ pot ” with a precise fit ( fig3 ). however , in a deviation from this configuration , the connection element 26 can , for example , also be designed without base 40 , so that it then instead has the form of a sleeve . in this context , it is important simply that the connection element 26 ensures that the closure cap 24 , more generally a closure element arranged at the distal end 16 , cannot be removed as long as the connection element 26 sits on the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , it suffices , for example , to provide a flanged edge , a thickened portion or a bridge formed on the connection element 26 in the area of the closure cap 24 . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has two window - like recesses 42 which extend parallel to one another but are offset by 180 ° to one another on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . accordingly , the second recess 42 cannot be seen in the views in fig1 and 3 . at its upper ( proximal ) end , the connection element 26 has a ring 44 which is connected to the sleeve - like body 48 of the connection element 26 via four thin bridges 46 . the bridges 46 are here distributed uniformly on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . they form predetermined breaking points at which the connection element 26 can be broken open and the body can then be detached from the syringe barrel 12 . in the present illustrative embodiment , the ring 44 of the connection element 26 sits with a precise fit in a groove 50 formed at the distal end of the wall 28 . ring 44 and groove 50 form a lock closure with which the connection element 26 and the backstop 18 are joined together . alternatively and / or in addition , the ring 44 could also be adhesively bonded , welded or otherwise irreversibly connected to the backstop 18 . reference number 52 indicates two wing - like projections which are formed just below the ring 44 on the connection element 26 . the wing - like projections 52 permit simple turning of the connection element 26 relative to the backstop 18 , specifically in such a way that the bridges 46 break open . by virtue of the fact that the ring 44 remains in the groove 50 on the backstop 18 , said backstop 18 is still secured at the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 , i . e . it cannot be removed without irreversibly destroying the ring 44 . by means of the preferred design of the connection element 26 in the form of a sleeve or pot , the syringe barrel 12 is additionally protected during transport and storage . for realization of the tamper - evident closure , however , this form of the connection element 26 is not absolutely necessary . particularly in syringe barrels 12 made of plastic , the connection element 26 can also have a completely different shape as long as it satisfies the intended function , namely that of securing the proximal and distal closure elements ( here the backstop 18 and the closure cap 24 , respectively ) in their respective positions . for example , the connection element 26 can be a simple bridge which extends , outside the syringe barrel 12 , from the closure cap 24 as far as the backstop 18 . the connection element is preferably made of a stiff or at least minimally extensible material , in order to effectively prevent removal of the closure cap and / or of the backstop 18 . fig4 shows the syringe barrel 12 with the backstop 18 after removal of the connection element 26 and of the closure cap 24 and after a plunger rod 54 has been screwed into the plunger stopper 20 . the plunger rod 54 can be supplied to the end user separately from the arrangement 10 . alternatively , it is also possible for the plunger rod 54 to be already screwed into the plunger stopper 20 , or otherwise secured in it , by the manufacturer . for the sake of clarity , however , the plunger rod 54 is not shown in fig1 to 3 . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | d8bb7dec990333e9421af14c44d2a0e3786296e50e9f1efff8d84c28996affda | 0.114258 | 0.039063 | 0.011658 | 0.007813 | 0.016968 | 0.025513 |
null | in fig1 to 3 , an illustrative embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is indicated overall by reference number 10 . the arrangement 10 comprises a syringe barrel 12 with a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 ( see fig2 ). a backstop 18 for a plunger stopper 20 ( fig3 ) arranged in the syringe barrel 12 is provided at the proximal end 14 . in the illustrative embodiment , backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 together form a proximal closure element , which in fig3 is indicated overall by reference number 22 . a closure cap 24 known per se is arranged at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel . instead of this , however , it would also be possible to fit here , for example , an adapter for a needle , or a needle with a needle guard cap . in addition , the closure cap at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 can also have a shape other than the one shown here . reference number 26 indicates a connection element which has a pot - like configuration in the present illustrative embodiment . it encloses the syringe barrel 12 and the closure cap 24 arranged at its distal end 16 and , in the area of the proximal end 14 , it is connected to the backstop 18 in a manner described in more detail below . together , the proximal closure element 22 ( here with backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 ), the distal closure element ( here the closure cap 24 ) and the connection element 26 form a tamper - evident closure for the syringe barrel 12 . in this illustrative embodiment , the backstop 18 is a separate structural part which is secured on the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , the backstop 18 has a wall 28 in the form of a cylinder shell which firmly engages around the syringe barrel 12 in the area of its proximal end 14 . a lateral opening area 30 of the wall 28 is dimensioned in such a way that the backstop 18 can be pushed from the side onto the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 in the manner of a snap - fit connection . at the upper end of the wall 28 , the backstop 18 has two laterally protruding plate areas 32 , 34 which form a finger support for the person using the syringe . the backstop 18 shown is thus intended principally for syringe barrels in which a finger support of this kind is not formed on the syringe barrel . in principle , however , the present invention can also be used in such syringe barrels , the backstop 18 then being designed without or with correspondingly modified plate areas 32 , 34 . laterally from the syringe barrel 12 , a claw - like catch hook 36 , 38 is arranged on each of the two plate areas 32 , 34 . the catch hooks 36 , 38 point radially towards one another . their free ends are also inclined towards the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 . the clear distance between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 , is indicated by d in fig3 . this corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the plunger stopper 20 , so that the plunger stopper 20 , upon withdrawal from the syringe barrel 12 , comes into contact with the catch hooks 36 , 38 . if the plunger stopper 20 is then withdrawn further from the syringe barrel 12 , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 narrows because of the selected inclination . the holding pressure on the plunger stopper 20 increases , so that complete removal of the plunger stopper 20 from the syringe barrel 12 is prevented . in the presently preferred illustrative embodiment shown , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 is approximately identical to the clear internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . in other words , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 do not jut into a projected circular line corresponding to the internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . however , since the plunger stopper 20 in the syringe barrel is pressed radially together in order to achieve good lateral sealing on the inside wall of the barrel , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 can nevertheless reliably secure the plunger stopper 20 . this particular type of configuration of the backstop 18 is the subject of a parallel plate application ( filed on the same date and claiming priority from german patent application de 10 204 009 919 . 7 ) assigned to the present assignee , which is incorporated here by reference . however , it is not essential for realizing the claiming invention set out herein , i . e . the present arrangement can in principle also be realized with other types of backstops , such as are known , for example , from the prior art mentioned in the introduction . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has a pot - like configuration , the syringe barrel 12 engaging with its distal closure cap 24 into the “ pot ” with a precise fit ( fig3 ). however , in a deviation from this configuration , the connection element 26 can , for example , also be designed without base 40 , so that it then instead has the form of a sleeve . in this context , it is important simply that the connection element 26 ensures that the closure cap 24 , more generally a closure element arranged at the distal end 16 , cannot be removed as long as the connection element 26 sits on the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , it suffices , for example , to provide a flanged edge , a thickened portion or a bridge formed on the connection element 26 in the area of the closure cap 24 . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has two window - like recesses 42 which extend parallel to one another but are offset by 180 ° to one another on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . accordingly , the second recess 42 cannot be seen in the views in fig1 and 3 . at its upper ( proximal ) end , the connection element 26 has a ring 44 which is connected to the sleeve - like body 48 of the connection element 26 via four thin bridges 46 . the bridges 46 are here distributed uniformly on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . they form predetermined breaking points at which the connection element 26 can be broken open and the body can then be detached from the syringe barrel 12 . in the present illustrative embodiment , the ring 44 of the connection element 26 sits with a precise fit in a groove 50 formed at the distal end of the wall 28 . ring 44 and groove 50 form a lock closure with which the connection element 26 and the backstop 18 are joined together . alternatively and / or in addition , the ring 44 could also be adhesively bonded , welded or otherwise irreversibly connected to the backstop 18 . reference number 52 indicates two wing - like projections which are formed just below the ring 44 on the connection element 26 . the wing - like projections 52 permit simple turning of the connection element 26 relative to the backstop 18 , specifically in such a way that the bridges 46 break open . by virtue of the fact that the ring 44 remains in the groove 50 on the backstop 18 , said backstop 18 is still secured at the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 , i . e . it cannot be removed without irreversibly destroying the ring 44 . by means of the preferred design of the connection element 26 in the form of a sleeve or pot , the syringe barrel 12 is additionally protected during transport and storage . for realization of the tamper - evident closure , however , this form of the connection element 26 is not absolutely necessary . particularly in syringe barrels 12 made of plastic , the connection element 26 can also have a completely different shape as long as it satisfies the intended function , namely that of securing the proximal and distal closure elements ( here the backstop 18 and the closure cap 24 , respectively ) in their respective positions . for example , the connection element 26 can be a simple bridge which extends , outside the syringe barrel 12 , from the closure cap 24 as far as the backstop 18 . the connection element is preferably made of a stiff or at least minimally extensible material , in order to effectively prevent removal of the closure cap and / or of the backstop 18 . fig4 shows the syringe barrel 12 with the backstop 18 after removal of the connection element 26 and of the closure cap 24 and after a plunger rod 54 has been screwed into the plunger stopper 20 . the plunger rod 54 can be supplied to the end user separately from the arrangement 10 . alternatively , it is also possible for the plunger rod 54 to be already screwed into the plunger stopper 20 , or otherwise secured in it , by the manufacturer . for the sake of clarity , however , the plunger rod 54 is not shown in fig1 to 3 . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | d8bb7dec990333e9421af14c44d2a0e3786296e50e9f1efff8d84c28996affda | 0.183594 | 0.017944 | 0.006104 | 0.005066 | 0.022583 | 0.025513 |
null | in fig1 to 3 , an illustrative embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is indicated overall by reference number 10 . the arrangement 10 comprises a syringe barrel 12 with a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 ( see fig2 ). a backstop 18 for a plunger stopper 20 ( fig3 ) arranged in the syringe barrel 12 is provided at the proximal end 14 . in the illustrative embodiment , backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 together form a proximal closure element , which in fig3 is indicated overall by reference number 22 . a closure cap 24 known per se is arranged at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel . instead of this , however , it would also be possible to fit here , for example , an adapter for a needle , or a needle with a needle guard cap . in addition , the closure cap at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 can also have a shape other than the one shown here . reference number 26 indicates a connection element which has a pot - like configuration in the present illustrative embodiment . it encloses the syringe barrel 12 and the closure cap 24 arranged at its distal end 16 and , in the area of the proximal end 14 , it is connected to the backstop 18 in a manner described in more detail below . together , the proximal closure element 22 ( here with backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 ), the distal closure element ( here the closure cap 24 ) and the connection element 26 form a tamper - evident closure for the syringe barrel 12 . in this illustrative embodiment , the backstop 18 is a separate structural part which is secured on the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , the backstop 18 has a wall 28 in the form of a cylinder shell which firmly engages around the syringe barrel 12 in the area of its proximal end 14 . a lateral opening area 30 of the wall 28 is dimensioned in such a way that the backstop 18 can be pushed from the side onto the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 in the manner of a snap - fit connection . at the upper end of the wall 28 , the backstop 18 has two laterally protruding plate areas 32 , 34 which form a finger support for the person using the syringe . the backstop 18 shown is thus intended principally for syringe barrels in which a finger support of this kind is not formed on the syringe barrel . in principle , however , the present invention can also be used in such syringe barrels , the backstop 18 then being designed without or with correspondingly modified plate areas 32 , 34 . laterally from the syringe barrel 12 , a claw - like catch hook 36 , 38 is arranged on each of the two plate areas 32 , 34 . the catch hooks 36 , 38 point radially towards one another . their free ends are also inclined towards the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 . the clear distance between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 , is indicated by d in fig3 . this corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the plunger stopper 20 , so that the plunger stopper 20 , upon withdrawal from the syringe barrel 12 , comes into contact with the catch hooks 36 , 38 . if the plunger stopper 20 is then withdrawn further from the syringe barrel 12 , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 narrows because of the selected inclination . the holding pressure on the plunger stopper 20 increases , so that complete removal of the plunger stopper 20 from the syringe barrel 12 is prevented . in the presently preferred illustrative embodiment shown , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 is approximately identical to the clear internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . in other words , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 do not jut into a projected circular line corresponding to the internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . however , since the plunger stopper 20 in the syringe barrel is pressed radially together in order to achieve good lateral sealing on the inside wall of the barrel , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 can nevertheless reliably secure the plunger stopper 20 . this particular type of configuration of the backstop 18 is the subject of a parallel plate application ( filed on the same date and claiming priority from german patent application de 10 204 009 919 . 7 ) assigned to the present assignee , which is incorporated here by reference . however , it is not essential for realizing the claiming invention set out herein , i . e . the present arrangement can in principle also be realized with other types of backstops , such as are known , for example , from the prior art mentioned in the introduction . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has a pot - like configuration , the syringe barrel 12 engaging with its distal closure cap 24 into the “ pot ” with a precise fit ( fig3 ). however , in a deviation from this configuration , the connection element 26 can , for example , also be designed without base 40 , so that it then instead has the form of a sleeve . in this context , it is important simply that the connection element 26 ensures that the closure cap 24 , more generally a closure element arranged at the distal end 16 , cannot be removed as long as the connection element 26 sits on the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , it suffices , for example , to provide a flanged edge , a thickened portion or a bridge formed on the connection element 26 in the area of the closure cap 24 . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has two window - like recesses 42 which extend parallel to one another but are offset by 180 ° to one another on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . accordingly , the second recess 42 cannot be seen in the views in fig1 and 3 . at its upper ( proximal ) end , the connection element 26 has a ring 44 which is connected to the sleeve - like body 48 of the connection element 26 via four thin bridges 46 . the bridges 46 are here distributed uniformly on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . they form predetermined breaking points at which the connection element 26 can be broken open and the body can then be detached from the syringe barrel 12 . in the present illustrative embodiment , the ring 44 of the connection element 26 sits with a precise fit in a groove 50 formed at the distal end of the wall 28 . ring 44 and groove 50 form a lock closure with which the connection element 26 and the backstop 18 are joined together . alternatively and / or in addition , the ring 44 could also be adhesively bonded , welded or otherwise irreversibly connected to the backstop 18 . reference number 52 indicates two wing - like projections which are formed just below the ring 44 on the connection element 26 . the wing - like projections 52 permit simple turning of the connection element 26 relative to the backstop 18 , specifically in such a way that the bridges 46 break open . by virtue of the fact that the ring 44 remains in the groove 50 on the backstop 18 , said backstop 18 is still secured at the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 , i . e . it cannot be removed without irreversibly destroying the ring 44 . by means of the preferred design of the connection element 26 in the form of a sleeve or pot , the syringe barrel 12 is additionally protected during transport and storage . for realization of the tamper - evident closure , however , this form of the connection element 26 is not absolutely necessary . particularly in syringe barrels 12 made of plastic , the connection element 26 can also have a completely different shape as long as it satisfies the intended function , namely that of securing the proximal and distal closure elements ( here the backstop 18 and the closure cap 24 , respectively ) in their respective positions . for example , the connection element 26 can be a simple bridge which extends , outside the syringe barrel 12 , from the closure cap 24 as far as the backstop 18 . the connection element is preferably made of a stiff or at least minimally extensible material , in order to effectively prevent removal of the closure cap and / or of the backstop 18 . fig4 shows the syringe barrel 12 with the backstop 18 after removal of the connection element 26 and of the closure cap 24 and after a plunger rod 54 has been screwed into the plunger stopper 20 . the plunger rod 54 can be supplied to the end user separately from the arrangement 10 . alternatively , it is also possible for the plunger rod 54 to be already screwed into the plunger stopper 20 , or otherwise secured in it , by the manufacturer . for the sake of clarity , however , the plunger rod 54 is not shown in fig1 to 3 . | Is 'Human Necessities' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | d8bb7dec990333e9421af14c44d2a0e3786296e50e9f1efff8d84c28996affda | 0.013245 | 0.000043 | 0.000519 | 0.000001 | 0.004761 | 0.000404 |
null | in fig1 to 3 , an illustrative embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is indicated overall by reference number 10 . the arrangement 10 comprises a syringe barrel 12 with a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 ( see fig2 ). a backstop 18 for a plunger stopper 20 ( fig3 ) arranged in the syringe barrel 12 is provided at the proximal end 14 . in the illustrative embodiment , backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 together form a proximal closure element , which in fig3 is indicated overall by reference number 22 . a closure cap 24 known per se is arranged at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel . instead of this , however , it would also be possible to fit here , for example , an adapter for a needle , or a needle with a needle guard cap . in addition , the closure cap at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 can also have a shape other than the one shown here . reference number 26 indicates a connection element which has a pot - like configuration in the present illustrative embodiment . it encloses the syringe barrel 12 and the closure cap 24 arranged at its distal end 16 and , in the area of the proximal end 14 , it is connected to the backstop 18 in a manner described in more detail below . together , the proximal closure element 22 ( here with backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 ), the distal closure element ( here the closure cap 24 ) and the connection element 26 form a tamper - evident closure for the syringe barrel 12 . in this illustrative embodiment , the backstop 18 is a separate structural part which is secured on the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , the backstop 18 has a wall 28 in the form of a cylinder shell which firmly engages around the syringe barrel 12 in the area of its proximal end 14 . a lateral opening area 30 of the wall 28 is dimensioned in such a way that the backstop 18 can be pushed from the side onto the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 in the manner of a snap - fit connection . at the upper end of the wall 28 , the backstop 18 has two laterally protruding plate areas 32 , 34 which form a finger support for the person using the syringe . the backstop 18 shown is thus intended principally for syringe barrels in which a finger support of this kind is not formed on the syringe barrel . in principle , however , the present invention can also be used in such syringe barrels , the backstop 18 then being designed without or with correspondingly modified plate areas 32 , 34 . laterally from the syringe barrel 12 , a claw - like catch hook 36 , 38 is arranged on each of the two plate areas 32 , 34 . the catch hooks 36 , 38 point radially towards one another . their free ends are also inclined towards the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 . the clear distance between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 , is indicated by d in fig3 . this corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the plunger stopper 20 , so that the plunger stopper 20 , upon withdrawal from the syringe barrel 12 , comes into contact with the catch hooks 36 , 38 . if the plunger stopper 20 is then withdrawn further from the syringe barrel 12 , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 narrows because of the selected inclination . the holding pressure on the plunger stopper 20 increases , so that complete removal of the plunger stopper 20 from the syringe barrel 12 is prevented . in the presently preferred illustrative embodiment shown , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 is approximately identical to the clear internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . in other words , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 do not jut into a projected circular line corresponding to the internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . however , since the plunger stopper 20 in the syringe barrel is pressed radially together in order to achieve good lateral sealing on the inside wall of the barrel , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 can nevertheless reliably secure the plunger stopper 20 . this particular type of configuration of the backstop 18 is the subject of a parallel plate application ( filed on the same date and claiming priority from german patent application de 10 204 009 919 . 7 ) assigned to the present assignee , which is incorporated here by reference . however , it is not essential for realizing the claiming invention set out herein , i . e . the present arrangement can in principle also be realized with other types of backstops , such as are known , for example , from the prior art mentioned in the introduction . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has a pot - like configuration , the syringe barrel 12 engaging with its distal closure cap 24 into the “ pot ” with a precise fit ( fig3 ). however , in a deviation from this configuration , the connection element 26 can , for example , also be designed without base 40 , so that it then instead has the form of a sleeve . in this context , it is important simply that the connection element 26 ensures that the closure cap 24 , more generally a closure element arranged at the distal end 16 , cannot be removed as long as the connection element 26 sits on the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , it suffices , for example , to provide a flanged edge , a thickened portion or a bridge formed on the connection element 26 in the area of the closure cap 24 . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has two window - like recesses 42 which extend parallel to one another but are offset by 180 ° to one another on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . accordingly , the second recess 42 cannot be seen in the views in fig1 and 3 . at its upper ( proximal ) end , the connection element 26 has a ring 44 which is connected to the sleeve - like body 48 of the connection element 26 via four thin bridges 46 . the bridges 46 are here distributed uniformly on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . they form predetermined breaking points at which the connection element 26 can be broken open and the body can then be detached from the syringe barrel 12 . in the present illustrative embodiment , the ring 44 of the connection element 26 sits with a precise fit in a groove 50 formed at the distal end of the wall 28 . ring 44 and groove 50 form a lock closure with which the connection element 26 and the backstop 18 are joined together . alternatively and / or in addition , the ring 44 could also be adhesively bonded , welded or otherwise irreversibly connected to the backstop 18 . reference number 52 indicates two wing - like projections which are formed just below the ring 44 on the connection element 26 . the wing - like projections 52 permit simple turning of the connection element 26 relative to the backstop 18 , specifically in such a way that the bridges 46 break open . by virtue of the fact that the ring 44 remains in the groove 50 on the backstop 18 , said backstop 18 is still secured at the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 , i . e . it cannot be removed without irreversibly destroying the ring 44 . by means of the preferred design of the connection element 26 in the form of a sleeve or pot , the syringe barrel 12 is additionally protected during transport and storage . for realization of the tamper - evident closure , however , this form of the connection element 26 is not absolutely necessary . particularly in syringe barrels 12 made of plastic , the connection element 26 can also have a completely different shape as long as it satisfies the intended function , namely that of securing the proximal and distal closure elements ( here the backstop 18 and the closure cap 24 , respectively ) in their respective positions . for example , the connection element 26 can be a simple bridge which extends , outside the syringe barrel 12 , from the closure cap 24 as far as the backstop 18 . the connection element is preferably made of a stiff or at least minimally extensible material , in order to effectively prevent removal of the closure cap and / or of the backstop 18 . fig4 shows the syringe barrel 12 with the backstop 18 after removal of the connection element 26 and of the closure cap 24 and after a plunger rod 54 has been screwed into the plunger stopper 20 . the plunger rod 54 can be supplied to the end user separately from the arrangement 10 . alternatively , it is also possible for the plunger rod 54 to be already screwed into the plunger stopper 20 , or otherwise secured in it , by the manufacturer . for the sake of clarity , however , the plunger rod 54 is not shown in fig1 to 3 . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | d8bb7dec990333e9421af14c44d2a0e3786296e50e9f1efff8d84c28996affda | 0.183594 | 0.044678 | 0.006104 | 0.092773 | 0.022583 | 0.146484 |
null | in fig1 to 3 , an illustrative embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is indicated overall by reference number 10 . the arrangement 10 comprises a syringe barrel 12 with a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 ( see fig2 ). a backstop 18 for a plunger stopper 20 ( fig3 ) arranged in the syringe barrel 12 is provided at the proximal end 14 . in the illustrative embodiment , backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 together form a proximal closure element , which in fig3 is indicated overall by reference number 22 . a closure cap 24 known per se is arranged at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel . instead of this , however , it would also be possible to fit here , for example , an adapter for a needle , or a needle with a needle guard cap . in addition , the closure cap at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 can also have a shape other than the one shown here . reference number 26 indicates a connection element which has a pot - like configuration in the present illustrative embodiment . it encloses the syringe barrel 12 and the closure cap 24 arranged at its distal end 16 and , in the area of the proximal end 14 , it is connected to the backstop 18 in a manner described in more detail below . together , the proximal closure element 22 ( here with backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 ), the distal closure element ( here the closure cap 24 ) and the connection element 26 form a tamper - evident closure for the syringe barrel 12 . in this illustrative embodiment , the backstop 18 is a separate structural part which is secured on the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , the backstop 18 has a wall 28 in the form of a cylinder shell which firmly engages around the syringe barrel 12 in the area of its proximal end 14 . a lateral opening area 30 of the wall 28 is dimensioned in such a way that the backstop 18 can be pushed from the side onto the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 in the manner of a snap - fit connection . at the upper end of the wall 28 , the backstop 18 has two laterally protruding plate areas 32 , 34 which form a finger support for the person using the syringe . the backstop 18 shown is thus intended principally for syringe barrels in which a finger support of this kind is not formed on the syringe barrel . in principle , however , the present invention can also be used in such syringe barrels , the backstop 18 then being designed without or with correspondingly modified plate areas 32 , 34 . laterally from the syringe barrel 12 , a claw - like catch hook 36 , 38 is arranged on each of the two plate areas 32 , 34 . the catch hooks 36 , 38 point radially towards one another . their free ends are also inclined towards the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 . the clear distance between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 , is indicated by d in fig3 . this corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the plunger stopper 20 , so that the plunger stopper 20 , upon withdrawal from the syringe barrel 12 , comes into contact with the catch hooks 36 , 38 . if the plunger stopper 20 is then withdrawn further from the syringe barrel 12 , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 narrows because of the selected inclination . the holding pressure on the plunger stopper 20 increases , so that complete removal of the plunger stopper 20 from the syringe barrel 12 is prevented . in the presently preferred illustrative embodiment shown , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 is approximately identical to the clear internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . in other words , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 do not jut into a projected circular line corresponding to the internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . however , since the plunger stopper 20 in the syringe barrel is pressed radially together in order to achieve good lateral sealing on the inside wall of the barrel , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 can nevertheless reliably secure the plunger stopper 20 . this particular type of configuration of the backstop 18 is the subject of a parallel plate application ( filed on the same date and claiming priority from german patent application de 10 204 009 919 . 7 ) assigned to the present assignee , which is incorporated here by reference . however , it is not essential for realizing the claiming invention set out herein , i . e . the present arrangement can in principle also be realized with other types of backstops , such as are known , for example , from the prior art mentioned in the introduction . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has a pot - like configuration , the syringe barrel 12 engaging with its distal closure cap 24 into the “ pot ” with a precise fit ( fig3 ). however , in a deviation from this configuration , the connection element 26 can , for example , also be designed without base 40 , so that it then instead has the form of a sleeve . in this context , it is important simply that the connection element 26 ensures that the closure cap 24 , more generally a closure element arranged at the distal end 16 , cannot be removed as long as the connection element 26 sits on the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , it suffices , for example , to provide a flanged edge , a thickened portion or a bridge formed on the connection element 26 in the area of the closure cap 24 . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has two window - like recesses 42 which extend parallel to one another but are offset by 180 ° to one another on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . accordingly , the second recess 42 cannot be seen in the views in fig1 and 3 . at its upper ( proximal ) end , the connection element 26 has a ring 44 which is connected to the sleeve - like body 48 of the connection element 26 via four thin bridges 46 . the bridges 46 are here distributed uniformly on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . they form predetermined breaking points at which the connection element 26 can be broken open and the body can then be detached from the syringe barrel 12 . in the present illustrative embodiment , the ring 44 of the connection element 26 sits with a precise fit in a groove 50 formed at the distal end of the wall 28 . ring 44 and groove 50 form a lock closure with which the connection element 26 and the backstop 18 are joined together . alternatively and / or in addition , the ring 44 could also be adhesively bonded , welded or otherwise irreversibly connected to the backstop 18 . reference number 52 indicates two wing - like projections which are formed just below the ring 44 on the connection element 26 . the wing - like projections 52 permit simple turning of the connection element 26 relative to the backstop 18 , specifically in such a way that the bridges 46 break open . by virtue of the fact that the ring 44 remains in the groove 50 on the backstop 18 , said backstop 18 is still secured at the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 , i . e . it cannot be removed without irreversibly destroying the ring 44 . by means of the preferred design of the connection element 26 in the form of a sleeve or pot , the syringe barrel 12 is additionally protected during transport and storage . for realization of the tamper - evident closure , however , this form of the connection element 26 is not absolutely necessary . particularly in syringe barrels 12 made of plastic , the connection element 26 can also have a completely different shape as long as it satisfies the intended function , namely that of securing the proximal and distal closure elements ( here the backstop 18 and the closure cap 24 , respectively ) in their respective positions . for example , the connection element 26 can be a simple bridge which extends , outside the syringe barrel 12 , from the closure cap 24 as far as the backstop 18 . the connection element is preferably made of a stiff or at least minimally extensible material , in order to effectively prevent removal of the closure cap and / or of the backstop 18 . fig4 shows the syringe barrel 12 with the backstop 18 after removal of the connection element 26 and of the closure cap 24 and after a plunger rod 54 has been screwed into the plunger stopper 20 . the plunger rod 54 can be supplied to the end user separately from the arrangement 10 . alternatively , it is also possible for the plunger rod 54 to be already screwed into the plunger stopper 20 , or otherwise secured in it , by the manufacturer . for the sake of clarity , however , the plunger rod 54 is not shown in fig1 to 3 . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | d8bb7dec990333e9421af14c44d2a0e3786296e50e9f1efff8d84c28996affda | 0.114258 | 0.000357 | 0.011658 | 0.000404 | 0.016968 | 0.001595 |
null | in fig1 to 3 , an illustrative embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is indicated overall by reference number 10 . the arrangement 10 comprises a syringe barrel 12 with a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 ( see fig2 ). a backstop 18 for a plunger stopper 20 ( fig3 ) arranged in the syringe barrel 12 is provided at the proximal end 14 . in the illustrative embodiment , backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 together form a proximal closure element , which in fig3 is indicated overall by reference number 22 . a closure cap 24 known per se is arranged at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel . instead of this , however , it would also be possible to fit here , for example , an adapter for a needle , or a needle with a needle guard cap . in addition , the closure cap at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 can also have a shape other than the one shown here . reference number 26 indicates a connection element which has a pot - like configuration in the present illustrative embodiment . it encloses the syringe barrel 12 and the closure cap 24 arranged at its distal end 16 and , in the area of the proximal end 14 , it is connected to the backstop 18 in a manner described in more detail below . together , the proximal closure element 22 ( here with backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 ), the distal closure element ( here the closure cap 24 ) and the connection element 26 form a tamper - evident closure for the syringe barrel 12 . in this illustrative embodiment , the backstop 18 is a separate structural part which is secured on the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , the backstop 18 has a wall 28 in the form of a cylinder shell which firmly engages around the syringe barrel 12 in the area of its proximal end 14 . a lateral opening area 30 of the wall 28 is dimensioned in such a way that the backstop 18 can be pushed from the side onto the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 in the manner of a snap - fit connection . at the upper end of the wall 28 , the backstop 18 has two laterally protruding plate areas 32 , 34 which form a finger support for the person using the syringe . the backstop 18 shown is thus intended principally for syringe barrels in which a finger support of this kind is not formed on the syringe barrel . in principle , however , the present invention can also be used in such syringe barrels , the backstop 18 then being designed without or with correspondingly modified plate areas 32 , 34 . laterally from the syringe barrel 12 , a claw - like catch hook 36 , 38 is arranged on each of the two plate areas 32 , 34 . the catch hooks 36 , 38 point radially towards one another . their free ends are also inclined towards the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 . the clear distance between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 , is indicated by d in fig3 . this corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the plunger stopper 20 , so that the plunger stopper 20 , upon withdrawal from the syringe barrel 12 , comes into contact with the catch hooks 36 , 38 . if the plunger stopper 20 is then withdrawn further from the syringe barrel 12 , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 narrows because of the selected inclination . the holding pressure on the plunger stopper 20 increases , so that complete removal of the plunger stopper 20 from the syringe barrel 12 is prevented . in the presently preferred illustrative embodiment shown , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 is approximately identical to the clear internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . in other words , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 do not jut into a projected circular line corresponding to the internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . however , since the plunger stopper 20 in the syringe barrel is pressed radially together in order to achieve good lateral sealing on the inside wall of the barrel , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 can nevertheless reliably secure the plunger stopper 20 . this particular type of configuration of the backstop 18 is the subject of a parallel plate application ( filed on the same date and claiming priority from german patent application de 10 204 009 919 . 7 ) assigned to the present assignee , which is incorporated here by reference . however , it is not essential for realizing the claiming invention set out herein , i . e . the present arrangement can in principle also be realized with other types of backstops , such as are known , for example , from the prior art mentioned in the introduction . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has a pot - like configuration , the syringe barrel 12 engaging with its distal closure cap 24 into the “ pot ” with a precise fit ( fig3 ). however , in a deviation from this configuration , the connection element 26 can , for example , also be designed without base 40 , so that it then instead has the form of a sleeve . in this context , it is important simply that the connection element 26 ensures that the closure cap 24 , more generally a closure element arranged at the distal end 16 , cannot be removed as long as the connection element 26 sits on the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , it suffices , for example , to provide a flanged edge , a thickened portion or a bridge formed on the connection element 26 in the area of the closure cap 24 . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has two window - like recesses 42 which extend parallel to one another but are offset by 180 ° to one another on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . accordingly , the second recess 42 cannot be seen in the views in fig1 and 3 . at its upper ( proximal ) end , the connection element 26 has a ring 44 which is connected to the sleeve - like body 48 of the connection element 26 via four thin bridges 46 . the bridges 46 are here distributed uniformly on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . they form predetermined breaking points at which the connection element 26 can be broken open and the body can then be detached from the syringe barrel 12 . in the present illustrative embodiment , the ring 44 of the connection element 26 sits with a precise fit in a groove 50 formed at the distal end of the wall 28 . ring 44 and groove 50 form a lock closure with which the connection element 26 and the backstop 18 are joined together . alternatively and / or in addition , the ring 44 could also be adhesively bonded , welded or otherwise irreversibly connected to the backstop 18 . reference number 52 indicates two wing - like projections which are formed just below the ring 44 on the connection element 26 . the wing - like projections 52 permit simple turning of the connection element 26 relative to the backstop 18 , specifically in such a way that the bridges 46 break open . by virtue of the fact that the ring 44 remains in the groove 50 on the backstop 18 , said backstop 18 is still secured at the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 , i . e . it cannot be removed without irreversibly destroying the ring 44 . by means of the preferred design of the connection element 26 in the form of a sleeve or pot , the syringe barrel 12 is additionally protected during transport and storage . for realization of the tamper - evident closure , however , this form of the connection element 26 is not absolutely necessary . particularly in syringe barrels 12 made of plastic , the connection element 26 can also have a completely different shape as long as it satisfies the intended function , namely that of securing the proximal and distal closure elements ( here the backstop 18 and the closure cap 24 , respectively ) in their respective positions . for example , the connection element 26 can be a simple bridge which extends , outside the syringe barrel 12 , from the closure cap 24 as far as the backstop 18 . the connection element is preferably made of a stiff or at least minimally extensible material , in order to effectively prevent removal of the closure cap and / or of the backstop 18 . fig4 shows the syringe barrel 12 with the backstop 18 after removal of the connection element 26 and of the closure cap 24 and after a plunger rod 54 has been screwed into the plunger stopper 20 . the plunger rod 54 can be supplied to the end user separately from the arrangement 10 . alternatively , it is also possible for the plunger rod 54 to be already screwed into the plunger stopper 20 , or otherwise secured in it , by the manufacturer . for the sake of clarity , however , the plunger rod 54 is not shown in fig1 to 3 . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Physics'? | 0.25 | d8bb7dec990333e9421af14c44d2a0e3786296e50e9f1efff8d84c28996affda | 0.114258 | 0.050293 | 0.011658 | 0.005066 | 0.016968 | 0.014954 |
null | in fig1 to 3 , an illustrative embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is indicated overall by reference number 10 . the arrangement 10 comprises a syringe barrel 12 with a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 ( see fig2 ). a backstop 18 for a plunger stopper 20 ( fig3 ) arranged in the syringe barrel 12 is provided at the proximal end 14 . in the illustrative embodiment , backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 together form a proximal closure element , which in fig3 is indicated overall by reference number 22 . a closure cap 24 known per se is arranged at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel . instead of this , however , it would also be possible to fit here , for example , an adapter for a needle , or a needle with a needle guard cap . in addition , the closure cap at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 can also have a shape other than the one shown here . reference number 26 indicates a connection element which has a pot - like configuration in the present illustrative embodiment . it encloses the syringe barrel 12 and the closure cap 24 arranged at its distal end 16 and , in the area of the proximal end 14 , it is connected to the backstop 18 in a manner described in more detail below . together , the proximal closure element 22 ( here with backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 ), the distal closure element ( here the closure cap 24 ) and the connection element 26 form a tamper - evident closure for the syringe barrel 12 . in this illustrative embodiment , the backstop 18 is a separate structural part which is secured on the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , the backstop 18 has a wall 28 in the form of a cylinder shell which firmly engages around the syringe barrel 12 in the area of its proximal end 14 . a lateral opening area 30 of the wall 28 is dimensioned in such a way that the backstop 18 can be pushed from the side onto the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 in the manner of a snap - fit connection . at the upper end of the wall 28 , the backstop 18 has two laterally protruding plate areas 32 , 34 which form a finger support for the person using the syringe . the backstop 18 shown is thus intended principally for syringe barrels in which a finger support of this kind is not formed on the syringe barrel . in principle , however , the present invention can also be used in such syringe barrels , the backstop 18 then being designed without or with correspondingly modified plate areas 32 , 34 . laterally from the syringe barrel 12 , a claw - like catch hook 36 , 38 is arranged on each of the two plate areas 32 , 34 . the catch hooks 36 , 38 point radially towards one another . their free ends are also inclined towards the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 . the clear distance between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 , is indicated by d in fig3 . this corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the plunger stopper 20 , so that the plunger stopper 20 , upon withdrawal from the syringe barrel 12 , comes into contact with the catch hooks 36 , 38 . if the plunger stopper 20 is then withdrawn further from the syringe barrel 12 , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 narrows because of the selected inclination . the holding pressure on the plunger stopper 20 increases , so that complete removal of the plunger stopper 20 from the syringe barrel 12 is prevented . in the presently preferred illustrative embodiment shown , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 is approximately identical to the clear internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . in other words , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 do not jut into a projected circular line corresponding to the internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . however , since the plunger stopper 20 in the syringe barrel is pressed radially together in order to achieve good lateral sealing on the inside wall of the barrel , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 can nevertheless reliably secure the plunger stopper 20 . this particular type of configuration of the backstop 18 is the subject of a parallel plate application ( filed on the same date and claiming priority from german patent application de 10 204 009 919 . 7 ) assigned to the present assignee , which is incorporated here by reference . however , it is not essential for realizing the claiming invention set out herein , i . e . the present arrangement can in principle also be realized with other types of backstops , such as are known , for example , from the prior art mentioned in the introduction . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has a pot - like configuration , the syringe barrel 12 engaging with its distal closure cap 24 into the “ pot ” with a precise fit ( fig3 ). however , in a deviation from this configuration , the connection element 26 can , for example , also be designed without base 40 , so that it then instead has the form of a sleeve . in this context , it is important simply that the connection element 26 ensures that the closure cap 24 , more generally a closure element arranged at the distal end 16 , cannot be removed as long as the connection element 26 sits on the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , it suffices , for example , to provide a flanged edge , a thickened portion or a bridge formed on the connection element 26 in the area of the closure cap 24 . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has two window - like recesses 42 which extend parallel to one another but are offset by 180 ° to one another on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . accordingly , the second recess 42 cannot be seen in the views in fig1 and 3 . at its upper ( proximal ) end , the connection element 26 has a ring 44 which is connected to the sleeve - like body 48 of the connection element 26 via four thin bridges 46 . the bridges 46 are here distributed uniformly on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . they form predetermined breaking points at which the connection element 26 can be broken open and the body can then be detached from the syringe barrel 12 . in the present illustrative embodiment , the ring 44 of the connection element 26 sits with a precise fit in a groove 50 formed at the distal end of the wall 28 . ring 44 and groove 50 form a lock closure with which the connection element 26 and the backstop 18 are joined together . alternatively and / or in addition , the ring 44 could also be adhesively bonded , welded or otherwise irreversibly connected to the backstop 18 . reference number 52 indicates two wing - like projections which are formed just below the ring 44 on the connection element 26 . the wing - like projections 52 permit simple turning of the connection element 26 relative to the backstop 18 , specifically in such a way that the bridges 46 break open . by virtue of the fact that the ring 44 remains in the groove 50 on the backstop 18 , said backstop 18 is still secured at the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 , i . e . it cannot be removed without irreversibly destroying the ring 44 . by means of the preferred design of the connection element 26 in the form of a sleeve or pot , the syringe barrel 12 is additionally protected during transport and storage . for realization of the tamper - evident closure , however , this form of the connection element 26 is not absolutely necessary . particularly in syringe barrels 12 made of plastic , the connection element 26 can also have a completely different shape as long as it satisfies the intended function , namely that of securing the proximal and distal closure elements ( here the backstop 18 and the closure cap 24 , respectively ) in their respective positions . for example , the connection element 26 can be a simple bridge which extends , outside the syringe barrel 12 , from the closure cap 24 as far as the backstop 18 . the connection element is preferably made of a stiff or at least minimally extensible material , in order to effectively prevent removal of the closure cap and / or of the backstop 18 . fig4 shows the syringe barrel 12 with the backstop 18 after removal of the connection element 26 and of the closure cap 24 and after a plunger rod 54 has been screwed into the plunger stopper 20 . the plunger rod 54 can be supplied to the end user separately from the arrangement 10 . alternatively , it is also possible for the plunger rod 54 to be already screwed into the plunger stopper 20 , or otherwise secured in it , by the manufacturer . for the sake of clarity , however , the plunger rod 54 is not shown in fig1 to 3 . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | d8bb7dec990333e9421af14c44d2a0e3786296e50e9f1efff8d84c28996affda | 0.183594 | 0.000066 | 0.006104 | 0.000023 | 0.022583 | 0.000035 |
null | in fig1 to 3 , an illustrative embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is indicated overall by reference number 10 . the arrangement 10 comprises a syringe barrel 12 with a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 ( see fig2 ). a backstop 18 for a plunger stopper 20 ( fig3 ) arranged in the syringe barrel 12 is provided at the proximal end 14 . in the illustrative embodiment , backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 together form a proximal closure element , which in fig3 is indicated overall by reference number 22 . a closure cap 24 known per se is arranged at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel . instead of this , however , it would also be possible to fit here , for example , an adapter for a needle , or a needle with a needle guard cap . in addition , the closure cap at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 can also have a shape other than the one shown here . reference number 26 indicates a connection element which has a pot - like configuration in the present illustrative embodiment . it encloses the syringe barrel 12 and the closure cap 24 arranged at its distal end 16 and , in the area of the proximal end 14 , it is connected to the backstop 18 in a manner described in more detail below . together , the proximal closure element 22 ( here with backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 ), the distal closure element ( here the closure cap 24 ) and the connection element 26 form a tamper - evident closure for the syringe barrel 12 . in this illustrative embodiment , the backstop 18 is a separate structural part which is secured on the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , the backstop 18 has a wall 28 in the form of a cylinder shell which firmly engages around the syringe barrel 12 in the area of its proximal end 14 . a lateral opening area 30 of the wall 28 is dimensioned in such a way that the backstop 18 can be pushed from the side onto the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 in the manner of a snap - fit connection . at the upper end of the wall 28 , the backstop 18 has two laterally protruding plate areas 32 , 34 which form a finger support for the person using the syringe . the backstop 18 shown is thus intended principally for syringe barrels in which a finger support of this kind is not formed on the syringe barrel . in principle , however , the present invention can also be used in such syringe barrels , the backstop 18 then being designed without or with correspondingly modified plate areas 32 , 34 . laterally from the syringe barrel 12 , a claw - like catch hook 36 , 38 is arranged on each of the two plate areas 32 , 34 . the catch hooks 36 , 38 point radially towards one another . their free ends are also inclined towards the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 . the clear distance between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 , is indicated by d in fig3 . this corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the plunger stopper 20 , so that the plunger stopper 20 , upon withdrawal from the syringe barrel 12 , comes into contact with the catch hooks 36 , 38 . if the plunger stopper 20 is then withdrawn further from the syringe barrel 12 , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 narrows because of the selected inclination . the holding pressure on the plunger stopper 20 increases , so that complete removal of the plunger stopper 20 from the syringe barrel 12 is prevented . in the presently preferred illustrative embodiment shown , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 is approximately identical to the clear internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . in other words , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 do not jut into a projected circular line corresponding to the internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . however , since the plunger stopper 20 in the syringe barrel is pressed radially together in order to achieve good lateral sealing on the inside wall of the barrel , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 can nevertheless reliably secure the plunger stopper 20 . this particular type of configuration of the backstop 18 is the subject of a parallel plate application ( filed on the same date and claiming priority from german patent application de 10 204 009 919 . 7 ) assigned to the present assignee , which is incorporated here by reference . however , it is not essential for realizing the claiming invention set out herein , i . e . the present arrangement can in principle also be realized with other types of backstops , such as are known , for example , from the prior art mentioned in the introduction . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has a pot - like configuration , the syringe barrel 12 engaging with its distal closure cap 24 into the “ pot ” with a precise fit ( fig3 ). however , in a deviation from this configuration , the connection element 26 can , for example , also be designed without base 40 , so that it then instead has the form of a sleeve . in this context , it is important simply that the connection element 26 ensures that the closure cap 24 , more generally a closure element arranged at the distal end 16 , cannot be removed as long as the connection element 26 sits on the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , it suffices , for example , to provide a flanged edge , a thickened portion or a bridge formed on the connection element 26 in the area of the closure cap 24 . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has two window - like recesses 42 which extend parallel to one another but are offset by 180 ° to one another on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . accordingly , the second recess 42 cannot be seen in the views in fig1 and 3 . at its upper ( proximal ) end , the connection element 26 has a ring 44 which is connected to the sleeve - like body 48 of the connection element 26 via four thin bridges 46 . the bridges 46 are here distributed uniformly on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . they form predetermined breaking points at which the connection element 26 can be broken open and the body can then be detached from the syringe barrel 12 . in the present illustrative embodiment , the ring 44 of the connection element 26 sits with a precise fit in a groove 50 formed at the distal end of the wall 28 . ring 44 and groove 50 form a lock closure with which the connection element 26 and the backstop 18 are joined together . alternatively and / or in addition , the ring 44 could also be adhesively bonded , welded or otherwise irreversibly connected to the backstop 18 . reference number 52 indicates two wing - like projections which are formed just below the ring 44 on the connection element 26 . the wing - like projections 52 permit simple turning of the connection element 26 relative to the backstop 18 , specifically in such a way that the bridges 46 break open . by virtue of the fact that the ring 44 remains in the groove 50 on the backstop 18 , said backstop 18 is still secured at the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 , i . e . it cannot be removed without irreversibly destroying the ring 44 . by means of the preferred design of the connection element 26 in the form of a sleeve or pot , the syringe barrel 12 is additionally protected during transport and storage . for realization of the tamper - evident closure , however , this form of the connection element 26 is not absolutely necessary . particularly in syringe barrels 12 made of plastic , the connection element 26 can also have a completely different shape as long as it satisfies the intended function , namely that of securing the proximal and distal closure elements ( here the backstop 18 and the closure cap 24 , respectively ) in their respective positions . for example , the connection element 26 can be a simple bridge which extends , outside the syringe barrel 12 , from the closure cap 24 as far as the backstop 18 . the connection element is preferably made of a stiff or at least minimally extensible material , in order to effectively prevent removal of the closure cap and / or of the backstop 18 . fig4 shows the syringe barrel 12 with the backstop 18 after removal of the connection element 26 and of the closure cap 24 and after a plunger rod 54 has been screwed into the plunger stopper 20 . the plunger rod 54 can be supplied to the end user separately from the arrangement 10 . alternatively , it is also possible for the plunger rod 54 to be already screwed into the plunger stopper 20 , or otherwise secured in it , by the manufacturer . for the sake of clarity , however , the plunger rod 54 is not shown in fig1 to 3 . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | Should this patent be classified under 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | d8bb7dec990333e9421af14c44d2a0e3786296e50e9f1efff8d84c28996affda | 0.114258 | 0.077148 | 0.011658 | 0.014526 | 0.016968 | 0.040283 |
null | the polymerized lactam component of the above polymers is formed from cyclic monomeric lactams of the formula ## str1 ## where y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 , and more preferably from about 5 to about 11 carbon atoms . a preferred monomer is ε - caprolactam . lactam monomers in addition to ε - caprolactam include alpha - pyrrolidinone , piperidone , valerolactam , caprolactams other than the ε - isomer , capryllactam , lauryllactam and the like . in addition to lactams unsubstituted on their carbon chains , lactams having substituents on the carbon chain which do not inhibit or otherwise adversely affect the polymerization of the lactam are also included within the scope of the invention . during polymerization the cyclic lactam ring is opened to provide the following monomeric unit ## str2 ## which , together with other lactam molecules , produces a polymeric block of the formula ## str3 ## where x is an integer greater than one . the monomeric lactam unit can also react with the polyacyl alkoxide . similarly , a polylactam block , when joined with a polyacyl unit forms a polymer segment of the formula ## str4 ## where r is a hydrocarbon group described hereinbelow , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups , x is an integer greater than one , y is an integer equal to or greater than one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . thirdly , in the course of the polymerization of the components described above , a polyol can react with the polymerizable lactam unit or block to produce a polymer segment of the formula ## str5 ## where x and n are integers equal to at least one and where z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group which , together with the oxygen atom attached thereto , forms a polyether or polyester segment of a polymer molecule . the z hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon and acylated hydrocarbon groups can be of any size even polymeric such as polybutadiene , generally limited to about six carbon atoms , said groups being preferably alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof . even more preferred are unsubstituted aliphatic groups such as methylene , ethylene , propylene , butylene and the like . other suitable z groups include phenylene , chlorophenylene , tolylene , isobutylene , isopropylene , ethylcarbonyl , propylcarbonyl , ethylsulfonyl , propylthiocarbonyl and the like . the preference indicated above for unsubstituted aliphatic z groups means that terpolymers of this invention which contain polyether segments are preferred over other embodiments which contain polyester segments . in preferred aspects of this invention , it is theorized that the lactam is present in the polymer in the form of polylactam blocks which are alternated with blocks of polyol and polyol segments to form the polymer . the polylactam blocks when present can be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the polymerized polyol components of the polymers of this invention are formed from polyol intermediates having at least two hydroxy groups . available commercial polyols of this class are produced by reacting , for example , propylene oxide or ethylene oxide with glycols , glycerol , pentaerythritol , glucose , amines , and the like . included within the scope of the above class are a large number of suitable compounds ranging from the simple diols such as ethylene glycol to complex polymeric polyols such as poly ( ε - caprolactone ) diol . other polyol compounds include alkylene glycols such as diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , tetramethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , hexylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - hexanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , butylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , dicyclopentadiene glycol , heptaethylene glycol and isopropylidene bis ( p - phenyleneoxypropanol - 2 ); diols other than alkylene glycols such as pyrocatechol , resorcinol , hydroquinone , hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate ; polyols having more than two hydroxy functions such as glycerol , pentaerythritol , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , 1 - trimethylol propane , pyrogallol and phloroglucinol ; polymeric polyols such as polyethylene glycols , polypropylene glycols , polyoxypropylene diols and triols , castor oils , polybutadiene glycols and polyester glycols , and a large number of compounds containing substituents other than hydroxy groups such as 2 , 4 - dichlorobutylene glycol and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- 4 , 4 &# 39 ; bis ( chlorohydroxyphenyl ) ether . in addition to all the hydroxy compounds set forth above , the thio compounds analogous to the above compounds having sulfur atoms in place of oxygen are also included within the scope of the invention . a few examples include hydroxyethyl thioglycolate , ethylene glycol bis -( thioglycolate ), pentaerythritol tetrakis -( thioglycolate ) and thiodiglycol . if the polyol intermediate is a polymer , the molecular weight of the polyol can be any amount . commercially available polymeric polyol compounds have molecular weights from 200 to 5000 , but polymers with molecular weights outside that range are also useful in the practice of the instant invention . if the polyol intermediate or segment is a single molecule having at least two hydroxy groups such as ethylene glycol , a suitable polyol segment according to the invention would have a molecular weight of at least 62 . the third component of the terpolymers of this invention has the following structural configuration in the polymer chain : where r is a hydrocarbon group , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl radicals , y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having at least two valence bonds for attachment to the acyl groups shown in the above formula . examples include functional groups obtained by the removal of hydrogen atoms from methane , ethane , propane , hexane , dodecane , benzene , toluene , cyclohexane and the like . the polyvalent r group can be of any size but is preferably limited to about 20 carbon atoms , and more preferably about eight carbon atoms . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is one , the linkage will be a diacyl group . the a group can be any acyl group and preferably are ## str6 ## groups . most preferred among the above groups is the carbonyl group . values for the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; have a direct relationship to the thermoplasticity of the terpolymer . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is greater than one , the linkage will be a higher polyacyl . the higher the value of &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, the more highly crosslinked will be the finished polymer . values for &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; can be as high as six or eight , but more preferably do not exceed two or three . the polymerized product comprising the aforementioned components can have a number of different structures depending upon the process conditions and the relative proportions of ingredients used in the reaction system . polymers can be prepared having relatively small segments of lactam units joined to similarly short segments of polyol units through the polyacyl linkage described above . or large segments of one polymeric component can be combined with a larger number of comparatively small segments of another polymeric unit , which small segments are joined to one another through the polyacyl linkage as well as to the other type of polymeric component . or segments of varying sizes of both the lactam and the polyol polymeric units can be combined through the polyacyl components to form a highly random terpolymer . another form of polymer within the scope of this invention are block polymers , where moderately large size blocks or segments of the lactam and polyol polymeric units are positioned alternately in the polymer chain and joined through the polyacyl group described above . if the polyacyl linkages are , for purposes of simplification , considered to be a part of either a lactam or polyol block , then the block polymers of this invention can be discussed in terms of two alternating blocks designated as a and b blocks , instead of in terms of complicated patterns of three blocks designated as a , b and c blocks . block polymers prepared according to this invention can have three general structural configurations , ab , aba and a repeating pattern of ab segments . following a general characterization of a block copolymer prepared within the scope of this invention as ab , aba or repeating ab , it should be recognized that the exact structural configuration may vary somewhat from the general characterization of the polymer . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for a lactam - polyolpolyacyl lactam block terpolymer of the repeating ab type could be ## str7 ## where y , x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, n and w are all integers equal to one or more ; b is an integer equal to zero or one ; r is a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least three carbon atoms ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups ; and r &# 39 ; is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than an aromatic radical . if for instance y is a straight chained alkylene group , a and a &# 39 ; are carbonyl groups , z is ethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 --, and r is phenylene , the terpolymer would be a caprolactam - ethylene glycol polymer where the caprolactam segments of the polymer are joined to one another and to the ethylene glycol segments through terephthaloyl linkages . other lactam - polyol polymers , both of the ab , aba as well as the repeating ab type , will become immediately apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure . it should therefore be noted that the above structural formula is set forth for illustrative purpose only , and is not intended as a limitation of the polymers within the scope of the invention . when the polymers of this invention are of the aba type , where one block of one type of polymer segment is located between two blocks of the other type of polymer segment , the polymers can be of either the polyol - lactam - polyol type or the lactam - polyol - lactam type . of the two types , the latter is a preferred type of aba polymer . if the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymer is a block polymer , the polyol blocks can , like the polylactam blocks , be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the ratio of the number of lactam to polyol blocks can also vary . since the block polymers can be of either the type designated as ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of lactam blocks to polyol blocks can vary from 2 : 1 to 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 . mixtures of two or more block polymers having different ratios of the lactam and polyol blocks will produce ratios of polymer blocks intermediate between the above stated ratios . in the above theoretical formula for a lactam - polyol block terpolymer , the polyacyl linkage is represented as located between two lactam polymer segments as well as between a polyether segment and a lactam polymer segment . as a practical matter , the polyacyl linkages will also be located occasionally between two polyol blocks . it should be noted , moreover , that the polyacyl linkages need not invariably be positioned between lactam and polyol blocks since the necessary linkage can be provided in the form of an ester linkage by the oxygen atom of the polyether segment and the carbonyl group of a polylactam segment . following is a general characterization of the lactam polyolpolyacyl lactam terpolymer produced according to the invention . as an illustration , the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam terpolymer has the general formula : ## str8 ## wherein ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups selected from ## str9 ## r is a polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms ; y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one ; x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, and x &# 39 ;&# 34 ; are integers and the total number of x &# 39 ; s is equal to 2w + 2 ; and n and w are integers equal to one or more . as mentioned earlier , the terpolymers of this invention are characterized by the presence of both ester and amide linkages between the monomeric segments of the polymer . the term &# 34 ; monomeric segment &# 34 ; is intended to apply to the polymerized reaction product of a monomer , whether the reaction product is a single unit such as ## str10 ## or a block of several units such as ## str11 ## regarding the breadth of the terms &# 34 ; ester linkage &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; amide linkage &# 34 ;, the linkages can of course be composed of acyl groups other than carbonyl groups since the polyacyl linkage described above includes thiocarbonyl , sulfonyl , and phosphoryl groups as well as the more conventional carbonyl groups . the molecular weight of the terpolymers can vary widely from a number average molecular weight of just a few thousand to 1 million or higher . for thermoplastic uncrosslinked polymers , a preferred range for number average molecular weight is from about 10 or 20 , 000 to about 100 , 000 to 200 , 000 . if the polymers are crosslinked , the molecular weights of the polymers can be much higher in the range of 100 , 000 to several million . when block polymers are formed , the molecular weight of the polyol blocks is an important consideration in selecting preferred polymers within the scope of this invention . polyol blocks having a number average molecular weight of about 500 or 600 or more generally tend to have good low temperature properties . this lower level of molecular weight for the polyol blocks is subject to some variation insofar as low temperature properties can also be affected by the degree of block polymerization , the nature of the block polymer , i . e . ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of the lactam content to the polyol content , and the particular lactam and polyol present in the polymer . polyol segments having a molecular weight of at least 62 can also constitute a portion of the terpolymer as well as the polyol blocks having molecular weights of 500 to 600 or greater . for example , ethylene glycol as the polyol segment provides a terpolymer having improved tensile elongation and impact resistance . regarding a maximum molecular weight of the polyol blocks , preferred polymers have polyol blocks with a maximum number average molecular weight of about 6000 , and more preferably about 4000 . above these levels the polyol prepolymer tends to exhibit a reduced hydroxyl functionality , due to unsaturation , thereby making more difficult the incorporation of polyol into the polymer . in addition to the three principal monomeric constituents which together produce the terpolymers of this invention , other polymerizable monomers can also be used to prepare polymers having four or more polymerizable constituents . as an example , if the polyol constituent of a terpolymer of this invention is polybutadiene diol , the resultant terpolymer could be , after the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymerization , subsequently reacted with a vinyl compound such as styrene to crosslink the polymer through its vinyl unsaturation . still other monomers could be chosen which could be polymerized directly into a linear polymer chain . the quantity of such additional monomers could be very large , even as great as 50 % or more of the total polymerizable constituents but preferably is limited to quantities of 25 % or less of the total monomer content . the polymers prepared according to this invention exhibit a broad range of properties which can be adjusted to provide compositions particularly well adapted for a specified end use . in addition to crosslinking , adjustment of polymer structure , and molecular weight adjustment of polymer blocks , other means of varying the properties of the polymers can also be employed . crystallinity of the polymers , which can be present in the lactam segments of the polymers , can be increased or decreased by variation of polymerization temperatures . since any crystallinity in the polymers of this invention is largely present in the lactam segments of the polymer , variation of the lactam content of the polymer can also result in a variation of polymer crystallinity . polymers with relatively high degrees of crystallinity tend to be strong , rigid polymers whereas those with little or no crystallinity are more elastomeric in nature . as mentioned earlier , the type of lactam , polyol and polyacyl lactam components can also affect the properties of the finished polymer . as an example , polyethylene glycol polymer segments tend to produce polymers with a high water absorptivity whereas polypropylene glycol or polytetramethylene glycol polymer segments produce polymers with comparatively low water absorptivities . as another example , caprolactam polymer segments in the polymers of this invention produce polymers which are stronger and more rigid than homologous polymers containing segments of a higher lactam such as capryllactam or dodecanolactam . even more significantly , use of a lactam will yield an essentially linear polymer whereas use of a tris or tetrakislactam will result in a branched or crosslinked terpolymer . similarly bis - lactams can be employed to produce a branched or crosslinked polymer . high crosslinked polymer can be made through the use of polyols having more than two hydroxy groups . with all the foregoing techniques available for modifying and adjusting the properties of the polymers of this invention , it can be appreciated that the polymers can be used in a number of end use applications . one such use is a textile fiber . throughout the entire range of ratios of polymeric components , from polymers containing very little polyether component to those containing a large amount , the polymers have properties which make them useful as textile fibers . in addition to being the sole constitutent of a textile fiber , the terpolymers can also be used as one component in a composite or conjugate fiber . it is contemplated that conjugate fibers of nylon and the terpolymers of this invention will be particularly useful in a number of textile and other applications . other textile applications for the terpolymers include their use in the manufacture of non - woven fabrics and as high moisture regain fibers . the terpolymers can also be manufactured into foamed articles , either during or after their polymerization , to produce rigid and flexible foams . because of their method of preparation directly from the monomeric components , the polymers can be prepared in large shapes such as furniture and furniture components and automobile parts . the terpolymers can also be produced in the form of molding resins which can subsequently be molded by injection molding , extruding , thermoforming or other techniques to produce products of virtually any shape . the more highly elastomeric compositions can be used in manufacture of automobile tires and tire components . the polymers can also be modified with fillers , fibers , pigments , dyes , stabilizers , plasticizers , flame retardant and other polymeric modifiers to alter their properties and thereby enlarge even further the scope of their applicability . one such modification comprises reinforcing the polymers with fillers or fibers which have been treated with coupling agents capable of increasing the bonding of the fillers or fibers to the polymer molecules . a large number of organosilane compounds have been found to be especially capable of performing this task of improving adhesion between polymer and filler or fiber . examples of some suitable organosilane couplers for use with the polymers of this invention include 3 - aminopropyl triethoxysilane , glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane and n - trimethoxysilylpropyl - n - beta - amino - ethyl - amine . preferred fillers and fibers include quartz , wollastonite , feldspar , calcined kaolin clay , glass fibers and other high performance fibers such as graphite , boron , steel and the like . the concentrations of fillers and fibers can vary from very small amounts such as one or two volume percent up to 70 or 80 volume percent or more . the terpolymers are prepared by either initiating the anionic catalyzed polymerization of lactam with a polyether - polyester prepolymer initiator , or the formation of the initiator from dicarboxylic acid esters and aliphatic polyols or aliphatic polyether polyols in the presence of lactam as a reaction solvent , followed by the anionic catalyzed polymerization of the lactam . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for the terpolymer is presented as a result of the following formulation schematic of a typical process according to the invention . ## str12 ## where x and b are integers equal to at least one ; z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 carbon atoms ; and r is a divalent hydrocarbon ; and n is an integer equal to one or more . the foregoing illustration represents only one typical formulated schematic of the inventive process and terpolymer produced thereby , and should not be construed as the only process and / or terpolymer afforded by this invention . the polyether - polyester prepolymer initiators result from the transesterification of aliphatic polyols and / or aliphatic polyether polyols and dicarboxylic acid esters . the dicarboxylic acid esters or dialkyl esters useful in the prepolymer formation have the general formula : ## str13 ## wherein r &# 39 ; is an alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , 2 - ethyl hexyl and the like , alkenyls , aryls and mixtures thereof ; d is an integer ; and when the radical ## spc1 ## and the like . specific dialkyl esters according to the above formula include , for example , dialkylaryloates such as dimethyl terephthalate and dimethyl isophthalate ; and dialkylalkanoates such as diethyl sebacate , dibutyl adipate , diethyloxalate and the like . the catalysts used as catalyst i in the foregoing illustration of a typical formulated schematic of the inventive process are transesterification prepolymer catalyst , for example alkali metals and alkaline earth metals , zinc , cadmium , manganese , iron , nickel , cobalt , tin , lanthanum , lead or bismuth or combinations thereof , salts such as calcium , manganese , cobalt or zinc acetate , lithium hydride , sodium alcoholates , zinc succinate or zinc acetyl acetonate , oxides such as lead oxide ( pbo ), antimony oxide ( sb 2 o 3 ), or germanium oxide ( geo 2 ), magnesium methoxide , and combinations such as antimony trioxide / manganese acetate or antimony trioxide / titanium dioxide . other suitable catalyst include caprolactam magnesium bromide , and selected grignard agents , for example , ethyl magnesium bromide . catalyst i is used in quantities of from about 0 . 005 to about 0 . 2 % by weight , preferably about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 10 % by weight based on the quantity of dicarboxylic acid ester . polymerization temperatures can vary from the melting point of the lactam or less up to the melting point of the resultant polymer or more . depending upon the particular ingredients being used , this can encompass a range from 70 ° to 230 ° c or more . preferred polymerization temperatures are from about 90 ° to about 190 ° c and more preferably from about 120 ° to about 180 ° c for caprolactam terpolymers . such a technique produces desired polymerization of a terpolymer having high strength and modulus . times required for complete polymerization will vary considerably depending upon polymerization temperatures and the specific ingredients used in the polymerization system . polymerization time varies from at least about one minute , preferably from 1 to 30 minutes , and can be extended to any duration up to several days or more . generally , polymerization times of from 1 to 30 minutes are preferred for most polymerization systems . the lactam monomer , dicarboxylic acid ester and polyol used in the polymerization have both been described in ample detail above . the lactam polymerization catalyst ( catalyst ii ) useful herein includes that class of compounds commonly recognized as suitable basic catalysts for the anhydrous polymerization of lactams . in general , all alkali or alkaline earth metals are effective catalysts either in the metallic form or in the form of hydrides , halohydrides , alkylhalides , oxides , hydroxides , carbonates and the like . also useful are a number of organometallic compounds of the metals mentioned above such as metal alkyls , metal phenyls , metal amides and the like . examples include sodium hydride , potassium hydroxide , lithium oxide , ethyl magnesium bromide , calcium fluorohydride , strontium carbonate , barium hydroxide , methyl sodium buthyl lithium , potassium phenyl , diphenyl barium , sodium amide and magnesium diethyl . all of the foregoing compounds react with the lactam monomer to form the metal lactam , which is the active catalytic agent in the lactam polymerization mechanism . the metal lactam catalyst can therefore be formed in situ by reaction of one of the foregoing metals or metal compounds with lactam monomer in the polymerization medium or by prior reaction of the metal or metal compound with a stoichiometric quantity of lactam monomer . examples of metal lactam catalysts include sodium caprolactam , bromomagnesium caprolactam , magnesium caprolactam , bromomagnesium pyrrolidinone , chlorocalcium caprolactam and the like . catalyst concentrations can range from a fraction of one mole percent to 15 or 20 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer to be polymerized . the polyacyl linkage , as well as the ester and amide linkages , are incorporated into the polymer chain through the reaction of the polyacyl alkoxide with the lactam and polyol constituents . in the formula set forth above for the polyacyl alkoxide useful herein , the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having the necessary number of available valences to bond to itself all of the acyl groups included in the compound . the hydrocarbon group can be of any size but preferably contains a maximum of eight or ten carbon atoms . examples of suitable r groups include phenylene , biphenylene , methylene , hexylene , tolylene , and analogous hydrocarbons having more than two sites available for bonding to acyl groups . the amount of polyacyl alkoxide useful in the preparation of the terpolymers of this invention depends upon the quantities of lactam and polyol being used . for preferred polymerizations , it is desirable that the polyacyl alkoxide be present in an amount from 100 to about 500 , preferably from about 100 to about 200 , equivalent percent of the polyol . if the polyacyl alkoxide is present in an amount less than a molecularly equivalent amount based on the polyol , polyol prepolymer formation occurs , but the subsequent lactam polymerization is very slow . in those preferred polymerization systems where the polyacyl alkoxide concentration exceeds the amount stoichiometrically equivalent to the polyol , the excess can be from 0 . 01 to about 30 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer . a preferred range is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 mole percent of the lactam monomer , and more preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 5 mole percent of the lactam monomer . the lactam and polyol can be present in any relative proportions ranging up to 99 parts of either component to 1 part of the other . preferred ratios of the two polymer - forming materials depend upon the end use to which the finished polymer is to be put . for end use applications requiring strong rigid materials , the lactam content of the polymerizable medium should be relatively high such as 60 or 80 or even 90 % or more lactam . for other applications where elastomeric properties such as high elongation or where water absorption is desirable , the relative proportions of the two monomers can be reversed so that the polymerizable medium will contain 60 or 80 or 90 % or more of the polyol compound . where water absorption is desired , polyethylene glycol can be used as the major polyol compound . polymers containing about equal quantities of both lactam and polyol are preferred for a great many uses because of the advantageous combination of properties achieved by such polymers . three terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 1 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric polyol was heated under vacuum at 125 °- 180 ° for 30 minutes to dry . the transesterification prepolymer catalyst and dmt were added and the mixture stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 ° c . intermittently a slight stream of nitrogen was allowed to pass through the reactor to remove evolved methanol . after 40 minutes reaction time the mixture was evacuated for 5 - 10 minutes . to the resulting prepolymer was added caprolactam and santowhite powder . the temperature of the resulting prepolymer - caprolactam solution was adjusted to 160 ° c and grignard reagent added . the mixture was evacuated for 2 - 3 minutes to remove ether and ethane . the vacuum was released to nitrogen and the catalyzed prepolymer solution poured into a vertical mold of 10 inches × 10 inches × 1 / 8 inch dimensions which had been heated to 160 ° c . after an hour the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ prepolymer catalyst glycol used dmt . sup . 4 caprolactam swp . sup . 5 grignard . sup . 6process type amount compound gms gms gms . gms . ml . __________________________________________________________________________a magnesium acetate . sup . 1 0 . 4 ml polymeg . sup . 3 2000 117 15 . 5 273 2 5 tetraisopropyl orthotitanate . sup . 2 0 . 08 mlb tetrabutyl orthotitanate 0 . 063 ml carbowax . sup . 7 4000 90 7 . 0 205 1 . 5 5c zinc acetate 0 . 2 gm &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 90 7 . 7 205 1 . 5 5__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 0 . 1 molar in methanol . sup . 2 0 . 8 molar in 2 . propanol . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 5 santowhite powder . sup . 6 ethyl magnesium bromide 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 7 polyethylene glycol table 2______________________________________ tensile fail tensile strength % modulusterpolymer psi elongation psi______________________________________a - 30 % ptmg 6530 720 47 , 000b - 30 % peg 7000 520 57 , 000c - 30 % peg 6800 550 101 , 000______________________________________ five polyethylene glycol terpolymers were prepared from polyester prepolymers formed in caprolactam solution . the quantities of ingredients and the various transesterification catalysts used are listed in table 3 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric glycol , caprolactam and santowhite powder were heated under vacuum to distil 25 ml . caprolactam . ( in process f and g , cadmium acetate dihydrate and zinc acetate dihydrate were added prior to caprolactam distillation . in the remaining processes , the transesterification catalyst was added after caprolactam distillation .) after the initial distillation of caprolactam , a reflux condenser was attached to the reaction flask and a vacuum take off with a dry ice cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . the dmt and transesterification catalyst were added and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam at a temperature of 110 °- 140 ° c . progress of the reaction was followed by measurement of evolved methanol . after methanol evolution had ceased , the temperature of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 130 ° c and 5 ml . grignard reagent catalyst added . the reaction flask was evacuated for 2 minutes to remove ether and ethane and the vacuum released to nitrogen atmosphere . the catalyzed mixture was poured into a 160 ° c mold described in example 1 . after 1 hr the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymer are reported in table 4 . table 3______________________________________ reactants carbowax . sup . 1 4000 - 90 gms caprolactam 229 gms santowhite powder 1 . 5 gms dmt . sup . 2 7 . 7 gmsii transesterification catalystterpolymer d grignard . sup . 3 0 . 6 mlterpolymer e aluminum iso - propoxide 0 . 2 gmterpolymer f cadmium acetate 0 . 26 gm &# 34 ; g zinc acetate 0 . 22 gm &# 34 ; h magnesium methoxide . sup . 4 0 . 9 mliii copolymerization catalyst - grignard . sup . 3 5 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polyethylene glycol . sup . 2 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . . sup . 4 1 molar in methanol table 4______________________________________tensile yield tensile fail tensileter - strength % elon - strength % moduluspolymer psi gation psi elongation psi______________________________________d 6200 507 84 , 000e 3700 15 5900 470 62 , 400f 3700 25 6200 497 68 , 000g 3800 20 6100 477 78 , 000h 3700 25 6500 518 91 , 500______________________________________ several terpolymers were prepared employing different types and quantities of glycols . the terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 5 . the transesterification reaction and copolymerization with caprolactam were run according to procedures described in example 2 . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 6 . table 5__________________________________________________________________________glycol used prepolymer % in catalyst gms gms gms caprolactam stabilizer ml . process material copolymer material amount glycol dmt . sup . 1 charge distilled material gms grignard . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________i polymeg . sup . 3 2000 30 grignard . sup . 2 0 . 6 ml 90 10 . 2 227 25 swp . sup . 4 1 . 5j polymeg . sup . 3 2000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 5 1 ml 150 16 . 0 164 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 4 . 5k polymeg 1000 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 19 . 6 221 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0l polymeg 1000 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 24 . 5 188 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0m polymeg 650 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 28 . 0 216 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0n polymeg 650 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 36 . 8 155 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0o polymeg 1000 21 62 . 5 butane diol 6 grignard 0 . 6 ml 17 . 1 50 . 2 196 . 3 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0p polyglycol . sup . 6 e - 6000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 150 5 . 0 171 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0q polyglycol e - 1450 50 zinc acetate 5 gm . 1500 220 . 2 1446 100 flectol - h 1 . 5 35r niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 90 10 . 8 227 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0s niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 40 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 120 13 . 7 195 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0t polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 5 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 11 ml 150 109 . 6 1975 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50u polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 10 13 ml 300 124 . 3 1814 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50v polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 15 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 14 ml 450 139 . 0 1655 100 dnpd 6 50w voranol 2000 . sup . 9 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 7 . 7 229 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0x voranol 2000 . sup . 9 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 0 . 9 ml 150 15 . 3 164 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 2 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 santowhite powder . sup . 5 magnesium methoxide - 1 molar in methanol . sup . 6 polyethylene glycol . sup . 7 polycaprolactone diol . sup . 8 n , n &# 39 ;- dl - 2 - naphthyl - p - phenylene diamine . sup . 9 polypropylene glycol table 6__________________________________________________________________________ tensile yield tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % strength % modulusprocesscomposition psi elongation psi elongation psi__________________________________________________________________________i 30 % ptmg 2000 4600 50 6870 533 89 , 400j 50 % ptmg 2000 4850 773 26 , 000k 30 % ptmg 1000 4700 60 5980 533 82 , 800l 40 % ptmg 1000 5190 776 25 , 700m 30 % ptmg 650 5850 685 38 , 300n 40 % ptmg 650 3100 754 15 , 400o 21 % ptmg 1000 2720 156 6 , 5006 % butane diolp 50 % peg 6000 3260 14 4400 588 61 , 000q 50 % peg 1450 2270 * 250 * r 30 % polycaprolactone 2700 29 7100 715 40 , 000s 40 % polycaprolactone 2300 60 4000 650 27 , 200t 30 % ptmg 2000 6900 * 470 * 5 % polycaprolactoneu 30 % ptmg 2000 5200 * 473 * 10 % polycaprolactonev 30 % ptmg 2000 5000 * 530 * 15 % polycaprolactonew 30 % ppg 4790 340 82 , 800x 50 % ppg 3190 482 28 , 800__________________________________________________________________________ * tensile data for extruded strand two terpolymers were prepared from polyester synthesized from an aliphatic dibasic ester using the quantities of ingredients specified in the following table : table 7______________________________________terpolymer process y z______________________________________glycol used polymeg . sup . 1 2000 polymeg . sup . 1 1000reactantsgms . glycol 90 90gms . santowhite powder 1 . 5 1 . 5gms . caprolactam charged 225 218gms . caprolactam distilled 25 25gms . diethyl sebacate 13 . 2 24 . 5ml . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 0 . 9 1 . 0ml . grignard . sup . 3 5 . 0 5 . 0______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide -- 3 molar in diethyl ether . the terpolymers were prepared according to the procedure described in example 2 . tensile properties of the terpolymers are reported in the following table : table 8______________________________________ tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % modulusprocess composition psi elongation psi______________________________________y 30 % ptmg 2000 7200 575 81 , 400z 30 % ptmg 1000 5600 516 62 , 800______________________________________ the following example 5 is a calculated example of a predictable cross - linked terpolymer which could be prepared by the inventive process . a crosslinked terpolymer is prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 9 . table 9______________________________________material amount______________________________________polymeg . sup . 1 2000 90 gm . caprolactam 214 gm . santowhite powder 1 . 5 gm . dimethyl terephthalate 6 . 9 gm . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 1 ml . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam 3 . 2 gm . bmc . sup . 3 23 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 bromo magnesium caprolactam -- 0 . 4 molar in caprolactam the caprolactam , polymeg 2000 , and santowhite poweder are heated under vacuum to distil 25 gms . caprolactam in order to dry the mixture . a reflux condenser is attached to the reactor with a dry ice - cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . dimethyl terephthalate and mg ( och 3 ) 2 added to the mixture and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam . progress of the transesterification reaction is followed by measurement of evolved methanol condensed in the dry ice - cooled receiver . when methanol evolution has stopped , the reactor vacuum is released to nitrogen and 0 . 5 ml water added to destroy the magnesium methoxide catalyst . the reflux is replaced with a distilling head and the mixture re - evacuated to distil 10 ml . caprolactam to re - dry . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam is added and dissolved , and the mixture cooled to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast into a vertical mold ( described in example 1 ) which has been heated to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast by means of a metering pump . the bmc catalyst is injected into the stream by means of a second metering pump and the streams mixed by a kenics static mixer . after casting is complete , the mold is heated to 160 ° c over a 15 minute period and held at 160 ° c for an additional 45 minutes , after which the mold is opened and the sample removed . | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is 'Human Necessities' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 9dd27a9e0515885e1f5a8660988491a4509e2a60f725962d0e0683c2b99b7d71 | 0.546875 | 0.013245 | 0.625 | 0.00038 | 0.40625 | 0.021973 |
null | the polymerized lactam component of the above polymers is formed from cyclic monomeric lactams of the formula ## str1 ## where y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 , and more preferably from about 5 to about 11 carbon atoms . a preferred monomer is ε - caprolactam . lactam monomers in addition to ε - caprolactam include alpha - pyrrolidinone , piperidone , valerolactam , caprolactams other than the ε - isomer , capryllactam , lauryllactam and the like . in addition to lactams unsubstituted on their carbon chains , lactams having substituents on the carbon chain which do not inhibit or otherwise adversely affect the polymerization of the lactam are also included within the scope of the invention . during polymerization the cyclic lactam ring is opened to provide the following monomeric unit ## str2 ## which , together with other lactam molecules , produces a polymeric block of the formula ## str3 ## where x is an integer greater than one . the monomeric lactam unit can also react with the polyacyl alkoxide . similarly , a polylactam block , when joined with a polyacyl unit forms a polymer segment of the formula ## str4 ## where r is a hydrocarbon group described hereinbelow , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups , x is an integer greater than one , y is an integer equal to or greater than one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . thirdly , in the course of the polymerization of the components described above , a polyol can react with the polymerizable lactam unit or block to produce a polymer segment of the formula ## str5 ## where x and n are integers equal to at least one and where z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group which , together with the oxygen atom attached thereto , forms a polyether or polyester segment of a polymer molecule . the z hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon and acylated hydrocarbon groups can be of any size even polymeric such as polybutadiene , generally limited to about six carbon atoms , said groups being preferably alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof . even more preferred are unsubstituted aliphatic groups such as methylene , ethylene , propylene , butylene and the like . other suitable z groups include phenylene , chlorophenylene , tolylene , isobutylene , isopropylene , ethylcarbonyl , propylcarbonyl , ethylsulfonyl , propylthiocarbonyl and the like . the preference indicated above for unsubstituted aliphatic z groups means that terpolymers of this invention which contain polyether segments are preferred over other embodiments which contain polyester segments . in preferred aspects of this invention , it is theorized that the lactam is present in the polymer in the form of polylactam blocks which are alternated with blocks of polyol and polyol segments to form the polymer . the polylactam blocks when present can be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the polymerized polyol components of the polymers of this invention are formed from polyol intermediates having at least two hydroxy groups . available commercial polyols of this class are produced by reacting , for example , propylene oxide or ethylene oxide with glycols , glycerol , pentaerythritol , glucose , amines , and the like . included within the scope of the above class are a large number of suitable compounds ranging from the simple diols such as ethylene glycol to complex polymeric polyols such as poly ( ε - caprolactone ) diol . other polyol compounds include alkylene glycols such as diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , tetramethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , hexylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - hexanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , butylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , dicyclopentadiene glycol , heptaethylene glycol and isopropylidene bis ( p - phenyleneoxypropanol - 2 ); diols other than alkylene glycols such as pyrocatechol , resorcinol , hydroquinone , hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate ; polyols having more than two hydroxy functions such as glycerol , pentaerythritol , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , 1 - trimethylol propane , pyrogallol and phloroglucinol ; polymeric polyols such as polyethylene glycols , polypropylene glycols , polyoxypropylene diols and triols , castor oils , polybutadiene glycols and polyester glycols , and a large number of compounds containing substituents other than hydroxy groups such as 2 , 4 - dichlorobutylene glycol and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- 4 , 4 &# 39 ; bis ( chlorohydroxyphenyl ) ether . in addition to all the hydroxy compounds set forth above , the thio compounds analogous to the above compounds having sulfur atoms in place of oxygen are also included within the scope of the invention . a few examples include hydroxyethyl thioglycolate , ethylene glycol bis -( thioglycolate ), pentaerythritol tetrakis -( thioglycolate ) and thiodiglycol . if the polyol intermediate is a polymer , the molecular weight of the polyol can be any amount . commercially available polymeric polyol compounds have molecular weights from 200 to 5000 , but polymers with molecular weights outside that range are also useful in the practice of the instant invention . if the polyol intermediate or segment is a single molecule having at least two hydroxy groups such as ethylene glycol , a suitable polyol segment according to the invention would have a molecular weight of at least 62 . the third component of the terpolymers of this invention has the following structural configuration in the polymer chain : where r is a hydrocarbon group , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl radicals , y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having at least two valence bonds for attachment to the acyl groups shown in the above formula . examples include functional groups obtained by the removal of hydrogen atoms from methane , ethane , propane , hexane , dodecane , benzene , toluene , cyclohexane and the like . the polyvalent r group can be of any size but is preferably limited to about 20 carbon atoms , and more preferably about eight carbon atoms . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is one , the linkage will be a diacyl group . the a group can be any acyl group and preferably are ## str6 ## groups . most preferred among the above groups is the carbonyl group . values for the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; have a direct relationship to the thermoplasticity of the terpolymer . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is greater than one , the linkage will be a higher polyacyl . the higher the value of &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, the more highly crosslinked will be the finished polymer . values for &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; can be as high as six or eight , but more preferably do not exceed two or three . the polymerized product comprising the aforementioned components can have a number of different structures depending upon the process conditions and the relative proportions of ingredients used in the reaction system . polymers can be prepared having relatively small segments of lactam units joined to similarly short segments of polyol units through the polyacyl linkage described above . or large segments of one polymeric component can be combined with a larger number of comparatively small segments of another polymeric unit , which small segments are joined to one another through the polyacyl linkage as well as to the other type of polymeric component . or segments of varying sizes of both the lactam and the polyol polymeric units can be combined through the polyacyl components to form a highly random terpolymer . another form of polymer within the scope of this invention are block polymers , where moderately large size blocks or segments of the lactam and polyol polymeric units are positioned alternately in the polymer chain and joined through the polyacyl group described above . if the polyacyl linkages are , for purposes of simplification , considered to be a part of either a lactam or polyol block , then the block polymers of this invention can be discussed in terms of two alternating blocks designated as a and b blocks , instead of in terms of complicated patterns of three blocks designated as a , b and c blocks . block polymers prepared according to this invention can have three general structural configurations , ab , aba and a repeating pattern of ab segments . following a general characterization of a block copolymer prepared within the scope of this invention as ab , aba or repeating ab , it should be recognized that the exact structural configuration may vary somewhat from the general characterization of the polymer . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for a lactam - polyolpolyacyl lactam block terpolymer of the repeating ab type could be ## str7 ## where y , x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, n and w are all integers equal to one or more ; b is an integer equal to zero or one ; r is a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least three carbon atoms ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups ; and r &# 39 ; is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than an aromatic radical . if for instance y is a straight chained alkylene group , a and a &# 39 ; are carbonyl groups , z is ethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 --, and r is phenylene , the terpolymer would be a caprolactam - ethylene glycol polymer where the caprolactam segments of the polymer are joined to one another and to the ethylene glycol segments through terephthaloyl linkages . other lactam - polyol polymers , both of the ab , aba as well as the repeating ab type , will become immediately apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure . it should therefore be noted that the above structural formula is set forth for illustrative purpose only , and is not intended as a limitation of the polymers within the scope of the invention . when the polymers of this invention are of the aba type , where one block of one type of polymer segment is located between two blocks of the other type of polymer segment , the polymers can be of either the polyol - lactam - polyol type or the lactam - polyol - lactam type . of the two types , the latter is a preferred type of aba polymer . if the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymer is a block polymer , the polyol blocks can , like the polylactam blocks , be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the ratio of the number of lactam to polyol blocks can also vary . since the block polymers can be of either the type designated as ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of lactam blocks to polyol blocks can vary from 2 : 1 to 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 . mixtures of two or more block polymers having different ratios of the lactam and polyol blocks will produce ratios of polymer blocks intermediate between the above stated ratios . in the above theoretical formula for a lactam - polyol block terpolymer , the polyacyl linkage is represented as located between two lactam polymer segments as well as between a polyether segment and a lactam polymer segment . as a practical matter , the polyacyl linkages will also be located occasionally between two polyol blocks . it should be noted , moreover , that the polyacyl linkages need not invariably be positioned between lactam and polyol blocks since the necessary linkage can be provided in the form of an ester linkage by the oxygen atom of the polyether segment and the carbonyl group of a polylactam segment . following is a general characterization of the lactam polyolpolyacyl lactam terpolymer produced according to the invention . as an illustration , the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam terpolymer has the general formula : ## str8 ## wherein ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups selected from ## str9 ## r is a polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms ; y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one ; x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, and x &# 39 ;&# 34 ; are integers and the total number of x &# 39 ; s is equal to 2w + 2 ; and n and w are integers equal to one or more . as mentioned earlier , the terpolymers of this invention are characterized by the presence of both ester and amide linkages between the monomeric segments of the polymer . the term &# 34 ; monomeric segment &# 34 ; is intended to apply to the polymerized reaction product of a monomer , whether the reaction product is a single unit such as ## str10 ## or a block of several units such as ## str11 ## regarding the breadth of the terms &# 34 ; ester linkage &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; amide linkage &# 34 ;, the linkages can of course be composed of acyl groups other than carbonyl groups since the polyacyl linkage described above includes thiocarbonyl , sulfonyl , and phosphoryl groups as well as the more conventional carbonyl groups . the molecular weight of the terpolymers can vary widely from a number average molecular weight of just a few thousand to 1 million or higher . for thermoplastic uncrosslinked polymers , a preferred range for number average molecular weight is from about 10 or 20 , 000 to about 100 , 000 to 200 , 000 . if the polymers are crosslinked , the molecular weights of the polymers can be much higher in the range of 100 , 000 to several million . when block polymers are formed , the molecular weight of the polyol blocks is an important consideration in selecting preferred polymers within the scope of this invention . polyol blocks having a number average molecular weight of about 500 or 600 or more generally tend to have good low temperature properties . this lower level of molecular weight for the polyol blocks is subject to some variation insofar as low temperature properties can also be affected by the degree of block polymerization , the nature of the block polymer , i . e . ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of the lactam content to the polyol content , and the particular lactam and polyol present in the polymer . polyol segments having a molecular weight of at least 62 can also constitute a portion of the terpolymer as well as the polyol blocks having molecular weights of 500 to 600 or greater . for example , ethylene glycol as the polyol segment provides a terpolymer having improved tensile elongation and impact resistance . regarding a maximum molecular weight of the polyol blocks , preferred polymers have polyol blocks with a maximum number average molecular weight of about 6000 , and more preferably about 4000 . above these levels the polyol prepolymer tends to exhibit a reduced hydroxyl functionality , due to unsaturation , thereby making more difficult the incorporation of polyol into the polymer . in addition to the three principal monomeric constituents which together produce the terpolymers of this invention , other polymerizable monomers can also be used to prepare polymers having four or more polymerizable constituents . as an example , if the polyol constituent of a terpolymer of this invention is polybutadiene diol , the resultant terpolymer could be , after the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymerization , subsequently reacted with a vinyl compound such as styrene to crosslink the polymer through its vinyl unsaturation . still other monomers could be chosen which could be polymerized directly into a linear polymer chain . the quantity of such additional monomers could be very large , even as great as 50 % or more of the total polymerizable constituents but preferably is limited to quantities of 25 % or less of the total monomer content . the polymers prepared according to this invention exhibit a broad range of properties which can be adjusted to provide compositions particularly well adapted for a specified end use . in addition to crosslinking , adjustment of polymer structure , and molecular weight adjustment of polymer blocks , other means of varying the properties of the polymers can also be employed . crystallinity of the polymers , which can be present in the lactam segments of the polymers , can be increased or decreased by variation of polymerization temperatures . since any crystallinity in the polymers of this invention is largely present in the lactam segments of the polymer , variation of the lactam content of the polymer can also result in a variation of polymer crystallinity . polymers with relatively high degrees of crystallinity tend to be strong , rigid polymers whereas those with little or no crystallinity are more elastomeric in nature . as mentioned earlier , the type of lactam , polyol and polyacyl lactam components can also affect the properties of the finished polymer . as an example , polyethylene glycol polymer segments tend to produce polymers with a high water absorptivity whereas polypropylene glycol or polytetramethylene glycol polymer segments produce polymers with comparatively low water absorptivities . as another example , caprolactam polymer segments in the polymers of this invention produce polymers which are stronger and more rigid than homologous polymers containing segments of a higher lactam such as capryllactam or dodecanolactam . even more significantly , use of a lactam will yield an essentially linear polymer whereas use of a tris or tetrakislactam will result in a branched or crosslinked terpolymer . similarly bis - lactams can be employed to produce a branched or crosslinked polymer . high crosslinked polymer can be made through the use of polyols having more than two hydroxy groups . with all the foregoing techniques available for modifying and adjusting the properties of the polymers of this invention , it can be appreciated that the polymers can be used in a number of end use applications . one such use is a textile fiber . throughout the entire range of ratios of polymeric components , from polymers containing very little polyether component to those containing a large amount , the polymers have properties which make them useful as textile fibers . in addition to being the sole constitutent of a textile fiber , the terpolymers can also be used as one component in a composite or conjugate fiber . it is contemplated that conjugate fibers of nylon and the terpolymers of this invention will be particularly useful in a number of textile and other applications . other textile applications for the terpolymers include their use in the manufacture of non - woven fabrics and as high moisture regain fibers . the terpolymers can also be manufactured into foamed articles , either during or after their polymerization , to produce rigid and flexible foams . because of their method of preparation directly from the monomeric components , the polymers can be prepared in large shapes such as furniture and furniture components and automobile parts . the terpolymers can also be produced in the form of molding resins which can subsequently be molded by injection molding , extruding , thermoforming or other techniques to produce products of virtually any shape . the more highly elastomeric compositions can be used in manufacture of automobile tires and tire components . the polymers can also be modified with fillers , fibers , pigments , dyes , stabilizers , plasticizers , flame retardant and other polymeric modifiers to alter their properties and thereby enlarge even further the scope of their applicability . one such modification comprises reinforcing the polymers with fillers or fibers which have been treated with coupling agents capable of increasing the bonding of the fillers or fibers to the polymer molecules . a large number of organosilane compounds have been found to be especially capable of performing this task of improving adhesion between polymer and filler or fiber . examples of some suitable organosilane couplers for use with the polymers of this invention include 3 - aminopropyl triethoxysilane , glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane and n - trimethoxysilylpropyl - n - beta - amino - ethyl - amine . preferred fillers and fibers include quartz , wollastonite , feldspar , calcined kaolin clay , glass fibers and other high performance fibers such as graphite , boron , steel and the like . the concentrations of fillers and fibers can vary from very small amounts such as one or two volume percent up to 70 or 80 volume percent or more . the terpolymers are prepared by either initiating the anionic catalyzed polymerization of lactam with a polyether - polyester prepolymer initiator , or the formation of the initiator from dicarboxylic acid esters and aliphatic polyols or aliphatic polyether polyols in the presence of lactam as a reaction solvent , followed by the anionic catalyzed polymerization of the lactam . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for the terpolymer is presented as a result of the following formulation schematic of a typical process according to the invention . ## str12 ## where x and b are integers equal to at least one ; z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 carbon atoms ; and r is a divalent hydrocarbon ; and n is an integer equal to one or more . the foregoing illustration represents only one typical formulated schematic of the inventive process and terpolymer produced thereby , and should not be construed as the only process and / or terpolymer afforded by this invention . the polyether - polyester prepolymer initiators result from the transesterification of aliphatic polyols and / or aliphatic polyether polyols and dicarboxylic acid esters . the dicarboxylic acid esters or dialkyl esters useful in the prepolymer formation have the general formula : ## str13 ## wherein r &# 39 ; is an alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , 2 - ethyl hexyl and the like , alkenyls , aryls and mixtures thereof ; d is an integer ; and when the radical ## spc1 ## and the like . specific dialkyl esters according to the above formula include , for example , dialkylaryloates such as dimethyl terephthalate and dimethyl isophthalate ; and dialkylalkanoates such as diethyl sebacate , dibutyl adipate , diethyloxalate and the like . the catalysts used as catalyst i in the foregoing illustration of a typical formulated schematic of the inventive process are transesterification prepolymer catalyst , for example alkali metals and alkaline earth metals , zinc , cadmium , manganese , iron , nickel , cobalt , tin , lanthanum , lead or bismuth or combinations thereof , salts such as calcium , manganese , cobalt or zinc acetate , lithium hydride , sodium alcoholates , zinc succinate or zinc acetyl acetonate , oxides such as lead oxide ( pbo ), antimony oxide ( sb 2 o 3 ), or germanium oxide ( geo 2 ), magnesium methoxide , and combinations such as antimony trioxide / manganese acetate or antimony trioxide / titanium dioxide . other suitable catalyst include caprolactam magnesium bromide , and selected grignard agents , for example , ethyl magnesium bromide . catalyst i is used in quantities of from about 0 . 005 to about 0 . 2 % by weight , preferably about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 10 % by weight based on the quantity of dicarboxylic acid ester . polymerization temperatures can vary from the melting point of the lactam or less up to the melting point of the resultant polymer or more . depending upon the particular ingredients being used , this can encompass a range from 70 ° to 230 ° c or more . preferred polymerization temperatures are from about 90 ° to about 190 ° c and more preferably from about 120 ° to about 180 ° c for caprolactam terpolymers . such a technique produces desired polymerization of a terpolymer having high strength and modulus . times required for complete polymerization will vary considerably depending upon polymerization temperatures and the specific ingredients used in the polymerization system . polymerization time varies from at least about one minute , preferably from 1 to 30 minutes , and can be extended to any duration up to several days or more . generally , polymerization times of from 1 to 30 minutes are preferred for most polymerization systems . the lactam monomer , dicarboxylic acid ester and polyol used in the polymerization have both been described in ample detail above . the lactam polymerization catalyst ( catalyst ii ) useful herein includes that class of compounds commonly recognized as suitable basic catalysts for the anhydrous polymerization of lactams . in general , all alkali or alkaline earth metals are effective catalysts either in the metallic form or in the form of hydrides , halohydrides , alkylhalides , oxides , hydroxides , carbonates and the like . also useful are a number of organometallic compounds of the metals mentioned above such as metal alkyls , metal phenyls , metal amides and the like . examples include sodium hydride , potassium hydroxide , lithium oxide , ethyl magnesium bromide , calcium fluorohydride , strontium carbonate , barium hydroxide , methyl sodium buthyl lithium , potassium phenyl , diphenyl barium , sodium amide and magnesium diethyl . all of the foregoing compounds react with the lactam monomer to form the metal lactam , which is the active catalytic agent in the lactam polymerization mechanism . the metal lactam catalyst can therefore be formed in situ by reaction of one of the foregoing metals or metal compounds with lactam monomer in the polymerization medium or by prior reaction of the metal or metal compound with a stoichiometric quantity of lactam monomer . examples of metal lactam catalysts include sodium caprolactam , bromomagnesium caprolactam , magnesium caprolactam , bromomagnesium pyrrolidinone , chlorocalcium caprolactam and the like . catalyst concentrations can range from a fraction of one mole percent to 15 or 20 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer to be polymerized . the polyacyl linkage , as well as the ester and amide linkages , are incorporated into the polymer chain through the reaction of the polyacyl alkoxide with the lactam and polyol constituents . in the formula set forth above for the polyacyl alkoxide useful herein , the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having the necessary number of available valences to bond to itself all of the acyl groups included in the compound . the hydrocarbon group can be of any size but preferably contains a maximum of eight or ten carbon atoms . examples of suitable r groups include phenylene , biphenylene , methylene , hexylene , tolylene , and analogous hydrocarbons having more than two sites available for bonding to acyl groups . the amount of polyacyl alkoxide useful in the preparation of the terpolymers of this invention depends upon the quantities of lactam and polyol being used . for preferred polymerizations , it is desirable that the polyacyl alkoxide be present in an amount from 100 to about 500 , preferably from about 100 to about 200 , equivalent percent of the polyol . if the polyacyl alkoxide is present in an amount less than a molecularly equivalent amount based on the polyol , polyol prepolymer formation occurs , but the subsequent lactam polymerization is very slow . in those preferred polymerization systems where the polyacyl alkoxide concentration exceeds the amount stoichiometrically equivalent to the polyol , the excess can be from 0 . 01 to about 30 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer . a preferred range is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 mole percent of the lactam monomer , and more preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 5 mole percent of the lactam monomer . the lactam and polyol can be present in any relative proportions ranging up to 99 parts of either component to 1 part of the other . preferred ratios of the two polymer - forming materials depend upon the end use to which the finished polymer is to be put . for end use applications requiring strong rigid materials , the lactam content of the polymerizable medium should be relatively high such as 60 or 80 or even 90 % or more lactam . for other applications where elastomeric properties such as high elongation or where water absorption is desirable , the relative proportions of the two monomers can be reversed so that the polymerizable medium will contain 60 or 80 or 90 % or more of the polyol compound . where water absorption is desired , polyethylene glycol can be used as the major polyol compound . polymers containing about equal quantities of both lactam and polyol are preferred for a great many uses because of the advantageous combination of properties achieved by such polymers . three terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 1 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric polyol was heated under vacuum at 125 °- 180 ° for 30 minutes to dry . the transesterification prepolymer catalyst and dmt were added and the mixture stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 ° c . intermittently a slight stream of nitrogen was allowed to pass through the reactor to remove evolved methanol . after 40 minutes reaction time the mixture was evacuated for 5 - 10 minutes . to the resulting prepolymer was added caprolactam and santowhite powder . the temperature of the resulting prepolymer - caprolactam solution was adjusted to 160 ° c and grignard reagent added . the mixture was evacuated for 2 - 3 minutes to remove ether and ethane . the vacuum was released to nitrogen and the catalyzed prepolymer solution poured into a vertical mold of 10 inches × 10 inches × 1 / 8 inch dimensions which had been heated to 160 ° c . after an hour the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ prepolymer catalyst glycol used dmt . sup . 4 caprolactam swp . sup . 5 grignard . sup . 6process type amount compound gms gms gms . gms . ml . __________________________________________________________________________a magnesium acetate . sup . 1 0 . 4 ml polymeg . sup . 3 2000 117 15 . 5 273 2 5 tetraisopropyl orthotitanate . sup . 2 0 . 08 mlb tetrabutyl orthotitanate 0 . 063 ml carbowax . sup . 7 4000 90 7 . 0 205 1 . 5 5c zinc acetate 0 . 2 gm &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 90 7 . 7 205 1 . 5 5__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 0 . 1 molar in methanol . sup . 2 0 . 8 molar in 2 . propanol . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 5 santowhite powder . sup . 6 ethyl magnesium bromide 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 7 polyethylene glycol table 2______________________________________ tensile fail tensile strength % modulusterpolymer psi elongation psi______________________________________a - 30 % ptmg 6530 720 47 , 000b - 30 % peg 7000 520 57 , 000c - 30 % peg 6800 550 101 , 000______________________________________ five polyethylene glycol terpolymers were prepared from polyester prepolymers formed in caprolactam solution . the quantities of ingredients and the various transesterification catalysts used are listed in table 3 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric glycol , caprolactam and santowhite powder were heated under vacuum to distil 25 ml . caprolactam . ( in process f and g , cadmium acetate dihydrate and zinc acetate dihydrate were added prior to caprolactam distillation . in the remaining processes , the transesterification catalyst was added after caprolactam distillation .) after the initial distillation of caprolactam , a reflux condenser was attached to the reaction flask and a vacuum take off with a dry ice cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . the dmt and transesterification catalyst were added and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam at a temperature of 110 °- 140 ° c . progress of the reaction was followed by measurement of evolved methanol . after methanol evolution had ceased , the temperature of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 130 ° c and 5 ml . grignard reagent catalyst added . the reaction flask was evacuated for 2 minutes to remove ether and ethane and the vacuum released to nitrogen atmosphere . the catalyzed mixture was poured into a 160 ° c mold described in example 1 . after 1 hr the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymer are reported in table 4 . table 3______________________________________ reactants carbowax . sup . 1 4000 - 90 gms caprolactam 229 gms santowhite powder 1 . 5 gms dmt . sup . 2 7 . 7 gmsii transesterification catalystterpolymer d grignard . sup . 3 0 . 6 mlterpolymer e aluminum iso - propoxide 0 . 2 gmterpolymer f cadmium acetate 0 . 26 gm &# 34 ; g zinc acetate 0 . 22 gm &# 34 ; h magnesium methoxide . sup . 4 0 . 9 mliii copolymerization catalyst - grignard . sup . 3 5 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polyethylene glycol . sup . 2 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . . sup . 4 1 molar in methanol table 4______________________________________tensile yield tensile fail tensileter - strength % elon - strength % moduluspolymer psi gation psi elongation psi______________________________________d 6200 507 84 , 000e 3700 15 5900 470 62 , 400f 3700 25 6200 497 68 , 000g 3800 20 6100 477 78 , 000h 3700 25 6500 518 91 , 500______________________________________ several terpolymers were prepared employing different types and quantities of glycols . the terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 5 . the transesterification reaction and copolymerization with caprolactam were run according to procedures described in example 2 . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 6 . table 5__________________________________________________________________________glycol used prepolymer % in catalyst gms gms gms caprolactam stabilizer ml . process material copolymer material amount glycol dmt . sup . 1 charge distilled material gms grignard . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________i polymeg . sup . 3 2000 30 grignard . sup . 2 0 . 6 ml 90 10 . 2 227 25 swp . sup . 4 1 . 5j polymeg . sup . 3 2000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 5 1 ml 150 16 . 0 164 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 4 . 5k polymeg 1000 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 19 . 6 221 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0l polymeg 1000 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 24 . 5 188 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0m polymeg 650 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 28 . 0 216 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0n polymeg 650 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 36 . 8 155 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0o polymeg 1000 21 62 . 5 butane diol 6 grignard 0 . 6 ml 17 . 1 50 . 2 196 . 3 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0p polyglycol . sup . 6 e - 6000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 150 5 . 0 171 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0q polyglycol e - 1450 50 zinc acetate 5 gm . 1500 220 . 2 1446 100 flectol - h 1 . 5 35r niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 90 10 . 8 227 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0s niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 40 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 120 13 . 7 195 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0t polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 5 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 11 ml 150 109 . 6 1975 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50u polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 10 13 ml 300 124 . 3 1814 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50v polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 15 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 14 ml 450 139 . 0 1655 100 dnpd 6 50w voranol 2000 . sup . 9 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 7 . 7 229 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0x voranol 2000 . sup . 9 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 0 . 9 ml 150 15 . 3 164 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 2 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 santowhite powder . sup . 5 magnesium methoxide - 1 molar in methanol . sup . 6 polyethylene glycol . sup . 7 polycaprolactone diol . sup . 8 n , n &# 39 ;- dl - 2 - naphthyl - p - phenylene diamine . sup . 9 polypropylene glycol table 6__________________________________________________________________________ tensile yield tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % strength % modulusprocesscomposition psi elongation psi elongation psi__________________________________________________________________________i 30 % ptmg 2000 4600 50 6870 533 89 , 400j 50 % ptmg 2000 4850 773 26 , 000k 30 % ptmg 1000 4700 60 5980 533 82 , 800l 40 % ptmg 1000 5190 776 25 , 700m 30 % ptmg 650 5850 685 38 , 300n 40 % ptmg 650 3100 754 15 , 400o 21 % ptmg 1000 2720 156 6 , 5006 % butane diolp 50 % peg 6000 3260 14 4400 588 61 , 000q 50 % peg 1450 2270 * 250 * r 30 % polycaprolactone 2700 29 7100 715 40 , 000s 40 % polycaprolactone 2300 60 4000 650 27 , 200t 30 % ptmg 2000 6900 * 470 * 5 % polycaprolactoneu 30 % ptmg 2000 5200 * 473 * 10 % polycaprolactonev 30 % ptmg 2000 5000 * 530 * 15 % polycaprolactonew 30 % ppg 4790 340 82 , 800x 50 % ppg 3190 482 28 , 800__________________________________________________________________________ * tensile data for extruded strand two terpolymers were prepared from polyester synthesized from an aliphatic dibasic ester using the quantities of ingredients specified in the following table : table 7______________________________________terpolymer process y z______________________________________glycol used polymeg . sup . 1 2000 polymeg . sup . 1 1000reactantsgms . glycol 90 90gms . santowhite powder 1 . 5 1 . 5gms . caprolactam charged 225 218gms . caprolactam distilled 25 25gms . diethyl sebacate 13 . 2 24 . 5ml . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 0 . 9 1 . 0ml . grignard . sup . 3 5 . 0 5 . 0______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide -- 3 molar in diethyl ether . the terpolymers were prepared according to the procedure described in example 2 . tensile properties of the terpolymers are reported in the following table : table 8______________________________________ tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % modulusprocess composition psi elongation psi______________________________________y 30 % ptmg 2000 7200 575 81 , 400z 30 % ptmg 1000 5600 516 62 , 800______________________________________ the following example 5 is a calculated example of a predictable cross - linked terpolymer which could be prepared by the inventive process . a crosslinked terpolymer is prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 9 . table 9______________________________________material amount______________________________________polymeg . sup . 1 2000 90 gm . caprolactam 214 gm . santowhite powder 1 . 5 gm . dimethyl terephthalate 6 . 9 gm . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 1 ml . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam 3 . 2 gm . bmc . sup . 3 23 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 bromo magnesium caprolactam -- 0 . 4 molar in caprolactam the caprolactam , polymeg 2000 , and santowhite poweder are heated under vacuum to distil 25 gms . caprolactam in order to dry the mixture . a reflux condenser is attached to the reactor with a dry ice - cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . dimethyl terephthalate and mg ( och 3 ) 2 added to the mixture and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam . progress of the transesterification reaction is followed by measurement of evolved methanol condensed in the dry ice - cooled receiver . when methanol evolution has stopped , the reactor vacuum is released to nitrogen and 0 . 5 ml water added to destroy the magnesium methoxide catalyst . the reflux is replaced with a distilling head and the mixture re - evacuated to distil 10 ml . caprolactam to re - dry . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam is added and dissolved , and the mixture cooled to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast into a vertical mold ( described in example 1 ) which has been heated to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast by means of a metering pump . the bmc catalyst is injected into the stream by means of a second metering pump and the streams mixed by a kenics static mixer . after casting is complete , the mold is heated to 160 ° c over a 15 minute period and held at 160 ° c for an additional 45 minutes , after which the mold is opened and the sample removed . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 9dd27a9e0515885e1f5a8660988491a4509e2a60f725962d0e0683c2b99b7d71 | 0.703125 | 0.077148 | 0.730469 | 0.018555 | 0.625 | 0.292969 |
null | the polymerized lactam component of the above polymers is formed from cyclic monomeric lactams of the formula ## str1 ## where y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 , and more preferably from about 5 to about 11 carbon atoms . a preferred monomer is ε - caprolactam . lactam monomers in addition to ε - caprolactam include alpha - pyrrolidinone , piperidone , valerolactam , caprolactams other than the ε - isomer , capryllactam , lauryllactam and the like . in addition to lactams unsubstituted on their carbon chains , lactams having substituents on the carbon chain which do not inhibit or otherwise adversely affect the polymerization of the lactam are also included within the scope of the invention . during polymerization the cyclic lactam ring is opened to provide the following monomeric unit ## str2 ## which , together with other lactam molecules , produces a polymeric block of the formula ## str3 ## where x is an integer greater than one . the monomeric lactam unit can also react with the polyacyl alkoxide . similarly , a polylactam block , when joined with a polyacyl unit forms a polymer segment of the formula ## str4 ## where r is a hydrocarbon group described hereinbelow , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups , x is an integer greater than one , y is an integer equal to or greater than one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . thirdly , in the course of the polymerization of the components described above , a polyol can react with the polymerizable lactam unit or block to produce a polymer segment of the formula ## str5 ## where x and n are integers equal to at least one and where z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group which , together with the oxygen atom attached thereto , forms a polyether or polyester segment of a polymer molecule . the z hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon and acylated hydrocarbon groups can be of any size even polymeric such as polybutadiene , generally limited to about six carbon atoms , said groups being preferably alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof . even more preferred are unsubstituted aliphatic groups such as methylene , ethylene , propylene , butylene and the like . other suitable z groups include phenylene , chlorophenylene , tolylene , isobutylene , isopropylene , ethylcarbonyl , propylcarbonyl , ethylsulfonyl , propylthiocarbonyl and the like . the preference indicated above for unsubstituted aliphatic z groups means that terpolymers of this invention which contain polyether segments are preferred over other embodiments which contain polyester segments . in preferred aspects of this invention , it is theorized that the lactam is present in the polymer in the form of polylactam blocks which are alternated with blocks of polyol and polyol segments to form the polymer . the polylactam blocks when present can be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the polymerized polyol components of the polymers of this invention are formed from polyol intermediates having at least two hydroxy groups . available commercial polyols of this class are produced by reacting , for example , propylene oxide or ethylene oxide with glycols , glycerol , pentaerythritol , glucose , amines , and the like . included within the scope of the above class are a large number of suitable compounds ranging from the simple diols such as ethylene glycol to complex polymeric polyols such as poly ( ε - caprolactone ) diol . other polyol compounds include alkylene glycols such as diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , tetramethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , hexylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - hexanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , butylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , dicyclopentadiene glycol , heptaethylene glycol and isopropylidene bis ( p - phenyleneoxypropanol - 2 ); diols other than alkylene glycols such as pyrocatechol , resorcinol , hydroquinone , hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate ; polyols having more than two hydroxy functions such as glycerol , pentaerythritol , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , 1 - trimethylol propane , pyrogallol and phloroglucinol ; polymeric polyols such as polyethylene glycols , polypropylene glycols , polyoxypropylene diols and triols , castor oils , polybutadiene glycols and polyester glycols , and a large number of compounds containing substituents other than hydroxy groups such as 2 , 4 - dichlorobutylene glycol and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- 4 , 4 &# 39 ; bis ( chlorohydroxyphenyl ) ether . in addition to all the hydroxy compounds set forth above , the thio compounds analogous to the above compounds having sulfur atoms in place of oxygen are also included within the scope of the invention . a few examples include hydroxyethyl thioglycolate , ethylene glycol bis -( thioglycolate ), pentaerythritol tetrakis -( thioglycolate ) and thiodiglycol . if the polyol intermediate is a polymer , the molecular weight of the polyol can be any amount . commercially available polymeric polyol compounds have molecular weights from 200 to 5000 , but polymers with molecular weights outside that range are also useful in the practice of the instant invention . if the polyol intermediate or segment is a single molecule having at least two hydroxy groups such as ethylene glycol , a suitable polyol segment according to the invention would have a molecular weight of at least 62 . the third component of the terpolymers of this invention has the following structural configuration in the polymer chain : where r is a hydrocarbon group , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl radicals , y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having at least two valence bonds for attachment to the acyl groups shown in the above formula . examples include functional groups obtained by the removal of hydrogen atoms from methane , ethane , propane , hexane , dodecane , benzene , toluene , cyclohexane and the like . the polyvalent r group can be of any size but is preferably limited to about 20 carbon atoms , and more preferably about eight carbon atoms . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is one , the linkage will be a diacyl group . the a group can be any acyl group and preferably are ## str6 ## groups . most preferred among the above groups is the carbonyl group . values for the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; have a direct relationship to the thermoplasticity of the terpolymer . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is greater than one , the linkage will be a higher polyacyl . the higher the value of &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, the more highly crosslinked will be the finished polymer . values for &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; can be as high as six or eight , but more preferably do not exceed two or three . the polymerized product comprising the aforementioned components can have a number of different structures depending upon the process conditions and the relative proportions of ingredients used in the reaction system . polymers can be prepared having relatively small segments of lactam units joined to similarly short segments of polyol units through the polyacyl linkage described above . or large segments of one polymeric component can be combined with a larger number of comparatively small segments of another polymeric unit , which small segments are joined to one another through the polyacyl linkage as well as to the other type of polymeric component . or segments of varying sizes of both the lactam and the polyol polymeric units can be combined through the polyacyl components to form a highly random terpolymer . another form of polymer within the scope of this invention are block polymers , where moderately large size blocks or segments of the lactam and polyol polymeric units are positioned alternately in the polymer chain and joined through the polyacyl group described above . if the polyacyl linkages are , for purposes of simplification , considered to be a part of either a lactam or polyol block , then the block polymers of this invention can be discussed in terms of two alternating blocks designated as a and b blocks , instead of in terms of complicated patterns of three blocks designated as a , b and c blocks . block polymers prepared according to this invention can have three general structural configurations , ab , aba and a repeating pattern of ab segments . following a general characterization of a block copolymer prepared within the scope of this invention as ab , aba or repeating ab , it should be recognized that the exact structural configuration may vary somewhat from the general characterization of the polymer . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for a lactam - polyolpolyacyl lactam block terpolymer of the repeating ab type could be ## str7 ## where y , x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, n and w are all integers equal to one or more ; b is an integer equal to zero or one ; r is a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least three carbon atoms ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups ; and r &# 39 ; is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than an aromatic radical . if for instance y is a straight chained alkylene group , a and a &# 39 ; are carbonyl groups , z is ethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 --, and r is phenylene , the terpolymer would be a caprolactam - ethylene glycol polymer where the caprolactam segments of the polymer are joined to one another and to the ethylene glycol segments through terephthaloyl linkages . other lactam - polyol polymers , both of the ab , aba as well as the repeating ab type , will become immediately apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure . it should therefore be noted that the above structural formula is set forth for illustrative purpose only , and is not intended as a limitation of the polymers within the scope of the invention . when the polymers of this invention are of the aba type , where one block of one type of polymer segment is located between two blocks of the other type of polymer segment , the polymers can be of either the polyol - lactam - polyol type or the lactam - polyol - lactam type . of the two types , the latter is a preferred type of aba polymer . if the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymer is a block polymer , the polyol blocks can , like the polylactam blocks , be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the ratio of the number of lactam to polyol blocks can also vary . since the block polymers can be of either the type designated as ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of lactam blocks to polyol blocks can vary from 2 : 1 to 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 . mixtures of two or more block polymers having different ratios of the lactam and polyol blocks will produce ratios of polymer blocks intermediate between the above stated ratios . in the above theoretical formula for a lactam - polyol block terpolymer , the polyacyl linkage is represented as located between two lactam polymer segments as well as between a polyether segment and a lactam polymer segment . as a practical matter , the polyacyl linkages will also be located occasionally between two polyol blocks . it should be noted , moreover , that the polyacyl linkages need not invariably be positioned between lactam and polyol blocks since the necessary linkage can be provided in the form of an ester linkage by the oxygen atom of the polyether segment and the carbonyl group of a polylactam segment . following is a general characterization of the lactam polyolpolyacyl lactam terpolymer produced according to the invention . as an illustration , the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam terpolymer has the general formula : ## str8 ## wherein ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups selected from ## str9 ## r is a polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms ; y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one ; x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, and x &# 39 ;&# 34 ; are integers and the total number of x &# 39 ; s is equal to 2w + 2 ; and n and w are integers equal to one or more . as mentioned earlier , the terpolymers of this invention are characterized by the presence of both ester and amide linkages between the monomeric segments of the polymer . the term &# 34 ; monomeric segment &# 34 ; is intended to apply to the polymerized reaction product of a monomer , whether the reaction product is a single unit such as ## str10 ## or a block of several units such as ## str11 ## regarding the breadth of the terms &# 34 ; ester linkage &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; amide linkage &# 34 ;, the linkages can of course be composed of acyl groups other than carbonyl groups since the polyacyl linkage described above includes thiocarbonyl , sulfonyl , and phosphoryl groups as well as the more conventional carbonyl groups . the molecular weight of the terpolymers can vary widely from a number average molecular weight of just a few thousand to 1 million or higher . for thermoplastic uncrosslinked polymers , a preferred range for number average molecular weight is from about 10 or 20 , 000 to about 100 , 000 to 200 , 000 . if the polymers are crosslinked , the molecular weights of the polymers can be much higher in the range of 100 , 000 to several million . when block polymers are formed , the molecular weight of the polyol blocks is an important consideration in selecting preferred polymers within the scope of this invention . polyol blocks having a number average molecular weight of about 500 or 600 or more generally tend to have good low temperature properties . this lower level of molecular weight for the polyol blocks is subject to some variation insofar as low temperature properties can also be affected by the degree of block polymerization , the nature of the block polymer , i . e . ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of the lactam content to the polyol content , and the particular lactam and polyol present in the polymer . polyol segments having a molecular weight of at least 62 can also constitute a portion of the terpolymer as well as the polyol blocks having molecular weights of 500 to 600 or greater . for example , ethylene glycol as the polyol segment provides a terpolymer having improved tensile elongation and impact resistance . regarding a maximum molecular weight of the polyol blocks , preferred polymers have polyol blocks with a maximum number average molecular weight of about 6000 , and more preferably about 4000 . above these levels the polyol prepolymer tends to exhibit a reduced hydroxyl functionality , due to unsaturation , thereby making more difficult the incorporation of polyol into the polymer . in addition to the three principal monomeric constituents which together produce the terpolymers of this invention , other polymerizable monomers can also be used to prepare polymers having four or more polymerizable constituents . as an example , if the polyol constituent of a terpolymer of this invention is polybutadiene diol , the resultant terpolymer could be , after the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymerization , subsequently reacted with a vinyl compound such as styrene to crosslink the polymer through its vinyl unsaturation . still other monomers could be chosen which could be polymerized directly into a linear polymer chain . the quantity of such additional monomers could be very large , even as great as 50 % or more of the total polymerizable constituents but preferably is limited to quantities of 25 % or less of the total monomer content . the polymers prepared according to this invention exhibit a broad range of properties which can be adjusted to provide compositions particularly well adapted for a specified end use . in addition to crosslinking , adjustment of polymer structure , and molecular weight adjustment of polymer blocks , other means of varying the properties of the polymers can also be employed . crystallinity of the polymers , which can be present in the lactam segments of the polymers , can be increased or decreased by variation of polymerization temperatures . since any crystallinity in the polymers of this invention is largely present in the lactam segments of the polymer , variation of the lactam content of the polymer can also result in a variation of polymer crystallinity . polymers with relatively high degrees of crystallinity tend to be strong , rigid polymers whereas those with little or no crystallinity are more elastomeric in nature . as mentioned earlier , the type of lactam , polyol and polyacyl lactam components can also affect the properties of the finished polymer . as an example , polyethylene glycol polymer segments tend to produce polymers with a high water absorptivity whereas polypropylene glycol or polytetramethylene glycol polymer segments produce polymers with comparatively low water absorptivities . as another example , caprolactam polymer segments in the polymers of this invention produce polymers which are stronger and more rigid than homologous polymers containing segments of a higher lactam such as capryllactam or dodecanolactam . even more significantly , use of a lactam will yield an essentially linear polymer whereas use of a tris or tetrakislactam will result in a branched or crosslinked terpolymer . similarly bis - lactams can be employed to produce a branched or crosslinked polymer . high crosslinked polymer can be made through the use of polyols having more than two hydroxy groups . with all the foregoing techniques available for modifying and adjusting the properties of the polymers of this invention , it can be appreciated that the polymers can be used in a number of end use applications . one such use is a textile fiber . throughout the entire range of ratios of polymeric components , from polymers containing very little polyether component to those containing a large amount , the polymers have properties which make them useful as textile fibers . in addition to being the sole constitutent of a textile fiber , the terpolymers can also be used as one component in a composite or conjugate fiber . it is contemplated that conjugate fibers of nylon and the terpolymers of this invention will be particularly useful in a number of textile and other applications . other textile applications for the terpolymers include their use in the manufacture of non - woven fabrics and as high moisture regain fibers . the terpolymers can also be manufactured into foamed articles , either during or after their polymerization , to produce rigid and flexible foams . because of their method of preparation directly from the monomeric components , the polymers can be prepared in large shapes such as furniture and furniture components and automobile parts . the terpolymers can also be produced in the form of molding resins which can subsequently be molded by injection molding , extruding , thermoforming or other techniques to produce products of virtually any shape . the more highly elastomeric compositions can be used in manufacture of automobile tires and tire components . the polymers can also be modified with fillers , fibers , pigments , dyes , stabilizers , plasticizers , flame retardant and other polymeric modifiers to alter their properties and thereby enlarge even further the scope of their applicability . one such modification comprises reinforcing the polymers with fillers or fibers which have been treated with coupling agents capable of increasing the bonding of the fillers or fibers to the polymer molecules . a large number of organosilane compounds have been found to be especially capable of performing this task of improving adhesion between polymer and filler or fiber . examples of some suitable organosilane couplers for use with the polymers of this invention include 3 - aminopropyl triethoxysilane , glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane and n - trimethoxysilylpropyl - n - beta - amino - ethyl - amine . preferred fillers and fibers include quartz , wollastonite , feldspar , calcined kaolin clay , glass fibers and other high performance fibers such as graphite , boron , steel and the like . the concentrations of fillers and fibers can vary from very small amounts such as one or two volume percent up to 70 or 80 volume percent or more . the terpolymers are prepared by either initiating the anionic catalyzed polymerization of lactam with a polyether - polyester prepolymer initiator , or the formation of the initiator from dicarboxylic acid esters and aliphatic polyols or aliphatic polyether polyols in the presence of lactam as a reaction solvent , followed by the anionic catalyzed polymerization of the lactam . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for the terpolymer is presented as a result of the following formulation schematic of a typical process according to the invention . ## str12 ## where x and b are integers equal to at least one ; z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 carbon atoms ; and r is a divalent hydrocarbon ; and n is an integer equal to one or more . the foregoing illustration represents only one typical formulated schematic of the inventive process and terpolymer produced thereby , and should not be construed as the only process and / or terpolymer afforded by this invention . the polyether - polyester prepolymer initiators result from the transesterification of aliphatic polyols and / or aliphatic polyether polyols and dicarboxylic acid esters . the dicarboxylic acid esters or dialkyl esters useful in the prepolymer formation have the general formula : ## str13 ## wherein r &# 39 ; is an alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , 2 - ethyl hexyl and the like , alkenyls , aryls and mixtures thereof ; d is an integer ; and when the radical ## spc1 ## and the like . specific dialkyl esters according to the above formula include , for example , dialkylaryloates such as dimethyl terephthalate and dimethyl isophthalate ; and dialkylalkanoates such as diethyl sebacate , dibutyl adipate , diethyloxalate and the like . the catalysts used as catalyst i in the foregoing illustration of a typical formulated schematic of the inventive process are transesterification prepolymer catalyst , for example alkali metals and alkaline earth metals , zinc , cadmium , manganese , iron , nickel , cobalt , tin , lanthanum , lead or bismuth or combinations thereof , salts such as calcium , manganese , cobalt or zinc acetate , lithium hydride , sodium alcoholates , zinc succinate or zinc acetyl acetonate , oxides such as lead oxide ( pbo ), antimony oxide ( sb 2 o 3 ), or germanium oxide ( geo 2 ), magnesium methoxide , and combinations such as antimony trioxide / manganese acetate or antimony trioxide / titanium dioxide . other suitable catalyst include caprolactam magnesium bromide , and selected grignard agents , for example , ethyl magnesium bromide . catalyst i is used in quantities of from about 0 . 005 to about 0 . 2 % by weight , preferably about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 10 % by weight based on the quantity of dicarboxylic acid ester . polymerization temperatures can vary from the melting point of the lactam or less up to the melting point of the resultant polymer or more . depending upon the particular ingredients being used , this can encompass a range from 70 ° to 230 ° c or more . preferred polymerization temperatures are from about 90 ° to about 190 ° c and more preferably from about 120 ° to about 180 ° c for caprolactam terpolymers . such a technique produces desired polymerization of a terpolymer having high strength and modulus . times required for complete polymerization will vary considerably depending upon polymerization temperatures and the specific ingredients used in the polymerization system . polymerization time varies from at least about one minute , preferably from 1 to 30 minutes , and can be extended to any duration up to several days or more . generally , polymerization times of from 1 to 30 minutes are preferred for most polymerization systems . the lactam monomer , dicarboxylic acid ester and polyol used in the polymerization have both been described in ample detail above . the lactam polymerization catalyst ( catalyst ii ) useful herein includes that class of compounds commonly recognized as suitable basic catalysts for the anhydrous polymerization of lactams . in general , all alkali or alkaline earth metals are effective catalysts either in the metallic form or in the form of hydrides , halohydrides , alkylhalides , oxides , hydroxides , carbonates and the like . also useful are a number of organometallic compounds of the metals mentioned above such as metal alkyls , metal phenyls , metal amides and the like . examples include sodium hydride , potassium hydroxide , lithium oxide , ethyl magnesium bromide , calcium fluorohydride , strontium carbonate , barium hydroxide , methyl sodium buthyl lithium , potassium phenyl , diphenyl barium , sodium amide and magnesium diethyl . all of the foregoing compounds react with the lactam monomer to form the metal lactam , which is the active catalytic agent in the lactam polymerization mechanism . the metal lactam catalyst can therefore be formed in situ by reaction of one of the foregoing metals or metal compounds with lactam monomer in the polymerization medium or by prior reaction of the metal or metal compound with a stoichiometric quantity of lactam monomer . examples of metal lactam catalysts include sodium caprolactam , bromomagnesium caprolactam , magnesium caprolactam , bromomagnesium pyrrolidinone , chlorocalcium caprolactam and the like . catalyst concentrations can range from a fraction of one mole percent to 15 or 20 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer to be polymerized . the polyacyl linkage , as well as the ester and amide linkages , are incorporated into the polymer chain through the reaction of the polyacyl alkoxide with the lactam and polyol constituents . in the formula set forth above for the polyacyl alkoxide useful herein , the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having the necessary number of available valences to bond to itself all of the acyl groups included in the compound . the hydrocarbon group can be of any size but preferably contains a maximum of eight or ten carbon atoms . examples of suitable r groups include phenylene , biphenylene , methylene , hexylene , tolylene , and analogous hydrocarbons having more than two sites available for bonding to acyl groups . the amount of polyacyl alkoxide useful in the preparation of the terpolymers of this invention depends upon the quantities of lactam and polyol being used . for preferred polymerizations , it is desirable that the polyacyl alkoxide be present in an amount from 100 to about 500 , preferably from about 100 to about 200 , equivalent percent of the polyol . if the polyacyl alkoxide is present in an amount less than a molecularly equivalent amount based on the polyol , polyol prepolymer formation occurs , but the subsequent lactam polymerization is very slow . in those preferred polymerization systems where the polyacyl alkoxide concentration exceeds the amount stoichiometrically equivalent to the polyol , the excess can be from 0 . 01 to about 30 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer . a preferred range is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 mole percent of the lactam monomer , and more preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 5 mole percent of the lactam monomer . the lactam and polyol can be present in any relative proportions ranging up to 99 parts of either component to 1 part of the other . preferred ratios of the two polymer - forming materials depend upon the end use to which the finished polymer is to be put . for end use applications requiring strong rigid materials , the lactam content of the polymerizable medium should be relatively high such as 60 or 80 or even 90 % or more lactam . for other applications where elastomeric properties such as high elongation or where water absorption is desirable , the relative proportions of the two monomers can be reversed so that the polymerizable medium will contain 60 or 80 or 90 % or more of the polyol compound . where water absorption is desired , polyethylene glycol can be used as the major polyol compound . polymers containing about equal quantities of both lactam and polyol are preferred for a great many uses because of the advantageous combination of properties achieved by such polymers . three terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 1 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric polyol was heated under vacuum at 125 °- 180 ° for 30 minutes to dry . the transesterification prepolymer catalyst and dmt were added and the mixture stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 ° c . intermittently a slight stream of nitrogen was allowed to pass through the reactor to remove evolved methanol . after 40 minutes reaction time the mixture was evacuated for 5 - 10 minutes . to the resulting prepolymer was added caprolactam and santowhite powder . the temperature of the resulting prepolymer - caprolactam solution was adjusted to 160 ° c and grignard reagent added . the mixture was evacuated for 2 - 3 minutes to remove ether and ethane . the vacuum was released to nitrogen and the catalyzed prepolymer solution poured into a vertical mold of 10 inches × 10 inches × 1 / 8 inch dimensions which had been heated to 160 ° c . after an hour the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ prepolymer catalyst glycol used dmt . sup . 4 caprolactam swp . sup . 5 grignard . sup . 6process type amount compound gms gms gms . gms . ml . __________________________________________________________________________a magnesium acetate . sup . 1 0 . 4 ml polymeg . sup . 3 2000 117 15 . 5 273 2 5 tetraisopropyl orthotitanate . sup . 2 0 . 08 mlb tetrabutyl orthotitanate 0 . 063 ml carbowax . sup . 7 4000 90 7 . 0 205 1 . 5 5c zinc acetate 0 . 2 gm &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 90 7 . 7 205 1 . 5 5__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 0 . 1 molar in methanol . sup . 2 0 . 8 molar in 2 . propanol . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 5 santowhite powder . sup . 6 ethyl magnesium bromide 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 7 polyethylene glycol table 2______________________________________ tensile fail tensile strength % modulusterpolymer psi elongation psi______________________________________a - 30 % ptmg 6530 720 47 , 000b - 30 % peg 7000 520 57 , 000c - 30 % peg 6800 550 101 , 000______________________________________ five polyethylene glycol terpolymers were prepared from polyester prepolymers formed in caprolactam solution . the quantities of ingredients and the various transesterification catalysts used are listed in table 3 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric glycol , caprolactam and santowhite powder were heated under vacuum to distil 25 ml . caprolactam . ( in process f and g , cadmium acetate dihydrate and zinc acetate dihydrate were added prior to caprolactam distillation . in the remaining processes , the transesterification catalyst was added after caprolactam distillation .) after the initial distillation of caprolactam , a reflux condenser was attached to the reaction flask and a vacuum take off with a dry ice cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . the dmt and transesterification catalyst were added and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam at a temperature of 110 °- 140 ° c . progress of the reaction was followed by measurement of evolved methanol . after methanol evolution had ceased , the temperature of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 130 ° c and 5 ml . grignard reagent catalyst added . the reaction flask was evacuated for 2 minutes to remove ether and ethane and the vacuum released to nitrogen atmosphere . the catalyzed mixture was poured into a 160 ° c mold described in example 1 . after 1 hr the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymer are reported in table 4 . table 3______________________________________ reactants carbowax . sup . 1 4000 - 90 gms caprolactam 229 gms santowhite powder 1 . 5 gms dmt . sup . 2 7 . 7 gmsii transesterification catalystterpolymer d grignard . sup . 3 0 . 6 mlterpolymer e aluminum iso - propoxide 0 . 2 gmterpolymer f cadmium acetate 0 . 26 gm &# 34 ; g zinc acetate 0 . 22 gm &# 34 ; h magnesium methoxide . sup . 4 0 . 9 mliii copolymerization catalyst - grignard . sup . 3 5 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polyethylene glycol . sup . 2 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . . sup . 4 1 molar in methanol table 4______________________________________tensile yield tensile fail tensileter - strength % elon - strength % moduluspolymer psi gation psi elongation psi______________________________________d 6200 507 84 , 000e 3700 15 5900 470 62 , 400f 3700 25 6200 497 68 , 000g 3800 20 6100 477 78 , 000h 3700 25 6500 518 91 , 500______________________________________ several terpolymers were prepared employing different types and quantities of glycols . the terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 5 . the transesterification reaction and copolymerization with caprolactam were run according to procedures described in example 2 . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 6 . table 5__________________________________________________________________________glycol used prepolymer % in catalyst gms gms gms caprolactam stabilizer ml . process material copolymer material amount glycol dmt . sup . 1 charge distilled material gms grignard . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________i polymeg . sup . 3 2000 30 grignard . sup . 2 0 . 6 ml 90 10 . 2 227 25 swp . sup . 4 1 . 5j polymeg . sup . 3 2000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 5 1 ml 150 16 . 0 164 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 4 . 5k polymeg 1000 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 19 . 6 221 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0l polymeg 1000 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 24 . 5 188 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0m polymeg 650 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 28 . 0 216 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0n polymeg 650 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 36 . 8 155 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0o polymeg 1000 21 62 . 5 butane diol 6 grignard 0 . 6 ml 17 . 1 50 . 2 196 . 3 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0p polyglycol . sup . 6 e - 6000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 150 5 . 0 171 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0q polyglycol e - 1450 50 zinc acetate 5 gm . 1500 220 . 2 1446 100 flectol - h 1 . 5 35r niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 90 10 . 8 227 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0s niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 40 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 120 13 . 7 195 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0t polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 5 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 11 ml 150 109 . 6 1975 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50u polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 10 13 ml 300 124 . 3 1814 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50v polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 15 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 14 ml 450 139 . 0 1655 100 dnpd 6 50w voranol 2000 . sup . 9 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 7 . 7 229 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0x voranol 2000 . sup . 9 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 0 . 9 ml 150 15 . 3 164 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 2 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 santowhite powder . sup . 5 magnesium methoxide - 1 molar in methanol . sup . 6 polyethylene glycol . sup . 7 polycaprolactone diol . sup . 8 n , n &# 39 ;- dl - 2 - naphthyl - p - phenylene diamine . sup . 9 polypropylene glycol table 6__________________________________________________________________________ tensile yield tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % strength % modulusprocesscomposition psi elongation psi elongation psi__________________________________________________________________________i 30 % ptmg 2000 4600 50 6870 533 89 , 400j 50 % ptmg 2000 4850 773 26 , 000k 30 % ptmg 1000 4700 60 5980 533 82 , 800l 40 % ptmg 1000 5190 776 25 , 700m 30 % ptmg 650 5850 685 38 , 300n 40 % ptmg 650 3100 754 15 , 400o 21 % ptmg 1000 2720 156 6 , 5006 % butane diolp 50 % peg 6000 3260 14 4400 588 61 , 000q 50 % peg 1450 2270 * 250 * r 30 % polycaprolactone 2700 29 7100 715 40 , 000s 40 % polycaprolactone 2300 60 4000 650 27 , 200t 30 % ptmg 2000 6900 * 470 * 5 % polycaprolactoneu 30 % ptmg 2000 5200 * 473 * 10 % polycaprolactonev 30 % ptmg 2000 5000 * 530 * 15 % polycaprolactonew 30 % ppg 4790 340 82 , 800x 50 % ppg 3190 482 28 , 800__________________________________________________________________________ * tensile data for extruded strand two terpolymers were prepared from polyester synthesized from an aliphatic dibasic ester using the quantities of ingredients specified in the following table : table 7______________________________________terpolymer process y z______________________________________glycol used polymeg . sup . 1 2000 polymeg . sup . 1 1000reactantsgms . glycol 90 90gms . santowhite powder 1 . 5 1 . 5gms . caprolactam charged 225 218gms . caprolactam distilled 25 25gms . diethyl sebacate 13 . 2 24 . 5ml . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 0 . 9 1 . 0ml . grignard . sup . 3 5 . 0 5 . 0______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide -- 3 molar in diethyl ether . the terpolymers were prepared according to the procedure described in example 2 . tensile properties of the terpolymers are reported in the following table : table 8______________________________________ tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % modulusprocess composition psi elongation psi______________________________________y 30 % ptmg 2000 7200 575 81 , 400z 30 % ptmg 1000 5600 516 62 , 800______________________________________ the following example 5 is a calculated example of a predictable cross - linked terpolymer which could be prepared by the inventive process . a crosslinked terpolymer is prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 9 . table 9______________________________________material amount______________________________________polymeg . sup . 1 2000 90 gm . caprolactam 214 gm . santowhite powder 1 . 5 gm . dimethyl terephthalate 6 . 9 gm . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 1 ml . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam 3 . 2 gm . bmc . sup . 3 23 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 bromo magnesium caprolactam -- 0 . 4 molar in caprolactam the caprolactam , polymeg 2000 , and santowhite poweder are heated under vacuum to distil 25 gms . caprolactam in order to dry the mixture . a reflux condenser is attached to the reactor with a dry ice - cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . dimethyl terephthalate and mg ( och 3 ) 2 added to the mixture and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam . progress of the transesterification reaction is followed by measurement of evolved methanol condensed in the dry ice - cooled receiver . when methanol evolution has stopped , the reactor vacuum is released to nitrogen and 0 . 5 ml water added to destroy the magnesium methoxide catalyst . the reflux is replaced with a distilling head and the mixture re - evacuated to distil 10 ml . caprolactam to re - dry . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam is added and dissolved , and the mixture cooled to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast into a vertical mold ( described in example 1 ) which has been heated to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast by means of a metering pump . the bmc catalyst is injected into the stream by means of a second metering pump and the streams mixed by a kenics static mixer . after casting is complete , the mold is heated to 160 ° c over a 15 minute period and held at 160 ° c for an additional 45 minutes , after which the mold is opened and the sample removed . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is 'Textiles; Paper' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 9dd27a9e0515885e1f5a8660988491a4509e2a60f725962d0e0683c2b99b7d71 | 0.703125 | 0.003937 | 0.730469 | 0.002121 | 0.625 | 0.037842 |
null | the polymerized lactam component of the above polymers is formed from cyclic monomeric lactams of the formula ## str1 ## where y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 , and more preferably from about 5 to about 11 carbon atoms . a preferred monomer is ε - caprolactam . lactam monomers in addition to ε - caprolactam include alpha - pyrrolidinone , piperidone , valerolactam , caprolactams other than the ε - isomer , capryllactam , lauryllactam and the like . in addition to lactams unsubstituted on their carbon chains , lactams having substituents on the carbon chain which do not inhibit or otherwise adversely affect the polymerization of the lactam are also included within the scope of the invention . during polymerization the cyclic lactam ring is opened to provide the following monomeric unit ## str2 ## which , together with other lactam molecules , produces a polymeric block of the formula ## str3 ## where x is an integer greater than one . the monomeric lactam unit can also react with the polyacyl alkoxide . similarly , a polylactam block , when joined with a polyacyl unit forms a polymer segment of the formula ## str4 ## where r is a hydrocarbon group described hereinbelow , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups , x is an integer greater than one , y is an integer equal to or greater than one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . thirdly , in the course of the polymerization of the components described above , a polyol can react with the polymerizable lactam unit or block to produce a polymer segment of the formula ## str5 ## where x and n are integers equal to at least one and where z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group which , together with the oxygen atom attached thereto , forms a polyether or polyester segment of a polymer molecule . the z hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon and acylated hydrocarbon groups can be of any size even polymeric such as polybutadiene , generally limited to about six carbon atoms , said groups being preferably alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof . even more preferred are unsubstituted aliphatic groups such as methylene , ethylene , propylene , butylene and the like . other suitable z groups include phenylene , chlorophenylene , tolylene , isobutylene , isopropylene , ethylcarbonyl , propylcarbonyl , ethylsulfonyl , propylthiocarbonyl and the like . the preference indicated above for unsubstituted aliphatic z groups means that terpolymers of this invention which contain polyether segments are preferred over other embodiments which contain polyester segments . in preferred aspects of this invention , it is theorized that the lactam is present in the polymer in the form of polylactam blocks which are alternated with blocks of polyol and polyol segments to form the polymer . the polylactam blocks when present can be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the polymerized polyol components of the polymers of this invention are formed from polyol intermediates having at least two hydroxy groups . available commercial polyols of this class are produced by reacting , for example , propylene oxide or ethylene oxide with glycols , glycerol , pentaerythritol , glucose , amines , and the like . included within the scope of the above class are a large number of suitable compounds ranging from the simple diols such as ethylene glycol to complex polymeric polyols such as poly ( ε - caprolactone ) diol . other polyol compounds include alkylene glycols such as diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , tetramethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , hexylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - hexanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , butylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , dicyclopentadiene glycol , heptaethylene glycol and isopropylidene bis ( p - phenyleneoxypropanol - 2 ); diols other than alkylene glycols such as pyrocatechol , resorcinol , hydroquinone , hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate ; polyols having more than two hydroxy functions such as glycerol , pentaerythritol , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , 1 - trimethylol propane , pyrogallol and phloroglucinol ; polymeric polyols such as polyethylene glycols , polypropylene glycols , polyoxypropylene diols and triols , castor oils , polybutadiene glycols and polyester glycols , and a large number of compounds containing substituents other than hydroxy groups such as 2 , 4 - dichlorobutylene glycol and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- 4 , 4 &# 39 ; bis ( chlorohydroxyphenyl ) ether . in addition to all the hydroxy compounds set forth above , the thio compounds analogous to the above compounds having sulfur atoms in place of oxygen are also included within the scope of the invention . a few examples include hydroxyethyl thioglycolate , ethylene glycol bis -( thioglycolate ), pentaerythritol tetrakis -( thioglycolate ) and thiodiglycol . if the polyol intermediate is a polymer , the molecular weight of the polyol can be any amount . commercially available polymeric polyol compounds have molecular weights from 200 to 5000 , but polymers with molecular weights outside that range are also useful in the practice of the instant invention . if the polyol intermediate or segment is a single molecule having at least two hydroxy groups such as ethylene glycol , a suitable polyol segment according to the invention would have a molecular weight of at least 62 . the third component of the terpolymers of this invention has the following structural configuration in the polymer chain : where r is a hydrocarbon group , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl radicals , y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having at least two valence bonds for attachment to the acyl groups shown in the above formula . examples include functional groups obtained by the removal of hydrogen atoms from methane , ethane , propane , hexane , dodecane , benzene , toluene , cyclohexane and the like . the polyvalent r group can be of any size but is preferably limited to about 20 carbon atoms , and more preferably about eight carbon atoms . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is one , the linkage will be a diacyl group . the a group can be any acyl group and preferably are ## str6 ## groups . most preferred among the above groups is the carbonyl group . values for the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; have a direct relationship to the thermoplasticity of the terpolymer . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is greater than one , the linkage will be a higher polyacyl . the higher the value of &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, the more highly crosslinked will be the finished polymer . values for &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; can be as high as six or eight , but more preferably do not exceed two or three . the polymerized product comprising the aforementioned components can have a number of different structures depending upon the process conditions and the relative proportions of ingredients used in the reaction system . polymers can be prepared having relatively small segments of lactam units joined to similarly short segments of polyol units through the polyacyl linkage described above . or large segments of one polymeric component can be combined with a larger number of comparatively small segments of another polymeric unit , which small segments are joined to one another through the polyacyl linkage as well as to the other type of polymeric component . or segments of varying sizes of both the lactam and the polyol polymeric units can be combined through the polyacyl components to form a highly random terpolymer . another form of polymer within the scope of this invention are block polymers , where moderately large size blocks or segments of the lactam and polyol polymeric units are positioned alternately in the polymer chain and joined through the polyacyl group described above . if the polyacyl linkages are , for purposes of simplification , considered to be a part of either a lactam or polyol block , then the block polymers of this invention can be discussed in terms of two alternating blocks designated as a and b blocks , instead of in terms of complicated patterns of three blocks designated as a , b and c blocks . block polymers prepared according to this invention can have three general structural configurations , ab , aba and a repeating pattern of ab segments . following a general characterization of a block copolymer prepared within the scope of this invention as ab , aba or repeating ab , it should be recognized that the exact structural configuration may vary somewhat from the general characterization of the polymer . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for a lactam - polyolpolyacyl lactam block terpolymer of the repeating ab type could be ## str7 ## where y , x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, n and w are all integers equal to one or more ; b is an integer equal to zero or one ; r is a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least three carbon atoms ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups ; and r &# 39 ; is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than an aromatic radical . if for instance y is a straight chained alkylene group , a and a &# 39 ; are carbonyl groups , z is ethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 --, and r is phenylene , the terpolymer would be a caprolactam - ethylene glycol polymer where the caprolactam segments of the polymer are joined to one another and to the ethylene glycol segments through terephthaloyl linkages . other lactam - polyol polymers , both of the ab , aba as well as the repeating ab type , will become immediately apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure . it should therefore be noted that the above structural formula is set forth for illustrative purpose only , and is not intended as a limitation of the polymers within the scope of the invention . when the polymers of this invention are of the aba type , where one block of one type of polymer segment is located between two blocks of the other type of polymer segment , the polymers can be of either the polyol - lactam - polyol type or the lactam - polyol - lactam type . of the two types , the latter is a preferred type of aba polymer . if the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymer is a block polymer , the polyol blocks can , like the polylactam blocks , be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the ratio of the number of lactam to polyol blocks can also vary . since the block polymers can be of either the type designated as ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of lactam blocks to polyol blocks can vary from 2 : 1 to 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 . mixtures of two or more block polymers having different ratios of the lactam and polyol blocks will produce ratios of polymer blocks intermediate between the above stated ratios . in the above theoretical formula for a lactam - polyol block terpolymer , the polyacyl linkage is represented as located between two lactam polymer segments as well as between a polyether segment and a lactam polymer segment . as a practical matter , the polyacyl linkages will also be located occasionally between two polyol blocks . it should be noted , moreover , that the polyacyl linkages need not invariably be positioned between lactam and polyol blocks since the necessary linkage can be provided in the form of an ester linkage by the oxygen atom of the polyether segment and the carbonyl group of a polylactam segment . following is a general characterization of the lactam polyolpolyacyl lactam terpolymer produced according to the invention . as an illustration , the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam terpolymer has the general formula : ## str8 ## wherein ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups selected from ## str9 ## r is a polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms ; y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one ; x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, and x &# 39 ;&# 34 ; are integers and the total number of x &# 39 ; s is equal to 2w + 2 ; and n and w are integers equal to one or more . as mentioned earlier , the terpolymers of this invention are characterized by the presence of both ester and amide linkages between the monomeric segments of the polymer . the term &# 34 ; monomeric segment &# 34 ; is intended to apply to the polymerized reaction product of a monomer , whether the reaction product is a single unit such as ## str10 ## or a block of several units such as ## str11 ## regarding the breadth of the terms &# 34 ; ester linkage &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; amide linkage &# 34 ;, the linkages can of course be composed of acyl groups other than carbonyl groups since the polyacyl linkage described above includes thiocarbonyl , sulfonyl , and phosphoryl groups as well as the more conventional carbonyl groups . the molecular weight of the terpolymers can vary widely from a number average molecular weight of just a few thousand to 1 million or higher . for thermoplastic uncrosslinked polymers , a preferred range for number average molecular weight is from about 10 or 20 , 000 to about 100 , 000 to 200 , 000 . if the polymers are crosslinked , the molecular weights of the polymers can be much higher in the range of 100 , 000 to several million . when block polymers are formed , the molecular weight of the polyol blocks is an important consideration in selecting preferred polymers within the scope of this invention . polyol blocks having a number average molecular weight of about 500 or 600 or more generally tend to have good low temperature properties . this lower level of molecular weight for the polyol blocks is subject to some variation insofar as low temperature properties can also be affected by the degree of block polymerization , the nature of the block polymer , i . e . ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of the lactam content to the polyol content , and the particular lactam and polyol present in the polymer . polyol segments having a molecular weight of at least 62 can also constitute a portion of the terpolymer as well as the polyol blocks having molecular weights of 500 to 600 or greater . for example , ethylene glycol as the polyol segment provides a terpolymer having improved tensile elongation and impact resistance . regarding a maximum molecular weight of the polyol blocks , preferred polymers have polyol blocks with a maximum number average molecular weight of about 6000 , and more preferably about 4000 . above these levels the polyol prepolymer tends to exhibit a reduced hydroxyl functionality , due to unsaturation , thereby making more difficult the incorporation of polyol into the polymer . in addition to the three principal monomeric constituents which together produce the terpolymers of this invention , other polymerizable monomers can also be used to prepare polymers having four or more polymerizable constituents . as an example , if the polyol constituent of a terpolymer of this invention is polybutadiene diol , the resultant terpolymer could be , after the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymerization , subsequently reacted with a vinyl compound such as styrene to crosslink the polymer through its vinyl unsaturation . still other monomers could be chosen which could be polymerized directly into a linear polymer chain . the quantity of such additional monomers could be very large , even as great as 50 % or more of the total polymerizable constituents but preferably is limited to quantities of 25 % or less of the total monomer content . the polymers prepared according to this invention exhibit a broad range of properties which can be adjusted to provide compositions particularly well adapted for a specified end use . in addition to crosslinking , adjustment of polymer structure , and molecular weight adjustment of polymer blocks , other means of varying the properties of the polymers can also be employed . crystallinity of the polymers , which can be present in the lactam segments of the polymers , can be increased or decreased by variation of polymerization temperatures . since any crystallinity in the polymers of this invention is largely present in the lactam segments of the polymer , variation of the lactam content of the polymer can also result in a variation of polymer crystallinity . polymers with relatively high degrees of crystallinity tend to be strong , rigid polymers whereas those with little or no crystallinity are more elastomeric in nature . as mentioned earlier , the type of lactam , polyol and polyacyl lactam components can also affect the properties of the finished polymer . as an example , polyethylene glycol polymer segments tend to produce polymers with a high water absorptivity whereas polypropylene glycol or polytetramethylene glycol polymer segments produce polymers with comparatively low water absorptivities . as another example , caprolactam polymer segments in the polymers of this invention produce polymers which are stronger and more rigid than homologous polymers containing segments of a higher lactam such as capryllactam or dodecanolactam . even more significantly , use of a lactam will yield an essentially linear polymer whereas use of a tris or tetrakislactam will result in a branched or crosslinked terpolymer . similarly bis - lactams can be employed to produce a branched or crosslinked polymer . high crosslinked polymer can be made through the use of polyols having more than two hydroxy groups . with all the foregoing techniques available for modifying and adjusting the properties of the polymers of this invention , it can be appreciated that the polymers can be used in a number of end use applications . one such use is a textile fiber . throughout the entire range of ratios of polymeric components , from polymers containing very little polyether component to those containing a large amount , the polymers have properties which make them useful as textile fibers . in addition to being the sole constitutent of a textile fiber , the terpolymers can also be used as one component in a composite or conjugate fiber . it is contemplated that conjugate fibers of nylon and the terpolymers of this invention will be particularly useful in a number of textile and other applications . other textile applications for the terpolymers include their use in the manufacture of non - woven fabrics and as high moisture regain fibers . the terpolymers can also be manufactured into foamed articles , either during or after their polymerization , to produce rigid and flexible foams . because of their method of preparation directly from the monomeric components , the polymers can be prepared in large shapes such as furniture and furniture components and automobile parts . the terpolymers can also be produced in the form of molding resins which can subsequently be molded by injection molding , extruding , thermoforming or other techniques to produce products of virtually any shape . the more highly elastomeric compositions can be used in manufacture of automobile tires and tire components . the polymers can also be modified with fillers , fibers , pigments , dyes , stabilizers , plasticizers , flame retardant and other polymeric modifiers to alter their properties and thereby enlarge even further the scope of their applicability . one such modification comprises reinforcing the polymers with fillers or fibers which have been treated with coupling agents capable of increasing the bonding of the fillers or fibers to the polymer molecules . a large number of organosilane compounds have been found to be especially capable of performing this task of improving adhesion between polymer and filler or fiber . examples of some suitable organosilane couplers for use with the polymers of this invention include 3 - aminopropyl triethoxysilane , glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane and n - trimethoxysilylpropyl - n - beta - amino - ethyl - amine . preferred fillers and fibers include quartz , wollastonite , feldspar , calcined kaolin clay , glass fibers and other high performance fibers such as graphite , boron , steel and the like . the concentrations of fillers and fibers can vary from very small amounts such as one or two volume percent up to 70 or 80 volume percent or more . the terpolymers are prepared by either initiating the anionic catalyzed polymerization of lactam with a polyether - polyester prepolymer initiator , or the formation of the initiator from dicarboxylic acid esters and aliphatic polyols or aliphatic polyether polyols in the presence of lactam as a reaction solvent , followed by the anionic catalyzed polymerization of the lactam . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for the terpolymer is presented as a result of the following formulation schematic of a typical process according to the invention . ## str12 ## where x and b are integers equal to at least one ; z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 carbon atoms ; and r is a divalent hydrocarbon ; and n is an integer equal to one or more . the foregoing illustration represents only one typical formulated schematic of the inventive process and terpolymer produced thereby , and should not be construed as the only process and / or terpolymer afforded by this invention . the polyether - polyester prepolymer initiators result from the transesterification of aliphatic polyols and / or aliphatic polyether polyols and dicarboxylic acid esters . the dicarboxylic acid esters or dialkyl esters useful in the prepolymer formation have the general formula : ## str13 ## wherein r &# 39 ; is an alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , 2 - ethyl hexyl and the like , alkenyls , aryls and mixtures thereof ; d is an integer ; and when the radical ## spc1 ## and the like . specific dialkyl esters according to the above formula include , for example , dialkylaryloates such as dimethyl terephthalate and dimethyl isophthalate ; and dialkylalkanoates such as diethyl sebacate , dibutyl adipate , diethyloxalate and the like . the catalysts used as catalyst i in the foregoing illustration of a typical formulated schematic of the inventive process are transesterification prepolymer catalyst , for example alkali metals and alkaline earth metals , zinc , cadmium , manganese , iron , nickel , cobalt , tin , lanthanum , lead or bismuth or combinations thereof , salts such as calcium , manganese , cobalt or zinc acetate , lithium hydride , sodium alcoholates , zinc succinate or zinc acetyl acetonate , oxides such as lead oxide ( pbo ), antimony oxide ( sb 2 o 3 ), or germanium oxide ( geo 2 ), magnesium methoxide , and combinations such as antimony trioxide / manganese acetate or antimony trioxide / titanium dioxide . other suitable catalyst include caprolactam magnesium bromide , and selected grignard agents , for example , ethyl magnesium bromide . catalyst i is used in quantities of from about 0 . 005 to about 0 . 2 % by weight , preferably about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 10 % by weight based on the quantity of dicarboxylic acid ester . polymerization temperatures can vary from the melting point of the lactam or less up to the melting point of the resultant polymer or more . depending upon the particular ingredients being used , this can encompass a range from 70 ° to 230 ° c or more . preferred polymerization temperatures are from about 90 ° to about 190 ° c and more preferably from about 120 ° to about 180 ° c for caprolactam terpolymers . such a technique produces desired polymerization of a terpolymer having high strength and modulus . times required for complete polymerization will vary considerably depending upon polymerization temperatures and the specific ingredients used in the polymerization system . polymerization time varies from at least about one minute , preferably from 1 to 30 minutes , and can be extended to any duration up to several days or more . generally , polymerization times of from 1 to 30 minutes are preferred for most polymerization systems . the lactam monomer , dicarboxylic acid ester and polyol used in the polymerization have both been described in ample detail above . the lactam polymerization catalyst ( catalyst ii ) useful herein includes that class of compounds commonly recognized as suitable basic catalysts for the anhydrous polymerization of lactams . in general , all alkali or alkaline earth metals are effective catalysts either in the metallic form or in the form of hydrides , halohydrides , alkylhalides , oxides , hydroxides , carbonates and the like . also useful are a number of organometallic compounds of the metals mentioned above such as metal alkyls , metal phenyls , metal amides and the like . examples include sodium hydride , potassium hydroxide , lithium oxide , ethyl magnesium bromide , calcium fluorohydride , strontium carbonate , barium hydroxide , methyl sodium buthyl lithium , potassium phenyl , diphenyl barium , sodium amide and magnesium diethyl . all of the foregoing compounds react with the lactam monomer to form the metal lactam , which is the active catalytic agent in the lactam polymerization mechanism . the metal lactam catalyst can therefore be formed in situ by reaction of one of the foregoing metals or metal compounds with lactam monomer in the polymerization medium or by prior reaction of the metal or metal compound with a stoichiometric quantity of lactam monomer . examples of metal lactam catalysts include sodium caprolactam , bromomagnesium caprolactam , magnesium caprolactam , bromomagnesium pyrrolidinone , chlorocalcium caprolactam and the like . catalyst concentrations can range from a fraction of one mole percent to 15 or 20 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer to be polymerized . the polyacyl linkage , as well as the ester and amide linkages , are incorporated into the polymer chain through the reaction of the polyacyl alkoxide with the lactam and polyol constituents . in the formula set forth above for the polyacyl alkoxide useful herein , the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having the necessary number of available valences to bond to itself all of the acyl groups included in the compound . the hydrocarbon group can be of any size but preferably contains a maximum of eight or ten carbon atoms . examples of suitable r groups include phenylene , biphenylene , methylene , hexylene , tolylene , and analogous hydrocarbons having more than two sites available for bonding to acyl groups . the amount of polyacyl alkoxide useful in the preparation of the terpolymers of this invention depends upon the quantities of lactam and polyol being used . for preferred polymerizations , it is desirable that the polyacyl alkoxide be present in an amount from 100 to about 500 , preferably from about 100 to about 200 , equivalent percent of the polyol . if the polyacyl alkoxide is present in an amount less than a molecularly equivalent amount based on the polyol , polyol prepolymer formation occurs , but the subsequent lactam polymerization is very slow . in those preferred polymerization systems where the polyacyl alkoxide concentration exceeds the amount stoichiometrically equivalent to the polyol , the excess can be from 0 . 01 to about 30 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer . a preferred range is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 mole percent of the lactam monomer , and more preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 5 mole percent of the lactam monomer . the lactam and polyol can be present in any relative proportions ranging up to 99 parts of either component to 1 part of the other . preferred ratios of the two polymer - forming materials depend upon the end use to which the finished polymer is to be put . for end use applications requiring strong rigid materials , the lactam content of the polymerizable medium should be relatively high such as 60 or 80 or even 90 % or more lactam . for other applications where elastomeric properties such as high elongation or where water absorption is desirable , the relative proportions of the two monomers can be reversed so that the polymerizable medium will contain 60 or 80 or 90 % or more of the polyol compound . where water absorption is desired , polyethylene glycol can be used as the major polyol compound . polymers containing about equal quantities of both lactam and polyol are preferred for a great many uses because of the advantageous combination of properties achieved by such polymers . three terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 1 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric polyol was heated under vacuum at 125 °- 180 ° for 30 minutes to dry . the transesterification prepolymer catalyst and dmt were added and the mixture stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 ° c . intermittently a slight stream of nitrogen was allowed to pass through the reactor to remove evolved methanol . after 40 minutes reaction time the mixture was evacuated for 5 - 10 minutes . to the resulting prepolymer was added caprolactam and santowhite powder . the temperature of the resulting prepolymer - caprolactam solution was adjusted to 160 ° c and grignard reagent added . the mixture was evacuated for 2 - 3 minutes to remove ether and ethane . the vacuum was released to nitrogen and the catalyzed prepolymer solution poured into a vertical mold of 10 inches × 10 inches × 1 / 8 inch dimensions which had been heated to 160 ° c . after an hour the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ prepolymer catalyst glycol used dmt . sup . 4 caprolactam swp . sup . 5 grignard . sup . 6process type amount compound gms gms gms . gms . ml . __________________________________________________________________________a magnesium acetate . sup . 1 0 . 4 ml polymeg . sup . 3 2000 117 15 . 5 273 2 5 tetraisopropyl orthotitanate . sup . 2 0 . 08 mlb tetrabutyl orthotitanate 0 . 063 ml carbowax . sup . 7 4000 90 7 . 0 205 1 . 5 5c zinc acetate 0 . 2 gm &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 90 7 . 7 205 1 . 5 5__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 0 . 1 molar in methanol . sup . 2 0 . 8 molar in 2 . propanol . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 5 santowhite powder . sup . 6 ethyl magnesium bromide 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 7 polyethylene glycol table 2______________________________________ tensile fail tensile strength % modulusterpolymer psi elongation psi______________________________________a - 30 % ptmg 6530 720 47 , 000b - 30 % peg 7000 520 57 , 000c - 30 % peg 6800 550 101 , 000______________________________________ five polyethylene glycol terpolymers were prepared from polyester prepolymers formed in caprolactam solution . the quantities of ingredients and the various transesterification catalysts used are listed in table 3 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric glycol , caprolactam and santowhite powder were heated under vacuum to distil 25 ml . caprolactam . ( in process f and g , cadmium acetate dihydrate and zinc acetate dihydrate were added prior to caprolactam distillation . in the remaining processes , the transesterification catalyst was added after caprolactam distillation .) after the initial distillation of caprolactam , a reflux condenser was attached to the reaction flask and a vacuum take off with a dry ice cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . the dmt and transesterification catalyst were added and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam at a temperature of 110 °- 140 ° c . progress of the reaction was followed by measurement of evolved methanol . after methanol evolution had ceased , the temperature of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 130 ° c and 5 ml . grignard reagent catalyst added . the reaction flask was evacuated for 2 minutes to remove ether and ethane and the vacuum released to nitrogen atmosphere . the catalyzed mixture was poured into a 160 ° c mold described in example 1 . after 1 hr the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymer are reported in table 4 . table 3______________________________________ reactants carbowax . sup . 1 4000 - 90 gms caprolactam 229 gms santowhite powder 1 . 5 gms dmt . sup . 2 7 . 7 gmsii transesterification catalystterpolymer d grignard . sup . 3 0 . 6 mlterpolymer e aluminum iso - propoxide 0 . 2 gmterpolymer f cadmium acetate 0 . 26 gm &# 34 ; g zinc acetate 0 . 22 gm &# 34 ; h magnesium methoxide . sup . 4 0 . 9 mliii copolymerization catalyst - grignard . sup . 3 5 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polyethylene glycol . sup . 2 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . . sup . 4 1 molar in methanol table 4______________________________________tensile yield tensile fail tensileter - strength % elon - strength % moduluspolymer psi gation psi elongation psi______________________________________d 6200 507 84 , 000e 3700 15 5900 470 62 , 400f 3700 25 6200 497 68 , 000g 3800 20 6100 477 78 , 000h 3700 25 6500 518 91 , 500______________________________________ several terpolymers were prepared employing different types and quantities of glycols . the terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 5 . the transesterification reaction and copolymerization with caprolactam were run according to procedures described in example 2 . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 6 . table 5__________________________________________________________________________glycol used prepolymer % in catalyst gms gms gms caprolactam stabilizer ml . process material copolymer material amount glycol dmt . sup . 1 charge distilled material gms grignard . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________i polymeg . sup . 3 2000 30 grignard . sup . 2 0 . 6 ml 90 10 . 2 227 25 swp . sup . 4 1 . 5j polymeg . sup . 3 2000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 5 1 ml 150 16 . 0 164 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 4 . 5k polymeg 1000 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 19 . 6 221 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0l polymeg 1000 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 24 . 5 188 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0m polymeg 650 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 28 . 0 216 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0n polymeg 650 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 36 . 8 155 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0o polymeg 1000 21 62 . 5 butane diol 6 grignard 0 . 6 ml 17 . 1 50 . 2 196 . 3 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0p polyglycol . sup . 6 e - 6000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 150 5 . 0 171 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0q polyglycol e - 1450 50 zinc acetate 5 gm . 1500 220 . 2 1446 100 flectol - h 1 . 5 35r niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 90 10 . 8 227 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0s niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 40 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 120 13 . 7 195 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0t polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 5 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 11 ml 150 109 . 6 1975 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50u polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 10 13 ml 300 124 . 3 1814 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50v polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 15 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 14 ml 450 139 . 0 1655 100 dnpd 6 50w voranol 2000 . sup . 9 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 7 . 7 229 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0x voranol 2000 . sup . 9 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 0 . 9 ml 150 15 . 3 164 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 2 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 santowhite powder . sup . 5 magnesium methoxide - 1 molar in methanol . sup . 6 polyethylene glycol . sup . 7 polycaprolactone diol . sup . 8 n , n &# 39 ;- dl - 2 - naphthyl - p - phenylene diamine . sup . 9 polypropylene glycol table 6__________________________________________________________________________ tensile yield tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % strength % modulusprocesscomposition psi elongation psi elongation psi__________________________________________________________________________i 30 % ptmg 2000 4600 50 6870 533 89 , 400j 50 % ptmg 2000 4850 773 26 , 000k 30 % ptmg 1000 4700 60 5980 533 82 , 800l 40 % ptmg 1000 5190 776 25 , 700m 30 % ptmg 650 5850 685 38 , 300n 40 % ptmg 650 3100 754 15 , 400o 21 % ptmg 1000 2720 156 6 , 5006 % butane diolp 50 % peg 6000 3260 14 4400 588 61 , 000q 50 % peg 1450 2270 * 250 * r 30 % polycaprolactone 2700 29 7100 715 40 , 000s 40 % polycaprolactone 2300 60 4000 650 27 , 200t 30 % ptmg 2000 6900 * 470 * 5 % polycaprolactoneu 30 % ptmg 2000 5200 * 473 * 10 % polycaprolactonev 30 % ptmg 2000 5000 * 530 * 15 % polycaprolactonew 30 % ppg 4790 340 82 , 800x 50 % ppg 3190 482 28 , 800__________________________________________________________________________ * tensile data for extruded strand two terpolymers were prepared from polyester synthesized from an aliphatic dibasic ester using the quantities of ingredients specified in the following table : table 7______________________________________terpolymer process y z______________________________________glycol used polymeg . sup . 1 2000 polymeg . sup . 1 1000reactantsgms . glycol 90 90gms . santowhite powder 1 . 5 1 . 5gms . caprolactam charged 225 218gms . caprolactam distilled 25 25gms . diethyl sebacate 13 . 2 24 . 5ml . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 0 . 9 1 . 0ml . grignard . sup . 3 5 . 0 5 . 0______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide -- 3 molar in diethyl ether . the terpolymers were prepared according to the procedure described in example 2 . tensile properties of the terpolymers are reported in the following table : table 8______________________________________ tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % modulusprocess composition psi elongation psi______________________________________y 30 % ptmg 2000 7200 575 81 , 400z 30 % ptmg 1000 5600 516 62 , 800______________________________________ the following example 5 is a calculated example of a predictable cross - linked terpolymer which could be prepared by the inventive process . a crosslinked terpolymer is prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 9 . table 9______________________________________material amount______________________________________polymeg . sup . 1 2000 90 gm . caprolactam 214 gm . santowhite powder 1 . 5 gm . dimethyl terephthalate 6 . 9 gm . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 1 ml . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam 3 . 2 gm . bmc . sup . 3 23 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 bromo magnesium caprolactam -- 0 . 4 molar in caprolactam the caprolactam , polymeg 2000 , and santowhite poweder are heated under vacuum to distil 25 gms . caprolactam in order to dry the mixture . a reflux condenser is attached to the reactor with a dry ice - cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . dimethyl terephthalate and mg ( och 3 ) 2 added to the mixture and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam . progress of the transesterification reaction is followed by measurement of evolved methanol condensed in the dry ice - cooled receiver . when methanol evolution has stopped , the reactor vacuum is released to nitrogen and 0 . 5 ml water added to destroy the magnesium methoxide catalyst . the reflux is replaced with a distilling head and the mixture re - evacuated to distil 10 ml . caprolactam to re - dry . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam is added and dissolved , and the mixture cooled to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast into a vertical mold ( described in example 1 ) which has been heated to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast by means of a metering pump . the bmc catalyst is injected into the stream by means of a second metering pump and the streams mixed by a kenics static mixer . after casting is complete , the mold is heated to 160 ° c over a 15 minute period and held at 160 ° c for an additional 45 minutes , after which the mold is opened and the sample removed . | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is 'Fixed Constructions' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 9dd27a9e0515885e1f5a8660988491a4509e2a60f725962d0e0683c2b99b7d71 | 0.546875 | 0.039063 | 0.625 | 0.182617 | 0.40625 | 0.037842 |
null | the polymerized lactam component of the above polymers is formed from cyclic monomeric lactams of the formula ## str1 ## where y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 , and more preferably from about 5 to about 11 carbon atoms . a preferred monomer is ε - caprolactam . lactam monomers in addition to ε - caprolactam include alpha - pyrrolidinone , piperidone , valerolactam , caprolactams other than the ε - isomer , capryllactam , lauryllactam and the like . in addition to lactams unsubstituted on their carbon chains , lactams having substituents on the carbon chain which do not inhibit or otherwise adversely affect the polymerization of the lactam are also included within the scope of the invention . during polymerization the cyclic lactam ring is opened to provide the following monomeric unit ## str2 ## which , together with other lactam molecules , produces a polymeric block of the formula ## str3 ## where x is an integer greater than one . the monomeric lactam unit can also react with the polyacyl alkoxide . similarly , a polylactam block , when joined with a polyacyl unit forms a polymer segment of the formula ## str4 ## where r is a hydrocarbon group described hereinbelow , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups , x is an integer greater than one , y is an integer equal to or greater than one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . thirdly , in the course of the polymerization of the components described above , a polyol can react with the polymerizable lactam unit or block to produce a polymer segment of the formula ## str5 ## where x and n are integers equal to at least one and where z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group which , together with the oxygen atom attached thereto , forms a polyether or polyester segment of a polymer molecule . the z hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon and acylated hydrocarbon groups can be of any size even polymeric such as polybutadiene , generally limited to about six carbon atoms , said groups being preferably alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof . even more preferred are unsubstituted aliphatic groups such as methylene , ethylene , propylene , butylene and the like . other suitable z groups include phenylene , chlorophenylene , tolylene , isobutylene , isopropylene , ethylcarbonyl , propylcarbonyl , ethylsulfonyl , propylthiocarbonyl and the like . the preference indicated above for unsubstituted aliphatic z groups means that terpolymers of this invention which contain polyether segments are preferred over other embodiments which contain polyester segments . in preferred aspects of this invention , it is theorized that the lactam is present in the polymer in the form of polylactam blocks which are alternated with blocks of polyol and polyol segments to form the polymer . the polylactam blocks when present can be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the polymerized polyol components of the polymers of this invention are formed from polyol intermediates having at least two hydroxy groups . available commercial polyols of this class are produced by reacting , for example , propylene oxide or ethylene oxide with glycols , glycerol , pentaerythritol , glucose , amines , and the like . included within the scope of the above class are a large number of suitable compounds ranging from the simple diols such as ethylene glycol to complex polymeric polyols such as poly ( ε - caprolactone ) diol . other polyol compounds include alkylene glycols such as diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , tetramethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , hexylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - hexanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , butylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , dicyclopentadiene glycol , heptaethylene glycol and isopropylidene bis ( p - phenyleneoxypropanol - 2 ); diols other than alkylene glycols such as pyrocatechol , resorcinol , hydroquinone , hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate ; polyols having more than two hydroxy functions such as glycerol , pentaerythritol , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , 1 - trimethylol propane , pyrogallol and phloroglucinol ; polymeric polyols such as polyethylene glycols , polypropylene glycols , polyoxypropylene diols and triols , castor oils , polybutadiene glycols and polyester glycols , and a large number of compounds containing substituents other than hydroxy groups such as 2 , 4 - dichlorobutylene glycol and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- 4 , 4 &# 39 ; bis ( chlorohydroxyphenyl ) ether . in addition to all the hydroxy compounds set forth above , the thio compounds analogous to the above compounds having sulfur atoms in place of oxygen are also included within the scope of the invention . a few examples include hydroxyethyl thioglycolate , ethylene glycol bis -( thioglycolate ), pentaerythritol tetrakis -( thioglycolate ) and thiodiglycol . if the polyol intermediate is a polymer , the molecular weight of the polyol can be any amount . commercially available polymeric polyol compounds have molecular weights from 200 to 5000 , but polymers with molecular weights outside that range are also useful in the practice of the instant invention . if the polyol intermediate or segment is a single molecule having at least two hydroxy groups such as ethylene glycol , a suitable polyol segment according to the invention would have a molecular weight of at least 62 . the third component of the terpolymers of this invention has the following structural configuration in the polymer chain : where r is a hydrocarbon group , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl radicals , y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having at least two valence bonds for attachment to the acyl groups shown in the above formula . examples include functional groups obtained by the removal of hydrogen atoms from methane , ethane , propane , hexane , dodecane , benzene , toluene , cyclohexane and the like . the polyvalent r group can be of any size but is preferably limited to about 20 carbon atoms , and more preferably about eight carbon atoms . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is one , the linkage will be a diacyl group . the a group can be any acyl group and preferably are ## str6 ## groups . most preferred among the above groups is the carbonyl group . values for the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; have a direct relationship to the thermoplasticity of the terpolymer . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is greater than one , the linkage will be a higher polyacyl . the higher the value of &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, the more highly crosslinked will be the finished polymer . values for &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; can be as high as six or eight , but more preferably do not exceed two or three . the polymerized product comprising the aforementioned components can have a number of different structures depending upon the process conditions and the relative proportions of ingredients used in the reaction system . polymers can be prepared having relatively small segments of lactam units joined to similarly short segments of polyol units through the polyacyl linkage described above . or large segments of one polymeric component can be combined with a larger number of comparatively small segments of another polymeric unit , which small segments are joined to one another through the polyacyl linkage as well as to the other type of polymeric component . or segments of varying sizes of both the lactam and the polyol polymeric units can be combined through the polyacyl components to form a highly random terpolymer . another form of polymer within the scope of this invention are block polymers , where moderately large size blocks or segments of the lactam and polyol polymeric units are positioned alternately in the polymer chain and joined through the polyacyl group described above . if the polyacyl linkages are , for purposes of simplification , considered to be a part of either a lactam or polyol block , then the block polymers of this invention can be discussed in terms of two alternating blocks designated as a and b blocks , instead of in terms of complicated patterns of three blocks designated as a , b and c blocks . block polymers prepared according to this invention can have three general structural configurations , ab , aba and a repeating pattern of ab segments . following a general characterization of a block copolymer prepared within the scope of this invention as ab , aba or repeating ab , it should be recognized that the exact structural configuration may vary somewhat from the general characterization of the polymer . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for a lactam - polyolpolyacyl lactam block terpolymer of the repeating ab type could be ## str7 ## where y , x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, n and w are all integers equal to one or more ; b is an integer equal to zero or one ; r is a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least three carbon atoms ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups ; and r &# 39 ; is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than an aromatic radical . if for instance y is a straight chained alkylene group , a and a &# 39 ; are carbonyl groups , z is ethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 --, and r is phenylene , the terpolymer would be a caprolactam - ethylene glycol polymer where the caprolactam segments of the polymer are joined to one another and to the ethylene glycol segments through terephthaloyl linkages . other lactam - polyol polymers , both of the ab , aba as well as the repeating ab type , will become immediately apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure . it should therefore be noted that the above structural formula is set forth for illustrative purpose only , and is not intended as a limitation of the polymers within the scope of the invention . when the polymers of this invention are of the aba type , where one block of one type of polymer segment is located between two blocks of the other type of polymer segment , the polymers can be of either the polyol - lactam - polyol type or the lactam - polyol - lactam type . of the two types , the latter is a preferred type of aba polymer . if the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymer is a block polymer , the polyol blocks can , like the polylactam blocks , be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the ratio of the number of lactam to polyol blocks can also vary . since the block polymers can be of either the type designated as ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of lactam blocks to polyol blocks can vary from 2 : 1 to 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 . mixtures of two or more block polymers having different ratios of the lactam and polyol blocks will produce ratios of polymer blocks intermediate between the above stated ratios . in the above theoretical formula for a lactam - polyol block terpolymer , the polyacyl linkage is represented as located between two lactam polymer segments as well as between a polyether segment and a lactam polymer segment . as a practical matter , the polyacyl linkages will also be located occasionally between two polyol blocks . it should be noted , moreover , that the polyacyl linkages need not invariably be positioned between lactam and polyol blocks since the necessary linkage can be provided in the form of an ester linkage by the oxygen atom of the polyether segment and the carbonyl group of a polylactam segment . following is a general characterization of the lactam polyolpolyacyl lactam terpolymer produced according to the invention . as an illustration , the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam terpolymer has the general formula : ## str8 ## wherein ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups selected from ## str9 ## r is a polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms ; y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one ; x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, and x &# 39 ;&# 34 ; are integers and the total number of x &# 39 ; s is equal to 2w + 2 ; and n and w are integers equal to one or more . as mentioned earlier , the terpolymers of this invention are characterized by the presence of both ester and amide linkages between the monomeric segments of the polymer . the term &# 34 ; monomeric segment &# 34 ; is intended to apply to the polymerized reaction product of a monomer , whether the reaction product is a single unit such as ## str10 ## or a block of several units such as ## str11 ## regarding the breadth of the terms &# 34 ; ester linkage &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; amide linkage &# 34 ;, the linkages can of course be composed of acyl groups other than carbonyl groups since the polyacyl linkage described above includes thiocarbonyl , sulfonyl , and phosphoryl groups as well as the more conventional carbonyl groups . the molecular weight of the terpolymers can vary widely from a number average molecular weight of just a few thousand to 1 million or higher . for thermoplastic uncrosslinked polymers , a preferred range for number average molecular weight is from about 10 or 20 , 000 to about 100 , 000 to 200 , 000 . if the polymers are crosslinked , the molecular weights of the polymers can be much higher in the range of 100 , 000 to several million . when block polymers are formed , the molecular weight of the polyol blocks is an important consideration in selecting preferred polymers within the scope of this invention . polyol blocks having a number average molecular weight of about 500 or 600 or more generally tend to have good low temperature properties . this lower level of molecular weight for the polyol blocks is subject to some variation insofar as low temperature properties can also be affected by the degree of block polymerization , the nature of the block polymer , i . e . ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of the lactam content to the polyol content , and the particular lactam and polyol present in the polymer . polyol segments having a molecular weight of at least 62 can also constitute a portion of the terpolymer as well as the polyol blocks having molecular weights of 500 to 600 or greater . for example , ethylene glycol as the polyol segment provides a terpolymer having improved tensile elongation and impact resistance . regarding a maximum molecular weight of the polyol blocks , preferred polymers have polyol blocks with a maximum number average molecular weight of about 6000 , and more preferably about 4000 . above these levels the polyol prepolymer tends to exhibit a reduced hydroxyl functionality , due to unsaturation , thereby making more difficult the incorporation of polyol into the polymer . in addition to the three principal monomeric constituents which together produce the terpolymers of this invention , other polymerizable monomers can also be used to prepare polymers having four or more polymerizable constituents . as an example , if the polyol constituent of a terpolymer of this invention is polybutadiene diol , the resultant terpolymer could be , after the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymerization , subsequently reacted with a vinyl compound such as styrene to crosslink the polymer through its vinyl unsaturation . still other monomers could be chosen which could be polymerized directly into a linear polymer chain . the quantity of such additional monomers could be very large , even as great as 50 % or more of the total polymerizable constituents but preferably is limited to quantities of 25 % or less of the total monomer content . the polymers prepared according to this invention exhibit a broad range of properties which can be adjusted to provide compositions particularly well adapted for a specified end use . in addition to crosslinking , adjustment of polymer structure , and molecular weight adjustment of polymer blocks , other means of varying the properties of the polymers can also be employed . crystallinity of the polymers , which can be present in the lactam segments of the polymers , can be increased or decreased by variation of polymerization temperatures . since any crystallinity in the polymers of this invention is largely present in the lactam segments of the polymer , variation of the lactam content of the polymer can also result in a variation of polymer crystallinity . polymers with relatively high degrees of crystallinity tend to be strong , rigid polymers whereas those with little or no crystallinity are more elastomeric in nature . as mentioned earlier , the type of lactam , polyol and polyacyl lactam components can also affect the properties of the finished polymer . as an example , polyethylene glycol polymer segments tend to produce polymers with a high water absorptivity whereas polypropylene glycol or polytetramethylene glycol polymer segments produce polymers with comparatively low water absorptivities . as another example , caprolactam polymer segments in the polymers of this invention produce polymers which are stronger and more rigid than homologous polymers containing segments of a higher lactam such as capryllactam or dodecanolactam . even more significantly , use of a lactam will yield an essentially linear polymer whereas use of a tris or tetrakislactam will result in a branched or crosslinked terpolymer . similarly bis - lactams can be employed to produce a branched or crosslinked polymer . high crosslinked polymer can be made through the use of polyols having more than two hydroxy groups . with all the foregoing techniques available for modifying and adjusting the properties of the polymers of this invention , it can be appreciated that the polymers can be used in a number of end use applications . one such use is a textile fiber . throughout the entire range of ratios of polymeric components , from polymers containing very little polyether component to those containing a large amount , the polymers have properties which make them useful as textile fibers . in addition to being the sole constitutent of a textile fiber , the terpolymers can also be used as one component in a composite or conjugate fiber . it is contemplated that conjugate fibers of nylon and the terpolymers of this invention will be particularly useful in a number of textile and other applications . other textile applications for the terpolymers include their use in the manufacture of non - woven fabrics and as high moisture regain fibers . the terpolymers can also be manufactured into foamed articles , either during or after their polymerization , to produce rigid and flexible foams . because of their method of preparation directly from the monomeric components , the polymers can be prepared in large shapes such as furniture and furniture components and automobile parts . the terpolymers can also be produced in the form of molding resins which can subsequently be molded by injection molding , extruding , thermoforming or other techniques to produce products of virtually any shape . the more highly elastomeric compositions can be used in manufacture of automobile tires and tire components . the polymers can also be modified with fillers , fibers , pigments , dyes , stabilizers , plasticizers , flame retardant and other polymeric modifiers to alter their properties and thereby enlarge even further the scope of their applicability . one such modification comprises reinforcing the polymers with fillers or fibers which have been treated with coupling agents capable of increasing the bonding of the fillers or fibers to the polymer molecules . a large number of organosilane compounds have been found to be especially capable of performing this task of improving adhesion between polymer and filler or fiber . examples of some suitable organosilane couplers for use with the polymers of this invention include 3 - aminopropyl triethoxysilane , glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane and n - trimethoxysilylpropyl - n - beta - amino - ethyl - amine . preferred fillers and fibers include quartz , wollastonite , feldspar , calcined kaolin clay , glass fibers and other high performance fibers such as graphite , boron , steel and the like . the concentrations of fillers and fibers can vary from very small amounts such as one or two volume percent up to 70 or 80 volume percent or more . the terpolymers are prepared by either initiating the anionic catalyzed polymerization of lactam with a polyether - polyester prepolymer initiator , or the formation of the initiator from dicarboxylic acid esters and aliphatic polyols or aliphatic polyether polyols in the presence of lactam as a reaction solvent , followed by the anionic catalyzed polymerization of the lactam . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for the terpolymer is presented as a result of the following formulation schematic of a typical process according to the invention . ## str12 ## where x and b are integers equal to at least one ; z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 carbon atoms ; and r is a divalent hydrocarbon ; and n is an integer equal to one or more . the foregoing illustration represents only one typical formulated schematic of the inventive process and terpolymer produced thereby , and should not be construed as the only process and / or terpolymer afforded by this invention . the polyether - polyester prepolymer initiators result from the transesterification of aliphatic polyols and / or aliphatic polyether polyols and dicarboxylic acid esters . the dicarboxylic acid esters or dialkyl esters useful in the prepolymer formation have the general formula : ## str13 ## wherein r &# 39 ; is an alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , 2 - ethyl hexyl and the like , alkenyls , aryls and mixtures thereof ; d is an integer ; and when the radical ## spc1 ## and the like . specific dialkyl esters according to the above formula include , for example , dialkylaryloates such as dimethyl terephthalate and dimethyl isophthalate ; and dialkylalkanoates such as diethyl sebacate , dibutyl adipate , diethyloxalate and the like . the catalysts used as catalyst i in the foregoing illustration of a typical formulated schematic of the inventive process are transesterification prepolymer catalyst , for example alkali metals and alkaline earth metals , zinc , cadmium , manganese , iron , nickel , cobalt , tin , lanthanum , lead or bismuth or combinations thereof , salts such as calcium , manganese , cobalt or zinc acetate , lithium hydride , sodium alcoholates , zinc succinate or zinc acetyl acetonate , oxides such as lead oxide ( pbo ), antimony oxide ( sb 2 o 3 ), or germanium oxide ( geo 2 ), magnesium methoxide , and combinations such as antimony trioxide / manganese acetate or antimony trioxide / titanium dioxide . other suitable catalyst include caprolactam magnesium bromide , and selected grignard agents , for example , ethyl magnesium bromide . catalyst i is used in quantities of from about 0 . 005 to about 0 . 2 % by weight , preferably about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 10 % by weight based on the quantity of dicarboxylic acid ester . polymerization temperatures can vary from the melting point of the lactam or less up to the melting point of the resultant polymer or more . depending upon the particular ingredients being used , this can encompass a range from 70 ° to 230 ° c or more . preferred polymerization temperatures are from about 90 ° to about 190 ° c and more preferably from about 120 ° to about 180 ° c for caprolactam terpolymers . such a technique produces desired polymerization of a terpolymer having high strength and modulus . times required for complete polymerization will vary considerably depending upon polymerization temperatures and the specific ingredients used in the polymerization system . polymerization time varies from at least about one minute , preferably from 1 to 30 minutes , and can be extended to any duration up to several days or more . generally , polymerization times of from 1 to 30 minutes are preferred for most polymerization systems . the lactam monomer , dicarboxylic acid ester and polyol used in the polymerization have both been described in ample detail above . the lactam polymerization catalyst ( catalyst ii ) useful herein includes that class of compounds commonly recognized as suitable basic catalysts for the anhydrous polymerization of lactams . in general , all alkali or alkaline earth metals are effective catalysts either in the metallic form or in the form of hydrides , halohydrides , alkylhalides , oxides , hydroxides , carbonates and the like . also useful are a number of organometallic compounds of the metals mentioned above such as metal alkyls , metal phenyls , metal amides and the like . examples include sodium hydride , potassium hydroxide , lithium oxide , ethyl magnesium bromide , calcium fluorohydride , strontium carbonate , barium hydroxide , methyl sodium buthyl lithium , potassium phenyl , diphenyl barium , sodium amide and magnesium diethyl . all of the foregoing compounds react with the lactam monomer to form the metal lactam , which is the active catalytic agent in the lactam polymerization mechanism . the metal lactam catalyst can therefore be formed in situ by reaction of one of the foregoing metals or metal compounds with lactam monomer in the polymerization medium or by prior reaction of the metal or metal compound with a stoichiometric quantity of lactam monomer . examples of metal lactam catalysts include sodium caprolactam , bromomagnesium caprolactam , magnesium caprolactam , bromomagnesium pyrrolidinone , chlorocalcium caprolactam and the like . catalyst concentrations can range from a fraction of one mole percent to 15 or 20 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer to be polymerized . the polyacyl linkage , as well as the ester and amide linkages , are incorporated into the polymer chain through the reaction of the polyacyl alkoxide with the lactam and polyol constituents . in the formula set forth above for the polyacyl alkoxide useful herein , the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having the necessary number of available valences to bond to itself all of the acyl groups included in the compound . the hydrocarbon group can be of any size but preferably contains a maximum of eight or ten carbon atoms . examples of suitable r groups include phenylene , biphenylene , methylene , hexylene , tolylene , and analogous hydrocarbons having more than two sites available for bonding to acyl groups . the amount of polyacyl alkoxide useful in the preparation of the terpolymers of this invention depends upon the quantities of lactam and polyol being used . for preferred polymerizations , it is desirable that the polyacyl alkoxide be present in an amount from 100 to about 500 , preferably from about 100 to about 200 , equivalent percent of the polyol . if the polyacyl alkoxide is present in an amount less than a molecularly equivalent amount based on the polyol , polyol prepolymer formation occurs , but the subsequent lactam polymerization is very slow . in those preferred polymerization systems where the polyacyl alkoxide concentration exceeds the amount stoichiometrically equivalent to the polyol , the excess can be from 0 . 01 to about 30 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer . a preferred range is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 mole percent of the lactam monomer , and more preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 5 mole percent of the lactam monomer . the lactam and polyol can be present in any relative proportions ranging up to 99 parts of either component to 1 part of the other . preferred ratios of the two polymer - forming materials depend upon the end use to which the finished polymer is to be put . for end use applications requiring strong rigid materials , the lactam content of the polymerizable medium should be relatively high such as 60 or 80 or even 90 % or more lactam . for other applications where elastomeric properties such as high elongation or where water absorption is desirable , the relative proportions of the two monomers can be reversed so that the polymerizable medium will contain 60 or 80 or 90 % or more of the polyol compound . where water absorption is desired , polyethylene glycol can be used as the major polyol compound . polymers containing about equal quantities of both lactam and polyol are preferred for a great many uses because of the advantageous combination of properties achieved by such polymers . three terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 1 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric polyol was heated under vacuum at 125 °- 180 ° for 30 minutes to dry . the transesterification prepolymer catalyst and dmt were added and the mixture stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 ° c . intermittently a slight stream of nitrogen was allowed to pass through the reactor to remove evolved methanol . after 40 minutes reaction time the mixture was evacuated for 5 - 10 minutes . to the resulting prepolymer was added caprolactam and santowhite powder . the temperature of the resulting prepolymer - caprolactam solution was adjusted to 160 ° c and grignard reagent added . the mixture was evacuated for 2 - 3 minutes to remove ether and ethane . the vacuum was released to nitrogen and the catalyzed prepolymer solution poured into a vertical mold of 10 inches × 10 inches × 1 / 8 inch dimensions which had been heated to 160 ° c . after an hour the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ prepolymer catalyst glycol used dmt . sup . 4 caprolactam swp . sup . 5 grignard . sup . 6process type amount compound gms gms gms . gms . ml . __________________________________________________________________________a magnesium acetate . sup . 1 0 . 4 ml polymeg . sup . 3 2000 117 15 . 5 273 2 5 tetraisopropyl orthotitanate . sup . 2 0 . 08 mlb tetrabutyl orthotitanate 0 . 063 ml carbowax . sup . 7 4000 90 7 . 0 205 1 . 5 5c zinc acetate 0 . 2 gm &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 90 7 . 7 205 1 . 5 5__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 0 . 1 molar in methanol . sup . 2 0 . 8 molar in 2 . propanol . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 5 santowhite powder . sup . 6 ethyl magnesium bromide 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 7 polyethylene glycol table 2______________________________________ tensile fail tensile strength % modulusterpolymer psi elongation psi______________________________________a - 30 % ptmg 6530 720 47 , 000b - 30 % peg 7000 520 57 , 000c - 30 % peg 6800 550 101 , 000______________________________________ five polyethylene glycol terpolymers were prepared from polyester prepolymers formed in caprolactam solution . the quantities of ingredients and the various transesterification catalysts used are listed in table 3 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric glycol , caprolactam and santowhite powder were heated under vacuum to distil 25 ml . caprolactam . ( in process f and g , cadmium acetate dihydrate and zinc acetate dihydrate were added prior to caprolactam distillation . in the remaining processes , the transesterification catalyst was added after caprolactam distillation .) after the initial distillation of caprolactam , a reflux condenser was attached to the reaction flask and a vacuum take off with a dry ice cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . the dmt and transesterification catalyst were added and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam at a temperature of 110 °- 140 ° c . progress of the reaction was followed by measurement of evolved methanol . after methanol evolution had ceased , the temperature of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 130 ° c and 5 ml . grignard reagent catalyst added . the reaction flask was evacuated for 2 minutes to remove ether and ethane and the vacuum released to nitrogen atmosphere . the catalyzed mixture was poured into a 160 ° c mold described in example 1 . after 1 hr the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymer are reported in table 4 . table 3______________________________________ reactants carbowax . sup . 1 4000 - 90 gms caprolactam 229 gms santowhite powder 1 . 5 gms dmt . sup . 2 7 . 7 gmsii transesterification catalystterpolymer d grignard . sup . 3 0 . 6 mlterpolymer e aluminum iso - propoxide 0 . 2 gmterpolymer f cadmium acetate 0 . 26 gm &# 34 ; g zinc acetate 0 . 22 gm &# 34 ; h magnesium methoxide . sup . 4 0 . 9 mliii copolymerization catalyst - grignard . sup . 3 5 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polyethylene glycol . sup . 2 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . . sup . 4 1 molar in methanol table 4______________________________________tensile yield tensile fail tensileter - strength % elon - strength % moduluspolymer psi gation psi elongation psi______________________________________d 6200 507 84 , 000e 3700 15 5900 470 62 , 400f 3700 25 6200 497 68 , 000g 3800 20 6100 477 78 , 000h 3700 25 6500 518 91 , 500______________________________________ several terpolymers were prepared employing different types and quantities of glycols . the terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 5 . the transesterification reaction and copolymerization with caprolactam were run according to procedures described in example 2 . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 6 . table 5__________________________________________________________________________glycol used prepolymer % in catalyst gms gms gms caprolactam stabilizer ml . process material copolymer material amount glycol dmt . sup . 1 charge distilled material gms grignard . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________i polymeg . sup . 3 2000 30 grignard . sup . 2 0 . 6 ml 90 10 . 2 227 25 swp . sup . 4 1 . 5j polymeg . sup . 3 2000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 5 1 ml 150 16 . 0 164 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 4 . 5k polymeg 1000 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 19 . 6 221 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0l polymeg 1000 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 24 . 5 188 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0m polymeg 650 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 28 . 0 216 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0n polymeg 650 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 36 . 8 155 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0o polymeg 1000 21 62 . 5 butane diol 6 grignard 0 . 6 ml 17 . 1 50 . 2 196 . 3 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0p polyglycol . sup . 6 e - 6000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 150 5 . 0 171 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0q polyglycol e - 1450 50 zinc acetate 5 gm . 1500 220 . 2 1446 100 flectol - h 1 . 5 35r niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 90 10 . 8 227 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0s niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 40 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 120 13 . 7 195 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0t polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 5 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 11 ml 150 109 . 6 1975 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50u polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 10 13 ml 300 124 . 3 1814 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50v polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 15 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 14 ml 450 139 . 0 1655 100 dnpd 6 50w voranol 2000 . sup . 9 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 7 . 7 229 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0x voranol 2000 . sup . 9 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 0 . 9 ml 150 15 . 3 164 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 2 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 santowhite powder . sup . 5 magnesium methoxide - 1 molar in methanol . sup . 6 polyethylene glycol . sup . 7 polycaprolactone diol . sup . 8 n , n &# 39 ;- dl - 2 - naphthyl - p - phenylene diamine . sup . 9 polypropylene glycol table 6__________________________________________________________________________ tensile yield tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % strength % modulusprocesscomposition psi elongation psi elongation psi__________________________________________________________________________i 30 % ptmg 2000 4600 50 6870 533 89 , 400j 50 % ptmg 2000 4850 773 26 , 000k 30 % ptmg 1000 4700 60 5980 533 82 , 800l 40 % ptmg 1000 5190 776 25 , 700m 30 % ptmg 650 5850 685 38 , 300n 40 % ptmg 650 3100 754 15 , 400o 21 % ptmg 1000 2720 156 6 , 5006 % butane diolp 50 % peg 6000 3260 14 4400 588 61 , 000q 50 % peg 1450 2270 * 250 * r 30 % polycaprolactone 2700 29 7100 715 40 , 000s 40 % polycaprolactone 2300 60 4000 650 27 , 200t 30 % ptmg 2000 6900 * 470 * 5 % polycaprolactoneu 30 % ptmg 2000 5200 * 473 * 10 % polycaprolactonev 30 % ptmg 2000 5000 * 530 * 15 % polycaprolactonew 30 % ppg 4790 340 82 , 800x 50 % ppg 3190 482 28 , 800__________________________________________________________________________ * tensile data for extruded strand two terpolymers were prepared from polyester synthesized from an aliphatic dibasic ester using the quantities of ingredients specified in the following table : table 7______________________________________terpolymer process y z______________________________________glycol used polymeg . sup . 1 2000 polymeg . sup . 1 1000reactantsgms . glycol 90 90gms . santowhite powder 1 . 5 1 . 5gms . caprolactam charged 225 218gms . caprolactam distilled 25 25gms . diethyl sebacate 13 . 2 24 . 5ml . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 0 . 9 1 . 0ml . grignard . sup . 3 5 . 0 5 . 0______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide -- 3 molar in diethyl ether . the terpolymers were prepared according to the procedure described in example 2 . tensile properties of the terpolymers are reported in the following table : table 8______________________________________ tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % modulusprocess composition psi elongation psi______________________________________y 30 % ptmg 2000 7200 575 81 , 400z 30 % ptmg 1000 5600 516 62 , 800______________________________________ the following example 5 is a calculated example of a predictable cross - linked terpolymer which could be prepared by the inventive process . a crosslinked terpolymer is prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 9 . table 9______________________________________material amount______________________________________polymeg . sup . 1 2000 90 gm . caprolactam 214 gm . santowhite powder 1 . 5 gm . dimethyl terephthalate 6 . 9 gm . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 1 ml . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam 3 . 2 gm . bmc . sup . 3 23 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 bromo magnesium caprolactam -- 0 . 4 molar in caprolactam the caprolactam , polymeg 2000 , and santowhite poweder are heated under vacuum to distil 25 gms . caprolactam in order to dry the mixture . a reflux condenser is attached to the reactor with a dry ice - cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . dimethyl terephthalate and mg ( och 3 ) 2 added to the mixture and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam . progress of the transesterification reaction is followed by measurement of evolved methanol condensed in the dry ice - cooled receiver . when methanol evolution has stopped , the reactor vacuum is released to nitrogen and 0 . 5 ml water added to destroy the magnesium methoxide catalyst . the reflux is replaced with a distilling head and the mixture re - evacuated to distil 10 ml . caprolactam to re - dry . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam is added and dissolved , and the mixture cooled to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast into a vertical mold ( described in example 1 ) which has been heated to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast by means of a metering pump . the bmc catalyst is injected into the stream by means of a second metering pump and the streams mixed by a kenics static mixer . after casting is complete , the mold is heated to 160 ° c over a 15 minute period and held at 160 ° c for an additional 45 minutes , after which the mold is opened and the sample removed . | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 9dd27a9e0515885e1f5a8660988491a4509e2a60f725962d0e0683c2b99b7d71 | 0.546875 | 0.006683 | 0.625 | 0.002548 | 0.40625 | 0.192383 |
null | the polymerized lactam component of the above polymers is formed from cyclic monomeric lactams of the formula ## str1 ## where y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 , and more preferably from about 5 to about 11 carbon atoms . a preferred monomer is ε - caprolactam . lactam monomers in addition to ε - caprolactam include alpha - pyrrolidinone , piperidone , valerolactam , caprolactams other than the ε - isomer , capryllactam , lauryllactam and the like . in addition to lactams unsubstituted on their carbon chains , lactams having substituents on the carbon chain which do not inhibit or otherwise adversely affect the polymerization of the lactam are also included within the scope of the invention . during polymerization the cyclic lactam ring is opened to provide the following monomeric unit ## str2 ## which , together with other lactam molecules , produces a polymeric block of the formula ## str3 ## where x is an integer greater than one . the monomeric lactam unit can also react with the polyacyl alkoxide . similarly , a polylactam block , when joined with a polyacyl unit forms a polymer segment of the formula ## str4 ## where r is a hydrocarbon group described hereinbelow , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups , x is an integer greater than one , y is an integer equal to or greater than one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . thirdly , in the course of the polymerization of the components described above , a polyol can react with the polymerizable lactam unit or block to produce a polymer segment of the formula ## str5 ## where x and n are integers equal to at least one and where z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group which , together with the oxygen atom attached thereto , forms a polyether or polyester segment of a polymer molecule . the z hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon and acylated hydrocarbon groups can be of any size even polymeric such as polybutadiene , generally limited to about six carbon atoms , said groups being preferably alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof . even more preferred are unsubstituted aliphatic groups such as methylene , ethylene , propylene , butylene and the like . other suitable z groups include phenylene , chlorophenylene , tolylene , isobutylene , isopropylene , ethylcarbonyl , propylcarbonyl , ethylsulfonyl , propylthiocarbonyl and the like . the preference indicated above for unsubstituted aliphatic z groups means that terpolymers of this invention which contain polyether segments are preferred over other embodiments which contain polyester segments . in preferred aspects of this invention , it is theorized that the lactam is present in the polymer in the form of polylactam blocks which are alternated with blocks of polyol and polyol segments to form the polymer . the polylactam blocks when present can be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the polymerized polyol components of the polymers of this invention are formed from polyol intermediates having at least two hydroxy groups . available commercial polyols of this class are produced by reacting , for example , propylene oxide or ethylene oxide with glycols , glycerol , pentaerythritol , glucose , amines , and the like . included within the scope of the above class are a large number of suitable compounds ranging from the simple diols such as ethylene glycol to complex polymeric polyols such as poly ( ε - caprolactone ) diol . other polyol compounds include alkylene glycols such as diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , tetramethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , hexylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - hexanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , butylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , dicyclopentadiene glycol , heptaethylene glycol and isopropylidene bis ( p - phenyleneoxypropanol - 2 ); diols other than alkylene glycols such as pyrocatechol , resorcinol , hydroquinone , hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate ; polyols having more than two hydroxy functions such as glycerol , pentaerythritol , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , 1 - trimethylol propane , pyrogallol and phloroglucinol ; polymeric polyols such as polyethylene glycols , polypropylene glycols , polyoxypropylene diols and triols , castor oils , polybutadiene glycols and polyester glycols , and a large number of compounds containing substituents other than hydroxy groups such as 2 , 4 - dichlorobutylene glycol and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- 4 , 4 &# 39 ; bis ( chlorohydroxyphenyl ) ether . in addition to all the hydroxy compounds set forth above , the thio compounds analogous to the above compounds having sulfur atoms in place of oxygen are also included within the scope of the invention . a few examples include hydroxyethyl thioglycolate , ethylene glycol bis -( thioglycolate ), pentaerythritol tetrakis -( thioglycolate ) and thiodiglycol . if the polyol intermediate is a polymer , the molecular weight of the polyol can be any amount . commercially available polymeric polyol compounds have molecular weights from 200 to 5000 , but polymers with molecular weights outside that range are also useful in the practice of the instant invention . if the polyol intermediate or segment is a single molecule having at least two hydroxy groups such as ethylene glycol , a suitable polyol segment according to the invention would have a molecular weight of at least 62 . the third component of the terpolymers of this invention has the following structural configuration in the polymer chain : where r is a hydrocarbon group , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl radicals , y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having at least two valence bonds for attachment to the acyl groups shown in the above formula . examples include functional groups obtained by the removal of hydrogen atoms from methane , ethane , propane , hexane , dodecane , benzene , toluene , cyclohexane and the like . the polyvalent r group can be of any size but is preferably limited to about 20 carbon atoms , and more preferably about eight carbon atoms . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is one , the linkage will be a diacyl group . the a group can be any acyl group and preferably are ## str6 ## groups . most preferred among the above groups is the carbonyl group . values for the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; have a direct relationship to the thermoplasticity of the terpolymer . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is greater than one , the linkage will be a higher polyacyl . the higher the value of &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, the more highly crosslinked will be the finished polymer . values for &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; can be as high as six or eight , but more preferably do not exceed two or three . the polymerized product comprising the aforementioned components can have a number of different structures depending upon the process conditions and the relative proportions of ingredients used in the reaction system . polymers can be prepared having relatively small segments of lactam units joined to similarly short segments of polyol units through the polyacyl linkage described above . or large segments of one polymeric component can be combined with a larger number of comparatively small segments of another polymeric unit , which small segments are joined to one another through the polyacyl linkage as well as to the other type of polymeric component . or segments of varying sizes of both the lactam and the polyol polymeric units can be combined through the polyacyl components to form a highly random terpolymer . another form of polymer within the scope of this invention are block polymers , where moderately large size blocks or segments of the lactam and polyol polymeric units are positioned alternately in the polymer chain and joined through the polyacyl group described above . if the polyacyl linkages are , for purposes of simplification , considered to be a part of either a lactam or polyol block , then the block polymers of this invention can be discussed in terms of two alternating blocks designated as a and b blocks , instead of in terms of complicated patterns of three blocks designated as a , b and c blocks . block polymers prepared according to this invention can have three general structural configurations , ab , aba and a repeating pattern of ab segments . following a general characterization of a block copolymer prepared within the scope of this invention as ab , aba or repeating ab , it should be recognized that the exact structural configuration may vary somewhat from the general characterization of the polymer . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for a lactam - polyolpolyacyl lactam block terpolymer of the repeating ab type could be ## str7 ## where y , x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, n and w are all integers equal to one or more ; b is an integer equal to zero or one ; r is a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least three carbon atoms ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups ; and r &# 39 ; is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than an aromatic radical . if for instance y is a straight chained alkylene group , a and a &# 39 ; are carbonyl groups , z is ethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 --, and r is phenylene , the terpolymer would be a caprolactam - ethylene glycol polymer where the caprolactam segments of the polymer are joined to one another and to the ethylene glycol segments through terephthaloyl linkages . other lactam - polyol polymers , both of the ab , aba as well as the repeating ab type , will become immediately apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure . it should therefore be noted that the above structural formula is set forth for illustrative purpose only , and is not intended as a limitation of the polymers within the scope of the invention . when the polymers of this invention are of the aba type , where one block of one type of polymer segment is located between two blocks of the other type of polymer segment , the polymers can be of either the polyol - lactam - polyol type or the lactam - polyol - lactam type . of the two types , the latter is a preferred type of aba polymer . if the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymer is a block polymer , the polyol blocks can , like the polylactam blocks , be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the ratio of the number of lactam to polyol blocks can also vary . since the block polymers can be of either the type designated as ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of lactam blocks to polyol blocks can vary from 2 : 1 to 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 . mixtures of two or more block polymers having different ratios of the lactam and polyol blocks will produce ratios of polymer blocks intermediate between the above stated ratios . in the above theoretical formula for a lactam - polyol block terpolymer , the polyacyl linkage is represented as located between two lactam polymer segments as well as between a polyether segment and a lactam polymer segment . as a practical matter , the polyacyl linkages will also be located occasionally between two polyol blocks . it should be noted , moreover , that the polyacyl linkages need not invariably be positioned between lactam and polyol blocks since the necessary linkage can be provided in the form of an ester linkage by the oxygen atom of the polyether segment and the carbonyl group of a polylactam segment . following is a general characterization of the lactam polyolpolyacyl lactam terpolymer produced according to the invention . as an illustration , the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam terpolymer has the general formula : ## str8 ## wherein ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups selected from ## str9 ## r is a polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms ; y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one ; x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, and x &# 39 ;&# 34 ; are integers and the total number of x &# 39 ; s is equal to 2w + 2 ; and n and w are integers equal to one or more . as mentioned earlier , the terpolymers of this invention are characterized by the presence of both ester and amide linkages between the monomeric segments of the polymer . the term &# 34 ; monomeric segment &# 34 ; is intended to apply to the polymerized reaction product of a monomer , whether the reaction product is a single unit such as ## str10 ## or a block of several units such as ## str11 ## regarding the breadth of the terms &# 34 ; ester linkage &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; amide linkage &# 34 ;, the linkages can of course be composed of acyl groups other than carbonyl groups since the polyacyl linkage described above includes thiocarbonyl , sulfonyl , and phosphoryl groups as well as the more conventional carbonyl groups . the molecular weight of the terpolymers can vary widely from a number average molecular weight of just a few thousand to 1 million or higher . for thermoplastic uncrosslinked polymers , a preferred range for number average molecular weight is from about 10 or 20 , 000 to about 100 , 000 to 200 , 000 . if the polymers are crosslinked , the molecular weights of the polymers can be much higher in the range of 100 , 000 to several million . when block polymers are formed , the molecular weight of the polyol blocks is an important consideration in selecting preferred polymers within the scope of this invention . polyol blocks having a number average molecular weight of about 500 or 600 or more generally tend to have good low temperature properties . this lower level of molecular weight for the polyol blocks is subject to some variation insofar as low temperature properties can also be affected by the degree of block polymerization , the nature of the block polymer , i . e . ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of the lactam content to the polyol content , and the particular lactam and polyol present in the polymer . polyol segments having a molecular weight of at least 62 can also constitute a portion of the terpolymer as well as the polyol blocks having molecular weights of 500 to 600 or greater . for example , ethylene glycol as the polyol segment provides a terpolymer having improved tensile elongation and impact resistance . regarding a maximum molecular weight of the polyol blocks , preferred polymers have polyol blocks with a maximum number average molecular weight of about 6000 , and more preferably about 4000 . above these levels the polyol prepolymer tends to exhibit a reduced hydroxyl functionality , due to unsaturation , thereby making more difficult the incorporation of polyol into the polymer . in addition to the three principal monomeric constituents which together produce the terpolymers of this invention , other polymerizable monomers can also be used to prepare polymers having four or more polymerizable constituents . as an example , if the polyol constituent of a terpolymer of this invention is polybutadiene diol , the resultant terpolymer could be , after the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymerization , subsequently reacted with a vinyl compound such as styrene to crosslink the polymer through its vinyl unsaturation . still other monomers could be chosen which could be polymerized directly into a linear polymer chain . the quantity of such additional monomers could be very large , even as great as 50 % or more of the total polymerizable constituents but preferably is limited to quantities of 25 % or less of the total monomer content . the polymers prepared according to this invention exhibit a broad range of properties which can be adjusted to provide compositions particularly well adapted for a specified end use . in addition to crosslinking , adjustment of polymer structure , and molecular weight adjustment of polymer blocks , other means of varying the properties of the polymers can also be employed . crystallinity of the polymers , which can be present in the lactam segments of the polymers , can be increased or decreased by variation of polymerization temperatures . since any crystallinity in the polymers of this invention is largely present in the lactam segments of the polymer , variation of the lactam content of the polymer can also result in a variation of polymer crystallinity . polymers with relatively high degrees of crystallinity tend to be strong , rigid polymers whereas those with little or no crystallinity are more elastomeric in nature . as mentioned earlier , the type of lactam , polyol and polyacyl lactam components can also affect the properties of the finished polymer . as an example , polyethylene glycol polymer segments tend to produce polymers with a high water absorptivity whereas polypropylene glycol or polytetramethylene glycol polymer segments produce polymers with comparatively low water absorptivities . as another example , caprolactam polymer segments in the polymers of this invention produce polymers which are stronger and more rigid than homologous polymers containing segments of a higher lactam such as capryllactam or dodecanolactam . even more significantly , use of a lactam will yield an essentially linear polymer whereas use of a tris or tetrakislactam will result in a branched or crosslinked terpolymer . similarly bis - lactams can be employed to produce a branched or crosslinked polymer . high crosslinked polymer can be made through the use of polyols having more than two hydroxy groups . with all the foregoing techniques available for modifying and adjusting the properties of the polymers of this invention , it can be appreciated that the polymers can be used in a number of end use applications . one such use is a textile fiber . throughout the entire range of ratios of polymeric components , from polymers containing very little polyether component to those containing a large amount , the polymers have properties which make them useful as textile fibers . in addition to being the sole constitutent of a textile fiber , the terpolymers can also be used as one component in a composite or conjugate fiber . it is contemplated that conjugate fibers of nylon and the terpolymers of this invention will be particularly useful in a number of textile and other applications . other textile applications for the terpolymers include their use in the manufacture of non - woven fabrics and as high moisture regain fibers . the terpolymers can also be manufactured into foamed articles , either during or after their polymerization , to produce rigid and flexible foams . because of their method of preparation directly from the monomeric components , the polymers can be prepared in large shapes such as furniture and furniture components and automobile parts . the terpolymers can also be produced in the form of molding resins which can subsequently be molded by injection molding , extruding , thermoforming or other techniques to produce products of virtually any shape . the more highly elastomeric compositions can be used in manufacture of automobile tires and tire components . the polymers can also be modified with fillers , fibers , pigments , dyes , stabilizers , plasticizers , flame retardant and other polymeric modifiers to alter their properties and thereby enlarge even further the scope of their applicability . one such modification comprises reinforcing the polymers with fillers or fibers which have been treated with coupling agents capable of increasing the bonding of the fillers or fibers to the polymer molecules . a large number of organosilane compounds have been found to be especially capable of performing this task of improving adhesion between polymer and filler or fiber . examples of some suitable organosilane couplers for use with the polymers of this invention include 3 - aminopropyl triethoxysilane , glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane and n - trimethoxysilylpropyl - n - beta - amino - ethyl - amine . preferred fillers and fibers include quartz , wollastonite , feldspar , calcined kaolin clay , glass fibers and other high performance fibers such as graphite , boron , steel and the like . the concentrations of fillers and fibers can vary from very small amounts such as one or two volume percent up to 70 or 80 volume percent or more . the terpolymers are prepared by either initiating the anionic catalyzed polymerization of lactam with a polyether - polyester prepolymer initiator , or the formation of the initiator from dicarboxylic acid esters and aliphatic polyols or aliphatic polyether polyols in the presence of lactam as a reaction solvent , followed by the anionic catalyzed polymerization of the lactam . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for the terpolymer is presented as a result of the following formulation schematic of a typical process according to the invention . ## str12 ## where x and b are integers equal to at least one ; z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 carbon atoms ; and r is a divalent hydrocarbon ; and n is an integer equal to one or more . the foregoing illustration represents only one typical formulated schematic of the inventive process and terpolymer produced thereby , and should not be construed as the only process and / or terpolymer afforded by this invention . the polyether - polyester prepolymer initiators result from the transesterification of aliphatic polyols and / or aliphatic polyether polyols and dicarboxylic acid esters . the dicarboxylic acid esters or dialkyl esters useful in the prepolymer formation have the general formula : ## str13 ## wherein r &# 39 ; is an alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , 2 - ethyl hexyl and the like , alkenyls , aryls and mixtures thereof ; d is an integer ; and when the radical ## spc1 ## and the like . specific dialkyl esters according to the above formula include , for example , dialkylaryloates such as dimethyl terephthalate and dimethyl isophthalate ; and dialkylalkanoates such as diethyl sebacate , dibutyl adipate , diethyloxalate and the like . the catalysts used as catalyst i in the foregoing illustration of a typical formulated schematic of the inventive process are transesterification prepolymer catalyst , for example alkali metals and alkaline earth metals , zinc , cadmium , manganese , iron , nickel , cobalt , tin , lanthanum , lead or bismuth or combinations thereof , salts such as calcium , manganese , cobalt or zinc acetate , lithium hydride , sodium alcoholates , zinc succinate or zinc acetyl acetonate , oxides such as lead oxide ( pbo ), antimony oxide ( sb 2 o 3 ), or germanium oxide ( geo 2 ), magnesium methoxide , and combinations such as antimony trioxide / manganese acetate or antimony trioxide / titanium dioxide . other suitable catalyst include caprolactam magnesium bromide , and selected grignard agents , for example , ethyl magnesium bromide . catalyst i is used in quantities of from about 0 . 005 to about 0 . 2 % by weight , preferably about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 10 % by weight based on the quantity of dicarboxylic acid ester . polymerization temperatures can vary from the melting point of the lactam or less up to the melting point of the resultant polymer or more . depending upon the particular ingredients being used , this can encompass a range from 70 ° to 230 ° c or more . preferred polymerization temperatures are from about 90 ° to about 190 ° c and more preferably from about 120 ° to about 180 ° c for caprolactam terpolymers . such a technique produces desired polymerization of a terpolymer having high strength and modulus . times required for complete polymerization will vary considerably depending upon polymerization temperatures and the specific ingredients used in the polymerization system . polymerization time varies from at least about one minute , preferably from 1 to 30 minutes , and can be extended to any duration up to several days or more . generally , polymerization times of from 1 to 30 minutes are preferred for most polymerization systems . the lactam monomer , dicarboxylic acid ester and polyol used in the polymerization have both been described in ample detail above . the lactam polymerization catalyst ( catalyst ii ) useful herein includes that class of compounds commonly recognized as suitable basic catalysts for the anhydrous polymerization of lactams . in general , all alkali or alkaline earth metals are effective catalysts either in the metallic form or in the form of hydrides , halohydrides , alkylhalides , oxides , hydroxides , carbonates and the like . also useful are a number of organometallic compounds of the metals mentioned above such as metal alkyls , metal phenyls , metal amides and the like . examples include sodium hydride , potassium hydroxide , lithium oxide , ethyl magnesium bromide , calcium fluorohydride , strontium carbonate , barium hydroxide , methyl sodium buthyl lithium , potassium phenyl , diphenyl barium , sodium amide and magnesium diethyl . all of the foregoing compounds react with the lactam monomer to form the metal lactam , which is the active catalytic agent in the lactam polymerization mechanism . the metal lactam catalyst can therefore be formed in situ by reaction of one of the foregoing metals or metal compounds with lactam monomer in the polymerization medium or by prior reaction of the metal or metal compound with a stoichiometric quantity of lactam monomer . examples of metal lactam catalysts include sodium caprolactam , bromomagnesium caprolactam , magnesium caprolactam , bromomagnesium pyrrolidinone , chlorocalcium caprolactam and the like . catalyst concentrations can range from a fraction of one mole percent to 15 or 20 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer to be polymerized . the polyacyl linkage , as well as the ester and amide linkages , are incorporated into the polymer chain through the reaction of the polyacyl alkoxide with the lactam and polyol constituents . in the formula set forth above for the polyacyl alkoxide useful herein , the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having the necessary number of available valences to bond to itself all of the acyl groups included in the compound . the hydrocarbon group can be of any size but preferably contains a maximum of eight or ten carbon atoms . examples of suitable r groups include phenylene , biphenylene , methylene , hexylene , tolylene , and analogous hydrocarbons having more than two sites available for bonding to acyl groups . the amount of polyacyl alkoxide useful in the preparation of the terpolymers of this invention depends upon the quantities of lactam and polyol being used . for preferred polymerizations , it is desirable that the polyacyl alkoxide be present in an amount from 100 to about 500 , preferably from about 100 to about 200 , equivalent percent of the polyol . if the polyacyl alkoxide is present in an amount less than a molecularly equivalent amount based on the polyol , polyol prepolymer formation occurs , but the subsequent lactam polymerization is very slow . in those preferred polymerization systems where the polyacyl alkoxide concentration exceeds the amount stoichiometrically equivalent to the polyol , the excess can be from 0 . 01 to about 30 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer . a preferred range is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 mole percent of the lactam monomer , and more preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 5 mole percent of the lactam monomer . the lactam and polyol can be present in any relative proportions ranging up to 99 parts of either component to 1 part of the other . preferred ratios of the two polymer - forming materials depend upon the end use to which the finished polymer is to be put . for end use applications requiring strong rigid materials , the lactam content of the polymerizable medium should be relatively high such as 60 or 80 or even 90 % or more lactam . for other applications where elastomeric properties such as high elongation or where water absorption is desirable , the relative proportions of the two monomers can be reversed so that the polymerizable medium will contain 60 or 80 or 90 % or more of the polyol compound . where water absorption is desired , polyethylene glycol can be used as the major polyol compound . polymers containing about equal quantities of both lactam and polyol are preferred for a great many uses because of the advantageous combination of properties achieved by such polymers . three terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 1 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric polyol was heated under vacuum at 125 °- 180 ° for 30 minutes to dry . the transesterification prepolymer catalyst and dmt were added and the mixture stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 ° c . intermittently a slight stream of nitrogen was allowed to pass through the reactor to remove evolved methanol . after 40 minutes reaction time the mixture was evacuated for 5 - 10 minutes . to the resulting prepolymer was added caprolactam and santowhite powder . the temperature of the resulting prepolymer - caprolactam solution was adjusted to 160 ° c and grignard reagent added . the mixture was evacuated for 2 - 3 minutes to remove ether and ethane . the vacuum was released to nitrogen and the catalyzed prepolymer solution poured into a vertical mold of 10 inches × 10 inches × 1 / 8 inch dimensions which had been heated to 160 ° c . after an hour the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ prepolymer catalyst glycol used dmt . sup . 4 caprolactam swp . sup . 5 grignard . sup . 6process type amount compound gms gms gms . gms . ml . __________________________________________________________________________a magnesium acetate . sup . 1 0 . 4 ml polymeg . sup . 3 2000 117 15 . 5 273 2 5 tetraisopropyl orthotitanate . sup . 2 0 . 08 mlb tetrabutyl orthotitanate 0 . 063 ml carbowax . sup . 7 4000 90 7 . 0 205 1 . 5 5c zinc acetate 0 . 2 gm &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 90 7 . 7 205 1 . 5 5__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 0 . 1 molar in methanol . sup . 2 0 . 8 molar in 2 . propanol . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 5 santowhite powder . sup . 6 ethyl magnesium bromide 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 7 polyethylene glycol table 2______________________________________ tensile fail tensile strength % modulusterpolymer psi elongation psi______________________________________a - 30 % ptmg 6530 720 47 , 000b - 30 % peg 7000 520 57 , 000c - 30 % peg 6800 550 101 , 000______________________________________ five polyethylene glycol terpolymers were prepared from polyester prepolymers formed in caprolactam solution . the quantities of ingredients and the various transesterification catalysts used are listed in table 3 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric glycol , caprolactam and santowhite powder were heated under vacuum to distil 25 ml . caprolactam . ( in process f and g , cadmium acetate dihydrate and zinc acetate dihydrate were added prior to caprolactam distillation . in the remaining processes , the transesterification catalyst was added after caprolactam distillation .) after the initial distillation of caprolactam , a reflux condenser was attached to the reaction flask and a vacuum take off with a dry ice cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . the dmt and transesterification catalyst were added and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam at a temperature of 110 °- 140 ° c . progress of the reaction was followed by measurement of evolved methanol . after methanol evolution had ceased , the temperature of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 130 ° c and 5 ml . grignard reagent catalyst added . the reaction flask was evacuated for 2 minutes to remove ether and ethane and the vacuum released to nitrogen atmosphere . the catalyzed mixture was poured into a 160 ° c mold described in example 1 . after 1 hr the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymer are reported in table 4 . table 3______________________________________ reactants carbowax . sup . 1 4000 - 90 gms caprolactam 229 gms santowhite powder 1 . 5 gms dmt . sup . 2 7 . 7 gmsii transesterification catalystterpolymer d grignard . sup . 3 0 . 6 mlterpolymer e aluminum iso - propoxide 0 . 2 gmterpolymer f cadmium acetate 0 . 26 gm &# 34 ; g zinc acetate 0 . 22 gm &# 34 ; h magnesium methoxide . sup . 4 0 . 9 mliii copolymerization catalyst - grignard . sup . 3 5 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polyethylene glycol . sup . 2 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . . sup . 4 1 molar in methanol table 4______________________________________tensile yield tensile fail tensileter - strength % elon - strength % moduluspolymer psi gation psi elongation psi______________________________________d 6200 507 84 , 000e 3700 15 5900 470 62 , 400f 3700 25 6200 497 68 , 000g 3800 20 6100 477 78 , 000h 3700 25 6500 518 91 , 500______________________________________ several terpolymers were prepared employing different types and quantities of glycols . the terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 5 . the transesterification reaction and copolymerization with caprolactam were run according to procedures described in example 2 . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 6 . table 5__________________________________________________________________________glycol used prepolymer % in catalyst gms gms gms caprolactam stabilizer ml . process material copolymer material amount glycol dmt . sup . 1 charge distilled material gms grignard . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________i polymeg . sup . 3 2000 30 grignard . sup . 2 0 . 6 ml 90 10 . 2 227 25 swp . sup . 4 1 . 5j polymeg . sup . 3 2000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 5 1 ml 150 16 . 0 164 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 4 . 5k polymeg 1000 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 19 . 6 221 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0l polymeg 1000 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 24 . 5 188 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0m polymeg 650 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 28 . 0 216 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0n polymeg 650 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 36 . 8 155 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0o polymeg 1000 21 62 . 5 butane diol 6 grignard 0 . 6 ml 17 . 1 50 . 2 196 . 3 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0p polyglycol . sup . 6 e - 6000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 150 5 . 0 171 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0q polyglycol e - 1450 50 zinc acetate 5 gm . 1500 220 . 2 1446 100 flectol - h 1 . 5 35r niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 90 10 . 8 227 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0s niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 40 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 120 13 . 7 195 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0t polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 5 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 11 ml 150 109 . 6 1975 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50u polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 10 13 ml 300 124 . 3 1814 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50v polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 15 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 14 ml 450 139 . 0 1655 100 dnpd 6 50w voranol 2000 . sup . 9 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 7 . 7 229 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0x voranol 2000 . sup . 9 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 0 . 9 ml 150 15 . 3 164 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 2 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 santowhite powder . sup . 5 magnesium methoxide - 1 molar in methanol . sup . 6 polyethylene glycol . sup . 7 polycaprolactone diol . sup . 8 n , n &# 39 ;- dl - 2 - naphthyl - p - phenylene diamine . sup . 9 polypropylene glycol table 6__________________________________________________________________________ tensile yield tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % strength % modulusprocesscomposition psi elongation psi elongation psi__________________________________________________________________________i 30 % ptmg 2000 4600 50 6870 533 89 , 400j 50 % ptmg 2000 4850 773 26 , 000k 30 % ptmg 1000 4700 60 5980 533 82 , 800l 40 % ptmg 1000 5190 776 25 , 700m 30 % ptmg 650 5850 685 38 , 300n 40 % ptmg 650 3100 754 15 , 400o 21 % ptmg 1000 2720 156 6 , 5006 % butane diolp 50 % peg 6000 3260 14 4400 588 61 , 000q 50 % peg 1450 2270 * 250 * r 30 % polycaprolactone 2700 29 7100 715 40 , 000s 40 % polycaprolactone 2300 60 4000 650 27 , 200t 30 % ptmg 2000 6900 * 470 * 5 % polycaprolactoneu 30 % ptmg 2000 5200 * 473 * 10 % polycaprolactonev 30 % ptmg 2000 5000 * 530 * 15 % polycaprolactonew 30 % ppg 4790 340 82 , 800x 50 % ppg 3190 482 28 , 800__________________________________________________________________________ * tensile data for extruded strand two terpolymers were prepared from polyester synthesized from an aliphatic dibasic ester using the quantities of ingredients specified in the following table : table 7______________________________________terpolymer process y z______________________________________glycol used polymeg . sup . 1 2000 polymeg . sup . 1 1000reactantsgms . glycol 90 90gms . santowhite powder 1 . 5 1 . 5gms . caprolactam charged 225 218gms . caprolactam distilled 25 25gms . diethyl sebacate 13 . 2 24 . 5ml . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 0 . 9 1 . 0ml . grignard . sup . 3 5 . 0 5 . 0______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide -- 3 molar in diethyl ether . the terpolymers were prepared according to the procedure described in example 2 . tensile properties of the terpolymers are reported in the following table : table 8______________________________________ tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % modulusprocess composition psi elongation psi______________________________________y 30 % ptmg 2000 7200 575 81 , 400z 30 % ptmg 1000 5600 516 62 , 800______________________________________ the following example 5 is a calculated example of a predictable cross - linked terpolymer which could be prepared by the inventive process . a crosslinked terpolymer is prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 9 . table 9______________________________________material amount______________________________________polymeg . sup . 1 2000 90 gm . caprolactam 214 gm . santowhite powder 1 . 5 gm . dimethyl terephthalate 6 . 9 gm . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 1 ml . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam 3 . 2 gm . bmc . sup . 3 23 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 bromo magnesium caprolactam -- 0 . 4 molar in caprolactam the caprolactam , polymeg 2000 , and santowhite poweder are heated under vacuum to distil 25 gms . caprolactam in order to dry the mixture . a reflux condenser is attached to the reactor with a dry ice - cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . dimethyl terephthalate and mg ( och 3 ) 2 added to the mixture and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam . progress of the transesterification reaction is followed by measurement of evolved methanol condensed in the dry ice - cooled receiver . when methanol evolution has stopped , the reactor vacuum is released to nitrogen and 0 . 5 ml water added to destroy the magnesium methoxide catalyst . the reflux is replaced with a distilling head and the mixture re - evacuated to distil 10 ml . caprolactam to re - dry . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam is added and dissolved , and the mixture cooled to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast into a vertical mold ( described in example 1 ) which has been heated to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast by means of a metering pump . the bmc catalyst is injected into the stream by means of a second metering pump and the streams mixed by a kenics static mixer . after casting is complete , the mold is heated to 160 ° c over a 15 minute period and held at 160 ° c for an additional 45 minutes , after which the mold is opened and the sample removed . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 9dd27a9e0515885e1f5a8660988491a4509e2a60f725962d0e0683c2b99b7d71 | 0.474609 | 0.263672 | 0.566406 | 0.204102 | 0.474609 | 0.519531 |
null | the polymerized lactam component of the above polymers is formed from cyclic monomeric lactams of the formula ## str1 ## where y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 , and more preferably from about 5 to about 11 carbon atoms . a preferred monomer is ε - caprolactam . lactam monomers in addition to ε - caprolactam include alpha - pyrrolidinone , piperidone , valerolactam , caprolactams other than the ε - isomer , capryllactam , lauryllactam and the like . in addition to lactams unsubstituted on their carbon chains , lactams having substituents on the carbon chain which do not inhibit or otherwise adversely affect the polymerization of the lactam are also included within the scope of the invention . during polymerization the cyclic lactam ring is opened to provide the following monomeric unit ## str2 ## which , together with other lactam molecules , produces a polymeric block of the formula ## str3 ## where x is an integer greater than one . the monomeric lactam unit can also react with the polyacyl alkoxide . similarly , a polylactam block , when joined with a polyacyl unit forms a polymer segment of the formula ## str4 ## where r is a hydrocarbon group described hereinbelow , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups , x is an integer greater than one , y is an integer equal to or greater than one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . thirdly , in the course of the polymerization of the components described above , a polyol can react with the polymerizable lactam unit or block to produce a polymer segment of the formula ## str5 ## where x and n are integers equal to at least one and where z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group which , together with the oxygen atom attached thereto , forms a polyether or polyester segment of a polymer molecule . the z hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon and acylated hydrocarbon groups can be of any size even polymeric such as polybutadiene , generally limited to about six carbon atoms , said groups being preferably alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof . even more preferred are unsubstituted aliphatic groups such as methylene , ethylene , propylene , butylene and the like . other suitable z groups include phenylene , chlorophenylene , tolylene , isobutylene , isopropylene , ethylcarbonyl , propylcarbonyl , ethylsulfonyl , propylthiocarbonyl and the like . the preference indicated above for unsubstituted aliphatic z groups means that terpolymers of this invention which contain polyether segments are preferred over other embodiments which contain polyester segments . in preferred aspects of this invention , it is theorized that the lactam is present in the polymer in the form of polylactam blocks which are alternated with blocks of polyol and polyol segments to form the polymer . the polylactam blocks when present can be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the polymerized polyol components of the polymers of this invention are formed from polyol intermediates having at least two hydroxy groups . available commercial polyols of this class are produced by reacting , for example , propylene oxide or ethylene oxide with glycols , glycerol , pentaerythritol , glucose , amines , and the like . included within the scope of the above class are a large number of suitable compounds ranging from the simple diols such as ethylene glycol to complex polymeric polyols such as poly ( ε - caprolactone ) diol . other polyol compounds include alkylene glycols such as diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , tetramethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , hexylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - hexanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , butylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , dicyclopentadiene glycol , heptaethylene glycol and isopropylidene bis ( p - phenyleneoxypropanol - 2 ); diols other than alkylene glycols such as pyrocatechol , resorcinol , hydroquinone , hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate ; polyols having more than two hydroxy functions such as glycerol , pentaerythritol , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , 1 - trimethylol propane , pyrogallol and phloroglucinol ; polymeric polyols such as polyethylene glycols , polypropylene glycols , polyoxypropylene diols and triols , castor oils , polybutadiene glycols and polyester glycols , and a large number of compounds containing substituents other than hydroxy groups such as 2 , 4 - dichlorobutylene glycol and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- 4 , 4 &# 39 ; bis ( chlorohydroxyphenyl ) ether . in addition to all the hydroxy compounds set forth above , the thio compounds analogous to the above compounds having sulfur atoms in place of oxygen are also included within the scope of the invention . a few examples include hydroxyethyl thioglycolate , ethylene glycol bis -( thioglycolate ), pentaerythritol tetrakis -( thioglycolate ) and thiodiglycol . if the polyol intermediate is a polymer , the molecular weight of the polyol can be any amount . commercially available polymeric polyol compounds have molecular weights from 200 to 5000 , but polymers with molecular weights outside that range are also useful in the practice of the instant invention . if the polyol intermediate or segment is a single molecule having at least two hydroxy groups such as ethylene glycol , a suitable polyol segment according to the invention would have a molecular weight of at least 62 . the third component of the terpolymers of this invention has the following structural configuration in the polymer chain : where r is a hydrocarbon group , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl radicals , y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having at least two valence bonds for attachment to the acyl groups shown in the above formula . examples include functional groups obtained by the removal of hydrogen atoms from methane , ethane , propane , hexane , dodecane , benzene , toluene , cyclohexane and the like . the polyvalent r group can be of any size but is preferably limited to about 20 carbon atoms , and more preferably about eight carbon atoms . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is one , the linkage will be a diacyl group . the a group can be any acyl group and preferably are ## str6 ## groups . most preferred among the above groups is the carbonyl group . values for the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; have a direct relationship to the thermoplasticity of the terpolymer . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is greater than one , the linkage will be a higher polyacyl . the higher the value of &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, the more highly crosslinked will be the finished polymer . values for &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; can be as high as six or eight , but more preferably do not exceed two or three . the polymerized product comprising the aforementioned components can have a number of different structures depending upon the process conditions and the relative proportions of ingredients used in the reaction system . polymers can be prepared having relatively small segments of lactam units joined to similarly short segments of polyol units through the polyacyl linkage described above . or large segments of one polymeric component can be combined with a larger number of comparatively small segments of another polymeric unit , which small segments are joined to one another through the polyacyl linkage as well as to the other type of polymeric component . or segments of varying sizes of both the lactam and the polyol polymeric units can be combined through the polyacyl components to form a highly random terpolymer . another form of polymer within the scope of this invention are block polymers , where moderately large size blocks or segments of the lactam and polyol polymeric units are positioned alternately in the polymer chain and joined through the polyacyl group described above . if the polyacyl linkages are , for purposes of simplification , considered to be a part of either a lactam or polyol block , then the block polymers of this invention can be discussed in terms of two alternating blocks designated as a and b blocks , instead of in terms of complicated patterns of three blocks designated as a , b and c blocks . block polymers prepared according to this invention can have three general structural configurations , ab , aba and a repeating pattern of ab segments . following a general characterization of a block copolymer prepared within the scope of this invention as ab , aba or repeating ab , it should be recognized that the exact structural configuration may vary somewhat from the general characterization of the polymer . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for a lactam - polyolpolyacyl lactam block terpolymer of the repeating ab type could be ## str7 ## where y , x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, n and w are all integers equal to one or more ; b is an integer equal to zero or one ; r is a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least three carbon atoms ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups ; and r &# 39 ; is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than an aromatic radical . if for instance y is a straight chained alkylene group , a and a &# 39 ; are carbonyl groups , z is ethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 --, and r is phenylene , the terpolymer would be a caprolactam - ethylene glycol polymer where the caprolactam segments of the polymer are joined to one another and to the ethylene glycol segments through terephthaloyl linkages . other lactam - polyol polymers , both of the ab , aba as well as the repeating ab type , will become immediately apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure . it should therefore be noted that the above structural formula is set forth for illustrative purpose only , and is not intended as a limitation of the polymers within the scope of the invention . when the polymers of this invention are of the aba type , where one block of one type of polymer segment is located between two blocks of the other type of polymer segment , the polymers can be of either the polyol - lactam - polyol type or the lactam - polyol - lactam type . of the two types , the latter is a preferred type of aba polymer . if the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymer is a block polymer , the polyol blocks can , like the polylactam blocks , be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the ratio of the number of lactam to polyol blocks can also vary . since the block polymers can be of either the type designated as ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of lactam blocks to polyol blocks can vary from 2 : 1 to 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 . mixtures of two or more block polymers having different ratios of the lactam and polyol blocks will produce ratios of polymer blocks intermediate between the above stated ratios . in the above theoretical formula for a lactam - polyol block terpolymer , the polyacyl linkage is represented as located between two lactam polymer segments as well as between a polyether segment and a lactam polymer segment . as a practical matter , the polyacyl linkages will also be located occasionally between two polyol blocks . it should be noted , moreover , that the polyacyl linkages need not invariably be positioned between lactam and polyol blocks since the necessary linkage can be provided in the form of an ester linkage by the oxygen atom of the polyether segment and the carbonyl group of a polylactam segment . following is a general characterization of the lactam polyolpolyacyl lactam terpolymer produced according to the invention . as an illustration , the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam terpolymer has the general formula : ## str8 ## wherein ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups selected from ## str9 ## r is a polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms ; y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one ; x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, and x &# 39 ;&# 34 ; are integers and the total number of x &# 39 ; s is equal to 2w + 2 ; and n and w are integers equal to one or more . as mentioned earlier , the terpolymers of this invention are characterized by the presence of both ester and amide linkages between the monomeric segments of the polymer . the term &# 34 ; monomeric segment &# 34 ; is intended to apply to the polymerized reaction product of a monomer , whether the reaction product is a single unit such as ## str10 ## or a block of several units such as ## str11 ## regarding the breadth of the terms &# 34 ; ester linkage &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; amide linkage &# 34 ;, the linkages can of course be composed of acyl groups other than carbonyl groups since the polyacyl linkage described above includes thiocarbonyl , sulfonyl , and phosphoryl groups as well as the more conventional carbonyl groups . the molecular weight of the terpolymers can vary widely from a number average molecular weight of just a few thousand to 1 million or higher . for thermoplastic uncrosslinked polymers , a preferred range for number average molecular weight is from about 10 or 20 , 000 to about 100 , 000 to 200 , 000 . if the polymers are crosslinked , the molecular weights of the polymers can be much higher in the range of 100 , 000 to several million . when block polymers are formed , the molecular weight of the polyol blocks is an important consideration in selecting preferred polymers within the scope of this invention . polyol blocks having a number average molecular weight of about 500 or 600 or more generally tend to have good low temperature properties . this lower level of molecular weight for the polyol blocks is subject to some variation insofar as low temperature properties can also be affected by the degree of block polymerization , the nature of the block polymer , i . e . ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of the lactam content to the polyol content , and the particular lactam and polyol present in the polymer . polyol segments having a molecular weight of at least 62 can also constitute a portion of the terpolymer as well as the polyol blocks having molecular weights of 500 to 600 or greater . for example , ethylene glycol as the polyol segment provides a terpolymer having improved tensile elongation and impact resistance . regarding a maximum molecular weight of the polyol blocks , preferred polymers have polyol blocks with a maximum number average molecular weight of about 6000 , and more preferably about 4000 . above these levels the polyol prepolymer tends to exhibit a reduced hydroxyl functionality , due to unsaturation , thereby making more difficult the incorporation of polyol into the polymer . in addition to the three principal monomeric constituents which together produce the terpolymers of this invention , other polymerizable monomers can also be used to prepare polymers having four or more polymerizable constituents . as an example , if the polyol constituent of a terpolymer of this invention is polybutadiene diol , the resultant terpolymer could be , after the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymerization , subsequently reacted with a vinyl compound such as styrene to crosslink the polymer through its vinyl unsaturation . still other monomers could be chosen which could be polymerized directly into a linear polymer chain . the quantity of such additional monomers could be very large , even as great as 50 % or more of the total polymerizable constituents but preferably is limited to quantities of 25 % or less of the total monomer content . the polymers prepared according to this invention exhibit a broad range of properties which can be adjusted to provide compositions particularly well adapted for a specified end use . in addition to crosslinking , adjustment of polymer structure , and molecular weight adjustment of polymer blocks , other means of varying the properties of the polymers can also be employed . crystallinity of the polymers , which can be present in the lactam segments of the polymers , can be increased or decreased by variation of polymerization temperatures . since any crystallinity in the polymers of this invention is largely present in the lactam segments of the polymer , variation of the lactam content of the polymer can also result in a variation of polymer crystallinity . polymers with relatively high degrees of crystallinity tend to be strong , rigid polymers whereas those with little or no crystallinity are more elastomeric in nature . as mentioned earlier , the type of lactam , polyol and polyacyl lactam components can also affect the properties of the finished polymer . as an example , polyethylene glycol polymer segments tend to produce polymers with a high water absorptivity whereas polypropylene glycol or polytetramethylene glycol polymer segments produce polymers with comparatively low water absorptivities . as another example , caprolactam polymer segments in the polymers of this invention produce polymers which are stronger and more rigid than homologous polymers containing segments of a higher lactam such as capryllactam or dodecanolactam . even more significantly , use of a lactam will yield an essentially linear polymer whereas use of a tris or tetrakislactam will result in a branched or crosslinked terpolymer . similarly bis - lactams can be employed to produce a branched or crosslinked polymer . high crosslinked polymer can be made through the use of polyols having more than two hydroxy groups . with all the foregoing techniques available for modifying and adjusting the properties of the polymers of this invention , it can be appreciated that the polymers can be used in a number of end use applications . one such use is a textile fiber . throughout the entire range of ratios of polymeric components , from polymers containing very little polyether component to those containing a large amount , the polymers have properties which make them useful as textile fibers . in addition to being the sole constitutent of a textile fiber , the terpolymers can also be used as one component in a composite or conjugate fiber . it is contemplated that conjugate fibers of nylon and the terpolymers of this invention will be particularly useful in a number of textile and other applications . other textile applications for the terpolymers include their use in the manufacture of non - woven fabrics and as high moisture regain fibers . the terpolymers can also be manufactured into foamed articles , either during or after their polymerization , to produce rigid and flexible foams . because of their method of preparation directly from the monomeric components , the polymers can be prepared in large shapes such as furniture and furniture components and automobile parts . the terpolymers can also be produced in the form of molding resins which can subsequently be molded by injection molding , extruding , thermoforming or other techniques to produce products of virtually any shape . the more highly elastomeric compositions can be used in manufacture of automobile tires and tire components . the polymers can also be modified with fillers , fibers , pigments , dyes , stabilizers , plasticizers , flame retardant and other polymeric modifiers to alter their properties and thereby enlarge even further the scope of their applicability . one such modification comprises reinforcing the polymers with fillers or fibers which have been treated with coupling agents capable of increasing the bonding of the fillers or fibers to the polymer molecules . a large number of organosilane compounds have been found to be especially capable of performing this task of improving adhesion between polymer and filler or fiber . examples of some suitable organosilane couplers for use with the polymers of this invention include 3 - aminopropyl triethoxysilane , glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane and n - trimethoxysilylpropyl - n - beta - amino - ethyl - amine . preferred fillers and fibers include quartz , wollastonite , feldspar , calcined kaolin clay , glass fibers and other high performance fibers such as graphite , boron , steel and the like . the concentrations of fillers and fibers can vary from very small amounts such as one or two volume percent up to 70 or 80 volume percent or more . the terpolymers are prepared by either initiating the anionic catalyzed polymerization of lactam with a polyether - polyester prepolymer initiator , or the formation of the initiator from dicarboxylic acid esters and aliphatic polyols or aliphatic polyether polyols in the presence of lactam as a reaction solvent , followed by the anionic catalyzed polymerization of the lactam . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for the terpolymer is presented as a result of the following formulation schematic of a typical process according to the invention . ## str12 ## where x and b are integers equal to at least one ; z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 carbon atoms ; and r is a divalent hydrocarbon ; and n is an integer equal to one or more . the foregoing illustration represents only one typical formulated schematic of the inventive process and terpolymer produced thereby , and should not be construed as the only process and / or terpolymer afforded by this invention . the polyether - polyester prepolymer initiators result from the transesterification of aliphatic polyols and / or aliphatic polyether polyols and dicarboxylic acid esters . the dicarboxylic acid esters or dialkyl esters useful in the prepolymer formation have the general formula : ## str13 ## wherein r &# 39 ; is an alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , 2 - ethyl hexyl and the like , alkenyls , aryls and mixtures thereof ; d is an integer ; and when the radical ## spc1 ## and the like . specific dialkyl esters according to the above formula include , for example , dialkylaryloates such as dimethyl terephthalate and dimethyl isophthalate ; and dialkylalkanoates such as diethyl sebacate , dibutyl adipate , diethyloxalate and the like . the catalysts used as catalyst i in the foregoing illustration of a typical formulated schematic of the inventive process are transesterification prepolymer catalyst , for example alkali metals and alkaline earth metals , zinc , cadmium , manganese , iron , nickel , cobalt , tin , lanthanum , lead or bismuth or combinations thereof , salts such as calcium , manganese , cobalt or zinc acetate , lithium hydride , sodium alcoholates , zinc succinate or zinc acetyl acetonate , oxides such as lead oxide ( pbo ), antimony oxide ( sb 2 o 3 ), or germanium oxide ( geo 2 ), magnesium methoxide , and combinations such as antimony trioxide / manganese acetate or antimony trioxide / titanium dioxide . other suitable catalyst include caprolactam magnesium bromide , and selected grignard agents , for example , ethyl magnesium bromide . catalyst i is used in quantities of from about 0 . 005 to about 0 . 2 % by weight , preferably about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 10 % by weight based on the quantity of dicarboxylic acid ester . polymerization temperatures can vary from the melting point of the lactam or less up to the melting point of the resultant polymer or more . depending upon the particular ingredients being used , this can encompass a range from 70 ° to 230 ° c or more . preferred polymerization temperatures are from about 90 ° to about 190 ° c and more preferably from about 120 ° to about 180 ° c for caprolactam terpolymers . such a technique produces desired polymerization of a terpolymer having high strength and modulus . times required for complete polymerization will vary considerably depending upon polymerization temperatures and the specific ingredients used in the polymerization system . polymerization time varies from at least about one minute , preferably from 1 to 30 minutes , and can be extended to any duration up to several days or more . generally , polymerization times of from 1 to 30 minutes are preferred for most polymerization systems . the lactam monomer , dicarboxylic acid ester and polyol used in the polymerization have both been described in ample detail above . the lactam polymerization catalyst ( catalyst ii ) useful herein includes that class of compounds commonly recognized as suitable basic catalysts for the anhydrous polymerization of lactams . in general , all alkali or alkaline earth metals are effective catalysts either in the metallic form or in the form of hydrides , halohydrides , alkylhalides , oxides , hydroxides , carbonates and the like . also useful are a number of organometallic compounds of the metals mentioned above such as metal alkyls , metal phenyls , metal amides and the like . examples include sodium hydride , potassium hydroxide , lithium oxide , ethyl magnesium bromide , calcium fluorohydride , strontium carbonate , barium hydroxide , methyl sodium buthyl lithium , potassium phenyl , diphenyl barium , sodium amide and magnesium diethyl . all of the foregoing compounds react with the lactam monomer to form the metal lactam , which is the active catalytic agent in the lactam polymerization mechanism . the metal lactam catalyst can therefore be formed in situ by reaction of one of the foregoing metals or metal compounds with lactam monomer in the polymerization medium or by prior reaction of the metal or metal compound with a stoichiometric quantity of lactam monomer . examples of metal lactam catalysts include sodium caprolactam , bromomagnesium caprolactam , magnesium caprolactam , bromomagnesium pyrrolidinone , chlorocalcium caprolactam and the like . catalyst concentrations can range from a fraction of one mole percent to 15 or 20 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer to be polymerized . the polyacyl linkage , as well as the ester and amide linkages , are incorporated into the polymer chain through the reaction of the polyacyl alkoxide with the lactam and polyol constituents . in the formula set forth above for the polyacyl alkoxide useful herein , the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having the necessary number of available valences to bond to itself all of the acyl groups included in the compound . the hydrocarbon group can be of any size but preferably contains a maximum of eight or ten carbon atoms . examples of suitable r groups include phenylene , biphenylene , methylene , hexylene , tolylene , and analogous hydrocarbons having more than two sites available for bonding to acyl groups . the amount of polyacyl alkoxide useful in the preparation of the terpolymers of this invention depends upon the quantities of lactam and polyol being used . for preferred polymerizations , it is desirable that the polyacyl alkoxide be present in an amount from 100 to about 500 , preferably from about 100 to about 200 , equivalent percent of the polyol . if the polyacyl alkoxide is present in an amount less than a molecularly equivalent amount based on the polyol , polyol prepolymer formation occurs , but the subsequent lactam polymerization is very slow . in those preferred polymerization systems where the polyacyl alkoxide concentration exceeds the amount stoichiometrically equivalent to the polyol , the excess can be from 0 . 01 to about 30 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer . a preferred range is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 mole percent of the lactam monomer , and more preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 5 mole percent of the lactam monomer . the lactam and polyol can be present in any relative proportions ranging up to 99 parts of either component to 1 part of the other . preferred ratios of the two polymer - forming materials depend upon the end use to which the finished polymer is to be put . for end use applications requiring strong rigid materials , the lactam content of the polymerizable medium should be relatively high such as 60 or 80 or even 90 % or more lactam . for other applications where elastomeric properties such as high elongation or where water absorption is desirable , the relative proportions of the two monomers can be reversed so that the polymerizable medium will contain 60 or 80 or 90 % or more of the polyol compound . where water absorption is desired , polyethylene glycol can be used as the major polyol compound . polymers containing about equal quantities of both lactam and polyol are preferred for a great many uses because of the advantageous combination of properties achieved by such polymers . three terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 1 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric polyol was heated under vacuum at 125 °- 180 ° for 30 minutes to dry . the transesterification prepolymer catalyst and dmt were added and the mixture stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 ° c . intermittently a slight stream of nitrogen was allowed to pass through the reactor to remove evolved methanol . after 40 minutes reaction time the mixture was evacuated for 5 - 10 minutes . to the resulting prepolymer was added caprolactam and santowhite powder . the temperature of the resulting prepolymer - caprolactam solution was adjusted to 160 ° c and grignard reagent added . the mixture was evacuated for 2 - 3 minutes to remove ether and ethane . the vacuum was released to nitrogen and the catalyzed prepolymer solution poured into a vertical mold of 10 inches × 10 inches × 1 / 8 inch dimensions which had been heated to 160 ° c . after an hour the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ prepolymer catalyst glycol used dmt . sup . 4 caprolactam swp . sup . 5 grignard . sup . 6process type amount compound gms gms gms . gms . ml . __________________________________________________________________________a magnesium acetate . sup . 1 0 . 4 ml polymeg . sup . 3 2000 117 15 . 5 273 2 5 tetraisopropyl orthotitanate . sup . 2 0 . 08 mlb tetrabutyl orthotitanate 0 . 063 ml carbowax . sup . 7 4000 90 7 . 0 205 1 . 5 5c zinc acetate 0 . 2 gm &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 90 7 . 7 205 1 . 5 5__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 0 . 1 molar in methanol . sup . 2 0 . 8 molar in 2 . propanol . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 5 santowhite powder . sup . 6 ethyl magnesium bromide 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 7 polyethylene glycol table 2______________________________________ tensile fail tensile strength % modulusterpolymer psi elongation psi______________________________________a - 30 % ptmg 6530 720 47 , 000b - 30 % peg 7000 520 57 , 000c - 30 % peg 6800 550 101 , 000______________________________________ five polyethylene glycol terpolymers were prepared from polyester prepolymers formed in caprolactam solution . the quantities of ingredients and the various transesterification catalysts used are listed in table 3 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric glycol , caprolactam and santowhite powder were heated under vacuum to distil 25 ml . caprolactam . ( in process f and g , cadmium acetate dihydrate and zinc acetate dihydrate were added prior to caprolactam distillation . in the remaining processes , the transesterification catalyst was added after caprolactam distillation .) after the initial distillation of caprolactam , a reflux condenser was attached to the reaction flask and a vacuum take off with a dry ice cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . the dmt and transesterification catalyst were added and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam at a temperature of 110 °- 140 ° c . progress of the reaction was followed by measurement of evolved methanol . after methanol evolution had ceased , the temperature of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 130 ° c and 5 ml . grignard reagent catalyst added . the reaction flask was evacuated for 2 minutes to remove ether and ethane and the vacuum released to nitrogen atmosphere . the catalyzed mixture was poured into a 160 ° c mold described in example 1 . after 1 hr the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymer are reported in table 4 . table 3______________________________________ reactants carbowax . sup . 1 4000 - 90 gms caprolactam 229 gms santowhite powder 1 . 5 gms dmt . sup . 2 7 . 7 gmsii transesterification catalystterpolymer d grignard . sup . 3 0 . 6 mlterpolymer e aluminum iso - propoxide 0 . 2 gmterpolymer f cadmium acetate 0 . 26 gm &# 34 ; g zinc acetate 0 . 22 gm &# 34 ; h magnesium methoxide . sup . 4 0 . 9 mliii copolymerization catalyst - grignard . sup . 3 5 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polyethylene glycol . sup . 2 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . . sup . 4 1 molar in methanol table 4______________________________________tensile yield tensile fail tensileter - strength % elon - strength % moduluspolymer psi gation psi elongation psi______________________________________d 6200 507 84 , 000e 3700 15 5900 470 62 , 400f 3700 25 6200 497 68 , 000g 3800 20 6100 477 78 , 000h 3700 25 6500 518 91 , 500______________________________________ several terpolymers were prepared employing different types and quantities of glycols . the terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 5 . the transesterification reaction and copolymerization with caprolactam were run according to procedures described in example 2 . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 6 . table 5__________________________________________________________________________glycol used prepolymer % in catalyst gms gms gms caprolactam stabilizer ml . process material copolymer material amount glycol dmt . sup . 1 charge distilled material gms grignard . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________i polymeg . sup . 3 2000 30 grignard . sup . 2 0 . 6 ml 90 10 . 2 227 25 swp . sup . 4 1 . 5j polymeg . sup . 3 2000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 5 1 ml 150 16 . 0 164 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 4 . 5k polymeg 1000 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 19 . 6 221 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0l polymeg 1000 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 24 . 5 188 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0m polymeg 650 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 28 . 0 216 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0n polymeg 650 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 36 . 8 155 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0o polymeg 1000 21 62 . 5 butane diol 6 grignard 0 . 6 ml 17 . 1 50 . 2 196 . 3 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0p polyglycol . sup . 6 e - 6000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 150 5 . 0 171 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0q polyglycol e - 1450 50 zinc acetate 5 gm . 1500 220 . 2 1446 100 flectol - h 1 . 5 35r niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 90 10 . 8 227 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0s niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 40 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 120 13 . 7 195 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0t polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 5 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 11 ml 150 109 . 6 1975 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50u polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 10 13 ml 300 124 . 3 1814 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50v polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 15 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 14 ml 450 139 . 0 1655 100 dnpd 6 50w voranol 2000 . sup . 9 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 7 . 7 229 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0x voranol 2000 . sup . 9 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 0 . 9 ml 150 15 . 3 164 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 2 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 santowhite powder . sup . 5 magnesium methoxide - 1 molar in methanol . sup . 6 polyethylene glycol . sup . 7 polycaprolactone diol . sup . 8 n , n &# 39 ;- dl - 2 - naphthyl - p - phenylene diamine . sup . 9 polypropylene glycol table 6__________________________________________________________________________ tensile yield tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % strength % modulusprocesscomposition psi elongation psi elongation psi__________________________________________________________________________i 30 % ptmg 2000 4600 50 6870 533 89 , 400j 50 % ptmg 2000 4850 773 26 , 000k 30 % ptmg 1000 4700 60 5980 533 82 , 800l 40 % ptmg 1000 5190 776 25 , 700m 30 % ptmg 650 5850 685 38 , 300n 40 % ptmg 650 3100 754 15 , 400o 21 % ptmg 1000 2720 156 6 , 5006 % butane diolp 50 % peg 6000 3260 14 4400 588 61 , 000q 50 % peg 1450 2270 * 250 * r 30 % polycaprolactone 2700 29 7100 715 40 , 000s 40 % polycaprolactone 2300 60 4000 650 27 , 200t 30 % ptmg 2000 6900 * 470 * 5 % polycaprolactoneu 30 % ptmg 2000 5200 * 473 * 10 % polycaprolactonev 30 % ptmg 2000 5000 * 530 * 15 % polycaprolactonew 30 % ppg 4790 340 82 , 800x 50 % ppg 3190 482 28 , 800__________________________________________________________________________ * tensile data for extruded strand two terpolymers were prepared from polyester synthesized from an aliphatic dibasic ester using the quantities of ingredients specified in the following table : table 7______________________________________terpolymer process y z______________________________________glycol used polymeg . sup . 1 2000 polymeg . sup . 1 1000reactantsgms . glycol 90 90gms . santowhite powder 1 . 5 1 . 5gms . caprolactam charged 225 218gms . caprolactam distilled 25 25gms . diethyl sebacate 13 . 2 24 . 5ml . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 0 . 9 1 . 0ml . grignard . sup . 3 5 . 0 5 . 0______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide -- 3 molar in diethyl ether . the terpolymers were prepared according to the procedure described in example 2 . tensile properties of the terpolymers are reported in the following table : table 8______________________________________ tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % modulusprocess composition psi elongation psi______________________________________y 30 % ptmg 2000 7200 575 81 , 400z 30 % ptmg 1000 5600 516 62 , 800______________________________________ the following example 5 is a calculated example of a predictable cross - linked terpolymer which could be prepared by the inventive process . a crosslinked terpolymer is prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 9 . table 9______________________________________material amount______________________________________polymeg . sup . 1 2000 90 gm . caprolactam 214 gm . santowhite powder 1 . 5 gm . dimethyl terephthalate 6 . 9 gm . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 1 ml . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam 3 . 2 gm . bmc . sup . 3 23 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 bromo magnesium caprolactam -- 0 . 4 molar in caprolactam the caprolactam , polymeg 2000 , and santowhite poweder are heated under vacuum to distil 25 gms . caprolactam in order to dry the mixture . a reflux condenser is attached to the reactor with a dry ice - cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . dimethyl terephthalate and mg ( och 3 ) 2 added to the mixture and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam . progress of the transesterification reaction is followed by measurement of evolved methanol condensed in the dry ice - cooled receiver . when methanol evolution has stopped , the reactor vacuum is released to nitrogen and 0 . 5 ml water added to destroy the magnesium methoxide catalyst . the reflux is replaced with a distilling head and the mixture re - evacuated to distil 10 ml . caprolactam to re - dry . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam is added and dissolved , and the mixture cooled to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast into a vertical mold ( described in example 1 ) which has been heated to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast by means of a metering pump . the bmc catalyst is injected into the stream by means of a second metering pump and the streams mixed by a kenics static mixer . after casting is complete , the mold is heated to 160 ° c over a 15 minute period and held at 160 ° c for an additional 45 minutes , after which the mold is opened and the sample removed . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 9dd27a9e0515885e1f5a8660988491a4509e2a60f725962d0e0683c2b99b7d71 | 0.703125 | 0.00383 | 0.730469 | 0.000058 | 0.625 | 0.003174 |
null | the polymerized lactam component of the above polymers is formed from cyclic monomeric lactams of the formula ## str1 ## where y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 , and more preferably from about 5 to about 11 carbon atoms . a preferred monomer is ε - caprolactam . lactam monomers in addition to ε - caprolactam include alpha - pyrrolidinone , piperidone , valerolactam , caprolactams other than the ε - isomer , capryllactam , lauryllactam and the like . in addition to lactams unsubstituted on their carbon chains , lactams having substituents on the carbon chain which do not inhibit or otherwise adversely affect the polymerization of the lactam are also included within the scope of the invention . during polymerization the cyclic lactam ring is opened to provide the following monomeric unit ## str2 ## which , together with other lactam molecules , produces a polymeric block of the formula ## str3 ## where x is an integer greater than one . the monomeric lactam unit can also react with the polyacyl alkoxide . similarly , a polylactam block , when joined with a polyacyl unit forms a polymer segment of the formula ## str4 ## where r is a hydrocarbon group described hereinbelow , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups , x is an integer greater than one , y is an integer equal to or greater than one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . thirdly , in the course of the polymerization of the components described above , a polyol can react with the polymerizable lactam unit or block to produce a polymer segment of the formula ## str5 ## where x and n are integers equal to at least one and where z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group which , together with the oxygen atom attached thereto , forms a polyether or polyester segment of a polymer molecule . the z hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon and acylated hydrocarbon groups can be of any size even polymeric such as polybutadiene , generally limited to about six carbon atoms , said groups being preferably alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof . even more preferred are unsubstituted aliphatic groups such as methylene , ethylene , propylene , butylene and the like . other suitable z groups include phenylene , chlorophenylene , tolylene , isobutylene , isopropylene , ethylcarbonyl , propylcarbonyl , ethylsulfonyl , propylthiocarbonyl and the like . the preference indicated above for unsubstituted aliphatic z groups means that terpolymers of this invention which contain polyether segments are preferred over other embodiments which contain polyester segments . in preferred aspects of this invention , it is theorized that the lactam is present in the polymer in the form of polylactam blocks which are alternated with blocks of polyol and polyol segments to form the polymer . the polylactam blocks when present can be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the polymerized polyol components of the polymers of this invention are formed from polyol intermediates having at least two hydroxy groups . available commercial polyols of this class are produced by reacting , for example , propylene oxide or ethylene oxide with glycols , glycerol , pentaerythritol , glucose , amines , and the like . included within the scope of the above class are a large number of suitable compounds ranging from the simple diols such as ethylene glycol to complex polymeric polyols such as poly ( ε - caprolactone ) diol . other polyol compounds include alkylene glycols such as diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , tetramethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , hexylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 3 - hexanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , butylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , dicyclopentadiene glycol , heptaethylene glycol and isopropylidene bis ( p - phenyleneoxypropanol - 2 ); diols other than alkylene glycols such as pyrocatechol , resorcinol , hydroquinone , hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate ; polyols having more than two hydroxy functions such as glycerol , pentaerythritol , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , 1 - trimethylol propane , pyrogallol and phloroglucinol ; polymeric polyols such as polyethylene glycols , polypropylene glycols , polyoxypropylene diols and triols , castor oils , polybutadiene glycols and polyester glycols , and a large number of compounds containing substituents other than hydroxy groups such as 2 , 4 - dichlorobutylene glycol and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- 4 , 4 &# 39 ; bis ( chlorohydroxyphenyl ) ether . in addition to all the hydroxy compounds set forth above , the thio compounds analogous to the above compounds having sulfur atoms in place of oxygen are also included within the scope of the invention . a few examples include hydroxyethyl thioglycolate , ethylene glycol bis -( thioglycolate ), pentaerythritol tetrakis -( thioglycolate ) and thiodiglycol . if the polyol intermediate is a polymer , the molecular weight of the polyol can be any amount . commercially available polymeric polyol compounds have molecular weights from 200 to 5000 , but polymers with molecular weights outside that range are also useful in the practice of the instant invention . if the polyol intermediate or segment is a single molecule having at least two hydroxy groups such as ethylene glycol , a suitable polyol segment according to the invention would have a molecular weight of at least 62 . the third component of the terpolymers of this invention has the following structural configuration in the polymer chain : where r is a hydrocarbon group , a and a &# 39 ; are acyl radicals , y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one . the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having at least two valence bonds for attachment to the acyl groups shown in the above formula . examples include functional groups obtained by the removal of hydrogen atoms from methane , ethane , propane , hexane , dodecane , benzene , toluene , cyclohexane and the like . the polyvalent r group can be of any size but is preferably limited to about 20 carbon atoms , and more preferably about eight carbon atoms . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is one , the linkage will be a diacyl group . the a group can be any acyl group and preferably are ## str6 ## groups . most preferred among the above groups is the carbonyl group . values for the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; have a direct relationship to the thermoplasticity of the terpolymer . if the integer &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; is greater than one , the linkage will be a higher polyacyl . the higher the value of &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, the more highly crosslinked will be the finished polymer . values for &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; can be as high as six or eight , but more preferably do not exceed two or three . the polymerized product comprising the aforementioned components can have a number of different structures depending upon the process conditions and the relative proportions of ingredients used in the reaction system . polymers can be prepared having relatively small segments of lactam units joined to similarly short segments of polyol units through the polyacyl linkage described above . or large segments of one polymeric component can be combined with a larger number of comparatively small segments of another polymeric unit , which small segments are joined to one another through the polyacyl linkage as well as to the other type of polymeric component . or segments of varying sizes of both the lactam and the polyol polymeric units can be combined through the polyacyl components to form a highly random terpolymer . another form of polymer within the scope of this invention are block polymers , where moderately large size blocks or segments of the lactam and polyol polymeric units are positioned alternately in the polymer chain and joined through the polyacyl group described above . if the polyacyl linkages are , for purposes of simplification , considered to be a part of either a lactam or polyol block , then the block polymers of this invention can be discussed in terms of two alternating blocks designated as a and b blocks , instead of in terms of complicated patterns of three blocks designated as a , b and c blocks . block polymers prepared according to this invention can have three general structural configurations , ab , aba and a repeating pattern of ab segments . following a general characterization of a block copolymer prepared within the scope of this invention as ab , aba or repeating ab , it should be recognized that the exact structural configuration may vary somewhat from the general characterization of the polymer . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for a lactam - polyolpolyacyl lactam block terpolymer of the repeating ab type could be ## str7 ## where y , x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, n and w are all integers equal to one or more ; b is an integer equal to zero or one ; r is a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least three carbon atoms ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups ; and r &# 39 ; is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than an aromatic radical . if for instance y is a straight chained alkylene group , a and a &# 39 ; are carbonyl groups , z is ethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 --, and r is phenylene , the terpolymer would be a caprolactam - ethylene glycol polymer where the caprolactam segments of the polymer are joined to one another and to the ethylene glycol segments through terephthaloyl linkages . other lactam - polyol polymers , both of the ab , aba as well as the repeating ab type , will become immediately apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure . it should therefore be noted that the above structural formula is set forth for illustrative purpose only , and is not intended as a limitation of the polymers within the scope of the invention . when the polymers of this invention are of the aba type , where one block of one type of polymer segment is located between two blocks of the other type of polymer segment , the polymers can be of either the polyol - lactam - polyol type or the lactam - polyol - lactam type . of the two types , the latter is a preferred type of aba polymer . if the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymer is a block polymer , the polyol blocks can , like the polylactam blocks , be of any size but customarily have molecular weights of at least about 500 , preferably at least about 1000 . the ratio of the number of lactam to polyol blocks can also vary . since the block polymers can be of either the type designated as ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of lactam blocks to polyol blocks can vary from 2 : 1 to 1 : 1 to 1 : 2 . mixtures of two or more block polymers having different ratios of the lactam and polyol blocks will produce ratios of polymer blocks intermediate between the above stated ratios . in the above theoretical formula for a lactam - polyol block terpolymer , the polyacyl linkage is represented as located between two lactam polymer segments as well as between a polyether segment and a lactam polymer segment . as a practical matter , the polyacyl linkages will also be located occasionally between two polyol blocks . it should be noted , moreover , that the polyacyl linkages need not invariably be positioned between lactam and polyol blocks since the necessary linkage can be provided in the form of an ester linkage by the oxygen atom of the polyether segment and the carbonyl group of a polylactam segment . following is a general characterization of the lactam polyolpolyacyl lactam terpolymer produced according to the invention . as an illustration , the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam terpolymer has the general formula : ## str8 ## wherein ( o - z ) n is a polyol segment or a polymeric moiety and z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene , arylene , alkylene carbonyl , arylene carbonyl , and mixtures thereof ; a and a &# 39 ; are acyl groups selected from ## str9 ## r is a polyvalent hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms ; y is an integer equal to at least one , and b is an integer equal to zero or one ; x , x &# 39 ;, x &# 34 ;, and x &# 39 ;&# 34 ; are integers and the total number of x &# 39 ; s is equal to 2w + 2 ; and n and w are integers equal to one or more . as mentioned earlier , the terpolymers of this invention are characterized by the presence of both ester and amide linkages between the monomeric segments of the polymer . the term &# 34 ; monomeric segment &# 34 ; is intended to apply to the polymerized reaction product of a monomer , whether the reaction product is a single unit such as ## str10 ## or a block of several units such as ## str11 ## regarding the breadth of the terms &# 34 ; ester linkage &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; amide linkage &# 34 ;, the linkages can of course be composed of acyl groups other than carbonyl groups since the polyacyl linkage described above includes thiocarbonyl , sulfonyl , and phosphoryl groups as well as the more conventional carbonyl groups . the molecular weight of the terpolymers can vary widely from a number average molecular weight of just a few thousand to 1 million or higher . for thermoplastic uncrosslinked polymers , a preferred range for number average molecular weight is from about 10 or 20 , 000 to about 100 , 000 to 200 , 000 . if the polymers are crosslinked , the molecular weights of the polymers can be much higher in the range of 100 , 000 to several million . when block polymers are formed , the molecular weight of the polyol blocks is an important consideration in selecting preferred polymers within the scope of this invention . polyol blocks having a number average molecular weight of about 500 or 600 or more generally tend to have good low temperature properties . this lower level of molecular weight for the polyol blocks is subject to some variation insofar as low temperature properties can also be affected by the degree of block polymerization , the nature of the block polymer , i . e . ab , aba or repeating ab , the ratio of the lactam content to the polyol content , and the particular lactam and polyol present in the polymer . polyol segments having a molecular weight of at least 62 can also constitute a portion of the terpolymer as well as the polyol blocks having molecular weights of 500 to 600 or greater . for example , ethylene glycol as the polyol segment provides a terpolymer having improved tensile elongation and impact resistance . regarding a maximum molecular weight of the polyol blocks , preferred polymers have polyol blocks with a maximum number average molecular weight of about 6000 , and more preferably about 4000 . above these levels the polyol prepolymer tends to exhibit a reduced hydroxyl functionality , due to unsaturation , thereby making more difficult the incorporation of polyol into the polymer . in addition to the three principal monomeric constituents which together produce the terpolymers of this invention , other polymerizable monomers can also be used to prepare polymers having four or more polymerizable constituents . as an example , if the polyol constituent of a terpolymer of this invention is polybutadiene diol , the resultant terpolymer could be , after the lactam - polyol - polyacyl lactam polymerization , subsequently reacted with a vinyl compound such as styrene to crosslink the polymer through its vinyl unsaturation . still other monomers could be chosen which could be polymerized directly into a linear polymer chain . the quantity of such additional monomers could be very large , even as great as 50 % or more of the total polymerizable constituents but preferably is limited to quantities of 25 % or less of the total monomer content . the polymers prepared according to this invention exhibit a broad range of properties which can be adjusted to provide compositions particularly well adapted for a specified end use . in addition to crosslinking , adjustment of polymer structure , and molecular weight adjustment of polymer blocks , other means of varying the properties of the polymers can also be employed . crystallinity of the polymers , which can be present in the lactam segments of the polymers , can be increased or decreased by variation of polymerization temperatures . since any crystallinity in the polymers of this invention is largely present in the lactam segments of the polymer , variation of the lactam content of the polymer can also result in a variation of polymer crystallinity . polymers with relatively high degrees of crystallinity tend to be strong , rigid polymers whereas those with little or no crystallinity are more elastomeric in nature . as mentioned earlier , the type of lactam , polyol and polyacyl lactam components can also affect the properties of the finished polymer . as an example , polyethylene glycol polymer segments tend to produce polymers with a high water absorptivity whereas polypropylene glycol or polytetramethylene glycol polymer segments produce polymers with comparatively low water absorptivities . as another example , caprolactam polymer segments in the polymers of this invention produce polymers which are stronger and more rigid than homologous polymers containing segments of a higher lactam such as capryllactam or dodecanolactam . even more significantly , use of a lactam will yield an essentially linear polymer whereas use of a tris or tetrakislactam will result in a branched or crosslinked terpolymer . similarly bis - lactams can be employed to produce a branched or crosslinked polymer . high crosslinked polymer can be made through the use of polyols having more than two hydroxy groups . with all the foregoing techniques available for modifying and adjusting the properties of the polymers of this invention , it can be appreciated that the polymers can be used in a number of end use applications . one such use is a textile fiber . throughout the entire range of ratios of polymeric components , from polymers containing very little polyether component to those containing a large amount , the polymers have properties which make them useful as textile fibers . in addition to being the sole constitutent of a textile fiber , the terpolymers can also be used as one component in a composite or conjugate fiber . it is contemplated that conjugate fibers of nylon and the terpolymers of this invention will be particularly useful in a number of textile and other applications . other textile applications for the terpolymers include their use in the manufacture of non - woven fabrics and as high moisture regain fibers . the terpolymers can also be manufactured into foamed articles , either during or after their polymerization , to produce rigid and flexible foams . because of their method of preparation directly from the monomeric components , the polymers can be prepared in large shapes such as furniture and furniture components and automobile parts . the terpolymers can also be produced in the form of molding resins which can subsequently be molded by injection molding , extruding , thermoforming or other techniques to produce products of virtually any shape . the more highly elastomeric compositions can be used in manufacture of automobile tires and tire components . the polymers can also be modified with fillers , fibers , pigments , dyes , stabilizers , plasticizers , flame retardant and other polymeric modifiers to alter their properties and thereby enlarge even further the scope of their applicability . one such modification comprises reinforcing the polymers with fillers or fibers which have been treated with coupling agents capable of increasing the bonding of the fillers or fibers to the polymer molecules . a large number of organosilane compounds have been found to be especially capable of performing this task of improving adhesion between polymer and filler or fiber . examples of some suitable organosilane couplers for use with the polymers of this invention include 3 - aminopropyl triethoxysilane , glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane and n - trimethoxysilylpropyl - n - beta - amino - ethyl - amine . preferred fillers and fibers include quartz , wollastonite , feldspar , calcined kaolin clay , glass fibers and other high performance fibers such as graphite , boron , steel and the like . the concentrations of fillers and fibers can vary from very small amounts such as one or two volume percent up to 70 or 80 volume percent or more . the terpolymers are prepared by either initiating the anionic catalyzed polymerization of lactam with a polyether - polyester prepolymer initiator , or the formation of the initiator from dicarboxylic acid esters and aliphatic polyols or aliphatic polyether polyols in the presence of lactam as a reaction solvent , followed by the anionic catalyzed polymerization of the lactam . as an illustration , one theoretical formula for the terpolymer is presented as a result of the following formulation schematic of a typical process according to the invention . ## str12 ## where x and b are integers equal to at least one ; z is a hydrocarbon , substituted hydrocarbon or acylated hydrocarbon group ; y is an alkylene group having at least about three carbon atoms , preferably from about 3 to 12 or 14 carbon atoms ; and r is a divalent hydrocarbon ; and n is an integer equal to one or more . the foregoing illustration represents only one typical formulated schematic of the inventive process and terpolymer produced thereby , and should not be construed as the only process and / or terpolymer afforded by this invention . the polyether - polyester prepolymer initiators result from the transesterification of aliphatic polyols and / or aliphatic polyether polyols and dicarboxylic acid esters . the dicarboxylic acid esters or dialkyl esters useful in the prepolymer formation have the general formula : ## str13 ## wherein r &# 39 ; is an alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , 2 - ethyl hexyl and the like , alkenyls , aryls and mixtures thereof ; d is an integer ; and when the radical ## spc1 ## and the like . specific dialkyl esters according to the above formula include , for example , dialkylaryloates such as dimethyl terephthalate and dimethyl isophthalate ; and dialkylalkanoates such as diethyl sebacate , dibutyl adipate , diethyloxalate and the like . the catalysts used as catalyst i in the foregoing illustration of a typical formulated schematic of the inventive process are transesterification prepolymer catalyst , for example alkali metals and alkaline earth metals , zinc , cadmium , manganese , iron , nickel , cobalt , tin , lanthanum , lead or bismuth or combinations thereof , salts such as calcium , manganese , cobalt or zinc acetate , lithium hydride , sodium alcoholates , zinc succinate or zinc acetyl acetonate , oxides such as lead oxide ( pbo ), antimony oxide ( sb 2 o 3 ), or germanium oxide ( geo 2 ), magnesium methoxide , and combinations such as antimony trioxide / manganese acetate or antimony trioxide / titanium dioxide . other suitable catalyst include caprolactam magnesium bromide , and selected grignard agents , for example , ethyl magnesium bromide . catalyst i is used in quantities of from about 0 . 005 to about 0 . 2 % by weight , preferably about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 10 % by weight based on the quantity of dicarboxylic acid ester . polymerization temperatures can vary from the melting point of the lactam or less up to the melting point of the resultant polymer or more . depending upon the particular ingredients being used , this can encompass a range from 70 ° to 230 ° c or more . preferred polymerization temperatures are from about 90 ° to about 190 ° c and more preferably from about 120 ° to about 180 ° c for caprolactam terpolymers . such a technique produces desired polymerization of a terpolymer having high strength and modulus . times required for complete polymerization will vary considerably depending upon polymerization temperatures and the specific ingredients used in the polymerization system . polymerization time varies from at least about one minute , preferably from 1 to 30 minutes , and can be extended to any duration up to several days or more . generally , polymerization times of from 1 to 30 minutes are preferred for most polymerization systems . the lactam monomer , dicarboxylic acid ester and polyol used in the polymerization have both been described in ample detail above . the lactam polymerization catalyst ( catalyst ii ) useful herein includes that class of compounds commonly recognized as suitable basic catalysts for the anhydrous polymerization of lactams . in general , all alkali or alkaline earth metals are effective catalysts either in the metallic form or in the form of hydrides , halohydrides , alkylhalides , oxides , hydroxides , carbonates and the like . also useful are a number of organometallic compounds of the metals mentioned above such as metal alkyls , metal phenyls , metal amides and the like . examples include sodium hydride , potassium hydroxide , lithium oxide , ethyl magnesium bromide , calcium fluorohydride , strontium carbonate , barium hydroxide , methyl sodium buthyl lithium , potassium phenyl , diphenyl barium , sodium amide and magnesium diethyl . all of the foregoing compounds react with the lactam monomer to form the metal lactam , which is the active catalytic agent in the lactam polymerization mechanism . the metal lactam catalyst can therefore be formed in situ by reaction of one of the foregoing metals or metal compounds with lactam monomer in the polymerization medium or by prior reaction of the metal or metal compound with a stoichiometric quantity of lactam monomer . examples of metal lactam catalysts include sodium caprolactam , bromomagnesium caprolactam , magnesium caprolactam , bromomagnesium pyrrolidinone , chlorocalcium caprolactam and the like . catalyst concentrations can range from a fraction of one mole percent to 15 or 20 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer to be polymerized . the polyacyl linkage , as well as the ester and amide linkages , are incorporated into the polymer chain through the reaction of the polyacyl alkoxide with the lactam and polyol constituents . in the formula set forth above for the polyacyl alkoxide useful herein , the r group can be any hydrocarbon group having the necessary number of available valences to bond to itself all of the acyl groups included in the compound . the hydrocarbon group can be of any size but preferably contains a maximum of eight or ten carbon atoms . examples of suitable r groups include phenylene , biphenylene , methylene , hexylene , tolylene , and analogous hydrocarbons having more than two sites available for bonding to acyl groups . the amount of polyacyl alkoxide useful in the preparation of the terpolymers of this invention depends upon the quantities of lactam and polyol being used . for preferred polymerizations , it is desirable that the polyacyl alkoxide be present in an amount from 100 to about 500 , preferably from about 100 to about 200 , equivalent percent of the polyol . if the polyacyl alkoxide is present in an amount less than a molecularly equivalent amount based on the polyol , polyol prepolymer formation occurs , but the subsequent lactam polymerization is very slow . in those preferred polymerization systems where the polyacyl alkoxide concentration exceeds the amount stoichiometrically equivalent to the polyol , the excess can be from 0 . 01 to about 30 or more mole percent of the lactam monomer . a preferred range is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 mole percent of the lactam monomer , and more preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 5 mole percent of the lactam monomer . the lactam and polyol can be present in any relative proportions ranging up to 99 parts of either component to 1 part of the other . preferred ratios of the two polymer - forming materials depend upon the end use to which the finished polymer is to be put . for end use applications requiring strong rigid materials , the lactam content of the polymerizable medium should be relatively high such as 60 or 80 or even 90 % or more lactam . for other applications where elastomeric properties such as high elongation or where water absorption is desirable , the relative proportions of the two monomers can be reversed so that the polymerizable medium will contain 60 or 80 or 90 % or more of the polyol compound . where water absorption is desired , polyethylene glycol can be used as the major polyol compound . polymers containing about equal quantities of both lactam and polyol are preferred for a great many uses because of the advantageous combination of properties achieved by such polymers . three terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 1 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric polyol was heated under vacuum at 125 °- 180 ° for 30 minutes to dry . the transesterification prepolymer catalyst and dmt were added and the mixture stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere at 200 ° c . intermittently a slight stream of nitrogen was allowed to pass through the reactor to remove evolved methanol . after 40 minutes reaction time the mixture was evacuated for 5 - 10 minutes . to the resulting prepolymer was added caprolactam and santowhite powder . the temperature of the resulting prepolymer - caprolactam solution was adjusted to 160 ° c and grignard reagent added . the mixture was evacuated for 2 - 3 minutes to remove ether and ethane . the vacuum was released to nitrogen and the catalyzed prepolymer solution poured into a vertical mold of 10 inches × 10 inches × 1 / 8 inch dimensions which had been heated to 160 ° c . after an hour the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ prepolymer catalyst glycol used dmt . sup . 4 caprolactam swp . sup . 5 grignard . sup . 6process type amount compound gms gms gms . gms . ml . __________________________________________________________________________a magnesium acetate . sup . 1 0 . 4 ml polymeg . sup . 3 2000 117 15 . 5 273 2 5 tetraisopropyl orthotitanate . sup . 2 0 . 08 mlb tetrabutyl orthotitanate 0 . 063 ml carbowax . sup . 7 4000 90 7 . 0 205 1 . 5 5c zinc acetate 0 . 2 gm &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 90 7 . 7 205 1 . 5 5__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 0 . 1 molar in methanol . sup . 2 0 . 8 molar in 2 . propanol . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 5 santowhite powder . sup . 6 ethyl magnesium bromide 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 7 polyethylene glycol table 2______________________________________ tensile fail tensile strength % modulusterpolymer psi elongation psi______________________________________a - 30 % ptmg 6530 720 47 , 000b - 30 % peg 7000 520 57 , 000c - 30 % peg 6800 550 101 , 000______________________________________ five polyethylene glycol terpolymers were prepared from polyester prepolymers formed in caprolactam solution . the quantities of ingredients and the various transesterification catalysts used are listed in table 3 . in each of the processes listed , the polymeric glycol , caprolactam and santowhite powder were heated under vacuum to distil 25 ml . caprolactam . ( in process f and g , cadmium acetate dihydrate and zinc acetate dihydrate were added prior to caprolactam distillation . in the remaining processes , the transesterification catalyst was added after caprolactam distillation .) after the initial distillation of caprolactam , a reflux condenser was attached to the reaction flask and a vacuum take off with a dry ice cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . the dmt and transesterification catalyst were added and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam at a temperature of 110 °- 140 ° c . progress of the reaction was followed by measurement of evolved methanol . after methanol evolution had ceased , the temperature of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 130 ° c and 5 ml . grignard reagent catalyst added . the reaction flask was evacuated for 2 minutes to remove ether and ethane and the vacuum released to nitrogen atmosphere . the catalyzed mixture was poured into a 160 ° c mold described in example 1 . after 1 hr the mold was opened and the sample removed . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymer are reported in table 4 . table 3______________________________________ reactants carbowax . sup . 1 4000 - 90 gms caprolactam 229 gms santowhite powder 1 . 5 gms dmt . sup . 2 7 . 7 gmsii transesterification catalystterpolymer d grignard . sup . 3 0 . 6 mlterpolymer e aluminum iso - propoxide 0 . 2 gmterpolymer f cadmium acetate 0 . 26 gm &# 34 ; g zinc acetate 0 . 22 gm &# 34 ; h magnesium methoxide . sup . 4 0 . 9 mliii copolymerization catalyst - grignard . sup . 3 5 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polyethylene glycol . sup . 2 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . . sup . 4 1 molar in methanol table 4______________________________________tensile yield tensile fail tensileter - strength % elon - strength % moduluspolymer psi gation psi elongation psi______________________________________d 6200 507 84 , 000e 3700 15 5900 470 62 , 400f 3700 25 6200 497 68 , 000g 3800 20 6100 477 78 , 000h 3700 25 6500 518 91 , 500______________________________________ several terpolymers were prepared employing different types and quantities of glycols . the terpolymers were prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 5 . the transesterification reaction and copolymerization with caprolactam were run according to procedures described in example 2 . tensile properties of the resulting terpolymers are reported in table 6 . table 5__________________________________________________________________________glycol used prepolymer % in catalyst gms gms gms caprolactam stabilizer ml . process material copolymer material amount glycol dmt . sup . 1 charge distilled material gms grignard . sup . 2__________________________________________________________________________i polymeg . sup . 3 2000 30 grignard . sup . 2 0 . 6 ml 90 10 . 2 227 25 swp . sup . 4 1 . 5j polymeg . sup . 3 2000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 5 1 ml 150 16 . 0 164 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 4 . 5k polymeg 1000 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 19 . 6 221 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0l polymeg 1000 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 24 . 5 188 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0m polymeg 650 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 28 . 0 216 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0n polymeg 650 40 grignard 0 . 6 ml 120 36 . 8 155 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0o polymeg 1000 21 62 . 5 butane diol 6 grignard 0 . 6 ml 17 . 1 50 . 2 196 . 3 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0p polyglycol . sup . 6 e - 6000 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 150 5 . 0 171 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0q polyglycol e - 1450 50 zinc acetate 5 gm . 1500 220 . 2 1446 100 flectol - h 1 . 5 35r niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 90 10 . 8 227 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0s niax pcp - 0240 . sup . 7 40 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 1 ml 120 13 . 7 195 25 flectol - h 1 . 5 5 . 0t polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 5 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 11 ml 150 109 . 6 1975 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50u polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 10 13 ml 300 124 . 3 1814 100 dnpd . sup . 8 6 50v polymeg 2000 30 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 900 niax pcp 0240 15 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 14 ml 450 139 . 0 1655 100 dnpd 6 50w voranol 2000 . sup . 9 30 grignard 0 . 6 ml 90 7 . 7 229 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0x voranol 2000 . sup . 9 50 mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 0 . 9 ml 150 15 . 3 164 25 swp 1 . 5 5 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 dimethyl terephthalate . sup . 2 ethyl magnesium bromide - 3 molar in diethyl ether . sup . 3 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 4 santowhite powder . sup . 5 magnesium methoxide - 1 molar in methanol . sup . 6 polyethylene glycol . sup . 7 polycaprolactone diol . sup . 8 n , n &# 39 ;- dl - 2 - naphthyl - p - phenylene diamine . sup . 9 polypropylene glycol table 6__________________________________________________________________________ tensile yield tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % strength % modulusprocesscomposition psi elongation psi elongation psi__________________________________________________________________________i 30 % ptmg 2000 4600 50 6870 533 89 , 400j 50 % ptmg 2000 4850 773 26 , 000k 30 % ptmg 1000 4700 60 5980 533 82 , 800l 40 % ptmg 1000 5190 776 25 , 700m 30 % ptmg 650 5850 685 38 , 300n 40 % ptmg 650 3100 754 15 , 400o 21 % ptmg 1000 2720 156 6 , 5006 % butane diolp 50 % peg 6000 3260 14 4400 588 61 , 000q 50 % peg 1450 2270 * 250 * r 30 % polycaprolactone 2700 29 7100 715 40 , 000s 40 % polycaprolactone 2300 60 4000 650 27 , 200t 30 % ptmg 2000 6900 * 470 * 5 % polycaprolactoneu 30 % ptmg 2000 5200 * 473 * 10 % polycaprolactonev 30 % ptmg 2000 5000 * 530 * 15 % polycaprolactonew 30 % ppg 4790 340 82 , 800x 50 % ppg 3190 482 28 , 800__________________________________________________________________________ * tensile data for extruded strand two terpolymers were prepared from polyester synthesized from an aliphatic dibasic ester using the quantities of ingredients specified in the following table : table 7______________________________________terpolymer process y z______________________________________glycol used polymeg . sup . 1 2000 polymeg . sup . 1 1000reactantsgms . glycol 90 90gms . santowhite powder 1 . 5 1 . 5gms . caprolactam charged 225 218gms . caprolactam distilled 25 25gms . diethyl sebacate 13 . 2 24 . 5ml . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 0 . 9 1 . 0ml . grignard . sup . 3 5 . 0 5 . 0______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 ethyl magnesium bromide -- 3 molar in diethyl ether . the terpolymers were prepared according to the procedure described in example 2 . tensile properties of the terpolymers are reported in the following table : table 8______________________________________ tensile fail tensileterpolymer strength % modulusprocess composition psi elongation psi______________________________________y 30 % ptmg 2000 7200 575 81 , 400z 30 % ptmg 1000 5600 516 62 , 800______________________________________ the following example 5 is a calculated example of a predictable cross - linked terpolymer which could be prepared by the inventive process . a crosslinked terpolymer is prepared using the quantities of ingredients listed in table 9 . table 9______________________________________material amount______________________________________polymeg . sup . 1 2000 90 gm . caprolactam 214 gm . santowhite powder 1 . 5 gm . dimethyl terephthalate 6 . 9 gm . mg ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . sup . 2 1 ml . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam 3 . 2 gm . bmc . sup . 3 23 ml . ______________________________________ . sup . 1 polytetramethylene glycol . sup . 2 1 molar in methanol . sup . 3 bromo magnesium caprolactam -- 0 . 4 molar in caprolactam the caprolactam , polymeg 2000 , and santowhite poweder are heated under vacuum to distil 25 gms . caprolactam in order to dry the mixture . a reflux condenser is attached to the reactor with a dry ice - cooled receiver attached to the condenser outlet . dimethyl terephthalate and mg ( och 3 ) 2 added to the mixture and the reactor evacuated to reflux caprolactam . progress of the transesterification reaction is followed by measurement of evolved methanol condensed in the dry ice - cooled receiver . when methanol evolution has stopped , the reactor vacuum is released to nitrogen and 0 . 5 ml water added to destroy the magnesium methoxide catalyst . the reflux is replaced with a distilling head and the mixture re - evacuated to distil 10 ml . caprolactam to re - dry . trimesoyl tris - caprolactam is added and dissolved , and the mixture cooled to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast into a vertical mold ( described in example 1 ) which has been heated to 100 ° c . the mixture is cast by means of a metering pump . the bmc catalyst is injected into the stream by means of a second metering pump and the streams mixed by a kenics static mixer . after casting is complete , the mold is heated to 160 ° c over a 15 minute period and held at 160 ° c for an additional 45 minutes , after which the mold is opened and the sample removed . | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | 9dd27a9e0515885e1f5a8660988491a4509e2a60f725962d0e0683c2b99b7d71 | 0.546875 | 0.149414 | 0.625 | 0.07373 | 0.40625 | 0.162109 |
null | the term “ membrane ” as used herein includes permeable and semi - permeable three dimensional structures with or without particles , having a porosity suitable for the desired application . the term “ composite structure ” as used herein includes filled membranes . in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that many different particles can be used in the composite structures , depending upon the desired objectives of the resulting device . in the case or adsorptive devices , the ideal device will have rapid adsorption kinetics , a capacity and selectivity commensurate with the application , and allows for elution of bound analyte with an appropriate desorption agent . suitable adsorptive composite structures are polymer bound , particle laden adsorptive membrane structures , such as those comprised of chromatographic beads which have been adhered together with a binder . a suitable polymer bound particle laden adsorptive membrane is illustrated in fig4 . this membrane is comprised of about 80 % w / w silica and 20 % w / w polysulfone binder , and is produced by millipore corporation . a similar membrane is shown in fig1 a cast - in - place in a pipette tip 50 . functional composite structures comprising other micron - size ( e . g ., 1 – 30 microns ) resin particles derivatized with other functional groups are also beneficial , including styrenedivinyl - benzene - based media ( unodified or derivatized with e . g ., sulphonic acids , quaternary amines , etc . ); silica - based media ( unmodified or derivatized with c 2 , c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , or c 18 or ion exchange functionalities ), to accommodate a variety of applications for peptides , proteins , nucleic acids , and other organic compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize that other matrices with alternative selectivities ( e . g ., hydrophobic interaction , affinity , etc .) can also be used , especially for classes of molecules other than peptides . the term “ particles ” as used herein is intended to encompass particles having regular ( e . g ., spherical ) or irregular shapes , as well as shards , fibers and powders , including metal powders , plastic powders ( e . g ., powdered polystyrene ), normal phase silica , fumed silica and activated carbon . for example , the addition of fumed silica into a polysulfone polymer results in increased active surface area and is suitable for various applications . polysulfone sold under the name udel p3500 and p1700 by amoco is particularly preferred in view of the extent of the adherence of the resulting composite structure to polyolefin housing , including polypropylene , polyethylene and mixtures thereof . other suitable polymer binders include polyethersulfone , cellulose acetate , cellulose acetate butyrate , acrylonitrile pvc copolymer ( sold commercially under the name “ dynel ”), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf , sold commercially under the name “ kynar ”), polystyrene and polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymer , etc . adhesion to the housing can be enhanced or an analogous effect achieved with these composite structures by means known to those skilled in the art , including etching of the housing , such as with plasma treatment or chemical oxidation ; mechanical aids such as rims inside the housing ; and inclusion of additives into the housing material that promote such adhesion . adhesion allows uniform precipitation during casting . devices in accordance with the present invention may incorporate a plurality of composite structures having resin materials with different functional groups to fractionate analytes that vary by charge , size , affinity and / or hydrophobicity ; alternately , a plurality of devices containing different individual functional membranes may be used in combination to achieve a similar result . similarly , one or more membranes can be cast in a suitable housing and functionality can be added before or after casting . in accordance with the present invention , the structures of the present invention can be formed by a polymer phase inversion process , air casting ( evaporation ) and thermal inversion . for those systems with minimal or no adhesion , the formed structures can be separately prepared and inserted into the appropriate housing and held in place by mechanical means . in the preferred method , the formed structures are cast in situ in the desired housing . this results in the ability to include large amounts of media in the polymer matrix while still maintaining a three - dimensional porous structure . the membrane substructure serves as a support network enmeshing the particles , thus eliminating the need for frits or plugs , thereby minimizing or even eliminating dead volume ( the adsorptivity of the membrane may or may not participate in the adsorption process ). however , porous frits plugs could be added if desired . preferably the membranes or composite structures formed have an aspect ratio ( average diameter to average thickness ) of less than about 20 , more preferably less than about 10 , especially less than 1 . for example , for adsorptive pipette tips , aspect ratios of two or less , more preferably less than 1 are preferred , especially between about 0 . 005 – 0 . 5 . an aspect ratio within this range provides for suitable residence times of the sample in the composite structure during operation . in the polymer phase inversion process , the solvent for the polymer must be miscible with the quench or inversion phase . for example , n - methyl - pyrolidone is a suitable solvent for polysulfones , polyethersulfones and polystyrene . in the latter case , polystryene pellets can be dissolved in n - methyl - pyrolidone and case - in - place . the resulting structure shows good adhesion to the walls of a polyolefin - based housing , and has adsorption characteristics similar to polysulfone . dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylform - amide , butyrolactone , and sulfalane are also suitable solvents . n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) is a suitable solvent for pvdf . water is the preferred precipitant . the polymer phase inversion process generally results in an expansion of the structure to about two to three times its casting solution volume in the housing . in the air casting process , a volatile solvent for the polymer binder is used . for example , in the case of cellulose acetate , acetone is a suitable volatile solvent . air casting generally results in a structure which is smaller than the casting solution volume . with this method , particles in the filled structures should be at least about 30μ to allow flow through the interstitial spaces after shrinkage without having to apply higher driving force . the upper limit of particle amounts is dictated by casting solution viscosity . depending on particle type , up to 40 % ( w / w ) of particles can be added to the polymer without resulting in a casting solution too viscous to draw into the housing . higher particle loadings may be achieved using higher temperature . suitable particle sizes include particles in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 100 microns in average diameter with or without porosity . suitable housing materials are not particularly limited , and include plastics ( such as polyethylene and polypropylene ), glass and stainless steel . polyolefins , and particularly polypropylene , are preferred housing materials in view of the chemical adhesion that is created with the composite structure when the composite containing polysulfone , and in particular udel p3500 and p1700 polysulfones available from amoco , is cast - in - place therein . fig1 b illustrates such adhesion with a polypropylene pipette tip housing having a cast - in - place membrane therein prepared with spherical silica gel and polysulfone . suitable housing configurations are also not particularly limited , and include pipette tips , wells , multi - well arrays , plastic and glass cavities , sample preparation devices such as the microcon ® microconcentrator , commercially available from millipore corporation , etc . the preferred housing configuration is substantially cylindrical , as the flow vectors during operation are substantially straight , similar to chromatography , thereby minimizing or avoiding dilutional washing that might occur with non - cylindrical configurations . although housings with volumes between about 0 . 1 μl and about 5 mls . can be used for casting - in - place , volumes less than about 100 μl are preferred , with volumes of from about 0 . 1 – 50 μl , preferably from about 0 . 2 – 20 μl , are especially preferred . pipette tip geometries having volumes as small as about 5 microliters can be used . when chemical adhesion of the composite structure to the housing walls is desired but is insignificant or non - existent , mechanical means can be used to maintain the composite structure in the housing , such as crimping , press fitting , heat shrinking the housing or a portion thereof , plasma treating the housing or a portion thereof , or chemically treating , such as etching , the housing or a portion thereof to promote adhesion . an advantage of adhesion to the housing wall is the ability to “ seal ” the composite structure to the housing without mechanical means . such sealing ( by whatever method ) prevents the sample from channeling or bypassing the composite during operation . preferably the structures of the present invention have a final bed height of from about 0 . 05 to about 5 mm . this allows for good washing , good density per unit volume , and results in a uniform precipitation during formation of the plug . the structures of the present invention also can be cast - in - place in conventional multi - well arrays having suitable geometries . alternatively , as shown in fig5 a – 5d , multi - well arrays 10 can be used as the housing , such as by casting the structures 11 of the present invention in place in the well 12 . alternatively , fig5 b shows an underdrain subassembly 13 having a plurality of wells 12 ( enlarged in fig5 d ) with cast - in - place structures contained therein . the underdrain 13 can be adapted to be permanently or removably coupled to the reservoir array 10 by any suitable means , such as by snapping , so as to form removable “ boot ” assemblies containing the structures of the present invention . for convenience , each underdrain 13 can contain a polymer matrix having particles with different chemistry , so that the user chooses the appropriate underdrain 13 depending upon the application . alternatively or in addition , the particle laden polymer matrix can differ from well to well . the reservoir housing 10 can be a plurality of open bores , or can include a membrane . the composite structures and the micro sample preparation devices of the present invention containing the composite structures have a wide variety of applications , depending upon the particle selection . for example , applications include peptide and protein sample preparation prior to analysis , peptide removal from carbohydrate samples , amino acid clean - up prior to analysis , immobilized enzymes for micro - volume reactions , immobilized ligands for micro - affinity chromatography , isolation of supercoiled and cut plasmids , clean - up of pcr and dna products , immobilized oligo dt for rna isolation , dye terminator removal , sample preparation for elemental analysis , etc . those skilled in the art will be able to choose the appropriate particles , polymer binder , particle chemistry and form geometry depending upon the desired application . in some cases , a mixture of particles can be used in the same devices . alternatively or in addition , a multi - well device could have different chemistries for each separate well . in the embodiment where the structures of the present invention are not filled with particles , symmetrical or asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , or a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , can be formed . in this embodiment , the preferred method of formation is casting in situ in the appropriate housing to form a self - retaining , self - supporting structure suitable for separations based on size or adsorption ( depending on polymer identity ). functionality can be added to such a membrane to perform adsorption separations without the use of particles . for example , cellulose acetate can be treated with base to form cellulose , followed by an oxidant to render it reactive . in the in situ formation process ( either with filled or unfilled structures ), the preferred method of formation involves precipitation by means of solvent exchange , such as by introducing the casting solution into the housing by any suitable means , such as where pressure is the driving force , for example by capillary action or by using a vacuum source . in the embodiment in which the housing is a pipette tip , a preferred driving force is a hand - held pipettor . once the desired volume in the housing is filled with casting solution , the casting solution in the housing is contacted with a liquid in which the polymer is insoluble , preferably water , so that the polymer precipitates in the housing . this can be accomplished by immersing the housing in the liquid , and / or drawing the liquid into the housing with a driving force such as by means of a vacuum . through the exchange of water for the solvent , the structure precipitates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the solvent used to prepare the casting solution and the non - solvent can contain a variety of additives . at the first contact of the polymer with the precipitant , there is virtually instaneous precipitation , thereby forming a semi - permeable barrier or “ skin ”. such a barrier is illustrated in fig1 as element 60 in a housing 62 . this barrier slows the rate of further precipitation of the substructure . once precipitation is complete , the initial semi - permeable barrier 60 can be removed , such as by cutting the housing at a point above the barrier at a point above the barrier or by abrading exposed polymer . the semi - permeable barrier 60 can be optionally left in place to carry out size - based separations with unfilled structures , as the barrier acts as a micro - filtration membrane . the cast in - place structure assumes the shape of the housing and results in a self - retaining homogeneous structure akin to a chromatographic column , providing a large surface area suitable or bind / elute chromatography ( e . g ., when particles are included in the polymer matrix ) or for other analytical or biochemical techniques . suitable driving forces include centrifugation , gravity , pressure or vacuum . without limitation , the following examples illustrate the objects and advantages of the present invention . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 % ( w / w ) pvdf solution ( pennwalt corp , kynar 761 ) was prepared in n , n - dimethyacetamide . to this , 1 gram of scx , 200 å , 15 μm ( millipore , pn 85864 ) spherical silica was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 20 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 20 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 20 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 0 . 5 – 1 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the pipette tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water @ 60 ° c . for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 25 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 5 to 20 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled several times . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica ( millipore , pn 85058 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at rt ., then mixed again . a 200 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 5 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water at room temperature for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 – 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed form the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was twisted off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipetter and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 5 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 50 to 200 μl of deionized water was drawn in an expelled several times . 60 å , 10 μm normal phase silica in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips in a suitable small vessel , 6 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 – 60 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 1 gram of 60 å , 10 μm granular silica gel ( davison , grade 710 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a wide bore 1000 μl polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a suitable small vessel , 8 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 0 . 5 grams of fumed silica ( degussa , aerosil 200 ) were added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm silica ( millipore , pn 85864 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . using a pipette or eye dropper , 25 – 50 μl of casting solution was dispensed into a suitable fixture . examples of such devices include ( but are not limited to ) an millipore microcon or the wells of a 96 well filter plate . when preparing devices by this method , each chamber must contain a permeable barrier which will retain the solution ( e . g . polypropylene fabric , membrane , etc .). once added , the unit was gently tapped to ensure that the solution covered the entire barrier surface . the device was immersed in water for ca . 2 hours , and was gently stirred every 15 mins to promote solvent exchange . after this period , the units were removed and placed in either a centrifuge or vacuum manifold , as appropriate . the cast in place structure was flushed with 500 to 1000 μl of deionized water to ensure solvent removal . cast porous end plug in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips containing loose 30 μsilica in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 100 to 500 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . the pipette was detached and any excess water in the upper chamber was removed with a cotton swab . 5 – 10 mg of ( 250 å ) 30 μm silica gel was weighed out and carefully added to the back end of the pipette . the pipette was tapped so that the silica rested on top of the cast - in - place barrier . if necessary , affix a suitable porous plug ( cotton or polypropylene ) in the upper chamber to prevent particle loss . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone was prepared . the mixture is allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and is then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette is affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust is set to 1000 μl . the plunger is depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette is placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess polymer solution was wiped off , and the tip was dipped into a bath of deionized water for about 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was about 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for about 5 minutes . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor , the liquid expelled , and washed with 100 – 200 μl of deionized water . when cast in this manner , the precipitated polymer had a semi - filtration medium . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of a 10 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) in acetone was prepared . to this , 1 gram of methanol , 0 . 5 grams of deionized water and 1 gram of 250 å , 30 μm silica was added . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and was then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson ) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . the plunger was then slowly raised to fill the tip with about 5 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess fluid was wiped off , and the tip was placed in a rack to allow solvent to evaporate for about 16 hours . after this period , the tip was washed with about 10 μl of distilled water . 30 μl silica end plugs in porous polyethylene prepared by thermal phase inversion in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of beaded polyethylene and 100 grams of mineral oil are added . the mixture is heated to 250 ° c . on a hot plate with agitation . when the plastic liquifies , 4 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica is added and mixed thoroughly . using a 1 ml graduated glass pipette with filler bulb , 50 – 100 μl of the melt is drawn . once the tip contains sufficient liquid , equal pressure is maintained , and the tip is removed , excess plastic is wiped off , the tip is allowed to cool to room temperature . the pipette is transferred to a methylene chloride bath for 1 hour to extract the mineral oil . it is then removed , and the methylene chloride is expelled and allowed to air dry . approximately 2 . 5 μg of each peptide from a mixture consisting of glytyr ( 1 ), valtyrval ( 2 ), methionine enkephalin ( 3 ), leucine enkaphalin ( 4 ) and angiotensin ii ( 5 ) ( in 100 μl 0 . 1 % tfa ) was adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica . the solution was drawn up and expelled 4 times . the tip was then washed with 200 μof 0 . 1 % tfa . bound peptides were eluted with 80 % acetonitrile in 0 . 1 % tfa / water . the eluted peptides were diluted with 4 parts of 0 . 1 % tfa and analyzed by reverse phase hplc ( linear acetonitrile gradient 5 – 30 % over 20 min ). the resulting chromatogram was then compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 7 ). as expected , the glytyr , valtyrval , which are small and relatively hydrophilic , did not bind to the c 18 . the recoveries of the remaining 3 ( adsorbed ) peptides subsequent to elution ranged from 70 – 85 %. approximately 2 . 5 μg of each solute from a mixture consisting of a five peptides ( see example 10 ) ( in 100 μl in 10 % glacial acetic acid ) were adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast , styrene sulfonate coated , 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica . adsorption was performed during 4 complete uptake - withdraw cycles followed by a 100 μl flush with 20 % methanol / 10 mm hcl . bound sample was eluted with two 25 μl volumes of 1 . 4 n ammonium hydroxide / 50 % methanol . the eluted sample was analyzed by reversed phase hplc and the resulting chromatogram was compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 8 ). the strong cation exchange tip bound all sample components , except glytyr . such performance is consistent with the selectivity of sulfonic acid ion - exchange resins . trypsin was covalently coupled to an aldehyde activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica and cast ( 20 μl ) into p200 tips for protein digestion in situ . trypsin activity within the tip was assessed by monitoring the digestion of cytochrome via hplc . a sample of cytochrome c ( 10 μg in 100 μl of 100 mm tris , 1 mm cacl 2 , ph 8 @ 37 c ) was taken up into the tip for 15 minutes . the reaction was mixed 4 × with a expel / draw cycle into an eppendorf tube . the digest was analyzed by hplc using a linear gradient of acetonitrile from 5 – 45 % over 30 minutes ( see fig1 ). the resulting chromatogram showed that greater than 90 % of cytochrome c was digested after 15 minutes ( see fig9 for undigested cytochrome c ). recombinant protein a was coupled to precast p200 tips containing aldehyde - activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica for the isolation of rabbit immunoglobulin ( igg ). a 100 μl sample of 1 mg / ml igg and bsa in rip buffer ( 150 mm nacl , 1 % np - 40 , 0 . 5 % doc , 0 . 1 % sds , 50 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 ) was cycled six times through a tip containing 40 μl of cast volume containing protein a immobilized beads . the tip was then washed with 5 volumes of rip buffer prior to the elution . desorption of bound igg was performed with ( two 25 μl volumes ) of 6m urea . the desorbed sample was diluted with 50 μl of 2 × sds laemmli sample buffer and boiled for 3 min prior to electrophoretic analysis . this protocol was also performed on a blank tip containing just polysulfone without beads which served as a background control . electrophoresis was performed in a 10 – 16 % acrylamide gel shown ( see fig1 ). samples are as follows : lane 9 : ( mw marker ); lanes 1 – 4 : increasing amounts of protein a tip eluted sample ; and lanes 5 – 8 : increasing amounts of eluted igg / bsa from the blank polysulfone tip . these results indicate selective binding of igg to the protein a tip with minimal nonspecific adsorption . furthermore , the blank tip ( lanes 5 – 8 ), in the presence of detergents ( rip buffer ), did not exhibit adsorption of either igg or bsa . 60 å , 10 μm 1000 μl pipette tips for supercoiled dna escherichia coli strain jm109 containing plasmid puc19 was grown in 3 – 5 ml of luria broth containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin at 37 ° c . for 12 – 16 hours . 1 . 5 ml of the overnight culture was pelleted in a microfuge tube spun at a maximum g - force for 30 sec at room temperature . residual growth medium was removed while leaving the bacterial pellet intact . plasmid dna was then isolated using a modification of the alkaline lysis procedure of birnboim and doly ( birnboim , h . c . and doly , j . ( 1979 ). nucleic acids res 7 ., 1513 ). briefly , the bacterial pellet was resuspended by vortexing in 50 μl of 50 mm glucose , 25 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , and 10 μg / ml rnase a . next 100 μl of 0 . 2 n naoh , 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate was added . the resulting suspension was incubated at room temperature for 2 min . following the addition of 100 μl of 3 m sodium acetate solution ( ph 4 . 8 ), the suspension was mixed by vortexing then spun in a microfuge at maximum g - force for 2 min . the cleared lysate was transferred to a fresh microfuge tube to which 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm 2 -( n - morpholino ) ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ) at ph 5 . 6 was added to a final concentration and volume of 4 . 4 m and 700 μl , respectively . the resulting solution was drawn into a 1000 μl polypropylene pipette tip with ca . 60 μl of cast membrane containing ca . 60 å , 10 μm silica gel using a p - 1000 pipettor . the solution was pipetted in - and - out for 2 – 2 . 5 minutes to allow extensive interaction between the dna solution and the silica membrane matrix . the tip was then flushed once with 400 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol . residual alcohol is removed by repeated expulsion onto a paper towel . plasmid dna was eluted from the tip in 100 μl of 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 1 mm edta ( te ) by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. eluate fractions were adjusted to a final volume of 100 μl with te . six tips were evaluated . to quantitate plasmid dna recovery , 20 % of the eluate , as well as 20 % of the unbound filtrates , were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). included on the gel were samples of puc19 plasmid dna of known concentrations . ( lanes 1 – 4 ) results of these experiments indicate that on average 2 . 5 mg of supercoiled plasmid was recovered ( lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). 60 å , 10 μm silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for linear dna the ability of 200 μl polypropylene wide bore pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of cast 60 å , 10 μm silica - laden membrane to bind linearized dna fragments ( pbr322 digested with either bstni or mspi , to generate dna fragment ladders ) or plasmid pbr322 dna restricted with psti and bamhi ( generates large linear restriction fragments ) was assessed . five μg of linearized plasmid dna was combined with guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes to a final concentration of 0 . 5 m and volume of 150 μl . prior to use , p - 200 tips containing the silica membrane were pre - equilibrated in ( 2 ×) 200 μl of 0 . 5 m guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes . the dna / guhcl solution was drawn into a pipette tip and cycled in - and - out for 1 . 5 – 2 . 0 min to allow extensive interaction between the dna binding mixture and the silica - laden membrane matrix . the tips were then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . bound dna was eluted from the tip matrix in 100 μl te , by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. to measure dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). in order to quantitate the amount of dna recovered , samples representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 . lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , & amp ; 11 are the eluants . estimate of band intensities indicate recoveries in excess of 95 %. fumed silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for pcr amplified dna the ability of 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of fumed silica immobilized in a polysulfone matrix was assessed for the purification of pcr amplified dna ( 500 bp ). prior to use , tips were flushed 2 × with 100 μl of te buffer and then equilibrated with 500 μl of 3 m nai in 200 mm mes buffer ( ph 6 . 4 ). 50 μl samples from the pooled pcr stock ( ca . 3 μg of dna ) were then combined with 7 m nai to a final nai concentration of 3 . 0 m . the total volume following addition of the nai solution was 150 μl . the sample was drawn in and expelled from the p - 200 tips containing the cast fumed silica - laden membrane for 2 – 3 minutes allowing for extensive contact with the matrix . each tip was then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . residual alcohol was removed by expelling the tip contents onto a paper towel . bound pcr product was eluted in 50 μl te ( ph 8 . 0 ). to estimate dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . note the presence of the lower band which indicates a slight primer - dimer contamination . the use of immobilized fumed silica along with nai appears to give an amplified dna recovery in excess of 90 %. in addition , there appears to be a reduction in the primer - dimer contaminant . ( see lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). cast porous end plug with loose 30 micron silica in a 200 μl pipette tip for dna isolation 200 μl pipette tips containing ca 5 – 10 μl of cast ( 7 . 5 %) polysulfone as a porous end plug and 2 – 4 mg of loose 250 å , 30 μm silica was assayed for the ability to bind linear and supercoiled plasmid dna . regarding linear dna , approximately 5 μg of pbr322 was first digested with mspi in 45 μl te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta ), ph 8 . 0 , and then combined with 100 μl of 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm mes buffer at ph 5 . 6 . the final concentration of guhcl in the solution was 4 . 7 m . the resulting solution was drawn ( once ) into a 200 μl pipette tip and allowed to extensively contact the silica by inverting the pipetman with the affixed tip for approximately 2 min . the dna adsorbed to the tips was then washed and eluted as described in example 15 . loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %; and 25 % of the starting material where run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . results from experiments using this format indicate at dna recoveries of better than 75 % can be achieved ( see fig1 , lanes 5 and 7 ). | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | c95e8b36e9f66f6092516bde44141b505d9255ca6d523520cf4d7ef09b94a9c7 | 0.074707 | 0.027954 | 0.023315 | 0.001869 | 0.078125 | 0.018799 |
null | the term “ membrane ” as used herein includes permeable and semi - permeable three dimensional structures with or without particles , having a porosity suitable for the desired application . the term “ composite structure ” as used herein includes filled membranes . in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that many different particles can be used in the composite structures , depending upon the desired objectives of the resulting device . in the case or adsorptive devices , the ideal device will have rapid adsorption kinetics , a capacity and selectivity commensurate with the application , and allows for elution of bound analyte with an appropriate desorption agent . suitable adsorptive composite structures are polymer bound , particle laden adsorptive membrane structures , such as those comprised of chromatographic beads which have been adhered together with a binder . a suitable polymer bound particle laden adsorptive membrane is illustrated in fig4 . this membrane is comprised of about 80 % w / w silica and 20 % w / w polysulfone binder , and is produced by millipore corporation . a similar membrane is shown in fig1 a cast - in - place in a pipette tip 50 . functional composite structures comprising other micron - size ( e . g ., 1 – 30 microns ) resin particles derivatized with other functional groups are also beneficial , including styrenedivinyl - benzene - based media ( unodified or derivatized with e . g ., sulphonic acids , quaternary amines , etc . ); silica - based media ( unmodified or derivatized with c 2 , c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , or c 18 or ion exchange functionalities ), to accommodate a variety of applications for peptides , proteins , nucleic acids , and other organic compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize that other matrices with alternative selectivities ( e . g ., hydrophobic interaction , affinity , etc .) can also be used , especially for classes of molecules other than peptides . the term “ particles ” as used herein is intended to encompass particles having regular ( e . g ., spherical ) or irregular shapes , as well as shards , fibers and powders , including metal powders , plastic powders ( e . g ., powdered polystyrene ), normal phase silica , fumed silica and activated carbon . for example , the addition of fumed silica into a polysulfone polymer results in increased active surface area and is suitable for various applications . polysulfone sold under the name udel p3500 and p1700 by amoco is particularly preferred in view of the extent of the adherence of the resulting composite structure to polyolefin housing , including polypropylene , polyethylene and mixtures thereof . other suitable polymer binders include polyethersulfone , cellulose acetate , cellulose acetate butyrate , acrylonitrile pvc copolymer ( sold commercially under the name “ dynel ”), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf , sold commercially under the name “ kynar ”), polystyrene and polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymer , etc . adhesion to the housing can be enhanced or an analogous effect achieved with these composite structures by means known to those skilled in the art , including etching of the housing , such as with plasma treatment or chemical oxidation ; mechanical aids such as rims inside the housing ; and inclusion of additives into the housing material that promote such adhesion . adhesion allows uniform precipitation during casting . devices in accordance with the present invention may incorporate a plurality of composite structures having resin materials with different functional groups to fractionate analytes that vary by charge , size , affinity and / or hydrophobicity ; alternately , a plurality of devices containing different individual functional membranes may be used in combination to achieve a similar result . similarly , one or more membranes can be cast in a suitable housing and functionality can be added before or after casting . in accordance with the present invention , the structures of the present invention can be formed by a polymer phase inversion process , air casting ( evaporation ) and thermal inversion . for those systems with minimal or no adhesion , the formed structures can be separately prepared and inserted into the appropriate housing and held in place by mechanical means . in the preferred method , the formed structures are cast in situ in the desired housing . this results in the ability to include large amounts of media in the polymer matrix while still maintaining a three - dimensional porous structure . the membrane substructure serves as a support network enmeshing the particles , thus eliminating the need for frits or plugs , thereby minimizing or even eliminating dead volume ( the adsorptivity of the membrane may or may not participate in the adsorption process ). however , porous frits plugs could be added if desired . preferably the membranes or composite structures formed have an aspect ratio ( average diameter to average thickness ) of less than about 20 , more preferably less than about 10 , especially less than 1 . for example , for adsorptive pipette tips , aspect ratios of two or less , more preferably less than 1 are preferred , especially between about 0 . 005 – 0 . 5 . an aspect ratio within this range provides for suitable residence times of the sample in the composite structure during operation . in the polymer phase inversion process , the solvent for the polymer must be miscible with the quench or inversion phase . for example , n - methyl - pyrolidone is a suitable solvent for polysulfones , polyethersulfones and polystyrene . in the latter case , polystryene pellets can be dissolved in n - methyl - pyrolidone and case - in - place . the resulting structure shows good adhesion to the walls of a polyolefin - based housing , and has adsorption characteristics similar to polysulfone . dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylform - amide , butyrolactone , and sulfalane are also suitable solvents . n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) is a suitable solvent for pvdf . water is the preferred precipitant . the polymer phase inversion process generally results in an expansion of the structure to about two to three times its casting solution volume in the housing . in the air casting process , a volatile solvent for the polymer binder is used . for example , in the case of cellulose acetate , acetone is a suitable volatile solvent . air casting generally results in a structure which is smaller than the casting solution volume . with this method , particles in the filled structures should be at least about 30μ to allow flow through the interstitial spaces after shrinkage without having to apply higher driving force . the upper limit of particle amounts is dictated by casting solution viscosity . depending on particle type , up to 40 % ( w / w ) of particles can be added to the polymer without resulting in a casting solution too viscous to draw into the housing . higher particle loadings may be achieved using higher temperature . suitable particle sizes include particles in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 100 microns in average diameter with or without porosity . suitable housing materials are not particularly limited , and include plastics ( such as polyethylene and polypropylene ), glass and stainless steel . polyolefins , and particularly polypropylene , are preferred housing materials in view of the chemical adhesion that is created with the composite structure when the composite containing polysulfone , and in particular udel p3500 and p1700 polysulfones available from amoco , is cast - in - place therein . fig1 b illustrates such adhesion with a polypropylene pipette tip housing having a cast - in - place membrane therein prepared with spherical silica gel and polysulfone . suitable housing configurations are also not particularly limited , and include pipette tips , wells , multi - well arrays , plastic and glass cavities , sample preparation devices such as the microcon ® microconcentrator , commercially available from millipore corporation , etc . the preferred housing configuration is substantially cylindrical , as the flow vectors during operation are substantially straight , similar to chromatography , thereby minimizing or avoiding dilutional washing that might occur with non - cylindrical configurations . although housings with volumes between about 0 . 1 μl and about 5 mls . can be used for casting - in - place , volumes less than about 100 μl are preferred , with volumes of from about 0 . 1 – 50 μl , preferably from about 0 . 2 – 20 μl , are especially preferred . pipette tip geometries having volumes as small as about 5 microliters can be used . when chemical adhesion of the composite structure to the housing walls is desired but is insignificant or non - existent , mechanical means can be used to maintain the composite structure in the housing , such as crimping , press fitting , heat shrinking the housing or a portion thereof , plasma treating the housing or a portion thereof , or chemically treating , such as etching , the housing or a portion thereof to promote adhesion . an advantage of adhesion to the housing wall is the ability to “ seal ” the composite structure to the housing without mechanical means . such sealing ( by whatever method ) prevents the sample from channeling or bypassing the composite during operation . preferably the structures of the present invention have a final bed height of from about 0 . 05 to about 5 mm . this allows for good washing , good density per unit volume , and results in a uniform precipitation during formation of the plug . the structures of the present invention also can be cast - in - place in conventional multi - well arrays having suitable geometries . alternatively , as shown in fig5 a – 5d , multi - well arrays 10 can be used as the housing , such as by casting the structures 11 of the present invention in place in the well 12 . alternatively , fig5 b shows an underdrain subassembly 13 having a plurality of wells 12 ( enlarged in fig5 d ) with cast - in - place structures contained therein . the underdrain 13 can be adapted to be permanently or removably coupled to the reservoir array 10 by any suitable means , such as by snapping , so as to form removable “ boot ” assemblies containing the structures of the present invention . for convenience , each underdrain 13 can contain a polymer matrix having particles with different chemistry , so that the user chooses the appropriate underdrain 13 depending upon the application . alternatively or in addition , the particle laden polymer matrix can differ from well to well . the reservoir housing 10 can be a plurality of open bores , or can include a membrane . the composite structures and the micro sample preparation devices of the present invention containing the composite structures have a wide variety of applications , depending upon the particle selection . for example , applications include peptide and protein sample preparation prior to analysis , peptide removal from carbohydrate samples , amino acid clean - up prior to analysis , immobilized enzymes for micro - volume reactions , immobilized ligands for micro - affinity chromatography , isolation of supercoiled and cut plasmids , clean - up of pcr and dna products , immobilized oligo dt for rna isolation , dye terminator removal , sample preparation for elemental analysis , etc . those skilled in the art will be able to choose the appropriate particles , polymer binder , particle chemistry and form geometry depending upon the desired application . in some cases , a mixture of particles can be used in the same devices . alternatively or in addition , a multi - well device could have different chemistries for each separate well . in the embodiment where the structures of the present invention are not filled with particles , symmetrical or asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , or a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , can be formed . in this embodiment , the preferred method of formation is casting in situ in the appropriate housing to form a self - retaining , self - supporting structure suitable for separations based on size or adsorption ( depending on polymer identity ). functionality can be added to such a membrane to perform adsorption separations without the use of particles . for example , cellulose acetate can be treated with base to form cellulose , followed by an oxidant to render it reactive . in the in situ formation process ( either with filled or unfilled structures ), the preferred method of formation involves precipitation by means of solvent exchange , such as by introducing the casting solution into the housing by any suitable means , such as where pressure is the driving force , for example by capillary action or by using a vacuum source . in the embodiment in which the housing is a pipette tip , a preferred driving force is a hand - held pipettor . once the desired volume in the housing is filled with casting solution , the casting solution in the housing is contacted with a liquid in which the polymer is insoluble , preferably water , so that the polymer precipitates in the housing . this can be accomplished by immersing the housing in the liquid , and / or drawing the liquid into the housing with a driving force such as by means of a vacuum . through the exchange of water for the solvent , the structure precipitates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the solvent used to prepare the casting solution and the non - solvent can contain a variety of additives . at the first contact of the polymer with the precipitant , there is virtually instaneous precipitation , thereby forming a semi - permeable barrier or “ skin ”. such a barrier is illustrated in fig1 as element 60 in a housing 62 . this barrier slows the rate of further precipitation of the substructure . once precipitation is complete , the initial semi - permeable barrier 60 can be removed , such as by cutting the housing at a point above the barrier at a point above the barrier or by abrading exposed polymer . the semi - permeable barrier 60 can be optionally left in place to carry out size - based separations with unfilled structures , as the barrier acts as a micro - filtration membrane . the cast in - place structure assumes the shape of the housing and results in a self - retaining homogeneous structure akin to a chromatographic column , providing a large surface area suitable or bind / elute chromatography ( e . g ., when particles are included in the polymer matrix ) or for other analytical or biochemical techniques . suitable driving forces include centrifugation , gravity , pressure or vacuum . without limitation , the following examples illustrate the objects and advantages of the present invention . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 % ( w / w ) pvdf solution ( pennwalt corp , kynar 761 ) was prepared in n , n - dimethyacetamide . to this , 1 gram of scx , 200 å , 15 μm ( millipore , pn 85864 ) spherical silica was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 20 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 20 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 20 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 0 . 5 – 1 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the pipette tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water @ 60 ° c . for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 25 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 5 to 20 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled several times . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica ( millipore , pn 85058 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at rt ., then mixed again . a 200 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 5 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water at room temperature for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 – 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed form the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was twisted off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipetter and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 5 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 50 to 200 μl of deionized water was drawn in an expelled several times . 60 å , 10 μm normal phase silica in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips in a suitable small vessel , 6 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 – 60 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 1 gram of 60 å , 10 μm granular silica gel ( davison , grade 710 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a wide bore 1000 μl polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a suitable small vessel , 8 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 0 . 5 grams of fumed silica ( degussa , aerosil 200 ) were added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm silica ( millipore , pn 85864 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . using a pipette or eye dropper , 25 – 50 μl of casting solution was dispensed into a suitable fixture . examples of such devices include ( but are not limited to ) an millipore microcon or the wells of a 96 well filter plate . when preparing devices by this method , each chamber must contain a permeable barrier which will retain the solution ( e . g . polypropylene fabric , membrane , etc .). once added , the unit was gently tapped to ensure that the solution covered the entire barrier surface . the device was immersed in water for ca . 2 hours , and was gently stirred every 15 mins to promote solvent exchange . after this period , the units were removed and placed in either a centrifuge or vacuum manifold , as appropriate . the cast in place structure was flushed with 500 to 1000 μl of deionized water to ensure solvent removal . cast porous end plug in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips containing loose 30 μsilica in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 100 to 500 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . the pipette was detached and any excess water in the upper chamber was removed with a cotton swab . 5 – 10 mg of ( 250 å ) 30 μm silica gel was weighed out and carefully added to the back end of the pipette . the pipette was tapped so that the silica rested on top of the cast - in - place barrier . if necessary , affix a suitable porous plug ( cotton or polypropylene ) in the upper chamber to prevent particle loss . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone was prepared . the mixture is allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and is then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette is affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust is set to 1000 μl . the plunger is depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette is placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess polymer solution was wiped off , and the tip was dipped into a bath of deionized water for about 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was about 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for about 5 minutes . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor , the liquid expelled , and washed with 100 – 200 μl of deionized water . when cast in this manner , the precipitated polymer had a semi - filtration medium . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of a 10 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) in acetone was prepared . to this , 1 gram of methanol , 0 . 5 grams of deionized water and 1 gram of 250 å , 30 μm silica was added . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and was then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson ) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . the plunger was then slowly raised to fill the tip with about 5 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess fluid was wiped off , and the tip was placed in a rack to allow solvent to evaporate for about 16 hours . after this period , the tip was washed with about 10 μl of distilled water . 30 μl silica end plugs in porous polyethylene prepared by thermal phase inversion in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of beaded polyethylene and 100 grams of mineral oil are added . the mixture is heated to 250 ° c . on a hot plate with agitation . when the plastic liquifies , 4 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica is added and mixed thoroughly . using a 1 ml graduated glass pipette with filler bulb , 50 – 100 μl of the melt is drawn . once the tip contains sufficient liquid , equal pressure is maintained , and the tip is removed , excess plastic is wiped off , the tip is allowed to cool to room temperature . the pipette is transferred to a methylene chloride bath for 1 hour to extract the mineral oil . it is then removed , and the methylene chloride is expelled and allowed to air dry . approximately 2 . 5 μg of each peptide from a mixture consisting of glytyr ( 1 ), valtyrval ( 2 ), methionine enkephalin ( 3 ), leucine enkaphalin ( 4 ) and angiotensin ii ( 5 ) ( in 100 μl 0 . 1 % tfa ) was adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica . the solution was drawn up and expelled 4 times . the tip was then washed with 200 μof 0 . 1 % tfa . bound peptides were eluted with 80 % acetonitrile in 0 . 1 % tfa / water . the eluted peptides were diluted with 4 parts of 0 . 1 % tfa and analyzed by reverse phase hplc ( linear acetonitrile gradient 5 – 30 % over 20 min ). the resulting chromatogram was then compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 7 ). as expected , the glytyr , valtyrval , which are small and relatively hydrophilic , did not bind to the c 18 . the recoveries of the remaining 3 ( adsorbed ) peptides subsequent to elution ranged from 70 – 85 %. approximately 2 . 5 μg of each solute from a mixture consisting of a five peptides ( see example 10 ) ( in 100 μl in 10 % glacial acetic acid ) were adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast , styrene sulfonate coated , 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica . adsorption was performed during 4 complete uptake - withdraw cycles followed by a 100 μl flush with 20 % methanol / 10 mm hcl . bound sample was eluted with two 25 μl volumes of 1 . 4 n ammonium hydroxide / 50 % methanol . the eluted sample was analyzed by reversed phase hplc and the resulting chromatogram was compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 8 ). the strong cation exchange tip bound all sample components , except glytyr . such performance is consistent with the selectivity of sulfonic acid ion - exchange resins . trypsin was covalently coupled to an aldehyde activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica and cast ( 20 μl ) into p200 tips for protein digestion in situ . trypsin activity within the tip was assessed by monitoring the digestion of cytochrome via hplc . a sample of cytochrome c ( 10 μg in 100 μl of 100 mm tris , 1 mm cacl 2 , ph 8 @ 37 c ) was taken up into the tip for 15 minutes . the reaction was mixed 4 × with a expel / draw cycle into an eppendorf tube . the digest was analyzed by hplc using a linear gradient of acetonitrile from 5 – 45 % over 30 minutes ( see fig1 ). the resulting chromatogram showed that greater than 90 % of cytochrome c was digested after 15 minutes ( see fig9 for undigested cytochrome c ). recombinant protein a was coupled to precast p200 tips containing aldehyde - activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica for the isolation of rabbit immunoglobulin ( igg ). a 100 μl sample of 1 mg / ml igg and bsa in rip buffer ( 150 mm nacl , 1 % np - 40 , 0 . 5 % doc , 0 . 1 % sds , 50 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 ) was cycled six times through a tip containing 40 μl of cast volume containing protein a immobilized beads . the tip was then washed with 5 volumes of rip buffer prior to the elution . desorption of bound igg was performed with ( two 25 μl volumes ) of 6m urea . the desorbed sample was diluted with 50 μl of 2 × sds laemmli sample buffer and boiled for 3 min prior to electrophoretic analysis . this protocol was also performed on a blank tip containing just polysulfone without beads which served as a background control . electrophoresis was performed in a 10 – 16 % acrylamide gel shown ( see fig1 ). samples are as follows : lane 9 : ( mw marker ); lanes 1 – 4 : increasing amounts of protein a tip eluted sample ; and lanes 5 – 8 : increasing amounts of eluted igg / bsa from the blank polysulfone tip . these results indicate selective binding of igg to the protein a tip with minimal nonspecific adsorption . furthermore , the blank tip ( lanes 5 – 8 ), in the presence of detergents ( rip buffer ), did not exhibit adsorption of either igg or bsa . 60 å , 10 μm 1000 μl pipette tips for supercoiled dna escherichia coli strain jm109 containing plasmid puc19 was grown in 3 – 5 ml of luria broth containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin at 37 ° c . for 12 – 16 hours . 1 . 5 ml of the overnight culture was pelleted in a microfuge tube spun at a maximum g - force for 30 sec at room temperature . residual growth medium was removed while leaving the bacterial pellet intact . plasmid dna was then isolated using a modification of the alkaline lysis procedure of birnboim and doly ( birnboim , h . c . and doly , j . ( 1979 ). nucleic acids res 7 ., 1513 ). briefly , the bacterial pellet was resuspended by vortexing in 50 μl of 50 mm glucose , 25 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , and 10 μg / ml rnase a . next 100 μl of 0 . 2 n naoh , 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate was added . the resulting suspension was incubated at room temperature for 2 min . following the addition of 100 μl of 3 m sodium acetate solution ( ph 4 . 8 ), the suspension was mixed by vortexing then spun in a microfuge at maximum g - force for 2 min . the cleared lysate was transferred to a fresh microfuge tube to which 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm 2 -( n - morpholino ) ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ) at ph 5 . 6 was added to a final concentration and volume of 4 . 4 m and 700 μl , respectively . the resulting solution was drawn into a 1000 μl polypropylene pipette tip with ca . 60 μl of cast membrane containing ca . 60 å , 10 μm silica gel using a p - 1000 pipettor . the solution was pipetted in - and - out for 2 – 2 . 5 minutes to allow extensive interaction between the dna solution and the silica membrane matrix . the tip was then flushed once with 400 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol . residual alcohol is removed by repeated expulsion onto a paper towel . plasmid dna was eluted from the tip in 100 μl of 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 1 mm edta ( te ) by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. eluate fractions were adjusted to a final volume of 100 μl with te . six tips were evaluated . to quantitate plasmid dna recovery , 20 % of the eluate , as well as 20 % of the unbound filtrates , were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). included on the gel were samples of puc19 plasmid dna of known concentrations . ( lanes 1 – 4 ) results of these experiments indicate that on average 2 . 5 mg of supercoiled plasmid was recovered ( lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). 60 å , 10 μm silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for linear dna the ability of 200 μl polypropylene wide bore pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of cast 60 å , 10 μm silica - laden membrane to bind linearized dna fragments ( pbr322 digested with either bstni or mspi , to generate dna fragment ladders ) or plasmid pbr322 dna restricted with psti and bamhi ( generates large linear restriction fragments ) was assessed . five μg of linearized plasmid dna was combined with guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes to a final concentration of 0 . 5 m and volume of 150 μl . prior to use , p - 200 tips containing the silica membrane were pre - equilibrated in ( 2 ×) 200 μl of 0 . 5 m guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes . the dna / guhcl solution was drawn into a pipette tip and cycled in - and - out for 1 . 5 – 2 . 0 min to allow extensive interaction between the dna binding mixture and the silica - laden membrane matrix . the tips were then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . bound dna was eluted from the tip matrix in 100 μl te , by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. to measure dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). in order to quantitate the amount of dna recovered , samples representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 . lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , & amp ; 11 are the eluants . estimate of band intensities indicate recoveries in excess of 95 %. fumed silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for pcr amplified dna the ability of 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of fumed silica immobilized in a polysulfone matrix was assessed for the purification of pcr amplified dna ( 500 bp ). prior to use , tips were flushed 2 × with 100 μl of te buffer and then equilibrated with 500 μl of 3 m nai in 200 mm mes buffer ( ph 6 . 4 ). 50 μl samples from the pooled pcr stock ( ca . 3 μg of dna ) were then combined with 7 m nai to a final nai concentration of 3 . 0 m . the total volume following addition of the nai solution was 150 μl . the sample was drawn in and expelled from the p - 200 tips containing the cast fumed silica - laden membrane for 2 – 3 minutes allowing for extensive contact with the matrix . each tip was then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . residual alcohol was removed by expelling the tip contents onto a paper towel . bound pcr product was eluted in 50 μl te ( ph 8 . 0 ). to estimate dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . note the presence of the lower band which indicates a slight primer - dimer contamination . the use of immobilized fumed silica along with nai appears to give an amplified dna recovery in excess of 90 %. in addition , there appears to be a reduction in the primer - dimer contaminant . ( see lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). cast porous end plug with loose 30 micron silica in a 200 μl pipette tip for dna isolation 200 μl pipette tips containing ca 5 – 10 μl of cast ( 7 . 5 %) polysulfone as a porous end plug and 2 – 4 mg of loose 250 å , 30 μm silica was assayed for the ability to bind linear and supercoiled plasmid dna . regarding linear dna , approximately 5 μg of pbr322 was first digested with mspi in 45 μl te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta ), ph 8 . 0 , and then combined with 100 μl of 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm mes buffer at ph 5 . 6 . the final concentration of guhcl in the solution was 4 . 7 m . the resulting solution was drawn ( once ) into a 200 μl pipette tip and allowed to extensively contact the silica by inverting the pipetman with the affixed tip for approximately 2 min . the dna adsorbed to the tips was then washed and eluted as described in example 15 . loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %; and 25 % of the starting material where run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . results from experiments using this format indicate at dna recoveries of better than 75 % can be achieved ( see fig1 , lanes 5 and 7 ). | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | c95e8b36e9f66f6092516bde44141b505d9255ca6d523520cf4d7ef09b94a9c7 | 0.075684 | 0.243164 | 0.025513 | 0.06543 | 0.050293 | 0.207031 |
null | the term “ membrane ” as used herein includes permeable and semi - permeable three dimensional structures with or without particles , having a porosity suitable for the desired application . the term “ composite structure ” as used herein includes filled membranes . in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that many different particles can be used in the composite structures , depending upon the desired objectives of the resulting device . in the case or adsorptive devices , the ideal device will have rapid adsorption kinetics , a capacity and selectivity commensurate with the application , and allows for elution of bound analyte with an appropriate desorption agent . suitable adsorptive composite structures are polymer bound , particle laden adsorptive membrane structures , such as those comprised of chromatographic beads which have been adhered together with a binder . a suitable polymer bound particle laden adsorptive membrane is illustrated in fig4 . this membrane is comprised of about 80 % w / w silica and 20 % w / w polysulfone binder , and is produced by millipore corporation . a similar membrane is shown in fig1 a cast - in - place in a pipette tip 50 . functional composite structures comprising other micron - size ( e . g ., 1 – 30 microns ) resin particles derivatized with other functional groups are also beneficial , including styrenedivinyl - benzene - based media ( unodified or derivatized with e . g ., sulphonic acids , quaternary amines , etc . ); silica - based media ( unmodified or derivatized with c 2 , c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , or c 18 or ion exchange functionalities ), to accommodate a variety of applications for peptides , proteins , nucleic acids , and other organic compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize that other matrices with alternative selectivities ( e . g ., hydrophobic interaction , affinity , etc .) can also be used , especially for classes of molecules other than peptides . the term “ particles ” as used herein is intended to encompass particles having regular ( e . g ., spherical ) or irregular shapes , as well as shards , fibers and powders , including metal powders , plastic powders ( e . g ., powdered polystyrene ), normal phase silica , fumed silica and activated carbon . for example , the addition of fumed silica into a polysulfone polymer results in increased active surface area and is suitable for various applications . polysulfone sold under the name udel p3500 and p1700 by amoco is particularly preferred in view of the extent of the adherence of the resulting composite structure to polyolefin housing , including polypropylene , polyethylene and mixtures thereof . other suitable polymer binders include polyethersulfone , cellulose acetate , cellulose acetate butyrate , acrylonitrile pvc copolymer ( sold commercially under the name “ dynel ”), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf , sold commercially under the name “ kynar ”), polystyrene and polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymer , etc . adhesion to the housing can be enhanced or an analogous effect achieved with these composite structures by means known to those skilled in the art , including etching of the housing , such as with plasma treatment or chemical oxidation ; mechanical aids such as rims inside the housing ; and inclusion of additives into the housing material that promote such adhesion . adhesion allows uniform precipitation during casting . devices in accordance with the present invention may incorporate a plurality of composite structures having resin materials with different functional groups to fractionate analytes that vary by charge , size , affinity and / or hydrophobicity ; alternately , a plurality of devices containing different individual functional membranes may be used in combination to achieve a similar result . similarly , one or more membranes can be cast in a suitable housing and functionality can be added before or after casting . in accordance with the present invention , the structures of the present invention can be formed by a polymer phase inversion process , air casting ( evaporation ) and thermal inversion . for those systems with minimal or no adhesion , the formed structures can be separately prepared and inserted into the appropriate housing and held in place by mechanical means . in the preferred method , the formed structures are cast in situ in the desired housing . this results in the ability to include large amounts of media in the polymer matrix while still maintaining a three - dimensional porous structure . the membrane substructure serves as a support network enmeshing the particles , thus eliminating the need for frits or plugs , thereby minimizing or even eliminating dead volume ( the adsorptivity of the membrane may or may not participate in the adsorption process ). however , porous frits plugs could be added if desired . preferably the membranes or composite structures formed have an aspect ratio ( average diameter to average thickness ) of less than about 20 , more preferably less than about 10 , especially less than 1 . for example , for adsorptive pipette tips , aspect ratios of two or less , more preferably less than 1 are preferred , especially between about 0 . 005 – 0 . 5 . an aspect ratio within this range provides for suitable residence times of the sample in the composite structure during operation . in the polymer phase inversion process , the solvent for the polymer must be miscible with the quench or inversion phase . for example , n - methyl - pyrolidone is a suitable solvent for polysulfones , polyethersulfones and polystyrene . in the latter case , polystryene pellets can be dissolved in n - methyl - pyrolidone and case - in - place . the resulting structure shows good adhesion to the walls of a polyolefin - based housing , and has adsorption characteristics similar to polysulfone . dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylform - amide , butyrolactone , and sulfalane are also suitable solvents . n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) is a suitable solvent for pvdf . water is the preferred precipitant . the polymer phase inversion process generally results in an expansion of the structure to about two to three times its casting solution volume in the housing . in the air casting process , a volatile solvent for the polymer binder is used . for example , in the case of cellulose acetate , acetone is a suitable volatile solvent . air casting generally results in a structure which is smaller than the casting solution volume . with this method , particles in the filled structures should be at least about 30μ to allow flow through the interstitial spaces after shrinkage without having to apply higher driving force . the upper limit of particle amounts is dictated by casting solution viscosity . depending on particle type , up to 40 % ( w / w ) of particles can be added to the polymer without resulting in a casting solution too viscous to draw into the housing . higher particle loadings may be achieved using higher temperature . suitable particle sizes include particles in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 100 microns in average diameter with or without porosity . suitable housing materials are not particularly limited , and include plastics ( such as polyethylene and polypropylene ), glass and stainless steel . polyolefins , and particularly polypropylene , are preferred housing materials in view of the chemical adhesion that is created with the composite structure when the composite containing polysulfone , and in particular udel p3500 and p1700 polysulfones available from amoco , is cast - in - place therein . fig1 b illustrates such adhesion with a polypropylene pipette tip housing having a cast - in - place membrane therein prepared with spherical silica gel and polysulfone . suitable housing configurations are also not particularly limited , and include pipette tips , wells , multi - well arrays , plastic and glass cavities , sample preparation devices such as the microcon ® microconcentrator , commercially available from millipore corporation , etc . the preferred housing configuration is substantially cylindrical , as the flow vectors during operation are substantially straight , similar to chromatography , thereby minimizing or avoiding dilutional washing that might occur with non - cylindrical configurations . although housings with volumes between about 0 . 1 μl and about 5 mls . can be used for casting - in - place , volumes less than about 100 μl are preferred , with volumes of from about 0 . 1 – 50 μl , preferably from about 0 . 2 – 20 μl , are especially preferred . pipette tip geometries having volumes as small as about 5 microliters can be used . when chemical adhesion of the composite structure to the housing walls is desired but is insignificant or non - existent , mechanical means can be used to maintain the composite structure in the housing , such as crimping , press fitting , heat shrinking the housing or a portion thereof , plasma treating the housing or a portion thereof , or chemically treating , such as etching , the housing or a portion thereof to promote adhesion . an advantage of adhesion to the housing wall is the ability to “ seal ” the composite structure to the housing without mechanical means . such sealing ( by whatever method ) prevents the sample from channeling or bypassing the composite during operation . preferably the structures of the present invention have a final bed height of from about 0 . 05 to about 5 mm . this allows for good washing , good density per unit volume , and results in a uniform precipitation during formation of the plug . the structures of the present invention also can be cast - in - place in conventional multi - well arrays having suitable geometries . alternatively , as shown in fig5 a – 5d , multi - well arrays 10 can be used as the housing , such as by casting the structures 11 of the present invention in place in the well 12 . alternatively , fig5 b shows an underdrain subassembly 13 having a plurality of wells 12 ( enlarged in fig5 d ) with cast - in - place structures contained therein . the underdrain 13 can be adapted to be permanently or removably coupled to the reservoir array 10 by any suitable means , such as by snapping , so as to form removable “ boot ” assemblies containing the structures of the present invention . for convenience , each underdrain 13 can contain a polymer matrix having particles with different chemistry , so that the user chooses the appropriate underdrain 13 depending upon the application . alternatively or in addition , the particle laden polymer matrix can differ from well to well . the reservoir housing 10 can be a plurality of open bores , or can include a membrane . the composite structures and the micro sample preparation devices of the present invention containing the composite structures have a wide variety of applications , depending upon the particle selection . for example , applications include peptide and protein sample preparation prior to analysis , peptide removal from carbohydrate samples , amino acid clean - up prior to analysis , immobilized enzymes for micro - volume reactions , immobilized ligands for micro - affinity chromatography , isolation of supercoiled and cut plasmids , clean - up of pcr and dna products , immobilized oligo dt for rna isolation , dye terminator removal , sample preparation for elemental analysis , etc . those skilled in the art will be able to choose the appropriate particles , polymer binder , particle chemistry and form geometry depending upon the desired application . in some cases , a mixture of particles can be used in the same devices . alternatively or in addition , a multi - well device could have different chemistries for each separate well . in the embodiment where the structures of the present invention are not filled with particles , symmetrical or asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , or a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , can be formed . in this embodiment , the preferred method of formation is casting in situ in the appropriate housing to form a self - retaining , self - supporting structure suitable for separations based on size or adsorption ( depending on polymer identity ). functionality can be added to such a membrane to perform adsorption separations without the use of particles . for example , cellulose acetate can be treated with base to form cellulose , followed by an oxidant to render it reactive . in the in situ formation process ( either with filled or unfilled structures ), the preferred method of formation involves precipitation by means of solvent exchange , such as by introducing the casting solution into the housing by any suitable means , such as where pressure is the driving force , for example by capillary action or by using a vacuum source . in the embodiment in which the housing is a pipette tip , a preferred driving force is a hand - held pipettor . once the desired volume in the housing is filled with casting solution , the casting solution in the housing is contacted with a liquid in which the polymer is insoluble , preferably water , so that the polymer precipitates in the housing . this can be accomplished by immersing the housing in the liquid , and / or drawing the liquid into the housing with a driving force such as by means of a vacuum . through the exchange of water for the solvent , the structure precipitates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the solvent used to prepare the casting solution and the non - solvent can contain a variety of additives . at the first contact of the polymer with the precipitant , there is virtually instaneous precipitation , thereby forming a semi - permeable barrier or “ skin ”. such a barrier is illustrated in fig1 as element 60 in a housing 62 . this barrier slows the rate of further precipitation of the substructure . once precipitation is complete , the initial semi - permeable barrier 60 can be removed , such as by cutting the housing at a point above the barrier at a point above the barrier or by abrading exposed polymer . the semi - permeable barrier 60 can be optionally left in place to carry out size - based separations with unfilled structures , as the barrier acts as a micro - filtration membrane . the cast in - place structure assumes the shape of the housing and results in a self - retaining homogeneous structure akin to a chromatographic column , providing a large surface area suitable or bind / elute chromatography ( e . g ., when particles are included in the polymer matrix ) or for other analytical or biochemical techniques . suitable driving forces include centrifugation , gravity , pressure or vacuum . without limitation , the following examples illustrate the objects and advantages of the present invention . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 % ( w / w ) pvdf solution ( pennwalt corp , kynar 761 ) was prepared in n , n - dimethyacetamide . to this , 1 gram of scx , 200 å , 15 μm ( millipore , pn 85864 ) spherical silica was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 20 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 20 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 20 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 0 . 5 – 1 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the pipette tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water @ 60 ° c . for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 25 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 5 to 20 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled several times . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica ( millipore , pn 85058 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at rt ., then mixed again . a 200 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 5 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water at room temperature for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 – 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed form the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was twisted off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipetter and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 5 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 50 to 200 μl of deionized water was drawn in an expelled several times . 60 å , 10 μm normal phase silica in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips in a suitable small vessel , 6 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 – 60 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 1 gram of 60 å , 10 μm granular silica gel ( davison , grade 710 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a wide bore 1000 μl polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a suitable small vessel , 8 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 0 . 5 grams of fumed silica ( degussa , aerosil 200 ) were added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm silica ( millipore , pn 85864 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . using a pipette or eye dropper , 25 – 50 μl of casting solution was dispensed into a suitable fixture . examples of such devices include ( but are not limited to ) an millipore microcon or the wells of a 96 well filter plate . when preparing devices by this method , each chamber must contain a permeable barrier which will retain the solution ( e . g . polypropylene fabric , membrane , etc .). once added , the unit was gently tapped to ensure that the solution covered the entire barrier surface . the device was immersed in water for ca . 2 hours , and was gently stirred every 15 mins to promote solvent exchange . after this period , the units were removed and placed in either a centrifuge or vacuum manifold , as appropriate . the cast in place structure was flushed with 500 to 1000 μl of deionized water to ensure solvent removal . cast porous end plug in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips containing loose 30 μsilica in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 100 to 500 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . the pipette was detached and any excess water in the upper chamber was removed with a cotton swab . 5 – 10 mg of ( 250 å ) 30 μm silica gel was weighed out and carefully added to the back end of the pipette . the pipette was tapped so that the silica rested on top of the cast - in - place barrier . if necessary , affix a suitable porous plug ( cotton or polypropylene ) in the upper chamber to prevent particle loss . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone was prepared . the mixture is allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and is then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette is affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust is set to 1000 μl . the plunger is depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette is placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess polymer solution was wiped off , and the tip was dipped into a bath of deionized water for about 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was about 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for about 5 minutes . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor , the liquid expelled , and washed with 100 – 200 μl of deionized water . when cast in this manner , the precipitated polymer had a semi - filtration medium . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of a 10 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) in acetone was prepared . to this , 1 gram of methanol , 0 . 5 grams of deionized water and 1 gram of 250 å , 30 μm silica was added . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and was then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson ) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . the plunger was then slowly raised to fill the tip with about 5 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess fluid was wiped off , and the tip was placed in a rack to allow solvent to evaporate for about 16 hours . after this period , the tip was washed with about 10 μl of distilled water . 30 μl silica end plugs in porous polyethylene prepared by thermal phase inversion in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of beaded polyethylene and 100 grams of mineral oil are added . the mixture is heated to 250 ° c . on a hot plate with agitation . when the plastic liquifies , 4 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica is added and mixed thoroughly . using a 1 ml graduated glass pipette with filler bulb , 50 – 100 μl of the melt is drawn . once the tip contains sufficient liquid , equal pressure is maintained , and the tip is removed , excess plastic is wiped off , the tip is allowed to cool to room temperature . the pipette is transferred to a methylene chloride bath for 1 hour to extract the mineral oil . it is then removed , and the methylene chloride is expelled and allowed to air dry . approximately 2 . 5 μg of each peptide from a mixture consisting of glytyr ( 1 ), valtyrval ( 2 ), methionine enkephalin ( 3 ), leucine enkaphalin ( 4 ) and angiotensin ii ( 5 ) ( in 100 μl 0 . 1 % tfa ) was adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica . the solution was drawn up and expelled 4 times . the tip was then washed with 200 μof 0 . 1 % tfa . bound peptides were eluted with 80 % acetonitrile in 0 . 1 % tfa / water . the eluted peptides were diluted with 4 parts of 0 . 1 % tfa and analyzed by reverse phase hplc ( linear acetonitrile gradient 5 – 30 % over 20 min ). the resulting chromatogram was then compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 7 ). as expected , the glytyr , valtyrval , which are small and relatively hydrophilic , did not bind to the c 18 . the recoveries of the remaining 3 ( adsorbed ) peptides subsequent to elution ranged from 70 – 85 %. approximately 2 . 5 μg of each solute from a mixture consisting of a five peptides ( see example 10 ) ( in 100 μl in 10 % glacial acetic acid ) were adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast , styrene sulfonate coated , 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica . adsorption was performed during 4 complete uptake - withdraw cycles followed by a 100 μl flush with 20 % methanol / 10 mm hcl . bound sample was eluted with two 25 μl volumes of 1 . 4 n ammonium hydroxide / 50 % methanol . the eluted sample was analyzed by reversed phase hplc and the resulting chromatogram was compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 8 ). the strong cation exchange tip bound all sample components , except glytyr . such performance is consistent with the selectivity of sulfonic acid ion - exchange resins . trypsin was covalently coupled to an aldehyde activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica and cast ( 20 μl ) into p200 tips for protein digestion in situ . trypsin activity within the tip was assessed by monitoring the digestion of cytochrome via hplc . a sample of cytochrome c ( 10 μg in 100 μl of 100 mm tris , 1 mm cacl 2 , ph 8 @ 37 c ) was taken up into the tip for 15 minutes . the reaction was mixed 4 × with a expel / draw cycle into an eppendorf tube . the digest was analyzed by hplc using a linear gradient of acetonitrile from 5 – 45 % over 30 minutes ( see fig1 ). the resulting chromatogram showed that greater than 90 % of cytochrome c was digested after 15 minutes ( see fig9 for undigested cytochrome c ). recombinant protein a was coupled to precast p200 tips containing aldehyde - activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica for the isolation of rabbit immunoglobulin ( igg ). a 100 μl sample of 1 mg / ml igg and bsa in rip buffer ( 150 mm nacl , 1 % np - 40 , 0 . 5 % doc , 0 . 1 % sds , 50 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 ) was cycled six times through a tip containing 40 μl of cast volume containing protein a immobilized beads . the tip was then washed with 5 volumes of rip buffer prior to the elution . desorption of bound igg was performed with ( two 25 μl volumes ) of 6m urea . the desorbed sample was diluted with 50 μl of 2 × sds laemmli sample buffer and boiled for 3 min prior to electrophoretic analysis . this protocol was also performed on a blank tip containing just polysulfone without beads which served as a background control . electrophoresis was performed in a 10 – 16 % acrylamide gel shown ( see fig1 ). samples are as follows : lane 9 : ( mw marker ); lanes 1 – 4 : increasing amounts of protein a tip eluted sample ; and lanes 5 – 8 : increasing amounts of eluted igg / bsa from the blank polysulfone tip . these results indicate selective binding of igg to the protein a tip with minimal nonspecific adsorption . furthermore , the blank tip ( lanes 5 – 8 ), in the presence of detergents ( rip buffer ), did not exhibit adsorption of either igg or bsa . 60 å , 10 μm 1000 μl pipette tips for supercoiled dna escherichia coli strain jm109 containing plasmid puc19 was grown in 3 – 5 ml of luria broth containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin at 37 ° c . for 12 – 16 hours . 1 . 5 ml of the overnight culture was pelleted in a microfuge tube spun at a maximum g - force for 30 sec at room temperature . residual growth medium was removed while leaving the bacterial pellet intact . plasmid dna was then isolated using a modification of the alkaline lysis procedure of birnboim and doly ( birnboim , h . c . and doly , j . ( 1979 ). nucleic acids res 7 ., 1513 ). briefly , the bacterial pellet was resuspended by vortexing in 50 μl of 50 mm glucose , 25 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , and 10 μg / ml rnase a . next 100 μl of 0 . 2 n naoh , 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate was added . the resulting suspension was incubated at room temperature for 2 min . following the addition of 100 μl of 3 m sodium acetate solution ( ph 4 . 8 ), the suspension was mixed by vortexing then spun in a microfuge at maximum g - force for 2 min . the cleared lysate was transferred to a fresh microfuge tube to which 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm 2 -( n - morpholino ) ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ) at ph 5 . 6 was added to a final concentration and volume of 4 . 4 m and 700 μl , respectively . the resulting solution was drawn into a 1000 μl polypropylene pipette tip with ca . 60 μl of cast membrane containing ca . 60 å , 10 μm silica gel using a p - 1000 pipettor . the solution was pipetted in - and - out for 2 – 2 . 5 minutes to allow extensive interaction between the dna solution and the silica membrane matrix . the tip was then flushed once with 400 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol . residual alcohol is removed by repeated expulsion onto a paper towel . plasmid dna was eluted from the tip in 100 μl of 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 1 mm edta ( te ) by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. eluate fractions were adjusted to a final volume of 100 μl with te . six tips were evaluated . to quantitate plasmid dna recovery , 20 % of the eluate , as well as 20 % of the unbound filtrates , were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). included on the gel were samples of puc19 plasmid dna of known concentrations . ( lanes 1 – 4 ) results of these experiments indicate that on average 2 . 5 mg of supercoiled plasmid was recovered ( lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). 60 å , 10 μm silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for linear dna the ability of 200 μl polypropylene wide bore pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of cast 60 å , 10 μm silica - laden membrane to bind linearized dna fragments ( pbr322 digested with either bstni or mspi , to generate dna fragment ladders ) or plasmid pbr322 dna restricted with psti and bamhi ( generates large linear restriction fragments ) was assessed . five μg of linearized plasmid dna was combined with guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes to a final concentration of 0 . 5 m and volume of 150 μl . prior to use , p - 200 tips containing the silica membrane were pre - equilibrated in ( 2 ×) 200 μl of 0 . 5 m guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes . the dna / guhcl solution was drawn into a pipette tip and cycled in - and - out for 1 . 5 – 2 . 0 min to allow extensive interaction between the dna binding mixture and the silica - laden membrane matrix . the tips were then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . bound dna was eluted from the tip matrix in 100 μl te , by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. to measure dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). in order to quantitate the amount of dna recovered , samples representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 . lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , & amp ; 11 are the eluants . estimate of band intensities indicate recoveries in excess of 95 %. fumed silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for pcr amplified dna the ability of 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of fumed silica immobilized in a polysulfone matrix was assessed for the purification of pcr amplified dna ( 500 bp ). prior to use , tips were flushed 2 × with 100 μl of te buffer and then equilibrated with 500 μl of 3 m nai in 200 mm mes buffer ( ph 6 . 4 ). 50 μl samples from the pooled pcr stock ( ca . 3 μg of dna ) were then combined with 7 m nai to a final nai concentration of 3 . 0 m . the total volume following addition of the nai solution was 150 μl . the sample was drawn in and expelled from the p - 200 tips containing the cast fumed silica - laden membrane for 2 – 3 minutes allowing for extensive contact with the matrix . each tip was then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . residual alcohol was removed by expelling the tip contents onto a paper towel . bound pcr product was eluted in 50 μl te ( ph 8 . 0 ). to estimate dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . note the presence of the lower band which indicates a slight primer - dimer contamination . the use of immobilized fumed silica along with nai appears to give an amplified dna recovery in excess of 90 %. in addition , there appears to be a reduction in the primer - dimer contaminant . ( see lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). cast porous end plug with loose 30 micron silica in a 200 μl pipette tip for dna isolation 200 μl pipette tips containing ca 5 – 10 μl of cast ( 7 . 5 %) polysulfone as a porous end plug and 2 – 4 mg of loose 250 å , 30 μm silica was assayed for the ability to bind linear and supercoiled plasmid dna . regarding linear dna , approximately 5 μg of pbr322 was first digested with mspi in 45 μl te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta ), ph 8 . 0 , and then combined with 100 μl of 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm mes buffer at ph 5 . 6 . the final concentration of guhcl in the solution was 4 . 7 m . the resulting solution was drawn ( once ) into a 200 μl pipette tip and allowed to extensively contact the silica by inverting the pipetman with the affixed tip for approximately 2 min . the dna adsorbed to the tips was then washed and eluted as described in example 15 . loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %; and 25 % of the starting material where run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . results from experiments using this format indicate at dna recoveries of better than 75 % can be achieved ( see fig1 , lanes 5 and 7 ). | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | c95e8b36e9f66f6092516bde44141b505d9255ca6d523520cf4d7ef09b94a9c7 | 0.090332 | 0.013245 | 0.014526 | 0.002396 | 0.067383 | 0.017944 |
null | the term “ membrane ” as used herein includes permeable and semi - permeable three dimensional structures with or without particles , having a porosity suitable for the desired application . the term “ composite structure ” as used herein includes filled membranes . in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that many different particles can be used in the composite structures , depending upon the desired objectives of the resulting device . in the case or adsorptive devices , the ideal device will have rapid adsorption kinetics , a capacity and selectivity commensurate with the application , and allows for elution of bound analyte with an appropriate desorption agent . suitable adsorptive composite structures are polymer bound , particle laden adsorptive membrane structures , such as those comprised of chromatographic beads which have been adhered together with a binder . a suitable polymer bound particle laden adsorptive membrane is illustrated in fig4 . this membrane is comprised of about 80 % w / w silica and 20 % w / w polysulfone binder , and is produced by millipore corporation . a similar membrane is shown in fig1 a cast - in - place in a pipette tip 50 . functional composite structures comprising other micron - size ( e . g ., 1 – 30 microns ) resin particles derivatized with other functional groups are also beneficial , including styrenedivinyl - benzene - based media ( unodified or derivatized with e . g ., sulphonic acids , quaternary amines , etc . ); silica - based media ( unmodified or derivatized with c 2 , c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , or c 18 or ion exchange functionalities ), to accommodate a variety of applications for peptides , proteins , nucleic acids , and other organic compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize that other matrices with alternative selectivities ( e . g ., hydrophobic interaction , affinity , etc .) can also be used , especially for classes of molecules other than peptides . the term “ particles ” as used herein is intended to encompass particles having regular ( e . g ., spherical ) or irregular shapes , as well as shards , fibers and powders , including metal powders , plastic powders ( e . g ., powdered polystyrene ), normal phase silica , fumed silica and activated carbon . for example , the addition of fumed silica into a polysulfone polymer results in increased active surface area and is suitable for various applications . polysulfone sold under the name udel p3500 and p1700 by amoco is particularly preferred in view of the extent of the adherence of the resulting composite structure to polyolefin housing , including polypropylene , polyethylene and mixtures thereof . other suitable polymer binders include polyethersulfone , cellulose acetate , cellulose acetate butyrate , acrylonitrile pvc copolymer ( sold commercially under the name “ dynel ”), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf , sold commercially under the name “ kynar ”), polystyrene and polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymer , etc . adhesion to the housing can be enhanced or an analogous effect achieved with these composite structures by means known to those skilled in the art , including etching of the housing , such as with plasma treatment or chemical oxidation ; mechanical aids such as rims inside the housing ; and inclusion of additives into the housing material that promote such adhesion . adhesion allows uniform precipitation during casting . devices in accordance with the present invention may incorporate a plurality of composite structures having resin materials with different functional groups to fractionate analytes that vary by charge , size , affinity and / or hydrophobicity ; alternately , a plurality of devices containing different individual functional membranes may be used in combination to achieve a similar result . similarly , one or more membranes can be cast in a suitable housing and functionality can be added before or after casting . in accordance with the present invention , the structures of the present invention can be formed by a polymer phase inversion process , air casting ( evaporation ) and thermal inversion . for those systems with minimal or no adhesion , the formed structures can be separately prepared and inserted into the appropriate housing and held in place by mechanical means . in the preferred method , the formed structures are cast in situ in the desired housing . this results in the ability to include large amounts of media in the polymer matrix while still maintaining a three - dimensional porous structure . the membrane substructure serves as a support network enmeshing the particles , thus eliminating the need for frits or plugs , thereby minimizing or even eliminating dead volume ( the adsorptivity of the membrane may or may not participate in the adsorption process ). however , porous frits plugs could be added if desired . preferably the membranes or composite structures formed have an aspect ratio ( average diameter to average thickness ) of less than about 20 , more preferably less than about 10 , especially less than 1 . for example , for adsorptive pipette tips , aspect ratios of two or less , more preferably less than 1 are preferred , especially between about 0 . 005 – 0 . 5 . an aspect ratio within this range provides for suitable residence times of the sample in the composite structure during operation . in the polymer phase inversion process , the solvent for the polymer must be miscible with the quench or inversion phase . for example , n - methyl - pyrolidone is a suitable solvent for polysulfones , polyethersulfones and polystyrene . in the latter case , polystryene pellets can be dissolved in n - methyl - pyrolidone and case - in - place . the resulting structure shows good adhesion to the walls of a polyolefin - based housing , and has adsorption characteristics similar to polysulfone . dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylform - amide , butyrolactone , and sulfalane are also suitable solvents . n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) is a suitable solvent for pvdf . water is the preferred precipitant . the polymer phase inversion process generally results in an expansion of the structure to about two to three times its casting solution volume in the housing . in the air casting process , a volatile solvent for the polymer binder is used . for example , in the case of cellulose acetate , acetone is a suitable volatile solvent . air casting generally results in a structure which is smaller than the casting solution volume . with this method , particles in the filled structures should be at least about 30μ to allow flow through the interstitial spaces after shrinkage without having to apply higher driving force . the upper limit of particle amounts is dictated by casting solution viscosity . depending on particle type , up to 40 % ( w / w ) of particles can be added to the polymer without resulting in a casting solution too viscous to draw into the housing . higher particle loadings may be achieved using higher temperature . suitable particle sizes include particles in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 100 microns in average diameter with or without porosity . suitable housing materials are not particularly limited , and include plastics ( such as polyethylene and polypropylene ), glass and stainless steel . polyolefins , and particularly polypropylene , are preferred housing materials in view of the chemical adhesion that is created with the composite structure when the composite containing polysulfone , and in particular udel p3500 and p1700 polysulfones available from amoco , is cast - in - place therein . fig1 b illustrates such adhesion with a polypropylene pipette tip housing having a cast - in - place membrane therein prepared with spherical silica gel and polysulfone . suitable housing configurations are also not particularly limited , and include pipette tips , wells , multi - well arrays , plastic and glass cavities , sample preparation devices such as the microcon ® microconcentrator , commercially available from millipore corporation , etc . the preferred housing configuration is substantially cylindrical , as the flow vectors during operation are substantially straight , similar to chromatography , thereby minimizing or avoiding dilutional washing that might occur with non - cylindrical configurations . although housings with volumes between about 0 . 1 μl and about 5 mls . can be used for casting - in - place , volumes less than about 100 μl are preferred , with volumes of from about 0 . 1 – 50 μl , preferably from about 0 . 2 – 20 μl , are especially preferred . pipette tip geometries having volumes as small as about 5 microliters can be used . when chemical adhesion of the composite structure to the housing walls is desired but is insignificant or non - existent , mechanical means can be used to maintain the composite structure in the housing , such as crimping , press fitting , heat shrinking the housing or a portion thereof , plasma treating the housing or a portion thereof , or chemically treating , such as etching , the housing or a portion thereof to promote adhesion . an advantage of adhesion to the housing wall is the ability to “ seal ” the composite structure to the housing without mechanical means . such sealing ( by whatever method ) prevents the sample from channeling or bypassing the composite during operation . preferably the structures of the present invention have a final bed height of from about 0 . 05 to about 5 mm . this allows for good washing , good density per unit volume , and results in a uniform precipitation during formation of the plug . the structures of the present invention also can be cast - in - place in conventional multi - well arrays having suitable geometries . alternatively , as shown in fig5 a – 5d , multi - well arrays 10 can be used as the housing , such as by casting the structures 11 of the present invention in place in the well 12 . alternatively , fig5 b shows an underdrain subassembly 13 having a plurality of wells 12 ( enlarged in fig5 d ) with cast - in - place structures contained therein . the underdrain 13 can be adapted to be permanently or removably coupled to the reservoir array 10 by any suitable means , such as by snapping , so as to form removable “ boot ” assemblies containing the structures of the present invention . for convenience , each underdrain 13 can contain a polymer matrix having particles with different chemistry , so that the user chooses the appropriate underdrain 13 depending upon the application . alternatively or in addition , the particle laden polymer matrix can differ from well to well . the reservoir housing 10 can be a plurality of open bores , or can include a membrane . the composite structures and the micro sample preparation devices of the present invention containing the composite structures have a wide variety of applications , depending upon the particle selection . for example , applications include peptide and protein sample preparation prior to analysis , peptide removal from carbohydrate samples , amino acid clean - up prior to analysis , immobilized enzymes for micro - volume reactions , immobilized ligands for micro - affinity chromatography , isolation of supercoiled and cut plasmids , clean - up of pcr and dna products , immobilized oligo dt for rna isolation , dye terminator removal , sample preparation for elemental analysis , etc . those skilled in the art will be able to choose the appropriate particles , polymer binder , particle chemistry and form geometry depending upon the desired application . in some cases , a mixture of particles can be used in the same devices . alternatively or in addition , a multi - well device could have different chemistries for each separate well . in the embodiment where the structures of the present invention are not filled with particles , symmetrical or asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , or a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , can be formed . in this embodiment , the preferred method of formation is casting in situ in the appropriate housing to form a self - retaining , self - supporting structure suitable for separations based on size or adsorption ( depending on polymer identity ). functionality can be added to such a membrane to perform adsorption separations without the use of particles . for example , cellulose acetate can be treated with base to form cellulose , followed by an oxidant to render it reactive . in the in situ formation process ( either with filled or unfilled structures ), the preferred method of formation involves precipitation by means of solvent exchange , such as by introducing the casting solution into the housing by any suitable means , such as where pressure is the driving force , for example by capillary action or by using a vacuum source . in the embodiment in which the housing is a pipette tip , a preferred driving force is a hand - held pipettor . once the desired volume in the housing is filled with casting solution , the casting solution in the housing is contacted with a liquid in which the polymer is insoluble , preferably water , so that the polymer precipitates in the housing . this can be accomplished by immersing the housing in the liquid , and / or drawing the liquid into the housing with a driving force such as by means of a vacuum . through the exchange of water for the solvent , the structure precipitates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the solvent used to prepare the casting solution and the non - solvent can contain a variety of additives . at the first contact of the polymer with the precipitant , there is virtually instaneous precipitation , thereby forming a semi - permeable barrier or “ skin ”. such a barrier is illustrated in fig1 as element 60 in a housing 62 . this barrier slows the rate of further precipitation of the substructure . once precipitation is complete , the initial semi - permeable barrier 60 can be removed , such as by cutting the housing at a point above the barrier at a point above the barrier or by abrading exposed polymer . the semi - permeable barrier 60 can be optionally left in place to carry out size - based separations with unfilled structures , as the barrier acts as a micro - filtration membrane . the cast in - place structure assumes the shape of the housing and results in a self - retaining homogeneous structure akin to a chromatographic column , providing a large surface area suitable or bind / elute chromatography ( e . g ., when particles are included in the polymer matrix ) or for other analytical or biochemical techniques . suitable driving forces include centrifugation , gravity , pressure or vacuum . without limitation , the following examples illustrate the objects and advantages of the present invention . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 % ( w / w ) pvdf solution ( pennwalt corp , kynar 761 ) was prepared in n , n - dimethyacetamide . to this , 1 gram of scx , 200 å , 15 μm ( millipore , pn 85864 ) spherical silica was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 20 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 20 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 20 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 0 . 5 – 1 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the pipette tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water @ 60 ° c . for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 25 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 5 to 20 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled several times . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica ( millipore , pn 85058 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at rt ., then mixed again . a 200 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 5 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water at room temperature for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 – 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed form the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was twisted off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipetter and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 5 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 50 to 200 μl of deionized water was drawn in an expelled several times . 60 å , 10 μm normal phase silica in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips in a suitable small vessel , 6 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 – 60 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 1 gram of 60 å , 10 μm granular silica gel ( davison , grade 710 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a wide bore 1000 μl polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a suitable small vessel , 8 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 0 . 5 grams of fumed silica ( degussa , aerosil 200 ) were added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm silica ( millipore , pn 85864 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . using a pipette or eye dropper , 25 – 50 μl of casting solution was dispensed into a suitable fixture . examples of such devices include ( but are not limited to ) an millipore microcon or the wells of a 96 well filter plate . when preparing devices by this method , each chamber must contain a permeable barrier which will retain the solution ( e . g . polypropylene fabric , membrane , etc .). once added , the unit was gently tapped to ensure that the solution covered the entire barrier surface . the device was immersed in water for ca . 2 hours , and was gently stirred every 15 mins to promote solvent exchange . after this period , the units were removed and placed in either a centrifuge or vacuum manifold , as appropriate . the cast in place structure was flushed with 500 to 1000 μl of deionized water to ensure solvent removal . cast porous end plug in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips containing loose 30 μsilica in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 100 to 500 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . the pipette was detached and any excess water in the upper chamber was removed with a cotton swab . 5 – 10 mg of ( 250 å ) 30 μm silica gel was weighed out and carefully added to the back end of the pipette . the pipette was tapped so that the silica rested on top of the cast - in - place barrier . if necessary , affix a suitable porous plug ( cotton or polypropylene ) in the upper chamber to prevent particle loss . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone was prepared . the mixture is allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and is then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette is affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust is set to 1000 μl . the plunger is depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette is placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess polymer solution was wiped off , and the tip was dipped into a bath of deionized water for about 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was about 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for about 5 minutes . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor , the liquid expelled , and washed with 100 – 200 μl of deionized water . when cast in this manner , the precipitated polymer had a semi - filtration medium . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of a 10 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) in acetone was prepared . to this , 1 gram of methanol , 0 . 5 grams of deionized water and 1 gram of 250 å , 30 μm silica was added . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and was then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson ) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . the plunger was then slowly raised to fill the tip with about 5 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess fluid was wiped off , and the tip was placed in a rack to allow solvent to evaporate for about 16 hours . after this period , the tip was washed with about 10 μl of distilled water . 30 μl silica end plugs in porous polyethylene prepared by thermal phase inversion in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of beaded polyethylene and 100 grams of mineral oil are added . the mixture is heated to 250 ° c . on a hot plate with agitation . when the plastic liquifies , 4 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica is added and mixed thoroughly . using a 1 ml graduated glass pipette with filler bulb , 50 – 100 μl of the melt is drawn . once the tip contains sufficient liquid , equal pressure is maintained , and the tip is removed , excess plastic is wiped off , the tip is allowed to cool to room temperature . the pipette is transferred to a methylene chloride bath for 1 hour to extract the mineral oil . it is then removed , and the methylene chloride is expelled and allowed to air dry . approximately 2 . 5 μg of each peptide from a mixture consisting of glytyr ( 1 ), valtyrval ( 2 ), methionine enkephalin ( 3 ), leucine enkaphalin ( 4 ) and angiotensin ii ( 5 ) ( in 100 μl 0 . 1 % tfa ) was adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica . the solution was drawn up and expelled 4 times . the tip was then washed with 200 μof 0 . 1 % tfa . bound peptides were eluted with 80 % acetonitrile in 0 . 1 % tfa / water . the eluted peptides were diluted with 4 parts of 0 . 1 % tfa and analyzed by reverse phase hplc ( linear acetonitrile gradient 5 – 30 % over 20 min ). the resulting chromatogram was then compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 7 ). as expected , the glytyr , valtyrval , which are small and relatively hydrophilic , did not bind to the c 18 . the recoveries of the remaining 3 ( adsorbed ) peptides subsequent to elution ranged from 70 – 85 %. approximately 2 . 5 μg of each solute from a mixture consisting of a five peptides ( see example 10 ) ( in 100 μl in 10 % glacial acetic acid ) were adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast , styrene sulfonate coated , 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica . adsorption was performed during 4 complete uptake - withdraw cycles followed by a 100 μl flush with 20 % methanol / 10 mm hcl . bound sample was eluted with two 25 μl volumes of 1 . 4 n ammonium hydroxide / 50 % methanol . the eluted sample was analyzed by reversed phase hplc and the resulting chromatogram was compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 8 ). the strong cation exchange tip bound all sample components , except glytyr . such performance is consistent with the selectivity of sulfonic acid ion - exchange resins . trypsin was covalently coupled to an aldehyde activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica and cast ( 20 μl ) into p200 tips for protein digestion in situ . trypsin activity within the tip was assessed by monitoring the digestion of cytochrome via hplc . a sample of cytochrome c ( 10 μg in 100 μl of 100 mm tris , 1 mm cacl 2 , ph 8 @ 37 c ) was taken up into the tip for 15 minutes . the reaction was mixed 4 × with a expel / draw cycle into an eppendorf tube . the digest was analyzed by hplc using a linear gradient of acetonitrile from 5 – 45 % over 30 minutes ( see fig1 ). the resulting chromatogram showed that greater than 90 % of cytochrome c was digested after 15 minutes ( see fig9 for undigested cytochrome c ). recombinant protein a was coupled to precast p200 tips containing aldehyde - activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica for the isolation of rabbit immunoglobulin ( igg ). a 100 μl sample of 1 mg / ml igg and bsa in rip buffer ( 150 mm nacl , 1 % np - 40 , 0 . 5 % doc , 0 . 1 % sds , 50 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 ) was cycled six times through a tip containing 40 μl of cast volume containing protein a immobilized beads . the tip was then washed with 5 volumes of rip buffer prior to the elution . desorption of bound igg was performed with ( two 25 μl volumes ) of 6m urea . the desorbed sample was diluted with 50 μl of 2 × sds laemmli sample buffer and boiled for 3 min prior to electrophoretic analysis . this protocol was also performed on a blank tip containing just polysulfone without beads which served as a background control . electrophoresis was performed in a 10 – 16 % acrylamide gel shown ( see fig1 ). samples are as follows : lane 9 : ( mw marker ); lanes 1 – 4 : increasing amounts of protein a tip eluted sample ; and lanes 5 – 8 : increasing amounts of eluted igg / bsa from the blank polysulfone tip . these results indicate selective binding of igg to the protein a tip with minimal nonspecific adsorption . furthermore , the blank tip ( lanes 5 – 8 ), in the presence of detergents ( rip buffer ), did not exhibit adsorption of either igg or bsa . 60 å , 10 μm 1000 μl pipette tips for supercoiled dna escherichia coli strain jm109 containing plasmid puc19 was grown in 3 – 5 ml of luria broth containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin at 37 ° c . for 12 – 16 hours . 1 . 5 ml of the overnight culture was pelleted in a microfuge tube spun at a maximum g - force for 30 sec at room temperature . residual growth medium was removed while leaving the bacterial pellet intact . plasmid dna was then isolated using a modification of the alkaline lysis procedure of birnboim and doly ( birnboim , h . c . and doly , j . ( 1979 ). nucleic acids res 7 ., 1513 ). briefly , the bacterial pellet was resuspended by vortexing in 50 μl of 50 mm glucose , 25 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , and 10 μg / ml rnase a . next 100 μl of 0 . 2 n naoh , 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate was added . the resulting suspension was incubated at room temperature for 2 min . following the addition of 100 μl of 3 m sodium acetate solution ( ph 4 . 8 ), the suspension was mixed by vortexing then spun in a microfuge at maximum g - force for 2 min . the cleared lysate was transferred to a fresh microfuge tube to which 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm 2 -( n - morpholino ) ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ) at ph 5 . 6 was added to a final concentration and volume of 4 . 4 m and 700 μl , respectively . the resulting solution was drawn into a 1000 μl polypropylene pipette tip with ca . 60 μl of cast membrane containing ca . 60 å , 10 μm silica gel using a p - 1000 pipettor . the solution was pipetted in - and - out for 2 – 2 . 5 minutes to allow extensive interaction between the dna solution and the silica membrane matrix . the tip was then flushed once with 400 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol . residual alcohol is removed by repeated expulsion onto a paper towel . plasmid dna was eluted from the tip in 100 μl of 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 1 mm edta ( te ) by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. eluate fractions were adjusted to a final volume of 100 μl with te . six tips were evaluated . to quantitate plasmid dna recovery , 20 % of the eluate , as well as 20 % of the unbound filtrates , were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). included on the gel were samples of puc19 plasmid dna of known concentrations . ( lanes 1 – 4 ) results of these experiments indicate that on average 2 . 5 mg of supercoiled plasmid was recovered ( lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). 60 å , 10 μm silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for linear dna the ability of 200 μl polypropylene wide bore pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of cast 60 å , 10 μm silica - laden membrane to bind linearized dna fragments ( pbr322 digested with either bstni or mspi , to generate dna fragment ladders ) or plasmid pbr322 dna restricted with psti and bamhi ( generates large linear restriction fragments ) was assessed . five μg of linearized plasmid dna was combined with guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes to a final concentration of 0 . 5 m and volume of 150 μl . prior to use , p - 200 tips containing the silica membrane were pre - equilibrated in ( 2 ×) 200 μl of 0 . 5 m guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes . the dna / guhcl solution was drawn into a pipette tip and cycled in - and - out for 1 . 5 – 2 . 0 min to allow extensive interaction between the dna binding mixture and the silica - laden membrane matrix . the tips were then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . bound dna was eluted from the tip matrix in 100 μl te , by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. to measure dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). in order to quantitate the amount of dna recovered , samples representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 . lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , & amp ; 11 are the eluants . estimate of band intensities indicate recoveries in excess of 95 %. fumed silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for pcr amplified dna the ability of 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of fumed silica immobilized in a polysulfone matrix was assessed for the purification of pcr amplified dna ( 500 bp ). prior to use , tips were flushed 2 × with 100 μl of te buffer and then equilibrated with 500 μl of 3 m nai in 200 mm mes buffer ( ph 6 . 4 ). 50 μl samples from the pooled pcr stock ( ca . 3 μg of dna ) were then combined with 7 m nai to a final nai concentration of 3 . 0 m . the total volume following addition of the nai solution was 150 μl . the sample was drawn in and expelled from the p - 200 tips containing the cast fumed silica - laden membrane for 2 – 3 minutes allowing for extensive contact with the matrix . each tip was then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . residual alcohol was removed by expelling the tip contents onto a paper towel . bound pcr product was eluted in 50 μl te ( ph 8 . 0 ). to estimate dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . note the presence of the lower band which indicates a slight primer - dimer contamination . the use of immobilized fumed silica along with nai appears to give an amplified dna recovery in excess of 90 %. in addition , there appears to be a reduction in the primer - dimer contaminant . ( see lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). cast porous end plug with loose 30 micron silica in a 200 μl pipette tip for dna isolation 200 μl pipette tips containing ca 5 – 10 μl of cast ( 7 . 5 %) polysulfone as a porous end plug and 2 – 4 mg of loose 250 å , 30 μm silica was assayed for the ability to bind linear and supercoiled plasmid dna . regarding linear dna , approximately 5 μg of pbr322 was first digested with mspi in 45 μl te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta ), ph 8 . 0 , and then combined with 100 μl of 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm mes buffer at ph 5 . 6 . the final concentration of guhcl in the solution was 4 . 7 m . the resulting solution was drawn ( once ) into a 200 μl pipette tip and allowed to extensively contact the silica by inverting the pipetman with the affixed tip for approximately 2 min . the dna adsorbed to the tips was then washed and eluted as described in example 15 . loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %; and 25 % of the starting material where run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . results from experiments using this format indicate at dna recoveries of better than 75 % can be achieved ( see fig1 , lanes 5 and 7 ). | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | c95e8b36e9f66f6092516bde44141b505d9255ca6d523520cf4d7ef09b94a9c7 | 0.075684 | 0.017456 | 0.02478 | 0.008606 | 0.050293 | 0.021606 |
null | the term “ membrane ” as used herein includes permeable and semi - permeable three dimensional structures with or without particles , having a porosity suitable for the desired application . the term “ composite structure ” as used herein includes filled membranes . in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that many different particles can be used in the composite structures , depending upon the desired objectives of the resulting device . in the case or adsorptive devices , the ideal device will have rapid adsorption kinetics , a capacity and selectivity commensurate with the application , and allows for elution of bound analyte with an appropriate desorption agent . suitable adsorptive composite structures are polymer bound , particle laden adsorptive membrane structures , such as those comprised of chromatographic beads which have been adhered together with a binder . a suitable polymer bound particle laden adsorptive membrane is illustrated in fig4 . this membrane is comprised of about 80 % w / w silica and 20 % w / w polysulfone binder , and is produced by millipore corporation . a similar membrane is shown in fig1 a cast - in - place in a pipette tip 50 . functional composite structures comprising other micron - size ( e . g ., 1 – 30 microns ) resin particles derivatized with other functional groups are also beneficial , including styrenedivinyl - benzene - based media ( unodified or derivatized with e . g ., sulphonic acids , quaternary amines , etc . ); silica - based media ( unmodified or derivatized with c 2 , c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , or c 18 or ion exchange functionalities ), to accommodate a variety of applications for peptides , proteins , nucleic acids , and other organic compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize that other matrices with alternative selectivities ( e . g ., hydrophobic interaction , affinity , etc .) can also be used , especially for classes of molecules other than peptides . the term “ particles ” as used herein is intended to encompass particles having regular ( e . g ., spherical ) or irregular shapes , as well as shards , fibers and powders , including metal powders , plastic powders ( e . g ., powdered polystyrene ), normal phase silica , fumed silica and activated carbon . for example , the addition of fumed silica into a polysulfone polymer results in increased active surface area and is suitable for various applications . polysulfone sold under the name udel p3500 and p1700 by amoco is particularly preferred in view of the extent of the adherence of the resulting composite structure to polyolefin housing , including polypropylene , polyethylene and mixtures thereof . other suitable polymer binders include polyethersulfone , cellulose acetate , cellulose acetate butyrate , acrylonitrile pvc copolymer ( sold commercially under the name “ dynel ”), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf , sold commercially under the name “ kynar ”), polystyrene and polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymer , etc . adhesion to the housing can be enhanced or an analogous effect achieved with these composite structures by means known to those skilled in the art , including etching of the housing , such as with plasma treatment or chemical oxidation ; mechanical aids such as rims inside the housing ; and inclusion of additives into the housing material that promote such adhesion . adhesion allows uniform precipitation during casting . devices in accordance with the present invention may incorporate a plurality of composite structures having resin materials with different functional groups to fractionate analytes that vary by charge , size , affinity and / or hydrophobicity ; alternately , a plurality of devices containing different individual functional membranes may be used in combination to achieve a similar result . similarly , one or more membranes can be cast in a suitable housing and functionality can be added before or after casting . in accordance with the present invention , the structures of the present invention can be formed by a polymer phase inversion process , air casting ( evaporation ) and thermal inversion . for those systems with minimal or no adhesion , the formed structures can be separately prepared and inserted into the appropriate housing and held in place by mechanical means . in the preferred method , the formed structures are cast in situ in the desired housing . this results in the ability to include large amounts of media in the polymer matrix while still maintaining a three - dimensional porous structure . the membrane substructure serves as a support network enmeshing the particles , thus eliminating the need for frits or plugs , thereby minimizing or even eliminating dead volume ( the adsorptivity of the membrane may or may not participate in the adsorption process ). however , porous frits plugs could be added if desired . preferably the membranes or composite structures formed have an aspect ratio ( average diameter to average thickness ) of less than about 20 , more preferably less than about 10 , especially less than 1 . for example , for adsorptive pipette tips , aspect ratios of two or less , more preferably less than 1 are preferred , especially between about 0 . 005 – 0 . 5 . an aspect ratio within this range provides for suitable residence times of the sample in the composite structure during operation . in the polymer phase inversion process , the solvent for the polymer must be miscible with the quench or inversion phase . for example , n - methyl - pyrolidone is a suitable solvent for polysulfones , polyethersulfones and polystyrene . in the latter case , polystryene pellets can be dissolved in n - methyl - pyrolidone and case - in - place . the resulting structure shows good adhesion to the walls of a polyolefin - based housing , and has adsorption characteristics similar to polysulfone . dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylform - amide , butyrolactone , and sulfalane are also suitable solvents . n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) is a suitable solvent for pvdf . water is the preferred precipitant . the polymer phase inversion process generally results in an expansion of the structure to about two to three times its casting solution volume in the housing . in the air casting process , a volatile solvent for the polymer binder is used . for example , in the case of cellulose acetate , acetone is a suitable volatile solvent . air casting generally results in a structure which is smaller than the casting solution volume . with this method , particles in the filled structures should be at least about 30μ to allow flow through the interstitial spaces after shrinkage without having to apply higher driving force . the upper limit of particle amounts is dictated by casting solution viscosity . depending on particle type , up to 40 % ( w / w ) of particles can be added to the polymer without resulting in a casting solution too viscous to draw into the housing . higher particle loadings may be achieved using higher temperature . suitable particle sizes include particles in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 100 microns in average diameter with or without porosity . suitable housing materials are not particularly limited , and include plastics ( such as polyethylene and polypropylene ), glass and stainless steel . polyolefins , and particularly polypropylene , are preferred housing materials in view of the chemical adhesion that is created with the composite structure when the composite containing polysulfone , and in particular udel p3500 and p1700 polysulfones available from amoco , is cast - in - place therein . fig1 b illustrates such adhesion with a polypropylene pipette tip housing having a cast - in - place membrane therein prepared with spherical silica gel and polysulfone . suitable housing configurations are also not particularly limited , and include pipette tips , wells , multi - well arrays , plastic and glass cavities , sample preparation devices such as the microcon ® microconcentrator , commercially available from millipore corporation , etc . the preferred housing configuration is substantially cylindrical , as the flow vectors during operation are substantially straight , similar to chromatography , thereby minimizing or avoiding dilutional washing that might occur with non - cylindrical configurations . although housings with volumes between about 0 . 1 μl and about 5 mls . can be used for casting - in - place , volumes less than about 100 μl are preferred , with volumes of from about 0 . 1 – 50 μl , preferably from about 0 . 2 – 20 μl , are especially preferred . pipette tip geometries having volumes as small as about 5 microliters can be used . when chemical adhesion of the composite structure to the housing walls is desired but is insignificant or non - existent , mechanical means can be used to maintain the composite structure in the housing , such as crimping , press fitting , heat shrinking the housing or a portion thereof , plasma treating the housing or a portion thereof , or chemically treating , such as etching , the housing or a portion thereof to promote adhesion . an advantage of adhesion to the housing wall is the ability to “ seal ” the composite structure to the housing without mechanical means . such sealing ( by whatever method ) prevents the sample from channeling or bypassing the composite during operation . preferably the structures of the present invention have a final bed height of from about 0 . 05 to about 5 mm . this allows for good washing , good density per unit volume , and results in a uniform precipitation during formation of the plug . the structures of the present invention also can be cast - in - place in conventional multi - well arrays having suitable geometries . alternatively , as shown in fig5 a – 5d , multi - well arrays 10 can be used as the housing , such as by casting the structures 11 of the present invention in place in the well 12 . alternatively , fig5 b shows an underdrain subassembly 13 having a plurality of wells 12 ( enlarged in fig5 d ) with cast - in - place structures contained therein . the underdrain 13 can be adapted to be permanently or removably coupled to the reservoir array 10 by any suitable means , such as by snapping , so as to form removable “ boot ” assemblies containing the structures of the present invention . for convenience , each underdrain 13 can contain a polymer matrix having particles with different chemistry , so that the user chooses the appropriate underdrain 13 depending upon the application . alternatively or in addition , the particle laden polymer matrix can differ from well to well . the reservoir housing 10 can be a plurality of open bores , or can include a membrane . the composite structures and the micro sample preparation devices of the present invention containing the composite structures have a wide variety of applications , depending upon the particle selection . for example , applications include peptide and protein sample preparation prior to analysis , peptide removal from carbohydrate samples , amino acid clean - up prior to analysis , immobilized enzymes for micro - volume reactions , immobilized ligands for micro - affinity chromatography , isolation of supercoiled and cut plasmids , clean - up of pcr and dna products , immobilized oligo dt for rna isolation , dye terminator removal , sample preparation for elemental analysis , etc . those skilled in the art will be able to choose the appropriate particles , polymer binder , particle chemistry and form geometry depending upon the desired application . in some cases , a mixture of particles can be used in the same devices . alternatively or in addition , a multi - well device could have different chemistries for each separate well . in the embodiment where the structures of the present invention are not filled with particles , symmetrical or asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , or a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , can be formed . in this embodiment , the preferred method of formation is casting in situ in the appropriate housing to form a self - retaining , self - supporting structure suitable for separations based on size or adsorption ( depending on polymer identity ). functionality can be added to such a membrane to perform adsorption separations without the use of particles . for example , cellulose acetate can be treated with base to form cellulose , followed by an oxidant to render it reactive . in the in situ formation process ( either with filled or unfilled structures ), the preferred method of formation involves precipitation by means of solvent exchange , such as by introducing the casting solution into the housing by any suitable means , such as where pressure is the driving force , for example by capillary action or by using a vacuum source . in the embodiment in which the housing is a pipette tip , a preferred driving force is a hand - held pipettor . once the desired volume in the housing is filled with casting solution , the casting solution in the housing is contacted with a liquid in which the polymer is insoluble , preferably water , so that the polymer precipitates in the housing . this can be accomplished by immersing the housing in the liquid , and / or drawing the liquid into the housing with a driving force such as by means of a vacuum . through the exchange of water for the solvent , the structure precipitates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the solvent used to prepare the casting solution and the non - solvent can contain a variety of additives . at the first contact of the polymer with the precipitant , there is virtually instaneous precipitation , thereby forming a semi - permeable barrier or “ skin ”. such a barrier is illustrated in fig1 as element 60 in a housing 62 . this barrier slows the rate of further precipitation of the substructure . once precipitation is complete , the initial semi - permeable barrier 60 can be removed , such as by cutting the housing at a point above the barrier at a point above the barrier or by abrading exposed polymer . the semi - permeable barrier 60 can be optionally left in place to carry out size - based separations with unfilled structures , as the barrier acts as a micro - filtration membrane . the cast in - place structure assumes the shape of the housing and results in a self - retaining homogeneous structure akin to a chromatographic column , providing a large surface area suitable or bind / elute chromatography ( e . g ., when particles are included in the polymer matrix ) or for other analytical or biochemical techniques . suitable driving forces include centrifugation , gravity , pressure or vacuum . without limitation , the following examples illustrate the objects and advantages of the present invention . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 % ( w / w ) pvdf solution ( pennwalt corp , kynar 761 ) was prepared in n , n - dimethyacetamide . to this , 1 gram of scx , 200 å , 15 μm ( millipore , pn 85864 ) spherical silica was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 20 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 20 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 20 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 0 . 5 – 1 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the pipette tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water @ 60 ° c . for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 25 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 5 to 20 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled several times . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica ( millipore , pn 85058 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at rt ., then mixed again . a 200 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 5 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water at room temperature for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 – 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed form the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was twisted off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipetter and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 5 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 50 to 200 μl of deionized water was drawn in an expelled several times . 60 å , 10 μm normal phase silica in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips in a suitable small vessel , 6 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 – 60 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 1 gram of 60 å , 10 μm granular silica gel ( davison , grade 710 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a wide bore 1000 μl polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a suitable small vessel , 8 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 0 . 5 grams of fumed silica ( degussa , aerosil 200 ) were added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm silica ( millipore , pn 85864 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . using a pipette or eye dropper , 25 – 50 μl of casting solution was dispensed into a suitable fixture . examples of such devices include ( but are not limited to ) an millipore microcon or the wells of a 96 well filter plate . when preparing devices by this method , each chamber must contain a permeable barrier which will retain the solution ( e . g . polypropylene fabric , membrane , etc .). once added , the unit was gently tapped to ensure that the solution covered the entire barrier surface . the device was immersed in water for ca . 2 hours , and was gently stirred every 15 mins to promote solvent exchange . after this period , the units were removed and placed in either a centrifuge or vacuum manifold , as appropriate . the cast in place structure was flushed with 500 to 1000 μl of deionized water to ensure solvent removal . cast porous end plug in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips containing loose 30 μsilica in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 100 to 500 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . the pipette was detached and any excess water in the upper chamber was removed with a cotton swab . 5 – 10 mg of ( 250 å ) 30 μm silica gel was weighed out and carefully added to the back end of the pipette . the pipette was tapped so that the silica rested on top of the cast - in - place barrier . if necessary , affix a suitable porous plug ( cotton or polypropylene ) in the upper chamber to prevent particle loss . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone was prepared . the mixture is allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and is then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette is affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust is set to 1000 μl . the plunger is depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette is placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess polymer solution was wiped off , and the tip was dipped into a bath of deionized water for about 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was about 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for about 5 minutes . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor , the liquid expelled , and washed with 100 – 200 μl of deionized water . when cast in this manner , the precipitated polymer had a semi - filtration medium . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of a 10 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) in acetone was prepared . to this , 1 gram of methanol , 0 . 5 grams of deionized water and 1 gram of 250 å , 30 μm silica was added . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and was then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson ) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . the plunger was then slowly raised to fill the tip with about 5 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess fluid was wiped off , and the tip was placed in a rack to allow solvent to evaporate for about 16 hours . after this period , the tip was washed with about 10 μl of distilled water . 30 μl silica end plugs in porous polyethylene prepared by thermal phase inversion in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of beaded polyethylene and 100 grams of mineral oil are added . the mixture is heated to 250 ° c . on a hot plate with agitation . when the plastic liquifies , 4 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica is added and mixed thoroughly . using a 1 ml graduated glass pipette with filler bulb , 50 – 100 μl of the melt is drawn . once the tip contains sufficient liquid , equal pressure is maintained , and the tip is removed , excess plastic is wiped off , the tip is allowed to cool to room temperature . the pipette is transferred to a methylene chloride bath for 1 hour to extract the mineral oil . it is then removed , and the methylene chloride is expelled and allowed to air dry . approximately 2 . 5 μg of each peptide from a mixture consisting of glytyr ( 1 ), valtyrval ( 2 ), methionine enkephalin ( 3 ), leucine enkaphalin ( 4 ) and angiotensin ii ( 5 ) ( in 100 μl 0 . 1 % tfa ) was adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica . the solution was drawn up and expelled 4 times . the tip was then washed with 200 μof 0 . 1 % tfa . bound peptides were eluted with 80 % acetonitrile in 0 . 1 % tfa / water . the eluted peptides were diluted with 4 parts of 0 . 1 % tfa and analyzed by reverse phase hplc ( linear acetonitrile gradient 5 – 30 % over 20 min ). the resulting chromatogram was then compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 7 ). as expected , the glytyr , valtyrval , which are small and relatively hydrophilic , did not bind to the c 18 . the recoveries of the remaining 3 ( adsorbed ) peptides subsequent to elution ranged from 70 – 85 %. approximately 2 . 5 μg of each solute from a mixture consisting of a five peptides ( see example 10 ) ( in 100 μl in 10 % glacial acetic acid ) were adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast , styrene sulfonate coated , 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica . adsorption was performed during 4 complete uptake - withdraw cycles followed by a 100 μl flush with 20 % methanol / 10 mm hcl . bound sample was eluted with two 25 μl volumes of 1 . 4 n ammonium hydroxide / 50 % methanol . the eluted sample was analyzed by reversed phase hplc and the resulting chromatogram was compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 8 ). the strong cation exchange tip bound all sample components , except glytyr . such performance is consistent with the selectivity of sulfonic acid ion - exchange resins . trypsin was covalently coupled to an aldehyde activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica and cast ( 20 μl ) into p200 tips for protein digestion in situ . trypsin activity within the tip was assessed by monitoring the digestion of cytochrome via hplc . a sample of cytochrome c ( 10 μg in 100 μl of 100 mm tris , 1 mm cacl 2 , ph 8 @ 37 c ) was taken up into the tip for 15 minutes . the reaction was mixed 4 × with a expel / draw cycle into an eppendorf tube . the digest was analyzed by hplc using a linear gradient of acetonitrile from 5 – 45 % over 30 minutes ( see fig1 ). the resulting chromatogram showed that greater than 90 % of cytochrome c was digested after 15 minutes ( see fig9 for undigested cytochrome c ). recombinant protein a was coupled to precast p200 tips containing aldehyde - activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica for the isolation of rabbit immunoglobulin ( igg ). a 100 μl sample of 1 mg / ml igg and bsa in rip buffer ( 150 mm nacl , 1 % np - 40 , 0 . 5 % doc , 0 . 1 % sds , 50 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 ) was cycled six times through a tip containing 40 μl of cast volume containing protein a immobilized beads . the tip was then washed with 5 volumes of rip buffer prior to the elution . desorption of bound igg was performed with ( two 25 μl volumes ) of 6m urea . the desorbed sample was diluted with 50 μl of 2 × sds laemmli sample buffer and boiled for 3 min prior to electrophoretic analysis . this protocol was also performed on a blank tip containing just polysulfone without beads which served as a background control . electrophoresis was performed in a 10 – 16 % acrylamide gel shown ( see fig1 ). samples are as follows : lane 9 : ( mw marker ); lanes 1 – 4 : increasing amounts of protein a tip eluted sample ; and lanes 5 – 8 : increasing amounts of eluted igg / bsa from the blank polysulfone tip . these results indicate selective binding of igg to the protein a tip with minimal nonspecific adsorption . furthermore , the blank tip ( lanes 5 – 8 ), in the presence of detergents ( rip buffer ), did not exhibit adsorption of either igg or bsa . 60 å , 10 μm 1000 μl pipette tips for supercoiled dna escherichia coli strain jm109 containing plasmid puc19 was grown in 3 – 5 ml of luria broth containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin at 37 ° c . for 12 – 16 hours . 1 . 5 ml of the overnight culture was pelleted in a microfuge tube spun at a maximum g - force for 30 sec at room temperature . residual growth medium was removed while leaving the bacterial pellet intact . plasmid dna was then isolated using a modification of the alkaline lysis procedure of birnboim and doly ( birnboim , h . c . and doly , j . ( 1979 ). nucleic acids res 7 ., 1513 ). briefly , the bacterial pellet was resuspended by vortexing in 50 μl of 50 mm glucose , 25 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , and 10 μg / ml rnase a . next 100 μl of 0 . 2 n naoh , 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate was added . the resulting suspension was incubated at room temperature for 2 min . following the addition of 100 μl of 3 m sodium acetate solution ( ph 4 . 8 ), the suspension was mixed by vortexing then spun in a microfuge at maximum g - force for 2 min . the cleared lysate was transferred to a fresh microfuge tube to which 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm 2 -( n - morpholino ) ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ) at ph 5 . 6 was added to a final concentration and volume of 4 . 4 m and 700 μl , respectively . the resulting solution was drawn into a 1000 μl polypropylene pipette tip with ca . 60 μl of cast membrane containing ca . 60 å , 10 μm silica gel using a p - 1000 pipettor . the solution was pipetted in - and - out for 2 – 2 . 5 minutes to allow extensive interaction between the dna solution and the silica membrane matrix . the tip was then flushed once with 400 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol . residual alcohol is removed by repeated expulsion onto a paper towel . plasmid dna was eluted from the tip in 100 μl of 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 1 mm edta ( te ) by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. eluate fractions were adjusted to a final volume of 100 μl with te . six tips were evaluated . to quantitate plasmid dna recovery , 20 % of the eluate , as well as 20 % of the unbound filtrates , were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). included on the gel were samples of puc19 plasmid dna of known concentrations . ( lanes 1 – 4 ) results of these experiments indicate that on average 2 . 5 mg of supercoiled plasmid was recovered ( lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). 60 å , 10 μm silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for linear dna the ability of 200 μl polypropylene wide bore pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of cast 60 å , 10 μm silica - laden membrane to bind linearized dna fragments ( pbr322 digested with either bstni or mspi , to generate dna fragment ladders ) or plasmid pbr322 dna restricted with psti and bamhi ( generates large linear restriction fragments ) was assessed . five μg of linearized plasmid dna was combined with guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes to a final concentration of 0 . 5 m and volume of 150 μl . prior to use , p - 200 tips containing the silica membrane were pre - equilibrated in ( 2 ×) 200 μl of 0 . 5 m guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes . the dna / guhcl solution was drawn into a pipette tip and cycled in - and - out for 1 . 5 – 2 . 0 min to allow extensive interaction between the dna binding mixture and the silica - laden membrane matrix . the tips were then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . bound dna was eluted from the tip matrix in 100 μl te , by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. to measure dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). in order to quantitate the amount of dna recovered , samples representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 . lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , & amp ; 11 are the eluants . estimate of band intensities indicate recoveries in excess of 95 %. fumed silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for pcr amplified dna the ability of 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of fumed silica immobilized in a polysulfone matrix was assessed for the purification of pcr amplified dna ( 500 bp ). prior to use , tips were flushed 2 × with 100 μl of te buffer and then equilibrated with 500 μl of 3 m nai in 200 mm mes buffer ( ph 6 . 4 ). 50 μl samples from the pooled pcr stock ( ca . 3 μg of dna ) were then combined with 7 m nai to a final nai concentration of 3 . 0 m . the total volume following addition of the nai solution was 150 μl . the sample was drawn in and expelled from the p - 200 tips containing the cast fumed silica - laden membrane for 2 – 3 minutes allowing for extensive contact with the matrix . each tip was then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . residual alcohol was removed by expelling the tip contents onto a paper towel . bound pcr product was eluted in 50 μl te ( ph 8 . 0 ). to estimate dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . note the presence of the lower band which indicates a slight primer - dimer contamination . the use of immobilized fumed silica along with nai appears to give an amplified dna recovery in excess of 90 %. in addition , there appears to be a reduction in the primer - dimer contaminant . ( see lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). cast porous end plug with loose 30 micron silica in a 200 μl pipette tip for dna isolation 200 μl pipette tips containing ca 5 – 10 μl of cast ( 7 . 5 %) polysulfone as a porous end plug and 2 – 4 mg of loose 250 å , 30 μm silica was assayed for the ability to bind linear and supercoiled plasmid dna . regarding linear dna , approximately 5 μg of pbr322 was first digested with mspi in 45 μl te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta ), ph 8 . 0 , and then combined with 100 μl of 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm mes buffer at ph 5 . 6 . the final concentration of guhcl in the solution was 4 . 7 m . the resulting solution was drawn ( once ) into a 200 μl pipette tip and allowed to extensively contact the silica by inverting the pipetman with the affixed tip for approximately 2 min . the dna adsorbed to the tips was then washed and eluted as described in example 15 . loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %; and 25 % of the starting material where run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . results from experiments using this format indicate at dna recoveries of better than 75 % can be achieved ( see fig1 , lanes 5 and 7 ). | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | c95e8b36e9f66f6092516bde44141b505d9255ca6d523520cf4d7ef09b94a9c7 | 0.092773 | 0.001755 | 0.014526 | 0.000191 | 0.067383 | 0.006683 |
null | the term “ membrane ” as used herein includes permeable and semi - permeable three dimensional structures with or without particles , having a porosity suitable for the desired application . the term “ composite structure ” as used herein includes filled membranes . in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that many different particles can be used in the composite structures , depending upon the desired objectives of the resulting device . in the case or adsorptive devices , the ideal device will have rapid adsorption kinetics , a capacity and selectivity commensurate with the application , and allows for elution of bound analyte with an appropriate desorption agent . suitable adsorptive composite structures are polymer bound , particle laden adsorptive membrane structures , such as those comprised of chromatographic beads which have been adhered together with a binder . a suitable polymer bound particle laden adsorptive membrane is illustrated in fig4 . this membrane is comprised of about 80 % w / w silica and 20 % w / w polysulfone binder , and is produced by millipore corporation . a similar membrane is shown in fig1 a cast - in - place in a pipette tip 50 . functional composite structures comprising other micron - size ( e . g ., 1 – 30 microns ) resin particles derivatized with other functional groups are also beneficial , including styrenedivinyl - benzene - based media ( unodified or derivatized with e . g ., sulphonic acids , quaternary amines , etc . ); silica - based media ( unmodified or derivatized with c 2 , c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , or c 18 or ion exchange functionalities ), to accommodate a variety of applications for peptides , proteins , nucleic acids , and other organic compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize that other matrices with alternative selectivities ( e . g ., hydrophobic interaction , affinity , etc .) can also be used , especially for classes of molecules other than peptides . the term “ particles ” as used herein is intended to encompass particles having regular ( e . g ., spherical ) or irregular shapes , as well as shards , fibers and powders , including metal powders , plastic powders ( e . g ., powdered polystyrene ), normal phase silica , fumed silica and activated carbon . for example , the addition of fumed silica into a polysulfone polymer results in increased active surface area and is suitable for various applications . polysulfone sold under the name udel p3500 and p1700 by amoco is particularly preferred in view of the extent of the adherence of the resulting composite structure to polyolefin housing , including polypropylene , polyethylene and mixtures thereof . other suitable polymer binders include polyethersulfone , cellulose acetate , cellulose acetate butyrate , acrylonitrile pvc copolymer ( sold commercially under the name “ dynel ”), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf , sold commercially under the name “ kynar ”), polystyrene and polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymer , etc . adhesion to the housing can be enhanced or an analogous effect achieved with these composite structures by means known to those skilled in the art , including etching of the housing , such as with plasma treatment or chemical oxidation ; mechanical aids such as rims inside the housing ; and inclusion of additives into the housing material that promote such adhesion . adhesion allows uniform precipitation during casting . devices in accordance with the present invention may incorporate a plurality of composite structures having resin materials with different functional groups to fractionate analytes that vary by charge , size , affinity and / or hydrophobicity ; alternately , a plurality of devices containing different individual functional membranes may be used in combination to achieve a similar result . similarly , one or more membranes can be cast in a suitable housing and functionality can be added before or after casting . in accordance with the present invention , the structures of the present invention can be formed by a polymer phase inversion process , air casting ( evaporation ) and thermal inversion . for those systems with minimal or no adhesion , the formed structures can be separately prepared and inserted into the appropriate housing and held in place by mechanical means . in the preferred method , the formed structures are cast in situ in the desired housing . this results in the ability to include large amounts of media in the polymer matrix while still maintaining a three - dimensional porous structure . the membrane substructure serves as a support network enmeshing the particles , thus eliminating the need for frits or plugs , thereby minimizing or even eliminating dead volume ( the adsorptivity of the membrane may or may not participate in the adsorption process ). however , porous frits plugs could be added if desired . preferably the membranes or composite structures formed have an aspect ratio ( average diameter to average thickness ) of less than about 20 , more preferably less than about 10 , especially less than 1 . for example , for adsorptive pipette tips , aspect ratios of two or less , more preferably less than 1 are preferred , especially between about 0 . 005 – 0 . 5 . an aspect ratio within this range provides for suitable residence times of the sample in the composite structure during operation . in the polymer phase inversion process , the solvent for the polymer must be miscible with the quench or inversion phase . for example , n - methyl - pyrolidone is a suitable solvent for polysulfones , polyethersulfones and polystyrene . in the latter case , polystryene pellets can be dissolved in n - methyl - pyrolidone and case - in - place . the resulting structure shows good adhesion to the walls of a polyolefin - based housing , and has adsorption characteristics similar to polysulfone . dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylform - amide , butyrolactone , and sulfalane are also suitable solvents . n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) is a suitable solvent for pvdf . water is the preferred precipitant . the polymer phase inversion process generally results in an expansion of the structure to about two to three times its casting solution volume in the housing . in the air casting process , a volatile solvent for the polymer binder is used . for example , in the case of cellulose acetate , acetone is a suitable volatile solvent . air casting generally results in a structure which is smaller than the casting solution volume . with this method , particles in the filled structures should be at least about 30μ to allow flow through the interstitial spaces after shrinkage without having to apply higher driving force . the upper limit of particle amounts is dictated by casting solution viscosity . depending on particle type , up to 40 % ( w / w ) of particles can be added to the polymer without resulting in a casting solution too viscous to draw into the housing . higher particle loadings may be achieved using higher temperature . suitable particle sizes include particles in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 100 microns in average diameter with or without porosity . suitable housing materials are not particularly limited , and include plastics ( such as polyethylene and polypropylene ), glass and stainless steel . polyolefins , and particularly polypropylene , are preferred housing materials in view of the chemical adhesion that is created with the composite structure when the composite containing polysulfone , and in particular udel p3500 and p1700 polysulfones available from amoco , is cast - in - place therein . fig1 b illustrates such adhesion with a polypropylene pipette tip housing having a cast - in - place membrane therein prepared with spherical silica gel and polysulfone . suitable housing configurations are also not particularly limited , and include pipette tips , wells , multi - well arrays , plastic and glass cavities , sample preparation devices such as the microcon ® microconcentrator , commercially available from millipore corporation , etc . the preferred housing configuration is substantially cylindrical , as the flow vectors during operation are substantially straight , similar to chromatography , thereby minimizing or avoiding dilutional washing that might occur with non - cylindrical configurations . although housings with volumes between about 0 . 1 μl and about 5 mls . can be used for casting - in - place , volumes less than about 100 μl are preferred , with volumes of from about 0 . 1 – 50 μl , preferably from about 0 . 2 – 20 μl , are especially preferred . pipette tip geometries having volumes as small as about 5 microliters can be used . when chemical adhesion of the composite structure to the housing walls is desired but is insignificant or non - existent , mechanical means can be used to maintain the composite structure in the housing , such as crimping , press fitting , heat shrinking the housing or a portion thereof , plasma treating the housing or a portion thereof , or chemically treating , such as etching , the housing or a portion thereof to promote adhesion . an advantage of adhesion to the housing wall is the ability to “ seal ” the composite structure to the housing without mechanical means . such sealing ( by whatever method ) prevents the sample from channeling or bypassing the composite during operation . preferably the structures of the present invention have a final bed height of from about 0 . 05 to about 5 mm . this allows for good washing , good density per unit volume , and results in a uniform precipitation during formation of the plug . the structures of the present invention also can be cast - in - place in conventional multi - well arrays having suitable geometries . alternatively , as shown in fig5 a – 5d , multi - well arrays 10 can be used as the housing , such as by casting the structures 11 of the present invention in place in the well 12 . alternatively , fig5 b shows an underdrain subassembly 13 having a plurality of wells 12 ( enlarged in fig5 d ) with cast - in - place structures contained therein . the underdrain 13 can be adapted to be permanently or removably coupled to the reservoir array 10 by any suitable means , such as by snapping , so as to form removable “ boot ” assemblies containing the structures of the present invention . for convenience , each underdrain 13 can contain a polymer matrix having particles with different chemistry , so that the user chooses the appropriate underdrain 13 depending upon the application . alternatively or in addition , the particle laden polymer matrix can differ from well to well . the reservoir housing 10 can be a plurality of open bores , or can include a membrane . the composite structures and the micro sample preparation devices of the present invention containing the composite structures have a wide variety of applications , depending upon the particle selection . for example , applications include peptide and protein sample preparation prior to analysis , peptide removal from carbohydrate samples , amino acid clean - up prior to analysis , immobilized enzymes for micro - volume reactions , immobilized ligands for micro - affinity chromatography , isolation of supercoiled and cut plasmids , clean - up of pcr and dna products , immobilized oligo dt for rna isolation , dye terminator removal , sample preparation for elemental analysis , etc . those skilled in the art will be able to choose the appropriate particles , polymer binder , particle chemistry and form geometry depending upon the desired application . in some cases , a mixture of particles can be used in the same devices . alternatively or in addition , a multi - well device could have different chemistries for each separate well . in the embodiment where the structures of the present invention are not filled with particles , symmetrical or asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , or a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , can be formed . in this embodiment , the preferred method of formation is casting in situ in the appropriate housing to form a self - retaining , self - supporting structure suitable for separations based on size or adsorption ( depending on polymer identity ). functionality can be added to such a membrane to perform adsorption separations without the use of particles . for example , cellulose acetate can be treated with base to form cellulose , followed by an oxidant to render it reactive . in the in situ formation process ( either with filled or unfilled structures ), the preferred method of formation involves precipitation by means of solvent exchange , such as by introducing the casting solution into the housing by any suitable means , such as where pressure is the driving force , for example by capillary action or by using a vacuum source . in the embodiment in which the housing is a pipette tip , a preferred driving force is a hand - held pipettor . once the desired volume in the housing is filled with casting solution , the casting solution in the housing is contacted with a liquid in which the polymer is insoluble , preferably water , so that the polymer precipitates in the housing . this can be accomplished by immersing the housing in the liquid , and / or drawing the liquid into the housing with a driving force such as by means of a vacuum . through the exchange of water for the solvent , the structure precipitates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the solvent used to prepare the casting solution and the non - solvent can contain a variety of additives . at the first contact of the polymer with the precipitant , there is virtually instaneous precipitation , thereby forming a semi - permeable barrier or “ skin ”. such a barrier is illustrated in fig1 as element 60 in a housing 62 . this barrier slows the rate of further precipitation of the substructure . once precipitation is complete , the initial semi - permeable barrier 60 can be removed , such as by cutting the housing at a point above the barrier at a point above the barrier or by abrading exposed polymer . the semi - permeable barrier 60 can be optionally left in place to carry out size - based separations with unfilled structures , as the barrier acts as a micro - filtration membrane . the cast in - place structure assumes the shape of the housing and results in a self - retaining homogeneous structure akin to a chromatographic column , providing a large surface area suitable or bind / elute chromatography ( e . g ., when particles are included in the polymer matrix ) or for other analytical or biochemical techniques . suitable driving forces include centrifugation , gravity , pressure or vacuum . without limitation , the following examples illustrate the objects and advantages of the present invention . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 % ( w / w ) pvdf solution ( pennwalt corp , kynar 761 ) was prepared in n , n - dimethyacetamide . to this , 1 gram of scx , 200 å , 15 μm ( millipore , pn 85864 ) spherical silica was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 20 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 20 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 20 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 0 . 5 – 1 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the pipette tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water @ 60 ° c . for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 25 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 5 to 20 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled several times . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica ( millipore , pn 85058 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at rt ., then mixed again . a 200 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 5 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water at room temperature for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 – 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed form the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was twisted off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipetter and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 5 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 50 to 200 μl of deionized water was drawn in an expelled several times . 60 å , 10 μm normal phase silica in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips in a suitable small vessel , 6 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 – 60 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 1 gram of 60 å , 10 μm granular silica gel ( davison , grade 710 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a wide bore 1000 μl polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a suitable small vessel , 8 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 0 . 5 grams of fumed silica ( degussa , aerosil 200 ) were added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm silica ( millipore , pn 85864 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . using a pipette or eye dropper , 25 – 50 μl of casting solution was dispensed into a suitable fixture . examples of such devices include ( but are not limited to ) an millipore microcon or the wells of a 96 well filter plate . when preparing devices by this method , each chamber must contain a permeable barrier which will retain the solution ( e . g . polypropylene fabric , membrane , etc .). once added , the unit was gently tapped to ensure that the solution covered the entire barrier surface . the device was immersed in water for ca . 2 hours , and was gently stirred every 15 mins to promote solvent exchange . after this period , the units were removed and placed in either a centrifuge or vacuum manifold , as appropriate . the cast in place structure was flushed with 500 to 1000 μl of deionized water to ensure solvent removal . cast porous end plug in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips containing loose 30 μsilica in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 100 to 500 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . the pipette was detached and any excess water in the upper chamber was removed with a cotton swab . 5 – 10 mg of ( 250 å ) 30 μm silica gel was weighed out and carefully added to the back end of the pipette . the pipette was tapped so that the silica rested on top of the cast - in - place barrier . if necessary , affix a suitable porous plug ( cotton or polypropylene ) in the upper chamber to prevent particle loss . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone was prepared . the mixture is allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and is then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette is affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust is set to 1000 μl . the plunger is depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette is placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess polymer solution was wiped off , and the tip was dipped into a bath of deionized water for about 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was about 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for about 5 minutes . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor , the liquid expelled , and washed with 100 – 200 μl of deionized water . when cast in this manner , the precipitated polymer had a semi - filtration medium . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of a 10 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) in acetone was prepared . to this , 1 gram of methanol , 0 . 5 grams of deionized water and 1 gram of 250 å , 30 μm silica was added . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and was then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson ) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . the plunger was then slowly raised to fill the tip with about 5 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess fluid was wiped off , and the tip was placed in a rack to allow solvent to evaporate for about 16 hours . after this period , the tip was washed with about 10 μl of distilled water . 30 μl silica end plugs in porous polyethylene prepared by thermal phase inversion in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of beaded polyethylene and 100 grams of mineral oil are added . the mixture is heated to 250 ° c . on a hot plate with agitation . when the plastic liquifies , 4 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica is added and mixed thoroughly . using a 1 ml graduated glass pipette with filler bulb , 50 – 100 μl of the melt is drawn . once the tip contains sufficient liquid , equal pressure is maintained , and the tip is removed , excess plastic is wiped off , the tip is allowed to cool to room temperature . the pipette is transferred to a methylene chloride bath for 1 hour to extract the mineral oil . it is then removed , and the methylene chloride is expelled and allowed to air dry . approximately 2 . 5 μg of each peptide from a mixture consisting of glytyr ( 1 ), valtyrval ( 2 ), methionine enkephalin ( 3 ), leucine enkaphalin ( 4 ) and angiotensin ii ( 5 ) ( in 100 μl 0 . 1 % tfa ) was adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica . the solution was drawn up and expelled 4 times . the tip was then washed with 200 μof 0 . 1 % tfa . bound peptides were eluted with 80 % acetonitrile in 0 . 1 % tfa / water . the eluted peptides were diluted with 4 parts of 0 . 1 % tfa and analyzed by reverse phase hplc ( linear acetonitrile gradient 5 – 30 % over 20 min ). the resulting chromatogram was then compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 7 ). as expected , the glytyr , valtyrval , which are small and relatively hydrophilic , did not bind to the c 18 . the recoveries of the remaining 3 ( adsorbed ) peptides subsequent to elution ranged from 70 – 85 %. approximately 2 . 5 μg of each solute from a mixture consisting of a five peptides ( see example 10 ) ( in 100 μl in 10 % glacial acetic acid ) were adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast , styrene sulfonate coated , 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica . adsorption was performed during 4 complete uptake - withdraw cycles followed by a 100 μl flush with 20 % methanol / 10 mm hcl . bound sample was eluted with two 25 μl volumes of 1 . 4 n ammonium hydroxide / 50 % methanol . the eluted sample was analyzed by reversed phase hplc and the resulting chromatogram was compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 8 ). the strong cation exchange tip bound all sample components , except glytyr . such performance is consistent with the selectivity of sulfonic acid ion - exchange resins . trypsin was covalently coupled to an aldehyde activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica and cast ( 20 μl ) into p200 tips for protein digestion in situ . trypsin activity within the tip was assessed by monitoring the digestion of cytochrome via hplc . a sample of cytochrome c ( 10 μg in 100 μl of 100 mm tris , 1 mm cacl 2 , ph 8 @ 37 c ) was taken up into the tip for 15 minutes . the reaction was mixed 4 × with a expel / draw cycle into an eppendorf tube . the digest was analyzed by hplc using a linear gradient of acetonitrile from 5 – 45 % over 30 minutes ( see fig1 ). the resulting chromatogram showed that greater than 90 % of cytochrome c was digested after 15 minutes ( see fig9 for undigested cytochrome c ). recombinant protein a was coupled to precast p200 tips containing aldehyde - activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica for the isolation of rabbit immunoglobulin ( igg ). a 100 μl sample of 1 mg / ml igg and bsa in rip buffer ( 150 mm nacl , 1 % np - 40 , 0 . 5 % doc , 0 . 1 % sds , 50 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 ) was cycled six times through a tip containing 40 μl of cast volume containing protein a immobilized beads . the tip was then washed with 5 volumes of rip buffer prior to the elution . desorption of bound igg was performed with ( two 25 μl volumes ) of 6m urea . the desorbed sample was diluted with 50 μl of 2 × sds laemmli sample buffer and boiled for 3 min prior to electrophoretic analysis . this protocol was also performed on a blank tip containing just polysulfone without beads which served as a background control . electrophoresis was performed in a 10 – 16 % acrylamide gel shown ( see fig1 ). samples are as follows : lane 9 : ( mw marker ); lanes 1 – 4 : increasing amounts of protein a tip eluted sample ; and lanes 5 – 8 : increasing amounts of eluted igg / bsa from the blank polysulfone tip . these results indicate selective binding of igg to the protein a tip with minimal nonspecific adsorption . furthermore , the blank tip ( lanes 5 – 8 ), in the presence of detergents ( rip buffer ), did not exhibit adsorption of either igg or bsa . 60 å , 10 μm 1000 μl pipette tips for supercoiled dna escherichia coli strain jm109 containing plasmid puc19 was grown in 3 – 5 ml of luria broth containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin at 37 ° c . for 12 – 16 hours . 1 . 5 ml of the overnight culture was pelleted in a microfuge tube spun at a maximum g - force for 30 sec at room temperature . residual growth medium was removed while leaving the bacterial pellet intact . plasmid dna was then isolated using a modification of the alkaline lysis procedure of birnboim and doly ( birnboim , h . c . and doly , j . ( 1979 ). nucleic acids res 7 ., 1513 ). briefly , the bacterial pellet was resuspended by vortexing in 50 μl of 50 mm glucose , 25 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , and 10 μg / ml rnase a . next 100 μl of 0 . 2 n naoh , 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate was added . the resulting suspension was incubated at room temperature for 2 min . following the addition of 100 μl of 3 m sodium acetate solution ( ph 4 . 8 ), the suspension was mixed by vortexing then spun in a microfuge at maximum g - force for 2 min . the cleared lysate was transferred to a fresh microfuge tube to which 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm 2 -( n - morpholino ) ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ) at ph 5 . 6 was added to a final concentration and volume of 4 . 4 m and 700 μl , respectively . the resulting solution was drawn into a 1000 μl polypropylene pipette tip with ca . 60 μl of cast membrane containing ca . 60 å , 10 μm silica gel using a p - 1000 pipettor . the solution was pipetted in - and - out for 2 – 2 . 5 minutes to allow extensive interaction between the dna solution and the silica membrane matrix . the tip was then flushed once with 400 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol . residual alcohol is removed by repeated expulsion onto a paper towel . plasmid dna was eluted from the tip in 100 μl of 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 1 mm edta ( te ) by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. eluate fractions were adjusted to a final volume of 100 μl with te . six tips were evaluated . to quantitate plasmid dna recovery , 20 % of the eluate , as well as 20 % of the unbound filtrates , were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). included on the gel were samples of puc19 plasmid dna of known concentrations . ( lanes 1 – 4 ) results of these experiments indicate that on average 2 . 5 mg of supercoiled plasmid was recovered ( lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). 60 å , 10 μm silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for linear dna the ability of 200 μl polypropylene wide bore pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of cast 60 å , 10 μm silica - laden membrane to bind linearized dna fragments ( pbr322 digested with either bstni or mspi , to generate dna fragment ladders ) or plasmid pbr322 dna restricted with psti and bamhi ( generates large linear restriction fragments ) was assessed . five μg of linearized plasmid dna was combined with guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes to a final concentration of 0 . 5 m and volume of 150 μl . prior to use , p - 200 tips containing the silica membrane were pre - equilibrated in ( 2 ×) 200 μl of 0 . 5 m guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes . the dna / guhcl solution was drawn into a pipette tip and cycled in - and - out for 1 . 5 – 2 . 0 min to allow extensive interaction between the dna binding mixture and the silica - laden membrane matrix . the tips were then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . bound dna was eluted from the tip matrix in 100 μl te , by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. to measure dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). in order to quantitate the amount of dna recovered , samples representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 . lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , & amp ; 11 are the eluants . estimate of band intensities indicate recoveries in excess of 95 %. fumed silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for pcr amplified dna the ability of 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of fumed silica immobilized in a polysulfone matrix was assessed for the purification of pcr amplified dna ( 500 bp ). prior to use , tips were flushed 2 × with 100 μl of te buffer and then equilibrated with 500 μl of 3 m nai in 200 mm mes buffer ( ph 6 . 4 ). 50 μl samples from the pooled pcr stock ( ca . 3 μg of dna ) were then combined with 7 m nai to a final nai concentration of 3 . 0 m . the total volume following addition of the nai solution was 150 μl . the sample was drawn in and expelled from the p - 200 tips containing the cast fumed silica - laden membrane for 2 – 3 minutes allowing for extensive contact with the matrix . each tip was then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . residual alcohol was removed by expelling the tip contents onto a paper towel . bound pcr product was eluted in 50 μl te ( ph 8 . 0 ). to estimate dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . note the presence of the lower band which indicates a slight primer - dimer contamination . the use of immobilized fumed silica along with nai appears to give an amplified dna recovery in excess of 90 %. in addition , there appears to be a reduction in the primer - dimer contaminant . ( see lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). cast porous end plug with loose 30 micron silica in a 200 μl pipette tip for dna isolation 200 μl pipette tips containing ca 5 – 10 μl of cast ( 7 . 5 %) polysulfone as a porous end plug and 2 – 4 mg of loose 250 å , 30 μm silica was assayed for the ability to bind linear and supercoiled plasmid dna . regarding linear dna , approximately 5 μg of pbr322 was first digested with mspi in 45 μl te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta ), ph 8 . 0 , and then combined with 100 μl of 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm mes buffer at ph 5 . 6 . the final concentration of guhcl in the solution was 4 . 7 m . the resulting solution was drawn ( once ) into a 200 μl pipette tip and allowed to extensively contact the silica by inverting the pipetman with the affixed tip for approximately 2 min . the dna adsorbed to the tips was then washed and eluted as described in example 15 . loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %; and 25 % of the starting material where run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . results from experiments using this format indicate at dna recoveries of better than 75 % can be achieved ( see fig1 , lanes 5 and 7 ). | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | 0.25 | c95e8b36e9f66f6092516bde44141b505d9255ca6d523520cf4d7ef09b94a9c7 | 0.092773 | 0.139648 | 0.014526 | 0.064453 | 0.067383 | 0.141602 |
null | the term “ membrane ” as used herein includes permeable and semi - permeable three dimensional structures with or without particles , having a porosity suitable for the desired application . the term “ composite structure ” as used herein includes filled membranes . in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that many different particles can be used in the composite structures , depending upon the desired objectives of the resulting device . in the case or adsorptive devices , the ideal device will have rapid adsorption kinetics , a capacity and selectivity commensurate with the application , and allows for elution of bound analyte with an appropriate desorption agent . suitable adsorptive composite structures are polymer bound , particle laden adsorptive membrane structures , such as those comprised of chromatographic beads which have been adhered together with a binder . a suitable polymer bound particle laden adsorptive membrane is illustrated in fig4 . this membrane is comprised of about 80 % w / w silica and 20 % w / w polysulfone binder , and is produced by millipore corporation . a similar membrane is shown in fig1 a cast - in - place in a pipette tip 50 . functional composite structures comprising other micron - size ( e . g ., 1 – 30 microns ) resin particles derivatized with other functional groups are also beneficial , including styrenedivinyl - benzene - based media ( unodified or derivatized with e . g ., sulphonic acids , quaternary amines , etc . ); silica - based media ( unmodified or derivatized with c 2 , c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , or c 18 or ion exchange functionalities ), to accommodate a variety of applications for peptides , proteins , nucleic acids , and other organic compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize that other matrices with alternative selectivities ( e . g ., hydrophobic interaction , affinity , etc .) can also be used , especially for classes of molecules other than peptides . the term “ particles ” as used herein is intended to encompass particles having regular ( e . g ., spherical ) or irregular shapes , as well as shards , fibers and powders , including metal powders , plastic powders ( e . g ., powdered polystyrene ), normal phase silica , fumed silica and activated carbon . for example , the addition of fumed silica into a polysulfone polymer results in increased active surface area and is suitable for various applications . polysulfone sold under the name udel p3500 and p1700 by amoco is particularly preferred in view of the extent of the adherence of the resulting composite structure to polyolefin housing , including polypropylene , polyethylene and mixtures thereof . other suitable polymer binders include polyethersulfone , cellulose acetate , cellulose acetate butyrate , acrylonitrile pvc copolymer ( sold commercially under the name “ dynel ”), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf , sold commercially under the name “ kynar ”), polystyrene and polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymer , etc . adhesion to the housing can be enhanced or an analogous effect achieved with these composite structures by means known to those skilled in the art , including etching of the housing , such as with plasma treatment or chemical oxidation ; mechanical aids such as rims inside the housing ; and inclusion of additives into the housing material that promote such adhesion . adhesion allows uniform precipitation during casting . devices in accordance with the present invention may incorporate a plurality of composite structures having resin materials with different functional groups to fractionate analytes that vary by charge , size , affinity and / or hydrophobicity ; alternately , a plurality of devices containing different individual functional membranes may be used in combination to achieve a similar result . similarly , one or more membranes can be cast in a suitable housing and functionality can be added before or after casting . in accordance with the present invention , the structures of the present invention can be formed by a polymer phase inversion process , air casting ( evaporation ) and thermal inversion . for those systems with minimal or no adhesion , the formed structures can be separately prepared and inserted into the appropriate housing and held in place by mechanical means . in the preferred method , the formed structures are cast in situ in the desired housing . this results in the ability to include large amounts of media in the polymer matrix while still maintaining a three - dimensional porous structure . the membrane substructure serves as a support network enmeshing the particles , thus eliminating the need for frits or plugs , thereby minimizing or even eliminating dead volume ( the adsorptivity of the membrane may or may not participate in the adsorption process ). however , porous frits plugs could be added if desired . preferably the membranes or composite structures formed have an aspect ratio ( average diameter to average thickness ) of less than about 20 , more preferably less than about 10 , especially less than 1 . for example , for adsorptive pipette tips , aspect ratios of two or less , more preferably less than 1 are preferred , especially between about 0 . 005 – 0 . 5 . an aspect ratio within this range provides for suitable residence times of the sample in the composite structure during operation . in the polymer phase inversion process , the solvent for the polymer must be miscible with the quench or inversion phase . for example , n - methyl - pyrolidone is a suitable solvent for polysulfones , polyethersulfones and polystyrene . in the latter case , polystryene pellets can be dissolved in n - methyl - pyrolidone and case - in - place . the resulting structure shows good adhesion to the walls of a polyolefin - based housing , and has adsorption characteristics similar to polysulfone . dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylform - amide , butyrolactone , and sulfalane are also suitable solvents . n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) is a suitable solvent for pvdf . water is the preferred precipitant . the polymer phase inversion process generally results in an expansion of the structure to about two to three times its casting solution volume in the housing . in the air casting process , a volatile solvent for the polymer binder is used . for example , in the case of cellulose acetate , acetone is a suitable volatile solvent . air casting generally results in a structure which is smaller than the casting solution volume . with this method , particles in the filled structures should be at least about 30μ to allow flow through the interstitial spaces after shrinkage without having to apply higher driving force . the upper limit of particle amounts is dictated by casting solution viscosity . depending on particle type , up to 40 % ( w / w ) of particles can be added to the polymer without resulting in a casting solution too viscous to draw into the housing . higher particle loadings may be achieved using higher temperature . suitable particle sizes include particles in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 100 microns in average diameter with or without porosity . suitable housing materials are not particularly limited , and include plastics ( such as polyethylene and polypropylene ), glass and stainless steel . polyolefins , and particularly polypropylene , are preferred housing materials in view of the chemical adhesion that is created with the composite structure when the composite containing polysulfone , and in particular udel p3500 and p1700 polysulfones available from amoco , is cast - in - place therein . fig1 b illustrates such adhesion with a polypropylene pipette tip housing having a cast - in - place membrane therein prepared with spherical silica gel and polysulfone . suitable housing configurations are also not particularly limited , and include pipette tips , wells , multi - well arrays , plastic and glass cavities , sample preparation devices such as the microcon ® microconcentrator , commercially available from millipore corporation , etc . the preferred housing configuration is substantially cylindrical , as the flow vectors during operation are substantially straight , similar to chromatography , thereby minimizing or avoiding dilutional washing that might occur with non - cylindrical configurations . although housings with volumes between about 0 . 1 μl and about 5 mls . can be used for casting - in - place , volumes less than about 100 μl are preferred , with volumes of from about 0 . 1 – 50 μl , preferably from about 0 . 2 – 20 μl , are especially preferred . pipette tip geometries having volumes as small as about 5 microliters can be used . when chemical adhesion of the composite structure to the housing walls is desired but is insignificant or non - existent , mechanical means can be used to maintain the composite structure in the housing , such as crimping , press fitting , heat shrinking the housing or a portion thereof , plasma treating the housing or a portion thereof , or chemically treating , such as etching , the housing or a portion thereof to promote adhesion . an advantage of adhesion to the housing wall is the ability to “ seal ” the composite structure to the housing without mechanical means . such sealing ( by whatever method ) prevents the sample from channeling or bypassing the composite during operation . preferably the structures of the present invention have a final bed height of from about 0 . 05 to about 5 mm . this allows for good washing , good density per unit volume , and results in a uniform precipitation during formation of the plug . the structures of the present invention also can be cast - in - place in conventional multi - well arrays having suitable geometries . alternatively , as shown in fig5 a – 5d , multi - well arrays 10 can be used as the housing , such as by casting the structures 11 of the present invention in place in the well 12 . alternatively , fig5 b shows an underdrain subassembly 13 having a plurality of wells 12 ( enlarged in fig5 d ) with cast - in - place structures contained therein . the underdrain 13 can be adapted to be permanently or removably coupled to the reservoir array 10 by any suitable means , such as by snapping , so as to form removable “ boot ” assemblies containing the structures of the present invention . for convenience , each underdrain 13 can contain a polymer matrix having particles with different chemistry , so that the user chooses the appropriate underdrain 13 depending upon the application . alternatively or in addition , the particle laden polymer matrix can differ from well to well . the reservoir housing 10 can be a plurality of open bores , or can include a membrane . the composite structures and the micro sample preparation devices of the present invention containing the composite structures have a wide variety of applications , depending upon the particle selection . for example , applications include peptide and protein sample preparation prior to analysis , peptide removal from carbohydrate samples , amino acid clean - up prior to analysis , immobilized enzymes for micro - volume reactions , immobilized ligands for micro - affinity chromatography , isolation of supercoiled and cut plasmids , clean - up of pcr and dna products , immobilized oligo dt for rna isolation , dye terminator removal , sample preparation for elemental analysis , etc . those skilled in the art will be able to choose the appropriate particles , polymer binder , particle chemistry and form geometry depending upon the desired application . in some cases , a mixture of particles can be used in the same devices . alternatively or in addition , a multi - well device could have different chemistries for each separate well . in the embodiment where the structures of the present invention are not filled with particles , symmetrical or asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , or a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , can be formed . in this embodiment , the preferred method of formation is casting in situ in the appropriate housing to form a self - retaining , self - supporting structure suitable for separations based on size or adsorption ( depending on polymer identity ). functionality can be added to such a membrane to perform adsorption separations without the use of particles . for example , cellulose acetate can be treated with base to form cellulose , followed by an oxidant to render it reactive . in the in situ formation process ( either with filled or unfilled structures ), the preferred method of formation involves precipitation by means of solvent exchange , such as by introducing the casting solution into the housing by any suitable means , such as where pressure is the driving force , for example by capillary action or by using a vacuum source . in the embodiment in which the housing is a pipette tip , a preferred driving force is a hand - held pipettor . once the desired volume in the housing is filled with casting solution , the casting solution in the housing is contacted with a liquid in which the polymer is insoluble , preferably water , so that the polymer precipitates in the housing . this can be accomplished by immersing the housing in the liquid , and / or drawing the liquid into the housing with a driving force such as by means of a vacuum . through the exchange of water for the solvent , the structure precipitates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the solvent used to prepare the casting solution and the non - solvent can contain a variety of additives . at the first contact of the polymer with the precipitant , there is virtually instaneous precipitation , thereby forming a semi - permeable barrier or “ skin ”. such a barrier is illustrated in fig1 as element 60 in a housing 62 . this barrier slows the rate of further precipitation of the substructure . once precipitation is complete , the initial semi - permeable barrier 60 can be removed , such as by cutting the housing at a point above the barrier at a point above the barrier or by abrading exposed polymer . the semi - permeable barrier 60 can be optionally left in place to carry out size - based separations with unfilled structures , as the barrier acts as a micro - filtration membrane . the cast in - place structure assumes the shape of the housing and results in a self - retaining homogeneous structure akin to a chromatographic column , providing a large surface area suitable or bind / elute chromatography ( e . g ., when particles are included in the polymer matrix ) or for other analytical or biochemical techniques . suitable driving forces include centrifugation , gravity , pressure or vacuum . without limitation , the following examples illustrate the objects and advantages of the present invention . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 % ( w / w ) pvdf solution ( pennwalt corp , kynar 761 ) was prepared in n , n - dimethyacetamide . to this , 1 gram of scx , 200 å , 15 μm ( millipore , pn 85864 ) spherical silica was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 20 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 20 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 20 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 0 . 5 – 1 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the pipette tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water @ 60 ° c . for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 25 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 5 to 20 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled several times . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica ( millipore , pn 85058 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at rt ., then mixed again . a 200 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 5 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water at room temperature for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 – 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed form the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was twisted off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipetter and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 5 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 50 to 200 μl of deionized water was drawn in an expelled several times . 60 å , 10 μm normal phase silica in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips in a suitable small vessel , 6 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 – 60 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 1 gram of 60 å , 10 μm granular silica gel ( davison , grade 710 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a wide bore 1000 μl polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a suitable small vessel , 8 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 0 . 5 grams of fumed silica ( degussa , aerosil 200 ) were added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm silica ( millipore , pn 85864 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . using a pipette or eye dropper , 25 – 50 μl of casting solution was dispensed into a suitable fixture . examples of such devices include ( but are not limited to ) an millipore microcon or the wells of a 96 well filter plate . when preparing devices by this method , each chamber must contain a permeable barrier which will retain the solution ( e . g . polypropylene fabric , membrane , etc .). once added , the unit was gently tapped to ensure that the solution covered the entire barrier surface . the device was immersed in water for ca . 2 hours , and was gently stirred every 15 mins to promote solvent exchange . after this period , the units were removed and placed in either a centrifuge or vacuum manifold , as appropriate . the cast in place structure was flushed with 500 to 1000 μl of deionized water to ensure solvent removal . cast porous end plug in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips containing loose 30 μsilica in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 100 to 500 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . the pipette was detached and any excess water in the upper chamber was removed with a cotton swab . 5 – 10 mg of ( 250 å ) 30 μm silica gel was weighed out and carefully added to the back end of the pipette . the pipette was tapped so that the silica rested on top of the cast - in - place barrier . if necessary , affix a suitable porous plug ( cotton or polypropylene ) in the upper chamber to prevent particle loss . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone was prepared . the mixture is allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and is then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette is affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust is set to 1000 μl . the plunger is depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette is placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess polymer solution was wiped off , and the tip was dipped into a bath of deionized water for about 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was about 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for about 5 minutes . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor , the liquid expelled , and washed with 100 – 200 μl of deionized water . when cast in this manner , the precipitated polymer had a semi - filtration medium . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of a 10 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) in acetone was prepared . to this , 1 gram of methanol , 0 . 5 grams of deionized water and 1 gram of 250 å , 30 μm silica was added . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and was then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson ) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . the plunger was then slowly raised to fill the tip with about 5 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess fluid was wiped off , and the tip was placed in a rack to allow solvent to evaporate for about 16 hours . after this period , the tip was washed with about 10 μl of distilled water . 30 μl silica end plugs in porous polyethylene prepared by thermal phase inversion in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of beaded polyethylene and 100 grams of mineral oil are added . the mixture is heated to 250 ° c . on a hot plate with agitation . when the plastic liquifies , 4 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica is added and mixed thoroughly . using a 1 ml graduated glass pipette with filler bulb , 50 – 100 μl of the melt is drawn . once the tip contains sufficient liquid , equal pressure is maintained , and the tip is removed , excess plastic is wiped off , the tip is allowed to cool to room temperature . the pipette is transferred to a methylene chloride bath for 1 hour to extract the mineral oil . it is then removed , and the methylene chloride is expelled and allowed to air dry . approximately 2 . 5 μg of each peptide from a mixture consisting of glytyr ( 1 ), valtyrval ( 2 ), methionine enkephalin ( 3 ), leucine enkaphalin ( 4 ) and angiotensin ii ( 5 ) ( in 100 μl 0 . 1 % tfa ) was adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica . the solution was drawn up and expelled 4 times . the tip was then washed with 200 μof 0 . 1 % tfa . bound peptides were eluted with 80 % acetonitrile in 0 . 1 % tfa / water . the eluted peptides were diluted with 4 parts of 0 . 1 % tfa and analyzed by reverse phase hplc ( linear acetonitrile gradient 5 – 30 % over 20 min ). the resulting chromatogram was then compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 7 ). as expected , the glytyr , valtyrval , which are small and relatively hydrophilic , did not bind to the c 18 . the recoveries of the remaining 3 ( adsorbed ) peptides subsequent to elution ranged from 70 – 85 %. approximately 2 . 5 μg of each solute from a mixture consisting of a five peptides ( see example 10 ) ( in 100 μl in 10 % glacial acetic acid ) were adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast , styrene sulfonate coated , 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica . adsorption was performed during 4 complete uptake - withdraw cycles followed by a 100 μl flush with 20 % methanol / 10 mm hcl . bound sample was eluted with two 25 μl volumes of 1 . 4 n ammonium hydroxide / 50 % methanol . the eluted sample was analyzed by reversed phase hplc and the resulting chromatogram was compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 8 ). the strong cation exchange tip bound all sample components , except glytyr . such performance is consistent with the selectivity of sulfonic acid ion - exchange resins . trypsin was covalently coupled to an aldehyde activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica and cast ( 20 μl ) into p200 tips for protein digestion in situ . trypsin activity within the tip was assessed by monitoring the digestion of cytochrome via hplc . a sample of cytochrome c ( 10 μg in 100 μl of 100 mm tris , 1 mm cacl 2 , ph 8 @ 37 c ) was taken up into the tip for 15 minutes . the reaction was mixed 4 × with a expel / draw cycle into an eppendorf tube . the digest was analyzed by hplc using a linear gradient of acetonitrile from 5 – 45 % over 30 minutes ( see fig1 ). the resulting chromatogram showed that greater than 90 % of cytochrome c was digested after 15 minutes ( see fig9 for undigested cytochrome c ). recombinant protein a was coupled to precast p200 tips containing aldehyde - activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica for the isolation of rabbit immunoglobulin ( igg ). a 100 μl sample of 1 mg / ml igg and bsa in rip buffer ( 150 mm nacl , 1 % np - 40 , 0 . 5 % doc , 0 . 1 % sds , 50 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 ) was cycled six times through a tip containing 40 μl of cast volume containing protein a immobilized beads . the tip was then washed with 5 volumes of rip buffer prior to the elution . desorption of bound igg was performed with ( two 25 μl volumes ) of 6m urea . the desorbed sample was diluted with 50 μl of 2 × sds laemmli sample buffer and boiled for 3 min prior to electrophoretic analysis . this protocol was also performed on a blank tip containing just polysulfone without beads which served as a background control . electrophoresis was performed in a 10 – 16 % acrylamide gel shown ( see fig1 ). samples are as follows : lane 9 : ( mw marker ); lanes 1 – 4 : increasing amounts of protein a tip eluted sample ; and lanes 5 – 8 : increasing amounts of eluted igg / bsa from the blank polysulfone tip . these results indicate selective binding of igg to the protein a tip with minimal nonspecific adsorption . furthermore , the blank tip ( lanes 5 – 8 ), in the presence of detergents ( rip buffer ), did not exhibit adsorption of either igg or bsa . 60 å , 10 μm 1000 μl pipette tips for supercoiled dna escherichia coli strain jm109 containing plasmid puc19 was grown in 3 – 5 ml of luria broth containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin at 37 ° c . for 12 – 16 hours . 1 . 5 ml of the overnight culture was pelleted in a microfuge tube spun at a maximum g - force for 30 sec at room temperature . residual growth medium was removed while leaving the bacterial pellet intact . plasmid dna was then isolated using a modification of the alkaline lysis procedure of birnboim and doly ( birnboim , h . c . and doly , j . ( 1979 ). nucleic acids res 7 ., 1513 ). briefly , the bacterial pellet was resuspended by vortexing in 50 μl of 50 mm glucose , 25 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , and 10 μg / ml rnase a . next 100 μl of 0 . 2 n naoh , 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate was added . the resulting suspension was incubated at room temperature for 2 min . following the addition of 100 μl of 3 m sodium acetate solution ( ph 4 . 8 ), the suspension was mixed by vortexing then spun in a microfuge at maximum g - force for 2 min . the cleared lysate was transferred to a fresh microfuge tube to which 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm 2 -( n - morpholino ) ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ) at ph 5 . 6 was added to a final concentration and volume of 4 . 4 m and 700 μl , respectively . the resulting solution was drawn into a 1000 μl polypropylene pipette tip with ca . 60 μl of cast membrane containing ca . 60 å , 10 μm silica gel using a p - 1000 pipettor . the solution was pipetted in - and - out for 2 – 2 . 5 minutes to allow extensive interaction between the dna solution and the silica membrane matrix . the tip was then flushed once with 400 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol . residual alcohol is removed by repeated expulsion onto a paper towel . plasmid dna was eluted from the tip in 100 μl of 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 1 mm edta ( te ) by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. eluate fractions were adjusted to a final volume of 100 μl with te . six tips were evaluated . to quantitate plasmid dna recovery , 20 % of the eluate , as well as 20 % of the unbound filtrates , were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). included on the gel were samples of puc19 plasmid dna of known concentrations . ( lanes 1 – 4 ) results of these experiments indicate that on average 2 . 5 mg of supercoiled plasmid was recovered ( lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). 60 å , 10 μm silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for linear dna the ability of 200 μl polypropylene wide bore pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of cast 60 å , 10 μm silica - laden membrane to bind linearized dna fragments ( pbr322 digested with either bstni or mspi , to generate dna fragment ladders ) or plasmid pbr322 dna restricted with psti and bamhi ( generates large linear restriction fragments ) was assessed . five μg of linearized plasmid dna was combined with guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes to a final concentration of 0 . 5 m and volume of 150 μl . prior to use , p - 200 tips containing the silica membrane were pre - equilibrated in ( 2 ×) 200 μl of 0 . 5 m guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes . the dna / guhcl solution was drawn into a pipette tip and cycled in - and - out for 1 . 5 – 2 . 0 min to allow extensive interaction between the dna binding mixture and the silica - laden membrane matrix . the tips were then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . bound dna was eluted from the tip matrix in 100 μl te , by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. to measure dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). in order to quantitate the amount of dna recovered , samples representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 . lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , & amp ; 11 are the eluants . estimate of band intensities indicate recoveries in excess of 95 %. fumed silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for pcr amplified dna the ability of 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of fumed silica immobilized in a polysulfone matrix was assessed for the purification of pcr amplified dna ( 500 bp ). prior to use , tips were flushed 2 × with 100 μl of te buffer and then equilibrated with 500 μl of 3 m nai in 200 mm mes buffer ( ph 6 . 4 ). 50 μl samples from the pooled pcr stock ( ca . 3 μg of dna ) were then combined with 7 m nai to a final nai concentration of 3 . 0 m . the total volume following addition of the nai solution was 150 μl . the sample was drawn in and expelled from the p - 200 tips containing the cast fumed silica - laden membrane for 2 – 3 minutes allowing for extensive contact with the matrix . each tip was then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . residual alcohol was removed by expelling the tip contents onto a paper towel . bound pcr product was eluted in 50 μl te ( ph 8 . 0 ). to estimate dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . note the presence of the lower band which indicates a slight primer - dimer contamination . the use of immobilized fumed silica along with nai appears to give an amplified dna recovery in excess of 90 %. in addition , there appears to be a reduction in the primer - dimer contaminant . ( see lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). cast porous end plug with loose 30 micron silica in a 200 μl pipette tip for dna isolation 200 μl pipette tips containing ca 5 – 10 μl of cast ( 7 . 5 %) polysulfone as a porous end plug and 2 – 4 mg of loose 250 å , 30 μm silica was assayed for the ability to bind linear and supercoiled plasmid dna . regarding linear dna , approximately 5 μg of pbr322 was first digested with mspi in 45 μl te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta ), ph 8 . 0 , and then combined with 100 μl of 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm mes buffer at ph 5 . 6 . the final concentration of guhcl in the solution was 4 . 7 m . the resulting solution was drawn ( once ) into a 200 μl pipette tip and allowed to extensively contact the silica by inverting the pipetman with the affixed tip for approximately 2 min . the dna adsorbed to the tips was then washed and eluted as described in example 15 . loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %; and 25 % of the starting material where run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . results from experiments using this format indicate at dna recoveries of better than 75 % can be achieved ( see fig1 , lanes 5 and 7 ). | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | c95e8b36e9f66f6092516bde44141b505d9255ca6d523520cf4d7ef09b94a9c7 | 0.041992 | 0.007568 | 0.005737 | 0.000231 | 0.036133 | 0.002319 |
null | the term “ membrane ” as used herein includes permeable and semi - permeable three dimensional structures with or without particles , having a porosity suitable for the desired application . the term “ composite structure ” as used herein includes filled membranes . in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that many different particles can be used in the composite structures , depending upon the desired objectives of the resulting device . in the case or adsorptive devices , the ideal device will have rapid adsorption kinetics , a capacity and selectivity commensurate with the application , and allows for elution of bound analyte with an appropriate desorption agent . suitable adsorptive composite structures are polymer bound , particle laden adsorptive membrane structures , such as those comprised of chromatographic beads which have been adhered together with a binder . a suitable polymer bound particle laden adsorptive membrane is illustrated in fig4 . this membrane is comprised of about 80 % w / w silica and 20 % w / w polysulfone binder , and is produced by millipore corporation . a similar membrane is shown in fig1 a cast - in - place in a pipette tip 50 . functional composite structures comprising other micron - size ( e . g ., 1 – 30 microns ) resin particles derivatized with other functional groups are also beneficial , including styrenedivinyl - benzene - based media ( unodified or derivatized with e . g ., sulphonic acids , quaternary amines , etc . ); silica - based media ( unmodified or derivatized with c 2 , c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , or c 18 or ion exchange functionalities ), to accommodate a variety of applications for peptides , proteins , nucleic acids , and other organic compounds . those skilled in the art will recognize that other matrices with alternative selectivities ( e . g ., hydrophobic interaction , affinity , etc .) can also be used , especially for classes of molecules other than peptides . the term “ particles ” as used herein is intended to encompass particles having regular ( e . g ., spherical ) or irregular shapes , as well as shards , fibers and powders , including metal powders , plastic powders ( e . g ., powdered polystyrene ), normal phase silica , fumed silica and activated carbon . for example , the addition of fumed silica into a polysulfone polymer results in increased active surface area and is suitable for various applications . polysulfone sold under the name udel p3500 and p1700 by amoco is particularly preferred in view of the extent of the adherence of the resulting composite structure to polyolefin housing , including polypropylene , polyethylene and mixtures thereof . other suitable polymer binders include polyethersulfone , cellulose acetate , cellulose acetate butyrate , acrylonitrile pvc copolymer ( sold commercially under the name “ dynel ”), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf , sold commercially under the name “ kynar ”), polystyrene and polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymer , etc . adhesion to the housing can be enhanced or an analogous effect achieved with these composite structures by means known to those skilled in the art , including etching of the housing , such as with plasma treatment or chemical oxidation ; mechanical aids such as rims inside the housing ; and inclusion of additives into the housing material that promote such adhesion . adhesion allows uniform precipitation during casting . devices in accordance with the present invention may incorporate a plurality of composite structures having resin materials with different functional groups to fractionate analytes that vary by charge , size , affinity and / or hydrophobicity ; alternately , a plurality of devices containing different individual functional membranes may be used in combination to achieve a similar result . similarly , one or more membranes can be cast in a suitable housing and functionality can be added before or after casting . in accordance with the present invention , the structures of the present invention can be formed by a polymer phase inversion process , air casting ( evaporation ) and thermal inversion . for those systems with minimal or no adhesion , the formed structures can be separately prepared and inserted into the appropriate housing and held in place by mechanical means . in the preferred method , the formed structures are cast in situ in the desired housing . this results in the ability to include large amounts of media in the polymer matrix while still maintaining a three - dimensional porous structure . the membrane substructure serves as a support network enmeshing the particles , thus eliminating the need for frits or plugs , thereby minimizing or even eliminating dead volume ( the adsorptivity of the membrane may or may not participate in the adsorption process ). however , porous frits plugs could be added if desired . preferably the membranes or composite structures formed have an aspect ratio ( average diameter to average thickness ) of less than about 20 , more preferably less than about 10 , especially less than 1 . for example , for adsorptive pipette tips , aspect ratios of two or less , more preferably less than 1 are preferred , especially between about 0 . 005 – 0 . 5 . an aspect ratio within this range provides for suitable residence times of the sample in the composite structure during operation . in the polymer phase inversion process , the solvent for the polymer must be miscible with the quench or inversion phase . for example , n - methyl - pyrolidone is a suitable solvent for polysulfones , polyethersulfones and polystyrene . in the latter case , polystryene pellets can be dissolved in n - methyl - pyrolidone and case - in - place . the resulting structure shows good adhesion to the walls of a polyolefin - based housing , and has adsorption characteristics similar to polysulfone . dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylform - amide , butyrolactone , and sulfalane are also suitable solvents . n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) is a suitable solvent for pvdf . water is the preferred precipitant . the polymer phase inversion process generally results in an expansion of the structure to about two to three times its casting solution volume in the housing . in the air casting process , a volatile solvent for the polymer binder is used . for example , in the case of cellulose acetate , acetone is a suitable volatile solvent . air casting generally results in a structure which is smaller than the casting solution volume . with this method , particles in the filled structures should be at least about 30μ to allow flow through the interstitial spaces after shrinkage without having to apply higher driving force . the upper limit of particle amounts is dictated by casting solution viscosity . depending on particle type , up to 40 % ( w / w ) of particles can be added to the polymer without resulting in a casting solution too viscous to draw into the housing . higher particle loadings may be achieved using higher temperature . suitable particle sizes include particles in the range of from about 100 nanometers to about 100 microns in average diameter with or without porosity . suitable housing materials are not particularly limited , and include plastics ( such as polyethylene and polypropylene ), glass and stainless steel . polyolefins , and particularly polypropylene , are preferred housing materials in view of the chemical adhesion that is created with the composite structure when the composite containing polysulfone , and in particular udel p3500 and p1700 polysulfones available from amoco , is cast - in - place therein . fig1 b illustrates such adhesion with a polypropylene pipette tip housing having a cast - in - place membrane therein prepared with spherical silica gel and polysulfone . suitable housing configurations are also not particularly limited , and include pipette tips , wells , multi - well arrays , plastic and glass cavities , sample preparation devices such as the microcon ® microconcentrator , commercially available from millipore corporation , etc . the preferred housing configuration is substantially cylindrical , as the flow vectors during operation are substantially straight , similar to chromatography , thereby minimizing or avoiding dilutional washing that might occur with non - cylindrical configurations . although housings with volumes between about 0 . 1 μl and about 5 mls . can be used for casting - in - place , volumes less than about 100 μl are preferred , with volumes of from about 0 . 1 – 50 μl , preferably from about 0 . 2 – 20 μl , are especially preferred . pipette tip geometries having volumes as small as about 5 microliters can be used . when chemical adhesion of the composite structure to the housing walls is desired but is insignificant or non - existent , mechanical means can be used to maintain the composite structure in the housing , such as crimping , press fitting , heat shrinking the housing or a portion thereof , plasma treating the housing or a portion thereof , or chemically treating , such as etching , the housing or a portion thereof to promote adhesion . an advantage of adhesion to the housing wall is the ability to “ seal ” the composite structure to the housing without mechanical means . such sealing ( by whatever method ) prevents the sample from channeling or bypassing the composite during operation . preferably the structures of the present invention have a final bed height of from about 0 . 05 to about 5 mm . this allows for good washing , good density per unit volume , and results in a uniform precipitation during formation of the plug . the structures of the present invention also can be cast - in - place in conventional multi - well arrays having suitable geometries . alternatively , as shown in fig5 a – 5d , multi - well arrays 10 can be used as the housing , such as by casting the structures 11 of the present invention in place in the well 12 . alternatively , fig5 b shows an underdrain subassembly 13 having a plurality of wells 12 ( enlarged in fig5 d ) with cast - in - place structures contained therein . the underdrain 13 can be adapted to be permanently or removably coupled to the reservoir array 10 by any suitable means , such as by snapping , so as to form removable “ boot ” assemblies containing the structures of the present invention . for convenience , each underdrain 13 can contain a polymer matrix having particles with different chemistry , so that the user chooses the appropriate underdrain 13 depending upon the application . alternatively or in addition , the particle laden polymer matrix can differ from well to well . the reservoir housing 10 can be a plurality of open bores , or can include a membrane . the composite structures and the micro sample preparation devices of the present invention containing the composite structures have a wide variety of applications , depending upon the particle selection . for example , applications include peptide and protein sample preparation prior to analysis , peptide removal from carbohydrate samples , amino acid clean - up prior to analysis , immobilized enzymes for micro - volume reactions , immobilized ligands for micro - affinity chromatography , isolation of supercoiled and cut plasmids , clean - up of pcr and dna products , immobilized oligo dt for rna isolation , dye terminator removal , sample preparation for elemental analysis , etc . those skilled in the art will be able to choose the appropriate particles , polymer binder , particle chemistry and form geometry depending upon the desired application . in some cases , a mixture of particles can be used in the same devices . alternatively or in addition , a multi - well device could have different chemistries for each separate well . in the embodiment where the structures of the present invention are not filled with particles , symmetrical or asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , or a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical semi - permeable structures , can be formed . in this embodiment , the preferred method of formation is casting in situ in the appropriate housing to form a self - retaining , self - supporting structure suitable for separations based on size or adsorption ( depending on polymer identity ). functionality can be added to such a membrane to perform adsorption separations without the use of particles . for example , cellulose acetate can be treated with base to form cellulose , followed by an oxidant to render it reactive . in the in situ formation process ( either with filled or unfilled structures ), the preferred method of formation involves precipitation by means of solvent exchange , such as by introducing the casting solution into the housing by any suitable means , such as where pressure is the driving force , for example by capillary action or by using a vacuum source . in the embodiment in which the housing is a pipette tip , a preferred driving force is a hand - held pipettor . once the desired volume in the housing is filled with casting solution , the casting solution in the housing is contacted with a liquid in which the polymer is insoluble , preferably water , so that the polymer precipitates in the housing . this can be accomplished by immersing the housing in the liquid , and / or drawing the liquid into the housing with a driving force such as by means of a vacuum . through the exchange of water for the solvent , the structure precipitates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the solvent used to prepare the casting solution and the non - solvent can contain a variety of additives . at the first contact of the polymer with the precipitant , there is virtually instaneous precipitation , thereby forming a semi - permeable barrier or “ skin ”. such a barrier is illustrated in fig1 as element 60 in a housing 62 . this barrier slows the rate of further precipitation of the substructure . once precipitation is complete , the initial semi - permeable barrier 60 can be removed , such as by cutting the housing at a point above the barrier at a point above the barrier or by abrading exposed polymer . the semi - permeable barrier 60 can be optionally left in place to carry out size - based separations with unfilled structures , as the barrier acts as a micro - filtration membrane . the cast in - place structure assumes the shape of the housing and results in a self - retaining homogeneous structure akin to a chromatographic column , providing a large surface area suitable or bind / elute chromatography ( e . g ., when particles are included in the polymer matrix ) or for other analytical or biochemical techniques . suitable driving forces include centrifugation , gravity , pressure or vacuum . without limitation , the following examples illustrate the objects and advantages of the present invention . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 % ( w / w ) pvdf solution ( pennwalt corp , kynar 761 ) was prepared in n , n - dimethyacetamide . to this , 1 gram of scx , 200 å , 15 μm ( millipore , pn 85864 ) spherical silica was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 20 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 20 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 20 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 0 . 5 – 1 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the pipette tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water @ 60 ° c . for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 25 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 5 to 20 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled several times . in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica ( millipore , pn 85058 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at rt ., then mixed again . a 200 μl fluted polypropylene disposable pipette tip was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjustment was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 5 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water at room temperature for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 – 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to occur for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed form the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was twisted off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipetter and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , ca . 0 . 5 mm can be cut off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 50 to 200 μl of deionized water was drawn in an expelled several times . 60 å , 10 μm normal phase silica in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips in a suitable small vessel , 6 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 – 60 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 1 gram of 60 å , 10 μm granular silica gel ( davison , grade 710 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a wide bore 1000 μl polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a suitable small vessel , 8 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 0 . 5 grams of fumed silica ( degussa , aerosil 200 ) were added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 200 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 200 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 10 – 25 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 1 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 200 to 1000 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . in a small vessel , 5 grams of a 6 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . to this , 2 grams of c18 , 200 å , 15 μm silica ( millipore , pn 85864 ) was added and mixed thoroughly with a spatula . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . using a pipette or eye dropper , 25 – 50 μl of casting solution was dispensed into a suitable fixture . examples of such devices include ( but are not limited to ) an millipore microcon or the wells of a 96 well filter plate . when preparing devices by this method , each chamber must contain a permeable barrier which will retain the solution ( e . g . polypropylene fabric , membrane , etc .). once added , the unit was gently tapped to ensure that the solution covered the entire barrier surface . the device was immersed in water for ca . 2 hours , and was gently stirred every 15 mins to promote solvent exchange . after this period , the units were removed and placed in either a centrifuge or vacuum manifold , as appropriate . the cast in place structure was flushed with 500 to 1000 μl of deionized water to ensure solvent removal . cast porous end plug in wide bore 1000 μl pipette tips containing loose 30 μsilica in a suitable small vessel , 5 grams of a 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) was prepared in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , the tip was removed and dipped into a bath of deionized water for ca . 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure on the plunger was released and water drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was ca . 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange allowed to take place for ca . 5 minutes . the tip was removed from the water bath and any precipitated polymer located on the exterior was abraded off . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor and the liquid expelled . if the flow is poor , cut ca . 0 . 5 mm off the end with a sharp razor blade . to ensure that all solvent was removed , ca . 100 to 500 μl of deionized water was drawn in and expelled . the pipette was detached and any excess water in the upper chamber was removed with a cotton swab . 5 – 10 mg of ( 250 å ) 30 μm silica gel was weighed out and carefully added to the back end of the pipette . the pipette was tapped so that the silica rested on top of the cast - in - place barrier . if necessary , affix a suitable porous plug ( cotton or polypropylene ) in the upper chamber to prevent particle loss . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of 7 . 5 % ( w / w ) polysulfone solution ( amoco , p3500 ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone was prepared . the mixture is allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and is then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette is affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson , ranin , etc .) and the volume adjust is set to 1000 μl . the plunger is depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette is placed into the casting solution . while carefully watching , the plunger was slowly raised to fill the tip with ca . 2 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess polymer solution was wiped off , and the tip was dipped into a bath of deionized water for about 5 seconds . after this brief period , pressure was released on the plunger and water was drawn into the tip to precipitate the polymer . when the water level was about 0 . 5 cm above the polymer height , the tip was ejected into the bath and solvent exchange was allowed to take place for about 5 minutes . the tip was re - affixed to the pipettor , the liquid expelled , and washed with 100 – 200 μl of deionized water . when cast in this manner , the precipitated polymer had a semi - filtration medium . in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of a 10 % ( w / w ) cellulose acetate solution ( eastman kodak , 398 - 60 ) in acetone was prepared . to this , 1 gram of methanol , 0 . 5 grams of deionized water and 1 gram of 250 å , 30 μm silica was added . the mixture was allowed to equilibrate for 2 hours at room temperature , and was then mixed again . a 1000 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette was affixed to a common p - 1000 pipetman pipettor ( gilson ) and the volume adjust was set to 1000 μl . the plunger was depressed to the bottom and the end of the pipette was placed into the casting solution . the plunger was then slowly raised to fill the tip with about 5 – 10 μl of casting solution . once the tip contained sufficient liquid , equal pressure was maintained , and the tip was removed , excess fluid was wiped off , and the tip was placed in a rack to allow solvent to evaporate for about 16 hours . after this period , the tip was washed with about 10 μl of distilled water . 30 μl silica end plugs in porous polyethylene prepared by thermal phase inversion in a suitable vessel , 5 grams of beaded polyethylene and 100 grams of mineral oil are added . the mixture is heated to 250 ° c . on a hot plate with agitation . when the plastic liquifies , 4 grams of 250 å , 30 μm silica is added and mixed thoroughly . using a 1 ml graduated glass pipette with filler bulb , 50 – 100 μl of the melt is drawn . once the tip contains sufficient liquid , equal pressure is maintained , and the tip is removed , excess plastic is wiped off , the tip is allowed to cool to room temperature . the pipette is transferred to a methylene chloride bath for 1 hour to extract the mineral oil . it is then removed , and the methylene chloride is expelled and allowed to air dry . approximately 2 . 5 μg of each peptide from a mixture consisting of glytyr ( 1 ), valtyrval ( 2 ), methionine enkephalin ( 3 ), leucine enkaphalin ( 4 ) and angiotensin ii ( 5 ) ( in 100 μl 0 . 1 % tfa ) was adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast c18 , 200 å , 15 μm spherical silica . the solution was drawn up and expelled 4 times . the tip was then washed with 200 μof 0 . 1 % tfa . bound peptides were eluted with 80 % acetonitrile in 0 . 1 % tfa / water . the eluted peptides were diluted with 4 parts of 0 . 1 % tfa and analyzed by reverse phase hplc ( linear acetonitrile gradient 5 – 30 % over 20 min ). the resulting chromatogram was then compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 7 ). as expected , the glytyr , valtyrval , which are small and relatively hydrophilic , did not bind to the c 18 . the recoveries of the remaining 3 ( adsorbed ) peptides subsequent to elution ranged from 70 – 85 %. approximately 2 . 5 μg of each solute from a mixture consisting of a five peptides ( see example 10 ) ( in 100 μl in 10 % glacial acetic acid ) were adsorbed to a p200 pipette tip containing ca . 5 μl of cast , styrene sulfonate coated , 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica . adsorption was performed during 4 complete uptake - withdraw cycles followed by a 100 μl flush with 20 % methanol / 10 mm hcl . bound sample was eluted with two 25 μl volumes of 1 . 4 n ammonium hydroxide / 50 % methanol . the eluted sample was analyzed by reversed phase hplc and the resulting chromatogram was compared to that of the original mixture . ( see fig6 and 8 ). the strong cation exchange tip bound all sample components , except glytyr . such performance is consistent with the selectivity of sulfonic acid ion - exchange resins . trypsin was covalently coupled to an aldehyde activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica and cast ( 20 μl ) into p200 tips for protein digestion in situ . trypsin activity within the tip was assessed by monitoring the digestion of cytochrome via hplc . a sample of cytochrome c ( 10 μg in 100 μl of 100 mm tris , 1 mm cacl 2 , ph 8 @ 37 c ) was taken up into the tip for 15 minutes . the reaction was mixed 4 × with a expel / draw cycle into an eppendorf tube . the digest was analyzed by hplc using a linear gradient of acetonitrile from 5 – 45 % over 30 minutes ( see fig1 ). the resulting chromatogram showed that greater than 90 % of cytochrome c was digested after 15 minutes ( see fig9 for undigested cytochrome c ). recombinant protein a was coupled to precast p200 tips containing aldehyde - activated 300 å , 15 μm spherical silica for the isolation of rabbit immunoglobulin ( igg ). a 100 μl sample of 1 mg / ml igg and bsa in rip buffer ( 150 mm nacl , 1 % np - 40 , 0 . 5 % doc , 0 . 1 % sds , 50 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 ) was cycled six times through a tip containing 40 μl of cast volume containing protein a immobilized beads . the tip was then washed with 5 volumes of rip buffer prior to the elution . desorption of bound igg was performed with ( two 25 μl volumes ) of 6m urea . the desorbed sample was diluted with 50 μl of 2 × sds laemmli sample buffer and boiled for 3 min prior to electrophoretic analysis . this protocol was also performed on a blank tip containing just polysulfone without beads which served as a background control . electrophoresis was performed in a 10 – 16 % acrylamide gel shown ( see fig1 ). samples are as follows : lane 9 : ( mw marker ); lanes 1 – 4 : increasing amounts of protein a tip eluted sample ; and lanes 5 – 8 : increasing amounts of eluted igg / bsa from the blank polysulfone tip . these results indicate selective binding of igg to the protein a tip with minimal nonspecific adsorption . furthermore , the blank tip ( lanes 5 – 8 ), in the presence of detergents ( rip buffer ), did not exhibit adsorption of either igg or bsa . 60 å , 10 μm 1000 μl pipette tips for supercoiled dna escherichia coli strain jm109 containing plasmid puc19 was grown in 3 – 5 ml of luria broth containing 100 μg / ml ampicillin at 37 ° c . for 12 – 16 hours . 1 . 5 ml of the overnight culture was pelleted in a microfuge tube spun at a maximum g - force for 30 sec at room temperature . residual growth medium was removed while leaving the bacterial pellet intact . plasmid dna was then isolated using a modification of the alkaline lysis procedure of birnboim and doly ( birnboim , h . c . and doly , j . ( 1979 ). nucleic acids res 7 ., 1513 ). briefly , the bacterial pellet was resuspended by vortexing in 50 μl of 50 mm glucose , 25 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , and 10 μg / ml rnase a . next 100 μl of 0 . 2 n naoh , 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate was added . the resulting suspension was incubated at room temperature for 2 min . following the addition of 100 μl of 3 m sodium acetate solution ( ph 4 . 8 ), the suspension was mixed by vortexing then spun in a microfuge at maximum g - force for 2 min . the cleared lysate was transferred to a fresh microfuge tube to which 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm 2 -( n - morpholino ) ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ) at ph 5 . 6 was added to a final concentration and volume of 4 . 4 m and 700 μl , respectively . the resulting solution was drawn into a 1000 μl polypropylene pipette tip with ca . 60 μl of cast membrane containing ca . 60 å , 10 μm silica gel using a p - 1000 pipettor . the solution was pipetted in - and - out for 2 – 2 . 5 minutes to allow extensive interaction between the dna solution and the silica membrane matrix . the tip was then flushed once with 400 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol . residual alcohol is removed by repeated expulsion onto a paper towel . plasmid dna was eluted from the tip in 100 μl of 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 1 mm edta ( te ) by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. eluate fractions were adjusted to a final volume of 100 μl with te . six tips were evaluated . to quantitate plasmid dna recovery , 20 % of the eluate , as well as 20 % of the unbound filtrates , were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). included on the gel were samples of puc19 plasmid dna of known concentrations . ( lanes 1 – 4 ) results of these experiments indicate that on average 2 . 5 mg of supercoiled plasmid was recovered ( lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). 60 å , 10 μm silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for linear dna the ability of 200 μl polypropylene wide bore pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of cast 60 å , 10 μm silica - laden membrane to bind linearized dna fragments ( pbr322 digested with either bstni or mspi , to generate dna fragment ladders ) or plasmid pbr322 dna restricted with psti and bamhi ( generates large linear restriction fragments ) was assessed . five μg of linearized plasmid dna was combined with guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes to a final concentration of 0 . 5 m and volume of 150 μl . prior to use , p - 200 tips containing the silica membrane were pre - equilibrated in ( 2 ×) 200 μl of 0 . 5 m guhcl , ph 5 . 6 in mes . the dna / guhcl solution was drawn into a pipette tip and cycled in - and - out for 1 . 5 – 2 . 0 min to allow extensive interaction between the dna binding mixture and the silica - laden membrane matrix . the tips were then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . bound dna was eluted from the tip matrix in 100 μl te , by in - and - out pipetting 3 ×. to measure dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). in order to quantitate the amount of dna recovered , samples representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 . lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , & amp ; 11 are the eluants . estimate of band intensities indicate recoveries in excess of 95 %. fumed silica in wide bore 200 μl pipette tips for pcr amplified dna the ability of 200 μl wide bore polypropylene pipette tips containing ca . 20 μl of fumed silica immobilized in a polysulfone matrix was assessed for the purification of pcr amplified dna ( 500 bp ). prior to use , tips were flushed 2 × with 100 μl of te buffer and then equilibrated with 500 μl of 3 m nai in 200 mm mes buffer ( ph 6 . 4 ). 50 μl samples from the pooled pcr stock ( ca . 3 μg of dna ) were then combined with 7 m nai to a final nai concentration of 3 . 0 m . the total volume following addition of the nai solution was 150 μl . the sample was drawn in and expelled from the p - 200 tips containing the cast fumed silica - laden membrane for 2 – 3 minutes allowing for extensive contact with the matrix . each tip was then washed with 125 μl of 80 % reagent grade alcohol to remove salts and other contaminants . residual alcohol was removed by expelling the tip contents onto a paper towel . bound pcr product was eluted in 50 μl te ( ph 8 . 0 ). to estimate dna recovery , eluates and filtrates were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis ( see fig1 ). loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %, and 25 % of the starting material were run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . note the presence of the lower band which indicates a slight primer - dimer contamination . the use of immobilized fumed silica along with nai appears to give an amplified dna recovery in excess of 90 %. in addition , there appears to be a reduction in the primer - dimer contaminant . ( see lanes 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ). cast porous end plug with loose 30 micron silica in a 200 μl pipette tip for dna isolation 200 μl pipette tips containing ca 5 – 10 μl of cast ( 7 . 5 %) polysulfone as a porous end plug and 2 – 4 mg of loose 250 å , 30 μm silica was assayed for the ability to bind linear and supercoiled plasmid dna . regarding linear dna , approximately 5 μg of pbr322 was first digested with mspi in 45 μl te ( 10 mm tris - hcl , 1 mm edta ), ph 8 . 0 , and then combined with 100 μl of 7 m guanidine hydrochloride ( guhcl ) in 200 mm mes buffer at ph 5 . 6 . the final concentration of guhcl in the solution was 4 . 7 m . the resulting solution was drawn ( once ) into a 200 μl pipette tip and allowed to extensively contact the silica by inverting the pipetman with the affixed tip for approximately 2 min . the dna adsorbed to the tips was then washed and eluted as described in example 15 . loads representing 100 %, 75 %, 50 %; and 25 % of the starting material where run in lanes 1 – 4 as controls . results from experiments using this format indicate at dna recoveries of better than 75 % can be achieved ( see fig1 , lanes 5 and 7 ). | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | c95e8b36e9f66f6092516bde44141b505d9255ca6d523520cf4d7ef09b94a9c7 | 0.074707 | 0.140625 | 0.023315 | 0.117676 | 0.079102 | 0.120117 |
null | the following methods and instruments were used to obtain physical measurements on the examples disclosed above . infrared spectra were recorded on a beckman 1100 ft ir spectrometer of the range 4000 - 400 cm - 1 ; while x - ray photoelectron spectra binding energies were obtained on a gca mcpherson esca 36 photoelectron spectrometer using al ( k ) ( e = 1486 . 6 ev ) as the x - ray source . microanalyses of carbon , hydrogen , and nitrogen were done by desert analytics , tucson , ariz . infrared analysis of the purchased ptencl 2 ! revealed the typical spectrum of complexed ethylenediamine with n -- h bands at 1565 cm - 1 , 1290 cm - 1 80 cm - 1 and at 770 cm - 1 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no 2 as oxidant a mixture of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3316 dispersed in 25 ml of d . i . water ) was magnetically stirred while being treated with no 2 gas for 45 minutes at about the rate of one bubble of gas per second . this gave a blue solution which when concentrated at 50 ° c . to 3 ml on a hot plate precipitated yellow crystals . the crystals were broken up in 95 % ethanol and filtered off to yield 0 . 1585 g of product ( 37 . 8 % yield ). this infrared spectrum of the product exhibited no 2 bands at 1480 cm - 1 , 1325 cm - 1 , 600 cm - 1 and an exceeding sharp band at 827 cm - 1 indicating a coordinated nitro ligand . the n -- h rocking mode , present at 770 cm - 1 in the ptencl 2 ! starting material was missing , indicating that the new compound was a platinum ( iv ) complex . this was confirmed by xps spectra . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 . found : c , 5 . 91 ; h , 2 . 03 ; n , 10 . 66 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3166 g dissolved in 20 ml deionized water and 3 ml of 16m nitric acid ) was treated with reagent grade no gas for 7 minutes . during the first 30 seconds , the suspension turned yellow - green which gradually deepened to green and blue - green in 2 minutes . after 7 minutes , no solid remained and color of the solution was deep blue - green ; however , after several hours the solution color had faded to yellow . upon evaporation at room temperature in an air - stream decciator , fine bright yellow crystals of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! were obtained that contained a sharp ir band at 827 cm - 1 , characteristic of an n - coordinated nitro ligand . an n -- h rocking band at 770 cm - 1 was not detected . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 ; cl , 26 . 10 . found : c , 6 . 01 ; h , 1 . 94 ; n , 10 . 07 ; cl , 26 . 87 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig3 using no 2 as oxidant the filtrate obtained in the preparation of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! by using no 2 as an oxidant was evaporated to dryness at 50 ° c . to remove ethanol and then redissolved in 15 ml h 2 o . a no 2 gas stream was introduced into the solution ( 25 ° c .) for 1 hour at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . the solution became apple green in color and was filtered to give a yellow solution . this filtrate was concentrated on a hot plate at 50 ° c . to a volume of 1 ml and allowed to stand for three weeks at ambient conditions . a gummy yellowish colored solid , resulted , whose ir spectrum contained a split band at 1480 cm - 1 and 1455 cm - 1 as well as an asymmetrical , moderately sharp band at 825 cm - 1 ( broader than pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, indicating two types of coordinated nitro ( no 2 ) ligands and a short , broad band at 970 cm - 1 showing that a small percentage of nitro ligands were present . no n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 was detected , indicating a pt ( iv ) complex . we formulated this complex , ii , as predominantly pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! based primarily on infrared evidence . synthesis of ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig4 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 9245 g , 2 . 83 m mole dissolved in 20 ml h 2 o and 3 ml of 16m hno 3 ) was treated with a stream of no gas at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . a green color appeared almost at once which became a deep blue color at 10 minutes . in another 25 minutes , the blue color began dissipating and a small amount of solids began precipitating ; therefore , the no flow as stopped . after standing for three days the solids were removed by filtration , washed and dried in a desiccator giving 0 . 2649 g of a light yellow product . ir analysis showed the spectrum to be identical to pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !. the filtrate ( 38 ml was allowed to evaporate at ambient conditions to a 10 ml volume and a small amount ( 0 . 0148 g ) of yellow needles were removed by filtration . the second filtrate ( yellow color ) was evaporated further using a rotovac first at 55 ° c . and then at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum to give 0 . 8337 g of a yellowish - brown material . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a characteristic sharp band at 827 cm - 1 , indicating coordinated nitro ligands , bands at 1525 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , and a large broad band at 975 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitrito ligands , and a small band at 1720 cm - 1 , suggesting an n ═ o group . the n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 characteristic of the ptencl 2 ! starting material was not present . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! ( fw 428 . 62 ): c , 5 . 60 ; h , 1 . 87 ; n , 16 . 34 . found : c , 5 . 96 ; h , 2 . 00 ; n , 11 . 29 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum gave a product whose infrared spectrum contained a larger , more asymmetrical nitro band at 825 cm - 1 , a smaller , more asymmetrical nitrito band at 965 cm - 1 , and a much larger , sharp band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicated a n ═ o group . analysis found : c , 7 . 08 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 8 . 98 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ( ono )! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig5 using no 2 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! 0 . 3336 g , 1 . 022 × 10 . sup .× 3 mol dissolved in 15 ml of water ) was added to a solution of silver nitrate ( 0 . 3478 g , 2 . 044 × 10 - 3 mol ) to remove the chlorides . the slurry was allowed to react for 6 . 5 hours at 50 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 10 ° c . it then was heated to 50 ° c . and filtered . a 0 . 2908 g ( 2 . 29 × 10 - 3 mol ) amount of silver chloride was obtained . the filtrate was treated with a no 2 gas stream ( about 1 bubble per second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . the solution first turned an intense blue color , which after heating for 4 . 5 hours at 40 ° c ., was colored yellow , orange and finally brownish , from which solution brown , needle - like crystals appeared . the solution was concentrated to a final volume of 4 ml , cooled to 10 ° c . and these crystals filtered off yielding 0 . 1104 g . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a sharp band at 830 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitro ligands ; however , it also contained a sharp nh band at 777 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( ii ) oxidation state that was confirmed by xps analysis . anal : calculated for pten ( no 2 ) 2 ( fw 347 . 39 : c , 6 . 91 ; h , 2 . 33 ; n , 16 . 13 . found : c , 6 . 97 ; h , 2 . 32 ; n , 15 . 74 . the filtrate was concentrated to less than 1 ml at 40 ° c . and allowed to evaporate to dryness . a yellow , gummy product resulted whose infrared spectrum contained split , moderately sharp bands at 821 cm - 1 and a shorter one at 839 cm - 1 , indicating two types of coordinated nitro ligands , a broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 , and a very small band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicating a n ═ o group . no nh band was observed at 770 cm - 1 indicating a platinum ( iv ) oxidation state . this infrared spectrum suggest a complex with a probable formula of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ono !. synthesis of pten ( no 2 )( ono ) 3 ! ! having a proposed structure as shown in fig6 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a slurry of diiodoethylenediamineplatinum ( ii ) pteni 2 ! ( 1 . 2639 g , 2 . 5 × 10 - 3 mol dispersed in 60 ml of water ) was treated with a solution of agno 3 ( 0 . 8441 g , 5 . 0 × 10 - 3 mol ) to precipitate the iodide as agi . the slurry was allowed to react with stirring for 3 hours at 55 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 25 ° c . and filtered . a 1 . 1489 g ( 4 . 894 mmol ) amount of dry silver iodide was obtained . the filtrate was concentrated at 55 ° c . to a 30 ml volume and treated with a no gas stream ( about 1 bubble / second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . no color change was noted until 4 . 5 ml of concentrated nitric acid ( 16m ) was added and the no gas stream resumed , then it immediately turned a blue color . at the end of the no addition , the color remained a deep blue which after 4 hours of standing exposed to air , turned green and by the following morning turned pale yellow . the treatment was repeated twice more with no gas for 15 minutes and the mixture was allowed to stand over night each time . the solution was then transferred to a rotovac unit and evaporated to dryness at a maximum temperature of 73 ° c . and a vacuum reading of 5 kpa to yield 0 . 9786 g of a brownish product . its infrared spectrum contained the characteristic sharp nitro band at 827 cm - 1 , and a large asymmetrical , broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 . no nh band was present at 7790 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( iv ) oxidation state . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 3 ! ( fw 439 . 25 ): c , 5 . 47 ; h , 1 . 84 ; n , 19 . 14 . found : c , 5 . 31 ; h , 1 . 69 ; n , 13 . 53 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa gave a product whose infrared spectrum exhibited larger nitro bands at 1495 cm - 1 , 1320 cm - 1 , 480 cm - 1 and an asymmetrical one at 827 cm - 1 with a shoulder at 835 cm - 1 , smaller nitrito bands at 1550 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 and 960 cm - 1 and a much larger band at 1725 cm - 1 , possibly indicating the presence of n ═ o groups . anal . found : c , 9 . 35 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 7 . 90 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . many other variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the described structures and examples of their syntheses are , therefore , intended to be merely exemplary , and all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 948b41e2aac5f361a685416dfa2e562ab2c533874047b8d00df64795cd1f830d | 0.332031 | 0.018311 | 0.427734 | 0.001068 | 0.486328 | 0.023315 |
null | the following methods and instruments were used to obtain physical measurements on the examples disclosed above . infrared spectra were recorded on a beckman 1100 ft ir spectrometer of the range 4000 - 400 cm - 1 ; while x - ray photoelectron spectra binding energies were obtained on a gca mcpherson esca 36 photoelectron spectrometer using al ( k ) ( e = 1486 . 6 ev ) as the x - ray source . microanalyses of carbon , hydrogen , and nitrogen were done by desert analytics , tucson , ariz . infrared analysis of the purchased ptencl 2 ! revealed the typical spectrum of complexed ethylenediamine with n -- h bands at 1565 cm - 1 , 1290 cm - 1 80 cm - 1 and at 770 cm - 1 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no 2 as oxidant a mixture of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3316 dispersed in 25 ml of d . i . water ) was magnetically stirred while being treated with no 2 gas for 45 minutes at about the rate of one bubble of gas per second . this gave a blue solution which when concentrated at 50 ° c . to 3 ml on a hot plate precipitated yellow crystals . the crystals were broken up in 95 % ethanol and filtered off to yield 0 . 1585 g of product ( 37 . 8 % yield ). this infrared spectrum of the product exhibited no 2 bands at 1480 cm - 1 , 1325 cm - 1 , 600 cm - 1 and an exceeding sharp band at 827 cm - 1 indicating a coordinated nitro ligand . the n -- h rocking mode , present at 770 cm - 1 in the ptencl 2 ! starting material was missing , indicating that the new compound was a platinum ( iv ) complex . this was confirmed by xps spectra . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 . found : c , 5 . 91 ; h , 2 . 03 ; n , 10 . 66 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3166 g dissolved in 20 ml deionized water and 3 ml of 16m nitric acid ) was treated with reagent grade no gas for 7 minutes . during the first 30 seconds , the suspension turned yellow - green which gradually deepened to green and blue - green in 2 minutes . after 7 minutes , no solid remained and color of the solution was deep blue - green ; however , after several hours the solution color had faded to yellow . upon evaporation at room temperature in an air - stream decciator , fine bright yellow crystals of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! were obtained that contained a sharp ir band at 827 cm - 1 , characteristic of an n - coordinated nitro ligand . an n -- h rocking band at 770 cm - 1 was not detected . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 ; cl , 26 . 10 . found : c , 6 . 01 ; h , 1 . 94 ; n , 10 . 07 ; cl , 26 . 87 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig3 using no 2 as oxidant the filtrate obtained in the preparation of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! by using no 2 as an oxidant was evaporated to dryness at 50 ° c . to remove ethanol and then redissolved in 15 ml h 2 o . a no 2 gas stream was introduced into the solution ( 25 ° c .) for 1 hour at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . the solution became apple green in color and was filtered to give a yellow solution . this filtrate was concentrated on a hot plate at 50 ° c . to a volume of 1 ml and allowed to stand for three weeks at ambient conditions . a gummy yellowish colored solid , resulted , whose ir spectrum contained a split band at 1480 cm - 1 and 1455 cm - 1 as well as an asymmetrical , moderately sharp band at 825 cm - 1 ( broader than pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, indicating two types of coordinated nitro ( no 2 ) ligands and a short , broad band at 970 cm - 1 showing that a small percentage of nitro ligands were present . no n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 was detected , indicating a pt ( iv ) complex . we formulated this complex , ii , as predominantly pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! based primarily on infrared evidence . synthesis of ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig4 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 9245 g , 2 . 83 m mole dissolved in 20 ml h 2 o and 3 ml of 16m hno 3 ) was treated with a stream of no gas at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . a green color appeared almost at once which became a deep blue color at 10 minutes . in another 25 minutes , the blue color began dissipating and a small amount of solids began precipitating ; therefore , the no flow as stopped . after standing for three days the solids were removed by filtration , washed and dried in a desiccator giving 0 . 2649 g of a light yellow product . ir analysis showed the spectrum to be identical to pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !. the filtrate ( 38 ml was allowed to evaporate at ambient conditions to a 10 ml volume and a small amount ( 0 . 0148 g ) of yellow needles were removed by filtration . the second filtrate ( yellow color ) was evaporated further using a rotovac first at 55 ° c . and then at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum to give 0 . 8337 g of a yellowish - brown material . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a characteristic sharp band at 827 cm - 1 , indicating coordinated nitro ligands , bands at 1525 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , and a large broad band at 975 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitrito ligands , and a small band at 1720 cm - 1 , suggesting an n ═ o group . the n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 characteristic of the ptencl 2 ! starting material was not present . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! ( fw 428 . 62 ): c , 5 . 60 ; h , 1 . 87 ; n , 16 . 34 . found : c , 5 . 96 ; h , 2 . 00 ; n , 11 . 29 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum gave a product whose infrared spectrum contained a larger , more asymmetrical nitro band at 825 cm - 1 , a smaller , more asymmetrical nitrito band at 965 cm - 1 , and a much larger , sharp band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicated a n ═ o group . analysis found : c , 7 . 08 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 8 . 98 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ( ono )! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig5 using no 2 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! 0 . 3336 g , 1 . 022 × 10 . sup .× 3 mol dissolved in 15 ml of water ) was added to a solution of silver nitrate ( 0 . 3478 g , 2 . 044 × 10 - 3 mol ) to remove the chlorides . the slurry was allowed to react for 6 . 5 hours at 50 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 10 ° c . it then was heated to 50 ° c . and filtered . a 0 . 2908 g ( 2 . 29 × 10 - 3 mol ) amount of silver chloride was obtained . the filtrate was treated with a no 2 gas stream ( about 1 bubble per second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . the solution first turned an intense blue color , which after heating for 4 . 5 hours at 40 ° c ., was colored yellow , orange and finally brownish , from which solution brown , needle - like crystals appeared . the solution was concentrated to a final volume of 4 ml , cooled to 10 ° c . and these crystals filtered off yielding 0 . 1104 g . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a sharp band at 830 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitro ligands ; however , it also contained a sharp nh band at 777 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( ii ) oxidation state that was confirmed by xps analysis . anal : calculated for pten ( no 2 ) 2 ( fw 347 . 39 : c , 6 . 91 ; h , 2 . 33 ; n , 16 . 13 . found : c , 6 . 97 ; h , 2 . 32 ; n , 15 . 74 . the filtrate was concentrated to less than 1 ml at 40 ° c . and allowed to evaporate to dryness . a yellow , gummy product resulted whose infrared spectrum contained split , moderately sharp bands at 821 cm - 1 and a shorter one at 839 cm - 1 , indicating two types of coordinated nitro ligands , a broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 , and a very small band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicating a n ═ o group . no nh band was observed at 770 cm - 1 indicating a platinum ( iv ) oxidation state . this infrared spectrum suggest a complex with a probable formula of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ono !. synthesis of pten ( no 2 )( ono ) 3 ! ! having a proposed structure as shown in fig6 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a slurry of diiodoethylenediamineplatinum ( ii ) pteni 2 ! ( 1 . 2639 g , 2 . 5 × 10 - 3 mol dispersed in 60 ml of water ) was treated with a solution of agno 3 ( 0 . 8441 g , 5 . 0 × 10 - 3 mol ) to precipitate the iodide as agi . the slurry was allowed to react with stirring for 3 hours at 55 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 25 ° c . and filtered . a 1 . 1489 g ( 4 . 894 mmol ) amount of dry silver iodide was obtained . the filtrate was concentrated at 55 ° c . to a 30 ml volume and treated with a no gas stream ( about 1 bubble / second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . no color change was noted until 4 . 5 ml of concentrated nitric acid ( 16m ) was added and the no gas stream resumed , then it immediately turned a blue color . at the end of the no addition , the color remained a deep blue which after 4 hours of standing exposed to air , turned green and by the following morning turned pale yellow . the treatment was repeated twice more with no gas for 15 minutes and the mixture was allowed to stand over night each time . the solution was then transferred to a rotovac unit and evaporated to dryness at a maximum temperature of 73 ° c . and a vacuum reading of 5 kpa to yield 0 . 9786 g of a brownish product . its infrared spectrum contained the characteristic sharp nitro band at 827 cm - 1 , and a large asymmetrical , broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 . no nh band was present at 7790 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( iv ) oxidation state . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 3 ! ( fw 439 . 25 ): c , 5 . 47 ; h , 1 . 84 ; n , 19 . 14 . found : c , 5 . 31 ; h , 1 . 69 ; n , 13 . 53 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa gave a product whose infrared spectrum exhibited larger nitro bands at 1495 cm - 1 , 1320 cm - 1 , 480 cm - 1 and an asymmetrical one at 827 cm - 1 with a shoulder at 835 cm - 1 , smaller nitrito bands at 1550 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 and 960 cm - 1 and a much larger band at 1725 cm - 1 , possibly indicating the presence of n ═ o groups . anal . found : c , 9 . 35 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 7 . 90 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . many other variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the described structures and examples of their syntheses are , therefore , intended to be merely exemplary , and all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 948b41e2aac5f361a685416dfa2e562ab2c533874047b8d00df64795cd1f830d | 0.207031 | 0.012817 | 0.300781 | 0.002396 | 0.347656 | 0.057373 |
null | the following methods and instruments were used to obtain physical measurements on the examples disclosed above . infrared spectra were recorded on a beckman 1100 ft ir spectrometer of the range 4000 - 400 cm - 1 ; while x - ray photoelectron spectra binding energies were obtained on a gca mcpherson esca 36 photoelectron spectrometer using al ( k ) ( e = 1486 . 6 ev ) as the x - ray source . microanalyses of carbon , hydrogen , and nitrogen were done by desert analytics , tucson , ariz . infrared analysis of the purchased ptencl 2 ! revealed the typical spectrum of complexed ethylenediamine with n -- h bands at 1565 cm - 1 , 1290 cm - 1 80 cm - 1 and at 770 cm - 1 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no 2 as oxidant a mixture of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3316 dispersed in 25 ml of d . i . water ) was magnetically stirred while being treated with no 2 gas for 45 minutes at about the rate of one bubble of gas per second . this gave a blue solution which when concentrated at 50 ° c . to 3 ml on a hot plate precipitated yellow crystals . the crystals were broken up in 95 % ethanol and filtered off to yield 0 . 1585 g of product ( 37 . 8 % yield ). this infrared spectrum of the product exhibited no 2 bands at 1480 cm - 1 , 1325 cm - 1 , 600 cm - 1 and an exceeding sharp band at 827 cm - 1 indicating a coordinated nitro ligand . the n -- h rocking mode , present at 770 cm - 1 in the ptencl 2 ! starting material was missing , indicating that the new compound was a platinum ( iv ) complex . this was confirmed by xps spectra . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 . found : c , 5 . 91 ; h , 2 . 03 ; n , 10 . 66 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3166 g dissolved in 20 ml deionized water and 3 ml of 16m nitric acid ) was treated with reagent grade no gas for 7 minutes . during the first 30 seconds , the suspension turned yellow - green which gradually deepened to green and blue - green in 2 minutes . after 7 minutes , no solid remained and color of the solution was deep blue - green ; however , after several hours the solution color had faded to yellow . upon evaporation at room temperature in an air - stream decciator , fine bright yellow crystals of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! were obtained that contained a sharp ir band at 827 cm - 1 , characteristic of an n - coordinated nitro ligand . an n -- h rocking band at 770 cm - 1 was not detected . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 ; cl , 26 . 10 . found : c , 6 . 01 ; h , 1 . 94 ; n , 10 . 07 ; cl , 26 . 87 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig3 using no 2 as oxidant the filtrate obtained in the preparation of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! by using no 2 as an oxidant was evaporated to dryness at 50 ° c . to remove ethanol and then redissolved in 15 ml h 2 o . a no 2 gas stream was introduced into the solution ( 25 ° c .) for 1 hour at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . the solution became apple green in color and was filtered to give a yellow solution . this filtrate was concentrated on a hot plate at 50 ° c . to a volume of 1 ml and allowed to stand for three weeks at ambient conditions . a gummy yellowish colored solid , resulted , whose ir spectrum contained a split band at 1480 cm - 1 and 1455 cm - 1 as well as an asymmetrical , moderately sharp band at 825 cm - 1 ( broader than pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, indicating two types of coordinated nitro ( no 2 ) ligands and a short , broad band at 970 cm - 1 showing that a small percentage of nitro ligands were present . no n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 was detected , indicating a pt ( iv ) complex . we formulated this complex , ii , as predominantly pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! based primarily on infrared evidence . synthesis of ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig4 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 9245 g , 2 . 83 m mole dissolved in 20 ml h 2 o and 3 ml of 16m hno 3 ) was treated with a stream of no gas at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . a green color appeared almost at once which became a deep blue color at 10 minutes . in another 25 minutes , the blue color began dissipating and a small amount of solids began precipitating ; therefore , the no flow as stopped . after standing for three days the solids were removed by filtration , washed and dried in a desiccator giving 0 . 2649 g of a light yellow product . ir analysis showed the spectrum to be identical to pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !. the filtrate ( 38 ml was allowed to evaporate at ambient conditions to a 10 ml volume and a small amount ( 0 . 0148 g ) of yellow needles were removed by filtration . the second filtrate ( yellow color ) was evaporated further using a rotovac first at 55 ° c . and then at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum to give 0 . 8337 g of a yellowish - brown material . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a characteristic sharp band at 827 cm - 1 , indicating coordinated nitro ligands , bands at 1525 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , and a large broad band at 975 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitrito ligands , and a small band at 1720 cm - 1 , suggesting an n ═ o group . the n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 characteristic of the ptencl 2 ! starting material was not present . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! ( fw 428 . 62 ): c , 5 . 60 ; h , 1 . 87 ; n , 16 . 34 . found : c , 5 . 96 ; h , 2 . 00 ; n , 11 . 29 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum gave a product whose infrared spectrum contained a larger , more asymmetrical nitro band at 825 cm - 1 , a smaller , more asymmetrical nitrito band at 965 cm - 1 , and a much larger , sharp band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicated a n ═ o group . analysis found : c , 7 . 08 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 8 . 98 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ( ono )! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig5 using no 2 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! 0 . 3336 g , 1 . 022 × 10 . sup .× 3 mol dissolved in 15 ml of water ) was added to a solution of silver nitrate ( 0 . 3478 g , 2 . 044 × 10 - 3 mol ) to remove the chlorides . the slurry was allowed to react for 6 . 5 hours at 50 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 10 ° c . it then was heated to 50 ° c . and filtered . a 0 . 2908 g ( 2 . 29 × 10 - 3 mol ) amount of silver chloride was obtained . the filtrate was treated with a no 2 gas stream ( about 1 bubble per second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . the solution first turned an intense blue color , which after heating for 4 . 5 hours at 40 ° c ., was colored yellow , orange and finally brownish , from which solution brown , needle - like crystals appeared . the solution was concentrated to a final volume of 4 ml , cooled to 10 ° c . and these crystals filtered off yielding 0 . 1104 g . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a sharp band at 830 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitro ligands ; however , it also contained a sharp nh band at 777 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( ii ) oxidation state that was confirmed by xps analysis . anal : calculated for pten ( no 2 ) 2 ( fw 347 . 39 : c , 6 . 91 ; h , 2 . 33 ; n , 16 . 13 . found : c , 6 . 97 ; h , 2 . 32 ; n , 15 . 74 . the filtrate was concentrated to less than 1 ml at 40 ° c . and allowed to evaporate to dryness . a yellow , gummy product resulted whose infrared spectrum contained split , moderately sharp bands at 821 cm - 1 and a shorter one at 839 cm - 1 , indicating two types of coordinated nitro ligands , a broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 , and a very small band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicating a n ═ o group . no nh band was observed at 770 cm - 1 indicating a platinum ( iv ) oxidation state . this infrared spectrum suggest a complex with a probable formula of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ono !. synthesis of pten ( no 2 )( ono ) 3 ! ! having a proposed structure as shown in fig6 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a slurry of diiodoethylenediamineplatinum ( ii ) pteni 2 ! ( 1 . 2639 g , 2 . 5 × 10 - 3 mol dispersed in 60 ml of water ) was treated with a solution of agno 3 ( 0 . 8441 g , 5 . 0 × 10 - 3 mol ) to precipitate the iodide as agi . the slurry was allowed to react with stirring for 3 hours at 55 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 25 ° c . and filtered . a 1 . 1489 g ( 4 . 894 mmol ) amount of dry silver iodide was obtained . the filtrate was concentrated at 55 ° c . to a 30 ml volume and treated with a no gas stream ( about 1 bubble / second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . no color change was noted until 4 . 5 ml of concentrated nitric acid ( 16m ) was added and the no gas stream resumed , then it immediately turned a blue color . at the end of the no addition , the color remained a deep blue which after 4 hours of standing exposed to air , turned green and by the following morning turned pale yellow . the treatment was repeated twice more with no gas for 15 minutes and the mixture was allowed to stand over night each time . the solution was then transferred to a rotovac unit and evaporated to dryness at a maximum temperature of 73 ° c . and a vacuum reading of 5 kpa to yield 0 . 9786 g of a brownish product . its infrared spectrum contained the characteristic sharp nitro band at 827 cm - 1 , and a large asymmetrical , broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 . no nh band was present at 7790 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( iv ) oxidation state . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 3 ! ( fw 439 . 25 ): c , 5 . 47 ; h , 1 . 84 ; n , 19 . 14 . found : c , 5 . 31 ; h , 1 . 69 ; n , 13 . 53 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa gave a product whose infrared spectrum exhibited larger nitro bands at 1495 cm - 1 , 1320 cm - 1 , 480 cm - 1 and an asymmetrical one at 827 cm - 1 with a shoulder at 835 cm - 1 , smaller nitrito bands at 1550 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 and 960 cm - 1 and a much larger band at 1725 cm - 1 , possibly indicating the presence of n ═ o groups . anal . found : c , 9 . 35 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 7 . 90 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . many other variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the described structures and examples of their syntheses are , therefore , intended to be merely exemplary , and all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 948b41e2aac5f361a685416dfa2e562ab2c533874047b8d00df64795cd1f830d | 0.255859 | 0.001244 | 0.46875 | 0.000005 | 0.410156 | 0.00592 |
null | the following methods and instruments were used to obtain physical measurements on the examples disclosed above . infrared spectra were recorded on a beckman 1100 ft ir spectrometer of the range 4000 - 400 cm - 1 ; while x - ray photoelectron spectra binding energies were obtained on a gca mcpherson esca 36 photoelectron spectrometer using al ( k ) ( e = 1486 . 6 ev ) as the x - ray source . microanalyses of carbon , hydrogen , and nitrogen were done by desert analytics , tucson , ariz . infrared analysis of the purchased ptencl 2 ! revealed the typical spectrum of complexed ethylenediamine with n -- h bands at 1565 cm - 1 , 1290 cm - 1 80 cm - 1 and at 770 cm - 1 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no 2 as oxidant a mixture of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3316 dispersed in 25 ml of d . i . water ) was magnetically stirred while being treated with no 2 gas for 45 minutes at about the rate of one bubble of gas per second . this gave a blue solution which when concentrated at 50 ° c . to 3 ml on a hot plate precipitated yellow crystals . the crystals were broken up in 95 % ethanol and filtered off to yield 0 . 1585 g of product ( 37 . 8 % yield ). this infrared spectrum of the product exhibited no 2 bands at 1480 cm - 1 , 1325 cm - 1 , 600 cm - 1 and an exceeding sharp band at 827 cm - 1 indicating a coordinated nitro ligand . the n -- h rocking mode , present at 770 cm - 1 in the ptencl 2 ! starting material was missing , indicating that the new compound was a platinum ( iv ) complex . this was confirmed by xps spectra . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 . found : c , 5 . 91 ; h , 2 . 03 ; n , 10 . 66 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3166 g dissolved in 20 ml deionized water and 3 ml of 16m nitric acid ) was treated with reagent grade no gas for 7 minutes . during the first 30 seconds , the suspension turned yellow - green which gradually deepened to green and blue - green in 2 minutes . after 7 minutes , no solid remained and color of the solution was deep blue - green ; however , after several hours the solution color had faded to yellow . upon evaporation at room temperature in an air - stream decciator , fine bright yellow crystals of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! were obtained that contained a sharp ir band at 827 cm - 1 , characteristic of an n - coordinated nitro ligand . an n -- h rocking band at 770 cm - 1 was not detected . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 ; cl , 26 . 10 . found : c , 6 . 01 ; h , 1 . 94 ; n , 10 . 07 ; cl , 26 . 87 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig3 using no 2 as oxidant the filtrate obtained in the preparation of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! by using no 2 as an oxidant was evaporated to dryness at 50 ° c . to remove ethanol and then redissolved in 15 ml h 2 o . a no 2 gas stream was introduced into the solution ( 25 ° c .) for 1 hour at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . the solution became apple green in color and was filtered to give a yellow solution . this filtrate was concentrated on a hot plate at 50 ° c . to a volume of 1 ml and allowed to stand for three weeks at ambient conditions . a gummy yellowish colored solid , resulted , whose ir spectrum contained a split band at 1480 cm - 1 and 1455 cm - 1 as well as an asymmetrical , moderately sharp band at 825 cm - 1 ( broader than pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, indicating two types of coordinated nitro ( no 2 ) ligands and a short , broad band at 970 cm - 1 showing that a small percentage of nitro ligands were present . no n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 was detected , indicating a pt ( iv ) complex . we formulated this complex , ii , as predominantly pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! based primarily on infrared evidence . synthesis of ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig4 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 9245 g , 2 . 83 m mole dissolved in 20 ml h 2 o and 3 ml of 16m hno 3 ) was treated with a stream of no gas at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . a green color appeared almost at once which became a deep blue color at 10 minutes . in another 25 minutes , the blue color began dissipating and a small amount of solids began precipitating ; therefore , the no flow as stopped . after standing for three days the solids were removed by filtration , washed and dried in a desiccator giving 0 . 2649 g of a light yellow product . ir analysis showed the spectrum to be identical to pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !. the filtrate ( 38 ml was allowed to evaporate at ambient conditions to a 10 ml volume and a small amount ( 0 . 0148 g ) of yellow needles were removed by filtration . the second filtrate ( yellow color ) was evaporated further using a rotovac first at 55 ° c . and then at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum to give 0 . 8337 g of a yellowish - brown material . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a characteristic sharp band at 827 cm - 1 , indicating coordinated nitro ligands , bands at 1525 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , and a large broad band at 975 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitrito ligands , and a small band at 1720 cm - 1 , suggesting an n ═ o group . the n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 characteristic of the ptencl 2 ! starting material was not present . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! ( fw 428 . 62 ): c , 5 . 60 ; h , 1 . 87 ; n , 16 . 34 . found : c , 5 . 96 ; h , 2 . 00 ; n , 11 . 29 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum gave a product whose infrared spectrum contained a larger , more asymmetrical nitro band at 825 cm - 1 , a smaller , more asymmetrical nitrito band at 965 cm - 1 , and a much larger , sharp band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicated a n ═ o group . analysis found : c , 7 . 08 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 8 . 98 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ( ono )! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig5 using no 2 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! 0 . 3336 g , 1 . 022 × 10 . sup .× 3 mol dissolved in 15 ml of water ) was added to a solution of silver nitrate ( 0 . 3478 g , 2 . 044 × 10 - 3 mol ) to remove the chlorides . the slurry was allowed to react for 6 . 5 hours at 50 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 10 ° c . it then was heated to 50 ° c . and filtered . a 0 . 2908 g ( 2 . 29 × 10 - 3 mol ) amount of silver chloride was obtained . the filtrate was treated with a no 2 gas stream ( about 1 bubble per second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . the solution first turned an intense blue color , which after heating for 4 . 5 hours at 40 ° c ., was colored yellow , orange and finally brownish , from which solution brown , needle - like crystals appeared . the solution was concentrated to a final volume of 4 ml , cooled to 10 ° c . and these crystals filtered off yielding 0 . 1104 g . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a sharp band at 830 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitro ligands ; however , it also contained a sharp nh band at 777 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( ii ) oxidation state that was confirmed by xps analysis . anal : calculated for pten ( no 2 ) 2 ( fw 347 . 39 : c , 6 . 91 ; h , 2 . 33 ; n , 16 . 13 . found : c , 6 . 97 ; h , 2 . 32 ; n , 15 . 74 . the filtrate was concentrated to less than 1 ml at 40 ° c . and allowed to evaporate to dryness . a yellow , gummy product resulted whose infrared spectrum contained split , moderately sharp bands at 821 cm - 1 and a shorter one at 839 cm - 1 , indicating two types of coordinated nitro ligands , a broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 , and a very small band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicating a n ═ o group . no nh band was observed at 770 cm - 1 indicating a platinum ( iv ) oxidation state . this infrared spectrum suggest a complex with a probable formula of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ono !. synthesis of pten ( no 2 )( ono ) 3 ! ! having a proposed structure as shown in fig6 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a slurry of diiodoethylenediamineplatinum ( ii ) pteni 2 ! ( 1 . 2639 g , 2 . 5 × 10 - 3 mol dispersed in 60 ml of water ) was treated with a solution of agno 3 ( 0 . 8441 g , 5 . 0 × 10 - 3 mol ) to precipitate the iodide as agi . the slurry was allowed to react with stirring for 3 hours at 55 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 25 ° c . and filtered . a 1 . 1489 g ( 4 . 894 mmol ) amount of dry silver iodide was obtained . the filtrate was concentrated at 55 ° c . to a 30 ml volume and treated with a no gas stream ( about 1 bubble / second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . no color change was noted until 4 . 5 ml of concentrated nitric acid ( 16m ) was added and the no gas stream resumed , then it immediately turned a blue color . at the end of the no addition , the color remained a deep blue which after 4 hours of standing exposed to air , turned green and by the following morning turned pale yellow . the treatment was repeated twice more with no gas for 15 minutes and the mixture was allowed to stand over night each time . the solution was then transferred to a rotovac unit and evaporated to dryness at a maximum temperature of 73 ° c . and a vacuum reading of 5 kpa to yield 0 . 9786 g of a brownish product . its infrared spectrum contained the characteristic sharp nitro band at 827 cm - 1 , and a large asymmetrical , broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 . no nh band was present at 7790 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( iv ) oxidation state . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 3 ! ( fw 439 . 25 ): c , 5 . 47 ; h , 1 . 84 ; n , 19 . 14 . found : c , 5 . 31 ; h , 1 . 69 ; n , 13 . 53 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa gave a product whose infrared spectrum exhibited larger nitro bands at 1495 cm - 1 , 1320 cm - 1 , 480 cm - 1 and an asymmetrical one at 827 cm - 1 with a shoulder at 835 cm - 1 , smaller nitrito bands at 1550 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 and 960 cm - 1 and a much larger band at 1725 cm - 1 , possibly indicating the presence of n ═ o groups . anal . found : c , 9 . 35 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 7 . 90 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . many other variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the described structures and examples of their syntheses are , therefore , intended to be merely exemplary , and all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 948b41e2aac5f361a685416dfa2e562ab2c533874047b8d00df64795cd1f830d | 0.203125 | 0.026001 | 0.304688 | 0.010315 | 0.347656 | 0.136719 |
null | the following methods and instruments were used to obtain physical measurements on the examples disclosed above . infrared spectra were recorded on a beckman 1100 ft ir spectrometer of the range 4000 - 400 cm - 1 ; while x - ray photoelectron spectra binding energies were obtained on a gca mcpherson esca 36 photoelectron spectrometer using al ( k ) ( e = 1486 . 6 ev ) as the x - ray source . microanalyses of carbon , hydrogen , and nitrogen were done by desert analytics , tucson , ariz . infrared analysis of the purchased ptencl 2 ! revealed the typical spectrum of complexed ethylenediamine with n -- h bands at 1565 cm - 1 , 1290 cm - 1 80 cm - 1 and at 770 cm - 1 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no 2 as oxidant a mixture of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3316 dispersed in 25 ml of d . i . water ) was magnetically stirred while being treated with no 2 gas for 45 minutes at about the rate of one bubble of gas per second . this gave a blue solution which when concentrated at 50 ° c . to 3 ml on a hot plate precipitated yellow crystals . the crystals were broken up in 95 % ethanol and filtered off to yield 0 . 1585 g of product ( 37 . 8 % yield ). this infrared spectrum of the product exhibited no 2 bands at 1480 cm - 1 , 1325 cm - 1 , 600 cm - 1 and an exceeding sharp band at 827 cm - 1 indicating a coordinated nitro ligand . the n -- h rocking mode , present at 770 cm - 1 in the ptencl 2 ! starting material was missing , indicating that the new compound was a platinum ( iv ) complex . this was confirmed by xps spectra . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 . found : c , 5 . 91 ; h , 2 . 03 ; n , 10 . 66 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3166 g dissolved in 20 ml deionized water and 3 ml of 16m nitric acid ) was treated with reagent grade no gas for 7 minutes . during the first 30 seconds , the suspension turned yellow - green which gradually deepened to green and blue - green in 2 minutes . after 7 minutes , no solid remained and color of the solution was deep blue - green ; however , after several hours the solution color had faded to yellow . upon evaporation at room temperature in an air - stream decciator , fine bright yellow crystals of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! were obtained that contained a sharp ir band at 827 cm - 1 , characteristic of an n - coordinated nitro ligand . an n -- h rocking band at 770 cm - 1 was not detected . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 ; cl , 26 . 10 . found : c , 6 . 01 ; h , 1 . 94 ; n , 10 . 07 ; cl , 26 . 87 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig3 using no 2 as oxidant the filtrate obtained in the preparation of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! by using no 2 as an oxidant was evaporated to dryness at 50 ° c . to remove ethanol and then redissolved in 15 ml h 2 o . a no 2 gas stream was introduced into the solution ( 25 ° c .) for 1 hour at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . the solution became apple green in color and was filtered to give a yellow solution . this filtrate was concentrated on a hot plate at 50 ° c . to a volume of 1 ml and allowed to stand for three weeks at ambient conditions . a gummy yellowish colored solid , resulted , whose ir spectrum contained a split band at 1480 cm - 1 and 1455 cm - 1 as well as an asymmetrical , moderately sharp band at 825 cm - 1 ( broader than pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, indicating two types of coordinated nitro ( no 2 ) ligands and a short , broad band at 970 cm - 1 showing that a small percentage of nitro ligands were present . no n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 was detected , indicating a pt ( iv ) complex . we formulated this complex , ii , as predominantly pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! based primarily on infrared evidence . synthesis of ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig4 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 9245 g , 2 . 83 m mole dissolved in 20 ml h 2 o and 3 ml of 16m hno 3 ) was treated with a stream of no gas at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . a green color appeared almost at once which became a deep blue color at 10 minutes . in another 25 minutes , the blue color began dissipating and a small amount of solids began precipitating ; therefore , the no flow as stopped . after standing for three days the solids were removed by filtration , washed and dried in a desiccator giving 0 . 2649 g of a light yellow product . ir analysis showed the spectrum to be identical to pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !. the filtrate ( 38 ml was allowed to evaporate at ambient conditions to a 10 ml volume and a small amount ( 0 . 0148 g ) of yellow needles were removed by filtration . the second filtrate ( yellow color ) was evaporated further using a rotovac first at 55 ° c . and then at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum to give 0 . 8337 g of a yellowish - brown material . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a characteristic sharp band at 827 cm - 1 , indicating coordinated nitro ligands , bands at 1525 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , and a large broad band at 975 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitrito ligands , and a small band at 1720 cm - 1 , suggesting an n ═ o group . the n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 characteristic of the ptencl 2 ! starting material was not present . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! ( fw 428 . 62 ): c , 5 . 60 ; h , 1 . 87 ; n , 16 . 34 . found : c , 5 . 96 ; h , 2 . 00 ; n , 11 . 29 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum gave a product whose infrared spectrum contained a larger , more asymmetrical nitro band at 825 cm - 1 , a smaller , more asymmetrical nitrito band at 965 cm - 1 , and a much larger , sharp band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicated a n ═ o group . analysis found : c , 7 . 08 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 8 . 98 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ( ono )! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig5 using no 2 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! 0 . 3336 g , 1 . 022 × 10 . sup .× 3 mol dissolved in 15 ml of water ) was added to a solution of silver nitrate ( 0 . 3478 g , 2 . 044 × 10 - 3 mol ) to remove the chlorides . the slurry was allowed to react for 6 . 5 hours at 50 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 10 ° c . it then was heated to 50 ° c . and filtered . a 0 . 2908 g ( 2 . 29 × 10 - 3 mol ) amount of silver chloride was obtained . the filtrate was treated with a no 2 gas stream ( about 1 bubble per second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . the solution first turned an intense blue color , which after heating for 4 . 5 hours at 40 ° c ., was colored yellow , orange and finally brownish , from which solution brown , needle - like crystals appeared . the solution was concentrated to a final volume of 4 ml , cooled to 10 ° c . and these crystals filtered off yielding 0 . 1104 g . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a sharp band at 830 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitro ligands ; however , it also contained a sharp nh band at 777 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( ii ) oxidation state that was confirmed by xps analysis . anal : calculated for pten ( no 2 ) 2 ( fw 347 . 39 : c , 6 . 91 ; h , 2 . 33 ; n , 16 . 13 . found : c , 6 . 97 ; h , 2 . 32 ; n , 15 . 74 . the filtrate was concentrated to less than 1 ml at 40 ° c . and allowed to evaporate to dryness . a yellow , gummy product resulted whose infrared spectrum contained split , moderately sharp bands at 821 cm - 1 and a shorter one at 839 cm - 1 , indicating two types of coordinated nitro ligands , a broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 , and a very small band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicating a n ═ o group . no nh band was observed at 770 cm - 1 indicating a platinum ( iv ) oxidation state . this infrared spectrum suggest a complex with a probable formula of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ono !. synthesis of pten ( no 2 )( ono ) 3 ! ! having a proposed structure as shown in fig6 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a slurry of diiodoethylenediamineplatinum ( ii ) pteni 2 ! ( 1 . 2639 g , 2 . 5 × 10 - 3 mol dispersed in 60 ml of water ) was treated with a solution of agno 3 ( 0 . 8441 g , 5 . 0 × 10 - 3 mol ) to precipitate the iodide as agi . the slurry was allowed to react with stirring for 3 hours at 55 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 25 ° c . and filtered . a 1 . 1489 g ( 4 . 894 mmol ) amount of dry silver iodide was obtained . the filtrate was concentrated at 55 ° c . to a 30 ml volume and treated with a no gas stream ( about 1 bubble / second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . no color change was noted until 4 . 5 ml of concentrated nitric acid ( 16m ) was added and the no gas stream resumed , then it immediately turned a blue color . at the end of the no addition , the color remained a deep blue which after 4 hours of standing exposed to air , turned green and by the following morning turned pale yellow . the treatment was repeated twice more with no gas for 15 minutes and the mixture was allowed to stand over night each time . the solution was then transferred to a rotovac unit and evaporated to dryness at a maximum temperature of 73 ° c . and a vacuum reading of 5 kpa to yield 0 . 9786 g of a brownish product . its infrared spectrum contained the characteristic sharp nitro band at 827 cm - 1 , and a large asymmetrical , broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 . no nh band was present at 7790 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( iv ) oxidation state . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 3 ! ( fw 439 . 25 ): c , 5 . 47 ; h , 1 . 84 ; n , 19 . 14 . found : c , 5 . 31 ; h , 1 . 69 ; n , 13 . 53 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa gave a product whose infrared spectrum exhibited larger nitro bands at 1495 cm - 1 , 1320 cm - 1 , 480 cm - 1 and an asymmetrical one at 827 cm - 1 with a shoulder at 835 cm - 1 , smaller nitrito bands at 1550 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 and 960 cm - 1 and a much larger band at 1725 cm - 1 , possibly indicating the presence of n ═ o groups . anal . found : c , 9 . 35 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 7 . 90 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . many other variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the described structures and examples of their syntheses are , therefore , intended to be merely exemplary , and all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 948b41e2aac5f361a685416dfa2e562ab2c533874047b8d00df64795cd1f830d | 0.203125 | 0.001167 | 0.300781 | 0.000075 | 0.347656 | 0.011353 |
null | the following methods and instruments were used to obtain physical measurements on the examples disclosed above . infrared spectra were recorded on a beckman 1100 ft ir spectrometer of the range 4000 - 400 cm - 1 ; while x - ray photoelectron spectra binding energies were obtained on a gca mcpherson esca 36 photoelectron spectrometer using al ( k ) ( e = 1486 . 6 ev ) as the x - ray source . microanalyses of carbon , hydrogen , and nitrogen were done by desert analytics , tucson , ariz . infrared analysis of the purchased ptencl 2 ! revealed the typical spectrum of complexed ethylenediamine with n -- h bands at 1565 cm - 1 , 1290 cm - 1 80 cm - 1 and at 770 cm - 1 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no 2 as oxidant a mixture of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3316 dispersed in 25 ml of d . i . water ) was magnetically stirred while being treated with no 2 gas for 45 minutes at about the rate of one bubble of gas per second . this gave a blue solution which when concentrated at 50 ° c . to 3 ml on a hot plate precipitated yellow crystals . the crystals were broken up in 95 % ethanol and filtered off to yield 0 . 1585 g of product ( 37 . 8 % yield ). this infrared spectrum of the product exhibited no 2 bands at 1480 cm - 1 , 1325 cm - 1 , 600 cm - 1 and an exceeding sharp band at 827 cm - 1 indicating a coordinated nitro ligand . the n -- h rocking mode , present at 770 cm - 1 in the ptencl 2 ! starting material was missing , indicating that the new compound was a platinum ( iv ) complex . this was confirmed by xps spectra . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 . found : c , 5 . 91 ; h , 2 . 03 ; n , 10 . 66 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3166 g dissolved in 20 ml deionized water and 3 ml of 16m nitric acid ) was treated with reagent grade no gas for 7 minutes . during the first 30 seconds , the suspension turned yellow - green which gradually deepened to green and blue - green in 2 minutes . after 7 minutes , no solid remained and color of the solution was deep blue - green ; however , after several hours the solution color had faded to yellow . upon evaporation at room temperature in an air - stream decciator , fine bright yellow crystals of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! were obtained that contained a sharp ir band at 827 cm - 1 , characteristic of an n - coordinated nitro ligand . an n -- h rocking band at 770 cm - 1 was not detected . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 ; cl , 26 . 10 . found : c , 6 . 01 ; h , 1 . 94 ; n , 10 . 07 ; cl , 26 . 87 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig3 using no 2 as oxidant the filtrate obtained in the preparation of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! by using no 2 as an oxidant was evaporated to dryness at 50 ° c . to remove ethanol and then redissolved in 15 ml h 2 o . a no 2 gas stream was introduced into the solution ( 25 ° c .) for 1 hour at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . the solution became apple green in color and was filtered to give a yellow solution . this filtrate was concentrated on a hot plate at 50 ° c . to a volume of 1 ml and allowed to stand for three weeks at ambient conditions . a gummy yellowish colored solid , resulted , whose ir spectrum contained a split band at 1480 cm - 1 and 1455 cm - 1 as well as an asymmetrical , moderately sharp band at 825 cm - 1 ( broader than pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, indicating two types of coordinated nitro ( no 2 ) ligands and a short , broad band at 970 cm - 1 showing that a small percentage of nitro ligands were present . no n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 was detected , indicating a pt ( iv ) complex . we formulated this complex , ii , as predominantly pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! based primarily on infrared evidence . synthesis of ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig4 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 9245 g , 2 . 83 m mole dissolved in 20 ml h 2 o and 3 ml of 16m hno 3 ) was treated with a stream of no gas at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . a green color appeared almost at once which became a deep blue color at 10 minutes . in another 25 minutes , the blue color began dissipating and a small amount of solids began precipitating ; therefore , the no flow as stopped . after standing for three days the solids were removed by filtration , washed and dried in a desiccator giving 0 . 2649 g of a light yellow product . ir analysis showed the spectrum to be identical to pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !. the filtrate ( 38 ml was allowed to evaporate at ambient conditions to a 10 ml volume and a small amount ( 0 . 0148 g ) of yellow needles were removed by filtration . the second filtrate ( yellow color ) was evaporated further using a rotovac first at 55 ° c . and then at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum to give 0 . 8337 g of a yellowish - brown material . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a characteristic sharp band at 827 cm - 1 , indicating coordinated nitro ligands , bands at 1525 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , and a large broad band at 975 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitrito ligands , and a small band at 1720 cm - 1 , suggesting an n ═ o group . the n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 characteristic of the ptencl 2 ! starting material was not present . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! ( fw 428 . 62 ): c , 5 . 60 ; h , 1 . 87 ; n , 16 . 34 . found : c , 5 . 96 ; h , 2 . 00 ; n , 11 . 29 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum gave a product whose infrared spectrum contained a larger , more asymmetrical nitro band at 825 cm - 1 , a smaller , more asymmetrical nitrito band at 965 cm - 1 , and a much larger , sharp band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicated a n ═ o group . analysis found : c , 7 . 08 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 8 . 98 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ( ono )! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig5 using no 2 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! 0 . 3336 g , 1 . 022 × 10 . sup .× 3 mol dissolved in 15 ml of water ) was added to a solution of silver nitrate ( 0 . 3478 g , 2 . 044 × 10 - 3 mol ) to remove the chlorides . the slurry was allowed to react for 6 . 5 hours at 50 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 10 ° c . it then was heated to 50 ° c . and filtered . a 0 . 2908 g ( 2 . 29 × 10 - 3 mol ) amount of silver chloride was obtained . the filtrate was treated with a no 2 gas stream ( about 1 bubble per second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . the solution first turned an intense blue color , which after heating for 4 . 5 hours at 40 ° c ., was colored yellow , orange and finally brownish , from which solution brown , needle - like crystals appeared . the solution was concentrated to a final volume of 4 ml , cooled to 10 ° c . and these crystals filtered off yielding 0 . 1104 g . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a sharp band at 830 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitro ligands ; however , it also contained a sharp nh band at 777 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( ii ) oxidation state that was confirmed by xps analysis . anal : calculated for pten ( no 2 ) 2 ( fw 347 . 39 : c , 6 . 91 ; h , 2 . 33 ; n , 16 . 13 . found : c , 6 . 97 ; h , 2 . 32 ; n , 15 . 74 . the filtrate was concentrated to less than 1 ml at 40 ° c . and allowed to evaporate to dryness . a yellow , gummy product resulted whose infrared spectrum contained split , moderately sharp bands at 821 cm - 1 and a shorter one at 839 cm - 1 , indicating two types of coordinated nitro ligands , a broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 , and a very small band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicating a n ═ o group . no nh band was observed at 770 cm - 1 indicating a platinum ( iv ) oxidation state . this infrared spectrum suggest a complex with a probable formula of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ono !. synthesis of pten ( no 2 )( ono ) 3 ! ! having a proposed structure as shown in fig6 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a slurry of diiodoethylenediamineplatinum ( ii ) pteni 2 ! ( 1 . 2639 g , 2 . 5 × 10 - 3 mol dispersed in 60 ml of water ) was treated with a solution of agno 3 ( 0 . 8441 g , 5 . 0 × 10 - 3 mol ) to precipitate the iodide as agi . the slurry was allowed to react with stirring for 3 hours at 55 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 25 ° c . and filtered . a 1 . 1489 g ( 4 . 894 mmol ) amount of dry silver iodide was obtained . the filtrate was concentrated at 55 ° c . to a 30 ml volume and treated with a no gas stream ( about 1 bubble / second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . no color change was noted until 4 . 5 ml of concentrated nitric acid ( 16m ) was added and the no gas stream resumed , then it immediately turned a blue color . at the end of the no addition , the color remained a deep blue which after 4 hours of standing exposed to air , turned green and by the following morning turned pale yellow . the treatment was repeated twice more with no gas for 15 minutes and the mixture was allowed to stand over night each time . the solution was then transferred to a rotovac unit and evaporated to dryness at a maximum temperature of 73 ° c . and a vacuum reading of 5 kpa to yield 0 . 9786 g of a brownish product . its infrared spectrum contained the characteristic sharp nitro band at 827 cm - 1 , and a large asymmetrical , broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 . no nh band was present at 7790 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( iv ) oxidation state . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 3 ! ( fw 439 . 25 ): c , 5 . 47 ; h , 1 . 84 ; n , 19 . 14 . found : c , 5 . 31 ; h , 1 . 69 ; n , 13 . 53 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa gave a product whose infrared spectrum exhibited larger nitro bands at 1495 cm - 1 , 1320 cm - 1 , 480 cm - 1 and an asymmetrical one at 827 cm - 1 with a shoulder at 835 cm - 1 , smaller nitrito bands at 1550 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 and 960 cm - 1 and a much larger band at 1725 cm - 1 , possibly indicating the presence of n ═ o groups . anal . found : c , 9 . 35 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 7 . 90 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . many other variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the described structures and examples of their syntheses are , therefore , intended to be merely exemplary , and all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 948b41e2aac5f361a685416dfa2e562ab2c533874047b8d00df64795cd1f830d | 0.203125 | 0.5625 | 0.300781 | 0.875 | 0.347656 | 0.878906 |
null | the following methods and instruments were used to obtain physical measurements on the examples disclosed above . infrared spectra were recorded on a beckman 1100 ft ir spectrometer of the range 4000 - 400 cm - 1 ; while x - ray photoelectron spectra binding energies were obtained on a gca mcpherson esca 36 photoelectron spectrometer using al ( k ) ( e = 1486 . 6 ev ) as the x - ray source . microanalyses of carbon , hydrogen , and nitrogen were done by desert analytics , tucson , ariz . infrared analysis of the purchased ptencl 2 ! revealed the typical spectrum of complexed ethylenediamine with n -- h bands at 1565 cm - 1 , 1290 cm - 1 80 cm - 1 and at 770 cm - 1 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no 2 as oxidant a mixture of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3316 dispersed in 25 ml of d . i . water ) was magnetically stirred while being treated with no 2 gas for 45 minutes at about the rate of one bubble of gas per second . this gave a blue solution which when concentrated at 50 ° c . to 3 ml on a hot plate precipitated yellow crystals . the crystals were broken up in 95 % ethanol and filtered off to yield 0 . 1585 g of product ( 37 . 8 % yield ). this infrared spectrum of the product exhibited no 2 bands at 1480 cm - 1 , 1325 cm - 1 , 600 cm - 1 and an exceeding sharp band at 827 cm - 1 indicating a coordinated nitro ligand . the n -- h rocking mode , present at 770 cm - 1 in the ptencl 2 ! starting material was missing , indicating that the new compound was a platinum ( iv ) complex . this was confirmed by xps spectra . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 . found : c , 5 . 91 ; h , 2 . 03 ; n , 10 . 66 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3166 g dissolved in 20 ml deionized water and 3 ml of 16m nitric acid ) was treated with reagent grade no gas for 7 minutes . during the first 30 seconds , the suspension turned yellow - green which gradually deepened to green and blue - green in 2 minutes . after 7 minutes , no solid remained and color of the solution was deep blue - green ; however , after several hours the solution color had faded to yellow . upon evaporation at room temperature in an air - stream decciator , fine bright yellow crystals of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! were obtained that contained a sharp ir band at 827 cm - 1 , characteristic of an n - coordinated nitro ligand . an n -- h rocking band at 770 cm - 1 was not detected . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 ; cl , 26 . 10 . found : c , 6 . 01 ; h , 1 . 94 ; n , 10 . 07 ; cl , 26 . 87 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig3 using no 2 as oxidant the filtrate obtained in the preparation of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! by using no 2 as an oxidant was evaporated to dryness at 50 ° c . to remove ethanol and then redissolved in 15 ml h 2 o . a no 2 gas stream was introduced into the solution ( 25 ° c .) for 1 hour at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . the solution became apple green in color and was filtered to give a yellow solution . this filtrate was concentrated on a hot plate at 50 ° c . to a volume of 1 ml and allowed to stand for three weeks at ambient conditions . a gummy yellowish colored solid , resulted , whose ir spectrum contained a split band at 1480 cm - 1 and 1455 cm - 1 as well as an asymmetrical , moderately sharp band at 825 cm - 1 ( broader than pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, indicating two types of coordinated nitro ( no 2 ) ligands and a short , broad band at 970 cm - 1 showing that a small percentage of nitro ligands were present . no n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 was detected , indicating a pt ( iv ) complex . we formulated this complex , ii , as predominantly pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! based primarily on infrared evidence . synthesis of ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig4 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 9245 g , 2 . 83 m mole dissolved in 20 ml h 2 o and 3 ml of 16m hno 3 ) was treated with a stream of no gas at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . a green color appeared almost at once which became a deep blue color at 10 minutes . in another 25 minutes , the blue color began dissipating and a small amount of solids began precipitating ; therefore , the no flow as stopped . after standing for three days the solids were removed by filtration , washed and dried in a desiccator giving 0 . 2649 g of a light yellow product . ir analysis showed the spectrum to be identical to pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !. the filtrate ( 38 ml was allowed to evaporate at ambient conditions to a 10 ml volume and a small amount ( 0 . 0148 g ) of yellow needles were removed by filtration . the second filtrate ( yellow color ) was evaporated further using a rotovac first at 55 ° c . and then at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum to give 0 . 8337 g of a yellowish - brown material . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a characteristic sharp band at 827 cm - 1 , indicating coordinated nitro ligands , bands at 1525 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , and a large broad band at 975 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitrito ligands , and a small band at 1720 cm - 1 , suggesting an n ═ o group . the n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 characteristic of the ptencl 2 ! starting material was not present . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! ( fw 428 . 62 ): c , 5 . 60 ; h , 1 . 87 ; n , 16 . 34 . found : c , 5 . 96 ; h , 2 . 00 ; n , 11 . 29 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum gave a product whose infrared spectrum contained a larger , more asymmetrical nitro band at 825 cm - 1 , a smaller , more asymmetrical nitrito band at 965 cm - 1 , and a much larger , sharp band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicated a n ═ o group . analysis found : c , 7 . 08 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 8 . 98 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ( ono )! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig5 using no 2 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! 0 . 3336 g , 1 . 022 × 10 . sup .× 3 mol dissolved in 15 ml of water ) was added to a solution of silver nitrate ( 0 . 3478 g , 2 . 044 × 10 - 3 mol ) to remove the chlorides . the slurry was allowed to react for 6 . 5 hours at 50 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 10 ° c . it then was heated to 50 ° c . and filtered . a 0 . 2908 g ( 2 . 29 × 10 - 3 mol ) amount of silver chloride was obtained . the filtrate was treated with a no 2 gas stream ( about 1 bubble per second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . the solution first turned an intense blue color , which after heating for 4 . 5 hours at 40 ° c ., was colored yellow , orange and finally brownish , from which solution brown , needle - like crystals appeared . the solution was concentrated to a final volume of 4 ml , cooled to 10 ° c . and these crystals filtered off yielding 0 . 1104 g . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a sharp band at 830 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitro ligands ; however , it also contained a sharp nh band at 777 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( ii ) oxidation state that was confirmed by xps analysis . anal : calculated for pten ( no 2 ) 2 ( fw 347 . 39 : c , 6 . 91 ; h , 2 . 33 ; n , 16 . 13 . found : c , 6 . 97 ; h , 2 . 32 ; n , 15 . 74 . the filtrate was concentrated to less than 1 ml at 40 ° c . and allowed to evaporate to dryness . a yellow , gummy product resulted whose infrared spectrum contained split , moderately sharp bands at 821 cm - 1 and a shorter one at 839 cm - 1 , indicating two types of coordinated nitro ligands , a broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 , and a very small band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicating a n ═ o group . no nh band was observed at 770 cm - 1 indicating a platinum ( iv ) oxidation state . this infrared spectrum suggest a complex with a probable formula of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ono !. synthesis of pten ( no 2 )( ono ) 3 ! ! having a proposed structure as shown in fig6 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a slurry of diiodoethylenediamineplatinum ( ii ) pteni 2 ! ( 1 . 2639 g , 2 . 5 × 10 - 3 mol dispersed in 60 ml of water ) was treated with a solution of agno 3 ( 0 . 8441 g , 5 . 0 × 10 - 3 mol ) to precipitate the iodide as agi . the slurry was allowed to react with stirring for 3 hours at 55 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 25 ° c . and filtered . a 1 . 1489 g ( 4 . 894 mmol ) amount of dry silver iodide was obtained . the filtrate was concentrated at 55 ° c . to a 30 ml volume and treated with a no gas stream ( about 1 bubble / second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . no color change was noted until 4 . 5 ml of concentrated nitric acid ( 16m ) was added and the no gas stream resumed , then it immediately turned a blue color . at the end of the no addition , the color remained a deep blue which after 4 hours of standing exposed to air , turned green and by the following morning turned pale yellow . the treatment was repeated twice more with no gas for 15 minutes and the mixture was allowed to stand over night each time . the solution was then transferred to a rotovac unit and evaporated to dryness at a maximum temperature of 73 ° c . and a vacuum reading of 5 kpa to yield 0 . 9786 g of a brownish product . its infrared spectrum contained the characteristic sharp nitro band at 827 cm - 1 , and a large asymmetrical , broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 . no nh band was present at 7790 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( iv ) oxidation state . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 3 ! ( fw 439 . 25 ): c , 5 . 47 ; h , 1 . 84 ; n , 19 . 14 . found : c , 5 . 31 ; h , 1 . 69 ; n , 13 . 53 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa gave a product whose infrared spectrum exhibited larger nitro bands at 1495 cm - 1 , 1320 cm - 1 , 480 cm - 1 and an asymmetrical one at 827 cm - 1 with a shoulder at 835 cm - 1 , smaller nitrito bands at 1550 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 and 960 cm - 1 and a much larger band at 1725 cm - 1 , possibly indicating the presence of n ═ o groups . anal . found : c , 9 . 35 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 7 . 90 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . many other variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the described structures and examples of their syntheses are , therefore , intended to be merely exemplary , and all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 948b41e2aac5f361a685416dfa2e562ab2c533874047b8d00df64795cd1f830d | 0.341797 | 0.00103 | 0.427734 | 0.000132 | 0.486328 | 0.002472 |
null | the following methods and instruments were used to obtain physical measurements on the examples disclosed above . infrared spectra were recorded on a beckman 1100 ft ir spectrometer of the range 4000 - 400 cm - 1 ; while x - ray photoelectron spectra binding energies were obtained on a gca mcpherson esca 36 photoelectron spectrometer using al ( k ) ( e = 1486 . 6 ev ) as the x - ray source . microanalyses of carbon , hydrogen , and nitrogen were done by desert analytics , tucson , ariz . infrared analysis of the purchased ptencl 2 ! revealed the typical spectrum of complexed ethylenediamine with n -- h bands at 1565 cm - 1 , 1290 cm - 1 80 cm - 1 and at 770 cm - 1 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no 2 as oxidant a mixture of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3316 dispersed in 25 ml of d . i . water ) was magnetically stirred while being treated with no 2 gas for 45 minutes at about the rate of one bubble of gas per second . this gave a blue solution which when concentrated at 50 ° c . to 3 ml on a hot plate precipitated yellow crystals . the crystals were broken up in 95 % ethanol and filtered off to yield 0 . 1585 g of product ( 37 . 8 % yield ). this infrared spectrum of the product exhibited no 2 bands at 1480 cm - 1 , 1325 cm - 1 , 600 cm - 1 and an exceeding sharp band at 827 cm - 1 indicating a coordinated nitro ligand . the n -- h rocking mode , present at 770 cm - 1 in the ptencl 2 ! starting material was missing , indicating that the new compound was a platinum ( iv ) complex . this was confirmed by xps spectra . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 . found : c , 5 . 91 ; h , 2 . 03 ; n , 10 . 66 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig2 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 3166 g dissolved in 20 ml deionized water and 3 ml of 16m nitric acid ) was treated with reagent grade no gas for 7 minutes . during the first 30 seconds , the suspension turned yellow - green which gradually deepened to green and blue - green in 2 minutes . after 7 minutes , no solid remained and color of the solution was deep blue - green ; however , after several hours the solution color had faded to yellow . upon evaporation at room temperature in an air - stream decciator , fine bright yellow crystals of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! were obtained that contained a sharp ir band at 827 cm - 1 , characteristic of an n - coordinated nitro ligand . an n -- h rocking band at 770 cm - 1 was not detected . anal : calculated for pt ( n 2 c 2 h 2 ) no 2 cl 3 ! ( fw 407 . 55 ): c , 5 . 89 ; h , 1 . 98 ; n , 10 . 31 ; cl , 26 . 10 . found : c , 6 . 01 ; h , 1 . 94 ; n , 10 . 07 ; cl , 26 . 87 . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig3 using no 2 as oxidant the filtrate obtained in the preparation of pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 ! by using no 2 as an oxidant was evaporated to dryness at 50 ° c . to remove ethanol and then redissolved in 15 ml h 2 o . a no 2 gas stream was introduced into the solution ( 25 ° c .) for 1 hour at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . the solution became apple green in color and was filtered to give a yellow solution . this filtrate was concentrated on a hot plate at 50 ° c . to a volume of 1 ml and allowed to stand for three weeks at ambient conditions . a gummy yellowish colored solid , resulted , whose ir spectrum contained a split band at 1480 cm - 1 and 1455 cm - 1 as well as an asymmetrical , moderately sharp band at 825 cm - 1 ( broader than pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !, indicating two types of coordinated nitro ( no 2 ) ligands and a short , broad band at 970 cm - 1 showing that a small percentage of nitro ligands were present . no n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 was detected , indicating a pt ( iv ) complex . we formulated this complex , ii , as predominantly pten ( no 2 ) 3 cl ! based primarily on infrared evidence . synthesis of ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig4 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! ( 0 . 9245 g , 2 . 83 m mole dissolved in 20 ml h 2 o and 3 ml of 16m hno 3 ) was treated with a stream of no gas at a rate of about 1 bubble per second . a green color appeared almost at once which became a deep blue color at 10 minutes . in another 25 minutes , the blue color began dissipating and a small amount of solids began precipitating ; therefore , the no flow as stopped . after standing for three days the solids were removed by filtration , washed and dried in a desiccator giving 0 . 2649 g of a light yellow product . ir analysis showed the spectrum to be identical to pten ( no 2 ) cl 3 !. the filtrate ( 38 ml was allowed to evaporate at ambient conditions to a 10 ml volume and a small amount ( 0 . 0148 g ) of yellow needles were removed by filtration . the second filtrate ( yellow color ) was evaporated further using a rotovac first at 55 ° c . and then at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum to give 0 . 8337 g of a yellowish - brown material . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a characteristic sharp band at 827 cm - 1 , indicating coordinated nitro ligands , bands at 1525 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , and a large broad band at 975 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitrito ligands , and a small band at 1720 cm - 1 , suggesting an n ═ o group . the n -- h rocking mode at 770 cm - 1 characteristic of the ptencl 2 ! starting material was not present . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 2 cl ! ( fw 428 . 62 ): c , 5 . 60 ; h , 1 . 87 ; n , 16 . 34 . found : c , 5 . 96 ; h , 2 . 00 ; n , 11 . 29 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa vacuum gave a product whose infrared spectrum contained a larger , more asymmetrical nitro band at 825 cm - 1 , a smaller , more asymmetrical nitrito band at 965 cm - 1 , and a much larger , sharp band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicated a n ═ o group . analysis found : c , 7 . 08 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 8 . 98 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . synthesis of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ( ono )! !, having a proposed structure as shown in fig5 using no 2 as oxidant a solution of ptencl 2 ! 0 . 3336 g , 1 . 022 × 10 . sup .× 3 mol dissolved in 15 ml of water ) was added to a solution of silver nitrate ( 0 . 3478 g , 2 . 044 × 10 - 3 mol ) to remove the chlorides . the slurry was allowed to react for 6 . 5 hours at 50 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 10 ° c . it then was heated to 50 ° c . and filtered . a 0 . 2908 g ( 2 . 29 × 10 - 3 mol ) amount of silver chloride was obtained . the filtrate was treated with a no 2 gas stream ( about 1 bubble per second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . the solution first turned an intense blue color , which after heating for 4 . 5 hours at 40 ° c ., was colored yellow , orange and finally brownish , from which solution brown , needle - like crystals appeared . the solution was concentrated to a final volume of 4 ml , cooled to 10 ° c . and these crystals filtered off yielding 0 . 1104 g . the infrared spectrum of this product contained a sharp band at 830 cm - 1 indicating coordinated nitro ligands ; however , it also contained a sharp nh band at 777 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( ii ) oxidation state that was confirmed by xps analysis . anal : calculated for pten ( no 2 ) 2 ( fw 347 . 39 : c , 6 . 91 ; h , 2 . 33 ; n , 16 . 13 . found : c , 6 . 97 ; h , 2 . 32 ; n , 15 . 74 . the filtrate was concentrated to less than 1 ml at 40 ° c . and allowed to evaporate to dryness . a yellow , gummy product resulted whose infrared spectrum contained split , moderately sharp bands at 821 cm - 1 and a shorter one at 839 cm - 1 , indicating two types of coordinated nitro ligands , a broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 , and a very small band at 1720 cm - 1 , possibly indicating a n ═ o group . no nh band was observed at 770 cm - 1 indicating a platinum ( iv ) oxidation state . this infrared spectrum suggest a complex with a probable formula of pten ( no 2 ) 3 ono !. synthesis of pten ( no 2 )( ono ) 3 ! ! having a proposed structure as shown in fig6 using no / hno 3 as oxidant a slurry of diiodoethylenediamineplatinum ( ii ) pteni 2 ! ( 1 . 2639 g , 2 . 5 × 10 - 3 mol dispersed in 60 ml of water ) was treated with a solution of agno 3 ( 0 . 8441 g , 5 . 0 × 10 - 3 mol ) to precipitate the iodide as agi . the slurry was allowed to react with stirring for 3 hours at 55 ° c ., and cooled overnight at 25 ° c . and filtered . a 1 . 1489 g ( 4 . 894 mmol ) amount of dry silver iodide was obtained . the filtrate was concentrated at 55 ° c . to a 30 ml volume and treated with a no gas stream ( about 1 bubble / second ) for 45 minutes at 25 ° c . no color change was noted until 4 . 5 ml of concentrated nitric acid ( 16m ) was added and the no gas stream resumed , then it immediately turned a blue color . at the end of the no addition , the color remained a deep blue which after 4 hours of standing exposed to air , turned green and by the following morning turned pale yellow . the treatment was repeated twice more with no gas for 15 minutes and the mixture was allowed to stand over night each time . the solution was then transferred to a rotovac unit and evaporated to dryness at a maximum temperature of 73 ° c . and a vacuum reading of 5 kpa to yield 0 . 9786 g of a brownish product . its infrared spectrum contained the characteristic sharp nitro band at 827 cm - 1 , and a large asymmetrical , broad nitrito band at 970 cm - 1 . no nh band was present at 7790 cm - 1 indicating a pt ( iv ) oxidation state . anal : calculated for ptenno 2 ( ono ) 3 ! ( fw 439 . 25 ): c , 5 . 47 ; h , 1 . 84 ; n , 19 . 14 . found : c , 5 . 31 ; h , 1 . 69 ; n , 13 . 53 . further drying at 73 ° c . and 6 kpa gave a product whose infrared spectrum exhibited larger nitro bands at 1495 cm - 1 , 1320 cm - 1 , 480 cm - 1 and an asymmetrical one at 827 cm - 1 with a shoulder at 835 cm - 1 , smaller nitrito bands at 1550 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 , 1280 cm - 1 and 960 cm - 1 and a much larger band at 1725 cm - 1 , possibly indicating the presence of n ═ o groups . anal . found : c , 9 . 35 ; h , 2 . 01 ; n , 7 . 90 . these analyses indicate continued loss of no from the product during drying . many other variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the described structures and examples of their syntheses are , therefore , intended to be merely exemplary , and all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 948b41e2aac5f361a685416dfa2e562ab2c533874047b8d00df64795cd1f830d | 0.332031 | 0.15625 | 0.427734 | 0.249023 | 0.486328 | 0.294922 |
null | as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the drum or cylindrical magazine 10 consists of opposed end plates 11 and 12 whose interior walls are spirally indented to form tracks or channels 13 and 14 which act to guide the nose and base of cartridge 15 respectively . a weathertight cover or side wall 16 is attached between the end plates 11 and 12 by means of suitably located fasteners 17 or other similar devices . each end plate contains a line bearing 18 and 19 located to accommodate shaft or hub 20 on which are positioned the base spider arms 21 and the nose spider arms 22 . the spiders 21 , 22 are driven by spring 23 which is a commercially available torsion spring so wound as to produce an effectively constant resisting force during extension . spring 23 is externally mounted and biased tightly against post 24 of the end plate 11 or 12 and is secured to shaft 20 to rotate the assembly of shaft 20 and spiders 21 and 22 . the cartridges 15 are shown positioned within the drum 10 with axis essentially parallel to the axis of shaft 20 and constrained by the spiders 21 and 22 . a plurality of groups of four cartridges are defined by the separation between the individual arms of spiders 21 and 22 . as driven by the spiders and guided by the channels , the cartridges are progressively moved into channels 26 and 27 which are formed as integral straight or linear tangential extensions of channels 13 and 14 and end plates 11 and 12 . the extreme extension of channels 26 and 27 position the cartridges for stripping off from the magazine by the bolt carrier motion . an alternate construction would employ a cantilever mounting of the shaft 20 and combine one side plate 12 , for instance , with a deep cylindrical cover for purposes of convenience and economy . the theoretical centerline path 28 of the spiral tracks 13 and 14 in end plates 11 , 12 is defined as a segment of an archimedian spiral of mathematical definition : r = radius from origin to any point on the centerline fig3 illustrates in expanded scale the relation between the cylindrical cartridge 15 , the spiral path of the centerline 28 , and the path of the outer wall 29 of the channel for the base of the cartridge . this spiral path 29 must also take the form r 1 = radius from origin to any point on the outer wall the path 28 and the path 29 are related by the requirement that the tangent to 29 always be perpendicular to the circle representing the cartridge periphery whose center is always on 28 . this provides a numerical solution to the obtuse triangle formed by r , r 1 , and d / 2 where d / 2 is the radius of the cartridge circle , as shown in fig3 . at r , θ , the tangent to 28 is determined from tan ψ = r ( d / dr ) where ψ is the angle between r and the tangent line . by definition , the perpendicular to the tangent at the point of tangency will be the radius of the cartridge circle which will be also perpendicular to the tangent line of the cartridge circle at its periphery ; i . e ., at a point where the periphery of the cartridge circle contains curve 29 . by one of several solutions : where φ , j and k are defined in fig3 . since r 1 2 can be calculated from r 1 2 = ( r + k ) 2 + j 2 - 2 ( r + k ) j cos α whereby , with r = 0 . 0696θ + 0 . 250 and d = 0 . 375 , r 1 = 0 . 435 in . but , r 1 = k 1 θ 1 + a 1 defines the outer wall . so , from fig3 at θ = 0 guidance of the nose section by the corresponding opposite wall track will be guaranteed by the same reasoning but will have a definition of the wall of that spiral as determined by the diameter of the nose at the contact point . a second geometric relationship which is important to the present invention is the lateral faces 30 and 31 of the arms of the spider 21 and 22 which engage the leading and trailing cartridge of the four cartridge group . any curve face 30 , which provides a continuous surface over the span from the inner to the outer channel such that the point of contact with the cartridge is maintained will satisfy the design requirement . an infinite number of curves will do this and , for manufacturing simplicity , a bilinear development along faces 30 and 31 is elected . the tangent to the cartridge case , in cartesian form , for θ = 0 is y = 0 . 15 in ., for 1 . 3 in & lt ; r & lt ; 1 . 6 in ., and for the outer section is y = 0 . 557x - 0 . 75 in . the reverse face 31 of the spider forms a compartment of constant width . the face 30 and 31 diverge radially to provide the constant circumferal width . the relationship of the design of spiral channels and the lateral faces of the spider arms are best illustrated by the resulting forces on the cartridges . fig4 illustrates the initial forces as statically disposed on the cartridge which bears on the leading contact face 30 of the spider arm 21 . from the previous geometric discussion , it is obvious that adjacent cylindrical cartridges 15 will contact at their radii locating a point interior to the centerline of motion 28 and producing resisting force f 1 directed radially through the cartridge center of gravity . application of f from face 30 of spiders exterior to the centerline path 28 will thus produce a resultant force which will be disposed at the inner wall 32 as reaction f 2 . since the three remaining cartridges in this group will contact at their periphery and the contact point will always be interior to path 28 , these cartridges will bear against the outer wall 29 in the first and third quadrants . in the second and fourth quadrants the disposition will be reversed . f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 indicate corresponding forces on these cartridges . the friction forces will oppose the direction of local motion but , due to the small contact area and the small unitized loading from forward cartridges , they will be of negligible magnitude . the accelerating forces never exceed three &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; along path 28 and are also negligible for strength determinations . each four - cartridge group is impelled as a unit along the channel to the straight exit channel 26 , 27 . as the single cartridge at the top is stripped from the string by the forward motion of the bolt ( not shown ), the shaft 20 and spider arms 21 , 22 , under the torque produced by the spring 23 can index forward the equivalent of one cartridge rotation . the contact faces 30 of the spider at its outer extremity describes a circle which ultimately sweeps past the channel span and ceases contact with the cartridges . concurrently , the return motion of the bolt -- which contains a &# 34 ; pick off &# 34 ; lug -- acts on the top cartridge to press down on the string . the reversal of forces and of motion is contained by the progressive steps or indentures 33 machined into the radial face of the spider arms . as each step face exceeds the cartridge contact limiting location , the one following is then in position to contain the cartridge string . the following group of four cartridges is then automatically fed into the string from the spiral channel as the last step face rotates out of contact . the contact faces of the separate steps are uniformly spaced across the spider periphery and the radial extent of each step is also uniformly graduated at the rate of one cartridge diameter per step . the inner edge of the channel determines the inclination of the radial faces ; i . e ., the radial faces should align with the inner edge of the channel upon passage . the number of indentures are one less than the number of cartridges in a group . for the illustrated embodiment , three indentures 33 are needed for the four cartridge group . the operation of the indentures is shown in fig5 wherein a cartridge 15 engages the last indenture 33 of spider arm 21 . the spider arm design and configuration constitutes the central element of this invention . a predetermined , uniformly stepped motion is required by the gun operating cycle and is delivered by the self - compensating spring drive in combination with the individual regulation of the cartridges by the stepped outer controur of the spiders at the transition section in the movement of the cartridges from the spiral channel to the straight feed or exit channel . the preceding description of preferred embodiments is evidence that the objects of the invention are obtained in that a drum cartridge magazine is provided having a uniquely designed channel and spider arm configuration to produce a rapid , continuous and smooth delivery of a plurality of cartridges to an automatic weapon . although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only . we wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described , for obvious modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 55ea8bf769c3c0cc5cafad992f018b6714b2dd8b5b18a7b0056531046f7ddcf0 | 0.02002 | 0.006287 | 0.006287 | 0.000431 | 0.063477 | 0.001411 |
null | as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the drum or cylindrical magazine 10 consists of opposed end plates 11 and 12 whose interior walls are spirally indented to form tracks or channels 13 and 14 which act to guide the nose and base of cartridge 15 respectively . a weathertight cover or side wall 16 is attached between the end plates 11 and 12 by means of suitably located fasteners 17 or other similar devices . each end plate contains a line bearing 18 and 19 located to accommodate shaft or hub 20 on which are positioned the base spider arms 21 and the nose spider arms 22 . the spiders 21 , 22 are driven by spring 23 which is a commercially available torsion spring so wound as to produce an effectively constant resisting force during extension . spring 23 is externally mounted and biased tightly against post 24 of the end plate 11 or 12 and is secured to shaft 20 to rotate the assembly of shaft 20 and spiders 21 and 22 . the cartridges 15 are shown positioned within the drum 10 with axis essentially parallel to the axis of shaft 20 and constrained by the spiders 21 and 22 . a plurality of groups of four cartridges are defined by the separation between the individual arms of spiders 21 and 22 . as driven by the spiders and guided by the channels , the cartridges are progressively moved into channels 26 and 27 which are formed as integral straight or linear tangential extensions of channels 13 and 14 and end plates 11 and 12 . the extreme extension of channels 26 and 27 position the cartridges for stripping off from the magazine by the bolt carrier motion . an alternate construction would employ a cantilever mounting of the shaft 20 and combine one side plate 12 , for instance , with a deep cylindrical cover for purposes of convenience and economy . the theoretical centerline path 28 of the spiral tracks 13 and 14 in end plates 11 , 12 is defined as a segment of an archimedian spiral of mathematical definition : r = radius from origin to any point on the centerline fig3 illustrates in expanded scale the relation between the cylindrical cartridge 15 , the spiral path of the centerline 28 , and the path of the outer wall 29 of the channel for the base of the cartridge . this spiral path 29 must also take the form r 1 = radius from origin to any point on the outer wall the path 28 and the path 29 are related by the requirement that the tangent to 29 always be perpendicular to the circle representing the cartridge periphery whose center is always on 28 . this provides a numerical solution to the obtuse triangle formed by r , r 1 , and d / 2 where d / 2 is the radius of the cartridge circle , as shown in fig3 . at r , θ , the tangent to 28 is determined from tan ψ = r ( d / dr ) where ψ is the angle between r and the tangent line . by definition , the perpendicular to the tangent at the point of tangency will be the radius of the cartridge circle which will be also perpendicular to the tangent line of the cartridge circle at its periphery ; i . e ., at a point where the periphery of the cartridge circle contains curve 29 . by one of several solutions : where φ , j and k are defined in fig3 . since r 1 2 can be calculated from r 1 2 = ( r + k ) 2 + j 2 - 2 ( r + k ) j cos α whereby , with r = 0 . 0696θ + 0 . 250 and d = 0 . 375 , r 1 = 0 . 435 in . but , r 1 = k 1 θ 1 + a 1 defines the outer wall . so , from fig3 at θ = 0 guidance of the nose section by the corresponding opposite wall track will be guaranteed by the same reasoning but will have a definition of the wall of that spiral as determined by the diameter of the nose at the contact point . a second geometric relationship which is important to the present invention is the lateral faces 30 and 31 of the arms of the spider 21 and 22 which engage the leading and trailing cartridge of the four cartridge group . any curve face 30 , which provides a continuous surface over the span from the inner to the outer channel such that the point of contact with the cartridge is maintained will satisfy the design requirement . an infinite number of curves will do this and , for manufacturing simplicity , a bilinear development along faces 30 and 31 is elected . the tangent to the cartridge case , in cartesian form , for θ = 0 is y = 0 . 15 in ., for 1 . 3 in & lt ; r & lt ; 1 . 6 in ., and for the outer section is y = 0 . 557x - 0 . 75 in . the reverse face 31 of the spider forms a compartment of constant width . the face 30 and 31 diverge radially to provide the constant circumferal width . the relationship of the design of spiral channels and the lateral faces of the spider arms are best illustrated by the resulting forces on the cartridges . fig4 illustrates the initial forces as statically disposed on the cartridge which bears on the leading contact face 30 of the spider arm 21 . from the previous geometric discussion , it is obvious that adjacent cylindrical cartridges 15 will contact at their radii locating a point interior to the centerline of motion 28 and producing resisting force f 1 directed radially through the cartridge center of gravity . application of f from face 30 of spiders exterior to the centerline path 28 will thus produce a resultant force which will be disposed at the inner wall 32 as reaction f 2 . since the three remaining cartridges in this group will contact at their periphery and the contact point will always be interior to path 28 , these cartridges will bear against the outer wall 29 in the first and third quadrants . in the second and fourth quadrants the disposition will be reversed . f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 indicate corresponding forces on these cartridges . the friction forces will oppose the direction of local motion but , due to the small contact area and the small unitized loading from forward cartridges , they will be of negligible magnitude . the accelerating forces never exceed three &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; along path 28 and are also negligible for strength determinations . each four - cartridge group is impelled as a unit along the channel to the straight exit channel 26 , 27 . as the single cartridge at the top is stripped from the string by the forward motion of the bolt ( not shown ), the shaft 20 and spider arms 21 , 22 , under the torque produced by the spring 23 can index forward the equivalent of one cartridge rotation . the contact faces 30 of the spider at its outer extremity describes a circle which ultimately sweeps past the channel span and ceases contact with the cartridges . concurrently , the return motion of the bolt -- which contains a &# 34 ; pick off &# 34 ; lug -- acts on the top cartridge to press down on the string . the reversal of forces and of motion is contained by the progressive steps or indentures 33 machined into the radial face of the spider arms . as each step face exceeds the cartridge contact limiting location , the one following is then in position to contain the cartridge string . the following group of four cartridges is then automatically fed into the string from the spiral channel as the last step face rotates out of contact . the contact faces of the separate steps are uniformly spaced across the spider periphery and the radial extent of each step is also uniformly graduated at the rate of one cartridge diameter per step . the inner edge of the channel determines the inclination of the radial faces ; i . e ., the radial faces should align with the inner edge of the channel upon passage . the number of indentures are one less than the number of cartridges in a group . for the illustrated embodiment , three indentures 33 are needed for the four cartridge group . the operation of the indentures is shown in fig5 wherein a cartridge 15 engages the last indenture 33 of spider arm 21 . the spider arm design and configuration constitutes the central element of this invention . a predetermined , uniformly stepped motion is required by the gun operating cycle and is delivered by the self - compensating spring drive in combination with the individual regulation of the cartridges by the stepped outer controur of the spiders at the transition section in the movement of the cartridges from the spiral channel to the straight feed or exit channel . the preceding description of preferred embodiments is evidence that the objects of the invention are obtained in that a drum cartridge magazine is provided having a uniquely designed channel and spider arm configuration to produce a rapid , continuous and smooth delivery of a plurality of cartridges to an automatic weapon . although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only . we wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described , for obvious modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 55ea8bf769c3c0cc5cafad992f018b6714b2dd8b5b18a7b0056531046f7ddcf0 | 0.015442 | 0.012451 | 0.003281 | 0.012817 | 0.03418 | 0.02478 |
null | as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the drum or cylindrical magazine 10 consists of opposed end plates 11 and 12 whose interior walls are spirally indented to form tracks or channels 13 and 14 which act to guide the nose and base of cartridge 15 respectively . a weathertight cover or side wall 16 is attached between the end plates 11 and 12 by means of suitably located fasteners 17 or other similar devices . each end plate contains a line bearing 18 and 19 located to accommodate shaft or hub 20 on which are positioned the base spider arms 21 and the nose spider arms 22 . the spiders 21 , 22 are driven by spring 23 which is a commercially available torsion spring so wound as to produce an effectively constant resisting force during extension . spring 23 is externally mounted and biased tightly against post 24 of the end plate 11 or 12 and is secured to shaft 20 to rotate the assembly of shaft 20 and spiders 21 and 22 . the cartridges 15 are shown positioned within the drum 10 with axis essentially parallel to the axis of shaft 20 and constrained by the spiders 21 and 22 . a plurality of groups of four cartridges are defined by the separation between the individual arms of spiders 21 and 22 . as driven by the spiders and guided by the channels , the cartridges are progressively moved into channels 26 and 27 which are formed as integral straight or linear tangential extensions of channels 13 and 14 and end plates 11 and 12 . the extreme extension of channels 26 and 27 position the cartridges for stripping off from the magazine by the bolt carrier motion . an alternate construction would employ a cantilever mounting of the shaft 20 and combine one side plate 12 , for instance , with a deep cylindrical cover for purposes of convenience and economy . the theoretical centerline path 28 of the spiral tracks 13 and 14 in end plates 11 , 12 is defined as a segment of an archimedian spiral of mathematical definition : r = radius from origin to any point on the centerline fig3 illustrates in expanded scale the relation between the cylindrical cartridge 15 , the spiral path of the centerline 28 , and the path of the outer wall 29 of the channel for the base of the cartridge . this spiral path 29 must also take the form r 1 = radius from origin to any point on the outer wall the path 28 and the path 29 are related by the requirement that the tangent to 29 always be perpendicular to the circle representing the cartridge periphery whose center is always on 28 . this provides a numerical solution to the obtuse triangle formed by r , r 1 , and d / 2 where d / 2 is the radius of the cartridge circle , as shown in fig3 . at r , θ , the tangent to 28 is determined from tan ψ = r ( d / dr ) where ψ is the angle between r and the tangent line . by definition , the perpendicular to the tangent at the point of tangency will be the radius of the cartridge circle which will be also perpendicular to the tangent line of the cartridge circle at its periphery ; i . e ., at a point where the periphery of the cartridge circle contains curve 29 . by one of several solutions : where φ , j and k are defined in fig3 . since r 1 2 can be calculated from r 1 2 = ( r + k ) 2 + j 2 - 2 ( r + k ) j cos α whereby , with r = 0 . 0696θ + 0 . 250 and d = 0 . 375 , r 1 = 0 . 435 in . but , r 1 = k 1 θ 1 + a 1 defines the outer wall . so , from fig3 at θ = 0 guidance of the nose section by the corresponding opposite wall track will be guaranteed by the same reasoning but will have a definition of the wall of that spiral as determined by the diameter of the nose at the contact point . a second geometric relationship which is important to the present invention is the lateral faces 30 and 31 of the arms of the spider 21 and 22 which engage the leading and trailing cartridge of the four cartridge group . any curve face 30 , which provides a continuous surface over the span from the inner to the outer channel such that the point of contact with the cartridge is maintained will satisfy the design requirement . an infinite number of curves will do this and , for manufacturing simplicity , a bilinear development along faces 30 and 31 is elected . the tangent to the cartridge case , in cartesian form , for θ = 0 is y = 0 . 15 in ., for 1 . 3 in & lt ; r & lt ; 1 . 6 in ., and for the outer section is y = 0 . 557x - 0 . 75 in . the reverse face 31 of the spider forms a compartment of constant width . the face 30 and 31 diverge radially to provide the constant circumferal width . the relationship of the design of spiral channels and the lateral faces of the spider arms are best illustrated by the resulting forces on the cartridges . fig4 illustrates the initial forces as statically disposed on the cartridge which bears on the leading contact face 30 of the spider arm 21 . from the previous geometric discussion , it is obvious that adjacent cylindrical cartridges 15 will contact at their radii locating a point interior to the centerline of motion 28 and producing resisting force f 1 directed radially through the cartridge center of gravity . application of f from face 30 of spiders exterior to the centerline path 28 will thus produce a resultant force which will be disposed at the inner wall 32 as reaction f 2 . since the three remaining cartridges in this group will contact at their periphery and the contact point will always be interior to path 28 , these cartridges will bear against the outer wall 29 in the first and third quadrants . in the second and fourth quadrants the disposition will be reversed . f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 indicate corresponding forces on these cartridges . the friction forces will oppose the direction of local motion but , due to the small contact area and the small unitized loading from forward cartridges , they will be of negligible magnitude . the accelerating forces never exceed three &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; along path 28 and are also negligible for strength determinations . each four - cartridge group is impelled as a unit along the channel to the straight exit channel 26 , 27 . as the single cartridge at the top is stripped from the string by the forward motion of the bolt ( not shown ), the shaft 20 and spider arms 21 , 22 , under the torque produced by the spring 23 can index forward the equivalent of one cartridge rotation . the contact faces 30 of the spider at its outer extremity describes a circle which ultimately sweeps past the channel span and ceases contact with the cartridges . concurrently , the return motion of the bolt -- which contains a &# 34 ; pick off &# 34 ; lug -- acts on the top cartridge to press down on the string . the reversal of forces and of motion is contained by the progressive steps or indentures 33 machined into the radial face of the spider arms . as each step face exceeds the cartridge contact limiting location , the one following is then in position to contain the cartridge string . the following group of four cartridges is then automatically fed into the string from the spiral channel as the last step face rotates out of contact . the contact faces of the separate steps are uniformly spaced across the spider periphery and the radial extent of each step is also uniformly graduated at the rate of one cartridge diameter per step . the inner edge of the channel determines the inclination of the radial faces ; i . e ., the radial faces should align with the inner edge of the channel upon passage . the number of indentures are one less than the number of cartridges in a group . for the illustrated embodiment , three indentures 33 are needed for the four cartridge group . the operation of the indentures is shown in fig5 wherein a cartridge 15 engages the last indenture 33 of spider arm 21 . the spider arm design and configuration constitutes the central element of this invention . a predetermined , uniformly stepped motion is required by the gun operating cycle and is delivered by the self - compensating spring drive in combination with the individual regulation of the cartridges by the stepped outer controur of the spiders at the transition section in the movement of the cartridges from the spiral channel to the straight feed or exit channel . the preceding description of preferred embodiments is evidence that the objects of the invention are obtained in that a drum cartridge magazine is provided having a uniquely designed channel and spider arm configuration to produce a rapid , continuous and smooth delivery of a plurality of cartridges to an automatic weapon . although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only . we wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described , for obvious modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art . | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | 55ea8bf769c3c0cc5cafad992f018b6714b2dd8b5b18a7b0056531046f7ddcf0 | 0.002258 | 0.002472 | 0.000999 | 0.000261 | 0.018799 | 0.002716 |
null | as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the drum or cylindrical magazine 10 consists of opposed end plates 11 and 12 whose interior walls are spirally indented to form tracks or channels 13 and 14 which act to guide the nose and base of cartridge 15 respectively . a weathertight cover or side wall 16 is attached between the end plates 11 and 12 by means of suitably located fasteners 17 or other similar devices . each end plate contains a line bearing 18 and 19 located to accommodate shaft or hub 20 on which are positioned the base spider arms 21 and the nose spider arms 22 . the spiders 21 , 22 are driven by spring 23 which is a commercially available torsion spring so wound as to produce an effectively constant resisting force during extension . spring 23 is externally mounted and biased tightly against post 24 of the end plate 11 or 12 and is secured to shaft 20 to rotate the assembly of shaft 20 and spiders 21 and 22 . the cartridges 15 are shown positioned within the drum 10 with axis essentially parallel to the axis of shaft 20 and constrained by the spiders 21 and 22 . a plurality of groups of four cartridges are defined by the separation between the individual arms of spiders 21 and 22 . as driven by the spiders and guided by the channels , the cartridges are progressively moved into channels 26 and 27 which are formed as integral straight or linear tangential extensions of channels 13 and 14 and end plates 11 and 12 . the extreme extension of channels 26 and 27 position the cartridges for stripping off from the magazine by the bolt carrier motion . an alternate construction would employ a cantilever mounting of the shaft 20 and combine one side plate 12 , for instance , with a deep cylindrical cover for purposes of convenience and economy . the theoretical centerline path 28 of the spiral tracks 13 and 14 in end plates 11 , 12 is defined as a segment of an archimedian spiral of mathematical definition : r = radius from origin to any point on the centerline fig3 illustrates in expanded scale the relation between the cylindrical cartridge 15 , the spiral path of the centerline 28 , and the path of the outer wall 29 of the channel for the base of the cartridge . this spiral path 29 must also take the form r 1 = radius from origin to any point on the outer wall the path 28 and the path 29 are related by the requirement that the tangent to 29 always be perpendicular to the circle representing the cartridge periphery whose center is always on 28 . this provides a numerical solution to the obtuse triangle formed by r , r 1 , and d / 2 where d / 2 is the radius of the cartridge circle , as shown in fig3 . at r , θ , the tangent to 28 is determined from tan ψ = r ( d / dr ) where ψ is the angle between r and the tangent line . by definition , the perpendicular to the tangent at the point of tangency will be the radius of the cartridge circle which will be also perpendicular to the tangent line of the cartridge circle at its periphery ; i . e ., at a point where the periphery of the cartridge circle contains curve 29 . by one of several solutions : where φ , j and k are defined in fig3 . since r 1 2 can be calculated from r 1 2 = ( r + k ) 2 + j 2 - 2 ( r + k ) j cos α whereby , with r = 0 . 0696θ + 0 . 250 and d = 0 . 375 , r 1 = 0 . 435 in . but , r 1 = k 1 θ 1 + a 1 defines the outer wall . so , from fig3 at θ = 0 guidance of the nose section by the corresponding opposite wall track will be guaranteed by the same reasoning but will have a definition of the wall of that spiral as determined by the diameter of the nose at the contact point . a second geometric relationship which is important to the present invention is the lateral faces 30 and 31 of the arms of the spider 21 and 22 which engage the leading and trailing cartridge of the four cartridge group . any curve face 30 , which provides a continuous surface over the span from the inner to the outer channel such that the point of contact with the cartridge is maintained will satisfy the design requirement . an infinite number of curves will do this and , for manufacturing simplicity , a bilinear development along faces 30 and 31 is elected . the tangent to the cartridge case , in cartesian form , for θ = 0 is y = 0 . 15 in ., for 1 . 3 in & lt ; r & lt ; 1 . 6 in ., and for the outer section is y = 0 . 557x - 0 . 75 in . the reverse face 31 of the spider forms a compartment of constant width . the face 30 and 31 diverge radially to provide the constant circumferal width . the relationship of the design of spiral channels and the lateral faces of the spider arms are best illustrated by the resulting forces on the cartridges . fig4 illustrates the initial forces as statically disposed on the cartridge which bears on the leading contact face 30 of the spider arm 21 . from the previous geometric discussion , it is obvious that adjacent cylindrical cartridges 15 will contact at their radii locating a point interior to the centerline of motion 28 and producing resisting force f 1 directed radially through the cartridge center of gravity . application of f from face 30 of spiders exterior to the centerline path 28 will thus produce a resultant force which will be disposed at the inner wall 32 as reaction f 2 . since the three remaining cartridges in this group will contact at their periphery and the contact point will always be interior to path 28 , these cartridges will bear against the outer wall 29 in the first and third quadrants . in the second and fourth quadrants the disposition will be reversed . f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 indicate corresponding forces on these cartridges . the friction forces will oppose the direction of local motion but , due to the small contact area and the small unitized loading from forward cartridges , they will be of negligible magnitude . the accelerating forces never exceed three &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; along path 28 and are also negligible for strength determinations . each four - cartridge group is impelled as a unit along the channel to the straight exit channel 26 , 27 . as the single cartridge at the top is stripped from the string by the forward motion of the bolt ( not shown ), the shaft 20 and spider arms 21 , 22 , under the torque produced by the spring 23 can index forward the equivalent of one cartridge rotation . the contact faces 30 of the spider at its outer extremity describes a circle which ultimately sweeps past the channel span and ceases contact with the cartridges . concurrently , the return motion of the bolt -- which contains a &# 34 ; pick off &# 34 ; lug -- acts on the top cartridge to press down on the string . the reversal of forces and of motion is contained by the progressive steps or indentures 33 machined into the radial face of the spider arms . as each step face exceeds the cartridge contact limiting location , the one following is then in position to contain the cartridge string . the following group of four cartridges is then automatically fed into the string from the spiral channel as the last step face rotates out of contact . the contact faces of the separate steps are uniformly spaced across the spider periphery and the radial extent of each step is also uniformly graduated at the rate of one cartridge diameter per step . the inner edge of the channel determines the inclination of the radial faces ; i . e ., the radial faces should align with the inner edge of the channel upon passage . the number of indentures are one less than the number of cartridges in a group . for the illustrated embodiment , three indentures 33 are needed for the four cartridge group . the operation of the indentures is shown in fig5 wherein a cartridge 15 engages the last indenture 33 of spider arm 21 . the spider arm design and configuration constitutes the central element of this invention . a predetermined , uniformly stepped motion is required by the gun operating cycle and is delivered by the self - compensating spring drive in combination with the individual regulation of the cartridges by the stepped outer controur of the spiders at the transition section in the movement of the cartridges from the spiral channel to the straight feed or exit channel . the preceding description of preferred embodiments is evidence that the objects of the invention are obtained in that a drum cartridge magazine is provided having a uniquely designed channel and spider arm configuration to produce a rapid , continuous and smooth delivery of a plurality of cartridges to an automatic weapon . although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only . we wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described , for obvious modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art . | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 55ea8bf769c3c0cc5cafad992f018b6714b2dd8b5b18a7b0056531046f7ddcf0 | 0.035645 | 0.000023 | 0.003372 | 0.000005 | 0.080566 | 0.001411 |
null | as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the drum or cylindrical magazine 10 consists of opposed end plates 11 and 12 whose interior walls are spirally indented to form tracks or channels 13 and 14 which act to guide the nose and base of cartridge 15 respectively . a weathertight cover or side wall 16 is attached between the end plates 11 and 12 by means of suitably located fasteners 17 or other similar devices . each end plate contains a line bearing 18 and 19 located to accommodate shaft or hub 20 on which are positioned the base spider arms 21 and the nose spider arms 22 . the spiders 21 , 22 are driven by spring 23 which is a commercially available torsion spring so wound as to produce an effectively constant resisting force during extension . spring 23 is externally mounted and biased tightly against post 24 of the end plate 11 or 12 and is secured to shaft 20 to rotate the assembly of shaft 20 and spiders 21 and 22 . the cartridges 15 are shown positioned within the drum 10 with axis essentially parallel to the axis of shaft 20 and constrained by the spiders 21 and 22 . a plurality of groups of four cartridges are defined by the separation between the individual arms of spiders 21 and 22 . as driven by the spiders and guided by the channels , the cartridges are progressively moved into channels 26 and 27 which are formed as integral straight or linear tangential extensions of channels 13 and 14 and end plates 11 and 12 . the extreme extension of channels 26 and 27 position the cartridges for stripping off from the magazine by the bolt carrier motion . an alternate construction would employ a cantilever mounting of the shaft 20 and combine one side plate 12 , for instance , with a deep cylindrical cover for purposes of convenience and economy . the theoretical centerline path 28 of the spiral tracks 13 and 14 in end plates 11 , 12 is defined as a segment of an archimedian spiral of mathematical definition : r = radius from origin to any point on the centerline fig3 illustrates in expanded scale the relation between the cylindrical cartridge 15 , the spiral path of the centerline 28 , and the path of the outer wall 29 of the channel for the base of the cartridge . this spiral path 29 must also take the form r 1 = radius from origin to any point on the outer wall the path 28 and the path 29 are related by the requirement that the tangent to 29 always be perpendicular to the circle representing the cartridge periphery whose center is always on 28 . this provides a numerical solution to the obtuse triangle formed by r , r 1 , and d / 2 where d / 2 is the radius of the cartridge circle , as shown in fig3 . at r , θ , the tangent to 28 is determined from tan ψ = r ( d / dr ) where ψ is the angle between r and the tangent line . by definition , the perpendicular to the tangent at the point of tangency will be the radius of the cartridge circle which will be also perpendicular to the tangent line of the cartridge circle at its periphery ; i . e ., at a point where the periphery of the cartridge circle contains curve 29 . by one of several solutions : where φ , j and k are defined in fig3 . since r 1 2 can be calculated from r 1 2 = ( r + k ) 2 + j 2 - 2 ( r + k ) j cos α whereby , with r = 0 . 0696θ + 0 . 250 and d = 0 . 375 , r 1 = 0 . 435 in . but , r 1 = k 1 θ 1 + a 1 defines the outer wall . so , from fig3 at θ = 0 guidance of the nose section by the corresponding opposite wall track will be guaranteed by the same reasoning but will have a definition of the wall of that spiral as determined by the diameter of the nose at the contact point . a second geometric relationship which is important to the present invention is the lateral faces 30 and 31 of the arms of the spider 21 and 22 which engage the leading and trailing cartridge of the four cartridge group . any curve face 30 , which provides a continuous surface over the span from the inner to the outer channel such that the point of contact with the cartridge is maintained will satisfy the design requirement . an infinite number of curves will do this and , for manufacturing simplicity , a bilinear development along faces 30 and 31 is elected . the tangent to the cartridge case , in cartesian form , for θ = 0 is y = 0 . 15 in ., for 1 . 3 in & lt ; r & lt ; 1 . 6 in ., and for the outer section is y = 0 . 557x - 0 . 75 in . the reverse face 31 of the spider forms a compartment of constant width . the face 30 and 31 diverge radially to provide the constant circumferal width . the relationship of the design of spiral channels and the lateral faces of the spider arms are best illustrated by the resulting forces on the cartridges . fig4 illustrates the initial forces as statically disposed on the cartridge which bears on the leading contact face 30 of the spider arm 21 . from the previous geometric discussion , it is obvious that adjacent cylindrical cartridges 15 will contact at their radii locating a point interior to the centerline of motion 28 and producing resisting force f 1 directed radially through the cartridge center of gravity . application of f from face 30 of spiders exterior to the centerline path 28 will thus produce a resultant force which will be disposed at the inner wall 32 as reaction f 2 . since the three remaining cartridges in this group will contact at their periphery and the contact point will always be interior to path 28 , these cartridges will bear against the outer wall 29 in the first and third quadrants . in the second and fourth quadrants the disposition will be reversed . f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 indicate corresponding forces on these cartridges . the friction forces will oppose the direction of local motion but , due to the small contact area and the small unitized loading from forward cartridges , they will be of negligible magnitude . the accelerating forces never exceed three &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; along path 28 and are also negligible for strength determinations . each four - cartridge group is impelled as a unit along the channel to the straight exit channel 26 , 27 . as the single cartridge at the top is stripped from the string by the forward motion of the bolt ( not shown ), the shaft 20 and spider arms 21 , 22 , under the torque produced by the spring 23 can index forward the equivalent of one cartridge rotation . the contact faces 30 of the spider at its outer extremity describes a circle which ultimately sweeps past the channel span and ceases contact with the cartridges . concurrently , the return motion of the bolt -- which contains a &# 34 ; pick off &# 34 ; lug -- acts on the top cartridge to press down on the string . the reversal of forces and of motion is contained by the progressive steps or indentures 33 machined into the radial face of the spider arms . as each step face exceeds the cartridge contact limiting location , the one following is then in position to contain the cartridge string . the following group of four cartridges is then automatically fed into the string from the spiral channel as the last step face rotates out of contact . the contact faces of the separate steps are uniformly spaced across the spider periphery and the radial extent of each step is also uniformly graduated at the rate of one cartridge diameter per step . the inner edge of the channel determines the inclination of the radial faces ; i . e ., the radial faces should align with the inner edge of the channel upon passage . the number of indentures are one less than the number of cartridges in a group . for the illustrated embodiment , three indentures 33 are needed for the four cartridge group . the operation of the indentures is shown in fig5 wherein a cartridge 15 engages the last indenture 33 of spider arm 21 . the spider arm design and configuration constitutes the central element of this invention . a predetermined , uniformly stepped motion is required by the gun operating cycle and is delivered by the self - compensating spring drive in combination with the individual regulation of the cartridges by the stepped outer controur of the spiders at the transition section in the movement of the cartridges from the spiral channel to the straight feed or exit channel . the preceding description of preferred embodiments is evidence that the objects of the invention are obtained in that a drum cartridge magazine is provided having a uniquely designed channel and spider arm configuration to produce a rapid , continuous and smooth delivery of a plurality of cartridges to an automatic weapon . although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only . we wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described , for obvious modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 55ea8bf769c3c0cc5cafad992f018b6714b2dd8b5b18a7b0056531046f7ddcf0 | 0.015869 | 0.019409 | 0.003281 | 0.035645 | 0.03418 | 0.067383 |
null | as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the drum or cylindrical magazine 10 consists of opposed end plates 11 and 12 whose interior walls are spirally indented to form tracks or channels 13 and 14 which act to guide the nose and base of cartridge 15 respectively . a weathertight cover or side wall 16 is attached between the end plates 11 and 12 by means of suitably located fasteners 17 or other similar devices . each end plate contains a line bearing 18 and 19 located to accommodate shaft or hub 20 on which are positioned the base spider arms 21 and the nose spider arms 22 . the spiders 21 , 22 are driven by spring 23 which is a commercially available torsion spring so wound as to produce an effectively constant resisting force during extension . spring 23 is externally mounted and biased tightly against post 24 of the end plate 11 or 12 and is secured to shaft 20 to rotate the assembly of shaft 20 and spiders 21 and 22 . the cartridges 15 are shown positioned within the drum 10 with axis essentially parallel to the axis of shaft 20 and constrained by the spiders 21 and 22 . a plurality of groups of four cartridges are defined by the separation between the individual arms of spiders 21 and 22 . as driven by the spiders and guided by the channels , the cartridges are progressively moved into channels 26 and 27 which are formed as integral straight or linear tangential extensions of channels 13 and 14 and end plates 11 and 12 . the extreme extension of channels 26 and 27 position the cartridges for stripping off from the magazine by the bolt carrier motion . an alternate construction would employ a cantilever mounting of the shaft 20 and combine one side plate 12 , for instance , with a deep cylindrical cover for purposes of convenience and economy . the theoretical centerline path 28 of the spiral tracks 13 and 14 in end plates 11 , 12 is defined as a segment of an archimedian spiral of mathematical definition : r = radius from origin to any point on the centerline fig3 illustrates in expanded scale the relation between the cylindrical cartridge 15 , the spiral path of the centerline 28 , and the path of the outer wall 29 of the channel for the base of the cartridge . this spiral path 29 must also take the form r 1 = radius from origin to any point on the outer wall the path 28 and the path 29 are related by the requirement that the tangent to 29 always be perpendicular to the circle representing the cartridge periphery whose center is always on 28 . this provides a numerical solution to the obtuse triangle formed by r , r 1 , and d / 2 where d / 2 is the radius of the cartridge circle , as shown in fig3 . at r , θ , the tangent to 28 is determined from tan ψ = r ( d / dr ) where ψ is the angle between r and the tangent line . by definition , the perpendicular to the tangent at the point of tangency will be the radius of the cartridge circle which will be also perpendicular to the tangent line of the cartridge circle at its periphery ; i . e ., at a point where the periphery of the cartridge circle contains curve 29 . by one of several solutions : where φ , j and k are defined in fig3 . since r 1 2 can be calculated from r 1 2 = ( r + k ) 2 + j 2 - 2 ( r + k ) j cos α whereby , with r = 0 . 0696θ + 0 . 250 and d = 0 . 375 , r 1 = 0 . 435 in . but , r 1 = k 1 θ 1 + a 1 defines the outer wall . so , from fig3 at θ = 0 guidance of the nose section by the corresponding opposite wall track will be guaranteed by the same reasoning but will have a definition of the wall of that spiral as determined by the diameter of the nose at the contact point . a second geometric relationship which is important to the present invention is the lateral faces 30 and 31 of the arms of the spider 21 and 22 which engage the leading and trailing cartridge of the four cartridge group . any curve face 30 , which provides a continuous surface over the span from the inner to the outer channel such that the point of contact with the cartridge is maintained will satisfy the design requirement . an infinite number of curves will do this and , for manufacturing simplicity , a bilinear development along faces 30 and 31 is elected . the tangent to the cartridge case , in cartesian form , for θ = 0 is y = 0 . 15 in ., for 1 . 3 in & lt ; r & lt ; 1 . 6 in ., and for the outer section is y = 0 . 557x - 0 . 75 in . the reverse face 31 of the spider forms a compartment of constant width . the face 30 and 31 diverge radially to provide the constant circumferal width . the relationship of the design of spiral channels and the lateral faces of the spider arms are best illustrated by the resulting forces on the cartridges . fig4 illustrates the initial forces as statically disposed on the cartridge which bears on the leading contact face 30 of the spider arm 21 . from the previous geometric discussion , it is obvious that adjacent cylindrical cartridges 15 will contact at their radii locating a point interior to the centerline of motion 28 and producing resisting force f 1 directed radially through the cartridge center of gravity . application of f from face 30 of spiders exterior to the centerline path 28 will thus produce a resultant force which will be disposed at the inner wall 32 as reaction f 2 . since the three remaining cartridges in this group will contact at their periphery and the contact point will always be interior to path 28 , these cartridges will bear against the outer wall 29 in the first and third quadrants . in the second and fourth quadrants the disposition will be reversed . f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 indicate corresponding forces on these cartridges . the friction forces will oppose the direction of local motion but , due to the small contact area and the small unitized loading from forward cartridges , they will be of negligible magnitude . the accelerating forces never exceed three &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; along path 28 and are also negligible for strength determinations . each four - cartridge group is impelled as a unit along the channel to the straight exit channel 26 , 27 . as the single cartridge at the top is stripped from the string by the forward motion of the bolt ( not shown ), the shaft 20 and spider arms 21 , 22 , under the torque produced by the spring 23 can index forward the equivalent of one cartridge rotation . the contact faces 30 of the spider at its outer extremity describes a circle which ultimately sweeps past the channel span and ceases contact with the cartridges . concurrently , the return motion of the bolt -- which contains a &# 34 ; pick off &# 34 ; lug -- acts on the top cartridge to press down on the string . the reversal of forces and of motion is contained by the progressive steps or indentures 33 machined into the radial face of the spider arms . as each step face exceeds the cartridge contact limiting location , the one following is then in position to contain the cartridge string . the following group of four cartridges is then automatically fed into the string from the spiral channel as the last step face rotates out of contact . the contact faces of the separate steps are uniformly spaced across the spider periphery and the radial extent of each step is also uniformly graduated at the rate of one cartridge diameter per step . the inner edge of the channel determines the inclination of the radial faces ; i . e ., the radial faces should align with the inner edge of the channel upon passage . the number of indentures are one less than the number of cartridges in a group . for the illustrated embodiment , three indentures 33 are needed for the four cartridge group . the operation of the indentures is shown in fig5 wherein a cartridge 15 engages the last indenture 33 of spider arm 21 . the spider arm design and configuration constitutes the central element of this invention . a predetermined , uniformly stepped motion is required by the gun operating cycle and is delivered by the self - compensating spring drive in combination with the individual regulation of the cartridges by the stepped outer controur of the spiders at the transition section in the movement of the cartridges from the spiral channel to the straight feed or exit channel . the preceding description of preferred embodiments is evidence that the objects of the invention are obtained in that a drum cartridge magazine is provided having a uniquely designed channel and spider arm configuration to produce a rapid , continuous and smooth delivery of a plurality of cartridges to an automatic weapon . although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only . we wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described , for obvious modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 55ea8bf769c3c0cc5cafad992f018b6714b2dd8b5b18a7b0056531046f7ddcf0 | 0.02002 | 0.253906 | 0.006287 | 0.208008 | 0.063477 | 0.117676 |
null | as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the drum or cylindrical magazine 10 consists of opposed end plates 11 and 12 whose interior walls are spirally indented to form tracks or channels 13 and 14 which act to guide the nose and base of cartridge 15 respectively . a weathertight cover or side wall 16 is attached between the end plates 11 and 12 by means of suitably located fasteners 17 or other similar devices . each end plate contains a line bearing 18 and 19 located to accommodate shaft or hub 20 on which are positioned the base spider arms 21 and the nose spider arms 22 . the spiders 21 , 22 are driven by spring 23 which is a commercially available torsion spring so wound as to produce an effectively constant resisting force during extension . spring 23 is externally mounted and biased tightly against post 24 of the end plate 11 or 12 and is secured to shaft 20 to rotate the assembly of shaft 20 and spiders 21 and 22 . the cartridges 15 are shown positioned within the drum 10 with axis essentially parallel to the axis of shaft 20 and constrained by the spiders 21 and 22 . a plurality of groups of four cartridges are defined by the separation between the individual arms of spiders 21 and 22 . as driven by the spiders and guided by the channels , the cartridges are progressively moved into channels 26 and 27 which are formed as integral straight or linear tangential extensions of channels 13 and 14 and end plates 11 and 12 . the extreme extension of channels 26 and 27 position the cartridges for stripping off from the magazine by the bolt carrier motion . an alternate construction would employ a cantilever mounting of the shaft 20 and combine one side plate 12 , for instance , with a deep cylindrical cover for purposes of convenience and economy . the theoretical centerline path 28 of the spiral tracks 13 and 14 in end plates 11 , 12 is defined as a segment of an archimedian spiral of mathematical definition : r = radius from origin to any point on the centerline fig3 illustrates in expanded scale the relation between the cylindrical cartridge 15 , the spiral path of the centerline 28 , and the path of the outer wall 29 of the channel for the base of the cartridge . this spiral path 29 must also take the form r 1 = radius from origin to any point on the outer wall the path 28 and the path 29 are related by the requirement that the tangent to 29 always be perpendicular to the circle representing the cartridge periphery whose center is always on 28 . this provides a numerical solution to the obtuse triangle formed by r , r 1 , and d / 2 where d / 2 is the radius of the cartridge circle , as shown in fig3 . at r , θ , the tangent to 28 is determined from tan ψ = r ( d / dr ) where ψ is the angle between r and the tangent line . by definition , the perpendicular to the tangent at the point of tangency will be the radius of the cartridge circle which will be also perpendicular to the tangent line of the cartridge circle at its periphery ; i . e ., at a point where the periphery of the cartridge circle contains curve 29 . by one of several solutions : where φ , j and k are defined in fig3 . since r 1 2 can be calculated from r 1 2 = ( r + k ) 2 + j 2 - 2 ( r + k ) j cos α whereby , with r = 0 . 0696θ + 0 . 250 and d = 0 . 375 , r 1 = 0 . 435 in . but , r 1 = k 1 θ 1 + a 1 defines the outer wall . so , from fig3 at θ = 0 guidance of the nose section by the corresponding opposite wall track will be guaranteed by the same reasoning but will have a definition of the wall of that spiral as determined by the diameter of the nose at the contact point . a second geometric relationship which is important to the present invention is the lateral faces 30 and 31 of the arms of the spider 21 and 22 which engage the leading and trailing cartridge of the four cartridge group . any curve face 30 , which provides a continuous surface over the span from the inner to the outer channel such that the point of contact with the cartridge is maintained will satisfy the design requirement . an infinite number of curves will do this and , for manufacturing simplicity , a bilinear development along faces 30 and 31 is elected . the tangent to the cartridge case , in cartesian form , for θ = 0 is y = 0 . 15 in ., for 1 . 3 in & lt ; r & lt ; 1 . 6 in ., and for the outer section is y = 0 . 557x - 0 . 75 in . the reverse face 31 of the spider forms a compartment of constant width . the face 30 and 31 diverge radially to provide the constant circumferal width . the relationship of the design of spiral channels and the lateral faces of the spider arms are best illustrated by the resulting forces on the cartridges . fig4 illustrates the initial forces as statically disposed on the cartridge which bears on the leading contact face 30 of the spider arm 21 . from the previous geometric discussion , it is obvious that adjacent cylindrical cartridges 15 will contact at their radii locating a point interior to the centerline of motion 28 and producing resisting force f 1 directed radially through the cartridge center of gravity . application of f from face 30 of spiders exterior to the centerline path 28 will thus produce a resultant force which will be disposed at the inner wall 32 as reaction f 2 . since the three remaining cartridges in this group will contact at their periphery and the contact point will always be interior to path 28 , these cartridges will bear against the outer wall 29 in the first and third quadrants . in the second and fourth quadrants the disposition will be reversed . f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 indicate corresponding forces on these cartridges . the friction forces will oppose the direction of local motion but , due to the small contact area and the small unitized loading from forward cartridges , they will be of negligible magnitude . the accelerating forces never exceed three &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; along path 28 and are also negligible for strength determinations . each four - cartridge group is impelled as a unit along the channel to the straight exit channel 26 , 27 . as the single cartridge at the top is stripped from the string by the forward motion of the bolt ( not shown ), the shaft 20 and spider arms 21 , 22 , under the torque produced by the spring 23 can index forward the equivalent of one cartridge rotation . the contact faces 30 of the spider at its outer extremity describes a circle which ultimately sweeps past the channel span and ceases contact with the cartridges . concurrently , the return motion of the bolt -- which contains a &# 34 ; pick off &# 34 ; lug -- acts on the top cartridge to press down on the string . the reversal of forces and of motion is contained by the progressive steps or indentures 33 machined into the radial face of the spider arms . as each step face exceeds the cartridge contact limiting location , the one following is then in position to contain the cartridge string . the following group of four cartridges is then automatically fed into the string from the spiral channel as the last step face rotates out of contact . the contact faces of the separate steps are uniformly spaced across the spider periphery and the radial extent of each step is also uniformly graduated at the rate of one cartridge diameter per step . the inner edge of the channel determines the inclination of the radial faces ; i . e ., the radial faces should align with the inner edge of the channel upon passage . the number of indentures are one less than the number of cartridges in a group . for the illustrated embodiment , three indentures 33 are needed for the four cartridge group . the operation of the indentures is shown in fig5 wherein a cartridge 15 engages the last indenture 33 of spider arm 21 . the spider arm design and configuration constitutes the central element of this invention . a predetermined , uniformly stepped motion is required by the gun operating cycle and is delivered by the self - compensating spring drive in combination with the individual regulation of the cartridges by the stepped outer controur of the spiders at the transition section in the movement of the cartridges from the spiral channel to the straight feed or exit channel . the preceding description of preferred embodiments is evidence that the objects of the invention are obtained in that a drum cartridge magazine is provided having a uniquely designed channel and spider arm configuration to produce a rapid , continuous and smooth delivery of a plurality of cartridges to an automatic weapon . although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only . we wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described , for obvious modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art . | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 55ea8bf769c3c0cc5cafad992f018b6714b2dd8b5b18a7b0056531046f7ddcf0 | 0.002396 | 0.000103 | 0.000999 | 0.000062 | 0.018799 | 0.000062 |
null | as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the drum or cylindrical magazine 10 consists of opposed end plates 11 and 12 whose interior walls are spirally indented to form tracks or channels 13 and 14 which act to guide the nose and base of cartridge 15 respectively . a weathertight cover or side wall 16 is attached between the end plates 11 and 12 by means of suitably located fasteners 17 or other similar devices . each end plate contains a line bearing 18 and 19 located to accommodate shaft or hub 20 on which are positioned the base spider arms 21 and the nose spider arms 22 . the spiders 21 , 22 are driven by spring 23 which is a commercially available torsion spring so wound as to produce an effectively constant resisting force during extension . spring 23 is externally mounted and biased tightly against post 24 of the end plate 11 or 12 and is secured to shaft 20 to rotate the assembly of shaft 20 and spiders 21 and 22 . the cartridges 15 are shown positioned within the drum 10 with axis essentially parallel to the axis of shaft 20 and constrained by the spiders 21 and 22 . a plurality of groups of four cartridges are defined by the separation between the individual arms of spiders 21 and 22 . as driven by the spiders and guided by the channels , the cartridges are progressively moved into channels 26 and 27 which are formed as integral straight or linear tangential extensions of channels 13 and 14 and end plates 11 and 12 . the extreme extension of channels 26 and 27 position the cartridges for stripping off from the magazine by the bolt carrier motion . an alternate construction would employ a cantilever mounting of the shaft 20 and combine one side plate 12 , for instance , with a deep cylindrical cover for purposes of convenience and economy . the theoretical centerline path 28 of the spiral tracks 13 and 14 in end plates 11 , 12 is defined as a segment of an archimedian spiral of mathematical definition : r = radius from origin to any point on the centerline fig3 illustrates in expanded scale the relation between the cylindrical cartridge 15 , the spiral path of the centerline 28 , and the path of the outer wall 29 of the channel for the base of the cartridge . this spiral path 29 must also take the form r 1 = radius from origin to any point on the outer wall the path 28 and the path 29 are related by the requirement that the tangent to 29 always be perpendicular to the circle representing the cartridge periphery whose center is always on 28 . this provides a numerical solution to the obtuse triangle formed by r , r 1 , and d / 2 where d / 2 is the radius of the cartridge circle , as shown in fig3 . at r , θ , the tangent to 28 is determined from tan ψ = r ( d / dr ) where ψ is the angle between r and the tangent line . by definition , the perpendicular to the tangent at the point of tangency will be the radius of the cartridge circle which will be also perpendicular to the tangent line of the cartridge circle at its periphery ; i . e ., at a point where the periphery of the cartridge circle contains curve 29 . by one of several solutions : where φ , j and k are defined in fig3 . since r 1 2 can be calculated from r 1 2 = ( r + k ) 2 + j 2 - 2 ( r + k ) j cos α whereby , with r = 0 . 0696θ + 0 . 250 and d = 0 . 375 , r 1 = 0 . 435 in . but , r 1 = k 1 θ 1 + a 1 defines the outer wall . so , from fig3 at θ = 0 guidance of the nose section by the corresponding opposite wall track will be guaranteed by the same reasoning but will have a definition of the wall of that spiral as determined by the diameter of the nose at the contact point . a second geometric relationship which is important to the present invention is the lateral faces 30 and 31 of the arms of the spider 21 and 22 which engage the leading and trailing cartridge of the four cartridge group . any curve face 30 , which provides a continuous surface over the span from the inner to the outer channel such that the point of contact with the cartridge is maintained will satisfy the design requirement . an infinite number of curves will do this and , for manufacturing simplicity , a bilinear development along faces 30 and 31 is elected . the tangent to the cartridge case , in cartesian form , for θ = 0 is y = 0 . 15 in ., for 1 . 3 in & lt ; r & lt ; 1 . 6 in ., and for the outer section is y = 0 . 557x - 0 . 75 in . the reverse face 31 of the spider forms a compartment of constant width . the face 30 and 31 diverge radially to provide the constant circumferal width . the relationship of the design of spiral channels and the lateral faces of the spider arms are best illustrated by the resulting forces on the cartridges . fig4 illustrates the initial forces as statically disposed on the cartridge which bears on the leading contact face 30 of the spider arm 21 . from the previous geometric discussion , it is obvious that adjacent cylindrical cartridges 15 will contact at their radii locating a point interior to the centerline of motion 28 and producing resisting force f 1 directed radially through the cartridge center of gravity . application of f from face 30 of spiders exterior to the centerline path 28 will thus produce a resultant force which will be disposed at the inner wall 32 as reaction f 2 . since the three remaining cartridges in this group will contact at their periphery and the contact point will always be interior to path 28 , these cartridges will bear against the outer wall 29 in the first and third quadrants . in the second and fourth quadrants the disposition will be reversed . f 3 , f 4 , and f 5 indicate corresponding forces on these cartridges . the friction forces will oppose the direction of local motion but , due to the small contact area and the small unitized loading from forward cartridges , they will be of negligible magnitude . the accelerating forces never exceed three &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; along path 28 and are also negligible for strength determinations . each four - cartridge group is impelled as a unit along the channel to the straight exit channel 26 , 27 . as the single cartridge at the top is stripped from the string by the forward motion of the bolt ( not shown ), the shaft 20 and spider arms 21 , 22 , under the torque produced by the spring 23 can index forward the equivalent of one cartridge rotation . the contact faces 30 of the spider at its outer extremity describes a circle which ultimately sweeps past the channel span and ceases contact with the cartridges . concurrently , the return motion of the bolt -- which contains a &# 34 ; pick off &# 34 ; lug -- acts on the top cartridge to press down on the string . the reversal of forces and of motion is contained by the progressive steps or indentures 33 machined into the radial face of the spider arms . as each step face exceeds the cartridge contact limiting location , the one following is then in position to contain the cartridge string . the following group of four cartridges is then automatically fed into the string from the spiral channel as the last step face rotates out of contact . the contact faces of the separate steps are uniformly spaced across the spider periphery and the radial extent of each step is also uniformly graduated at the rate of one cartridge diameter per step . the inner edge of the channel determines the inclination of the radial faces ; i . e ., the radial faces should align with the inner edge of the channel upon passage . the number of indentures are one less than the number of cartridges in a group . for the illustrated embodiment , three indentures 33 are needed for the four cartridge group . the operation of the indentures is shown in fig5 wherein a cartridge 15 engages the last indenture 33 of spider arm 21 . the spider arm design and configuration constitutes the central element of this invention . a predetermined , uniformly stepped motion is required by the gun operating cycle and is delivered by the self - compensating spring drive in combination with the individual regulation of the cartridges by the stepped outer controur of the spiders at the transition section in the movement of the cartridges from the spiral channel to the straight feed or exit channel . the preceding description of preferred embodiments is evidence that the objects of the invention are obtained in that a drum cartridge magazine is provided having a uniquely designed channel and spider arm configuration to produce a rapid , continuous and smooth delivery of a plurality of cartridges to an automatic weapon . although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only . we wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described , for obvious modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art . | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 55ea8bf769c3c0cc5cafad992f018b6714b2dd8b5b18a7b0056531046f7ddcf0 | 0.035645 | 0.101074 | 0.003372 | 0.016968 | 0.080566 | 0.051025 |
null | fig1 shows an aircraft 10 equipped with a sensor multiplexer receiver & amp ; transmitter ( smart ) 14 which is a line replaceable unit . the aircraft is also equipped with a gps receiver system 16 . the gps system 16 receives ultra high frequency ( uhf ) radio signals 36 from several gps satellites 32 via its gps antenna 40 , calculates the position and altitude of the aircraft 10 and reports this position and altitude data 44 to the smart 14 . the smart 14 also receives aircraft performance and control data 18 , acoustic data 22 , and video data 26 . the video data 26 comes from cameras which monitor the cockpit , the passenger compartment , and the cargo compartment . smart 14 periodically samples the sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 converts all non - digital sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 into digital format , adds a sensor identification label to each signal 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 plus an aircraft identification and configuration label . then the smart 14 ultra high frequency radio electronically modulates the combined data and sends them to the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . it should be noted that , to save weight , one antenna could serve the functions of the gps antenna 40 and the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . then this uhf signal is transmitted by the aircraft antenna 30 to an earth orbiting communication satellite 38 that is located in a direct , unobstructed , line of sight with the aircraft 10 . in addition to transmitting data , the smart 14 receives data from the satellite 38 . as will be described more fully below , this data is mostly in the form of advisories and alerts . such advisories and alerts are reported to the crew via an on - board advisory system 72 . fig2 illustrates the communication satellite link 34 , 46 , 48 between the aircraft 10 and the cgbs 42 . it shows smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 transmitting their sensor data over an uhf radio , unobstructed line of sight , transmission 34 to the closest communication satellite 38 . the satellite , world wide communication link then relays the data by line of sight transmission 46 to other communication satellites 38 followed by line of sight transmission 48 to the cgbs 42 . the transmission of aircraft advisories from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 is accomplished by communicating along the same path but in the reverse direction . fig2 depicts a continuous , around the clock , world wide communication link 34 , 46 , 48 that provides two way communication with all of the aircraft 10 equipped with smart 14 in the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory ( raft ) system 50 . the number of satellites 38 in the communication system depends on whether a geosynchronous or low earth orbit ( leo ) satellite constellation is utilized . the system will work with either of the satellite constellations . the leo constellation requires smaller , lighter and lower power equipment but a larger number of satellites . fig3 is a block diagram of the cgbs 42 . it shows the cgbs receiving and transmitting antenna 54 , and the antenna control and uhf interface 56 that converts the received satellite signal into an electrical signal . the received signal represents aircraft performance and control 18 , audio 22 , video 26 , and high accuracy position and altitude data 44 . these signals are then sent to : the cgbs processing station 62 for data analysis , and performance and problem simulation ; the expert system module 64 for crash avoidance simulations ; the archive 66 for data storage ; the advisory module 70 for generating aircraft advisories ; the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s module 74 for distribution to the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s ground based facilities for expert crash avoidance and maintenance advisories ; and the atc module 78 for distribution to airport and area atc facilities . since the cgbs 42 is on the ground its temperature , environment , humidity and air can be readily controlled so that the archive storage of the aircraft &# 39 ; s sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is very reliable . in addition , the real - time analysis of the data will alert the operational aircraft 10 of problems . in some cases , this may occur prior to the pilot &# 39 ; s recognition of a problem . thus in addition to reducing the equipment aboard the aircraft it can lighten the pilot &# 39 ; s work load . ground communication can be made over wide band - width , fiber optic cables , satellites or other rf communication links . in the continental united states the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link is preferred . the cgbs 42 acts as communication concentrator and it is through this facility 42 that world wide communication with the aircraft 10 occurs . at this facility 42 weather data is collected from the government weather bureau facilities . the weather data , map data , dted and atc data is also combined with other aircraft operational data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to provide : emergency or safety of flight advisories , flight efficiency or fuel economy advisories , and flight separation advisories . fig2 and 3 show how the closest , unobstructed line - of sight satellite 38 receives the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 from aircraft 10 equipped with smart modules 14 . data travels over the system to the satellite 38 closest to the cgbs 42 . this satellite 38 is in line of sight communication with the cgbs 42 , which transmits and receives data to and from the cgbs antenna 54 . the antenna 54 is controlled by antenna control and uhf interface module 56 . the uhf signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 are also demodulated and sorted , by aircraft , in this module 56 . the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is then sent to the ground processor 62 for analysis . one function of the ground processor 62 is to send the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to the archival data storage system 66 where it is safely stored in an air conditioned environment , for future retrieval , on magnetic disc or tape , or optical memory . another function of the processor 62 is to coordinate its data with the aircraft simulation processor 64 . this processor 64 performs an expert system analysis based on past performance , i . e . archived , data , aircraft specific stress accumulation statistics and world wide weather and wind shear , dted and atc information . based on this simulation , aircraft real - time advisories are generated by the advisory module 70 . emergency advisories are also based on the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s simulations conducted at their facilities and communicated to the cgbs 42 via the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . the data can be viewed and controlled by the cgbs operators on the display and control system 86 . the position , altitude and aircraft velocity data is also sent to the atc module 78 for real - time transmission to the airport and area flight controllers over the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 . weather data from weather services are also communicated over this link 92 . this data when mixed with the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 at the aircraft simulation module 64 provide world wide safety of flight trajectories , safe to take off and land , and fuel efficiency economy of flight advisories . these advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 over the world wide communication link illustrated in fig2 . in addition , world wide advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 by the atc based on their information for aircraft separation . in a similar manner , the aircraft data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is sent to aircraft manufacturer personnel by the communication module 74 over the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . advisories can be sent by the manufacturers providing the best way to handle problems based on their expert knowledge of the aircraft 10 . these aid in safely flying the aircraft or efficiently servicing an aircraft that is experiencing equipment malfunctions on the ground . the in - air safety of flight advisories go to the advisory center 70 to be integrated with cgbs and air traffic controller generated information so as to provide a single emergency advisory , based on all of the data . this advisory is sent to the aircraft 10 via the global communication network . for aircraft experiencing problems on the ground , an aircraft manufacturer remotely samples the aircraft &# 39 ; s performance and then sends advisories over the network to the aircraft &# 39 ; s ground maintenance personnel . these advisories represent the latest diagnostic procedures and problem specific maintenance information . these maintenance advisories are sent to an aircraft maintenance terminal display that interfaces with the smart communication system 14 on board the aircraft . thus the maintenance advisory provides efficient , safe and effective repair of the aircraft using the most up - to - date procedures . fig4 provides greater detail about cgbs 42 communication with the ground based flight control and manufacturing facilities . the cgbs ground processor 62 communicates with the atc communication module 78 . digital data is communicated serially over a wide band - width , fiber optic link 92 to the air traffic control facilities 100 and the area traffic control facilities 96 . there are a large number of civil and military airport and area atcs in present use . these are indicated 100a to 100n for the airport air traffic controllers and 96a to 96n for the area air traffic controllers . each of the air traffic controllers 96 , 100 can tap the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 for the specific aircraft data of interest to them . the air traffic controllers can also send , to specific or to all smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 in the world , advisory data over the same communication link . the cgbs 42 communicates these advisories , via the satellite 38 communication link 48 , 46 , 34 , to the aircraft 10 . in a similar fashion the cgbs 42 receives world wide weather data from the weather bureau 104 and world wide map and topographic data from the map 105 and topographic 106 databases . the cgbs 42 then , by its knowledge of the aircraft location , flight plans and operational characteristics , tailors this global weather data to weather data that is specific to each aircraft &# 39 ; s area of operation for safety and economy of flight advisories . aircraft manufacturing facilities 108 communicate with the cgbs 42 ground processor 62 via the aircraft manufacturer communication module &# 39 ; s 74 , wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 82 . since there are a number of different aircraft manufacturers they are indicated by reference numbers 108a to 108n . their concomitant emergency and maintenance advisory facilities are indicated by the reference numbers 116a to 116n . each manufacturer maintains an historical log of the aircraft 10 in service for configuration , stress , maintenance service and end of life assembly data . the manufacturers also maintain aircraft simulation capability 112 to aid in providing safety of flight advisories to aircraft 10 that are experiencing a problem . the different simulation facilities are shown by the reference numbers 112a to 112n . these advisories occur whether the problem was first surfaced by the in - air aircraft personnel , or by the on the ground monitoring personnel or by simulations at the cgbs 42 or aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 . the cgbs 42 and the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 check the aircraft operational capability by remotely sampling the aircraft &# 39 ; s operational status parameters 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and using other factors such as weather , atc information , map , and dted . the simulations utilize real - time analysis of the vehicle data and past performance to provide expert system advisories . for an aircraft that is experiencing a problem on the ground , the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facilities 108 still sample the operational status of the aircraft &# 39 ; s flight critical assemblies via the real - time , world wide , communication link 34 , 46 , 48 . the manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 transmits expert system repair advisories to the aircraft &# 39 ; s 10 maintenance personnel . these include the latest approved , problem specific , service manual data to efficiently and safely correct the aircraft &# 39 ; s problem . operation of this invention , remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system , 50 can be summarized as follows . the aircraft 10 is fitted with a smart module 14 , that accepts sensor signals 18 depicting the performance of many of the flight safety critical assemblies . it converts any of the analog sensor data 18 into a digital format . these signals are the same as those that are presently sent to the existing flight crash recorders aboard aircraft which records vital flight information such as air speed , height , attitude , landing gear status , fuel status as well as the position of the aircraft controls and latitude and longitude , which is gleaned from radio navigation aids and the inertial navigation system ( ins ), when available . unlike the existing crash recorder that must be recovered from a crash site to obtain an understanding of the cause of the crash , the system depicted in fig1 - 4 has a telemetry system to radio these signals to a world wide communication system and to a final destination known as the cgbs 42 . in addition to the standard flight sensors presently used in existing flight recorders , position and altitude 44 signals from the gps or glonass receivers , acoustical sensors 22 that record cockpit sounds , and video camera data 26 that records the passengers entering the vehicle , the states of the cargo , hull and the cockpit during flight , aircraft identification and latest configuration are also sent to smart 14 for telemetry to the cgbs 42 . the smart module 14 accepts these signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and then transmits them over the uhf radio link 34 , 46 , 48 . the preferred embodiment of this invention 50 utilizes a global satellite 38 communication system . the smart module &# 39 ; s 14 uhf output is sent to a satellite antenna 30 where the signal is radioed to a satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the aircraft 10 . the combined signal is then relayed , either by leo or a synchronous orbit world wide communication satellite chain , until it is transmitted to the cgbs 42 by the communication satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the cgbs antenna 54 . at the cgbs 42 , these signals are archived . also , aircraft data 18 and signals 22 , 26 , 44 are distributed , utilizing fiber optic ground or satellite links , to flight controller facilities 100 , 96 and to the aircraft manufacturers 108 . it distributes the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to them in real - time so as to solicit their expert analysis and help in generating the advisories . real - time analysis of the pre - flight aircraft data along with other data such as weather 104 , airport and its local area map 105 , three dimensional topographical map information 106 , from data bases such as digital terrain elevation data ( dted ), atc data , wind shear , and aircraft configuration are also used in generating advisories . the smart 14 also accepts advisory signals sent from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 . there are maintenance advisories and three types of in - flight advisories : emergency or safety of flight , flight efficiency or fuel economy , and flight separation . the smart module 14 receives these signals and sends maintenance advisories to an on - board maintenance communication subsystem . in - flight advisories are sent to the pilot &# 39 ; s audio system and to the pilot &# 39 ; s warning panel . thus smart 14 concentrates the audio , video , digital discrete and sensor signals to minimize the weight , power expended , cost of equipment and uhf radio antennas carried aboard the aircraft . large , commercial , passenger aircraft will be fitted with systems 50 capable of monitoring an extensive number of their performance and control signals 18 . small , private aircraft do not need such extensive monitoring and will have systems 50 capable of monitoring only a limited number of performance and control signals 18 . the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system 50 has been described with reference to a particular embodiment . other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 47969a68e25eb84068c2d870fb60aebb03a55ff118c10ad73b75349d0acda87b | 0.150391 | 0.016968 | 0.094238 | 0.000261 | 0.178711 | 0.023682 |
null | fig1 shows an aircraft 10 equipped with a sensor multiplexer receiver & amp ; transmitter ( smart ) 14 which is a line replaceable unit . the aircraft is also equipped with a gps receiver system 16 . the gps system 16 receives ultra high frequency ( uhf ) radio signals 36 from several gps satellites 32 via its gps antenna 40 , calculates the position and altitude of the aircraft 10 and reports this position and altitude data 44 to the smart 14 . the smart 14 also receives aircraft performance and control data 18 , acoustic data 22 , and video data 26 . the video data 26 comes from cameras which monitor the cockpit , the passenger compartment , and the cargo compartment . smart 14 periodically samples the sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 converts all non - digital sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 into digital format , adds a sensor identification label to each signal 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 plus an aircraft identification and configuration label . then the smart 14 ultra high frequency radio electronically modulates the combined data and sends them to the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . it should be noted that , to save weight , one antenna could serve the functions of the gps antenna 40 and the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . then this uhf signal is transmitted by the aircraft antenna 30 to an earth orbiting communication satellite 38 that is located in a direct , unobstructed , line of sight with the aircraft 10 . in addition to transmitting data , the smart 14 receives data from the satellite 38 . as will be described more fully below , this data is mostly in the form of advisories and alerts . such advisories and alerts are reported to the crew via an on - board advisory system 72 . fig2 illustrates the communication satellite link 34 , 46 , 48 between the aircraft 10 and the cgbs 42 . it shows smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 transmitting their sensor data over an uhf radio , unobstructed line of sight , transmission 34 to the closest communication satellite 38 . the satellite , world wide communication link then relays the data by line of sight transmission 46 to other communication satellites 38 followed by line of sight transmission 48 to the cgbs 42 . the transmission of aircraft advisories from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 is accomplished by communicating along the same path but in the reverse direction . fig2 depicts a continuous , around the clock , world wide communication link 34 , 46 , 48 that provides two way communication with all of the aircraft 10 equipped with smart 14 in the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory ( raft ) system 50 . the number of satellites 38 in the communication system depends on whether a geosynchronous or low earth orbit ( leo ) satellite constellation is utilized . the system will work with either of the satellite constellations . the leo constellation requires smaller , lighter and lower power equipment but a larger number of satellites . fig3 is a block diagram of the cgbs 42 . it shows the cgbs receiving and transmitting antenna 54 , and the antenna control and uhf interface 56 that converts the received satellite signal into an electrical signal . the received signal represents aircraft performance and control 18 , audio 22 , video 26 , and high accuracy position and altitude data 44 . these signals are then sent to : the cgbs processing station 62 for data analysis , and performance and problem simulation ; the expert system module 64 for crash avoidance simulations ; the archive 66 for data storage ; the advisory module 70 for generating aircraft advisories ; the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s module 74 for distribution to the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s ground based facilities for expert crash avoidance and maintenance advisories ; and the atc module 78 for distribution to airport and area atc facilities . since the cgbs 42 is on the ground its temperature , environment , humidity and air can be readily controlled so that the archive storage of the aircraft &# 39 ; s sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is very reliable . in addition , the real - time analysis of the data will alert the operational aircraft 10 of problems . in some cases , this may occur prior to the pilot &# 39 ; s recognition of a problem . thus in addition to reducing the equipment aboard the aircraft it can lighten the pilot &# 39 ; s work load . ground communication can be made over wide band - width , fiber optic cables , satellites or other rf communication links . in the continental united states the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link is preferred . the cgbs 42 acts as communication concentrator and it is through this facility 42 that world wide communication with the aircraft 10 occurs . at this facility 42 weather data is collected from the government weather bureau facilities . the weather data , map data , dted and atc data is also combined with other aircraft operational data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to provide : emergency or safety of flight advisories , flight efficiency or fuel economy advisories , and flight separation advisories . fig2 and 3 show how the closest , unobstructed line - of sight satellite 38 receives the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 from aircraft 10 equipped with smart modules 14 . data travels over the system to the satellite 38 closest to the cgbs 42 . this satellite 38 is in line of sight communication with the cgbs 42 , which transmits and receives data to and from the cgbs antenna 54 . the antenna 54 is controlled by antenna control and uhf interface module 56 . the uhf signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 are also demodulated and sorted , by aircraft , in this module 56 . the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is then sent to the ground processor 62 for analysis . one function of the ground processor 62 is to send the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to the archival data storage system 66 where it is safely stored in an air conditioned environment , for future retrieval , on magnetic disc or tape , or optical memory . another function of the processor 62 is to coordinate its data with the aircraft simulation processor 64 . this processor 64 performs an expert system analysis based on past performance , i . e . archived , data , aircraft specific stress accumulation statistics and world wide weather and wind shear , dted and atc information . based on this simulation , aircraft real - time advisories are generated by the advisory module 70 . emergency advisories are also based on the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s simulations conducted at their facilities and communicated to the cgbs 42 via the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . the data can be viewed and controlled by the cgbs operators on the display and control system 86 . the position , altitude and aircraft velocity data is also sent to the atc module 78 for real - time transmission to the airport and area flight controllers over the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 . weather data from weather services are also communicated over this link 92 . this data when mixed with the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 at the aircraft simulation module 64 provide world wide safety of flight trajectories , safe to take off and land , and fuel efficiency economy of flight advisories . these advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 over the world wide communication link illustrated in fig2 . in addition , world wide advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 by the atc based on their information for aircraft separation . in a similar manner , the aircraft data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is sent to aircraft manufacturer personnel by the communication module 74 over the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . advisories can be sent by the manufacturers providing the best way to handle problems based on their expert knowledge of the aircraft 10 . these aid in safely flying the aircraft or efficiently servicing an aircraft that is experiencing equipment malfunctions on the ground . the in - air safety of flight advisories go to the advisory center 70 to be integrated with cgbs and air traffic controller generated information so as to provide a single emergency advisory , based on all of the data . this advisory is sent to the aircraft 10 via the global communication network . for aircraft experiencing problems on the ground , an aircraft manufacturer remotely samples the aircraft &# 39 ; s performance and then sends advisories over the network to the aircraft &# 39 ; s ground maintenance personnel . these advisories represent the latest diagnostic procedures and problem specific maintenance information . these maintenance advisories are sent to an aircraft maintenance terminal display that interfaces with the smart communication system 14 on board the aircraft . thus the maintenance advisory provides efficient , safe and effective repair of the aircraft using the most up - to - date procedures . fig4 provides greater detail about cgbs 42 communication with the ground based flight control and manufacturing facilities . the cgbs ground processor 62 communicates with the atc communication module 78 . digital data is communicated serially over a wide band - width , fiber optic link 92 to the air traffic control facilities 100 and the area traffic control facilities 96 . there are a large number of civil and military airport and area atcs in present use . these are indicated 100a to 100n for the airport air traffic controllers and 96a to 96n for the area air traffic controllers . each of the air traffic controllers 96 , 100 can tap the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 for the specific aircraft data of interest to them . the air traffic controllers can also send , to specific or to all smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 in the world , advisory data over the same communication link . the cgbs 42 communicates these advisories , via the satellite 38 communication link 48 , 46 , 34 , to the aircraft 10 . in a similar fashion the cgbs 42 receives world wide weather data from the weather bureau 104 and world wide map and topographic data from the map 105 and topographic 106 databases . the cgbs 42 then , by its knowledge of the aircraft location , flight plans and operational characteristics , tailors this global weather data to weather data that is specific to each aircraft &# 39 ; s area of operation for safety and economy of flight advisories . aircraft manufacturing facilities 108 communicate with the cgbs 42 ground processor 62 via the aircraft manufacturer communication module &# 39 ; s 74 , wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 82 . since there are a number of different aircraft manufacturers they are indicated by reference numbers 108a to 108n . their concomitant emergency and maintenance advisory facilities are indicated by the reference numbers 116a to 116n . each manufacturer maintains an historical log of the aircraft 10 in service for configuration , stress , maintenance service and end of life assembly data . the manufacturers also maintain aircraft simulation capability 112 to aid in providing safety of flight advisories to aircraft 10 that are experiencing a problem . the different simulation facilities are shown by the reference numbers 112a to 112n . these advisories occur whether the problem was first surfaced by the in - air aircraft personnel , or by the on the ground monitoring personnel or by simulations at the cgbs 42 or aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 . the cgbs 42 and the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 check the aircraft operational capability by remotely sampling the aircraft &# 39 ; s operational status parameters 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and using other factors such as weather , atc information , map , and dted . the simulations utilize real - time analysis of the vehicle data and past performance to provide expert system advisories . for an aircraft that is experiencing a problem on the ground , the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facilities 108 still sample the operational status of the aircraft &# 39 ; s flight critical assemblies via the real - time , world wide , communication link 34 , 46 , 48 . the manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 transmits expert system repair advisories to the aircraft &# 39 ; s 10 maintenance personnel . these include the latest approved , problem specific , service manual data to efficiently and safely correct the aircraft &# 39 ; s problem . operation of this invention , remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system , 50 can be summarized as follows . the aircraft 10 is fitted with a smart module 14 , that accepts sensor signals 18 depicting the performance of many of the flight safety critical assemblies . it converts any of the analog sensor data 18 into a digital format . these signals are the same as those that are presently sent to the existing flight crash recorders aboard aircraft which records vital flight information such as air speed , height , attitude , landing gear status , fuel status as well as the position of the aircraft controls and latitude and longitude , which is gleaned from radio navigation aids and the inertial navigation system ( ins ), when available . unlike the existing crash recorder that must be recovered from a crash site to obtain an understanding of the cause of the crash , the system depicted in fig1 - 4 has a telemetry system to radio these signals to a world wide communication system and to a final destination known as the cgbs 42 . in addition to the standard flight sensors presently used in existing flight recorders , position and altitude 44 signals from the gps or glonass receivers , acoustical sensors 22 that record cockpit sounds , and video camera data 26 that records the passengers entering the vehicle , the states of the cargo , hull and the cockpit during flight , aircraft identification and latest configuration are also sent to smart 14 for telemetry to the cgbs 42 . the smart module 14 accepts these signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and then transmits them over the uhf radio link 34 , 46 , 48 . the preferred embodiment of this invention 50 utilizes a global satellite 38 communication system . the smart module &# 39 ; s 14 uhf output is sent to a satellite antenna 30 where the signal is radioed to a satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the aircraft 10 . the combined signal is then relayed , either by leo or a synchronous orbit world wide communication satellite chain , until it is transmitted to the cgbs 42 by the communication satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the cgbs antenna 54 . at the cgbs 42 , these signals are archived . also , aircraft data 18 and signals 22 , 26 , 44 are distributed , utilizing fiber optic ground or satellite links , to flight controller facilities 100 , 96 and to the aircraft manufacturers 108 . it distributes the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to them in real - time so as to solicit their expert analysis and help in generating the advisories . real - time analysis of the pre - flight aircraft data along with other data such as weather 104 , airport and its local area map 105 , three dimensional topographical map information 106 , from data bases such as digital terrain elevation data ( dted ), atc data , wind shear , and aircraft configuration are also used in generating advisories . the smart 14 also accepts advisory signals sent from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 . there are maintenance advisories and three types of in - flight advisories : emergency or safety of flight , flight efficiency or fuel economy , and flight separation . the smart module 14 receives these signals and sends maintenance advisories to an on - board maintenance communication subsystem . in - flight advisories are sent to the pilot &# 39 ; s audio system and to the pilot &# 39 ; s warning panel . thus smart 14 concentrates the audio , video , digital discrete and sensor signals to minimize the weight , power expended , cost of equipment and uhf radio antennas carried aboard the aircraft . large , commercial , passenger aircraft will be fitted with systems 50 capable of monitoring an extensive number of their performance and control signals 18 . small , private aircraft do not need such extensive monitoring and will have systems 50 capable of monitoring only a limited number of performance and control signals 18 . the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system 50 has been described with reference to a particular embodiment . other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow . | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 47969a68e25eb84068c2d870fb60aebb03a55ff118c10ad73b75349d0acda87b | 0.125 | 0.211914 | 0.143555 | 0.040771 | 0.114258 | 0.164063 |
null | fig1 shows an aircraft 10 equipped with a sensor multiplexer receiver & amp ; transmitter ( smart ) 14 which is a line replaceable unit . the aircraft is also equipped with a gps receiver system 16 . the gps system 16 receives ultra high frequency ( uhf ) radio signals 36 from several gps satellites 32 via its gps antenna 40 , calculates the position and altitude of the aircraft 10 and reports this position and altitude data 44 to the smart 14 . the smart 14 also receives aircraft performance and control data 18 , acoustic data 22 , and video data 26 . the video data 26 comes from cameras which monitor the cockpit , the passenger compartment , and the cargo compartment . smart 14 periodically samples the sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 converts all non - digital sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 into digital format , adds a sensor identification label to each signal 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 plus an aircraft identification and configuration label . then the smart 14 ultra high frequency radio electronically modulates the combined data and sends them to the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . it should be noted that , to save weight , one antenna could serve the functions of the gps antenna 40 and the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . then this uhf signal is transmitted by the aircraft antenna 30 to an earth orbiting communication satellite 38 that is located in a direct , unobstructed , line of sight with the aircraft 10 . in addition to transmitting data , the smart 14 receives data from the satellite 38 . as will be described more fully below , this data is mostly in the form of advisories and alerts . such advisories and alerts are reported to the crew via an on - board advisory system 72 . fig2 illustrates the communication satellite link 34 , 46 , 48 between the aircraft 10 and the cgbs 42 . it shows smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 transmitting their sensor data over an uhf radio , unobstructed line of sight , transmission 34 to the closest communication satellite 38 . the satellite , world wide communication link then relays the data by line of sight transmission 46 to other communication satellites 38 followed by line of sight transmission 48 to the cgbs 42 . the transmission of aircraft advisories from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 is accomplished by communicating along the same path but in the reverse direction . fig2 depicts a continuous , around the clock , world wide communication link 34 , 46 , 48 that provides two way communication with all of the aircraft 10 equipped with smart 14 in the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory ( raft ) system 50 . the number of satellites 38 in the communication system depends on whether a geosynchronous or low earth orbit ( leo ) satellite constellation is utilized . the system will work with either of the satellite constellations . the leo constellation requires smaller , lighter and lower power equipment but a larger number of satellites . fig3 is a block diagram of the cgbs 42 . it shows the cgbs receiving and transmitting antenna 54 , and the antenna control and uhf interface 56 that converts the received satellite signal into an electrical signal . the received signal represents aircraft performance and control 18 , audio 22 , video 26 , and high accuracy position and altitude data 44 . these signals are then sent to : the cgbs processing station 62 for data analysis , and performance and problem simulation ; the expert system module 64 for crash avoidance simulations ; the archive 66 for data storage ; the advisory module 70 for generating aircraft advisories ; the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s module 74 for distribution to the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s ground based facilities for expert crash avoidance and maintenance advisories ; and the atc module 78 for distribution to airport and area atc facilities . since the cgbs 42 is on the ground its temperature , environment , humidity and air can be readily controlled so that the archive storage of the aircraft &# 39 ; s sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is very reliable . in addition , the real - time analysis of the data will alert the operational aircraft 10 of problems . in some cases , this may occur prior to the pilot &# 39 ; s recognition of a problem . thus in addition to reducing the equipment aboard the aircraft it can lighten the pilot &# 39 ; s work load . ground communication can be made over wide band - width , fiber optic cables , satellites or other rf communication links . in the continental united states the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link is preferred . the cgbs 42 acts as communication concentrator and it is through this facility 42 that world wide communication with the aircraft 10 occurs . at this facility 42 weather data is collected from the government weather bureau facilities . the weather data , map data , dted and atc data is also combined with other aircraft operational data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to provide : emergency or safety of flight advisories , flight efficiency or fuel economy advisories , and flight separation advisories . fig2 and 3 show how the closest , unobstructed line - of sight satellite 38 receives the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 from aircraft 10 equipped with smart modules 14 . data travels over the system to the satellite 38 closest to the cgbs 42 . this satellite 38 is in line of sight communication with the cgbs 42 , which transmits and receives data to and from the cgbs antenna 54 . the antenna 54 is controlled by antenna control and uhf interface module 56 . the uhf signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 are also demodulated and sorted , by aircraft , in this module 56 . the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is then sent to the ground processor 62 for analysis . one function of the ground processor 62 is to send the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to the archival data storage system 66 where it is safely stored in an air conditioned environment , for future retrieval , on magnetic disc or tape , or optical memory . another function of the processor 62 is to coordinate its data with the aircraft simulation processor 64 . this processor 64 performs an expert system analysis based on past performance , i . e . archived , data , aircraft specific stress accumulation statistics and world wide weather and wind shear , dted and atc information . based on this simulation , aircraft real - time advisories are generated by the advisory module 70 . emergency advisories are also based on the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s simulations conducted at their facilities and communicated to the cgbs 42 via the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . the data can be viewed and controlled by the cgbs operators on the display and control system 86 . the position , altitude and aircraft velocity data is also sent to the atc module 78 for real - time transmission to the airport and area flight controllers over the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 . weather data from weather services are also communicated over this link 92 . this data when mixed with the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 at the aircraft simulation module 64 provide world wide safety of flight trajectories , safe to take off and land , and fuel efficiency economy of flight advisories . these advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 over the world wide communication link illustrated in fig2 . in addition , world wide advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 by the atc based on their information for aircraft separation . in a similar manner , the aircraft data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is sent to aircraft manufacturer personnel by the communication module 74 over the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . advisories can be sent by the manufacturers providing the best way to handle problems based on their expert knowledge of the aircraft 10 . these aid in safely flying the aircraft or efficiently servicing an aircraft that is experiencing equipment malfunctions on the ground . the in - air safety of flight advisories go to the advisory center 70 to be integrated with cgbs and air traffic controller generated information so as to provide a single emergency advisory , based on all of the data . this advisory is sent to the aircraft 10 via the global communication network . for aircraft experiencing problems on the ground , an aircraft manufacturer remotely samples the aircraft &# 39 ; s performance and then sends advisories over the network to the aircraft &# 39 ; s ground maintenance personnel . these advisories represent the latest diagnostic procedures and problem specific maintenance information . these maintenance advisories are sent to an aircraft maintenance terminal display that interfaces with the smart communication system 14 on board the aircraft . thus the maintenance advisory provides efficient , safe and effective repair of the aircraft using the most up - to - date procedures . fig4 provides greater detail about cgbs 42 communication with the ground based flight control and manufacturing facilities . the cgbs ground processor 62 communicates with the atc communication module 78 . digital data is communicated serially over a wide band - width , fiber optic link 92 to the air traffic control facilities 100 and the area traffic control facilities 96 . there are a large number of civil and military airport and area atcs in present use . these are indicated 100a to 100n for the airport air traffic controllers and 96a to 96n for the area air traffic controllers . each of the air traffic controllers 96 , 100 can tap the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 for the specific aircraft data of interest to them . the air traffic controllers can also send , to specific or to all smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 in the world , advisory data over the same communication link . the cgbs 42 communicates these advisories , via the satellite 38 communication link 48 , 46 , 34 , to the aircraft 10 . in a similar fashion the cgbs 42 receives world wide weather data from the weather bureau 104 and world wide map and topographic data from the map 105 and topographic 106 databases . the cgbs 42 then , by its knowledge of the aircraft location , flight plans and operational characteristics , tailors this global weather data to weather data that is specific to each aircraft &# 39 ; s area of operation for safety and economy of flight advisories . aircraft manufacturing facilities 108 communicate with the cgbs 42 ground processor 62 via the aircraft manufacturer communication module &# 39 ; s 74 , wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 82 . since there are a number of different aircraft manufacturers they are indicated by reference numbers 108a to 108n . their concomitant emergency and maintenance advisory facilities are indicated by the reference numbers 116a to 116n . each manufacturer maintains an historical log of the aircraft 10 in service for configuration , stress , maintenance service and end of life assembly data . the manufacturers also maintain aircraft simulation capability 112 to aid in providing safety of flight advisories to aircraft 10 that are experiencing a problem . the different simulation facilities are shown by the reference numbers 112a to 112n . these advisories occur whether the problem was first surfaced by the in - air aircraft personnel , or by the on the ground monitoring personnel or by simulations at the cgbs 42 or aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 . the cgbs 42 and the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 check the aircraft operational capability by remotely sampling the aircraft &# 39 ; s operational status parameters 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and using other factors such as weather , atc information , map , and dted . the simulations utilize real - time analysis of the vehicle data and past performance to provide expert system advisories . for an aircraft that is experiencing a problem on the ground , the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facilities 108 still sample the operational status of the aircraft &# 39 ; s flight critical assemblies via the real - time , world wide , communication link 34 , 46 , 48 . the manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 transmits expert system repair advisories to the aircraft &# 39 ; s 10 maintenance personnel . these include the latest approved , problem specific , service manual data to efficiently and safely correct the aircraft &# 39 ; s problem . operation of this invention , remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system , 50 can be summarized as follows . the aircraft 10 is fitted with a smart module 14 , that accepts sensor signals 18 depicting the performance of many of the flight safety critical assemblies . it converts any of the analog sensor data 18 into a digital format . these signals are the same as those that are presently sent to the existing flight crash recorders aboard aircraft which records vital flight information such as air speed , height , attitude , landing gear status , fuel status as well as the position of the aircraft controls and latitude and longitude , which is gleaned from radio navigation aids and the inertial navigation system ( ins ), when available . unlike the existing crash recorder that must be recovered from a crash site to obtain an understanding of the cause of the crash , the system depicted in fig1 - 4 has a telemetry system to radio these signals to a world wide communication system and to a final destination known as the cgbs 42 . in addition to the standard flight sensors presently used in existing flight recorders , position and altitude 44 signals from the gps or glonass receivers , acoustical sensors 22 that record cockpit sounds , and video camera data 26 that records the passengers entering the vehicle , the states of the cargo , hull and the cockpit during flight , aircraft identification and latest configuration are also sent to smart 14 for telemetry to the cgbs 42 . the smart module 14 accepts these signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and then transmits them over the uhf radio link 34 , 46 , 48 . the preferred embodiment of this invention 50 utilizes a global satellite 38 communication system . the smart module &# 39 ; s 14 uhf output is sent to a satellite antenna 30 where the signal is radioed to a satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the aircraft 10 . the combined signal is then relayed , either by leo or a synchronous orbit world wide communication satellite chain , until it is transmitted to the cgbs 42 by the communication satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the cgbs antenna 54 . at the cgbs 42 , these signals are archived . also , aircraft data 18 and signals 22 , 26 , 44 are distributed , utilizing fiber optic ground or satellite links , to flight controller facilities 100 , 96 and to the aircraft manufacturers 108 . it distributes the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to them in real - time so as to solicit their expert analysis and help in generating the advisories . real - time analysis of the pre - flight aircraft data along with other data such as weather 104 , airport and its local area map 105 , three dimensional topographical map information 106 , from data bases such as digital terrain elevation data ( dted ), atc data , wind shear , and aircraft configuration are also used in generating advisories . the smart 14 also accepts advisory signals sent from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 . there are maintenance advisories and three types of in - flight advisories : emergency or safety of flight , flight efficiency or fuel economy , and flight separation . the smart module 14 receives these signals and sends maintenance advisories to an on - board maintenance communication subsystem . in - flight advisories are sent to the pilot &# 39 ; s audio system and to the pilot &# 39 ; s warning panel . thus smart 14 concentrates the audio , video , digital discrete and sensor signals to minimize the weight , power expended , cost of equipment and uhf radio antennas carried aboard the aircraft . large , commercial , passenger aircraft will be fitted with systems 50 capable of monitoring an extensive number of their performance and control signals 18 . small , private aircraft do not need such extensive monitoring and will have systems 50 capable of monitoring only a limited number of performance and control signals 18 . the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system 50 has been described with reference to a particular embodiment . other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 47969a68e25eb84068c2d870fb60aebb03a55ff118c10ad73b75349d0acda87b | 0.150391 | 0.001411 | 0.094238 | 0.000296 | 0.183594 | 0.002121 |
null | fig1 shows an aircraft 10 equipped with a sensor multiplexer receiver & amp ; transmitter ( smart ) 14 which is a line replaceable unit . the aircraft is also equipped with a gps receiver system 16 . the gps system 16 receives ultra high frequency ( uhf ) radio signals 36 from several gps satellites 32 via its gps antenna 40 , calculates the position and altitude of the aircraft 10 and reports this position and altitude data 44 to the smart 14 . the smart 14 also receives aircraft performance and control data 18 , acoustic data 22 , and video data 26 . the video data 26 comes from cameras which monitor the cockpit , the passenger compartment , and the cargo compartment . smart 14 periodically samples the sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 converts all non - digital sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 into digital format , adds a sensor identification label to each signal 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 plus an aircraft identification and configuration label . then the smart 14 ultra high frequency radio electronically modulates the combined data and sends them to the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . it should be noted that , to save weight , one antenna could serve the functions of the gps antenna 40 and the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . then this uhf signal is transmitted by the aircraft antenna 30 to an earth orbiting communication satellite 38 that is located in a direct , unobstructed , line of sight with the aircraft 10 . in addition to transmitting data , the smart 14 receives data from the satellite 38 . as will be described more fully below , this data is mostly in the form of advisories and alerts . such advisories and alerts are reported to the crew via an on - board advisory system 72 . fig2 illustrates the communication satellite link 34 , 46 , 48 between the aircraft 10 and the cgbs 42 . it shows smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 transmitting their sensor data over an uhf radio , unobstructed line of sight , transmission 34 to the closest communication satellite 38 . the satellite , world wide communication link then relays the data by line of sight transmission 46 to other communication satellites 38 followed by line of sight transmission 48 to the cgbs 42 . the transmission of aircraft advisories from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 is accomplished by communicating along the same path but in the reverse direction . fig2 depicts a continuous , around the clock , world wide communication link 34 , 46 , 48 that provides two way communication with all of the aircraft 10 equipped with smart 14 in the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory ( raft ) system 50 . the number of satellites 38 in the communication system depends on whether a geosynchronous or low earth orbit ( leo ) satellite constellation is utilized . the system will work with either of the satellite constellations . the leo constellation requires smaller , lighter and lower power equipment but a larger number of satellites . fig3 is a block diagram of the cgbs 42 . it shows the cgbs receiving and transmitting antenna 54 , and the antenna control and uhf interface 56 that converts the received satellite signal into an electrical signal . the received signal represents aircraft performance and control 18 , audio 22 , video 26 , and high accuracy position and altitude data 44 . these signals are then sent to : the cgbs processing station 62 for data analysis , and performance and problem simulation ; the expert system module 64 for crash avoidance simulations ; the archive 66 for data storage ; the advisory module 70 for generating aircraft advisories ; the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s module 74 for distribution to the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s ground based facilities for expert crash avoidance and maintenance advisories ; and the atc module 78 for distribution to airport and area atc facilities . since the cgbs 42 is on the ground its temperature , environment , humidity and air can be readily controlled so that the archive storage of the aircraft &# 39 ; s sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is very reliable . in addition , the real - time analysis of the data will alert the operational aircraft 10 of problems . in some cases , this may occur prior to the pilot &# 39 ; s recognition of a problem . thus in addition to reducing the equipment aboard the aircraft it can lighten the pilot &# 39 ; s work load . ground communication can be made over wide band - width , fiber optic cables , satellites or other rf communication links . in the continental united states the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link is preferred . the cgbs 42 acts as communication concentrator and it is through this facility 42 that world wide communication with the aircraft 10 occurs . at this facility 42 weather data is collected from the government weather bureau facilities . the weather data , map data , dted and atc data is also combined with other aircraft operational data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to provide : emergency or safety of flight advisories , flight efficiency or fuel economy advisories , and flight separation advisories . fig2 and 3 show how the closest , unobstructed line - of sight satellite 38 receives the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 from aircraft 10 equipped with smart modules 14 . data travels over the system to the satellite 38 closest to the cgbs 42 . this satellite 38 is in line of sight communication with the cgbs 42 , which transmits and receives data to and from the cgbs antenna 54 . the antenna 54 is controlled by antenna control and uhf interface module 56 . the uhf signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 are also demodulated and sorted , by aircraft , in this module 56 . the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is then sent to the ground processor 62 for analysis . one function of the ground processor 62 is to send the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to the archival data storage system 66 where it is safely stored in an air conditioned environment , for future retrieval , on magnetic disc or tape , or optical memory . another function of the processor 62 is to coordinate its data with the aircraft simulation processor 64 . this processor 64 performs an expert system analysis based on past performance , i . e . archived , data , aircraft specific stress accumulation statistics and world wide weather and wind shear , dted and atc information . based on this simulation , aircraft real - time advisories are generated by the advisory module 70 . emergency advisories are also based on the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s simulations conducted at their facilities and communicated to the cgbs 42 via the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . the data can be viewed and controlled by the cgbs operators on the display and control system 86 . the position , altitude and aircraft velocity data is also sent to the atc module 78 for real - time transmission to the airport and area flight controllers over the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 . weather data from weather services are also communicated over this link 92 . this data when mixed with the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 at the aircraft simulation module 64 provide world wide safety of flight trajectories , safe to take off and land , and fuel efficiency economy of flight advisories . these advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 over the world wide communication link illustrated in fig2 . in addition , world wide advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 by the atc based on their information for aircraft separation . in a similar manner , the aircraft data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is sent to aircraft manufacturer personnel by the communication module 74 over the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . advisories can be sent by the manufacturers providing the best way to handle problems based on their expert knowledge of the aircraft 10 . these aid in safely flying the aircraft or efficiently servicing an aircraft that is experiencing equipment malfunctions on the ground . the in - air safety of flight advisories go to the advisory center 70 to be integrated with cgbs and air traffic controller generated information so as to provide a single emergency advisory , based on all of the data . this advisory is sent to the aircraft 10 via the global communication network . for aircraft experiencing problems on the ground , an aircraft manufacturer remotely samples the aircraft &# 39 ; s performance and then sends advisories over the network to the aircraft &# 39 ; s ground maintenance personnel . these advisories represent the latest diagnostic procedures and problem specific maintenance information . these maintenance advisories are sent to an aircraft maintenance terminal display that interfaces with the smart communication system 14 on board the aircraft . thus the maintenance advisory provides efficient , safe and effective repair of the aircraft using the most up - to - date procedures . fig4 provides greater detail about cgbs 42 communication with the ground based flight control and manufacturing facilities . the cgbs ground processor 62 communicates with the atc communication module 78 . digital data is communicated serially over a wide band - width , fiber optic link 92 to the air traffic control facilities 100 and the area traffic control facilities 96 . there are a large number of civil and military airport and area atcs in present use . these are indicated 100a to 100n for the airport air traffic controllers and 96a to 96n for the area air traffic controllers . each of the air traffic controllers 96 , 100 can tap the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 for the specific aircraft data of interest to them . the air traffic controllers can also send , to specific or to all smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 in the world , advisory data over the same communication link . the cgbs 42 communicates these advisories , via the satellite 38 communication link 48 , 46 , 34 , to the aircraft 10 . in a similar fashion the cgbs 42 receives world wide weather data from the weather bureau 104 and world wide map and topographic data from the map 105 and topographic 106 databases . the cgbs 42 then , by its knowledge of the aircraft location , flight plans and operational characteristics , tailors this global weather data to weather data that is specific to each aircraft &# 39 ; s area of operation for safety and economy of flight advisories . aircraft manufacturing facilities 108 communicate with the cgbs 42 ground processor 62 via the aircraft manufacturer communication module &# 39 ; s 74 , wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 82 . since there are a number of different aircraft manufacturers they are indicated by reference numbers 108a to 108n . their concomitant emergency and maintenance advisory facilities are indicated by the reference numbers 116a to 116n . each manufacturer maintains an historical log of the aircraft 10 in service for configuration , stress , maintenance service and end of life assembly data . the manufacturers also maintain aircraft simulation capability 112 to aid in providing safety of flight advisories to aircraft 10 that are experiencing a problem . the different simulation facilities are shown by the reference numbers 112a to 112n . these advisories occur whether the problem was first surfaced by the in - air aircraft personnel , or by the on the ground monitoring personnel or by simulations at the cgbs 42 or aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 . the cgbs 42 and the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 check the aircraft operational capability by remotely sampling the aircraft &# 39 ; s operational status parameters 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and using other factors such as weather , atc information , map , and dted . the simulations utilize real - time analysis of the vehicle data and past performance to provide expert system advisories . for an aircraft that is experiencing a problem on the ground , the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facilities 108 still sample the operational status of the aircraft &# 39 ; s flight critical assemblies via the real - time , world wide , communication link 34 , 46 , 48 . the manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 transmits expert system repair advisories to the aircraft &# 39 ; s 10 maintenance personnel . these include the latest approved , problem specific , service manual data to efficiently and safely correct the aircraft &# 39 ; s problem . operation of this invention , remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system , 50 can be summarized as follows . the aircraft 10 is fitted with a smart module 14 , that accepts sensor signals 18 depicting the performance of many of the flight safety critical assemblies . it converts any of the analog sensor data 18 into a digital format . these signals are the same as those that are presently sent to the existing flight crash recorders aboard aircraft which records vital flight information such as air speed , height , attitude , landing gear status , fuel status as well as the position of the aircraft controls and latitude and longitude , which is gleaned from radio navigation aids and the inertial navigation system ( ins ), when available . unlike the existing crash recorder that must be recovered from a crash site to obtain an understanding of the cause of the crash , the system depicted in fig1 - 4 has a telemetry system to radio these signals to a world wide communication system and to a final destination known as the cgbs 42 . in addition to the standard flight sensors presently used in existing flight recorders , position and altitude 44 signals from the gps or glonass receivers , acoustical sensors 22 that record cockpit sounds , and video camera data 26 that records the passengers entering the vehicle , the states of the cargo , hull and the cockpit during flight , aircraft identification and latest configuration are also sent to smart 14 for telemetry to the cgbs 42 . the smart module 14 accepts these signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and then transmits them over the uhf radio link 34 , 46 , 48 . the preferred embodiment of this invention 50 utilizes a global satellite 38 communication system . the smart module &# 39 ; s 14 uhf output is sent to a satellite antenna 30 where the signal is radioed to a satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the aircraft 10 . the combined signal is then relayed , either by leo or a synchronous orbit world wide communication satellite chain , until it is transmitted to the cgbs 42 by the communication satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the cgbs antenna 54 . at the cgbs 42 , these signals are archived . also , aircraft data 18 and signals 22 , 26 , 44 are distributed , utilizing fiber optic ground or satellite links , to flight controller facilities 100 , 96 and to the aircraft manufacturers 108 . it distributes the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to them in real - time so as to solicit their expert analysis and help in generating the advisories . real - time analysis of the pre - flight aircraft data along with other data such as weather 104 , airport and its local area map 105 , three dimensional topographical map information 106 , from data bases such as digital terrain elevation data ( dted ), atc data , wind shear , and aircraft configuration are also used in generating advisories . the smart 14 also accepts advisory signals sent from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 . there are maintenance advisories and three types of in - flight advisories : emergency or safety of flight , flight efficiency or fuel economy , and flight separation . the smart module 14 receives these signals and sends maintenance advisories to an on - board maintenance communication subsystem . in - flight advisories are sent to the pilot &# 39 ; s audio system and to the pilot &# 39 ; s warning panel . thus smart 14 concentrates the audio , video , digital discrete and sensor signals to minimize the weight , power expended , cost of equipment and uhf radio antennas carried aboard the aircraft . large , commercial , passenger aircraft will be fitted with systems 50 capable of monitoring an extensive number of their performance and control signals 18 . small , private aircraft do not need such extensive monitoring and will have systems 50 capable of monitoring only a limited number of performance and control signals 18 . the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system 50 has been described with reference to a particular embodiment . other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 47969a68e25eb84068c2d870fb60aebb03a55ff118c10ad73b75349d0acda87b | 0.150391 | 0.003601 | 0.094238 | 0.000336 | 0.178711 | 0.027588 |
null | fig1 shows an aircraft 10 equipped with a sensor multiplexer receiver & amp ; transmitter ( smart ) 14 which is a line replaceable unit . the aircraft is also equipped with a gps receiver system 16 . the gps system 16 receives ultra high frequency ( uhf ) radio signals 36 from several gps satellites 32 via its gps antenna 40 , calculates the position and altitude of the aircraft 10 and reports this position and altitude data 44 to the smart 14 . the smart 14 also receives aircraft performance and control data 18 , acoustic data 22 , and video data 26 . the video data 26 comes from cameras which monitor the cockpit , the passenger compartment , and the cargo compartment . smart 14 periodically samples the sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 converts all non - digital sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 into digital format , adds a sensor identification label to each signal 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 plus an aircraft identification and configuration label . then the smart 14 ultra high frequency radio electronically modulates the combined data and sends them to the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . it should be noted that , to save weight , one antenna could serve the functions of the gps antenna 40 and the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . then this uhf signal is transmitted by the aircraft antenna 30 to an earth orbiting communication satellite 38 that is located in a direct , unobstructed , line of sight with the aircraft 10 . in addition to transmitting data , the smart 14 receives data from the satellite 38 . as will be described more fully below , this data is mostly in the form of advisories and alerts . such advisories and alerts are reported to the crew via an on - board advisory system 72 . fig2 illustrates the communication satellite link 34 , 46 , 48 between the aircraft 10 and the cgbs 42 . it shows smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 transmitting their sensor data over an uhf radio , unobstructed line of sight , transmission 34 to the closest communication satellite 38 . the satellite , world wide communication link then relays the data by line of sight transmission 46 to other communication satellites 38 followed by line of sight transmission 48 to the cgbs 42 . the transmission of aircraft advisories from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 is accomplished by communicating along the same path but in the reverse direction . fig2 depicts a continuous , around the clock , world wide communication link 34 , 46 , 48 that provides two way communication with all of the aircraft 10 equipped with smart 14 in the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory ( raft ) system 50 . the number of satellites 38 in the communication system depends on whether a geosynchronous or low earth orbit ( leo ) satellite constellation is utilized . the system will work with either of the satellite constellations . the leo constellation requires smaller , lighter and lower power equipment but a larger number of satellites . fig3 is a block diagram of the cgbs 42 . it shows the cgbs receiving and transmitting antenna 54 , and the antenna control and uhf interface 56 that converts the received satellite signal into an electrical signal . the received signal represents aircraft performance and control 18 , audio 22 , video 26 , and high accuracy position and altitude data 44 . these signals are then sent to : the cgbs processing station 62 for data analysis , and performance and problem simulation ; the expert system module 64 for crash avoidance simulations ; the archive 66 for data storage ; the advisory module 70 for generating aircraft advisories ; the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s module 74 for distribution to the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s ground based facilities for expert crash avoidance and maintenance advisories ; and the atc module 78 for distribution to airport and area atc facilities . since the cgbs 42 is on the ground its temperature , environment , humidity and air can be readily controlled so that the archive storage of the aircraft &# 39 ; s sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is very reliable . in addition , the real - time analysis of the data will alert the operational aircraft 10 of problems . in some cases , this may occur prior to the pilot &# 39 ; s recognition of a problem . thus in addition to reducing the equipment aboard the aircraft it can lighten the pilot &# 39 ; s work load . ground communication can be made over wide band - width , fiber optic cables , satellites or other rf communication links . in the continental united states the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link is preferred . the cgbs 42 acts as communication concentrator and it is through this facility 42 that world wide communication with the aircraft 10 occurs . at this facility 42 weather data is collected from the government weather bureau facilities . the weather data , map data , dted and atc data is also combined with other aircraft operational data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to provide : emergency or safety of flight advisories , flight efficiency or fuel economy advisories , and flight separation advisories . fig2 and 3 show how the closest , unobstructed line - of sight satellite 38 receives the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 from aircraft 10 equipped with smart modules 14 . data travels over the system to the satellite 38 closest to the cgbs 42 . this satellite 38 is in line of sight communication with the cgbs 42 , which transmits and receives data to and from the cgbs antenna 54 . the antenna 54 is controlled by antenna control and uhf interface module 56 . the uhf signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 are also demodulated and sorted , by aircraft , in this module 56 . the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is then sent to the ground processor 62 for analysis . one function of the ground processor 62 is to send the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to the archival data storage system 66 where it is safely stored in an air conditioned environment , for future retrieval , on magnetic disc or tape , or optical memory . another function of the processor 62 is to coordinate its data with the aircraft simulation processor 64 . this processor 64 performs an expert system analysis based on past performance , i . e . archived , data , aircraft specific stress accumulation statistics and world wide weather and wind shear , dted and atc information . based on this simulation , aircraft real - time advisories are generated by the advisory module 70 . emergency advisories are also based on the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s simulations conducted at their facilities and communicated to the cgbs 42 via the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . the data can be viewed and controlled by the cgbs operators on the display and control system 86 . the position , altitude and aircraft velocity data is also sent to the atc module 78 for real - time transmission to the airport and area flight controllers over the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 . weather data from weather services are also communicated over this link 92 . this data when mixed with the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 at the aircraft simulation module 64 provide world wide safety of flight trajectories , safe to take off and land , and fuel efficiency economy of flight advisories . these advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 over the world wide communication link illustrated in fig2 . in addition , world wide advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 by the atc based on their information for aircraft separation . in a similar manner , the aircraft data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is sent to aircraft manufacturer personnel by the communication module 74 over the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . advisories can be sent by the manufacturers providing the best way to handle problems based on their expert knowledge of the aircraft 10 . these aid in safely flying the aircraft or efficiently servicing an aircraft that is experiencing equipment malfunctions on the ground . the in - air safety of flight advisories go to the advisory center 70 to be integrated with cgbs and air traffic controller generated information so as to provide a single emergency advisory , based on all of the data . this advisory is sent to the aircraft 10 via the global communication network . for aircraft experiencing problems on the ground , an aircraft manufacturer remotely samples the aircraft &# 39 ; s performance and then sends advisories over the network to the aircraft &# 39 ; s ground maintenance personnel . these advisories represent the latest diagnostic procedures and problem specific maintenance information . these maintenance advisories are sent to an aircraft maintenance terminal display that interfaces with the smart communication system 14 on board the aircraft . thus the maintenance advisory provides efficient , safe and effective repair of the aircraft using the most up - to - date procedures . fig4 provides greater detail about cgbs 42 communication with the ground based flight control and manufacturing facilities . the cgbs ground processor 62 communicates with the atc communication module 78 . digital data is communicated serially over a wide band - width , fiber optic link 92 to the air traffic control facilities 100 and the area traffic control facilities 96 . there are a large number of civil and military airport and area atcs in present use . these are indicated 100a to 100n for the airport air traffic controllers and 96a to 96n for the area air traffic controllers . each of the air traffic controllers 96 , 100 can tap the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 for the specific aircraft data of interest to them . the air traffic controllers can also send , to specific or to all smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 in the world , advisory data over the same communication link . the cgbs 42 communicates these advisories , via the satellite 38 communication link 48 , 46 , 34 , to the aircraft 10 . in a similar fashion the cgbs 42 receives world wide weather data from the weather bureau 104 and world wide map and topographic data from the map 105 and topographic 106 databases . the cgbs 42 then , by its knowledge of the aircraft location , flight plans and operational characteristics , tailors this global weather data to weather data that is specific to each aircraft &# 39 ; s area of operation for safety and economy of flight advisories . aircraft manufacturing facilities 108 communicate with the cgbs 42 ground processor 62 via the aircraft manufacturer communication module &# 39 ; s 74 , wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 82 . since there are a number of different aircraft manufacturers they are indicated by reference numbers 108a to 108n . their concomitant emergency and maintenance advisory facilities are indicated by the reference numbers 116a to 116n . each manufacturer maintains an historical log of the aircraft 10 in service for configuration , stress , maintenance service and end of life assembly data . the manufacturers also maintain aircraft simulation capability 112 to aid in providing safety of flight advisories to aircraft 10 that are experiencing a problem . the different simulation facilities are shown by the reference numbers 112a to 112n . these advisories occur whether the problem was first surfaced by the in - air aircraft personnel , or by the on the ground monitoring personnel or by simulations at the cgbs 42 or aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 . the cgbs 42 and the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 check the aircraft operational capability by remotely sampling the aircraft &# 39 ; s operational status parameters 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and using other factors such as weather , atc information , map , and dted . the simulations utilize real - time analysis of the vehicle data and past performance to provide expert system advisories . for an aircraft that is experiencing a problem on the ground , the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facilities 108 still sample the operational status of the aircraft &# 39 ; s flight critical assemblies via the real - time , world wide , communication link 34 , 46 , 48 . the manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 transmits expert system repair advisories to the aircraft &# 39 ; s 10 maintenance personnel . these include the latest approved , problem specific , service manual data to efficiently and safely correct the aircraft &# 39 ; s problem . operation of this invention , remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system , 50 can be summarized as follows . the aircraft 10 is fitted with a smart module 14 , that accepts sensor signals 18 depicting the performance of many of the flight safety critical assemblies . it converts any of the analog sensor data 18 into a digital format . these signals are the same as those that are presently sent to the existing flight crash recorders aboard aircraft which records vital flight information such as air speed , height , attitude , landing gear status , fuel status as well as the position of the aircraft controls and latitude and longitude , which is gleaned from radio navigation aids and the inertial navigation system ( ins ), when available . unlike the existing crash recorder that must be recovered from a crash site to obtain an understanding of the cause of the crash , the system depicted in fig1 - 4 has a telemetry system to radio these signals to a world wide communication system and to a final destination known as the cgbs 42 . in addition to the standard flight sensors presently used in existing flight recorders , position and altitude 44 signals from the gps or glonass receivers , acoustical sensors 22 that record cockpit sounds , and video camera data 26 that records the passengers entering the vehicle , the states of the cargo , hull and the cockpit during flight , aircraft identification and latest configuration are also sent to smart 14 for telemetry to the cgbs 42 . the smart module 14 accepts these signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and then transmits them over the uhf radio link 34 , 46 , 48 . the preferred embodiment of this invention 50 utilizes a global satellite 38 communication system . the smart module &# 39 ; s 14 uhf output is sent to a satellite antenna 30 where the signal is radioed to a satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the aircraft 10 . the combined signal is then relayed , either by leo or a synchronous orbit world wide communication satellite chain , until it is transmitted to the cgbs 42 by the communication satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the cgbs antenna 54 . at the cgbs 42 , these signals are archived . also , aircraft data 18 and signals 22 , 26 , 44 are distributed , utilizing fiber optic ground or satellite links , to flight controller facilities 100 , 96 and to the aircraft manufacturers 108 . it distributes the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to them in real - time so as to solicit their expert analysis and help in generating the advisories . real - time analysis of the pre - flight aircraft data along with other data such as weather 104 , airport and its local area map 105 , three dimensional topographical map information 106 , from data bases such as digital terrain elevation data ( dted ), atc data , wind shear , and aircraft configuration are also used in generating advisories . the smart 14 also accepts advisory signals sent from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 . there are maintenance advisories and three types of in - flight advisories : emergency or safety of flight , flight efficiency or fuel economy , and flight separation . the smart module 14 receives these signals and sends maintenance advisories to an on - board maintenance communication subsystem . in - flight advisories are sent to the pilot &# 39 ; s audio system and to the pilot &# 39 ; s warning panel . thus smart 14 concentrates the audio , video , digital discrete and sensor signals to minimize the weight , power expended , cost of equipment and uhf radio antennas carried aboard the aircraft . large , commercial , passenger aircraft will be fitted with systems 50 capable of monitoring an extensive number of their performance and control signals 18 . small , private aircraft do not need such extensive monitoring and will have systems 50 capable of monitoring only a limited number of performance and control signals 18 . the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system 50 has been described with reference to a particular embodiment . other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Is 'Fixed Constructions' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 47969a68e25eb84068c2d870fb60aebb03a55ff118c10ad73b75349d0acda87b | 0.195313 | 0.013245 | 0.40625 | 0.001137 | 0.21875 | 0.012451 |
null | fig1 shows an aircraft 10 equipped with a sensor multiplexer receiver & amp ; transmitter ( smart ) 14 which is a line replaceable unit . the aircraft is also equipped with a gps receiver system 16 . the gps system 16 receives ultra high frequency ( uhf ) radio signals 36 from several gps satellites 32 via its gps antenna 40 , calculates the position and altitude of the aircraft 10 and reports this position and altitude data 44 to the smart 14 . the smart 14 also receives aircraft performance and control data 18 , acoustic data 22 , and video data 26 . the video data 26 comes from cameras which monitor the cockpit , the passenger compartment , and the cargo compartment . smart 14 periodically samples the sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 converts all non - digital sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 into digital format , adds a sensor identification label to each signal 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 plus an aircraft identification and configuration label . then the smart 14 ultra high frequency radio electronically modulates the combined data and sends them to the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . it should be noted that , to save weight , one antenna could serve the functions of the gps antenna 40 and the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . then this uhf signal is transmitted by the aircraft antenna 30 to an earth orbiting communication satellite 38 that is located in a direct , unobstructed , line of sight with the aircraft 10 . in addition to transmitting data , the smart 14 receives data from the satellite 38 . as will be described more fully below , this data is mostly in the form of advisories and alerts . such advisories and alerts are reported to the crew via an on - board advisory system 72 . fig2 illustrates the communication satellite link 34 , 46 , 48 between the aircraft 10 and the cgbs 42 . it shows smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 transmitting their sensor data over an uhf radio , unobstructed line of sight , transmission 34 to the closest communication satellite 38 . the satellite , world wide communication link then relays the data by line of sight transmission 46 to other communication satellites 38 followed by line of sight transmission 48 to the cgbs 42 . the transmission of aircraft advisories from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 is accomplished by communicating along the same path but in the reverse direction . fig2 depicts a continuous , around the clock , world wide communication link 34 , 46 , 48 that provides two way communication with all of the aircraft 10 equipped with smart 14 in the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory ( raft ) system 50 . the number of satellites 38 in the communication system depends on whether a geosynchronous or low earth orbit ( leo ) satellite constellation is utilized . the system will work with either of the satellite constellations . the leo constellation requires smaller , lighter and lower power equipment but a larger number of satellites . fig3 is a block diagram of the cgbs 42 . it shows the cgbs receiving and transmitting antenna 54 , and the antenna control and uhf interface 56 that converts the received satellite signal into an electrical signal . the received signal represents aircraft performance and control 18 , audio 22 , video 26 , and high accuracy position and altitude data 44 . these signals are then sent to : the cgbs processing station 62 for data analysis , and performance and problem simulation ; the expert system module 64 for crash avoidance simulations ; the archive 66 for data storage ; the advisory module 70 for generating aircraft advisories ; the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s module 74 for distribution to the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s ground based facilities for expert crash avoidance and maintenance advisories ; and the atc module 78 for distribution to airport and area atc facilities . since the cgbs 42 is on the ground its temperature , environment , humidity and air can be readily controlled so that the archive storage of the aircraft &# 39 ; s sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is very reliable . in addition , the real - time analysis of the data will alert the operational aircraft 10 of problems . in some cases , this may occur prior to the pilot &# 39 ; s recognition of a problem . thus in addition to reducing the equipment aboard the aircraft it can lighten the pilot &# 39 ; s work load . ground communication can be made over wide band - width , fiber optic cables , satellites or other rf communication links . in the continental united states the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link is preferred . the cgbs 42 acts as communication concentrator and it is through this facility 42 that world wide communication with the aircraft 10 occurs . at this facility 42 weather data is collected from the government weather bureau facilities . the weather data , map data , dted and atc data is also combined with other aircraft operational data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to provide : emergency or safety of flight advisories , flight efficiency or fuel economy advisories , and flight separation advisories . fig2 and 3 show how the closest , unobstructed line - of sight satellite 38 receives the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 from aircraft 10 equipped with smart modules 14 . data travels over the system to the satellite 38 closest to the cgbs 42 . this satellite 38 is in line of sight communication with the cgbs 42 , which transmits and receives data to and from the cgbs antenna 54 . the antenna 54 is controlled by antenna control and uhf interface module 56 . the uhf signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 are also demodulated and sorted , by aircraft , in this module 56 . the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is then sent to the ground processor 62 for analysis . one function of the ground processor 62 is to send the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to the archival data storage system 66 where it is safely stored in an air conditioned environment , for future retrieval , on magnetic disc or tape , or optical memory . another function of the processor 62 is to coordinate its data with the aircraft simulation processor 64 . this processor 64 performs an expert system analysis based on past performance , i . e . archived , data , aircraft specific stress accumulation statistics and world wide weather and wind shear , dted and atc information . based on this simulation , aircraft real - time advisories are generated by the advisory module 70 . emergency advisories are also based on the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s simulations conducted at their facilities and communicated to the cgbs 42 via the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . the data can be viewed and controlled by the cgbs operators on the display and control system 86 . the position , altitude and aircraft velocity data is also sent to the atc module 78 for real - time transmission to the airport and area flight controllers over the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 . weather data from weather services are also communicated over this link 92 . this data when mixed with the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 at the aircraft simulation module 64 provide world wide safety of flight trajectories , safe to take off and land , and fuel efficiency economy of flight advisories . these advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 over the world wide communication link illustrated in fig2 . in addition , world wide advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 by the atc based on their information for aircraft separation . in a similar manner , the aircraft data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is sent to aircraft manufacturer personnel by the communication module 74 over the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . advisories can be sent by the manufacturers providing the best way to handle problems based on their expert knowledge of the aircraft 10 . these aid in safely flying the aircraft or efficiently servicing an aircraft that is experiencing equipment malfunctions on the ground . the in - air safety of flight advisories go to the advisory center 70 to be integrated with cgbs and air traffic controller generated information so as to provide a single emergency advisory , based on all of the data . this advisory is sent to the aircraft 10 via the global communication network . for aircraft experiencing problems on the ground , an aircraft manufacturer remotely samples the aircraft &# 39 ; s performance and then sends advisories over the network to the aircraft &# 39 ; s ground maintenance personnel . these advisories represent the latest diagnostic procedures and problem specific maintenance information . these maintenance advisories are sent to an aircraft maintenance terminal display that interfaces with the smart communication system 14 on board the aircraft . thus the maintenance advisory provides efficient , safe and effective repair of the aircraft using the most up - to - date procedures . fig4 provides greater detail about cgbs 42 communication with the ground based flight control and manufacturing facilities . the cgbs ground processor 62 communicates with the atc communication module 78 . digital data is communicated serially over a wide band - width , fiber optic link 92 to the air traffic control facilities 100 and the area traffic control facilities 96 . there are a large number of civil and military airport and area atcs in present use . these are indicated 100a to 100n for the airport air traffic controllers and 96a to 96n for the area air traffic controllers . each of the air traffic controllers 96 , 100 can tap the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 for the specific aircraft data of interest to them . the air traffic controllers can also send , to specific or to all smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 in the world , advisory data over the same communication link . the cgbs 42 communicates these advisories , via the satellite 38 communication link 48 , 46 , 34 , to the aircraft 10 . in a similar fashion the cgbs 42 receives world wide weather data from the weather bureau 104 and world wide map and topographic data from the map 105 and topographic 106 databases . the cgbs 42 then , by its knowledge of the aircraft location , flight plans and operational characteristics , tailors this global weather data to weather data that is specific to each aircraft &# 39 ; s area of operation for safety and economy of flight advisories . aircraft manufacturing facilities 108 communicate with the cgbs 42 ground processor 62 via the aircraft manufacturer communication module &# 39 ; s 74 , wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 82 . since there are a number of different aircraft manufacturers they are indicated by reference numbers 108a to 108n . their concomitant emergency and maintenance advisory facilities are indicated by the reference numbers 116a to 116n . each manufacturer maintains an historical log of the aircraft 10 in service for configuration , stress , maintenance service and end of life assembly data . the manufacturers also maintain aircraft simulation capability 112 to aid in providing safety of flight advisories to aircraft 10 that are experiencing a problem . the different simulation facilities are shown by the reference numbers 112a to 112n . these advisories occur whether the problem was first surfaced by the in - air aircraft personnel , or by the on the ground monitoring personnel or by simulations at the cgbs 42 or aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 . the cgbs 42 and the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 check the aircraft operational capability by remotely sampling the aircraft &# 39 ; s operational status parameters 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and using other factors such as weather , atc information , map , and dted . the simulations utilize real - time analysis of the vehicle data and past performance to provide expert system advisories . for an aircraft that is experiencing a problem on the ground , the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facilities 108 still sample the operational status of the aircraft &# 39 ; s flight critical assemblies via the real - time , world wide , communication link 34 , 46 , 48 . the manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 transmits expert system repair advisories to the aircraft &# 39 ; s 10 maintenance personnel . these include the latest approved , problem specific , service manual data to efficiently and safely correct the aircraft &# 39 ; s problem . operation of this invention , remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system , 50 can be summarized as follows . the aircraft 10 is fitted with a smart module 14 , that accepts sensor signals 18 depicting the performance of many of the flight safety critical assemblies . it converts any of the analog sensor data 18 into a digital format . these signals are the same as those that are presently sent to the existing flight crash recorders aboard aircraft which records vital flight information such as air speed , height , attitude , landing gear status , fuel status as well as the position of the aircraft controls and latitude and longitude , which is gleaned from radio navigation aids and the inertial navigation system ( ins ), when available . unlike the existing crash recorder that must be recovered from a crash site to obtain an understanding of the cause of the crash , the system depicted in fig1 - 4 has a telemetry system to radio these signals to a world wide communication system and to a final destination known as the cgbs 42 . in addition to the standard flight sensors presently used in existing flight recorders , position and altitude 44 signals from the gps or glonass receivers , acoustical sensors 22 that record cockpit sounds , and video camera data 26 that records the passengers entering the vehicle , the states of the cargo , hull and the cockpit during flight , aircraft identification and latest configuration are also sent to smart 14 for telemetry to the cgbs 42 . the smart module 14 accepts these signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and then transmits them over the uhf radio link 34 , 46 , 48 . the preferred embodiment of this invention 50 utilizes a global satellite 38 communication system . the smart module &# 39 ; s 14 uhf output is sent to a satellite antenna 30 where the signal is radioed to a satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the aircraft 10 . the combined signal is then relayed , either by leo or a synchronous orbit world wide communication satellite chain , until it is transmitted to the cgbs 42 by the communication satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the cgbs antenna 54 . at the cgbs 42 , these signals are archived . also , aircraft data 18 and signals 22 , 26 , 44 are distributed , utilizing fiber optic ground or satellite links , to flight controller facilities 100 , 96 and to the aircraft manufacturers 108 . it distributes the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to them in real - time so as to solicit their expert analysis and help in generating the advisories . real - time analysis of the pre - flight aircraft data along with other data such as weather 104 , airport and its local area map 105 , three dimensional topographical map information 106 , from data bases such as digital terrain elevation data ( dted ), atc data , wind shear , and aircraft configuration are also used in generating advisories . the smart 14 also accepts advisory signals sent from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 . there are maintenance advisories and three types of in - flight advisories : emergency or safety of flight , flight efficiency or fuel economy , and flight separation . the smart module 14 receives these signals and sends maintenance advisories to an on - board maintenance communication subsystem . in - flight advisories are sent to the pilot &# 39 ; s audio system and to the pilot &# 39 ; s warning panel . thus smart 14 concentrates the audio , video , digital discrete and sensor signals to minimize the weight , power expended , cost of equipment and uhf radio antennas carried aboard the aircraft . large , commercial , passenger aircraft will be fitted with systems 50 capable of monitoring an extensive number of their performance and control signals 18 . small , private aircraft do not need such extensive monitoring and will have systems 50 capable of monitoring only a limited number of performance and control signals 18 . the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system 50 has been described with reference to a particular embodiment . other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 47969a68e25eb84068c2d870fb60aebb03a55ff118c10ad73b75349d0acda87b | 0.192383 | 0.001068 | 0.40625 | 0.000315 | 0.21875 | 0.002975 |
null | fig1 shows an aircraft 10 equipped with a sensor multiplexer receiver & amp ; transmitter ( smart ) 14 which is a line replaceable unit . the aircraft is also equipped with a gps receiver system 16 . the gps system 16 receives ultra high frequency ( uhf ) radio signals 36 from several gps satellites 32 via its gps antenna 40 , calculates the position and altitude of the aircraft 10 and reports this position and altitude data 44 to the smart 14 . the smart 14 also receives aircraft performance and control data 18 , acoustic data 22 , and video data 26 . the video data 26 comes from cameras which monitor the cockpit , the passenger compartment , and the cargo compartment . smart 14 periodically samples the sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 converts all non - digital sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 into digital format , adds a sensor identification label to each signal 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 plus an aircraft identification and configuration label . then the smart 14 ultra high frequency radio electronically modulates the combined data and sends them to the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . it should be noted that , to save weight , one antenna could serve the functions of the gps antenna 40 and the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . then this uhf signal is transmitted by the aircraft antenna 30 to an earth orbiting communication satellite 38 that is located in a direct , unobstructed , line of sight with the aircraft 10 . in addition to transmitting data , the smart 14 receives data from the satellite 38 . as will be described more fully below , this data is mostly in the form of advisories and alerts . such advisories and alerts are reported to the crew via an on - board advisory system 72 . fig2 illustrates the communication satellite link 34 , 46 , 48 between the aircraft 10 and the cgbs 42 . it shows smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 transmitting their sensor data over an uhf radio , unobstructed line of sight , transmission 34 to the closest communication satellite 38 . the satellite , world wide communication link then relays the data by line of sight transmission 46 to other communication satellites 38 followed by line of sight transmission 48 to the cgbs 42 . the transmission of aircraft advisories from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 is accomplished by communicating along the same path but in the reverse direction . fig2 depicts a continuous , around the clock , world wide communication link 34 , 46 , 48 that provides two way communication with all of the aircraft 10 equipped with smart 14 in the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory ( raft ) system 50 . the number of satellites 38 in the communication system depends on whether a geosynchronous or low earth orbit ( leo ) satellite constellation is utilized . the system will work with either of the satellite constellations . the leo constellation requires smaller , lighter and lower power equipment but a larger number of satellites . fig3 is a block diagram of the cgbs 42 . it shows the cgbs receiving and transmitting antenna 54 , and the antenna control and uhf interface 56 that converts the received satellite signal into an electrical signal . the received signal represents aircraft performance and control 18 , audio 22 , video 26 , and high accuracy position and altitude data 44 . these signals are then sent to : the cgbs processing station 62 for data analysis , and performance and problem simulation ; the expert system module 64 for crash avoidance simulations ; the archive 66 for data storage ; the advisory module 70 for generating aircraft advisories ; the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s module 74 for distribution to the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s ground based facilities for expert crash avoidance and maintenance advisories ; and the atc module 78 for distribution to airport and area atc facilities . since the cgbs 42 is on the ground its temperature , environment , humidity and air can be readily controlled so that the archive storage of the aircraft &# 39 ; s sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is very reliable . in addition , the real - time analysis of the data will alert the operational aircraft 10 of problems . in some cases , this may occur prior to the pilot &# 39 ; s recognition of a problem . thus in addition to reducing the equipment aboard the aircraft it can lighten the pilot &# 39 ; s work load . ground communication can be made over wide band - width , fiber optic cables , satellites or other rf communication links . in the continental united states the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link is preferred . the cgbs 42 acts as communication concentrator and it is through this facility 42 that world wide communication with the aircraft 10 occurs . at this facility 42 weather data is collected from the government weather bureau facilities . the weather data , map data , dted and atc data is also combined with other aircraft operational data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to provide : emergency or safety of flight advisories , flight efficiency or fuel economy advisories , and flight separation advisories . fig2 and 3 show how the closest , unobstructed line - of sight satellite 38 receives the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 from aircraft 10 equipped with smart modules 14 . data travels over the system to the satellite 38 closest to the cgbs 42 . this satellite 38 is in line of sight communication with the cgbs 42 , which transmits and receives data to and from the cgbs antenna 54 . the antenna 54 is controlled by antenna control and uhf interface module 56 . the uhf signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 are also demodulated and sorted , by aircraft , in this module 56 . the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is then sent to the ground processor 62 for analysis . one function of the ground processor 62 is to send the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to the archival data storage system 66 where it is safely stored in an air conditioned environment , for future retrieval , on magnetic disc or tape , or optical memory . another function of the processor 62 is to coordinate its data with the aircraft simulation processor 64 . this processor 64 performs an expert system analysis based on past performance , i . e . archived , data , aircraft specific stress accumulation statistics and world wide weather and wind shear , dted and atc information . based on this simulation , aircraft real - time advisories are generated by the advisory module 70 . emergency advisories are also based on the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s simulations conducted at their facilities and communicated to the cgbs 42 via the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . the data can be viewed and controlled by the cgbs operators on the display and control system 86 . the position , altitude and aircraft velocity data is also sent to the atc module 78 for real - time transmission to the airport and area flight controllers over the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 . weather data from weather services are also communicated over this link 92 . this data when mixed with the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 at the aircraft simulation module 64 provide world wide safety of flight trajectories , safe to take off and land , and fuel efficiency economy of flight advisories . these advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 over the world wide communication link illustrated in fig2 . in addition , world wide advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 by the atc based on their information for aircraft separation . in a similar manner , the aircraft data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is sent to aircraft manufacturer personnel by the communication module 74 over the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . advisories can be sent by the manufacturers providing the best way to handle problems based on their expert knowledge of the aircraft 10 . these aid in safely flying the aircraft or efficiently servicing an aircraft that is experiencing equipment malfunctions on the ground . the in - air safety of flight advisories go to the advisory center 70 to be integrated with cgbs and air traffic controller generated information so as to provide a single emergency advisory , based on all of the data . this advisory is sent to the aircraft 10 via the global communication network . for aircraft experiencing problems on the ground , an aircraft manufacturer remotely samples the aircraft &# 39 ; s performance and then sends advisories over the network to the aircraft &# 39 ; s ground maintenance personnel . these advisories represent the latest diagnostic procedures and problem specific maintenance information . these maintenance advisories are sent to an aircraft maintenance terminal display that interfaces with the smart communication system 14 on board the aircraft . thus the maintenance advisory provides efficient , safe and effective repair of the aircraft using the most up - to - date procedures . fig4 provides greater detail about cgbs 42 communication with the ground based flight control and manufacturing facilities . the cgbs ground processor 62 communicates with the atc communication module 78 . digital data is communicated serially over a wide band - width , fiber optic link 92 to the air traffic control facilities 100 and the area traffic control facilities 96 . there are a large number of civil and military airport and area atcs in present use . these are indicated 100a to 100n for the airport air traffic controllers and 96a to 96n for the area air traffic controllers . each of the air traffic controllers 96 , 100 can tap the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 for the specific aircraft data of interest to them . the air traffic controllers can also send , to specific or to all smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 in the world , advisory data over the same communication link . the cgbs 42 communicates these advisories , via the satellite 38 communication link 48 , 46 , 34 , to the aircraft 10 . in a similar fashion the cgbs 42 receives world wide weather data from the weather bureau 104 and world wide map and topographic data from the map 105 and topographic 106 databases . the cgbs 42 then , by its knowledge of the aircraft location , flight plans and operational characteristics , tailors this global weather data to weather data that is specific to each aircraft &# 39 ; s area of operation for safety and economy of flight advisories . aircraft manufacturing facilities 108 communicate with the cgbs 42 ground processor 62 via the aircraft manufacturer communication module &# 39 ; s 74 , wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 82 . since there are a number of different aircraft manufacturers they are indicated by reference numbers 108a to 108n . their concomitant emergency and maintenance advisory facilities are indicated by the reference numbers 116a to 116n . each manufacturer maintains an historical log of the aircraft 10 in service for configuration , stress , maintenance service and end of life assembly data . the manufacturers also maintain aircraft simulation capability 112 to aid in providing safety of flight advisories to aircraft 10 that are experiencing a problem . the different simulation facilities are shown by the reference numbers 112a to 112n . these advisories occur whether the problem was first surfaced by the in - air aircraft personnel , or by the on the ground monitoring personnel or by simulations at the cgbs 42 or aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 . the cgbs 42 and the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 check the aircraft operational capability by remotely sampling the aircraft &# 39 ; s operational status parameters 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and using other factors such as weather , atc information , map , and dted . the simulations utilize real - time analysis of the vehicle data and past performance to provide expert system advisories . for an aircraft that is experiencing a problem on the ground , the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facilities 108 still sample the operational status of the aircraft &# 39 ; s flight critical assemblies via the real - time , world wide , communication link 34 , 46 , 48 . the manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 transmits expert system repair advisories to the aircraft &# 39 ; s 10 maintenance personnel . these include the latest approved , problem specific , service manual data to efficiently and safely correct the aircraft &# 39 ; s problem . operation of this invention , remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system , 50 can be summarized as follows . the aircraft 10 is fitted with a smart module 14 , that accepts sensor signals 18 depicting the performance of many of the flight safety critical assemblies . it converts any of the analog sensor data 18 into a digital format . these signals are the same as those that are presently sent to the existing flight crash recorders aboard aircraft which records vital flight information such as air speed , height , attitude , landing gear status , fuel status as well as the position of the aircraft controls and latitude and longitude , which is gleaned from radio navigation aids and the inertial navigation system ( ins ), when available . unlike the existing crash recorder that must be recovered from a crash site to obtain an understanding of the cause of the crash , the system depicted in fig1 - 4 has a telemetry system to radio these signals to a world wide communication system and to a final destination known as the cgbs 42 . in addition to the standard flight sensors presently used in existing flight recorders , position and altitude 44 signals from the gps or glonass receivers , acoustical sensors 22 that record cockpit sounds , and video camera data 26 that records the passengers entering the vehicle , the states of the cargo , hull and the cockpit during flight , aircraft identification and latest configuration are also sent to smart 14 for telemetry to the cgbs 42 . the smart module 14 accepts these signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and then transmits them over the uhf radio link 34 , 46 , 48 . the preferred embodiment of this invention 50 utilizes a global satellite 38 communication system . the smart module &# 39 ; s 14 uhf output is sent to a satellite antenna 30 where the signal is radioed to a satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the aircraft 10 . the combined signal is then relayed , either by leo or a synchronous orbit world wide communication satellite chain , until it is transmitted to the cgbs 42 by the communication satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the cgbs antenna 54 . at the cgbs 42 , these signals are archived . also , aircraft data 18 and signals 22 , 26 , 44 are distributed , utilizing fiber optic ground or satellite links , to flight controller facilities 100 , 96 and to the aircraft manufacturers 108 . it distributes the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to them in real - time so as to solicit their expert analysis and help in generating the advisories . real - time analysis of the pre - flight aircraft data along with other data such as weather 104 , airport and its local area map 105 , three dimensional topographical map information 106 , from data bases such as digital terrain elevation data ( dted ), atc data , wind shear , and aircraft configuration are also used in generating advisories . the smart 14 also accepts advisory signals sent from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 . there are maintenance advisories and three types of in - flight advisories : emergency or safety of flight , flight efficiency or fuel economy , and flight separation . the smart module 14 receives these signals and sends maintenance advisories to an on - board maintenance communication subsystem . in - flight advisories are sent to the pilot &# 39 ; s audio system and to the pilot &# 39 ; s warning panel . thus smart 14 concentrates the audio , video , digital discrete and sensor signals to minimize the weight , power expended , cost of equipment and uhf radio antennas carried aboard the aircraft . large , commercial , passenger aircraft will be fitted with systems 50 capable of monitoring an extensive number of their performance and control signals 18 . small , private aircraft do not need such extensive monitoring and will have systems 50 capable of monitoring only a limited number of performance and control signals 18 . the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system 50 has been described with reference to a particular embodiment . other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow . | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 47969a68e25eb84068c2d870fb60aebb03a55ff118c10ad73b75349d0acda87b | 0.125 | 0.099609 | 0.143555 | 0.023682 | 0.114258 | 0.119141 |
null | fig1 shows an aircraft 10 equipped with a sensor multiplexer receiver & amp ; transmitter ( smart ) 14 which is a line replaceable unit . the aircraft is also equipped with a gps receiver system 16 . the gps system 16 receives ultra high frequency ( uhf ) radio signals 36 from several gps satellites 32 via its gps antenna 40 , calculates the position and altitude of the aircraft 10 and reports this position and altitude data 44 to the smart 14 . the smart 14 also receives aircraft performance and control data 18 , acoustic data 22 , and video data 26 . the video data 26 comes from cameras which monitor the cockpit , the passenger compartment , and the cargo compartment . smart 14 periodically samples the sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 converts all non - digital sensor signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 into digital format , adds a sensor identification label to each signal 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 plus an aircraft identification and configuration label . then the smart 14 ultra high frequency radio electronically modulates the combined data and sends them to the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . it should be noted that , to save weight , one antenna could serve the functions of the gps antenna 40 and the aircraft satellite telemetry antenna 30 . then this uhf signal is transmitted by the aircraft antenna 30 to an earth orbiting communication satellite 38 that is located in a direct , unobstructed , line of sight with the aircraft 10 . in addition to transmitting data , the smart 14 receives data from the satellite 38 . as will be described more fully below , this data is mostly in the form of advisories and alerts . such advisories and alerts are reported to the crew via an on - board advisory system 72 . fig2 illustrates the communication satellite link 34 , 46 , 48 between the aircraft 10 and the cgbs 42 . it shows smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 transmitting their sensor data over an uhf radio , unobstructed line of sight , transmission 34 to the closest communication satellite 38 . the satellite , world wide communication link then relays the data by line of sight transmission 46 to other communication satellites 38 followed by line of sight transmission 48 to the cgbs 42 . the transmission of aircraft advisories from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 is accomplished by communicating along the same path but in the reverse direction . fig2 depicts a continuous , around the clock , world wide communication link 34 , 46 , 48 that provides two way communication with all of the aircraft 10 equipped with smart 14 in the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory ( raft ) system 50 . the number of satellites 38 in the communication system depends on whether a geosynchronous or low earth orbit ( leo ) satellite constellation is utilized . the system will work with either of the satellite constellations . the leo constellation requires smaller , lighter and lower power equipment but a larger number of satellites . fig3 is a block diagram of the cgbs 42 . it shows the cgbs receiving and transmitting antenna 54 , and the antenna control and uhf interface 56 that converts the received satellite signal into an electrical signal . the received signal represents aircraft performance and control 18 , audio 22 , video 26 , and high accuracy position and altitude data 44 . these signals are then sent to : the cgbs processing station 62 for data analysis , and performance and problem simulation ; the expert system module 64 for crash avoidance simulations ; the archive 66 for data storage ; the advisory module 70 for generating aircraft advisories ; the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s module 74 for distribution to the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s ground based facilities for expert crash avoidance and maintenance advisories ; and the atc module 78 for distribution to airport and area atc facilities . since the cgbs 42 is on the ground its temperature , environment , humidity and air can be readily controlled so that the archive storage of the aircraft &# 39 ; s sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is very reliable . in addition , the real - time analysis of the data will alert the operational aircraft 10 of problems . in some cases , this may occur prior to the pilot &# 39 ; s recognition of a problem . thus in addition to reducing the equipment aboard the aircraft it can lighten the pilot &# 39 ; s work load . ground communication can be made over wide band - width , fiber optic cables , satellites or other rf communication links . in the continental united states the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link is preferred . the cgbs 42 acts as communication concentrator and it is through this facility 42 that world wide communication with the aircraft 10 occurs . at this facility 42 weather data is collected from the government weather bureau facilities . the weather data , map data , dted and atc data is also combined with other aircraft operational data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to provide : emergency or safety of flight advisories , flight efficiency or fuel economy advisories , and flight separation advisories . fig2 and 3 show how the closest , unobstructed line - of sight satellite 38 receives the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 from aircraft 10 equipped with smart modules 14 . data travels over the system to the satellite 38 closest to the cgbs 42 . this satellite 38 is in line of sight communication with the cgbs 42 , which transmits and receives data to and from the cgbs antenna 54 . the antenna 54 is controlled by antenna control and uhf interface module 56 . the uhf signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 are also demodulated and sorted , by aircraft , in this module 56 . the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is then sent to the ground processor 62 for analysis . one function of the ground processor 62 is to send the data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to the archival data storage system 66 where it is safely stored in an air conditioned environment , for future retrieval , on magnetic disc or tape , or optical memory . another function of the processor 62 is to coordinate its data with the aircraft simulation processor 64 . this processor 64 performs an expert system analysis based on past performance , i . e . archived , data , aircraft specific stress accumulation statistics and world wide weather and wind shear , dted and atc information . based on this simulation , aircraft real - time advisories are generated by the advisory module 70 . emergency advisories are also based on the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s simulations conducted at their facilities and communicated to the cgbs 42 via the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . the data can be viewed and controlled by the cgbs operators on the display and control system 86 . the position , altitude and aircraft velocity data is also sent to the atc module 78 for real - time transmission to the airport and area flight controllers over the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 . weather data from weather services are also communicated over this link 92 . this data when mixed with the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 at the aircraft simulation module 64 provide world wide safety of flight trajectories , safe to take off and land , and fuel efficiency economy of flight advisories . these advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 over the world wide communication link illustrated in fig2 . in addition , world wide advisories are sent to the aircraft 10 by the atc based on their information for aircraft separation . in a similar manner , the aircraft data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 is sent to aircraft manufacturer personnel by the communication module 74 over the wide band - width , fiber optic link 82 . advisories can be sent by the manufacturers providing the best way to handle problems based on their expert knowledge of the aircraft 10 . these aid in safely flying the aircraft or efficiently servicing an aircraft that is experiencing equipment malfunctions on the ground . the in - air safety of flight advisories go to the advisory center 70 to be integrated with cgbs and air traffic controller generated information so as to provide a single emergency advisory , based on all of the data . this advisory is sent to the aircraft 10 via the global communication network . for aircraft experiencing problems on the ground , an aircraft manufacturer remotely samples the aircraft &# 39 ; s performance and then sends advisories over the network to the aircraft &# 39 ; s ground maintenance personnel . these advisories represent the latest diagnostic procedures and problem specific maintenance information . these maintenance advisories are sent to an aircraft maintenance terminal display that interfaces with the smart communication system 14 on board the aircraft . thus the maintenance advisory provides efficient , safe and effective repair of the aircraft using the most up - to - date procedures . fig4 provides greater detail about cgbs 42 communication with the ground based flight control and manufacturing facilities . the cgbs ground processor 62 communicates with the atc communication module 78 . digital data is communicated serially over a wide band - width , fiber optic link 92 to the air traffic control facilities 100 and the area traffic control facilities 96 . there are a large number of civil and military airport and area atcs in present use . these are indicated 100a to 100n for the airport air traffic controllers and 96a to 96n for the area air traffic controllers . each of the air traffic controllers 96 , 100 can tap the wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 92 for the specific aircraft data of interest to them . the air traffic controllers can also send , to specific or to all smart 14 equipped aircraft 10 in the world , advisory data over the same communication link . the cgbs 42 communicates these advisories , via the satellite 38 communication link 48 , 46 , 34 , to the aircraft 10 . in a similar fashion the cgbs 42 receives world wide weather data from the weather bureau 104 and world wide map and topographic data from the map 105 and topographic 106 databases . the cgbs 42 then , by its knowledge of the aircraft location , flight plans and operational characteristics , tailors this global weather data to weather data that is specific to each aircraft &# 39 ; s area of operation for safety and economy of flight advisories . aircraft manufacturing facilities 108 communicate with the cgbs 42 ground processor 62 via the aircraft manufacturer communication module &# 39 ; s 74 , wide band - width , fiber optic communication link 82 . since there are a number of different aircraft manufacturers they are indicated by reference numbers 108a to 108n . their concomitant emergency and maintenance advisory facilities are indicated by the reference numbers 116a to 116n . each manufacturer maintains an historical log of the aircraft 10 in service for configuration , stress , maintenance service and end of life assembly data . the manufacturers also maintain aircraft simulation capability 112 to aid in providing safety of flight advisories to aircraft 10 that are experiencing a problem . the different simulation facilities are shown by the reference numbers 112a to 112n . these advisories occur whether the problem was first surfaced by the in - air aircraft personnel , or by the on the ground monitoring personnel or by simulations at the cgbs 42 or aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 . the cgbs 42 and the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 check the aircraft operational capability by remotely sampling the aircraft &# 39 ; s operational status parameters 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and using other factors such as weather , atc information , map , and dted . the simulations utilize real - time analysis of the vehicle data and past performance to provide expert system advisories . for an aircraft that is experiencing a problem on the ground , the aircraft manufacturer &# 39 ; s facilities 108 still sample the operational status of the aircraft &# 39 ; s flight critical assemblies via the real - time , world wide , communication link 34 , 46 , 48 . the manufacturer &# 39 ; s facility 108 transmits expert system repair advisories to the aircraft &# 39 ; s 10 maintenance personnel . these include the latest approved , problem specific , service manual data to efficiently and safely correct the aircraft &# 39 ; s problem . operation of this invention , remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system , 50 can be summarized as follows . the aircraft 10 is fitted with a smart module 14 , that accepts sensor signals 18 depicting the performance of many of the flight safety critical assemblies . it converts any of the analog sensor data 18 into a digital format . these signals are the same as those that are presently sent to the existing flight crash recorders aboard aircraft which records vital flight information such as air speed , height , attitude , landing gear status , fuel status as well as the position of the aircraft controls and latitude and longitude , which is gleaned from radio navigation aids and the inertial navigation system ( ins ), when available . unlike the existing crash recorder that must be recovered from a crash site to obtain an understanding of the cause of the crash , the system depicted in fig1 - 4 has a telemetry system to radio these signals to a world wide communication system and to a final destination known as the cgbs 42 . in addition to the standard flight sensors presently used in existing flight recorders , position and altitude 44 signals from the gps or glonass receivers , acoustical sensors 22 that record cockpit sounds , and video camera data 26 that records the passengers entering the vehicle , the states of the cargo , hull and the cockpit during flight , aircraft identification and latest configuration are also sent to smart 14 for telemetry to the cgbs 42 . the smart module 14 accepts these signals 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 and then transmits them over the uhf radio link 34 , 46 , 48 . the preferred embodiment of this invention 50 utilizes a global satellite 38 communication system . the smart module &# 39 ; s 14 uhf output is sent to a satellite antenna 30 where the signal is radioed to a satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the aircraft 10 . the combined signal is then relayed , either by leo or a synchronous orbit world wide communication satellite chain , until it is transmitted to the cgbs 42 by the communication satellite 38 that is in a direct line of sight with the cgbs antenna 54 . at the cgbs 42 , these signals are archived . also , aircraft data 18 and signals 22 , 26 , 44 are distributed , utilizing fiber optic ground or satellite links , to flight controller facilities 100 , 96 and to the aircraft manufacturers 108 . it distributes the aircraft sensor data 18 , 22 , 26 , 44 to them in real - time so as to solicit their expert analysis and help in generating the advisories . real - time analysis of the pre - flight aircraft data along with other data such as weather 104 , airport and its local area map 105 , three dimensional topographical map information 106 , from data bases such as digital terrain elevation data ( dted ), atc data , wind shear , and aircraft configuration are also used in generating advisories . the smart 14 also accepts advisory signals sent from the cgbs 42 to the aircraft 10 . there are maintenance advisories and three types of in - flight advisories : emergency or safety of flight , flight efficiency or fuel economy , and flight separation . the smart module 14 receives these signals and sends maintenance advisories to an on - board maintenance communication subsystem . in - flight advisories are sent to the pilot &# 39 ; s audio system and to the pilot &# 39 ; s warning panel . thus smart 14 concentrates the audio , video , digital discrete and sensor signals to minimize the weight , power expended , cost of equipment and uhf radio antennas carried aboard the aircraft . large , commercial , passenger aircraft will be fitted with systems 50 capable of monitoring an extensive number of their performance and control signals 18 . small , private aircraft do not need such extensive monitoring and will have systems 50 capable of monitoring only a limited number of performance and control signals 18 . the remote aircraft flight recorder and advisory system 50 has been described with reference to a particular embodiment . other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow . | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 47969a68e25eb84068c2d870fb60aebb03a55ff118c10ad73b75349d0acda87b | 0.125 | 0.069336 | 0.147461 | 0.007111 | 0.114258 | 0.022949 |
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